Many of us have bicycles or rent them from the bike co-op.

We are, after all, college students on a budget and not all of us can afford cars.

We all know it is common knowledge that wearing your bicycle helmet can prevent injuries and save lives.

You don’t have to wear your helmet over the age of 16, but let’s face it; it would be a good idea.

Not all of us wear bike helmets and I myself have been guilty of this. But have we ever really thought about why we aren’t wearing helmets?

I have ridden my bike into town a few times and it’s not exactly the safest place for a cyclist.

There are not many bike lanes, and the bike lanes that are present are in pretty bad condition.

Three weeks ago I fell off my bike three miles off campus on Highway 99. I was trying to turn into a driveway so I could get up onto the sidewalk.

Instead, my bike hit some divots in the road and I slid across the sidewalk scraping up my hands, a knee and bruising my other leg.

I am really lucky that I did not fall into the road, especially since I was not wearing my helmet.

A pedestrian about 20 feet behind me did not bother to see if I was okay. Nor did the cars driving past bother to stop or even slow down.

Not knowing what else to do, I got up and with bloody hands, I grabbed my bike and continued to my destination where I was able to wash my hands and put on Band-Aids.

Now, I have scars on both hands and I am afraid to bike anywhere.

The part that bothered me the most was the fact that cars did not even bother to slow down.

This is a college town and there are a lot of bicycles on this campus so you would think that McMinnville would be more bicycle friendly by having clearly marked bike lanes, free from divots or potholes, and that drivers would be considerate of bicycles.

Bikers beware! Read the bicycle manual, available at the DMV and learn the turn and stop signals.

Then use them.

It will help keep us safe against these angry transforming monsters. But most importantly, wear your helmets!

Kiera Downs

Copy editor

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

When spring comes around, the leaf blowers and lawn mowers come out to play all day long. I understand the school’s desire to keep the campus looking attractive, but the level of maintenance is sometimes over the top.

Linfield has bright green lawns and pristine bushes and flowers, and that’s something that really attracts prospective students and parents. But will it really matter if the grass is longer than an inch and there is some dirt on the sidewalks?

I don’t enjoy being suddenly woken up from a delicious slumber by a heinously loud riding lawn mower driving right past my open window at nine in the morning.

And as soon as I fall back asleep, along comes a trimmer, loudly grazing the edge of the grass that no one ever looks at.

My room and apartment are then filled with the lovely morning smells of gas fumes and cut grass, which don’t go away for hours.

In the afternoon, this disrupting maintenance continues outside of classroom windows, making it next to impossible to hear what the professor is saying and distracting the whole class. It’s to the point where it feels like it happens all day, every day.

Okay, my rant is over. The point is, the school could afford to cool it a bit with the landscaping. The campus is beautiful as it is.

It seems that there is constantly some kind of machine running somewhere on campus. It then makes me wonder about the sustainability of it all. As stated in our December editorial, Linfield uses 4-cycle blowers instead of 2-cycle blowers in an effort to be more environmentally conscious and produce less exhaust emissions.

This is great, but I still think that less maintenance would be a better option. Less fuel use is less fuel use.

I just think that there is an excess amount of maintenance on our campus. There is nothing wrong with some overgrown foliage and not-so-perfectly manicured shrubs.

It seems like an unimportant priority to me, and those are just my personal beliefs.

Some people enjoy seeing uniform landscapes and consider overgrowth to be an eyesore. But I prefer a more natural look. It’s one thing I love about Oregon—the lush, wildly growing plants and trees. I don’t see why a college campus has to be so tightly and neatly maintained. It begins to feel somewhat forced and unnatural.

I sincerely wonder the impact that less landscaping would have on our community. I’m guessing little to none, and I think that few would even notice. The campus would still be beautiful.

Kelsey Sutton

Managing editor

Kelsey Sutton can be reached at linfieldreviewmanaging@gmail.com.

Recently, the White House Correspondents dinner has made me think about the use of comedy in politics and news in general, and how the popular comedy news sources are still under fire as not being legitimate forms of news information.

Comedy Central shows like “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” have become more successful over the years following an upward trend as traditional news sources and newspapers are going out of business. This information isn’t new, but it is surprising to see the shift over the last 13 years.

In a 2009 study that shocked many people in the journalism world, 21 percent of 18 to 29 year olds said that these comedy shows were their main source of news, growing from 9 percent in 2000. Only 23 percent said they found information from the broadcast news sources, which had fallen
from 39 percent.

Since the creation of journalism, there has always been news satire, one of the most famous satirists being author Mark Twain. There is obviously a trend for younger audiences toward these comedy news sources. So why are so many people fighting the idea of using comedy in journalism?

I understand the main goal in journalism is to write with objectivity, to present the facts and let the audience decide how to view a story. But like Rachel Smolkin wrote in her 2007 article, there are many things journalists can learn from shows like John Stewart’s, including audience numbers.

As readership for major news sources goes down, maybe variety and comedy is exactly what is needed to keep people reading. There should still be a commitment to the facts, but after seeing five or eight or ten of an article with the same facts on major news websites, I’m not going to want to read another boring article with the same information.

Instead, as so many people in my generation are now doing, I’m going to go to YouTube and watching interviews by Zach Galifianakis. Wouldn’t it be great if news media could begin to try and break into this audience market?

Though news shows like the ones on Comedy Central may not be giving us all the news information we need, they still make us more informed than we would be otherwise. If more news sites began to engage a younger audience with comedy, it would be much easier to get people to pay attention to the stuff that counts.

I’ll admit that one of the reasons I kept informed during the 2012 election was because I wanted to know who the people were that I was laughing at while watching the Bad Lip Reading videos. And though I sometimes disagree with its choices, The Onion tweets on my twitter feed are often a welcome break from the monotony of news information.

It’s not that I don’t appreciate traditional news, but sometimes I want variety. Sometimes I want to be able to agree with journalists because they are showing me their opinions. Sometimes I want to laugh because I know that other people in the world are seeing the same ridiculousness I am, and aren’t afraid to call others out on it.

Olivia Marovich

Staff writer

Olivia Marovich can be reached at

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com.

I’m writing in response to the editorial on donation requests. As a student who works at Phonathon in the College Relations Department, I, more than most, understand why Phonathon is so vital to the college.

The fact that I receive scholarships and that they were one of the deciding factors in my decision to attend Linfield also enhances my understanding of the importance of philanthropy.

Linfield College is a wonderful school and the community here is close-knit and extremely supportive; the affinity for supporting one another is also present in our alumni and parents.

It isn’t difficult to see just how much they love and support us—all you have to do is look at the numbers.

More than 2,500 alumni and 765 parents give every year to Linfield because they all believe in Linfield and its students, in us.

They know the power of a good education and they understand the value of giving back to the Linfield Community. It is because of them that over 93 percent of students can rely on scholarships and financial aid each year, myself being one of them.

Not only do those donations go toward scholarships, but they also make a huge impact on our daily lives here at Linfield.

Not many students know that tuition only covers 86 percent of what it actually costs to educate a Linfield student, and without the support of our extended community, we would not be here.

This is why we have events like Tuition Free Day.

Tuition Free Day, which we celebrated April 18th, represents when our tuition runs out and the rest of the year is paid for with donations.

Without donations from people like our alumni and our parents, we would not be able to be in school right now; the semester would have had to end on April 18th.

This is a tangible reminder of how important donations are to the college, and how much we are indebted to our donors.

So yes, Linfield is an expensive school, but it also takes care to lower costs as much as it can for students and their parents.

The only way it can do that is if we have donor support. Phonathon is a way for students to reach out to the donors, not only to ask them to continue their support, but also to thank them.

Being a caller has given me the invaluable opportunity to personally thank our alumni, parents, and friends of the college who donate.

Knowing that they all have a hand in my education and my experience at Linfield is incredibly moving.

I want them to know, as I want you to know, just how much we rely on their support and are grateful to them for believing in us.

Kelsey Hatley ‘13

I put this under other, as it’s not purely a complaint or a correction that needs to be reprinted in a later edition by any means (as what I read appeared in the opinions section of the newspaper anyway), but can maybe just serve as a reminder (if anyone wants to take it) to make sure what is being said is actually true, and not merely exaggerated stories influenced by media overlooking the facts of the case.

(Just to reiterate, this comment is not meant to be taken as an insult or harsh criticism by any means)

In the opinions section on page 3 of the April issue, a student wrote an article that rose good points called “Be smart, don’t ruin things for others.”

Though I agree with what she said about underage drinking, her comments about the coffee lawsuit irked me a little, as it was a bit apparent there wasn’t research done about it beforehand.

In this case, McDonald’s was clearly at fault for the burns suffered by the 79-year-old lady as the store was repeatedly warned the temperature of their coffee was too hot (180-190 degrees) and did not comply with regulation.

Kadi White ‘13

Linfield is known for its great study abroad opportunities. You cannot walk across campus without meeting someone who studied abroad and absolutely loved it.

This opportunity is something we are all lucky and proud to have.

Since hearing about a student being robbed while abroad, some students have been worried that they might not be as prepared as they originally thought they would be.

“Linfield requires all participants to attend a study abroad orientation, which also includes pre-orientation assignments. Students are also encouraged to take a course in Intercultural Communication and to attain a high level of proficiency in the target language,” said Shaik Ismail, director of International Programs at Linfield College.

“Aside from general cross-cultural factors, issues of cultural adaptation and societal values of the host country, students also learn about the specifics of the host city, country and about the host institution itself,” he said. “The orientation program goes into various ‘real-life’ scenarios that are aimed to prepare students for unforeseen circumstances. We also discuss issues of health and safety and how to avert or minimize exposure to risk.”

Although study abroad preparations are very thorough, it may be beneficial to make programs even more individualized depending on the country the student is traveling to. Since cultural values, beliefs and norms are different depending on the country, it is important that students are educated on differences.

“Educational systems and the culture of learning vary quite a bit, depending upon where you go to study. One of the outcomes we seek from our students is the ability to negotiate successfully within a system that is markedly different than the one we are accustomed to in the U.S.,” Ismail said.

Ultimately, students are given adequate tools to be prepared to study abroad.

It is their job to use these tools and tailor them to their specific needs.

So no one needs to excessively fear about studying abroad. Linfield provides students with the appropriate tools to deal with difficult situations.

Otherwise, it is your own duty to continue preparing individually and specifically for the country you are going to.

“We try to individualize these sessions as much as possible, bringing in faculty experts of the countries and universities where our students will be studying. Students are also encouraged to learn as much as possible about their host country in the pre-departure assignments,” Ismail said.

-The Review Editorial Board

Body image is something college students struggle with on a daily basis. This issue spans the gaps of gender, race and age. It is something everyone has dealt with at least once in their life.

On April 14, Dove released the latest installment of its “Real Beauty” advertising campaign called “Dove Real Beauty Sketches.” This video spread quickly through social media, with a vast majority of people praising the message.

Even though it has been over a month since the advertisement was released, it is still frequently popping up on my Facebook newsfeed. It obviously is striking a chord with people, especially women, and it is an interesting occurrence to say the least.

The video features women describing themselves to a professional forensic artist and he sketches them as they see themselves. Then, another person with whom the woman had briefly interacted comes in and also describes her to the artist. The women then compares the difference between how they see themselves and how the others presumably see them.

Ultimately, this video is saying we are our own worst critics. This is entirely true. We judge ourselves by the ideals society has set. Admit it, you have done it yourself. We have a tendency to see our flaws in comparison to the images of perfection thrust upon us by the media at large. Realizing this, and working to develop a more positive body image is a worthwhile endeavor and I applaud Dove for taking on this difficult mission.

However, there are a few things I would have liked to additionally see in the ad. Although the main women in the ad showed a little diversity, older women were not used in the ad and all of the women were slim. There was not enough diversity of age and body shape to really make an impact on all types of women. By not using images of a wide array of women and types of beauty, the ad has already lost a little significance.

I thought of this example when I was watching the commercial with my grandmother. As a strong and proud woman, she still said this commercial no longer applied to her because she was old. The advertisement did not upset her by any means, but I’m sure there is a woman out there saying, “great message, wish it applied to me.”

There is no one single definition of what beauty is. Nobody can define it and I applaud Dove for carrying this message to a wide audience. However, I recommend that their next ad be more diversified and redefine what it means to be beautiful.

Alyssa Townsend

Opinion editor