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Be adventurous: explore outside Linfield’s campus

Posted by :jprokop On : February 26, 2012
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Category: Opinion

It’s easy to forget that there is life outside of textbooks and classes.

After studying and doing homework in the library for hours a day, I usually don’t even leave campus during the week.

I get so sucked into grades and work that I forget there is a world outside of Linfield.

While sitting in one of my classes, I caught myself zoning out the window and staring at the hills.

I was dying to find out what it looked like close up. Then, I realized I need to explore more.

As college students, we become way too used to our routine of waking up, going to class, doing homework, hanging out, going to bed and then starting all over again.

Some may like this routine, but I personally don’t. I get antsy and restless, desiring to go on an adventure.

We need to explore so much more. Get lost in the mountains, volunteer at your favorite non-profit organization, get an internship, travel or create something.

Most importantly, ask questions. We need to question things to learn.

I think school is important, or else I wouldn’t be here, but I think that experiencing and questioning things is even more crucial.

Most people say that their hobbies include playing video games, watching TV, partying and hanging out with friends.

Those are great things. But what about the hobbies that make you actually do something or think critically?

So, I challenge you to get a new hobby that you’ve never tried before.

If you like hiking, go discover a new trail. There are tons of places in our area perfect for making a trek.

Or get a group of friends and explore a new area of Portland you’ve never seen before. Visit new restaurants and local shops.

If you miss having a pet, as I do, volunteer at an animal shelter and play with the dogs.

Find a small theater and watch a film that has never been advertised on TV. Better yet, see a foreign film with subtitles.

Break the cycle. It’s so refreshing to try something new and have a change of pace of environment.

Get over a fear. If you’re afraid of heights, challenge yourself to get on a roof and see the world from a new perspective.

Don’t forget to ask questions. While going out and getting experience, ask why things are the way they are.

Are things working the way they are? Why or why not?

Don’t just settle with the answers that textbooks or authority figures give you. Figure it out on your own. It adds a whole new element to learning.

You have to discover it instead of having it spoon-fed to you in the classroom.

 

Kelsey Sutton

Copy editor

linfieldreviewcopy@gmail.com

Is America becoming a fact-free society?

Posted by :jprokop On : February 26, 2012
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Category: Opinion

Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Leonard Pitts recently explained how Americans no longer use facts to back their arguments, instead distorting the truth to support their opinions.

I found what Pitts said disturbing. He is right. Most Americans are content not knowing the truth.

If one is to be able to debate an issue with someone, they should take the time to research the issue to find all the facts.

That’s simply too much work for Americans these days. Instead, Americans are fine with posting their opinions on message boards all across the Internet, regardless of how many—if any—hard facts they know about the subject.

This loss of fact becomes even more disturbing when one realizes that politicians, the leaders of our country, are the worst offenders of distorting the truth and making up lies.

Politicians are supposed to be well-educated, intelligent men and women. If the majority of a country has lost its ability to think critically, what does the future hold for us?

The unknown answer to this question scares me. In my mind, our future looks something like the movie Wall-E where everyone is extremely overweight and complacent. No one challenges the false facts authority figures feed them.

Americans need to concern themselves with facts because we have so much information readily available to us. We can instantly find  the answer to virtually any question.

People run into trouble when sorting through information on the Internet. What is a credible source and what is not?

This is why Pitts emphasizes the importance of critical thinking. Pitts says that we must teach our children how to think critically, and I wholly agree.

If people can’t think critically, it is easy for a power-hungry authority figure to spoon-feed its citizens lies. America can’t allow this to happen.

The two-party system we have in America isn’t working. Rather than focusing on solving the issues at hand, politicians are focused on defeating the other party at any cost, even if that cost is making up and distorting facts.

For this reason, it seems that it’s time to restructure our political parties. When we are too concerned about the Democrats beating the Republicans or the Republicans beating the Democrats, America’s problems don’t get resolved.

Why must politicians associate themselves with a particular party? Can’t they just state where they stand on particular issues and have the public decide whom they want as a leader?

It is time for Americans to become critical-thinkers and fact-seekers. If we don’t, America may pay the cost.

 

Meghan O’Rourke

Opinion editor

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

Americans: exercise your right to vote

Posted by :jprokop On : February 26, 2012
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Category: Opinion

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When asked the question of what is most valuable about our democracy, most of us will reply either freedom or liberty. These are the most fundamental values of our democracy. The problem is, however, that barely half of us exercise one of the greatest gifts this freedom provides us: the right to vote.

The ability for people to choose and hold accountable their selected leaders is the hallmark of any free country. Our unrestricted freedom in government participation, or lack thereof, has proved a double-edged sword. In 2008, only about 57 percent of the voting-eligible population turned out to vote in what was commonly held to be one of the most significant elections in the last few decades. Turnout for the three prior presidential elections to the 2008 election was even worse, with the turnout in the 1996 election implying that only 49 percent of voting Americans care about who the president will be.

Needless to say, in a country where government is said to be ‘by the people and for the people,’ a continuing of these trends could prove a slight problem.

Presidential campaigns are exorbitantly expensive affairs that would make any humanitarian who wasn’t aware of the costs weep in a corner over how many third-world problems could be solved with the millions of dollars used in campaigning to attract the attention of around 50 percent of Americans.

This begs the obvious question. If the million dollar expenditures on what amounts to an ad campaign showing off a shiny, packaged candidate can only attract 50 percent of our voting-population, how then do the much smaller congressional elections fare?

Horrible would be the right answer to this question. In a poll conducted by ABC News in mid-January, Congress’ approval rating had slipped to 13 percent. This train wreck of an approval rating, while almost hilariously bad could be considered a lofty height in popularity.

According to a poll by the New York Times in late October 2011, Congress had the dubious distinction of having its approval rating in the single digits at 9 percent.

This situation is quite bleak. Voters, however, most of which seeming ever determined to not participate in government, have created a laughable and saddening situation in regards to congressional elections.

In theory, a democracy whose legislative body has lost around 60 percent of its prior support in the span of a decade would have been voted out. The opposite seems to be true for our Congress, which, while having approval ratings hovering dangerously close to slipping into the single digits, has undoubtedly enjoyed it’s consistent incumbent reelection rate of around 80 percent.

Our democracy’s two greatest gifts are our liberty to freely live and our freedom to choose who will represent us, in good faith that they will preserve and improve our state of freedom.

At present, the latter is being utterly wasted for no excusable reason. It is one of the most important and urgent crises in our country, and must be dealt with lest we forget that we the people control the government, and not the other way around.

 

Nicholas Kintop

Staff writer

nkintop@linfield.edu

Please tip your taxi driver

Posted by :jprokop On : February 26, 2012
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Category: Opinion

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From muggings to kidnappings, student safety has become an important issue this year.

The Associated Students of Linfield College recently had a breakthrough in student safety this semester, offering students an affordable taxi service.

Students traveling anywhere in McMinnville during the evening can now call a taxi to drive them safely back to campus. A ride to and from 3rd Street costs $10, and ASLC pays for half of the bill.

If students have their ID cards, the charge of the ride will go on their account.

Also, the taxi will take up to six people without an extra charge.

However, a word of advice: remember to tip the driver. It’s common courtesy to tip taxi drivers, and while college students aren’t exactly wealthy, the cost of the ride is so cheap that a tip won’t cost much more.

“A part of it is students learning how to tip,” said senior Rachel Coffey, ASLC president. “Most students haven’t taken a taxi before in their lives.”

ASLC has made tipping simple and accessible to students. All one has to do is fill out the tip portion on the receipt, which will also be charged to one’s account.

While the service has only been around for a couple of weeks, it seems to be successful so far.

According to Coffey, students have spent more than $200  during the past two weekends. It is a good sign that students are taking advantage of the taxi service rather than walking back to campus late at night.

“I got an email from a parent who was happy with the service,” Coffey said.

There is now no reason for any student to be walking back to campus alone from anywhere in McMinnville.

Students should store the number for D.C. Taxi in their phones and call for a ride rather than endangering themselves by walking home alone.

With such a cheap service that one doesn’t even need cash for, there is no reason not to take advantage of such a readily accessible service.

D.C. Taxi was willing to give Linfield students a great deal, so the least a student can do is remember to tip his or her driver.

“Tipping is appreciated, but it’s not required,” said Marvin Black Jr., taxi driver for D.C. Taxi.

However, if students do forget to tip, the driver will still receive a tip from ASLC.

“If we don’t see that they [students] tip, we’ll add a $2 tip,” Coffey said.

However, try not to take advantage of the fact that ASLC will pick up the tip.

Learning to tip is important because there are many instances in which one will be expected to leave a tip.

There are many places in which service workers expect people to tip. Some occupations even have a lower paycheck because employers are expecting their workers to be tipped.

Out of common courtesy, please remember to tip the taxi driver. Keeping D.C. Taxi happy will keep them in business with us for longer.

-The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

Students take a ‘Taste of’ Greek food in Portland

Posted by :jprokop On : February 22, 2012
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Category: Culture

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A group of eight students had the opportunity to experience a “Taste of Greece” on Feb. 15.

For only four dollars, they were given the chance to try a variety of authentic Greek food.

“[We] had sliced bread served with olive oil and some sort of ground olive spread while we waited for our food,” senior Ethan Trachtenberg said.

Trachtenberg’s meal would have normally cost more than $19, but through the Linfield Activities Board, it cost him less than a quarter of that.

“It was braised lamb… inside this flaky dough, I forgot the name of… [it was] definitely a good choice,”  Trachtenberg said.

This was his first time eating authentic Greek food. The same was true for many of the other students.

About every other week, LAB sponsors a trip to a different “authentic restauran,t” giving students the opportunity to try foods from a variety of cultures. Past “Taste of” events include “Taste of India,” “Taste of Spain” and “Taste of Korea.”

These trips only cost students about four dollars, which is quite a deal when some dishes can cost upwards of $20 to $25.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive change of pace for dinner, check out the next “Taste of” event next month.

“I’m into saving money and for four dollars, I couldn’t ask for more.”

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Caleb Goad/Staff writer
Caleb Goad can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

 

Be open minded and honest

Posted by :jprokop On : February 21, 2012
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Category: Opinion

Coming into college is a major life change. On top of school, money and other stressors, add relationships. It’s almost inevitable; this time in our lives will bring people that mean more to us than anyone else ever has.

College is about finding yourself, discovering what makes you tick and exploring your passions. So how do you balance relationships? Because it can definitely get dramatic.

I believe at our age, dating is crucial. Test the waters, date different varieties of people so you can find out what kind of person is right for you, and what kind of person is all wrong.

Then, of course, you might find that one person who you can tolerate for hours at a time and might even find yourself putting on decent clothes for.

I have a lot of relationship pet peeves. The first one is when couples aren’t honest with each other. Honesty is such a simple thing. So many conflicts can be avoided by just telling each other the truth.

If something is bothering you, tell them. If you are not happy, tell them. If you made a mistake, tell them. If they get mad, so what? The truth is so much better than a complicated, twisted lie. When you lie about something, it’s like a spider web. You have to remember so many details to keep your story straight. It’s much easier to just tell it how it is and deal with it.

The other person is not a mind reader, so be straightforward. And don’t play mind games, because no one likes those.

Another thing that bothers me is when one person is controlling. If you’re worried about your boyfriend or girlfriend being unfaithful, talk to him about it. Don’t whine and complain and tell him that he can’t hang out with other girls.

Insecurity is not attractive. Confidence, on the other hand, is. He or she is with you for a reason, so remember that.

Trust them in their intentions and let them do what they want and go where they please. If you know for a fact he or she isn’t being faithful, get out while you can.

We all need to remember that we are our own individuals and we cannot depend on another person for happiness. Ultimately, you are the only person who can make yourself happy.

While in the beginning, you may want to spend all of your time with the other person, it is important to take time for yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in the love and the affection of it all, but in the end, being completely attached to someone else isn’t healthy.

One thing that I always tell people is if you are in a relationship, and you don’t feel right about it or you are questioning it, then it isn’t right for you. Now, if you’re just casually dating this doesn’t necessarily apply.

But if the other person is dead-set on forever and you can’t get that nagging feeling out of your head, you shouldn’t be with them.

There shouldn’t be a doubt in your mind with the person you’re going to spend forever with.

Don’t take relationships so seriously. Enjoy your college experience, and save the stress for schoolwork.

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Kelsey Sutton/Copy chief
Kelsey can be reached at linfieldreviewcopy@gmail.com

Linfield students tied up in college housing mandate

Posted by :jprokop On : February 21, 2012
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Category: Opinion

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While comparing public and private schools before coming to college, the detail of being required to live in college housing can often be missed. Linfield requires its students to live in college housing until they are either living within 30 miles of the school with their parents, 21 years of age, married or in financial need.

Considering more than half of the student population does not live within 30 miles, and the majority of the students are entering Linfield shortly after high school, a good number of students do not qualify to live off campus. But why is it so difficult to be allowed off campus?

At public schools, such as Oregon State University and the University of Oregon, the school does not require its students to live on campus even during their first year, as do many other schools. This leads one to question why Linfield restricts this liberty that is given to students at other institutions.

Although public schools do not require first-year students to live on campus, there are benefits to living in college housing for the first year of college.

For instance, students are able to make new friends and make an easy transition. In making new friends, freshmen are able to create a comfortable environment to make any adjustments they might need to make with the help of trained staff.

Another plus to living on campus is that students are then closer to their classes.

After the first year of college, the decision of where you’d like to live should include living off-campus.

College is all about independence and growing up; forcing students to live on campus clashes violently with the liberty that is supposed to come with adulthood and higher education.

Other colleges that require this are private schools a lot like Linfield, such as Pacific University, Willamette University and the University of Puget Sound.

While looking at the schools that often require this, one would think that a student’s desire to make their college experience more affordable would be enough of a reason to be allowed to live off-campus.

When someone wants to go through the process of being approved to move off-campus, the process is tiresome. There are so many people you have to see if you don’t meet any of the requirements.

Students can be sent to many places for information, such as financial aid, residence’s life or student affairs. It’s like being told to jump through a bunch of hoops; it shouldn’t have to be that difficult.

Living off-campus can help a student realize what it’s actually like to take on the responsibilities of being an adult on your own. It creates a turning point in life where students can make the transition from being a teenager to being an independent adult.

While the incentive for the college to fill its coffers with bloated housing fees is obvious, the potential benefits to the student should also be taken into consideration.

While there are many positive reasons to living on-campus, there are also reasons to live off-campus. Let the students decide where they’d like to live in this new chapter of their lives.

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Kaylyn Peterson/Sports editor
Kaylyn can be reached at linfieldreviewsports@gmail.com

Voicing one’s concerns can help spark change

Posted by :jprokop On : February 21, 2012
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Category: Opinion

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Last week, I attended the town hall meeting about the safety concerns that students have about the previous incidents that occurred during the winter break and January Term.

I’ve heard numerous students complain that the school is not helping with this situation.

Their concerns would have easily been addressed if they went to the meeting.
However, only a few students attended the meeting, the majority being residence life advisers and students who live off campus.

As a student body, we worry about getting the best college experience possible. How can we accomplish this if there is no one actually trying to voice their opinion? It becomes harder to show that we actually care if we are not going to these meetings or directly discussing these issues. Our country was not built only on the opinion of a few people. It was carefully constructed on the voices of many.

The more each person complains and does nothing about it, the less gets done. With this new presidential election coming up, our country’s well-being depends on the voices of our citizens. The well-being of our college is based on the voices of our students.

With every dilemma that has come up, there is a way to handle the situation properly. Speak up about it. Don’t just complain to your friends and the people in your halls. The first amendment was established for a reason. Some may say that the school will most likely not listen; however, if a considerably sized majority brings complaints before them, they will realize that this is more than just a small concern.

The school is trying to help but they cannot do so without our assistance. There have been resources created that students are able to use. In order for the school to realize that we actually appreciate their efforts, we need to use them.

As students, the issues that need to be heard should be voiced. Complaining can only get an issue so far if you are not doing anything about it. By attending these events and making a simple statement, or asking a question, the school will see that the students care. Instead, we are showing that these issues are not a big deal.

The few who are trying to save the college experience are trying to be heard but it takes more than a few to make something big happen.

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Ivanna Tucker/Features editor
Ivanna can be reached at linfieldreviewfeatures@gmail.com

Composting enriches the community

Posted by :jprokop On : February 21, 2012
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Category: Opinion

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We’re all on a search for community, whether it’s discovering ways to engage in our cities or trying to understand how people work in groups and teams.

Usually, this investigation of community is a subconscious decision, such as navigating your way through a group project or chatting with a vender at the farmer’s market. But, if we want to be active participants in the world, it’s crucial to take a step further and engage on more intentional levels.

My latest, unexpected discovery is that something as mundane as creating compost for a garden is another window into the lives of people and communities.

It started last Saturday, when a small group of Linfield students—clad in rubber boots, old pants and sweatshirts—stood inside the gates of the community garden, learning the ins and outs of creating compost.

The students received buckets to bring home to their kitchens, and they learned how to deposit their coffee grounds, fruit peels and egg shells into a composting bin in the community garden.

Composting is easy. You just collect biodegradable garbage and let it run its course, until it eventually breaks back down into soil.

After some brief instructions, the students were sent off with the promise that they would be positively impacting the earth and spurring improvement in Linfield’s little garden.

Triggering this natural cycle of composting is simple, but its benefits are far-reaching and complex.

In fact, I think the benefits extend past the usual pamphlet-style list of reasons to compost, such as soil enrichment, natural fertilization or soil remediation.

Engaging in community projects like composting can help us understand people on a deeper level, adding another string to the web of our communities.

Even if you aren’t passionate about the environmental impacts of something like composting, it’s still valuable to participate in projects like the community garden at Linfield.

Novelist Barbara Kingsolver said, “Wars and elections are both too big and too small to matter in the long run. The daily work—that goes on, it adds up.”

Simply watching and helping people complete an everyday aspect of their lives, like disposing of coffee grounds, is one of the richest ways to engage them.

Although participating in large fundraising projects or one-time community events is helpful and necessary, I believe that Kingsolver was right when she said the daily work adds up.

Spending a few extra minutes of your day to do something like composting for the community garden shows that you care about a group’s vision and interests enough to engage in the mundane and behind-the-scenes aspects of their lives and goals.

And that work does add up, eventually, creating opportunities to build relationships in unexpected places and participate in larger, long-term goals and projects.

It sets the stage and gives context for deeper conversations and questions.

If you’re interested in the community garden or composting, contact Rachel Codd at rcodd@linfield.edu.
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Joanna Peterson/Managing editor
Joanna can be reached at  Linfieldreviewmanaging@gmail.com

Planned Parenthood deserves funds

Posted by :jprokop On : February 21, 2012
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Category: Opinion

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Recently, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has found itself in the middle of a political battle between pro-life activists and pro-choice activists for its relationship with Planned Parenthood.

In December, Komen decided to cut off most of its funding of Planned Parenthood after receiving pressure from pro-life activists.

Komen’s funding of Planned Parenthood goes toward breast cancer screening and education for low-income women. However, pro-life activists are against the organization because it provides abortion services.

After the news went public Jan. 31, angered citizens expressed their feelings via social media sites, forcing Komen to rethink its decision.

“As a women’s health organization, we found it unfortunate that they [Susan G. Komen for the Cure] would succumb to right-wing bullying,” said Jimmy Radosta, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Columbia-Willamette.

On Feb. 10, Komen’s founder, Nancy G. Brinker, announced that Komen had reversed its decision, choosing to maintain its relationship with Planned Parenthood.

However, now that its relationship with Planned Parenthood is restored, many pro-life activists are once again angered at Komen.

What these activists fail to realize is that Komen is not funding abortions; it is funding breast cancer screenings for women who cannot afford them otherwise. Komen is trying to save lives and educate people about sex.

“We serve a very vulnerable population who need access to breast cancer screenings,” Radosta said.

Komen is dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer; therefore, giving money to an organization that provides screening to women who wouldn’t otherwise get screened is an organization worth funding. All women deserve to be screened for breast cancer.

We at the Review believe that Komen shouldn’t have to be stuck in the middle of a political battle for simply trying to promote women’s health.

“We hope they follow through on their [Susan G. Komen for the Cure] word to put women’s health first,” Radosta said.

Planned Parenthood, which some who oppose refer to as “Planned Murder,” provides more than abortions. The organization offers a wide range of services, including STD testing and treatment, HPV and Hepatitis vaccines, health services, patient education, emergency contraception and pregnancy testing.

“Our organization provides life saving cancer screenings, Radosta said. “It’s unfortunate that people put aside a health care provider.”

Komen’s relationship with Planned Parenthood is a positive one, helping to lower the number of women who die from breast cancer. Access to such a crucial service should not be jeopardized by a polarizing political debate that is only tangentially related.

 

-The Review Editorial Board

The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com