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THE
ECHO
Friday, April 10, 2015
Volume CXXI, Issue 19
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Augsburg College Student Newspaper
The wheels on the ACTC bus no longer go ‘round
and ‘round
Blair Stewig, Staff Writer
On May 22, the Associated
Colleges of the Twin Cities
(ACTC) bus service will no
longer be running, meaning
students, staff and faculty
will be taking their last trip
on this bus before it stops its
services forever.
The bus service has served
the Augsburg, Hamline,
Macalester, St. Catherine’s and
St. Thomas campuses since
the 1970s. At the time, this
shuttle service was needed
as there were few alternative
transportation options for
students who travelled between
ACTC campuses.
The closing of this bus service
is due to the introduction of
new, affordable and sustainable
transportation options introduced
around the ACTC campuses.
With the Green Line, newly
improved bus routes, and carand bike-share programs,
more and more ways for
students from different
campuses to travel to and
from other campuses are
accessible.
According to the ACTC
website, the decision to
close the bus shuttle also
considered each school’s
values on environmental and
financial sustainability as
well as considering the new
transportation that has been
recently introduced or improved
around the campuses.
Last semester alone, about
420 students cross-registered
at another ACTC school.
Approximately
30 0 - 60 0
people use the ACTC bus on
a regular basis. On average,
650 people ride one-way each
day and 325 ride round-trip
each day.
According to the ACTC
FAQ page, “The ACTC bus
has historically been funded
through institutional fees:
each ACTC school is charged
a per-semester fee of $7.00
per cross-registration-eligible
underg raduate
st udent.
ACTC will no longer assess
this fee to our member
schools.” The decision to
discontinue the bus shuttle
service was made after a
year of much discussion by
chief academic officers of
the ACTC schools. They
ultimately deemed the ACTC
bus system as unaffordable
and unsustainable.
Each school is coming
up with their own solutions
to the closing of the ACTC
shuttle. Hamline will continue
to work with students as
well as other transportation
organizations in order to
provide students with the
opportunity to continue
studying at other ACTC
schools. Macalester will
continue to do the same as
Hamline, however, they also
plan to use the bus funds as
a means to support other
modes of transportation for
their students.
At St. Kate’s, administrators
will be working on the same
solutions as both Macalester
and Hamline. St. Kate’s also
plans on possibly pursuing
a private shuttle service to
provide transportation between
the St. Paul and Minneapolis
campuses. St. Thomas will
be work ing with other
transportation services but the
shuttle will not be replaced at
this time.
Augsburg will continue
to support those who would
like to pursue the option of
cross registering and studying
on other ACTC campuses.
Augsburg is working with local
organizations such as Metro
Transit, HOURCAR, Car2Go
and NiceRide to provide
affordable and sustainable
transportation options.
If you have any questions
or concer ns about t he
transportation options, you
can contact the registrars office
at [email protected].
If you have questions about
inter-campus transit you can
contact Ann Garvey, Vice
President of Student Affairs
at [email protected].
Voices of Black Lives Matter Minneapolis heard by
many at Augsburg College
Tina Monje, News Editor
On Wednesday, March
25, beginning at 5:30 p.m.,
Augsburg st udents and
faculty joined in discussion
with organizer from Black
Lives Matter Minneapolis
(BLM). According to their
website, BLM, most recently
popularized by the frequent
national use of the hashtag
#BlackLivesMatter, began in
2012 after George Zimmerman
was acquitted for the death
of Tray von Mar tin and
is a “call to action and a
response to the virulent antiBlack racism that permeates
our society.”
Titled “Black Lives Matter:
Organizers’ Voices,” the hourand-a-half discussion was
organized by associate professor
and Sabo Chair and Fellow Lars
Christiansen, associate professor
of sociology Nancy Fischer,
associate professor of political
science Sarah Combellick-Bidney
and Augsburg sociology student
Keisha Barnard in collaboration
with Augsburg’s Students for
Racial Justice.
“The
panel
brought
voices of organizers who are
taking decisive action toward
racial justice at a pivotal
moment in US history,” said
Combellick-Bidney, to which
“So many students came.”
Oren Gateway 100 “was
full and folks had to sit on
the f loor.” Active audience
member and Augsburg
student Marquell Moorer
said the event was a success,
and that the panel prompted a
“great discussion.”
As part of the conversation,
each panelist shared their
ex pe r ie nces
in
soc ia l
movements and how they
became involved with BLM
“in reaction to the lack of
indictment of Ferguson police
office Darren Wilson in the
shooting death of Michael
Brown,” said Fischer.
Invited panelists, while
fielding audience questions,
disc ussed some of t he
nuances of the events and
protests that have taken
place in the Twin Cities,
including the carefully-planned
shutdown of I-35, for which
BLM activists used their
own cars to block traffic to
provide safety “for activists
on foot to take the highway,”
according to Fischer.
Panelists also talked about
how BLM Minneapolis “is
not associated with one
thing,” said Fischer. They
discussed their presence
at City Hall in an effort
to “[emphasize] campaign
promises that city council
had made on equity and justice
issues.” Furthermore, they
are currently with $15 Now
Minnesota, a campaign to raise
Minnesota’s minimum wage.
The conversation also
included a discussion about
the recent BLM protest at
the Mall of America and,
according to Moorer, the
“tr uth [of ] what act ually
happened” there. Fischer
noted that one of the most
interesting topics during the
discussion had to do with
the media and how “the
MOA protest had reporters
positioned so they could NOT
get a clear shot of protesters,
only police.” According to
Christiansen, protesters had
also designated volunteers
specifically placed in the role
of maintaining peace, safe
walking space, and respect
for mall-goers uninterested in
the protest.
“What [is implied] when public
sees riot police?” asked Fischer.
The issue around social
movements in the media is
part of why the discussion
happened here at Augsburg.
“I wanted this event,” said
Christiansen, “because social
movement organizer voices
are typically absent in
media coverage.”
“Social movements that
challenge the social order,
and the people most directly
involved, are marginalized in
a host of ways. By providing
the space for those voices
to be heard,” continued
Christiansen, “the hope was
that Augsburg students, staff,
and faculty could learn more
about the movement, its
intentions and motivations,
its framings, and so forth.”
Christiansen also expressed
that the discussion is relevant
to the Augsburg community
because of the school’s
commitment to “engage the
larger culture, to examine
it critically, and make sense
of it, to the degree that we
can, using the intellectual
tools that we developing as
students and teachers.”
Combellick-Bidney also said,
“Their movement is relevant
to Augsburg, as we see from
the walkout that took place
last semester.”
Moorer sha red t hese
sent i ments, sayi ng t he
“transformative” experience
of attending the discussion
panel gave the Augsburg
community an opportunity
to challenge itself “to stand
up against violence and
racism from police and
other local authorities…
we will no longer accept
this mistreatment.”
St udent and audience
member K Taylor said the
event was important because
“a lot of students, faculty
and staff are out of touch
when it comes to the harsh
realities of racial oppression and
biases that [people of color] are
affected by on a daily basis.”
Taylor said, “Augsburg has
gotten away with symbolic
gestures of diversity” for a
while now, and to have a
“panel discussion by and for
black people and other [people
of color] is meaningful.”
Taylor acknowledged the effort
while also being reminded
that one panel discussion
is still not enough because
“there are only a handful of
[administrators, staff] and
professors” who represent the
racial and ethnic diversity of
Augsburg’s student body.
Concluding the discussion,
according to Fischer, the
panelists talked about “how
students can get involved
on our own campus and/
or with BLM.” CombellickBidney also shared that
the discussion’s closure
“included a chant by Assata
Shakur:
“’It is our duty to fight for
our freedom. It is our duty
to win. We must love each
other and support each other.
We have nothing to lose but
our chains.'”
For more infor mation
about BLM Minneapolis,
v i s it
t he i r
Fa c e b o ok
page
w w w. Fa c e b o o k .
com/ Black LivesMat ter
M i n ne ap ol i s
or
v i sit
BlackLivesMatter.com.
NEWS
Friday, April 10, 2015
Page 2
AISA and American Indian Student
Services hosts 7th annual powwow
Abby Tetzlaff, Staff Writer
On Saturday, March 28,
Augsburg students,
staff
and
t he
sur roundi ng
community were invited to
attend a powwow, held in
the Si Melby Gym. It was the
seventh consecutive powwow
held at Augsburg. Each year,
the event is sponsored by
Augsburg Indigenous Student
Association (AISA) and
Augsburg’s American Indian
Student Services.
The event was an educational,
intertribal gathering. Tribes
from the areas attended, as
well as representatives from
international indigenous tribes
as well. The festivities lasted
into the afternoon, with Grand
Entrances at 1 p.m. and 6
p.m., each time carrying
in the eagle staff, a flag of
sovereign indigenous nations,
the American flag and the
Minnesota state flag.
Sp e c t ator s
i m me r sed
themselves in watching the
colorful regalia and had the
opportunity to learn about the
different dance categories by
watching the dancers move
around the center of the gym in
a clockwise direction.
As the drums beat out
rhythm, the dancers moved
across the gym to the beat,
with singing above the
drums. Each dance has a
series of separate dance
moves, and their regalia,
whether a jingle dress, the
ribbons of a grass dancer or
the shawl of women fancy
dancers, each represents
a different symbol and
importance to the dance and
the culture.
Each dance group had its
own circle of drummers and
singers, taking turns based
on the style of the song.
Many of the dancers say
they learn their craft through
a lifetime of discipline and
practice, as well as have a deep
appreciation for the symbolic
nature of their dance.
Outside the gym, vendors
and sponsorship tables were
present, all raising awareness
for cultural and social
conditions that American
Indians face in the American
mainstream society. AISA
ran a concession stand with
candy bars, drinks and
even fry bread that could be
topped with butter and honey
or sour cream and salsa.
Other vendors sold T-shirts,
tribal crafts, furs and various
pieces of colorful jewelry to
fit the occasion.
Last month, AISA was
refused re-commissioning
for next year by Augsburg’s
Day Student Government,
sending waves of shock
throughout the community
close to the AISA.
However, in an appeal
with Augsburg’s Student
Government Commissioning
Appeals Committee, they were
reinstated for proper funding
next year. Some speculate
the situation took place due
to student government’s
attempts to reallocate student
activities money in a different
distribution combination.
Despite the large number
of dancers and spectators at
Si Melby on that Saturday,
DPS did not give the event
its own parking. Many had
to park near a meter or park
their cars across the street
in the hospital ramp and
carry their regalia and drums
across Riverside Avenue.
The Joy Project brings an eating
disorder support group to Augsburg
Katie Davidson, Opinions Editor
Friday, March 27 marked
the first eating disorder support
group meeting held by The Joy
Project at Augsburg College.
The meeting was held in the
Augsburg Room from 6:30
p.m.–8 p.m., which is now its
permanent location for the
remainder of the school year.
The Joy Project (TJP) began
online in 2007 and has
recently made its way to
Augsburg. According to Haeley
Hendrickson, an Augsburg
student who works as an intern
for TJP, the Project was the first
social media site of its kind to
offer a recovery-oriented safe
space for individuals struggling
with eating disorders. Joy
Nollenberg, head of TJP, was
a "real pioneer" in those days,
said Hendrickson.
"Joy realized that there are
so few recovery and support
resources available to people
outside of traditional treatment,
which can be spendy," said
Hendrickson. "The average
cost of a month of inpatient
treatment for an eating disorder
is around $30,000."
Hendrickson commented on
how people face many barriers
that keep them from getting
proper care but said the largest
barrier comes from being unable
to obtain adequate insurance
coverage for treatment.
"Many privately managed
care organizations specifically
exclude or severely limit the
amount of treatment one can
receive for an eating disorder,
so sometimes one must be able
to pay the bulk of recovery costs
out of pocket," she said.
Aside f rom f i nancia l
complications, f inding a
treatment center and being
able to dedicate a large amount
of time to receiving treatment
gets to be difficult for most
people. "There are relatively
few treatment centers that focus
exclusively on eating disorders
in the US," said Hendrickson.
"For some people, this means
commuting for several hours
a day or even buying a plane
ticket for an extended stay."
This makes it extremely
challenging for someone
undergoing treatment to be
able to carry out a normal
life—their
main
goal.
"Inpatient treatment is the most
commonly recommended type
of treatment, but this requires
a minimum of a 2-week stay,"
said Hendrickson. "For many
individuals, taking two weeks
off from work or school is
simply not an option. Who’s
going to pay the bills, watch the
kids, feed the cat?"
Although the meetings are
not as intensive as inpatient
treatment, the Friday meetings
put on by TJP now being held
at Augsburg offer support
for those whose schedules or
financial situations do not
allow them to undergo inpatient
treatment. TJP has been
holding support group meetings
at the University of Lutheran
Church of Hope in Dinkytown,
and it was Hendrickson's
idea to bring a support group
to Augsburg.
"I believe the suppor t
groups answer a need on this
campus," said Hendrickson.
"So many individuals struggle
with eating or body related
issues, and I wanted to create
a resource students could
utilize regardless of background
or circumstance."
Hendrickson recommends
TJP for everyone. "All are
welcome at our support group,
whether you’re in the midst of
treatment, looking to maintain
recovery, have a loved one who
struggles or just want a safe
space where people understand
eating disorders," she said. "The
atmosphere of our groups are
a little bit different than most,
because everyone who attends
chooses to be there and wants to
be there."
Hendrickson said this creates
a community of people who want
to uplift and encourage others.
The mission statement of TJP
is, "Ending eating disorders
through real world situations."
By offering support for college
students with chaotic schedules
and others who simply just do
not have the time or money to
go through inpatient treatment,
TJP is accomplishing their goal.
"Having suffered from
an eating disorder myself, I
know myself how difficult it
is to feel isolated, and so one
thing I would say to students
is that, even if you’re not ready
to pursue treatment options,
we can at least help with the
isolation," said Hendrickson.
"We are here to accept you as
you are."
Augsburg
College Echo
Spring 2015
Editor-in-Chief
Jens Pinther
Managing Editor
Mary Cornelius
Layout Editor
Maggie Royce
Copy Editor
Carter Williams
News Editor
Tina Monje
Sports Editor
Sarah Mueller
Opinions Editor
Katie Davidson
A&E Editor
Abigail Carpenter
Features Editor
Del Logeais
Faculty Advisor
Boyd Koehler
731 21st Avenue S, CB 148
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454
E-mail
[email protected]
Phone
(612) 330-1102
The Augsburg Echo is published
each Friday — except during
vacation periods and holidays
— by the students of Augsburg
College.
Opinions expressed in the Echo
are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect those of
the supporting staff, administration, faculty, alumni/ae or the
remainder of the students.
The Echo does not necessarily promote the products or
services it advertises. Advertisements can be placed in the Echo
by contacting the advertising
manager.
Submissions are welcome and
can be sent to echo@augsburg.
edu. All submissions should
be between 500-700 words and
accompanied by the writer’s
name and contact information.
All submissions become the
property of the Echo and are
subject to revision.
The Echo reserves the right to
edit submitted material because
of space limitations, repetitive
subject matter, libelous content
or any other reason the editors
deem appropriate.
Printed by Print Group Midwest
on recycled paper.
SPORTS
Friday, April 10, 2015
Page 3
Augsburg wrestling wins their 12th National Championship
Dave Fier, Staff Writer
On March 13–14 in Hershey,
Pa., at the Giant Event Center,
the Augsburg wrestling
team took home their 12th
national title. Augsburg
qualified a program record ten
wrestlers for nationals: Mike
Fuenffinger at 125 weight
class, Chad Bartschenfeld
at 133 weight class, Marcus
Hamer at 141 weight class,
Will Keeter at 149 weight class,
Gable Frandsen at 157 weight
class, Eric Hansel at 165 weight
class, Tryell Martin at 174
pound weight class, Tommy
Teigen at 184 pound weight
class, Matt Hechsel 197 weight
class and Donny Longendyke
at heavy weight class.
Going into nationals,
Augsburg was ranked 6th
in the nation with a record
of 12–4. Mike Fuenffinger
led the way for Auggies,
wrestling Lucas Malmberg
of Messiah College and
defeating him 15–2. After
winning his weight class and
being declared a National
Champion, Fuenffinger said,
“Faith is the biggest thing. I
just went out there and stayed
focused. I just wanted to go
out there and fight for the
glory of God. Jesus is what
got me here. I owe it all to
him. Being able to represent
him in the best way I can,
that’s what I was striving for.”
Donny Longendyke was
one of the big factors
brought the national title
home for Augsburg with his
dominating wrestling. In
the last match, but possibly
the most important match of
the tournament, Longendyke
wrestled Terrance Jacques
of Rhode Island College.
He prevailed in victorious
fashion with a 1–0 decision.
“You had two evenly
matched athletes right there,”
said Augsburg head coach,
Jim Moulsoff. “They’re not
your typical heavyweights.
Donny did a heck of a job
for us this year...As the
season went on, we took
our lumps, I know that, but
it didn’t make a difference.
We learned along the way,
and we grew because the
wrestlers knew they’re going
to crown a national champ
come March. That was their
goal, and that’s what they did.”
The Auggies finished first
and earned 100.0 points.
Wartburg finished second
and earned 89.5 points.
Wabash College of Indiana
finished third with 66.5
points. Wisconsin-Whitewater
finished fourth earning 60.5
points. By Augsburg winning
their 12th national title, they
were able to successfully end
Wartburg’s streak of winning
four national titles in a row.
Either Augsburg or Wartburg
has won the NCAA division
III national title since 1995.
The
Auggies
ear ned
several top honors in the
awards that the national
wrestling coaches association
presents after the wrestling
action ends. Moulsoff was
named division III national
coach of the year and
division III rookie coach of
the year. Tony Valek was
named assistant coach of
the year for all the support
and mentorship he gave to
the wrestlers this season.
Eric Hensel earned the
tournament’s most falls in
the least amount of time
award. Fuenffinger was
named the tournament’s
most outstanding wrestler.
Vikings staying patient, adding depth and potential this off-season
Undre Smith-Brewer, Staff Writer
Patience is always a virtue
when it comes to Minnesota
Vikings general manager Rick
Spielman’s offseason plans,
especially during the free
agency period. His philosophy
is to re-sign current Vikings who
may be due for an extension,
and let the initial waves of big
spending between the other 31
NFL franchises occur before
extending offers to the players
who hit the open market.
Fa ns may have been
under whelmed by the lack
of activity from the Minnesota
Vikings after the initial
wave of free agency, which
officially began on March
10. The Vikings finished 7–9
last season, and have needs
at several positions including
guard, safety, corner and
linebacker. Some wondered
whether the Vikings would
pursue any of the bigger names
that this year’s free agent pool
had to offer, or wait until the
draft to improve the roster. So
far, the Vikings have signed six
new players for cheap, short
contracts, looking to add depth
to the roster, and hopefully
capitalize on the potential
shown by the players signed.
The Vikings decided to take
care of depth at the quarterback
position first, by signing
35-year-old Shaun Hill. Hill
was signed to a two-year deal
to serve as the back-up to Teddy
Bridgewater.
The biggest splash of the
Vikings offseason came with
a trade when they acquired
wide receiver, Mike Wallace,
from the Miami Dolphins.
The Vikings could have a steal
in Wallace if he is able to play
like a number-one receiver.
The Vikings gave up a fifthround pick in the current draft
and a 2016 seventh-round pick
for Wallace.
The Wallace trade also led
Minnesota to cut receiver Greg
Jennings. Jennings never played
up to the five-year, $45 million
contract he signed in 2013.
The Vikings added a few
defensive players to the roster
with hopes that they will
bring a positive impact to the
team. The Vikings added two
former Bengals players to the
secondary, 27-year-old safety
Taylor Mays, and 38-year-old
Auggie at a glance: Tanner Oakes
Dave Fier, Staff Writer
Name: #39 Tanner Oakes
Sport: Baseball
Position: Pitcher
Year: Senior
Major: Special Education
Hometown: Jordan, Minn.
Tanner Oakes is the first
and only pitcher in Augsburg
baseball history to pitch a nohitter, otherwise known as a
perfect game, which he did his
freshman year. The Auggie
baseball team currently has a
record of 10-10. They are doing
everything they can to chase a
MIAC playoff birth.
Q: What does Auggie pride
mean to you?
A: “Auggie pride to me
means working together:
everyone chipping in doing
their role to complete a
common goal.”
Q: What are some of the
ways you train during the
offseason to dominate during
the season?
A: “We do a lot of lifting
three days a week, and then
within that the pitchers do
a lot of different types of
conditioning, a lot of sprints.
Our pitching coach has us
working pretty hard during the
off-season as well as in season
too. In the dome we do all kinds
of stuff, throwing a lot of long
toss.”
Q: What are your team’s
goals this season?
A: “Our goal is to make the
playoffs. It all comes down to
giving ourselves a chances to
move onto that next step and
playoffs is it for us. Playoffs
begin in early May. The
MIAC is pretty wide open:
one through ten is pretty solid
throughout the MIAC, but
there is no one that you can just
show up and beat automatically.
You got to be on your best game
at all times.”
Q: Who is Augsburg biggest
rival in baseball?
A: “We always want to beat
our rival, which is St. Thomas.
They’re always at the top.
You have to beat them to win
anything, so they’re number
one. After that I would say it’s
pretty competitive throughout.”
Q: What have been your
greatest memories playing for
Augsburg?
A: “Sophomore year making
the playoffs was fun. Hopefully
we can do that again this year.
The Arizona trips are always a
ton of fun. Just being with your
teammates for a whole week
is awesome and so is being in
good weather.”
Q: As a team do you have a
motto or quote t hat you live by?
A: “I’m pissed off for
cornerback Terence Newman.
Mays is known for being a
hard hitter and brings much
needed athleticism to the safety
position. It will be a win for
the team if they can pair Mays
alongside budding star Harrison
Smith and find success. Mays
has yet to play up to the
potential he showed coming out
of USC, but hopefully Zimmer
can help him succeed.
The Vikings also signed
former Philadelphia Eagles
linebacker, Casey Matthews,
to a deal. The former fourthround draft pick from Oregon
had a career-high 62 tackles
last season. Matthews looks
to compete for a spot at inside
linebacker for the Vikings.
One of the most interesting
signings the team made was
6’9'' 351-pound offensive tackle
from Poland, Babatunde
“Babs” Aiyegbusi. Aiyegbusi
made a name for himself in the
Polish and German football
leagues, but success in the NFL
remains to be seen.
The Vikings have a young
team whose success depends on
how this young talent develops.
The moves that the Vikings
have made in the offseason so
far, gives them more flexibility
when the draft comes April 30.
The Vikings can take the best
player available that day and
keep building this team into
a contender. The Vikings will
have the 11th overall pick in the
upcoming NFL Draft.
greatness, because if you aren’t
pissed off for greatness you’re
okay with being mediocre.”
Q: What is it going to take for
the team to make playoffs?
A: “Pitching and defense.
Our hitters have been doing
really well so far. Our pitchers
need to step up, and if the
pitchers can step up, I think
we’ll be okay. It’s got to start
today.”
Q: Tell me about someone
that you look up to or that
inspires you?
A: “I would say my dad.
He has beaten Leukemia
twice now, and he has been an
inspiration not only to me but
to thousands of people. His
attitude during his fight with
cancer twice has been nothing
short of remarkable. He is just a
really tough guy.”
Q: Where do you see yourself
when your Auggie career is said
and done?
A: “Hopefully I’ll be teaching
special education, probably
in an elementary school.
Hopefully along with that I can
do some coaching basketball
and baseball.”
“Tanner is as intelligent as
any coach, he has grown up
around the game and gets the
ebb and flow of baseball. He has
a good work ethic, he takes care
of himself, and he takes care of
his arm. His greatest strength is
he takes personal responsibility
in his daily excellence. He has
always been a low maintenance
proactive type of player. He
knows what he needs to do
and comes in and does it. Dare
I say it, he is a model student
athlete.” -Keith Bateman, head
baseball coach.
OPINIONS
Friday, April 10, 2015
Page 4
Letter to the editor: do you know what “consent” means?
Maddie Williams, Contributor
Do you know the definition
of the word consent? According
to the Minnesota Coalition
Against Sexual Assault,
it means, “free and active
agreement, given equally by
both partners, to engage in
a specific sexual activity.”
This means that giving in
or giving up does not equal
consent. The statistics on
sexual assault would make
one think such a concept is not
taught in American society.
Statistics show 1 in 4–5 women
experience rape or attempted
rape while they are in college
—90% of those women know
their attackers.
How does this make you feel?
Uncomfortable? Good. More
needs to be done to help prevent
sexual assault, and we can
start here on campus. We can’t
just leave it up to fliers around
campus that get torn down
within minutes or the twominute portion of a skit during
SOAR for incoming students.
Sexual assault is prevalent
enough that our institution
needs to make more of an effort
not only to teach students about
consent, healthy relationships
and boundaries but also to
make it a part of our mission
to help prevent such trauma in
our community.
Augsburg is “committed” to
educating our campus about
such issues, so DPS uses
the “Not Anymore” video
campaign program with the
hopes of giving our fellow
students and faculty the tools
to help reduce dating and
sexual violence. Although the
institution’s intentions are great,
without more advertisements
and promotion of the program,
most students won’t know that
this program even exists. We
can’t just rely on the school’s
websites, because if students
aren’t aware of what is readily
available to them, they most
likely won’t actively seek out
the information that is at
their fingertips.
If you did not know,
Augsburg partners with The
Aurora Center at the U of M
to provide support groups for
Augsburg and U of M students
who have experienced sexual
assault, dating violence and
stalking. Aurora has been a
great escape for not only myself,
but countless others who
had no place else to go. The
Sexual Violence Center (SVC)
located in North Minneapolis,
where I currently serve as
an advocate against sexual
violence, provides amazing free
services for both primary and
secondary victim/survivors
of sexual assault over the age
of 12. SVC serves Hennepin,
Carver and Scott counties
with 24-hour crisis counseling,
legal and medical advocacies,
as well as facilitating multiple
support groups and one-toone counseling.
It is important to understand
that victim/survivors of
sexual assault can suffer from
an extreme amount of posttraumatic stress, so if you know
anyone who has experienced
an assault remember to be very
patient and kind. There are
resources out there that assist
supporters in helping friends
or family. No one is alone.
Sexual violence truly does affect
everyone. What will you do
to help?
Lectures and exams still have a place
Prof. Joshua C. Miller, Contributor
An opinion piece entitled
“Midterm grading better not
take too long,” appeared in
the March 13 edition of the
Echo about the frustrations
students feel when professors
complain about having to
grade exams. I do think
the critique of professors’
complaints about having to
grade exams is helpful. I have
learned the hard way that I
have sometimes made too
much work for both myself
and my students. College is
still a learning process for
me too, and I learn from the
interaction and constructive
criticism of my students
all the time. This helps
me be a better teacher and
learner. Moreover, there is
something about a professor’s
complaining about doing his
or her job that demeans the
students, the professor, the
institution and the profession.
Yet, there is also something
to be said for exams and
lectures. The aforementioned
opinion piece argued that
midterm exams cannot
possibly assess a student’s
progress and that discussion
and small-group work are
better methods. The piece
asserted that group work can
help students make money
and synthesize new ideas
while “Neither of these
things has any possibility
of happening in the ageold ‘lecture and test’ class
format.” These statements
are too universal and fail to
take into account that exams
and lectures, along with other
formats, can be parts of a
bigger picture of learning.
Midterm exams, when written
well and accompanied by
other methods, can get the
big picture of what we are
learning in the first half of
a course. Notice that I say
“can,” not “will.” I must
write exams well, covering
the big picture and some of
the important details. I prove
nothing by testing students
on the most esoteric minutia
in a reading that I don’t cover
in class other than that I can
be a jerk. I don’t want to do
that. Instead, I want students
to be able to recognize things
that can be helpful later in
life as well as in the course.
For instance, I want them
to be able to know the five
pillars of Islam so that when
they talk to their neighbors or
colleagues who are Muslim,
they have an understanding
of Islam that goes beyond the
talking points of the media. I
know this can work, because
former students who have
graduated have thanked me
for it.
Group work and discussion
are valuable tools and should
be used well. Conversation
is a great way of coming to
understandings on topics in
class, especially in a religion
course. That does not mean
that these methods should
be the ONLY things in our
toolboxes. Some students
are hesitant to talk in class
for a variety of reasons but
have an excellent grasp of
the knowledge we’ve been
discussing in class. Those
students deserve to be able
to prove that to the professor.
Students have different
learning styles, and I want
to use a variety of methods
of assessment so that I can
grade fairly. Group work,
journaling, essays, discussion,
reading, responses and even
lectures and exams have
their place. I don’t want to
short-change my students
by relying too much on one
format, no matter which
format it is.
I disagree with the charge
that exams and lectures won’t
lead to students making
money. Skills developed
in test-taking and active
listening to lectures can
lead to success, even in the
business world. I say this
as an adjunct who also
has a job in the business
world. The ability to listen
attentively, even to something
you ultimately don’t care
about, can go a long way in
developing a good customer
service attitude. Employers
know this, and they look
for it. Something similar
can be said about taking an
exam. Doing something you
don’t like, performing under
time constraints develops
you as a human being and
worker—it demonstrates
what Hemmingway called
“grace under pressure.”
The ability to perform from
memory under pressure and
to do so with a minimum of
complaining makes you a
better employee, colleague
and a better person all
around. In the business
world, I have tests all the
time, and the ability to take
them has served me well and
helped me to advance. Yes,
it has even helped me get a
raise or two.
Lectures and exams, when
used in conjunction with
discussion and group work,
can help synthesize new
ideas. I know that from my
experiences teaching and
listening to the feedback of
my students. Learning is a
two-way street though, and I
as a professor learn every day
from my students. I expect
my students to do their part
in the learning experience,
but I also seek to honor them
with careful listening and
with timely feedback and
grading.
OPINIONS
Friday, April 10, 2015
Page 5
Surveying the privileged landscape
Riley Hunter, Staff Writer
On Saturday, April 11,
students from Com355: Small
Group Communication will
host discussions on the topic
of White Privilege (WP) from
3–5 p.m. in the Christensen
Center’s student lounge.
The discussions will take
place in 30 minute blocks,
each featuring screenings of
comedic videos covering WP,
as well as a brief PSA drawing
on student-conducted survey
results, setting the stage for
the discussion.
One of the many great
things about Augsburg is that
faculty find ways to build our
mission of service and emphasis
on social justice into the
curriculum. Over the past few
months, three classmates and I
have taken a dive into the topic
of WP for our Activism Project,
one of the course requirements.
We distilled this topic down
from the colossal topics of
social justice and racism, and
though the topic of WP is still
enormous, it’s an experience we
can speak from as White people.
As Peggy McIntosh writes
in her 1989 essay “White
Privilege: Unpacking the
Invisible Backpack,” people
are socialized not to see racism
as the zero-sum game it really
is. Those in power, mostly
straight White cis-gendered,
able-bodied Christian males,
make decisions, control services
and distribute resources, and
both mounting research and
anecdotal testimony shows
that racial biases are expressed
in these areas, often at an
unconscious level.
We live in a world of
finite resources—good jobs,
houses, etc.—so when one
group of people is allocated
a disproportionately large
share, others are allowed less
by default. The takeaway here
is twofold—firstly, racism is
intimately connected to the
advantages White people have in
the United States, and secondly,
it operates at an everyday
level far removed from the
black-and-white examples of
mythologized KKK and NeoNazi fanaticism.
Our project began with an
informal survey to find out
what people thought about
WP in our geographical,
generational and educational
communities. We gathered
demographic data from,
and posed video-based and
generalized questions to, a
sample of 173 people. I will
be the first to call attention
to the weaknesses of our
methodology: pushing a selfreport survey to a convenience
sample is hardly a sign of
academic rigor. However, we
collected data from a large
sample, especially considering
the resource limitations of our
research, which include time
(short) and budget (nonexistent).
We asked participants to
view three short comedy
videos that each unpack part
of WP. The videos in question
were a College Humor short
(“Diet Racism”), an SNL
bit (“Whites”), and a Louis
CK standup routine (“Being
White”). The videos take
a comedic approach to the
issue of racism and white
privilege and differ in their
approaches, the first taking
a look at everyday, detaillevel interactions in which
oppression manifests (known
as micro aggressions), while the
others examined institutional
advantages to whiteness.
The vast majorit y of
respondents reacted to the
videos positively, rating them
as “accurate,” “relatable,”
“humorous,” with few rating
them as “offensive.” The
majority of participants also
agreed that WP exists (73%),
which was a comforting
takeaway. However, there
was some disagreement
about exactly how that takes
form. While 87% identified
as White, only 33% said they
“significantly benefit” from
Gender-based violence on Augsburg campus
Shauna Greischar, Contributor
March 8 was International
Women’s Day. This year,
Human Rights Watch wanted
to create awareness of women
and girls with disabilities. This
is important because there is a
lack of awareness of individuals
with disabilities and how they
are at risk. Individuals with
disabilities have the same rights
as anyone else and should be
able to access all the resources
they need to prevent genderbased violence.
According to Human Rights
Watch, women with disabilities
are disproportionately more
vulnerable to gender-based
violence and are four times
more likely to experience
violence in their lifetimes.
There needs to be more
educational opportunities for
everyone to learn about genderbased violence against women
and children with disabilities.
Augsburg is a diverse school
with many cultures, including
women with disabilities.
I am a woman wit h a
lear ning disability and have
lived first hand through genderbased harassment. I have been
impressed with the support
of the CLASS center for my
learning disability. As a woman
with a disability entering the
Augsburg campus four years
ago for the first time, I felt
vulnerable. I grew up in a small
Letter to the editor
Melissa Pascoe, Contributor
In a recent issue of the
ECHO, Jens Pinther wrote
about the problem of Nabo
employees using the name
that appears on the credit card
of the customer rather than
asking what the customer’s
name is. This small oversight
has big consequences for
Auggies and for Augsburg as
an institution that claims to
help mold us into ‘thoughtful
stewards’. Being thoughtful
means asking, not assuming.
It means respecting diversity
through asking questions
a c k nowled g i n g different
preferences and identities.
One of the things that
attracted me to Augsburg
is its commitment to social
justice, diversity, respect
and understanding. This
has proven very beneficial
to me as a person and as a
burgeoning professional. As
a senior social work major, I
feel incredibly lucky to get my
education here at a place that
has exposed me to and taught
me so much about people and
identities I will encounter as a
professional practitioner. But it’s
disheartening to know that at a
school that claims to embrace
WP, with 27% saying they
benefit “somewhat,” 9%
responding they benefit “a
little” and nearly a quarter
denying that they benefit at all.
While the vast majority rated
racism as a problem of some
seriousness in the United States,
nearly a fifth said that racism
harms Whites and people of
color (PoC) equally, with 82%
claiming that racism harms
both Whites and PoC. These
results show a divergence from
the sociological definition
of racism as requiring both
prejudice and power (to which
PoC largely do not have access)
and being institutional in nature.
I personally am looking
forward to some stimulating
discussion regarding WP in the
context of higher education and
in general. Dismantling racism
will require those with privilege
to leverage it to educate others,
which is an ongoing goal we
hope to strive towards with our
project and discussions. We’ll
see you there.
town with little diversity and
little support for individuals
with disabilities. Coming to
Augsburg, I was intimidated
by the classes and being in the
city. The CLASS office was an
amazing resource for me. They
could support me with audible
versions of my books and offer
notetakers, so if I missed what
the teacher said in class I didn’t
have to have anxiety about
falling behind.
Along with my disability, I
was new to the city and was
starting to experience cases
of harassment on the streets
when walking alone. Even on
Augsburg’s campus, I couldn’t
feel truly safe as a woman. I
feel there is a piece missing
at Augsburg about safety and
assisting individuals at all times.
At Augsburg, there is a "Dusk
until Dawn" policy where
DPS will only give escorts to
individuals when it is dark.
However, I am a commuter
student and an athlete, and
I come and go from campus
many times throughout the day.
Sometimes I would have to park
further away from campus than
I would like and passing cars
and pedestrians even during the
day would harass me.
If I called DPS for support, I
would get declined and left to
walk alone, feeling vulnerable.
There are many people in my
same position feeling vulnerable
and unsafe. I am officially a
senior at Augsburg and I was
taught that Augsburg is a place
for me to find my vocation.
However, I believe I should not
have to have my mind focused
on my safety when I am on and
around campus. International
Women’s Day was used to
bring awareness to the public
about the alarm of genderbased violence and the further
forgotten community of women
with disabilities. There needs
to be awareness at Augsburg
College about this issue because
I am a woman with a disability
who has experienced genderbased violence, and I’m not
alone.
diversity and intentional
inclusion, something so basic
can slip through the cracks.
I won’t claim to be an expert
on privilege, but I do know
that it’s a privilege and sign of
ignorance (intentional or not)
to not consider that a legal
name on a credit card may
be someone’s name. A lot of
assumptions are happening
when someone takes a credit
card and uses the name
written on it. As Auggies, we
should strive to rise above
making potentially harmful
assumptions. I am sure our
friendly Nabo employee meant
no harm, but that doesn’t
detract from the fact that a
lack of a simple policy (ask
the customer’s name) lead to a
harmful experiences for one of
our students. As a campus that
works for so much intentional
diversity, the institution should
take every precaution to assure
that every person who is here is
supported and comfortable.
Maybe it seems like a small
issue, assuming someone
goes by the name on a credit
card, but it can have really
big impacts. Asking what
someone’s name is rather than
assuming is another step we can
make to making our campus
more inclusive. We pride
ourselves on our involvement
and relationship with our
surrounding community.
Augsburg is a place where
I have been challenged to
think critically, to expand my
knowledge and to step out of
my comfort zone. And that
has been a vital experience
as a student and as a future
social worker. But as I prepare
to leave this campus and begin
my career, I want to know that
Auggies are continuing to learn,
to grow, and to be a safe and
educational place for all.
A&E
Friday, April 10, 2015
Page 6
“Better Call Saul” wins with its first season
Nick Pell, Staff Writer
When it was announced
roughly a year ago that Vince
Gilligan would be creating
a spin-off of “Breaking Bad”
starring Saul Goodman, I was
hesitant to say the least. The
character of Saul has been that
of a jokester on “Breaking Bad,”
always able to talk his way out
of any predicament which came
his way. The idea of him having
his own show seemed more
like a cash grab than anything.
However, when “Better Call
Saul” debuted just ten weeks
ago, it was evident that this
show would become a worthy
successor to “Breaking Bad,”
and, possibly, even surpassing it
one day.
Bob Odenkirk plays the clever
lawyer Saul Goodman. The
show takes place some years
before he meets Walter White
and Jessie Pinkman and before
he even goes by the name of
Saul Goodman, going instead
by Jimmy McGill. At this time,
Jimmy is a struggling lawyer
who is trying to live up to his
brother’s name and become a
respected lawyer in his own
right. It’s an interesting contrast
to the person fans of “Bad”
know. Jimmy tries to always
do the right thing and, while
his efforts are valiant, they are
ultimately futile as viewers
know which path Jimmy will
eventually go down.
Jonathan Banks reprises his
role as Mike Ehrmantraut, an
ex-police officer who is now
working the ticket booth of
a parking lot. This is where
Jimmy meets Mike and, while
the two don’t see eye-to-eye
initially, they do eventually
gain something of a respect
for one another by the season’s
end. Banks always does flawless
work as Mike, maintaining
the stoic seriousness of the
character while conveying
extreme emotion when it’s
called for, making him an
essential part of this ensemble
of characters.
Rhea Seehorn portrays
Jimmy’s friend and fellow
lawyer Kim Wexler. While it is
obvious that there is some sort
of history between these two,
it’s never really explored in the
utmost clarity. Kim ultimately
wants what is best for Jimmy
and becomes his confidant for
much of the season. Michael
McKean plays Chuck McGill,
Jimmy’s older brother who is
sick with some strange illness.
Chuck became one of the more
interesting characters over
the course of the season as he
became more of a mystery, and
ultimately more of a hindrance
to Jimmy’s success as the season
went on.
While there are some short
cameos from “Breaking Bad”
in the opening episodes, the
show truly does thrive from its
originality and from its ability
to stand on its own two feet
with these characters. One of
the more powerful episodes
from the season is the one
which gives Mike’s backstory.
It’s one of the darkest parts
about the show as it explains
what events created the Mike
Ehrmantraut of today, and it
truly is a sad series of events.
Without major plot spoilers, I
am going to dive into the finale,
as it is the capstone of the first
season. The finale has a very
different feel from the rest of the
season as it sees Jimmy return
to his hometown. The events
that take place here are much
different than the other episodes
and thus have a strange tone to
them, breaking the show away
from its drama and tensionfilled moments. There is a
moment in the finale, however,
in which Jimmy finds himself
at a crossroads. He can choose
to embraces someone’s vision
of him as “Slippin’ Jimmy,” a
con man, or continue striving
to achieve legal success as a
lawyer. It’s a neat scene to see
play out as the audience very
much wants to see Jimmy
become something different
than the man he is destined
to become.
“Better Call Saul” succeeds in
many areas. The show is able to
create a similar feel and tone as
“Breaking Bad” while making
itself stand out as unique. It also
gives us backstories to critical
characters in this universe.
With great twists, a likeable cast
and fantastic performances by
the entire major cast, “Better
Call Saul” proves itself to be a
worthy successor to the highly
successful “Breaking Bad.”
Nick Pell does reviews online at
youtube.com/ndpGAMES.
Augsburg Community Garden grows plants
and community
Blair Stewig, Staff Writer
The Augsburg Community
Garden, run by Campus
Kitchen, is open to any and all
volunteers for people interested
in growing and maintaining the
garden this coming summer.
The Augsburg Community
Garden was started in order
to give students, faculty, staff,
neighbors and community
organizations the opportunity
to learn how to grow their own,
fresh produce and to grow as
a community.
“Like most Cedar-Riverside
residents, I live in an apartment,
and have no green space of my
own,” said one community
member. “Being within three
blocks of a place where I can not
just see greenery, but create it, is
incredibly amazing, and makes
the neighborhood so much
more livable.”
The community gardens
serves as a place for everyone
to come together. They feature
farmers from Minnesota farms,
Ethiopia, Somalia, Vietnam
and Mexico—all of whom
garden together and share their
diverse skills and example with
one another, especially with
those who are just beginning
to learn how to garden. These
gardens give those who may
not have the resources such
as land, equipment, etc., the
opportunity for them to grow
and harvest food.
Another community member
said, “I don't live in a standalone single family house on
a piece of land, so sometimes
I feel like I am missing out on
that American dream-type
thing of having a yard. To me,
my plot in the community
garden is a place I can go to
participate in the time-honored
tradition of backyard gardening.
I love it.”
Instead of Campus Kitchen
attempting to grow food to
provide food for free, they
provide land, tools, water and
compost to anyone, so they take
ownership of their own space
and produce. Not only do they
have individual plots, but they
also have communal plots that
anyone and everyone has access
to—like the raspberry patch
along the sidewalk.
It does not take much to get
your own plot if you so choose.
Upcoming
Augsburg
Events
Friday, April 10
Zyzzogeton
2 to 4 p.m.
Oren Gateway Center
Carousel Play
7 p.m.
Tjornhom-Nelson Theater
Saturday, April 11
White Privilege PSA
Screenings & Discussions
3 to 5 p.m.
Student Lounge
Christensen Center
Monday, April 13
Assi Azzar Movie
Screening & Presentation
6 to 8 p.m.
Marshall Room
Christensen Center
Tuesday, April 14
PHOTO CREDIT: AUGSBURG COLLEGE
Campus Kitchen simply asks
that interested people have
a strong connection to the
Cedar-Riverside Community,
pay a contribution of $30 for
the year (with scholarships
available to cover the fee) and
volunteer at least four hours to
help maintain and improve the
entirety of the garden.
Applications for the 2015
garden plots are now open. One
can find the application for the
gardening community on the
campus kitchen page found on
the Augnet.
If you would like assistance
with the application or would
simply just like to learn more
or ask a few questions, you
can email campuskitchen@
augsburg.edu or can contact
Allyson at (612)-330-1624.
Paper applications can be
printed and sent to “Campus
Kitchen, 2211 Riverside Ave,
Campus Box 108, Minneapolis,
MN 55454.”
Campus Kitchen is able to
accept just about everyone that
applies and asks that if you
have any interested friends or
neighbors, please encourage
them to apply as well.
Lavender Celebration
4 to 5:30 p.m.
East Commons
Christensen Center
A&E
Friday, April 10, 2015
Page 7
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” to
open this weekend on campus
Del M. Logeais, Features Editor
This spring, Augsburg’s
theater department is putting
on the 1945 musical “Carousel.”
The music and lyrics are by
Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Hammerstein II respectively.
The show, directed by Darcey
Engen, music direction by
Sonja Thompson, opens Friday,
April 10, and will run through
Sunday, April 19.
“Carousel’s” story is really
one about a handsome and
romantically
sought-after
carousel barker, Billy Bigelow,
who falls in love with the
pensive and introspective
Julie Jordan, a factory worker,
after she pays a visit to
the carousel with best friend
Carrie Pipperidge.
It is revealed very early on in
the play that Billy struggles with
a number of deep-rooted mental
illnesses. He is consistently
very short-tempered and selfdeprecating in nature, and he
brings these things, for better or
for worse, into his romance with
Julie, all the while navigating
a complex relationship with
money and his work—
eventually losing his job.
These conditions come
together and provoke some
controversial subject matter
within the play, domestic
violence and suicide among
them. In 1945, when
“Carousel” was put on for
the first time, these things
were especially controversial,
so the script takes a very
hesitant and subtle approach to
deconstructing them, if it takes
any at all.
In the second act of the
musical, for example, Billy’s
daughter, Louise, poses a
question to Julie, her mother,
after being physically abused by
Billy: “But is it possible, Mother,
for someone to hit you hard like
that—real loud and hard—and
not hurt you at all?”
“It’s possible, dear—for
someone to hit you—hit you
hard—and not hurt at all,” said
Julie in the script.
As this series of lines,
among many others, glorifies
the experience of domestic
abuse, and is indisputably
problematic, the musical, when
put on in the modern-day,
has the potential to convey
a message to audiences that
is equally as problematic—
making “Carousel” somewhat
of a risk for venues everywhere,
Augsburg included.
For this reason, director
Darcey Engen, with the help of
“Carousel’s” cast and crew, is
making it a priority to wholly
deconstruct and place emphasis
on controversial themes in order
to transform the musical into
something of a commentary
on them.
Throughout the rehearsal
process, the cast has hosted
a number of guest speakers
with careers based in social
work and domestic violence
and participated in hours
worth of discussion and
dissection of the script and its
controversial themes.
“Darcey has done a great
job making us all hyper-aware
of the problematic themes
contained within the script
from the very beginning,” said
one member of the cast. “[The
cast] knew from the start that
Darcey would do something
brilliant and progressive with
the script. I wouldn’t want to
be part of the production if it
was in anyone else’s hands.
She’s great. The work we’ve put
in has been great. It’s not your
typical mid-1940s musical, and
that’s important.”
“We’ve created a unique
piece by taking an old musical
and adapting it for a more
modern message,” said actor
Riley Parham.
Augsburg students can
purchase tickets for “Carousel”
PHOTO CREDIT: WWW.AMAZON.COM
for $4, and the general public
for $12. Individuals interested
in reserving tickets for the
production should contact the
box office at 612-330-1257 or
online at http://www.augsburg.
edu/theater/current-season/
ticket-information/. Additional
information about the musical
and ticket reservations can
be found on the Augsburg
theater webpage.
Leslie Jamison reads as part of ACTC Visiting
Writer series
Mary Cornelius, Managing Editor
“There are a lot of things we
do before we have labels for why
we do them,” explained essayist
and novelist Leslie Jamison
to a packed audience last
Tuesday night. For Jamison,
her “thing” was writing about
pain, and specifically “how we
understand pain in the lives of
others…[and] how we make our
own pain legible.”
Although she did not know it
when she began, her uncollected
essays about pain and empathy
would grow into the critically
acclaimed essay collection
“The Empathy Exams,” which
was published in April 2014
by the Minneapolis-based
Graywolf Press.
Jamison spoke to a full
hall of students and faculty
at Macalester College in the
Weyerhauser Hall Boardroom
as one of the five Associated
Colleges of the Twin Cities
(ACTC) Visiting Writers this
year. During the hour-long
event, Jamison read two essays
from her book and answered
student questions about her
topics and writing habits.
The f irst essay she
read explored her personal
experience attending a
conference in support of
people living with Morgellons,
a disease that has had a
complicated relationship
with the medical community.
Many doctors, when diagnosing
Morgellons, list it as a
psychosomatic rather than
physical disorder, which is
upsetting for individuals
who feel their pain is being
discounted.
Jamison interviewed many
people who identify with
having the disease, and then she
expanded the conversation to
include the pain and potential
pain we all experience in
different degrees. “Fearing the
worst is worse than knowing
the worst,” Jamison said.
The second essay she read
was a personal reflection on
reading James Agee’s “Let Us
Now Praise Famous Men.”
Jamison quoted Agee, who said
his writing was “the effort to
perceive the cruel radiance of
what is.” To her, this perception
(focused, in Agee’s book, on
sharecroppers in the American
South during the Great
Depression) enabled empathy.
“Empathy is a contagion, and
Agee catches it and passes it to
us,” said Jamison.
During the question and
answer session that followed
the reading, students asked
Jamison about the difference
between writing fiction and
non-fiction and about how her
essay collection came together.
“The process is different [for
fiction and non-fiction],” said
Jamison.
“Non-fiction is external,
engaging with what is not me.
It is an encounter with the
self and not-self. The root is
beyond my control,” she said,
explaining how interviewees
giving answers she didn’t plan
for gave her an interesting and
challenging set of creative
constraints.
With fiction, she noted the
author has a more total control
of the content, and so a different
set of creative restraints. “The
motivating curiosities [behind
both fiction and non-fiction]
are the same, though,” said
Jamison, who added her work
dealt greatly with ideas of
consciousness.
The ACTC Creative Writing
Programs bring in 2–3 writers a
semester through their Visiting
Writer series, with each of
the five colleges hosting one
author per year. This past fall,
Augsburg hosted prolific and
award-winning poet Sean
Thomas Dougherty. The series’
past roster has included both
locally based authors, such as
University of Minnesota faculty
member Julie Shumacher
in April 2011, and national
names, like best-selling author
Cheryl Strayed in October 2012.
Strayed’s memoir, “Wild,” was
recently adapted into an Oscarnodded movie.
Kevin Moffett, the last author
in this year’s Visiting Writer
series, will read at Hamline
University on April 14 at 7:00
p.m. Moffett is the author of
two short story collections
and has won many awards for
his work, including the John
Simmons Short Fiction Award
and the Pushcart Prize.
FEATURES
Friday, April 10, 2015
Page 8
Derek Nikitas – Augsburg’s new MFA in Creative Writing Director
Andrew Jewell, Staff Writer
Augsburg’s MFA program
has settled on Derek Nikitas
to head its MFA in Creative
Writing. Nikitas will start
his position in August of
2015, taking over for the
current MFA director Cass
Dalglish, who will remain
an undergraduate professor
and a mentor in the MFA
program.
Nikitas is well known
for his novels in the thriller
genre, with his first two
novels being titled “Pyres”
and “The Long Division.” He
said greats such as Vladimir
Nabokov, Stephen King and
Franz Kafka influence his
writing the most.
Nikitas has been nominated
for an Edgar award by the
Mystery Writers of America
for his debut novel, “Pyres,”
a thrilling story of a 15-yearold girl, Luc. After her
father’s mysterious death,
Luc is dragged into the police
investigation. What makes
the tale unique, however,
is its focus on two different
narrating protagonists, Luc
and the police investigator
who is assigned to the case,
both of them women with
backgrounds far different
from Nikitas’ own. He
received positive reviews of
his writing for the book, and
his creativity is evident across
the whole novel.
In addition to experience
writing, however, Nikitas
has experience leading a
MFA program similar to
Augsburg’s. He led Eastern
Kentucky University’s MFA
Bluegrass Writer’s Studio,
which is a low-residency
program like Augsburg’s
MFA program. This is
far from his only teaching
experience, however. He also
taught creative writing at
the State University of New
York at Brockport and at the
University of Rhode Island.
He describes his short
fiction as “True Noir,” fiction
that focuses on existentialist
themes and often ends on
a very bitter note. While
he has experimented with
literary fiction, almost all
of his published works
involve crime or are mystery
novels. He is an enthusiastic
protector of genre fiction in
the academic setting, where
it is often frowned upon, even
here at Augsburg.
He is interested in the
interplay between language
and plot and has written
multiple blog posts on
this theme. Among these
academic essays, Nikitas
also writes about “Game
of Thrones” and other
genre fiction, something
he has a strong interest in
as a mystery writer. “I love
genre, but I love it not as an
end in itself,” he said about
the fiction genre. “I love it
PHOTO CREDIT: PLUS.GOOGLE.COM
as a boundary within which
a good writer can create
something rich, surprising
and fresh.”
While speaking on college
writing programs, Nikitas
said, “Teachers can help you
confront more quickly, more
consciously, the hurdles you
must overcome as a writer.
The same is true for great
books on the practice of
writing—and great works
of fiction—but there is
something to be said for the
personalized commentary
you get from your instructor."
Derek Nikitas will be
visiting the MFA residency
over the summer. His website
is located at dereknikitas.com
and his blog is dereknikitas.
blogspot.com.
Poet, activist Andrea Gibson visits the Twin Cities
Del M. Logeais, Features Editor
On Thursday, March
26, world-renowned poet,
spoken-word artist and
activist Andrea Gibson
visited the Twin Cities to
perform some of their poetry,
alongside musical artist Jesse
Thompson, for a packed
Cedar Cultural Center — just
blocks from the Augsburg
campus.
Gibson, bold and unafraid
in communicating their
personal truths, is really at
the forefront of the spokenword movement, providing
commentary on things such
as race, class, gender and
sexuality, among others.
The poet grew up in
Calais, Maine. They were
raised of the Baptist faith.
Gibson attended Saint
Joseph's College of Maine,
and participated in their first
open-mic in Denver after
moving to the city with a
longtime partner. A fourtime Denver Grand Slam
Champion, Gibson finished
fourth at the 2004 National
Poetry Slam, and went on to
finish third at both the 2006
and 2007 Individual World
Poetry Slams.
In 2008, Gibson became
the first poet ever to win the
Women of the World Poetry
Slam, held in Detroit. Since
then, they have published a
number of books, “Pansy”
being the most recent. They
have released a number of
records, and many of these
incorporate both poetry and
music. “Truce,” released in
2013, is the most recent of
these records.
When Gibson, providing
social
and
political
commentary on real issues
via their poetry, is not on the
road performing, they can be
found among other activists
as they are involved with
a wide variety of different
activist groups, including
Vox Feminista, which aims,
concerning oppression, to
“comfort the disturbed and
disturb the comfortable” on a
political level.
“I have spent the last
decade working with Vox
Feminista, a performance
group of radical artists
and activists bent on social
justice,”
Gibson
said,
speaking on what activism
meant to them in a recent
interview with Maya Brown
of the SPARK Movement.
“Vox’s motto is ‘To comfort
the disturbed and disturb
the comfortable.’ I consider
that every time I write a
poem, and I consider that
in my daily life. The year I
discovered spoken word was
the year I participated in
my first political action, and
perhaps that’s why the two
have always been intertwined
for me. In a culture full of so
much destruction, creativity
is in itself activism. That
said, I’m aware when I’m
writing that more is needed
than our words.”
Gibson often performs
at “Take Back the Night”
events, LGBTQIA oriented
events, various anti-war and
peace rallies, anti-Palestine
occupation rallies and events
aiming to deconstruct and
examine the wrongs of
capitalism, patriarchy, and
white supremacy. They,
too, are also the co-founder
of “STAY HERE WITH
ME,” an online community
that uses art and shame-free
discussions to aid in suicide
prevention.
Staying true to spokenword’s historical ties to
activism and radicalism,
Gibson plans to keep up
their work with the art form
for years to come. Those
interested in learning more
about the poet should visit
andreagibson.org.
Virgo (Aug. 23 - Sept. 22):
tad pushy. Although this can
be a helpful trait, it can also be
hurtful. Mind this.
Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18):
Horoscopes
Aries (March 21 - April 19):
Try to focus on the really
important things in your life.
Put emphasis on the positive.
Taurus (April 20 - May 20):
Something may trigger you
to make a move. Think before
you act, but don’t think too
hard.
Gemini (May 21 - June 20):
You may find yourself in
a situation where you have
to compromise or make a
sacrifice. Don’t be alarmed by
this.
Cancer (June 21 - July 22):
You may need to take
initiative. If you want
something, you must go for it.
If you don’t capture something
right away, then you may
miss out.
Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22):
If you give you will receive,
eventually. Patience is everything.
You tend to shut people out,
but recently there are a lot of
people trying to get in. Will
you let them?
Libra (Sept. 23 - Oct. 22):
You have a very strong
personality, coupled with
strong beliefs. This can make
for someone who is a force to
reckon with.
Scorpio (Oct. 23 - Nov. 21):
Like anyone, you can be a
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21):
You tend to love a number of
people. Don’t be afraid to show
this love to those whom you
care about.
Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19):
Be sure to look out for yourself—
and put yourself first. Don’t
be afraid to be a little selfish
sometimes.
Be sure to listen carefully to
those around you. You may
find some hidden messages.
Pisces (Feb. 19 - March 20):
Be bold, and don’t be afraid
to rock your true colors.