Banner | Vol. 70 Issue 3

CBU students celebrate Hispanic culture at fiesta

BY EMILY MCGINN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

From salsa dancing to try ing Hispanic dishes, California Baptist University students who attended this year’s His panic Heritage Fiesta on Oct. 11 received the opportunity to learn about and celebrate Hispanic culture hold its an nual Hispanic Heritage Fiesta. While the event was originally intended to take place in Lancer Plaza, rain forced all activities to move fully into the Commu nity Life Lounge.

This event, scheduled during Hispanic Heritage Month, aims to provide a space for Hispanic

students to express themselves and share their culture with fel low CBU students.

“This event is to educate, bring awareness and celebrate cultures within the Hispanic heritage,” said Emilee Thomas, assistant director of campus activities. “We have partnered with our student body to create a fun event that celebrates our Hispanic culture on campus.”

During the event, attendees enjoyed music, food and color ful decorations inspired by His panic culture. The event also involved student performances, dancing, games, crafts and even featured a piñata.

To prep for the event, Com

munity Life connected with Latino students on campus to ensure the event accurately represented the Hispanic com munity at CBU. Eric Schmidt, a junior software engineering major, is one of the Community Life interns who was involved in the preparation for the event.

“We put a lot of time, prepa ration and thought into this event because it means a lot,” Schmidt said. “It’s not just some CBU event — it’s an event where we celebrate culture and his tory, something that is super important to me and to a lot of others on the team.”

Throughout the planning process, Schmidt said that the

Ultimate Frisbee club builds community

BY EMILY MCGINN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

You may have walked by the Front Lawn on a Friday after noon or Saturday morning and seen a group of students chas ing down Frisbees across the lawn, or, come nightfall, you might have spotted a glowing disc in the air above the Front Lawn, thrown long downfield. If so, you have likely spotted the Ultimate Frisbee Club.

The club has deep roots on the California Baptist Univer sity campus. Jeremy Bharwani, senior computer science major and president of the Ultimate Frisbee Club, said the club has existed since at least 2006, though “legend has it” that it has existed since the 1980s or 1990s.

“It’s been around for as long as anyone can remember, so I get the opportunity to be able to continue it,” Bharwani said.

Bharwani moved into the position of president in Jan uary after serving as club vice president in fall 2021. The club

attracts large numbers of stu dents, with about 80 official members currently registered in the club. In the past, Bhar wani has seen it reach even higher, recalling a time when there were about 300 people in their club group chat. For Bhar wani, the breadth of their reach on campus speaks to the impor tance of the sport and the club

Banner Busters

Experts weigh in on whether cracking your knuckles can damage them.

to the CBU community.

“It seems like just a bunch of people throwing a plastic disc around, but somehow it’s also one of the biggest ministries on this campus in my opinion,” Bharwani said. “The commu nity we get and the people that come out — we have people who have never played Frisbee before and we have people who

Slasher films —

have played competitively be fore. We just get all these people together meeting new people.”

The club has a significant group of dedicated members who return time and time again. What sparks such dedication, though? To find out, I decided to join the club for a game of

Riverside Art Walk celebrates local art, artists

BY ZERENITY LOPEZ A&E EDITOR

Every first Thursday of the month, a cozy parking lot be tween Lemon Street and Uni versity Avenue in downtown Riverside transforms into the Riverside Art Walk.

The Riverside Art Walk is an event that brings together local artists of Riverside one night each month to showcase and sell their work. The art event first launched in 2002 and has remained strong for 20 years. It has provided a welcoming art community for both new and returning artists and art enthu siasts.

“The Riverside Art Walk began as a way to draw atten tion to the local galleries and individual artists outside of the main Riverside Museum

VR Therapy —

Dzikonski has worked with the Riverside Art Walk since January 2011. She explained that the art walk allows for art to be more accessible to the community and for local artists to have the chance to exhibit their work.

Since Dzikonski first started attending the event in 2008, the list of vendors has grown from 10 artists on a sidewalk to near ly 200 signing up for the event monthly. There are all kinds of vendors selling many different forms of art. On Oct. 6, many art styles and unique pieces made

The final girl trope in slasher films remains a hallmark of the horror genre.

Therapists use virtual reality systems to combat people’s phobias.

circuit,” said Rachel Dzikonski, interim executive director and program director of the River side Arts Council. “It was meant to connect artists with the com munity.”

Samantha De La Paz | Banner

Community Life provided Hispanic foods for students to enjoy at the event.

Josselyn Gullien | Banner

CBU students enjoy festivities in the Community Life Lounge on Oct. 11 during the Hispanic Heritage Fiesta.

Charissa Graves | Banner

Allie Minium, senior environmental science major, warms up at practice by tossing a Frisbee around.

sta f f

e Art of Swing and Groove showcases Jazz Ensemble

MICHAEL MARKS ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

The California Baptist University Jazz Ensemble put a show on at Northpoint Church in Corona on Oct. 5, displaying the talent and hard work of the students as well as sharing a range of jazz pieces from various artists.

Dan St. Marseille, jazz ensemble and music director, shared his thoughts and hopes for the program as well as the successes of the night.

“I think the highlight was the breadth and variety that the band played,” St. Marseille said. “We played music from the early period of jazz through modern. That piece ‘Arctic Blues’ takes the type of skill to play that you would find in a symphony orchestra or a really fine wind ensemble but also with the jazz sensibilities.”

During the performance, the ensemble played multiple instruments, including saxophone, trombone, trumpet, vibraphone, piano, guitar, bass and drum sets. Each performance featured a di erent student solo.

“We have some very fine soloists and they really stood out and played very well and really connected with the audience,” St. Marseille said.

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Thanks for reading!

With jazz music, it is common to have an individual member of the band do a solo mid-performance or duplicate that solo with someone else within the band as well. This practice is tradition and was originally done as a way to showcase one’s own style and take on the piece.

“The emphasis on having not only larger ensembles but small group experience (was great). (It) was actually the first concert where it was called the Jazz Ensemble Concert, but we had a breakout where a smaller group played, and that’s actually a tradition that goes back to the swing era in the 1930s.”

Some of the pieces played included “Bada Bamba” by Chris Walden, “Gently” by Bob Mintzer, and “The Spirit is Willing” by Sammy Nestico.

St. Marseille also recognized Dr. Guy Holliday, director of bands and assistant professor of music, during the performance, sharing how the Jazz Ensemble grew into the program it is now.

“(Holliday) was the founder of the Jazz Ensemble, which was a part of the music department 20 years ago,” St. Marseille said. “It was under his direction. He was the director of the bands and continues to be so. When they brought me in, I took over the leadership of it.”

St. Marseille also hopes that this performance helped people appreciate jazz.

“From a historical standpoint, I would say a lot of people don’t realize jazz music is America’s indigenous art form and the world community considers jazz to be America’s unique creative art form — the

only contribution the U.S. has made in that area,” St. Marseille said. “The reason I say that is jazz music on its own is so unique that the world considers it our indigenous art form.”

Students were deeply impressed with the performance.

Rachel Lunney, junior early childhood studies major, attended the concert. She especially enjoyed the solo performances.

“The way the professor was so supportive of the students and how proud he was of their accomplishments (stood out to me),” Lunney said.

She also enjoyed the change of pace from other concerts.

“A lot of the times when you go to bigger concerts, you don’t really see individuals do (solos) in performances too often,” Lunney said. “I like how they featured a di erent person from each section (of the band).”

Abigail Byde, junior early childhood studies major, attended the concert as well. She especially loved seeing the passion of the students as they played “Arctic Blues.”

“I really loved hearing the trumpets,” Byde said. “I liked that they had them do a solo, too.”

Admissions offers classes to high schoolers

ANYSSA GONZALEZ

This year, California Baptist University is providing high school students with the opportunity to get a head start on college credits.

The O ce of Admissions is rolling out a new program for students who are eligible of current enrollment in high school. The requirements include students needing to be sophomore-equivalent or higher with a weighted GPA of 2.5 or higher.

While high school students have an opportunity to take courses online, Greta Anderson, director of undergraduate admissions, explained the purpose of the dual enrollment.

“This provides students with the opportunity to experience the CBU di erence at an earlier stage in their educational process,”

Anderson said. “We really believe that once students get a flavor for the care, concern and support they will receive through these dual enrollment classes, they will have a better understanding of CBU, what makes it unique and why they will want to attend full time in the future to obtain a degree.”

Benefits include college credit for various general education coursework, access to the tutoring center and faculty and some CBU sporting events.

While eligible course o erings vary per semester, Anderson said the high school students participating this semester will be able to choose from 17 class o erings on topics ranging from art to healthcare to biblical studies.

Each online course is asynchronous, so students can access course materials at their own pace.

Dystanie Rush, graduate

student studying forensic psychology, said that this new program is allowing CBU to help students earn valuable credits before attending as undergraduate students.

“CBU is definitely helping students by o ering classes that will count because not all community college credits transfer to a private university,” Rush said. “By obtaining credits from CBU early on in high school, you are guaranteed to have those credits count.”

Rush continued to express how beneficial earning college credits early can be because it can be di cult to transfer credits.

“I would have taken the opportunity to enroll undergrad classes while in high school,” Rush said. “I know for me, applying to universities was stressful without certainty of whether I would get in or if I could keep up with the classes. If

CBU could give high school students early exposure to the courses and guaranteed credit transfer, that burden potentially new students would have could be lessened.”

Jennifer Reed, sophomore undeclared major, explained how CBU is helping university growth by reaching towards students who can experience new opportunities before they get to college.

“CBU is doing a great job in university growth as they are not only trying, but taking action by o ering a dual enrollment,” Reed said.

“While high school students may be indecisive on which university to choose, CBU is reaching their audience by providing guaranteed college credits.”

Students’ first class is free and subseqent classes will be discounted, according to CBU’s admission enrollment website.

Sofia Guzman | Banner

The jazz ensemble performs on Oct. 5 at Northpoint Church in Corona.

Josselyn Guillen | Banner

The jazz ensemble, founded by Dr. Guy Holliday, celebrates the roots of a uniquely American genre of music.

Students struggle with spotty campus Wi-Fi

BY EMILY MCGINN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

In this era of reliance on technology, college students constantly rely on the internet for education, communication and personal use. This dependence makes working Wi-Fi imperative at almost all hours of the day, especially on campuses such as California Baptist University.

However, CBU students have encountered some bad or spotty Wi-Fi connections on campus, which can make studying and completing assignments an uphill battle.

Valerie Montoya, junior exercise science major, has encountered issues with the Wi-Fi on campus.

“So far, I would say (my experiences) have been pretty bad,” Montoya said. “The Wi-Fi is not as strong, and at certain locations at CBU, it is a little weaker than others.”

Montoya has found that the Wi-Fi in the Business Building works well for her, but the Yeager Center and Health Science Campus has presented her with issues.

Katie Correa, sophomore psychology major, has

encountered similar Wi-Fi dead spots, where there is little or no Wi-Fi signal in certain locations on campus. Though she has found good Wi-Fi signal in buildings and in the library, she has especially struggled with the Wi-Fi connection outdoors, such as along Yeager Center.

“A lot of us spend time (outside), so I feel like (the school) should do something for us to all gain access to WiFi out here because sometimes we are just using our hotspots,” Correa said. “I feel like they should do something about that.”

Although students can use their hotspots to use their phone’s cellular data as a replacement for Wi-Fi connection. However, some phone data plans have limited data, meaning that students could run out of data if they overuse their hotspot. Hotspots also only work when cell service is present.

David Marley, director of infrastructure services within Information and Technology Services (ITS), said that WiFi refers to radio waves that allow users to connect to the internet. CBU has more than

1,000 access points for wireless coverage across campus, and more than 13,000 devices connect to the system each day.

However, Wi-Fi signals can become weak or slow due to a variety of issues. Marley said Wi-Fi radio waves struggle to pass through walls, buildings, trees, active microwaves and rain, meaning that some parts of campus might lack Wi-Fi coverage. In addition, Wi-Fi range is limited to about 50–100 feet, which can impact WiFi speed and connection.

Marley presents steps for troubleshooting Wi-Fi issues, with which ITS can help students. First, students can work with ITS to determine if there is Wi-Fi coverage at the location, and they can also examine device-specific issues, which Marley said is often an issue. Some common device-related issues include a computer Wi-Fi card not functioning properly, the need for a software update or a WiFi setting that needs to be adjusted.

Marley emphasizes that the best way to improve coverage is to communicate with ITS about issues, as this information can inform ITS about where more

Wi-Fi access points are needed.

“Strengthening the WiFi network is a continuous e ort,” Marley said. “Student feedback is an important part of improving coverage and the ITS team encourages students to reach out when there are issues.”

To contribute to the e ort, Marley said it is most helpful when students share the location at which they encountered a Wi-Fi issue, what time of day it occurred and what service they were attempting to perform, such as video streaming or browsing the internet.

“Improving Wi-Fi on campus is a continuous team e ort,” Marley said. “Students are encouraged to reach out and communicate Wi-Fi issues so that the ITS team can work towards improving coverage.

Currently, CBU spans over 170 acres and providing a secure and stable WiFi experience can be accomplished together.”

To inform ITS about WiFi issues, students can email Marley directly at dmarley@ calbaptist.edu, email the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@ calbaptist.edu or call ITS at (951)343-4444.

CBU adjusts club requirements

BY MEGAN MADRIGAL ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Whether you are new this fall or a returning student at California Baptist University, one of the ways many students get involved by joining a club. The annual club fair will be held on Oct. 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30pm.

There are a variety of clubs open to all the students. This year in particular students are being encouraged to join groups, especially since the university made many changes in terms of joining and creating clubs.

Karina Lay, junior nutrition and food sciences major and nutrition club president, explains that even though the nutrition club was an o cial club last year, that is not the case this semester. Now, there is an entire process of preapproval that each club must go

through beforehand.

Filling out an application is one thing, but being accepted is another. Some of the requirements include abstaining from engaging in or promoting partisan political activity, maintaining accurate records and being required to promote a minimum of two events per semester, according to the 2022 Student Handbook.

In addition, there are changes once a club is o cial.

Lay clarifies the updated, yet still simple, way to join a club.

“We used to just add the person’s ID number into InsideCBU, but now they have to confirm it,” Lay said. “So there’s a two-step verification.”

She said that since the additional step has been added, some students have forgotten to confirm they are a part of the club, making it di cult to include everyone. It is necessary to do the two-

Hispanic Heritage panic students on campus feel at home.”

Continued from Page 1

team settled on three major aspects of Hispanic culture that they want the event to highlight: food, music and people. He emphasized that having conversations with Latino students on campus about their culture was a vital part of the process.

“We were able to have some really good conversations about what they would love to have here, and something that would make them feel at home,” Schmidt said. “I think that’s the goal: to make a lot of our His-

Kimberly Roman, sophomore interior design major and president of the Latino Student Union at CBU, helped plan the event along with Community Life and other members of the Latino Student Union cabinet. They helped plan the game — loteria — as well as the piñata and some student performances.

“I hope Hispanic and Latino students get to feel proud of their culture and feel comfortable sharing it,” Roman said. “I want them to feel acknowledge and supported, and that, no matter what, juntos somos más!

step verification in order to be included.

It is important that once students are a part of their club, they actively interact within it.

“Academic student clubs and organizations must demonstrate that a minimum of 50 CBU students or 50% of the declared majors and/or minors in the respective academic program (whichever is less) have a participatory-level of interest in the proposed club or organization,” according to the handbook.

“For the purpose of this policy, ‘participatory-level of interest’ is defined as an active commitment to and support of the student club or organization’s purpose as well as attendance of associated meetings and events. In order to maintain o cial university recognition, student clubs and organizations, through their collective membership, must

[together we’re more] I hope other students with di erent backgrounds can learn a little more about our culture and really respect it as much as we do.” Schmidt said he hopes both Latino students and students with di erent cultural backgrounds benefited from the event. He hopes Latino students see that the CBU community cherishes their culture and had the opportunity to connect with other Latino students. For other students, Schmidt wanted this event to provide some insight into and understanding of Hispanic culture.

“I think I (was) looking for-

demonstrate a minimum of 65% of the members attend meetings and events.”

Participation is even more critical considering it now dictates the status of whether or not a club is o cial. Nonetheless, all the clubs are welcoming more members into their circle.

Audrey Smith, junior creative writing major and creative writing club president, said joining a club is beneficial overall, and joining a club unrelated to your major can create a trusted community based on common interest.

“(For) a lot of people especially in their first year, if they’re a commuter or a transfer student, there can be a lot of barriers in making friends and having a community,” Smith said. “Just having that community is so important to enjoying the college experience. It’s essential.”

ward mostly to seeing students’ reactions to the event and to seeing students smile, especially the Hispanic students, and to know they feel at home,” Schmidt said.

Ultimately, Thomas aimed to foster connections and encourage understanding of different cultural backgrounds, especially as CBU grows.

“For this event, we (wanted) to educate, bring awareness and celebrate Hispanic cultures on our campus,” Thomas said. “As we continue to grow in our diversity, we want to make sure that our student population is being seen.”

WRITTEN BY ALEXZA BAHNMILLER

Briefs

HURRICANE IAN HITS FLORIDA

Recently, the fth strongest hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. hit the coast. The hurricane, named Hurricane Ian, made landfall three times, initially as a 125 mph Category 3 storm near Cuba on Sept. 27, then in the afternoon on Sept. 28 as a 150 mph Category 4 storm near Cayo Costa, Florida, according to the National Hurricane and Central Paci c Hurricane Center. Finally, on Sept. 30, the hurricane hit Georgetown, South Carolina, as a Category 1 with 85 mph winds.

The devastating effects of the hurricane are still being calculated. According to ABC News, the death toll is currently over 100, over 3.4 million citizens experienced power outages (with over 400,000 still without electricity as of Oct. 4) and the storm caused $60 billion in insured loss damage (the second-largest disaster loss event on record). Currently, Florida is working on building back, with Gov. Ron DeSantis announcing during a conference held on Oct. 3 the immediate start of reconstruction for a temporary bridge to Pine Island, according to AP News.

JAYWALKING LEGALIZED

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Freedom to Walk Act on Oct. 1. The act, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, will allow pedestrians to cross the street regardless of an intersection without being ticketed, according to the District 19 of cial website, a19.asmdc.org. The previous ne for jaywalking in California ran up to $198, and even more post court fees, according to Calmatters.org.

However, police can still stop stop pedestrians from crossing if there is an imminent risk of collision. The rst laws related to jaywalking were enacted in 1930, with the rst adjustments being made in 2018, when pedestrians became able to legally cross at a traf c light when the pedestrian countdown meter begins to ash, according to District 19 Phil Ting’s press release.

GAS PRICES INCREASE AGAIN

Gas in the Los Angeles–Long Beach region increased 15.3 cents overnight on Sept. 29. It was the largest overnight increase in gas since July 2015, according to the Southern California Automobile Club (AAA). This date marked the 27th consecutive day gas prices have risen in Los Angeles County.

On Sept. 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom took to Twitter to call for a new tax on oil company pro ts, which would return the money to California taxpayers. Newsom noted that these taxes would “ensure these pro ts go directly back to help millions of Californians who are paying for this oil company extortion.”

Oil industry representatives said that state regulations have caused the high prices in California, according to the Associate Press. Data from GasBuddy shows that current gas prices in California are approximately 66% higher than the national average. Newsom, in a letter to Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board, called on the board to allow re neries to begin distributing winter-blend gasoline earlier than usual in hopes of bringing down costs,

State re ners are required to produce a summer-blend gasoline through October in most areas of California, and after Oct. 31, a winter-blend gasoline is allowed.

Spooky

What does science say about being afraid?

Masha Sowell, junior psychology major, thinks that fear is merely a survival instinct.

have experienced at one time or another, especially during the Halloween season. But what exactly causes fear and why do some people get scared of things others do not?

Julianna Carillo, sophomore prenursing student, said she does not get

scared as easily as others do.

“I think being scared is natural, and I think how prone you are to feeling fear just has to do with who you are as a person alone,” Carillo said. “I’m definitely in the middle of it. It takes a lot to make me jump but I don’t enjoy it, either.”

“I think fear is a very necessary thing,” Sowell said. “It keeps us from doing things that could possibly kill us. We see something that has danger associated with it, and our bodies instantly react with fear to deter us from that danger.”

Sowell also thinks people’s ability to overcome their fears has to do with their

histories.

“People who are more easily scared

most likely deal with anxiety or trauma, I’d assume,” Sowell said.

Dr. Susan Purrington, associate professor of psychology, had thoughts on the factors that go into fear.

“Fear has several components, such as thoughts (i.e. I am in danger), physiological

Q: Do believeyou in ghosts?*

sensations (i.e. heart racing) and behavioral responses (i.e. fleeing a situation),”

Along with the factors of fear, there are di erent theories as to where the feeling

“One theory is that people can be conditioned to fear a situation or object if it was paired with a scary or traumatic event in the past,” Purrington said. “But another theory is that earlier threatening experiences were not resolved or processed

Purrington pointed out the importance

“An important area to consider is our individual biological make-up,” Purrington said. “Genetics, hormones and biological systems can impact a person’s stress

sensations (i.e. heart racing) and behavioral Purrington said. as truly comes from. conditioned to fear a situation or object earlier adequately.” of biology. can

she responds to the stressor. It can also impact the extent that he or she interprets various stimuli as threatening or safe, as well as impacting the individual response, coping, etc.”

Although fear is something most try to avoid, Purrington mentioned that there are positives to feeling scared, even beyond the chill many of us crave during the spooky season.

“Fear definitely has an adaptive and

proactive function,” Purrington said.

“Fear can have an adaptive and protective function. It can help activate our sympathetic nervous system and prepare our body to respond quickly, which is extremely functional when we are faced with dangerous situations.”

“I don’t believe in ghosts in the traditional sense of like, spooky, OoOoOh, but I do believe that they’re evil spirits. Like how there’s the Holy Spirit, I believe that there’s also some form of evil, satanic power spirit thing that could act like ghosts.”

- Noelle Gmyr, freshman psychology major

Season

Unity in faith over fear

Halloween can still be united in faith.

The New Testament never directly addresses Halloween because it never was a holiday in those days. But the New Testament did talk about issues that Christians didn’t see eye to eye on.

A good example of that is in 1 Corinthians chapters 8-10. For three chapters, Paul talked about the subject of food that had been sacrificed to idols. Jewish folks would not eat any meat from the marketplace in Greek cities

because it had been used in pagan worship.

They took seriously ‘you shall have no other gods before me’ and ‘you shall not make an image of God.’ (The meat) was tainted with adultery. They would not buy marketplace food.

In Paul’s churches, like the church in Corinth, you would have Jewish Christians and you would have Gentile Christians. Gentile Christians would grow up buying this food, eating this food, seeing no problem with it. Jewish Christians would say that it was tainted with adultery — that it was sinful. It would be just as wrong as eating pork

problem it. or other non-kosher food.

Paul says it’s o limits to go to the pagan temples and be at a banquet.

Paul tells the church it’s OK to eat food from the marketplace. The interesting thing about that is Paul was rather progressive and liberal in that regard. Other Jewish Christians were not that way.

James, the brother of Jesus — the leader of the church in Jerusalem — actually speaks against it: Abstain from things polluted from idols. Abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols.

Paul didn’t see eye to eye with James on this cultural issue.

James saw it as wrong and sinful. Paul saw it as not really a big deal. It’s kind of like Halloween where some people see it as very evil, wrong and sinful. But others are like, “It really isn’t. It really isn’t a celebration of evil.

It’s giving candy and having friends and dressing up.”

The problem is that not everybody agrees what are the essentials and what are the nonessentials. In my own personal opinion, participating in Halloween is not a big deal. I actually find it great. Halloween is the one night

the year where everyone gets out and socializes.

Some people might say we should avoid the appearance of evil, so anything that even looks wrong, dark or evil we should avoid. But where do you draw the line? Di erent people draw the line at di erent places. That’s where I come back to the saying that in nonessentials we should have freedom, but in all things we should be loving and caring.

Some people might say we should avoid the appearance of evil, so anything that even looks wrong, dark or evil where

The Old King James version used the word ghost for spirit. So they would talk about the Holy Ghost. We would translate that as the Holy Spirit. It’s the same word in Greek — spirit or ghost. We don’t usually use the word ghost because we think of Casper and those kinds of things. The New Testament does talk about spirits and even evil

The Old King James version used the word ghost for spirit. So they would talk about the Holy Ghost. We would spirits that Jesus cast out of people.

Di erent people have di erent views. Some people see it as an innocent thing that’s mostly for children —a chance to dress up, get candy and socialize. But others think we shouldn’t do that. A lot of churches instead o er

Harvest Festivals.

What would you want students to take away from this in terms of the compatibility of

In

I would go back to that statement that In the essentials we should have unity and the essentials of our faith is Jesus Christ as Lord.

We should be respectful of each other. If someone thinks di erently, respect them. That was a problem in Paul’s churches. The Jewish Christians would look down on the Gentile Christians as if they weren’t as committed to Christ because they were willing to eat the marketplace food. Jewish Christians would think they were better than that, and Paul is trying to say no — we’re all one and the same.

Dr. Je Cate, professor of New Testament, shared his thoughts on how Christians with di erent views on

Share your thoughts on the controversy over Halloween.

Why do you think a portion of Christians shy away from Halloween?

What does the Bible say about ghosts being real?

Do you think it’s valid to be afraid of that?

there a concern at all?

“Yes, because I’ve seen one. I’ve seen it — they’re real. I completely believe in ghosts. They’re completely real and scary.”

“Not in the traditional sense, but I definitely think there are demonic spirits in the world that kind of caused evil.”

- Grace Fleming, sophomore theatre major

- McKenna Williams, freshman public relations major

Students nd ways to bypass fast fashion

BY OLIVIA LENNING ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Fast fashion, in its simplest terms, is trendy, cheap and rapidly produced clothing. These clothing items live short lives. They are quickly produced, purchased and thrown away.

Dr. Jacob Lanphere, professor of environmental science, shared the alarming e ects of fast fashion production.

“(These clothes are) probably made from a warehouse or factory in another country,” Lanphere said. “Clothes bought at the mall are typically coming from foreign countries that don’t have the same environmental regulations (as the U.S.).”

The two main environmental factors a ected by the production and distribution of these clothing items are air and water.

Lanphere explained that new clothes release harmful nanofibers and dyes.

“You don’t want to be always buying brand new things because the minute you wash them, you are purging all these loose fibers and dyes,” Lanphere said. “That waste stream then enters into our potential water bodies.”

Lanphere also said that the long travel of these items from foreign countries emits large amounts of carbon dioxide, leading to air pollution.

Furthermore, after these

clothes have been produced and distributed, they are often thrown away quickly.

“When people are chasing fashion trends, they discard old clothes and a lot of the time they just throw them in the trash,” Lanphere said. “(These clothes) can end up in a landfill and now in the U.S. we are trying to clear space in the landfills for these clothes.”

He stated the alternative option to fast fashion is local handmade items or secondhand clothing, which often o ers better prices to consumers, as well.

“I guess the reverse of that would be slow fashion,” Lanphere said. “Buying things that are handmade, that are local, reduce carbon footprint, or buying things from a thrift store. That is already a lower discounted price and also it has arrived at the destination, so you aren’t paying for that travel for it to come.”

Lanphere also explained how thrifting can benefit the environment on multiple levels.

“(Thrifted items have) already been washed, it’s already been delivered, it’s reduced in value,” Lanphere said. “You are saving it from going to a landfill, so you are benefiting the air, water and soil — and your pocketbook — by buying thrift store clothes.”

Mikayla Morehead, senior art therapy major, spoke about her passion for sustainability and her love for secondhand

shopping.

“I try to buy all of my clothes secondhand or thrifted,” Morehead said. “This is because I want to avoid supporting fast fashion brands as well as keep reusing clothing items rather than buying cheap clothes that I’ll use once and then throw away.”

Morehead explained that her conviction to avoid fast

fashion is not purely environmental, but spiritual as well.

“I think God calls us to be conscious consumers,” Morehead said. “So much of the Old Testament law as well as Christ’s ministry was to aid the poor and vulnerable.

Shopping secondhand is one small way to do this today. While it is very di cult to be totally conscious with every-

thing we buy, we can certainly start somewhere.”

Cynthiana Rangel, freshman sustainability major, shared her advice and personal convictions regarding the fast fashion industry.

“Fast fashion is incredibly wasteful,” Rangel said. “It’s crucial to know that our actions have a significant impact. The clothing might be cheap, but the

environmental cost isn’t.” Rangel explained thrifting is the main way she seeks to reduce clothing waste and do her part in decreasing the dominance of fast fashion.

“A cheap option to shop sustainably is buying clothes from secondhand stores,” Rangel said. “I see (it as) a great way to reduce waste and build a unique wardrobe.”

Gardening can make people happier

BY VALERIE LA PONZA ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR

Gardening has long been associated with physical, mental and even spiritual benefits, but what is the extent of these benefits? And how can students harness these benefits for themselves?

Ashley Pagel, senior environmental science and mathematics double major, spends about three hours a week gardening.

“Gardening provides a way to connect with God’s creation and allows you to see some of the amazing processes he created,” Pagel said.

She added that there is a definite spiritual benefit to gardening, along with physical and mental benefits.

“Gardening definitely has spiritual benefits,” Pagel said. “It helps you connect with God’s creation, and just (helps with) getting a greater appreciation for creation.”

Kylie Williams, junior en-

vironmental science major, agreed that gardening has many physical and mental benefits.

“It leaves you very sore the next day, but you’ll notice some more muscle definition because you’re working with shovels,” Williams said. “Mentally, it helps me so much after I’m in a very stressful class. I’m like, ‘Yay! My next class is urban agriculture. I get to go out and be in God’s creation right now and just relax, like a breath of fresh air.’ Even though it’s hot, you don’t really notice because all you think about is that you’re sowing these seeds so then you can eat it later, and that’s really cool to me.”

Dr. Jacob Lanphere, an environmental science professor often known as Farmer Lanphere, is a staunch advocate for the multitude of benefits of gardening and being in nature.

Lanphere told the story of the universal nature of gardens, which crosses the city, state and even country lines. He ex-

plained that when he was in the on-campus garden tending to the plants, he found a student simply relaxing in the garden, enjoying the fresh air and the orange trees. He asked them why they were there, and “they told me that they’re from another country, but they come to the garden because it reminds them of their country. It reminds them of being at home with their family, and that’s why gardens are so important. These green spaces are so important because they allow us to connect and have these memories of the past.”

He also explained that the spiritual benefits of gardening extend back to the book of Genesis.

“When you look at the book of Genesis chapters 1-3, we see that God created the world in six days,” Lanphere said. “He puts man and woman in a garden. He doesn’t put them on a coastline, in a forest or in the middle of the ocean on an island. He puts

them in a garden, and there’s many reasons why.”

Some of the benefits of gardening include the health benefits of simply being surrounded by the color green, as it has been proven to reduce your stress level according to a research study conducted by Walid Briki and Lina Majed.

“Having dirt under your fingernails increases the serotonin in your body, which helps you feel really good (and) helps you to be happy,” Lanphere said.

Lanphere said that even during the pandemic, he found solace in the garden, where he could escape the events and conflicts of the world, as there were “no masks on the bugs, and no vaccines in the plants.”

For students looking for some stress relief, go check out Lancer Farm and Gardens, located next to the Hawthorne house in North Colony. Students can go get their hands dirty, eat a healthy snack and spend some healing time in God’s creation.

Lifestyle

Macramé keychains

BY OLIVIA LENNING ASST. LIFESTYE EDITOR

Macramé is a 70s-inspired craft making a comeback. Macramé key chains are a simple accessory to clip onto your bag, keys, backpack or wallet.

To start, you will need macramé cord (two 3-foot pieces and one 1-foot piece), a keychain ring and a bead.

Step 1: Cut two 3-foot pieces of macramé cord.

Step 2: Attach both cords to the keychain as shown. The outside cords are the working cords. The inside cords are the filler cords.

Step 3: Begin the first knot. Cross the right working cord over the filler cords and under

the left working cord.

Step

Place the left working cord under the filler cords and over the right working cord.

Pull the knot tight.

Step

Step

Repeat Steps 4-5 until you reach your desired length.

Step

Add the bead by threading the filler cords through the bead. Add one more knot under the bead.

Step

Cut a 1-foot piece of cord.

Step

Tie o by laying the 1-foot cord in an upside-down U shape on the loose ends. Wrap the 1-foot cord around the loose ends upward. Pull the cord through the loop. Pull it tight.

Step

Trim the loose ends and fringe (untwist cord) if desired.

Photo Illustration by Charissa Graves | Banner

Many students are attempting to minimze fast fashion consumption for a myriad of ethical, environmental and economical concerns.

Madison Sardana | Banner

CBU has its own garden on campus located next to the Hawthorne house in North Colony, where students can relieve stress by growing a variety of plants.

Olivia Lenning | Banner

Does cracking your joints eventually lead to arthritis?

BY EMILY MCGINN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Whether you have developed the habit of cracking your knuckles or you have tried to make someone else break their habit, many of us have encountered the loud popping noise of this action at some point. Some of us have even heard that cracking knuckles can cause harm and lead to longterm health concerns such as arthritis.

But is it actually harmful to crack your knuckles?

Jordan Adams, clinical coordinator of the physical therapy assistant program, said that the desire to crack or pop joints, including knuckles, can occur when the bones in the joint have left their optimal position due to muscle imbalances, pathology, damage or joint tightness. When this occurs, someone might experience some discomfort or pressure. Cracking the joint releases the gases in the joint with the aim of reaching that ideal position.

When these gases are compressed, they make a popping sound, making the person “crack” their knuckles.

People often enjoy cracking their knuckles because it relieves pressure or anxiety.

Adams said research has displayed that there is no correlation between cracking joints and higher risks of arthritis. In fact, physical therapists (PT) can actually use cracking to treat joints.

“From a PT standpoint, we call cracking a high velocity thrust mobilization, or ma-

nipulation, and there are benefits from having a skilled professional such as a PT perform these movements when indicated,” Adams said. “In physical therapy, a manipulation of a joint would then be stabilized through therapeutic exercise in order to improve function at the joint overall.”

While cracking joints can lead to harm — dislocations and injuries to tendons — in extreme circumstances, Adams said cracking knuckles regularly should be safe most of the time.

“If the cracking of the joint does not produce pain, there should not be concern,” Adams said. “Cracking that produces pain could be indicative of an underlying pathology or dysfunction.”

Dr. Stephen Runyan, associate professor of biology, corroborated this sentiment. Runyan even said cracking knuckles can be beneficial for the body because it contributes to fluid movement and blood flow.

“Our cartilage in the joints acts like sponges and it soaks up this fluid in the joints that contains wastes as well as blood that’s bringing in new nutrients, so the more we move our joints with exercise, actually the more it’s getting rid of waste and the more it’s bringing in the nutrients,” Runyan said. “So if you’re cracking your knuckles and you’re moving them more, it might even be potentially beneficial.”

Research studies have supported that cracking knuckles has no correlation with arthritis. In fact, one doctor studied

his own hands for proof of this.

“One of the most convincing bits of evidence suggesting that knuckle cracking is harmless comes from a California physician who reported on an experiment he conducted on himself,” reads a Harvard Health Publishing article.

“Over his lifetime, he regularly cracked the knuckles of only one hand. He checked X-rays on himself after decades of this behavior and found no di erence in arthritis between

his hands.”

While not from cracking knuckles and other joints, arthritis can stem from other sources within a person’s control.

Runyan said the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis — or “wear and tear” arthritis — can occur due to lack of use, which leaves tissues without a regular flow of nutrients and deteriorates the cartilage at the joint. It can also take place when joints become imbal-

anced, with one bone wearing down more than the other.

Another common type of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, is actually an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the synovial membrane at the joint, deteriorating the cartilage at the end of the bone.

To avoid joint issues such as arthritis later in life, Runyan recommends exercise and movement, focusing on strengthening muscles on both sides of a joint to ensure balance

and stability.

“The strength around the joint will improve the likelihood that you won’t have joint disorders,” Runyan said. “The strength of the muscles surrounding the joint is really important to help the bones align properly.”

If you find yourself cracking an area of common discomfort to relieve pressure, Adams recommends seeking out a PT to help stabilize the region.

The Bible provides insight into importance of physical health

BY OLIVIA LENNING ASST. LIFESTYE EDITOR

The Bible references our physical bodies in many verses such as in Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20, 9:27; Philippians 1:20-22; and 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The human body has become the new temple of the Holy Spirit and therefore serves as the vehicle in which we serve and glorify him.

Lydia Barlett, junior exercise science major and student-athlete, holds the stance that God cares deeply about his physical creation, especially the human body.

“We are made in God’s image, so we should be glorifying him with how we care for our bodies,” Barlett said. “The Bible also shows a lot about how we were made to do work. If we are choosing not to move and just spend most of our time sedentary, we aren’t doing what our

bodies are designed to do.”

Barlett emphasized that God created our bodies to move, work and carry out God’s will for our lives.

“Our physical health allows us to accomplish more in our day-to-day lives, which can, in turn, helps us to live out God’s purpose for our life,” Barlett said. “By caring for our physical health, we are worshipping the God who created us.”

She also shared her practical advice from an athletic and academic standpoint in regard to caring for our bodies.

“Students can make their health a priority in many small ways throughout their day — things such as walking places instead of driving, (taking) classes at the campus Rec Center or (joining fitness) clubs,” Barlett said.

Kelly Conrad, senior nursing student, weighed in with her opinion on the subject.

“I wholeheartedly believe God cares about my physical health,” Conrad said. “He is our maker who crafted us in his image for his glory. (His) renewal comes (with) a call to o er our bodies as living sacrifices. In order to fulfill this purpose, we should care for our bodies. I’m sure God cares that we do too.”

Conrad’s view of health and wellness is primarily based on her Christian worldview. She cited Romans 12:1 as foundational to her opinion concerning the idea of sacrificial service through our bodies.

Romans 12:1 (NKJV) reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Biblical scholar Dr. Michael L. Brown further expanded on this concept in his book, “Breaking the Stronghold of

Food.”

“Living self-controlled lives as good stewards of our bodies is certainly God’s will, and we know that God’s will is best and that his ways are ways of life — abundant life,” Brown wrote.

Dr. Amy Miller, professor of kinesiology, shared the significance of health from a spiritual standpoint.

“Our health has several components including the spiritual, psychological, emotional, social and physical,” Miller said. “Making health a priority involves both thoughts and actions in these areas, including evaluating our current health and setting realistic goals for improvement.”

Miller said she firmly believes our health and physical bodies are important to God. Our ultimate purpose as believers is to seek to glorify God in all we do. This includes stewarding the gifts, talents and resources

he has blessed us with, our bodies included.

“The Christian understanding is that humans are created in the image of God and as embodied people, with a spirit and body that are not separate but are integrated into this life,” Miller said. “It follows that God cares as much about our physical health as other aspects of our health. Jesus took on a body in order to redeem us and so that we could live integrated, holy and healthy lives on earth.”

Miller cites Psalm 139 and Ephesians 2:10 as reflecting our calling to live out our life purpose — glorifying God — by means of our physical bodies. Psalm 139:13-16 talks about God’s intentional and personal creation of our physical bodies. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God’s workmanship, created for the purpose of works. Our bodies are the instruments by which we accomplish these

works. Therefore, it is only logical that we maintain the health and functioning of our bodies.

“It’s clear that God values the physical body, including our physical health, and wants us to seek physical health in order to live as a reflection of Him in the world,” Miller said.

“This echoes the biblical truths that ‘we are fearfully and wonderfully’ created in the image of God ‘to do excellent works that he has prepared in advance for us to do’ as a means to love and serve him and others.”

Our bodies are essentially neutral vessels and gifts from God that we may use as we will. Like any gift or talent, we must be good stewards of our bodies. This, of course, entails serving God and his people, but stewardship also implies there is a responsibility not just to put our bodies to good use, but also to take care of them.

DONUT BAR

The Donut Bar in downtown Riverside is a newer place to grab a bite, established in January 2020 by Gil Rubalcaba. According to its website, the place has one goal: to bring customers the best doughnuts in the world.

The doughnut selection varies and they are guaranteed fresh with only one master batch produced per day. Opening at 7 a.m, The Donut Bar closes at 12 p.m. or as soon as they sell out, so get in early if you want the best selection.

Speaking of selection, the full doughnut menu is available online for preorder in case you missed the one you wanted, including but not limited to creme brulee, vanilla bean, uni-

corn, the Krusty, the Homer, spiced chai, strawberry cheesecake, rocky road and PB&J. There are also vegan options.

The selection is not the only thing that varies — so do the prices. Depending on the doughnut type, prices range from $2-7.

To quench a doughnut-eater’s thirst, The Donut Bar also o ers beverages. There is a full espresso bar, including milk options and fresh juices, as well as other options.

The aesthetic of The Donut Bar is the best part. Customers are greeted before they even enter the shop with a pink doughnut painted mural on the wall outside, perfect for photo opportunities, especially if you are waiting in line.

Once inside, red LED lights read #DonutBar and pink dripping paint wallpaper lines the doughnut display. Outside on the patio and in front of the shop, pink lights wrap around the trees to light the place at night. Occasionally there are live performances on the patio to enjoy as you eat your treats.

If you want to take the aesthetic home with you, merchandise is available to purchase. There are hats, T-shirts, hoodies, water bottles and stickers. You can follow The Donut Bar on Instagram @donutbarriverside. They boast 16.5k followers and post videos and pictures of the doughnuts, events and updates.

If you cannot make it to the downtown Riv-

erside location, there are many others to choose from, including Temecula, Los Angeles, Diamond Bar, Chula Vista and San Diego. The Donut Bar was even listed on Food Network as one of the 6 Best Restaurants for Guilty Pleasures, according to Food Network’s website.

Personally, as a self-proclaimed doughnutsaficionado, I think there are better tasting doughnuts available elsewhere. However, The Donut Bar is aesthetically unique and the atmosphere is upbeat, so I think the experience is worth it.

Try The Donut Bar yourself and see what you think, and make sure to tag #DonutBar when you take cute photographs.

Photo Illustration by Charissa Graves | Banner Studies have shown that the act of cracking knuckles by itself is not a cause of arthritis or other longterm joint problems.

ALEXZA BAHNMILLER I MANAGING EDITOR

Students take a culinary tour across cultures at Taste the Nations

1.

Fernanda Robles, freshman civil engineering major; Audrey Easter,

graphic design major; and Natalia Bedolla,

elementary education major,

major,

during

Photos by Marharyta Smirnova and Giulia Decataldo

ultimate Frisbee on Oct. 7.

The club meeting started with circling up, when club members come together for a brief time of prayer and announcements. Then, it was time to play.

To divide into teams, each player found another person with whom to flip a disc. Think of it like flipping a coin — only the coin is a Frisbee. This action determines which team each player will be on that day.

The game starts with the opening throw, like a kicko in football. Next, the teams play either defense or o ense depending on which team has the Frisbee at the time. Those on defense attempt to block the other team’s throws and force a turnover, which occurs whenever the Frisbee hits the ground, while the team on o ense tries to move the Frisbee downfield. There is a catch, though — you cannot run with the Frisbee, and you have 10 seconds to throw it to a teammate. The objective: catch the disc in the opposite end zone.

Environmental conditions influence the game heavily.

That day, when I remarked that turnovers seemed to occur frequently, one of the club members pointed out that the wind was blowing harder that afternoon, a ecting the flight of the Frisbee.

The game shifted quickly as each throw had the potential to end in a turnover. Players used various throws ranging from the simpler backhand and forehand throws, to more advanced throws such as the hammer throw, used to launch the disc over defenders.

The game ended when one of the teams (yes, it was my team) scored seven times.

Each meeting ends with circling up a final time for some more prayer and fellowship.

The club members are somewhat competitive, aiming to win each game. Bharwani also said

the club has a more competitive tournament each semester where they create more o cial teams with team names and colors. Some members of the club even compete at higher levels outside of the CBU club.

However, the competition and sport are not the main reasons students keep coming back. For Bharwani and club members Alicia Precie, junior sport management major, and Alyssa Arnone, senior mathematics major, it is about connecting with the people more than with the discs in the air.

“First of all, getting to play with all of these people is amazing,” Arnone said. “I didn’t know Frisbee was very much of a thing before I got here, and it’s been the place where I’ve made the most friends and had the closest community. Having a group of people who care about you beyond — (it’s) the smaller things. People will pray for you and they want to know how you’re doing.”

Precie has been in the club

Organizers share prep for game days

BY HANNAH GORDON ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Have you ever wondered what it takes to put on a huge event like a basketball game?

It involves much more than you may think. Game management is a job that requires preparation, communication and anticipation. The game you attend one Saturday night was months in the making.

Jordan Fetters, associate director of facilities and game management, sets up multiple games for di erent sports on a weekly basis.

“Preparation begins during the summer months but really ramps up about two months before each season,” Fetters said.

“Before each season, we have a meeting with coaching sta s to go over game operations including game management, ticketing, marketing, communications, athletic training and media production departments.

In there, we discuss anything that could come up during games and hash out the details.”

Fetters said they have bi-weekly meetings to talk about upcoming events and troubleshoot any issues they encountered at past games.

During game weeks, Fetters also coordinates with referees and visiting coaching sta s to go over practice times and other important details.

There are many people involved, including four full-time employees, one graduate assistant and 30 student workers.

workers at games are the Crazie Crew.

“We have a quick meeting about who will start chants, what cheers we will do and any new ideas we have that we want to try,” said Emily Gustafson, sophomore psychology major. After that we do some set up, like putting the newspapers in the stands, and get ready for game time. Once the game starts, it is our job to make sure the crowd is staying hyped and we are cheering as loud as possible for our team.”

Game management requires forward thinking.

“You’re always collecting information and adjusting to improve the operation,” Fetters said. “There is always going to be something that pops up throughout the season unforeseen.”

Setup for game day starts the day before and continues until even the next day.

“Generally, the day prior to game day, we will setup the field or gym into a game-day setup with the bleachers, tables and benches out,” Fetter said. “On game day, once the teams arrive, we go over any important details with them and the referees. Once the game gets started, we make sure everything is running smoothly. Post-game, we will tear down and get the facility back ready so teams can practice the following day.”

Everyone involved in preparing for game days is striving to ensure the average student showing up to cheer can have a smooth, enjoyable experience.

since her freshman year, and she is excited to see the club grow even more this year.

“I just like how it brings us all together,” Precie said. “I have made a lot of new friends here. Being a sport management major, I just love playing sports, and this is the perfect club to join.”

For Bharwani, the most rewarding aspect of his position is bringing new people from various backgrounds into this community of students.

“I’ve seen people come to church for the first time,” Bharwani said. “I’ve seen people find life groups. I’ve seen people get married from meeting out here. People make lifelong friends. It’s the community aspect that makes what this club is.”

For those interested in checking out the club, come to the Front Lawn on Fridays at 4 p.m. or Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., or just look for a group of students tossing frisbees and having a good time. That means you are in the right place.

LANCER OF THE ISSUE

TRISTAN FELBERG, SENIOR SPORTS MARKETING MAJOR

Q: HOW DID YOU START PLAYING WATER POLO?

“I started playing water polo because my cousin asked me to try it in sixth grade. My grandpa played water polo in the Olympics for the U.S. and won a bronze medal, which gave my cousins and I inspiration to start playing water polo.”

Q: WHAT LED YOU TO COME BE AN ATHLETE FOR CBU?

“It was the only Christian university that had Division I water polo, which were both things I was looking for.”

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF PLAYING FOR CBU?

“My favorite part of playing for CBU is the teammates that I have are my close friends and part of a brotherhood. I like playing on a team that is able to pray before our games and after our practices, too.”

Q: WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SEASON SO FAR FOR YOU?

“So far, the highlight of my season was beating Brown at Brown University after having a good game and three penalty saves.”

Q: WHAT IS YOUR ROUTINE TO PREP FOR GAMES?

“My routine before games is to listen to music and stretch to get my mind and body right. Before the game starts I go underwater and tell myself three things I need to do during that game.”

Q: WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE SEASON?

“The team goal is to make it back to the conference championship game and win it this year. My individual goal is to make an all-conference team.”

Charissa Graves | Banner

Members of the Ultimate Frisbee Club gather for a huddle and prayer time before practice.

Charissa Graves | Banner The Frisbee teams hustle while trying to defend their goal.

Astronomy lab lets students capture the stars

BY JASMINE SEVERI

Astronomy is an exciting subject for many students. After all, who doesn’t like to stare up at the stars at night?

All undergraduates at California Baptist University are required to take a lab science class as a general education credit, and the astronomy classes at CBU o er an exciting choice.

Interactive technology is used by students in the lab where they have the opportunity to take their own photos of stars, planets, moons, galaxies and other celestial phenomena using professional telescopes.

In the lab for Astronomy I (PHY113), students use a program called Skynet (yes, named after the artificial intelligence from “The Terminator”).

Skynet allows students to access professional telescopes from many locations all over the world, the prominent one being in Cerro Tololo, Chile. They are also able to take pictures of the celestial objects on demand. Students can expect pictures back usually within 24 hours, sometimes even instantaneously (as long as the object is visible at that time of the year).

Skynet operates through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dan Reichert built the PROMPT Telescopes for the purpose of experimental gamma ray research, and he filed for a National Science Foundation grant so students could use these professional research telescopes to encourage people into the STEM fields.

Dr. James Buchholz, professor of mathematics and physics, teaches CBU’s Astronomy I and Astronomy II classes. He talked about the benefits of astronomy not only to science majors, but also to all CBU students.

“What makes (astronomy) exciting for some people to take is the technology,” Buchholz said. “Let’s say you’re not a science major, and you’re in the arts. This is the perfect class for you to take because while we used to — and still do — push the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) but now we’re promoting

STEAM fields where the ‘A’ is Arts. So it’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. And this is the perfect

STEAM class because we’re mixing these beautiful pictures and trying to learn the artistic version of it and then pull science out of those pictures, too.”

Seth Kerchner, senior business administration major, said his favorite image he has captured in the lab is of Saturn.

“Saturn is always a delight to see,” Kerchner said. “The rings are just so strange and mysterious. Why are there rings? Why are they so perfect? And why are some of them braided together?

All these wonderful mysteries are carried in those images, even if you can’t see such things in the pictures themselves.”

Kerchner said his interest in medieval cosmology inspired a greater interest in astronomy and inspired him to take the class.

“I love the old medieval cosmology,” Kerchner said. “It is, of course, extremely scientifically outdated and a bit ridiculous. However, there is still a beauty in it which captures the wonder of the cosmos as little else can. I was inspired to explore the truth of the universe, while still seeking to bring out the beauty in it. To do so, I needed an actual understanding of the universe that was right. I believed then as I do now that truth is stranger than fiction. I have been quite justified in the notion. But the fact remains that, at base, I chose to take astronomy because I love the stars and wanted to become acquainted with their true mystery, hinted at in the old cosmology.”

Paige Haynes, senior elementary education major, said she took Astronomy I as one of her major’s requirements, but that it also sounded fascinating and that it was enjoyable to learn something new. She took the class in spring 2022, and she is doing the lab in the fall semester.

Her favorite of the images she’s taken so far in the lab is of the moon, and she praises the technology that allowed her to take these images and encourages students to take the class.

“I think Skynet is innovative,” Haynes said. “It’s a highly intellectual piece of software that allows us to get our images quickly and accurately. I would 100% recommend this class because you learn so much about not only our universe, planets and solar system. But (I appreciate) the history — and every little thing in between — that you wouldn’t have thought of without taking this course. I would like students to know that this lab expands your knowledge and challenges you in ways that other labs can’t.” Buchholz thinks the Skynet technology used in the lab is a wonderful tool for students, but he would also like for CBU to one dayhave its own observatory so students could get a more hands-on experience. No plans have moved forward on this front, but Buchholz is still hopeful and thinks it could be a great attraction for CBU.

Elon Musk and Tesla introduce a new humanoid robot prototype

BY KRISTIE WISEMAN ASST. B&T EDITOR

Tesla unveiled its newest artificial intelligence (AI) project, a humanoid robot named Optimus, on Sept. 30. The reveal was made at an AI Day event hosted by Tesla in Palo Alto, Calif.

This robot is part of a longterm e ort by Tesla to generate AI systems capable of making human-like decisions independently from humans.

At the demonstration, Optimus used self-driving technology to demonstrate a full range of movements, including walking, waving, picking up objects and watering plants. This demonstration was the result of

months of training.

“This was literally the first time the robot was operated without (a tether) onstage tonight,” said Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, at the event. “We didn’t want it to fall on its face.”

This year’s demonstration was a dramatic improvement from AI Day 2021. At that event, Tesla did not yet have a prototype. Instead, a dancer was hired to dance across the stage in a Tesla Bot spandex unitard.

A statement from Tesla explained that this generation of the robot also contains Wi-Fi and long-term evolution (LTE) capabilities similar to a cell phone, and there are cybersecurity features being imple-

mented to maintain privacy. Tesla paid special attention to the battery life of the robot. Tesla has stated that they intend to create a unique battery that would keep power consumption to a minimum and allow the robot to complete a full day’s work on a single charge.

Musk designed Optimus with the intention of having a robot capable of “replacing humans” in simple, repetitive tasks. It could also replace people in potentially dangerous jobs in factories.

The inspiration for Optimus was ultimately formed by the worker shortage in the manufacturing industry. With manufacturing jobs making up over

10% of U.S. jobs, this technology can potentially bring drastic changes to the U.S. economy.

“The foundation of the economy is labor,” Musk said. “So what happens if you don’t actually have a labor shortage? I’m not sure what an economy even means at that point. That’s what Optimus is about.”

Organized labor initially showed resistance to the robotic technology proposed by Musk. However, they could not deny the advantages this technology could produce in terms of increased worker safety.

“This technology is important because it would help us to automate complicated, potentially risky processes,” said Jo-

siah Norrie, senior mechanical engineering major.

By replacing human workers with robots like Optimus, workplaces could minimize safety concerns and allow individuals to find jobs supporting their creativity.

“We can set a lot of people free who work inside of those factories doing repetitive jobs,” said Dr. Seung-Jae Kim, professor of bioengineering. “But rather than them just losing their job, they can look for some other job where they can use their creativity or incorporate more personality into their job.”

The Tesla AI bot does not have a specific rollout timeline. However, Musk said people

could expect to receive an Optimus in three to five years. This announcement comes after Musk informed stockholders that Tesla would be prioritizing the development of Optimus. While the development of Optimus does not fall under Tesla’s mission to “accelerate the advent of sustainable transport,” Musk continues to passionately pursue the project.

“Optimus is not directly in line with accelerating sustainable energy,” Musk said in an interview with Reuters. “I think the mission does somewhat broaden with the advent of Optimus to — you know, I don’t know: making the future awesome.”

Virtual and augmented reality programs are used by therapists

BY JASMINE SEVERI B&T EDITOR

Virtual reality (VR) technology has been growing in popularity in the last decade and more industries are starting to use it.

One of these industries is the field of therapy. Some doctors and therapists have started using VR technology with patients. A few of the ways it is being used is for calming techniques for anxiety and stress, and for exposure therapy.

For people with phobias,

an irrational fear of something specific, such as arachnophobia for fear of spiders and claustrophobia for fear of tight spaces, one of the best treatments to help people overcome this fear is by exposing them to it in a controlled environment.

VR technology allows this to be done very safely, where the patient does not need to actually experience it in real life, but uses the VR to simulate it.

Dr. Virgo Handojo, professor of psychology, talked about the e ectiveness of virtual and augmented reality technology

in exposure therapy.

“For people with phobias, they can use the augmented reality technology,” Handojo said. “They can download, for instance, on their own phone, and then they can see insects crawling all over their body. It’s not real insects, but it’s very powerful.”

Jeremiah Seaman, sophomore mechanical engineering major, said he thinks exposure therapy would be a good use for VR technology, providing a safer environment for people to confront their fears.

“They can just take o the glasses and not actually have to worry about being there, doing something,” Seaman said. “As long as it helps, I think it’s good.”

Kasey Alcala, freshman business major, said she could see using VR technology for calming stress.

“I have used (VR before), but usually for games,” Alcala said. “But it’s really cool because for the one I was playing, it was a nice environment and it did make me feel more calm. I think that’s a really nice thing

about our advanced technology. I could do that.”

Alcala also said she thinks VR would be useful for exposure therapy because the controlled environment would make it more comfortable.

“Since it’s like virtual reality, I think it’s better than actually running around with real spiders because that’s gonna be an easier environment to control, because you could just take them o ,” Alcala said. “Then it’ll be over instead of just having them all over.”

Another way that VR is being

used is through virtual meeting spaces, presenting a more immersive experience than other forms of virtual meetings , such as video chat, over the phone or through text-based communication.

Handojo said that while this technology is useful, it is still just a tool and it matters how people use it.

“Overall, this is only a tool, an instrument,” Handojo said. “Instruments have limits, and you also need to know how to use that instrument rather than just how to do it.”

Photo courtesy of Dr. James Buchholz

The Eagle Nebula, aka Messier 16, taken on the PROMPT6 telescope in Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile, using UNC’s Skynet system and edited and colorized on Afterglow.

Jasmine Severi | Banner

Earth’s moon, taken on the PROMPT5 telescope in Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile, using UNC’s Skynet system. Students in the PHY113 Lab capture images of celestial objects using the Skynet system through the univeristy.

e medical eld is increasingly using arti cial intelligence tech

tacks. However, these machines are not perfect.

The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been rapidly growing for the past few decades. This has led to the growing concern, specifically in healthcare, of AI systems replacing human workers.

It is evident that AI systems have already produced improvements.

Dr. Seung-Jae Kim, professor of bioengineering, detailed several advancements currently being made by AI systems in the medical field — specifically advancements made by an AI company named “Deep Mind.” This company has been using AI systems to predict protein structures, which then can be used for a variety of pharmaceutical purposes.

“There are so many protein-based medicines nowadays,” Kim said. “Those protein-based medicines can interfere with some cell signaling mechanisms and prevent the cell from multiplying.”

Their cell-regulating ability allows these protein-based medications to act as anticancer treatments, something that would otherwise be impossible.

Another AI system advancement in healthcare is seen through bioimaging. CT scans, for example, are frequently used in medicine for a variety of diagnoses. However, these scans present a potential hazard as they expose the patient to radiation.

“(Medical professionals) can increase the radioactive amount to get a clear image, but they can damage the human cell,” Kim said. “If they lower the radioactive amount the image is noisy, but nowadays using AI algorithms they can filter out that noise and get a better image.”

EKG machines, used to measure the electrical activity of the heart, have had similar advancements. Dr. Brian Bearie, clinical associate professor currently practicing emergency medicine, explained that with the use of AI, these machines are able to do more interpretation such as detecting heart at-

“I’ve seen EKG reports that say a patient is having a heart attack but then you go talk to the patient, look at the patient and examine the patient and they’re totally fine,” Bearie said.

This human aspect will likely ensure healthcare jobs. Instead of replacing jobs, AI will transform them.

“You need a physician overseeing all these EKGs,” Bearie said. “But instead of being able to interpret 30 of them in a day, you can interpret hundreds because you are double-checking what the computer is telling you.

“While I do think that if we allow it, AI can go as far as replacing healthcare professionals and even make it so that I would not be able to be a practicing physician in the future,” Tamayo said. “My fear is more so in what this would do to humanity. What would the world be like if health and care came from something that does not have the capability of compassion and empathy?”

Tamayo embraces the idea of incorporating AI into medicine as a way of improving healthcare outcomes for patients. However, she warns that a replacement of human care would be detrimental.

“There is a huge aspect of patient care that simply cannot be met by AI,” Tamayo said. “This is compassion. Compassion is putting the patient first and looking at a person holistically in e orts to create the best possible treatment plan for them individually.”

Even outside of the medical field, AI systems have the potential to replace jobs. However, in some cases, these may be necessary changes. Kim cited factory jobs as a possible application of AI systems.

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In many circumstances, AI systems are more e cient and accurate than their physician counterparts.

Kim said AI systems have the potential to o er better diagnoses than humans. However, due to resistance from healthcare professionals, this type of system is not being utilized to its full potential.

“In the medical field, even though they try to use AI to replace pre-existing systems, there is always backlash from healthcare workers,” Kim said.

“People have a really big fear that in the future AI will replace our jobs.”

Mia Tamayo, junior biomedical sciences major and future healthcare professional, has di erent fears about the future of AI in medicine.

“If you go to the factory, they do very repetitive work for many hours,” Kim said. “But in the future with automation and AI systems, those jobs will be replaced. It gives us liberation. We can set a lot of people free who work inside those factories.”

These applications hold exciting possibilities for the future, both in the healthcare field and beyond.

“I do not worry too much about the future,” Kim said. “Maybe in the future we will be required to put more creativity into our work rather than just perform routine work. That routine work and simple work should be replaced by that kind of system.”

Bearie shared a similar optimism about the future of AI in healthcare.

“I think medicine is probably a late adapter as far as incorporating AI,” Bearie said. “But it’s definitely here and it will be here forever.”

How does this help the environment?

Most phone cases are made from plastic,

to pollution.

water

contrast, Pela

make their phone

less carbon

Small, private aerial vehicles may be in our future of transportation

BY CONNOR RYAN ASST. B&T EDITOR

What if, instead of taking an Uber, you could get an electric plane to fly you across a bustling metropolitan area in minutes?

According to several sources in the aviation department at California Baptist University, this may become a reality in the next few decades.

Evan Schuler, junior aviation major, spoke about how these “air taxis” will soon be a popular means of transportation.

“There are a couple of companies in the testing stages of these eVTOLs (electric vertical takeo and landing vehicles),” Schuler said. “They’re electric planes with propellers and they have a passenger compartment. These might replace commuter helicopter lines in the future. I think they’d be useful for big metropolitan areas if they can find an altitude that would keep them from crashing into skyscrapers and hitting airliners.”

Joshua Newton, senior aviation major, mentioned several companies hard at work creating electric unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of transporting cargo as well.

“There’s a lot of compa-

nies in general that are trying to develop either an air taxi or drone delivery,” Newton said. “Amazon was the first company to come out and say they want to do drone deliveries. Wing is a company that has a hybrid UAV that flies out and delivers packages. There’s another company called Zipline that delivers

Dr. John Marselus, chair of the aviation science department.

“Government regulatory agencies will need to break out of their paradigms and think outside the box.”

The main appeal of electric aircrafts is that they will reduce fossil fuel emissions. However, obtaining rare metals like lithium for batteries produces a similar carbon footprint and raises ethical concerns.

“There’s only a couple of places you can really get (these elements),” Newton said. “Usually that’s in Africa. There’s a lot of turmoil that goes around those mining operations. We’re getting our cobalt or lithium from this mine that may be supporting a war down there. Do we support this war? So it’s kind of like a juggling act.”

medical supplies in Africa.”

As for commercial electric airplanes, the likelihood of them coming to the market anytime soon is slim, especially because of how slowly the wheels of government turn.

“You have regulatory challenges, manufacturing challenges, logistical challenges and then you have the challenges in science and physics that you have to overcome,” said

Another aspect is the strain on electrical grids. Schuler mentioned that California is currently incapable of supporting a surge in electric aircrafts. However, if the government creates the proper infrastructure, he estimated that electric planes could come to the market in the next 10 years.

It is safe to say electric airplanes are on the horizon, granted the logistical and environmental needs are met holistically.

Emily McGinn | Banner

“

We’re getting our cobalt or lithium from this mine that may be supporting a war down there. Do we support this war? So it’s kind of like a juggling act.

Joshua Newton, Senior aviation major

“

My fear is more so in what this would do to humanity. What would the world be like if health and care came from something that does not have the capability of compassion and empathy?

Mia Tamayo, Junior biomedical sciences major

eatre preps for ‘ e Lightning ief: e Percy Jackson Musical’

BY JAMESON SHOWERS ASST. A&E EDITOR

California Baptist University’s first play of the semester is right around the corner, and this time students will take the stage in “The Lighting Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.” In this theatrical adventure, Percy Jackson uses his newfound powers to solve the mystery of Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt.

Adapted from the novel of the same name, “The Lightning Thief” explores Greek mythology and conflicts between the gods. The titular character discovers he is a demigod and has certain inherited powers from his father, Poseidon. With a target on his back, Percy and his friends must fight against the gods while figuring out the identity of the lightning thief.

Auditions for the play began during the first week of the semester, with rehearsals starting the following week. Rehearsals run daily from 7-11 p.m.

Preparing for a musical in a short span of four weeks can be stressful for the cast members and sta . Ethan Parks, the production director and adjunct

professor of theater, has been busy facilitating the preparation, from production to casting to giving guidance to the actors on their roles.

“The challenge so far has been the time crunch with the scale of the production,” Parks said. “This is one of the biggest productions we’ve done on this short time schedule. The students and my design team have handled it fantastically and I feel we are really prepared for opening night.”

While directing a musical is not the easiest job, neither is playing a role and acting on stage. Each cast member has their own creative process in mastering their characters.

Nathan Sporcich, senior marketing major, is playing Percy Jackson and discussed his experience preparing for the lead role.

“For the role that I have, Percy doesn’t leave the stage the entire production,” Sporcich said. “For all the rehearsals, I need to be there from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. each day.”

This is not Sporcich’s first lead role in a musical, as he played the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast” last fall. Sporcich explained his role as Percy

Jackson and how it contrasts with the Beast.

“This is definitely a more challenging role than the Beast, I’d say, in terms of singing,” Sporcich said. “It’s a di erent musical challenge. There’s physical conditioning that has to happen. With this show, there’s some fight choreography that happens when using swords and fighting on stage.”

In this particular production, there are only seven cast members so, all cast members

“

Madilyn Fleming, Sophomore theater performance and technical design double major

besides the lead actor have to play multiple characters. Being assigned multiple characters means a constant change of costumes and having to memorize an extensive number of lines throughout the production.

Madilyn Fleming, sophmore theater performance and tech-

nical design double major, will be playing Clarisse, daughter of Ares, the god of war along with additional characters. She spoke about the cast and how they are serving in other roles.

“Not only are we acting and singing, we are moving stu o stage and setting it back on stage, moving all our props, all of our design pieces on stage,” Fleming said. “The cast is really involved as a crew for this show, and I think that makes a big di erence. There are a lot of working parts, and we are all working as gears in a machine.”

Fleming also described her creative process in preparing to perform multiple roles during the musical. “I usually feel really in touch in the character once I get in costume,” Fleming said.

“I try to think about things especially in the script and the music as my character,” Flemming said.

The cast has had their hands full with getting the musical ready in time for its premiere. Getting everything done in just a month’s time is no easy feat. “The Lightning Thief” is set to open on Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. with more shows on Oct. 15 and 20-22.

The legacy of slasher lms and the “ nal girl” theory explained

BY ZERENITY LOPEZ A&E EDITOR

The slasher film has been a part of film history for decades, first established in the late 1970s. The genre first came to be after John Carpenter’s “Halloween” was released in 1978. The film is considered to be the father of all slasher films as it paved the way for the genre to unravel.

The slasher film has a list of criteria that sets it apart from the typical horror film. At its core, slasher films include a murderer-often a serial killer-a group of victims and typically a sharp weapon. There are more aspects, of course, that truly

make the slasher genre unique.

The most important part of a slasher film is the idea of a “final girl.” The final girl in slasher films is essentially the protagonist and the main focus of the killer. The character was been given its name by Carol J. Clover in her book, “Men, Women, and Chainsaws.”

The killer’s fixation on the final girl ends up leaving them alive until the end, usually surviving for the sequel. This establishes a good vs. evil relationship that pits both killer and victim as the main protagonist-antagonist pairing of the film.

Rolando Lopez, a graduate of New York Film Academy,

shared his thoughts on what makes the slasher film genre so enticing.

“A lot of slasher films became so popular because of the rush of adrenaline that it gives,” Lopez said. “They create an out-of-body experience when watching from the victims’ point of view. You root for the victims to get away, but at the same time, you’re still curious about how the killer’s storyline will play out.”

The slasher film has become a studied formula that has even allowed for parodies like “Scary Movie” to be created. Having a final girl is the biggest part of a slasher movie.

Jamie Lee Curtis, the origi-

nal final girl, was the blueprint for the characters like Sidney Prescott of “Scream,” Nancy Thompson in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and more modern takes like Maxine Minx in the 2022 film “X.”

Vanessa Cornejo, freshman undeclared major, gave her take on the tradition of a final girl in slasher films.

“The dynamics of the final girl is all right,” Cornejo said. “I don’t really like the thought of only one survivor, but it always adds to the adrenaline rush because the movies do a good job of giving us an emotional connection to the character. We’re hooked instantly and left wanting them to survive.”

Since the 1970s, slasher films have evolved. The foundation of it is still there, but the killers and plots have evolved to match modern times.

For example, the killers in “Scream” were limited by the technology of the 1980s. In the film’s reboot, which was adapted into a television series, the phone calls that the original final girl Sidney Prescott received were transformed into text messages and social media notifications.

Valerie Casteneda, junior accounting major who enjoys slasher films, gives her opinion on the modern take that slasher films have taken.

“Modern slasher films take

a lot of inspiration from older films, which makes them repetitive and easily predictable: But that’s ok because the whole point of watching slasher films is to feel the adrenaline of the ‘slasher’ stalking the characters and eventually murdering them, even if we know exactly what will happen next.” said

Casteneda

The slasher film and final girl formula are pinnacles in the horror film genre and have evolved with the world around them. The world will always be fascinated with stories that make the viewers root for a character, so slasher films will likely be around for the foreseeable future.

CONNOR RYAN ASST. B&T EDITOR

Everyone has had that moment when they are bopping along to the beat of their favorite song. Whether it is pop, rock or country, the underlying composition of a song is what draws people in and determines whether one likes a song or hits skip.

Though many do not realize it, countless people are working behind the scenes to bring these tracks to life.

California Baptist University’s studio production major targets students who are looking to create music and expand their knowledge of popular music throughout modern history. Students are trained in an immersive and integrated program—musically, theoretically, and entrperneurally.

The pandemic thwarted the program’s initial launch in 2019. Now that remote learning has become a thing of the past, Dr. Lance Beaumont, professor of music, christened the 2022-23 school year as the o cial launch of the major as the faculty envisioned it.

Beaumont said the major is a springboard meant to provide a wide variety of opportunities for budding producers.

Tony Pascual, sophomore studio productions major, recalled that the program was

kind to beginners. Though he only took a few music tech classes in high school, Pascual said he found it easy to adapt to the curriculum.

Beaumont’s two primary goals for students are to examine di erent types of music and find which kind they like and learn to express themselves through the necessary tools.

“They’ve expanded their color palette, so to speak,” Beaumont said, referring to his students. “Their crayon box has gone from eight colors now to 164.”

Adam Gonzalez, junior studio productions major, said that studying popular music is another essential aspect of the major. “The program has helped me gain a better overall perspective on all di erent types of music and the history about them,” Gonzalez said.

In this vein, Pascual added that listening to music helps students learn to listen for specific elements.

“You pick up on the really small details, such as what effects they use on the vocalists and instruments and how well the mix of the band or instrument tracks are blended together,” Pascual said.

There are several misconceptions surrounding musical production, particularly the amount of manpower required to create a comprehensive mu-

sical project. Beaumont said there are a variety of jobs for every aspect of the production process. “We had a student that just graduated who’s working for Madison Square Garden writing code for spatial audio,” Beaumont said.

“There are other students that are working in the last element of recording, which we call mastering. So for every artist you see on the stage, there are hundreds of people that you don’t see behind that artist that are making that possible.”

Additionally, Pascual uses an analogy to debunk the idea that education is unnecessary to become a successful producer.

sic). While anyone can learn to make a nice dinner or two, it takes someone with more skill to make food for a five-star restaurant.”

When working with all these di erent elements, it is easy for one to become overwhelmed. Gonzalez related the struggles of a producer to those of a writer.

“Even authors deal with what they call writer’s block, so sometimes I need to take a step away from producing to see if I can gather inspiration,” Gonzalez said.

Beaumont said the fear of acceptance is the most crushing aspect of becoming a producer.

The most prevalent concern among his students is whether or not their music will be well received. By compelling students to share their projects, Beaumont hopes to improve their confidence and ability to receive constructive criticism.

Pascual encouraged current and prospective studio production majors who are insecure about their work.

“‘Anyone can cook,’” quoted Pascual. “I love (“Ratatouille”), but I hate that quote. Like cooking, it takes time and skill to become good at (making mu-

“With anything it always requires a learning curve,” Pascual said. “When you finally get the basics and figure your way around things, it becomes easier. Always learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward.”

Camille Grochowski | Banner Gavin Duran (left), Nathan Sporcich, Marissa Alfaro and Alec Abrahams sing “Drive” during a rehearsal for CBU’s fall musical “The Lightning Thief: The Pecy Jackson Musical.”

I usually feel really in touch with the character once I get in costume.

Studio production program shares behindthe-scenes look at the school’s program

Luis Menendez | Banner

Camillle Grochowski | Banner

Aexis Parsio, junior theater major, records a funny moment during a scene in the second act of the musical.

“Anyone can cook.” I love (“Ratatouille”), but I hate that quote. Like cooking, it takes time and skill to become good at (making music), Tony Pascual, Sophomore studio production major

“

Bryan Picazo | Banner

The Collinsworth School of Performing Arts has soundboards and other pieces of equipment on which students can learn and practice studio production.

Bryan Picazo | Banner

studio

rehearsal

student

local

Art walk

the Riverside Art Walk worth the trip.

The art walk has numerous tables and pop-up tents throughout the parking lot. There was jewelry, mixed media, photo prints, ceramics, paintings, stickers and even clothing on sale. The event features a wide variety of artistic styles and artworks. Each vendor explained how their pieces were handmade and how long it took to make them.

The artwork and artists’ diversity reflects the Riverside community as well. At the eclectic event, families, students and people of all ages

and demographics came together to celebrate art.

Yselle Barajas, freshman psychology major, visited the

“I didn’t know what to expet from the art walk, but I was de nitely surprised in the best way Yselle Barajas, Freshman psychology major

art walk on Oct. 6. “I didn’t know what to expect from the art walk, but I was definitely surprised in the best way.”

“I loved the atmosphere and

everything being sold there, especially the jewelry stands,” Barajas said.

While the Riverside Art Walk is an artistic staple to many locals, many students at California Baptist University have never heard of it.

Natalaya Brown, sophmore political science major enjoys the arts and also suports small businesses.

“I’ve never heard about Riverside having an art walk, Brown said. “If I would’ve as a freshman about the event, I would’ve gone every month. I’m excited for the next art walk I’ll have to check it out.”

The following first Thursday of the month, take a trip to the corner of Lemon street and University avenue to check out the Riverside Art Walk.

Review: Blackbear returns home to Los Angeles to nish o his fall 2022 Nothing Matters tour

BY GABI RIGGIN ASST. A&E EDITOR

Talented singer, songwriter and producer Blackbear returned for another tour since his first headlining tour in 2019. He ended his 15-date tour in North America at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif., on Sept. 26.

Blackbear’s sound cannot be defined by any specific genre, as each song has a di erent tune. If I had to describe it, I would classify it as pop, rock, emo, alternative, and evensprinkling in some R and B and hip-hop.

His supporting acts featured Heart Attack Man and Waterparks for the Nothing Matters Tour. The concert highlighted multi-platinum tracks like “idfc” and “hot girl bummer.”

Blackbear also performed his recent singles featuring Machine Gun Kelly, “gfy,” and “the idea” from his forthcoming album “in loving memory.”

The opening acts did well, exciting the crowd before Blackbear entered the scene. These two bands consisted of noisy pop-punk, alternative, rock and electric sounds. Their music fit the concert’s vibe and complemented the rest of the show well. The artists seemed to be grateful to be on tour with Blackbear.

Before this concert in L.A., Blackbear had to cancel all shows the week leading up to his concert in Las Vegas, on Saturday, Sept. 24. This was due to some medical issues regarding his vocals.

He was placed on vocal rest by doctors. He shared the news via an Instagram story on Sept. 19, captioning, “In spite of the continuous medical e ort, I’m extremely heartbroken to say

that my vocal issues have not improved.

“I wholeheartedly apologize to everyone who worked so hard on this show and those who planned to attend.” Blackbear said. He clarified to his fans that refunds would be issued to them for the show and hoped that he would be able to sing in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Lucky for us, the Saturday show happened, and he could perform the rest of his tour.

Considering the trauma his vocals had probably experienced and that he had to be on vocal rest, Blackbear did a fantastic job in performing and singing.

His opening to the concert was something I had never experienced before. It started with flashing lights, guitar solos and a robot voice almost like Siri talking. The voice ended by saying, “nothing matters” before the guitars started, and Blackbear came out singing one of his well-known songs, “me and ur ghost” from the album “everything means nothing,” followed by “queen of broken hearts” from the same album.

Many of the songs played were his older songs from previous albums to which the entire crowd sang along.

Blackbear played his song, “idfc” from his album “dead roses,” and songs from his EP “dead” were played twice. He played one right after the other because one was the original version, and the second was a newer version.

This song was one from his roots, and I think it was memorable for everyone to sing it along with him. During the show, he stated how happy he was to be back in LA to perform as LA is where his entire career began.

As someone who found him from one of his most popular songs, “idfc,” which has been streamed nearly 6,000,000 times and is still No. 4 on his Spotify most played, I found this moment during the concert very personal with his fans, and the small theater made it feel all the more intimate.

Blackbear also played more of his popular songs like “chateau” and “i miss the old you”, and even brought up three fans from the pit to sing on stage with him. He also played “dirty laundry”.

Although the concert showcased songs from his earlier albums, he did play a select few from his recent albums, like “back in rehab” from “in loving memory.” Blackbear mentioned during the show that the song had not been performed for anyone yet, so the L.A. fans were the first to hear it.

“Poltergeist” from his newest album, and my personal favorite, was the last song that Blackbear performed.

I do wish he played more songs from his newest album because no one has heard those songs performed live yet, and I think it is one of his best albums. It was still fantastic to hear all the songs I had listened to in the past come to life in front of me with flashing lights of colors and excellent visual graphics submerging an entire theater of screaming fans who were singing and enjoying themselves and the songs.

Although his music is not for everyone, I think concert experiences are some of the best ways to spend time with people and to hear music and artists perform their songs and bring them to life.

A day in the life

of a vocal performance major

Marisa Alfaro, sophomore vocal performance major

7:30 a.m. – If I wake up on time, I get ready and then I’ll usually have a cinnamon raisin bagel with butter or sunny side up eggs.

8:15 a.m. – First class of the day

9:15 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Back-to-back classes, which include Music Theory, Ear Training, Music in Global Cultures, Music Technology, Piano, Voice Lessons and Ensembles.

1 – 2 p.m. – Eat. I usually meal prep my food since mobile ordering gets tricky. Having a healthy diet is key for lasting energy. Some vocal health that I do is drink tea and use a steamer to help my voice for long days.

2 – 4 p.m. – Choir practice ranging from University City Choir to Jazz Ensemble

4 – 11 p.m. – Rehearsal for “The Lightning Thief” (I am the leading lady, Annabeth Chase).

11 p.m. – Sleep

Charissa Graves | Banner

Several booths spread out through downtown Riverside to sell their items like jewelry, handmade crafts and print art.

Charissa Graves | Banner

There were

represented at the Riverside Art Walk on Oct. 6, such as a booth selling homemade crocheted items.

Charissa Graves | Banner

Riverside Art Walk runs from 6-9 p.m. on the rst Thursday of every month, giving customers plenty of time to browse.

Women’s volleyball plows ahead

The California Baptist University women’s volleyball team is spiking its way forward through the season.

The Lancers started the season with a double-header in South Carolina at the Charleston Southern Tournament. They faced St. John’s University and Appalachian State. There were impressive performances from Scherine Dahoue, who gained double-digit kills, and Paige Johnstone, who had three aces and 21 digs. Though the team was not victorious in these matches, they learned valuable lessons.

“I would say a low point in the season was at the beginning of conference — just learning how to compete more and really fighting for every point,” said Johnstone, senior nursing major.

The Lancers’ fighting spirit has led to some major victories.

“Some accomplishments are having some big wins against the Air Force, the University of California Irvine and beating the University of Texas at Arlington, who was top in the conference,” Johnstone said.

The Lancers had a five-set victory over Air Force and had its fourth consecutive win against UC Irvine in that series.

The matchup against UT Arlington featured a 3-1 finish and an important conference win. UT Arlington was coming o of a three-game winning streak in the Western Athletic Conference. The win against them placed the Lancers ahead in the conference.

And we are still looking ahead.

“We (were) also really excited for our Events Center match this Thursday because it’s always our biggest match of the season,” Johnstone said.

The “Pack the Events Center” game against Abilene Christian was on Oct. 13.

“As far as season goes, we are still learning and growing every single day,” Johnstone said. “We are happy with where we are at, but there is still a lot of work to do. Season isn’t over and we want to give it out all and play with a lot of heart. Compared to last season, I would say we are a lot scrappier on the court and we play with a lot of fight.”

The season is not over yet, and the Lancers are not slowing down.

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How do athletes stay motivated during season?

BY MICHAEL MARKS ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

When people think of sports, they usually consider the physical requirements, but it can be easy to overlook the mental aspect. However, remaining motivated is a significant aspect of any sport.

How are athletes able to push through such long seasons and master the mental aspect of sports that is important to any athlete’s success?

Dr. Ed Garrett, professor of sports and performance psychology, o ered insight into the mental side of sports.

“Every student-athlete is going to struggle with something, whether it’s intrinsic or extrinsic,” Garrett said. “Some might be dealing with finances and family issues, some may be dealing with disbelief in their abilities, a loss of self-e cacy. We spend so much time on the kinesthetic that we don’t spend time on the cognitive and the

emotions associated with the performance.”

He o ered advice for any athlete struggling with maintaining motivation in the face of adversity.

“You have to develop a very short-term memory when it comes to things,” Garrett said.

“Having success today does not mean success is going to come tomorrow. Having failure today does not mean tomorrow is going to be a failure. Being present is critical.”

Garrett said that maintaining control over what is within an athlete’s power is crucial in gaining an upper hand in the mental game.

“Control the controllables,” Garrett said. “We can control our emotions, we can control our thoughts (and) we can control the behavior associated with those two. Work ethic falls into that, (and) grit and mentality start there intrinsically and bleed out from what we do from a behavioral response.”

Putting this advice into practice is easier said than done, but for junior Malik Wade and senior Tre Armstrong, both players for the men’s basketball team, it is something they live day in and day out.

“Being together over a long period of time, you start to play for each other, not just yourself,” Armstrong said. “You are motivated to make your teammates better and help your teammates succeed. If you’re only in it for yourself, you are going to burn out pretty quickly if things don’t go your way.”

Malik Wade shared his perspective and how it relates to his faith.

“My faith is everything for me,” Wade said. “It is bigger than me. Staying in the zone, for my teammates, my family and God, everything has a bigger purpose than just me.”

They also addressed how their experience di ers from the rest of the student body and some of the benefits that help

them push through the hard parts.

“It’s di erent from the average student because they come here specifically to get this degree from CBU and get to enjoy the rest that comes with it,” Armstrong said.

“I think for us, we’ve come to become better basketball players but also to grow as students and people as well, so it’s a winwin.”

Wade also pointed out that this college experience is the culmination of years of work and has helped him discover his purpose.

“I can’t let my teammates down, and I can’t let the college down either,” Wade said. “I need to do everything I can to get better every day. I started playing at 15 years old. Before that, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with my life. I started seeing the whole picture and I can be even better than that and special, so it really changed my view of the world.”

Elijah Hickman | Banner

The volleyball team celebrates scoring a point against Southern Utah University earlier this season.

Apple o ers better systems than other brands

for users to accomplish a task.

in horror. Someone in your chat does not have an iPhone, which means you cannot add people without making a new chat each time and you cannot properly like messages.

The technology world has fallen into a well-established divide with two clear camps: the Apple loyalists and those who have made the jump to another company such as Samsung.

it died suddenly a month after purchase. I have complained about the subtle changes that irritated us all (I am currently having flashbacks when time Apple first removed the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 so consumers had to purchase a converter). Yet I have remained faithful to the brand. Why, you may ask?

BY EMILY MCGINN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Imagine you are creating a group chat for a team or a group of some sort — perhaps your Bible study, a book club or your class study group. You enter all the phone numbers into iMessage and type the first text. Then, as you click “send,” disaster strikes: You see the text bubble slide up the screen, turning green — not blue. You stare at it

Before I launch into why I have joined the Apple camp, it is important to note that each brand has pros and cons, and consumers might — and probably should — make di erent choices based on their needs.

I am not someone who thinks Apple can do no wrong.

In fact, I would be the first in line with my list of complaints regarding Apple over the years.

I have had my fair share of disappointing run-ins at the Genius Bar at my local store, and

I have had to ship my MacBook Air across the country because

One of the major selling points for me is the ease and accessibility of the user interface. The iPhone features, from the app designs to the messaging systems, are wildly easy-to-use and intuitive. iMovie embodies a great example of this easy to use nature. I have used multiple video editing programs, including Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere, but the built-in Apple iMovie software is by far the easiest and most e cient video editing software I have encountered. With this software, as with most things, Apple seemed to find the most intuitive way

The sync and compatibility capabilities Apple o ers have also made me a loyal Apple user. I own an iPhone 11, an iPad (I also recommend the Apple Pencil) and a MacBook Air, and as a designer, writer and student, I am constantly jumping from device to device as I use them for di erent purposes. However, I often need one file from one device to appear on another.

Enter AirDrop, Apple’s groundbreaking system launched in 2011 for syncing multiple devices. Of course, the catch is that all the devices must be Apple products.

There are alternatives to AirDrop for non-Apple users.

For example, you can use an email, as long as the file does not exceed the size limit, or you can upload files to Google Drive or another online platform, but that requires quite a few steps. It is much more e cient to press one button with AirDrop

and see my file pop up on another device within a few seconds.

The sync capabilities ensure I never miss important notifications and messages on any device, as my texts, calendar and reminders all sync across devices. I use the Notes app religiously, as well, and I appreciate that my notes appear on all my devices regardless of where I originally type them. Furthermore, Apple successfully provides compatibility with most third-party apps such as the Adobe Creative Suite.

Beyond the benefits of the actual technology, Apple has the advantage of popularity, holding about half of the market share and thoroughly outpacing Samsung, the next most popular phone brand, in the U.S., according to Counterpoint. At the risk of sounding as though I promote the bandwagon effect, Apple’s dominance in the industry matters because Apple makes it matter. As displayed

in the opening hypothetical, whether or not you have an iPhone a ects how you interact digitally with iPhone users. For example, without an iPhone, you cannot AirDrop files or receive them. There are also other signs of incompatibility, such as photos not sending with high quality across brands.

Ultimately, Apple o ers the best selection of products for the greatest numbers of people because their products appeal to the average user. Sure, Samsung might have a slightly better camera than the most recent iPhone, but is the average user truly going to care when it cannot sync with their iPad?

Apple’s user friendliness and compatibility go unmatched in the industry. For my purposes, these qualities are important. Most importantly, I do not think I could ever commit to becoming the Samsung user who messes up the text group chat — it just is not for me.

Samsung offers superior technology compared to Apple

sung. I simply answered, “Apple” because it was all I knew, all I had seen and all I had heard.

I had Apple products my whole life. To be fair, Apple’s iPhone was released in 2007, and Samsung’s Galaxy S was released in 2009, so Apple was the first to premiere — kudos to them.

any issues with my Apple products (aside from constantly losing my AirPods), but then again, I was not using them for anything other than social media and texting.

memory could also be expanded via memory card while the iPhone’s could not. Lastly, the Samsung front camera had 32MP, whereas the Apple front camera had 12MP, and the regular camera had 8MP (3X telephoto), whereas iPhone 11 had no telephoto. These features sold me, and, thus, I joined the Samsung team.

not to mention Samsung’s Fold, a foldable smartphone that has three full-sized screens. I switched my Apple Watch to a Samsung watch and I did not even need to replace the AirPods, as I lost them again. Now, I have the Samsung Buds. They all instantly pair to my phone, no further action required.

(Galaxy S22 Ultra) and eSIM (Galaxy S22 series).

Ah, the ageless debate: Apple or Samsung?

I won’t pretend that I once didn’t instantly respond — no hesitation — “Apple.” But over the years, I’ve realized that I answered that knowing absolutely nothing about the actual technology used by Apple and Sam-

My first Apple phone was the iPod Touch, which came out in 2007. I then upgraded to the iPhone 4. Eventually I got the other products as well — the MacBook Air, the iPad, the AirPods and the Apple Watch. I was Apple-everything. However, the reason I bought Apple was for no reason other than it was marketed to me.

Then my brother got the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge in 2016. He was the only one I knew who chose Samsung over Apple, and I made sure he knew that. I personally did not have

That changed when I went to college. I was studying film for the first time, so I needed the technology on my phone to be the best it could be. I had a friend who had a Samsung, and they were constantly showing o the better video quality that their Note Ultra 22 had. I needed that quality.

I went to the store to check out the Samsung phones, this time with an open mind. I was instantly fond of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. The Galaxy S20 FE (2020) had better features by far than Apple’s newest product at the time, the iPhone 11.

For one, the screen was 6.5 inches, and the iPhone 11’s was 6.1 inches. The Galaxy S20 FE’s

My biggest worry about changing sides was compatibility. I would no longer be able to AirDrop things to people, and some apps are only available for Apple products. However, this worry soon diminished because my Samsung was so much easier and smoother to navigate and use. My screen was clearer, my download speed was faster and the charge lasted longer.

They all have incredible battery charge and have yet to have any issues, even with over a year of usage.

Samsung Flip and Fold are not the only technological advancements Samsung has over Apple. The newest iPhone, the iPhone 14 (released Sept. 16), introduced features that Samsung phones have already had.

If you still doubt that Samsung focuses more on the technology aspect whereas Apple is more concerned about marketing, in April 2021, Apple lost a lawsuit and agreed to pay $3.4 million to more than 150,000 Chilean consumers who claimed their Apple products were programmed to have a limited lifespan to force them to replace their phones sooner than necessary, according to FirstPost.

I currently have the Samsung Flip 3, a full-sized smartphone that flips in half, a phone that Apple has yet to design —

To name a few of these features, there is the always on display (first launched on the Galaxy Note 7, according to Samsung), dynamic refresh rates (Galaxy S22 Ultra), ProRAW photos

All this to say, I do still have my MacBook, but do not worry — it is the last of my Apple products, and soon I will upgrade to a di erent laptop. As my last Apple product, it starts to get on my nerves when it takes hours to download a simple edited video clip. Take it from me — if you want to get work done, use Samsung.

Free universal healthcare would harm doctors and endanger lives

BY ALEXZA BAHNILLER MANAGING EDITOR BY KRISTIE WISEMAN

EDITOR

it? Based on the name, one could assume it would be available to everyone for free. That sounds like a win-win.

Unfortunately, free universal healthcare may accomplish exactly the opposite of what its name suggests. Take Canada, for example, a country that prides itself on its universal healthcare system. As of 2020, Canadians had to pay 51% more in taxes to support this healthcare system. Even with the added taxes, their out-of-pocket medical costs were similar to those of Americans. A system that promised to be free now costs the average Canadian thousands of dollars.

The idea of “universal” is also being called into question in Canada.

“Government rationing has left Canadians with monthslong waiting lists for urgent care, endemic sta shortages, substandard equipment and outdated drugs,” according to the Heritage Foundation.

These are conditions that would be deemed unacceptable by current U.S. standards. Yet if we embrace the theory of free universal healthcare, this is precisely the future that lies ahead of us.

Canada is not the only country struggling with its universal healthcare system. With wait-

ing periods of more than three months, the United Kingdom is experiencing a national shortage of healthcare workers. In 2022, the U.K. reported a shortage of over 12,000 doctors and 50,000 nurses, according to the Heritage Foundation. This is a direct result of the decreased wages in countries with universal healthcare.

To spend less money, governments will cut the salaries of their healthcare workers. The average doctor in the U.S. makes $381,000 a year, according to MedScape. In the U.K., the average doctor makes only $138,000 a year.

Similar salaries are seen in all countries supporting free

universal healthcare. With medical school averaging over $200,000 and years of additional training, many people have reconsidered the path to becoming a physician, creating an alarming shortage.

This shortage creates the most disturbing problem associated with universal healthcare: a degradation in the quality of service.

Under universal healthcare, it becomes extremely di cult to access necessary services. When pursuing additional healthcare services, one would have to seek government approval and be able to prove the service is necessary. The gov-

ernment may also place cost limitations, preventing patients from accessing specific procedures or expensive tests.

“Even in countries like Canada and the U.K., there is no intrinsic right to healthcare,” said John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods. “Rather, citizens in these countries are told by government bureaucrats what healthcare treatments they are eligible to receive and when they can receive them.”

The healthcare system in the U.S. is not perfect. There is always room for improvement, but utilizing a universal healthcare system would bring far more harm than good.

LANCER ON THE STREET Do you prefer Apple or Samsung? Why?

Taylor Bruce Marissa Warren

Danielle Duag,Kevin Nazario Chloe Yow

Graduate student Senior

Elementary education majorForensics technology Health science majorLiberal studies majorSport and Performance Psychology

FreshmanGraduate student Freshman

“Apple. All my products I have are Apple and it’s easy to use. And I like the look of it.”

“At the moment I prefer Apple, mainly because of the two-factor identi cation on the LancerMail.”

“Apple just because honestly I think I have been used to the system for so long.” “Apple. It’s easier to connect my devices. For example, for my AirPods it’s easier to switch.”

“Apple because that’s just what I have. It’s what I’ve always had.”

Lanc

Cartoons by Carly Brunner