Volume 44, Issue 5

The Point student newspaper of point loma nazarene university

monday, october 12, 2015

Features, page 3

volume 44 | issue 5

A&E, page 5

Sports, page 6

Opinion, page 8

More on Loma Beat!

Presidential candidate Huckabee visits PLNU

BY JONATHAN SOCH

STAFF WRITER

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee came to PLNU for a fundraising dinner on Friday night.

Huckabee and members of his campaign team were invited to the private dinner hosted by former congressman Duncan Hunter Sr. who rented out the President’s Dining Room in Nicholson Commons.

“We wanted San Diego folks to get to be able to get to know Mike and support him,” said Hunter, who hosted the dinner as a fundraiser for Huckabee’s 2016 presidential campaign.

“There’s just lots of us that appreciate him, and support him, and we hope that he makes it,” the former San Diego representative said.

Duncan Hunter worked in the House of Representatives for more than 25 years after being elected in 1980. In 2007 he launched a campaign for the 2008 presidential election but eventually withdrew.

Hunter’s son currently represents California’s 50th Congressional District consisting of the East and North County areas of San Diego.

According to PLNU’s Director of Public Affairs, Jill Monroe, the event was for Huckabee’s campaign team and donors prior to a campaign event happening on Saturday.

“He’s in town to speak at an event in the Orange County area tomorrow night,” said Monroe. “They had a local family and a former congressman – Duncan Hunter who’s represented San Diego’s east county area – [who]

PHOTOS BY JONATHAN SOCH A sign outside of the President’s Dining Room welcomes Governor Mike Huckabee and his campaign staff as they meet in the background.

wanted to host a fundraiser for him in the area.”

Huckabee is in Southern California to tour the U.S. and Mexican border.

The former Arkansas Governor ran for the presidency in 2008 but ended his campaign after voting made

it clear that his rival John McCain would get the Republican nomination.

Hunter reached out to the university for the space because of a suggestion of a family he knew whose student attends PLNU. “One of our parents, of a current student, introduced the idea of them

renting space here on campus, for this event, and so the space happened to be available, so it all worked out,” said Joe Watkins, the vice president of external relations at PLNU. “They’re going to do a border tour tomorrow,” Watkins said.

“It’s a rental event, there’s no ad-

vocacy in this or anything,” said Watkins, regarding the school’s hosting of the event. “We rent facilities to a lot of groups and organizations across the U.S.”

Spiritual Development welcomes new chapel greeters

BY JULIANA VERHAGE

STAFF WRITER

Spiritual Development implemented a new job position called ‘Chapel Greeter’ at the beginning of the school year to welcome students and improve safety in Chapel, much in response to recent university shootings and targets on Christians.

According to Chaplaincy Ministries Assistant Kaitlin Runion, the position was posted within the first two weeks of the school year, students applied and were interviewed, and then through prayer and decision making, eight students were hired.

Runion and University Chaplain Tim Whetstone said they selected a team of energetic, friendly upperclassmen who could meet the time requirements of the job with their current class schedule.

“The students that applied and were accepted, I think, get that the

emphasis is to greet. All of them are upperclassmen so they get the ebb and flow of the year. They know how to deliver a hello during midterms as opposed to the one during the very first chapel,” Whetstone said.

Once hired, they went through a week of training with Whetstone, Assistant Director of Public Safety Glen Laster, and Nicholson Commons Director Milton Karahadian.

Whetstone instructed on the greeting portion of the job. Laster taught on safety awareness and crowd management. Karahadian trained the students on how to function as a backup ID scanner, in case one of their co-workers can’t attend work, they will still be able to scan people in efficiently.

Though the Chapel Greeter position is threefold, Whetstone said, “the main underlining emphasis behind it is to greet.”

Whetstone added that recent school shootings and those targeting Christians in the U.S. have prompted many of the new safety protocols as well for this job.

“It is why these chapel greeters are not only a welcoming presence but a critical presence,” Whetstone said.

Sophomore Chapel Greeter and Christian Ministry major Tyler Marlow described a normal day on the job.

“I high-five people, greet people, say good morning and basically just make other people smile while welcoming them into chapel.”

The Chapel Greeters work on a rotational basis and ‘greet’ at two chapels per week.

Four workers are present for each chapel and two of these four also take on a security role during the service.

The two who are security, “sit in the back row and keep a lookout for anyone entering and exiting, for peo-

ple who aren’t supposed to be there,” according to Runion.

Greeters are to keeping an eye on those who do not appear to be affiliated with PLNU. All of the doors to chapel, except for one on the Eastside and Westside entrances, are now closed and locked ten minutes into Chapel to limit the number of entrances while still allowing unlimited exits in case of emergency. This also limits the number of doors that greeters must monitor.

While the greeters have been instructed in safety protocol, “the responsibility of our users is not public safety, it is safety awareness.

“They are the students that remain aware during large gatherings,” said Whetstone.

This awareness refers to focusing on scanning the crowd and environment of chapel, rather than on the worship or speaker.

Whetstone said if an emergency to occur, a public safety officer on rotation nearby Brown Chapel would handle it more directly.

Marlow said that if a chapel greeter sees any suspicious character or activity, they are to alert the on-call staff member.

This on-call position changes daily and is worked by staff from Spiritual or Student Development. Runion is always available for students to contact in the event of a chapel emergency.

Marlow said the training safety that the greeters learned is what type of language to use if there was an emergency, how to evacuate the chapel and where to lead others to go.

The greeters are to handle emergency situations in a peaceful manner that keeps the crowd calm and guides everyone out as quickly as possible.

SEE GREETERS, PAGE 2

the point | monday, october 12, 2015

2 | NEWS

Tensions take off over FAA proposed changes

BY JONATHAN SOCH

STAFF WRITER

PLNU continues to protest proposed changes to the flight paths of planes leaving the San Diego International Airport. Point Loma residents and school officials have become increasingly unhappy with the FAA’s plan to reroute planes over the Point Loma area.

On October 2, Joe Watkins, the vice president of external relations at PLNU sent an email to faculty and staff announcing its intent to protest the changes.

The plan comes from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) SoCal Metroplex Study which proposes changes that would route east bound plans west over the ocean then back around over the Point Loma area.

One of the main concerns for Point Loma residents and PLNU is the extra noise the departing planes could cause.

“Our biggest concerns as an institution is noise and how that definitely disrupts an academic learning environment,” said Jill Monroe, director of public affairs.

The university has encouraged the FAA to retain the “LOWMA” satellite waypoint that requires planes to fly south to the end of Point Loma before turning to continue east.

The FAA also released an Environmental Assessment to identify

any possible environmental impacts caused by the proposed changes. The assessment claims, however, that there would be no significant noise impact.

“Our buildings are not equipped to deal with any sound, any level of sound from jets that are frequently flying across the university, or adjacent to the university,” said Watkins via phone.

The San Diego Airport Authority hosted a meeting at the Corkey Mcmillin Companies Event Center on Tuesday to allow for public questions and comments. One of the main concerns expressed by attendees of Tuesday’s meeting is that planes may have already begun flying the proposed flight paths over Point Loma.

Members of the FAA tried to explain that this was not the case.

“It’s important to understand the route structure is there, however air traffic controllers will vector aircraft off that route for a variety of reasons, safety, weather, sequencing to the east and all those reasons,” said FAA Western Pacific Regional Administrator, Glen Martin. “So the reason that you see traffic over Point Loma today is for those reasons…”

An outburst of protests from the audience drowned out the rest of Martin’s explanation.

“The comments where you believe we’ve flown these procedures: we can’t fly them and I’ll tell you very simply

for one reason. They’re not published.

They’re not anywhere any crew can fly them,” said Rob Henry, manager of the SoCal Metroplex project about the proposed flight paths.

He explained that the process of preparing the Environmental Assessment began in early 2014 before being completed in the spring of 2015. A decision will be made in January of 2016 and any changes will be implemented later that year in November.

The public comment submission period ended Saturday.

Both Watkins and Monroe attended the meeting on Tuesday but learned that any comments or questions made during would not be recorded or answered by the FAA. Watkins addressed the FAA officials with his concern that PLNU was not acknowledged in the environmental assessment report.

“This is a very complex matter and part of the challenge that we have is that the FAA’s environmental assessment report – as you may have heard in my comments in the meeting Tuesday night – did not take into account the presence of a university that has 3,000 people on campus every day,” Watkins told The Point.

Watkins said that the school’s concern is whether these environmental factors could affect student and employee health as well as increase the need for maintenance on campus.

He said that the school may have

to retrofit more than 1 million square feet of buildings for “sound mitigation,” a significant additional cost that he’s concerned would affect tuition.

According to Monroe noise and vibrations could affect sensitive equipment in the school’s science buildings.

Watkins added that the school has also been communicating with elected officials like Congressman Scott Peters; City Council Member, Lorie Zapf, and Mayor Kevin Faulconer who has also criticized the proposals.

Monroe and Watkins explain that the school would review all of its op-

tions if the proposed changes are instituted.

“We’d have to look at our next steps, which could very well include legal action,” Monroe said, “…it’s dependent upon the review that will go on after the comment period closed.”

“Ultimately you have to ask the question: ‘If the plan were to be – or not to be – modified, is there any kind of legal action one could take?’” Watkins said, “All I would say at this point is, we’re reviewing every option available to us.”

PHOTO BY JONATHAN SOCH Elizabeth Ray, vice-president of Mission Support, and Western Pacific Regional Administrator Glen Martin of the FAA look on as members of the public make comments at a meeting at Liberty Station, Tuesday.

Office of Global Studies refocuses study abroad

BY KRISTI JOHNSON

STAFF WRITER

In March of 2015, PLNU’s Office of Global Studies started making new changes by dropping over eighty percent of their study abroad programs.

Making sure not to impact those already in the study abroad process for both summer and fall of 2015, the first group of students affected by these changes are those wishing to study abroad spring of 2016.

Study abroad programs have been reduced in an effort to minimize redundant or unnecessary programs that do not meet Point Loma’s academic standards according to Sandy SoohooRefaei, the director of the Office of Global Studies.

Soohoo-Refaei has faced all sorts of questions and concerns from Point Loma students about these changes made in the Office of Global Studies.

“There are still a lot of questions

and I expected that,” Soohoo-Refaei said.

With approximately 50 countries available, the number of programs has been dropped from 1,100 programs to approximately 170. Changes will continue to be made as they continue to “work with academic departments and overseas institutions on strengthening [their] program offerings,” SoohooRefaei said.

Soohoo-Refaei said her goal is to “find good, strong quality programs for our students.”

The school began the cutting of redundant and unnecessary programs in March to maintain their academic standards and integrity; bringing the focus back to quality education instead of quantity, according to Soohoo-Refaei.

She feels that many programs that were being offered did not uphold PLNU’s mission statement for students to “go out and serve the commu-

nity.” Soohoo-Refaei emphasizes that, “when students go study abroad, it ought to be an integrated experience.

It should be something that [students] bring back and integrate into everything [they] do.”

Soohoo-Refaei felt that these changes needed to be made in order to uphold PLNU’s goal in preparing global citizens. “We are trying to guide students in finding reputable, quality programs that best match their academic interests and career goals,” said Soohoo-Refaei.

PLNU Junior and International Studies Major, Rachel Devine, wanted to study abroad this spring in Thailand, a country that is no longer offered.

Being one semester away from studying abroad, these changes have caused her to have to reevaluate her study abroad options. Devine said that if study abroad programs were taken away in certain regions of the world,

new programs that fit PLNU’s standards should replace them.

Caleb Coy, a PLNU senior and Psychology major, had similar feelings to those of Devine’s. Coy, who is studying abroad this coming spring semester as well, said, “at first I was confused and bummed to see certain programs being cut, but seeing why they were getting cut, it made sense.”

“It’s kind of a bummer,” Coy added, “that we have to cut off certain regions of the world just because specific programs that used to be in those places did not withstand the changes.”

Similarly, Devine added that with these changes, “there are important parts of the world that aren’t being reached by PLNU students who can make an impact.”

Soohoo-Refaei said she wants students to remember that she has their best interest at heart and that she truly believes that “God opens and closes doors for a reason.”

“The goal is for students to go into these quality programs setting their heart on contributing,” SoohooRefaei said.

“Not only what they can to give to the community in which they are studying in, but also, what they can give to our community when they come back. I see that they can make such a difference and energize the campus.” Soohoo-Refaei’s hope is that “[study abroad students] can encourage other students to have a similar or better experience and even take it back to the classroom.”

In response to the future plans for the Office of Global Studies, SoohooRefaei mentioned that they are “working on many projects right now to improve academic standards, cultivate faculty involvement and engagement, promote collaboration with many groups on campus, and increase student interest and participation.”

FROM GREETERS, PAGE 1

Currently, there are two interns at Liberty Station who take on both the scanner and greeter job for every chapel. There is also a public safety officer present with them.

The greeters do not currently work Wednesday night’s Time Out. Whetstone said the reasons for this are because Public Safety already has a high number of officers patrolling around Brown Chapel at night

PHOTO BY JAKE HENRY Sophmore Chapel Greeter and Psychology major Julia Farney and her co-worker Chapel Greeter and Christian Ministries major Kyle Krumsick greeted students as they entered Brown Chapel on Friday.

and because of Spiritual Development’s budget limitations.

He hopes to add greeters to Time Out in the future. Runion said that comparatively a “higher volume of students come in the mornings” making it a priority to have the greeters at that time.

In beginning the process to create the position, Whetstone consulted other chaplains in the The Council for

Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU).

He has been interested in implementing chapel greeters since beginning his job at PLNU about four years ago.

For Marlow the job can be fun as well as an opportunity to provide a service.

“I love working around people and bringing smiles to people’s faces. If I can do that, then I can make someone’s day special,” Marlow said. “This job is so much fun and just such a blessing to have.”

Whetstone hopes “it’s something we keep around for a long time.”

monday, october 12, 2015| the point

FEATURES | 3

features

THINK ON THAT

“Don’t let your failures talk you out of God’s Grace.”

-Bob Goff, Twitter

Creation Care week: getting back to our roots

BY JAYME O’HANLON

STAFF WRITER

Senior Annie Shaw is the new manager of the PLNU Community Garden. As manager, Shaw changed the system of the garden to be a coop; everything grown is shared among those who help plant and garden the fruits and vegetables. She has posted a sign hanging on the fence for chores to be accomplished by members who

come into the garden. There is not a set schedule for members. Rather, they can come and go as they please. “…It’s innate in me and maybe it’s innate in all of us to maybe want to create and grow something,” said Shaw. “Tending to the earth is such a gift because you’re giving back and then you get to receive something in return. It is this perfect cycle.”

PHOTOS BY JAYME O’HANLON (Above) Annie Shaw. (Top) Junior members Kara Adams and Claire Bouchard working on the garden. (Bottom) From left to right: sennior Annie Shaw, Claire Bouchard and Kara Adams at work in the community garden.

A look ahead at PLNU’s annual Wiley Lectures

BY SHAKIA COLLINS

STAFF WRITER

The Wiley Lectures have taken place on this campus for over 60 years, this week they return in Crill Performance Hall. Author and an Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke University Divinity School, Dr. Ellen F. Davis, will lead this year’s academic series.

Davis will discuss the Old Testament stories of Ruth and Jonah and how they are relevant to Christian faith in today’s society.

The Wiley Lectures started in 1951 by Henry Orton Wiley who was a professor of theology and former president of PLNU. They have gone on every year since then in his honor and have focused on theology, church history, philosophy and biblical studies.

Director of the Wiley Lecture series, Dr. Brad E. Kelle said the Wiley lectures are an important tradition on the PLNU campus because it is the only university sponsored academic series that ties the Bible to other urgent issues.

“One of the things that Dr. Davis does is she looks at the reading of the Bible and its impact on sustainable agriculture and agrarian practices,” Kelle said. “She is also very interested in how scripture influences art.”

Each year the faculty from the School of Theology and Christian Ministry chooses a speaker to lead the Wiley Lectures. Kelle said they look for people who are experts in their

field as well as people who can speak meaningfully into our context here at PLNU.

Davis is an expert on the Old Testament and it’s relation to public issues, specifically dealing with ecology. Davis wrote “Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible,” which discusses theology and ethical land use. In the fourday lecture series, she will discuss the stories of Ruth and Jonah while back-

ground of ecology and art.

The Point was unable to speak with Davis about the upcoming lectures.

The Wiley Lectures have become a consistent tradition at PLNU. Each year brings about 80-100 students and faculty to each academic lecture in the series. Kelle said the lectures are not just meant for those in the School of Theology and Christian Ministry.

“These lectures are showing the wide range of significance of studying these texts, so even if you are not Christian, the Bible and interpretation of the Bible has had a huge impact on culture,” Kelle said.

The Wiley Lectures will be held Monday 1:30-2:20, Tuesday 9:3010:20 and 1:30-2:20, and Wednesday 1:30-2:20.

The lectures will also be available via live stream on the Point Radio sta-

tion said Erica Armenta, the Point Radio manager. They will later be put up as podcasts on iTunes.

Kelle said he hopes people come to check out the lectures and they will see that biblical studies are more than meets the eye.

“We are interested also in what is the Bible’s impact on our world generally speaking and how does it bear on public issues,” Kelle said.

STUDY ABROAD PHOTO OF THE WEEK “The London semester is going by so fast. It’s one of the most stressful and growing experiences, but I am having so much fun too and living out dreams I’ve had for a long time. Even though I can’ t wait to see people at Loma again it’s going to be sad to leave the city I’ve made so many wonderful memories in.”

Lizzy Kim is a sophmore studying abroad in London.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZZY KIM

4 | FEATURES

A continued process to make connecting easier

BY JACOB TETER

STAFF WRITER

In the technological world new problems are constantly arising and institutions like PLNU are trying to keep up. For some students, the WiFi internet on campus has been a constant problem.

Curtis Crockett, PLNU’s System Administrator, explained some of the new changes in the Wi-Fi system on campus.

“This summer, ITS replaced a majority of the access points in residence halls with high density, multiantenna access points to provide better throughput, coverage and stability,” Crockett said.

Along with these changes, ITS added a new network called “PLNUGuestWIFI”.

Some students are finding the new changes have made studying more difficult. One of the problems students are faced with is the new verification system that accompanies the PLNU-GuestWIFI network.

“The Wi-Fi has become worse over the past two years,” said Carly Boyd, a senior biology student.

“Sometimes [the PLNU-GuestWIFI] is really great then it will keep kicking me off every five seconds and I have to re-login and it’ll kick me off again,” she said.

Some of the new changes have caused confusion and frustration for

students like Boyd. “It hasn’t ever been one hundred percent great but when they changed it to the new PLNU Wi-Fi and PLNU-GuestWiFi I found it to be a lot worse.” Boyd explained.

However, Crockett claims, “We have seen a significant decrease in related calls and complaints…. Im-

provements were made in direct response to feedback that was received last year. These devices are designed specifically for the needs and demands of students.”

Carl Lemmon, a senior studying chemistry, considers consistent campus Wi-Fi a necessity, “because in this day and age you’re expected to always

have an internet connection and be able to submit papers online or email your professors.” Said Lemmon.

Crockett explained that he, along with other employees at ITS, realizes the importance of Wi-Fi. “ITS understands that there is still some frustration; we are listening and action is being taken to address these

PHOTO BY JACOB TETER Junior Bio-chemistry major Sam Chafin attempts to use the the quest Wi-Fi.

s b i r C e Th

concerns.” Crockett went on to say, “We are not done making improvements in both residence halls and academic areas for the campus. We will continually be adding coverage and making adjustments every year.”

According to Crockett, many of the buildings on PLNU’s campus are made of masonry block, “These blocks create barriers that inhibit wireless coverage…You can imagine this continues to be a challenge.”

Taylor Eldreth, a senior studying Engineering Physics owns over five devices that use Wi-Fi. “My experience with PLNU’s WiFi has been that it works sometimes but not always when you need it.”

Students like Eldreth feel they simply do not have time for Internet failure with crammed schedules and looming deadlines.

“What am I supposed to do without Internet?” asked Eldreth.

Boyd described her Wi-Fi experience as “a constant issue.” Likewise, Daniel Mutowa, a junior communications student, described the Wi-Fi as “frustrating when you have assignments to do.”

Crockett explains that the campus’s Wi-Fi problems are still being worked out, and in the meantime students will have to keep waiting, because as Boyd puts it, “It’s really an integral part of working at PLNU.”

s t n e d u t s s ’ U N L P of

BY KENDALL BOSHART

STAFF WRITER

This small house tucked away off Moana drive seems unassuming at first. The front is a cool blue with a cute hand painted sign next to the door that reads “1128 Home.”

But don’t let the exterior trick you. This house is home to six PLNU women who love where they live.

Residents: Michaela Maes Justina Del Duca Jordan Ligons Anna Mazzariello Avalon Pelligrini Molly Murphy

This wall clock lives to the right of the living room when you walk in from the front door.

It takes up most of the wall and provides a good anchoring point for the eye.

The front of the Moana house can be deceptive. Most of the square footage is stored in the house’s expansion backward where three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and laundry room all fit.

Facts: 3 bedrooms 2 baths Backyard – yes Laundry – yes Walking in the front door you are immediately greeted by a large and colorful geometric painting that’s hanging on the wall above a cream couch. There’s a small entryway to where the girls keep their keys and to the right is an enormous wall clock that has an industrial feel to it.

Continue through the space to the dining room area where there’s a small photo wall that shows photos of all six residents with friends and family.

The living room area connects to the kitchen and then to a hallway that leads to all three bedrooms and the two bathrooms. This room belongs to Michaela Maes and Justina Del Duca. The two have been living together since their freshman year when they first met in Nease.

There’s a little display board hanging from the wall and on it is a small pot of honey, a succulent and Maes’s “study goggles.” Jewelry is kept to the right of that next to a boardwalk painting.

The highlight of this house was the attention to detail.

All of the little things that were included in the décor, from the paint color samples that were framed and put on display to the small photos of the roommates put together on a single hanging work, brought a very homey feel to the house.

One of the coolest parts of this place was the way the girls took time to place photos of themselves and their friends and family all around. The pictures give you a sense of what each of the residents value.

The backyard provides a lot of room with a deck and a grassy area. There are also multiple fruiting trees that produce avocadoes and limes.

This shows two different angles of the living room where the two couches provide lots of sitting room for guests. As for the artwork, some of it is handmade by Maes while the rest of it is supplied by Maes’s mom.

This verse hangs by the front door and is visible when you walk out of the house.

PHOTOS BY JACOB TETER

monday, october 12, 2015 | the point

A&E | 5

a&e

PLAN YOUR WEEK

10/7-18: The Phantom of the Opera 10/12: San Diego Chargers VS. Pittsburgh Steelers 10/13-24: San Diego Italian Film Festival feStivale 10/14: Monty Python and the Holy Grail: The Quote Along

Alumnus author asks: can ghosts be holy?

BY DAVID J. SCHMIDT

CONTRIBUTOR

I’ve collected dozens of ghost stories from PLNU for my recent book, including tales of Madame Tingley’s ghost, strange apparitions, footsteps in empty buildings and disembodied music and voices. For many of us who grew up in the Evangelical world, though, ghost stories can be scary for an entirely different reason—we were taught that they could be spiritually dangerous.

“Don’t mess with the Occult,” we were warned. “You might open a door to something demonic.”

But what if ghost stories don’t belong to the field of the Occult after all?

What if they aren’t demonic? What if they can actually lead us to a greater appreciation of our faith and of the wondrous mysteries of creation?

I believe that there are three reasons to appreciate these strange and mysterious stories. Not only are they entertaining and perfect for the shorter days and chilly nights of Fall, but I believe they can also teach great wisdom.

REASON #1: Ghost stories teach humility in the face of mystery “For now we see as through a glass, darkly…” (1 Cor. 13:12) I am convinced that hauntings exist. I also don’t believe this phenomenon is spiritual or demonic; it’s simply something that our science doesn’t yet understand.

Based on the hundreds of stories of ghosts and haunted places I’ve collected over the years, I believe that a “haunting” is just another part of our natural world. Certain places record imprints of the past through a process that we can’t explain.

And that’s the beauty of it—we can’t explain it.

There’s a dangerous hubris in the modern world, a belief that our science has basically figured everything out already. Even Christian apologists

and life could all be pinned down and studied, they said.

Inexplicable phenomena teach us that this isn’t the case.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID SCHMIDT

I grew up hearing, like Josh McDowell, would explain their faith according to scientific principles. Faith and God

When we encounter something strange that we can’t explain, we can claim it doesn’t exist, we can be fright-

ened by it, or we can let it teach humility. We can let it remind us how small we are, how limited our perspective is, and how awe-inspiring God’s great creation is. Strange phenomena, while creepy, don’t need to frighten us. Be still and know that God is God. REASON #2: They have lessons to teach us “Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!’” (2 Sam. 12:7) Many of the ghost stories I’ve collected from PLNU definitely happened—I heard them from the eyewitnesses themselves—but others are legends, stories that were told and retold and may have never occurred.

These stories—the modern-day legends—often have powerful lessons for us.

Ask your literature professors at Loma: a story is never “just” a story.

Even if a story is not literally true, it often contains a much deeper truth.

The stories that we tell each other as a community matter. They reveal our fears, concerns, wishes and insecurities in a profound way. Just like our dreams give us a glimpse into the hidden corners of our mind, our community’s stories and legends reveal our collective feelings.

In doing so, the stories bring us greater understanding of ourselves and our community. They contribute to our spiritual growth, both individually and collectively. As such, stories— even ghost stories—can be holy.

REASON #3: They remind us what “holy” really means “So I commend the enjoyment of life…” (Eccl. 8:15) Some of us grew up with a twisted definition of “holy.” We were taught that it was about being perfect, spotless, and not making mistakes.

We were taught that it was about

being separate from the dangerous pleasures of the secular world, such as not watching movies and not listening to secular music. I remember a friend in high school who smashed all his CDs with a sledgehammer in an effort to be more holy.

When we hear stories of ghosts, however, they remind us that there is only one way to fit that definition— being a ghost. Ghosts are the only ones that meet the Pharisees’ requirements for holiness.

Ghost stories remind us to live, to be human, that it is good to be alive.

And they point us toward Jesus’ definition of the word “holy.” It isn’t about being detached from the world or free of imperfections; it’s about being compassionately engaged in the world.

To be disconnected from our earthly reality is to be a ghost.

So this Halloween season, enjoy the ghost stories and the scary movies. Enjoy the majestic wonder of all the mysteries that surround us in this vast universe. Trust God with the unknown.

Still, if you see a light in the top window of Cabrillo after everyone has left the building, maybe don’t go inside by yourself. You know...just in case.

David J. Schmidt is a graduate of PLNU (Class of 2003) and a multilingual translator and author living in San Diego. He is the author of Holy Ghosts: True Tales of a Haunted Christian College, available on Amazon.com and in local bookstores (including here on campus). For more information, see his website, www. holyghoststories.com

Matthew Mahoney talks Keller Gallery show

PHOTOS BY JAYME O’HANLON Matthew Mahoney art show ‘Sundance’ is currently on display in the Keller Art Gallery.

BY JAYME O’HANLON

STAFF WRITER

Growing up as a kid making origami never went to waste for Matthew Mahoney, a PLNU alumnus from the class of 2010. He has utilized the knowledge he gained at PLNU through an undergraduate degree in art education, as well as the knowledge received at the Rhode Island School of Design- a top art school in the nation- to craft the pieces showcased in

PLNU’s Keller Art Gallery. Sundance tells a tall tale centering on the misinterpreted fascination of the heroic, American cowboy that has since influenced the culture we live in today.

The Point: Can you explain the process of going into graduate school?

Mahoney: I think senior year I was invested enough to want to go to grad school, but our grad school isn’t that practical of a thing to do and basically I knew I wanted to go to grad school. I knew nothing about grad school- so I

went two years in between undergrad and grad school. And I just worked on my portfolio and worked on maintaining my art practice and then figured out which schools I was interested in going to…there was a top four [list], and RISD was number one, so it worked out.

The Point: How long did it take for you to create Sundance?

Mahoney: To set up, I had like a week or so. But the work was made- I mean, I really think of it as being made over the last year in San Diego. But in reality, most of that year was spent in the experimentation phase of making that work. So it was made over about [a] six-week period. So that’s mostly working like 18 hour days.

The Point: What inspired you to create Sundance?

Mahoney: I think that Sundance comes out of this making process that I’ve been working on for the last three or four years, which starts really figuratively. It is built to have many different materials that all sort of encapsulate ideas of Southern California culture and throw away culture- industrial culture. So Sundance is this massive- headless figures and they’re all being ridden by babies that are

doing mischievous things. And in the back, there is this sort of pieta-esque grouping of men that are sort of passing off, generationally, the practice of goat sacrifice. And so, in some ways… maybe as a culture we are wandering headless and teaching unnecessary, grotesque things for the benefit of our culture.

The Point: So what is the theme of the exhibit?

Mahoney: A dystopia reflecting our current world; in a way, it is a reflection of the way that we live. The color and the vibrance of the work, for me, is a facade that stands sort of greeting the viewer and enticing them into looking at it. It is bright and happy and I think that it sets you up to think that the work is going to be that. But within it, there is a darker element underneath that makes a powerful turn.

The Point: Who is “Judge?”

Mahoney: The Judge is Judge Holden. And Judge Holden is a character from Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian. He is this giant, imposing figure; he is eight feet tall or so, and he is just, basically, Hell on wheels; he is the smartest, basically, person on the Western front and teems up with this gang of scalp hunters, basi-

cally just to fulfill his own desire for atrocity. And so he travels with them – killing some of them – killing tons of Indians- scalping everybody – committing rapes- committing just blatant murders; he is the most evil thing; he just stands for like ultimate evil. And in this piece, he is sort of the furthest back figure in that arrangement.

The Point: Is Sundance travelling?

Mahoney: It travelled once from SDAI [San Diego Art Institute] and it will travel to Denver, but in a much different iteration. And so in the Denver show, it will be more collaborative displayed with my friend, Diego Rodriquez-Warner.

The Point: Has your work appeared in many museums?

Mahoney: No. Well, I just did a one-night event with the MCASD [Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego], and I was their artist ambassador for the evening called MonteCarlo, which is their annual fundraising gala. Each year, they’ve started to feature one artist and so this year I was their artist. And I’ve shown at the RISD Museum – Rhode Island School of Design.

the point | monday, october 12, 2015

6 | SPORTS

sports

SEA LION SCORES

10/5: W. Golf at Dixie State Invitational, 1st place W. Volleyball vs. Hawaii Pacific, Win 3-0 10/6: W. Soccer vs. Hawaii Pacific, Win 2-1 M. Soccer vs. Hawaii Pacific, Win 3-1 10/8: W. Volleyball vs. BYU-Hawaii, Loss 2-3 10/10: M. Soccer at Fresno Pacific, Win 2-1

UPCOMING EVENTS

10/12: W. Soccer vs. Chaminade M. Soccer vs. Chaminade 10/14: W. Volleyball vs Academy of Art 10/15: W. Volleyball vs Dominican (CA) 10/19: W. Golf at Sonoma State Fall

Men’s soccer flourishes, rides four-game winning streak into latter half of season

BY SHAKIA COLLINS

STAFF WRITER

After coming off a rough 2014 season with a 6-10-2 record, the men’s soccer team have attacked this season with a current conference record of 4-1, with wins over Azusa Pacific University and Cal Baptist University.

Last season, the Sea Lions lost their first seven of eight games, including blow out losses to Azusa Pacific and Fresno Pacific University— losing 1-4 in both of those contests.

Conversely, the team has achieved a 5-3-1 record through its first nine games this season.

Head coach Phil Wolf said the improvement has to do with the number of experienced players on the team.

“We just have more quality across the field, because of that we are able to play a little bit better, and able to play better, longer,” said Wolf. “The games that we don’t take chances are the games we drop, if you don’t take the shots you don’t get the results. Now we are getting results opposed to last

year where we didn’t get many.”

Currently, PLNU is outscoring opponents 13-6 and averaging 1.63 goals per game. The Sea Lions sit behind Fresno Pacific, Dixie State and Academy of Art University in the PacWest standings.

“I think there is probably only one team that is better than us, our record doesn’t necessarily show that, but I really believe that,” said Wolf. “Let’s go as far as we can go, if that means conference championship, great. If that means NCAA tournament, lets do that as well.”

Junior and captain Nico Tagaloa said he would also like to see the team be conference champions and for himself to personally be the top scorer on the team. Tagaloa said off the field the team is much closer this season, each game has become a full team effort, and this team dynamic makes a huge difference in how each game is played.

“I think the strengths of our team would be our togetherness and that we are being smart on the field, we know

how to manage games,” said Tagaloa.

This team chemistry is something that Wolf said will carry the men through the season.

Wolf said the coaching staff has a goal to add at least four quality players each season, which he has done this year. For the past few years, Wolf has been introducing international players to the team in addition to incoming freshman.

“For us adding that little bit of experience that they [international players] provide is just huge,” said Wolf.

“They provide a maturity and level of experience that maybe the American kids don’t have, then the American kids catch up. Then you have something really special.”

Junior and captain Andrew Ritchie from Scotland and senior midfielder Manu Montal from Spain have become huge assets to the team this season. Both players have several assists and/or goals that have helped the team overcome major competitors.

Montal averages 1.50 goals per game

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNUSPORTS.COM Junior Ricardo Martinez [middle] leads the Sea Lions in a celebration after defeating Hawaii Pacific University last week for their third win in their last four matches.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNUSPORTS.COM Senior Kelli LeClair goes up for a kill against Hawaii Pacific--the defending PacWest champions from last season.

and currently leads the team in goals.

Ritchie had his first goal of the season against CBU and averages .33 points per game.

Wolf said, “Andy Ritchie led us to that game [Hawaii Pacific] he kept driving the team; there is a reason why he wears that captain’s band, because you have to do that in games like that.”

The PLNU men’s soccer team looks to continue their winning streak

as they travel to Northern California in the next few weeks. Freshman forward Indiana Fuller said the working rate of the team is high even at away games and if they can continue putting pressure on other teams everything else will fall into place.

“We have only lost one game in conference so far; we have to keep it up, and continue our winning streak,” said Fuller.

monday, october 12, 2015| the point

SPORTS | 7

Women’s volleyball team struggles to find rhythm halfway through the season

BY LOUIS SCHULER

STAFF WRITER

After kicking off the season with a 4-0 start in non-conference play, the PLNU women’s volleyball team has run into a snag after eclipsing the halfway point of the season.

Their troubles began at the GNAC/ PacWest Crossover Challenge in Ellensburg, Washington, where the Sea Lions went 1-3—losing to Western Washington, Central Washington and Alaska Anchorage University.

But the challenges don’t end there.

The Sea Lions have gone 3-5 since that tournament, including lopsided losses to California Baptist, Concordia, Fresno Pacific and Hawaii Hilo University for a combined record of 8-8 on the season.

“This year’s by far the strongest season that we’ve seen in this conference [PacWest] and in the region,” said head coach Jonathan Scott. “Basically on any given night, just about anybody can beat anybody. That just shows the competitive and fun level that we’re at.”

One explanation is the accumulation of errors the team has amassed in their losses. In the Sea Lion’s most recent match, they made 12 more attack errors than Hawaii Hilo (HHU).

They also totaled four more service errors than HHU in that match.

While the Sea Lions are averaging more kills than their opponents this season, the errors –both on the attacking and service side- along with the amount of digs have been the primary issues.

Another area of concern is their away record. The Sea Lions are currently 7-2 at home while conversely totaling a 1-6 record on the road. Senior Kelli LeClair said this has been

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNUSPORTS.COM [Right to left] Bethany Mandon, Cayleen Harty, Kelli LeClair, Itali Andrade and Savannah Wedemeyer look on as a kill sails past during the Hawaii Hilo match. The Sea lions lost in four sets.

a notable problem for the team this season.

“I think we’ve underperformed a little bit so far, especially on the road,” said LeClair. “We haven’t quite been able to get in our jam on the road yet, [but] I think the Hawaii Pacific game was a great turning point for us. I think we finally just realized that we’re here and we’re one of the better teams

in this conference, we just have to go out and play hard and play together.”

LeClair, who was injured during the majority of last season, is one of the most experienced members on the team. She’s part of a roster that is composed of nine upperclassmen—with the 7 other lowerclassmen.

Junior Christin Fisher said that the seasoned cast of players provides

a great foundation for close games, which have been a common theme this season.

“There’s a lot of experience on our team,” said Fisher. “They’ve done this so long that we know they’re the go-to players in those [pressure] moments.

Especially with Savannah [Wedemeyer], Kelli [LeClair], Heather [Leavitt] and Cayleen [Harty]—they’ve been

playing all four years together and building that chemistry. And other players as well have been doing that this season, which really helps us improve.”

The Sea Lions will attempt to snap their two-game losing streak this Wednesday as they take on Academy of Art (2-5) University at home.

I am mostly myself when I am paddling out in a bikini on my 6’7 fish, with warm, turquoise water surrounding me, occasionally splashing myself as I gently paddle over little waves until I reach the lineup.

As a young woman, I feel most beautiful in the ocean- my habitat- in a holy place. The natural element of salt and water is an environment where I feel the most confident.

Not that I am an excellent surfer, but the joy I receive when I drop in and go right- or the joy I receive simply when lying flat on my board in between sets, looking up at the pelicans that fly above my head that for all of the surfers out in the water- overcomes any self-doubt or worry about what others are thinking about me.

Of course, I fall and wipeout. But sometimes those are the most fun experiences. I constantly remind myself that the key is to relax and surrender my fear to God While I am out in the ocean, minding my business and not caring what the experienced surfers are thinking about me, I find myself catching more and bigger waves than from the last session. This pure joy of playing in God’s perfect creation gives me ultimate confidence in my femininity; riding down the line is a time when I feel most graceful and beautiful.

MONDAY 12TH

TUESDAY 13TH

WEDNESDAY 14TH THURSDAY 15TH

FRIDAY 16TH

Surf height: 3-4 ft.

Wind speed high: 10 mph at 12pm Wind speed low: 2 mph at 6pm High tide: 1.7m at 9:08 am Low tide: 0.17m at 3:28 pm High tide: 1.53m at 9:24 pm Sunrise: 6:49 am

Surf height: 2-3 ft.

Wind speed high: 10 mph at 12 pm Wind speed low: 1 mph at 6 am High tide: 1.73m at 9:30 am Low tide: 0.84m at 3:58 pm High tide: 1.48m at 9:56 pm Sunrise: 6:49 am

Surf height: 2-3 ft.

Wind speed high: 12 mph at 12 pm Wind speed low: 4 mph at 6 am Low tide: 0.31m at 3:48am High tide: 1.75m at 9:53 am Low tide: 0.09m at 4:28 pm Sunrise: 6:50am

Surf height: 2-3 ft.

Wind speed high: 14 mph at 12 pm Wind speed low : 6 mph at 6 pm Low tide: 0.39m at 4:11 am High tide: 1.75m at 10:16 am Low tide: 0.09m at 5:00 pm Sunrise: 6:51 am

Surf Height: 1-3 ft.

Wind speed high: 11 mph at 12pm Wind speed low: 4 mph at 6 am Low tide: 0.48m at 4:34 am High tide: 1.73m at 10:41am Low tide: 0.11m at 5:35 pm Sunrise: 6:52 am

Sunset: 6:21 pm

Sunset: 6:20 pm

Sunset: 6:19 pm

Sunset: 6:18 pm

Sunset: 6:17 pm

This information was collected from Magicseaweed

Surf report : Jayme O’Hanlon

Surf’s up you radical Sea Lions! Looks like it will be a consistent 2-4 ft. Waves are pumping. Get stoked. Get pitted. Smack the lip.

the point | monday, october 12, 2015

8 | OPINION

opinion

Jonathan Soch // Editor-In-Chief Jake Henry // News Editor Samantha Watkins // Features Editor Louis Schuler // Sports Editor Autumn Schultz // A&E Editor

Cori Deason // Opinion Editor Abbey Stewart // Copy Editor Valerie Kahn// Layout Editor Jordan Ligons// Web Editor

A professor’s thoughts on ‘beat APU’

BY KATIE MANNING

CONTRIBUTOR

On Thursday of “Beat APU Week,” a student writer for “The Point” asked me what I thought of the week and the car smash. She sought me out because I taught at APU for the past three years. During our one-minute conversation in a hallway, I didn’t have much to say about it. I’d seen the signs around, but I hadn’t given them much thought, and I hadn’t seen the car smash yet. I said something like “friendly competition is fine.”

After that, I walked across campus and saw the car. That evening, I attended the women’s soccer game with my husband and sons. By half-time, I had a strong opinion about “Beat APU Week.”

Now, before I give my opinion, let me have a Pauline epistle moment and tell you what an insider I am at PLNU: life-long Nazarene, came to campus annually as a teen for Bible quizzing regional competitions (had

my first kiss on the track, but that’s a story for another day).

I came to PLNU for college. I made some of my best friends here and my husband and I lived in Flex housing during my senior year, our first year of marriage.

Thanks to some incredible faculty mentors, I decided that my dream job was to come back as a PLNU professor and after many years of grad school and three years of teaching at APU, here I am. You’ll find others who love PLNU as deeply as I do, but you would be hard pressed to find someone who loves this school more.

That said, I think “Beat APU Week” was awful.

First of all, this feels like an oddly one-sided rivalry. APU students generally save their competitive ire for Biola, with Cal Baptist coming in a close second. They don’t have a “Beat PLNU Week.” In fact, I know APU student athletes who, after being eliminated from a finals competition, made signs and cheered for PLNU for the

remainder of the competition.

I never heard anyone at APU say a negative word about PLNU. When I told students that I was leaving APU and returning to PLNU, many said variations of “That campus is amazing!” or “My [insert relative] went there!” My faculty colleagues said things like “Oh, I don’t blame you for wanting to go there!” or even “Take me with you!”

Second of all, and more importantly, why would we focus on being against a sister school instead of being for our athletes? Shouldn’t school spirit and athletic competition look different at a Christian university than at a public school?

At the women’s soccer game, my husband and I chatted with some former APU students and their parents who came to cheer on their team. I grew increasingly uncomfortable as I saw more and more PLNU students walking around in “Beat APU” shirts, and I cringed when one of the APU visitors expressed surprise at the shirts

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 corideason404@pointloma.edu.

and the car smash.

I don’t want APU’s athletes, coaches, and supporters to be most struck by the level of PLNU’s “Beat APU” fervor; I want them, and any other school’s visiting teams, to be most struck by our exceptional hospitality and sportsmanship.

What would it look like if we made shirts supporting our individual athletes or our specific teams instead of generically opposing another school?

What would it look like to extend hospitality to visiting teams? How could we demonstrate that we want all of the athletes to play to the best of their abilities?

I love to see PLNU win games, of course, but more than that, I would love to see PLNU’s school spirit live up to the beauty of our campus and our Christ.

Katie Manning is an Assistant Professor of Writing at PLNU.

Behind the lens Bree Hulan is a freshman studying Business Administration. She enjoys photography as a personal hobby.

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I just go to this school because it’s cheaper than buying a house on the beach When I chose plnu I didn’t realize I was going to a school of rich white hippie wannabes McKensey isn’t the new Orin..she’s an RD. That was rude.

Guys dress the same? #yogapants #rekt The most exercise I do are laps around the caf to find something decent to eat *Roommate takes a nap* “Yes now I can study in silence!” *roommate starts snoring* “Ugh.” Days like today make me want to quit school. Then I have to remind myself that I gotta stay in school to provide for my future dog But seriously I’m so excited to go home for the holidays and enjoy family, friends, food, no stress, christmas presents, and my home church “When the professor asks if he should turn the lights of the guy sitting in front of me whispered “lecture and chill anyone?”

How to know your life is in shambles: showering makes it in to your to do list At this point in my life I’m surprised my eyes haven’t rolled out of my head Build a neighborhood lemonade stand, get honorary architecture and business degrees from state It should be criminal how attractive some girls are here Procrastinating is like when you go from 1st to 11th place in Mario kart because of your own damn banana I don’t know any of the songs we’ve sung in worship this semester and it makes worship less fun. :( Do the songs from last semester!

People here be thirsty, thirsty for Jesus that is Heelys don’t have have breaks because swag never stops I saw a girl put mustard on her quesadilla. This is what America stands for.