Volume 22 Issue 6: Challenge

MA R S ’ H I L L

CHALLENGE VO VOLU LUM ME E 22 22

ISSUE ISSUE 77

JA JAN N.. 24 24// 18 18

FROM THE EDITOR

MARS’ H I L L MARS’ HILL

Welcome to 2018!

Mars’ Hill is a student publication of Trinity Western University, floated with funds raised by the Student Association. Mars’ Hill seeks to be a professional and relevant student publication, reflecting and challenging the TWU community, while intentionally addressing local, national and international issues.

MISSION TO MARS The mission of Mars’ Hill, as the official student newspaper of Trinity Western University, is to inform and entertain its readers, cultivate awareness of issues concerning the TWU community and provide a forum for purposeful, constructive discussion among its members in accordance with the Community Covenant, Statement of Faith, and Core Values of the University.

EDITORIAL POLICY Mars’ Hill encourages submissions and letters to the Editor. Mars’ Hill reserves the right to edit submissions for style, brevity and compatibility with the Mission, Statement of Faith, the Community Community Covenant, and the Core Values of the University.

Anonymous authorship of any material may be granted at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

Opinions expressed in Mars’ Hill belong to the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, Trinity Western University, its officials or its Student Association.

CONTRIBUTORS Monique Bouchard Jonny Yu Andrea Rodríguez Casie Gano Cam Thiessen Declan V White Kevin Redekop Ryan Schaffrick Keltie Gardiner Kennedy Dragt Kyle Baker Bailey Broadbent Aaron Gruenhage Danica Steenkamp Cathy Shields Abigail Seidle Joey Schweitzer

7600 Glover Rd, Langley, BC, V2Y 1Y1 604-513-2109 marshill@gmail.com www.marshill.ca

STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOR Loranne Brown

This issue brought to you by

What an insane, crazy and beautiful year 2017 was. Now that it’s over and you’re back to school, I think of the many problems you may have faced with your time at home (or wherever home is for you): waiting in airports, long drives home, trying to get into “do-nothing” mode which, sadly, has become a challenge for many in this busy “sayyes” society, tryptophan turkey coma, and of course, the dreaded return to school.

Hold on, let me real with you for a moment – these are not challenges.

These are privileges that we have morphed into challenges. Since when did eating too much turkey become a problem when someone in your own neighbourhood can’t even afford to feed their family on Christmas Eve? That’s beside the point. My point here is ultimately about you and the REAL challenges you face – either going home for the break, or coming back to school. The tests I faced coming back for my second semester in my first year are drastically different than they are in this year, my fifth. Perhaps you relate and maybe even agree?

Third year: By this time, you’ve started to build an appreciation for home, again, wherever that is. You know the taste of home-cooked food is better than anything the caf could ever serve, and you start to handle your interactions and relationships with humility and grace.

You see the weight it took on your parents when you started university, and you start to ponder, “I wish I had more time at home.”

Fourth and fifth year: It’s the final stretch. Once this semester is done, you’re in the real world, outside the Trinity bubble. It’s raw, scary, terrifying and if you’re not already in the thick of applying and interviewing for jobs, you’re starting. The challenge is only beginning.

academic obstacles, stand against (and within) your faith, disagree with your roommate...the list goes on.

Not to be harsh, but the challenges don’t end. Christ does give you an overwhelming offer of strength, humility and joy to battle these challenges though, and to become an overcomer. You learn how to handle and balance life, and how to honour Him through it all. Don’t worry, not just because He tells you to, but because beyond these challenges is a faithful Father waiting to give you purpose and direction.

Until next time, Katie

Through it all, you struggle with making ends meet financially, deal with family issues, dispute with your parents and siblings, battle

First year: Leave and cleave is a real thing (outside the definition of marriage). You were excited to go home for almost three weeks, and you might not have seen your family for two or three months. Time at home is good, but also rife with questions, tension, disagreements, and people asking you, “So, how was your first semester of university?” You’re still trying to navigate your major, friends, and how to live in this community.

Second year: At least for me, this was my rebel year. The arguments were hot as coal, and I thought I knew best. I couldn’t wait to get back to campus.

Big Mood (bood) Hot Mess Jamison’s Artistic Skills

THE TEAM

ALEX GUST

Managing Editor

BROOKE PATTYN Layout Editor

TORI AHRENDT Visual Editor

JAMISON DERKSEN Sports Editor

NIKI MARA

Academy Editor

JOEL REDEKOP

Arts & Culture Editor

SABINE HENDERSON MAYA JUSMAN Humour Editor

Illustration Editor

Predictions for 2018?

HANNAH DEVRIES Chief Copy Editor

MADISON POWERS Photo Editor

BAILEY MARTENS Web Editor

DAYNA SLUSAR

Social Media Manager

CHRISALEEN CIRO News Editor

RYAN SCHAFFRICK Advertising and Finance Manager

DE-CLASSIFIEDS SUBMIT YOUR DECLASSIFIEDS AT: WWW.MARSHILL.CA

POLS 101: a class where “in the first week you will learn infinitely more about politics than Donald Trump” -Cal Townsend, 2018 I like my women like I like my buildings. Two floors.

I heard Hootenanny is gunna be Beauty and the Beast this year. #tobinforbeast I’ll take Norma Trivia for $600 Alex. g0sH rOn itSS leviOOOOsa not leviosAAJKBKHDBA ewe spell eat the see sew eye cud wok rye true eat New Fraser Hall page for 2018!

Link: https://www.facebook.com/ Frasertom90 What do you get when you cross a bun with a hot?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. One, Two, Three, Four.

Four ways.

It’s hot crossed buns you nerd.

Na bla na ba bla nanana bla na bah dah nah nah dah nah nah HEEEEY MACARENA oh my gawwwwsh its my lasht shemeshter and I NEED TO FIYNED A HUBBY 4 MY TUBBY #RANGBYSPRAAAANG Hey everyone! Like last semester, we’ll be meeting at 2:40 on Wednesdays for D-Group. Bobby will be sharing his testimony. Let me know if this form of communication works for all of you! See you then!

Girl you need yo sleep because GURL if you don get no beauty sleep GURL you gonna be UGLIIIIIIIIIII. 9 LETTER ANAGRAMS OF DECLASSIFIEDS: declassed, declasses, defilades, disleafed, disseised, icefields, idealised, idealises, salsifies On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... her er er er er er er PEEEEEES.

Does anyone know who played Emperor Palpatine last year? #babealert

A young boy disappearing to a parallel shadow dimension? Meh, I’ve seen stranger things.

I am a C. I am a C H. I am a C H A I R.

I feel like if I were to go to hell I would be trapped in a doorless, windowless room with millions of adult colouring books.

Mars’ Hill editors reserve the right to edit or reject submissions based on content and/or length. A printed submission does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of any kind, nor does it necessarily reflect the opinions of Mars’ Hill staff or that of the Trinity Western University.

Fun fact: Moodle stands for modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment. Stay woke fam.

I feel like people use text acronyms in place of punctuation nowadays lol You kids still watching Riverdale?

HA! I’ll have you know that I watched all 222 episodes of Phineas and Ferb twelve times this year.

Get educated on what quality content is. Then we’ll talk. Later nerds.

If freshmen are like walnuts then I must be the freaking HOOVER DAM. I heard the Hootenanny theme this year is Teletubbies.

Confirmed: Hootenanny 2018 is Thomas the Tank Engine themed Hootenany 2018: Pokemon Go Hootenanny 2018: every single season of The Bachelor Cut this out and tape it on a friend’s door to remind them to drink water.

Money + Goose = Mongoose Mars’ Hill? Pah! What a dinky name for a newspaper. Pah! Try something like Neptune’s Mountain idiots.

Decode the message: Zpv ibwf upp nvdi ujnf po zpvs iboet.

Haikus are great stuff I have enough room to say Absolutely an.. rofl omg I have too many boyfrens I jus cannot pick jus one lol Hot Kraft Singles in your area!!

Hey boy are you a wasp because I want to hit you in the face with an electric tennis racket.

What if life gave you lemonade?

Checkmate, optimists.

TWUSA stands for Twinkley Winkley Unicorn Salsa Alliance

If a cow can get turned into beef, surely beef can be turned into a cow. Checkmate, atheists.

Life is like a box of chocolates. It ends too soon and it makes you fat.

The declassified below me is false.

The declassified above me is true.

Hey girl, do you watch Wheel of Fortune? Because if I had the chance to buy a vowel, it would be E because that’s the most common vowel. Thanks for talking!

Bump

COMMUNITY CORNER

3

LOOKING TO CONTRIBUTE? Go to marshill.ca

Think your crush takes forever to reply? I still haven’t heard from that Nigerian prince...

First day on the slopes and I broke my equipment... new year new ski.

First day of the year and my head is super itchy... new year new flea.

First day of the year and I saw a sapling... new year new tree.

First day of the year and a First Nations couple are now proud parents... new year new Cree.

First day of the year and I’m mixing up my Subway order... new year new panini.

Security is ticketing right now!

New Gen: Student conceived, student laboured, student born.

Wow submitting declassifieds is such an uplifting and enriching experience and I would highly recommend it to everyone!!!1!

In this issue ...

9 10

13 17

THE BITCOIN DIVIDE Academy WHY I’M STRUGGLING WITH CHRISTIANITY Feature NEW GENERATIONS Arts & Culture TURNING PRO Sports

:)) I could never tell if this face meant someone was extra happy or a little overweight my birthday wasn’t on the universal calendar what the frick twusa mars’ hill lingo for shut up: “write about it” When people are up in arms about a controversial article, I’m unphased. Don’t make a mountain out of a mars’ hill...

1940s big band party? *is confused* Do we show up in army uniforms? Will there be rations? What time do we mount an offensive against nationalism and facism?

There have been no nanny hooters at the past four Hootenannies 5/10 would lightly reluctantly maybe recommend If your armpit hair had to be the same length as the hair on your head, how long would you keep it?

A penny saved is a penny useless because pennies were discontinued I know that the Sealkap building was named after a person, but I like to think in the early days of Trinity they found a seal wearing a baseball cap and they decided to erect a building in its honour.

Three oh eight sixty eight oh four.

Mars’ Hill editors reserve the right to edit or reject submissions based on content and/or length. A printed submission does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of any kind, nor does it necessarily reflect the opinions of Mars’ Hill staff, the student association, or that of the University. In fact, probably not.

“TWU Culinary School legal battle” – Connor Thiessen

In issue six, published on December 6th, 2017, we made a mistake.

Here is the corrrection: In the Trinity’s Law School Review article, the sentence should have read “Canadian Human Rights Act” not the Charter.

Dear survivor of sexual misconduct, First and foremost, we at Mars’ Hill believe you to be beloved by God and made in His image. Because we believe this and for the sake of your health, we ask that you seek help.

Please talk to your RA, a staff member you trust, or contact Janis Ryder, the Senior Harassment Officer for Trinity Western University.

Also, for your own protection, please consider reporting your grievance to the RCMP. Additionally, if you are comfortable, Mars’ Hill wants to be a part of telling your story. Contact Bailey Martens at baileymmartens@gmail.com.

4 NEWS CHRISALEEN CIRO chrisaleen.ciro@gmail.com

MONIQUE BOUCHARD

With the start of a new year and the expected release of the federal budget in the next few months, it is time to stop and take a look at the status of the current Canadian financial situation.

Projections at the beginning of 2017 included the increase of GDP growth and an overall thriving economy. According to the Conference Board of Canada, this increase in economic growth was the fastest of all the G7 nations with the exception of the United States.

The government has credited much of this growth to be the successful result of heavy “injection spending” to stimulate

the economy. Government spending, however, comes at a literal cost.

During the 2015 election campaign, Justin Trudeau promised “modest” deficits of $10 billion every year for the three years following his election. This number expanded to around $30 billion per year after the formation of the government and looks like it may even jump to an annual $40 billion before returning towards a balanced budget.

While Keynesian economics explain the need for government spending to jumpstart the economy after a recession, such as in 2008, there is a problem with injection spending in an already expanding economy; it’s like washing your car in the rain. It is completely unnecessary and a waste of allocated time and resources.

The arguments in favour of this wild spending include the idea that it will assist middle class Canadians, yet the government has provided no real plan for investing in areas like infrastructure to really help the middle class, and continues to flush out large international payments.

While it is important for Canada to contribute to the global economy by helping countries less equipped to be self-sustaining, it is crucial that if the government plans on spending outside of its means, that this money goes directly into specific programs de-

A DEFICIENT BUDGET signed to grow the Canadian economy first. There is a reason we’re told to put on our own oxygen mask first, before assisting others.

The current levels of spending are made worse by Canada’s aging population.

There are now more seniors in Canada than youth, and in just over a decade, seniors will make up 25% of the Canadian population. The result is this: the current debt that is dangerously escalating is now shackled to Canadian youth. The more debt that is racked up now, will result in a larger number with less people to pay it off later, so either taxes will rise excessively or the government will print more money. These options may result in economic stagnation or hyperinflation – neither are good options.

On November 30th and December 1st, the Supreme Court convened to hear arguments to attempt to answer this question. However, as even the average Trinity student is aware, this issue is far more complicated. Previously, Mars’ Hill ran a piece which provided the Trinity community with a general overview of the court proceedings. However, the previous article intentionally did not address the essential question, “Is Trinity Western discriminatory?” This article will break down the legal arguments surrounding this question. Not only does the Supreme Court need to determine whether or not our school is discriminatory, it also needs to determine if we have the right to be discriminatory.

A liberal society, such as Canada's, sanctions its institutions from discriminating against individuals based on their identity. Liberalism uses rational, individualistic values to protect its citizens and prevent conflict and inequality. Documents such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Canadian Human Rights Act ensure that each Canadian citizen has the freedom to authentically express their identity.

Many students administrators and members of the media have defended Trinity’s actions by arguing that Trinity has had to answer this question before, and has always won. However, this argument neglects the reality that since Trinity’s last court case, the Canadian Human Rights Act has been amended to include protections for “gender identity and gender expression.” The Department of

Since the start of 2018, the winter gloom has masked the vibrant growth of our economy, but it also hides the giant shadow of growing debt that shows few signs of halting.

The Liberals have proven capable of reducing the national debt in the past,

Justice says: “Gender identity and gender expression is each person’s internal and individual experience of gender.” While sexual orientation and gender expression are very different, this added level of protection presents further complications for the lawyers intending to defend Trinity Western.

CHRISALEEN CIRO

especially under the financial oversight of Paul Martin, but Mr. Trudeau has taken no steps to indicate that he plans to shrink the federal budget deficits in the next few years. The Fraser Institute reported in 2016 that annual government (federal, provincial, and municipal), interest payments are now equal to the total annual Canadian spending on education: $62.8 billion. While that number reflects the debt of all three levels of government, the federal government specifically needs to choose to eliminate spending that cannot be paid for.

However, universities are inherently discriminatory. A former member of TWUSA recalls a member of Student Leadership defending TWU for being "discriminatory." He argued, "We don't want to accept everyone [at Trinity], we only want to accept godly Christian leaders.”

We, as students, subject to a regime of grade-point-averages and assessments, are aware that universities must “discriminate” in certain ways in order to achieve excellence. Students are vetted based on their academic achievement, behaviour, and social consciousness and engagement. Students approach the application process with the expectation that they will need to conform to a specific standard in order to attend.

Further, Trinity holds a unique position within liberal society. Our community, as a sectarian institution, which operates independent of public funding has the right to select the values around which to organize itself. Unfortunately, these values naturally exclude those who refuse to, or simply cannot, uphold these values. Therefore, when Trinity seeks to form a partnership with the various provincial law societies – which are public institutions, and are subject to liberal values – it raises the question, “has Trinity renounced its unique position in liberal society?”

“ABBA reunion tour” – Martin Garcia

Therefore, the Supreme Court needed to determine the Law Societies’ jurisdiction. Do the Law Societies have either the right, or the obligation to “discriminate” against Trinity? The judges determined that yes, law societies did have the right to sanction universities based on their admissions policy.

Instead of directly disputing the allegation that it is discriminatory, and providing evidence to support this claim, Trinity argued that it was actually expanding opportunities to gain admission to law school. It argued that the existence of a law school like Trinity benefits all Canadians, even if all Canadians cannot attend. Essentially, Trinity’s lawyers and interveners argued that simply by increasing the admissions capacity of Canadian law schools as a whole, it was expanding opportunities for all candidates for law school. Trinity, by targeting the Evangelical market, and providing a valuable program, would be opening up seats for other applicants, including members of the LGBTQ+ community to attend a different school.

This argument was swiftly shut down.

Justice Andromache Karakatsanis responded: “This is not a numbers game.”

Instead, she argued that the Law Societies should not tolerate any slight, no matter how small it was numerically, on the dignity of LGBTQ+ Canadians.

In sum, do you believe that there is a place for “discrimination” in a sectarian community? How do we resolve the Charter’s internal discrepancies? How do we choose between two integral liberal values: tolerant identity politics, and the reciprocal barrier between the church and the state? How do we – as members of the Trinity community – reconcile our mandate to love radically, with our participation in an institution essentially regarded as discriminatory?

5 ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ In 2017, the world witnessed a watershed moment that challenged the sustained silence and violent stigma surrounding sexual abuse. In October 2017 the New York Times published a story detailing nearly three decades of reports by women accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment. Three days later, he was fired from the Harvey Weinstein Company. But Weinstein's accusations were just the tip of a very destructive iceberg—one with the power to sink ships and dramatically alter shorelines. As the public outrage grew more pronounced and intense, more women, some victims of Weinstein, others not, began to come forward.

A cascade of high-profile men from the entertainment industry have since been accused of sexual misconduct that ranged from inappropriate comments to rape. Among them are Kevin Spacey, Ed Westwick, Louis CK, Bill Cosby, James Franco, and many other celebrities. The victims, or as TIME named them, "The Silence

Breakers", were young actresses, mentees, and celebrities such as Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and more. But behind these famous faces was an army of ordinary voices using social media to collectively tell their stories and denounce the “Weinsteins" in their life. The #MeToo movement—originally founded in 2006 by Tarana Burke—became popular and sought "empowerment through empathy.”

Indeed, an incredibly powerful movement was born when thousands of women and men broke the silence and shared their stories using #MeToo. As the movement gained momentum, many began to use the hashtag to express their solidarity and empathy, instead of just to share their own experience.

The social media movement solidified at the 2018 Golden Globes, where most attendees wore black to support the Time's Up movement, an initiative against sexual violence.

Time's Up partnered with advocates for equality and safety to improve laws, employment agreements, and

corporate policies, and enable more women and men to access the legal system to hold their predators accountable. The series of events that unfolded in 2017, as painful and uncomfortable as they were, served to break the silence, open a discussion, and start a movement.

Chances are that at this point, you have heard discussions about sexual violence in your classroom, within your community, or perhaps you have even shared your own story.

We must not let these stories fade and we need to act against sexual violence as a society and as individuals. Ways of standing against sexual violence include—but are not limited to—avoiding to engage in and stopping "locker-room talk,” believing victims if they share their story, supporting initiatives like Time's Up, encouraging the leadership and workforce of your organization to update its sexual assault policy, and many more. We do this in pursuit of the world where, as Oprah said in her Golden Globes speech, “Nobody ever has to say ‘me too’ again.”

THE FUTURE WHEN #TIMES UP A PROUD TRUMP SUPPORTER IN 2018 JONNY YU Yes, I support Mr. Trump.

Further, I continue to support Mr. Trump despite the media’s haphazard portrayal of the White House. There, I said it.

I support the President of the United States, despite his being “misogynistic,” and “xenophobic”—not to mention a whole host of other offensive classifications. President Trump has been called many things ever since he announced he was running for office. Parts of these things are true, and, to some, potentially problematic.

I want to emphasize that most of us established an opinion of President Trump before we had the information necessary to do so. These opinions are not likely to change, despite the actual events of his administration. Instead of wasting words—and time—debating whether or not President Trump is a good President, I am just going to share why I decided to support the 45th President of the USA.

city that has been recognized as its own capital for centuries upon centuries, Mr. Trump’s action seems to be the rational thing to do.

Second, Trump is a businessman, and has already succeeded in raising the national GDP by 3.3 percent in the span of nine months since being in office. In addition, less than three months into his presidency, President Trump issued an executive order directing every federal agency to determine where money is being wasted and how services can be improved. Through the elimination of government waste, he has further increased prosperity.

These are only a select few of President Trump’s major accomplishments—in less than one year in office. Unfortunately, the scope of this article prevents me

from elaborating. Never in the history of the United States has a President been so attacked by the left-leaning mainstream media, which only seems to be interested in things that do not actually matter.

Personally, I have never once seen a mainstream news channel say anything positive about President Trump, with the notable exception of FOX. Additionally, since when has Snapchat News, Buzzfeed, Now This, and other Facebook informational media organizations counted as credible sources? I can’t ask you to change your opinion on President Trump, but what I can ask of you is to do your research. I can ask you to acknowledge both sides. If you solely listen to the leftist mainstream media, you are allowing yourself to be ignorant.

First, President Trump is a man of his word. Many politicians when running for office, compile a laundry list of things that they “are going to accomplish,” but in reality fail to do so. It can be argued that President Trump is not one of these positions. Case in point, President Trump vowed during his campaign in 2016 to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and completed this task in December of 2017. President Trump is a man who is not afraid of violating international norms which threaten American interests. Therefore, given the reality that Israel’s government is located in the

“Jonas brothers reunion tour” – Nyssa Morgan

I believe that as a Christian, God calls me to support the person put in authority, even if I do not agree with every policy that is passed. Sure, Trump is an abrasive, loud, and aggressive politician, but I think that is what America deserves. If you do not agree, you are avoiding confronting the reality that he will continue as head of state for three more years.

So, what can I expect as a Trump supporter going into 2018? I can expect the left-leaning media and other biased groups to continue spewing lies. In fact, I believe their irresponsibility will be exacerbated by the midterm elections next fall. Thankfully, I can also expect Trump to continue to be who he has been, and who he has always promised to be—a President striving for the success of his country, who may offend people in the process.

6

ARE WE STILL ONE? CHRISALEEN CIRO

It is no secret that gendered tension has erupted on our campus in the 2017/18 academic year. At the beginning of the year, OneTWU, a student-led support community for LGBTQ+ students ran an “extremely successful marketing campaign” which recognized LGBTQ+ alumni as members of Trinity’s community. As a previous article in Mars’ Hill issue four, titled “Defacing Our Story”, many of these posters were torn down and vandalized.

Additionally, this semester, a poster advertising Dean of Education Alison Jule’s presentation to the Gender Studies Institute was vandalized. An unidentified culprit drew a moustache on a depiction of Dr. Jule underneath the title of her presentation “I’m Not Your Princess: How Entitlement Hinders Wholeness.”

Finally, Trinity’s inability to reconcile its gender ideology with public society’s culminated in a Supreme Court hearing on November 30th, and December 1st.

ty. One student expressed his feelings during the hearing: “I’m struggling to craft an objective opinion. On the one hand, I want Trinity to win because I am a student here, and I want to defend the growth I have experienced here. But, at the same time, part of me thinks Trinity should lose.” Other students, LGBTQ+, allies, and other not affiliated students alike expressed their struggle to reconcile their political, spiritual and professional concerns about the issue. Even the existence of these conversations have left some students feeling conflicted. “I was so sick of the conversations happening around campus. I felt personally attacked. I felt demeaned and turned into an ‘issue’ that was ‘up for debate.’ However, I know that isn’t rational… this issue isn’t personal, and I am not being personally rejected.”

Students not affiliated with OneTWU are also impacted by the broader tension in which these incidents of violence are situated. One student said: “Things are really heated right now, which makes it hard to have conversations.”

Understandably, these incidents have taken a toll on the OneTWU communi-

On January 31st at 9 pm in the Fraser Lounge, TWUSA will host, in partnership with OneTWU, an event focused on “Recognition.” Just as the posters were

CHRISALEEN CIRO

of that tradition. Here are some which Mars’ Hill found noteworthy.

Since the beginning of time, Christianity has been inherently counter-cultural.

While culture is the culmination of human effort and value, Christianity comes to transcend human effort. In Jesus’ time, he challenged the deification of rulers. He went on to advocate for the dignity and personhood of various marginalized individuals. This tradition continued through eras of persecution and diaspora. Indeed, Trinity is the product of the “Protestant” tradition. Our Evangelical forefathers protested the heretical systemic oppression dispatched by the Church. 2017 saw the continuation

Communities of Faith Reject Racism— Charlottesville In August of 2017, Charlottesville's clergy gathered to combat the growing racist sentiment which was beginning to poison their community. Instead of letting hostile men and women armed with tiki torches and brandishing swastikas dominate the interfaith conversation, the religious leaders united to protest the “Unite the Right” movement.

Dissonance on a Christian Campus— Princeton Protests erupted on the Princeton Theological Seminary’s campus to challenge

intended to recognize members of the LGBTQ+ community who continue to attend Trinity, this event will give current students the opportunity to have their stories heard and acknowledged. Members of TWUSA have offered to read the

stories on behalf of OneTWU. Students will be able to ask questions on a Facebook page, and members of the current student LGBTQ+ community will have time to respond. These responses will also be read on behalf of OneTWU.

the decision to award Tim Keller the annual Kuyper Prize. Some students believed this decision to honour Mr. Keller was disrespectful to women—who Mr. Keller believes should be exempt from ordination—and LGBTQ+ members who have had to fight for their admission to the seminary.

stigma surrounding sexual abuse and its spiritual implications.

#ChurchToo—Social Media Movement As the Golden Globes held what the media called a “funeral,” many Christians took to social media to argue that the church, too, should be subject to a similar restructuring process. The events surrounding the Golden Globes compelled several women to use the hashtag #SilenceisNotSpiritual to argue for churches to end the silence and

“Nigeria will win the 2018 Winter Olympics” – Ere Santos

Clergy Question Caesar—Washington On the 54th anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” an interfaith gathering of religious leaders sought to provide what the Washington Post called, “a unified moral rebuke to the Trump presidency.” Their grievances were both personal, such as his derogatory language, and political, including his pardoning of Joe Arpaio and treatment of transgender service members.

This protest sought to undermine those who argue that Mr. Trump’s personal morality has no bearing on his public policy.

7 ACADEMY NIKI MARA

I’ve never had the desire to become an artist. I was never able to craftily breathe life into a vision, be it realism or a crazy abstract distortion. My parents, bless their hearts, loved my pathetic attempt at art anyway, and it always went up on the fridge.

I realized early on that I wasn’t much of a creative person. Or, at least, I thought of myself as such until recently.

After encountering the word “creativity” and “creative person” in an array of different environments, I sifted out the definition that seems to prevail: “A person that can use their imagination to

NIKI MARA produce original and unique ideas and art.” Albeit, this definition mostly covers what a creative person is, but what I recently came to question is why the concept of a “creative person” exists in the first place.

Does this mean that some people just aren’t creative? Are some people not capable of using their imagination to generate unique ideas?

In my opinion, every person is creative. When someone doubts their creativity, they are, in fact, molding themselves into the stigmatic understanding of the word, which implies being artistic in

nicolemara@mytwu.ca

some way or another. The truth is, creativity lies not only in one’s ability to magically generate new original thoughts and works of art. Creativity is more the act of letting our minds roam free of the known, the safe and trodden, and giving ourselves the opportunity to explore the uncharted realms of our imagination.

Creativity is in everyone; we just tap into our ability differently.

Some of us take to writing poetry, while others cook an incredible

stir-fry. Creativity does not necessarily have to manifest itself in an idea, or a new concept of a piece of art. It can be found in something as simple as a willingness to learn, or a desire to explore.

Curiosity itself is already a form of creative thinking. The only thing holding you back from reaching your creative potential is the socially enforced notion that you are not creative. It is a skill, like any other, that can be learned, practiced, and mastered. Once you decide to do so, you will realize that not only can you be creative, but you are, in fact, creative in everything you do.

THE THINGS I REGRET CASIE GANO

Not too many days ago, I was riding between my two male coworkers. Manspreading is real, and often I would give up the fight for my own leg space. “Ladies, keep your legs closed.” I did this for four months. If I’ve lost you already, let me paint you a word picture. I am a wildfire fighter on a unit crew consisting of 20 physically inclined people, 18 of which are men. We are split into squads and travel in five packs to various fires to carry out any number of suppression activities. In a busy season, we spend upwards of 16 hours a day for 14 day shifts together with three days off between.

Moving up the ranks is part of the job, and it is an inherently competitive and alpha-dominated workforce. While I entered the job knowing I was the clear minority, I promised myself I would set a precedent for women on this male-dominated unit crew. In my rookie year, I felt I did my part to earn respect and build healthy working relationships. However, as I reflected, I could not say the same about this past season.

These are the things I regret.

I regret that I played into the male

dominated workplace. I regret that I didn’t stand up for myself and others in moments where the line was clearly obliterated and sexual harassments were becoming the new norm. I regret that I laughed at jokes I shouldn’t have.

I regret that I allowed these jokes to be made at my expense.

my “purely emotive” arguments.

I am the only one to blame for committing this injustice to the women now and the women to come. I regret that I let my light be dimmed and my integrity chipped. I regret that I had to be reminded of who I said I am and longed to be.

I let myself believe that my position is somehow lesser because the ministry had taken measures to hire more women. I regret that I didn’t push the status quo. I regret that I became “one of the boys” at the expense of future female firefighters.

I regret that I justified insensitive thoughts, actions, words. I regret that I introduced careless words into my own vocabulary. I regret that I did not emulate those who I admired. That I did not encourage them for being different; for

I regret that I did not pave the way in gold for my up and coming lionesses, but instead, left an unmarked and confusing trail through the bush. When given the opportunity to lead, I fell into a formation I don’t believe has a place here any longer.

I regret that I led the young men I work alongside astray. I did nothing to change their ways or show them a different way of treating women. I regret that their notions of what a workplace should be remains drenched in the old “boys club” mentality.

I regret that I became lazy. I didn’t do my research and remember all the points that would bolster “More cowbell” – Sam Rosenau

carrying the burden of inherent values and integrity.

I regret that I am the woman for this job and I failed to rise to the occasion. I regret that I did not earn the raise or stand out from a pile of candidates coming across the table of so-called rebels.

I regret that I settled.

I regret that this is all true.

I regret that I cannot take it back, but from now on, #iwill because #metoo.

8

TPAS: A BEHIND-THE-SCENES POWERHOUSE

MH: What is one thing you learned last year that you are taking with you into the spring semester?

NIKI MARA

Student leadership at Trinity is its own subculture, one that grants you a stash of experience, a circle of like-minded friends, and a well-deserved weekend getaway at Qwanoes. But above all, lies the responsibility of being a student leader, and accepting and overcoming the challenges that come with your role. I, Niki Mara, present to you five amazing Trinity students that took on the role of Transition Program Assistants this academic year. Meg Sweeney, Sarrah Rempel, Kate Soeten, Riley Giesbrecht, and Andrea Falk give us a glimpse of what it has been like to lead and mentor eighty-five Peer Instructors and SOS leaders.

MH: Tell us a bit about your student leadership role.

As TPAs, we work directly with a large group of students and Trinity staff to train our team, greet and facilitate exciting activities on O-Day and O-Week, and plan various events on campus. As we head into the spring semester, we also have a major role in interviewing and selecting the next year’s team. The TPAs are the go-between between the Transitions Director, our Peer Instructors and Student Orientation Staff, and the Trinity community.

One thing we learned in leadership this year was to listen. It seemed at first that the leaders needed to be the first to take charge and get things done, but by doing so, our team members would be left far behind.

We were coached by Keith Chow to simply speak last.

Listening to everyone’s ideas and opinions first provided us with to ponder how our ideas blended with these new ones and provided opportunities for everyone to be on the same page. Speaking last also provided us with an air of confidence, as it shows that we have things under control and we have the freedom sit and listen to everyone before we share our take. Being a TPA has helped us hone our leadership skills, and these skills guide us in our everyday interactions to be better students, friends, and leaders too!

MH: What is it like to be a leader of leaders?

The role of a TPA is interesting because it is one of the few positions on campus where the role revolves around leading other student leaders. These leaders are phenomenal, talented, experienced individuals.

For us, the hardest part about the role was learning how to put aside my fear of leading these students and instead placing myself in a place where we could

learn from them. It’s nerve racking when there are 85 amazing people standing in front of you waiting on you to give directions—or, once you’ve given those directions, waiting for their response. We had to come together as a TPA team to utilize each other’s strengths and lean on one another for support and encouragement. This experience taught us the value of vulnerability and humility.

MH: What is your relationship with the Peer Instructors like?

Being able to work with the PIs is definitely a highlight of the role. As a TPA, we have a group of PIs that we have been working with since April, and the majority of our interaction takes place during the summer and during the Student Leaderships Orientation Week.

This is when a lot of the planning for Foundations 101 happens. Despite the logistics of the organization and preparation before classes, we have the opportunity to connect with each other in the months leading up to O-Week and get to know each other on a more personal level.

Having previously taught the FNDN 101/MYTWU 101 course, we experienced what it is like to be in the teaching role, so once the semester starts it is always fun to hear about all the innovative ways the PIs are delivering the material and interacting with their classes! The PIs this year have been so dedicated and hard-working, and it has been so cool to be able to witness some of the behind-the-scenes development, the successes they achieve, and challenges that they overcome over the course of the semester.

MH: Do you have a moment when you suddenly felt like all of the difficulties of the job were worth it? In the words of education professor, Dr. Matthew Etherington, a “blackberry moment?” (Ask him about the meaning if you get the chance).

We would definitely say watching the SOS and PIs in our transition leadership group stepping into their role was one of those moments! Summer was a bit overwhelming with marking assignments which SOS and PIs were submitting, as well as corresponding with the other TPAs to plan O-Week and SLO-Week, while also working, taking summer classes and trying to maintain some sort of a social life. At the same time, we got to encourage and build relationships with these student leaders.

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“I’m graduated” – Graeme Geddes

SLO-Week was fast-paced, full of excitement, training and mentoring. O-Week was where it all came together. We got to see these SOS and PIs (whom we already knew were amazing), applying everything they had learned to their roles. We were so impressed with how they stepped up and helped out in areas that weren’t even their responsibility. They went above and beyond and we were so proud to see how far they had come.

We were definitely worried stepping into this role because as students, we were going to have to lead other students, our peers, but in the end, they are what made our experience as a TPAs so fulfilling.

9

THE BITCOIN DIVIDE THE COMMODIFIED CURRENCY

For the extended version of these articles, head to www.marshill.ca!

CAM THIESSEN Welcome to 2018, where a pervert who purchased Bitcoin in 2009 in order to securely buy child pornography is now a multi-billionaire. That’s right, Bit-

coin began as a way of laundering government-controlled currency for the purpose of making secure online purchases, from computer games to psychedelic drugs.

By its supporters, Bitcoin is considered an anti-government revolutionary tool, an honest currency that automates the role of a central bank in order to avoid the corruption of government-controlled currency. It priorit izes privacy and anonymity, while empowering the individual property owner.

If analyzed more closely, Bitcoin reveals itself not as a revolutionary solution, but as a

contributor to the dystopia that modern Earth finds herself hurtling towards in the tumultuous 21st century.

Can Bitcoin function as an investment, like another extension of the stock market? Well yes, but you aren’t investing in any actual production of goods and services – nothing that contributes anything of actual value to society. You are investing in a currency that is on a new playing field: the playing field of the rich, white man on Wall Street. Bitcoin, in fact, is a perfect representation of capitalism’s failure to ensure the equal distribution of necessary goods among citizens. Instead, people spend money on Bitcoin with the understanding that they will be able to sell it for more money after time has passed. This phenomenon only exists in capitalism, and is the main cause of income inequality in modern economies.

B

Bitcoin investment essentially does what big business has always done. It allows moguls to exploit the working class and the environment, in order to ensure that these moguls will not have to work f o r

THE CALCULATED CURRENCY DECLAN V WHITE There are many reasons why we should embrace Bitcoin and blockchain technology. Blockchain technology is a trustworthy system that uses mathematics to record and power all of its work. For this reason, Bitcoin becomes much more efficient and can remove the middle step of all financial transactions (a.k.a. banks).

Because of its decentralized and cryptographic characteristics, Bitcoin is more secure than a bank and gives you full personal control and privacy over your money. The network runs 24/7 including holidays, also surpassing banks in their accessibility. No one can freeze or gain control over your money, your wallet is locked with your “Private Keys” that act as your password and access into your account.

Sending Bitcoin is as easy as sending an email to someone: all you need is a smart phone, access to your account, and the receiver’s public wallet address, and you can transfer money via the internet. It is, essentially, a bank in your hand.

Currently, 17 of 21 million Bitcoins are in circulation. Although the price of a Bitcoin is extremely volatile, it is important to remember that Bitcoin is in its development stage. As the infrastructure is developed, we will see more payment and merchant technology.

These technologies will allow Bitcoin’s utility value to increase and further drive its transaction volume and network effect. As these rise, Bitcoin’s value will increase and stabilize.

The current world banking system has a major problem with debt and functionality. It’s a circular system of printing and lending money. This is crony capitalism, and it will only continue to become more turbulent and unstable. If Bitcoin succeeds as a global currency, it will allow people to hedge against the current system.

The world has entered the digital age, and the advancement of technology is a major force of progression. Adopting cryptocurrencies will improve efficiency and transparency of the monetary system, which will help bring equality. It’s a trajectory near impossible to stop. Block-

the wealth that they acquire. Someone has created a commodity out of lines of code that have no function other than to allow the exchange of this commodity, whereas a commodity used to be something that was given value based on the purpose it served, like cloth or barley or oil. Bitcoin’s intended purpose was to be money, and money’s only purpose is to represent value in an exchange.

According to a study in the Journal of Monetary Economics entitled “Price Manipulation in the Bitcoin Ecosystem,” a group of researchers determined that Bitcoin’s value has likely been manipulated by one or two big players.

So even if you’re like me, and have no moral qualms with cashing in on a quick money-making scheme, we’ve arrived too late to a party to which none of us were invited. And we have no reason to believe that any other cryptocurrency won’t be exploited by the business sector in a similar way.

The point is, the business sector has the technology to optimize its exploitation of the working class. We don’t need a new digital currency to replace centralized currency. We need to begin creating a society where people cannot amass these exponential hordes of wealth and withhold the luxury of a post-scarcity world from the working class and those in poverty. This means developing a new understanding of economic justice, a new understanding of value and property, and a new conception of the value and purpose of human labor.

If anything, Bitcoin’s history shows us that capitalism has run its course.

chains like Bitcoin give people the opportunity for transparency and global opportunity for all in this new world. Other uses of blockchain technology are indisputable: voting, shipment, flight records, and so much more.

What the world needs is not more regulations, but a free and open society where individuals can participate in a free market and be paid for their good or services instantly. Bitcoin at its final stages with low transactions cost, a global decentralized monetary system (owned by no one), and proper financial integration, definitely has the potential to solidify itself as the main global digital currency. If Bitcoin succeeds, it would give every human that owns a cell phone purchasing power and a window into the global market. Educated and innovative

“Your mom will buy a new patio furniture set” – Trevor McMahan

individuals in poverty stricken areas will have the tools necessary to build up their communities. Keeping the wealth in the hands of those who bring value and innovation into the people around them, gives more and more people the chance to do the same.

10

WHY I’VE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH

TRICIA JERANIE

CHRISTIANITY

WELCOME TO 2018!

Here’s to the best year yet! What a classic phrase to say...every. single. year. I’m sure a lot of us have made our New Year’s resolutions, some of which will fail by the end of the month. But hey, you tried. I also made New Year’s resolutions – but before that, I took some time to look back on my resolutions from 2017 to see if I’d achieved many.

Not to my surprise, I probably accomplished 40-50% of them, but hey, I tried. 2017 went by fast, but if I’m being completely honest, it was one of the toughest years that I’ve had.

FIRST ASPECT – Abstinence from sex before marriage.

I’ve been wondering why some people stray away from Christianity or are hesitant in identifying as a Christian. I think one of the simplest reasons is that being a Christian is difficult. Think about it. You are instructed to live your life in a way that reflects God. Every single day.

This means avoiding alcohol and drugs, reading your bible, going to church, building people up, eating your veggies, working out, talking to your parents, etc. That’s a lot of work if you ask me; on top of being a student, balancing relationships, and trying to have a social life, it may seem impossible. Other times, it seems irrational.

SIDE 1: If God gives us free will to choose what we want to do, then why shouldn’t we be able to have sex with someone? I think why I’ve questioned this so many times is because of societal norms. In today’s society, it is completely normal to have sex, married or not.

As of late, I’ve been struggling with my Christian faith. I know that statement may have negative connotations associated with it. I feel like when we hear or see people struggling with their Christianity, we automatically judge their situation. It’s completely normal to struggle with your Christianity though! It may mean that you’re going through a tough time or even assessing who you are; both of which are normal human battles.

EXAMPLE TWO. I went to a doctor’s office not too long ago for a blood test and the doctor asked me if I also wanted a pap smear, because of course, I must be sexually active at age twenty-two. Even something little like that caused me to question why I am abstinent.

Sex is so easy now, if you want it, you can have it. Why not get it over with? These situations sprung an unexpected sense of embarrassment that led to questioning abstinence. The reality is, I’m twenty-two and I’ve barely been physically intimate with someone.

There are three main areas that I’ve been thinking about recently.

These are areas in life that I’ve come to question, or in other words, I’ve been struggling to come to terms with why they are the way they are.

EXAMPLE ONE. it is normal for people to start losing their virginity at 15 years of age; kids who are seven years younger than me know more about sex than I do. That seems abnormal and a little embarrassing to me.

SIDE 2: God commands us to wait until marriage – sex is supposed to be a sacred act between two people that joins them as one. Speaking from a psychological standpoint, there are two main chemicals that are released during sex. Dopamine is related to our pleasure and reward system; it makes us want that feeling of pleasure over and over again. Oxytocin is also released; this bonds us to our partner emotionally.

I realize that God wants to protect us from attaching ourselves to the wrong person. Marriage symbolizes a lifelong commitment. Sex outside of marriage doesn’t really hold a promise of a forever bond between two people. There isn’t enough authenticity to sex outside of marriage. God wants more for us. He wants us to have the best, authentic relationship. We shouldn’t have to feel embarrassed or question our standpoints because we live differently than the rest of society – this is something my pastor back home spoke on. Something to consider. Now why was I questioning sex so much? Sue me, it’s a basic, natural human thing to think about and it should be talked about it more.

“Bitcoin will flourish” – Tommy Stokes

11

SECOND ASPECT – Bargaining with God. Trust me, it doesn’t work. There aren’t really two sides to this aspect so I will just outline what this is.

God if I do this will you give me this? Or, God if you give me this, I promise I’ll do this. It didn’t really work out for me and comically enough, I was upset that God didn’t like my bargaining strategy.

This just proves that whatever you desire to have, you’re maybe not ready for it or the timing isn’t right. If it comes to the point where you find yourself bargaining with God, check yourself. It’s so easy to blame God for everything, but we have to ask ourselves the reasons why we do it.

So, what led me to question God’s authority over my life? Well, I’ve gone through a lot of hurt this past year and before Christmas break, I was cynical. I blamed God for the things that I desired but did not have. I blamed God because I knew that He could provide me with me heart’s desires, yet He chose not to. He sees me when I’m hurting, He sees what I’ve gone through, and yet the hurt seems to continue on. So I began to spite God because I asked and I did not receive.

This led me to neglect spending time with God, which, of course, did not do much good. Here is another tidbit that my pastor back home shared: “What does your faith look like when God doesn’t do what you want him to do? Even if He does not, what does your faith look like in those times?”

THIRD ASPECT- Living a sheltered life, especially at Trinity.

SIDE 1: Now, what do I mean by sheltered? I mean that we sometimes get caught up in our “Christian bubble.” People get drunk, they smoke weed, they have sex before marriage – that is considered the norm outside of Christianity. Get over it. It’s time that instead of judging those who don’t hold the same beliefs as Christians, we accept them. Acceptance is different from agreeance. If the secular world of clubbing, partying, and sleeping around comes as a shock to you, it’s time for a reality check. I get that Christians have different beliefs but you should still be aware of a world outside your own.

Yes, Christians wait to have sex before marriage but that doesn’t mean you should avoid the topic at all costs. Read up and do your research so you’re not completely clueless on that faithful wedding night.

SIDE 2: Don’t get me wrong, Trinity is an amazing, loving place that has changed my life. I know that life isn’t going to be like this everyday, so it is up to me to take advantage of this wonderful community.

In this Christian community, there are so many like-minded individuals, that we should delight in the opportunity to meet them. Don’t take for granted the fact that there aren’t daily temptations of alcohol and drugs on campus; love your place here! Make the most out of it because it will fly by, trust me. Going to a Christian university does not mean that you live a sheltered life.

Here’s the thing. Sometimes it’s hard to stay on course. Sometimes you find yourself going through a season of hurt, followed by a season of loneliness, which spirals into a season questioning and doubt.

That’s okay. No one is perfect, you won’t always do the right thing, maybe you won’t always want to, but here are the questions that you have to ask yourself, religious or not.

What life choices mean the most to you? Is it having a close relationship that involves sex? What brings you life? Is it the people around you? Are your friends building you up or down? Through all of the hurt, the loneliness, the doubts, the questions; what does your life look like when you don’t get what you want? These are some of the most important questions you should ask yourself.

These doubts and questions stemmed from a year of brokenness that made up a lot of my 2017; I don’t want my 2018 to look the same way. If you let the brokenness take hold of you, I promise it slowly will. However, it’s hard to want to mend the pieces back together.

This year, I want to feel fulfilled.

What do you want your 2018 to look like?

“Apple will release a new iPhone” – Micah Bron

12 ARTS & C U LT U R E JOEL REDEKOP jsaredkop@gmail.com

WORTH THE HYPE?

RYAN SCHAFFRICK “Let the past die.” The Last Jedi can more or less be summed up with this awkwardly worded quote from the film.

Boldly rejecting the nostalgic tropes of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi attempts to set a new vision for the series.

Instead, it’s a clumsy ride riddled with flat characters and narrative dead ends.

It all starts with a lack of clear tone.

Jumping between dark psychological drama, serious social commentary and lighthearted one-liners, it’s jarring and confusing for the audience. There’s definitely a place for humour in Star Wars, but it’s really played up this time around (RIP porg on a stick), sometimes with cringy results (please, no more mom jokes).

It also suffers from a weak narrative

structure. Half-way through the film, you begin to realize how inconsequential the actions of certain characters are and you begin to stop caring. It feels like the filmmakers needed something to keep select characters busy, with large parts of the narrative contributing very little to the main plot. Multiple times you will follow a character down a narrative path, only to hit a dead end with little to no significance, leaving you to wonder, “What was the point of that? That last scene apparently didn’t matter, so why should I care about this one?”

One of the biggest issues is the lack of any serious threat to build tension – enemies feel weak, incompetent and unthreatening. Most are easily dispatched by our protagonists, in what often feels like very underwhelming battles.

Even when things look dire, you fully expect some incredible new Force power or BB-8 to save the day.

In contrast, part of what brought the

original films to life was the threatening, harsh reality it portrayed. You knew what Vader was capable of, and that real consequences existed for the protagonists: Luke loses a hand, Han is frozen alive. In The Last Jedi, everyone feels invincible.

Okay. It’s not all bad. Kylo Ren and Rey have an interesting relationship, one that I wish was developed further, but it feels fresh nonetheless. I also appreciated the visual nod to Star Wars’ Japanese influence with Snoke’s personal guards (instead of, say, stormtroopers painted red) and attempting to develop a new aesthetic. I’m hoping for more new, interesting character designs like this in the future.

As stated earlier, the film seems very concerned, dare I say obsessed, with letting go of the past in an attempt to forge a new path. In doing so, it falls flat as an episodic film by rejecting and invalidating the questions and character intrigue created in the The Force Awakens, and leaving the overarching plot in roughly the same place as where the film began. What’s next and why should I care? Because it’s Star Wars!

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI KEVIN REDEKOP By taking a handful of risks on its story and characters, The Last Jedi proves to be one of the best Star Wars films ever made in our galaxy. Continuing from where The Force Awakens departs, writer and director Rian Johnson succeeds in adding to the Star Wars mythology.

Johnson develops characters beautifully and sets them on unexpected paths, especially with Luke Skywalker. Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver both render noteworthy performances by adding depth and layers to their characters. Equally, the late great Carrie Fisher gives her best performance as Leia, and the film ends with a touching finality to her role.

Rian Johnson understands the central reason behind why people love Star Wars: the characters. While nostalgia has its place in this installment, and references to previous films playfully spice up the film, Johnson’s story thrives when he allows the unique characters to take the wheel in driving the story. The result is a modern classic about the importance of failure, the complex relationship between teacher and student and the way a hero becomes a legend.

Visually, The Last Jedi is arguably the most beautiful Star Wars film yet, moment by moment unveiling a visual feast for the eyes. Cinematographer Steve Yedlin’s use of bold colours and masterful composition gives The Last Jedi

a truly epic atmosphere.

The colour red is utilized in many of the film’s posters and liberally splashed into the final stunning battle on the planet Crait.

While expanding the visual style of the franchise, Johnson and Yedlin do pay tribute to many of the core influences of Star Wars, such as the Samurai film genre. The fluid movements and strikes of the lightsabers are breathtaking to behold.

The action is not only beautiful, but coherent. Nothing is worse in an action movie than being unsure about what just happened; thankfully that’s not the case here. Snoke’s throne room scene is able to balance the kinetic energy of a lightsaber duel with equal “edge of your seat” dialogue. A poignant scene involving Laura Dern’s new character puts a new spin on a frequently used Star Wars device, making for an unforgettable moment. Real imagination is showcased in how the new planets and creatures are designed, setting this film apart from the other seven. And yes, the Porgs are adorable.

not utilize the characters DJ or Captain Phasma very well, and both roles feel sadly underdeveloped.

In conclusion, the force remains strong. The Last Jedi has all the thrills and twists to keep most

Star Wars fans strapped in for the journey and loyal to the cause until we all return to a galaxy far far away.

Two minor criticisms. While the Finn and Rose storyline is thematically important, it does not pack the same narrative punch as the Rey, Luke, and Kylo Ren storyline.

Some of these sequences are amusing, but the film is more engaging when Rey takes centre stage. Also, the film does “Josh Klassen for RA 2018” – Drew Eliason

13 This is not to say that emulated camp is immediately inferior – Arcade Fire is only on one end of the spectrum – rather, camp is at its most pure when it is unaware of its own artifice.

Sontag lists off certain turn-of-the-century picture postcards, Swan Lake, King Kong and The Enquirer (headlines and stories) as things that are camp. An updated version of this list may include attitude tees, The Fast and Furious Films (before they became self-aware), green screen wedding photos and The Enquirer (headlines and stories).

JOEL REDEKOP

“So bad that it’s good” is a phrase that creeps its way into many conversations revolving artistic taste and sensibilities, particularly ones involving film. The phrase voices the paradoxical joy of finding gratification in something that’s tasteless, an aesthetic car crash that you can’t look away from.

Of course, as any connoisseur of bad movies can tell you, just because a film is bad does not mean that it’s automatically enjoyable. There is a reason that The Room is so widely celebrated, and

The Emoji Movie is reviled. The distinction largely comes down to the artistic sensibility known as camp.

Considered the authoritative work on the subject, Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay “Notes on Camp” delineates the titular aesthetic quality. When it comes to defining camp, she declares that its essence is “its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.” It’s failed seriousness. It’s naked imitation, the kind so glaringly ersatz that it makes you scrunch up your eyebrows and, with a smirk finding its way onto your face, ask, “who do they really think that they’re fooling?” It’s drama so poorly executed that it could easily be considered tasteless and tacky. As Sontag so brilliantly

NEW GENERATIONS

puts it, camp is always “in quotations.”

A lamp is not a lamp, but “a lamp.”

Sontag makes another vital distinction in camp sensibilities, introducing the vital, yet blurry dichotomy of innocence and experience. Camp, in its perfect form, is innocent, unaware of its obvious artifice.

Yet, many try to emulate its aesthetics, usually failing despite their efforts. Take Arcade Fire, a band that has embraced kitsch and camp (not the same thing) more and more as their career has progressed. Yet their self-knowledge, their smug awareness of the tackiness of their source material, resulted in them hitting peak pretension with their latest album, Everything Now. What they meant to be fun is instead cloying and unbearable.

seems here in Freedom Hall – the room is bustling with directors, stage managers, playwrights and actors. Each are eagerly awaiting the end of the month to debut their carefully crafted masterpieces in this year’s highly anticipated New Generations.

New Generations is a dramatic festival that celebrates TWU’s variety of emerging artists, by featuring a series of three short plays. Each piece is student written, student directed, and student produced. The festival casts a call to all students – from the nooks in Strombeck, to the crannies in Northwest – to come and participate in the production of this year’s fun.

Performances explore the hilarious and profound, as the creators tackle colossal topics such as love and fear, judicial ethics in Canada, and Spanish elephant piracy (you heard me correctly). Each topic is matched with effective wit, mystery, and action that will leave you wishing there was more.

KELTIE GARDINER Emerging TWU artists invite you to the 2018 debut of “Fight or Flight,” “Mr. Big,” and “Hugo’s Haunting.”

“So Reece,” I turn towards my new friend, “Theatre major?”

Reece Doppenberg grins as we prep to run the next scene: “Pre-med.”

I nod in understanding. Nothing is as it

In “Fight or Flight,” Blaire and Adam choose whether to fight or flee from impending trials as they wait in an empty airport terminal on a shared layover.

Adam is headed to serve in Afghanistan, and Blaire to explore Europe. Months later, they meet again, and fate forces

“Laundry at Trinity will cost $2.50 a load” – Andrew Kimball

Perhaps my favourite example of recent camp (ie. since the original publication of Sontag’s article) is the cinema of John Woo, in particular, his 1997 film Face/ Off. Woo’s Mandarin-language films, like The Killer and Hard Boiled, are filled with soap opera-like melodrama and articulately overblown action sequences.

But while many of his earlier films contain campiness, Face/Off is bonafide, 100% pure camp. As Sontag points out, camp is chiefly concerned with spectacle, which is all that Face/Off is. It is, after all, a film in which an FBI agent switches faces with the criminal who killed his son. It is nothing but failed seriousness, with lines like “Hey Sean, how’s your dead son? [maniacal laughter]” being delivered without a hint of irony.

Face/Off is even co-starred by none other than the king of camp acting himself, Nicholas Cage, and his prince, John Travolta. (Sontag describes camp taste as responding to “instant character,” the kind that is “understood as a state of incandescence – a person being one, very intense thing.” This, above anyone else, describes Mr. Cage.)

Camp is revolutionary, covering up the distinction between high and low culture with the best patterned wallpaper that money can by. It’s bizarre and wacky, and generally an acquired taste.

But, if you take the time to toss your pretensions to the side, embracing camp art as brilliant can be a truly freeing experience.

them to face their fears. The play is written by Joelle Wyminga and directed by Cheyanne Makelki.

The show “Mr. Big” follows Leon and his friend Frankie, in Leon’s fight for freedom from an unjust sentence when he finds his employer’s body in a dumpster.

Money is tight for ill-fated Leon, when he is offered a job by mob boss Mr. Big. The collision of truth and justice spurs surprise and food for thought. The play is written by Emmett Hanly and directed

by Corben Dunn.

“Hugo’s Haunting” is a hysterical piece that follows the tortured nightmares of a boy convinced there is an elephant out to kill him. Hugo’s dreams begin to fade into reality, and he is forced to face the pachyderm’s punch in front of the woman he loves. Does he have what it takes?

It’s written by Trevor McMahan, and directed by Mikayla Wust.

Come kick off 2018 with us by celebrating TWU’s new generation of bright young artists who eagerly await sharing this season’s hard work and joy!

New Generations takes stage January 30th – February 3rd. www.twu.ca/theatre #newgentwu

14

EMPTY CHURCH BENEATH THE STARRY SKY KENNEDY DRAGT

A typical brief biography of Vincent Van Goghs something like this.

Vincent Willem Van Gogh (1853 -1890).

Van Gogh was a post-impressionist painter recognizable by his use of vibrant colour. His work had great influence on twentieth century art, however, he remained unnoticed and poor for the entirety of his life.

Van Gogh struggled with bipolar disorder, and during a manic episode he cut off his own ear and gave it to a prostitute. He died of bloodloss from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 37.

Like many of history’s great artists, Van Gogh’s true story – and much of his internal conflict – is rarely brought to light. Van Gogh, though known for being a painter, was also a failed theologian (if such a thing exists), a lover of English literature and a dreamer. It may be said that his greatest dream, and his strongest desire, was for community, which he first searched for in the church.

At the age of 16, Van Gogh was forced to quit school, and he became an art dealer. During this time, he became passionate about literature, finding solace in the writings of Dickens and George Elliot. But, when the lady he loved scorned his marriage proposal, he cast off his literary lenses, burning all his books except his Bible, deciding to reorder his life in dedication to the church. He began studying theology zealously in preparation for seminary at the School of Theology in Amsterdam. He failed the entrance exam. Thus, he concluded God was calling him to be a missionary rather than a minister.

At the age of 24, he took up a position in an impoverished coal mine region called the Borinage in the south of Belgium. It was here that he found the community he had dreamed of. He was inspired by the people’s stoic nature, and empathized with their suffering, which he could enter into and relate his mental illness. Van Gogh had truly loved the people of the coal mines

claiming that, “The Borinage is every bit as picturesque as Venice.” It was that beauty that inspired him to begin painting as more than just a hobby. Painting became an exercise of spiritual expression. He drew the people, the pain, and the love he saw.

But even here he could not bring himself to fit the common Evangelical Missionary mould. His superiors were displeased with his sermons and his actions, claiming he wore the cloak of a martyr. He chose to spend his stipend on the people, giving away everything he owned finding shelter in the barn of a congregation member and eating what his parishioners would give back to him. The church authorities saw him as too pious, and they relieved him of his duties after a single year.

The church had failed him; they had betrayed his dream of community.

Alienated from the people and place he had grown to love, Van Gogh’s mental health began to deteriorate. He would drink and spend much of his time hanging around whorehouses. Eventually his younger b r o t h e r, an art d e a l e r, c o n vinced V a n Gogh to allow

him to sell his paintings. It was in the last year leading up to his death, at the age of 38, that he painted what may be called his most famous, Starry Night.

However, already a year before he had begun to be pestered by the idea of painting the night sky, he wrote his friend Emilie Bernard that “a starry sky for instance. . . is something that I should like to do,” as it could express a more “exalting and consoling nature than a single glance at reality—which to us is always changing.” Soon after, Van Gogh did attempt to paint the image and idea which tormented his mind, however he could not get it right.

As life progressed, and his mental health decreased, he was sent to the asylum of St. Paul-de-Mausole in St. Remy. It is from the view in his cell that the Starry Night was painted.

The painting is an expression of Van Gogh’s psyc h o l o g - ical and spiritual turmoil preceding his hospitalization and anticipation of his forthcoming

“tide pods will be used to do laundry” – Niki Mara

death. From his cell window, Van Gogh looked down upon rolling hills and fields. The remoteness of these surroundings allowed him to see the stars clearly. The village present in the painting is a representation of St. Remy, a town situated not too far off from the asylum, but out of view.

At the center of the town and the painting, stands tall the steeple of St. Martin church, empty, darkened, and hallow. It was the church that had rejected Van Gogh, and with which he had become disillusioned.

Now here, in his most noteworthy work, its failure is immortalized.

It is not this detail of Van Gogh’s life, however, on which the viewer’s eye is called to dwell. Instead, one’s gaze is directed up towards the swirling lights in the tumultuous sky. It was Van Gogh’s goal to create in the a painting “more exalting and consoling in nature” than all of his previous work, finding what he had missed in the church in his art. It is debated whether he had renounced his faith entirely by the time of his death or not, but what is known is that the church was no longer the home of his hope. A community of painters, and a connection to the forces that surge through nature, it was in this that Van Gogh found his peace.

15

AREOPAGITICA CHRISALEEN CIRO

Richard Taylor, class of 2002, has been hired as the new Vice President of Student Life. He has served as the co-founder and executive director of Wellspring Academy, and currently lives in Kigali, Rwanda. His story, born, according to his RD, in a Trinity dorm, has been an inspiration to undergraduate and graduate students alike for years. Mr. Taylor has decided to join students in their pursuit of higher education, and intends to work towards his Doctorate in Education while serving at Trinity. He will assume the position July 5th, 2018.

MH: What is your vision for this new position?

Student Life staff had a huge impact on me when I attended Trinity as an undergraduate student from 1998-2002. I had a rough first year and was thinking about transferring. I had grown up overseas as a missionary kid and felt like an outsider. An RD named Barton Priebe (now the Senior Pastor of Central Baptist Church in Victoria) saw potential in me and encouraged me to step out and engage in student leadership. I took a risk and it made all the difference to the rest of my experience.

I was also deeply impacted by student ministries and involvement with TWUSA and the Mars’ Hill newspaper (I used to write a column called Richard’s Ramblings!).

My experiences outside the classroom at Trinity were as formative as my experiences inside the classroom. Eventually my time at Trinity laid the foundation for launching the Wellspring Foundation for Education in 2004 and partnering with the Rwandan people to rebuild their education system. I have engaged in the calling in various leadership positions for the past fifteen years.

I decided to apply for the Student Life role because I have a passion for investing in emerging leaders.

I’m also excited that Trinity is growing, extending its impact, and becoming a more global university.

We need to ensure we continue to prioritize the holistic development of our students during this growth phase, and Student Life has a key role.

Trinity students inspire me! God has made an impact through our students in Canada and around the world. I believe wholeheartedly in Trinity’s vision and mission, and I want to help our students thrive.

There will be a necessary period of listening and learning to students, the current team, and wise people from other areas of the university.

This listening period will help us to understand where Student Life is serving students well, and where we need to grow and improve.

A CANADIAN WITH AN AFRICAN SOUL FOR VP OF STUDENT LIFE

MH: What non-academic experience especially prepared you for this new challenge?

MH: What compelled you to continue your education while taking on this new role?

I have never worked at a higher education institution like Trinity, and we are serving a different generation of students, so there will be a big learning curve in this position. I’m glad that there is already a solid team in place. I am coming back with a fresh perspective after nearly fifteen years of educational leadership globally.

The world we live in today is constantly changing and if we want to leave a Kingdom impact, we must continue to learn and grow. We cannot really help others to grow in their own gifts and abilities if we are not also growing. Therefore, I am compelled to pursue a doctorate once I am settled in this new role. I hope those studies can benefit the overall thinking about student development at Trinity and beyond.

I have a lot of experience in change and innovation, building dynamic teams, putting together leadership development programs, engaging international students, vision and strategic planning, and resource mobilization. I hope this experience can help the Student Life team—within the context of the overall university—to build a dynamic cross-functional team, a culture of trust, and a revitalized vision. We need to keep what works best and change what has grown tired and stagnant.

WEEKLY POLL

MH: Favourite Trinity?

memory

from

Meeting my wife Ericka during a Student Ministries winter retreat at Boston Bar, paintballing in the back 40 (did I just say that?), playing rugby in the freezing rain, and celebrating graduation with close friends on a three-month safari through East Africa. I also had some incredible professors that encouraged and challenged me in my thinking and inspired me by their passion.

ARE YOU A TWU STUDENT?

(gaining a better sense of who is answering the poll) No 16.00% (16)

New to Mars’ Hill this semester, we will be conducting bi-weekly polls through our social media pages, aimed at gaining a better sense of the social landscape of the university.

These polls are short and simple, and while many considerations should be taken into account when reflecting on the results, our hope is that conversations can start from them.

These considerations include: honesty of those polled, sample number, reach, timeline of the poll (this poll began on Wednesday, Jan 17, 2018), program used for polling (free Survey Monkey account giving access to only the first 100 out of 144 polled, premium TypeForm account to be used for future polls) and the size of the loan a student may have ($1000 versus $50,000) amongst many others.

With that being said, the theme for this issue was CHALLENGE, and we wanted to know what a specific challenge was to students in university, thus asking about student loans.

Yes 84.00% (84)

DO YOU HAVE A STUDENT LOAN?

No 48.00% (48)

“We will all have Kim Jong Un haircuts” – Andrew Brookes

Yes 52.00% (52)

16

BROCK STARS

SPORTS JAMISON DERKSEN jamison.derksen@mytwu.ca

BAILEY BROADBENT

Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender, Matt Murray, stands in the locker room of Rogers Arena. His team was just handed a 4-2 loss at the hands of our beloved Vancouver Canucks. The 23-year-old now prepares to answer to the herd of eager reporters, as is customary every post game for Murray.

One player stood out amongst the rest tonight. Tonight, that player was not Matt Murray. Despite his track record of stealing games for his team, and an impressive resume that already includes back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, Murray is not the storyline tonight.

It is not even other Pittsburgh stars like Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

Tonight the storyline is 20-year-old rookie Brock Boeser – who had just scored his first career hat trick for the hometown Canucks.

Boeser, from Burnsville, Minnesota, was selected by Vancouver with the 23rd pick in the 1st round of the 2015 NHL entry draft. The same draft headlined names like Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel. Despite lower expectations than the likes of McDavid and Eichel, Boeser has quickly taken the league by storm and proven at times he can compete at the same elite level.

The phenom currently sits sixth in league scoring with 22 goals at the halfway mark of the season, placing ahead of household names likes Crosby, McDavid, and Stamkos. This impressive start to his professional career caused many Canucks fans to compare Boeser to former Canucks goal-scoring greats, Pavel Bure and Markus Naslund. Both elite snipers, and both of whom have seen their jerseys retired by the Canucks organization.

It remains to be seen whether or not he has a career as memorable and successful as either Canuck great, but it has been exciting for many hockey fans to witness the beginning of what will surely be a great career.

While most local sports media attention has been on Boeser, as he plays for the local NHL team, he is not the NHL’s only rookie to be making waves. Other rookies are contributing in big ways for their teams as well this season.

Rookie New York Islanders centre, Matt Barzal, for instance, has already accumulated two 5-point games this season.

To put that into perspective, there have been only nine 5-point games total this season, and the 20-year old from Burnaby has two of them.

Across state, Charlie McAvoy currently averages nearly 23 minutes of ice time per night for the Boston Bruins, leading all rookies in that category. With a strong play in both the offensive and defensive ends of the rink, it is no secret why the Bruins coaching staff trust McAvoy with

playing up against top opposition players every night.

Then there’s Mikhail Sergachev, who has put up a hefty 26 points (and counting) from the blueline already for Tampa Bay. The young Russian defenceman, originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens, was traded last season in a summer blockbuster which saw Jonathan Drouin head to Montreal. At the time it was seen as a fair positional swap, but it already appears that Canadiens fans are regretting being on the receiving end of that trade.

Led by Boeser, rookies across the league are continuing to push aside the challenges of being inexperienced and young, all while turning heads and proving to their teams that they too can bring valuable intangibles to their teams. It will be an exciting next few months to watch and the race for the Calder trophy as the NHL’s best rookie this season will come down to the wire.

AGAINST ALL ODDS Before his birth, University of Central Florida star linebacker Shaquem Griffins’ ultrasound revealed that a fibrous strand of amniotic membrane had wrapped around his left wrist and would result in severe damage to his hand.

Shaquem was born 60 seconds after his twin brother, Shaquill, and his parents vowed to treat both boys the same. They would not allow Shaquem to ever feel sorry for himself.

When he was four years old, complications with Shaquem’s hand resulted in a complete amputation.

KYLE BAKER

The NFL regular season has wrapped up and the 24 teams that missed the playoffs have turned their eyes to the next step - the NFL draft. On January 27th, the NFL’s talent evaluators will travel to the Senior Bowl in Alabama to scout the best college players who are looking for

an NFL shot. They will pick the players apart, evaluating their skills and character in an effort to determine who gives their team the best chance to win this year.

This, however, did not stop him from getting out on the field with his brother. At age 10, their father had the twins in the backyard working out and running football drills. He taught both his sons how to catch and threw passes at his one-handed son just as hard as the other. Looking back on it, Shaquem says, “I took a couple footballs to the face before I learned to catch.”

The team scouts will be asking a question they have not asked before: can someone compete in the NFL with only one hand?

The Griffin twins were determined to play college football together and searched for a team that wanted them both. Shaquill received twelve Division

“vegans will rule everywhere north of the equator” – Nate Kara

1 offers, but, when University of Central Florida head coach George O’Leary said he did not want one boy without the other, the brothers knew they had found the right school. Shaquem struggled in his first three seasons, playing special teams and backup safety while his brother was a star cornerback. Their parents encouraged Shaquem to continue to work hard and to trust that his time would come. In 2015, everything changed. A new linebacker coach, Jovan Dewitt, was brought in to the UCF Knights’ team. Jovan recalls when first watching game tape in preparation for his new job, he didn’t know that Shaquem had only one hand!

He arrived at the Orlando campus with big plans for Shaquem, and Shaquem met all of his expectations. In 2016, Shaquem won the AAC Defensive Player of the Year. In 2017, with his brother leaving university to join the Seattle Seahawks, Shaquem led his team to a 13-0 perfect season. He became only the 7th player to be unanimously selected to the All-AAC Conference Team.

The Senior Bowl is an NFL prospect’s job interview. The players will be asked tough questions about their game and themselves. Their weaknesses will be exposed and they must have an answer.

For Shaquem Griffin, the questions have existed at every level of football.

How can someone compete with only one hand? The fact that the questions are now coming from the most powerful people in the football world is not about to stop Shaquem from reaching his dreams.

TURNING PRO AARON GRUENHAGE

17 From the age of four, hockey has been a very important part of my life. I played four seasons with the TWU Spartan hockey team and when my time on the team came to an end, I wondered where my experience in hockey would take me, and how I would be able to continue my involvement in the sport that I love.

Growing up, playing sports allowed me to build many traits that come to someone simply through being part of a team: strong work ethic, teamwork, and perseverance, along with many other foundational character traits. This past year, I became increasingly thankful for those lessons that hockey taught me as I realized just how transferrable they were to the workplace.

This took me into the world of sports.

Currently, I am the Coordinator of Game Day Operations for the Vancouver Giants. Working for a sports team, especially in this capacity, was a natural transition for me, satisfying my former competitive need for a fast-paced and intense work environment. Whether prepping for game days or running events and promotions during a game, you must be focused, like you would be when playing the

sport. A seemingly small mistake or forgotten detail in preparation can lead to an embarrassing result.

Athletes realize that being perfect is impossible, but a dedicated athlete will strive for the direction towards perfection. This is the same in working for a sports team as the constant repetition of similar events every game and the yearning to constantly improve these events are something that my game crew and I live for. Our goal is to perform the best job possible, allowing the fans to enjoy watching and participating in the game as much as we formerly enjoyed playing it. If we are able to execute this, it will create an experience for the fan that will encourage them to come back.

Involving fans in the production of the game can make their night that much more memorable. As the game crew, it is a rewarding feeling being a part of that.

Of course, working for a sports team, like playing a sport, can be stressful. People are counting on you to showcase certain sponsors and complete certain promotions in a specific way. This parallels with the way teammates would count on you to make important plays during a game. When things go wrong, it is often clear who is at

SPARTAN STATS 82-64 L vs Saskatchewan (Jan. 20)

Recent 80-71 L vs Saskatchewan (Jan. 20)

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL The Spartans are 17-1 so far in the regular season, and are currently 1st in the Canada West standings.

They have clinched a playoff spot.

3-0 W vs Regina (Jan. 20)

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL The Spartans are 13-5 so far in the regular season, and are currently 4th in the Canada West standings.

The Spartans are 1-15 so far in the season, and are currently at the bottom of the Canada West standings.

vs TRU (8:00PM, Jan. 26) and (7:00PM, Jan. 27)

Recent

vs TRU (6:00PM, Jan. 26) and (5:00PM, Jan. 27)

3-1 W vs Regina (Jan. 20)

The stress, excitement, pressure, pace, intensity, and satisfaction are many of the reasons we play the sports we love. These reasons are synonymous with working for a sports organization. All the effort put into each game is rewarding as you see the fans exiting the building with smiles, knowing you played a role in their enjoyment.

Upcoming

The Spartans are 12-4 so far in the season, and are currently tied for 3rd in the Canada West standings. They have clinched a playoff spot.

Upcoming

Recent

As an athlete, when pressure mounts and you refuse to respond positively, the pressure will crush you. Working for a sports organization is identical, as there will be many pressure filled situations each game, but by being well prepared and staying calm, this will allow you to perform your job to the best of your ability. It also allows the fans to receive the best in-game experience possible.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Recent

fault, and it is not a pleasant feeling when that someone is you. However, like sport, resiliency is what will make you successful. Many little mishaps can occur while working at a game, but being able to think quickly on your feet, and remain positive despite brief negative circumstances can go a long way in mending the end result.

Upcoming at Calgary (6:30PM, Feb. 2) and (4:30PM, Feb. 3) vs UBC (8:00PM, Feb. 9) and at UBC (6:30PM, Feb. 10) MEN’S HOCKEY

Upcoming Recent

at Calgary (5:00PM, Feb. 2) and (3:00PM, Feb. 3) vs UBC (6:00PM, Feb. 9) and at UBC (5:00PM, Feb. 10)

5-4 W vs Victoria (Jan. 20)

WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

Upcoming

The Spartans are 16-3 so far in the season (riding an 11 game win streak!), and are currently 1st in the BCIHL.

Madison Evans - 3rd (3.90m) Emma Li - 10th (3.30m)

Pole Vault

Mowa Adeleye - 5th (11.64m)

Triple Jump

Rachel Jerome - 7th (7.97s)

60m

Grace Konrad - 3rd (26.21s)

200m

Denzel Brown - 2nd (14.30m)

Triple Jump

Grace Konrad - 1st (40.76s)

300m

Ben Tjernagel - 9th (7.12s)

60m

Claire Noort - 4th (2:26.40)

800m

300m

Bailey Haugan - 6th (5:23.53)

Mile

Aidan Kits - 3rd (37.15s) Ben Tjernagel - 4th (37.26s)

Jouen Chang - 4th (10:29.22) Mikaela Smart - 6th (10:32.98)

Aidan Kits - 6th (52.32s)

400m

3000m

Paul Buckingham - 8th (2:00.44)

800m

Mowa Adeleye - 1st (8.85s)

60m Hurdles

Stephen Humphrey - 6th (J1.95m)

High Jump

Mowa Adeleye - 6th (1.55m) Sophie Pauls - 9th (J1.50m)

High Jump

Pole Vault

Rachel Jerome - 4th (5.53m)

Long Jump

David Boyd - 3rd (J4.75m) Giovanni Hernandez - 5th (4.60m) Nathan Dunford - 7th (J4.60m) Maxime Léveillé - 9th (4.45m)

at Simon Fraser (7:00PM, Feb. 3) vs Eastern Wash. (7:00PM, Feb. 9) at Aldergrove Comm. Arena

MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD

WSU Open (Jan. 19, 20)

WSU Open (Jan. 19, 20)

Upcoming

Upcoming

UW Invitational (Seattle, Wa.) Jan. 26-27 Spartan Pole Vault Open (David E. Enarson Gym) Jan. 27

UW Invitational (Seattle, Wa.) Jan. 26-27 Spartan Pole Vault Open (David E. Enarson Gym) Jan. 27

“World War 3” – Joey Schweitzer

18 HUMOUR

WHAT IS A CHALLENGE YOU ASK?!

WELL LET ME TELL YOU! DANICA STEENKAMP

SABINE HENDERSON hendersonsabine@gmail.com

AN AMATEUR’S GUIDE TO BREAKING NEW YEARS’ RESOLUTIONS CATHY SHIELDS The tradition of breaking New Years’ Resolutions is equally as old as the resolutions themselves. You’ve heard it from friends, family, and from yourself—all the reasons you can’t keep a resolution. Maybe it was unrealistic.

Maybe you found out it didn’t fit into your schedule. Maybe you’ve finally realized that you are a person who’s simply never going to change so there’s no point in trying. Unfortunately, no matter how universal the breaking of resolutions is, there’s always going to be that one person who is either lacking in the self-awareness to know they’ve failed just like you have, fully aware of their own failure but pushing themselves further into denial by attacking others who remind them of it, or they’re one of those intensely annoying people who actually keep their resolutions. If you’re looking to avoid uncomfortable questions about why you couldn’t keep that promise to yourself, here are three lines which should stave off any prying questions you may encounter.

1.“The temporal limits of my mortal life make these tasks too much for me to bear.”

Technically, you’re just saying “I don’t have time,” but if you say it quietly, with a mournful look off into the distance, your conversational partner will nod sagely so they can look as smart as you, and then awkwardly change the topic, as your staring into the distance is making them uncomfortably aware of their own rapidly-shortening life.

This dramatic approach to answering questions is also a general tip in how to get people to stop questioning you about anything ever.

2.“Well, I was going to, but then I found out that it had some serious implications that would have longterm effects on me, my friends, my family. I mean, really, you can’t expect to do something like this without expecting to…”

This kind of an answer is recognizable from many politicians who, upon asked a question, will ramble on about things that vaguely resemble an answer without giving a solid reason. A listener will be caught up in what you’re saying, trying to figure out your actual answer, or they’ll cut you off because your rambling is getting obnoxious. Either way, your objective has been accomplished. This is another generally-question-deterring answer.

3.“Look, I’m in great shape. The best shape. You don’t have to worry about it. People call me up and say, you’re in great shape! There’s a real problem out there. But it’s not my shape.”

While this answer is specifically tailored to the breaking of a gym/health/ exercise resolution type, the “blatant lies” method can be applied to any resolution. The trick is to be so certain of your own lies that other people think you believe yourself. They will hesitate to call you out on your delusions, and if they do, you can just call them out on being insensitive. This is a method which will keep people from not only asking you questions, but from talking to or associating with you in general.

So, whether you’re looking to avoid having a confrontation about why you refuse to change or looking to avoid human companionship, these three methods should get your New Year off to a fantastic start!

TWU SOCIAL MEDIA BREAKS SECOND COMMANDMENT On Friday, January 11th, 2018, the official TWU Instagram and Facebook posted a photo taken during chapel earlier that day. Featured in this photo is John Mark Comer, a well-known pastor from Portland, Oregon, the caption thanking him for coming to speak. As simple an action as it may seem, TWU had not posted about a chapel speaker on social media in the past year, leaving students to question the motivation behind this sudden change.

After careful investigation, it seems that this was no act of innocence. With over 19,900 followers on Instagram, Comer’s presence at TWU seems not to have served simply as a means of reminding

ABBI’S

HOT TAKE ON TIDE PODS

“Joey will get a girlfriend finally” – Sam Park

students of the message of the gospel, but as a stepping stone for TWU to gain status within Christian spheres—a violation of the second commandment.

Not only does Exodus 20:3 state, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below”—an action clearly taken in this instance— it also forbids idolatry. In posting this photo, TWU clearly seems to “bow down to” the idea of Christian celebrity and the desire for popularity. In this attempt to be viewed as a cool, hip university in the eyes of (prospective) students and parents, TWU has undermined its own integrity.

In case you haven’t heard, the youths are eating laundry detergent. It’s called the Tide Pod Challenge, and it has risen to the ranks of such memorable viral challenges such as the cinnamon challenge, planking, and chubby bunny. It’s unsafe, irresponsible, and frankly just plain ridiculous. What we really should be doing is eating scented candles. Just take a minute and think about it. Beautiful, creamy, panna cotta straight from the country’s best kitchens? Check.

Delicious scent? Check. Wide variety of flavours to add some spice to your life? Check. Heck, burn the wick a little before you eat it to add an extra dimension to the flavour. Tide pods are over.

Grab a spoon and dig into a scented candle today.

19 CONNOR THIESSEN That’s right everyone, don’t expect any Tweets from me for a while. No dog-themed Snapchats, aesthetically-pleasing Instagram pictures of mundane aspects of my daily life, or even any uncomfortably-political Minion Facebook memes. I’m giving it all up to pursue a more holistic, intentional lifestyle unencumbered by the burden of social media. The best part is, I’m going to be completely humble about it, rather than toting it around like a 21st-century Pharisee.

I just find the idea of verbally expressing my obvious spiritual superiority so unnecessary, considering the whole point of giving up media is to cut off all the most convenient ways in which I can communicate with others.

When someone sends me a Facebook message asking for a genuinely well-meaning favour,

it will be clear from the absence of my reply that I have dedicated the 30 seconds I could have used to politely decline to instead intensely study the Scriptures and self-reflect.

While everyone else is stressing about the latest 280-character atrocity published by Donald Trump, I will be gaining a better understanding of what it means to be “in the world, but not of it.” But I digress; I promised I wouldn’t brag about any of that.

Instead, I’ll be sitting in my “quiet spot”: a giant beanbag chair positioned next to my espresso maker, spending time with my bros Paul, John, and of course my main-man J.C., none of whom required the technological marvel of the Internet to spread the gospel. If others still require such artificial assistance in their evangelical efforts, that’s just fine. Everyone’s on their own journey. Mine just takes a lesser toll on my WiFi bill.

r u o y k r a M rs! calenda IS THE LLC FOR YOU?

DIGITAL MARKETING HAS ARRIVED.

Jared Barkman President, TWUSA 2017/18

FIND OUT AT OUR FIRESIDE CHAT!

RYAN SCHAFFRICK Sponsored Article It was the first day at my new marketing internship. As a third year marketing student, I was eager to put the concepts and strategies I had learned in class to work. One of my first projects would be to develop a digital marketing strategy for my employer – developing a social media schedule and content to go along with it. I had learned all the proper marketing techniques, and the relevance and impact of digital marketing, but actually sitting down and using the appropriate tools and platforms was something new entirely. Hootsuite, Hubspot, Google Analytics: I didn’t know where to start.

Over the past decade, the professional fields of media, communications and marketing have been completely transformed by digital technology, with new tools, skills and concepts popping up at a rate that has far surpassed the material taught in current university

marketing textbooks and lectures. As a result, the gap between what is taught and what is required in a marketing and communications workplace only continues to grow. That’s where Jelly Marketing comes in.

Digital marketing firm Jelly Marketing, locally based in Fort Langley, has recently partnered with TWU to bring these valuable skills and make the transition from the classroom to the work environment a little smoother. Together, they have developed a digital marketing course that equips Business or SAMC students with a professional certification to combine with their TWU degree. The course covers a range of foundational topics for digital marketing, including social media, digital ads, public relations and content marketing.

5 PM | FEBRUARY 7, 2018

Katie Maryschuk Editor-in-Chief, Mars’ Hill

SODEXO LOUNGE

Hear LLC alumni share firsthand stories of their internships in the nation’s

Joel Hansen

capital. Refreshments and a Q&A

Director of Operations, TWUSA 2016/17

session to follow. All majors welcome!

The course will be hosted on campus Tuesday nights for 6 weeks starting January 30th from 7pm-10pm on TWU’s campus, and all Trinity students receive a $500 discount on tuition.

Head over to www.jellyacademy. ca for more information.

“Sam Park will be a grown up” – Brent Groen

Dayna Slusar Host

twu.ca/LLC

ALEX’S ANNEX Josh Lim

THE HIMNAL

Year: 2

Age: 235 months 10 days Height: 5’9’’ and a half with Blundstones Hometown: Whistler, BC

HOW TO NOT DIE OF STARVATION IN DORMS

By Joey Schweitzer and Alex Gust

We know you don’t have time, money, or energy to feed yourself healthily on a regular basis. As seniors, we’ve been there before.

Let us help you.

Here’s some recipes that we’ve perfected after four years of inventively cooking together.

RAM N’ CHEESE

Major: Women

We know you have ramen.

We know you like cheese.

Ever thought about this?

Favourite Christian (non-worship) song?

Ultralight beam - Kanye West Favourite woman in the Bible?

Esther Idea of a perfect date?

Meeting the parents!

How long before you propose?

Let’s not set any unrealistic expectations Best pick-up line?

Is your name Gillette? Because you’re the best a man can get How would you win their parents over?

Memes How do you know if it’s love?

If she makes the first move Skill that makes you ‘the one?’

“You don’t have it” - Emma Plommer How would you make up after your first fight?

Divorce Biggest deal breaker?

Chews louder than me Good age to get married?

When’s she’s financially stable enough to pay for my grad school tuition What skill will you pass on to your future children?

Anxiety Top quality in a future mate?

A spicy personality 11/10 Favourite action movie Pulp fiction Views on courtship?

What’s that?

What is your love language?

Potty humour and fart jokes How many kids do you want?

I envision my life to be like Cheaper by the Dozen

• cheddar cheese (shredded) • ramen + seasoning Make the ramen.

Add cheese directly after you pull the ramen out of the microwave.

Mix well.

Enjoy immediately.

Price: 2/5 Time: 1/5

QOMBS (QUICK OREO MARSHMALLOW BARS) We know your kitchen skills consist of microwave and minifridge. This delicious dessert is easy, quick, and serves quite a few people.

Future RAs, take note. You can use these to make your dormies like you.

• 1 package Oreos • 1 package large marshmallows • 4 tablespoons of butter Borrow an 8x8 baking pan, a large Ziploc bag, and aluminum foil from one of your friends in apartments.

We know you don’t own any.

Line the pan with aluminum foil.

Put Oreos into the Ziploc bag.

Crush Oreos.

Melt butter and marshmallows in the microwave for like, 2 minutes, until the marshmallows kinda fluff up and the butter

Health: 1/5 Price: 3/5 Time: 2/5

melts.

Add crushed Oreos and mix. Dump mixture into the pan.

Cool the bars in your dorm fridge (or if there’s no room, as usual, your Douglas 6/7 boyfriend’s minifridge) for about 1015 minutes.

Cut into bars with whatever sharp object you can find.

Enjoy immediately.

DORMOCADO Ova-over-avo. Easy. Delicious.

Health.

Health: 5/5

• 1 avocado • 1 egg • salt and pepper to taste

Price: 4/5

Cut an avocado in half (for the unwashed: run the knife around the seed, twist, separate.

Jam knife into seed, twist, remove.

Try not to cut your fingers off while removing seed from knife).

Scoop out a hole a little bigger than the one left by the seed. Season. It needs salt, or something.

Dump a raw egg into it. Or scramble an egg + dump it in.

More salt and pep. Microwave for like, a minute and a half.

Season more.

Salsa is a good choice.

Eat.

“What the marak” - Carlos Alvaro

Health: 2/5

Time: 1/5