The Scroll | February 21, 2013

THE SCROLLTHE SCROLLTHE SCROLLT H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F B E T H A N Y L U T H E R A N C O L L E G E • M A N K A T O, M I N N E S O T A

FREE Feb 21st, 2013

By Andrew LarsonScroll Staff Writer

It has not happened in more than 600 years and

it shocked the world.On Monday, Feb. 11,

Pope Benedict XVI made the startling announce-ment that he would be stepping down, citing fail-ing mental and physical health. His last day will be on Feb. 28, becoming the first Pope since the Middle Ages to give up the title before death.

Benedict, 85, made the announcement in Latin to a small gathering of cardi-nals at the Vatican.

In a later statement Benedict said that the papacy required a “strength of mind and body,” that he no longer possessed, and this deci-sion had been reached “after having repeatedly examined my conscience before God.”

Although it is extremely uncommon, canon law does allow the Pope to abdicate his office, provided that the deci-sion to do is “made freely and properly manifested.” The last pope universally recognized to have relin-quished the position was Celestine V, who was elected in July 1294 but left the office five months later after feeling that he was being manipulated by the King of Sicily and Naples. At one point there were three rival claim-ants to the papacy. This was during the period of time known as the Great Western Schism, which was from 1378 to 1415. The legitimate pope at the time, Gregory XII, abdi-cated to make way for an undisputed pope.

The current cardi-nals will elect Benedict’s successor as early as

Pope Benedict XVI makes monumen-tal move

By Jonah Menough Scroll Staff Writer

Faith is at the core of Bethany Lutheran

College. Therefore, in Beth-any’s Christianity courses, the curriculum assumes that students have some basic knowledge of the Christian faith. However, there are some students on campus that do not have the same Christian education as others have had.

Every year, Chaplain Donald Moldstad has students coming into his office hoping to get some basic instruction on the Chris-tian faith, whether it is from Moldstad himself or a nearby church. This year, several students approached him, so he decided to start his own adult instruction class and promote it around campus.

This class, which is open to all students, will last about eight to nine weeks and will cover fundamental teach-ings in Christianity such as creation, baptism, commu-nion, the Trinity and more. Moldstad said that this class is very much like confirma-tion classes which Lutheran students took in seventh or eighth grade.

“I feel that by the end of those classes they should know enough about the Christian faith to believe it, understand it and explain it,” said Moldstad.

This class was not designed specifically to prepare students for Chris-tianity courses at Bethany; however Moldstad feels that this class would be helpful to students who have little prior knowledge on the Christian faith.

“The Intro to Christianity classes have a lot of the same curriculum in it, but it’s at a higher level and assumes that you know something,” said Moldstad.

Moldstad plans to continue this in the coming years

Chaplain Moldstad starts first adult instruction class

Alumni brings magical aspect to Snow Week

Photo by SIERRA BATALDAN

Sophomore Coryn Deem studies the handmovements of Daniel Japerson while he performes his magic trick by smashing cups.

See page 6, POPE See page 6, INSTRUCTION

By Megan MaschoffScroll Staff Writer

Silence grips the room. The audience sits in

anticipation, dying to know whether or not this trick will work and then it happens. Daniel Jaspersen somehow guesses the object the audi-ence participant is holding just by touching her other hand. Low whispers of “What?” and “How did he do that?!” start to come from the crowd. It was pure magic.

Growing up in New Ulm, Minn., Bethany alumni Jaspersen was an aver-age Minnesotan kid that quickly became talented at something most kids never master - juggling. At the age of 11, he decided to learn how to juggle, and by age 18, he was doing performances as a juggler, so much so, that he used the money he made at gigs to help pay his rent in college. However, it was at his job at Mall of America that ended up introducing him to the world of magic.

“I was working at Mall of America at Air Traffic (a store that sells juggling gear) as a resident juggler, and right around the corner from there was a store called the Fun Shop and they were a magic

shop. The lead magician there was a retired mafia card cheat. He was brilliant with a deck of cards and he fooled the pants off me so many times. So he sold me my first couple of books, taught me quite a bit about basic slight of hand and I never looked back,” said Jaspersen.

From that moment, Jaspersen devoted himself to reading, practicing, and learning everything he could about magic while still focusing on his stud-ies in business commu-nication and theatre at Bethany. With his stud-ies in theatre, Jaspersen became good friends with Peter Bloedel, who also had a passion for magic.

“[Jaspersen] was my student years ago in the theatre department. We had a lot in common, both having a love for juggling and magic tricks. Whenever he comes to town we love to talk magic talk and share tricks and performance ideas. He’s become more than a magi-cian, but also an excellent performer,” said Bloedel.

Although Jaspersen contin-ues to use card tricks and close up magic in his shows as Bethany students saw at

his performance, the majority of his show deals with a more mental approach to magic.

“In my opinion, mentalism is the closest to real magic that we can get to. Mental-ism, with all the psychology built into it, it’s very real looking – very plausible – and that’s what I wanted. I wanted to present something that was realistic, that was maybe not magical in the classic sense of things, but more in the terms of super skill. A super skill is some-thing that resonates with an audience,” said Jaspersen.

“It was really weird being on stage. I never was really skeptical before of hypnotists or mind-reader people, but I had never experienced it to know what it was like,” said sophomore and audience participant Anna Pietsch.

Jaspersen’s performance at Bethany during Snow Week did nothing short of that. Students and faculty were left in a sense of awe.

When I think about magic, I think about it very seri-ously. I can create magical moments in other people’s lives, which is unbeliev-able. I mean, who can say that they can do that for a living?” said Jaspersen.

2 THE SCROLLFeb. 21st, 2013

I used to think that I had an awful memory. I would

spend hours trying to learn vocabulary for Spanish class, but no matter what way I tried learning it, it did not work. Other people would walk into class, look the words over for two minutes and ace the quiz.

One day when I was surf-ing the web, I found a video called “Feats of Memory Anyone Can Do.” This presentation was given by Joshua Foer, a scientific writer. One of the things he wrote about was the National Memory Competi-tion in New York. There, he witnessed people who could memorize things such as the order of a shuffled deck of cards in less than a minute and other such feats.

As a journalist, he needed something to write about, but he said, “The most inter-esting thing that happened is when someone would gently massage their temples.” He spoke to one of the competi-tors who (like everyone there) claimed that he had just an average memory. They have simply learned to manipulate their minds into remembering things.

Foer explained that this is known as the “Baker, baker” paradox. If some people are gathered together and half are told to remember a guy who’s name is Baker, and the other half that someone is a baker, the latter group will remember far better than the former. The name Baker does not mean anything to anyone unless they know the person, but bakers wear funny hats and have flour all over them. All these details are extra things that stick to the word and help in remem-bering it.

When different connota-tions are put with words, they are easier to remember. As

the image becomes crazier, it becomes easier to remem-ber. One of the words I had to memorize in Latin class this semester is cito, which means “quickly.” For this word, I think of a cat, or kitten jumping off of a diving board. Cats do not like water, so they would never be near a diving board, but this cat is jumping off it very quickly. A kitten jumping quickly: cito - quickly.

One of the things that has helped me learn this skill is a man named Ed Cooke. He is the “Mr. Memory colum-nist” for the Times newspa-per. He wrote a book called “Remember, Remember: Learn the Stuff You Never Thought You Could.” In this book, he tells four stories. Hidden inside these stories are the Presidents of the U.S., all the English Kings and Queens, the countries of Europe and the Prime Ministers of England.

I read through and learned the story about the monarchs of England well enough that I could recite the kings and queens of

England right now with-out even thinking. When I hear the name “Edward the Confessor,” I imagine some-one in a helicopter dropping a wooden head on my car and shouting down his apol-ogies. A head, or ed, made of wood: Edwood, Edward. The man is confessing that it is his fault: Edward the Confessor. Edward comes right after Harthacanute, which is half (Harth) a canoe (canute) racing down a river.

After Foer went to the memory competition in New York, he decided that he would compete in it the next year as an experiment. He spent 15-20 minutes every morning trying to remember something in this fashion: a poem, or some faces in a yearbook he found in a thrift store. He came back the next year to compete and won the competition. In one year, he went from thinking that he had an awful memory to winning the national memory competition.

The Word being translated to new languagesBy Timothy Wildauer Scroll Staff Writer

Only 500 of the world’s nearly 7,000 languages

have a complete Bible trans-lation. Nearly 1,500 Bible translation projects are in progress right now, accord-ing to Wycliffe Bible transla-tors. One of these projects is currently being worked on in Zambia, Africa.

Chris Pluger, his wife Janine and son Sean moved to Petauke, Zambia in August of 2011, and began working on translating the Bible into Nsenga in July of 2012.

“The Bible is central, of course. It should be made available to everyone in the world in their own language,” said Thomas Kuster, the director of Christ in Media Institute. “New believers need these materi-als in their own languages so that they can grow in their faith.”

Africa has a completely different culture than that of America. Pluger said, “‘Hi’ is not a greeting in Zambia. ‘Good morning! How are you? How is your family? Is everything at home fine?’ is a much more typical greeting.”

Most Americans study different languages that are part of the Indo-European family tree. Nsenga, along

with most of the other Afri-can languages, is part of the Bantu family tree. These languages are completely different from English.

“Nesenga verbs tend to pile up their prefixes and suffixes like adding cars to a train,” said Pluger. The word sitikakupikishilani is made up of a stem, four prefixes and four suffixes (si- ti- ka- ku- pik -ish -il -a -ni with “pik,” the main verb meaning “to cook”). Remov-ing the suffix -il changes the meaning from “we will not cause something to be cooked for you” to “we will not cause you to be cooked.”

Nsenga also has noun classes like German and Spanish have genders. “However, in Nsenga, there are about 16 different noun classes instead of two or three genders,” said Pluger.

The Bible translation begins with three Mother-Tongue Translators (MTT), who work through various English translations and commentaries and translate them into Nsenga. Pluger then goes through these translations with the MTT and compares them with the original Greek and adjust-ments are made as needed.

They read through the Nsenga verse by verse to

check for spelling, punctua-tion and fluidity. It is at this stage that many kinks are worked out.

“Being a landlocked, inland tribe, the Nsengas don’t have an extensive fish-ing vocabulary,” said Pluger. “We struggled with ‘fish-ers of men.’ In Nsenga, you ‘catch fish,’ but if you ‘catch people,’ you are a slave trader or policeman. We had to say, ‘get people and bring them into the kingdom of God.’”

Sometimes, there are no Nsenga words to convey an intended meaning. The Nsenga word for “doctor” kept being read as “witch doctor,” so a word was borrowed from Chewa, another widely used African language, that means “medical doctor.” These substi-tutions are avoided when possible, but sometimes a clear meaning is more important.

After the kinks are worked out, a local storyteller, who is known for his clear and beautiful Nsenga, goes through the translation and makes some changes.

The clarified translation is then taken to different villages and read to people who are asked comprehen-sion questions. It is one thing for educated readers to understand something and quite another for unedu-

cated people to arrive at the same meaning.

They give this next draft to Translation Consultant Dr. Misheck Nyirenda to be finalized.

“It is tough where we live. There is limited shop-ping and frequent power cutoffs, but the payoff, I think, is worth it,” said Pluger. “There is lots of time together as a family, a completely unique experi-ence, and the chance to help an entire language group hear God speaking to them in their own mother tongue.”

“Beyond the Bible, there is also a huge need for trans-lating other Christian mate-rials, such as catechisms, commentaries and many other things that we take for granted in English.” said Kuster. “Such transla-

tions are even more impor-tant now that Christians are using mass media to reach out around the world with the Gospel.”

Pluger maintains a blog at theplugers.wordpress.com with updates about “the African experience” from progress on the translation to other adventures such as taxi drivers going on strike because of new laws.

“We should be finished drafting and checking the New Testament by the end of 2014,” said Pluger. “Final checking, typesetting and printing will take at least another six months. We are praying to have a nice, officially-published, modern-language Nsenga New Testament widely available by the end of 2015.”

Photo by CHRIS PLUGER

Left: Stansilas Lungu (left), Father Tembo (right) and Fani Phiri (bottom) are the Mother Tongue Translators. They begin the process by trans-lating the Bible into rough Nsenga. Right: Chris, Janine and Sean Pluger moved to Zambia in 2011 to work on the Bible translation project.

THE SCROLL THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF

BETHANY LUTHERAN COLLEGE

MANKATO, MINNESOTA

Lexi TitecaContent Editor

Anna WrightPhotography Editor

Dave ZarrettLayout Editor

Jonah MenoughSocial Media Editor

Brittany TitusPage Editor

Shawn LogingCopy Editor

Staff Writers: Andrew Larson, Shawn Loging,

Megan Maschoff, Jonah Menough, Lexi Titeca, Brittany Titus, Aaron Wendorff, Timothy

Wildauer

Photographers: Kelsie Ammann, Sierra

Bataldan, Megan Grunke, Elisa Mayer, Marie Rose, Cassie

Wierschke, Timothy Wildauer, Anna Wright, Lucy Yang

Designers:Kara Ketcher, Shawn Loging, Brittany Titus, Dave Zarrett

Scroll Advisor: Denice Woller

All content copyright ©2013Published bi-monthly

Change your brain from that of a fish to an elephant

Timothy WildauerOpinion

See page 8, MEMORY

THE SCROLL 3Feb. 21st, 2013

By Shawn LogingScroll Staff Writer

Basketball may be the pinnacle moments for

what senior Kelsie Ammann will remember when leav-ing Bethany, but it is not the only memory that will leave a lasting impression.

“My major is Studio Art with an emphasis in graphic design and illustration. I chose that because I have really been interested in the art field. I am not very coordinated when it comes to drawing on paper, but anything that can be done on the computer, I have pretty much figured that out, and the career field for graphic design is really wide, so there are a lot of areas to go into like web design, flyers and so on,” said Ammann.

Growing up in Lakeville, Minn, just outside of the cities, she is an only child and grandchild. She also has a pet cat named Dakota, which is the basis for her senior project.

“[My] favorite childhood memory would probably be [when] my dad (Brian Ammann) was a college basketball coach at Augs-

burg, and he coached a player that went to the NBA, so, I liked getting the experi-ence of watching him [play] through college and getting to know him,” Ammann said.

Basketball is an important part of Ammann’s life. With four years on Bethany’s Women Basketball team and current senior captain, a lot of the influence started with her father. When it comes to basketball in Ammann’s life, her father’s time in coaching college basketball and now owner and director of the

Minnesota School of Basket-ball – a basketball training facility – has kept Ammann dedicated to the game.

Ammann said, “I have learned how to work with a lot of other people. Being on a team, we have learned too that it is like your second family and you have to dedi-cate a lot of time to that activity. Basketball is the longest season sport, so we do have to learn not to lose focus or interest in it. A lot of girls are fighting with that with it being [the end

of the season], they are kind of lagging, but you do learn to fight that as you play as many years as you can here.”

In addition, Ammann said she enjoys “any class that [Studio Art professor] Andy Overn has taught, it has been the most valuable infor-mation that I have learned.”

After leaving Bethany, Ammann hopes to eventually become a freelance designer.

“A future goal is [that] I would really like to do free-lance design; that is my ultimate goal. However, I will probably have to go and apply at a firm or within a design company to be able to get myself to expand out to just rely on freelance,” said Ammann.

Ammann said, advising underclassmen, “Make sure that you are going to class and working hard fresh-man year. It is a big transi-tion from high school into college. Learning to go to class, needing to get work done, showing professors that you care and getting involved with as many things as you can on campus [is important]. It keeps you busy and you get to know a lot of people.”

Campus Q&A

If your house was on fire, what’s the

one thing you would save?

By Elisa Mayer

Caleb ZahnJunior“My computer - it just has a lot of stuff on it.”

Christina YoungFreshman“If it’s not a person, I don’t need anything.”

Elisabeth UrtelSenior“My Steinway grand piano, Gabriele, because she’s my best friend.”

Kristin CarrSenior“Algernon, my giant stuffed teddy bear.”

Marta KrauseJunior“I would never run back into a burning house.”

Jon Wolfrath

Hometown:Eagan, MNWhat is your intended major?FinanceFavorite video game?Black Ops 2Favorite annoying person?Reagen Lumbumbashi

Reagen Lumbumbashi

What is your intended major?

Business, with a minor in psychology

Favorite sport?

WrestlingFavorite annoying person:

Jon Wolfrath

Freshmen Files

Senior Spotlight: Kelsie Amman

Photo by MARIE ROSE

4 THE SCROLLFeb. 21st, 2013

President Obama gives annual speech

By Shawn LogingScroll Staff Writer

Cancer’s cold dark shadow breaks its way

into the homes of many fami-lies, almost leaving no one untouched. However, efforts have been made to stop the progress of this disease and many organizations and foundations have been aiding in this campaign.

Bethany athletic teams are also getting into the mix, working to raise money to help fund the research for a cure. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams have started down different avenues for a common goal.

The Bethany Men’s Basketball team is collect-ing money for Relay for Life, through the sale of wrist-bands and donations. This is the second year the whole team has actively partici-pated in the Relay for Life.

“Basically, everyone on our team has been affected by cancer in some way. It is something that affects millions of people every year. It is a really good cause and it is a small thing we can do as a team to bond and give back to the community, as well as trying to fight the horrible disease of cancer,” senior Derek Peterson said.

“Personally, my grandma Pearl; she died of colon cancer and my aunt never smoked one day in her life

and she died of lung cancer. Then I have family friends that have been affected by cancer. There was also a high school friend, who had leukemia that ended up pass-ing away from it. So, it has affected me in quite a big way,” Peterson said.

Relay for Life is a fundrais-ing drive for the American Cancer Society.

The team will be walking in Bethany’s Relay for Life fundraiser on Apr. 19.

Peterson said, “One day I was sitting on the couch and thinking. I have always liked wristbands. Then I went online, typed in ‘wristband’ and saw that there was a red and black pattern. I thought it would be awesome to make some and sell them for Relay.”

“So then, I had to talk to the Vice President [Steve Jaeger] of the college to see if it was okay, because of infringement purposes since it is using [Bethany’s] name, but since it was going to a good cause, he was more than willing. So, I put in the order and we got 200 wristbands and so far we sold about a 100 of them. So, $200 right now is going to Relay for Life and hopefully we can get the rest sold here soon,” said Peterson.

The Bethany Women’s Basketball Team held their own fundraiser to bring

awareness to breast cancer, using the color pink.

On the Friday Feb. 8 home game versus Northwest-ern, they held their annual Play4Kay.

“Play4Kay foundation was founded in honor of a former basketball coach at North Carolina State [Kay Yow] who passed away from breast cancer after many battles; she got it three times. Basically, all the teams do something,” said Head Women’s Basket-ball coach Tiffany Young Klockziem.

“On [Feb. 8], we had a pink event. So everyone wore pink, they had pink shoelaces, pink t-shirts and a pink ball [intended for warm ups]. Then we had t-shirts that [senior] Kelsie Ammann designed and we

tried to sell those. We still have some left and all prof-its go to the charity. It is primarily to raise awareness because almost everyone has been affected by this in some way and also to raise funds for research,” said Young Klockziem.

“Since I began coaching, we have done something with it. So, I would say at least eight years, where we have been doing some-thing; where we have one night, one of our last home games is dedicated to that event. It used to be called WBCA [Women’s Basketball Coaches Association] Pink Zone. All of the colleges in our conference do this, at some point or another,” Young Klockziem said.

“Over half of [the Beth-any Women’s Basketball

team] has been affected [by cancer] and my mother-in-law died of breast cancer before I ever got to meet her. So, it is something close to my family’s heart as well. Over half of them have been affected, but hope-fully the focus will be on the survivors and the courage, integrity and character they developed when they fought a disease like this,” said Young Klockziem.

Wristbands can be bought from Peterson for $2 by contacting [email protected]. The Women’s Basket-ball team still has pink t-shirts for sale, which say things like ‘Only Real Men Wear Pink’ or ‘Pink is my Signature Color,’ for $10 by contacting Young Klock-ziem at [email protected].

Peterson said, “I just urge everyone to get out and participate. Even though it is a small campus, we can rally together to fight for finding a cure for cancer. It is some-thing that affects every-body, some way, somehow. Whether it is a loved one who died or a young person that they know, a friend that they have watched suffer. So, I would just urge every-one to get out and be active in the Bethany community and the community itself to try and raise as much money as we can.”

Basketball aids cancer research to find a cure

By Timothy Wildauer Scroll Staff Writer

Every year, the President of the United States

must report to Congress on the state of the union. It was originally a written report, but in recent years, it has been given as a speech for prime time television.

This year, President Barack Obama gave the address on Feb. 12.

He opened his speech by saying that while it is his job to report on the state of the union, it is the job of all of us to improve it.

Obama said that the people “don’t expect those of us in this chamber to agree on every issue, but they do expect us to put the nation’s interests before party.”

The first topic he discussed was government spending and the rising debt. He called on Congress to close loopholes and deductions for the richest

Americans, so they pay their taxes at a rate similar to the middle class.

He also stressed that entitlement programs must be reformed and the tax code simplified.

“Already, the Afford-able Care Act is helping to slow the growth of health care costs. The reforms I’m proposing go even further,” said Obama. “The American people deserve a tax code that helps small businesses spend less time filling out complicated forms, and more time expanding and hiring.”

Obama noted that the country’s infrastructure is slowly deteriorating and proposed a new program to fix broken roads and bridges. He listed many benefits to improving the infrastructure, including a large number of new jobs.

“If we upgrade our infra-structure, companies will

bring even more jobs back to America,” said Obama.

Obama argued that if businesses are going to be moving jobs back to Amer-ica, they will need skilled people to fill these positions. These skilled workers can only come from an improved education system.

“Study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road,” said Obama. “Tonight, I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America. Every dollar we invest in high-quality early education can save more than seven dollars later on.”

“If parents aren’t able to make the effort to train their own children, then there should be good preschools available for them,” said sophomore Anna Wittig. “I think that a bad school can

sometimes be worse than no school at all.”

To ensure that every-one has a chance to get ahead, Obama talked about the immigration reforms that are working their way through Congress. He urged lawmakers to send him the bill so that illegal immigrants can become citi-zens without fear of being deported.

These reforms would grant illegal immigrants temporary citizenship while they gathered the paper-work to get in line to apply for a green card. Border security would also be greatly strengthened.

“If the immigration process didn’t take so long to get through, that would cut down on illegal immi-gration,” said senior Rachel Gleason. “We need to streamline that process as well as stop giving freebies to illegal immigrants.”

The president made a huge announcement concerning troops currently stationed in Afghanistan.

Obama announced that over 33,000 troops have come home from Afghani-stan so far. This drawdown will continue, and another 34,000 troops will come home by the end of this year, as Afghan security forces will take a primary role in the country’s safety. By 2014, the war in Afghanistan will be over.

Obama concluded his speech by praising the vital-ity of the American spirit.

“We are citizens,” said Obama. “It describes the way we are made and what we believe. It remains the task of us all, as citizens of these United States, to be the authors of the next great chapter in our American story.”

Photo by KELSIE AMMANN

Senior Derek Peterson came up with the idea to sell black and red wrist-bands to support his Relay for Life team.

THE SCROLL 5Feb. 21st, 2013

By Shawn LogingScroll Staff Writer

In the traditional elections, the back and forth banter-

ing, mudslinging, finger pointing and overall negative tone can put off many voters. However, those national elec-tions are done and the focus changes to Bethany Student Senate Presidential Election.

Sophomore William Soule is the only person whose name will be on the ballot. Currently, senior Evan Oman is the President of Student Senate, but his shoes will need to be filled as he graduates this year.

Even if Soule is the only candidate running, the elec-tion on Feb. 26 will go ahead as planned.

Junior Amber Nord, of the Student Senate Public Rela-tions Committee, said, “If there is only one candidate, we still have to have an elec-tion, per our constitution and there is a write-in section on the ballot. So, whoever turned in the paperwork and fulfilled the steps [to be an official candidate], will be on the ballot. Then there is the write-in section, so after that, if one write-in received the most votes, we would ask if they wanted to accept that. Then there is a bit more of a longer process, [laid out] in the constitution.”

A one-candidate election is nothing new for Student Senate. Last year, Evan Oman was the only candi-date to declare.

The voting area will be set by the green chairs during lunch and dinner on Feb 26. Students will receive a paper ballot with the candidate’s name, and once they voted, they will receive the tradi-tional ‘I Voted’ sticker.

“[Students] do not need to bring anything; we get a list from the registrar of every-one. So, when the student comes, they give us their name and then we cross them off, to make sure they do not vote twice. In years past, we have had people that have studied abroad and they emailed in their votes, but if they are here on campus, they need to stop by the table and vote that way,” said Nord.

Soule has two years of expe-rience on the Student Senate. During that time, he has been a member of Financial Affairs Committee, Constitutional Revision Committee, Campus Concerns and Vice President.

“I am running for Student Body President because it is a great leadership oppor-tunity for me to make a difference on campus. It has been great to see the ability that Student Senate has to make changes on campus. I feel like being president will allow me to direct those changes and really help focus Student Senate as a whole,” said Soule.

“Evan [Oman] is our president right now and he has been doing a great job at that, but obviously, he

is graduating, so I just felt that it was necessary that someone run who is going to continue that legacy of making Student Senate a great organization for the campus. I think that I am able to continue that tradi-tion that has been set up and be a part of that tradition,” Soule said.

Soule also said that his experience will define why he should be president. Specifically, noting his time on the Financial Affairs Committee, where this year, they had to deal with $8000 less in funds and that the Committee worked to solve the problem without taking away opportunities for the student body.

“If you look at all my experience working with the committees on Senate, I know exactly how to inspire them and tell them what to

do so they can live up to their full potential because obvi-ously the president is not going around doing every-thing by himself. He needs people to do the work that students want,” said Soule.

As president, Soule would like to grow student participa-tion on campus and encour-age students to have more of a dialogue with the Senate.

Soule said, “I really like to bring a better sense of student participation to campus. That is not neces-sarily Student Senate’s job. As Student Senate, we like to encourage students to be more involved, go to more games and go to more events sponsored by BAC because Student Senate grants Bethany Activity Commit-tee funds. So, they are basi-cally the division that does things for the students and we feel like there is a lack

of student involvement. So as president, I would like to get students more involved with activities on campus, and I think we can do that by simply offering more options.”

In order to keep students on campus more, Soule suggests having shuttles on the weekend to take students to the mall or, even though it did not work out this year, turn the middle of the green into an ice rink.

“I think that Bethany could be an even better place if students truly took an interest in what happens on this campus. There are students that take that inter-est but at the same time, we as Student Senate genuinely don’t know what students want because they do not tell us. It is not for our lack of trying, it is because students are not vocal about their opinions. They are vocal with their friends but they need to be vocal with us,” said Soule.

Soule said, “I genuinely believe that if they are vocal with their Student Senators that Bethany will be an even better place than it already is and if elected president that is something I would like to make sure happens. Unless every student is heard, not every student is going to be accounted for and that is the purpose of a government, to listen to the people who elected them to represent them.”

Soule candidate does not dampen election

Photo by CASSIE WIERSCHKE

Sophomore William Soule is the only candidate running for Student Body President. Students will still need to vote and can do so during dining hours on Feb. 26 by the green chairs.

Opinion: The dead walk and the people talk

They feed on flesh. They prey on anything living.

They are merciless hunters who will not relent until they have captured and devoured their prey. And yet they have somehow accumulated countless fans across the United States and the world.

I speak, of course, of the living dead. Zombies have come to pervade pop culture, whether it be through video games such as Shinji Mikami’s “Resi-dent Evil” series, movies such as “Warm Bodies,”

written and directed by Jonathan Levine or the ever popular television series “The Walking Dead.” Zombies seem to have taken the place in hearts that were once held by vampires and werewolves.

The zombie made its first foray into American culture in the 1929 novel The Magic Island by William Seabrook. In 1932, Victor Halperin directed the film “White Zombie,” which is regarded as the first movie to feature the undead. The mindless, hunger-driven and flesh-eating zombies that fans have come to know so well today can trace their roots back to George A. Rome-ro’s 1968 film “Night of the Living Dead.” This movie and its sequels introduced the staples of zombie behav-ior that have become the

present day standard for any self-respecting reani-mated corpse.

Even our humble college has not escaped the influence of this zombie pandemic, so to speak. In recent weeks the campus has been abuzz with chatter of the debut of “Warm Bodies” and the long awaited return of “The Walk-ing Dead.” The return saw a decent portion of the televi-sions on campus, particu-larly the ones in Gullixon and Teigen, tuned to AMC, as fans anxiously gather around them to once again take in their favorite show. Why have zombies become so beloved by our culture?

“I’ve never been a zombie person, but if I were to spec-ulate as to why the zombie culture is big, my thought would be with ‘Twilight,’” said senior Andy Sorenson.

“If you think about it, there isn’t much overlap between Twihards and Zombies. Maybe because zombies are seen as the manly version of ‘Twilight?’ You know, dead people coming back to life?”

It would seem to be as plau-sible of an explanation as any. The “Twilight” series has garnered many opponents, a sizeable portion of them being male, and it would seem feasible that they would look for a masculine counter-part to the series. A grimy, decaying and blood streaked corpse does seem more welcoming to the average male than the suave, hand-some vampires portrayed in the “Twilight” series.

“There are a lot of shows and movies that are based around post-apocalyptic scenarios these days,” said junior Anthony Miller. “I

guess I am not really an expert on why exactly this is, but many shows are moving in this direction. Zombies are just another post-apocalyptic scenario in which people like to watch characters experience to see what choices they make.”

“Since the end of the world, as it was supposed to end this year, people were interested in different Apoc-alyptic endings,” said junior Ezekiel Kroll. “Zombies originated with voodoo and especially in Haiti it was believed the world was going to end as the dead would rise up (voodoo often mixes Christian beliefs with old west African beliefs). Because this sounds cooler than the world is going to end, and an idea of an indi-

Andrew LarsonOpinion

See page 8, ZOMBIES

6 THE SCROLLFeb. 21st, 2013

News & NotesBy Lexi TitecaScroll Staff Writer

Pythons posing problems in Florida

In the Florida Everglades, 50 Burmese pythons have been killed in the Python Challenge. More than 1,500 hunters are currently search-ing for the invasive reptiles that are putting native wild-life species in danger. Univer-sity of Florida researchers are examining the carcasses for disclosed reasons. The hunt started Jan. 12.

(Source: Fox News)

Rover drills into rock on Mars

For the first time in Mars’ history, a space rover, Curi-osity, drilled into a rock to prepare a hole to put a small amount of the powdered rock into the machine’s onboard laboratories.

The $2.5 billion mission was launched last August, posi-tioning the car-sized rover in an ancient crater. The rover is equipped with many instru-ments, including its drill, making it the most high tech spacecraft to land on Mars. The drilling is the most diffi-cult task Curiosity has faced, according to project manager Richard Cook of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Once the rock analysis process is finished, Curios-ity is going to be directed to a mountain, where scientists hope to uncover signs of organic molecules.

(Source: Fox News)

Batman soon to be back in business

After a major car sale by a Florida car collec-tor, Gotham City criminals may be in danger. George Albright of Ocala, Fla. sold a Caped Crusader-inspired car built by a teenager in the 1960’s, the first of its kind, to Toy Car Exchange out of Sacramento, Calif.

Albright was inspired to sell the car after seeing the original George Barris-designed Batmobile from the TV series sell for $4.2 million. The final selling price of the Caped Crusader was disclosed, however, and the new owners of the car plan to restore it back to its original condition.

(Source: Fox News)

Why Americans celebrate President’s Day

By Brittany Titus Scroll Staff Writer

History has been made for the royal family of

England. The findings of King Richard III’s bones were thought to be discov-ered five months ago, but after months of DNA test-ing, it has been confirmed that those bones are truly the late King’s.

It has been 528 years since King Richard III was killed on the battle-f ield at Bosworth, during the battle of the War of the Roses in 1485. His bones were found at the

University of Leicester under a city parking lot, on the site of Grey Friars, a medieval church.

King Richard only reigned for two years, but was known for killing anyone who stood in the way of him gaining the throne. He was blamed for the mysterious deaths of a brother and his two young nephews.

He was also known for having an ugly appear-ance and a hunchback. A skeletal analysis was also taken of the discovered corpse and it was deter-mined that he did have

a curved spine and that one of his shoulders was higher than the other.

“The proof of the curva-ture of his spine was inter-esting, for it was thought that his physical appearance was made up, like a villain in a novel,” said English profes-sor Robert Hanna.

Students and faculty members are amazed at this new discovery. Having read William Shakespeare’s play King Richard III in class, junior Hanna Beussman was interested in this f inding.

“I thought it was fascinat-

ing for the history of that area and there are things about him that are heavily debated and hopefully this discovery will help with that,” said Beussman.

“The bones will have an honorable burial. The local city government has purchased the property [where the bones were found]. It ’s fitting to give him a proper burial. There is no proof that he did this evil [of murders],” said Robert Hanna.

The bones will be reburied in the Leicester Cathedral.

King Richard III’s bones newly discovered

By Brittany Titus Scroll Staff Writer

An average birthday could include a party

with decorations, cake and presents. But when it comes to someone who made a big impact in Amer-ican history, classes or work may have a day off. Who is that important? Why, it is our first Presi-dent, George Washington.

Presidents’ Day was estab-lished in 1885 and is cele-brated on the third Monday in February. The federal government call this day “Washington’s Birthday,” but was known as Presi-dents’ Day after it became a part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

This act was “an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s

workers. While several states still have individ-ual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presi-

dents past and present,” according to history.com.  

“It started in the 1960s with President Nixon. He wanted Monday holidays to be federal holidays so they could have a long week-end,” said history professor John Boubel. “It was also a common way of not doing usual business so people can enjoy the extra vacation day. But the parallel would be that Martin Luther King Jr. is a state holiday in Minnesota, so state employ-ers do not have to work.”

Not only do federal workers have the day off, but some schools cancel class for the day in honor of the Presidents.

“People should look at it more than as a day off from school or work, but look at the person who we

are celebrating,” said soph-omore Travis Drescher.

But what comes with this cancelation is more free time for people, including time to shop. Stores have big sales for Presidents’ Day; trying to lure shoppers in now that they have the day off.

However, Presidents’ Day is a good reminder to remem-ber our past Presidents and think back on how America has changed and grown.

“It ’s a good idea to have Presidents’ Day, especially to celebrate Washington’s birthday because he was our first President. He led us to win the revolutionary war. Abraham Lincoln as well, helped shape history with his part in the Civil War and helped change our country for the better,” said Drescher.

Photo by MEGAN GRUNKE

Presidents’ Day commemorates all of our presidents, including the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln.

successor as early as March. Tradition dictates that when a new pope is to be chosen, the cardinals are to gather in the Sistine Chapel until a new pope is chosen.

“If they are undecided, they send up black smoke. If they are decided they send up white smoke,” said Reli-gion and Hebrew Professor Mark DeGarmeaux. “What’s going to be interesting with this pope is whether they choose one from Africa or Latin America.”

“Although the pope has not

resigned since the 1400s,” DeGarmeax said. “People are living longer. I think we’ll see this more often.”

Most students and staff at Bethany are not Catholic. That does not mean, however, that this has no significance here at Bethany Lutheran College and to members of non-Catholic faiths.

“Lutherans and Catholics have their differences but we have more in common [with them] than we do with other some churches,” said DeGarmeaux.

POPE: History in the makingContinued from page 1

Chaplain Donald Mold-stad said non-Catholics should care about Pope Benedict stepping down because, “The Pope is the most powerful figure in the world. 1.1 billion people claim to be catholic. It is the largest Christian denomination in the world. Just about every country in the world has Catholics.“

“The next pope could have a great influence on the direction the catholic church takes in the next 20-30 years,” Moldstad said. “It probably won’t affect us, but it might affect what we have to deal with.”

Students on campus took notice of the pope’s sudden departure, as well.

“you could tell he was starting to be overwhelmed with everything he had to do.” Said junior Nathan-iel Lee,. “Now that he has resigned he is able to catch up on his sleep.”

The pope’s abdication could have one direct impact on Bethany students. Students embarking on the spring break trip to Italy this spring may not get to visit the Sistine Chapel as was planned due to the meeting of the cardinals.

(Source: NBC)

with one eight to nine week class each semester. He hopes that by advertis-ing it more, more students will be interested in join-

ing. There are currently six students taking the class, which Moldstad said is the most that he has ever had at one time.

The class meets every Monday at 3:30 p.m. in basement of the chapel. Moldstad is available to provide more information.

“My goal is to lead them closer to Christ and under-stand His word better,” said Moldstad.

INSTRUCTION: Moldstad leads adults’ faith educationContinued from page 1

THE SCROLL 7Feb. 21st, 2013

Opportunity to teach English in JapanBy Lexi Titeca Scroll Staff Writer

When people think of Japan, they think

of cherry blossoms in the spring, busy cities like Tokyo, and sushi. However, what does not come to mind is Japan’s demand for native speaking English teach-ers. In fact, 2,000 teaching positions are in demand per year, through the JET (Japan Exchange and Teach-ing) Programme.

In Japan, every fifth and sixth grade class, junior high and high school is required to have a native English teacher. Therefore, 28 years ago, the Japanese Govern-ment put money towards the JET Programme, in order to find native English speak-ers to come and teach in Japan. Of 10,000 applicants who apply every year, only

2,000 are accepted. The only requirements are to have a four-year college degree and be a native English speaker.

Daniel Jaspersen, a professional magician who attended Bethany, taught English for four years in Japan through the JET Programme and spoke about the program in the North Lantern on Thursday, Feb. 7 and Friday, Feb. 8. One of the things he described was the application process.

“The application process is a relatively brutal process. This process doesn’t happen overnight. They are pulling applicants from all over the world,” said Jaspersen.

The application is not easy with simple questions and blanks for a name and address. The questions are essays that vary from asking why the applicant wants to

teach in Japan to why the applicant wants to teach abroad. This is because the JET Programme wants seri-ous applicants that are willing to commit themselves to the full year of teaching in Japan.

For those who get an accepted application, the next step is an interview with three representatives from JET, which can be diffi-cult for the applicant.

The final step is to fly to Japan and start a new career and life. However, it is not as easy as it seems.

Jaspersen said, “I went from a college graduate to illiterate in one flight. Living overseas is hard. I couldn’t even use a dictionary.”

He suggests that any student who is interested in teaching in Japan through the JET Programme should stay for at least two years.

The contract is only for a year, from July to July, but all current teachers can reap-ply and stay for another year and continue year after year.

“My advice to anyone: stay for two years. The first year is all experience, the second year is always better.”

Jaspersen also had his wife with him. She was not, however, a teacher with the JET Programme. After three years in Japan, the couple had a son, whom the Japanese found interesting and intrigu-ing, according to Jaspersen.

“A white baby is [a rarity] in Japan, so when my wife and I would go to the grocery store, [the Japanese] would take pictures of him. [They] were like the paparazzi. It became unnerving after awhile,” said Jaspersen.

International Education Coordinator Kathy Bruss

was also present at the meetings. Bruss has trav-eled abroad many times and has helped students do the same.

In regard to traveling over-seas for an extended period of time, Bruss said, “Tech-nology really saves you from going off the cliff.”

For learning a new language, Bruss recom-mends the Pimsleur audio program, which is the same program Jaspersen used for learning Japanese.

“It forces you to focus on pronunciation instead of pictures like [the] Rosetta Stone [program],” said Bruss.

If any student would like to know more about the program or is interested in applying after graduation, go to www.jetprogramme.org.

How to make money without having a jobBy Aaron WendorffScroll Staff Writer

With the prices of tuition, textbooks and gas,

students are finding ways to earn extra cash.

Some students focus on reeling in miniscule victories.

“I know a guy that picks up coins off the ground outside the McDonald’s drive-thru window,” said junior Marcus Ruiz.

Others are earning on a more massive scale.

Junior Scott Fassett said, “I know this super entre-preneur dude who got a one-time loan, [and] then bought a house. [Now] he rents out the rooms. Five people pay him money to live in his own house.”

Other students earn cash by putting their talents to use. Sophomore Aimee

Bruss makes use of her skills in technology—“I turn VHS tapes to DVDs for my mom”—while junior Melissa Bergemann uses knitting skills to “sell knitting stuff on the side.”

Bergemann also knows students who take advan-tage of Plato’s Closet in Mankato, where “they get cash for their clothes.” Plato’s Closet is located next

to the Mongolian Grill on Madison Avenue.

Still, other students are saving lives to earn extra cash. A number of Bethany students regularly donate plasma to help save lives through Biolife Plasma Services. Not only is it noble, it is also profitable.

“On average I make 50 bucks a week plus kickers,” said junior Logan Wendt,

a regular donor. “It’s really easy too…You really have to do no work. Basically just show up and be patient.”

When asked if the process is painful, Wendt responded, “The worst part is getting your finger pricked.”

What other ways are students earning cash? Let us know by sending a letter to the editor.

Mixed Blood Theatre takes students through historyBy Megan MaschoffScroll Staff Writer

Siguard Lee Theatre is known for its big produc-

tions and bright lights. It is accustomed to the large casts that it accommodates and the many scene changes which it must endure. However, when the Mixed Blood Theatre brought its production of Daughters of Africa to the stage, things became raw and full of emotion.

Daughters of Africa, a one-woman show performed by Thomasina Petrus, was not a show about a family of daughters in a third world country, but a family of women – a family of African-American

women who throughout the years took a stand for the women of their race, who fought for their rights and who made a difference, whether it be Rosa Parks or Oprah Winfrey.

“Daughters of Africa has not been performed on our campus since before I came to campus, which means it has been over six years.   I had not personally seen this show prior to this year, but I also knew that in the time frame I’ve scheduled their performances, Mixed Blood has always had qual-ity showings.   I also felt the need to offer more enrich-ment opportunities during months like February, which

is Black History Month,” said Center for Intercul-tural Development Leader Thomas Flunker.

Even with the show being under two hours, Petrus took the audience through years worth of history, all of which African American women had a big part in. She portrayed the struggles with slavery in one minute, and sang the beautiful tunes of Aretha Franklin in the next, all with unbeliev-able passion.

“[Petrus] shared her heart with us that night, and she lived these stories of black women from the past as though they are her present. She had stories to

tell and to share. When she played out the scenario of ‘her son’ being sold by her master ‘since he and the missus needed the money,’ the audience felt her pain. We need to hear these stories, lest we forget our history, too,” said campus counselor Patti Reagles.

With the combination of both the acting, sing-ing and the deep subject that was at hand, it was a moving performance for those in attendance.

“Mixed Blood Theatre was an eye-opening expe-rience. I’m so glad I went. The actress did an outstanding job portraying a variety of African-Ameri-

can women and it was really neat to be able to get a glimpse, however brief, into their lives,” said freshman Jenna Albrecht.

The performance, even with its hints of comedy, had a deep subject which today’s culture should keep with them, according to Flunker.

“This topic is important no matter where you are located.   At times people think that these issues are not relevant to them, however, this is all signifi-cant in the overall timeline of American History that in many ways continues to have an effect on social, politi-cal and educational agendas today,” said Flunker.

Have a question for Buck? Have them answered in Buck’s Banter in the next issue! Email your question to [email protected]

8 THE SCROLLFeb. 21st, 2013

BUCKS BANTERThe following statement is Buck’s outlook on life. Send questions you want Buck to answer for the next is-sue to [email protected].“Since it has been so cold lately, dress warmly and be cautious. Be careful when walking, be-cause they might not get all of the ice off the streets. Security can escort students from Old Main to any building; Gullixon, Edgewood…give me a call and I will give you a ride, or one of my four other officers. This gives students a chance to not only be warm, but talk to us and get to know us. I want students to use this ser-vice more often, so just give us a call.”

MEMORY: Improving is all too easyContinued from page 2

This shows that all humans have an untapped resource inside of us. Not everyone can become the American memory cham-pion in one year, but people can implement these tech-niques in various parts of our lives.

At the height of the Greek and Roman empires, the idea of having a trained memory was not so foreign, but today, with information avail-able whenever it is needed, people have forgotten how to remember. If these simple tricks are practiced, people can reclaim their memories and, as Foer said, “Remem-ber to remember.”

By Aaron WendorffScroll Staff Writer

When the day is done, Bethany students

look for ways—other than homework—to spend their precious free time.

It seems the three most popular pastimes are play-ing video games, watching TV and spending time with friends.

“I like to…play Xbox and watch TV. I also enjoy hang-ing out with my friends,” said junior Koty Hensel.

Several others responded similarly, though with some variation on the video game console, ranging from the PlayStation to the nostalgic Nintendo Entertainment System.

Many students also take advantage of facilities provided by the campus, such as foosball, ping pong, pool and piano.

“When I can find free time I like to play piano as a stress reliever and for the entertainment of myself and others,” said junior Cassie Wierschke.

Junior Scott Fassett prefers using his ukulele to unwind.

“Ukulele, that’s what I do,” said Fassett. “I [also] go to Wal-Mart, basketball games, eat food.”

Still others, even in the cold winter weather, have enjoyed time outdoors. On one particularly snowy Sunday, freshmen Michael Lendt, Jonathan Wolfrath, Martin Bilitz and Carl Wold constructed a snow fort on the campus green.

“We do manly things,” said Lendt.

How our peers play

vidual having to fight to survive it sounds good to the youth today.

“Zombies are the embodiment of our fear of being a drag on society. We fear becoming worthless and simply feeding of f of other people’s work,” said Louis Blocker, junior, taking a more psychological approach to the question. “Zombie fantasies usually come down to a group eliminating those

who threaten them by destroying all the hard work they have done. But at the same time, there are those who feel compassion for the zombies. Though they

may be undead, they still were people once.”

The most plausible explanation perhaps

is that there is no real explanation. Fads often come and go without any real rhyme or reason ( Who remembers parachute pants and beanbag animals?) There is often little to explain the trends that come and go in pop culture. Society often hungers for something new to be thrust into the spotlight, whatever it may be. The most random things have gotten to spend time in the hearts of many and all have eventually gone by the wayside. The dead rising to devour the living have everybody’s full attention now and just may have it for some time. Like so many other trends, however, their time will pass and the zombie genre will go back to being the occasional distraction it once was.

ZOMBIES: Their popu-larity won’t decay anytime soonContinued from page 5

“Zombie fantasies usually come down to a group eliminating those who threaten them by destroy-ing all the hard work they have done. But at the same time, there are those who feel compassion for the zombies. Though they may be undead, they still were people once.”

Louis Blocker

The inkwell is hosting a

contest to design the cover

for the Spring 2013 Issue

Cover submissions are due

by March 19

Dimensions of the cover are

7” x 8 1/2”

The issue’s theme is

“Miles to Go”

Cover design should

include, “Inkwell,” “Miles to

Go,” and “Spring 2013.”

Physical or digital submis-

sions accepted

Black-and-white or color

submissions accepted, with

color preferred.

Winner receives a cash prize!

Questions should be

directed to [email protected]

At Boundary Waters, Bethany Students experienced nothing but nature as they trekked across the northern Minnesota wilderness.

Photo by: SIERRA BATALDIN