MSUB The Retort v88i1

7/28/2019 MSUB The Retort v88i1

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The Voice of Montana State University Billings for Over Half a Century

September 21, 2012 Volume 88, Issue 1www.MSUBretort.org

Montana State

University Bill-

ings has again

been ranked as one o the

nations Best Colleges by

U.S. News and World Re-

port. The university is be-ing recognized as one o

the top tier regional univer-

sities in the West or under-

graduate through masters

level academics in Amer-

icas Best Colleges 2013.

For more than a decade,

MSU Billings had ranked

among top colleges in the

third tier of schools. For

the second year in a row,

however, MSU Billings has

been ranked in the rst tier.

Highlights of the college

rankings will be published

in the September 2012 is-sue of U.S. News & World

Report, available for news-

stand purchase next week.

As a university with

close ties to our city and

our region, it is important

for us to know we are being

doing the right things lo-

cally. This report has data

to support that on a nation-

al level as well, said MSU

Billings Chancellor Rolf

Groseth. This report is an

afrmation of our excellent

faculty and our universi-

ty-wide commitment to ac-

cess and student success.

MSU Billings was rec-

ognized as one of the top

private and public colleg-

es or universities in its cat-

egory: Best Regional Uni-

versities- West Region for

institutions that provide a

full range of undergraduate

and masters programs,according to the newest is-

sue of the magazine.

According to the meth-

odology used by U.S. News

& World Report, rankings

are based on several key

measures of quality. Aca-

demic reputation, peer as-

sessment, graduation and

retention rates, student/

faculty ratios and average

alumni giving all used to

rank colleges.

The magazines guide-

lines and rankings are used

to help students and par-ents in their college-selec-

tion process. All facets of

the college experience are

weighed, such as the over-

all feel of the universi-

ty, student activities, cost,

availability of nancial aid

and sports. But academics

lead the way.

Located in Montanas

urban center, MSU Billings

is a university of more than

5,300 students and features

more than 70 academic op-

tions in allied health, the

arts and sciences, educa-

tion, business and tech-

nology. Students can also

choose from 23 fully on-

line programs, designed to

meet the needs of busy stu-

dents, especially working

adults. The student/faculty

ratio of 19:1 means small-

er classes for improved stu-

dent-faculty engagement.

MSU Billings received

its rankings in the catego-

ries of:

A peer assessment

score: Opinions of MSU

Billings, as ranked by pres-

idents, academic vice pres-

idents and deans of admis-

sions at colleges and uni-

versities throughout the

country, gave MSU Bill-

ings a stellar rating, espe-

cially in the area of faculty

dedication to teaching.

The high percent of

faculty who teach full

time and who have doctor-

al degrees: Research shows

that the more satised stu-

dents are about their con-

tact with professors, the

more they will learn and

the more likely it is they

will graduate, publishers

at U. S. News say in their

report. According to the

data, 71 percent of the fac-

MSU Billings Takes Top Tier o Regional Universities in the West

ulty at MSU Billings teach

full time.

An average faculty/stu-

dent ratio of only 20-1 or

less: More than have the

classes at MSU Billings

51percent have few-

er than 20 students. Only

4 percent of the classes at

MSUB have 50 or more

students, according to the

data, which means facul-

ty and students are able to

engage in a more close and

meaningful way.

The students who en-

ter MSU Billings with high

ACT/SAT scores, and the

percentage of students who

graduate from high school

in the top 25% of their

graduating class;

The average freshman

retention rate and the av-

erage graduation rate; and,

Alumni giving: The per-centage of alumni who give

to their school is an indirect

measure of satisfaction, the

publications rank ing crite-

ria notes.

Groseth noted while he

is pleased with the current

ranking, more work can be

done to move MSU Bill-

ings even higher on the list

in the future.

As I look at the over-

all rankings, elements that

caused U.S. News to place

us in the top tier include

our small class size, ex-cellent program-by-pro-

gram accreditation and the

overall emphasis on un-

dergraduate teaching and

learning, he said. Those

that may have prevent-

ed us from ranking high-

er include low levels of

state support per-student

and our retention/gradua-

tion rate. Because we are

an open-admissions, op-

portunity-based institu-

tion, we need to do a better

job in these areas and we

have initiated some specif-ic steps that we believe will

lead to improvement.

By MSU BILLINGS

NEWS SERVICES

Running Out O Silence: Taking a Stand Against Domestic ViolenceBy PATRICIA HAMPTON

News & Campus Lie Writer

Did you know that

more than one in

our women su-

er cases or repeated ep-

isodes o domestic vio-

lence? While women are

among the most commonly

targeted, men and children

are also victimized. Do-

mestic violence altars and

destroys the lives o mil-

lions each year.

There are ways to com-

bat this and make a dier-

ence in the lives o victims.

The Domestic V iolence

Abuse Awareness Society

(DVAAS) is a new student

organization on the MSU

Billings campus, but be-

yond being student led, this

group has already gained

the membership and sup-

port o community mem-

bers, organizations, and

businesses throughout the

city.

On Saturday, October

6, DVAAS will host Run-

ning Out o Silence on the

MSU Billings main cam-

pus. Running Out o Si-

lence is a walk/run to

raise awareness about do-

mestic violence and abuse,

as well as to raise unds to

combat this epidemic.

Jamie Schoonover, a

student o MSU Billings, is

the President and ounder

o this organization. When

Schoonover originally pro-

posed the idea o the walk/

run, that is exactly what it

was meant to be, but since

has expanded exponential-

ly to include vendors, en-

tertainment, and additionalactivities. With an initial

goal o raising $100,000

in this rst year, DVAAS

is looking orward to what

will become an annual

event, to be held on the rst

Saturday o October each

year. October is the month

or recognizing issues o

domestic violence, and has

been designated the color

purple. As Schoonover has

said, Where a little purple

with your pink.

The money that is raised

by DVAAS will benet lo-

cal non-prot organization

that help domestic violence

victims and their amilies,

such as the YWCA and theGateway House.

The event will begin

at 11:00am outside be-

tween McMullen Hall and

the Student Union Build-

ing. Downtime, a well-

known local Billings band,

will perorm several times

throughout the day or par-

ticipants and attendees. In

addition, numerous local

businesses and individuals

will have vendor booths

both or selling their prod-

ucts, and or providing in-

ormation. The vendors

will be donating proceeds

rom that days sales to

DVAAS.

Childrens activities,

rom photography, to ace

painting, to plaster masks,

and so much more, will be

available or the duration

o the event. The MSUBChemistry and Biology

Club will also be partici-

pating in providing chil-

drens activities. Addition-

al entertainment through-

out the day will eature

belly dancers, the MSUB

Dance Club, and numerous

MSUB student perormers,

to name a ew.

The walk/run itsel be-

gins at noon, ollowing

either a one mile route

around the campus, or a

our mile route that begins

and ends at the Main Cam-

pus, passing McFinys (one

o the events sponsors),

and reaching the YWCA

where inormation and wa-

ter will be available. Reg-

istration or the walk is $25

or the general public, $15

or College students, $10

or high school aged stu-dents, and ree or children

younger than high school

age. Registration ees will

include participation in the

walk, a Running Out o

Silence t-shirt and brace-

let.

For those interest-

ed in volunteering or the

event, eel ree to contact

Schoonover at (406)591-

4085.

For more inormation

about Running Out o Si-

lence and DVAAS, please

visit the website at www.

A reshman student at MSU Billings relaxes on the University Campus recent-ly. The U.S. News and World Report has again ranked MSU Billings as oneo the top tier regional universities in the West. Student-to-aculty ratios o19-1 and small class sizes that promote close aculty/student relationships areamong the data that makes MSUB a top regional university.


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I guess in some ways, I am also a

change to The Retort, though not a new

ace. I have been the layout editor or

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end o last Spring, I couldnt turn it

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The Retort website using WordPress. The

Campus bookstore comperable in techBy MARCUS MORRIS

Contributing Writer

It is the start o anoth-

er new year here on the

MSUB Campus. I look

around and see dozens o

people hurrying about, try-

ing to nish all o those

last minute tasks beore

classes start. For many

students, mysel includ-

ed, who are still waiting to

hear rom the nancial aid

oce regarding survival

and education unds, there

is a good chance we haven't

had the money to get our

supplies yet. Our universi-

ty bookstore is a great solu-

tion or all students, but es-

pecially or the group that I

all into: the nancially be-

ret.

While wandering

through the bookstore as

Chad, the new manag-

er, and his team gathered

my books, I had a chance

to take a closer look at the

available computer sys-

tems. I was surprised to

note that they were all

on the higher end o the

spectrum technological-

ly speaking, but they didn't

appear to be priced over

what I would expect to nd

at Best Buy or Oce De-

pot. While it is true that the

selection is not gigantic,

sometimes a small selec-

tion o higher quality items

is a better way to market.

I researched three lap-

tops and one tablet that are

all readily available rom

the bookstore. The lap-

tops range in price rom

$499.99 to $799.99, the

most expensive includ-

ing a $200 Dell git card

included which I assume

is or a uture purchase. I

did a quick comparison o

the bookstores

available makes

and models and

ound that while

there are some

slight varianc-

es in price, they

dont appear

large enough to

warrant a drive

across town.

The biggest dol-

lar amount di-

erence that I

ound is on the Dell In-

spirion, which, at $799.99,

is priced $100 more than

Best Buys website. Fac-

toring in the cost o gas as

well as the $200 Dell git

card makes our university

a better choice.

The lone tablet avail-

able at the bookstore is the

Velocity Cruz T510. At

$299.99, it costs less than

the new iPad, but unlike

Apples tablet there is an

expandable memory op-

tion as well as the ability to

play Flash Media content.

This air piece o hard-

ware is worthy o a second

lookor possibly a rst.

Even though most stu-

dents are on a xed in-

come, there are other ac-

tors beside price that are

important to consider.

Here are some keys to be-

ing an educated consumer

while shopping at the cam-

pus bookstore or anywhere

else:

Our campus bookstore

is owned by the universi-

ty and thereore is a not-

or-prot business. All the

prot made rom the book-

store goes back into the

university or the benet

o the students. Choosing

to buy on campus directly

aects the quality and cost

o your own college expe-

rience. Our campus store

is actively trying to low-

er prices; while research-

ing this article I heard sev-

eral times that book pric-

es have dropped roughly

6% over the past year. The

more protable the book-

store is, the better value at

a lower price they can oer

their customersus!

In addition to support-

ing our campus bookstore,

we as a student body have

the power to let the team

know what we would be

willing to spend money on

in the uture. Voice your

opinion on things like a

campus-owned

a n d - o p e r a t -

ed version o

the Geek Squad

, reurbished

technology, or

buy-back cred-

it on technology

toward uture

purchases.

At the end o

the day the de-

cision is yours.

The dollars you spend have

greater value than that

which is stamped on them.

You have the ability to im-

prove your college experi-

ence, widen selection, and

make lie better or your

peers by doing a little re-

search and choosing not

just the best bargain, but

the best value or your u-

ture.

In your best interest: ASMSUBBy PATRICIA HAMPTON


We know that

there IS a stu-

dent govern-

ment here at MSUB but

who are they? what do

they do? How does this

group aect our experienc-

es at MSUB and in the Bill-

ings Community at large?

In short, we all need to

know about why the matter

- and they truly do, there is

no question about that.

So, why shouldn't ev-

eryone have access to the

answer to these questions?

In this bi-weekly paper,

let's use this column to an-

swer those questions, and

keep up with the

goings-on o our student

government.

Our student govern-

ment is called the Associ-

ated Students o Montana

State University Billings

(ASMSUB). These stu-

dents are responsible or

allocating the student ac-

tivity ees that you pay as

part o your tuition and

ees each semester. They

represent us throughout the

community and state. So

let us begin the year by get-

ting to know who the mem-

bers o ASMSUB are...

President:

Isaiah Garrison

Vice President:

Nik Wong

Business Manager:

Navin Marimuthu

Student Resolution

Ocer:

Sonja Choriki

Sustainability

Coordinator:

Steven Kirby

Political Action

Director:

Ryan Shore

Sentators:

Dustin Ahrens

Kristen Amstutz

Daniel Barnhart

Derek Brown

Lisa Dallapiazza

Jessica Hahne

Jordan Jones

Quincy Linhart

Rebecca Morgan

Richard Nixon

Mary Owen

Rebecca Olson

Sarah Schied

Jamie Slaugh

Ashlee Rangitsch

Sonja Volz

Forest Westwood

1. Where does my money go ater I make

my purchase, and why should it matter tome?

2. What types o support and service are

oered ater I have made my purchase?

3. Is the price dierence worth the addi-

tional cost and time o travel to make a trip

elsewhere?

4. Am I getting the same quality rom one

location as another?

QDear Ti,

My best riend re-

ally betrayed me

recently and Im having

a hard time getting over

it. He doesnt think he

did anything wrong and

thinks we can still beriends. I want things to

be the way they were be-

ore but at this point Im

having a hard time trust-

ing him. How can I get

over this?

AYour pain is jus-

tied. Being be-

trayed is one o the

worst things a person can

go through. It can even be

worse than losing someone

to death because the loss is

by choice. The key word

here is choice. Your riend

chose to betray you and i

that riend does not see that

what he did was wrong;

then, without remorse what

would stop him rom do-

ing it again? The answer

is nothing. Without him

eeling remorse and apolo-

gizing, you simply cannot

trust him. That is not to say

you should not orgive him.

Forgiveness is not or him,

it is or you. You need to

orgive so you can heal and

move on. As or the riend-

ship, things simply wont

be the way they were. Iyou cant trust someone

then you cant have much

o a riendship. It is your

choice to let him be in your

lie and how much. But be-

ore you make that deci-

sion, I would recommend

reading two books. The

rst is Boundaries and the

second is Sae People, both

books are by the same co-

authors, Dr. Henry Cloud

and Dr. John Townsend.

These books will give you

the tools to help you with

your current situation as

well as other relationships.

QDear Ti,

I gave away my

virginity to my

rst boyriend when I

was 14. Since then, sex

has been a major part o

all my relationships with

men and I eel it gets in

the way o making a real

connection. How do I

have a healthy relation-

ship when all Ive known

in a relationship has to

do with the physical?

AI applaud you or

your sel-aware-

ness and desire

to make positive chang-

es in your lie and rela-

tionships. It is oten hardto make those changes

on our own. It is good to

have a support system in

place so that we have en-

couragement and account-

ability to help us. I would

recommend asking two

close riends to help you

with making this change

in your lie. Have them

help you gure out some

healthy boundaries to set

or yoursel in dating rela-

tionships. I would also rec-

ommend reading the book

Boundaries as well so you

have a better understand-

ing o them. A ew exam-

ples I can give o bound-

aries would be choosing

to only kiss when things

start to get more serious

and then when you begin

to kiss, just sharing short

kisses until maybe you

have been together a year.

You can also alter your dat-

ing style by going on pub-

lic dates rather than spend-

ing time alone at each oth-

ers houses. There are lots

o dierent boundaries youcan set and lots o un dates

you can do to avoid temp-

tation; you can do a mov-

ie night by nding a cou-

ple to double date with or

go out to a movie or drive-

in. You can also go mini

golng, take a cooking or

dance class together, or just

go or a drive.

Also, I would recom-

mend talking to the guy

you are dating. Dont be

araid to talk to him. You

dont have to tell him about

your past, but you can tell

him you have some dating

boundaries. One way you

could approach this is to

ask him i he has any dat-

ing boundaries and then a-

ter listening to him, share

yours. This is a good way

to see what kind o guy he

is - and i he is a good guy

who is worth dating he will

respect you and what you

want.

Jackets & Co. carriesmore than just booksthey also have a small se-lection o technology that

just might t your needs,including these laptops

ranging in price rom$499.99 to $799.99.I youre in the marketmight as well save your-sel a trip to a big-boxstore and check out whatthey has to oer you.


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4 5

Harper & Madison, Cute and hard to pass upBy SERENE CRESS

Arts & Entertainment Writer

Sandwiched be-

tween the hospitals

and MSU Billings,

there is a cute little ca

that is hard to pass up. Lo-

cated at 3115 10th Ave-

nue North, Harper & Mad-

ison is the perect escape

when you have the munch-

ies and need to get some

homework done. It is quiet,

quaint and just ar enough

o the beaten path that you

wont be constantly inter-

rupted by riends and ac-

quaintances as you wouldat other hangouts around

town.

I needed just such an es-

cape the other day. I was

feeing the campus a-

ter dealing with the inev-

itable nancial aid oce

un I seem to encounter

every year on top o having

to sign away my rstborn

just to buy my books or

the semester. Yes, I was in

DIRE need o some com-

ort ood!

As I walked into Harper

& Madison, I was pleasant-

ly surprised at how roomy

and homey it elt. Decorat-

ed in an elegant yet eclectic

way, the smells make the

place warm and inviting.

As I approached the

counter to order, I was

greeted warmly by a teen-

age boy manning the reg-

ister. I glanced up and

around, still taking it all

in, and since it wasnt busy

I had a lot o time to men-

tally devour the menu.

There were lots o dierent

sandwiches, wraps, soups

and salads to choose rom

and everything sounded

scrumptious. It took me awhile but I nally decid-

ed on the Thai Wrap. I was

intrigued since I had nev-

er heard o Thai ood being

prepared in a wrap.

As I was waiting, I re-

ceived a phone call. Since

I was alone and the ca

was airly vacant except

or the sta and one other

customer about to leave, I

took the call. I wasnt over-

ly loud, but since the place

has mostly hard suraces,

the sound must have car-

ried, much to the displea-

sure o one o the kitch-

en sta. In other words,

when entering Harper &

Madison pretend you are

entering a movie theatre:

Please turn o all cellular

devices at this time and en-

joy the show.

Since my ood took quite

a while to be prepared (per-

haps due to my cellular dis-

traction?), I continued to

look around. I was admir-

ing the items in the dessert

case when the most exqui-

site morsel caught my eye!

A triple layer chocolate

mousse with Oreo crust. I

dont have much o a sweet

tooth but it looked so entic-

ing that I HAD to have it.

And I did!I took my ood to go and

walked out into the sunny

day, excited to try the de-

lectable creations I had just

purchased.

When I sat down later to

enjoy my ood it was divine!

The Thai wrap was lled

with mixed greens that had

been tossed in a Thai pea-

nut dressing. There were

chunks o chicken that had

been grilled with wonder-

ul seasonings mixed with

shaved carrots and kimchi,

all wrapped in whole wheat

spinach wrap. I was very

impressed at how favorul

it was without being too

salty. The wrap was moist

yet crunchy and not dry or

soggy like other wraps Ive

tried.

The desert was also di-

vine, truly a taste o heav-

en. There were three di-

erent types o chocolate

and it was so creamy with

just the right amount o

sweetness. Combined with

the Oreo crust, it sealed the

deal; this was without a

doubt the best desert I had

ever tasted! It goes without

saying that it is going to

take some SERIOUS will-

power not to go back ev-

ery day!

So, despite the wait and

glances rom the kitchen,

I would say I had a very

pleasant dining experience

at Harper & Madison. The

atmosphere is clean, quiet,

and inviting. The ood is

ethereal and though it may

be the most expensive wrap

and desert I have bought in

a long time, I would say it

was worth the quantity or

the quality!

Be sure too check out Harper & Madisons webpage, go towww.harperandmadison.com. Tere are plenty of pictures

to drool over! -Photo by Serene Crees

DELI SANDWICHES

MARKET CLUB

turkey, bacon, avocado,

provolone, cilantro cream

and mixed greens

CHICKEN SALAD

chicken salad with grapes,tomato, and sprouts

HARPER

hummus, apples, carrots,

mixed sweet peppers, sun-

fower seeds and sprouts

TONNO PESCE

white albacore tuna, cel-

ery, bell pepper, scallion,

cheddar, mixed greens

CHELSEY

tomato, avocado, cucum-

ber, sweet bell pepper,

sprouts and brie

ZORBA

oregano spread, roast bee,

thinly sliced red onion, eta

and Greek dressing

Second Lie Teaches Real-Lie LessonsBy MARCUS MORRIS

Contributing Writer

Some days, the real

world can just be too much

to deal with. We all have

those days rom time to

time. Lie, sadly, isnt a

choose your own adven-

ture novel, where it is pos-

sible to make a lie-altering

choice and save the page

number beore doing so.

You dont get do-overs

very oten. Wouldnt it be

great i there was a way

to live your lie, test out

choices, and explore what

makes you the amazing

person that you are?

Linden Labs, a Calior-

nia-based company, cre-

ated a world that answers

the question that I pose

above. As a company they

decided to try a new busi-

ness model or gaming: in-

stead o a monthly service

charge, they would make

their world ree. Instead o

creating a world or their

users to explore, they gave

users the power to create

their own worlds to share.

On June 23, 2003, a new

world, powered by the cre-

ativity and ingenuity o its

users, was born. Welcome

to your Second Lie.

Most people who have

heard or experienced Sec-

ond Lie only know about

the sexual side o that

world. I you give some-

one complete reedom that

is not constrained by reli-

gion, ethics, morality, con-

science, or the ability to

create an income, and o-

er the ability to be anony-

mous as well, then the ob-

vious happens. The truth is

sex that sells. Welcome to

the real world, even when

it is digital. No inhibi-

tion and no obvious conse-

quences make or a volatile

and protable mix.

I would love to be able

to say that widely-held

viewpoint is the exception

and not the rule but in the

interest o honesty, even

the best o people have to

go through their rebel-

lious, experimental phase

in the start o their Second

Lie. I would say that it is

part o the human experi-

ence, exploring novelty in

perceived saety. That per-

ception doesnt last long,

and most become jaded in a

matter o weeks or months.

Pushing past that top

layer o smut, sex, and de-

bauchery, however, you

nd so much more. What

I ound was a world that

I was accepted in. I ound

a place where my disabil-

ity, while still limiting,

didnt control me. I ound a

place where I could create

riendships, relationships,

and a lie that was so im-

possible or me to imagine

in the real world.

It was not easy to nd.

I had to go through my

own experimental phase. I

had to beat mysel bloody

against the walls o my

own morality and then try

to live with mysel ater.

The guilt, the hurt, and the

anger dont go away just

because you log out. The

pain that you cause and ex-

perience is very real. No

consequences? That has

to be one o the most en-

during lies o the virtu-

al world. There are always

consequences, even i only

you are aware o them.

That shame is yours alone.

I acted out or months

in this virtual world. I

went rom helpless apathy

caused by my diagnosis

o being high-unctioning

autistic in my real world

to trying to yank control

o others to empower my-

sel in this world. I tried to

control others, and in some

ways succeeded. I con-

vinced mysel it was with

the best o intentions that

I manipulated and infu-

enced others. The reality

is that I had elt powerless

and hopeless in my real lie

and here, in this world, I

elt strong and condent.

The path I took in Sec-

ond Lie wasnt the same as

any other. Each person has

their own hidden motiva-

tions, needs, and desires. I

see Second Lie as my stint

in purgatory. It was a time

to live, ail, relive and ail

again until I nally under-

stood what it was that I was

doing wrong, what I could

improve upon. Because o

the lessons I learned, I was

able to repair my marriage

and save my amily. I grew

up, and that was worth all

the heartache.

I know many others that

live their Second Lie not

as a social experiment as I

did, but as their main lie.

Due to various real world

disabilities or issues they

have turned to Second Lie

as their way o living the

ull and happy lie they de-

serve but cant quite reach

in the real world. Design-

ers o amazing clothing,

architects that bend reali-

ty past breaking and come

up with new methods o

construction and design

that push the boundaries

o what we believe is pos-

sible, jewelers who create

world-class designs that

are lielike enough to gar-

ner real world interest and

approval.

The limits upon you in

this virtual environment

are entirely o your own

making. You can decide

to be the best version o

yoursel, to remake your-

sel, or sometimes to delve

deep into the darker side

o yoursel that you try so

hard every day to keep hid-

den.

The reality o the virtu-

al is that it is a mirror that

many have trouble looking

into, and more have trou-

ble looking away rom. In

your adventures exploring

the creations, cultures, and

mindsets o others, you are,

in reality, exploring who

you really are. Second Lie

may have been built and

created as a un game, but

what it ended up being is a

window into the soul.

You choose your own

adventure in that world.

You decide what you want

to learn, how you want to

learn it, and, in my humble

opinion, the most important

choice: how you will treat

others. At the end o the day

we are all real. That person

you just spent the day with

in Second Lie is a living

breathing human who is

most likely ar away rom

you. The eelings you gen-

erate are real, and so is the

heartache.

Who will you choose to

be? Will you try to change

lives, or control them? Will

you create works o art that

inspire, or will you be a

consumer that nds their

enjoyment in shopping the

wares o others? Will you

take anything away rom

this world that doesnt ex-

ist except in the minds and

hearts o those who inhab-

it it? Its your Second Lie,

make the most o it.

The Half-Stitched Amish Quilt-

ing Club, a Real Page-Turner

By SERENE CRESS

Arts & Entertainment Writer

Ihave always had a

ascination with theAmish and have also

really wanted to learn to

quilt. So, when I saw this

book AND it was on sale

well, I simply had to get it!

From the moment I

opened The Hal-Stitched

Amish Quilting Club

by Wanda E. Brunstet-

ter, I couldnt put it down!

Emma, an older Amish

widow is acing nancial

challenges that she

was not prepared

ater the death o

her husband. She

deeply desires to

keep her indepen-

dence and not be a

burden on her am-

ily so she decides

to give quilting

lessons. She advertises all

over and gets quite a ew

responses.

On the day her class is

to start, as she prepares or

her students, baking cook-

ies and tidying up, she

wonders what her students

will be like.

The truth is, she has NO

IDEA what she has got-

ten hersel into! All o the

people who come or her

class are going through

a personal crisis in their

lives and are deeply hurt-

ing. There is a young man

who just lost his wie and

is raising their baby on hisown, a biker with a pain-

ul past, a preachers wie

trying to escape, a troubled

teenager who isnt what she

appears to be, and a couple

trying to save their rocky

marriage.

As the story unolds,

you get to know each char-

acter and their story. The

author does an amazing job

at showing the correlation

between learning

to stitch a quilt as

well as the pieces

o their lives back

together.

There are some

interesting twists

and turns in this

book. It is surpris-

ingly unpredict-

able, which I love. I hate

reading a book when you

can guess the ending.

I highly recommend

this book or anyone who

has an Amish ascina-

tion like me, likes to quilt,

or just wants an interest-

ing book that takes you on

a journey and leaves you

with a smile on your ace.

Though most would think

this book would be just or

women, I think many guys

would enjoy it as well.

There are men in this quilt-

ing class, too!

Sparks The Last Songvery unlike lm versionBy PATRICIA HAMPTON

News & Campus Life Writer

Miley Cyrus role in

the motion picture version

o The Last Song may

make some hesitant to pick

up Nicholas Sparks novel

and dive into Ronnie Mill-

ers Oceanside summer

with her estranged ather.

But Ronnie is not Miley

in act, it is possible to read

the entire novel and only

be reminded o the Pop star

when looking at the cover

o the novel.

In this novel, Sparks

sheds a light on the non-ex-

istent relationship between

a daughter and the ather

that she avoided contact

with or three years. When

Ronnie arrives in Wrights-

ville Beach, North Caro-

lina, her anger toward her

ather, Steve, is palpable.

Ater three years o es-

trangement, Ronnie won-

ders why she has to spend

an entire summer with the

ather who abandoned her,

in a small seaside town

away rom her best riend

and lie in the city.

Ronnies initial cal-

lous reaction toward Will

Blakelees charm and kind-

ness, and her acceptance

o Blaze and her danger-

ous riends and liestyle,

clearly portray the gura-

tive walls built to protect

onesel rom extreme pain.

All Ronnie can think about

upon reaching the small

seaside town, is how much

she does not want to spend

the summer living with the

man who abandoned her.

Little does she know that

Steve himsel was not the

reason or her parents sep-

aration, and it is almost too

late beore the truth is re-

vealed.

The initial pain and

evolving relationship be-

tween Ronnie and Steve

are essential to under-

standing these realistic

characters, but in addition

to the ather-daughter rela-

tionship is what Nicholas

Sparks novels are oten

known or a love story.

Will Blakelee is the young

man who appeals to many

a young woman. Will is

persistent in his pursuits

o Ronnie, considerate and

sel-less, protective o oth-

ers, and a loyal riend. He

sees through the phony a-

ade o his ex-girlriend

Amber, and sees the kind

strong-spirit o Ronnie.

Near the close o Ron-

nies summer in Wrights-

ville, she learns o the ter-

minal illness o someone

very close to her. The pain

that she eels refecting on

the time that she lost and

not having known o the

impending death sooner

are described so vividly

When Ronnie needs

Will the most, he sacric-

es that which is important

Martels Latest Novel Misses the Mark but Worth the Read

By LEAH CAMPBELL

Editor-in-Chie

Raking the shelves at

the bargain section o the

book store, I was thrilledto see the latest work by

one o my avorite authors,

Yann Martel. Having read

his captivating novel Lie

o Pi the year beore, I was

curious about Beatrice

and Virgil and at the bar-

gain price o $5.99, I really

couldnt say no.

Lie o Pi, or me,

was the type o book that,

ater I nished, it literally

let me staring at the wall,

glossy-eyed, or quite some

time. The novel overfows

with a variety o topics giv-

en in great detail that are

believable and interesting.

From marine biology to ba-

sic survival skills, Lie o

Pi is a book that fows like

the waves the character Pi

is entrapped in and I am

hard-pressed to orget in

my mental literary library.

Martels Beatrice

and Virgil is a whole di-

erent animal rom his a-

mous ormer work. Like

Lie o Pi, I was speechless

ater I read it. Though, a-

ter a ew moments o con-templation, I did allow

one word escape my lips:

Huh?

The story ol-

lows the main charac-

ter and narrator Henry, a

struggling writer recover-

ing rom the sudden ame

o a prior award-winningbook (strikingly similar to

Martel himsel.) In the sto-

ry, Henry is working on a

new piece: a ction and

non-ction fip book

about the Holocaust. His

idea is met with outright

rejection rom his publish-

ers and Henry is let to lick

his wounds in the comort

o a small town in France

with his wie and dog. Fol-

lowing his move and a pe-

riod o writers block, Hen-

ry receives a an letter with

an enclosed manuscript de-

tailing the strange dialogue

between a donkey named

Beatrice and a howler mon-

key named Virgil. Inci-

dentally, the author o the

writing turns out to be a

local taxidermist in Hen-

rys town. Following their

initial awkward meeting,

over the course o months,

Henry oers advice and

critiques o the play to the

strange, emotionless taxi-

dermist. I will spare you

the details o the long, ex-

haustive descriptions anddialogue rom the manu-

script and in-depth discus-

sions regarding the mor-

al implications and general

process o taxidermy that

Henry discusses with the

taxidermist.

As I approached

the end o the story, I an-

ticipated a nal twist that

would fip the entire story

on its head in the same way

that Lie o Pi did. And

boy, was it a twist. In many

ways, the ending scene

seemed orced and ine-

ective yet wonderully un-

expected as well. In many

ways, it was my anticipa-

tion or the twist at the end

that made the story such a

compelling read - despite

the endless descriptions o

ruit and stued animals.

Since its publica-

tion in 2010, Beatrice and

Virgil has received more

negative reviews than pos-

itive. Martels use o the

story within the story

lacks overall coherence

making it dicult to keep

reading at times. What

many are calling Martels

Holocaust Allegory, Be-

atrice and Virgil explores a

number o artistic, cultur-

al, historical and literary

aspects that may be over-

looked by readers oend-

ed by the subject matter.

Other events in history,

including horriying ones,had been treated by artists,

and or the greater good. To

take just three well-known

instances o artul witness:

Orwell with Animal Farm,

Camus with The Plague,

Picasso with Guernica

Henry explains in the sto-

ry. The connections, char-

acters, allusions and sym-

bolism are rich and abun-

dant yet I still eel Mar-

tel missed the mark on this

one in some way. Odd and

provocative, Beatrice and

Virgil will undoubtedly

leave you thinking.

to him or her sake, and un-

derstands the anger that

she has toward him, but is

not meant or him. During

the illness, Will maintains

his distance despite the act

that he still loves Ronnie,

so that she may spend time

with the amily who will

not be with her long. The

love and loss o that sum-

mer are shown as never-

ending, [e]ven i summers

do come to an end.

Summer Reads


4/7

6 7

Could you Write That Down, I Cant Read Your Face: Living With Autism

Marcus, I am

araid that we

need to let you

go. I cant tell you how

many times I have heard

this phrase or something

similar in my lietime. I

can, however, give you

a rough estimate: I have

heard it at least 70 times.

Beore I was ormally di-

agnosed as being a person

with autism, I had attempt-

ed and ailed 70 dier-

ent positions. I hear people

talk about autism occasion-

ally and how as a group we

seem so withdrawn. May-

be that number, the number

70, can give you some in-

sight as to why that image

exists o us.

I am a 32 year-old,

high-unctioning autisticather o two sons. Both o

my sons are high-unction-

ing as well. When I was a

child autism was barely

understood and was still

requently misdiagnosed.

Due to that misdiagno-

sis I ound mysel without

a home, without parents,

and without a amily or a

great deal o my childhood.

I consider mysel blessed.

Had I not lived that experi-

ence I would not be as pre-

pared as I am to be the a-

ther that my sons need and

deserve. Had I not hurt and

been alone as I was as a

child I might not have be-

come the person I am to-

day, a person who is pas-

sionate about the welare

o others. Becoming jaded

is ar too easy as I am sureanyone reading this knows.

It is my personal belie

that not knowing was ar

worse than getting an ac-

curate diagnosis that I was

stuck with or lie. I re-

cently attended an autism

conerence at MSUB and

I heard a parent repeated-

ly say they did not want

their child to know they

were autistic. They seemed

to believe that somehow

knowing would make it

worse. I tried to tell them

a bit o my story and to

show them that knowledge

is power over ear, but I am

not quite sure I got through

to them.

How does living with

autism aect me? I would

most likely respond to

this question with a wry

grin and some dark humor

along the lines o, It isnt

being autistic that is the

problem, its that everyone

else isnt! I dont catch on

to nonverbal cues. For the

most part acial expres-sion, body language, and

even infection in how you

speak are lost on me. This

might not sound horrible as

disabilities go, at least un-

til you consider that rough-

ly 80% o human interac-

tion is nonverbal.

I am charming at rst

meeting. The little mis-

steps take time to add up.

Forgetting social niceties,

taking over conversations,

or not recognizing others

emotional state is seen as

being uneeling, uncaring

and rude, whether that per-

ception is accurate or not.

A person can orgive you a

ew times, but as days be-

come months what was or-givable begins to seem in-

tentional. This is not to say

that being autistic gives

one license to be rude, or

crass. We may not catch

every mistake we make,

and cracks in our aade do

show through. That much,

I believe, is something that

proper education or soci-

ety will help with. I dont

believe that anyone, re-

gardless o social issue,

mental issue or any oth-

er impairing issue, should

eel that it is okay to treat

others badly because you

arent happy with your lot

in lie.

I have spent the past

ve years since my diagno-

sis coming to terms with a

lietime o those mistakes.

I can understand, now that

I have that rame o re-

erence that is my diagno-

sis, how and why others

responded to me the way

they had. I was no angel,

but I think had I known,

had they known, thatmany o those ailed ami-

ly attempts I had as a child

might have been salvaged.

I am a strong believ-

er in advocacy or and in-

dependence o those with

special needs. What starts

as a amilys love can easi-

ly turn into a crippling lie

or the person who could

have done more with less

support and more stub-

bornness. When I was 18

years old, my social work-

er told me she believed that

I would need to be in an

adult group home the rest

o my lie. Beore it had

even begun, my lie was

over in her eyes.

In the case o a riend omine, out o love her par-

ents kept her in their home

and out o school or the

most part. They were so in-

tent on protecting her that

she had no chance to de-

velop the social skills she

could have through trial

and error - and yes, pain-

ul ailure. At 29 years old,

she is just now living in her

own apartment and dealing

with the perectly normal

stress o paying bills. She

lost so much time, because

her parents, like mine, just

didnt know enough about

autism to be tough and air.

They gave way or gave in

instead o orcing her to do

things on her own because

it was less energy being ex-

pended. That mindset cost

me my childhood; or her

the cost was a late start in

her adult lie.

I believe that knowledge

and pride in who we are,

regardless o our dier-

ent needs, is what will help

those that come behind us

have a better lie than we

started with. I believe that

i I can help my brothers

and sisters on the spectrum

to speak your language just

a bit better, and I can teach

you to speak ours, that be-

ing autistic can stop being

a disability and become a

true strength. The miscom-

munication and shame are

the problem, not the act

you are autistic.

No one likes to broad-

cast that they are dier-ent. It makes lie so much

easier i you can keep your

head down and avoid no-

tice. That is never going

to be a trick at which any

person with autism is tru-

ly great. I, or one, would

rather be noticed because I

choose to be. I want to be

noticed, and to be proud o

what makes me dierent

because I can nd strength

in what others might con-

sider a ailing. I want to be

noticed because I dont be-

lieve anyone should have

to hide what makes them

dierent or special. Maybe

i I set the right example o

pride and condence, de-

spite my perceived ailing

and weakness, then others

will as well.

No one deserves to eel

alone because they are di-

erent. No one should ever

eel ashamed to ask or

help or to educate those

around them about their

needs. You arent an in-

convenience. You are an

amazing person with a lot

to oer, it might just take

a bit longer to help you

nd your method o do-

ing so. You arent alone. I

am here to help, to answer

questions, or to just be your

riend. I know many oth-

ers are as well. Trudy at

the Disability Services o-

ce (we should give them

a catchier name) is a great

resource. Dont hesitate to

reach out to her.

In closing, the origi-nal question was posed to

me, How has being au-

tistic aected your lie?

My answer would have to

be that it improved it in so

many ways. I have learned

so much, not just about my-

sel, but about others, be-

cause I am autistic. I have

to work much harder than

the average person just to

keep up with all the signals

I miss that I believe I get to

know people better, ast-

er, than many others get to.

I consider those relation-

ships, those riendships, a

blessing, and i suddenly

not being autistic anymore

was an option, but only at

the cost o those riend-

ships, I would pass.

By MARCUS MORRIS

Contributing Writer

Marcus Morris is theounder and CEO oGuardian Transition Ser-vices Inc. or Ausism So-

ciety o America. Formore inormation aboutGuardian Services go towww.GuardianAuttie.com. You may also visitMarcus blog at [email protected].

It isnt being autistic that

is the problem, its that

everyone else isnt!

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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Last Day or With-

drawing/Drop-

pingCl asses with

a Partial Reund

Zombie

Carnival -

Pioneer Park

Harvest Fest @ 9am :

Downtown Billings

*PIEEATING CONTEST!

Oktoberest @

5pm-10pm :YAM$10

Downtown Art

Walk @ 5-9pm

Columbus Day

CLASSES INSESSION

-OFFICES OPEN(ex-

changed or Fri-

day,Nov.23)

Dept oMusic

Student Recital @ 3:10

Free

Dept oMusic

Gary Behm and

Dorthea Cromley @ 7:30

Free

Farmers Market :

Every Saturday:

Downtown Billings

Tunes or Tuesday:

Open Mic @ 5-8pm :

YellowstoneValley

Brewing

Ales or Trails @ 5pm:

Dehler Park $30

Saturday Live

:Pioneer Park

45Years oMinistry at

theHeart oMSUBillings

@ 5:30pm :St.Vincent $40

RunningOut o

Silence(seepage

1or moredetails!)

Bridal Fair @

10am-3: YAMHigh Plains Book Fest

@ 9am-5pm :Bil lings

High Plains Book Fest

@ 9am-5pm :Bi llings

Smoke,

Rising up,

Darkening a bright morning sky

The sky that makes us smile

Makes us eel warm and ree

Now sits smothered and dark

Tears,

Rolling down,

Staining aces that are stunned

Faces, just moments ago,

Smiling and bright

Now stare blankly in disbelie

Arms,

Open wide,

Reaching out to let the sun

Wash away any cold let by the darkness

Hoping to embrace another

Who survived the evil o the day

Hands,

Clasped in anothers,

Symbolizing our hope and strength

Hope and strength o the people

Who care or our nation

Looking,

With longing eyes,

To the day when we will stand

Stand against oppression

Stand against terrorism

Against those who would do harm to the innocent

Stand

SUDOKU

We stand or our nation

And our nation stands or us

Our land is a refection o us

And will not allow one person

To shatter our mirror

Into which we gaze with pride

Our nation takes punches

And we throw a ew back

We can be beaten, kicked,

thrown on the ground

But we will always

Get back up and stand

Stand or those,

Who so long ago,

Stood and ought or

what they believed in

A country where we are all equal

And not ruled by one person solely

I still believe we stand or our nation

For our homes

For our amilies and riends

And or those people that

have no one else to lean on

We do this

Because we believe in

ourselves and in our reedom


5/7

98

Iam a junior English Ed-

ucation major, minor-

ing in Spanish Educa-

tion. I have been a mem-

ber o The Retort sta or

three years now and am

elated to be back in class-

es and writing or our read-

Hello, my name isChris Claus and I

am the web site ed-

itor or The Retort. I am

a Criminal Justice major.

I have been doing web-

site coding or 12 years,

ran a successul non-pro-

it hosting company or

three years and am expe-

rienced with using, and

Patricia Hampton


ers again. Those things are

important and help to make

me who I am, but what re-

ally makes me, well, me?

As an English major, I

think I can saely say that

reading and writing mean

the world to me. I've been

known to read through

books like crazy and nev-

er just one at a time, that

would not be enough! As

or writing, my outlet ear-

ly on was working on the

high school yearbook sta,

and now I am able to con-

tinue similarly with The

Retort. In time as I wrote

more or mysel and ound

what I was truly passion-

ate about where my writ-

ing was most meaningul

to me my writing became

my own.

I love to dance theres

nothing in this world that

can lit my spirits like a

waltz around the room. I

began learning when I was

in the eighth grade, and

then let it behind me un-

til my reshman year here

at MSU Billings, and Im

so glad that I did! So i

you see me dancing around

here on campus, dont be

surprised, and by all means

join in!

I am very close with my

amily, and I am grateul to

be able to share my college

experience with them - this

journey could not be the

same without them here.

With two years remain-

ing at MSUB, I can refect

on all that I have been a

part o, rom the Honors

Program and Club, dance,

and DVAAS, to all o the

classes that I have taken

and learned a great deal

rom - I look orward to all

o the opportunities that lie

ahead, and o course, to a

great year here at The Re-

tort!

Jared Hammer

Business Manager

Iam a very secretive and

dangerous individual.

People might think o

me as an assassin...maybe.

I cannot present any ur-

ther inormation. Please

stay ar away rom my gi-

rae. It is very tempera-

mental.

James Hickman

Design Editor

James Dean Hickman

was originally born in

Colorado but as an in-

ant was quickly relocat-

ed to his true hometown,

Billings Montana. James

has developed a deep love

or Billings and can o-

ten be heard arguing with

uninspired olk that have

convinced themselves that

theres nothing to do in

this town.

James is currently a stu-

dent at MSUB, pursuing a

business degree and is ac-

tive in the student organi-

zation community. He is

the ormer Editor-in-chie

o The Rook (MSUBs stu-

dent run art and literature

publication or over a de-

cade.) He has moved on

to be the Design Editor o

The Retort, a position way

over his head to be sure.

He also serves as the Busi-

ness The Forge Produc-

tion House, (MSUBs au-

dio video club.)

James is a poet and ree-

lance writer. He occasion-

ally writes or The Bill-

ings Outpost, Billings360.

com, and The Billings Ga-

zette. He is currently an

Editor/Sta Writer or lo-

cal upstart alternative mag

NOISE & COLOR. He,

along with his partner Pete

Tolton, started a local Slam

Poetry League called Mon-

tana Slam, which holds

regular competition. Pete

and him are preparing

to launch their art/lit rag

Brushre.

Hello all, my name

is Jennier Otis

and Im so ex-

cited to be starting my

ourth year as copy editor

or The Retort! Im origi-

nally rom New Jersey (no

I dont know Snooki) but

Ive lived in Montana since

high school. Ive been

married to my husband,

Pat, a Laurel native and

basketball coach, or six

years, and we have three

rescue pups that we spoil

rotten.

My real job is

at Billings Clin-

ic as an Inor-

mation Services Specialist

in the hospital laboratory,

and ater staring at com-

puters all day I love to be

able to stretch the creative

side o my brain with The

Retort. In my spare time I

love to play outside when-

ever possible - walking my

dogs, camping, boating,

swimming, rating, sh-

ing, foating rivers, sled-

ding, and hiking. When

orced indoors, I like to

read, write, watch movies,

yoga, knit, bake, and play

board games with riends.

My guilty pleasure is reali-

ty television; I DVR all the

most vapid shows during

the week and catch up on

them on Thursday nights

while my husband bowls.

I love taking vacations and

have been to 39 states and

Canada and Mexico. One

day I hope to travel to the

Mediterranean and vis-

it Greece, France, Spain,

and, the motherland, Ita-

ly. When I grow up Id like

to be a ull-time editor,

and an author as well. Ive

started a couple o manu-

Jennier Otis

Copy Editor

modiying most o thepopular content manage-

ment systems. During the

summer, with the Editor

o The Retort, I worked on

modiying the existing Re-

tort website and convert-

ing it to WordPress which

is still in the design pro-

cess. I look orward to the

upcoming year.

Chris Claus

Webpage Editor

Amy Tackett

Photographer

Hello All! My

name is Amy and

I am the photog-

rapher or The Retort. Al-

though I somewhat will-

ingly provided a picture

o mysel to accompany

this bio, I preer to be be-

hind the camera, not in

ront o it. I you happen

to see me snapping photos

around campus, please try

to act natural. I you dont,

it makes or very awkward

pictures. This is my third

year with The Retort and I

have loved every minute o

the experience so ar. I am

looking orward to anoth-

er exciting year o classes

as I nish my time here at

MSUB. I will graduate on

in the Spring with a degree

in History.

Cory Lovec

Sports Writer

Cory D. Lovec is a

20 year old junior at

MSU-Billings, ma-

joring in chemistry and mi-

noring in both mathemat-

ics and physics, while also

ullling requirements or

pre-pharmacy. This is his

3rd year as Sports Editor

at The Retort. He is a very

avid sports an, stating that

he loves ALL sports, but

admits to being partial to

ootballthe NFL in par-

ticular. Cory watches all

the sports he cans, and says

that his TV is on ESPN at

least 90% o the time.

Cory is also a huge an o

music, and owns roughly

200 CDswith an eclectic

taste in music ranging rom

rock and metal to country,

classical, and jazzwith

rock music being his avor-

ite (Breaking Benjamin,

Shinedown Hinder, Match-

box 20, and Jason Aldean

are his so-called avorite

5). Cory is also a trum-

pet player or the MSU-B

Pep Band, and attends ev-

ery home Mens and Wom-

ens basketball games, and

also states that he tries to

go to as many o the oth-

er sporting events as pos-

sible as well. Hes in the

MSU-B University Honors

Program, and is also the

president o the campuss

Chemistry Club. Cory says

that:

Writing or The Re-

tort has been an honor! Its

amazing to be able to write

about something that Im

so passionate about. Its a

great eeling when read-

ers give eedback on an ar-

ticleor simply tell you

that they liked your article.

The Retort has also been a

great pathway to meet new

people (like some o the

athletes Ive interviewed

and my coworkers). All-

in-all, working at The Re-

tort has been a great expe-

rience, and my only hope

is that we as a paper (and

o course my section too!)

continue to grow in popu-

larity with our students.

Serene Crees

Art & Entertainment Writer

Serene Crees

Art & Entertainment Writer

Greetings & sal-

utations! My

name is Serene

Crees and Iam a Junior

here at MSU-Billings.

I reer to mysel as a ca-

reer student because I

graduatedBible College in

2006, interned at a church

or three years, and since

then havebeen doing

youth ministry (which is a

wonderul education in it-

sel!!).

Now, I am back to

school (again J) to get

my secular degree. Iwas a

Music Theatre major but

have switched to English

& Spanish with aminor

in Theatre and eel that

I have nally ound my

niche!!

I dont have much

spare time being a youth

pastor, nanny andull time

student, but when I do

have some me time I

love to ride my bike,sing,

act, dance (hip-hop, latin

and ballroom), paint, be

with my amily andriends,

read, and o course, write!

In act I am working on a

book right nowand hope

to publish it someday

soon!

I am very excited to

start my rst year major-

ing in English as well as

writing or The Retort!

Paulina Carrillo

Columnist

Howdy, Yellow

Jackets! My

name is Paulina

Carrillo and I have been

working as the Opinion

Writer or The Retort since

last Fall semester. I am cur-

rently a junior pursuing a

political science degree,

and hope to attend law

school upon graduation. I

am attending MSUB as an

out o state student since

I am originally rom San

Diego, Caliornia. As you

can also probably assume

by my last name, my rst

language is Spanish and I

am o Mexican descent.

During my ree time I

enjoy writing, reading, go-

ing out with my riends,

eating, traveling, biking,

rollerblading, and being

with my boyriend. I also

love pigeons, or any other

bird in general, and eed-

ing the ducks at the lake-I

know, lame (shh!). Writ ing

or The Retort has been

quite an interesting and

educational experience.

It has given me the op-

portunity to learn about

right and wrong in writ-

ing, strengthen my writ-

ing skills, and also broad-

en my horizons. I hope to

continue writing or The

Retort as long as the op-

portunity is given.

Continued rom page 8

Continuedon Page 9

2016: Obamas America is Eye-Opening

Ihave a Dream! This is

one o the most amous

phrases in history. Ev-

ery time I hear Dr. Kings

speech my emotions are

stirred and I am touched

deep within my soul. I was

twelve years old when I

rst heard these powerul

words. At my young age I

had an epiphany that pene-

trated me to my core. I re-

alized that i God had cho-

sen or me to be born with

merely a dierent amount

o pigment in my skin, or

i events in history had

brought dierent countries

to power instead o Spain,

England and the United

Sates, my ancestors and I

could have been the ones

ghting or our reedom

and equality. To this day I

am still prooundly hum-

bled by this.

It is or this reason that

I was overjoyed that the

dream o Martin Lu-

ther King was realized in

Barack Obama our years

ago when he was inaugu-

rated as the rst black pres-

ident in our countrys his-

tory. Though I did not vote

or him mysel due to my

personal belies, when they

announced his victory I

was still able to celebrate,

with exuberance, this mon-umental occasion. I could

see that his win as a cul-

mination o the hopes and

dreams o millions o peo-

ple and hundreds o years

o ghting. A ght that has

now nally been won!

This all we are acing a

new election and the need

to prove equality in our

country is no longer what

is at stake - America as we

know it is. The change

that Obama has brought

about in our country is

not the kind o change we

needed, nor the kind o

change we need or our u-

ture.

I am beyond alarmed at

the cuts he has been mak-ing regarding our coun-

trys protection (troops and

missiles); I am complete-

ly surprised at how ridic-

ulous his healthcare bill

(with socialistic agenda)

is; I am disgusted with his

lavish spending (his lowest

annual decit was above

$1.2 trillion); I am utterly

embarrassed by his oreign

policy. Altogether I believe

his choices to be unwise

and entirely in opposition

with the best interests o

the American people.

So ,although I already

had some opposing views,

beore going to watch

the movie 2016: Obamas

America I was not overly

concerned about Obama as

a person, his hidden agen-

da, or our country being

in danger - but I DO have

those concerns now.

I want to clariy beore

I continue that I am not a-

liated with any political

party and that I vote or

candidates based on their

individual merit. I alsowant to assure you that I

dont just believe every-

thing I see and hear. I am

well-inormed and well-

researched. So, this movie

simply lled in the areas

that I had already had ques-

tions about.

Since I had done my

own research prior to see-

ing the movie, I was amil-

iar with Obamas choic-

es in oce and his polit-

ical history. Yet, as I did

my research, I was con-

stantly conused as to why

his choices were so con-

tradictory and all over the

place with no real direc-

tion. This movie connect-

ed the dots or me. As the

movie progressed and they

explained Obamas child-

hood, schooling, men-

tors, ather, etc. and lled

in other pieces o the puz-

zle, my conusion was less-

ened and a picture started

to take shape.

The picture this movie

revealed shook me to my

core. Truthully, I dont

think I could have been

more shocked. I had nev-

er seen Obama or who

he really is. There was a

line in the movie that real-

ly summed everything up,

We all have a past and we

carry it with us. Obamas

heritage, education, and

mentoring are the ounda-

tion o who he is, and they

are the lter through which

he views the world. So,

how DOES Obama see the

world?Dinesh DSouza talks

about Obamas autobiog-

raphy and says that many

o the clues lie in those

pages. He explains that

Obamas education

in Hawaii, a place

that is still angry

about being colonized by

the U.S. and is actively try-

ing break away, has con-

siderably shaped Obamas

oreign and domestic pol-

icies. He also reveals that

Obama has consistently

been mentored by men

who are known or their

letist, communistic views.

One o his mentors, Frank

Marshall Davis, was even

a card-carrying commu-

nist.

I have heard a saying

many times in my lie,

Show me your riends

and Ill show you your u-

ture. It is proven that the

people you spend your time

with infuence who you

are and who you will be.

What does that mean or

our country, being led by

a man who has kept such

company throughout his

entire lie?

So, I will pose the same

questions as the man who

made this lm: What is

Obamas dream? Is it the

American Dream, is it

Martin Luthers Dream, or

is it someone elses (and i

so, who)?

In his autobiography

Obama admits to being ex-

tremely impacted by his

ather, and also to seek-ing out riends and groups

When you go out

and eat at a res-

taurant, do you

leave the waitress or wait-

er a tip? I know I do. But do

I, however, believe leaving

that tip is necessary? Not

at all. So then why do I

even bother to leave a tip i

I do not eel like I should?

Well, mainly because so-

ciety has me eeling like it

is the right thing to do, and

also because I do not want

to make mysel look like I

am cheap winnie.

Seriously, though, why

does society tell us it is

Irst began using con-

tact lenses due to my

terrible vision and in-

ability to nd a pair o

good-looking glasses dur-

ing my reshman year in

high school. I have to say

that although they work

miracles by giving you the

opportunity to not wear

glasses, I have come to re-

alize that in the long run

it might be best not to use

sot contact lenses on a

daily basis.

During my rstyear o wearing contacts,

I experienced close to zero

problems. However, a-

ter that rst year, I started

noticing a ew things that

made me regret choosing

to wear contacts.

The rst prob-

lem I noticed is that my vi-

sion had worsened. I dont

know how this happened,

so I cant really say much

on this, but it did. Some

studies do say that contacts

cant really aect your vi-

sion, so dont take my word

on this. However, I re-

use to believe these stud-

ies because I have noticed

that every time I get my

prescription increased it

seems like my vision gets

worse about a month ater.

Like I said, I do not know

why this happens, espe-

cially since I do remove

them ater having them on

or about eight hours.

Another thing I real-

ized was how oten my

eyes were getting irritat-

ed. I know the reason or

that cant be because I did

not clean them right or that

I put them on with dirty

hands because I have al-

ways been very cautious.

Regardless o how well I

cleaned them or how care-

ul I was with them I would

still manage to wake up

with an inected eye every

once in a while. But how

do I know it is the contacts

that are causing this? Well,

probably because I hadnever experienced this un-

til I started wearing them.

Finally, contacts real-

ly tend to dry up my eye.

I you have ever had a dry

eye then you know how

uncomortable and an-

noying this can be. The

worse thing about a dry

eye resulting rom wear-

ing contacts is that re-wet-

ting drops do not always

work. It is kind o di-

cult to avoid having a dry

eye rom time to time when

you wear contacts.

So, is wearing contact

lenses better than wearing

glasses? I do not think so.

To be honest, i I could nd

that one pair that looked

good on me, I would say

goodbye to my contacts.

Sure, wearing contacts

will keep you rom having

to hide your pretty ace be-

hind glass, but I think any

o us would rather have

healthy, non-irritated eyes

over anything else.

Paulina Carrillo

Columnist

wrong not to leave a tip? I

actually believe otherwise.

I someone makes it clear

that they eel like I must

leave a tip, I nd that pret-

ty rude. I see the word tip

as an excuse to be able to

ask or extra money. Or, in

other words, I nd it to be

kind o like the silent and

culturally accepted way o

begging or money.

Something I strong-

ly believe in is that i hair

stylists and servers must

be given tips, then every-

one else with a job should

too. A waiter, or exam-

ple, is already getting paid

to do his job by the hour. I

he does not like how much

he is being paid, then too

bad. That person should

then try looking or anoth-

er job instead o indirectly

asking customers or mon-

ey. Im sorry, but i I am not

being tipped on top o what

I am being paid already to

write this article, then I do

not think it is air or you to

have that advantage while

I do not. A job is a job, and

you will always have to do

some work in order to get

paid. And yes, some jobs do

include relling my cup o

coee or cutting my hair.

Ater all, that is what you

agreed to do or minimum

wage when you applied or

the job, am I right?

So please, all o

you who work at a place

where it is expected or

the customer to leave a

tip, do not complain when

that person decides not to

tip you. We as customers

are already spending mon-

ey on whatever it is we are

buying, so why should we

spend more on you just be-

cause it is the right thing

to do? Anyway, until ev-

eryone else with a job

starts receiving tips rom

others, tipping should not

be something that we eel

like we must do.

Contact Lenses :(

Paulina Carrillo

Columnist

Is tipping an expectation or requirement?

We owe it to ourselves

and each other to

make wise, educated

decisions.

Continued

on Page 11


6/7

10 11

Reliving the 2012 Summer OlympicsCory Lovec

Sports Writer

The 2012 Summer

Olympics were made o

compelling stories, bro-

ken records, great career

achievements, and endless

on the edge o your seat

moments. From two hour-

long swimming marathons

decided in the nal 0.4 sec-

onds, to records broken in

track and eld, to the ca-

reer medals record being

broken, the 2012 Summer

Olympics were indeed ullo entertainment. From the

complete dominance o Ja-

maican men and women in

sprinting to the down-to-

the wire battle or the top

spot in medal count, it was

a sporting event o obvi-

ous worldwide magnitude.

Here is my somewhat short

list o the major storylines

o the summer games:

Michael Phelps: How

could a list o Olym-

pic headlines NOT start

with Michael Phelps? En-

tire books have been and

will continue to be writ-

ten about the incredible

athlete. This year he sin-

gle-handedly stole the

spotlight during the rst

week o the Olympics. At

rst it was supposed to be

between him and Ryan

Lochte - maybe this would

be the Olympics where

Phelps passed the torch

to Lochte (no pun intend-

ed) and at the start, some

people believed that would

happen. Heres a man who

started o slow at thissummers games by not

medaling in his rst event

and getting just silver

in his next two, and yet he

still won gold in his last

our events and managed

to again capture the most

medals and most gold med-

als o any Olympian dur-

ing the games (the third

time he has done so). To top

it o, he is now the most

decorated Olympian o all

time with 22 medals, 18 o

them goldboth records

that may never be broken

(not to mention all o the

swimming Olympic and

world records he has set).

Usain Bolt: Flamboy-

ant. Party-loving. Atten-

tion-grabbing. And very

sel-condent, to say the

least. Usain Bolt is all o

these and more, not to men-

tion the astest man on the

planet - and dare I say the

astest man in the history

o mankind. Bolt: the name

couldnt be more perect.

With a 65 rame Bolt is

quite tall or a sprinter,

and it is with those long

legs that he pulls away

rom his closest compet-

itors. No, hes not always

clean out o the blocks, and

sometimes it seems like he

could work harder at his

crat, but no one can get

to his level without hard

work and dedication. Boltproved nay-sayers wrong

this summer when he rst

won the 100m dash (just

0.05 seconds o his world

record time) and then ol-

lowed that up by being the

rst Olympian to win the

200m dash and 100m dash

twice in the same Olym-

pics, as well as the 4x100m

relay in two consecutive

Olympic games. Needless

to say, Bolt is as captivat-

ing an athlete as ever, and

hes not done yet; hes al-

ready said

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