Volume 26 Issue 8: Mad

Dear Reader, My hope when entering into this school year back in September was that I was not going to have to devote much space in Mars’ Hill to COVID-19 discussion. In fact, I believe I told my wonderful Managing Editor: “We are not doing any COVID feature stories.” Like many others I talked to, I was simply tired of both experiencing and discussing the impact of this pandemic.

But alas, here we are. Midway through February of 2022, and two full features of Volume 26 of Mars’ Hill have been devoted to the topic, as well as a number of other articles.

So what changed my mind, you might ask? I put aside my personal exhaustion for a moment and realized that, if we were not talking about COVID, we were not accurately analyzing, debating, and exploring our current social climate, and the state of our world. Does the topic drive me a little mad? Absolutely, but it’s most definitely one worth having.

For this issue of Mars’ Hill, our theme is “Mad”: angry, unbalanced, madly in love, obsessed––our writers and contributors all took

MARS’ HILL

Mars’ Hill is a student publication of Trinity Western University located on the traditional ancestral territory of the Stó:lō people. Floated with funds raised by the Student Association, Mars’ Hill seeks to be a professional and relevant student publication, reflecting and challenging the TWU community, while intentionally addressing local, national, and international issues.

MISSION TO MARS

The mission of Mars’ Hill, as the official student newspaper of Trinity Western University, is to inform and entertain its readers, cultivate awareness of issues concerning the TWU community, and provide a forum for purposeful, constructive discussion among its members in accordance with the Community Covenant, Statement of Faith, and Core Values of the University.

MEDIA ADVISOR: Loranne Brown

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this word and explored it in their own ways.

In our feature article, “Mandate Madness!!!” we hear four different current students’ perspectives on the Freedom Convoy and COVID mandates. Our Staff Writer, Diego Bascur, dives into the potential harm caused by pressure on young people in “The Cost of Winning: Looking Beyond the Athlete.”

In “Writings On The Wall” Carter Sawatzky, details the experiences of Theatre students and faculty after the removal of their AWAKE mural. And Sefa Tese explores the impacts of stress in “A Visual Collection: What does de-stressing look like for you?”

Our team invites you to dive into the conversations you are a little frightened to have: the ones that make you a little upset, or drive you a little crazy, or fill you with passion. Because, as Aristotle said, “No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.”

Cheers,

EDITORIAL POLICY

Mars’ Hill encourages submissions and Letters to the Editor. Mars’ Hill reserves the right to edit submissions for style, brevity, and compatibility with the Mission, the Statement of Faith, the Student Handbook, and the Core Values of the University. Anonymous authorship of any material may be granted at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. Opinions expressed in Mars’ Hill belong to the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, Trinity Western University, its officials or its Student Association.

CONTRIBUTORS

Sefa Tese Chrisaleen Ciro Syd Dvorak Sara Driediger Seth Schouten Grace Giesbrecht Aliya Coy

Tina St. Germain Brodie Hofer Cole Hergott Bailey Froese Lorin Scaiano Alex Walker Xelian Louw Samuel Sefzik

DECLASSIFIEDS SUBMIT YOUR OWN AT MARSHILLNEWSPAPER.COM/DECLASSIFIEDS

I’m shaking because I’m so excited to eat my eggs To the rat I just saw crawl out from a hole in Douglas three windows down from the back door. Please leave. Your presence is not desired.

“What’s your gender?” “Anonymous” It feels so assertive being the first one to react in slack

If certain English profs are gonna be side B then maybe they should re-think their Shakespeare obsession

You know what’s hot? A healthy relationship where both people put in equal effort to love and serve each other. Don’t settle for less.

Freddie Mercury is the only man who can successfully wear a tank top.

Grace Giesbrecht seems like a kind person

After reading Sophie’s article on Disney’s 2d movies, I’m going to watch Treasure Planet because it best movie.

y’all!! pink hair is so fun! highly HiGhLy recommend doing something fun right before you graduate. no regrets. #greencirclehairsalons

If you’ve never been to the well before this is your sign to go

The time to act [on the climate crisis] is NOW (pls though humanity needs sustainability)

Why is everyone on here either horny or mad?

Goosey honkin. Goosey honkin at the Goosey Pond. Nah, you’re a chunky honker swimming in the honkey pond. You dip dem floppy little flippers in there. Honkey honker.

I really resonate with the geese on campus. I too want to hiss at people.

A pirate with a peg leg and an eyepatch looks down at its outfit. “Is this shirt too piraty?”

“Whomst had the audacity to paint over the quote wall outside the theatre??” *throws punch* *roundhouse kick* *wipes sweat off my forehead* “There’s more where that came from.”

Pop tart, big shart I’m sure it was the bread squirrel who I saw dumpster diving the other day why is no one talking about the fact that Todd Dutka and Cal Townsend are the equivalent of Danny Larusso and Johnny Lawrence from Cobra Kai Is hailey on the basketball team open to being in a thruple Does anyone actually know exploroman’s real name I want to see a photography contest between edampics, exploroman, and toru.

Christianity is such a low-tier religion. Child abuse, homophobia, holy war and hypocrites are not my cup of tea. Where are my Buddhist monks at?

Makena wardle is simpworthy The opposite of “that’s Gucci” is “that’s Joe Fresh” Literary English majors are superior to artsy English majors

someone make a twu themed wordle please

egg It’s fun telling my grade 6/7 class stories of the dating culture at TWU, they think that ya’ll should grow up…

Last issue was a Zander sandwich So i tried to shoot my shot with the hot basketball player- and by shoot my shot i mean I followed him and insta and he didn’t follow me back.

It’s cool.

All these J named dudes....

Wanna know something funny?

One of the prayer requests my younger sister had when she was little was that my family would own all the shrek movies. God answered that prayer and we have been the proud owners of shrek 1, shrek 2, shrek the third, and shrek forever after for 12 years i bet memepage guy submits half the declassifieds just so he has something to get petty on his story about “God is sexy.” - Chuck Macknee To the student wanting to smudge their room come by my office in Skidmore!! I smudge every morning help i go to the library to do homework but instead i get lost in wikipedia deep dives Yesterday was pan-africanism, today was shieldmaidens in ancient scandinavia send help Shrek is love shrek is life Anyone else hate when the film crews show up on campus and act like they own the place? Just me?

Okay, cool.

My gecko’s crickets escaped in our apartment. Shout out to my roommate who had a good sense of humour about it. Sorry to whoever finds them. My bad.

To whoever keeps saying earbuds with cords are more attractive, just ask me out already =D The fact that I pay this much money to come to a university that doesn’t even have functioning dryers is obscene. Get a grip Trinity.

In chem lab this week *Working with bomb calorimetry* Harrison: Have any of them exploded here before? Rose: No. Harrison (disappointed): Oh that’s good.

There should be a commuter representative in twusa @anti vax petition the “right side of history” is a dumb argument You shouldn’t be motivated to do something just to be on the “right side of history.” There are a million sides to history and no guarantee that yours is “right.” Just do things out of love and kindness.

You guys realize that twu isnt just pulling the protocols from their butts???? They have to follow provincial guidelines? It’s the law???

Twu will be fined heavily but also the media frenzy that would ensure would hurt Twu in the long run.

The men’s volleyball team showing up to the Basketball Seniors games and needing to make a grand entrance both times only solidified to me that they don’t care about cheering on fellow Spartans NEARLY as much as they like attention

Sam Sefzik is my new favourite American

Why is everyone breaking up right now

I really wish Trinity would hire student leaders who actually represent the needs of the student body.

You think students who need to find community will feel connected to some popular jock? Hire neurodivergent people. Hire people who know what it’s like to feel left out.

I’m over trinity’s blatant ableism.

If you’re having a bad day, stop it

I open my mouth to talk, I am embarrassed. I sit in the presence of equal human beings, I am so dumb. At least I self-love <3 :’) Ah yes, country music in the gymbecause nothing inspires me to exercise more than lyrics about cracking open a cold one with the boys in the back of a dusty pickup truck.

The gym hits different without Jason the bench guy. Rip the powerlifters who graduated

So us residents pay like 30k per year, only for TWU to impose Covid restrictions that aren’t even provincial (dorm-restrictions), and not be able to study at the Trinity Commons on the weekends? Our Mental Health is so ignored that TWU’s slogan should be Face the Ward, not Face the World…

this semester will go down as Glenn Hansen’s villian arc

Kyle Penner is one of the most patient and caring person I know

The Zanders should just be on every MH cover. What absolute gems

Dear Robbie Down, (Belated) Happy birthday to you too! God bless.

-Peasant

Can a Canadian adopt me so I can stay here

when you live in apartments people ask if you miss the caf. Why the frock would i miss that anxiety breeding ground???

Diego Bascur seems like a chill person 1 night, 1 girl, 6 mid…..

Reading Light Magazine is the fastest way to lose brain cells Whoever left their car alarm on by NW, I hope you step barefoot on a pebble!

I KISSED A GIRL AND I LIKED IT / THE TASTE OF IRIDOCYCLITIS “Smell your baby” ~ Todd Dutka Congrats guys you got a bunch of people to sign a anti vaccine petition that twu literally can’t do anything about kyle, its going to b ok

Love how student leadership boasts diversity and evolution then hires the same rich, white, Blundstone wearing archetype every year How do I get on the cover?

11:07 in past years: family friendly 11:07 this year: completely off the rails. I love it Artsy English majors are superior to literary English majors.

Overheard in the caff: “Did he fail his classes? Oh he’s in HKIN—that’s not possible... Is that possible?”

Stop asking me why I’m not in the Romantics class. It is because I do not care for the Romantics class.

Sincerely, an English major.

Bailey from 1107 is why I wake up in the morning Throwback to when going to chapel was cool What if you gave me a haircut in front of the Mars’ Hill office?

Red leather yellow leather red yether rellow tether Pursuing my masters in bating

Rip Jon being the only male apartment rep To the group of girls I saw steal a plant from outside the window in McMillan: maybe put it back?

Roses are red Violets are blue I have depression So do you Roses are red, My fridge is empty, why are y’all getting married at the ripe age of twenty?

The news is toxic and I can no longer watch it without feeling like a part of me died in the process Ring by spring? More like “God told me to break up with you” Watching a woman give birth was probably the most horrific thing I have ever seen in my entire life You know what I just realized?

TWUSA takes funding that they get from students… to make Merch….

And sell it back to students…. Huh. Egg when a coyote starts a standoff with you while you’re taking a friendly wee in the school pond at dusk I must live with the burden of knowing that my faulty battery/car alarm combo made like seven people call security at 4:00am to Make It Stop. if you have any information on who started the submissions of “egg” declassified, or who keeps it going, please contact investigative journalists at crackingthemystery@ gmail.com Why was the Valentine’s 11:07 the most erotic thing I’ve seen in years Maintenance, when will u be hosting a mario kart race with those golf carts of yours? pls respond

Mars’ Hill editors reserve the right to edit or reject submissions based on content and/or length. A printed submission does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of any kind, nor does it necessarily reflect the opinions of Mars’ Hill staff, the student association, or that of the University.

SEFA TESE

CONTRIBUTOR OF THE ISSUE What is your major?

Media + Communication.

Where are you from?

I was born in Nigeria and mostly raised in Angola.

What is something you’re passionate about and want to share with the world?

I have a stubborn attention span when it comes to watching videos on YouTube. If I’m watching a YouTuber talking/vlogging, my attention begins to wane about two minutes in (unless I’m watching with someone else).

But if it’s one of singers singing or musicians playing, I immediately become engrossed—not only in the music, but also in the body language, in the facial expressions, in the exceptional finger dexterity. It’s a whole other story besides the song itself, and is such a visual delight. I would rewatch a single quality performance or music video as many as ten times in one sitting.

Why do you write for Mars’ Hill?

This is my first time, and it started as a project for my Multimedia and Journalism class. I’ve always wanted

to write something, but could never really think of or come up with an idea I liked enough to run with. My class project helped with that.

What is your favourite article you’ve written for Mars’ Hill and why is it important?

My article on de-stressing is my first one, so there’s not really any other to compare it to. But I decided on the topic of de-stressing because we’re constantly in a climate of overwork, overwhelm, and burnout.

As nice as it was to spend hours with hundreds of open tabs, my favorite part was reaching out to other students and some faculty on their practice of de-stressing. It pushed me to think about and invest in what works for my mental, physical, and spiritual health.

What is your ideal late night snack?

It really depends on what I’m feeling, but one I can think of right now would be sliced avocado on peanut-buttered (is that a word?) toast and some chai tea.

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Photo: Jimmy Thomson / Capital Daily

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE WHEN JOURNALISTS COMPLAIN ON TWITTER EVEN WHEN THEY’RE ANNOYING CHRISALEEN CIRO

TW: Graphic depictions of violence against women, racialized violence, and police violence.

In late 2018, Canada joined over 120 countries and signed on to the United Nations Global Compact for Migration. In the following weeks, talk radio hosts across the country argued, falsely, that this would ultimately erode Canadian sovereignty, undermine our ability to police our own borders, and leave the country in the control of “globalists.”

Fed up with this narrative, political commentator Supriya Dwivedi pushed back against this accelerating falsehood on her own radio show. The backlash was swift. She suffered an onslaught of hateful comments. One of the responses, which Dwivedi describes as “one of the most graphic rape threats” she has ever received, included a reference to burning off her clitoris.

Journalists often make use of Twitter to draw attention to some of the barriers that they face in the process of their daily lives as journalists, with varied success. Some of them, like the threat that Dwivedi described in the Star, are extremely serious.

A 2021 Ipsos poll found that over 70 percent of Canadian journalists had experienced threats and harassment in some form. Female journalists of colour are particularly at risk. In September of 2021 alone, 19 female Canadian journalists were targeted by organized troll campaigns.

Shamefully, this seems like a very Canadian problem. Both anecdotal evidence and data suggest that Canadian journalists are subject to more virulent harassment than their global counterparts.

Culture writer for Gawker, Sarah Hagi, tweeted that the harassment she has received as a hijabi writer diminished dramatically after she stopped contributing to Canadian publications.

While online harassment is one of the most acute challenges that journalists experience at an individual level, it is far from the only barrier they face in the course of their work.

Jimmy Thomson is the Managing Editor of Capital Daily, a small independent newspaper that reports

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on Vancouver Island generally and Victoria specifically. In May of 2020, he drove up to the Cayucos encampment, near Fairy Creek, to report on the protests of old growth logging in the region.

Thomson described his experience of trying to gain access to the protest in articles for the Capital Daily, on Twitter, and for an episode of media criticism podcast, Canadaland.

When he arrived, he was greeted by a police blockade. He was told that they were not letting press through, and that he would have to talk to a press officer. “There’s no cell service out here,” Thomson points out. He would have to drive an hour and a half to make the call. The other officer asked to see Thomson’s “media accreditation.”

Thomson offers a business card. They insist on media credentials. Thomson has to tell them that that is not a thing. Canada has no body that “accredits” the media.

“Both anecdotal evidence and data suggest that Canadian journalists are subject to more virulent harassment than their global counterparts.”

“It was so weird,” Thomson told Canadaland, “I don’t know what they meant by ‘media credentials.” It raises questions about how these police officers were trained to interact with the press. “I almost had to let myself get arrested.”

After being turned away by the RCMP, he drove back to Victoria, and joined several other publications in a court challenge to the restrictions imposed by the RCMP. They won. By the time that the ruling had come down, however, the press had missed several opportunities to report on key incidents, including dozens of arrests and altercations with police.

This news cycle was doomed to be repeated when, months later, two embedded journalists were arrested and detained while reporting on the Wet’suwet’en blockades. Photographer Amber Bracken and documentary filmmaker Michael Toledano were arrested on Friday and released on bail on Monday. Bracken is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on contempt of court charges on February 14.

Shortly after the devastating flooding in November, Fraser Valley journalist Tyler Olsen shared on Twitter about one of the more mundane but still increasingly challenging aspects of reporting: accessing government experts and filing Freedom of Information Act requests.

Even before atmospheric rains had begun pelting the Pacific Northwest, Olsen reached out to one of the province’s experts on geology about possible erosion and flooding risk. At first, he didn’t hear back. He was then told that he could email questions, and a communications officer would get back to him. He insisted that he wanted to speak to the expert, not a spokesperson who may––or almost certainly would not––have expertise on earth science.

Other journalists chimed in to commiserate and share similar experiences. Olsen’s frustration is not simply the delay, it is that this too seems to be a uniquely Canadian problem. When he sought the same information from the Washington state government, he had his answer within the day.

FOIAs, or Freedom of Information Act requests are important tools investigative reporters use to access government documents that contain newsworthy information. These requests are often returned long after the reporter has moved on to another story. In the fall of 2021, the BC New Democrats proposed changes to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act––including a $25 fee per request.

It can feel tempting to ignore journalists complaining on Twitter, especially in times where there are no shortage of things to be angry about. On its face, these seem like challenges facing some pretty privileged individuals with not-insignificant

FEMINIST NEWS BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS: B.C. IMPROVES GENDER DESIGNATION PROCESS

SYD DVORAK

Content warning: discussion of transphobia.

On January 10, 2022, the government of British Columbia made the decision to allow gender markers on identification cards to be changed without confirmation from a doctor or psychologist, as had previously been required. This decision comes on the heels of the previous landmark legislation removing the requirement for surgery before an individual could change the gender specified on their birth certificate.

social capital. However, these issues are still deserving of public attention.

If you are a person who cares about diversity and racial justice, know that the disproportionate vitriol that racialized journalists are subjected to can drive them out of the profession, denying the industry their seniority and expertise.

If you are someone who cares about government agencies operating efficiently, know that transparency is not just an ornamental democratic principle. A lack of transparency has been linked to other administrative issues, like inefficiency, financial mismanagement, or inappropriately favouring certain employees.

If you are someone who cares about order, law enforcement, and good governance, the police illegally preventing journalists from doing their jobs, and evading accountability for doing so, is likely concerning to you.

So, if we accept that we should take these journalists seriously, what can we do to address these frustrations? In British Columbia, we can write letters to our political leaders and ask for standards of transparency, so that journalists are able to do their jobs. We can “de-nationalize” our news diet and identify local journalists who are doing important work in our communities. We can share their work on social media, and subscribe to their email lists.

And, when they publish something that we disagree with we can either respond (preferably in an email or by carrier pigeon) constructively. Or better yet, you can put your concerns in an email draft, and, when, once or twice a quarter, you get that email asking you to fill out a survey, pull up your draft, and if you still feel strongly, copy and paste it into the textbox.

Either way––for the love of God––continue to support and celebrate Canadian journalists, both on and off of Twitter.

The province now only requires self-declaration for adults to change one’s sex on driver’s licenses, birth certificates, and other government identification. Minors require parent or legal guardian approval, and children under 12 must still have confirmation from a doctor or psychologist.

Since this topic is often fraught with confusion, a few definitions may prove useful. Sex is defined by Merriam-Webster as “either of the two major forms of individuals that occur in many species and that are distinguished respectively as female or male especially on the basis of their reproductive organs and structures.” Gender is defined as “the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex.” While sex and gender can correlate, they are not dependent on one another.

Trans Care BC defines transgender as “an umbrella term that describes a wide range of people whose gender differs from their assigned sex at birth” and non-binary as a term “referring to diverse people whose gender identity is neither female nor male.” It is estimated that 46,000 people in B.C. identify as trans or gender-diverse.

B.C. has been revising gendered language in government since 2016, as part of the Better Regulations for British Columbians process. Through this process, approximately 600 instances of gendered language have been updated across 15 ministries, which the provincial government says “have been updated to reflect the diversity of the people served by the B.C. government.”

Annually, minor regulatory changes are made to clarify, amend, or repeal information which no longer accurately serves British Columbians. Since 2016, gendered words like “he” or “she,” “brother” and “wife” have been replaced with more inclusive language such as “they” or “them,” “sibling” and “spouse.”

In 2018, B.C. introduced “X” as a third, non-specific gender marker for government identification.

All of these changes within the last six years demonstrates a willingness in the B.C. government to be more inclusive to gender-diverse and transgender people.

Shortly after the January 10 decision was made, Grace Lore, the parliamentary secretary for gender equality, tweeted: “People (not doctors) know their gender - and that’s all the confirmation we, as government, need. We also recognize that this requirement created a barrier to accessing gender-affirming identification and can create unsafe and potentially traumatizing situations.”

In other provinces, such as Ontario, the process to acquire identification that accurately reflects an individual’s gender continues to be a fight. Diana Bosco, a trans woman in Ontario, has been attempting to get an Ontario photo card with her “sex designation” (as it is noted on the card) listed as “F” since she transitioned four years ago.

She told CBC that she was asked uncomfortable questions by Service Ontario, including if she’d had bottom surgery, and was told she needed a surgeon’s note.

“It is absurd to me,” Bosco told CBC. “My medical information is between me and my doctor only. It was really humiliating to have to defend myself, my gender, to some random person.”

The recent decision to remove barriers to gender marker changes on government identification will ensure that all British Columbians, including trans, non-binary, and two-spirit individuals, will have equal access to government services with accurate and affirming identification.

Adrienne Smith (they/them), the litigation director for the Catherine White Holman Wellness Centre’s All-Genders Legal Clinic in Vancouver, announced, “This change removes a barrier that will make the government application process easier for people. We still have lots of work to do to streamline the name and gender change application process. Our community has been calling for change for a long time. Removing this barrier to legal recognition signals that our government is listening.”

There are people, including those who call themselves feminists, who disagree with the decision to make gender markers easier to change or shout that they refuse to call a man “she.” To you I say, this decision does little to affect your daily life, and if you call yourself a feminist, find a new soapbox to stand on, because feminism includes trans women.

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VIP

ROGER STONE MARITHA LOUW

As a conservative political consultant and lobbyist, Roger Stone’s name has been associated with some of the foremost American politicians since the 1970s. Specifically, Stone worked on the campaigns of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and most recently, Donald Trump.

Stone has never directly entered into the political realm himself, but is a veteran strategist in Republican circles and has made just as many enemies over his career as he has garnered supporters.

He began his career as a political strategist in elementary school, campaigning on behalf of John F. Kennedy’s presidential bid to his fellow students. In high school, student council elections were opportunities for alliance building, and before becoming president in his senior year, Stone ousted the president in his junior year and succeeded him. Officially, however, Stone’s political career was launched through his work on the 1972 Nixon presidential campaign, where he discredited opposition campaigns by fabricating claims of them being supported by socialist organizations, as well as hiring spies to collect and report information of enemy campaigns to Stone.

“It’s better to be infamous than never famous at all.”

In 1975, Stone was a founding member of the National Conservative Political Action Committee, a right-wing organization that would pioneer new and grey-area funding practices in political advertising.

In 1976, Stone worked in Reagan’s presidential campaign. By 1977, at the age of 24, Stone was elected president of the Young Republicans, an organization with a reach into nation-wide initiatives as well as state-focused chapters.

In the 1990s, Stone continued to work on various Republican presidential and congressional campaigns, while also lobbying the government on behalf of Donald Trump’s casino business. Additionally, in 2000, Stone served as Trump’s campaign manager in his failed presidential bid under the umbrella of the Reform Party. Since then, many journalists have theorized that Stone supported Trump’s campaign as a means to actually sabotage the Reform Party and lower their vote in order to benefit George W. Bush’s presidential campaign. Ths claim seemed to be reaffirmed when Stone played an integral role in the Brooks Brothers riot in Florida, where Republican voters protested against the presidential election vote recounts.

From 2010-2014, Stone became involved with the Libertarian Party, and even predicted in 2012 that there would be a rise of libertarianism in the US, and that 2016 would mark the end of the Republican Party. In 2015, however, Stone served as

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an adviser to Trump’s second presidential campaign, this time as a Republican candidate. Later, Stone “left” the campaign, claiming that he quit, while Trump claimed he was actually fired. Despite the confusion over his departure from the campaign, Stone continued in an informal advisory position and media coordinator for Trump throughout the campaign.

The important thing to mention here is that Roger Stone’s name has sparked controversy since he began his career in the 70s.

He has not only been disparaged by former colleagues and classmates for being cold, calculating, and manipulative (Washington Post), but was also banned in 2016 from appearing on major news networks such as CNN and MSNBC after a slew of offensive Twitter posts that contained racist and sexist comments towards reporters.

His methods of winning campaigns have been called “over the line” and “sick and twisted.” As a response, Stone has repeatedly argued that he is merely doing the job no one wants to do but everyone needs to have done (New York Times).

From 2015-2020, Stone was involved in a number of Trump campaigns, including the “Stop the Steal” movement in during the Republican primaries in 2015, “Crooked Hillary” in 2016, and even promoted the idea of North Korean boats delivering ballots to Democrat election officials during the 2020 presidential campaign (New York Times). In light of the 2019 Mueller investigation into the ties between the Trump administration and Russia, Stone was arrested on seven criminal charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding, five counts of false statements, and one count of witness tampering. Stone was sentenced to forty months in federal prison and a $20,000 fine, but this sentence was commuted by President Trump mere days before Stone was to report to prison.

His most recent legal troubles include being subpoenaed by the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the Capitol, a lawsuit filed against him by eight Capitol Police officers who allege that he is partially responsible for inciting the January 6 attack, and a civil suit from the Justice Department claiming that Stone and his wife owe the federal government $2 million in unpaid federal taxes.

While Stone’s allegiances have wavered between Republican, libertarian, and everywhere in between, he has always remained faithful to himself and his interests.

In 2018, he published Stone’s Rules: How to Win at Politics, Business, and Style. This book presented the underlying values that have driven Stone’s career in American politics, and promotes rules such as: “Attack, attack, attack, never defend,” “To win you must do everything,” and “It’s better to be infamous than never to be famous at all.” In this last rule, certainly, Stone has succeeded.

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADERSHIP IS CHANGING… AGAIN SARA DRIEDIGER

In the span of a day and a half, tensions within the Conservative Party boiled over and the future of Erin O’Toole’s leadership was at stake. Reports say that 30 percent of O’Toole’s caucus signed a petition requesting his resignation, launching the party’s vote on Wednesday, February 2. With a history of party division under O’Toole’s leadership, 73 Conservative MPs voted to remove O’Toole, leaving just 45 as supporters.

A loss for O’Toole sets the stage for the Conservative Party’s third leadership change in the last six years. In that same time period, the NDP has changed leaders once, in 2019, with no changes in that time for the Liberal Party.

It is hard to ignore that there was a divide growing within the Conservative Party in the post-Harper era. O’Toole tried to represent the “True Blue” ideology that many in the party wanted, hoping to move the Tories back towards their roots.

When push came to shove, O’Toole was unable to remain as Blue as others hoped.

In light of his impending dismissal, O’Toole believed the party faced a choice and tweeted: “There are two roads open to the Conservative Party of Canada. One is [a] road [and]… [i]t is angry, negative, and extreme… The other road is to better reflect the Canada of 2022. To recognize that conservatism is organic not static and that a winning message is one of inclusion, optimism, ideas and hope.” While the first road was what got him the job, he constantly moved between both throughout his stint in power. Speaking to CBC News, Saskatchewan Conservative Senator Denise Batters stated: “Mr. O’Toole flipflopped on policies core to our party within the same week, the same day, and even within the same sentence.”

“A loss for O’Toole sets the stage for the Conservative Party’s third leadership change in the last six years. In that same time period, the NDP has changed leaders once, in 2019, with no changes in that time for the Liberal Party.”

While O’Toole noticed that a hard-right position would keep his constituents happy, it would not win a general election.

Even earlier this week, O’Toole struggled to choose a position as the Freedom Convoy arrived in Ottawa.

Amidst the internal struggles, some Conservative Party members stood in support of O’Toole’s leadership. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner and Alberta’s premier Jason Kenney thought it was foolish to change leadership at this time, and that the change would not represent Conservative Party values. Kenney said, “I think stability and continuity are important conservative principles.”

Nevertheless, by the evening of February 2, the Conservative Party had elected MP Candice Bergen as interim leader.

If the Conservative Party was looking for a more “True Blue” leader, looking to choose an “angry, negative, and extreme” road, in O’Toole’s words, then it has found her. Bergen has been photographed wearing a MAGA hat, voted against Bill C-4 which banned conversion therapy in Canada, and has expressed her support for the Freedom Convoy, saying, “There are thousands of passionate, patriotic, and peaceful Canadians on the Hill right now, who just want to be heard.” Bergen’s election as interim leader may be understood as signaling that the CPC leadership will be emphasizing stronger rightwing views in the future. Whether this shift in focus will allow for less leadership turnover remains to be seen.

“Physical activity, being outdoors, playing music, drawing . . .”

- Kenzie Magnowski

A VISUAL COLLECTION: WHAT DOES DE-STRESSING LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?

“Baking is an outlet for me that a lot of people don’t get to see . . .”

- Aliya Coy

SEFA TESE

“Whenever I find myself in stressful situations, first thing I want to do is live in denial,” shares nursing student Meklit Yimer. “I take myself out of that situation, lock myself in my room, and put my phone on airplane mode, because that is mostly why my stress levels can spike.”

Meklit’s experience is far from unique. A 2009 survey conducted at McMaster University in Ontario found that 88.8 percent of its students felt overwhelmed, 83 percent felt exhausted, 50.2 percent felt overwhelmed with anxiety, and 34.2 percent felt depressed. Stress, a complex but normal physiological response triggered by everyday pressures and events, is an all too familiar phenomenon that infiltrates nearly every aspect of modern society. From the classroom to the home and beyond, stress levels fluctuate and vary from person to person. Throw in a global pandemic into the mix, and you have an ongoing battle with seemingly little relief.

petitive motions like knitting or cross-stitching. But keep in mind that de-stressing techniques are not one-size-fits-all. What may do wonders for you may do very little for someone else. Third-year sociology major Kenzie Magnowski, for example, finds that watching movies to de-stress is at most counterproductive.

“Those things help me escape some of the stress momentarily but make me more stressed in the long run because they have enabled me to procrastinate more,” she says. For Kenzie, physical activity and spending time outdoors are more fulfilling alternatives.

Stress begins with a perceived threat. When you feel threatened, a “fight or flight” response kicks in. Your brain releases hormones that send alarm signals throughout your body, arming you with a punch of adrenaline to take action against the threat. A threat, or stressor, can be anything from the physical environment around you to significant life changes.

Journaling is one of the most popular methods to de-stress. Numerous studies show that expressive writing or reflective journaling gives people—from college students to senior patients with medical conditions—a platform to identify stress triggers, manage anxiety, and alleviate mental stress. There is no one way to journal either. Dr. James W. Pennebaker, in an interview with the New York Times, encourages switching things up and experimenting with journaling tools. Perhaps you prefer to type out your entries on your phone or laptop. Or if you find it easier to think aloud, pull up a recording app on your phone. There is nothing wrong with being a purist, either. The slow and methodical process of handwriting adds to the journaling experience.

On a good day, a healthy dose of stress provides the necessary motivation to complete a task or overcome a challenge. Problems arise when the stressor causes more stress than is helpful, resulting in emotional overload. The hormones that prepare you to act against a threat now appear to work against your mind and body—you cannot concentrate, you cannot sleep well, you are restless, your heart races, your muscles tense.

It is this intense or prolonged “fight or flight” state that harms your wellbeing and mental health. Even more frustrating is the toll it can take on academics, work performance, and overall productivity. Without proper relief, stress can make you vulnerable to significant health risks, including hypertension and heart complications.

Cultivating healthy strategies gives you a chance to learn how to identify and respond to stressors and curtail their adverse effects. Stress-coping methods can include taking walks in a park to engaging in re-

To reap maximum benefits with this technique, experts advise that you also make your journaling sessions constructive—that is, conclude your entries on a high note. Got those negative feelings off your chest about an incident with a friend? Propose a solution, write about something you are grateful for, compose a quirky song, or express your dreams, hopes and desires in life. Pair journaling with other lifestyle adjustments as well, such as getting your heart rate up with an activity or throwing some veggies onto your plate every now and then.

“Nature and poetry offer a kind perspective that soothes . . .”

- Gillian Scott

“I like destressing by doing crafts or things with my hands . . .”

- Sarah Lee

​​

What does de-stressing look like for you? Do you rendezvous with escapism over your favourite books or TV shows? Or do you steal away to a quiet place for a moment of solitude? To bring to life the variety in stress-relief methods out there, several TWU students, alumni, and staff were asked to share some examples of their favourite go-to techniques.

“Mindfulness exercises work for me . . .”

- Jeriel Rocacurva

“I make sure to have cozy lighting . . .”

- Carlos Pérez

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THE EUPHORIA SPECIALS AND PANDEMIC STORYTELLING SETH SCHOUTEN

Euphoria, HBO’s hit drama created by Sam Levinson, is a show seemingly without limitations. Now well into its second season and surrounded by a perpetual cloud of controversy and discussion, Euphoria constantly asserts itself as one of the most creatively exciting and devised projects on television. It includes unparalleled production design, complex camera work, and an astounding ensemble of characters. On paper, the show covers a multitude of severe and troubling issues. It depicts drug use, addiction, violence, graphic sexual content, abuse, and trauma. But this show is a sick beauty and never seems to let its heavy content land. The myriad of troubled, dark moments pass by one after the other.

“Euphoria is a filthy, filmic high.”

The stylization of Euphoria transports the audience into a strange, hypnotic headspace. The darkness and evil that permeate the series are caught up in a rapture of glitter and glamour. Episodes are filled with moody, sultry, seductive light. The camera twists like a dancer through carefully arranged long takes. Its soundtrack alternates between Labrinth’s dramatic synthetic score, nostalgic jazz and funk, and contemporary hip-hop. The second season elevates the aesthetic sensibilities of the show with cinematographer Marcell Rév opting to shoot it on 35mm film, giving the series a lived-in, personal quality.

Euphoria is a filthy, filmic high. However, the most interesting choice Levinson makes is his deconstructing the series with a pair of unexpected, pandemic-dictated specials between the two seasons that work as both an examination of the series and a reflection of real-world anxieties.

Euphoria is not just interested in overindulging in its wicked style. A frequent criticism of the show is that it romanticizes its troubling and mature content, covering the difficult material with flashy editing and visual finesse. But these two between-season specials demonstrate that Levinson has a deep care for his characters and has a mastery of how they function. He takes time in these episodes to break them down and show them off without the aesthetic sensibilities that the series relies on. Levinson takes the audience out of the high.

Created during the midst of the pandemic after the start of production on season two was delayed indefinitely, the specials each focus on one of Euphoria’s leads—Rue Bennett and Jules Vaughn—shortly after the collapse of their relationship at the end of the first season. These specials act as a sort of “brick wall” that the characters and the audience have to reckon with. The characters, moving quickly through a ferociously paced first season, crash into a reality that they cannot escape from. Slowly paced and narratively relaxed, these unexpected additions to the show let Levinson, the characters, and the audience deal with the emotional and psychological fallout of what these two women have endured.

The first special, Trouble Don’t Last Always (2020), restricts Rue, played by Zendaya, to a single location. The entire hour-long runtime is dedicated to a conversation between her and Ali, her NA sponsor played by Colman Domingo. Rue is trying, although not particularly successfully, to get better. The second special, F— Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob (2021), follows Jules, played by Hunter Schafer, during a meeting with her therapist. It is a complicated discussion about femininity and trauma.

Jules is trying to define her own existence by moving beyond what her peers and her family have defined her as.

They are distillations of what has come before. The bright

colours are replaced with simple lighting. The sprawling ensemble is replaced by two people talking for an hour in a diner. The over-the-top partying is substituted with a therapist’s office. For once, the show feels simple. It takes a breath of fresh air.

“For once, the show feels simple. It takes a breath of fresh air.”

The specials are further an expression of reaction to the circumstances of their creation. They were written and shot during the early days of the pandemic when large-scale production and work on the second season was impossible. The world was on pause and everything slowed down making these unspectacular, raw, and intimate episodes the only logical step for the series. Levinson uses these two episodes to ask difficult questions implicit to pandemic existence. How do we react to the collapse of our world? How do we learn to live with ourselves? What do we do in the quiet moments when we are left alone?

Here, Euphoria offers up a rare moment of hope. Trouble Don’t Last Always and F— Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob do not pretend to solve their character’s problems (there is an argument to be made that Rue and Jules are worse than before in the second season), but they are willing to strive for something better. Levinson uses the extreme circumstances of the pandemic to break down his series and craft two unique pieces of television. Euphoria acknowledges that we are all broken people. What matters is that we are willing to take the journey to get better.

Maybe, one day, it will all get better.

MAD ABOUT SHREK: GEN-Z’S BIZARRE OGRE OBSESSION SOPHIE HOLLAND

In the Declassifieds of Mars’ Hill’s recently released issue, Nostalgia, a “confused and concerned prof” made the following entry: “Can Mars’ Hill please write an article explaining Gen Z’s weird obsession with ‘Shrek?’” You asked, and your wish has been answered!

In 2001, the movie Shrek took to the screens, and the big green icon stole our hearts. The film was a massive success––it received rave reviews, and grossed 487.9 million USD when it was first released. The Shrek franchise continued to grow as time went on. Its sequel, Shrek 2, was released in 2004, and was a huge hit, grossing at 928.7 million USD. After that, the next two installments in the series, Shrek the Third (2007) and Shrek Forever After (2010) were not as positively received by fans, despite having major box office successes. However, this did not stop the Shrek franchise’s legacy from continuing.

After seeing the movies, many parents of Generation Z children ended up spending money on terrifying green merchandise to satisfy the desires of their Shrek-fanatic kids. As Gen Z’s love for the character became more and more evident, the movies spurred several short films, video games, a Universal Studios theme park ride, a broadway musical, and more. Notably, as the Gen Z Shrek fanbase entered into their teens and twenties, an entire pantheon of memes was created, including the disturbing, “Shrek is Love, Shrek is Life” 4chan video. It was this video in particular, among several other memes, that launched many Gen Z folks into a haunting Shrek-obsessed phase, and for some, this phase has never stopped.

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So why is it that Gen Z, and many others, are so obsessed with Shrek, devoting memes and merchandise to the famous ogre?

For starters, the films are classics that many of us were raised on in Western society. Many of us can quote at least one line from the film, and have fond memories of watching Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey’s adventures. Even those who strongly dislike the films have some impression of them––when it comes to an iconic movie, even bad attention is attention nevertheless.

“You can thank some dark yet creative Gen-Z minds for claiming the animated ogre as one of our beloved icons.”

Shrek is also an iconic film in the sense that it incorporates fairytale characters from childhood stories with which we were already familiar, and puts a new refreshing twist on these characters, including Pinocchio, the Big Bad Wolf, the Gingerbread Man, and more. Moreover, Shrek takes place in an enchanted land where ogres, magic, talking animals, and fairytale creatures can exist to begin with.

For many, this is a compelling premise for a setting. Shrek takes the classic fairytale tropes and combines them in

various ways, many of which include modern twists that can intrigue us and make us laugh.

Obviously, to many of us, Shrek is funny. Many young children were absolutely spellbound by the amount of coarse jokes and references to bodily functions. Furthermore, Shrek is a prominent example of a kids’ film that hides adult humor within its content, and subtly includes dirty jokes that are bound to float over kids’ heads. The presence of these jokes in a children’s film shocks us now, but it was a sneaky way for parents to enjoy a movie alongside their children––the bursts of adult humor every now and then are ways in which parents can have a laugh, be entertained, and not fall asleep during family movie night.

Shrek is also a clear example of character development at its peak. In the film, Shrek infamously describes ogres as being “like onions,” reason being that, “onions have layers, ogres have layers.” This iconic line from the film is usually laughed at; however, it has a much deeper meaning when we stop and think about it. Shrek may seem like a “big stupid ugly ogre” on the outside, but he is a much more complex character than that––he is kind, he is on the side of good, and he also longs for nothing more than to be left alone on his swamp without his annoyingly chatty best friend interrupting him every ten minutes.

So, “confused and concerned prof,” you can thank some dark yet creative Gen-Z minds for claiming the animated ogre as one of our beloved icons. I guess it’s all over––I mean, ogre––now.

WRITINGS ON THE WALL: THEATRE STUDENTS RESPOND TO REMOVAL OF AWAKE DISPLAY CARTER SAWATZKY

Anyone who regularly walks the main floor of the Robert N. Thompson (RNT) building would have noticed the array of red and black quotes sprawled across the walls and floor outside the SAMC theatre. Designed by Shel Wyminga and Uliana Akulenko––both theatre alumni and the set designers for AWAKE––the quotation display was created as part of their design for that show. The inspiring wall of words was not merely graffiti––it was a thoughtful investment from those in theatre involving time, money, and creative direction.

In the wake of Trinity Western University (TWU)’s devastating decision to “sunset” its Theatre Department by 2024, the sprawling wall display was filled with heartfelt messages of what alumni have learned and loved from their time in the department, as well as what they will miss the most. Theatre intended for the public display to stay up until Saturday, February 5, which was the final showing of SAMC’s New Words, New Works, a student-written and acted production.

However, the designed art display was promptly erased and painted over by TWU maintenance on orders of the Provost, Dr. Bob Wood, on Thursday, January 27. By Friday, January 28, the eye-catching display of love, loss, and hope in RNT was gone.

When asked for comment, the Provost said: “The Theatre Department chose to install a wall display in conjunction with the AWAKE play that ran from November 23 – December 4. The display was specifically designed to connect with this play. The Interim Dean of SAMC at the time, Andrea Soberg, communicated to the Theatre Department Cochairs that the expectation was that the display would be taken down after the play. When I discovered in late January that the display was still up, I contacted the Co-chairs to ask them to take the display down.

They were too busy preparing for the next play to do it themselves, so I contacted maintenance to assist. The Department supplied the paint they had on hand to assist with the project.”

“In the more than ten years since the school began, we have never asked for permission to put up our displays because the space was specifically painted and designated for that purpose.”

To a follow-up email asking why the display needed to be removed on Thursday, Jan. 27, Dr. Wood said: “While the display provided an important means of expression for those associated with theatre, there were others who expressed concerns about the display. When I discovered that it was still up towards the end of January, I followed up with the Co-chairs.”

rush on it being painted over.” To Willoughby, “This wall, these words, have been comforting to me to have as I walk the halls of RNT,” and its “words from my big brothers and sisters who emerged stronger because of theatre” were an encouragement. The wall of words “has made it feel like home while I can still call it that,” she says. “However, this effort to silence and paint over our voices feels to me like a reflection of how they wish to erase us theatre artists at Trinity.”

“This effort to silence and paint over our voices feels to me like a reflection of how they wish to erase us theatre artists at Trinity.”

Many in the Theatre Department felt that this move was a low blow.

They were left with questions like, why punish a department still processing and grieving the decision to dismantle it? And most of all, why the panicked paint-over in the leadup to the opening of the department’s newest production New Words, New Works? It remains unclear from the Provost’s response why the removal could not wait ten days for the RNT display to be taken down in due time; it also is unclear who exactly were those “who expressed concerns about the display.”

While the program closures and subsequent actions specifically impact theatre, the continuing emotional response is not confined to theatre alone.

“Art isn’t just for the artist, but for everyone,” Willoughby says in her initial post. “Now more than ever Christians need to understand the value of all forms of art” as “it is a way of expression, community, and glorifying God through capturing the stories of all of his people.”

She stresses that she “will never show others the disrespect you have shown us” and that she “will honour their stories even if their chapter where they are is coming to a close.” Additionally, she says that TWU is “not the enemy, but for some reason you treat us as such.

“My degree has allowed me to learn to empathize with those whose shoes I would never even think to step into,” Willoughby says, adding she is “sorry for you and your unfortunate shoes” as “a world without art is a world without colour and flavour and therefore you are limiting the palette of Christ’s glorification and work.” She wishes TWU “could know for yourself the Christ-like love and community I have felt because of theatre.”

Despite the unexpectedly whitened walls in RNT, theatre students have taken to repost their thoughts through Post-its, taped pieces of paper, and posters (one of which includes a picture of President Husbands with the words “WHY?” written across his face). Here are some of the new words posted:

Explaining the history of the gallery wall, Theatre Department co-chair Angela Konrad reflected on the early days of the School of Arts, Media + Culture. “When SAMC was founded,” in April 2010, she says, “the lobby outside the theatre was designated gallery space to be used by the Theatre Department to promote and support productions and by the art department to display student art. In the more than ten years since the school began, we have never asked for permission to put up our displays because the space was specifically painted and designated for that purpose.”

Many found out about the removal of the display through an Instagram post by Maddi Willoughby, a fourth year theatre major, where she expresses her heartbreak. Posted on Thursday, January 27, she says that a “new wave of emotions hit me over the Theatre Department closing” but it was not about the closure itself this time, “but a blunt disrespect I felt has been pointed towards my theatre family.” She says that to have their art erased prematurely “isn’t an unfamiliar blade for the Theatre department, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.

“This wall of phrases from alumni’s letters to the closing department,” Willoughby says in her post, “has been kept up and was to be kept up until the end of the next show.” Instead, “the Provost has demanded a

“Even if you don’t care about art or theatre,” Willoughby says in a subsequent Instagram story post, “there are people behind the work” who are being hurt by what they perceive to be silencing and insensitivity.

“This lack of heart for people is what I fear will be left behind once we are gone,” she says, “not just towards the artists, but to all TWU students.” _____________ Some theatre alumni have started an initiative to keep the Theatre Department at TWU. They have started a petition which has nearly 1600 signatures.

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GRACE GIESBRECHT

“

[The Freedom Convoy] has far more in common with last year’s insurrection in Washington D.C. than it will ever have with peaceful movements—right down to the confederate flags.”

Peaceful non-violent protest is a pillar of our democracy—of any liberal democracy—and has been an agent of incredible and important change in the world. “Operation Bear Hug Ottawa,” colloquially called the Freedom Convoy 2022, is no such protest.

Instead, it is in equal parts a simple temper tantrum born of valid frustration and a seditious coup.

Organized by non-profit Canada Unity, what began as a reaction to mandated vaccines for cross-border truck drivers and concern for supply chains quickly morphed into a broad anti-COVID-19-restriction movement.

Parked at the wrong legislature to protest what are primarily provincial mandates, the protest is peaceful in theory but is marbled with extremists and led by an organization whose manifesto expects only a complete insurrection to end its occupation of Ottawa.

The purpose of the Freedom Convoy is not particularly clear from the demonstrations. Canada Unity’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), published on its website, describes the removal of all mandates and the restoration of freedoms previously removed under COVID-19 restrictions.

Called “very dangerous” and “very volatile” by Ottawa’s police chief, the convoy is in no way the nonviolent civil disobedience of decades past.

It has far more in common with last year’s insurrection in Washington D.C. than it will ever have with peaceful movements—right down to the confederate flags.

Granted, plenty of peaceful protesters were among the throng of flag-bearing, toque-wearing crowds who played street hockey and shovelled sidewalks. Not every protester was lashing white supremacist propaganda to the hood of their Kenworth.

The fact remains that whoever waved that swastika on Parliament hill in early February felt welcome to do so in that crowd. Those who stand in support next to protesters who wave hateful symbols, incite violence, intimidate civilians and government workers, storm malls unmasked, and desecrate national monuments are complicit.

Though the protest itself combines a demonstration against pandemic public health policy with extremist hatred, the aims of the convoy’s lead-

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ership are far more seditious. The MOU outlining the subject of this “operation” also describes its endgame.

In the completion of what it benignly terms “the Initiative,” the MOU requires the cooperation of the Senate and Governor General of Canada to form the Citizens of Canada Committee (CCC). It begins by forcing all provincial, territorial and municipal governments to remove all COVID-19 restrictions. Then, the Senate and Canada Unity, called the “representative of the people,” will become the Government of Canada.* This illiberal wet dream of bastardizing Canadian democracy by eliminating Parliament in favour of an unelected coalition is not only ridiculous but incredibly ironic. In the effort to achieve that which they call freedom, this organization requires the death of democracy—the only type of regime that requires individual freedom to function.

It is also impossible. There is no constitutional way for the federal government to force its will upon provinces.

There is also no constitutional—or at all democratic—way for a committee appointed jointly by Canada Unity and the Senate to become the people’s representative and run the country entirely unelected.

I am sure that many protesters do not know this endgame. Plenty are frustrated and asking the existing government to hear their voice. This sedition, however, is the stated intention of their leadership and, like a single swastika in a crowd of red maple leafs, it signals a troubling collective acceptance of an utterly unacceptable premise.

Protests can be beautiful things. They can bring people together in support of each other and an important cause. They can make voices heard, and they can bring about real and lasting change.

But the reason they are able to do so is because the liberal democracy we inherit, live by, and pass down is bound to the will of her citizens and their representatives. Protest is powerful because of democracy: therefore, the moment a protest in a liberal democracy becomes a protest of the very existence of that liberal democracy is the moment that beauty dies. *Since writing, the MOU has been retracted by Canada Unity.

ALIYA COY

“

Of all my interactions with people on both sides, they all proclaim the same thing: “I’m so sick of the mandates.”

As a vaccinated person in my family, I have found myself to be extremely isolated and constantly needing to make hard decisions. Half of my family strongly trusts that they are protected with the vaccine and the other half believes that, along with a belief about potential birth defects, this is the first step of the mark of the beast that we read about in the Book of Revelation.

How do I love those around me when feelings of love are not reciprocated?

I am not talking about right or wrong or political correctness; I am simply talking about how people interact with people. To be quite honest, I am tired of people coming after others in a vicious attempt to make them feel less than or incompetent for their opinions.

Okay, now that I got that out of the way, allow me to address what we are calling the Freedom Convoy. The movement which was ignited by the increase of the vaccine mandates putting more people out of work. But may I pose the question of who likes mandates?

Of all my interactions with people on both sides, they all proclaim the same thing: “I’m so sick of the mandates.” Whether you see the Freedom Convoy as an overdue national act, a disgrace to democracy, or just a traffic jam on the way to work, your opinion is valid. I actually have no interest in knowing through and through if the convoy is intrinsically good or bad, but I do care about the fact that these people feel as though they have something worth raising their voice over.

I’d rather they do something about it than sit behind their keyboard and write hate comments to anyone who doesn’t agree. Since when did we all have to agree? Isn’t that what makes us beautiful creatures? I feel as though it is a choice that we have to make to not allow bitterness or selfishness to rule our tongue or our fingertips.

We all make choices every minute of every day. Watch Netflix, or study.

Go to the gym, or eat chips. You get the point. Now, what if you are in the cafeteria and you have the pizza for lunch and everyone sees that you have pizza. All of the people who also took the pizza give you an affirming smile, head nod, or crisp high-five, while all of the people who didn’t take pizza give you the side eye, talk about you behind your back, and tweet something mean in hopes that you’ll see it. I don’t know about you, but I learned as a young child how to be nice and not bully other kids.

I learned that people control their own actions and are entitled to their opinions. I learned that just because someone likes the colour blue and I don’t, doesn’t make the colour blue bad, and I don’t have to wear it if I don’t want to.

So whether it’s my family members isolating me from other family members, or my own father sending me links for a vaccine detox clinic, this is what bullies are made of. There’s no more room in our society for more bullies––so just be nice.

FOUR CURRENT STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON THE FREEDOM CONVOY CARTER SAWATZKY The Freedom Convoy began in response to a federal vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers, but it has since become a symbol for many discontented Canadians who hope for the repeal of all pandemic health measures.

The convoy has sparked impassioned dialogue from Canadians of various perspectives. To gain a greater understanding of various views of TWU students, we asked four current students for their thoughts on the recent Freedom Convoy and the protesting against vaccine mandates.

Their responses touch on various issues including what makes a good or bad protest, the value of peaceful protest, what “freedom” looks like, the role of our faith, the polarization present in many families, and the importance of kindness for “the other side.”

XELIAN LOUW

“

Where are the protests advocating for the truly beleaguered?

Aight, I’m not really here to give my opinions as to why I’m for or against COVID mandates or convoys, but to share my conviction that the Christian’s battle is far greater than the practicality of policies and petitions.

I’ll tell you that, surprise surprise, the bush-boy, camper van kid isn’t an anti-vaxxer. And I confess that calculating precautions to protect the immunocompromised from COVID-19 presents a sticky dilemma in part due to their detrimental effect on societal welfare. But our God is more about the heart than the what.

I stand for the rights to non-violently protest and encourage people to be critical of information they hear from politicized perspectives. I personally have strong concerns with the illegal disposal of our constitution in a permanent “State of Emergency” as well as the general population’s flippant impudence for academic, scientific literature.

Moreover, I am stupefied by the booming Christian voices who squeal in fear for their own rights and freedoms. How is it that an exalted endorsement or opposition to these political movements should convince the world that there is a Kingdom of loving-gentleness and a Spirit of power in us which allows us to live free even in conflict and circumstantial restrictions (New Testament worship in prison)?

Satan’s mission is not to deviously disqualify a believer’s salvation through sinful loopholes such as “men with long hair,” or “sex, which leads to dancing”; but, to divide the unified Church of Christ! Now, I don’t know the Canadian constitution very well, but I’m quite confident that the biblical constitution demands the Church’s harmony.

“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and [vice versa], for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?” (Romans 14:1-4).

In Acts 16:3, proceeding a statement that circumcision is irrelevant, Paul demonstrates that to not be a stum-

bling block to others is paramount by circumcising Timothy––a fully grown man (huge health-risk!)––simply to not distract Jews from the Gospel. Why do some Christians act as though freedom is to “do whatever we want,” enslaved to flesh and victims to Satan’s tyrannical monopoly of governmental bodies?

Our biblical rights and FREEDOMS are to be slaves to Christ. We are free to be obedient conduits of quintessential Love Himself and the un-depletable Hope set out before us––rejoicing in the face of true suffering for Christ. Why then do we submit to discomfort and segregate ourselves over non-salvific matters when our worthier calling is to be one coalesced Body?

Our inherited Abrahamic covenant calls us to collectively have a heart-jerk-reaction to plea against the oppression of other nations. Where are the protests advocating for the truly beleaguered? Christians from both polarized ends of the political spectrum often claim to be champions of the COVID-marginalized, and perhaps correctly so, yet there seems to be in their own eye, a plank blotting out the truly persecuted.

If you wish to find a dangerous man, do not look to those who ignorantly wear Lucifer’s crown and swing his scythe, but, instead, be wary of the ones who have tasted and seen, yet do not delight in the fruits of the Spirit while they are ripe and sweet, but leave the fruits to rot, and later maliciously paint them across those they wish to “cancel.” Who wants to be a part of that Kingdom? Even God spits out the lukewarm, and not the boiling or frigid (Rev. 3:16).

Is our greatest earthly foe, even above Satan, not our own spiritual apathy? Ironically, I see few radically opposing this. If this battle is truly not of flesh and blood, but of the spiritual realm, then love your enemy instead of fighting him, and devote your attention to things above (Eph. 6:12).

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” and only then will we be people known by our Love (Matthew 6:21; John 13:35).

SAMUEL SEFZIK

“

These mandates, whether they have been helpful for public health or not, have contradicted so much of what Canadians traditionally believe.

As a cautious optimist, I believe that any hopeful person who wants to see the good in the world can find strong reasons to appreciate the Freedom Convoy. Here’s why: This is a movement of hundreds of thousands of people of all backgrounds, from all corners of Canada.

It is made up of white, Black, Indigenous, Sikh, Christian, Muslim, and virtually every other ethnicity and religion, campaigning for the same cause: equal treatment for everyone, regardless of their medical choices.

Canadians can be proud of one another for coming together in this way.

It is easy to tilt public perception of a movement this large. It is hard to know how many people and vehicles are involved, but estimates range from several thousand to tens of thousands of trucks and cars. We cannot know an exact number and there has been a constant ebb and flow since the original convoy. At that size, it is statistically impossible for there not to be some in the mix who want to hijack the momentum with their negativity. However, the movement is defined by how they deal with these people, and there has been nearly universal condemnation from organizers, participants, and the public. Sadly, the media has chosen to focus exclusively on the hatred of a few, doing all Canadians a disservice.

These mandates, whether they have been helpful for public health or not, have contradicted so much of what Canadians traditionally believe. Segregating people into those who can and cannot access all of civil society based on a personal medical choice creates first and second-class citizens, and is quite uninspiring for an enlightened country like Canada.

Canadians are a people who value equal treatment, equal access, and equal opportunity. This is why the Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms were created. Most importantly, these documents don’t exist only for the easy times, when we are at peace and getting along: they exist for the hard and unprecedented times, to ensure that people are still treated equally when there is strife and unrest.

As Westerners, we have to accept that freedom is dangerous. But it is a good dangerous. So dangerous that it allows us to think thoughts that challenge the mainstream, to confront institutions, and speak out when something is wrong. It allows the best ideas to rise to the top through competitive discourse. Freedom allows people to innovate, cure devastating diseases, create challenging art, explore the last frontiers of nature, stand up against evil and injustice, and create hope for the human condition. It is the danger and beauty of what is possible that makes freedom so worth preserving.

As an American who loves my Canadian friends, I believe this starts with every one of us. Our true character is revealed not when we are comfortable, but in how we treat others when the world is falling apart around us.

Will you be able to look back on this cultural moment and be proud of how you regarded those you disagreed with? Did you still stand up for their freedom of conscience, even when it was hard? If you can answer “yes,” then I believe there is tremendous hope for our future.

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WE’RE ALL MAD HERE: REVISITING MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION MARITHA LOUW

1945 marked the first time in history that a nuclear weapon was used in war. The United States deployed two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in an effort to pressure the Japanese government into a surrender.

Japan did capitulate, and the U.S. could justify the destruction of the bombs by arguing that their use prevented the death of U.S. and other Allied soldiers.

Other nations, especially the Soviet Union, were not content with being left without nuclear weaponry. At the end of the Second World War, the U.S. remained the only nation capable of successfully deploying a nuclear weapon, and this obviously posed an enormous threat to other states who did not have the adequate ability to fight back. Four years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Soviet Union successfully detonated its own nuclear device. This prompted a nuclear arms race between the two superpower nations, as both attempted to acquire as many effective and destructive nuclear weapons as possible.

By 1960, both the U.S. and Soviet Union possessed the means necessary to eliminate the other from the face of the earth. Either side, if attacked by the other, could retaliate with equal or greater force.

Stability in relations was established only when both sides had an equal number of weapons, equal number of delivery vehicles, and an equal ability to deploy the weapons to an equal degree of destruction.

Thus emerged the term “Mutually Assured Destruction,” or MAD, first coined by a strategist working in the Hudson Institute in Washington,

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D.C. The acronym was helpful, but it was also a poignant reminder of the completely irrational idea of deterrence. How could one trust an enemy nation to withhold the use of nuclear weaponry? More effective and complex technology was still being developed, to the point where nations could launch a nuclear attack from the ground, air, and sea. Multiple countries now possessed a form of weaponry that was capable of wiping out humanity completely.

“We should not be impressed by the number of nuclear weapons available, but rather impressed and grateful that none of these weapons have been used since 1945.”

In the late 20th century, several international treaties were made wherein nations agreed to disarm a certain type of nuclear weapon, or agreed to deplete their nuclear arsenal completely. These treaties have helped to slow down further proliferation of nuclear weaponry, but they are not legitimately enforceable, and many of the stronger nations, such as the U.S. and Russia, still maintain their high levels of nuclear weapons regardless of the treaties they have forced other countries to sign. Rath-

er than leading by example, these countries have refused to abide by the treaties and continue to stockpile and develop the weapons.

Besides the threat nuclear war poses to humanity’s existence on planet Earth, another fear faced by statesmen is that since there are so many countries which possess nuclear technology, there is a great chance of that technology falling into the hands of other actors, such as terrorist organizations, which are not bound by international law. Economic incentives and sanctions will not work to deter these actors from surrendering their technology.

Additionally, nuclear war today would not necessarily be started by the U.S. or Russia. It is entirely possible for India and Pakistan to go into a nuclear exchange, or Israel with Iran. However, a regional dispute could easily bring the Americans and Russians into the fray, and what might have begun as a war between two neighbours can easily go global.

There are a great many other fears that humanity has to face, including global warming, the pandemic, food or water scarcity, etc. But there are still around 15,000 nuclear warheads in the world, 4000 of which are active and capable of being deployed within minutes. We should not be impressed by the number of nuclear weapons available, but rather impressed and grateful that none of these weapons have been used since 1945.

THE RISE OF THE CASUAL FAN MAKENA WARDLE

“So you like [insert gatekept musician here]? Name five songs.” Though we have all had a phrase like this said to us––or worse, been the one to say it–– fear not: the rise of the casual fan seems to be upon us.

Gatekeeping (or attempting to restrict someone from participating in something) music, sports teams, books, fandoms, and the like has been around longer than you or me. I am positive there were snobby, rich Romans who had their favourite gladiators, and quizzed other snobby, rich Romans on statistics. Why, the Pharisees essentially tried to gatekeep religion, until Jesus shut them down for closing the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces.

I personally have feared for my life while wearing a Canucks jersey, terrified that some diehard fan will ask me to name their entire starting lineup. Yet, fortunately, there seems to be a shift occurring in our culture. Maybe it is wishful thinking, but it appears that more and more, people are becoming comfortable with the concept of a casual fan.

As it is written so eloquently in the ever-reliable Urban Dictionary, casual fans “aren’t particularly into

their fandom. They enjoy it, know some trivia, see some movies, have some stuff. Casual-Fans are more laid back.”

“Just please, for the love of God, let those of us, who don’t want to invest as much as you do, enjoy your obsession as a casual fan.”

One of the catalysts of this gradual shift may be everyone’s favorite time consumer, TikTok. The platform thrives off little snippets of songs and quick sound clips from movies, television shows, and the like. This is providing people with casual consumption of content they otherwise wouldn’t have encountered: frat boys have Doja Cat lyrics stuck in their heads, and the anti anime-ers are reciting obscure quotes from One Piece. We have seen the same thing occurring in memes for years, as

screen-caps of that Ancient Aliens show your dad loves floated from Reddit to Tumblr to Instagram.

There is always the risk that this will cause people to hold on even tighter to their niche, guarding it all the more carefully. However, I am hopeful this will have the opposite effect, and that people will feel a sense of pride in seeing their fandoms appreciated by previous ignorers or naysayers.

Is there anything wrong with applying blue eyeliner while obsessively rewatching Euphoria as you wait for the next episode to come out? Or with wearing nothing but your Buccaneers jersey for a week straight in hopes it will somehow manifest their presence in the Superbowl? Not at all!

Showing undying support for your favourite artist, athlete, crypto-currency, or whatever else you’re obsessed with is a noble pursuit. Just please, for the love of God, let those of us, who don’t want to invest as much as you do, enjoy your obsession as a casual fan.

YOU ARE NOT YOUR MENTAL ILLNESS KYLE PENNER

It is annoying, is it not? When people substitute a personality with something else, something mundane. We often see this occur with hobbies or work or other interests. It does not take long speaking with one of these people before you realize that their entire personality is based around going to the gym or being vegan or whatever it may be. Relationships also have this power––it is all too easy to sacrifice one’s own personality for the sake of some deep infatuation. I am sure I am not alone in the experience of witnessing a friend (or oneself) become so wrapped up in a partner that they become almost unrecognizable to us. It seems to be a psychological fact that human beings have a somewhat difficult time preventing something important to them become their sole defining feature.

We know this about ourselves—for all the good it does. We still seem generally unable to prevent ourselves from being swept up in that one thing.

A version of this that is by no means new, but that I have become aware of more recently, is a tendency to self-identify with mental illness. We have increased our awareness of mental illness—which is far preferable to unawareness—and this has given rise to a peculiar version of the phenomena I have been discussing. Mental illness has become a label that we can apply to ourselves, and like any attempt to label a human being, these fail to capture a person in their entirety.

Social media has been a catalyst for this phenomenon. As with any powerful technology there are positives as well as negatives. On the positive side,

social media has provided an outlet for people to express themselves and their feelings in non-judgmental, sometimes anonymous spaces. There is no doubt that there is a benefit to being able to go online and realize that there are other people experiencing the same sorts of things you are; the feeling of isolation that mental illness can have can be one of the most detrimental aspects.

“The line between supporting and uplifting people brave enough to share themselves and glamourising illnesses themselves is a fine one.”

On the negative side, the rise of influencers who use their platform to broadcast their mental illness, often to millions of people, has led to a certain amount of fetishization. Perhaps the most extreme case of this is the massive rise in popularity of the dissociative identity disorder (DID) community on TikTok. While certainly fascinating, and obviously entertaining to many, one wonders if this is the most healthy relationship that society can have towards such disorders; the line between supporting and uplifting people brave enough to share themselves and glamourizing illnesses themselves

is a fine one—and social media platforms are not places where nuance and fine-distinctions are prevalent.

It is always easy to latch on to the most extreme examples of such cases, but in reality I think the more prevalent and more subtle cases are more likely to do real harm. I am thinking here about various spaces in social media where your garden-variety mental illnesses like depression and anxiety are openly discussed and often made light of. This is not to say that this is necessarily a bad thing, being able to express yourself and have a laugh at your own expense can be healthy too, but I have found from personal experience that, as time goes on, inhabiting these spaces can take its toll.

One slowly begins to identify more and more with what one reads and sees on a daily basis. Rather than being a form of catharsis, these spaces morph into negative feedback loops where undesirable attitudes are reinforced. One begins to see only the negativity and forget the positive parts of one’s life and person altogether. In my own experience, I have found that I often need to take a step back and remind myself that I am so much more than whatever I am going through and whatever I may feel in the moment: I am not depressed, I am Kyle.

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GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY WORDLE MAKENA WARDLE

Our world has found another thing to collectively obsess over during yet another phase of COVID-19: Wordle. Started by software engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner––and as a pun on his name––this quick, daily word game continues to grow in popularity.

Created in October of 2021, the word game started out with a small following before it became a viral Twitter sensation. Memes surrounding the game have made their rounds, with new ones popping up each day based off of that day’s word.

According to The Guardian, it has grown from 90 daily players to approximately two million.

The game play is relatively simple, but that does not always make it easy. Each day, the site uploads a new puzzle with a new word. As the Wordle site itself says, “Each guess must be a valid 5 letter word. Hit the enter button to submit. After each

guess, the color of the tiles will change to show how close your guess was to the word.” A grey tile means the letter is not in the word, yellow means the letter is included but in the wrong spot, and green means it is correct.

“Though there is a chance a new brain teaser will pop up soon, Wordle seems to be here to stay.”

the Vancouver Sun, the game was recently adapted by “Blackstock, a hereditary chief of the Gitxsan Nation in northwestern B.C.” into her native language of Gitxsan.

Though there is a chance a new brain teaser will pop up soon, Wordle seems to be here to stay. On January 31, the New York Times announced that it purchased Wordle for an “undisclosed price in the low-seven figures,” adding it into its portfolio of games with over one million subscriptions.

However, whether you are a midnight player or a first-thing-in-the-morning Wordler, you can rest assured: the New York Times has stated that the game will remain free and unchanged.

Since its inception, hundreds of remakes have been created in numerous languages, giving people around the world with internet access the chance to test their word-game skills. According to

TAKEAWAYS FROM THE ROGAN/SPOTIFY CONTROVERSY KYLE PENNER

If you have been online at all in the past few weeks, I am sure that you are aware of the media frenzy surrounding Spotify and Joe Rogan. The controversy, though not entirely new, was reignited when Neil Young demanded that his music be removed from Spotify; he cited COVID-19 misinformation on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast as his reason. Other artists have since followed suit, notably, Joni Mitchell and India Arie.

The controversy redoubled when a video compilation of Joe Rogan using the N-word went viral, adding racism to the list of reasons that artists may have for not wanting to associate themselves with Rogan and Spotify.

“Spotify is better as an open platform with diverse opinions.”

Rogan has since apologized for both the COVID-19 misinformation and the racism. The genuineness of such apologies is always up for debate, and many are divided on whether these apologies ought to be accepted or not (my take: the apology for misinformation seemed like a PR move and the apology for racism seemed genuine). Spotify has so far stood by Rogan, with whom

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they recently signed a $100 million deal for the exclusive right to platform his podcast. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, however, made it clear in a letter to Spotify employees that he believes that, “[n]ot only are some of Joe Rogan’s comments incredibly hurtful – I want to make clear that they do not represent the values of this company.” He is committed to keeping Spotify an open platform.

Spotify has responded to this controversy in a number of ways: it has since added a flair to podcast episodes discussing the pandemic pointing towards an information page regarding up-todate COVID-19 information. It has also removed those episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience that were most offensive.

This whole controversy raises a lot of talking points and spans a number of different issues. Regarding artists’ choice to remove their work from the platform, I (perhaps obviously) think that they have the right to do so. I also think that, as a private company, Spotify also has the choice to platform or censor whoever it wishes; if Spotify had decided to ditch Rogan’s podcast it would have done nothing wrong. Had it removed the podcast, I would have been somewhat disappointed; I agree with Ek that Spotify is better as an open platform with diverse opinions. The right to free speech does not extend to private platforms, and they can choose to platform whomever they like, but, as platforms

become large enough to be spaces that most people have access to, I think that maintaining a semblance of free speech on them is preferable.

That being said, I am not fully in support of Spotify.

India Arie, who released a video announcing that she would remove her content from Spotify, raised what I think is a more important point. She wrote in an Instagram post, “What I’m talking about is RESPECT - who gets it and who doesn’t. Paying musicians a Fraction of a penny? And HIM $100M?” She says that she finds Rogan’s language around race problematic.

The disparity around who is getting compensated

by Spotify is, I think, the real issue. Dissatisfaction around the way that artists are compensated by streaming services is not new, but it is important.

It is difficult to make money off of streaming revenue and many feel like this meagre compensation is unfair. I tend to agree, and though I enjoy and continue to enjoy access to music on Spotify, I try to be mindful about supporting artists that I respect. Platforms like Bandcamp are a good way to access music in a way that more directly supports the artists involved; when I feel that an artist truly deserves it, I try not to be too stingy.

Also, if anyone finds a vinyl copy of Blue by Joni Mitchell, I am now looking for one.

What is your major, year, and where are you from?

I’m an MCOM major in my third year. I was born in Montreal, but I spent most of my life in Haiti, then the Dominican Republic, then Alberta, then back to Haiti, and I spent some time in Florida. And now, I’m here!

When did you first begin dancing and why?

I started dancing around when I was 14.

I saw a few vine videos, and there were dance crazes that were going around. I was doing those, and my siblings said I was pretty good, so I started to teach myself. Then when I moved to Haiti, I kind of stopped that, but kept dancing still. From there, I just wanted to get better at it ever since. Also, I used to watch The Next Step, which kind of prompted my desire to dance. Ever since then, I’ve just been wanting to dance!

What made you decide to create dance videos on Tik Tok and Instagram?

Actually, I did it because my family told me to! My older siblings are not with me all the time––like when we moved to Haiti, I was there with my little sisters and my parents, but they weren’t around––so they wanted to connect with me, and see how I was doing with dance because they saw I was interested in that. My older sister encouraged me to post some stuff online even if it didn’t go viral, so I was like, “Sure!” Since then, I only started taking classes when I got to TWU. Agape was my first official dance class, but I’ve been pretty much

teaching myself [dance] my whole life. I didn’t have access to teachers or classes in Haiti, but coming here motivated me to keep pursuing this hobby.

What are your favourite genres of dance?

Where do you get your inspirations?

Honestly, for me, I just let my body do whatever it does, especially when it comes to freestyle. My influence definitely comes from hip hop. If you go on my page, that’s the main genre that you will see, but I try to broaden the spectrum to make sure it’s not just one genre. I try to be as fluid as I can, try to connect everything as best as I can.

Is this something you would like to pursue professionally? How do you plan to use your talents after your time at TWU? I would like to get some more training after. I’m really enjoying going to classes here, but my schedule doesn’t always allow me to go. I want to be involved as a member as much as I can. Through that I’m getting leadership training as well, and I want to get more training after Trinity. I’d like to go to some studios where they can teach me and I can grow as a dancer.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

If any upcoming artists need backup dancers, I would be down!

To see Tina’s dance videos, you can follow her on Instagram @tinaloisgregory.

How did you first get involved with volleyball?

My dad coaches the women’s volleyball team here at TWU, and my mom did before him, so I grew up just always being around the program and watching games. I played some other sports when I was younger, because volleyball is not really a sport they offer at a super young age. When I was 12 years old I could finally play club volleyball, so that was where it really started. From there I have played at all levels from my local club, all the way through to Team BC at the Canada Games, and then also for the Junior Canadian National Team.

What is it like to represent your country at an international tournament?

It’s actually talked about a lot when we are with the Junior National Team. The coaches involved with the program are guys who have played for the Senior National Team, and they talk about taking a moment when you first put on that jersey, or when the anthem is playing, and just being grateful for who got you there. That’s something I still practice every time the national anthem gets played, even with our games here at TWU, because I am so deeply honoured to have had opportunities to represent Canada. I know that not many athletes get to experience that feeling, so I try to cherish it as much as I can each time I get the opportunity.

How did you decide on coming to TWU? This is a great story! When I was in grade 11, I didn’t really know much about the recruitment process, so when I had the University of Alberta head coach reach out for a recruitment visit, I was immediately stoked. Alberta was one of the best schools in the country and it was my real first offer, so I couldn’t wait to get involved. With my parents being so involved with volleyball at TWU, they definitely showed me reasons it would be a great choice, but I never was pressured to come to TWU. They were fully supportive of me making my own decision. Within a few days of getting the email from Alberta, I got a text from BenJo (Men’s Volleyball Head Coach Ben Josephson) asking me to meet him for coffee. I was also super stoked

about that, another top program in the country showing interest in me. When I met with Ben, he laid out his whole plans for me, but I actually told him I wanted to go see Alberta first. That came as a surprise to him and a lot of others because TWU checked all the boxes for me in terms of being a Christian, and staying close to home and my family. The next day I was walking around my house, and it just hit me that I really didn’t want to go to Alberta, and I knew TWU was right for me. So in less than 24 hours after I told BenJo I wanted to consider Alberta, I called him to verbally commit and the rest is history.

Tell us about your favourite volleyball moment?

It would probably have to be my first point that I ever played here at TWU. I got tossed into the 1st or 2nd set in our home opener against one of the best teams in the country. At this point I am this little scrawny first year, just amped out of my mind that any of this is actually happening, and that I am finally a Spartan. I get in the game and I’m immediately up to serve, so I just kept saying to myself, “Make the serve, make the serve.” We ended up scoring the point and the boys were hyping me up, it was just such a surreal moment where I felt I had made it.

One other really cool volleyball experience I had was with an organization called Athletes in Action.

There were about 10 of us who went on a trip to Haiti, and we got to build relationships with the people there, share our testimonies, and coach them in volleyball. That experience was for sure one of the most special I’ve had in my volleyball career.

Where do you see yourself after TWU? My goal is to play professional volleyball and play for the Senior Men’s National team after I graduate from TWU with my business degree. My plan is to play pro as long as I am playing for the national team. My hope is to be involved in at least the next two Olympic cycles in 2024 and 2028, and to compete on the Olympic stage at some point. I think that would be so cool to do. After that time period I would look to reassess where I want to go with pro volleyball, but for right now all my attention is set on those two Olympics.

SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT

BRODIE HOFER What is your year, team, position and major?

I am in my 4th year, I play on the men’s volleyball team as an outside, and I am majoring in business.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

TINA ST. GERMAIN

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THEATRE IS MY SPORT BRAEDON GROVER SUNNES Every year at camp I see one of my favourite kids come to the first day wearing a shirt that reads “THEATRE IS MY SPORT.” Most of my coworkers and I, who happened to mostly be involved in the performing arts, always loved the energy he brought alongside the sporty kids. Looking back, he brought a lot of the same determination, competitiveness, and physical engagement as any other kid. This is obviously not a universal case, but it brings up a question I have for not just Trinity Western University, but most educational institutions. Where is the line that prevents theatre from being considered a worthwhile investment for young people who want to learn and develop life skills? While it could be easy to point fingers at the downfalls of sports programs that mirror the criticisms of theatre and drama programs in most education settings, I think it is so much more important to bring to light the benefits of theatre that mirror the praises of sports.

“While both start out as an extracurricular, we see one become a fullride scholarship provider, and the other become a mocked career.”

First and foremost, the community of both types of programs seem to be the biggest draw. People are drawn to a team probably because of their initial interest (or their parents’), and stay because of the connections they have made. The family that you have experienced the highest highs with and was there for you in your darkest moment becomes the reason you stay. Sometimes the program or the people turn you away, but there are other teams or other games to play. Thinking back to one of my closest friends in high school who had to quit basketball because of one too many concussions,

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she was able to find another home because theatre was an option. For many, that feeling of home is not enough to let their kids join the theatre, and can often be seen as a waste of time or money.

Going to a higher education institution to study theatre is a waste of money, quite frankly. When we look at the difference of high school to university or college for these different programs we see starkly different realities. While both start out as an extracurricular, we see one become a fullride scholarship provider, and the other become a mocked career. The shift may seem easy to trace, because on the surface it seems sports brings in a lot of profit for schools. It is common, however, that most of the money coming in is from donors, and except for the biggest football and basketball programs, most don’t even turn a profit. While the theatre may have donors of its own, speaking from personal experience, scholarships for the arts are sizably smaller. This is not any school’s fault, necessarily, but is an unfortunate cause of the effect of losing the arts, which is happening in universities and colleges across North America, namely Christian ones. While I am not going to say, “Defund Spartans, open the theatre up!” I do want to highlight the stigma on theatrical arts as compared to the once-fellow extra-curricular activity.

Athletes are praised by parents and faculty at most institutions as some of the most hardworking and successful students to ever go through their school, but according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association recruiting statistics, less than two percent of student athletes go pro. This statistic is reflected in theatre artists who want to make a living. According to The Guardian it is also two percent of actors who live off of their art, while other sources argue less than one percent “make it” as actors. These statistics do not prove that one or the other student is more successful, but rather that achievement is not relevant. Athletes work hard during their time at university, many of them having full-time class schedules as well as many long hours of team mandated activities

where they interact and grow with their teams, but this is noticeably true for theatre students as well.

These programs bring in valuable leaders and hard workers to universities, who often are integral to the shaping of the student body and how they represent their school.

“Reflecting on the effects of either of these programs, the life long skills you adapt from working so hard on something for so long with a group that becomes your family cannot be paralleled by any “safe” extracurricular degree or activity.”

If you take one athlete and one actor and track their trail after university, they will have vastly different paths not only from one another, but from many of their peers and like-minded friends. Reflecting on the effects of either of these programs, the lifelong skills you adapt from working so hard on something for so long with a group that becomes your family cannot be paralleled by any “safe” extracurricular activity. Theatre is seen as a waste of money for a degree, and in another world, people might see sports as a waste of your free time, but for us that participate in one or the other, we know that those people couldn’t be more wrong. Theatre is my sport as much as sports can be your art.

DON’T TRAIN LIKE THE PROS! COLE HERGOTT

As a strength and conditioning coach at a university, some of you might picture me as a big ol’ scary dude who is mad all the time (as well as being bald and having a massive beard). However, as all the Spartans can attest, that is not true at all. I have hair (a mullet in fact) and have been baby-faced since birth. But more importantly, I consider myself a friendly person who is genuinely interested in making others better.

However, there are a few things that really do make me mad, and the main one that seems to pick at my calm mindset the most is the quality of training videos that are supported by major sports networks on social media. Now obviously this might be best done through a visual medium so we are all on the same page, but for those of you who have seen the videos, you know what I am talking about. I am referring to videos like the “Derrick Henry Stability Ball Push-up” and the “Stability Ball Jump on Skates.” If you have not seen these, don’t waste your time, and I am about to explain why.

Now I know your rebuttal “But then why are these high-profile athletes able to do these things?” Well, the first is that they are elite athletes who won the genetic lottery. They can do things most people in the world cannot, such as play their sport at a professional level and therefore they have a higher athletic ability than all of us (yes, even you!). Does that mean they can still do this type of high-risk training? Well, technically yes. It is their life, and their personal trainers and strength coaches obviously allowed them to do it, or even programmed it for them. Does this mean they should do this type of training? I would argue no.

Videos like these pop up in my news feed every now and then with the network’s captions being “INSANE WORKOUT” or “INCREDIBLE FEAT OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE” as if it is the most impressive thing ever.

Everyone in the comments just raves about how cool it is and how they cannot wait to try it or even beat these feats the next time they visit their gym. If you are one of these people, I have two words for you: Do not.

“The muscles in your body can’t tell what kind of exercise you are doing, they can only tell how hard they have to work. If you push your body, it will respond and get stronger.

That is how it works.”

Why? There are a few major reasons. The main one being that the risk of injury in these clips is WAY too high for the pay-off. Especially when you consider that the risk could be as severe as a career ending injury and the payoff is… views and likes? Yes, you may get your 10 minutes of fame, but is that really worth not being able to train or play your sport ever again?

As a fitness professional, I know it is not my place to tell others what to do with their athletes or clients, but all I am saying is that if I was their strength coach, I would NOT risk my $10 million dollar athlete’s career on something so trivial as, once again, views and likes. After all, what is a jump with skates on or a pushup on a ball with chains going to do that dumbbell

jump squats or regular weighted push-ups will not?

The answer: essentially nothing.

The muscles in your body cannot tell what type of exercise you are doing; they can only tell how hard they have to work. If you push your body, it will respond and get stronger. That is how it works. Now I am not saying that we do not train hard here in Sparta. We are not lying on the ground and only breathing for an hour so no one gets hurt. After all, we do need to push the limits to prepare you for sport, as that can be the least safe thing you ever do (have you ever seen a rugby match?). So, is Derrick Henry’s push-up hard? Absolutely! Is there a major risk for a career ending injury? Yes! Is a push-up with a 45lb plate on your back hard? Absolutely! Is there a risk of a career ending injury? Much less so.

So to end my rant, all I am saying is that you need to critically think about what you see on social media. Just because a pro athlete does something or a major sports network promotes it, does not mean you should in order to be like the athlete. After all, you are NOT them. You are a TWU student, and they are a professional athlete (no offense). Plus, and I am saying this with all due respect, if these networks are promoting these kinds of workouts as the pinnacle of training, that just shows you how little they actually know about strength and conditioning.

To end, remember this point: your muscles don’t actually know what you are doing or lifting—they just know how hard they have to work. So go to the gym, train hard, be smart, and stick to the basics!

Peace. Gains.

THE COST OF WINNING: LOOKING BEYOND THE ATHLETE DIEGO BASCUR

Mental health in sports, specifically in youth sports, contains so many layers. Where does one begin? Do you start at the pressures put on from so many sides, or do you start at the blurred line between athlete and person? These issues seem to be so distant from our everyday lives, and so distant from our own experiences. How do you cope with being 13 and being told what university you are going to be playing at?

Too often the lens we choose to look through when viewing athletes, not just at a professional level, but even here at our university, is dismissive and insensitive. Whether it is misunderstanding or just ignorance, we often choose to separate mental health from athletes––our fellow students.

“We can forget the human side of athletes, rather we see them as assets.”

Sports give us a lot of passion, joy, and entertainment; it has truly become a cornerstone in society. In some way sports has given us all something, whether it be a small experience, or an identity. We talk of what sports gives us, but what does it take from us?

What is that relationship—does the receiving make up for the taking? What is a person left with after all that?

Sacrifice seems to be at the forefront of this. I think what is surprising is how deeply that sacrifice runs, physically and mentally.

Upon having these discussions with athletes, these sacrifices, which can be a detriment to one’s mental health, have been brought to the light. Looking specifically at women’s hockey, the journey towards playing at a university level comes with very real pressures that can have a serious effect on someone. In many cases, the decision comes early to decide whether or not university will be the next step in a hockey career, usually upon entering high school. At a young age,

girls are thrown into a whole new reality, full of intense sacrifice and pressure. The mental toll can only be described as grueling, as one tries to navigate the stress of grades, social life, and the all-encompassing goal of university hockey. The sport must truly become your identity, and the mind must become hardened to cope. Even as the university level is reached, the toll does not decrease; in fact, these pressures only multiply, as competition increases amongst the team, and against opposing teams. The constant strain of practice, which seems to stretch the week into an endless abyss of time, and the intensity of game day presents a very solid case to quit. However, in that decision to quit comes a new set of issues, as hockey is stripped from one’s identity. This dilema creates a cage that can seem inescapable, and slowly eats away at a person’s mental health.

The culture that is formed on a team by the coach has a tremendous impact on the mental health of an athlete. Neglect seems to be the disease that spreads in a locker room. Unfortunately, competition can breed this, and the sacrifice of a win perhaps is the sacrifice of one’s own identity. Must it be that we must suffer to the extent of depression for a win? Has it come to the point of neglect of mental health to win university games? To be honest, I think some would argue yes, or that those who cannot cope do not deserve to be playing at that level. What a toxic view, that performance comes before well-being. Attention must be brought to this, the culture must shift, and focus must be placed on the mental state of the individual, beyond the athlete.

Injuries seem to be a constant shadow over an athlete’s life, at the back of the mind, but present nonetheless. In these discussions I had with the athletes at Trinity Western University, they shared with me some of their experiences with injury. A void seems to be the best way to describe involuntary time away from a sport. Scary questions creep into the mind, and the very essence of a person is placed under doubt. Addiction and mental health issues come into the picture, and before dreams can come into existence,

they are crushed ruthlessly. An injury can become a mental maze, and unfortunately many become lost in it. It seems the toxicity of competition comes to the forefront again in these situations, as rehab of the body is a sole focus, while the rehab of the mind is forgotten. Athletes at times feel isolated, as questions arise such as, “When can you play again?” and not, “How have you been dealing with this mentally?” We can forget the human side of athletes, and see them, rather, as assets.

“Attention must be brought to this, the culture must shift, and focus placed on the mental state of the individual, beyond the athlete.”

There is indeed a dark side to sports, and there are many issues to be highlighted when looking at mental health amongst athletes. However, strides are being taken in being open about mental health, and this article is not the first of its kind. The athletes I talked to provided me with amazing hope, as I heard their desire to push for more focus on this integral element of sports. One athlete said this: “I want my success to be determined by my impact, not my performance,” which in my opinion is such an important step in looking at competition in a healthier way. The mental side of any sport is such a big aspect and feeds directly into performance. So my hope is this, that we stop seeing athletes as just athletes, but we look beyond that, and give our time and attention to seeing them as people. If not, we are allowing for this vicious cycle to continue.

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11:07, A SERIOUS HEALTHCODE VIOLATION. LORIN SCAIANO

DINNER-TIME TIME MACHINE™’S FEAST FROM THE PAST BAILEY FROESE

Were you born in the wrong generation? Do you salivate at the sumptuous feasts served in lavish period pieces?

Perhaps you, like Tucker Carlson, yearn for an era where food was less “woke” and you actually wanted to have a drink with the green M&M? Yearn no longer, dear displaced denizen of history, for the Dinner-Time Time Machine™ was created just for foodies like you. Invented in 2093 by X Æ A-Xii Musk but courteously transported to the present, this marvel of mealtime allows you to dine on delicacies from various historical periods in a four-course feast!

Let’s not waste any more Time™ and get onto the appetizer. Our first dish arrives from the Enlightenment period of the eighteenth century. This was an era of scientific advancement and revolution, where great minds challenged the status quo and dreamed of a brighter tomorrow. And what did these great minds eat? Jellied eels. Go on, try them, they slide right down! They were first served in Britain, probably so that Britain’s thinkers didn’t have to waste time chewing their food while philosophizing about the equal rights of white male property owners. Hmm, you don’t seem to be enjoying them—in fact, you look ready to revolt against the British. The Americans felt that way too.

Perhaps this Victorian white bread with mustard will cleanse your palette. Ah, yes, the colour is returning to your face already. Good, isn’t it? Hope you don’t mind that to cut costs, the bakers mixed the flour with chalk and plaster of Paris. That is where the lovely white hue comes from. Don’t worry, you can hardly taste it. Oh, I almost forgot, I am legally required to tell you that the mustard gets its vivid yellow from lead chromate.

That’s not a problem, right? It’s not that much lead. You won’t get sick. Probably. But if you do, remember that Dinner-Time Time Machine™ is not liable for any injuries.

For the salad course, let’s fast-forward to the nineteen-fifties, when a man could enjoy his milkshake and rock-and-roll in non-PC peace. Except you are not get-

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ting a milkshake; you are getting chicken Jell-O salad. Gelatin salads were all the rage with families in the fifties, and with a delectable dish like this, stuffed to the jiggly brim with mayonnaise and olives, who could blame them? Come on, take a bite, it’s healthy! It says so right here on this fifties gelatin package.

All those calories from the mayonnaise have to be good for you, right?

Look at that, the main course is here!

Boy oh boy, do we have a special treat for you. Straight from the tables of royal feasts of the Middle Ages: Helmeted Cock! And no, you don’t need to look that up on Urban Dictionary, because it’s a roast chicken dressed up like a knight riding a roast pig like a steed.

We couldn’t find your family crest to put on the livery, so we just used the TWU logo with a portrait of Mark Husbands.

We also have, as a side dish, salt fish meatballs from Ancient Rome. The secret ingredient to these juicy delights?

Dolphin!

You’re not hungry anymore? Don’t you at least have a little room for dessert?

Our budget ran out at the last minute, so our final course comes from the Great Depression. Onions stuffed with peanut butter! What do you mean you don’t want any? The starving welfare families loved them! What do you mean, a refund? Don’t you realize the havoc a refund would wreak on the space-time continuum? If we gave you your money back, that would mean this feast never took place, which would change events in all the historical periods we’ve meddled with significantly, which of course would alter the present! The last person who asked for a refund is responsible for the selection of Sodexo as Trinity’s cafeteria provider. You wouldn’t want another incident like that, would you?

If you’re going to leave in a huff, at least fill out this survey telling us how we did.

Or better yet, volunteer to be a beta-tester for Hearts Across History™, the dating time machine where we match you, depending on your gender, with the perfect twelve-year-old bride or fiftyyear-old bachelor!

Michelin Stars are one of the most prestigious ranking systems for restaurants around the world. For this reason, there are only one hundred twenty of us Michelin Star reviewers. We must stay secretive about our identities, restaurants can never know we’re coming. If there is even the slightest hint that someone uncovered who we are, we are whisked across the earth with new identities in a procedure only rivaled by the government’s witness protection program. So, for me to take such a big risk, and reveal myself so openly, it must be because the food I ate was either incredibly good or incredibly bad. Sadly for the TWU drama department, this is the latter of the two.

When I first was assigned to TWU, I thought it was for the cafeteria food, but that was nothing special. Then I discovered the underground soup ring disguised as an improv comedy group.

Infiltrating my way in was tough, I had to learn to be funny, outgoing, and not a secret spy for a tire company, but I managed. The soup was fine at first.

Sure, there were unusual choices for ingredients, but it never tasted that bad.

Occasionally I would hear complaints such as “Waiter? There appears to be a dictionary in my soup,”or “Waiter? How did this lightsaber end up in my soup?”

However, I dismissed these wild claims.

Surely, they were the creation of improv comedians putting absurd items in the soup to get their money back. Then, it happened to me.

The first time, it was simple. A smaller bowl of soup, within my soup. How quaint, I thought to myself, a nesting doll of soups. It only got worse from there. A live chicken. A watch. A trumpet.

Finally, the last straw: the chef’s mask. A mask, that I presume the comedian chef was wearing when they made my soup, was floating on the surface of my soup when served to me. A watch is fine. A chicken, a bit funny. Even the trumpet I could understand, but this mask was a clear violation of every health and safety protocol I have ever heard of, and I will not stand for it! Soup must be delicious!

Made of vegetables, broths, and meats, not the flu! Or a plague! Or heaven forbid… COVID! I don’t care if Michelin revokes my elite food critic status, and I don’t care if I have to assume another identity in another country speaking another language! This underground soup ring disguised as improv comedy must be stopped, for the health and wellbeing of our fellow students.

WHAT FLIGHT TO YONDER SHOWER SLIPS ANONYMOUS

I have risen from the lowly cinderblocks of Douglas, to the boujee isolation of Skidmore, to the privilege of a toaster in Jacobsen, and finally my current state as a commuter renting a room that used to be a closet for the simple price of both $695 weekly and my first-born child. I am left to wonder if I have elevated my position in life or if I simply have less friends.

Maybe both. Either way, I don’t have to go to dorm meetings anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for all the experiences that have made me who I am today. Well, all except for the shower experience. I could stand to forget that.

It was my first morning of university, and ever the keener, I woke up at 6:00 am to ensure that I greeted the day. Word to the wise—while the early bird gets the worm, it seems the early student gets lifelong trauma (sleep in folks).

Scanning the bathroom of Four Low, I eyed the three toilet stalls suspiciously. My shower was already running to warm up, since I was not in the habit of freezing my soul from my body before noon. I needed to change in the main area as I was not prepared to drop my beautiful fuzzy purple pajamas in one of the stalls. It was only myself, the cold tiles under my feet, and the confusing presence of a urinal in the corner.

I was part way through my emergence when the door to the bathroom began to open. This was a day for good impressions and composure, not self-expression and exposure. Ever

the one to engage in flight over forethought, I leapt towards the moldy plastic sanctuary of the running shower… and slipped. Grasping wildly, I not only tried to grab the water but also the shower curtain which my fall ripped from the plastic bar that held it aloft. By the time my new dormmate entered the bathroom, I was sitting with the shower curtain in one hand, my pjs in the other, and water beating down on my head. You know the phrase “wearing nothing but a smile”? Well I didn’t even have that dignity. With the pity in her voice she whispered three words: “I’m so sorry.”

We both tried to hang up the curtain in a very awkward dance that trumped the intimacy of every get-to-know-you icebreaker my R.A. would attempt that year. She tried to not look at me and I tried to not look at her as we wrestled that stubborn piece of plastic back into each of its looped hooks. Finally, we got it back up and I was left in the shower. My newly over-acquainted dormmate walked out of the bathroom stoically and closed the door. From inside the shower, I heard a pause and then a long shrill scream as she ran away down the hall.

We were still able to be friends after that, though weirdly enough she had a doorbell installed in the bathroom and always walked in with her eyes closed. I guess in a dorm you just have to get used to putting up with weird people.

INSPIRATIONS FROM THE MEN OF 3L—WIPING: FEET OR SEAT? ALEX WALKER

Until I was fifteen-years-old, I had no concept of wiping while sitting down. Like, why? Why would you shift uncomfortably on a plastic throne to haphazardly polish your posterior windpipe when there is so much freedom in standing? When you stand, you can alleviate yourself from the biological burden that draws us to assume an unflattering position and perform the act that keeps all humans on equal ground. Furthermore, I always wondered why they would design automatic toilets in public washrooms to flush once you rose to wipe.

“The job’s not over, you foolish machine!” I’d exclaim loudly for my fellow potty patrons to hear. “Do you think I’m finished with you yet?”

However, there was a reason. When you wipe sitting down, you are in control. Adults know how to do the most with the least amount

DEAR MORAL KOALA...

Dear Moral Koala, I am having a really hard time with my roommate lately. We have been fighting about a couple of things, but they keep adding up. They got vaccinated, but they won’t get the booster now even though everyone knows you need it to keep your loved ones safe. They won’t admit that everyone is a little gay because they don’t believe sexuality is a spectrum. And worst of all, when they talk about white people, they don’t even sound like they hate them! I just don’t understand how someone can be so close-minded in this day in age. How can I convince them that Christ would have agreed with me?

Sincerely, Liberated Liability

Dear Liberated Liability, I think your problem is, not going far enough. It should be expected that every need for every individual be met, for as it is written, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Chr*st J*s*s.” (Censored for the comfort of non-Christians). As Christians, we are aware every day of how far we stray from God, so it is our job to ensure his will is enacted in his absence. It all starts with supplying every need. So get to it, and don’t quit guilting your friend into joining your morally superior political beliefs!

With equivocal virtue, Moral Koala Do you have your own questions for Moral Koala? Submit them in the declassifieds!

of energy. By sitting and wiping, you do not HAVE to stand. You can remain in the same position until the job is complete. And it is not as laborious as one may think. A simple elevation minimum of one gluteus maximus is all it takes for your hand to soar across the finish line and touch down on the nuclear button.

These days, I do not expend a lot of energy debating whether to sit or stand. It comes naturally, depending on how I think the operation is proceeding or whether I have more important matters to attend to in other realms. Whatever I decide, I find peace in my new discovery and hope this article enlightens anyone who has felt oppressed in their anal orifice swabbing options.

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