The Waltonian

If you’ve been on campus long enough, you’ve probably seen him. Worn leather briefcase, a long, colorful scarf in the winter, and a bow tie. Always a bow tie. Even if you don’t know his name, you probably know who I’m talking about: Professor William Storm. A staple on campus, Professor Storm is an English Professor with a reputation for being kind and one of the most understanding professors you’ll get in your time at Eastern. Personally, I’ve had a class with him every semester I’ve been here (a perk of being an English major) and I always love those classes, even when I despise the material. I thought it might be interesting to get to know a little more about this professor we all (or at least those in the English department) know and love. However, we are both very busy people and we were unable to sit down and talk, but bringing back the fact that he is one of the most accommodating professors, Professor Storm was willing to answer some questions through email for me.

The first thing I was curious about was what his favorite part about teaching at Eastern specifically. He replied, “I love the students here. We have students who are deeply committed to their studies, and we have students who are deeply committed to their faiths…But we also have students who are unsure of their studies or their faiths, and so we have a great opportunity to see a range of students in our classes. This excites me because it means I get to teach to a whole host of interests and concerns–not just to a single perspective or group. Those experiences, I hope, make me a stronger teacher, and it certainly challenged me to find ways to approach the material to make it meaningful for those different groups.” I was also curious to know what drew him to teaching, to begin with. “I was destined to be a doctor–my stepfather was a well-known cardiologist, my mother is a nurse, my stepmother is a nurse, my older sister is a nurse, and my younger sister is a P.A….But sometime when I was in high school, I recognized that it was a far too challenging enterprise to discuss life-and-death matters. I liked, however, the idea of discussing big ideas to people, and I liked the ways that my teachers were this constant presence who could engage me in subjects that I might not have an immediate draw towards. It also helped that my dad is a teacher, and I never saw him bothered about going to work–he absolutely loves his job,” Storm said. However, I was curious to know a little bit more about the person outside of the professor. Turns out, in his spare time Storm is “trying [his] hand at bookmaking and book repair.” According to him, “It is a different way of allowing me to see how texts are made, and it is a deeply artistic pursuit, and so I appreciate the effort that goes into making a really nice book or to keeping a beautiful book viable.” Even when questioned about what he would do if he could possibly do anything besides teach, Storm remains constant in his love for books and anything “that allow[s] me to read and talk about books and ideas.” Lastly, I wanted to know if Storm had anything he would want his students to know. In typical Storm fashion, his response was “ I would want students to know that professors are here because we want to see them succeed. We are available to help, so do not be hesitant to ask questions or to seek out help.”

Growing up, I was never allowed to watch anything with magic in it because of our church’s beliefs. Fantasy was ‘witchcraft’ and a sin. So no Disney princesses, no Narnia, and no Harry Potter. Imagine my surprise when my family left this church and I was suddenly allowed into a world filled with magic. I was a little older at this point and fantasy, specifically young adult fantasy, quickly became my genre of choice. There were the obvious choices, like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson (though those are arguable more middle grade at the start) but it didn’t take me long to find my heart’s true love: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

Six of Crows resides within Bardugo’s larger ‘Grishaverse’ world. It is the first book in the second series that takes place within this universe. Spoiler alert: it is infinitely better than the first series. I love my Queen Leigh: she is definitely an author that improves with each work rather than remaining at a stagnant place. Six of Crows is a duology that centers around a group of teenage gang members attempting to pull off the most daring heist in the land. There’s magic, and romance, and criminal activity, and suspense, and shenanigans. For the trope lovers out there the series features a variety of our favorite tropes: found family, enemies to lovers, bantery boyfriends, grumpy one loves the soft one and many more. There are many selling points for this series. But perhaps my favorite is that this is one of the few fantasy series I can point to that features a large cast of neurodivergent teens.

In fantasy, there has been created this weird phenomenon that no character ever struggles with mental health. Despite many characters in many series going through some truly terrible things (war and violence mostly, among other traumas) fantasy characters rarely show the side effects of this kind of life. Harry Potter is one of my favorite examples of this. By the end of the series, Harry should be dealing with some serious depression and PTSD at least, but he is perfectly fine and healthy because the good guys won. This just isn’t realistic. Six of Crows isn’t like that.

Among our main cast of characters, there is featured a male with a limp and sever touch avoidant PTSD, a female with PTSD from assault-related trauma, a character with ADHD, and a character with dyslexia. The fact that Bardugo features not one, but four, characters with mental health/ disability struggles is revolutionary for the fantasy genre. This story is fantastical with magic that can control the weather and change your face, but the ‘scary’ mob leader still has to wear gloves or else he’ll pass out from PTSD flashbacks. Throughout the two books, each of these characters must confront their mental health time and again in various ways but it never holds them back or colors them as being weak or makes them any less of a fantasy hero. Their stories are also more than their mental health. Bardugo does a fantastic job of weaving these different aspects of these characters into the story without making it feel forced or just for ‘diversity points.’ These struggles are part of the character’s identity’s but they also do not define them or their journeys.

This may not seem like a big deal to you if you’ve never dealt with mental health struggles, but for those of us who have, it is huge. We finally get to see ourselves represented in a genre we love by characters who are real– and characters who are badass despite their struggles. It allows us–allows me– to believe that we can be badasses in spite of what our brains tell us. There is nothing quite like the power of being able to see yourself represented in a genre you adore, especially when you generally don’t. This isn’t to say that Six of Crows is going to be the end all be all of representation in fantasy, but, it’s a step in the right direction.

To my unexpected blessing:

Under different circumstances, we may not have ever even met. We have different interests and completely different class schedules. Left to fate, our paths probably would not have crossed. But thankfully, our lives aren’t left up to fate. God knew I would need you. He knew that my wild, dramatic, over-emotional self would need a steady presence like you to keep me level-headed in the midst of the stress of the semester. I’m so glad He threw us together in that first Orientation group.

With you, I’ve laughed so hard I cried and laughed even though I was crying. You’re my favorite person to watch weird internet videos with, and I don’t know many people who would have been able to get me to download TikTok. Because of you, I not only downloaded it, but I have an actual account? Wack. You’re always down for a random Breezeway run or Target trip. We’ve seen a lot together–not all of it stuff we necessarily wanted, but we got through it with a pizza and a binge of Drake and Josh.

I’m so inspired by you. You think before you speak so that, when you do speak, you mean what you say. You always have something insightful to say, even when you think you don’t. You work so hard. You’ve been through so much, and yet you haven’t let that bring you down, not for long anyway. You keep pushing through and stay focused on your goals. If I could have half the work ethic you have, I think I would get ten times the amount of work done.

I don’t say it often, but I truly do love you. You’re one of my favorite people and one of the few people that I feel truly comfortable with. I’m so grateful to have been given you as a friend and am so incredibly excited to see where God takes you with the rest of your life. I know it’s going to be phenomenal because He’s already worked so much in your life. I’m just happy to be able to cheer you on from the sidelines.

From,

The most grateful friend

As the semester gets underway, every student slowly gets more stressed. No matter your year or major, at some point in the semester, you will start to feel the stress of assignments, personal life, relationships and everything else going on in life. What is avoidable, however, is the way you handle this stress. Stress can be handled through various means of self-care.

Self-care has a reputation of having to be something luxurious that you do for yourself, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. While it is nice to do things for yourself, sometimes self-care is as simple as being able to use the word “no”. When you’re overwhelmed with classes, work and extracurriculars and someone asks you to participate in some campus activity, remember it is a completely valid form of self-care to refuse.

Other times saying “no” comes in the form of saying “no” to yourself. After studying all day, if a friend invites you to dinner you may be tempted to say “no” to continue studying. However, self care could mean saying “no” to yourself and recognizing the valuable self-care skill of not overextending yourself.

Self-care is not just a series of unconnected actions. Instead, view self-care as a process of checking in with yourself to see where you are and what you need. Perhaps you have been spending a lot of time procrastinating and self-care does actually look like studying. Other times self-care can look like setting up weekly therapy sessions. Sometimes self-care is as simple as making sure to take a daily shower. Self-care is less about what you do and more about how it leaves you feeling. If chocolates and a bath are going to leave you stressed because you’re procrastinating a paper, that’s not true self-care.

Self-care is a learned process. It’s an individual, person to person effort that will not look the same every day. Instead, being in tune with your own emotions and stress levels is key to practicing good self-care.

Eastern University’s theatre department has many avenues for involvement from classes to full production shows, but perhaps one of the most exciting events they do is the annual 24 Hour Play Project. The idea for this project came about 11 years ago, in 2009, when Liz Carlson, an alumn, brought the concept to Eastern. Ever since then, it’s been run by alumni each year. This year, the group of producers consists of Stephen Gordon, Carly Nuneviller and Jackie Parzanese. It will be their first time running the program. According to Nuneviller, this event involves students from different backgrounds coming together to “build brand new works from the ground up and engage in a collaborative experience often only accessible at the graduate level.” The entire purpose of the project is to write, direct, produce and perform–generally six–new plays in the space of twenty-four hours.

The night begins with a potluck dinner to bring all of the members of the project together. From here, each room will be assigned two actors, one director, and one writer. These groups then go from nothing to a full performance the next evening. Throughout the period, the producers will be working as point people for the various participants. Nuneviller will act as a point person for each of the directors, helping them to fully articulate their vision and come up with ideas for carrying that vision out. Parzanese will be the point person for the actors, helping them to warm up, figuring out what choices to make for the characters and even giving suggestions if need be. Lastly, Gordon will act as a point person for the writers in each room, helping them understand plot, getting their creative juices flowing and conquering writer’s block, should the need arise. After the plays are written and rehearsed, there will be a free performance of all of the productions at 8 p.m. on Feb. 1. Students are encouraged to attend.

When asked what this new group of producers will bring to the project, Nuneviller said the idea was “to preserve tradition while offering a new season of growth.” She encourages anyone who has a story to tell to participate: “Everyone should be able to tell a story in front of an audience at least once.” Parzanese added. “Do the thing. Even if it’s scary.”

Every year, around Jan. 1, thousands of various New Year’s resolutions flood our time lines and lives. Some people make a ton and keep none. Some make one or two and keep them faithfully all year. Some vehemently abhor them.

Whatever your stance on resolutions, we all know the fundamental aspect to them is the idea of change. We all want to make beneficial changes to our lives, and for many, New Year’s resolutions seem to be the perfect opportunity to do so. So why do they fall through for so many people?

For me, I think part of it is the expectation. We go into this brand new, totally blank year and set all of these expectations for ourselves. We are determined that this year will finally be the year where we are better. Yet in all this build-up of expectation, we forget about grace and our inherent humanity.

Yes, it is good to want to make a change in our lives but we have to remember that change is hard and arduous and cannot be achieved simply because the number at the end of the date has changed. Change can happen at any point in the year. It doesn’t have to be in January. If you want to start using less plastic, start now. If you want to work out more, go to the gym the next time you have free.

Plus, you should want to make a change because you feel like it is something you will appreciate and will benefit you in the long run. Just because everyone else is resolving to workout more doesn’t mean you have to. Maybe the circumstances of your life or mental health doesn’t allow that to be a possibility for you. That’s okay. You are not defined by a list made at the beginning of the year that hardly anyone sticks to.

At risk of sounding contradictory, my resolution, in the loosest sense of the word, for the year was to not put expectations on the year. I want to be able to try new things whenever I want– not wait for an arbitrary date that ‘allows’ me to begin something new.

I also don’t want to make it to the end of the year and have all this weight of failed resolutions hanging around me when I should be celebrating what I did accomplish this year. I want to be more open to whatever is in store, and not miss out on opportunities I may be offered just because it wasn’t in my plan or resolution for the year.

I challenge you to reflect on how resolutions and the keeping or failing of have impacted your own mental health. Perhaps the making of resolutions leads to you spending December feeling like you failed at everything you set out to do in January. Or, if you are a goal-oriented person, evaluate how your resolutions line up with your actual goals in life. Are you making resolutions that will help you achieve what you want in your career and growth as a person, or are you just making resolutions because society tells you should?

At the end of the day, resolutions are a personal decision and should be treated as such. If you enjoy them, make them (but don’t let them consume you). If resolutions stress you out, ignore them and just do you. The goal should be up keeping your mental wellbeing. If making resolutions is negatively impacting you, step away! It’s okay. The world won’t end, and your year will be just fine.

Relationships are a complicated and tricky thing. It’s our human desire to crave closeness with another person— whether that’s a significant other or simply a kindred spirit. Come too close, however, and the relationship can be smothered. Boundaries are what allow a relationship to breathe.

In my own life I’ve struggled with boundaries: where mine are and how not to cross others. I err on the side of codependent. But recently, through many therapy sessions and late night sobs over the phone to mentors and fights which become making up with friends, I’ve been learning how to craft and respect my own boundaries. We all want someone to see our heart and treasure it, but it can be done at a safe and healthy distance. I wish I could offer a comprehensive “how to” on how to define your own boundaries, but unfortunately that’s just not how it works.

Boundaries are discovered through self introspection, through conflict with those you’re close to and through examining what about past relationships worked and what did not. If, like me, you’ve struggled with boundaries, it can be strange to those around you when you suddenly cut parts of yourself off from them. If someone who has had an unhealthy level of access to you suddenly finds themselves restricted, they may resist and even become defensive. Those who truly love you will learn to respect these new lines in the sand even if they don’t always like them. It is those who see your lines in the sand and forcibly erase them and stomp through your life that you must be wary of. It may hurt to let go of someone you love but if they cannot love you enough to respect you and your efforts at health, it may be best to put some distance between you and them.

In my own experience, it can feel counterproductive to want to crave closeness and yet set boundaries between you and this person. But deciding what you can give to others, at what capacity, and when will actually help you to get closer to people in the long run. For me, this has looked like learning to help myself more often than I look to others for help. It is a beautiful thing to live in community with other believers, but at some point we have to learn to be our own best help. It’s also important to remember that you cannot fix everything. You may want to rescue your best friend from their mess, but you can only help to a certain extent. Just as you have to learn to help yourself, so must others. Boundaries are here to help us to remember how much to give of ourselves to any given person. It’s impossible to save the world when you live at the end of a rope.

In sum, I’ve been learning this past year to appreciate how to set up my own boundaries. For me this has been a long, and sometimes painful, process. Not everyone responds well when you suddenly start standing up for yourself. But in the long run it’s so much healthier to know yourself and your limits than to just continue to give of yourself until there’s nothing left.

It’s no secret that Philadelphia offers much by way of the Arts. But as broke college students, it can be intimidating to buy a ticket for the train into the city and back on top of a ticket for whatever attraction we are going to see. Thus, we crave Arts closer to home. Home being Wayne. Lucky for us, Wayne is host to a number of artistic venues seldom talked about. For instance, the Wayne Art Center. The Wayne Art Center, located on Maplewood Avenue, is home to a number of artistic ventures ranging even into the culinary arts.

First off, Wayne Arts has a vast education program. Members of the Wayne Art Center have access to art education classes in almost every field. Adults can relax with painting or cooking or even sculpture making, while children and young adults can dip their hands into studio work and summer art camp. Private lessons are also an option. However, Wayne Art is also interested in giving back. According to their website, “Offering art instruction to those with underserved or special needs–no matter their age, abilities or financial status–is a key part of Wayne Art Center’s outreach mission. Our outreach programs allow us to form partnerships with schools, groups, and special needs populations in order to provide arts enrichment activities, field-trip opportunities, and increase access to the arts.” Therefore, they have specific classes offered for those who fall into this category.

Yet, education is not the Wayne Art’s only purpose. They also provide exhibitions for all. These exhibitions range from art created by students at the center to exhibitions focused on specific local artists. Every year, they do a “CraftForum” around Christmas-time. This started out as a tiny craft competition but has grown into something that is now internationally acclaimed. Artists from around the world display and sell their work each year right here in Wayne. This year, the forum hosts 89 works from 92 artists. 2019 will be the 25th anniversary of this exhibit. Alongside the Craft exhibit, the Center will be hosting Westward Ho! which, according to their website, is a “look at contemporary craft from the Southwest.” These exhibits open Dec. 7 and run through Feb. 1, 2020.

Of course, Wayne Art Center is not the only artistic venture in Wayne. For those who wish to try their own hand at art, but maybe in less of a formal setting, Wayne offers Painting With a Twist. Painting with a Twist is a BYOB studio that offers all the materials needed for a class- you just need to bring yourself and some friends. Don’t let that BYOB fool you. Not all of the classes are alcoholic in their twist. In fact, many of the classes are all ages classes. Each class is hosted by a local artist who will guide you through the process of painting a masterpiece for the evening. Prices for classes can vary depending on the materials needed, but the average is around $27. And before you start screaming in college-student-broke, I may remind you that this around $30 covers all of the supplies necessary for the evening as well as the cost of the teacher. So, really, it’s a steal.

Creativity is the expression of the soul. Plus, it helps to relieve stress. Essentially, it’s essential for college students to engage in some sort of creative expression. Otherwise we just might blow during finals. Wayne Art Center and Painting With a Twist both offer unique opportunities for even the most unskilled artist to try their hand.

Source: Wayne Art Center, Painting With a Twist, CraftForums

Thanksgiving. That time of the year between Halloween and Christmas that can often get forgotten in the rush to buy Christmas gifts on Black Friday. But Thanksgiving is important– especially for Christians.

Christ calls us to live in a state of thanksgiving, not just on the holiday, but it is nice to have a specific day to be grateful for all the good things in our lives. College students will roll their eyes and think ‘but you don’t know how many papers I have due right now,’ to which I say, yes. Yes, I do know, because I do too. But we can still be grateful in the midst of finals season. Yes, even at Eastern.

There are many things for us at Eastern to be thankful for. For example, even though we may feel overwhelmed by the amount of work we have to do, in my experience, most of the professors here are incredibly understanding and willing to work with us. Yes, there may be that *one* professor you don’t get along with, but most of them here truly care about their students and how to best help them succeed. I know I’ve had professors do unexpected and incredibly thoughtful things for me when I thought I was at the end of my rope.

You wouldn’t get that kind of amazing care from a Big University professor. There are many other things to be thankful for here at Eastern, but it should be a uniquely personal list for each person. But you’ll never be able to see them if you’re not practicing having an ‘attitude of gratitude,’ as my father would say.

But I get it: living in gratitude can be hard. Life is tough and there are many real trials we face in life from relational, to physical, to mental. I know for me personally, my mental health can make it incredibly difficult to be grateful sometimes. But it doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

One easy way to practice thankfulness more is to keep a gratitude list. You can keep a notebook on your desk, by your bed, in your backpack, wherever is most convenient for you, and write down one thing (or more) you are thankful for each day. To keep it creative, try to make it a different thing every day and don’t repeat anywhere on the list.

Another way to practice gratitude is to take a moment to just stop and appreciate whatever moment you’re in. Just five seconds to take a second and close your eyes and breathe. I personally like to practice this when I’m in a moment that I know I want to remember forever.

Actually, I like to combine the two elements above into what I call a Memory List. Anytime something happens that I want to specifically remember, I write it down in my notebook. These vary from simple and fun things like “musical theatre blasting amidst spoopy preparations” to more emotional things like “the love and loyalty of a true best friend who holds you up in the midst of the mess.”

For me, this helps me to practice gratitude even in situations where it doesn’t look like there would be anything to be thankful for. This holiday season, I challenge you to take your moment out of all the rush and busyness of advent and find at least one thing a day to be grateful for. I promise it’s worth it.

Kerry Phillips, a sophomore women’s soccer player, is a glowing ball of energy with a smile for everybody and a joke always on the tip of her tongue. When she isn’t busy with her sport, she can be found studying and serving her community in a couple of ways.

First, Phillips is a nursing major, which is an incredible amount of work in addition to being a student-athlete. When asked how she handles all the work that both of these things require, she speaks about how it’s “all about balance.” She says that this kind of lifestyle has been “ingrained in [her] from a young age” as she has always been a student-athlete.

She spoke about how, when she’s not focusing on her game and the gym, she’s focused on her homework. “You just have to get it done,” Phillips said. Nursing is an incredibly hard major, but Phillips seems adept at being able to handle the workload. It helps that she has a passion for it!

Phillips is also passionate about her sport, despite the injuries she’s faced this semester. Her knee was injured twice, resulting in the need for a brace. Phillips jokes that she became a goalie because she didn’t want to run (despite loving to run in her personal time).

On top of this, Phillips is also a student chaplain. When asked why she would want to add more work into her already busy schedule, Phillips spoke about how she felt God had called her to serve her community.

She described how last year she had felt led to begin a Bible study on her soccer team despite her feelings of inadequacy. Becoming a chaplain seemed like the next logical step. Phillips spoke about how the community at Eastern is one of her favorite things about Eastern. “The people here are just different,” she said.

She loves the faith that the people at Eastern exhibit. It seems to her that people at Eastern feel more genuine in the pursuit of Jesus.

Pursuing Jesus is Phillips’ ultimate goal. When asked how she always seems so positive, despite the reality that as humans we all deal with sadness, she told a story about a parable she had read about, about how, in certain cultures, when pottery is broken it is mended with gold, and thus becomes a thing of beauty reflecting the sun.

“I’m just a broken vessel, man. I want to reflect God,” Phillips said, connecting the parable to her life and her own struggles with mental health. This is why she is so passionate about being a student chaplain and her Bible studies.

Reflecting Jesus is a daily challenge and spending time in the Word is one of the best ways to support this goal. Phillips also mentioned how she loves that Eastern’s campus has so many opportunities for communal Bible study and worship.

Phillips’ academic career also reflects this desire as she is double minoring in Biblical Studies and Christian Thought. She jokes that this is because her father wanted her to double major in something but with nursing that’s nearly impossible.

However, she finds that this may come in handy for her career as a nurse in that she could spread the gospel with her patients as best she knows how. She is also involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as a “huddle” leader and “it’s important to [her] to help these kids grow in the Word because [she] didn’t have that growing up in high school.”

This is demonstrative of Phillips’ glowing personality and passion for Jesus. Phillips also says that her double minor is the result of her ever-growing desire to learn about the Bible and its history.