Page 2 – The Waltonian

Meet Dakota Boring, who is a senior Communication major. Originally when coming to Eastern, he chose the school for the community and liked that it was a smaller school. He was originally a Nursing major but decided during sophomore year that he would rather pursue Communications. After meeting with the Communication professors, he realized they were open and welcoming, and wanted to help him make his transition smooth.

Recently, he was accepted into Temple’s graduate program and plans to study Sports Business with a concentration in Athletic Administration. Over the summer of 2018, he visited Temple where he met the graduate enrollment director. He said that he liked the program because the enrollment director was honest about the program and told him that it was difficult to get in to. She also showed him around the building, even though that is typically uncommon for an enrollment director to do. She focused on him and his goals, while also sharing about Temple’s offerings. Dakota also really liked the fact that the tuition was not an out of pocket expense. When he begins his graduate work at Temple in the Fall of 2019, he hopes to live in the surrounding areas of the campus. After the two year graduate program, he hopes to become a collegiate athletic director at a D1 school.

While at Eastern, Dakota’s favorite aspect of the college has been the professors. He stated that “the majority of them are caring and compassionate, and they want to see you succeed.” He also is a part of the Ultimate Frisbee team and the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Society. Last semester, he also had an internship at YSC Sports Marketing. Currently, he has an internship with the Philadelphia Union where he serves as an Academy Operations intern. There, he does logistical, administrative work and plans major trips and game operations. He believes he will enjoy this internship because it is along the lines of what he wants to do in the future.

The holidays can be a time of happiness, love, family, and traditions. However, this is not always the case. Some people have lost important people in their lives, whether it be family or friends. There are different reasons for this loss, whether it be sickness, suicide, accident, or tragedy. People struggle with their emotions regarding loss all year long, but the holidays can be especially hard. They see people full of smiles and excitement throughout the holiday season, and feel as though they should be happy too. Yet, they feel more sad than they did before the holidays arrived.

Also, people cope with loss in different ways which can cause tension between existing family members or friends. Someone may want to talk about and participate in activities that remind them of their loved one while another person may want to try to forget those activities because the pain is too much for them.

To help understand this better, I talked to my friend who lost their mom at the age of twelve. To begin, I asked them if it was hard to get along with their family after losing their mom. They responded with “No, but it was more lonely with just me and my dad.” From there, we moved into a conversation about the holidays and how the loss of their mom affected that. They said “It seemed like Christmas had lost its Christmas magic. For a long time, my dad didn’t want to do anything for the holidays, so we didn’t put up a tree or anything for Christmas.” They explained to me that the holidays are always pretty difficult to begin with, because their mom’s birthday is just a few days before Christmas. However, my friend stated “It did get easier over time, but the holidays are still a time that you can really feel things and miss the presence of your loved ones.”

Although some people have never experienced this kind of loss, many people have. In order to protect their emotions, you have to be careful about what you say and do. Something my friend said they do not like is when people say “I’m sorry for your loss, because sorry doesn’t do anything or I know how you feel, because no, you don’t.”

For those who have lost a loved one, it’s okay to feel your emotions, whether they are good or bad. The holidays do not have to be merry and bright. There are people around who will be willing to help you, ask them and let them. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable, whether that be not celebrating at all or by going full out with your decorations and activities. Keep traditions or let them go; no one will blame you for your choices. Most of all, find other people to be around and celebrate with. They may not understand, but they can offer love and encouragement to you during your difficult time. Be sure to take care of yourself in the best ways that you can, and do whatever makes you feel most at peace around the holidays and all year long.

Recently, the Philadelphia Public Health Department installed seven safe needle disposal bins in the Kensington neighborhood. These boxes are called Sharps deposit boxes and function to keep needles off the streets to prevent harm to other people. Besides needles, there are other items that can be placed in these boxes including syringes, scalpels, slides, cover slips, pipettes and blood tubes.

These boxes contain anything that can be harmful if exposed to other people, as well as items that are sharp or can become sharp if they are broken. In Kensington, the boxes are specifically designed to help stop the opioid drug dangers that have been going on within the neighborhood. These bins are placed at SEPTA stops and public parks throughout the neighborhood in hopes that people will dispose of their needles in safer ways, instead of leaving them on the streets. Each box is similar to a mailbox on the street in both size and shape, and the boxes are installed on city property.

To keep track of the boxes, Philadelphia has partnered with Advant-Edge in New Jersey, which is a biohazard disposal company. Advant-Edge had already been picking up medical waste from health clinics in the city. They will monitor the bins to be sure to collect and replace the bins in a timely fashion. Each bin holds about 1,500 syringes. It has usually taken up to eleven days in other cities for the bins to fill up. Each bin costs $235 to install and $200 to replace after they are filled up. Although this may seem expensive, the city believes it will help the community for the better.

Without safe disposal of these items, the risk of contracting infections and diseases can increase. Individuals are not subject to the laws of safe disposal like medical facilities are. The hope is that people can easily access these bins, which will make a safer and cleaner living space for the people in the city.

Sources: PlanPhilly, Choice MedWaste

As all student know, Eastern University’s mission statement is Faith, Reason and Justice. The university, through the freshman course INST 150. teaches all students what this motto means and how we can live it out. INST 150, Introduction to Faith, Reason and Justice helps students to capture the importance of each of these elements and how they work together. Within other classes, each of these ideas is incorporated in their own ways. But, does Eastern really live out its mission statement? I am going to discuss each one individually.

Faith: I believe that faith is the concept from Eastern’s mission statement that stands out most at the school. In most classes, professors incorporate faith into their teaching and course materials. Of course, it depends on the class, but each professor tries to talk about faith the most they can within the class setting. Eastern also has chapel and Windows on the World every week for students, professors and guests to attend together. Although not required, these opportunities give people the chance to engage more in their faith if they desire to. At Windows on the World, the audience is usually presented with a problem in our society and how that connects to the Christian faith. The speaker can talk about specific work they do or give the audience a Christian perspective on their topic. I believe that Eastern does a great job incorporating faith within the college community, for all students and professors to experience.

Reason: From the classes I have taken, reason is also portrayed well in the class setting. Although professors may not always state it this way, they are giving us an opportunity to think about ideas and aout how we come to conclusions. Usually, professors leave it up to students to decide what to believe. I especially notice in my communication classes that we are taught how to reason different arguments and positions. We are given facts about situations and professionals’ perspectives on the matter. Outside of classes, Eastern offers talks from different speakers and leaders regarding different topics. Many of these are at Windows on the World, but there are also other opportunities to learn. I think that Eastern’s way of connecting reason to their community is educating students and professors on topics in our world. They give us strategies to use to determine what is right or wrong and how we personally view it.

Justice: When it comes to justice, I think it depends more on what class you are taking as to whether or not it is discussed. There are definitely opportunities for students to learn and act on justice, depending on what classes they choose to take. One of the largest influences on justice at Eastern is its clubs and organizations community. There are definitely opportunities for people to get involved in certain clubs that talk about injustice and how we can fix it. A few of these clubs would include S.A.G.E., Prison Ministry, Y.A.C.H.T. and Refuge. Each club has a different way of presenting ideas to their group but all of them talk about issues that are happening in our world. When it comes to Eastern as a whole, I believe the university does a good job at talking about justice and what is unjust in our world. However, I believe they could do a better job at acting on these teachings. We have clubs like Y.A.C.H.T. and Prison Ministry who go out into the community and help those in need. For these clubs, the ones in need are the homeless and incarcerated. Yet, I believe the school could do more to fight the injustice in our world and get directly involved in issues.

Overall, I believe that Eastern University does a good job at pursuing their mission statement within the college community. Students are given opportunities to learn and educate themselves on these topics through classes and outside events. It allows people to come up with their own ideas and beliefs on issues in our world. However, there could be more done to incorporate Faith, Reason and Justice off our campus and in the larger community.

After viewing the results of the recent midterm election, I cannot help but notice the changes that are present in America’s politics. In this election, we have the first openly gay man, Jared Polis, to be elected as governor. Equality for all people, especially the LGBT+ community, is a well debated topic within politics. It is one thing to have someone believe in and work towards equality but it is another to have a minority voted into running our country.

On November 6th, Colorado voted in Jared Polis as governor. Polis as governor is a big deal for America, because he is the first openly gay man to win an election. There have been many debates in politics about accepting the LGBT+ community and this is a big step in that direction for America. Before being elected, he served on multiple committees, including the Committee on Education and the Workforce and Committee of Ethics. He is a Democrat who has strong beliefs about education in America. He has founded two public charter school networks and works to better fund the public school system. Polis believes that education should be the top priority in the nation’s agenda and that “we need an entrepreneurial approach to solving the pressing problems facing public schools tied with increased investment.”

Besides education, Polis works towards protecting the environment, giving affordable healthcare to all Americans, improving our immigration policies, equality for the LGBT+ community and civil rights. Each of these topics bring many different perspectives and debates into consideration throughout politics. Polis views America as beautiful and something to protect for the people of our country. “America is a beautiful, innovative country, but for too long, we have ignored the poisonous pollution leaking into our skies and rivers” Polis stated. He fights for cleaner water and air, as well as preserving the natural land and public resources. Not only is the climate a priority for Polis, but the people are too. He believes that healthcare should not only be affordable, but also high quality.

He supports Medicare and the Affordable Care Act and works to help our future generations. When it comes to immigration, he believes that our system is broken and needs to be acted upon. He says that we need to bring people out of the shadows, secure our borders and support more legal pathways for immigration in order to fix our immigration system. As for the LGBT+ community and civil rights, he notices that America has always been symbolized as a place for people of all different backgrounds to come to for equality. However, we have denied certain rights for people throughout history. He works to put a stop to discrimination by bringing out laws that align with our values. He joined with others in 2015 to create the Equality Act to bring protection for minority groups who are discriminated against.

As for Polis’s personal life, he was born and raised in Colorado. His parents were artists so he traveled around the country for their jobs. Now, he is an entrepreneur who has started several successful businesses, which he started doing in college. The first business he started was called American Information Systems which allowed people to have internet in their homes for the first time. He also moved his parents’ greeting card business online which made it accessible to more people. He also has a partner named Marlon, who also grew up in Colorado who he has two children with who are ages seven and four.

Sources: U.S. Representive Jared Polis 2nd District of Colorado, Jared Polis for Colorado

There was a shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday, October 27 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The shooter, Robert Brown, had previously used the now-removed app, Gab, which was often employed by those who expressed far-right (Republican/conservative) ideologies. Brown used the app to express his disdain for those who were of the Jewish faith. Eleven people in total were killed in the shooting while sixteen were injured. As of this date, Robert Brown is in custody and will soon face the 29 charges against him.

As a Christian University, we must pause and reflect on our everyday moments and what they mean to others. I feel that prayer is not enough, that we have to act and use our motto of Faith, Reason and Justice, and in this case, especially Justice. Honestly, I am tired of hearing about another shooting taking place and becoming so desensitized to violence that I barely give the shootings second thought. While writing this, I interviewed a few people to allow them to express their thoughts on the shooting and how a Christian college should respond.

“Thoughts and prayers for all the friends and family,” said Alec, a boy I met while sitting down to write this. “It all just blends together.” Liz Peck, the tutorial accordant for the Cushing Center for academic support, said that the event was “horrific and an opportunity to come together and help. I’ve seen Christians, Muslims, and Jews come together. And I think that unity is very important.” I feel that we, as a Christian school, should focus on helping one another and supporting the families that were affected.

Another way to help end these mass shootings is to vote. I know that people may be tired of being told to vote, especially with the recent election that just took place. However, as a Christian, I believe that it is a moral duty for all people to participate in our country’s elections. Especially as college students, we are the up and coming generation to make a difference. Looking at media, it is obvious that our generation is outspoken about their beliefs and stand up for what they believe in. They want to see change in our country. However, in history, 18-29 year olds are the least likely to vote, even within the United States 2016 election. This is troublesome because there is so much potential for our generation to change our country’s policies because of how deeply we care. Yet, there will be no change unless we have the right people in government who also care about these changes.

I, feel that to be respectful, I should talk about some of the victims of the Pittsburgh shooting and the lives they led. Max Wax was an 87 year old man who adored his grandson, the Pittsburgh pirates and Jewish prayer. He was always very devout in his religion and always showed up early on Fridays and Saturdays to worship. Rose Mallinger was a happy-go-lucky 97 year old woman who led a strong family life and knew everyone from her children to her one great-grandson. Friends and family expected her to reach her 100th birthday, but unfortunately that never happened. Bernie and Slyvan Simon died in the very synagogue where they were married more than 60 years ago. These are just a few of the victims and if you care to research the rest of them, you will find that they led meaningful lives which we should all try to imitate.

Sources: United States Census Bureau, CNN

The documentary Miss Represntation, was produced by “Girls Club Entertainment” and discusses how women are portrayed in the media. An overarching theme is that the way women are portrayed affects how women and girls see themselves in society. It affects not only how they see their appearance, but also their careers in leadership. It also shapes men’s views on women to be negative and often sexualized. The documentary is made up of film and news clips, statistics and interviews from people. Throughout the film, themes of photoshopping, film, politics and how each of these things shapes society’s views on women are discussed. One person stated that “media is showing content that is shaping our culture” which is what the entire film is about.

The beginning of Miss Representation starts out with how media affects the ways that women view their appearance. It says that “girls get the message from very early on that what is most important is how they look…and boys get the message that this is what is important about girls.” The film talks about how all photos of people in media are photoshopped to an unrealistic representation of a woman’s body, face and hair. Girls try to obtain this goal but it impossible to accomplish. There were statistics that were shared that said “53% of 13 year old girls are unhappy with their bodies,” “that number increases to 78% by age 17,” “65% of women and girls have an eating disorder” and “17% of teens engage in cutting and self-injurious behavior.” The film also stated that rates of depression among women and girls has doubled between 2000 and 2010. These statistics show high numbers of negative thoughts and behaviors that women engage in which numbers are blamed on the media.

Women in media are also often sexualized and never seen in power. This is true for movies, television shows, news and politics. The focus is always on how they look, no matter what their career is. It portrayal of women as objects makes not only men see them this way, but also women themselves. Even in cartoons, primarily Disney, women characters are dressed in provocative and sexualized outfits. This is a problem because children watch these movies and learn from very early on what is expected of girls in society. A large focus of Miss Representation focuses on women in politics and the news as well.

Miss Represntation states that since women’s value lies in their bodies, they become disempowered and are prevented from being leaders, especially when portrayed in the media. Some statistics on this are that only 34 women have served as governors, while 2,319 men have. Also, 67 countries in the world have had female presidents or prime ministers but the United States is not one of them. This is alarming, especially because the U.S. is supposed to be one of the most innovative and futuristic countries in the world. The documentary states that wrong decisions have been made on boards because no women were present. This is a problem because women’s perspectives and input were not heard by these boards. To fix this, we need to have the candidates and a psychological breakthrough to not see women as minorities and to have the possibility of having them in power and leadership.

S.A.G.E., or Students Advocating for Gender Equality, hosted this event to highlight the struggles women endure by this kind of negative self-image imposed by society. S.A.G.E. works to combat sexism in all of its forms, including body-image, and instead create a world where all are invited to participate as equals. S.A.G.E.’s “Flawless” initiative operates under the idea that women are “equally made in the image of God,” a compelling rebuttal to society’s ideas and standards of perfection in women as portrayed in Miss Representation.

By bringing awareness to issues such as the ones in Miss Represntation, S.A.G.E. creates safe, intellectually stimulating spaces for these conversations to be held. It is through these conversations that we can learn as a society, and begin to alter our ways of thinking and behaving in order to create a better world for everyone.

On Monday, September 24, the Philadelphia Flyers’ new mascot, “Gritty,” was announced. There have been differing opinions on him, some fans loving him and some hating him. A few fans said, “It looks like a cross of Snuffaluffagus and Oscar the Grouch,” and “I find him scary. I’m you know, horrified by this.” Even some veteran Flyers players didn’t like him. Wayne Simmonds said “[That’s] not my mascot, [I’ve] never seen that thing before in my life.” However, there are fans and players who love him. Radko Gudas said “Our new mascot? It’s unbelievable, I love it.” After learning a little background information on Gritty, there is nothing you can’t love about him.

To begin, just look at him. He has a wide smile, googly eyes, and is seven-feet tall. Not only that, but his hands and belly button squeak when you touch and squeeze them which allows for many high-fives with fans. COO Shawn Tilger said that, “We actually worked with an agency and spent almost two years developing the mascot. But the word gritty really resounded with everyone.” Gritty got his name from an inside joke by fans used to describe any player who isn’t the most athletically talented. His looks definitely took some time to develop and it seems as though he was made to help impact the Flyers younger community.

One of Gritty’s first appearances was at the Please Touch Me museum in Philly where over 600 kids gathered to see him. They were all very excited to see, meet, and touch the new Flyers mascot. If children love him, there is no reason that adults shouldn’t feel the same way. He has some goofy characteristics, just like the rest of us. It is told that he loves to eat hotdogs and ice from the zamboni, which is noticeable in the round belly of his. He not only dances, but he also can ice skate as well, with only a few major falls. Instead of being too serious, like other mascots in history, Gritty likes to be silly and have fun. He gets involved with fans in the arena and even does the macarena. While on the ice, he shoots t-shirts out to the fans in the stands, and for anyone who has ever been to a sports game, that is one of the best parts! He brings fun and excitement to Flyers games and engages the fans even more.

There also is a legend about Gritty, which makes him even more intriguing as a mascot. The Flyers said: “His father was a ‘bully,’ so naturally he has some of those tendencies – talented but feisty, a fierce competitor, known for his agility given his size. He’s loyal but mischievous; the ultimate Flyers fan who loves the orange and black, but is unwelcoming to anyone who opposes his team.

Legend has it he earned the name ‘Gritty’ for possessing an attitude so similar to the team he follows. He claims that he’s been around for a lot longer than we know, and recent construction at the Wells Fargo Center disturbed his secret hideout forcing him to show his face publicly for the first time. He has some oddities that are both humorous and strange. A number of times he’s been caught eating snow straight from the Zamboni machine, and unbeknown to most, his love of hot dogs has been inflating the Flyers Dollar Dog Night consumption totals for years. That being said, there’s no denying that he’s one of our own.” This backstory about the new mascot allows for a personal connection to him and creates a fun atmosphere for fans. I may not be a Flyers fan, but they have me onboard for their new mascot. #TeamGritty

Sources: CBS3, The Philly Inquirer, The Washington Post, SBNation, NBCSports

On Thursday, October 18, Eastern held their third annual YJAM Creative Arts Cafe. YJAM stands for “Youth Justice Awareness Month” and the event was filled with learning about youth justice and included justice-related performances. There were several spoken words, poems, a painting, a dance and a human sculpture activity to represent situations within America’s prison system. The event was run by Dr. Kimberlee Johnson, who is the department director of the Urban Studies program and the prison ministry club. The week leading up to this event was prison ministries awareness week, so YJAM fell into that category.

The night started off with Dr. Johnson sharing trivia questions for the audience to answer and win prizes for. Some questions that were asked included, “true or false, children as young as seven years old can be tried as an adult in prison” and “true or false, Pennsylvania has the highest rate of black and hispanic races incarcerated within the United States.” Both of these questions were true. These questions allowed for the audience to question the prison system within America and set the stage for the performances that were included in the event.

One of my favorite spoken words was done by Eli Echavarria and Carter Heerema which was titled “Two Sides of the Story.” They each shared their own perspective on police officers growing up and their opinions differed greatly. After hearing their spoken word, I interviewed Echavarria about how they collaborated together to form this spoken word and what kind of impact it had on him. He said that he grew up in Brooklyn, NY as a minority, while Heerema grew up in New Jersey, as a majority. Heerema saw the police officers as people who protected the community and was there to support individuals.

They were often respected within his neighborhood and interacted with people daily. Within the spoken word, Heerema said “there was never a need, a true emergency.” On the other hand, Echarvarria shared his experience, and stated, “I was reminded by his parents, that because I am a minority, because I look different, I may be treated different, and this is just a reality.” After writing their two sides of the story, they came together and decided how they could intertwine the stories together to make it a spoken word.

“The impact the spoken word had on me was to see another person’s perspective and to see cops going to church with Carter, that’s not something you always think about. These police officers that you are told to fear are people in your neighborhood and your community and are regular people, and I forget that,” Echarvarria said.

This story was just one that was shared throughout the event and many more people shared their artistic abilities to draw awareness to the injustice in our country. One of the activities that was done was creating human sculptures to represent emotions and feelings towards real-life scenarios that happen within prisons. Some of these scenarios included, those in prison often had mental health disorders, children are often sexually abused while in adult prisons and there is an increase in suicide rates due to imprisonment.

Each group was assigned a different scenario that they had to portray with their body. One group portrayed sadness, anxiety and frustration, while one member turned their back to the audience. They stated that “our society often turns their back to sexual assault and the problems inside of prison and would rather ignore these injustices.” This activity was empowering and the audience not only learned facts about the prison systems in America, but were also able to share how it made them feel.

Overall, the night was filled with emotions, learning, fun, and creativity. It brought light to injustices in our world within a creative and engaging environment. It brought up conversations within the group and to be extended onto campus in other interactions. The awareness for youth justice should not end here and we should continue these conversations within our lives and help stop the injustices in our world.

I’m the type of person that uses social media daily, probably more often than I would like to admit. It is something that draws me in; the friends, the makeup artists, the pictures, and of course, the memes. It helps me to escape my life and view things that I enjoy and can laugh about. I don’t think there will ever be a time that I will stop using social media. However, there are those that do, which they often refer to as a social media purge. It may be only for a short time or it could be forever. Is this purge completely stupid and useless? Absolutely not.

Social media can be a dangerous place for those that struggle with mental illness, bullying, uncertainty, lack of self-love, and so much more. People are often viewing the positive things in other people’s lives, and they wish they could have a life more like those people. For many people, politics is a heart-wrenching and anxiety-increasing platform. It is almost impossible to escape this on social media and for some people, it can be too much to bear. They have enough personal struggles and they do not want to see all the terrible things happening in our world. This can push people further into depression and anxiety, making it even more difficult to live their everyday lives.

For some people, it may just be that they are uninterested in social media. They would rather spend their time enjoying real-life relationships, participating in events, practicing hobbies, etc. Social media can be a time-consuming platform that people would rather not participate in. There have also been many studies done on how social media affects the brain and certain people are concerned about these ideas. Studies show that the use of too much social media can make people less-likely willing to read books or articles that are long, because they are used to short posts. The studies also show that our memory is affected in that, we do not remember things as well as we could. With easy access to information, we are quick to look up facts and ideas, without the effort of remembering them for the future. This can be a scary concept and keep people away from using social media too much.

Whatever the reason may be for someone to stay off of social media, it doesn’t matter to anyone else. It saddens me that people are shamed for purging social media, whatever their reason is. We often do not know the struggles that people face, whether it be because of friends, family members, work environments, or world issues. Instead of putting people down for not using social media, we should be encouraging them to better live their lives however they wish to. It is a personal matter and if they believe that the lack of social media is good for them, then so be it. We don’t know everyone’s story or reasons for choosing how they live their life, so we shouldn’t be so quick to judge.