Knight Times (March 2016)

Knight TimesMarch 10, 2016 • Volume 7 • Issue 3 • Warner Pacific College

Living Space:Transforming a College Apartment into a Sanctuary

Millennials Matter:How to Register to Vote in the 2016 Presidential Election, and Why You Should

Spring Drama: Women Take Charge in Shakespeare’s As You Like It

Fiction:“Squirrel’s Eye View”

Vol. 7, Issue 3March 10, 20162

Pictured left: Brandon Bush’s apartment in Tabor Terrace is a tranquil space after he and his roommates eliminated clutter and gave their living room a garden theme. Right: The coffee table features conversation pieces and natural decor. Photos by Kayla Wells.

Knight Times Warner Pacific College 3

The day in August 2015 that I moved into an apartment on cam-pus was a glorious one. I had survived the dorms, and now I got

to have a place with a living room, a couch, and a place to cook my own food whenever I wanted. During fall semester, I didn’t really care what my apartment looked like as long as it was semi-clean. It wasn’t until spring semester of this year that my roommates and I decided to do a little redecorating.

Once we got our apartment fixed up, it was amazing how much bet-ter it felt to hang out there. By taking away clutter, reorganizing, and creating a theme, we have made a great little sanctuary, and we didn’t break the bank to create it. Now doing homework is awesome because I have a relaxing environment to do it in. Before our redo, I didn’t think it mattered how my apartment looked, but now I’ve no-ticed my stress levels have gone way down because I have a nice place to relax and clear my head.

If you are looking to make your apartment on campus a more relaxing and attractive place to live, I would recommend the following these steps:

1. Get rid of stuff you know you can live with-out: The first thing my roommates and I did was get rid of clutter. We real-ized that 20% of the stuff in our living room had no reason to be there. So we chucked our stupid post-ers, old school projects, and a nasty rug out the door so we could start fresh. We already had enough clutter in our minds so we didn’t need our living space to match it.

2. Reorganize: Organize the stuff that you want to keep so that ev-erything has a home. We took all the stuff we wanted to keep and reorganized it so everything had a place and nothing was just laying on the floor. The key is to put it back when we are all done using it. In my experience as a human being living on this earth with other people, not putting things back where they belong is the number one reason why living spaces and roommate relationships get messy.

3. Pick a Theme: Once my roommates and I reorganized the apartment, we decided to pick a theme. We stood together look-ing around at our freshly organized apartment, and Jonathan said, “What about a Zen garden theme?” We looked at each oth-er and nodded our heads in agreement. Picking a theme keeps you from having random stuff on the wall that makes your room look tacky. If everything on the walls supports the theme of the room, it will be much more appealing to look at. If you are having trouble figuring out a theme, Pinterest is a great place to look for different decor ideas.

4. Goodwill Hunting: Once my roommates and I picked a theme, we needed to get stuff that reflected that theme. It turns out Good-will rocks for finding little decor items at a super cheap price. We

got wall hanging shelves, a little waterfall device, pottery, and many other little things to enhance our decor. IKEA is also a great place to get items for your apartment. We got a coat hanger, stools for our table, and nice lighting at very afford-able prices. We also were able to buy succulents from IKEA, which I would recommend to anyone who is trying to make their apartment a more peaceful environ-ment.

5. Keep it Up: Now that you have a nice place to live, keep it a nice place to live. Continue to put

stuff away when you’re done, throw away things you don’t need, and stick with the theme. This will set you up for a good college living experience. My roommates and I can’t wait to get home from school now! As I write this article on my couch in my apart-ment, I feel so much more at peace now than I did when I was living in a garbage can. These steps for creating a sanctuary are not just for apartments; dorm students can use the same process to make for a more pleasant and livable temporary home. When school beats you down, it’s great to have a place to retreat to, a place that feels like home.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME:Creating a Sanctuary in a Campus Apartment

by Brandon Bush


INTERNWANTED

Over the past ten years, the requirement of a college degree has become the

norm for many jobs. In turn, the increase in educated Millennials has stiffened com-petition in the workplace. According to the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University, “[Millennials] are the first generation that needs to have a college degree and experience to compete, before they even enter the workforce.” So, how do you make yourself stand out among the competition? Researchers say experience is necessary, so to gain that experience college students can seek out internships.

Internships.com defines an internship as “any official or formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession.” In other words, an intern is some-one who holds a (usually unpaid) position in a company or organization to assist, as well as learn from, the employee who is supervising their internship.

Jordan Olson, a senior at Warner Pacific recently spoke to me about his formative internship experience. “I am a Business Ad-ministration major. My junior year I had to find and complete an internship that fulfilled the three credits required for my major. I worked with Dr. Martin on finding a place that needed an intern and were willing to

teach me new skills. Internships can be ex-tremely fruitful as long as both parties are willing to learn from and teach each other.” Olson had the opportunity to work with an organization called Boomerang, a nonprofit coffee shop and consignment store located in downtown Vancouver. He facilitated daily operations, created promotional materials, and worked directly with the general manager on whatever she needed to be done that day.

“There were several business skills I brought to my internship and many more skills that I walked away with after the experience,” Ol-son said. “The advice I would give to future students as they look for or are about to start an internship is to keep an open mind. Look for new things for them to teach you. A lot of employers like for applicants to have a list

of skills already, but they also want someone who is looking for ways to constantly im-prove themselves and the overall quality of the organization. Also, be open to whatever job they want you to do, whether it is make photocopies, run a meeting, or be the face of the company. If you look for all kinds of op-portunities to apply yourself, it will improve the overall internship experience.”

Landing an internship is a great way to be-come formally familiar with your desired field of employment. An estimated 20-50% of college students are undecided in their major, and about 75% change their major at least once, according to Elite Daily News. The submersion experience that an internship position offers students can be formative in realizing one’s talents and strengths as well as helping to narrow down what job, position, and company they’d love to work for after graduation.

During my own internship experience, I gained a great deal of insight into the world of nonprofit work. A freshman in college at the time, I had only a vague idea of what I want-ed to do with my future, so I decided that in-terning at a possible post-college profession would help me narrow my search. I loved videography and photography and wanted to combine those into a meaningful career that

by Stephanie Davis

Student internships round out degrees with professional experience

“The advice I would give to future

students as they look for or are

about to start an internship is to

keep an open mind.”


impacted the world in a positive way. Despite my lack of experience and equipment, I land-ed a video production internship with a local Portland nonprofit called Word Made Flesh. Although those four months were challeng-ing, I learned a great deal about professional communication, cross cultural humanitarian work, and my own personal strength and talents in those fields. I still love videography but I’m much more passionate about public relations and cross cultural communication. In the end, that internship was one of the experiences that helped shape me into the Communications major I am today.

The expectation in the Humanities depart-ment is that students will research their own internship opportunities. Warner Pacific student Hannah Mierow found her intern-ship on her own. “Well, I found it by calling a ton of printing shops in town. None of them were calling back or giving straight answers, and it was really close to time for the semester to start, so I just kept at it un-til Deborah Fields at Paperjam Press finally called me back to say that their social media employee just quit so she wanted me as an intern. Fields told me that she was impressed with my diligence and that’s why I was the first person she offered the position. I chose a print shop partially because I am interest-ed in publishing and I wanted to be on the production side of it to see how things are actually made. I got to do that at Paperjam, as well as learning a lot of the language and way things work in a print shop. I was doing their social media, so I wasn’t working the printers, but it’s such a small shop (only three employees) that I was still able to absorb everything and learn a ton, not only about printing, but about running a small business in general. The shop is locally owned, and family operated and it was cool to see every side of a business like that,” Mierow said.

“Plus, it was right across the street from Pip’s, and I probably ate more donuts last semester than I’ve ever eaten in my life.”

Some internship opportunities can be created on-campus. Senior English major Deborah Landers was able to complete an internship in the Marketing Department.

“I didn’t have to worry about how I was sup-posed to get to work since I live on campus,” she said. Landers already had certain skills she could then build on during the intern-ship. “I now know how to tailor my writing to a specific audience. I was writing articles for two different publications as a Marketing intern, and there was a difference in how I approached the subject between them.” In Landers’ case, her internship was ideal for her post-college plans; however, the oppor-tunity did not fall into her lap on its own. “In general, be proactive about searching for your internship,” she said.

The task of searching for an internship can be daunting, especially if you aren’t exactly sure what field you want to pursue. How-ever, there are academic advisors and staff at Warner Pacific who are ready and will-ing to help you in the hunt, and there are great online resources for students looking for internship opportunities in Portland. Internships.com/Portland is a great place to start looking. This website is easy to navigate and categorizes opportunities by career fields. Another great internet resource is Internshipmatch.com/c/port-land-or, which allows you to search by term in your area of focus.

Many academic departments at Warner Pa-cific offer an internship class of 2-3 credits as part of graduation requirements for the major. Start planning for the internship with your academic advisor at least four months before the semester in which you plan to add the internship class to your course load. Find out how many internship hours are required so that you can sketch out a typical weekly schedule around your existing class schedule and other time com-mitments. If you are finding it hard to fit an internship into your already hectic college schedule, you may be able to plan a sum-mer internship, but then you will need to plan for summer tuition. Check the college catalog for the requirements in your major, and take a list of your questions to your ac-ademic advisor.

Listed below are those majors that require internships, with contact information of fac-ulty responsible for oversight of those intern-ships. Some minors in these areas also require internships. Not included in the list below are those majors that require senior seminar, student teaching, or other practicum rather than an internship.

Left: Students have landed internships at companies through their knowledge of social media. Photo by Jason Howle. Right: Boomerang, a nonprofit coffee and consignment shop in Vancouver, WA, has hired interns from Warner Pacific College.

MAJOR CONTACT EMAILBusiness, Social Entrepreneurship,

Health Care Administration Roger Martin [email protected]

Christian Ministries Jess Bielman [email protected]

English, History, Communications, American Studies Terry Baker [email protected]

Social Work, Human Development and Family Studies Pamela Harrington [email protected]

Sports and Recreation Management, Health and Human Kinetics Ryan Hubbard [email protected]


As You Like ItShakespeare With a Feminist Twist

This March, come join the Warner Pacific College drama program for an adventure through royal court and rugged forest, as the

cast recreates William Shakespeare’s inspiring characters in his com-edy, As You Like It. The play follows a commotion of romance and mistaken identity, as lovers Rosalind and Orlando, who are forced by the power-enthused Duchess (originally Duke) Frederick to flee their luxurious homes, aim to build a new life in the Forest of Arden.

As the play begins, the Duchess Frederick has just assumed her royal role, stolen from the Duke Senior, and is counting on her prized wrestler, Charles, to beat Orlando in a match, as he has easily beat so many others. Events to come will dictate the lives of and relationship between Orlando and Rosalind, who take a liking to each other just before the match, and the well-being of everyone associated with the court.

This show develops themes of love, politics, gender roles, and the outdoor community, all of which are still relevant today, despite the fact that the play was written over 400 years ago. In this particular production, drama students will be challenging the original gender roles of the play as it was written, and continuing the themes devel-oped in the fall 2015 production of Encounter.

Last semester, drama students devised an original piece based on interactions and experiences with homeless youth who attended The Underground, a safe, fun spot with dinner and solace for Portland’s outdoor community. The play developed the contrast of having a permanent home versus living outdoors, and charac-ters in the play were unfamiliar visitors in very new surroundings. As we follow the main characters of As You Like It out into the forest, we see this theme continued. They must take on the task of making new relationships, enduring new challenges, and living in a completely new environment.

In their original casting, several characters are written as males, including Jaques (Jay-kweez), a melancholy lord; Corin, an elderly shepherd; Adam, a faithful servant; and the Duke Frederick, who has recently stolen the throne. However, in WPC’s show, Jaques will be a melancholy lady, Corin will be Corinne, a shepherdess, Adam will be Madam, and the Duke will be a duchess. The other male roles, such as the Duke Senior, and Charles and Orlando, the wrestlers, will be played as written by male actors. The characters with altered gender roles bring about a new sense of the female power and a different dynamic in the forest—while highlighting a need for more men in the college theater program.

by Julia Feeser

The cast rehearses the departure of Jaques. Photo by Taylor Clark.


My role in the play is the Duchess Frederick (as well as an unnamed, cello-playing character in the last scene). The transformation of this char-acter from male to female toys with the gender roles of the age in which the play was written in a way that creates great challenges. Not only must I convey the power a man would have felt then in the position of a duke, but I am also given the task of transforming activities, such as betting on wrestling, which would traditionally only belong to men, into activities enjoyed by a woman of power. According to Psychology Today, “Numer-ous psychological studies have demonstrated that open postures convey a sense of the individual having power, and closed postures convey a sense of the individual having little power,” so before I enter stage left during rehearsals, I tend to stand in my ‘superhero’ pose, to work on feeling the power of the character I become as I walk on. I have had a marvelous time practicing my ‘super-hero’ pose backstage and getting to yell my heart out during rehearsals, as part of learning what it is like to be someone different from myself.

Zechariah Dirdak, a 2015 graduate, plays Charles the Wrestler, one of the Duchess’ fol-lowers. Because of the altered gender of Duch-ess Frederick, the relationship between the characters has changed. “There’s a different level of loyalty since the Duchess is woman,” Dirdak said. “It’s the difference between Charles being just another servant versus being a protector, a

In that scene, it’s almost as if Jaques is trying to draw the audience’s attention out of the play it-self and into the realization that we are all actors and we are all people. Honestly, I think that is at the core of who Jaques is, and the reason that gender-bending the character works is because that core purpose has nothing to do with who is saying it.”

Landers believes that her character sits back and observes the world, so worrying about what others think isn’t something that bother Jaques. “It’s been fun being Jaques because I identify so much with the character. Whenever I am inhabiting the part, it’s like I can drop a few of the walls that I put up around others.”

The play seems to be taking on a modern transformation. Certain lines and actions by female characters would not happen if we were looking at the play from Shakespeare’s point of view, in the time that he lived and wrote it. This show is built of an amazing cast, including Kayla Wells as Rosalind, Kaleb Hood as Orlando, and many other talented actors creating their own essential character.

The play opens on March 10th, at 7:30pm, with performances on March 11th and 12th at 7:30pm, and March 13th at 2pm. Tick-ets are available for $5.00 at the bookstore. Deborah Landers contributed to this story.

certain lines and actions by female characters would

not have happened if we were looking at the play from

shakespeare’s point of view

strongman.” It is never fully revealed how the Duchess came to usurp the throne from Duke Senior, but she would have needed supporters.

Theatre and wrestling aren’t typically activ-ities that go together. Yet, As You Like It calls for a wrestling match. Neither Kaleb Hood (Orlando) nor Dirdak are actually wrestlers. Maria Garcia (Lady 2 and Attendant) is on the wrestling team. She brought her expertise to re-hearsal. Garcia collaborated with her wrestling coach and the play’s director to choreograph the wrestling match that takes place in the play. She also recruited teammates from the men’s wrestling team to help the two actors develop their skills.

Deborah Landers, a senior who will be playing Jaques in the upcoming show, commented on a conversation she had with drama program di-rector Robin Gordon. “Early on in the process, Robin told me that everything that Jaques says and does is more like a woman than a man, and I agree.” Although her character is known as generally melancholy, Deborah explained that changing the gender may actually give more depth to all of the actions and words that define who exactly she is. “There is a certain joie-de-vivre evident in Jaques after an encounter with Touchstone, but in that same scene, there is a moment when she makes the deep and pro-found observation of ‘All the world’s a stage.’

The Knight Times Layout Editor: Shawna Downes Freelance Coordinator: Julia Feeser Faculty Advisor: Dr. Connie Phillips Contributing Writers: Brandon Bush, Stephanie Davis,

Julia Feeser, Deborah Landers, Hannah Mierow, Selena Montoya, and Nadia Nelson

Cover Photo: Stephanie Davis

Contact Us: [email protected] Warner Pacific College 2219 S.E. 68th Ave Portland, Oregon 97215

The Knight Times is a publication of The Sword, a student organization supported by ASWPC.


With the addition of the 26th Amend-ment to the Constitution in 1970,

the legal voting age in the United States was changed from 21 to 18. Much of the pressure for this change was a result of the military draft. The argument was that if 18-year-olds were ex-pected to fight for their country at this age, they should have the right to vote as well.

I turned 18 in 2012, and voting in the presidential election that year was something I was excited and proud to be able to do. However, only 38% of people ages 18-24 voted in the 2012 elections (cam-pusvoteproject.org). There are many reasons why this age demo-graphic chooses not to vote, but one reason is that many do not know how to vote or what the process of voting entails. This is especially complicated for college students, because many attend college in states other than where they have permanent residency.

Students not attending college in their home state still have ways to register to vote and have their voices heard. This process is called absen-tee voting. The process of getting an absentee ballot is pretty simple: visit longdistancevoter.

org and look up your state’s information. This website is extremely easy to use, and after filling out your information you can check your voting status, learn about voting laws, and even regis-ter to vote. If you are trying to get an absentee ballot, most states require you fill out a request form and mail it to your county election office. The addresses are all listed on the form. You

will receive your ballot in the mail at least three weeks before the election. Oregonians may visit sos.oregon.gov for information on registering to vote, absentee voting, and candidates in up-coming elections.

Another reason that college students choose not to vote is that they are uninterested in

politics or don’t know enough about the can-didates. Students claim that they don’t have enough time to keep up with the debates and learn about candidates. Uneducated voters can be problematic, but there are ways to stay informed about the election. The Washington Post website has a schedule of all upcoming debates in the presidential primary elections

at tinyurl.com/2016debates. I normally choose to stream the debates online while I’m doing homework or other activities. This option is useful because I can choose to watch the debate while it’s happening, or later on. Access PBS.org/newshour to play the debates online, or check out the websites for other major news outlets. Another resource is YouTube, which has also started streaming debates.

If you still have problems making time to get educated about the candidates, one option is to talk to those who you trust or look up to: friends, mentors, peers, even your parents. Getting an overview from those you trust and those who have influenced your political opinions can help you stay informed about the elections. You can also visit the non-

“A lot of people have made sacrifices throughout history

so that we can have the privilege to vote. I can’t look at the Civil Rights Movement,

or the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and think, meh, voting rights, who cares?”

Millennials are the largest voting bloc in America.Why do we still think our votes don’t count?

by Hannah Mierow

Photo by Theresa Thompson

Knight Times

partisan website ISideWith.com to find out how much your political beliefs align with various candidates. Using these resources and conducting your own research can help you feel confident that you are making an educated decision when you vote in May and November.

Another reason college students don’t vote is that many young people don’t be-lieve that their votes will actually make a difference. Some students I talked to said that they can’t vote for a president who won’t have support from congress, or that their votes won’t matter unless it’s what the electoral college wants. Some students even said that our society is so hopeless that we should just focus on preparing to live in it as best as we can because voting won’t matter. However, research has shown that the Millennial vote can make a huge difference and has the power to swing elections. Our voting bloc accounts for about 21% (campusvoteproject.org) of the eligible voting population. The Millennial population is growing. We are estimated to be 81.1 million by 2026, surpassing the projected 74.9 million Boomers (amysmartgirls.com). This prediction comes from a combination of population growth as well as estimates of those immigrants expected to make America their home in coming years. Rock the Vote, a nonprofit organization in-terested in encouraging Millennials to change the future, did a study on the facts about Millennial voters and concluded that “The youth vote can make—and has made—the difference in close elections. Their sheer size, combined with growing rates of voter turnout, makes them a politically powerful voting bloc.”

The impact of Millennial voters was evident in the 2012 presidential election. According to a study by the Center for Research and Information on civic learn-ing and engagement at Tufts University, Obama won over 60% of the Millennial vote. Their research shows that “Obama easily won the youth vote nationally, 67 percent to 30 percent, with young voters proving the decisive difference in Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Obama won at least 61 percent of the youth vote in four of those states, and if Romney had achieved a 50-50 split, he could have flipped those states to his column.” Had these Millennials not showed up to vote, or voted differently, the outcome could have been different.

The students I talked to expressed their views on the importance of voting. One general takeaway from our campus is that if you don’t vote, you can’t complain about the way things are. “I don’t think that people who don’t vote have the right to complain or demand change,” said senior Lauren Waits. Mitchell Chung, also a senior, said it even more succinctly: “no vote, no grumble.” WPC students also believe that voting is a privilege and that it is a duty to be involved in change. “Voting provides the American citizen with the forum to be involved in their government,” Chung said. Lauren Waits echoed that sentiment: “I believe I have a responsibility to take part in the direction of my country.” Benjamin Irwin, a 2014 graduate of the college, feels strongly about this issue. “Not everyone has the privilege of having a say in what kind of government you will have,” Irwin said. “A lot of people have sacrificed throughout history so that we can have the privilege to vote. I can’t look at the Civil Rights Movement, or the Women’s Suffrage Movement, and think, meh, voting rights, who cares?”

Looking back on the 2012 presidential election, I was not as educated as I would have liked to have been. I had just turned 18, and most of the infor-mation that I got about the candidates came from my family and peers. This time around, I have taken much more interest in the presidential race. I have watched the debates and have done my own research on the candidates. Come November, I will be voting in the 2016 presidential election, and I hope that more than 38% of Millennials are there to join me. Voting is an important duty for American citizens, and with the resources and knowledge available to them, the Millennial voting bloc will be able to make a huge difference in the direction of our country.

1 Students who are attending college in another state may request an absentee ballot and

vote in his or her state of residence. If you are not an Oregon resident, the rules and deadline for elections may be different from those listed below. Check longdistancevoter.org for details on voting in your state.

2 Registering to vote is easy, only takes a few minutes, and can be completed online or by mail. Voter registration

forms in English and Spanish will be available in the library by March 11. Completed forms can be dropped off at the library, so you do not need to buy stamps or go downtown. If you have questions, contact Mari Krause, Library Director. The deadline to register to vote in the primary election is April 26, 2016. The deadline to register to vote in the general election is October 18, 2016.

3 There is no reason not to register to vote. You are not required to vote if you are registered, and it is a

myth that you will not get summoned for jury duty if you are not registered to vote.

4 In Oregon, voters who wish to vote for a candidate in the primary election must be registered as

a member of the party with which the candidate is affiliated. You can check, and update, your address and party affiliation online at the Oregon Secretary of State (Secretary of State) website (sos.oregon.gov).

5 Ballots are sent to registered voters by mail in Oregon. If your address is outdated, you may

not get your ballot. Registered voters in Oregon should receive ballots two to three weeks prior to the election. You can monitor the status of your ballot from on the SOS website once it has been issued.

6 If you need a replacement ballot or did not receive one, contact your county elections office.

Multnomah County Elections Office may be contacted at (503) 988-3720, and is located at 1040 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR 97214.

7 The deadline to mail your ballot for the primary elec-tion is May 11, 2016. The deadline to mail your ballot

for the general election is November 2, 2016. Ballots may be cast at an official drop box as late as 8pm on Election Day. The deadline to cast your ballot at a drop box for the primary election is May 17, 2016. The deadline to deliver your ballot at a drop box for the general election is November 8, 2016.

8 Official ballot drop boxes are located within every branch of the Multnomah County Library and at sev-

eral public locations around Portland. Three sites near WPC are: Belmont Library - 1038 SE César E. Chávez Blvd (inside library); Midland Library - 805 SE 122nd (24 hour access); Multnomah County Elections Office - 1040 SE Morrison St (24 hour access, pedestrian and drive-thru). Shawna Downes contributed to this story.

8 ESSENTIAL FACTS ABOUT VOTING


ON-CAMPUS STUDENT EMPLOYMENT:

Learning on the Job

According to the Economic Policy Institute, more than 7% of U.S. college graduates

are unemployed and nearly 15% are under-em-ployed. The reason for this job disparity? Col-lege graduates are found to be unprepared for the job market and lack a reliable work ethic, according to a survey of hiring managers done by Bentley University, a private college located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Graduates who lack these skill sets are most often those who had not held a job before entering college.

On-campus employment is a wonderful way for students who may not have had any prior work experience to finally get a chance to have a job in a controlled environment, according to Mari Krause, who supervises student employ-ees as part of her responsibilities as Director of Library Services. For on-campus work, the job comes second to being a student. Supervisors will work around class schedules to give students more flexibility for job commitments and classwork to be managed by the stu-dent, Krause said.

There are two programs that support student employment on campus. Federal work-study is a need-based program that gives students with prior-stated need, through the Free Application for Student Aid (FAF-SA), a part-time job while they are enrolled in school. Each individual department on the Warner Pacific College campus that offers jobs for work-study students has an al-location of money that is federal funded and typically matched by 25% from the college budget, according to Cindy Pollard, Director of Student Financial Services. There is also a second program called The Institutional Stu-dent Employment program (ISE). No FAFSA is required to qualify. These students are paid through institutional funds, a separate allot-ment of money that is dependent on depart-ment budgets. Both programs are managed by the Student Financial Services department.

Jordan Olson, a senior at Warner Pacific, works in the mail room through the ISE program. “Because of [ISE], I have been able to maintain healthy relationships with my bosses and coworkers, and it makes the working experience more pleas-ant. The commute is also very easy. Be-cause I live on campus, work just a short walk away from home, something I will definitely miss in the later stages of life,” he said.

I can agree with Olson’s sentiments. Since my freshman year, I have been a work-study student at the Otto F. Linn library. It is the first job I had applied for, and while it was difficult balancing school, work, and maintaining a social life, the job has been, by far, the best ex-

perience I could possibly ask for. I began by working behind the Circulation Desk, and while my main job was mostly cus-tomer service, helping students and staff with their needs as well as maintaining the library policies, the job also gave me an insight to how I work best in a pro-fessional environment and maintain pos-itive coworker relationships. Working at the library has even helped me discover my wish to pursue a career in libraries after college and led to my change in major and new plan to pursue a Master’s Degree in Library Science.

In a study done by the National Bureau of Economic Research, federal work-study participants were found to be more likely than nonparticipants to earn a Bachelor’s degree and are also more likely to be em-ployed after finishing school. They are also shown to have a higher G.P.A. than the control group in the study. By pursuing work through on-campus employment, students are able to separate themselves from other applicants post-graduation by demonstrating applied knowledge, career experience, and commitment to a partic-ular field. They must learn responsibility, integrity, and honesty in the workplace. Mari Krause listed those skills developed by the students she supervises: students learn valuable time management skills, customer service, proper phone etiquette,

how to establish relation-ships with bosses and co-workers, maintain a stable and consistent work environment, and work within job policies. The level of complexity for these cooperative tasks is viewed as being the most relevant for success in a career environment.

For Mari Krause, Director of Library Services and

Warner Pacific alumna, “being a work-study student in the Otto F. Linn was how I got my foot in the door. It gave me the skills I needed to be a receptionist after college. Then after getting further office experience, I got my first full-time job here at the library.” While work-study em-ployment can be a steep learning curve for those who had never before had a job, it serves as an invaluable first step into work-ing in a professional setting, she said.

If pursuing an on-campus job has perked your interest, there are a few steps you

by Selena Montoya

“On-campus employment is a wonderful way for students who may not have had any prior work experience to finally get a chance to

have a job in a controlled environment.”


must follow. The first step is to apply for financial aid through the FAFSA form to find out whether or not you are eligible for federal work-study. However, many departments employ students through both federal work-study and ISE, so regardless of your federal work-study eligibility, the next step is to go through the Warner Pacific website to locate departments that are offering jobs. Then you must apply, create a resume, and be interviewed by the supervisor in the department. If you are accepted for the job, you will then go to the Student Financial Services (S.F.S) in upper Egtvedt to get an employment packet. Once you complete the paperwork and submit it, S.F.S. will process it and let your supervisor know when you are cleared for working. Then all you have to do is make that paycheck!

For students working on campus, this regular earned income is a wonderful stepping stone for understanding the responsibilities of work after college. This may be the first time a student experienc-es an actual hiring process, and it provides practice for the next steps after completing a degree. Student employees fill out all the paperwork required of permanent college employees, including forms related to taxes. If the student has taxes withheld from their monthly paycheck, it is a good idea to file a simple tax return, said Cindy Pollard, Student Financial Services Director. Most students earn less than the minimum amount of income required to pay taxes and may have a refund if they file. In combination, these real world experiences are a ‘value added benefit’ for Warner Pacific students, Pollard said.

Above Left: Jordan Olsen hard at work in the campus mail room. Above Right: Selena Montoya and her boss, Mari Krause, in Otto F. Linn Library. Left: Brandon Bush works with Grace Kim, the Campus Events and Conference Services Director. Photos by Kayla Wells.


Each morning, I wake up in my beautiful, tall fir tree on Mount Tabor. On sunny days, I like to scurry to the top of

the tree to feel the sunrise shimmering on my sleepy face. On rainy days, climbing out of my nest is a struggle; I don’t like getting my fur wet. But as my grandpa Squirrely used to say, “If you can’t get out of bed, what can you do?” Today is one of those days. The rain splats on the ground, creating fragrant mud. The air is full of the pleasant smell of petrichor. As much as I detest the wetness, the refreshing scent does bring a good start to my day.

My name is Evangeline, and I am a third-generation Warner Pacific squirrel. My grandparents moved to Mount Tabor during the terrifying freezing rain spell of 2007. Before that, they lived all over Portland, roaming from park to park to survive. Upon arriving at the campus, they discovered a safe place to dwell and a love for learning. They soon met Charlie Brownfur, president of the campus squirrels—a group of rodents dedicated to study-ing liberal arts in a diverse, Christ-centered, urban environment. Charlie invited them to begin their life here as a chance to change the squirrel world. They accepted, and my family has lived here ever since.

After combing my fur and completing my morning stretch, I head off to school. My first class of the day is P.E. 112: Walking and Jogging. Carefully crawling down the tree, I stealthily dart through the “unleashed beast zone.” While sometimes these hairy hounds of darkness give me trouble, I have mastered the art of dog dodging. On this particular day, the ground is crawling with the smaller variety, their noses sniffing each other’s rear ends.

One yaps incessantly. Usually, if their human watches them, I have no trouble. I walk cautiously, but have yet no reason to run. Suddenly, I feel the thumping of paws behind me. My heart rate quickens. Stampede! I’ve been found by three energetic fiends! Their shallow barking rings in my ears, echoing through my head. I scurry up a tree just in the nick of time. Lucky for me, most branches spread out close enough to leap from one to the other. As I jump, I can see the dogs staring at me in pure amazement. I am awesome. I bet dogs wish they could fly. I pause, catching my breath on the bare bark of a fir’s trunk. I know I should be more careful, but where’s the fun in that? Isn’t that what college is about? After scampering up the fence, I stroll down to campus. I then complete my run up the tall oak in front of Kardatzke.

My social science class consists of what I have heard hu-mans call “people watching.” I find it fascinating to study human behavior and observe social constructs. Every day, I document various communal conduct, scratching down my notes on the bark. These range from the puzzling customs of hand-holding and hugging, to the more understandable practices of eating and enjoying nature. Today, I notice several people laughing in the rain. Laughing in the rain? Humans are weird.

“Hey there!” I hear a voice exclaim below me. “How’s it going?” My supplier is here. Not every day, but every once in a while, this random, kind student will give me food. Today it is an apple core—my favorite!

“Thanks, Buddy!” I squeak in gratitude, climbing down the tree to grasp for the treat. After acquiring it in my paws, I plunge my teeth into the brittle core.

Squirrel’sEye View

fiction by Nadia Nelson

Photo by Moyan Brenn


“You’re welcome,” he smiles back. While I’m not sure how, I am positive this guy speaks squirrel.

“How’s your morning going?” he asks, taking a bite out of his own apple.

“Pretty well, for a morning,” I reply.“That’s good to hear. I’ve heard the sun is supposed to come

out today.” He smiles in wet optimism.“Ready for midterms?” I question.“Ish,” he shrugs. He pats my head. It feels good. I hope I don’t accidentally

transmit a disease. Squirrels have been known to do that. I sigh. He has the bluest eyes. Too bad he’s human.

“I’ve got to head to class,” he admits. “Stay out of trouble!”I climb back up to my perch and watch him lumber down

the sidewalk. I scratch more notes on my tree and nibble on my snack. Humans are awesome.

After this, I head off to A. F. Gray for math. I quietly and quickly sneak into the classroom through the basement window left ajar. Most students never know I’m there since they are on their phones during class. I have learned a lot from this fascinat-ing course. For instance, if Greg buys hedge trimmers for $40 each and sells them online for $68 each, with a fixed cost of $200 per month, he can calculate his profit with several relevant for-mulas! I’m sure humans use this stuff all the time. We squirrels, on the other hand, just do math to keep our brains sharp.

Today, the class is taking a query. I sneak down the wall, and snatch an extra copy. I dart back up the wall, and complete the test with the chewed off pencil I keep on the windowsill. Thus far, my grades have been pretty good; all those tutoring sessions with Mrs. Jenks that I sneak my way into have paid off! I finish the query, slide down the wall, deposit my test in the cardboard box, hide behind the trash can, and wait for everyone to leave before scampering back out the window. I have managed to do this without getting stepped on, but there have been a few close calls. One time, a human student dropped his backpack on me, and I had to wait under the weight of his heavy, overpriced text-books while he flirted with a girl. I still have nightmares about it. Thankfully, I have learned my lesson, and stay along the outskirts of the room.

Snapping back into reality, I step into the fresh air. The rain has stopped. Clouds still cover the sky, but at least I’m not wet. Since it’s time for English, I bound to the library. Crawling on the brick window sill, I peer inside. Everyone inside is either reading or distracted by a fellow human. The coast is clear. I slip through the open window and lower myself down a bookshelf. What shall I read today? I skim the shelves. Hm…

I settle on a compilation of essays by Wendell Berry. This is a tricky task, as the library is generally a quiet place. Gently standing on my hind feet, I use my paws to pry the book out of its spot. In one swift motion, I drop the book onto the floor (from the third shelf, mind you) and hide behind the books. I count to ten to make sure the disturbance goes unnoticed before I slip out of my place of cover and join the book on the floor. If people notice me, they at least pretend not to know I am here. Scooting the book across the floor, I miraculously make it out the door. This class also doubles as weight-training. I catch my breath. Whew! Book-sliding is hard work! With my final effort,

I shove the book to my right and off the edge of the platform. It hits the ground with a thunk. I join it once more, open the cover, and read. And read! Wow, this stuff is good! I will not bore you with details; this stuff is wordy, but very well written. Check it out for yourself! I decide to leave the book there on the ground, though hidden underneath some branches to keep it dry. I will finish it over the week.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, all of us squirrels scurry up the trees near the McGuire Auditorium and leap onto the roof. Then we gather at the top and peer through the stained glass dome. From there we listen to all the students singing together. It’s a really cool experience! Their voices echo throughout the hall, creating a breathtaking sound. As frustrating as humans can be with their lawn mowers and big feet, when they all get together, they can do amazing things. I’ve always admired them for that.

It is now time for my favorite part of each day—lunch time. This campus offers the finest dirt-cafeteria in the area. The tall oaks drop their scrumptious acorns on the rich soil. We squir-rels are excellent hoarders. All we need to do is remember where we bury our food. Today’s lunch is buried near the steps of A. F. Gray. If squirrels could skip, that’s what I would be doing right now., I reach my spot of burial. Dipping my paws into the damp earth, I retrieve an acorn. Suddenly, I feel like I’m being watched. Slowly turning my head to my right, I spot a human student pointing her phone’s camera directly at my face. This is a practice known as “snapchatting.” (I learned that in my social science class.)

“That squirrel is so cute!” she exuberantly exclaims to her friend.

“Thanks! You are too!” I squeak back.I don’t think she can understand me.“What should we name it?” asks the friend. Name me? I

already have a name.“Um… Bartholomew.”What?! They think I’m a boy squirrel?“Well, excuse me!” I sassily squeal. “My name is Evange-

line! I am not a boy squirrel! Do I look like a boy squirrel to you?”

They don’t get it. Taking a deep breath, I snatch my nut and hide in the closest tree. I feel frustrated. I guess humans think boy and girl squirrels look the same, but we do have our differences.. I know I shouldn’t feel insulted, but it didn’t make me feel any better. Clearing my mind, I attempt to eat in peace. Then I hear a familiar voice.

“Hello again!” My supplier!“Hey,” I halfheartedly reply with my cheeks full of food.“How’s your day going?”“It was going good until some human thought I was a boy

squirrel.”He nods understandingly. “I was mistaken for a girl once.

That was awkward. But for the record, I think you’re too beauti-ful to be a boy squirrel.”

This day is actually not too bad anymore!“Really?” I don’t know what to say to that besides “Thanks!

You’re so nice! Why?”He simply smiles. “Gotta go. Catch you tomorrow!”I sigh happily. I secretly wish I was human sometimes.


During my freshman year, one of my classes took a tour of the supernatural

side of Portland. We left at about six in the evening and met our tour guide after dinner at Old Town Pizza in downtown Portland. We wandered the streets with electrical meters af-ter dusk to detect abnormal electrical activity that might indicate a supernatural presence, visiting places where people claimed to have seen ghosts. Our search came full circle and ended in the basement of Old Town Pizza in the Shanghai tunnels. While our tour guide stressed that tales of the tunnels proved to be exaggeration at best, people were still kid-napped to work on sailing ships and didn’t return for many years.

I always wondered what that was like, to be wrenched from something familiar and put into a situation where you don’t know any of the people you are supposed to work with. What was it like to learn how to live again around all the complications that turn you into someone you didn’t know you could be? Without actively engaging this question, I have found my answers without leaving the Warner Pacific College campus.

This is not the same campus that it was four years ago. When I arrived as a wide-eyed high school graduate, there were no classrooms off the cafeteria in Egtvedt. It was a blank wall with an empty pit on the other side of it. Every time I passed by it, I would count the number of Frisbees that had been lost to that gaping mouth, wondering what it would be like if I acci-dentally got stuck in it.

But that pit was there for a reason. It was there from when Egtvedt was remodeled the first time in 2008 into the building I knew as an incoming freshman. “The expansion was always part of the planned remodel of Egtvedt” said Steve Stenberg, Vice President for Operations. “The goals of the original remodel included the relocation of the din-ing hall, which used to be in the basement of A.F. Gray.”

The giant pit which ate Frisbees was a place-holder for the expansion that was complet-ed the summer of 2013. “We were already cutting into the side of the hill,” said Sten-berg. “It would have been more expensive

Changes: A Student’s Four Year Journeyby Deborah Landers

to have heavy machinery to come and dig that section out later. We knew we didn’t have enough office space, so we made sure we could expand at some point.”

Unlike most students, I saw the transfor-mation happening. I had held my first job as a freshman working in the library and was offered the chance to work over the summer. Starved of other work experience and anything better to do, I leapt at the chance. This also put me in the unique position to see the construction of the classrooms in progress. Some mornings before I needed to go to work, I would sit in the Egtvedt lobby and try to imagine what was happening behind that opaque plastic curtain that shielded the cafeteria from the plaster and sawdust generated by the construction.

So why did this project happen between my freshman and sophomore year? “En-rollment growth,” Stenberg said. “We were more constrained on classroom space and that drove the expansion as much as, if not more, than the need for office space.”


As an introvert who does not make friends quickly, I was well aware of the new people flooding to campus. There were suddenly people in my classes that I didn’t recognize or know quite where they came from, while many of the people I did know graduated, dropped out, transferred, or left due to health issues. My Fresh-man Year Experience class, with whom I took the ghostly tour of Portland, has not been exempt from this effect. There are perhaps only four people—including myself—who still attend Warner Pacific today. At least one person dropped out due to the expense, another got married, and one girl left for reasons I never com-pletely understood, though I remember the ambulance visit to the dorms that spring. Even harder to think back on is the absence of a classmate due to death. Michael Muange, or “Magic Mike” as he insisted on being called, died of heart failure the summer after our freshman year. I have simply lost track of the others who were in that class, as we have all moved on and have only grown up since then. The FYE class itself no longer exists, either, as my freshman year included the beta testing of the new Freshman Year Learning Communities (FYLC).

Freshman Year Experience (FYE) was a class that aided the tran-sition from high school to college. Among other things, we were learning about ourselves as people, our strengths, and the resourc-es we had access to on and around campus. These culminated in a bunch of videos that distilled some of the things we had learned into about five minutes—though very few students were ever able to cut down their movies that far. At the end of the semester, they were presented as a short film showcase for the other FYE classes in our time slot, and we got to vote for the one we thought was best. The new FYLC classes also have presentations at the end of the semester, so perhaps the bare bones of the structure have been carried over.

There were new classrooms and new classes to fill them up. In-coming freshmen and transfer students were a given, though I still count myself lucky if I befriend one new person per year. However, one area that all students would hope to be stable was experiencing a massive upheaval that is only now starting to set-tle: Residence Life (Res Life, for short).

Any students who have made the decision to leave home and live in campus housing will inevitably have to deal with Res Life, whether it is through the Resident Assistants (RAs) or the office itself, most recently run by Nicole Thompson and Eddie Barn-hart. However over the past four years, there has been at least one new person on staff each year. When I entered as a freshman, the office was shared by Kaylee Krout and Eli Ritchie. The next year, Kaylee was replaced by Cora Templeton. At the beginning of my junior year, the face of Res Life had changed completely, and the office operated with Nicole Thompson at the head of it. This last year, Eddie Barnhart joined the office, and now runs it. These changes in staff have been observed by others as well. Jordan Olson, a fellow senior, said, “[Res Life] goes through so much work in ensuring that students end up with good room-mates and making sure that the overall quality of campus life is positive. Rules are put in place for a good reason and they run a tight ship.” The full impact of all these changes in Res Life is yet to

be seen, though we can see the beginnings of the ripple effect. “I do believe the changes over the years have impacted the structure and daily operations of that office,” said Olson. “I believe they are also understaffed for the job they have to perform.”

Olson also added alterations to the way clubs and chapel are run to an already dizzying list of changes to occur over a four-year period. Chapel in particular has a very different feel now. “It could be with the changing times and the different messages that people want to share,” Olson said. “Before it seemed more free flowing and student-led, and now there is more organization and each chapel has a specific message to get across.” Olson remains opti-mistic about the changes, as it is only through change that we can progress into the future—with all the changes and uncertainty that lie there.

For my part, it’s as if somewhere in the process of attending classes and doing homework, I have started attending a differ-ent school. The face of the college has changed just as much as the faces I pass in the hallways. I did not attend Warner Pacific during its most radical physical change—the initial renovation of Egtvedt—nor during the destruction of a couple houses in front of the school in an effort to improve the visibility of the campus, according to Steve Stenberg. But I remember early visits when I saw the campus as it was not long ago. I hold these memories inside me—of the college as it used to look, of people I may never see again and names I will never say aloud except in reflection on what has been and cannot be again—and I look at a world vastly different from the one I entered as a fresh-faced 18-year-old. Now I face the future with the mixture of terror, excitement, and uncertainty that I imagine everyone who con-sciously closes a chapter of their life must feel. Somehow I have been shanghaied by a future, and it will take time to plant my feet on solid ground again.

Left: Second stage in the construction in Egtvedt during the summer of 2013. Photo by Kathy Covey. Right: The entrance to the Shanghai tunnels in downtown Portland. Deborah’s FYE class visited the tunnels on a field trip during her freshman year. Photo by Beth Walton.

Documents

Knight Times (March 2016)