volume 4, issue 1

A fresh start for Waldorf’s football team begins under the newly installed lights

We’ve got spirit, yes we do!!! Homecoming 2012 in review

Waldorf officially regains its certification to host international students

What it take behind the scenes to produce a play like Lawnmower Wars

the election according to

waldorfstudents

Tiffany Olson

Abbie Wibe

Alexander Horak

Phillip Koolhoven

Jonathan AguilarAndres BallesterosRyan FischerKatherine FrushDusty GerhardtClaire LawsonDarius LeopaulLauren RobinsonDaryel ScottJessica SerioNathaniel TaylorCarlee Von Holdt

Waldorf College106 S. Sixth StreetForest City, IA 50436

The Torch is produced in Adobe InDesign on Apple iMac computers.

Body text is set in 10 point Century Gothic. Photo captions are 9 point Century Gothic.

A special thanks to President Bob Alsop, Student Senate, David Damm and the Lobbyist staff, Alice Lewellen and her Editing class and Matt Knutson and Barbara Barrows in the Marketing Department.

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1

Advisor

Editor

Design Editor

Photo Editor

Contributors

Editorial Offices

Colophon

In Appreciation

what’s inside…FEATURES & DEPARTMENTS

3 editor's letter

finearts19 play review 20 behind the scenes

sports 18 volleyball 30 football 33 men’s soccer

departments

student life 6 have an amazing college experience 10 European adventures 16 welcome back international culture 24 video games 26 homecoming 2012 32 student banking 36 entertainment

4 biology student makes a big discovery 7 Waldorf welcome new faculty members 14 remembering Tad “Wheelz” Venzke 34 presidential debate: students weigh in on their vote for the next president

features

1. Eat healthy snacks. When you’re

stressed,usuallythefirstthingtogo

is your healthy diet. When you are

stretched for time, or too tired to

cook, a bag of chips looks pretty

appetizing. However, do you ever

feel physically good after eating a

whole bag of greasy chips? Prob-

ably not. Do yourself a favor: skip

the chips and reach for an apple

or some kind of fruit. Physically,

you will feel more in balance and

together, so that you can begin to

do the same mentally.

2. Take a nap. As a college stu-

dent, sleep is probably one of the

toughest things to regulate. How

can you expect to get a decent

amount of sleep during the week

when homework, evening exams,

and club meetings all cut into your

sleep time? However hard it can

be to get, sleep is a great stress

reliever. Even when you take a

short cat-nap, your brain can work

through problems and reorganize.

Think of naps as a reset button for

your brain. When you wake up

you will be able to see clearly and

focus once again.

3. Take a walk. Exercise, even

in the form of a short walk, can

relieve the stress you feel. Take a

break from work (even if you feel

like you don’t have time to do

so)andtakeafiveminutewalk

around your apartment or outside.

Your brain will thank you for the

mental break and your body will

thank you for the physical activity.

4. Plan it out. Maybe this is just me,

but I know I feel better if I can see

a physical list of the things I need

to get done and how much time I

have to do them. If I can take the

mental chaos of everything I know

I have to do and write it down, my

head is clear; I can focus on one

thing at a time. Plus, it feels REALLY

good to cross something off your

listwhenyou’vefinished!

5. Change your scenery. Working

in your messy bedroom or apart-

ment? Maybe you’re stuck inside

and it’s beautiful out. Either way, a

change of scenery can help mo-

tivate you to get work done. Take

your work to a coffee shop, outside

somewhere on campus, or to the

library and see if you focus better

outside of your normal workplace.

College can be extremely stressful. As a senior, I can vouch for that. This semester especially, is proving tobedifficultformanystudents,so,Itookthelibertyoffindingsome tips on stress-relief, courtesy of Purdue University’s Center for CareerOpportunities.Goodluck!

5 43LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Ashley Lutrick has been an active member of the biology club for four years, but the past

two years, her junior and senior years, is when biology club has be-come more active. These past two years the biology club has been more involved than it has been in years and it is because of Ashley Lutrick’s active leadership. Lutrick was elected President her junior year and that’s when she decided to make biology club known and more exciting for other biology students. She has pushed for more activities and trips that are botheducationalandbeneficialto biology students. The club took a trip to Body World where biology club members were able to visually

see and comprehend how the human body works. Ashley also be-lieves in study-aboard op-portunities for the biology club to be able to go out and put what they have learned into action. It is a great hands-on oppor-tunity which is exciting as well as entertaining. Lu-trick’s ultimate goal is for the Waldorf College Club to continue doing study abroad programs every year to various parts of the world. Ashley’s idea is

to make biology club “a great ed-ucational program that offers a va-riety of different resources and ac-tivities that look good on resumes andbebeneficialtothestudentas a whole. “Also, Ashley hopes to attract a wider range of biology students that are strictly students and not only student-athletes. Her desire is to see the program grow and for a variety of students to be able to attend Waldorf and enjoy biology club at the same time. Ashley Lutrick went on a study abroad program last year to Peru at the Pacaya Samiria National Reservation. She went with an-other biology club member for 10 days and both were excited to have the opportunity for such

an amazing trip where they could put their knowledge into action. For Ashley, this was an especially important trip because she based her whole senior research project around this trip to Peru. She started out with two ideas that she could research while she was in Peru, and her research project ended with explaining how the actinomycetses (a species between a fungi and bacteria) she discovered could be used as an antibiotic. Ashley did not know if the actinomycetses had already been discovered or not because she still hasn’t iden-tifiedit.Thereasonit’sdifferentthan other actinomycetses is that the one she has found forms an orange/red ring while other acti-nomycetses are usually just white. Ashley wants to potentially to be thefirstpersontoidentifyitandthen plate it against other bacteria toseeifitwill“fightoff”differentkinds of bacteria. This is a very excitingfindforAshleybecauseshe could have potentially found a new actinomyctses living in Peru. This, if new, discovery also makes her senior research project more original and unique. Ashley hopes that this original project will help her qualify for a prestigious gradu-ate school to achieve her ultimate goal of becoming a doctor.

BIO STUDENTMAKES A BIGDISCOVERY

story by Lauren Robinson | photography by Phillip Koolhoven

4 FEATURE

5FEATURE

Yourfirstsemesteroncampuscanbea

little tricky. Getting adjusted to college life after

yearsoflivingathomecanbeespeciallydiffi-

cult. So, here’s a list of things to do and not to

do during your college experience.

how to have anAMAZINGcollege experience

go to class

pay attention in class

do your homework

study for tests

get along with your roommate

clean up after yourself

gotofloor/hallmeetings

respect quiet hours

respect other students

miss class

forget to do your homework

forget to study

startfightswithotherstudents

drink in the residence halls

smoke in the residence halls

vandalize

DO:story by Jessie Serio | photography by Abbie Wibe

DON’T

6 STUDENT LIFE

New Facultystory by Dusty Gerhardt | photography by Dusty Gerhardt & Mark Thompson

Liz Kiscaden is the newest addition to the library

faculty. She is from Rochester, MN. Before com-

ing to Waldorf, Kiscaden ran a hospital library in

MasonCityforfiveyears,butsaid,“Iwantedto

work in an academic library. Working with the

medical students at the hospital was my favorite

part of the job and I wanted to work with stu-

dents fulltime.” A friend of hers saw the ad for her

current position and told her about it. Kiscaden

now commutes from Mason City. Her favorite

part of Waldorf is not just working in the library,

but Kiscaden said the cookies in the Warrior

Crossingarereallygoodtoo!Thissemestersheis

teaching some library instruction classes and a

few seminars. Her advice to students is to make

use of the resources available such as all of the

books, databases, and the writing center.

With a new school year you expect to see new students, but new faculty? This year there are six new faculty members at Waldorf. This new situation is exciting and nerve racking for return-ing students. Even more interesting is that half of the new faculty members are involved with the fineartprograms.Inthetheatresomestudentsare getting acquainted with their third tech di-rector in the last four years, which can be tough for returning students who are used to things being done a certain way; whereas the freshman are just trying to learn the ropes and how things operate. The new technical director, Dr. David Sollish, had some advice, “Be prepared, be on time,andbeinvolvedandyouwillbefine.” Joining the art department is Professor Dean Swenson. Teaching for over 33 years he joins

the Waldorf faculty believing art is a part of life even if some people don’t realize it. It touches everyone in some way. Swenson loves teaching and working with students and wants to see the programflourishandgrow.I AnotheradditiontofineartsisJoshThomp-son. Thompson is an Assistant Professor of Music, as well as the Director of Instrumental Activities. The Psychology department welcomes two new instructors, Dr. Julia Maier and Dr. Sara Finely. If any student is in need of resources for a paper – go to the library and talk to Ms. Kisca-den. Kiscaden is the new Library Director. If you are new student or returning student don’t worry about the changes. Change can be good and it can shape us into better people being able to adapt to anything.

Waldorf welcomes

to campus

7FEATURE

Dr. Sara Finely is from Topanga, CA. Prior to coming to

Waldorf, she taught at the University of Rochester, NY.

However, Finely indicted she wanted to work in a col-

lege that valued undergraduate education. Therefore,

when she was offered a job opportunity at Waldorf

she said, “I was excited to work at a small school and

to have more control over the department than I had

at a bigger university.” She also said, “I really enjoy

the students and the small class size. I get to interact

with the students and be part of the community.”

Her goals for the year are to get settled in and to get

students working with her on some research projects.

Her advice to students is to think critically; if you do

not understand ask questions. Just because you don’t

understand something it is not necessarily a bad thing.

Psychology is a very huge discipline so pursue the

things you are interested in and always ask questions.

Dr. Julia Maier is from Rochester, NY. She received her

bachelor’s degree at Lycoming College in Williams

Port, Pennsylvania. She went on to get her master’s

and doctorate at Iowa State University.

Dr. Maier said, “I chose to come to Waldorf

because the course listings were ones I wanted to

teach and it was a full time position at a small col-

lege. She likewise said she is really enjoying the fac-

ulty and her colleagues. “They are very welcoming

andIfeelIasIfitinalready.”Theonlytwodownfalls

to her job at the moment are trying to prepare for

classes she has not taught before and the commute

back and forth from Mason City. However, she is

excited to be here and is looking forward to work-

ing with students. Her goals while at Waldorf are to

continue to develop her classes and maybe add a

few more, and to network with students. In addition,

she wants to break the stereotype that Psychologists

are just merely counselors. Her advice to students is

tokeepanopenmindandtofindoutwhatyouare

interested in.

Mr. Dean Swenson is originally from Waseca, MN. He

has been an instructor for over 33 years. He has taught

in the North Iowa Community School District in Buffalo

Center. He also was an adjunct for NIACC. Swenson

resigned from NIACC when he took the art instructor

position at Waldorf. He said, “I have always been in-

terested in art and I am passionate about it and can’t

imaginedoinganythingelse.”Hefirmlybelievesthat

art is a huge part of life even if some people don’t

realize it. Swenson also stated that the students and

faculty here are very friendly and seem like a family.

He said that he likes the space of the gallery but wish-

es that it was not so hidden. His advice to students is to

be a risk taker, be as creative as possible, try different

solutions, and use the people around them, including

him, as resources.

Dr. David Sollish, raised near Chicago, is the newest

addition to the theater department. His goals are to

see the theater department become large enough

to provide more opportunities such as agent show-

cases for graduating performers as well as establish

internships with nationally known theater companies

for design students, and to start a professional theater

company associated with the college. David comes

to Waldorf from Blackburn College in pursuit of differ-

ent opportunities such as being able to design more,

further the Shakespeare minor, and to help with the

new musical theater major. When asked what stu-

dents can do with a theater major, he commented

he has seen students go on to many different careers

such as lawyers and public speakers among other

opportunities. The ability to perform every day is what

makes theater students successful in many careers.

Dr. Sollish’s advice to students is, “Be prepared to fail.

Failure can make an artist stronger.” He also said be

prepared, on time, and be involved.

© M

ark

Thom

pson

EUROPEDear Diary,

As I’m sitting on this train on my way to Paris I can’t even begin to fathom that I’ve just spent the last week and a half traveling all over Italy.

Rome. So much happened in the city of Rome and it all started with a late night adventure on ourfirstnightintown.

We ended up meeting an Egyptian named George who showed us through the back streets of the city to where the night life was.

One of the nights we went to an international party with a bunch of Australians and I didn’t get back to the hotel until about 3 a.m.

Venice. This was everything I imagined it to be and somuchmore!Thefirstnightweweretherewesatin the city square and listened to three different orchestras play as we sipped the night away.

The next day after visiting St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace, I took the opportunity to get lost in the alleyways of the city. I literally spent three hours wandering around snapping pictures of Venetian life and culture.

Florence.ForthefirsttimeonthetripIwasshownjust how small the world is.

As I rounded the corner of one of the buildings on my way to eat lunch in the square, I literally ran intomyfriendKatyfrommiddleschool!Iguessshehad been studying abroad for the past year.

Lake Como. This place was easily the most b-e-a-uuuuu-tiful place I’ve been in my life so far. With mountains in the background as I lounged by the pool, I remember thinking how people could think that this world just appeared out of nowhere.

Well that’s all I have for now. It’s time for me to takeanapbeforewearriveinParis!

Love, Claire Elizabeth

10 STUDENT LIFE

EUROPE 2 0 1 2Dear Future Travelers,

Paris was … pretty mind blowing. Even though the trip was six months ago, I still have a hard time not looking back and saying to myself, “Whoa. Did that really happen?” And it sounds ridiculous that I would even think that, I mean … yes it did happen but it’s all so much to comprehend, even now months later.

I never dreamed that I would have an opportunity like this, and I know that if it hadn’t been for Waldorf, I may have never gone at all. I knew that I would never be able to afford another opportunity like this in my future, so I jumped on it. I got a passport, took out a few extra student loans and hopped on a plane for an adventure that changed my life in more ways than I could ever expect.

I choose to focus on Paris because I feel like Paris sur-prised me more than anywhere else. It was full of sur-prises around every corner. Whether it was a gypsy band playing in an ally or an elderly couple holding hands looking up at the Eiffel Tower, I couldn’t help but feel surrounded by love in city of love.

Now, I know what the misconceptions are – but I’ll tell you, they’re not true. Paris is one of the clean-est cities I’ve ever been to with a beautiful and well organized metro system that allows you to get virtually anywhere in the city within 15 minutes. The people in Paris will be nice to you, if you act in a respectable manner and are nice to them. I cannot begin to tell you how many tourists I saw making this mistake of being loud and rude, and crude. If you act rude you will be received poorly and you’ll prob-ably be treated in the same way.

It might sound a little cheesy, but the Eiffel Tower to me was the best. I remember tearing up a little when I reached the top because it was all so beautiful. We were there at night and you could see couples on the grass holding each other. There, you were liter-ally surrounded by love. I hope to bring that special someone back someday so that I could experience the same. There was so much more to Paris, the

Catacombs, more Museums than you could imag-ine, the Arch de Triumph, the list goes on an on. I could never begin to tell you about all of it so I am instead leaving you with images of my time there. Enjoy!AndIhopeyoutoohaveachancetojumpon an opportunity like this someday.

Sincerely, Jon Aguilar

11STUDENT LIFE

Dear Diary,

London was everything that I expected it to be andsomuchmore!Myhotelwas rightaroundthecorner from Big Ben and the London Eye. I got to see ‘Wicked’live!Andtotopitoff,IwentpubhoppingwithDannyFranks!Youknow,thecrazysoccerplayerfrommyfirstyearatWaldorf?!

Thatwasanighttoremember!Westartedoffatalittle pub down the street from the hotel watching a Chelsea game with a bunch of Germans.

After the game we met up with a friend of Danny’s and went to a pub that looked like something out of Harry Potter and that’s where my London Pub Hopping experience began.

Continuing on our way, we squeezed through a crowded Pub and ordered a round of pints for the three of us. I tried sharing mine with the boys, but theysaid,“weboughtit,soyougottadrinkit!”

Then, we wasted a good hour sitting around, smoking shisha and catching up on everything that had happened over the past year.

Once our coal had burnt out, we gathered our belongings and continued on our all-night adventure through downtown London.

WeendedupatanotherPubthatwasfilledfromwallto wall with college students. I couldn’t help but think about how crazy this night was turning out to be.

As we stood on the sidewalk outside the pub, two blonde ladies walked up and asked if we wanted to split a cab with them to go to ‘Club Egg’. Before I knew it, we were packed in the back of a cab and on our way there.

We were standing in line when Danny realized he needed some cash, so he left me with the blonds and went to look for a cash-point. Within seconds of him walking away I found myself being pushed to

the front of the line with my new friends. Apparently there were “too many dudes in the club.”

I had no idea where Danny was, or where I was for that matter, and I still had two hours before the Metro opened up for the morning commute.

I couldn’t believe the predicament I was in. Here I was, stranded in the middle of London with two people I had just met and no way back to my hotel.

Finally, at 5 a.m., I was walking down the street, alone, on my way to the Metro. As I was walking a car pulled up next to me and the driver asked where I was headed. I simply said “back to my hotel.”

While I chatted with the driver, the passenger got out andbegantowalkaroundthecar.Ihadaflashbackof the movie Taken and was certain that my end was near.

Thankfully he just needed to step out for a smoke. After chatting with these guys for about 15 minutes the driver offered me a ride back to my hotel so I didn’t have to take the Metro. Naturally I declined. But then he offered me the front seat ...

I looked him dead in the eye and said that if I wasn’t in front of my hotel in 20 minutes, I was going to jump out of the car no matter how fast he was going and then hopped into the front seat.

I admit it, that was probably one of the dumbest things I did on the trip, but hey, what’s life without taking a few risks every now and then?

Of course being able to see all the “usual” sights and going to the “touristy” places was memorable, but the times that I spent wandering around the cities by myself or with some locals was unforgettable.

Love, Claire Elizabeth

Italy. Paris. London.

12 STUDENT LIFE

Italy. Paris. London.

Pisa, italy

Paris, France

London, England

paris,

France

lake como, italy

florence,

italy

rome, italy

london, englandparis, france

Tad “Wheelz” VenzkeWaldorf Remembers

T ad Venzke (also known to many as “Wheelz”) was a 2012 graduate of Waldorf College, who majored in

communications. This past summer, Venzke past away suddenly, affecting everyone who knew him. Venzke was loved by all of his friends. When Venzke’s passing was heard around the Waldorf’s community, many people could not believe it, and simply broke down in tears. “He was always about having fun and having a good time, so whether it would be a week night or weekend, he was always

getting into something and making everyone laugh,” said Waldorf student, Chelsey Shreeve. Venzke started attending Waldorf as a freshman and immediately made it his home. “He was truly a one-of-a-kind individual, (and) you won’t find anyone elselike him,” said another student, Carlos Ruiz. As a Communications major, Venzke excelled in the department, leaving behind a solid mark. “It’s sad. We still think about it. Everything coming in the mail still has Tad on it. It’s strange that I (still) have a grade to turn in for him. He

continues to be around and still influencing what’s going on,” saidMark Newcom, a professor in the Communications department. Venzke was always seen around the communications lab, and one would constantly hear his wheel chair coming down the hallway, and then the distinct “beep, beep” of his horn when he turned the corner. “He showed everyone around him how to live everything single day to the fullest, no matter what happened or what was thrown at him. He always laughed it off and still managed to have a good day,”

14 FEATURE

story by Phillip Koolhoven

Left: Tad Venzke and his signature style of blue jeans, shades, and skater shoes. Top: A painting that Tad spray painted with Gabe Vazquez. Bottom: A typographic self-portrait Venzke create as part of his Typography course in 2012.

said Shreeve. Kyle Acker, another of Venzke’s classmates, added “Tad was always happy; he didn’t care that he was in a wheel chair. He was up to any challenge, regardless.” Venzke never took life for granted. He lived everyday like it was his last (and pushed) to be the best. “Even though he had a disability, he seemed to have more life then people who seemed to take walking for granted. Full of energy, life, and wanted to accomplish more than he thought he could. (He) pushed everyone around to become that much better,” said Ruiz. Venzke was clever. He was

always trying something new, and trying to get the latest and greatest without having to pay. “Tad was always trying to get the most out of something. If it were an iPad or a cell phone he was always jail-breaking it. If it were his Xbox he would try to hack it for cheats. He was a networker, seemed to be drawn to people who were outside the norm. He was a “Maczalot,” always loving (anything) Mac,” said Newcom. Recently, Gabe Vazquez, a fellow Waldorf student, organized a memorial concert. The concert was held to gather money to put towards Venzke’s memorial scholarship. Vaudeville, a band that

Venzke was extremely close with, performed, as well as Vasquez and another student, Eric Bertelson. “Tad would want people to just live life, to dream big dreams and (not to) let anything or anyone stop you from accomplishing those dreams. Don’t let anyone tell you those dreams are too big. If an obstacle gets in your way, let it make you stronger, (and) don’t use it as an excuse,” said Claire Lawson. Venzke was always pushing people to be better and to live life the way he saw it, with no regrets. If you would like to donate to Tad’s memorial scholarship talk to Rita Gilbertson.

15FEATURE

With the beginning of a new academic year and the welcoming of newcomers to the Warrior

community in Forest City, Waldorf College looked to be on the right path for another great

year. It wasn’t until late August, a few weeks after the arrival of some of the students

involvedinthefallathleticprograms,whenWaldorfofficiallyregaineditscertification

to once again host international students on campus.

It has been two years since the last time the Warrior community hosted

international students on its campus. Over the summer of 2011, Waldorf

suffered an unprecedented blowwhen the school’s certification to

recruitinternationalstudentswasdeniedduringtherecertification

process,whichoccurseveryfiveyears.DeanofStudents,Jason

Ramaker, explained that it was an unfortunate hit for the

college as well as the community.

“At the time of our recertification we were

going through a lot of changes.” Ramaker

explained that itwasadifficult time for the

college, “We were changing ownership, as

we were bought by a new entity, so a lot of

our information was changing: everything

from who our president was to how we run and

what our organizational structure is, to even the official

name of the college. It was a time when the school was

also going through different staff and faculty changes,

allwhich led to filing errorswhich then cost the college its

internationalcertification.

It was unfortunately “bad timing” as Ramaker referred to it,

explaining that, “some of our information was erroneous, and it all

came down to technicalities which was our fault and we took full

responsibility for it.”

ALDORFelcomes back International Culture!

story by Andres Ballesteros

impact of the situation.

Going into the next academic year, Waldorf saw

its student body decrease in size, which affected

several positions within the staff, culminating in some

positions no longer being necessary. However, with the

beginning of the 2012-2013 academic year, Waldorf

sawthefinalpiecesofthepuzzlebeingputtogether

withitsapprovalofthecertificationprocess.

Although this is great news, it was much too late for

an immediate impact for the current fall semester.

With that said, Waldorf College is eagerly preparing

to welcome back student diversity into its classrooms

and athletic facilities once again with the return of

internationalcultureandspirit!

It was definitely an even harder blow to the

international student body that during the

summer of 2011, saw their careers come to a

screeching stop. During the next couple of months

in that summer, students were forced to look into

other possibilities and schools in order to keep

studying abroad. It was as if they were starting all

overagain,havingtofindplacestostudyandsettle

into within just a few months.

Nevertheless, Waldorf College helped many of these

students with transferring options as well as the moving

out process. “We lost a lot of really good students, and

my concern was that this impacted them a lot more

than it impacted us. Their entire lives were affected,”

commented Ramaker when analyzing the overall

17STUDENT LIFE

A NEWCHAPTER

A new roster has been formed for the Waldorf volleyball program. Twelve freshmen, four transfers, andfivereturningplayersmakeupthisyear’svolleyballsquad. With the season halfway over, it looks like they are off to a much better start. The coaches are very optimistic about this season. What should be expected when the season starts off with a new group of girls? So far their record is 5-14 and 1-1 in conference, which is an improvement fromtheyearbefore.Thehomegamesarefilledwithcheering and excitement, and not only from the game. The crowd is drumming and dancing and it seemstofiretheteamupalot. The coaches this year are very excited to see that happens in playoffs. They are all eager to coach and help the players as much as they can. You can tell that they believe in every player because they never settle for anything but the best from each player. There are three coaches this year: Head Coach Paul Meyer, Assistant Coach Megan Thies, and the JV Coach Keith Sears.ItisSear’sfirstyearasacoachandheisexcited

about the team. All the coaches agreed that they knew this season would be good. “I knew it would be promising because we had 17 new members join our team,” Thies said. The coaching staff agreed that this year’s team isdefinitelyworkinghardtoplayatahighlevel.“Wehave a young team and have a lot of learning to do. I believe that we have potential to be third in conference if we work hard,” Thies said. The team itself has come far in the little amount of time they have been together. “We have made a lot of progress. There are so many people in new positions and they have adapted so quickly in the few weeks we have been practicing,” Meyer said. Meyer was very pleased and surprised to see improvements come that quickly. “We have come a long way in a small amount of time,” Meyer said. The team also has very good team chemistry. When asked about how he felt about the chemistry on the team, Meyer replied, “I think it’s very good. We have a lot of girls that are much more concerned about the team than themselves.” No team is perfect, however. The biggest problem is lack of experience. We just need to play and work hard,” Meyer said. The overall outlook on the season is very positive. The team works hard for each other and always work hard to represent the Warriors in the best way possible.

story by Carlee Von Holdt

Following the success of last year’s Lost Socks, Dr. Robert AuFrance brought another one of his original plays to Smith Theater — Lawn Mower Wars. The story follows Bradley Davis, played by freshman Philip Detrick, who has retired to the seemingly quiet town of Woodland. The play then follows how the town is far from normal, with the loud and competitive broth-ers, Head and Richard (played from Jon Aguilar and Victor Schultz). The scene gets even more complicat-ed when Bradley’s old co-worker, Lauren Goodhill gets involved (played by Chelsey Shreeve). A humorous love triangle ensues between Bradley, Lauren and the town’s sheriff Bull Schimidt, who is portrayed by fresh-man Ben Johnson. The cast is completed by Miss Betty

Lawn Mower Wars In Review

story by Alexander Horak | Photography by Matthew Knutson

(played by Kelsey Sollish), who is the Historical Societ-ies’ supervisor; Verlin Verlin, an elderly gentleman who is constantly hounded by his much younger wife Elvira, (played by Alexander Horak and Olivia Lestrud). Finally thereistheSonsofLutefisk,playedbyJayeUpah,KevinAnsel, and Josh Boone, as well as the Robber played by Ray McQueen. “It kept me laughing, but it was not without tender and serious moments. I fell in love with the characters,” said one Waldorf student in the audience. The show opened for four nights, September 26-29. Not only did many students and community members come to the show, but also Alumni who were here visit-ing for Homecoming.

Cast memebers from left to right: Chelsey Shreeve, Philip Detrick, Jon Aguilar, and Victor Schultz.

FINE ARTS 19

“BEHIND THE SCENES”5’

20 FINE ARTS

You are in Smith Theatre. On stage, the scene is a bordello, located in a small town in Iowa, with odd furniture. As a patron you take a seat, glance through theprogram,flipafewpages,andtossitaside.Yougotocheckyourphoneforthosefinaltextsonefinaltime as an announcement comes from a tiny radio instructingyoutoturnoffthatcellulardevice.Thefirstactor steps on stage and you hear someone yelling “I don’t know what’s wrong with that boy…”

It is easy to take it for granted. Something like this … how long could have it really taken? Surely there’s not too much involved here.

If this was your thought, you’re wrong. A single production, is the collective work of an entire team of people. Ranging from designers to actors to technicians, and many of them serving in more than one way.

The production process at Waldorf Theatre is usually about a month of time. In that month, auditions happen. Directors choose their cast. Designers get to work on their various sound, light, scenic, and costume designs. Poster publicity is created. Crews build, and build, and build. Walls go up, doors get mounted, windows are placed. Props managers gather their properties and prepare to organize them for actors. Actors learn lines, blocking, and characterization. Lights are hung, patched, focused and queued. Sounds are made, organized and implemented.

All of this and more happen well before the curtain isfinallydrawnonopeningnight.Collectively,hours,upon hours, are given to each production.

I’ve always seen it as crazy to imagine that something so involved can be gone in so little time. But from my experience, I would say that is a huge part of the excitement. Yes, it might be short lived, but for me just gettingtofeeltheenergyofeverythingfinallycomingtogether at the end is worth all of the time spent and more. I believe that the best things in life don’t last verylong,andintheatre,thatisdefinitelythecase.But it is always new, and as soon as one project ends another begins, a reminder that “the end” doesn’t mean “that’s all folks” it means the beginning of an entirely new adventure.

So the next time you’re in Smith, or at any production. Take a moment to draw everything in – the lights, the sounds, the sights, maybe even the smells and take a moment to consider everything that is behind it. You might be surprised.

15’

Master painter Liz Taylor and painter Rachael Jordahl at work.

Painter Rachael Jordahl at work.

Trevor Nantais, Alex Horak, and Kelsey Solish prepar-ing for opening night.

by JON AGUILAR

Q: What has it been like working on Lawn Mower Wars from the perspective of both a director and playwright?

A: It’s different being a playwright here because I’m involved from day one because I’m also the director and I’m also in many ways the producer. So I’m involved in the whole entire process. It’s very possible to be the playwright and to never be invited to come and watch the play. I mean I’ve had plays produced that I haven’t got to see, I just got the check. If they needed a rewrite they could contact me or they could just forget about it quite frankly and this is the way it’s going to be.

It’s always different here. When being the director means really being the adult — in that you do your job you’re the head of the artistic vision and then at the end you don’t really expect much praise.

Q: Howdoyou,asadirector,fitwithinthe creative process?

A: Now it’s a little bit different — I’ve been here forever. Most people think I direct all the shows so I often have to explain that if it’s not my show, “Oh Bob it’s wonderful” and I go thank you but I’m not the director of this one ... David, Caleb, or Jeremy or whoever else but in most places directors aren’t seen. The only time you really get brought up is if you did something horrible and you get blamed for it. So I say we’re the adults because sometimes our satisfaction is knowing that we did a good job and then you realize that if you get recognized it’s usually because you did something horrible. That’s it.

Q: What might patrons overlook about the process when coming to a show and seeing thefinalproduct?

A: We were talking in artistic expression the other day about who is involved in theatre … you got the playwright and you got the producer and the designers, and the technicians, and then there’s the actors and the only people that anyone really acknowledges is the actors … and I said look at all these other people here. Look at all these other people higher on the list and here’s the actor and that’s who you all immediately go to because they’re the pallet, they’re the screen that we do everything on. But they’re tons of other people ahead and you know in rare cases those people are usually getting paid better than the actor is. But the actor gets the applause and that’s the one everyone knows.

Q: What’s it like working with a creative team of people that might not necessarily agree with or understand your goals?

A: Well, it’s a little different when you’re in educational theatre because you want collaboration. It’s either your colleague or it’s your students. And so you want them to have input, you want to work with them, you want them to have some ownership and sometimes you gotta bend about what your artistic vision is just because it’s part of the learning process for the students. Now, if you’re in professional theatre, and someone doesn’t do what you wantyoufirethemoryouhirepeopleyoutrust. … you work together. In professional theatre you see people work with the same people over and over again …

“Q & A”

with writer and director Dr. RobertE. AuFrance

5’

5’

PAGE HEADING 23

Many college students play video games on a regular basis and some cannot go a day without playing. Mindlessly pressing buttons while gaming and watching the TV or computer screen can take a student’s mind off everyday stresses. Video games are reported to be highly addictive, but a little time with video games can also be good for mental health. One of the ways that video games can relieve stress is that video games give the mind a vacation from reality. When a player is gaming he/she enters his/her own little world and escapes from responsibili-ties and troubles. The best games for this are repetitive gamesthatareeasytomasterbuthaveadifficult

goal. Games such as World of Warcraft and the Mi-necraft are good examples of this based on the pure repetitiveness and complexity of the goal. Minecraft, which is a creation video game for the computer, puts players in a world where there is no other human life and the objective is to make a home and survive the monstersofthemight.Thecomplexityofthefinalgoaliscompletelyuptotheplayer.Thefirstsimplegoalaidsin the understanding, but after that, the games opens up to the player and allows for creations based on the imagination that can lead to hours of game-play. While it might be said that playing this game for hours might lead to social withdrawal, a short break from reality can aid in stress relief. Another way video games can relieve stress is by

Video Games –Are they a good

24 STUDENT LIFE

story by Ryan Fischer | photography by Alexander Horak

giving the brain and hands something to do. Play-ing video games that require the player to deal with hand-eye coordination forces the mind to think of something else and turns the mind from the troubles of the day. Two video games that best exemplify this are the Rock Band and Guitar Hero Series. Since players are forced to concentrate on coordination by trying to hit all those green, red, yellow, blue or orange but-tons, they lose track of why they were stressed in the firstplace. When asked what games are the best stress relievers,manyWaldorfstudentschosefirstpersonshooters.GamessuchasCallofDutyandBattlefieldare good examples of these types. Those responding said that the task of running around killing other play-

ers in new and exciting ways made them pumped up and excited losing stress in the process. Other students mentioned Minecraft as a great stress reliever. A few students even said they like to play puzzle games to reduce their stress because they think of the problem at hand instead of their worries. When playing video games, it does not matter if the player has an amazing gaming system. Even play-ing solitaire on the computer, Tetris on a phone or any of the free games on a gaming website can provide the same results. As long as students don’t overdo it, video games can be a positive stress reliever.

form of Stress Relief?

25STUDENT LIFE

*Nikki Almanza

HOMECOMING2012

September 24, 2012marked yet another beginning to a jam-packed homecoming week. Warrior Cup kicked off Monday morning with a Wally Warrior Dance Off in the atrium.

“I thought the dance-off was pret-ty cool because you didn’t have to worry about people knowing who you are,” said Martin Lopez, a junior Criminal Justice major from Arizona.

Throughout the week, 23 different campus wide groups participated in 17 events in the hopes of placing in the top five to earn money fortheir group.

The events included trivia games, a decorating contest,

a powder

puff football game, a pumpkin pie eating contest, a greased pig chase and more. “My favorite event was the pig chase because it was funny watch-ing people try to catch it,” said Phil Koolhoven, a junior Communica-tions major from California.

The winners of each event re-ceived points for their group. 1st - 5th place each re-ceived multiple points, and each group after that received one par-ticipation point.

At the end of the week the group with the most points won the Warrior Cup tro-phy and $500 for their group.

This year’s home-coming week

Warrior Cup win-ner was the soft-ball team who

finished out the week with a totalof 77 points. In a close second was baseball with J&L taking third, biolo-gy in fourth and APO and wrestling tiedforfifth.

*Ellie Markwardt and Bree Hageman

story and photos by Claire Lawson

Friday night jump started the weekend with Candidate Review in the Atrium.

This years nominee’s were Nick Larios, Molly O’Brien, Adam Isaacson, Nicole Grisham, Kyle Acker, Miriah Huntington, Jason Mueller, and Ashley Lutrick.

The theme this year was super hero’s and each candidate made their debut as a different hero.

Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Super Girl, Cat Woman, and Bat Girl were all represented.

After testing the candidates’ knowledge of superhero history and a game of “hot-kryptonite”, it was time to vote. The audience made their way to the small pit where they cast blue and red ticket stubs into individually marked baggies with the candidates names.

This year’s Homecoming Queen was Molly O’Brien, a senior from Aurora, Colorado and the honor of King went to Jason Muller, a senior from Postal, Iowa.

“I felt really lucky and surprised!”said O’Brien after being crowned,which marked the sixth year in a row that a Waldorf Soccer player was crowned queen.

*Homecoming Court 2012

*Nick Larios and Katie Frush

*Katie Mullaly, Kyle Acker and

Miriah Huntington

*Jason Mueller and Molly O’Brien

28 STUDENT LIFE

As tradition has it here at Waldorf, the annual bonfire inthe fieldhouse parking lot was yetagain, a success. As the football team came out in their jerseys and helped keep the fire blazing byfeeding the flames with woodencrates, the band played music and the rest of the student body enjoyed snacks, drinks, and each other’s company.

“My favorite part of the bonfirewas the music and seeing all the people that I knew, and dancing,” said Quin Long, a freshman football player from Gainesville, Florida.

Following the bonfire was a hugeevent in the Atrium honoring last years’ Homecoming King, Tad Venzke, who passed away in early August. Gabe Vasquez, a Waldorf student and close friend of Tad set up the event with help from Tad’s parents, the school, and Waldorf Alums Vaudeville. With a mixture of raffles, t-shirt sales, liveperformances, and body-paint modeling, the event in Tads honor was nothing short of successful.

*FieldhouseBonfire

29STUDENT LIFE

Waldorf college football: Begins A New era

Yougetonechancetomakeafirstimpression. The Waldorf football team started their season off with a resounding 43-7 upset over Dordt College on Saturday, September 1, in the season opener. Dordt’s head coach Greg Youngblood previously held the head coaching position at Waldorf from 2007-2011. “It’s so nice to start the season with a ‘W’,” said Kent Anderson, head coach. It was a big game for Waldorf for a few reasons: it wasthefirstgamewithanewheadcoach,itwastheseasonopener,anditwasthefirsttimeplayingun-der the lights that were installed this summer. Waldorf chose to market it as a family event, with tailgating beforethegameandfireworksafter.Theeventhad603 in attendance. “I think they did such a fantastic job marketing for thefirstgame.It’ssomethingthatneedstobedoneon a regular basis,” said Anderson. Having support from the community is a goal of the team, according to Anderson, but giving back is also a goal. “It’s important for us to get involved, for our players to get involved in the community. We go and support events at the YMCA and the high school. Our guys have done a nice job reciprocating the support story and photos by Katie Frush

we’ve been getting,” said Anderson. The team has other goals, as well. “I think we need to restore some pride in the foot-ball program and instill the concept of accountabili-ty,” said Anderson. With a new coach come some new policies and ideas for how the team will act and perform. As with all things, these new plans and ideas will take time. “There’s the obvious: we want to win games, but that goes without saying. Outside of winning games, we want to establish accountability and pride in the players. If we do those two things, I think the successes will come, hopefully quickly,” said Anderson. A lot of expectations are to be had for this sea-sons. Currently, the team is 3-2, 0-2 in the conference. “We know it’s going to be tough. In our confer-ence, we’re going to play six nationally ranked teams, and that’s just brutal. We want to improve, but the expectations are tough,” said Anderson. With great expectation comes the urge to changeandfighttheodds. Anderson went on to say, “I hope we can see im-provement,adifferentenergyandstyleonthefield.I think with those things, we can expect some great changesonthefield.That’ssomethingwehopethey

can see, a change in us.” If change is what the team is calling for, change is whatthey’vegotten.Anewcoach,anewfield,newlights, even a new outlook can make a difference. “We’ve noticed the support and interest from the Waldorf community. We really appreciate the support we’ve gotten,” said Anderson. Inside of that support that has been noticed, how-ever, is a want for a bonding as one strong force. “We need to make this tighter, everyone as one. There shouldn’t be separate teams, a football team and a softball team and a soccer team and then the campus apart,” Anderson went on to say, “we need a strong bond as one. It does say Waldorf on our jerseys, not football. We need to make sure we bridge be-tween the community and the campus.”

You get one chance to make a first impression

Setting up a bank account can seem likeadifficultprocess, espe-cially if you have no idea what the process is. So how easy is it to be-gin banking? Darius Leopaul inter-viewed two employees at the local Manufacturers Bank and Trust (MBT) tofindouthow.

Darius Leopaul (DL): Who is the per-son you need to talk to when com-ing in to open an account, or for financial information?

Jennifer Cash, Marketing Officer (JC): We have an information sta-tion set up in the bank that is near both of the entrances where our representative, An-drea is sitting and waiting to answer any question and direct you to the right area.

DL: If she isn’t there, who would someone need to talk to, to get help with a question?

JC: That is where the personal bankers come in. We are trained that even when Andrea is not here, we are al-ways ready to answer a newcomer’s questions.

DL: If I came in here for the first time, what would be the procedures for opening up a new account?

Jan Harris, Senior Personal Banker (JH):YouhavetofilloutaCustomerInformationProfile(CIPForm).Wegetall of their information along with a copy of an up-to-date driver’s license or state-issued ID card. We ask if it is a Waldorf student, (so we know if we need to) ask for current verificationofacampusaddress. The reasonfor that is we need to know where that student lives. We also need their address from back home. We aren’t nosey; we are required by FDIC regulations and federal law to get this information because of the Patriot Act and because of the 9/11 event. We have to screen for potential identity theft and terrorism. We are very par-ticular about that and if there is something missing we have to have it before we can open or start anything. We also need to run a credit check. There is a OFAC list that names are on for suspicious activity, money traf-ficking,andfraud,whichmostcollegestudentswillnotshow up on; it is just a needed measure to go through. Most of the questions you need to answer are geared

toward protecting the bank’s back.

JC: These aren’t just things unique to MBT, these are all government reg-ulations, so anywhere you go you will fill out theCIP form, and itwillask information that you are going to think “Why in the world do they need to know this about me? I just want to open a checking account or get a loan for a car.” This is all to cover the bank.

DL: So, starting an account is as sim-ple and coming in and speaking with Andrea, and she will lead that person to the right banker?

JH: Definitely. If you tell her what you arecoming in for shewill haveyoufillout theCIP Form before leading that person to any of the personal bankers here.

DL: Are checking accounts are free for col-lege students?

JC: Yes, we actually have a couple of dif-ferent free accounts. We have our regular free checking account, if you have a high credit rating, but not all college students apply to this. There is Ultra Checking, which (allows you) to have direct deposits and au-tomatic payments going in and coming out. Our free accounts come with online banking and all the services the big banks have; you just have to ask or describe what you are looking for, and we can help youfindwhatyouarelookingfor.

DL: What is your advice on getting a credit card?

JC: We say don’t be afraid. The key to getting a credit card is to only spend what you can pay com-pletely off at the end of the month, and by paying it all you don’t get the high interest rates. It really just depends on the person. We say a credit card could be a bad thing, but if you are responsible with it, it can be a great credit builder. Know where your money is coming from to pay off things that you are spending (it on). Know it is a convenience to have it and not ex-tra spending money.

how to begin bankinga Q&A with MBT

32 STUDENT LIFEstory by Darius Leopaul | photography by Phillip Koolhoven

Many changes have occurred over the past season for the Waldorf Warrior men’s soccer team. From a new coaching staff to a new conference, the men have been adjusting to more than just a new season. Ryan Martin is now the head coach and Ben McArthur is the new assistant coach. Martin is from Decorah, Iowa, and graduated from Waldorf with a Communications degree. Martin has previously been the goalkeeper coach in Decorah for U-8 and U-14 teams, as well as the Decorah High School coach where he coached the teamtoitsfirstundefeatedseason,finishingthirdatStatein2010.Martin then moved to Luther College as goalkeeper coach, and became the assistant coach at Waldorf for the 2011-2012 season. In November of 2011, he was appointed head coach of the Warriors. Ben McArthur, assistant coach, is from Elkins, West Virginia. He attended Davis and Elkins College as a four year soccer starter. He was second in goals on his team two of the four years. He moved to Idaho to work at a residential treatment center for troubled youth and also coached in Rupert, Idaho, at Minico High School. During his tenure as coach, the high school team achieved their best record in school history. The soccer team is also making its debut in a new conference. The first game was homecoming weekend, September 29. Theteam’s goal is to make it to the national tournament by winning the conference tournament. The other new part this year coming with the new conference is the NAIA Eligibility rules. These have causedabit ofahassleover the first fewweeksof the season.Manyplayerswerenotabletoparticipate inthefirst fewgamesbecause of these new rules and a few still cannot. Another change for this year is the addition of a junior varsity men’s team. The JV team started their season September 17 at Indian Hills. The coaches believe this will be an excellent way of developing players to reach their full potential in the next few years, making the varsity better and better. The team started the season 0-7 with three games decided by one point or less, and won their firstgameSeptember15,againstMountMarty2-1inovertime. The season has started slowly as the team adjusts to all the changes, but theyaregaining somechemistry on the fieldandhope they meet their goal of winning the conference.

Men’s Soccer

The Team Undergoes

Changes

story by Nathaniel Taylor

33SPORTS

Vote presdientStudent weigh in on their

34 FEATURE

who will win?p

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mitt romney

The 2012 presidential election is coming up in just a few short weeks, and countless key issues are on the line. So, how are students at Waldorf College voting, and what important issues stand out to them?

Randomly, ten students were asked the following three questions:

1. Are you voting in the upcom- ing election?

2. If yes, who are you voting for, and if no, why not?

3. What issues stand out to you as a voter or non-voter?

This is how they responded.

Three out of the ten students asked have plan on voting for President Barack Obama.

One student, Sarah, stated that her reasons for voting this way are based on the President’s health-care plan and on social issues.

A second student did not give any reasons as to why she was voting for our current President, only that she was voting for him.

A third student, Ashley, said that she likes President Obama’s stance on abortion, as she is pro-choice. She went on to state that the Presi-dent has stood by and completed everything that he had said he would in his original campaign four years ago, and that the issues that people have with him are bogus.

story by Abbie Wibe

presdientStudent weigh in on their

35FEATURE

mitt romney

Two students out of the ten plan on voting for Mitt Romney.

Anthony,thefirstRomneyfan,simply stated, “He’s better than President Obama.”

A second student, Jeff, said that he is voting for Romney because “our government is going down the tubes.” He claims there is no direc-tion, and that change is needed.

This category of students was undeniably the most entertaining. Several students claimed that they were planning on writing in a can-didate to vote for. One student, Jaye, said that he might write in his own name, while another student swears he will write in Spongebob. Chuck Norris was also mentioned.Jaye (mentioned earlier) went on

to explain that he is unsure about his vote right now, as his main con-cern is the economy. “I gotta know that I have a job,” said Jaye.

A third student, Rebecca, said that she is not planning on voting be-cause she is, not registered and not interested. Another student simply does not know how to vote.

undecided &chuck norris

Zane, yet another student inter-viewed said he is not voting be-cause “our votes don’t matter. The electoral college determines the president, which means this is not a true democracy.”

Whom ever you cast your vote for on November 6, carefully weigh your decision and vote for a candidate that you think with help lead this country. And remem-ber every vote does count. Make your voice heard.

Riddles

1. What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?

2. What goes around the world, but stays in a corner?

3. Give me food, and I will live; give me water, and I will die. What am I?

4. I have holes in my top and bottom, my left and right, and in the middle. Yet I still hold water. What am I?

5. I can run but not walk. Wher- ever I go, thoughts follows close behind. What am I?

1- A Towel. 2- A Stamp. 3- Fire. 4- A Sponge. 5- A Nose.

Answers:

tic-tac-toe

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