The Anchor: Spring 2022, Issue I

SPRING 2022

ISSUE I SPERA IN DEO HOLLAND, MI

Meet the Staff

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Via Stebbins

Charles Keegan

Jonah Hill

Claire Dwyer

Carole Chee

Matt Severino

Claire Furjanic

Mark Lewison

staff WritEr staff WritEr staff WritEr staff WritEr staff WritEr staff WritEr staff WritEr faCulty advisor

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Sarah Stevenson, Photo Editor

Lauren Schiller, Features Editor

Valeria Lee, Web Editor

Aubrey Brolsma, Campus Editor

Claire Dwyer, Staff Writer

Sophia Vander Kooy Production Manager

Claire Buck and Eli Maxwell, Editors-in-Chief

Julia O’Halla, Business Manager

Claire Furjanic, Staff Writer

Therese Joffre, Opinion Editor

Emma Moore, Copy Editor

Mark Lewison, Faculty Advisor

Claire Dwyer, Staff Writer

Maddy Eppard, Production Manager

Carole Chee, News Editor

Jonah Hill, Staff Writer

Emma Moore, Copy Editor Parker Cote, Copy Editor

Aurore Shima, Staff Writer

Grace Gruner, Arts Editor

Elijah

I think one of my biggest sources of discontentment is the difference between expectations and reality. This is by no means a new idea, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot as of late. This can start with something as simple as watching a new movie. When I watched “There Will Be Blood” for the first time and it wasn’t quite what I expected it to be, I felt kind of disappointed. I couldn’t really appreciate the movie when I was too caught up thinking about what I thought it was going to be (meta, I know), rather than what it really is. This is a minor example, but this thought process can extend to larger, more significant things.

I can’t think about this discrepancy without thinking of my sophomore English teacher, Mr. Kenley. My junior year, I stopped by his classroom before classes started for reasons I honestly can’t remember. This happened to be the day of prom, so he was under the impression I visited his room seeking promrelated advice (he’s very much an English teacher, if that makes sense). Mr. Kenley asked, “Here for some advice for the big dance?” He seemed hopeful, and I’m not in the business of killing dreams, so I said, “Sure, why not.” He said, “I’ll give you this: No expectations, no regret.”

Again, there’s nothing really new about this idea, and to receive this advice from a high school English teacher the day of junior prom is probably the most cliche thing in the world, but I think knowing this advice intellectually and practicing it are separate from each other. Of course you can’t be disappointed

for the world to be a little more boring. It got us talking, though, about whether there were truly any uneventful eras of human history.

when you don’t have expectations; that’s obvious. But how often do we practice the relinquishing of our own expectations?

I’m a big believer in prioritizing process over results, and to do that we need to let go of the expectations we put on ourselves in some ways. Obviously, having goals and objectives is good. I’m not saying we should be aimlessly going with the flow, so to speak, but I do think we could benefit from demanding less of and offering more to ourselves. Because then, when I go back to rewatch “There Will Be Blood” without the clouds of my expectations, I can fall in love with the movie for what it is instead of being disappointed by what it’s not. I can accept that, no, I really don’t feel like I need to be taking this class, but at least I’m learning to think more critically. I can approach life with something resembling that Rogerian idea of unconditional positive regard.

Happy February, Hope College. I pray as the snow continues to fall and the wind continues to chill our bones that you find light in warm places and love in your very breath.

Claire

Yesterday evening, while I was holding my weekly radio talk show, the conversation with my friend and former Anchor colleague Katie DeReus turned to our mutual desire to live in a less historically interesting time. Sure, people centuries from now might look back with curiosity on these years and wonder what it was like to go about daily life amid the threats of pandemic, global conflict, political polarization, and impending climate disaster, but right now, I could stand

While procrastinating on writing a five-page literature paper and editing mid-production drafts of the newspaper, I started to dig into the question. I followed the rabbit hole through Wikipedia pages and Reddit threads and years-old news articles from NPR. My first thought was that there couldn’t have been very much going on before human civilizations began to form, but then I remembered that the natural landscape was constantly changing due to volcanic eruptions and the tectonic plates were shifting and reforming the continents. Then, I got thinking about a period I learned about way back in APUSH called the “Era of Good Feelings” right after the War of 1812, when national unity and political partisanship was at an all time low. Still, unbeknownst to the politicians celebrating this moment, the country was headed for dramatic financial downturns and on a steady course toward civil conflict. I came across a handful of articles that claimed someone had identified using a computer algorithm not the most boring year but the most boring day in human history: April 11, 1954. Maybe that’s true, but that quiet mid-century Sunday was someone’s best day and someone’s worst. New babies were born and beloved people died and humans across the globe went through the everyday dramas of their extraordinary ordinary lives.

Maybe, then, there never was and never will be a truly insignificant period of human history. I can complain all I want about wishing I could live in more certain and stable times, but I don’t know that those times have ever existed. It’s

Letter from the Editors

easy to let our own anxieties be the lens through which we interpret all things, but doing so gives us a narrow and incomplete view. The more honest way of seeing straddles the tension between blind optimism and helpless resignation and finds a truer path between the two extremes.

In a phone conversation last week with my mother, she mentioned that she had been researching the scientific definition of hope. According to some researchers, hope consists not just of personal self-efficacy but of a recognition that there are an abundance of possible routes and solutions when faced with a challenge. I’ve been reflecting on that lately as I try to determine what I want to do with myself when I graduate in a few months. I wonder if hope for me in this season needs to look less like a feeling and more like a deliberate exercise of the imagination. Yes, I can picture the economy collapsing into recession and the ice cracking off the Antarctic shelves as global temperatures rise. I can also picture myself making soup for my family in the kitchen of my childhood home, or listening to an old friend’s story over coffee, or planting tomatoes in the garden come summertime. Slowly, gradually, I am learning to abide in hope.

Claire Buck & Eli Maxwell Editors-in-ChiEf

Elijah Maxwell

Claire Buck

You know what they say: Sunsets look better from LJ’s. Febraury has its perks, including views like this

My friend’s dog has never had to know anything about world news, and she is a happier creature because of it.

CAMPUS&BEYOND

Black History Month on a predominantly white campus

Maura McCoy Staff Writer

Each year, February gets the privilege of being known for two predominant national celebrations: Valentine’s Day and Black History month. The shortest month of the year yet one of the most culturally significant for United States’ history, Black History Month originally began as a short weeklong celebration by Carter G. Woodson that eventually blossomed into the month-long event that it is today. Shortly after the Civil Rights movement of the mid 1900s, President Gerald R. Ford officially recognized Black History Month during his bicentennial speech and stated, “[Americans should] seize the opportunity to honor the toooften neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” While Black Americans have been intertwined with American history even when the country was still colonized, February is a time when schools and communities make an intentional effort to appreciate Black Americans.

No exception exists for Hope College. Out of all the undergraduates at Hope, 82% are white and less than 3% are black or African American. Even more startling is that Hope only has 20 Black or African American faculty members out of 843 total. While Hope attempts to be diverse and recruit individuals from all ethnicities, the data reveals an overwhelming lack of representation for people of color. Organizations specifically orchestrated to be safe spaces for people of color have popped up over the years on Hope’s campus. For Black or African American students, the organizations Black Student Union (BSU) and PanAfrican Student Association (PASA) have been created to support those communities and offer spaces for non-Black or African American students to listen and learn. For this year’s Black History month, the BSU has created a list of events in collaboration with the college to represent famous historical figures and, “honor the legacy of those we’ve lost on the march toward equality and inclusion.”

One of the events orchestrated

by Hope and the Black Student Union was an exhibit at the Kruizenga Art Museum on campus. The exhibit features portraits, paintings and pictures that commemorate historical and modern Black activists and leaders who worked to combat social and systematic racism. A brief written statement by the BSU gives context to the artwork, mentioning some of the key figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Harriet Tubman and Muhammed Ali, and details the exhibit’s purpose “to remind us of some of the individuals who have shaped the Black legacy, and to motivate us to continue to fight in the name of justice.”

An entire wall is dedicated to the artwork, and each piece is accompanied by a two to three sentence caption that articulates a bit of history behind the figure of the art, the hardships of injustice to Black Americans or background of the artist. The exhibit contains several pieces in black and white form (lithograph or pencil work), as well as a few imbued with color to showcase the struggle of Black Americans in the last centuries and presently. The pieces range by year as well, demonstrating the ongoing struggle for the Black community to find full justice and acceptance within a society that has too long pushed them aside as lesser. One piece in particular, “We Earned Our Rights to Life, Liberty, and Equality” by Diane Davies, displays a woman holding a large sign with the same words as the title along with more of a lengthy quote as she stands in front of a bustling crowd. Another piece of work displays the upper body of Angela Davis done in pencil and showcasing the woman with her classic Afro hairstyle. Davis was known for being named an accessory to an armed courtroom takeover because the weapons used were registered under her name. Davis went to jail for a year for the crime before finally getting acquitted— she presently teaches at the University of California in Santa Cruz.

Another event that the college has worked with the Black Student Union on is a screening of the documentary Coded Bias (2020) in the Knickerbocker Theatre. The documentary aims to analyze faults within algorithms for facial recognition software that read Black faces and some women’s features incorrectly or not at all. The film holds

extreme pertinence with modern society and the boom of technology that continues to pervade our lives. The BSU also hosted a panel of eight members to answer questions about the film, offer their opinions on personal insights on bias and explain how technology has unfairly treated Black Americans.

The BSU has more events planned for the remainder of the month including a talent night at the Kruizenga Art Museum. The talent night has been coordinated with PASA and will have students present songs, poems, raps, or other artwork for those in attendance. They also plan on another movie night showing “Judas and the Black Messiah“(2021). The film is a biographical crime drama about William O’Neil infiltrating the Illinois branch of the Black Panthers in order to learn about Fred Hampton, the chair of the Illinois Black Panthers. The film

won an Academy Award for best supporting actor, Daniel Kaluuya.

The last event the organization is doing is a spirit week at the end of the month to accumulate everything and simply end with something enjoyable that large masses of people can participate in without needing to attend anything. BSU has worked diligently to put on events for the Hope community that both represent Black History month and offer spaces for all people to come together and remember American history. The Civil Rights movement only ended 54 years ago but the injustices from the past are still being repaid and solved. Black History month will persist throughout time so long as there are people with the heart to recognize the importance of Black Americans in American history.

Diana Davies

“We Earned Our Rights to Life, Liberty, and Equality” as shown at Kruizenga Art Museum.

Hope Interfaith Youth Alliance hosts global interfaith panel

Via Stebbins Staff Writer

As a Christian college founded in partnership with the Reformed Church in America, Hope College has a student body with a strong but sometimes homogenous commitment to religion. Being a Christian school does not mean that the student body is uniformly Christian or that administration is only geared to meet the needs of Christian students—students come from many different religions,and some from no religion at all. Unfortunately, many of these students feel that their voices are not always heard because of Hope’s professed commitment to a Christian mission. The Hope Interfaith Youth Alliance (HIYA) believes that Hope College is ready to evolve to include students of all and no faiths. They are looking to expand the school’s image and broaden the student body’s horizons in terms of thinking about interfaith relationships. How do people from different backgrounds with different values learn to work and live together and compromise with one another without compromising their beliefs?

The Anchor attended one of their events this past week to learn more.

HIYA is a small student-led organization dedicated to promoting interfaith communication and cooperation, both on Hope’s campus and in the greater Holland community. It aims to act as a support system for students from less represented faiths and a tool for fostering relationships between community members who may not otherwise have reached out to people of different faiths. They have held some other speaking events in the past, and most notably, they had their first major event in the 2021 fall semester. “We held a secular social this past fall for nonfaith students to hear what they needed on campus,” explained HIYA secretary Jessica Kean (’23). “It was a good way for them to see each other and connect.” Besides being a social resource, HIYA is invested in researching interfaith praxis to stay up to date on the best practices.

Thursday, February 3, the HIYA executive board hosted a panel discussion about interfaith relations on a global level, entitled “Global Christianity and Interfaith Relations.” The panel was moderated by Kean, and the speakers all had

previous experience both working in circles with people from diverse faith backgrounds and traveling extensively, some to over 50 countries. The speakers were Western Theological Seminary student and 2015 Hope alumnus Akansiima Ivan, Hope religion professor Dr. Rakesh Peter-Dass,and Hope English professor Stephen Hemenway. Kean posed a series of pre-selected questions put together by HIYA and the members of the panel offered their responses, first sharing from their own experiences and then responding to each others’.

The questions asked at the panel covered the speakers’ international travel experiences, their involvement in and relationship with Christianity and the successes and challenges they had in their previous interactions in interfaith settings. They recounted stories of outreach to the poor, traveling with people from different backgrounds and interfaith religious services led by people from different denominations. A number of common themes appeared in their accounts: meeting people with a common goal or project in mind, speaking with an attitude of humility instead of condescension and trusting that people as a whole want to be compassionate towards others and improve their community. “The most important thing is trust,” Hemenway stressed, “Being able to trust others’ decisions, even if they make mistakes.”

At the end of the talk, Kean asked the speakers to give their advice to anyone at Hope who are looking to bring interfaith cooperation into a more prominent place in their lives. All present seemed to agree that having an openness to learning and good resources to learn was important—“I’m blown away by the openness of students if you give them the right things to read,” Hemenway commented. Most seemed to agree that even more beneficial than continued book learning, though, was the role of relationshipbuilding. It was in living side by side with people of different faiths and seeing them as more than just their religion that the best overall results were achieved. According to Kean, this was part of the reason that HIYA wanted to have the panel in the first place, saying, “It’s common in Evangelical Christian America

to think that religions are always in conflict with each other, and we can’t form relationships with people different from us, so we wanted to show these examples of people who have journeyed outside America to show that we can live together well.” Audience member Hailey Schumann (’23) added, “I wouldn’t even say that it’s common— I’d say that there’s a general expectation and misconception that it’s common. People live with their neighbors either way.”

Kean and Schumann agreed that most of the polarization people associate with religious differences comes from the politicization of religion, rather than the tenets of a religion itself. “Most of the people I knew of Muslim, Sikh, or Hindu background did the same kinds of things good Christians do, lots of almsgiving and feeding of the poor,” Hemenway said. Most

people agree that feeding the poor is a good thing, though the panelists also acknowledged that religion can become divisive when used as a tool for an oppressive power system or as an excuse for hostility between different social groups.

In the future, HIYA has plans to continue learning about how to connect people of different and no faith and implementing their knowledge in their events. When asked what she was most excited about, Kean said, “HIYA has a pass to RIPPLE Interfaith Conference, which is held virtually at Elon University. The title is ‘Sustained Interfaith,’ so we’ll be talking about environmental sustainability in relation to interfaith.” If you are interested in learning more about interfaith relations on Hope’s campus and beyond, contact HIYA at hiya@hope.edu or check the calendar for their upcoming events.

Hope’s Interfaith Youth Alliance is a refounded organization on campus, encouraging interfaith cooperation

Via Stebbins (’22) Hope’s Interfaith Youth Alliance

Panelists answer questions with HIYA secretary Jessica Kean.

Beijing Winter Olympics open with strict COVID-19 guidelines

Claire Dwyer Staff Writer

The Opening Ceremonies of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games began on February 4 in Beijing’s National Stadium, commonly known as the Bird’s Nest.

The Beijing Olympics have also been full of challenges for both China and the international community. As was the case with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, COVID-19 was front and center. For some athletes, a positive test could make or break their Olympic dreams. Beijing has formed a “bubble” to keep athletes and media away from the general public. Testing takes place daily, along with face masks being required everywhere. In order to enter the bubble, officials must be fully vaccinated or have been quarantined for 21 days. Additionally, as Olympic participants arrive in China, everyone is tested at the airport. In order to compete, athletes must submit two consecutive negative PCR tests. Tickets to sporting events were not sold, but rather Chinese officials distributed some tickets to certain members of the public. These ticket holders are now also subjected to much stricter COVID-19 mitigation measures. There have been 323 Covid-19 cases among international arrivals for the Olympics since January 23.

One reason China’s policies are so strict is China’s “zero COVID” policy. Especially since the Omicron mutation has spread, China has been strict about controlling any spread of the virus, regardless if this means increased lockdowns.

So far the policy has been pretty successful, with China having very low COVID-19 case numbers and deaths compared to other countries. Additionally, about 85% of China’s population is vaccinated, according to the BBC.

In addition to COVID-19 concerns, China’s human rights record has also been on full display at and before the Olympic Games. According to the Human Rights Watch, China has committed many serious human rights violations in the years leading up to the Olympics. These include detaining Uyghurs, a minority group from the Xinjiang province of China, and subjecting them to forced labor and torture. Additionally, China has greatly restricted freedoms for the people of Hong Kong, and, throughout China, government officials have increased surveillance efforts, particularly across social media platforms. This includes the silencing or imprisonment of activists and journalists across China. Recently, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has been silenced after speaking out about being sexually assaulted. According to the Associated Press, IOC President Thomas Bach has promised to meet with her for dinner, but no plans of this have been released.

Critics have maintained that the Olympics and the spirit of unity are difficult to associate with an event shrouded by many human rights issues. Omer Kanat, executive director of the Uyghur Human

Rights Project, said in a statement with the Human Rights Watch, “The spectacle of the Olympics cannot cover up genocide. It’s hard to understand why anyone feels it’s even possible to celebrate international friendship and ‘Olympic values’ in Beijing this year.”

China has pushed back on these allegations and has promoted the Olympics as a moment of unity. China has also promised to allow athletes to peacefully protest to a degree. One particular moment included the lighting of the Olympic torch, which was done by an athlete from Xinjiang. However, these promises have been overshadowed by moments of doubt. On February 4, Dutch reporter Sjoerd den Daas was in the middle of a live broadcast with Dutch news organization NOS when he was confronted by Chinese police and dragged away from cameras. Although he was later able to resume the broadcast, the International Olympic Committee maintained that this was an isolated incident and that they have been in contact with NOS. However, according to Reuters, NOS disputes this and says the IOC has not been in contact with them about the incident.

The US instituted a diplomatic boycott of the Olympics as a form of protest against China’s human rights abuses. Although this does not affect athletes’ ability to participate, it prohibits US diplomats and officials from attending the Olympics. According to Time, White House Press

Secretary Jen Psaki commented on the decision back in early December, saying “U.S. diplomatic or official representations would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang. We simply can’t do that.” Although these issues have been highly covered throughout the Olympics, many athletes are preparing to have a successful Olympics despite the challenges and setbacks. US snowboarder Shaun White has announced that he will retire after these Olympic games. According to ESPN, White said, “This has all had its amazing glow as I’ve decided this will be my last Olympics. I’ve given it my all, there have been some ups and downs on the way to get here... I’m just so excited about everything. Opening ceremony was incredible. The venue looks incredible. I’m just enjoying every single moment.” US figure skater Nathan Chen is also off to a promising start by taking the lead in the men’s short program, and the rest of the US figure skating team has worked hard to earn the top spot in the competition so far. This Olympics has also featured many Olympians from Michigan. Hockey players Justin Abdelkader, Matty Beniers, Jack Chelios, Anna Fairman, and Landon Ferraro are just a few of the athletes with Michigan connections. Ice dancer Kaitlin Hawayek and partner Jean-Luc Baker are also among the many Michigan competitors.

Health personnel sport full protective gear. New York Times

Fans social distance in the Capital Indoor Stadium. USA Today

The 'de-yassification' of the green M&M and its consequences

Jonah Hill Staff Writer

On January 20, Mars Incorporated announced that they would be changing their beloved M&M mascots in order to promote inclusivity. Not even a week later, Disney announced a change to Minnie Mouse’s iconic red and white polka-dot dress.

Both of these changes, especially the first, dominated the news worldwide for almost an entire day, culminating with Tucker Carlson’s January 22 opening monologue on Fox News. During the program, he barbarously lambasted the new M&M designs for being “unappealing” and “androgynous.” Carlson said that this is a growing trend to remove all character and interest from our cartoons. "That's the goal,” he said, “When you're totally turned off, we've achieved equity. They won."

Surprisingly, the decision to "de-yassify" the Green M&M has been criticized by those on both sides of the political divide.Those on the right like Tucker Carlson see it as woke culture gone too far and as an attempt to fix things that weren’t broken in the first place. Some on the left, however, see this as nothing more than a publicity stunt. A Vox article sarcastically points out how, “According to Mars, which has faced accusations of human rights violations, these changes are meant to reflect a 'more dynamic, progressive world.'”

Numerous reports have come out in recent years alleging that big chocolate and candy companies like Hershey, Nestle and, yes, even our friend Mars, partake in child labor in order to harvest their cocoa. According to the

Guardian, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) produces 45% of the world’s cocoa and, unfortunately, has incredibly stringent laws regarding workers rights, as well as difficulty enforcing the laws against child labor. Most of the children come from nearby countries like Mali, and are then trafficked across the border using strategies of deception. A lawsuit was filed against the three candy companies in 2021 and is still ongoing.

De-Yassification is a term that has been used to describe what is happening to these characters. The term Yassification comes from the root phrase “Yasssss queen” (pronounced Yahhhhssssss Kw-een) which is a common exclamation from 1980s ballroom culture that women or drag queens will say to each other, usually when they do or say something worthy of praise. It was later brought into

the mainstream by RuPaul’s drag race and Lady GaGa fans. The word “Yassification” means to hyperfeminize a person or character, especially when they become more LGBTQ-adjacent as a result. Conversely, “De-Yassification” is the process of making something less feminine and more androgynous.

The Green M&M wasn’t the only one to undergo this change, however. The Brown M&M also saw a reduction in her shoe’s heels, similar to Green, as well as having her eyelashes mostly removed. The Red M&M has gone through an attitude adjustment, with the company announcing that he would be treating his friends better than he has in the past. The Orange M&M would be embracing his truest self by accepting his anxiety disorder and tying his shoes (to represent his “cautious nature”). According to Mars, the orange

M&M is "one of the most relatable characters with Gen-Z," which is the "most anxious generation.”

It has become clear that the M&M’s see themselves as the pioneers of our culture and the new generation. Cathryn Sleight, the Chief Growth Officer has said that "As one of the world's most iconic candy brands, who better to commit to a world with more moments of fun by increasing a sense of belonging around the globe than M&M's?" The recent trend of corporate relatability has been seen as worrying to some people, but it’s important to remember that agents of change come in many forms. While it might seem like annoying pandering for more publicity, “M&M’s are being cringe online” is an issue so insignificant that any time spent thinking about it is far too much.

Fans have asked Mars Wrigley to change their marketing back to Green's previous look.

MarketWatch

Creative Bloq

Changes made to the character design of the Green M&M have sparked a surprising amount of politically-charged division and debate on the internet.

Mars has received pushback from critics regarding the use of child labor to harvest the cocoa for their products.

S&P Global

Omicron disrupts plans around the world and on campus

Claire Dwyer Staff Writer

Throughout the busy holiday season, a new variant of COVID-19 caused millions of Americans to get sick and yet again disrupted most aspects of society.

Omicron emerged as a concerning variant at the end of November, after its quick spread was discovered in South Africa, where the mutation originated. The new mutation is much more contagious than previous variants, and this is because of mutations in the spike protein that allow the virus to be more transmissible, according to UC Davis Health. The variant appears to be less severe than prior variants; however, this is mostly seen in vaccinated individuals. Additionally, some the trademark COVID-19 symptoms, such as losing taste and smell, appear to be less common with this variant.

Vaccines remain the most effective way to combat Omicron because, although breakthrough cases can occur for those with the vaccine, it has also prevented numerous cases of serious disease and hospitalization. Vaccine boosters are also recommended for those 16 and older who received their second dose of the vaccine six or more months ago. Approximately 64.5% of Michigan residents are

fully vaccinated, according to the state of Michigan’s website.

At the end of December, the CDC began advising a five day quarantine after numerous flight delays, school cancellations and business closures began taking hold as so many people became sick and were unable to work during their 10-day isolations. As long as individuals are asymptomatic or have resolving symptoms, five day isolation periods were effective regardless of vaccination status, assuming the individual was diligent about mask-wearing the next five days. According to the CDC, “The change is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.”

As the new semester began, so did increased COVID-19 mitigation measures. All students had to either submit a negative test taken within 24 hours of arrival or take a test upon arrival. Students who have received a positive test within the past 90 days were exempt. Any student who tests positive must complete ten days of isolation regardless of vaccination status, and any student who is named a close contact of someone who tested positive must quarantine for five days unless they are fully vaccinated with a booster, fully vaccinated but not within six months of a booster or have received a positive test in the past 90 days. Increased surveillance testing, regardless of vaccination status, has also been implemented.

Additionally, some professors have begun requiring students to wear KN95 or N95 masks and have had to revise semester plans to accommodate students requiring virtual instruction. Rush events for Greek Life initially began virtually and have continued to adhere to strict testing requirements as well as masking and social distancing policies. Athletes have been continuing their testing protocols as well. The annual winter SAC event, Winter Fantasia, was also canceled last minute due to concerns over rising case numbers.

In the first few weeks of the semester, Hope College recorded some of its highest positive case

counts ever since the start of the pandemic. Although the positivity rate from the arrival and prearrival testing was about 6%, which was lower than expected, astonishing numbers of students found themselves test positive or marked as a close contact within the first few weeks of classes. This high number of cases caused numerous disruptions across campus, including having some classes shift to remote learning or modify semester schedules.

As Hope moves into a new semester with new challenges, relying on one another is an important aspect of moving forward. As President Matthew Scogin said in a recent Campus Health update, “I’m praying, as indeed many are, that this Omicron variant is indeed the beginning of the end. Many scientists are saying that this might be the pivot point from pandemic to endemic.”

Sarah Stevenson

A sign outside the Science Center reminds students to wear masks in indoor spaces.

Many students purchased and took at-home COVID-19 tests before arriving on campus. Getty Images

2021’s best: “Red Rocket”

Matt Severino Staff Writer

Sean Baker’s newest work on a manipulative, self-centered egomaniac is done so well that the audience is won over within the first thirty minutes. “Red Rocket” follows the return of Mikey Saber—played by Simon Rex—to his hometown of Texas City after his stint in the adult film industry comes to a close. As Saber returns, it is easy to get wrapped up in his boyish charm and charisma. He has a seemingly neverending tank of energy, cracking one-liners and poorly-timed jokes that only a twenty-something with unbridled confidence could get away with. The problem is that Saber is nearly 50 years old. While his ridiculous nature is fun to be around for a bit, it quickly gets old once his constant manipulation of others is revealed. The real turning point for the audience’s perception of Saber is when his predatory relationship begins with a teenage donut shop worker named Strawberry, played by Suzanna Son. It is then that the audience is clued into the slimy layers of Saber’s true self that are about to be uncovered. If not

already apparent enough, Saber’s reaction to the disaster that sparks his downfall is the icing on the cake of just how manipulative he truly is. Where the true thematic beauty lies in “Red Rocket” is not just the depiction of a self-indulgent, washed-up lunatic taking advantage of those around him. If simply for that, one might opt to watch the evermore fast-paced and anxietyinducing “Uncut Gems.” Rather, where “Red Rocket” differentiates itself from its peers comes from director Sean Baker’s unique approach to filmmaking perfected here. Similar to his most notable prior work in “The Florida Project,” Baker takes the approach of utilizing non-professional actors, essentially pulling a cast from first-timers other than Simon Rex, who is a first-time lead himself. This takes his approach one step further from “The Florida Project,” as Willem Dafoe’s strong presence yielded a much more recognizable face than Rex. Nevertheless, the realistic approach that Baker continues to take in “Red Rocket” is even more incredible than

before, especially given the awardworthy performances from people who live the lives depicted in the film. This near documentarian style approach coupled with the rustic yet candy-colored cinematography from Drew Daniels makes “Red Rocket” one of the most enticing films to watch of the past decade. Further than the classic approach of Baker coupled with experimental new steps that work incredibly well, one of my favorite aspects of “Red Rocket” was its use of setting— specifically, the choice to set the film in Texas City right in the middle of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Right from the beginning of the film, Baker makes it evident that we are right in the middle of conservative, rural America through the constant placement of Trump speeches and signs in the background of many important scenes. While this could just be a clever way of establishing the setting of which the audience is to experience for the next two hours, I couldn’t help but link the behaviors and attitudes of Saber to Trump.

Crossword of classic film quotes

The way in which Saber’s immature and often vulgar charisma is able to woo over a certain group of people, yet is seen right through by others, seems to mirror aspects of Trump’s campaign. While subtle certainly would not be the correct term for describing this connection between the two, Baker is able to engrain allegory into his films in a way that is detectable yet does not insult the viewer’s intelligence with a glaring and overt metaphor. This line is walked perfectly in “Red Rocket” and is made even more impressive when considering the glaringly obvious messages that other films have spoon-fed in recent years. In a year full of star-studded casts, fantastical adaptations, jawdropping horror and even a Wes Anderson feature, a film about a washed-up, manipulative adult film star takes the prize as my favorite.

Across

2. “We’re not in Kansas anymore!”

8. “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

9. “Nobody puts baby in a corner.”

10. “You’re killing me, smalls!”

Down

1. “Say hello to my little friend.”

3. “You can’t handle the truth!”

4. “I’m king of the world!”

5. “Here’s Johnny!”

6. “You talkin’ to me?”

7. “Life is like a box of chocolates.”

“Red Rocket”’s promotional poster featuring Rex clad in a donut, representative of his teenage fascination.

No Way Home’ — recap, theories and a look at what’s ahead

Abby Doonan Guest Writer

According to Box Office Mojo, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” grossed over 1 billion dollars worldwide and 700 million dollars domestically, making it the 4th highest grossing movie of all time behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Avatar.”

But what made this movie do such a killer job? Stick around if you want a walk through what actually went down in “SpiderMan: No Way Home” and what multiversal madness is expected to come out of 2022. We’re here to do the research so you don’t have to, so put on your seatbelts and get ready for some Marvel news.

*This article contains spoilers for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Read at your own risk.

What happened before “No Way Home?”

The short answer to this question is: a lot. Many non-Marvel fanatics who were planning on seeing the movie took to TikTok and asked, “So, do I have to watch SpiderMan 1, 2, and 3, then Spider-Man 1 and 2, then the other SpiderMan 1 and 2 to understand what is going on in Spider-Man 3?”

Yes, in fact, you should probably watch every single Marvel show and movie if you want to experience the effect of your whole childhood finally getting some closure. But, if you still haven’t seen “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” The Direct gives you a list of 16 movies and shows that you should see beforehand to understand all of the little Easter eggs and cameos within the movie.

The main thing that viewers need to know before watching “SpiderMan: No Way Home,” is what happened in its preceding movie, “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”

In “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” Peter Parker and his friends go on a journey to Europe following the snap from the Avengers saga and Tony Stark’s death. While there, Parker runs into Nick Fury (who is actually a skrull at the time), who recruits him for a mission. In an end credit scene in “Captain Marvel,” Fury and Maria Hill get caught in an unnatural storm in

Mexico where they think they have encountered an Elemental, and they want Parker to help fight this monster. Fury and Hill also recruit Quentin Beck, who seems to be able to defeat these creatures.

It turns out that it is really Beck, also referred to as Mysterio, who is using orbital weaponry to create these creatures and to then “defeat” them so that he looks like a hero, when, in reality, he is trying to take control of Stark’s assets.

Before the final battle of the movie approaches, Peter’s love interest, Michelle JonesWatson (MJ), finds out that he is in fact Spider-Man. This is important to remember for later.

When the final battle approaches, Mysterio makes appear as though Spider-Man was the villain the whole time and frames him for all of the events that occurred during the movie. He then goes on to tell the world that SpiderMan is high-schooler Peter Parker.

Leading us right into “No Way Home”…

Mysterio ruined the lives of Parker and all of the people that he knows. Now that everyone is aware that Parker is Spider-Man, he and all of his friends are kneedeep in paparazzi and crazed journalists. On top of this, Parker, Ned and MJ don’t get into their dream college, MIT, due to their association with this scandal.

Parker decides to take matters into his own hands and visits Doctor Strange, who attempts to cast a spell that will wipe everyone’s knowledge that Parker is SpiderMan. Unfortunately, things go south when Parker tampers with the spell multiple times, and Strange is forced to contain the spell before causing a multiversal catastrophe.

In true Marvel fashion, the spell ignites a catastrophe that Parker realizes the next day. While in the middle of a traffic jam, as Peter catches up with an MIT admissions rep, Dr. Octavious and Green Goblin show up in search of SpiderMan. Luckily, Strange zapps Doc Oc into his mystical dungeon before he can cause an immense amount of damage. They go on to also capture

newly-emerged Sandman, Electro and Dr. Curt Connors (The Lizard).

If you haven’t caught on yet…these characters are all from different universes.

The plot from this point on is based on the realization that Parker makes. The spell opened up Parker’s current universe to the multiverse, allowing villains from other SpiderMan sagas to enter into the current one. In their respective universes, these villains have all been conquered, which means when they return home, they will inevitably die. Parker’s moral mission will not allow this to happen, so he attempts to “cure” each villain of the thing that motivates their evil actions.

Now, let’s connect some dots. If all of these characters have shown up, who else do you think has?

You guessed it! Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire)! The whole story from this point follows that the three Spider-Men team up to put these villains back where they came from. This comes with a price— as the Spider-Men try to conquer each of these characters, soon more villains will show up if a new, overriding spell isn’t unleashed. Sadly, this means everyone will forget who Peter Parker is, including the people he loves.

*Some big plot points were left out for the sake of still being able to enjoy the movie if you haven’t seen it yet. This is a general summary.

Theories and Questions

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” has raised the expectations for future Marvel movies and many theories and questions

have arisen due to the movie. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Will Ned become Hobgoblin? In the comics, Ned is brainwashed into doing horrible things and he thinks that he is the Hobgoblin even though he actually isn’t. Maybe we will see this in a future Spider-Man movie?

2. Are Ned and MJ dating? They were looking a little too close in that one scene…

3. What was Matt Murdock doing there? Just a typical cameo?

4. Was that actually Doctor Strange? There is a theory floating around right now that the Doctor Strange that we saw was none other than the evil Doctor Strange in the upcoming “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” movie.

5. Venom and Spider-Man soon to battle it out? Eddie Brock, better known as Venom, made an appearance in the first end credit scene and he left something behind…

6. Miles Morales shows up soon? Why not, if Andrew and Tobey showed up?

For more infromation on fan theories and upcoming movies, check out the full article on The Anchor’s website (anchor.hope.edu).

Marvel Studios

The beloved web-slinger returns in the third installment of his movie franchise.

‘Spider-Man:

FEATURES

Excited to be undecided: Students keeping an open mind

At the start of the spring semester, freshmen at Hope College can now officially declare a major. Emails have been sent out and flyers have been stapled to billboards, encouraging students to declare a major or set an appointment with the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career to further their process in deciding. While there are many students who have an idea of what they want to study, there are still a few who are uncertain.

Sawyer Winstead (’25) explained that it is both exciting and difficult to be undecided. Choosing between a chemistry or religion major, Winstead claimed that it can be hard to move forward without having declared a focus of study. “It’s scary because I don’t want to mess up the classes I’m going to take next year,” he said, “because if I want to go premed, taking organic chemistry next year is kind of a big step.

But I also don’t want to take it and have it be worth nothing.”

Bridget Hodgkin (’25) commented, “When you’re undecided, I feel like everyone just assumes that you’re stressed and frantically trying to figure out your life but, at least for me, that was not the case.” Despite the negative assumptions that came with being undecided, Hodgkin felt there was no need to stress, stating, “I was pretty open to just figuring it out as I go and just taking classes and seeing what interested me.”

Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the possibilities or the multitude of questions thrown her way, Hodgkin had an optimistic perspective. “Undecided has a bad connotation but it shouldn’t at all because it just means you’re open to anything,” she said, “and even all the people who say they have a major, a lot of them don’t know what they’re going to do with it.”

Last semester, Hodgkin wanted to take advantage of the resources that Hope offered to help guide her decision process. She met twice with the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career. “They give you lots of tools to use on your own time if you want to look into different majors and jobs that align with your strengths and interests,” Hodgkin explained, “and it was helpful because I always said I had no idea what I wanted to do but after meeting with the career center, I realized that there were less than half the majors at Hope that I would even consider, which made me realize that I wasn’t totally undecided and I didn’t have to be so overwhelmed.”

experience helped her discover what would be best for her. Because she was considering the pre-occupational therapy (OT) track, Hodgkin experienced a dayin-the-life of someone who was far into their career as an occupational therapist. She claimed, “The most beneficial part was definitely just talking to other people who are in OT, shadowing OT, and getting the experience and advice.” Because she pursued advice and experience, Hodgkin now has a better idea of what she wants to do.

While this can be a hard decision for some, Hope willingly helps out those who seek aid by offering free resources and opportunities for undecided students. The Boerigter Center for Calling and Career is always open to setting up an appointment with students to help guide the decision process and prepare them for future success. Whether students are worried or confident, Hope is there to help them along the way. Hodgkin claims, “There is no need to stress. You will figure out your life at some point, whether that’s tomorrow or fifty years from now.”

When Hodgkin began to narrow down her options, she found that getting advice and gaining

Email careers@hope.edu to set up an appointment with The Boerigter Center for Calling and Career.

“Undecided has a bad connotation but it shouldn’t at all because it just means you’re open to anything”

Claire Furjanic Staff Writer

Informational booklets highlight potential majors. Claire Furjanic

Hope has resources for undecided students. Claire Furjanic

What is Greek life and why consider getting involved?

Aurore Shima Staff Writer

Greek life is a popular part of the college experience that many students look forward to. At Hope College, Greek life started in 1890 when the first fraternities formed.

Greek life is often portrayed as taboo or not academic, especially in the media. However, “Greek life essentially is a place where one can build sisterhood and brotherhood and life-long networking,” says Dr. Ellen Awad, Student Life Assistant Director.

Greek life enriches the lives of Hope students by providing faithful student leadership, academic and social accountability, as well as service commitment. The Greek life organizations aim to promote holistic personal development and long-term relationships and connections.

Awad defines Greek life as a close-knit community made up of fraternity and sorority organizations. Awad says, “Historically, Greek life has been around for a long time, allowing people to form close friendships with others, creating a family.”

At Hope College, most of the

organizations are unique to the school and rooted in the Hope community. These organizations are beneficial to personal networking as many alumni still engage with the organization, which is essential later in life.

These fraternities and sororities are centered around creeds, or mottos, that bring them together around a belief. Along with the many fun things that these organizations offer, there are also leadership opportunities. Awad mentions, “They are engaged in philanthropy or community service, so if you are in a fraternity or sorority, you will probably hold a leadership position that allows you to be on different committees around the campus.”

Every spring semester, Greek life begins its recruitment phase known as rush. Interested students attend a series of different events hosted

by the organization to get to know each other and active members of the organization. After that, the organization contacts individuals interested in their fraternity or sorority to get to know them better.

Unlike many student organizations, Greek life does not automatically accept members by their attendance. Students that are interested in Greek life have to go through the rush process. “Once the rushing process is over, an individual gets a call back from student life regarding whether or not they got in”, says Awad. If the student is accepted into the organization, the student must then complete an initiation process called pledge in order to officially join the sorority or fraternity. After activation, the student is finally an active member of the organization and might have the opportunity to live in a

cottage with other members.

Depending on the institution, living in a sorority/fraternity house can be expensive. However, at Hope, the price of living is the same as residing in a cottage house. However, Greek life members have to pay dues “because they don’t get funding from student congress because they are selective.” Although students might be deterred by the thought of paying dues, Awad notes that Greek life is an investment that can change a person depending on what they make of it.

Awad also mentions that, as an alumni of Greek life, she has made long-time friends, especially since there were not many student organizations during her time at Hope.

Overall, Greek life is a good experience if one finds an organization that speaks to them and their beliefs. However, Awad says, “there are many other student organizations that one might find a better sense of belonging to than Greek organizations.” So, don’t feel pressured to participate in Greek life if it is not for you, as Hope has various other organizations that one might enjoy.

OPUS: Representing the artistic community since 1954

Claire Furjanic Staff Writer

Opus is the literary and arts magazine at Hope College. Each semester they accept student submissions of poetry, art, photography and prose. Students are able to submit up to five pieces of their own work, which goes through a blind judging process in the decision of publication. This process takes place at Opus meetings throughout the duration of every semester. Open to all students, Opus staff gather to read the poems, examine the visual art, and offer constructive critique of the submissions they’ve received.

At the end of the semester, an event called Opus Soup is held in celebration of the new publication. This allows the student artists to read aloud their written work or explain their art to the community of Hope. It gives both faculty and students a chance to recognize and admire the artistic talent of Hope.

Beginning in 1954, Opus is one of the oldest student organizations here at Hope but has evolved over the years. Adriana Barker (’22), a coeditor of Opus, strives to establish and grow the community of artists here at Hope. With the English

and Art departments at Hope being somewhat small, Opus has the opportunity to create a space for artists to feel like they belong and have their work appreciated and admired. “When I became coeditor, I really wanted Opus to be more community-focused,” Barker said, “I want people to feel like they have found their people.”

Barker admits that she has already seen growth. “Last semester there were 53 artists” Barker stated, “who submitted a total of 94 poems and 84 visual art pieces.” Alongside this exciting news, Barker mentioned that last semester’s Opus Soup “was the biggest Opus Soup we’ve had in anybody’s living memory on campus.”

Another exciting advancement in Opus is the launching of their new website, where the artists’ published work can be found. This provides an online space for the students’ published work to be showcased online, not just in a physical book. Also, Barker mentioned that both she and co-editor Violet Peschiera (’22) have been “working on reimagining the way the physical copies of Opus look.” These are all very exciting improvements for the

Opus staff, but more importantly, for the community of artists at Hope. Accepting new submissions every semester and keeping the meetings open for all, Opus provides a space for the freedom of creativity. Opus keeps the submissions open to any artist or writer who has something to share. “We don’t have limits on anything,” Barker said, “There’s not a certain amount of poetry, or a certain number of visual art pieces, or a certain number of prose pieces that we’re looking for.”

Emma Compton (’25), the prose editor, knew immediately that she wanted to get involved with Opus after attending the first few meetings of the previous semester. “I really enjoyed how seriously they were taking the artist’s work,” Compton said. In a typical meeting, students review the submissions, spending five minutes for constructive

criticism for each individual piece before voting whether the piece should be published. In this holistic judging process, Opus keeps the artists anonymous in order to hone in on the art itself.

“Art is so profound and vulnerable,” Compton said, “and it’s such a powerful way to express yourself, and be able to not only talk about yourself but problems that you’re seeing in the world.” Furthermore, she emphasized the enjoyment that comes from exploring different ideas through forms of art, “It can be fun! Write a poem about pirates chilling, that’s fun!” “Opus is really important to Hope because it provides a physical documentation of the artistic community here,” Barker said. Keep an eye out for the submission deadlines, and stop by Opus meetings!

Hope College has 7 fraternities and 7 sororities. @ hopegreeklife Instagram.

A candid conversation about abortion: Pro-choice or pro-life?

Therese Joffre Opinion Editor

Discourse around hot topics like abortion are hard to come by nowadays, especially among young adults. We as a society are so afraid of offending each other that we hide our beliefs or stay silent when we should be speaking up. However, I believe that conversations among those with differing views are vital. This is because the act of discussing and defending your own beliefs further solidifies those ideas for yourself as well as makes others question their own. This is exactly what I sat down to do with my fellow classmate, teammate and friend Gabbi Taylor. We are both well aware that we share opposite opinions on just about anything politically or socially in the world, but we still respect each other despite that. Now, I want to take you into the conversation to hear how we listened, questioned and learned about each other’s view on abortion.

Note: Pro-life activists tend to promote the protection of prenatal life through banning abortions, while pro-choice activists promote that the choice to have an abortion is a woman’s right. Note that many prochoice advocates are not necessarily pro-abortion. I stand on the side of pro-life and Gabbi stands on the side of pro-choice. This article is NOT meant to prove who is right and who is wrong, but merely is a way to show that these conversations can happen, even between college students.

The first question towards me was why are you pro-life? I answered that with three major reasons from my own background: my adoption, my faith and my ideology. Since I was adopted, my birth mother obviously didn’t want me, so I could have easily been aborted, but I wasn’t. I am forever thankful for that, which further pushes me toward the pro-life side. I am also a practicing Catholic, which means I believe that the main purpose of sex is for procreation (the Catholic church teaches that sex has a dual purpose of unity and procreation that cannot be separated, but I will be focusing on the latter). This means that you should only have sex if you intend to keep the child if you become pregnant. I also believe that God creates life, and that life

should not be destroyed once made. Finally, my ideology encapsulates my faith but also my morals and scientific background. I believe that life begins at conception—when the sperm cell and egg cell come together and fertilization occurs. So once this occurs, I believe that human life has been created. Thus, as a human person, the baby has rights and should not be murdered.

Switching it over to Gabbi, I asked her why are you pro-choice? She responded first that she doesn’t know what is going on in someone’s life, and she herself is unaffected by their healthcare choices; therefore, she shouldn’t have the power to dictate what they do. We live in a country where people can make their own decisions, so why should she tell them what to do? In terms of her scientific background, she believes that her life has priority over an embryo or a zygote, which would be supported by her body until it can be born and survive on its own. She also doesn’t want to ban abortions because there are many situations where children— who could have been aborted or who were born without the mother being mentally and physically ready—end up in horrible situations within the foster care system or with parents who are mentally and financially unable to care for them. Thus, she wants others to be free to discern whether they are in a

good place to have a child instead of putting the child in jeopardy. It is also important to mention that being pro-choice is not equivalent to being pro-abortion, it just means that people have the right to make their own decisions about their own body and choose how to handle the consequences of their own actions.

After listening to each other, we discussed what we may agree on and what we definitely disagree on. I share the idea of not really caring what others do because it doesn’t affect me. However, I value an embryo/zygote as an equal to myself and other humans on this planet such that we shouldn’t tamper with the potential that the child could have. Gabbi then questioned this by asking, “Wouldn’t the mom lose a lot of potential due to becoming pregnant?” My response was that the mom had a choice to have sex or not, fully knowing that there was a chance she could become pregnant; thus, she should live with the consequences of that original choice. I also believe that many of the resources that go towards legal abortions should be reallocated to helping young mothers who are not ready to take care of their children and to the adoption/foster care systems. Gabbi’s argument on this topic is that we should focus more on the potential of those who are already functioning members of society rather than the unborn. She

believes that the argument discussing abortion is just putting off taking care of the people that are already out of the womb. Additionally, Gabbi believes that people have to deal with the traumatic and difficult consequences of an abortion, so policymakers should not be the ones who decide which consequences people need to endure.

This led our discussion to the topic of sex where Gabbi asked why do you think sex should be for procreation and why is the purpose of pleasure undesirable?

My initial comment was that I don’t think pleasure is undesirable in sex, but I don’t think it’s the function. The pleasure that sex gives two people is positive and good, but it isn’t the purpose of the act. Gabbi followed up with “why do you care about the function [of sex]?” To answer that, I went back to my faith that God creates anything and everything with and for a purpose. Pleasure and other health benefits are great effects from sex, but I don’t think you can engage in sex without the idea of procreation. However, Gabbi didn’t think it was fair for me to incorporate religion into my argument pertaining to sex since not everyone believes in my God. Therefore, I cannot justify that sex is only for procreation because God intended it to be that way since not everyone believes in God and shouldn’t suffer consequences of working within a definition of sex based on personal, religious reasoning. My response to this idea is that from a more scientific standpoint, structure generally determines function. Our structures or organs in our body are made to have children, so that would be the main function of those particular body parts. For Gabbi, from a biological perspective, there are many animals who have sex for pleasure. This means from an evolutionary standpoint, sex is not only for procreation. She also believes that the act of sex is viewed very differently among men and women due to the influence of the patriarchy. Women are seen as less desirable when they have sex for pleasure because, under this patriarchy, a woman’s sole purpose is

March for Life 2022 in Washington D.C. Tens of thousands of protestors marched to the Supreme Court.

Therese Joffre

OPINION

to procreate. On the other hand, men can have sex for pleasure and are respected for doing so. Overall, she thinks sex should be empowering for both men and women when it is healthy and destigmatized and not just for procreation. However, if a person does become pregnant from having sex for pleasure, then they should have the choice to deal with the consequences how they want either by having an abortion or having the baby.

Again we discussed what we may agree on. I also believe that sex is viewed very differently for women versus men and that is not okay since sex involves two partners. Both partners (in this discussion, a man and woman) should have equal responsibility for their actions and therefore share the consequences. I think the idea that sex’s purpose is for procreation should also be followed by men despite the reality that in the past it hasn’t been followed well in our world. Gabbi wasn’t sure if this made sense since this is a traditional Catholic viewpoint; how can this reasoning be applied to a general population? I responded that this makes sense since, from a biological standpoint, our bodies—both men’s and women’s—have specific organs and hormones whose purpose is to have a child and reproduce.

What she thinks we disagree on is that those in our world who have left the womb can make their own decisions. She also brought up the point that “there are so many people in poverty and there are so many other issues that we need to be focusing more on than trying to dictate what people want to do with their health care choices.” Abortions will occur whether they are legal or not, so it makes sense to protect the people who are having abortions by offering them safe ones. We went on to discuss abortion in the context of religion and the state. Gabbi mentioned how she thought it would be unethical to dictate to someone to not get an abortion based upon that person’s religious beliefs. She believes this is an important distinction between the church and the state, especially

in policymaking. My response to this idea was that the pro-life stance does not have to be religious; it can be scientific. I reiterated that I believe life begins when the sperm cell and egg cell come together to form an embryo. I strongly promote the idea of life vs. living. A good distinction between an embryo and any other cell in our body is that an embryo is life, while a skin cell is living. That is why we can shed a bunch of previously living (now dead) skin cells, and that action is not ending any life. Gabbi responded with the idea that for a good portion of a pregnancy, the child could not survive on its own if born. Thus, because she would have to give the child the ability to function—with food, blood, oxygen, etc.—it should be her choice whether or not to get an abortion. Gabbi explains that the

embryo still has value, but it is in the woman’s body and its development relies on the woman so it should be the woman’s decision to get an abortion. My counter was that when the embryo exists, it technically has all the necessary materials (DNA, characteristics of life, etc.) to become a fully functioning human.

Overall, I think that both Gabbi and I learned a lot about why we both believe what we believe. We were able to share our opinions, question each others’ ideas and engage respectfully in some discourse. I now encourage you to go to a friend—someone who either agrees or disagrees with you—and sit down with a nice cup of coffee to have a conversation about anything. It can be serious or it can be superficial, but it needs to be real. From debating immigration policies to discussing if a hot dog is actually a type of sandwich, gather a few friends and have some healthy disagreements. Question each other; don’t be afraid to dig deep and cause someone to think more about what they believe in. These types of interactions are so important for our society, as well as for us as college students in order to form our opinions, intellect and morals for our next step in life.

Pro-choice affiliated advocacy . Many protestors use this slogan to articulate their stance

Sarah Stevenson

We call it the “Spring” semester, but is that really true? Definitely looks more like a winter semester.

Sarah Stevenson