Eastern has once again raised tuition. In the past five years, the cost of going to Eastern has increased by almost $10,000. But “these changes are relatively modest,” and “As the parent of college students myself, I know how much sacrifice and effort families make,” says President Duffett. It is the epitome of privilege for persons of institutions to ignore the cries of the marginalized in their communities–whether the indebted, the queer, the person of color, the disabled, among others.

Tuition increases do not help students stay in school, or make us calmer by any stretch of the imagination. Some of us are paying for school on our own. We work while taking classes, and the more those classes cost, the more we have to work, and thus, the less time we have to dedicate to our studies. Eastern’s continual disregard for the student body and increasing national debt remains consistent with a tradition of ignoring the oppressed until they can no longer and are forced to repent of their egregious sins against humanity.

But of course as we will see, “our rates for the upcoming academic year are lower than the costs for attending most of our benchmark institutions”–institutions that are not only just as increasingly unaffordable as Eastern, but also provide better and healthier programs. Raising the cost of Eastern places it in an increasingly harder position to remain a healthy, thriving learning environment for all students.

Raising the tuition, moreover, certainly will not help fill all of the housing we have (which we’re planning on expanding!). In the long run that “$1 million more” we will allegedly earn as college graduates turns out to be pretty miniscule as our debts increase “modestly” every year. At what point does raising tuition become immodest?

People like to say that getting a bachelor(ette)’s degree is like gold in society. But many of us aren’t going to have an easy time finding a job that will be sufficient enough to pay off these increasing loans. Many of us will have a hard time getting a job anywhere–even if we are qualified. Realities of social injustice are never abstracted from one another and that makes things harder for all of us. Eastern fosters an environment in a way that such raises reflect a blatant disregard or ignorance of the traumas many of us are put through because the university cannot decide what “justice” entails.

Our debt is increasing. And there can be no social justice without economic justice. Many of us, despite having a bachelor(ette)’s degree, still have a trajectory towards poverty because of how society is structured against us. Those sacrifices and efforts we make to get a quality education cost us far more than a $2,000 increase every year. Every time Eastern raises tuition, I acquire more reasons to leave, just as, I imagine, many others. But I stay for the real solidarity, I stay for the tangible moments of love that pop up.

I stay in hopes of real justice manifesting in our very community–economically, socially, and spiritually.

All EU students are expected to read and abide by the student handbook upon matriculation, in addition to their respective supplements—one for residential CAS students, another for students of CCGPS. According to Student Development’s page on EU’s website, the handbook (which presumably includes its supplements) will be changed as the community at Eastern changes. The page communicates that “when significant content is revised, changes will be communicated through Student Development’s newsletter, ‘The Waterwheel,’ or EU email accounts.”

The last edition, according to Student Development’s page, was made on Sep. 4, 2014. A few simple keystrokes reveal that this is true for the main body of the student handbook and the CCGPS supplement. Additionally, the sexual discrimination policy was edited most recently just a week after that. But of all the available links on the page, the most recently updated is the residential supplement, which was last updated on Jan. 15, 2015. There is a discrepancy between what the website says and what its metadata reveals. Moreover, no emails were sent notifying students of the edition, nor were there any publications of The Waterwheel that addressed the change.

Page 13 of the supplement states, "While all residence halls have both male and female housing opportunities within them, there are separate floors/areas for males and females, referring to the anatomical sex of the student."
[/media-credit] Page 13 of the supplement states, “While all residence halls have both male and female housing opportunities within them, there are separate floors/areas for males and females, referring to the anatomical sex of the student.”
A person by the pseudonym, “by lin,” posted a blog post from the EU-based “La Aperitif” alleging that what was added was the following sentence in the housing policy section of the residential supplement (pg 13): “While all residence halls have both male and female housing opportunities within them, there are separate floors/areas for males and females, referring to the anatomical sex of the student.” Bettie Ann Brigham confirmed this. She stressed that there was technically no “change” in policy, just a clarification of an existing practice. Brigham argues that this is not a significant change in the handbook and therefore did not deserve any announcement.

“We make small changes in the handbook all the time to clarify policies,” Brigham said, “We want it to be clear that that’s how Eastern defines [gender]….We’ve always known what male/female means.” However, Brigham also said that, “We [as a society] don’t really know what it means to be male or female.” In further conversation with Brigham, she stated that there could be further clarification of policy as clarification becomes necessary.

“by lin” is confident that “EU does not ask anyone about their genitalia,” but Brigham adds that students are expected to be honest with the university about the state of their genitalia on official EU documents. One might ask, “What if a person has legal proof that they are not the gender they are being treated as?” In response, Brigham said “Should it come to our attention that someone did not answer a question honestly, say a male student discovers their roommate is an anatomical female, then we might need to ask about anatomical sex.” Nonetheless, “by lin” insisted that “the clarification promotes the stereotyping of people’s bodies and, more specifically, the policing of transgender people’s bodies.”

Brigham encourages students and faculty to participate in the Task Force on Human Sexuality events, which Dr. Duffett assembled because of the reaction of alumni and students to his signing of a letter seeking to discriminate against LGBT people in hiring. “by lin” argues that this amended policy, like Duffett’s petition last summer, also counts as discrimination against LGBT people in housing. When asked about how the administration would respond to student action to change the policy, Brigham stated that “students can propose anything they want to propose….some things prevail, some things don’t.”

Following up with the pseudonymous author, they said that they are a member of the EU community. When asked why they felt the need to expose this information, they replied, “I’m just worried about the state of our school. When administrations aren’t transparent with the community impacted by the policies they make, it can only lead to an unhealthy state of affairs for everyone.”

Sources:Eastern.edu, Laaperitif.tumblr.com

After nearly an entire year since his inauguration, President Robert Duffett reflected on how it is adjusting to life here at Eastern. With a soft smile, he remarked that he finds the adjustments largely enjoyable. He had known about Eastern long before he had ever thought he’d be president here, so our name and our mission was not unfamiliar to him. Deeply involved with the American Baptist tradition, Duffett also found Eastern to be a good place to be, especially, he added, with its fantastic students and faculty.

When asked about the challenges associated with the adjustments he had to make when he got here, Duffett remarked that finding out “where we’re going to go intellectually and institutionally” has particularly been a challenge, which, of course, is not to say that he dreads doing it. Tied up with the challenges of intellectual and institutional visions, Duffett also mentioned that this process has involved the hiring of new administrators and painstaking fundraising. Fundraising, Duffett reflected, “is a really humble game.” One cannot just ask and expect others to give money; it involves learning to take “no” for an answer sometimes. Regarding financial difficulties, Duffett pointed out that Eastern is no different a place than other universities throughout the United States. Many universities face financial troubles in today’s economy, says Duffett.

President Duffett insisted that he is “committed to making [the Master Plan] happen.” What makes Eastern unique from other universities, according to Duffett, is that we “claim a vision higher than most other colleges.” When a community holds God as their guide, Duffett opined, our goals will understandably be lofty, and many times we may fail to reach those goals, simply because we are human. Duffett plans on being at Eastern for a long time, sticking in there when the road gets tough.

A Marxist/Nietzschean Critique of “Middle Class Economics”

President Obama mentioned in his State of the Union address a plan to make community college “free and universal” for students. Many have praised Obama for this motion, as well as for his “middle-class economics” philosophy. While this might appear to be a step in the right direction, I suspect it’s not as great as it’s cracked up to be.

In his address, Obama said, “I want to spread that idea all across America, so that two years of college becomes as free and universal in America as high school is today.” But even high schools today are still segregated via property taxes. Will the poor receive more underfunded programs when they go to college? Moreover, I find it hard to believe that any capitalist would do anything for free and universally. There is always a catch.

Indeed Obama qualified his statement, “Understand, you’ve got to earn it—you’ve got to keep your grades up and graduate on time.” This remark says to me that your grades and ability to not graduate “tardy” determine whether or not you deserve to have less debt. Are we only worth what we produce? Indeed, it seems with the state of minimum wage that we are not even worth that. This seems to be a way of affirming capitalism, which pushes minorities into poverty and then profits from their poverty–all while giving a happy “look how egalitarian we are” face. In this statement, Obama embodies the difference between liberal and conservative politics—none other than a smile. We should not expect this in mind, reformism is not going to get us where we need to be—stateless socialism.

There is also the puerile belief that student debt is the only thing deterring people’s dreams. But some of us, upon graduating college, will still have trouble finding work. And this is not to forget that the only way for corporate profit to be produced is for workers to be valued less than the products/services they produce. Despite laws forbidding this treatment, disabled people, people of color, and LGBTQ people, for instance, will experience discrimination in employment—whether that be by not getting a job one is qualified for or experiencing discrimination in the workplace even after getting hired.

Additionally, student debt is not the only thing that scares people from getting a formal education. For instance, LGBTQ people experience discrimination, threats, and harassment from kindergarten to graduate school, thus making it harder to finish school—especially “on time.” Moreover, taking a semester or a year off is not at all uncommon among contemporary college students. The point I am making here is that student debt is part of a larger matrix of issues, which are ignored and even invalidated by the academic and temporal requirements Obama mentions.

Capitalism, even under the guise of “middle-class economics,” does not work. That is to say that socioeconomic structures do not actively “do” anything; people do things. Such as structuring a society around the accumulation of capital, marginalization of minorities and reification of the cisheteronormative family structure. We need a new way of doing things—not another banal form of capitalism. I wonder what our education system will look like when we prioritize the poor so that they aren’t poor anymore, the oppressed so they are no longer oppressed.

But this cannot be achieved under capitalism, for “there is no ethical consumption under late capitalism.” We need a socioeconomic approach–a way of life–that is explicitly anti-capitalist. Only then will we be able to value education right and not have to worry ourselves to death over impending debt. Maybe then “on time” will be irrelevant; maybe then we will not require production in order to live. Only together–in stateless socialism–can we truly be life-affirming.

“Charlie Hebdo” is not a person. “Charlie Hebdo” is a French satirical weekly magazine, which uses cartoons, reports, polemics, and jokes as medium for their satire. The magazine is notorious for publishing questionable content. Particularly, the magazine has often published articles not only depicting the Islamic prophet, Mohammed (which is forbidden in Islam), sometimes nude, but also profaning and slandering Muslims around the world.

On Jan. 7, 2015, two armed men entered the Paris headquarters of “Charlie Hebdo” and opened fire. Twelve people were killed in the gunfire (including two police officers who were shot while they escaped), and eleven were wounded. The attackers were identified as Chérif and Said Kouachi and were later connected to Al Qaeda cells in Yemen in light of information from French intelligence agencies and a video released by Al Qaeda claiming responsibility for the attacks.

This was not the first time “Charlie Hebdo” has had encounters with Islamic reactions to their publications. In 2011, the newspaper’s office located in the 20th arrondissement of Paris was firebombed and their website hacked, presumably in response to their publication satirically retitled “Charia Hebdo” (in reference to Sharia Law). Additionally, in 2007 the Grand Mosque of Paris filed a lawsuit against Philipe Val, editor-in-chief of “Charlie Hebdo,” for allegedly publicly slandering Muslims for being Muslim. Val was acquitted.

Within two days of the 2015 attack, there were 15 reported anti-Muslim attacks. Max Fisher of Vox reports, “the country’s Muslim community, despite universally and repeatedly condemning the [2015 attack on “Charlie Hebdo”], has come under a wave of misguided ‘reprisal’ attacks.” While free speech supporters and the like were hashtagging #JeSuisCharlie, three training grenades were thrown and bullet rounds were fired at a mosque in Le Man, an Islam-affiliated restaurant adjacent to a mosque in Villefranche-sur-Saone was bombed, and gunshots were fired at a mosque an hour after prayers in Port-la-Nouvelle, among other attacks.

It was initially speculated that the hostage situation in Paris was also connected with the “Charlie Hebdo” attack, but French police do not believe the gunman to be connected with it. The hostage situation ended on Friday (Jan. 16) peacefully, with the gunman surrendering to police.

Reports from French news sources indicate that people have begun to be detained by French police on the vague charge of “defending terrorism (‘l’apologie du terroisme’),” often for sharing critical thoughts of “Charlie Hebdo”’s material. Amnesty International did a press release in which they stated that nearly 70 arrests were made in the week following the attacks. The charges are being made against people that are sharing critical satirical material regarding “Charlie Hebdo.” None of the arrests have been connected to Al Qaeda.

Sources: Tellmamauk.org, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, The Times, Vox.com, The New York Times

In the early morning on Dec. 28, 2014, Leelah Alcorn was killed by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 71, just outside Cincinnati, Ohio.

A suicide note that queued on her Tumblr later indicated that this was no accident. In the note, she detailed the alleged abuse her Christian parents had put her through in response to her coming out as a trans woman and, in other instances, as “gay”—reparation therapy, isolating her from her friends and social media, refusing to allow her to go through hormone therapy, and misgendering her.

She recounts that her mother “reacted extremely negatively” when Leelah came out to her. Her mother told her “that it was a phase, that [she] would never truly be a girl, that God doesn’t make mistakes, that [she was] wrong.” In a letter written to succeed her suicide note, Leelah writes to specific people—friends, siblings, and her parents. To her parents, she wrote, “You can’t just control other people like that. That’s messed up.” Soon after her suicide, news of the letters spread and her parents asked Tumblr staff to delete the suicide note and her blog.

Leelah’s close friend mentioned in the second letter, Abby Jones, was one of the first people to whom Leelah came out. Leelah spoke highly of Abby, who later made a picture of Leelah wearing a black and white dress go viral, as well as her suicide notes. According to Abby’s mother, Danielle Pieper-Jones, “[Leelah’s] mom called and blamed [Abby] for everything that got posted online, even though Leelah’s page was public.” Carla Alcorn, Leelah’s mother, is reported to have harassed Abby for highlighting Leelah’s picture and notes, and barred her from attending Leelah’s funeral.

Leelah ended her suicide note: “I want 100% of the things that I legally own to be sold and the money[…]to be given to trans civil rights movements and support groups[…].The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights. Gender needs to be taught about in schools, the earlier the better. My death needs to mean something. My death needs to be counted in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. […] Fix society. Please.”

According to National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 41% of trans and gender non-conforming people are reported as having attempted suicide, compared to the 4.6% national average. For transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender questioning people contemplating suicide or self-harm, call (877) 565-8860. For the general populace, call 1-800-273-8255.

Sources: Bostonglobe.com, WCPO.com, leelahalcorn.org, Dailymail.com

Surreal, yet so real

Eastern’s Theatre Department is currently rehearsing for their upcoming production of “The Seagull,” a play written by Anton Chekhov in 1895. While the original production was set in Chekhov’s contemporary time and place, EU’s Theater Department is putting multiple spins on this piece. EU’s rendition of the play is set in the 1930s in the USSR instead—under the rule of Joseph Stalin.

To add to this whirlwind, Ben Linskens, an actor in the show and junior at Eastern, says that this production is “a fusion of realism and surrealism.” Director Jenny Tibbels reflects, “I fell in love with ‘The Seagull ‘when I first read it a couple years ago; in addition to the question of experimentation in form, there is something raw and provocative about these characters who deeply hunger for and pursue intimacy but are unable to get it from the ones they love the most. The artists in the play are never satisfied with their work, but they can’t stop creating, and striving, and being drawn in by the next story.”

In this production of “The Seagull,” a wild and inspiring show, a vibrant group of crew members, directors, costume designers, actresses, and actors “create the framework for the piece as a duel between the playwright, representing the classic forms, and the naughty character who steps out of bounds and shakes things up, representing new forms.” The group tries “to infuse the production with an emphasis on experimental forms of staging, such as breaking the fourth wall and using symbol to represent object.”

This production will premiere at Eastern, in the McInnis auditorium, on Nov. 13 at 8p.m. There will be two more night showings from the 14-15, both at 8p.m. as well. The last showing is a matinee on Nov. 16 at 3p.m. Tickets for general admission are $10; for Eastern students with a valid student ID tickets are $5; for children and seniors (65+), $8.

“The Seagull” will blow you away, you’ll see.

Your immediate thought when hearing of the subgenre called mathcore is probably, “like, 1+1=2?” Well, sort of, but not quite. Like virtually any other genre, mathcore is not defined by specific musical parameters. That said, mathcore is quite a niche subgenre of metal or metalcore. Bands that are sometimes labelled as “mathcore” usually incorporate elements from a plethora of other genres, while retaining their harder, or harsher, metal sound. “Mathcore” is a neologism and portmanteau, combining math rock (bands like Tool, Bloc Party, Minus the Bear, and Mars Volta) with metalcore. The NY Daily News wrote that mathcore is “a hardcore punk/heavy metal crossover known for speed and technical efficiency.”

While mathcore songs might sound like any other metal song to an inattentive listener, with guitars tuned to some absurdly low tuning like drop F, screaming, and double bass pedals, there are some notable differences that sometimes get incorporated that make this subgenre somewhat unique in metal.

The Dillinger Escape Plan, considered “the ‘godfather’ of mathcore,” for instance, wrote a song called “CH 375 268 277 ARS.” In this instrumental song, the time signature is virtually impossible to pin down, and some even argue that it changes frequently while maintaining its central melody.

But screaming doesn’t always appeal to everyone. Protest the Hero is a bit more palatable. Their music often seems to center around the vocalist’s impressive tenor voice. “Bloodmeat,” the first track on their album titled “Fortress,” is played in 15/16 time and involves a tapping technique on guitar and bass parts. At around 3:32-3:34 of their song “Wretch” on the same album, you can hear a cat meowing.

Sampling and inserting random noises is sometimes considered a trait of rap or hip-hop. But some mathcore bands have also taken to doing this too. For example, The Chariot’s song “Cheek” centers on a sample of a speech, “Great Dictator,” written and orated by Charlie Chaplin. Other songs of theirs randomly break into a wild-west theme (as in “First”), an old spiritual, or samples from the song, “Atlanta, My Home Town” sung by Terry Lee Jenkins (as in “and”). And if you like spoken word poetry or “talk music,” Dan Smith, vocalist of the band “Listener,” is featured in The Chariot’s song “David De La Hoz.”

If you’ve listened to any of these songs or bands I’ve mentioned so far, you might notice that the bands LOVE dissonance—especially as heard through feedback, which is the high-pitched screeching made when an electric guitar is too close to a microphone or an amp. The Chariot is particularly notorious for this technique, but some others incorporate it pretty well, like What We’re Afraid Of.

In good poststructuralist fashion, The Chariot and What We’re Afraid Of, among others, confuse the listener. Often times there isn’t a clear ending to the song; songs blend into each other or a song will feel like it has ended in the middle of the track and then they continue playing. What We’re Afraid Of’s EP “Long Walk Home” embodies this particularly well.

Mathcore is not restricted to completely underground bands though. Even the more popular band Underoath has been said to fit into the mathcore label in some instances—especially with songs from their album “Lost in the Sound of Separation.”

You might still be wondering what this music sounds like. Well, I can describe it for ages, but you should just listen to it.

*Trigger warning for suicide, physician-assisted suicide, or death.*

[twocol_one]Yes
Kit Apostolacus

Death is a very sensitive thing—despite us all inevitably experiencing it. I want to be very careful and note that I am not encouraging suicide. My situation is notably different from Brittany Maynard’s, the 29-year-old woman with terminal cancer who made public plans to end her life.

My position is not terribly dogmatic. I will not say, despite the diametric nature of pro/con, that any potential con argument in this matter is absolutely wrong. That said, I understand why people would argue that someone should have the right to decide how they die.

Like I said before, we all die. And, some of us face pretty morbid circumstances ahead of us or in our midst. Having the right to die, having the right to consider how one wants to die, and possibly acting upon that can serve two functions: 1) eliminate future pain and suffering (because I honestly don’t believe in hell after death, which implies at least ostensibly that there is no pain after death) and 2) exercise control over one’s life, at least to a certain degree.

People consider suicide because they feel that they cannot change their circumstances, or the effort required to change those circumstances are virtually insurmountable. This is precisely why, in my opinion, medical research and universal healthcare are so necessary. This is also why social justice is so necessary. For example, in a society where existing as a trans woman is completely marginalized, stigmatized and demonized, the obstacles I face without justice are seemingly insurmountable. And I cannot imagine people who suffer the evils of racism or capitalism or ableism.

Albert Camus wrote in “The Myth of Sisyphus”: “There is only one really serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Deciding whether or not life is worth living is to answer the fundamental question in philosophy. All other questions follow from that.”

I hope that everyone’s life is worth living, but since I do not live anyone else’s life, that is not for me (or anyone else) to decide. And in the case of Brittany Maynard, as public as she makes her decision, I do not believe it to be our place to police her decisions. We should listen to what she has to say.

If you are contemplating suicide or suffer seemingly insurmountable obstacles, please talk to a close friend or family member or trusted peer/professor. You can also call 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.imalive.org.
[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]No
Lauren Murphy

Hearing the news was a gut-wrenching experience. I wish that day never happened and that it were just a nightmare.

Most of all, I wish it had been me.

Finding out my cousin, Jonny, had stage four glioblastoma, the most fatal form of brain cancer, replays in my mind to this day. It was impossible to hear that my then-24-year-old cousin, the tall, skinny, funny kid I grew up playing Uno with, had cancer. It was hard to believe that he was battling cancer as he continued to smile and laugh and live despite his diagnosis. And I thought that maybe my ears were deceiving me when I heard the news that he was cured. I thank God that Jonny is alive and doing well today, nearly 19 months after that day.

So, as I read about Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who had the same form of brain cancer as Jonny had, I was distraught to hear she did not want to live any longer.

Assisted suicide is not a choice we should offer because of its dangerous implications. The state of Oregon has certain restrictions in the Death With Dignity Act, requiring that patients who choose to die by assisted suicide be 18-year-old Oregon residents who have terminal illnesses, have made multiple requests that would allow them to take the medication in no less than 15 days and are judged as being “capable of making and communicating health care decisions” for themselves.

However, what happens when they change their minds? At one point, Maynard had second thoughts about the decision she was going to make. Fifteen days is not long, certainly not enough to make this permanent, unalterable choice. Also, people who have mental handicaps are disadvantaged. If they are offered this choice but are unable to effectively make it, is this not unjust? The patient’s ability to make this decision is determined by the individual physician, who may misjudge. Additionally, the WMA International Code of Medical Ethics states, “A physician shall always bear in mind the obligation to respect human life.” Does providing a patient with lethal medication not betray this duty?

I remember my family’s fear and uncertainty about Jonny’s diagnosis, but I also remember how he accepted his circumstances. His words still echo in my ears: “It is what it is.” Instead of wallowing, he continued to live, hiking with his friends, getting outside and staying active. Of course, when he had cancer, it was far from easy. His speech was confused. He could not move the right side of his body. He underwent radiation therapy and visited his doctor for frequent MRIs, and the entire time, he wondered how long he had to live. Even now, his cancer will most likely return, and this time, it will probably kill him. Yet, I remember how even in Jonny’s darkest hour, he reminded me life is always worth it because we can always have hope. We can let hope breathe life into us until the moment we die. Ultimately, even when the end is certain, we can die knowing our hope helped sustain us as we continued to live completely and hopefully despite our circumstances.

Because of this, I plead that we would fight for, not against, people like Maynard. We should fight for those who have so much to live for regardless of how their stories may end, and therefore we should not offer assisted suicide as a legal choice. Perhaps we should reconsider the notion of “dying with dignity.”

Does dignity hinge upon how we die or how we live?

Death will come eventually for everyone, but right now, let us seize the right to life.

Sources: nydailynews.com, public.health.oregon.gov, usatoday.com, wma.net
[/twocol_one_last]

A Creative Writing Piece

forgive
daughter
a song
of joy
the moment
it did
weep
loud ghost
save
the savior
cry “Messiah!
she comes!
heavy in
need of
hope

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