September 11, 2015
Volume 110 - Issue 2
CALVIN.EDU/CHIMES
COMMUNITY GARDEN PAGE 2
ALS FUNDING PAGE 8
SUPERHEROINES PAGE 11
TELEVANGELISTS PAGE 9
Humanities professors take faculty buyouts
PHOTOS COURTESEY CALVIN.EDU
BY JOSH PARKS
Print Editor
Three of Calvin’s academic
departments are adapting to
smaller full-time faculty numbers this year after seven professors took the voluntary buyouts
offered in May. The buyouts
were an attempt to bring the
numbers of faculty members in
these departments closer to those
recommended by the prioritization plan that was approved in
February 2014.
In t he music depar tment,
p r o f e s s o r s D av i d R e i m e r,
C h a r s i e S aw ye r a n d Jo h n
Varineau accepted the buyout
and will no longer be full-time
faculty members. The art and
art history department is losing Mandy Cano Villalobos
and Adam Wolpa, and James
Bratt and Daniel Miller are leaving
the history department.
All three music professors, in
addition to Cano Villalobos and
Miller, will continue to teach in
reduced roles as adjunct faculty
for the fall semester.
As he continues to direct the
orchestra and teach clarinet and
music appreciation, Varineau
expressed a desire that “students
won’t really see a difference.”
Varineau said he took the buyout primarily because he was the
only non-tenured full-time professor in the music department.
“If tenure means anything
at Calvin College,” Varineau
said, “and there are [future] nonvoluntary reductions in the music
faculty, then I will be the first to
go whether I like it or not.”
Va r i ne au me nt ioned t h at
the security of his continued
employment as the associate
conductor of the Grand Rapids
Sy mphony a l so cont r ibuted
to his decision to take the buyout. For his col leag ues who
are mid-career, however, Varineau emphasized
Art and art history professor
Craig Hanson, who did not take
a buyout, said there is a sense
of “dissatisfaction and frustration” in his department with
the circumstances surrounding
the buyouts, but that it wasn’t
a i med “at a per son or eve n
at administration.”
Both Hanson and Varineau
are worried by the increasingly
apparent use of numbers to justify
the existence of classes, programs
and departments.
Hanson said that the college
needs to move beyond “the general anxiety about which programs will be around and where
the cuts will be. To use President
Le Roy’s words, you can’t thrive
in a climate like that.”
Varineau was critical of a general trend in higher education
that he sees being reproduced at
Calvin:
“Around the country, music
departments are facing real pressures as colleges and universities gravitate more to ‘business
practices’ where spreadsheets
are becoming more and more
important.”
According to Hanson, a long,
gradual decline in student enrollment in art and art history classes
as well as the number of majors
is a significant contributor to
the department’s current struggle.
As solutions, he proposed focusing on gaining double majors
and minors in the art department,
and he said that making some
of those changes a few years
earlier may have helped t he
department avoid the situation
it’s now in.
“I think we’re fighting against
a kind of cultural position that
somehow the arts are a luxury we
can’t afford in a tough economic
climate,” Hanson said. “We in
the art department could not disagree more profoundly with that
presentation.”
Hanson also expressed the
concern that members of these
depar t ments have had since
the buyouts were announced
in May—that tough decisions
resulting from the budget crisis
could threaten some of Calvin’s
core values.
“At some point,” said Hanson,
“I think the college generally has
to confirm its commitment to the
liberal arts orientation, and if that
means that some programs are
never going to be as profitable as
other programs, then so be it.”
New Calvin logo receives mixed reviews
BY JON GORTER
Campus Co-Editor
Calvin College logo receives
mixed reactions
Last August, Calvin College’s
office of communications and
marketing released its new logo
as part of its ongoing rebranding
process, which has been in action for over a year. The updated
logo, which consists of modernized fonts, bold colors and a new
chevron-like symbol known as
the wayfinder, will appear on all
official college communication
products, like student IDs and the
Calvin College website.
T he logo emerged f rom a
long meticulous process that required extensive communication
between designer Tyler Borders,
t he Ca lv i n com mun icat ions
a nd ma rke t i ng de pa r t me nt,
and the students, faculty and
staff that make up the Calvin
community. Borders, who works
for t he desig n f i r m Da r t let,
provided ideas for potential
logos t hat wou ld por t ray
Calvin’s personality.
“We took t hose ideas and
presented them to the campus
community in a series of three
workshops,” said Tim Ellens,
director of communications and
brand steward at Calvin. “With
each succeeding workshop we
narrowed the choices and ultimately ended up close to where
we are today.”
After receiving input from the
community, the communications and marketing department
worked with Borders to refine the
ideas and finalize the new logo.
Though the final product may
look simple, developers intended
the logo to have considerable
depth and significance.
Through the process, developers aimed to craft more than just
a nice- looking symbol; rather,
they ventured to create a logo that
would be consistent with Calvin’s
master narrative of thinking
deeply, acting justly and living
wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents
of renewal in the world. The logo
is also intended to be a fresh portrayal of the four key elements
of the school’s brand personality
– discovery, curiosity, investigation and innovation – while still
retaining elements of the school’s
rich heritage.
“The college may not look the
same as we did at our founding,
but many enduring traditions
persist, like our commitment to
Christ-centered education and
our desire to be always reforming,” according to the Calvin
College website, regarding the
new logo.
Overall, the new logo’s reception has been mixed, with
both positive and negative reactions. But this was no surprise for
Ellens. “I was expecting a mixed
reaction and, in fact, sent a note
to the cabinet the day before its
release saying to expect some
strong reaction both ways on the
logo. It’s just the nature of this
sort of thing.”
Though the logo was intended
to carry so much significance,
many found it difficult to see
PHOTO COURTESEY CALVIN.EDU
the meaning through the design
itself. “They’re using three fonts
in one logo, and that’s a big no,”
said Sunshine Cahill, a senior
studio art major. “It looks like
it should be the logo of a new
mega church.”
“I was talking to a graphic
designer friend of mine and she
was talking about how the wayfinder concept is trendy. You
should never make a logo with
something that’s trendy,” said
senior geography major Janaya
Crevier. “I think it speaks to
Calvin trying hard, almost too
hard, to be ‘hip with the kids’
or ‘cool with the times’ or some-
T H E O F F I C I A L S T U D E N T N E W S P A P E R O F C A LV I N C O L L E G E S I N C E
19 07
thing, which isn’t very professional. From conversations I’ve
had with a lot of people, it looks
kind of cheap.”
Others had a more positive
perspective of the logo. “I’m
not a huge fan of it yet, but I’ll
give it some time to grow on
me,” said Ellen Reidy, a junior
engineering major.
“The old nameplate looked
really old fashioned, so I can see
why they wanted to update it,”
said Kaitlyn Etienne, a senior
environmental studies major. “I
think it looks great on the website.
And they didn’t have a symbol
before, so I like that, too.”
Chimes
2015-2016
Campus News
Calvin to reoffer jazz band as an accredited course
Editor in Chief
BY MADDIE HUGHEY
Print Editor
Calvin’s music department
is now offering jazz band as a
class. In past years, jazz band
has been of fered as a music
class similar to Wind Ensemble
or Campus Choir, but due to
the waning interest, it was put
on hiatus.
Since then, there has been
an increase in st udent interest in jazz style music, giving
rise to the creation of the student led Jazz Club. With this
increased interest, the music
department has decided to resurrect jazz band as an accredited
course option.
“I’m really excited to be able
to offer this again as something
f rom ou r depa r t ment where
now we can have resources for
scheduling things and getting
involved in concerts,” said Dr.
Tiffany Engle, associate professor
of music who will be directing
t he ne w ja z z b a nd , “a nd I
Anna Delph
Josh Parks
Online Editor
Katelyn Bosch
Head Copy Editor
Becky Jen
Arts & Entertainment
Nate Hunt
Campus
Jon Gorter
Maddie Hughey
Features
Hannah Fertich
Local
Sophie VanSickle
Science & Technology
Natasha Strydhorst
Opinion & Editorial
Kelsey Powers
Religion
Eckhart Chan
Sports
Mark Peless
Advisors
Jennifer Hoag
Lynn Rosendale
Chimes
Calvin College
3201 Burton Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
chimes@calvin.edu
advertise@calvin.edu
Phone: (616) 526-6578
Chimes is the official student
newspaper of Calvin College.
The mission of Chimes is to
serve the community of Calvin
College in a variety of ways:
we aim to reform, review,
challenge and foster dialogue
within the community.
Campus Co-Editor
think it can help the band a
little bit more and get out and
play gigs.”
With the resurgence of
jazz band as a course of fer-
now who, in a director role, facilitates it a whole lot better than
I could when it was just a student
organization,” said Engle.
Though it is becoming a class,
ing, the Jazz Club will most
likely dissolve.
“I think there’s a lot of potential and I don’t want to be the one
dictating all that. I can be the one
Engle does not want it to be taken
over by faculty.
“It’s been a student organization for so long that I don’t want
to ruin it by putting this faculty
PHOTO BY ANNA DELPH
stuff on it,” she said. “I very much
want it to be a collaboration. I
really want student ownership in
this process.”
The structure of the ensemble
will be like that of a traditional
big band. Though the saxophone
section is pretty well filled, the
class still lacks in large part a
brass and a rhythm section.
“We’re kind of still in these
stages of, ‘What is it going to
be? What is it going to be like?’”
added Engle, “[but] I think this
can be the beginning of something really awesome as it can
expand and grow.”
Jazz Band (MUSC 117) will
rehearse on Tuesdays from 2:30
p.m. to 3:45 p.m. and Thursdays
from 2:30 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. The
course counts for a half credit.
It’s not too late to join. Auditions
will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12.
Contact Dr. Engle (tje4@calvin.
edu) for more information.
T he ja zz ba nd’s f i r s t oncampus performance will be
in the DeVos Center lobby on
November 6.
Community garden expanding food in dining hall
BY JON GORTER
Campus Co-Editor
After a recent expansion two
years ago, the Calvin College
community garden has begun
to increase its produce offered
in the dining halls. The one acre
garden, located adjacent to the
Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex off
of Hampshire road, has focused
its efforts on growing organic
leafy greens, herbs, fruits and
vegetables that are now being featured in salads, soups and other
dishes in both dining halls.
Last spring, community garden produce entered the dining
halls for the first time, but in
understandably low quantities
as the garden was just being initiated into its new location. Since
the expansion in the spring of
2013, the garden managers have
focused the past two summer
seasons with building infrastructure, like deer fences, herb spirals,
raised beds and cages for the
garden’s pet rabbit and full-time
composter, Cadbury.
Now that the infrastructure is
largely in place, garden managers Sunshine (Peter) Cahill and
Janaya Crevier have focused their
efforts on growing farmer’s market quality produce. The two have
worked closely with Catering
Executive Chef Ian Ramirez
to get produce into the dining
halls via a variety of dishes, and
have for med a spectacularly
effective relationship.
“The relationship between the
dining halls, specifically Chef Ian
Ramirez, and the garden is amazing. Peter and Janaya approached
Ian with the idea of garden food
going to the dining halls and
Chef Ian embraced it wholeheartedly,” said biolog y professor
David Warners.
The garden offers heirloom
fruits and vegetables, many handselected by Ramirez for recipes
and garnishes. These specialty
From that half-acre, Cahill
and Crevier have already made
15 deliveries of produce to the
dining halls, a rate five times
greater than last year. In the most
PHOTO COURTESY SUNSHINE CAHILL
pleting other manual work in
the garden.
“We love Streetfest volunteers
— they always end up doing more
than we hope for,” said Cahill.
But the volunteers had more
to offer than just their manual
service; they had ideas and a
vision for the garden as well.
After weeding, they were given
time to ref lect on the garden
and what its future possibilities
could be.
T hei r ideas t h r i l led bot h
Cahill and Crevier, the senior
managers who will soon be leaving the garden and are looking for
new managers to fill their shoes.
“They have great ideas,” said
Crevier. “The garden isn’t just for
biology or environmental studies
students. Anyone can spend time
there and leave closer to each
other and closer to the earth.”
In the garden, there is more
produce ready to be picked, and
Cahill expects to make many
more deliveries before the growing season is over.
Dining hall workers recieve a tray of produce in the dining hall.
items would not otherwise be
available in the local area for a
reasonable price like they are
from the garden.
“I was with them from the
conception to the present, when
they were first talking about doing it,” said Ramirez. “I made a
commitment that I would buy
100 percent of what they grow
there. Organic and local food is
something we need to be aware of
and take advantage of.”
Yet even with producing specialty items, the garden has been
able to put out an impressive yield
so far. This year, half an acre of
land was cultivated, which is
twice as much as last year.
The official Student
Newspaper of Calvin
College Since 1907
PHOTO COURTESY SUNSHINE CAHILL
Student volunteers weed the garden during Streetfest.
recent delivery there was around
150 to 250 pounds of produce,
Ramirez estimated.
Sourcing food from the garden
also allows for some creativity in
the kitchen, allowing Ramirez to
apply culinary expertise to new
ingredients. “Just yesterday they
sent me some lambs quarters –
an herb used in teas and similar
things – and I’ve infused them in
oil,” said Ramirez. “We’ve been
trying to do some new stuff with
what they’ve been growing.”
Last week, st udents pa rticipating in the annual orientation service day Streetfest
a lso got i nvolved i n t he action, pulling weeds and com-
THE GARDEN WANTS YOU!
Location: 3151 Hampshire Blvd
SE (next to the baseball field)
Volunteer Hours: Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 7:30am to
10am and 2pm to 4:30pm
Contact: Sunshine Cahill (pac4)
or Janaya Crevier (jlc33)
“
We were pumped to start our season off with a win, and I
think it was healthy for our team to experience a loss early this
season
Maggie Kamp, “Volleyball”
Men’s golf opens season with win
BY MARK PELESS
Sports Editor
In an interview with Calvin
Sports Information before the
season started, Calvin men’s golf
head coach Brian Bolt spoke of
the year’s bright possibilities:
“We have a good mix of returning players, a couple of really excellent seniors who have
been good leaders on the team
and we are hopeful that they can
set the pace and we have some
new players as well. Justin Crow
and Jason Zeigler are our team
captains and we are excited that
they are going to be with us for
another year. Behind them, we
have some sophomores that in
their freshman year made a big
impact; John Van Noord was second in the league last year in scoring average and Ben VanScoyk
was eig ht h i n t he leag ue
in 2015 and ended up on the
all-region team and national allfreshman team.”
It was Van Noord who claimed
the most recent title of MIAA
Men’s Golfer of the Week. He
lead Calvin to a nine stroke vic-
tory over Trine at the Olivet Lou
Collins Memorial Tournament
in Battle Creek. Van Noord finished four under par after the
first round of play and was the
leader heading into the clubhouse. He remained in first at
the tournament’s end with a two
day total of 138 strokes.
VanScoyk shot three strokes
better than Van Noord on day
two and finished second overall
in the tournament at 140 strokes.
Rounding out Calvin’s squad was
Crow (149), first-year student
Sam Kuiper (152) and sophomore
Matthew Lumbantoruan (158).
For the last three years Calvin
has qualified for the MIAA’s
NCAA spring qualifying tournament. They won league titles
previously in 2010 and 2012, and
finished just short of one in 2009
and 2013, all of which has been
under the tutelage of coach Bolt.
Beginning the year with a
first place finish is a positive
for Calvin, but Trine’s close
s e c o n d pl a c e f i n i s h s h ow s
that they will not be handed
the conference. Their first three
MIAA tournaments of the year
are on September 9, 15 and 21.
Results (as of 9/9/15)
Men’s Soccer: Calvin 14, Great Lake Christian 0
Men’s Golf: Olivet Lou Collins Classic 1st 574 strokes
Women’s Golf: Furniture City Classic 3rd 357 strokes
Women’s Soccer: Calvin 3, DePauw 0
Women’s Volleyball: Calvin 3, Thomas More 0
S P O RT S T H I S W E E K
Friday Sept. 11
S P O RT S
”
3
Men’s soccer leaves New England with draw and tie
BY EDWIN KPODZRO
Guest Writer
The Calvin men’s soccer
team started off the 2015 season with a tie against Endicott
College after a double-overtime battle on Friday night
in Beverly, Mass. The grueling contest progressed to
overtime after the Knights
pressured the resilient Endicott
defense throughout the game,
forcing a total of 17 shots to the
host team’s five.
“The crucial moment of the
Endicott game was once overtime began,” said Calvin goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos.
“We had to make sure we
s t aye d i n t he g a me b ot h
me n t a l ly a n d phy s ic a l ly
even though we were tired.”
Giantsopoulos, a senior, maintained a clean sheet throughout the game and made one
save. The Calvin defense stood
its ground against the Gulls.
Calvin coach Ryan Souders
believed that the team was
ready for all the matches in
the North Shore Invitational.
After the proceedings on
Friday night, Calvin faced an undefeated Gordon College at 7 p.m.
in Wenham, Mass., the next day.
Both teams made it to the 2014
NCAA III Tournament and were
poised for victory against each
other. The game was more contested than the previous night’s,
evidenced by the 9-5 shot statistics where Calvin had the upper
hand. Sophomore Matt Hinds
scored a 25-yard goal after 29
minutes of play.
Calvin controlled the game
from then on and kept pushing for a safe cushion. They
came close to scoring the coveted
second goal when a def lected
pass almost made it into
Calvin senior Taylor Pr uis’s
path, but the Gordon goalkeeper
kept the tally at one goal.
A shot by Jerry Williams in the
last 10 seconds saw Giantsopoulos
rise to the occasion, keeping his
team in the lead. With no goals
conceded over the weekend the
team was happy with the win,
especially after the tiring doubleovertime game against Endicott
the night before.
“We didn’t change our game
plan against Endicott; we just
ne e d e d t o b e s h a r p e r w it h
simple things, which ended up
getting us a goal and a win,”
said Giantsopoulos, who together with Hinds and juniors
Ste pha n Hooke r a nd Dav id
Waterson made it on to t he
North Shore Invitational AllTournament Team.
Gia ntsopou los was a lso
named the MIAA Men’s Soccer
Defensive Player of the Week for
matches through September 6.
Coach Souders was full of praise
for his team: “I think this was
well earned. Truthfully, four guys
earning recognition is a credit to
all 26 guys. The strength of the
individual(s) is released when a
team is committed to their individual and collective responsibilities. We have both internal and
external expectations. Certainly
the visible, more obvious ones
include on field results and championships. Internally, nothing
h a s c h a n ge d . We w a n t t o
be men t hat seek to ex h ibit
Christ-likeness and pursue excellence in all things.”
The Knights returned home
to Grand R apids to prepare
for their home opener against
Great Lakes Christian College on
Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Volleyball wins 3 in Labor Day tournament
BY JULIE WOUDENBERG
Staff Writer
The number two ranked
women’s volleyball team closed
out the Labor Day Weekend
Invitational with well-earned
wins against Thomas More
College and Pacific University
after spliting matches the day
before, defeating Defiance but
losing to Emory University.
C a lv i n s we pt Def ia nce
College 25-8, 25-14, 26-24.
The Knights had an 11-point
streak in the middle of the
first set, earning them a 25-8
win over Def iance. Calvin
score was tied at 23, giving either
team the chance to win. It was
Emory, however, who went on
to win the set 27-25. The Eagles
held the lead the whole time in
the third and fourth sets, despite
four consecutive kills by Laura
Danhoff, Rachel Lubben and
Maggie Kamp.
Kamp led the Knights with
15 kills and nine digs against
Emor y. Jen na Lodew yk had
33 assists, eight digs and six
kills. Keilahna Castillo contributed 10 digs and four assists.
“A l l o f t h e g a m e s t h i s
pa st weekend ex posed a lot
of things for us to work on
in practice for our upcoming
Against Thomas More, Calvin
came out strong with a 7-1 start
before the Saints called a timeout.
The Knights were able to pulled
away from the gaining Saints at
17-7, and after a couple of errors
on the opposing side, Calvin won
the set 25-12.
With big kills from Kamp and
Van Laare, the Knights were also
able to take the win for the second
set. Kamp and Van Laare made
six and five kills, respectively.
Sophomore Emily Blankespoor
started off the third set with a
service ace and Danhoff had a
solo block and a kill. The Saints
struggled to defend the Knights’
kills as Kamp added two and
Women’s Golf Olivet Invitational 2:30 p.m.
Men’s Soccer at Aurora 5:00 p.m.
Women’s Volleyball vs. Kalamazoo 7:00 p.m.
Saturday Sept. 12
Women’s Golf Olivet Invitational 8:30 a.m.
Women’s Cross Country Knight Invite 10:00 a.m.
Men’s Cross Country Knight Invite 10:45 a.m.
Women’s Soccer vs. Chicago 2:00 p.m.
Women’s Volleyball vs. Hope 7:00 p.m.
Men’s Soccer at North Central (Ill.) 8:00 p.m.
Monday Sept. 14
Women’s Soccer at Adrian 12:00 p.m.
Tuesday Sept. 15
Men’s Golf MIAA Tournament #2
Wednesday Sept. 16
Men’s Soccer vs. Trine 4:00 p.m.
Women’s Volleyball vs. Olivet 6:30
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@Chimes_Sports
PHOTO COURTESY CALVIN SPORTS INFORMATION
Calvin recorded only one loss over the weekend was to first ranked Emory University
scored the first six points with
the help of two service aces
by first-year student Rachel
Herrera. Defiance battled in
the third set, but it was Calvin
who took the win 26-24.
“We were pumped to start
our season off with a win,
and I think it was healthy for
our team to experience a loss
early this season,” said senior
Maggie Kamp.
The second game Calvin
faced Emory University. All
three sets were hard-fought
by both teams, with the scores
being close. While the Knights
were able to win the first set, it
was Emory who came out on
top for the overall win.
Both Calvin and Emor y
were formidable during the
second set, and at one point the
games,” said Kamp.
The second day of the tournament Calvin swept both Pacific
Lutheran and Thomas More.
Kamp was able to score the
first point of the first set against
Pacific Lutheran, and the Knights
held the lead for the remainder of
the set. Calvin put numbers on the
board first in the second match as
well. Calvin was able to hold the
lead the entire time.
Calvin maintained the momentum into the third set. The
Lutes were able to chip away at
the score, but Calvin came out on
top with a score of 25-19.
Danhoff was a huge asset to the
Knights’ offense with 16 kills and
a kill percentage of .714. Kamp
finished with 11 kills, Tessa Van
Laare nine, and first-year student
Anna Kamp had six.
Calvin pulled the scored to 8-1.
The Saints had a five-point run,
but it was the Knights who finished with a win.
Kamp led the team with 15
kills, and both Danhoff and Van
Laare had eight. Lodewyk had
25 assists and dug up six balls.
Castillo led the players with 13
digs and four assists.
D ue to such g reat per formances during the tournament,
Dan hof f and Lodew yk were
named to the Calvin Labor Day
Weekend All-Tournament Team.
“St. Mary’s is our first conference match so we’re excited
to put our work in practice into
play on the court,” said Kamp.
“Right now we’re focusing on
one match at a time, and using
each match as preparation for
whatever the future holds.”
4
LOC A L N E W S
“
Meeting people where they are at is crucial for creating a safe
and inclusive environment.
”
Tanger Outlet mall opens in Byron Center
BY SOPHIE VANSICKLE
Local Editor
On Jul. 31, 2015, less than one
year after its ground-breaking
ceremony, Tanger Outlets, located in Byron Center, had its
grand opening. Though Grand
Rapids and its surrounding areas is plentiful in traditional
malls and shopping centers,
Tanger Outlets is Grand Rapids’
first outlet shopping mall.
Ta nge r O ut let s ha s bee n
buzzing with activity since its
opening, with nearly 70 stores
already in place. A few stores have
yet to open, including a Starbucks
currently under construction,
fashion store Rue 21, a pizzeria, and several other currently vacant storefronts ready
for businesses.
Along with stores popular
to the area, such as American
Eagle, H&M, Gap and Old Navy,
Tanger Outlets is also equipped
with big name outlets. Though
not an exhaustive list, included
among these big names are Nike,
Kate Spade, Colombia and Polo
Ralph Lauren.
Sophie VanSickle, “Creating”
W h i le t he stores a re t he
main attraction, guests are also
given the opportunity to stay
comfortable with plenty of seating throughout the shopping
complex, perfect for resting or
for sitting to enjoy one of the restaurant options, whether that’s a
pretzel from Auntie Anne’s, a Sub
way sandwich or a hot-dog from
the hot-dog stand, Bella Dawgs.
On the south end of the mall, a
fireplace has been installed to keep
warm on those cold autumn and
winter days.
Though much of the outlet mall is canopied to help on
snowy and rainy days, it is unknown how all of the uncovered
portions will fare through the
winter. When asked whether they
were planning to move inside or get
an awning when the weather gets
cold, the owners of Bella Dawgs,
one of the uncovered businesses,
said that they just might take
the winter off.
The outlet mall is open from
10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through
Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on
Sundays, giving shoppers plenty
of time to arrive in and have a new
shopping experience.
PHOTO BY: SOPHIE VANSICKLE
Creating community
a look at Heartside Ministry
WANT TO WRITE FOR LOCAL?
EMAIL SOPHIE AT SLV45@STUDENTS.CALVIN.EDU
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The Heartside district on Division Avenue.
“It’s important that we meet
people where they are at,” says art
Local Editor
coordinator, Sarah Scott. Everyone
who m a k e s up t he He a r t s id e
Heartside Ministry is a non- community comes from different
profit organization dedicated to backgrounds and areas of life. They
reaching out to the homeless and all have unique stories and differother in-need citizens of Grand ing levels of talent and experience
Rapids. Though not a homeless in many areas, so meeting people
shelter, Heartside Ministry is where they are is crucial for creating
full of resources to help those in a safe and inclusive environment.
need. They provide free services Everyone has a story that is worthy of
in support of giving everyone a tel l i ng, a nd Hea r tside emphachance at improving themselves si ze s a l low i n g a nd e ncou ra gin whichever area the individual i ng i nd iv idu a l s to sha re t hei r
feels is beneficial, whether that important stories.
need includes gaining an educaOther programs that make this
tion through their GED program, non-profit stand out are its attempts
attending support groups or coun- to teach those outside the Heartside
seling services, having a place community; their Urban Plunge
to express themselves through program gives others an opportuart, writing or just having access nity to get a glimpse of homelessto a safe space.
ness Additionally,
Through this, the
this organization is
volunteers and
partnered with othstaff of Heartside
er non-profits with
M i n i s t r y have
similar goals of supc re ated a n i nporting those who
tentional comare in need, such as
munity that have
Degage Ministries,
learned to care
G o d ’s K i t c h e n ,
for and accept
Mel Tr ot te r a nd
one another.
severa l ot her orW hat makes
PHOTO COURTESY: CALVIN COLLEGE ga n i zat ion s t h at
Heartside unique
desire to help with
is how much the community t he need s for clot h i ng, publ ic
participates and contributes to transportation, food, shelter and
every area of the organization. health services.
There are people in staff positions
Heartside Ministry is currently lowho used to attend Heartside cated on Division Avenue in downsolely for the support, many of town Grand Rapids. In the next year,
the volunteers come for support they plan to move to a new building,
as well; their publication, Spoon, upgrading to a two-story location
is made up entirely of prose and elsewhere on Division in order to furpoetry written by members of the ther their success as a productive and
Heartside community.
welcoming non-profit.
BY SOPHIE VANSICKLE
“
Pratt certainly does prove his value when it
comes to filling the role of the action hero rogue.
Nate Hunt “Jurassic”
”
a rt s a n d
e n t e rta i n m e n t
5
Jurassic World fun but ultimately disappoints
BY NATE HUNT
Arts & Entertainment Editor
I have generally found that
films which get off to a bumpy
start have a knack for picking up
speed in the second and third acts.
Unfortunately, this is not the case
with “Jurassic World,”
the fourth installment
in the “Jurassic Park”
f ra nch ise. Su re, t he
premise certainly seems
promising enough: a
new and improved dinosaur theme park uses
state of the art science
and technology to create a hybrid dinosaur
called the Indominus
Rex to increase park
attendance. In dramatic
fashion, the freak of nature escapes its confines
and all hell breaks loose
as park guests are terrorized by man-eating
dinosaurs. This premise
sounds both familiar
and difficult to mess up
doesn’t it? Well it should
because it’s nearly a carbon copy of the original
1993 Steven Speilberg
classic. However, this
Colin Trevorrow directed dino disaster ends up
falling flat on its face.
The film loses any
sense of originality by
trying to pander to long
time fans of the series
by working in sights,
sounds and other Easter
eggs that are there solely for nostalgia value.
“Jurassic World” becomes so involved with
t r yi ng to rem i nd us
how great the original
“Jurassic Park” movie
is that it fails to focus on giving
us interesting characters and
worthwhile stakes.
Early on in the film, Claire, the
cold and calculating park administrator who is portrayed by Bryce
Dallas Howard, knowingly men-
tions that “people aren’t wowed
by dinosaurs anymore.” I wish
the writing of “Jurassic World”
had ref lected this sentiment a
little more. While yes, it’s obvious
that audiences are flocking out to
see this movie primarily for the
dinosaurs, the fact remains that
this concept is nothing new and
that Claire is the aunt of Zach
and Gray, t wo brothers who
serve only as replacements for
the young duo in the original
“Jurassic Park.” Their presence
is unnecessary to the narrative’s
moment um wh ich made me
care little for the pathetic attempts at back story that was sup-
formation and remains relatively
static and detached until the concluding act. Most disappointing
of all is the director’s decision to
make Claire a helpless pawn in
situations where she could have
otherwise been a welcome asset
to the male dominated conflict.
Despite the film’s shortcom-
could have benefited from some
reinvention if it wanted a chance
of standing alongside its older
brother.
Where the movie suffers most
of all is with the paper-thin characterization. I failed to mention
posed to make me connect with
these kids.
Claire herself is devoid of basic
human empathy and seems to
lack the ability to connect with
other people. She is motivated
only by numbers and factual in-
ings, there are some well-crafted
moments such as the velociraptor
taming scene, where we first get a
glimpse of Chris Pratt’s on-screen
dominance, not just over the raptors but over the audience. Pratt
certainly does prove his value
when it comes to filling the role
of the action hero rouge once occupied by Harrison Ford. Despite
the film’s poor attempts at characterization, Pratt manages to do
the best he can with the material
that he is given.
Another great moment, and
perhaps my favorite scene in
t he enti re f i lm, is
the obvious homage
to Hitchcock’s “The
Birds” in which the
Indominus Rex breaks
into the aviary, releasing scores of pterodact yls which then terrorize and attack park
guests in a sequence
that is both chaotic and
exhilarating.
I wish I didn’t have
to be so harsh on
“Jurassic World,” that
I was able to find more
elements to praise. I
will say that the CGI
was much better than
expected. There were
t han k f ul ly few moments that were artificial looking enough
to jar me from the fantasy; in fact most of the
dinosaurs appeared so
life-like that they made
me experience some
of the original awe I
felt while watching the
first “Jurassic Park.”
Unfortunately these
moments of greatness
are overshadowed by
u n i nterest i ng cha racters, action that is
often reminiscent of
a monster movie and
a rushed and inconclusive ending which
I’m sure will lead to
FILE PHOTO
another sequel none
the less. If the film had
paid more attention to the human relationships and curbed
its tendency to praise its source
material, “Jurassic World” could
have had the heart and the artistic
value to warrant the price of park
admission.
The Weeknd’s new album mixes pop and R&B
BY NATE HUNT
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Canadian singer, songwriter
Abel Tesfaye, who is more widely
recognized by his stage name
The Weeknd, is no stranger to
his share of success. His mixtape
compilation “Trilogy” received
critical acclaim, and his recent
single “Can’t Feel My Face”
resided at the number one spot
on the “Billboard” Hot 100 for
several weeks before being joined
by two of his other singles to hold
the top three spots on the R&B
record chart.
“The Weeknd’s” newest album, “Beaut y Behind t he
Madness,” seeks to capitalize
on this success by refining his
newly adopted radio-friendly
sound. Unfortunately, the several
interesting tracks that accomplish
this feat are accompanied by an
equal number of lackluster tracks
that prevent the album from being the success it otherwise could
have been.
These standout tracks, some of
which were released as singles,
capture “The Weeknd’s” singular
style of dark and moody, bassheavy instrumentation paired
with his wide vocal range. Songs
like “The Hills” and “Often”
tackle themes of infidelity and
sex, which are pretty par for the
course for Tesfaye. The track
“Often,” in particular, is an in-
stantly catchy affair that features
Tesfaye asserting his proficiency,
or perhaps his dominance, in
certain social interactions.
This is immediately followed
by the club-ready “The Hills,” in
which the artist makes it clear that
he is not looking for a relationship
acoustic guitar instrumentals.
“The Weeknd” takes the time
here for honest introspection,
crooning about his conflicts with
love, commitment and trust.
Although Tesfaye has often
garnered praise for forging new
paths with his atmospheric fla-
based on love and commitment.
If anything, “The Weeknd” deserves a nod of respect for having
the guts to display these desires
on his forehead.
Other standout tracks like
“Acquainted” and “Shameless”
feature the artist exploring familiar musical territory. The music in
these two tracks is very somber
and seductive and, in the case of
“Shameless,” features primarily
vor of R&B, many have taken
to comparing him to the recent
Michael Jackson. To his credit,
“The Weeknd” has adopted some
of Jackson’s signature musical
elements; Tesfaye’s wide vocal
range and dark pop beats have
established him as a mysterious
bad boy of sorts.
Songs like “Can’t Feel My
Face” and “In the Night” offer
infectious beats and enter into
the genre realm of pop when the
choruses show up. With “In the
Night,” Tesfaye proves that he is
not afraid to tackle potentially
heavy subject matter. The song,
which was conceived after the
artist spent a night in Marilyn
Monroe’s bedroom, deals with
the outcome of
an abusive relationship and reveals that “The
We e k n d ” c a n
write with mat urit y when he
so desires.
Musically and
vocally, this alb u m i s o ne of
“The Weeknd’s”
most diverse. He
experiments on
s e ve r a l t r a c k s
with electric guitar and dr ums,
resulting in symphonic rock f laFILE PHOTO voring. In other
tracks, he slows
things down and incorporates the
use of background vocals, acoustic instruments, and little jazzy
flares to good effect. Alternative
stars Ed Sheeren and Lana Del
Rey even get their own feature
t racks, and their vocals and
personalities keep things fresh
and interesting.
However, these noteworthy efforts are often overshadowed a bit
by a smattering of those weaker
tracks that seem lifeless and uninteresting. The tracks’ faults become painfully obvious because
of their segregation from the rest
of the impressive work found in
the album’s middle grouping of
songs. Perhaps the weaker bookend tracks wouldn’t have seemed
half so uninteresting if they had
been used as breathing room
between the album’s better songs.
Wit h “Beaut y Beh i nd t he
Madness,” Tesfaye showcases
once again his propensity for
narcissism. The indifference and
the attitude reveal him to be a
character that is sometimes more
rock star persona than melancholic R&B idol.
His lyrical ability, which hasn’t
changed so much as evolved,
still revolves around themes of
sex, drugs, and partying. The
beats themselves form the perfect
soundtrack for such a rock and
roll lifestyle and are, without a
doubt, catchy. But personally,
“The Weeknd” has evolved into a
place that makes me miss his former mysterious and atmospheric
style before the necessity of going
mainstream became a factor.
Unfortunately, this is just a
spotty album with a few great
tracks that are marred by even
more weak ones. Certainly, “The
Weeknd” succeeds a few times
when reaching for greatness, but
more often than not, he finds that
what he is trying to grasp remains
just out of reach.
6
Chimes
Features
Chimes
September 11, 2015
Features
Chimes 2015-16
Meet the Staff
ANNA DELPH
Editor in Chief
BECKY JEN
Head Copy Editor
MARK PELESS
Sports Editor
JOSH PARKS
Print Editor
My name is Anna Delph. I am
a senior with an interdisciplinary major, and I will be serving as Chimes’ Editor in Chief
this year. I first joined the Chimes
staff as a volunteer photographer during my freshman year.
Si nce t he n I have bee n a
s t a f f w r i t e r, o n - c a l l p h o tographer, Photo Editor and
Feat u res Ed itor, a nd I w i l l
now be stepping up as Editor
i n C h ie f fo r t he 2 015 -2 016
school year.
Originally from Texas, I came
to Calvin to enjoy the Michigan
weather and study an interdisciplinary major in Communication
Design. I aspire to be an international photojournalist.
Greetings and salutations! My
name is Becky Jen, and I will be
serving as head copy editor this
year, which — to my dismay
— means that, among other
things, I’m responsible for the
elimination of the nifty Oxford
comma. I’m a senior studying
English literature with a Chinese
minor thrown in for fun. As a
stereotypical English major, I
immensely enjoy words, books,
libraries, coffee, Bananagrams
and late-night chats. When I am
not scribbling down book titles
to add to an ever-growing list of
books to read, I enjoy thrifting,
playing piano, spending time
outside and adventuring my way
through life with family, friends
and strangers alike.
I’m Mark and I’m a sophomore
here at Calvin. I wrote for sports
last year and this year I get the
opportunity to be the sports editor. I’m from Grand Rapids and
I’m currently commuting, though
last year I lived in RVD. My major is writing and there’s a good
chance I could add other majors
or minors such as journalism or
literature. I love God and strive
to live a life glorifying of him. I
enjoy hip-hop, and once in a blue
moon I’ll even rap. I played baseball up until coming to Calvin,
though I’m a big fan of sports
in general.
Hello! I’m Josh Parks, and I
am the print editor for Chimes this
year. I’m a sophomore fromHolland, Mich., double­majoring in
violin performance and English
literature (and I’m convinced that
will qualify me for more than
just a double shift at Starbucks).
When I’m not down in the basement of Commons Annex working on Chimes, I can most often be
found in the CFAC practice room
hallway doing some mix of homework, practicing and nothing in
particular. I eagerly await every
chance to throw a Tolkien reference, Disney song or Princess
Bride quote into a conversation
(or maybe even an article). I’m excited to help bring all of our readers another great year of Chimes.
MADDIE HUGHEY
Campus Co-Editor
BETHANY COK
On-Call Writer
ECKHART CHAN
Religion Editor
HANNAH FERTICH
Features Editor
Hey guys! My name is Maddie
and I’ll be the campus co-editor
this year after being an on-call
writer for the past year. I am
a sophomore from the south
of France and sometimes the
west of Michigan. I’m currently
undecided major-wise because
I want to study everything and
can’t decide what to pick. I love
to read, go horse-riding, eat sugar
in all of its various forms and
not do any physical activity unless absolutely necessary to my
survival. My dream is to write/
shoot (photography, not guns)
for National Geographic and/or
be a cowboy.
Hi everyone! I’m Bethany,
and I’m excited to start my second year as an on-call writer for
Chimes (and my senior year here
at Calvin). I’m studying English,
Spanish and French, so I can
interview people and be nosy
in multiple languages. One of
my greatest accomplishments of
the past year was being elected
“Queen of Snark” in the Calvin
Orchestra. I also survived four
months working as a janitor this
summer and can plunge a toilet
more quickly than I can brush
my teeth. My favorite places on
the planet include Honduras,
Yosemite National Park, the
Calvin practice room hallway
and anywhere I can get a decent
smoothie.
Hello! My name is Eckhart
Chan and I’ll be working as
the religion editor for Chimes
this year. I’m currently a junior
studying religion, philosophy
and classics.
A lt houg h I was bor n i n
Chicago I grew up just outside
of Seattle for most of my life.
Things I enjoy in my free time:
going out for late night eats,
Netflix binge watching and good
books. I like football (especially
when my fantasy team is doing
well), but basketball will always
be #1 ... and yes, I’m still waiting for the Sonics to come back
into my life. I’m excited to be on
Chimes this year and am looking
forward to the stories ahead. See
you around!
My name is Hannah Fertich
and I am the features editor at the
Chimes this semester. I am from
Gettysburg, Pa., and am still getting used to the brutal Michigan
winters. I am currently a sophomore studying graphic design.
I enjoy traveling and exploring other countries. I studied
abroad at a boarding school
in South Korea for a semester of my senior year in high
school. It was quite an experience and I would love to study
abroad again during my time
at Calvin. My goal as features
editor is to focus on topics both
big and small to create a broader
sense of connection within the
Calvin community.
JON GORTER
Campus Co-Editor
SOPHIE VANSICKLE
Local Editor
Greetings, Calvin! I’m Jon
Gorter, and I’m a campus coeditor this year for Chimes. I’m a
junior environmental studies and
English writing double major. I’m
from Cutlerville, Mich., and this
is my first year on Chimes staff.
In the past, I’ve served as a
staff writer and dedicated reader.
A few of my hobbies include bird
watching, cooking, biking, brewing kambucha and strenuously
toiling over “Where’s Waldo”
books with my t wo-year-old
housemate, Fin. I’m a big fan
of journalism, and I can’t wait to
see what the year holds.
My name is Sophie VanSickle
and I am the local editor for this
year. I’m a senior writing and psychology major, and I come from
a little town called Middleville,
Mich. This is my first year working with Chimes, but during my
time at Calvin, I’ve also been a
cultural discerner and a consistent participant of Dance Guild.
I spend most of my free time
writing or reading Young Adult
fiction, and I’ve grown up living
on a lake, so my happy place is
most definitely near a body of
water (preferably when it’s warm,
but this is Michigan, so I can’t be
picky). I’m quite excited to kick
off my last year of college writing
with Chimes!
RACHEL EVANS
On-Call Photographer
NATASHA STRYDHORST
Science and Technology
Editor
Hi, I’m Rachel Evans and I’m
a photographer.
I’m a freshman and am majoring in engineering. I am from
southern California, so I’m not
mentally ready for winter, or actual seasons. Even though I lived
about 15 minutes from the beach,
I have only surfed once in my
life. I know, shocker. However, I
have been wakeboarding before
and I love it!
I love to travel and one of the
items on my bucket list is to go to
Antarctica, which doesn’t make
sense because I’m a wimp when
it’s cold. But penguins are so cute,
so it’s worth it. Another item on
my bucket list is to see the northern lights from Norway, which
again, I don’t know why I would
want to go because it’s also cold
there. What can I say? I’m crazy.
Hello, everyone. My name
is Natasha Strydhorst; I am the
science and technology editor
for this semester. I am a senior
writing and environmental studies major hailing from Calgary,
Alberta (Canada, eh?). I am involved with Calvin’s beekeeping
club, the first year research in
earth sciences course and Chimes.
I enjoy reading, writing, the
great outdoors and virtually any
combination thereof. Aside from
Chimes, my favourite publications
are Canadian Geographic and
National Geographic. My favourite author is C. S. Lewis and my
favourite place (of those I’ve seen
so far) is Banff National Park. I
really look forward to meeting
and working with you science
and technology writers out there!
NATE HUNT
Arts & Entertainment
Editor
My name is Nate Hunt and I’m
the Chimes arts and entertainment
editor for the 2015-2016 school
year. I’m a junior studying organizational communication and
journalism from Pawtucket, R.I.
When I’m not doing scholarly
stuff, which is basically all the
time, I’m living off of a steady
diet of movies, TV shows and
video games and playing rugby
in whatever time I have left. I
love writing and hope to end up
as a film critic some day. Some of
my personal favorite movies are
“Lawrence of Arabia” and “The
Godfather.” I’m passionate about
pop culture and hope that rubs off
on you and gets you excited about
the entertainment industry.
KELSEY POWERS
Opinion/Editorial Editor
Hi! My name’s Kelsey Powers,
and I’m a junior here at Calvin
College. I’m the opinion/editorial editor, from only an hour
away, and I’m kind of chronically obsessed with superheroes
and video games. I’m an English
writing major, an English literature minor and possibly an
English linguistics minor, if I add
it. Clearly, I really love English.
My favorite author in the world
is J.R.R. Tolkien (I took the class
on him last semester, and it was
amazing) and the color purple is
awesome.
I’m looking forward to writing
for my section, and I’ll do my best
to not write about superheroes every week. Thanks for reading, all!
KATELYN BOSCH
Online Editor
MARISA HEULE
On-Call Writer
H i ever yone! My name is
Katelyn Bosch and I am the
online editor for Chimes in the
2015-2016 school year. I know
this is going to be a great year
with Chimes and I am excited to
foster dialogue within Calvin
community through our content.
I am a senior working towards
a double major in history and
strategic communication. I have
three sisters whom I adore, and a
senile, little dog named Theodore
Bernard (aka Teddy Bear). The
best way to do an interest survey,
in my opinion, is to rewrite “My
Favorite Things” so here we go:
Running on trails and books
that are written
Really old music and characters smitten
Coffee and traveling, Lord of
the Rings
These are a few of my favorite
things.
My name is Marisa Heule and
I am working as on-call writer
this year for the Calvin College
Chimes. I am currently a junior
studying political science and
French, as well as minoring in
Spanish. I hope that through
writing for Chimes, I am able to
project and inform our student
body on the events not only
happening within our own communities, but also within the
communities around the world.
I believe in journalism as a form
of advocacy and truth and I hope
to bring this to you in every article I write from the review on
the Grand Rapids Bridge Run to
the opinion on the refugee crisis
in Eastern Europe. It is perhaps
also essential to add that my life
experiences include, but are not
limited to: performing in a traveling German circus, getting lost in
the Patagonian wilderness and
single-handedly eating an entire
box of family-sized Oreos in
one sitting.
7
8
science and
tec h n o logy
“
There are approximately 420 trees per person on the planet.
Michael Messina, “Study estimates tree population”
”
New study estimates earth’s tree population at three trillion
BY MICHEAL MESSINA
Staff Writer
A study published in Nature’s
online journal this past week
estimates that there are just
ove r t h ree t r i l l ion t rees on
Ea r t h. Prev ious est imates
counted on ly 40 0 bi l lion,
eight times smaller than the
new number.
The team used a combination
of mass ground survey data and
satellite pictures to establish
their number.
Of t he approximately
3,040,000,000,000 trees, the
scientists estimate t hat 1.39
trillion are in the tropics and
subtropics, 0.61 trillion are in
te mpe rate reg ion s a nd 0.74
t r i l l ion i n t he borea l forests (coniferous forests of the
northern latitudes).
As of 2013, Calvin’s campus is
home to over 3,500 of the Earth’s
nearly three trillion trees. This
high density led to Calvin’s recognition as a tree-friendly campus
through the “Tree Campus USA”
program in April 2013.
Thomas Crowther, the lead scientist on the study, and his team
estimate that the new total means
that there are approximately 420
trees per person on the planet.
Dr. Crowther cautions that the to be an insignificant portion grows, we may see the net loss the BBC. “Humans are absolutely
controlling tree densities.”
higher number does not mean and should probably give us increase as well.”
Some, such as Dr. Nathalie
cause for considering the role
To drive this point home, a
anything has changed.
“It’s not like we’ve discovered that deforestation is playing in comparison with estimates of Pettorelli from the Zoological
ancient forest cover suggests that Society of London, believe that
a load of new trees; it’s not like changing ecosystems.”
this study is unwe’ve discovered
likely the last efa load of new carfort to conduct a
bon,” he told the
global tree count.
BBC. “We’re sim“It may be
ply describing the
important to acstate of the globk nowled ge t h at
a l forest system
t hese f i r s t es t ii n numbers t hat
mates produced
people can underby Crowther and
stand and that scicolleagues are deentists can use, and
r ived f rom data
that environmenprimarily collecttal prac titioners
ed in Europe and
or polic ymakers
Nor th America,
c a n u nd e r s t a nd
with [for example]
and use.”
very little informaThe study does
tion collected in
make it clear that
the Congo basin,
h u m a n s h ave a
China, Australia
strong inf luence
o r I n d i a ,” D r.
on the number of
trees on Earth. The
FILE PHOTO P e t t o r e l l i t o l d
t he U K Science
team estimates that Calvin College, which houses over 3,500 trees, was named a tree-friendly campus in 2013.
Media Centre.
hu m a n s re move
“As more information becomes
Dr. Glick believes that the humans have already removed
close to 15 bi l lion t rees per
y e a r, w h i l e o n l y p l a n t i n g net loss of trees could increase close to three trillion trees since available for these countries,
w it h t he pla net ’s ex plod i ng the last ice age, which occurred i t m i g h t b e i n t e r e s t i n g t o
five billion.
ref ine the estimates and
“The net loss is about a third population, telling the BBC, some 11,000 years ago.
“Europe used to be almost c h e c k t h a t k e y p r o c e s s e s
of a p e rce nt of t he c u r r e nt “[W]here tree losses are often
number of trees globally,” co- tied to timber supplies and land- covered by one giant forest and s h a p i n g s p a t i a l v a r i a b i l author Dr. Henr y Glick told use conversion for agriculture, as now it’s almost entirely fields and it y i n t ree densit y have not
the BBC. “That doesn’t seem the global human population grasslands,” Dr. Crowther told been overlooked.”
ALS breakthrough attributed to viral “ice bucket challenge”
ALS patients, it was not clear,
according to Washington Post,
whether the phenomenon was
a cause or effect of the disease.
Cells in which TDP-43 has begun to malfunction this way die
within several days.
The study from Johns Hopkins
has developed a protein that
Wong, is to determine whether this imitation protein could
Sci-Tech Editor
eventually be used to treat the
whole organism (or person, if and
whe n t he t r e a t me n t e n t e r s
The lethal neuromusc ular
c l i n ic a l t r i a l s) r a t he r t h a n
d i se a se A L S (A myot roph ic
individual cells.
Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s
According to Jonathan Ling,
disease) made headlines last
who also researches ALS at Johns
yea r du r i ng t he “ice bucket
Hopkins, the additional fichallenge.” Last month,
nancial support in the field
it returned to news pages
has enabled more “high
when a study published in
risk, high reward” study
the journal Science profoci than would be possible
posed an explanation for
with more limited funding.
protein clumps in neural
P ublic awa reness for
cells of ALS patients.
ALS increased during the
The study, which was remonths of the ice bucket
leased from Johns Hopkins,
challenge, which was introrepresents a major conduced in the summer of 2014
t r ibut ion to sc ie nt i st s’
and encouraged millions of
understanding of A LS.
social media users to pour
The progressive disease
ice water over themselves
has no known cure, but the
and share the footage to
ongoing research in that
raise funds and awareness
direction has benefitted
for the disease. According
f rom a n out pou r i ng of
to a Johns Hopkins staff
f inancial suppor t stemreport, about three million
ming—at least in part—
people participated.
from the viral ice bucket
The ALS Association
challenge of the summer
reports that around 6,400
of 2014.
people are diagnosed with
“ Wit ho u t [t he c h a l ALS in the United States
lenge], we wouldn’t have
each year. Most of these
been able to come out with
succumb within five years
the studies as quickly as
of the diagnosis due priwe did,” Philip Wong, a
marily to the progressive
professor of pathology at
reduction and event ual
Johns Hopkins, and the
loss of voluntary muscle
study’s lead author, told
movement, according to the
The Washington Post.
ALS Association.
While ALS research has
PHOTO BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS USER SLGCKGC (CC 2.0)
While critics have arbeen going on for decades “The ice bucket challenge” has become for
g ued t hat t he g lut of
— and Wong’s team has
f u nd i ng to A LS may
been involved with it for many the symbol of ALS support.
about 10 years — this most re- reproduces the normal function- have diverted funds that would
cent study was able to explore ing of TDP-43. When this pro- other wise benef it more comthe protein TDP-43. While it tein was injected into the failing mon diseases, Wong disagrees,
has been known for about 10 neurons, the affected cells re- saying, “T he lesson t hat we
years that clusters of this protein gained their normal function- learned can be applied to other
frequented the brain cells of ing. The next step, according to human diseases.”
BY NATASHA STRYDHORST
A L S P OT LI G
R
E
M I N by Daniel Blakemore H T
Unless you study rocks for a
living, plagioclase is probably
not a mineral you bring up too
much in everyday conversation. Nonetheless, it is one of
the most important rock-forming minerals and is very abundant in the Earth’s crust. The
white color you see in intrusive
igneous rocks such as granite
or diorite is likely plagioclase,
so there is a good chance your
countertop contains significant amounts of this mineral.
Plagioclase is not one mineral; rather, it is the name
given to several minerals with
related chemical formulas.
The individual members of the
plagioclase series differ based
on the amount of sodium and
calcium present in their chemical composition. Albite is the
plagioclase member with the
most sodium, and has the
chemical formula NaAlSi3O8.
Anorthite is the member with
the most calcium, and has
the chemical formula CaAl2Si2O8. In between these two
in the series are four interme-
diate minerals, which have
combinations of both sodium
and calcium in varying ratios.
It is usually very difficult to
see the difference between
the plagioclase members in
hand samples, so geologists
use more complex methods to
identify the individual members of the series.
One of the more popular
members of the plagioclase
series among collectors is Labradorite, and it is not hard to
see why. Labradorite is dark
colored, and when held to
a light, it displays brilliant
flashes of yellows, blues, reds
and greens. This stunning
iridescence is a property aptly
named Labradorescence. Labradorite can be polished and
made into jewelry or carved
into countertops fit to build a
house around.
To see beautiful examples
of labradorite and other plagioclase minerals in person,
come visit the Dice Mineralogical Museum located on the
first floor of North Hall!
PHOTO BY LECH DARSKI (CC-BY-3.0)
XKCD COURTESY RANDALL MUNROE
Labradorite, a strikingly iridescent form of plagioclase,
is a favorite of many collectors.
9
“
RELIGION
”
Christian leaders found on Ashley Madison
Jesus died for this sin, but there are still earthly consequences.
R.C. Sproul Jr.
BY ECKHART CHAN
Religion Editor
W he n it come s to on l i ne
d at i ng t he re a re lot s of op tions at hand from eHarmony to C h r i s t i a n M i n g le a nd
FarmersOnly. Like any other
personalized service, these various sites are intended to cater to
one’s individual dating preferences and orientation. However,
Ashley Madison is not exactly
your typical dating site. Proudly
advertising, “Life is short. Have
an affair” as their company’s
tagline, the intentions of those
at this particular dating service
stand clear.
P r ov id i n g me m b e r s w it h
supposedly anonymous usage,
the company’s target market
is explicitly aimed at individuals looking for extramarital affairs. Boasting 37 million users
worldwide, Ash ley Madison
draws a majority of members
that are either married or in
committed relationships.
In July, a group of hackers
that call themselves the “Impact
Team” stole 10 gigabytes of data
from Ashley Madison, releasing the information of some 33
million members. On this list
includes names, locations, phone
numbers, passwords, as well as
credit card information. Besides
the hackers’ illicit access to sensitive information, one can imagine
the potential social fallout of
publicly revealing the identities
of supposedly anonymous users.
A number of members from
the hacked data have been linked
with Christian leaders across a
wide range of denominations
and churches.
According to Ed Stetzer from
Christianity Today, “conversations with leaders from several
denominations in the U.S. and
Canada,” have yielded that at
least 400 church leaders are expected to resign after having
been found on the site. In Rome,
the Catholic Herald reports that
approximately two dozen email
addresses from the released data
have been connected with staff at
the Vatican.
Additionally the names of
a number of public Christian
figures have surfaced on Ashley
Madison as well, one of these being R.C. Sproul Jr. from Ligonier
Ministries. Sproul Jr., rector
and chair of theology and philosophy at Reformation Bible
College, also worked as a teaching fellow and as an editor for
Ligonier’s magazine.
Having been suspended from
the ministry for the following
year due to his membership on to
Religious
freedom?
Kim Davis faces off against the Supreme Court
PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
The Supreme Court after ruling in favor of same-sex marriage.
However, the U.S. District
BY ECKHART CHAN
Judge, David Bunning, issued
Religion Editor
the release of Davis under the
strict condition that she cannot
With the recent ruling of the continue to withhold marriage liSupreme Court to strike down censes to legally entitled couples.
all state bans on same-sex marWhile Davis herself has not
riages, a local Kentucky clerk made any indication that her
by the name of Kim Davis has stance on the issue has changed,
taken it upon herself to defy the Bunning was clear that if Davis
ruling of the court on grounds of were to disregard the legal duties
religious freedom. By refusing of her job that she would be taken
to issue marriage licenses to gay back to jail.
couples, Davis was in turn jailed
Supporters of Davis have been
for contempt of court and held in heavily championing this story
custody for five days.
as an issue of religious freedom,
Many outraged Christians yet other Christians have rehave called upon Davis’s pros- sponded in opposition. Brandon
ecution as a persecution upon Robertson, a Christian writer
her freedom to the expression with Huffington Post, has pointed
of Christian values and beliefs. out the challenge of Davis’ situaDavis claimed that because the tion as a government worker with
court’s mandate to issue marriage a Christian faith.
licenses to same-sex couples was a
According to Robertson, at the
violation of her faith and her con- core of Davis’s fight for religious
science, that she was not obligated expression stands the tension
to follow the ruling.
between church and state.
Garnering support from GOP
Emphasizing the basic
presidential candidates Mike American ideal of the separation
Huckabee and Ted Cruz, Davis of church and state, Robertson
was released on Tuesday with argues that whatever the religious
plans to return to work at her beliefs that Davis holds, they
post in Rowan County, Ky. Davis cannot inf luence her perforthanked her supporters and en- mance as a government employed
couraged them to continue their county clerk.
fight for religious liberty, saying,
T he c r u x of t he iss ue for
“I just want to give God the Robertson lies in the fact that
glory. His people have rallied, Davis is employed by the govand you are a strong people. We ernment. Regardless of her reserve a living God who knows ligion, Davis’s job as a county
exactly where each and every one clerk is not to force her Christian
of us is at. Just keep on pressing. faith upon others, but to exercise
Don’t let down, because he is the duties tasked before her by
here. He’s worthy.”
the county.
the site, Sproul Jr. made the following statement: “The grace of
God’s judgment bore its fruit, and
by His grace I repented of my sin.
By His grace, I have also received
His forgiveness, the outworking
of His love. Prophetic providence
had done its good office. Jesus
died for this sin, but there are still
earthly consequences.”
Several other notable names
that appeared from the hack are
Josh Duggar and Sam Rader.
Duggar is known from his appearance on the reality television
show “19 Kids and Counting,”
as well as his involvement in
politics as an active lobbyist for
the conservative Christian right.
Rader is a popular Christian vlogger on YouTube and is similarly
known for his conservative values
and vocal opposition against
issues such as abor t ion and
gay marriage.
However, there is some question into the accuracy of the data
that was released by Team Impact
as well as the legitimacy of the
names of users that were released
from the hack.
The site does not require the
verif ication of a user’s name
with their email address, making it possible for members to
join on an alias. For instance,
multiple accounts have popularly been created under President
Logo of Ligonier Ministries
Barack Obama’s name, while
there have also been repor ts
of misidentification from the
data. Hunter Fredrick, president of a crisis management
firm, reported to the Christian
Post that he has received contact
from a number of church staffers
that claim to have been wrongly
associated with the site from
the hack.
T his is yet anot her wave
in recent scandals within the
C h r i s t i a n c h u r c h . Tu l l i a n
PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Tchividjian, grandson of Billy
Graham, k nown for his past
involvement as a contributor to
The Gospel Coalition, recently
stepped down from his pastoral
position due to similar reports of
marital unfaithfulness.
On top of all this, the recent
release of the trailer for the upcoming movie “Spotlight,” a film
predicated on the 2002 sexual
abuse scandal of the Catholic
Church, seems only to add salt
to the wound.
John Oliver tackles the prosperity gospel
BY ECKHART CHAN
Religion Editor
On a recent segment that
aired on the HBO show Last
Week Ton ig ht w it h Joh n
Oliver, an investigative repor t exam i ned televa ngelists that have been abusing
tax exemptions intended for
churches. The focus of the
piece was not on churches
themselves but “about the
churches that exploit people’s
faith for monetary gain,” as
Oliver emphasized.
Many televangelists garner
popularity from their congregations by preaching what is
often known as the prosperity gospel. The basic idea of
the message is that wealth is
one of the primary ways in
which God demonstrates his
favor upon believers, thus in
turn a faithful relationship
with God will be rewarded
through blessings of health
and wealth. Utilizing this
prosperity theology alongside
the tax exemptions given to
churches, Oliver claimed that
many televangelists have manipulated the system in order to pump
massive amounts of money out
of congregants.
According to Oliver, the IRS
does not maintain a clear definition of a church, but rather
follows a broad 14-point guideline to categorize an institution as a religious entity. By
legal standards, once these conditions are met, a “church” has
been effectively established and
is eligible for the subsequent tax
exemptions. While providing
a clear and definitive standard
for what a church is expected to
look like may be difficult, the
vagueness of the IRS’ guideline
grants easy access to tax exemptions for certain institutions that
operate under the g uise of a
church. To illustrate the weakness
of the IRS’ imprecise guideline,
Oliver easily established his own
“church” by the legal standards.
W hile this was clearly done
as a gag for the show, Oliver’s
“church” did technically have access to the same financial benefits
as other legitimate congregations.
Oliver cited several pastors
who were explicitly preaching
this particular message, giving
video evidence of televangelists
encouraging their congregation
to continue to send offerings
as a seed of faith in God. By
utilizing a theology predicated
on material wealth and wellbeing, certain televangelists have
become successful in drawing
large amounts of tax-free dollars
from congregants by promising
a larger return from God in the
future. As followers continue to
plant “seeds of faith” through
donations, they are continuously
urged to give more so as to affirm their faithfulness. Physical
healings, financial reward and
debt clearance are among the
many things that are promised
in return for committed tithing.
However, in reality, many of
these televangelists ultimately
take the tithe money themselves
to finance things such as personal
jets, vacations and other less than
moderate expenses.
This report on Last Week
Tonight has garnered the attention of many, pressuring the IRS
to consider conducting more frequent church audits in an attempt
to expose fraudulent churches.
10
E TC E T E R A
SUDOKU
Campus Safety Report
The Campus Safety Department was contacted by the Grounds Department about one of their red Toro Workman utility carts that missing
from the parking lot outside the grounds department. It was confirmed
by video that the cart was stolen on Friday night, 8-28-15. A surveillance camera captured video of the subject taking the vehicle. The
Grand Rapids Police Department was contacted and a motor vehicle
theft report was filed with them. The vehicle was subsequently recovered by the Grand Rapids Police with one arrest being made.
Reported 09/02/2015
The Campus Safety Department took a report of a theft. A student
came to the Campus Safety Office and reported they left a duffle
bag, with clothing in it , in an unlocked locker at the Men’s Pool
Locker Room in the morning and when they returned that afternoon
the duffle bag was gone. Video footage shows an unknown suspect
enter the locker room without card swiping and exit carrying items
that are believed to belong to the victim.
Reported 09/02/2015
Campus Safety took a report of a hit and run traffic accident that
occurred in the loading dock driveway of the Science Building
complex. A staff members personal car was hit while in the loading
dock area. The crash caused damage to the passenger rear door. The
striking vehicle is not known.
Reported 09/03/2015
Chimes is looking for
writers, copyeditors and
photographers! Contact
chimes@calvin.edu for more
information
“
Female characters aren’t interchangeable.
Kelsey Powers, “Where is the Wasp?”
”
opinion and
e d i to r i a l
11
Where is the Wasp?
Packing
woes are
everyone’s Dear Marvel, from an unrepresented female movie-goer and fan
problem
BY KELSEY POWERS
BY KELSEY POWERS
Opinion and Editorial Editor
Opinion and Editorial Editor
I remember way back when,
two years ago, actually, when I
was a freshman. College was a
brand new and daunting thing
for me, being the oldest, and
neither of my parents were college experts in this day and age
(actually, they were the kind
who forbid me from ever going
to their school.) As a result, I
ended up buying way more
than I needed; better safe than
sorry, right?
Well, whenever I get my
stuff out of storage, I just end
up stumbling across yet another item I bought but never
used. It’s a freshman thing, I
think. We just buy anything
we may possibly need, not
sure what college has in store
for us, and end up with a lot of
items we don’t need for years,
if at all. There’s not exactly
a comprehensive list of what
you need for college, because
it varies with each school, each
person, each major and even
each dorm. If you’re in van
Reken, you don’t need a fan for
the hot days — if you’re in any
other dorm, you probably do.
Sophomores, on the other
hand, are a lot more relaxed.
Throughout your freshman
year, you get a handle on what
you need and what you don’t
— basically, if you need help,
freshmen would do best to ask
a sophomore. I don’t remember
a ton of what I bought sophomore year, if I bought anything. After all, I had learned
that a lot of what I brought
didn’t matter while I was in
the dorms. I bought a hot pot
freshman year and it stayed in
storage until my junior year.
Sophomores, you know what
you’re doing; you’ve got this.
Unfortunately, what seems
like a steady walk to ‘knowing exactly what to buy’ isn’t
exactly that. This year is my
junior year, and when it came
time to pack, I thought I knew
what I was doing. Clothes,
books, food and a few assorted items. The usual stuff.
However, I had to remember
dishes, both for cooking and
just plain for eating. I need a lot
more food than before – I can’t
just buy snacks at the beginning of the semester and be prepared for the rest of it. There’s
more room for furniture, and
more cleaning supplies are
necessary. It isn’t exactly an
easy walk down to the desk to
pick something up like it was
before. Changing from the
dorms to the KE apartments
isn’t exactly the simplest thing
in the world.
Maybe it’s more difficult
for seniors. I can’t imagine
that now — I’m still trying
to figure out where to put the
cleaning supplies. If you stay in
the apartments, you probably
know what you’re doing, but
what about the former RAs
just getting into them? Or
the people who are getting
houses their senior year who
have even more things to get?
Ba sic a l ly, sophomore s,
or other people staying in
the same place two to three
years in a row: you’re lucky.
Relish it. You k now what
you’re doing.
I just got here a week ago,
and I’ve made five Meijer runs.
With “Avengers: Age of Ultron”
being shown at Calvin recently,
and “Ant-Man” coming out in
theaters over the summer, it’s a
good time to talk about Marvel.
Well, it’s always a good time to
talk about Marvel. Specifically,
t he wome n
of the MCU,
or the Marvel
Cinematic
Universe.
(Hint: If
y o u ’r e n o t
familiar with
that term, it
means the
X-Men movies a nd t he
Spider-Man
movies don’t
cou nt. Ju s t
the ones related to the
Avengers.)
So far in that
universe, we
have two
fema le superheroes:
Black Widow
and Sca rlet
W i t c h . We
have n i ne
male superheroes,
wh ich you
can see is a
major rat io
difference.
“But t he
Avengers are
mostly male!
W hat other
female characters would they
include?” a hypothetical person
may ask. Excellent question!
One of the founding members
of the Avengers in the original comics was a woman – the
one who actually gave them the
name of the ‘Avengers’ in the first
place, and no, it wasn’t Black
Widow. It was Wasp, or Janet
van Dyne. She was one of the
first five Avengers, along with
the original Ant-Man, whom she
married, Iron Man, Thor and the
Hulk. She is powerful, named
the group, is really awesome and
completely foundational to the
core of the team… yet is in none
of the movies.
When Marvel stated they were
making an Ant-Man movie, there
was hope. After all, surely Wasp
could be in it, right? After all,
she’s his wife. That is not the
case, unfortunately, as the movie
is about the second Ant-Man.
From what we learn, the foundational female member of the team
sacrificed herself (or, in a possible
echo of a comic plot, was sent to
another dimension) and has yet
to have anything to do with the
team she helped found. Instead,
her daughter shows up in the
Ant-Man movie as a civilian and
receives a Wasp costume at the
end of the movie, as if you can
trade one Wasp in for another
and that’s alright. They’re both
Wasps, right? And her daughter
does, it’s unknown as of yet if
she will) doesn’t change the fact
that Marvel erased the founding
female member and thinks that as
long as they have a female character, it’s fine. Whether the female
is Black Widow, Scarlet Witch,
or now the second Wasp… just
having one woman in the group
doesn’t cut it.
Furthermore, none of the female Avengers have gotten their
ow n mov ie s. A
Captai n Ma r vel
(a not her fema le
Av e n g e r f r o m
early on) movie is
planned for 2018,
but that means it
will have been 13
years since the last
Marvel female superhero movie. In
2005, they had the
movie “Elektra,”
but it d id n’t do
wel l. Nat u ra l ly,
that means over
a decade wait for
another female superhero. After all,
we all know that
when “The Hulk”
had mixed reviews
in 2003, we waited
another decade for
a male superhero
movie. (Hah. Not
- five years later, it
received a sequel.)
So if you
watched “Age of
Ultron recently,”
thank your lucky
stars for Scarlet
Witch – she’s the
second female
PHOTO COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS USER ANIMATION100
Avenger we’ve got
is an actual character from the
in the MCU, and she’s great. That
comics, so it should be fine.
doesn’t change that she’s only the
Not really. Female characters
second one. Can we get seven
aren’t interchangeable. The two
more in here, pronto? Let’s make
Wasps have completely differthe team half and half.
ent personalities, and having
Or at least make that
the original Wasp’s daughter
Black Widow movie. T he
become an Avenger (if she even
clock’s ticking.
The bias of art core’s options
Or, how I took a mythology class to fulfill the fine arts requirement
BY KELSEY POWERS
Opinion Editorial Editor
When I filled my core requirement for the arts, I took Classic
Mythology. At the time, I was
just relieved I didn’t have to take
a genuine art class – that is, something involving drawing, painting, sculpting, etc. I’ve always
been pretty bad at those, so having the option to take a class on
something I’m really interested in
instead of something I’m bad at?
It seemed perfect!
Unfortunately for those that
like art, I didn’t just get a chance
easy course. I didn’t just get lucky.
All of the art core classes are like
that. You can take Architecture
Histor y, Popular Music, A r t
History or Classic Mythology.
But if you want to actually learn
how to draw, how to sing or
how to ballroom dance, that’s
not something that’s ever going
to be covered underneath the
art core.
Instead of letting us partici-
pate in the area of the arts, all
the classes in the art core are
about appreciating and understanding the fine arts from an
outside perspective.
On one hand, that’s genuinely
not a bad objective – some students at Calvin have little to no
experience with anything related
to the fine arts, and looking at the
topics from the outside perspective can help in that situation.
However, it becomes a problem
when that’s the only option offered for the arts core. If students
want to, in order to fulfill that
core, they should be able to learn
how to actually participate in the
fine arts.
If I had been able to learn the
art of hip-hop dancing instead
of taking Classic Mythology, I
might have gone for a class like
that. It would be really interesting to learn, and dancing isn’t
something I’m horrendously bad
at, like drawing. We don’t have
options right now. Everything’s
a textbook.
In math, you learn how to do
mathematics, not just learn the
history of it. The English and
literature cores are actually about
writing and reading. In both history cores, you learn about history. Same with science.
So why is it different for the
fine arts?
Sure, some people aren’t good
at them – but some people aren’t
good at memorizing dates, or
solving equations, or reading a
book in a timely manner. That
doesn’t mean they get to just
learn about biology from an outside perspective, examining the
history of it instead of learning
how it functions, do they? Of
course not!
I don’t know what would be
best. Should we make half the art
core options ones where you actually join in an area of the fine arts,
instead of simply learning about
it? Should we have two art cores,
one for learning about, and the
other for learning an activity? Or
should we completely revamp the
art core so that you have to come
out of a music class knowing how
to read music, or learn how to
draw, or maybe learn a few steps
of the waltz?
By making all of the art core
classes about looking in from
the outside, we lose the chance
to truly teach people who want
to learn about the arts. Learning
about how to experience music
isn’t the same as learning how
to make it, and people should
have the option to learn if they
want to. We can’t just learn art
appreciation and have that be the
end of it. We need more than that.
How to change that, I don’t know.
All I know is that the art core
needs to change from how it is
now. (And I still want to learn
hip-hop.)
The opinions expressed in articles on this page are the opinions of
the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of
Chimes, Calvin College or the Christian Reformed Church.