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a publication of the Pacific Union College Student Association
vol. XC
no. 11
THURSDAY 15 MAY 2014
One Church
REVOfest: 2014
Introverts
By C. Uechi & S. Martinez NEWS & FEATURES pg. 2
By Amanda Navarrete REVO pg. 4
By W. Chen & A. Moss OP-ED pg. 7
Pornography: The Real Story The story of those who deal with pornography. By Taylor Pittenger *Some names have been changed to respect individual’s privacy. Why hide it? Pornography is an issue that people all over the world experience every day. According to a news source, some of the most visited sites in a few Islamic countries were pornographic sites. In America, over 40 million people watch pornography on the internet daily. Many Christian denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists, believe pornography is sinful. The official statement on pornography is: “[It is] destructive, demeaning, desensitizing, and exploitative.” Not only do religious establishments disagree with pornography, but secular sources also find it to have destructive nature. An article from the New York Times said, “In heterosexual couples, men who habitually use pornography sometimes withdraw from intimacy with female partners, and sometimes make demands on female partners for sexual acts that are uncomfortable, painful, or degrading to the women.” This issue is typically targeted towards men, however statistics show that one in three people that watch pornography are women. This topic will be addressed later in this article. Fred Brown*, an individual who has watched pornography, said, “I feel like this is one of those topics that never gets talked about. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the church or not, people just don’t want to talk about it.” Brown also expressed that now more than ever people have access to pornography. He said, “With [the Internet] it’s easy to get it when you want it. It’s not like it was a few decades ago, when you had to go down to the store to get a magazine. Now people can watch it in the comfort of their own home.” With the Internet, pornography has become accessible to anyone, including youth. Many individuals who have expressed their beginnings with pornography state they started at a young age. Another individual Charles Jones* talks about his journey with pornography and said, “Back in the 90’s, I feel like computers had more pop-ups. When I was a kid I feel like it was easy to see.” Jones recalls seeking out pornography in middle school. “I may have looked up ‘naked women,’” Jones joked, “it started off pretty mild. But it just escalated from there.” Brown explains that in his experience it became more of a routine: “In high school, I would come home every day, and end up watching porn. After a while I became so numb to the fact that I was doing this. It was almost like I was after a rush, after a stressful day at school. But the rush never lasted.” Michael Jefferson a counselor at the PUC Career and Counseling Center said, “Pornography is used quite a bit as a way of self-medicating for feeling depressed or not feeling good about one’s self esteem. An individual typically uses porn to stimulate for masturbation so that they experience orgasm, which is the release of dopamine. That becomes a loop that makes them feel better for a short period of time.” After the “rush,” individuals report feeling more depressed than before. “I remember thinking I was not going to receive salvation every single time I finished watching my porn,” Brown said. “The emptiness just ate me alive.” Jones also described the aftermath of watching pornography: “I hated watching porn. I hated having watched porn. I’d do stuff like that, and then I’d feel bad about it. Like God disapproves of it, and I was really afraid that God would oust me.” Jones continued to say, “I’d go on mission trips sometimes, and then I’d have a huge spiritual high, and I wouldn’t watch porn. I think the highest I got was about six months. But then I would watch it again and splurge. I’d feel really bad, and slowly recede off the spiritual high. It just became a cycle.”
“I really want to feel LOVED and not judged about this.”
When asked the question why watch pornography for such little reward, Brown answered, “It’s because it’s the only way for me to feel better. I know it’s my choice and I can choose not to do this, but it just always comes back into my life.” As stated earlier in the article, this is often viewed as a problem that males endure, however females are also involved in this problem. Jill Anderson* describes her encounter with porn similar to her male friend’s experiences: “I started watching porn when I was about twelve. I was just curious about it because I heard about it from my guy friend. In time it was just something I did.” Anderson gave a female perspective on pornography: “Growing up I never had trouble with my self-esteem with girls on magazines or girls at school. I thought I wasn’t beautiful because I felt like I couldn’t be like the women in porn. I felt like I couldn’t be as sexy as them, or put out as quickly as those women did.” Although pornography is considered a private matter, it has the capability to ruin relationships. Statistics show that one of the number one reasons for divorce has to do with pornography. Jefferson said a scenario that typically happens is, “a boyfriend or a girlfriend will say ‘this has to stop if we want to continue this relationship.’” He went on to say that “if they’re dating and one partner finds that the other partner is using pornography, it can be very damaging to that relationship, the intimacy and to the trust.” “It robs a person for a need for a relationship potentially.” He gives a typical male who watches pornography scenario: “Let’s say I have porn, I don’t have to find a girlfriend. I don’t have to behave with that girlfriend in an appropriate way to make sure we work up to a level of intimacy. I want intimacy immediately. It distorts kind of the timeline of how a relationship ideally develops. You should start out by holding hands, not by going to bed the first night, ideally.” Anderson expresses her experience with pornography and how it affected her real life relationships. “While I was dating an ex-boyfriend of mine, pornography really became the reason why we broke up, in my opinion. There were times I wouldn’t want to have simple intimacy with him like kissing on the cheek or holding hands. All I wanted was that instant ‘feel good’ feeling.” Anderson continued, “Pornography also distorted my view of love. To me, getting physical with my boyfriend was the only way we could express love because I rewired my brain to believe that love and desire comes from being sought after. In my head, why should I hold hands if I can just be loved quicker by getting physical. I think if I took things a lot slower my relationship wouldn’t have fallen apart. However in the long run, I can’t blame porn I have to blame myself.” Pornography can not only be damaging in personal relationships but also one’s relationship with God and the church. Brown said, “I feel like this isn’t talked about in the church. Things like drugs or alcohol I feel like are addressed more. I know for me — I’m sure other people feel the same — but I turn to the internet for answers instead of talking about it with people. I wish sex education had a little more on this topic only because I think it would have made me think twice about it.” Anderson added to the topic about her spirituality and church, “I love our church, and I love what it offers us spiritually, but I always felt like I didn’t have a safe place to talk about my problems without being judged. For this topic I feel like it’s a lot harder for women to talk about this in the church setting or anywhere for that matter. I really want to feel loved and not judged about this. However after all of that, I know that my God still wants me and finds me (Continued on next page)
“Pornography is used quite a bit as a way of self-medicating for feeling depressed or not feeling good about one’s self esteem.”
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NEWS & FEATURES (Continued from last page) valuable.” For Brown’s spiritual life, he said, “I had a long struggle on whether or not God cares for me because of this. But then I remind myself, Psalm 103:8, ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.’ This shows me that God still wants to love me, the guy who watches porn.” Brown, Jones and Anderson are all working towards their own personal goals of letting go of pornography. Jones said “It’s really hard to just say you’re going to stop and never do it again. Instead it’s a lot better to do it one day at a time. Work on not doing it that day. We are all human and we make mistakes, so saying I’ll never do it ever again and just quit cold turkey puts on a lot more pressure.” PUC has been working on a few programs to help those who feel like pornography has taken over their life. These anonymous accountability groups are available in the campus ministries office. The counseling center is another place to get confidential help. Jefferson advises to manage your free time especially if you’re feeling upset or lonely: “Get out of
your room, go somewhere that’s public. Don’t put yourself in a position if you want to conquer this. It’s hard to at first because if you’re in a habit you’ve got to break that habit.” Jefferson also advises to do things like exercise or socialize to help break the habit and keep active. The counseling center is willing to help individuals get connected with counselors and other resources to help them along the journey. Anderson still finds it hard to open up as a female. “I’ve gone to counseling, and it really helped. I just wish I had a support group with other girls who were going through the same thing. Maybe someday we can make that happen.” Pastor Laffit and others in leadership are also more than willing to help out those who feel that they need guidance. Brown said, “The first step to getting better is telling someone about it, and starting a conversation. There is nothing to be ashamed of. We are all humans, and we just have different problems. But don’t let that get in the way of getting better. Also never feel like you’re alone. There are plenty of people who struggle with pornography.”
Student Missionaries: Insight into the Field Compiled by Amanda Navarrete. By Colleen Uechi
By Sammy Martinez
For the past four months, I’ve been serving as a student missionary in the mysteriously-difficult-to-pronounce country of Kazakhstan. I envisioned being a missionary as something fairly simple and pretty fun. However at first, it was very lonely. I was the only American missionary here, and I suddenly missed my parents more than ever. But what I’ve learned is that you can get used to just about anything, and I’ve actually come to really embrace my time here in Kazakhstan. My job here is as a teacher at the American English Language Center (though we use British textbooks; shhh, don’t tell anyone), and I have about 10 students in mostly individual classes that I’ve come to know and love. There’s the adorable and sometimes bratty 3-year-old who can count to 120 in English. The preintermediate adult student who has a great memory and is a dead ringer for Katy Perry. The upper-intermediate college student with wicked artistic talent. I’ve had to work harder to get better at something I’m not really good at: teaching. I thought that because I was good at English I would be able to teach it pretty easily. Nope. There were rules I had forgotten about and concepts I understood but struggled to teach (How do you define “hurt” to someone who also doesn’t know the words “sore,” “pain” and every other word related to the original?). Also, I was struggling to come up with materials that were both effective and interesting. In our spare time, my roommate Katya (she’s also a teacher) and I have gone hiking with the Pathfinders through the gorgeous, snow-covered mountains. We went snowboarding for the first time. We traveled to Katya’s hometown of Taraz, as well as to neighboring cities in Kyrgyzstan. As I write this we are about to go on a four-day rafting/camping trip with the church. I’ve actually had a lot of fun, and it leaves me somewhat conflicted. A term that’s becoming more well-known these days is that of “voluntourist,” someone who goes abroad as part volunteer and part tourist. I feel like that applies to me. In my time here, I’ve met other missionaries. I see passionate and dedicated people who were called by God and truly wanted to bring people to His kingdom, and I wish I had come with the same mindset. I didn’t lie to the World Missions program. I did have good, spiritually motivated reasons to go. But there were also a lot of selfish ones. And now that I think about them, I don’t know if God was truly calling me to serve or if it was me calling myself. But even if you’re not sure what God’s plan is for you, and even if you question where you are in life and what motives brought you there, God can still give you talents and experience that will bless both you and others around you.
Never in my life did I think I was going to receive the chance of a lifetime to study in Spain, travel around Europe and immerse myself into a completely different culture than I am used to. You see, coming from a Mexican household that hardly travels because it’s too expensive and the farthest they’re willing to go is Mexicali because going to the dentist is cheaper there, I never considered traveling to these foreign and distant lands much of an option for me. However, thanks to the ACA program and the doors that God opened up for me, my year abroad was one full of unexpected experiences and personal reflection that will forever be one of the highlights of my early adult life. When I first thought about coming to Spain, I never expected to visit as many countries as I have. When I return to the States I will have had been to seven different countries, all with their own cultures and customs that I had to learn to adapt to and immerse myself into in order to not be seen as a typical tourist with a camera and fanny pack. Of course the dark brown skin and American accent combo was a dead give-away and made it even harder to blend in. However, in order to fully experience this opportunity, I needed to be willing to get out of my comfort zone, have an open mind and just roll with the punches. Thanks to this form of thinking, I have run with the bulls in Spain (rather, ran away from them), seen more beautiful cathedrals castles than I can count, seen Paris from the top of Notre Dome, experienced a spiritual journey while hiking a portion of El Camino de Santiago de Compostela (pretty legit, Google it) and topped my New Years off with a celebration right by the Colosseum with an awesome firework show included. Although many people say this, truth is, you really do learn a lot about yourself when traveling abroad. Being my first trip alone, I had to learn quickly how to completely depend on my own skills and abilities in order to “survive.” I learned what my strengths and weakness are, how to adapt to my surroundings and the importance of a support system like friends and family, but most importantly I learned the significance behind a relationship with Christ. A full year abroad leaves time for many quite moments for self reflection and growth, which explains why so many people use it to “find themselves.” In my personal experience, I realized just how much God had been present in my life, even in those moments of silence and unsure steps. So please, if you ever get the chance to go abroad, just do it. The experiences you have will be unforgettable and totally worth it. Just don’t forget to take God along for the ride. He’ll make the journey that much more enjoyable.
One Church Church leaders choose to join the Majestic and the Gathering. By Carlo Pean Possible end to the Gathering Church services. On April 26, Pastor Laffit mentioned in Colligate Sabbath School that the Gathering will not take place next year. Church leaders at PUC’s church have discussed the possibility of merging the Gathering and the Majestic services in order to have a One Church service every Sabbath. The effort to combine the church services has been headed by Pastor Mark Witas. Witas commented saying, “My vision is… in the best of all
possible worlds people can worship together in a multicultural, multigenerational service that has each person attending more interested in what the person who is sitting next to them needs for a great worship experience before they think of themselves in those terms.” Some church members are unhappy with the potential change. Sarah Hall, junior biomathematics major, said, “I don’t like it. I come from a pretty small, pretty conservative church and it’s easier for me to focus on God during musical worship and the service if there’s not a bunch of distractions and loud noises. The atmosphere at vespers, (Continued on next page)
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NEWS & FEATURES I appreciate during vespers, but that’s not the kind of environment that I want for a Sabbath morning. I really like the hymns, they feel more church like.” Andrew Leslie, junior psychology major says, “I feel that [the Majestic service] is more mature.” The discontent is not just limited to admirers of the Majestic service. Ariana Casiano, a student in the pre-physical therapy program and worship leader at the Gathering said, “No. I believe that every church service serves its purpose and I believe that the Gathering is targeted towards the college students and we feel more at home there. We can worship more freely in that specific setting.” Nic Miller, sophomore marketing communication major says, “I’m personally not a big fan of One Church. I’ve lived here long enough to have a pretty good understanding of the different dynamics between the community and the college students, and I don’t think that it’s bad to have two different services because there are two different needs to be met and cramming them together into one church, I don’t think One Church meets those contrasting needs.” Other students show interest in the idea. Meena Kim, senior biology major, says, “I like it. It just feel more like a family to me instead of just college students.” Theology major Gabe Rojas says that he thinks that it’s a great idea. “I’m all for it, just as long as there is student involvement in leadership roles.” However, Religious Vice-President Adam Washington has commented that so far, there has been no student involvement in management of One Church services during this school year. Laura Helms, sophomore English and education major said, “I’m indifferent.
I wouldn’t want it to be that way every week, but every once in a while it’s nice to bridge the gap between the more conservative and the more progressive church groups. I think that doing this intermittently can be beneficial because it helps us get past our differences and preferences and it helps us worship all together as one group.” This would be another in a long history of attempts for the PUC church to have a single church service as opposed to separate church services. Doug Wilson, mentioned that while he went to school at PUC, there was a church meeting in Dauphinee Chapel that was something like the Gathering. “If you went there early, you basically stood or you sat on the floor. It was that full. It was student run and it was student led.” When asked why the church service ended, Wilson said, “From what I understand, the church was losing membership. Church members were coming up to our church, cause it was so good. So PUC church said, come back down and you can do exactly what you’re doing up there because we want you guys back in the sanctuary. So we came back and what they slowly started doing was saying, oh this week could you not do drums. And then next week, oh could you guys maybe not do guitars, you know. So it turned into the accommodation thing, and then the students who were going to the main church actually stopped going to the main church.” Pastor Witas wanted students to know that they were welcome to voice their opinions to him to join this discussion. “I am not sure where this will or should go. I’m still agonizing in prayer over it.”
Fountain of Youth - Rodent Edition Scientific study reports reversed aging process in mice. By Jayson Paw Eternal youth has long eluded humanity, but science seems to be getting closer to this dream. Researchers from Harvard and Stanford universities published three studies revealing substances in the blood of young mice that rejuvenated the muscles and brain of the older ones. “It’s really exciting,” said Amy Wagers of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. “It says there’s a coordination of signals through the blood system that’s affecting aging in many different organs.” The first two studies focused on a protein called GDF11, which is identical in mice and humans when matured. “By boosting the levels of GDF11, we could, in mice, see a restoration of the ability of muscle to repair itself after injury,” she said. The age of the young mice were equivalent to humans in their 20s while the older mice were similar in physical health
to humans in their 60s. During the experiment, researchers repeatedly injected the older mice with the blood from either the younger mice to study the effects it would have on the subject’s body or fellow older mice as a control for the experiment. Interestingly, the mice who got injected with the young blood did better on learning and memory tests, such as finding a submerged platform in a maze, than the mice given the older blood. Other improvements to the older mice from the young mice blood include more blood vessels and increased blood flow to the brain. In contrast to the first two studies, the third study focused on the plasma, which is the part of the blood without cells. As with the previous two studies, the researchers utilized old and young mice, but what these people were looking for was changes in the hippocampus, a brain structure that plays an important role in memory, within the old mice. The study showed that the younger mice blood positively affected the hippocampi of the older mice. The
positive correlation was further shown in the various memory tests when the old mice with young plasma found objects faster and reacted quicker than old mice with old plasma. “It was as if these old brains were recharged by young blood,” said Tony Wyss-Coray, neurology professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. These three studies have potential to be utilized in people in regards to age-related issues, such as Alzheimer’s. For GDF11, more research has to be done about the overall protein, such as why it declines with age, but it still remains to be seen how humans would react in similar studies. Wyss-Coray also co-founded a company to see whether young blood plasma can be utilized in human therapies. “Under controlled conditions in a clinical trial setting, I think this is definitely warranted,” said Saul Villeda, lead author of the plasma study. “It’s definitely worth pursuing in humans. I just think it should be in an appropriate context.”
Lethal injection failure reignites debates on death sentence By Tara Hattendorf Two Oklahoman death row prisoners were to be executed April 29, but after the first execution by lethal injection caused 43 minutes of pain for the prisoner before he finally died of a heart attack, the second was postponed and debates reignited about lethal injections and the humaneness of the death sentence in general. The pain inflicted on the prisoner, Clayton Lockett, could constitute cruel and unusual punishment, which is prohibited in the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. Lockett had been convicted of multiple offenses, including rape and murder, and the lethal injection was supposed to be routine and painless. The two executions had already been postponed before the new April 29 execution date, owing to controversy regarding Oklahoma’s lack of transparency about their drugs. Oklahoma has refused to disclose full information about whom drugs were purchased from and the effectiveness of them. For Lockett’s execution, the Oklahoma prison used a new mixture of drugs due to a shortage of previously used drugs. Aiding to the failure of the lethal injection could be the way in which it was administered — specialists could not inject the drugs into the veins in Lockett’s arms or legs, so they were injected through veins in the groin. Reports of the execution say the veins subsequently collapsed. The United States is one of few nations in the world to still use the death
penalty, according to Amnesty International statistics. Following Lockett’s botched execution President Obama ordered the Justice Department to review the practice of capital punishment throughout the country. Capital punishment on the federal level has been stalled since 2011 as the Justice Department reviews the practices. It has been on hold in California since 2006 while prisoners have continued to fill up “death row.” Many in the United States, including President Obama, support the death penalty despite its problems but still call for a reform to the death penalty. Besides the inhumanity of many executions, opponents of the death penalty argue that the death penalty is not applied evenly in all cases, particularly along racial lines. Additionally, capital punishment can deter justice if new information surfaces in cases that would prove certain death-row inmates innocent. Since 1977, seven Californians have been freed from death row after proving their innocence. The alternative to capital punishment is a life sentence without possibility of parole, which can cause prison over-crowding. State prisons housing many deathrow prisoners is a drain on state resources and tax revenues, so many advocate for the death penalty for financial reasons. California voters shot down a 2012 proposition to repeal the death penalty — many opponents of the proposition cited the high cost of keeping the prisoners rather than executing them. The debate on life in prison or capital punishment will continue on, but across the country people are demanding reforms for the practice of the death penalty.
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REVO
REVO 2014: Project Worku Students selflessly serve to provide a future to children in Ethiopia. By Amanda Navarrete, Photos by Allison Regan PUC students came together on Sunday, May 4, to support REVO’s cause, Project Worku, which helped generate awareness and fundraise for Adu Worku’s Worku Jenber School. The school is located in the same Ethiopian village he grew up in. REVO collaborated with Syntax Sounds, which provided music all throughout Spring Fest and later on during the fashion show, which was the last event of the evening. The day started with the Stuff Sale and Spring Fest at 2 p.m. From pupusas to Jamba Juice smoothies, Spring Fest provided a variety of food options guaranteed to satisfy any food craving, located in the Campus Mall. Each club donated a part of their proceeds to Project Worku. Right next to Spring Fest was the Stuff Sale, which turned the lawn into a thrift shop that let students look for good deals on clothes and accessories, all while supporting the cause. It also sold t-shirts and tank tops, designed by Daniel Lopez, a graphic design student. Araya Moss, who was a part of the Stuff Sale, called it a success. “There was nothing over $10, except for a bike that was sold for $26,” said Moss. “I think people donated more quality items this year. There wasn’t as much variety as last year, but I don’t think anyone minded.” Sianna Stewart, a graphic design student, donated skateboards that she designed herself. Without including credit cards and funny money, the Stuff Sale and REVO shirts raised $1,145. All of the remaining items will be donated to Goodwill. Later in the evening, students enjoyed a concert on the front lawn, which
included PUC’s very own talented musicians. Joseph Huerta opened with his set, followed by accompaniment with George Tuyu. Luke Thornburgh, Danielle Nelson, Alyssa Samia and Aaron Monroe also performed. JC Carreon, whose band closed the concert, said, “I wanted to help out with REVO because I like to be involved with school activities. Project Worku was a fantastic cause to help out. It’s great that our school can come together to help out a community thousands of miles away.” The concert ended with all the musicians performing the classic song “September” by Earth Wind and Fire, causing students to get up from their blankets on the lawn, singing and dancing along to the finale. REVO ended with its annual Fashion Show, which included five different student-designed lines, ranging from Disney villains to Pokémon. Each collection uniquely tied into Project Worku, correlating creativity with a desire to help further education in Ethiopia. Right before it started, the man behind the cause, Adu Worku, spoke briefly before the models walked the runway. After an unfortunate accident that left him blind, Worku was blessed with the opportunity to enroll in school. He explained, “At fifteen and a half, I was a proud fifth grader.” Decades later, after working with two other organizations, the Worku Jebner School was founded, and currently has 500 students enrolled. Jaryn Hart, who designed alongside Meena Kim and Manny Peralta, and whose line won People’s Choice, said, “It was such an honor to be able to be a part of raising money for such a good cause. Since we are so blessed to have the educational opportunities here at PUC, it is important for us to pay it forward to those who don’t have the same opportunities we do.” Ultimately, it was Melissa Khoury and Krista Bathan’s Lion King line that won over the judges.
Jade Tuleu: Pixar series (Peoples Choice)
Rachel Cacho: Lion King series (Judges’ Choice)
Revo T-shirts designed by Daniel Lopez
Students at the Revo concert
Students enjoying music from fellow students
Syntax (Lloyd Pressley) killing it before Revo fashion show
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SPORTS/OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
Women’s Volleyball Reloads By Austin Ngaruiya The women’s volleyball team is coming off their best season in school history. They’re building off that success by hauling in quite an impressive recruiting class. Coach Brittany Brown has announced the sigining of three recruits: Amanda Loeffler, Laura Purdom, and Lolani Shelter. The Pioneers have three stellar recruits coming in next year. This freshmen firepower will go a long ways towards helping the Pioneers win a conference title.
Laura Purdom comes to PUC from the Inland Empire. She attended Valley View High School in Moreno Valley, Califorinia. Purdom excelled in high school as an athlete in both basketball and volleyball. Coach Brown hopes to use her exceptional athleticism to us her at different positions.
Amanda Loeffler is a Hawaii native from Hilo High School in Hilo, Hawaii. Leoffler played outside hitter in high school and with her 5’10 frame she should provide depth at that position. During her high school career, Leoffler led her team to four consecutive state championships. Hopefully she can continue her winning ways with the Pioneers.
Lolani Shelter is a graduate of Escondido Adventist Academy. At Escondido, Shelter led her team to three consecutive Citrus League Championships and gained First Team All-League honors three times. Setting is Shelter’s greatest skill, which will be an area of need for the Pioneers next year.
Spoiler Alert: Peter Parker is Spider-Man Oh wait, did you already know that? By Katie Berridge The Spider-Man film series controversy continues as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, directed by Marc Webb, comes out in theaters. Most would say that the recent Spider-Man series is better than the original, but there are still some faithful lovers of the older Tobey Maguire trilogy. I was one of these “Maguireites,” as Andrew Garfield did not impress me in the least, with its horrible graphics, boring villain and ridiculous casting issues. This is why I had extremely low expectations for the new addition to the series. When I first saw that Webb was directing a second film last year, I immediately looked up the cast in order to find out who the new additions were. To my dismay, Poster taken from flickr. I saw that Jamie Foxx had been cast as the villain, Electro. Right then and there I decided the movie was going to be absolutely horrible and that it would not be worth my time. However, when the film came out, I decided to see it anyway, because who doesn’t want to see a good superhero movie when so few have come out recently? To my complete surprise, the first scene, which was musically accompanied by the great Hans Zimmer, set a completely different tone than I thought the film would have. It could not have opened more perfectly, and the quality of the graphics with Spidey swinging through the city were actually quite decent. When I first watched the trailer and saw a blue Jamie Foxx glowing with electricity, I wanted to cry. I thought that there was no way to not make this cheesy and awful. However, Foxx’s performance shocked me. As I watched the
film with judgmental eyes, I decided that they had actually done an impeccable job at concealing Jamie Foxx and bringing forth a frightening and captivating villain. Foxx actually performed decently. Prior to becoming a villain, his character was a downtrodden and lonely man, which is apparently all Foxx can play (The Soloist, Ray, Django Unchained, etc.). Then, after he turned into Electro, his awkward acting was hidden behind the special effects and eerie voice distortion, making for a more alluring villain. SPOILER ALERT: Do not continue to read if you have not seen the movie. Something that makes films so great is their ability to be dramatic, while having playful comic relief. I have been told too many times that I am a horrible person because my favorite thing about fiction is that you can go on killing sprees, wiping out characters for no reason at all and toy with people’s emotions. The writers of this film fulfilled my hopes in terms of unexpected deaths when they killed off Gwen Stacy. Gwen’s death came as a surprise to most of the audience; however, it was still predictable (especially for those honorable few who have actually read the comics). Peter’s hallucinations of Gwen’s father telling him to keep her safe and out of his problems were used as foreshadowing for her death. I noticed this and within the first 10 minutes already knew that she would be dead by the end. Regardless of the predictability, Gwen’s death is what made the movie impactful. I also love how the creators of this series are starting to make them more like the comics. In the final scene, Harry Osborn, who had turned into the Green Goblin, was in prison and talked about sending some of his men out to discourage and/or kill Spidey. The first villain he sent for this was Rhino. With Rhino being a smaller, lesser-known villain and Harry’s promise to send more villains at Spidey, I think it is safe to assume that we are going to see more than one villain the next time around. This would make the films much more like the comics, where Spidey encounters many different villains all the time instead of being a stereotypical superhero movie that focuses on one or two villains the entire movie. Is it possible that we could see Beetle, Carnage, or Doc Oc in the next film? Now that Gwen Stacy is dead, is it possible that we could see Mary Jane? Hopefully Shailene Woodley’s deleted scenes as Mary Jane will stay deleted and they will hire a better actress for the role.
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OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
What It’s Like to Be an Introvert From a student leader’s perspective. By Webbo Chen Hi, my name is Webbo Chen, and I am an introvert. Dictionary.com defines “introvert” as “a shy person.” I see this definition as a frog sees the sky from the bottom of a well (a Chinese proverb). Introversion means more than just shyness. Introversion doesn’t even mean shyness in some cases. As Aladdin sang, “I can show you the world” of introversion. Ready? Let’s start this conversation by getting on the same page with what “introvert” really means. The Myers & Briggs Foundation, known for its personality test that includes an extroversion-introversion spectrum, defines “introvert” as follows: “Introversion I like getting my energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world. I often prefer doing things alone or with one or two people I feel comfortable with. I take time to reflect so that I have a clear idea of what I’ll be doing when I decide to act. Ideas are almost solid things for me. Sometimes I like the idea of something better than the real thing. The following statements generally apply to me: -I am seen as “reflective” or “reserved.” -I feel comfortable being alone and like things I can do on my own. -I prefer to know just a few people well. -I sometimes spend too much time reflecting and don’t move into action quickly enough. -I sometimes forget to check with the outside world to see if my ideas really fit -Pumping iron in the sanctuary of my headphones while bumping electronic dance music. the experience.” -Even letting my childhood imagination run wild with epic battles of heroes, Growing up, I usually had one best friend at any given time. I would tell my dragons, unicorns, and “giant death robots” (see Sid Meier’s Civilization V for mom my Burger King orders so that she could tell the cashier for me. I hated the last reference). answering phones, and I still somewhat do. In elementary school, I would Communication professor Tammy McGuire, Ph.D., explains one of the easiest establish my crush on a girl for each grade, but I would be too shy to establish the friendship necessary to build on that crush. God forbid the thought of an ways to establish leadership in a small group setting: 1. Talk early. actual romantic relationship. 2. Talk often. When I would finally muster up the courage to peek out of my shell, what This means one thing and one thing only: spray and pray with what you followed were awkward disasters. I would pick up the phone. Then, I would run to my parents to have them answer it in time. I proposed to a girl in first say. Your words need not be words of wisdom. If you can survive the first five grade. I got denied. I asked out a middle school crush a year after she knew minutes of uncomfortable verbal vomit, you’re good to go as leader of your group. Introverts, note that extroverts will find this more natural than you, so about it. I got denied again. Sure, I failed. Sure, I would have loved to graciously accept defeat. However, it may require some extra effort on your part as an introvert. That being said, please keep your perception of my thoughts from devolving whether I liked it or not, those failures shaped me. Let’s establish an introvert mantra right here, right now. I will unabashedly to us versus them between extroverts and introverts. Indeed, the probability borrow from Wreck-It-Ralph: “I am [introverted], and that’s good. I will never of a person being 100 percent extroverted or introverted is rare. Remember that Myers and Briggs define extroversion and introversion as a spectrum — be [extroverted], and that’s not bad. There is no one I’d rather be than me.” Embrace your strengths. I first became a “leader” by playing to the introvert’s everybody having a fraction of each within them. For example, I am an introvert strength of having deep one-on-one conversations with people — sort of like that needs alone time to recharge, yet I love speaking in front of an audience. a psychiatrist but without the comfy chair. I realized I would lose energy in The latter trait fooled my professor into thinking I am an extrovert. It even meet and greet situations. Therefore, I avoided them or made them manageable. fooled my own mother who never knew that I was shy. I’ll end with this call: find yourself. Be you extroverted, introverted or somewhere Alumni Weekend exemplified this. The process of introducing myself and engaging in small talk is the bane of my existence, no matter how “cute” old in between, live to love yourself and love to live. Success as a student leader, or people are. Give me a task. Make me shake hands to welcome people, or hand as anything else for that matter, comes down to self-confidence. Find whatever will help you from the bottom of the well to see your world in all its glory. out trays, and I will perfect that task to an art form. Challenge your weaknesses. Look out for opportunities to challenge your comfort zone of introversion. If public speaking terrorizes you, start out small with an Intro to Public Speaking class. I attribute my transition from an aspiring aerospace engineer pursuing the Asian dream to a current communication major and enthusiast pursuing my lifelong passion to my Intro to Public Speaking class at UC Davis. You have freedom to experiment in a controlled environment. You have freedom to rehearse over and over and over again until you drop knowledge of your rhetoric like clockwork. You have the freedom to set yourself up for success. For the rest of the variables, fake it until you make it. Fake it long enough, and your fiction will become fact. However, a keynote: as an introvert, especially in a student leader setting, always remember to recharge. Find that thing that helps you live life rather than letting life live you. For me, it ranges from any of the following: -Having a face-to-face conversation with my girlfriend. -Gaming it up hard with Dark Souls 2, League of Legends or Skyrim.
“I am [introverted], and that’s good. I will never be [extroverted], and that’s not bad. There is no one I’d rather be than me.”
vol. XC
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THURSDAY, 15 MAY 2014
OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
What It’s Like to Be an Introverted Communication Major “I’m not mad, this is just my resting face.”
By Araya Moss When most people think about communication professionals, they think of great conversationalists, eloquent speakers and those who can walk into a room and command attention simply by their presence. Furthermore, public relations specialists are thought to be friendly and energetic with an innate ability make friends anywhere they go. In other words, they are extroverted. I grew up believing I was reserved. For the longest time I lived and breathed by that definition, so much so that I used my shyness as a crutch. I was quiet and didn’t talk much. Because of this, I’ve been described as soft spoken, a good listener, easy going and my all time favorite, apathetic. So it may surprise you that I arrived at PUC as a communication major with an emphasis in public relations, and I am still a communication major with an emphasis in public relations. Introversion and communication sound like polar opposites, so what in the world am I — one who barely talks — doing studying communication? I’ll tell you right now, it was not in hopes that I’d do a 180 and become this outgoing,
talkative, energetic and lively person. Truthfully, I chose this major because I’ve always liked writing. However, at that time I had no idea what communication meant as a field of study. The communication major stereotype that I previously described was introduced to me during my first day at PUC. I remember as part of freshman orientation, we had to break off into groups according to our major. We met in Irwin 323, a room we comm majors came to know as the designated classroom for major comm classes. While we went around the room introducing ourselves, it became clear how different I was. They quickly dove into conversation, bouncing off one another, while I sat there quietly, watching. After that first meeting, I questioned my choice to study communication. How could I be a communication major if I don’t even communicate? It’s been said that introverts get their energy from being alone, while extroverts get their energy from being around others. I don’t spend a lot of time talking, and find doing so draining after a while. In fact, I find small talk painful. There is something about idle chatter that seems insincere to me, and I’m always questioning if this random person really cares about the small details about my life. I’m never the first to initiate a conversation, unless there is something I absolutely need to know. If I am the one to start speaking, you can bet I have planned exactly what I’m going to say and when I want to say it. To say I think before I speak is a vast understatement. I have an internal monologue playing in my head constantly. If you walk past me and I don’t look at you, it’s because I’m lost in thought. There have been countless times where someone waved or otherwise acknowledged me, and I don’t notice and will barely make out a smile at the last minute. It’s actually funny because I spend so much time “waiting for my moment” that when I do finally speak up, literally everyone in the room will look at me because they are surprised to hear my voice. Sometimes I still have my doubts and think that I don’t fit the mold of a comm major. I often think why am I still here? I like to keep to myself, I hate small talk and don’t enjoy talking candidly. The smaller the amount of people to interact with, the better. As I’m nearly done with my last quarter at PUC, I’ve realized that being an introvert has not hindered my ability to succeed in my major at all. Studying communication is not contingent on whether you are outgoing or talkative, it is the meaningful exchange of information and the understanding that people simply convey and interpret information differently. Guess what? I can do that. My major has helped me to be more comfortable with the way I communicate, and I can’t go wrong with that.
Act For Change, Don’t Just Complain Students can do more than wallow. By David O’Hair It is common to hear student’s at PUC complaining about aspects of the institution. There is no issue in complaining and most of the opinions I hear are valid, but the problem is I only hear complaints spreading through the student body and no one taking action. There are two distinct types of complaints that circle the social circles: students want unrealistic campus changes (e.g. dorms) or complaints regarding a system or policy in-place at PUC (e.g. curfew). I want to focus on the later of the two types because that is where the student body can actually take a stand and make a difference. There are a limited amount of SA officer and student senator positions that are offered to the students and the amount of availabilities is not proportional to the amount of criticism that gets thrown around. However, there is a false sense among the student body that if one is not in a position of official student power, that they, in-turn, lack, “student power.” This is false and the idea that the student body itself contains immense amounts of systematic influence needs to be recognized and if needed, implemented and used. In my three years at PUC, I have not seen a well-executed example of a student demonstration taking an organized stand to protest a policy. The best I have seen is a Facebook post bashing on the cafeteria that gets over 80 likes. We can do better than that. A recent event at Rutgers University sparked national attention when 50 students marched into the administration building and began a formal sit-in
protest. Right away it attracted student attention and the mass grew so large until the campus police were forced to stop students from entering the building. This sounds a bit extreme so you must be thinking that it was in response to a terrible announcement that was going to ruin the student’s graduation plans. The reality is that the students were protesting the selection of former U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, as the school’s graduation commencement speaker. After a few days of protesting and media attention, Condoleezza Rice withdrew from making the commencement speech. Students — 1, Rutgers — 0. If a student group can unite and present their cause so well that it gains national attention, then imagine the intense message and pressure that the school received. Rewind to the colloquy where Dr. Ben Carson addressed our student body and community. Before, during, and after his speech I was seeing multiple complaints raining down from Twitter and Facebook in regards to his strong political views and whether or not PUC was trying to promote a certain outlook. However, no form of action was taken. I am not trying to encourage students to storm into any offices, get hundreds of signatures on petitions, and sit-out colloquies all because they want better cafeteria food. If you are a student that thinks that you can contribute to improving PUC, then run for student senate or SA Office next year. We must always try and promote systemic change through the official and appropriate channels first. When or if those channels fail, however, we as students need to remember that we have not even come close to reaching the limit of our influence and we mustn’t be afraid to stand up for our beliefs.
Campus Chronicle
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no.11
The Backpage Lessons from Real Life: Grocery Shopping By Jessica Winters
By Webbo Chen
The idea of keeping up a plant based diet on a college student’s budget can be a daunting task to imagine. With a few simple tips and tricks, it’s more than doable. As a vegan, I typically spend about $40-$45 a week on groceries, give or take, and if you apply these kitchen strategies, you can keep up a reasonable grocery budget too. Buying bulk bin dried and canned goods in bulk is definitely a must. Stocking up on things like rice, pasta, quinoa, beans and pasta sauces at the beginning of the month sets you up to have the basis for just about any meal you might possibly be hungry for. Your weekly groceries only need to include things like veggies and fruit you’d like that week, and maybe some tofu or dark chocolate, if you’re feeling it. Rice only costs about $2-3 per pound, or possibly less, depending on the variety you buy. Quinoa often runs between $4-6 per pound, but it’s so light, it takes quite a bit to add up to that. It’s also smart to keep a supply of seasonings and sauces you enjoy, whether it’s soy sauce, Siracha, dried basil or just black pepper. Even if you’re just having lentils and rice for dinner, you can toss in your favorite hot sauce or some cumin and oregano to make things more interesting. Plus, that also makes it so that you’re prepared for whatever meals you decide to make that week. Going to the grocery store with a plan helps keep you both on track and on budget, and I don’t just mean a grocery list. If you plan what you’re going to make during the week, that will help you determine exactly which ingredients you already have and which ones you need to pick up. Also, it can help you minimize your list by choosing items that can cross over into several different meal, such as tofu, which can be used in scrambles and stir-fries, or vegetables that go well on sandwiches and taste good roasted or sautéed. Here are some examples of my favorite meals: Breakfast: Avocado toast is one of my favorites. Some people like it plain, but I love to mash it and season it guacamole style, and then add a little hot sauce. This pairs well with tofu scrambles, which can take on whatever flavor profile you give them, whether you go with asian or mexican flavors, or even add a little curry. Lunch: Hummus is a good staple. You can whip up your own in a blender, but when you’re pressed for time, buy pre-made. If you buy the plain kind, you can spice it up with any sorts of seasoning you have, like curry or cilantro/jalapeño. You can use it as a sandwich spread or just plain on toast, or even just as a side. Dinner: Taco salad or burrito bowls is a good option for dinners. They mix things up a bit from regular, old tacos and burritos, and allow a little more green in the mix. Veggie burger can be expensive, but mexi-seasoned black beans are a good alternative and an excellent protein source. If you use quinoa instead of rice, not only does it cook in just 8 minutes, but it’s a complete protein on its own. Combine that with your favorite greens, some chopped veggies, some salsa and a little avocado from breakfast, and you’ve got yourself a tasty, simple meal. If you’re feeling more into pasta, go for it! Just boil your favorite noodles and open a jar of your favorite sauce. When it comes to the sauce, you can amp it up with some crushed pepper flakes and basil and maybe even some baby spinach. Instead of buying a loaf of french bread, you could just toast a piece of sandwich bread, add a little olive oil and rub it with a fresh clove of garlic, and there you have it: healthy, tasty, fast garlic toast.
Long ago before my PUC days, I was a college kid making grocery ends meet in an apartment full of boys becoming men at UC Davis. It’s a hard life buying groceries. It’s a harder life cooking those groceries. Let’s start with some starter tips. 1. Hunger is NOT your grocery buddy. Come to the store satisfied or full. This will protect you from going to town on junk or getting too much of a good thing. 2. Waste not, want not. Everything you buy that you throw away is money lost. An extra trip to the store will save you money you can spend on certain treats. 3. Buy what you want to eat and make life easy to live. If that is not enough, Jessica and I are here to help. We will show you how to maintain health in your meals and your wallet. As a vegan, Jessica will exemplify how to save hard-earned money and enjoy meals without relying on meats and carbs. As an omnivore, I’ll explore meats to explain what can work best for college-age students. So grab your carts and baskets, and let’s go grocery shopping. Breakfast: Cereal is a good, quick way to go if you’d like to keep it light. Prices range from cheap generic knock-offs to high-end super cereals that look like doggy biscuits. Stick with what you like. Since you’re eating cereal for the cereal’s flavor, a gallon of Pantry Essentials milk, priced at $3.99 is a slightly cheaper alternative to Lucerne. Also, bananas are a great way to get your fruit fix into breakfast at $0.99 per pound. Lunch: Lunch is probably the hardest meal to plan for, as you’re usually on the go. A very cheap option is quesadillas. A bag of tortillas ranges from $2-4, shredded cheese from $3-6. You can easily reheat quesadillas as well if you must make them in the morning. I have one more lunch option up my sleeve. Now is not the time for that yet though. You’ll just have to read on to witness the glory of my pièce de resistance. Dinner: Rice is your dinner buddy. Prices range from $2-20, depending on size and grain. I suggest brown rice if you’re health-conscious enough to forego a little taste for that feel-good glow. However, my personal favorite is jasmine rice. The moment you open the rice cooker, the aroma brings back the best of mom’s cooking memories. For protein, I suggest boneless skinless chicken breasts that range from $9-11. Coat the top with seasoning salt, lemon garlic powder, or any other seasonings you fancy, bake a breast or two for 30-40 minutes and you’ll maintain juicy meat that will pair well with the rice. Cheat meals: Everyone needs one sooner or later — a good ole pat on the back for a week well done. Cheat meals are nice recharges if you’re challenging your comfort zone on eating healthily. Refreshe brand sodas almost always sell for $0.79 per two-liter bottle. Safeway sells oven-ready pizzas for $5.99. They’re not Tra Vigne quality, but they’re enough to enjoy for that kind of price. Now, I’m just cheating: Last but not least, my pièce de resistance: the $2 grilled cheese sandwich. Pantry Essentials bread loaves are $1. Yes, you heard me right, $1 for a week’s worth of bread. Mind you, it is far from artisan-crafted freshly baked bakery loaves, but who cares? Pantry Essentials cheese goes for about the same price. Go to town on them grilled cheeses, but be wary of the health costs. Clogged arteries aside, a $2 per week meal option is too good too keep to myself.
Advisor Lynne Thew
Photographer Allison Regan
News Editor Alex Blum
Features Editor Taylor Pittenger
News Copyeditor Jayson Paw
Features Copyeditor Tara Hattendorf
ANGWIN
Editor-in-Chief Webbo Chen
Assistant Editor James Shim
Head Layout Editor Cameron Mitchell
Assistant Layout Editor Jose Lopez
Sports Editor Austin Ngaruiya
Op-Ed Editor Luke Thornburgh
Sports Copyeditor Jessica Winters
Op-Ed Copyeditor Suwanna Vatananan
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