The Point, Issue 19, March 30, 2015 by LomaBeat.com

The Point student newspaper of point loma nazarene university

monday, march 30, 2015

Features, page 4

volume 43 | issue 19

A&E, page 5

Sports, page 6

Opinion, page 8

More on Loma Beat!

‘Make a Statement’ Fashion Show

PHOTOS BY JESSICA LUCAS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Junior Cassie Van Loo walked in senior Marissa Hernandez’s line Friday night at Liberty Station. Senior Theresa Carey walked in junior Taylor Balding’s line. Junior Jade Goodwin walked for junior Jana Russick’s line. Sophomore Morgan McCune walked for Balding. Senior Rachel Bahena walked for senior Jessica Vanden Bosch. The theme of the show was “Make a Statement.” Over 200 people attended the show. SEE PAGE 4 FOR MORE PHOTOS.

PLNU raises funds for Caf employee, Lilian Lynch BY JAKE HENRY STAFF WRITER

Liana Cho, a sophomore at PLNU, has taken the initiative to raise over $900 for Caf worker, Lilian Lynch, to visit her diabetic mother in Brazil for Mother’s Day. Starting March 3, Cho, a dietetics major, created a fund on gofundme. com for Lynch, a cashier at the Caf, to make the trip to São Paulo, Brazil. “She told me she was planning to go to Brazil, but was unable to go due to financial problems,” said Cho. “I looked up the price for a round trip ticket [from California to São Paulo] and it cost $1,500, so I decided to start the fund to see where it goes.” Lynch planned on visiting her diabetic mother last December so she took off two months of work. Before she bought her ticket to Brazil, her husband’s niece was hit by a truck, so the funds for her trip were used by her husband to attend his niece’s funeral. Grieved by the incident and not being able to see her mother, Lynch still waited two months before coming back to work. “The last time I saw my mother was in 2011 and she was fainting because of her health,” said Lynch. “I needed time off before coming back to work [to grieve].” Lynch came back in early February for work and shared her story with Cho, which motivated her to start the fund.

Cho’s initial plan was to keep the fund a secret from Lynch, but with the deadline of April 28 approaching, she has made her goal more public and reached out to faculty and more students for help. Although Cho is about $500 short of her goal, 43 people have donated in the 23 days since the fund started for a total of $975. Eighty-one people shared the link for the fund on Facebook. Cho hopes to raise the $1,500 to cover Lynch’s flight to Brazil. Freshman double major in music and business mangaement, Dave Stewart, donated $20 to the fund. “Lilian uplifts everyone’s spirits with her upbeat attitude and she always leaves you smiling and laughing

swipe by swipe,” said Stewart. “I supported her because I love the idea of giving back to a woman who is always giving to others.” Lynch, originally unaware of the fund, had planned on waiting until September to visit her mother. However, if Cho succeeds in raising the funds, Lynch will be able to visit her mother for Mother’s Day. “I’m just praying that as time gets closer, the goal will be met,” said Cho. “But I know whatever amount is raised, she will be happy.” Donations can be made through April 28 on gofundme.com/getliliantoBrazil. Email Cho at lianacho895@ pointloma.edu for more information.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LILIAN LYNCH Liana Cho, a sophomore at PLNU, is raising funds for Caf employee, Lilian Lynch to go visit her mother in Brazil.

The search for the dream catcher BY SAMANTHA WATKINS STAFF WRITER

A life size dream catcher was found Sunday after being removed from its installation near Chapel earlier this week. Lizzy Moyer, a sophomore at PLNU, made the dream catcher for her sculpture class. On Thursday, she hung the dream catcher on the tree across from the commuter lot, in the center of the roundabout with ground crew’s help. Saturday morning, Moyer went outside to take a photo of the dream catcher and saw that it was gone. In a Yak posted on Friday evening, which has now been deleted, someone said they were going to cut the dream catcher down at midnight. After Public Safety was notified that the dream catcher was missing, they tried to find out what happened. In the meantime, Moyer posted on social media. ”I don’t know what happened to it and would love it if anyone could give me any info as to where they may have seen it,” said Moyer via Facebook. “The unending hours spent on it was meant to give people something to ponder at.” Students, like senior Ciana King responded to Moyer’s Facebook post. “I saw this yesterday and thought it was so amazing! I’m so sorry it’s missing! Do you think someone from

the administration took it down possibly?” said King. Other students, like junior environmental science major Krista Sechler, appreciated the art’s value. “That dream catcher was someone’s art and it obviously took a lot of hard work to create,” said Sechler. Moyer searched PLNU’s campus

trying to find the dream catcher. On Sunday afternoon, Moyer found it in the art department. “I don’t know who put the dream catcher back in the art department or when,” said Moyer. “I had permission from grounds to hang it up.” It took Moyer around nine hours SEE DREAM CATCHER, PAGE 2

the point | monday, march 30, 2015

2 | NEWS

Rooted Art Show to feature sustainable art April 7 BY NICK KJELDGAARD STAFF WRITER

PLNU will host the second annual Rooted Art Show sponsored by SustainPLNU and Plant with Purpose to emphasize sustainability this April. The art show seeks to allow individuals to approach the topic of sustainability and try to think about it in new ways.

“

Rooted allows individuals from the campus to approach sustainability creatively and allows them to ponder what sustainability means through art.” - Trisha Stull “Sustainability can sometimes feel complex or out of reach, something only done by ‘scientists,’” said Trisha Stull,

PLNU’s sustainability officer, via email. “Promoting sustainability through an art lens allows individuals who may not have thought they had a voice to share their ideas about sustainability as well.” Over 70 students attended last year’s kickoff which featured 20 submissions to the art show. “Last year we received paintings, photography, sculptures, poems, graphic design pieces and more,” said Annelise Jolley, outreach coordinator at Plant With Purpose, via email. “One of the highlights was a 7-foot-tall cross created from repurposed materials such as rebar, glass and wood.” The planning committee for this year’s event consists of Trisha Stull, Annelise Jolley and senior sustainability assistant Kirstie Hibbard, though most of the promotion and assistance will come from students. This year, the goal is to expand student and faculty interest in the

PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR/PLANT WITH PURPOSE Over 70 students listened to live music and observed the art displays about sustainability at the 2014 Rooted Art Show.

environment and help focus their interest. “We hope to build on the success of last year’s event and engage students who are environmentally and internationally conscious,” said Jolley. “It will also provide students and faculty with new avenues to engage in sustainable development, environmental justice and kingdom work.” Submissions for the art show remain open until Tuesday, March 31 and all students, staff and faculty are invited to submit their take on the themes of nature and sustainability. “Rooted allows individuals from the campus to approach sustainability creatively and allows them to ponder what sustainability means through art,” said Stull. This year the event will be held April 7 at Colt Forum and will feature an ice cream bar.

Tuition Freedom Day: March 25, 2015 Unrestricted and Church Gifts

Endowed Gifts

Contributions Designated Gifts

Alumni Department Scholarships

Loveworks Business Alumni

Nazarene Churches

Honor Roll Donors

Educational Budget GRAPHIC CREATED BY KENDALL BOSHART; PHOTOS BY TAVIS ROBERTSON Over 450 letters were written by students after Chapel Wednesday, March 25 and outside the Caf Thursday, thanking donors, churches, foundations, corporations and other revenue sources. Students pay around $39,000 less in their tuition cost because of these donations. Each year students pay around three-quarters of their total tuition cost with nearly $9,726 coming from other sources this year. This year’s celebration, held in the ARC, was put on by Kendall Lucas, assistant director of alumni relations, members of Student Senate and ASB leaders. FROM DREAM CATCHER, PAGE 1

to make the dream catcher. A trip Moyer’s family took 10 years ago to Southwest Colorado inspired her to make it.

“I’ve been dying to live on an Indian reservation [during the] summer,” said Moyer. “It would be cool to be disconnected from technology and immerse myself in their traditions.”

Traditionally, dream catchers are hung over pillows at night to catch bad dreams and eliminate them from people’s minds. By making the giant dream catch-

er, Moyer wanted to draw attention to the Native American tradition and show the importance of them. According to Moyer, the reasons behind their traditions are often overlooked.

Moyer didn’t expect her dream catcher to get the amount of attention it did. “It was just another fun project for me,” said Moyer.

monday, march 30, 2015| the point

FEATURES | 3

features

THINK ON THAT

“Yet I still run back to my sin the first chance I get. Doesn’t that bother you? Do something because I’ve been chained to this body for too long.” - Senior Hillary Litherland, Spoken Word, Kaleo Chapel

‘An Evening with Doc’ to celebrate Paul Bassett’s upcoming retirement

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN PICKETT Dean of the Communications & Theatre department and theatre professor Paul Bassett is retiring after 38 years at PLNU. Bassett created the theatre program from the ground up. His daughters, Samantha and Dia (above with Bassett in center), accompanied him to his dedication dinner Saturday. Alumni (right) performed a movement piece, a two person scene and a monologue at Salomon Theatre and thanked him for his work.

Kaleo brings students hope

PHOTO BY ZACHARY SOUSER Freshmen Richeda Sinclair and Makayla Vans Ever perform a skit at Timeout about resolutions, declaring at one point, “Give me hope...I just can’t wait another year.”

STUDY ABROAD PHOTO OF THE WEEK

“Before studying abroad, I had all of these expectations of what the experience would be like. Being here and interacting with the people and culture has shattered all of my preconceived notions. It’s been nothing like I could have imagined, but because of that, I’m learning and growing in ways that I also didn’t expect.” - Rachael Troxel

PHOTO COURTESY OF RACHAEL TROXEL Troxel, a junior psychology major and Spanish minor, is currently studying abroad in Granada, Spain. This photo was taken on an excursion to Sevilla, Spain at the Plaza de España.

“Fear and hope” jazz band concert

PHOTO BY TAYLOR PIZZUTO The PLNU Concert Band, under the direction of professor John Dally, performed its spring semester concert March 27. The concert used pieces linked to the Second World War, including “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Sentimental Journey,” and a combination of “Symphony No. 1 In Memoriam Dresden 1945” by Daniel Bukvich and “Requiem” by David Maslanka. Professor John Dally referenced the latter as one of the most complicated projects he has ever attempted in his career with the concert band.

FROM KILLING JESUS, PAGE 5

Daniels enjoyed the humanization of Jesus in the “historical-critical movie of the life of Jesus,” he said that was also its downfall. “I thought the film was an example of how Western American culture has taken the reigns of the Christian message,” Daniels said via email. “In an attempt to appeal to a larger audience -and likely because of the beliefs of those writing the book/script -- Jesus comes off less as God incarnate coming to redeem all of creation and more like a cool prophet who came as a means of human self-fulfillment. Overall, I thought the film gave an interesting portrayal of the Jesus and the events leading up to his death, but I found it ignoring or lacking in many of the deeper Christological and theological questions we wrestle with in the Christian faith.” Daniels said it was interesting that Jesus’ resurrection was left out and he was concerned about Jesus not knowing he was the Messiah until John the Baptist told him. However, he did appreciate the active Jesus in comparison to the passive model in “The Bible” miniseries. He recommends the movie to students with some precautions. “With any movie, I think you need to go in understanding that it’s someone’s interpretation, especially here where it’s not only just based on scripture, but also based on someone else’s book,” he said after the event. “I think it was really interesting and opens the table for some good discussion not just for Christians but for people like historically or [to pose the question,] What do we believe about Jesus? I thought that was a good conversation starter.”

FROM GRAVITY, PAGE 8

The minute you stir from your sleep and rattle the chains that bind you, the world will notice. You are becoming something different. Something new. They are afraid. The pressure to conform will begin pounding you back into the mold again and again as society tries to shape you according to its will. You will be pulled in every direction by the influences and idols that rule over so many. You will be tempted to find your identity in anything and everything but do not let yourself be defined by their labels. You cannot be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2). Teach yourself how to think your own thoughts. Seek the truth and ask others to see it too. People will tell you that you think too much and they might mean to hurt you, but really they are just reminding you that there is nothing wrong with you. After all, to think is to be alive. Along with newfound wisdom will come sorrows because you are no longer ignorant to sickness in the world around you. People will see you feeling things more deeply and tell you to grow a thicker skin, but do you really want to be made of wood anymore? So many are in chains, but do not let yourself drown in the sorrow that you see. Don’t let it be a reason for you to submit to the will of the world and fall back asleep under the weight of gravity. Open your eyes to the pain and do not look away in fear, because

until you see the harsher realities, you can do nothing to change them. Is it too much? Is it breaking you? You are up and fighting now but gravity is crushing the life out of you still. Your strength is faltering. You cannot bear the weight of the world.

“

But child, why are you fighting for your life? The battle for you has already been won. It ended with a man broken, bleeding and nailed to the cross.” - Tessa Cardinal But child, why are you fighting for your life? The battle for you has already been won. It ended with a man broken, bleeding and nailed to a cross. Before there was light and life, there was death. The lamb of the God dying with his arms stretched wide enough to balance the weight of the world on his own shoulders. It crushed him, but in dying, he conquered death. As he tore the veil he offered to tear us free of our bonds and he showed us how to stand without them. His blood spilled as an act of love, true enough to give eternal victory to all who ask for it. You need only to look up and let the light flood into your eyes for the first time. Christ is that light. He is the freedom screaming into your itching ears. He interceded and bore gravity

for you. He is the answer to your questioning and in him you can finally find your identity. He showed us how to live because he truly was alive. If only you would surrender. What are you holding onto at the cost of pure joy and life? Let go and rejoice. The walls have fallen down. You are a new creation bursting with the colors of God who is love, hope, peace and life. Masks are no more. It is your job to show love to this broken world. Humanity will still attack you but they cannot break you because you are not theirs anymore. Your eyes are fixed on the Author and Perfector of your faith and they cannot touch you as you go from deep to deeper. Let your life be the proof of God’s love. Love liberally and let your heart break for the ones you love. Cross oceans for the people who wouldn’t cross a puddle for you. Wake others from their sleep. Guide them to the cross and God will break down every barricade they have built in order to survive and send them tumbling into life. Eternally. Gravity is no more. We can set the prisoners free. Rejoice and rejoice greatly. Cardinal is a freshman at PLNU.

the point | monday, march 30, 2015

4 | FEATURES

Students ‘make a statement’ at Liberty Station

PHOTO BY KENDALL BOSHART Kevin Jasmine, James Spaite, Brady Kilpatrick and Connor Hensley were among the first few students to arrive at PLNU’s Fashion Show held Friday, March 27.

PHOTOS BY ROSS NEDERHOFF Senior Kathleen Bolamba and junior Nick Kjeldgaard (left) walk down the runway together wearing Jana Russick originals. Kjeldgaard’s tie was styled by Russick. Kirsten Swanson (right) walks down the runway with bubble gum to accompany her look.

PHOTO BY ROSS NEDERHOFF Sophomores Tommy O’Neil and Brett Bey walk the runway beach ready. These designs are by junior Katie Fogelstrom.

Comfort Foods: Lemon fingers BY AUTUMN SHULTZ STAFF WRITER

Out of all of the desserts that I grew up loving, anything lemon nearly always won over cake, unless, of course, that cake was a cheesecake. But I always struggled to find the ideal recipe for lemon bars. I could find the finished product at buffet restaurants and other places, but nobody would give me their recipe. It wasn’t until my junior year of high school that I finally thought to ask my grandpa. Like me, my grandpa loves to eat anything lemon and his favorite pie is lemon meringue, except he hates the meringue. My grandpa has an entire collection of various zesty desserts to satisfy the lemony sweet tooth. He gave me the recipe on one condition: I had to make a batch for him and my grandma the next time I saw them. They wanted to taste the finished product. Now, this recipe for lemon fingers is a must-make each time I attend a family event or spend a weekend with friends. The recipe calls for a certain pan, but I use my largest cast iron pan to make these treats. Crust • ½ cup powdered sugar • 2 cubes of butter • 2 cups flour Filling • 4 eggs • 2 cups sugar

PHOTO BY ROSS NEDERHOFF These PLNU students suit up for the fashion show, donning their best.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEITES CULINARIA The final product of lemon bars, sprinkled with powdered sugar to taste.

• ½ cup lemon juice • 1 grated lemon rind (optional but recommended) • 4 teaspoons flour 1. Mix the ingredients for the crust together in a large bowl; use two knives to do so. Press into the bottom of a 9x14 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool slightly

while completing next step. 2. Beat together the ingredients for the filling for at least one minute, and then pour them on top of the baked crust. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes. Take out and let cool. Sprinkle the top with sifted powdered sugar. Cool overnight for best results. Prep Time: 45 Minutes; Cook Time: 20 Minutes

PHOTO BY ROSS NEDERHOFF These PLNU students dress in style and document their memories at the photo booth.

monday, march 30, 2015 | the point

A&E | 5

a&e

PLAN YOUR WEEK

Students skype with ‘Killing Jesus’ actor, Haaz Sleiman BY KATIE CALLAHAN STAFF WRITER

“Where are you? You look like you’re in some office.” “I’m at the student center of Point Loma Nazarene University.” “Oh, Nazarene? That’s pretty fitting.” Haaz Sleiman, who plays the role of Jesus in the new TV film, “Killing Jesus,” skyped with PLNU students after the film’s advance showing in the Activities and Recreation Center Wednesday. Twenty students watched the two-hour film (otherwise three when it premiered Palm Sunday). The National Geographic film, based off Bill O’Reilly’s bestselling book of the same title, stars Sleiman, Stephen Moyer (“True Blood”), Kelsey Grammar (“Cheers,” “Frasier”), Emmanuelle Chriqui (“Entourage”) and John Rhys Davies (“Indiana Jones”). Jon Huckins, the co-founding director of The Global Immersion Project, interviewed Sleiman. His organization tries to facilitate peacemaking through immersion in global conflict in the Middle East, Ireland and the San Diego-Mexican border. Sleiman said in Wednesday’s Skype session that he was raised Muslim but is not practicing, a topic controversial in other news reports because of his role as

Jesus. “The essence of all religions is the same and you can start talking about things like the son of God or is he a prophet or this person or that but what they came to show us and teach us is the same,” Sleiman said. “That’s not changed...you have that right to believe whatever you want to believe and I respect you for that.” He said this role is his most profound role. “Nothing will compare to this because it’s personal for me,” Sleiman said. “It really is so personal because I’ve been trying to really apply his teachings in my life over the past 10 years and it’s transforming in many ways and he’s that heavily influenced me and that powerful; I mean, his presence has been very powerful in my life... It was also very nerve wracking because it was like, OK this is something I really believe in, it’s important to me and I really cannot mess this up.” Sleiman said the best scenes were the ones where he could imagine what it actually felt like to be Jesus, like the scene of the kid possessed by a demon. But he also appreciated the scenes with his mother (played by Seeta Indrani) because she got to see firsthand her son’s pain, but also because Indrani is Israeli. “The actress who played my moth-

er is just incredible,” Sleiman said. “I’m Lebanese, Lebanese-American, but I lived in Lebanon and grew up in Lebanon and she’s Israeli and I think that’s beautiful too, how in the world today we can apply that love even with an actor from Lebanon and an actor

Fox New’s Bill O’Reilly created “Killing Jesus” with co-author Martin Dugard. This film is part of a series of books that O’Reilly had written and made for film, including one on Lincoln, Kennedy and soon to be Patton. “Killing Jesus,” in particular, is its own

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVE PALMER Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Jesus” TV film (poster left) premiered on National Geographic Palm Sunday and showed an advance screening in the ARC Wednesday. Haaz Sleiman, who played Jesus in the film, skyped with 20 students (right).

from Israel. Obviously, this story is timeless so you can always, always, always refer to whatever the current events are happening in the story in many ways.”

miniseries. When National Geographic expressed interest in showing the film at colleges, Dave Palmer, the owner of Dunk Tank Marketing, sched-

uled PLNU in with the help of Alan Hueth, a professor of communication at PLNU, who he had worked with in the past. Palmer estimates about half a dozen schools or other locations have seen the film and says the response has been “uniformly positive.” “My hope is that it compels people to explore the person of Jesus and also understand the many ways that people encounter Jesus,” Palmer said. “The film has been very clear that it wanted to look more deeply at Jesus’ humanity, since so many other projects tend to look primarily at the divinity of Jesus. Showing that human side is a powerful reminder of what that incarnation really encompasses.” Palmer said he hopes this showing allows people to meet others unlike themselves. “When we can hear our own stories and get to know people with different experiences and backgrounds, it tends to help us humanize one another more and get past broad, easy stereotypes and into actual relationships and understanding,” Palmer said via email. “That, to me, seems a Jesus-y thing to do.” Caleb Daniels, a media communications major with an emphasis in production and biblical studies major, is the Point TV station manager. He led the event with Palmer. While SEE KILLING JESUS, PAGE 3

Netflix Pick of the Week: ‘Beginners’

Book to film review: Paper Towns

BY ALEXANDRA TAYLOR

STAFF WRITER

BY JESSICA LUCAS

CONTRIBUTOR

“We didn’t go to this war. We didn’t have to hide to have sex. Our good fortune allowed us to feel a sadness that our parents didn’t have time for and a happiness that I never saw with them.” -Oliver Fields, “Beginners” (2010) What does the modern American relationship look like? We live in a culture decades removed from the sexual revolution and in the midst of the gay rights and modern feminist movement. The statistics of divorce and our inevitable failure get crammed into skulls like ticker tape. We arguably have more freedom to shape our relationships than ever before. So now what? The film “Beginners” (2010) explores this dilemma. It is directed Mike Mills and stars Ewan McGregor (“Big Fish,” “Moulin Rouge”), Christopher Plummer (“The Sound of Music”) and Mélanie Laurent (“Inglorious Basterds”). We follow Ewan’s character, Oli-

“

I don’t usually feel so struck by films as this film struck me.”

ver Fields, as he grapples with two announcements: First, that his father has terminal cancer and second, that his father has been gay his whole life. Oliver constantly wrestles with his past through the objects that his father has left behind. He narrates his past and present with a resigned melancholy. We get glimpses into his memories as a

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES/FEELINGMOVIES.SK Mélanie Laurent and Ewan McGregor star in “The Beginners,” a story that explores the dilemma of modern relationships.

child with his mother, as an adult with his father and in the present with Anna (Laurent). We feel, along with Oliver, a psychological distance from either parent. And without a model for what he believed love should look like, he maintains distance with everyone, including Anna. He meets Anna at a party and despite her laryngitis, they manage to fall in love. She is an actress who flits from city to city. But lately she doesn’t feel so free. In fact, she realizes that moving around has been its own prison. We find out that she is escaping some familial trauma of her own, which always catches up and preys on her. The greatest mystery to understand is that of the relationship between Oliver’s gay father and half-Jewish mother. We are revealed the genesis of their relationship, their desperation for acceptance and we come to terms with how minorities deal with alienation. But they too wanted ideal love and ideal happiness and they did what they could. Some films speak truths about our lives that we didn’t think anybody knew about. I don’t usually feel so struck by films as this film struck me. The acting

is sincere and the emotions they evoke are poignant. This is a film that you will probably relate to on some level. The aesthetic of the film is beautiful in that it is simple. Most of it takes place within the crisp white walls of what looks like a 70’s style home in California. The emphasis is on the objects Oliver sorts through (old photos, gay magazines, his father’s personal ad for a gay lover, etc.) and the memories and feelings they make him process. What the film seems to convey is that the social and political movements of the ‘50s and ‘60s did not uncover truth about sex and relationships, but rather allowed us to redefine it. Anna has the freedom to move about from country to country without the pressure to settle down, but is she any happier? Oliver avoids relationships in fear that he will replicate what his father and mother had, but will he be any more fulfilled? Essentially, we can do whatever we want now, but do we even know what we want? I think that the answer, in this film, is in how we choose to let go of what got us here.

Literary man-child John Green’s novel “Paper Towns” is being adapted by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the team who wrote “(500) Days of Summer” and “The Spectacular Now.” It will star Cara Delevigne (the model with the eyebrows) and Nat Wolff (Isaac, the blind best friend in “The Fault in Our Stars”). If the success of “The Fault in Our Stars” – Green’s New York Times # 1 bestselling novel-turned-blockbuster film – is any indication, “Paper Towns,” the film, will be a hit. The question is not if you should see the movie (you should), but if you should read the book before seeing the movie. The answer: a resounding yes. “Paper Towns” may not be Green’s most widely read or critically-acclaimed novel, but it certainly proves why he is the uncontested king of the young adult genre. “Paper Towns” centers around the relationship between Quentin, a shy and nondescript high school senior, and Margo Roth Spiegelman, Quentin’s neighbor and longtime crush. After Margo breaks up with her boyfriend, she and Quentin go on a night of revenge-based adventures. The next day she vanishes, leaving a trail of clues for Quentin. I borrowed this book from a friend and didn’t give it back until she asked me the third time. The dialogue is snappy and entertaining; the reader is never bored. Where Green really thrives is his development of scenestealing, caricature-like secondary characters. Quentin and Margo’s best

friends force the reader to look deeply at each character and see past the box high school characters are so often put in. The pretty girlfriend is so much more than just a love interest; the funny best friends are so much more than comic relief. My only critique of “Paper Towns” is the lackluster characterization of the main character, Quentin. While the supporting characters defy stereotypes with their unique quirks and flaws, Quentin seems to be little more than a generic high school boy whose sole characteristic is his undying love for Margo Roth Spiegelman, a girl he barely knows at all. Also, he’s too similar to the main character in Green’s debut novel, “Looking For Alaska.” In the end, Green leaves you with a note of optimism, but also that ambiguous sense that things might not work out the way you hope they will. But that’s okay, because reading Paper Towns helps the reader “remember that sometimes, the way you think about a person isn’t the way they actually are.”

PHOTO COURTESY FLICKR/ ASHLEY-MARY

the point | monday, march 30, 2015

6 | SPORTS

sports

SEA LION SCORES

3/21: Baseball, Win 4-3, 5-2 vs. Academy of Art 3/23: W. Golf, fifth place @ Otter Invitational M. Tennis, Win 5-4 vs. Williams 3/27: Baseball, Win 4-1,4-3 vs. Hawaii Hilo 3/28: Track and Field, ninth place @ PLNU Collegiate Invitational Baseball, Win 5-3, 4-3 vs. Hawaii Hilo W. Tennis, Win 4-3 vs. Westmont

UPCOMING EVENTS 3/30: W. Tennis vs. Lewis-Clark State 3/31: W. Tennis vs. Hawaii Hilo 3/31: M. Tennis vs. Hawaii Hilo 4/2-3: Baseball vs. Hawaii Pacific (doubleheaders) 4/4: Track and Field @ Pomona Pitzer Invitational

Women’s tennis struggles to find its rhythm BY JAYME O’HANLON STAFF WRITER

The PLNU women’s tennis team has struggled to maintain the health of all their players with three games left in the season. With three women injured, doubles and singles play are affected by having to replace higher positions with those lower in the lineup. Sophomore Hannah Chiu said this has helped strengthen the team camaraderie this season. “Some of the girls were able to step it up; we showed ourselves that we were ready to compete as a team,” said Chiu. Senior Preethika Venugopal explained the struggles of losing some of their best players to injuries. Three girls, including herself, suffered from injuries this season.

“

Having these three injured players as positions one, four and five consistently come in and out of our lineup has been tough on the team.” - Preethika Venugopal “Having these three injured players as positions one, four and five consistently come in and out of our line-up has been tough on the team,” said Venugopal. “When these players

are unable to compete, players that are lower in the line-up have to move up and play in these higher spots. These injuries have been mentally tough on both those injured and those moving up in the lineup.” The injuries hurting the team result in lost points since the women are not at their full potential. For example, when the first position player is injured, a second or third player takes the place against the first position player of the opposing team. This can lead to an imbalance of skills. Despite these setbacks, Venugopal said she has great expectations for the final three games of the season. “I am looking forward to just going out there and putting our team’s best foot forward in these last couple matches,” said Venugopal. “We definitely have the potential to win every single one of them. I am excited to see our team work hard and compete well.” Venugopal said Coach Wheeler has been training the women to maintain motivation. “He encourages the same attitude, regardless of the situation,” said Venugopal. “He emphasizes ACE attitude, concentration and effort - to being pivotal to our success.” Coach Curt Wheeler is the men’s and women’s coach this year after Coach Rich Hills retired. He said the team’s injuries have affected the their quality of play and resulted in their

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNU SPORTS INFORMATION Senior Preethika Venugopal and sophomore Regina von Koch played doubles against Westmont Saturday, beating the team 9-8. PLNU defeated the Warriors 6-3.

recent losses. “Toward the start of the year, we had some close matches, especially with some conference teams that were close to us in ability,” said Wheeler. “Then we had a few teams from out of our area. What I’m hoping for is for everyone to be healthy. That’s been something we’ve really struggled with all season. I think that is our main goal now- up until we go to the conference tournament.” According to the team’s schedule, PLNU has recorded many lopsided wins and losses against their opponents this season. For example, in the match

against Vanguard University on Feb. 26, PLNU won 9-0. Just three days prior to this victory, PLNU lost 0-9 to BYU-Hawaii. Wheeler said these gaps in scores are from a combination of sporadic injuries that happen while the women practice and compete in addition to lost points, like hitting the net. “Because of the injuries, there is a lack of practice time. First, their bodies do not feel good,” said Wheeler. “Second, they cannot put in the practice time to prepare for those really good teams. Most [injuries] are chronic issues. Sometimes, the ladies are able to

play through these injuries and other times they are unable to compete.” From March 6-10, the team won one out of three games against Holy Names, Academy of Art and Sonoma State University during the Spring Break trip. Chiu said the team had to endure injuries coupled with little time to rejuvenate in between matches. “Unfortunately, some of the girls were injured [during] our Spring Break Trip,” said Chiu. “Plus, the San Diego Christian match was the fourth match out of five in six days.” Although Chiu has not been injured this season, she said that injuries just come along with being on the team - or any sports team for that matter. “Injuries are common for athletes and managing them is just another thing about being an athlete,” Chiu said. “Thankfully, I have not been injured at all this season, but I would say that injuries have impacted our team greatly during the season, especially in the fall. About four women have been injured total, typically due to muscle tightening. However, to say that we would have won or lost if we were not injured would be meaningless.” The Sea Lions defeated Westmont College 6-3 on March 28 and have only three games left in the season. Their next game is today at 4 p.m. at PLNU against Lewis-Clark, who are 3-9 this season. Look to April 13 for a men’s tennis recap!

PLNU women’s golf: ‘Iron sharpens iron’ BY PAIGE ADLHOCH STAFF WRITER

The PLNU women’s golf team is averaging a score of 318 strokes per match and finishing with an average of third place in their tournaments this season. The golf program at PLNU was started in 2011 and has only improved since that time. Head Coach Jacqui McSorley built the program from scratch. McSorley played collegiate golf at the University of Southern California and earned an all-conference status

her senior year. Due to her experience on the golf course, the players said they couldn’t be where they are today without her. “She’s hard; she’s competitive. She came from USC so she knows what good competition is and what we should be shooting to win,” said junior Samantha Stockton. Last season, the golf team had 11 players, making it the biggest team in PLNU golf history. The team averaged a score of 326 strokes per match. Although the team had more players last year, the eight golfers this season have stepped up their game.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNU SPORTS INFORMATION The PLNU golf team finished fifth at the Cal State Monterey Bay Otter Invitational March 23 and 24. They have averaged third place at their tournaments this year.

McSorley said the freshman have brought in a new level of competition which has motivated the other players to perform better than in the past. “Our scoring average has dropped and I think the competitiveness week in and week out for that starting position has really helped. Scripture says, ‘Iron sharpens iron’ and we see that here because they are making each other better.” Stockton, a returning player, said she has seen improvements from last year. “We have all grown and honed our skills and practiced smarter this year,” Stockton said. “Our putting has got better. Stats have shown that we have eliminated a lot of silly mistakes.” Because the team has been playing better this season, they have encountered more intense plays on the course. “We have always been in the middle pack to the back of the leader board, but now we are in contention each tournament so we are learning how to deal with pressure situations,” Stockton said. Senior Kathleen Crossley is the top player on the golf team. Last season, Crossley was second team all-PacWest performer and the team MVP. “If I could recruit everyone like a Kathleen Crossley, I would be a very happy coach,” McSorley said. Haley Fuller is a freshman at PLNU and one of the front-runners of this season.

“She’s brought humility and a very mature mentality,” McSorley said. “I look forward to coaching her for the next four years.” Professional golfer Bob Townsend has also been working with the players. Townsend is certified to coach aiming through a green reading system. Fuller said he has made an impact on the team’s success. “[He] has taught us a lot of new things that are very different to what we grew up knowing about putting, but most of us embraced it really well and have grown because of it.” McSorley thinks the mental challenges on the course are the team’s biggest weakness. “Mentally, they struggle with taking their practice to matches,” McSorley said. “They haven’t been transferring it as well as they should be at their level. They need to just let go and let God, but they’re trying to force it.” The team’s sports psychologist, Sarah Castillo, has helped the players with the tough mental blocks in golf. Castillo assists the team by giving them a different perspective on performance. “She gives them different things to think about as far as becoming aware and accepting the situations that are out of their control,” McSorley said. PLNU’s home course is the Riverwalk Golf Course. Statistics show that the team has played better at Riverwalk than other courses. During the month of February, the Sea Lions

hosted the PLNU Super San Diego Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship and tied for sixth place out of 16 teams with 639 strokes the entire tournament. “I like Riverwalk. It’s a really great home-course advantage, because if you don’t know the course, it can kill you,” Fuller said. “Some people do better on certain courses. It all depends on where you come from and what kind of course layout you like.”

“

That’s just how golfers are. Our whole lives, we are competing against our friends and you want them to do really well, but of course you want to do one stroke better. - Haley Fuller Stockton said the golf team shares a different dynamic than other sports teams at PLNU because they still compete against each other. “It’s weird because we’re on the same team, but we want to do better than each other,” Stockton said. “It’s good because it keeps a competitive edge. We want each other to do well, but of course, we want to do well ourselves.” Fuller said the competition among the players is strictly on the course. “That’s just how golfers are,” Fuller said. “Our whole lives, we are comSEE GOLF, PAGE 7

monday, march 30, 2015| the point

SPORTS | 7

Q&A with Emily Loogman, heptathlon athlete BY JESSICA LUCAS STAFF WRITER

Senior Emily Loogman is a smalltown girl, a nursing major and the reigning PacWest Heptathlon champion—which means she’s better at most events than anyone else in the conference. This season, she is the top-ranked 400-meter hurdler in the conference and hopes to defend her heptathlon title this year. She hails from Etna, California, population: 781. The Point caught up with Loogman to discuss her life in college and her aspirations for the upcoming track season. The Point: How long have you been running track? Loogman: I started in seventh grade, on the junior high track team. What was it like playing sports in a small town? I think my athleticism came from growing up in a town so small. Etna is in the mountains so I was always being active because that’s what you do when you live there. Sports were not competitive at all, so I had to really push myself. I didn’t have anyone else to compare myself to; I had to imagine what the competition was doing. Our high school track had like, three broken hurdles, so I would drive to the community college once a week to practice there. But my parents would always tell me that growing up in a small

town doesn’t mean you have limits. Did you play a lot of other sports in high school? I played volleyball and basketball. Track was my least favorite, but I liked how I could rely on myself. When you go to such a small school, there’s always a limit to how far you can go, but with track, it’s just you and your times. Track was sort of my way to get noticed by college coaches. What brought you to PLNU? I did a college search engine and typed in what I wanted in a school: a small private school by the beach, with a nursing program and a track team that I could run for. PLNU was the only one that came up. Was it difficult to transition from a small town in Northern California to a huge city in Southern California? It was hard. I didn’t really like it here freshman year. I got really homesick and it was hard to adjust. Now I see it as a second home, but it was a long process. Describe your progression as a track athlete from freshman year to senior year. Freshman year I worked really hard before I got here because I pictured it being super intense. I started way too strong and I got burnt out by the time the season rolled around. I was really over it because I got a hard time from

Photos: This week in sports

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNU SPORTS INFORMATION Senior Mickey Dunleavy (above), along with sophomore Noah Huggins and junior Coleman Huntley III, each pitched perfect innings against Hawaii Hilo this past weekend. PLNU won all four games. This extends their winning streak to 11 games.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNU SPORTS INFORMATION Junior Martin Blaho (above), with freshman C.J. Erion, beat the Williams team this week 9-8 to break the team’s lead. PLNU won 5-4 Monday.

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY LOOGMAN Senior Emily Loogman jumps over the hurdle during one of her meets. She is the reigning PacWest Heptathlon champion.

some of the older girls for trying so hard. The next year I timed my training better but I still had a stress fracture. It was hard finding a balance between working too hard and not working hard enough. Junior year I finally saw some results, but it wasn’t how I expected. I didn’t think I would even compete in the heptathlon because I hadn’t practiced for it, so going in with no pressure really worked for me. But winning

[conference] was exciting! What are your plans for the remainder of your senior year? This year I want to give it up to God. I’m going to try my hardest, but I’m going to focus on doing my best instead of just beating everybody. What are your plans for next year? I’m applying to MBA programs because I want to try something new and keep my options open. I’ll have crosscountry eligibility, so I would love to

run cross-country in the fall and then assistant coach for track in the spring. I’m excited about that possibility because I want to help the girls get better. Any closing remarks? I want to say thanks to all the coaching staff who have helped me mature as a person and an athlete. Loogman will compete again on Saturday April 4 at the Pomona Pitzer Invitational.

FROM GOLF, PAGE 6

peting against our friends and you want them to do really well, but of course you want to do one stroke better. It doesn’t affect our relationships at all because five minutes later we’re going to breakfast together or Chapel together.” Although four seniors will be graduating, McSorley said the freshmen players have brought the team to where they are today. “The energy and enthusiasm of the freshmen propel us to get lower scores and be successful,” McSorley said. “I am really looking forward to the PacWest championships and I want the players to finish strong this season and then catch the momentum going into next season.” The team will head to Sonoma State University for their next tournament April 6 and 7.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNU SPORTS INFORMATION Senior Kathleen Crossley was second team all-PacWest performer and team MVP last season. She looks on as she tees off at the Cougar Invitational where she won an individual chapionship and led her team to a team championship.

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the point | monday, march 30, 2015

8 | OPINION

opinion

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Google: Evil? BY RICK MONCAUSKAS CONTRIBUTOR

I use Google a lot. I use Gmail. I show YouTube videos in class. I watch YouTube videos on my own. The school uses Gmail. (I confess that I don’t use Google+ much.) Generally speaking, I like Google. But, with power, comes responsibility. A month or so ago, Studio360 did an interview with Indie musician Zoë Keating. The interview bothered me. Famously, Google has a motto: “Don’t be evil” which I heard repeated by a Google employee just the other day. So, apparently, they are still striving to uphold the motto. Good for them. (If you want to hear a debate on the “Don’t be evil” motto of Google, go to “Intelligence Square U.S.,” a podcast and listen to the exchange.) I don’t think of myself as a conspiracy theorist, but I am worried about how the tech companies that we have linked to our devices, like our cell phones, are going to use our data. There is precedent for bad (i.e. manipulative) uses of our information (think NSA and Target). What does it mean to “be evil?” What is “evil?” I have listened to

police psychologists talk about socio/ psychopaths and what it is they do that is evil. This may not be exhaustive, but I think one definition of “being evil” would be this: the use of power to coerce a person to do something that is against their better/best judgment. If it is the case that Google/ YouTube still don’t want to be evil, then it seems to me that Google needs to rethink the terms of their new Music Key “service.” (And you might want to refuse to pay for “Music Key,” a Spotify/Pandora-like service.) If you read/listen to the article at Studio 360 (assuming that Google/ YouTube have not changed the contract they were serving up, which, by “nondisclosure agreement” can’t be discussed or acknowledged to exist according to the Keating interview, problematic to begin with), the nub of Zoë Keating’s disagreement with YouTube is this: She MUST release any new music she produces on YouTube at the same time as she releases it anywhere else. So…if Zoë wants to participate in YouTube “Music Key” she is not allowed to release her music to her fans first (which is how she makes her living) and then, later, on YouTube.

If she does so, she will be excluded from ALL of YouTube, which now is a major way that people listen their music and find new music. That is coercion and against Zoë’s better judgment. Google/YouTube is using their “muscle” (their unique ability to reach an audience) to deprive Zoë of her means of income for the benefit of their service and THEIR income. As Zoë says in the interview, this isn’t much different than the old “music studio contract” where the studios made all the money and the artists got a smallish cut. Famously “big artists” didn’t make their money by selling records/recordings, they really made their money by touring and selling “merchandise.” Are you an “indie music” fan? Does this bother you? Are you a Google/ YouTube user? Does it bother you? It bothers me. To quote a song from The Who: “Meet the new boss…same as the old boss.” Is this what you hoped for from the “New” tech companies? Are they really different? It seems not. Moncauskas is the media operations manager of the TV studio and an adjunct professor at PLNU.

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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.

Musoffee: Music and coffee. Life and culture. BY RANDY HIROSHIGE CONTRIBUTOR

First off, I would like to say that it has been a pleasure running Musoffee this year. I have had the opportunity to work with a bunch of great people: musicians, sound techs, and ARC staff alike. People bring their unique talents and ultimately themselves to the table; with them, Musoffee begins to take shape. Specifically, shoutouts to Tim Peveler and Taylor Eldreth for their hard work behind the board, work that often makes them the first to arrive and last to leave. Also, shoutout to all of the ARC staff for their help with setups and teardowns. I am grateful for the opportunity to run this event and I could not do it without these people. As I reflect on this year, I have a new appreciation for what Musoffee means for this campus. At one level, we get to hear the music of our talented peers. These fellow students have worked their whole

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Text your #LomaChatter to 619-786-6890! Officially the start of spring and no ring #blessed #ringbyfall? So that Loma chatter last week? Fiesty, right? #coolofferrybody #toomuchangst So Canvas. I like that I can turn things in online. Cool. New age. What I don’t like: those weekend deadlines. #thataintright It must be midterms week. #campusghosttown the school by the time we leave. These people speak of culture in its noun form, but when culture is a verb, it happens in the present. In this way, I think PLNU

PHOTOS BY GABRIELA GARCIA Local musician Titus Huag (above) performs with his band. Kyle Furusho (below left) performs. James Spaite and Dani Bartello take the stage (below right) last Thursday at Musoffee.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR/ED SCHIPUL Zoë Keating, a musician, is currently in a disagreement with Google over the release of her music on her YouTube channel.

Escaping Gravity BY TESSA CARDINAL CONTRIBUTOR

You are not free. You think you are, but you are not. It’s time for you to wake up and to come alive, because surviving is not living and you’ve been waiting to die for too long. You can remain in ignorant bliss or willful denial of the state that you are in for a little longer now, but one day you will get out of bed and go to the mirror and see right through yourself to the faded gray on the wall behind you, because you are hollow and you’ve finally worn too thin. The walls you built around your heart aren’t enough to keep you safe anymore because there is nothing real inside for them to protect. You need help, but now the barricades you’ve built are too high and you can’t escape yourself to get help from the outside. You can see the strings that move your heavy hollow shell but now they feel stronger and heavier than chains. Your

paint is chipping off and the cracks in your mask are showing. You live in an ugly cage of your own creation. You don’t think you live in captivity, but that is because you were a prisoner from the day you were conceived. How would you know the difference? Surrounded by a cage of flesh, you grew in the dark. Then you were torn from it. Even the day of your birth did not mark the day you were dragged, screaming and bloody, into freedom. Instead it marked the instant when the slave met its new masters. Innocent child meet confusion, desire, morality, mortality. These are the rules. You will follow them. They have been in your head from the very beginning. You have been fed your parents’ perspectives, your school’s definitions, your friend’s opinions and your society’s values. If you are what you eat, I would venture to say that many of your thoughts are not original and your beliefs are not your own. Do you know who you are? Maybe you

are a stranger even to yourself. As you watch, the solid ground will disappear from beneath your feet and you will slip into the unknown. This uncertainty is terrifying, and as you begin to question your perspective on reality you will find yourself further out of your comfort zone than ever before. Lost, confused, and alone you can meet yourself, face to face, for the first time. Together, journey out of the chaos and into the contrast. The light will expose the emptiness and the darkest, most twisted parts within you. It will open your eyes to the world around you. It will show you the chains you have been wearing your entire life. If gravity is this force that attracts our bodies to the center of the earth, then it is quite literally the shackles keeping our feet on the ground and putting the weight of the world on our shoulders. You can see it now. You can’t ignore it anymore. It is time to escape gravity. SEE GRAVITY, PAGE 4

lives on their music, both in the sense that they have spent many hours learning music and that their lives inform the music they write. Their willingness to perform at Musoffee means that for a short time they get to share this life on stage. At another level, as students gather to hear and appreciate the music of their peers, they also bring themselves in presence, in conversation and in their response to the lives of those both on and offstage. This level of participation make Musoffee more than a mere spectacle. On these Thursday nights, a very real interaction takes place as we drink coffee, listen, speak and share life. Through these nights, I have learned that culture is a verb. When culture is merely a noun, it is something in the past, something that we come from and something we must conform to. People often refer to PLNU culture as some static monolith, a generalization that we inherit upon arrival and deposit back into

culture happens during Musoffee. As we gather and take a moment away from classes, we realize that there is more to this place than education. Or rather, by participating in culture, education happens in ways that extend beyond the classroom. The PLNU culture does not impress itself upon us; it is something we begin making when we arrive and something we take with us when we leave. For the price of $164.43 in supplies and a few hours of time, we get the opportunity to do just that for a night. I am already looking forward to next year and the new ways that we can make culture together. Before that comes around, the last Musoffee of the year is coming up on April 16 and I would love to see you all there. Thanks for having me this year; it truly has been a pleasure. Peace, Randy Hiroshige is a junior computer science and philosophy/theology major.