Page 4 – The Waltonian

Easter is the most important holiday of the Church calendar for Christians. It’s a feast day in the Church, and my family certainly celebrates that. We have the assigned candy baskets, of course, one for each of my many siblings, and we often take the fake plastic grass from the bottoms of the baskets and take turns piling it on top of each other and chasing each other around. We’ve done that since there were just three of us siblings, and now there are eight of us, so it’s been going on for a long time! But besides the candy, the food is something that brings us all together. We try to have lamb on Easter, if we can, and we always make a big brunch with deviled eggs, fruit, homemade hummus and pita, and lots of other goodies. Making food together and eating together is one of the main ways that my family celebrates, and I’m so glad I’ll be able to participate in that at home this Easter. Easter is the most important holiday of the Church calendar for Christians. It’s a feast day in the Church, and my family certainly celebrates that. We have the assigned candy baskets, of course, one for each of my many siblings, and we often take the fake plastic grass from the bottoms of the baskets and take turns piling it on top of each other and chasing each other around. We’ve done that since there were just three of us siblings, and now there are eight of us, so it’s been going on for a long time! But besides the candy, the food is something that brings us all together. We try to have lamb on Easter, if we can, and we always make a big brunch with deviled eggs, fruit, homemade hummus and pita, and lots of other goodies. Making food together and eating together is one of the main ways that my family celebrates, and I’m so glad I’ll be able to participate in that at home this Easter.

However, in addition to celebrating the Western Church’s Easter, I also hope to celebrate Easter (also known as Pascha) with the Eastern Orthodox, which takes place on May 2nd. I was planning on taking part in Holy Week and Paschal Liturgies last year, but then the pandemic hit and I wasn’t able to experience my first Pascha. However, I’m hoping to be able to celebrate that this year! I hope to be able to have both my old traditions with my family and some new ones with my friends this year, and I can’t wait.

Many students have experienced or are currently experiencing quarantine in Doane, just as Sophia Hunter did. While Hunter expressed gratitude that the school is trying to protect students during this challenging time, she also found that her quarantine gave her cause to be worried for her health and safety in a variety of ways.

Hunter was told that Resident Director Efram was her point of contact while in quarantine, and she found him to be “so so helpful”. Hunter said that “He checked in on us nearly every day and was very quick to respond to issues”. However, Hunter also found that this was not enough supervision to keep things under control in the dorms. “Because he wasn’t physically in the building, there wasn’t a good understanding of authority,” Hunter reported. One incident in particular left Hunter feeling uncomfortable and potentially in danger.

Hunter explained that the hall above hers was a male hall, and many nights they would drink and get raucously loud. “One night,” Hunter said, “they pushed the screen out of the window and threw full beer cans onto the ground below. Because they knew that we had seen them, we feared for our safety. The next night, they were drinking again, and I heard them chanting ‘Get her out!’ and it made us fear for our safety. There was no lock on the door to the girls’ hall, no locking mechanism of any kind. The individual doors had locks, but were pretty flimsy doors.” Hunter admitted that she and her roommate were so concerned that they made sure their pepper spray was accessible at all times, even keeping it on hand while they were sleeping. She also noted that the men were moving furniture, blasting music, running laps at night, playing with some sort of ball on the floor, and there was nobody in the hall to talk to about this. “We couldn’t focus on our studies or sleep,” Hunter said. Many students didn’t wear their masks around the hall, and there was no communication about visitation policies so there was a lot of motion between the halls. “There was at least one instance of someone letting a non-quarantined student into the dorms, and there was no way to let anyone know about this until after the fact,” Hunter explained.

But the lack of authority in the hall was not the only challenge that Hunter faced. She told the reporter that “the nurse refused to let my roommate get tested even though she had lost her sense of taste and smell. She was supposed to call us every morning and ask about our symptoms, and even after she heard about my roommate’s symptoms, she would still call only occasionally and would not let her get tested. I continued to share a room with her, despite the fact that she was showing symptoms”.

When asked what advice she would share with someone in her situation, Hunter shared several smart tips: “Make sure you bring an actual pillow. Bring enough blankets. Bring multiple towels. Make use of your contact with the RD; he’s willing to help and very very helpful. Plan on getting tested after you get out if you can, in case you become symptomatic and aren’t tested through Eastern. Give a friend your e-card so they can buy you things using your card and bring them to you. Bring self-protection like pepper spray if you have it. Bring a way to make coffee or tea, like a mug and tea bags or instant coffee. Bring a thermometer with you because you will need to check your temperature every day.”

Quarantine is meant to protect students, but the coronavirus is not the only danger that students can be exposed to. Hunter felt that the administration could have done better to address the needs of students in not only limiting the exposure of the virus, but also in addressing concerns about physical safety and health of the students who were being quarantined.

It felt like I was being punished for having COVID”, junior Maggie Rafidi said when being interviewed about her experience quarantining with COVID. “It was the first time I felt like my experience at Eastern was just a business transaction, and I wasn’t even getting what I paid for.”

While contracting COVID would be a difficult experience for anyone, Rafidi felt as though Eastern University did not adequately respond to the situation, despite the plans that were supposedly in place. Rafidi entered quarantine on Jan. 25 after testing positive with COVID and was released on Feb. 9, fourteen days later. Those fourteen days were probably going to be the most difficult of her entire semester, Rafidi acknowledged.

“I didn’t have a lock on my door, I didn’t have screens on my windows,” Rafidi said when asked about the condition of the facilities where she stayed. She told the reporter that there were no desks and chairs in the room, that the blinds were broken and she had
to fix them herself, and that there was no supervision regarding the separation of male and female students, unlike in every other dorm on campus. Rafidi said that she didn’t feel in any danger, but she knows that not everyone would feel that way in her shoes. “They treated
it like it was a hotel but then you get to your room and there’s no lock on it. Do you want me to ask for help?”

However, Rafidi’s biggest struggles came from the administration. Infected students don’t receive 24/7 medical supervision; at one point, around 6 or 7pm, Rafidi was having trouble breathing and called the nurse. The nurse told her that she was off-duty and to call someone else. Rafidi then reached out to a Resident Director, who called an ambulance for her, which Rafidi had not asked for. “My insurance was able to cover that, but what would’ve happened if they hadn’t?” Rafidi wondered. To get back from the hospital, Rafidi was told to call an Uber, despite the fact that she was COVID positive and would expose the driver. Luckily, Rafidi thought to call someone from the Gatehouse who was also positive to come pick her up, but the school’s solution had been to put an Uber driver in harm’s way.

Rafidi also felt that the university’s narrative around COVID is harmful to those who fall ill. “To say that the ones who test positive are the ones making bad decisions sucks, because that’s not always the case,” Rafidi said. “I was being very cautious because of my asthma, and I still tested positive. They’re putting out the narrative that the people who get sick are the irresponsible ones. It makes you feel like you’re not worth the care, but I’m sick and vulnerable, away from home, and I should be worth the care. I’m glad I had a roof over my head and somewhere to stay, because I’m not local, but that’s all it felt like.”

While the administration didn’t provide the support Rafidi needed, she did find support from her family, professors, and her friends. “I did have professors reach out to me, even ones that didn’t have me this semester,” Rafidi said. She also related how her friends were able
to provide both mental and material support, from encouraging her to getting groceries for her. Looking back, Rafidi said, “I think the best thing I could’ve done was let people know I was in need.”

When asked what advice she would give to those who are or may be in her situation, Rafidi advised people to be aware of the mental health issues that come with contracting COVID. “It made me cry one night thinking about all the people I had infected or could have infected,
and that’s an added burden that doesn’t happen when you’re normally sick,” Rafidi admitted. “It was easier to tell my professors that I was sick physically than to express what was going on mentally.” Rafidi’s experience in quarantine was far from what she’d hoped it would be. Towards the end of the interview, she said, “No other student should have to go through this, and the only way things are going to change is if people talk about it.”

I don’t think any of us expected our time in college to look this way. I certainly didn’t. After having to leave so quickly almost a year ago (can you believe it’s almost March again?), I don’t have anything in my room that I can’t either fit in two suitcases or throw away without a qualm. I wash my masks every week and match my outfits to the patterns on them. I wear two pairs of socks to sit outside Breezeway and talk to my friends who live in different dorms. It’s not what I thought my college experience would look like, but at this point, I’m grateful to have any college experience at all.

I learned some things from last semester, though. I’m slowly getting better at navigating the rules and regulations, and I’m managing to see people regardless. One thing I took away from last semester was that, if I don’t make people a priority, I won’t see anyone. I was often lonely last semester, and if I’m honest, I’m still lonely this semester; I’m fairly confident that I’m not alone in feeling that way. If you can, find two or three person games like chess or Go to play in places that have restrictions on occupancy, like the lounges, or use online party packs like Jackbox to connect with larger groups. Many apps have also incorporated watch-party features so you can watch movies with friends without breaking any rules.

I learned last semester that walks can keep me sane when I’m stuck in the same route of moving from the classroom to the dorm room. Now that hiking off campus is permitted, I’m really looking forward to going hiking when the weather gets less bitingly frigid. I also learned to allow myself little luxuries last semester. I ordered delivery and take-out when I felt like it and I got my dreadfully unhealthy favorite drink from JJ to keep my spirits up. I know that I can’t be as strict with myself as I’d like to be during these semesters, and I have to give myself some grace.

I came to that last conclusion with my counsellor at CCAS. I started going to CCAS last semester, and it’s been really helping me regulate my mental health when I’m lonely, stressed, or overwhelmed. I know that I need to focus on what I can control right now. As you’re all probably sick of hearing, we’re living in a world that we never expected to be coping with a year ago. Do what you can. It’s all anyone can do right now.

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Precious Movements, Unceasing Prayer Ministry, and Wednesday Night Worship (WNW) worked together to put on an evening of worship that combined the strengths of all the different forms of worship that these organizations practice. It took place in the evening, at nine o’clock at night, just like Wednesday Night Worship usually does this semester, but went slightly longer than the usual hour due to the inclusion of the other groups.

As many people on campus know, Wednesday Night Worship regularly strives to help people worship God through music and song; they usually lead people in singing contemporary worship music, though some more traditional hymns are occasionally incorporated. Likewise, Precious Movements is dedicated to worshipping the Lord through dance. Unceasing also cooperated in the event, and their description on Eastern’s website states: “The Unceasing Prayer Ministry strives to help facilitate a prayerful and thoughtful community open to learning different forms of prayer, interceding for others, and making time for quiet reflection.”

When asked about where the idea for this evening of united worship came to be, Kaitlyn Arrow, a member of WNW, said that it had come up at the Welcome Back Bash. “At the Welcome Back Bash Malicka came up to Michelle and I at our WNW table and asked us if we would want to do a collab night with different ministry clubs. We loved the idea and so Michelle worked out a date for us to join together for a united night of worship with Precious Movements and Unceasing,” Arrow said.

Arrow leads one of WNW’s three bands and is one of their vocalists. Wednesday Night Worship actually was part of what drew her to Eastern in the first place; “When I was looking for colleges I came to WNW when I was doing an overnight visit and I absolutely fell in love with it. It is one of the many reasons why I chose Eastern. I have always loved leading worship so trying out for WNW was a no brainer,” Arrow said.

The goal of the evening was to show people the different ways one can worship, as well as giving people opportunities to participate in all those ways. “I think the collaboration really embraced the heart of WNW. The goal of WNW is really to bring people closer to God, and having Precious Movements there really contributed to the spirit of worship. People worship in so many different ways and being able to combine playing music and dancing was so incredible. It allowed people to not only see a different kind of worship, but it also allowed people who don’t connect to the form of worship WNW usually does to connect to the worship of Precious Movements,” Arrow said.

With one of Eastern’s stated goals being faith, it seems central to the goal of the university to provide these types of activities that demonstrate the diversity of worship. The community of Eastern is meant to be oriented toward worshipful flourishing, and these three groups recognize their different roles in helping members of the community achieve that worship.

Many students found joy in the collaboration. It was encouraging to see friends taking part in the different ministries, and many enjoyed seeing what their friends had worked hard on perfecting so that they could lay it at the feet of the Lord. It was a communal worship experience where each had their own part to play, and there was beauty in that community.

When asked if this sort of collaboration would happen again, Arrow was hopeful. “We have definitely talked about doing it again and potentially doing it on a more regular basis,” she said. Students can look forward to events like these in the future and perhaps be reminded of the beauty of worship done in community.

Have you ever wanted to be published in a literary magazine? Maybe you’re an aspiring author or poet, or you’re an avid photographer or artist. Getting your work published by a literary magazine could be the first step in your career. But what is a literary magazine, and why might you want to submit to one? And if you do want to submit to one, why choose Inklings?

A literary magazine is a publication, either in print or online, that usually publishes art, such as poetry, short stories, creative nonfiction, photography, digital art, sketches and others. Different literary magazines publish different types of art; some only publish poetry, for example, and others only publish in certain genres, such as science fiction. Some magazines are also more selective than others, so your chances of being accepted to a magazine vary depending on where you submit.

Literary magazines are often a great place to begin a publishing career. For any aspiring artist, getting your work out to the public is an important step. However, it can also be fun just to submit work somewhere that you can share it with others, so even if you aren’t considering a career in the arts, publishing in a literary magazine might still be a fun challenge.

So where does Inklings come into all of this?

Inklings is the literary magazine run by Eastern students. It is open to submissions from all undergraduate students, not just Eastern students, so if you have friends from other universities who you think would like to submit, they’re also welcome to! Inklings is open for submissions from now until March 7th, 2021, and they accept poetry, fiction, nonfiction, photography and art. In order to submit, go to the Inklings’ website: https://inklings.eastern.edu/ and click on the “Submission Guidelines” tab. There will be several paragraphs of information about what Inklings is interested in publishing generally, and then specific guidelines for each medium below. If you’re submitting, make sure you check the specific guidelines for your work, because adhering to the guidelines will keep your work from getting automatically rejected! Please also note that Inklings asks for blind submissions, meaning that the readers won’t know who the author is when they’re deciding what to put in the magazine, so make sure that the document you submit does not have any identifying information on it, like your name or email.

Inklings is primarily a literary magazine, but it’s also a club on Eastern’s campus. This semester, it meets entirely online, so commuters can attend as well as residential students. At these meetings, which take place every Tuesday evening at 8:30 p.m., students will be able to hone their writing skills through experimenting with prompts and different techniques, as well as connecting students with other writers and artists. If you’re interested in getting the Zoom link, email inklings@eastern.edu and you’ll be added to the mailing list!

Art is an important part of our lives, especially during trying times. Art can unite us and remind us that beauty still exists, even when the world around us seems less than lovely. If you’d like to share your art with others, submit to Inklings!

Have you ever eaten a perfect bite of food? Maybe a butter-soft slice of raw tuna swathed in avocado atop a plantain chip? Or perhaps a steaming hot spoonful of pho? Maybe you’ve got more of a sweet tooth, and what comes to mind for you is a crepe in a paper cone, bursting with strawberries and chocolate ganache, or an exquisite lemon tart blanketed in a yuzu meringue.

Food isn’t mere nourishment, and cooking and baking don’t have to be chores done to churn out
edible portions. Cooking and baking are art and science, creative and careful and utterly miraculous.
Take baking, for example. Perhaps you’re in the fall spirit and you’d like to make a pumpkin
apple loaf (https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chunky-apple-pumpkin-bread). There’s a precision you cannot fake; if you ignore the recipe and add a tablespoon of baking soda rather than a teaspoon, you won’t get the right result. Try making crème brulee without the knowledge of the correct techniques, and you’ll end up with a pan full of scrambled eggs.

But on the other hand, there’s a creativity about cooking that you can’t do without either. You have to know what spices to add, how to balance flavor, what different types of heat will do to different foods. A lot of that relies on your own knowledge and training; the first step to becoming a good cook or baker is to eat good food. I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in a household where my dad taught me how to taste sauces and dishes from a young age.

“What does it need?” he always asks. Salt was always the easy answer, but sometimes it needed
more umami to balance the acidity, so it would need chicken stock, or maybe it was too creamy and
needed a squirt of lemon juice to brighten it up.

Food is often beautiful, too. My grandma taught me that. She makes the most beautiful desserts,
like chocolate eclairs with coffee drizzles or pavlova with lemon curd and berries. Many foods are
naturally vibrant because of spices or fresh fruits and vegetables; take advantage of that. Use fresh
herbs when you can, and your plate will instantly become brighter.

What does art do? It uses beauty to bring joy. Many arts are only available to one sense: you hear
music, or you see a painting. But the art of cooking or baking brings beauty to every sense. You can
hear the sizzle of meat in a pan, smell the warmth of sautéed onions, feel the sticky softness of bread
dough on your palms, and see the fluff of a perfectly baked potato. And of course, you can taste it. Taste
some good food. If you can’t help but smile, then you’ve experienced the art of cooking.

Sources: Taste of Home

Whether you’re going somewhere you’ve never been before or straying back to the old haunts or even relaxing at home over spring break, you might want to try some food you’ve never had before. But how? How do you know what’s good around you, and how do you know if it’s in your price range? And what if it’s not all what you were expecting? And what do you do if you’re in a different country and you don’t know what to do with your utensils and whether you’re supposed to tip at the end?

Never fear, for this article will answer all those questions and more. Just look for the heading that most accurately describes your plans for spring break and read away to find out how you can get the best culinary experience out of your spring break!

Going Somewhere New

If you’re going somewhere new for spring break, finding good food can be overwhelming. However, it doesn’t have to be. First, make sure you know what your priorities are for the trip. If you’re trying to hit certain landmarks or see certain things, you might be better off checking out the Google Maps “nearby” feature. It allows you to peruse the area around the sites and organize the results based on location or price, which can make it easy to find food that is both convenient and within budget. Once you’ve found something that looks interesting in the area, you can click on the restaurant; most will have links to a website where you can check out the menu and look at pictures.

You can also search “best places to eat in” the name of your city, and often travel blogs as well as sites like TripAdvisor and Travelocity will have recommendations. Again, it’s always best to follow any links to check out the websites of the restaurants, because those lists are not always up to date or within budget for many travelers. When I’m planning trips, I rarely plan to eat somewhere that I can’t find a menu for online. My one exception is food markets; they almost always have lots of snacks to sample and buy, so that’s usually one of my go-to places for food in new places.

Going Somewhere Familiar

If you’re going somewhere you’ve been before, it’s a little easier to find food that you know will suit your needs. Though you might already have places that you know like, adding something new to your list is definitely a fun way to change up your trip.

In this case, I would generally search by cuisine or type of experience rather than location. If you’re looking for a casual Vietnamese restaurant, you can search that in Google Maps as well and it should pull up a handful of results. Sites like Eater might also have options for you depending on where you’re going. It also might be exciting to pick an area that you know you like and wander around there to look for restaurants. If you’re looking to be inspired, some restaurants will have menus outside so that people can see the cuisine without going inside, and if you’re not shy, you can always go inside and ask to see a menu before you commit to sitting down before a meal.

Staying Home

If you’re staying home for spring break, this could be a great chance to experience something new in your area! Just like if you’re going somewhere familiar, you can always pick an area you like and wander around to find a new place to eat, but you can also cook something at home with friends or family. There are thousands of recipes online, and you can search by cuisine or skill level. Supercook is also a website (and an app) that allows you to plug in the food that you already have at home and it will give you a recipe you can make without any extra grocery trips.

No matter what you’re doing over spring break, there’s a way to eat well! Enjoy your spring break, and bon appetit!

Valentine’s Day is on the horizon, and whether you’re looking for somewhere good to eat with your significant other, your best friend, or just as a treat-yourself meal, this article has options for everyone! Don’t forget that many of these options deliver through popular services like GrubHub and UberEats, so they’re just as nice for a cozy evening in as for a fun night out.

Every meal option on the list is given a rating out of five. These ratings take into account the taste of the food, price points, location, ambience, and overall experience.

White Dog Cafe: ❤❤❤❤

This is one of my favorite places to go in Wayne. As you might guess from the name, the decorations are entirely dog-themed, so if you’re a dog-person, this is definitely the place for you. The food is pretty delicious American fare too. Some of my personal favorites are the truffle French fries and the mushroom soup, though the menu changes regularly. Meals here can start at $30 per person, which is the main reason it doesn’t have five hearts, as the price tag can inch upward at a rate that most college students don’t appreciate. However, if you’re looking for something special, this cute little restaurant is definitely a go-to.

Choolaah: ❤❤❤❤❤

I love this place with all of my heart. Imagine Chipotle-style mix and match options, but with Indian food rather than Mexican. This restaurant is great for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free diners; it also has options for every spice tolerance, from nonexistent to extra-spicy. If you’re not gluten-free, definitely get the garlic naan! The buttery, garlicky flatbread goes amazingly with whichever of the curries you choose. Located only ten minutes from campus and at $10-$15 per bowl (they’re big bowls too; I always share a bowl with someone), there’s almost no reason to say no. The only drawback is the ambiance– again, it’s similar to a Chipotle inside. Certainly not ugly by any means, but also not a candlelit extravaganza either.

El Limon: ❤❤❤❤

Love tacos? This place has ‘em for $2.75 each. You can get them gluten-free too, though if you’re highly allergic to gluten, make sure you explain that, because they have had one or two mishaps in the past, hence the four heart rating. They’re not too far from campus, with two locations near us, and the atmosphere is cheerful and welcoming.

Wegmans Sushi: ❤❤❤

Perfect for a group date or a girls’ night out, Wegmans has a family sized sushi pack that’s great for splitting. The family-sized pack is great for pretty much anyone in your group, as there are options for people who are vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free as well people who don’t like fish. Even the soy sauce packets are gluten-free, instead of being thickened with flour as some soy sauces are. There’s a Wegmans located near King of Prussia, and you can take the meal anywhere, from your dorm room to a (cold) picnic blanket under the stars. The three hearts? The grocery store isn’t really romantic.

This past Saturday, E.T.H.E.L.S kicked off 2020 with a Roaring-twenties’ themed dance. The dance took place in Gough Great Room starting at seven in the evening, and both regular members of the club and new faces dropped by to enjoy the festivities. Besides the dancing, which was set to era-appropriate music curated by Laura Schoenhals, E.T.H.E.L.S. also set up a photo station and an array of jazzy mocktails. Many of the guests dressed up to the nines, in outfits that any flapper would have been floored by. After many rounds of mocktails and more than one rendition of 20’s Charleston, the night ended with a fusion of the two eras with the swing version of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”. “I love the community that swing facilitates. I think having a common goal and a shared enjoyment of swing is a great way for people to form friendships and meet new people in a unique environment. The 20s party was a great way to ring in the new year, and I especially enjoyed the unique music that I would not otherwise usually choose to listen to. I’ll definitely have to add more 20s music to our regular swing playlist!” said Schoenhals.

Now that the 2020’s have begun, E.T.H.E.L.S. hoping to capitalize on the popularity of swing during the Roaring-twenties. The organization, whose acronym stands for Eastern’s Toe-tapping, Heel-stomping, East-Coast, Lindy-Hopping Swing club, offers free lessons in a variety of swing dance styles every Thursday evening from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in Gough Great Room. This semester, lead instructor Mike Montgomery, who has taught at various swing dancing ballrooms in the past, is focusing on Lindy Hop and a line dance called the Shim Sham Shimmy. However, new students are always welcome to drop by! The assistant instructor is available to teach newcomers the basic step and a few quick turns so that when free dance happens after the lesson, they’ll be ready to hop right in.

Besides lessons every week, which run a little over an hour, there is also free dance, where dancers get a chance to practice their skills. During this time, students are encouraged to ask each other to dance. During these weekly events, no one dresses up, though that changes when E.T.H.E.L.S. organizes monthly trips to a live-band ballroom in Pottstown. At these events, members of the club can enjoy music from bands such as the Dibs and the Detontators and the Slicked-Up Nines while dancing with people at various skill levels. The next live band group that E.T.H.E.L.S. plans on attending will take place on Feb. 22; for more information, stop by one Thursday or email the club at the address below.

Besides the regularly scheduled events, E.T.H.E.L.S. is hoping to be a part of the Performance Arts Living Room later this spring. They plan to start cheroegraphing their piece soon, and they hope to impress at their audition. Additionally, they will have an end of the year party. For more information on any of these events, contact E.T.H.E.L.S. at ethels@eastern.edu.