Monday, February 18, 2013 Volume 41 • Issue 15

THE WHO ROCKS SAN DIEGO/ p. 3

SPRING SPORTS PRE-

VIEW: GOLF/ p. 6

A trend of anonymous “secrets” or “confessions” Facebook pages has been popping up on college campus-es nationwide, and a new site called “PLNU Confessions” has joined in with 683 “likes” and 637 confessions posted since it was created on Feb. 11.

“PLNU Confessions is an unfor-tunate expression of student activity or opinions,” said Caye Smith, vice president for student development. “It seems to me unhealthy and un-wholesome and it undermines both the Christian witness of the Univer-sity and the Christian witness of the individual.”

The Facebook page has a link to a SurveyMonkey page, which allows people to anonymously post their

confessions, and an unknown person or group of persons posts the confes-sions on the page. While the page has an identifying photo with the school’s “PLNU Forward” brand logo, there is no way to be sure a PLNU student is running the page, or that the confes-sions are done by PLNU students.

“It could be posted by anyone so I think whoever looks at the site should remember that, because much of the content is offensive so I think it’s well for us to remember that it’s not neces-sarily an accurate reflection of the stu-dent body,” Smith said.

However, the page has dominated the conversations of many PLNU students for the last week, and people who comment on or “like” the posts are not anonymous. Many of the com-menters or “likers” on the page are confirmed PLNU students, and the

content of many of the posts includes specific references to people, places or events at PLNU.

“I’m sure that it could be and that it’s troubling for anyone from the out-side who would find it unintention-ally or stumble upon it or search for PLNU and have this thing pop up. I think it’s terribly regrettable and I cer-tainly don’t like or endorse university artwork on it,” Smith said. “At the same time, we don’t have any control over it.”

PLNU is not the only school in San Diego with such a site. San Diego State University’s “SDSU” Confes-sions works the same way, and was cre-ated on Jan. 24. Other regional Chris-tian universities are associated with the trend, such as BIOLA University’s “Biola Confessions,” created Feb.

[cont. CONFESSIONS, p. 2]

“PLNU Confessions” Facebook page stirs controversyabby hamblinnews editor

N e w s B r i e f sPresident Obama introduces College Scorecard

The president’s State of the Union address last week hit many points of discussion in Washington, such as immigration, unemploy-ment and national security but it also addressed something that par-ticularly affects young people: the process of choosing a college.

“Through tax credits, grants and better loans, we’ve made col-lege more affordable for millions of students and families over the last few years. But taxpayers can’t keep on subsidizing higher and higher

and higher costs for higher educa-tion. Colleges must do their part to keep costs down, and it’s our job to make sure that they do,” President Barack Obama said in the address on Feb. 13. “My Administration will release a new College Score-card that parents and students can use to compare schools based on a simple criteria: where you can get the most bang for your educational buck.”

While PLNU students have already chosen their college, they may still be interested in knowing their school’s scores. Each category is ranked low, medium or high on whitehouse.gov/scorecard.

NEED TO KNOW:COST - HIGH- Avg. Net Price (cost after grants and scholarships): $27,160 per year

GRADUATION RATE - HIGH- 72.4 percent of full-time students received their bachelor’s degree within six years.

MEDIAN BORROWING - HIGH- The average PLNU student’s Federal loan payment over 10 years is approximately $247.42 per month.

abby hamblinnews editor

Summer session registration open

PLNU is offering two sessions of summer school this year, and registration opened on Feb. 11.

During summer school, students are able to take many required general education and other classes needed to get ahead or catch up with their credits toward graduation. Non-PLNU students are also able to apply and take summer classes on PLNU’s campus.

PLNU’s summer classes are discounted and also go at an accelerated rate.

NEED TO KNOW:SESSION ONE: May 6 - June 7

SESSION TWO: June 10 - July 12

COST: $400 per unit

Students must obtain clearance from their advisor before registration.

Registration is done through the typical means on my.pointloma.edu.

abby hamblinnews editor

info from whitehouse.gov/scorecard

Fair Trade Club to propose $3 tuition raise, Fair Trade Fund

In the coming weeks, the PLNU Fair Trade Club plans to propose a $3 tuition raise for a Fair Trade Fund to the Board of Trustees. The proposal, which was discussed last Wednesday at the Fair Trade Forum, asks that stu-dents be given the opportunity to vote on the raise.

“We’ll ask each student to volun-tarily raise their tuition ... and then we’re going to use that money toward sustain-able and fair trade practices on our cam-

pus,” said Andrew Schalin, president of the PLNU Fair Trade Club.

If the plan is approved, students could raise up to $7000 dollars per semester. This proposal is part of the student-led process for PLNU to be-come a Fair Trade University, certified by the non-profit organization Fair Trade Colleges and Universities. The approval of this plan would also make PLNU the first university in the na-tion to have a Fair Trade Fund.

“I was speaking with the President of Fair Trade Universities … and he was blown away by the fact that we’re

considering this,” Schalin said. “I can’t imagine the press that we would get if we were the first school in the nation to have [a] fair trade fund.”

The event was lead by Schalin and the PLNU Fair Trade Club members.

At the forum, Schalin defined fair trade as trade seeking to provide equality for workers, often from de-veloping countries, through fair wages and working conditions. The goal of fair trade is to protect the rights of workers by preventing exploitation.

“A product that is fair trade en-sures that people producing this prod-

uct are treated ethically,” Schalin said. “It means that they are free and they are paid their just wage. Ultimately fair trade is about seeking to under-stand how we relate to other human beings in the purchases we make throughout the world.”

Some of the products receiving the most discussion when it comes to fair trade include coffee and chocolate.

“Every time we buy a bar of choco-late or drink a cup of coffee that isn’t produced in a fair trade manner we’re actually funding slavery in the world today,” Schalin said.

The forum served as a platform for the discussion of the Fair Trade Fund proposal. Much like the Green Fund, a student-voted $5 tuition raise for sustainability and environment pur-poses, the Fair Trade Fund Proposal, if approved by the Board of Trustees, will seek the approval of students for a $3 raise to tuition.

If approved, a small commission made up of students, staff and faculty and lead by the director of the Center for Justice and Reconciliation, Jamie Gates, would be formed to determine

guimel sibingostaff writer

[cont. FAIR TRADE CLUB, p. 2]

Screen Shot Courtesty of PLNU Confessions

the point weekly | february 6, 20122 | NEWS Monday, February 18, 2013

katie callahan staff writer

CONFESSIONS cont. from p. 1

13, and Azusa Pacific Univer-sity’s “APU Confessions,” created Jan. 26.

Some of the posts include funny comments about campus happen-ings, but others address PLNU stu-dents by name, or bring up issues that face the PLNU community.

“I don’t think this is the most ob-vious representation of our student body and I think a majority of our students don’t live the life outlined by most of the confessions, but I’ve seen some that are really interesting things that should be explored and talked about,” said ASB President Ian McKay.

McKay said he understands why people might be angry about the pages, but that he takes most of the posts seriously, and that he supports the free speech that takes place on the page. He also said that some of the posts reflect conversations he thinks the student body should be having, and that he thinks it is sad that people feel like they have to go to a secret

website to express themselves.“If you look at schools like

UCSD, you’ll see that they don’t have the same conversations going on in their confessions and that makes me think two things,” McKay said. “One, that we’re an immature student body, which I think that there is an aspect of that, and two, I think ... that we haven’t had these larger conversations about alcohol, drugs and sex. I think there’s a middle ground that we can walk and say there’s some bad in this and there’s some immaturity that is just going to come from going to a Christian liberal arts school and then there’s a side that says, OK, why is this coming up and why is this not being orchestrated and kind of navigated through formal institutions.”

PLNU’s Student Conduct Handbook states that the University has the right to remove or limit ac-cess to material posted or transmit-ted by its computers, but because the site is anonymous, Smith said that Student Development cannot

take any disciplinary action and are not attempting to do so at this point.

“I think also that even if individ-ual responses on there are PLNU students I think it’s important for us not to extrapolate that to the entire student body,” Smith said. “I don’t believe for a minute that reflects the actions, thoughts, feelings, intent [and] Christian witness of the entire student body. At this point in time I would say that I and others in ad-ministrative roles are saddened but hopeful that the site will lose its at-traction and go away quickly.”

the allocation of the funds. The approval of the fair trade fund

is part of the process of the school becoming a Fair Trade University. PLNU would become part of the 17 schools already certified by Fair Trade Colleges and Universities.

“The certifying body would des-ignate us a fair trade school, through … Fair Trade USA and the fair trade college designation,” Gates said. “There are certain criteria we have to meet.”

The criteria consist of building a fair trade team, reaching out to ven-ue outlets on campus to sell fair trade products, encouraging the use of fair trade coffee or food in departments and supporting educational events about fair trade. The last process is the passing of a fair trade resolution through the school.

Senior and Fair Trade Club Member Katie Haeuser said approv-ing the Fair Trade Fund is an impor-tant step the school needs to take.

“It’s extremely important for us

as a Christian university, as a Chris-tian community to be doing things ethically and to make sure that we aren’t contributing towards slavery in any way at all,” she said.

Junior Haley Courtney thinks the Fair Trade Fund is a good opportunity for the school to make an impact.

“If we have the resources to do it, I don't see why we should not move forward with it,” she said via email. “I am really excited to get more in-volved in it because I think it is defi-nitely a worthy cause with a tangible solution, and we have the power to help get to that solution.”

Gates said his vision is that the school would become slave free in all purchases made and for the Univer-sity to promote living wages.

“Not just for its own employees, but any supplier, any builder, any international trips that we take,” he said. “[the vision is] that we have liv-ing wages and a better life, a more just set of practices woven through whatever we do.”

FAIR TRADE CLUB cont. from p. 1

PLNU spends Valentine’s Day with Garrison Keillor

Garrison Keillor started off his own event in Brown Chapel Thurs-day evening with a couple words and no introduction: “There are people still coming in; let’s sing to them.”

But that wasn’t all. As the cha-pel packed to full capacity, Keillor walked the aisles, serenading his audience and telling those people who “forgot to do what you should have done today” that this Valen-tine’s Day song might help: “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” by Elvis Presley.

Called the “Mark Twain of his generation” and known for his radio show, “A Prairie Home Compan-ion,” Keillor is famous for entertain-ing audiences through storytelling.

“The stories all say what I think stories need to say, and that is: you’re not alone, be brave and tomorrow’s a new day,” said Keillor.

The event, coordinated by Edie Chapman, an adjunct associate profes-sor of writing, was sponsored by the

Department of Literature, Journalism and Modern Languages and the San Diego Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. It tweeted as one of the first Writer’s Symposium events under #PLNUWS.

Professor of Journalism and the host of the Writer’s Symposium’s events, Professor of Journalism Dean Nelson, introduced the speaker, and stated the magnitude of having a speaker like Keillor on campus.

“He’s a historic force ... We all saw what a true artist looks and sounds like and I think we’re all el-evated as a result of it,” Nelson said.

Allie Frazier, a junior writing ma-jor at PLNU and also a student on the workshop panel held earlier that day, said she was amazed by being able to interact with and critique this man who she grew up listening to be-fore she could even talk.

“He is a fabulous storyteller. You aren’t going to hear stories from any-one the way he can tell it,” said Frazier. “In his past, on the radio, in person, it’s the same. He just has that way about him that you want to keep listening.”

Keillor attended and critiqued student pieces in Fermanian Business Center at a workshop at 3 p.m. before his eve-ning event on Thursday. The panel included students from Rick Hill’s Advanced Writing Workshop class: Callie Rad-

ke, Tory Orduño, Camron Cluff, Elizabeth Pode, Eddie Matthews, Spencer Chesnut, Karisa Ham and Allie Frazier.

photo courtesy of katie callahan

On Feb. 28, Pope Bene-dict XVI will officially re-sign as Bishop of Rome. Benedict was elected pope in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II. It has been nearly 600 years since a Pope has resigned.

“[The Pope] had talked about doing it before, but no pope ever had; he changed the nature of the Bishop of Rome back to its original purpose,” said Professor of Theology and Christian Scriptures, John Wright. “Obviously one does not re-

sign from kingdomship, so when the Pope resigns, he has now shifted the Bishop of Rome from a unity as a monarch to the unity of the apostolic origins for the vis-ible unity of the church,” said Wright.

In traditional Catholi-cism, a time of mourning would take place after the Pope dies. However, in this situation, the election can start right away. Now that Lent is in season, sooner may be better than later.

“During Lent there are certain roles that the priest has to fulfill: the celebration of Palm Sunday, the Holy Week Vigil [and] Good Fri-

day, so they have to figure out how to coordinate the election with the celebra-tion,” said Wright. “I think by doing this before Lenten Wednesday, he is putting the election of a new Pope with-in the Lenten fast.”

When the election pro-cess begins, the cardinals, who are considered hon-orary priests from various churches in Rome, will get together and pray.

“One thing I have heard is that if all things are equal, they could elect a South American or an African [if] the person has the same theological convictions, the same pastoral modes and if

the bishop cardinals trust him,” said Wright.

Junior Catherine Gal-braith, member of the PLNU Catholic Commu-nity on Facebook, said that she was both shocked and curious when she heard of the resignation.

“I did not even real-ize that resigning from the papacy was possible. After all, it hasn’t happened in about 600 years or so,” said Galbraith. “As a Catholic, this means that leadership within the Church will have an even more pronounced place in my prayers dur-ing the coming weeks. I now feel a mixture of trust,

gratitude and excitement; I trust that Pope Benedict XVI would not make such a big decision without a lot of thought and an even greater amount of prayer.”

Freshman Megan Arriola expressed what the pope’s re-tirement means to all follow-ers of Christ.

“He is showing all Christians that we should be putting others before ourself and that is exactly what Benedict XVI is do-ing when he resigns,” Arri-ola said. “I think we all can learn something from this courageous decision.”

Pope Benedict XVI to resign as Bishop of Romejulie mckibben staff writer

W O R L D N E W S

photo courtesy of catholic church (england and wales) on flickr

See “Word on the lane” on page 4 for some student thoughts.

Have opinions on PLNU Confessions? Send them to hanaeades2009@point-loma.edu.

the point weekly | monday, february 6, 2012 | 3monday, october 8, 2012 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENTMonday, February 18, 2013

2/4-28 Museum Month @ Museums Across San Diego

2/19 Kirsten Shetler Composition Recital @ Crill Performance Hall, 7:30 p.m.

3/13 Alicia Keys @ Valley View Casino Center, 7:30 p.m.

3/15 Weston Bennet Vocal Recital @ OB First Baptist Church, 7 p.m.

3/18 Imagine Dragons @ House of Blues, 7:30 p.m.

4/11 Rihanna @ Valley View Casino Center, 7:30 p.m.

The Who rocks San Diego

On Feb. 5, The Who brought their tour to San Diego at the Valley View Casino Center.

The concert almost didn’t happen. Before the opening act, Pete Townsh-end, lead guitarist and primary song-writer of The Who, came up to the microphone and said that their current drummer, Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr of The Beatles, had taken ill that afternoon. They were barely able to find a backup drummer on such short notice, Townshend explained.

But the show went on. After a stellar opening act by

Vintage Trouble, a band known for their blend of hard rock, metal and 1970s soul, The Who took center stage. The band powered nonstop through the entirety of their rock opera “Quadrophenia.” This story follows a young man named Jimmy who feels alienated from his society, culture and family in the height of the 1964 Mod Scene. Jimmy’s quasi-schizophrenic thinking is personified by the recurrence of four themes in the music, representing his split per-sonality types.

The song arrangements were fleshed out for the tour, featuring a brass section and a bank of synthesiz-

ers and pianos, in addition to the tra-ditional bass, guitar and drums setup.

The show had two large screens on either side of the stage, and cen-tered porthole-shaped screens that featured vintage images of The Who, period videos of the 1964 Mod scene and clips from the film adaptation of “Quadrophenia.” All this was accom-panied by an ecstatic light show.

Remaining members Roger Daltrey on lead vocals and Pete Townshend on lead guitar were in top form. Although Daltrey’s vocals have grown raspy and his range has diminished, his high energy level was consistent from when he roared “The Real Me” to the album’s stellar finale, “Reign O’er Me.”

Highlights of the show included the songs “5:15” and “Bellboy.” Dur-ing these songs, the late bassist John Entwhistle and drummer Keith Moon were virtually reincarnated on screen.

During “5:15,” Entwistle’s blis-tering extended live bass solo from the “Quadrophenia” tour was shown on screen, while “Bell Boy” showed a young and ferocious Keith Moon from an early 1970s concert drum-ming and singing the song’s lead vocals. The band played in real time along with the pre-recorded audio and video during these songs. These clips enlisted a strong emotional re-sponse from the audience, ranging

from vivacious clapping to streaming tears and choked-back sobs.

The showstopper of the concert was the rock album’s finale, “Reign O’er Me.” It was Roger Daltrey’s best vocal of the night.

After this, the band received a well-deserved standing ovation. After band introductions, Townsh-end then remarked, “All right, you already know this s***,” launching into an encore of The Who’s most

famous classics: “Who Are You,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Pinball Wiz-ard,” “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

The concert closed with the qui-et, retrospective “Tea and Theatre,” a song which encapsulated The Who’s legacy as a band.

The show gave the audience the chance to experience The Who with the same energy of their live perfor-mances from the 1960s and 1970s,

the band’s heyday, minus the destruc-tiveness of instruments and set pieces that The Who is famous for.

The Who’s performance and musicianship also gave the audience an encouraging taste for what to ex-pect for their upcoming 50th anni-versary tour in 2014.

If you have spent any time on Caf Lane after chapel, you know that ev-ery Monday, Wednesday and Friday, in the flash of an eye, this campus turns into #PLNUfashionweek.

Suddenly, it’s as if Anna Wintour, Editor-in-chief of Vogue, in her sig-nature bob and sunglasses, is sitting on Sunset Deck and we are all strut-ting our stuff, trying to impress.

This is Fashion Week front row, baby. You have the good seats.

Now trust me, I pound the pave-ment like it’s no one’s business. If you have ever seen me walking down Caf Lane with headphones in my ears, I am serving up #tyrabanksrealness in my mind. I’m probably listening to Telepopmusik or Ke$ha or some weird electro music that is only ap-propriate during a weird séance or while walking through the Amazon in Versace heels.

The lights and cameras are all up in my face and I am serving fierce-ness on a platter. At least I think I am.

Now, friends, at PLNU Fash-ion Week, as with any fashion week, there are true standouts. There are those who make your jaw drop and your hands shake and your eyes well up with tears. Along those same lines, however, there are those that make you think to yourself, “what was he/she thinking?!”

These are the Lindsay Lohans of Fashion Week and you do NOT want to end up on that style blog.

I am fully aware that this may make me #publicenemynumberone, but I absolutely cannot let Loma students continue to commit severe #fashioncrimes. So here we go.

Ladies. LAY-deez. This might be my number one current fashion irk. We’re talking about Ugg Boots.

Here’s the thing about Ugg Boots. They have their place. When it’s 30 degrees outside, go ahead. Wear your Uggs. Wear your Uggs like you were born in them. When it’s 75 degrees and the sun is shining, though, all I can think to myself is: “that girl’s feet must be warm.”

I was just talking with my mom about Ugg Boots on Skype and she said, “Aren’t those the shoes that look like grizzly bears?”

To which I responded, “yes, mother. Yes, they are.”

Don’t wear shoes that look like grizzly bears, y’all. That’s all I have to say.

This next one goes out to all of the Loma dudes. If I get into this conversation one more time, I might die.

Wearing athletic shorts every day of the year is not okay. If you’re on a sports team and have practice later in the day, I get it. Why would you go back to your room to change? I wouldn’t. I‘m lazy.

If you are not on a sports team,

though, just put some real clothes on. #realtalk is that people only take you as seriously as you take yourself, and getting dressed in the morning really helps with that.

I’m not saying you have to take an hour to get dressed. Maybe lay your clothes out the night before. Maybe sleep in the clothes you plan on wearing the next day so you can just roll out of bed with real clothes on. I don’t know your life. Just put some pants on.

Moving on to my third and final fashion enemy: leggings as pants is never, ever an okay thing.

I think I have been saying this for at least three years, but no one listens to me.

This is an issue of fashion, but also an issue of modesty.

An open letter to those who think that wearing leggings instead of pants is a cute, trendy comfy way of covering your body: it really isn’t. You might as well be painting your body with black paint. I can see ev-erything and that’s not cool.

Instead, maybe wear yoga pants or put a skirt over your leggings. Maybe wear a long sweater. Again, I don’t know your life, but there are many cute, comfy modest options other than just wearing leggings.

Friends, do not be discouraged. I am for the most part impressed with

the fashion on this campus. There’s a reason that Caf Lane

feels like a runway and that’s because of all of the fierce fashion that can be seen on campus. Keep it up, Loma. Keep it up.

sean woodardstaff writer

What not to wear with @the_icrane, A&E editor

vintage photo courtesy of the who

ian cranea&e editor

photos courtesy of ian crane

PLNU spends Valentine’s Day with Garrison Keillor

the point weekly | february 6, 20124 | FEATUERS october 8, 2012Monday, February 18, 2013

Lynn Reaser has had anything but a dull career. Reaser works in the Fermanian Business & Economic Institute at PLNU in the MBA pro-gram as a professor of Managerial Economics. She is also Chief Econo-mist for PLNU and California.

“As PLNU's Chief Economist, I try to present an economic voice for our University on various is-sues important to the community,” Reaser said.

Reaser has been involved with economic studies on clients such as San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego Military Advisory Council, Sempra Energy, the Equinox Center and the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank.

“In 2012 she was honored by the National Association for Busi-ness Economics for producing the most accurate business forecasts for the year,” said Ivan Filby, dean of the Fermanian Business Center. “Late in 2013 she was appointed as the Chief Economist to California ... She is responsible for producing economic forecasts for the State. This is a re-ally big deal.”

Before these accomplishments, Reaser discussed how she worked at Bank of America. Looking to chal-

lenge herself further, Reaser had a set of standards for where she would land next in her journey.

“I believe that everyone should strive for excellence and to reach for the next challenge,” Reaser said. “I had three criteria for where I wanted to go next. These included: the op-portunity to work with good people; the ability to be challenged; and the opportunity to apply economics to make for a better world. PLNU has provided all of those elements.”

Among the many projects Reaser has been involved in, she has been a big part in a major study of individu-als receiving help from the San Di-ego Food Bank.

“This study was based on surveys of more than 550 Food Bank recipi-ents and heavily relied on the assis-tance of PLNU students in gathering the data,” Reaser said. “Understand-ing the backgrounds and current situ-ations of these Food Bank recipients has enabled us to offer a number of recommendations we believe could help many of those struggling in our community.”

Reaser made it clear that her job is not only about the economy, but the people affected by it.

“My vision, which I try to convey to my students, contacts in the media and audiences I speak before, includes trying to help everyone ‘connect the global dots' and understand how all

of the pieces fit together in a complex puzzle,” Reaser said. “Most impor-tantly, I strive to help find solutions to help improve the condition for our world and all of its inhabitants through the application of economics.”

Reaser has used her gift in more ways than one. Reaser describes her strengths as “perseverance” and “the wish to do better.” Her strengths continue to fuel her ability to push forward in her efforts to better the world around her.

“Lynn is simply exceptional and a gift from God to the entire PLNU community. We are so proud of her,” said Filby.

Tim Marcacci, a student assistant at the Fermanian Business & Eco-nomic Institute, works beside Reaser and said he is inspired by her charac-ter and achievements.

“Although I have not had her as a teacher, I can confidently say that her continuing support and exem-plary work ethic has dramatically influenced the way in which I act as a young, Christian business profes-sional,” Marcacci said. “Dr. Reaser remains high on my list of role mod-els and I can only imagine those who have been fortunate enough to take a class of hers would agree.”

Last week, the Facebook page PLNU Confessions went viral. With more than 500 posts, the page is attracting the attention of both students and faculty. The opinions of the PLNU community are as varied as the posts itself. Is it funny? Is it rude? Is it PLNU’s version of Mean Girls’ burn book? We hit the streets to find out what students thought.

********************************************************************************************QUOTE OF THE WEEK“It is a tremendous strategy to get on a bike and go somewhere.” - Garrison Keillor************************************************************************

Who’s Who at PLNU: Lynn Reaser in-spires faculty and students

haley jonswaldstaff writer

Word on the Lane: PLNU Confessions

callie radke and hana eades

staff writers

PHOTO COURTESY OF LYNN REASER

“It’s art. Print the

poems and sell it. All of

our unwanted Shylocks

and Antonios are heard

and welcomed.”

“It’s hilarious and a

splendid way of finding

out what’s going on under-

ground at Point Loma.”

Garrison BollenbacherSophomore

communications major

Brent Chicoine Sophomore

biology & chemistry major

Alyssa DarbyJunior

social work major

Stu StiversSenior

literature major

“I think the anonimity

gives people the confidence

to say things. I don’t think

people would say things if it

weren’t anonymous.”

“It’s a little high school-

ish, but kind of funny.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HANA EADES

the point weekly | monday, february 6, 2012 | 5FEATURES monday, october 8, 2012Monday, February 18, 2013

I listened to 17 podcasts of The News from Lake Wobegon in preparation for Thursday. I hadn’t listened to it before, and I let Gar-rison Keillor talk of Lutheran pas-tors, senior proms and frozen pump handles during my drive through the rain to Riverside and back.

So Wednesday night I printed out his essay entitled “Cheerful-ness” and sat with a pen and a cup of tea, and began to read. Dean Nelson had arranged for Keillor to look at some student work and I was fortunate enough to be one of those students chosen. Keillor thought it’d only be fair if he gave some unfinished work of his for students to workshop.

What do you tell a man about writing who has won a Grammy and the John Steinbeck Award? You can relate with my dilemma. And yet I had to put all of that out of mind, and tell myself that it was just another writer, just an-other essay.

It took me about four hours to work through it. I tried my best to be articulate and insightful and whatnot. I bought a blank CD and

made Keillor a mix of Mason Jen-nings songs; both are men from Minnesota, you see. I met the man, but didn’t really feel intimi-dated, perhaps because I had just read his 17-page essay about how one needs cheerfulness to combat Life’s mishaps.

Keillor sat in the middle of two student panels; I sat on the right table at the end. There were dozens of copies of each of the stories be-ing workshopped — Camron Cluff’s along with Keillor’s and mine.

When the time came for my short story to be workshopped, various students had valuable in-put — the communicative intrica-cies you miss in the dialogue with the Muse. Then Keillor spoke. His voice is like the wind — gentle, powerful, has the capacity to blow you away. He starts by relating how he read it three days ago and is going off what he remembered. He didn’t have it in front of him so a copy was passed to the front. He said he appreciated the gesture, but wasn’t going to look at them.

He proceeds to tell me every single major plot point, complete with character names and specific concrete details. His mind works like an improvisor, speaking and creating connections in a seam-

less simultaneity. He would re-count a detail and follow it like a thread, dissecting the plot in the process. He gave advice to take the story in a completely new di-rection, making it a first-person narrative of a different character than the two primary ones. It’s advice that’s worth following. He told me if I had the new story written by 10 p.m. he’d take a look at it. He was kidding. . .

Right after, it was my turn to critique his piece. I told him what he did well, and gave him some advice about how to better inter-connect the themes of the essay. I ended by saying if he kept it up he could have a successful career in publishing. He laughed.

To have a man of that caliber read and provide specific direction for my work was the most valu-able gift I can be given as a writer. It’s like if Stevie Wonder came in and gave the Gospel Choir some pointers. At the end Keillor re-ferred back to me and my piece in answering a question from the crowd. That was it. It’ll change how I listen to The News from Lake Wobegon. It’ll be something I refer to when I reflect on my time at PLNU.

It’s convenient that Saigon Star is located right by a hospital, because after eating there you may need to deliver a food baby.

Going to Saigon was spur of the moment, chosen simply by the Yelp app on my phone, growling tummies and the magnificent word “boba” glowing before my eyes.

Compared to other phó places I’ve been to, Saigon was classy: spa-cious, plenty of seating, clean, and nice atmosphere and decor. My friend and I sat ourselves in a booth with a perfect view of Jeopardy on a flat screen TV.

It wasn’t easy deciding what to eat. After asking the waiter what he recommended, we decided to or-der an appetizer of chicken spring rolls, shrimp phó, egg noodles with veggies and chicken, and two boba

smoothies: strawberry and mango.First to arrive were the boba

smoothies, and Lordy did I do a dou-ble take. They came out in all their delicious glory in giant milkshake glasses with a fat straw, a long metal spoon and sliced strawberries on top. The mango was a perfect balance be-tween creamy and sweet; I’ve found from other boba places that they can be too much of one or the other. The strawberry one was delightful as well, tasting exactly like strawberries and cream, and was probably my favorite of the two. The boba balls weren’t too strong, but not tasteless either. Definitely the best boba shakes I’ve ever had. Saigon offers avocado, hon-eydew and taro smoothies as well.

Soon after the delivery of our nectars of the gods, out came our chicken spring rolls. A serving of four fat, scrumptious spring rolls were perfect for splitting between two people. They came loaded with noodles, lettuce, sprouts and chicken that didn’t look like mystery meat; there’s also the option of tofu, pork or shrimp. Although the nutty dip-

ping sauce they came with was good, the combination of chili paste and hoisin sauce was amazing; perfectly spicy, tangy, fresh and crunchy.

Without much more of a wait our steaming hot entrees were laid before us.

My soft egg noodles with chicken and vegetables were wonderful. The noodles were nice and garlic-infused, the vegetables were cooked perfectly — not too soft, not too raw — and the chicken was questionable in neither appearance nor texture. The entire plate was full of flavor and freshness.

The phó was outstanding and served with a (literal) branch of basil that smelled like it was picked off a tree just moments before. The broth alone was more flavorful than any other phó I’ve had; with a little chili paste and soy sauce it was perfec-tion. The noodles were thin but easy enough to twirl onto a spoon or slurp with chopsticks. And the noodle-to-broth ratio was spot-on as well.

Saigon Star is a bit of a drive, at a bit less than 20 minutes from cam-pus, but no distance comes between

me and boba. It’s definitely a place I would make a special trip to for some warm comfort food if I’m out and about. The service was wonder-ful as well: with a simple, “Excuse me?” three waiters stopped in their tracks and looked in our direction. They were very polite, attentive and thanked us when we left. For the portions and quality, the prices were extremely fair, keeping our wallets fat and happy as well: The spring rolls were $4.25, the phó $7, the stir fry noodles $8.50, and the boba smoothies $2 each, coming out to a total of $29.97 for both of us. The phó gave us left overs, our smoothies were only half drunk, and our stom-achs bulged by the end of the meal. Definitely worth every cent.

10450 Friars Road Suite E, San Diego CA 92120

http://www.phosaigonstar.com/

Ref lecting on an evening with Garrison

A Taste of San Diego: Saigon Star Reviewkaylie pullinstaff writer

eddie matthewsstaff writer

Saigon Star: Vietnamese Bistro Food: 4.5/5Atmosphere: 4/5Service: 4/5Cost: 5/5Total: 17.5/20

Final Verdict: You HAVE to go!

Taste of San Diego

PHOTO COURTESY OF KAYLIE PULLIN

Donald Miller Storyline Conference at PLNU

This weekend, PLNU is host-ing Donald Miller’s Storyline Con-ference. The event is centered on the idea that life is story and we can learn how to live the best story we can. Donald Miller writes nonfic-tion and is the author of Blue Like Jazz and A Million Miles in a Thou-sand Years. He is also Founding Director of The Burnside Writers Collective, a group of faith-based writers who collaborate to create an online magazine.

Chloe Sparacino, Depart-ment Assistant in the Fermanian School of Business, attended the first Storyline Conference in Portland. She said one of her favorite parts was the intimate nature of the conference. She also said that she would encour-age anyone who attends to learn to “live bolder. It’s just really encouraging to be affirmed that God has a great plan for our life, that it’s happening now and coming in more abundance.”

On the Storyline website, Miller says, “The most fascinat-ing people in the world are tell-ing great stories with their lives. They know a secret, that God has given them shared agency. The truth is any of us can tell a great story with our lives.”

The conference discusses writ-ing, but can also be applied to any-one’s life.

“You definitely leave ready to take risks,” Sparacino said.

The event will be held in Brown Chapel, and is $99 for students. For registration and more information, visit http://www.mystoryline.net/

callie radkefeatures editor

the point weekly | february 6, 20126 | SPORTS6 | SPORTS September 24, 20126 | SPORTS6 | SPORTS october 8, 2012 october 8, 2012Monday, February 18, 2013

PLNU Head Athletic Trainer Lindsy Donnelly has resigned her position to pursue her master’s de-gree of Kinesiology-Athletic Train-ing at the University of Virginia.

“We are deeply appreciative to Lindsy for her service to all those within the campus community and athletic department,” said PLNU Athletic Director Ethan Hamilton in a statement.

Donnelly first arrived at PLNU in 2002 as a student. After graduat-ing with distinction in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Athletic Training, she returned to the school in spring 2007 as a part-time assistant on the Athletic Training staff. In 2010 Don-nelly was named the Head Athletic Trainer and has held the position since then.

This school year, Donnelly worked

as the Athletic Trainer for the men’s and women’s soccer teams as well as the baseball team this spring.

In addition to her athletic duties,

Donnelly serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Kinesiology depart-ment at PLNU, teaching second-year athletic training students.

“[Donnelly] has been a huge part of my experiences and growth here at PLNU and as an athletic training student,” said Michaela Johnson, a

junior athletic training major. “She was always able to motivate and chal-lenge me in such positive ways.

“She is a great example to all of us and I appreciate all the time and care she has put in to make sure we succeed and learn.”

According to PLNU Sports In-formation, the master’s program at UVA attracted Donnelly because it focuses on research. The accelerated program will allow Donnelly to earn her master’s in 13 months.

Donnelly will continue working at PLNU until May 24. She will be-gin her studies at UVA in June.

“Point Loma has become like a second family,” said Donnelly. “It has always been a very welcoming place for me.”

PLNU Sports Information provided some quotes and information to the story.

2/18: Tennis @ Hope International University, M. 2 p.m., W. 3:30 p.m.2/20: Baseball vs. Bethesda University, 2 p.m.2/20: Tennis vs. Concordia University, M. 1 p.m., W. 3 p.m.2/21: Basketball @ Cal Baptist University, W. 5 p.m., M. 7:30 p.m.2/22: M. Tennis vs. Westmont, 2:30 p.m.2/23: Track @ Rossi Relays, 10 a.m.2/23: W. Tennis vs. UC Riverside, 11 a.m.2/23: Basketball vs. Fresno Pacific, W. 2 p.m., M. 4 p.m.

jacob rothsports editor

Head Athletic Trainer resigns to pursue graduate degree

Lindsy Donnelly has served as PLNU’s Head Athletic Trainer since 2010. After graduating from PLNU in 2006, Donnelly joined the athletic staff in

spring 2007 as a part-time assistant before taking her current position.

photo courtesy of plnu sports information

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWS: WOMEN’S GOLF

In only its second year of existence, the PLNU women’s golf team is making strides to become a major competitor in the PacWest conference under the instruction of former professional golfer Jacqui McSorely.

The Sea Lions competed in six tournaments during the Fall semester, including the Nation Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national tournament, where they finished 4th. Sophomore Andrea Mersino tied for sixth place at NCCAAs to earn All-Tournament honors.

This semester the ladies are scheduled for five tournaments, culminating in the PacWest Conference Championship in El Cerrito, Calif., on April 15.

Last week the Sea Lion golfers teed off in their own tournament they hosted at the Riverwalk golf course. The tournament consisted of 20 teams — PLNU was one of five PacWest teams. They shot a team score of 644 with four golfers, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish.

“I’m really excited,” McSorely said in regard to their team’s fourth place finish at their tournament. “Our scores are still not as good or as low as they could be or should be though.”

With only a handful of competitions this semester, McSorely hopes the team will grab a win from one of their tournaments this year.

But a win doesn’t come easy. The team is out at the golf course at 6 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They play for about three hours before heading back to school for chapel. The ladies are also

responsible for workouts on their own outside of organized practice.

“They put in about 20 hours a week into their golf,” McSorely said.

With seven ladies on the roster currently — one freshman, five sophomores and one junior — the Sea Lions are a small and relatively young team with a lot of talent and

room for growth. McSorely said she is optimistic for this year and the future with this group.

The Sea Lions take to the fairway again next week on Monday Feb. 25, for the Lady Cougar Spring Invitational hosted by Cal State San Marcos.

will macneilstaff writer

AT A GLANCEHead Coach: Jacqui McSorely (2nd year)

Key returners: Andrea Mersino, So.; Alyssa Orito, So.; Kathleen Crossley, So.

Key newcomers: Samantha Stockton, So.; Macy Douglas, Jr.;

Past results: 20th place at 2012 NAIA National Championships; 4th place at NCCAA National Championship

photo courtesy of plnu sports information

The PLNU men’s golf team is entering their last season of competition as a sanctioned PLNU intercollegiate sports team. The Sea Lion golfers are competing this year and capping off an era of a very quality program.

PLNU alumus and four-year golf team member Zack Ponder has returned to coach the Sea Lions after Ben Foster stepped down following 38 years of coaching the team. This is Ponder’s first year as head coach. Foster will now assist Ponder as the director of Men’s Golf.

The Sea Lions competed in three fall tournaments, including a team third-place finish at the Cal State San Marcos Fall Invitational.

The team consists of only five members with four seniors and one freshman.

“We are not as deep as we were in previous years,” Ponder said via email. “This puts more pressure on the guys to put up good scores.”

The men will compete in six tournaments this spring, culminating at the PacWest Championships on April 23.

The Sea Lions recently competed at the Cal State San Marcos Spring Invitational, where the team tied for seventh place with a team score of 925.

“Considering the obstacles we have faced,” Ponder said, “I am proud of the guys and hope we can dig deep and get a win under our belts.”

As the men look forward to the rest of the season, their goals

aren’t the same because there is no national tournament at the end of the spring.

However, the Sea Lions can look forward to good competition in the PacWest, with Grand Canyon University ranked 19th in NCAA Division II right now and Dixie State ranked just outside the top 25.

Ponder said the team’s goals this year are to “have fun, get better every day, represent God and the school with integrity and to play good golf.”

The men will take to the course again March 4 at The Master’s College Spring Invitational before coming home for the San Diego Intercollegiate Invite on March 11.

will macneilstaff writer

AT A GLANCEHead Coach: Zack Ponder (1st year)

Key returners: Oscar Casillas, Sr. (2011 NAIA All-American); Zane Keith, Sr.; Nate Wanken, Sr.; Cole Reese, Sr.

Key newcomers: Jack Koeller, Fr.

Past results: 13th place at 2012 NAIA National Championships

photo courtesy of plnu sports information

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWS: MEN’S GOLF

“Point Loma has become

like a second family”

-Donnelly

the point weekly | monday, february 6, 2012 SPORTS 7monday, october 8, 2012 october 8, 2012Monday, February 18, 2013

On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it dropped wrestling from the program starting with the 2020 Summer Olympics.

The decision of which sport to drop apparently came down to four lucky finalists: wrestling, field hockey, taekwondo and modern pentathlon.

But why did wrestling have to hit the mat?

According to IOC spokesman Mark Adams: “It’s not a case of what’s wrong with wrestling, it is what’s right with the 25 core sports.” Additionally, the IOC’s statement Tuesday stated that the decision is part of an ongoing effort “to remain relevant to sports fans of all generations.”

The IOC wants to cap the number of participating athletes at 10,500, so it narrowed down the list to 25 “core sports,” which apparently does not include wrestling.

So if you’re scoring at home,

wrestling — a sport that dates as far back as 708 B.C in the Ancient Olympic Games — got canned, but modern pentathlon gets to stay? What’s next? Hopscotch?

Go ahead and try to name the five disciplines of the modern pentathlon off the top of your head. Don’t worry, take your time…

………That’s what I thought.The modern pentathlon was

invented by Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the IOC and father of the modern Olympics. The sport consists of pistol shooting, horseback riding, fencing, a 200-meter swim and a 3-km run — five things that make about as much sense together as Queen Elizabeth in an episode of Buckwild.

Before making a final decision, the IOC conducted a report analyzing 39 criteria, including ticket sales, global popularity, anti-doping policy and TV ratings, which makes the decision even more puzzling.

Wrestling currently has governing bodies in 180 countries, and 29 different countries won Olympic wrestling medals in last summer. On the other hand, only 26 countries sent modern pentathletes to London.

Furthermore, the IOC report noted that wrestling drew nearly double the number of TV viewers as the modern pentathlon, while selling roughly 114,000 of its nearly 117,000 possible tickets.

Maybe wrestlers shouldn’t be all that surprised. The 15-member IOC board held a secret ballot. And after all, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jr. — vice president of modern pentathlon’s international governing body — happens to be one of the board members and spent time lobbying for his sport to stay.

It doesn’t matter that each of the five pentathlon disciplines is already its own separate Olympic event. Or that Michael Phelps has nearly as many Olympic medals (22) as countries that competed in modern pentathlon in London (26). Or that “pentathlete” isn’t even an actual word according to Microsoft Word. Wrestling just had to go.

But modern pentathlon isn’t even

the only sport that should’ve been dropped before wrestling.

What about trampoline? Or synchronized swimming? And — my mom won’t like this one — what about equestrian dressage? Seriously, go look up “dressage” on YouTube.

I’m not saying that any of these things aren’t athletic or mentally demanding or extremely difficult. I’m just saying that to pick any of those things over wrestling, a sport so sacred it’s mentioned in the book of Genesis, is an absolute travesty.

Of course, trampoline is considered part of gymnastics; synchronized swimming is technically part of “aquatics”; dressage is one of three equestrian events. None of them are independent sports, so they

were ineligible to be cut.ZThere is good news for wrestling

fans, however. After the IOC vote Tuesday, wrestling joins baseball/softball, roller sports, karate, sport climbing, squash, wakeboarding and wushu on the shortlist of sports still applying for 2020 inclusion. What’s next? Backgammon?

Those eight sports will make presentations to the IOC in St. Petersburg, Russia, in May. So basically the IOC has three months to reverse a decision that caused outrage across the world and threatened to kill off one of the pillars of the Olympiad.

But with the way the IOC’s been making decisions lately, they’ll probably end up picking hopscotch.

FOR MORE SCORES AND STATS, CHECK OUT: WWW.PLNUSEALIONS.COM

SEA LIONS SCOREBOARD

2/13 L 60-62@ Chaminade

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Head Athletic Trainer resigns to pursue graduate degree

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

2/11 L 49-75@ BYU-Hawaii

2/11 W 76-53@ BYU-Hawaii

2/13 W 91-48@ Chaminade

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

WESTON EHLERSM. BASKETBALL

Mersino led the Sea Lions to a fourth-place team finish at the Super San Diego Women’s Golf Championship.

After opening with a first-round 79, the sophomore from Fresno, Calif., came back to shoot 74, which was good enough to place her tied for fourth overall (153). She finished just four strokes behind first place.

ANDREA MERSINOW. GOLF

Ehlers averaged 14 points per game during the Sea Lions’ three games in Hawaii last week after missing more than a month of the season with injury.

The junior from Leawood, Ks., came off the bench to score 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting in a 79-61 thrashing of Hawaii-Hilo Saturday night. Against BYU-Hawaii Monday, Ehlers scored 13 in a losing effort.

BASEBALL

MEN’S TENNIS

WOMEN’S TENNIS2/12 L 5-6 (11 innings)@ UC San Diego

2/16 L 4-5@ University of Redlands

2/16 L 2-7@ University of Redlands

WOMEN’S GOLF2/11-12 4th placePLNU Super SD Championships

all screenshots were taken from twitter

FAKE TWEETS FROM STEPHEN A. SMITH**all tweets are from a fake stephen a. smith twitter account @stephenasmth

Do you want to be next year’s Point Weekly sports editor?Email Jacob Roth: jroth2014@pointloma.edufor more information.

2/16 W 79-61@ Hawaii-Hilo

2/16 W 51-45@Hawaii-Hilo

2/15 W 6-0, L5-8 (DH)vs. Hawaii-Hilo

2/16 W 2-0, W 6-4 (DH)vs. Hawaii-Hilo

TRACK & FIELD2/16 W. 1st, M. 2nd@ Fresno Pacific Dual Meet

jacob rothsports editor

Jake’s take: Wrestling gets pinned out of the Olympics

the point weekly | february 6, 2012 october 8, 20128 | OPINION

After reading the article about the XXXChurch, I have no disagreements with Craig Gross and all he has done to fight the porn industry and help those who have been used to that lifestyle for so long. However, my thoughts shifted to the opposite end of the sex spectrum to something that isn’t seen as an issue in the church.

In a society that glorifies, cel-ebrates and exudes sex, the church today places value on virginity and sexual purity. For those of us who are virgins, we are considered “the good ones” or “the special ones.”

For nearly two decades, we’ve somehow still held onto something

that either saves or loses our salva-tion — as if it’s the currency to get into Heaven. In short, we are con-sidered “good” Christians because of our virginity.

Place a virgin in front of inno-cent Christian girls and boys, and it’s the standard of what they should strive to be. Place a virgin in front of

those who are no longer virgins, and it becomes a guilttrip: this is what you should have been.

But what about those who are sexually pure in body, but not in mind?

What about those are sexually pure because of circumstance, not by choice?

What about those who had their virginity taken away from them?

The Church hates gray areas.I’m starting to realize that my sex

life — or lack of sex life — is becom-ing someone else’s morals.

What would they think if I told them that sometimes I resent my vir-ginity? That my body is only sexually pure to please my parents, my friends and my church? Some days I’m not

mad at God that I’m still a virgin, but it’s not something that I go parading around on a high horse.

Disgust and judgment would fill their eyes. So I smile and bear with it.

Those three words that were said over and over to me, with pointed fingers since I was 13, taste like vin-egar coming out of my mouth: “True love waits.”

My story and another’s virtue start to combine. It’s almost impos-sible to tell the difference between them. As I struggle to control my thoughts, I shamefully push God out of the picture.

How could He look upon me with anything but disappointment?

And yet my soul whispers,

“You are more than your sexual pu-rity or impurity.”

And I am. When did my Chris-tianity become a matter of my sexuality? Has my walk with God become a walk of shame? My total purity solely resides in Christ and what He has done on the cross — not in my virginity.

As I talk with some of my friends who are no longer virgins, I see that their value, worth, imagination, heart, love of life and spirit remain the same as before. And God loves them all the same.

He will love me all the same also. He sees the heart and soul of His child. And He revels in it.

You are not your sex life.

The opinions in this section may not reflect those of The Point Weekly or of Point Loma Nazarene University. Letters to the editor and columns are subject to editing for length, taste, grammar and clarity. Letters to the editor must include the author’s name, major, class standing and phone number and be limited to 500 words. Please submit your opinions to hanaeades2009@pointloma.edu

p | 619.849.2444 ads | 619.849.2301 | www.pointweekly.com

Kyle LundbergAbby HamblinCallie RadkeJacob RothIan CraneHana EadesLara KhodanianKendra PittamRachel BarrKeio Lewis

Editor-in-chiefNews editorFeatures editorSports editorA&E editorOpinion editorLayout editorCopy editorWeb EditorAds manager

annie buellcontributor

camron cluffeditorial cartoonist

When did my Christianity be-come a matter of

my sexuality?

Value of virginity: does sex define faith?

To those who miss “The Awkward Sealion”:My life basically defines what it means to be

awkward. I have at least one embarrassingly awk-ward moment per day. So yes, sadly, most of the “Awkward Sealion Moments” have been from my own life because students hadn’t sent me many ideas for the series.

The main reason the Awkward Sealion has been mo-mentarily retired this semester is because my life is so over-flowing with awkwardness that to fit an awkward phrase into one small bubble would be a miracle. You know that moment when you begin a story with an awesome punch-line, but it takes forever to tell it?

Several times, people have said, “Oh, Hana, I have a perfect idea for an Awkward Sealion Moment,” and then a good 10 minutes later, the punchlines of their stories make an appearance.

Here is a story to emphasize the need-for-space to portray my awkward life.

Last week I was walking toward my room, us-ing the sidewalk on the outside of the track. A very fit and muscular male nutrition professor was jog-ging the track and for whatever reason, it caused me to jump a little.

He said something like, “Sorry, I’m panting so hard. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

It did not shock me to see a professor jogging — I’m certain it is completely normal. I’m prob-ably about to put my foot in my mouth here, so to speak; the odd thing that adds awkwardness to this moment is that he was shirtless.

Let’s make one thing clear: I was not in any way lust-ing over this professor — it has been brought to my at-tention that my reaction could fall into that category.

I abruptly looked away, as if offending him by

making eye contact. I did everything I could do to avoid conversation with this professor. I tried to pre-tend he wasn’t there, and just keep on my merry way toward my apartment. I even pretended to send a text message, so that I could stare at my phone as an excuse to avoid looking at him. He must have assumed I was scared or something, which I think seems like a silly concept in itself.

Instead of simply laughing at his joke, smiling or waving back to him, I allowed a stream of words to fall straight out of my face and splatter helplessly on the ground. I truly wish I knew what went through my head before I responded to his comment.

My reaction was, hands-down, the most awk-ward thing that I have ever said: “That’s ok. Sorry I’m panting so hard, too.”

I have no idea why I responded the way that I did, especially since I wasn’t even panting! I think I was trying to convey that I should be the one apolo-gizing for being out of shape, or something — seri-ously, I am clueless as to why I said what I said.

So there you have it; this story, and many more similar to it, is a reason The Awkward Sealion has not been seen on this page in a while. If you are a die-hard Awkward Sealion fan, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Long live the Awkward Sealion Moments

hana eadesopinion editor

Miss me? Submit your Awkward Sealion Moments to:

hanaeades2009@pointloma.edu

october 8, 2012Monday, February 18, 2013