Viewfinder

In This issue

A Look Into GV Safety Who Wears That To Class? Wrestle Like A Girl

Grizzle Editor-in-Chief

Fuhs Assignment Editor

Staff

Viewfinder

Donminic Goosby Photo Editor

Mayeli Jimenez Photo Editor

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Erin Kim Cho Advisor

Hello everyone! Welcome to our final issue of the fall 2022 semester! This semester has flown by, and as everyone survives finals, we hope you can slow down and enjoy all that this issue has to offer. Thank you so much for taking the time to read Viewfinder magazine. In this issue, all of the Grand View reporters, photographers and editors have worked hard to highlight some of the great things happening on campus, in our city, and across the globe. On page 4, Hugh McAuley shares his thoughts on The World Cup. Megan Mitchell, on page 6, highlights the fashion habits of GV students. Looking to learn more about the addition of girls high school wrestling to the state of Iowa? Check out Blake Walker’s story on page 8! Jesus MartinezAviles has two engaging stories on page 18 and 24 on campus safety and a female owned local business. For the first time ever, Viewfinder magazine has a word search and sudoku puzzle for you to complete for a prize! Check out page 37 for more information on the games and prizes. This is my final semester as a student and as editor-in-chief. Thank you to everyone who has made GV a sweet home during my time here!

COVER STORY

Caleb

Jason

Caleb Grizzle Editor-in-Chief

Blake Walker Assignment Editor

KC McGinnis Advisor

Ashlee Seaton Managing Editor

Kristine Le Design Editor

Taylor Thomas Alumni Advisor

WORLD CUp FEVER

By Hugh McAuely| Photos Provided | Designed by Blake Walker

The United States of America is not particularly known for their people’s love for the sport of soccer, or “fútbol.” I am not going to lie, the lack of love for soccer in the US is very alarming. The biggest and most played sport in the world is only ranked fourth in this country as the most played or watched according to a survey conducted by Statista.

The World Cup is a tournament played every four years and regarded as the pinnacle of soccer. The best athletes from 32 countries meet in one place to win the ultimate prize that every player dreams of winning. Heroes, villains, and legends can make a name for themselves in front of an estimated four billion individual viewers across the whole tournament.

The previous World Cup held in Russia to talled 3.5 billion viewers according to FIFA’s website. For the first time since 2014 the USA has qualified for the World Cup, and for the first

time since 2010, the team will play my home country, England, This is an extremely exciting time for me and many others who are involved in soccer. Note: England and USA finished with a 0-0 draw in the group stage.

But what did the GV community think of the World Cup?

As expected, the “Freedom Loving Patriots” did not disappoint with their answers. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say that they thought that the World Cup is the “Super Bowl of soccer,” I would have enough money to be able to pay this year’s tuition in cash. Although this infuriated me, they were in the ballpark, so I was okay with it. A lot of people did not even know it existed. This was made apparent when a guy said “yeah, no I’m not your guy” and walked off from the interview. This happened a lot more than it should have for the biggest sporting event in the world. Do not get me wrong, it was not all doom and gloom when I interviewed the people on the GV soccer teams. They all knew exactly when it was, and what it

was. My teammates, knowing I am English and cheering for the other team, took this time to give me some kind words about how confident they were that the United States would be victorious. My favorite interview was with someone on the soccer team (whose questionable comment prompted them to ask to remain anonymous). Asking, “Is this something the US plays in?” On that note, I called it a night with the interviews.

I think this year’s World Cup will be nothing but good for the game of soccer in America. If you have not gotten into soccer already, I hope this story has persuaded you. Fútbol is the most beautiful, exciting, and emotional game in the world, and everyone deserves to have it in their life. Fútbol has the power to change lives, empower people and bring everyone together and I am so excited to see what this World Cup will bring, and I hope you are too. Oh, if you have not found a team to support yet I would not be upset if you chose to root for your home nation. Just make sure that Liv erpool FC and the Grand View Vikings are the two teams you absolutely support outside of the World Cup. *Wink*

Photo provided by John Perry

DEPARTMENT

The primary goal of our graphic design program is to provide a comprehensive professional education in the study and practice of graphic design. The graphic design curriculum focuses on visual problem-solving studies to help students become well-rounded designers who can manage the challenges of evolving design industry.

Who Wears That To Class?

By Megan Mitchell | Photos by Donminic Goosby | Designed By Caleb Grizzle

oung adults across the nation are break ing fashion norms, using clothing to express themselves and show their true personalities. According to The New York Times, young pro fessionals are dressing less professionally and breaking clothing policies. In an article titled, “Who Wears Crop Tops to the Office?” young employees are said to be dressing less profes sionally and are going against office policies, dressing to put their personalities on display.

Various fashion tastes are represented throughout Grand View, some dress to express their personality or to feel the most comfort able. Ethan Overton, a junior studying The ology and Theater Arts, is known around GV for his fashion choices. He expresses himself through his clothing by wearing jeans, t-shirts, and cowboy boots most days, but he can often be found wearing a suit, at least one day a week. Overton said he believes clothes are a way for people to express themselves and influence their attitude for the day.

“I wear suits because I feel like at least one day a week I need a pick me up. If I look good then I feel good type of day,” Overton said.

Overton also sees fashion as a tool to view other people’s personalities.

“I’m interested in fashion in a sense that I like seeing how others use fashion to express them selves,” Overton said.

Arianna Bernal, a first-year student at GV said she enjoys the freedom to wear whatever she wants. Now that she is in college, she wears whatever she is feeling for that day. She has two unique styles, ‘western’ and ‘sportwear.’ For

example, when she dresses ‘western,’ she wears jeans and boots and when she dresses comfier, she wears leggings and a t-shirt. She feels that fashion has helped her connect with others because outfits reflect people’s personalities. Bernal did not always have the freedom growing up to express her personality through her clothing choices.

“I grew up going to a Catholic school where we had to wear a uniform and we couldn’t get to know a person and what they like fashionwise because it was always a polo and khakis,” Bernal said.

At GV, students can dress however they want for class. There is no policy or guidelines for students’ outfit choices. Although there are no policies, there are fashion trends between specific majors or departments that students have noticed.

“Theater kids tend to be more expressive with their fashion and clothing,” Overton said. “They have found a way to be expressive in the theater and most of the time that is done with clothing.”

Although many students try to express their personalities through their outfit choices, oth ers across campus think comfort is the most im portant thing when choosing an outfit. Bernal thinks that with having to walk across campus for classes it is important to dress comfortably, and she has noticed many other students do too.

“Most everyone wears joggers, sweatpants, leggings, and just comfy clothes,” Bernal said.

Although Bernal dresses comfortably most of the time, she dresses up on special occa sions. She usually makes her outfit adhere to

the event she is attending. On the days she has dressed up, Bernal feels that she gets noticed by peers on campus more.

“People notice you more when you dress up. I get more compliments when I dress up,” Bernal said.

With a new university president, some changes are being made to current policies. There are changes being made to the GV staff dress code policy. Staff are now required to dress more professionally, and additional re quirements will be added to the current policy. Bernal is glad there is not a student policy be ing added because she says restrictions would mean people cannot express themselves.

“I think if GV were to do a dress policy or code for students I think that would take a lot of how students express themselves away,” Bernal said.

As the colder months approach, students must also consider the weather with their out fit choices now. The climate in Iowa requires a variety of clothing. Some students have begun wearing coats, long pants, and winter accesso ries such as mittens and a hat. Whether stu dents dress for comfort or to show their unique personalities, various fashion trends are repre sented well throughout campus.

“Just keep being you, keep expressing yourself with your fashion, and do not be afraid to be yourself,” Overton said.

Ethan Overton, junior at Grand View University

wrestle like a GIRL!

January 22, 2022 will forever be remembered as a historic day for girls high school athletics in the state of Iowa. Inside Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa over 700 girls filled the arena’s floor with nerves of steel and hearts set on coming out on top of the girls wrestling championships sponsored by the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association. Around the halfway point of the matches for the day, all the girls taking part in the tournament grouped up in each of their weight classes and had one representative hold a sign with their class number on it. What seemed like an ordinary photo opportunity of all the wrestlers turned into a special announcement when Jean Berger, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) Executive Director, stepped out on the mat and grabbed the microphone.

“I’m not going to say very much. Thank you all for being here. We have some championships to settle later on. There is one thing that I would like to say. And that is, we sanctioned girls wrestling,” Berger said.

The words were met with thunderous applause from the crowd as the girls held up their signs to reveal the backs of them spelling out “SANCTIONED 2022”.

Iowa became the 34th state to officially sanction high school girls wrestling and it becomes the 11th girls sanctioned sport in the state. The latest add

By Blake Walker | Photos by Mayeli Jimenez| Designed by Mayeli Jimenez

ed sport was bowling all the way back in 2007. Jason Eslinger, the Associate Direc tor of the IGHSAU, talked about the pro cess of getting girls wrestling sanctioned.

“We had fun throughout this process. We monitored it like we monitor a lot of things when it comes to emerging sports…. We have a policy in place where we have to have a cer tain amount of our membership commit to it. We were ready, but we wanted the schools to be ready as well,” Eslinger said.

Flash forward to now. The girls wrestling sea son is getting underway with practices just tak ing shape at the beginning of November. As of right now, the state expects around 60+ schools to “field” a girls wrestling program. The reason for the quotations is because it is expected that some schools may team up with other schools when it comes to wrestlers. This first year of state tournament wrestling will NOT feature teams going up against one another.

“If you’re going to start something you want it to be done right,” Eslinger says. “Our state tournaments are a big deal to us, so it’s not like you want to just go in there and toss out a cou ple mats during the boy’s tournament and you go. That’s not how we do things.”

Eslinger sets a standard that many expect when you attend a girls post-season tourna ment here in Iowa. It is an event. From the IGH SAU logos everywhere you look, to the coaches and players lounges, and the bright pink cover ing every surface, the girls just do it right.

The IGHSAU went as far as to hire Erin Kirt ley, a former Athletic Director at Panorama, to hop on as the Union’s wrestling administrator.

“(Erin) did a lot of the leg work for us and got us to the point where we were ready to an nounce it,” Kirtley said.

Kirtley released a statement back in January about her new position and the news of girls wrestling in Iowa.

“I’m honored to have been given the job as a catalyst to get this part of the process ac complished for the girls in our state. While we have closed the book on formal sanctioning, we look forward to opening the next one now as we highlight all the great stories our female wrestlers are continuing to write. The IGHSAU has said from the beginning that our intent is to do what is best for the girls who participate. We look forward to giving them the same amazing experiences as the other ten sports under our umbrella, and to leave nothing spared when it comes to building them as student athletes and leaders. We also look forward to supporting the coaches and officials who serve alongside these athletes, and to give their fans a greater appre ciation for what these females already do day in and day out.”

Kirtley also just recently announced on her Facebook page that over 2,000+ girls will wrestle this winter which is more than double the amount that participated last season.

History was made when the first official girls wrestling meet took place on Monday, November 14th when Dallas Center Grimes hosted Ankeny, Spencer and Waverly Shell Rock in a four-team dual meet. Kirtley was present at the duel and spoke to the crowd be fore the action took place.

“This has been a long time coming…. Real ly excited to watch everything that’s going to transpire this next season,” Kirtley said.

DCG would go on to win both duels. The process of getting girls wrestling in the state of Iowa was a long tedious jour ney and one that will go down as a his toric first for young woman in our state. In four months, over 200 girls will be right back where their sport was sanc tioned in the first place, Xtreme Arena, to crown the first ever Iowa girls state wrestling champions. An achievement that will forever go down in Iowa High School Athletic history.

Casey Hill, a senior on the Grand View football team and a member of the Grand View Student Nursing Association (GVNSA) has been Viking Council President for over a year. So, what have been his goals while in these roles, how does he manage to do it all? While it is often common for people in leadership to prioritize goals, Hill would rather take life one day or week at a time. He focuses on the week ahead; how he can make the most of it, be the most productive, and make the best impact on others.

“I try to stay in the moment because if you look too far ahead, in my case I get too stressed out, but also you might get blinded from what’s actually happening in the moment,” Hill said.

Even while living in the moment, Hill still has goals to continue the football team’s winning streak, increase involvement on campus with Vi king Council, graduate with a degree in nursing, and pursue a career in the ICU. Managing all of this, as well as finding time to study, eat, sleep and spend time with friends and family cannot be easy, but Hill seems to have mastered it.

Sticky notes and time management are the keys to success for Hill. Whether it is to-do lists or reminders, sticky notes are the way to go. Time management helps him to stay on track and get things done on time. Friends and family are an especially important aspect of staying on track and pushing through challenging times for Hill. Whether it is his friends, teammates, coaches, girlfriend, or family members, he believes that hav ing a support system is particularly important when feeling burnt out, unmotivated, and stuck.

Despite sometimes feeling burnt out, Hill has made so many amazing memories during his time on GV’s campus and especially in his role as Vi king Council President. “What I’ve loved the most is meeting new people and being introduced to new cultures,” Hill said.

Alongside Hill, Hannah Carr has been Viking Council Vice President for over a year. While also holding her position on Viking Council, Carr is a senior member of the GV dance team, a member of GVNSA, and a devoted nursing student. Carr’s biggest goals stood out as acts of a selfless leader. When it comes to her major, Carr hopes to continue performing well aca demically, in hopes to one day care for patients to the best of her ability. She also hopes to continue performing well with the dance team and not let her teammates down. Her goal on Viking Council is to advocate for all students by trying to go out and listen to people and what they have to say in hopes of having an influence or a lasting impact on GV’s campus.

How does she have time to do it all? “Being involved and staying busy makes you more productive because you physically don’t have time to pro crastinate,” Carr said.

She also says that for her, the key to success is using her planner and sticky notes. Carr uses her planner to make sure she is getting things done on time and to keep track of meetings and class times. She also likes to make to-do lists for each day as well as for the week ahead to keep from getting too overwhelmed.

A full schedule and to-do list sometimes leads to feeling burnt out and unmotivated. When this happens, Carr leans on her friends and family while also remembering to take mental breaks and have fun. Fun is cer tainly a word that Hannah would use to describe her time in her roles on campus. She says that one of the things she has enjoyed the most is the connections made with a lot of different people and the relationships that will last past graduation.

Viking Council President: Casey Hill

Viking Council Vice President: Hannah Carr

A LAsting Impact

By Claire Maixner| Photos by Donminic Goosby| Designed by Caleb Grizzle

If you are striving for success, wanting to become the best version of yourself, and even looking to become the next Viking Council President or Vice President, buy some sticky notes, live in the moment, make a to-do list, trust your team, keep pushing, “and use your resources. “Always strive for more than you think you can achieve because you might surprise yourself,” Carr said.

“The sky is truly the limit. What will be your lasting impact on Grand View’s Campus?” Hill said.

ESPORTS IS MONEY

Many toddlers today will play with a Leapfrog Learning Pad or other device as they grow up. Most children and adolescents enjoy the leisurely activity of video gaming with friends online. Even adults are joining clans and groups on professional gaming levels and winning money from the $243 million generated in revenue by esports, according to Jack Dunn for The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

So, why is it taking colleges so long to jump on this bandwagon of revenue? Thankfully, Grand View has a head start, founding its esports program in 2017.

Director Nathan Ragsdell and Assistant Director Trevor Horner agreed that GV’s eSports program has brought in, conservatively, $30,000-40,000 in prize winnings and sponsorships since the start of 2019. During the spring semester of 2022, GV’s League of Legends varsity team brought home a $10,000 check along with a first-place finish in one tournament. Dalton Swaino, a senior at GV majoring in Sports Psychology, is one of those League of Legends varsity collaborators that helped bring home first place and a big check.

“Being able to compete and have a reward at the end of it was like, it’s always welcome,” Swaino said, using the prize money to pay for his tuition.

Any prize money that a team wins equals over $1,000 per player, and the university takes 10% of the winnings for the school itself. In the case of the $10,000 team prize, Swaino and his teammates had the option of putting it towards their student loans, in their own pockets, or towards the program itself. Each

put it towards their student loans, utilizing the $1,800-1,900 in prize money

teammate

By Jason Fuhs| Photos by Mayeli Jimenez| Designed By Kristine Le

towards their tuition. In the case of smaller team wins and prize money ($500 or less), most of the student-athletes have opted for a party for the team or program.

Swaino is looking forward to the upcoming tournaments they have lined up for the spring semester and hopes to bring home more wins and prize money to the esports program GV has established. Both Horner and Ragsdell are former esports players themselves, setting their players up for success. Ragsdell is even a former board member of the National Association of esports Coaches and Directors.

Both offered an inside look into what they look for when they are recruiting student-ath letes for their program here at GV.

“We don’t see somebody’s rank and say, ‘Okay, yeah, you’re definitely gonna get, you know, X amount of award,’” Ragsdell said. “If that were the case then, you know, there’d be a

lot of people who grind really hard to get really good and ranked, which is not necessarily trans ferable to a team environment.”

Ragsdell believes that GV’s esports program is a lot like other team-based sports programs here on campus because of the team coopera tion, individual experience, and the preliminary tryouts. These requirements help distinguish which scholarship each individual will receive when coming to GV. The options for scholarship vary with what game students compete in, but all the scholarships are offered for exceptional gameplay in Rocket League, Overwatch, and League of Legends. Other titles include Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Fortnite, and Valo rant. The possibility of expanding to other titles may be appealing to student-athletes.

“The ceiling is infinite,” Swaino said.

Besides esports helping student-athletes fi nancially, there is one other thing that sets them

apart from other sports programs. There is no governing body to cover rankings, school sizes, competing divisions or anything like the Na tional Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) provides.

“They’re competing against D-1 schools, D-2 schools, D-3 schools, and NAIA schools. Schools that have vastly different resources that are al lowed to their institutions and to their teams,” Ragsdell said.

With the spring semester quickly approach ing, Horner felt that the future is not only bright for the GV esports program, but also esports in general among colleges.

“I think the biggest one is the fact that esports is becoming more commonplace in the high school environment,” Horner said. “Typically, if these programs cannot succeed in high school, people do not want to go on and do that in col lege. Typically, gaming has been a very isolating experience, but now that schools are getting more involved, building that community, peo ple are like, ‘I really enjoy this.’”

With an optimistic outlook and an already stellar record over the last three years, the GV es ports program looks to keep making an impact and grow its student-athletes inside and outside the digital arena.

“Being able to compete and have a reward at the end of it was always welcome.” Swaino said, using the prize money to pay for his tuition.

GV SHOES

Written and Photos by: Donminic Goosby | Design by: Kristine Le

Everyone knows that to make the fit work, you must have the right shoes. You can dress lazy, athletic, dapper, etcetera and nothing will go to gether unless you have the right shoes. You can not just pair some jeans and a T-shirt with some slides and call it a fit. Now piece those same jeans and T-shirt with some all-white Nike Air Force Ones and the shoes themselves just opened any color scheme that you are feeling that day. My sneaker heads know what I am talking about.

I walked around the GV campus and talked to some people about the shoes they were wear ing, and many of them had interesting reasons why they had them. Now when you hear Jordan, there’s a couple of things that come to mind. The bald headed goat with six rings and shoes. I talked with Damon Street, a football player here at GV, about his pair of Jordan 4’s that he wears to class.

“You can tell a lot about a person based on the shoes that they wear,” Street said. “I feel like Jor dans just have a lot of different personalities to offer with their shoes.”

Street shared where his love for shoes came to be saying he gets it from his momma. “My mom ma was a shoe head, so that’s who I get it from.”

Alexa McCunn, a GV student, described her shoes in a somewhat funny way to me. She was wearing a pair of grey Asics.

“So, every year for each new school year I buy myself a brand-new pair of shoes that I don’t work out in so I don’t ruin them,” McCunn said. “These are just a great pair that will go along with neutral outfits.”

I have never heard of those shoes until my interview with her, but they did look extremely comfortable. She also described them as du rable due to all the rough conditions the shoes had endured.

Adidas, Puma, New Balance, Jordan, Nike and Vans were other hits around campus. A handful of people said their favorite brand was Nike.

Joey Bregar was one of the people that I talked to about the shoes he was wearing, and he had on Adidas. He described his shoes as “definitely comfortable,” but added that he is more of a Nike person. He thinks Adidas are more of an athlete’s shoe because Nike can be worn to any event.

“You at least got to have a pair of Adidas,” Bregar said.

I would consider myself a sneaker head. I catch myself walking around campus looking at people’s shoes and wondering how much they cost. It is crazy to me how some shoes go from $65 - $350 based on brand and size. Kaden Young, a GV student, purchased a pair of Jordan 11’s for $340. I sat down with Young and was still in disbelief that he would spend so much on a pair of shoes. The most I have ever spent on shoes was about $145.

Being a sneaker head does not mean you have to own all the new pairs of shoes or most expensive. What makes people sneaker heads is the fact that they are passionate about the shoes they own and take care of their favorite pair like their pair is the ‘grail’ of the sneaker world.

“These Jordan’s are iconic, I believe that everyone that likes sneakers needs to have pair of these in their rotation,” Young said.

“Or at least to pop out in.”

A Look Into GV Safety

On Monday, October 17, Viking Council hosted a campus safety walk open to all Grand View students to identify safe spots and other areas of improvement. For years, GV has maintained the reputation of being a small and safe cam pus. However, there is always room for growth or discussion about campus safety. As the fall season brings an earlier sun set, appropriate actions must be taken to remedy a darkened campus.

Senior Student Affairs Officer John Howe is prepared to advocate for student safety.

“It was an idea I brought to Viking Council… It’s some thing that I’ve participated in previous campuses in which I’ve worked with our student government associations,” Howe said.

Events like campus walks open the opportunity for students to engage with security staff or just faculty in general as they go about their academic day. This allows a safe and engaged campus, creating partnerships and alliances along the way.

“That’s partly where this walk is helpful too. Making sure that everyone feels that they’re part of creating a safe commu nity,” Howe said.

Howe notes that these exact partnerships and relation ships are what fuel campus unity and its overall safety.

“I think a lot of times people think that it’s security’s job to make sure that we’re safe, and ultimately it’s all of our jobs,” Howe said.

It is each student’s responsibility to have campus safety measures ensured, such as having the campus security num ber as a contact on their phone, locking their cars, walking in pairs, and practicing responsibility on campus, creating a se cure environment.

Vermillion, South Dakota, the small town that Howe pre viously resided in, has many similarities to Des Moines. And although these are small towns and cities, universities should still take precautions.

“There was a lot of folks who came from small towns, and I know that’s the case here at Grand View too, where maybe you don’t necessarily lock your car or lock your door, but that’s just part of being a good citizen too,” Howe said.

By: Jesus Martinez-Aviles Photos by: Mayeli Jimenez Designed by: Mayeli Jimenez

Taking safety measures may not come off as kind or wel coming. Avoiding safety measures could imply consequences that put others at risk.

“If you see someone who you don’t know is part of the com munity, if you’re scanning yourself into a building, it’s not rude

to let the door close behind you,” Howe said. “You are creating a safe environment for yourself and all oth er Grand View students. If that person should enter, they would have access.”

Although smaller universities supply a sense of security, there may be some disadvantages, according to Howe. These resources include legal measures that have worked in many universities across America. Le gal and immediate action on campus regarding sus picious or criminal activity can be seen as a positive thing, and would grant the GV community access to resources at their disposal if ever in need of them. Having licensed officers, or School Resource Officers (SRO) could be a controversial decision. There have been cases where students have strived to remove SROs from schools, so there is room for discussion on this topic, especially for students who value safe ty and well-being on campus.

“Having those types of resources, I think, do help create a safer environment because you have instant action for the police, but on the other hand, I know students were uncomfortable because they are police, so it is a balance,” Howe said.

Balance requires knowing GV’s limitations, but also knowing its potential to become a safer place for everyone. When events like safety walks are hosted, it is important that students attend for their physical safety in their educational career.

“I hope that in the future in future semesters, when students see that, they know they’re welcome to take part in that event as well,” Howe said.

Director of Campus Security Megan Hennigar shares additional ways that GV ensures campus safe ty and order. She explains the resources that GV has to promote safety.

“We tell kids that we’ll escort them back, so either we’ll walk back with you or we will give you a ride back to your dorm,” Hennigar said.

Hennigar advises GV students to be astute with their actions by using small yet effective measures.

“I recommend them at least walking with a friend. That way if anything were to happen, they’re at least with somebody,” Hennigar said.

Hennigar also expresses the importance of person alizing safety measures that guarantee students have

direct access to resources available to them. Should these measures be needed, they would be accessible to GV students.

“I think it’s important that people have the 2636000 number programmed in their phone...give us a call, make sure we’re not busy and we’ll let you know and be like, ‘Hey, it might be a few minutes, but we can come and get you’…but we’re always down to helping students get from point A to point B,” Hennigar said.

Grand View can become a responsible and safe part of the community in many ways. Keeping up dated on the latest security measures and express ing their needs is a basic and essential way for stu dents to practice safety.

“Just communicating…and checking emails because I know a lot of students don’t check their emails, but they miss out on a lot of information,” Hennigar said.

Although GV’s security team’s main goal is providing safety, the responsibility lies with the community as a whole. From practicing small safety measures,attending campus safety visibil ity events, to supporting resources that provide stronger and legal security on campus, GV has the potential to become one of the safest places on the East side of Des Moines.

WOLFRAM RC

By Rob Luke| Photos by: Mayeli Jimenez | Design by: Ashlee Seaton

Driving and owning radio control cars (RC cars) is hobby that I find interesting be cause of the vast amount of elements that come together to make the cars special. I enjoy RC cars because they are fascinating for a car guy like myself. There are a few different types of RC cars that are available to purchase in various loca tions right here in the great city of Des Moines. Wolfram RC Raceway is located in Merle Hay Mall and is known to be an excellent a place to purchase RC cars and open opportunities to compete in racing leagues as your fandom for RC cars grows.

There are so many different parts that go with these RC cars at Wolfram RC. From the wheels, electronics, motors, mounts, and even car bodies, the customization is endless. The wheels for a lot of these cars include different styles of rims, which are mostly sold in a set of four for each of the cars they go with. The tires are a little bit different, while all tires look the same, but there are different specifications for racing or for cosmetic purposes.

The electronics and motors of these cars are what make them unique and competitive. One unique piece with the electronics involved with

the RC cars is a transponder, which is something you can purchase that records lap times while running your car. The electronics included are the batteries, which is important to make sure the cars run properly. The cars run on different batteries depending on what type of car you have. Each car has different power outputs for

Wolfram RC Raceway

sports car bodies, rally car bodies, and even GT racing bodies. There are bundles where you can purchase multiple bodies at once. Needless to say, when you stop and look at these cars as a whole, there are so many things that go into them and into the business of RC cars.

Nick Feigen, owner of Wolfram RC, said they “started selling things at local races.” These rac es were small events located around the Des Moines area. As the business grew, so has the options for customization on the cars.

“The most visual thing is the car bodies,” Feigan said. “People have some options.”

As the options and customer base grows at Wolfram RC, Feigan said the next thing is “look ing for a bigger store space.” This space could have people looking forward to an indoor and outdoor RC car racing area that can hold differ ent leagues where people can run their cars.

charging. There are a variety of battery chargers that offer different benefits like battery life, bet ter speed, or extended run time.

The bodies you can equip on these cars are the best part because there are so many differ ent options to choose from. The options include;

If you are wanting to join one of these leagues or just check them out to learn more, they typically take place on either Wednesday or Thursday nights during the year. Wolfram RC Raceway is a place that has everything an RC car enthusiast needs and is a great place to get your hobby started and off to the races.

is a place that has everything an RC car enthusiast needs and is a great place to get your hobby started and off to the races.

By Jesus Martinez-Aviles Photos by Designed by

Tortilleria•Luna•

In all of Des Moines, there exists one local tortilleria busi ness that has grown over the years. This is Tortilleria Luna. Located at 2250 Hubbell Ave, Tortilleria Luna is a local busi ness on the East side of Des Moines. Although the times vary, the tortilleria is open seven days a week. The shop makes Mexican-style tortillas and other Mexican food and the shop has gained popularity among Des Moines locals.

When I first walked into the tortilleria, I heard the tortilla machines up and running. This was a loud sound of machin ery mixing and flattening tortilla mix. That soon made me realize that the tortillas are made fresh. I entered through the dining area, which is very spacious to hold small parties or gatherings. The style and decor of the tortilleria is very simple, making it very appropriate and comfortable for their casual lunch customers.

When you enter through the main entrance any day of the week, you are automatically hit with a fresh wave of Mexican dishes. This consists of the overwhelming yet irre sistible smell of fresh and heated rice, meat, beans, and tor tilla dough. During my first dine-in experience, I was greet ed by a staff member and began to make an order based on the day’s specials. There were two meat choices, three side choices, and also a drink and dessert option. There was also the option to make my meal choice into a burrito.

While ordering, I was able to see on the left side of the register how they have bags of tortilla chips and Chicharrones (Cracklings, also known as pigskin) laid out for customers to purchase. On the right side of the register,

there are two refrigerator structures. One is for drinks and the other contains homemade Mexican-style sauces for customers to purchase along with their food.

While the kind and helpful staff member was ringing my order up, I noticed other staff members working to make fresh tortillas while going about their busy schedules and work routines.

TORTILLAS

Customers may order tortillas in a two-pound pack. Their motto is “Calientitas Como Ninguna!” which in English translates to, “Hot Like No Other!” When first opened from the package, each tortilla is a soft white color that feels so warm in the palm of your hand. I easily tore the tortilla and enjoyed the soft and authentic taste and texture.

SIDE AND MEAT CHOICES

The small Mexican potato side I ordered smelled delicious and had a great soft texture, almost like plain mashed pota toes. It contains tomato and onion slices as well, but my fa vorite part was how there were chunks of potato contrasted by completely soft and mashed potato, giving it the feel that it was a hand-crafted mix.

The Chicharrón en Salsa Roja, which in English means “Pigskin in Red Sauce,” had a great texture, given that the pigskin was submerged into the red sauce which compli mented the taste. It was not spicy to me but definitely did add a unique taste to the dish.

BEVERAGE & DESSERT

A must-try hot beverage from Torti lleria Luna would be the Champurrado (Mexican Chocolate drink). I ordered this at the Tortilleria Luna on a rainy day, but would definitely suit any occa sion. The Champurrado was very satisfy ing to drink that I enjoyed with a churro. It was very crunchy and sweet, just like a churro should be. They recently intro duced this dessert into their menu. It is worth trying.

MY MEAL

My full meal consisted of a side of rice and beans, and the main course was Carne en salsa con Nopales (Steak in sauce with Cactus). When I first took a bite of my rice, I thought it was authentic and well made. The cooking style and taste had various similarities in the way my mother makes rice. She got her recipes from my grandmother, who is a Mexican native, allowing me to identify the similarities in our culture’s food. Once I tasted the beans, I knew I had to mix both together. They were a perfect combination and really complimented each other in their texture. The beans were my favorite part, being cooked to perfection and rich with flavor.

The Steak with Cactus was very well heated and tasty, helping me savor every bite. It was not too chewy and not too stiff either. I felt it was the perfect texture to have the cactus join it. The spice level of the meat was very minimal, which is appropriate for others that may not enjoy spicy dishes. The natural taste of cactus complimented the way the beef was cooked and seasoned along with its sauce. The addition of their tortillas made it perfectly clear that Tortilleria Luna has authentic flavors that are true to Mexican culture and live up to expectations and positive reviews. I would rate my overall experience at Tortilleria Luna as excellent. The staff are very dedicated and the owner, Liliana Oveido, was very kind and welcoming to me as a customer.

From L to R: Maria Cruz, Claudia Escareño, Diana Zuniga, Liliana Oviedo (Owner), Erica Mendoza

Something I would like to see is a bigger location for the torti lla in the future. Tortilleria Luna has gained popularity over the last three years and I believe it will continue to grow in business as it is the only tortilleria business in Des Moines. Staff at Torti lleria Luna prepare for the week by coming to work at 3 a.m. on Sunday. With fresh new foods made every day, the food sells out by the end of the day. They have gained positive exposure due to the delicious tortillas made by hand. All dishes were exquisite and there was no room for any displeasing feelings from me. I look forward to eating there again!

Tortilleria Luna recently celebrated its fourth anniversary in

UNLIMITED AMMO — INFINITY REVIEW

Swedish hyperpop artist Namasenda wants you to know that she’s here to stay. Or at least that seems to be the message she is trying to send with the release of “Unlimited Ammo: In finity,” a project composed of remixes of songs from her debut album, “Unlimited Ammo.”

Though she’s been sharing music since her first official single “Here” in 2016, “Infinity” is her most fleshed out body of work to date, show casing her sonic potential and pairing her with a number of other members of the hyperpop scene. You may be asking, what is hyperpop? The answer you get depends on who you are talking to. The genre is fairly new, with the term only arising around 2014. A concise description would be a heavily produced, occasionally over whelming take on pop music that incorporates elements from electronic and hip hop.

Hyperpop can be a mix of Soundcloud rap, dance music, metal and the bubbliest bubble gum pop, or it can be something else entirely. Frankly, the genre is so new and fluid that it is hard to pin down exactly what it is or what it will become. It might be a phase brought on by a gen eration reaching adulthood, or it could be the beginning of a more permanent development

in music. One important thing to note about the burgeoning genre has to be the connection it has with the LGBTQ+ community. Many artists who create hyperpop identify as queer, which lends to a unique atmosphere of inclusiv ity. Pitching vocals up or down, a technique that has become common in hyperpop, also allows transgender artists to express themselves in ways they might not be able to otherwise. Avant Garde visuals and personalities abound in the scene, complementing the over-the-top music and acting as an outlet for queer expression.

Well-known artists who fall under the hy perpop umbrella include GFOTY, Hannah Dia mond, and perhaps one of the founders of the genre, the late Sophie. Something many of these names have in common, along with their blister ing beats and computerized vocals, is their as sociation with the PC Music label. Founded in 2013 by acclaimed producer A.G. Cook, the label has been influential in defining hyperpop.

Namasenda also works with PC Music, and now she’s taking her own strides to make her mark on the genre. While some of her ear lier work, including the songs from her EP “hot_babe_93” evoke the energetic, upbeat

nature of an older Charli XCX track, in “Infin ity” she becomes somewhat darker and more introspective. The cover art is a good example of this. While the “hot_babe_93” cover depicts Namasenda laid up on a bed with a light pink background, “Unlimited Ammo: Infinity” gives the unforgettable image of the singer in an out fit made of black leather, pointing a smoking gun at the camera. ‘Try me and you’ll regret it,’ she seems to be saying.

This theme is a prevalent one throughout the album. ‘Never ever call again, if you want to keep your head,’ she sings on the appropriately titled, “No Regrets.” Multiple songs follow this narra tive of the woman behind the gun, including “Black Ops 2,” “Shots Fired,” and “Finish Him.” In each one, she dismantles whoever stands in her path with ease. From a cheating boyfriend to enemies doubting her career, no one is safe.

While these tracks are on the attack, they are interspersed with slower, more thoughtful out ings where Namasenda recedes into her mind and expresses more emotion. On “,” she teams up with Oklou to create a cerebral sound rem iniscent of the painful cycle of self-doubt that many people deal with internally.

By Charlie Deyoe-Snyder| Photos Provided | Designed By Blake Walker

Cover art for Namasenda’s Unlimited Ammo: Infinity remix album

In some songs, the gap she presents between herself as a coldhearted assassin and as someone struggling with pain from her life and relation ships seems too great to bridge. It’s a testament to her that she does man age it, though. “Unlimited Ammo,” the title track, sees her use images of futuristic weaponry and at first comes off as another attempt to be the assassin. A closer listen reveals the emotion present behind her detached vocals, as she sings,

“I could never run out of you, I could never reload all my feelings for you.”

But what about the remixes? This is a remix album, after all. Though remix albums aren’t necessarily new, they seem to mesh especially well with hyperpop considering their potential for collaboration and reworked sounds. Recent notable examples include “1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues” by 100 Gecs and the more mainstream “Dawn of Chromatica” by Lady Gaga. Certain remixes manage to leave an impression almost as strong as the original song, such as the “Steel - caro ♥Remix.” The original song, an undercover bop about having a heart of steel, becomes something tran scendent. Vocals are looped, giving it a dreamy effect, and the length is nearly doubled, but it doesn’t feel like too much. Rather, it gives a listener an excuse to stay a little longer with what was already an earworm.

Each remix definitely succeeds in bringing something new to the table, although it’s sometimes debatable as to whether it was altogether needed. The “Demonic - felicita + Tohji Remix” renders the song almost unrecogniz able to the point where the aggressive charm of the original is lost. Some

Zowi’s verse, are also not present. The choice to give some songs multiple remixes while giving others none is also puzzling, given how much poten tial all of them have for re-interpolation.

If the album does have a real stumbling point, it’s where it slows down. Amidst the adrenaline rush of the rest of the track list, songs like “” and “On My Mind” don’t seem as shockingly exciting as everything around them. Especially mixed in with the chaos of some of the new remixes, they feel out of place. A loss of cohesiveness is a common issue with remix albums, given how focused they are on exploring songs in new ways. Sometimes the original magic of an album can be lost in the fray of featured artists and updated production. Still, it’s hard to let that tonal difference be too much of a downside. The enhanced energy and new sonic routes that the remixes bring make up for any feelings of songs not matching. “Unlimited Ammo” was already a well thought out, unified project, so “Infinity” can afford to be its older, slightly more bloated cousin.

Namasenda’s clear development from her earlier work leads one to won der where she might be headed next. With how quickly the hyperpop scene is growing and changing, it’s anyone’s guess. No matter where that turns out to be, it seems that she’ll have an audience, as she’s amassed a loyal following online. Currently, she sits at nearly 117,000 monthly Spotify lis teners, which is nothing to scoff at.

She definitely seems confident in her trajectory, with the opening line of the whole project being, ‘Look at me winning now.’ Namasenda is winning, and if “Infinity” is any indication, she’s going to keep doing it. “Unlimited Ammo: Infinity” is out now on Apple Music, Spotify and Soundcloud.

Namasenda’s hot_babe_93 EP

faces of GV

Fearless, and creative, that’s the one and only Crey himself. Growing up playing a lot of video games and watching different cre ators make YouTube videos inspired him. It caught his eye so quickly that now he makes his video games and has started his own You Tube channel. It’s been eight years since he’s been doing YouTube and starting his own YouTube channel and creating video games.

Their videos consistently have a profes sional appearance. They painstakingly pre pare for them and shoot them, frequently utilizing unique objects and many cameras. After that, they carefully edit them to make them seem natural.

“It was just a hobby, something to keep me happy and creative in my spare time,” Abbas said. “I always try to incorporate Youtube into what I do. But there have undoubtedly been a few occasions when I’ve failed to turn in my projects on time because I was too en grossed in filming videos. I’m compelled to!”

Organized, funny, energetic. These three words describe Gloria Hackett, a video-editor and YouTuber. These two passions are entirely self-taught. Hackett, born and raised in Des Moines, is a freshman at Grand View Univer sity majoring in communications. “I think at first, it’s pretty difficult, because it looks very intimidating,” Hackett said. “It was actually pretty easy to get to know how to do things once I just did them.”

In 6th grade, Hackett was homeschooled. She remembers asking her parents for it as a result of anxieties involved in attending tra ditional schooling. But Hackett’s choice to ho meschool benefited her greatly. She took the time to learn more about herself and what she could accomplish if she was willing to under stand how her comfort zones could be pushed.

Regardless of her growing list of accom plishments, Hackett knows the future is still unknown. She has considered a career in vid eography, advertisement, or marketing, but hasn’t settled on one for certain. She is also seeking to improve her skills in writing. Even so, Hackett knows that the first step to doing anything is simply getting started. “Just go and do things. Don’t worry.”

New York native Isiah Jones moved to Nevada when he was a freshman in high school. After a fast-paced childhood filled with basketball and boxing, he was happy to embark on a new adventure. His move to Nevada is how he got into taking pictures and videos. He believes that taking pictures and videos of different places that you have never seen before is cool because you might not ever see it again.

“Some people will just stay in one place their whole life and die there without experiencing what it’s like to live somewhere else,” Jones said.

After he served his years in the military, he decided to move to Iowa and attend Grand View University and major in communication and media practice. After Isiah graduates from college, he wants to become a film director and he already has his own photography business.

GLORIA HACKETT

By Rebecca Gilseth

ISIAH JONES By Shenita Lawson

CREY ABBAS

By Keyshaun Bolen

Photos by Todd Bailey | Designed by Kristine Le

- Valencia

“You are your biggest critic,” said Jordan Lipinksi. Towards the end of her high school career, she started to question what she cared about, and why she was taking every thing so seriously.

After losing a close friend, she realized that she didn’t know how much time she would have left. What she used to think was important, wasn’t as important as she thought. Instead, she started going after what made her happy.

“Losing her made me thing, ‘Why am I holding myself back?’”

Since being at Grand View, Jordan has gotten better at going outside her comfort zone. She joined the soccer team at GV, even though she doesn’t have much experience. She is still learning that any progress is still progress, and wants to focus on the future.

Keyshaun Bolen lacked a lot of stability in his life from the beginning, but he always tried to look to the future and persevere. Even as a child, he knew that there were only two ways out of his rough neighborhood. As he got old er, Bolen saw many of his friends getting in trouble with the law. It was then that he decid ed that he would choose a different path.

Bolen was always curious, fun and outgo ing; it was at a young age that he learned of his love for basketball. It was a top priority in his life right away. When he didn’t make his middle school team, he tried out for two club teams and made them both. He has been play ing ever since.

Now a junior at GV, Bolen has chosen to pursue a career in sports. He is interested in double-majoring in Kinesiology so he can stay around sports even if he can no longer play basketball in the future.

Despite the circumstances, Bolen has come a long way and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

When Rebecca Gilseth speaks, it is like you are hearing the words of a book flow out of her mouth. As I listened to her talk about her passions, I could just tell that she was born to write. Majoring in English and minoring in Creative Writing at Grand View University, Gilseth is aiming to apply her writing skills to a good career in the future.

Gilseth has been writing stories ever since she was around seven or eight years old. “I still remember the little blue spiral notebook and the stories I wrote about getting a pet cat, and my fictionalized parents were totally OK with that, even though my real parents were not. I think that’s what made writing interesting to me, the fact that I could create any reality I wanted.” Gilseth said.

If Gilseth had to give one piece of advice to her younger self, or anyone out there who has the same interests as her, she would say “Don’t worry about being good enough.”

“So often I think people wonder if they are skilled enough at a craft to claim that they are a ‘writer,’ or ‘painter,’ or anything else really. But what matters isn’t how good someone is at a skill, it’s the passion they have for it and their ability to persevere.” Gilseth said.

JORDAN LIPINSKI

By Claudia Ortiz

KEYSHAUN BOLEN

By Crey Abbas

REBECCA GILSETH

By Gloria Hackett

EMBRACE YOUR ALMOST

by JORDAN LEE DOOLEY Book Review

By Megan Mitchell| Photos Provided | Designed by Jason Fuhs

Have you ever struggled with finding motivation, struggled to have a positive attitude, or maybe even felt stuck or frustrated where you are in life? I cer tainly have. Personally, I have turned to books to find advice and inspiration to get through these challenges. In “Embrace Your Almost,” best-selling author Jordan Lee Dooley revealed strategies to define our own suc cess, set goals, and find clarity through life’s challenges.

Dooley’s book was released April 4, 2022. I read Dooley’s book in hopes of finding motivation to push through the end of the semester slump I was in. This book is jam packed with inspiration and great advice for individuals looking to live a more fulfilling life while embracing challenges. It can be discouraging to fall short of reaching your goals. Destroyed or delayed dreams lead to rethinking, and Lee believes this is not always a bad thing. She claims it is possible to pursue a successful life even through the unknown. In her book, she teaches practical steps to move forward in reaching goals to live successfully.

At roughly two hundred pages “Embrace Your Al most” is a perfect read for individuals that live a busy life. Throughout “Embrace Your Almost” she recalls challenges from her busy life and dark moments, and how she got through these challenges. Some of her most difficult times she wrote about included loss, heartbreak, business setbacks, and getting through a pandemic. Dooley walks her audience through how she persevered in her darkest moments by setting goals, let

ting go of some dreams, and defining her own success regardless of other people’s input. Dooley encourages readers to take small steps every day to reach their goals.

“Taking one step a day is a necessary discipline to achieve our dreams, because success doesn’t come all at once. It comes one step at a time,” Dooley wrote.

As a college student, it is easy to fixate on the big pic ture and wish it would be over quicker and jump into a career. This inspired me. I decided to step back a little, set small goals and take it day by day. Lee wrote that it’s great to set long term goals, but small steps and goals are often more manageable and obtainable. Dooley is honest, raw, and real when telling her story, making it a very relatable book.

“I found this book to be extremely relatable, and en couraging, yet not preachy which is how some self-help books can be,” wrote one reader on Good Reads. “Jordan shares stories from her own life which, while extremely vulnerable, help show that while she might have a bigger platform, she is not immune from heartache. This was exactly the right book for me to read right now, and I am thankful for its existence.”

Anyone can gain something from this book whether it’s goal setting, how to find success, or finding clarity where you are in life. Dooley did a great job creating a re latable book. As a college student trying to get through the end of the semester slump, I gained some motiva tion from reading this book.

“As a college student, it is easy to fixate on the big picture and wish it would be over quicker and jump into a career.”

Behind the MAsk: Viktor

Viktor the Viking has become a staple for the GrandView com munity. Viktor has attended Iowa Cubs events where other mascots from across Iowa joined, elemen tary reading events and of course all things GV, including the 2021 NAIA Football National Champi onships. But who has been behind the mask? A Senior at Indianola High School, Jacob Butz.

It all started four years ago when Stacie Hor ton, the head coach for the GV dance team, was looking for someone to wear the Viktor costume at home football games. Laurie Butz, Jacob’s mom and a GV completion coach said, “I just asked, ‘would you let a high schooler do it?’ And she said, ‘will he fit the suit?’”

The high school freshman at the time was able to fit into Viktor, which got the ball rolling for the next four years and more. Due to GV having Ja cob, Viktor has been able to attend more events than before to build community relationships and bring more publicity to the university.

“He’s gung ho to do absolutely anything,” Horton said. “He loves to make public appear ances… he’s gone down to Cubbie’s birthday par ty, a car show in Beaverdale, he was on campus for the first day of school.”

These appearances won’t stop once Jacob graduates from high school since he now plans on attending GV to major in education and he did an official signing to be Viktor in college. “I feel like I’ve always been a Viking. I’ve been com ing to games since I was a kid,” Jacob said.

There were many people in attendance to Jacob’s signing, including his family, cheer coach Nick Black, Stacie Horton and President Rachelle Keck.

“It was a historic day for Grand View as this was our first signing day for our university mas cot, and I’m glad we were able to commemorate the day with a formal signing,” Keck said.

I went to read at McKinley elementary with Jacob/Viktor which was interesting to see behind the scenes and the transformation be tween the two personalities. Jacob is a classic

high schooler with a big personality and crack’s jokes left and right. However, once he puts the mask on it’s all “fun and business” as all of the attention turns to kids and fans to entertain. At the elementary reading, each kid in the hallways to the classroom got a fist-bump, along with each kid in the classroom. To me, this is where I see a huge difference between Viktor and other mascots since his number one priority is to in teract and not just entertain, which can be seen at all events he attends.

It will be exciting to see Viktor in the coming years as he appears at more GV and community events.

“One of those who’s wise beyond his years,” Horton said. “He’s just a really dedicated and kind guy and loves Grand View. So, we got the right guy for the job.”

By Ashlee Seaton | Photos by Mayeli Jimenez | Designed by Ashlee Seaton

MUSC

MUSC

MUSC

MUSC

MUSC

MUSC

MUSC

MUSC 186, 386 Saxophone

MUSC 193, 393 Guitar

MUSC

MUSC 196, 396 Violin

MUSC 197, 397 Viola