Volume 27 Issue 2: Undertow

MARS’

Undertow

Volume 27, Issue 2

2022.

the Iran Protests

How does a nation react in the face of injustice?

It’s Fat Bear Week The Story of Nicola Peters

One park’s annual com petition brings insight into climate change.

Faith, Basketball, and perseverance through im possible circumstances.

7

FROM THE

About this time every year, I start to feel the undertow of the semes ter take hold of me. I look at my weekly schedule—my deadlines and due dates, meetings and interviews, classes and events—and I become completely overwhelmed. I scarce ly have time to finish one week’s worth of work before the next week comes knocking at my door. There are always more deadlines, always another paper, and some reading I neglected to do. Sometimes, I feel like I cannot breathe. As much as I try to stay afloat, the water wants to pull me down. Do you feel it too?

The word “undertow” evokes feelings of being trapped, losing control, or fighting something so much stronger than yourself. Those feelings are touched on by David Witzke in his article “What Are You Going To Do After You Graduate?” in the context of academics and maturing. How many of us find ourselves at a loss for words when we consider our futures post-university? Hope Evans takes the idea of hopelessness and powerlessness and tells the story of those fighting against social injustice in Iran.

But even when we feel powerless, there are often glimmers of hope. Julianne Jones tells the powerful story of Nicola Peters, a Spartans basketball player who has overcome adversity time and time again to get to where she is today. Sadie McDonald reminds us to keep our heads above water and not be pulled down by the cultural undertows that seem so appealing. Sacha Mugisha, this issue’s “Words for the Day” contributor, re minds us, for those of us who are Christians, that our ultimate rest is in Christ.

And, of course, there’s a lot more to love in this issue of Mars’ Hill. We explore a new project from two TWUSA representatives, contributor Annika Boganes introduces us to new Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, and Bailey Froese comically, yet very informa tively, introduces us to Mennonite culture. All that and more are within these pages.

Writers

Alex Walker

Sacha Mugisha

Marcus Wang Annika Boganes

Rachel Schouten

1 - Kristian Trevena

5 - Artin Bakhan

7 - TWU Spartans Athletics

10 - Alamy

11 - Birmingham Museum Trust pg. 12 - Pexelbay pg. 15 - Luke Bender

Seth Schouten Editor-in-Chief

Ava Gili Cheif Copy Editor

David Witzke Arts & Culture Editor

Hope Evans News Editor

Juilianne Jones Sports Editor

Sadie McDonald Opinions Editor

Bailey Frose Humour Editor

Berk Berkeliev Staff Writer

Diego Bascur Staff Writer

Jared Klassen Web

Zaeya Winter Illustrator

CONTRIBUTOR OF THE ISSUE: Alex Walker

Where are you from?

Somerville, New Brunswick

What’s your year and major?

5th year Religious Studies and Theatre double major

What’s been your favourite piece you’ve written for Mars’ Hill?

“Who Is Potato?” or this one honestly

What is something that excites you? When Kerri Norris is proud of me

What was the last thing you ate? An off-brand Oreo-esque store-bought cookie

What other things are you involved in across campus?

Upcoming show The Miracle Worker, 11:07, Discipleship Ministries

MARS’ HILL

Mars’ Hill is a student publication of Trinity Western University located on the traditional ancestral territory of the Stó:lō people. 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, the Statement of Faith, the Student Handbook, 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.

WORDS FOR THE DAY

“Prodigal God” Sacha Mugisha

Prodigal God,

Awaken my heart to Your reckless love, So that I may abide in You As You abide in me.

Teach me to make You my home, To eat and to rest and to play In Your Loving Presence.

And in the same way, God,

Teach me how to walk like your Son, To live and to love

like He does,

So that I may be the best possible home for You.

Amen

2 *Definition of Prodigal: Recklessly Extrav agant

Uhhh Mars’ Hill? You know you can only use your own photos in your issues, right? Google images isn’t gonna cut it. It’s also cringe :/ Editor’s note: come apply for our Photographer position! It’s still available

The unthinkable has occurred: I exhaled sharply at a meme at the gym

Marky Mark with the beard, no tie. Maybe he does have a diverse music playlist?

Happy to see Paul Curtis still walks his dog around here

Was Ed Gerber the Ger ber baby?

Every time, in my head, I say “Ed Burger”

Robbie Down rocking a new hairstyle every year like it’s a new season on a sitcom

Painting with mustard will NOT result in archi val quality

Man, I beat him so bad, he's TWEETING now.

I'mma throw a fireball in your face, because I'm a WIZARD!

Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready? IT'S MID TERM STRESS TIME!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready? It's PRE-MIDTERM STRESS TIME!!!!

guys please help Robbie Down has been biting people again

Jeremy Joosten at Skits 2022 is the best/swag giest thing I have ever freaking seen

Egg

A few things: 1. ICP stands for Intercultural Programs. 2. It is NOT events for only interna tional students, every body is welcome! We aim to create space for people across the globe to build community with each other, and grow as a part of the global church. 3. We have a lounge in the RGK building (it is still in the process of being dec orated), so come study and hang out with us!

DECLASSIFIEDS

If there are any thirst declassifieds after 11:07 this week I'm boycotting marshill

Did anyone else see Dr. Mark Husbands (AKA Marky Mark) in the TWU SA Lounge?!?!?!?!? That place be bumping

Let's hope TWUSA doesn't fall into the irony of spend ing so much time develop ing a vision they forget to actually do it. #talkischeap

Lex is actually already on Broadway. They went back to school out of spite.

There is a real rumour that Maddi and Tahlia are dating.

It’s not true but it’s real.

Hannah. SAMC Rep or SAMC Repetitions? (insert dice roll here)

Valerie. Queen of the werewolves? (Also, that sounds like a really good bad name so get on that please!)

Leighton. Marriage Mate rial.

Sacha. Priest material?

Alex Walker. Is actually Captain John: Bible Boy of the Avengers.

F—. (This is a social exper iment)

Sarah Grace stabbed a man with a tent peg.

Jack was stabbed by a tent peg.

Zach saved a man who was stabbed by a tent peg.

imagine going to a christian university and still stealing other peo ple's stuff. jesus be hella proud Mu ggle

Gary Schmidt you know what you did

chelsea beyer never ever misses w/ her outfits. the anticipation of finding out what new look she has put together is what motivates me to actually show up to d.a. at 8am. chelsea pls share ur inspo pinterest board w/ me !!!

It's time to bear down for midterms everyone

Petition to make the lights stay on longer in the LC women’s bathroom im scared of peeing in the dark

WOW! Mars Hill person alized ads to continue the toxic dating culture--we should do better!

Do any other authors apart from CS Lewis even exist

That guy Bret who loves Milton is smarter than all his profs.

The new twu website is absolutely awful. What is this?

no master's program is going to accept anyone when the front page of the new trinity website is so preachy. thanks trinity for blocking all my future options.

Why don't we have a senior seminar or con ference at this school? absolutely NO information about grad/career events and details is communicat ed unless you dig for it.

why doesn't this school have actual academic advisors who are hired for the job? the profs aren't supposed to teach and properly guide us in career advising. just hire the right people like a normal university does.

No theater protests in RNT this year?

Directing students need actors for their scenes this semester. Contact rebecca.martin@twu.ca if you're interested in acting for the class (two more opportunities this year). The time commitment isn't much.

11:07 this week left me so thirsty

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 en dorsement of any kind, nor does it reflect the opinions of Mars’ Hill staff, the student association, or that of the University.

Christian Horoscopes

If you’re in . . .

BUSINESS

Did you hear that Netflix is planning to add commercials? They’re making one for TWU and it’s the job of one of you to direct it! I predict it will be someone with connections to Amy Schumer, since she’s writing the script.

NURSING

The mannequin is officially out for blood. It has five victims in mind, and one of them is 5’2” with short blond hair and another is a third year who wears black Adidas joggers for an average of five days per week. Keep a sharp eye, nursing majors.

EDUCATION

Okay, you missed the Autumn Equinox. That was my bad, I was off by one day in the last issue. I’m good at horoscope predictions, not seasonal changes. Anyway, it’s your own fault for procrastinating. Have fun swiping left through Christian Mingle again.

HKIN

Ugh, you did it again. You got too buff and swole. Now you’re beating off admirers with a stick and scrolling with shame through thirsty posts about you on TWUConfession sRevived. Sigh. It sucks to be you.

NATURAL & APPLIED SCIENCES

Oh no. There’s going to be unpleasant discourse about evo lution theories in your next class. If you’re asked to contrib ute, just quote Bible verses that have nothing to do with the situation, like John 3:16 or Deuteronomy 25:11–12. No one can argue with you and the peace is kept.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Time for a social experiment. You guys like that stuff, right? Let’s say the Humour Editor is broke. How many people can you pressure into giving them money? It’s just a silly little experiment, important for science and all. Right, guys? Guys?

HUMANITIES

Someone in your living space, whether it be your dorm or whatever cave you commuters crawl out of, has a shrine of The Batman (2022)’s Paul Dano in their closet. If you live alone, it’s in your subconscious. You’re obsessed with the ac tor of Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and There Will Be Blood (2007) fame, and everyone knows it except you.

SAMC LOOK OVER THERE!!!

Haha, gotcha.

TWUSA’s Jeremy Joosten and Hannah Gallandt on their Plans to Bring Student Art into RGK

Seth Schouten

With the opening of the Robert G. Kuhn Centre, the new home of Trinity Western University’s school of business, the Global Engagement Office, and TWU GLOBAL, TWUSA’s Business Representative Jeremy Joosten has seen an opportunity to foster greater inter-departmental crossover. As TWUSA pursues a vision of inter-de partmental connections over the coming year, Joosten, alongside SAMC Representative Hannah Gallandt, has begun work on bringing a display of student art into RGK.

This project has been long in the making. Joosten has said that this was an idea he had at the end of the 2021/2022 school year shortly after he found out he had been elected as Business Representative. “[The Robert G. Kuhn Centre] has so much potential with the natural lighting and the glass ceilings and the open walls,” says Joosten. “It would just be perfect to have student art in there.”

Joosten says that he hopes this project will help bring the campus together. “This is not the ‘Business Build ing,’ it’s the Robert G. Kuhn building where everyone comes for classes,” he says. He and Gallandt echo

sentiments seen throughout TWUSA this year about strengthening relationships between TWU’s various, and often very separate, programs.

“A lot of the [TWUSA representatives] have noticed the disconnection [between departments],” says Gal landt. She speaks about how she has noticed feelings as strong as hatred toward other departments within her own department. “You can’t have theatre without business and business is always seen in a better light when it’s creative.”

Bringing student art to RGK has been no simple task and Joosten and Gallandt have certainly met challenges. “We didn’t know how legalistic it all was,” says Joosten. He shares that there have been concerns raised about damage to the building and the profes sionality of the artwork. “To do this,” he continues, “you have to be really aware of who you’re presenting the art to.” Joosten says that some have raised con cerns over what the content of the art may be, but he maintains that the display would seek to inspire both artists and those who view the pieces.

The project, it is hoped, would not just reach SAMC students but would be open to all students to show case their art. Gallandt says that they hope to start with three canvas-based art pieces in the building. If it goes through, all students would be encouraged to submit artwork to be displayed.

TWUSA Annouces Results of VPAR By-Election

Seth Schouten

In a recent by-election, Sienna Hermary was elected to be TWUSA’s Vice President of Academic Relations. As outlined by TWUSA, the VPAR’s pri mary responsibilities include representing “the interests and concerns of the faculty representatives to the Administration of TWU” as well as oversee ing clubs over the TWUSA banner.

The process of campaigning Monday, September 19 with three candidates in the race — Hermary, Justin Boshart, and Christine Miranda. The voting pe riod ran from Friday, September 23 to Monday, September 26. Hermary was announced as the VPAR on Thursday, September 29.

“I think it would be a huge move . . . a beneficial move to put an art [display] in the new building,” says Gallandt. She goes on to mention that this is not a project that she and Joosten can do alone: they need popular support. “It’s getting to the point where [Jeremy and I] can’t get much further so we need more student input. . . . We need students to be behind this as well.” Students are encouraged to spread the word about the project and voice their opinions on how to further build connections across TWU.

Sienna Hermary

Christine Miranda

Justin Boshart

“A lot of the [TWUSA rep resentatives] have noticed the disconnection [be tween departments].”

Woman, Life, Freedom: The Story of the Iran Protests

Hope Evans

Ongoing protests in around 80 different lo cations in Iran have led to dozens of deaths and hundreds of arrests. The country’s cit izens are facing social media blockages as well as at least a day-long nearly complete internet blackout in response. All of this unrest has stemmed from the death of one woman, who served as a spark in the powder keg of Iran’s cultural climate.

On September 13, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was detained by Iran’s “morality police” for what they deemed to be “immodest clothing”—she was wearing her hijab, or headscarf, too loosely. Amini was taken to a guidance centre, which is a place where women are “re-educated” and taught how to properly follow the Iranian laws regarding women’s clothing. Three days later, Amini died while still in police custody. The official report stated that she died of a heart attack; however, her family has argued that she had no history of heart problems and that, suspiciously, they were not allowed to see her body.

The morality police, officially the Gasht-e Ershad or Islamic guidance patrol, has been in existence for more than 15 years in its current iteration. They have previously been seen to use violent methods to enforce their rules, including slapping those who disobey, beating them with batons, and forcing them into police vehicles. They exist to enforce Iranian laws that promote systematic discrimination toward women, such as the forced wearing of hijabs and loose clothing.

Other laws that exist to promote this harmful ideology include laws making it easier for men to get divorced than women and giving men exclusive custody of children. Polygamy is legal for men but not for women, girls are eligible to be married two years younger than boys, at age 13, and women must get permission from their husband or father to travel.

Together, these issues form a perfect storm, ready to be set loose by Amini’s death. As of Thursday, September 29, there have been 13 consecu tive nights of protest. Young women are the face of these protests, removing and burn ing their hijabs in bonfires while crowds watch, cutting off their hair, dancing in front of security guards without head-coverings, and more. The protests have also included rock throwing and setting fire to police cars and state buildings. The gather ing crowds have been heard to call for the downfall of the Islamic Republic and to chant “zan, zendegi, azadi,” which translates to “woman, life, freedom.”

In response, security forces have fired tear gas, wa ter cannons, birdshot, and live ammunition into the crowds. There were at least 83 deaths as of Septem ber 29, though the ongoing internet blackouts make exact counts difficult. In addition, hundreds of demonstrators, activists, and journalists have been arrested, including Niloufar Hamedi of Shargh, the journalist who first exposed Amini’s story and who is now in solitary confinement.

not only burned their hijabs, but also cut their hair and shaved their heads. Mariam speaks of the act, saying,“It’s a statement that doesn’t need explain ing. . . . You can’t control me and you can’t define me with my hair.”

Another woman and mother, Minoo, says that she willingly wears a hijab but still signed a petition for the morality police to be abolished and the hijab mandate to be repealed. She argues,“We can’t impose what we think on one another. I’m religious, but I’m fed up with the hypocrisy and lies of this regime treating us ordinary people like dirt.” Mi noo makes it clear that the issue is not the wearing of hijabs, but the mandate stripping women of the right to choose whether to wear them.

These laws are not newand women have been pro testing them for decades. However, they were only loosely enforced under former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who was a moderate. The later governments began to crack down on these discrim inatory practices, culminating in the leadership of the ultraconservative current President, Ebrahim Raisi, which began a year ago. In addition to these repressions, Iranians have other issues to be upset about, including governmental corruption and a failing economy.

In an attempt to impede the protests, the gov ernment has blocked Instagram and WhatsApp, which now join the ranks of many other social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, which were already blocked in Iran. The internet was almost totally blacked out on Wednes day, September 21. These measures are intended to prevent protestors from organizing and sharing information.

Some women involved in the protests have spoken out, though they have only been identified by their first names for their safety and privacy. Some of the demonstrators, including a woman named Mariam,

The outside world largely stands in support of the protestors in Iran. U.S. President Joe Biden has said that “we stand with the brave citizens and the brave women of Iran, who right now are demonstrating to secure their basic rights.” The U.K. is calling for an investigation into Amini’s death. Meanwhile, protests in various cities around the world have happened in support of the Iranian women, includ ing in Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Istanbul, Madrid, New York, and Paris.

In BC, a peaceful protest drew thousands of people to the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Sep tember 25. One of the attendees of that protest, Honieh Barzegari, calls on the public, saying, “We need to stay united, not just Iranian people. We want the world to stand with us. Hold our hands, tap on our shoulders and be our voices.”

Barzegari’s words ring true. These events might be happening half a world away, but they are a chance for all those who support equality and human rights to stand in solidarity and for each person to use the platform they have to speak up about these ongoing issues.

“We need to stay united,not just Iranian people. Wewant the world to stand with us. Hold our hands, tap onour shoulders and be our voices.” — Ho nieh Barzegari

“It’s a statement that doesn’t need explaining.. . . You can’t control me and you can’t define mewith my hair.”

— Mariam

“Earth is now our only shareholder:” Pata gonia’s Billionaire Owner Donates Com pany to Fight Climate Change

Berk Berkeliev

Yvon Chouinard founded Patagonia in Ven tura, California in May 1973. The upscale outdoor clothing company made global head lines on September 14 of this year after the 83-yearold founder announced that his family will be giving away their ownership of the $3 billion brand to help fight climate change. “Earth is now our only shareholder,” wrote Chouinard in a blog posted to Patagonia’s website.

This, however, does not mean that $3 billion is going directly towards helping save our planet but rather that the ownership is being given to a specifically designed trust and a non-profit organi zation. Two percent of the company’s stock is being transferred to the Patagonia Purpose Trust, and 98 percent is going to the Holdfast Collective. The Patagonia Purpose Trust is a perpetual trust that ensures the company’s values will be upheld moving forward. Any profit that is not reinvested into the company will be given to the Holdfast Collective, a firm that aims to protect nature and preserve the climate. Chouinard estimates that roughly $100 mil lion will be put into the Holdfast Collective yearly.

Patagonia is no stranger to supporting nature. “We started with our products, using materials that caused less harm to the environment. We gave away 1% of sales each year. We became a certified B Corp and a California benefit corporation,” wrote Chouinard in his blog post. The company has a self-imposed “Earth tax” of one percent that it uses to support environmental non-profits. Patagonia

has also committed itself to “consuming less energy, wasting less water and creating less trash” during its production processes. The company has given grants to over one thousand environmental groups dealing with biodiversity, forest restoration, parks, animal habitats, and more.

Chouninard’s selfless act inspired fellow billionaire Chip Wilson, CEO of Lululemon, to announce on September 15 that he is committing to donating $100 million to the British Columbia Parks foun dation in the hope of helping protect and enhance the province’s ecosystem. Hopefully the generous gestures of Chouinard and Wilson set an example and inspire even more billionaires and CEOs to use their fortunes to help sustain the planet.

Election of Pierre Poilievre: the Impact on Canadian Politics

Annika Boganes, TWUSA Humanities Representative

In a post-pandemic world full of questions about the future of Canada, the election of Pierre Poilievre as the Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada on September 10 has made a significant impact on the current political playing field.

Leadership elections have always resulted in a shift of a party’s vision, but this most recent one has seemed to shift the people’s vision for Canada. The election of Pierre Poilievre, with a 68.15 percent approval on the first ballot, is evidence that some Canadians are looking for a very different leader than the current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Poilievre has stormed the political scene and garnered a large, diverse support base of differ ent ethnicities and age groups. Carrying a strong anti-inflation, populist message, Poilievre has simplified his rhetoric to the basic concepts of free dom, affordability, and anti-elitism in Ottawa. The ideas of affordability and anti-elitism are not a new concept, and they are even the same message that Justin Trudeau initially touted in the 2015 election; however, this message has been rebranded and has begun to gain traction with many voters who have been traditionally Liberal voters or have not been active in politics.

Many felt that with the failures of the previous two leaders of the Conservative Party, Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole, the party was beginning to die off and would permanently remain in the position of the Official Opposition. This recent leadership elec

tion has gained the attention of the media and voter base and has led many to believe that there may be a new Prime Minister when the next election is called.

Pierre Poilievre, like any political leader, is not without his controversy. Many have declared his rhetoric to be extreme and harmful to the social and economic well-being of Canada. Poilievre has supported the trucker convoy in February 2022 and the removal of pandemic management measures, which has led many to question the policies he plans to enact if he is elected as the next Prime Minister of Canada.

Even with the House only having sat a few times since his election, Poilievre and Trudeau have already had heated exchanges about what is best for Canadians in improving affordability and tackling inflation. Trudeau is in favour of increasing mone tary supports for Canadians through a new dental care plan and an increase of the GST tax credit to provide a buffer for increasing prices to struggling Canadian families. Poilievre, however, supports smaller government and the reduction of current services to reduce the influx of monetary funds into an inflated economy, which would in turn lower spending. There are varying opinions as to who is right in their approach, and it will only be known as the future unfolds.

The new messaging from the Liberal government also focuses on affordability and the end of many COVID-19 border and travel restrictions. Although

they state that these changes are based merely on policy and not on any influence from the increase in Conservative support by many traditionally Liberal voters, many wonder if this is entirely true, or if the opposition is increasing in its power to direct policy and political messaging going forward.

Polling since the leadership election has shown that Liberal support is falling, but there has been some variance in where the support is going. In some polls, it seems that support for the NDP is falling as well and is turning toward the Conservative Party due to their messaging on cost-of-living through so cial media campaigns. Other polls show the Liberal Party losing support to both the New Democratic Party and the Conservatives, as those who lean more left or right are looking for alternative solu tions to the current crisis.

The extent of any leader’s political popularity is never known, as the tide can change at any given moment. Historically, Canada’s Prime Ministers have not managed to remain in power for longer than ten years, and it will be interesting to see if this tradition continues by the year 2025. Poilievre has created a memorable message as the leader of the Conservative Party and may make significant chang es as to how they pursue policy and seek to shrink government in the future. Only time will tell how the Conservative Party will shape their messaging in the future and how much their popularity in Canada could change.

“We can save our planet if we commit to it.”

— Yvon Chouinard

In The Face of Adversity: The Journey of Nicola Peters

Julianne Jones

Despite her quiet presence on the court, Nicola Peters has embodied the standard of the Spartan mentality from the sidelines. Being faced with subsequent instances of adversity since 2019, Peters unequivocally demonstrates resil ience, leadership, and faithfulness. As the fifth-year student athlete approaches graduation, she will continue to prove her influential leadership from a distance.

In 2018, Peters began her journey with the TWU women’s basketball team. Coming from the Men nonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford, Peters was prepared to show her skills on a court close to home. After a year of warming up to the intensity of varsity sport, Peters was ready to move on from rookie status. As she approached her second year on the team with eagerness and ambition, an unex pected injury initiated the beginning of the end for Peters’ basketball career.

In pre-season training of her 2019 season, Peters tore multiple liga ments in her finger. Discovering the severity of the injury—given that a ligament tear is significantly worse than a bone break—Peters realized that recovery was going to take longer than she anticipated. Despite this, she was determined to over come this obstacle.

stop training, Peters believed the pandemic to be a convenient opportunity for her rehabilitation. Pe ters was no longer the product of an individual set back because the whole sports community was being restrained from the game. Using the pandemic to her advantage, Peters worked hard to minimize the effects of the knee injury in the hope of returning to the court once sports were back in action.

On the frontlines of Peters’ recovery was coach Cheryl Jean-Paul. Seeing Peters’ ambitious attitude towards the healing process, Jean-Paul anticipated a remarkable return for the player. Jean-Paul encour aged the player to compete for a spot on the start ing five because she saw Peters’ improvement. The ultimate goal for Peters was to return to the court at full force for the 2021/2022 season and fulfill JeanPaul’s hopeful expectations.

In October 2021, during a preseason game against Winnipeg, Peters encountered the same misfortune

Peters has found her competitive spirit dwindling during her time on the sidelines. Despite feeling like she has lost a part of herself, Peters has contin ued to be a vital part of the team.

While most athletes would go stir-crazy on the sidelines, Peters has displayed the acceptance of her circumstances with integrity. She consistent ly attends games and practices and finds ways to contribute to the improvement of her teammates on and off the court.

One of Peters’ most notable roles is being the discipleship leader for the women’s team. Being in this role for more than two years, Peters found it challenging at times. While she was amidst the most emotionally taxing years of her life, Peters was expected to uphold her spirituality as an example to her teammates. Peters explained that it is “hard to give when [you are] struggling yourself.” For a long time, she wondered why God would continue to present her with these hardships.

After three months of steady recov ery, Peters was eager to make her 2019/2020 season debut. Displaying patience for the rehabilitation pro cess, she was determined to squeeze in some minutes of playing time before the season ended.

In January 2020, Peters had an unex pected and unfortunate beginning to the new year. During practice, the forward felt her left knee cave out wards and later discovered that she had fully torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Despite encoun tering a new injury after recently recovering from the previous one, Peters had a surprisingly optimistic view. Even though Peters was approaching another long season of recovery, she reflected on her past thoughts regarding the injury and thought, “I already hadn’t been playing. . . . So yes, it was hard, but there was still this hope [to play] later on. . . . At this rate, if I get surgery soon, maybe I can be playing by the second semester of next year and then I’ll still have two and a half more years [to play].” That year, Peters remained hopeful for a steady comeback that would result in future playing time. Little did she know, the year of “un precedented times” was quickly approaching.

When COVID-19 was declared a worldwide pandem ic, organized sport was one of many things that was brought to a halt. While athletes were required to

just a year apart. After getting an MRI, Peters dis covered that the ACL in her right knee was com pletely torn and her meniscus was partially torn. In an interview, Peters expressed the defeat she felt in this moment stating, “Everything that I had been working towards for the past two years was all for nothing.” After months of patience, perseverance, and progress, Peters was devastated to see her im provement deteriorate once again.

The emotional burden of Peters’ multiple injuries has challenged her relationship with basketball. Since 2019, the player has been entangled in a constant conflict between physical health and injury. Peters has been committed to sports for most of her life and has slowly been stripped of the opportunity to play. While still having passion for the sport,

Regarding her journey of faith during this time, Peters stated, “Throughout the past few years, my question has been ‘What’s the reasoning behind this?’ because I have this trust [that] God’s plan is bigger than all of this but it’s hard [to trust that] when you’re in the moment.” Being the loyal leader that she is, Peters continues to commit her efforts towards discipling the TWU women’s basketball team despite the burden of her injuries.

In spite of the years of anger and frustration that developed from these circumstances, Peters has seen her perspective on life transform. In an inter view, she explained that “you can’t look too far in the future. . . . It’s [about] setting little goals and taking it one day at a time and celebrating the big wins.” Over time, Peters noticed that exercising patience and focusing on the present helped her find peace.

Discovering this sense of peace was not only im portant for overcoming injury for Peters. In many instances, she was overwhelmed by the competitive ness that sport embedded in her. Realizing that pas sions and ambitions can be taken away in an instant, Peters now understands that taking life too seriously makes the obstacles more difficult to overcome.

In the face of adversity, Peters has come out on top. Despite the state of her physicality, she has shown everyone the strength of her mind and heart. The most valuable characteristic of an athlete should not always be defined by their ability and skill. Rather, we should commend athletes like Nicola Peters who show us what it truly is to be a courageous, loyal, and faithful Spartan.

“Everything that Ihad been workingtowards for the pasttwo years was all fornothing.”

“Throughout the past fewyears, my question hasbeen ‘What’s the reason ing behind this?’ becauseI have this trust [that] God’s plan is bigger thanall of this but it’s hard [to trust that] when you’re inthe moment.”

Anselm Rein: The Set ter from Germany Diego Bascur

Anselm Rein. If you have never heard the name, learn it, because you will be hearing it a lot this upcom ing volleyball season. The 6’7” setter from Erfurt, Germany is looking to dominate as a starting player for the men’s volleyball team. I had the privilege of interviewing Rein to discuss his time playing volleyball in Germany and his transition to TWU.

Mars’ Hill: What sports did you play growing up?

Anselm Rein: I used to play handball, then at age 13 I decid ed to play volleyball. At age 15, I grew 10 centimetres in the summer, which helped with my volleyball development. It was interesting though, because before my growth spurt, I was trained as a setter. So after my height change, I was taller than most setters; usually guys my height play in big ger positions. After a year of playing, I made the provincial team, and then I was accepted to a volleyball academy in Germany. I decided to stay home instead and after two years, I had an opportunity to play for the junior national team.

MH: What was it like playing for the junior national team?

AR: I actually didn’t expect that to happen at all because I wasn’t at the academy. I felt like I wasn’t that good. But there were try outs, and I got selected for the team. Though it was really excit ing and a great honour, it was also very challenging. I felt like I was thrown into the team and didn’t have the chemistry the rest of the other players had because they all played at the academy together. I didn’t really know what was next; I just knew that I loved volleyball, practicing every day, and getting better. Before the national team, I never expected to be on the path of being a pro. I realized that if I wanted to be professional in anything I would have to really love it, and volleyball was something that I loved playing every day.

MH: What made you decide to come to Trinity Western Univer sity?

AR: Graduating from high school, I really started thinking about what I was gonna do after. Some part of me wanted to go abroad and see the world, but I also wanted to keep playing volleyball. I actually hired an agent to help me get scholarships. One day, I reached out to [the] former coach of the Men’s Volleyball team, Ben Josephson, because I heard how good the program was and how great the culture was. It became a perfect fit playing at such a high level. When I first got here, it was amazing how good the volleyball was and a perfect step for me after playing on a semipro team in Germany. It was also very important for me to get my education because I knew volleyball wouldn’t last forever.

MH: What are your expectations for this year?

AR: As a team, our goal is to win a national championship. I really hope to be healthy this year and help the team the best I can.

We Have a Disc Golf Team?

Julianne Jones

During the spring semester of 2022, word of a new Spartan team develop ing behind the scenes began to spread around campus. Soon enough, the buzz be came real news once it was revealed that Chris Hartmann, an alumnus of the TWU Spartans, was making his grand return back to Trinity Western University.

In May of 2022, Spartan Athletics announced that Hartmann was coming back to TWU to coach a disc golf team. Even though Hart mann had to start from scratch, there was no doubt that Hartmann would rise to the challenge. Having a long history with TWU, Hartmann was prepared to use his personal connections and coaching skills to build this team from nearly nothing.

In the 1980s, Hartmann was a prominent member of the Spartan community. He was both a player and a coach for the men’s volley ball team. It was not until ten years ago that Hartmann began to develop a passion for the game of disc golf and has been involved with the community ever since. These experiences gave Hartmann the exact passion and skill he needed in order to pursue his goal of creating a new team.

After being in talks with the Director of TWU Athletics, Jeff Gamache, the idea to have a disc golf team was quickly becoming a reality. In an interview, Hartmann shared that Gamache was committed to the creation of this pro gram. Gamache said to Hartmann, “We need somebody who knows how to navigate the disc golf world.” Hartmann has quickly proved himself to be the perfect person to fulfill this task.

While Hartmann encourages the whole student body to join the disc golf team, he still has recruited some well-versed players. Hartmann explained the recruiting process, stating, “We knew that it would be a bit difficult to find existing tournament players, but we managed to find a few.” For the men’s team, Hartmann has currently signed Jacob Visser, McKinley Bainard, and Noah Huberts. Although the players have diverse levels of ex perience, Hartmann has found one common ality between the three men: they are all keen to become top level disc golf players.

It is evident that Hartmann is being patient towards the process of developing this team. The coach is focussed on developing the sport on campus before trying to make it a varsity sport. Each practice is currently open to both recreation and skill development, enabling people with the opportunity to try a new sport that they may come to love. His primary ambition is to see disc golf continue to popu larize and then utilize that growth within the program. This is why Hartmann is insistent on his “open practice” policy, where anyone and everyone is invited to come out and give the sport a try.

Hartmann’s connections within the disc golf community are giving the program a foot in the right direction. At the end of February 2023, TWU’s disc golf team will be granted a spot in the qualifying event for the National Championship in North Carolina. Hartmann hopes to see his recruits succeed with this opportunity as they gain more tournament experience.

Hartmann is excited to watch disc golf con tinue to develop campus and nationwide. The coach is open to any new disc golfers, so if you are interested in trying the sport, contact Chris Hartmann at his email: chartmann golf@gmail.com.

“[Hartmann’s] prima ry ambition is to see disc golf continue to popularize and then utilize that growth within the program.”

It’s Fat Bear Week

David Witzke

October 5, the release day of this issue, marks the beginning of a notable week in culture. It is a competition with more excitement than March Madness, with more fun than fantasy football, and more gravitas than a TWUSA election.

It is Fat Bear Week.

Fat Bear Week is an official competition and promo tional event put on by the staff of Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska that highlights efforts in conservation and the natural environment. Though ostensibly, it is actually about really fat bears. The season of hibernation is almost upon us, and the bears must get fat. It is a stark contrast to the lean ness of summer and as a fun side effect, photos of fat bears are awesome.

Over 2,200 brown bears live in Katmai and they can often be found by a wide network of trail cameras throughout the park. Photos are taken throughout the summer and compared with more recent photos of the bears bulking up for winter. The general pub lic participates in an intense voting process through a number of elimination rounds to determine which bear is the fattest compared to their summer selves. So much for hot bear summer—it is time for fat bear fall.

There is a special glee that comes from seeing bears go from skinny and scrawny to a veritable tower of fat and muscle that looks so incredibly huggable. Unfor tunately, the bears of Katmai are not huggable in real life, but the competition retains a huggable spirit.

The competition is often fierce, and the war for the fattest bear is fought on social media each year.

OtisBear—whose true name is bear #480—took home the crown from last year’s competition, edging out Walker #151 (bear #151), #812, and #132’s spring cub. I hedged my bets on my beloved #747—who was jetsized in my heart—only to have him beaten by Otis just before the final bracket. This year’s bracket and voting is available on fatbearweek.org from October

5 to October 11. Viewers can also find before and af ter photos, bear biographies, and view trail cameras of the bears on the website.

of their lives in the Pacific Ocean. Rising ocean tem peratures due to the effects of climate change cause the naturally cold-blooded salmon to search for extra food and can disastrously affect the plankton popula tion that makes up a large part of their diet.

The popularity and ferocity surrounding the Fat Bear Week competition is remarkable. There is nothing relatable about these bears beyond their cuteness. No bear hails from our hometown or shook hands with our cousin in an airport. We cannot know or gossip over these bears in the same way we might with celebrities or basketball players. Yet despite the lack of immediate connection, the National Park Service estimates that over 800,000 votes were cast in 2021. 800,000 people cared enough about bears to cast a vote, so the question remains: why should we care about this competition?

The surface level answer is that the bears are cute— probably the main reason why most people care. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Howev er, Fat Bear Week also carries a deeper meaning. It is a reminder that we are all connected.

The real focus of the competition is not so much on the bears but on the salmon they eat. Salmon are the bears’ primary food source this time of year and a keystone species in Katmai National Park. A keystone species is the lynchpin that holds an ecosystem to gether. Without the salmon, a link in the food chain would be broken, and the Katmai ecosystem would cease to exist altogether.

Bears depend on varying spawning times to help them feed throughout July, August, and September, but it goes much further than that. Salmon spawn in freshwater riverbeds and lakes, but they spend most

Yet the key to the Katmai ecological system is the watershed. Salmon require clean and cool freshwater free from toxins to spawn in freshwater. At all points in a salmon’s life cycle, they are contributing to the ecosystem around them, whether it is through the jaws of a bear or the maggots feeding on its carcass after spawning. Salmon are a key food source for ani mals in oceans, estuaries, wetlands, and highlands.

The reason why Fat Bear Week can be held is because the salmon are surviving. Rising ocean temperatures, watershed pollution, and habitat encroachment are all serious issues that threaten the salmon and, by extension, the bears. The good news is that we have the power to improve and protect these habitats.

Fat Bear Week is not just about cute bears. It is a reminder of a larger picture and yet the importance of the smallest details. The small salmon is the key to an entire ecosystem. One salmon missing from the river is of almost no consequence, but thousands of missing salmon is staggering. As we come of age into a world of clashing cultures, values, and beliefs, we must think of the small things. Every little piece that we can muster to improve our environment is worth it. Just as the salmon can bring an entire ecosystem to its knees, so can we.

We must collectively consider what we do to our eco systems. Shall we steward and improve our environ ment, or shall we let it waste away? There is always more to be done and every little bit counts. So enjoy Fat Bear Week, but remember that life is not only about fat bears.

Oh, and do not forget to vote.

However, Fat Bear Week also carries a deeper mean ing. It is a reminder that we are all connected.

In Memorium: Jean-Luc Godard

Seth Schouten

On September 13, 2022, news broke that French-Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard passed away at the age of 91. Godard was a defining voice of a generation of filmmak ers. Alongside the likes of Jacques Demy, Agnès Varda, François Truffaut, Éric Rohmer, and many other iconic directors, Godard helped shape and define the French New Wave movement, partic ularly as it developed in the 1960s. He is remem bered for his revolutionary style and bravery, as he has left an eternal mark on the craft of filmmaking.

Godard got his start in film criticism in the 1950s before eventually transitioning into making his own short films by the middle of the decade. His first feature film was Breathless (1960), a crime drama about a criminal and his American girlfriend as they try to escape the police. It was a major success and drew international attention to the new style of innovative filmmaking growing in France. While the film is most famous for its use of jump cuts, critic Roger Ebert remarks that its most revolutionary elements are its “headlong pacing, its cool detachment, its dismissal of au thority, and the way its narcissistic young heroes are obsessed with themselves and oblivious to the larger society.”

Breathless was followed by A Woman is a Wom an (1961), which is the first of Godard’s many collaborations with actress Anna Karina and the film that launched her acting career. Karina won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 11th Berlin International Film Festival for her role. Karina would star in a total of eight of Godard’s films between 1961 and 1967. Godard remained ferociously creative throughout the sixties and turned out films like Vivre sa vie (1962), Contempt (1963), Alphaville (1965), Pierrot le Fou (1965), and Masculin Féminin (1966) in short order, often making several features a year.

politically-charged features throughout the 1970s. As the 1980s dawned, Godard became more withdrawn from the mainstream of art cinema, and his creative output began to wane. The last film he ever completed was The Image Book (2018).

Stylistically, Godard was a cinematic rebel. He cared little for convention and tradition; instead, he preferred to upset the status quo. He shot films in the Parisian streets, rather than in stu dios. He shot without a completed script, instead writing the dialogue as the shoot progressed. It stood as an iconoclastic opposite to the opulence and rigour of studio-dominated Hollywood.

Campus Culture Spotlight: The Thom istic Institute

Marcus Wang, founder and presi dent of The Thomistic Institute, Trinity Western University Chapter

What is the name of your community?

The Thomistic Institute, Trinity Western Universi ty Chapter

What are the main services, events, or activities that your community facilitates?

We put on exciting public lectures and socials on Christian philosophy and theology from an ecu menical standpoint each semester for the purpose of encouraging members of our community to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus and each other. St. Thomas Aquinas, the universal doctor of the Church, is our touchstone (hence the “Thom istic” part of our name). We also have a weekly book club where we meet and talk philosophically about all things related to Jesus and each other— plus I bring Chinese snacks sometimes so that’s cool.

— Martin Scorsese

Richard Brody of The New Yorker describes God ard’s style as “firsthand cinema.” He made films that were “personal and independent . . . urgent and accessible.” His films are marked by the freedom of youth. His work spread across genres from crime drama to political thrillers to science fiction to romances to musicals. He made the familiar deeply intimate.

In response to Godard’s passing, director Martin Scorsese wrote for The Guardian, “From Breathless on, Godard redefined the very idea of what a movie was and where it could go. . . . And I must say right now, when so many people have gotten used to seeing themselves defined as passive consumers, his movies feel more necessary and alive than ever.”

“His presence made me brave,” writes filmmaker Claire Denis in the same article. “His films gave a belief not in cinema—for I was already a believer— but in how I had to find my own path, even with my extremely small gifts.”

Godard was acknowledged in his time for his innovation, drawing the attention of filmmak ers like Orson Welles, Satyajit Ray, Fritz Lang, and Akira Kurosawa. Godard is also recognized as one of the most profound influences on the filmmakers that followed him. Quentin Taranti no, John Waters, Won Kar-wai, Andrei Tarkovsky, Abbas Kiarostami, Cantal Akerman, Wes Ander son—filmmakers of every genre, language, and nation—and many others have all sung the praises of Godard.

When and Where does your Club Meet?

Fridays, 3:30 p.m., graduate seminar room, first floor of RNT.

What are some fun events that your group has put on in the past?

Several lectures by world-class Christian scholars on Biblical theology, faith and science, moral philosophy, and many field trips to restaurants and a lovely Benedictine Monastery! In fact, we are putting on a free public lecture this fall (Friday, October 7, 2022 at 7 p.m., DeVries auditorium) on Christianity as True Philosophy: The Theology of St. Justin Martyr. Come join us! There may even be cookies and coffee.

In 1-2 sentences, how would you describe the culture in your community?

We are a lot of fun! Academic discussions about big questions in our life journey of faith with Christ need not be intimidating. It can be, and in my opinion, should be, relaxing and profoundly encouraging and that is what we do.

What do you like best about your community? We seek relaxing and meaningful relationships with our members and Christ. Helping and encouraging each other is the key to living out Christ’s grace and charity.

What’s a crazy or funny thing that’s happened in your community’s history?

Want to see a bunch of people ranging from all different majors, backgrounds, and age groups arguing who’s the best poet? It is weirdly exciting. I am pretty sure someone injured their finger once from typing during a debate.

Godard remained a political figure all his life, but that passion for politics became more pro nounced in his filmmaking as the sixties came to an end. His commitment to politics even super seded his love of filmmaking. In 1968, Godard and Truffaut led the protests that led to the cancella tion of that year’s Cannes Film Festival out of a sense of solidarity with the ongoing international protest movements at the time.

He founded the film production company Dziga Vertov Group which made a string of

“Godard is a director of the very first rank,” wrote Ebert in an almost prophetic 1969 article. “Like Joyce in fiction or Beckett in theater [sic], he is a pioneer whose present work is not accept able to present audiences. But his influence on other directors is gradually creating and edu cating an audience that will, perhaps in the next generation, be able to look back at his films and see that this is where their cinema began.”

With an arsenal of innovative work and a long-lasting legacy, it seems as if Ebert was right: the films of Godard are where our cinema begins.

Where can students find more information about your community?

Email me at marcuswang15@gmail.com and go to our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Thomis ticInstituteTWU

“[R]ight now, when so many people have gotten used to seeing them selves defined as passive consumers, [Godard’s] movies feel more nec essary and alive than ever.”

OPINIONS

Keep Your Head Above Water

Sadie McDonald

One of the main causes of drowning are undertows, the opposing current of water moving beneath the surface current. All large bodies of water contain undertows—the natural return flow of water to compensate for the waves— and, therefore, undertows are present everywhere underneath shore-approaching waves. However, the fatality risk does not so much come from the actual undertow but from the lack of awareness about the danger itself.

Undertows are recognized by their presentation: an area of different coloured water, a line of foam, al gae, or trash moving in unison, and an interruption in the wave pattern. Metaphorically, an undertow is understood to mean an underlying quality which leaves an impression. Our opinions are in part a compilation of undertows. Be it politics, religion, environment, or personality, there are factors which influence our beliefs and worldviews. In some cases, undertows are obvious, such as deliberately right- or left-leaning news outlets. Sometimes, the undertow is so subtle that even the person holding the opinion might not realize it. Can we truly be unbiased?

In a world of instant gratification, information comes flying at us fast in breaking news updates or through social media, and the overload of facts, factoids, and fiction can be overwhelming. It is a struggle to find rest or a moment to think when battered by every opinion under the sun. Opening the news today results in reports on Hurricane Fiona or headlines about nuclear weapons in Russia.

In order to survive being dragged in by an under tow, the most important thing to do is to stay calm. Do not flail about. Do not struggle to swim against the current. Instead, attempt to stay afloat and keep your head above water. When it feels like the world is crashing down around you and all you can hear is the roar of the waves, do not fight back. Instead, surren der to the current and resist propelling in vain.

Of course, this is easier said than done. “Throw me a rope!” you might cry. “I need help!” But opinions are like cresting waves that come and go; they may be fleeting and shallow. Beliefs are most likely stronger, similar to powerful currents. When swept in by the undertow, please do not panic. To keep your head above water you must surrender your control and just breathe, instead of being pulled every which way by the forces around you. Drowning in the undertow is not an option when your ears are not clogged with water and your eyes are open. Changing one’s mind does not always imply a weak opinion and opening yourself to the waves is different than going with the flow. After all, the undertow itself is not what could kill you: what kills is the ignorance of its potential to harm you.

Ode to the In-Class Essay

Sadie McDonald

It is a high school student’s worst nightmare, a uni versity student’s dread, and the inevitable thorn in my English major’s side. If you have taken an in troductory-level English course then you know what I am talking about: the infamous in-class essay. Despite my years of practice, a genuine love of writing, and an English degree in progress, I still find myself not being able to sleep the night before an in-class essay, anxiously running through my thesis statement in my head— if I am lucky enough to have been given the topic beforehand.

I write this ode of lament from a place of confliction and privilege. I have always received the maximum score on a timed write in high school and have done exceedingly well on my university in-class essays. And yet, I still squirm in my seat. By the time this article is in print, I will have written a minimum of 900 words in 75 minutes on the sexual politics in William Shakespeare’s play Titus Andronicus. Well, at least I hope I will.

Now, I understand why in-class essays are necessary, for crucial reasons such as plagiarism prevention,

writing skill evaluation, and diversity in assignments. All of those are fair, and I truly do think that an inclass essay is required at some point in most writ ing-heavy university courses. But I have less than 48 hours to prepare, and I have not started. Yes, that is my fault.

“A good writer will perform consistently well. A great writer will perform consis tently well and then some. A human being will perform to the best of their abilities at that given moment with in the time allotted to them and in spite of unexpected contributing factors.”

However, the flaw of the in-class essay is also its strength; it is merely a snapshot of one’s writing abilities. A good writer will perform consistently well. A great writer will perform consistently well and then some. A human being will perform to the best of their abilities at that given moment within the time allotted to them and in spite of unexpected contributing factors. So when I sit down to write and grip my black or blue pen—which I have four backups of in case my current one dies—knuckles white and stomach full of butterflies, the only thing that mat ters in the moment is surpassing the minimum word count. That is the only time my craft takes no shame in quantity over quality.

“In order to survive being dragged in by an under tow, the most important thing to do is to stay calm. Do not flail about. Do not struggle to swim against the current. Instead, at tempt to stay afloat and keep your head above water.”

What Are You Going to Do After You Graduate?

David Witzke

It is the proverbial question that everyone I meet proposes: what are you going to do after you graduate? This was a common enough question in first year too, and at the time, I felt it was a slight ly better alternative to “What’s your major?” Yet in my fourth year, I am beginning to find this question rather grating. There is no malicious intent behind the question, and I am not particularly aghast at answering it from time to time, but it still frustrates me.

The real and uncomfortable truth is that I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do after grad uation. What I do know is that I am not alone in this feeling; I have friends who wonder what they are actually able to do with an English degree, if they actually want to go to medical school, or speculating whether or not they can afford a fifth year to delay the inevitable.

upon our university career. It becomes us versus them. In some ways, it feels a little bit like a dysto pian YA novel to me. As if I would participate in the Hunger Games using my advanced knowledge of communication theory as an MCOM major against an HKIN major while they bludgeon me with a tennis racquet.

In the years we spend at university, we seem to spend most of that time looking forward to life after our education. The last things I am thinking about while I am writing midterms and papers are my career goals. When most of us just drown in work and barely survive until the end of the semester, how are we supposed to be thinking of the future?

I look forward to graduation, not as a new phase of my life or as a chance to begin a career but as a respite from studying and the everyday busyness of university life.

When people ask what you want to do, they actually want to know what you are interested in. Yet we always frame the question around what you want to do for work. My most common career goal during the semester is to become an Icelandic sheep herd er, if only so I can say good riddance to my email inbox and dump it into a volcanic pit. In the name of social propriety, I almost always go with a boring answer: “Probably social media or something in marketing.”

I spent the first two and half years of my degree bouncing around majors, with most of that time spent as a general studies major. For the longest time, I loathed the boringly classic “name, major, hometown” icebreaker question because I was insecure about not belonging to a certain major or particular direction.

We are expected to be immutable and purposeful, to choose not just a career but a calling as soon as we can. A major becomes not just a list of courses to take, instead transforming into a tribe and brand

Media and Communications is my chosen major now, and marketing seems a suitably adequate goal. There are things I know I would enjoy in these jobs, but the main problem is that I do not especially care at this point. I am going to search for jobs and apply to ones that seem interesting, but I will also probably apply to ones that do not seem interesting. I will likely work jobs that I love and jobs that I hate. I will likely work jobs I take out of necessity and jobs I take out of curiosity. Far too often we go with

a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to work, and it drastically limits our potential.

It appears that life is a frightening reflection of university. We ask people their major or their career as if it gives us even the slightest iota of a person’s potential. Far too much time is spent focusing on what people do for work and much less on who peo ple are. We are uncomfortable moving our identities outside of what we spend the most time doing. This is not to say that icebreakers or surface-level ques tions are bad. It seems absurd to suggest that we should share our darkest secrets as a fun icebreaker, but it is time to recognize that there is nothing that gets intrinsically revealed by this question. There is no laziness or lack of character that comes from not knowing our careers. Instead, ask people what they are interested in right now, not what they are going to become.

We spend so much time defining ourselves by what classes we take, what degree we will have, and what job we want that we forget that to be human is to change. Do not be afraid to change your major, change your career, and do what makes you happy. Ultimately, that is all any of us can do.

“The real and uncomfort able truth is that I have absolutely no clue what I am going to do after grad uation.”

“We spend so much time defining ourselves by what classes we take, what degree we will have, and what job we want that we forget that to be human is to change.”

HUMOUR

If VeggieTales Spoofed Star Wars

Alex Walker

VeggieTales was known for spoofing pop cul ture, such as in The Lord of the Beans , Minneso ta Cuke , and the Larry Boy franchise. Howev er, the team at Big Idea never took on one of the most popular franchises on the planet: Star Wars This is my pitch for it if the veggie gang took on a story set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Junior Asparagus as Luke Skywalker

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Junior often played the young central character, such as the tit ular character in Pistachio and Frodo Baggy-pants in The Lord of the Beans

Grandpa George as Ben Kenobi

While not as popular as Bob and Larry, Grandpa George is a character best known for his appear ance in The Toy That Saved Christmas where he also served as a mentor for Junior.

Bob and Larry as Chewbacca and Han Solo, respectively

Bob and Larry seem like the logical choice for this iconic duo, as Larry’s boldness and flair would properly flesh out Han, and Bob’s more restrained yet forward demeanor is perfect for Chewbacca.

Jimmy and Jerry Gourd as R2-D2 and C-3PO, respectively

A more comical pair than Bob and Larry, Jimmy and Jerry properly match R2 and C3’s odd couple demeanor, as Jerry’s fearfulness clashes with Jim my’s brasher tendencies.

Petunia Rhubarb as Leia Organa

As VeggieTales really only had three regular female cast members—the other two being Madame Blueberry and Laura Carrot—Petunia seems like the logical fit due to her recurring female central

character status and her frequent pairing with Larry as a romantic interest.

Mr. Lunt as Vader Mr. Lunt’s frequent typecast as an antago nist-turned-ally makes him a perfect fit for the Star Wars “Big Bad,” and his diminished stature makes him a comical fit for the role.

Bonus Casting that Just Makes Sense: Mr. Nezzer as Palpatine, Pa Grape as Yoda, Archibald as Lando, Scooter as Boba Fett, with Khalil (the caterpillar from the Jonah movie) as Jabba the Hutt. and, of course, the French Peas as the Stormtroop ers.

The Josh Report

The Josh has realized that there are others like him—many others, in fact. Perhaps he can find a mate to sire a brood of Joshlings with. However, first on Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs is physiology, and The Josh must find food and shelter. Perhaps Douglas will suffice, as it has dorms and a cafeteria. Whoops, never mind, he accidentally set off the fire alarm

An Ode to the Fraser DILFs

A Former DILF

Never, In my wildest dreams could I have imagined the myth That was the Fraser DILFs.

The glory, the chants, the echoing mating call That range out to one and all: “DILFs, DILFs, DILFSs, DILFs!!” Looking out my window to see Not one, two, or even three But at least twenty semi-naked men, Running by again and again.

The Instagram posts, the DILF of the Month, Their hearts filled with pride and triumph At what was created.

Such an amazing bond, but one that was openly hated: Did Douglas have jealousy of the infamous group? I know Northwest was not jealous; they were never in the loop. But somehow, they died, and I feel empty, Not hearing those chants yelled around me. I write this Ode for you, the many, the few, Who secretly wished to be a part of Fraser. Those who wanted to go up to their mom and tell her: “Dude, I Love Fraser.”

Your memories will live with us Until we meet again, Hoping to see you once more Reign.

What the Heck is a Mennonite?

Bailey Froese

Boy oh boy, you may have thought to yourself as you entered TWU for the first time, this school sure is white

And you are right. Wandering the halls of this school is like swimming through a jar of sour cream. As soon as it gets in your eyes, you start wishing for a change of scenery. However, TWU is unique among predominantly white institutions in that it contains a surprisingly large popula tion of one strange subset of Caucasian culture, one that can occasionally be seen raving about Oma’s paska or bearing surnames like Dyck, Balzer, and Siemens. If that sounded like gibberish to you, let me educate you about an ethnoreligious group rarely represented in pop culture but overrepresented in the Fraser Valley of BC: Mennonites.

Mennonites are made up of a mishmash of German, Dutch, Russian, Ukrainian and other Eastern European peoples that have one thing in common: they really hated baptizing babies. They got that idea (and others) from Menno Simons, a dude who wanted to get back to Biblical basics, which apparently meant no more baby-dunking. The Mennonite movement started in Germany but met opposition to their religious tenets. The Mennonites struggled to fight back because of their staunch pacifism. So, they fled to Russia. Catherine the Great agreed that they could stay and farm the land as long as they did not try to convert everyone to Protestantism, so the Mennonites made a bit of profit off of their reputed farming skills.

“Did I hear that someone made a profit?!”

Oh dear, that is Stalin. It turns out that settling in Russia a couple of centuries before the Russian Revolution was not the best move.

The Mennonites sent their regards to the paranoid dictator who was ordering their deaths in droves and moved to western Canada, the midwestern United States, and, oddly enough, Paraguay. Some live as the “crazy Mennonites” that Weird Al Yankovic sings about in his song “Amish Paradise” (I felt so seen and heard upon listening to that song for the first time), but most live fairly normal modern lives, with the exception of the food that occa

sionally appears at family gatherings and Mennonite church functions. What is this food, you ask?

Well, there is vereniki, which is fried dough with cottage cheese in it; roll kuchen, fried dough sticks that are eaten with watermelon and syrup; and portzelky, which is fried dough with raisins in it that is eaten around New Year’s. Mennos love their fried dough. They also eat zwieback which is a dinner roll with a smaller dinner roll on top, and paska, which is a sweet bread with white frosting and sprin kles eaten during Easter.

And yes, the flavour profile of Mennonite foods is as pale as the foods themselves.

My friend once saw salt and pepper described as “spices” in a Mennonite cookbook. That is not to say that Men nonites are not hardy, though. Every Christmas we eat pfeffernusse cookies, which look like croutons and shatter your teeth upon impact. Then we wash them down with plumemoos, which I am pretty sure was invented as an evangelical tool to show the heathens what Hell tasted like. Try stirring a bunch of fruit cups together, throwing prunes in for funsies, and letting the mixture ferment for weeks in your great-grandmother’s mothballed basement. That is plumemoos. The fact that some Mennonites like it shows how dead our taste buds truly are.

I grew up in Abbotsford, which has to contain at least two-thirds of the world’s Mennonite population. I went to a Men nonite church and a Mennonite school. I spent my childhood not knowing that it was not normal to put “white sauce” on your waffles or sing the Doxology before eating dinner with your grandparents. It was not until I got to TWU that people with no exposure to the Mennonite com munity asked me questions about it. Well, here’s everything you need to know about us. If you would like to know more, stop by the Mennonite Heritage Museum or check out the annual MCC sale, both in Abbotsford. Maybe you will feel inclined to purchase a “Make Borscht Not Bombs” or “Menno Simons Is My Homeboy!” t-shirt.

And if you are Mennonite and reading this, my Nana’s paska is better than yours.

Seth’s Vacation Corner: Reviewing Bodies of Water Seth Schouten

In my observations, I find that people gravitate towards water for vacations. Beaches, oceans, seas, pools, and lakes are often popular destinations for those looking to get away from it all. Using empirical evidence (AKA personal experience and making things up), I have developed a system by which I can tell you with absolute certainty which bodies of water are worth a visit on your vacation.

THE PACIFIC OCEAN

Let us start off close to home. The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest body of water with a surface area of roughly 165 mil lion km². It borders 41 different countries and serves as home to some 228,450 species of marine life, including Godzilla from Godzilla (1954) and the Kaiju from Pacific Rim (2013). While the Pacific is home to some beautiful destinations like New Zealand, Tahiti, and, of course, British Columbia, being near the Pacific does put you at a higher risk of monster-relat ed disasters. 8/10.

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

With a surface area of 106.5 million km², the Atlantic Ocean is the world’s second-largest body of water and derives its name from Atlantic Canada. There are some stunning locals in and around the Atlantic’s waters as well. Many European nations like Portugal, France, and Ireland feature some stunning coastlines. Atlantic weather can range from the white sands of Brazil to the glaciers of Iceland. Canada’s own Atlantic offer ings are truly magical. However, Europe did a lot of coloniza tion via the Atlantic which is not so cool. If you can excuse the colonialism, the Atlantic is not bad. 6/10.

THE ARCTIC OCEAN

Imagine only being 14.06 million km² and still calling yourself an “ocean.” Take the L. Do try to avoid the Arctic “Ocean” if you can. Very cold with too much ice. I think we should make an effort to start melting some of the polar ice caps. 2/10 but only for cool animals that inhabit the Arctic.

THE TIGRIS-EUPHRATES RIVER SYSTEM

We get it! You were the birthplace of human civilization. You do not have to brag about it so much. 10/10 for historical importance, 1/10 for attitude.

THE FRASER RIVER

Ugly and polluted. Do not recommend it as a destination. 1/10.

DEER LAKE, BURNABY

While the boat launch and local population may convince the visitor that Deer Lake is a pleasant place to take a swim, do not be fooled. After taking a quick dip, I came down with a case of E. coli. The duck, however, was tasty. 5/10.

THE JORDAN RIVER

Who looks at a River and decides to name it “Jordan.” Strange name. 4/10.

THE RED SEA

Not red. 0/10.

THE NILE RIVER

The Nile is genuinely the most confounding of rivers. It flows from south to north carrying water from inland Africa into the Mediterranean sea. This is, obviously, wrong. On all maps, the north is on top. Due to gravity, things go from top to bot tom. Therefore, the Nile should flow from North to South. Get with the program, please. However, I must give it credit for being a set piece in one of the greatest pieces of Biblical media ever made, The Prince of Egypt (1998). 7/10.

THE SUEZ CANAL

I would not recommend this to anyone piloting a commercial tanker for the first time. The first time I drove through here I got stuck and upended the global system of trade. 2/10.