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Clause
student voice of azusa pacific university since 1965

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18, 2015 VOL. 51, NO. 11 WWW.THECLAUSE.ORG

APU Sports Information COURTESY

Student group calls for change on campus

Student-led
group sparks
conversations
about race and
ethnicity on campus
Brooke Seipel
staff writer

Katie Richcreek
sports editor

The status of racial and ethnic

minority students on campus has
been the subject of many recent conversations sparked by a student-run
movement known as Activate.
THE MOVEMENT
The group appeared on campus the final week of January with
a written declaration posted around
campus. It read, We, ACTIVATE,
pursue freedom for students of color
spiritually, academically, culturally,
and psychologically by demanding
institutional support and the creation
of racial consciousness at Azusa Pacific University.
Activate has since created a
Facebook page, released additional
handouts and hosted various events.
More than 50 students attended
a "speak-out" hosted by Activate in
Seven Palms on Feb. 5.
Senior sociology major Casimiro Jesse Pea, president of the
Latin American Student Association,
opened discussion by reading the
movements proclamation.
Activate is a coalition of students passionate about bringing justice and freedom to all members of
APU, Pea said. We strongly believe that injustice for one student is
an injustice for all. This movement
promotes unity amongst the entire
student community.
The speak-out was followed by
an organized chapel walkout on Feb.
6, which ended with a prayer circle
in Kresge Plaza made up of students,

Brooke Seipel PHOTO

Activate members gather for a prayer circle in Kresge Plaza after walking out of morning chapel Feb. 6.
faculty and administration and was
later joined by President Jon Wallace.
Azusa PD and Campus Safety
Department officers were present
during the walkout to ensure both the
civility and safety of students partaking in the demonstration.
Activate published three resolutions to its Facebook page later that
day. According to the post, each
resolution was passed by majority
vote within each ethnic organization
represented by the signatures of the
respective student leaders.
These included LASA, the Black
Student Association, the Asian Pacific American Student Organization
and the Pacific Islander Organization.
According to the documents,
the resolutions were collectively authored by officials from the organizations.
The resolution Increase in Ethnic Organizations Budget advocates
for an increase in the total annual
budget across the four ethnic organi-

zations from $2,000 to $60,000.

The resolution Racial Discrimination Policy pushes for the adoption of a university policy and set
of procedures regarding incidents of
racial discrimination and calls for the
involvement of student representatives in the creation.
The resolution "Mandatory Diversity Training advocates for required diversity training for faculty
and staff members.
STUDENT RESPONSES
The voicing of the movements
intentions has led to mixed reaction
by students on campus and online.
The college application YikYak
has been a forum for this discussion
both positively and negatively. While
there have been posts in support of
Activate, other posts about the walkout were negative.
One post said: UMOJA has the
ugliest black girls Ive ever seen on
campus. Why do they even exist?

Another post was under the name

KKK and said, Where the black
people at?
However, not all responses to the
movement were hidden behind anonymous posts.
Junior journalism and photography double major Josephine Jimenez
wrote a letter addressed to Activate
and posted it to her personal blog on
Feb. 12, which was later shared in the
Facebook group Overheard at APU.
Jimenez agrees the conversation
should be started, but "not necessarily
in the direction they're taking it."
"I feel there is a lack of communication between Activate and the
rest of the university," she said.
Jimenez said students told her
they did not know what the Feb. 6
walkout was about.
"There's too much demonstrating and not enough intellectual outreach," she said.
Sophomore applied exercise
science major Stacey Mendoza dis-

SGA continues plans for the school year

Student group
talks about campus
changes, elections
and surveys
Brooke Seipel
staff writer

February is often flooded with

Azusa Pacific University students'
applications for studying abroad,
getting involved in leadership positions or working on campus the following fall.
For the Student Government Association, this is not just a time of
preparation for the following year,
but of reflecting and focusing on the
projects to finish out the term.

not set in stone [saying], You will

receive this money. Its on a firstcome, first-serve basis. Plan ahead.
Theres still an application process
online and a meeting with the financial committee.

These are the projects SGA has

worked on over the last semester, including ones now unfolding:
THE DISCRETIONARY FUND
One major development by SGA
this year was the Discretionary Fund.
Currently going through its trial
semester, the fund was created to give
on-campus clubs and ethnic organizations the opportunity to apply for
extra funding for projects and educational purposes.
[SGA] allocated an extra $4,000
into this fund and set up an application program for the ethnic orgs and
clubs on campus to use this fund because they currently do not receive a
lot of funding, SGA Controller Will
Levegood said.
The fund was the brainchild of
Levegood and President Brian Jessup.

SGA COURTESY

Ethnic orgs have already contacted us and theyre stoked to have

opportunities to use the budget,
Levegood said. Weve limited it to
just clubs and orgs. Weve put a price
limit on it, and were attempting to
make it sustainable for next year and
[the] next year. Its offered, but it's

SPEAKING INTO GE REQUIREMENT CHANGES

The university has been discussing and planning changes in generaleducation requirements.
Throughout the process, SGA has
been present in meetings and discussions serving as a voice for the student body.
Weve agreed with a lot of
changes, but there are some weve
questioned, Speaker of the House
Meredith Fann said.

see PROPOSITIONS 2

agrees with the way some supporters

have participated in the movement.
"They create whether they
want to or not the dichotomy between white versus colored," Mendoza said. "I don't think that's constructive to the movement they're trying to
create because it's really not in line
with what Activate is trying to do."
Mendoza agrees with validating
the claims made by the movement
regarding racial discrimination, but
says the experiences of those who
have not experienced racism need to
also be validated.
"They're running on the assumption that everyone experiences racism. I never felt uncomfortable being a person of 'color' until Activate
started," Mendoza said. "It was never
really an issue for me, I never felt
uncomfortable being a certain race.
That isn't necessarily their fault, but
that experience needs to be validated
as well."
Students involved in the movement, however, have varying views.
I think this movement is beautiful because its the first time all of
the ethnic orgs have stood together
to believe in a cause," said junior exercise science major Zabrina Zablan,
who participated in the speak-out and
walkout. "Last night was a somber
night of just telling peoples stories and sharing peoples pains and
standing together to be unified in
one body of Christ. Its amazing.
It brings a lot of people to tears
because its been years in the making.
Other students involved echoed
a desire for these stories to be heard
by the rest of the APU community.
"I just want the student body
to be aware of various situations
that occur in our community," said
Ayalet Brown, a junior communication studies major. "I also want
them to know that APU is a place
to welcome everyone, regardless
of their race/ethnicity."

see ACTIVATE 4

weets

@apuclause

@gracielou6042 | Grace:
If you need me Ill be
nomading around west
campus H lot in search of my
car #iheartapu
@ItsYaBoyMikeyG | Mikey:
Today in chapel, I learned
that taking a girl to
McDonalds on a first date is
okay. #iheartapu
@maleahanne11 | Maleah:
my 45 year old professor just
said Jesus is my homeboy.
wow so much yes #iheartapu
To see your tweets here,
hashtag #iheartapu.

Clause

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18, 2015

APU opens new masters program

Graduate
programming
provides more
opportunities for
students

Paige Smith
staff writer

Fall 2015 is bringing in a new

option for post-graduates as Azusa
Pacific University launches its new
Master of Science in Organizational
Psychology. This is the first program
of its kind in the Greater Los Angeles area that will have classes offered
both on campus and online.
According to Program Director
Wendi Dykes, assistant professor
of leadership and organizational
psychology, "The demand is high
for those who possess a master's
degree in organizational psychology."
The degree has 39 required units,
ideal for full-time students who will
be able to complete their masters
degree in organizational psychology
in 16 months. The program will be
offered through a distributed learning model, which is a learning process that has courses offered for adult
learning and development.
"Work matters. People matter.
The rapidly growing and lucrative
field of organizational psychology prepares individuals to discover,
shape and impact organizational
health and wellness," Dykes said.
The program accommodates
those with a full-time job and other

personal or professional responsibilities. Classes will be offered in

the evening and some include online
discussion forums and other distancelearning methods.
This program is distinctive because it engages students and faculty in a process of discovering how
the study of organizational behavior
and change processes intersect with
a Christian perspective of truth and

Work matters.
People matter. The
rapidly growing and
lucrative field of
organizational psychology prepares individuals to discover,
shape and impact
organizational health
and wellness.
-Wendi Dykes, assistant professor
of leadership and organizational
psychology
life," said Sarah Visser, chair and assistant professor in the Department of
Leadership and Organizational Psychology.
Weekend courses will be held
over a nine-week term period and
will include three weekend sessions
on Fridays and Saturdays. The evening classes that students will attend are also on a nine-week term
period and meet one evening each

week.
According to Dykes, graduates of
the program will be able to diagnose,
strategize and implement change efforts, employee motivation tactics,
leadership development and more by
conducting sound assessment, developing strategy and providing genuine
people care.
Dykes added that current research trends project two available
jobs for every individual applying to
work in this lucrative field. People
with a masters degree in organizational psychology pursue careers in a
variety of fields including academic
and educational settings, business,
churches, health care, government
and nonprofits.
We're eager to explore innovative ways of analyzing, dialoging
and applying this learning both theoretically and practically, Visser
said.
There are many career opportunities available with this degree,
including organizational development director, executive/leadership coach, human resources manager/director and organizational
analyst. The program is enriched
by Christian values and beliefs and
prepares graduates to champion
people, care and wellness within
organizations.
The department will hold three
different information sessions for
students to attend. Sessions will be
Feb. 24, April 16 and June 9 from
7:30-8:45 p.m. in the Felix Event
Center VIP Room.
For questions or interest in the
program, information or spot reservations, contact the Department of
Leadership and Organizational Psychology at orgpsych@apu.edu

THECLAUSE.ORG/NEWS

SGA finishes plans

PROPOSITIONS, from P. 1
Theyre looking to add another
writing course and we dont all think
that another writing course would be
necessary if we made our alreadyexisting courses more rigorous.
The added class is only an idea
currently being examined and not finalized. Final GE requirement changes are still in the works, but SGA is
involved in the conversations continuing to unfold.
Our influence over the generaleducation curriculum change conversation has been significant, Jessup
said.
THE STUDENT SUMMIT
In March, SGA will be hosting its
Student Summit focused on finances,
a conversation not held on campus
for several years.
We are hoping to bring in an
administrative panel of people who
understand just what the APU financial budget looks like, Fann said.
"What weve come to realize is a lot
of students dont know where their
money is going and dont understand
what their tuition is being used for.
People dont understand why tuition
goes up every year, so we are hoping
to shed light on what APUs budget
looks like and have a time for students to ask questions.
The committee working on the
Student Summit will be hosting
Cougar Walk Talks in the upcoming
weeks to hear students questions
about finances. According to Fann,
all questions and student stories submitted will be made anonymous so
that no one feels singled out by information shared.

THE SGA SURVEY

Each year, the SGA vice president puts together a survey used to
communicate students' feedback to
administration, the board of trustees,
faculty and staff.
The SGA survey is a very valuable tool that we are able to use
to evaluate students experiences and
feedback on a more holistic level.
For example, Dillon Recreational
Complex is the result of consistent
[survey] feedback reiterating student
needs for more recreational space,
Ferrer said.
The group aims for a higher response rate this year and is looking
into ways to motivate student participation in the survey. Members have
also added new questions to evaluate
the campus climate.
THE TABLE AND VISION
SGA creates a vision statement
each year. According to Jessup, this
year was very focused on listening.
Its been interesting to really respond to things in SGA versus react
this year. I think at the end of the day
we just want to be more present and
for people to know what SGA does
versus just to be known, Ferrer said.
Another major focus has been
"community and cultural definition
and influence," according to Jessup.
Weve been really looking at
facilitating a community that, one,
realizes its potential of what it could
be. Two, that realizes that potential
comes out of us working together as
a student body and a university, and
three, that the way we do that is kind
of learning to listen to one another in
a different way, Jessup said. What
came out of that was The Table.
The Table is scheduled to come
back in April to close the school year.

Master of Science in

Organizational Psychology
Azusa Pacifics Master of Science in Organizational Psychology program, slated to begin in fall 2015, equips students to diagnose, develop, and foster
a positive workplace environment. This program prepares individuals for careers as human resources professionals, workplace learning managers,
leadership coaches, and organizational analysts/consultants in a variety of settings.

Program Highlights
Complete the program in less than two years.
Learn from scholar-practitoners who have worked in the field.
Establish ways to integrate Christian faith and practice people care in the workplace.

Learn more!

Visit apu.edu/orgpsych or call (626) 815-6000, Ext. 5527.

17241

17241_10x8.indd 1

2/11/15 2:17 PM

THECLAUSE.ORG/NEWS

campus
safety
report
The following are selected incidents
as reported from the Daily Media
Log from Feb. 8 through Feb.14,
courtesy of Campus Safety.

SUNDAY, FEB. 8
SEGERSTROM SCIENCE
CENTER

Officer reported that two

students were on the roof.
Officers made contact with the
students and counseled them
about safety concerns.

MONDAY, FEB. 9
ALOSTA CENTER OFFICES

Officer noticed a subject that

was loitering and avoiding her
presence. Officers responded
to make contact but the
subject left the area.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 11
UNIVERSITY PARK
EXTERIOR

Reporting party reported a

subject who was looking into a
vehicle in the area. The subject
became nervous when he saw
the RP and quickly departed
the area. Officers resonded but
could not locate the subject.

TUESDAY, FEB. 10
ALOSTA CENTER OFFICES

RP reported a suspicious
subject in a classroom who
became nervous when the RP
walked in. Officers responded
and determined the subject
was allowed to be on campus.

FRIDAY, FEB. 13
UNIVERSITY DRIVE

RP reported two males

walking through the area. RP
was suspicious due to the time
of night. Officers responded
and checked the area. The
subjects were students.

Numbers
Keys lost/found....................3
ID cards lost/found...............8
Cellphones found..................4
Unsecured bikes found.........6
False fire alarms.....................1

REMEMBER
1. If you see something, say
something.
2. Safety is everyones
business.
3. Dial 911 for life-threatening emergencies.
4. Non emergencies: Campus Saftety (626) 815-3898.
5. Lock all doors and windows to your dorm, apartment and vehicle.
6. Keep all valuables secured and out of plain view.
7. At night, keep to well-lit
areas.
8. Always be aware of your
surroundings.
9. Utilize the trolleys, safety
escorts or walk groups.
10. Avoid places where you
are vulnerable and there
are no exits.
11. Avoid texting or talking
on the phone while walking
as you may be distracted.
12. Avoid walking and jogging alone.
13. Secure your bike with a
recommneded Kryptonite
U-lock.

Clause

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18, 2015

CALENDAR

compiled by gina ender

Friday, Feb. 20

Grandparents Day

The Office of Alumni and Parent Relations is hosting

Grandparents Day from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Grandparents will
have the opportunity to take a campus tour, attend chapel, go to
a luncheon with the president and visit their grandchilds classes.
The cost is $25 per person, including breakfast and lunch.
Register at apualumni.com/grandparentsday15 or contact the
office at (626) 812-3026 or email at parent@apu.edu.

Friday, Feb. 20

One Voice Poetry

Austin OBrien COURTESY

One Voice Poetry is an open mic night held in Seven Palms at 6

p.m. Contact sherrera14@apu.edu with any questions.

The cast of the APU theater departments Spitfire Grill demonstrates

excitement for character Hannah Fergusons immense amount of mail.

Saturday, Feb. 21

Tuesday, Feb. 24

The ladies of Azusa Pacific Dance Company will be hosting a jazz

class in the Cougar Dome. For $5, attendees will learn techniques
and a routine, no experience necessary. Registration starts at 1:30
p.m. and the class begins at 2 p.m.

The Lighthouse Campus Ministry would like to invite students to

fellowship and Bible study every Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in
Wilden 228. For more information contact Paul Konadu at
pkonadu14@apu.edu.

Jazz Dance Class

Lighthouse Campus Ministry

Glendora event helps pets find loving homes

Pause for Paws
promotes puppy
love
Brooke Seipel
staff writer

This Valentine's Day, Americas

Christian Credit Union in Glendora
hosted Pause for Paws, a pet adoption
event for community members to find
and adopt furry friends.
We wanted to bring some dogs
out for people to adopt that would
already be registered, already be
microchipped and already spayed
or neutered, said APU alumna Liza
Lemkuil, current marketing specialist
at the credit union. We started calling people and everybody was really
excited for the event. We ended up
with six different pet resource vendors and seven different rescues and
shelters. We thought it was best to
have it on Valentines Day because
nothing says I love you more than
saving a furry friend and welcoming
them into your home. Our mission is
to Reach, Serve and Teach and today
we accomplished that.
Many pets found a new home,
including Harrison from Maltese
Rescue California, who was the
Valentines Day gift for Connie and
Howard Hiwiller of Glendora.
We have one dog, Honey, and
we think she needs some friends,
Connie Hiwiller said. We love dogs,
so we thought wed like to adopt one
from a shelter. So now weve got
Harrison. This is our gift to each other for Valentine's day.
Admission was free and each

Brooke Seipel PHOTO

Top: Howard and Connie Hiwiller pose with their new puppy. Bottom:
Damien and Alisha Alarcon adopt a maltese on Valentines Day at Pause
for Paws.

Clause
NEWS STAFF
editor-in-chief kaity bergquist
news editor jessie gomez
asst. news editor gina ender
lifestyle editor becky kay
opinion editor kelyn struiksma
sports editor katie richcreek
asst. sports editor landon troka
photo/design editor kimberly smith
chief copy editor kayla johnston
copy editors faith vander voort, sara champlain
business manager blake standal
staff writers brianna rodriguez, sam
quintanilla, alex perez, brooke seipel, lauren
duran, sydney potter, arianna ruvalcaba,
angel eleyae, kianna mourer
FACULTY ADVISER dr. kyle huckins

guest received a welcome bag with

dog treats, information on the shelters attending, coupons from different
pet resource vendors and other vendor gifts.
The event ran form 10 a.m. to
2 p.m with over 100 in attendance.
About 30 dogs, cats, iguanas and a
bunny were up for adoption. According to Lemkuil, 16 animals, including
the bunny, were adopted. Many of the
attendees, like Alisha and Damien
Alarcon adopted not one, but two
dogs.
"We did have a maltese, and we
unfortunately lost her to congestive
heart failure and kidney failure, so
our hearts were broken and these little guys definitely have helped soothe
and fill our hearts," Alisha Alarcon
said. We needed another member
of the family to love and to spoil. We
want to give them as much as we can
to give them a good life and make
sure theyre happy and healthy. These
little dogs need homes, and were just
here to do that.
Vendors and attendees were excited to see new homes found for
the animals brought by shelters. In
the first hour, several adoptions had
already taken place, including a cat
from Upland Animal Shelter that was
adopted by the wife of a city council
member.
"Most [animals here] are strays
that were brought into the shelter
from Upland," said Jon Knowlton,
animal services supervisor at Upland
Animal Shelter. "When youre looking for a pet, always go to your local animal shelter and get a pet that is
looking for a home that doesnt have
a home. There are so many great pets
looking for homes."

mailing address p.o. box 9521-5165, azusa, ca 91702

phone 626-815-6000, ext. 3514
website www.theclause.org email editorinchief@theclause.org
The Clause is a student newspaper dedicated to providing a realistic, journalistic educational experience for students of Azusa Pacific University; to seeking truth and reporting
it boldly, fairly and accurately; to enhancing
the university community by providing a student voice imbued with truth, responsibility
and accountability.
The newspaper is published weekly, except during examinations and vacation periods, by the students of the Department of
Communication Studies at Azusa Pacific University. The newsroom is located on Cougar
Walk in between the cafeteria and Cougars
Den. The views expressed in all letters to the
editor and all signed opinion articles are those
of their authors, not the staff or university.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Please include a phone number for verification of all letters to the editor. Anonymous
and unverified letters to the editor will not
be printed. The Clause reserves the right
to edit the letters for length and journalistic style. The opinions expressed in this
newspaper do not necessarily reflect the
views of the faculty, staff or administration
of Azusa Pacific University.
FOLLOW US!
Our Facebook page: facebook.com/apuclause
Our Twitter handle: @apuclause

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18, 2015

Clause

THECLAUSE.ORG/NEWS

Student activism provokes discussion amongst student body

ACTIVATE, from P. 1

Jan. 25 Activate Facebook Group

appears online with declaration;
Flyers appear on campus

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSE
The university administration
has received Activate's declaration
and resolutions, and administrators
have been present at the events.
On Jan. 30, they released a written response, which said: "There is
a disconnect between the environment we strive for that demonstrates respect and value for people
and that members of our community experience. We expect more
from this Christ-centered community. You deserve more from us. We
are ready to meet and collaborate
with the Activate participants, to
marry our collective wisdom, ideas,
passion and strength to improve the
state of students of color at APU,
and to move closer to the positive
future for APU that we all desire."
Feb. 16, the first official meeting took place.
Eleven representatives of Activate, the administration and student
leadership gathered to discuss how
to move forward.
Building a sense of community
and communication is essential,
said Dr. Kim B.W Denu, special
advisor to the president and provost
and present at Mondays meeting. I
think its not this idea of us or them.

Feb. 4 Activate students chalk

the campus

If we, at APU, are going to move

towards a common purpose so that
all of our students feel valued, that
means we are going to have to work
together. Administration cant do it
alone. Students cant do it alone.
"I think Activate has initiated
a great process where we can collaborate and we can work together.
Some would say they would have
gone about it a little bit differently,
thats really neither here nor there.
Its how do we build and work together at this point forward," Denu
said. "I think today's meeting was a
great start."
SCRD Executive Director Ed
Barron, Diversity Office Executive Director Richard Martinez and
Dean of Students Terry Franson
joined Denu at the meeting.
Wallace also was present for
part of it.
"Our administration is leaning
forward from the top all the way
through the ranks as far as taking
the Activate movement serious and
hearing students concerns, Barron
said. The tone of the letters has
been absolutely positive, and were
eager to connect and join and bring
to bear the full weight of our wisdom, the full weight of our ideas to
be able to rewrite these narratives.

Feb. 5 Activate hosts the speakout in Seven Palms at 7 p.m.

Will we be able to eradicate everything? Thats not realistic, but we

are leaning forward and are ready
to give it our best shot."
According to the statement released by administration in January,
survey data from the Higher Education Research Institute shows APU
senior students of color feel "less of
a sense of belonging and more marginalized than students of color at
peer institutions."
As the university and Activate
work together toward improving
conditions, many students may
wonder how they can contribute to
a positive campus climate.
Any of the students I work
with will tell you I have a favorite question, Help me to understand? rather than seek to be understoodwhich we do when we
make our own experiences first,
when we make our own perspectives a priority, our own view a
priority and try to convince someone of thatit creates this sort
of antagonistic, sort of polarizing
dynamic, Barron said. But if we
take the time to ask the 'help me
understand' question, maybe a dialogue can start up through personal
responsibility and integrity of all
students.

Feb. 6 Walkout during chapel

followed by prayer circle and
resolutions

Brooke Seipel PHOTO

Activate members gather for prayer right after their walk-out protest.

Choosing a major earlier

proves better in the end

Organization partners with

university during prom season

Students and staff

discuss steps in
decision

Social Work
Department and
nonprofit provide
outfits for high
school students

Arianna Ruvalcaba
staff writer

With academic advising approaching,

students begin to select classes for the fall
semester. Choosing a major becomes a
large part of the process as it decides the
amount of units needed to graduate and ultimately determines how quickly one can
graduate.
Knowing your major sooner may give
you an opportunity at graduating earlier
or picking up a minor, or in some cases a
double major, by planning out your semesters and summers early on, said Michael
Chrzanowski, an academic success coach
in the Office of Academic Advising and
Retention.
Isaac Da-wei Yeh switched from a
business major to a global studies major
with a minor in business this past year.
His undergraduate career was supposed
to be completed in 2016, but will now
end in 2017.
Because of my change to global studies, I am now graduating a year late. Financially and practically, it would have been
nice to know I would be a global studies
major, but if I hadnt taken those business
classes, I wouldnt have the appreciation
for what I do now. In the educational and
self-growth sort of sense, I dont regret it,
Yeh said.
Second-year freshman psychology
transfer Aubre Ferrell looks forward to
the rest of her college years, sure of her
choice in major. She knew she wanted to
study psychology long before she came
to APU.
At my church, a lady was telling

me about nursing and how she went

into the nursing program, but before
that she took psychology courses.
I thought I should do that because I
want to be a pediatric nurse, Ferrell
said. I dont want to take courses
that are not useful; I want to use my
time wisely here, so I decided to
choose my major early.
Along with graduating in a timely
fashion, Chrzanowski outlines three
reasons why choosing a major as soon
as possible is beneficial:
1. Students can find out if they are
really interested in pursuing a career in
a given major faster than they would
by waiting to declare and then realizing they are not interested in that career
path.
2. Students will also have earlier
access to information about different
opportunities within their major's department (i.e. internships, research projects, new classes, future changes or opportunities and scholarships.)
3. Additionally, a student will be
around others with similar interests
and passions earlier on, which helps to
sooner give opportunities for collaboration and potential future partnerships
with like-minded individuals.
If I had to give advice to my
past self, it would be to probably
just find out what you like first,
Yeh said, try to find the balance
between practicality and also doing
what you enjoy.
There may be an increased chance
of doing well academically since you
will start off by taking a balance of
classes you are interested in, along
with general-education courses, as opposed to only taking GEs that don't
necessarily interest you as much.

Lauren Duran
staff writer

With prom season around the

corner, high school girls all over
America will soon be waiting for
the seven words they're dying to
hear: Will you go to prom with
me?
According to a survey done by
Visa Inc., the average American
household spent nearly $978 on
proms in 2014. While some have
room in their budget for such a
large expense, others do not. This
is where My Sisters Closet steps
in.
I saw the number of families that struggled with the cost of
prom. We began collecting dresses
and made them available to the
students in need of them, Guidance Program Coordinator Silvana
Cavazos said.
The organization helps local
teens afford the event by providing
teens with dresses, makeup, accessories, shoes and any other items
needed for the dance.
It began in 2007 when Azusa
Pacific student and current Associate Director of Academic Advising
and Retention Stephanie Orona
became interested in doing a major
project. At the time, Cavazos was
the homelessness liaison for Azusa
School District. Together, they be-

gan impacting the community.

Over the past eight years,
the organization has continued to
thrive off donations from the area.
This city embraced a simple
project that was supported by so
many individuals. It is the people
that have made this project what it is
today. We have had students from as
many as 35 high schools participate
in our event, Cavazos said.
Last year the organization provided over 200 girls with prom attire and plans to do similarly this
year with the help of Cavazos,
APUs Social Work Department,
Azusa Unified School District
Family Resource Center, Azusa/
Glendora Soroptimists and the
Covina Assistance League.
March 21 in the Los Angeles Pacific College Board Room,
teens from all over the San Gabriel Valley will be able to come
and "shop for prom. They will be
provided with a personal shopper
to help them pick out their favorite dress, accessories, shoes and
makeup. A seamstress will be on
site to alter the dresses to fit each
girl perfectly.
We really want it to be a onestop shop where you can get everything done, said senior social
work intern Reggie Cutliff. We
are collecting the dresses, accessories, a seamstress, getting volunteers and registering the girls.
Volunteers are excited and
hopeful for the impact this event
will have. It brings the whole
community together when people
see that APU is helping, said senior social work intern Dominique
Salido.
It is not only APU, but its

Lauren Duran PHOTO

Azusa, Cutliff said. It kind of allows everybody to come together

and bring cohesiveness for the
whole city.
For those interested in donating, the Social Work Department
will be accepting donations until
Feb. 27.
Volunteers will assist the department in sorting and cleaning
dresses, setting up the LAPC,
helping customers and creating a
positive experience for each girl.
I think it's good for us to not
just get the credits [service credits], but to really come out and
want to serve if you have a passion to help those who are less
fortunate and those who wouldnt
be able to afford this opportunity
otherwise, Salido said.
For more information on the
event and on how to make a donation, contact Cavazos at silvanaa@
azusausd.k12.ca.us or Cutliff and
Salido at socialworkinterns.frc@
gmail.com.

Sports

APU vs. CBU: Breaking down the rivalry

National ranking

Graduation rates

Student to faculty ratio

65

47

18:1

41

14:1
4 year

All-time winning percentage

National championships
22

All-time head-to-head

62%

27

33

51
Conference championships
44

6 year

57

MBB

WBB
74

118

*All sports

Landon Troka GRAPHICS

Mens and womens tennis open 2015 campaign

Teams welcome
depth and tough
schedules
Jared Pine
guest writer

WOMENS TENNIS
The No. 13 Azusa Pacific womens tennis team is entering its first
season as a full NCAA Division II
member, but with a new look.
For the first time in its 20 years of
existence, the program has a new head
coach, David Goodman, who takes the
helm while Mark Bohren remains on
board as the director of tennis.
The Cougars have also added six
new faces to the roster, four freshmen
and two sophomore transfers from
NCAA Division I programs. They
also return four players from the 2014
team, which went 22-8 en route to the
NCCAA Championship match.
The team will be led by Natalie
Johnson, who will play No. 1 singles
and doubles. As a freshman last year,
she became the first player in program history to record 41 wins in a
single season in doubles and singles
combined.
Danae Ingwaldson will play primarily at No. 3 singles while also
being a fixture in the doubles lineup.
The senior captain has collected 34 of
her 50 career doubles victories at the
No. 1 position.
Ingwaldson and Johnson combine to make the No. 17 doubles pair-

ing in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason rankings.

Valeriia Kashina will be a key
addition to the Cougars lineup. The
sophomore transferred from Southeast
Missouri State, where she played No.
1 singles at the Division I program.
She was ranked No. 33 in Division
II in the preseason rankings and will
play No. 2 singles for the Cougars.
Azusa Pacific also added true
freshman Jackie Resler, who in her
first week as a Cougar won all three
of her singles matches to earn PacWest Player of the Week honors. Sierra Troxel is the other addition who
will see significant playing time after
having a successful freshman season
at Lipscomb, playing Division I opponents there.
After being one of the youngest
players on the team each of the last
few years, Lindsey Yeom will take
more of a leadership role on the team
as a junior. She collected 50 wins between singles and doubles in her first
two years at APU.
The team wont have to travel
much this year, with every regularseason match played in Southern
California. However, the Cougars still
have a very tricky schedule, facing
three of the top six teams in the nation,
along with three other teams ranked in
the top 25 at least once each.
MENS TENNIS
The Azusa Pacific mens tennis
team is turning to a similar formula
for success as it looks to convert its
No. 13 preseason ranking into a spot
in the NCAA Division II National

Tournament after consecutive NCCAA National Championships. The

team returns eight players who were
part of those championship teams.
Junior Jan Meyer will fill the No.
1 singles and doubles duties for the
Cougars, winning 42 matches last
year at those positions. He is ranked
No. 7 in the country in the ITA preseason rankings and No. 1 in the
West Region after winning 45 out of
49 singles matches to start his career.
Senior Ben Eger will return to action this year, playing No. 2 singles
after redshirting last season. As a junior in 2013, he went 25-1 in singles
playing at No. 3 and No. 4. He is
ranked No. 9 in the nation after taking fifth place in the ITA/USTA Small
College National Tournament. He
will also play at No. 2 doubles.
Senior Gary Yam will be another
key veteran presence for the Cougars. The native of Hong Kong has
won over 100 matches in his career
and will pair with Meyer as the No.
1 doubles team, while playing an important role in the bottom half of the
singles lineup. Yam, Meyer and Eger
have 297 career wins entering the
season.
The 2014 PacWest Conference
Newcomer of the Year, Pascal Engel,
will partner with Eger in doubles and
bounce around the singles lineup.
Alan Leahy and Tomas Aranguiz will
also move around a lot in the order,
but still play key roles in singles for
the Cougars while trying to earn playing time in doubles.
Azusa Pacific has a packed
schedule, facing top teams from Di-

Follow us on Twitter

@ClauseSports |

For live updates,

scores and more

For full coverage: theclause.org/sports

APU Sports Information COURTESY

Valeriia Kashina competes in the Feb. 14 match against Vanguard. The

sophomore transferred from Southeast Missouri State, a Division I program.
vision II and III along with the NAIA
while also facing some Division I opponents.
In the middle of March, the
Cougars will have to go through the
gauntlet, facing Armstrong, Hawai`i
Pacific and Army on consecutive
days. Both Armstrong and Hawai`i
Pacific are ranked in Division IIs top
five.
The matches are part of a stretch
featuring eight matches in nine days

when the Cougars will have to rely on

some added depth.
Sophomore transfer Shepherd
Newcomb will play a particularly
crucial part in the doubles action for
Azusa Pacific, and true freshman
Cameron Backman will see some
playing time in singles. Randal Hseih
and Sasha Kingsley also add to the
teams depth of talent.
APUs next home match is Feb.
19 against Western New Mexico.

58

Bring to basketball games vs. California Baptist

Feb. 21 | Womens game 5:30 p.m. | Mens game 7:30 p.m.

Azusa Pacific University

School of Nursing

ELM
PROGRAM

CALLED TO BE A NURSE? ITS NOT TOO LATETRANSITION TO A CAREER IN NURSING.

Azusa Pacifics Entry-Level Masters (ELM) program provides nursing education for those who graduate from a major in another discipline.
Select a nursing specialty, and prepare to impact the field with a Master of Science in Nursing.

Program Benefits
Graduates are eligible for the California Registered Nurse License and Public Health Nursing Certificate.
Take courses full time during prelicensure, and either full or part time during the advanced practice portion.
Benefit from working closely with experienced clinical faculty, and receive personalized attention in a supportive Christian environment.

Learn More
For more information, visit apu.edu/nursing/graduate/elm or call (626) 815-6000, Ext. 6303.
16616

To Know as we are known

Tuesday, February 24, 2015
The William E. and Ernest L. Boyer

Common day of Learning

Featured Keynote Speaker:

Mary Poplin, Ph.D.

Professor, School of Educational Studies,
Claremont Graduate University
The CDL schedule will be available at apu.edu/cdl
and via the APU Mobile app the week of the event.
Designer: Vanessa Esparza 15, Candidate for the B.A.
in Graphic Design, College of Music and the Arts

16977

16977_ClauseAd.indd 1

12/10/14 2:42 PM

Opinion
Racial discrimination is evident at APU
Proving that
my experience
is legitimate
Jessie Gomez
news editor

On an icy January morning in

South Carolina, students at Clemson University gathered at their
universitys Center of Social and
Athletic Life and marched to the
schools administrative offices to
present a list of grievances and demands to Clemson President Jim
Clements.
The group, A Coalition of Concerned Students, said its university
as a whole and many students within it exhibited a pattern of social
injustice that burst out last semester after a fraternity gang-related
Cripmas party and comments by
Clemson students on social media.
For all of my fellow APU students who have no clue what a
Cripmas party is, its basically a
group of white students congregated together drinking cheap beer, all
while dressed in gangster clothes
in order to spend a night as a stereotyped minority. Oh, and do not
even ask me what gangster clothing
is, because I have never seen that
section at H&M.
Similarly to Clemson University, many APU students and ethnic
organizations have come together
to create a movement called Activate. According to the coalition, the
movement aims to legitimize the
experiences of students of color.
As a minority student and a
member of Activate, I think it is
heartbreaking that in 2015, almost
50 years after the Civil Rights
Movement ended, college students
nationwide have to prove that their
experiences of social injustice at
universities are valid.
There have been a vast number
of instances where current APU

Brooke Seipel COURTESY

Brooke Seipel COURTESY

Activate members chalk the ground on both east and west campus
with prayer requests and their hopes for the future of Azusa Pacific.

Students of Activate and others from the student body huddle in a circle praying for campus-wide unity during this months chapel walk-out.

students have felt discriminated on

campus. But there is no use in sharing these experiences if no one is
willing to listen and understand.
I am not trying to blame you
for the racial mistakes others have
made but rather point you to the
reason for discrimination.

What I, and other

students in Activate, want to see
is progress and
transparency on a
campus that firmly
supports Kingdomlike diversity.

Dear white person on campus,

you are privileged. So, let me break
down white privilege for you. It is
an advantage in social, political and
economic circumstances. Basically
this means you will always see your
race represented accurately in the
media, your nations history taught

properly to your children and your

ideas always validated because your
races customs are considered the
norm within the United States.
With that being said, the main
problem many students and the administration have with Activate and
its mission is the fact that they do
not understand why we are so fed
up with this institutions ideologies.
Well, its because the universitys
programming is unwelcoming to
students of color. Never in the history of APU have minority students
stood up for themselves, risking
criticism and more discrimination
from the student body.
We have finally stood up because we are fed up with shallow
conversations on diversity, we are
done being your poster children for
this institutions supposed diversityfriendly campus and we are most
certainly done being ostracized because of our societal, cultural and
racial beliefs.
Personally, I am not looking
for pity or an apology for the ways
I have experienced and seen racial
discrimination on campus. What I,
and other students in Activate, want

to see is progress and transparency

on a campus that firmly supports
Kingdom-like diversity.
Perhaps you as a student have
never felt discriminated against or
seen unequal representation here on
campus. You might even be a minority student who cannot attest to
social inequality on campus. If that
is you, I am grateful that you have
not had to endure that, but that does
not give you the right to invalidate
my experience or assure me that
I am over-exaggerating. If Martin
Luther King Jr. or Cesar Chavez
would have paid attention to people
like you, we would still be living in
segregation.
Galatians 3:8 says, There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male
and female, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus. But unfortunately,
we do not live in a colorblind society where sin and hate are foreign
things.
I congratulate President Jon
Wallace for showcasing his support for Activate during our walkout
from chapel this month. It was uplifting to see our chief of diversity

tell prospective students and families that the university is aware of

the broken pieces of the body of
Christ and that it is aiming to fix
these things on campus. I do hope
that Wallaces remarks are true actions toward administrative change
on campus rather than a public relations stunt to alleviate the tension of
50+ students leaving chapel.
So my question is: Can you,
as a proclaimed Christ follower,
handle cultural diversity? Can you
really open your eyes to the marginalized around you? Or do you need
to go on mission trips to Africa or
Latin American countries to feel as
if you are making a difference in the
world?
Stop ruling out the experiences
of others but rather, sit down, listen and understand that we live in
a nation where social inequality is
more than lynching people or segregation. It is systemic racism, stereotypes, neglect of other cultures
and ignorance. I encourage you to
take the time to immerse yourself in
the things God has created and start
activating yourself not only for this
campus, but for the world.

Should award season matter?

Rightful
recognition for
the film and
music industry
Sydney Potter
staff writer

Its that time of year when the

entertainment business is all over the
media as actors, singers and directors
are receiving recognition for doing
their best work in 2014. For an industry always under the spotlight, is
award season too much for our culture?
The public swoons over fashion
trends, its favorite celebrity crush
steps out in a Giorgio Armani ensemble, the underdog actor makes a
compelling acceptance speech and
secretly hopes that Kanye West will
make another unwarranted appearance.
Over the past couple weekends,
my Twitter feed has blown up with
people (including me) obsessing over
every little detail of the most recent
award show. For approximately two
months, our culture gets to indulge
in a season when we see our favorite entertainers from all areas of the

performing arts hopefully receiving

another nomination or award to add
to their collection.
As a fandom culture, we live
for weekends like these, watching
our favorite celebrity make a speech
that inspires us to continue to strive
for our goals. We are motivated to
keep going, in hopes that there will
be award for us somewhere down the
line. We pride ourselves on recognition. We pride ourselves on winning.
Is this a bad thing? For something
like good, purposeful art, is recognition justified?
As a society, if we can move past
the Best and Worst Dressed awards
and solely focus on films, music and
artists being honored for their contribution to society, then the season is
justified.
The Academy often nominates
for the Oscars those films that have
contributed to our culture over the
past year. Whether it is honoring
the life of the most lethal American
sniper, shedding light on a man who
changed history by leading a march
or recognizing an individual trying to
crack the enigma code in World War
II, these films matter. These type of
films should have their day in the sun.
They should receive public recognition.

The 2015 Grammy Awards Show

ignited the twitter hashtag #ItsOnUs,
bringing awareness to domestic violence within our culture. Through the
expression of music, we have the
power to speak out against this issue.
For reasons such as this, award seasons should exist.
Award season can be negative
in our culture when seeking trophies
outweighs the importance of the actual art and is solely to achieve positive
feedback from an older-generation
voting member. If award seasons
main purpose is to play the comparison game, then we can do without it.
One Oscar win and the honored
actors career can take off. However,
not all who win have the best influence on our culture. Many have made
public choices in their lives that do
not reflect a positive role models
agenda.
Award season should be set apart
from the entertainers personal lifestyle, and only judged upon whether
a performance was outstanding in
telling an important story through
music, film or television.
This season is positive for our
culture when we honor those who
have created stories and music that
challenge our intellect, belief systems
and lifestyles.

Wikimedia Creative Commons/Mingle Media TV COURTESY

Reese Witherspoon is nominated at the Academy Awards for best actress for her role in Wild, a film based on the true story of Cheryl Strayed.

Flickr Creative Commons/George Hernandez COURTESY

The 86th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 22 on ABC.

10

Clause

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18, 2015

THECLAUSE.ORG/OPINION

Taking away students freedoms or tapping into real truth?

Finding value in
the mandatory
Bible courses
Kianna Mourer
staff writer

For many students, college is the

first stepping stone on the path to independence. The list of freedoms is
endless, which makes college a time
of growth and discovery. Universities
are about education and self-government, yet Azusa Pacific takes away
some of students rights by requiring that they relinquish 30 percent
of your general education to 18 units
worth of mandatory ministry courses.
The cost of tuition is currently
$32,516 for a full-time freshman taking between 12 and 17 units, not including on-campus housing or financial aid. Each semester costs $16,258,
and every unit totals $1,355. Based
on the numbers given from the universitys website, I found that freshmen are required to spend $24,390 on
18 units of required Bible courses in
order to attain their degree.
As a freshman at APU, I knew
before I officially committed that
I would need to take a few Bible
courses. However, after looking at
how much these units cost and the
sacrifice I was making to attend such
classes, I was initially outraged.
I held the belief that general education was important for undergraduates because it could be used to help
students discover their future career.
Through my eyes, students were
missing out on the chance to focus on
the subjects of their choosing because
of the biblical core requirements. I
assumed that because some students
were not taking electives based on
their interests, they were not getting
as much out of their Bible classes as

Kianna Mourer PHOTO

Azusa Pacific requires students to take 18 units worth of ministry courses as a part of the universitys core
curriculum and attendance is mandatory at chapel three times a week.
they could be if they were in a course
they wanted to take.
I lazily blamed APU for taking
away my freedom because it was
easier than doing the research to really find out why I disagreed with
the requirements. However, after
researching reasons why the university has decided that Bible units are
a necessary part of education, I was
surprised to find that I not only agree
with having required units, I appreciate them.
Theological author Caleb Spencer, an assistant professor of English,
explains how historical reason is sufficient for justifying mandatory Bible
courses.
Education is not largely about
your choice, said Spencer. It is actually something that is done to you
by the people who came before you,
and the people who are doing it to
you had it done to them before they

got there and so on. The whole point

is the person who is being educated in
some sense is not aware of [the history that has gone before them] and that
is why they need to become educated
in the first place.
Even though education is something that is done to me, I still had the
option to choose what kind of education I wanted to receive.
Prospective students are given
the choice of the education they want
to receive, either secular or private.
Private universities like ours attract
individuals by promoting a studentcentered environment. I chose APU
because of the interpersonal experience it offered.
APU is not the only university in
Southern California to require ministry courses. At Biola University,
all students are required to minor in
Bible, taking a minimum of 30 units.
California Baptist University man-

dates nine units, while Point Loma

Nazarene University requires three
classes totaling seven units.
Jennifer Buck, adjunct professor
in the Department of Practical Theology, explains how it can be challenging to teach students who dont want
to be educated in the Bible courses
they are required to take. She thinks
that a revision of the core curriculum
may benefit both the students and faculty.
The goal is to make sure that every student who graduates out of here
has an understanding of what Christianity is, and a basic understanding of
how to study and understand the Bible, said Buck. I see both of those
as really good skills.
For so long, I had separated the
church from my scholastic education and felt that APU was dumbing
me down by forcing me learn about
Christianity when I could be learn-

ing about something a secular college

would be teaching. In ways, I saw the
education system at a secular college
to be more valuable. However, after
looking at the history of education I
realized that biblical, theological and
philosophical knowledge has every
right to be a part of our education at
Azusa Pacific University.
It was in the 18th century, during the Scientific Revolution, that
the rapid growth in our knowledge of
science and technology began to take
root. It was during this time that universities expanded and secular ones
started to increase in popularity.
The fact that early scholars and
teachers believed that theology exclusively constituted education justifies why Christianity being in classrooms today is important. In fact, I
think that every university, secular or
private, should require a substantial
number of Bible-oriented courses to
attain a degree.
I believe that education should
be characterized by the knowledge
you gain and the reason for gaining
knowledge in the first place. Without purpose it is pointless. The concrete, objective facts being taught in
classrooms of secular universities
have purposes that fall short of an
ultimate, unchanging one, which, in
APUs case, is having a relationship
with God.
One of APUs four cornerstones
is Christ. It is through this that everything is truly learned. I realize now
that it is through a Christ-centered
perspective that I am more likely to
succeed.
This university prides itself in
educating students to their fullest potential. I now understand that in order
for APU to make its graduates well
rounded, I have to give up some of
my freedoms and trust that the university has my best interest at heart.

The need for Snapchat news DID YOU KNOW?

App adds
Discover as
newest feature
Brianna Rodriguez
staff writer

Snapchat recently released a new

feature called Discover, which provides daily, short news features from 12
different editorial teams including CNN,
Cosmopolitan, Food Network, ESPN,
Daily Mail and People Magazine.
Snapchat is easy to navigate,
making it one of the most-used social
media applications today. Until Jan.
29, when Discover was introduced,
users were only allowed to take pictures or videos with the options to
send them directly to friends or post
them to their 24-hour story.
Discover follows Snapchats basic structure, relating news stories
from different publications by posting a handful of pictures or short videos. To find out more about a story,
users simply swipe up the featured
graphic and the full article appears.
Each one of the 12 sources provides
new stories every 24 hours based on
either what is most popular or most
recent in the news or publication.
Many people in todays society
log on to their Facebook and Twitter accounts to see what is going on
in the world. According to Pew Research, 30 percent of people in the
United States get news from Facebook and 8 percent go to Twitter.
Tweets and posts are not bad
ways to get daily news, as they are
constantly being updated throughout
the day and allow instant access to
information.

I am a user of social media and

appreciate the ability to obtain different stories through the browser and
applications on my phone. I personally use social media to find out more
about current world news and actively search hashtags to see the different
perspectives on controversial topics.
When the San Francisco Ferguson Protest happened in November,
I unexpectedly found myself in the
midst of protesters and policemen
as I was crossing the street with my
family. Without thinking, I began to
capture the chaos that was occurring
around me by adding videos to my
Snapchat story.
My friends on Snapchat were
able to see my experience through the
videos I shared, which unintentionally served as a news source. Although
it was raw footage that displayed a
visual of what was going on in San
Francisco, my Snapchat did not have
informative descriptions about exactly what was happening.
Snapchat, along with other social media sites, should be used by
people so that they may be informed
and never feel out of the loop. Social
medias give a way to provide instant
news to the public, and that will only
continue to improve. If we have technology that allows us to have the
events of the world at the tips of our
fingers, then we should not hesitate
to make use of it and excel in our
knowledge about the history that is
currently taking place.
Although social media sites are
great means to get our news, we
should not rely solely on them to provide information and details about
events going on in the world. We
must not forget the value of printed

Snapchat COURTESY

newspapers and magazines as well

as online newspaper, magazine and
broadcast news sites.
Print articles, radio and TV news
contain descriptive information about
an event that took place and can be
available to you at all times as long as
you have the newspaper or magazine
or access to the newscast. However, it
might be a hassle to try to find these
at certain times. Plus, they dont always guarantee the most updated information about a story. Thats why
people more and more are turning to
the websites of these media for information.
Discover will boost the number
of users on Snapchat by providing
a convenient way to get quick news
and entertainment. The new feature
has definitely become one of my top
news sources because I do not always
have time to search the Web or buy a
newspaper or magazine. Whether its
running to class or sitting on the trolley, I usually open my Snapchat to get
a quick idea of trending news topics.
It has become a routine.
If you have thought about creating
an account on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or another social media site, do not
think twice about it. It wont hurt to get
news instantly wherever you go.

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WEEK ON
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THECLAUSE.ORG

Lifestyle

Barefoot beauties pad pavement at APU

Stubbed toes and
dirty soles
Faith Vander Voort
copy editor

Many people have seen those brave

students traipsing around Cougar Walk
without shoes, and it seems the trend is
becoming increasingly popular as the
year progresses. But what is behind this
Hobbit-like, even homeless-type look?
Its about time somebody found out what
these barefoot beauties have to say for
themselves.
Freddie Reid, junior sociology major, is not new to the barefoot scene, but
has recently gone back to sporting footwear.
Q: When did you first decide to go
barefoot?
A: Probably second semester [of my]
freshman year was when I started.
Q: What prompted you to ditch the
shoes?
A: I had just left San Diego, and in
the summer, when it was hot, I would go
to the beach without shoes. When I came
to APU, it felt like summer [during the]
second semester, so I just kept the trend
going. It was so much easier to leave the
house without them than to bring them.
Q: Why did you go back to wearing
shoes on a daily basis?
A: Because some people were getting offended and very grossed out, so I
was like, Ill just put on sandals to make
people feel better.
Q: What was the most interesting
thing you stepped on while barefoot?
A: I stepped on a nail in the street
once, but that was OK. I just took it out.
It didnt really get stuck in my foot, it
just nicked me, so I just pulled it out.
On the other hand, freshman English
major Millie Reese is rather fresh on the
barefoot scene, and shes not quite sure if
shes sold on it.
Q: Why arent you wearing shoes
right now?
A: Im not wearing shoes right now
because Im studying in the amphitheater and I went to pick up a package.
Q: How often do you wear shoes
around campus?
A: I wear shoes, like, 98 percent of
the time.
Q: What do you think about the
people who never wear shoes around
campus?
A: I think its kind of weird and kind
of gross when people walk into food
places without shoes. Or class... For
class you kind of need shoes.
Reeses hallmate and fellow freshman Lexi Subra was caught walking
on campus without shoes as well. The
global studies major was a little more
in her element than Reese was.
Q: Why arent you wearing shoes
right now?
A: To be honest, my sandals were
giving me blisters.
Q: Are you a typical shoe-wearer?
A: Well, there are some days where
shoes are just too much.
Q: Do people ever give you strange
looks for going barefoot?
A: Oh yeah, but youve just got to do
you, you know?
Q: Will this be the last time you

Freddie Reid COURTESY

Freddie Reid shows off his bare feet.

grace APU with your bare feet?
A: Absolutely not. Some days you
just get blisters, or other days you just
dont feel like putting shoes on.
Lysh McAllister, a sophomore global studies major, is a barefoot pro here
at APU.
Q: When did you first go barefoot?
A: I first went barefoot in high
school, but then apparently its against
the California fire code, so I got in trouble. I had to wait until my freshman year
here at APU. I was walking to class [with
shoes on], and I saw someone walking
in the opposite direction barefoot. I then
got really excited and stopped wearing
shoes to class.
Q: What prompted you to do so?
A: First of all, haters gonna hate,
hate, hate, hate, hate. Im just going to
walk barefoot, foot, foot, foot, foot. But
on the real, I love going barefoot because
I get to feel the ground with my feet. In
a world where we put as many layers between ourselves and nature, going barefoot is reversing that trend. It makes me
think more about where Im walking and
I begin to appreciate the nature around
me. I walk slower. I also grew up running
around my backyard without shoes, so it
feels more natural to be barefoot. Also,
its easy. I dont have to pick out shoes
with my outfit.
Q: How do people react to your
barefoot presence?
A: People dont seem to understand
going barefoot and everyone stares. I just
smile. I like to break out of boxes that
people try to put me in. However, I dont
try to draw a lot of attention to it. I dont
think it defines me.
Q: What is the grossest thing youve
ever stepped in?
A: Gum. Plus every bacteria or microorganism I cannot see.
There you have it, folks. Every barefoot boy or girl on campus has a reason
for choosing the stubbed toe and dirty
sole life, so give the Cougars some credit!

Faith Vander Voort PHOTO

Millie Reese displays her toes on Cougar Walk.

Lysh McAllister COURTESY

Lysh McAllister puts her feet on the cement.

THECLAUSE.ORG/LIFESTYLE

Clause

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 18, 2015

Austin OBrien COURTESY

12

Austin OBrien COURTESY

APU theater performs The Spitfire Grill, selling out its entire run
APU theater puts on
small-town play
Landon Troka
assistant sports editor

Inside the intimate setting of APUs Black

Box Theater, the Department of Theater Arts
put on its performance of The Spitfire Grill
from Feb. 5-15. The musical is based on a 1996
film of the same name.
The show features 12 students from the department performing in the story about recently
released ex-convict Percy Talbott (played by junior Morgan Reynolds), who looks to the small,
dying Wisconsin town of Gilead to build a new
life and home for herself.
The irony of Percy simultaneously being a
fish out of water and the only fish who wants to
be there is just one of the reasons why I love the
story of Spitfire Grill and why I jumped at the

chance to direct it, said director Rhonda Kohl

in the playbill.
Percy finds herself working at the only restaurant in town, The Spitfire Grill. Its run by
Hannah Ferguson, whos been trying to sell the
restaurant since her husband died. Between the
small-town gossip and the downtrodden nature
of Gilead, Percy finds herself the center of attention.
Percy is an outsider and she just doesnt
take crap from anyone. Shes there and says:
This is where I want to be and this is what I
want to do. Im just going to take the punches, said sophomore Andrew Bliek, who plays
Hannahs nephew and self-appointed caretaker,
Caleb.
Caleb serves as the antagonist, being Percys biggest doubter and carrying much of the
weight of the towns hard luck.
Of course, in a small town, things are never
as simple as they seem to be. Gilead is no exception, featuring complex relationships and
histories.

It is very real to life and I love the dynamic

in between each character, Bliek said.
The best part of the play may be the intimate venue. The play was in only one setting, so it is perfect for the Black Box Theater, freshman Caitlin Slater said. It created
such an intimate setting, and you really felt
like you were there and going through the
struggles.
One cant help but be drawn in by his or
her proximity to the stage. The small town of
Gilead comes alive in the theater.
As much of a challenge as it was, it enhanced the performance all the more, Bliek
said.
Bringing some star power to the production is Sam Kriger, noted for his vocal coaching
of Idina Menzel, Kristin Bell and Josh Gad on
Disneys Frozen. He brings his longstanding
relationship with Disney to the performers at
APU.
APU Theatres last show of the season, Picnic, opens March 19.

Austin OBrien COURTESY