Geneva Forum

The Geneva CabinetNovember 2, 2012 • Volume 136 • Issue 10 • The Student Newspaper of Geneva College

Sundays

Continued on page 7...

Page 4 Letters: Campus Voice Page 6 Election Opinions Page 8

Tanya Gillette and Kayla Milroy battle high winds and rain, compliments of Sandy. (The Geneva Cabinet/Lydia Chapman)

facebook.com/GenevaCabinet

Geneva students are invited to a discussion forum on Wednesday, November 7, at 8:00 p.m. in Skye Lounge. A panel featuring Provost Ken Carson, Dean of Student De-velopment Mike Loomis, Associate Vice President of Operations and Human Resources Tim Baird, and Student Union President Christian Coleman will respond to questions from the members of the Geneva community.

President Ken Smith will open

Hannah MartinStaff Writer

the evening with some introducto-ry comments.

“All students, staff, faculty are invited,” says Director of Student Leadership Brian Jensen. The fo-rum will mainly feature time for questions from the audience to be addressed by the panel members. The Geneva Forum is the result of an initiative from members of the GCSU to facilitate conversation be-tween administration and students. “This is a way to say the administra-tion is listening,” adds Jensen.

“...Certain specific prohibitions for resident students (vacuum-ing, laundry) have been removed in favor of a more general policy approach.”

“The College encourages faculty, staff, and students to cel-ebrate the Lord’s Day through public and private wor-ship of Jesus Christ and by resting from the routine labor of the other six days.”

-Dr. Ken Carson, Provostcontinued on page 4

Lord’s Day Policy:Focus changed

Rain, Rain, Go Away

An Announcement

From the Provost

The Geneva CabinetThe Student Newspaper of Geneva College since 1878

Joel Shannon Editor-In-Chief

David Daniels Sports Editor

Dr. Tom Copeland Faculty Advisor

Judith Campbell Assistant Editor

Lydia Chapman

Photo Editor

Joe Grondziowski Business Manager

Katherine Cosgrove Features Editor

Anna Harris Layout Editor

Jordan Watson

Featured Columnist

The purpose of The Geneva Cabi-

net, the official student news-

paper of Geneva College, shall be to keep

the members of the college community

informed about all events that concern

it, whether of international or campus-

wide significance; to provide for an open

forum for airing the views of all interested

groups on campus in order to promote un-

derstanding among all the groups; to help

create a climate of intelligent and mature

consideration of issues and events; to ex-

pose injustice on any front; and to develop

in the readers an appreciation of Christian

values by approaching all duties in the

spirit of love, justice and responsibility that

Christ showed in all his dealings on earth.

Honestly, Joel ShannonEditor-in-Chief

Page 2 • The Geneva Cabinet

Letters, Advertising, Thumbs, Suggestions and Compliments should be sent to cabinet.editor@gmail.com l Box #2616

The views expressed in The Geneva Cabinet are not necessarily the views of Geneva College.

Perspectives

If I had one wish as an editor, it would be to get rid of this whole “time is linear” garbage.

As editors of a weekly student newspaper, we have to assign stories almost two weeks before they run in print. And we lay out the paper three days before it is distributed.

That means that we do a lot of fin-ger-crossing, hoping that no major de-velopments happen be-tween Tues-day night—when we save the final copy of the Cab in e t—and Friday morning, when it hits the stands.

But when your top story is the weather, that’s not a reasonable ex-pectation. Which means that I write this in a pre-Sandy world.

I cannot be sure in what state this week’s issue finds Geneva College, Pennsylvania, or the east coast. I don’t know if the past few days have proved a minor annoyance or a so-bering tragedy.

But I do know that even now, the Frankenstorm has impacted me—

it has provided me a little bit of per-spective.

The overwhelming news cover-age that I’ve seen over the past few days is humbling. Because, when you get down to it, our neatly man-aged reality has been shaken by lit-tle more than a lot of warm, tropi-cal water mixed with high and low pressure systems.

It doesn’t strike us as right—our complex world of technology and tolerance and Twitter and Wal-

Mart shaken by something so primitive as a hurri-cane.

It feels like there should be an army of guys in fitted suits and avi-ators who you can call about stuff like this. “Sorry about

the inconve-nience, sir. We’ll just be returning this little hurricane back to the gulf. Poor girl...don’t know how she wan-dered up here; she must be terribly lost.”

But when you realize that the men in black and the anchors on TV are just as perplexed by the whole mess as you are, it really serves as reality check.

It’s sobering. Especially when I consider the possible toll: billions of dollars in damage and the potential

for widespread loss of life.But it’s also peaceful. Because there’s something inex-

plicably humane about natural di-sasters like this: they really destroy the artificial crap that we allow to run our lives. They’re an equaliz-er in the way no politician can ever hope to be.

You can wear the latest from North Face or an ugly, frilly leath-er jacket. You can own an iPhone or a Razor. A Lexus or a Pinto (look it up; it’s awful). Regardless of your major or graduation date or social status, you’re in the same boat as ev-eryone else.

When you’re trudging through the rain, the old jacket will keep you just as warm and dry as the new one. When the power goes out, that

$15 phone will be just as dead as your roommate’s shiny, new Droid. And if your Lexus is in the way of the wrong tree branch, it’s going to be just as smashed as that fixer-up-per next to it.

While the pre-Sandy me prays it all is just a hyped-up, worst-case exaggeration, I also hope that this campus has experienced a little bit of what I just described this week.

What I’m trying to say is, there’s nothing like an act of God to help us see our neighbor the way He does.

“...even now, the

Frankenstorm has

impacted me—

it has provided me a

little bit of perspective.”

Autumn Icecream•Fill a bowl with vanilla ice-cream

•Cut an apple into slices

•Cook the apples in the skillet and add water

•Put the apples on top of the ice cream

•Glaze the ice-cream and apples with caramel from the ice-cream toppings

Eaten at Alex’s

This week’s recipe courtesy of Anna Harris

Litter on the Hill behind the Student

Center

Page 2 • The Geneva Cabinet November 2, 2012 • Page 3

Perspectives

If you’re reading this now, you might know that I’ve already written a column on clothes. But since I’m a girl, I feel as though it’s acceptable to come back to the subject over and over again.

You might remember that I have feel particularly averse to-wards sweatpants being worn in a non-athletic or non-lounging-around-the-house-on-a-Satur-day-night context. This might stem from the fact that I panic when someone donning sweats compliments something I’m wearing. I appreciate it, yes. But it’s common courtesy to offer a compliment in return. I don’t approve of sweats in the public sphere, so I end up stuttering out a thanks and something about liking their face. It makes for an awkward time.

Today, rather than harping on what other people choose to wear, I’m going to comment on what I choose to wear. Because, I have come to realize that I have extreme multiple personality disorder that is managed only by my clothes. What I wear tends to dictate the personality that I exude for the entirety of my wearing of that outfit.

For example: when I wear a pencil skirt or blazer, I seem to always have a writing utensil at the ready, am [in my mind] incredibly professional and at-

The Cynic’s CornerJordan WatsonFeatured Columnist

tentive and tend to favour pro-ductivity rather than procras-tination. When I wear a dress with an A-line skirt, I just want to accompany it with an apron and bake cookies all day. Feather earrings and a loose blouse over skinny jeans make me want to listen to Band of Horses and eat granola. Wearing shorts leads to sleeping in my hammock; old, over-sized sweaters to making ironic statements; ripped jeans and converse to climbing trees and spontaneously pretending to be a Power Ranger (the yellow one).

What I’ve learned from this is that I should consider the events of my day before I get dressed. I’ve also learned not to judge those who change multiple times every day, not just because I am one of them, but because I don’t know if they have class in the morning, a job interview in the afternoon, or trees to climb in the evening. Maybe they caught on to how to tame themselves long before I did. Each self is different and each deserves to be shown to the world every now and then…and each should often be stifled. I’ve learned that pencil skirts are great for me to wear when taking exams. Ripped jeans are not.

What I have yet to learn is just how to approach that ever-awkward situation of being com-plimented by a sweatpanter…

Rugby ClarificationDr. Thomas CopelandProfessor of Political ScienceDear Editors, My point in last week’s article on

contact sports (“Collision Sports” 10/26/12) was that there is a vast difference in how the college over-sees these sports. Geneva football is run by professional coaches,

and players undergo training and conditioning, wear safety equip-ment, and receive medical atten-tion during practices and games and therapy after. Soccer has less safety equipment but all the same coaching and medical support. Serious injuries do happen, but the official college programs do their

best to mitigate them.Rugby is a great sport, but as it is

played here and at many colleges, none of the safety measures avail-able to football players are made available to rugby clubs. If Geneva is going to permit rugby, we should make it a varsity sport and provide the coaching, medical, and safety

support that participants need. Neither the college nor rugby play-ers should ignore the serious and sometimes life-changing injuries that come with the sport.

paid advertisement

Senior Voice Performance and Music Business major Ian Taylor of Rochester took first prize in the Upper Level Musi-cal Theater Men classification on October 27, at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Tri-State Chapter audi-tions at West Virginia University.

Junior Elise Lundy of Beaver Falls placed third in the Junior Women classification

Geneva College’s Music Department sponsored a total of five voice students who performed in the competition.

Congratulations, Geneva Vocalists

Page 4 • The Geneva Cabinet

CampusCampusOn Geneva College’s Lord’s Day Policy

f

Dr. Ken CarsonProvost/Professor of Psychology

Geneva College is a Christian college that was founded by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) in 1848. Geneva continues to be governed by the RPCNA denomination. In the not-so-distant past, most evangelical Christians and denominations treated the Lord’s Day as a day of rest and worship following the Fourth Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy …” (Exodus 20:

8-11). The RPCNA and Geneva College have continued the prac-tice of encouraging faculty, staff, and students to remember and observe the day in significant and visible ways.

For several years, the Board of Trustees and several members of the College administration have been working on a revision to the College’s policy regarding Lord’s Day Observance. The re-vised policy has been approved in stages, and thus, interim ver-sions have been communicated in various ways in the past year

LORD’S DAY OBSERVANCEThe College seeks to honor the Fourth Commandment (“Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy…”). In the

New Testament era, the day of observance changed from the 7th day to the 1st day of the week (Sunday), and is re-ferred to in Scripture as the Lord’s Day. Geneva College believes that God has given His people the gift of the weekly Lord’s Day in which people are given rest from their usual labor, and have the opportunity to engage in public worship. Therefore, in so far as is possible, the College orders its affairs such that faculty, staff, and students are not required to work on the Lord’s Day. Of course, works of necessity (e.g., food service, security) and works of love and mercy are recognized as legitimate activity on the Lord’s Day. However, classes, organized athletic competitions, programmed student activities and the like are not scheduled. In addition, College offices, recreation facilities, and the library, will be closed on the Lord’s Day.

Honoring the spirit of the Lord’s Day, the College encourages faculty, staff, and students to celebrate the Lord’s Day through public and private worship of Jesus Christ and by resting from the routine labor of the other six days. A “Local Churches Directory” is available on the College website and in the Center for Faith and Practice. Some churches provide student transportation, and a number of church facilities are within easy walking distance.

The following policies govern College trips, particularly those involving students, which include the Lord’s Day.College-sponsored educationally purposeful trips may span the time of the Lord’s Day. These include, but are not

limited to, mission trips, retreats, trips for athletic competition, trips connected to courses, and study abroad. If the trip/activity spans the Lord’s Day, the sponsoring department and/or trip leader will arrange for students

to attend an appropriate local church to the extent possible. This will be added to the itinerary of the trip, reviewed during pre-trip orientation, and attendance will be expected by all participants.

If the trip/activity spans the Lord’s Day, the sponsoring department will make it clear, in the orientation materi-als, what the activities on the Lord’s Day will be so that if a student who has objections based upon her/his beliefs or conscience will be able to opt out of the event/trip.

To the extent possible, the sponsoring department will allow a student to participate in the trip, but to opt out of activities scheduled for the Lord’s Day, if that student has objections based upon her/his beliefs or conscience.

If the nature of the event does not allow church attendance (e.g., backpacking), the sponsoring department and/or trip leader will honor and recognize the Lord’s Day with a special time of devotions, including prayer, fellowship, sharing of testimonies, and so on. The Center for Faith and Practice has several outlines of prayer and devotion available that trip leaders may use to guide devotions on the Lord’s Day.

or two. The purpose has not been to alter the College’s fun-damental position on Lord’s Day Observance, but rather to better explain it and to provide clearer guidance for certain kinds of activities.

At the meeting on October 19, 2012, the Board of Trustees ap-proved what seems to be a final version of a policy, at least for the foreseeable future. The text below is already in the Student Handbook on-line. You will note that certain specific pro-hibitions for resident students

(vacuuming, laundry) have been removed in favor of a more gen-eral policy approach. We want to emphasize the College’s over-all hope by repeating a sentence from the policy here: honoring the spirit of the Lord’s Day, the College encourages faculty, staff, and students to celebrate the Lord’s Day through public and private worship of Jesus Christ and by resting from the routine labor of the other six days.

Here is the wording of the new policy:

Page 4 • The Geneva Cabinet November 2, 2012 • Page 5

Campus

Jason StoffelStaff Writer

Dr. Roald Hoffmann speaks about chemistry as part of STEM day. (Geneva College/PR Department)

InTune: Songs from the SpiritOn Friday, November 2, the

event InTune: Songs from the Spirit will turn Skye Lounge into a space of worship for the Geneva community. The free concert will give students an opportunity to

Nobel Prize Winner Talks ChemistryJason StoffelStaff Writer

Dr. Roald Hoffmann, a Nobel Prize winning chemist, visited Ge-neva College on October 25 and 26 as part of Geneva’s Visiting Artist and Lecture Series (GVALS). Dur-ing his Friday lecture, Dr. Hoff-mann spoke about the science of chemistry to a packed John White Chapel, including many Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) prospective students.

Hoffmann is a Polish holocaust survivor who immigrated to the

United States at the age of 11. In 1981, he won the Nobel Prize with Kenichi Fukui for their work in the field of chemistry.

The lecture was part of Geneva’s STEM day which introduces potential students to the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. Hoffmann’s talk covered many topics including the history, purpose, and application of chemistry.

Hoffmann used examples and models to explain different aspects of chemistry and the tension be-tween the harms and benefits of

chemistry. There was not an empty seat in

the house as Hoffmann gave his lecture. His chemistry expertise

was on full display as he gave an overview of the scientific field. Ge-neva may have several new chem-istry students in the fall thanks to the convincingly fascinating insights of Hoffmann.

the praise the Lord.The event is from 7:00 until 9:30

p.m. and includes testimonies through music from talented past and present Geneva students. Cof-fee and cookies will be provided by BFCAT for refreshment.

Performers include Mike Dun-

can, Troy Miller, Joseph Whimer, Pam Matteo, Jordan DeFigio, as well as others. They will provide both musical entertainment as well as testimony about what God has done in their lives.

The concert is sponsored by the Geneva College Public Relations

Student Society of America (PRS-SA). The Geneva PRSSA chapter is a new club on campus and a member of the largest public rela-tions organization in the United States. T-shirts will be available for purchase with the proceeds going to the Geneva PRSSA.

GVALS Speaker

(featured comics/xkcd.com)

Page 6 • The Geneva Cabinet

Campus Voice Campus VoiceDave KetterGA, Geneva College Chapel

Seeing Some-one Else’s Umbrella

Blown Inside-Out

November 2, 2012 • Page 7

Dear Editor,

I was surprised by the news I read

in the Cabinet a few weeks ago con-

cerning Geneva’s potential part-

nership with RDS (“Geneva’s Eth-

ical Dilemma” 10/12/12). Before

June of this year, I’d never heard of

RDS. Th e fi rst place I heard about

RDS was when I spent three weeks

in Nigeria this summer. Th is trip

was at the invitation of the Angli-

can Church in Nigeria, to serve in

Jos at a seminary and in churches

doing ministry. In my time travel-

ing from Lagos to Jos (with a layover

in Abuja), I got to be fairly famil-

iar with the issues facing Nigerians

employed by one of the most pow-

erful corporations there. Th e treat-

ment of the workers in the Niger

Delta is deplorable and what I heard

from clergy friends there is a story

to lament. Workers are neglected,

remain unprotected, and have no

voice (as much as the Church of Ni-

geria is trying to advocate for them).

Geneva should not pursue this

partnership. In regards to our Nige-

rian brothers and sisters in Christ,

it would be a stab in the back. Af-

ter already commending our school

community to Nigerian Christian

leaders there as being a place where

the image of God is upheld and

the Gospel is treasured by faculty

and staff —a place for them to send

their rising young people and future

leaders—it would be sad to inform

them that we have not upheld that

as a community. So let us continue

to pray that the task force has the

integrity and faith to lead Geneva

to stand together with the Church

of Nigeria. Our Gospel witness de-

pends on it.

Campus Voice:“A Stab in the Back”

Junior Andrew Braun attend-

ed a similar Geneva event last year.

“It was informative,” he says, “I was

glad I went.” Although he described

last year’s event as “sparsely attend-

ed,” he appreciated the range of

questions addressed by the mem-

bers of the panel.

Last year’s topics varied from the

straightforward “why do we or don’t

we” questions to tougher ones like

those pertaining to “very unfl atter-

ing” Best Christian Workplace sur-

vey results about Geneva, according

to Braun. He adds that he and oth-

ers would appreciate having fur-

ther “serious consideration” of sug-

gestions for future changes, instead

of just explanations for the current

state of school aff airs.

According to Jensen, event turn-

out in past years has varied, but has

not been very well attended recent-

ly. “I’d encourage more students to

attend to hopefully get some real

change,” says Braun. Jensen voices

similar encouragement, stating that

members of the Geneva commu-

nity are “encouraged to voice their

thoughts and engage” at the Gene-

va Forum.

ForumContinued from page 1

Geneva students weigh in on campus issues leading Geneva students weigh in on campus issues leading

up to the Geneva Forumup to the Geneva Forum

Geneva College/PR DepartmentDear Editor,

I am writing concerning Chris

Strangfeld’s opinion editorial

about tattoos (“Taboo Tattoo”

10/26/12). What struck me is

the fl ippancy of the problem of

hiring decisions and tattoos. He

argued that any institution that

would prefer their employees to

not have visible tattoos is “too

focused on appearance” and is

not “down to earth”. Imagine if

you were hiring a public rela-

tions director for your company.

Th is person is going to be the

face of your organization. Natu-

rally, considering their respon-

sibility and who they are going

to constantly be in contact with,

their professional appearance

is an important factor. If that

person has visible tattoos, that

professionalism is going to be

heavily aff ected.

Th is particular argument

stems from a broader subject-

communication. Whether we

“look” like we care or not, our

appearance communicates

something about us. We can-

not not communicate. Wearing

a suit is communicating that we

are professional, just like wearing

“Pajama Jeans” is communicat-

ing…well, I’m honestly not sure

what that is communicating.

Th is communication-focused

argument is not against tattoos

themselves. Tattoos are fi ne

when they are appropriate for

the situation. But therein lies

the rub. Tattoos are not appro-

priate for all situations. Th ey

have a certain counter-cultural

aspect and stigma to them that

many people have a problem

with. While we could argue that

these people are “too focused on

appearance” or aren’t “down to

earth”, maybe we should be more

understanding of them, Romans

14 style: “Accept the one whose

faith is weak, without quarreling

over disputable matters.” Let’s

all be wary of what we are com-

municating through our appear-

ance, rather than simply expect-

ing everybody else to get over it.

Micah TaylorCommunications Major

Tattoos: “Not Always Appropriate”

“Th ere is a scratch on my wall.”

“Alex’s food is nasty.” “We need an-

other gym.” “My room is so small.”

“My shower doesn’t stay hot long

enough.” “Th ere’s no place to study.”

“Th ere’s nothing fun to do.” “We have

no school spirit.”

Th ese are all things I have heard

from Geneva students and faculty in

the recent past, and it is disconcerting.

We as students must take control

and not rely on other people to do

what we can do for ourselves. When

we do things for ourselves and have

Chris Strangfeld Communications Major

Whine No Morea part in things, that involvement

will generate a sense of pride for our

community. Th is is a community

problem.

It is easy to identify problems, but

it is sometimes tricky to know how

to deal with those problems. Start

with small things, like picking up

trash, fl ushing an unfl ushed toilet,

cleaning up your lounge or kitchen,

going outside your room and getting

to know your neighbors, or think-

ing of service-project and program

ideas.

We get upset that we have paid

a lot of money to attend school at

Geneva but do not always get what

we expect. Th is could be facilities,

food, events, or any number of

things.

But let’s remember or realize

why we are here. We are here to

glorify God and learn alongside

a diverse group of students so

that we can develop into servant-

leaders for the purpose of trans-

forming society for the kingdom

of Christ.

Th e previous sentence is from

our mission statement. If you have

not adopted those ideas then you

are missing the purpose of this

institution.

We are here for a higher pur-

pose, and all of those “fl aws” that

we identify are things that distract

us from our mission. Let’s throw

them behind us and move for-

ward, using our God-given gift s in

unity to create a community that

makes an impact right here and

right now.

Having Your Umbrella

Blown Inside-Out

November 2, 2012 • Page 9

ElectionPage 8 • The Geneva Cabinet

Election

In 2004, I was convinced we

were all going to die.

I was twelve, so you would

think the melodrama of my

small suburban world would

have revolved around acne or

not getting asked to the eighth

grade dance. But that was noth-

ing. No, the future instead hung

in the balance as I supervised

a Kids Vote booth at my local

precinct and nearly collapsed

with anxiety wondering if this

presidential election portended

the coming apocalypse.

Th is is what happens when

you homeschool your children.

I had been convinced by my

father, my pastor, and all my

awkward also-homeschooled

friends that each and every elec-

tion was a clear choice between

God's soldier on Earth and

the anti-christ. (It's not hard

to guess how they were distin-

guished.) But as I watched that

Kids Vote booth, nightmares of

a thousand years of darkness

swallowing me, my own I Voted

sticker taped securely to my

hand, I never imagined a day

would come when I would look

at voting so listlessly.

Th at's not saying I do now,

exactly. It's more saying I fi nd

my options scarce, and the glory

of voting loses itself in the dull

light that both major candidates

let off . When I see the names

on the ballot, I don't see soldier

and anti-christ. I don't even see

a good option and a bad option.

I see a a failed political messiah

with a drone fetish and a former

centrist whose campaign plat-

form should be renamed Waffl es

Inc.

Somewhere along the way—

possibly aft er I grew up and

established my own set of values

not based off the antiquated bias

of Fox News—I lost my fervor

for voting. All that hype I heard

growing up about Your Right

to Vote and Your Duty to Your

Country dulled when I realized

my options weren't as clear or

hopeful as I once was told.

When you buy into the glam-

or of saving America from the

Liberal death machine rolling

by to take your guns and your

Bibles, or of saving old ladies

from being pushed out of their

wheelchairs by capitalist fat cats

who want nothing more than

to watch the poor starve in the

streets, then sure, voting for

whoever won't start Armaged-

don sounds like a decent eff ort

on your part.

But if you've grown out of

your pre-packaged set of be-

liefs and convictions, and have

stopped angrily quoting the

psychotic news team of your

leaning every time a political

opponent so much as clears his

throat, then you likely share in

my discontent. Most likely, you

don't see the ballot bubbles for

the DEM and REP beside them,

but for the names of the indi-

viduals representing those two

parties. And those names don't

hold much promise.

Personally, I picked neither.

Which doesn't mean I didn't

vote—I did. I won't say for

whom, but you've probably been

handed his fl ier at some point on

Geneva's campus.

I'm not asking you to neces-

sarily follow my example and

ditch the major parties. I would

merely like to comment on the

possibility that your precious

Blue Team and Red Team have

failed you, not only because

they're fl awed (and they are),

but because the people repre-

senting them failed you. Th ey

all do awful, disturbing things as

much as they can, and then ask

you for money so they can keep

doing awful, disturbing things

for another four years.

So, vote. Just bear in mind

the person you choose is or will

be responsible for a number of

suspicious deaths and is statisti-

cally likely to be burdened with

psychosis.

Politically DisillusionedElaine Griffi nOpinion Editorial

A Reason to CareAnna Harris/Layout EditorOpinion Editoral

Sometimes, I really don’t want

to care about politics. It’s bunch

of people calling each other

names and making false prom-

ises out of self-interest with

little capacity for real change. So

much drama!

But I choose to vote anyway.

I choose to vote, and I have

that right. However, with the

right to vote comes the right not

to vote, and I respect someone

making that choice. Why do I

take the other route?

Firstly, when I vote, I’m taking

part in something that individu-

als have fought and struggled for

since the founding of the United

States. Various groups through-

out history have fought for the

right to vote. Women, African

Americans, the Founding Fa-

thers, and all those who fought

and still fi ght made it possible

for me to send out my absentee a

few weeks ago.

People died for this. Some

people refrain from voting for

good reason, but some do so out

of an apathy that hasn’t been a

part of American history until

relatively recently. And let’s face

it, it doesn’t take that much to fi ll

out a ballot. It’s not like it’s hard

to be a little informed.

Secondly, voting matters. Per-

sonally, I think my vote does very

little, but every little bit adds up.

I realize that when I vote I’m not

electing the president directly;

I’m electing a representative to

vote for me. Th is fact doesn’t

mean I don’t make a diff erence,

it’s just indirect. When I mail a

letter, the person I’m sending it

to still gets it. It just has to go

through the mailman.

Finally, not caring is easy. I get

frustrated, and apathy is an easy

balm. But it’s also dangerous.

Th e more apathetic I become,

the more hardened I become to

areas that matter. So, it’s impor-

tant to me to make an eff ort to

care.

However, there is a balance. If

I try to change everything and

care about everything, I’d de-

velop a few stomach ulcers, my

relationships would disintegrate,

and I’d end up falling into a cata-

tonic state of apathy without a

say in the matter.

So that’s not good. I believe I’m

called to focus on a few issues,

not all. Some people are pas-

sionate about the environment.

I’m not. Sorry. Doesn’t mean it’s

not important. I’m called to use

my skills under the direction of

my passions for specifi c issues,

not all of them. It doesn’t work

that way.

So. Voting. I might not feel

like caring about it, and I might

not think it makes much of a

diff erence. But it makes enough,

and I’d rather care a little than

not at all for something that

doesn’t take that much eff ort

to contribute to and has been

fought for so hard. Th at’s why I

voted this election.

Background photo: Geneva Cabinet/Lydia Chapman

AO

t

o

n

i

l

m

t

r

A r e Yo u Vo t i n g?Yes

No

pmaann Students and staff share opinion on the election at November’s Taboo Tuesday . (Th e Geneva Cabinet/Joel Shannon)

Two Geneva students share why they have chosen to

vote this year.

Page 10 • The Geneva Cabinet

Campus

No Need to StressLynsey AuellStaff Writer

Abby Robinson chooses classes for next semester. (The Geneva Cabinet/Lydia Chapman)

It is safe to say that students at-tend college in order to graduate and earn a degree. But graduating on time is a difficult task for many students. A change of major, tough course loads, or certain life circumstances can significantly affect the amount of time spent in college.

Geneva has begun to offer a va-riety of programs to help students struggling to graduate in four years, even students with rigorous, time-consuming majors such as engineering and education.

Academic advisers are “required by law to demonstrate how the stu-dents can do that,” said education professor Gayle Copeland. Cope-land went on to stress that “plan-ning ahead is the absolute key” to a student’s success in graduating on time.

Fortunately, “If they heed the counsel of their advisors and the help of May@Geneva they can complete their studies on time,” said Copeland.

May@Geneva is a condensed summer school that allows stu-

dents catch up on core classes dur-ing the month of May.

Junior Rebekah Weislogel was excited to study at May@Geneva because it allowed her to focus on her major during the semester: “I feel like I was able to learn more over the summer. I was able to actually enjoy humanities because I was able to focus on it and ap-preciate it during May@Geneva.” She had one complaint, however: “there needs to be more classes available.”

The Geneva College Semester in Rome program is an alternate method for many students to ful-fill their core requirements, while adding a study abroad semester.

Beginning next fall, the program

will be offering a new Sociology class that students can use to fulfill a core social science requirement. Additionally, “students who enter Geneva with a language deficiency from high school (which means that they didn’t have enough lan-guage in high school), can fulfill the language requirement in Rome by completing the ‘Italian Lan-guage & Culture’ course,” said Dr. Jeffrey Cole, history professor and director of the Rome program.

“The Semester in Rome pro-vides an opportunity for students to complete core courses while also living in one of the world’s most exciting cities,” commented Cole.

The Rome program “explores the arts and humanities” through earning nine core humanities

classes in a single semester. The students who take advantage of this opportunity will not have to worry about falling behind in their studies.

“If they want to be behind, they will be. But if our office has any-thing to do with it, they won’t be behind,” said Nancy Pelaia of the Crossroads Office.

Junior human services major Shaila Costanza agrees. “I planned my schedule with Rome in mind so I was able to complete all my courses and still study abroad,” she said of her upcoming semester in Rome.

Graduating on time need not be a stress, according to these profes-sors, even with a study-abroad experience. That should be enough to take a load off of anyone’s mind.

Counting Credits

November 2, 2012 • Page 11

SportsLance Armstrong Legacy in Jeopardy

Josiah EverettStaff Writer

Lance Armstrong is a household name and a hero to many. But since 1999, he has been under fire for al-legedly using performance-enhanc-ing drugs, or “doping”. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USA-DA) recently released a 1,000-page report which included testimonies of 26 people who say they have wit-nessed Armstrong doping.

On August 23, 2012, Armstrong ended his fight against the charges, citing the toll it took on his family as his reason for backing away from the fight. He also mentioned the fact that the fight is too one-sided in favor of the USADA.

Armstrong still denies that he ever doped, and has said that the USADA used “special rules” when trying to find evidence against him. The main problem is the 26 witness-es, 11 of whom are Armstrong’s cy-

cling teammates. They all say that Armstrong was doping.

And the USADA has blood test results from 2009-2010 that indicate doping by Armstrong. They also have blood test results from 1999 that indicate traces of corticoste-roids. The latter was rebutted with an old doctor’s prescription.

The substances allegedly used by Armstrong are Erythropoletin, tes-tosterone, Human Growth Hor-mone and corticosteroids.

Erythropoletin increases red blood cell count, enabling the ath-lete to have higher oxygen, in-creasing endurance. Testosterone promotes muscle recovery and en-durance, giving the athlete a quick-er recovery. Human Growth Hor-mone increases strength and lean muscle mass, while corticosteroids reduce inflammation and increase recovery speed.

The charges will cost Armstrong his Olympic medal and all other Cycling titles and awards. He won seven Tour de Frances and a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics.

If Armstrong did indeed use the aforementioned substances, then he certainly gave himself an unfair ad-vantage. But who is to say that he is the only athlete participating in doping?

Over the past several years, we have heard stories of athletes like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. They are accused of using perfor-mance-enhancing drugs and their reps are tainted. There’s no way that such readily available and accessi-ble substances are used by only the “best” in sports.

Having spent time with athletes, I can assure that they, and every oth-er subculture, are always trying to find an edge over the next guy. At

the pro level, you have the best of the best. Performance-enhancing drugs are an easy edge. If I were a pro-athlete, I would certainly con-sider imbibing such substances.

Do Armstrong’s alleged failings discredit his work as an athlete? We will probably never know for sure. But the lingering question will haunt his career forever.

I think the most important thing that has come from his career, re-gardless of its validity, is what he has done for cancer research. As a can-cer survivor, he has raised millions of dollars and empowered millions of people, and that cannot be un-done.

All we can do now is celebrate how he has helped the world around him become a little more beautiful.

As second semester schedul-ing begins, various professors are urging students to consider registering for classes that incor-porate an overseas trip in May 2013.

There are three trips planned. For the first, Dr. Denise Murphy-Gerber, a business and com-munication professor, will lead a 12-day trip to South America.

The group will spend five days in Buenos Aires, two days in Iguassu, Argentina and five days in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Murphy-Gerber hopes that, “we will learn South American culture, history, language, music and dance and apply that knowl-edge to living and working in the global market of which we are a part.” The class can also be taken

Are We There Yet? Upcoming May TripsAdelaide GreenStaff Writer

as a substitute for HUM 304.For the second trip, psychology

professor Dr. Paul Hitchcock and biblical studies professor Dr. Scott Shidemantle will take a group to France and Switzerland to learn about Calvin, Piaget and Tournier. By going, students get credit for PSY 491, called “Geneva to Ge-neva,” which also fulfills the HUM 304 requirement.

Hitchcock said of the trip, “Not only will students explore the ideas of these great men but also visit the places where these men were born, lived, worked, and worshipped.” Students will have the chance to interact and move beyond the facts in their textbooks.

Lastly, political sciences profes-sor Dr. Thomas Copeland and bib-lical studies professor Dr. Jonathan Watt, a biblical studies professor, will travel to Turkey for a week.

In addition, there is an optional four-day extension in Greece. Their purpose is to “experience a part of the world that many of us know almost nothing about,” said Copeland. The trip can be taken in conjunction with classes such as “Judaism and Islam in the Modern Middle East, ”Gospel of John” and “Cultural Anthropology.” Watt said, “We hope to broaden folks' horizons on cultures different from our own, with a taste of how religion and culture and history intermingle in ways different from our American experience.”

Kara Lee Mantinaos, a honors program instructor, stressed that these trips are a fabulous way of having an “intercultural experi-ence that will serve you forever.” She emphasized that these trips are not necessarily substitutes for do-ing a semester abroad, but a gate-

way into a love for cross-cultural and international experiences.

In all of these trips, professors hope students will step outside of their comfort zone and engage their academics on a new level. According to these highly-experi-enced world travelers and profes-sors, the experience of traveling to a different country is one that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.

Freedomof

Speech

Page 12 • The Geneva Cabinet

Tornado Wrap-up

4 8

1

GENEVA 0 1

1Women

Thiel

•On Tuesday, the 2012-2013 NBA campaign started off with a bang. Household names Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Ray Allen and Jason Terry suited up with their new ballclubs in regular season action for the first time.

•This past week, the San Francisco Giants swept the De-troit Tigers to win the 2012 World Series. It marked the second time in the past three years that San Francisco won the Commissioner’s Trophy.

MenSoccer

GENEVA 4

Volleyball

GENEVA

Westminster3

Cross-Country

Thiel

Sports in Brief

0

4

(Gen

eva

Cabi

net/

Lydi

a Ch

apm

an)Football

FootballGENEVA 0 8

•WithquarterbackZachHeywardsidelinedduetoaninjury,Genevawasonlyabletogain82yardsthroughtheairontheevening.Ontheothersideoftheball,itstruggledtoslowtheWolverines’rushingattackastheyrackedup236yardsonthegroundat5.0yardsapop.

Grove City2 6

•SistersHeidiandEliseManncombinedthreegoalswhileMauraAllenchippedinanother.Again,theshots-on-goaldifferentialwasakeyastheTomcatsattemptedjustone.

•DanielCox,GarrettMasters,TedKrzywieckiandMaxFlickallscoredgoalsintheGoldenTornados’beatdownofThiel.Asawhole,Genevalaunchedawhopping18shotsongoalcomparedtojustthreebytheTomcats.

•AtthePACChampionships,NickEdingerandSarah-NoelMeekeachfinishedthirdandclaimedAll-Conferencehonors,aswellasAlaynaMerklewhofinishedsixth.Asateam,Geneva’swomenclaimedsecondplaceandthemensixth.