October Print Edition 2018

Tuesday October 30, 2018

Volume 15 Issue 2 Student publication of Corban University

Hilltop News

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@corban_hilltopnews

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What are we doing with the right we have been given?

By Megan Trahan Editor-in-Chief

I

n the young days of our country, voting was a big deal. We fought the Revolutionary War just to get our hands on the possibility of a voice in the government.

Our founding fathers deliberated over the details and extents of the democracy. But the fight for a voice was not over with the creation of the Bill of Rights.

The Constitution outlined that each and every white, land-owning man would be allowed to vote and be involved in the government of this young nation.

Clearly, gaining voting rights for all citizens was yet to come.

Women’s suffrage movements spread across the country as women claimed their right to vote. They played a part in raising their children, and guiding and supporting each and every man, but they had no ability to voice their opinions and choose who should lead them. It was a hard and often times hopeless struggle for these women. But the 19th Amendment was finally added in 1920, bringing women across the United States the right to vote.

While slavery was abolished in 1863, and the 15th Amendment gave African American the right to vote in theory, it was not until over 100 years later that these oppressed people truly were able to voice their opinions in the form of a vote.

We have all heard stories of the hard journey African Americans had to go through to gain their voice. And yet, each step got them closer to the freedom they longed for and deserved.

Student Life event budgets get cut to support staff - pg 5

Understand your options for govenor - pg 6-7

As we look back at the history of the United States, we see a people who valued highly the right to speak their voice into the government of their nation.

Where is that zeal? Where is the realization of the fight our people fought to give us this right?

Nowadays, many are protesting the government by refusing to vote. Others do not vote purely out of indifference.

We understand that the world of politics is harsh and unfriendly. It is hard to look at it and want to jump in, but what will happen if we sit outside the field of government and wish for it to change? It is time to roll up our sleeves and do something about it.

It may seem like we would make no difference with one small vote, but wouldn’t that be a reason to vote? Every vote is another stacked on the side we believe in.

Even when both sides look dreary, isn’t it better to side with one or the other rather than leave it up to everyone but us? If we refuse to voice our opinions, we may be stuck with an outcome we don’t care for.

While voting doesn’t ensure our favorite candidate will succeed, it does help invigorate our living democracy. Exercising this right means more than the outcome of any election.

Voting helps validate the hard fights endured by so many who wanted nothing more than a chance to participate. It would be a shame to opt out of such a privilege and would shame those who fought so hard for us to have it. We all have the right to a voice, the right to share our opinion, a right to vote.

So, what are we doing with it?

Student finds Christ after childhood in cult - pg 8

Jane Austen’s classic comes to life on Corban’s stage - pg 9

2 | Editorial

THE

HILLTOP Student publication of Corban University 5000 Deer Park Dr. SE Salem, OR 97317

Editor-in-Chief Megan Trahan Managing Editor Claire Kasten Photo Editor Michaela Sanderson Staff Writers Obi Abonyi Mio Beard Anna Benjamin Trevor Bond Hannah Brumage Jessica Mccourt David Miller Connor Morton Carol Sotoj Steven Sullivan Columnist Jessica Abbott Guest Writers Brendan Fugere Chiara Elena Romero Travis Schulz Online Editor Jennifer Hutson

The Hilltop | October 30, 2018

Editorial: Loving amid hate talk The confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh has given a harsh light to the ability of all people to be hateful and vindictive.

These attitudes were strewn across all forms of communication: daily life, newspapers, television broadcast, social media.

How do we as Christians address these kinds of scandals? Did we speak words out of civility and state our own opinions without hostility, or were we deaf to Christ’s call to be respectful? Everyone joined in the banter and shared opinions, but it often got out of hand.

Disagreeing with someone shouldn’t result in lashing out.

On our campus, students’ voices were raised to tear down both the nominee and the primary woman bringing the allegations, Christine Blasey Ford.

In the news, people of all political parties expressed biased opinions that would benefit their personal agenda. This was shown in the way politically leaning news stations or newspapers chose their words, photos and quotes.

Both Kavanaugh and Ford received a multitude of hate mail. They even received death threats.

“My family has been destroyed by this, Senator,” Kavanaugh said to Sen. Dianne Feinstein in his sexual assault hearing. “Destroyed.”

Throughout the whole ordeal, the majority of mockery and malice resided in social media. Because the online atmosphere provides a level of anonymity, many people feel comfortable acting more cruelly online than they would in person. Derogatory comments and raging discussion threads are common, especially in such a controversial case as this.

Memes degrading both Ford and Kavanaugh popped up all over social media. Actors and public figures commented on the trial,

Advisers Katrina Delamarter Ellen Kersey

Their mission is to tell true stories that contribute to authentic Christian community at Corban.

Their staff seeks to practice journalism that is true, substantiated, fair and dedicated to Jesus Christ.

Hilltop publications do not represent Corban’s faculty, administration or trustees; rather, they provide a significant student perspective.

Letters are welcomed and will be printed on a first-received basis.

They must include the author’s name and phone number. Letters are subject to editing for space and clarity.

The staff can be reached at hilltopnews@corban.edu.

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The pain of learning how to breathe

Yearbook Editor Maddee Hawken

The Hilltop publications – newspaper, yearbook and website – serve as a student-led forum for the student body.

as well. While some were cordial and well passing off rumors as truth is. The Kavanathought out, many were venomous. ugh and Ford situation negatively affected Even Christians, people who are supposed their personal lives due to the rampant ruto embody Jesus’ love and compassion, left mors about them. They were on display for raging, hateful comments and posted fiery the entire world to judge and mock. rants to their profiles.

We need to be humble when we go about There’s a stark contrast between sharing an accusing someone of wrongdoing. We must opinion and using every tactic imaginable to first remove the log in our own eye. Hebrews degrade someone. Engaging in online debates 5:2 says “he [a high priest] is able to deal isn’t offensive, but it becomes so when exple- gently with those who are ignorant and are tives and rude remarks are sprinkled in the going astray, since he himself is subject to mix. Even if we are careful not to use obscene weakness.” We must, in the same way, deal talk, we can still find ways to use our words with those who stumble with gentleness and to tear down instead of building up. So, are compassion because we are prone to wander we adding to the chaos or ourselves. helping to calm it?

Posting rude comDo not let any “A soft answer turns ments and criticizunwholesome talk come away wrath, but a harsh ing someone else’s word stirs up anger” political views onout of your mouths, (Proverbs 15:1). We all line reflects poorly but only what is helpful know this often-quoted on our maturity and verse. God has told us character. If we want for buidling others up that we need to respond to have a debate on according to thier needs, to everyone with a “soft a social media platanswer.” form, we have opthat it may benefit those We are called to respect tions that produce who listen. each person as we would better responses: ourselves, for each human keep public interEphesians 4:29 actions short and being is made in the image of God. If we look at Kavanaugh or Ford cordial, privately mesas if they were made in the image of God, we sage the people or, if we know them personmight find ourselves treating them with more ally, ask to meet with them so we can further respect. discuss the topic.

Even though it’s cheesy, our obnoxiously Choosing politeness, especially online, can wise parents got it right when they said, “If demonstrate Christ’s love to people. Epheyou don’t have something nice to say, don’t sians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome say anything at all.” While we should speak talk come out of your mouths, but only what our minds, there is a polite way to do so. is helpful for building others up according to We also need to consider spreading truth their needs, that it may benefit those who lisrather than rumors, no matter how aggravat- ten.” Instead of being sucked into the darking a situation might be. Making speculation ness, let’s illuminate the Internet and the or thinking critically isn’t a bad thing, but world with Christ’s graceful light.

By Claire Kasten Managing editor

She couldn’t breathe.

She was under a haunted past that choked her every day.

Moving almost every year cost her every friend she ever had. Pressure to conform to cliques led her to lash out at classmates and eat lunch alone. Bullying hacked away at her usually cheerful soul, and school became a place of trauma – not education.

She was too weird.

Too goofy.

Too “Christian.”

She was constantly a victim of good intentions that had severe, damaging impacts.

Her family was blind to the consequences it had when they placed her in online school. It stripped her of a social life beside the comforting one she found on a computer screen.

Depression was a confusing phenomenon, one that immobilized her. She was once eager to jump out of bed in the morning, but she started to wish that her bed was just another appendage. Seemingly endless pools of joy became stagnant puddles. She found herself hollow-hearted and foul in spirit. Conversations with concerned souls evoked defiant behavior, radically different from her once playful demeanor. Her pain was unexplainable.

She herself did not know what was wrong.

But something was terribly off.

On an especially turbulent day, only the

pounding Oregon downpour outside of their mini-van could have shrouded the obscenities she screamed at her mother. Shocked by her actions, she became achingly aware of her deep sorrow.

She knew she needed to find a solution.

The various churches and youth groups she visited, no matter how staggered her attendance, always claimed that “Jesus was the only answer.”

So, she decided to give Jesus a try.

Her timid prayer and hesitant Scripture reading led her to realize God had an abundance of love and grace for her. The Holy Spirit filled her hollowness. He fought her lingering downheartedness – and He won. He took her by the hand and led her down His path.

She was under the smothering stress college greeted her with.

She thought college would be a fresh start.

Real friends. A clean reputation. New challenges. And it actually was – a very fresh and verdant start.

But, one by one, the stitches containing her tormented sadness tore open. She felt the numbness that she desperately tried to escape bubbling up. She clawed at anything that might distract her, so she surrounded herself with friends and schoolwork. It only added to the panic she felt in her heart. She had never opened up to people outside of her family, but she felt trusting new friends was the only option she had left. A mention of free counseling interested her. Maybe an educated person knew of a way to help.

She was under the difficult discoveries that counseling uncovered.

Counseling did a number on her emotional health. Vulnerability led to processing emotional trauma she never knew she suffered from. She lamented on journal pages to squeeze out all the pus and bacteria from her mind. She sobbed on tissues, shouted at God and stopped doing homework. She struggled to come to terms with the truth for fear of overdramatizing her feelings. But her patient counselor guided her to a place of healing.

And she began to understand herself and her pain. She found answers and clarity.

But, underneath, the hurt still remained.

To refocus her mind on Jesus, she found herself serving at a summer camp. Even more anxiety and drama piled onto her heaping plate. She hid the darkness with big smiles and silly skits. No matter how hard she tried, it came out in deep conversations and stressful situations.

Illustration by Jeslyn Pool

She was back at square one. Just masking her pain and pushing through it. In a moment of despair and panic, she sought refuge in the only One who could deliver her.

“God,” she sobbed. “I cannot do this alone.”

Her Chacos halted on the crunchy gravel path. Ducks floated near the lake’s shore and quacked at one another. Bugs chirped and buzzed in the warm summer air.

“If you care, show up and let me feel You,” she said, as she stretched her arms up toward His painted afternoon sky.

Tears pricked her eyes and her throat tightened. Little, sorrowful tears rolled down her cheeks. A sob escaped from her lips. The wind riffled through the evergreen trees and past her ears.

“Everything will work out perfectly,” He said.

And I could breathe again.

October 30, 2018 | The Hilltop

Campus Voice | 3

Stop making ‘How are you?’ a greeting Jess sayin’

By Chiara Elena Romero Guest Writer

Something is wrong.

These days “How are you?” does not pose a question; it is simply a greeting.

The greeting or question is unintentional, shallow and dull.

Most of the time, individuals do not ask a true “How are you?” because they care how the other person is doing. They ask only because it’s polite – and it’s a cultur-

al phrase.

Day after day, I question who actually wanted to know how I was doing. It upsets me to know that many are unintentional with the phrase. This can unintentionally provoke narcissism. When people do not genuinely want to know how someone is doing, it makes them appear narcissistic, even if that’s not their intention.

I strongly believe the common “How are you?” needs to stop being a greeting and become intentional. “Intentional,” according to Webster’s dictionary is “something done with purpose.”

So, here’s the main question: how can we make stop making “How are you?” a greeting?

It stops being only a greeting when you truly want to know how someone is doing. Everybody faces seasons of sadness and the true questioning of how someone is doing can help them open their emotions -- just what they need

in that moment. It can make someone’s day better and give you a chance to pray together.

After all, Philippians 2:4 reminds us, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests.” We all need to know we matter to each other.

If you are in a rush and see a friend or acquaintance, don’t ask “How are you?” unless you have time to hear the real answer.

A real “How are you?” can lead to a friendship. When I was younger, I promised myself I would intentionally ask someone how they were doing. I did one afternoon after school when I saw a downcast and somber girl sitting in the corner. When I introduced myself to her and asked how she was doing, she told her story of how she endured a stepfather who would beat her and her brother if they did not complete the impossible and never-ending list of chores.

It was fascinating to think even

my simple question led to her telling me her story and led to a friendship. She felt heard.

While our culture wants us to use “How are you?” as a greeting, Christ would want us to authentically pursue the phrase as a real question.

Through genuinely asking ther people how they are doing, we demonstrate Christ’s love through our true intent and action. 1 John 13:34-55 says, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Overall, when we use this true form of “How are you” to show that same love for one another, it can significantly change Corban culture, church culture, and world culture.

reading Plato, as police arrived slip,” Erik said. “As I exited the to inform his family of his dad’s church, I grabbed the coffin with murder. my right hand. It felt much heavi“It was all surreal,” he said to er than before.” me later. “It felt like a haze.”

Outside stood a statue of Christ It felt like a haze for many of carrying His cross. I could see no us in the local community. A difference. week after the funeral, I spoke I realize our choices are much alone with Erik. A joke picture closer than we think. When I of Ricky in his military days watched Erik pick up his family, I hung on the wall in their living was living the choice of letting evroom. A helmet covered Ricky’s erything fall apart. I realized that bald head, and below the picture all my virtues were self-motivatwas “FBI most wanted: $3000 to ed and lies, and I viewed myself bring him home ALIVE!” as a single flake of ash floating “I feel like there are two choic- through a burning universe—a es for me,” Erik said. “I can help single zero. How could I ever asmy family or give into self-pity. pire to something so heroic as It’s like lifting weights on Friday what God called Erik to do? after a long week. You don’t want Peterson states in the same lecto do a heavier ture, “I think set, and you if you said to I realized that all my know if you someone ‘you virtues were selfdo, you can’t wanna have stop.

That’s a meaningful motivated and lies, what it feels life ... everyand I viewed myself like -- taking thing you do responsibility matters,’ that’s as a single flake of for my family: the definition ash floating through once I picked of a meaningthem up, there ful life.” a burning universe — was no going Erik una single zero. back.” derstood the Later, this meaning of would stick in my mind. Being this when, upon hearing of his useful at the funeral and lifting father’s death, his mother colup your family is neither easy nor lapsed, and Erik, kneeling on one morally clear-cut. knee, held her.

“When I was carrying my father Erik began taking responsibilout the church doors, despite hav- ity for everything from family ing practiced several times with finances to taking out the trash, my family, my left hand began to washing dishes and raising quail.

The last time I saw Erik, he was cleaning a gasoline stain from his driveway.

When I hear students talk about what it means to make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ, I usually hear talk of missions or service. To be a Christ follower means to share the gospel from Salem across the globe. God bless the people who can. Unfortunately, many people like me can hardly say three words about God to our friends or family.

For Erik, there was a consequence for believing “everything you do matters.” As Peterson said, “But that means everything! So, you have to carry that with you!”

I realized by the end of that summer that the most heroic, Christ-centered thing Erik could have done was carry his father to the grave and carry his family through life.

Carrying your cross isn’t a singular act: it’s a symbolic life.

“Responsibility is a heavy burden, but we were made to be strong,” Erik said to me once. Later, I remembered the words of a parish priest I had read years ago: “Become Christ in everything you do.”

In fact, becoming Christ is contagious. Watching Erik’s struggle transformed my life from utter meaninglessness to wanting to become something significantly better than I am.

Within six months I lost 20 pounds. That was the beginning.

Everything –really everything– matters

By Travis Schulz Guest Writer

“Get yourself together for Christ’s sake, so when your father dies you can be useful at the funeral!” Jordan B. Peterson said.

I was listening to Peterson, a psychologist well known for addressing the question of how one formulates meaning in life, on YouTube while lying in bed, almost half dead from working two consecutive 15-hour shifts at my warehouse job. In that moment, I was consciously aware of three things: I had two shifts to go, I was 20 pounds heavier than I should be and the funeral for my best friend’s father was days away.

Ricky Best, who was murdered in a Portland metro car in late May 2017, left behind a wife and four children. My best friend Erik, the oldest of the children, was made “man of the family,” while he sat in the living room

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We strive to make the voices of students known.

Send your ideas, photos and writing to hilltopnews@corban.edu.

Jessica Abbott Hilltop Columnist

I bought a Reese’s solely because it was pumpkin-shaped. I’m willing to pay to go somewhere called “The Nightmare Factory.” I will watch a movie that makes me anxiously burrow into a blanket. I’m a slave to the spooks.

But these Halloween scares are based on caricatures and extremes. We love the fun of jack-o-lanterns and ghosts. We enjoy the man-made adrenaline of a clown chasing us down a strobe-light-illuminated hallway. We like watching movies that scare us, knowing the creatures can’t touch us.

October isn’t the time for reality.

No. That’s any other time of the year.

It’s in these four years of school, when most of our income is going toward school – or fast food when avoiding our meal plans – that we are truly paying to live our greatest fears.

Freshman year. The fear of missing out takes hold early on. You overcommit, agreeing to go to every event. But your social life makes your grades slip, but your fear of failure won’t let your GPA fall away like those Armenians say people can from Christ.

Sophomore year. You decide to overcome the paralysis of missing out. You start saying “no,” but then people stop inviting you to things. Doubts devour you as you spiral into yourself, fearing your own inadequacy and insecurities.

Junior year. You’re finally taking classes related to your major. You begin doubting your decision. Is it too late to change majors? Will you have to be here another year, paying another $40,000 for this awful nightmare factory?

Senior year. It’s getting real. Everyone asks you what you’re going to do after you graduate in May. They push you to decide if you’re teaching English overseas, running a small business, being a moral Mark Zuckerberg. You realize you have no control and crumble into your anxieties and fears.

Through it all, there are constant fears.

You fear being alone forever, so you chase people you’re interested in. But you’re terrified of commitment and confrontation, so you avoid anything resembling a DTR. You “fall in love,” (*cough* become madly infatuated *cough*) with someone in Life Science, but your fear of rejection keeps you from making a move. Instead, you watch them start dating someone else then get engaged to them six weeks later.

You’re beginning to think that maybe the Calvinists are right, and maybe God’s plan just doesn’t include you getting married or having a stable job. You question your faith. Maybe you try to curse God, then immediately repent for fear of Him smiting you right then and there.

These fears are real enough, right? I mean, who needs to visit a spooky, foggy cemetery on an October night when you’re already a walking tombstone for financial stability?

I do. Catch me in an abandoned, potentially haunted mental hospital.

4 | News

The Hilltop | October 30, 2018

Criminal charges for former faculty Vance Day dismissed

By Hannah Brumage Hilltop Staff

All criminal charges were dropped on Oct. 23 for Vance Day, former Marion County Judge and former adjunct professor of Political Science at Corban.

On the second day of the trial with jury selection still underway, the State moved to dismiss the charges when an unnamed key witness refused to testify.

Day was being charged with two counts of illegal possession of a firearm and two counts of first-degree official misconduct.

The Supreme Court found that Day twice encouraged or gave permission to a felony DUI defendant, Brian Shehan, to handle a gun in November 2013 and January 2014. The court singled out as "exceptionally serious misconduct" what it said were false claims by Day that he hadn’t remembered that Shehan -- whom he supervised on probation in a veterans’ treatment court -- was a felon. Day and his son visited Shehan at home when he was allowed to handle the weapon.

Shehan’s felony DUI was later reduced to a misdemeanor.

Day’s trial was previously scheduled to begin on April 17, 2018, in Marion County, but Day’s legal team pressed for a change of venue due to potential bias. Shehan was set to testify against Day during the 11-day trial.

Day was previously investigated after refusing to marry same-sex couples, motivated by his religious beliefs. Day insists he never received a specific request to marry a same-sex couple.

Day’s legal team appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States to take the case based on the grounds of religious discrimination, but the appeal was denied.

In early 2016, the Commission on Judicial Fitness and Disability voted unanimously to remove Day from the bench for ethics violations. He was suspended for three years without pay.

Day still faces the Oregon State Bar, which is investigating possibly stripping the 57-year-old of his law license for life, according to The Oregonian.

Since the charges were dropped earlier this month, Day is speaking out more about his rep-

utation as a religious zealot. Though he has received hate mail and consistent backlash for his decisions, he said he has also received consistent support. The majority of the mail he receives now is encouragement, he said.

Additionally, a “Defend Judge Day” campaign has raised nearly $2 million so far, with more than a fourth of that going to Day’s legal expenses, which have reached more than $1.2 million.

Photo by Anna Reed, Statesman Journal On the second day of the trial of former Marion County judge and Corban adjunct professor Vance Day, the State moved to dismiss the charges when an unnamed key witness refused to testify.

New agriculture program takes root next fall while incorporating biblical principles connected to the Agribusiness workplace,” Tim Patterson, a consultant for Corban, said. Next year he will start full time as the Agriculture Program Director.

The agribusiness concentration is currently part of the standard business major. However, students getting the concentration will take specific classes, including Agricultural Economics, Marketing, Sales and Farm and Ranch Management. Six credits of internships in the agricultural community will round out the program of study.

“You can go out there and be the smartest agri-person ever; you can know the soil levels; you can know how long it’s going to take before it’s ready for harvest,” Samuel Twede, a freshman in the program, said. “But that won’t get you anywhere unless you can sell your product.”

Photo by Michaela Sanderson Twede grew up working contract jobs in the local farming

By Connor Morton community with his family and said he enjoys the hard work Hilltop Staff that goes into successful farming.

“I’ve always been intrigued by numbers in a way,” Twede The new Agribusiness program begins next fall, with a con- said. “How do you profit from something? Where do you centration within the business major as a first step to offering make money? Is it in marketing? Is it in retail sales? Where majors in various areas of agriculture. is the money?”

“The Agribusiness degree will teach industry essentials, Twede’s agriculture involvement was determined long ago.

“I have always been involved in agriculture; it wasn’t something I decided,” Twede said. “I was born into it.”

Patterson emphasized the importance of having Christian people like Twede in agriculture.

“The agriculture industry needs godly agribusiness people to influence the world for Christ,” Patterson said. “Imagine the influence on the agriculture world Corban students will be able to have.”

Korbin Cryer, who grew up dairy farming in Idaho, is one of the first Agribusiness students.

“I saw it was a pretty new program,” Cryer said. “I could be a pioneer for this.”

Cryer is in the program to gain management knowledge, as he prepares to take over his family’s eight farms; he needs to learn more about the money side of farming, so a business with 112,000 cows stays stable and profitable.

Some careers the program will prepare students to pursue include working as an agricultural economist, owning and operating an agricultural business, ranch management and farm supplies retailing and wholesaling, among others.

“Our students will be ready to succeed in any career that connects business to the agriculture industry,” Patterson concluded.

BestSemester opens new doors for students with travel bug

By Steven Sullivan Hilltop Staff

Students are traveling to more culturally diverse countries now that Ambex isn’t an option as a program, Sam Pearson, associate director of the Center for Global Engagement, said.

Before, students primarily went with Ambex, a study abroad program in Germany where students traveled around Europe for a semester or participated in other programs like BestSemester in D.C. or Film Studies in L.A. Pearson said they are all great programs, but now peopleare immersing themselves in different cultures at the far reaches of the globe.

This semester alone, students are studying in Uganda, the Middle East, Australia, and Costa Rica through BestSemester. One of these students, Esther Thatcher, is studying in the Middle East, specifically in Jordan.

“I wasn’t planning on studying abroad,” Thatcher said. “I thought it was out of reach, especially for senior year.”

But God had other plans for her, she said.

“I felt strangely drawn to it when I was looking at the options,” Thatcher said. “I started to feel like God might want me there. Plus, I really want to learn Arabic!”

For Karen Howard, the decision was more planned.

“I chose to study in Australia because of its ministry internship, being an intercultural ministry major,” Howard said. “I also chose Australia due to my fascination with their culture and their history.”

Learning in another culture wasn’t something new for Howard.

“I have studied abroad in Germany as well, and I am excited to find how God is viewed and discussed in both countries,” Howard said.

Pearson said this trend to travel out of America to different cultures will continue for the coming years.

“I don’t think the overall applicants to study abroad will increase over the years,” he said. “But I do think applications to BestSemester programs will [increase] since they’re the program [with the most options] now.”

Corban currently offers study abroad through BestSemester in seven different countries with 10 different programs. The two other study abroad programs Corban offers are GO ED with a choice of either Rwanda or Thailand, and Seville with Semester in Spain. But, for the near future, these will likely be the only programs, Pearson said.

“I don’t think they’ll add any new study abroad programs in the coming years just because of the process and how heavily vetted they need to be, and the ones we have now are already solid programs,” Pearson said.

Because most of the BestSemester programs are farther away, more people will go to these diverse countries.

“They have always had great programs, but they have been overlooked in the past because of so much interest in Ambex,” Pearson said, “I’m excited to see what students will learn.”

Photo courtesy of Esther Thatcher Corban students involved in BestSemester’s Middle East studies program.

October 30, 2018| The Hilltop

News | 5

One big step for Leinyuy, one giant leap of faith NEWS BRIEFS

By Obiomachi Abonyi

Three shootings leave 14 dead within one week

Hilltop Staff

(As I chatted with Tsangue Mildred Leinyuy in Corban’s coffee shop, Common Grounds, a Corban staff member came up and asked me if she was my mom. Leinyuy and I exchanged a knowing look, and I restrained my laughter because at the start of the interview I had told her she reminded me of my mother.

Leinyuy is from Cameroon, which happens to be the country that borders my family’s native country of Nigeria.

It was a “Jesus moment” to have had the opportunity to interview Leinyuy and learn about my culture through her and be inspired by her courage to leave the familiar in pursuit of the elusive.--Obiomachi Abonyi) Tsangue Mildred Leinyuy is the first Cameroonian to study at Corban. A practicing counselor and a mother of six, Leinyuy left her home country to “build [her] capacity in the area of counseling, so [she] can help with the needs at home.”

Leinyuy speaks English, French and her native language, Lamnso.

She explained how grateful she is that Corban is continuing a program for training pastors in Cameroon with several Corban professors visiting the country twice a year.

Greg Trull, dean of the School of Ministry, explained that the program started in May 2013 after ITEM (International Training and Equipping Ministries) asked Corban to “consider beginning pastor training.”

“ITEM had been contacted by church leaders in Cameroon, but did not have the teachers to expand there,” Trull said. I have known Mildred since 2011 when I first travelled to Cameroon. The first church where I worshipped there was Hope Baptist Church, pastored by Mildred’s husband Joel.”

Ngoh Joel Leinyuy is the coordinator of the Corban-Cameroon partnership for training and equipping pastors/leaders in sound biblical knowledge, and through this program Leinyuy first came to know about Corban. “I was finding out if they had other trainings apart from training pastors,” she said, “so, when I visited the website, I discovered that they offered counseling, which is really my passion.”

Following one’s passion comes with a cost. Leinyuy had to leave her family behind at a time when socio-economic conflicts are ravaging the area to pursue higher education.

Leinyuy speaks passionately about her fellow anglophones, which is what the English speaking Cameroonians refer to themselves as, and how they are being mistreated, forced to assimilate to the French Cameroonian culture by the French-dominated government.

“English Cameroonians are more like second class citizens in the country,” Leinyuy said.

Though promised equality by their French government, anglophones are given anything but. “We can no longer take it,” she said. “We thought it was just an oversight but it is an intentional way of crumbling the English system...it is intentional.” The situation is violent, Leinyuy explained, “the people (anglophones) went to the streets and

Photo by Obiomachi Abonyi Obiomachi Abonyi and Tsangue Mildred Leinyuy spent time at Leinyuy’s house.

went to the extreme of picking up arms.

Friction from this ongoing crisis and failure to gain a visa in time led to Leinyuy arriving in America at a later date than she planned. Later date or not, Leinyuy was greeted with open arms by Dr. Tim Anderson and his family. Ministry professor Anderson serves is also involved in the pastoral ministry in Cameroon. His wife Barbara is a stay-at-home mother of four children who have all attended Corban at one point in their lives.

Leinyuy’s children range from 6 to 22. She and her husband have nurtured six children over the past few years, three of whom are adopted.

Leinyuy cannot fathom the difficulties she would have faced trying to navigate everyday life on her own. “My host family is really helping me to settle in with little challenges,” she said. I just imagine how difficult it would have been without the Andersons.. Having a family where I just get up and food is ready and everything is at my disposal... they have been really helpful.”

In regards to American food, Leinyuy is growing more familiar with it day by day. She remembers how at first it seemed that all Americans ever ate was bread: “Toast in the morning and hamburgers, bread, bread, bread,” she recalled. “But I’m getting to like it. It’s different (than Cameroonian food), which is good.

Leinyuy has a heart for helping people, and, though at times the odds were stacked against her, she made it to Corban by God’s grace. Presently, she is catching up with the three weeks of class she missed, while also adjusting her lifestyle to a radically different environment.

She is grateful for professors like Mary Aguilera, the director of Clinical Mental Health Counseling. “Coming to school, my professors have been very approachable. They are understanding. They know I came late.”

Leinyuy appreciates the characteristically different education style in the U.S., particularly the focus on experiential learning rather than exam scores.

Departments face massive cuts Student Life maintains staff at expense of programs

By Trevor Bond Hilltop Staff

The massive campus-wide budget reduction will be seen by students and have a massive effect at the usual events and programs funded by Student Life.

Although the university’s budget reduction across the board resulted in consistent layoffs in nearly every department, Student Life prioritized maintaining staff rather than the same caliber of campus events that would have otherwise required them to cut positions under the new financial stress.

For example, the Beach Party’s budget alone was reduced $6,000, according to SAB. “Student Life is more concerned with having the staff that can assist student success than having a full budget for other programs,” Brenda Roth, VP of Student Life, said. “We believe in students growing with people to guide them through their college years, and we’re willing to sacrifice some events in order to do so. The question was ‘How do we best meet students’ needs?’ The people we have on our team are the best way to meet those needs.”

Student Fees (more than $300 a student) manage residence hall programming, commuter programming, ASB, SAB, the Barn,

Campus Safety, the Hilltop Publications, EverFi (AlchoholEdu and Sexual Assault Prevention programs), Spiritual Formation programming and Student Life personnel salaries.

Cameron Kisling, Senior and former SAB member said after finding out about this information, “It makes sense. From what I’ve seen within SAB events, the venue impacts the events, but the community is still there.

The low budget is unfortunate, but so far student leadership seems to be doing really well with a decreased budget.”

Jake DeVries, ASB VP of Community Engagement said, “in our day to day lives, the reduced budget has not made a difference in how we impact the students.” reduced from each Josh Gillis, VP of Marprogram supported by keting and Communicastudent fees tion, agrees believing the budget cuts actually “helps us focus on our mission statement, prioritize resources and cut miscellaneous contingencies.”

Additionally, the university has faced the lowest enrollment in years, and lower enrollStudent Life’s ment means less money. total budget It’s simple: fewer students paying the flat fee supporting the programs means less money allocated to Student Life.

$330

Student Activity Fee for all students

30%

333K

For the 2018-’19 academic year, these program budgets were cut nearly 30 percent, according to Roth.

The Hilltop will continue to report on the budget reductions and how they most impact students. Visit hilltop.corban.edu for future updates.

A caucasian man shot and killed two African-Americans at a Kentucky Kroger store following a failed attempt to enter a black church on Oct. 24 near Louisville, Kentucky.

A man fatally shot 11 people in a synagogue and declared that he wanted “to kill Jews” on Oct. 27 in Pittsburgh.

A teenager fatally shot a schoolmate during a fight before classes began at Butler High School in Matthew, North Carolina.

“Dealing with stress” counseling group begins for Mondays A counseling group centered around stress, coping skills and resilience started yesterday and will be available to students every Monday at 4 p.m. The group will meet in the Corban Counseling Center in Davidson Hall.

The group plans to tackle issues related to stress that students are dealing with.

Topics covered could range anywhere from family dynamics, relationships, finances, identity, or anything else causing stress in a student’s life.

No signup is required. For more information, students can email ShannonW@ corban.edu or JamesF@corban.edu.

ASB plans to change name to SGA The Associated Student Body plans to change their name to the Student Government Association, motivated by the results of a survey question at the end of the student senate voting ballot that ran from Sept. 19-25.

Now, “ASB is working on the logistics of a name change with all the rebranding that implies,” Aric Wood, ASB executive vice present, said.

Jake DeVries, vice president for community engagement, said the change was brought up in the first place because “ASB is not very descriptive.”

The change in name to SGA will help clarify their role and will also decrease confusion from SAB, another student organization.

No survivors yet in Indonesian airliner rash carrying 189 people After retrieving six bodies from the sea where an Indonesian passenger plane crashed near Jakarta Oct. 29, search and rescue officials say they fear there will be no survivors.

The plane’s flight to Pangkal Pinang was supposed to only take one hour, but 13 minutes into the flight, authorities lost contact.

The cause of the crash remains unclear and is reported to be the first major accident involving a Boeing 737 Max - an updated version of the 737.

6|

By Brendan Fugere Guest Writer Katherine Brown, known as Kate, is currently serving as the 38th Governor of Oregon.

She is running for reelection this fall.

“I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless. I went to law school because I wanted the tools to achieve justice and equality in this world. So, you can see what my path was,” Brown said.

After earning her Bachelor’s in Environmental Conservation with a certificate in Women’s Studies from the University of Colorado, Brown continued to law school at Lewis and Clark College.

“I went to law school because I wanted the tools to achieve justice and equality in this world,” she said.

Soon, Brown found that working as a lawyer was insufficient. She could fight to uphold the law, but she wanted to change and make laws entirely. There were many things she wanted to change.

“As a young lawyer, I was paid less than the male lawyer in the office next to me,” she said. “I also had the experience of being in a relationship with a woman at the time, so I had the experience of going to work every single day afraid I was going to lose my job.

So, when I had an opportunity to fight discrimination and change the law, I took the opportunity.”

She was appointed to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1991 and was elected for a second term. In 1996, she was elected to the Oregon State Senate. Two years later, she was made Senate Democratic Leader, and, in 2004, she became the first woman to serve as Oregon’s Senate Majority Leader.

In 2008, she was elected Secretary of State where she focused on balancing the state budget and reforming the voting system.

In 2015, Brown stepped into the role of governor after then Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned amid a scandal involving misuse of campaign funds. She was re-elected in 2016, and is on the ballot again this fall.

This time around, her priorities are three-fold.

“Number one: working to make sure that we improve educational outcomes so every student graduates from high school with their plan for the future and the tools to compete in a global economy,” she said. “The second piece for me is making sure every Oregonian has access to health care, especially our children. And the third priority is making sure there are good-paying jobs in every single community around the state.”

She also has plans to help college students specifically.

“We crafted the Oregon Promise Program that is a two-year, essentially-free tuition for Oregon high-school students and we want to expand that,” she said. “And I want

to expand access for the opportunity grants and I want to fight to keep tuition increases down. The goal is to make sure every Oregon student can attend an Oregon university or college.”

However, many Oregonians believe they have not seen evidence of Brown’s accomplishments so far.

“In part, Brown’s critics say that’s because the low-key incumbent has yet to prove she’s evolved into the leader the state needs right now,” wrote Lauren Drake in an OPB article entitled “Can Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Sell Voters On Her Vision For The State?”

Brown responded to that comment, saying, “Do you want a list of all the groundPhoto courtesy of Kate Brown’s official website breaking legislation that we’ve passed?”

She said she’s proud of the extended list of the things she has done in office, including work on automatic voter registration, advancing “Coal to Clean” legislation, increasing the minimum wage, creating Oregon Saves programs, expanding women’s reproductive reform, increasing LGBTQ rights, expanding public transit, implementing transparency reform, healthcare reform, immigration reform, maintaining sanctuary state status and more.

“You can get a lot of good stuff done if you don’t care who gets the credit, and that is exactly what I’ve done,” she said.

Elections are often a stressful and strenuous season for all politicians, including Kate Brown. However, she says it is her vision that keeps her going in the face of these obstacles.

“I absolutely believe I can make a difference,” she said. “I believe that by working together we can build a better Oregon for everyone.”

This isn’t the only thing keeping her going. Her favorite song, “Brave” by Sara Bareilles, helps her get motivated.

“I like the music and the tune, and it gives me a little bit of a kick in the seat of my pants when I need it,” she said with a laugh.

Finally, Brown had some advice for young college students who had the same vision as hers: to make Oregon a better place.

“Number one: learn really good public speaking skills,” she said. “Number two: follow your passion. Number three: be yourself.”

Kate Brown Sancuary Law

Healthcare

Brown implemented the “Cover All Kids” program, which “extends coverage under the Oregon Health Plan to an estimated 15,000 children in the country without documentation and said she opposes both attempts by the federal government to cut state Medicaid funding.

Taxes

Brown supported Measure 97, the 2016 initiative that asked voters to decide whether or not to impose a 2.5 percent gross receipts tax on C corporations, any corporation that is taxed separate from its owners, that have Oregon sales exceeding $25 million.

Voting guide information gathered and written by Mio Beard, Staff Writer For additional information on the governor candidates, visit thier websites knutebuehler.com & katebrownfororegon.com.

Brown said she is against the Measure 105 initiative to appeal Oregon’s sanctuary state law.

Gay Marriage

Brown is Oregon’s first openly bisexual governor and fights for equality for the LGBTQ community.

Education

Brown hopes to allocate funds toward initiatives for students and families facing financial barriers.

Brown is focusing on expanding pre-school options while downsizing classroom sizes. She anticipates investing $300 million in career tech courses and the High School Success Funds.

She wants to offer more scholarships for ethnically and linguistically diverse teaching candidates.

Abortion Rights

Brown is pro-abortion rights.

Homelessness

Brown wants to increase the developing units of affordable owner and rental housing; raise $50 million for Emergency Housing Assistance and the State Homeless Assistance Program; use bonding to acquire or preserve affordable housing options; provide rental assistance to families.

|7 CORBAN RESPONDS:

POLL RESULTS: 91% are registered to vote 9% are not registered to vote

Hilltop asked students if they are registed to vote via a Facebook poll.

Healthcare

Buehler voted against Brown’s “Cover All Kids” program due to the “inability to properly” fund existing programs and also said he opposes both attempts by the federal government to cut state Medicaid funding.

Education

Buehler wants to reform the state retirement system and redirect money back into schools. He proposes a 15 percent school funding increase on the next K-12 budgets. Intent on setting new goals for English Language Learners, Buehler wants to hire more teachers and hopes to fully fund career education via Measure 98.

Taxes

Buehler “opposes any gross receipts tax.”

Homelessness

Buehler operates around a goal of ending unsheltered homelessness in the state by 2023: creating temporary and supportive-housing bed, building 20,000 new housing units for lower and middle income individuals and families; providing $50 million in direct rental assistance; dedicating more funds to “street-level” mental health treatment and enhancing job training programs to end the cycle of poverty that leads to homelessness.

Gay Marriage

Sancuary Law

Buehler wants to undo Oregon’s 31-yearold sanctuary state law. Buehler said he supports the central intent of the law and that local law enforcement shouldn’t double as federal immigration officers.

Abortion Rights

Buehler is pro-abortion rights. Abortionrights activists do not fully agree with Buehler’s “pro-choice” labels, as he voted against House Bill 3391 requiring “insurance companies to cover abortions and reproductive health services at no cost to the patient.”

Unlike many Republican platforms, Buehler also supports the LGBTQ community.

Knute Buehler

By Brendan Fugere Guest Writer Husband, father, businessman, surgeon, politician and fan of Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, and the Eagles, Knute Buehler is the Republican candidate for governor of Oregon, running against incumbent Kate Brown.

Buehler is a native Oregonian, who earned degrees in history and microbiology at Oregon State University. After studying philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University, he earned a medical degree from John Hopkins Medical School. He is now an orthopedic surgeon, businessman and politician, living with his wife and two children in Bend, Oregon.

While it was not always Buehler’s plan to enter politics, he said his wife was his main encourager.

“Several years ago, she told me I either needed to stop complaining about all the problems that have developed in Oregon or stand up and do something about them,” he said.

“I’m not very good at keeping my mouth quiet, so when the opportunity presented itself, I ran [for office].”

His current race for governor is not the first time he has run against Kate Brown. In fact, his first run for office was for Secretary of State of Oregon in 2012, while Brown was an incumbent. He lost with 43 percent of the vote to Brown’s 51 percent. He was later elected in 2014 to represent his district in the Oregon House of Representatives.

He said he’s decided to run for governor for the same reasons he entered politics: he sees problems, and he has ideas to fix them.

“After being in Salem for the past four years and having a front row seat to the mismanagement and seeing all the problems that Gov. Brown has avoided, ignored and made worse, it was the time to run for governor,” he said.

The biggest problem, in Buehler’s view, is the state’s education system.

“My top priority will be to rescue our students, teachers and public schools from the classroom funding and graduation crisis that have gone on far too long,” Buehler said.

“The single biggest failure of Gov. Brown is her indifference to fixing our public schools. . . . As governor, I’ll lead Oregon schools from the bottom five to the top five in five years by fixing Oregon’s broken pension system, increasing funding for our classrooms, and making targeted investments in proven programs – such as CTE/STEM and third grade reading.”

He also has plans to improve college education specifically.

“First, fixing Oregon’s broken pension system will free up money to invest in our university system that can be used to build new programs and drive down the cost of ob-

taining a degree,” he said. “Next, we need to help kids in high school start earning college credit. Not only does this make college more achievable and affordable, but it also increases the chances they will graduate high school as well. Finally, we need to recognize that not all students are college-bound, and we need to encourage and invest in alternative pathways – workforce training, CTE, and certificates.”

However, some people, including members of his base and Gov. Brown herself, have criticized Buehler for what they view as “flip-flopping” on issues.

“I have done what few people do in politics today - speak my mind and take on powerful interests in my own party to do what’s right for Oregon,” said Buehler in response Photo courtesy of Herald and News to negative comments.

Buehler has a history of being politically moderate. In 1992, he worked on independent candidate Ross Perot’s presidential campaign. He has continued by supporting renewable energy, supporting gun safety laws, being pro-choice and opposing Donald Trump for president, all while remaining a Republican.

“As an independent thinking, reform-minded policymaker, I look beyond the narrow labels that too often define politics today,” Buehler said. “I lead with an open mind, compassionate heart and thoughtful voice. To me, this does not show inconsistencies, but rather courage and leadership.”

Buehler is confident in his campaign, despite running in a state that has not elected a Republican governor since 1987.

“We all have ups and downs in our lives,” he said. “Success comes to those who persevere, and failure is only an opportunity to learn and grow. That’s the secret to my successes — never give up and keep chipping away. If I reach a roadblock, I take a step back, look at the situation and try another route.”

Buehler considers this the key to his success and his continued hope for success in the future.

“My father taught me that if you work hard, play by the rules and get a good education, then the sky is the limit on what you can achieve,” he said.

8 | Feature

October 30, 2018 | The Hilltop

Student finds Christ after childhood in cult

By Claire Kasten Managing Editor

Kinley Hickok hates hymns.

It’s not that she dislikes old English. Nor is it her hatred for singing. In fact, the hymns aren’t even the problem.

It’s because she grew up in a pseudo-Christian cult called the Two-by-Twos in Anchorage, Alaska.

Hickok’s past continues to haunt her in the form of doubt, but she refuses to let it define her. Now, Hickok, a pre-counseling and intercultural studies major, spends time developing rolls of film showcasing her talent in photography, collecting an assortment of odd ceramic and enamel coffee mugs and mentoring a hall of crazy college-aged women.

She found Christ, but not without difficulties. In her black, ripped high-waisted skinny jeans and pastel high-top sneakers, one might not guess her affiliation with the strict cult as a child.

The cult had many strange traditions, ones Kinley has now let go of.

Just as Christians have Sunday morning church services, the Two-by-Two’s have Sunday afternoon “gospel meetings,” which were mandatory. Quietly, people would arrive and sit in their chairs, reading their Bibles. Hymns, the latest ones from the 1800s, would signal the beginning of the service.

Hickok now has “an aversion to hymns,” she said.

A “worker,” the highest ranking and holiest member of the cult, would speak and smother the congregation with ways they could be better followers.

The workers feel they are called by God to travel “two by two,” which is where the cult gets its name. They feel compelled to sell all their possessions and stay in cult members’ houses every three days.

The hosts are required to be hospitable, because of the verse commonly taken out of context: “You never know when you might be hosting angels,” Hickok explained, as she sarcastically batted her lashes, displaying disgust for this specific element of the cult.

“I call it a ‘pseudo-Christian cult’ because they read the Bible and do a lot of Christian things,” Hickok said. “If you were to walk into one of their services, you would assume they’re just very conservative. But, after listening to their messages more, you would realize they’re not reading the whole Bible.”

One major belief of the Two-by-Two’s that goes against the Christian faith is seeing Jesus as just a man – not fully God, but fully human.

“If Jesus wasn’t God, then why does He matter?” Hickok asked. “There is no salvation - no real sacrifice. If He was just a good dude who died, then why don’t we get salvation from all the other good dudes who died?”

Manipulation of the followers and of the Bible was common.

“If you aren’t following exactly what they tell you to do, then you’re going to hell,” she said.

Salvation was something to be earned, which visibly disturbed Hickok.

“If you miss a meeting, your salvation is on the line. I didn’t want to live like that. It’s all works-based,” she said, as she furrowed her brows.

Fortunately for Hickok, her age prevented her from understanding the darker side of the cult.

“There’s a lot of stuff my mom experienced that I didn’t,” she said.

Hickok’s mother began to realize the manipulation of Scripture and delved into the Bible for herself.

“When my mom looked at the entire Bible, she confronted my dad and asked, ‘If it was a Sunday and I was dying, would you choose to visit me or go to a meeting?’ And my dad said, ‘Oh, Kylee, I wouldn’t put you above my salvation.’”

Rumors of molestation plagued her mother’s mind. Hickok and her siblings knew not to enter the rooms of the workers who visited, due to their mother’s stern warnings.

“My mom was super careful. She would make sure they stayed on a separate floor than us kids,” she said. “My mom would say, ‘Don’t go in their rooms. They’re our guests.’ But later I realized her motive behind that.”

Even though inappropriate and deceitful behavior happened behind closed doors, the cult refused to acknowledge it.

“A normal Christian church would fully embrace that as a hardship that needs to be discussed and gone through together,” Hickok said. “In cult-world, if something like that happens, they sweep it under the rug.”

Hickok was simultaneously attending the Two-by-Two meetings and enrolled in a Christian private school as she grew up. In both settings, baptism was a symbolic act in both the cult and her Christian school, so Hickok desired to display her faith, which meant she had to “profess” first.

Hickok said, “I remember having a conversation with a worker and my dad and told them I wanted to profess.”

Professing gives a person a foothold in the hierarchy of the cult. But the leaders did not feel Kinley looked the part and refused to let her profess.

“I would wear knee-length skirts and, God forbid, eyeliner,” Hickok said mockingly as she rolled her eyes. “I was, in all sense of the word, a rebel,” she said. “Thank the Lord Almighty that I did not profess.”

Hickok’s older brother and friends went to a Christian youth group at a local church, so, when Hickok entered middle school, she began attending as well.

“When I started going to youth group, I was actually presented with the gospel in a real way,” she said.

Hickok’s eyes lit up and her voice filled with passion as she described her new-found faith.

“I started to think, ‘Jesus is the best! This is real life, not just something I’m learning as history or something people drone on about,” she said. “This is real and applicable.’”

Although she found Christ, Hickok struggled deeply with

Photo courtesy of Kinley Hickok Kinley Hickok found Christ as a teen after years of learning false doctrine in the “Two-by-Two” religion.

doubt and confusion. She became so consumed that she needed something from God, showing His presence in her life.

“My doubt was a huge monster that I couldn’t shake. I challenged God, and, yikes, I don’t recommend that!” Hickok said.

On a mission trip to Russia, God prevailed and showed Hickok His power. After an experience with spiritual warfare, her faith became real, “from nothing to a mustard seed,” she said.

To commemorate that moment in her faith, Hickok has a tattoo of the date “June 12, 2015” in Roman numerals on her upper left arm.

“Every time I look at it, it reminds me that God is real and present,” Hickok said, as she smiled and gently grazed the black ink with her fingers.

She has surrendered her life to the Lord and has found joy in pursuing a relationship with the true God, not the god of the Two-by-Twos.

“If what I’m pursuing isn’t for the glory of God and Christ isn’t the center, then it doesn’t matter,” Hickok said. “Compared to Christ, it’s nothing. That’s where my faith is rooted.”

As a person who struggles with doubt, Hickok is passionate about sharing her faith transition and being vulnerable about the doubt she has dealt with.

“I want to continue the conversation of doubt and small faith,” Hickok said. “I am so willing to answer questions about these topics and even my story if people have them.”

(Hickok can be contacted at kinleyhickok@corban.edu.)

Porter prepares to play professional, practices with the pros

Photo courtesy of Corban Athletics Gabe Porter has found passion in playing professional basketball.

By Steven Sullivan Hilltop Staff

Corban basketball player Gabe Porter played 3-on-3 at the 2012 Hoopfest in Spokane, Washington, with Kevin Durant, player for the Golden State Warriors, keeping score. And he was just shy of taking the championship.

Porter, now a senior exercise science major, hopes to and is on track to play basketball professionally.

What he didn’t know that day was someone else was watching him. Taleed Ukada, a man

affiliated with The Process Basketball, an organization designed to make young players professional, approached Porter after the game.

“I like how you play,” Ukada said. “Let me introduce you to my man, Tremaine Dalton.”

From that point, Dalton, a professional basketball player signed by Adidas and the founder of The Process Basketball, began his journey with Porter. Porter has since played against and trained with top-level athletes in Paris and Marseilles, France; Berlin and Cologne, Germany; and London, England. He played against top-level Estonians, Sam Jones from the University of Pennsylvania, and crushed a G-league (the official minor league of the NBA) player 1-on-1. He met one of the Cleveland Cavalliers coaches and the Phoenix Suns’ ambassador.

This is his last year playing college basketball and his first year at Corban as a senior. It’s also his contract year, the year where he’ll find out if he gets a contract to play professional basketball.

Porter has come a long way from being “pushed around” as a child playing basketball starting at age 7 against his three brothers and their friends, to being, in Porter’s opinion, “pretty bad” in high school with an average of 15 points scored per game. He won the 2017 NWAC Men’s Basketball Title for the first time in 38 years in Walla Walla Community College’s history, played at Montana State University-Northern, and is now trained by professional athletes. The reason he was able to come so

far, Porter said, was especially because of his coach, Jeff Reinland at WWCC. “He [Reinland] believed in me when no one else did,” Porter said, “He would look at me and tell me, ‘Shoot the ball! Dominate! Do what you need to do.’ And to have a coach that believes in you is everything. He brought the greatness out of me, and he was like a father.”

Reinland also was a college basketball player. He lost in the championship round at the community college level against Bellevue Community College, the same team that Porter and WWCC’s team beat 38 years later to win the championship.

“With Reinland as coach, it was like redemption,” Porter said. “To win that was probably the most significant thing in my life when it comes to basketball, and to win that for him.

I mean you walk in that gym and it’s just like, I did this.”

Reinland and Porter still talk to this day.

Reinland did not see their victory any differently.

“Gabe played a major role in our run to the title and was a true leader by example for our program,” Reinland said. “He is the hardest working and most dedicated basketball player I have coached in my 34 years as a Head Basketball Coach; nobody can outwork Gabe.”

Fast forward to today and Porter still brings that passion and hard work to his teammates.

“Gabe brings experience and competitiveness to our team,” Joel Johnson, senior Corban basketball player, said. “He’s had success

at both of his past schools and that should translate over to our team where we have a lot of new guys. He’s also one of the most competitive guys I’ve played with. He’s confident, hates losing, and brings some fire to the team.”

Porter plans to do professional basketball for a couple of years and then move on to personal training for high school kids and coaching at the college level.

“I already have a lot of clients that I’ve built up,” Porter said. “And that’s really what I love to do is to be with those guys and teach them the game and be a coach after I’m done.”

Porter’s passion for teaching others basketball and knowing there’s people who want him to succeed motivates him, Porter said. But he also wants to get back to being able to play for himself.

“I think I played my best basketball when I was at the community college level, because I was playing for myself,” Porter said. “I think I need to get back to that point of playing for me and no one else. That’s the challenge for me right now is playing my game again.”

Porter chooses not to worry, and he says those looking to play basketball professionally should do the same.

“Just have fun, work hard,” Porter said. “If the time and opportunity comes, then it’s for you.

Don’t stress about it. Follow God’s path and let Him figure out what your path is, instead of trying to force everything. You go through things for a reason. So I would tell college players, high school players, kids, be present now.”

October 30, 2018 | The Hilltop

Entertainment| 9

AusTEN out of TEN: Fall play begins Nov. 8

By Anna Benjamin Hilltop Staff

“I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way.” ~ Jane Austen, “Sense and Sensibility” “Sense and Sensibility,” Corban’s fall drama production, tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, as they come of age in 19th century England. The play’s script is based primarily on the novel and its themes as Austen intended them.

But why choose “Sense and Sensibility” in the first place?

“I chose ‘Sense and Sensibility’ for some very practical reasons,” Tamara McGinnis, the director, said. “I hadn’t done a literary piece in quite a few years, and I like Jane Austen a lot. After reading the script in the summer, I thought it did a very good job of capturing the novel and the feeling of what it’s like to live in that society.”

Besides practical reasons, deep themes running throughout the classic story caught the director’s attention.

“It’s really a novel about the angst of young love,” McGinnis said. “I feel like this is actually a very good story talking about a time of life that many college students are going through.

What is it to be a mature adult and still be me?

How do I retain my personality, but temper it with the things I need to learn to become a well balanced person?”

The play’s cast includes students from various theater backgrounds.

“There are so many wonderful and talented people in this cast, too, and we all come from different spectrums,” Heather Bellinger, who plays Elinor, said. “We all come with our own uniqueness, experience and passion, and we unite those with the desire to worship God and delight audiences with a truly spectacular show.”

The cast has welcomed both returning performers and fresh faces.

“I’m beyond ecstatic to be cast in ‘Sense and Sensibility’ along with so many talented actors!” freshman Noelani Eley said. “The entire cast is phenomenal, and don’t even get me started about the directors and people who make amazing shows like this possible. From day one of rehearsal, the cast was so supportive of me coming in.”

Eley went on to describe what audiences can expect out of the show: “Romance, sudden heartbreak, on stage sword fighting... drama!

It’s going to be fun!”

While the idea of performing a period piece is “thrilling,” finding historic furniture true to the era has proven to be difficult.

“Most shows require props for a specific

Photo courtesy of Corban Theatre Heather Bellinger, Natasha Wilson and Noelani Eley star in Sense and Sensibility. Tickets are currently on sale for shows throughout November.

TICKET PRICES:

$11 for students and staff $13 for adults $8 for children Purchase at the door or online at inside.corban.edu/theatre/events.

SHOW TIMES:

Thursday, Nov. 8, at 10:30 a.m.

Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 18, at 2:30 p.m.

time period, but ‘Sense and Sensibility’ in particular takes place in such a specific era,” Emily Axtell, backstage supervisor, said. “Even the smallest details that most people wouldn’t think about have to be accounted for.”

While it is not explicitly a Christian story, the play does not fall short of having profound spiritual messages.

“Some people think it’s ‘Sense vs. Sensibility,” but it’s actually a combination of the two,” McGinnis said. “The theme is actually a very biblical one as far as becoming a whole person, the person God intended us to be. When we take our ability for logic and our ability to feel and combine the two, we better ourselves and the community around us. It paints a really beautiful picture of how hungering and thirsting after righteousness is sometimes just learning to live with one another and value each other.”

So what can the Corban community expect from the upcoming fall play? “‘Sense and Sensibility’ is so different from anything Corban has done in recent years,” Rachel Stradeli, who plays Mrs. Jennings, said. “It’s very calm and refined, and yet there’s something truly entertaining about all the drama of the Regency England life. Totally worth the watch!”

“It will be a different sort of play from what Corban has done in previous years,” Bellinger said. “But you’ll be on the edge of your seats with the turn of the head, wave of the fan, and subtext within almost every scene.”

Box office blunder: ‘Venom’ falls flat

By David Miller Hilltop Staff

There was a time in my life when “Venom” might have been my favorite movie of all time.

Unfortunately for Sony’s recent attempt at an antihero flick, that time was when I was 13 years old and thought Linkin Park were the greatest musicians of all time.

“Venom” follows the story of a hard-hitting reporter, Eddie Brock, played by Tom Hardy, who discovers a strange alien slime known as Venom. Brock becomes bonded with the creature, and together they become Venom.

The best performance of the film goes to Hardy’s portrayal of Brock. In all honesty, the performance wasn’t incredible, but it may seem that way in contrast to the horrific performances given by nearly every other character in the movie.

Michelle Williams’ performance as Brock’s love interest is painfully boring and leaves the audience desperate for some small reason to care about her or the relationship of the characters.

Riz Ahmed’s antagonist roll suffers a similar fate of feeling clunky and unimportant. Jenny Slate was perhaps the worst of the bunch, going so far as to mispronounce key aspects of the plot such as Symbiote, the alien species that Venom is a member of.

The movie’s redeeming moments are actually any time Venom himself is on screen or talking with Brock. The visual effects are not exactly groundbreaking, but the action isn’t bad.

And Venom is a cool enough character to overlook boring enemies and uninteresting conflict. And the banter between Brock and Venom is genuinely funny at times.

Venom is, at the end of the day, a Spider-man villain. Taking that character and moving him to a completely separate universe takes away the very purpose of the character. In the comics, Venom has successfully transitioned from a villain to a standalone superhero with his own series titled “Agent Venom.” What the movies seem to fail to understand is that tran-

Photo courtesy of Venom Facebook Page Tom Hardy stars as Venom in the newest Marvel movie.

sitioning Venom to a standalone character took literal decades of story and character development.

I am personally a huge fan of superhero movies (even the bad ones). But the trick that Marvel and DC have figured out is that the key to good superhero movies is playing to the strengths

of a character. The character Venom is awesome. He is a big monstrous antihero who wants to do good, but doesn’t understand how to do that on earth.

The film “Venom” fails to capitalize on any aspect of that and falls heartbreakingly short of what the character deserves.

Last-minute Halloween costumes

By Trevor Bond Hilltop Staff

If you have ever worn any sort of animal ears, painted your face as a generic woodland creature or put on your stinky sports uniform and called it a costume, read carefully. This is the kind of garbage that gives Halloween a bad name. Please don’t let your laziness and basicness get in the way of everybody’s fun—because if those cat ears aren’t covered in fake blood, is it even a Halloween costume?

Instead, try out one of these last-minute costume ideas: • Sew buttons into your eyes to become the Other Mother from “Coraline.”

• Sport a shark fin and a jacket with cards stapled to it. Boom-you’re a card shark.

• Go the Christian route and dress as Adam and Eve, pre-fall.

• Get a group of four, cover yourselves in different spices and become the Spice Girls.

• Wear a red cape with a small light on your finger. This look can double as ET or Little Red Riding Hood who fell into a vat of radioactive waste.

• Wear a brown shirt, get really, really dirty and you’re Pig Pen from “Charlie Brown” • Learn how to smoke like a pro overnight and be Sandy from “Grease.”

• Get a bald cap, carry around a green umbrella, and you’ve become the iconic 2007 Britney Spears.

• Put on an oversized pink T-shirt and wear your hair in pigtails to become Boo from “Monsters Inc.” • Blue paint can do wonders. You could be a Smurf, possibly a member from the blue man group or perhaps the monster girl from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

• Tape shards of glass onto your person to become a disco ball. (Doing this also makes you a safety hazard, but that’s not the point.)

• Be a bubble bath. Safety pin white balloons to an over-sized jacket, put on a shower cap, hold a rubber ducky and complain about how hard your 9-5 job is.

• Do a couple’s costume; go as Pam and Toby from “The Office.” The Toby should awkwardly place his hand on Pam’s knee throughout the entire night.

• Tie-dye a shirt that says “La Croix.”

• Wear an “Out of Order” sign and you’ve become a McDonald’s ice cream machine.

I would also like to stress that store-bought and pre-made Halloween costumes are made for children and boring people, and, if someone dresses as a minion or a piece of fruit one more time, the blood of a thousand serpents will fall from the sky to stop you.

Halloween is a holiday that encourages creativity and expression. Sacrificing your individuality is not worth saving $4 on a Chipotle burrito.

10 | Sports

The Hilltop | October 30, 2018

Johnson receives award for athletic, academic success

Photo courtesty of Corban Athletics Joel Johnson led the basketball team in average points-per-game last season.

By Connor Morton Hilltop Staff

Joel Johnson, who plays center for the men’s basketball team, was recently selected as the recipient of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ Emil S. Liston Scholarship Award.

This prestigious scholarship is given to one male and one female basketball player each year. The award criteria are based on a mix of both athletic and academic success.

“I was really excited and happy,” Johnson said. “It was Danny Day (assistant athletic

director) and Bryce Bernard, (faculty athletic representative) who actually applied for me, and I’m really grateful for them.”

Every university in the NAIA can nominate one male and one female student for the award.

“From there, the NAIA’s award selection committee figures out who the best person is,” Day said.

About 250 schools are in the NAIA, meaning a large pool of potential candidates are already selected for the award who are the top pick within their respective schools. But Johnson came out on top based on his academic success and athletic performance.

Last season, he led the team in points and rebounds, averaging 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. “I don’t think anyone was really surprised,” head coach Mitch Freeman said, noting that the team is proud of Johnson.

Because winning a prestigious national award is difficult, Johnson has to work hard to play sports while keeping up with his studies.

“I manage my time very precisely,” Johnson said. “I keep a planner of all the things I need to do, checking them off along the way. It can get monotonous and boring, but I really just try and find joy in that monotonous, boring stuff.”

Johnson is majoring in health science as a stepping stone to becoming a doctor, so he has to grind through many science textbooks.

It has been a difficult journey, he said, but he finds joy in the monotony of studying large textbooks because the subject interests him.

“If you don’t have an interest, you should probably switch majors,” Johnson said. “You have to find something you love to do because you’re going to spend so much time here studying it; it’s going to be miserable if you don’t love it.”

By carefully planning how he spends his time and having an interesting course of study, Johnson has made the most of his time at Corban.

“I’ve still been able to balance time between studying and basketball, while spending time with my friends,” Johnson said.

He hasn’t let the challenge of his busy life prevent him from engaging the world too.

Coach Freeman said, “He’s been to Haiti several times on mission trips,” when the health science department partnered with Christian mission groups for the trips.

“He’s a pretty grounded, humble person,” Freeman said.

Corban Athletics announces three new sports teams for 2019

Phoro courtesy of www.kisspng.com

By Carol Sotoj Hilltop Staff

Corban will be adding men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s wrestling in the fall of 2019, according to Danny Day, assistant athletic director, who made the announcement Sept. 13. These will increase the number of athletic teams from 13 to 16.

“Lacrosse is growing fast and has been for the past 20 years,” Twiggs Reed, athletic director, said. “In 2016, Oregon had the largest percentage increase of lacrosse players at the high school level than any other state in the union.”

Reed added that in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) two schools have both men’s and women’s lacrosse, and two other universities are considering forming lacrosse teams as well for 2019-2020. Currently, two other teams in the Conference have a

men’s and women’s lacrosse team.

“Our conference commissioner has asked all athletic directors to consider adding this sport in the near future,” Reed said. “Many of the Division 3 colleges in Western Oregon currently have a lacrosse team.”

Schools like Willamette and Linfield and bigger schools like Oregon, OSU, Portland State and the University of Portland also have lacrosse teams.

Currently, 32 men’s and 37 women’s lacrosse teams compete in the NAIA, according to an article posted on Corban’s athletic website.

“Lacrosse was so big at our high school because we had a team that won CIF three years in a row,” Allison Crakes, softball player, said.

And not just at Crakes’ high school, but, according to Day, 61 high schools in Oregon have lacrosse.

According to Reed, the goal is

to have a team of 15 women and 20 men in lacrosse for the first year. As time goes on, the goal is to reach more than 30 women and more than 40 men per team.

Reed believes adding wrestling will help increase enrollment. As the plan to increase student enrollment is underway, a focus area is expanding Corban athletics as well.

Soccer player Jordan Salim, doesn’t think the increased enrollment will be enough to make it worth it. “Maybe there will be an increase of enrollment, but there won’t be much,” he said. “I wish the school would focus on facilities before focusing on sports.”

Justin Krell, a prospective wrestler, said he believes it’s a good idea to “renew Corban’s economy, assuming the leadership leans on the Lord through the process and considers the parameters, problems and pressures, as well as profits.”

While the budget is a concern, John Hagala, a prospective wrestler, said, “I don’t think budget matters if God wishes to build it up as a way to minister to others.”

Excitement coming from Corban students is ministering to new students in two new sports.

“I think screening will get a lot of unsaved athletes,” Krell said.

“Athletes see the scholarship and are okay with the byproduct of a Christian education, whether they prioritize Christ or not. Thus, while reaching student athletes is key, ensuring their salvation status is key.”

Hagala is also excited about getting to work with a new team of students, specifically in wrestling.

“I’m very interested in helping raise up godly men my senior year at Corban who can compete and have fun in a highly respected sport,” Hagala said. “If all that helps more students come to Corban, all the better. It’s an outreach that can be of great effect for the kingdom of God.” The wrestling team will practice and compete in the Courthouse Club fitness building. Money for this team is coming from the Restore College Wrestling Group to help kick off the program.

Cascade Collegiate Conference Commissioner Robert Cashell said, “The addition of men’s wrestling brings sponsoring institutions of men’s wrestling up to 10 in what we believe is the strongest wrestling conference in the NAIA.” Corban is in the process of hiring for coaches in both sports.

UPCOMING ATHLETIC EVENTS October 30 Women’s Basketball VS. Pacific Union College 5:30 p.m., Angwin, CA November 2 Women’s Volleyball VS. Southern Oregon University 7:00 p.m. at Corban’s Gym November 3 Women’s Volleyball VS. Oregon Institute of Technology 7:00 p.m. at Corban’s Gym November 6 Men’s Golf VS. Arizona Christian University at Verrado GC - Victory Course, Phoenix, Arizona November 12-13 Women’s Golf at Firestorm Fall Invitational, Whirlwind Golf Club, Phoenix, Arizona November 15 Men’s Basketball VS. Lewis & Clark College 7:00 p.m. at Pamplin Sports Center, Portland, OR November 16 Women’s Basketball VS. Rocky Mountain College 6 :00 p.m. at Kristi Brodin Pavilion, Kirkland, WA November 17 Women’s Basketball VS. Lewis-Clark State College 6:00 p.m. at Kristi Brodin Pavilion, Kirkland, WA November 27 Women’s Basketball VS. Northwest Christian University 5:30 pm at Morse Event Center, Eugene, OR Men’s Basketball VS. Northwest Christian University 7:30 p.m. at Morse Event Center, Eugene, OR

October 30, 2018| The Hilltop

Sports | 11

Students gather in the Barracks to support the Warriors with some students using trash talk to tease or distract the rival team.

Photo courtesy of Corban Athletics

‘Trash talk’: just a part of the game?

By Obiomachi Abonyi Hilltop Staff

The saturated aromas from the concessions booth. The sharp squeak of rubber-soled shoes on a freshly wiped gym floor.

The passionate chants of the fans. These are all aspects of the sporting world.

Like any school, the purpose of our student section, known at Corban as the “Barracks,” is to represent the students’ support for their classmates. But when does the Barracks’ hoorahs go from being encouraging to degrading?

According to basketball player Kendra Murphy, the purpose of the student body is to “get our team hyped, and maybe throw off the other team while doing so.”

As a Christian university, we have a duty in every aspect of our college life, including school pride. What this duty looks like in the sporting world is up for debate. While some athletes and spectators say “trash talk” (negative words against the other team or referees) is just part of the sporting atmosphere and shouldn’t be taken seriously, others find that using

such language undermines our sole purpose of being Christlike creatures.

Ashlyn van der Linden, a senior soccer player, said she hears the negative words, and it doesn’t phase her. “I laugh. I think it is funny...I’m not going to let it get to me,” she said.

Many athletes regard harsh words fired during a game as nothing more than an aspect of the game. Kea Ontai, a volleyball player, recalls playing against a team at their gym. “They were so mean,” she said. “They have these pamphlets, and it says our number, our name, where we are from, and they call us out by name.”

Despite those students’ pointed words, Linden and Ontai are grounded and perceive harsh words as background noise that they have to endure if they choose to play sports.

If other schools dish it out, does that mean it is okay for us to dish it right back? Anni Baneya, a spectator, believes “there is a line that you can cross...especially when you are at Christian school. It just makes it worse than if we were at a public school.

Even if you are in that zone and you don’t necessarily mean what you are saying, it can be hurtful to people and is still not

treating people the way God wants.”

Murphy agreed. “We don’t need trash talk,” she said. “That is not how we shine our light on other people. We are out there playing for a bigger purpose.”

Ryan Ferries, a spectator, believes that though some may argue that in a sporting atmosphere negative language can be accepted because it is simply part of the culture, “What is said, even if it’s not literal, is the effect when it is taken as literal.”

Twiggs Reed, the athletic director, said that, though he loves to see the enthusiasm the students have in the stands, he expects them to understand that “what we say can affect others positively as well as negatively” and that no one would go as far as pulling ethnicity or physical appearance into the equation.

Perhaps trash talk is not the only way we can deter the opposing team. Murphy said her favorite way students in the stands have shown their support was by using “niceness to get under the other people’s skin.”

Whatever our opinions are on trash talk, we need to always remember to glorify Christ with our words and leave the game on the court.

SPORTS Q & A WITH Sydney Nichol & Isaac Calderon

What are your main motivations for participating in athletics?

Photo courtesy of Corban Athletics

1. My main motivation to participate in athletics is to be in fellowship with my teammates and be able to worship God through it. Many times I run by myself and am able to solve spiritual problems that have been weighing on my heart.

2. My favorite part about XC is the speed workouts that have lots of reps and low recovery time. That’s when your legs feel like jelly, and it becomes a game: the power of the mind vs. the will of the body.

3. One of my goals is to make it to nationals as a team, and a long term goal would be to break my high school personal record and have an under 18min 5k.

4. A successful season is progress made from the beginning of the season to the end. Time is a good gauge for that, but I also keep a running journal and am able to look back on workouts to see how I felt during them. If I become stronger in workouts and my mentality for racing, then that too is a successful season.

5. I enjoy going to team camp in Sisters, Oregon, but am also excited for the conference course this year. It doesn’t have any hills and is mostly grass! If the Lord wills, and if I am able to make it to nationals, I would fly, for the first time, to Iowa for the race. I also really enjoy the team this year and hope we grow closer as the year progresses.

What do you most enjoy about your sport?

What are your long range goals in your sport?

What would be a successful season for you?

What do you most look forward to for the season?

Photo courtesy of Corban Athletics

1. My main motivation is the pure passion I have for golf. I am a competitive person, and I love competing in a sport I excel at.

2. The thing I most enjoy about my sport is being able to travel all over the United States and even go to another country to compete in the sport I love.

3. My long-range goals for my sport is to one day compete at the professional level.

4. A successful season for me would be becoming a better player overall, gaining more experience and playing extremely well.

5. I look forward to traveling and playing golf in different conditions, along with bonding with my team and becoming a better golfer.

12 | October 30, 2018

The Hilltop

H U M A N S of C O R B A N BECKY WEED

“Last fall, I struggled a lot with just living. I still do. It was a concept I never thought I’d have to struggle with as a Christian.

I thought, ‘I should be joyous and loving God. Why am I feeling this way?’ I struggled with the fact that I could end my own life. I wasn’t doubting my faith at that time. I just really wanted to be with God, and I was angry with the sin in the world. I had an ache for heaven, but it was so strong that I just wanted to die, so I started planning. I believed I would see God because I don’t think suicide prevents people from going to heaven. But God kept bringing me back, telling me my life on earth was worth it. He would remind me through people or through a sunset that life is beautiful. Suicide is a hard thing to talk about, but because I’ve struggled with it, I want to help others fight it too. I know there are other people on this campus who deal with suicidal thoughts too. Maybe that’s part of my purpose on earth. This is especially true for Christians because we have this idea that it’s wrong to have depression or anxiety, but we need to remember that we are human. Jesus dealt with feeling abandoned and isolated too. He didn’t want to die, but He wanted to do the Father’s will. I wanted to die, but I wanted to do the Father’s will. I resonate with Paul in Philippians 1:21 where he says that ‘to live is Christ; to die is gain.’ It is gain for a believer to die, but it is a waste to not live for Christ.”

JUAN ARRIAGA

“Just because I am pro-choice doesn’t mean I am pro-abortion. It’s like saying that because I am pro-First Amendment, I’m also pro-Nazi rallies or hate speech. My ideology behind abortion is that late term abortions, after the first trimester, should be outlawed for all circumstances. In cases such as rape, or if the mother’s life is in danger, I believe the woman does have a justified choice to have an abortion. I wish the church would address it in a way that’s sensitive to the woman. Some churches will treat a woman who has had an abortion like she’s a monster, which isn’t Christ-like. Christ would accept and love that person despite her circumstances. I’m also liberal in my views about immigration, education and the environment, and I’m very passionate about these issues.

I’ve been described on campus as one of the most vocal left-leaning students in the Poli-sci program, and I think that’s true. I wish people could understand that even though I am a Democrat, I am still a Christian and an American who wants to spread the love of Christ through politics. We need to be willing to work with each other despite arguments and find a middle ground. I wish more conservative Christians would realize that, although I see things a little differently than they do, I love Jesus and put His commandment to love others at the forefront of all my political views.”

NORINCE WANIMBO

“I found out that my sister died through a Facebook post two years ago. I was in class when I saw a picture of a tombstone with her name on it. I checked again after class to see if it was true, and I called my family, but they wouldn’t tell me. For three days I didn’t know the truth. I also lost my brother in January of that year, two weeks after I first started at Corban. I couldn’t believe that they were really gone until I went home this summer, and they weren’t there. I lived in Lanny-Jaya Tiom, a city in central Papua, my whole life. When I went back for the first time, it was different. It was good to be back, but it was also lonely. My family’s house is so far away from the rest of the houses, and two of my siblings were gone. My sister had been sick, but we still don’t know how my brother died. When I went back home, I asked my sister-in-law why my brother died, but she didn’t have an answer. It was very difficult for me to focus or really do anything, but I had new brothers and sisters here at Corban to help and encourage me through it. God comforts me through His Scripture and through the people He has given me. Sometimes I feel sad and homesick, but I’m thankful for my opportunity to be here at Corban.”