PLANT GIVEAWAY
FEATURES 7 BARRY HOSTS RADIO SHOW
A&E 8 CROSS COUNTRY COMPETES
SPORTS 11
LUTHER COLLEGE
CHIPS
“Let the chips fall where they may.”
OCTOBER 6, 2016
Serving the Luther College community since 1884.
VOLUME 139, NO. 4
Shadow block to be replaced
The New York Times returns
Gunnar Swanson (‘17) and Iloria Phoenix (‘18) work on a lab together. The schedule changes will allow students more flexibility with labs and studios. Julia Curtis (‘17) / Chips
Kaitlyn Hendrickson (‘18) and Betsy Fawcett (‘17) at “The New York Times” registration session. Shasa Sartin (‘19) / Chips
JULIA CURTIS STAFF WRITER Luther will implement a new schedule, eliminating shadow block on Tuesday and Thursday beginning in the 2017-2018 academic year. The Academic Planning Committee (APC) made this decision in the spring of 2015, choosing from several proposals to improve and streamline scheduling classes at Luther. Instead of shadow block, an additional class period will begin at 9:45 a.m. and will last the same hour and a half, with a 15-minute passing period. As such, the final Tuesday/ Thursday class will end at 4:30 p.m. This will not effect Monday, Wednesday or Friday classes.
Former Academic Planning Committee chair and Professor of Chemistry Bradley Chamberlain explained that another recommendation was for professors to offer more classes at 8:00 a.m. and to introduce a new class period on Thursday evenings. Removing shadow block is one of the last changes that Luther will implement. In 2004, the APC decided to add shadow block to the schedule. Chamberlain said that due to perceived tensions between extracurricular activities and courses at Luther, the committee recently needed to amend the schedule, so they researched the schedules of other liberal arts schools for examples.
These examples provided a scaffolding for Luther’s changes. Staff, faculty and student groups will adjust to the new schedule by changing meeting times from Tuesday and Thursday mornings to afternoon times. The usual time for colloquies and convocation will move from Thursday mornings to Friday afternoons. Chamberlain said that with this change, students involved in science courses or art studios can use time in the morning for three-hour labs and studio classes. These students do not have to choose between their academic careers and their athletic or musical extracurricular activities. SHADOW BLOCK, PAGE 4
SHASA SARTIN STAFF WRITER Student Senate, in collaboration with Preus Library, purchased online subscriptions to “The New York Times” for all students, faculty and staff this summer and introduced ther service to students this fall. The committee revived the newspaper in this new form after receiving student criticism for terminating distribution of print copies since fall semester 2015. Student Senate President Betsy Fawcett (‘17) said that Student Senate took on responsibility for the
newspaper fee when the college made cuts to the co-curricular activities fee (CAF) budget, and Student Senate chose to use the money elsewhere. Fawcett explained that the decision to halt print distribution was cost-driven, as the college was paying $7,000 per year for 25 copies of “The New York Times” and 25 copies of “USA Today.” The new online subscriptions cost 25 percent of the print newspaper fee. According to Fawcett, Student Senate has redirected the savings to a grant program for students looking to fund short-term projects. NYT, PAGE 4
Grindal delivers lecture on Norwegian women LILY KIME STAFF WRITER
Professor Emeritus of Rhetoric at Luther Seminary Gracia Grindal delivered a lecture entitled “Ironies and Surprises: The Norwegian Synod Educates its Daughters to be Pastors’ Wives” in the Center or Faith and Life’s Recital Hall on Saturday, Oct. 1. Grindal centered her lecture around day-today life for Norwegian women in pioneer times, comparing the education of young women to that of young men. Grindal also provided details of the lives of Linka Preus and Elisabeth Koren. Displaying several of Preus’s sketches, Grindal attested to the two women’s intelligence and strength throughout their lives. Grindal said she found herself drawn to these stories of the pioneer Norwegian women
in conducting her research. “I’ve always been interested in women’s history, and I’ve always wanted to do primary research,” Grindal said. “So here was this goldmine, and I just immersed myself in it. These women drew me in.” President of Luther’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and Professor of English Kate Narveson worked with Professor Emeritus Wilfred Bunge (‘53) to organize the lecture. According to Narveson, Bunge cited Grindal’s professorship from 196884 and her recent book “Unstoppable: The Norwegian Pioneers Educate their Daughters” as reasons for bringing her to campus. Narveson said that because of the topic of Grindal’s book and area of study she was excited for the appeal of Grindal’s lecture in different departments. NORWEGIAN LECTURE, PAGE 4
Wilfred Bunge (‘53) and portrait of Elisabeth Koren.
Gracia
Grindal pose with a Lily Kime (‘19) / Chips
NEWS
PAGE 2 OCTOBER 6, 2016
NEWS EDITORS: DANNY MAY & JACOB WAREHIME
Faculty prepares for symposium LUKE BERKLEY STAFF WRITER Twenty-five members of the Luther faculty will present their research in the annual Faculty Research Symposium on Oct. 8. The day begins at 10:00 a.m. with panels held in both Valders Hall of Science room 206 and Franklin W. Olin Building room 102. Assistant Professor of
English and member of the the symposium’s steering committee Andy Hageman said the symposium allows students to think about what they can do with their degree after they graduate as well as see what their professors do outside of the classroom. “You can come to this event and see what cool things our faculty members are doing,” Hageman said. “You can get
Attendees grab food and refreshments following the 2015 Faculty Research Symposium. Megan Oliver (‘19) / Photo Bureau
ideas of who you want to collaborate with on a senior project so that it isn’t just something to cross off your list, but also is something that you can dig into and use that knowledge after you graduate.” According to Associate Professor of Physics Todd Pedlar, who is also on the steering committee, the symposium is a valuable opportunity for students that also allows faculty to see what their peers have been working on. Pedlar also said that it is a good way for the faculty to form cross-disciplinary connections. “One of the things we try to emphasize with this event are the connections that are below the surface,” Pedlar said. “These are connections between faculty members, whether it be between scientists and nonscientist, and seeing the connection and relevance between the two groups involved.” Pedlar said that the topics being presented are relevant to modern issues. “Some people are talking about topics that are very recent,” Pedlar said. “One of the first panels includes a political science professor talking about women in politics in brazil and a
Retired Professor of Social Work Craig Mosher presents during the 2015 symposium. Megan Oliver (‘19) / Photo Bureau sociology professor analyzing “Sons of Anarchy”—very recent and relevant topics.” Other presentation topics include Mexican television programs, the use of poetry as a way of dealing with trauma and the moral dilemma of androids and robots. Pedlar emphasized that there is plenty to be learned from the symposium “I could sit in any one of these panels and learn something,”
Pedlar said. “We have built up this event as a way of showing that even though we are professors, we still love to geek out about certain topics. It would be a shame to miss this opportunity.” The symposium is open to the public and there is no charge for admission. For more information and a full schedule visit: www.luther. edu/academics/dean/faculty/ faculty-research-symposium/.
Potowski lectures on “heritage speakers” ANA LOPEZ STAFF WRITER Professor of Hispanic Linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago Dr. Kim Potowski delivered a lecture titled “Teaching Spanish to Heritage Speakers: Pedagogical and Administrative Considerations” on Sept. 29. The lecture, sponsored by the Spanish department, addressed the issue of teaching Spanish to students of Hispanic heritage who have already had some exposure to Spanish. Potowski referred to these types of students as “heritage speakers.” According to Potowski, teaching Spanish to a heritage speaker is different from teaching Spanish to students learning it as a second language. Potowski said this is because heritage learners and second language learners have abilities that are linguistically different. Because of this difference, teaching a classroom with both heritage speakers and second languagelearners can be difficult for the instructor. “Just because you are a Spanish teacher and you were trained to teach Spanish as a second language does not mean that you are well-prepared to teach it as a heritage language,” Potowski said. According to Potowski, a potential solution to this problem is to implement separate classroom systems where the needs of both types of students can be met. According to Associate Professor of Spanish Nancy Gates Madsen, the issues discussed in Potowski’s lecture are issues also being addressed on Luther’s campus. Gates Madsen said with the growing population of Hispanic students, the Spanish department felt the need to improve their program. Because of this, Luther is currently offering a pilot class, SPAN 239: Spanish for Heritage Learners. “As a Spanish section we have identified a need to address the needs of the growing population of hispanic students that we are seeing on campus,” Gates Madsen
Kim Potowski discusses stigmas faced by heritage speakers. said. “We were seeing them appear in our basic language courses and some of our intermediate ones and realized we can’t put apples with the oranges.” The Spanish department’s goal is to make a class for heritage learners and establish it as a regularly offered class. “We’re really hoping we can get a lot of Hispanicheritage learners to take this course,” Gates Madsen said. “We’re hoping it will become a regular course offering in the fall.” Potowski’s lecture was followed by a question and answer session. Among those in attendance were several
Ana Lopez (‘19) / Chips
faculty from the Spanish department as well as Spanish and education students. Israel Vazquez (‘18), who was born in Mexico and lived there for seven years, said he related to what Potowski had to say. “It’s interesting because not a lot of people are in my situation,” Vazquez said. “Most of them are born in the United States, but they don’t know the basics of how to read [Spanish]. They just talk and understand but they don’t know how to write [Spanish].” Vazquez said he found the lecture relevant as he plans to become a teacher and work with heritage students.
NEWS
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NEWS EDITORS: DANNY MAY & JACOB WAREHIME THURSDAY
Seven-Day Forecast
OCTOBER 6, 2016 FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY WEDNESDAY
O H H B H B H 72/47
59/40
60/42
62/49
Students raise money to purchase new AEDs
65/49
64/48
61/46
Life Outside Luther Haiti braces itself as Hurricane Matthew makes landfall Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 storm, made landfall on Haiti Tuesday night. Winds exceding 145 miles an hour were reported. Experts predict some locations to be hit with as much as 3 feet of rain. The storm is expected to continues through Wednesday, making its way toward eastern Cuba.
John Westby (‘17) and Mitchell Stenoien (‘17) have a conversation by the AED located in Legends. Ben Selcke (‘18) / Chips BEN SELCKE STAFF WRITER For the past four years, the Luther College Nursing Association (LCNA) has raised money to buy new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for campus. While there are no required minimum number of AEDs for college campuses, many feel the need still exists. According to the Campus Security logbook, there are 12 AEDs located in buildings on campus, none of which are in residence halls, with the exception of Towers. Associate Professor of Nursing and Faculty Advisor to the LC Nursing Association La Donna McGohan (‘95) explained the importance of having many easily accessible AEDs on campus. “Time is tissue,” McGohan said. “Essentially the longer someone is having cardiac issues the more detrimental it is to them, so the sooner we can address the situation the better the outcome for that person. We don’t want someone to have to run to another building to get an AED or wait for ambulance
Another AED located in the Regents Center. Ben Selcke (‘18)/ Chips
services to come.” President of LC Nursing Association Elise Heiser (‘17) expressed her concern about the number of AEDs on campus. She feels that these necessary steps towards safety have not yet been taken. “It seems like something that should be part of security or administration,” Heiser said. “It’s really concerning to me that there are so few.” Vice President of LC Nursing Association Erika Buchholz (‘17) echoed the importance of accessible AEDs, saying that in many cases performing CPR is not enough to save lives. “AEDs save lives,” Buchholz said. “CPR is not very effective, both in the hospital setting and non-hospital setting. [CPR] works less than five percent of the time in the hospital and less than two percent outside.” The LC Nursing Association has worked for several years to raise the funds themselves. Buchholz said that while some money comes from donations, the majority of money has been raised through a variety of fundraisers. “Usually within the nursing department they have a fundraiser called penny wars, where each grade and the faculty all try to out-donate each other with coins,” Buchholz said. “We’ve raised the majority of our money that way and by selling t-shirts every fall.” Buchholz also said that fundraising for the first AED is now in its final stage. Each AED costs roughly $2,000, which includes the requisite special case and hardware to mount it to the wall. “We’re about $300 away from reaching our goal,” Buchholz said. “But we have a potential campus donor that we’re hoping can help us finalize this project.” According to Heiser, the organization will have money for a new AED this year. She added that the organization has plans to outfit all buildings with AEDs. “We think our next step is talking to Student Senate and then administration about getting an AED in every building,” Heiser said. “I don’t think student organizations should have to pay for the safety of the other students.” Buchholz added that the new AED will be placed in the atrium between Valders and Sampson Hoffland Labroatories.
Maria Sharapova to return to tennis in 2017 The Russian tennis star, was allowed to reutrn to the sport following an appeal to the world’s top sports court for her twoyear suspension for a doping violation. The court ruled that Sharapova’s sentence was disporpotionately harsh. Sharapova claims to have been unaware that she took performance enhancing drugs. The court took nine months off of her punishment. Sharapova will be able to return to the sport on April 26, 2017. Kim Kardashian held at gunpoint during Paris Fashion Week Reality television star Kim Kardashian was held at gunpoint in her Paris hotel room last week. The gunmen allegedly disguised themselves as police to gain entry into Kardashian’s room. Over 8 million dollars of jewelry was reported stolen. Kardashian’s husband and hip-hop mogel Kanye West left his show at Meadows Festival in New York Sunday night after telling the audience there had been a “family emergency.” Congress overrides Obama’s veto on 9/11 victims bill Congress voted on Wednesday to veto President Obama’s veto of a bill which would allow the families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for its involvement in the attacks. Both Democrats and Republicans voted to repeal the president’s veto. In the Senate and House the vote tallies came to 97-to-1 and 348-to77, respectively. Vice-Presidential debate The first and only debate between VicePresident nominees Mike Pence (R) and Tim Kaine (D) was held Tuesday night. The debate, which was held at Longwood University in Farmville, VA, saw both candidates attacking each others’ running mates. “Six times tonight I have said to Gov. Pence ‘I can’t imagine how you can defend your running mate’s position,’” Kaine said to Pence. “He is asking everybody to vote for somebody that he cannot defend.” The next Presidential debate will be held on Sunday, Oct. 9. Compiled from: www.nytimes.com
NEWS
PAGE 4
OCTOBER 6, 2016
NEWS EDITORS: DANNY MAY & JACOB WAREHIME
Lecture on Norwegian women LECTURE, PAGE 1
Gracia Grindal delivers a lecture on Norwegian women in the Center for Faith and Life. Lily Kime (‘19) / Chips
“I love the topic because it engages lots and lots of different interests on campus,” Narveson said. “It’ll be interesting to Scandinavian studies, women and gender studies, history and education. Life isn’t divided into academic departments, and this is a good way of getting people talking to each other from different disciplines.” Visiting Instructor in Scandinavian Studies Kari Grønningsæter explained that Grindal derived many of her sources from the Preus Library
archives. Grønningsæter said that students in her advanced Norwegian classes helped Grindal translate sources in addition to studying the source material itself. Among Grindal’s sources are letters and diaries by women who moved from Norway to Decorah. Many of these women were involved in the very beginning of Luther College. Grønningsæter saw the lecture as an educational opportunity. “To look through the time just through a man’s eyes?” Grønningsæter said. “Interesting enough, but this is the daily life [of women].
[They] had to deal with the weather, the hard conditions, food, how to go from one place to another, how to raise the children, what it is like to have left your homeland and nobody in Norway knows what’s going on.” In light of her intensive study over the past several years, Grindal has commissioned a portrait of Elisabeth Koren. Grindal announced that the portrait would be dedicated to Luther College in Bunge’s name in her Last Will and Testament. “I’m so grateful to the college and all it’s done for me,” Grindal said.
Shadow block to be “New York Times” now available online replaced with class period NYT, PAGE 1
Shannon Taylor (‘17) paints in the studio. With the additional class period next fall, students will have more options for studio classes and labs. Julia Curtis (‘17) / Chips SHADOW BLOCK, PAGE 1 Student Senate Vice President Kyle Knoke (‘17) explained that in some cases, because of shadow block, students have to choose between a three-hour chemistry lab and choir rehearsal. “It forces students to decide between what they are passionate about and what they are interested in academically,” Knoke said. Associate Registrar Danielle Piper Johnson said that although returning students may need time to adjust to the
changes next fall, new students will have little to adapt to. “Students coming in fresh next year won’t know if there is anything to miss,” Piper Johnson said. “It’ll essentially be like what other colleges do.” Student Senate President Betsy Fawcett (‘17) encouraged students to voice their opinions about the upcoming change for the sake of preparation and in order to revise the new policy as it is implemented. “Now that we are working together with the Academic Planning Committee, the faculty, student senate [and]
with input from students, [we can] say ‘Okay, how are we going to move forward to implement these changes?’’’ Fawcett said. “I think [it] is important that students are a part of that process.” Chamberlain said that the updates will benefit the college as a whole, both academically and in extra-currculars. “If anything, this [change] strengthens the institution’s academics while still allowing ensembles and athletic teams and other co-curricular activities to thrive,” Chamberlain said.
With the new online subscription, readers have access to the International New York Times in addition to being able to access it in Chinese and Spanish. “It’s a better deal [than purchasing print copies],” Fawcett said. Acquisitions and Resource Management Librarian Freeda Brook commented on the multilingual features of online access. “I think there’s a lot of additional content that [people] might not be aware of in the online subscription,” Brook said. “I think [it] is really helpful for people who are studying other languages, people who are studying abroad, international students who are coming here and just getting a much broader news coverage.” Trever Schwichtenberg (‘17), a frequent reader of “The New York Times,” expressed his disapproval of last year’s temporary ban. “It makes sense to me that [the funding] is a large part of the budget from the CAF, because that’s not a huge money source,” Schwichtenberg said. “But when I’m thinking holistically, I find $7,000 to not be that much. The big part is that it’s a worthwhile investment. Any top-tier university would have print copies of the New York Times, and it worries me about the college now, not having that.” Schwichtenberg said that he
is happy to have “The New York Times” in some version, but that he prefers print because it is an opportunity for students to decrease their screen time. “With the print, I can get away from looking at my computer screen a lot more, which I do for homework already,” Schwichtenberg said. “And reading a paper is just a more relaxing environment than staring at a computer screen.” Brook expressed her high regard for “The New York Times” as a benchmark of journalism. “I just think it’s kind of the gold standard for national and international reporting of the news,” Brook said. “I think we wanna make sure that we have both local newspaper availability, that we’re getting the major papers in Iowa and in the area. But also having the big papers from around the country, so that we can provide a more global perspective.” Professor of English Nancy Barry shared her enthusiasm about faculty’s access to “The New York Times” online. “I am thrilled that Luther is supporting this resource for members of the campus community,” Barry said. “Digital access is terrific and I encourage students to seize the chance to become at least weekly readers of the paper.” Student Senate hosted information sessions in the library last week to walk consumers through the access process and to spread word of the new online subscriptions offered.
Correction In the story titled “Library celebrates Banned Book Week” in the Sept. 29 issue of Chips, the graphic containing a list of the top 10 banned books of 2015 did not have a caption. Credit for this graphic is due to Fran Stevenson (‘17).
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
PAGE 5
A&E EDITOR: ELIZABETH BONIN
OCTOBER 6, 2016
Alum presents “Stained Glass,” addresses division in the church Lutheran church must decide if they will support gay marriage within the congregation. BIZ WAGENSON STAFF WRITER Patrick Strain (‘91) returned to campus to showcase his play “Stained Glass” during homecoming. Strain based the storyline of the play around the 2009 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) statement giving permission to individual congregations to decide whether or not they will allow blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples. The play was performed on Saturday, Oct. 1 in Storre Theatre. Strain found that the intersection of faith and sexuality is not often explored theatrically or spiritually and used the play to start a conversation between the two topics. “The play began as a response to hearing about, reading about and witnessing ELCA congregations fracturing over the issue of homosexuality in the wake of the 2009 ELCA statement,” Strain said. “Subsequently, both conservative and liberal members of the ELCA and the public at large have gone on to demonize and ostracize people who believe differently than they do.” According to performer
Eva Gemlo (‘17), center was one of two Luther student performers in “Stained Glass.” The other actors and actresses were mostly made of Strains friends from Portage or LaCrosse, WI. Fran Stevenson (‘17) / Chips Eva Gemlo (‘17), the play focused on a congregation that is faced with making the decision of whether or not to allow a lesbian couple to undergo a blessing ceremony in their church. This decision parallels the controversy over
Parker Fretheim (‘19) and an actress rehearse.
renovating the church which would result in the removal of the tradition stained glass. “It’s all about tradition versus innovation, and the pros and cons of that,” Gemlo said. “Is it worth it to have this old stained glass if it
Fran Stevenson (‘17) / Chips
comes hand-in-hand with the old values that aren’t as accepting?” Gemlo explained how the stained glass is made of small shards of glass, but if one piece is out of place the entire sheet of glass falls apart. This parallels the church’s decision to create factions and divisions in the congregation. Attendee Gillian Constable (‘17) said that the play displayed a wide range of views on the topic of sexual orientation and prejudice. “Some of this prejudice can be more subtle than you think,” Constable said. I think that kind of subtle prejudice is something we need to focus on too.” Professor of Theater Jeffrey Dintaman, who was instrumental in bringing “Stained Glass” to Luther, believes that the piece encourages the Luther community to discuss the campus congregation’s interactions with other churches when making controversial decisions. “I think it brings an interesting conversation to the campus [about] the ELCA and the decisions that have been made and how we’re
dealing with them today, partly here with the campus congregation, but also how we reach out to congregations around us [about] how the church deals with homosexuality, how it deals with sin and how people deal with each other,” Dintaman said. Strain says that he hopes that this play will encourage people to think critically about their perceptions and the need to open a conversation about conflicting viewpoints. He noted that liberals are criticized for ignoring scripture and conservatives for being hateful. The issue of homosexuality in the church has caused fellow Christians to wage war against each other because of their different beliefs. “I hope that everyone, whether they would consider themselves a traditional or liberal Christian on the issue of homosexuality, would be challenged not only in what they believe and why or how this issue of homosexuality fits into the larger Christian theological narrative, but in how they view those who believe differently from themselves,” Strain said.
FEATURES
PAGE 6 OCTOBER 6, 2016
FEATURES EDITOR: FRAN STEVENSON
Norse Against Sexual Assault launches as organization to combat rape culture DMITRY VORONA STAFF WRITER Students and faculty publicly introduced Norse Against Sexual Assault (NASA), on December 11, 2015 in response to sexual assault on campus. NASA was established to increase prevention and awareness of sexual assault on campus and in the larger Decorah community. The group became an official student organization this September. NASA’s executive board looks optimistically into the future now that the group has obtained the official status of student organization. NASA general outreach coordinator Jenny Hickey (‘19) explains that the group is looking forward to starting work in the community. “We are really excited about becoming an official group on campus this year,” Hickey said. “We want to do more events and be more involved in the community as a whole, both in Decorah and on campus.” NASA’s treasurer Genevieve Kalland (‘17) highlighted some changes since NASA became an official student organization. “Now we are trying to delegate jobs,” Kalland said. “We want anybody who wants to be involved in NASA to be in NASA. We have an executive board and open meetings at least once a month where people can bring forward ideas of things we need to do, [and to begin planning] other events.” At the Activities Fair in September more than a hundred people signed up to be members of NASA. According to NASA executive board members Cecilia Mitchell (‘18) and Kia Feia (‘19) NASA evolved from a group of eight people to a student organization with
NASA executives meet to discuss new organization. more than a hundred members because of their new, clear mission. “Last year when we first started we did not really have any organization, we did not really know what our goal was,” Mitchell said. “So it took us a while to figure out what we wanted to do. By the time we really got things rolling, it was Christmas break and we had missed the deadline to get funding for the student organization.” According to Feia, spring 2016 was used to solidify NASA’s organizational aspects and to prepare the group for becoming an official student organization.
NASA holds first meeting as new organization.
“We were writing our constitution, coming up with what NASA is really about, what our mission statement is and what are we trying to do here,” Feia said. “We had to figure out these things before we could really become an official student organization.” Associate Director of Human Resources and Title IX coordinator Matthew Bills explained how an organization like NASA is relevant to Luther College’s campus environment. “Rape culture is a problem that plagues our [students],” Bills said. “We know that national statistics suggest roughly 1 in 5 college-aged women will be a
Dmitry Vorona (‘17) / Chips
victim of an actual or attempted sexual assault during her college career. That tells us that there are lot of students here who are dealing with this issue.” According to Bills, in order create an environment safe for all students the college administration should work in conjunction with the students. “We know that students are more likely to listen to other students than to administrators,” Bills said. “So NASA is really filling that role: what can students do themselves that can encourage a campus climate that is intolerant of sexual misconduct?” According to Feia, NASA is
Dmitry Vorona (‘17) / Chips hoping to invite speakers to campus, increase bystander intervention training and invite other groups on campus to participate in awareness events. NASA also has specific plans for Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. “Our big thing that is coming up is on October 11th,” Feia said. “There is a volleyball game and two soccer games, and the volleyball and soccer coaches agreed to sign the ‘It’s on Us pledge.’ What those pledges are saying is that it is on us to take control of what is going on with sexual assault in this area and to say that we as a community will not support it.”
FEATURES
PAGE 7
FEATURES EDITOR: FRAN STEVENSON
OCTOBER 6 2016
Students find their green thumbs with plant giveaway
Jackson Mulgrew (‘19) and Dagny LeMunyon (‘17) pick out plants at the plant giveaway. SPENCER HODGE STAFF WRITER Over 250 students formed a line at the Valders Hall of Science greenhouse to participate in the annual Plant Giveaway sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Communities on Sept. 27. The event was started by Grounds Maintnance Staff Member Perry Halse. After the addition of a research greenhouse in Sampson Hoffland Laboratories, the grounds staff inherited the
Valders Hall of Science greenhouse and Halse began growing infant plants sourced from campus grounds for students to have in their residence halls. “We use [the greenhouse] for production of plants for spring plantings, but I was also looking for a summertime use for it,” Halse said. “The plants all come from campus, cutting, divisions and some are grown from seed. We use leftover nursery pots from the spring.” Since 2010 the event has been met with euthusiasm
Andrew Murray (‘18) chooses a plant at the plant giveaway.
according to Assistant Director of the Center for Sustainable Communities Maren Beard (‘08). “You wouldn’t believe how many students I heard walking out of that greenhouse exclaiming, ‘this totally made my day!’” Beard said. “This event really excites people, and I hope it can continue on for many years.” According to Beard, the types of plants at the event came from the easily maintained plants on campus grounds such as coleus, aloe vera, spider plant, ghost
plant, mother-in-law’s tongue, cactus, vines, geraniums and more. Kristine Luebbe (‘18) appreciated the availability of low maintenance plants to choose from. “I wanted something durable that would last in my room so I could occasionally forget to water it,” Luebbe said. “And I wanted something that could be transplanted so that when I move away from here I could still take a piece of Luther with me.” Alexander Davis (‘19)
Spencer Hodge (‘17) / Chips
Spencer Hodge (‘17) / Chips commented that picking a plant can be an enjoyable experience. “You find your soulmate in the plants, and it’s quite a transcendent experience,” Davis said. “It’ll brighten up the dorm room for sure.” According to Project Manager for the Center for Sustainable Communities Meghan Barker (‘17), her colleagues and Halse are not surprised that students enjoy receiving the plants because scientific studies recognize that proximity to plants increases mental wellness. “Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have found that people tend to respond better to disruptive events, either by not getting as stressed in the first place or by coping better, when exposed to green spaces on a regular basis,” Barker said. “The Center for Sustainable Communities recognizes the benefits of greenery and the outdoors in helping Luther students stay physically and mentally healthy, which is one of the reasons why we partner with the grounds crew to put on this fun event.” After receiving their plants, students were also invited to participate in a plant naming contest where they could win a Klean Kanteen water bottle. Abigail Cornejo (‘20) won the contest with the entry “Sir Charles Spikeworth.” While students who didn’t receive a plant wait for next year, they can still find company in all the parent plants that cover the grounds of campus year-round.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
OCTOBER 6, 2016
A&E EDITOR: ELIZABETH BONIN
Nancy Barry’s new radio show puts writing spin on “Car Talk”
Professor of English Nancy Barry speaks during her show on Sunday nights. ELIZABETH GARVIN STAFF WRITER Professor of English Nancy Barry has created a radio show to tune up and repair writing skills. The show titled “The Naked Page: ‘Car Talk’ for Writers” airs on KWLC Sunday nights from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Barry began the radio show in response to being awarded the Jones Teaching Distinguished Professorship. The two-year award is given to a professor in the humanities with the requirement that they must focus on creating new project for the community. Barry models her show after the popular radio show “Car Talk”, a call-in radio show in which two brothers, Tom and Ray Magliazzi answer any and all questions about cars and car repair. “It was one of the most successful radio shows of all time because it involved interesting conversations about something that we all need to know more about, which is how our cars work,” Barry said. “It may seem paradoxical to say that one of the best ways writers learn more about writing is by talking about it, but it is true,” Barry said. Barry welcomes a variety of questions about writing on an assortment of subjects. The questions can be as general as “Why are introductions so hard to write and how can I get better?” or more
specific, such as “How do you integrate three case studies while arguing an anthropological theory?” Barry opens each show by discussing certain theme with the show’s producer Nathan Fippinger (‘17). The program then builds off conversations prompted by students, faculty and community members calling in. Barry finishes the hour with a reading. “The great thing about this show is it isn’t just someone talking at you about writing for an hour—it’s much different than a lecture,” Fippinger said. “Any listener can call in and get instant feedback from a woman who has been studying and teaching the art of writing for most of her life.”
David Ross, KWLC Station Manager, asked Fippenger to student-produce Barry’s program. Fippinger said he has learned about different aspects of writing, as well as how to speak in a radio show. “I’ve learned when to interject into a conversation for either comedic purposes or to make a good point,” Fippinger said. He especially enjoys how the radio show is more conversation than lecture. Barry stressed the idea of having a fun, yet in-depth conversation about writing. “There is no stupid question to be asked on this show,” Barry said. “The goal is to have fun and laugh about how frustrating the process of writing is, but
Elizabeth Garvin (‘18) / Chips then discuss ideas about how to push through it and gain insight.” Listener Will Krageschmidt (‘18) agreed that the radio show has an easy going conversational tone, and that students could benefit greatly from tuning in. “It’s a simple way to approach learning new techniques about writing,” Krageschmidt said. “Writing is a vital skill that is needed in all subjects and can always use improvement.” Callers can phone in questions at 563-387-1240 or email Nancy a question at barrynan@luther.edu. Listeners can tune into KWLC 1240 AM or go to kwlc. luther.edu to livestream the program through on their computer.
OPINION
PAGE 9
MANAGING EDITOR: MAKEDA BARKLEY
Vandalists perpetuate cycle of disrespect
Luther College Chips Chips is a student publication of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. The paper is designed, composed edited and managed entirely by Luther students. It is published weekly during the academic year, excluding the month of January. The opinion section is designed to provide a forum for Chips, its staff members and the Luther community. Opinions expressed in articles, editorials and columns do not necessarily represent the views of the Chips staff. The author is solely responsible for opinions expressed in Chips commentary. Chips will not accept submitted articles or campus announcements. Submissions for letters to the editor should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document to chipsedt@luther.edu with Letter to the Editor as a subject line. Letters to the Editor are subject to editing without changing the meaning of the letter. Authors will not be notified of changes prior to publishing. Letters must be signed, 300-400 words and submitted before Sunday at 5:00 p.m. the week before production. Publication of all letters is at the discretion of the editor. Contact Chips: Phone: 563-387-1044 Fax: 563-387-2072 Email: chipsedt@luther.edu Advertising: chipsads@luther.edu Website: lutherchips.com Facebook: facebook.com/LutherChips Twitter: @LutherChips Instagram: @luthercollegechips
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OCTOBER 6, 2016
Emily Crowe Makeda Barkley Danny May Jacob Warehime Fran Stevenson Elizabeth Bonin Sidney Larsen Luke Berkley Emma Busch Julia Curtis Elizabeth Garvin Spencer Hodge Lily Kime Ana Lopez Katrina Meyer Shasa Sartin Ben Selcke Dmitry Vorona Biz Wagenson Olivia Benson Elyse Grothaus Sarah Owens Tyler Hovery Madeline Petellin Michael Vann Elyse Grothaus Sarah Owens David Faldet
EMILY CROWE EDITOR IN CHIEF If you read the Bulletin this week— which you should, there is some good stuff in there—then you read the message from President Carlson about political tolerance. Though this message is a good reminder at this point in the election cycle and life in general, it was likely written in response to the incident involving the large trump campaign sign in the yard of the house on the corner of College Drive and Locust Street. The residents in this house exercised their right to free speech by placing a sign that was promoting Donald Trump in his presidential campaign in their yard. Not long after the sign went up, I noticed that someone had vandalized the sign by coloring over the “T” in the sign read so that it read “rump” Then,
the owner of the sign responded to the vandalism by placing a sign reading, “How tolerant liberals respect your rights,” above the vandalized sign. Now, I am fairly comfortable with openly disagreeing about politics because I think conversation is the best way to understand differing views. I also think that if your beliefs are challenged they will either be strengthened, or they will change because you were in the wrong to begin with. It’s a win-win. However, this sign debacle is neither polite nor mature, it is a conversation where neither side is listening to the other. According to Democracy in Action, of those registered to vote in Winneshiek County, 34.84% are Republicans, 23.85% are Democrats and 41.31% are nonpartisan. This leaves a lot of room for disagreement among the community. Furthermore, Luther is a college of mostly liberal students, in my opinion. This liberal community is nicely settled in a
county that is not as predominantly liberal. This could be cause for disagreement and anger, but it could also be an opportunity to gain a better understanding of our neighbors. I hope that Luther students are not responsible for the vandalism, but I am not confident that Luther students were not involved. I can only say that I hope that, in the future, we can have adult conversations with each other that result in mutual understanding and respect. I hope that Luther and Winneshiek County can m a i n t a i n the positive relationship we have had in recent years. I hope that political conversations about important and controversial subjects can be handled with grace and civility. I hope we at Luther can serve as better examples in the community. And I hope that if and when I express my political views in the future, I will be met with courtesy and not a silencing marker.
“This sign debacle is neither polite nor mature, it is a conversation where neither side is listening to the other.” -Emily Crowe (‘17)
Professional athletes and the right to practice free speech
DANNY MAY NEWS EDITOR Recently San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem prior to an NFL game, drawing criticism of the implications of his actions and his right to those actions. I think the question here is not whether Kaepernick should have refused to stand for the national anthem or not, but rather is he accomplishing anything in doing so? First, Kaepernick does have the right to not stand during the national anthem; what governing body could mandate otherwise? This right is Constitutional. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Kaepernick told NFL.com. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be
selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave while getting away with murder.” He is correct—racial injustice, prejudice and profiling are pervasive in the United States. And yet, what does Kaepernick’s status as a public figure offer to his argument? Is he taking a definitive, constructive stance or just calling undue attention to himself ? Kaepernick has pissed people off. Other public figures have chastised him and NFL fans destroyed replicas of his jersey. But his movement has also caught on elsewhere. The WNBA team Indiana Fever knelt while the anthem played before a September game and high school football and soccer teams have followed suit. This form of resistance has power strengthened by numbers. I feel that Kaepernick is using his role as a public figure productively—recognizing his influential status and making that a platform for promoting his social agenda. I also commend him for recognizing the consequences of his actions and being bold enough to face them. I highly doubt that he did not anticipate the negative corollaries. As such, he is putting his high-paying position (his 2016 base salary is $11.9M, according to
spotrac.com) at risk, in addition to risking the support of fans, whatever that may mean for him. Moreover, Kaepernick has set a valuable precedent; one that can be applied to other cases of civil disobedience. It’s important to note that his actions do not imply that only public figures can make a difference, but rather that they can spur movements more effectively than others, subsequently motivating those with lesser immediate influence to make a statement via numbers. Awareness is essential in opposing racial injustice. Kaepernick has driven the magnitude of this injustice even further into the social sphere—it’s not enough to simply assume that the issue is widely acknowledged. Houston Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown wrote a piece for “Sports Illustrated” about the power Kaepernick’s actions, a great example of the power of speaking out. Doing so has rallied NFL players who feel alike but had not taken definitive action until Kaepernick established the precedent. Awareness leads to action, for those aware of these issues can make their own stand for what they believe in.
OPINION
PAGE 10 OCTOBER 6, 2016
MANAGING EDITOR: MAKEDA BARKLEY
Expectations and realities of creative ownership as consumers
JACOB WAREHIME NEWS EDITOR Why do we as society feel the need to ascribe sole creative responsibility to certain individuals? For those of you who’ve already put this article down after reading the phrase ‘why do we as a society,’ I’d like to apologize. I really just can’t come up with a better way to pose this question, which is rather ironic seeing as the subject matter here is ‘creative individuals.’ Okay, let me explain what I mean by this through a topical case study. On April 23, 2016, world-renowned musical superstar and enemy of latently racist suburban moms everywhere, Beyoncé, dropped her sixth studio album, titled “Lemonade.” The album was received well by both critics and literally every female I know under the age of 25. However, a few days after “Lemonade” came out, a list of the album’s writing credits was also released. Each song was credited with multiple writers and many multiple producers. The song “Hold Up” featured 15 writers alone. In the wake of this information, the internet did what it does best—it lost its collective mind. Facebook was in a fury, music blogs rushed to denounce Beyoncé as a fraud and Twitter was a mess. Then again, Twitter is always a mess. So why were people so upset? Beyoncé never claimed that she wrote her own music. She never even tried to perpetuate that image. But for some reason when we found out Beyoncé wasn’t the sole creative force behind the music on her album, we descended into madness. This phenomena is not exclusive to Beyoncé. If I say the name Steve Jobs, you probably picture the man himself, brainstorming up the next buttonless technological innovation.
If I were to mention Michelangelo, you might picture him on his back, all alone, painstakingly painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel brushstroke by brushstroke. But that’s not how it happened. Steve Jobs’ greatest innovations were products of collaboration and compromise. Michelangelo had 13 apprentices who helped him paint the Sistine Chapel. Even Shakespeare, grandfather of the English language (if not grandfather, then dirty uncle), wrote his plays through collaborative effort. Although society demands that he be a tormented creative mind, hunched over a piece of parchment writing endlessly by quill and candlelight, this just wasn’t Shakespeare’s style. So why is finding out this information so disappointing? Why does it leave us feeling cheated and lied to? Why do we subconsciously ascribe sole creative responsibility to specific individuals? Why do we need these figureheads, these champions of creativity? Now, I don’t have all the answers. I seldom do. But I do have a half-baked theory. It goes like this: we live in a society which champions the individual (when in doubt, blame society). Pull-yourselfup-by-the-bootstraps, make-a-namefor-yourself, individualism. This is what we are taught from early on, this is what we value. Because of this, whenever we see a successful individual we assume this was their key to success as well. More importantly though, we project our own aspirations onto their success, envisioning it as attainable for us as well. We are a people who crave validation, so that is what these figureheads become—the ultimate validation of ourselves, no matter how delusional that may be. As John Steinbeck famously said, “The poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires." Or in this case, temporarily embarrassed Beyoncés. Of course the original quote is in reference to socialism, but it’s easier to make a point when you ignore these sorts of things. The truth is, there is no single person who could possibly embody our expectations. I mean, if Beyoncé can’t, then, come on, who can? So when it turns out that Beyoncé isn’t the sole creative force behind her music, we shouldn’t get mad at her, we should instead turns our frustrations inwards, asking: what led us to assume she was in the first place?
In response to the third article installment by Brooke Joyce regarding the Main building bells Letter to the Editor The Luther Ringers — Luther’s own handbell choir — has been reading Professor Brooke Joyce’s editorials the past few weeks, and, while we believe that building a carillon on campus would be a neat asset to Luther’s campus, we feel that there are other priorities to spend the college’s money on before building a carillon. First, for those who want to hear more bell ringing on campus, we propose that the college invest more money in it’s already established bell choir, the Luther Ringers. This is a group composed of thirteen college musicians and one director who are quite passionate about playing handbells. We perform at select chapel services, Christmas at Luther and a spring concert. We are inhibited from performing more often because we do not have the means to do so. For one, we practice in the basement classroom in Olin building, which is far from the ideal location. Our instruments and equipment must be stored in a closet area and we are forced to set up and take down each time we rehearse, which takes up valuable rehearsal time. The Ringers would like a dedicated rehearsal space in or near the Center for Faith and Life to facilitate more performances for chapel and Sunday worship. We would also like the college to invest more money in our ensemble so that we may purchase equipment like actual bell tables (we currently use homemade ones), which are standard for a bell choir. This is a high–caliber group that deserves acknowledgement from the Luther community. We are also concerned about spending money on a carillon before renovations to Main Building occur. With plans for renovation underway, it seems silly to make this addition until renovations are complete. While we appreciate the uniqueness and authenticity a carillon would bring to Luther’s campus, we do not believe now is the time for one. Signed, The Luther Ringers: Alex Sekora (‘19), Elizabeth Hardy (‘17), Cody Arndtson (‘17), Jonathan Baccam (‘19), Anna Beamsley (‘17), Elizabeth Budahn (‘18), Greta Greisinger (‘17), Kristina Johnson (‘18), Jamie Linert (‘17), Landon McNamer (‘19), Rebekah Sandgren (‘17), Cassidy Woods (‘18), Kaela Reth (‘19).
Spot the squirrel by Sidney Larsen (‘17)
Find the squirrels within the image
hidden below:
SPORTS
PAGE 11
OCTOBER 6, 2016
SPORTS EDITOR: SIDNEY LARSEN
Cross-country cruises at Carleton EMMA BUSCH STAFF WRITER
The Luther cross-country team’s season continued for the men and women’s teams at Carleton College’s Running of the Cows Invitational in Northfield, MN on Oct. 1. The men’s team finished third with 144 points out of a field of fourteen teams with Isaac Jensen (‘17) placing in the top ten at fifth place, completing the 8K course in 26:01. The women’s team finished fifth out of fifteen teams, with a score of 151 points. McKenzie Carney (‘18) led the team with a 23:59 finish on the 6K course. According to Associate Head Coach for women’s cross-country Yarrow Pasche, this is the first meet either team has run at Carleton. “Typically this weekend we go up to run at Eau Claire, but we decided to go to Carleton this year to mix things up,” Pasche said. “It’s a meet that was just started recently, and it looks like it will get a lot of good teams there.” The Norse will also be attending the NCAA III Central Regional at Carleton College on Nov. 12. This meet offers the team an opportunity to prepare for regionals and race against teams they will face in the future, according to men’s cocaptain Jensen. “This will be the first time on the Carleton course,” Jensen said. “The regional meet is there this November, so it’s a good opportunity to practice that before one of our big championship meets up there.” For the Norse cross-country runners, who have been training together since
August, September mainly consists of daily practices and few races. Luther’s home meet scheduled for Sept. 10, the All-American Invitational, was cancelled because of the wet conditions of the course due to recent flooding. Women’s cross-country co-captain Erin Ellefsen (‘17) said that the cancellation was disappointing but not a complete loss for the program. “That was certainly a bummer,” Ellefsen said. “The whole team did a lot of coursework in the week coming up to it, but the cool thing was we still had a lot of alum come to visit.” According to Ellefsen, the team also had a unique opportunity to run at St. Olaf due to the All-American’s cancellation, which offered a different experience for the team. Despite the challenges the weather has presented so far, both teams feel confident about the season ahead. Men’s cross-country co-captain Alex Bishop (‘17) said he is eager for the weather to improve so the major part of the racing season can begin. “It’s gotten off to a weird start,” Bishop said. “But hopefully now that the rain has stopped we’ll really be able to get into the heart of our season.” In addition to the weather, both teams have had adapt after the graduation of a sizable amount of runners. Women’s cross-country co-captain Nora Felt (‘17) said she feels positively about this change. “We had a really big class graduate last year and they were such a powerful part of our team,” Felt said. “We have a little smaller freshmen class, so we have a smaller team overall. However, it’s a really
positive thing. Each year brings different energies and something wonderful, and this year we have a fun group of people together.” While team camaraderie is an important aspect of cross-country, training is crucial to the team’s success. Jensen described how the weekly workout required of the team differs on a daily basis. “We do different things on different days that work on certain aspects of our running,” Jensen said. “On Monday we have a long run and the next day or two will be shorter and more focused on recovery. On Thursday we usually run some faster pieces or drive out to
different areas to do hills, and we’ll often race during the weekends.” According to Jensen, cross-country provides runners with the opportunity to experience parts of Decorah that other Luther students usually don’t visit. “I really like that we get an opportunity to explore different areas of Decorah,” Jensen said. “Whether it’s the trails, the Ice Cave or driving out to do gravel tempo, it’s phenomenal.” The next meet for the Luther women will be at the St. Catherine Invite on Oct. 8 in St. Paul, MN. Both the men’s and women’s teams will compete at the UWLa Crosse Invitational on Oct. 15 in La Crosse, WI.
Patrick Larson (‘17) leads a pack of runners at the Carleton meet. Photo courtesy of Mitchell Stenoien (‘17)
Norse of the Week SIDNEY LARSEN SPORTS EDITOR Tennis player Claire Christian (‘18) was named IIAC Female Athlete of the Week on Sept. 20. In the Norse women’s tennis meet against Coe College on Sept. 18, the two teams’ scores were tied at 4-4 when Christian was able to pull ahead for a threeset victory at No. 4 singles, securing the win for the Norse and halting Coe’s 40-meet winning streak against conference opponents. Christian was also a 2-15 Iowa Conference Fall Sports All-Academic Team honoree and a one-year letter winner. Chips: You were recently honored as IIAC Female Athlete of the Week, how did it feel to be honored in this way?
Claire Christian (‘18) swings through a ground stroke during a meet with Wartburg. Annika Vande Krol (‘19) / Photo Bureau
Christian: I thought it was pretty neat! I don’t really recall having many tennis players, guy or girl, get Athlete of the Week, so I was proud of myself that I was given that honor. The team just beat Coe College for the first time in a few years, what do you think was the source of your success? I think we all went out to our courts knowing that every match mattered. We knew it was going to be close, so we all took responsibility and did our best to win our individual matches. What are your goals- team and individual- for the rest of the season? As a team, our goal is to win the conference. Beating Coe was the biggest step, but we still have two matches before we can claim the title. Individually, my goal is to get better every day. Not every day is going to be easy or fun, but I try to make the most of it. If you could have one super power to help you play tennis, which would you choose? I would definitely say being able to read minds. Tennis is such a mental sport and I think it would be a huge advantage to know exactly what my opponent is thinking. Who is your biggest sports role model? I am a big fan of Rafael Nadal. He’s easily been my favorite tennis player for a long time. What do you do to get pumped up before games? We usually play music, whether in the van or on court while we’re warming up. What is your favorite memory with Norse tennis? I think beating Coe this year is probably my best memory. I was the last one to finish and it was the deciding match. It was really cool to see my
Claire Christian (‘18) blasts a serve at her Wartburg opponent. Annika Vande Krol (‘19) / Photo Bureau teammates’ and coaches’ reactions. I saw how much it meant to everyone and how proud we were of each other.
SPORTS
PAGE 12
SPORTS EDITOR: SIDNEY LARSEN
OCTOBER 6, 2016
Football team fights hard at homecoming
Weekly Standings Men’s Soccer Dubuque Luther Central Loras Wartburg Simpson Nebraska Wes. Buena Vista Coe
IIAC 2-0 2-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 1-1 0-2 0-2 0-2
Recent Scores
Overall 9-1 8-1-2 7-3 5-3 7-3-1 6-4-1 4-3-3 4-7-1 1-8
Oct. 1 @ Simpson College W 3-0 Oct. 2 vs. Macalester College W 1-0
Upcoming Schedule
Oct. 8 vs. Buena Vista 3:00 PM Oct. 2 vs. University of Dubuque 7:00 PM
Women’s Soccer Luther Wartburg Central Loras Dubque Nebraska Wes. Coe Buena Vista Simpson
Brady Letney (‘18) sets up for a pass while Andy Johnson (‘19) holds off the opposing blocker. Photo courtesy of Katy Hafner KATRINA MEYER STAFF WRITER Nebraska Wesleyan University defeated the Luther College football team with a score of 24-27 during the Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 1. This brings Luther’s conference record to 0-2, with an overall record of 1-3 and marked Nebraska Wesleyan’s first conference win. With their first possession of the game, Luther scored a touchdown off of a five-yard run by quarterback Brady Letney (‘18) for a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. After 17 points scored by Nebraska Wesleyan, kicker Cory Wirth (‘18) scored a career record 40-yard field goal during the second quarter. Luther then scored another touchdown on a 19-yard run by full back Christian Moore (‘17) to tie the game at 17-17 to end the first half. During the second half, Nebraska Wesleyan scored a touchdown, pulling ahead at 24-17, before Luther again tied up the game with a touchdown off of a 70-
yard run from running back Joshua Herrington (‘20). Nebraska Wesleyan was able to pull off a game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter. Luther tallied 316 total offensive yards, while Nebraska Wesleyan had 335 total yards. Nebraska Wesleyan is a new member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and a new opponent for Luther, so it was not completely clear what to expect from the team, according to Assistant Coach Jeff Wettach (‘79). “There’s an exchange of film within our conference, so we have their most recent three games, and they have our most recent three games,” Wettach said. “We can see through the film that they have been pretty consistent each week, but you never actually know without having played them. There’s a little mystery, a little unknown, but there is for them as well.” Regardless of the opponent, Assistant Football Coach Del Ciucci (‘14) explained that the goals the
coaches have for the athletes each week remain constant. “Every week we want to be able to compete with who we’re playing at a high level, and be able to execute what we’re trying to do,” Ciucci said. “That is really all that we can ask from our guys.” The Homecoming game was a unique experience for the athletes to play in front of a large number of alumni. Linebacker Josh Olerud (‘17) explained how special it was to carry on the legacy that former players had set up for the team. “It’s always special playing in front of alumni,” Olerud said. “You know the people and they were in the same system. To go out there and play in front of them and kind of show them the progress we’ve made and show them that we’re keeping up the traditions and still playing as hard as they played is important.” Homecoming football is also a special experience for alumni like Greg Fields (‘77) who attended the game. “It brings back good memories,” Fields said. “It’s
always nice to be back in Decorah.” Luther still has six conference games left to play. Ciucci explained the challenges that the team will face going forward. “We are going eight straight weeks through without a bye week now, so trying to stay healthy is a big thing for us,” Ciucci said. “Trying to keep our guys mentally focused, locked in and sharp and just try to take things week to week.” With those challenges in mind, linebacker Jackson Vankirk (‘17) said that the team is focused and ready for the remainder of the season. “We are going to take this week by week,” Vankirk said. “We have high goals for the rest of the year because we have an awesome team this year. We have the talent to be very good, but if we don’t concentrate on every opponent every single week then that is all going to go to waste.” Luther football is traveling to Indianola, IA for their next game against Simpson College on Oct. 8.
IIAC 2-0 2-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 1-1 0-2 0-2 0-2
Overall 6-2-1 6-2-1 9-1-1 5-3 5-5-1 5-6 7-5-1 3-6-1 1-7-3
Recent Scores
Sept. 28 @ UW-Platteville W 2-1 Oct. 1 @ Simpson College W 2-0
Upcoming Schedule
Oct. 8 vs. Buena Vista University 1:00 PM Oct. 5 vs. University of Dubuque 5:00 PM
Volleyball
Wartburg Central Luther Coe Nebraska Wes. Buena Vista Loras Simpson Dubuque
IIAC 3-0 3-1 2-1 2-1 2-2 2-2 1-3 1-3 1-4
Overall 13-4 9-8 14-5 14-7 9-7 11-10 9-9 8-9 10-10
Recent Scores
Sept. 30 @ Nebraska Wes. L 1-3 Oct. 1 @ Buena Vista W 3-1
Upcoming Schedule
Oct. 11 vs. Coe College 7:30 PM Oct. 14-15 Pikes Peak Challenge
Football
Coe Dubuque Central Simpson Wartburg Nebraska Wes. Buena Vista Luther Loras
IIAC 3-0 3-0 2-1 1-1 1-1 1-2 1-2 0-2 0-3
Overall 5-0 5-0 4-1 2-2 2-2 2-3 1-4 1-3 0-5
Recent Scores
Sept. 24 vs. Dubuque L 17-30 Oct. 1 vs. Nebraska Wes. (Homecoming) L 24-27
Upcoming Schedule
Oct. 8 @ Simpson College Oct. 8 @ Buena Vista University
Women’s Tennis Luther Coe Dubuque Central Loras Wartburg Simpson Nebraska Wes. Buena Vista
IIAC 8-0 7-1 6-2 5-3 3-4 3-4 2-6 1-7 0-8
Overall 10-1 9-1 7-3 7-3 7-6 3-5 5-7 1-8 0-15
Recent Scores
Oct. 2 vs. Nebraska Wesleyan University 7-2 Oct. 2 vs. Central College W 8-1
Upcoming Schedule
Oct. 7-8 IIAC Individual Tournament