2.19.13

HEY YOU!

HUSC elections are Feb. 26-28. Do you know your candidates?

see STUDENT CONGRESS page 3 HAMLINE UNIVERSITY | ST. PAUL, MN | 2.19.13 | VOL. 125 | NO. 16 | HAMLINEORACLE.COM

PHOTOS | JORDAN FRITZKE, ORACLE Saakumu Dance Troupe performed for their fifth year on Thursday, Feb. 14 in Sundin Music Hall.

Saakumu Returns see CAMPUS LIFE page 2

Proposal bundles books to save bucks New bookstore program may save students money on textbooks.

Sarah Sheven Reporter Hamline’s first-year class of the 2014 academic year may save money on their textbooks thanks to a new program the university is planning to test out. A plan is being proposed to add a textbook charge onto students’ tuition bills. The Hamline bookstore will provide all first-year students with rented textbooks, and students will be charged according to the number of credits they are taking rather than paying an individual cost for every book. Students will be charged approximately $10 for every credit they are taking during a semester. If a student were taking 16 credits one semester, he or she would pay $160 for book rentals.

According to Dean of Students Alan Sickbert, this program is being created to set Hamline apart from other universities and to benefit students’ pocketbooks.

“Our proposal is to help people save money,” Sickbert said.

Sickbert said that students who rent and buy books at Hamline pay an average of about $650 per academic year. According to Sickbert, students will pay a little over $300

per year with the new program. the per-credit-hour fee and the purchase Hamline bookstore director Melanie cost of that book,” Farley said.

Farley estimated that students who rent The bookstore proposal was recently books pay substantially less than those who presented to HUSC, and most members purchase them. reacted positively. However, HUSC senior “An average freshman student with fullclass representative Merit Stewart had some time credits probably spends, to buy, maybe reservations. Stewart said that he felt the $500 to $600 a semester, to rent it would be fact that students would be required to less, maybe between $300 and $400,” Farley purchase books through the Hamline booksaid. store was problematic.

Although it costs more “I think if all the HUSC repreto buy textbooks, about 60 sentatives were to go out and talk percent of students who get to their constituents, I think the their books from the bookoverall tone would be different,” store buy them, compared to Stewart said.

40 percent who rent.

He felt it would be more benHowever, Sickbert said that eficial to educate first-year stuthe demand for rented books dents about different options is increasing. for purchasing textbooks.

“The amount of books that “It would be in the students’ are rented today grows higher best interest to have a semiand higher,” Sickbert said. nar on saving money on Sickbert said that with the books,” Stewart said. new program, if a student However, HUSC wished to buy a book, he or she president Christopher could purchase it.

Reisdorfer said he felt Farley explained how a stuthat this proposal would dent can go about purchasing provide positive change, a book with the new program. as many first-years “We can just exchange have not yet learned the books for a purchase, at where they can go which time the student pays to get discounted ILLUSTRATION | BRE GARCIA, ORACLE the difference between what books. He said that

he understands why there are mixed feelings about the the program being mandatory, but he feels it will benefit students in the long run.

“If it saves money for the majority of the first-year students, then I think it’s a good thing to have,” Reisdorfer said.

Farley said that the mandatory nature of the program provides a variety of perks for both students and professors. Many students do not have their books at the beginning of the school year either because they cannot afford them, or because they have to wait for books ordered online to ship.

“Every single freshman would be provided every single textbook that they need right away, right at the beginning of classes,” Farley said.

She also said that this program assures that students get the exact textbook that they need, and it is guaranteed that the book will be in good condition. The program will cover courses that require expensive one-time use online access codes along with the text. According to Farley, these aspects make this program a better option for first-years than purchasing books online.

see BOOKSTORE page 4

2 News

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

CAMPUS LIFE

INCIDENT LOG

EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION

Feb. 9, 10:35 a.m.

Emergency Call Dispatch received an elevator emergency call from the main Anderson Center elevator.

Officers were sent to the area and found the elevator to be in working order with no one stuck inside.

Editor in Chief Preston Dhols-Graf Managing Editor Hannah Porter News Design Editor Laura Kaiser Associate News Editor Jordan Fritzke

Feb. 9, 7:14 p.m.

Stolen Property A student came to Safety and Security to report that his locker had been cut and some items had been stolen from his locker in Walker Fieldhouse. Officers searched the area for a possible suspect while dispatchers reviewed camera footage of the area. The investigation is on-going and new measures have been taken in Walker Fieldhouse to prevent further theft.

Whimsy Editor Jake Barnard Opinion Editor Steven Rotchadl Arts & Entertainment Editor Alyse Emanuel Sports Editor Josh Epstein Variety Editor Laura Kaiser Copy Chief Jackie Bussjaeger Copy Editors Emily Klehr, Rock LaManna Senior Reporters Jena Felsheim, Gabby Landsverk

Feb. 11, 4:55 p.m.

Icy Terrain A student worker at Bush Library called Security to report that it was extremely icy in front of the library. Because Facilities Services had already closed for the day, officers laid salt in the area.

Reporters Breanna Berry, Amane Kawo, Brittany Rassett, Taylor Richter, Sarah Schneekloth, Sarah Sheven, Kristina Stuntebeck, Gino Terrell Columnists Don Allen, Jake Barnard, Steve Merino, Cal Sargent Photographers Marisa Gonzalez, Andrew Maas Illustrators Bre Garcia, Anna Monin, Kristina Stuntebeck Web Editor Sam Reimann Ad Manager Don Allen

POLICIES The Oracle has been published by Hamline students since 1888. The paper is funded through a student fee levied by the university’s Student Media Board. We are a public forum. The opinions expressed within are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty or staff. We do not discriminate in employment.

PHOTOS | JORDAN FRITZKE, ORACLE Performers of Saakumu danced to lively beats and harmonies created by various instruments played by other members of the dance troupe from Ghana, West Africa. Their talented presence on campus was in honor of bringing African performing arts to colleges and universities in the United States.

Night of fifty figures Black Student Alliance showcases achievements of fifty African Americans under the age of fifty.

Sarah Sheven Reporter

Our mission To cover news, trends, events and entertainment relevant to Hamline undergraduate students. We strive to make our coverage accurately reflect the diverse communities that comprise the student population.

Corrections The Oracle welcomes corrections of quotational and factual errors. Please send such commentary to: pdholsgraf01@hamlineuniversity.edu and place “Correction” in the subject line.

The first copy is free; each additional copy is 50 cents.

Direct advertising inquiries to pdholsgraf01@hamlineuniversity.edu.

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1536 Hewitt Ave. MB 106 St. Paul, MN 55104 Tel: (651) 523-2268 Fax: (651) 523-3144 pdholsgraf01@hamlineuniversity.edu hamlineoracle.com issuu.com/theoracle1888

PRIDE Black Student Alliance (BSA) presented a performance, Tribute to Black Cultural Icons, to a nearly full Sundin Hall last Friday as part of a series of events celebrating Black History Month.

The event theme, “fifty black cultural icons who hit it big before fifty years,” included tributes to black cultural icons who impacted music, athletics, literature, business, acting, dancing and politics.

Each category included a mix of video presentations and live tributes performed by PRIDE BSA members and Hamline students. The event featured two guest performances: Immortal (a local dance crew) and singer Julius C. Collins. According to the event program, Julius Collins is a member of two bands and has performed with artists such as Prince, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight.

Event coordinator sophomore Jamesetta Collins wrote in an email that securing guest artists is often one of the most difficult parts of organizing an event, as they have full schedules and often charge high fees. Jamesetta Collins said she and co-coordinator sophomore Janyesha Jackson were able to use personal connections to secure the artists for this event.

“Julius Collins is Chloe Collins, PRIDE’s treasurer’s, father, and Janyesha’s brother used to dance for Immortal, so she knew some of the members and had connection with them,” Jamesetta Collins wrote.

Both guest artists were greeted with thunderous applause as they walked on stage. Julius Collins performed a tribute to Marvin Gaye, and Immortal performed a routine in tribute to the late king of pop, Michael Jackson.

The event included a tribute to AfricanAmerican fashion from the ‘60s to today. Students walked out onto the stage two at a time dressed

in the style of each decade, and the final model demonstrated modern African fashion.

PRIDE BSA president senior Salisa Grant pointed out this part of the event as one of her favorites.

“I loved the fashion show,” Grant said.

The fashion show was followed by a video presentation about American gymnast Gabby Douglas and a dramatic reading of Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise.”

Artist Etta James was honored as a great contributor and innovator in American music.

“Etta James is known for having bridged the gap between rock ‘n’ roll and blues,” event announcer sophomore Tia Matthews said.

A group of Hamline students performed a cover of Etta James’ song “At Last.”

In honor of African Americans’ influence in dance, a group of students performed an Africaninspired dance titled “Tribute to our African Roots.” Each dancer represented a different region of Africa. Several people came up to the stage and gave the dancers tips.

Jamesetta Collins, who participated in this dance, wrote that the group rehearsed every other day for over an hour to perfect the dance.

“We all came up with the dance moves and inserted them where we felt it matched the beat; African dancing is all about feeling the beat and moving your body to match the beat,” she wrote.

Other live tributes included a reading of president Obama’s New Hampshire primary speech and a rendition of Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All.” Jamesetta Collins wrote that she and Jackson put a great deal of planning into this event. They first worked on it during the summer; then they picked up planning again in December.

Jamesetta Collins said she felt all her hard work paid off, though.

“I still feel great that PRIDE once again put on a successful event,” Collins wrote.

Students are invited to attend the last two events in honor of Black History Month: Documentary and Discussion: A Question of Color held on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 6 p.m. in Anderson 111, and Black Jeopardy XV will be on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7:00 p.m. in Anderson 112.

Feb. 11, 8:30 p.m.

Noise Disturbance Safety and Security received a report of a female scream near the Heights buildings.

Officers patrolled the exterior of the area as well as inside the residence buildings but found no suspicious activity.

Feb. 12, 8:29 p.m.

Medical Emergency Officers responded to a student who was having an issue with high blood sugar.

An ambulance was called to transport the student to Regions Hospital.

Feb. 13, 8:37 p.m.

Suspicious Person The front desk worker from the Anderson Center called to report a suspicious male in the lobby of the building.

An officer made contact with the individual, who was just waiting for his girlfriend.

Safety and Security crime prevention tip

Always record the serial number of valuable electronic items such as laptops or iPods. This information can help in the recovery of lost or stolen items.

Please be aware of your surroundings. This is important in the winter because roads and walkways can become icy.

Keep your car in good condition, with the tank at least half full.

Never allow any unknown persons enter your residential building or your room.

Trust your instincts. If you are uncomfortable in a situation, leave.

Call x2100 for a safety escort 24 hours a day.

Report any suspicious activity to the Office of Safety & Security.

News 3

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

STUDENT CONGRESS

Two tickets vie for HUSC seats in upcoming elections Candidates share their vision for Hamline’s student government with The Oracle.

Kristina Stuntebeck Reporter Junior Yakasah Wehyee and sophomore Josh Wood are the challenging candidates for the positions of HUSC President and Vice President in this year’s elections. While neither candidate has a history of working with HUSC, both have held prominent positions in various organizations, such as the Student Representative for Financial Aid Task Force and the Student Leader for Institute for Academic Success, respectively, among many other positions. Now they have set their sights on bringing their perspective to HUSC. Wehyee, the presidential candidate, said their agenda focused on the issues of financial aid, campus climate and bridging the communication gap between HUSC and the general public.

“I’m interested in running for HUSC president because I believe in the potential for HUSC having a big role in the Hamline community,” Wehyee said.

He said that HUSC members don’t have a lot of experience in diversity and that HUSC should be more open to the public.

“They haven’t done a great job in appealing to

“I believe in the potential for HUSC having a big role in the Hamline community.”

Yakasah Wehyee

the community,” Wehyee said. “I believe we will represent that new vision for HUSC and for Hamline.”

Wehyee said their plan is to use aspects from their diverse history of involvement to reach out to those communities that they have or have not been a part of, bring their issues to the administration’s attention and put pressure on the administration to resolve the issues.

Wood, the vice presidential candidate, said they do not have concrete specifics about changes that they want to make because the changes should not be up to them, but up to the community.

“It’s not necessarily about pushing our personal agenda as it is about what’s the campus’ agenda and how do we get that accomplished,” Wood said.

He said that in their experience working with the multicultural community, they have always felt like they haven’t been allowed to be part of the conversation or that they were pushed out when they had been a part, which is why their campaign is so heavily focused on the importance of the community’s voice.

Wehyee said that he and Wood decided to toss their hat into the campaign ring when they saw that only one other pair was running.

“I noticed that we’re the only other challengers,” Wehyee said. “We want to make sure that we’re continuing to foster a democratic process.”

Wehyee said they want to challenge the traditions in HUSC and make a needed change in the organization.

Wood said they have a genuine sense of pride in Hamline and want to project that to the community as leaders.

Junior, HUSC Presidential Candidate

PHOTOS | Courtesy of candidates Top: Junior Yakasah Wehyee and sophomore Josh Woods. Bottom: Junior T. Corbin Conliffe and sophomore Lucas Dolan.

Hamline sophomore Lucas Dolan and junior T. Corbin Conliffe are running for the positions of HUSC President and Vice President. They have both been members of HUSC for the past year and a half, most recently serving as the Board of Elected Representatives Chair and the Economic Affairs Committee Chairs, respectively, and are determined to take HUSC in a positive direction by serving as its leaders.

Dolan, the presidential candidate, said the three areas they want to focus their campaign on are making capital improvements, bridging the gap between HUSC and student organizations — particularly the Multicultural Alliance — through increased communication, and decreasing the HUSC executive board budget. He said their budget has been on the rise in the last few years, and it has become too big because they don’t spend it.

“One of the ideas is to cut our budget with the idea that we can do more with less,” Dolan said. “The money we save by doing that can be contributed to student orgs and the funds they rely on.”

Dolan said that he has been working on many capital improvement projects, citing his goal of turning Sorin A and B into a useful space for student leisure as his most substantial. This project, which he called “one of the biggest capital investments that HUSC has ever worked on,” consists of adding items such as couches, TVs, a pool table and an X-Box to the currently empty space.

“Having experience within an organization…means having an understanding of what’s required for change.”

Lucas Dolan Sophomore, HUSC Presidential candidate

“We have a lot of the components, and Facilities is willing to help with others,” Dolan said.

He explained that Facilities has already agreed to install cameras in the room and make the space a secure place for students to hang out.

Conliffe, the candidate for vice president, said that Dolan has a clear idea of how to move HUSC forward, so he wants to focus on keeping HUSC a strong and positive organization and increase awareness about its role on campus.

“My goal is to make sure that everyone understands that HUSC is more than a bank,” Conliffe said. “Our purpose is to represent the interests of students to the administration and vice versa.”

He also said that HUSC is not taken seriously enough on campus and that he is determined to change that perspective.

“My goal is to get students to take HUSC more seriously and the administration to take HUSC more seriously,” Conliffe said.

He said that members of the administration have been some of HUSC’s greatest resources, but he wants to expand on that by having the Provost come in more often and, ideally, have the president make an appearance at least once a month, if not more.

He said that he and Dolan have a positive relationship with the administration and a greater understanding of HUSC’s bylaws, which make them excellent candidates in the election.

Dolan agreed that their experience with HUSC and knowledge of its inner workings tips the hat in their favor.

“HUSC is a very complex organization,” Dolan said. “You need a way to turn your dream into reality, and if you can’t work the system, you won’t be able to accomplish that.”

He also said that just because they have a history with HUSC doesn’t mean that they will be afraid to make serious changes.

“Having experience within an organization doesn’t mean maintaining the status quo,” Dolan said. “It means having an understanding of what’s required for change.”

4 News

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Q&A

A global challenge: ending rape culture Hamline political science professor discusses sexual violence in Indian society.

Amane Kawo Reporter A 23-year-old physiotherapy student was gang raped and attacked while boarding a bus with her male companion in New Delhi on Dec. 16, 2012. The young woman and her friend were on their way home and in need of transportation; they later boarded a private bus where the two friends were verbally assaulted. The six young men looking for a joy ride brutally abused the young woman and her male friend while the bus was roaming the city. The woman was taken to the back of the bus where she was raped for about an hour by the six men. The young man who attempted to help his friend was also beaten with metal rods.

After the attack ended, the two were thrown off the bus half-naked on a highway. The woman endured severe injuries to her intestines and brain. She was later taken to a hospital in Singapore for emergency treatment.

Dr. Binnur Ozkececi-Tanner, professor of political conflict, politics and security in the Middle East and World Politics, provided her insight on the incident. When asked about her thoughts on the tragedy in India, Ozkecici-Taner said, “Laws must be implemented in order to assure such acts should not occur again.”

Q: What is your analysis and perspective of the event that took place in India, regarding the rape of the young woman?

Dr. Binnur Ozkecici-Taner: It was a horrible event that was not the first time; unfortunately, it is not going to be the last one. Rape and violence against women in general is increasing around the world. We are just becoming more aware of the incidents now because of the advancements in technology. I think this one is especially tragic because of the enormity and brutality of the crime.

Q: Do you believe that violence against women is increasing drastically now than before?

I think we are just more aware now. Violence, especially domestic violence against women, is underreported, almost the same as cancer. We believe now that our society has more cancer cases, but the reality is that we have technologies to prove that there are high numbers of cancer cases and are able to test individuals more. It is the same way with violence against women.

Q: Are you surprised this occurred in New Delhi, India?

I was not surprised that it happened in India. I would not be surprised if it had occurred in any other city. These cases are not necessarily specific to India or one particular place in

the world. It seems as though there are certain structures that are not in place that prevent men from raping women. When you look at this specific case, you see that the rule of law in India did not necessarily prevent this incident.

This makes the perpetrators believe that they will get away with what they were doing, and they did. There seems to be this permissiveness of certain actions, especially done by males of the society. India is still traditional: the malefemale hierarchy is still existent, as is the case in many other Asian societies and many parts of the world.

Q: India has a high number of women in office, compared to most newly democratic nations, yet rape crimes against women are rising. Why do you think that is?

Well, India is known to be one of the world’s biggest democracies. Free and fair elections are in place, but that does not necessarily change the domestic violence that occurs against women. I do not necessarily believe that having more women in political offices will change the rates of violence. It is the traditions, customs and patriarchy that often allow these acts to occur or make them permissible. Democracy and patriarchy do not necessarily contradict each other, and this makes a tremendous difference in political lives of the Indian society. Family and societal relations have a huge impact, and women in Indian government have a huge responsibility to take important initiatives to ensure events like this [are] prevented from occurring again.

Q: Why do you think this happened? Do you believe that there are many tragedies such as this continuously occurring in India?

Yes, an effort to address this tragedy and many others to come is to assure that rape in a society is not considered as a permissive act, but rather as a crime that should be condemned. Rape is a complicated issue, and the long-term consequences to women are very destructive. Necessities of [having] legal action in place could further protect people from increasing rape crimes. Due to many permissive factors, rape cases in India occur, and there is a created perception that people could get away.

There is also the belief of “Were you asking for it?” in some societies, and victims are seen as perpetrators, which is quite degrading and destructive to the society as a whole.

Q: What is your reaction to the mass protests and international interests in the hopes of seeking justice for her tragedy?

I support these mass protests, but I do not want these mass protests to be concentrating on that particular event. I want these protests to talk about women issues in general, because if you focus on that singular issue, there will be many who will say that was an intervention in Indian domestic affairs rather than a universal women’s rights cause. We can certainly use the current issue as a point of reference to address violence against women, including in your own

society, and I believe that the mass protests have a very important role to play. She has to be remembered for what happened to her; her name needs to be talked about because that is only fair to her. We cannot undo what has happened to her, but we can use what happened to her as a way to prevent other cases. However, if we focus on one case, we miss the opportunity to talk about wide spread issues women face globally.

Q: What do you think about the current media coverage of the story?

I think they did a good job presenting the story, but of course a more detailed analysis about the Indian society should have been presented as a way to help people understand why these violent crimes against women are being committed and what could be done in order to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. The media coverage overall missed [the chance] to provide a legitimate context to the full story of the crime committed against the young woman. Media reports acknowledging that she is not the only woman in India who is brutally gang raped will help the world understand that she will not be the last one.

The media has to focus on ensuring people that this is not an isolated case. If we focus on this issue as an isolated case in a chain of events, then we are unable to address this as a social issue. I think the media should ultimately serve this function.

The young woman who was taken to a hospital in Singapore for an emergency medical treatment after the gang rape passed away on Dec. 29, with her parents at her side. Doctors claimed that she was very brave and hoping to fight til the end, but her body was unable to overcome the massive injuries from the rape and physical abuse. The 28-year-old software engineer who accompanied her on the bus also suffered several injuries from the beating he endured while trying to help his friend.

The trials for five men involved in the gang rape of the young woman are to proceed in a fast-track courtroom, rather than the slow proceedings of rape cases that often occur in India. The men are accused of rape and murder of the physiotherapy student, and if convicted, the men could face the death penalty. A sixth suspect of the crime is a juvenile, and the hearings will be in juvenile proceeding court. The mass protests occurring in major Indian cities and across the globe are demanding that all voices of rape victims in India be heard.

The crime committed against the young woman has opened a dialogue on women’s rights within the legal system of the country, and governmental leaders are currently working on passing bills that ensure the safety of women in Indian society; however, these have yet to be implemented.

BOOKSTORE: “This is in the proposed status.”

(continued from front)

Even now, with the traditional book purchase system, Hamline students favor purchasing books at the bookstore rather than online.

Farley said that 60-70 percent of Hamline students purchase or rent books through the bookstore.

“The competition online has been on the forefront of campus bookstores for several years and some many things that we’ve done is to create our best price promise,” Farley said.

Hamline’s best price promise guarantees that if students find a textbook sold by a competitor for less than what the bookstore charges, Hamline will beat the lower price by 10 percent. Farley said that applying the best price guarantee to the new program would prove extremely complicated for the bookstore to communicate with the accounting office, and students already receive a huge discount through the implementation of the per-credit book cost.

Farley said the bookstore will not see a direct financial gain from this program as books will be rented for less than they are now. However, the university as a whole will benefit financially.

“We [the bookstore] pay a commission for every sale, so the university will definitely be getting more commission, so basically more of the student money will be going to the university which benefits everybody,” Farley said.

Although some students will save money through the new program, Stewart felt that the program is not fair to all students, as some subjects

require more expensive text books than others. Stewart said that not all first-years take a wide variety of courses that require a plethora of different text books.

“I still believe that some students are locked in to their major from the start, such as education or pre-med majors,” Stewart said.

Sickbert said that not all the flaws have been ironed out of the program yet. He said that this program would likely only apply to firstyears and that it has not yet been decided how to handle students who transfer to Hamline as first-years.

Farley said that this program has not been completely set in stone yet and that next year will be the first trial run of the program.

“The important things to know right away that this is in the proposed status,” Farley said.

According to Sickbert, if staff and students express complaints about the program once it is implemented, the bookstore will repeal it and return to the traditional system of book purchasing.

The bookstore scholarships that are available to students now will still be offered once the new program is implemented. These scholarships provide students up to $300 per semester of financial assistance in purchasing books. Farley recommended that students interested in this opportunity talk to financial aid or their academic advisor.

HAMLINE EVENTS TUESDAY, FEB. 19 HUSC President/VP Informal Debate GLC 100E 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Student Success Lunch Series: School/Life Balance ANDC 315 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Purim Grogger Fest 2013 Anderson Center 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Hamline’s Harlem Shake Anderson Center Forum 4 p.m.

HUSC President/VP Formal Debate ANDC 111/112 7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20 MN Private Colleges Job & Internship Fair Minneapolis Convention Center 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Pariahs in Politics: Firsts in History - Religion in Politics ANDC 304 7 p.m.

THURSDAY, FEB. 21 “Dynamic Duo” Slam Poets Bush Center Ballroom 7:30 p.m.

Story Time at Casa de Esperanza Manor Main Lounge 9:15 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEB. 22 No events scheduled.

SATURDAY, FEB. 23 HUPB/HORC Snowboarding/ Ski Trip Afton Alps 11:45 a.m. - 6 p.m.

SUNDAY, FEB. 24 No events scheduled.

MONDAY, FEB. 25 Multifaith Alliance - Gender & Sexuality Bush Center Chapel 5 p.m.

To have your event featured in the events box, e-mail us at editor@hamlineoracle.com

STAFF PICK EVENT Join the Asian Pacific American Colation in celebrating the Lunar New Year on Sunday, Feb. 24 from 2 - 5 p.m. in ANDC 111/112.

There will be food, guest speakers and performances. This event in co-sponsored by Hamline Chinese Law & Culture Society and the Asian Pacific American Law School Association.

Whimsy 5

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Crossword By Jake Barnard

Across 1. Shortest serving president 6. Little lies 10. A Zodiac lion 11. Frozen stalagtite 12. A volume of laughter?

15. Scorch the surface 16. Two’s too many...

20. Personal pronoun 21. Feeling 23. Number of rules, as reported by Moses 24. Dishonest people 25. Burnt leftover 27. Elliot’s alien 28. Food list 31. Hoppy beer 33. Where surgery occurs 34. Cut Piece artist 35. “Well regulated” “militia” 36. Urban environment 38. Nostril 40. Domesticated animal retailer 42. Atomic symbol for element 37 43. Hello goodbye 44. Elderly gent 46. Humans are upright examples 47. Alt rock band or sea creatures 48. Snob

Down 1. Angel headpieces 2. Forever ___ 3. Relax, slacken 4. Known for the Social Contract 5. What silly knights say 6. Aquatic noun and verb 7. Hard water 8. Boring, plain 9. Tranquil 13. Methods 14. Tree herder 17. Valuable decomposed matter 18. Vowels, bottom to top 19. Tiny flying insect 22. Land birds 26. Having to do with goats 28. Best known for his doctrine 29. Make possible 30. Neither conjunctive 32. Intercom system 33. Highly intelligent cephalopods 37. Cooked bread 39. Trees susceptible to Dutch disease 40. Ma’s counterpart 41. Online back muscle?

45. Receiving internet info, abbreviation

Visit hamlineoracle.com to view puzzle solutions.

6 A&E

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

ART/ BIOLOGY

PHOTO | COURTESY OF ANNA GRESSER Beach sculpture: Students gather around Professor Andrew Wykes to discuss art they made with materials found on the beach in Jamaica, including shells, plants and garbage.

Finding common ground in Jamaica J-Term class explores conversations between art and biology in their work, currently on display in Giddens /Alumni Learning Center.

Gabby Landsverk Senior Reporter What do frog calls and abstract painting have in common? Everything, if you’re one of the lucky students that went to Jamaica this January.

The interdisciplinary course, taught by Biology Professor Bonnie Ploger and Studio Art Professor Andrew Wykes, was a double dose of art and biology focused on integrating two ordinarily opposite fields of study to reveal how science can inform art, and vice versa.

Designing the course has been a collaborative process over the course of several years, Ploger said, explaining that combining art and biology is also a personal passion for her as both a biology professor and as an Artistin-Residence at Hamline’s Center for Global Environmental Education. Recognizing the intersection of art and science was, Ploger said, a “necessity” in pursuing her interests in both science and painting.

“That started, for me, this struggle of how do I integrate these two parts of myself,” Ploger said.

Although art and science are often considered irreconcilable subjects, Ploger explained that they can be considered as two sides of the same coin. “[Art] is just taking a concept that’s a biological concept and turning it into something that is a visual metaphor for the concept, and that could take on a whole new dimension,” Ploger said.

For senior Anna Gresser, participating in

the course offered an unexpected source of Geographically, the trip covered a wide inspiration. swath of the country, according to Wykes.

“The combination of art and biology Beginning in the north part of Jamaica, seems odd to many people, but I loved the group worked with a more humid cliexploring the parallels and using it in my art- mate before traveling through the middle of work,” Gresser wrote in an email interview. the island and into the southern region to Wykes also expressed a commitment to explore the flora and fauna of drier habitats. multi-faceted teaching and learning.

Ploger said this tangible and visible con“I believe my subject can segue to just trast of environments was interesting both about any other subject,” Wykes said. “There’s artistically and biologically, creating a major a huge ocean of knowledge out there that point of intersection between the disciplines. we’re only just tapping into, and it “There’s a biological doesn’t necessarily have to be done explanation for why “There’s a the way it used to be done.” those contrasts excite Wykes added that the collabo- huge ocean us,” Ploger said, citing ration with Ploger was an interestexamples of creatures of knowledge ing interdisciplinary experience. seeking color contrast “Working with [Ploger] was a out there that to find food, like a red breath of fresh air. She was more flower in a green backopen to the gray areas,” Wykes we’re only just ground, or minimizing said, explaining that scientists can line contrast in order often benefit from more creative tapping into, to blend in to the envithinking. ronment and hide from and it doesn’t In spite of their compatibilpredators. In this way, ity, both professors agreed that necessarily have Ploger said, concepts in the course was often a learning art can point to importo be done the experience, especially since few tant principles of biolresources combining art and sci- way it used to be ogy. ence are available. However, they Si m i l a r l y, Wy k e s considered this not as an obstacle, done.” explained that startbut as an opportunity. ing with a biological Andrew Wykes “Part of the challenge and also hypothesis can help part of the fun of doing this course Professor artists see their work for Andrew and me was that we in new ways. One stuwere so creatively engaged in the dent in the course, for process of ‘how are we going to make this example, was curious about the patterns of work?’” Ploger said. frogs communicating with each other across For Wykes, the challenge of the course both long and short distances. Pursuing this was fitting all the available curriculum into concept resulted in what Wykes described as a relatively limited period of time. an abstract, horizontal work of art exploring “If you had a semester to do this, you could how different kinds of lines interact in space. really get into some stuff, but I think the two “It became a really remarkable abstract weeks gives you an opening,” Wykes said. painting...something that she would never

have come up with in one of my painting classes,” Wykes said.

Ploger said that both the artistic and biological components of the course were wellreceived by students.

“My sense is that people were really engaged in the course,” Ploger said.

The results of the course, including the abstract painting mentioned above, are currently on display in the Giddens Learning Center Art Gallery: each student’s final project was to create a work of art based on a biological hypothesis.

“I am really happy how my project turned out because I had never done anything like this before, and both professors liked my connections of art and biology,” Gresser said.

Wykes echoed Ploger and Gresser in describing the course as a success.

“I know that some of the students felt good about their work. Some of them have led me to think of other ways of teaching,” Wykes said.

Although this year is the first time the course has been taught in Jamaica, Ploger and Wykes taught a similar J-Term together in Arizona in 2008. Both agreed that their previous collaborative course was successful in teaching students to think differently about both art and science and that they would be willing to offer a similar course in the future.

“I think the university needs to see this stuff more,” Wykes said.

Jamaica Art Exhibition Where: Giddens/Alumni Learning Center Art Gallery When: 9 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Monday - Friday through Feb. 28

A&E 7

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

CAMPUS EVENTS

Cupid Comes to Campus The week of Valentine’s Day proved to be action-packed and full of options to meet anyone’s needs.

Brittany Rassett Reporter Residence halls were packed with Valentine’s ideas, from Sorin Information desk offering Valentine’s cards to give to friends, to paper bags for giving out candy to fellow dorm residents (like in elementary school), to Singing Valentines.

The Singing Valentines were produced by the Resident Assistants (RAs), this year being the first time the event was held.

The RAs posted forms around Residence Halls, giving people the option of giving someone anything from Hershey Kisses to a rose, and having an RA sing a song such as “You Are My Sunshine” or “My Girl” with the delivery.

According to Drew Hall RA sophomore Rachael Mills, they made $170 by selling around 50 Valentines; proceeds go toward the Special Olympics.

“Most of the people who received Valentines were extremely touched and surprised. It was really cool to be a part of putting a smile on someone else’s face,” Mills said.

Thursday, the Anthropological Society held a chocolate tasting event in the Giddens/Alumni Learning Center.

Anthro Society President senior Jeremiah Steele explained that the chocolate tasting fit perfectly with the traditional Valentine’s Day theme of chocolate, thus making it a perfect time of year to hold the event.

“The purpose behind this event is simply to give attendees a brief, enjoyable history on the origins of chocolate and as well as a chance to sample various chocolates from around the world,” Steele said.

According to Steele, every year the organization holds a presentation about the history of chocolate, how it came to be, as well as the process that created

it. The presentation is given by Anthropology Professor Skip Messenger.

As anthropology focuses on cultures, the Anthro Society opts for imported chocolate to be part of the tasting.

“We try to find as many chocolates from different countries as possible. A few examples from the past have been your standard milk chocolate, dark chocolate, a few from Belgium and a spicy variety of chocolate from South America,” Steele said. “There is never a particular ‘menu’ that we set out to fill, just whatever seems good at the moment.”

If Thursday didn’t have enough events to please the Cupid fans of Hamline University, Friday had more to offer.

Hamline University’s Swing Dance Club partnered up with the Jazz Ensemble for the 12th annual Swing Dance Night.

The Swing Dance Night started out with free swing lessons at 7 p.m., sponsored by the Swing Dance Club, followed by the dance itself at 8 p.m.

Jazz Ensemble Director John Koziol explained that the Swing Dance Night started out as a way for the ensemble to obtain more performance opportunities and to have more fun playing this genre of music.

The Jazz Ensemble played love songs from well-known musicians such as Duke Ellington, Van Morrison and John Coltrane, encouraging youth and adults alike to bring their dates or significant others.

“We’ve always wanted to do this event around Valentine’s Day. It’s like a sweetheart event,” Koziol said.

Apart from Hamline’s Jazz Ensemble, the Jerry O’Hagan Big

Band played as well.

“It’s hard for the ensemble to play three hours of music, so they share the stage with others.

It also gives them a chance to view big bands,” Koziol said.

The O’Hagan Big Band has played at Hamline’s annual swing dance for the past four years.

“Sometimes the O’Hagan band will come in and play along with the ensemble, and sometimes the ensemble members will sit in with the big band,” Koziol said.

Margaret Ringberg, Co-President of the Swing Dance Club, explained the important role this dance plays in the lives of both the Swing Club members and the community.

“It provides opportunities to attend lessons and dances or workshops for anyone really interested in taking their dancing to another level,” Ringberg said.

“By holding public events, we hope to spread this opportunity to as many people as possible that might not otherwise have had the opportunity to get the exposure on their own.”

For those who missed the free swing lesson before the event on Friday, the Swing Dance Club also offers free lessons every Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Bush Center Ballroom.

“Swing isn’t your grandma’s dance style. It’s fast and explosive and vibrant with a really deep cultural and musical history attached,” Ringberg said.

“Swing and jazz music played such an integral part to the modern music we listen to today, so why not keep it alive and express it through the dance forms that developed with it?”

PHOTOS | ANDREW MAAS, ORACLE Top: Sophomore and RA Rachael Mills (center), who organized the Singing Valentines event, and her fellow students serenade dorms with love songs.

Bottom: Roses and candy waiting to be delivered to dorm residents.

8 Opinion

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Staff Editorial

SPEAKOUT

Is it a better deal to buy or rent textbooks at the Hamline bookstore?

And the winner is...

W

hen we claim that The Oracle is an “award-winning” newspaper, we mean it. At the Associated Collegiate Press “Best of Midwest” convention this Feb. 8-10, we took home a slew of awards: fourth place for weekly tabloid, two awards for sports stories (including a first place), one feature story award, one for editorial, and then the one we’re most proud of: a first place in the special issue category for our J-Term magazine.

There’s no “Division-III journalism” like there is for D-III sports.

For most of the awards we won, The Oracle competed head to head with schools much larger than us, some of which have dedicated journalism programs. All Hamline has for journalism is one class and a certificate.

Second place in the special issue category went to the Minnesota Daily, the campus newspaper for the University of Minnesota.

They’re also the third largest daily newspaper in the Twin Cities, after the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press. Put that into perspective: the little dinky Hamline Pipers outplaced a massive university which educates almost 50,000 students, trains 250 students every year for their newspaper and requested $550,000 for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

In comparison, Hamline University educates around 2,000 undergraduates, had a staff of 16 students to make the J-Term magazine and received less than one-tenth in funding for the 2012-2013 fiscal year than the U of M’s paper did. And yet, we still managed to beat the Minnesota Daily in the special issue category.

So go ahead and call Hamline little, but don’t dare call us dinky.

Also take note that we aren’t really “journalism” students here at The Oracle. There’s a range of liberal arts majors in the office, from economics to anthropology (and maybe a scientist here and there). Other schools specifically funnel in students from their journalism program into their newspaper. We do not have that luxury. And yet, we still put out a product comparable to schools with more money, more staff and more expertise.

So the question is, how? How are we able to compete when we’re so vastly outgunned in every category? That’s the intangible quality that we’ve all been asking ourselves: why did we choose to attend Hamline anyway?

Hopefully, The Oracle’s victories at the “Best of Midwest” convention illustrate just how intangibly valuable a liberal arts education can be. Perhaps the small class sizes, wide breadth of study, intimate student culture and long history of student involvement have some amazing benefits after all, benefits which can’t be so neatly compartmentalized into words like they are at research factories such as the U of M. Perhaps the liberal arts experience is worth it after all.

At your graduation open house, when you told your friends and family that you chose Hamline, there was probably a mixture of responses. Some delighted, some bored, and some confused — “Hamline? Why go so small?” asks Uncle Joe. Now you have one more answer to pull out of your liberal arts bag of tricks. Tell Uncle Joe about the huge discrepancy in size, funding and human resources between newspapers like the Minnesota Daily and The Oracle, and tell them that we compete regardless.

Beyond Uncle Joe, use this idea on employers. The first thing you’ll have to concoct up after graduation is, “Why Hamline?” The hordes of graduates spewing out of massive public universities never experienced the liberal arts education that we are experiencing. You’ll need to learn how to put that experience into words in case they are the ones who end up interviewing you. So what is it then, why Hamline? What makes it more valuable than the traditional higher education?

The Oracle is only one of these success stories. It happens across campus every day; for example, check out the front page story from last week about the four Hamline poets heading to New York this April for the College Unions Poetry Slam International. What’s your success story? At a small liberal arts college, there’s plenty of opportunities to go out and make one. We’ll be waiting to report on it.

We want to hear from you. Letters must be 450 words

or less, include submitter’s full name and graduation year (when applicable), be submitted electronically at least three days before publication and must also include contact information. The Oracle reserves the right to edit or withhold publication of letters. The content of the Opinion section does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff.

E-mail submissions to: editor@hamlineoracle.com With questions, contact: Drew Science 106 or x2268

Amber Todd Sophomore

Keyonis Johnson Junior

Ben Bennett

“I like to buy books that are within my major because I’ll probably use them later on in life, but I like to rent books for non-major classes, unless I think it’s interesting.”

“I would prefer to buy my books, but the bookstore’s prices are way overpriced.

I wouldn’t rent from them either, because I can find a better deal buying my books online.”

“I like to buy books because you are able to do what you want with them and you are able to refer to them in the future. But they’re too expensive.”

Martha Muchlinski First-year

Junior

“I think it’s a much better deal to rent from the bookstore because you usually don’t need them once your class is done, it’s a lot cheaper and they’re always in good shape.”

PHOTOS | PRESTON DHOLS-GRAF, ORACLE

Writer’s block and other myths of “writers” Writer’s block is bullshit. There, I said it.

Are you a writer or a “writer?”

There’s a big difference.

“Writers” tell their new friends over a pint at Blue Door Pub that they’re writers. They sit down and pop out a flash fiction tangent every week only when the art is properly flowing through them, and perhaps a poem or two on sunny afternoons. “I have a lot of good ideas for a novel,” they say.

Writers, on the other hand, write.

They don’t make up artsy excuses about the nature of aesthetics. They don’t care whether they’re inspired by this, that, or the other beautiful thing. They make the beautiful thing happen themselves.

Why listen to me? Do I know what I’m talking about? Well, nobody really knows what they’re talking about. Some people are just better liars than others. I’m not a writer or a “writer” — what’s the point of such a label, really?

But I do have a high quantity of writing compared to most college students: after over three years at The Oracle, I have produced over 20 columns and contributed to more than 15 staff editorials.

Almost every semester, I’m loaded with writing-intensive “T” credits, including three this term. And finally, I have over 500 pages of creative writing from my four years here, most of which is drivel with occasional phrases of brilliance (but mostly drivel).

We all know the guy or girl on campus who calls themselves a

“writer.” Maybe you’re it. Maybe you’re sick of people scoffing at your artistic ambitions, but hey, perhaps they’re scoffing for a good reason: where’s your proof after all?

I’ve been there too. Let’s turn off Netflix and brainstorm some ways out of this “writer” trap.

For the moment, forget how “good” of a writer you are. Years of practice can fix that, and we’re years behind those professional 20-and30-somethings.

What really matters at our tender young age is quantity. Do you even have what it takes to consistently produce a clear construction of ordered words day after day?

Maybe. I don’t know. You don’t even know — until you’ve done it.

There’s plenty of people on this campus who write a quarter as much as I do, yet they would destroy me in a writing challenge.

See the keyword in there: would.

They would destroy me, but they don’t.

The sad truth is, everyone has great ideas; however, only a handful ever get properly executed. Average ideas actually executed are infinitely more valuable than great ideas that never come to life on paper. To toss off that demeaning yoke of “writer” is absurdly simple: write. Now! Creativity is a muscle. Use it or lose it. The more you practice, the better you become at hurdling over that dreaded “writer’s” block.

A blank page begins to feel fresh rather than intimidating.

Imagine going to a publishing

STEVEN ROTCHADL company with your epic novel about super epic awesomeness.

“This novel is like a child to me,” you tell the agent. “It took me seven years to write.” What does the publishing agent respond?

“NEXT!” It doesn’t matter if you wrote the best book in the world. Looking through the hundreds of applicants, why would the agent invest in the writers who take seven years to produce their first book? Does that suggest that it will take such authors seven years to write a second book?

Of course, there are no fundamental truths to anything, writing included, because we’re all our own individuals. But the only way to discern which truths apply to you is through practice. The same is true of anything. As we all write and develop our individual voices, we learn the techniques that best work for us.

If you want to learn writing techniques, you can. One thing the internet has done is democratize knowledge. Read about how real writers write, study blogs by industry insiders and find out what made the experts into experts. You don’t need expensive courses at Hamline to teach you how to overcome writer’s block. You just need to write every day, whether you feel like it or not. And maybe, after a couple weeks of plowing through crap-filled rough drafts, you’ll realize that this writing thing was never actually for you. Good. That’s one less thing you have to worry about.

‘You don’t need expensive courses at Hamline to teach you how to overcome writer’s block. You just need to write every day, whether you feel like it or not.’

Opinion 9

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Young, gifted, and black?

‘Based on the number of diversity meetings held by Hamline administrators, it seems Hamline might still have issues with cultural competency, and in some cases, students of color feel like their intellectual dexterity is being dismissed.’

DON ALLEN A message to black students on the campus of Hamline University: we have got to stop being ashamed of loving each other and ourselves.

This is the first step in turning the tide in a positive direction. Some responsibility falls on us as individuals along with our collective. If we are afraid to voice our opinions on campus or elsewhere, then we as a collective have failed our peers and the great black leaders of history. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Fulfilling our contracts with Hamline by going to class and participating on campus gives us the undeniable right to speak out without fear of retaliation. But this does not seem to be the case.

Educating black students in white spaces constructs many challenges, including pressure to adapt to the mainstream status quo. Based on the number of diversity meetings held

by Hamline administrators, it seems Hamline might still have issues with cultural competency, and in some cases, students of color feel like their intellectual dexterity is being dismissed.

Complaints by students of color are looked upon merely as a victim’s mentality from a special interest group. Students are saying Hamline’s diversity efforts are hurtful and embarrassing. I interviewed six students who attended the MLK Day event in January. All six comparatively said the same thing: they felt the university president and other staff who attended this event did not have respect for what they said. Five out of the six students interviewed “specifically requested” their names

not be published in fear of campus social-circle rejection and college administration retaliations.

The mental slavery of not speaking out can only confirm the notion that Jim Crow is alive and well at Hamline University. The cultural complaint is evident: some black students — actual students who attended Hamline’s MLK Day event — felt slighted by Hamline University’s president. A charge was given to Hamline University from members of Hamline’s black student organization. The charge was read, reviewed and clearly understood: “No more can diversity be placed on the shoulders of one office, no more can diversity be placed on the shoulders of our students of color, no more can diversity be seen as a taboo that nobody wants to talk about.”

This would justify the challenge and pushback in addressing the student’s requests invoking actions of white privilege at Hamline University that lurks in the shadows of campus buildings with the intent to covertly derail the social constructs of black pride and student rights cleverly disguised as “solving diversity issues.”

Generally speaking, blacks did not get into Hamline University because of our athletic abilities. We don’t see the Big 10 written on any walls—nor have we heard any talk of an NCAA championship for the college. The attraction to Hamline University is strictly reputation and academic. If this is the case, then Hamline University must set up and maintain a national collegiate model of how to address cultural specific needs in academia for students of color. Students at Hamline

University are paying customers. The market demands that we (all students) have the right to see any discrepancy corrected and remedied immediately. This is part of the critical thinking process in the real world.

There are other drawbacks. A mentality of privileged oversight can be created in academia, a relationship that disregards the voices of students of color because they constantly have to amend their positions on Black Pride. Such students of color see no sense in making “the struggle” personal, only helping them to gain limited, marginal success while learning to maneuver a system that over time has made them feel less than adequate. In an Atlantic Monthly article named “Race and the Schooling of Black Americans,” Claude M. Steele states that, “More than half of black college students fail to complete their degree work — for reasons that have little to do with innate ability or environmental conditioning. The problem, a social psychologist argues, is that they are undervalued, in ways that are sometimes subtle and sometimes not.”

For too long, others outside the sphere of blackness have defined what young, gifted and black should be. Part of this definition is that black students should stay in their place can been seen throughout history, from Alabama Gov. George Wallace blocking the doors of the schoolhouse in 1963 to the current achievement gap in the Twin Cities. The unique evolution of Jim Crow and Duluth lynchings have turned up in the form of fear and intimidation if one speaks out about their plight.

Political partisanship blockades another solution: The Violence Against Women Act ‘Congress needs to let go of their stubborn, combative ways and pass the Violence Against Women Act. It’s not something that we can afford to lose: Minnesota organizations receive over $1,696,088 in grant funds alone because of the VAWA.’ CAL SARGENT The 112th Congress of the United States failed to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 2011, allowing it to expire for the first time ever. Since that time, it has been debated over and over again, and still, today, in the year 2013, it has not been reauthorized. The 113th Congress doesn’t seem to be much more effective, although it’s probably still too early to tell.

Regardless of who makes up our Congress, the lack of bipartisan support is exceedingly frustrating and has drastic effects on our everyday lives. The expiration of the VAWA is illustrative of some of the problems that have plagued American politics since the inception of our country.

The story of the controversy around the VAWA begins in April of 2012, when the Senate attempted to reauthorize the act with added provisions to try and alleviate some of the violence which marginalized populations face. These new provisions would prevent organizations from discriminating against LGBTQIA-identified survivors, grant undocumented survivors work authorization and opportunities for U-Visas, and would also give Native American tribal courts authority to prosecute certain non-native perpetrators, among other things.

House Republicans passed their own version of the VAWA without the new provisions in May of 2012. They maintain that the Senate’s version is technically unconstitutional because the proposed U-Visas being provided will raise revenue, and bills that raise revenue are technically supposed to originate in the House of Representatives, not the Senate.

In response, the Senate has reintroduced the bill without the provisions for undocumented survivors, hoping that they’ll be able to pass a different immigration reform bill to cover the 10,000 U-Visas they wish to provide. This version of the VAWA was passed by the Senate on Feb. 12, 2013. The House has yet to vote on it and it’s unclear when or if the VAWA will be reauthorized.

I know that all sounds horribly confusing and complex, and it is. The basic thing to keep in mind is that the VAWA provides federal funding to organizations that offer services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking. Without these federal funds, many organizations will have to close their doors since state and private funding alone is not enough to keep them all running. This means less resources for people who are sexually assaulted, raped, stalked or abused by intimate partners, which means less education, less prevention and more opportunities for abusers to abuse. It also means that communities on the fringes who already face increased rates of violence will become more disenfranchised.

The VAWA aims to decrease violence towards women, and the Senate’s version of the bill merely attempts to expand these protections to a larger group of victims, which would include men, women of color, immigrants and LGBTQIA-identified victims.

This is a fight that has been going on in America and abroad since the 1800s. When the discourse on whether or not women deserved political personhood began in the nineteenth century, early feminist theorists argued for one broad category of “woman” that would include women of all races (i.e. former slaves) to advance their political agenda for equal rights.

The feminist response to this theory, which became prominent in the 1980s during the formation of the Womanist movement, expressed that while one category of “woman” is certainly unifying, it erases the complexities of women’s identities and the varying oppressions that different women face on account of their race, sexual orientation, gender identity and class.

This is a theory that’s still relevant to Third Wave feminists today, and the Senate’s version of the VAWA attempts to

address this inequality. The debate is not over. It seems that today, many Republican members of Congress do not wish to expand the category of “woman” much farther beyond middle-class white women who the VAWA would already cover if it were in effect today. I say this because if we truly believed as a society that all women (and people in general) deserved equal rights and protection under the law, this bill would pass without discussion or debate. If we believed that Native American women, LGBTQIA-identified women and immigrant women were women deserving of equal treatment, and therefore being defined as full political persons, I wouldn’t need to write this column.

Congress needs to let go of their stubborn, combative ways and pass the Violence Against Women Act. It’s not something that we can afford to lose: Minnesota organizations receive over $1,696,088 in grant funds alone because of the VAWA. This act has historically been a bipartisan bill, and when you look at the increased rates of violence for the underserved populations that the Senate’s provisions aid, it’s hard to understand why it should be anything but bipartisan. If states don’t receive funding for these services, many organizations will have to close their doors, victims of sexual violence and intimate partner violence won’t have the resources to get help, and their abuse will most likely continue uninterrupted.

My explanation of the VAWA is grossly simplified because of limited space and the bill’s complexity, but I would encourage anyone who’s concerned about this to research the VAWA, call your representatives and tell them why the renewal of this act is imperative for all Americans. All women (and men) deserve personhood and equal rights as they are laid out in our Constitution, and the Violence Against Women Act is an important step towards this vision.

10 Sports

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

SWIMMING AND DIVING

PHOTO | ORACLE ARCHIVES Sophomore Glenn Dworsky-Rye is part of a swimming and diving team that made great strides in the 2013 season. The men’s team finished sixth at the MIAC championships, two spots better than they finished last year. The women finished eighth.

Pipers make strides in championships A six-game winning streak has Hamline in contention in the competitive MIAC. Sarah Schneekloth Reporter The Men’s and women’s swim and dive teams found themselves two places above last year’s finishes at the MIAC championship last weekend.

“I’m expecting the team to move up in the MIAC in the team standings,” Coach

Frank Vaccaro told The Oracle last week.

And that is exactly what they did. The men placed sixth out of eight teams and the women placed 8th out of eleven.

Sophomore Hannah Hawker and firstyear Dani Waskosky led the women with a fourth place finish in the 100-meter backstroke and a fifth place finish in the 1-meter diving, respectively.

Hawker also helped the 400-yard medley relay to an eighth place finish along with Valerie Madden, Marissa Smith and Jennie Dwyer. The women (with Dwyer replaced by Marissa Smith) also took eighth in the 400-

yard freestyle relay.

Hawker may have taken fourth place in the 100 back at the MIAC championship, but she’s first in the Hamline record books.

Her time of 59.58 was the first time a woman had cracked the one minute mark.

The record was previously held by Kate Lundsten since 1981 with a time of 1:00.33.

Lundsten went on to coach Rachel Bootsma, a Minnesota native who competed in the London Olympic games in 2012.

On Friday, the men started out the weekend with a fifth place finish in the 400yard medley relay. Glen Dworsky, Connor

Benson, Ben Smith and Parker Johnson swam for a time of 3:48.70.

First-year Ty Stanchfield finished 14th in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 18:10.63.

Another first-year, Chris Sova, represented Hamline in the finals for men’s three-meter diving.

For the women, first-years Jennie Dwyer and Maddy Stauber also placed in the 1650 freestyle.

Without a single senior on the team, the Hamline Swim and Dive team has nowhere to go but up. Keep an eye out for this promising young group in the years to come.

VOLLEYBALL

Coach makes the move to Division-I After a breakthrough season, Audrey Ludwig is hired as an assistant coach by the University of Maryland.

Josh Epstein Sports Editor After three years at the helm of Hamline’s volleyball program, coach Audrey Ludwig is leaving the Pipers to take a Division-I assistant job at the University of Maryland.

Ludwig was a four-year starter on the St. Olaf volleyball team before graduating in 2007.

After serving for two years as an assistant there and at Augsburg, she was hired by Hamline in 2010. She helped spark a rejuvenation of the volleyball program, which is coming off one of the best seasons in school history.

According to the Hamline press release, recruiting is expected to be part of Ludwig’s duties at Maryland, something she is familiar with after having built the Pipers almost from the ground up. Her teams the last two years have been comprised almost entirely of firstyears and sophomores.

Last season, the Pipers dominated in nonconference play, beginning the season 12-1 and setting a team record for consecutive wins in

the process.

While they slowed down in MIAC play, the team still doubled their win total from the previous season with 18, the most they have had in 17 years.

The job at Maryland is a promising opportunity for Ludwig. However, leaving Hamline was also difficult.

“It’s bittersweet,” Ludwig said in the press release. “It’s hard to leave here because I am proud of what we were building. At the same time, I’m going to a program that will be in the Big 10 in a year. That’s very exciting.”

Last year, the Terps went 17-15 overall, including an 8-12 record in the ACC. Recently, Maryland announced they were moving to the Big 10 conference along with Rutgers beginning with the 2014-2015 season.

Their head coach, Tim Horsmon, is excited to add Ludwig to his staff.

"I believe Audrey will be a tremendous asset to the Maryland volleyball program," Horsmon said in the Maryland press release. "She has a passion for the game that gets people excited immediately, and we think there's a lot to be excited for in the direction of our program.”

Horsmon also spoke highly of Ludwig’s ability as a recruiter and worker.

“Audrey has run all aspects of her own

program, is a self-starter and an extremely competitive person,” he said. “That competitiveness coupled with her outgoing and confident personality will make her a force in recruiting.”

Ludwig got right to work, beginning her job at Maryland on Feb. 11, the same day that the hiring was announced. The Terps have won five ACC titles (most recently in 2005) and been to the NCAA tournament six times.

Hamline Athletic Director Jason Verdugo was sorry to see Ludwig go, but also happy that she landed the new coaching job.

“Audrey did a tremendous job in getting the volleyball program moving in the right direction,” Verdugo said in the press release. “There is a terrific nucleus of committed student-athletes here…and she deserves credit for that. So I hate to see her go. At the same time, I’m very supportive of her desire to transition to the Big 10 and a Division I program. All of us here are very happy for her personally and professionally.”

The search for a new volleyball coach has already begun. Whoever lands the position will inherit a promising young roster left behind by Ludwig.

“It’s bittersweet. It’s hard to leave here because I am proud of what we were building. At the same time, I’m going to a program that will be in the Big 10 in a year. That’s very exciting.”

Audrey Ludwig Former volleyball coach

Sports 11

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Don’t look back, don’t back down Pipers extend road winning streak with victories over Bethel and Carleton to enter the MIAC playoffs in dramatic fashion.

Gino Terrell Reporter Hamline University’s women’s basketball team clinched the playoffs last Wednesday after they defeated Bethel with a game-winning shot as time expired in their last game at Hutton Arena.

Tonight at 7:30 p.m., they will face Saint Benedict in their first playoff appearance since 2009.

Last Wednesday, Hamline faced Bethel in their home finale at Hutton Arena. They were one win away from clinching the playoffs with only one more game remaining.

Hamline took control of the game early with an 8-0 lead and extended it to 21-8. Bethel managed to catch up, but Hamline still led 32-29 going into to the locker room.

The second half was a slugfest; there were six lead changes in the second half of play. Hamline responded with a whole team effort. They distributed the ball effectively and set up quality shots.

The game came down to the wire. With 1:30 remaining, Bethel led 69-68. Senior guard Stephanie Pilgrim responded from behind the arc and Hamline grabbed the lead 71-69. Bethel then tied the game with a layup.

Head Coach Kerri Stockwell called a 60-second timeout with 18.9 seconds remaining in the game.

Tied at 71, Stockwell used those 60 seconds to draw up a play that would outlast Bethel in regulation.

Hamline inbounded the pass to senior captain Kara Poirier. She melted down the clock a few seconds before the team started to move the ball.

They tried to flank Bethel defenders as they drove

Quarterfinals (5) Hamline 2/19/13 7:30 p.m.

At: St. Joseph (4) Saint Benedict BYE (1) Concordia (6) Gustavus 2/19/13 7:30 p.m.

At: Winona (3) Saint Mary’s BYE (2) St. Thomas

the lane, hoping to draw Bethel defenders in so they could hit Pilgrim in the corner for three.

Pilgrim received the ball in the corner, but Bethel didn’t bite. A tightly contested Pilgrim improvised: she passed to junior guard Je'Naya Brown. Brown put the rock in the hands of Poirier at the top of the arc.

With less than five seconds, Poirier sized up her opponent and released the shot. The ball soared through the air and fell through the net as the backboard lit and the buzzer rang. Hamline won 74-71 and clinched a playoff spot.

“In reality, I just happened to shoot the last shot.

There were other points scored by my teammates that were just as crucial to our win,” Poirier said. “I couldn’t think of a better way to end my last game at Hutton Arena.”

Sophomore guard Jordan Sammons recorded the game high with 29 points, followed by Pilgrim with 19 and Brown with 12.

Throughout the season, this team has pulled out many close games. Last Saturday’s season finale against Carleton was no exception, as they pulled out an overtime road victory 66-60 to clinch the fifth seed.

“We never give up or stop fighting,” Poirier said.

“There’s never a game where everything goes perfectly, and as a team, we are prepared for that. We always say ‘don’t look back, don’t back down.’”

The Pipers have finished the season 14-11 (14-8 in MIAC). They have won their last six on the road—a school record—and look to build on that momentum tonight in their visit to St. Joseph, where they will play fourth seed Saint Benedict.

"One of our main goals, as a team, from day one was to make the playoffs," Poirier said. "It's an accomplishment that we are very proud of and excited for."

Semifinals

“We never give up or stop fighting.

There’s never a game where everything goes perfectly, and as a team, we are prepared for that. We always say ‘don’t look back, don’t back down.’”

Kara Poirier Senior

It’s time to find new heroes Oscar Pistorius seemed like a story everyone could get behind. After being born without fibulas, he was a doubleamputee who became a world class sprinter and competed against ablebodied runners at the London Olympics.

But even at the time, it was easy to question Pistorius’ status as a role model.

His strength on the track was largely based on his low-weight carbon prosthetics, which allowed him to spring his way through races at an inhuman pace.

And his adamancy at competing against able-bodied competitors had a weird air of entitlement—why should Pistorius get to compete against people who don’t have these high-tech prosthetics?

What’s so bad about competing in the paralympics?

Pistorius did compete in the paralympics, finishing second—then complained to the media that the man who beat him used unfair prosthetics, in the ultimate case of the pot calling the kettle black. Pistorius’ story was inspiring, but his actual character was whiny and egocentric.

But even those of us who doubted Pistorius’ character were shocked to find out what happened last week. On Valentine’s Day, Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, and is now facing charges of premeditated murder.

MIAC Championship

The fall from grace for Pistorius is probably unprecedented in sports. It shows the dangers of making any athlete a role model and in assuming you know a person’s character solely based off their athletic accomplishments.

People were blind to Pistorius because his story was naturally inspiring, and they were reluctant to speak negatively of someone who has a disability and has overcome obstacles. Now those people are left in shock after the monstrous accusations facing him.

Lowest remaining seed 2/19/13 7:30 p.m.

At: Moorhead Concordia

Second lowest remaining seed 2/21/13 7:30 p.m.

At: St. Paul St. Thomas

EDITOR’S DESK

Winners of the semifinals 2/23/13 3:00 p.m.

At: TBA

We get very naive about our athletes and assume that all the qualities that lead to their dominance at athletics will also lead to them being good people in real life.

But success in sports cannot be confused with success outside of it. Maybe it’s time to find some new heroes to be your role models: a teacher, parents, heck, even a random construction worker. Pretty much anyone would be better than most athletes at this point.

—JOSH EPSTEIN, ORACLE

MIAC MEN’S BASKETBALL St. Thomas Concordia Augsburg Carleton Bethel Saint John’s Gustavus St. Olaf Hamline Saint Mary’s Macalester

MIAC 19-1 15-5 14-6 12-8 11-9 11-9 11-9 8-12 5-15 3-17 1-19

Overall 24-1 18-7 19-6 15-10 15-10 12-13 14-11 9-16 8-17 4-21 4-21

12 Variety

The Oracle | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013

Where the jerks are

LOCAL BUSINESS

egg creams. All drinks are served in gorgeous glass cups, complete with thick red straws, of course.

“We like the old fashioned handcrafted sodas made with real Jena Felsheim syrups and natural ingredients.

Senior Reporter The soda fountain represents a time when community was built A step through the wooden door around the soda fountain,” Lynden of Lynden’s Soda Fountain is a wrote. “Treats were made with step through time. Big band music natural ingredients and made to blares from the speakers. Colorful order. You knew exactly what you packets of vintage candy line the were eating and drinking.” walls. Nostalgic knickknacks peer True to its predecessors, Lyndown from atop shelves. Conden’s also prides itself on servversation buzzes from customing high-quality ice cream and ers lounging in chairs. And in sundaes as well as comfort food the center of the store is the hub staples, such as grilled cheese and of Lynden’s: the long, sleek bar chips. To entice a younger crowd, behind which the “soda jerks” (the locally roasted coffee is brewed affectionate name for employees) fresh daily. rush back and forth “It’s one of the best and stir up carbonated coffees in town,” Fant “The masterpieces from the said. “It’s bad because concept vintage silver fountain. now my husband and “It works wonderI are super spoiled and of an oldfully,” soda jerk Jessica I’m never really happy fashioned Fant said, gesturing anywhere else anylovingly at the founmore.” soda tain. Fant, who conHowever, the food fesses that her one true fountain is isn’t the only thing that love at Lynden’s is the Lynden’s is known for. a place for chocolate malt recipe “[Lynden’s] pro(“Flat out – the malt we vides, honestly, a place people to use is amazing”) has to recreate memories been working at Lynfor the older gencome and den’s since July 2012. erations. They always sit and enjoy freak out when they In that time, she’s seen the community’s reachandcrafted see all the old candies tion to an old-school and usually if someone sodas.” fountain in its midst. younger is with them, “When people come they’ll have at least 10 Jessica Fant in, you know, their first stories for each piece Soda jerk reaction is always to of candy on the shelf,” how the place looks Fant said. “They’ll just and usually the music start remembering.” that’s playing,” she said.

But Lynden’s isn’t only for the Lynden’s feels like a place from nostalgic. The appeal of Lyna bygone era. Soda fountains were den’s is ageless. Fant stressed the a staple of both small-town culture importance of “taking the time and big-city life until the 1960s, to be”—taking the time to just sit when the rise of fast-food estabdown and enjoy food with friends lishments led to their decline. or family.

Fountains were typically tucked “The kids in the neighborhood away inside of a pharmacy, but will hopefully grow up with us and many (including the modern-day we will become a safe, fun place Lynden’s) existed as independent that they can share with their own shops. They were known for flafamilies someday,” Lynden wrote. vorful sodas, delicious ice creams, It also strives to bring an oldAmerican food classics and, natu-school charm to a modern day rally, a place to hang out. community without feeling anti“The concept of an old-fashquated. ioned soda fountain is a place “We love modern technology for people to come sit and enjoy and social media like Facebook so handcrafted sodas,” Fant said. we can connect with our customLynden’s channels the 50’s vibe ers and community as much as so expertly, it feels like it was lifted possible,” Lynden wrote. “We don't straight out of the era. However, want to be an old-fashioned place the soda fountain is still in its so much as we want to represent infancy: Lynden’s first opened old-fashioned ideas and concepts its doors in April of 2012. John that have been lost in these busy Lynden and his wife Tobi opened times.” the store out of a desire to create a place where people could gather in their community.

“We believe people need to slow down and enjoy treats like they deserve to be enjoyed,” Tobi Lynden wrote in an email. “We 490 Hamline Ave. S. also love to visit little shops like St. Paul, MN 55116 ours when we go on vacation. We Monday - Thursday 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. wanted a special place like that here.”

Friday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Courtesy of their fountain, Sunday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Lynden’s serves a variety of delectable sodas, tart phosphates and

Old-school charm meets new-school cool at local soda fountain.

LYNDEN’S LOCATION AND HOURS

PHOTOS | MARISA GONZALEZ & PRESTON DHOLS-GRAF, ORACLE Top: Soda jerks Brook Weinberg (left) and Libby Hilger (right) create sweet concoctions behind the counter.

INFORMATION | inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/soda_fountain.htm