HAMLINE UNIVERSITY | ST. PAUL, MN | 2.9.22 | VOL. 133 | NO. 9 | HAMLINEORACLE.COM
Vaccine policy: exemptions and discussion A return to campus sees no update to the Hamline vaccine policy, while discussions about safety and religious freedom continue. Lydia Meier News Reporter lmeier05@hamline.edu On January 22, before the beginning of the spring semester, the Hamline campus COVID-19 coordinator Tracey Stoeckel sent an email updating students on Hamline COVID-19 policies, including an update to the mask mandate. The email reminded students of COVID-19 booster eligibility, but did not require students to get boosted. Currently, a COVID-19 vaccine or approved exemption is required for Hamline students and employees, but a booster is simply encouraged. However,
those who are not boosted will be required to quarantine if exposed to a positive COVID-19 case. At the Hamline-hosted booster clinic on February 1, 194 students and employees received a booster dose, Stoeckel told the Oracle. Hamline announced the initial campus vaccine mandate in an email on July 15, 2021. “Mandating the vaccine last Fall was an easy decision to make based on CDC/ MDH guidance,” COVID Consultant Tracey Stoeckel wrote in an email “We wanted to give our students the best opportunity to stay in class in person and felt that mandating the vaccine provided that.” Professor Mark Berkson is the chair of the Hamline Religion Department, and has done research on religious vaccine exemptions in the past, but was not
COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine 20 ml
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ILLUSTRATION | ABDIRAHMAN ALI, ORACLE
Multi-layered masking update Hamline’s latest mask mandate requires multiple layers such as double masking or a KN-95 to be worn. Anika Besst News Editor abesst01@hamline.edu
PHOTO | RACHEL PETERSON, ORACLE With Hamline’s new mask mandate, surgical masks can be worn when layered with other cloth masks.
Celebrate the most iconic duets on page 4. Facebook @TheOracle
Capitalism and femininity examined on page 7.
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The fight against COVID-19 continues as Hamline enters it’s fifth semester impacted by the pandemic. One of the university’s latest decisions to keep COVID-19 at bay is the new mask mandate that was sent in an email to the Hamline community on January 22, 2022. Prior to the change, the policy was that masks of any sort had to be worn indoors. The updated mandate requires that a KN-95 or double mask must be worn. This is in line with the latest CDC
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and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommendations that suggest masking and vaccinations are the two most effective ways to protect against COVID-19. Senior Raina Meyer is a senior and the external co-president of Hamline Undergraduate Student Congress (HUSC) this year. The new mask mandate has helped her feel comfortable with coming back for her final semester. “[The requirement] enables me to be in person and learn the way that I learn best, so I’m really appreciative of that,” Meyer said. “Overall, I’d say that I feel comfortable and a lot less anxious than I have in previous semesters.” The spring semester began during an Omicron variant surge in Minnesota which caused trepidation for members of the Hamline community. With contract tracing still in place in
see MASK CHANGES page 3
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2 News
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
VACCINE
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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 Ollie Koski Variety Editor Eliza Hagstrom Copy Editors Lydia Meier Illustrators Abdirahman Ali, Leo Coughenour, Sena Ross Senior Reporters Robin Doyscher, Jack Fischer, Kathryn Robinson, Jilly Wortman Reporters Ethan Hermann, Lydia Meier, Ma Shwe Senior Columnist Emily Brown, Will Nelson Columnists Robin Doyscher, Dean Young Senior Photographers Aidan Stromdahl Photographers Rachel Peterson, Nathan Steeves Distributor Robin Doyscher Advisers Trevor Maine
POLICIES
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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
involved in the creation of Hamline’s vaccine policy. “You’re not forcing a person to get a vaccine,” he said. “You’re saying, there are consequences to not getting one. Just like if you don’t want to wear a seatbelt, the consequence is you don’t get to drive a car.” Dean of Students Patti Kersten said she believed the Hamline community is supportive of the vaccine policy, but noted that Hamline students can apply for a medical or conscientious exemption. For some individuals, their beliefs prohibit them from taking certain medications or getting vaccinated, Stoeckel said. “Hamline University is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and supportive experience for all and recognizes true and genuine observance of religious practice or moral conviction as it pertains to the practice of immunization,” Kersten said. However, an exemption may be granted in certain situations. “If the individual holds a genuine and sincere belief based on a religious community’s doctrine or stated genuine and sincerely held moral conviction
that is contrary to obtaining the vaccination,” read an email from Kersten explaining the process. Along with this, they must have completed the required paperwork and documentation, which can be found on the immunizations page of the hamline.edu website. Names will be redacted from requests before being reviewed by a committee of university representatives. Kersten declined to state or estimate the number of students who have applied for an exemption, citing privacy reasons. Professor Berkson is a supporter of health exemptions but thinks there should be a high bar for religious exemptions. “A l m o s t e v e r y s i n g l e religious leader of every single religious tradition has said that vaccines are acceptable, permissible, recommended, or an obligation… This includes the pope, who said, ‘it’s an act of love to get a vaccination because you’re caring for others and for yourself,’” he said. Some people object to the vaccine because of the potential use of fetal cell lines in development. Berkson said that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine did use fetal cell lines in early development, as with Tylenol and Pepto Bismol. Berkson explained that
there’s no actual fetal tissue or cells in any COVID-19 vaccine, and Pfizer and Moderna didn’t use fetal cell lines at any stage of development. “I think ultimately a religious exemption case is and should be very hard to make. I’ll say that many of them are actually ideological, political objections taking religious form,” he said. First-year Maddie Urness agrees with the vaccine mandate, and does not know anyone who needs an exemption. “I could go on a whole tangent of how easy it is to get the vaccine,” she said. Carter Viner, a Hamline sophomore and the HUSC E c o n o m i c A f f a i r s C h a i r, personally supports decisions that prioritize campus-wide health and safety and hopes that Hamline continues to adjust policies if the CDC guidelines change. “The vaccines are remarkably safe and effective in reducing hospitalization and deaths, so I strongly encourage everyone to get the vaccine. Hamline should continue to offer on-sight and easy access vaccination sites for all students, faculty and staff,” Viner said.
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Modalities of best fit: Spring Spring semester is again in person sparking conversation around comfort and efficiency level for classrooms in a changing educational environment.
Anika Besst News Editor abesst01@hamline.edu
Lydia Meier News Reporter lmeier05@hamline.edu
The third week of Hamline’s spring semester has gotten underway with a university functioning mostly in-person. Hamline’s fall semester saw an entirely in-person modality, with professors choosing their preferred modality as seen fit. “I’m fortunate that three/fourths of my professors are either online or are chill about accommodations but I have one professor that’s pretty much like you absolutely have to be in-person unless you have COVID. Which sucks,” senior Summer Carleton wrote in an email. “Especially with Omicron being more contagious than other variants you think professors would be more understanding of people not wanting to come to class physically but here we are.” Prior to the beginning of this semester, Hamline updated its mask mandate requiring KN-95s or double masking with cloth and surgical mask. This change influenced many Hamline community members’ comfort level coming back in-person. Hamline has also encouraged people to get the COVID-19 booster if they are able, and requiring them to be vaccinated if they have not yet or to show an approved exemption. “Faculty Counsel talking with the interim provost, when we heard there was a mask mandate, we felt a lot stronger about, kind of, moving forward with allowing in person and if there hadn’t been that mask mandate I think we might have been a bit more hesitant with Omicron,” English Department Chair and professor Mike Reynolds said. “The mask mandate was a real strength.” HyFlex options, where students both in class and joining online
attend class simultaneously, are met with less excitement than they used to be. After working through these modalities in past semesters, some faculty feel it does not capture the class in a way that is always successful due to a class’s specific topic, needs and it’s community. Professor Craig Dokken of the School of Business has kept most classes in-person when it is possible. “It doesn’t work for me, before this class, I should say. Because… my class is strictly lecture…My class is two and half hours long and I do not stand in one place for the entire class period. I have a tendency to wander around the room,” Dokken said. “If I’m not in front of the camera, whoever is watching may very well have difficulty, well, won’t see me. But certainly may have difficulty hearing, so it makes it difficult, I think for my students to get, what they need.” Surrounding institutions have made their own decisions. Macalester started spring online and St. Thomas, mostly in person. Reynolds remembers pandemic planning and discussion at the university level throughout the 2000s and as the world works to tackle COVID-19 for good, he hopes Hamline performs an audit. “I would like to see the university take stock of what we did well, what we didn’t do well and ask all stakeholders about this. Because you know there’ll be another one, so how will we be better prepared for it?” Reynolds said. Many are also considering the long-term impacts COVID-19 will have on mental health and the education system. “What have we learned about what goes on and and how do we get people back in line with teaching learning in a way that makes sense to them,” Reynolds said. “For instance, I’m going to do more hybrid classes, and will create more clear flexibility around attendance forever. That’s just something I’ve learned along the way and I can design a class to do that well…How do we take what we’ve learned and keep it going forward?”
News 3
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
MASK CHANGES
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Public Safety Changes
classroom settings, it has been found that there has been no transmission due to classes, which enables them to reconsider contact-tracing being used for classes and reallocate that resource. “We at Hamline are doing more with contact tracing overall at this point than other institutions. Last semester we found it very difficult to identify and notify possible classroom contacts,” COVID Consultant Tracey Stoeckel wrote in an email. “Happily we did not have a single positive case traced to a classroom exposure. We are feeling certain that with upgraded masking, that effort will no longer be necessary.” A concern of this new mask mandate was the increase in cost. Hamline is working to provide masks for students by supplying professors with masks to distribute and having campus-wide distribution days. The costs for these masks are coming out of the university’s dollars and the overall operation budget. HUSC is in the process of working out an arrangement with the Dean of Students’ office to finance future mask shipments. “We just want to make sure that the community has the resources and have what they need, as well as, have the education of this is what you really should be wearing right now,” Dean of Students Patti Kersten said. “I’m hoping that people felt like we not only put forth a policy but we provided the resources to be able to follow that policy.” HUSC also created a survey for students to complete relating to how they are feeling about COVID-19. The questions were drafted by HUSC members based on their own experiences and what they have heard from their peers. The findings informed HUSC that students value online options in these unpredictable times and are feeling most comfortable with a range of modalities. “We’ve been hearing a lot from students about how when there isn’t an online option that their learning stops… and it’s just being locked out of class entirely when you’re sick or for whatever reason, if you can’t go to class,” Meyer said. “I think the pandemic has really shown us that it’s really important to have additional options for people who could utilize them… That’s part of the reason why we put out the survey. We wanted to see how accessible classes were on campus.” With this new mask policy, Hamline is discussing how and when to schedule another mask distribution day. “I have been here working to mitigate the COVID risk at Hamline since August of 2020. I continue to be impressed with the students and their resilience in making the best of life in a pandemic and their commitment to keeping their friends and neighbors safe,” Stoeckel wrote.
Hamline’s Public Safety Director and COVID-19 Coordinator Melinda Heikkinen had her last day January 31, 2022. Heikkinen had accepted the role of assistant vice president of public safety at a different institution. Heikkinen began at Hamline in 2018. Before Hamline she had been Gustavus’s assistant director of campus safety and did emergency preparedness. Prior to that, she filled that role at Seattle University also where she did training developments and investigations. Her professional career has taken her across the country working different roles of security, during this she also pursued a career with the Army National Guard. Illiana Cantu Delgado is Hamline new Assistant Director of Public Safety and will be serving as Interim Director. Cantu Delgado was Safety and Security Supervisor at Regions Hospital in St. Paul prior to this.
For more developments on this story, check out future issues of the Oracle every Wednesday or our website: hamlineoracle.com
Top: The KN-95 masks often come in wrappers or packages to be thrown away. Middle: Bush Memorial Library adverstises the new policy near the entrance to ensure everyone meets maskingrequirements. Bottom: A variety of hanging masks including a surgical mask, KN-95 and cloth mask.
PHOTOS | RACHEL PETERSON, ORACLE
4 A&E
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Tunes for that lovin’ feelin’ Romantic duets have long been a staple in popular music— many having lasting influence decades after their initial release.
melodrama and gravitas behind the stadium pop hits of the 80’s. Plus, Michael dances in a funny way in the music video—so, bonus.
Robin Doyscher Senior Reporter sdoyscher01@hamline.edu Valentine’s Day is right around the corner for us all, and whether you’re committed, dating, single or “it’s complicated”—music about love is perhaps the most universal form out there. And ever since the advent of music recording, duets are among the most memorable and longlasting songs to remain in our cultural memory. The combined star power of two heavy hitters in music tops charts sells out arenas and fills radio stations across the country. Here are some of the most iconic love songs to listen to whether or not you’re with somebody. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell — “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” At first I considered “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” as the Motown rep for this list—but I feel “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” reaches a level of sentimentality and cheese that’s needed for love songs to work. The background orchestral elements as well as Gaye and Terrell’s exquisite sense for harmonizing and playing off each other’s voices is why these two were such an unstoppable songwriting duo in the late 1960s.
SOURCE | SPOTIFY George Michael & Aretha Franklin — “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” Moving from the swinging sixties to the eighties, it’s important to include a good anthemic power ballad with the hallmarks of the 1980s signature synthpop. George Michael and Aretha Franklin were two massive hitmakers in music— with Michael becoming the best selling musical artist of 1988. This entire duet is a perfect blend of the
SOURCE | SPOTIFY Beyoncé & Jay-Z — “Crazy In Love” If you were into music in the early 2000s, you knew how dominant these two were across the entire industry. While nowadays Bey and Jay are more business moguls, their output from 2002 to 2009 was nothing short of groundbreaking. The stomping drum beat, the iconic horns and Jay’s signature delivery provide a perfect lead-in for Beyoncé’s last verse and chorus. When listening to this song it’s a strong reminder that Beyoncé’s early career would become formative for the types of pop music made today.
SOURCE | SPOTIFY
Sonny & Cher — “I Got You Babe” Sonny Bono and Cher were one of the most talked-about celebrity couples of the 1960s, and it’s easy to see why. Sonny helped steer Cher’s career to incredible success, while Cher’s showmanship helped curate a more palatable image of Sonny. While the two had a notoriously messy marriage (made only slightly less messy by Cher’s extremely tumultuous relationship with Greg Allman that would follow). “I Got You Babe” is one of the best love songs for its admission that even in the roughest times you still have someone beside you to appreciate the little things with. It may not be the most hot and heavy song out there, but it says a lot with very little. The best love songs don’t just remind you of being in love, they allow you to feel the initial passionate spark that drew you and the one you love together in the first place. They allow you to reminisce and feel all the ups and downs of a relationship. So, if you’re looking for a few playlist additions this Valentine’s Day don’t be afraid to dig into the past.
SOURCE | SPOTIFY
A&E 5
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Jersey Boys: rockin’ at the Orpheum The story of singer Frankie Valli and 1960s rock group The Four Seasons comes to life on tour, making a stop in Minneapolis early February.
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Jacob ‘Coby’ Aloi Multimedia Editor jaloi01@hamline.edu When I first saw a production of “Jersey Boys,” I am pretty sure I was too young to appreciate or understand it (I was only 12 at the time). The music was the soundtrack to my parents’ high school years, however, so I have always been familiar with The Four Seasons’ classics including “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” and “Walk Like a Man.” Having seen a version of the show nearly a decade ago, I was already going in with high expectations. While all of them were not exactly met, by the curtain call the show still gives you a warm feeling and sends you home humming the tunes and dancing in your car. “Jersey Boys” is a jukebox musical that tells the story of American rock band The Four Seasons—how they formed, the story behind their greatest hits and eventually why they broke up. Originally opening in 2005, “Jersey Boys” was a smash hit on Broadway, winning the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical. It even spawned a film adaptation directed by Clint Eastwood. The show is still running in New York—albeit having moved Off-Broadway in 2017—and many productions are still running both internationally and throughout the United States. With all the history to its name, my expectations for the touring productions’s performance of “Jersey Boys” last Thursday were high. To begin with praise, the set, designed by Klara Zieglerova, is a truly fantastic design taking inspiration from simplistic scaffolding that is iconic of the New Jersey skyline, that also cleverly incorporates the band pit into the main set piece. Jess Goldstein’s costuming holds up well years later, and the pop art projections by Michael Clark are a welcomed addition to the storytelling.
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PHOTOS | JACOB ‘COBY’ ALOI, ORACLE The Orpheum presented the traveling tour of “Jersey Boys” this month, a musical on the story of rock group The Four Seasons. However, much like the real troubles the Four Seasons faced on the road, not everything is perfect with this production. Marshall Brickman’s script seems to have not aged as well as other elements, despite there seemingly being some changes. The performance I attended also seemed to have some technical difficulties including sound issues and a few of the stage lights malfunctioning midway through the show (although this might have only been caught by me as a lighting designer myself). I will not harp too much on these issues, however, as it was hardly noticeable. What helped the audience forget the technical issues was the stunning performance by the cast. I had always thought that the show had a huge cast, and was genuinely surprised to learn that the over 40 characters we meet in the show are portrayed by only 12 actors, an impressive feat for any show but especially one with as much dancing and vocal difficulty as “Jersey Boys” has. Most notable were the four men who took on the titular roles; Jon Hacker (Frankie Valli), Eric Chambers (Bob Gaurdio), Matt Faucher (Nick Massi) and Devon Goffman (Tommy Devito). They had excellent chemistry on stage that could have only been accomplished by true professionals who have been doing this for a long time. While the show was not as memorable as I expected, it certainly is able to tickle the nostalgic part of your brain if you grew up with the music and leaves you feeling warm inside even if you did not. The last performance of “Jersey Boys” at the Orpheum was Saturday, February 5, and the production will now continue to Eugene, Oregon. For more information on tickets and performances, visit “Jersey Boys” on Tour’s official website, jerseyboysinfo.com. For tickets to other shows coming to the Orpheum, hennepintheatretrust.org.
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6 Opinion
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
The intractable problem of iPhone privacy
Dean Young Columnist dyoung04@hamline.edu
An issue in our pockets. In 2015, the public health department of a Southern California county decided to host a Christmas party for its seventyodd employees. Little did they know this would turn into the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11, and that the aftermath of that fateful day would open conversations regarding data privacy— ones in which we would do well to take part. You may recall the 2015 San Bernardino attack, in which law enforcement managed to recover the shooter’s phone, but fumbled to unlock it. In their haste, they reset the password and reached out to Apple for help in cracking it open. Apple, however, replied that they would not and could not; since the Snowden leaks, Apple had upped their privacy with end-to-end encryption, so secure even Apple was not privy to
the information. Moreover, Apple’s dedication to customers and protection of its reputation would prevent it from even trying to break the code. This sparked a lawsuit between Apple and the FBI and opened up a can of worms regarding the precarious balance between personal privacy and national security. I started looking into this issue during January, and quickly realized the importance of the topic. Normally, I would leave this issue to the legal studies department; however, I became increasingly aware that this is a problem we must all be dealing with. It’s an issue that touches every one of us who has a smartphone—it is an issue we carry in our pockets. As students and citizens, how should we approach this? Clearly, we want to avoid an excess in either direction, that of either diminished privacy or sacrificed safety. Given the precedent for search and seizures in physical spaces, it is not unreasonable to expect the same procedure with iPhones (assuming sufficient grounds as accords with fourth amendment rights). Naturally, then, it was proposed that Apple could create a key that would allow the government access to iPhones of interest for such searches. Though Apple was not able to bypass their endto-end encryption at the time, finding a way in—a ‘backdoor’—would have only taken about 2 to 4 weeks and 6 to 10 Apple employees. With consideration of a government subsidy, it would not seem an unreasonable burden to saddle the tech giant with. Moreover, this would (in theory) lessen the force
of illegal operations nationally, given that the encryption provided by Apple is so secure that many involved in illegal activity favor the iPhone to the traditional burner phone. However, this solution may not be as readily beneficial as we expect— both in terms of personal privacy and national security. As illustrated by the Snowden leaks, any iPhone key held by the government can potentially be leaked, and in the case of an iPhone key, this would also entail the loss of privacy, presumably, to every iPhone. With the increased use of smartphones in all areas, from the management of national infrastructure to information regarding one’s family, the potential of a leak could create a national security issue far, far larger than any security gained by iPhone access. This point was well noted by Apple’s vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi: “Criminals and terrorists who want to infiltrate systems and disrupt sensitive networks may start their attacks through access to just one person’s smartphone”. Some have suggested alternative options, such as Apple maintaining the key and sending requested information to the government, but I leave it to the reader to identify hazards of such a setup. Some might conclude that we are being selfish and prioritizing personal privacy over national security, and the concern is valid. However, we have to ask whether backdoor access to the iPhone will, in fact, be a net gain for national security. Barring the possibility of the aforementioned leak, we would still
have to consider the question poised by scholar Matthias Schulze, “Which bad actor would use a technology that he/she knows the government is using to listen in?”. This could well lead to an “offshoring” of encryption to foreign markets, to use a term from the former Director of NSA Michael Hayden, where US law enforcement would have even less management. What does this mean? There may well be solutions that allow government surveillance of criminal activity in a way that does not come at such a high cost, and these should be sought out. Moreover, we must not forget that iPhones only represent a fraction of the available digital crumb trail that we leave behind. Much data remains unencrypted, and it may be wise for the government to become adept at using this sort of information in its attempt to establish national security. The topic is enormous, difficult, and not at all adequately covered by a single opinion column. It can be approached from various angles: legal precedent, constitutionality, burden on Apple, philosophical principles, moral demands and even the second amendment. Whatever the angle, it is evident that any solution must adequately address both national security and personal privacy in a way that is robust, efficient and safe. Given the prevalence of iPhones and the scope of their use, it is clearly an issue we as students ought to spend some quality time thinking through. We can hope a good solution is found quickly; and in the meantime, we must not forget this issue in our pockets.
On the merits of warm radiators
Will Nelson Senior Columnist wnelson08@hamline.edu
Contending with the crushing realization that life is mostly Every night I sit on the radiator in my kitchen and eat a bowl of cereal. It’s not a conscious decision, I just always end up there– sitting in silence next to the air fryer with my back against the windowsill. One night, I began to feel differently about it. The day before, I had returned from a study abroad trip to Belize. I will not
dwell on the details of the trip– as much as people say they do, nobody really wants to hear about a vacation you have been on. In short, it was a tremendously exciting fifteen day adventure, and suddenly there I was again with my corn flakes, watching my next door neighbor take out the garbage at 10 p.m.. The transition didn’t thrill me. It occurred to me that I would probably be sitting on that radiator every night for the next many months, and I was filled with an overwhelming sense of disappointment. Life is almost entirely comprised of the mundane. We wake up in the morning and decide what outfit to wear. We prepare meals. We go to work and come home from work. We fill our cars with gasoline. We make small talk. We feed our pets and water our gardens. We respond to emails and catch up with friends. Extraordinary things happen, but if you were to break down a lifetime into a pie chart you’d probably find that much more of your time is spent sitting on the toilet than battling venomous snakes. When I think about how I can get the
most out of my brief time here on earth, I tend to focus on those extraordinary things– grand adventures, falling in love, big accomplishments, explosive emotions… But when I think about that pie chart, I start to worry. Can I really justify putting all meaning into a few important moments? Am I really comfortable with the majority of my lifetime being devoid of any real significance? The answer I fall on is no. I want every moment of my life to be significant, even the ones where I’m washing dishes in the sink or scraping ice off my windshield in the morning. So how can we appreciate the mundane? I think a good place to start is by seeing it. For example, I rarely think about walking to class– I think about the readings that I did not do, or the pretty girl with the septum piercing that sits across from me. The act of walking to class may be a mundane one, but it can also be a beautiful moment if I take the effort to see it as one. It’s so appallingly easy to slog your way through a week thinking that on the
weekend you will really get to living. Then Saturday night rolls around and you find yourself in bed with your textbook and an empty bottle of rosé and life seems more banal than ever. It is not a sustainable way to live. But if you can find beauty or meaning in the cup of tea you pour yourself before online lecture, or the icicles forming on the gutter outside, things do not seem quite so bleak. Your world is full of things to love and wonder at. To put it in a less optimistic light; don’t wait for the ‘big’ moments to start appreciating life, because nobody can guarantee that they will come at all. The radiator in my kitchen might not be as exciting as researching whales in the Arctic or meeting my soulmate at a Parisian art gala, but it is something, and as strange as it sounds, I am tremendously grateful for it. Now, every night it reminds me not to see the mundane parts of my life as a means to something larger, but as a collection of beautiful and valuable moments unto themselves.
Opinion 7
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Paying the price–but for what exactly?
Andrea Lindner Editor-in-Chief alindner02@hamline.edu
How capitalism weaponizes femininity for profit. I don’t think I have ever been treated as the smartest person in the room. Or the most experienced. Or the funniest, or the most capable or the most talented. I don’t think it’s because these things have never been true about me, or at least a semblance of the truth, but rather because of my position within the social hierarchy of American society. Womanhood—whatever that means and however it is defined—is weaponized in order to create profit and a social structure in which women are viewed as commodities rather than human beings. But why are capitalism and womanhood so at odds? How do we reconcile this, if at all? For years, for centuries, for forever, women have been treated as lesser than men. And beyond that, women of color, trans women, and women who fit into any identity that has been continuously othered, experience this to an even greater extent. This perpetual issue of objectification carries over into the capitalist system that the US currently has in place, through the infamous ‘pink tax,’ the sale and promotion of products that tell women how they and their bodies should look, and through the profiting of femininity. The ‘pink tax’ is gender based pricing which affects the costs of items targeted at women, as well as necessities such as tampons and pads. On target.com, a bottle of
men’s 2-in-1 Dove brand shampoo and conditioner costs $6.99. Women’s Dove brand shampoo and conditioner come in separate bottles at $6.99 each, meaning the market this product is targeted at is double the cost of the product with a target market of men. Similarly, a women’s basic t-shirt at Target is $5, while a 12 pack of men’s Fruit of the Loom brand t-shirts is $21.99–or about $1.83 each, less than half of the cost of the women’s t-shirt. But it does not stop there. Razors, deodorant, even pens with pink packaging almost always cost more, even though they are the same products as their bluepackaged counterparts. And on top of that there is entirely different issue of the fact that products are gendered at all. What about those who do not fit into the gender binary? What are they ‘supposed’ to buy? In addition to gendered pricing, several states also tax ‘feminine care’ products like tampons and pads– necessities for people who get their period. The simple solution would be to just buy the product marketed for men, but it isn’t always that easy and I shouldn’t have to do that. Women should not have to change to match the expectations of what the capitalist machine believes they should be, which stretches beyond simple products into the actual appearance of women. American marketers have a very specific idea of what a woman should look like: white, slim, tall–but not taller than any man, big chest, big butt—but not too big, tiny waist—but not too tiny because that’s unhealthy, and eurocentric facial features. Even as a woman who in many ways fits the eurocentric standard, I am constantly bogged down by the parts of me that do not. We are stuck in a constant cycle of never being enough, rooted deeply in anti-blackness, colorism, fatphobia, misogyny, and white supremacy. And because no woman fits the beauty standard to a perfect T, we are marketed diet pills, skin lightening creams, hair products, make-up, shapewear, anything that will make women look the way we are taught we are supposed to look. I do not have an answer for why this is the way things are, and it is something that I have asked myself for the past 22 years and will continue to ask myself for the next 60 or so. But I do know that the capitalist market has weaponized the concepts of femininity and womanhood in a way that creates profit, increases insecurity amongst women as well as anyone else who chooses to explore their feminine side, and promotes the hatred of women or anyone who behaves in a ‘woman-like’ manner. Before I am given any other adjective, I am given soft, needy, weak, woman. And the thing is that I am
soft, and oftentimes needy, and I have my moments of weakness, but those are not the things that make me a woman; those are the things that make me a person. Women are pink, and feminine, and soft-spoken, and delicate, but women are also blue, and masculine, and loud, and built like brick walls, and every possible mix of character traits because there is no wrong way to be a woman; there is really no way to be a woman at all. We have to stop pretending that femininity means only weakness and that weakness is bad. Weakness is human, it is necessary, it is not exclusive to women. We have entwined the concept of femininity so deeply with the concept of womanhood, and have convinced ourselves on such a deep, unconscious level that to be woman is to be lesser, that we are robbing young girls, boys and gender non-comforming people of exploring their more feminine attributes. And because we choose to only associate women with femininity, and convince women that they must explore the more feminine aspects of themselves, the for-profit world of feminine items almost exclusively targets and affects women and feminine presenting people. Feminine people must then toe the line of feeding into a system that is profiting off of us while also maintaining the act of expressing femininity. I will continue to buy make-up, jewelry and obscene amounts of clothing because those are the things that make me happy and allow me to express myself, but there is always a nagging in the back of my mind that I am aware of the fact that I am being targeted by a system that does not care about what these things mean to me, only the money it puts in the pocket of wealthy white men. And as a cisgendered, white woman with privilege, I cannot imagine the conflict this causes for women of color, trans women and men and gender non-comforming people who air more on the feminine side of things. To be woman is to be seen as lesser, and to be feminine is to be a means to profit. I do not think capitalism will ever operate in favor and support of women, or in favor and support of anyone who is not a straight, cisgendered, white, hypermasculine man. So what can we do? Is there ever a way in which capitalism can shift to another frame of mind? Or would this system have to be torn down at its roots in order to be changed? All I am sure of is that womanhood does not deserve to be both villainized and weaponized in the way that is, especially since the concept of womanhood is almost undefiniable. There are no traits exclusive to women, we are all just who we are, and that’s all you ever need to be. That is all it is to be a woman; to be a person.
PHOTO | ANDREA LINDNER, ORACLE
Word Search 8
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Valentines Day
KISSES
HUGS
CHOCOLATE
GALENTINES
LOVE
ROSES
FRIENDSHIP
HEARTS
PINK
CANDY
ROMCOMS
GRAPHIC | ANDREA LINDNER AND SENA ROSS, ORACLE
9 Sports
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
The smaller the splash, the greater the success
Courtney Broyles is the first Hamline Women’s Swim and Dive athlete to be named MIAC Athlete of the week in 15 years, now she’s reaching for even more with the NCAA Division III Zone meet. Jilly Wortman Senior Reporter jwortman01@hamline.edu Courtney Broyles is a hop, skip and small splash away from making it to the NCAA Zone diving meet. The Hamline junior has had great success throughout this season with three-meter high hopes to end with a zone qualifying score. As of now, Broyles has scored one of the two scores to make her season prolonged after the MIAC conference meet. Her first zone qualifying score took place on January 15 at St. Olaf College.
“There are 2 ways to qualify for zones, the first way is in the season when you reach the set score, depending on the board, twice. If you qualify at conference, you only need the score once” Broyles said. Her first score earned a MIAC Women’s Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week spot for Broyles. Each week across the whole conference, one athlete is crowned with that title for a seven day period. For Hamline Swim and Dive, this accolade was even bigger. There has not been a women’s swim or dive athlete from Hamline to receive this honor since 2007, Hamline alumni Renee Punyko. Hamline Coach Katy Vandam explains Broyles excellence this season as “her ability and grace off the board,” as “mesmerizing to watch”, whereas Broyles explains the phenomenon as “I just kind of hope it happens, half the time I come out of the water like ‘was that good?’” The success of Broyles has been a long time coming.
PHOTOS | NATHAN STEEVES, ORACLE The Hamline Swim and Dive team hosts many meets at the pool, one of Hamline’s best kept secrets. It is located in the Bush Student center. “My freshman year was a pretty good season for me overall, I learned a lot of new things. Sophomore year was all during COVID so that was kind of a rough spot. We didn’t really have a lot of competitions so we didn’t really have anything to motivate us, so I think coming off of that and wanting to make up for lost time this year,” Broyles said. The season is winding down but the pressure for swimmers and divers is ramping up. There are two more competitions for Broyles to hit her second zone qualification so she can be one step closer to making it to Nationals. “For diving, it goes conference, zones, nationals. It’s different for divers than for swimmers,” Broyles said. Broyles is taking the end of season one dive at a time, her focus is on consistency not making it the next round. “Coming up on the end of this week and next week I have a couple more dives that I want to get and then really work on being consistent, so when I go to conference I don’t have to worry about making it,” Broyles said. It’s an exciting time to be a Hamline Swim and Dive fan. “We are extremely proud and impressed by Courtney this season,” Vadman said. “We can’t wait to see how much further she can push herself!”
GRAPHIC | NATHAN STEEVES, ORACLE Courtney Broyles scored a score of 411.7 on the three meter board, getting the first of two scores necessary to qualify for NCAA zones.
Sports 10
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Out-throwing the distance
Jenneel Rodney of the track and field team was recently honored in a special way by the MIAC, but that does not begin to cover her level of achievement in her sport. Cathryn Salis Sports Editor csalis01@hamline.edu Track and field is not a sport that is scored in the ways that soccer or football is scored. It is based on individual success and breaking records at championships, not one-on-one meets, which is exactly what the Hamline track and field team is all about. Senior Jenneel Rodney was recently honored by the MIAC as the Field Athlete of the Week after her performance at the Carlton Triangular on January 21. However, this recent achievement tells only a portion of the star hammer and discus thrower’s success story at Hamline these past four years. Rodney started her athletic career at Hamline by walking onto the track and field team, but both Rodney and her coach Josh Blaschko had known that she would be there since she toured Hamline as a high school senior. The two met when a track athlete at the time brought Rodney to meet the team and see the facilities. “I talked with her and we clicked right away. She’s got a great sense of humor. And so, yeah, I basically offered her on the spot like, hey, if you want to be here next year, and you want to throw, let’s try it, and she said yes. It was just like, the stars aligned, I guess.” Blaschko said. And the stars had aligned, indeed. Rodney has made great strides to break the record for the hammer throw at Hamline again, which she broke for the first time just last spring. She is also striving to break the discus record during the upcoming outdoor season, which is currently held by Becky Culp at a distance of 47.11 meters. These self–set goals have been a factor of Rodney’s success and do not go unnoticed by her coaches. Vaughn Tackmann, the new head women’s track and field coach, was brought onto the team in October 2021 and already sees Rodney’s potential. “She’s really motivated. She qualified for the nationals outdoors last year, and she has those same goals of qualifying indoors and outdoors this year,” Tackmann said. “She’s working really hard and it’s really paying off.” Tackmann was previously at Carthage College as an assistant coach in their track and field program, working primarily with jumpers, sprinters and hurdlers. He started interacting with Hamline players before he was even officially hired, as some players, including Rodney, were present during his interview. “After meeting with some of the athletes, their motivation and desire to be really good at what they do was something that really stuck out to me,” Tackmann said. “Right away I knew, alright, [Rodney] wants to get after it. She wants to have good things happen,” Tackmann said. Some good things that have happened for Rodney include her record-breaking throw last year during the outdoor season, which set the new record at 53.24 meters. She is anxious to get back outside and get started. “You could ask just about any track and field athlete,
indoor is like the red-headed stepchild of athletics,” Rodney said, in reference to the current indoor track season. Blaschko is also looking forward to seeing what Rodney can achieve in the spring based on her historic performance the previous year. “When we got outside and the meets counted, because we had a MIAC championship and a national championship, she just was stellar. She qualified for the NCAA national meet last year in the hammer throw so that meant that she was top 20 in the country last year,” Blaschko said. The championship meets are some of the most important meets for any track and field athlete, which is one of the most important distinctions between track and most other sports. “Last year we did compete, but we didn’t have a MIAC championship, which in our sport, that’s what matters. When you do football, or you do volleyball or whatever sport, each individual game matters because it goes on your record. But for track and field, we don’t do that. We’re never trying to win any meets except for the conference championship. They’re kind of just practices,” Blaschko said. Because of the casualties of championships due to COVID-19 restrictions in the past couple of years, everyone is feeling especially motivated to do well in the upcoming meets as they finally get a chance to show the community what they can do. “There’s a sense of, not urgency, necessarily, but a sense of wanting to do things the right way,” Tackmann said. “We’ve started out on a really good note, and we’re keeping our eyes forward on what the next thing is, but also enjoying each of the moments that we have each day.” Rodney, her coaches and all her teammates are all hoping to finish the indoor season strong and send some players to nationals. The outdoor season is calling everyone’s name and anticipation is palpable. As Rodney looks to her last chance to become an All-American, her coaches are standing right beside her in support of her endeavors. “She’s very fun to work with. She’s got a good sense of humor. She’s a hard worker. She’s obviously talented. She’s got all the things you need to be successful,” Blaschko said. “I’m very excited to see what she does the rest of the year. Very excited.”
PHOTOS | COURTESY OF HAMLINE ATHLETICS Rodney has competed at Hamline for three seasons and is looking forward to her fourth outdoor competition season.
PHOTO | RACHEL PETERSON, ORACLE Jenneel Rodney proudly sports hard-earned Hamline track and field apparel.
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Variety 11
A loved up event Just in time for Valentine’s day, the New Student Mentors put on a lovely and crafty event to make valentines for loved ones. Kathryn Robinson Senior Reporter krobinson12@hamline.edu New Student Programs put on a crafty Valentine’s Day event for specifically first year students, but it was also open to all students. The event called “Access Hamline: Making Valentines” is one of many events geared for first-year students to gain greater access and understanding of campus. The event took place on February 3 during convo hour. Taleah Alldritt, sophomore NSM and the one in charge of the Access Hamline Valentine event, was there to greet students as they came in. “The whole point of our access Hamline events, we have four of them this year, and two of them are kind of an extended orientation program for new spring semester students because we know how hard it can be for new students, and especially new spring semester students,” Alldritt said. “For this event we wanted it to be very collaborative and open so that new students can meet each other, and we figured since it was so close to Valentine’s Day that it would be a good way for students to meet each other.” The event was very collaborative and allowed attendees to make valentines for their loved ones. There was a table set up with crafts and music to jam to while crafting. The space was very open and inviting and a handful of new students came and were able to meet friends while being creative. Tjessa Arradondo, a second-year student, enjoyed the event.
“I heard about this event through a friend on Instagram and it seemed really cool,” Arradondo said. Even though Arradondo is not a new student, she benefited from the event. “Last year being a first year and not having anything in person was really tough and it was hard to get to know people in online settings,” Arradondo said. “So I thought, hey, I will go to this event and meet some new people.” Because of the constraints of the pandemic this year, but especially the past couple of years, it is not just first year students in need of meeting new people. While these events are geared towards new students, it is open to all. “Our next couple events are targeted on registration, and understanding workday because it can be very confusing. We are also having an event on what CASA [Center for Academic Success and Achievement] is because there are many acronyms associated with college and it’s really hard to know what they all mean and then our last event will be another fun crafting event,” Alldritt said. “Overall they’re targeted to help our new students in the spring get acclimated to campus.” In order to keep up with what Hamline’s New Student Programs office is up to as well as other Access Hamline events, make sure to keep an eye on their Instagram page @hamlinensp.
PHOTO | ELIZA HAGSTROM, ORACLE
A month of “Melanated Magic” The month of February is recognized as Black History month by every United States president since President Gerald Fold in 1976. The United States and Canada chose to celebrate during the month of February because both the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas are in the month of February. Eliza Hagstrom Variety Editor ehagstrom01@hamline.edu With February being Black History Month Hamline’s Black Student Collective (BSC) has a month full of many different events to celebrate Black history and people. The executive board for this organization includes President Jazmin ClausenThomas (junior), Vice President Fatima Menawa (junior), Black History Month Coordinator and Public Relations Chair Alexis Griffin (senior), Treasurer Pearl Buabeng (junior) and Secretary Mohamed Shukri (sophomore). February 1 was the organization’s Black History Month kicks off with a presentation on the history and creation of the event as well as painting supplies for those in attendance to use. President Jazmin Clausen-Thomas and the rest of the board established the theme for this year as “Melanated Magic” and a focus on Black love and representation. Wednesday, February 2 in Anderson 111 Alex and Danyika Leonard spoke as the Black History Month Keynote Speakers. This event had a theme of “loving oneself, black love, and love of community.” They still have many events planned for the rest of the month. Friday, February 11 from 7 - 9 in the Anderson Forum is the Black History Month Culture Expression Art Show featuring local artists. The Sitcom night will feature Black sitcoms “Living single”, “The Jeffersons”, “One On One”, “A Different World” and “Moesha.” Check future issues through Februrary for more Black History Month event coverage. GRAPHIC | COURTESY OF BLACK STUDENT COLLECTIVE
Variety 12
The Oracle | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022
Oracle Valentine’s Playlists Two playlists curated by the Oracle staff members for Valentine’s day no matter what mood you’re in this holiday. Scan the QR code with the camera icon in Spotify’s search feature and you will be taken to the playlist.
ILLUSTRATIONS | SENA ROSS, ORACLE
Black History Month Event Schedule Keynote Speaker: February 2, 6:30 Anderson 111 Cultural Expression Night: February 11, 7 - 9 Anderson Forum Sitcom Night: February 18, 6 - 8:30 GLC 100E Panel of Students: February 24, 6 - 8 Anderson 305 Soul Food Night: February 27, 6 - 7 Klas Third Floor GRAPHIC | COURTESY OF BLACK STUDENT COLLECTIVE
GRAPHIC | ELIZA HAGSTROM, ORACLE