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The Lorian
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President awards alumni
President Jim Collins honors recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Awards. From left to right: Nathaniel Gee ‘09, Faye Finnegan ‘78, President Jim Collins ‘84, Kelly (Lynch) Johnson ‘88, Dan Bowen ‘90, and Jim Welu ‘66 (not pictured). Gee was awarded the Young Alumni Award, Finnegan the Campus Contributions Award, Johnson the Humanitarian Award, Bowen the Amicus Award, and Welu the Professional Achievements Award. congratulations to all our distinguished alumni.
Withdrawing Trump’s troops
On Sunday, October 6th, Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced in a statement Washington’s intention to withdraw the remaining U.S troops from Syria. by GATIEN DELAUNNAY staff writer
Officials made the decision after Turkey started to invade northern Syria and launched offensives against the Kurdish populations living in this area. In a series of tweets, President Donald Trump indicated his intention not to oppose Turkey’s actions. “The Kurds and Turkey have been fighting for many years. Turkey considers the PKK the worst terrorists of all. Others may want to come in and fight for one side or the other. Let them! We are monitoring the situation closely. Endless Wars!” tweeted President Trump. In total, around 1000 soldiers are expected to be withdrawn. The location where U.S. troops will be removed is still unknown, as the Turkish army already started its military incursions. The U.S. troops are trapped between the Turkish army that is moving south and the Kurds that are moving north. Washington emphasized this delicate situation to justify its decision. If nothing is done to evacuate them, the U.S. troops will continue to be “caught between opposing advancing armies,” as said by Defense Secretary Esper. Although no U.S. force have yet been injured, the American troops appear to be under increasing threat and around two dozen U.S. troops had to evacuate the Syrian city of Ain Eissa. The Turkish army also cut the U.S. supply lines throughout bombardments. The Kurds are a stateless people, spread over Turkish, Syrian, Iranian and Iraqi territories. It is estimated that between 2
and 3.6 million Kurds live in Syria, mainly in the northern region of the country. For decades, the Kurds have been calling for the formation of an independent Kurdish state. This is the major source of conflict between Turkey and the Kurds, as this new territory would include part of what is currently Turkey. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) — a Kurdish nationalist armed political organization — is considered to be one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations by the Turkish authorities. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, considers the Kurds in Syria to be affiliated with this terrorist organization and fears that the Kurds would be able to galvanize separatist wills in the southern part of Turkey. The Turkish government launched preventive attacks in return, sending troops
Trump’s decision is, therefore, seen by some people as a sort of treason against the Kurds. The second reason for these criticisms is that the Kurds hold thousands of ISIS prisoners, and the recent Turkish attacks have already allowed a number of these prisoners to escape. Many obs er vers fe ar t hat t he Islamic State will take advantage of this situation and regain power and influence. Senator Lindsey Graham, whom heavily supp or ts Tr ump, strongly criticized him on his decision to remove U.S. troops from northern Syria. “This impulsive decision by the President has undone all the gains we’ve made, thrown the region into further chaos. Iran is licking their chops. And if I’m an ISIS fighter I’ve As I have stated strongly before, got a second lease on life. So to those and just to reiterate, if Turkey who think ISIS has been defeated you will soon see.” Sen. Graham said in an does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, interview for Fox News. Although it seems Trump and his consider to be off limits, I will administration do not approve of totally destroy and obliterate Turkey’s actions, it is actually quite the the Economy of Turkey (I’ve opposite. He recently announced that done before!). They must, with he was working with many members Europe and others, watch over… of Congress to impose powerful economic sanctions on Turkey. Donald Trump “As I have stated strongly before, President of the United States and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be into northern Syria. off limits, I will totally destroy and The Trump administration’s decision obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve has been strongly criticized by both the done before!). They must, with Europe Republican and the Democratic members and others, watch over” President of Congress, for two reasons. The first being Trump tweeted. that the Kurds are considered one of the T h e Tr u mp a d m i n i s t r at i o n’s closest U.S. allies. They fought against the position is now clear, but Turkey is not Islamic State alongside the U.S. troops and concerned, as they continue to move proved to be redoubtable fighters who have troops southward. greatly contributed to the fight against ISIS.
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Chain Reaction Chain Reaction, an honors project group on campus focused on biking resources and awareness for students, is hosting a bike ride on Friday, Oct. 25 at 4 p.m. Though biking is not the first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about Dubuque, Chain Reaction’s goal is to advocate for biking as a type of sustainable transportation and exercise for students at Loras. One focus of Chain Reaction is to spread awareness of the different bike resources of Dubuque to the Loras community, such as various bike groups in the city, trails in the area, and places to rent bikes. This bike ride is one way that Chain Reaction is trying to show participating students the trails and routes they can go biking on. It also provides an experience with the Dubuque Bike Coop, a nonprofit community bike project downtown and a place where students can rent bikes during the school year. Those interested in participating should meet in the parking lot of Einstein’s by 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25. If you have a bike,
transportation will be provided to the trail. If you do not have a bike, the Dubuque Bike Coop is providing free rentals for participants of this event. Simply email Caroline Breitbach at caroline.breitbach@loras.edu if you’d like to reserve a bike.
Oct. 17, 2019
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Celebrating chem club by AUDREY MILLER staff writer
WASHINGTON D.C. – Last Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Loras College Chemistry Club received news that their student chapter has been placed within the top 30% of all American Chemical Society (ACS) student chapters in the nation. Loras’ chapter’s for the 2018-19 academic year review garnered a ranking of “Commendable”—an award bestowed upon the top 30% of all chapters in the nation. There are approximately 500 chapters in total, located in both the United States and Puerto Rico. The ranking of “Commendable” is the secondhighest award a club can achieve, right behind “Outstanding,” which is achieved by the top 10% of all ACS student chapters. The third rank is “Honorable Mention,” which is achieved by approximately the top 50% of student chapters. According to the Society Committee on Education—the ACS committee which bestows these awards upon deserving chapters—the awards allow chapters “to receive special recognition on the basis of their programs and activities, as described in their chapter reports. Chapters that do not qualify for these awards receive a certificate of achievement for meritorious service.” For the 2017-18 academic year, the Loras chapter received an “Honorable Mention” award along with 144 other institutions’ chapters. This award was received at the Spring 2019 ACS National Meeting in Orlando, FL. The club will receive their “Commendable” award this March at the Spring 2020 ACS National Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. “All of the chemistry faculty are so incredibly proud of the club’s hard work,” said Dr. Adam Moser, Associate Professor of Chemistry. “A majority of highranking chapters are from m u c h l a r g e r inst itut ions that draw from greater student and faculty populations. This rating is proof of how far the club has come.” Categories the club fulfilled include ser vice, professional development, chapter development, and fundraising. The reviewer commended the club on activities such as the Walking Classroom STEM education program at Lincoln Elementar y school, the mentoring program that takes place between juniors and first-years within the chemistry/ biochemistry programs, and the club’s extensive fundraising efforts. In order to reach the next level of awards, the reviewer suggested the club spend some time on professional development—other than the poster presentations the club already creates annually for the spring ACS National Meeting—and hosting more events during National Chemistry Week. Overall, the reviewer provided a glowing review of the club. Current club officers include seniors Zach Ney (president), Keighley Lipetzky (archivist), Gabe Smith (treasurer), Sarah Krieger (event planner), and junior Kylie Holubar (club communications). These officers will accept the award in the spring, and set the stage for another prestigious award from the ACS Education Committee. Club officers from the 2018-19 academic year include Ney (communications), Smith (treasurer), and recent graduates Ariel Carter (president), Greta Becker (archivist), and Audrey Miller (event planner).
