Friday. October 15.2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page VARIETY Secretariat: An average horse [can SIBLEY (intriwa And they're off. Sham takes an early lead. But wait! What is this? Secretariat is coming up from behind, he's in third. folks I think this horse can go all they way. he’s coming up to... Show moreFriday. October 15.2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page VARIETY Secretariat: An average horse [can SIBLEY (intriwa And they're off. Sham takes an early lead. But wait! What is this? Secretariat is coming up from behind, he's in third. folks I think this horse can go all they way. he’s coming up to second now. they are neck in neck....YAWN. The problem with making an inspirational true film is that you know how it‘s going to end. Secretariat is no exception. By the time the climax comes around you are tired of horse races and the predictable story. Secretariat is the newest film from Disney and it does ex— actly what you would expect a film about a race horse from Disney to do. The film stars Diane Lane as Penny Chenery. the owner of Sec- retariat. When her mother passes away she decides to help her sick father restore his horse ranch. She hires Lucien Laurin (John Mal- kovich) as the new trainer on the ranch. After a colt is born. Lucien exclaims. “Have you ever seen that before?” referring to how quickly the colt stood up. At this moment you know exactly where the film is going to go. Penny spends a lot of time away from home (since she lives in Denver and the ranch is in Vir— ginia) and it causes lots of trouble within her family. Her husband Jack (Dylan Walsh) is less than supportive of her new pastime and problems arise in their marriage. It‘s a shame because this could have been a very interesting sub— plot had it been explored, and if her family were not such flat and "Noche Aaam HILL Contributor On Thursday Oct. 7, Chris— tensen Center was filled with the musical excellence of Alma Andina. The band performed in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. The group focused on two countries in particular. Bolivia and Chile. Andean folk music stretches through Peru to Northwestern Argentina. Within each region the music and dance are totally different but equally as vivid. Andean music is believed to originate from the Inca people. static characters. The best performances go hands down to Lane and Malkov- ich; their characters are believable and the performances are never over the top, but don‘t expect Os- car nominations. Malkovich plays the same character he always does and Lane is a likable lead. The supporting cast does a nice job as well. The most memo— rable supporting cast member is Miss Hamm, played by Mar- go Martindale. She makes Miss Hamm a heartwarming character as well as a great comic relief. The director of the film is Randall Wallace, who previously directed We Were Soldiers and de Musica” The music is believed to be the product of a melting pot of cul- ture. The Spaniards brought the influence of stringed instruments. such as the harp and the lute. These influences mixed with native intelligence created an instrument called the C harango. a tiny. ten-stringed instrument. This instrument used to be made with armadillo shells in Bolivia. The members of the band currently live in Minnesota. but they all come from Chil- ean descent, The mother of the founder. Nia Biagetti. has sung in Latin American folk music for 30 years. The instruments played b) the band consisted of guitars. drums. the charango. and a \a- riety of percussion instruments. The Bolivian songs had a heavy emphasis on wooden flutes and pan flutes. two or three plajers pla)ed them at once. The Chil- ean songs used guitar. mainl) acoustic. The group is current!) working on their second CD The music was beautiful and funk) at the same time with the pulsating heat of a round drum decorated with stunning fabnc All ofthe songs were in Spanish and were upbeat. Some songs were specified for people to dance to. One song called “Illegal Wings" was one wrote Bravehearr. Although he doesn’t bring anything new to the table for the dramatic heavy scenes. he does a spectacular job with the horse races. The most exciting race. and the third from last. is deftly filmed and edited. We get beautiful jockey point of view shots and he really puts the audience in the race. The problem with Wallace is that he doesn‘t want to cut anything out of his film. I believe there are five on screen races in Secretariat and it’s just too many. The film feels like it should be over a good twenty minutes before it actually ends. The suspense just isn’t there song that had a more sad and sentimental message. The perform- ers stated that it was written for the immi- grants in the US. The song was slower than the rest and the singers used the word pain. The harmony of the singers was mellifluous and heartfelt. The emo- tion was raw for every song performed. A very interest- ing aspect of the per— at the end of the film. Although Secretariat is predictable and formulaic. it is enjoyable until the last twenty minutes. The suspense was building and building and after Secretariat won the race. 1 expected the credits to roll but in— stead he had to run two more races. At this point. all the suspense was gone but Wallace tried to keep it going. It didn‘t work. If you are looking for a feel good inspirational but predictable movie to see. then Secretariat is your horse. otherwise skip it. Secretariat ponies up two and half stars out offive. A guiro is a percussion instrument formance was all of the influences from all over the world. The djembe drum. which originates from West Africa. was used in one of the Bolivian songs, The guiro is a percussion instrument from the Caribbean made from the calabash shaped like a cucumber. has grom es cut into it to make a rasp) sound The guiro was used mosil) in the Chilean songs. The conga drum. which is a replica ofdrums from the Congo mainl) used in Afro-Cuban mu- sic. w as used in a couple of songs These instruments made the music nchet because the) added another dimension to the Andean music. It was fascuiating to see all the different instruments each made from a calabash. performer on stage could play. During some of the songs. the woman playing the drum could play two different rhythms at once. She could keep a steady downbeat on the drum and play a syncopated rhythm with the shakers simultaneoust Man) Ulth members could play more than one instrument The other female artist switched between the wooden flute. the pan flute. and guiro Another artist switched between the charango and the pan flute Visit hllp n n w midi/uri- nation com hit! him/ for more information uboul Alma Andi/1a A-List BETSY COLLINS Ad~E Hiilor TH E ATE R The Mcl\ iilc Hot s October 15 - \mcmbcr ‘. 2010 Theater in the Round $20 MUSIC (iot‘illzt/ Sunday. October 17. "1‘0 I’M Target t‘cnicr 351.50.92.00 Story Ol‘Thc Year With Throw The light and Johnnyrook Oct 15. 2010. 6:30 PM Station 4 $13.00 Roger Waters: The Wall Live Xcel Energy Center Saint Paul, MN Wednesday. October 27 08:00 PM COMEDY Margaret C ho Fri., October 15, 8:00 pm. Pantages Theatre Price: $28.50-$45 DESIGN Chairevolution! 300 Years of Designing the (,‘hair Minneapolis Institute ofArts Through November 12 Free FILM EIdorado/Preljocaj (Documentary) Directed by Olivier Assayas Walker Art Center Cinema Thursday. October 21 8:00 pm. FREE Tickets available from 7 pm in the Bazinet Garden Lobby. Summer Hours (L'heure d‘été) Directed by Olivier Assayas Walker Art Center Cinema Friday, October 15 7:30 pm. $8 ($6 students with valid ID), DANCE Eiko & Koma: Delicious Movement Workshop Part of Eiko & Koma Residency Walker Art Center McGuire Theater Thursday, October 2| $6 (54 Walker members I Show less
Page 8 Minneapolis, Minnesota THE BACK PAGE fi—fii t t t KACIE Luccm Stqfi'Wiiter What is your name?: Rachel Zumwalde What do you call this look?: “Keepin’ , It Real" ‘ Inspiration for the look?: Getting go- 3‘ ing in the morning as fast as possible Where did you get this outfit?: The “ shirt is from... Show morePage 8 Minneapolis, Minnesota THE BACK PAGE fi—fii t t t KACIE Luccm Stqfi'Wiiter What is your name?: Rachel Zumwalde What do you call this look?: “Keepin’ , It Real" ‘ Inspiration for the look?: Getting go- 3‘ ing in the morning as fast as possible Where did you get this outfit?: The “ shirt is from Urban Outfitters, the pants are from a thrifi store, and the fanny pack is compliments of my brother What are your favorite stores to shop?: Urban Outfitters, thrift stores, and inside my grandmother’s closet In your opinion, what is your least favorite clothing trend?: Ugg Boots In terms of clothes, what do you think is “in” right now?: High waisted clothing Frida , October 15, 2010 ACROSS 3. Type of squash 4. MN State Apple 6. Season of today 8. Type of apple 10. Dreaded season to follow 12. Christmas tree? III-II- III-I...- DOWN 2. French translation for name of this season 1. Papery tree 2. Type of squash 5. Year-round campfire delight 7. Fall holiday 9. Apple drink? 11. Syrup? A new universe: My week with the National Guard JEN AVERY Stafl Writer Each week. Jen Avery will provide Augsburg students with an intimate illus- tration ofthe United States military. In a four-purl series, a first-hand account of an element of Jen Is basic training with the National Guard will be provided to readers. This week, Jen finds herself stuck in a few painfully uncomfortable situations. My feet were killing me. I typically am just fine with walk- ing great distances, but my poor choice in footwear is what did me in. I wore my Harley-Davidson riding boots, which are very heavy duty and stable. however they are very ditficult to break in. They were still fairly new, not to men- tion I hadn‘t wom them much since I bought them. Long story short. the stiffness over- rode the sturdiness and the back ofmy heels were rubbed raw. 1 was hurting all day. as well as the evening before. As soon as I woke up that morning and put my boots back on, the pain immediately twinged back into my heels. When Special- ist C assinos, my escort for the week, picked me up from my quarters I limped like Igor to the van. Along with Cassinos, I was ac- companied by Lieutenant Sullivan, whom I met before on Monday, Captain Griffin. and Chief Bunn. The roads all around the range we were traveling on were gravel; the van managed reasonably to maneuver its way across them, it was just a rather bumpy ride. We were trying to find a shooting demonstration that l was scheduled to watch in the early afiernoon. We got a bit lost for a while, and when we turned onto another road we began to have issues; it was completely made of sand. It was the kind of sand that is extremely fine and soft in texture. like the soothing white sand you’d find at a secluded, little beach. The wheels were able to continue only for about a hundred feet before we became completely stuck. The tires would spin but the van would go no-where. The four soldiers got out of the vehicle and tried pushing. I really wanted to help, but they insisted I just stay in the vehicle. Bunn tried driving while Cassinos and Sul- livan were pushing from the back. He was able to push us backwards about thirty feet, but it was still too embedded in the ruts cre— ated by the tires that we inevitably needed help. A camouflaged humvee came by and zoomed across the sand. It was incredible the difference between that vehicle and our poor twelve passenger van; the humvee darted over the heavily rutted tracks of sand like it was old hat. That vehicle went to go find some chain to attach to the fi'ont of our van. Soon after, another one arrived and was the unit that would be pulling us out. I watched as three men were attaching the chain the other humvee brought back, and once we all were back inside the van, we were in for another rough ride over the sandy road. We thanked the kind soldiers im- mensely for helping us get out of there, and continued on our journey to try and find the shooting range. As it turned out, we presumably missed the shooting company. Specialist Cassinos and Captain Griffin felt bad that we missed them, but I reassured them that it wasn’t a big deal about the incident getting stuck in the sand. Life is full of surprises no mat- ter where you are; that was just a sporadic adventure that we were dealt for that day. Weekly meditation now on campus / Baum Nov Campus Kitchen Coordimttur As the semester picks up and we head towards the excitement and trauma of midtenns and ul- timately finals. it is hard to avoid the feeling ofbeing overwhelmed and stressed. Not only is it just unpleasant. it‘s unhealthy and inef- fective. To help avoid this. and to de— velop more joyful lives in general. meditation has been scientifically proven to provide this. Now there’s a group making this available on campus through Buddhist medita- tions. Students who are pan of the Diamond Way Buddhist Center of Minneapolis are hosting intro- ductory weekly meditations on campus, every Monday from l0:20-10:50 am. in Si-Melby 206. To kick off the weekly medita- tions, they will be featuring Eric Gibson. a Traveling Teacher with the Buddhist Center to give an introductory talk on campus this Sunday. Oct. 17 at 8 pm. in the Marshall Room. Evi Noy began meditating with Diamond Way groups in Hun- gary over a dozen years ago. She now studies education at Augsburg and is excited to make meditation pan of her weekly schedule on campus. “Learning to work with my mind through Buddhism ~has helped me get through things like depression and losing family. and life is much easier and more fun when I meditate." Noy said. “I've also seen it help many friends who couldn’t find answers in other reli- gions.” While Buddhism ofien falls into the category of a ‘religion.’ it difi‘ers from other religions as it is entirely based on experience rather than faith, and it contains no ' dogma or gods. The historical Buddha was a man who studied reality and his mind through philosophical exploration and meditation. His teachings on how to understand one‘s mind and how we perceive reality. with the ultimate goal of developing constant joy, fearless- ness, and compassion, is what is now called Buddhism. This includes the teachings, called the dharma, and the scien- tific methods of exploring ones’ mind and reality, which is the practice of meditation. Normally, we try to make ourselves happy by having nice things and pleasant experiences. In meditation we work to understand the mind - not the brain, but the awareness behind our experiences. When we know this awareness, we can maintain our joyfulness even when conditions are uncomfort- able and diflicult (like when we haveatestandpaperdueandour roommate won’t stop hitting the snooze button). In addition to what’s happen- ing on campus. the Diamond Way Buddhist Center hosts free public meditation three times a week at their center in Uptown at 170] W Lake St. Beginners can come for a short talk and guided meditation every Sunday at 5:45 pm. and Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:45 pm. They are also hosting longer lectures and meditations at various locations through the Twin Cities through October and November (the Augsburg lecture on October 17 kicks offthe tour) as well as hosting Lama Ole Nydahl at the Humphrey Institute on Tuesday, November 30 at 8 pm. More in- fomtation can be found at www. diamondwayorg/minnmpolis. Show less
Page 6 VARIETY Minneapolis, Minnesota Hanging on to Never Let Me Go BECK] lvanson Editor in Chief “None of us really understand what we‘ve lived through. Or feel we've had enough time.“ It is with these words that Kath. a carer and soon—to-be donor. leaves us with at the end ofNever I.et Me (in.... Show morePage 6 VARIETY Minneapolis, Minnesota Hanging on to Never Let Me Go BECK] lvanson Editor in Chief “None of us really understand what we‘ve lived through. Or feel we've had enough time.“ It is with these words that Kath. a carer and soon—to-be donor. leaves us with at the end ofNever I.et Me (in. a fantastic new film directed by Mark Romanek. Never Let Me Go is based offofa book of the same title by Kazuo lshiguro. lts premise can be most readily related to that of The Island. an action packed 2005 sci— li movie starring Scarlett Johanson and Iiwan Mc(iregor. but .Vet'er l.el Me (in is a much quieter and more profound film. At first glance. Never Let Me (in is a simple story about three ‘donor‘ clones whose sole purpose in life- from birth to death- is to provide organs. tissue. and other necessary body parts to transplant to real humans who are ailing from deadly diseases such as cancer or kidney failure. It follows Kathy. Tommy and Ruth from their days at Hailsham. a boarding school that raises donors. through their teenage years and their ensuing ‘completion.‘ A quick definition ofterrns is helpful while watching the movie or reading the book. ‘Completion‘ is lshiguro's euphemism for the death of a donor. and a donor is a clone raised essentially as an intel- ligent organ fartn for the people it is intended to save. Carers are future donors who watch over current donors during their opera- tions. The lives of the clones are viewed by normal humans with fear. as if they are a more attractive Frankenstein of sorts. Amongst themselves. the clone’s lives seem very similar to that ofthe humans, with the same hormonal urges. loves. hates. and other emotions typical to the human experience. Part of the film's beauty and poignancy is in discovering the purpose of Hailsham and the effect that discovery has on the three protagonists. particularly Kath and Tommy. I don‘t want to spoil it for you. but l can say that the later scenes in the film in which Hailsham‘s mission is revealed hit me in an unexpect- edly visceral way. and led me to far more profound contemplations than I expected to leave the movie theater with on a typical Thursday night. The film raises unanswerable and heavy questions such as: What truly constitutes a human being? How can you measure the exis- tence of a soul? What distinguishes one being from another. or makes one creature’s existence more valuable and therefore prioritized over others? These questions are made more pressing by the brilliant per- formances by the actors portraying Kath. Ruth and Tommy. Carey Mulligan. whose quick- ly growing career includes such film gems as An Education. plays Kath. the narrator ofthe story and the last of the three to begin and complete her donations. Kath is a naturally giving being whose love for Tommy and childhood connec- Kath (Mulllgan), Ruth (Knightley) and Tommy (Garfield) are clones whose llves closely mirror those of the people they are created to save. tion with Ruth define her past and her experience as a carer. Mulligan is joined by Keira Knightley as Ruth. the strong willed and selfish member of this trio. Knightley and Mulligan's first movie together was 2005‘s Pride and Prejudice. and it is clear that both have grown enormously as actresses in the interim. Knightley is divine as Ruth. drawing out her complex emotional state and in— securities and. most importantly. making them relatable. with very little screen time. Newcomer Andrew Garfield stars as Tommy. and although his performance is not as brilliant as that of his female counterparts. he is still excellent. Tommy’s awk- ward teenage moments and later quiet assurance of himself and his love for Kath endear him to the viewer. and the end of his story line is one we view with regret. I don’t often see movies in the theater. and like most of you I am a budget conscious student. But I will say that this film is the best nine dollars I spent all oflast week. and maybe this month or more. Art as powerful as Never Let Me Go does not need financial justification. Just go see it. Laughing at the funny guy MATTHEW MCGAVIN Colunmist l have to admit. the well placed F—bomb is hilarious. The rants and raves of blue comedians like Lewis Black and (ieorge Carlin are legendary for making profanity sound smart. The way Black has turned pro- fanity into punctuation sends me rutuiing to the bathroom to avoid peeing my pants from laughing so hard (nobody reads these things... right'?). The problem is that many co- medians have seen the success of blue comedy and adopted it as their style. stripping it of its ability to shock and lca\ ing it mundane and largely uninteresting. lt's gotten to be an easy out. Can't think of a good punch line'.‘ Throw a few “‘taizks" and “s&!ts" at the audience and w atch them crack tip. Iiycn Jon Stewart. with a highly talented \\ riting statI‘w ork- mg on his material. falls back on the occasional censored explctiy e. \\'ith just a few e\ceptions. blue comedy has come to mean laziness and .1 lack ot‘crcatiy ity in writing. It‘s high time someone re- belled against the rebellion and brought the funny without using \ ulgarity tn cy cry punch line. Sure. there are clean comedi- ans out there. but they tend to be on the boring side with jokes that are just as lame as they are tame. We don‘t haye to put up with kid friendly jokes. Humor can be clean and cutting edge at the same time. Brian Regan. for instance. is one of the top-touring comedians of any form and he is successful despite the fact that he can do ninety minutes without a curse. His witty observational style humor is always a hit. and Sat- urday night‘s performance at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis w as no exception. Regan often tours with his brother. Dennis. who warms up the crowd with his own humor before Brian comes out. Dennis isn‘t as funny as his brother. but he still know 5 what he's doing. and I’ve come to anticipate seeing him perform almost as much as Brian. Brian had a solid show in front of a nearly sold out theater on Saturday. He did plenty of new material. and peppered the set with the occasional greatest hit. For his encore. Brian sub— jected himself to the unpredict- ability of audience requests. Brian performed two of his classic b'rts (pop—tarts and UPS) flawlessly performed despite the fact he hadn‘t prepared for them. This man knows his stufl“. Regan is no stranger to Min- nesota. This was his second stop this year — he played Rochester earlier this year. With any luck. he‘ll be back soon. I strongly encourage everyone with even a trickle of a sense of humor to drop what he or she is doing and buy tickets the next time he‘s in town. The price ofadmis- sion is well worth the cost. I defi- nitely felt like I got my money’s worth—even at fifty dollars each (an expensive date in my house). Until he comes back. it should be noted that Regan has two equally awesome Comedy Cen- tral DVD's (Standing Lp and The Epitome ot‘Hyperbole ). numerous CDs. and a wealth of material on YouTube. C arch him however you can. as soon as you can! I am also beginning the book the movie is based on afier this viewing. and four chapters in it promises to be at least as good as the film. I recommend picking it up if you need a good non-homework reading option before bed. Never Let Me Go is playing at the Lagoon Theater in Uptown. Showtimes and ticket prices can he found on the website. A8LE needs writers! If you’re interested in covering movies, mu- sic, food and more, email editor Betsy Collins at: collins@ augsburg.edu Show less
Page 4 OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS Minneapolis, Minnesota Frida , October 15, 2010 Yearning for another flight to the moon EDWARD J. MATCHETT Contributor On Wednesday, July 16, 1969, the space age was only twelve- years-old. And yet, there in the pre-dawn hours of the morning sat the fastest machine ever... Show morePage 4 OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS Minneapolis, Minnesota Frida , October 15, 2010 Yearning for another flight to the moon EDWARD J. MATCHETT Contributor On Wednesday, July 16, 1969, the space age was only twelve- years-old. And yet, there in the pre-dawn hours of the morning sat the fastest machine ever built. Steaming on the launch pad in the half-light, the Saturn V rocket, the cumulative effort of count— less thousands scattered across the United States, prepared for its long-awaiting and much antici- pated appointment with eternity. On that morning, mankind would try and make reality of a dream 7 a dream long written down by the likes ofJules Verne, ancient astronomers, superpowers, and a young boy from Ohio. Watching that original broad- cast narrated by Walter Cronkite. one cannot help but be moved by the immensity and scale of this, humanity’s ambition. Perhaps as many as a million people came to a sliver ofland called Cape Kennedy to watch as the torrents of progress opened a new era of science and discovery. Millions more around the world watched on television. The landing was even more spectacular. After Arrnstrong’s boot touched the lunar surface, we proved to ourselves that we could indeed sail upon this new ocean. No matter what happens through the course of human his- tory, this event will stand forever marked as the first time a human being ventured from the protective arms of mother earth to step foot upon another celestial body. And in my mind, it stands as the single greatest example of what can be done in the name of peace and science. Now, take that moment and hold it in your mind awhile longer, and fast forward with me to present day. In the Milwaukee airport on a layover this summer, I wandered into a used bookstore that hap- pened to stock and sell vintage Life magazines. Interested in this odd sort of merchandise, I inquired if they had any from the 1960s space race, particularly the moon land- ing; they didn’t. Looking at the immense shelf behind the clerk, I could see every- thing from an interview with Pat Nixon to Goldie Hawn, but noth- ing space related. So, being the inquisitive one, I asked why. The clerk replied, “Nobody gets rid of them. People hoard m. They were events people co ted with and wanted to remember, so they don’t sell. If you had one, it’d be worth a lot of money.” (I do.) Interesting, I thought. People felt connected to men strapped atop the largest, most complex machine ever devised as it rocked away to the moon and back? I mean it’s not exactly a relatable experience when one first thinks about it. But, thinking about it, I began to see the logic behind it. Typically, the experiences we as a people hold up from our workaday lives to remember are negative, usually extremely nega- tive — the Kennedy assassination, Apollo 13, Nixon’s resignation, the oil embargo of the 19703, John Lennon’s death, Oklahoma City bombing, the fust World Trade Center bombing, 9/1], and our many wars in-between come to mind. The flight of Apollo 11 brought people together around a singular positive moment in which we put down our passing distrac- tions to look up and out. Standing away from our soli- tary existence, Apollo 1] spoke to our common humanity and under- lying assumption of progress. A sort of manifest destiny in space fulfilled, the flight changed our collective consciousness — from the perspective of those magnifi- cent men in their flying machines, we could, for the first time, see ourselves aboard our own space- ship - the good earth. In spite of all the cost and risk of failure, most everyone — regardless of race, na- tionality, sex, or income — wished those men success. And that’s why people want to remember. Every- one who lived to see it remembers where he or she was. Like many students, I was but a glimmer in my parent’s eye, but I yearn for another moment like this. I yearn for the days of Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepard, and John Glenn. Thus, I was deeply disappoint- ed in the Obarna administration’s decision to cancel America’s next chapter in space pioneering — the Constellation program. My great- uncle, who just happens to be Neil Armstrong, even recently testified before Congress as a way of speak- ing out against the decision. In the articles to come, I hope to impart a sense of just why I feel so strongly about the issue of hu- man spaceflight. It has shaped me, my family, and you and yours as well. And if the United States does not continue to invest in its future, the world and we will sufl'er. We are not alone. ASK PRESIDENT P. : “Coming Home” PAUL PRIBBENOW This week at Augsburg marks that uniquely American academic tradition — homecoming — when alumni return to their alma maters for reunions, recognition of distinguished service, reminiscing and re- engagement. Welcome back to all Augsburg alumni who are on campus this weekend for Home— coming 2010 a it is great to have you with us! And special thanks to the staff, students and alumni leaders who have worked with great imagination to organize this celebra- tion of our college and its abiding mission. I am mindful of the many ways in which coming home to Augsburg has meaning for alumni and those of us on campus. It is one of the remarkable characteristics of colleges like ours that we pay attention to how we are linked across generations. Members of the Augsburg community — alumni, fac— ulty, staff, friends and students — share in common this place and the experience that continues to shape their lives in the world. And when we “come home," we are marking just how powerful those connections and shared experiences are to our personal and common callings in the world. So what does it mean to come home to Augsburg? First, it is quite literally a homecoming to this place in the heart of C edar-Riverside and Minneapolis, this campus home we have inhabited since 1872 when our Norwegian- American ancestors first settled here. Homecoming seems especially mean- ingful this year as our campus community is engaged in a Commission on Campus Space and Master Planning — exploring together what it means that we are in this urban setting and what our aspirations are for the future of Augsburg’s campus. During this year, we will plan for new buildings, land- scape and the responsible use of space. And we also will consider what it means that we are here in Cedar-Riverside, this neighbor- hood we share with various neighbors. How best do we honor our role as neighbor here? How do we ensure that our place serves our mission as a college to educate students for lives of meaning in the world? The buildings may have changed (or not) and the campus may be more intentional about its boundaries and how it welcomes those who live and visit here, but in the end it still is about a physical place that defines our distinctive and significant purpose and mission. Welcome home! Second, homecoming also marks our return to a community, a gathering of «3 ’? D those who share ,, our commitments to education for service. ,, There are clear dis- ‘ tinctions in the nature of this community over time. We are much larger — we now count more than 4100 stu- dents and 650 faculty and staff. We offer a wider range of academic programs — from our traditional day program to adult under- graduate and expanding graduate opportuni- ties. We are increasingly diverse — in ethnic and religious background, in age and in socio-economic class, and in so many other ways. But at its core it is still Augsburg, a community grounded in its mission to offer a superior educational experience for all students that focuses on the intersections of faith, learning and service. And it still is Augsburg, one of the most hospitable and welcoming communities I know, a place that believes deeply that access to education demands of us a com- mitment to justice for all God’s creatures. Welcome home! Finally, you come home to a mission, a character, a set of values that abide over the years. Here, we still celebrate the Word made flesh. Here, we still share with our im- mediate neighbors an immigrant sensibility, the belief that education is at the core of a ?’? healthy neighborhood and democracy. ’? Here, we still work together to ensure that all deserving students can receive an Augsburg education. Here, we still help each other discern our vocations and gain the skills and knowledge to live them out in the world. In the work and lives of our alumni, we have remarkable stories of how this distinc- tive Augsburg mission has made a difference in the world over the years. For those of us who are the current stewards of Augsburg ’5 mission, I urge you to listen to the stories of our alumni for they are our “epistles to the world,” our parables of what an Augsburg education means. You will be amazed by what they have accomplished. For those of you have come home to Augsburg this weekend, please seek out and engage our current students because they are our most powerful statements of our mis- sion, our aspirations to make a difference in the world. They are remarkable signs of what we can look forward to as Augsburg seeks to live out its mission to educate stu- dents who are “informed citizens, thoughtfirl stewards, critical thinkers and responsible leaders.” Welcome home and enjoy this great celebration of Augsburg! A very merry un-birthday to me! MEGHAN NOVAK Contributor Late in the evening on Oct. 6, I decided to do a Facebook edit: I changed my actual birthday from July 29 to Oct. 7. Originally, my friend from high school, Zach Mellon. had a silly idea to change his actual birthday on Facebook to the next day. Another friend, Kevin Hayes. who happens to be Zach’s best friend. also participated in this experiment. “Zach did it first just for the hell of it. I think we were trying to trick people into believing it was the next day.“ said Kevin. Intrigued by this clever idea I had to take pan. At 2:15 am. on Oct. 7 I received my first birthday wish via text message. All in capital letters. a girl friend had written out the classic birthday song for me. My second birthday encounter was a verbal wish before 8 am. At the time I was working outside emptying trashcans for Augsburg grounds crew. Kirstin Tande shouted across the street to wish me happy birthday. All I could do was laugh and smile. At this point, I knew my experiment was going to be successful. Most of the acknowledgements I received on Facebook were a plain and simple happy birthday. Others were a little more creative and used exclamation marks. made smiley faces, and added cute hopes and wishes for my special day. One of the best comments I received was fiom Ian Barrett who wrote, “Crazy it’s my birthday too. happy birthday.” Overall. 62 people commented on my profile that day and 10 others sent me text messages. The majority ofthecommentswerefipmfriendsanda few from my cousins. Only four friends caught on that it wasn’t my actual birthday. Brittney Knight posted, “oh my gosh meghanll everyone thinks its your birthday 10] hahah funny... only if they really knew it was in july lol.” Another friend, Briana Smith wrote, “Since when were you born in October Missy??” The purpose of this experiment was not to embarrass others who didn’t actu- ally know my true birthday. My initial participation in this scheme derived from pure curiosity as of to the reactions I would receive. Then my inquisitiveness deepened. On Facebook‘s homepage on the right upper comer there is an Events column. As most are aware, it lists event invitations, evenshappeningonthatpresentday,and birthdays. When one logs onto to the Faeebook, he/she is brought to the home page before one’s profile - what I’m getting at is that the events column is obvious. I’m curious to know if people just say happy birthday on people’s profiles because Facebook so conveniently reminds one to do so. There are two things you might take away from this article. One, to realize that maybe it doesn’t mean that much to just post a happy birthday wish on a Facebook friend’s wall. It doesn’t really show you care,butitisnicetotaketensecondsor lessoutofyourdaytopostamessage. Two, try this! You’ll get a kick out of the rmctions on your Facebook. Also, you canfindoutwhoreallylmowsyom'birthday. My favorite messages were from individuals whopostedonmywalldratlhaven’ttalked to in ymrs. ' Show less
mom 15,2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page3 SPORTS Auggie soccer finding recent success hard to follow up In the Augsburg men’s soc, cer team's first nine games, they showed flashes of the kind of soccer that got them to the NCAA Division 3 Sweet Sixteen in 2008. Granted, former All-Ameri- ca Alex... Show moremom 15,2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page3 SPORTS Auggie soccer finding recent success hard to follow up In the Augsburg men’s soc, cer team's first nine games, they showed flashes of the kind of soccer that got them to the NCAA Division 3 Sweet Sixteen in 2008. Granted, former All-Ameri- ca Alex Hildebrandt and three- time All-MIAC midfielder James See weren't walking on that field in 20l0 like they did in 2008 with fantastic individual seasons, but the Auggies were playing great team soccer, specifically in goal and on the defensive side of the ball. Augsburg had only given up three goals in their first nine contests. First year goaltenders Clayton Lynch and Will Morlock looked more like US. national team goalie Tim Howard in the Augsburg net, and were certainly erasing the speculation that with four~year starter Pascaul Venter’s departure, goalie would be an area of concern this season. The Auggies capped their great nine games by beating na- tionally ranked Macalester, the pride of the MIAC conference and widely considered a national title contender to that point, reaching as high as sixth in the NSCAA Division 3 national coaches poll. That double overtime win had the Auggies feeling on top of the world, and also got them a national ranking of number 23 in the same poll. But with success comes pres- sure and expectation. Since the Auggies big l-O, they have fal- tered. "When we got oh” the bus it was hard to find that spark,” said sophomore forward Jeff Butler about the ensuing four games. “We’ve played well in the second halfofthese games, but the first 45 has gotten us." With just a 1-2-1 record over the last four and eight goals sur- rendered, Greg Holker remarked that his club “has to do better than this“ when speaking to the Augs- burg Athletics site. D Photo by Mark Muccmon. Murcmon Photography. tor Augsburg Coma They certainly would’ve needed to do better to retain their current NSCAA ranking of num- ber 24 in the nation, but they are sure to drop from the rankings when the next poll comes out after the two losses this week to the Uni- versity of Dubuque and Concordia College. But the team will tell you that rankings, although indicative of performance, really aren’t on their minds. “To put it bluntly, no one cares,” said Butler referring to the rankings. “You don’t want to think about it because it’s just an- other distraction. To us they mean nothing, we have bigger things to worry about.” The last four games have by no means been easy for the Aug— gies with their two non-conference games (at Dubuque and UW-Su— perior) coming against regionally ranked teams and another (at Con- cordia) against the second-place team in the MIAC. Still, the Auggies would’ve preferred the fourth game in the rough stretch they’ve endured, a 2-2 draw against St. Olaf on Sept. 29, to have been a win, and have dug themselves a conference hole with the St. Olaf result and the 4-3 loss to Concordia Oct. 9. They currently sit tied for sixth in the ultra-competitive MIAC with seven points. “We have to focus on every game down the stretch,” said Butler. “We have to look at it one game as a time, and you can’t worry about Hamline because we have Carleton Saturday, and that’s a big game, our most serious threat down the stretch.” Should they be worried going forward? With only conference games left, four of them against teams that are currently below them in the standings, and three of them at home compared to their last three games having been on the road, head coach Greg Holker will tell you there‘s no panic around the program, but will echo Butler’s sentiments that the Aug- gies have to be at their best in these five games to finish the season. “We are looking forward to coming home,” said Holker to the Augsburg Athletics site following the Auggies third consecutive road game. “It’s been a challenging string of games. Playing in front of our crowd-specifically our alumni- might just be the boost we need.” The Auggies are in action Saturday at 1 pm. at Carleton. Coach profile: Jane Gibbs MIKE GALLAGHER Sports Editor Jane Gibbs is the head vol- leyball coach for Augsburg C ol— lege and is in her first year at the institution. Gibbs played college volley- ball at MIAC rival St. Thomas as a setter and was a two time AV'C A Division 3 All-American in 2002 and 2003. setting four school re- cords for assists and leading the Tommies to a 97-31 record in her time as a player. After her playing career. Gibbs went to North Carolina to serve as an assistant at Division one Gardner-Webb for two sea- sons. Gibbs then went to UW-River Falls as an assistant for the 2006 season before accepting the posi- tion of head coach at Luther Col- lege. When at Luther, Gibbs amassed a 60-42 record from 2007-2009 afier taking over the Norse, turning around a team that had won only six games from 2005-2006. Gibbs led Luther to the NCAA Division 3 national tournament in her final year at the college and accepted the head coach position at Augsburg following Jessica Rinehart’s resignation after the 2009 season. So far in 2010, she has led the Auggies to a 13—11 record with a 3-3 conference mark. With six matches to go in the Auggies regu- lar season, Gibbs was nice enough to sit down with us and discuss her success leading up to Augsburg, her team this year and her hopes for the future of the program. Mike: As our readers can see, you have a pedigree of winning. What has been the key to your winning, whether it be player or coach, up to this point? Jane: Great coaches, from my coach at Lakeville who is still there to this day, to my coaches at St. Thomas, even up to now with the great assistant coaches I have here. My assistants are Laura Hegerle. Leah Ashbum and Josh Huffand they have been fantastic. Mike: lot: did a similar thing with Luther rhoiformcr Juggle i'r'illrfii‘boll coach Jessica Rim‘horl did here turning around a strug- gling program and bringing them to pn)Hllilt'IlL't'. Who] did i‘ouiirx! do when you go! lli‘l‘t‘ Io t'nxui‘r' lllr.‘ (‘0Illlllllr‘rl .\'llr'r'r‘.\.\' l‘rlxr’rl U”, [mirror 3‘ plowiil‘rilv/tr‘omnt‘r'jitr .lugshurg." Jane: Augsburg lost a great senior class. four starters. So \\ but we first needed to do \\ us bring in four skilled freshmen to replace the skilled players that Augsburg lost. I‘m really fortunate right no“ that l have lo girls that. playing or not, are really giving it their all. Mike: Talk about the im- provements you 'i'e seen over the last 1] games in which you 'r'r' gont' 7-4. before those you were strug- gling a bit. but it seems like things are starting to come together... Jane: Yeah, you really see the team gelling right now and it‘s really important coming down the stretch that they continue to do that. You have seniors really step— ping up as well as some freshmen that came in earning their spots. We‘ve had the same starting squad for two weeks in a row now. and I really think that‘s starting to pay off. Mike: Going I/orwunl, with six matches Iefl, who! else needs Io happen/or this team to gel bur-Ir to the promised [um/3’ Jane: Well. we have three conference wins now and we need six to get into the M|A(‘ tourna- ment, with nationally ranked St. Thomas on Friday and nationally ranked Concordia as our last game of the conference season. With how we played against St. Olaf in the five—set match Saturday, in a match a lot of people believed would be over in three, I feel good about how we’re playing right now, and we just have to keep playing that way down the stretch. The Auggies‘ are in action Friday at St. Thomas a! 7 pm. Homecoming bringing out the athletic side in everyone MIKE GALLAGHE- Sports Editor Homecoming is a time to celebrate. It‘s a time to have the Augsburg com- munity come together as one and rejoice about the great institution we have. It‘s a time to showcase the great skills wegivetoAugsburgandthegreattalents it helps us bone and develop. Most notably, homecoming across the nation. at division one and division three institutions alike is most known for the football game that cap 05 homecoming week. Athletics are is hat tend to define homecomrng as a success to the fan base of a particular program. Benthing else that goes into homecomrng. the fans tend to shove asrde. But with all the e\ cuts on campus. the dinners. the an shows. the concerts. the banquets. it truly shows than homecoming is a week-long event. nor a three hour contest at Edor Nelson Field to dccrde whether or not we have a good football team. While the game will not decrde that nuns within homecormng week will. Aside from the Augsburg football team taking on Concordia at 1 pm. Saturday, there are other notable athletic events coming up this week, somewiththosethatusedtobeathletes,and some that never were. Homecoming week started with the pep rally Monday night that included a fireworks display, which an outrageous amount of money was spent on, and a ten- on—ten dodgeball t0urnament held between freshman. sophomores, juniors. and seniors. Any one was allowed to participate who wm in attendance, either athlete or everyday student. and there were a wide variety of participants. “I love the dodgeball said Jon Pow ers Wulfi‘. junior student at Augsburg. “It’s the highlight of the pep rally e\ ery The n inning class was to face a super- star lrneup of ten coaches from Augsburg. from national wrestling coach of the year Mark MarzeL to strength and conditioning coach Adam Maronde. to assistant \olley- ball coach Laura Hegerle. When it was all said and done. the freshmanclassmovedontofacethearray offormcr athletic talent and current coach- ing greatness in the first athletic event of the week. “The dodgeball game was great,” said Ryan Kershaw, assistant basketball coach and dodgeball game participant. “SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) and our event stafi did a great job and this event has gotten better every year.” The Augsburg men’s soccer team took on Bethel at Edor Nelson Field on Wednes- day and Thursday night was set aside for the Augsburg Athletics Hall of Fame Banquet in which Augsburg enshrined more former athletes into the growing family that is the Augsburg Hall of Fame. "lt was cool." said Augsburg Head Baseball Coach Keith Bateman. "Izyery year it is. you always haye a lot of alumni show up and there are always some great stories. you get to see everybody at the banquet. it's really fun." Fnday night‘s Pow der Pufi‘ football game w ill bring together any and all of the best. and most interested. female students. stafi. or alumni who want to play some football themsely es. The game w ill be held at 8 pm. at Edor Nelson Field with defend— ing champions The Stepdads. by Auggie softball player Jessa llinl. Saturday after the game, the women’s soccer team will take on Carleton at () pm. at Edor Nelson Field, and from 6—K pm. at the Augsburg Ice Arena, the facility will be dedicated to the great Ed Saugestad, who coached the Augsburg hockey team for 38 years and appeared in the national tourna- ment ten times while winning three NAIA national titles. Without a doubt. homecoming Week definiter highlights sports for the greatest of athletes, the ones who have had their better days. and the ones who have never even dreamed of competing on a lield. But one thing is for sure. regardless of which category you fall in to. the competi- tivc spirit and the w lll to w in is always there, "The stall vi ill bounce back next year.” said Kershaw alter the freshman class upset the all-star coaching team. “We w ill reclaim our dodgeball title. And for the record. I thought we got hosed vy ith the over the line call on Maronde." Oh. the agony of defeat. Show less
Friday. October 15. 2010 PageS W OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS Are homecoming festivities outdated? WNW WW / ‘l'hispastMondayeveningl stinchssinOldMainlistening thewjndows of Old Main was the stay being prepued for the night's homecoming festivities, fimnwhichabansheewailofa salad check was emitting. I use... Show moreFriday. October 15. 2010 PageS W OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS Are homecoming festivities outdated? WNW WW / ‘l'hispastMondayeveningl stinchssinOldMainlistening thewjndows of Old Main was the stay being prepued for the night's homecoming festivities, fimnwhichabansheewailofa salad check was emitting. I use this incidence more or less as an anecdote. I'm not ovedy concernedwidnhemeofdiegeen in fiont’ofUrness Hall, for it is a public space after all and should beusedasone-althoughlwill add that having evening classes internipted by noises from exter- nal festivities is neither rare, nor warmly welcomed. What I see this minor event rqaresenting is the occasional clash between at least two identities of Augsburg College. Neither is mutually exclusive, although they have increasingly appeared to me in my three years at Augsburg to be following divergart paths. The first Augsburg College see is that of Augsburg as an aca- demic It is made up of students, faculty and staff, coming together for the explicit purpose of educating the willing and produc- ' knowledge amongst inquisitive minds — and that includes faculty and staff, not just students. Its pupae is, or should be, primarily about teaching, learning and intel- lectual exploration. However, Augsburg is also a social institution, one with a specific history and one that is expected to meet certain require- ments. Augsburg College, like any other college or university, has a unique and decorated history as a single institution but it also exists alongside more general expecta- tions of institutes of higher educa- tion in the United States. Which brings me to my point. Regardless of the historic ways in which American colleges and universities have organized and behaved, we are approaching the point in this institution's develop— ment where serious questions need to be asked about its future. I am sure there is plenty to say about the “corporatization” of higher education. What also needs to be examined is the relevance of certain social functions in college life. For example: “Homecoming” events were once a prominent social event in annual college ac- tivities, and I’m sure than in many places they still are. But here at Augsburg, Homecoming Week is up against more than considerable apathy. I have no doubt that there are many people out there who gleefully revel in Homecoming Week. But I also have no doubt that there are far more people out there who generally give it only a passing interest. What is its worth to the Augs- burg community? Is a fireworks show, whose price is not inconsid- erable, worth it to the college when budgets for student organizations have been brutally slashed? What are the same fireworks display worth to the college in terms ot‘its aspirations to be a “Green” cam- pus when those fireworks explode chemicals and noise pollution into the urban atmosphere? When we fill up a lot of maroon balloons and distribute them around campus. where do they go when the week is over? Are such things as important to the campus identity as we think they are, or are they more relics of tradition than anything else‘.’ Here at Augsburg we have a fantastic program in the Under— graduate Research Grants given out each summer by the URGO office. It‘s my opinion that the future of the college rests in such strong programs as that and not in the campus‘ ability to throw awe— some parties for Homecoming. l’m well enough aware about how campus funding works. Mon- ey is partitioned in such and such a way. some funds go here. others go there; some funds have explicit purposes. others are laid aside for more general spending. l‘m not making a direct accusation ofmis- use ofcampus funds. I am simply trying to bring up the question of whether or not acti\itics like Homecoming Week accurately reflect the campus and student body that Augsburg College is no“ and increasingly is becoming. And if they do not. then there needs to be a Visible shift of focus for the campus. One could make the argument that they are. in fact. quite neces— sary and integral to campus life and the college‘s mission. But for myself. I hayc felt these opinions and the questions expressed abme dc\ eloping and building as each new academic year rolls around. This year is my last onc and next year I‘m sure l \\ill but c moved on to more prcssing issues in my personal life, lloocycr. I hope that for the gcncrul \\ cll bcing ofAugsburg as conununity. pcoplc begin asking what these sort of events are really worth to the col- lege ~ and that thosc in positions of power feel the impcrriliyc to answer them. NEWS...CONTINUED Feminist Collective meets, lans a car of “truth, e uali and o enness” P Y ‘1 P involved with the Collective. DAVE MADSEN News Editor On Oct. 6, the Augsburg Student Femi- nist Collective (F SC) coordinated for its first open meeting for the 2010-1 1 academic year. The Collective has planned to continue having weekly meetings and the second one was held on Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 4:30 pm. in the Women's Resource Center. Lucreshia Grant, one of the founding members, reported that the initial meeting ofthe FSC was to establish a community agreement to uphold the founding principles of “confidentiality, respect for others’ opin- ions. respect for others' perspectives, trust, respectfiilly challenging each other and In add‘nion to Grail, FSC was originally diapedbytheassistanceoftheWomen'sRe- source Center and thee equally-influential students: Hannah Glusenkamp, Erin Scott, and Elizabeth Hanson. According to Grant, Glusenkamp and she were like-minded in their experiences with peer education and sexual health, which led some of their early discussions. The guiding tagline of the FSC, “Speak Your Tru ” was formed by the four students to ensure that all who participated could be confident in the space’s principles of equality. Grant also said that the tagline of the Collective was created as an intentional phrase to embrace people of all identities who chose to participate. “We wanted to avoid a hierarchy,” Grant said. “We emphasize that all voices matter equally." Though only one of the original mem- bers remains active in the FSC, the intent to create an inclusive environment for stimu- lating discussion remains a priority for those Grant explained that meetings of last semester varied from matters regarding per- sonal experiences with hair to discussions regarding sexual violence and discrimina- tion, “So the conversations jump around," Grant said. “But I personally enjoy that the most." While the FSC encourages attendees to continue to “learn and speak openly,” organizers also plan to emphasize the im- portance of taking action on campus and in public affairs. The Collective reportedly plans to host a “SEX Series" which will be facilitated by trained facilitators with the intent to “discuss and explore issues sur- rounding sexuality, sex and sexual health.” Grant commented that the F SC is ex- cited to organize this dialogue as “talking openly and responsibly about sex, sexuality, and sexual health are key, especially on a college campus." Another program which the Collective is planning to host as an ongoing. monthly event is a screening ofa feminist film. The first film that the FSC is planning to show is 9500 Liberty, a documentary by Annabel Park and Eric Byler. which challenges im- migration policy. “These movies just serve to bring awareness to issues that people perhaps didn’t always consider feminist,“ Grant explained. For more information about Ihc Augs- burg Student Feminisl Collective, visit their website a! http://wwwuugsburg.edu/ organizations/feminist.html or attend om’ of their weekly, Wednesday meetings held in the Women 3‘ Resource C enter a! 4 :30 pm. Bike/Walk Week encourages students to hit the road with environment in mind Baum News” Last week, motorists may have found the streets of Cedar and Riverside to be a bit lonely. The decrease in vehicle trafi'ic wasn‘tduemanewnaflic—routing sysrunJhouglL According to Janine Bor- MAME-carrot Public Augsbug participated in lheTransitforUvmleCmfl- nes‘s initiaive called Bic/Walk Week in order to “promote and provide hat-Iced ad amiable transportation systems for Min- nesota.” Din'ingthepomotionofBike/ Walk Week, those who hiked, walked. or rode public transit to campus had the chance to enter their names into a drawing for prizesThosewhorodeinonrheir bicycleswerealsotnckeddown bythme madatoreceiveagreenrecoyii- nonstickawhitzhread‘lBikedt” Borehardt commented that Bike/Walkweekwasmahposr thloddlIethosendndnoseto wakbieydeumeaham able methods of transportation. The College’s Environmental Stewardship Committee supported the Bike/Walk Week efiort by highlighting the availability of Nice Ride bikes and a HourCar hub. After the success of a previous Bike/Walk week held last June. the Transit for Livable Communi- ties decided to hold another event this month in conjunction with [mammal Walk to School Day tally-located near the Greenway, the light rail, and many Metro Transit bus lines, Augsburg Col- lege chose to participate in Bike/ Walk Week due to its dedication to and cooperation with organizations that promote sustainable modes of living. Part of Borchardt's role as Assistant Director of Public Safety is to coordinate parking and transportation on campus; as such, she encouraged commuters to try other modes oftransit to eliminate frustrating parking situations and promote a healthy lifestyle. “Even if it doesn't work for you everyday, it‘s nice to have options,” Borchardt said. “Riding the bus and bicycling really does give me a different perspective and connection with the city that I don’t get when I’m stuck in my car in traffic." Students are encouraged to get involved with alternative modes of transportation by trying the bus system, the Greenway, the Light- rail, and the HourCar. For questions regarding how students can show their support, email Bore/turd! at bore/1aero augsburgcdu or visit Environ- mental Stewardship Committee 3' website at http://wwwuugsburg. Wgreen/lranrponalionhlml. Show less
Friday, October 15, 2010 The College’s Student-Produced Newspaper Minneapolis, Minnesota MinneSotans rally for action against climate change AmanNaxmmw Srafl'Writer On Sunday, between 100 and 200 Minnesotans (amongst them a dedicated cadre of Auggies) gatheredonthebanksoftheMis— sissippi River... Show moreFriday, October 15, 2010 The College’s Student-Produced Newspaper Minneapolis, Minnesota MinneSotans rally for action against climate change AmanNaxmmw Srafl'Writer On Sunday, between 100 and 200 Minnesotans (amongst them a dedicated cadre of Auggies) gatheredonthebanksoftheMis— sissippi River near the Mill Ruins Park and in the shadow of the last coal-burning power plant in Min- neapolis to demonstrate against governmental inaction on battling Climate Change. The demonstration was in solidarity with the “10/10/10 Global Work Party." The world- wide event was the successor to last year‘s “lntemational Day of Climate Action" on Oct. 24. which itself is reputed by the organizers to have been the single largest demonstration of any kind in world history. This year activists were encouraged to take part in environmentally positive work programs in their neighborhood Both events were sponsored by the organization 350.0rg, an environmentalist network inspired by the work of NASA scientist James Hansen who first posited that 350 parts per million of car- bon dioxide was the maximum level that could safely exist in the Earth's atmosphere without initiat— termite, GLOBAL WORK PARTY A Day to Celebrate Climate Solutions ing major climactic shifts. With current levels closer to 400 parts per million, 350.0rg was started by environmentalist Bill McKib- ben (recently in the news for his attempts to get President Obama to reinstall the solar panels first put on the White House by Jimmy Carter. then removed by Ronald Reagan), as a grassroots response to a global problem. Beginning with a bicycle parade down to the waterfront, demonstrators mingled with each other while moving between various booths set up by environ— mental and social justice orga- nizations like Greenpeace, ONE and Campus Beyond Goal. The central theme of the aftemoon was pushing for the transition of the nearby power plant, operated by the University of Minnesota. away from coal and to a fuel source with emissions in less damaging quanti- ties. Speakers of the evening in— cluded: State Senators Ellen An- derson and Patricia Torres-Ray. State Rep. Frank Homstein. Mar- cus Harcus of HIREMN, members of Youth Environmental Activists of Minnesota, J. Drake Hamilton of Fresh Energy. and arctic ex— plorer/ activist Will Steger. Also present was 350 Solu- tions Revolution. a cross—country bicycle journey by a duo produc- ing a documentary film about the American grassroots” response to Climate Change. Conspicuously absent from the event was any gubernatorial candidate from a major party or representatives of their campaigns. perhaps emphasizing the backseat that environmental issues have taken during the economic reces- sion. The rally comes on the heels of numerous instances of erratic weather worldwide. such as the heat waves in Russia that caused massive forest fires (which in turn damaged Russia‘s agricultural in- dustry and caused a spike in global food prices which severely hurt the global poor) and the torrential downpours that flooded Pakistan. Climate legislation has also run into significant roadblocks in the United States legislature. with an already watered-down climate bill being killed in the Senate and efforts underway to strip the EPA of its recently acquired ability to regulate carbon dioxide. the lead— ing cause ofclimate change. Enrollment Statistics Report holds a mirror up to the College: "Are we doing what we think we’re doing?” Becca ANDERSEN Managing Editor Last week. Augsburg Col- lege released it Enrollment Status Report for 2010-11. The report revealed some interesting facts about the College that may make somequestion. “Whathappened‘?” According to the report. the total increase of the student body frunZtX)‘Mo2010wasl.3pement This translates into 4.033 heads counted in September of 2009 and at 4.086 in September of 2010. More specifically the report showed that the number of gradu- ate students increased 3.1 percent. and the number of da) students increased 2.4 percent. while the number of ueekend college un~ dergnduate students decreased 1.9 percent. This report. also deemed the ‘10th 0:) Report." gathered its statistics from numbers on the tenth day of classes. the last day to drop or add a class without nota- tion. Enrollment was frozen on this day for reporting purposes. but the attrition rate of students after the tenth day was still monitored. as enrollment is ever oscillating. A significant purpose of these reports. said Director of Enroll— ment Planning and Systems De- velopment Jim Erchul. is creat— ing concrete forecasts in regards to headcounts. revenue. and the number of registered courses for upcoming years. Forecasts are made even five years in advance in order to accommodate appropriate preparation. These forecasts are made based on rem aluating assump— tions and asking questions like. ~‘What happened?“ regarding big changes in numbers. Factors such as what‘s realistic. how well certain programs have done. and external conditions like the current economy are taken into account. So when the number ofweek- end college undergrads decreased 1.9 percent, what happened? Erchul speculates that the adult undergraduate community was bit harder by the economy than was the adult graduate or day student communities. In terms of the economy. education is a luxury that may be one of the first things to get cut off the budget. The good news is that the students who left initially facing this dilemma are slowly returning. although it is increasingly difficult to acquire new adult undergraduates. This year's 10th Day Report not only reflects problems particu— lar groups of students are facing “hen it comes to higher educa- tion. but also suggests slight ups and dovms when it comes to the “ell-being of each graduate pro- gram. While numbers in the MAE program increased 15 percent this year. numbers in the MBA program decreased almost 20 ENROLL mmm 93992 > percent. An increase in numbers in the MAE program and a decrease in numbers in the MBA program are not new phenomena this year. but are recurring trends. Senior Associate Director of Graduate Admissions. Na— than Gorr. attests the decrease of numbers in MBA to a surge of competition and to cuts in tuition reimbursement by the employers of graduate students. is the decreasing numbers of the MBA program a reason for concem‘.’ "The MBA program develops large res enue for the college and continues to hold a strong reputa— tion. which is e\ inced through the program’s recent pursuit ofan ad— ditional business accreditation that is unique to the area." said Gorr. In comparison to the MBA program. Gorr said students in the MAE program net er expected Secretariat review, page 7 Volume CXVII. Issue 4 Upcoming Augsburg 7| Events Career & Internship Center Wednesday, October 20 Employer Peek of the Week .... .. College Pro Stop by for meet and greet with Auggie Alum Ask resume tips, Ask about owning your own business and/or a career in management. I ZOO-3 .' 00 p.m. Lindell Library Link Tuesday, October 19, 2010 NPCR (Neighborhood Plati- ning for Community Revi- talization) - Informational Session Building Community—Univer— sity Partnerships 7 stop by to learn how you can apply for semester long paid research projects in nearby neighbor- hoods. www.npcr.org 5:00 - 6:00pm. ()rcn Uutcwcri' Room [/2 Frlday, October 22 Government Job & Intern- ship Fair (Careers In Public Service) FREE and open to the public. For more information visit http://www.mcucsaorg/gov- jobfair/ U ofM, Twin Cities Campus Coffmun Memorial Union, Great I lull [0:00 am. —3.‘ll(/ pm. GLBTA Ally Training 11 Ally Training 11 is designed for people who have attended Ally Training and/or have been actively involved in GLBTA communities. Participants will consider how allies can help create inclusive and accessible environments in the many positions, roles and communi- ties where we live and work. and share specific strategies for overcoming the barriers we face when advocating for GLBT issues and interrupting oppression. Century Room, Christensen Center 9:00 am. to [2:00 pm. Show less
Page 2 NEWS Minneapolis, Minnesota Frida , October 15, 2010 Minneapolis-West Bank’s liVing dead gather for a night of blood, beer and braaaaains AIDAN NANCARROW Staff Writer This past Saturday marked the sixth installment of the Zombie Pub Crawl. an event/spectacle that is fast becoming a... Show morePage 2 NEWS Minneapolis, Minnesota Frida , October 15, 2010 Minneapolis-West Bank’s liVing dead gather for a night of blood, beer and braaaaains AIDAN NANCARROW Staff Writer This past Saturday marked the sixth installment of the Zombie Pub Crawl. an event/spectacle that is fast becoming a cultural institu- tion in the Twin Cities. Beginning around 4 pm. in the afternoon, the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood was inundated with thousands of cadaverous patrons roaming from one drinking estab- lishment to another, choking the sidewalks with their putrefying bodies and filling the air with cries for braaaaaaains. Though the “Crawl” that is explicitly men- tioned in the title began at the 501 Club and proceeded southward. true to the haphazard nature ofthe undead. zombies poured in from all directions to mull around any one of the 17 participating bars and clubs Begun in 2005, Zombie Pub Crawl was born of a confluence of two distinct modern cultural trends: one where “flash” mobs of oddly dressed enthusiasts con— verge in a pre-set location, a kind of “culture jamming“ exempli- fied by the West Coast “Santa Rampages;" the other a vibrant subculture surrounding the zom- bie media epitomized by George A Romero’s Living Dead movies and their countless aesthetic suc— cessors. The addition of alcohol to such an event was a not unforeseen inclusion. Since its inception, the Crawl has seen phenomenal growth. In true undead fashion. the hordes of zombies have practically doubled each successive year. Beginning with no more than 150 zombies in 2005. attendees were estimated at no less than 1,200 in 2008 and over 5,000 in 2009. This year conserva- tive estimates place attendance at at least 10,000, with some claim- ing attendance as high as 13,000 zombies. Such demanding numbers have led to structural shifis in how the crawl is managed. This year was the first to require mandatory purchase of a wristband to allow entrance into participating bars. Sales were so strong that presale wristbands sold out a week ahead 4 ENROLLMENT, from page 1 of time and lines for wristbands on crawl night were backed up for blocks. ‘ Wristbands cost 5 dollars pre-bought and 10 dollars on Crawl night. Proceeds went to pay for live music, security forces. strategically placed bitfys. state entertainment taxes. Mment for Crawl organizers (who had been organizing the event out of good- will for the five years previous) as well as a sizable donation to the University of Minnesota Depart- ment of Neurology’s Alzheimer Research Program (for healthy brains to eat). With such a heavy concentra- tion of people, most of them in varying stages of inebriation, se- curity was of some concern. Police cars were ubiquitous up and down Cedar and Washington. The large crowds ofien spilled off of side- walks and rarely paid more than passing attention to crosswalks and traffic lights. ofien blocking traffic and causing significant back ups on Cedar and Riverside. But beside the sizable annoy- ance factor of blocked traffic, the addition of security forces seems to have avoided last year’s more serious problems of broken win- dows and muggings. All told, this year’s crowd (reputed to have been the largest gathering of zombies anywhere, ever) raises questions about the ul- timate sustainability of the Crawl. Even distributed across 17 bars, the 10,000 or more participants filled most buildings to capacity. Bars like the Acadia were serving a limited menu and still running out of certain drinks, including water. However. judging from past trends, it is reasonable to assume that the Crawl will only continue to grow in size and number. For the immediate future, unless one wishes to brave the hordes of the (drunken) undead, it would be best to avoid Cedar and Washington avenues on the second Saturday of October. Enrollment numbers fluctuated in programs affected by the slow economy reimbursement from employers. Erchul speculates that the increase of numbers in the MAE program and in most graduate student programs can thank whatever is deemed trendy in the market and the qual- ity of the program. For example, in 2001 and 2002, Augsburg’s MSW program was reinvented at the right time by faculty and program. others involved, and now it is a thriving Erchul said, “Every program has its own character. The strength of Augsburg is that we have a variety of programs. When one is up, another is down.” By reporting important changes and laying the foundation for forecasts, the Mike Gallagher E-mail — echo@augsburg.edu Phone — (612) 330-1 102 ofthcstudents. subject to revision. Wm Augsburg College Echo Fall 2010 Staff E I. _. _g . f Becki lverson Sergio Monterrubio W139! ‘ r Betsy Collins Becca Anderson Mm ‘ r Sara Klemp Michelle Wallin flushing: may; Dave Madscn 5 1V . . H i r' ‘ r echo@augsburg.edu Natalie Noe Fae A vi r MS! Boyd Koehler 731 let Avenue S, CB 148 1 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454 TheAugsburg Echo is publishedeuchFriday—exeeptduringvacationperiotk and holidays —— by the students ofAugsburg College. OpinionsexpressedintheEchommoseofthesudiorsmddonotnecessuily mfiectthmeofdnmppufingsufiladminimfimkymhmnheumeminda TheEchodoesnotnecessarilypmmotetheproduasorsavioeshm AdvenisementsmbepheedmtheEchobyconnenngtheadvmisingmmger. Submissimsmwelcomeandcan be sent toeeho@atgbug.edu.All submis- sions should be between 500-700 words and accompanied by the writu‘s name mdconminthtmfiou.AllsubmissiombeeomethepmpatyoftheEchomdue Thefifiommenghlmeditmitmdmwmofwlhnin- nonsmpctinwsubjeummuhheMeonmornyuhammcedinsm Printedbyh-intGoIpMidwesonrecycIedpnper. Tips — echotips@grnail.com Fax — (612) 330-1666 interpretation of enrollment statistics tells Augsburg how well it is doing as a busi- ness and develops communication between recruitment and finances, which acts as a sort of reference point for discussion between core departments with different interests. “Admissions is concerned with people, enrollment is concerned with credit hours, and finance is concerned with dollars,” said Erchul. “The report allows us to say, ‘Here we are, and here is what we need to do. 1” Augsburg is hungry for justice Mo ALLEN OLIVER DYKSTRA Contributors Last weekend, six students piled in a van with Brian Noy, the coordinator of Campus Kitchens, to make the near- ly twenty-hour drive south to Waco, Texas and attend the third annual Poverty Summit. The group was composed of Cam- pus Kitchen representatives and MPIRG reps. The summit, titled Hun- gry for Justice, was a national conference that addressed pov- erty and issues of social justice. Hosted by Baylor University and the national Campus Kitchen Project, the conference was geared toward students involved with Campus Kitchens across the country and was focused on poverty and issues such as hunger and human trafl‘icking. An overarching theme penetrating the weekend was articulated best by the opening speaker Kevin Concannon, the Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food. Nutrition. and Con- sumer Services. who spoke of the difference between charity and justice. In his words: *When people become reliant on our charity we have to step back and ask, ‘Is this a justice issue? Are there institutional issues that need to be addressed?” While many of our ac- tions such as soup kitchens, food banks, and other charities fulfill a pivotal role in our com- munities, they are no panacea. They do not necessarily address the root causes of these issues ingrained in our culture and institutions. Take, for instance, the fact that Americans live in the rich- est country in history yet there are 43.6 million human beings living in poverty. Clearly there are systemic problems creat- ing this situation that handouts alone cannot fix. On this issue and others many argue that there needs to be a genuine push for institutional reform through leg- islation, education, and creation of opportunity. Robert Egger, founder of the DC Central Kitchen, gave an inspiring speech pulling from the words of leaders such as Martin Luther King. Jr. and Ghandi to say that the responsibility lies heavily on the shoulders of our generation. As the most active and ser— vice oriented generation ever, Egger said never before have so many people been so wide awake to the presence of deep injustices and so ready to take action. With the future in our hands, Egger said we are left with few choices. Clearly many students feel as if they cannot stand idle and bear witness to injustice. Fortunately, Auggies are blessed with a culture of service that supports and encourages action. There are many options on campus to tackle injustices in all the ugly forms in which it manifests itself. Through the trip, participants of Hungry for Justice have come to appreciate all the more the ways the school, its staff, and its students strive to make the world a better place. First years begin with a service learning project and from there are led to engage Minneapolis. Of course there are numerous extracurricular opportunities to make a differ- ence with such organizations as Campus Kitchens, MPlRG, Community Link, CSA, Campus Ministry, STAND, and the Femi- nist Collective, among others. So take a day, or more if you have it, do as Ghandi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Show less
Friday, November 5, 2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page VARIETY Bacra Ivenson Editor in Chief The frequent association you might have with chocolate is the pleasant, sweet, thick consistency it brings to your mouth. The kind of chocolate you might find at the Minnesota His- torical Society’s (MHS)... Show moreFriday, November 5, 2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page VARIETY Bacra Ivenson Editor in Chief The frequent association you might have with chocolate is the pleasant, sweet, thick consistency it brings to your mouth. The kind of chocolate you might find at the Minnesota His- torical Society’s (MHS) current exhibit is an entirely difierent kind of sensation. * The Minnesota Historical Society .is currently showing a traveling exhibit called Chocolate. It covers almost any subject you could imagine chocolate to relate to, and opens with a look at the fundamentals behind the existence of chocolate. Some of the items it covers include the plant it grows from, the particulars (such as cli- mate, soil, etc) involved in getting the plant to grow, and the basic process behind chocolate‘s (or ca- cao, really, since that is the original product) first uses by humans as a culinary object or a currency. As the exhibit progresses, one travels through more realms that chocolate/cacao touches. It tums out that there is a much more complicated history behind the politics of chocolate/cacao than one might assume possible for such a seemingly small and insig- nificant object. This includes both labor and trade, and while there is far too much information for me to accurately describe here, I can say that I felt a little ashamed for not being aware of the profound effect of chocolate on the people and market it involves. V In addition to exploring the history of cacao production, the De-friend this ELISE ESTRADA Contributor I Want to Un-like and De- friend this Movie As The Social Network does not cast Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the most flatter- ing light, what would happen if I logged onto my account and “Liked” the film? Is it physically impossible? Would my profile spontaneously combust'? Would I be denied access for life? Or is Zuckerberg sitting in some dark and geeked out computer room keeping score. tallying up the names and numbers of those upon who he will one day exact revenge? Facebook is not only ubiqui- tous, but its influence on modern communication cannot be argued; it‘s even become a verb: “Face- book me!“ So I can acknowledge its’relevance to modern technol- ogy, as well as the interest in story behind the story. which is steeped in a few of the elements that Amer- icans have become obsessed with: youth, money, class and ambition. But I still find myselfresisting this film, even with its decent directing and clever script. There is an over- blown and hyped—up quality that surrounds it, which is not unlike the cultural response to Facebook itself. Strictly as a film, it is ad- equate. David Fincher‘s direction has its moments of darkened Chocolate molds such as this one were popular for home use In preparing chocolate. The MHS exhibit has plenty of Interesting models on display In their Chocolate exhibit. exhibit includes the history of the troubling labor system and slavery required to produce cacao, how cacao products turned into the chocolate we eat and love today, and how chocolate changed in Europe, both through capitalism and the different consumer cul- ture there than its native South America. Chocolate shines most in the moments where the exhibit dis- cusses the complex web of produc- tion required to make chocolate. However, the exhibit did not start off strong. I felt disappointed in the beginning, which seemed to include only very basic infomia- tion that I was already familiar with and had a childish approach to its material. beauty, but overall his influence does not shine through as strongly as one can see in past films. It comes off as Fincher—lite. Looking closely though, I could catch his familiar color pal- ette that worked so well in Seven, The Game, and Fight Club. The cool faded yellows and washed out blues give the film a harsher~ -though subtleiedge. which is used well with Harvard‘s winter campus. endless New York sky- scrapers, and the bleached out sun ofCalifomia. As far as the script goes. it is easy to see that this is an Aaron Sorkin production: quick wittcd and infused with his brand of fast and feisty dialogue. The charac- ters are given one-liners to toss out left and right—l could only dream of being this articulate and clever during such disastrous mo- ments of life. There are a number of moments that work extremely well. but many monologues and showdowns later, the characters‘ perfect dialogue gets a little too . . . well, perfect. Jesse Eisenberg is recogniz- able, and although I‘ve enjoyed him in films such as The Squid and the Whale and Zombieland, for the most part I‘ve always viewed him as a low-rent Michael Cera. But he is impressive as Zuckerberg-- efiective and efficient, completely inept at graceful social interaction. Andrew Garfield is cast as the Facebook cofounder who But as the ex— hibit progressed, I was impressed with how clearly the most com- plex material was handled by the exhibit’s creators. I knew little of the horrific labor practices, includ~ ing centuries of slavery and hard labor, people are and were subject- ed to in order to supply wealthier patrons (like us) with our sinful treats. Chocolate made this infor- mation accessible, but not dumbed down or stripped of any emotional power. Chocolate also benefits from a beautiful presentation. Afler view- ing the recent Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Science Museum, I felt that exhibitors must have been living in a philosophy of aesthetic ignorance to the needs of their patrons. Chocolate healed my fears with it's lovely color palette, easily read citations. sparing but appropriate use of artifacts, and ability to blend many levels of dense information in a way that viewers of all ages can enjoy. It is also worth mentioning that the Minnesota Historical So- ciety is the largest in the country and puts together many excellent exhibits on its own. For the price of your ad- m ends up getting screwed and then unscrewed--compensated with how many millions of dollars-- Eduardo Saverin. With two parts to play, Annie Hamme is on point. in the role of both Winklevoss twins. embody- ing their genetic “perfection” in all of its cloned Ken doll glory. I did have to laugh though at the attempts to separate the two with “different” hairstylesficompletely the same. just combed and un» combed. Rounding out the Winkle- voss posse is the confusing and not-even-really-lndian sidekick Divya Narendra. played by Max Minghella. but I couldn‘t take him seriously from the moment he appeared onscreen because I am convinced that he had orange foundation applied in order to look more “ethnic.” As Napster cofounder Sean Parker, Justin Timberlake is great in his sometimes charming. some- times creepy extravagancc. flam- boyantly demonstrating what the future could hold for Mark ifhe is only to follow Sean‘s sage advice. Although all the actors were capable, as the film went into its second hour I started to tire of all the characters and their lim- ited, sometimes victimized self- centeredness. It is very difficult to feel sympathy for the privileged. good-looking and extremely rich. But in the end—throughout the legal battles, the cocaine. the mission to Chocolate (which is discounted for students!). you can also see their ll'ealher and Minnesota Greater! Genera/ion exhibits. The latter is particu- larly impressive. including a wide range of materials (including oral histories, texts. quotes, artifacts. context and more) about Minneso- tans who were our age during the turbulent I9305 and 19405. This exhibit warrants its own review. but it is another excellent example ofMHS‘ ability to make complex historical information palatable and personal. and it is definitely worth a look. Chocolale was not without its flaws. which included occasional oversimplification (such as the entrance to the exhibit and some of the subsequent interactive activities) and no samples. But it does shed new light on a product I suspect we are all so familiar with that we don‘t often think about how complex it really is, and it is an excellent way to spend a cloudy afiemoon or make a cheap date of. I recommend you try it out, as well as the other incredible resources offered by the Minnesota Histori— cal Society. Chocolate, which opened on October 2 and runs through January 2. is a traveling exhibit currently featured at the Minnesota Historical Society‘s headquarters in St. Paul. Student tickets cost $8 if you show your college i.d. More information um befomrd a! the MHS website. at minnexo/ahis- (orjvcentei:org/chocolate. YOU DON’T money and betrayal--it always comes back to Mark and his cul- culating. surgical ambitions. In a way. there are many similarities between Mark and this film: both use what they think people want for their own self-serving pur- poses to bolster their importance. Strategically and methodically. they latch onto what is popular to gain acclaim and attention, but even with all that outside success, the end result seems sterile and inauthentic. It‘s not that the film was bad, but it just seemed to lack soul. Which is how many. it would seem, would describe Mark Zuck- erberg. A-List Bersv COLLINS A615 Editor Music Danzig Nov 9, 6:30 PM Cabooze Price: $25 Azure Ray Fri., November 5, 7:00pm The Cedar Price: $12/Sl4 Brad Mehldau’s Highway Rider Nov 5 & 6, 8:00 PM Walker Art Center Price: $25 Art Poster Offensive 5 Daily from Fri., October 29 until Sun., November 7 Galley Price: free Gods and Monsters: Part Daily from Sat., October 30 until Sat, November 27 Cult Status Gallery Price: free Theater The House of the Spirits October 22 — November 14 Mixed Blood Theatre Price: $12-$28 Robin Hood October I - December 5 Children’s Theatre Company Price: $20-$40 Check out our new website at: augsburgecho. wordpress. com Show less
Page 8 Minneapolis, Minnesota THE BACK PAGE A brief introduction to Augsburg’s grounds crew Becca Amaranan SmflWrirer How many of you know of a building that used to be a gas station/machine shop but now is filled with carpentry, tools. machinery storage. welding bay rooms. two break rooms. a... Show morePage 8 Minneapolis, Minnesota THE BACK PAGE A brief introduction to Augsburg’s grounds crew Becca Amaranan SmflWrirer How many of you know of a building that used to be a gas station/machine shop but now is filled with carpentry, tools. machinery storage. welding bay rooms. two break rooms. a massive fish tank. and birds? How many know ofthe staff members who can be found at this place working and breaking. and once in a while, graciously allowing people such as me to inten'upt these daily routines? These people. the maintenance crew. have done a good job at keeping themselves and this place in the parking lot behind the athletic facilities. or “the clubhouse.“ behind the scenes. It‘s time for an unveiling. The guys ofmoming maintenance. Bruce Rowe. Larry Handsuch. Ward Brown [I]. Arlie Managan, Justin Keplar. Ron Strandness. Chad Rubie and Cory Doyle. all sat in the break room ofthe club house last week. half wondering why 1 was there and halfenjoying a chance to tell their stories. Each have different specialties in maintenance. different forms of experience. and are at very different places in their maintenance careers. To begin. Bruce Rowe and Larry Hand- such are the “grandfathers ofthe maintenance crew." Bruce having spent 27 years at Augs- burg. and Larry having spent 30 years. A tree farmer as a kid. Rowe. the head of the grounds crew. works through grounds planning stages all the way to implementation. Along with the crew. he works with nine students at Augs- burg. “I love working with students." he said. “You can tease them. bug them and teach them how to mow." Handsuch is the only locksmith on campus. During his past thirty year reign as a “grandfather.” he left for a while to study painting in Italy. Before Ward Brown lll's five-and-a-half years in Augsburg maintenance. he received a two year degree in diesel mechanics and worked in anything from “automobile to heavy equipment." “Maintenance is very hands-on work." Brown said. “Something I‘ve noticed is that students don‘t get our kind of experience." At Augsburg. Brown still does a little of Camoflauged everything: stairs. dryers. air conditioners. drinking fountains. siding. vehicles and snow vehicles. to name a few. The moving and grounds assistant. Arlie Madigan. has seen some maintenance disas- ters during his fourteen years here. Once, Ma- digan and Rowe were in the dome preparing for a soltball tournament. They were on sec- ond base. and one side of the dome suddenly began to rip. They both sprinted out from un- derneath. and watched the bubble become flat. “The tournament was cancelled.“ said Rowe. Other disasters that the crew has seen include floods in Anderson. fires in Mortenson, frozen buildings and bursting pipes. General “maintenance operators" are Ron Strandness and Justin Keplar. Along with being a full-time faculty member, Keplar is also a full-time weekend college student and studies accounting. Tuition reimbursement for faculty members and their children is a benefit. said the guys. along with the stability of being a part of the Augsburg maintenance crew. “A lot oftrades people are out of work ' right now," said Keplar. “Most wouldn’t be working stable shifts." said Chad Rubie. HVAC (Heating. Ventilia- tion. and Air Conditioning) specialist. Lastly. Cory Doyle. is a contractor from Hunt Electric. The Navy taught Doyle his trade. as he was an electrician on aircrafi car- riers. This motley crew can often be seen in Murphy Park during the summer playing Kubb, an ancient Viking game which involves throwing sticks at wooden blocks. It‘s a fa- vorite lunchtime pastime of the maintenance crew. and another example ofthe jollity they bring to campus. ACROSS 1. Sleds 5. Dog named twice 6. "Garfield" 7, Guardian at Giza 9. Phil Adamo's pup 10. Bud light's dog D OWN 2. "Beethoven" 3. Almost sounds like a swear 4. "9 Lives" sponsor 8. Target dog's breed 9. 'Lassie" Iosrr Srauar Stafl' Writer Hereafter begins with a gi- ant tidal wave destroying much of a quiet tropical getaway. The disaster feels like it belongs in an M. Night Shyamalan film. not something directed by Clint Eastwood. I The incredibly fake-looking wave takes our first main char- acter, Marie Lelay. played by Cécile De France (she's French if you didn‘t know). and attempts to drown her, but luckily she sur- IEN AVERY 3mg Writer Each week, Jen Avery will provide Augsburg sludenls wilh an intrmale illuslra/ion of [/13 United Sturex military. In afour-parl series. a fithhand accounl (If an elemem of Jen Ir basic training with the Naliurral Guard will be provided [0 readers. This week, Jen has a colorful encqumer. My last ofi‘icial day hanging with the guard was another early one. In the morning around 0900 l was taken to tour the CSMS building. the Combined Support Maintenance Shop. The entire facility is incred- ible. They have a room for just about every type of maintenance and repair job you can think of: power washing, recycling anti— freeze, testing engines, repairing vehicles and parts. testing weapons that came back from deployment. and my personal favorite, the painting room. In this section, my attention was immediately drawn to the floor. Spots ofblack. yellow, and red were in colorful splats all around the edges of the painting area. I became especially intrigued when one of the soldiers work- ing in that department sat a large book down that had some sort of blueprint on one ofthe open pages. As it turned out. the book was a manual on how to paint camou— flage. [hadn't even thought ofthat as far as painting. Serie. the soldier that was guiding us through the tour. said that painting camouflage on a vehicle is like a great big paint by numbers. The pages in the manual had a layout on how to paint the shapes and what colors need to be where. I looked outside through the open garage door ahead ofme and noticed something I had never paid attention to before: looking at the angled rows of humvees, all of them were painted the exact same. I had alwaysjust assumed that the colors and shapes were randomly created, but there is a purpose and reason why each color is placed where. For example, black is painted in the top corners of the back because in a heavy brush of trees, it‘s darker in the top than in the bottom. which makes the vehicle blend in much easier in that sort of environment. Everyone that showed me around in the building were in~ credibly polite people. They were more than happy to show me the machinery and equipment in all ofthe departments. l was able to climb inside a sandstone colored tank that was in for minor repairs. The inside in the back ofthe unit was like a sardine can, possibly worse. All of the controls were within an arm‘s reach. however. being able to twist one‘s body around in full uniform, plus body armor and gear, sounded like a full work out in itself. The tour lasted a while since there were so many departments to go through, but the time had gone by so quickly it seemed. I thanked everyone that I had encountered throughout the tour, and was taken back to my room for the aflemoon. Later that evening, around l600, I went to a company picnic that was being held near my har- racks. l was told that only twice a year does a picnic take place in a barracks: at the end of AT, and during a holiday, such a Christmas or Thanksgiving. Needless to say I felt a bit odd sitting inside the mess hall in civilian clothes. but everyone else was clad in their pixilated print uniforms and sturdy boots. I was sitting there in my black shirt and jeans! vives. Marie is not the same afler her near-death experience and she believes she saw an afierlife. Just when we are beginning to become interested in her story, the movie suddenly shifts over to San Francisco where retired physic George Lonegan (Matt Damon) resides. He is trying to live a normal non-physic life, but he is having a difiicult time because his brother wants him to come out of retirement. Then the film shifis again to England where we meet two twin boys named Marcus and Jason (Frankie and George McLaren). Then through a freak accident Jason dies, it's not really a sur- prise — Eastwood seems to really like dead kids in his films. The movie continues on like this for two hours, switch- ing between the stories. Luckily each story is compelling enough on it‘s own and you don‘t feel cheated when the film suddenly shifts. The problem is that during the film you are trying to figure out how the stories will come together. They do eventually connect in a disappointing and lackluster climax. The movie is a slow bum all the way through and the climax Wishing for more in Hereafi‘er is no different, but] wished more had happened with the conclu- sion. ‘ The three stories are woven together because they all deal with death and the afterlife. Hereafter tackles the idea of life after 'death gracefully. Never does Eastwood try to cram reli- gion down your throat nor does he try to explain what happens in the afterlife. He just makes a film about three different people who are all connected to this idea and how they deal with it. George can talk to the dead and people ofien seek him out so they talk to their. loved ones one last time. Matt Damon is at the top of his game, as is the rest of the cast. Damon once again proves that he can be more than just an action star. His perfor- mance is believable and well done. However, one the of most surprising performances comes from the McLaren twins. They are able to pull off a heartfelt and believable performance, which is no easy task for child actors. Bryce Dallas HOWard appears briefly in the film and she makes the most of what she is given, but I would have liked to see her part expanded a bit. — Clint Eastwood does a great job with the direction; he keeps the tone dark and serious for the entire film. Even scenes that take place in a sunny setting havean overcast feel to them. The movie is slow and takes a long time to get going, but Eastwood is able use this pace to his advantage by switching stories so you don’t lose interest. Hereafier is not a perfect movie, but it is a pretty good one. It‘s just too ‘bad the ending of the film could not have ' been better. Hereafter earns itself four out of five stars. ‘ Show less
Page 6 Minneapolis, Minnesota VARIETY Frida , November 2010 The Dark Star Orchestra: interpreting the mu-’ sic of classical composers (The Grateful Dead!) BECCA ANDERSEN Managing Editor On the Thursday before last. I knew what the technical reason was for my standing in line out- side the Varsity... Show morePage 6 Minneapolis, Minnesota VARIETY Frida , November 2010 The Dark Star Orchestra: interpreting the mu-’ sic of classical composers (The Grateful Dead!) BECCA ANDERSEN Managing Editor On the Thursday before last. I knew what the technical reason was for my standing in line out- side the Varsity Theatre around 6:30 p.ni.il had bought a twenty dollar ticket for the show the previ- ous night and wasn‘t about to let my twenty turn sunkvbut I still couldn't help from thinking. what am I doing here. should I be here‘.’ Why am I going through the same security procedures to get into this \ enue as I do to get on an airplane'.‘ Probably all the "dope fiends." one of my dad's friends said snicker- ing. Later l found that I don‘t think they prevented the dope fiends from bringing in their dope. But at the moment in which I was thinking about sunk costs and airplane security and dope fiends. I was about to partake in a night‘s worth of grooving with the Dark Star Orchestra. 3 band that strives to recreate the Grateful Dead con- cert experience, and. in my eyes. has succeeded. The scene stirring outside the venue probably bmught passers-by mixed reactions: “Jerry‘s reincar- nated!" or. “All those god d”* hippies smell like s'“.“ What was my experience in the realm ofthe Deadhead? lt‘sjust plain fun. I love the vintage concert tees. the beards reminiscing about a show in ‘77. the array of twenty to sixty somethings people you would never expect to be attend- ing the shows of Grateful Dead cover bands—like me perhaps. But maybe it is expected. maybe I am expected. One ofthe most attractive as- pects ofthis music is that it draws much more than the classic bum- out. it draws people with stories. I'm grateful not only to the Dead in this regard. but to my parents for sticking me in a tie-dye dress. taking me to concerts in places I can no longer identify. and danc~ ing. dancing. and when I got tired, sleeping on their backs with my cheeks up against a shoulder. A couple of weeks ago, the Varsity was a place where I could relive these moments that surpass none of the others I have come by to date. Fans who have seen the old world shows relayed their experiences to fans who could only dream of them. The cover band’s set lists are usually a copy of one already played: for example. DSO recre- ated a show last week in St. Louis which was originally done by the Grateful Dead in Madison Square Garden, New York on Friday, Sept. IS. 1987. Last Thursday though, their set list at the Varsity Theatre was original. The musicians in the Dark Star Orchestra even look like the famous members of the Grateful Dead: lead guitarist, Jeff Matt- son, has a definite Jerry Garcia look, while vocalist Lisa Mackey resembles a younger Donna God- chaux. Their look, their music, their legacy—can making music just as a testimonial for the love of a band-no-longer be fulfilling for a band of DSO’s notoriety and genu- ine talent? Can pouring heart and soul into unoriginality be satisfy- ing? I Only when the subject matter is the music of the Grateful Dead. And only when Grateful Dead vocalist and frequent DSO guest Donna Godchaux can say “play- ing with Dark Star Orchestra is something that feels just exactly like it felt when I was playing with the Grateful Dead." Art of the Native Americans: The Thaw Collection Bersv COLLINS Ac‘E Editor The outside ofthe Minneapolis Institute ofArts is generally varying amounts of outlandish decoration. Large marble stairs. giant lion statues. massive doric columns. But from now until January. the exterior lawn of MIA also features something else. Three large. beautiful and lit tipis stand prominently. Oct. 24 marked the opening of Ar! of the Native Americans: The Thaw Collection, a comprehensive Target Gallery show of nati\e American art from ancient times to today. The exhibit features selected pieces from the Fenimore Art Museum in C00- perstown. NY. Eugene and Claire Thaw were kind enough to co-curate this show especially for the MIA from'their own col- lection. and have created a beautiful show ofincrcdible scale. It features art from every region in North America. The galleries are organized by geogra- phy. The first section was the Artie region. featuring beautifully carved tusks. and a parka that is not only water and wind proof but is also beautiful The big surprise is that it is also made of seal intestine. From there the galleries moved onto the northwest coast. and their carvings. which MIA's plaque described as “dynamic...regardless of size." » California and the great basin are the next stop in the tour. featuring beautiful hand-woven baskets. including one so tiny I could hardly imagine what it was used for other than trade. The southwest followed after that with beautiful gamients The Great Plains and plateau region displayed more garments. expertly decorated with intricate beadwork. and holding strong spiritual power in some cases. I think it is also important to acknowl- edge how well the show was installed. I am generally of the opinion that MIA instal- lations are hit or miss. and an ineffective installation can lead toward ambivalent feelings toward the show. This show. how- ever. had a dynamic installation that felt wann and appropriate. Two similar maroon colors were chosen to contrast and highlight the pieces. and large landscape photos gave the audience a sense of place. The show’s main goal. as far as I could tell. was to connect the native artists of the past with the native artists of today. Each gallery section featured a video of a current artist. either in performance or interview. My two favorites featured a native dancer performing two dances: The first was a traditional dance to current music and the second was a current dance to traditional music. The contrast was subtle but powerful. My other favorite was of a bead artist talking about how the history of her people culminates and collects in beadwork. It was helpful to, by her guidance, imagine all of the people who worked extensively on the beadwork featured in that gallery. It added another dimension to the way I experienced the exhibit. Overall. the show was cohesive and wonderful. It gave a small glimpse at a large body of work in a very professional manner. It showed off the range of subjects and materials that Native people have cre- ated with for hundreds of years, and left a lasting impression on me. Though it is one of MIA’s few ticketed shows, I think it is a valuable exhibit to experience. Art of the Native Americans: The Thaw Collection runs until Jan. 9, 2011. For more information, visit http://www.artsmia.orgl David Sedaris on squirrels, chipmunks and murdering with his bare hands ELISE ESTRADA Contributor Never having been to the State Theatre in downtown Minneapo- lis. l was sufficiently impressed— cven overwhelmed-- by its ornate interior design as I entered the lobby. The gilded wainscoting contrasted against the pale blue ceilings and the murals ofjolly cherubs posing and preening. The theatre's website de- scribes the flamboyant interior as a “free Italian Renaissance style." and although it was flashy and eye- catching indeed. it was no match for David Sedaris once he took the stage at his first Minneapolis book reading ofthe year. Sedaris is the author ofcomic personal essays that often appear on the NPR radio program “This American Life," as well as books such as Holidays on Ice and My Talk Prt'lly One Day. This last Thursday. Oct. 2 l, he was appear- ing to promote his latest publica- tion Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, which is the first of his books to be illustrated. Although it has been described as a collection ofanimal fables, Sedaris quickly refuted this claim explaining, “Fables have morals. I don’t." The podium he stood in front of was oddly placed atop an ori- ental rug and surrounded by leafy. green potted plants. This set-up was strange to me and I won- dered. “Is this how they always do it? To make the place feel more ‘homcy"?" The rest ofthe audience didn’t seem to mind. or notice at least, and Scdaris had them eating out ofthe palm of his hand from his first few words. To begin the reading. he read a story out of his new book, “The Faithful Setter." about the strained marriage between the titular Irish Setter and his Cocker Spaniel wife. Sedaris teases out the comedy on so many levels by beginning with relationship humor and gradually building upon the absurdity ofa story concerning a dog whose wife is cheating on him. Throughout the rest of the reading. subject matter ranged from personal anecdotes to book recommendations and favorite jokes. which was frequently en- livened by his liberal use of the F-bomb, as well as appropriately inappropriate humor. But Sedaris really came alive when mentioning his excitement at getting some ofhis favorite ac- tors to read his stories for future books-on-tape. Elaine Stritch in particular, an accomplished stage actress, was a major coup. “Ifyou don't know who she is you're not a homo," he told us. The audience loved him even more. Towards the end of the read- ing, Sedaris encouraged those of us that could bear the endless book-signing line to tell him ajoke to add to his collection saying. “1 like to find jokes in the wild.“ He then shared a few of his favorite from the past week. including “the bestjoke in the world:" (cannuth for sensitive readers) “What's the worst thing you can hear when you're blowing Willie Nelson? ‘I‘m not Willie Nelson.'" A few minutes before he was done reading. I navigated my way down to the lobby and managed to get the fifih spot in his book-sign- ing line. The security detail was surprising uptight. their unsmil- ing faces barking orders at those of us standing in line. I started to feel uncomfortable; I’ve never cared too much about autographs or celebrities and ifl‘d had a less enviable spot in line I would have just bailed from the whole scene. But right as my irritability ' was reaching its peak. it was my turn to get my book signed. The post-it note I handed to him had my name on it, written by one of the unsmiling theatre employees, to which I had added one of my ridiculous nicknames. “Killa.” ' “Is this you?“ Sedaris asked. gesturing to the post-it. “Why do they call you ‘Killa'?" “Because I have obviously murdered so many people,” I re- sponded. “Oh,” he replied, unim- pressed. “With like weapons, or. . . ?" I could feel security watching me, slowly tightening their circle around us, and I hoped that the cop I had seen earlier wasn’t anywhere nearby. I thanked him and grabbed my book without reading what he’d written, scurrying out to meet my friends. ‘ Later that night, at home, I was recounting the evening to my roommate Brooks, the one who had in fact bestowed upon me th nickname “Killa.” - “He talks about so many inap- propriate things that I didn’t think a little joke about murder would be that big of a deal, but I could feel security edging in on me so I decided to high-tail it outta there.“ “Let me see the book,“ Brooks asked. “What did he write?” I handed her Squirrel Seeks Chip- munk, which I had bought that night in the lobby. I was proud as she started laughing and then read the inscription out loud. “To Elise ‘Killaz’ Let‘s murder people with our bare hands. ---David Sedaris.” All in all, a successful night. Show less
Page 4 Minneapolis, Minnesota OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS , November 5, 2010 It’s OK everyone— opinions are overrated MIKE GALLAGHER Sports Editor In the last issue of the Echo published two weeks ago. editor Becki [verson pleaded with you for your opinions by saying that people need opinions and no one... Show morePage 4 Minneapolis, Minnesota OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS , November 5, 2010 It’s OK everyone— opinions are overrated MIKE GALLAGHER Sports Editor In the last issue of the Echo published two weeks ago. editor Becki [verson pleaded with you for your opinions by saying that people need opinions and no one should confomi. but rather express \iewpoinls that perhaps haven‘t been \oiced by others. Well. Augsburg faithful and specifically you. the opinion-less portion of our readership. 1 am telling you that your opinions can conform. and even better. you don‘t need to have one at all! "People should not be opin- ionated." said Alec Johnson.junior at Augsburg College. [could not agree more. Opin- ions have never gotten anybody anywhere. Opinions have been compared to the hole on the back- side of someone‘s midsection. claiming they both stink. This is true. and opinions have done nothing but start conflicts. Whether you are at a bar. in the library. in class. or at your house. should someone disagree with your opinion. it‘s unlikely you will say. ‘Well 1 think that‘s dandy and let me give you a standing m ation for disagreeing with me.‘ That is absurd. and depending on the issue. things could get very heated between the two people having the disagreement. some- times ending in physical violence or the end ofa friendship. Notice all the negatives piling up'.‘ 1 have not heard one opinion in favor of opinions in this ar- ticle. so the evidence seems to be mounting against those that have an opinion favoring opinions. Picture yourselfon the pages of the Echo with an opinion ar- ticle. maybe one that is in support of A-Grill over Nabo. Perhaps a conversation that goes something like this would ensue: You: Hey Rick, how‘s it go- ing? Want to go eat at A-Grill? Rick: 1 was kind of feeling Nabo tonight. You: OK. that‘s cool. let‘s go there Rick: What are you doing right now? Talking out of both sides of your mouth? I read your little opinion piece in the Echo, you basically said you would eat nowhere but A-Grill. So what am I supposed to believe here, what you tell me or what you tell the world? What else do you waffle on? 1 mean. you‘re friends with me now but what do you tell your other friends about me? 1 don‘t think l can associate myself with someone that acts the way you're acting right now... Does this sound like your life? If so. you want to keep yourself out of these sticky situations. so why express yourself? First it‘s Rick. then word spreads that you are a double-talker. then no one trusts you, you lose all your friends, the opposite sex gets word and doesn’t dare approach you. you try to ap- ply for ajob. but the interviewer heard about you because word spreads fast. Next thing you know, you can't get a job anywhere. you have no money to get an apartment. you have no references or friends to help you out during this tough time because of your double-talking ways. and you‘re 31-years-old liv- ing off mints and root beer barrels you take from Lindell Library and bring back to your “home” behind the no-longer-24-hour Burger King on University. All this from documenting your opinion in the pages of the Echo. Conform! Fit in! Don‘t stray from your everyday ways or your friend group that accepts you for Reformation clay or Halloween? who you are even though they really know nothing about you because you don’t chime in on anything based on fear. Those of you that do have the nerve to speak up. challenge the status quo. and disagree with people on things; bravo, have your opinions heard anywhere and ev- erywhere including the opinions section of the Echo. But you’re a better person than me, because I don’t dale stir the pot or think outside the box. The box is comfortable. a lot more comfortable than your box outside of the no-longer—24-hour BK. You’ve been warned! Lock up your innermost feelings about A-Grill vs. Nabo, as well as every other opinion you have, because it only leads to trouble. MATTHEW MCGAVIN Slt‘lfl’ “V’Tft‘f Well. Oct. 31. another Reformation Day. has come and gone. One is inclined to say. “Reformation Day. what the heck is Refonnation Day} I thought Oct. 31 is Halloween!“ And one would. ofcourse. be right. Oct. 31 is when we celebrate candy and ghosts and cheesy zombie movies. Last Sunday had another. and I submit more important. meaning. On Oct. 31. 1517 Martin Luther walked up to the church in Wittenberg. Germany. and nailed what became known as his 95 theses to the door. In a classic oversimplifi- cation of history. many reformed churches celebrate this as the beginning ofthe Prat-V estant Reformation. The primary problem he was protesting (Get it'.’ “Protest‘ants are supposed to be “protest"ing something.) was the church‘s sale of indulgences for the forgiveness of sin. In reality. these indulgences were nothing more than guilt-trip laden pieces of paper promising to free someone—dead or alive—from the clutches of perdition. sort ofa spiritual get-out-of—jail-free card. Now. who cares... right? We've come to a place in our time where the Catholic Church is no longer selling indulgences. and we can approach our doctrinal differences with a (hopefully) kinder. gentler. conversa- tion. What bearing could remembering what some cmsty old guy did centuries ago have on my life today? The key is to understand how the church could have gotten away with this in the first place. The laity who were so frequently exploited by this scam were uninformed about what the Bible says about salvation. Salvation can't be purchased with money. Jesus Christ purchased it on the cross. The loth century laity can hardly be blamed for their confusion. Books were expensive and literacy was sparse. so the common man and woman had to depend on whatever their local clergy told them. Not exactly an environment that promotes critical thinking. We aren‘t so easily let off the hook. I‘m afraid. Literacy is common. books are widely and easily accessible. and the Inter- net has made accessing information on the fly simple. Charlatans are still peddling their scams. hoping to take advantage of people‘s desperation. Are you in pain? Send some money! Are you worried about how to pay bills? Simply plant a financial seed and wealth will come your way. This money for spiritual/material ad- vancement paradigm is nothing new. Fortu— nately. we can use the wealth of information at our disposal to discern truth from error. That cannot be done, however, unless we put down the remote. pick up some books and study. Luther was more than just a small town priest. He was a scholar and a writer. He came to debates armed with evidence that had been gathered from years of careful study. His work had protected him from falling victim to the life of error promoted by the Catholic Church. It‘s this sort of rigorous study that will keep us from falling into the errors that confront us today. Those 95 theses were not meant to be an end in and of themselves. They were intended to start a process of reformation. Reformation Day should introduce a daily challenge to compare our current situations, actions and decisions with actual evidence, and then implement the truth we discover for the betterment of our neighbors. Response to “How Intellectual Should Religion Be? CAMILLE MCALONEY Contributor As an educated Lutheran. 1 found the article “How Intellectual Should Religion Be?" interesting but ultimately flawed. 1 was out- right appalled by the notion that it isn't important for Protestants to understand “what. exactly, they‘re protesting.“ Not understanding transubstantiation is one thing, but not knowing the very reason for the founding ofyour branch of Christianity? Kind ofa big deal. 1 will concede that yes. good works are important. But Martin Luther himself said that “good works are not enough." and 1 per- sonally think that there should be a much stronger emphasis on intel- lectualism in Christianity. l‘m not saying we need to all go out and memorize the Bible from front to back or something equally tedious and inefl‘ectual. Yet. if people actu— ally bothered to learn the textual tradition behind the Bible and its stories. it might help resolve a lot of controversies in the modern world. For example. virtually no biblical scholar would claim the book ofGenesis to be a historical account. If this were commonly understood in our society. the “creationism vs. evolution" debate would not be halfas imponant as it is. Among other things. this would relieve a great number of scientists from the headache of constantly being mistrusted by religious fun- damentalists. 1f the cultural context of the Bible were more thoroughly un- derstood. people would also real- ize the (incredibly flawed) basis for a number of Western societal conventions. Because space is limited, 1 will name only the larg- est one: that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for the “sin” of homosexuality. Even a basic understanding of ancient peoples‘ emphasis on the importance of hospitality would understand that the men of the town were sinful not because they wanted to have sex with other men. but because they wanted to harm a man’s guests- and all this, of course. is forgetting the fact that the cities were doomed to be destroyed even before the angels made their visit! Finally, humble. earnest faith and the desire to do good are es- sential to being a good Christian. But without the knowledge to direct one‘s actions. such desire to do good can easily be manipu- lated. The Crusades are a prime example of this, where hundreds of well-intentioned men were sent in to Jerusalem thinking they were honestly doing “God’s will” by slaughtering innocents and taking their land. It doesn‘t take much thought to draw a relation between “God wills it!“ and “God hates fags!“- showing again that modern society would be much better off if Christians took the time to learn the history behind their faith. There‘s no way around it: thinking is and always will be important. It is as much of a Christian’s duty to be faithful as it is to learn their faith‘s history and context. 4 Have an Opinion? . : Send it to echo@augsburg. edui Show less
Friday, ember 5, 2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page 3 SPORTS Volleyball one set short of playoif return MIKE GALLAGHER Sports Editor For nearly all college athletes in the world, the last competitive game they will play in their sport will be at the college level. Looking at the day when it finally... Show moreFriday, ember 5, 2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page 3 SPORTS Volleyball one set short of playoif return MIKE GALLAGHER Sports Editor For nearly all college athletes in the world, the last competitive game they will play in their sport will be at the college level. Looking at the day when it finally comes around, it’s met with great fear, emo- tion, and emptiness for those athletes. Unfortunately for the Augsburg Volley- ball team and its seniors, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010, will forever live in their minds as that day. “It was so sudden,” said senior Denielle Johnson. “You could feel the air come out of the whole team. We played very well against a very good team and to lose was such a disappointment.” . As heavy underdogs going to Concor- dia-Moorehead, the eighteenth team in the country, the team needed to win to secure a spot in the MIAC playoffs. The Auggies were defiant after falling behind the Cobbers two sets to none. They battled back to a 2—2 tie and were brimming with confidence going into the final set. “We were so pumped.“ said Johnson. “We knew what we had to do, and we had finished strong in so many five set matches before, but we didn’t have the Start that we needed to that set." The Auggies could not sustain their Katie Christensen (3) spikes the ball over a St. Catherine block during the Auggies’ match on Oct. 23 in St. Paul. Katelyn Berens (4) trails the play. Photo by Don Stoner, Augsburg College. momentum from the previous two sets, dropping the final of the five set contest to Concordia 15—4. “It was hard to be mad," said Johnson. “We played so well in sets three and four. but it was very disappointing that we couldn‘t finish that way in game five. Having it be so close made it that much harder to lose." For seniors Katie Christensen, Johnson. Erin Jugasek. and Jessica Hilk, that was it. No more MIAC competition. no more glori— ous playoffruns. and the years and years of dedication, sweat, tears. and hard work. all fell to nothing. “Getting the chance to play com» petitive volleyball all season made it all worthwhile." said Johnson. “All the work. everything we‘ve put in. but all that we‘ve got out ofit and all the relationships we got out ofit made it worth it." The Auggies closed out their season with a non-conference contest at Northwest- em-Roseville and some positivity r a three sets to one victory over the Eagles. With the conference season behind them. some would‘ve expected the Auggies to come out flat against Northwestem. but the will to end the season in a good way got the Auggies what they wanted out of this non-conference matchup. “Not a whole lot ofpeople can end their career on a win." said Johnson, “We \\ ere given that opportunity with all four seniors on the court and ending with a competiti\ c. highly intense win was special,“ Despite the win. you can ask any Aug- gie. especially the seniors. and they would tell you they would trade that one win one million times over to still be playing today. "It doesn‘t feel like it should be done." said Johnson. “It‘s not really settling that it's over. I feel like there‘s more to accomplish." The accomplishments will have to be left for coach Jane Gibbs and her juniors. sophomores. and freshmen. who say good— bye to four seniors that gave them so much. Auggie women’s lacrosse team accepted into league Mm; GALLAGHER Sports Editor The Augsburg women’s la- crosse team has ofiicially been accepted in to the North Central Women‘s Lacrosse League, said team president and Augsburg se- nior Hillary Volkman. The decision was levied at an Oct. 16 meeting at which the Auggies applied for membership in the now 22-team league. “We went up there and gave _ a five minute presentation on why we should be in the league,” said Volkman. “It feels good to have accomplished that.” This culminates four years of hard work by Volkman, and major contributions fiom vice president and Augsburg junior Ali Ulseth and Augsburg sophomore and trea- surer for the club Meghan Novak. “Since my freshman year we‘ve been trying to get something going,” said Volkman. “But no one really communicated and my sophomore year we couldn’t really get anything going, but junior year a few others were interested and now we‘ve finally reached the final step." According to Volkman, nearly 150 Augsburg students were in- terested in joining the club when the group tabled in early October, some of which played lacrosse in high school and others that simply wanted to try something new. “We got a lot of interest, but it’s more about who comes to the meetings and follows up with us," said Volkman. “We’ve had about 30 girls with serious interest.” Money still remains an issue and Volkman pointed out that stu- dent government has not stepped up to help. As such, sponsorship is still the main effort in trying to collect funds to keep the women‘s lacrosse dream alive. “We still are looking at Mus- cle Milk as a sponsor,“ said Volk- man. “But Play It Again Sports fell through so it looks like we‘re going to have get money other ways.“ Those include having players supply their own equipment and charging participants roughly $100 to play. Volkman will tell you that money will go a long way and that in the grand scheme ofthings, it is really not too much to ask ofplay- ers. “That will cover league fees, refs, car rentals to get to games,“ said Volkman. “It‘s going to be a great experience and cheap for a club team." The season is set to kick off for the Auggie women’s lacrosse team on March 26 for a touma- ment in Duluth. They became the tenth MIAC school to join the league. with the obvious absence of St. John‘s. but will also have the opportunity to face teams like the University of Minnesota and University of Iowa who are also in the league. What are the odds the club can make it to that date and take the field for the re-formation of the women‘s lacrosse program at Augsburg? “Eighty percent." said Volk- man. “Wejust have to secure the money, make sure players pay. and find a coach, which shouldn‘t be a problem, I‘ve already been in contact with three candidates.“ Should the team‘s games go well this year (and it appears to be a solid foundation for a program). athletic director JeffSwenson and assistant athletic director Kelly Anderson Diercks have told Volk- man that the sport would be moved to a NCAA varsity sport in “one or two years,“ according to Volkman. Until then. Volkman. Novak, and Ulseth are taking it one day at a time as they plan a meeting for sometime later this month to keep the momentum moving towards the new Augsburg women's la» crosse season. Ifyou are interested in Angr- burg women It lacroxse, you can contact Volkman a! vol/(munhai augsbmgedu or (warm-er Mug/run Novak u! novuk@uugsbmg.edu. Concussion effects close to home for Auggie athletes MIKE GALLAGHER Sports Editor Concussions are a trendy topic. Specifically the amount of time some athletes are missing and the mistreatment of such a serious injury have been the focus of studies into just how serious concussions can be. - Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Momeau missed the last half of the season because of a play that looked harmless, but lefi him with fogginess and headaches the rest of the year. Pierre Marc-Bouchard hasn‘t seen the ice since a concussion he sustained in March 2009, continually sufiering from post-concussion syndrome. Three weeks ago in the NFL, a week that saw five helmet-to-helmet hits and four players concussed, the NFL vowed to levy bigger fines on those initiating the blows. Meetings in Congress. paralyzed Rut- gers player Eric Legrand, and a late August study suggesting concussions in youths that participate in sports are on the rise, are just a few more examples of the growing coneem with concussions and cranial health. But these injuries are not just on the grand stage of professional or Division 1 college sports: they happen right in our backyard. Brya Erickson, senior at Augsburg Col- lege and former Augsburg women‘s hockey player, is experiencing the full effect ofwhat concussions can do to an athlete. “Last year in December, we were at St. Ben's for a game,“ said Erickson. “l dove to get the puck otTone ofthe St. Ben‘s player‘s stick. I got it, but got kicked in the head when l was on the ice." The‘medical staff‘s reaction at St. Ben's gives us a perfect example of how not to handle a possible concussion. as the student trainer administered concussion tests and said Erickson appeared to be alright. “She said that ifl wanted to go back in I could,“ said Erickson. “I asked for some Advil and l wasn't going to say no." Competitor that she was. Erickson went out for the third period. “I was in a haze and I had a massive headache,“ said Erickson. “I don‘t really remember playing the third period." Erickson passed an exercise test the next week and played again. but got a pain- ful reminder why she should never have been on the ice. “I got hit in the head again and my symptoms flared up." said Erickson. “We had winter break afler that and 1 had head- aches every day for the \\ hole month." Erickson went to a neurosurgeon but ("l~ and MRI scans came back fine. so Erickson was cleared to play the rest ofthe season. "The one thing I wanted to do was play hockey,“ said Erickson. “That‘s all I wanted to do, I didn‘t care about anything else." > CONCUSSIONS continues on page 5 Show less
Friday, November 5, 2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page 5 OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS A case against herbicides NICK STOEBNER Contributor Today is a day that we should all be proud to be Auggies. When looking back at Augsburg Col- lege’s history of environmental stewardship, we have made incredible strides... Show moreFriday, November 5, 2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota Page 5 OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS A case against herbicides NICK STOEBNER Contributor Today is a day that we should all be proud to be Auggies. When looking back at Augsburg Col- lege’s history of environmental stewardship, we have made incredible strides forward in “going green" in the last couple of years since signing the Presidents’ Climate Com- mitrnent. To name just a few things, we have started programs, such as the environmen— tal studies major, streamlined recycling program,.composting, rain gardens, wind energy, community gardens, Campus Kitch- ens, edible landscaping (have you noticed the purple lettuce in the quad?), and most recently created the Green by 2019 docu- ment, which states Augsburg’s commitment to sustainability. All of these things are wonderful strides for the college, but there is always more that can be done. As Augsburg College moves forward in a quest towards sustainability, we should not forget the ground underneath our very feet. I‘m sure we have all seen the small signs on our lawns indicating that they have been sprayed with harmful herbicides These herbicides not only do damage to the environment, but also to the people who enter our campus and are exposed through skin and inhalation. According to Augsburg student Kathy DeKrey, who spent many months research ing herbicides, the chemicals used in traditional lawn care can cause a number of health problems ranging from cancer, lung damage, and compromised immune systems. The danger is even greater in children because their organs have yet to fully mature physically, hence the reason why those little lawn signs say to keep your children and animals ofl‘. I guess I always thought grass was for playing on and as a college engaged in the community, it would seem like that would be something we would want to see. When it rains. these herbicides run ofi into the cities storm drains. which go right into the Mississippi. We are not only affecting those who enter the campus but people all the way down to New Orleans. Augsburg‘s impact on our world shouldn't be about contaminating our waters. but in» stead show leadership in our actions towards addressing the environmental issues that affect everyone. Of course, Augsburg does not need to be this way. When other colleges, like Harvard, first tested to improve soil content against a controlled site, the findings were great. By switching to the new lawn care system they saw improved vitality of the plants, soil, and micro-organisms that lived in the one acre area. They also noticed a reduced need for irrigation. Despite heavy foot traffic, the lawn was lush and self—sus— taining. A local company called Eanliwonn Organic Lawn Care could be a great partner forAugshurg in providing high quality Ian n care while also being conscious to“ ards the community and environment. As reported in a New )Zn-k Timur anicle, "The Grass is Greener at Harvard." the uni— versity was able to reduce their use of“ :thl’ by thirty percent (or two million gallons) each year. They also saved money because they no longer needed to pay 535.000 in landscape disposal. with additional savings from the S 10.000 they would normally spend on fertilizer. As members ofthe dynamite Augsburg community, we all need to work together to challenge the college to new heights. There is clearly years of amazing changes that Auggies have pushed for. We should all he very proud to be a pan ofa community that is willing to work with each other to make a real impact. Can you feel the trickle down? Me neither. OLIVER DYKSTRA Contributor My friends, we have a problem. There is a class war going on in the US of A and 99 percent of people in the country are on the losing end. For decades now the rich have promul- gated the idea that their good fortune would “trickle down" to the masses. This theory revolves around the idea that the people who have lots of money need tax cuts because they will invest in business thereby creating jobs and prosperity for all. How does this work out in reality? Take a look around you. The rich are dramatically increasing their share of the wealth while the middle class disappears and the poor sufier. This is no accident. The government has partnered with mega corporations and banks to institute policies that continue concentrat- ing the nations wealth and power in fewer and fewer hands. According to the IRS the average tax rate on the richest 400 taxpayers in the US dropped from 26.8 percent to 16.62 per- cent since 1992r This may seem relatively inconsequential until we realize the wealth ofthe richest 400 people in the US grew by 8 percent in the last year to $1.37 trillion. (Forbes 400: The super-rich get richer, September 22, 2010, Moneycom.) According to Pulitzer Prize-winning tax reporter David Cay Johnston the 74 richest people in the country made as much as the 19 million lowest-paid people in the last year. This is happening while one out of every 34 Americans who earned wages in 2008 earned nothing in 2009, not a single cent. (Source: The SSA) This is a symptom of the desperate economic times we find ourselves in. While the official unemployment statistic inches higher (it’s currently at 9.7 percent) the “real” number-—which factors in discouraged and underemployed work- ers-- is above 20 percent. Pissed ofi? You should be. This class war is being fought not only at the expense of the general population, but at the expense ofthe country and the earth we live on. The partnership between govemment and corporation has pushed us towards a catastrophic tipping point economically and politically, culturally and ecologically. I won’t go into detail here but open your ears and eyes and the signs are all around you. Rising rates of mental illness, mass extinctions ofthe planets species. and rising frustration and distrust ofgovemment are all symptoms. But I would like to answer the other question gnawing at the back ofyour mind. Doesn’t class warfare imply battle? You‘re damn right it does. And the government and corporations have been engaged in a very real battle. For instance it was recently reveled that the mega-agribusiness-corporation, Monsanto, hired Blackwater (now XE, a mercenary firm used by the government in Iraq, Af- ghanistan,...etc) to spy on environmental activists. The Bush administration opened Pan- dora’s box with surveillance of the Ameri- can people and the Obama administration is pushing it to new levels. You all heard about the recent raids and arrests of anti-war ac» tivists locally. There's even disinfonnation campaigns! The right wing funded Tea Party is a case in point. lfyou‘re going to rally and protest at least get your facts straight. Is Obama a Muslim? No. Will “ObamaCare“ hurt you? No. Not to mention all the hysteria about the countries slide into socialism! How blind and ignorant can a people get? As I pointed out in the beginning there IS a radical redistribution of wealth occur- ring from the poor to the rich. It's the reverse Robin Hood. And the only thing trickling down from the rich is a golden shower as they shorten our already short leash. There is a class war going on in the US. The rich are winning their class war and it is time for everyone else to fight back for economic justice. SPORTS.. .CONTINUED ‘ CONCUSSIONS, from page 3 Erickson continued to experience head- aches, even atter the season was over and went to see a second neurosurgeon in late August. What amounted to a third opinion after the St. Ben’s trainer and the first neu- rosurgeon, this doctor was finally able to shed some light on what was happening to Erickson. “He said I never should‘ve been out there,“ said Erickson. “He said things were definitely not OK.“ Erickson said she considered retum- ing until she found out the results fi‘om the second neurosurgeon. Regardless, with increased concus- sion awareness and subsequent concussion testing that all Augsburg athletes entering a sport this year are facing, Erickson most likely would not have made it. She continues to experience headaches at the rate of at least one a day, and while there has been slight progress made with the severity of the headaches, nothing substan- tial has been accomplished. “You kind of get used to them,“ said Erickson. “I don’t even notice anymore." But living with them is something no one should have to do, and Erickson is the perfect case to be made for why concussion awareness has been such a prominent issue over the last few years and is coming to the forefront of athlete safety. Reasons like persistent migraines and foggy vision, which Erickson has expe- rienced, are reasons that justify Momeau and Marc-Bouchard‘s absence from their respective sports. Erickson herself will tell you the situ- ation was mishandled, and she would have dealt with it differently had she known what she now has to deal with. “Knowing now what 1 know about concussions, I would have sat out the rest ofthe season,“ said Erickson. “I should‘ve stopped myself.“ But because ofpoor medical care and a will to be on the ice helping her team. there‘s nothing Erickson could‘ve done. A desire to compete and contribute is a strong response, and when you‘re being pushed by that force, as Erickson would tell you, it‘s hard to say no. “i still want to be out there more than anything,“ Erickson said. “I would be more cautious if I played, but I would definitely go out there again. The only thing I want to do is play and to be told you can't is the worst feeling ever." Erickson's career was brought to an abrupt halt because not enough attention was paid to how serious a concussion can be. Her career, along with many others, has been taken away by a concussion, which demonstrate that the increased measures to prevent concussions and post-concussion syndrome at the professional and amateur levels are warranted. Unfonunately for Erickson. who has every characteristic a coach could ask for. having those qualities ofheart, competitive drive, and motivation to do whatever it takes to be out there for her team. has lelt her in the stands in what would've been her senior year watching her team compete without her. Show less
Art of the Native Americans, MIA, page 6 Augsburg College ECHO The College’s Student-Produced Newspaper /' /. Athlete 7 fl Concussions, page 3 Friday, November 5, 2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota President Obama speaks at U of M, encourages patience and youth voting ABEN'I HILL Contributor On Oct. 23,... Show moreArt of the Native Americans, MIA, page 6 Augsburg College ECHO The College’s Student-Produced Newspaper /' /. Athlete 7 fl Concussions, page 3 Friday, November 5, 2010 Minneapolis, Minnesota President Obama speaks at U of M, encourages patience and youth voting ABEN'I HILL Contributor On Oct. 23, the University of Minnesota campus was filled with young and old people to see well-known political figures, such as Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. ' The main attraction, how- ever, was President Obama. The rally was held in the Field House on the University’s campus. A total of 11,000 people stood in ‘ line to.hear the president speak, with 6,500 in the Field House and the other 4,500 watching the speech on a large screen in the Sports Pavilion. The University also held a rally for Democratic candidate for governor, Mark Dayton. Both Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken spoke before Obama and had the same message: vote ‘ Democrat. Franken also noted that it takes a while for change to take etTect. To give an image of the time-consuming process of change. he said that former President Bush was driving a car and America was in the backseat. Bush took the car and drove it into a ditch with sharp rocks and alligators at the bottom. The car kept rolling and rolling down the hill until Barack Obama took the keys. Today, Obama is trying to push the car out ofthe ditch. “It takes longer to push a car back up a hill, then roll it down a hill," said Franken. Obama tied his speech with Job outlook getting better for recent grads Eusrm FLATEN Contributor According to NACE‘s Job Outlook 2011 Fall Preview Sur- vey, employers are anticipated to hire 13.5 percent more recent college graduates than they did the previous year. This study comes at a time when the unemployment rate hit a high of 10 percent this past year; rates that haven‘t been so high in decades. Ginger Flaten, a long-time employee of Cargill, has noticed a change within her company in the past months. “They are talking about hiring more people now,“ she said. “It wasn‘t like there wasn‘t work. they just didn‘t want to hire anyone before." In fact. a survey of90 Min- nesota employers done by St. Franken’s by saying to the Re- publican GOP: “You can‘t have the keys back. You don‘t know how to drive." Obama also spoke to people who said he hasn‘t done any- thing since 2008. “Don’t let anybody tell you that what you did has not made a difference, that the fight isn't worth it.“ Mark Dayton introduced Obama and stood erect and ap- peared attentive while the presi— dent made his speech. Obama nodded towards the candidate. “Mark Dayton has spent his life fighting for Minnesota and now I need all ofyou to fight for Mark Dayton so we can keep this state moving forward." he said. Cloud State University’s Career Services Center stated that 42 percent planned to increase hir- ing within the next year. double the rate of last year. In addition, none of the employers interviewed said that they were planning to make a pay cut but. in fact, were plan- ning on increasing salaries. Overall, having a college degree is beneficial in land- ing ajob. The US. Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that the unemployment rate tends to decrease the more education you have. In 2009 alone. people with a college bachelor‘s degree or higher had an unemployment rate of4.5 percent while people with less than a high school diploma had an unemployment rate of 14.5 percent, 10 percent higher. Obama not only spoke to Republican officers in his speech, but to the general public. He encouraged young college students who were far away from home to mail in their votes. He compared his political endeavors to other historical struggles, such as women‘s suffrage and slavery “Slowly slaves. slowly women got the right to vote. Slowly workers had the right to organize." said Obama. Yet. Obama acknowledged that change does not come ef- fortlessly or quickly when he stated. “Change is not easy. Power does not give up with out a fight.“ These changes include issues, such as health care and Kyle Bahr, a small busi- ness owner, has already noticed having a degree as becoming something of more importance today. “America is not an industri- al country anymore," Bahi' said. “Now we have more technology and will need smarter people to do the technology based jobs." It looks like more people are also noticing the imponance ofa college degree. The number of people employed over 25 with a college degree has been slowly increasing since 1992 while people with less than a high school diploma has de- creased slightly according to the US. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, Businessweek. com voted Minneapolis number six in its ranking of best cities for new college grads according to job openings. pay. and afford- taxes. but as the Declaration 01‘ Independence was fought for “inch by inch. year by year." we. too, can make change, While Obama spoke. some University students decided to make money off of the presi- dent's appearance. There were t- shirts being sold that had Obama in a sports suit and headset. Across the bottom was “Obama 4 Coach." At the start ofthe day. there were 425 shins to be sold and only ten remained by 1 pm. Many other vendors sold but— tons and various items, such as teddy bears and lanyards. with the president‘s name on it. Many people were very eager to see the president. More than 200 people had lined up by 9 am. The wait for some people was brutal. Minnesqu Daily News reported there were about a dozen reports of dehydration and exhaustion. Even though the president spoke about politics and eco- nomics through most of the speech. he stated he never lost sight ofthe people. “The joumey we began to- gether was never about putting me in the White House 7 it was about building a mo\ ement for change that endures." said Obama, .4 full Irunscrip/ of Ohumui‘ speech can be found at: III/p.'//minncxuluindepeu- dan CUIN/7:962t/ILCYf-({/;hlll‘tl('li~ obumux-.\]rct't'lr»ul-llre-unii'wtsi— rt'-(g/¥minnt’solu ability ofliving. A positive sign for current students planning to stay in the Twin Cities area. Overall, for some people getting a college degree is a scary risk in a tough economy. Nobody wants to get stuck pay- ing offschool loans with nojob to support it. When Sarah Chelstrom. a prospective 201 I graduate from the University of Minnesota. was asked if she thought her degree will be worth it she re- sponded: “1 hope so.“ Her advice for people in the same situation she is in'.’ “Just have a passion for what your degree is in so you can succeed.“ Volume CXVII, Issue (3 Upcoming Augsburg 7| Events TH EATER The Learned Ladies The Augsburg Theatre Depart- ment presents The Learned Ladies by Moliere. directed by Martha Johnson. Tickets are $10 for general public: $8 ACTC faculty. staff. and stu- dents; $2 Augsburg Students and children under age 12. Friday. Nov. 5 Tjornhom-Nelsan Theatre. F 053' Center 8:00 p.m. CAREER OFFICE Etiquette Dinner .loin Augsburg Alumni for meet & greet. Must pro-register - Cost $10 For registration materials email: careersQL‘augsburg.edu Space is limited. so register early! Guest Speaker: Darcy Matz. Professional Training & Coaching Consultant Sponsored by: Augsburg Business Organization and the Career & Internship Center Open to all majors! Deadline date to register is November lOth. Monday. Nov. 15 Kenneth Con/er 303/305 6:00 [LII]. Job & Internship Search Workshop Monday. November 8. 2010 Oren Galequ, Room [/2 ll:()0 am. 43:00 Inn. MN Reading Corps Informational Session Representatives will be on campus discussing how students can become literacy tutors or math enrichment tu- tors, Paid educational award up to $5.350. www.MinncsotaMathCorps. org Wednesday. Nov. 10. 2010 Oren Gulewuy, Room I I 2 4:45 [7,111. -5.'3II/r.m. Show less
Page 2 NEWS Minneapolis, Minnesota Spread of bed bugs causes anxiety MATTHEW MCGAVIN Smfl'll'rilrr “Be afraid. be very afraid." A classic cliche. but rather than some fictional nonsense, those living on or offcampus have a real reason to be afraid. Millions ofsmall reddish bugs are on the prowl,... Show morePage 2 NEWS Minneapolis, Minnesota Spread of bed bugs causes anxiety MATTHEW MCGAVIN Smfl'll'rilrr “Be afraid. be very afraid." A classic cliche. but rather than some fictional nonsense, those living on or offcampus have a real reason to be afraid. Millions ofsmall reddish bugs are on the prowl, creating a serious “bed bug" epidemic. They‘re look- ing for you. and they know where you sleep. The fervor over bed bugs can hardly be missed. what with coverage on TV. newspapers, magazines and the lntemet (search for bed bugs on YouTube, just not during a meal). There have been no reports of bed bugs on campus this year so far, yet the potential is certainly present. “Students bring all kinds ofthings into the domts,“ said Amanda Erdman. Director of Residence Life. While bed bugs do not gener- ally carry diseases, they are quite the pests. They attack at night. climbing from a room's crevices to feed on unsuspecting snooz- ers. Their bites cause no pain. so victims ofbed bugs generally have no clue they are being bitten while they sleep. According to the Mayo Clinic website, a sign ofhaving been bit are itchy bite marks that are “red. often with a darker red spot in the middle, arranged in a rough line or cluster arranged on the face, neck, arms and hands.“ Unfortunately, these bite marks look and feel very much like small spider bites, which causes many people to dismiss the problem as something insignificant and thus. give the bugs more time to feed and breed. Bed bugs are not limited to residing in bedding. They can nest in wood headboards and other fur- niture. They can also hide in walls. squeeze behind light switch plates and move from room to room. Immediate reporting is criti- cal so that one‘s bed bugs do not become the neighbors‘ bed bugs. They can be contained and destroyed——if they are reported quickly. These bugs also hide in cloth- ing, both new and used. Clothes should be washed before they are wom, especially if they come from a second-hand shop. Piles of laundry provide towering castles of luxury for bed bugs. “Keep your space clean and wash laundry frequently," said Erdman on the easiest and most ef- fective way to prevent infestation. Bed bugs were largely elimi- nated after World War II by the use of DDT and other pesticides, but government bans of these harmful chemicals have given bed bugs an opportunity to return. Minne- apolis hasn‘t been immune to their reign of terror. In a report by CBS, pest control company Terminex Multicultural retreat hosted at Camp Courage ABENI HILL Contributor During homecoming week— end. while most ofthe school was proudly wearing maroon and gray and cheering for their fellow Aug» gics out on the football field. over a hundred Augsburg students were participating in the Multi-Cultural Retreat. The multi-cultuml retreat \\ as held at Camp Courage and five multi-cultural groups participated. including: lntemational Student Organization (ISO). ALAS IAI— lied Latino a Augsburg Students). Augsburg Asian Student Asso- ciation (AASA). American In- digenous group. and Pan-Afrikan Student Union (PASU ). On Friday. Oct. 15. buses filled with students from these groups departed at various times throughout the afiemoon and eve- ning to go to Camp Courage. Upon arriving. students were shown their cabins and other groups' cabins. At 6:30 pm. dinner was served. After dinner was the first icebreaker activity for all of the students. Initially. students were told to talk to someone they did not know. Many students felt it was chaotic. but thought the activity served a purpose. “I liked the icebreakcr." said sophomore Kcndal Pruitt from PASU. "The activities with all of the groups combined were very fun because they allowed us to branch out and meet e\ eryone.“ Editor-in-Chief Becki Iverson AQE Editor Betsy Collins Features Editor Sara Klemp News Editor Dave Madscn ()pinions/Fditorials Editor \ om I-ditur Mike (inllaghcr E-mail — ccho@augsburg.cdu l’honc — (612) 330-1 102 of the students. subject to revision. appropriate. Augsburg College Echo Fall 2010 start 73] 2lst Avenue 5. CB I48 Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454 The Augsburg Echo Is published each Friday 7 except during vacation periods and holidays — by the students ofAugshurg College. Opinions expressed in the Echo are those ofthe authors and do not necessarily reflect those ofthe supporting staff. administration. faculty. alumni/ac or the remainder The Echo does not necessarily promote the products or services it advertises. Advcniscmems can be placed in the Echo by contacting the advertising manager. Submissions are welcome and can be sent to ccho(ig.;augsburg.edu. All submis- sions should be between 500-700 words and accompanied by the writer's name and contact information. All submissions become the property ofthe Echo and are The Echo reserves the right to edit submitted material because of spam: limita- tions, repetitive subject matter. libelous content or any other reason the editors deem Printed by Print Group Midwest on recycled paper. laygug Edith Sergio Montermbio Mam i ‘r r Becca Anderson £22m Michelle \Vallin W’eb Edith Caitlin \X’alsh Advertising Manager Alex Minn lutculty Atlvivcr Boyd Kochler Tips — cchotips@gmail.com Fax — (GIZI 330-1666 Following the icebreaker, all of the groups split up to participate in many other activities. Most of the international students partook in the American Indian Massacre of the l8605. PASU students participated in the Underground Railroad Simulation. AASA par- ticipated in the Refugee Odyssey simulation. These simulations were an important part of the experience because they showed students how other groups suffered. “Itwas enlightening to see the struggle that these minority groups went through.“ said first-year Kirubel Frew from ISO. “It made me realize that minority groups are always persecuted." Students participating in simulations that dealt with their own group of people said it really affected them. Vang stated “The Refugee Odyssey was very eye opening; it was a great learning experience. It was very real; the fear. the adrenaline, everything that the refugees felt. we felt." All simulations served the same purpose: to show the harsh endeavors of different groups of people. The American Indian Simulation told the story of the 1862 massacre and Dakota War of 1862. The war began with the up— rising ofthe Sioux Native America and tragically ended with the mass execution on 38 Native Americans by hanging. The Underground Railroad Simulation, held by PASU, was about slaves escaping to the North from slavery. Harriet Tubman led the people to freedom by helping them avoid slave-catchers and nav- igating through the dark woods. Tubman started the Underground Railroad and was the most famous conductor. The Refugee Odyssey was similar except it dealt with war themes. There was a war in Viet- nam between the North and the South. One side took favor of Ho Chi Min's ruling and the other side took favor of France‘s ruling. The war spilled into Cambodia and ranked Minneapolis the fifieenth worst city in the United States for bed bug infestation. Despite their prevalence in the Twin Cities, the silent, nocturnal threat of bed bugs can be stopped without resorting to dangerous chemicals. The key is for every- one, whether living on campus or off, to be diligent in keeping clean and not be hesitant to report potential infestation. Erdman urged anyone living on campus that suspects he or she may have been bit to bring it to the school‘s attention immediately. “We’ve had select cases of bed bugs over the last few years, but they were quickly contained and eliminated," said Erdman. Laos. The Americans became in- volved with the war and recruited villagers as soldiers to fight with them. It was called the secret war. When the Americans lost, they withdrew and left all the soldiers behind, leaving them in danger. The abandoned village sol- diers had to hide in the jungle and find a way to cross the MeKong River to get to Thailand. Although each group had dif- ferent activities, everyone shared the same experience. First-Year Yuanshu Cai stated, “The retreat was awesome!" Many students thought it was an experience to share with everyone. Sophomore Kendal Pruitt said, “If you haven‘t been or aren‘t planning to, I would say go for it and have the experience ofa lifetime. Ifyou go, take it seri- ously. You'll leave a better person; I promise you that.“ and more. Becki Iverson Editor-in-chief Visit the new Echo website! As promised in my editorial note in our first issue, I have an important update on our website progress. The Echo has now launched our website! It is still in basic stages of formatting and planning, but with the help of our new web editor Caitlin Walsh we should have everything looking great in a few weeks. Currently the material our content is centered around putting up the weekly PDF'S. Anyone in the world can now access each of this year’s issues online. In addition, we are beginning to post at least one article every week in each section and hopefully have all articles individually published by the end of the semester. You can also find all of our editorial information on the website. There are many more things we hope to add to the website as it develops, including editor blogs, columnist divisions, archives of old issues of the Echo, Please take advantage of this online forum! We highly'encourage people to post commentary and reactions to pieces, whether they attend Augsburg or not. Spread the word to friends, family, area businesses, and anyone else who might be interested in the Echo. _ We are very excited to finally have this task begun, and stay tuned for more news about our progress. Or, better yet, tell us on our website! Visit the website atz'augsburgecho.wo_rdpress.com Show less
Minneapolis, Minnesota Page .7 VARIETY From Here to There: AlecSoth’s America 387610011188 Ad-EW On Saturday, September 25, 1 went to see From Here to There: Alec Soihs America, a photo show on view at the Walker. Soth is a local photographer, and though a lot of his photography is born from his... Show moreMinneapolis, Minnesota Page .7 VARIETY From Here to There: AlecSoth’s America 387610011188 Ad-EW On Saturday, September 25, 1 went to see From Here to There: Alec Soihs America, a photo show on view at the Walker. Soth is a local photographer, and though a lot of his photography is born from his trav- eling. there is also a wealth of images from Minnesota. This show is Soth‘s first national showing of this scale, and the range of his work is impressive. Soth is known for photographing the unconventional or forgotten. One of his best- known shows, Niagara. is a perfect example of his aesthetic. Soth was intrigued by the contrary nature of the beauty of the falls and the desolation of the town. Niagara is made up of intimate por— traits (many ofwhich are ofnude couples). his lonely breaking down motel and breathtaking images of the falls. In the complete body of work there are numerous photos of the falls. but for whatever reason the Walkers selection features only one. Another body of work. called Thirty Three Theaters and a Funeral Home. is a set of smaller pictures arranged in a grid. They are. of course. of 33 theaters (most of them converted into a more profitable business) and a funeral home. all photographed very similarly to each other. Together, they make an overwhelming. rhythmic statement. One ofmy favorite collections ofSoth‘s is called The Lone/lest Man in Missouri. 3 collec- tion of45 4x6 photos (a very small format for Soth, whose negatives are usually nearly twice that). His goal was that of the title — to find the loneliest man in Missouri. He photographed regular middle-aged suburban men. with his presence being largely unknown to his subject. Finally, he found one man, Ed. who he focused the rest of his photos on. The photos are framed individually with a running story in pencil on the matt below them. Of course I loved the merge of images and words in story telling. While Soth‘s show is large, it’s not all photographs. He also has turned many of his efforts into book projects, which are pieces of an in their own right, and his latest project. Bro- ken Manual, takes a mixed media tum. Broken Manual is an effort focused on disappearing in America. Soth has sought out hennits and escapists in order to document them. This collection also includes a sculpture of a tree house/underground hidden living quarters and an installation piece of three hundred of the “Ideal Edition” of Broken Manual the book (hidden inside a hand-cut copy of a separate book). which can be pre—ordered now. but will only ship out after Soth's Walker show has ended. Soth‘s photos are huge. clear. sharp. col- orful. and magnificent. They‘re small. lonely. grainy and grey. His photographs are both beautiful and hideous. both community and isolation. both stark and rich. His combination of landscapes and portraits made Alec Soth’s America come alive. From Here to There: .4 l(’(' Surh 3 A mar/cu, is on displai‘ a! the Walker Ari Center/rum mm until January 2nd. Tickets are if I (lg/or adults, $6f0r students: A-List Barsr COLLINS Adi-E Editor THEATER A Cool Drink a Water September 17 until October 10. varying times Mixed Blood Theatre Price: SILSIS ligi'l September l0 until October l7. varying timcs Pillsbury House Theatre Price: $9820 MUSIC Michael Praitti & Spciirltciid October 7 Doors 7:00 PM Show 8:00 PM State Theatre Price: $28.50 Klaxons Friday October I 8:00pm Triple Rock Social (‘ltih Price: $12/Sl5 Embarrassment of Ric/363: Picturing Global Wealth: A review DAVIE MADSEN News Editor From the earliest stages of our adolescence. many people of the Westem-minded community are socialized to understand wealth as being synonymous with content- merit. The image-inundated culture of today‘s youth is beginning to age and de\ elop their own set of generational values. and it is clear that popular culture still worships the ldClS of consumerism and class; morem er. as globaliza- tion furthers its hold on different communities of the world. it has become apparent that the economy and its fluctuations hate begun to warp perceptions of economic value and self-w onh In an attempt to my tstlgnk‘ the global economy. the Minneapolis lnsiiiute of Ans‘ iMl-Xi curator. Da\ld l’ Little. has collected works from nine photographers across the world w ho capture and e\amine different cultures' per- ceptions of wealth The gallery. titled Embarrassment of Riches Picturing Global umm. opened on September 17 and has since challenged audiences to consider the new economy‘s affect on the emerging markets of Saudi Arabia and Russia; it‘s abandonment of once-dominant economic super— powers of Japan and the US; and the political allegiances that have formed in C hina. The Harrison Photography Gallery. which houses the though— prot oking collaboration. is a rela- tively small space for containing such grand ideas. As such. many of the works on display feel cramped and inappropriately organized alongside each other Though the gallery attempts to guide audiences through the room with abstracts like “Currencies.” "Spaces." and "Ritual. Style and Fashion." the viewer may feel m erw helmed w hen confronting such a \ aner of pow ettul images Perhaps it was the Little‘s in— tent to bombard spectators senses to com ey feelings of confusion and excess. how et er. the crow ded nature of the gallery detracts from the Indhldual apprecmuon of the work of these talented photogra- phers As audiences make their way through the grand hallways of the MlA. they are immediately confronted by the work of Edward Burtynsky upon arriting at the Harrison Photography Gallery. Bunynsky‘s photo. titled "()il Fields 1322." successfully conveys the artist‘s intent to represent our SOCiety ‘s destruction of nature in order to secure economic prosper— ll). Three Silter Oll pipes Zig—zag their way across an otherwise traanil Canadian landscape and the new er is reminded of the emironmental cost of consump- tion. The juxtaposition of these rigid. steel angles against a forest of green life prot ides an interest- ing dialogue to the \ iewers and it beckons them into the gallery to continue the com ersatiun The highlights of the gallery are. oddly enough. tucked into the back corner of the room and obscured by a ditiding wall Min— neapolis name Alec Soth. who is also currently featured in From Hen: to There at the Walker. em— ploys his established. Cinematic style in his photo “Fondation Pierre Berge and Yves Saint Lau— rent. Moujik IV". Soth‘s subject. an hnglish Bulldog. sen es to con- struct a rich narrative for yiewers as we are left to ponder how this liyely canine interacts with this world of greed. gluttony. en vy‘, and pride. Tina Barney more precisely employs the same narrative style in her works: "The Daughters" and "The Orchids," These images. both large—scale portraits ofw ealthy as— sociates. engage t iew ers to ponder the raging currents of conflict that are just beneath the surfaces oi the well—manicured life of fiscal security The eponymous subjects of “The Daughters" are C\ idence of this tension. it is almost impos- sible to determme whether or not they were posed ’l hey family is arranged in an immediate and can— did manner that suggests a lack of direction in the family sy stem and there is an almost oterwhelming sense of distance in this portrait of ritualized affection The same can be said of “'l he Orchids." howeter. this portrait engages the illusion of material comfort more directly tliuii “llic Daughters," As two men pose stiilly and yet affectionately to ward the \ICWL‘l. the iorcground and background are muddled Wllll suffocating images of high fashion and poor taste 'I lie orchid in the foreground. an unfocused SillL‘iil of pinks and purples. seems to indicate the bourgeois ignorance of living beauty 'lhough Little’s gallery is. at times. a bit sufiucating by its slieci variety of 2! photographs and two \ ideos. the exhibit is successful it” its contcrsatiuii regarding system» of wealth in the new economy and their cultural ramifications for future generations in an intertiew by the .S/m lri/iunv's Mary Ahbc. Littlc said "i wanted to find photographers who are dealing with wealth and prosperity iii a different way How do riches change culture. and what does ll look like“ After \icwing the work of these nine artists. it's clear that Little has contributed to this lili' portarit cultural dialogue Show less
Page 8 THE BACK PAGE Minneapolis, Minnesota ACROSS 1. Historic street in St. Paul 3. Made in an oyster 4. Three-layered treat 10. Treadmill music video 12. "You and me could write a..." 13. "Howl" DOWN 1. Spanish word for "to be" 5. Spanish word for "to be" 6. Facebook-founder 11. "...a day!" 7.... Show morePage 8 THE BACK PAGE Minneapolis, Minnesota ACROSS 1. Historic street in St. Paul 3. Made in an oyster 4. Three-layered treat 10. Treadmill music video 12. "You and me could write a..." 13. "Howl" DOWN 1. Spanish word for "to be" 5. Spanish word for "to be" 6. Facebook-founder 11. "...a day!" 7. One ofthe five senses 8. Rich, dark, delicious Auggie at a Glance: Alaa Baqer BECCA ANDERSEN Managing Editor Alaa Baqer, a first year in- ternational student at Augsburg, is from Baghdad, Iraq. She came to the college through the Iraqi Student Project, an organization that defines itselfas “a grass-roots effort to help young people who have studied in Iraq acquire the education they need to participate in rebuilding their country.“ “I stayed in Syria alter I lefi Iraq for nine months on my own," Baqer said ofliving alone in Syria. “It was so hard and lonely. I had to do everyone thing on my own. I realized how hard life was when I lived by myself. especially for a girl. I had to be careful and wise all the time.“ However, things changed once Baqer found a community of support. “When ljoined the Iraqi Student Project. all the students became my friends." she said. “Their help and support to me was infinite. They were always by my side.“ This friendship was par- ticularly comforting as Baqer had problems attaining a visa. “Once my visa was expired. and I couldn‘t renew it because there was a missing document that I could not have unless I paid an amount of money l could not pay. But I was not alone. my friends helped me get it done.“ said Baqer. Baqer explained that some of these friends remain refugees in Syria because they weren‘t accepted in the United States due to economic issues. Despite the distance, Baqer said her and her friends are deter- mined to make a positive differ- ence in Iraq. “We always used to say to each other that no matter what ter- rorists and criminals do to destroy Iraq. they can never stop us from keeping on and helping to change the world and Iraq. Our minds are our weapons against them." One way that Baqer plans on changing Iraq is by working towards her major in Pre—Med/ Biology. which she means to work towards receiving a scholarship for medical school. “I want to rebuild the health system in my country and help all people around the world.“ said Baqer. When Baqer first came to Minneapolis, everything looked new and strange. The food, the weather, the traflic lights—-she ad- mits the move was a huge culture shock. Although she misses her family, her older sister and two younger ones, their Friday gather- ings, the special taste of Iraqi tea, picnics at the Dijla River, the palm tree she had in her garden, and sleeping on the roof of her house on hot summer nights when her family’s electricity was turned off, she became poetic when talking about what she likes about Min- neapolis: "I like its green trees. fresh grass in the morning. I like watching people walk- ing on the pavement, sometimes with their dogs on a leash. I like the lights in the street at night. I like how everything is orga- nized. I like watching the squirrels in the morning, as I’ve never seen squirrels in Iraq.” Baqer is at Augsburg after experiencing hard times in her home country, and living alone for months as a refugee in Syria. It seems as if none of the setbacks she has experienced have injured her hopeful, sofi, perceptive na- mre. She is happy to be here, and we. happy to have her. Welcome to Augsburg. Alaa! an open one.” Quote of the week: ‘Educalion ftpurpwe it to tab/ace an err/pg! mind 2221279 - Malmlm Forbar Frida , October I, 2010» Feasting on th poet’s heartbreak Am Brannon-'12 Coinn'bm This past Saturday, I had the privilege to attend a picnic oper- etta. Mixed Precipitation gave an outdoor presentation of Jacques Offenbach’s work, The Tales of Hoflinan, held in our very own Community Garden. For those of you who are not opera bufi's, let us quickly review the story. Hoffman is a young, na- ive poet -— played by the charming John Zeiler -- who travels Europe searching for love, and finds it everywhere he goes. Unfortunately, such a utopian story does not sell, so he invariably gets the shaft from the universe. As he travels from Paris to Venice to Athens, Hoffman’s lovers are tak- en from him. The first, Olympia, is revealed to be an automaton; the second, Giulietta, is a soul-stealing she-devil; and lastly, Antonia is a singer who is killed by the power of her own voice. An exciting tale of comedic love, deception, and heartbreak raises within me certain elevated expectations. [will be honest with you, dear readers, that the first ap- pearance of the performers made me uneasy. The 50-piece symphony or- chestra called for by Offenbach’s score had been reduced to five: a guitar, a double bass, an accordion, a violin, and a ukulele. The cast was similarly slashed to seven brightly costumed play- ers, each doubling (sometimes tripling) roles. With such limited musical muscle, as well as an open-air venue...well, you can understand my apprehension. My fears were unfounded. Everything about the perfor- mance was hilarious and refresh- ing. Each of the singers brought an intimacy that is rarely seen in opera, at times coming down to stare in the faces of the front row. The overt physicality of the actors truly impressed me. In another venue it may have been considered over-the-top, but here, it was perfect. Even the requisite minimalism dictated by a travel- ing outdoor show was perfectly executed. The “set” consisted of a wooden crate, some long poles, a few fluttering banners, and heavy participation from the audience’s collective imagination. Characters were defined by a change of hat or (just occasionally) a pair of glitter-encrusted sun- glasses. Only one role remained constant -— evil personified in a fuscia polo and sparkling silver bowtie. Frankly, each character looked like something out of Dr. Seuss’s bad dreams— vibrant and colorful, but with an underlying creepi- ness — entirely appropriate for the melancholic subject. Musically speaking, even with some pop-culture references — in- cluding a ballad by Prince — the musicians remained true to the so- phistication of Offenbach, mostly singing in the original French and Italian (with hand-painted supertitles for the linguistically challenged among us). I’ll be hon- est, the instrumentation, although unorthodox, was awesome. And the food! The “picnic” in picnic Operetta was supplied by local chef Nick Schnieder, and inspired by the themes and loca— tions of the opera. The performers invited us to toast to love with “Heartbreak Elderberry Brew," and provided us with delectable representations of Europe, includ- ing squash “gondolini” and roasted red pepper stuffed with feta — each uniquely presented to reflect the action onstage. Colorful characters, the non- traditional performance venue, and delicious food all came together to present an entertaining reinven- tion of Hoffman. I am excited to see what else Mixed Precipitation has planned for this season ~ and eagerly await next summer’s per- fonnances. i” tale an / l l oral." HUMAJs amt-arch O 0 l l i Show less
Page 6 Minneapolis, Minnesota VARIETY Covers uncovered Dvsrrm Hassn: l was browsing the internet one day, searching for something new to listen to and found quite a treat when I ran into a brand new cover I had never heard. It made me made think: How many good covers are circulating, or buried... Show morePage 6 Minneapolis, Minnesota VARIETY Covers uncovered Dvsrrm Hassn: l was browsing the internet one day, searching for something new to listen to and found quite a treat when I ran into a brand new cover I had never heard. It made me made think: How many good covers are circulating, or buried somewhere in my lTunes collection, that I haven’t heard about? For any reader who may be unfamiliar with my taste in music, or any other fine art for that matter, I believe that the value of a fine art should never be reduced in value just because it is composed of certain elements of the original that preceded it. Otherwise, I listen to it because it sounds good. I chose these covers strongly based of ofl’ what I haven’t heard music fans rave about. So, this is not a best-of-all-time list of sorts. It’s a collection of tracks that have been lingering somewhere in the musical world, waiting for our coy (and busy) ears to give them heed. “Never Tear us Apart” by Beck’s Record Club (feat. various artists) (originally per- formed by INXS): . I found this 2010 cover on NPR radio’s website. The featured singer in this jazzy rendition of lNXS’s 1987 hit is Annie Clark of St. Vincent. This is one of those covers you get a hold of before you hear the original and tell yourself, “Oh, I’m glad I heard the cover first.” And if you’re not a Clark fan then wait for the evocative violin solo at the two-minute mark. It’s one of the best I’ve heard in awhile. Music rarely witnesses a great song recorded in a single session. Beck’s Record Club nails it in this one. “Crazy” by Norah Jones (originally per- formed by Patsy Cline): This is probably the most popular cover I’ve procured in my search, but it’s definitely worth a second visit if you’re into relaxing instrumentals and the soft, dreamy voice of I Norah Jones. To be honest I’ve heard this song plenty prior to this week, but it wasn’t until I did a little digging that I actuallyfound out it was a 1961 cover of Nashville legend Patsy Cline. It’s an intricate relaying of how lyrical and musical styles can survive and evolve four decades and still produce inspirational results. “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime” by Beck (originally performed by The Korgis): Soundtracks for independent movies usu- ally provide a good stepping stone for rising indie artists. As a tenacious lover of cinema I had to include this cover featured on 2004’s indie flick, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Before 2002 ’s Sea Change release Beck was rather unknown, but since the 2004 release of this honest manifestation of internal clarity he’s been one of the hottest, most prolific, indie musicians in the business. Across the Universe by Fiona Apple (origi- nally performed by The Beatles): When you cover a Beatle's song you almost encourage the music community to condemn your musical soul. I can admit that this will be the one song everybody gives me heat about. My response: music has come a long way. The instrumental renewal and the harmonic voice of Fiona Apple add a unique depiction to a song that’s been covered by mu- ‘Ical stalwarts The Smith’s, Rufus Wainwright, and David Bowie. Afler listening to the same lyrics over similar chords ten times or so I preferred the drearier version of Apple’s over the scratchier, less profound versions. “Bitches Ain’t Shit” by Ben Folds (originally performed by Dr. Dre): As you can see I’ve placed these songs in a particular order for a reason. Hopefully, you’ve remained patient, because this Dr. Dre mi- sogynistic ballad has found itself a new genre. Hip-hop has never sounded so unsympathetic in a raspy voice over piano keys. This explicit 2005 remake made the Billboard 100 shortly after its release and is relentlessly requested at concerts by fans despite its content. Augsburg College, forgive me, but music is music. Don’t like my list? Do like my list? Any suggestions for a list in the near future? Email me with your valued Art & Entertainment opinions at hessie@augsburg.edu. Wide awake at Sleep Deprivation Chamber MATTHEW MCGAVIN Contributor The Penumbra Theatre (270 North Kent St., St. Paul) is currently presenting their take on Adrienne Kennedy’s play, Sleep Depriva— tion Chamber. A strong story at it’s core, the Penumbra actors do a fine job with a subject that is sure to evoke an emotional response. Sleep Deprivation Chamber is the story of Teddy, a young African-American college student who finds himself the victim of a hate crime. Driven by racial profiling and a hate for people they see as different, the local police beat Teddy in front of his family. To ensure optimum humiliation, the police arrest Teddy for supposedly striking one of the cops. The play fades back and forth between the night of the beating and his family’s struggle to defend their son against the charge. Lucas Bellamy’s strong portrayal of Teddy can’t help but inspire sympathy and compassion from the viewer, a feeling re- inforced by the performance of most of the cast. The way Bellamy cried, “So much for innocent until proven guilty, this feels more like guilty until proven guiltier!” has stuck with me and caused me to reflect on how I look at people who are on trial. The major problems in this performance are the speed bumps placed in the flow of the narrative by Indira Addington. Her portrayal of Teddy’s mother Suzanne rarely matches the reality that comes from the rest of the cast. Ms. Addington has trouble connecting with her audience. I grew to fear being drawn away from the story every time it looked as if she was about to speak. The set and lighting, while very basic, were sufficient and not distracting. The Pen- umbra is a small but very comfortable theater. Even with its problems, Sleep Depriva— tion Chamber deserves a trip to St. Paul (par- ticularly at the very reasonable ten dollar ticket price for students). The subjects of racial profiling and police brutality are sure to evoke conversation, and possibly even argument, not to mention a chance for self reflection. Going the Distance, in more ways than one MEGHAN NOVAK Contributor To maintain a long distance relationship. Erin (Drew Barrymore) and Garrett (Justin Long) travel two thousand five hundred and eighty two miles in the movie Going the Distance. The film is a romantic comedy filled with endless hilariously discomfrted scenes. Erin and Garrett meet abruptly at a bar in New York one ex ening. They end up having a few too many drinks and wind up waking tip next to each other in the moming. Hung-oi er. they go out to breakfast and lirin a“ k\\ ardly presents she is not interested in dating. She infomrs him she'll be leaving for San Francisco in six \\ eeks to fultill her journalism dreams. llo\\e\ er. the ttne\pected happens and they decide to date regardless ofthe distance. \ long distance relationship is an in— timate relationship that takes place \\ hen the panners are separated by a considerable .imount of distance. Patrick \loakey a student at L \\ from \ladtson. \\ is. said. "In regards to LDR tl.ong Distance Relationship). they are \ery tough on both people. It takes an extra etl‘ort. above and beyond what a typical relationship takes." Moakey also said, “Being over one thousand miles away from my girlfriend has made are relationship closer than when I lived ten houses down the street from her." In the film, Erin and Garrett remain hopeful by setting dates to visit one another in New York and San Francisco. Ananging times to visit one another is very important. Benjamin Laflamme. a past Augsburg student said. “It’s important to check into one another‘s feelings. it’s not necessarily easy to foresee emotions through a webcam." If you aren’t in a long distance relation- ship Going the Distance is worth seeing for some good laughs. but if you are. \\ hether male or female. you‘ll be able to relate to this mm ie \ery personally. I saw this film to ice in theaters because it reminded me of the one that l loy e. The relationship is worth it if both parties are \\ illing to commit. "Going the Distant-t~ " nus released in theaters on September 5. 3010. TIrefi/m is rated R and 17th ti t'mmtng time tit/3 ' min- lth‘s‘. At this point, some ofyou may be shaking your head and compleme agreeing with what’Moakey’s statement. A long distance relationship is a great endeavor, but you shouldn’t be discouraged that it’s ' ' le to make it work. There are many successful ways to maintain a dating relationship from afar. First, you have to know one another’s r limits and make certain you only want to be committed to that single person. If you can establish a firm confirmation of one another’s standards. you’re headed in the right direc- tron. If the boundaries between couples are un- clear this may cause excessive worry or even jealously about how your partner might be acting when not around you. Honesty and trust are very important to making your situation work. There are a few ways to stay connected: it’s old fashioned and that’s what makes it special, email. Facebook. video chat on Skype, and talk on the phone. Above all things stay positive. Frida , October I, 2010 In The Suburbs with Arcade Fire Cour Oosrnnrrms Contrubutor Last Wednesday marked rock group Arcade Fire’s stop in Minnesota on their recent tour to promote their new album, The Suburbs. The theme of their new album is focused on the qualities and daily routines that surround everyday suburban life. Symbols like driving around in cars, riding bikes and the everyday struggles that one faces in the life growing up as a suburban youth are all used to communicate this message to listeners. The album touches on the hardships, boredom and ex- periences of daily life, while each song brings its own new perspective into the story of the “suburban world.” Arcade Fire is what one could call a “big band” and is similar to the setup of Edwards Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, with their array of band mem- bers and their well-designed musical compositions. At their Minnesota show, held at the Roy Wilkins Audito- rium, the band’s eight members took turns playing all the instru- ments and interchanging roles between songs, which showed off their talents as well as the fun they seemed to be having while preforrning. The group harmonized their vocals beautifully, and each song built on top of the last's excitement and truly showed off their band’s versatility on stage. The excitement and energy expressed by the band was contagious throughout the crowd, and within minutes from the start of the show, everyone was standing. No one sat down again. The stage was littered with instruments, lights and mega- phones, which all set the stage for their exciting and well or- chestrated show. Just like any other piece of art, the whole needed to work as one to make the overall piece successful: this band did just that. I highly recommend catch- ing up on Arcade Fire’s new album. The Suburbs. as well as their previous work. Funeral and Neon Bible. If they make their way back to town. and you're looking for fun and exciting music to dance to. I highly recommend checking this group out. The next show big show will be October 23. again at Roy Wilkins Audito- rium. featuring LCD Soundsys— tern and Hot Chip. which. in my opinion are two of the best dance bands coming to town. Show less
Page 4 OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS Minneapolis, Minnesota ASK PRESIDENT P. : 'Ihe Etiquette of Democracy Editor Is Note: As seen in the Echo last year. we hope this year to include biweekly articles from President Pribbenow regarding issues of concern to the campus. These articles may be comprised ' of... Show morePage 4 OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS Minneapolis, Minnesota ASK PRESIDENT P. : 'Ihe Etiquette of Democracy Editor Is Note: As seen in the Echo last year. we hope this year to include biweekly articles from President Pribbenow regarding issues of concern to the campus. These articles may be comprised ' of issues he wishes to introduce to campus, or preferably be answers to questions posed by students, ‘7. staff and faculty at Augsburg College. If you wish to submit a question of any topic to President Pribbenow to be answered, please send it to echo@augsbutg.edu. I love our new college mission statement — and I love the fact that it is getting lots ofvisibility around campus as we begin our academic year. Its straightforward claim is that: Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical think- ers, and responsible leaders. The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community that is committed to intentional diversity in its life and work. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings. As with any good mission, ours is both a claiming of our his— toric values and commitments as a community and a statement of our aspirations. What we do each and every day on campus and in the wider community is evidence that our history and aspirations are authentic and meaningful. On many days, we get it right. On other days, we don’t. That is the nature of our lives in institutions and in the world. In recent weeks, we have experienced several acts of fear and prejudice aimed at members of our community that clearly are not what our mission claims and demands of us. When we don’t live up to our mission, we are reminded of the need for all of us to be vigilant about our values and not to take for granted the hard work required of us to ensure that our aspirations are not dashed by foolish and hateful behavior. I would venture to say that such vigilance and hard work are what it means to be good citizens of our college community and of our democracy. Yale law professor, Stephen L. Carter, has written a series of books on what he calls the “elements of good character that are...’pre-political,’ by which I mean that we should all struggle to exemplify them, whatever our philosophical or partisan differ- ences.” I commend Carter’s work to all of you. The first book in the series is Integrity. The second is Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy. In Civility, Carter proposes several rules for what he calls the etiquette of democracy. I believe that there are important parallels between these good manners of society and the character of the organizations we all inhabit. Under the rubric of “The People We Can Be,” Caner posits the following rules (among others) for a civil society: (1) Our duty to be civil toward others does not depend on whether we like them or not. (2) Civility requires that we sacrifice for strangersmt just for people we happen to know. (3) Civility has two parts: gener- osity, even when it is costly, and trust, even when there is risk. (4) Civility creates not merely a negative duty not to do harm, but an affirmative duty to do good. (5) We must come into the pres— ence of our fellow humans with a sense of awe and gratitude. (6) Civility requires that we listen to others with knowledge of the possibility that they are right and we are wrong. (7) Civility requires that we express ourselves in ways that demonstrate our respect for others. (8) Civility requires resistance to the dominance of social life by the values of the marketplace. (9) Civility allows criticism of others and sometimes even re- quires it, but the criticism should always be civil. There are other rules, but I think you start to get the sense of how these manners for democracy also offer helpful guidelines for our lives in organizations. Think especially about rules (3), (5), (6) and (9)—there you have the foun— dations for a healthy and humane D ‘ ? common enterprise. Surely we have all experi- enced the disheartening and dis- abling power of incivility in our lives—no wonder it is sometimes difficult to imagine the abundance and wonder of negotiating our lives together. But such incivility - even when it takes the form of violence and hateful behavior — must never be the cause for either passivity on one extreme (“there is nothing I can do about this”) or revenge on the other (“I’ll pay back your violence with my own”). Instead, we must seek to advocate for the rules — the etiquette — of engagement that might offer us a pathway back toward the values and aspirations we share. That is why I am so proud of our students, staff and faculty who have chosen to stand together in support of each other and our col- lege’s values and aspirations, not so that they can exact revenge, but because they know that civility is the right path toward a healthy and thriving community. And so, we have worn the colors of solidar- ity, we have gathered in a “Rally 4 Respect,” and we have sent our strong messages of concern and love for those who have been hurt and for those who have been the perpetrators of hurt. And together, we have Havean Opinion? 1 ‘Write it in the A ech0@augsburg.edn or noe@augshurg.edn Frida , October 1, 2010 pledged in words penned by Augs- burg students this way forward toward a community truly shaped by our mission, 3 community that values our diversity and the civility required to live together: Affirmation of Human Dignity: All individuals have a right to dignity because each person is inherently valuable. I believe that there is great strength in our com— munity 's diversity. I also recognize that ignorance, insensitivity, and bigotry can turn human diversity into a source of prejudice and dis- crimination. To protect and cherish the mission and values of the Augs- burg community, I pledge to pur- sue acceptance of everyone ’5 uniqueness. I will actively engage our community and appreciate the opportunities we have to learn from one another. To fulfill this pledge, I will: *examine my own biases and work to deconstruct them *be a living example of vocation in action for my friends and family *work to protect human dignity by speaking out against hate and injustice " To that, we all can say “Let it be so. NEWS . . . CONTINUED Join the ECHO Open Position: Web Editor Description: “the Echo is toomng for an editor that can Help wt“ the come DubicatiCr‘ oi the : oi“. Contact: mersonr'QaugDurgedu O LINK hopes to further connect Augsburg to the surrounding community 4 about the goals, they have not yet had the personal experiences that reveal the weight of these goals. LINK’s goal is to connect the campus to the community; and more specifically, to expose students to the needs of the com— munity, to the ways that those needs are currently being met, and to the ways that students can be a part of that. “If you really are exposed to what’s going on around us, then there will be something out there that will hit close to heart,” said Svanoe. Their first move is planning new events. This may not sound like the way to reinvention, but the more encounters with the actual community, the more opportu- nity for students to have “close to heart” experiences. Two “service weekends” have been organized, and the first one is taking place this weekend, starting today. Students have signed up for LINK, from page 1 one or more of the four follow- ing “service venues”: a Campus Kitchen shifi and one hour spent in the community garden, fol- lowed by delivering the food to the Ebenezer Senior Home; leading a bingo night at the adult homeless shelter, Our Savior’s Housing; performing home maintenance du- ties like painting and construction for Urban Homeworks, an orga- nization that works towards af- fordable housing for low—income families; and picking up trash in surrounding neighborhoods with the Bryan Coyle Youth Council, an inspiring group of middles school and high school students out to help their community, who Svanoe hopes will tell LINK what they are up to. Students will take the bus (when applicable) to each service venue so that they will have the opportunity to not only find a place where they want to vohmteer, but also become more comfortable with using public transportation to get there. Other new LINK-organized affairs are “community panels” which will begin in early No- vember and will include four to six representatives from neigh- borhood service organizations talking about what they do for the community, and a “family event” organized with the Bryan Cole Youth Council which will encourage a bridging of the gap between Auggies and neighbor- hood families. Svanoe and Bonfiglio are passionate about seeing the needs of the community resonate with students. They don ’t just want the same group of LINK members to be known as “the volunteers” at Augsburg, but would like students from all worlds to hop on board If you are interested in being one of them, LINK meetings are on Tuesday nights at 8 pm. in th student lounge. . Show less