HAMLINE UNIVERSITY | ST. PAUL, MN | 11.24.21 | VOL. 133 | NO. 8 | HAMLINEORACLE.COM
Food, prizes and the campus climate
Summit Recap
After this year’s Diversity Summit, students and faculty reflect on the experience and key takeaways from the day. Lydia Meier News Reporter lmeier05@hamline.edu
PHOTO | TALEAH ALLDRITT, ORACLE Anderson Center is located on the southwest corner of the Hamline campus. This building is where tabling occurred for promoting the Climate Survey.
The tri-annual Campus Climate Survey put on by the Diversity Initiatives Steering Committee is back, with prizes, events, food and is seeking student experiences on campus. Jack Fischer Senior Reporter jfischer12@hamline.edu The Diversity Initiatives Steering Committee (DISC) has been tabling in Anderson for the past few weeks to solicit staff, faculty and students to take their Campus Climate survey. The climate survey is administered every three years with the last one taking place in 2018. The survey aims to gather data from the Hamline community on how the campus climate is for students, and what is going well or what needs improvement. This year‘s survey includes a lot of questions about how the campus climate for students has been impacted by COVID-19 and the disruptions to learning in the past two years.
A review of Adele’s long-awaited 30 on page 6.
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DISC is a committee charged with reporting and making recommendations directly to President Miller, giving students a voice to advocate directly to the highest office at the university regarding diversity issues. This year the committee is made up of three undergraduate representatives, one graduate student representative and a representative from the Hamline Student Undergraduate Congress. Pearl Buabeng, a junior, is one of the student representatives on DISC and has helped lead the survey this year. “We‘ve lost a lot of staff and faculty, so this survey is to give people a voice who might not be able to voice that. As an RA, I have noticed how residents are feeling disconnected from campus. So getting that data to support that [claim], will give us something to actually say ‘hey, we need to implement this policy to make sure that people feel included on campus, feel safe on campus, and feel supported.’ Buabeng said. “It‘s kind of finding evidence for claims that we already know, but need that evidence to move forward with [making
Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress, the Multicultural Alliance and the Hedgeman Center hosted the 2021 Diversity Summit on Sunday, November 14. Students who attended heard professors and former student Shona Ramchandari speak on the theme of “addressing and overcoming assimilation.” For student leaders who attended, the Diversity Summit gave insight on how groups have dealt with assimilation. Junior Misha Ram notes that it is normalized for BIPOC to “‘water themselves’ down to meet the criteria of others.” Ram attended because she is involved with the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) which is part of the Multicultural Alliance, who helped host the summit. Ram added that she was excited about a seminar regarding diversity at a predominantly white institution. At the summit, attendees watched a TEDx talk by Shivansh Srivastava titled “the ABC’s of Assimilation.” In his talk, Srivastava spoke of his experiences in the “great melting pot” of America, where he often faced pressure to let go of his culture “in exchange for acceptance within the broader community.” He explains that it was difficult to decide between assimilating and preserving his culture, but has now “truly assimilated by embracing the best of both cultures.” Now, he has a simple message for listeners: “Be tolerant of those who wish to preserve their culture (as well as those who do not).”
see DIVERSITY SUMMIT page 4
see CLIMATE SURVEY page 2
Ever think about student’s owning their work? Page 7.
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ILLUSTRATION | SENA ROSS, ORACLE
Beth Rittler of Hamline Athletics on page 10.
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2 News
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Staff Editorial: Response to hate speech on campus Editorial Staff oracle@hamline.edu
EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION Editor-in-Chief Andrea Lindner Managing Editor Elizabeth Lowe News Editor Anika Besst Business Manager Julien Halabi Multimedia Editor Jacob “Coby” Aloi Web Editor Aidan Stromdahl Opinion Editor Vacant Sports Editor Cathryn Salis A&E Editor Olivia Koski
This semester saw students face several disturbing instances of blatant racism and antisemitism on campus. These events, taking place in classrooms and residence halls, make it evident that not every space is safe for all students. There is no safety on campus until we are all safe. No one should have to fear existing in a space that they were promised to be welcomed into; security and comfort should be requirements, not privileges. The bigotry we saw on campus this semester is not new, and reflects wider societal and systemic issues within our community— be that through administration or our student body. The Oracle stands firmly with Black students, Jewish students and students of all identities who have witnessed and experienced hate speech during their time at Hamline. These actions are a disgusting display of prejudice and should be condemned as such. Hamline’s campus belongs to all of us, and no person should be alienated from the community due to any aspect of their identity. While we hope it is not necessary to do so, the Oracle will continue to cover hate speech related incidents on campus so that
students are aware of the state of their own safety and wellbeing. There is no safety on campus until we are all safe, and we are not all safe while the events we have seen take place continue to happen. Your Editors, Andrea Lindner Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Lowe Managing Editor Anika Besst News Editor
Cathryn Salis Sports Editor Olivia Koski A&E Editor Eliza Hagstrom Variety Editor
Jacob “Coby” Aloi Multimedia Editor
Variety Editor Eliza Hagstrom Copy Editors Lydia Meier Illustrators Abdirahman Ali, Sena Ross Senior Reporters Robin Doyscher, Jack Fischer, Ethan Hermann, Kathryn Robinson, Jilly Wortman Reporters Lydia Meier, Ma Shwe Senior Columnist Emily Brown, Will Nelson Columnists Robin Doyscher, Dean Young Senior Photographers Aidan Stromdahl Photographers Rachel Peterson, Luke Snow, Nathan Steeves Distributor Robin Doyscher Adviser Trevor Maine
POLICIES
T he Oracle has been published by Hamline students since 1888. The paper is funded through a student fee levied by the university’s Student Media Board. We are a public forum. The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty or staff. We do not discriminate in employment. Our mission To cover news, trends, events and entertainment relevant to Hamline undergraduate students. We strive to make our coverage accurately reflect the diverse communities that comprise the student population. Corrections The Oracle welcomes corrections of quotational and factual errors. Please send such commentary to: oracle@hamline.edu and place “Correction” in the subject line. Direct advertising inquiries to oracle@hamline.edu. The Oracle accepts most print and insert requests. 1536 Hewitt Ave. MB 107 St. Paul, MN 55104 oracle@hamline.edu hamlineoracle.com issuu.com/theoracle1888 (651)523-2268
GRAPHIC | SENA ROSS, ORACLE
CLIMATE SURVEY (continued from front) recommendations].” This year the Climate Survey is using incentives and events in the Anderson Center to encourage students to complete the survey. Students are entered into a grand prize drawing to compensate them for their survey response, with the chance to win six different prizes. Some prizes include a $50 Cafe Latte gift card, Minnesota United FC soccer tickets and a Hamline hockey jersey.
Uniquely this year, DISC is using events and incentives at their table in Anderson to encourage responses. On November 9 they hosted a DJ with live music, and had free local catering from Black Sea for anyone who took the survey. “As a student, I’m not going to do anything that does not involve food. That’s why I go to a lot of things. So one thing I suggested was that we needed an incentive for people to just take the survey because like, it’s a long survey. 10 minutes is a long time.” Buabeng said. “So we need something that will bribe people to do it. At first we were just thinking like snacks or candy or stuff
like that, but Rachel Pierce, Kate Meyer and I were like we kind of need something a little more fancy, so that’s how we got Pho Pasteur and Black Sea involved with it.” Students can take the survey and be entered for the grand prize drawing by stopping by the DISC table in Anderson or by visiting TinyUrl.com/HamlineClimate. Buabeng encourages students who are passionate about diversity on campus to come to future DISC events, apply for a seat on the steering committee next year or to contact her to get more information on becoming involved, pbuabeng01@hamline. edu.
News 3
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Why’s everybody talking about Workday? With registration completed for most students, the jury is still out regarding people’s opinion of Workday, Hamline’s new database and system. Anika Besst News Editor abesst01@hamline.edu Many students new and old have registered for their spring semester at Hamline using the much talked about system, Workday. Hamline switched to Workday during the 202021 school year, using it for many purposes such as registration, payments, scheduling and more, with some resources still being found on Piperline, Hamline’s previous system. Hamline students and faculty are in the process of getting comfortable using Workday for registering, still, many have mixed feelings about this system. Essence Boe is a junior who has now used both Workday and Piperline for registration. “It was pretty simple honestly. I think the way Administration talked about it made it way more complicated than it was,” Boe said. Workday has student’s create schedules prior to registration day, Piperline required students to type in the course number (CRN) for classes at the time of registration. Students describe Piperline’s way of registration as “stressful” or as “a race.” As for students with double majors, many have been running into some hiccups. Junior Clare Foy has been
learning to navigate these challenges as she studies neuroscience and psychology. “The first time I registered with Workday went really well. The saved schedule feature was extremely useful. This time around has been terrible. Workday creates problems for double majors,” Foy said. “The registration system only recognizes one of my majors, despite both being listed on workday, so I can’t register for anything that requires enrollment in my other major. I have also run into issues with some of my classes being credited towards Hamline plan, but not major requirements, despite the fact that classes can count towards both requirements for double majors.” One Student Administrative Services (SAS) work study student, Theo Hoang, has dealt extensively with Workday, and finds it offers opportunity. “I think Workday works better, but it… still needs more improvements in some stuff, like regards to payment to your account is still lagging behind Piperlime,” Hoang said. “This is a new system and we’re still experiencing it. I think it has more potential towards the future.” Registrar Gwenn Sherburne has also been navigating Workday as Hamline’s new system. “From the Registration and Records office perspective, the set-up behind the scenes in Workday has some advantages over our old system,” Sherburne wrote in an email sent November 12. “Fall registration in Workday went better than expected for a transition to a brand new system. We learned a lot going through the processes for fall, made a few tweaks, and expect spring registration to [go] smoothly. Graduate registration opened on [November 8] and has been going well.”
Across campus, offices such as the SAS have made tutorials and walkthroughs of how to use Workday. In Hoang’s experience he has found the resources to be helpful. However, he encourages students to contact SAS if they need any assistance. Many students hope Hamline develops an easier way to look for classes as they have found both Workday and the Google Sheet of class offerings are clunky to navigate. Other students hope for more consistency across campus offices. “I’m sure that staff and faculty would be great at helping sort out issues, but my schedule is so packed that I couldn’t possibly fit in a meeting to deal with workday issues. I’m just hoping that the built in systems will work well enough that I can get by,” Foy said. “I think the bones of it are there, but there are a lot of flaws to be hammered out… Workday has really screwed me over, and I’d be willing to bet that a lot of double majors feel the same way.” Many students have faced holds on their account unlike ever before, adding to already existing stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic, class offerings and enrollment and financial planning. “I have financial holds. I always have them. I dislike working with financial aid and I will not be getting any more loans. Hamline seems to want you to rely on loans rather than just working with you,” Boe said. For information on Workday, visit https://www. hamline.edu/its/services/. Registration for the spring semester is currently open and will remain open until February 8, 2022.
ILLUSTRATION | SENA ROSS, ORACLE
4 News
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
DIVERSITY SUMMIT (continued from front)
SOURCE | JULIEN HALABI Among the in-person speakers at the Diversity Summit was Shonda Ramchandari, a former Hamline student and HUSC president. Ramchandari spoke on her experience being an international student at Hamline, and the culture shift of leaving India, which is much more focused on society as a collective, and coming to the US, which is more focused on the individual. Ramchandari’s talk also included interaction with the attendees. She asked student attendees if they ever felt the need to fit in, and most of the room raised their hands. At the end of her talk, she asked everyone how they will combat assimilation in the future, and received responses like “including unheard voices” and “combatting fear.” Mya Severson, a Hamline senior and the HUSC Public Relations chair was one of this year’s attendees, and found the opportunity valuable.
“This event is, and has always been, beneficial for Hamline. My peers at other universities are always impressed that Hamline has an event like this,” Severson said. “Hearing voices from Hamline speak about race and religion is so important to better understand all the walks of life in our community.” HUSC executive officers like Severson are required to attend the event, but she notes that she values it and would have gone regardless of her position. Besides Ramchandari, Hamline professors Nurith Zmora and Samuel Imbo spoke about their experiences. Professor Imbo, the chair of the philosophy department, told attendees about his life journey, immigrating from Kenya to the United States. “I realize that the path I took is bound to be different from that taken by others,” Imbo wrote to the Oracle in an email. “It is only in listening to the differences that
we can begin to see the big picture.” Zmora, a history professor, spoke about the history of antisemitism and her own experience. She spoke about her personal experience to fight back against the antisemitic ideas she’s heard from students’ work during her time at Hamline. “As a person who proudly belongs to an ethnic and national group that has history, language, religion, and culture of its own for the past three thousand years, I find it ridiculous to defend my Jewish identity in the 21st century,” she wrote in an email to the Oracle. Moving forward from the Diversity Summit, Zmora hopes that Hamline continues to address antisemitism. “In the future, we will deal seriously with antisemitism on campus not only when we discover incidents of antisemitism but also through educating the community about their prejudices and false assumptions. The antisemitism I experienced at Hamline came from all parts of the political spectrum, and from all ethnic, religious, and racial groups,” she wrote.
Imbo, in turn, hopes that in the future, events like the Diversity Summits are attended by more students. “We should all go out of our comfort zones once in a while. That is how learning happens,” Imbo said. Students who attended the event believe that the Hamline community has work to do in terms of combatting assimilation. “We have a long ways to go in order to have systems in place to make all people feel supported and welcome,” Severson said. For Ram, she believes that Hamline has a range of diversity in the aspects of race, gender, sexual orientation and more. “I’d want more acknowledgement of other cultures,” she said. “If we (BIPOC) are a selling point we deserve a lot more recognition than what we have been given or what we have to make ourselves.”
SOURCE | JULIEN HALABI These were slides in the Summit presentation. The event took place November 14 and was attended by students, faculty and staff. This year, the event was focused on understanding and overcoming assimilation efforts that are harmful to the preservation of cultural values, practices and languages.
This is the Oracle’s last paper edition of the semester. Check out: https://www.hamlineoracle.com/ for continued coverage on topics such as: - Expedited Program Review - COVID-19 pandemic - Local art and events - Athletics and much more.
5 A&E
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Review: The Electrical Life of Louis Wain The 2021 biographical drama “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain,” directed by Will Sharpe, conveys the life of the highly influential English artist, but is also sympathetic to his mental health struggles. Wain was not only ahead of his time in artistic style, but also in his attitudes about some of our favorite furry friends today. Olivia Koski A&E Editor okoski01@hamline.edu Mental illness, art and cats. These are some of the first things recalled when it comes to explaining the life of Louis Wain. The newly released film “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” takes care to ensure these themes are captured and that the eccentric, but often troubled psyche of Wain is portrayed in all of its complexity. Of course, the film is not an exact retelling; Wain—played by Benedict Cumberbatch— was born in London in 1860, and beyond his long line of artistic works, there is no perfect source to illustrate his 78 years of life. What is known is that Wain was the son of a French mother and a father who traded textiles to support both them and his five younger sisters. The film begins once Wain’s father had already passed and the 20 year old male—who was working as a freelance artist mainly drawing dog portraits—is left as the only candidate to head the household. The narrator, Olivia Coleman—who throughout the film reminds the audience that this society is in fact, outdated— comments on the failure of this patriarchal default, as Wain has a remaining parent and a more capable sister who have no choice but to rely upon him. At first Wain’s life begins to look up, with a happy— although greatly scrutinized—marriage to his sister’s governess Emily Richardson, played by Claire Foy, and a new position as an artist for The Illustrated London News. Unfortunately, Richardson is diagnosed with breast cancer, which she passes from just three years into their marriage. Although entirely devastated, Wain finds comfort in the couple’s black and white cat, Peter, and begins to draw the animal almost exclusively, often in anthropomorphic form, taking part in regular human a c t i v i t i e s. Fo r a Christmas special for the paper in 1886, Wain drew a spread of
150 cats, and his work began to grow a cult following. The real life Wain has received credit for the normalization of cats during his time—who carried a stigma of being hostile to humans and making bad pets. He even served as the chairman of the National Cat Club and was involved with a number of animal charities. However, Wain’s mental health was steadily deteriorating. This is captured in the movie with cinematic shots portraying his assumed point of view; hallucinations of water filling rooms and crowds of people appearing as cats themselves. For a long time, it has been claimed that Wain suffered with schizophrenia, and his artwork has been used in psychology textbooks as a way to show the general progression of the condition—although his earlier works were more so fantastical realism, he went on to experiment with abstract, cubist and even psychedelic styles. However, this timeline has since been disputed, as Wain did not date his works. Some have also suspected that Wain may have had Autism Spectrum Disorder. Whatever the case, Wain would experience intense nightmares and anxious breakdowns, leading his sisters to commit him to a mental hospital in 1924. The first time Wain is institutionalized, the building is shown to be somewhat rundown, and although he expresses sadness at no longer being unable to see much of the world, there are no outright atrocities shown. Following crowdfunding efforts from his fans, Wain is later able to be transferred to a nicer facility in the countryside, that even had cats. The film is detailed in its portrayal of a suffering man, but does not thoroughly delve into the social and systematic oppression individuals with mental disorders and disabilities suffered at the time. Those around Wain most often perceive his socially awkward nature as charming, although he is often financially taken advantage of, due to his failure to copyright his work. The ending is meant to make the audience feel good, with a final scene of Wain creating his art in a gorgeous library with large windows, before roaming away into a vast grassy field outside of the hospital. While it is comforting to think that Wain was able
SOURCE | IMDB to end his life in relative peace, some viewers may be left surprised by the lack of critique regarding the medical establishment at the time. There is relatively little concern towards society’s treatment of the mentally ill Wain and of course almost no acknowledgement of anyone who lacks his privileges as a white man. One of Wain’s younger sister’s Marie, played by Hayley Squires, suffers similar symptoms to him and is shown being driven away in a black cage to an insane asylum. We do not see her character again, but are briefly informed by Coleman that she died some time after being admitted. There are still good reasons to watch this movie. The acting, as expected from multiple A-listers, is fantastic. The setting and cinematography are also beautiful, with many vibrant colors, likely meant to be reflective of Wain’s artwork. But best of all; there are so many cats!
SOURCE | BETHLEM MUSEUM OF THE MIND A collection of undated pieces created by Louis Wain (1860-1939). Although the English artist first started as an illustrator drawing all sorts of animals, he later began to draw cats almost exclusively. The film “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” covers the story of the artist, who is largely credited for the normalization of cats during his time.
A&E 6
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Adele’s 30 proves class comes with growth
SOURCE | SPOTIFY
The highly anticipated return of Adele comes with the release of her new album “30,” which speaks to something within everyone regarding modern relationships. Robin Doyscher Senior Reporter sdoyscher01@hamline.edu I think it’s fairly easy in pop music for stars to have lost this object permanence when they aren’t around. A pop star might disappear for a few years and their fans might stay dedicated whilst the rest of the world just moves on. It makes sense in hindsight—those that stick around and consistently release music are the ones we’ll be focusing on the most. However, one artist who always stayed conspicuous among the many acts that shape our modern airwaves is Adele. Not only did Adele release one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, “21,” which continues to be at the top of the list, but Adele re-ushered in the contemporary folk and soul influences that predecessors such as Amy Winehouse and Alicia Keys had made so relevant. If there’s an artist to thank—or blame, based on your perspective—for the increase in ballads and downtempo pop songs in the 2010s, it’d be Adele. Nowadays, I’m sure most kids listen to Billie Eilish or Lana Del Rey or Lorde for their classic and contemporary fusion needs, but Adele was absolutely a progenitor to some of the movements we see in pop music today. The most notable aspect of Adele’s “30” is the songwriting detailing the painful and messy process of Adele’s divorce and the raw emotions left from being the caretaker of her young son. It’s a very tried and true album theme, as divorce has always been, whether it was Steely Dan’s “The Royal Scam” or Shania Twain’s “Now.” But “30” approaches the subject with Adele’s textbook gravitas and vulnerability. It’s honestly hard to believe Adele is only thirty years-old, because the amount of introspection on this album digs quite deep into her faults and distortions as a human being. It’s a very honest look at where a marriage goes wrong. “Strangers By Nature” serves as a fantastic opening track with Winehouseesque strings backing beautiful vocals, detailing the feeling of a person going from a go-to emotional presence in your life to suddenly not being there. The main single “Easy On Me” shows Adele’s grieving process in the wake of her lost marriage and her ultimately futile attempt to hold on to something that had stopped making her happy. Despite the maturity of “30,” throughout the record Adele stresses the fact that being divorced before her thirties is in fact proof of
her youth and inexperience in the greater scheme of life. In an existential sense, no amount of experience had prepared her for the complexity of having a marriage with so many problems. Tracks like “My Little Love,” “Cry Your Heart Out” and “Oh My God” take the album in a new direction. Adele demonstrates various coping mechanisms for dealing with her life’s upheaval. Feeling lost and blaming others, blaming oneself, losing faith in love, holding onto the past—a large throughline through this album is the lengths we go to hold onto a rotted core of something that once brought us joy. And by the time “I Drink Wine” comes on, you realize that Adele is subtly playing into this depressive “wine mom” image. As the album proceeds the track grows progressively more hopeful and the visceral pain she felt slowly is replaced by a stronger sense of self and a greater appreciation for the ups and downs of life. By the end of “Love Is A Game”—despite a detailed account of self-loathing all over this and earlier songs—Adele resolves to no longer let her divorce become a road map for future relationships, and leaves with a message of self-actualization. We can always allow the worst relationships in our lives to drive us away from seeking connection, but if we do that we may never feel the love and healing of those who actually want us in all our complexities. Adele’s “30” spoke to the inner wine mom divorceé within me, and taught me a lot about personal relationships along the way. With style, grace and a bit of tongue-in-cheek wine mom aestheticism, Adele once again proves why she is at the forefront of her contemporaries.
STAFF PICK OF THE WEEK TOPIC: Pens Dean Young
Opinion Columnist
Pilot G-2 “When it comes to writing, you can never go wrong with a Pilot G-2. Smooth, reliable and no-bleed; they’ve gotten me through hundreds of pages and hours of lectures.”
Opinion 7
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Who owns your work? for their English class and turns it in via Canvas. Their work can now be used in a few different ways. The first way is the professor can use it for their teaching portfolio which is seen by the English department. Now, the entire English department has access to your paper. And then, your professor still has a copy and they can use it as an example for future classes. Then, 30 students can see your work. But, your work still belongs to you, right?
I’m currently working on my Department Honors Project and it’s my life’s work. It would be heartbreaking if someone would publish it under their name.”
Emily Brown Senior Columnist ebrown15@hamline.edu
The ownership of student’s work is way more complicated than we thought. One of my classes had a very interesting discussion a few weeks ago. We talked about who has ownership over a university student’s work. This sounds like a confusing and complex topic and trust me, it is. A gut reaction might be that the students own the work. It’s their work… why in the world wouldn’t the student own their own work? Well, like I said before, it’s a lot more complicated than that. Let’s say that a college student writes a paper
Well, kind of, but not really. The university now has multiple copies of your paper and they have the right to do whatever the hell they want with it. But, it can’t be that bad, right? Well, with the best case scenario, your essay gets buried in an old drive somewhere or under a pile of papers in a professor’s office. Hell, you may even get published if your piece is good enough. But, even that can backfire. If you get published, it might not be under your name. My mom used to work in corporate and one time, she wrote a report and turned it into her boss. He loved it! The only note he had was to take her name off and put his name on before submitting. This happens all the time. People take credit for other
people’s work. We all know that, but once we know the reality and the extent of the whole thing, it becomes a lot more complicated and messed up. My teacher even said that in the past, people have found their papers that they wrote on one of those websites where you can buy papers for classes, sometimes years after it was posted. I don’t think I need to explain why all this is messed up. Students work hard on their work. Not only that, but a lot of us are doing work we are very passionate about. I’m currently working on my Department Honors Project and it’s my life’s work. It would be heartbreaking if someone would publish it under their name. Unfortunately, there isn’t a magical solution for this. But there are some steps you can take. First of all, backups. Have backups of your backups. Keep everything! I know that essay for that Hamline Plan class seems unimportant. Hopefully, it is but just in case, you have copies. You will have proof that you wrote it. Finally, when you graduate, email your Google Drive files to your personal email so you have copies with you in case you need them or something happens.
To whom it may concern Looking for some advice? send Oracle Senior Columnist Will Nelson your questions at:
tinyurl.com/oracledearwill
and you may see it answered in an upcoming issue of The Oracle! ILLUSTRATION | AIDAN STROMDAHL, ORACLE
8 Opinion
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
A sanguine look at our relationships
Dean Young Columnist dyoung04@hamline.edu
A look at how our lives are shaped by people luck. A couple of years ago my mother bought me a book on business leadership: “Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck — Why Some Thrive Despite Them All”. I found the book well-written and informative, able to provide business acumen even to those outside of the world of business and finance (such as myself ). The most thought-provoking section, one that has been on the back of my mind ever since reading, was located on
a single page in the final chapter. A shaded box on page 161 tells off the breakthrough success of a once small biotech company, Amgen. Amgen sprung to tremendous success after the creation of its flagship product, the EPO gene, making billions in the process. The gene is part of a technology used to stimulate blood production, and is truly a lifesaver; used for cancer and other conditions, it has since made its way to the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. While it would be easy to chalk up Amgen’s success to a stellar product—and stellar it is—the 1998 chairman of Amgen, George Rathman, recognized something else at play. In a speech he gave on Amgen’s “defining moment,” he pointed not to a product, but to a person: scientist Fu-Kuen Lin. Mr. Lin came to work for Amgen after seeing a helpwanted ad; little did the HR department know what a stellar find they had in Lin. He treated the project as his own, laboring for hours over every minutiae, working 16-hour days in the lab. One early morning when Amgen’s chairman showed up to work, he noticed some lights had been left on inside. As he walked in the building, he found not an empty lab, but a dedicated Mr. Lin who had spent the night working on the project. In the end, through months of sleepless nights, Fu-Kuen Lin did the once impossible: he cloned the EPO gene. The book made the point that the tremendous success of Amgen came down not to product, but to luck—people luck. I’ve never thought of the concept before reading the book, but it makes perfect sense. Amgen would have no product if it weren’t for the luck of Mr. Lin joining their staff. For all we know, had Lin gone to work for a competitor, Amgen would have not revolutionized
blood production, and might not even exist today. The book recognizes that the best protocols, procedures and products ultimately come from the best people that an organization is lucky enough to have. “People exemplify values, pursue purpose, and achieve big hairy audacious goals. Of all the luck we can get, people luck--the luck of finding the right mentor, partner, teammate or friend--is one of the most important,” the book says. I bring up this topic because it touches on the key sentiment of gratitude surrounding Thanksgiving. In times past I have attempted gratitude for my experiences, possessions or opportunities. But this year, I’m working to appreciate the tremendous people luck in my life; that is, the people I am lucky enough to have around, especially my family. I routinely take it for granted: the people in my life are just the people who happen to be there. But that is precisely the point: they just so happen to be there, outside of any control of our own, but to our luck. It ought to be recognized that the most enduring benefits we receive is not in possessions or place, but people. People have shaped my life choices, career path, even my personality. Through encouragement, support or criticism, it has been the influence of people that has provided the most enduring facets of my life. Why haven’t I thought to be grateful for this before? In a fortuitous way, I find it very appropriate that Mr. Lin’s work was with providing blood. What a fitting metaphor for the life-giving people luck we have.
ILLUSTRATION | ANDREA LINDNER, ORACLE
Word Search 9
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Trees
BIRCH
WILLOW
MAGNOLIA
BANYAN
ASPEN
PINE
SEQUOIA
PALM
OAK
MAPLE
CRAB
SPRUCE
GRAPHIC | ANDREA LINDNER, ORACLE
Sports 10
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Superstar behind the scenes Beth Rittler is an essential part of the Hamline athletics community and yet, few really know her for who she is. Rachel Peterson Guest Reporter rpeterson30@hamline.edu Whenever a Hamline student goes to a home game, they can almost always spot Associate Director for Athletics Beth Rittler in the crowd. “Probably one of my favorite things is getting to watch our student athletes compete. I love to be able to go to the games and hopefully they see that I’m there supporting them,” Rittler said. Rittler has held her title at Hamline for nearly sixteen years. She focuses on the financial management for the Hamline Athletics program, as well as overseeing the swim and tennis programs for men and women. Prior to her position behind the scenes, Rittler was once a student athlete at Hamline. “I was a nontraditional student so I came back [to Hamline] because I missed that college experience,” Rittler said. “I never lived on campus, but I went to school full time. I was a swimmer on the
swim team, but I also worked at least 30 hours a week. Our students now can relate to that kind of thing but I wouldn’t change it for anything.” Hard work is a habit for Rittler, who worked her way up to the position she has now. “It just worked out that I came back as a favor to a friend and worked part time actually out at the front desk of Walker and just helped out there, and that athletic director left and my job grew over time,” Rittler said. Hamline is a soft spot for Rittler who transformed the love of her time as a student athlete into a coaching position on the Hamline swim and dive team in the late 90s. “I mean I just have a major feeling of loyalty and love for this place, the entire institution, but athletics specifically just because I know I had such a good experience and then my family did too,” Rittler said. Having sisters and brothers in law who attended Hamline, as well as finding an amazing coach in Marty Knight, the women’s swim coach from 1973-1990, Rittler was inspired during her time as a student athlete, something she hopes she can pass to current students. “I think they see that I’m committed, I’m here a lot, I try to go to as many home
PHOTO | RACHEL PETERSON, ORACLE Rittler’s favorite place on campus is the pool deck.
PHOTO | RACHEL PETERSON, ORACLE As a former member of the Hamline swim team, Rittler has fond memories here.
events as I can. I definitely want to be that person for them,” Rittler said. Rittler’s impact on student athletes does not go unnoticed, helping her achieve the goal of being a role model for others. Senior Taylor Hopkins, the captain of the women’s tennis team, has had very positive experiences with Rittler. “I absolutely love and admire her. I have had a lot of issues over the past few years with athletics and she’s been a great resource which I’ve been able to go to and talk to,” Hopkins said. “She’s been with our team since my freshman year and she’s one person that I actually feel comfortable reaching out to.” Rittler has made it clear that her door is always open, especially to female athletes like Hopkins who feel that their program is lacking in equitable support systems. “That’s something that we tell all of our students, and if they have something that they need, there are many of us that they can come talk to,” Rittler said. “For sure our female athletes, I’d love to have them come in. It’s an opportunity for me to get to visit with them, whether it’s a problem or just somebody checking in.” With pressure mounting on female athletes, and a lack of gender diversity amongst Hamline coaching staff, Rittler’s
support of female athletes is a welcomed tool of empowerment. “Being a female athlete, there’s a lot [of] higher expectations to be both equally decent at sports and academics which has been a ‘fun’ balance to maintain,” Hopkins said. While 70 percent of head coaching roles at Hamline are filled by men, female athletes are finding it hard to see themselves in administrative roles within athletics, something that Rittler is aware of. “You never want to see turnover in a department, but if we ever have job openings of course we would love to see more females applying,” Rittler said “Many of our student athletes are interested in coaching and moving on, so we need to do a good job of talking with them and helping them with their leadership skills and their growth in coaching or administration.” Rittler’s passion for athletics at Hamline empowers the students around her. With goals of having more diverse representation in place for the future, Hamline athletics will hopefully impart the same positive impact on current Pipers as it did when Rittler was a student.
11 Sports
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Winter (season) is coming The Hamline winter sports teams have started their seasons. After last year with cuts and cancelations, a regular season is welcomed and finally on the schedule. Jilly Wortman Senior Reporter jwortman01@hamline.edu Winter sports are in full swing. The Hamline winter warriors are ready for action. Alongside the athletes, the fans have made their return. “It creates a different level of experience and emotion whether it’s the players, the fans or the refs,” Whitney Colbert, head women’s hockey coach, said. “They give us a boost when we need it.” After many months of anticipation, winter sports
PHOTO | AIDAN STROMDAHL, ORACLE The Pipers hosted the Martin Luther College Knights in Hutton Arena on November 17 and unfortunately lost. total of 42 points. The men’s team also competed in both the St. Catherine University Pentathlon and the Hamline University Invite and scored 35 points in each. The men’s hockey season has progressed to a record of 1–4. They played Saturday, November 13 at Northland College where they fell with a score of 0–1. On Tuesday November 16 the Pipers played Concordia and lost in a high scoring game 2–6. The women’s hockey team has a record of 2–2. Their wins have taken place against Augsburg, (3–1) and the University of Wisconsin Superior (2-1). Women’s Gymnastics will have its first meet on January 7 at University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Both men’s and women’s indoor track seasons kick off on January 23 at Bethel University.
PHOTO | AIDAN STROMDAHL, ORACLE The women’s hockey team has had a great start to their season under new head coach Whitney Colbert. seasons are as close to normal as they have been since 2020. The men’s basketball team has started their season with a 1–2 record. Their season opener was November 10 at the University of Northwestern in which the Pipers fell in a hard-fought battle of 68–69. The Pipers were in the lead until the last two minutes when the Northwesterners had a 6–0 point stretch and sealed the deal with a final bucket in the last 14 seconds of the game. The men’s basketball team’s second game was another nail-biter that ended 63–64 with Luther College taking the win. The men’s team’s first win was on November 17 at Hutton Arena. The game went into overtime against Martin Luther College and had a final score of 81–74. Women’s basketball has started its season with a 1–1 record. Their season opener was also against the University of Northwestern. The Pipers were tied up at the end of the second half at 55 points. Once in overtime, the Pipers lost 62–69. The second game of the women’s season was on November 17 where the Pipers took on the Martin Luther College Knights and came away victorious. The final score of the match was 85–52. Hamline’s swim and dive teams have also made a splash as they start their seasons. Both men’s and women’s teams have competed at two meets so far. They also hosted an alumni meet at the beginning of October. The women’s first meet was the St. Catherine University Pentathlon where the team placed third out of the four teams there. Their second meet was the Hamline University Invite. The women placed third and scored a
For the most updated stats and records, visit hamlineathletics.com
PHOTO | AIDAN STROMDAHL, ORACLE Women’s basketball player number zero Chan’el Anderson-Manning is a junior at Hamline and one of the leading scorers for the team.
Variety 12
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021
HALO’s Momento de Arte Hispanic and Latinx Organizations (HALO) Momento de Arte, Moment of Art in English, created a safe place for Hispanic and Latinx cultural appreciation. Filled with food and art. Eliza Hagstrom Variety Editor ehagstrom01@hamline.edu With finals, registration and cold weather looming, many students are very stressed and burnt out around campus. HALO wanted to provide a space to help students with all of these stressors by hosting a night full of tote bag painting and cultural food in the form of their event “Momento de Arte.”
PHOTO | NATHAN STEEVES, ORACLE Senior Noah Vue (left) and junior Sammy Meverden (right) painting their tote bags and enjoying the food. President and junior Ana Ortiz-Valdez, who is serving her second year as the HALO president, began planning the event last year, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event was postponed until this year. This move allowed for more students to be able to attend the event, and for HALO to provide a wider selection of food and drink for the attendees.
Painting supplies provided by HALO for those attending the event. The event was “identity free flow” themed, allowing students to paint what they felt represented them on their individual tote bags. HALO provided the tote, paints, paintbrushes and stamps for people to use throughout the event, along with foods that represent their cultures being served. The food and drinks included red, raisin and green tamales, creme empanadas, arroz con leche and ponche. Tamales are a mesoamerican dish made of cornbased dough wrapped in a corn husk, the filling can be sweet or savory. Raisin tamales are sweet ones made with pink food dye and raisins. Ponche is a warm fruit punch similar to apple cider but contains more fruit. Ortiz-Valdez expressed that she felt it was important for the event to be a “relaxing night in the cold,” as well as a way for students to escape from the stress of college. HALO is meant to be a safe space for all Hispanic and Latinx students across campus, as well as a way to share and teach their culture to the entire Hamline community. “This year we have a lot of new members and new faces, it’s been really nice to see that,” Ortiz-Valdez said. Other events that HALO has hosted this year include
Students were able to paint on totes provided by HALO at the event.
PHOTO | NATHAN STEEVES, ORACLE
PHOTO | NATHAN STEEVES, ORACLE Totes laid out for those atending the event to paint on the tables. the “Dia de Los Muertos Ofrenda” in Anderson, which was a collaboration between them, Black Student Collective (BSC), Hmong Student Association (HSA) and Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC). Along with a movie night where they watched “The 33.” This was the first year that HALO had their Dia de Los Muertos Ofrenda as a collaboration, and Ortiz-Valdez was really excited to see how other organizations took the idea of the holiday to honor people. She hopes that collaborations such as these can occur again in the future. Anyone and everyone are welcomed at HALO, for more info about them and their events check out HALO’s Instagram @halo_hamline.
PHOTO | NATHAN STEEVES, ORACLE