SPORTS Acrobatics and tumbling in the hunt for ncata title 11

PREVIEW

lifestyle NATIONALLY RANKED FORENSICS TEAM DEBATES and builds community 6

Reigning Player
of the Year
Nicki Sprague
leads Cougars
looking to exceed
expectations 10

OPINION how Kim Kardashian is a feminist and important to the movement 8

Clause
student voice of azusa pacific university since 1965

WEDNESDAY, feb. 10, 2016 VOL. 52, No. 8 www.theclause.org

SPORTS INFORMATION photo

Despite APU,
city of Azusa
and Rosedale
concerns,
Metro plans to
launch public
transportation
on expected date
Gina Ender
news editor

The APU/Citrus College Gold

Line Station will open March 5 despite local concerns about safety and
requests to postpone. Though the
traffic signal for the Azusa Pacific
University/Citrus College Station
will not be completed until summer,
Metro intends to launch this station,
along with five other stations, on
schedule as part of the long-anticipated Gold Line Foothill Extension.
Without the signal, Azusa Mayor
Joseph Rocha said there may be issues regarding both security and traffic.
Not having a stop light regulating cars and pedestrians near the

station could cause vehicle congestion and unsafe pedestrian crossings

on Foothill Boulevard, Citrus Avenue, Palm Drive and at entrances to
APUs East and West campuses.
Our staff is meeting with supervisors to ensure the safety of our riders, our students and our Azusa family members. That is our number one
priority, Rocha said.
In January, Rocha, APU senior
vice president and general counsel Mark Dickerson and Rosedale
representatives wrote to the Metro
Board of Directors chair Mark Ridley-Thomas stating strong concerns
about the APU/Citrus Station opening before the road constructions
completion in August. All three letters requested the station opening be
postponed due to increased public
safety concerns and unwanted traffic
inside the Rosedale planned community.
Ridley-Thomas responded by
saying the transit agency takes its
commitment to safety seriously, but
its duty as responsible stewards of
the public trust means the station
will open on the expected date.
Our staff is earnestly working to
come up with an acceptable solution
that works for Metro and works for
us, Rocha said.

see METRO 4

THE CLAUSE STAFF photo

Metro prepares to open Gold Line in March

The APU/Citrus College Gold Line Station, located across a field from Rosedale and the Promenade, is
scheduled to open on March 5 as part of the Gold Line Foothill Extension from Pasadena.

Cougars seek shot at NFL career APU revises general

education program

Former running
back Terrell
Watson signs
with new team,
while two other
APU players
prepare for their
NFL opportunity

The General
Education
Council refines
the program to
ensure holistic
educational
experience for
students

Brandon Rodriguez
Former APU running back Terrell Watson has found a new home in
the NFL.
On Jan. 21, Watson was signed
by the Cleveland Browns to a reserve/future deal.
He spent his rookie season with
the Cincinnati Bengals 10-man practice squad. He will be reunited with
Clevelands new head coach, Hue
Jackson, who served as the Bengals
offensive coordinator last season.
Watson enjoyed his time on the
practice squad, learning from veterans and becoming accustomed to
NFL life.
It was a good experience, Watson said. I had a lot of vets teach me
the ropes, and show me how to be
professionalI would hang out with
guys like A.J. Green, Marvin Jones,
A.J. McCarron, and Andy Dalton
these vets actually cared for you, and

BRANDON RODRIGUEZ photo

assistant sports editor

APU alumnus Terrell Watson recently joined the Cleveland Browns

after a year spent on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.
they wanted to know you as more
than just a football player.
Watson also expressed his excitement about his new signing in Cleveland.
I like the move a lot, Watson
said. I feel like there are a lot of great
opportunities in Cleveland to hopefully get in there and play.
It will be a great way to add myself into the mix, and see how I fit into

their game plan. Im excited to see

what will happen, Watson added.
APUs running back coach Ben
Buys also likes the move from Cincinnati to Cleveland and believes that
Watson will have his opportunity to
shine in the NFL.
Without a doubt, Terrell has a
better chance to play in Cleveland,
Buys said.

see NFL 10

Mandy Mayfield
staff writer

After several years of development and revision, APU has officially

revised the General Education (GE)
Program. Starting in the fall of 2016,
incoming students will adhere to the
new GE catalog. All current students
will have the opportunity to stay in
their current GE programs catalog
or switch to the revised program.
The new GE model places a
higher emphasis on themes such as
intercultural competence, information literacy and critical thinking
across all classes, Student Government Association academic senator
Ellen Emery said.
Emery believes the new GE program will prepare students to be better global citizens, smarter communicators and deeper thinkers.
Two new categories featured in

the catalog are Personal and Social

Responsibility and Integrative and
Applied Learning. These categories
were added with an outcome-based
learning experience in mind.
You say to yourself, What would
we like an APU student to be like
when he or she graduates? What values [and] what skills would we like
to see in the typical APU student?
From there, go backwards and say,
Okay lets build in those outcomes
much more explicitly, Director of
General Education Bryan Lamkin
said.

see ge requirements 2

weets

@apuclause

@EthicsCon_APU |
Ethics Conference:
I love speaking @azusapacific
because its not Biola and I
can say what I want.
-Dr. Timothy Muehlhoff
#iheartapu

@ItsYaBoyMikeyG | Mikey:
Senior chapel is like one
huge party except youve
known your guests for four
years so its even better.
#iheartapu
To see your tweets here,
hashtag #iheartapu.

2 Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 Clause

campus
CALENDAR
safety
Wednesday, Feb. 10
report
Ash Wednesday

monday, feb. 1
alosta place

Reporting
parting
reported
a suspicious subject who
approached him and asked him
questions about his motorcycle.
An officer responded and met
with the RP.

tuesday, feb. 2
aLOSTA place

RP reported a suspicious
subject who had been sitting in
a van in the area for an extended
period of time.

Thursday, feb. 4
soccer field

RP advised of a subject
wearing a ski mask and riding
a bike through West Campus.
Officers responded to make
contact, but the subject had
left the area.

thursday, feb. 4
alosta place

RP reported hearing a subject

yelling somewhere in Alosta
Place. Officers responded and
determined a resident was
yelling because of a car blocking
his garage.

Numbers
Keys lost/found.........................2
ID cards lost/found..............9
Cellphones found..................3
Unsecured bikes found........4
False fire alarms.....................3

REMEMBER
1. If you see something, say
something.
2. Safety is everyones business.
3. Dial 911 for life-threatening emergencies.
4. Non-emergencies: Call
Campus Saftety at (626) 8153898.
5. Lock all doors and windows to your dorm, apartment and vehicle.
6. Keep all valuables secured
and out of plain view.
7. At night, keep to well-lit
areas.
8. Always be aware of your
surroundings.
9. Utilize the trolleys, safety
escorts or walk groups.
10. Avoid places where you
are vulnerable and there are
no exits.
11. Avoid texting or talking
on the phone while walking
as you may be distracted.
12. Avoid walking and jogging alone.
13. Secure your bike with a
recommended Kryptonite
U-lock.

Wednesday, Feb. 10

Valentines Day Celebration

Graduate and Professional Admissions welcome students to enjoy

popcorn, a photo booth and Valentines Day crafts from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. on Cougar Walk.

Thursday, Feb. 11

Philosophy Club: What is Art?

Every other Thursday, Philosophy Club meets from 4 p.m. to 6:30

p.m. in Duke 232. The club discusses topics of faith over pizza.
The theme of the first meeting is What is Art?, which contemplates
what does and does not constitute as art. For more information,
contact Laura Smith Webb at lwebb@apu.edu or 626-387-5847.

Above: Outer Space Race participants sport their themed shirts after
the annual race. Below: APUs 2016 Ride for Water team smile with
their bikes and one another at the RezLife 5K on Saturday, Feb. 6.

RezLife photo courtesy

Officer observed a suspicious

subject take a backpack from a
garage in the area. Azusa Police
responded while the officer kept
watch. Azusa Police determined
the subject had not stolen a
backpack but was arrested for
unrelated charges and issued a
notice of trespass.

A Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic church tradition, Ash

Wednesday marks the start of Lent. Participants reflect on their
mortality and repentance in preparation for the Lenten season and
will have the opportunity to receive ashes.

Thursday, Feb. 11

Poverty, Inc.

RezLife photo courtesy

monday, Feb. 1
Alosta Place garage

compiled by gina ender

The documentary will be shown in the Upper Turner Campus

Center at 7 p.m. with a Q&A session hosted by coproducer Mark
Weber. Poverty, Inc. has earned over 40 international film festival
honors including a Best of Fests selection to IDFA Amsterdam,
which is the biggest documentary film festival worldwide. The film
challenges viewers to ask: Could I be part of the poverty problem?

Friday, Feb. 12

Sunday, Feb. 14

Presidents Day

In observation of Presidents Day, no classes will be held today.

Friday, Feb. 12

As it is in Heaven

The show, by Arlene Hutton, is $10 for faculty, staff, students

and alumni and $15 for the general public. The shows will be on
February 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m. and February 6 and 13
at 2 p.m in the Blackbox Theater. The show tells the story of how
an 1830s religious Shaker society of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, is
changed when a non-believer has an ecstatic experience.

Valentines Day Service Opportunity

For a one time service credit opportunity, volunteer at Atria Retirement Center for its Senior Valentines Event. Register online at
https://apucsa.wufoo.com/forms/local-ministries-onetime-service-20152016/ or email localministries@apu.edu for information.

Sunday, Feb. 14

Redeemed Life Church

If you are looking for a church, Redeemed Life Church invites you to
its Sunday services. The environment is casual, friendly, soulful and
fresh. Services are at 11 a.m. at 405 N. Azusa Ave., Azusa.

New general education implemented at semester

GE REQUIREMENTS, P. 1

These two new categories

include courses such as Civic
Knowledge and Engagement and
Intercultural Competence, which
seek to integrate practical skills as
well as train responsible students to
operate in society after graduation.
Through this new model
of education, departments offer
individualized courses that fulfill
GE requirements while counting
toward a specific degree. This type
of crossover is where GE units will
begin to minimize.
Lamkin said the vast majority
of departments will see a reduction
in units necessary to complete that
degree, which can open up students
schedules and allow them to take a
wider variety of courses or pick up a
minor.
This revision was based on the
concept of cross-applying courses for

An example of the changes to Azusa Pacifics general education program.

the longevity of a students education
at APU, in order to flow in a more

Clause

News Staff
editor-in-chief kelyn struiksma
news editor gina ender
lifestyle editor camille frigillana
opinion editor hankyul sharon lee
sports editor landon troka
asst. sports editor brandon rodriguez
photo/design editor lauren jacobs
copy editors meghan hui,
charlotte ward
business manager devon dejardin
staff writers caroline connolly, mandy
mayfield, jamie roebuck joseph, joshua
d. guilas, kenny langrell, kezziah costello,
kiki roman, kristin miller, tyler wilborn, rudy
reynoso
faculty adviser steve scauzillo, m.a.

Mandy Mayfield Graphic

The following are selected incidents

as reported from the Daily Media
Log from Jan. 31 through Feb. 6
courtesy of Campus Safety.

theclause.org/nEWs

logical and succinct manner.

GE and major learning will be

interwoven. Connecting the elements

of the overall college curriculum will
model for students the cohesive and
comprehensive approaches required
to solve complex problems in the
workplace and our world, Director
of Undergraduate Student Success
Tracie Burt said.
Once the new GE program is
announced, students will be provided with multiple resources in order to make an informed decision.
The deadline for current students to
switch catalogs is Friday, March 25.
Switching GE catalogs may vary
depending on major and year and
may not always be the best decision
for each student. The Office of Academic Advising and Retention will
also offer individual GE consultations with academic mentors.
Using the provided tools in
consultation with an APEX mentor
will help you make the best decision
for you, Burt said.

mailing address p.o. box 9521-5165, azusa, ca 91702

phone 626-815-6000, ext. 3514
website www.theclause.org email editorinchief@theclause.org
The Clause is a student newspaper
dedicated to providing a realistic, journalistic
educational experience for students of
Azusa Pacific University; to seeking truth
and reporting it boldly, fairly and accurately;
to enhancing the university community by
providing a student voice imbued with truth,
responsibility and accountability.
The newspaper is published weekly,
except during examinations and vacation
periods, by the students of the Department
of Communication Studies at Azusa Pacific
University. The newsroom is located on
Cougar Walk in between the Cougars Den
and Paws N Go. The views expressed in all
letters to the editor and all signed opinion
articles are those of their authors, not staff or

university.
Letters to the Editor
Please include a phone number for verification
of all letters to the editor. Anonymous and
unverified letters to the editor will not be
printed. The Clause reserves the right to edit
the letters for length and journalistic style.
The opinions expressed in this newspaper
do not necessarily reflect the views of the
faculty, staff or administration of Azusa
Pacific University.
Follow us!
Our Facebook page: facebook.com/apuclause
Our Twitter handle: @apuclause
advertise with us!
Contact Devon Dejardin at
clauseads@gmail.com

theclause.org/nEWs

Clause

Wednesday, FEB. 10, 2016

Political science
faculty member
presents research
at Puerto Rico
conference
Sharon Lee
opinion editor

For the past seven years, Abbylin

Sellers, an assistant professor in the
Department of History and Political
Science, has been investigating the
correlation between descriptive representation, which is when the voter
can physically identify with a candidate, and an individuals efficacy to
engage in politics.
Her study sought to find out if
female voters were more likely to
participate in politics when both
genders are represented among candidates.
Recently, Sellers cowrote the article, An Experimental Investigation
of Whether the Presence of Women
in Elected Office Increases Female
Political Engagement with research
lead Jennifer Merolla and colleague
Janine Kraybill. The paper was presented in January at the 87th annual
conference of the Southern Politi-

cal Science Association in San Juan,

Puerto Rico.
Sellers said Merolla, one of her
professors at Claremont Graduate
University, is a great mentor for student researchers.
Sellers said she desired to know
how people evoked descriptive representation when voting and what motivates them to engage in the political
system.
[We] started off examining
minority political behavior, Sellers
said. Weve done a couple of
articles that have looked at Latinos
and African Americans, asking
the questions, Do they feel more
trusting in government? or Are they
more likely to engage in politics or
more likely to vote or reach out to
their representative if they have a
representative that looks like them?
The findings were recorded in
the article Descriptive Representation, Political Efficacy and African
Americans in the 2008 Presidential
Election, published in Political Psychology Journal in 2013.
These results contributed evidence linking descriptive representation to increased feelings of efficacy.
A descriptive representative at the
national level increases feelings of political efficacy.
This minority research led to a
discussion of gender and the likely
chances for women to vote for

Semester upgrades
APU premieres drought tolerant
landscape and baseball practice field
Rudy Reynoso
staff writer

Above: APU replaced the grass in front of Munson Chapel on the corner of Citrus Avenue and Alosta Avenue with drought-tolerant landscape,
featuring rocks, decomposed granite and native water-saving plants.
Below: The baseball teams new practice field is both water savvy and
long-lasting. [The facilities] are designed for the long haul, not just for this
drought, baseball head coach Paul Svagdis said.

women running for office, a popular

field of study.
But what makes our research
different from whats already been
out there is that we are not using
observational data, [which] makes it
difficult to tease out causality. Whats
causing these women to feel more
trusting, efficacious, engaged? We
have an experimental design that we
did instead, Sellers said.
This research abstract reads:
To assess whether a sex of a
representative increases trust in
engagement with politics among
members of the same sex when party
or ideological information is absent.
However, there have been
limited significant results thus far.
After we planned our analysis,
we found limited support for the
descriptive representation hypothesis
with respect to engagement, and we
did not have any support for being
more trusting, Sellers said.
Sellers, Merolla and Kraybill
presented their research at the
Southern
Political
Science
Association in San Juan, Puerto Rico
in January.
It was a great experience. You
have peers listen to your presentation
and provide feedback before you send
it off to a journal, Sellers said.
Daniel Palm, chair of the Department of History and Political
Science, said department faculty

Sharon Lee photo

Professor investigates female political engagement

Abbylin Sellers researches women

and political engagement correlation.

members were excited about Sellers

conference participation.
Our department, our dean and
the university as a whole always encourage scholarship and conference
participation. Most people in academia enjoy going to conferences because we have the chance to meet and
participate with our peers who are
also specialists in particular areas,
Palm said. Its very exciting that we
can do that as faculty, and her department colleagues are really enthusiastic and happy that she could make it
there.
This experimentation comes at
an important political season in the
nation.
I think the effect of having a

woman run for high elective office

such as the president does encourage other women to become more
engaged, Sellers said.
Geraldine Ferraro, the 1984
democratic
vice
presidential
nominee, once said, Every time a
woman runs, all women win.
In 2015, women made up 19.4
percent of the U.S. Congress and
22.3 percent of state-level political
positions.
Women make up more than
50 percent of the population of the
United States, but theyre clearly still
underrepresented within national
government, Sellers said.
Sophomore political science
major Jenevie Riojas calls for more
female representation in politics.
In a strong feministic era, a large
amount of women I think will want
and need to have a female in office. I,
myself, would vote for a female to be
elected into office. Women, especially
in a political aspect, should have the
same opportunities and abilities as
dominant males have, Riojas said.
The future for this descriptive
representation project could take
different avenues, including more
article publications and possibly a
book publication.
Just because its not producing
doesnt mean you give up. It keeps
evolving [and] thats why I stay on the
project, Sellers said.

4 Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016 Clause

theclause.org/nEWs

Metro Gold Line to New hires energize campus

the most
open Azusa stations Meet
recent additions
METRO, P. 1

Rocha said he encourages

Citrus and APU students to use
the Downtown Azusa Station
until the traffic light near the APU/
Citrus Station is completed. The
Downtown Azusa Station adjacent
to the Target has a parking garage
with room for 550 cars, is well-lit and
is more open and accessible. Rocha
said Metro and Azusa are working to
get a shuttle service to take students
to and from the station during all
school hours.
APU director of community
relations Ginny Dadaian said
increased use of the Downtown
Azusa station on Foothill will bring
business to the area.
It
will make Azusa a
destination, Dadaian said.
Dadaian said while the Gold
Line will make it easier for students
to go to Los Angeles and Pasadena
and access airports, museums,
shopping and work, she also hopes it
will draw more people to downtown
Azusa and APU. She said she looks
forward to seeing APU host more
visitors who want to come to campus
for tours, sporting events, or plays via
the Gold Line.
This is only going to bring up
the value of our property. Its going
to bring sales tax when people spend
their money here, Dadaian said.
Dadaian said the Gold Line is
funded by tax dollars from the 2008

half-cent sales tax, Measure R. A ride

will cost $1.75 to take riders to any of
its locations along the 11.5-mile Gold
Line Foothill Extension and the
existing Pasadena-to-East L.A. segment.
[Azusa residents] want to get
people out of their cars and onto
public transportation, she said.
Because many students have
cars on campus, the Gold Line
may alleviate some of the parking
and traffic issues associated with
commuting to Azusa and driving
between campuses.
If [traffic and parking] are the
two biggest complaints, lets see
what the cities and the structures
around us are doing to be able to
provide for that, Graduate Assistant
for Commuter Life Services Danielle
La Rose said.
Dadaian said Metro will provide
safety ambassadors at the stations to
ensure community members board
and ride the Gold Line as safely as
possible. Dadaian encourages students to be conscious of locals when
parking and walking around the station. She said to be especially courteous to residents in Rosedale, Citrus
Cove, Sierra Palms and Foothill
Vista and reminds APU students and
staff to be good neighbors.
For more information about the
Gold Line, visit http://www.foothillgoldline.org/cities-stations/azusa/
azusa-alameda/ or https://www.
metro.net.

to the APU
community

Jamie Roebuck Joseph

staff writer

The Department of Criminal

Justice, the Office of the Provost and
the Welcome Center each ushered in
the academic year with a new team
member.
Launched last fall to support
the new major, the Department
of Criminal Justice kicked off
its inaugural year with chair and
associate
professor
Deshonna
Collier-Goubil. The major is an
interdisciplinary social science that
seeks to enlighten criminal justice
majors about areas of study such
as inquiry, innovation and lifelong
learning in order to recognize,
critically examine and solve social
issues directly related to crime and
criminal behavior.
Collier-Goubil has an extensive
educational background and a Ph.D.
in sociology with a criminology
emphasis from Howard University,
an M.A. from Fuller Theological
Seminary and a B.A. from Langston
University. She was also a police
dispatcher for a few years before
realizing she wanted to enter the field
of criminal justice.
It gave me an appreciation for
law enforcement and what law enforcement officers do for our commu-

nities, Collier-Goubil said about her

experience working as a dispatcher.
I loved it, it was a great job. It was a
career I never would have thought of,
because I was fearful of law enforcement.
Growing up in South L.A., Collier-Goubil explained why the community distrusts the criminal justice
systems, which gave her a deeper appreciation for the field.

I like to bring those two

perspectives together in what
I offer to my students.
-Deshonna Collier-Goubil

I like to bring those two perspectives together in what I offer to my

students, she said. I encourage students to go into law enforcement, but
Im also going to send them in [the
field] having more of a critical edge to
what theyve had to think about and
reflect on in the classroom.
In her free time, Collier-Goubil
likes to go to the movies, watch Netflix, cycle and bake cookies. She is also
involved in a number of civic organizations doing different community
activities such as voter registration
drives, forums for different policies
on the voting ballots and meetings
with the board of supervisors to advocate on behalf of the poor in different areas.
Another new hire, Maria Petersen, joined the Welcome Center
team as a secretary. While she was a
student in the credential and masters
program in the School of Education,
Petersen wanted to get involved on

campus with a job that promoted

education. In her new position, she
coordinates tours and class visits, as
well as faculty appointments with
prospective students.
I was a tour guide [at APU] for a
year, Petersen said.
In her free time, Petersen loves
playing and watching basketball,
hiking and being outdoors.
The Office of the Provost also
welcomed a new staff member this
year, but she is not new to APU.
Rebecca Cantor, the new assistant
provost, previously served as the
director of the Writing Center.
In my new role, I will be reporting
to the Provost, Dr. Mark Stanton. I
will be working on upper-level project
management, investigation into and
implementation of best practices for
APU and communication for Dr.
Stantons office, Cantor said.
Cantor earned her Ph.D. in literature from Claremont Graduate University and lives in Fullerton with her
husband and two kids. She also shed
light on her new publication that will
be released in a month.
My first book of poetry is coming
out in March, she said. I especially
enjoy writing about women in the
Bible.
Cantor enjoys playing Uno with
her family and spending time with
her sisters.
Collier-Goubil, Petersen and
Cantor each bring fresh perspectives
to their areas and look forward
to working alongside their new
colleagues to enhance the APU
experience.

Clause

theclause.org/news

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016

Lifestyle

APU Forensics: A small team with a big heart

Nationally
ranked forensics
team builds
community while
debating
Sharon Lee
On Monday evening, when the
Rose Garden begins to darken and
the soft lamp post lighting begins to
flicker on, one classroom light at the
end of the garden still remains. Inside
that classroom, members of the APU
forensics team fill up two couches
while energetically conversing with
one another.
Huddling together for a group
picture, they laughed as one team
member joked that it was the wrong
day to not wear makeup, while another team member proudly posed
with their three medals and trophies
for additional personal photos.
We do homework there and
chill, and of course we end up debating [with each other], senior business
economics major and forensics team
member Hovsep Chaparian said.
Old members and new members
alike have become so attached to one
another that they spend most of their
time in the office together.
Its our second home, forensics
team member Jacob Burrola said, a
freshman political science major.
Community is foundational to
the mission of the forensics team, a
team built on fostered friendships.

Sharon Lee photo

opinion editor

The forensics team has a faculty advisor but does not have a student leader, as each member is equal.
I [can] go to these people and
explore these ideas...It [is] so much
more than going to lunch together...
Were all super close, freshman social
work major and forensics team member Abby Hoyt said.
Forensics is a world of competitive debating and speech competitions, which includes speech performance events such as impromptu
and dramatic interpretations. However, APU has recently capitalized
on the debate formats of National
Parliamentary Debate (NPDA) and
Individual Parliamentary Debate
(IPDA).
I love NPDA because my partner and I work well together; our
strengths complement each other,
Hoyt said.
The forensics teams focus on
parliamentary debates has led to sub-

stantial success. Currently, APUs

forensics team is ranked 27th out of
170 universities and colleges in the
nation.
The students really deserve all of
the praise. Theyre smart and theyre
very open to coaching, and theyre
motivated, Matthew Brandstetter
said, interim director of forensics.
Brandstetter served as the assistant debate coach with former forensics director and communications
professor Amy Jung last year, and has
stepped into the director role this semester.
Brandstetter was a champion
debater in high school and college
where he received third-place honors
on two separate occasions, and what
has kept him in the forensics world is
the opportunity to help students who
are in the same situation he was.

I really see, both as a competitor

and as a coach more, the value that
[forensics] afforded students in terms
that it allowed them the opportunity
to articulate their ideas intelligently
and give them self-confidence, said
Brandstetter.
As an educator for the majority of
his life, Brandstetter values his time
spent with his students.
Theyre just kind people. When
Im teaching, and I suddenly have
that aha moment realizing that this is
important work being done, [I] sense
how its impacting the student, [and]
it just validates all of the hard work
and energy [I] put into it, Brandstetter said.
That sense of participating in
something meaningful is also what
draws the students to the forensics team and inspires them to pour

themselves into the process. Forensics directly informs and impacts the
student participating by debating on
issues happening today.
Most of the debates we do are
arguing policies, candidates [and]
racial issues. You have to argue whatever side youre put on, not what you
want to argue, so you end up understanding the arguments on both sides
a lot better. Im very republican, but
having to put myself on the opposite
side and argue their points a lot of the
time, [Im] actually like, Oh that was
a legitimate point. The whole fun for
me is trying to come up with arguments on the spot, Chaparian said.
Although an already tight community, the forensics team is open to
more members and is eager to recruit
students to participate.
Everyone should be a part of debate. No matter what your major is,
theres something that you can bring
into it. You can always incorporate
your major somehow and it makes
you more passionate about what
youre studying, Chaparian said.
Students may be hesitant to join
the team, but Brandstetter explained
that the fear is worth the experience.
Anything thats worthwhile in
life will sometimes seem to be a little
bit scary and challenging, but no matter what career or field you as an individual student will pursue, speech
and debate is going to help you become even better at it, Brandstetter
said.
Some view forensics as just another opportunity to stir up a debate,
but for Brandsettter, it is much more
than that.
Forensics is my life story.

RezLife kicks off spring semester with charity 5K

Race featured
intergalactic
obstacles and
events for
runners of all
ages
Tyler Wilborn
In the crisp air on Saturday morning, Jan. 29, over 100 members of
APUs RezLife staff were busily setting up their space-themed stations
for this years annual charity 5K run.
Dubbed the OuterSpace Race,
the event featured a black hole in
Munson Chapel and a jedi-themed
station in the Mods.
The race was the brainchild of a
detailed planning committee, including Village East residence director
Victoria Volpei as chair; residence
directors Scott Kolmer, Diana Kim,
Casey Hawes; and assistant residence directors Leah Sadoian and
Olivia James.
We started meeting around September or October just to start getting ideas down, and vision-casting
for the event, said Sadoian, assistant
residence director in University Park.
That vision-casting included everything from general layout to the
selection of the partner charities. Be-

RezLife courtesy

staff writer

Students, faculty and staff took part in the Outer Space Race that had plenty of space-themed obstacles
and challenges. The funds raised from this race were donated to Ride for Water and Back on My Feet.
cause this is a fundraising event, that
step was particularly important and
involved the committee members
input and a significant amount of research.
The RD committee prayed and
discussed which charities would receive the funds from the race months
before. Ride for Water and Back on
My Feet were the two we felt our
students would connect with best

and had a tangible need our students

could meet, Volpei said.
Both organizations not only feature APU students, they also seek to
promote health and wellness through
regular fitness activity.
Back on My Feet functions as
a running ministry for the homeless
in Los Angeles, and Ride for Water
seeks to raise money for clean water
while participating in the strenuous

feat of biking from coast to coast.

On race day, members of the
Ride for Water teams could be
found weaving their way through the
throngs of runners, shouting encouragement and even offering the occasional high five.
The 5K committee also featured
a panel of RAs who, in collaboration
with the RDs, came up with the OuterSpace theme for race day. While

the task of putting together an entire

charity race was a huge undertaking,
committee members still managed to
make it a fun, light-hearted process.
It was a blast to be a part of the
planning and fundraising and even
more of a blast on race day. Everything came together cleanly, and everyone had a great time, said Seth
Johnson, a senior biology major and
residence advisor in University Park.
As far as the obstacles go, each
living area put on its own show, mixing and matching elements of space
with its own creative injections.
One of the stations, situated behind Engstrom, encouraged willing
participants to run backwards, mimicking the famous moonwalk while
Michael Jackson favorites blasted in
the background.
Over 200 runners jogged their
way through a space-themed obstacle
course on the morning of the race,
some wearing the black and gold Tshirts they recieved upon registering,
while others wore a slightly different
costume.
The successful race ended with
a health fair, where students could
receive information about eating
healthy on campus, as well as get
acquainted with helpful sites in the
Azusa area dedicated to a healthy
lifestyle.
The OuterSpace Race was just
the first in a long line of RezLife
events on deck for this semester, each
one with its own theme, location and
unique set of activities.

theclause.org/LIFESTYLE

Clause

Wednesday, FEB. 10, 2016

Ethics Conference integrates authentic discussions on faith

staff writer

Students, faculty and local communication scholars gathered for the

29th Annual David C. Bicker Ethics
Conference on Feb. 6 in Wilden Lecture Hall to reflect and discuss communication ethics through the eyes of
a person of faith.
Assistant professor Starla Anderson has been a chair for the conference for the past two years, but has
been a part of the process in the past.
She believes that this conference
gives communication studies students an opportunity to see how their
major can be used in different ways.
The Ethics Conference is an important event because it provides an
opportunity for students to hear how
our discipline can be applied and
have an impact on society as a whole
in a variety of ways. Concepts read in
a book come alive as scholars grapple
with and apply theory to events occurring in the culture around us, Anderson said.
Professor of communications
Bala Musa sees the theme of the conference as unique because there is a
Christian aspect attached to it.

The address made an impact on

the way senior communcation major, Stephana Terrazas looked at her
faith.
[Dr. Muehlhoff] was talking
about how Christians tend to not
want to have a dialogue, because they
fear that understanding may be mistranslated as condoning, Terrazas
explained. Instead, we need to see

On Nov. 12, students from various

ethnic backgrounds filled a Wilden
classroom for this weeks Black Student Association (BSA) meeting. The
topic for the night was on the use of
the N word and whenif everit
is okay to use.
Its an issue that we face, and its
a controversial topic, Vice President
of BSA and senior biblical studies
major Rami Nious Flores said. We
just thought that it was a good thing
to start a discussion about and get
people talking about it.
This was senior biology major
Ellen Emerys first BSA meeting.
When I heard what the topic
of discussion would be at this BSA
meeting, I was intrigued, Emery
said. I really wanted to listen to the
discussion because [use of the N
word] is highly controversial in our
society. It seems as though a double
standard has developed for when it
is acceptable to use, and I was interested to hear the discussion from a
perspective different than may own.
The meeting started with some
of BSAs board members explaining
the myths related to the word, such
as If I say it, Im cool, All black
people use it, Its okay [to say it] if
Im singing/rapping lyrics to a song
and I can say it because I am black.
The group then discussed the

history of the word, explaining that

it was established as a derogatory
term in the 1800s during the time
of slavery in America. White southerners mispronounced the word negro, which meant black person, and
turned it into the more offensive word
that exists today.
Further conversation then revolved around how the word is used
in pop culture, specifically in rap
songs and how even celebrities like
chef and cooking show host Paula
Deen faced dire consequences after
being caught using the word.
BSA then showed a video of Dr.
Neal Lester, an English professor at
the University of Alabama, talking
about the word and what he thinks it
is truly about.
The N word is about an identity, Lester said in the video. Its
being born into an identity that was
somehow expected to be uncivilized,
un-educatable and buffoonish.
Later, the meeting shifted into
an open forum and discussion with
board members acting as moderators
who would ensure the conversations
went smoothly.
Before it started, President of
BSA and senior English major Maurice Johnson laid down some ground
rules, emphasizing that it was a safe
place for people to express their opin-

Senior communications major Sofia Figueroa (middle) was awarded

the David C. Bicker award by Bicker (right) and communication chair
Ryan Hartwig (left). The award is given to a student who is poised to
make a difference, according to conference chair Starla Anderson.

the need to have a dialogue and understand the other persons view and
background in order to get where
they are coming from, rather than just
argue our side.
Fellow junior communications
student Angela Sele, who presented
her paper at the Research Methods
panel, also saw a significant impact
on her faith as a result of the confer-

ence. Sele studied the circumstances

of missed opportunities and how to
combat them so as to not miss another in the future.
I was sitting in an airport one
day, and I felt prompted to talk to
this man, Sele said. I kept feeling
prompted, and I just didnt do it. I believe that I missed that opportunity,
and as a result, I experienced a lot of
regret. I had always viewed promptings from God as something you
must do, because if you dont you are
going to feel guilty.
However, Sele had a change
of perspective as she went through
the process of interviews and focus
groups for her paper.
The Lord gives you those
promptings for a reason, but you are
just doing the work that He would be
doing anyway, Sele reflected. Hes
still going to be working whether
you take the opportunity or not. Its
helped me give myself more grace.
Its definitely affected and changed
my views of who God is and how He
works.
Although the conference is
geared toward discussion in communication, Musa believes that the spiritual impact the conference had on the
communication students who attend
edcould be relevant to students from
other majors and encourages them to
attend in the future.
Communication is a discipline
that is relevant and can contribute
something to everyones life, whether
it is their personal life or professional
life, Musa stated. Even though it is
a communication ethics conference,
it is open to everybodystudents, faculty and people from all disciplines.

ASHLEY EVANS GRAPHIC

Kezziah Costello

There are other conferences that

are mainly focused on communication ethics but hardly any that approach it mainly from a biblical point
of view, Musa said. As a university,
we feel that we are in a good position to attract colleagues from other
universities, as well as students, to
reflect on ethics in our discipline from
a biblical perspective. That is the mission that has been sustained over the
years.
This mission was kept in mind
when the faculty decided on this
years theme, The Ethics of Authentic Communication in Private, Public, and Mediated Forums. Musa
explained how communication is often used for more strategic purposes,
whether that is to win an argument,
persuade or influence others.
They are thinking about what
the audience wants to hear instead
of what is in the genuineness of their
heart, Musa said. The Bible talks
about speaking truth in love to one
another. Authentic communication
involves that same dedication and
that commitment to being truthful,
honest, sincere and open in what you
are saying.
Keynote
speaker
Timothy
Muehlhoff, professor of communications at Biola University, integrated
the theme of authenticity in his
speech, Stomping on Jesus: Navigating Difficult Conversations with
Truth and Love in the Argument
Culture. In his address, he discussed the importance of being aware
of the backgrounds of others in order
to better understand their perspective and have honest conversations as
Christian ambassadors.

Wendi Dykes photo courtesy

Annual event
aims to impact
communication
students
academically and
spiritually

Opinion
The pop culture
icon may be more
influential than we
thought
Lauren Jacobs
photo/design editor

Kim Kardashian is not who you

instantly think of when you hear the
word feminist. She has spent more of
her career in a makeup chair talking
about her Botox injections than she
has discussing gender equality.
Indeed, Kim Kardashian is not
the perfect role model for little girls,
but anyone who can turn a leaked sex
tape into an $83 million fortune embodies, at least a little, girl power.
In the July 2015 issue of Rolling
Stone, Kardashian came out as a
feminist.
But yeah, I think you would call
me a feminist, Kardashian said.
Although the feminist community brushed off this quote quickly,
I would argue that Kim Kardashian
is someone we all need to take more
seriously.
There are many reasons people
do not take Kim seriously, such as
her 72-day marriage to basketball
star Kris Humphries and her naked
Break the Internet photo shoot in
Paper magazine, to name a few.
However, these are not the most
ridiculous things she has done.
My personal favorite Kim Kardashian moments were when she

cried nonstop after losing a $75,000

earring in Bora Bora in 2011, and
when she took 1,200 selfies to make
a book for her husband, Kanye West,
as a gift.
It is easy to dismiss Kim Kardashian and her family because of
their absurd behavior, but anyone
who has worked with Kim says that
she is incredibly driven and businesssavvy. It appears that she knows she
is famous just for being herself, so in
order to remain relevant, she must
honor commitments, be on time and
be courteous to others.
Oprah Winfrey said of the Kardashians in 2014, I interviewed the
Kardashians two years ago, and I
cant believe how hard they work.
People dont understand that; people
think, Oh, if a television cameras just
following you, then thats just easy.
Kim Kardashian is an important
woman in this movement, because
she is different from other celebrities
who have recently made mainstream
feminism popular (Taylor Swift,
Lena Dunham, Lorde, etc.).
Kim Kardashian is a plus-sized
woman.
Now, curves are nothing new.
Marilyn Monroe liberated the sensuous figure back in the 1950s. But then
Twiggy came in the 60s, and Kate
Moss in the 90s, which set the standard and caused curvy women in the
2000s to be largely marginalized and
ignored by designers.
Recently, however, we have entered into a curvy-women revival,
thanks to plus-sized bloggers, fashionable plus-sized lines and, you

FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS courtesy

The face of the modern feminist: Kim Kardashian

Star of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kim Kardashians net worth is $85 million.

guessed it, Kim Kardashian. Business Insider reported in 2012 that

there were 100 million plus-sized
women in America, and just recently
fashion started changing its focus.
Forbes Magazine reported that plussized clothing generated $16.2 billion
in sales in 2013.
Kim Kardashian has expressed
her excitement about this new
change in fashion.
My body type is not your typical
model body type, Kardashian told
CNN Style in October 2015. Its
exciting that designers are seeing
different body shapes and styles and
[are] willing to take that risk.
Was Kim Kardashian the catalyst for a movement that has reduced
years of female oppression? She certainly didnt stop it.
She is mixed-raced.
Kims mother, Kris Jenner, is
of Dutch, Irish and English heritage. However, her father, Robert

Kardashian, was a third-generation

Armenian-American. Kim doesnt try
to ignore her Armenian heritage; she
discusses it freely.
In 2015, she wrote an essay for
TIME magazine about growing up
Armenian and the importance of the
American population not acknowledging the Armenian genocide. She
even called on President Obama to
use the word genocide when referring to the incident, because he had
not yet done so during his presidency.
Kim has also discussed the racism that shes experienced regarding
her interracial marriage with her husband, or toward her daughter, who is
biracial.
Because Kim Kardashian is discussing it, the mainstream media
cant ignore it.
She balances a family and a career.
When asked by CNBC after
giving birth to her daughter, North,

whether she thought she could maintain her demanding career as well
as her family, Kim said, My mom
taught us that we could have it all. Its
just all about prioritizing...After Ive
had a baby, there are so many times
when I dont want to get up, and I
want to be home with my baby, but
for meI think I can speak for my
sistersit makes us feel good when
we can provide something for our
friends, and products that we cant
find [but] we really want.
Although Kims career as a reality star is obviously different from the
average moms, by starting the conversation and urging women to try
to have it all, she is providing women
with another perspective. She has
become a voice that lifts up fellow
females as they struggle to balance a
career and a home life.
In her gaming app, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, the premise,
at first glance, seems superficial and
dumb. Players create an icon and get
to see the illustrated life of Kim as
she goes from lunch in New York to
a photoshoot in L.A. However, the
goal of the game is to work hard in
order to have a successful career.
Kim Kardashian is the first plussized ethnic minority woman to be
called the most famous woman in the
world.
When someone as influential as
Kim embraces feminism instead of
treating it as a dirty word or a political stance, we can only hope that her
40 million Twitter followers and 59.8
million Instagram followers will follow suit.

#OscarsSoWhite: They say we all dream in gold

GOOGLE CREATIVE COMMONS COURTESY

The diversity talk

is strong with this
years award show
season
Anna Ruth Ramos
guest columnist

We All Dream in Gold is this

years 88th Academy Awards theme.
Founded in 1927, the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
(AMPAS) prides itself as an institution that honors films that meet its
high expectations. AMPAS has presented the Academy Awardsmore
commonly known as the Oscarsevery year since 1929.
In light of the recent controversy surrounding the Oscars, the
infamous hashtag #OscarsSoWhite
shed light on a much bigger issue, the
real issue: the current lack of diversity
in Hollywood.
According to a recent NPR
conversation between reporters Rachel Martin and Neda Ulaby, there
are roughly 6,000 current Academy
members to date. Ulaby cited a 2012
Los Angeles Times survey that recorded how, out of 5,000 members
at the time, 93 percent were white,
76 percent were male and the average
age was 63.
This is not a membership that
represents either the country or the
entertainment industry, Ulaby said.
The Academy has, since then, tried
to diversify a little bit. But...it hasnt

Every nominee was Caucasian for the second consecutive year at Oscars.

made a huge, radical push. And thats

what its talking about doing now.
Its not about race, explained
April Reign, creator of #OscarsSo
White. It is about gender and sexual
orientation, and differently abled
people and indigenous communities.
Reign said that the inception of
#OscarsSoWhite began with the
fact that equal opportunity doesnt
exist just yet.
Reign, who started the viral
hashtag last year, said that the term
boycott did not come from her, but
from the media. You cant really boycott something if youre not there,
Reign said.
For someone who has followed
the Oscars religiously since her freshman year of high school, I would echo
George Clooneys sentiment that the

Academy is moving backwards.

Hollywood has the power to influence audiences around the globe,
simply reflecting a portion of the
population which is inaccurate to the
current state of the world we live in
now, but rather in correlation to the
one The Academy is exposed to.
Reign posed the question, How
much more engaging could that film
have been and speak from their own
experiences?
Reign cited Eddie Redmaynes
role in The Danish Girlregarding the film if an actual transgender
woman had taken the roleand
what Carol would have been like
if Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara
were lesbians in real life, rather than
only on screen.
On Jan. 29, in an exclusive with

The Hollywood Reporter, AMPAS

CEO Dawn Hudson stated, So yes,
[the Academy is] not reflective of the
world at large or our movie-going
public. Yet.
At the end of the day, theres not
that new picture of America in our
storytelling that people [think] might
exist, and here we are in 2016, said
Monica Ganas, professor in APUs
Department of Theater Arts.
The reasons that it could stop
happening, according to Ganas, is
that there is an audience. Minorities are no longer minorities. This
issue wont go away [but it will only
be] more potent overtime as America
diversifies.
Ganas said that the answer isnt
to boycott the Oscars in order to take
it seriously. She suggested that it
might be wonderful and entertaining
to watch how Chris Rock gets the
work done.
More recently, on Jan. 17, the
Academy declared a new mandate
to diversify their voting members,
which includes women and people
of color. Academy President Cheryl
Boone Isaacs expects this statistic to
double by 2020.
Hudson explained that its not
about political correctness, citing
the A2020 initiative to be more inclusive by 2020.
Senior film major Madeline
Main spoke about being biracial and
the struggles that shes faced in speaking about this issue.
I was the blackest person in
my graduating class in high school,
Main said. I personally understand

what it means to win awards and an

honorary scholarship out of default
because my school wanted to seem
more diverse (not racist).
I think the word diversity scares
people because it implies racism,
Main said. No one wants to be racist; its a bad word. It doesnt look
goodIf you want diversity, you
must obtain it yourself.
Main explained that the problem
isnt the Oscars or the film industry,
and that there is a solution.
[Its about] reaching minority
kids in school to aspire to be directors, writers, actors, producers,
Main said. In a generation or two,
I guarantee the Oscars wont look so
white.
Reign said that this shows how
we, as a nation, still have a long way
to go.
When we look at this country,
and how its becoming even more
diverse every single day, why arent
those stories being told? Reign wondered. Why arent studio heads interested in telling those stories, because
we know that women and people of
color can open films?
Reign emphasized that good storytelling should be at the root of the
entertainment industry.
The biggest film of all time, the
$1 billion grossing Star Wars, had a
female lead and a black male lead,
Reign said. So, clearly we can open
films. People will come see a good
story regardless of who is starring
in the film, so the question to Hollywood must be, Why would you not
broaden your perspective?

Clause

theclause.org/OPINION

Wednesday, feb. 10, 2016

A musicians powerful legacy

Caroline OConnolly
staff reporter

From an early age, David Bowies

music affected my life. The duet Under Pressure by Bowie and Queens
Freddie Mercury will always be my
go-to pump-up jam while getting
ready in the morning or working out.
One of my favorite Christmas carols
is a duet by Bowie and Bing Crosby:
Peace on Earth/Little Drummerboy.
I remember visiting New York
City when I was 14 years old and
staying at the Empire Hotel, where
Bowie and his wife, Iman, had a
penthouse apartment. I kept hoping
to catch a glimpse of the man, the legend, David Bowie.
Sadly, I didnt run into him in the
Empire Hotel lobby during my trip.
Nonetheless, even though Ive never
personally met Bowie, I still dearly
miss him now.
Because missing someone youve
never even met is what its like to miss
Bowie.
Sophomore journalism major Ayzia King also shared a personal connection with Bowie.
On my 16th birthday, I had a
Bowie-themed party, including a
Bowie cake and the albums The
Labyrinth, Aladdin Sane, and Hunky Dory as presents, King said. I
cried tears of joy.
David Bowie had a definite impact on my life, said Ismael Lopez-

Medel, Ph.D., assistant professor in

the Department of Communication
Studies, as he remembered hearing
Dancing in the Street by Bowie and
Mick Jagger as a teenager. Its just
amazing. Hes got a series of records
from 1967-1976. Its just phenomenal.
Hes...very influential, personally
[and] in terms of style.
Though cancer took his life,
Bowies legacy as an artist lives on.
David Bowie loved to experiment, Lopez-Medel said. If you
look at his discography, he never
repeated himself twice...His album
Ziggy Stardust was one story, or
series. Then he would move on to
something new and different.
The messages in Bowies music
touched people as well.
[In] the song Changes, [Bowie]
says, Go and chase the strange,
King said. It doesnt matter who you
are; I feel like people can learn a lot
from him, and be who they want to
be.

GOOGLE CREATIVE COMMONS COURTESY

On Jan. 10, 2016,

musician David
Bowie passed
away

Bowies wife, Iman, posted Love and

Gratitude on Twitter one month after
the rockstars death in response to
worldwide support and condolences.

[Bowie] made being weird cool

and inspired people to be themselves, agreed junior commercial music major Alyssa Tepper. He pushed
the boundaries of male fashion and
musicality with his outrageous fashion sense and space-like sounds. [He
channeled] a state of transcendence
to the masses.
Two days before his death, Bowie released the album Black Star,
along with the music video for his
song Lazarus.
It blew my mind, Lopez-Medel
said. I think it is interesting that
Bowie had a sense of spirituality [and
believed] that there was a greater
force out there.
I saw the music video for the
song Lazurus as a call or cry for
help, added Lopez-Medel. The last
account Bowie followed on Twitter was @God, which is interesting
because it led me to think: He had a
great life and all these worldly possessions, but at the end of the day, what
was he thinking?
The song Lazarus opens with:
Look up here, Im in heaven. Ive
got scars that cant be seen. Ive got
drama, cant be stolen. Everybody
knows me now.
We may never know whether
Bowie found God and became a true
believer in his dying days. My hope is
that he did.
Bowie was not perfect, but
none of us are. One things for sure:
He was a game changer in music. I
would even argue that he was a game
changer in the world. Bowie was always surprising us with interesting
and exciting styles of music. He truly
was a one-of-a-kind artist.
Rest in peace, Bowie. Ziggy
Stardust forever. Enjoy your Space
Odyssey!

Any New Years

Resolutions?
Sharon Lee
opinion editor

New Years Resolutions

are like Valentines Day.
Why single out one day
to make goals or give
gifts when you could do
that every day?
Hannah Karsseboom, Freshman, Business Management

To graduate.
Jazz Logan
Senior, Psychology

Americas love affair with Trump

How the reality
TV star worked
his way into
Republican
voters hearts
Amanda Mayfield
staff writer

On June 16, 2015, the nation

chuckled as billionaire businessperson Donald Trump publicly announced his candidacy for president.
Shortly after, he began polling at
the top of his party, and his run for
Republican nominee became a reality.
Months into the race, with the
Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary under our belts, there
is no denying that the former star of
NBCs The Apprentice, Donald J.
Trump, is one of the top GOP candidates in this years presidential election.
Trumps outlandish rhetoric and
offensive statements appear to help
his campaign. He has presented himself in a drastically different way than
his fellow candidates.
Donald Trump is set apart by
his unorthodox style and disregard
for common political practices, said
Hovsep Chaparian, senior business
major and president of the political
awareness club.
We have seen him be politically
incorrect, call a POW a loser, never
apologize, skip debates, attack the
media unapologetically [and] attack other candidates appearances,

Chaparian said.
This leaves us questioning how
and why Republicans love Donald
Trump.
Here are some simple reasons
why Republican voters support him.
Trump empowers those frustrated with the political establishment;
his candidacy is fuel on a fire that has
burned for decades.
You have a public thats really
frustrated with what they perceive as
a lack of responsiveness, said Alex
Hindman, Ph.D., professor in the
Department of History and Political
Science. The little guy has felt left
out and no longer trusts the establishment of either party. Trump appears
to be answering this need.
The collective disapproval of the
establishment has voters clinging
to Trump; their pent-up frustration
now has an outlet through which it
can act.
The love for Trump is also rooted
in our nations overwhelming distrust
of the mainstream media. In a sense,
this has made Trumps campaign
bullet-proof, allowing him to make
pompous and untrue claims without
negatively impacting his campaign.
He isnt winning on the issues,
policies, rhetoric or anything substantial, but is feeding off the hate that the
public has against the media and the
Washington Cartel, Chaparian said.
His bombastic nature enables the
media to do his campaigning for him.
Trump answers to no one; this
is also an appealing factor for voters. He consistently emphasizes the
fact that he is completely self-funded,
touting the freedom this gives him
to remain loyal to his voters and his
values.

The simple nature of Trumps

answers appeals to voters exhausted
by elaborate plans that never seem to
pan out.
Trump is rambunctious, Cristie
Granillo, a registered Democrat and
APU College Counseling and Student Development program graduate student, said. He has a way of
swaying a crowd with rhetoric. For
example, after the Paris attacks, he
was outspoken about his support for
military action as a response to the
tragedy. The U.S. population did not
feel it was safe and was looking for reassurance on national security.
Trump offers elementary solutions to voters, which is a breath of
fresh air for those who dont have a
deep-seated desire to follow political
policies.
Donald Trump is simple. Fellow
candidates are offering tiered plans
structured in a manner that general
voters find incomprehensible. Those
longing for clear, simple solutions to
problems seem to be turning towards
Trump.
The final reason for Trumps
success is the fact that he has been
successful in other facets of life. The
billionaire real-estate developer and
entrepreneur managed to successfully rebuild his empire after bankruptcy, which lends credence to his
campaign slogan, Making America
Great Again. Voters earnestly believe that Trump can rebuild America, just as he did with his estate.
As his run for candidacy progresses, only time will tell if voters
will be able to recognize the dangers of giving someone like Donald
Trump the power to put his underdeveloped plans into action.

To not worry about

all I need to figure out
right now and know
that the Lords the
way.
Katie Mraz
Freshman, English

Im going to try to
stay more organized
through use of my
calendar.
Colin Magnusson
Sophomore
Youth Ministry

Read more for grad

school.
Mary Ilagan
Master of Business
Management

To make it to
graduation and pursue
human resources.
Stephanie Henderson
Senior
Business Management

Sports
Watson finds new home; Atkinson and Flores chase dream

HOLLY MAGNUNSON photo

Their running back staff isnt as

great compared to Cincinnati, and
they brought him over there for a
reason, Buys added. When [Hue]
Jackson took over that job, he made
a real direct effort to get Terrell over
there, and I think that bodes well if
your head coach wants you in that
position. His chances to play are a lot
greater there, and I think it will be a
good situation for him.
Watson broke over 20 school
records at APU and 25 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC)
records, including APUs singleseason rushing record set by former
NFL great Christian Okoye in 1986.
Josh Atkinson and Paul Flores

Terrell Watson breaks away during his career as a Cougar. He holds 25

GNAC rushing records as well as the Cougars single season record.

Paul Flores stands strong on the offensive line at the NFLPA Bowl on
Jan. 23. He earned recognition as an All-GNAC preformer in 2015.

and showing me how to work hard

in order to get to the next level, Atkinson said. When it comes to my
twin brother, George, we always
competed and pushed each other in
order to get better every single day,
and ultimately help get each other to
the NFL.
Cougars head coach Victor Santa Cruz pointed out that Atkinsons
size6-feet and 195 poundsand
playing style make him a unique and
physical player.
For Josh, its hard to find a corner that big and that fast, Santa Cruz
said. Its tough. Usually, you give up
speed for size, or size for speed, but
with him, you dont give up anything.
On the offensive side of the ball,
Flores has also been recognized for
his size and athleticism. He was a
three-sport athlete at Gladstone
High School, where he played
quarterback. Now, Flores stands at
6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, and has adjusted to being a lineman.
Flores always wanted to go to
APU; he had family that attended
the university, and he wanted to stay
local so that they could see him play.
In addition, he saw APUs transition
from the NAIA into the NCAA as a

Josh Atkinson covers a receiver during the NFLPA Bowl late last month.
He was the Cougars only first team All-GNAC honoree in 2015.

great opportunity to play at a higher

level.
Flores thanked NFL Hall of
Famer and APU O-line coach Jackie
Slater for his transition into an offensive lineman.
Hes probably one of the most influential people that has ever coached
me, in moving me to an offensive
tackle specifically, Flores said. He
has such a wide amount of knowledge when it comes to the position
and the sport. I just tried to soak up
everything that he gave me.
Coach Santa Cruz also raved
about Flores ability to succeed at the
next level.
Paul is a very large man, Santa
Cruz said. He has all the measurables needed to play the position; he
is smart and very athletic with his
feet.
Santa Cruz had one final message for both Atkinson and Flores:
Just win today. Every day is an opportunity. At the very least, go to
bed and say, I did all that I can.
If they take you, they take you, and
if they dont, they dont, but make
sure that you did everything you
can to get yourself ready for that
opportunity.

KEN WILLIAMS photo

For the second consecutive year,

two APU football players represented the university in the NFLPA
Collegiate Bowl. Senior cornerback
Josh Atkinson and senior offensive
tackle Paul Flores were selected to
play for team National, winning 1817 over team American on Jan. 23,
in Carson, California. This was one
of the first steps for Atkinson and
Flores as they prepare to enter the
NFL Draft.
Atkinson began his college career playing football at Notre Dame
before transferring to APU.
When I came in for my first visit,
after seeing what APU was about
and meeting Coach Santa Cruz, I realized that it was a special place, not
just for football, but also to grow as
a person within my faith and education-wise, Atkinson said.
In addition, Atkinson also has an
impressive football lineage. His father, George Atkinson, was a safety
for the Oakland Raiders from 19681977, and George Atkinson III, Josh
Atkinsons twin brother, is currently
a running back for the Raiders.
Atkinson admits that his father
had a major influence on him and his
brother, and that is one of the reasons
he would like to play professional
football.
My father was someone that I
idolized on and off the field, somebody that Ive always looked up to
and who has always helped me, from
guiding me through this process

KEN WILLIAMS photo

NFL, P. 1

Cougars led by
Hernendez and
Player of the Year
Sprague
Rudy Reynoso
staff writer

APUs softball team begins

the 2016 season with something to
prove, after its lackluster 2015 season
ended with a 29-26 overall record (1417 PacWest). The Cougars finished
seventh in the PacWest in 2015 and
were picked to finish seventh again in
the 2016 preseason coaches poll.
Despite the previous season,
head coach Carrie Webber expressed
that they have high hopes for 2016.
I am super excited! Webber
said. There is always a sense of excitement when you start a new season. Were out to prove people wrong

about where we rank and what were

about to do. Our goal was [to learn]
how to be a team and work together
while building.
The Cougars are led by junior
third baseman Nicki Sprague, who
is the two-time defending PacWest
Player of the Year.
[Sprague] is the one that allows
the team to elevate, Webber said.
She challenges the team and pushes
the girls to be better than they think
they can, [and] to not settle for what
they are.
Key players also include seniors Narissa Garcia and Madison Hernandez, a pitcher-catcher
combo. New to the team was freshman pitcher Megan Mejia, whom
Sprague described as having nasty
movement.
The Cougars started the 2016
season with a home double-header
against U.C. San Diego.
[We had] Annie Sisler in right

field and Cayla Broussard on second

base and in the number two spot in
the [batting] line-up, Webber said
about the two starting freshmen.
Thats a big position to play and a
key position to hit.
The Cougars split the doubleheader against U.C. San Diego. The
team then traveled to Las Vegas to
participate in the Desert Stinger
tournament.
Its a fun tournament with smaller
fields and shorter fences, Webber
said. You will see lots of hitting and
offense.
The team went 3-2 on the weekend, scoring 37 runs across the five
games. The team will carry the offensive momentum back into action
on the road against longtime rival
Biola on Friday, Feb. 12, in La Mirada, CA. The team will open their
PacWest schedule Mar. 4 at home
against defneding national runner-up
and conference champion Dixie State

HOLLY MAGNUNSON photo

Softball team wants to defy expectations in 2016

Cougar softball lines up during the National Anthem before a home

game at the Azusa Pacific Softball Complex.

Clause

theclause.org/sports

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016

11

Acro and Tumbling sets sights on championship

Cougars hope to
improve on past
results

AROUND THE DEN

Acrobatics & Tumbling

Upcoming: vs. Hawaii Pacific at

6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11

Kenny Langrell
After a bitter loss in last years
NCATA semifinals, APUs acrobatics and tumbling team is headed into
the upcoming season with a new goal:
paying more attention to the teams
skills, rather than the competitors they
face.
After losing four seniors and gaining seven freshmen, acrobatics and
tumbling head coach Colleen Kausrud claimed that the team had nothing
to worry about, and that the freshman
have filled those shoes and then some,
so we should have some talent.
Senior base Gabby Sheffield stated, The new freshmen have stepped
up to the plate and are really showing
that theyre ready for competition season.
In preparation for this years season, Kausrud explained that the practices currently emphasize tumbling
because thats the basis of our sport.
A lot of time is spent on that.
The team spends three hours a
week practicing tumbling skills, since
many team members are former gymnasts and must now transition from
a spring floor to a hard floor. This
means that, in order to prevent injuries, the team must learn how to tumble differently.
Coach Kausrud expressed that
every opposing team brings a different
challenge. She believes that the team

SPORTS INFORMATION photo

staff writer

The Acrobatics and Tumbling team performs during the pyramid section of a meet last season. The Cougars
were picked to fourth in the preseaon coaches poll. The Cougars finished the 2015 season with a loss in the
NCATA national semifinals to Baylor. It was the third time in the last four seasons the Cougars fell in the semis.
must concentrate on their own needs
in order to win, rather than changing
their routines based on what other
teams do.`
I think every meet is going to be
a challenge, Kausrud said. You never
know what youre going to hit though.
I think we really just have to stay focused, play our game and be our own
team, not worry about what theyre
doing.
Senior base Emily Sanchez said
that execution is key to their sport,
and that they do not generally look at
their competitors.
We look at ourselves because
were our biggest critics, Sanchez

said. Its perfection that we strive for.

Our goal is to better our score
every meet, Kausrud said. I want
to be able to up our start value every
meet if we can. I want our skill level to
rise, [and] I want confidence to build.
I want them to feel successful in what
theyre doing. I want to make sure
[that] we walk in feeling confident [at]
every meet.
This season, the team is changing its mindset by working its way up
as the season progresses, rather than
starting strong and hoping it holds
throughout the entire season.
Sheffield states that her main goal
for her final season is to see the team

progress and glorify God through every new season.

The season is about the journey,
and our goal is ultimately the same,
Kausrud explained. We want to win,
and we want the ring by spring, but
really, its [about] our journey going
through it.
How do we interact with people?
What life lessons have we learned so
that we can move forward in life? [Because] after this, this is it, Kausrud
added.
The team will begin its season
journey on Thursday, Feb. 11 against
Hawaii Pacific at 6:30 p.m. in the Felix Event Center.

Baseball (2-2)
Last game: W, 7-6 vs. Western
Oregon
Upcoming: vs. Cal State
Monterey Bay at 5 p.m. on
Thursday, Feb. 11
Mens Basketball (16-6)
Last game: W, 83-82 vs. BYUHawaii*
Upcoming: vs. Point Loma* at 8
p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13
Softball (4-3)
Last game: W, 8-3 vs. Cal State
Dominguez Hills
Upcoming: @ Biola at 1 p.m. on
Friday, Feb. 12
Swimming & Diving (6-4)
Last meet: PCSC Time Trials
Upcoming: @ PCSC
Championships, Friday-Monday,
Feb. 12-15
Track & Field
Last meet: APU Indoor Qualifier
Upcoming: NAU Invitational
Friday-Saturday, Feb 12-13
Womens Basketball (19-3)
Last game: W, 106-63 vs. BYUHawaii*
Upcoming: vs. Point Loma* at 6
p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13

Clause

theclause.org/sports

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2016

12