in our society

volume 4, issue 3

issue highlights... • The gun control debate: What side are you on?

• Comparing the costs of credit overload

• How to Succeed in Business (Without Really Rrying) review

• Senior showcase: favorite Waldorf memory

Beautydistortion

of

The

Tiffany Olson

Abbie Wibe

Alexander Horak

Phillip Koolhoven

Jonathan AguilarCassidy AtchisonAndres BallesterosCourtney ChaffeeDominique ForteDusty GerhardtJessica SerioAshleigh StingleyKristen Wilke

Waldorf College106 S. Sixth StreetForest City, IA 50436

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

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

A special thanks to President Bob Alsop, Student Senate, David Damm and the Lobbyist staff, and Matt Knutson, Barbara Barrows, and Emily Angstman in the Marketing Department.

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2

Advisor

Editor

Design Editor

Photo Editor

Contributors

Editorial Offices

Colophon

In Appreciation

what’s inside…FEATURES & DEPARTMENTS

departments

fine arts 20 how to succeed in business (without really trying) play review 22 changes to choir tour

sports 26 track & cross country 27 new recruiting efforts

6 the debate over gun control 10 serving Waldorf and the local community 14 being beautiful: the distortion of beauty in our society

features

3 editor’s letter

student life 4 ringing in the new year 5 property protection 9 nutrition hits Waldorf 18 comparing the costs of credit overload 24 senior showcase 28 entertainment

It’s the last semester of your senior year of college, and you have come down with something. The symptoms are clear: missing class, not paying attention in class (on the days you actually go), and not doing your homework. The diagno-sis? A severe case of senioritis. Curing senioritis can be extremely difficult, and takes willpower and a strong desire to graduate and receive your college diploma. Here are some tips and tricks from huffingtonpost.com, guaranteed to cure and/or completely avoid this dreaded disease.

1. Keep in mind these often overlooked possibilities:

• Possible employers may recon-sider a job offer if your GPA falls to a certain point.

• Unexcused absences or un-satisfactory grades in a course can prevent you from passing it, which looks terrible on your final transcript.

• In addition, too many unex-cused absences might affect your ability to receive a col-lege diploma, causing you to have to retake courses, result-ing in spending more time and money at your school.

Is that enough to scare you?

2. Remember: you’ve got less than two months left.

You’ve worked yourself way too hard for the past three years

to give up now. Do not waste precious time and money.

3. This is your chance to become a better you…

A fitter you. A more interesting you. A worldlier you. From this moment until you take that first step at your future job is an opportunity for you to change yourself for the better. Rather than spending your free time watching movies or scrolling through Facebook all evening, take that kickboxing class you have always wanted to try. Start the cooking blog you know you can succeed at. Study for your final exams. Pass that class you have been skipping.

4. Keep a daily — or at least weekly — checklist.

This one certainly wins the lame award, but it will keep you on track, I promise. Every day, write down five or six things you need to accomplish by midnight, whether it be homework, chores, or anything else you need to be reminded of. Having a list of things to do right in front of you makes you want to get it done.

5. Sleep!

Hopefully the school workload is a little lighter these days, so you won’t have to pull any more all-nighters. Falling asleep during class and sleeping in will, as

always, affect your academic performance. Now that you have a little more time on your hands, do your best to get in at least six hours of sleep. You’ll thank me tomorrow morning.

6. Get vaccinated.

It’s never too late to warn stu-dents of senioritis’s symptoms, right? The dwindling homework submission rate, the constant lateness or absences, the tre-mendous procrastination, the daily six-hour-long naps -- sound familiar? Know all the risks of se-nioritis early so you can prevent it early.

Prevention methods include planning in advance the elec-tives you want to take or the extracurriculars you want to try, always staying on a tangible schedule, and making an actu-al effort to stay immune.

You only have a few months left before this chapter of your life ends. Start the next one — the career chapter — fresh and on good terms by controlling what you can now, because you hon-estly never know what’s ahead.

3LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Top: Cassie Rudd getting quite a workout at the YMCA. Mid-dle: Marcus Walton warming up in choir. Bottom: A group of singers (from left to right: Jaye Upah, Joshua Boone, Kevin Ansel, Victoria Legal, Kelsey Munson, and Britt Banks) doing what they love.

You are watching the television when you suddenly hear the countdown. TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN! SIX! FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! Everyone yells, “Happy New Year!” Now, it is time to think of a New Year’s resolution. Though there are less and less people following the resolution tradition, mostly due to lack of interest or worry that one will fail at accomplishing it, there are still peo-ple who believe in having a New Year’s Resolution. To celebrate the new year in this issue of The Torch, we decided to ask a few people about their resolution, and how far they believe they have come in accomplishing it, so far. Kristin Lanier, a freshman, said that her New Year’s resolution was to keep up her healthy lifestyle. She said that she is accomplishing her resolution, especially now that she is back at school. When asked about the context of her resolution, senior Victoria Legal, replied with one that she says is an “unselfish resolution.” She wants to make Dr. Adam Luebke happy throughout this next semes-ter, especially with tour. To Legal,

this resolution is a work in progress. Since the choir is not on tour yet, she cannot fully fulfill this resolution. However, she believes that the choir is so far succeeding. Legal said the choir has been making great strides in the latest music that they are learning, which is one way she believes she is making Dr. Lueb-ke happy. Joshua Boone, who is a sopho-more here at Waldorf, says that his New Year’s Resolution was to drink less pop. He was hoping for just one pop a week. Just like Lanier, he thinks he is succeeding at this resolution. According to Josh, he has cut down on his pop. He drinks one pop a week, if any. The stories of these people remind us that it’s not always a waste of time to attempt a New Year’s Resolution of your own. Even if one does not successfully com-plete their resolution, they grow in the process and may learn other things. So when the new year rolls around again in 2014, maybe you can challenge yourself to a resolu-tion. You can learn about yourself through it and, if you complete it, you will have a sense of self-pride.

story and photography by Ashleigh Stingley

4 STUDENT LIFE

On any college campus, concerns about security and theft always exist. People everywhere have to worry about thievery and the protection of valuables. Howev-er, there are many ways to pro-tect yourself and your posessions against theft. Across campus many students have to worry about theft in the residence halls and intrusion into dorm rooms, leading many to be-lieve there has been an increase in thefts at Waldorf. However, ac-cording to Resident Coordinator, Katie Mullaly, there is no evidence of more thefts this year than in other years, although theft is a problem that will never truly dis-appear. The annual crime reports show burglary in the housing units increased from 13 reports in 2009 to 17 reports in 2010, then decreased again in 2011. Mullaly states that theft is always a risk at college, but there are ways to help prevent it. “First and foremost have personal

property insurance. Always lock your doors and don’t share keys. Also, keep open communication with your roommate about guests. Everybody should know everybody (entering and) leaving the room.” According to sheknows.com there are 9 simple steps to help protect your items while on a col-lege campus:

Read the dorm rules

Lock your door

Get insurance for your belongings

Never abandon your laptop

Get tenant’s insurance

Don’t leave valuables in the dorm parking lot

Watch your laundry

Check the guest policy

Hang onto your ID cards

In addition, how safe you keep your valuables is, essentially, up to you. If an item is left in plain sight in an unlocked dorm room, it is basically an invitation for thieves to steal it. There are steps that can be made if items are stolen. “We encourage students to fill out an incident report, and also, they can fill out a police report,” says Mullaly. Incident reports are accessible online at Waldorf’s campus security page, while print copies are avail-able in the campus center.

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A view of Ormseth Hall. Many petty thefts occur within residence halls.

story and photography by Courtney Chaffee

We hear all too often “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Fair enough.

However, guns change the way that people kill people, and they change how people view killing. In the wake of the tragic elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have indicated that the Obama administration will push for more federal gun control. The National Rifle Association, on the other hand, made it clear that members will not budge on their opposition to any new gun laws, despite heated criticism of the organization’s response to the Connecticut school massacre. Several students at Waldorf, as well as an officer from the Albert Lea Police Department, in Albert Lea, MN, were interviewed about their opinions on the pertinent issue of gun control. These individuals include Justin Kerscher, Tammy Beranek, Katie Hallman, and Officer Dave Miller.

Q: In your opinion, do you believe that gun control laws help to control the sale and use of guns?

A. Officer Miller: Gun control laws help to control the sale of firearms yes, however the problem goes beyond that. When Ted Bundy was arrested, his neighbors said he was a great guy. People with

psychotic issues are good at hiding them, and some forms of psychosis don’t manifest until later in life; so gun laws do control sales of firearms, but will not stop the illegal use of firearms. The two are separate issues and need separate solutions. No, gun laws do not control the use of guns. No further restrictions of sales are needed; however, the sharing of information among hospitals and law enforcement is needed to spot those with documented psychosis.

A. Tammy Beranek: Yes, I do think they help. It gives people a sense of feeling safe, and that they have a right to be normal human beings and live their lives how they want, with the protection they want.

A. Katie Hallman: I think that if the government puts any gun control policies into act, there will be an uprising, and the people will attempt to fight back.

Q: Why do you think it is important that we have gun control laws?

A. Officer Miller: I don’t agree with gun control laws. I agree with the observation of sales among FFL holders and citizens; however, gun control does not work. Many people think that it is illegal to own fully automatic weapons, it is not. Fully automatic weapons are available to own in many states and there are virtually no criminal acts involving fully

story by Jessica Serio | illustrations by Andres Ballesteros

6 FEATURE

automatic weapon; save one murder committed by a police officer. So I do not believe gun control is important. What I do feel is important is punishment for crimes committed using firearms. There should be mandatory sentences that cannot be plead away in court. Gun control only affects those who follow the law. Criminals who commit crimes with guns are already committing crimes, and many times, with stolen weapons or weapons they are not allowed to possess anyway. The Clinton Gun ban of 1994 banned the production of any new magazines that held more than 10 rounds and banned the production of “Assault Rifles” with items like flash suppressors, pistol grips, bayonet lugs, collapsible stocks, and magazines that held more than 10 rounds. That ban lasted until 2004, so by all modern logic it should have prevented crimes with “assault weapons” and other crimes, as well. However, in 1999, the first egg was cracked in the modern omelette of shool shootings, Columbine. Gun control does not stop gun crime any more than MN State Statute 609.185 murder in the first degree stops murder. Taking away my freedom to punish criminals; or to offer up some ill gotten belief that it in some way makes up for the loss of those touched by gun crimes is not only wrong, it’s illegal.

A. Tammy Beranek: (It is important )Because if we didn’t (have them), anyone at any age could buy one without really knowing how to use them. I just feel that if a child got ahold of a gun, it would be a very bad situation. SAFETY FIRST!

A. Katie Hallman: I think that it is important to have gun control laws so that these “assault weapons” do not fall into the wrong hands. It is not the gun that is doing the bad, it is the person behind the weapon. A more strict background check could possibly prevent a weapon from falling into the wrong hands. It is the person, not the gun, that should be held liable for what happens. Statistically, more people are killed each year by different household items, like hammers and bats, than by any (other) type of weapon.

A. Justin Kerscher: (It) really depends (on) if you have a lockdown on some of the stuff with the gun control.

Q: Should school officials have guns to protect their students? Explain why or why not?

A. Officer Miller: This is a tough question. Although I believe everyone should have the right to own a

Q: Do you agree or disagree with gun control laws?

A. Officer Miller: I disagree with most of the gun control laws. History has shown they do not work. Sensible punishment for gun crime is what is needed.

A. Katie Hallman: I think that yes, we do need stricter gun control laws, but not to the effect where the government is trying to take weapons away. (We) just need stricter background checks and possibly being able to look into one’s family history of possible mental health issues.

A. Tammy Beranek: I agree with them all the way. I don’t see anything wrong with them, and I don’t mind them.

A. Justin Kerscher: I’m on both sides. It could help us, but then again, people might misuse the ability to carry a gun around.

7FEATURE

firearm, I don’t believe they should be made to. It’s as much their right to not own one as it is mine to own one. I feel if school officials want to carry guns, they should be allowed to. I also feel that they should be given training at the government’s (or tax payer’s) expense. The reason I feel this would work, and is a good idea, is because as a police officer, I have seen the studies that show school shooters are cowards and will give up as soon as they meet any resistance. It has been shown when, in 1997, a school shooting at Pear High School was stopped by an Assistant Principal who had his .45 caliber pistol in his car and retrieved it and confronted the student, stopping the shootings and the criminal. Officers are now trained to go into an active shooting sense as soon as they arrive to stop the shooting because studies show the shooter will take their own life or be stopped by force.

A. Katie Hallman: I think that it is a good idea to have an armed officer in schools, but not arm every teacher. That would just make students and parents think that they are going to a prison-like place, and school should not be thought of as a prison, but as a place of learning and making good experiences in one’s life.

A. Tammy Beranek: If by school officials this means teachers, then no way! I don’t think that a teacher should have to carry a gun; some teachers don’t even feel comfortable

doing that. I think that if anything, they should have tighter security at the doors for when people come in and out, that way it’s a more monitored situations.

A. Justin Kerscher: Yes, so people can have protection when no one else is there.

Q: Do you think there will be more issues with tighter gun control laws? Why or why not.

A. Officer Miller: Yes. Taking guns away, or making it harder for law abiding citizens to own guns will only make it easier for the criminal to do their jobs. Not to mention that statistics show that in the eight years since the Clinton Gun Ban has gone away, homicides and violent crimes have decreased in the U.S. Compare violent crimes to other countries around the world, where citizens are not allowed to possess many weapons, if any at all, and you will see the U.S. does not have the problem the current administration would like you to believe it has.

A. Katie Hallman: I do. If the government tries to take the people’s guns away, the people will fight back. It is in the Constitution that we have the right to bear arms and have a militia to defend ourselves against the government.

A. Tammy Beranek: No, I really don’t think there will be. If people want their privileges and their rights, they will just continue to follow the laws; plus, I really don’t think they could change that much to where there would be an issue.

story by Kristen Wilke

Food, like many things in life, is a important part of our day. Without it we lack energy, motivation, con-centration. Waldorf is taking action in the cafeteria and through events on campus, in order to improve nutrition for its students. Over the course of the first semester here at Waldorf, many changes were made. Freshman had to get used to the realization that mom and dad would not be making them their meal of choice every night, and that the food would not always be exactly how they wanted. However, members of Waldorf’s food service were de-termined to put healthier food into the bellies of their patrons. The fact is, without the proper nutrition, our bodies respond in negative ways. Athletes, musicians, thespians, and teachers can all be affected by the food that we do or do not take in. Student athletes are affected tremendously by the food they put into their bodies. On average, an athlete should eat at least three large, proportioned meals a day, in addition to at least 8 glasses of water. It is also important that athletes take in a certain amount of carbohydrates and protein.

Without the proper food options, the work done at practice, lifting, and workouts are for nothing if our bodies do not get the right amount of nutrients to support the labor we put in daily. This concern does not affect athletes alone. Musicians and thespians work hard everyday on maintaining their health, as well. Use of our vocal chords, concen-tration, memorization, and posture all require the proper amount of energy, which correlates directly with the nutrients put into our bod-ies. When junk food and chemical based food is put into our bodies, we are not allowing our bodies to perform to their fullest potential. After the close of the first semester, Waldorf’s food service members took notice of the con-cerns around campus and agreed that changes would be best. After opening the cafeteria back up in January 2013, these changes could be seen. A better selection for healthy sandwiches was available, even more vegan varieties could be found, and more plans for the future will soon be adapted into the menu. Not only has the cafete-ria been making changes, but staff and faculty members are making a difference, as well. Want to know more about the

new meals and food choices on campus? Not a problem.

On the Waldorf College Facebook page, there is a calendar of the food plan for the day in the cafeteria. Here it also shows you what

foods are helpful. For exam-ple, if you are vegan, or have

dietary restrictions the calen-dar online has color-coded lists of

what is available at the cafeteria that day. If you have any dietary restrictions or suggestions for the cafeteria, contact Mary Mathi-asen, the school’s nurse, or Dean of Students, Jason Ramaker. Added Brian Keely, Director of Campus Dining, “dining is about making the right choices, every meal, everyday.”

Fruits

Veggies

Grains

Protein

Dairy

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9STUDENT LIFE

Servingfor positive change in the community

Opposite page: The Theatre Theme House collected jeans for the “Jeans For Teens” organization. This page, top: The fire dog painted in the current fire station. Middle: Student volunteers. Bottom: Relay For Life Logo.

When walking the streets of Forest City or through the

halls of Waldorf College, you may think there is noth-

ing you can do to make a difference. This could not

be further than the truth. There are many ways to help

make a positive change in your community.

For starters, you can help by donating some time

and/or a little money to a local or college-relat-

ed cause. As of now, there are many fundraisers in

which you can participate to help make Forest City

and Waldorf College better places to live and go to

school. Some community causes you can contribute

to are: Save the Forest City Theater, the Forest City

Emergency Service Center Project, and the Relay

For Life event. On campus, several groups are

working to raise money for the American

Cancer Society, ministry trips, and other

club-related expenses.

As a student, there are many

things you can do to contribute

to your school. First, get involved.

Join a club and help build that

program for you and future stu-

dents. The Art Department’s Twelve

Months of Art is one movement

made to have a positive impact on

campus, through teaching people

how to create and display their own

artwork. Next, the college’s ministry pro-

gram offers opportunities for students to go

on retreats and mission trips that require extra funds

for travel costs. Finally, there are scheduled events,

like Daffodil Days and Coaches vs. Cancer, that raise

money to donate to the American Cancer Society.

Different theme houses host or are involved in events,

including clothing drives and sending cards to mem-

bers of our military. Even your old shoes can make a

difference, via the Soles 4 Souls campaign.

In the community, there are different groups and

organizations that are raising money or need vol-

story by Dusty Gerhardtphotography by Dusty Gerhardt and Matt Knutson

11FEATURE

unteers in order to make a difference. One of these

groups includes the Save the Forest Theater Cam-

paign. This group is raising money to purchase and

upgrade the local theater that closed at the end

of 2011. Amy Woods, Director of Student Activities,

commented that it would be more cost effective for

students if the theater were to reopen. Before the

theater closed, students were able to pick up a free

movie ticket every week. Now, students have to go to

different theaters in the area, which only provide the

opportunity to get a $2 ticket from the college, once

a month. The goal of the Save the Theater organiza-

tion is to raise money in two phases, in order to get

the theater up-to-date and showing movies again. In

the first phase, the goal is to raise $300,000. This mon-

ey will be put toward purchasing the theater and

digitally upgrading it. In phase two, the plan is

to raise $100,000 to remodel and possibly put

in a second screen in order to show more

movies. Mason Harms, a board member

for this project, said that as of right now,

they have raised around $200,000, with

the goal to be showing movies before

Waldorf students leave for summer

vacation. He added that students can

help by going to the theater once it

is reopened. Various events for this

cause are on the horizon, and a Face-

book page has been established.

Another community project that

has been going on for the past few

months is the Emergency Services Project.

A new building combining the fire station

and ambulance service is scheduled to be

built at the intersection of J Street and U.S. High-

way 69 in Forest City. The new building is estimated to

cost $3.3 million to build. Fire Chief Mark Johnson said

their goal is to raise $225,000 from individual donations,

or about seven percent of the estimated cost of the

emergency services building. The individual donations

will then be combined with grants, business donations,

and other fundraising activities to help reduce the

Top: Donation contain-er for Kids Against Hunger.

Middle: Student Volunteers at the Rake-A-Thon. Bottom: Support-

ing The Emergency Building Fund in the Puckerbrush Parade.

12 FEATURE

cost of any bond needed to pay for the facility. As of

right now, emergency services members have submit-

ted 26 grant proposals for the project and have a few

ongoing fundraisers in progress. Currently, they have

“My Square Foot” and “Change Round Up” taking

place. In the fall, they will work with the local elevators

to put on their “Bushels to Build” fundraiser. For more

information on all fundraisers and how you can help

or donate, visit www.forestcityfire.org. Johnson said,

“The community has been very supportive in helping

us reach our goals.”

Finally, the Winnebago Relay for Life Team is raising

money for the upcoming race. Last year, they raised

nearly $90,000, earning a top 10 ranking in the nation

for fundraising. Committee and team members were

surprised by the news, and they now have high

expectations for the relay in 2013. One way

to help is to take your Forest City Foods

or Bill’s Family Foods receipts and put

them in a container located at

city hall. Each receipt collected

equals money for the team.

So, if you want to make a

difference at Waldorf or in

the community, check out

these and other activities.

With your help, Forest

City and Waldorf can

achieve their goals,

making this little town a

better place for all of us.

Top: The Forest City Theater community members are work-ing to reopen and update. Middle: Student helping move new students in to the dorm. Bottom: Brett Geelan with a box of shoes collected for the Soles 4 Soles campaign.

13FEATURE

It seems we have all made it through another holiday season. We’ve made it through the gift wrapping and the ugly sweaters; through Christmas dinners and awk-ward family exchanges. However, there is one piece that seems to stay with us year round whether we ac-knowledge it or not, and that is the advertisements. We expect them during the gift-giving season, but they seem to be taking over our line of vision. We see nearly 1,500 advertisements a day, with most of them sporting a high fashion model and fancy tricks to get our attention. The problem? Some of those ads get too much attention for all of the wrong reasons. Media has deformed our society’s idea of beauty and transformed it into unrealistic portrayal of flawless models with a perfect body image. Girls go to turn on the television to watch their episodes of Dance Moms and Pretty Little Liars, but instead are bombarded with commercials showcasing products that will make them beautiful. We are shown a commercial of a beautiful woman with flawless skin and a perfect body and told she is beautiful, but these advertisements are building up an unrealistic depiction of beauty, that no one can reach. The media has created a definition of beauty that is so limited and unattainable, that anyone out-side of this “definition” feels they need to change, or improve themselves. Sure, girls may buy their product in hopes of attain-ing the beauty of the model on the screen, but how else is it affecting our youth: Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders. These are the three most common eating disorders among teens and young adults. While all three can cause severe mental

The distortion of beauty in our society

story by Cassidy Atchison

Beautiful

15FEATURE

and medical issues, they are not one in the same. Anorexia is a disorder in which one deprives them-selves of food in fear of gaining weight, usually caused by an altered body image. Bulimia is a common disease,

in which one will over eat and then cause themselves to purge, usually in a state of guilt for losing control

while eating. Binge eating disorder, much like bu-limia, is when a person compulsively over-eats,

or binges, without control, followed by periods of extreme dieting that only lasts a week or so. These are serious diseases that can have serious repercussions; anorexia alone has a mortality rate of 10%. These disorders can leave teens scarred mentally, as well as causing depression, thoughts of suicide, dehydration, heart failure, osteoporosis,

and diabetes. How much are these disorders attributed to the distortion of beauty in our society? When asked about the trigger of her disorder, one student (who pre-ferred to be unnamed) answered, “I felt like everywhere around me I saw skinny people, at school and on television and when I went to the store. Then when I looked at myself I just hated everything about myself.”

However, what most of these girls don’t know is how manufactured

these models really are. If you watch the complete process of the making of

an advertisement, you would see all the make-up and editing that goes into the pro-

cess. The “flawless” models young teens are striving to embody actually do not look like they

appear to in advertisements, and this is how me-dia has distorted beauty for our society.

We create these “perfect” body images in our celebrities, who in turn become role models to young girls. Women today are so obsessed with being thin and having perfect skin and bodies that we forget that ev-ery woman is beautiful in their own way. Nobody looks at Queen Latifa and tells her she’s unattractive be-cause of her curves, yet we all forget this when we’re looking into the next “big diet” plan. All too many girls, in turn, forget this when they turn to starving themselves to be “attractive” to men. However, people are stand-ing up and speaking out to stop this epidemic that has plagued our youth. Dove Beauty Company has started a Self Esteem Movement committed to helping women and young girls reach their full potential. Dove sets up self-esteem

workshops all over the U.S. dedicated to helping girls

Waldorf College students post inspirational signs on the women’s bathroom mirror.

less of your body size.” Her editorial discussed how she hated her body growing up, but one day learned to love it, and has never looked back. Katie is an amazing role model for every girl at this college; she loves her body and won’t let anyone tell her otherwise. Mullaly’s editorial stated “ I am promoting the rad-ical idea that we can love ourselves for who we are at this very minute. Not after we lose 50 pounds, or af-ter that facelift, or after that eyebrow wax, but now; at however much you weigh (big or small!) whatever

age you are, however hairy or pimpled, or scarred your body is — to love it.” What an amazing concept. Mullaly went on to say, “We need to break this idea that we, as humans, are sup-posed to fit in some sort of box based solely on appear-ance. If we can teach and practice self-love, self-ac-ceptance and acceptance of others, regardless of what we look like; I think we, as an

entire society, would be able to process through a lot of our issues.” Katie Mullaly, like Jennifer Lawrence, is one of many who are beginning to take the stand against society’s definition of beauty. They have challenged us to widen our definition of beauty and take the stand with them. We are all made differently, and if you are lucky enough to be different, why would you want to change that? So whether you’re skinny, curvy, voluptuous, athletic, or gangly, remember that your body is unique and beau-tiful in its own way. There is no definition of beauty so we should all stop trying to create one and stop destroying ourselves by living by one; because we all deserve love and respect.

who have low self-esteem due to body hang ups. As their mission statement says, “Imagine a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety.” They also set girls up with mentors to give them someone they can turn to help them along their path to accep-tance. In addition, Dove started the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004 in an attempt to widen the defi-nition of beauty for women. Their commercials and ads show real people of all shapes and sizes in hopes of relating to women who aren’t “perfect.” Many famous actors are also taking a stand against the mass produced ideas of beauty. Jennifer Lawrence from the hit film The Hunger Games was asked to diet for her role as Katniss, and she was bold enough to say no. After being criticized for not being thin enough for the role, and being told she was “fat” by Hollywood stan-dards, Lawrence replied, “I’m never going to starve myself for a role…I don’t want little girls to be like, ‘Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I’m going to skip dinner.’ That’s something that I was really conscious of during train-ing, when you’re trying to get your body to look exactly right. I was trying to get my body to look fit and strong, not thin and underfed.” (Interview with Elle magazine) Jennifer Lawrence, among others, have become great role models for girls to look up to in years to come. They are creating a new image for young girls that con-vey messages of healthy body images and self-confi-dence. One of these amazing role models can even be found here at Waldorf College, Katie Mullaly. Mullaly recently wrote a very honest, touching edi-torial for The Albert Lea Tribune: “Love yourself regard-

“Everything has beauty, just not everyone sees it.” —Confucius

We need to break this idea that we, as humans, are sup-posed to fit in some sort of box based solely on appearance.”

— Katie Mullaly

they charge is excessive,” said Mackenzie Acri, a sophomore Communications major. “I feel like there should be an extra charge, just not that expensive.” Camille Tinsman, a junior Elementary Education major, agrees with Acri, “I agree, but at the same time, if they are going to charge they should have the cutoff be at 18 or 18.5 credits. People are trying to cram 17.5 credits into a semester, and it’s difficult because they can’t get classes toward their degree in that semester, making them be here longer.” She also thinks that, “they shouldn’t even charge for a .5 credit. They should only charge for a whole credit.” As Acri and Tinsman were being interviewed, many other students around them chimed in and all seemed to share the same opinions. A lot of them felt that the additional charge seemed more like a penalty if anything and that it was just setting students back and keeping them here longer. “I feel like if there’s a student that gets good grades and can handle the overload, then they should be able to do that without penalty,” said Acri. Many of the students agreed with her and didn’t understand why those students seemed to be getting punished for just wanting to take a few more classes. “Our fees are set by the board,” said Linda Harms, who works in the Business Office. “We’ve

CREDITOverload

Waldorf students discuss the issues related to the additional cost of going over a full load of 17.5 credits

story and photography by Dominique Forte

Here at Waldorf College, students must pay $537 per credit hour in order to take more than 17.5 credits per semester. Many students have issues with the amount of money charged to go over on credits and don’t understand why 17.5 is the cutoff. Several students were asked how they felt about the charge for extra credits. “I think the amount

Leslie Grothe checking student registration forms calculating any additional credit overload costs.

18 STUDENT LIFE

always just had the fees, so I don’t know if there’s a particular reason behind the pricing of them.” While Harms wasn’t able to elaborate on the issue, she did suggest that perhaps students look at other schools and see what their policy on overloading credits is. She said that maybe by looking at another private institution, it would help to figure out if the price charged for overloading credits at Waldorf was too extreme or not. Wartburg College’s fees was compared to Waldorf’s, and it was found that for students to overload on credits there it is a much heftier price, around $1,020. However, Wartburg has an enrollment of close to 2,000 students, whereas Waldorf has an enrollment of only about 500 full-time students. Also, tuition at Wartburg for this calendar year is $33,400, while Waldorf’s tuition is only $18,796. Looking at the enrollment size and tuition cost for both colleges, it seems that both schools seem to be charging about the same rate to overload on credits. It appears that no matter where a students decides to receive their education, there will always be a price to go over a certain amount of credits. Although some students may be upset with the amount of money it costs for them to go over on credits, there seems to be no way to get around paying an extra cost for it.

While it still may be confusing that the cutoff is at 17.5 credits per semester, Harms thinks that, “it might have to do with them (the board) setting a reasonable amount of credits for a student to handle.” While some students may disagree with this statement, it seems as though Waldorf is not planning on changing this policy any time soon.

vsAre Waldorf’s credit overload rates comparable to other

private colleges, such as Wartburg College?

While the Registrar tracks the credits each student takes per semester, it is the Board of Trustees that determines the cost.

19STUDENT LIFE

How to Succeed In Business

TOP: Dominique Forte, Liz Taylor, Kelsey Sollish, Sharayah Vorland, and Haley Rubin. CENTER: Phil Detrick and Dr. David Sollish. BOTTOM: Jon Aguilar, Matt James, Josh Boone, Phil Detrick, Ben Johnson, Trevor Nantais, and Jaye Upah.

FINE ARTS20

The Waldorf Theatre Department is almost done with their 2012-13 season, having just completed their third show; the musical “How to Succeed in Business (With-out Really Trying),” based on a Broadway musical with the same name. The story follows a young Mr. Finch (Phil Detrick), who is looking for a way to get into the corporate busi-ness world, but then stumbles upon a book entitled “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Af-ter reading and following the instructions in the book, he begins his corporate career, working for the World Wide Wicket Company. With the help of his new book, Finch starts out in the mailroom, but soon receives promotion after promotion, pulling ahead of his rival, Bud Frump (Jon Aguilar), who just so happens to be re-lated to Finch’s new boss. Along the way, Finch meets Rosemary (Sarah Vlodek), and an attraction is soon formed. But how long will the book continue to guide Finch in the right direction? The cast also includes, but is not limited to: Smitty (Cassidy Atchison), who is Rose-mary’s best friend and supporter, and Hedy LaRue (Kelsey Sollish), the spicy secretary. “It feels a lot different then a high school musical, but it’s been a lot of fun and something to work at,”

said Freshman Ashleigh Stingley, whose role in the show marked her first time being on stage at Waldorf. “It has been a pretty fun experience; I like it,” said another Freshman, Kate Workman. She also comment-ed that the most noticeable difference working on a college show is that the acting level is more ad-vanced than it was in her high school musicals. This show also included a lot of work done and directed by various Waldorf students, as well. “I’ve opened up the process to include student choreogra-phy and student designers,” said theater professor Dr. David Sollish. Students have been able to design and oversee many different aspects of the show, including Atchison, a Sophomore, who choreographed several dances, while Ben Johnson helped build most of the set. Chelsey Shreeve was in charge of overseeing the costume shop, Kritin Lanier oversaw all props, Liz Taylor headed the painting of the set, Jon Aguilar did the sound and lighting design, and Alex Horak created the poster design and program layout. “Students were more involved (in this show). I got the chance to choreograph and help with costume design, as well as act,” said Atchinson, when compar-ing this year’s musical to last year’s.

(Without Really Trying)THE CAST (from left to right): Dominique Forte, Ashleigh Stingley, Jaye Upah, Britt Banks, Ben Johnson, Cassie Ruud, Trevor Nantais, Sharayah Vorland, Jon Aguilar, Kay-lin Tlam, Matt James, Rachael Jordahl, Haley Rubin, Kate Workman, Dr. David Sollish, and Cassidy Atchison. Center: Kelsey Sollish, Josh Boone, Phil Detrick, and Sarah Vlodek.

story by Alexander Horak | photography by Matt Knutson

21FINE ARTS

story and photography by Jon Aguilar

In the Odvin Hagen Music Building,

students join hands and sing from their hearts

“Beautiful Savior…” Tears can be seen trickling

down an alto’s cheek, a bass smiles and hugs

his neighbor: All signs that the Waldorf Choir is

preparing for their next big adventure.

This summer, the Waldorf College Choir was

to embark on their international tour, a trip that

would take the ensemble through the middle

portion of Europe covering Austria, Hungary,

Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, but lack

of student interest has caused the group to

abandon sights overseas.

The news surprised choir president Victor

Schultz. “Each council member thought that

everyone was on board with it and was excited

and happy, but when he sent out those pieces

of paper getting a definitive yes or no from

people it came back with a very a large, ‘No’

from just about everybody,” he said. “It took us

all [the choir council] by surprise.”

Dr. Adam Luebke, Director of Choral

Activities, expressed some of the challenges.

“Planning a tour always has a bit of

optimism behind it because there

are a lot of unknowns that come in to

it,” said Luebke. “So you have to plan

based on the best-case scenario and

then on a worst-case scenario.”

This was not the first international music

trip to be abandoned. Two years ago the

Waldorf Wind Symphony faced a similar

dilemma that was solved by a tour to LA.

“The first trip that failed, had a legitimate

excuse and a very worthwhile reason to not

go,” said Schultz. “ This year I think that we

should have been able to go overseas, but…

I understand, you can’t take 10 to 15 people

overseas and not have the cost jacked up.”

Despite this being the second international

tour to go sour, no plans are being made to

change the department’s current admission’s

campaign, which strongly suggests the possibility

of an international tour.

“It’s always difficult when something is

guaranteed,” said Luebke. “We shoot to do

it every four years. There’s always the chance

something could come up, whether that’s

having the right number of students or whether

it’s travel concerns, like what happened with

the band a couple of years ago.”

“I was as disappointed as anybody — it’s

Europe, I’d love to have gone,” said Chris Ward,

Music Department Coordinator. “I think we can

still have a really great tour … and have a really

great time.”

Tour efforts have switched to Florida.“The

plan now is to go on a domestic tour that has

sort of a unique destination in it,” said Luebke.

“Florida’s pretty awesome,” said Freshman

Phil Detrick. “I’m excited — bringing the old

energy down to Floridians. Going and showing

them what an old, awesome Iowa Midwestern

college can bring to them.”

“I’m disappointed that we’re not able to

go, but I’m glad that they’re trying to make

it something interesting for those of us that

are graduating,” said senior Britt Banks “It’s

disappointing, but I appreciate that they are

making efforts to make it as exciting and as fun

as they possibly can.”

“When you plan something this big you

can never foresee what’s going to happen,”

said Ward. “I think the choir sounds really good

this year. I think it sounds better than it did last

year, and I think it’s going to be a good tour …

we’re going to be able to reach all the way to

the southeast corner of the country and show

them what Waldorf is all about, and I think that’s

going to be a great experience.”

Seniors 2013As the senior class of 2013 soon will graduate and venture out into the world, we showcase a few here asking: What is your favorite Waldorf memory?

My favorite memory would have to be making new friends that I will pretty much have forever.

Jennifer Joyner Andrew Hudson

My favorite memory would have to be my first year here meeting everyone.

Jeffrey Bodensteiner

My favorite memory would have to be having the pleasure to meet so many amazing people.

Michael Karp

My favorite memory would have to be my first year being an RA.

Hometown:Big Bear Lake, CA

Major: Wellness

Sport: Baseball

Hometown:Albert Lea, MN

Major: Business

Sport: N/A

Hometown:Hanford, CA

Major: Business

Sport: Soccer

Hometown:Chillicothe, IL

Major: Biology

Sport: Soccer

story and photography by Phillip Koolhoven

STUDENT LIFE24

Andres Ballesteros

My favorite memory was the day I met my beautiful girlfriend in the cafeteria as a freshman.

My favorite memory is all the great times hanging out in the J&L movie lounge freshman year.

Quinn Hesterlee

Jason Mueller

Victor Schultz

My favorite memory is all the random and Non-random trips with friends.

My favorite memory is Blair Buffington’s last concert and last song. Blair stepped to the side and started crying.

Hometown:San Anto-nio, TX

Major: Communi-cations

Sport: Soccer

Hometown:Las Vegas, NV

Major: Biology

Sport: Soccer

Hometown:Postville, IA

Major: Biology

Sport: Soccer

Hometown:Algona, IA

Major: Manage-ment In-formations System

Sport: N/A

April 29th

GRADUAT ION

March 9th

Spring Break

Febrary 22th

Midterm Break

STUDENT LIFE 25

How is the track team doing? Will it become a scholarship sport?I believe eventually it will be a scholarship sport, which could be maybe ten years down the road. I don’t know that I’ll be the coach at that time, but it is certainly something that will happen. Currently though, the program has expanded significantly from last year, and it will continue to do so; it’s just a matter of growing pains that any new club or program must endure.

What are some of the goals for the track team?I want my athletes to learn how to juggle a schedule; I want them to become responsible, not just with their academics and sports, but also with their lifestyle. I know most of my athletes are involved in other sports, and some have jobs, while taking on a full load in school, all at the same time, so it is really important that they learn to manage all these things successfully. I also want my athletes to treat track and field just as seriously as if they were on scholarship; it all comes down to making them better.

What are your goals for cross-country?The main thing is to get athletes on the team; I know some of them will be from the track team. I also want to set a good work ethic, and give them the tools and discipline to be successful, not just in sports, but also in life. Essentially, I would like cross-country to be one of the biggest sports on campus.

What is it like to juggle between three different coaching jobs?It’s tough! It is very time consuming, a lot more scheduling and task managing, but I am learning to handle it and make the most out of it.

Give them the tools and discipline to be successful not just in sports but in life”

— David Cheeks

26 SPORTS

story and photo by Andres Ballesterros

27SPORTS

New student recruitment is always a huge component of every collegiate athletic program. Here, at Waldorf, it is no different. However, two sports teams on campus are now working together to bring in new ath-letes, in a fresh and unprecedented recruit-ing technique. Head football coach Kent Anderson had an idea. An idea to set recruiting visits at Waldorf apart from many of the other col-leges. He wanted Waldorf to stick out in the minds of prospective students, and Ander-son believed he knew just how to accom-

plish this: with cheerleaders. Coach Anderson’s goal was

for his recruits to meet not only with current football players,

but with a panel of cheer-leaders, as well. He felt

that teaming up with the cheerleading

squad was an “im-port- ant factor.” In

addition, Anderson claimed the decision to do so was “natural.” He added, “I remembered back to my own college visits. It’s impressive to a high school student. It also shows the recruit, as well as the parents, that there’s a social aspect to the college. It isn’t always about the helmet, the pads, and the ball.” So far, the cheerleaders have only been involved in one football open house; however, Coach Anderson was happy with the results. “Obviously, we wants to contin-ue this. Here, in the football department, we were pleased with the reviews.” According to Coach Anderson, both parents and recruits were impressed. “It tied in everything. It wasn’t just all about football,” he added. In the future, Anderson would like to continue having the cheerleaders visit with prospective football players, while, in turn, having football players meet with possible cheerleaders, as well.

story and photography by Abbie Wibe

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