The Point, Issue 17, March 2, 2015

The Point student newspaper of point loma nazarene university

monday, march 2, 2015

Features, page 3

volume 43 | issue 17

A&E, page 5

Sports, page 6

Opinion, page 8

More on Loma Beat!

Media Board faces funding cuts

BY KENDALL BOSHART STAFF WRITER

ASB President mcKensey Wise, in a recent letter to all of Media Board and in a letter to the student body published in last Monday’s opinion section, outlines the changes that the Media Board is facing on PLNU’s campus.

The letter explains that ASB will be less involved with funding Media Board, collectively The Point, The Mariner, Driftwood, Point T.V. and Point Radio, and next year will only contribute $40,000 of their previous $100,000 to Media Board. The $60,000 gap in funding will now fall to the Department of Communication and LJML. Wise believes that she and the ASB Board of Directors see the advantage of student media; but that they also feel they are unable to adequately make decisions for Media Board funding.

“We value the educational benefits of the Media Board and do not want to see the board suffer due to lack of funding,” said Wise in her letter. “Communication and Journalism professors are able to better distribute the funds of each branch than ASB students who shift from year to year.”

This considerable loss in funding will most likely impact student editors’ stipends. The positions, will either be severely underpaid or completely volunteer if the two departments are unable to come up with the needed

$60,000.

The various factions of Media Board will have to start by splitting the $40,000 they have been guaranteed for next year.

The breakdown, explained in an email by Wise, would be as follows:

Do you think Media Board contributes to the student experience?

The Point: $20,000 The Mariner: $10,000 Driftwood: $5,000 Point T.V.: $3,500 Point Radio: $1,500 Printing costs for a given issue of The Point range between $800 and $1000. The Point publishes around 12 issues per semester.

The Mariner relies on ASB funding to keep prices low for seniors and other students buying yearbooks. If funding were cut, prices would go up, above the current $20 cost, or the yearbook might have to be an onlineonly publication.

“We have a fairly small budget, but even with the generous help of our benefactors, we will not be able to publish a physical copy for more than two years and the legacy will die,” explained Editor-in-Chief of the Driftwood, Elizabeth Pode.

Pode and other Media Board staff were informed of the funding cuts to their publications via email only.

Their involvement in the process was little to none.

“The ASB Board of Directors never informed or collaborated with the corresponding editors of each

Should ASB fund student media?

Do we need student media on campus?

GRAPHIC BY KENDALL BOSHART Katie Callahan surveyed 60 students in Ryan Library about their answers to three questions concerning on Media Board funding.

Media Board publication until they had already held a vote on the corresponding proposal,” said Christian Berk, co-Editor-in-Chief of the Driftwood with Pode, in a letter regarding ASB infractions of their constitution.

“Therefore, the ASB’s proposal in no way took place ‘after’ collaboration with the corresponding editors of each Media Board publication.”

This may fall in direct conflict with ASB’s constitution that outlines in Ar-

ticle VI Section 4B that there must be “significant collaboration with the corresponding individual[s]” to which the changes are being made: “Proposals” shall be a formal proposition made to a department, organization or administrator on behalf of the student body suggesting a stepby-step process to invoke a change or new policy on PLNU’s campus. This will only be proposed after significant collaboration with the corresponding

individual and research done in the areas of student interest and financial potential.”

Wise and Guajardo did not respond to these concerns in the meeting.

After the email by Wise was sent out, Wise and Nate Guajardo, ASB Director of Student Relations and Media Board liaison, met with all of SEE MEDIA BOARD, PAGE 2

Whooping Cough found on campus ASB Vice president forgoes and rewrites constitution

BY TAVIS ROBERTSON STAFF WRITER

An email about an identified case of Pertussis on campus—more commonly called whooping cough—was sent to the PLNU student body Friday.

“There is a probable case of Pertussis (whooping cough) on our campus,” Caye Smith, vice president for student development, wrote in the campuswide email. “You may have been exposed to this highly contagious disease that causes severe coughing.”

The email written by Smith is the second health advisory sent to the student body in the last two weeks—the first was an alert of the potential for an outbreak of measles on campus.

“Like measles, whooping cough is easily spread from person to person,” said Dawne Page, PLNU biology professor and immunologist via email.

“The virus is in droplets from an infected person coughing or sneezing.”

But unlike measles, vaccines for

BY KENDALL BOSHART

Pertussis aren’t always as effective.

According to Page, the shot given for measles is a live, “attenuated” vaccine, which means it delivers a live sample of the virus with a reduced ability to cause disease.

“Because it [measles vaccine] is live, however, it makes for a great vaccine because the immune response is responding to a real, but limited, infection,” Page said.

But the Pertussis vaccine is different. Because it contains none of the actual virus, the vaccine only causes the body to bolster the immune system against that particular type of infection.

“Because of that, people need to stay current with their booster shots in order to be fully protected from whooping cough because the immunity does decline over time,” said Page.

Smith’s email outlined preventative measures, Pertussis symptoms and treatment protocol for infected persons.

STAFF WRITER

ASB is moving into the final processes of rewriting the 2010 constitution that governs student body and will present its final rewrites to the students at the end of this year. ASB Vice President Robert Contreras found in his review of the current constitution at the beginning of his term that what was written on paper was not necessarily being followed.

“In law there’s something called effective rule,” said Contreras to The Point in December after his Student Senate stipend review. “Something becomes effective rule when it’s actually being followed. We don’t have effective rule over the campus.”

Contreras said this led to a reevaluation of the constitution’s effectiveness and multiple changes.

“In the first [Student Senate] meeting, I said the way we’re going to do things this year is a little different from the way they were laid out in the consti-

tution,” said Contreras.

“I forwent the constitution for Student Senate this year. I’m trying to fill a student senate that works and then write that in,” said Contreras.

The rewriting of the constitution is the undertaking of all of ASB but falls mainly on the shoulders of Contreras who has been establishing changes in Media Board and Student Senate.

While the constitution is under construction, the Student Senate operates under the duties outlined in their handbooks, which are also undergoing the revision process, and the Student Leadership Lifestyle Agreement (SLLA).

Contreras is in the process of writing out the duties of each position within ASB and outside of ASB, such as those positions held within the Media Board. He has given out articles of the new version to his Student Senate members for review.

Senator Nick Kjeldgaard, a junior, explained how this is a process prevents error and ensures that everything in the new writing is feasible.

“[Rob] has members review the language and the subjects [of each article] just to make sure that it makes sense,” said Kjeldgaard.“The rewrite updates the constitution to reflect how ASB has operated in the past few years.”

With the OK of the Director of Community Life Jake Gilbertson and Student Senate, Contreras went ahead with the process and will present the rewrites to the student body in April.

“Our goal was to update the constitution so that it better meets the students needs,” said Gilbertson. “The whole point is to simplify it and make the language cohesive.”

At this point, the document has gone through revisions with Student Senate and the ASB Board of Directors, but there will still be a final revision process that involves the entire student body.

The final document will be posted on the website for a week for student feedback. At the end of the seven days, students will vote electronically to pass or veto the rewrites.

the point | monday, march 2, 2015

2 | NEWS

Without my Monster, I’m a Monster

PHOTO BY SAMANTHA WATKINS Monsters energy drinks are no longer sold in Breakers Market as of the start of spring semester.

BY SAMANTHA WATKINS STAFF WRITER

PLNU’s Breakers Market stopped selling energy drinks, with the exception of Kickstart, at the start of spring semester. This came as a surprise to many students who typically stop in between classes at Breakers to buy energy drinks.

Senior Robert Contreras, a political science major and ASB vice president, bought energy drinks at least once a week at Breakers Market.

“I drink one to two energy drinks a week based on necessity,” said Contreras.

Miles Rottman, the general manager of the cafeteria and Sodexo ordered the energy drinks to be removed

from the shelves. He said, “We are just not selling them because they are not healthy.”

Breakers Market Manager Irene Alvarado agrees that students should drink other beverages.

“For students who need an energy beverage, we offer Yerba Mate and it is the best energy drink that we have,” said Alvarado.

Breakers Market carries a variety of Yerba Mate flavors, a drink that provides energy from caffeine, theophylline and theobromine, the same stimulants found in tea, coffee and chocolate according to guayaki.com.

Kickstart is the only other energy drink sold at Breakers Market.

Kickstart contains five percent fruit juice with artificial sweeteners to reduce the overall amount of sugar. A 16-ounce Kickstart has 92 milligrams of caffeine according to its label, while a 16-ounce Monster has 160 milligrams of caffeine, an 8-ounce Red

Bull has 80 milligrams of caffeine and a 16-ounce cup of Starbucks coffee has 330 milligrams of caffeine.

“I’m seeing a lot of combinations -- coffee, 5-Hour Energy, green teas -- and if you add up all the mega doses of caffeine during the day, it can cause problems,” said Jim White, RD, and a national spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on Web MD. Dr. Holly Benjamin, of the American Academy of Pediatrics told Reuters that, “Children (or students) never need energy drinks. They contain caffeine and other stimulant substances that aren’t nutritional, so you don’t need them.”

“If it’s a health concern, then they should also remove the Mountain Dew Kickstart,” said Contreras.

“However that would beg a bigger question about consumer freedom in decision making because health should be the responsibility of the consumer,

not of the business.”

Alvarado said health is a concern for college students.

“There is a lot of sickness so we need to watch what we eat and drink,” Alvarado said.

Sodexo student manager Kasey Graves said, “It’s not detrimental that we removed energy drinks, if students want them there are other ways. I haven’t actually received any complaints.”

Even with Breakers no longer selling energy drinks, Contreras still has his one to two per week.

“The number hasn’t changed; it has just become a little more inconvenient,” said Contreras.

Rottman could not provide any more information in regards to this decision but asks that anyone with questions about the removal of energy drinks to speak with him.

Best of: Quotes from Writer’s Symposium by the Sea DAY: 1

DAY: 2

DAY: 3

Lysley Tenorio

Destin Daniel Cretton

Joyce Carol Oates

ALL PHOTOS AND CAPTIONS BY AUTUMN SHULTZ “In fiction, no one is a pure lose, no one is purely sad and no one is purely happy. When I’m writing, I need to find what is serious underneath the whimsical.”

FROM MEDIA BOARD, PAGE 1

the Media Board editors to discuss recent events, aside from Ross Nederhoff, who met individually with Guajardo because of his work schedule.

Wise said the goal of this decision by ASB was to put the decision-making power back in the hands of the departments.

“It’s no longer the responsibility of ASB to divvy out stipends,” said Guajardo. “That’s going back to the departments and that was based on four years of data.”

For Editor-in-Chief of The Point, Katie Callahan, on of the main concerns was the lack of Media Board participation throughout this process.

Callahan felt that ASB made decisions with the university and then told Media Board rather than allowing them to be a part of the whole process.

“I wish members of ASB had met with their faculty advisers for input and counsel before making this decision. I would have encouraged everyone to consider whether the decision conflicts with the ASB constitution,” said Callahan.

The meeting covered the areas where Media Board would be losing financial support from ASB, where those finances would be going and gave Media Board members a chance to explain to ASB the implications of these changes.

The money allocated to maintain

“Finding the balance when looking at the screenplay as a whole and determining whether it was truthful to the book as a whole was a huge learning curve for me.”

all the stipends for the editor positions and the operating costs for Media Board in a year comes to $100,000.

These funds are split into two basic categories: the $60,000 required for stipends and the $40,000 required for operating costs.

ASB has cut funding down to $40,000 and handed jurisdiction of all Media Board funds over to their respective departments. Now it will fall to the departments spread out that $40,000 to cover stipends and operating costs. The concern for Media Board is that instead of picking up the additional $60,000 to continue to pay editors their stipends, departments will pull stipends altogether and only continue to cover the operating costs using the $40,000 the university gives them.

“You have to understand that we won’t attract anyone to become an editor without the stipend,” said Pode.

“This is a huge cut to us. The reality is there has to be a stipend [to have an editor], and you won’t have production without an editor so any of these programs will end without a stipend.”

ASB plans to put the extra funds they are no longer using toward Media Board back into school activities and initiatives, like donating toward disability access in the Greek.

“The main issue with stipends is that it is paying students to do work that they are getting course credit for,” said Wise. “ASB is funded by students for the benefit of the entire student

body and we don’t pay for any other internship type things or compensate any other students for their course work.”

For Pode and Callahan, the one unit that they receive, however, did not match up with the amount of work they put in during the week. The stipend is what helps to compensate for the time spent on their respective publications every day.

“

We have a fairly small budget... we will not be able to publish a physical copy for more than two years and the legacy will die.”

-Elizabeth Pode “I work 40 hours a week,” said Callahan. “That one unit covers maybe a one hour interview [but] what about the other 39?”

Most of the editors don’t need that one unit and some are even taking it as an 18th unit at their own expense just to be able to work on the publication explained Pode. The stipend she receives is one of the reasons she did not go out and work at a part time job.

For the Driftwood in particular, these cuts represent the potential shutting down of PLNU’s only literary magazine. Pode and Berk have already spoke with their department and found that if the university’s $40,000

“The basis of art is conflict. This mystery is so profound that it gets told over and over and over. I try to bury my narrataive voice in the background and let the characters speak.”

were the only funds that LJML was willing to continue to contribute to the Driftwood, at its current operating costs, including the editor stipends, the magazine would be shut down in two years.

“We want these things to survive,” said Guajardo in response. “But at the same time you guys are getting work experience and your staff are taking it for credit, and we don’t [compensate] that for anybody else. If you guys are concerned about losing stipends, go petition to your advisors.”

Guajardo said though the concerns of Media Board are valid, they are no longer the concerns of ASB. He explained that ASB’s lack of experience with Media Board tasks is one of the reasons that the board voted to hand power to the departments, where they feel these concerns can be better dealt with.

For Callahan this means less of a student-run publication. She explained that her advisor’s lack of involvement week-to-week in the editing of The Point is a positive thing and one of the reasons that it remains a true student publication. Her concern is that more departmental oversight or university involvement means more control over a publication that has previously been independent and funded by students for students.

Most of Media Board will look to their departments now to understand how funding will be distributed in the coming years. “$100,000 is not a sustainable

amount for ASB to take on every year,” said Wise, who is confident in the ability of departments to respond to this change.

“We have been talking to the professors in [departments] and they have responded positively to the change,” continued Wise. “Kerry Fulcher and George Latter are [also] confident that these decisions will not shut down Media Board.”

Provost Kerry Fulcher and George Latter met with the faculty advisers and department chairs to the Media Board early Friday afternoon. Dean Nelson, a professor of journalism, could not attend this meeting because of the Writer’s Symposium events.

“It is too early to know what the impact will be,” said Kerry Fulcher in an email to The Point. “We are working through the information that ASB gathered and the rationale for their financial figures and we are looking to external sources to see what other universities similar to us do in support of their media boards.”

Editors will discuss monetary changes with ASB next week to propose a respective budget for their departments and refer to their departments for the ramifications of this decision on next year’s media and student body.

Disclaimer: Katie Callahan is the Editor-in-Chief of The Point. All of her quotes are taken directly from a recorded meeting with ASB Wednesday night.

monday, march 2, 2015| the point

FEATURES | 3

features

THINK ON THAT

“A real writer, a real artist, never really wants any advice at all.”

- Joyce Carol Oates, Writer’s Symposium Thursday

Senior gets set for her last PLNU Fashion Show

BY MADISEN STEELE STAFF WRITER

Senior fashion major and business minor Marissa Hernandez preps herself for her final fashion show with PLNU before graduation. The “Make a Statement” themed fashion show will be held on March 27 at the Liberty Station Conference Center.

“I feel like fashion really is a true outlet for expression and you should be able to put your best foot forward always, preferably in a heel,” said Hernandez via email.

Hernandez is styling a line which is not the same as designing and creating the clothes; instead, she is using clothes from a boutique in San Diego to create an overall look to her line. Last year, her vibe was very hippie chic with lots of dresses, matching shoes and accessories to compliment the feel.

“Last year, I used MissMatch and I had the honor of going into their store and they gave me free range of all their clothes and merchandise,” said Hernandez. “So I took five of my tall beautiful friends and dressed them accordingly.”

The stores that allow stylists to use their merchandise require them to take an account of everything borrowed, pick up the clothes the day of or the day before and then return the clothes in the same condition after the show.

“It is great publicity and we always love to help out in any way we can,” said Jessica Howard, store manager of MissMatch. “One of our employees goes to PLNU so we are always happy to do what we can for them. We really enjoy being a part of the community in anyway.”

Howard said this fashion show is an opportunity that they don’t usually have.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARISSA HERNANDEZ Left to right: Sabrina Schreiber, Eelena Mcheung, Shelby Schreiber, Chelsi Oren, myself and Katie Kight.

“We have done fashion shows before but this was really the first time we have let someone else come in and use the clothes,” said Howard.

“We are always excited to participate in a fashion show or anything highlighting how fashion can be fun and empowering.”

Hernandez went through a private school system in Texas where she wore uniforms growing up, so she didn’t start really taking shopping seriously until she came here to PLNU. This new freedom to wear what she wanted sparked her interests in fashion as a freshmen and is still of great importance as a senior.

“Once I came to Point Loma, I was able to dress myself how I wanted, and I found my style and what I like to wear,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez will be doing a line this year that is closer to her own liking.

“Personally, I love retro so I would love to do that,” said Hernandez.

This year she is adding one more

model than last year, totaling six models. Three of her models for this year are Katie Knight, Cassie Van Loo and Callie Van Kirk.

“I’m very excited to see what Marissa picks for us all to wear,” said Van Loo via email. “She has great taste - so I know it’ll be fantastic no matter what she chooses!”

Van Loo, along with many of the other models that are walking the runway in March, are a little nervous getting up on stage; however the excitement is still in the air.

“I realized I’d be walking with friends and doing it for a friend so of course it’s going to be so much fun, whether I fall on my face or not! So now I’m totally 100 percent excited,” said Van Loo. Going into this year’s fashion show after having experienced last year’s show, Hernandez has learned a thing or two.

“It goes by SO quickly, a ton of effort for 30 seconds. Completely

worth it, but you got to just remember to take a step back and enjoy,” said Hernandez.

Hernandez is a senior this year and said the real world is coming up quicker than she expected.

“I’m not ready for the real world,” said Hernandez. “I would love to open my own boutique someday, but that would be later on. I’m not really sure what’s going to happen after graduation, but I know God has a plan and I’m just letting him direct my steps.”

Look for Hernandez’s retro clothing line at the “Make a Statement” fashion show at the end of the month.alert.

Accidents aren’t abnormal, but can be avoided if the right precautions are taken.

“I’ve seen pieces of fingers taken off,” said McDaniel. “But that’s why Rudolph and Sletten hires safety coordinators, so hopefully nothing like that happens.”

An eight-hour safety training orientation is mandatory for new hires, substitutes go though a couple hours of training, and unless the workers are off for six months, then they won’t go through the training again. The training includes information about site rules, three to four-hour-long safety videos that tell hires the way that things are supposed to be done and drug testing.

“Most guys on our site are new,” said Ogie. “All the workers wear blue hats and the new guys that haven’t worked for us for at least two years have a red stripe around their hat.”

Once they have made it to two years, they cut a strip off every month until the red stripe is gone. This is just to show how long the workers have been with them and to know they’re working safely.

Every trade has a foreman that is in charge of their workers and work.

“This will include but [is] not limited to plumbers, pipe fitters, HVAC, sheet metal, electrical, concrete formwork, glazing, drywall, flooring, framing and drywall,” said Ogie.

The crews are organized, sent off to do their jobs in the morning and then check in with their foreman throughout the day.

“The hardest part is getting everyone together and everyone on the same page, “ said Gonzales.

“Sometimes there’s complications, but it’s just about getting everything organized and letting the foreman’s know where their guys need to go.”

Once 3:30 rolls around, everyone can be shuttled back to their cars at the cemetery.

“Week 3 in Vienna: Hours of German taken: 39 Miles Walked: too many Chocolate croissants eaten: not telling”

- Vanessa Dotinga and Trisha Matubaang

STUDY ABROAD PHOTO OF THE WEEK PHOTO COURTESY OF VANESSA DOTINGA Juniors Vanessa Dotinga(bottom), a literature-English education major and Trisha Matubaang(top), a managerial and organizational communication major, are studying abroad in Vienna. This photo of them was taken on their excursion to Budapest.

the point | monday, march 2, 2015

4 | FEATURES

Paying Back the Grace Received

BY GABRIELA GARCIA STAFF WRITER

Hadley Wood has worked at PLNU for 38 years. Her desire to help students strive is what keeps her going.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Wood said her love for literature and language began at 10 years old. Instead of books like “Little Red Riding Hood” or “The Three Little Pigs,” her grandmother would read to her “The Odyssey” and “The Greek Myths.” Her grandmother would stop and discuss how characters were developing, and which character was the greatest hero. Wood’s favorite game as a child was playing story with her stuffed animals. She would sit in her bed, grab her two night stand lamps, or stage lights as she called them, and placed them on the floor. Her characters were seals, dogs, cats or bears. She would then create a basic scenario and act out impromptu dramas.

Wood’s first French class was as a 10 year old in the 5th grade. By the time she was a sophomore in high school, she took another French class at Mary Institute, but had an upsetting talk with her French teacher that ended up changing everything.

“Don’t stress over this class,” said her French teacher Mrs. Ely. “You have no talent for language, you are never going to learn French.”

She spent her summer coming up with a plan to teach herself French.

“I don’t like the word can’t,” said Wood. She put her plan in action her junior year in high school. By December of her senior year, she was fluent in French.

She would flip through dictionaries during class and would find different alphabets.

“I just thought it was so cool that there were different alphabets,” said Wood.

Then, she began to teach herself the Greek alphabet. Wood would not go to another country unless she knew how to say hello in their language.

Wood can speak French, Russian, Spanish and English.

About 11 years ago, Wood

PHOTO COURTESY OF HADLEY WOOD Seven year old Hadley Wood poses for a photo.

became the leader of a school program called Learning Experiences for Academic Progress (LEAP). This program helps freshmen transition from high school into college with structured academic programming to maintain their academic success. The start of this program was not easy. Wood went the extra mile to make sure that students who needed extra help to transition from high school into a university received that help. She calls this program “the educational outreach of the church.”

“I have built this plane while it’s in the air,” Wood said. She officially retired in 2013, but the passion she has for LEAP is the reason she’s still here.

Wood teaches two courses, Masterpieces of World Literature and Freshman Studies Seminar (FST).

Wood’s actions have proven how much she cares for students. She has offered to help students pay for their tuition in order to stay in the program.

She has paid for a student’s Graduate Record Exam exam so she can attend graduate school. Wood has even opened up her home to a former student Angel Espudo, a sophomore who transferred last semester to Palomar College, and provided her with housing when she could not afford it.

“I don’t think anyone has ever been so helpful and caring towards me more than Hadley,” said Angel. “She has truly been a blessing. During a difficult time in her life she provided housing to me knowing my financial situation. It is because of her that I am able to thrive even though I have left Point Loma. I will always be grateful for Hadley as a professor and friend.”

Wood has gone through so many hardships in her life that have molded who she is. Her father died, her last parent to go. Years later, her beloved husband Nick also died. Her passion to help students is what has kept her going. Her troubled childhood has made her who she is today. Her mother was an alcoholic who was against her attending college, but she had one aunt who would always give her words of encouragement, who supported her during the process of applying to college. So what she wants to do now is give back what she was given.

As a child, Wood longed to move out of her troubled home to attend college. Her journey from St. Louis to San Diego was planned by God from the start. Wood received a four-yearno-conditions scholarship to attend Brown University, where she spent her next five years. After graduating

with a bachelor’s degree and masters in French, Wood spent another five years in upstate New York. She spent the five most brittle winters of her life there. She knew New York was not the place for her.

One winter, she visited her brother in San Diego and completely fell in love with the “Cali winters.” San Diego winters weren’t the only thing she fell in love with during that trip; she also encountered Jesus and became a Christian at age 31. Wood began to attend First Church of the Nazarene.

She believes worshipping where your students and colleagues worship is important. “It undercuts the power dynamic between students and faculty,” said Wood.

Wood came back that summer and looked for a job at San Diego State University (SDSU) and PLNU. She filed applications for both universities after visiting, but had no luck. Wood’s prayer was, “Get me a job and I will go to San Diego,” but God was saying the opposite, she said. “Go to San Diego

and I will get you a job.”

Wood decided to take a leave of absence. She arrived in San Diego to find two letters offering part time jobs from SDSU and PLNU. Feeling overwhelmed, she decided to take SDSU’s offer. But there was still something tugging her toward PLNU. She began praying again.

SDSU and PLNU called her two days after she began praying for an interview. Wood wanted a clear sign from God telling her PLNU is where she should be. As soon as the interview was over, the chair told her they had a contract for her ready to sign. Wood felt like this was something that she needed to do and signed the contract.

Wood’s plan is to stay at PLNU two more years before she completely leaves her beloved LEAP students in the hands of someone else.

PHOTO COURTESY OF HADLEY WOOD Hadley Wood currently works in the Literature, Journalism and Modern Languages Department. She has retired from teaching.

Comfort Foods: Fried Rice

BY AUTUMN SHULTZ STAFF WRITER

It’s always difficult for me to find a Chinese restaurant that makes to-diefor dishes. While each place I’ve gone to has had its unique way of making the dish, in my mind, nothing can beat the decadent flavor of one that’s homemade. I was about 15 when, on the night that it was my turn to cook dinner, I wanted Chicken Chow Mein, fried rice and vegetables. I couldn’t talk my parents into driving to town for an emergency noodle pick-up, so I decided to simply look up a recipe and make it.

While this isn’t the exact recipe that I followed as a teenager, many of the key elements remain the same.

I love having the vegetable flavor in my rice, but I cannot abide the taste of spinach. As a little girl, it was all I wanted to eat for every single meal.

And being the picky child that I was, I refused to consume anything else. Not even candy made it into my Popeye the Sailorman-influenced diet. Needless to say, after quite a while of only eating spinach, my taste-buds have al-

tered to detest the leafy green.

In addition to the omission of spinach, I also precooked the peas and corn before adding them to the other ingredients. I much preferred the guarantee of warmth over the possibility of biting into seemingly cooked fried rice and coming away with a mouthful of half-frozen veggies. That would quite possibly ruin the experience for me.

Finally, I not only added a few ingredients, but also the original recipe for this calls for the use of either rice that’s left over from the night before or rice that’s been prepackaged. You can use either, but for my attempts I steamed some Jasmine rice and placed it into the fridge to cool.

The best way to combine all of the ingredients is with a wok, or a large bowl-shaped frying pan. This is the tool that is typically used when cooking Chinese cuisine. If you aren’t able to use one of these, a frying pan with higher sides will work. espresso kisses, a dessert sure to please caffeine junkies.

This chocolate shop is in easy reach for PLNU students. The offcampus shuttle takes you a block away

from it; all you need to do is get off on the first stop.

Although a bit pricey, I’d have to say that this shop offers the perfect balance between cost and decadence. For the taste and atmosphere at the Elegant Truffle, I’d happily grant it a rating of four stars, and I’d heartily recommend this as a stop to any and all lovers of rich desserts at all times of the year.

Ingredients: • 1 tablespoon sesame oil • 2 ½ tablespoons oil • 2 cloves garlic, minced • ¾ cup finely chopped onion • 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated • 3 eggs • 4 cups rice (cooked and

slightly cooled) • 1 cup frozen corn • 1-2 cups frozen peas (de-

pending on your preference) • 4 tablespoons soy sauce (or more) • 8 ounces cooked lean bone

less pork or 8

ounces chicken, chopped (if preferred)

Directions: 1. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok over medium heat. Add onion and stir fry until the onions are a nice golden brown; then remove them from the pan. Heat another half tablespoon of oil.

2. In a small bowl, lightly beat one tablespoon of soy sauce and one tablespoon of sesame oil into the eggs.

3. Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for one minute, and then pour the egg mixture into the pan.

Gently push the ingredients around in the pan until they’re barely cooked, or about one to two minutes. Remove from the pan.

4. Heat one tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add meat if desired along with corn, peas and cooked onion. Stir fry for two minutes.

5. Add rice and stir fry for three minutes, then add three tablespoons of soy sauce and the cooked egg mixture and fold them in. Stir fry for one minute. Serve.

This past week when I went to remake the recipe in my college dorm, I didn’t realize until it was too late that I didn’t have most of the necessary ingredients. Nevertheless, I was determined to try. Mine wasn’t pretty. I intend to remake the rice when I return home from college in a few weeks, so be on the lookout for additional photos and more delicious recipes!

PHOTO COURTESY OF AUTUMN SHULTZ

monday, march 2, 2015 | the point

A&E | 5

a&e

PLAN YOUR WEEK

3/04 : Art Marches On | Point Loma Liberty Station | 10 a.m. | Free 3/04: Singer/Songwriter Showcase | Sea and Smoke | 7 p.m. | Free 3/06: Annie | David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre | 10 a.m. & 12 p.m. | $16-18 3/07: Adam Devine | House of Blues San Diego | 8:00 p.m. | $29.50-35 3/08: Stick to Your Guns | SOMA | 6:00 p.m. | $15

Love Art Gallery features senior portraits These students are just some of the students we will feature as part of the Love Art Gallery senior showcase. The gallery runs for another three weeks. Seventy-three students volunteered to get their photos and bios posted through Ben Maiava, a senior photographer.

Chloe Soremekun

Ashlyn Vidal

Delaney Cassidy

“One word to describe my time at Loma: transformation. If I would have tried to predict my journey as a freshman, I do not think I would have been able to come close to where I stand today as a graduating biology pre medical senior. After 3.5 years at PLNU, this community has transformed me physically, enhanced me academically, and most importantly matured me spiritually. As the youngest child of Nigerian immigrant parents, and currently an undergraduate molecular biology researcher, mentor, volunteer, and triple jump national champion collegiate athlete I can definitely say my time at PLNU has been one that has encompassed transformation.”

Freshman retreat. Bird watching. Late night guitar playing in the Greek. Zac Brown Band concerts in the rain. Devil’s punch bowl. 7-Eleven sub sandwiches. Being stuck in McDonald’s drive-thrus. PLNU baseball games. Shout outs to all of Sam’s haters. Tide pools. Matt killin’ it on the elliptical. All nighters in the training room. Garrett dancing. Six Flags trip.

Emily and Garrett wrestling. Ben needing gum for basketball.

Late work orders. Kicking Ashlyn in the head rock climbing.

Dancing in the weight room. Cabin nights in Big Bear. Nonsensical conversations in the caf. Ice skating. Garrett’s hair. Spencer eating ice cream with his hands. Falling for that funny basketball player. Deep sea fishing for rocks. Three Sisters Falls. Taco Tuesday nights and all the others I won’t forget. Touché, PLNU. You made it happen.

I wish I could think of a single memory to write down however there are just too many over the past four years that have shaped my life changing experience at PLNU. I will never forget the endless amounts of laughs, good and bad nights that turned into even greater stories, having so many Froyo store options and the sweet friends that I will keep with me for a lifetime. History class and bird watching with Delaney Cassidy will always be two of my favorite memories.

Netflix Pick of the Week: ‘The Double’

BY ALEXANDRA TAYLOR CONTRIBUTOR

“I have all these things that I want to say to her, like... Like how I can tell she’s a lonely person, even if other people can’t. Cause I know what it feels like to be lost and lonely and invisible.” --Simon, “The Double” (Ayoade 2013).

If you have ever taken a literature class with Dr. McKinney, you know the name Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Sound familiar? He’s the author of “Crime and Punishment” and “The Brothers Karamazov,” among others. “The Double” is a film directed by Richard Ayoade and is based on a Dostoevsky novel of the same name. Also—surprise—it’s on Netflix!

Jesse Eisnberg (“The Social Network,” “Zombieland”) plays Simon, an invisible low-level cog in the wheel of a dingy company in London. He has a crush on Mia Wasikowska’s (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Jane Eyre”) character Hannah, who lives in the apartment across the street. One night, while spying on Hannah’s activities via telescope, he witnesses an event that disrupts his life forever.

“

It feels like you’re shining a light in a dark place and scattering the cockroaches.”

- Alexandra Taylor

A mysterious man is standing on the ledge in the shadows outside her apartment. He waves at Simon—slow-

PHOTO COURTESY OF JORGE BARRIOS/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Jesse Eisenberg stars as the main character in “The Double,” a movie that premiered in 2013 and is now on Netflix.

ly— and after one menacing moment that will have you hugging the stuffing out of your pillow, the man shatters the suspense with a shocking act.

It gets better. After this event, a shaken Simon discovers something truly terrible. It seems a new employee named James has taken over the office.

He has everything Simon lacks: charisma, charm, power and a way with women. And he looks identical to Simon. For the rest of the film, Simon is fighting his own double, a man who has essentially stolen his identity, but does everything better. Who will win?

Jesse Eisenberg slips into his familiar role as a stuttering, socially awkward, yet sharp-witted character faced with surpassing his own perception of his inferiority. He slips seamlessly between his roles as both Si-

mon and James, playing both the shy character and the domineering and attractive one. For those who have seen “The Social Network,” James is much like the character of Mark Zuckerberg. Mia Wasikowska as Hannah is innocent and a little withdrawn. She is the manifestation of all of Simon’s fears about his own inadequacy.

Dostoyevsky’s novels illuminate the dark parts of human nature and the cinematography seems to do the same. It feels like you are shining a light in a dark place and scattering the cockroaches. The sound also plays a divisive role. The rhythmic sounds of the workplace create a false sense of order in the midst of Simon’s personal hell.

In one scene, you even get to witness a bizarre date between Simon and

Hannah. Beforehand, James gives him advice on how to woo her (“No riding on a motorcycle with another man. Exceptions are drive-by shootings, bomb throwings and purse snatchings. Anything else is gay.”) We become subject to Simon’s creeping insecurity in front of her as she sits stone-faced and unamused at a dinner table. Simon’s date with Hannah lies somewhere between a nightmare and a joke.

Of course, it isn’t all darkness.

The dialogue is as sharp and quick as Eisenberg can deliver it, especially in his role as James. Simon essentially bickers with himself the entire time.

If you liked “1984” by George Orwell or any other dystopian aesthetic, you should check this out. Or, if you are a die-hard “Zombieland” fan like I am, you won’t be disappointed in Eisenberg’s performance.

Also, this is a friendly reminder that season 3 of “House of Cards” is now available on Netflix. Happy bingeing!

SPECS: Run Time: 93 mins

COLLECTED BY JONATHAN PICKETT STAFF WRITER

Student on the Radar

Jose G. Herrera Stage Name/Alias: Reaghan Year: Freshman Major: Fashion & Merchandising Genre: Hip Hop/ Rap Something no one knows about him: “When I’m by myself in my room, I put on performances. It lets me pretend I’m living my dream of being a rapper.”

What makes his music unique: “There is actual substance and meaning to my lyrics. That’s what [I think] makes people drawn to it.”

Goal: I talk about money, violence, and drugs but it’s part of the culture and I like to pay homage to the [hip hop] culture: the good, bad and the ugly.”

Encouragement to other artists: “Don’t give up. If you are doing something you like, keep doing it.”

Director: Richard Ayoade Based on: “The Double” novella by Fyodor Dostoyevsk Ratings: 82 percecnt on Rotten Tomatoes; 60 percent audience score

Mixtapes: Crazy and Cra2y: Therapy ‘‘’Crazy’ is about certain struggles I was having, mentally. It was a battle between me and me. No one else talks and fights with themselves out loud.”

For more info: facebook.com/YoungRain or soundcloud.com/sha-n-a

the point | monday, march 2, 2015

6 | SPORTS

sports

SEA LION SCORES

2/26: W. Tennis, Win 9-0 vs. Vanguard 2/27: M. Tennis, Win 7-2 vs. Sonoma State M. Baseball, Win 17-9 vs. Cal State San Marcos M. Baseball, Loss 0-1 vs. Cal State San Marcos 2/28: M. Tennis, Win 7-2 vs. Holy Names M. Baseball, Win 9-2 vs. Cal State San Marcos M. Baseball, Win 4-3 vs. Cal State San Marcos

UPCOMING EVENTS 3/2: W. Golfl vs. Cal State San Marcos 3/3: W. Tennis vs. Concordia M. Tennis vs. Concordia W. Golf vs. Cal State San Marcos 3/4: W. Tennis vs. Cal State LA 3/5: M. Basketball at PacWest Championship W. Basketball at PacWest Championship 3/5: M. Basketball at PacWest Championship M. Baseball vs. Azusa Pacific (Doubleheader)

W. Basketball at PacWest Championship 3/7: M. Tennis vs. Holy Names M. Basketball at PacWest Championship M. Baseball vs. Azusa Pacific W. Tennis vs. Holy Names M. Baseball vs. Azusa Pacific W. Basketball at PacWest Championship

New baseball seats donated from Petco Park

BY PAIGE ADLHOCH STAFF WRITER

America’s most scenic ballpark installed 225 seats from San Diego’s very own Petco Park Feb. 19.

In 1993, Kevin Kernan of the San Diego Union-Tribune walked past PLNU’s baseball field and noticed it’s unique beauty. After being blown away, Kernan wrote an article about the field, titling it “America’s Most Scenic Ballpark.” This article was posted in the National Baseball American Magazine along with the UT, making the nickname stick.

Carroll B. Land Stadium received its name from former Head Coach Carroll Land. Land signed on to the baseball staff when PLNU was located in Pasadena. When the university moved to Point Loma in 1973, there was space to construct a baseball field.

In 1998, Land was inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame. After his award, it was only fitting to name the field after Carroll B. Land because he had such a strong impact on the baseball team for 39 years. Like any other ballpark, it needed renovation. Over the years, the fence has been renewed, a new score board was installed, the club-view bow was built above the home dugout, and a new announcement board was constructed.

Steve Riddle, assistant athletic director for facilities and events, was a former employee for the San Diego Padres from 1996 to 2002. Because of Riddle’s past job, he was able to contact Mark Guglielmo, the vice president for ballpark operations for Petco

Park. The stadium was renovating the left field seating area and removed 660 seats. The organization used some of the seats for spare parts but they knew they did not need all of them. After reaching out to Guglielmo, PLNU was lucky enough to get 500 seats for free.

“Our organization has always been community-minded. Being members of this community, whenever possible, we like to help out other groups such as PLNU,” Guglielmo said. “We are thankful that we are able to provide some seats that are going to a great cause and a great university and that they will be utilized by the student body.”

The seats were transported from Petco Park to PLNU with the help of about 20 volunteers from PLNU, including some baseball players and moving company, Gorilla Movers.

“One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure,” Riddle said.

Rick Hallahan, the athletic facilities coordinator, said the seat installation procedure was difficult.

“There was a process,” Hallahan said. “Because the anchors are hidden behind the chair seat, we had to hold the chairs in place, mark them, pull them away, drill each one of those marks and them put them back up. It was pretty grueling. It wasn’t an easy task.”

The installation process for the baseball field’s seats started Monday, Feb. 16, and was finished by Thursday, Feb. 19. Hallahan believed it was crucial that the seats were installed in time for the PLNU men’s home base-

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAIGE ADLHOCH There were 225 seats installed at PLNU’s Carroll B. Land stadium on February 20. The seats were transported from the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park. PLNU was not charged for the additional seats.

ball game that Friday, Feb. 20.

“For the parents and for fans it’s nice to hear ‘Wow, that’s really cool,’” Hallahan said. “That was the motivator for me when it came to installing these because it was hard to do, but we got it done in a quick time because we wanted it to be one big presentation.”

Although the seats came from a ballpark, baseball is not the only team benefiting from the new seats. PLNU is planning on installing the remaining seats near the soccer field and the tennis courts.

In 1996, seats from the Angel’s Stadium of Anaheim were installed at PLNU. Due to their age and rust from the salt water in the air, the seats were faded and did not fold down as smoothly as they should have. It was time for a change.

“Number one, the look of it is re-

ally nice. Number two, the other seats were not going to last that much longer,” Hallahan said.

Riddle said the plastic and metal of the old seats have already been shipped to a recycling manufacturer.

The process involved the addition of 54 new seats overall.

Danny Barnts, assistant athletic director for communications, has attended every home baseball game this season. Being a viewer from the stands, he can relate to the importance of sitting in good quality seats.

“To the players, it matters, but to the players’ parents, it matters even more.”

Barnts said that since the seats came from a fellow San Diego baseball stadium, they have a lot of meaning.

“Having the logo looks good for recruits and it is interesting that the

San Diego baseball community is tied together and that the Padres were willing to pass the seats down the line,” Barnts said. “The credibility of the stadium goes up because of having the name association on the seats.”

Barnts said that PLNU has had professional teams play in Carroll B. Land Stadium because they were taking advantage of the beauty of the stadium. In past years, the New York Met’s pitching staff practiced on the field along with the Baltimore Orioles.

Because PLNU’s field has drawn so much attention, Barnts believed making renovations was important.

“America’s Most Scenic Ballpark needs to be pretty,” he said.

Devin Carter leads team in RBIs, home runs

BY KENDALL BOSHART STAFF WRITER

Ask Devin Carter what it is like making a statement on the Sea Lion’s baseball team and he’ll say, “I just want to win.”

Like many of his teammates, he is working toward recruitment into the professional league after college. Unlike most athletes, however, the Southern California native didn’t spend his early years playing a variety of sports.

“I decided I would play baseball at a pretty young age,” said Carter. “I figured out that it was what I wanted to do [and] I didn’t spend a lot of time playing other sports.”

Carter was recruited by Pepperdine University out of Temecula Valley High School. Although he began his collegiate baseball career with the Waves, he decided to make a change to give himself more experience on the field.

After transferring to PLNU, Carter made quite an impact on the team.

The right fielder is batting .417 and is leading the team in RBI’s and home runs.

Carter said he focuses on getting the small things right as a way of maintaining consistency in his play.

“The small things are such a priority,” said Carter. “It’s a game of inches.

There are so many different variables that come in that everything’s so magnified in any given situation…you’ve got to put in the work off the field and do the small things right.”

Assistant Coach Ben Rosenthal said the program Carter came from at

Pepperdine helped to solidify his winning mentality and has had as much an influence on his game as his natural talents.

“He’s won [before], Pepperdine was a winning program, so he brings that kind of energy,” said Rosenthal.

“[He knows] what it takes to win even when we’re down. He brings…some of those intangibles.”

The junior kinesiology major found the transition into PLNU was fairly easy and explained that, for him, the schools are actually very similar.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANNY BARNTS Junior Devin Carer hits a home run against Western Oregon Universtiy. Carter went seven for 11 and led the team with 5 runs batted in during the series.

“In classrooms, it’s so eerily the same,” said Carter. “I didn’t skip a beat coming into this school as far as school goes.”

The small class sizes and close professor to student ratio were a few things Carter found to be the same.

Sophomore first baseman Ryan Garcia said Carter’s personality and playing style have meshed well with the team. After watching Carter practice early and observing his drive during practices and games, Garcia said the team has come to respect him and he has turned into a natural leader.

“His fire and will to win [set him apart]. He’s a vocal leader. Before games he has something to say and everyone listens up,” said Garcia. “He just has that mentality.”

His desire to attain perfection in the nuances of his game is one of the reasons Rosenthal knows Carter will continue to improve after getting off to an impressive start this season.

“He listens. His desire to improve and to be good is where it should be,” said Rosenthal. “He’s all-in all the time; that’s why we like him.”

monday, march 2, 2015| the point

SPORTS | 7

Men’s basketball takes fifth seed

BY LOUIS SCHULER STAFF WRITER

The men’s basketball team take the fifth seed into the PacWest Conference playoffs after overcoming the scrappy play by Notre Dame de Namur University on senior night to improve to 21-6 overall on the season.

It was their final home game of the season. This marks the second straight year that the Sea Lions have clinched the 20-win mark.

Head Coach Bill Carr said the team’s chemistry has improved over the course of the season.

“I think we know our roles better now than we did in early December,” said Carr. “I think in early December you’re still trying to find your way and everybody’s trying to figure out where they fit in the program and on the team. So I think our roles are established, I think the guys are fine with those roles and playing them really well.”

Seniors Marek Klassen and Hayden Lescault both played the last home games of their college careers.

Klassen, who led the team with a game-high 23 points, said Namur’s style of play might have affected their tempo.

“I feel like we haven’t played a team like that in a while, so it was kind of a little bit confronting,” said Klassen. “But we just got to stay composed; we have a lot of seniors and a lot of experience. We have to stay smooth; we just have to stay with our game plan.”

Klassen said they both plan to play overseas after the season ends.

If recruited, they will be joining the ranks of three athletes from the men’s basketball program who continued to play after college for the past five years.

“We’re both trying to play overseas after this; everyday we’re trying to get better,” said Klassen. “And even after the season ends, we’re still trying to get better. I think one thing we can both improve on is our leadership on the court—we can’t start games like we did today.”

The Sea Lions shot just 29.6 percent from the field in the first half before improving to 61 percent in the

second half.

“We got better teams coming up.

Now we got playoffs so we just have to come out and bring it every night,” said Klassen.

Carr said Klassen and Lescault’s leadership has been valuable to the team as they gear up for the PacWest playoffs.

“I’ll talk about all three seniors: Hayden, Marek and Junior [Morgan].

They’ve laid a great foundation here for the future of this program,” said Carr. “What they’ve done and the sacrifices they’ve made will make this program great for the years to come.

So we’re very thankful for their time here. We certainly will miss them, but we’ll bring some new guys in and carry on their legacy.”

Over the weekend, the Sea Lions concluded their season after losing to Dixie State 60-76—falling to 21-7.

The opening tip-off for the PacWest playoffs begins on March 5, as the Sea Lions look ahead to play the fourth seeded BYU-Hawaii University.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KURT BUNTEN Seniors Marek Klasssen, Hayden Lescault and Junior Morgan pose for a picture with the crowd after the Senior Night game.

Women’s basketball goes 17-4

BY LOUIS SCHULER STAFF WRITER

After rebounding nicely from a rocky 1-6 start to the 2014-15 season, the women’s basketball team has regained their stride by going 17-4 in their last 21 contests as they prepare for the PacWest playoffs on March 5 against BYU-Hawaii University. The Sea Lions posted some forgettable performances during the seven-game stint, including a 29-point loss when they accumulated just two assists in their season opener to Cal State Dominguez Hills University—the lowest total of the season.

The team’s initial offensive woes were nothing shy of dismal. During their first seven games, they shot an average of 31.8 percent, averaged 8.7 assists per game, 13.1 turnovers, 54.3 points and 31.1 rebounds. Since then, they have improved considerably in all the aforementioned categories thanks in part to a simple roster mix-up to better suit the offense and defense, said Head Coach Bill Westphal after a dominating 85-51 win over Notre Dame De Namur University.

“We made some adjustments in our personnel, in our offensive style and our defensive style,” said Westphal. “Coach Wooden – who is my hero - has a phrase that I don’t like because it points the finger at you, (the coach). He said, ‘Your players are good enough if you are capable of showing them how,’ so I kept reading that after we were 3-7, and I go, ‘I think I know how, I got to show ‘em.’ So we changed some things and it really paid off, we started to play much better, got on a win streak and now we really have our identity.”

It was senior Jessica Escorza’s last home game of her college career; she has led the Sea Lions in scoring for the past two seasons.

After Escorza posted a game-high 19 points while shooting 83 percent from the free throw line, she said that she wanted to serve as a positive influence on her teammates this year.

“I think I really wanted to finish out my career here at Point Loma really strong,” said Escorza. “I knew the work I needed to do, I knew the team we had this year and how I needed to step up and be more of a leader than last year. The girls pushed me very hard in practice, so you know, they’re just as much part of the success.”

“

I think I really wanted to finish out my career here at Point Loma really strong. I knew the team we had this year and how I needed to step up and be more of a leader than last year.”

- Jessica Escorza

Freshman Roya Rustamzada posted her third double-double of the season with 18 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five assists—tied for first on the team. As a solidified third seed going into the first round of the PacWest playoffs on March 5, Rustamzada said the team looks to contend in the playoffs while improving for next season.

“I want to just full out push it. At the beginning of the season, we were coming out slow and people weren’t expecting us to come out strong at all and now everyone is just shocked,” said Rustamzada. “I am just expecting next season and the seasons to come for us to be the team that people are afraid of and I know that we are going to come out strong and hard.”

The Sea Lions ended their season by defeating Dixie State University 81-59 on Feb. 28.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KURT BUNTEN Jessica Johnson takes to the court during her final home game in a Sea Lions uniform. The Sea Lions defeeated Notre Dame de Namur.

Live without regrets, Learn without borders.

Discover where you’ll study abroad at usac.unr.edu

USAC studyabroadusac@

the point | monday, march 2, 2015

8 | OPINION

opinion

Katie Callahan // Editor-In-Chief Kendall Boshart // News Editor Samantha Watkins // Features Editor Louis Schuler // Sports Editor Jonathan Pickett // A&E Editor

Arthur Shingler // Opinion Editor Abbey Stewart // Copy Editor Kelsey Vasquez// Design Editor Michelle Ito // Assistant Design Editor Jake Henry // Web Editor

Bye

BY JACOB TETER CONTRIBUTOR

Death is weird. A big eucalyptus tree grows beside the old amphitheater at the heart of my university. The tree extends friendly arms to shade people that sit there. Over the years it has looked on with fatherly approval at the graduates who descended the stage smiling with a diploma in hand. I love the warm Californian days when students stretch out on the grass to study beneath its massive limbs.

At it’s very base is a bulbous mass forking from trunk to top. Two sappy nubs bulge out like eyes hanging on an old wooden face. Look up at its umbrella of branches and you’ll see that it reaches higher and wider than anything around. I like this tree, and it bothers me that in a few weeks it will

be a pile of wood chips.

All its leaves turned brown a few months ago. It doesn’t look very pretty anymore. I heard there is a type of big-eyed beetle that crawls under the dirt, and maybe it’s been slowly eating the tree from the inside out.

Maybe there is some disease rotting the tree at its roots. I don’t know.

There are lots of ways for a tree to die. Yesterday I saw a groundskeeper spray-painting a green X at its base; I assume that’s the mark for the blade of the chainsaw.

I sit in what little shade it still has to offer. Now, a wind sometimes comes and little brown flakes of leaves fall on me. Now, a crow belches a caw from its bony limbs. Now I’m laughing at myself. It’s funny that I try to find meaning in the life and death of this tree that sprouted from a seed to

live and die. Was the shade it gave not enough? I’m confused because I don’t know why I even care; it just bothers me. But let me tell you more about this tree.

When I looked closer I saw little lines of ants streaming up the trunk.

There were still green buds on it, and I wondered if it might still be alive somewhere in its roots. Small birds hopped about the twigs looking for bugs. Plants had found enough soil to grow in its little pockets and crevices.

When I stood at its base and looked skyward I saw that a little world existed between those branches. Just then, a forceful gale of wind stripped the limbs of all remaining leaves. The wind was cold and I pulled my hat down to cover my eyes. As the leaves cleared I saw something I had not noticed before.

All that remained clinging to the tree

The Point

The opinions in this section may not reflect those of The Point or of Point Loma Nazarene University. Letters to the editor and columns are subject to editing for length, taste, grammar and clarity. Letters to the editor must include the author’s name, major, class standing and phone number and be limited to 500 words. Please submit your opinions to ashingler000@pointloma.edu.

were a few clusters of seeds.

Nearby was a man in an orange work shirt raking up the sticks and leaves. I asked him what their department would do with the tree. “It’s really a shame,” he said, shaking his head.

“We’ll cut it down over spring break and most students won’t even notice it’s gone. They’ll probably walk by and say ‘Hm! Something looks different.’

And then never think about it again.

It really is a shame though. That tree has probably been here over over 200 years—probably before the founding of America! Yep, it’s a shame—and I’m not even a tree hugger either—it just seems like a damn crying shame.”

The tree in the Greek grass area will be cut March 9. Teter is a junior media communications major with a concentration in production.

Keet Veylupek: Drowning in homework

#LomaChatter Have something to say? Submit your random thoughts, funny comments, or opinions!

Text your #LomaChatter to 619-786-6890!

Chicken chicken chicken chicken, chicken... chicken I could never be Ravi because I would eat all of my chocolate

Why aren’t there leather uggs? #cowboyequality2015

Bobby B just walked across caf lane with a black and blue umbrella #thedress

BY KEET VEYLUPEK CONTRIBUTOR

22 editions into the Toilet Paper, and you just realized it’s not funny anymore? #wherehaveyoubeen

“In my photo series, I explored the emotions commonly experienced during or before finals weeks. There is a phrase commonly associated with finals week that I specifically wanted to convey: I’m drowning in homework. In each photo, I conveyed this same emotion of despair and tried to visualize what drowning in homework might look like. My first photo is realistic in its depiction, but my last photo pushes into the extreme surrealist area of expression.”

Keet Veylupek is a sophomore currently studying graphic design. He loves creating things, so he’s constantly challenging himself to learn new forms of artistic expression.

Read about the ASU #jschool hackathon win for PLNU and All Sons and Daughters online!

Go “Set A Watchman”

BY JOSHUA MORSE CONTRIBUTOR

In eighth grade, I read “To Kill A Mockingbird” as part of my language arts class and I was instantly taken.

The characters worked so well, the story was strong, and themes of morality and human nature were prevalent throughout.. Just earlier this month, it was announced that Harper Lee, author of the world-famous “To Kill A Mockingbird,” was publishing a second book, a sequel entitled “Go Set A Watchman.”

Like so many others, “To Kill A Mockingbird” holds a special place on my list of favorite books. Atticus Finch, the father character who takes the role of a manly, moral and even righteous backbone to the story, stands as a role model for fighting a good fight. I even wrote my application essay for this school on this book!

So upon hearing “Watchman” is coming out this summer, I was instantly nervous. How do you top a work that was the seventh bestselling book in 2014, 50 years after its first publication? Not only that, but there have

been statements from the publisher that the manuscript is getting published with no input from an editing standpoint. If the book comes out and it turns out to be garbage, what happens then? Part of the draw to Harper Lee as an author is her status as the recluse, as the author who published only the one influential book and then hid for 50 years. This second novel could reduce her to a one-hit wonder if it’s not as good.

According to different news sources, the story of “Watchman” will follow an older Scout and her interactions with her father, going through flashbacks on the events of “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Another question I

ask, is there another story to tell? Or is “Watchman” just going to be an extended reflection on “Mockingbird”?

Another thing to consider is Harper Lee herself. Lee is 88 years old and has been avoiding the public eye since she first published. The author also reportedly has been nearly blind and deaf since a stroke several years ago and was heavily reliant on her sister who died only recently. Is this publication the result of any outside pressure from publishers or people who would benefit from this?

My nervousness will not prevent me from reading the book; that’s for sure. I’m excited to read it, to hear more of the story. Who knows,

“Watchman” could blow “Mockingbird” out of the water.

“Go Set A Watchman” is set to be released July 24, 2015 by HarperCollins. The novel will available wherever books are sold.

Joshua Morse is a sophomore literature major with a focus in English education. Morse is a fan of Korean pop music at high volumes, taking long and contemplative naps, working at Public Safety and skyping with his girlfriend Sofia. He also drives a minivan. Follow Josh on Instagram @soundofthegeeks.