WAU Columbia Journal - October 2020

WASHINGTON ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY

Columbia

Journal

Notorious OCTOBER 2020

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COVID CONTINUUM Attending University online was definitely not on our list of expected experiences for our college days, but here are some ideas to make the best of it.

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The iconic phrase from the beloved children's 1991 film "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" perfectly encapsulates this semester's sentiments.

-With Jenevieve Lettsome

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WASHING TON Travel and tourism in DC are especially popular, but as busy schedules and social distancing are a normality in our lives, the Journal presents a view of the Capital, right from our pages. ~With Jenevieve Lettsome

20/20 VISION Join our RVP Justino Jorge as he takes us on a journey, seeing the world through spiritual eyes.

~With Jasmine Colato

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SO NEAR & YET SO FAR

~With Justino Jorge

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CALENDAR Keeping up with the times is hard enough as it feels like both 100 years or only 3 seconds have passed us by since everything began.

From the Editor "I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability."

-RBG These words spoken by a woman beloved by many are ones I have taken to heart. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is truly one of my personal heroes, and learning about her legacy as a child led me to my current trajectory: a path to law school and advocating for those who cannot speak for themselves. Though she had faults like any other normal person, she was still a formidable and unapologetic figure who will be greatly missed.

As we push ahead into the second half of the semester, I pray that each of you in our community, whether you are a student, faculty, or staff, will use your talent to fulfill your God-given purpose and find the greatest satisfaction in the work you intend to do.

Yours, Jenna

How to Survive School During a Pandemic Jasmine Colato

It is now the 2nd month of the Fall semester, while it is officially the Fall season, it is difficult to get into the spirit during a pandemic. It just isn’t the same anymore. The only thing consistent with the Fall season from prior years is the leaves changing color and fall, and maybe sipping a pumpkin spice latte.

However, there is no longer the ability to freely exist amongst the brightly colored gourds at a pumpkin patch while your picture is taken by friends or family. Now, you’re no longer rawly breathing in the scent of the crisp air and leaves, you’re breathing your own breath through a mask.

Now, in the virtual world of "Zoom University", formally known as Washington Adventist University, things have not been very easy either. It feels as if the month of September zoomed right by us and October smacked us in the face. It went by fast, yes, but it does not at all mean that it was easy with a light workload. Maybe in our dreams.

One of our seniors, Alexis Johnson, shared the outlook of her experience saying online classes have felt “full of extra work, a lot more than what we would get in person” this has affected her non-academic life especially in regards to intertwining a job schedule with the excessive/draining workload of classes. As a junior with a part-time job at an optical office, I have to admit, it has been a challenge, balancing both schedules. However, it is not impossible to do. It might seem overwhelming and difficult to succeed in your online classes, especially without your friends by your side helping you out: Here are 8 helpful tips that are tried, tested, and true: 1. Having a planner, preferably a physical one, is essential- write down all your assignments for your classes exactly when they are given and make it into a checklist for each day/class.

2. Color coordinate your classes/ assignments in said agenda- deadlines, papers, projects, quizzes, and important exams, it keeps everything organized

To the students, faculty, and staff that make up our WAU family, our hearts and prayers are with you as we continue living life in such times as these.

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3. Write your notes in a notebook. Yes, having your notes in a word document is great and all-but physically writing your notes down and possibly colorcoding your notes enhances the ability to memorize what you’re writing/what you’ve learned 4. Video chat/FaceTime a friend(s) and make them your study buddy(ies) to keep each other motivated and in check- yes, it sucks not seeing your friends and being able to physically study with them but that’s what technology is for, you can even form a zoom study session 5. Make a day on your schedule for YOU TIME- that means doing no work, just relax and do activities you love doing or go out and treat yourself, whatever makes you happy… preferably a day of the weekend or day you know you don’t have a lot of homework or outside responsibilities 6. Get a job that is understanding with your class schedule- yes a job is important to keep to pay your necessities but so are your academics and your job needs to accommodate your hours with your class schedule

To the students, faculty, and staff that make up our WAU family, our hearts and prayers are with you as we continue living life in such times as these.

7. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE-although it might be easier to do that since they're online classes but don’t be tempted to since our classes have increased our workload.

8. Take mental breaks to not feel “zoomed out”- a full day of zoom classes and assignments might cause burnout so take breaks in between assignments and classes to keep from eye-straining and mental exhaustion.

Midterms are around the corner and next thing you know finals will sneak up on us so it is important to remain focused and productive and following these 8 tips should help you. They definitely helped me! Happy Fall everyone!

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SPOT NO.2 The United States Supreme Court A marker of the third branch of American government, the Supreme Court of the United States is the seat of all federal and national judicial rulings, where the greatest of laws can be challenged, stuck down, or fortified. Since a legislation passed in 1869, there have been nine seats on the Dias with the most recent open one vacated by Justice Ginsburg and has been a prevailing topic during this year.

Like the Capitol building, it was built in the Neoclassical design. It boasts four stories, and is perhaps most famous for the amount of statues, paintings, and artwork that point to the Greco/Roman goddesses Athena (Minerva), the patron diety of wisdom and strategy, and Themis, the blindfolded patron of Justice.

THE STORY WAU: Standing In Solidarity in Social Justice

Jenevieve Lettsome As a child, one of my favorite animated movies of all time was "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" (1991).

It was a hand-me-down from my cousins who felt they no longer needed it, and it became a small treasure to me as I would stick the cassette into the VHS player almost every week for a year, wait as it began to play, and then sing the songs that the little rabbit children sang as they ate their supper and went to bed. When the movie approached the crux of the main character's dilemma, Peter Rabbit sings a song with these words. He's stuck in Mr. McGregor's garden (a death trap for little bunnies for sure) and missing home. Much like Peter Rabbit, I miss home. Yes, many of us would be quick to agree that in light of the past couple years and all the challenges and pain we have experienced at WAU, we still miss our home.

WISE Week brought to light WAU’s true intentions as a campus community, and personally, I must say it was powerful.

As one of the only adventist campuses in the North American Division to fully acknowledge and present their standing on this social issue, as a student of the University, I have to say I am proud, but what do others have to say on this matter?

Summer 2020 brought a wave of civil rights questions as protests broke out around the world condemning the gruesome murders of black men, women, and children killed and tortured by police. Many students in the WAU community spent their summer peacefully protesting in the streets, dodging dangerous rubber bullets and rinsing their eyes out with milk to alleviate the pain caused by tear gas. As we returned to campus, it was to our delight that our school chose to unanimously take a stand in this moral issue that some in the church would have us not raise our voices in.

This of course, came in many forms.

First, we were brought a powerful message by Claudia Allen saying this in an email to students to announce the event: “The University Convocation scheduled for Wednesday, September 9th launches a year focusing on social justice issues, with

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the theme of 'A Call to Action in Their Honor: Supporting Social Justice Initiatives.”

This line came to mean so much more in the coming weeks as the administration at WAU (headed by VP Johnson) truly worked to achieve the end goal: the start of a community-wide conversation about the Christian approach to social justice. Claudia Allen spoke to all the participants on zoom, who listened attentively and even shared comments in the chat section.

She spoke of how once upon a time, Abel’s blood cried out to the Lord due to the injustice his brother Cain had done against him, and in the same way, George Floyd, Amahaud Abery, Breonna Taylor, and so many others cry out to the Lord, seeking justice for the evil done. On Wednesday and Friday night, Student Life held a series of town hall meetings, a place where students, faculty, and staff could gather together in solidarity and have a free space to speak and reflect on what they heard during the week. I had the privilege of attending the Friday night gathering and was enlightened as to how our University decided to take a stand despite concerns.

First off, Friday night began with words from VP Johnson, asking what we thought of the week and of the speaker, and answers began to pour in. Justino Jorge, the RVP for the Student Association spoke openly about how he valued Miss Allen’s candidacy when it came to speaking on a subtopic like depression.

After this segment, the Provost addressed those in attendance about the notion of our words being powerful devices to make or break the lives and emotions of others; that these were times of uncertainty and distress, and as a University, it was important to be the light, the kindness, and the grace in our communities to uplift one another.

She even openly disclosed her initial reservations about allowing the University to venture down this uncharted path and apologized for the fact that she and the other administrators were originally scared of doing this topic mainly because of what the church would say. However, her firm resolution to brave the unknown has led WAU onto what many would see as a righteous and godly path.The next segment dealt specifically with the main topic in question, how our christian-centric community at WAU is dealing with the modern civil rights movement and why being an active member in social justice is not a political matter but a biblical and christian issue.

WAU's own Student Life VP, Dr. Ralph Johnson, spoke about how in previous years he served as a Minority director for other Universities before coming to WAU, citing that he often was the ethnic voice (of sorts) in cabinet meetings, shooting down ideas from fellow board members due to the brash and often ignorant nature of those who did not understand their privilege.

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Upon coming to WAU and then recently taking up his current potion, VP Johnson said that he discovered himself “shocked that many high ranking individuals from the church disagreed on the fact that WAU should be a campus engaged in social justice.”

He said, “The bottom line is, I want us to be a much more active community as it relates to social justice so that we are exemplifying the life of Jesus Christ who was the advocate for everyone, who was the representative of social justice initiatives and action.”

Scarlen Reyes, an Honors College student and the Secretary for the Student Association spoke up stating, “It’s not about who’s right or who’s wrong...we need to take our place in politics in a Christian way.”

I myself felt suddenly moved and desired to ask a question I knew had been burning in the minds of many individuals: “Many students who I have been in contact with who understand the idea of the separation of church and state and the SDA church’s non-existent stance on this moral issue.

What we would like to know is if the administration has prepared the faculty and those in position of teaching and mentorship for topics and conversations like this- to ensure that students are not shut down because of their questions, and rather that a dialogue can be started about this?”

To my delight, I was met with the Provost’s encouraging answer. “It is a mindfulness that must be an ongoing rhythm of our conversation, [and] as the provost, I facilitate with our faculty.

The president feels strongly about making sure that there are platforms for these topics. As he often says, ‘All God’s children are welcome at WAU’.” She informed those present that we ought to have “excitement and a degree of assurance for the students that this is who the president and provost are” and wish for the university to represent, “that this framework will be strengthened.”

Dr. Kisunzu expressed her wishes that our university community be continually and actively engaged in social justice. To close out this beautiful and enriching session, VP Johnson shared the poignant bible verse from Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (NIV) One student, Lisa Vallado, a Junior Biology major who attended shared this, “[It is important to] see people as they are. It is easy to become invisible, and it is important to be visible and make sure others understand that they are not invisible either...The world’s change starts with me, with everyone taking not only a stand but acting on it. I applaud WAU for taking a stand this week by talking about social justice powerfully and spiritually.”

I find that I very much agree.

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SO NEAR..... CONT.

Unlike any other semester, we celebrated Service Day mostly in the confines of our own spaces, some arming up to clean Sligo Creek, others biting the bullet and donating a pint, educating themselves to prepare for volunteering in the polls, and many other projects. Despite the unfortunate situation of isolation that we find ourselves in, the Lord still calls to us, asking us to serve him with hearts filled with joy and arms open wide.

In this thought, we leave you with some bible verses to meditate on for the rest of the month: In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ - Acts 20:35 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

-Matthew 5:16 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

-1 Samuel 12:24

What are some things you can do this semester to continue the celebration of service in your community?

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RVP Justino Jorge and Jenevieve 20/20 VISION With Lettsome

10.22 Midterm Break Begins 10.26 Midterm Break Ends

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Need to know what's happening? Text WAUAlerts to 888-777

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OCTOBER

The Columbia Journal of Washington Adventist University is the official print media news source for the University’s on-campus student body.

https://www.timely.md/faq/wautelehealth/

Want to contact the Editor? Email her at cjournalwau@gmail.com or message her on the WAUMobile app at Jenevieve Lettsome.

~Contributors~ "Jenna" Jenevieve Lettsome......Editor Justino Jorge......Devotional Column Anna Karla Carreño..........Copy Editor Dr. Jarilyn Conner........Faculty Advisor Dr. Thomas Lutrell....Advisory Council Thanks to: Jasmine Colato ('22)

The Mission of the Student Association is to establish a culture of engagement and unity on the campus of Washington Adventist University.