During my first year of college, I remember walking past a fellow college student who was smiling brightly and offering candy to everyone who crossed her path. The overwhelming nerves of being far away from home and in an unfamiliar place momentarily faded as I was greeted by such positivity and generosity. Thankfully, I have now been fortunate enough to meet the person behind the bright smile.

Sydney Storms, a senior at Eastern University, was brought to Eastern because she was drawn towards their English department. Storms’ favorite thing about Eastern is “Just seeing everybody, you know, like I know it’s cliche but just seeing how close everybody is,” Storms stated. Storms’ favorite thing about Eastern’s English department is learning from Professor Storm, for she feels as though she has learned a lot from his classes.

While Storms originally intended to major in Creative Writing, she decided to switch to an English Literature major because she has always loved to read and write. “In high school and beyond I would get yelled at for reading during class. They would say, ‘Sydney put the book down’ and I would hide it under my desk,” Storms explained. She even had a high school English teacher that started class by saying, “Please put your books and phones away,” Storms shared.

In addition to reading, Storms enjoys writing, playing video games, and listening to music. “I just like to write, to escape in your own little world” Storms explained. Her favorite genre to write about is the supernatural, but she does not like writing about vampires in a manner that is similar to the Twilight series. She explains that vampires are supposed to be creatures of the night. Storms also enjoys Greek mythology, for she finds it funny how past generations believed that Greek mythology would be forgotten about, despite it being commonly read today.

As an English major, Storms is constantly engaging with numerous literary works. “I also like reading the
classics like the Epic of Gilgamesh,” Storms shared. A book recommendation offered by Storms is Icelandic Sagas, which she describes as a long read that contains very fascinating content. “It’s really funny. It’s a bunch of stories collected and it actually shows Leif Erikson and proves that he sailed before Christopher Columbus” Storms stated.

Regarding the top three things on Storms’ bucket list, she hopes to finish writing the novels she is working on without worrying about perfectionism. She also would like to travel to Italy to see ancient ruins of Rome, as she loves Roman history. Most importantly, Storms just wants to see where life takes her as time progresses.

A fun fact about Storms is that she has a deep love of hamsters, for she has owned many hamsters in the past. Currently, she owns a hamster named Whiskers.

Initially meeting Storms when she was handing out candy and smiling, I fondly reflect on the tranquility
I received in passing by a friendly face despite her being a stranger at the time. As she is no longer a stranger, Storms has continued to share book recommendations, conversations, candy, and smiles with myself and many others. “It makes people happy. Just to make someone smile, and I feel like candy always cheers everyone up,” Storms explained.

On Oct. 10th, right-wing and left-wing rallies transpired at close proximity with each other in Denver’s Civic Center Park. At 1:30 p.m., the self-proclaimed “Denver Communists,” held a BLM-Antifa Soup Drive; meanwhile, the self-proclaimed “Patriot Muster” held a Patriot Rally at 2:00 p.m. in a nearby location. According to The New York Times, a tweet advocating for the Patriot Rally called for all “patriots” to “Stand up. Show up.” The BLM-Antifa Soup Drive was promoted as a response to accusations that antifa groups throw cans of soup at political opponents.

Prior to these events, Denver police and security guards were preparing themselves for possible acts of violence that could occur between the two groups. Denver police responded to the notice of the rallies on social media stating, “Those who participate in protests, demonstrations, marches or other gatherings, as protected by the First Amendment, are reminded to do so in a lawful manner,” Denver CBS shared.

Matthew Dolloff was among the security guards asked to protect the press from any dangers present at the protests. Dolloff, a white, 30-year-old private security guard, was hired by local NBC affiliate 9News. Lee Keltner, a white, 49-year-old veteran and business owner, was also attending the protests. It is speculated that Keltner specifically attended the protests to support the causes of the Patriot Rally. However, Keltner’s son claims that his father was not affiliated with either group, but rather Keltner solely attended in order to show his support towards the police.

Tensions were high throughout the protests which led to arguments between individuals on opposing sides. Starting as a verbal altercation, Dolloff and Keltner began speaking angrily towards one another near the Denver Art Museum. According to a Denver Post journalist, the altercation escalated as Keltner began spraying mace at Dolloff. Keltner then hit Dolloff on the side of his face, after which Dolloff
responded by taking out a handgun he had been carrying and firing a shot at Keltner. Keltner was
pronounced dead within an hour of arriving at the hospital.

Dolloff was arrested at the scene and taken into custody by the Denver Police Department. Dolloff is being held for “investigation of first degree murder,” Reuter’s explained. Dolloff’s attorney, Doug Richards, argued that Dolloff was acting in self-defense. Richards also argued that the confrontation caused Dolloff to fear for his safety after Keltner reached into his shirt. If convicted of the second-degree murder charge, Dolloff faces a sentence of between 16 to 48 years in prison.

Following the death of Keltner, the news station that hired Dolloff shared that they had specifically requested that security guards protecting the press did not carry guns. The Pinkerton agency that hired Dolloff declared that he was not an employee “but rather a contractor agent from a long standing industry vendor,” according to Reuter’s. As issued by Dolloff’s local sheriff’s office, Dolloff did have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Colorado. However, it has since been suspended due to the shooting.

Sources: Denver CBS, Reuter’s, The New York Times.

The riveting reasons behind each college student’s choice of study involves countless passions, stories and yearnings. Derek Hamer, a junior at Eastern University, exemplifies the beauty of integrating passions and personal stories into a choice of study. As a Social Work major, Hamer has experience in giving and receiving compassion, love, and grace throughout his life. “I think because of everything I had gone through, I had this compassion for people so I want to go help people,” Hamer explained.

Born in Kenya, Hamer’s birth mother gave birth to him at the age of fourteen, and his brother at sixteen. His birth mother struggled with alcoholism, so she would leave Hamer and his brother without adequate care. This caused Hamer and his brother to begin living with their grandmother. Even still, “Life at home was rough and I don’t think I was getting the needs I wanted, or even deserved, so I decided that I wanted to go and see what else is out there,” Hamer shared.

At four-and-a-half years old, Hamer lived on the streets which “was rough, it was not fun and there’s nothing essentially good about it,” Hamer detailed. Occasionally, he would travel back to his grandmother’s village, staying at her house briefly before returning to the streets.

“I remember this one day I was walking and I had this sense and feeling from God saying, ‘You need to go to this church.’ And I mean I was five, I had no idea who God was,” Hamer described. Upon entering this church, Hamer met missionaries from America who were giving food, clothing, and baths to other homeless children. When it was Hamer’s turn to bathe, they had run out of towels to dry him. “So my Mom, who didn’t know she would be my Mom at the time, she holds me and dries me off with her shirt,” Hamer detailed.

After seeing how young Hamer was, they tried finding an orphanage for Hamer; however, the orphanages refused to accept children of his young age. They brought Hamer into where they were residing, “I remember walking in and looking around and I crawl under the table and I sit on my Dad’s lap. I didn’t know that this would be my Dad, he didn’t know this was his son,” Hamer shared.

Taking another turn, Hamer’s present-day Mom recalls feeling God tell her that she needed to adopt Hamer. Immediately after, her biological sons simultaneously approached her, persisting that God told them about adopting Hamer. However, before arriving in Kenya, their dad had reinforced that they would not adopt any children. “But then [Dad] walks out and literally looks at them and says, ‘Guys, I just had this feeling that we need to adopt this kid,’” Hamer revealed.

Unaware of what was happening, Hamer’s now-sister, called them from America and shared not only that she had a dream that her family would adopt a brother, but also that his name would be Derek. Upon discovering that this family wanted to adopt him, Hamer told them about his younger brother. Hamer led them to his grandmother’s house, in which they met his younger brother and asked his grandmother if they could adopt
her grandchildren. “My grandmother looked at them and said, ‘I prayed every single day that an angel would come and take these boys,’” Hamer shared.

Within six weeks, Hamer and his brother were adopted and brought to America. Nowadays, Kenya only permits adoptions within the country; in other words, Hamer’s family would not have been able to adopt him in the present-day. “The way God orchestrated that was amazing and so that’s just a little bit of my story. I mean I strongly believe that God gives everyone a story for a reason. My story is the way it is for a reason, He wants us to be able to use our stories,” Hamer shared.

The rich history and vast contributions of Native Americans has echoed throughout the soil of the United States long before explorer’s ships arrived on the shorelines. Despite this, in 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated Columbus Day as a national holiday that celebrated this historical
figure’s voyage to America hundreds of years ago. To honor, respect, and recognize the past and present lives of Native Americans, Indigenous Peoples’ Day has increasingly been adopted by a growing number of cities, universities, and states.

In recognizing and celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the United States is finally representing the evolution of a collective, lengthy effort to acknowledge the role of indigenous people in this nation’s history. This rather newly recognized holiday is celebrated through parades, festivals, and educational panels. Altogether, this holiday aims to reveal the truth behind colonization within the United States while being an International Day of Solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.

Not by coincidence, Indigenous Peoples’ Day takes place on the same day in which Columbus Day occurs. The acknowledgement of this holiday goes back to 1977, in which Indigenous leaders from around the world organized a United Nations conference in Geneva. This conference aimed to emphasize the self-determination and sovereignty of the past and present Indigenous people. While it was first celebrated as Native American
Day in South Dakota in 1982, Berkeley, California was the first city that officially acquired Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 1992.

The movement aimed to respect and celebrate Indigenous culture while also heightening awareness regarding Columbus’s horrendous treatment of
Indigenous people. Since then, even more cities, including Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, and San Francisco have replaced Columbus Day with
Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In September of 2007, over thirty years later, their work was formally (and finally) recognized in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

So why are people advocating for Indigenous Peoples’ Day to take the place of Columbus Day? For Native Americans, the celebration of Columbus Day has often been a reminder of cruelty and enslavement. Many American classrooms and textbooks appear to honor Columbus, painting him as a figure that brilliantly found the shores of the present-day United States; meanwhile, these same classrooms and textbooks neglect to share the greatly negative impacts this had on the Native Americans. Columbus Day, a federal holiday, has consistently failed to mention the mass killings and brutality endured by Native Americans in the name of western colonization.

In addition, this day communicates to present-day ancestors of those Indigenous ancestors that their demise is worth having a holiday for. That the
individuals responsible for their ancestor’s demise are heroes. That the United States was better off for their unutterable suffering. In other words, while Columbus Day proclaims the narrative of a nation built by Europeans for Europeans, Indigenous Peoples’ Day accentuates Native histories and Native people— a valuable addition to the United States’ constantly evolving apprehension of the truths that linger in the depths of American soil.

In areas in which Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated, the holiday is marked by various festivals, parades, and educational gatherings. These events yield a space for Indigenous people to observe their cultures through music, dance, performances, films, artwork, meals, and the sharing of indigenous knowledge. Particularly, in 2019, Los Angeles celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day through hosting a festival centered around the theme of past, present, and future, specifically advocating against the injustices faced by so many Indigenous peoples. This festival also recognized the first peoples to make up modern-day Los Angeles: the Tongva, Tataviam and Chumash Nations. Overall, Indigenous Peoples’ Day admires Indigenous culture and history while recognizing the change that needs to occur within the United States’ approach in telling the American narrative.

Among the various weekly occurrences at Eastern, whether that be Chapel, club meetings, or Wednesday Night Worship, Grow Group aims to establish community within each residence hall and to openly be in one another’s presence while focusing on Christ. Recently, Grow Group’s goal of establishing community and conversation surrounding Christ has expanded beyond residence halls. Co-Ed Grow Group, led by Colton Domblesky and Faith Lauffer, gives students the opportunity to attend a Grow Group that is free from restrictions regarding one’s place of living or biological sex. Meeting every Tuesday at 9 P.M., this never-done-before Grow Group aims to create a comfortable and inclusive space without any barriers regarding who is allowed to attend.

“The goal is to draw people in and show people Christ, what it means to follow Christ, and what it means to have a relationship with Christ,” Lauffer said.

The new meetings of the Co-Ed Grow Group are very free-spirited and planned around what the attendees would like to see. Regarding the first meeting’s activities, “one of the first things we did was ask what they [the attendees] wanted. I think it’s mainly about giving the power to them,” Lauffer explained. There are no preconceived perceptions associated with what the attendees may prefer during the meeting; instead, the student chaplains make sure that all voices are heard and addressed on a neutral basis.

Without a Co-Ed Grow Group, Domblesky and Lauffer note the possible discomfort and/or lack of involvement that may take place within students who are transitioning, gender fluid, would like a space outside of their assigned hall’s Grow Group, or simply “want a different environment” as Lauffer stated. While all Grow Groups, co-ed or not, provide a safe space for many students to learn and talk about Christ, the Co-Ed Grow Group does not have any restrictions as to who can attend within the student body, hence elevating the level of comfort for students. “It’s just making sure we are creating that safe space for all students, not just students who are in the LGBT community; it could be students who don’t feel comfortable going to their chaplain or have a friend who is another chaplain,” Domblesky said. Both Domblesky and Lauffer hope that these Co-ed Grow Groups will continue on Eastern’s campus after they both graduate, while being a safe space on campus for all who attend.

Both Colton Domblesky and Faith Lauffer began the Co-Ed Grow Group with a desire to spread and learn about the Word of God without any barriers or discomforts present. Lauffer spoke about the
female and male Grow Groups with fellow student chaplain and friend, Malicka Encarnacion. “We have a
duty to be with people who may struggle to be reached by other people,” Lauffer shared.

The ever-present divide between people who are LGBTQIA+ and people with disapproving theologies
have caused many to turn away from Christianity entirely. This inclusive Grow Group aims to combat this issue while ensuring that everyone can have communion with others in Christ’s Word without worldly apprehension. “I think it’s just something that Eastern really needs to look into now, especially in this day and age when division is such a big problem, and making sure people are included and not a part of that
divide,” Domblesky said.

The leaders of the Co-Ed Grow Group, among many other Eastern students and staff members, have emphasized the importance of bringing forth change in the Eastern community regarding the inclusion of people who identify as LGBTQIA+ Yearning for this change towards community and understanding, Domblesky states, “It’s more so recognizing that people are being recognized and feel valued by God and by their peers,” Domblesky said. “What we want to happen we need to create,” Lauffer
said, yearning for this change towards inclusivity.

 

While well-known for their beautiful sounds and performances, Turning Point (TP) dives into the world of music with awareness and appreciation towards their fellow members and the pieces in which they work on.

TP differs from the other choirs on Eastern’s campus because of the smaller size, the challenging repertoire, and the tight-knit bonds that are built among all members. Wilson, a returning member, contrasts TP from his high school choir. “You can really focus on the individuals that are making the music and not just the fact that music is being made,” Zack Wilson shares.

As of this year, TP has introduced five new members: Anna Davis, Benjamin McGovern, Amelia
Thomas, Ryan Kratz, and Hailey Ferry. In addition to this, this year’s TP contains several members who will graduate following the 2021 spring semester. Overall, new members and returning members are constantly teaching each other new things relating to music, performance, friendship, and beyond.

Before auditioning for Turning Point, Anna Davis witnessed the group perform at Chapel and was “very
impressed by the sound and the energy,” Davis shares. After auditioning, Davis was excited to become a new member of the group she had previously watched and listened to in admiration. Davis felt as though she fit into TP well because “we all came in having practiced the music a little over the summer. It was very fresh to us,” Davis explained.

Regardless of the fact that returning members may have more experience, Davis shared how she is constantly learning; specifically, members are “very open to critiquing and open to advice,” Davis explains.

As a new member, Davis was surprised about how it was harder to blend with one person as opposed to
an entire choir. However, the ensemble gets together a week before classes start to work on initial difficulties, while also working on bonding and music pieces. “This is a chance for us to welcome the new members, find our specific sound, and reconnect with returning members,” Bobby Fisher shared. From watching this exquisite group perform to becoming a part of this special group, Anna Davis finds excitement and growth within each TP practice.

Among Turning Point’s returning members, Zack Wilson, Christine Carey, and Bobby Fisher shared the impact of this group when they had first joined. While reflecting on his first impression of joining TP, Zack Wilson explains how he felt intimidated but also blessed to be surrounded by so many talented individuals. “I sat there feeling overwhelmed, but in a good way. Like I get to sing with these people. How and why? But I am glad,” Wilson explained.

Christine Carey shared feelings of excitement when she first joined. “You wanted to be a part of it the second you heard them. So I was just really excited” Carney explained. Feeling new to TP may be behind these returning members; however, they are reflective on past feelings of newness to the group.

Bobby Fisher, a senior, has felt the music and relationships formed in TP impact his perception of
music and the unity that it creates. This year, Fisher explained how TP is stripping down the music to “talk more about things like the poetry, why it is that we are singing certain pieces or what they mean to us,” Fisher stated.

He applauds the hard work of both new and returning members. “The new members have come in and worked their tails off and made an effort to connect with the group, and the returners have done such a good job of making the newbies feel like they belong,” Fisher said.

Additionally, Fisher hopes that TP gives all members, especially newbies, the chance to “just escape into the beautiful music and poetry that we are making,” Fisher explained.

Thrust into a world of Zoom and face masks, it is reasonable to assume that many students are overwhelmed by the new transition of a heavily online-based semester. Online classes, hybrid classes, in-person classes, and extracurricular activities require students to acquire new class and time management formats in a manner that may feel daunting and unfamiliar. In order to ease possible apprehension, there are ways to manage the new learning environment we are entangled in.

Without in-person reminders from instructors to complete certain assignments or study for given assessments, it can become hard to keep track of what tasks need to be completed. Additionally, for hybrid classes, confusion may arise regarding the days in which classes will be meeting in-person. By writing everything down, individuals will remember the upcoming task better while having it serve as a reminder. Even simple tasks, such as picking up a package from the mail center, can be written down to ensure completion. Checking off tasks once they are completed will nurture the feeling of accomplishment and relief that one has successfully adhered to the day’s duties. Specifically, since some or all classes may be online, it may help to use the “Google Calendar” setting within your email account to electronically schedule and set reminders for oneself. In using this feature, one will be alerted when assignments and activities are taking place. Overall, intentionally setting aside time to write down tasks can make the process of online-learning a lot less intimidating than it needs to be.

While the logistics of remaining on-task are important to attend to, it is equally important to find creative ways to engage with others during online classes, hybrid classes, in-person classes, and extracurricular activities. Using apps, such as Spotify, to create a collaboration of studying or recreational playlists with fellow classmates can help spread a feeling of connectedness among physical separation. By having one student create the playlist, and other students recommending songs to make up the playlist, a sense of connectedness and camaraderie in the academic setting will be reignited. Furthermore, students can listen to the songs whenever and wherever while learning about their fellow classmates’ musical interests. Time management and handling one’s responsibilities directly is undeniably important. However, it is also valuable to establish friendships and creativity throughout times of separation.

Feelings of apprehension are understandably heightened within this online-based academic semester. The use of recording daily tasks can aid students in remembering and completing the duties for
the day. Moreover, the creation of a class playlist can aid creativity and community within a physically separated academic setting. This semester may feel different, but there are many ways to find connections and academic success.

Scroll to Top