A visiting emeritus professor spoke on the challenges of conserving cultural traditions in a technology-based world April 21 as part of the Walter Powell Philosophy Lectures.

Professor Chet Bowers, who formerly worked for Portland State University, titled his lecture “Educational Reforms that Address the Ecology of War” even before he knew that Linfield’s PLACE Program had the “Legacies of War” theme.

“The ecology of war is brought about by three main reasons,” Bowers said. “Ecological crisis, computer automation and globalization.”

As the environment suffers from our impact, new technology makes it increasingly more difficult to find employment, and globalization threatens the traditions of other cultures; people are put into more and more conflict.

“Especially here in America, we are at war with others constantly,” Bowers said. “There is a feeling of friends versus enemy.”

To stop this growing feeling of conflict in our society, Bowers said we must focus on the idea of cultural commons, a face-to-face interaction and sharing of information between the generations.

“These are activities like food preparation, oral narratives, games, ceremonies, and art forms that are not performed for a monetary gain,” Bowers said.

Cultural commons vary widely between different cultures of the world, but the preservation of these traditions is important in fostering a community. People who have more relationships with those around them tend to be more physically and mentally healthy, Bowers claimed.

Our highly modernized lives are influenced by the vocabulary of a capitalist culture, and our educators are a part of the system that promotes these words and values in our society.

“Words that are harmful to the cultural commons, such as individualism, markets, progress, change, rational thought and self-determination undermine the relationships that come with fostering a community,” Bowers said. “People need to realize that we are not autonomous beings.”

Bowers believes that educators can begin to make a difference by encouraging students to seek out activities in the community that have little to no monetary involvement and become less dependent on their consumerist society.

Olivia Marovich/Staff writer

Olivia Marovich can be reached at linfieldreviewnews@gmail.com.

Four students from the political science 361 current debates/U.S. foreign policy class battled it out over drone strike issues April 17 in the Pioneer Reading Room.

Sophomore Rachel Axtman and senior Will McHenry were teamed up against junior Jake Baker and junior Jerry Young. Axtman and McHenry argued the affirmative and Baker and Young argued the negative of the effectiveness of drone strikes.

Before the debate, the audience was asked to think about its own feelings on the resolution of drone strikes and why it held its opinion.

Axtman began the debate. In her speech, she said “no one wants to see another war or death” and that “drones are keeping a terrorist attack with the magnitude of 9/11 from happening.” Although she was arguing for drone strikes, Axtman also said “we [her and McHenry] are not claiming that drones are the only option.”

During the two-minute cross examination, Axtman and McHenry responded to a question by saying “it is easier to take them [the enemy] out with drones than to bring in special ops.”

Baker delivered the first negative constructive speech. Baker argued that “U.S. drone strikes create new war conflicts” and that “the vast majority of militants killed were low-level insurgents that were of no threat to the U.S.” He also said that “U.N. officials declared that the U.S. drone strikes were not good for Pakistani sovereignty” and that “our own government [the U.S.] killed Americans and U.S. soldiers who were mistaken for insurgents.”

Baker and Young responded to a question during the two-minute cross examination by saying that no long term research shows that drones hinder military operations.

McHenry delivered the second affirmative constructive. In his speech he said that drone strikes were of low cost, and they [drone strikes] “put no U.S. soldiers at risk.” He also said that drone strikes are the “most effective tool of the U.S military arsenal,” and that it is the “cheapest method of combating terrorism.”

In the cross examination, Axtman and McHenry said that drone strikes were not a cause for retaliation and used the Times Square bomber threat as an example.

The second negative constructive was delivered by Young who argued that “drone strikes aided militant recruiting.”  He also said that “the U.S. drone strikes violated international law in Pakistan” because the strikes were inside Pakistan borders and without its consent. Young said that drone strikes were “disapproved by nations across the world, including France, Germany, Egypt, and Turkey” and that countries affiliated with the U.S. lose trust from Pakistan because of these strikes.

During the two-minute cross examination, Young and Baker said they think that a country can claim sovereignty over areas outside of its control, but are within its borders.

In the negative rebuttal, Baker and Young said that retaliation increases after a drone strike and that “we [the U.S.] can’t see the people we’re killing.”  They also said that one in four deaths by drones are civilians, most of whom are children.

Axtman and McHenry said in the affirmative rebuttal that “Yemen and Pakistan have consented to drones” and Afghanistan consented to drones in areas in which it has no control.  They also said that extremists are joining militant groups because of the lack of education and economic alternatives, not just because of drone strikes.

At the end of the debate, the audience was again asked to reflect on its feelings of the resolution and if its opinion had changed and if it had, why.

Kiera Downs/Copy Editor

Kiera Downs can be reached at linfieldreviewcopyed@gmail.com.

Linfield is bringing the war against sex trafficking to the students. Through the cooperative efforts of the Chaplains Team and the PLACE Program, the film “Volviendo” will be aired at 7 p.m. April 23 with a discussion and question session after the film.

The film is the result of three filmmakers traveling to South America to make a fictional film about a sex slave, but developed into a documentary about the victims of the Latin American sex trafficking in the countries they traveled through.

The event will host a discussion after the film starting at 8 p.m. with one of the producers, Phillip Abraham, and a survivor, Jes Richardson. The discussion will lead into a Q-and-A session with Portland organizations, including Freedom’s Breath, Mending the Soul, Door to Grace, and others starting at 8:30 p.m.

Artwork from other survivors will also be showcased in the hallway of Melrose Hall for guests to view.

“It’s not just a documentary on what’s happening,” Chaplain David Massey said. “It also offers a solution. We’re trying to address the issue, and often times, people want to do something but don’t know how to do it. So we’re bringing the organizations that can help here.”

This is a free event.

Kaylyn Peterson/Copy chief

Kaylyn Peterson can be reached at linfieldreviewcopy@gmail.com.

The Associated Students of Linfield College will soft launch a student activities website, Collegiate Link from company Campus Labs, branded for Linfield as The Den.

Dan Fergueson, director of college activities, and ASLC sought to find a program that they could use to increase club and organization participation.

“We have seen a trend over the last couple of years that club life hasn’t been as healthy and vibrant as it once was,” Fergueson said.

The ASLC Cabinet sat in on a presentation of the software. It was amazed at the variety of features that the software will allow.

Fergueson reported that the program will allow club leaders to reach out to club members, reserve spaces, look at their budget and many other things.

The hope of ASLC is that this will be another location for students to hear about events and become an active part of the Linfield community.

Individual students will be able to use The Den to track their involvement on campus by being on rosters for clubs and organizations. Being on a roster will allow a student to be in better communication with the leaders of the club.

Fergueson said he is looking forward to the potential for the program to be the catalyst for other departments to move online.

“The students are always at the front of technology. When they buy into a system like this, and get it off and running, it forces the other hand of other departments on campus to come along,” Fergueson said.

The Den is fully accessible now to students with a Catnet ID at linfield.collegiatelink.net.

Fergueson did place a disclaimer on the product. He reported that the site is a formal college site, and there will be processes for clubs to become active on the site. They must also be sanctioned by the college to be on the site.

Julian Adoff/Multimedia editor

Julian Adoff can be reached at linfieldreviewonline@gmail.com.

Linfield College was recognized by the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for the sixth consecutive year for leadership in civic engagement and service-learning March 4 in Washington, D.C.

Nearly 900 students volunteered almost 50,000 hours of service last year.

The Community Engagement and Service Office helps students find ways to serve communities. According to its office goals, it promotes student learning, development and civic responsibility through co-curricular and curricular service opportunities.

According to its website, the Community Engagement and Service Office has partnerships with more than 100 community-based organizations.

Linfield students participate in service projects locally and around the world. Students help in the McMinnville School District with tutoring and after-school programs. Students have also been a part of Yamhill County’s 10-year Ending Homelessness Plan.

“I like serving the community. Knowing that I can help students succeed and possibly make a difference in their lives keeps me coming back,” sophomore Casey Thein said.

Alternative Spring Break trips provide students with opportunities to help communities in different parts of the country. This year, students traveled to Washington State and Colorado during Alternative Spring Break.

Study abroad programs are a key component to Linfield’s service goals.

This year, Linfield was ranked No. 25 in the nation for participation in Study Abroad programs by the Institute of International Education. For students abroad, Linfield sponsors service projects for health care, outreach to children and housing.

The President’s Honor Roll was established in 2006, and it annually highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community problems.

This year, the Honor Roll includes 3.1 million students who provided 118 million community service hours.

Tyler Bradley/Sports columnist

Tyler Bradley can be reached at linfieldreviewnews@gmail.com.

An assistant professor of political science from the University of Oregon discussed social issues surrounding marriage over time and her book April 15 in the Pioneer Reading Room.

Author of American Marriage: A Political Institution, Priscilla Yamin discussed the purpose and meaning of marriage for many different people.

Yamin talked about what marriage has meant during different periods of time and how it has changed, as well as its political purpose.

She defined political institutions as a state governed entity that sets norms and practices and marriage as a right and something that is representative of adulthood.

During the reconstruction era, 1865-1880, marriage was a form of racial status for freed slaves, but they could not marry someone from a different race.

In the progressive era, 1886-1915, marriage was viewed as an obligation to preserve “native” Americans.

In 1967, Mildred and Richard Loving were sentenced to one year in a Virginia prison because they were an interracial married couple who violated the state’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924.

The U.S. Supreme Court then ruled the decision unconstitutional and reversed the act. Chief Justice Earl Warren was quoted saying that “marriage is one of the “basic civil rights of man.””

Yamin said that politics define marriage and that marriage shapes politics.

“I thought it was interesting how she [Yamin] explained marriage through history and how the idea and concept of marriage has changed,” freshman Maddie Bergman said.

Yamin thinks marriage is what brings us together and that it’s about love no matter the gender or race.

Interracial marriage was once illegal, and Yamin said she thinks gay marriage will follow the same path and one day will be legal and without stigma.

Kiera Downs/Copy editor

Kiera Downs can be reached at linfieldreviewcopyed@gmail.com.

Linfield Chaplain David Massey was appointed board president of one of the leading ecumenical agencies in the country, the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO), on April 10.

Massey will serve as president for a year. During his term, he will do a lot of public representation of the agency, help with grants, and guide and plan different committee meetings, he said.

“It’s an exciting challenge to become more informed about ways we can better our communities. I will be at the front line of doing that at the state level, being the bridge builder for common outlets to serve and enhance life,” Massey said.

EMO is a “statewide association of Christian denominations, including Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox bodies congregations, ecumenical organizations and interfaith partners working together to improve the lives of Oregonians,” according to its website.

The agency strives to come together for a common purpose to heal. There are EMO agencies all across the country, but not all are statewide like Oregon. This EMO is broader based. It’s one of few that offer direct services, on the ground ministries, Massey said.

“This is partly what makes us unique. We are known to put faith to action, to cross theological boundaries,” he said.

EMO is organized around four committees: Public Witness Peacemaking, which focuses on legislative matters; Theological Dialogue, which focuses on generating dialogue between faiths; Community Ministries; and Environmental Ministries.

Massey first became involved with EMO as a member about 10 years ago. He chaired the Theological Dialogue committee for about five years, which also gave him a spot on the board. Last year, he was asked to be president elect.

However, Massey’s interest in exploring other religions started long before his time at EMO. It actually began when he was a student at Linfield.

“I became aware that my religious journey was not the only route people could travel,” Massey said. “Respecting other people’s religion led me to discover and appreciate what other religions bring to the world through their teachings. I didn’t have to abandon my own convictions. I could come alongside other traditions where we had common values.”

Massey said that Linfield’s connection to EMO will offer opportunities for student internships.

“I would encourage students to take advantage of the opportunities we have on campus to learn about other traditions. Get engaged and change the world.”

For more information about EMO and the services it offers, visit www.emoregon.org.

Jessica Prokop/Editor-in-chief

Jessica Prokop can be reached at linfieldrevieweditor@gmail.com.