The Point Weeklypoint loma nazarene university

volume 42 | issue 11monday, december 9, 2013

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL WINS NCCA NATIONALSPG.8

HOW TO HAVE A CREATIVE CHRISTMAS

PG.6

BY KATIE CALLAHAN

STAFF WRITER

Sustain PLNU jumpstarts their anti-waste campaign today with a documentary showing of Jeremy Seif-ert’s “Dive!” in the hopes of reducing student overconsumption habits dur-ing the Christmas season.

“Waste is an issue that plagues all Americans as our culture seems to pro-mote a consumer mentality that results in the creation of excess waste,” said Sustainability Officer Sheena Tran via email. “The Environmental Protec-tion Agency estimates that the aver-age American produces 4.4 pounds of waste per day! With Christmas ap-proaching and consumption peaking this time of the year, we thought we would take this chance to educate stu-dents on how they can make less of an impact this season.”

Res Life will partner with Sustain PLNU for this anti-waste campaign which will inform students on how

best to distribute their waste with this documentary and donations in the dorms during finals week of books, school supplies, clothing, and extra nonperishable food which will be do-nated to San Diego Rescue Mission.

Junior Kirstie Hibbard, Tran’s of-fice assistant and the president of the Students for Environmental Action and Awareness Club (SEAA), which will host the movie screening, said the increased number of students on cam-pus have contributed to more waste in the dorm dumpsters, but that this action of educating students is more proactive.

“Right now, it’s not like we have this massive buildup of waste at Point Loma and our students are just horrif-ic,” said Hibbard. “It’s more that like, as Christians we’re called to be stew-ards of God’s creation, and we believe that our students are all committed and seem to have a purpose here, and just want to educate them on the fact

Sustain PLNU to educate students with anti-waste campaign

BY MARISSA HORNADAY

STAFF WRITER

The Roots of Giving fair trade mar-ket event held on Friday night welcomed local vendors to create a mini mall for students to do some Christmas shopping for friends and family, or to just buy some things for themselves. The event encour-

aged students to get back to the “roots of giving” this Christmas season by sup-porting local artists.

Thirty five vendors lined up on Caf Lane to share their handmade products with PLNU students and visitors. The event, hosted by the Fair Trade Club, was put on with funds from the Fair Trade Fund voted on and established last year

by the student body.“Our aim is to encourage students

and the surrounding community to prac-tice the intention of ethical consumption in a season of extreme consumerism,” said Haley Westergard, president of the Fair Trade Club. “We invite local busi-ness owners to be our vendors to show

PHOTO BY MARISSA HORNADAYNearly 500 people were estimated to have walked through the Roots of Giving fair trade market Friday evening on Caf Lane. The event was put on by the Fair Trade Club and sponsored by the Fair Trade Fund.

Fair Trade Fund sponsors gift market

SEE SUSTAIN, PAGE 2

The Point Weeklyday, month XX, 2013 volume 42 | issue XX

point loma nazarene university

see pg. 9 for coverage

SEE FAIR TRADE, PAGE 2

W O M E N ’ S V O L L E Y B A L L T E A M W I N S N A T I O N A L C H A M P I O N S H I PCIDER CELEBRATION

PHOTO BY SAM CHRISTOPHER Jene Johnson, Josh Miller and Alex Cosio-Santillan hosted the Cider Celebration event Friday and Saturday night with Christmas carols, dancing down the aisles of Crill Performance Hall and Buddy the Elf making an appearance. Singing groups Exol, Chorale, Women’s and Men’s Ensemble and Concert Choirs all per-formed as well as the a cappella groups Key of Sea and Pointless joining together for one song.

Students, professors reflect on Nelson Mandela’s legacy

NELSON MANDELA

BY ABBY HAMBLIN

STAFF WRITER

Beyond the headlines, celebrity tweets and instagrammed photos, there is a deeper and richer story to be told in response to the death of South Africa’s first black president and anti-

apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.It is a story that might mean some-

thing different to Americans than to South Africans, or to wealthy South Africans than to poor South Africans (whether that be among similar or dif-ferent races).

Mandela’s story was first under-stood by PLNU sociology professor Jamie Gates, through the perspective of his Nazarene missionary parents, while growing up in South Africa.

“The word among the evangeli-cal missionaries at the time was that Mandela was a terrorist, a commu-nist, an atheist and a dangerous man,” said Gates, who also directs PLNU’s Center for Justice and Reconciliation. “Of course, this is the perspective that was being fed to us through the news media, and through the dominant per-spective in the Reagan and Thatcher administrations of the day. The truth was far more complex.”

SEE MADELA PAGE 2

2 | NEWS the point weekly | monday, december 9, 2013

¬Robert Gailey, a PLNU business professor who also lived in South Africa for a few years as a Nazarene missionary son, experienced something similar.

“I remember after he was released from prison and before he became president some other missionar-ies telling me he was dangerous and would ruin South Africa if he ever be-came president,” Gailey, who directs PLNU’d Center for International De-velopment, said via email.

Mandela, who passed away on Dec. 5 in Johannesburg, South Africa, led a political party called the African National Congress, which was consid-ered a terrorist group by the Reagan Administration of the 80’s.

“Mandela was critical of super-power around the world and critical of the United States for bullying other people,” Gates said. “He was friendly to socialist governments around the world that have really strong social safety nets, he was friendly toward unions and people having a voice on the job – all of which flies in the face of dominant culture of the United States. He was also critical of capitalism.”

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for his mostly peaceful but partly vio-lent resistance to apartheid. Apartheid was the system of rule in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, developed by a white ethnic group known as Afrikan-ers in power under the National Party to segregate non-whites.

He was released from prison in 1990 and worked with South Africa’s presi-dent at the time to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994. In those same elections, he was selected as the country’s first black president.

Many feared that Mandela would

use his new power to seek revenge or justice now that apartheid had ended. But Mandela went on television and reassured the white population that any future black government would never act with retribution or malice toward the whites who had oppressed them for half of a century.

“This sense of ubuntu - a sort of interdependence and mutuality in our humanity - dominates in South Af-rican culture,” said Lindsay Lupo, a PLNU political science professor who helps lead the university’s summer study abroad trips to South Africa, via email. “I think it’s because of Mandela and other leaders of the resistance movement. I have seen this each time I’ve been to South Africa, as whites continue to speak with such high re-gard for Mandela - even though they used to call him a terrorist.”

Daniel Mutowa, a PLNU fresh-man born in Zimbabwe, but who lived in South Africa from 2008-2013, ex-plained that there is still some racial tension in the country, but that his generation has learned the true mean-ing of unity. He said it took a while for the parents of a white friend of his to accept him into their home.

“He [Mandela] teaches to forgive those that have wronged you. He teaches what the Bible teaches,” Mu-towa said. “I think they understand what Mandela did for the people. Uni-ty was Nelson Mandela’s goal for the country and my friends there live by that rule. They do not discriminate.”

Fidele Sebahizi, a 31-year-old freshman and groundskeeper at PLNU from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said Mandela’s impact can be felt not only in South Africa, but for the entire continent of Africa.

“Mandela was very known in my country,” Sebahizi said. “He was a

model of democracy, though we have none in the country. To me, I compare Mandela to George Washington. He is the father of African democracy, if there would be any.”

Though Mandela’s passing is rec-ognized as the loss of a national symbol of hope, and a world leader the likes of which are few in the new millennium, Gates said his legacy is bigger than the person of Nelson Mandela.

“I don’t consider Mandela a saint in the Christian sense. I consider him a mentor,” Gates said. “Here’s somebody who made some really grotesque mis-takes and some decisions I cannot agree with along the way, but somehow, God used this particular person, in the mid-dle of a very violent and complex history to bring about some justice and recon-ciliation…In a world that is so desperate for some kind of hope, you look at his life and you say, ‘there’s something there that I want to be.’

Gailey said the fact that Mandela was initially recognized by many as a terrorist, but then in recent days has been revered worldwide in such a pos-itive light, has opened his eyes to ways he might have been blinded in the past. This also causes him to re-eval-uate where he finds information, who he listens to, and what biases and as-sumptions exist in different situations.

“The benefit of hindsight allows for that - and should make us all cau-tious about standing so firm in our beliefs that we do not listen carefully to those who are suffering or margin-alized (rather than to leaders in power - on either side of a debate),” Gailey said via email.

Gates, who will host a screening of “Have You Heard From Johannesburg” Tuesday at 3 p.m., hopes to discuss Mandela’s legacy with PLNU students and explore what it really means in the

span of history and for the future.“The day we learned of his death

one of my comments was, ‘Oh Lord, I pray we don’t turn him into a boulevard. Everywhere I go, Martin Luther King Boulevards are in the poor neighbor-

hood that haven’t been taken care of like King would have wanted them to be,” said Gates. “It’s time to mourn him but it’s also time to pick up where he left off and live out his legacy.”

the alternatives we have at our disposal.” The Christmas light-wrapped palm

trees and Christmas tree on sunset deck gave the event a holiday feel. There was also live entertainment by PLNU stu-dents and alumni for shoppers to enjoy

Christmas music. The event, sponsored by the Center for Justice and Reconcilia-tion, was free for students and vendors and went from 6pm-10pm.

Artist Elizabeth Pina’s booth con-tained wood-burned art that she made. She sold decorated wood crosses, skulls, and many other pieces of original art.

“I love the event and the title; it goes

along with what I believe,” Pina said. “The products are all handmade and they’re one of a kind.”

For shopper’s entertainment, there were crafts and a photo booth with fun Christmas accessories. Although it was a cold night, that didn’t stop people from enjoying free ice cream from the Ben and Jerry’s truck and tacos from Delicioso’s Mexican food truck

parked at the end of Caf LanePLNU freshman Bethany Gray came

to the event looking for earrings to give to her mom for Christmas. Gray said that the fact that it was a fair trade market in-trigued her to check it out.

“I like to support artists from around here and I’d rather spend a few extra dol-lars knowing it’s going to a good cause.”

The Fair Trade Club estimated that nearly 500 people came to check out the fair.

“I was so excited about how the event turned out,” Westergard said. “It was the first time we had food trucks and the event as a whole seemed to be a hit. I was very pleased by how smooth the whole ordeal took place.”

that environmental issues are impor-tant and they do have a responsibility to take a part in that.”

Erin Andersen, employed by Sus-tain PLNU and a senior environmental science major, said that it is the job of students to be responsible consumers, not “mindless wasters” on a campus that affords us oceans and natural beauty.

“In order to allow our grandchil-dren to delight in the beauty of the

earth as we can, it’s our duty to be-come responsible consumers,” she said via email. “At PLNU we want to foster a conscious community of con-sumers. It’s recognizing what you buy and how it’s going to affect the world when you’re done with it.”

Assistant Director for Residential Life and RD of Goodwin Hall, Jake Gilbertson, said Res Life’s partnership with Sustainability and Campus Fa-cilities ensures that sustainability is a priority on campus in the dorms.

“I think our role becomes really -

this is a university priority - how can we live this out best in our residence halls, how can we educate students, how can we allow them to know what’s going on, where stuff goes and how they can best help us in those efforts,” said Gilbertson. “Students obviously care about this. Our student body wants this to be as sustainable a place as possible.”

The other event, the donations in the dorm lobbies during the week of finals, will shift to be more “gender balanced” this year, contrasting previ-

ous efforts of “My Sister’s Closet” in the girls’ dorms. Bins will be collected by San Diego Rescue Mission. Hib-bard said that this effort could begin that change in mindset that Sustain PLNU is going for.

“[O]ur idea in doing that [the do-nations] is just helping students be-come aware that the things that they would normally consider waste and that they don’t need anymore can totally be used again. It’s kind of this idea of reuse and reduce, even before recycle,” she said.

Ultimately, the goal of this effort is to create an awareness of sustainability efforts on campus as a way to engage students in personal change of habits.

“We hope to see a decrease in the overall waste produced on our campus, but moreover to instill an understand-ing of stewardship in each individual who is involved in the PLNU commu-nity,” said Tran.

FROM PAGE 1

SUSTAIN

FROM PAGE 1

FAIR TRADE

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONSNelson Mandela, right, shakes hands with Fredeirk de Klerk, the final president of the apartheid era.

FROM PAGE 1

MANDELA

BY MARISSA CHAMBERLAIN

STAFF WRITER

This year at PLNU, Christmas cel-ebrations have started early with new campus-wide decorations. Kathy Con-ner, grounds manager of the Physical Plant, is the head of this effort on behalf of Campus Facilities.

But the campus decorations have not been around forever. Director of Campus Facilities and Sustainability, Bruce Kunkel said when he first came to PLNU two years ago, he was “im-pressed by the beauty of the campus

but was surprised at the minimalistic approach to decorating for Christmas.”

Following Christmas last year, Kunkel decided to ask George Latter, vice president for finance and admin-istration, if more decorating could be done. Latter agreed and they began making plans.

“Sometimes it takes someone like Bruce, who came here a couple years ago from another Christian university and with a fresh set of eyes, to make one aware of these things,” Latter said.

Campus grounds get Christmas makeover

PHOTO BY MARISSA CHAMBERLAIN

SCREENING OF “HAVE YOU HEARD FROM JOHANNESBURG”

- Film screening and discussion

- Led by professor Jamie Gates

- Tuesday 3 p.m. in Rohr Religion and Sociology building

FEATURES | 3

featuresmonday, december 9, 2013 | the point weekly

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

BY AMY WILLIAMS

STAFF WRITER

Christmas is fast approaching and with that means we also receive all of the joys of Christmas stress. Many believe that the purpose of Christmas has gotten lost in the entire consumer-driven hype but there is a way to get past that and prepare for the real reason for the season — advent.

Advent, according to american-catholic.org, comes from the Latin word for “arrival” or “coming,” and is a period of preparation for the birth of Christ. The Advent season starts four Sundays before Christmas and is celebrated in the churches of many Christian denominations.

“Advent is a powerful call of the church to practice life in a deeper way in this season,” said Mary Paul, vice president for spiritual development, via email. “While there are multiple messages of increased busyness and in-creased consumerism… advent is this call to slow down, turn towards God anew, seeking to prepare ourselves to receive the presence of Christ in ever deeper ways.”

As a Christian university, PLNU celebrates advent by having special

practices in chapel services. On Dec. 6, the Re:Focus chapel was broken up into the four main themes of the ad-vent season: hope, peace, joy and love.

Some professors like literature professor, Karl Martin, have also found ways to include celebrating Ad-vent in their everyday life despite the hectic schedules.

“In the midst of all of my busyness, I need to try and find time just to be quiet and reflect on what it means that God sent his Son,” said Martin via email. “In my chosen profession, Advent is always going to coincide with the end of fall se-mester and final exams. I cannot afford to wait until I am no longer busy to ac-knowledge Advent; I have to find ways to acknowledge the season in the midst of my busyness.”

Because the advent season always occurs around the close of the semes-ter, students can often get lost in finals and finishing class work. Dillon Kane, a senior literature major, finds that this is the time when he recognizes his need for God the most.

“Maybe Advent is during this time of the year because that’s when we need it the most, when we are incred-ibly busy,” said Kane. “So that’s when we need to take a deep breath and pre-pare to get to work. I need to remem-

ber to be thankful for life.”Michael Lodahl, theology profes-

sor at PLNU, says that advent marks the beginning of the church’s calendar year and represents a time where people should pause from their lives and pre-pare to receive the coming of the Christ.

“It’s a way of marking time that…ideally, should reorient us away from the secular observance of ‘Christmas’ and toward an intentional structuring of our lives, hopes and days toward God’s great gift of Jesus to renew cre-ation,” said Lodahl via email.

Many students buy advent cal-endars with the chocolates inside of them and use it as the countdown to Christmas but now students can know that Advent is something more than just a countdown.

Remembering Christ, celebrating Advent

PHOTO BY OLIVIA MOWRYAdvent is being celebrated in PLNU’s chapel services with a candle wreath, a Christian tradition that symbolizes the passage of the four weeks of Advent in the liturgical calendar.

“Jesus does not flee from your filth.”

- Kenny Ortega speaking in Time Out on Dec. 4.

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4 | FEATURES the point weekly | monday, december 9, 2013

BY MIRANDA BROWN

STAFF WRITER

As the semester winds down, stu-dents are keeping up with the portal to make sure they complete all their chapel credits. But when classes reconvene in January, those who are interested will have another opportunity to get in-volved with leading music for chapel.

George Williamson, director of worship ministries, begins each se-mester with an informational meeting, where he shares his testimony and fo-cuses on the responsibilities that come with leading worship.

“I wasn’t walking with God with any integrity my freshman and part of my sophomore year, but one of my friends was a worship leader and

he would invite me to play some-times,” said Williamson. “I did it for ego reasons, for people to see I was a musician.”

He stresses the importance of liv-ing with integrity and honoring God consistently in all areas of life.

“I’d love to talk a bunch of people out of [leading worship] in that meet-ing,” he said. “If your desire of things of the flesh is stronger than things of the spirit, don’t masquerade and be involved in such a visible ministry like chapel.”

After the initial meeting, students play through a few songs with William-son individually. He assesses their musi-cal ability and preparation, then selects a pool of students for worship interns to choose from to lead each week. This se-

mester, about 100 students comprise the overall group of musicians, but 25 to 30 make up the smaller core who are most often selected.

“I think we definitely gravitate toward choosing people that we have relationships with,” said worship in-tern Orin Mozon. “But we also en-courage one another to give people opportunities that don’t get a chance to play all the time and to change up who we do use.”

The seven students who work as worship interns run the show, more or less. They are the ones who lead every week and they put together set lists, media for slides, prayers and Bible verses to accompany the music.

They also meet weekly to critique

each chapel. The positions are not ad-vertised but Williamson sends applica-tions at the end of the year to students who have expressed interest.

“If you’re interested in being an in-tern, you have to make yourself known to George and then keep telling him you’re interested,” said intern Jenae Loofbourrow. “I’ve been completely humbled and so honored to stand in front of the congregation and use the talents God’s given me. I’ve loved be-ing under George’s mentoring and learning how to lead a congregation.”

For other musicians who are not interns, involvement includes a two-hour rehearsal the night before chapel and about an hour of morning practice whenever they play, which is generally

once a week or less.“I’ve learned a lot about what it

means to praise,” said sophomore musician James Bishop. “I’m leading worship on campus, so I want to be someone who expresses true worship. I learned worship isn’t what you do; it’s who you are. And it doesn’t end when we leave Brown Chapel.”

Bishop says one of the most beau-tiful sights is when he stands on the stage leading worship and watches people in the crowd.

“When I look out and see people genuinely worshipping, it makes my heart jump,” he said. “It’s the most beautiful sight, more beautiful than the ocean.”

PHOTO BY KIMBERLY MILLERA student worship band rehearses for a chapel service in the practice room of Brown Chapel. They are part of a group of 100 students who lead worship for every Chapel. From left: Hailey Fulcher, Sarah Victor, Curtis Northam, Jon Infranco, James Bishop and Orin Mozon.

Those who lead us in worship

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAREN EISENHUTJunior social work major Pedro Hernandez and PLNU Study Abroad Advisor Karen Eisenhut visit Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, Rus-sia. The palace was the summer residence of the Russian czars. Hernandez is studying through the American Institute for Foreign Study in Saint Petersburg.

STUDY ABROAD PHOTO OF THE WEEK

“Russia has a beautiful

culture and language and I

am able to see more than

1,000 years of history here.

Talking to people from all

over the world has helped

me discover how global

this earth is becoming and

how our actions affect the

future generations. I have

a more global view of my

life and am learning how

important it is to serve

God to ensure the future of

the people on this earth.”

- Pedro Hernandez

Abroad in

RUSSIA

FEATURES | 5monday, december 9, 2013 | the point weekly

BY BRONWYN HENDRY

STAFF WRITER

“23 and so tired of life,” was the lyric that struck a cord with then 23-year-old Lindsey Lupo as she was driving north on the I-5 freeway one evening after work.

Lupo, now a political science pro-fessor at PLNU, was working in com-mercial real estate when she realized her career was not feeding her soul. It was only a Dave Matthews song, but

the lyric prompted a change of heart in Lupo and ultimately took her back to the classroom and the pursuit of a new career in teaching.

Lupo, along with others, shared her story at a round table discussion in Colt Hall on Dec. 3 as a launch for the new book “Results May Vary.” Communi-cations professor Melissa Gentzkow-Lazaro, philosophy professor Heather Ross, Vice President of Spiritual De-velopment Mary Paul and Lupo all contributed essays to the book. Lead by journalism professor Dean Nelson, the women shared pieces of their life stories and joined in conversation with those who attended the event.

“Results May Vary” is a book of essays reflecting on Christian wom-en’s lives post college. A long work in progress, it finally came to fruition from the efforts of both the depart-ment of Discipleship Ministries and the Center for Women’s Studies. The book stands as a way to break down the false perception that there exists a “one size fits all” mold for what it takes to be a successful Christian woman.

Co-editor of the book and Director of the Margaret Stevenson Center for Women’s Studies Linda Beail explained that “Results May Vary” is not just an-other self-help book but instead a col-lection of stories to help illuminate and advise young individuals on the seem-ingly scary post-college world.

“We always start at the conclusion of ‘it all worked out’,” said Beail during her introduction to the event. “But this book exposes the nitty gritty of real life.”

The four women who spoke at the event discussed a wide array of topics such as dating, marriage, family issues, friendships, sexuality, motherhood and career life, all within the larger context of faith and spirituality. Their answers were wise yet authentic, injected with a healthy dose of wit and humor. The vast life experiences of each woman provide a platform and high degree of credibility to speak truth into young women’s lives during this transitional time.

When a student asked if the women had ever experienced failure, Gentzkow-Lazaro was quick to re-count the story of changing her major

and coming to terms with not pursu-ing medicine, like she had planned for since age five.

“My performance had everything to do with my value as a person,” she explained. It was only through a good support system, prayer, on campus in-volvement and many trips to the well-ness center that her situation began to look less bleak.

The philosophy of Ross is simple as she says to “do crap you have pas-sion for and that makes you happy.”

Paul echoed that same notion, encouraging students to “engage in imagining” and to “breath deep, know you’re okay and keep knocking on doors to see which ones will open.”

All four women agreed that there is not a single formula for the post-college life but many different ways to live a faith-filled life as a woman of Christ.

For more in-depth musings from these and several other intelligent women of faith, pick up a copy of “Results May Vary”, now available for purchase in Smee Hall for $15.

“Results May Vary” book launchGREY AREA

The Supreme Court recently took a case involving a dispute over

insurance coverage for contraceptives and religious liberty.

Under the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare, private religious universities

could be required to offer insurance coverage for birth control and other reproductive health services. Many

believe that religious schools should not be forced to offer services that contradict their faith. Should a government health care plan force schools like PLNU to

provide contraceptives?

I don’t think it should be included in health insurance. Someone is going to have to pay for it. It is the person’s responsibility to get it but at their own expense. But the government should not force it to be a part of the healthcare coverage. Not everyone needs it. There are other drugs we should be enforcing.Amy Cyr, Sophomore

the black the white and the in between.

Compiled by Nikki Holguin

BY MIRANDA BROWN

STAFF WRITER

We had our consumerism calendars all marked out last week. There was Thanksgiving Thursday, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Mon-day, Giving Tuesday … What were we missing? Goodwill Wednesday.

And what better way to revitalize the thrifting trend than to do so with

Christmas cheer? My agenda: I needed a white el-

ephant gift for my hall’s Christmas party this weekend and I was on the lookout for the perfect comfy Christ-mas sweater. Of course, I kept my eye out for gifts for friends and family, but that’s the kind of thing you just have to have an open mind about. You’ll know it when you see it.

Right when I pulled in, I knew I was

at the right place. The small parking lot off of Rosecrans Street had plenty of open spaces to choose from. Good-will seemed untouched by the crowded frenzy that characterizes most stores this time of year.

It wasn’t lacking in the Christmas cheer department, though. Cartoonish trees, snowflakes and phrases like “Sea-sons Greetings” decorated the windows and inside, Christmas trees, various San-tas and holiday decor lined the walls.

After fawning over baby shoes, I start-ed at the back wall: Christmas cups. I’m a sucker for mugs, but I managed to get through without picking one up (although I was eyeing a cute reindeer one).

Next stop: Christmas knick-knacks. Among angel ornaments and Christmas tree-shaped platters, I spotted a small, decorative metal tree with little orna-ments hanging on it. I could just picture it sitting in a dorm room. Perfect for a white elephant gift.

I kept walking and items transi-tioned away from holiday themes. I picked up a blue speckled jar that said “spare change.” I thought of the two dollars I forgot to pay my mom back over break. “Somebody in my family could use this,” I thought.

I made my way around the rest of the store. Christmas blankets and pillows?

Maybe not. I skimmed through the famil-iar clothing aisles – long racks arranged by categories and sorted by colors.

Finally, I made it to the coat and jacket aisle. My Christmas sweater was waiting in there somewhere, just wait-ing to be picked up, purchased and worn to the last few chilly Time Outs, to some inevitable Christmas Sweater event, to a late-night study session … the possibilities were endless. But sad-ly, the section was dominated by stiff coats and a few old sports team sweat-shirts. I landed on a light cardigan and an oversized, comfy green and black sweater. Close enough.

Having second thoughts about the Christmas tree decoration, I gravitat-ed to the back again and added on a two-dollar Christmas mug. I can never say no to those.

Selections in hand, I headed to the check out (no line). Total damage was just $17.95. Not too bad. I noticed a sign that said 10 percent off for the military, elderly or students with an ID. I mentioned to the woman at the check out that I was a student but for-got my ID and she smiled and said, “Maybe next time.”

Second-hand Sunday anyone?

Christmas shopping at Goodwill

Yeah. It’s all part of health care plans. I think using birth control prevents a lot more problems then not using it. And honestly, I would rather have school be forced to give birth control because it prevents people at this stage in their life from having a child. -Colton Quick, Senior

I don’t think the government should force anyone to do anything that goes against their values, especially something as sensitive as birth control and handling ones own body.-Letty Hernandez, Senior

It is wrong for the government to force that. Birth control is something we don’t need. There are other drugs that we need to support. We should spend that money that is covering birth control on drugs people really need. We are supporting people’s poor choices.-Taylor Christopher, Junior

I think it is okay to have universities like PLNU cover health insurance for birth control, because some people use birth control for other reason like acne, controlling menstrual cycle and weight. Also, there are students who are married who could want birth control. -Rachelle Plaisted , Junior

I don’t think it is okay. I think Obamacare is crap. Absolute crap. It’s providing a lot of people with healthcare, but who is paying for that? I don’t support Obamacare, much less it providing birth control to students.-Trenton Smith, Senior

Without fully analyzing the all the factors involved, I do not think it is a good idea for the central government to obligate private schools to provide birth control. Projecting the government’s acceptance of these control methods onto other institutions reduces the religious/biological/social questions that should be asked concerning this issue.-David McKeithen, Senior

PHOTOS BY KIMBERLY MILLERAt a round table discussion on Dec. 3, contributors to the book “Results May Vary” shared their thoughts on life after college as a young, Christian woman. The book is a project developed by Discipleship Ministries and the Center for Women’s Studies here at PLNU.

Linda Beail holds “Results May Vary,” the book she co-edited.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MIRANDA BROWNShopping at the thrift store Goodwill, Brown found many seasonal gifts and Christmas inspired clothing items, like this mini Christmas tree.

Creative ChristmasWhether you’rE heading out or staying in, here are some ideas to help you get creative this holiday

Rare Exports (2010)There has always been something unsettling about the idea of an im-

mortal, fat old man who “sees you when you’re sleeping.” But what if that immortal, fat old man was actually an ancient demon that not only watched you in your sleep, but kidnapped and murdered you, too?

Trading Places (1983)Christmas has never been more hilarious, as superstar comedians Eddie

Murphy and Dan Akroyd are subjected to a cruel nature vs. nurture experi-ment that will have you rolling on the floor in fits of ho-ho-hos.

Black Christmas (1974)Halloween may get most of the slasher flicks, but Christ-

mas got the best one. Considered by many to be the best in its genre, “Black Christmas” is the thoroughly creepy and satisfyingly scary story of a sorority house terrorized by a mysterious murderer.

A Christmas Tale (2008)This French film about a family coming together just in time for

Christmas is filled with awkward romances, drunken outbursts and all other manners of dysfunction—in other words, it’s the most genuine Christmas movie you’ll ever see.

Where God Left His Shoes (2007)“Where God Left His Shoes” is the tale of a down-and-out boxer trying to provide

for his family on Christmas Eve. It is probably too heartbreaking for most people’s tastes, but the film is an honest reminder to not take anything for granted.

Joyeux NoEl (2005)Based on the true story of French, German and British World War

I soldiers who called a ceasefire for Christmas Eve, “Joyeaux Noël” (French for “Merry Christmas”) will please war movie fans and those seeking the warm fuzzy feelings of the holidays.

Silent Night (2002)The joy of Christmas is in knowing that hope and light can

come from the darkness. That is the message of “Silent Night,” a film set in the time of World War II with a profound message about loving your enemy and creating peace on Earth.

The Ice Harvest (2005)John Cusack plays Charlie, a Midwest mob lawyer who has an

awfully busy Christmas Eve. Some of the things on his to-do list: cheat, steal, lie and kill. That’s the Christmas spirit! “The Ice Har-vest” is goofy, gruesome and just good fun.

Brazil (1985)This strange science-fiction/fantasy is without a doubt the best un-Christmas mov-

ie ever made. Its Orwellian jabs at holiday commercialism are perfect thematic tools for the message of freedom, individualism and imagination.

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1957)With all the heartwarming moments and none of the

schmaltz of standard yuletide fare, this story of a homeless New Yorker and his holiday antics will delight anyone looking for an alternative Christmas classic.

Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)Christmas musicals have always been overshadowed by “The Sound of Music,” but “Um-

brellas of Cherbourg” is an underappreciated classic musical worthy of consideration. The story plays out like one continuous love song and the big, snowy finale is one of the most moving conclusions in cinema.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)This movie isn’t exactly Christmas-centric, but it’s a

great excuse to watch a sharp, witty murder mystery that happens to take place during the holiday season. “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” is a peculiar mash-up of Neo-Noir cynicism and the glitziness of commercial Christmas.

Non-traditional holiday moviesIt’s that time of year again, when your TV is flooded with the nauseating sentimentality of Christmas movies. Ok, so maybe there are some great classics like

“Miracle on 34th Street” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but after a dozen viewings even those start to lose their magic. So, if you love Christmas movies but want

something new, here are some great titles you may have missed.

Creative ChristmasWhether you’rE heading out or staying in, here are some ideas to help you get creative this holiday

Non-traditional holiday eventsDecember Nights is so mainstream. Get creative this Christmas and try out some of these events

instead! Here is a list of some of San Diego’s most interesting options for celebrating the holidays!

Helen Woodward’s Frosty Farm EventLocation: Helen Woodward Animal Center, Rancho Santa Fe, CAWebsite: www.animalcenter.orgFrom Dec. 7-15 on weekends, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Helen Woodward Animal Center, an animal rescue fundraising event takes place that has holiday fun for anyone. The event includes an Ice Palace Maze, horse “reindeer”, a variety of farm animals to visit, crafts, face painting, the one-and-only Santa and snow. Adults are $9 and kids $20. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukah, there is winter fun all over the farm.

World Beat Center Kwanzaa CelebrationLocation: World Beat Cultural Center, Balboa Park, San Diego, Calif.Website: worldbeatcenter.orgStarting on Friday, Dec. 26 and continuing until Sunday Dec. 28 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the World Beat Cultural Center in Balboa Park hosts their annual Kwanzaa Celebrations including Umoja, Kujichagulia, and Ujima. The events are free to register and attend and provide vegetarian soul food, candle lighting, guest speakers and cultural music for all celebrators of Kwanzaa to enjoy.

Old Town Holiday in the Park & Las PosadasLocation: 2415 San Diego Ave. San Diego, Calif.Website: www.oldtownsandiego.orgOn Dec. 14 and 15 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Old Town showcases Christmas lights, holiday treats and activities accompanied by carolers and plenty of shopping oppor-tunities. On Sunday the 15th at 2 p.m., a parade displaying Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem captures the meaning of Las Posadas and is followed with a piñata party for children.

San Diego Bay Parade of LightsLocation: Downtown, Coronado, Point Loma, Harbor Island and Shelter IslandWebsite: www.sdparadeoflights.org Every year, the San Diego boating community floats their boats through the San Diego bay area displaying a spectacle of lights with a different theme every year. This year, celebrate the winter on Dec. 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for free and witness the bright lights dancing off the waters. Starting in Shelter Island, the boats make their way through San Diego until reaching the Ferry Landing in Coronado.

Poway Christmas in the ParkLocation: Old Poway Park, Poway, Calif.Website: www.poway.orgBring in the holidays in Poway with food, light displays, hay rides and Santa sightings all over Old Poway Park on Dec. 14th from 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The free event includes live musical performances and theatre for people of all ages to enjoy and exude the warmth of this holiday season.

Hotel Del Coronado for ChristmasLocation: 1500 Orange Ave. Coronado, Calif.Website: www.hoteldel.comEvery winter, Hotel Del Coronado decorates the iconic and historic hotel with brilliant Christmas lights and holiday décor. Right on the beach, the hotel holds many shops un-derground, including a coffee shop in the hotel open to the public. Sitting next to the hotel is the ice skating rink where you can ice skate on the beach with an ocean view. Walking around the hotel is free and ice skating on the beach is $23 for adults and $18 for kids for a two hour session. Ice skating is open to from Dec. 13 to Jan. 5 at varying times through-out the day.

Layout by rachel harrell

events compiled by jenna hussey

Movies compiled by erich rau

8 | A&E

a&ethe point weekly | monday, december 9, 2013

12/11: Lissie with Kopecky Family Band; House of Blues; 7:30 p.m.12/12: The Nutcracker; Caso del Prado Theatre at Balboa Park; 6 p.m.12/13: Skating by the Sea; Hotel Del Coronado; 7-9 p.m.12/13: Kettner Nights; Little Italy; 6-9 p.m.

PLANYOURWEEK

BY NIKKI HOLGUIN

STAFF WRITER

An empty and colorless Keller Art Gallery waits to be adorned by price-

less paintings and art arrangements. Senior PLNU art student David Heim prepares for his senior exhibition starting Tuesday, Dec. 10. This will be his final art show on campus as he

prepares to graduate this fall semester.Every year the art department al-

lows art majors to exhibit an accu-mulation of their work in Keller Art Gallery. Heim has compiled some old and new pieces to showcase. Heim is majoring in visual arts with an em-phasis in painting, print making and drawing. He considers his art to be non-representational. This is dif-ferent from abstract art in the sense that instead of basing his painting on actual objects, Heim paints based on emotion and creativity.

David says that he draws inspiration from a variety of places such as biology, literature, fashion and interior design.

“I don’t consider myself an artist. It’s weird; I call myself an art major,” Heim said. “I haven’t adopted myself as an artist just yet. But I have been creating since I could hold a crayon in my hand. I’ve always created ‘stuff.’ I have been doing this forever.”

Heim is influenced by artists such as Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly and phi-

losophers Nietzsche and Aristotle. He does not have one specific style of creat-ing and, though some pieces might be simple, others are strong and bold. Last year Heim did a painting inspired by de-monology. The piece caused a buzz and is still being debated on whether it will be showcased this week in his exhibi-tion. Heim explains that it is pieces such as these that reflect his incorporation of faith in his work.

“I don’t intend for my art to be considered ‘edgy.’ It is more of an exploration,” Heim said. “I think I like to explore things and it doesn’t necessarily mean I believe in them; it’s just a way for me to understand it. And hopefully through my art, I help other people understand and accept concepts too.”

Heim’s art exhibition will show-case both paintings and art arrange-ments he has been working on for the majority of the semester. One specific arrangement Heim seems most excited about is a box arrange-

ment. He expresses that he has a deep love and fascination for boxes and, though it is not a typical paint-ing or art piece, it will be showcased at his exhibition.

“You want to live up to people’s expectations and what they are ex-pecting from you,” Heim said. “But I think halfway through this semester I kind of came to this place where I told myself to just do what you love to do, what you are comfortable do-ing, what you like doing and if peo-ple don’t like it, not your problem. After that, it all just fell together and I finished early, which never happens for me. I just want my art to help people. That is what I want my art to be considered.”

Heim hopes to be accepted into a graduate architectural program at schools such as University of South-ern California, University of Cali-fornia Los Angeles and University of California, Berkeley.

BY ARTHUR SHINGLER

STAFF WRITER

In Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life,” George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) is faced with a decision: leave his small bank Home and Loan — a pil-lar of the community and representative of all that is true and good — to work for big banker Henry Potter, or not.

Potter offers Bailey a huge yearly salary of $20,000 and the opportunity to do what Bailey has wanted since he was young: to “[shake] the dust of this crummy little town off [his] feet” and “see the world.” To do this, however, Bailey must give up the virtuous Bailey Building and Loan.

At first, Bailey tells Mr. Potter that he needs some time to consider the of-fer. But as soon as he shakes Mr. Pot-

ter’s ham-of-a-hand, Bailey draws back in clear realization of what he has semi-agreed to: “No . . . no . . . no . . . no, now wait a minute, here! I don’t have to talk to anybody! I know right now, and the answer is no! No! Doggone it!”

As the film progresses, George encounters financial difficulty to the point where he is, due to a $15,000 life insurance policy, worth more money dead than alive. Faced with bankrupt-cy and potential imprisonment due to the near failure of Bailey Building and Loan, George is fraught with thoughts that he has failed his family and he re-solves to drown himself in a river so that his family may keep their heads financially above water.

After an emotionally jarring di-vine sight, however, George releases his obsession with financial concerns

in realization that the most impor-tant thing, no questions asked, is time spent with his wife and four children: his beloved family.

Although the film makes the case that the love of family is the more important than wealth and even fi-nancial security, what “It’s A Won-derful Life” doesn’t reveal is what happens after George Bailey em-braces his family and the credits roll. But I know what happens, and I can say that it ‘s truly is wonderful.

In December 2010, my Dad quit his partnership at a financially success-ful lawfirm and, at the cost of financial security, has worked from home ever since. Doing so has resulted in finan-cial insecurity, but the decision my father made has been worth every dol-lar unearned and more and I’m sure

George Baily and his family would feel the same way.

For the most of the past three years I’ve seen my father every day. We’ve worked, eaten, loved, enjoyed and grown alongside each other and the closeness that I feel with him now is immeasurable; it is not something I would give up for any “ribbons,” for any “tags,” for any “packages, boxes or bags,” as the Grinch might say.

George Bailey’s decision was a leap of faith. Although he loved his family, and by the end of the film understood his choice to be the right one, I can promise you that he did not realize the full potential of what was to come.

The closeness and unity that a family can achieve with time, even if it means uncertainty about the mate-rial future, is worth making any “sacri-

fice,” — which in actuality isn’t a sac-rifice at all — to nurture a relationship with those who will never leave you.

In addition to being a phenom-enally well-crafted film, “It’s A Won-derful Life’s” overarching message of family being superior to high mone-tary standards is one our society read-ily accepts. Most of us watching from the comfort of our own homes during the Christmas season look admiringly toward the Baileys, reveling in the bright future they are sure to have.

But at the end of the night, once credits have rolled and the best Jimmy Stewart quotes have been repeated, what is too often overlooked is that we can have what the Bailey’s have. It’s not that hard. All it requires is a little trust, a leap of faith. And you will not be disappointed.

Heim gives his artistic farewell

BY JORDAN LIGONS

STAFF WRITER

The PLNU Choral Union and Orchestra presented the masterpiece of Handel’s “Messiah” last Sunday in Brown Chapel.

The Point Weekly asked Keith Pedersen, professor of music and “Mes-siah” conductor since 1998, via email his thoughts on the performance that has been a PLNU tradition for 70 years.

Point Weekly: How did the tradition begin to perform Handel’s “Messiah” at Point Loma Nazarene University?

Keith Pederson: We have records that show a large section of “Messiah” being performed at Pasadena College as part of a choral concert as far back as 1933. I speculate it was performed then for similar reasons we perform it today: it is a telling of the most amazing story ever told, the story of Redemption, through some of the most beautiful music ever written. In 1933, this work

had a performance tradition in Eng-land going back almost two centuries. This tradition of regular performances is now close to three-hundred years old and has spread around the world.

PW: What makes “Messiah” a unique Christmas performance?

KP: Messiah was originally per-formed during Lent, when the theaters of London were closed and the perfor-mance of operas was prohibited. Be-cause the opening part of the oratorio is concerned with the birth of the Mes-siah, many performances nowadays occur around the Christmas season. It is unique because every word sung is taken from the Bible and because of the long and wide-spread popularity of this masterpiece.

PW: What does the production of “Messiah” mean to you?

KP: It is first of all a chance for me to honor God by sharing God’s marvelous plan for redeeming a fallen humanity through music of great ex-

pressive power and beauty. Secondly, it allows me to share this magnificent cultural and musical masterpiece both with new generations of young people and with people from our community. It is a ministry through music.

PW: How do you think “Messiah” has impacted the students at PLNU and people in the community?

KP: I can recount many stories that reflect how this work has impacted its performers: students who experience their first Christmas humming Mes-siah choruses every time they read or hear these familiar Scriptures, com-munity members who have sung the work more times than years my stu-dents have been alive, former students who come back to sing with us a way of aiming to connected to their alma mater and community members who come to rehearsal the week after losing their house in San Diego’s terrible Ce-dar Creek fire because it was the only thing keeping them going.

‘Messiah’ conductor talks tradition

‘Wonderful Life’ still warming hearts

PHOTO BY NIKKI HOLGUINSenior art major David Heim stands among one of his art pieces — a box arrangement that will be featured in Keller Gallery.

PHOTO BY CASSLYN FISERPLNU Music professor Keith Pedersen conducts the Choral Union and Orchestra in their annual performance of Handel’s “Messiah.” Pedersen has been conducting the performance since 1998.

SPORTS | 9

sportsmonday, december 9, 2013 | the point weekly

12/10: M. Basketball @ St. Katherine’s

12/14: M. Basketball @ Dixie State, W. Basketball @ Dixie StateUPCOMING

EVENTS

Women’s volleyball wins it all

BY MORGAN CARNE

STAFF WRITER

The PLNU women’s volleyball team was named the NCCAA national champions after beating Azusa Pacific 3-1 Saturday.

The victory over Azusa echoes the last time the two teams met when PLNU won 3-2 to become the west-ern regional champion, thus propel-ling them forward to compete for the national championships.

But the team’s chemistry didn’t come together just for the these key games late in the season , according to Alyssa Dwyer, senior volleyball player.

“For me, it has been the bond that this team has made,” Dwyer said. “After many seasons at Loma, I can safely say there is something completely unique and powerful about this team and every day that we step on the court together that power grows because we know that the girl next to us has our back. This team is a family and it shows when we play.”

Her faith in the PLNU volleyball program reflects the team’s confidence in its knowledge of how to win and serves as a testament to the two main aspects of per-severance that have helped the entire team reach their current level: faith and passion.

“In order to have success, we con-stantly have to remember to have faith; in our coaches, teammates, ourselves and, most of all, in God,” Dwyer said.

The program is powerful because it has the right people, both in the coach-ing staff and on the team roster.

“The love and passion for the sport of volleyball has really helped to unify us all as competitors, since we all are striv-ing for the same goals,” Dwyer said.

In the championship matches, there is no time for complacency. Both coach and players agree that focus was the biggest factor in its success.

“We physically match up to any

team out there, so it comes down to staying in every rally and going all out like we do every day in practice,” Dw-yer said.

Head Coach Sarah Gustin said she was proud of the continual progress the team is making.

“Seeing the players develop both physically and mentally and being able to compete at such a high level every day is why I come to work,” she said. “The growth they have shown over this last year is amazing.”

With so many young players on the court, the year or two of experi-ence that most of them have makes a

big difference in their play. “I am really proud of this team for

beating all of our old GSAC foes at least once through the season,” Gustin said. “It has been a long time since the pro-gram has earned wins over Azusa Pacif-ic, Cal Baptist and Fresno Pacific.”

In the championship, Savannah Wedemeyer, who was named the 2013 NCCAA Player of the Year, dished out 53 assists, while adding three kills and seven digs.

Alyssa Dwyer was named the MVP of the entire NCCAA championships tournament.

From Sweden to America: International life at Loma

BY ANNA LUSSIER

STAFF WRITER

A neon yellow ball flies through the air, then is stopped abruptly by the stunning blow of tennis racket. A resounding smack echoes across the court as the ball flies back in the opposite direction.

Freshman student Regina von Koch moves to intercept and the ball flies back yet again. She stands, slightly bent over, on the balls of her feet, racket at the ready.

Her bright blue eyes are focused and alight with energy and excitement. The muscles in her lithe, suntanned

body tense and she moves, sweeping across the court to return the ball with resounding whack. It flies over the net and strikes the court, then the fence. Point scored.

Regina von Koch is a long way from home. At the end of the summer, Regina made the trip all the way from Nacka, Sweden to play tennis for PLNU’s team.

She found out about the school through a company in Sweden that helps students like her apply to schools overseas. This company helps students in Sweden to get scholarships to play their sports in other countries because Sweden does not have collegiate sports of any kind. Regina is one of many students who are forced to pursue collegiate tennis outside of her home country.

“I’ve played tennis since I was six years old. I’m nineteen now, so its like, thirteen years.” Says Koch. “They don’t have high school or college tennis in Sweden and there are no teams. It’s an individual sport. I think it is more fun here, because here you are a team.”

Her coach, Rich Hills has worked at PLNU for thirty-one years. Regina is the fourth foreign female athlete he has coached in all those years.

Hills gives his perspective on his new

player. “Regina’s only been here a couple weeks. She has really good groundstrokes, return of serve and we’re working on improving her serve. I don’t know where she’ll end up playing after just a week of practice, but I like her; she’s gonna fit in well here. Her work ethic is great and she’s very coachable and focused.” Hills adds, “ I’m hoping she’’ll play in our top three; I don’t know though. She’s good for a freshmen, which is why she was recruited. She’s a great addition to the team.” PLNU’s tennis team has placed third three times in that National Championships and is preparing for what will hopefully be yet another great season.

Apart from sports, adjusting to a new country, a new language and a student-athlete lifestyle also comes with some challenges. Koch has had to adapt and learn on her feet throughout this transition. She admits to experiencing some difficulties with her class schedule and with the english language.

“I had to drop bible and philosophy, because it was so much reading. The languages are so different,” Her accent becomes slightly more accentuated as she tries to explain some of the differences between English and Swedish. “We have three more letters in our alphabet and we speak more in the backs of our mouths. Americans talk all in the front, all with their tongues.” Speaking and reading are sometimes

still difficult for her, but she feels they’re getting easier. “In the beginning it was harder, but I’m becoming more confident. We have learned English since second grade in Sweden and that especially is a big help.”

Koch also offers some of her observations about American life and culture. “I think people are more open in America.” She says. “Everyone says hi to everyone here. In Sweden you can’t just say hi to people you don’t know.” She continues, “People here have more friends in general, but less really close friends. That is one thing I like about Sweden. You are really close with your friends and the friendships last forever.”

Another divergence between the cultures of Sweden and America focuses on the role of religion in the life of the general populace. According to the country’s official website, only one in ten Swedes thinks religion is important in daily life.

Koch was not raised in a Christian environment and mentions that she felt slightly trepidatious about this factor of PLNU life.

“People are much more religious here than in Sweden. Before I came here I was like, a lil’ bit scared for what it was going to be like because you have these chapel things and I didn’t know what to expect; I thought you just sit

in church and talk about boring stuff.” Her opinion has changed slightly since her first day. “Now I think its more fun, ‘cause it’s just music and I like the music.” Then she adds, “Though the praying in the beginning and end of some of my classes is still kind of strange. It was different for me to see that.”

Regina shares, “In chapel, I don’t know what they have or what they believe. I don’t know how I would know if God exists. I’m more scientific; I need like, fact.” She admits that it’s still a little strange to be so surrounded by religion all the time. “Outside of chapel and so on, everybody’s nice. I mean, they’re nice in chapel too, but it’s just like, I feel a lil’ bit like an outsider because, I don’t know, I didn’t grow up in a Christian family. But, I’m still curious to find out what they have that I don’t have.”

Regina is still unsure of her personal standing with Christianity. “In Sweden I think I’m called Catholic? I was baptized and I had a confirmation, but I didn’t get any connection with God then.” She finishes with this statement, “I can’t say I’m a Christian right now, but I think I have opened up my mind and started learning about it, and we’ll see what happens.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNU SPORTS INFORMATIONPLNU’s women’s volleyball team finished NCCAA playoffs as national champions afterits 3-1 victory over Azusa Pacific Saturday.

REGINA VON KOCH

10 | SPORTS the point weekly | monday, december 9, 2013

BY KENDALL BOSHART

STAFF WRITER

Friday Nov. 29, 2013

Like it says above, I’m Kendall Boshart. For those of you who don’t know me, I play soccer — a lot of soc-cer. I play for the women’s team here at PLNU.

We train five days a week for two and a half hours per day and there is no off-season. Literally. It may seem like a lot of work for one three-month season and sometimes it is. Sometimes you have a season you’d rather forget, a game you wished you could start over or a practice that made you look like you had two left cleats.

But sometimes we have practices where everything clicks. The coach, the team and the drills. Those prac-tices transition into games and those games transition into results. From those results you get a team of 18 girls on their way to Kissimmee, Florida to play in the NCCAA tournament for a National title. This is the story of one women’s soccer team who got off to a

rough start and has struggled to make it to where they are.

Now if we’re speaking realistically, Point Loma’s women’s soccer team has never really struggled in its his-tory. The records show us in the last five years (including this one) we’ve gone to Nationals three times. We had all the confidence in the world in ourselves that this season would only build on the previous one. So when we opened up our season with three losses to Cal State Dominguez Hills, Seattle Pacific and Cal State LA, it was a com-plete surprise to everyone.

What had gone wrong? The last time PLNU lost three times in a row was nearly four years ago. It was about this time we all started look-ing for a miracle. We met, we talked and we prayed, we questioned, we threw smoke signals into the air, heck we tried everything. We pushed each other harder than ever at practices. We had practices where there wasn’t any soccer played at all. Still it seemed like we could not pull it together. We handed Hawaii Pacific its first win af-ter its five game losing streak and lost to Cal Baptist 3-0 at home.

Now we’re heading into Nationals and I can’t say I know when it all changed. I definitely can’t tell you what changed. All I can tell you is that this team had to reconsider everything this season. We watched God strip away everything we wanted only to realize that what we want-ed and what He wanted were the same thing. If we had peaked when we thought we should have I don’t know if we would have spent the week doing homework at Panera Bread in Kissimmee heading into game after game competing for the na-tional championship.

We had to beat our rivals, Azusa Pacific, twice in a row to get here and we’ll see them again in Florida. This time we are going with what we’ve learned throughout the season: to take one game at a time and to play for an audience of one.

Saturday-MondayNov. 30, 2013- Dec. 2, 2013

The first thing I noticed about Florida was the swamp. There are small random lakes everywhere. The second thing I noticed was humidity. After our first practice in Florida we

were all soaked; a nice combination of sweat and wet grass coated everything. That was our first full day in Florida and after adjusting to the three-hour time change we were facing our first opponents, Grace College, at Austin-Tindall Soccer Complex for the first round of pool play.

I should probably explain how the pools work. There are nine teams that go to Nationals. How they get there depends on records from season play and a few other factors. We are here because we won the Western Regional title for NCCAA Division I Soccer. Other teams are here because they have an At-Large bid, which means they had a .500 season or better dur-ing conference play and participated in the regional playoffs. This is why Azusa is also in Florida even though they lost to us in the Western Region Championship game; their team was selected as an At-Large bid though they were not put in our pool.

This day ended with a disap-pointing tie to Grace after we out-played them in the second half. The one positive of that game is that we ended without any goals scored against us; a factor that would come in handy later.

TuesdayDec. 3, 2013

After the disappointment of yesterday’s game, everyone seemed ready to prove our team deserved to win our pool. From the opening whistle, the game was ours and it took approximately ten minutes be-fore we scored against Judson. We followed up with two more goals, maxing out on points by scoring three and not letting any goals in. Needless to say the atmosphere at the end of that game was more mem-orable than any yet to date.

WednesdayDec. 4, 2013

An anonymous benefactor decided to bless our team today and pay for the entire women’s team to go to Disney-world. So we packed ourselves up and headed out at 10a.m. to make memo-ries at the Happiest Place on Earth. From the rides, to the pictures, to the

laughter and tired legs, I don’t think I’ve seen a happier, more exhausted group of girls in all of Florida. After figuring the numbers based out our results (this is when having no goals against you really counts) and the results of other teams, we went to bed as winners of our pool believing in ourselves, and, I think, in a little bit of magic.

Thursday Dec. 5, 2013

We played Azusa Pacific Uni-versity today and ended our season with a 2-0 loss to them. It was one of the hardest games and we fought for a full 90 minutes. It never gets easier to lose in the game you love, for seniors especially. We have six of them this year and all of them have given everything they have to this team and have helped shape us into the group of girls we are today. The disappointment and heartbreak was evident on everyone’s faces but at the end of the game we still gathered to pray and wish Azusa good luck in the final.

Friday Dec. 6, 2013

The introduction to this story takes up the majority of the story. That was on purpose. The team that played at Nationals is not nearly as important as the team that played in the pouring rain at Notre Dame de Namur, or the team that beat the conference cham-pions twice during season. Nationals gave us the ability to play the game we loved a little bit longer and for that we are thankful. But if it weren’t for hard work and training every day through-out the season, we never would have even set foot in Florida. The impor-tant thing about this season wasn’t Na-tionals. This season was about Point Loma Women’s Soccer growing as a team in the Lord and allowing His will to dictate our actions all the way up until the final whistle. In the words of one of our captains, Leah Porter “We may not all be fabulous musicians, art-ists or writers, but we can play soccer and soccer is our form of worship.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PLNU SPORTS INFORMATIONPLNU women’s soccer team celebrates after their 3-0 win over Judson.

Women’s soccer player reflects on national tourney

The massive turnout to the men’s basketball homecoming game against Olivet Nazarene spurred talks of how to encourage students to continue bringing their school spirit to home games. Erin Leonard and AJ Borland, co-coordinators of the Green Sea Hooligans, have been in talks with both ASB and the athletic department to bring out school spirit at the Friday night men’s basketball game against Azusa Pacific after Christmas break. “We found that after homecoming we had a huge surge of spirit,” Leonard said. “We’re trying to get this mentality that homecoming can be more than just on homecoming.” Following Christmas break, the Green Sea Hooligans will be holding a spirit

event as a kickoff to next semester’s push for more school spirit: Green and Gold Fridays. “When we come back from break, that Friday is a 7:30 game against Azusa,” Leonard said. “It is the only Friday night basketball game they have left in the season.” The event, complete with its own t-shirt set to be on sale the week leading up to the game, will be followed by an ASB hosted dance. “We ask that you wear the shirt to the game, and once you’re there you’re welcome to come to the dance afterward,” said Leonard. “Because it’s taking place on a Friday, it’s going to be a kickoff to Green and Gold Fridays. We’re trying to encourage the student body to wear anything green and gold.”

GREEN AND GOLD SPIRIT

Men’s Basketball:12/3 Loss 61-63 vs. Academy of Art12/5 Win 84-71 vs. Holy Names12/7 Loss 62-68 vs. Dominican

Women’s Volleyball:12/5 Win 3-0 vs. Oakland City12/5 Win 3-0 vs. Campbellsville12/6 Win 3-0 vs. Southern Nazarene12/6 Win 3-1 vs. Shorter University12/7 Win 3-0 vs. Lee12/7 Win 3-1 vs. Azusa Pacific

SEASON SCORECARD

Women’s Soccer:12/2 Tie 0-0 vs. Grace College12/3 Win 3-0 vs. Judson12/6 Loss 2-0 vs. Azusa Pacific

Women’s Basketball:12/3 Loss 59-76 vs. Academy of Art12/5 Loss 65-73 vs. Holy Names12/7 Win 78-46 vs. Dominican

OPINION | 11

opinionmonday, december 9, 2013 | the point weekly

The Point WeeklyAbby Hamblin /// Editor-In-ChiefKathleen Callahan ///News EditorKimberly Miller /// Features EditorTavis Robertson /// Sports EditorKathleen Rhine /// A&E Editor

The opinions in this section may not reflect those of The Point Weekly or of Point Loma Nazarene University. Letters to the editor and columns are subject to editing for length, taste, grammar and clarity. Letters to the editor must include the author’s name, major, class standing and phone number and be limited to 500 words. Please submit your opinions to gsibingo1992@pointloma.edu.

Guimel Sibingo /// Opinion EditorAbbey Stewart /// Copy EditorRachel Harrell /// Design EditorMatthew Linman /// Assistant Design EditorRachel Barr /// Web Editor

I ran for Congress last year on a platform of making college accessible and affordable for every student that qualifies.

The ability of every young person to achieve their academic potential, regard-less of their ability to pay, is a great equal-izer, essential to a democracy and critical to America’s ability to compete in a global, brain-powered economy. I am a product of federal student loans and financial aid.

And I helped pay my way, too, by par-ticipating in a work study program that paid me $2.65 per hour to clean pigeon cages in the Psychology Department. I know for many students like me these programs make the difference when deciding whether high-er education is even an option.

It is a top priority for me to make fed-eral student loans more affordable and ad-dress the rising costs of tuition that leave too many wondering if they can afford col-lege. This summer, because of Congress’ inability to work across the aisle, federally subsidized student loan interest rates ac-tually doubled for a short period of time.

Extremists in the House of Representa-tives -- the very ones my main opponent in my re-election campaign has aligned himself with -- refused to allow Congress to vote to keep the rates lower. At exactly the time we should be making it easier, and less expensive, for students to go to college, extreme partisans in Washington put politics before our students. After repeated calls for action by me, my col-leagues and outraged students like you, the Speaker of the House finally relented and allowed us to vote on a compromise to keep interest rates low.

Throughout the year, I have held a series of events at college and university campuses here in the 52nd district to convene conversations about college affordability, access to afford-able health care, and creating jobs for college graduates in San Diego’s high-paying innova-tion economy. In fact, I brought the Demo-cratic Whip, Steny Hoyer, together with the presidents of every major business group in the region at UCSD to talk about how the federal government can help create more of these jobs that are being filled by recent col-lege graduates and120 students participated in an Immigration Reform event I sponsored at USD. My staff is currently working with other college campuses, including yours, to engage more of you at events early next year.

At this moment in Congress, we need representatives who are willing to work with people from either party to make it easier for students coming out of college to get a job, promote a more competitive Ameri-can workforce and to ensure a higher edu-cation is within reach for those willing to work hard. I look forward to working on these goals with my colleagues by focusing in on education at the primary, secondary, and university levels. For a complete list of all of my legislative actions to help students, please go to my website scottpeters.house.gov/issues/education..

Scott Peters represents the 52nd Distr ict of Cal i fornia in the U.S. House of Representat ives .

CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES

For generations, the strength of America has been this simple concept: no matter where you start from, you are free to be anything you want.

Unfortunately, those born after 1980 – some-times known as the Millennial Generation – are at risk of losing out on the opportunities that prior generations of Americans enjoyed and face a future where they are anything but ‘free to be.’

Washington politicians have run up trillions in debt – and are making it harder for individuals to get the basic support services and job oppor-tunities to make ends meet.

That’s why I’m running for U.S. Congress.It is also why I’m taking on both political

parties – including Republicans – to get them to change policies that have traditionally been a big turnoff to younger voters.

Recently, we kicked off a tour of San Diego’s major colleges and universities and released a national policy plan that I’m calling the Free to Be Initiative which seeks to restore freedoms and opportunities for Millennials in five areas of life.

First, you should be Free to Be in the job of your dreams.

Bad policies and burdensome regulations have stifled investment, favored big business over

small business and created obstacles to innova-tion and entrepreneurship. By focusing on job creation, we provide opportunities for Millenni-als to have economic freedom and the satisfac-tion of being in a job in their desired career path.

Second, you should be Free to Be who you are, with full and equal rights.

It is time to put an end to the bitter fights and division on social issues brought on by the extremes in both political parties, and trust in in-dividuals to solve these issues on their own in the context of their own faith, their own family and their own personal circumstance.

Third, you should be Free to Be able to af-ford your tuition.

I’m concerned about the skyrocketing costs of college tuition – especially the emerging crisis in the student loan market where too many college graduates cannot afford the debt service on their loans. My Free to Be Initiative outlines reforms to reduce pension costs in the UC and CSU systems, as well as a number of ways to make it easier to re-finance and repay student loans.

Fourth, you should be Free to Be in control of your health care.

It is true that we face a health care crisis, but ObamaCare only makes it worse.

We should demand Washington enact com-mon-sense reforms to control costs and make health care more affordable. Let’s also provide consumers with more information, expanded choices, and more competition.

Finally, you should be Free to Be not stuck paying off debts that aren’t yours.

With the current fiscal mess in Washington, we are witnessing one generation robbing an-other – running up big debts that the Millennial generation will have to pay off through fewer services and higher taxes.

You can’t wait for Washington politicians in either political party to solve the problems – you must get actively involved in demanding changes today so you can have the opportunities you deserve tomorrow.

I hope you will join me in advancing the ideas in the Free to Be Initiative – so you, like past gen-erations, will have the personal freedoms and eco-nomic opportunities to live your life as you wish.

Carl DeMaio is a candidate for the 52nd Congressional District.

Carl DeMaio (Republican) and Scott Peters (Democrat) are the top running congressional election candidates for the 52nd district located in Southern California and spanning through most of San Diego. Elections will take place in November of 2014.

CARL DE MAIOSCOTT PETERS

General education classes distract from majorsBY LYDIA KRAVCHUK

CONTRIBUTOR

Let me preface this editorial by saying I love school and I love Point Loma even more. Come May, I will be leaving a better, more matured and ridiculously blessed person.

Yet, I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22 and feeling seriously burned out. While senioritis is un-deniably lurking around the corner, there is something that I feel has in-hibited my learning: the overwhelm-ing number of general education re-quirements we are required to fulfill before we can make the long awaited stride across the Greek Theater.

I cannot help but think there is something seriously wrong when, as a Political Science major, I only have one major related class per semester

while the rest of my semester has to be jam packed with general education classes. Don’t get me wrong, I value the whole liberal arts approach and I buy the argument that taking these various classes makes us better, well-rounded, young people.

But, when I realize I am spending the majority of my time calculating the gravitational pull of the moon and lit-erary structure of 1800 Midwest folk story structure far more then the ma-jor that my diploma will have printed on it, I cannot help but get frustrated and upset that I cannot even focus on the major I have fallen hard for and want to dedicate my work life to.

Most schools have some form of general education requirements but in my research of comparable Chris-tian colleges, I have found that PLNU tends to require more units of general

education classes and is less lenient in allowing classes taken at other colleges or high school to count for graduation requirements.

For example, Westmont College in Santa Barbara no longer has a math re-quirement as long as you pass the math competency exam and Seattle Pacific University allows certain AP classes to fulfill some Gen Ed requirements even without taking the AP exam. By decreasing the amount of Gen Ed requirements, or rewarding students for careful planning and hard work in high school, we would be better able to focus on their major because after all, once we leave and apply for jobs, there is an understanding that we are qualified to work the major printed on our diplomas.

As a political science major, I don’t think my employer will care how many

hours of physical fitness I completed or frogs I dissected but I do think that he or she will care more that I am di-verse in my major and that I have been given enough of a foundation that they can keep building upon.

As this first semester comes to an end, I get more and more frustrated by the thought that I won’t even be able to end my undergraduate education fully immersed in the study of govern-ment, international studies and politi-cal theory. I actually like going to class and reading scholarly journals.

I like the difficult, open-ended questions that seem to never have an answer but what I don’t like is that all these general education classes have really gotten in the way of my learn-ing. I cannot spend time learning more about political science because I am constrained by the lingering “to

be completed units” on my advising guide.

I know that I am not the only one feeling this way. I know many talented students unable to recognize their full potential in their respective depart-ments because classes, which have nothing to do with their interests or passions, have weighed them and their GPA down.

They say that learning can come in many forms and many ways so then why aren’t we able to learn in the way most beneficial to us? How about in-stead of endless general education re-quirements, we get to actually learn about what we like and care about?

I don’t know about you and you might not be feeling 22, but I’m sure that you hate it when education gets in the way of your learning too.

the point weekly | monday, december 9, 201312 | OPINION

“On behalf of the entire athletic department,

we want to thank all of you fans for the best

Homecoming crowd ever.”

#LomaChatterHave something to say? Submit your

random thoughts, funny comments, or opinions! Text your #LomaChatter to

619-630-0728

When you get your car mistaken for the on campus shuttle. Repeatedly.

#notallwhitevansareshuttles

The hope of poppyseed muffins is the only thing that gets me to the

Caf in the mornings

My top 5 strengths? Procrastination, sleeping,

organization, seduction and instagraming sunset pictures

All this Christmas decor is nice but where is the mistletoe!?

#YHWH

Just so everyone knows, the USD gate guards don’t greet people. No wave, no warm smile before

you waltz onto the campus. #noplacelikeloma

That awesome moment when the FYE final exam is canceled and the entire freshmen class

joins in a harmonious chorus of thanksgiving.

BY EDDIE MATTHEWS

STAFF WRITER

There is a blissful ignorance that stu-dents and professors operate under that is not constructive to a liberal arts university.

Professors assign a certain amount of work to a student on a given day and ex-pect that work to be done by the next class. This is reasonable from the professor’s perspective, because the class only meets two or three times a week and the student should be able to parcel the work out over the few days and do it in bite-size pieces.

Here’s the reality: (most) students wait until the night before. I imagine this isn’t a shock to anybody. So why do we still assign work pretending it’s par-celed out? Wishful thinking, I guess.

Suppose a student has a Tuesday/Thursday class at 8:30 a.m. and the pro-fessor assigns 80 pages of reading between the Tuesday class period and the Thurs-day class period. In the professor’s view, that isn’t a night’s work, it is (conceivably) two nights’ work—40 pages per night.

Suppose that same student (conceiv-ably) goes to another class at 11:00 a.m. and gets assigned 80 pages of reading. Now that student has 80 pages per night to read. And that is only six units. Ten more units to go. Pile on a few essays, weekly quizzes, weekly busy work and biweekly tests.

If the expectation is that students should spend two hours studying for ev-ery one hour of class, they’re looking at 32 extra hours (with 16 units) outside of class. And that’s if the student understands all of the material. If said student gets hung up, or doesn’t understand a concept in one class, then he or she has to take extra time and fall behind in another class. Then that

student has two choices—do the home-work fully and don’t sleep, gloss over the homework and sleep some, or don’t do the homework and get a good night of sleep.

So it becomes a balancing act, an unspoken strategy of which classes have excess work that doesn’t need to be done and which classes have work that is es-sential to the course. We (the govern-ment, administration, professors and students alike) have created a system that glorifies grades above learning and standardization above progress.

We create monsters that seek out the means to achieve the highest mark while doing the littlest work possible. I lament the knowledge they forsake in this sac-rifice, because college is largely about training readers. But students want to live as well as learn. All I have heard from recently graduated friends is that grades don’t matter that much, so enjoy the ex-perience of being in such beautiful place while you can.

It is people that matter. If professors do not have a reasonable expectation of what their students can accomplish then students will keep taking shortcuts and keep eluding the quizzes. The teacher will see the good grades on the quizzes and be content, either thinking their students are reading or not thinking about it at all. The students will be pleased by getting the good marks to achieve the superficial “A” and the system will perpetuate.

If dialogue is fostered and reason-able expectations set, and students step up and do the assignments, then we’ll get somewhere. Until then, we’re left with a constant struggle of priorities, a clock that is always ticking.

Do professors have reasonable expectations for students?

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