06 | features
March 21, 2018
FEATURES STUDENT LIFE
CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS
Students for Life group founded in conflict
PHOTO BY HALLIE O’NEILL | DIGITAL EDITOR
Tuma Haji Staff Writer tumaorthegap.haji@drake.edu
Humans of
This week: Helen Trisko Hallie O’Neill Digital Editor hallie.oneill@drake.edu Junior Helen Trisko— daughter of an American father and a German immigrant mother—has always struggled to define herself. Her life, as she describes it, has been a continual navigation of multiple identities, and her understanding of herself is still in flux. She grew up with German culture intentionally instilled into her, whether through speaking the language at home, being sent to German camp, eating the food or replicating her mother’s sheltered upbringing. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV, but when she did, it was in German.
“At a certain point, I stopped caring that I looked different. There are people here who dress like me, and that helps, to see other people around you who are like you. Clothing isn’t that ostracizing of a thing. Helen Trisko
At around eight years old, she began to feel the pressure to fit in from her peers, and her home life didn’t make “fitting in” very easy. “I always thought both of (my parents) were weird,” Trisko said. “They’re old. I’m an only child. I feel like that’s generally not how other people grew up.” As she moved through adolescence and into her teenage years, she grew bored of her parents’ insistence on crafts over watching television and reading books over playing video games. She began to resist.
“I kind of rebelled against what they were trying to get me to do,” Trisko said. “But now that I’m in college, I’ve come back to it a little more.” Much to her younger self’s disdain, Trisko is returning to some of the things her parents introduced her to. She now loves to read just like her mother, a German literature major. Although she doesn’t speak much German anymore, there’s one skill she developed that has stuck with her: cooking. “That’s one place where I’m finding myself returning to German culture, through the food,” Trisko said. Now, as a sociology and English double major with a psychology minor and women’s and gender studies concentration, she’s had the chance to sift through the facets of her German-American identity in her curriculum. “I feel like I’ve had a great connection with all my teachers and I’ve really been able to learn from them,” Trisko said. “Discussion-based classes are so enjoyable.” Perhaps due to a lack of exposure throughout her childhood, Trisko loves television now, especially sci-fi programs like “Star Trek.” If she could have any profession, she’d write for television. “That’s where the stories intersect with life itself,” Trisko said. “That’s what really interests me. I don’t think I necessarily have the skills to tell stories; I’m more interested in hearing other people’s stories.” Apart from cooking and watching television, Trisko likes to run, talk with friends and read theory from writers like bell hooks. She also loves social media and pop culture. Another major touchstone of Trisko’s identity—as one would probably guess by looking at her— is fashion. An avid thrift shopper, it took a while for her to become confident in her individual style. “At a certain point, I stopped caring that I looked different,” Trisko said. “There are people here who dress like me, and that helps, to see other people around you who are like you. Clothing isn’t that ostracizing of a thing; I don’t want to make it seem like it’s the most important aspect of life and of fitting in. “But, I don’t want to fit in.”
A new pro-life group called Students for Life was approved by Drake Student Senate vote of 15 to 5 to join the plethora of Drake’s student organizations. The organization said its mission is to advocate against abortion as well as educate the general public, particularly women, about alternative options. Students for Life claims to not affiliate or identify with any religious groups or political parties but commends the national Students for Life for guidance. Co-President Lizzy Dowd said that inclusivity and a representative demographic is crucial to the group’s mission. “The big goal of mine is to get people of different backgrounds, all religions or no religions, to come to our club and realize their place in the pro-life movement,” Dowd said. Dowd encouraged students to “come with all of [their] beliefs and values and unite with this one core value of protecting life.” Co-President John Altendorf also said that he hopes Students for Life will include a “spectrum of different backgrounds and political affiliations.” He acknowledged that the pro-life movement is generally associated with both conservative ideology as well as political affiliations with the Republican Party but can be mutually exclusive from those two ideologies. “It’s really important to know that you can be pro-life and not Republican or Republican and not pro-life,” Altendorf said. The newly formed organization has faced some opposition from the student body, including some members of Student Senate, as well as Voice of Choice. CoPresident of Voice of Choice Clio Cullison was quoted in the senate meeting expressing opposition to the group’s formation.
“Students for Life, in its national form, is pushing misinformation intended to encourage people to join their organization and discourage them from making a safe, legal, medical decision that should be no one else’s choice,” Cullison said. Dowd and Altendorf said they both expected opposition because abortion is a highly controversial topic in the United States. Nonetheless, both Dowd and Altendorf said that it was unfortunate that Students for Life had to fight for a place on campus. “I hope that’s what our campus is supposed to be about- open dialogue and being able to have these discussions and have clubs based on [student] interest,” Altendorf said. Dowd commended Student Affairs Sen. Kollin Crompton for encouraging students and senators to vote about the group’s right to have a voice on campus rather than being guided by their
personal beliefs about abortion. Altendorf expressed appreciation for the Student Senate and student bodies comments and challenges. He said that he plans to take those concerns into consideration and address any issues that may come forth. “[Letting] young women on our campus know that they are strong enough to handle situations like unwanted pregnancies because we believe in female empowerment” is a goal of the organization, Dowd said. “We want to create open dialogue for women to come and ask questions.” Students for Life may continue facing opposition, but the group is intent on keeping an open dialogue and solidifying their place on campus. Drake Students for Life’s first meeting is scheduled for Mar. 21 at 8:30 pm in Meredith 238.
CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS go head-to-head as Student Senate voted 15 to 5 for the establishment of a pro-life/anti-abortion group called Students for Life. The group is not officially affiliated with the national organization, but looks to it for guidance. LOGOS RETRIEVED FROM WEBSITES RESPECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS