April 19, 2011 - College of Idaho

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THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF THE COLLEGE OF IDAHO
19 APRIL 2011 - ISSUE #12
TABLE OF CONTENTS/FEATURE
OPINION
Table of Contents
FEATURE
3 Editor’s Note
by Samantha Sink
4 On Crafting a New Image
for the Yotes Mascot
by Colleen Smith
5 Do you think there is a
presence of a god-like
that tries?
by Christian Low
7 The Coyote Muffin
by Zach Kline
NEWS
6 Swallowed By the Ocean
by Lorraine Barreras
6 Reflections on a Study
Abroad Program
by Beki Hunter
7 American Hegemony
in Flux
by John Heinemann
9 Coyote News Blurb
by Lorraine Barreras
16 Kyle Abrahamson
2 Petra Carver
by Andrew Moore
16 New ASCI President
by Stephen Anderson
4 Living On Through Music
by Danielle Blenker
5 Jordan Rodriguez-the Man
Behind Your Emails
by Vicente Aranguiz
8 Where is Libya?
by Danielle Blenker
11 What Is Derby Days?
by Jeff Kean
11 Mr. CASAnova
by Ashley Neher
12 Art Column
by Reinaldo Gil
13 Art Column
by Chelsea Larsen
14 May the Fourth Be
With You
by Hanne Sharkey
15 Some Parting Words
by Vicente Aranguiz
15 Greek Week
by Andrew Moore
by Jessie Davis
THE COYOTE
HEALTH
17 Clothesline Project
by Jenna Raino
19 Gaia Has Some Hot
Chicks Right Now
by Allison Parrish
17 Unexpected Gifts
by Alex Jaeger
18 The Man Behind
the Scenes
by Emma George
A&E
19 Ten Trends I Wish I Could
Suffocate with a Pillow
by Michelle Locke
20 Beer Talk-Installment #9
by Andrew Heikkila
21 Sprial Knights
by Bradley Steele
SPORTS
22 Music Reviews
10 Coming to Fruition
23 Music Reviews continued
10 Hot Dame
23 Red Hands Black Feet
by Jeff Kean
by Jeff Kean
10 Track & Field
by Jason Hunt
by Vicente Aranguiz
by Vicente Aranguiz
by Rob Lanterman
24 My Hero
by Dr. Howard Berger
Petra Carver, Vice President of Finance and Administration
Carver joined the The College of Idaho administration earlier this year
Before coming to C of I, Vice
President for Finance and Administration
Petra Carver spent twenty years working
in higher education. Carver was born
and raised in Germany, and received
her Bachelor’s degree in business
administration and accounting from
Fachhochschule Reinland-Pfalz. She
earned her MBA from St. Martin’s
University in Lacey, Washington. Most
recently, she has been at Wilkes University,
another small liberal arts college in
Pennsylvania. Carver says she had long
been interested in transplanting to the
West Coast, and prior to her time at Wilkes
she worked at two colleges in Washington
State: Pacific Lutheran University and
Evergreen State College. She chose The
2
College of Idaho carefully, and was herself
chosen out of a wide field of applicants.
The school’s reputation for quality
curriculum and faculty attracted her
attention, as did the new PEAK program.
“There’s a lot of opportunity for students
to see where their interests lie,” she
said, noting the one-on-one attention
students receive from faculty. When asked
about her goals for the school, Carver
deferred to those of the administration
as a whole. “Our main job,” she said, “is
to support what the faculty does.” The
college administration is in the process
of developing a long term strategy,
which Carver says she will work hard to
implement. Specifically, she aims to update
information technology, an area in which
by STEPHEN ANDERSON
the school is perhaps currently lacking.
Maintaining appealing facilities and
grounds, and providing good food services
to students are also priorities. Carver urges
business and marketing majors to “get as
much practical experience as you can,”
taking opportunity of internships and
other real world, hands-on experience.
Her message to all students: “Be openminded, and try and learn as much as
you can.” She also recommends students
to “dig deeper, read longer articles now
and then…get away from bite sized
information.” Carver appears enthusiastic
about her administrative role, and
confident in the future prospects of the
college.
EDITOR’S NOTE
THE COYOTE
NOTE
As the year winds down, I still feel
like there is a lot left to do. Lately, I have
been feeling overwhelmed. Not because I
have a lot to do, but because I have been
thinking too much. This goes back to one
of my first editor’s note I wrote, talking
about taking things one day at a time. As
graduation approaches, it is hard not to
start thinking ahead.
Thinking is just a natural human thing.
For me, I have to rely on God to clear
my mind, to have me put aside my worry,
my fears, my stresses, and my anxiety.
Sometimes, it is not as easy as praying
and giving my thoughts to God. I have to
address first that my fears are lies from the
enemy—not truth at all, but mere fears of
what could be. My worries, anxieties, and
my stress stem from some main source
or circumstance and I need to discern
what/where the source or circumstance is.
Sometimes, I need to hear from God on
what I should do. How am I supposed to
do that? I have figured out that I just need
to sit down.
You might think this is an odd thing,
but more than once in the Bible, God
speaks to those who are sitting. When
Jesus feeds the 5,000, he only feeds those
who are sitting (Matthew 14:19); when
the leper asked Jesus to heal him, he first
sat down and made his request (Matthew
8). Jesus saw Matthew sitting and Jesus
told Matthew to follow him (Matthew
9:9). Two blind men were sitting and cried
out to Jesus and he healed them. See,
God is just waiting for us to sit down.
Beth Moore, founder of Living Proof
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Samantha Sink
HEAD LAYOUT EDITOR
Andrea Hayes
MANAGING EDITOR
Jason Hunt
FACULTY ADVISOR
Alan Minskoff
COVER
Reinaldo Gil
Ministries, says, “if you are in a crisis, then
you are sitting pretty for a revelation.”
I decided to sit down and read His
word and listen to what He had to say.
I got a revelation. I received what I
needed to know. It was easy then to give
my exhausting thoughts to God. I was
reminded that all the things I was thinking
about are out of my control. I do not have
the right to control anything or anyone.
I am no longer my own, I am His. Thus,
I shouldn’t be angry, worried, anxious, or
frustrated by my thoughts.
My revelation didn’t come over night;
it was a bit of a wait. With waiting for
God to speak to me, I have to remember
patience and remember to endure. Even if
I am running around crazily with my mind
overwhelmed with thoughts, I still need to
remember that He is there no matter what.
He will guide me, but I need to sit down
to hear from him, so that I too can know
what I am to do.
If you are caught in a slump, trying
to hear from God, trying to solve your
problems, wanting some rest, or trying to
be refueled, then sit down. God is waiting
to talk to you. Don’t sit down and turn
on the television, or the music; don’t sit
down to do homework; don’t sit down to
play video games, or sit down to surf the
internet. Truly sit down and read God’s
word and listen to what He has to say.
Some of these verses have helped me
in recent weeks; maybe they can be of use
to you:
1 Timothy 6:6-8 “But godliness with
contentment is great gain. For we brought
CONTRIBUTORS
Christian Low, Bradley Steele, Lorraine
Barreras, Danielle Blenker, Dr. Berger,
Samantha Sink, Jenna Raino, Michelle
Locke, Jason Hunt, Colleen Smith,
Rob Lanterman, John Heinemann,
Jeff Kean, Chelsea Larsen, Vicente
Aranguiz, Zach Kline, Andrew Moore,
Andrew Heikkila, Beki Hunter, Stephen
Anderson, Reinaldo Gil, Ashley Neher,
Hanne Sharkey, Emma George, Jessie
Davis, Alex Jaeger
nothing into this world, and we can take
nothing out of it. But, if we have food and
clothing, we will be content with that.”
Philippians 4:11-13 “For I have learned to
be content whatever the circumstances. I
know what it is to be in need, and I know
what it is to have plenty. I have learned the
secret of being content in any and every
situation, whether fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens
me.”
Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free
from the love of money and be content
with what you have because God has
said, “Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13 “I know the plans I
have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans
LAYOUT
Samantha Sink, Lorraine
Barreras, Andrea Hayes
About:
The Coyote is the student-run campus
publication of The College of Idaho.
We provide a forum for student, faculty, staff and administrative voices.
The opinions presented here are not
necessarily those of The Coyote or The
College of Idaho.
to prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you a hope and a future. Then you
will call upon me and come and pray to
me, and I will listen to you. You will seek
me and find me when you seek me with all
of your heart.”
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my
brothers, whenever you face trials of many
kinds because you know that the testing
of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that
you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything.”
Therefore, sit down and wait for your
revelation.
Carpe Diem,
Samantha Sink
Editor-in-Chief
photo taken on campus by Jenette Noe
Letters to the editor are welcomed and
will be printed as space allows. Letter
may be edited for grammar. Letters can
be emailed to coyote@collegeofidaho.
edu or sent to the address below:
Anonymous letters will not be printed.
The Coyote
The College of Idaho
2112 Cleveland Blvd.
Box 52
Caldwell, ID 83605
Payment:
The Coyote pays $0.03 per word, $15
for an original piece of art, $30 for an
original cover and $5 per photograph.
Writers will be reimbursed for costs
pertaining to reporting at the discretion
of the editorial board. Reimbursement
must be sought in advance.
Advertise and Anything Else:
Contact Editor-in-Chief Samantha Sink
at [email protected].
Articles may be submitted by emailing
them as a Microsoft Word file to [email protected] or
[email protected]
3
THE COYOTE
OPINION/FEATURE
ASCI President Colleen Smith
On Crafting a New Image for the Yotes Mascot
The new mascot is coming. Get
excited. Our mascot is something I’ve
always been dissatisfied with. The
ambiguity of the paw print has long
left Yotes and fans alike longing for a
more concrete identity. I know this issue
has been brought up before. Last year,
Executive Council held an art contest
in hopes that the entries might produce
something worthy enough to represent
every aspect of our community.
The contest yielded only a few
potential logos. While they were all
exemplary pieces of artwork, none seemed
to adequately capture the spirit of the
Coyote. The winning entry was the CofI
ingrained inside of a coyote head that
appeared on the club fair t-shirts at the
beginning of the year.
Executive Council took up this
search for a new face of the college this
past fall and at first met a great deal of
opposition from the higher ups. In late
fall, something great happened. The
school hired a new Director of Marketing
and Communications and one who saw
what we did: a school bursting with pride
without an image to portray that spirit.
Dustin Wunderlich, the new Director
of Marketing and Communications
and Executive Council got to work on
this project immediately. After Dustin
started working in January, we hired a
graphic designer and collaborated on
a general description of the image we
were going for. We gathered images of
our competitors logos and selectively
identified which ones we thought were
most effective.
A few weeks later, the designer came
back with four images. One, a more
modern, angular image was almost
immediately eliminated from the group.
Of the remaining images, two are head-on
shots of a coyote head: one has harder,
fiercer lines, and one is cartoonier. The
final image is a silhouette of a coyote
howling. After being reviewed by a few
athletic coaches, the integrated marketing
committee, and a handful of others, the
images went back for a second round of
edits.
These edits were returned a few weeks
ago and were immediately reviewed by
a number of different focus groups,
representing different faction of campus.
We had a student focus group, which
included students from many different
groups on campus, and we had Senate
review the images during a Senate session.
We also had some alumni, faculty, staff,
and other stakeholders, analyze the logos.
Dustin has gathered feedback from all
these sessions and will take what he has
gathered back to the designer for one last
phase of edits.
President Henberg will ultimately make
the decision on which logo the school
adopts. However, the student populous
will have a say. Executive Council has
gathered enough signatures to hold a
referendum on the logos. This vote will
happen after this final round of edits and
the result of that vote will be the official
student opinion. We must remember that
whatever we choose has no guarantee.
There are so many other people that will
be affected by the logo and their opinion
has to be accounted for too.
When we finally decide on a logo,
expected before the May Board of
Trustees meeting, one of the first steps we
will take is getting a new mascot costume
designed to match the logo. To go along
Living On Through Music
Remember this? “Have yourself a merry
little Christmas/ It may be your last/ Next
year we may all be living in the past” Yeah,
me neither. But the author, Hugh Martin,
known for being the famous songwriter of
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,”
died this past March at the age of 96.
While the original lyrics to his most well
known song never made it to the big
screen (“Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas” was written for the movie, Meet
Me in St. Louis), the two later re-writes are
both well known to the current generation:
“Someday soon we all will be together/ If the
fates allow/ Until then, we’ll have to muddle
through somehow/ So have yourself a merry little
Christmas now” and “Through the years we
all will be together/ If the fates allow/ Hang a
shining star upon the highest bough/ And have
yourself a merry little Christmas now.” Both
4
versions are used interchangeably.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas” was written during WWII,
though Martin says the reason for the
song’s original dark lyrics was unrelated.
While the song was not highly popular
when it first came out, over the years
it has become more and more of a hit,
nearly topping the charts on the “ASCAP’s
annual list of the most performed holiday
songs.” This year it came in number two
only to “The Christmas Song.”1 Four years
ago, Martin was most curious to learn
who was recording his song. Learning that
the Twisted Sisters had taken it on was
most amusing to him.
In his career of 70 years, Martin
has had experiences and encounters
impressive enough for any man. He has
helped vocally direct actresses such a
with this, we will be reshaping the role of
mascot on campus.
This means tryouts for the position of
mascot and rules regarding the behavior
of the mascot. We’ve already drafted a
set of guidelines which protect against
inappropriate behavior, while allowing
for some degree of fun to be had. These
guidelines are also demanding, they
require the mascot to be at almost every
home game as well as other alumni and
student events. We want this position
to really capture the soul of our school
and add to the school spirit at athletic
and other events. We want this position
to be sustainable and desirable and as a
consequence we are considering making
it a salaried position and providing some
sort of training for whoever is selected for
the position.
My hope is this new logo, this new
mascot, will be something everyone,
student, faculty, staff, alumni, potential
students and potential donors, can rally
around. My hope is that it will enhance
school spirit and bring us together as a
community with a common identity, with a
common sense of pride.
by DANIELLE BLENKER
Lucile Ball (I Love Lucy) and Judy Garland
(The Wizard of OZ), participated in a vocal
quartet called The Martins which sang on
Fred Allen’s radio program, written scores
for many Broadway and movie musicals
such as Best Food Forward and Look, Ma,
I’m Dancin’! and served in WWII. He even
had time to write a symphony.2
Not many men can say they’ve lived
lives like that of Hugh Martin. A man
of great talent, he’s the writer in the
background we don’t even bother to think
about when we dust off our Christmas
carol scores. Even so, he’s a man that will
never be forgotten so long as his music
remains.
Hugh Martin was born in 1914 in
Birmingham, AL and died in Encinitas,
CA on March 11, 2011.
Sources:
1. http://www.ew.com/ew/
article/0,,1569872,00.html
2. http://www.time.com/time/arts/
article/0,8599,2058594,00.html
OPINION\FEATURE
THE COYOTE
A little bit of advice from: Christian Low
This Issue:
Do you think that there is the presence of a god-like figure that tries?
The world is not a perfect place. I wish
it was, but it’s not. We’ve got too many
mad people. Everyone seems to be mad
these days. But what would it be like to
live in a perfect world? A world that was
perfect and it was a world with not that
many mad people. Could you even imagine
it? Probably not. Who cares! Luckily for
you, I know these things; I had a vision
from God when I was sleeping. I know
what the world would be like if it was
perfect: it would be just like Pokemon.
Yes, it would be the PokeWorld (if you
will). The PokeWorld is a perfect utopia
of those living by one simple rule, “Gotta
Catch ‘em All.” It would be easy! Everyone
has the same goals! Schools would be
replaced with PokeCenters with Pokemon
training being the number one priority.
And in these PokeSchools, there would
only be one class: Pokemon biology. The
remainder of the time would be devoted
to training your Pokemon in battle! Books
would be obsolete as well; everyone would
have a Pokedex to replace stupid old
books. In these
Pokedexi, one
would have
everything that
there is to know
about Pokemon!
There would
be very little
crime. The only
bad guys out
there would
be Jesse, James
and Meowth of
Team Rocket
(Giovanni, their boss doesn’t really do
anything bad; he just sends them out to
do his bidding!). And they’re a bunch of
weirdoes, anyway. They don’t even have
guns or knives or machetes or nun chucks
or broken glass bottles. They just have
their pokemon koffing and ekans and they
never ever do anything. They always lose
to Ash Ketchum and Pikachu!
The best part is that you would have
Pokemon as pets so that they could
help you
out and
do cool
stuff for
you. For
example,
I had a
hard time
going to
sleep. I take
numerous
medications that make me trip out—it’s
awesome by the way—but if Pokemon
existed, then I would just have the
Pokemon Hypno make me fall asleep.
They are pokemon, so they don’t have
the same urges as humans. Thus, I could
count on Hypno to not molest me. I
would always assume that Pokemon
would find me extremely attractive for
some reason, but they would never have
the ability to act on it because they don’t
have human urges. Hoo-Ray! And luckily,
I don’t find Pokemon very attractive so
there is no reason why I would act on
any type of weird urge to want to do
any bad deeds towards them. Hoot RayRay! I also really like Pizza, especially
DiGiorno Pepperoni with garlic bread
crust, so it would be so awesome to have
Charmander heat up a pizza while I watch
some awesome PokeBattles on tv. (Oh
yeah, there wouldn’t be any other sports
besides PokeBattles—PokeBattles would
be as popular as baseball, basketball,
football, Euro football, and Tiger Woods
sex scandals all put together! So cool! So
much unity!)
The other best part is that the
PokeWorld is socialized! There are no
Wal-Marts or Seven Eleven stores; there
are only PokeMarts and PokeStores!
All the money is going to one place!
The PokePlace! (The PokePlace sounds
like a really dirty name for a dirty room
belonging to a dirty person.) Pokemon
FOREVERRRR????
Jordan Rodriguez—the Man Behind Your Emails
How long have you been working at The College of
Idaho? Where were you before the college? What led you to
working here?
I have been here about a year. I previously worked at the Idaho Statesman as a
sports reporter and page designer. I worked at the Statesman through college (Boise
State, Class of 2008), but the newspaper was unable to hire me full-time after I
graduated, so I saw the opening at C of I and applied. I really enjoy working at the
college.
Tell us about yourself. Any hobbies or a life changing
experience?
I am 25 years old. I live in Boise with my wife, Anna, and our 1-year-old
Yorkshire Terrier, Winston. I enjoy sports and the outdoors, especially fishing,
camping, basketball, softball, football, hockey and wake/snowboarding. I also
enjoy movies, live sporting events, alternative rock music, board games, and video
games.
What does your job entail on a daily basis?
As the Communications Specialist for the college, I do a lot of writing, editing,
photography, video, social media updates, and other event coverage. I am the editor
of the college magazine, Quest, and I also write and publish the bi-weekly email
College Newsletter. I created the new C of I page on Facebook, and I typically
post several updates every day. In addition to writing articles for Quest and the
Newsletter, I am responsible for all media relations, including writing press
releases, arranging media interviews, promoting on-campus events and writing/
designing external advertisements.
by VICENTE ARANGUIZ
Is there anything you’d like to do to
improve or see be improved at the
College?
One area we are working really hard to
improve is the college “Brand.” By that I mean
our identity and how the college is viewed by
prospective students, the media, the public and
other institutions. This is a challenge because
branding has not been an emphasis in the past
and because of confusion with the Albertson
name change. But with social media, internet
and all of the other media-driven technology in
use today, having strong brand recognition is
more important than ever.
Is there anything you would like to add?
I just want our students, faculty, and staff to know that I am here to help. If you are
planning an event or participating in a cool project, let me know. I am always on the
lookout for stories for Quest, the Newsletter, the Facebook page, or to pitch to the local
media. Also, in an effort to improve our branding, I am happy to read/edit any posters,
flyers, brochures, or anything else you are planning to send out to the community. If you
need help finding the proper school colors/logos or proofreading, I’m your man!
5
Swallowed By the Ocean
THE COYOTE
NEWS
It was 2:00p.m. in the workday, Friday
March 11, when Japan was rattled by a
magnitude 9.0 earthquake; a force so
strong, equipment in Idaho picked up the
tremors. Office buildings swayed, roads
cracked, and the entire island of Honshu
moved almost 2.4 meters (just under 8
feet). Four foreshocks (6.0, 6.1, 6.1, and
7.2), 401 confirmed aftershocks, and then
one giant tsunami crumpled coastal cities.
Boats were dragged out to sea, houses were
thrown inland, and debris destroyed what
Japan Struggling in Wake of Natural Disasters
water hadn’t. With the death toll reported
up to 10,668 with 16,574 missing*, it
was as if the ocean had opened up, and
swallowed Japan.
While Japan is equipped to deal with
earthquakes, there was little able to
withstand the might of the oncoming
water. To put it in perspective, the top
speeds of a Tsunami reach the cruising
speed of a jetliner: about 500 mph, and
the waves topped 70 feet tall at least at
one point. While water by itself can seem
calming and serene, when it moves that
fast, few would want to stand in its
way. With only a few minutes warning,
however, there was not much people
could do to get away.
As time went on, the disaster
continued to grow in size. Earthquakes
continued weeks later, and fires were
sparked. Nuclear power facilities
burned, overheated, and spread
radiation (levels of which have been
reported in rain as far as Massachusetts
and the Carolinas). Japanese produced
goods froze, leaving the auto industry
in shambles, and the repercussions are
expected to reach the United States in midApril. It is estimated that the economic
impact of this disaster is likely to be one
of the costliest with the Associated Press
reporting the estimates of $200 to $300
billion, topping the $100 billion dollars in
damage from Hurricane Katrina. Only time
will show how long it will take to recover.
Yet, there are glimmers of hope that
shine along the way. Despite the disaster,
the Japanese people have not been looting,
and countries around the world reached out
with money, and support. Even students
of CofI do what they can to help, folding
paper cranes and donating money. Yet
for many, the figures rolling towards our
side of the world are just that: numbers.
In our safe corner of the universe, it can
sometimes create a sense of numbness; a
college campus is safe, secluded. But we
need to keep our minds open to what is
outside the boundaries we wander each day.
We created a Senbazuru, which is 1,000
Reflections on a Study Abroad Program
In the beginning of June 2010, I
began an intensive-language study abroad
program at the Japan Center for Michigan
Universities (JCMU) located in Hikone,
Shiga. Having been home for a while
now, I’ve adjusted to being greeted by a
semi-dilapidated house complete with
peeling paint whenever I look outside
my window—instead of a seventeenth
century castle atop rolling hills. However,
there have been many other distinctions
between my life here in Caldwell as a
student at The College of Idaho and my
life at JCMU.
One of the differences I noticed was in
attitudes of the students at JCMU (most
of which were students of Michigan State
or other universities affiliated with the
study abroad program) toward education
compared to the sentiments that I have
grown up with and seen expressed at CofI.
I got the impression that most of the
students were (or at least saw themselves
as) dedicated students and yet, I was
ceaselessly astounded at the statements
6
by LORRAINE BARRERAS
that many of them would make with
regard to their studies.
In one of the elective classes taught
in English, we were given the assignment
of reading a short novel called Kokoro
and writing a five-page paper on how it
related to the modernization of Japan. It
has been my experience at CofI that most
students would not consider this to be an
especially onerous task. Yet in response
to this and other assignments, I frequently
heard such statements as “I don’t like
to read for classes.” and “Five pages is a
long paper.” On the subject of the Kokoro
paper, I recall one student stating a few
days before the due date that because the
novel did not interest him he had refused
to even open it. I could only wonder if he
was hoping that the little paperback would
suddenly do something miraculous in
order to warrant his attention and save his
grade. Ironically, he otherwise seemed like
one of the better students.
Yet another stark difference between
attitudes toward education actually
appeared after returning from Japan.
Having been forced to go home almost
a full month ahead of schedule, the
program having been canceled due to
fears of lawsuits resulting from the Sendai
earthquake (500 miles from JCMU), I lost
not only a large portion of my last study
abroad semester, but also the chance to
experience a home-stay with a local family.
In response to their decision to abruptly
end the program, the JCMU staff in
Michigan stressed how they would work
to make sure that all of us would receive
enough credits to be full-time students
and graduate on time. I currently have
well over the number of credits needed to
graduate, with or without my last semester
at JCMU. My purpose for studying
abroad was to learn the language and
experience the culture with my home-stay.
Nevertheless, completely unaddressed in
the attempts of the staff to ameliorate our
concerns over the program ending early,
was the actual subject of our education:
the lost month of intensive Japanese
language instruction.
paper cranes. In the past few weeks, over
10,000 lives were lost. To represent that
many people, every crane would have to
represent at least ten individuals. Sure
we throw a dollar into a jar, do some
origami, and the good deed for the week
is done. But the disaster doesn’t go away
as soon as you fold up the paper.
While many articles are written for
the newspaper to entertain and be fun,
following the facts of Japan has left a
moment to simply show reality of what
is outside our campus. The Tsunami
that rattled Japan came up to the front
door of America, and its waves literally
touched our shores. As you return to
school for the final six weeks of term,
remember how much is still going on,
and keep the impacted lives in your
thoughts. It is a big world, but we are all
connected, and need to take some time
to remember that.
Statistics From: Scientific America, and
Earthquake-Report.com
* As of March 27, 2011
by BEKI HUNTER
Furthermore, to sum up the words
of one JCMU student in her defense of
the institution’s refusal to compensate us
for the costs of rescheduling flights and
the last canceled month of our program,
“Michigan State, as an institution, is a
business that exists to make money, so of
course they won’t refund us.” I can hardly
say that this is the view of institutions
of higher education that I have been
raised with, but having experienced the
attitudes of the staff and students at
JCMU, I think I might have something of
an understanding. Clearly, you are getting
what you pay for if what you pay for is
credits and not an education.
NEWS/OPINION
American Hegemony in Flux
THE COYOTE
by JOHN HEINEMANN
Our involvement in Libya shows how 9/11 changed everything
In 2002, Morocco and Spain almost
fought a war. The Moroccans landed on
a little island with nothing but goats and
parsley 200 yards off their coast. It had
traditionally belonged to Spain. Morocco
took the Spanish flag down, flew a
Moroccan flag instead and headed back to
shore. Shortly afterwards, Spain returned
and replaced the flag. Again, Morocco
replaced the flag. Now Spain was pissed
off. The Spanish Navy sent five frigates
and a submarine to fly two Spanish flags
and station men on the island.
Enter: the United States. Colin
Powell gets a phone call on a Saturday
morning explaining the situation. He
tells the Pentagon that he can’t fly to
the Mediterranean. His grandbabies
are coming over to swim in a few
hours. So what does he do instead? He
writes a treaty, SIGNS IT FOR BOTH
NATIONS, and then faxes it to their
respective embassies. How does the
international community respond? He is
hailed as a hero around the world.
I told you that story, so I could tell you
this one: our involvement in Libya is not
that big of a deal. Congress spends more
on office supplies than we are spending
in Libya right now. We’re providing a
little nudge to try and get rid of a guy
we don’t like. Big deal. We’ve done that
since Woodrow Wilson sent troops down
to Mexico to nab Pancho Villa in 1916.
That’s almost 100 years ago. That’s before
both World Wars, the Cold War, Vietnam,
Korea, the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
But those last two are the ones that
matter. I can’t speak for the entire campus,
but I know my first thoughts, when I
heard that the USA was fighting in Libya,
were, “not another war.” As it turns
out, we aren’t really fighting a war. We’re
helping rebels fight a war.
The basic gist of what we’re doing
in Northern Africa is attacking any of
Qaddafi’s forces that look like they’re
about to attack civilians (and wouldn’t
you know it, the rebels count as civilians.)
So far, we’ve destroyed scores of Libyan
armor and anti-aircraft emplacements,
turning the tides. The dictator has recently
reached out with promises of major
governmental reforms.
But this isn’t enough for the rebels.
After all, they’ve heard hollow promises
from him before. Furthermore, the
dictator’s forces show signs of cracking.
Qaddafi is fighting with mercenaries—
mercenaries that are paid to fight, but not
to the death. As soon as Western forces
enter the picture, their resolve immediately
weakens. I mean, we’re using cargo planes
with artillery canons stuffed in the side of
them. Don’t tell me you want to fight that
thing with an AK-47.
To summarize, we’re fighting the bad
guys (reports have been filtering out that
Qaddafi’s forces are gang raping women
to punish opposition, he has snipers
picking off civilians on a daily basis, and
at one point, it looked like he was going
to gas a city the size of Charlotte, NC.)
The good guys want us there (even the
most radical Imams are now welcoming
foreign assistance to protect civilians) and
we aren’t actually landing any soldiers. So
what’s the problem?
Oh, right. We don’t want this to be
another Iraq. We’ve been bombarded with
stories of Marines killing Iraqi civilians
for sport and images of Guantanamo Bay
for so long that we’ve come to believe
that the Pentagon can’t do anything that
isn’t secretly evil. So what if we wouldn’t
be going into Libya if they didn’t have
oil? Welcome to international politics.
We aren’t going in because of oil. We’re
stopping the murder of civilians.
The Coyote Muffin
Waking up in the morning is more
exciting than one would think at The
College of Idaho. Along with the sounds
of numerous birds chirping and squirrels
rummaging about through campus is also
the time of the greatest breakfast anyone,
let alone a poor student who survives
on Mountain Dew and McDonald’s
McChickens, can imagine. And although
the food service provided by Bon Appetit
is not much to get excited about, there
is one great thing they offer that has no
parallel; that is the Coyote Muffin. Filled
with trans-fats, calories, among other
nutrients deemed unhealthy by the FDA,
there is nothing better to start a fresh new
day of intellectually stimulating activity
here at the college. An English muffin
toasted to perfection begin this orgasmic
journey, followed by a steaming patty of
sausage whose smell would even make
a Jew’s nostrils curl towards non-kosher
bewilderment.
But our cynical, post-9/11 minds
insists that there’s an ulterior motive. Why
do you think the Bourne Trilogy did so
well in the years following 9/11? After
Blackwater, extraordinary rendition where
we sent our prisoners to be tortured by
our allies, and CIA blackout sites where we
tortured them ourselves, we have gotten
so paranoid of our foreign policy that
we are prepared to accept the worst. But
America doesn’t always intend the worst.
Sometimes we have legitimate motives.
If the goal of a terrorist is to cause
terror, maybe the terrorists really did win,
but not in the way that anyone thought
they might. After seeing our darker side,
we are terrified of it.
by ZACH KLINE
Next is the greasy fried egg sheltered
by a canopy of gooey-orange petroleum,
also known as American cheese. Topped
off with the second half of English
muffin and this masterpiece is ready to
pile into your face. Each morning, two of
these Coyote muffins go into my frontal
orifice, empowering my daily activity. If
you have never experienced this food of
the gods’, you are definitely a virgin to the
most gracious of culinary arts.
7
THE COYOTE
NEWS
Where is Libya, Why are we at War, and Who
the Hell is Gaddafi?!
by DANIELLE BLENKER
With Japan threatening us all with
nuclear poisoning, our own country’s
capital tearing itself apart in Republicans
vs. Democrats WWIII, Egypt practically
being evacuated, as well as our own
recession worries of unemployment,
repossession, and an unwillingness to get
out of college to dive into the nightmare
of the real world, the truth of the events
occurring in Libya have become confusing.
I know that I am not the only one feeling a
little lost, wondering why the United States
is even in Libya right now. Countries have
civil wars and uprisings all the time— why
is this any different? Why are we involved?
Here are at least a few answers to some of
the biggest questions:
The Basic Facts:
Libya is the fourth largest country in
Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
Egypt, and Sudan. Currently there are two
political powers claiming to be in charge:
Muammar Gaddafi, who calls Libya, “the
Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya” and the Transitional National
Council, who refers to it as the “Libyan
Republic.”
Are we at war with Libya?
Well, if we aren’t, you could sure fool
me. In a new strike meant to annihilate
Libya’s air and missile defense system,
8
“Operation Odyssey Dawn” (really?)
has cost the United States $83,160,000.
While so far, many have called the
war on Libya (specifically on Gaddafi)
an “unofficial war,” others are not so
sure. Over the years, the term war has
become complex. After all, most of us
have grown up hearing about a war on
terrorism—fighting against an intangible
force. Because the United States has gone
into Libya, supposedly not for the sake
of overthrowing the Libyan government,
but for defending civilians, it appears that
the United States is merely stepping in to
be the big protector once more. However,
launching 110 missiles and Obama saying
Gaddafi “must go” makes the line a
little blurry. If you want to get particular
about it, no, the United States is not at
war. Congress has not declared war. But
Congress hasn’t declared war since WWII
so you can take that for what it’s worth.
Why is Libya wrapped up in a war
anyway and who’s fighting?
Shortly after Egypt’s uprising, civil
war in Libya began. More than anything,
the rebellion is being called disorganized.
No one is listening to one another on
the rebel side because everyone is so
unsure of which leaders can be trusted.
“Depending on whom you ask, it could be
any of the three generals.” These rebels
are calling for a new government with
the complete removal of, in their eyes,
a highly tyrannous Gaddafi. Loyalists
claim that the rebels are radical. Indeed,
facts are hard to come by when the past
has shown Gaddafi as actually being a
supporter of Democracy (exemplified
by his “Gaddafi Prize for International
Human Rights, Peace, and Freedom,”
which has given money to leaders such
as Nelson Mandela). If one were to ask
Gaddafi himself, he’d probably repeat
what he said on a satellite chat with
Columbia University in New York, “There
is no state with a Democracy except
Libya on the whole planet.” According
to Gaddafi, it’s the United States and
other western countries that have their
policies backwards. In the end, much of
it comes down to a lot of pointing fingers
and picking what side of the media and
propaganda to trust. Some say the United
States is just in Libya hoping to get some
cheap oil. Others claim the United States
is doing the right thing by helping to get
rid of a cruel man in power and freeing
the people who have been suffering under
his rule.
Okay, maybe Libya does need help…
but why is the United States involved?
In the words of Jon Stewart, “Aren’t we
out of money?”
Yes. Yes, we are out of money.
However, as with all past presidents, the
people have put President Obama in a
“damned if you do, damned if you don’t”
position. Criticized as a “Spectator in
Chief ” and faced with remarks such as
that by Senator Lindsey Graham who
said Obama acts as if “leading the free
world is an inconvenience,” while at the
same time losing supporters who thought
Obama would have had the United States
withdrawn from all current wars long
ago, it seems Obama can’t catch a break
no matter what he does. As it stands,
the United States seems to have taken
a hesitant stand in the lead, hovering
with one foot in and one foot out. Even
with the attack already launched by the
United States, for the most part, American
forces have held back with France leading
NATO in the war on Libya. So far, it
looks as if the United States may even be
collaborating with foreign countries, letting
them have a shot at becoming the world’s
defenders instead of charging ahead and
shooting off our weaponry before we even
know what we’re fighting. It looks as if we
may have actually elected ourselves a levelheaded leader.
Whether or not the U.S. is at war, and
regardless of who is in the wrong and who
is in the right, there is one conclusion that
can be brought from this history-in-themaking: Revolutions do not come easy,
and the years between the United States’
victory in the War for Independence, and
now, are huge. As Arab countries seek a
future of innumerable differences from
their present governments, they have also
brought with them a new way of waging
war. It is important to be patient and to
see both sides of the coin. There is not
always a right answer, and war isn’t like a
video game where the good guys and bad
guys can be easily distinguished. Right now
we don’t even know if war is the game
we’re playing.
NEWS
THE COYOTE
Coyote News Blurb
Significant and Insignificant Tidbits of Happenings Beyond Campus
by LORRAINE BARRERAS
// Advertising // Billboard Homes: Signs of the Times
Mobile advertising company Adzookie is paying
mortgages for homeowners willing to turn their house
into giant ads, and receives nearly 3,000 applications a day.
● MSN News● April 7, 2011 ● Online
// Science // The Farm of the Future
Scientists have found ideal growth conditions in a sunless,
rainless indoor room, where pink glow encourages a
growth rate that is said to be three times that of plants in
a typical green-house.
● Associated Press ● April 11, 2011 ● Online
// Sports // Kronum: Spawn of Basketball/Quidditch/
Soccer
Four nets, four zones, 20 players and a circular field.
Kronum is a brand new sport from that is growing in
popularity since it was created a year ago by a group of
Philadelphians.
● Wired Magazine ● April 11, 2011 ● Online
// Mix-Ups // Toddler Served Margarita Mix Instead
of Apple Juice
After a mix up in an Applebee’s restaurant, a 15-month
old child was accidentally served alcohol, while his underage parents drank smoothies.
● CNN News ● April 11th, 2011 ● Online
// Science // Studying ‘Short Sleepers’
About 1 in 100 individuals is a short sleeper, needing
only a few hours of sleep a night, and studies show a
philological and psychological link between this trait
brings new information to sleep studies.
● The Wall Street Journal ● April 7, 2011 ● Online
// Weather // Storms Run Rampage Across Midwest
Twisters hit Iowa, lightning strikes a dog show, and
baseball sized hail rains down as a massive storm front
sweeps across the nation.
● Yahoo News/ABC News ● April 10, 2011 ● Online
// Sports // Fan Throws Salmon Into Hockey Rink
Sports fans projectile choices expanded April 8, as a
dead salmon was thrown during a game, creeping out the
referee.
● Yahoo News ● Online
// Travel // Texas Has The Need For Speed
The Lone Star state makes a move to raise the speed limit
to 85 mph on some highways, the fastest speed limit in
the nation.
● Yahoo News/ABC News ● April 8, 2011 ● Online
// Court // No Parole Until After My Snack
Studies show that Judges are more likely to grant parole
if a court case after they have just taken a break, proving
even judges are subject to the same whims and lapses in
judgeship as the everyday person.
● Wired Magazine ● Online
// Food // Cafeteria Food...or No Food
A Chicago school puts up a fight for nutrition by banning
homemade lunches.
● Yahoo News ● April 11, 2011 ● Online
// Animal World // Don’t Talk Back to a Police Dog
A man is charged with misdemeanor for allegedly barking
at a police dog, even though he claims that the dog
‘started it’.
● NBC News ● April 7, 2011 ● Online
Quote for the Issue:
“According to the laws of aerodynamics, the bumblebee can’t fly either, but the
bumblebee doesn’t know anything about the laws of aerodynamics, so it goes ahead
and flies anyway.”
- Igor Sikorsky, ‘Father’ of the Helicopter
9
Coming to Fruition
SPORTS
Softball: Don’t you love it when you
make a prediction and it later comes
true? Who doesn’t right? This writer
in particular is thrilled with his own
foresight. During the non-conference
preview edition of the Coyote, I told our
devoted readers that the Lady Yotes
would need a strong presence in the
pitching circle. Furthermore, that the
freshman Nickayla Skinner would need
to help provide that presence—and she
has done just that. Skinner continued
her dominance this season by tossing
the sixth no-hitter in College of Idaho
history. It was a performance the team
desperately needed since C of I could only
manage one run; they defeated Southern
Oregon University 1-0. Skinner was so
focused on the job at hand that she failed
to realize a no-hitter had been on the
line until after the game was over. The
victory brought Skinner’s win total to nine
for the year. Not only can she bring the
heat pitching, but the Mountain Home
product has also proven to be one of the
club’s most reliable hitters. Batting cleanup, Skinner leads the team in average
(.419), hits (26), and total bases (40). Last
issue, I discussed how being able to win
the close ballgame would be a crucial
Hot Dame
Baseball: The Coyotes extended their
win streak to 12 as they beat Lewis-Clark
State University for just the second time
in their last 41 meetings. It was the first
game of a four game set at Harris Field.
The College of Idaho was led by senior
pitcher Mitch Dame. The southpaw retired
18 of the last 19 batters he faced en route
to his fifth victory of the year and second
complete game. Dame is looking more and
more like an ace, currently posting a 5-0
record with a microscopic 1.02 ERA in
44 innings (team high). The transfer from
George Fox University held Lewis-Clark
State to a season low five hits. Adding
to their woes, the Warriors committed a
season high six errors during the game.
Fortunately, for #4 ranked Lewis-Clark
there were three games left to play in the
series, and they would win them all to
take the series from C of I. In game two
of the series, the Coyotes jumped out to
an early lead after a solo home run by
Isaac Garsez and an RBI single by Jordan
Lanman. However, the Warriors tacked
on three runs in the bottom of the fifth
THE COYOTE
by JEFF KEAN
indicator of how well this team will do
in the postseason. With the win against
Southern, it marked the seventh time this
season that the Lady Yotes have won in
their final at-bat (good enough for half
of their total wins thus far this season).
My predictions don’t always work out (see
my March Madness bracket for proof),
but it’s nice to brag a little when they do.
Readers wishing to catch Skinner and
the rest of the girls play at Symms Field
will have to make plans for April 4 or 23,
since these are the only remaining home
doubleheaders scheduled for The College
of Idaho.
by JEFF KEAN
and again in the sixth to put the game out
of reach, winning by a final of 8-3. In the
remaining two games, Lewis-Clark State
jumped out to early leads and never looked
back, winning in commanding fashion
7-1 and 12-3. These two teams will meet
again during the final weekend in April for
another four game bill and will serve as
the final tune up before the NAIA West
conference tournament. As for the near
future, The College of Idaho will head to
Salem, Oregon to play another Warriors
squad—that of Corban University.
Track & Field
by JASON HUNT
The track and field team is in the heat of their competitive season. With three races left before Conference
Championships, the Yotes are well underway to ranking both in the Cascade Conference and Nationally
in the NAIA. The most recent race (John Knight Twilight hosted by Western Oregon University) allowed
for six College of Idaho runners to notch a National Provisional. On the distance team: Kristine Smith,
Andrew Hugill and Jason Hunt hit the “B” standard along with Paul Sartin hitting the “A” standard in the
10k. Dominic Bolin, of middle distance, shattered his personal record in the 1,500 meters hitting the “A”
standard and obtaining an automatic ticket to Indiana where nationals will be held. Sora Klopfenstein is
currently ranked 8th for the fastest time in the steeplechase, and has also won herself a spot on the national’s
team. With three races left, the chance for other fellow Yotes to qualify in both Conference and Nationals are
extremely high, and hold a lot of promise for the talented athletes that make up the track and field team.
10
FEATURE
by JEFF KEAN
What is Derby Days?
Unless you’re a freshman you’ve
probably seen or heard about that one
week during spring term where the Sigma
Chi’s get chased all over campus. You’ve
also probably wondered “What the hell are
they doing?” This year during the week of
April 18-23 the gentlemen of Sigma Chi
will be holding their annual Derby Days
philanthropy event. This charity experience
pits together the sororities on campus for
numerous weeklong competitions.
The most notable of these is
undoubtedly the derby chase. Every day
of the week, each brother in the fraternity
starts the morning off by wearing a
black derby hat (also known as a bowler
hat). The objective is to keep the hat
throughout the day without a sorority
member touching it. Once the derby is
touched by a competitor it then belongs to
their respective sorority. The more derbies
collected, the more points earned. Sounds
simple enough right? Try getting to class
with nearly 100 women waiting on your
every move.
In recent years, the competing
sororities have pulled out all the tricks.
They know the schedules of all the Sigma
Chi’s, where they live, and they will even
skip class to wait outside buildings and
nab poor, unsuspecting Sigs. They hunt
It’s that time of year again, when all
of those crazy Greeks put on a week of
entertainment for the school. One of my
favorite events that is put on during Greek
Week is Mr. CASAnova. You are probably
thinking, Duh! You’re a Theta; you have to love
it. However, I think there is something for
everyone to love about Mr. CASAnova.
When eight men are competing for a title,
there are bound to be some freaky and
outrageous moments that happen. With
Berger dancing with Nate Hampel in a
Speedo, Alex Penrod dancing to “Call on
Me”, and Jude Penaflor tap dancing, no C
of I student should miss this!
Fun fact if you didn’t know: Sororities
don’t just paint there nails and have
pillow fights, and fraternities don’t just
throw massive parities; we all have an
organization we support. The Sigma Chis
support Huntsman Cancer Institute,
The Kappa’s support the Jeanie Hoover
THE COYOTE
in packs, and they strike quickly. If a
brother actually manages to get inside
of a building, then he is considered safe.
However, imagine attempting to escape
from a building like Strahorn surrounded
by groups of Gamma Phis, Thetas,
KKGs, and Sig Eps, without losing
your derby. Needless to say, the hats are
captured fairly quickly.
The Derby Chase is the most visible
event during the week, but as I alluded to
earlier, there are several other prominent
contests. These contests range from
body bowling, to tug-o-war, to scavenger
hunts, and even full blown lip sync
performances. This is all well and dandy,
but how does Sigma Chi actually raise
money? There are two money making
events known as Penny Wars and the
Date Auction. Most of you have probably
participated in a coin drive at some point
in your life (definitely if you took part
in Pi Day). The sororities each receive a
bucket to put change into. Pennies count
as positive points, while anything else
counts as negative points. In the past,
the ladies have waited right up until the
deadline to disperse their coins—dropping
boxes of pennies into their own bucket,
while placing zip lock bags full of quarters
and bills in their competitors’ buckets.
The other event that raises money is
the Date Auction. After the ladies have
finished their lip sync routines, the judges
will have an intense deliberation period.
During this time, all the brothers will be
sold auction style to the highest bidder. To
avoid a possibly awkward solo date, the
outings are arranged in two big groups.
Last year one group date consisted of
dinner and a movie, while the other
auction winners were taken for a round of
cosmic mini-golf followed by ice cream.
Buyers will be told ahead of time which
date they will be taken on should they be
the highest bidder.
After all is said and done, the sorority
Mr. CASAnova
Foundation, KKGs support Reading Is
Fundamental, the Delts support Adopt
a School, and the Gammi Phis support
Campfire USA. Every fraternity and
sorority puts on an event to raise money for
their specific philanthropy.
In 1989, Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity
adopted National CASA (Court Appointed
Special Advocates) as its national
philanthropy. CASA volunteers are trained
community volunteers who speak on
behalf of abused and neglected children in
court. CASA volunteers research the child’s
background details to help the court make a
sound decision about the child’s future.
The Eta Eta Chaper of Kappa Alpha
Theta has been putting on Mr. Casanova
now for ten years, where we support
CASA’s third district, which is right here
in Caldwell. We are currently the largest
with the most points at the end of the
week wins $200 for the charity of their
choosing, while the rest of the money
raised goes to the Children’s Miracle
Network (CMN)—one of the two main
charities supported by Sigma Chi. Last
year, exactly $1,100 was raised for the
CMN hospital at St. Luke’s Meridian.
Those of you who attended Miss C of
I, which was also put on by Sigma Chi,
helped raise funds to aid their other
philanthropy—the Huntsman Cancer
Institute. The next time you see someone
franticly sprinting from a group of 5-10
girls, meanwhile wearing a goofy hat, just
know that it is all for charity.
by ASHLEY NEHER
supporters of them and we donate around
$1,300 every year. This is only possible by
the support of local business around Boise,
Nampa, and Caldwell that donate monetary
donations and gives us prizes for our raffle.
But the biggest supporters of this event
is YOU…yes, you, our CofI students.
Without you coming to laugh, scream,
and rave about our eight men on stage
we would never be able to raise this much
money for CASA.
Don’t miss out on this year’s
MR.CASAnova being held in Jewett on
Wednesday April 27!! This year our theme is
Super Casanova and the contestants will be
judged on swimsuit attire, talent, superhero
costume, and a question and answer
segment. Doors open at 7:00pm and the
show starts at 7:30pm. It is $3 to get in and
$1 for a raffle ticket or $5 for 6. We look
forward to seeing all of our fellow Yotes in
Jewett!!
11
THE COYOTE
FEATURE
Reinaldo
Alexander
Gil
My name is Reinaldo Alexander Gil. I am an international art
student from Caracas, Venezuela at the C of I. Since I was a child,
I have been fascinated with drawing and art in general. Right now,
I am enrolled in the art program in the college, and I am planning
to have a minor in psychology and French, as well. Hopefully,
after I graduate I will be able to combine all these three trends
of knowledge in order to develop children’s book illustrations.
My desire is to use color and art perspectives to create new tools
for children education. I can describe my art as very political and
surrealism, always trying to provoke people’s reflection about
current issues that are affecting them directly in the society.
12
THE COYOTE
FEATURE
Chelsea
Larsen
13
THE COYOTE
FEATURE
May The Fourth Be With You
Senior Art Exhibition will be on display in the Rosenthal Gallery on May 4, 4:30pm to whenever people stop showing up
seems so mysterious
and so esoteric, it’s
damn near impossible
to understand. But
that’s not always the
goal. Art is a viseral
reaction. Something to
be felt. There are 16
artists featured in the
Senior Exhibition this
year. And they have all
been working hard at
creating art to make
you feel something.
This is the largest
in over 16 years. For
many students this is
the culmination of
four years hard work
and the first time
their art will ever be
featured in a gallery
setting. Projects
range from paintings
to ceramics. This
year’s show is titled
equipoise. Many of
the artists have chosen
to struggle with
This year’s Senior Art
Exhibition is being held in the
Rosenthal Gallery of art situated
in Blatchley Hall. It’s going down
on a Wednesday, May the fourth,
from 4:30 p.m. to whenever!
What is art? How do you make
it and how do you decide what’s
“good art” and what’s not? Who
cares? That’s the beauty of it.
There’s art that’s made by giving
oneself an ink enema and blasting
it out onto a blank canvas. There’s
art that’s just a blank canvas.
We’re all familiar with Rothko’s
color fields whether we know it
or not (think large fuzzy squares
of color stacked on other fuzzy
squares of color.) Sometimes art
14
by HANNE SHARKEY
themes that deal with balance, the balance
between beauty and ugliness, movement
and tranquility, life and death, organic and
inorganic.
The artists that will be featured this
year include Mark Thacker, who will
be displaying ceramic vessels; Melisa
Crawford will be showing oil paintings.
Megan Kemper is doing a series of
portraits featuring handmade jewelry.
Briana Evans has been making body casts
and will be arranging them in interesting
ways to evoke the human figure. Dawn
Hogue is working on several interactive
pieces. Amber Ahmed is painting on
doors. Kinga Britschgi is working with
graphic design and Lauryn Medeiros
will be representing the time she spent
studying in glascow with illustrations.
Sarah Harris is exploring the idea of
momentum through her drawings. Nicole
Bruce is painting on family portraits.
Gabrielle Gould is building a papier
mache installation, Kristyn Neville is
drawing pictures that rework traditional
fairy tales.Patrick Precht is working on
paintings of famous rock stars, Rhonda
Sheen is using printmaking to create
a series of winged insect images, such
as butterflies and bumblebees. Hanne
Sharkey has been tracing her outline and
using her body to make a print inside.
This year is a fine year for the visual
arts at The College of Idaho. Besides
an incredibly talented group of seniors
putting on an amazing show, the
commencement speaker at graduation
will be Matthew Barney, an internationally
know performance artist (and Bjork’s
husband). He has requested that while
he is here he view the senior show. This
means that a crazy famous artist will
be seeing the art that your classmates
worked so hard to make. What an amazing
opportunity. Don’t miss a show that
Matthew Barney wouldn’t miss!
Without a doubt, it’s going to be one
of the greatest senior exhibitions in the
history of the college. Come out and
support your fellow students and the art
department. There’s an incredible amount
of talent in this years group and it would
be a shame to miss it. Not to mention,
there’ll be free food and wine!
FEATURE
Some Parting Words from Professor Denny Clark
THE COYOTE
Q&A by VICENTE ARANGUIZ
Dr. Clark will be retiring at
the end of this year after being
with The College of Idaho for
22 years.
We hear that you will be retiring soon, what
Have you ever had an epiphany teaching one of your religious courses?
will you do with all your free time?
Apart from those occasions (multiple, unfortunately!) when I’ve discovered my fly had been open
My number one priority will be writing. I spent my last
through an entire hour-and-a-half class—no big deal there, so to speak!—most of my epiphanies
sabbatical (the 2009-10 academic year) working on a
have occurred outside the classroom, when reading certain student papers or Moodle postings in
book dealing with the use of the Qur’an as a resource for which they’re wrestling both with texts and with themselves, and they help me see connections
Christian theology, and my immediate task (and joy) upon and possibilities I’d never seen before. That’s a frequent experience, and what makes teaching so
retirement will be to complete that and get it published— thoroughly enjoyable.
Professor of Philosophy and Religion
and then move on down my list of other writing projects I
want to tackle. I’ll be taking Arabic courses all next year, What advice or message of hope would you tell students at the college that are B.A., Aurora University
M. Div., Th.M., Lutheran School of
I’ll be getting involved in inter-religious dialogue activities struggling?
Theology at Chicago
in both Georgia and Alabama (where I’ll be living), and If they’re struggling, they’re doing what they’re supposed to do—and I hope they never stop. My
concern, rather, is with those who are so smugly comfortable with their “answers.” It’s scary to let go Ph.D., Iliff School of Theology &
on many Sunday mornings, I’ll be participating in an
of those because they’re afraid they’ll be left with absolutely nothing. I know—I’ve been there, done University of Denver.
adult Sunday School class taught by former President
Jimmy Carter in Plains, Georgia (just as my wife Toni is that. But in letting go of those “answers,” they open themselves to something so much greater, so much
more powerful, so much more valuable, so much more functional. I’ve been there, done that, too—and it’s been worth it.
already doing most Sundays).
How did teaching theology become your calling?
What still boggles your mind theologically in this day and age?
I was a Lutheran pastor for a number of years, and I found that my greatest interests, pleasures, and
Pretty much everything, but especially how amazing the “ordinariness” of life is! Theology is not in the
abilities were in the teaching aspects of ministry. I therefore went back to grad school and picked up
business of providing “explanations of the unexplainable,” as a lot of people (most??) wrongly assume.
a couple more degrees in the hopes I could teach full time, preferably in a small liberal arts college. It
Theology is about paying attention to the experience of value, meaning, and purpose—the experience of
was in that setting where I thought I could make the greatest difference. I think churches, overall, do an
What Matters Most (WMM), as my students are accustomed to hear me say—an experience that most
absolutely horrible job of education at every level—children, youth, and adults. The biggest problem
people have in some way, shape or form, including those who are most thoroughly secularist and who
is that they tend not to encourage questioning, exploration, or the sheer delight of wonder; instead, they
would self-describe themselves as ‘atheist’ or ‘agnostic’. The content of this most ordinary experience
often flatten everything out into a set of controlled, canned “answers” and “explanations”—most of
can vary immensely, and it gets talked about in diverse ways, yet it also has broad overlaps among
which fail to express the depth and dynamism of their own religious tradition, and which poorly equip
people, making community and conversation both possible and essential. That experience of WMM
people to live compassionately, justly, humbly, and meaningfully in a pluralistic world. My “calling” has
is at the heart of a liberal arts education, and is why so many of us—from varied perspectives—
been to help people encounter what they’ve ignored, and to let that gnaw at them until they’re finally able
consider The College of Idaho a “sacred space.” The experience of WMM is what enables people
to let go of their “answers,” and at last to experience what their “answers” were pointing them toward,
to keep functioning in the midst of all the transitions and transitoriness of life—illness, break-ups,
yet simultaneously shielding them from. I’m deeply grateful to The College of Idaho, my students, and
disappointments, violence, rejections, boredom, loss, embarrassment and, yes, even retirement. That
my colleagues for having given me the opportunity to do what I love for the past 22 years.
boggles my mind. May the boggling continue!
Greek Week!
It’s that time of year again. It might be
slightly warmer than it was a few weeks
ago. That means multiple things. Firstly,
that might mean shorts, if the sun stays
out for more than 10 minutes at a time.
Secondly, that means a lot of activity
coming from the Greek community. This
means Greek Week. Usually, this week
long festival centralized around some of
the events that have come to be ingrained
in our campus culture.
For Greeks, this week is a time not
just for each individual chapter to shine
in its own capacities, but also a time for
each chapter to cross over each other’s
borders even more than usual. This is for
the rest of the campus, it’s another chance
to break out of routine and enjoy some
campus programming.
Just like each Greek organization, each
event has its own specific flavor. For the
Gamma Phis and Thetas, this week is
used to host their biggest philanthropy
events of the year. The annual Nintendo
tournament and Mr. CASAnova contest
have been two standing occasions
that are both fun and given towards
some awesome charities. For other
organizations, it means just a good time
to relax. It’s supposed to be spring, right?
This year the Delts will be holding a
Chicken N’ Waffle Feed, the K-Sigs will
be doing “Cap a Sig,” where for a small
fee, one can bag their own Kappa with a
paintball gun, the Kappa Kappa Gammas
are running a cakewalk, and the Sigma
Epsilons are hosting a tie-dying party.
All of the events are capped off with
easily the largest event that Greeks host
each year: Spring Formal. Each year,
Greek Council is set with the task of
planning and managing the event. This
year the Boise Train Depot has been
chosen as the venue. In addition to the
dance for Spring Formal, hotel rooms at
the Grove Hotel in Boise will be available
through reservation at $75 for the evening,
but only for C of I students. For students
April 25 through the 29
by ANDREW MOORE
over 21 there will be a bar available.
This may also be the last time that Greek Week will be held in the spring. Currently,
there are notions in Greek Council to pass the week into the fall, in order to engage the
campus earlier in the year and to ease the stress on organizations during spring events.
Complete Schedule
Monday 25
Gamma Phi Beta Nintendo Tournament 6:00PM to 11:00PM McCain Pub
Donations benefiting Campfire USA are encouraged.
Tuesday 26
Sigma Epsilon T-Shirt Tie-dying 1:30PM Amphitheater (weather permitting, McCain
Pub as alternate)
Wednesday 27
Kappa Kappa Gamma Cakewalk 4:00PM Boone Steps
Kappa Alpha Theta Mr. CASAnova 7:30PM Jewett Auditorium
Thursday 28
Delta Tau Delta Chicken N’ Waffle Feed 11:30AM to 1:00PM Amphitheater
Kappa Sigma “Cap a Sig” 4:00PM Quadrangle
Friday 29
SPRING FORMAL!
Buses leave at 8 PM. Leaving from McCain: one at 8, and another at 9, traveling to the
Boise Depot. Buses will also be shuttling students downtown throughout the night to the
hotel.
15
FEATURE
Kyle Abrahamson (’81), New Maintenance and
Operations Director Has Old Ties to CofI
THE COYOTE
by ANDREW MOORE
Kyle Abrahamson is an icon of the
standard for the college’s claim in creating
lasting community. Abrahamson is the new
director of Maintenance and Operations
here on campus, and is an alumni who’s
kept the college in mind even through his
sojourns before returning to Caldwell.
Abrahamson studied Business
Marketing and Economics while attending
the school. He was drawn to the college
on a scholarship for the ill-fated football
program. As a freshman in 1977, Kyle
played during the last fall that The College
of Idaho had a football program. With the
football program and other sports being
cut, Kyle remembered the population of
students being cut in half. This magnified
the qualities of social proximity that our
school has naturally. For Abrahamson it
was especially easy to say that he knew
everyone on campus when the count of
students was around 400.
Kyle lived on the second floor
of Hayman all four years during his
education. It was during his college
career that the Kappa Sigma chapter was
founded at C of I. It’s rare that a chapter
in its infancy has a chapter house to call its
own, and so for the new chapter, most of
the initial members were concentrated on
the second floor of Hayman. Abrahmson
was among these first few Kappas,
initiating in one of the first pledge classes.
The friendships that Abrahamson
formed during his four years here were
a major draw for him even as he worked
across Nevada and Caldwell in various
lines of construction and engineering.
Working for Maintenance and Ops
was a prime job for Abrahamson. “I’m a
mountain kid at heart,” Kyle said. “Idaho
is my home.”
As director of Maintenance and Ops,
Kyle has many projects in mind for
improving the college. The highest on
this list is increasing sustainability and
efficiency across the campus in every
category. Abrahamson is interested
in cutting costs where he can, and
maximizing the resources that are already
at the college’s disposal.
One of these resources that Kyle has
been focusing on is the water
systems used by the college.
The college has access to three
sources of water. The first is
domestic water. This water is
used in dorms and other college
buildings for drinking water,
cooking, and bathroom facilities.
The demand for this source will
not likely decrease, so in terms
of maximizing resources, the
precedent is already in place. The second
source is pressure class water, which
is supplied by Canyon County and is
required to be used by the school. The
third source available is sprung from a well
that is replenished each year by rainwater.
Abrahamson’s goal is to shift most of the
college’s waterworks that are using wellwater over to pressure water to ensure that
the source of water that is maintained by
the college is not depleted.
Another example that Abrahmson
spoke of was the implementation of more
efficient lighting across the campus. New
New ASCI President: Amanda Frickle
After a tough week of campaigning and
speech-giving, the new ASCI President
was selected by the students of C of I.
Congratulations, Amanda Frickle! Even
though this was her first time running for
Executive Council, Amanda maintained
a level-headed and strong platform. For
those of you who missed the campaign
and speeches, here is a quick overview of
Amanda’s platform:
Amanda wants to “ensure that
student government is in constant
communication with student body through
weekly getinvolved e-mails, an updated
and accessible blog, and regular caf
surveys.” Amanda plans on having very
good communication with the student
body. One of her first bits of action as
ASCI President will be to facilitate more
communication between different bodies
of student leadership, such as senators,
club presidents, and ResLife directors.
Amanda has big goals of a very involved
student government: they won’t be cooped
16
up in the EC office in McCain next year—
they will be out interacting at sporting
events and other campus activities.
Amanda wants to hear all of the
students’ voices and opinions. She will
listen to our ideas of how student money
should be spent; Amanda believes that
“projects financed by student government
surpluses should be approved by the
students themselves”—it is not exclusively
up to Executive Council and Senate. She
also wants to “reduce EC’s budget so
that more money is made accessible to
students.” Amanda wants to make the
students’ opinions effectively heard by the
administration by informing the student
body of administrative changes through
petitions and forums and representing these
opinions to C of I President Marv Henberg.
As president, Amanda wants to create
a very cohesive campus community by
“increasing representation in student
government for groups that are traditionally
underrepresented and yet comprise
large demographics of the student
body.” Amanda put a lot of emphasis on
integration between committees from all
areas of interest on campus and Executive
Council during her campaign. Cooperation is
the first thing Amanda wants to encourage.
She hopes to bring a lot of unity to the
campus; as she said in her speech: “Our
student body is unique in the sense that
despite our differences I have seen our
campus rally together time and time again.
As your president, I will continuously strive
to strengthen this sense of community,
while working to celebrate the unique
personalities, experiences and talents that
our students possess.”
Amanda said, “one of the first things
that [she] would like to see changed on
campus is a revamping of the Whelp
Program to ensure that mentors are held
accountable and that incoming freshmen are
immediately welcomed into the larger fold
of campus.” She hopes that older students
can aid freshmen in assimilation to college
upgrades represent a sufficient investment
sustainable technology. All the while,
Abrahamson wishes to continue evaluating
the buildings on campus for improvement.
Amusingly, and perhaps not surprisingly,
Strahorn hasn’t been changed much since
he was studying here.
Abrahamson has been working with
the college for about three months. He
says he’s been accepted easily into the
campus both by staff and students, and
he’s very optimistic about his department.
“I love the country,” Kyle said. “I hope
that I can stay with this long enough to
retire.”
by JESSIE DAVIS
life by having knowledge of campus clubs
and activities. Being involved as a first year
student is such a big part of campus life
that it is important to have an informed
connection, such as a Whelp mentor.
Amanda does not want to be the only
campus leader; “Campus leadership should
not be about glamour or prestige.” While
being the next campus leader, Amanda
wants to see others uphold leadership
positions as well.
On the topic of great leadership,
Amanda “would like to thank [her]
running mates, Matt Malek and Todd Foy
for being outstanding examples of student
leadership, for offering unique perspectives
on where they would like to see the
college in future years, and for having the
courage to make change and ensure that
the student voice is being heard.” Amanda
is very excited to take on the job of ASCI
president for the 2011-2012 academic year;
her ideas and goals will maintain C of I’s
student government legacy.
Unexpected Gifts
THE COYOTE
FEATURE/HEALTH
by ALEX JAEGER
Some parting words from Alex Jaeger as he prepares to leave The College of Idaho
I can’t remember much from my car
wreck almost six years ago. I fell asleep
at the wheel of my Nissan Maxima in the
early morning, rolling into the median of
the interstate, four miles from home. I
spent over five months in a coma that
sent me on a 228 day journey though
health care facilities in Boise. My car
wreck took worlds from me, but I have
been increasingly finding new life in every
day. I have been forced to re-interpret
the adage: “life is what you make it.” I
can now more openly and unreservedly
recognize my own appreciation for living.
I may have scored some tough points for
my wreck, but I can’t think of a better
lesson learned than the value of life.
My traumatic experience afforded me
a plethora of amazing and nonrefundable
gifts. First and foremost, surviving my
car accident was a gift. I must admit
there’s nothing that gives you such an
outlet by which to enjoy this life, as
almost losing it. Fortunately, I was in
the best shape of my young life on
account of lacrosse conditioning, but
unfortunately, I sustained collapsed lungs
and a severe brain injury. I now consider
myself to be the extra-fortunaterecipient-of-a-very-lousy-hand, and I am
more than proud to play it! The gift of
survival has helped to shape my outlook
on life now.
The opportunity to view life from a
new perspective is a gift I now choose to
acknowledge and appreciate. This new
perspective gives me a better recognition
of the elements which make up the
magnificence of life. For me, life is
magnificent because of the spiritual
presence which guides my future. I would
like to think my accident happened for
a reason. What has resulted from my
experience is the motivation to share
my story with people and make an
inspirational impact about faith, hope,
and perseverance. God’s miracles happen
every day—that I lived to tell my tale—
is a miracle. Now, I live my life as if
everything is a miracle.
Another gift bestowed on me is the
feeling of anticipation I never had before
my accident of looking forward to each
new day. Striving to face daily challenges
and the determination to never give up
has shaped my attitude throughout my
recovery. Now this attitude prevails in my
day-to-day life.
The willingness to let be what I cannot
change is an additional gift. I believe in
not looking back, but instead, keeping
my eyes toward the future. My memory
loss is a gift as it helps keep me in the
present. I can only ever really see what
is in front of me and live in the moment
with no regret or remorse about my life.
The only limits I have now are the ones
I make for myself. Before my accident,
I thought limits were what others set for
me and not up to me. I didn’t realize
it until now, it has always been up to
me. I acknowledge each person has the
ability to change the circumstances which
make up their situations. It is important
to acknowledge the only one with the
power to make a difference is yourself.
My four years at The College of
Idaho have been the most amazing gift
of all. I feel privileged to have had
the unique opportunity to be a Yote.
The College of Idaho community
has made a profound impact on my
sense of belonging and independence.
I appreciate the acceptance,
encouragement, and camaraderie of
the student body. I am grateful for my
many C of I friends. Thank you for
your kindness, inclusion, and friendship.
Some of my fondest memories have
been Late Night, lacrosse/soccer/
basketball games, Food Bank, Ensenada
Service Trip, performances at Langroise,
eating in Simplot, and coffee at Imelda’s
Coffee Casa.
The educational experience has
truly been challenging and curative for
me as a learner. Brain injury recovery
can be a slow tedious process of baby
steps, but the coursework stimulated
my thinking by exposing me to diverse
subjects. Many thanks to the dedicated,
supportive, and caring professors I’ve had
during the past four years. Special thanks
to John Thuerer, Jill Haunold, Meredith
Minear, Kirsten Mast, Stephen Fisher,
and Phil Rogers. I must also acknowledge
and express thanks to the following staff
that have been helpful and encouraging
during my time at C of I: Brian Bava,
Juanitta Pearson, Susan Hunsperger, Allan
Laird, Matt and Lisa Gier, Maria Rojas,
Lynette Allen, and the Simplot Food
Service Crew. Lastly, I want to thank
The Warren Parsons Scholarship, Mrs.
Dorothy Parsons, and The Allan C. Merritt
Scholarship for giving me the opportunity
to attend The College of Idaho and for
making the past four years possible.
When I leave in May, I will take with
me all the amazing experiences and
memories of The College of Idaho. While
it has been remarkably challenging for me,
on the other hand, it has been amazingly
rewarding. I am looking forward to the
future. Thank you to The College of
Idaho for giving me back my life.
“One day at a time, this is enough. Do
not look back and grieve over the past for
it is gone; and do not be troubled about
the future for it has not yet come. Live in
the present, and make it so beautiful it will
be worth remembering.” -Ida Scott Taylor
While walking around McCain this
month, you might notice some t-shirts
hanging from railings. Take a moment to
read them- they are quite powerful. These
t-shirts were made by people affected by
domestic violence, especially violence
against women. Sometimes the makers
were the victims, sometimes it was a close
friend or relative. This installation is part
of a larger national art project called
The Clothesline Project http://www.
clotheslineproject.org/History.html, which
was started in 1990 out of a horrifying
murder statistic. During Vietnam, 58,000
men died in combat. During the same
time, 51,000 women were murdered by
their intimate partners. The t-shirts are
a way for women to have their voice—a
creative outlet that allows both verbal and
visual representation of what they have
gone through. It also takes the abuse out
from behind closed doors, making us all
aware that there are people fighting for
their right to live all over the United States,
as well as in the world.
The murder number has declined
since the Vietnam War (the greater social
acceptance of divorce is thought to be
one of the reasons for this, as is greater
social prohibition of violence in domestic
settings) but it is still frightenly high.
Every 9 seconds a women is beaten in
our country,* and domestic violence has
been proposed as the leading cause of
injury to women age 15-44 (it is rather
controversial, as many women are found
to have not reported being abused when
they really are). Such violence sends
shockwaves through our society, creating
anger, dysfunction, and more violence.
One of the most heartbreaking examples
of this is the effect of violence in a
household on children. Children learn by
example, and when they witness violence,
they too will learn violence.
This article has a point. I’m not
asking for money because I know most
of us don’t have much. I’m not asking
for you to change career paths so you
can be on the frontlines. No. I’m asking
you to do something much harder. I’m
asking you to come clean, to yourself
and to others, about your relationship
with violence, whether it is as a victim,
an abuser, or both. I want you to make a
vow of non-violence against your fellow
humans. I want you to speak up when
you see violence, to stop it, and give the
victim support afterwards. I want an open
dialogue, in which victims no longer feel
shame at what they have experienced. I
want you to find new ways to deal with
anger, ones that are constructive. The only
way these realities will change is if we start
making the change in ourselves.
One way you can start on this path is
create a shirt in the Women’s and Men’s
Center. This is by no means the only
or best way, but it is a start. If you are
struggling with violence in your life, and
you want to find a way to end it, feel free
to contact an advocate at 208-340-1394 to
arrange a brainstorming session.
*American Institute on Domestic Violence
Clothesline Project
by JENNA RAINO
17
FEATURE/HEALTH
The Man Behind the Scenes: Dustin Wunderlich
various marketing strategies to attract
You may have noticed him at some
prospective students. This includes
campus events. He’s the one with thin
rimmed glasses, clean shaven, and armed working with the admission department,
teachers, and social media like Facebook
with a video camera. He might have
approached you and asked if you would and YouTube. Basically, anything you
like to do an interview. Then, sometime can think of that involves attracting
later, you appeared in a video posted on prospective students, Wunderlich has a
C of I’s YouTube channel (for those of role in.
At first, I thought Wunderlich was a
you who don’t know, yes, C of I does
complete tech guy when he approached
have a YouTube channel). Or perhaps
me at C of I day in February for an
you’ve never seen him, but know him
interview. Now, it’s my turn to interview
by name through e-mail updates. His
him, and my first impression immediately
name is Dustin Wunderlich, and he is
diminishes when I walk into his office. A
the new Director of Marketing and
Salvador Dali poster hangs next to the
Communications.
doorway and a landscape poster full of
For three months now, Wunderlich
has held this job title, and the job is laden white-tipped Colorado mountains stares at
with a long list of responsibilities. First, me from the opposite wall. Two pictures
Wunderlich works with media relations stand alone on the back wall, one of a
crystal blue high mountain lake and the
such as asking reporters to put a good
other of a lone gnarled tree in front of
word in for C of I as a way to get our
a black and white meadow. These are
name out to the public (hopefully, the
different―they have a personal feeling to
public will eventually stop calling us
Albertson College because of this). He them―so I ask Wunderlich about them.
“I took those. The black and white one
also plays a big part in alumni relations.
was in Yellowstone and the lake was in
Along with convincing alumni why it’s
important to support the college, he’s also Breckenridge, Colorado, below Quandry
in charge of the alumni magazine of the Peak,” he says.
It turns out that Wunderlich loves
College of Idaho, Quest, which is printed
hiking and camping. He grew up in a
three times a year.
small town near Rochester, Minnesota
Another job responsibility is using
THE COYOTE
by EMMA GEORGE
and developed a passion for the outdoors
at a young age when his family took road
trips out West. In fact, Idaho’s hiking
opportunities and the Treasure Valley’s
resemblance to his home town helped him
decide to take the job at C of I. Of course,
those weren’t the only reasons. He also likes
the type of institution that is C of I and the
opportunities it provides.
“I knew that I would be working with
great people before I started, but coming
here, I am even more impressed. I’m having
Things you should know about Dustin
a wonderful time telling students’ stories,
and I know that there are many more stories Wunderlich:
Favorite National Park: Glacier, but Arches is
to tell,” he says.
a close second
Wunderlich is excited about some
upcoming projects he is involved with. This Other hobbies: wine collecting, fantasy
football (Go Green Bay Packers!), music, nature
includes setting up a Flicker and Twitter
account for C of I, but he is most excited photography
Bands: M83, The New Pornographers, Neko
about the plans to develop a new mascot
Case, Broken Social Scene, Lupe Fiasco, Beatles,
emblem. Don’t worry; we’ll still be the
Explosions in the Sky
Yotes, but the nondescript paw print that
can easily be mistaken for any dog print will High school activities: sang in the choir and
played trumpet
be replaced with an actual coyote. More
information about the new mascot emblem College studies: bachelor’s degree in
journalism and political science and an MBA
will be available as the project progresses.
with a concentration in marketing from
Go check out the college’s YouTube
channel and Facebook page. Learn what’s Valparaiso University, Indiana
going on, but remember the man who makes Non-major classes he enjoyed: economics,
it all happen. The man behind the scenes: history, philosophy
Dustin Wunderlich.
Gaia Has Some Hot Chicks Right Now
there’s a chapter called “Chickens are the
new pug.” Indeed, chickens have gone from
a strictly agricultural past to infiltrating city
limits and becoming a new and increasingly
popular pet—especially when they’re used
to humans, they can be extremely tame. Our
most social chickens will run over and squat
down so you can pick them up. Almost all
of them will eat out of our hands, and Jack,
our Rhode Island Red, will squawk at you
Gaia, The College of Idaho
more than your hair stylist.
sustainability house, is now home to four
However, Katy and I didn’t get chickens
new, hot chicks. As if Katy Stewart didn’t
for
the sake of having the new and trendy
fulfill our quota for hot chicks over Spring
pet.
We got them because they help us to
Break, we went and got four baby chickens,
make
our food system cyclical, as it was for
bringing our total chicken count up to nine.
centuries
before industrialization. Presently,
Our new chicks have to be kept underneath
cattle
are
kept
on feed lots where they’re
a heat lamp for a few weeks, but within a
fed
corn
diets,
which not only is borderline
few months, they’ll be full-sized and laying
fetal
to
cows,
but
it also makes their manure
eggs. The other five hens—Marv, Alan,
unsuitable
for
use
as fertilizer. Our plantHenry, Darwin, and Jack—are about a year
based
food
is
typically
grown on land that
old and collectively lay around two dozen
is
so
depleted
of
nutrients
that oil-based
eggs a week.
fertilizer
is
used
to
make
the
soil even
In one of the house’s green living books,
remotely suitable for growing anything,
18
contributing to oil dependency and all the
by ALLISON PARRISH
problems associated with it. The byproducts
and
water,
and give us eggs. We then either
of plants (like corn stalks, tomato plants,
eat
the
eggs
or sell them to staff, faculty,
etc.) are typically thrown away, where
friends
and
family.
Besides having as many
they decompose near plastics and other
omelets,
scrambled
eggs, and quiches as
harmful materials in dumps, which further
we
want,
we
also
get
free fertilizer—i.e.
contributes to the waste problem. When
chicken
shit—for
our
organic garden.
people buy and consume their food, food
This,
along
with
our
compost
(which gets
scraps are thrown away, where they reach
everything
that
we
wouldn’t
eat,
like moldy
the same fate as plant byproducts. And yet,
bread
and
vegetables,
cardboard,
and to-go
this isn’t how it was a few centuries ago, and
boxes
from
the
caf),
greatly
reduces
our
that’s why we have chickens.
need
for
store-bought
fertilizers,
and
the
Katy and I feed our food scraps to our
gas
to
transport
them.
As
a
result,
our
food
chickens. They eat pretty much anything we
system
is
cyclical
and
we
don’t
really
have
do, except for chocolate, onions, a lot of
garlic, etc. We also don’t feed them chicken very much waste. It’s the perfect system
for reducing your carbon footprint, and for
because of moral oppositions. However,
being closer to your food.
we’ve given them just about everything
If you have any questions about chickens,
else, from Caesar salads to tater tots and
from eggplant to oatmeal cookies. Basically, how to get eggs from us, or if you want to
anything I would eat but don’t really want come see our set-up, stop by 1902 Oak St.
or email us at [email protected]
to, I feed to the chickens. Next, through
the miracle of biology, they take these food and [email protected].
edu.
scraps, supplemented with chicken feed
THE COYOTE
10 Trends I Wish I Could
Suffocate with a Pillow
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
by MICHELLE LOCKE
1
Trends are probably one of the most annoying parts of being into fashion. The number of times I’ve been accused of blindly following trends is
painfully high and every time I hear it, I get more and more defensive. The reason why is because rarely do I buy clothing thinking, “This is trendy!”
Before I buy anything, I construct three outfits in my head—can’t think of three? I don’t buy it.
Even though I’m a fashion blogger, I don’t follow trends, even if everyone thinks that is what I should be doing. I actually find most trends to be
pretty ugly, although there are a few I’ve latched onto (cheap leather jackets everywhere, anyone?) There are, in fact, some trends that seem to refuse to
go away that I wish I could stealthily carry into the night and bury in a field somewhere; they are just that bad. These are them:
Ugg boots.
5
Ugg-ly. I will admit to owning a pair and
wearing them to go get groceries at 7:00am on
Sundays. But that is when no one will see me. As well,
Ugg brand boots are made from real sheepskin.
You are wearing a sheep…on your feet.
4
Harem pants/riding pants.
You’ve all seen them. They make your
butt look like a deflated balloon.
Exposed bras.
Thank god, I have never seen this around campus. However, I
know the minute this is published someone is going to walk past
me in McCain with only a bra on, looking like Julia Roberts from
Pretty Woman. You all know what I am insinuating about how this
trend makes you look. (In case you don’t: like a streetwalker.)
8
9
Bootie sandals.
They are part flip-flop, part boot, part
hideous nuclear mistake. They are like a
swamp monster that a family inexplicably
adopts as a child and sends to school, but
don’t understand why the other parents
are mad when it eats their children. Why
would you wear that metaphorical swamp
monster on your feet?
Anything from American Apparel.
2
3
This company has some extremely shady employment
practices. They only hire people who “fit the look”, which for
women translates to being borderline anorexic and having
long, scraggily hair (no curls, thanks). If a female employee
gains weight, then her hours will be cut until they lose it again.
And their ads are basically pornography, not even soft-core.
Also, they sell ass-less tights. Really. No one who ever plans on
being a professional human being should buy anything from
this store, unless it is for Halloween.
Graphic tee shirts.
I enjoy the occasional funny tee shirt.
And I think some designs on tee shirts
are really cute and/or pretty. But there is
an age, guys. When I was in high school,
I made the mistake of wearing a t-shirt
with Slash (from Guns n’ Roses) smoking
a cigarette to meet with the Dean of the
Students. Big mistake. My disdain for
graphic tee shirts has bloomed from that
incident. (Don’t even get me started on
how often these shirts do not fit the person
who is wearing them. If it is so tight you
can’t move your arms, something is wrong.)
Leggings as pants.
My eyes do not need to become acquainted
with the curve of your butt cheek.
6
7
Belly shirts.
You’ve all seen them in Forever 21. And we’ve all
wondered, “Do people who wear these not eat? How
would they hide their food babies?”
Really, really short denim shorts.
If a bit of your butt cheek is exposed, they don’t fit and are
too short. Do not do this to yourself or those around you.
10
Really, really long extensions.
Think Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears. It’s all
fun and games until your head resembles a cat
with mange named Jerome.
Let me just end with my normal preface: by all means, wear whatever you want.
These are just trends I find personally abhorrent. However, if you really don’t mind,
say, wearing some denim panties and exposing your butt curve to the world, then by all
means, go for it. My point is: trends aren’t for everybody. Wearing a trend doesn’t make
you fashionable; it’s what you do with that trend that counts.
19
THE COYOTE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Dear Imbibers, Beer
Talk
is
Back
Installment #9
,
O
LL
HE
M
M
SU
So this is it: the final article
of Beer Talk. It’s been a good
year, a lot of fun times talking about beer,
women, masturbation, and ogre blood;
I’m going to miss it. I hope that everybody
has had a good time reading my twisted
thoughts, and I also hope that all five
of you that actually read this article will
continue to read it next year. Since this is
the last article, I’ve decided that I’m going
to write about whatever I want, regardless
of whether or not it is connected to beer.
That’s the spring attitude, isn’t it? We kind
of just stop giving a fuck about all of the
things that we generally give a fuck about,
and instead play frolf and drink during the
day time. In general, I want to reminisce
and send this ship off into the summer
properly. Pull up a stool, fine ladies and
gentlemen of The College of Idaho—this
is the final Beer Talk.
As we move into the summer, I have
a couple pieces of advice for everybody.
The first, and most important piece of
advice, is to drink a lot of beer and to
try new types (basically the same thing
I’ve been advocating all year). Summer is
a great time to try new things including
new clothing styles, different amusement
parks, and inter-species sexual relations;
but more importantly, it’s a great time to
try all of the new seasonal ales and lagers
that brewing companies market for this
quarter of the year. Try out a nice Summer
Shandy from the Leinenkugal Brewing
Co., or a raspberry lambic from various
brewing companies. And you know
what? If you can’t afford an awesome
summer beer , fuck it. Buy a forty of Old
English or some other malt liquor, drink
it down to the cone, and add lemonade.
What you have at that point is basically
a brass monkey (which is also a very
refreshing summer drink). Very cheap,
fairly drinkable, and definitely it will get
you drunk.
My next piece of advice would be to
20
ER
by ANDREW HEIKKILA
swim a lot. Whether you’re from Idaho,
somewhere else in the U.S., or from
another country completely, the simple
fact is that you cannot swim here in
Caldwell during Fall, Winter, or Spring.
I mean, you could, but your balls would
crawl into your butthole and your nipples
would get hard enough to cut glass.
other small rafts and innertubes for
snacks, beer, and small children. You will
live the high life for awhile—until the
BPD comes and arrests you, that is. And
don’t even go NEAR Garden City, I’m
telling you, the cops will you shoot you on
sight for committing all but two types of
misdemeanors (those being speeding and
Fourth of July is nuts, the day party at
North Beach will get you hammered and
possibly arrested, but the experience is
well worth it if you like tons of hammered
people. It’s like bringing Kappa’s basement
to a beach and amplifying it eightfold.
On top of all this, if you’re lucky, you
might catch up with Colin Marin, Steve
Frandin, or Jamie Valle! Have a burger
at My Father’s Place, catch a sub at The
Heartland Deli, or get some Mexican food
at Casa Mexico while you’re up there, just
make sure that you go.
The last piece of advice that I have is
just to enjoy the shit out of your summer.
Work, do your internships, whatever, but
make sure that you are having as much
fun as possible. To all of you young
students out there, life is far too short
for you to give your summers up already.
You’re going to spend the rest of your life
working, never able to enjoy the summer
like you’re able to now. Golf. Frisbee Golf.
Longboard. Whatever, just get out and do
it and do it often. If you’re old and already
have a job and are reading this…well…try
and do those things too. It’s never too late
(despite my previous comments) to have
fun.
That about wraps up all I have to say
for the year. Just remember, as you go
through your trials and tribulations in life,
that half empty or half full, it’s beer in
your cup—so drink it.
Wait until the summer, and then swim a
lot. I generally am not too crazy about
swimming in public pools because I never
fail to surface at some point with a used
band-aid on my shoulder. I suggest staying
away from public pools, and instead (as
TLC once said), please stick to the rivers
and the lakes that you’re used to. Lucky
Peak is a great place to go swimming,
however, it is definitely out of the way. I
suggest instead that you try floating the
Boise River. To further my suggestion,
raise a skull and crossbones on your raft
and live the summer as a pirate, pillaging
littering). The last swimming spot that I
have to suggest to you is the rope swing in
Veteran’s Park. Every year the authorities
cut it down, and every year somebody
puts it back up. The standing water that
you are flinging yourself into via rope is,
unfortunately, right next to a raw sewage
processing plant. It’s not the cleanest
water, but at least there aren’t any bandaids floating around in it.
If you haven’t tried it out yet, go
swimming in McCall! It’s quite a bit colder
up there because of the altitude and runoff, but it’s a very fun place to be. The
FA
RE
WE
BE
E
(un R TA LL,
til n
L
ext K
fall
)
Spiral Knights and Some Musings
THE COYOTE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
on the Free-to-Play Model
Let me paint a picture of the typical
free-to-play massively multiplayer online
game. It’s probably made in Korea, so it’s
overdone in super-stylized anime. The
game is free to download and play, BUT
if you spend real money on game credits,
you can give yourself an advantage by
purchasing all of the best stuff. At that
point, there are two options: you can
grief other players and play the game
obsessively, or you can grief other players
before getting bored and quitting. If you
opt not to spend any money on it, then
you can sit idly by and watch while richer
players (or the game itself) punch your
corpse over and over until you give up and
quit.
From a business perspective, the idea
is that you’ll build a fun game that people
will eventually spend money on. Free-toplay games appeal to those who are turned
off by the fifteen-dollars-a-month model
of triple-A titles like World of Warcraft,
and it’s a lot easier to justify spending five
or ten dollars here and there than it is to
put a fifteen dollar charge on your card
every month. (Incidentally, these games
also appeal to children or anyone else who
can’t pay with a credit card at all).
From the player’s perspective though,
these games are horribly inequitable and
literally broken or un-fun if you don’t
pony up the cash. The fact that most
games are competitive means that you
don’t have a chance at surviving in the
game world if you don’t pay. All the skill
in the world won’t save you from a player
that is immune to anything you could do.
Thus, free-to-play games are really only
free in theory. Specifically, your choices are
“play for free and get nowhere” or “pay
up.”
When that happens, the game becomes
less of a game and more of a system in
which money is turned into a proportional
number of points or intangible benefits.
The problem I have with it is that most of
these games don’t give me a reason to care
about the intangible things. When your
game isn’t compelling, I don’t want to play
it. And if I don’t want to play, I definitely
don’t care if I’m any more decked-out
than the guy next to me.
But vanity is a huge motivator in online
games. And it comes so cheap! I could
spend five real dollars on Farmville and
buy a house or other decoration that no
one else has. And since the game itself isn’t
costing me anything, it’s not like I’m at
a huge loss here. It’s just five dollars—
five dollars to buy me a cow that shits
diamonds or whatever. At that point, it
sounds like I’m even coming out ahead.
But the truth is that I’m not coming
out ahead; I lost five dollars to obtain a
drawing of a cow. And the worst part of
all is that once I’ve bought all of the cows
or otherwise paid enough to establish my
dominance, I’ll inevitably get bored and
quit—the developer loses because I don’t
want to play their game, and I lose because
I’m bored and poorer than I was when I
started.
So now that I’ve expressed my deep
displeasure with this subsection of the
genre, let me say how surprised I was to
find a genuinely good game amidst all of
the garbage.
Spiral Knights is the biggest
and most ambitious release from
developer Three Rings, who
previously made Puzzle Pirates and
Corpse Craft and maintain the online
game hub Whirled. But while they have
previously developed more casual
games, Spiral Knights represents Three
Rings’s first attempt at appealing to
a larger, more mainstream gaming
audience.
Played from a high-up point of
view, the game might remind players
of Diablo at first glance, but it owes
more to the pre-N64 Zelda games than
anything else in terms of gameplay
and style. You play as a Spiral Knight
who has crash-landed on a remote
planet called Cradle. Your mission is
to reach the core of the planet and harvest
by BRADLEY STEELE
some energy to get off the planet.
This is done by descending to different
levels of the Clockworks, which is just a
fancy word for dungeons. Each time you
enter, you’re paired up with other players
and have to make your way through the
level to get to the next level, and so on.
Aptly named, the Clockworks changes the
progression path every minute, so you’re
practically guaranteed a new level each
time you enter.
The game looks great for a free-toplay. It’s colorful without being cutesy.
The art direction of the game’s characters
in particular is great—they are just stylized
enough to make them distinctive from
one another, but you can always pick out
someone with better gear than you. In
addition, the environments are all varied,
and the game diversifies into different
types of enemies the further into the
Clockworks you go. And like most online
games, there is a crafting system.
So where does the money enter into it?
Every day, you have access to a hundred
“energy.” The energy determines what
you can do, and exploring one level of the
Clockworks takes up ten energy. There
are about a hundred and twenty levels
altogether, and you can only explore about
ten at a time. So basically, if you want a
longer play session, you’ll have to pay.
The best part, though, is that Three
Rings isn’t locking you out of anything
if you decide not to pay. Paying money
just gets you more game time. It doesn’t
get you all of the best gear—you still
have to earn it. It doesn’t get you better
crafting materials—you still have to buy
them. Plus, there’s no competition. It’s all
cooperative. This makes for a far more
equitable and pleasant experience overall;
those with money still have a game to play
after they’ve emptied their bank accounts,
and those without money aren’t so far
behind that they feel like quitting.
Ultimately, Three Rings is trying
something really different here, and it’s
clear that they hold making a good game
above making a quick buck. I highly
recommend it, whether you’re a hardcore
paying customer or someone looking
to kill a half-hour. You can download
Spiral Knights for free at http://www.
spiralknights.com/.
21
THE COYOTE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Insert Witty Rebecca Black Comment Here…
and Now for Some Music Reviews
Albums
by VICENTE ARANGUIZ
Belong by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The sophomore album of this New York quartet serves as civilized punk to the aging rebel. Showing more maturity
than their first album and EP, Belong has its blemishes but sticks it to the man nonetheless. The title track and lead off song
does too much in a short span of time, acting as the sample platter for the rest of the album until it reaches a powerfully
harmonious chorus that shows the Pains’ musical prowess. At this point, the Pains are all stretched out, warmed up, and
proceed to rock with their overdriven guitars well after the neighbors go to bed. Fundamentals of 90’s punk guide Kip
Berman and the rest of the gang through labor intensive dip-and-diving musical composition. A little frantic guitar play
reminiscent of early Silverstein is audible in the background, a nice touch for those who went through that phase.
I would have liked to hear more vocals and keys from Peggy Wang, however, she may have not gotten much of a say
with the guns-blazing boys up in front. To note, Berman’s vocals get a couple notches more ghastly in the closing song
‘Strange’, perhaps to symbolize the awkwardness from a prior experience, yet it is a peculiar way to close out an otherwise
strong album. Rich with rapid guitar play, evolving melodies, and influence from the forefathers of punk, one could say that
indeed this album does ‘Belong’ with other noteworthy acts of the genre like sliding in that last volume of a complete set of
books on the shelf.
Roar EP by Dirty Gold
From San Diego, singing about California, and sporting short-sleeve button-ups, the blogosphere has been
quick to call them another Beach Boys reincarnation. I can see how they have been given that moniker, yet upon a
closer listen I heard parallels with The Ruby Suns, using more tropic infused elements and less poppy vocals. The
early released track ‘Quiet Life’ sounds simple and directionless as the impromptu rock out sessions I have with
friends in their garage this summer. Perhaps that is why I found it so pleasant and agreeable; no bold attempts at
rock and roll history, just a dash of melancholy melodies to bring their music down to earth. The track ‘Sea Hare’
is as beach pop as the sand between one’s toes, yet there are riffs that clash weakening the end product. This ripe
EP never ventures far beyond the confines of its initial arrangement, the two brothers Lincoln and John Ballif on
vocals/guitar and keyboard respectively as their friend Grant Nassif does percussion. The drums are rudimentary
in approach, the keyboard passive and mellow, while lead singer Lincoln’s vocals are full of youthful tenacity but
not defining enough for future recollection. This doesn’t say they aren’t full of potential; this summer should be
their breakout season on tour. For some reason their music coincides with and compliments the hot weather very
well. Sure, they may have been influenced by the Beach Boys, their sound being classy and pleasant, but I wager
they were also influenced by a fat blunt.
The Ocean by Two Bicycles
Canada has some breath taking scenery especially the coastal regions, and Jamison Dick, aka Teen Daze aka Two
Bicycles, makes an insightful auditory interpretation of his surroundings as if he were seaside in British Columbia. In
short, his album is as ambient as a collection of songs can possibly get as he explores an ocean of sound and possibilities.
Progressions of melody and sound become transcendent at times. However, before getting carried away with a wave of
atmospheric noise, it should be noted that the more notes played at once doesn’t necessarily make his ambient sound better
as he attempts to passively overwhelm the listener with a wall of chords. Swells of sound remind me of the THX sound
logo at the beginning of movies, yet at times this feeling lasts for minutes. The track ‘Moon Colours’ develops into this
condition after a slow start. The feeling was overwhelming, as if standing at the edge of a chasm fully under the effects
of vertigo. The tingles down the spine this album may induce, won’t always be due to an enlightened state but times of
anxiety. There are moments of sheer brilliance, the track ‘I’m Not Afraid to Wait for You’ being one of them. It glows with
intimacy as you hear his fingers squeak and slide across the guitar strings, plucking at pairs of notes that dance together ever
so daintily. Reinforcements are called in as a humming bass and sweet organs give warmth to a striped down statement
of patience for a love. The penultimate track ‘Alone at Sea’ shows his rhythmic savvy with a grungy beat and melodic
overtones, eerily similar to some old Port Blue work. Jamison ultimately reveals about the album that “as the night falls, and
the endless ocean reveals itself as the chaotic, exilic wilderness, the main character begins to feel isolated and on edge. The ocean can bring both
optimism and fear, hope and loneliness.”
22
THE COYOTE
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Music Reviews
continued...
Early Singles
“Abducted” by Cults
A quiet start, treble in sound
and occulted vocals gives way to
vivacious tonic rock. As if they
were Sleigh Bells evil twin, this
tandem plays hard and with no
regrets. Raunchy aggressive bass
playing serves as the launching
point for top-of-the-lungs
singing. My only complaint is
that it feels incredibly short
for three minutes. It begins to
fade away and you find yourself
calling out for it to come back.
“Circuital” by My
Morning Jacket
The creamy vocals of Jim James
express a sentiment of longing
and a dash of desperation. This
song carries the meticulousness
and mechanics of Local Natives
but with more homeliness and
folk; inevitable for a quintet out
of Kentucky. I felt they got a little
carried away at seven minutes, but it
is diverse enough to feel you heard
two solid songs just then.
“Wavlngth” by Headless
Horsemen
For those craving a little Los
Campesinos and Reverie Sound Revue,
Headless Horsemen grabs both by the
hand and skips along noisily through dirty
post-indie rock. Incoherent vocals and
endlessly positive vibes sum up the single
but this tandem does rock with no regrets,
incorporating a wide range of sounds that
serve as (literal) bells and whistles for a
well composed work.
Red Hands Black Feet—the Music Speaks for Itself
If anyone still cares about local music.
You might remember that at the beginning
of this school year there were flyers up
around campus for a Finn Riggins show
at “Scott’s Manor” in Caldwell. Theo
Maughn’s band, No Comprendo was
playing, and so was a band called Red
Hands Black Feet, which my old band
had played shows with a couple times. I
thought it’d be fun to go support and
hang out with those bands. However, Red
Hands Black Feet surprised me. I write
about bands that stick out to me and that
night RHBF certainly did.
Back when I played with them, they
were okay, nothing amazing. It was rare
to hear vocals from them, and when you
did, they weren’t that great. They had
about two songs per set each one about
ten minutes long with just those two songs
taking up all of their stage time at a place
like the Venue. The Finn Riggins show,
however, completely changed the way I
looked at and listened to them. They were
all instrumental (which was good) and
their songs weren’t all ten minutes long.
However, that’s not really the point here.
The point is their musicianship. Have
you ever heard a band that writes songs
that are incredibly pretty, yet they know
how to get heavy at the same time? That’s
Red Hands Black Feet. Along with that,
their instrumentation is very crisp and
incredibly clean cut. Guitarist Eric Larson
says instrumental music was just the way
to go for them:
“We all listen to a lot of instrumental
bands, and of course, we want to play the
kind of stuff we like,” says guitarist Eric
Larson. “I find it really freeing just not
worrying about lyrics. I too often come
back to songs I’ve written with lyrics and
find that they feel forced or have simply
lost their meaning.” Bassist Joey Myers
adds that, “It seems like Boise doesn’t
have too many [instrumental bands]. We
didn’t initially start out with vocals, or the
intent to write only instrumental music.
We just never really got around to writing
lyrics initially, then got wound up in the
by ROB LANTERMAN
whole instrumental thing.” He went on to
confirm what Larson said about the band
members listening to instrumental music,
listing off bands such as Explosions in
the Sky and Russian Circles, who RHBF
recently got the privilege of opening for—
an experience Myers called “unreal.”
Eric and Joey are joined by Joe’s
brother Jake Myers on guitar and Jessica
Johnson playing the drums/percussion
in the band. Together they are some of
Boise’s finest performers. They have
one three-song demo out that can be
downloaded off of media fire, with links
on their Facebook and MySpace pages.
Eventually, they plan to record a fulllength album. “It’s pretty much written,
[however] recording it has been somewhat
[of] an obstacle at the moment. We’re
exploring several local engineers to record
it as well as exploring [do-it-yourself]
possibilities. Hopefully before the summer
is over [the record will be] finished and [we
will] be able to put it into people’s hands,”
said Joey. Until then, the best place to
see Red Hands Black Feet is at any show
they play. They cite The Venue and the
VAC as good places to go and see them.
They are one of the most talented groups
of rock musicians around Boise, and I
highly, highly, highly recommend going to
watch them. They are playing with local
phenomenon Finn Riggins on April 22 at
BSU as part of their Earth week festivities,
and you won’t want to miss it. If you can
make it, plan on going—you won’t regret
it.
23
THE COYOTE
BENCHING WITH BERGER
My Hero:
Nachshon ben Aminadad
by HOWARD BERGER
This is THE season of celebration
in the Jewish religion. It is the season
of celebrating deliverance of freedom.
It is the season of celebrating the exodus
from Egyptian slavery three thousand
years ago. The Exodus has been
filmed by Hollywood numerous times.
Various actors have played the central
figure of the story: Moses. Charlton
Heston, in the 1956 version of The Ten
Commandments is the most famous.
Many people know something of the
story: slavery, plagues, the sea opening
and closing etc. The whole story is
remembered and retold by Jews during
the holiday of Passover which Jews will
celebrate beginning at sundown April
18 until sundown on April 25. But in
the whole story, the person who has
most inspired me over the decades is not
Moses but Nachshon ben Aminadad.
You never heard of him? Few have.
To learn of him you have to have read
ancient Jewish midrash. A midrash is a
non-Biblical story about some Biblical
event. There are volumes of them in
Jewish history. It is in one of them that
we find the story of Nachshon. So here
is the story:
After all the plagues devastate Egypt,
Pharaoh tells Moses to take the Jews
and get out of Egypt, Moses and the
People come to the Sea of Reeds. While
camping there, Pharoah changes his mind
and decides to pursue and destroy the
people he just freed. The People, trapped
between the sea and the Egyptian army,
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are petrified. But according to the Bible,
God becomes angry and yells at Moses:
“Tell the People to go forward!” Into
the sea?? Here is what the midrash says.
At that moment, the People terrified of
the raging waters ahead of them and the
sounds of Pharoah’s chariots behind them
watch is shock as Nachshon the son of
Aminadad strides into the waters. The
watch in shock when the water is up to his
thighs, then it is up to his belly, and then
it up to his neck. But Nachshon walks
forward and when the water of the sea
starts to cover his mouth and nose and he
starts to drown, yet the sea opens before
him! Standing alone on dry land, with the
waters of the sea standing like walls on
each side of him, Nachshon continues to
walk between the parted waters. NOW the
People march behind him, through the
parted sea, reach the other side and safety.
Do I believe this happened three
thousand years ago?? Stupid question. I
know something happened three thousand
years ago that we still talk about, sing
about, and make movies about. Of this
I am sure: something happened that was
passed down from father to son and
mother to daughter for a long, long, time.
But the story of Nachshon resonates
with me and it resonates powerfully.
People always want to know about
“miracles.” The non-Biblical midrash
about Nachshon is to me a miracle that
is repeatable. In fact, the midrash about
Nachshon is a miracle that “one can do at
home.” It is simply a story about courage.
It is simply a story about guts.
In Northern Georgia, in 1863 at
the Battle of Chicamauga, confusing
orders among the Union troops opened
a dangerous breach in the Union line.
To close that breach as fast as possible,
George Thomas—soon to be General
George Thomas—rushed into the vacuum
waving the American flag urging Union
boys to “rally round the flag,” and close
the breach. I know that Union newspapers
called it a miracle and dubbed George
Thomas the Rock of Chicamauga. It was
a miracle—a miracle of sheer courage and
sheer guts. There are so many examples
of this stuff in history. We know that
General Dwight Eisenhower in the middle
of afternoon of D-Day considered
withdrawing American forces because he
read reports of heavy casualties. But by
evening, it was clear that American boys
had crawled their way up the beaches and
had created a beachhead in France. Some
called their heroism miraculous, (which
is why every American should see Saving
Private Ryan). From Nachshon to George
Thomas to the boys from Iowa and Texas
and Brooklyn at Normandy, sheer courage
and sheer guts IS miraculous. What impels
courage? What makes for guts? I don’t
know. But they are miracle workers to me.
I do not know if I have that stuff in
me. I have organs in me, but do I have
guts? I do not know. I can honestly say
that I have never been trapped between a
raging sea and Egyptian chariots; I have
never been in a battle where catastrophe
was so near; I have never been ordered to
crawl inch by inch up a sandy beach facing
German machine guns on a cold cloudy
day in June. I have convinced myself that
there have been times in my life when
I DID demonstrate some degree of
courage: going to school every day to face
bullies, taking myself across the country
in 1973 with one suitcase and a portable
typewriter, and proceeding with radiation
therapy after hearing the most apocalyptic
warnings. But these events are not the
Exodus, not the Civil War, not D-Day. But
I have convinced myself that I did show
guts and I did convince myself that like
Nachshon ben Aminadad, Howard son of
George, did walk into the water!
Few of us will ever be Moses, but
we can be Nachshon. While the many
may watch with fear or apathy, we can
walk forward with confidence. True, a
sea may not open but that is NOT the
point. The point is that you—ordinary
you—and from everything we know
Nachshon was not a bigwig—the point is
that ordinary you can muster the courage,
can demonstrate the guts, to do what you
need to do at a critical moment in your
life. All these years later, I have convinced
myself (rightly or wrongly is up to future
biographers of Howard ben George) that
at key moments in my life, I did what God
told the People to do and only Nachshon
had the guts to do: “GO FORWARD!!”
Making Nachshon my hero has worked
for many, many years and I know he will
continue to inspire me in the years ahead.