SPORTS TERRELL WATSON PREPARES FOR NFL DRAFT 16

PROFILE

APU pitcher
turns up the
heat 13

LIFESTYLE THE DEFINITIVE RANKING OF APU BATHROOMS 11

OPINION SHOULD STUDENTS BE FORCED TO SHARE TESTIMONIES? 4

Clause
student voice of azusa pacific university since 1965

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 VOL. 51, NO. 16 WWW.THECLAUSE.ORG

APU Sports Information COURTESY

APU pitcher Josh Staumont

APU hosts first ever TEDx event

Sharon Lee
guest writer

An accountant, a decathlon runner, an astronaut, a street art expert,

a biblical scholar, a communications
researcher and a diversity advocate
walked onto a lighted stage in Upper
Turner Campus Center at this years
TEDx, in which the theme centered
around Inspiring Ideas and Meaning.
On April 7, from 1-4:30 p.m.,
APU students and faculty gathered in
the UTCC with one mission: to experience the first-ever APU TEDx.
Initial talks of the local TEDtalk event coming to campus began
in May when Dr. Brooke Van Dam,
assistant professor of communication studies, wondered how more
academic conversations could be fostered at APU.

see TEDX 3

Athletics department
achieves milestones
throughout first
Division II year
Sports staff
Football

seen prices a little higher particularly

for tuition," Jessup said. Fortunately, the school has been very verbal
about these changes, explaining why
they are happening and what it looks
like for us moving forward as a community.
Jessup went on to say that he
hopes repercussions for students will
be minimal.
Additionally, the Office of Diversity's executive director, Dr. Richard
Martinez, added that APU plans to
conduct a campus climate study this
fall and address plans to apply to
become a Hispanic-serving institution, which would focus on assisting first-generation or low-income
Latinos throughout their educational
journeys.

The football team finished with a

record of 10-1 and repeated as GNAC
champions, but the team was unable
to make the playoffs. The repeat
championships show the program's
quick adaption to Division II.
NAIA has some respectable
athletes, some that have played here.
But when you look at NCAA, in every team all positions have quality
athletes some who can play a Division I level, head coach Victor Santa
Cruz said.
APUs first game versus Grand
Valley State was nationally televised
by CBS Sports, which gave the program increased exposure. Coach Santa Cruz stated that since joining the
conference, the program has received
a large bump in exposure.
The evidence is over staggering,
about how much the Division II transition has helped us recruiting, said
Santa Cruz. We just had our Junior
Day last spring. It was our largest
turnout ever.
Aside from missing playoffs,
Azusa Pacific had a successful season.
Its a new era. Azusa Pacific
football program, as well as our other
athletics are a national brand now,
said Santa Cruz.

see CHANGES 3

see NCAA 14

TedXAzusaPacificUniversity Flickr COURTESY

Dr. Ryan Hartwig presents at TEDxAzusaPacificUniversity April 7, speaking on The Myth of Meaningful Work.

New changes coming to campus next semester

Faculty, staff plan
for shifts in courses,
tuition, Dining
Services
Jamie Roebuck-Joseph
guest writer

As the 20152016 school year

draws near, there are many changes
taking place, a few of which are relevant topics that will be imperative
for students consideration.
One of the biggest coming is
First-Year Seminar that will replace
the Beginnings course. First-Year
Seminar will cover similar content
to Beginnings, but the entire format
will be changed. The class size will
be much smaller and it will be taught

First year of
NCAA play
reviewed

Kimberly Smith GRAPHIC

by more faculty.
Hopefully, this serves as another
improvement to an already-great tradition of Beginnings as an introduction to college and APU, SGA President Brian Jessup said.
As talked about in the Student
Summit this year, APU has had to

re-evaluate its budget based on enrollment trends. Due to this, students

will see a 5.1 percent increase in next
year's tuition. However, scholarship
aid will increase for next year's freshmen, too.
Money may be a little tighter
around campus, and we've already

weets Student coalition garners admin attention

@apuclause

@mleegray | Emily:
Its 2 in the afternoon and I
cant find parking in my living
space #iheartapu
@isabelvalle96 | Alejandra:
Only at APU will you see
another girl showing off her
engagement ring casually
in the library. #iheartapu
#shegottheringbyspring
@Snoble_ | Spencer:
Constantly fighting the urge
to jump into the turtle pond
& play with them. #iheartapu
#IMissMyPetTurtle
@ItsYaBoyMikeyG | Mikey:
GUYS, JON WALLACE
RUBBED MY SHOULDER
TODAY.#apugoals #iheartapu
To see your tweets here, hashtag
#iheartapu.

Recent meetings
between
Activate leaders,
administration
address budget and
diversity training
Caitlin Trude
guest writer

The student organization Activate

has continued to work to further its
agenda after catching the attention of the
student body and APU administration
when an organized chapel walkout followed a group-hosted speak-out held
the night before. After the walkout, students involved participated in a prayer
circle. Many APU faculty and staff were
part of the circle, including President Jon
Wallace.
Senior sociology major Casimiro

Jesse Pea, Latin American Student

Association president, explained the
rationale behind Activates declarations and movements.
We have seen students experience intimidation by professors and
students inside and outside of the
classroom through racially charged
jokes, statements and forms of discrimination, Pea said. It is saddening that our senior cohort continues to hear the same stories they went
through themselves as freshmen.
For those unfamiliar with Activate, the organization's Facebook
page describes it as a movement
spearheaded by students of color at
Azusa Pacific University aimed at
addressing issues of race and prejudice experienced by students on campus.
Following the walkout, Activate
published the three following resolutions to its website and Facebook
page: 1. Increased Budget for the
Ethnic Organizations, 2. Mandatory
Diversity Training for All Faculty

Activate COURTESY

and Staff and 3. The Implementation

of a Racial Discrimination Policy and
Procedures.
These resolutions were composed and approved by the leaders of
other student-led ethnic organizations
including LASA, Black Student Association, Pacific Islander Organization and Asian Pacific American Student Organization.
The first official meeting between
Activate members and administration
came a few weeks after administration responded to Activates first appearance and initial declarations.
Since the walkout and this first meet-

ing, according to Pea, Activate and

administrators have continued to
meet and discuss the coalition's goals
for the near future.
There is an annual increase of
students of color at APU; however,
we feel there is not a reciprocal increase of resources for these students, Pea said. Our university
alleges to believe in a God-honoring
diversity, but this is not lived out
through quotas and statistics.
While Pea described the administration as having been receptive
during these meetings, he emphasized the need for the university to
more effectively address the quality
of programs and activities within the
student ethnic organizations.
He said, For us as a community
to truly live out a God-honoring diversity, ... [administrators] need to
make systemic changes that make
APU more hospitable, accessible and
holistic.

see COALITION 3

Clause

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015

campus
safety
report
The following are selected incidents as reported from the Daily
Media Log from April 12 through
April 17, courtesy of Campus Safety.

MONDAY, APRIL 13
WEST CAMPUS

Reporting party reported seeing someone take his backpack while he was in the area.
Officers responded to take a
report. Azusa Police Department responded.

MONDAY, APRIL 13
ADMINISTRATION WEST

RP reported a subject who

came into her office and became verbally aggressive
when questioned. Officers
responded and contacted the
subject and advised her of
private property. The subject
left campus.

MONDAY, APRIL 13
WILDEN

RP reported a suspicious person who was wearing a mask

on campus. Officers responded to the area but were unable
to locate the subject.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14
MUNSON CHAPEL

RP reported that he heard voices coming from the bushes. Officers responded to check the
area and made contact with a
sleeping subject. The officers
advised of private property and
the subject left the area.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15
ALOSTA PLACE

RP reported seeing an open

window to an apartment. The
window was possibly broken
and the blinds were bent. Officers responded and determined that someone had seen
a subject go through the window.

Weekly Numbers
Keys lost/found....................10
ID cards lost/found...............12
Cellphones found...............4
Unsecured bikes found..........6

REMEMBER
1. If you see something, say
something.
2. Safety is everyones
business.
3. Dial 911 for life-threatening emergencies.
4. Non emergencies: Campus Saftety (626) 815-3898.
5. Lock all doors and windows to your dorm, apartment and vehicle.
6. Keep all valuables secured and out of plain view.
7. At night, keep to well-lit
areas.
8. Always be aware of your
surroundings.
9. Utilize the trolleys, safety
escorts or walk groups.
10. Avoid places where you
are vulnerable and there
are no exits.
11. Avoid texting or talking
on the phone while walking
as you may be distracted.
12. Avoid walking and jogging alone.
13. Secure your bike with a
recommneded Kryptonite
U-lock.

CALENDAR

THECLAUSE.ORG/NEWS
compiled by gina ender

Wednesday, April 22

Chamber Winds Concert

APUs Chamber Winds will feature woodwind and brass groups

coached by William Robey. The performance is from 8 to 9 p.m. in
Munson Recital Hall and admission is free.

Thursday, April 23

Enactus Event

The School of Businesss Enactus team will provide donuts and

coffee in the Wilden Atrium from 9 to 11 a.m.

Friday, April 24

Yearbooks Available

xmana_kahanax COURTESY

From April 24 to May 1, yearbooks will be available for pick up

in the Duke Lobby, outside of the Cougar Dome and Marshburn
Library.

The men of the Pacific Islander Organization perform at the APU Luau
on Saturday, April 11.

Friday, April 24

Biological Sciences Research Conference

Year-End Chapel

The Office of Chapel Programs Year-End Celebration allows APU

students to rejoice creatively and humorously over what has taken
place during the school year. The service will be held in the Felix
Event Center at 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, April 25

Point Loma Nazarene University will host this years West Coast
Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference. The
Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Leroy Hood whose talk is entitled
Systems Medicine and Proactive P4 Medicine: A Revolution in
Healthcare.

Clause, Collide win major journalism awards

Secular, Christian
groups honor APU
student publications
The Clause Staff
Azusa Pacific Universitys student newspaper and magazine captured two of the top four spots in the
annual national collegiate competition sponsored by the countrys largest group of Christian news organizations, and writers for the newspaper
also have won several individual
awards from major secular as well as
religious journalism groups.
The Clause, APUs weekly paper, finished second, and Collide, the
schools monthly student magazine,
came in fourth in the campus publications category of the Evangelical
Press Association contest, with winners announced this month. The EPA
has more than 300 member media
outlets serving a total audience of
greater than 20 million people.
Because Collide started off this
year with a new set of editors and a
new set of writers, I was particularly
pleased that EPA has recognized and
awarded our magazine for the work
put into it, said Caitlin Trude, a senior English major-journalism minor
and editor in chief of Collide.
Judges wrote that The Clause had

Evangelical Press Association COURTESY

an enjoyable range of ideas and a

lot of information that speaks directly
to the reader, and commended Collide for great ideas executed with [a]
range of inventive fixtures.
The Clauses former editor in
chief, Annie Yu 14, led the newspaper not only to the high-ranking national finish but also came in fifth in
the EPAs Student Writer of the Year
category. Yu was the only winner

Clause
NEWS STAFF
editor-in-chief kaity bergquist
news editor jessie gomez
asst. news editor gina ender
lifestyle editor becky kay
opinion editor kelyn struiksma
sports editor katie richcreek
asst. sports editor landon troka
photo/design editor kimberly smith
chief copy editor kayla johnston
copy editors faith vander voort, sara champlain
business manager blake standal
staff writers brianna rodriguez, sam
quintanilla, alex perez, brooke seipel, lauren
duran, sydney potter, arianna ruvalcaba,
angel eleyae, kianna mourer
FACULTY ADVISER dr. kyle huckins

honored for on-campus work, as the

other places were taken by students
writing at professional news outlets.
Im very excited about the
recognition of our students strong
efforts in both the newspaper and
magazine, said the Rev. Dr. Kyle
Huckins, the faculty adviser of both
The Clause and Collide. Azusa Pacifics student publications are gaining both national and regional repu-

tations for excellence in journalism.

The Clause also had three writers
win awards in the Society of Professional Journalists' yearly competition
for colleges and universities of fewer
than 10,000 students that are located
in Region 11, made up of schools in
California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada,
Guam and the Marianas Islands. Winners were announced this month. SPJ
is the nations premier secular organization of news professionals, boasting close to 10,000 members and longer than a century in existence.
Marissa Black, a sophomore
journalism major, won first place
for column writing and goes on to
the national SPJ competition. Katie
Richcreek, a junior journalism major, took third place for sports writing. Maureen Wolff, another junior
journalism major, came in third for
feature writing.
I look at feature writing as an
adventure, because it allows me to
explore topics in-depth and meet
people that I would have never encountered otherwise, Wolff said.
Huckins knows all the honorees
from having them in courses as well
as by their work for student publications.
All these students are seeking
to be the best journalists they can
be, he said. They desire regular
feedback and incorporate it into their
work. Each also brings to journalism
her own unique talents and interests.
Ive found them to be solid in class
and talented in the field.

mailing address p.o. box 9521-5165, azusa, ca 91702

phone 626-815-6000, ext. 3514
website www.theclause.org email editorinchief@theclause.org
The Clause is a student newspaper dedicated to providing a realistic, journalistic educational experience for students of Azusa Pacific University; to seeking truth and reporting
it boldly, fairly and accurately; to enhancing
the university community by providing a student voice imbued with truth, responsibility
and accountability.
The newspaper is published weekly, except during examinations and vacation periods, by the students of the Department of
Communication Studies at Azusa Pacific University. The newsroom is located on Cougar
Walk in between the cafeteria and Cougars
Den. The views expressed in all letters to the
editor and all signed opinion articles are those
of their authors, not the staff or university.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Please include a phone number for verification of all letters to the editor. Anonymous
and unverified letters to the editor will not
be printed. The Clause reserves the right
to edit the letters for length and journalistic
style. The opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views
of the faculty, staff or administration of Azusa Pacific University. Send to
editorinchief@theclause.org.
FOLLOW US!
Our Facebook page: facebook.com/apuclause
Our Twitter handle: @apuclause
ADVERTISE WITH US!
Contact Blake Standal at
clauseads@gmail.com

THECLAUSE.ORG/NEWS

Clause

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015

First-ever TEDx event receives university praise

TEDX, from P. 1
The love for TEDtalks provided
the perfect opportunity to host a local, independently run TEDx event.
Instituted in the 1990s, TEDtalks
form an annual conference series
covering aspects of technology, entertainment and design in the form of
lectures given by people from around
the globe. Later, TEDx was birthed
in 2009, focusing on organizing local
events to broaden its impact.
News of this event was buzzed
throughout APU campus as students scurried to snatch one of the
limited 100 tickets for the event.
For those who could not attend, a
live viewing party was set up in
Trinity Lounge. Live blogging and
tweeting @TEDxAzusa also occurred.
The APU TEDx event was filled
with laughter and positive energy as
seven faculty members won over the
audience with their passion-infused
speeches.
THE EVENT
APU faculty members presented
their best research for the TEDx
event.
Accounting
professor
John
Thornton, who titled his talk "Flipping Rich," revealed that he had studied money for 25 years.
This gives me a chance to say
something that matters on a topic that
I spent most of my life looking into,
Thornton said.
Speakers looked back on past
memories, taking the audience into

TEDxAzusaPacificUniversity COURTESY

Dr. Brooke Van Dam and Dr. Ryan Montague host the TEDx event.
the worlds where they grew up.
Michael Bruner, a theology professor, asked audience members to
close their eyes and recall a happy
memory, one that required them to be
entirely and completely present.
Science professor Leslie Wickham
took the audience into her world of
starry nights that make us think, feel
and wonder. She reminded listeners
that we are simply humans being.
Dr. Ryan Hartwig, associate
dean in the College of Liberal Arts
and Sciences, addressed the neverending quest to find meaningful work
in his talk "The Myth of Meaningful
Work," introducing the concept of
making jobs personally rewarding.
Jacob Arzaga, local ministries

University changes programs

CHANGES, from P. 1
There are also two major changes
in Dining Services.
With the redesigning of the 1899
Dining Hall, there will be updated
equipment and the addition of five
new food concepts. The area will feature a rotisserie station, a gluten-free
noodle & stir fry concept, live-action
tossed salads, a bagel/panini concept
called Bagelini and an upscale
breakfast station featuring omelets
and eggs cooked to order.
We are doing this to enhance
the value of the dining program to
our students, especially those on the
dining plan, Assistant Director of
Dining Services Jim Cacciatore said.
The venue will have a fresh, new,
contemporary look that offers more
variety to our customers.
Secondly, the Paws 'n Go convenience store will move to a location
next to Mexicali Grill. The store will
feature more grocery items as well as

locally grown produce.

The new location is larger than
the current site and will allow for
more variety and accessibility, Cacciatore said.
As for residence life, there will
be two new residence directors and
four new assistant residence directors. This is because there will be a
few RDs leaving the university at the
end of this year, so they are currently
searching for new individuals to replace them. The ARD role is a oneyear graduate assistantship, so new
ones are hired every academic year.
RDs and ARDs play an integral
role in building community in their
living areas, said Associate Director
of Residence Life Alex Oh.
These changes stem from students' needs as voiced in surveys and
questionnaires sent out by the university. These new additions to the institution here reflect a small percentage
of the modifications taking place next
year.

Farewell from the Editor in Chief

Kaity Bergquist
editor in chief

After eight semesters of being a

part of student newspapers, I am soon
to be retiring. This is my last issue
as Editor in Chief of the Clause, and
its bittersweet. Im relieved to have
survived this semester, but Im also
sad to be leaving behind my staff and
great experiences.
Ive loved being a part of this
staff. Theyve made my job so easy
because they are amazing at their
jobs. To the Clause staff - thank you
for everything you do and all the hard
work youve put into this paper. Ive
been so proud of the work weve
done every week because we did it as
a team. It was wonderful sharing this

time with you, and I know each one

of you is going to do amazing things.
As for me, I still have one more
semester to enjoy here at APU. With
my graduation date slowly but surely
approaching (Dec. 19!), I am starting
to reflect on all my incredible college
experiences, especially as a journalism major. Ive gotten to write some
amazing stories and talk to so many
interesting people. Ive gotten to produce a newspaper for students to read
and be informed.
But most importantly, Ive developed relationships with the most
awesome people. Thats the best part
of it all.
Thank you for allowing me to
lead this newspaper and share stories
with you. Its been a honor. Farewell.

program coordinator for the Center for Student Action, said that
Hartwigs talk personally resonates
with me on so many different levels.
I am one year removed from grad
school at my first professional job,
so questioning the right job has been
crossing my mind. To know that I
bring meaning to my job changes
my perspective of the job that I have
currently and any I will have in the
future.
There were many commercial
breaks in the event. Led by hosts
Dr. Brooke Van Dam and Dr. Ryan
Montague, the event was kept light
and exciting as the two offered many
games and free giveaways to the audience.

TEDxAzusaPacificUniversity COURTESY

Dr. Ryan Hartwig presents his talk during the event.

In between inspirational talks,

those in attendance were also given
the opportunity to take pictures at the
photo booth, browse through a minibookstore and snack on food provided by Dining Services.
TEDx APU had more than
600 live tweets received with
#TEDxAzusaPacU and 400 readers following the live blog. The
live stream was watched by 600
people, some in other countries,
such as Russia.
CLAS Dean Jennifer Walsh,
who was in attendance, commented
that faculty talent at APU was truly
showcased. I am so proud.
Vice Provost for Undergraduate
Programs Vicky Bowden said what

she enjoyed most about TEDx was

that she was given very sound, practical advice that can be applied in my
own life.
THE FUTURE OF TEDX
So what about the potential of
the TEDx event for APU? Administrator Ed Barron showed his interest
in making TEDx into an annual event
at APU. Many are in agreement with
him.
Potential speakers for next year
are already lining up.
Whether or not TEDx returns to
APU, those who attended and those
who will hear and see it on another
device have the ability to keep it going by applying what was heard.

Activate meets with administration

COALITION, from P. 1
According to the APU Office of
Communiversity, a limited amount of
money is distributed among the student clubs and organizations on campus, and funding is contingent upon
Communiversitys review of clubs
funding request forms. The Communiversity website states, Funding is
primarily allocated to programs that
will serve the greatest amount of students, enhance campus life and promote club membership.
According to Activates budget resolution, the ethnic organizations requested an annual budget of
$60,000 to be divided equally among
BSA, PIO, APASO and LASA.
The Activate budget resolution
states that as of now, each ethnic
organization has an annual budget
of $500, whereas Pea said Activate
is requesting an annual budget of
$15,000 for each club.
LASA, for example, has experienced difficulties in adhering to this
budget due to the size of the organization, he said. With over 30 students,
he stated that lack of funding affected
the execution of LASAs leadership
retreat and annual conferences.
Ethnic organizations continue to
grow alongside the body of students
of color, which is largely why we assert that institutional support is imperative, Pea said.
Administrators have started to respond to these resolutions, according
to Dr. Richard Martinez, the APU Office of Diversitys executive director.
However, the question of funding is
still to be determined.
Activate is in the process of
formulating a budget to submit to administration, Martinez said.
Martinez believes that these
meetings have had a positive effect

Activate members pose after this semesters walk-out.

on student and administration relations.
I anticipate we will find new
and meaningful ways for students to
participate in APUs governance and
decision-making. For example, recently, an Activate representative met
with the Diversity Council, with both
President Wallace and Provost Stanton in attendance. This type of mutual
dialogue is vital for a healthy learning
community," Martinez said.
Martinez described some of the
other changes both students and faculty may expect, should administration and Activate representatives continue to negotiate on the resolutions
proposed by the club.
For example, he said APU plans
to conduct a campus climate study
this fall and addressed the school's
plans to apply to become a Hispanic-serving institution, which would
focus on assisting first-generation or
low-income Latinos throughout their

Activate COURTESY

educational journeys.
The Activate resolution regarding diversity training iterates that
faculty and staff of Azusa Pacific
University lack adequate training
regarding issues of diversity and
that "there is currently no policy
enforced which requires faculty and
staff to attend and participate in diversity training.
However, Martinez discussed
APUs intent to coordinate with the
Office of Diversity to create new professional development sessions on
diversity for faculty members.
Our next steps represent possibilities to enhance community, not
challenges, Martinez said. We have
the opportunity to create a new approach as we explore current and future needs that may arise in our community. Moving ahead, I pray that
we will enhance our campus culture
through collaboration and a commitment to God-honoring diversity.

Opinion

APU student sells soul to afford tuition

Is APUs
education worth
the cost? As
tuition rises,
its a question
worth asking
Brooke Seipel
staff writer

I knew when I received my acceptance letter and chose APU that I

was going to have to get crafty if I
was going to be able to afford its tuition. As prices continue to rise, Ive
found an alternative never before
pursued by an APU student: Ive sold
my soul.
Lately, my friends have commented on how Ive become a bit
more bland, lacking personality and
going through the motions of life,
and theyre right. I sold my soul to
cover tuition, but the good news is,
your soul cant be crushed by APUs
new tuition price if you dont have
one. Better yet, I now have the money to cover that soul-crushing tuition.
It just took giving up my personal beliefs, identity and sense of purpose.
Buzz regarding the increase in
next years tuition has been heard all
around campus and most students
especially those paying for their own
college experience are not happy.
We at APU are being faced with
a tuition hike and if you are reading
this, it is likely that you are a current
student who wont be offered a higher scholarship opportunity.
Currently, the highest academic
scholarship that incoming students
can be offered is $10,000, which will
be the lowest academic scholarship
available to new students next fall.
OK, fair enough, the scholarship
is inflating to match the inflated tuition. Thats nice, but what about students who will pay the higher tuition
without an opportunity at a better
scholarship?
APUs very own Capture addressed this in an interview with

Kelyn Struiksma PHOTO

Along with the new school year will come an increase in tuition, housing and meal plan prices. These increases are jarring for current students and space.
President Jon Wallace, Vice President David Bixby and Chief Financial Officer Bob Johansen.
Every dollar given to the university ... is stewarded to the best
we can, Wallace said. We spend
money that belongs to God for the
benefit of Christian higher education.
We work for that day when the costs
dont go up but they go down.
Capture also found that the average percent each academic scholarship offered to incoming students
next year increased 49 percent from
the current year.
While many students are unhappy about this change, senior business
major Aaron Bubert points out that it
is nice to receive any financial help
from the university.
APU gave me $5,000 each year
and I consider this a great gift, Bubert said. I am not entitled to APUs
money. Now, of course, money is
an issue, but I am not convinced the

burden should lie on APU to solve

or relieve that issue. ... The financial
problem is a much broader issue that
transcends the APU administration.
Bubert also added that the
amount of debt many of us have
accumulated cannot be sustained.
Whether or not the government relieves our loans, someone will have
to pay.
APU isnt the only university
with rising tuition. In California,
both California State and University
of California campuses are facing tuition hikes and students at these other
institutions are just as disappointed.
The most frustrating thing about
the potential tuition hikes, for me, is
that the administrators and those at
the top of the system keep getting
raises and better benefits, while students needs are continually pushed
to the wayside, said Ellen Spicer,
a student at University of California
San Diego, which is set to raise its

tuition 5.5 percent each year for the

next five years.
Spicer continued: The system is
stacked and students are being used
as pawns in the chess game between
the UC regents and the state. I think
that in the long run, higher tuition
will edge everyday Californians out
of [the] education they deserve and
are frankly entitled to.
This reflects the trend of increasing tuition costs nationwide and the
increasing debt from student loans.
In fact, the total student loan debt in
America has surpassed the trilliondollar mark.
Scary amounts of debt should not
be taken lightly and students should
plan wisely and prepare for how they
will tackle their debt after graduation. Or, you can make like me, sell
your soul and get on with it. Its an
exaggeration, but sometimes drastic
measures often feel like the only accurate response to an equally drastic

amount of debt.
For Azusa Pacific, tuition wasnt
the only cost to rise. According to the
initial email from Wallace, the rise in
housing and food costs together is at
2 percent. This increase will be especially difficult for students who dont
see living off-campus and commuting from home as feasible options.
The current price of on-campus
housing is one of the reasons I along
with numerous other students are
seeking off-campus living, which,
with enough roommates, may be significantly cheaper and better quality.
Senior English major Mike Tomkiewicz lives off-campus with seven
other male students and can attest to
these benefits.
Its much cheaper to live offcampus than on, if you know where
to look, said Tomkiewicz. My sister lives in University Park and I believe she pays about two to two and
a half times what I pay per month,
which is $219. ... Being able to pay
significantly less for the same type
of living arrangement is the biggest
factor. The only con is that we live
slightly further away from campus.
Next years housing prices vary
by living area, but according to the
press release from the presidents
office, the estimated cost for a freshman to live on campus next year will
be $4,522. However, this year my
roommates and I will have each paid
$2,520 for the entire duration of the
academic year in rent off campus,
proving that this option is financially
reasonable for the location and luxury of our Rosedale townhouse.
Even with utilities, groceries and
other payments, it is over $1,000
cheaper off-campus. The money
saved can be used toward tuition,
among other things. For many, this
also means smaller loans.
The rising tuition is definitely
disappointing and reminds us of the
looming debt many of as are accruing. When it comes down to it, education reform is going to have to happen
in our lifetimes for higher education
to remain sustainable and affordable.
Otherwise, you can say goodbye to
either your soul or your education.

Welcome to APU, now whats your life story?

Debating push
for transparency
on campus

Melissa Quintero
staff writer

As we all know, APU highly encourages students to seek Christian

community and has made it one of
the university's four cornerstones,
creating several opportunities on
campus for students to live intentionally with one another.
Programs such as Alpha allow
students to meet on a regular basis
and connect about what is going on
in each of their lives. These groups
are especially popular among freshman and transfer students, seeing as
they are new to the university and
want to find their place on campus.
A common belief among those
in this particular program is the
belief that sharing our testimonies
will help us get to know each other
better on both spiritual and personal
levels.
Senior business finance major
Mike Lawson is a strong advocate
for sharing testimonies. As a former

Alpha leader and coordinator, he

finds it to be a great tool to connect
and build relationships with other
students. Lawson addressed how it
can be a challenge to share your story with people you are not familiar

Imagine the awkwardness I felt when

everyone raised their
hands in agreement
to share, except me.
I did not want to feel
like the odd one out
or take away this
opportunity from the
rest of my group, so
at the last second, I
decided to agree to
tell my story.

with, but he said it is still rewarding.

I look at telling testimonies as a
two-way street," Lawson said. "Not

only does the person talking about

their life need to have the vulnerability and openness to be uncomfortable,
but the person listening needs to be
a good steward to the persons story
as well."
He explained how, in his experience, he noticed how people were
afraid to tell their testimony in an
Alpha-like setting because they were
not sure whether those listening
would guard their stories or instead,
go out and tell their friends and use
their testimonies against them one
day.
He continued: "Someone talking about what God has done in their
lives, that should be held to a higher
standard because its a privilege to
hear someone's story. It's a privilege
to know and learn more about someone.
While understanding and agreeing with the power of testimony, some
feel as if it should be conducted in a
different setting, one where a strong
relationship can be built and the telling of life stories can be natural.
I think that sharing your testimony has a lot of benefits and its
valuable for people, but personally, I
think there are other ways to get to

know a person," said junior liberal

studies major Kelsie Spoelstra. "A
majority of my close friends know
my testimony and know my life story [and] not because we all sat down
one night and ate ice cream and decided to share our testimonies."
Spoelstra was not forced to tell
her story in Alpha, but was highly
encouraged and nearly required to
share with her Alpha Coordinator
group.
"Just by building relationships
with people and being vulnerable,
you find out their stories and I think
thats more of an efficient way to do
things," Spoelstra said, who feels
uncomfortable when having to sit
down in a group and needing to immediately share her testimony.
Testimonies are thought to
promote fellowship, which is why
freshmen are almost forced to share
their stories in their Alpha groups
at the beginning of their time here
at APU. In my own experience, my
Alpha leader took a poll by raise of
hands to see if we wanted to share.
Imagine the awkwardness I felt
when everyone raised their hands in
agreement to share, except me. I did
not want to feel like the odd one out

or take away this opportunity from

the rest of my group, so at the last
second, I decided to agree to tell my
story.
However, I felt like I was put
on the spot and was uncomfortable
sharing my testimony with these
people whom I had met just weeks
ago for the first time.
My Alpha group was not close
and as a result and after it was over,
there were no lasting friendships
that were established. We would
simply wave hello in passing and
that was it, which is still true today.
I enjoy hearing about the intimate
lives of others, but I learn so much
more from those who want and feel
comfortable sharing their journey
with me.
Now that I think about it, not
only do I feel that didn't make us
any closer as a group, but honestly,
I would rather have not shared.
If people want to talk, it should
come willingly from the heart. This
is when you get the best outcome,
because people choose for themselves whether or not to be vulnerable, then allow others the opportunity to learn about their love for
God.

THECLAUSE.ORG/OPINION

Clause WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 5

France spreads fashion industry thin Politics and equality

Models should
vary in size,
shape and
actually
represent our
society
Arianna Ruvalcaba
staff writer

When it comes to the fashion industry, most people think of the stickthin standard of beauty the majority
of models strive to achieve. This idealized image has affected not only the
multimillion-dollar fashion industry,
but also the general public, which
views these images on a day-to-day
basis.
In the United States, 20 million
women and 10 million men suffer
from a clinically significant eating
disorder at some time in their life,
including anorexia nervosa, bulimia
nervosa, binge eating disorder, or an
eating disorder not otherwise specified, according to the National Eating Disorders website.
In order to change the mindset
that skinny is better, something needs
to be done, and tackling the issue of
anorexia on the worlds most popular
runways is one way to try and do it.
Tuesday, April 14, the French
National Assembly approved a draft
law that would ban modeling agencies from allowing people with a
body mass index under 18 to earn
money as a model. France is the latest
in a succession of countries, including Spain and Israel, taking measures
to quash this stark standard of beauty
that often coincides with anorexia.
Maintaining a low BMI, however,
does not equate to having an eating

disorder.
According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Many people especially
women are concerned about body
weight, even when their weight is
normal. Excessive concern about
weight may cause or lead to such
unhealthy behaviors as excessive exercise, self-induced vomiting and the
abuse of laxatives or other medications."

The models are affected by these

absurd standards,
not the other way
around. If we stop
making skinny the
ideal, maybe fewer
people would harm
their bodies in an
attempt to be beautiful by societys standards.

Anorexia has to do with ones

mental health just as much as it does
with physical health. How can these
modeling agencies be sure of the fact
that their models do not have an eating disorder without sufficient proof
of their mental well-being?
The correlation between the
BMI number and body fatness is fairly strong; however, the correlation
varies by sex, race and age, reported
the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention. It is also important to
remember that BMI is only one factor related to risk for disease.

Instead of refusing to employ

super-skinny models because they
might be unhealthy, how about we
stop allowing brands to Photoshop
everybody to oblivion?
Open the first magazine you find
and unrealistic bodies without fat,
wrinkles, blemishes or cellulite will
undoubtedly be littering the pages.
The models are not the problem; its
the people who fabricate the story
that being skinny is better than being
healthy.
The models are affected by these
absurd standards, not the other way
around. If we stop making skinny
the ideal, maybe fewer people would
harm their bodies in an attempt to be
beautiful by societys standards.
The fashion industry needs a
facelift in regards to the image of
beauty that it sells, but not by shaming
those who are slender. As a naturally
skinny woman, I have always had a
BMI on the cusp of 18 despite having
a Mexican mother who feeds me any
chance she gets. It is offensive when
people who have no medical authority tell me I need to eat, and it is offensive to assume that naturally thin
women are automatically unhealthy.
In order to move forward, fashion needs to be more inclusive, as
opposed to its current exclusivity.
Rather than kicking out skinny models, agencies need to widen the pool
of people they represent. Plus-sized
models should not be known as plussized they should simply be models.
The men and women on runways
should vary in shape and size, just
like all other people do. Perhaps then
the general public would be affirmed
by what it sees in high fashion, and
fewer people would feel compelled
to harm their bodies in order to look
like a person whose image has been
manipulated in an advertisement.

Defending rights
for women to stand
up for themselves
Paige Smith
staff writer

Just a few of the questions that

female celebrities get asked while on
the red carpet include, Who are you
wearing tonight? and, How do you
manage a career and a family? Many
women, including Jennifer Garner
and Taylor Swift, are starting to retaliate by refusing to do interviews
with certain reporters unless they ask
more intellectual and gender-neutral
questions.
This dispute doesn't just affect
the celebrities in the entertainment
industry. These conversations regarding women's equality have started in
a wide range of careers and lifestyles,
the most recent being toward female
journalists.
Rand Paul, a 2016 GOP presidential candidate, has been making headlines for his recent and repeatedly
rude interactions with women reporters, which started after he shushed a
CNBC reporter in February and attacked Savannah Guthrie earlier this
month.
His treatment toward these female reporters has not only been analyzed, but is bringing attention to the
way society views and values women
in the media.
Megyn Kelly, host of "The Kelly
File" on Fox News, said it best when
she invited Paul on her show to discuss his recent actions and treatment
of the two women reporters.
Chuck Todd came out and said
you have to be 'careful' because you
attacked two prominent female interviewers," Kelly said. "The Guardian
said you were 'condescending' toward

female reporters. And I, as a female

reporter, will say to Chuck Todd and
The Guardian: We don't need your
help."
While watching the exchange unfold between Kelly and Paul, it was
clear and reassuring to see women's
equality being pursued, just as it was
also encouraging to see the that the
stronger individual in this interview
was not the presidential candidate
himself but Kelly, a smart, hardhitting female journalist. Kelly was
neither afraid to call Paul out nor was
she scared to criticize The Guardian
and Todd for devaluing women.
I have worked in a newsroom before and can say from personal experience that I can understand how in a
satellite interview the interviewer and
Paul could easily get caught speaking over each other. However, Kelly
was able to maintain control all while
standing up for the rights of her female peers.
"I do lose my cool, and I do lose
my temper sometimes, and I should
be better at that," Paul said. "Can I
do better? Yes. Am I sometimes thinskinned? Yes. But ... when I think of
doing an interview with you, I don't
think of whether you're a man or
woman. I think of an intelligent person who's going to ask me questions."
While Paul's response may have
not been the best, Kelly was able
to show him and male reporters the
strength that women journalists actually have, as she didn't hesitate to call
him out on his inappropriate behavior
in previous interviews.
As disappointing as Paul's, Todd's
and the Guardian's actions were, Kelly proved herself a strong journalist
who was well-spoken, educated and
passionate about the issue of women
in the media, which was encouraging
and reassuring for me as I am pursuing a future in this field.

The music industrys new tidal wave effect

Influence of past
clearly starting
to impact future
of industry
Brianna Rodriguez
staff writer

The way we now listen to music is similar to how we watch TV

through different streaming services. With the option to purchase a
monthly membership on either Spotify or Tidal, we now have access to
nearly any song we desire to hear. It's
developments such as these that help
make the music industry valuable,
attractive and influential as subscribers now can have a range of styles,
genres and artists at their fingertips.
Users of either Spotify or the recently released Tidal do not need to
purchase songs individually like users of iTunes are required to do, but
are instead given music for a flat fee
of $5-$20 a month. These providers
seem great to us as college students
who do not want to pay for each
and every individual song we want
to listen to on repeat. We also have
the ability to explore and experiment
with different artists, genres and
songs we may be unfamiliar with but
find interesting.
Although there are many perks
to these services as consumers, they
may not be as beneficial to the industry, as they seem to be challenging
and affecting the creativity of both
new and returning artists.
It seems as if now that consumers and musicians have easy access
to almost every song ever produced;

artists are so heavily influenced by

the sounds, techniques and lyrics of
others they are subconsciously integrating other ideas and creativity into
their own songs, bringing up the issue of copyright infringement.
It is not necessarily bad for artists to be inspired by past musicians.
However, recently, it seems to have
halted the creativity for new and
unique music to be developed and
enjoyed.
Gold Digger by Kanye West,
featuring Jaime Foxx, was released
in 2005 and was a No. 1 hit, according to Song Facts, an informational
music website. West's song was influenced by Ray Charles' I Got a
Woman." The difference between
the two besides the beat and style
were their opposing messages about
women.
Charles song is about flaunting
a woman whom he cherishes, while
Wests remake is about a woman who
is a gold digger, a term defined by
Merriam Websters Dictionary as
someone "who becomes or tries to
become romantically involved with a
rich man in order to get money and
gifts from him.
Fifth Harmony, a group of five
young female artists, was formed
under the direction of music critic
Simon Cowell in July 2012. The girl
band released a song earlier this year
titled Like Mariah," which combines two of Mariah Careys songs,
Touch My Body and Always Be
My Baby.
Fifth Harmonys version does
not have the same lyrics, but it does
mimic Careys famous and distinctive vocal runs.
I think artists that make their
own version of old music need to

Tidal.com COURTESY

New music streaming service, Tidal, catches up to Spotify in popularity. With artists such as Nicki Minaj and
Beyonce as spokespersons, the high fidelity music streaming company is said to offer artists a better deal.
incorporate some sort of reference to
the original artist, sophomore allied
health major Ryan Ebersole said.
These songs are attracting the attention of the general public, but are
also leading listeners to remember
more about the original creators than
the contemporary artists themselves.
When I first heard Fifth Harmonys song Like Mariah, I could
not put my finger on which Carey
song the beginning melody was
from, requiring me to research her,
rather than explore the artistry of
Fifth Harmony's album. Eventually,
I downloaded the song Always Be
My Baby, as it brought me back to
my fondness for Carey, which I had
forgotten about for years.
Although I enjoy reminiscing
about these old classics, current artists need to start inventing sounds
that are distinctive and grabbing
the attention of listeners rather than

cashing in on the talent of another

artist or band.
In 2013, Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I. released an
audience favorite Blurred Lines,
which raced to the top of the charts
across the world. Unfortunately, the
release caused the three artists to defend themselves in court against the
family of the late singer-songwriter
Marvin Gaye.
According to Pitch Fork, an online platform for music criticism and
commentary, the jury ruled that the
three artists had copied and used the
intellectual property of Gaye in his
song Got to Give It Up. Pitch Fork
also explained how the Gaye family
received $1.7 million from the jury's
decision. The ruling was completely
understandable, as the two songs
align far too closely, which, rightfully, should affect both the success
of the song and the popularity of the

artist.
Instances like these should be
encouragement for new artists to not
solely follow in the footsteps of past
performers, but to use their foundations to create music that transcends
the abilities of early musicians.
There have been so many remakes over the years, and after hearing the new versions of these old
songs, I wonder if past artists have
left anything new for artists to invent,
create and share with the world.
A solution for new sound to be
born may be to write and compose
in an entirely different way than ever
before, and the influence of Tidal and
Spotify are no help. Artists need to
take a moment to isolate themselves
from past creations and instead find
something deep within themselves
that will spark new inspiration and
success based solely on their own
merits.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015

Clause

THECLAUSE.ORG/OPINION

Closing the door on homosexuals opens doors to discrimination

Indiana
experiences
national
criticism
after passing
religious
freedom
restoration act,
opponents argue
discriminates
against LGBTQ
community
Kianna Mourer
staff writer

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act was originally a federal law

that was passed in order to protect
the rights and rituals of different religious groups. In 1997, the United
States Supreme Court ruled that the
national act could only to be applied
to the federal government, which put
the power back into the hands of the
state government. There are currently
21 states that have an RFRA, including the newest, Indiana.
When the act was originally
signed by President Bill Clinton in
1993, it was widely accepted. However, the intricacies of the RFRA of
Indiana caused a major national debate.
Supporters of the law argue that
the similar titles reflect the similar
goals between the federal and state
RFRA. However, a look at the tedious state statutes reveals how significantly different the Indiana religious freedom law is. Not only has
this law evolved since 1993, but the
times have changed and gay and lesbian society is currently fighting for
their rights.
Margaret Van der Bie, a former
student of Azusa Pacific and co-lead-

er of Haven, is with the unofficial

LGBTQ+ group on campus.
Politically, what is really interesting is this whole idea of separation of church and state, which was
originally intended to keep the government from imposing religion on
its people," Van der Bie said. "Now,
every time we talk about religious
freedom, we are not talking about
our rights to practice our religion
without being attacked, because it
has become this tool to oppress and
discriminate against people.
Indiana is taking advantage of
religious freedom in order to discriminate against the LGBTQ community, mainly because the Indiana
law applies to for-profit businesses.
Not only does the federal law not
include for-profit business, but there
is language in Louisiana and Pennsylvanias RFRAs that explicitly
excludes them from protections. The
only other state that allows for-profit
businesses this freedom is South
Carolina.
Opponents of this act argue that
if a business is for the purpose of the
public with a goal to turn a profit,
then it should not be allowed to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. They believe that if you are
going to make the decision to own
and run a business, then you have
to be prepared to serve everyone,
even those who oppose your religious ideologies. The idea behind
this argument is that the pain that is
inflicted on victims of discrimination
is far greater than the discomfort one
might feel in serving someone where
their faith is compromised.
However, supporters in Indiana
argue that the government should not
be able to force citizens under any
circumstance to serve someone that
would burden their religious convictions; to do so would infringe on the
rights they were given as Americans
under the First Amendment to the
Constitution.
Indianas bill also looks different
in the courtroom. The digest of Indianas Senate Bill No. 101 "specifies
that the religious freedom law ap-

plies to the implementation or application of a law regardless of whether

the state or any other governmental
entity or official is a party to a proceeding implementing or applying
the law. This means that a for-profit
business can utilize their right to exercise religion as a defense against
a private lawsuit by another person
and not just against the government.
New Mexico forbids discrimination against sexual orientation in
public accommodations, so when
Elaine Photography denied its services to a same-sex couple, the
company was brought to court. The
owners of Elaine Photography, Jonathan and Elaine Huguenin, claimed
that the RFRA forbiade the suit from
going any further. However, the Supreme Court held that because it was
an individual and not a government
party who was involved, the RFRA
did not apply. Elaine Photography,
therefore, was found guilty of sexual-orientation discrimination.
When informed of the decision
made in the Elaine Photography v.
Willock case, freshman allied health
major Talia Barraza said: On one
hand, I dont think anyone should be
forced to do something that compromises their morals or their beliefs.
However, on the other hand it, is not
right to discriminate. Discrimination
is not only wrong, it is dehumanizing. I honestly cant make up my
mind on this issue.
Taking one side is near to impossible in this situation. While it
seems wrong for the government to
have the power to force people to
do something that they dont want
to do because it compromises their
beliefs, it also seems wrong that the
government would be be tolerant
of intolerance. With that said, I do
believe that the government should
intervene when beliefs start to turn
into discriminatory actions that are
socially and economically detrimental to society.
After signing the RFRA, according to Bellwether Research, Indiana
Governor Mike Pences popularity
rating went down from 62 percent

to 45 percent. People protested and

celebrities tweeted, bringing national
criticism to an overwhelming high.
Due to the fuss, the law was amended
to keep business owners from refusing service based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, ancestry, age, national origin, disability,
sex or military service.
Although the law was clarified,
tensions were not and the divide has
only become clearer. The LGBTQ
community feels appalled for having to fight for its rights in order to
not be discriminated against, while
religious people, specifically Christian business owners in Indiana, feel
theyre being forced to compromise
their faith.
In the same way that it is crazy
to my Christian friend that I am gay,
it is crazy to my LGBTQ activist
friends that I am Christian, Van der
Bie said.
Something is terribly wrong with
this picture. Is this how Christians
should be treating the LGBTQ community?

There are a few passages in the

Bible that Christians use to clobber
the LGBTQ community. The number
pales in comparison to the number of
verses in the New Testament that insist upon fairness, equality, love and
rejection of legalism over compassion.
If Christians are obligated to look
to the Bible to determine the sinfulness of homosexuality, how much
greater is their obligation to look to
Scripture to discern the sinfulness of
their behavior toward the gay community?
People try to find biblical reasons to justify treating minorities the
way that they do, but it is not biblical," freshman psychology major Justine Fanget said in response to how
Christians are to treat the LGBTQ
community. "I believe our philosophy
as Christians should revolve around
loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Regardless of your stance on homosexuality, if you are going to claim
Christianity, then you must commit to
love.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE:
In an interview with NPR, The Rev. Tim Overton, Southern Baptist minister
from Muncie, Indiana discussesd his perspective on the RFRA:
I, as a pastor, provide a service to my parishioners, but also to the community at large in officiating weddings. I receive compensation for these services as well as the state issues a marriage license after I officiate a wedding.
So if I say no to a same-sex couple or there are issues of divorce in someone's
past that I will not do the wedding, some people are going to say that's discrimination. But I think most Americans would agree that a pastor like myself should not be compelled by the government to use my speech to support
someone else's perspective. And I think that has parallels to the cake-maker.
The cake-maker is using his or her artistic ability to make a cake, and that
cake communicates something. I think that cake is speech, and it says we
celebrate this union. And to force someone who doesn't believe that same-sex
marriage is correct in the eyes of God, I just don't think they should be forced
or compelled by government to use their speech to support someone else's
perspective.
Well, I think you're going to have a broad spectrum of different reactions to our changing society. I can speak for myself. As a Baptist pastor who
believes the Bible, I believe God made us male and female. And embracing
God's will is embracing our gender and acting accordingly. And I don't think
people like myself are going to abandon the biblical view of gender and God's
plan for the family. And I would hope that society would make allowances for
traditional Christian theology and belief and allow us to practice our faiths in
the workplace and in public as well as our houses of worship.

Beauty in all

Skinny, curvy,
plus-sized or
slim; no matter
the woman, all
are beautiful
Sydney Potter
staff writer

Plus-sized retailer Lane Bryant sparked conversation earlier this

month when launching its advertisement campaign, Im No Angel. The
campaign, paired with the brands exclusive bra collection Cacique, hopes
to redefine societys beauty standards.
Lane Bryant prides itself on being inclusive of all women. According to the companys website, Im
No Angel strives to show women
who wear Cacique know that sexy
comes in many shapes and sizes and
understand that theyre no angels
and they own it.
Im No Angel is a campaign
to represent plus-sized women as being beautiful. However, Lane Bryant
claims inclusion, but slightly misses
the mark because of its campaign
name.
The chief executive officer of
Lane Bryant, Linda Heasley, discussed the intentions behind the campaign in a Huffington Post interview,

explaining that the point was not to

criticize Victorias Secret. Rather, the
purpose of Im No Angel was to
challenge the term angel and what
it takes to be considered sexy.
The notion of angel implies
perfection, said Heasley. The campaign is not telling you what you
cant be, but telling you what you can
be, and celebrates that.
Although Lane Bryant strives
toward having a positive outlook
on personal body image for women,
many have critiqued the company by
saying that I Am No Angel leaves
Kaity Bergquist GRAPHIC
out those who are not as curvy as
Lane Bryant recently launched its newest plus-size lingerie collection, Cacique. To commemorate the launch,
some of its models.
the company started the hashtag movement #ImNoAngel, showing that women can be sexy at any size.
Among the critics was junior psychology major Jasmine Logan, who image. Companies such as Dove positive body image, [women] on body image. However, it is counterfelt disconnected from the campaign and American Eagle have addressed this campus dont have to go into eat- productive to slam another brand for
because of her body shape, which the increasing issue of negative self- ing disorders and such, and instead, catering to women who are small and
slender. The implications of Im No
is the opposite of most Lane Bryant image and have made efforts toward embrace who you are.
On the other hand, Wanda Mitch- Angel suggest that women who do
models. Logan appreciated the cam- self-realization and natural beauty,
ell, the administrative assistant for not look like the campaigns models
paign but thought it missed its goal of regardless of size or shape.
Having a positive body image the undergraduate Department of are not considered real women.
redefining beauty for all women.
As a woman who is considered
The Lane Bryant campaign is doesnt just affect an individuals per- Psychology, stated that the conversaplus-sized, I know what its like to be
great for women who need to learn sonal perception, but can also have tion is sometimes unnecessary.
What I have found fascinating is ill-represented in society and seen as
to love their bodies, but it excludes an effect on the way they treat their
women who arent plus-size, said bodies. Pie Williams, a graduate in- that now on TV, they are starting to not beautiful. When reading magaLogan. My challenge to Im No tern at the Womens Resource Center, shame you if you are too thin, but I zines and watching TV, its nearly
Angel is advocating for the women believes that having conversations dont think you should focus on body impossible to find representations
who are not reaching the standards about positive body image can help image at all, Mitchell said. But I of women like me who are defining
am glad that [Lane Bryant] is saying themselves as being beautiful or, in
of being curvy. The campaign seems fight bigger health issues.
A lot of things come from how you should be who you are and not Lane Bryants terms, sexy. Still, alto be advertising for only plus-size
women view their body image, self- have to fit into a certain mold.
though I look more like the Lane Brywomen and not the rest of us.
Lane Bryant has been successful ant models than Victoria Secret, that
Lane Bryant is one of many esteem, how you compare yourself to
brands that have joined the move- other women and sadly eating disor- in launching the national conversa- does not make me any more real of
ment toward pursuing positive body ders, Williams said. By promoting tion for women to truly value their a woman.

#ImNoAngel

Lifestyle

Azusa Pacific rugby excels in its 2014-2015 season

EJ Beasley
guest writer

This year, the Azusa Pacific University

rugby team had its best season in the programs
existence. The team showed resilience and perseverance as it had a couple of setbacks before
the season started. The problems were so severe
they nearly sank the team, but despite all the
preseason distractions, the club managed to stay
focused and compete well.
The Azusa Pacific rugby club started back
in 1995 and, although not formally affiliated
with APU athletics, it is a member of the Golden Coast Conference.
The team started off strong and hit a milestone the first week of the season, defeating Occidental College 48-0. Last years APU team
lost to Occidental in the playoffs, and before
this year APU rugby had never defeated the
team in the programs 20-year existence. The
Cougars then dropped two games, but quickly
bounced back as they went on a four-game winning streak to ride into the playoffs. APU senior
Communication studies major Pasi Fahina was
a starting defensive tackle for the Cougar football team but, after the season, transitioned to
rugby.
Rugby is more about endurance, where
football is about sprints. You have to be able
to run a lot in rugby, Fahina said. Also, the
tackling is different. There are a lot of rules for
how you tackle in rugby as opposed to football.
In rugby, theres no blocking, and everyone gets
to run the ball.
The team practices every Monday and
Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. on the Azusa soccer
fields near West Campus. The team motto is,
God first, rugby second. The players are
coached by Robert Cardiff, who played for

APU Rugby COURTESY

The men of the rugby team are all smiles as they get together for a group photo after an away game earlier in the season.
the University of Arizona and continued his
career as a player in England before coaching at APU, as well as coach Steffen Thomas, who played rugby at Cal Poly San Luis
Obispo.
The teams games fall on Saturdays, and
home games are played on the Azusa Pacific
soccer fields. This year the Cougars made it to
the playoffs and won their first game against
California Lutheran University. This gained
them eligibility to compete for a national championship.
However, in the Pacific Coast Cup Tournament, they fell to Cal Maritime Academy
44-15. Despite losing in the second round,
the Cougars were ranked 16th in the Na-

tional Small College Ruby Organization, the

best showing in the clubs existence. That
went with the best record the team ever had,
7-4.
Senior psychology major, captain Josh Olford spoke about his role on the team and the
season.
Being the captain, I had to set a good example on and off the field. I tried to be a mentor
and good friend to all the guys on the club, he
said.
Olford is proud of his squads accomplishments.
We finished second in the Golden Coast
and third in the Pacific Coast, and out of 210
teams we finished 16th nationally, he said.

We were the first club in 20 years to go that

far, we sought to play each game in honor of
all of those who played for APU rugby in the
past.
APU Athletic Director Gary Pine noticed
the team and its effort.
Its been clear to me that theres a real
passion and desire to do well in rugby through
the leaders of the program, he said. Ive had
conversations with them just about what theyre
doing, and its evident how much they care
about the sport and care about it doing well at
Azusa Pacific.
If youre interested in being on the team
or want additional information, visit the rugby
teams web site at http://www.apurugby.org/.

Clause

THECLAUSE.ORG/LIFESTYLE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015

Free the Captives club puts on

human trafficking awareness event
Amanda White
guest writer

Riordan Zentler PHOTO

Several APU girls wearing matching shirts at Communiversitys Frenzy dance.

A final frenzy in Felix

Riordan Zentler
guest writer

Colorful balloons and vibrant banners lined

the entrance to the eclectic Last Dance. With its
on-campus location and budget ticket price of
$5, the Frenzy drew crowds of undergraduate
students looking to let their hair down one more
time before the impending finals week.
Reggie Cutliff, senior social work major
and campus life crew intern, stated that the Last
Dance was Azusa Pacifics first organized dance
in the Felix Event Center.
We cant break anything in there, but
theres a lot of potential for the space. Cutliff
said. We have access to media services, the
lights, and we have the catwalk that we can
work with.
The setup crew utilized the catwalk by dangling a balloon drop and bright, star-like inflatables that waved overhead as crowds of dancers
rocked the floor to pumping and pulsing music.
In Felix, we dont have to worry about
noise ordnances. Cutliff stated. It is always
good practice to be courteous to your neighbors.
Praise Ching a freshman business management major and a member of the campus life
crew, helped promote the Last Dance.
We did an advertising campaign through
Instagram where each day we released a photo

exemplifying what people can wear, she said.

We wanted a more mysterious theme. We
also wanted something that was crazy and colorful, Ching said. That perfectly describe the Last
Dance. Bright, icicle-like structures lined the
margins of the dance floor, where elated crowds
amassed underneath flaring and swirling lights.
We want to have an electric, exciting environment, Cutliff said. Whats going to draw
you to that?
Kaia Moos, freshman, explained that
the free ice cream given out on Cougar Walk
pushed her over to attending the dance. Moos
also discussed that the event was a great way to
let out stress, especially with finals coming up.
Cutliff explained that Frenzy was different
in being more of a concept than a theme. Its
about getting caught up in a frenzy, he said.
Sporting a vibrant tutu, senior math major
Cassie Sokach said its her last dance at APU:
I love dances so much, and this is my last one
ever.
She successfully insisted that her date, senior math major Ryan Ellison, should come
along. Im graduating this year, so I thought
I should at least come to one, he said. Ive
never been to a dance before.
Participants were told to expect the unexpected.
Frenzy brought the noise all through the
night, with vibrant balloons dropping from the
ceiling in a radiant and exciting finale.

#CLAUSTAGRAM

SPORTS BANQUET

Name: Maggie Dumphy

Instagram Name: @maggiedumphy

BOWLES GOT TALENT

Name: Sofia Figueroa
Instagram Name: @sofiggityfreshhh

GYRAD

Name: Bethany Contreras

Instagram Name: @bethyymarie

RIDE FOR WATER

Name: Giovanny Panginda
Instagram Name: @gogiogo

Become a student reporter with just a click on your smartphone. Wherever you are
and whatever time of day, you are able to snap a picture on your smartphone and
upload it to Instagram with the hashtag of #iheartapu Tell us what is going on around
campus. Your instagram may even be used in the next issue of The Clause.

Christine Cesa, a survivor of human

trafficking and exploitation, visited Azusa
Pacific University April 16 in Seven Palms.
The Free the Captives club invited Cesa to
its last event for the semester to raise awareness of human trafficking and to fight modern-day slavery.
Students Zach Latta, Andrew Shubin,
Amber Hofland and many others performed
at the event. There were many snacks and
goodies for attendees to enjoy.
Hofland, an APU undergraduate business major, sang an original musical piece
that she wrote after she came back from
studying abroad in South Africa.
There is something so unique and inspiring about these events because we are
singing about something that really matters, Hofland said. We have such a strong
community who cares and wants to be involved in something so important.
Free the Captives has spread like wildfire through the campus since it was first
established by Jay Holm, junior Christian
ministries major at APU.
The club has grown to encompass
around 15 members, with Holm as president. The groups goal to raise awareness
and unite against social injustice.
Cesa was impressed by the passion that
students and club members specifically
have for this issue and repeatedly expressed
her gratitude as the night wore on.
She was Speaking For Those Who
Cannot Speak and fighting social injustice
locally and internationally to help end the

suffering for the 27 million victims of human

trafficking. She told her heartrending story and
expressed her profound desire for this problem
to become common knowledge thus inspiring
people to act.
Her advocacy for the issue stemmed from
a history of exploitation and domestic abuse
that lasted for years of her life. However, she
said she has now excelled beyond her wildest
dreams and has become an image of what God
has planned for her since she was born.
Cesa emphasized to her audience to take
care of yourself and to help break the silence
surrounding commercial sexual exploitation of
children and help others reach their God-given
potential. This sexual abuse and exploitation is
one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United
States and around the world, and Cesa emphasized to not stay quiet about it.
Free the Captives leaders say they are trying
to live out Cesas desires.
Our heart is to raise awareness of this issue
in general, get students educated and to change
the culture here at APU of what it looks like to
stand up ... [to] social injustice like slavery,
Holm states about his club, whether thats doing awareness events, whether thats campaigning ... [against] social injustice via social media,
or throwing artistic, creative or musical events,
or whether that means partnering with different clubs on campus. That is the heart ... of our
club.
Although this event was the last one of the
semester, there will be many more chances to
attend and/or join Free the Captives and fight
against human trafficking and social injustice,
Holm said.
If you know of someone suffering from human trafficking, or if you are suffering yourself,
call 1-888-3737-888 to get help.

Clause

THECLAUSE.ORG/LIFESTYLE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015

11

THE DEFINITIVE RANKING OF APU BATHROOMS

Search for the most
pleasant potty
Kaity Bergquist
editor in chief

Gina Ender

assistant news editor

In hopes of attaining the best restroom experience possible, we visited

each public bathroom on APU's East
and West campuses to see which is
the best.
Taking into consideration atmosphere and ambiance, each bathroom
is ranked based on its smell, cleanliness, location and visual appeal.
Bathrooms are ranked on a scale of
one to five toliets. We have compiled
a list of the top 18 toilets of APU.
18. Portable (near One Stop):
Preceded by a crooked walkway and
a sticky door, this four-stall bathroom is plain. The ambiance and
paint chips are something out of one's
nightmares. 1/2 toilet.
17. The Den: Though the color
scheme conflicts with itself, this twostall restroom's greatest feature is
that it always faintly smells of french
fries. 1 toilet.
16. Darling Library: While the
library it belongs to is gorgeous, this
two-stall bathroom is somewhat lackluster in comparison. 1 toilet.
15. Ronald: This three-stall bathroom is the victim of an outdated color scheme. The poor air circulation
makes the room stuffy. 1 toilet.

14. Marshburn's Outer Lobby:

7. Duke (by Mail Services): A fan
This is in the perfect location if one favorite, this nine-stall bathroom has
needs to use it after filling up on Na- a unique layout, high expectations
ked Juice at Cornerstone Coffee. This and a high archway. 3 1/2 toilets.
one-person stall is fresh and incredibly well lit. 1 1/2 toilets.
6. Duke (near Theology Department): This conveniently located,
13. Marshburn Interior: This spacious six-stall bathroom is perfect
odorless bathroom has tile that is for a stop on the way to Christian
outdated. While there are only three Life, Faith and Ministry class. 4 toistalls, there is a conveniently located lets.
full-length mirror on the right side of
5. Heritage: This five-stall beauty
the wall. 2 toilets.
is delightful and has a great array of
blue hues. 4 1/2 toilets.
12. Warren: Though this restroom
only has two stalls and outdated tile,
4. Wynn: This open, five-stall reit makes up for these shortcomings stroom is home to gorgeous tile, nice
in its ambiance. This pleasant atmo- countertops and a fresh atmosphere.
sphere is provided by a countertop 4 1/2 toilets.
plant, abstract painting reminiscent
of a neighborhood garage sale and the
3. Wilden: The wall tile is so imfaint sound of a choir in the distance. maculate and the light fixtures are so
2 toilets.
ostentatious that the Queen of England would be comfortable using this
11. The Dining Hall: Tucked in restroom. This five-stall castle has an
the back of the cafeteria, the four atmosphere of freshness. 5 toilets.
stalls of this bathroom are in great
condition and are complemented by
2. Building 1: This hidden gem is
serene colors. 2 1/2 toilets.
pretty enough to live in. Though the
colors are more masculine, the light10. Mary Hill: This bathroom's ing is perfect for selfies in the enorgreatest feature is its dual entrance, mous full-length mirror. This incredas it can be approached from opposite ibly clean four-stall restroom is nicer
sides of the building to reach any six than most motels. 5 toilets.
of its stalls. 2 1/2 toilets.
1. Turner Campus Center: Per9. Felix Event Center: Though fectly located behind the East Camthe ceiling is low enough to induce pus trolley stop, this four-stall bathclaustrophobia, this bathroom fea- room is ideal for use when you are not
tures nine stalls and is incredibly able to wait to return to your living
clean. 3 toilets.
area in time. This restroom features
automatic lights, beautiful tile and a
8. Segerstrom: This six-stall color scheme your mom has chosen
sweet spot has earthy colors perfect- for her dream beach house Pinterest
ly suited for its home in the science board. The golden throne.
building. 3 1/2 toilets.

5
9

16

3
18
4
2

10

Kaity Bergquist PHOTOS

From top to bottom: Wilden, Portable, Wynn and Building One.

Maps courtesy of Azusa Pacific University

4
8

Have a favorite on-campus

bathroom? Let us know
by sending us a tweet at
@apuclause or by using
#iheartapu

1
13 14

11 17

3
15
12

18

12 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015

Clause

Fast 7 slowly drags on

Even with touching
tribute to Paul Walker,
latest movie in franchise
is scattered
Camille Frigillana
guest writer

Dominic Toretto and company are back

with the latest release in the Fast and Furious
series. Released April 3, Fast 7 has made over
$800 million and counting worldwide, bypassing the last movies total income during its release.
When looked at from a chronological view,
the movies are out of order. In the last movie,
Toretto (played by Vin Diesel) has a crew that
tracks down a terrorist, Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), in London. The events of the last one,
however, take place right before the events that
occur in the third movie, Tokyo Drift, where
theres the death of one of the major characters,
Han (Sung Kang).
Fast 7 seems to tie up loose ends from
both of those movies. The events in the film
happen right after Tokyo Drift, when the
audience finds out that Han was murdered by
Shaws older brother, Deckard (Jason Statham).
This sets the whole plot in motion, as Dom and
what he calls his familia avenge Hans death.
A lot of what the movie is riding on is the
much-anticipated appearance of Paul Walker,
who died suddenly in a 2013 car accident.
Walker was a main cast member in the franchise, playing ex-cop turned street racer Brian
O Conner. Walker passed away as the movie
was filming, so producers asked his younger
brother, Cody, to finish his scenes as a stunt
double. For closeups, producers decided to digitally superimpose Walkers face.
With a chance to see Walkers last performance as well as how the franchise would pay

tribute to him, fans are sure to pack the theaters.

But take away that factor and the movies plot
and character development comes up short.
Along with tracking down Deckard Shaw,
the crew must also rescue an intelligent computer hacker, Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel),
who developed a software called Gods Eye
that is able to track down anyone in the world
using any kind of camera. Ramsey is captured
by a mercenary named Jakande (Djimon Hounsou) who wants to get his hands on Gods
Eye. The whole reason why the group needs
to track down Ramsey is to get help from the
people who want her to find Deckard Shaw.
This essentially leads the team on a wild
goose chase, with the group traveling all over
the globe while also fighting off two enemies,
Jakande and Shaw. This can leave the audience
confused at times, as the plot is convoluted and
drags on. The action scenes are drawn-out, and
cheesy jokes and soppy one-liners are overdone.
One character in particular, Letty, has the
potential of being developed further but is unfortunately merely brushed over. In the last
movie, Letty lost her memory and had a hard
time remembering her close friends, especially her husband, Dom. By the time this movie
comes around, Letty is still lost and confused
and decides to simply leave in order to find herself, only to come back later with a new sense of
identity. This may be seen as a gaping plot hole,
as there is no portrayal of what the process of
finding herself looks like.
Fast 7 does an excellent job paying tribute to one of its fallen characters and beloved
actors, but it seems as though thats the only
thing the film focuses on. The film lacks substance and because of that, this movie gets 2 1/2
out of four Jon Wallace heads.

THECLAUSE.ORG/LIFESTYLE

Finals survival guide

Faith Vander Voort
copy editor

The infamous finals week is no longer a faraway thought; it cant be avoided any longer. For some Cougars on campus, this is the last week of spring finals
ever, but for others, this is the first to
date. While the exams can seem like an
all-consuming dark cloud and never-ending to-do list, when theyre approached
with the correct mindset, they can be
manageable.
College students have an affinity for
pulling all-nighters. Dr. Philip Alapat of
Harris Health Sleep Disorders Center suggests that this could be detrimental to a
students performance on an important
exam.
Memory recall and ability to maintain concentration are much improved
when an individual is rested, Alapat
said. By preparing early and being able
to better recall what you have studied,
your ability to perform well on exams is
increased.
With that said, cancel your all-night
cram sessions the night before your first final. Dr. Alapat hit the nail on the head when
he encouraged preparing early. Waiting
until the last minute to crack open your
notes does not have your best interests in
mind.
When you allow yourself to take in little
chunks of information at a time, you wont
feel swamped the night before your exam,
leading you to an all-night study session.
Dr. Alapat recommends eight or nine hours
of sleep the night before a test.
Utilize taking naps. They will definitely help you have more energy, said
senior Christian ministry major Crystal
Reed. If getting eight to nine hours of
sleep just isnt fitting into your schedule,

short naps will give you the midday energy

boost you need. A nap is a far better solution
than coffee because you wont have a crash a
few hours later.
Its the morning of test day, and you cant
bear to look over your notes anymore. Success
then often extends past studying. According to
Livestrong, eating a protein-rich breakfast can
help boost brain activity. Suggested foods are
eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, nuts and
fish.
Livestrong suggests students not drink coffee on the day of an important test, as it can
cause nervousness and interfere with the ability to focus. Other foods to avoid are those with
a high carbohydrate count. While these foods
provide energy, the energy boost is very shortlived, leaving you with a crash.
Dr. John Ratey, a Harvard psychologist,
suggests that students spend the time just before
their exam at the gym, taking 10-40 minutes, to
be exact.
A short, sweaty session of jumping
rope, running in place [or] squat bends
can quickly improve blood flow to the
brain, helping to improve the transmission of signals through the nerve cells,
Ratey said.
Although doctors are not sure how long
these effects last, Ratey recommends that students exercise within one hour of beginning
the exam.
This doesnt have to be done at the gym
or on the track, either. Take a bit of time to
do some crunches, pushups or jumping jacks
in your dorm room before you pack up your
backpack and head for your test. Try your best
to get blood flowing and your heart pumping
within an hour before the start of your exam.
Finals week is stressful for everyone, but
with substantial studying, enough sleep, a
protein-rich diet and a bit of exercise, you may
perform better on your final exams than you expected.

Sports

Josh Staumont turns up heat

Junior pitcher
throws over 90
mph consistently
Kaity Bergquist
editor-in-chief

With a killer fastball that hits well

over 90 miles per hour consistently,
its not hard to understand why rows
of professional scouts can be seen
watching Cougar Josh Staumont pitch.
But Staumont said his fastball has
only been developing in the last few
years especially after he transferred
from Biola to APU.
Its kind of like grown over the
years, Staumont said. The velocitys spiked up within the past two
years. I think in general. ... what
happens is, pitchers will kinda reach
a stage where their body catches up
with everything else and maturitywise, it just kind of clicks.
Staumont began playing baseball
in the third grade, though he didnt
start pitching until attending high
school at La Habra High School in
La Habra, California. He played two
seasons of varsity baseball there, finishing with an 8-2 record and a 2.12
ERA in his senior year. He said there
wasnt a possibility of getting drafted
out of high school.
I was kind of off the radar in
high school, he said. I didnt do too
poorly, but I wasnt one of the bigger
guys in Southern California.
After high school, he decided to
attend Biola University, which he
was familiar with because his mom
works there and it was close to home.
In his one season playing there, he
threw 102.1 innings with an ERA of
3.96.
You could see he was going to be
a very good pitcher, it was just a matter of command of the strike zone, but
you knew he was close, said former
Biola head coach and current APU
pitching coach John Verhoeven. Hed
have some good games, and he was
primarily a one-pitch pitcher. When he
was throwing strikes with it, he would
win, but when he was throwing balls
with it, he would lose. Hes made drastic improvement since then.
He transferred to Azusa Pacific

people in the area, but the problem

University just as Verhoeven left the with that is that I walk a lot of people
school to become APUs pitching too, so its a back-and-forth, he said.
coach.
You just pitch to contact. A lot of the
It was a year of transition, it just times, because Im a little bit more erseemed like a little bit of anarchy, and ratic than a lot of the pitchers, theyll
it seemed like a good time for change, sit back and wait more often, so I can
Staumont said.
use that to get ahead.
According to Verhoeven, the
Svagdis said that hes been doing
way it happened was that when he a great job improving as a pitcher.
decided to retire
Hes continas head coach at
ually, consistently
Biola, officials
increased his [vetold him that he
locity]. I think
needed to tell
thats just the rethe team on Feb.
sult of sometimes
1, 2013. He was
those things haphesitant to tell the
pen
naturally,
players, but Biola
Svagdis
said.
told him he had
Sometimes God
no choice. A few
blesses kids in
weeks later, Biola Paul Svagdis, head baseball coach certain ways, and
played APU, and
Josh has been
APU head coach Paul Svagdis of- blessed with the ability to throw 100
fered Verhoeven the job of pitching miles an hour.
coach. Verhoeven accepted the offer
Verhoeven said that Staumont
and once again had to let his team has two major league-caliber pitches:
know what was going on.
his fastball and his curveball. He also
I told my club, I said, you know said that hes developing a changeup.
Im not coming back, but next year He explained that Staumont has deIm going to be the pitching coach at veloped speed by spending a lot of
APU, Verhoeven said. Right after time long-tossing.
that meeting when I told the players, I
Hes got very solid mechanics,
walked off, and Josh was behind me, he said. He throws pretty effortlessly.
and whispered in my ear, Im going
Verhoeven explained that Stauwith you. So thats how the whole mont is a minimum-effort hard
thing came around. I said, Thats thrower as opposed to a maximumfine, but dont spread it around. effort one. Minimum-effort players
Thats how he ended up over here.
like Staumont dont use their arms
Staumont was also familiar with too much, and their heads arent
APU, since both his parents gradu- snapping. It doesnt even look like
ated from there. He said that theres they are throwing as hard as they are.
more competition in Division II than
If you watch him closely, its
there was in the NAIA, but there almost like hes throwing batting
wasnt a lack of competition at Biola practice. Hes very smooth, his head
either.
doesnt move an inch when hes
He said the transition was easier throwing, and he just looks like a
because he came over at the same guy throwing batting practice, he
time of Verhoeven, who had been said, whereas, most pitchers, if they
Biolas head coach for 16 years.
want to throw that hard, they have to
In his first season with APU as be maximum effort-type guys. Josh
a sophomore, Staumont started 15 doesnt need to do that. Hes just regames for the Cougars. He had an ally gifted. His arm just works that
ERA of 4.24 with a record of 7-6. He well.
led the team in strikeouts with 89. He
As of April 20, Staumont has
was second on the team in innings started nine games this season. His
pitched with 80.2.
ERA is 3.45. He already has 89
This is when his fastball picked strikeouts, which means he will far
up speed.
exceed last seasons total. The CouI throw harder than most of the gar with the second most strikeouts is

Sometimes God
blesses kids in certain
ways, and Josh has
been blessed with the
ability to throw 100
miles an hour.

sophomore Wyatt Wood with 51.

Staumont has a record of 5-2 and
opposing batters are only hitting .143
against him. He also leads the team in
innings pitched with 53.1.
With his jump in velocity, Staumont has caught the eye of many
scouts. Its not unusual to see a row of
scouts watching him pitch and clocking his every throw. Despite the increase in attention, he said he is able
to stay focused on the game.
My whole philosophy is there
shouldnt be any change if theyre
there or theyre not there, he said.
Youre not there to impress them,
youre there to win, so thats been
my goal this whole season. The fact
is that it doesnt really matter whos
outside the field, its whos standing behind you and behind the plate.
Thats the best way to look at it.
Svagdis said that Staumont has
been phenomenal regarding the
scout attention.
Its gotta be very difficult for a
person at the age of 20 to 21 to warm
up in a bullpen and 40 scouts are
sitting there watching you and critiquing you in their mind while you
warm up before you have to go out
and compete for your teammates, he
said. Then you get out on the field

APU Sports Information COURTESY

and every pitch you throw, theres 40

to 50 guys there literally just watching and kind of critiquing every pitch,
so it can be a big distraction and hes
handled it really well.
Staumont is looking to be drafted in
June and begin his professional career.
Hopefully, Ill be drafted this
year and high enough where it kind of
compensates for school, he said. Of
course, hopefully after that, staying
healthy is one of the biggest goals.
Kind of just slowly moving up the
ranks, hopefully its fast, but Im fine
for the long haul as well. Im committed to it. Im excited.
His coaches have the same hope
for him.
Im hoping he pitches 10-15
years in the big leagues, Verhoeven
said. He doesnt have to change
anything, he just has to refine things.
I think hell do really well.
Playing professional baseball is
the dream, he said.
Its always been the dream. Its
one of those dreams that you look at.
As a kid you say you want to be an
astronaut, he said. Its slowly come
into the picture where it actually is a
possibility. Obviously its still a dream,
its just one of those little more tangible
dreams. I think its really cool.

COUGARS IN THE MLB

APU Sports Information COURTESY

Former Azusa Pacific baseball players Stephen Vogt (07) and Kirk
Nieuwenhuis (08) are currently playing professionally in the MLB. Vogt
(left) is the starting catcher for the Oakland Athletics while Nieuwenhuis is an outfielder in his fourth season with the New York Mets.

14

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015

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THECLAUSE.ORG/SPORTS

Around the Den: Year-end round up of all sports

NCAA, from P. 1
Mens Soccer
APU mens soccer team finished
its season with a 14-3-0 record after losing in the second round of the
NCAA tournament that was hosted
on campus. The Cougars finished
ranked 19th in the NSCAA national
poll.
The Cougars had a flair for the
dramatic, playing 13 games that were
decided by one goal, including three
games won in overtime and the heartbreaking loss that sent the team packing from the NCAA tournament
Azusa Pacific had seven players
named to the all-conference team and
head coach David Blomquist was
named Coach of the Year in the PacWest.
First-year NCAA and to win the
conference and to obtain the second
seed for NCAA regional is great for
the program and for the guys who put
in the work the last couple of years
during the transition, said coach
Blomquist.
Womens Soccer
The womens soccer team finished 10-7-1 and third in the PacWest. The team overcame a 2-6-1
start to the season by winning eight of
nine games to finish the year. During
that stretch the Cougars allowed only
one goal and carried a shutout streak
across seven games.
Mayra Almazan and Logan Chan
were both named first team All-Pac-

West while Allyn Brown and Hayley

Patterson were given honorable mention. Almazan was also named second team All-West Region
The Azusa Pacific womens soccer team ended the game with 10
wins for the season for the 18th consecutive season
Mens Cross Country
Cross country has some of the
youngest talent in the conference.
This season featured five freshmen
who each played a pivotal role in the
success of the team.
The freshmen were really a big
part of carrying and getting our team
to a solid season performance, said
assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Bethany Blomquist. We were
a really young team this year. We
had a great recruiting class last year;
we had some solid returners, but the
freshmen stepped in and filled the
holes.
Two standout freshmen moving
into their sophomore years are Jeremy Porter and Cody Drisko. Porter
was the teams No. 1 runner at the
regional meet this season. Both runners are currently very close to making nationals in the 10K for track and
field. They have come out with great
reputations as the athletes who will
give 100 percent, run the extra mile
and do whatever they need to do to
improve.
Were looking for them to be
national qualifiers and potential AllAmericans in cross country and track
in the next three years we get with

them, Blomquist said.

The mens cross country team
was close to qualifying for nationals
this season.
This is the start of a new era for
[mens cross country] progressing
from here and doing things on the national level in the NCAA, Blomquist
said.
The coaches will give each runner a training plan for the summer so
he can come back next year and have
a chance to go to nationals.
Womens Cross Country
The face of womens cross country is Staci Foster, an All-American
and record holder at APU. Foster finished 26th at the national championships.
You cant look at our cross country team and not look at Staci Foster,
said coach Blomquist. Transferring
from Colorado and stepping right in
and qualifying for nationals, APUs
first national qualifier in the NCAA
and her becoming All-American,
thats a huge deal.
Because Foster is a fifth-year senior transfer, this is her first year as
a Cougar. She has had no problem
stepping into a leadership role for the
team, and she constantly led by example through hard work and dedication.
Blomquist now looks at the plethora of young talent and expects great
things for years to come. She named
Eileen Stressling and Kylie Betts as
possible future leaders of the team
who have had strong contributions to

the team this season.

Volleyball
Cougar volleyball battled to a
near .500 overall record 14-15 and
an even 10-10 record in the PacWest.
The cougars finished seventh out of
14 teams in conference.
The highpoint of the season came
for the Cougars when they knocked
off eventual PacWest champion and
4th ranked BYU-Hawaii 3-2 in the
final stretch of the season.
The Cougars lose three seniors
but will return junior second team
All-PacWest outsider hitter Maddie
Shelford and a host of other talented
upperclassmen to lead the Cougars in
2015.
Mens Basketball
The mens basketball team had a
tremendous season with several key
high points. The squad won a share
of the PacWest regular season championship, the programs first conference title since 2006.
Coach Justin Leslie was named
PacWest Coach of the Year, forward
Petar Kutlesic was PacWest Freshman of the Year and senior guard
Troy Leaf became PacWest Player of
the Year and a first-team All-American.
The team finished with an overall record of 27-6, which led to an
NCAA West Region win and advancing to the Elite Eight.
Not only were we relevant in
our first year of eligibility, we were
dominant, Leslie said. Its only

happened once in the history of the

NCAA that a team has made it that far
in their first try. It was a monumental
feat.
Leslie is trying to prove that this
successful season was not just a fluke
but the beginning of a dynasty of
dominance by APU basketball. He is
looking to build and improve on each
season with the new and returning
players.
In order to have sustained success, you have to have the right culture, and our culture is developing
that day-to-day attitude that they
will work, get better and the team
will hold each other accountable to a
high standard, Leslie said. The next
guys are going to step up because of
the foundation that was laid by the
guys before them.
Coach Leslie wants to create an
attitude of men who play for many
years and know what it means to represent APU. He works for them to
understand that they are not just playing for themselves but for the people
who played before them and come
back with their wives and children to
watch the game.
Womens Basketball
Success is measured in many different ways. Some teams go by the
overall record, some teams look to do
better than the previous season, and
some go by the individual growth
both on and off the court. Azusa Pacific womens basketball found success in all of these areas this season.
We gauge our success off of if

THECLAUSE.ORG/SPORTS

NCAA (cont.)
we worked our hardest on the court,
academically and spiritually, said
head coach T.J. Hardeman.
A couple of season highlights include Kelly Hardeman being voted to
all-conference and all-district teams
and newcomers Cyndie Jones and
Miriam Zabinsky becoming very important starters.
The leader who everyone turned
to this season was senior Katie Powell, the poster child for APU womens
basketball.
When [Powell] is gone, we
will always have her as a model,
said Hardeman. She grew so much
mentally, academically and spiritually. She always kept her teammates
accountable through her hard work
ethic.
The
major
bonding moment
the team had was
when players took
a mission trip to
Mexico to build
shelter for the
homeless.
We want to
win, but we also
want to do things
that will last for an
eternity, Hardeman said.
Swimming and Diving
The swimming and diving program took a step forward by qualifying a diver and swimmer to the national meet. Freshman diver Kianna
Mourer and freshman distance swimmer Rosalee Santa Ana represented
the Cougars at the NCAA Division
II Swimming and Diving National
Championships in March.
Its a good showing of where
were headed, and were looking
forward to being a bigger part of the
NCAA championship meet, said
head coach Tim Kyle.
The Cougars biggest loss
will be senior Quinn Robertson,
who was one of the teams fastest
sprinters.
We gotta get better every year
and make those qualifying times and
see if we can get more athletes to that
final meet, Kyle said.
Water Polo
The womens water polo team
is now nearing a close to its season
and is currently in fourth place in the

Clause

Golden Coast Conference. This team

seems to be the strongest since APU
added the sport in 2009.
The team has won against three
teams this season for the first time
in program history, and senior Taylor Whitney broke the APU all-time
scoring record and the record for
multiple-goal games in a season.
We have had a personal recordsetting year, we have had a team
record-setting year, and its not over
yet, said head coach Julie Snodgrass. We are finally seeing what we
are capable of as a program and starting to capitalize on it.
Snodgrass took the head coaching position four years ago, and this
year marks her first year of graduating seniors.
I started here with them. They
are my first full four-year class, and
I care deeply for these girls, Snodgrass said. They
have been a huge
part in building a
culture [and] standard of excellence
and building the future of APU water
polo.
Because of the
leadership and example that the seniors have made of
themselves, Snodgrass believes that
the core leaders for the future will
be underclassmen Megan Myers and
Ashley Taylor.
Megan and Ashley have very
good leadership capacity, and we
have a lot of young talent of girls who
are still developing as freshmen and
sophomores, Snodgrass said. Our
junior class will continue to carry out
great leadership to our team.
Acrobatics & Tumbling
Acrobatics tumbled into the
season as the No. 2-ranked team in
the nation after losing to Oregon in
the championship meet last season.
The teams first meet was a rematch
against Oregon, which APU lost
281.480-275.100. Since then, the
Cougars have gone 1-3, resulting in a
record of 2-4, beating both Fairmont
State and Hawaii Pacific.
The team lost two players in the
season due to injuries. Both members
played significant roles.
We had the talent we needed,
but injuries affected us this season, as
well as playing the Division I schools
twice, said coach Colleen Kassurd.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015 15

The Cougars have been off for

a month since their last meet, which
was a loss to Baylor (which took the
season series 2-0). All schools in
the NCATA,
including
APU,
have
had more opportunities to
recruit elite
athletes. Due
to this, talks
about merging with the
NCAA have
increased,
stated coach
Kassurd.
T h e
league has notified us that
its happening soon, said Kassurd.
The team travels to Fairmont,
West Virginia for the NCATA national championship set to begin April 23
Mens Tennis
The mens tennis began the 2015
season with high expectations and
goals for the season. The team returned six starters and was coming
off back-to-back NCCAA national
championships, garnering a No. 12
ranking in the preseason Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll.
Singles player Jan Meyer began
the year ranked No. 7 in the nation
and has now climbed to the top of the
rankings.
Its been an eye-opener. Its
very competitive and interesting. Its
definitely more difficult to get into
nationals, but its been a more enjoyable experience because of the professionalism of the NCAA compared
to the NAIA, said head coach Mark
Bohren.
While it may be a more difficult
road to the national tournament, the
Cougars still find themselves on it.
The West Region sends two teams
to the national tournament and as of
April 15, the Cougars were in the
second spot. The journey to that spot
started early in the year against thirdranked UC San Diego.
I would say the first match of the
season against UCSD, when we won
5-4 down there against a very hostile
crowd, there was a lot of jarring back
and forth with our players, and it was
our first match of the season, Bohren
said.
The Cougars will discover their
postseason fate on April 29, but with

two wins over UCSD, the Cougars

are comfortably slotted to move to
the national tournament.
Softball
With the season approaching
its end, Azusa
Pacific softball
is 25-22 overall
and 12-13 in the
PacWest. While
the team hasnt
won as many
games as expected, the Cougars
have been the
second-best team
in the PacWest
offensively and
the fourth best
by team ERA. Those numbers show
promise for the Cougars.
We didnt quite live up the expectations we had for ourselves this
year, said head coach Carrie Webber. It was a bit of a growing-pains
season for us.
The team will lose six seniors but
return three of the top four hitters by
average.
We were always trying to do the
best we can, win as many games as
we can and try to go on to the postseason, Webber said.
Baseball
Baseball has competed in the
PacWest and is currently in fourth
place with a record of 27-15 (17-11 in
conference). The team has appeared
in the Collegiate Baseball top 30 poll
numerous times this season.
Our competition level has
changed for sure, Coach Paul Svagdis said. The non-conference schedule is much more competitive now
than in the past.
The teams non-conference record this year is
10-4, an improvement on last years
mark of 8-11. The
Cougars are also
on track to better
last years overall
record of 28-21.
Coach Svagdis
commented on the
rule changes in the NCAA, and how
his team has to behave in a certain
fashion, that is, according to league
standards.
Compliance and following the
regulations is a huge part of being

a member of the NCAA, Coach

Svagdis said. I think that was a huge
motivation for us to be a part of this
league. We wanted to align ourselves
with institutions that are OK with being essentially guided by a set of restrictions that put the best interest of
the athlete first.
The teams next series is against
Dixie State, which is currently 2713 (20-4 PacWest) and sitting atop
the PacWest standings. The Cougars
need a strong showing over their final
two series to make it to the regional
tournament.
Track and Field
Multi-event athlete Justin Balczak and distance runner Staci Foster earned the schools first NCAA
national championship titles in the
heptathlon and mile at the Division II
Track & Field Indoor National Championships in March. Thrower Amber
Panapa and multi-event athlete Megan
Van Winkle also earned All-American
honors for their fourth-place finishes
in the weight throw and pentathlon.
The program has since moved into
the outdoor season. Balczak and Foster have set the tone with automatic
qualifiers for the outdoor championships, leading a host of fellow Cougar
athletes who have earned provisional
qualifiers.
The NCAA Division II Track &
Field Outdoor National Championships will be hosted May 21-23 at
Grand Valley State.
Womens Tennis
Womens tennis brought a young
team into the season, carrying only
two upperclassmen seniors Danae Ingwaldson and Bethany Duval.
Despite its youth, the team remained
competitive throughout the year and
remained focused on building towards the future.
The Cougars
will return both
their No. 1 and No.
2 singles players
sophomores Natalie
Johnson and Valeriia
Kashina. The players
both went 14-7 in
their respective slots.
The team finished sixth at the PacWest tournament with an 14-11 record overall.
Alex Perez, Sam Quintantilla, Stefany
Romero, Katie Richcreek and Landon
Troka contributed to this piece.

Top row (left to right): (1) Football team huddles. (2) Narissa Garcia pitches. (3) Justin Balczak competes at indoor nationals. (4) Volleyball team huddles. (5) Daniel Martin highfives teammates. In-story: (6) Alba Espinar shoots the ball. (7) Acrobatics and tumbling competes in pyramid heat. (8) Lindsey Yeom uses a forehand return. Bottow row: (9)
Hayley Arft passes the ball. (10) Kelly Hardeman looks for a teammate. (11) Jan Meyer prepares to return a shot. (12) Petar Kutlesic lays in a basket. (13) Staci Foster competes in
a cross country race. Photos 1, 4 and 9 by Blake Standal. Photos 7, 10 and 12 by Katie Richcreek. Photos 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11 and 13 courtesy APU Sports Information.

THECLAUSE.ORG/SPORTS

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015

16

Behind the scenes of the Bryan Clay Invitational

Nearly 2,400 athletes competed at
the seventh annual Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17, the largest turnout
in meet history. Azusa Pacific track
and field also hosted the California
Invitational and the Mt. SAC Relays
Combined Events on April 15 and 16.
The following is a behind-the-scenes
look through various perspectives:

teers didnt leave Cougar Stadium

until after midnight on Friday.
While the volunteers ease the
burden of the operations, Reid and
Barnett face continual demands during the meets.
Its non-stop, Reid said. Im
not really doing anything specific
during [the Bryan Clay Invitational]
other than making sure people are
where theyre supposed to be and
things are getting done.

The Well-Oiled Machine

For Azusa Pacific Director of
Track and Field Mike Barnett and
mens track and field head coach
Kevin Reid, preparation for the week
began months in advance.
The logistics include opening the
meet for coaches to enter athletes and
contacting on-campus offices such as
campus safety and facilities management.
All of those little pieces have to
come together, Barnett said.
Preparation also includes coordinating volunteers to run the events
the day of the meet.
Thats probably the biggest
thing, is getting quality people to run
the events as well as people to come
out and do work, Reid said. He is the
meet director for the California Invitational and Mt. SAC Relays Combined Events.
The lead volunteers are typically
alumni while the grunt work is assigned to athletes from other sports.
According to Reid, more than 100
volunteers are involved in the meet
operations; a majority of those could
be found working at one time.
According to Barnett, staffers are
asked to be there as early as 5:30 each
morning to begin to set up. To give
a little context, the last of the volun-

Athletic Training
The planning that takes place
for these three days is along the same
lines as when Grand Valley State was
here at the beginning of the football
season, said assistant athletic trainer Jesse Cops, getting the medical
coverage that needs to be here, getting the volunteers that need to be
here to run this because we cant do
this without support from the athletic
training program.
Up to 20 volunteers were present at any given time to assist in the
medical coverage. Volunteers included not only athletic training staff and
students, but also physical therapy
and applied exercise science students.
According to Cops, the trainers
are responsible for treatment of minor problems such as blisters from
new shoes to cuts or scrapes that
require medical attention to pulled
muscles to sprained ankles to concussions.
The staff reportedly burned
through an entire roll of ice bags by
Friday night, which is somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 bags. At one
point, all four of the available ice machines were empty.
Ive never been involved in any
type of athletic event that has been
this big, Cops said.

Katie Richcreek
sports editor

Katie Richcreek PHOTOS

(1) Bryan Clay Invitational meet director Mike Barnett talks to a staff member. (2) Luke Lepage manages the volunteer sign-in sheet. (3) Bret Charleston dismantles after the sun sets. (4) Rob Jarvis enters meet results.
Equipment Management
Physical preparation of Cougar
Stadium begins two to three days before the meets begin. For lead equipment manager Bret Charleston, this
includes power-washing the stands,
painting the field and allocating resources, such as trash cans.
Equipment management is also
responsible for installing the boards
for the long-jump pits.
We have to physically make the
long-jump boards. These are just temporary, Charleston said. [The boards]
have to be a solid surface, so we have

to go buy 2x10s, grip them down and

paint them the whole nine yards.
Meet Results
The finish-line camera takes a
static photo with each athletes time in
every event which is tracked by former Azusa Pacific athlete Rob Jarvis.
There were 22 track events during the Bryan Clay Invitational alone,
not accounting for the California Invitational, Mt. SAC Relays nor the
number of heats per event.
And Jarvis is the only one designated to this job.

The nightmare part of the day

is from 9:20 to 4:10. I dont want to
talk to anybody, Jarvis said. We
do whats called real-time seeding,
which means my job while the meet
is going on is to assign lane assignments to ensure the meet runs on time.
It pretty much falls on my shoulder to
make sure were on time.
He laughs, No pressure.
Jarvis job isnt done when the
meet ends. Hes responsible for uploading all meet results to the Track
& Field Results Reporting System to
ensure theyre ratified for NCAAs.

Terrell Watson prepares for potential NFL career

Cougar running
back talks to
multiple pro teams
Brandon Rodriquez
staff writer

Terrell Watson has undoubtedly

created his legacy at Azusa Pacific,
shattering the football programs record books. Now, the Division II star
is getting ready for a potential career
in the NFL.
Watson owns 21 program records
and 25 Great Northwest Athletic
Conference records. He was also the
first collegiate running back in 2014
to reach 1,000 rushing yards across
all divisions.
My goal is just to help a team
win, Watson said. If I get the chance,
I just want to be on a team I can actually help. It doesnt matter if I am on
special teams, scout team, anything. I
want to help a team be successful.
After the 2014 season ended,
Watson didnt take any breaks from
training or spend a second away from
football. Instead, he dedicated himself
to becoming a stronger, faster athlete.
After the season was over, I
moved from Azusa to Anaheim, and
I started training at a facility called
STARS, Watson said. This was
training to make myself a better tester,
which means that this would make me a
better 40-runner, jumper and bencher.
The reason Watson had to become a better tester was for his proday workout. Most players who enter
the NFL draft participate in the event
where pro-football scouts and coaches can observe them. A pro day can be
crucial to a player, depending on his
performance, which can either raise

Blake Standal PHOTO

Terrell Watson breaks away from a defender on Nov. 1 against Western Oregon. The Cougars won 19-18.
or drop his draft stock.
Watson participated in Azusa
Pacifics pro day on March 9. He impressed NFL scouts with an improved
vertical jump, bench press, broad
jump and 40-yard dash.
Making Watson even more intriguing to scouts is his size. He does
not fit the typical mold at running
back with his 6-foot-2, 240-pound
frame. Even though Watson wasnt
invited to the NFL Combine, his
time of 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard
dash would have tied him for fourth
among running backs at the Combine, and the mark ranks him ahead
of noted Division I running backs
such as Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin
(4.52), Ameer Abdullah of Nebraska
(4.60), Jay Ajayi of Boise State (4.57)

and T.J. Yeldon of Alabama (4.61).

In a recent scouting report on
Watson, NFL draft analyst R.C.
Fischer wrote:
In a sea of RB prospects who are
talented and weigh between 200-220
pounds, Watson presents a unique,
more attractive option to NFL teams
at nearly 240-pounds with the speedagility similar to the RBs who are 2040 pounds smaller than him.
Watson described his training at
STARS to be like a full-time job.
However, his preparation has not
been limited to physical testing.
Right now Im helping coach
APU spring football with Victor Santa Cruz and all of the other coaches,
in order to get my head in football and
not lose the knowledge that I already

know, Watson said. While Im still

here, Im going over plays, helping
the running backs and refreshing myself. If you can do it, then you should
also be able to teach it.
Watson acknowledged how this
journey has been both mentally and
physically for him.
Its physically draining. It can be
very exhausting and you can get very
tired. There are some mental days
where youre asking yourself why
youre doing this, but you just have to
push through it, he said. My whole
life has had challenges, so a football
challenge is not any different. I love a
good challenge.
Watson also revealed what he believes to be his biggest strength as a
football player.

My biggest strength is knowing

whats going on in the football field
at all times and being able to make
teams tired and not want to tackle
me, he said. If Im getting tired in
a game, but the other team is getting
tired, I know that Im getting stronger
because theyre tired its my motivation to play even harder.
In a recent interview with thepostgame.com, Azusa Pacific head
football coach Victor Santa Cruz explained how he feels about Watson
going into the NFL.
I believe wholeheartedly that
[Terrell] has everything it takes to play
at the next level, Santa Cruz said.
Hell fall down because its tough
competition, but hell get back up
quickly and keep learning the game.
Watson is staying cool under all
of the hype and hasnt let criticism
faze his attitude or mindset regarding
his draft status.
I dont really feel anxiety or
stressed out. Im just really excited.
Its fun to endure the process and
watch God work. God wouldnt have
put me in this situation for no reason, Watson said. Its awesome.
God is good. Division II, Division I,
Division III I feel like football is
football. In the NFLPA game, people
were saying, Oh look, he can play
with [division one] guys, and honestly, I felt like I was playing against
Grand Valley State. Its not really
where you play, its how you play.
Watson has been in contact with a
multitude of NFL teams since his pro
day. He has scheduled meetings leading up to the draft with the Cincinnati
Bengals, Houston Texans and Atlanta
Falcons. The 2015 NFL Draft will be
held April 30-May 2 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
in Chicago.