wednesday, april 19, 2023

The Point
the student newspaper of point loma nazarene university
volume 52 | issue 19

News, page 1-2 Features, page 3-4 Sports, page 5 A&E, page 6-7 Opinion, page 8

Students and Alumni Organize to Bring Visibility to

LGBTQIA+ Experiences
BY SARAH GLEASON, KATIE MORRIS AND LAINIE ALFARO
STAFF WRITERS

ly disagreeing with Fulcher when Fulcher PLNU in the fall. Michelle and David Sur- for us is part of what it means to be even
said Tucker would not be allowed to villas said they researched the university a Wesleyan institution. To be a people
return as an adjunct because of her pro- and felt comfortable with its theological who have charitable dialogue is part of
LGBTQIA+ stance. stances. who we are. It’s a marker of who we are
The objectives, Bell said, stem from “We were not thwarted at all by distinctly as a Wesleyan institution. It’s
Christian values. these kids doing, you know, a peaceful a distinction of who we are as the body
“The goal is to live into the call of demonstration,” Michelle said. “We are of Christ.”
Christian community: to love each other, not necessarily advocating or for anything
to love your neighbor better, to love God in that matter. We understood that it was
better and right now that’s not happen-
ing,” Bell said.
just their way of expressing themselves. It
didn’t affect our viewpoint or perspective
Alumni join in at the
Jessica White, fourth-year envi- on this college at all.” entrance of PLNU’s
ronmental studies major, was a student PLNU admissions sent an email to campus
demonstration attendee. White said that preview families the night before the
her purpose in participating was to bring demonstration, according to Lora Flem- The demonstration happening
visibility to LGBTQIA+ experiences. ing, director of communications. at the entrance of campus was led by
“I want queer students to walk by “[Preview students] were notified to PLNU alum and founder of the Loma
ORGANIZERS STOOD IN FRONT OF BROWN CHAPEL, SOME WITH
and to know that they are welcomed and let them know what they might encounter LGBTQIA+ Alumni & Allies Coalition,
DUCT TAPE OVER THEIR MOUTHS, ON THE DAY OF (NO) SILENCE. ALL accepted on this campus,” White said. and to ask that all Preview Day partic- Lauren Cazarez, who created a joint
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAINIE ALFARO. “We also want the campus administration ipants show respect and dignity to the statement that called for the resignation
Friday morning, Point Loma Naza- student affinity group, Voices of Love to know that there are queer people on group,” Fleming said via email. of Fulcher on April 6.
rene University students stood silently (VOL), held an open discussion about this campus and there are allies who really A part of the email sent to preview A table of refreshments was placed
in protest outside of Brown Chapel the past week’s events regarding the care about these issues.” students stated, “Although tomorrow at the entrance of the school with a sign
in honor of the Day of (NO) Silence. alleged firing of the Dean of the School of Students who attended the demon- might have some additional ‘greeters’ that read, “PLNU welcomes you with
According to GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian Theology, Mark Maddix. Provost Kerry stration were encouraged to wear PLNU at the front, we would humbly ask that warmth, respect and hospitality. Every-
& Straight Education Network, the Fulcher allegedly was responsible for attire and gear in response to the email you treat everyone that you encounter one is welcome to the refreshments.”
Day of (NO) Silence is a national making the decision and sent an email to sent to the entire student body by Fulcher with dignity and respect. Likewise, we Fleming said the refreshments were
student-led demonstration that protests the student body regarding the alleged on April 11, who referred to the Loma will ensure that you have easy access as from university leadership, and she
the harmful effects of harassment of the firing. According to organizers, the LGBTQIA+ Alumni & Allies Coalition as you make your way on campus and that offered a statement via email on behalf
LGBTQIA+ community. meeting was intended to create space for “a third-party group.” your day at PLNU is filled with special of the university.
Just 1,000 feet away, at the en- students to process what happened. At “A huge part of Kerry Fulcher’s moments, unique experiences and an “There’s a recognition that this
trance of campus, nearly 30 additional the end of the meeting, the 46 student email was talking about these third-party authentic peek into life at Loma.” last week and a half has been incredibly
protestors from the Loma LGBTQIA+ attendees were given information about groups that are infiltrating and trying David Survillas said the protest difficult for many students, faculty,
Alumni & Allies Coalition chanted, the April 14 demonstration. to polarize the campus,” White said. was actually a positive indicator of the staff and alums,” Fleming said. “Right
held up signs and interacted with cars It was made clear the demonstration “We wanted to make it clear that we university’s willingness to hear differing now, it’s crucial to find ways to let every
entering and exiting campus. would not be affiliated with VOL. Bell, are students here, and not a third party perspectives. member of the PLNU community know
organizer and VOL leader, said it has tak- group, and that this polarization that he is “It shows that the university is willing that they are seen and supported by the
trying to make it seem is happening is not to allow people to express differences and
Students gather at the en over a decade to fight for the presence
of VOL, which is the only designated safe polarization. We are just trying to bring they’re not afraid to address those differ-
university.”
PLNU alum Delaney O’Keefe (18),
front of Brown Chapel space for queer people and allies, so she attention to the issue and that we want ences and frame it in a way that reflects was present at the demonstration and
said the organizers wanted to avoid any connection, we want community. That is our faith,” David said. was one of the first student leaders of
Outside of Brown Chapel, faculty scrutiny that may endanger it. why we are wearing Point Loma shirts.” Reverend Esteban Trujillo, PLNU’s VOL, which started back in 2015. She
held hands. Staff gathered, unsure Bell said she has also heard from Some students walked directly past university chaplain, walked outside to said she heard about the protest from
where they were meant to take up faculty and staff that they fear for their job the student demonstrators into Brown greet the students who were organized her sister, who is on the coalition’s
space. The only disruption to the if they openly support the queer commu- Chapel. Some accepted the pamphlets prior to chapel. email list.
students’ silence was the shift of signs nity on campus. Because of this, Bell said that were being handed out by dem- “I acknowledge that there are stu- While O’Keefe said that she had a
fluttering in the wind. the co-leaders of VOL wanted to protect onstrators while others sat outside to dents, staff and faculty [who] are hurting positive experience at PLNU, she said
The students arrived outside Brown the jobs of their advisors. process the demonstration. and in pain in many different ways,” she had a door shut on her when she
Chapel around 9 a.m. The demonstra- “It’s frustrating that the students who When third-year psychology major Trujillo said. “For me, to see a demon- came out during her third year.
tion organizers Sarah Bell, third-year are directly being harmed and affected Ashley Portillo first saw the demonstra- stration like that was not surprising at all. “I was super vocal and it was right
Christian Studies major, Ellie Carlson, even have to worry about and account for tion, she said she felt shocked. For me to acknowledge that and to care after the [2016 presidential] election,
third-year political science major, the feelings of those in power who are “I’m still figuring out what my reac- for our students in the midst of that is my so I felt really empowered and felt that
Gracie Fama, fourth-year international supposed to be supporting the students,” tion is,” Portillo said. “I think more of a biggest priority. I want to walk with stu- it was really important to speak out,”
studies major, and Sydney McFadden, Bell said. heart drop type of thing.” dents. I want to hear their stories. I want O’Keefe said. “At that time, I was still
fourth-year international studies major, Bell said that 80 students were in Portillo said she decided to stop and to hear about their pain. I want to be able really passionate about proving that I
gathered their group and distributed attendance on the day of the protest. sit off to the side. to care for them in the midst of that.” could still have my ‘Christian morals’
signs which ranged in messages from The organizers told The Point that “I think I immediately just started Trujillo said he did not see this and be openly queer. So I spent my
“You can’t erase us,” to “Out and they had specific goals for the protest. praying honestly in my head,” Portillo demonstration as a disruption to chapel whole last two years at Loma really
Proud,” to “My God loves everyone.” “Our objectives are to provide said. “I was just praying that God would but as a chance for open communication. trying to prove that I existed, mattered,
One sign quoted a paragraph from the LGBTQ+ students and allies visibility, to teach me what to say, what to do, if not to “I think it [the demonstration] helps and was a relevant, valid student at
PLNU student handbook section on show admin that the student body does do anything and just sit with people.” us to continue to understand that there Loma.”
human sexuality: “PLNU seeks to be a not stand with or support its discrimina- Along with current students, admit- are still particular populations within O’Keefe said that she was not
community where lesbian, gay bisexual, tory LGBTQ+ policies, the treatment of ted preview students and their parents our student body who still feel hurt and surprised when the news regarding
transgender and intersex persons are Mark Maddix and Melissa Tucker and the witnessed the demonstration as they still feel like their voices aren’t being Mark Maddix’s alleged firing came
treated with dignity, grace, and holy behavior and actions of Kerry Fulcher walked into chapel. heard,” Trujillo said. “The response of out last week, but was surprised to see
love in the spirit of Christ.” and the administration,” Carlson said. The Point spoke with two parents of the university is to open space for them, Fulcher’s name.
On April 12, PLNU’s LGBTQIA+ Maddix was allegedly fired for public- an admitted student who plans to attend to be heard and have good dialogue. That
Continue reading on page 4
2 | NEWS wednesday, april 19, 2023

Mental Health Awareness Chapter Starts on

Campus
BY KATIE MORRIS
STAFF WRITER

Adia Fadaei was 14 years old when
she entered the mental health aware-
ness field.
As a hotline listener and outreach
presenter at Teen Line in Los Angles,
she was given intensive psychoedu-
cational training to provide middle
school, high school and college
students with presentations on youth
mental health and suicide.
“I had the ability to have real
conversation and interaction with indi-
viduals experiencing high-functioning
to severe mental illness,” Fadaei said.
“That experience was so antithetical to
the mental health literacy we currently
receive both in and outside of school,
and I realize how important that was.”
This was the kickstart to Fadaei’s
passion for mental health advocacy.
Following her involvement with Teen
Line, Fadaei has worked with mental
health awareness organizations such as
Bring Change to Mind (BC2M), The
American Association of Suicidology,
Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services,
the National Domestic Violence Ho-
tline, and Born This Way Foundation.
Now as a third-year psychology ma-
jor at Point Loma Nazarene University,
Fadaei is a mental health promotion
intern through the university’s Well-
ness Center.
Alongside fellow student intern,
Angie Medina, fourth-year applied
health science major, and their intern
supervisor, Kaitlin Sorgea, Wellness
Center Health Promotion Specialist,
Fadaei started the new mental health
awareness chapter on PLNU’s campus,
Active Minds, in February.
Active Minds is a nonprofit organi-
zation dedicated to promoting mental
health among young adults through
peer-to-peer dialogue and interaction.
There are more than 600 Active Minds
chapters located at high schools and
colleges nationwide, including San
Diego State University, University of
California San Diego, University of San
Diego and all the San Diego communi-
ty colleges.
Fadaei has known about Active
Minds since 2018, yet first directly came
across it at the first-ever Mental Health
Youth Action Forum, which was held
at the White House in May 2022. The
forum was ideated by MTV Social Impact
and the Biden-Harris Administration to
create space for youth who worked in
mental health to share their work and
advocate for mental health.
Twelve nonprofits were invited to
the forum; BC2M —which Fadaei was
working with at the time — was one of
them. Fadaei valued Active Minds’ similar
model to BC2M and fell in love with the
organization.
While she was at the forum, Fadaei
had recently transferred from Azusa
Pacific University to PLNU. Once she felt
more integrated with the PLNU commu-
nity and started interning at the Wellness
Center, both she and Medina felt that it
was the right time to start implementing
Active Minds on the Christian campus.
“In the mental health promotions
internship, we would get a gauge of how
students felt about the mental health
resources offered in the Wellness Center
and hear the needs that students felt were
not being heard. That made us realize
that we needed something that was more
committed to the students rather than
just having resources that were accessi-
ble,” Medina said.
According to a 2013 survey conduct-
ed by Nashville-based Lifeway Research,
“a third of Americans – and nearly half of
evangelical, fundamentalist, or born-
again Christians – believe prayer and
Bible study alone can overcome serious
mental illness.” Via the survey, 65% of
family members in a household of some-
one with acute mental illness also believe
local churches should do more in talking
about mental illness openly so that the
topic is not as taboo.
“Everywhere you go has a public
stigma, individual stigma, professional
stigma and cultural stigma. When you
add the layer of religious stigma, it’s just
so problematic,” Fadaei said.
To promote their mission, the Active
Minds council — Sorgea, Fadaei, and
Medina — met with a member of PLNU’s
Chapel to discuss Active Minds’ mission
and its prevalence on campus.
“The purpose and mission of Active
Minds is to engender a space of safety
for the student by optimizing powers
of empathy and human connection,”
Fadaei said. “We aim to support the
education of mental health amongst the
student body by effectively and sensitively
discussing topics around mental health
and wellness, reducing stigma, estab-
lishing and engaging community events,
collaborating with clubs and pointing
students toward mental health resources
ACTIVE MINDS CO-FOUNDER ADIA FADAEI AND PLNU PSI CHI BOARD
and organizations.” MEMBER ANNE-SHIRLEY HARRIS AT THE PSI CHI EVENT WHERE ACTIVE
Fadaei said that the chapter is not in MINDS OFFERED RESOURCES. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATIE MORRIS.
replacement for mental health services
On Feb. 16, PLNU’s Active Minds said via an email interview.
and is not a peer support model.
chapter held a mental health languaging Troubled by this response, the
“We are student-led, but we are pro-
event, where eight student attendees student went to meet with a psychology
fessionally backed and this entire model
discussed their personal experiences with faculty member several weeks after
is research-informed from a national
mental health stigma and how it has been meeting with the PLNU counselor.
level with the scientific advisory board of
talked about in their social circles. Sorgea The faculty member then revealed that
Active Minds,” Fadaei said.
(‘21), who is also a PLNU alum, was pres- the ‘counselor’ actually never earned
With mental health support being on
ent at the meeting, encouraging students a Licensed Marriage and Family Ther-
such a continuum of proactive sup-
to provide feedback on the mental health apist (LMFT) degree or a Licensed
port —public health involvement, crisis
sector of PLNU. Professional Clinical Counselor
prevention, intervention, crisis support
“Every student that was present was degree, and rather served as a chaplain.
and postvention— Fadaei said that Active
very thoughtful about how they perceived The chaplain no longer works for the
Minds’ work encapsulates proactive
the information but also related to one university.
behaviors.
another,” Sorgea said. “As an alumni With these past experiences in
Since February, the PLNU mental
and current staff member, I told them mind, and with a specific interest in
health awareness chapter has done an
that I am proud of how they are showing the psychology nonprofit sector, the
event on mental health languaging, has
up for themselves and this cause. That is student decided to attend the mental
connected students with getting certified
not something that I did as a student, and health languaging event.
mental health first aid training in the
now as a staff member, being so involved “I wanted to get involved with
community for free, got students involved
in this stuff, I wish I would have done this a ‘one thing at a time’ mindset, and
with the National Alliance on Mental
as a student.” believed Active Minds would be an
Illness (NAMI) Walk San Diego, worked
The event was especially impactful adequate way to do that … I enjoy
with the Point Loma Health Committee
for one attendee: a PLNU psychology conversations about mental health,
to get student ID cards up-to-date with
student, who requested anonymity due to connecting with different people,
the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number
sharing their mental health experience. getting to know their stories, insight
and met with the San Diego Suicide
Last year, months before attempting and input,” the student said.
Prevention Council.
to take their own life, the student sought Coming from an ex-Catholic,
“We are still very much in baby
mental health support from a counselor ex-agnostic and now Christian back-
mode, but what is so cool is that we have
at the university’s Wellness Counseling ground, the student said that both the
access to a national resource,” Fadaei
Center, a sector of PLNU’s Wellness event and their psychology classes have
said. “This is a very established organiza-
Center. helped them identify their own biases
tion that does really incredible work. Yes,
“I did have conversations with my toward discussions on mental health,
it’s great to be a part of a mental health
PLNU counselor, saying, ‘I just have this as well as the challenges around having
club, but when you have the anchor, the
thought that life would be so much easier mental health conversations in the
sustainability and the longevity of this
if I just killed myself,’ to which she imme- Church.
model, it’s very long-term in terms of
diately responded, ‘[student’s name], that Continue reading on lomabeat.com
impact.”
is a lie from the pit of hell,” the student

Sharing International Student Stories at PLNU

BY REYNA HUFF
STAFF WRITER
Perched atop sunset cliffs, with
a clear view of the ocean from almost
every dorm on campus, Point Loma
Nazarene University attracts many
San Diego locals – especially those
that surf. While most of the students
attending PLNU are from Califor-
nia, the university also attracts a fair
share of out-of-state and interna-
tional students. According to Amber
Nakumura, assistant director for the
Office of Multicultural and Interna-
tional Student Services, PLNU has 51
total international students, with 32 of
these students enrolled as traditional
undergraduate students.
The transition to PLNU’s campus
is not just difficult because of possible
culture shock, but international
students have to navigate logistical
problems once they enroll. Nakumura
said her main role is to help students
with F1 visa regulations, which is
the student visa they are under while
attending PLNU.
At her job, Nakumura said she
“wants to make sure the students know
who to come to if they have questions
about visas. I think there’s a lot of fear
around breaking visa rules and I want
to help them walk through that so they
know what they’re allowed to do and not
allowed to do.”
Nakumura said that dealing with
stress about visa regulations is not
something that needs to be added to the
already busy schedule of an undergradu-
ate student. She said that in her role she
tries to encourage students to connect
with the PLNU community, pointing
to clubs like those under Multicultural
Opportunities for Students Actively
Engaged In Community (MOSAIC) as a
possible place to connect with others.
MOSAIC includes a club for interna-
tional students called UNITE. This year’s
president, Maeve Eugenio, is a third-year
biology student from the Philippines. As
president, Maeve works to welcome inter-
national students on campus and create
opportunities for other PLNU students to
come and learn.
“We try to balance fun with infor-
mative, but I am always leaning toward
information, because we want to educate
people about different cultures,” Eugen-
io said.
Eugenio said she has the unique
experience of trying to create community
between people from many different
countries. She said UNITE has differ-
ent events that highlight international
students where they can share something
about their culture, like food from their
home country.
The last UNITE event highlighted
Daniel Mutowa, a fifth-year international
student from Zimbabwe with a major in
media communication. Mutowa recently
created a short film titled “Cultures
Behind Loma,” which won the first
place award at the PLNU Driftwood film
festival.
“The Cultures Behind Loma was a
video project that focuses on the indi-
viduals and the cultures they represent
on this campus,” said Mutowa. “I feel
that the student body may not know what
countries are represented on campus.”
Mutowa said that as a media com-
munication major and an international
student, he had to introduce the interna-
tional students featured in the short film
to the student body.
“Art, for as long as we have known
it, has been a tool we humans have used
to express ourselves and our everyday
lives,” said Mutowa.
The first episode of the short film fea-
tures UNITE president Maeve Eugenio
as she cooks food from her home country
during an interview. Mutowa said he
plans on releasing two more episodes of
Cultures Behind Loma before the end of
the semester.
“International students are taking a
huge step towards a better future by leav-
ing their home to come here and for most
students the only available support they
have is their advisors and few professors,”
Mutowa said.
Mutowa said that MOSAIC helps to
cater to the needs of international and
multicultural students, and UNITE in
particular is a safe space where students
can express themselves with peers who
have similar life experiences.
Eugenio said that “there’s always a
misconception that MOSAIC clubs are
only for people of color or international
students.”
While these clubs are created to
be a safe space for students of color on
campus, Eugenio said that UNITE also
exists to educate all students.
“For me it [UNITE] kind of
represents the whole world!” said
Eugenio.
To learn more about UNITE and
their upcoming events, visit https://
www.instagram.com/plnu_unite/.
wednesday, april 19, 2023
features
Hula, Kalua Pig, and More! Annual Luau at Young
Hall Fosters Community Through Food and Music
BY REYNA HUFF
STAFF WRITER
STUDENTS ENJOYING DINNER, PHOTO COURTESY OF REYNA HUFF.
As the sun set over the ocean, Point
Loma Nazarene University students
enjoyed a free dinner while singing
along to “Over the Rainbow.” The
annual luau was in full swing outside
of Young Hall, an evening full of food,
games, music and a hula performance
by Kūhai Hālau o Kawenaokalā’īoka-
lani Pā ‘Ōlapa Kahiko (also known as
SD Hula Academy) on Friday, April
14. Hosted by PLNU’s Hui ‘O Hawai’i
club in partnership with the university’s
Associated Student Body (ASB), the
event was packed with students ready to
enjoy a free meal and watch the sunset.
Hui ‘O Hawai’i is one of the clubs
Wellness Wednesdays at PLNU: A Branch of the
Wellness Center’s Expanded Services
BY LILY DAMRON AND BECKY ROOKARD
STAFF WRITERS
It’s Wednesday again, which means
a small group of students meet again to
learn from Mental Health Counselors
Angeli Montalbano and Moriah Davis.
The topics for each week cover things
like forming healthy habits, finding
friends, meditation and mindfulness.
This week’s topic is mindful eating,
so the students are sharing their ideal
healthy meal and who they would eat
it with.
Davis and Montalbano shared tips
from a colorful PowerPoint presen-
tation. As therapists on staff at Point
Loma Nazarene University’s Wellness
Counseling Center, they are respon-
sible for putting together the weekly
psychoeducation meetings.
“Therapists at the Wellness Coun-
seling Center have created the topic
and materials covered each week,” said
Montalbano, in an email interview.
“We have planned out material for
each week to correspond with common
themes on campus. For example, the
first few weeks of the semester revolve
around forming healthy habits, finding
friends/community engagement,
meditation and mindfulness.”
under Multicultural Opportunities
for Students Actively Involved in the
Community (MOSAIC), and has hosted a
variety of events this past year, including
a paint night and a panel on indigenous
culture in the fall.
MOSAIC club events often blend
entertainment with some type of educa-
tional experience or conversation.
Fourth-year biology-chemistry major
Miya Rutz is the current president of Hui
‘O Hawai’i and helped organize the event
along with other students from the club.
“This event really helps set up for
next year because it gets the club a lot of
exposure,” Rutz said.
According to Davis and Montalbano,
the aim of Wellness Wednesdays is to
help students get resources tailored
to their mental health in a welcoming
space. That is why the topics are based
on challenges commonly faced during
the semester, like eating well and there’s
space each week for students to reflect
on their skills and how to improve them
alongside peers.
“Focusing on mental health and self
care are integral to overall wellness,”
said Montalbano. “Our job as clinicians
is to help students be successful in their
academic journey. We’re here to offer
tools that provide them the best chance
at graduating not only with a degree from
PLNU but a stronger sense of self and
readiness to face the adult world with
healthy coping skills.”
Wellness Wednesdays is just one of
the programs that started since Jennifer
King became the director of the Wellness
Center. According to King, it was devel-
oped by the counseling team, including
Montalbano and Davis, over the winter
break and began this spring, along with
PLNU’s chapter of Active Minds, a men-
tal health awareness organization.
Rutz said that the meal tickets for this
year’s event, which were free of charge
and available online ahead of time, sold
out at 400.
“I like seeing how many different
people are here,” Rutz said. “ASB spon-
soring the event helps with the money
and publicity aspects.”
Students from the club helped run
the event by serving plates of food to
those in attendance, including chicken
katsu, teriyaki beef and kalua pig.
Second-year nutrition major Kaya
Goodwin, who is from Hawaii, said she
thinks the food is probably L&L Hawai-
ian Barbeque, a restaurant chain based
She also said the Counseling Center
doubled its staff in the fall and began
working with trainees from the Master’s
in Clinical Counseling program. This
allowed them to eliminate the waitlist for
one-on-one counseling and begin group
therapy and psychoeducation workshops
for students who aren’t comfortable with
individual counseling.
Outside of mental health services, the
care has been expanding for all areas of
students’ wellbeing. Health Promotion
Specialist Kaitlin Sorgea and her team of
interns are in charge of outreach events
like the Faith and Sexuality panel that
took place in February and the upcoming
Marijuana and Mental Health panel.
“This year we’ve really been looking
at the care we’ve been providing and
making sure it’s well rounded and that
no need goes unmet, that goes for sexual
health, that goes for nutrition and that
goes for mental health,” said Sorgea.
In the future, King and Sorgea hope
to continue to expand the Wellness
Center’s programing and inform more
students about its services, like free
medical care, access to a free psychiatrist
as well as a doctor and nurse practitioner
STUDENTS LEARN HULA ROUTINE, PHOTO COURTESY OF AMELIA
TSERING.
originally in Hawaii.
“It’s cheap, it’s good, you can go in
and get a plate lunch,” Goodwin said. “So
this is a little homey.”
Goodwin said she is glad that the club
puts on events like this for the PLNU
student body.
“We have a small community here,
but this feels like the community at
home,” Goodwin said.
After eating and playing games,
students watched a hula performance
by Kūhai Hālau o Kawenaokalā’īokalani
Pā ‘Ōlapa Kahiko. At the end of the
performance, some students were invited
to come to the front and learn some of the
QR CODE TO THE WELLNESS CENTER INSTAGRAM, WITH INFORMATION
ABOUT THEIR EVENTS.
that can prescribe medications including
antidepressants and online services like
TimelyCare for mental and physical
needs.
According to King, only about 10%
of students are using Wellness Center
resources, so she hopes students will
become aware of the services they offer.
Sorgea hopes more people will join her as
ambassadors and interns to represent the
health needs of students on campus.
“We’re kind of trying to rebrand
ourselves as a welcoming, safe place that
is totally confidential for students,” said
3 | FEATURES
routine together.
Second-year applied health science
major Lauren Smuck went up to learn
part of the hula routine at the end of
the night.
“I went up there with my friend,
and we had a blast,” Smuck said. “I’m
glad they had us go up and learn. Either
that or the food was the best part of the
night.”
To learn more about upcoming Hui
‘O Hawai’i events and club meetings,
visit https://www.instagram.com/
plnu_hawaiiclub/?hl=en.
King. “We want students to under-
stand that we have licensed profes-
sionals, a really high quality of care for
medical and counseling and we just
want students to know that we’re here
for them.”
Wellness Wednesdays are open for
all students to attend at 5:00 in Colt
Hall.
For those interested in Sorgea’s
outreach programming, her email is
ksorgea@pointloma.edu.
4 | FEATURES
The Reclaimed Podcast: Finding Healing Through
Health Crisis
BY CAMDEN PAINTON
STAFF WRITER
Sydnee Kerekffy, fourth-year
Christian studies major, was training
for a marathon in the spring of 2022
when her body began to shut down.
“About 75% through my training I
started to experience extreme fatigue.
My body was rejecting food, my whole
body became inflamed, I was losing hair
on my head and my skin was reacting. It
was really confusing because those ar-
en’t common symptoms when training
for a marathon,” said Kerekffy.
Concerned for her health, she went
to the doctor where a series of tests
revealed that she had polycystic ovarian
syndrome (PCOS), which is when a
woman has cysts on her ovaries that
affect menstruation, emotions, weight,
fertility and sensitivity to food. While
in the process of running tests for this
diagnosis, she received results of high
prolactin, which often means there is a
tumor on the brain. Later in different
doctor appointments, they discovered a
breast tumor.
The culmination of this news led to
an emotionally draining summer full of
confusion and grief.
Ashley Carlstrom, fourth-year his-
tory major, was diagnosed with PCOS a
few months prior to Kerekffy in January
of 2022. Carlstrom experienced men-
tal, physical and spiritual burnout as
a result of her diagnosis. She said that
she felt incredibly confused and lost as
she tried to navigate what this meant
for her life.
The two had mutual friends at the
Student Demonstration Continued
ORGANIZERS GATHER AT THE ENTRANCE OF BROWN CHAPEL.
While O’Keefe was a student at
PLNU, she said she engaged with
Fulcher in discussions about queerness
and the church. O’Keefe said she felt
supported by Fulcher. So, when the
news was released that he was involved,
O’Keefe said she felt it was important
to express her feelings to Fulcher in an
email.
“But in his email, he made it clear
that his theological stance had never
changed. I experienced a lot of hard
reality after leaving Loma, realizing that
I do not have the power that I thought
that I did to change people’s minds and
it brought back a lot of hurt,” O’Keefe
said.
Similar to O’Keefe, PLNU alum
Sammi Maraca (20) did not come out
until they were a third-year student and
a part of VOL.
“I came here and found people who
actually critically engaged with what
it means to love your neighbor and I
realized that I never experienced that
before,” Maraca said. “Through that,
I was able to ask myself genuine ques-
tions about myself. I had a lot of faculty
here that supported me when I came
out and genuinely saved my life.”
When Maraca came to the alumni
time but were unaware of their similar
struggles until a conversation brought the
two together.
“Once I received my diagnosis, I
slowly began to notice those around me
who were also struggling with PCOS. It
was no different with Sydnee. It’s almost
as if our paths merged the moment God
knew we would need a fellow confidant to
go through life with,” said Carlstrom.
While the news of their diagnosis
came with confusion and sadness, the
two shared an aspiration to find the silver
lining in this situation.
“We both equally had a passion and
a call to share our experiences with other
people who may be silently struggling
with a health issue,” said Kerekffy.
Carlstrom and Kerekffy desired to
create a space for conversations sur-
rounding women’s physical and spiritual
health.
Their hour-long phone calls about
seeing God’s faithfulness even in the
midst of illness turned into an idea to
start a podcast about strengthening your
spiritual health when your physical health
is out of your hands. Carlstrom said the
word “reclaimed” felt right for their
platform.
“When I was in the middle of my
health journey, I asked God how I could
shift the way I viewed myself. We are so
easily claimed by the measures of the
world and the standards of beauty that
the world sets before us that we forget
that true feminine beauty comes from our
confidence in God,” said Carlstrom.
protest, they were not aware that a
separate protest was being led by PLNU
students.
“I feel that it is really cool that people
are doing this work on the inside and
other people doing work on the outside,”
Maraca said. “It feels very hopeful, not
in the way that I think Point Loma will
change overnight, but more and more
people will be able to actually see what it
looks like to love your neighbor and exist
in ways that celebrate human life and do
not try to destroy it.”
PLNU alum Chelsea Klaseus (05)
said that she was not comfortable coming
out while she was a student. She said that
during her time at PLNU gay marriage
was illegal, people used queer slurs on
campus and discussions about homosex-
uality being a sin were held in chapel. For
this reason, she was not involved with
anything PLNU-related as an alum until
the Loma LGBTQIA+ Alumni & Allies
Coalition walked together at the annual
Loma 5K in February.
Non-PLNU affiliated groups, such
as PFLAG San Diego County, were also
in attendance at the Loma LGBTQIA+
Alumni & Allies Coalition’s protest.
The current president of PFLAG,
Terrie Vorono, and another member of
Kerekffy said that while starting a
podcast was something the two had no
experience in, they did not want to let this
stay an idea.
“If you have a vision for what God
wants to do with your story or with your
pain, don’t let fear stand in the way.
There are so many reasons why me and
Ashley shouldn’t have started a podcast.
We both weren’t technologically gifted,
I was going through a medical crisis, we
lived in different places, but when God
appoints you to something, you’ve got to
do it,” said Kerekffy.
The first episode of the Reclaimed
podcast was released on July 17, 2022.
With over 30 episodes now released,
Carlstrom and Kerekffy cover topics on
body image, discerning God’s voice from
your own, biblical femininity, doubting
God in the midst of hardship and more.
They aim to release an episode a
week that is typically an hour long. Their
most recent series on the podcast is titled
“testimony talk,” in which they invite
guests to share their testimonies.
One of the most fruitful parts of the
whole experience, according to Kerekffy,
is hearing the impact that the podcast has
on its listeners.
“I want people to finish an episode
feeling less confused about who God is.
Sometimes when you open your Bible,
you go into it trying to understand who
God is but you leave feeling more con-
fused. My motivation is to guide people
to scripture,” said Kerekffy.
The two agree that this podcast
the organization said that their mission of
supporting, educating and advocating for
LGBTQIA+ people and their families was
the reason they showed up.
“That is why we are here today,
to support these students in being
recognized on their campus and affirmed,
and the faculty that are also affirming,”
Vorono said.
A Point Loma neighbor who walked
by during the protest said that they were
aware of what had been published in
the press regarding recent occurrences
within the institution. They said that they
saw the protest as a pleasant surprise.
“I do appreciate there being a protest
and people coming out in support of the
faculty or staff that was affected by this,”
the Point Loma neighbor said. “I think
this is important because I questioned
how does the school, how do students,
how do alumni feel about it and is this
sort of a pervasive issue within Point
Loma Nazarene. Where is the divide, how
do they feel about it? I think it is really
positive that students are coming out.”
Norah Mann, a prospective student,
also saw the demonstration as she drove
into campus and said it sent a positive
message to her too.
“‘Amazing’ is the word I would use,”
Mann said. “This makes me so happy.
This definitely makes me want to come
here more. I did not know there were so
many people here that were so accepting
and loving.”
However, organizer Bell said the
positive feedback was bittersweet.
“I felt torn because as much as I want
to put those parents’ minds at ease, I
actually cannot confidently say that their
child would be seen, welcomed, or safe
at PLNU as it currently is,” Bell said.
HOSTS OF THE RECLAIMED PODCAST SYDNEE KEREKFFY (LEFT) AND
ASHLEY CARLSTROM (RIGHT) SMILE ON SUNSET CLIFFS. PHOTO
CREDIT TO KEREKFFY AND CARLSTROM.
would not have been possible without the
support they received in their lives.
“We would’ve never had the vision to
be so public about our darkest insecu-
rities. Reclaimed would not be possible
without the support we received,” said
Carlstrom.
Kerekffy had this to share about what
this journey of health crisis has taught
her.
“Our goal is to improve the university
and make it a place where all students are
truly able to flourish, but that’s not what
is currently happening.”
Two students create a
table to respond
After the student demonstration,
Portillo and third-year computer science
major Noah Shaw set up a table outside
of Nicholson Commons with signs
reading “Let’s have a conversation,”
and “I believe God loves everyone AND
marriage is between one man and one
woman. Let’s talk about it.” Shaw said
they remained there from 12:15 p.m.
until 5:30 p.m.
“I wanted to open up this conversa-
tion because I don’t think that there have
been alternate points of view given or a
platform to be spoken,” Shaw said. “I’m
coming from the platform of God loves
everyone yet at the same time the Bible
defines marriage between one man and
one woman.”
Shaw said that he believes the Bible
sets out clear details about the ways
Christians are meant to live.
“I believe, at least with marriage and
sexuality, the Bible lays out a specific way
we are called to live,” Shaw said.
While many students came by and
either said hello or hung out at his table,
Shaw said six engaged in the conversa-
tion.
Organizer Fama said Portillo and
Shaw’s actions were frustrating to see.
“This was not surprising, but more
disappointing because they missed the
objective of our protest,” Fama said.
Fama said that if someone wants to
wednesday, april 19, 2023
“Our life is precious and even
when you could be mad at God, he is
still worth praising because we don’t
know the full story and we don’t know
what he’s going to do through it,” said
Kerekffy.
To listen to the Reclaimed Podcast,
visit https://open.spotify.com/
show/3Hz5lg5BcQwC3td73WgIX-
U?si=0d2a75a535b048a7
counter a protest, they should counter
the message correctly.
“In no way were we demanding
the church of the Nazarene to change
their stance on gay marriage,” Fama
said. “We were there to peacefully
demonstrate visibility and dignity for
the queer student body and to share
the message that queer people have
and will continue to exist in all spaces
and further, that these students and
employees deserve to be treated with
love and respect at the bare minimum.
That’s not something to be argued.”
Walter Augustine, associate
vice president of the Diversity and
Belonging Office of the President,
sent an email to students on April 14
stating The Office of Student Life and
Formation will be providing an oppor-
tunity for students to come together
to process recent events in a safe and
supportive environment. More details
are said to be sent out this week.
The Point conducted an interview
with Ron Benefiel, a minister of the
Nazarene Church, discussing the
Church of the Nazarene’s statement
on human sexuality. Check out the
article lomabeat.com.
sports
wednesday, april 19, 2023 5 | SPORTS

Dodgers Fan Living in San Diego: A Changing

Narrative
BY CADE MICHAELSON
STAFF WRITER
DODGERS LOGO AT DODGER STADIUM, PHOTO COURTESY OF KEN
LUND ON FLICKR
If you would have told me five years
ago that the San Diego Padres would
eliminate my Los Angeles Dodgers in
the postseason in the near future, I’d
laugh in your face and tell you to keep
dreaming.
But here we are, entering the 2023
baseball season, following a 2022 that
included the Dodgers losing to the
Padres in the divisional series. Ask any
Dodger fan and they’ll tell you that was
added one of the best bats in baseball to a
lineup that already has Juan Soto, Manny
Machado and a soon-to-return Fernando
Tatis Jr. Machado signed an extension
over the offseason, also for 11 years but
worth $350 million. Machado’s and Bo-
gaerts’ deals both have no-trade clauses
and no opt-outs, meaning both are locked
down through their age 41 seasons, and
Tatis has a no-trade clause until 2029.
Additionally, Yu Darvish signed a six-
year contract and Joe Musgrove signed
a five-year contract. There’s a lot of
starpower in San Diego for the foresee-
able future.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ offseason
was headlined by the loss of Trea Turner,
Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger. Tyler
Anderson pitched his way to an All-Star
season with the Dodgers last year, but
made the half-hour move to play in
Anaheim for the Angels this year. Some
other notable losses for the Dodgers are
Andrew Heaney, Tommy Kahnle, Chris
Martin and Joey Gallo.
To make things worse, starting
pitcher Walker Buehler will remain
a tough pill to swallow. Having to watch
sidelined for the majority of the 2023
that game in San Diego among celebrat-
season (possibly the whole season) due
ing Friar fans was like choking on the pill.
to undergoing Tommy John surgery last
The scary part is that the Padres
August.
actually got better over the offseason
However, the Dodgers’ offseason
while the Dodgers certainly got worse.
wasn’t as doom-and-gloom as it seems.
The Padres just signed perennial All-Star
The Dodgers went out and got J.D. Mar-
shortstop Xander Bogaerts to a 11-year
tinez on a one-year deal, a very reliable
deal worth $280 million guaranteed.
bat to put in the lineup. They picked up
While it’s a major overpay by A.J.
Noah Syndergaard on a one-year deal as
Preller, there’s no denying that he just
well, a fairly low risk move. Jason Hey-
ward signed a minor league contract and
wound up making the big league squad.
They also acquired J.P. Feyereisen, a
very solid bullpen arm, but he most likely
won’t be ready to pitch again until late
2023 due to shoulder surgery.
For comparison, the Padres’ starting
lineup for the majority of the season
will consist of Xander Bogaerts, Manny
Machado, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis
Jr., Nelson Cruz, Jake Cronenworth,
Ha-seong Kim, Trent Grisham and Luis
Campusano/Austin Nola. The Dodgers’
lineup will consist of Mookie Betts, Fred-
die Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy,
Miguel Vargas, Miguel Rojas and a com-
bination of James Outman, Chris Taylor,
Jason Heyward and Trayce Thompson.
This is probably the best the Padres
lineup has ever looked. As a Dodger fan,
it’s a mixture of saddening and weird. For
years, the Padres were never seen as a real
threat and sat comfortably in the bottom
half of the NL West. From the years
2008 to 2019, the Padres’ record was
under .500 every year but one (2010),
but over the past few years, they’ve
certainly shifted the narrative and have
become a hub of stardom.
As I said earlier, watching that
NLDS loss to the Padres last season was
brutal. That Dodgers squad was special,
and I was fully expecting a deep playoff
run. But much to my dismay, they got
first-rounded, and not only did they get
first-rounded, but it was to the division
rival Padres. And of course it had to
be while I’m living in San Diego, sur-
rounded by Padre fans as well as friends
who are purely antagonists, celebrating
as if they won the lottery despite not
knowing the name of anyone on the
roster.
Assuming the Padres’ successes
continue and they’re even better than
last season, it might be a long season
for me as a Dodger fan. Not because the
Dodgers will be bad, but because I’ll
be hearing about it from insufferable
Padres fans if they do get over the hump
and win the division. I have to admit,
this star-studded Padres lineup has me
a little worried about the division.
However, I still think my Dodg-
ers will prevail and win the division.
They’re off to a shaky start, but so are
the Padres. These two lineups are go-
ing to hit, but pitching and defense are
where the Dodgers are going to edge
out the Padres. I’ll take the second
ranked bullpen last year over the 14th
ranked. I’ll also take the second best
rotation from last year over the eighth.
The Dodgers also ranked above the
Padres in team defensive runs saved by
10 spots.
The Padres have more appeal in
their top heavy superstars, but the
Dodgers are a deeper team with better
defense and pitching. Maybe one day
they’ll get the division back from us,
but not this year.

Remaining Friar Faithful

BY STEVE ANDERSON
STAFF WRITER

Growing up, I’ve always been a
Padres fan. I was born in San Diego and
was lucky enough to have baseball-lov-
ing parents that took me to games and
blossomed my love for baseball and the
Padres.
Despite moving to Hawaii at the
age of 8, I still remained a faithful Pa-
dres fan as the only games broadcasted
in Hawaii were Padres games. So I sat
and watched failed season after failed
season, wondering when they would
turn it around.
But after I moved back to San
Diego for college, it seemed like the
Padres changed. They were making
deep playoff runs and had an exhilarat-
ing team that was fun to watch.
It all led up to Oct. 24, 2022; I was
nervously pacing around my room with
my phone in my hand. On my phone
was the National League Champion-
ship Series, and for the first time in my
lifetime, the San Diego Padres were
playing in it.
It was the bottom of the eighth in-
ning. The Padres were winning 3-2 but
were facing elimination with a loss. The
Philadelphia Phillies postseason hero,
Bryce Harper, stepped up to the plate.
“Get out of this inning and we win
this game,” I quietly said over and over.
Then, with one swing of the bat,
Bryce Harper killed the 2022 San Di-
ego Padres, ending the game with 4-3
Phillies. I closed my phone and exhaled.
“I guess there’s always next season,”
I reassured myself whenever someone
brought up the Bryce Harper home run.
The fact that I was even saying that
was strange. My whole life the Padres
have never been good; what will make
2023 different?
Quite a bit has led up to perhaps
the best roster that the Padres have ever
assembled. A lot of that occurred in the
offseason and within the 2022 season.
One morning last summer, I groggily
reached for my phone on my bedside
table and scrolled through my notifica-
tions. On the top of the list, I read that
the Padres had traded for Washington
Nationals All-Star outfielder Juan Soto.
This trade bewildered me. Usually, it
was the Padres on the other side of these
types of deals to avoid paying big money
to their young superstars. But now, it was
the Padres with the super-team lineup.
This was a big marker in the Padres’
change of attitude. It meant they were
PETCO PARK, PHOTO CREDIT TO WIKIMEDIA COMMONS.
serious about contending.
However, this team had yet to prove league and were heavily favored to easily Despite being defeated by the Phil- already explosive lineup.
themselves. That was until the 2022 win the World Series, but not so fast. lies in the following series, the Padres So, now the World Series-favorite
National League Division Series versus Enter the Padres – a team hungry to had life for the first time since their 2023 San Diego Padres will have to
the Los Angeles Dodgers. finally prove to the big brother that they 1998 World Series appearance. So, the prove themselves again. The entire city
The Dodgers-Padres hatred runs run the league now. The NLDS was their front office decided to fuel that life. is watching and waiting for a champi-
deep. Years of torment from the Dodgers chance to do this. And the Padres did just During the offseason, the Padres onship. Will the 2023 Padres live up to
have led many San Diego fans to resent that, defeating the Dodgers in four games signed Boston Red Sox All-Star short- the hype? Time will tell.
anything remotely related to LA. The at Petco Park in front of a champion- stop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year
2022 Dodgers had the best record in the ship-hungry crowd. $280 million contract, bolstering an
a&e
6 | A&E
“The Sauce-Packet Artist”: A Biography on Alum
Ethan Chan
BY GRACIE MOON
STAFF WRITER
CHAN, ETHAN “FIGHTING THE LONELINESS (OF SOCIAL
DISPLACEMENT)” 2021
When most people think of a
sculpture artist, they don’t picture fast-
food sauce packets, pre-chewed bubble
gum and Happy Meal toys. Yet in his
innovative work, Ethan Chan turns
these arbitrary objects into cultural
poetry. Employing subtle irony, Chan’s
work touches on deeply personal issues
including racial identity, the dichotomy
“Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play” Is A Resounding
Shout in the Darkness
BY LAINIE ALFARO
STAFF WRITER
I laughed so hard that my mouth
was left gaping while line after line of
humor slid down my throat and festered
in my stomach, churning out an exple-
tive under my breath as I choked on
the reality that the comedy of this play
was deeply funny because it was deeply
truthful.
Truthful about my own insecuri-
ties. Truthful about the ways I some-
times want to disappear into a quiet,
cold, empty place. Truthful about the
generational hurt that therapy can only
make ripple on top of the coursing
undercurrents of anger, disassocia-
tion, confusion and rejection. And the
minute a bubble pops on the surface,
another lurking drop fills the well.
Ricocheting between joy and sad-
ness, present and past, hope and loss, I
was propelled through an hour and 40
minutes of storytelling that made me
feel known, represented and heard.
“Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play”
made its world premiere on April 13
at the Old Globe. Written by Keiko
Green and directed by Jesca Prudencio,
this play explores the weaponization
of Asian cuisine, specifically the spice
MSG, to advance racist agendas meant
to degrade the dignity of AAPI people.
The main character realizes her family
helped create MSG and she must wres-
tle with identity, discrimination and
false science publications.
Through the lens of a 14 year old
girl (Ami), we see what it means to live
in a community where your identity is
between globalism and americana and
consumer culture.
Since graduating from PLNU in
2020 with a Visual Arts degree, Chan
has exhibited in a multitude of solo and
group exhibitions around Southern
California. As an undergrad student,
he began his college career undeclared
for almost three years. When taking a
something to be ashamed of. Your food
is something to hide. And your family
is something to shy away from. And yet,
these extremely difficult and serious
experiences are layered with moments of
humor that remind you that even with all
this hurt, there is so much to laugh about.
Through the eyes of Ami, we see the
ways in which discrimination, fear, un-
based claims and fake science erode the
centrality of a seasoning meant to define
food, not poison it. But more broadly,
the MSG is a greater representation of
the generational hurt that grandfathers,
mothers and sons still carry and often
avoid talking about. We opt out for
silence and closeted emotions rather than
spicing life up and sprinkling the truth of
our experiences in our conversations.
I’m tempted to compare “Exotic
Deadly: Or the MSG Play” to the academy
award-winning movie, “Everything Ev-
erywhere All At Once.” The comparison
is not coming from a place of competition
where one has to triumph over the other
but from sheer awe that this play and this
film are in the same category — a category
that is finally recognizing AAPI people’s
stories that are emotionally complex and
expressive.
The time has finally come where we
recognize the model minority myth is
in fact a myth. The complexity of our
experiences with racism and discrimina-
tion has led us to put up walls of academic
excellence and school involvement, but
we are not perfect. Ami is not afraid to
recognize that truth. In fact, we are deep-
drawing class as an elective in his third
year, former art professor Jim Skalman
began to mentor Ethan and introduce
him to other media such as sculpture,
installation and performance art.
“After understanding that I could do
anything with art, I thought ‘that’s what
I want to do– I don’t want to do anything
else with my life but be an artist.’ So I
declared the major the next day, started
taking sculpture classes and never picked
up a paintbrush again,” Ethan said.
It started with a gag gift in his third
year of undergrad, when Ethan found
inspiration for a piece that would jump-
start his career as an artist. After months
of collecting leftover sauce packets from
fast food restaurants, Ethan’s roommates
decided to give a loaded jar full of cheap,
consumerist memorabilia to another
friend on the day of his wedding. When
their friend found out about the gag gift
and refused it, the jar was handed over to
Ethan for his artwork.
One of the first sauce-packet suits
Chan created was Santa Suit (2020),
which he coined as, “A fat suit made
of literal fat.” He then began to create
more suits inspired by classic arche-
types seen in American culture such as
“Vader,” “Cowboy Costume” and “State
EUNICE BAE, MICHELANGELO HYEON, ANNA MIKAMI, TREVOR SALTER, JAMES SEOL AND AMY KIM WASCHKE,
THE CAST OF “EXOTIC DEADLY: OR THE MSG PLAY.” PHOTO BY RICH SOUBLET II. COPYRIGHT © THE OLD
GLOBE.
ly flawed because of a tumultuous history
that has eroded our ability to connect
with our tiger moms, feel confident in our
intelligence and take ownership of our
complex and delicious cuisines.
Not only that, the creatives producing
the art — the directors and designers —
are also ensuring that AAPI talent is tak-
ing the spotlight in places where they’ve
historically been typecast as the “exotic”
beauty or the foreign villain.
However, while AAPI folk share
collective hurt, our stories are not all
the same. American-Japanese citizens
endured imprisonment that was phrased
as the more palatable word “internment.”
American-Chinese citizens were used
Trooper.”
As an exploration of his identity as
an Asian-American, Chan began to wear
his own suits as performance art. In his
piece “Fighting the Loneliness (of Social
Displacement)” Chan dressed up in
several of his sauce-packet suits which
exemplified classic American heroes.
These included “Buzz Aldrin,” “Spidey
Suit” and “Yankee.” This tongue-in
cheek work was an exploration of what
it meant to be a person of Asian descent
living in America. In the description on
his website Chan writes, “between the
cheesy staging and costumes constructed
solely of sauce-packets, the photographs
are made to look as gaudy as possible,
questioning ‘What looks more fake: the
questionably staged scene, or a person
of Asian descent in the costume of an
American Hero?’”
Chan’s work on racial identity is
further explored in his 2021 piece “Not
Your Country.” This was a performance
piece in which Chan chewed up pieces
of bubble gum and shaped them into
racist phrases said to him over the course
of the last few years. He then stuck the
bubble gum-phrases underneath a table
where they were photographed. Born
in Wisconsin and raised moving around
for their manual labor in the growth
of the railroad. Some found economic
opportunity while also experiencing
hostility, violence, and legal exclusion.
Filipino-American citizens were exploit-
ed for manual farm labor with miniscule
wages and promises of violence if they
dissented. These broken bodies were
all caught in the same system, but the
generational hurt stemmed from different
forces that worked a capitalistic machine
of exploitation and hurt.
While this story focused on the
experiences of a Japanese-American
teen, the messages and experiences being
displayed are universal among AAPI
communities because plays like “Exotic
wednesday, april 19, 2023
different parts of Asia, Chan’s work
speaks to the struggle of being an
American-born citizen, yet still feeling
a pull towards unaccessed parts of his
family heritage.
“I like to think that most if not
all the work meets at the intersection
between my background moving all
around Asia– so that kind of globalist
aspect– with Americana. I’m from here,
I identify as American. I don’t feel like
I can closely identify as anything else as
much– and I guess that’s just how it is
to be a mutt.”
When asked what advice Ethan has
for current art students at PLNU, he
quotes well-known artist John Baldes-
sari and says, “talent is cheap. None
of the best artists are talented– they’re
just genuinely hard workers who are
both intellectual and creative.”
Currently Ethan works at Quint
Gallery and continues to make work
focusing on the intersection between
globalism and americana. This fall
Ethan will be presenting his show,
“Planes, Trains, and The American
Dream” (with Zach Dobbins) which
will be exhibited in PLNU’s Keller
Gallery.
Deadly: Or the MSG Play” and films
like “Everything Everywhere All at
Once” intimately know what it is like to
carry emotional baggage. Yet they find
a way to use universal symbols such as
food to convey the immense weight.
The ways the actors interacted with
the audience at times encouraged us
to confront our internalized racism
or biases and at other times made us
want to join in with the dancing or
singing. Their knack at being able to
do both of those things and stand in the
in-between space of those very different
experiences was astounding.
Continue reading on lomabeat.com
wednesday, april 19, 2023 7 | A&E

After 5 Years, 6LACK is Officially Back

BY NICK HANCOCK
STAFF WRITER

Besides a few monotone sound-
ing features and out of place singles,
6LACK, the East Atlanta rapper, has
been off the grid. The five-year gap
between his last two studio albums
created plenty of anticipation for
6LACK’s newest release, “Since I
Have A Lover.”
Fans of the artist, who’s famous for
his unwillingness to stick to one style,
know his songwriting and tone have
slowly evolved through the years. Once
a cocky, toxic rapper, 6LACK used his
Atlanta roots to produce trap music
with a slight touch of soul. Influenced
by the likes of Young Thug and Future,
6LACK was trying to pull off a style
that simply wasn’t him.
However, the artist finally moved
on — maybe even matured. After once
comparing his private parts to a loaded
gun, 6LACK expresses how he’s set-
tling down with one woman and leaving
those days of being a player in his past.
On his 2018 album “East Atlanta
Love Letter,” 6LACK showed the
signs he was capable of making rap
songs about love that don’t leave you
rolling your eyes. None of those wishy-
washy lyrics that artists like Rod Wave
and Toosi recycle in every song.
6LACK’s maturity showed on his
2018 songs when he ditched those
clingy boyfriend lyrics and expressed
real love on tracks like “Pretty Little
Fears and Stan.” Now, five years later,
6LACK pulled off a romantic rap
album to near perfection with “Since I
Have A Lover.”
His tone remains nonchalant, and
the lack of features puts the spotlight
solely on 6LACK. From the intro to
the interludes, everything is crafted
carefully to work in 6LACK’s favor.
The 58-minute project begins
with a somber interlude of someone on
the phone pleading with 6LACK to drop
some more music.
“I need you to drop some more mu-
sic, cause I’m dyin’ over here,” the voice
says, “6pc EP was hot, East Atlanta Love
Letter was hot, your fans are starving so
feed us.”
The phone hangs up and a trademark
6LACK beat, made up of soft drums and
the faint strum of a guitar, fades in. Like
nicotine hitting a smoker, his mellow
tone and soulful voice hit my deprived
ears for the first time in what feels
like forever. The five year wait is over,
6LACK is back.
The first lines of the first song,
“Inwood Hill Park,” reveal to us 6LACK
is no longer a toxic city boy. He sings that
he doesn’t belong to the streets anymore,
he can see now that the rain has finally
cleared and he’s changed since he’s met
“you.”
You is the mysterious lover this
whole album revolves around. Someone
special enough to switch up 6LACK’s
whole flow and vibe. Someone 6LACK
claims is going to be worth fighting for
and going through trials with.
The lyrics are deep, and show that
a five year absence weighed heavy on
the Atlanta rapper’s soul. This isn’t the
same 6LACK from the past and “Spirited
Away,” which comes a few tracks later,
is proof.
From vices, flaws and demons,
6LACK claims he’s faced them all. No
more games and shenanigans that the
ex-player was so used to rapping about.
The lyrical quality of this album
is something one could dive into, but
there’s a lot to rave about in terms of pro-
duction. Fwdslxsh, known for his work
with 6LACK and PARTYNEXTDOOR,
works in perfect sync with 6LACK.
He understands the mood 6LACK is
working to create, and the beats convey
the love and transformation 6LACK is
going through.
Vocals from Mustafa and Pink Sweats
maintain the calm, borderline sad, theme
of this album, but never overshadow
6LACK. And after five years, I’m perfect-
ly fine with no artist taking the focus off
of 6LACK.
The middle of the album feels a bit
like deja vu, and songs like “Tit For Tat”
and “wunna dem” sound like tracks that
6LACK left off of albums from the past.
They are forgettable songs that fail to
match the qualities of the prior songs that
have that new style.
Thankfully, “Talkback” reels
things back in and sampling Nas’ “The
Message” is the cherry on top. The beat
is sped up, and 6LACK sounds as com-
fortable as he’s ever been on a beat.
The lyrics on “Talkback” mirror
those of Inwood Hill Park, and further
profess 6LACK’s love for this unspeci-
fied woman this whole project is about.
“Since I Have A Lover” is a love let- ALBUM COVER CREDITS TO - PITCHFORK
ter and an explanation. It’s the inspiring
evolution of an artist that’s grown in front
of our eyes. 6LACK’s in love, and he’s
sharing these feelings with his companion
while explaining to his audience why and
how he’s changed.
6LACK approaches this album in a
new way, and I’m all for the new noncha-
lant, and in-love style the Atlanta artist
carries himself with.
SCAN THIS QR CODE TO LISTEN TO “SINCE
I HAVE A LOVER”

Going Rogue with Chloe McClare

BY SARAH GLEASON
STAFF WRITER

The program culminated on Saturday
where the 36 students presented their
projects on topics ranging from biology
to literature to community members.
McClare’s project consisted of
writing, producing and editing a fantasy
short film called “Bottled Love” which
takes inspiration from some of McClare’s
favorite films such as “Harry Potter,” “Pi-
rates of the Caribbean,” “Percy Jackson”
and “Star Wars.” Her project research
focused on editing techniques.
“I decided on editing because I think
editing is something that has encapsulat-
ed a lot of my life,” McClare said. “I’ve
been editing since I was really little. I
think that’s basically what brought me
CHLOE MCCLARE WITH TEAM MEMBERS SIERRA HUERTA AND CASSIDY into film with platforms like Video Star
ARANAS ON SET. PHOTO CREDIT TO MCCLARE.
and iMovie.”
McClare is embracing the unknown Loma Nazarene University’s Honors An Honors Project is intended to be
of the filmmaking process in her Hon- Scholar Program. The program is a year- the most difficult project a student has
ors Scholar project long, in-depth research study. taken on. McClare said that sentiment felt
When fourth-year media “The purpose of the Honors Program true to her, but that she welcomed it.
communication major and Honor at PLNU is to prepare students for the “This project was not necessar-
Scholar student Chloe McClare was a world of post-baccalaureate scholarship ily something where I wanted to feel
sixth-grader, she produced and starred and professional life,” according to comfortable, so I’m definitely pushing
in a 30-minute rendition of the Hunger PLNU Honor Scholars Program Guide- myself out of my comfort zone with this,”
Games. Her and her crew of other kids lines and Overview. McClare said.
taped an iPod Touch to trees to act as a Mark Mann, professor of Theology Her interest in stretching herself is
tripod to make the film come alive. and director of the Honors Scholars one reason her mentor, Rick Moncaus-
This was just the beginning of her Program, said the program’s goal is to kas, believes she is a good candidate for
film endeavors. share the gift of knowledge with the the program.
McClare participated in Point community. “She’s smart,” Moncauskas said.
“She is not afraid to try things. As a
result, she often succeeds where other
people would kind of get stuck. She’s
creative in that sense.”
The stress from the project often
became challenging, McClare said.
“I think film is uniquely stressful,”
McClare said. “I think that this can be
in any art form, but film specifically,
because a lot of the control is out of your
hands. Or it’s in the hands of your team
members who might have a different
vision than you do... so I think putting
expectations on a film… and then seeing
it turn out differently can be incredibly
stressful.”
The cure, she said, is to erase the
expectations.
“I try not to put expectations on the
film,” McClare said. “Or I try and let it
develop by itself. I allow myself to go off
the shotlist sometimes. I’ll tell my crew
I’m going rogue… because sometimes
the film tells you to do things that you
didn’t necessarily plan, and that’s okay.”
Mann, who oversees the student’s
progress throughout the year, said many
students encounter stress when working
to complete the project. To help students
cope, Mann implemented several new
structures to the program.
For example, Mann said he trains all
mentors on the program’s expectations
and timeline, begins the program in
the spring of students’ junior year,
conducts time management work-
shops with scholars and creates small
deadlines on Canvas throughout the
year. The most powerful tool he can
offer to students he said is collegiality
– working in mutually supportive ways
with peers focused on collaboration.
McClare said she relies on her
mentors’ encouragement and her
production team to make the short film
come alive.
In fact, the same way that film can
be stressful – the aspect of teamwork
and collaboration of ideas – is what Mc-
Clare said brings her out of the stress
and back into the project.
“I love the team aspect of it,”
McClare said. “I like that when you get
on set you might not necessarily know
what’s going to happen that day but you
and your team will figure it out and you
always have them to lean on.”
Rising juniors with a grade point
average of 3.5 or above can apply to
participate in the program next year.
For students who are interested in par-
ticipating, they can contact Mark Mann
at markmann@pointloma.edu.
opinion
8 | OPINION
Irena Chiang, New Academic Manager for the EAC,
Shares Her Journey to PLNU
BY IRENA CHIANG
CONTRIBUTOR
The season of my life that brought
me to Point Loma Nazarene University
came like the seasons came to San
Diego this past year. Between the
heat wave, the lengthened weeks of
cold days and the relentless, torrential
downpour, we never knew what to
expect. It’s uncomfortable for a little
while, waiting for the rain to end, until
we drive through valleys that are usually
dusty and full of dry brush and instead
see bursts of vivacious wildflowers, see
hills lush with green.
In April of 2022, I was a seventh
grade English teacher at a public
charter school in inner city Philadel-
phia. I was hypothetically prepared for
my position: I had gone to Vanderbilt
University in Nashville as a secondary
education major and graduated with a
teaching certification for sixth through
12th grade. I had been a student
teacher, completed several teaching
Fighting the Spotify Algorithm With Joni Mitchell’s
“Blue”
BY EMMA PETERS
CONTRIBUTOR
“Sad girl starter pack”
“My life is a movie”
“Chill vibes”
No, these are not phrases spouted
out by a ChatGPT- bot attempting to
come up with vague internet-esque
phrases to assimilate with the youth,
but they may as well be.
These expressions, which essential- keep you on this app.
ly mean nothing without the context of
social media, have now permeated the
popular streaming service Spotify. It’s
a genius marketing scheme—and it’s
ruining the way that we listen to music. service. I only came to recognize how
According to my Spotify Wrapped
(a feature where users get to view a
compilation of their listening data for
the year), I listened to 150 genres
on the app. We must interrogate the
reasoning for Spotify to create and pro- my New Year’s resolutions was to listen
mote these aesthetically-based genres. to more albums.
Every Monday, Spotify users
can look forward to their “Discover
Weekly,” a playlist of new songs to
check out that the algorithm puts
together based off of your recent
listening. Every Friday, Spotify users
are updated with their “Release Radar,” dedicated to the nuanced and complex
a playlist of songs each week of new
releases from artists that you listen to
or follow. There are countless “daily
mix” playlists created each day based
around the decades, moods, artists or
general listening. Take your pick! If it’s the inconsistent motions of sadness, rath-
an algorithm approved choice.
Just as many have analyzed with
other social media apps, while it may
seem that the app and its amenities
are the product, in actuality you are
the product that is being sold. What
are you feeling like listening to today?
Here are all of the awesome songs that
you have listened to in the past year and for something, what can it be?”
here are all the awesome songs you may
internships in multiple cities across the
country and finished a year of teaching in
Nashville before moving to Philadelphia
in July of 2020 and teaching virtually
through the height of the pandemic. It
was my second year, but instead of feeling
more settled and confident, I felt more
anxious, burnt out and stressed than ever
before.
I was confused. I knew I was
passionate about education, knew God
was calling me to work in that field with
students, to advocate for minority groups
and to fight for justice and equity, but I
felt powerless and defeated in the midst
of my second year at that school. My days
felt long and repetitive, classroom man-
agement dominated the majority of our
class time, and I barely got to work with
issues of diversity and equity because I
had only enough time to plan, grade and
execute lessons before needing to repeat
that process over again.
like this week based off of everything we
track you listening to. The artist you ask?
You are the artist. Create your online mu-
sic profile and become another falsified
version of a marketable online self.
There is an illusion of choice that de-
pends on our assumption that we are the
ones making the decisions to craft, curate
and listen. Yet the spotify algorithm is
constantly choosing the music that you
should listen to and the music that will
Before I feign any more superiority,
I must admit that I am an avid and active
Spotify user. I have spent countless hours
streaming and creating playlists on this
Spotify may be hindering my apprecia-
tion of music in a moment of panic over
the overwhelming amount of options of
music offered up to me. In an effort to
consume media more thoughtfully, one of
Recently, I’ve been listening to Joni
Mitchell’s “Blue,” heralded by many
critics as a musical and lyrical master-
piece for the rawness of emotion that Joni
masterfully weaves throughout each song,
from top to bottom. This is an album
feeling of heartbreak, and can be listened
to as an emotional diary of the ups and
downs and ins and outs of what it is to be
in a state of “blue.”
Listeners are invited to travel through
er than curating an aesthetic of sadness. It
isn’t linear or straightforward, especially
heard with the intro track “All I Want,”
where Mitchell sets the tone saying that
her state of blue is defined by the fact
that she cannot decide what she wants: “I
am on a lonely road and/ I am traveling,
traveling, traveling, traveling/Looking
Joni’s album dedicated to feelings of
wednesday, april 19, 2023
Lainie Alfaro // Editor in Chief Emma McCoy // Copy Editor The opinions in this section may not reflect those
Katie Morris // News Editor Eliana Taylor // Web Manager of The Point or of Point Loma Nazarene University.
Letters to the editor and columns are subject to editing for
Charis Johnston // Features Editor Kelli Kinder // Business Manager
length, taste, grammar and clarity. Letters to the editor must
Anthony Le Calvez // A&E Editor Jessie Taylor // Media Manager include the author’s name, major, class standing and phone
Jenna Bernath // Sports Editor Liam Dutton // Layout Manager number and be limited to 500 words. Please submit your
Sofie Fransen // Opinion Editor opinions to sfransen257@pointloma.edu
I’d always wanted to live on the west job listings because I had suggested that work of destigmatizing disability and
coast and near the ocean, and though I’d perhaps I wanted to transition into higher collaborate with students, staff and fac-
never been to San Diego before, I felt education and work in less of a classroom ulty to create positive change in the dis-
drawn to it out of curiosity, and in a wild setting in order to have a wider reach in ability culture on campus. I also plan to
leap of faith, I decided my life needed my work for diversity and equity. create more opportunities for training
a radical change that forced me to trust The position I inherited at PLNU’s to increase awareness around equity
in God’s faithfulness and create a blank Educational Access Center is such an and inclusion within an ability-diverse
slate that would allow Him to give me incredible blend of all my passions. I campus. My hope is for our campus to
new direction. I told my manager that I get the privilege of working with every be equipped to love, serve and support
would not be renewing my contract, told department and group on campus; I get communities with visible and invisible
my landlord the same, and at the end of to advocate for a minority group; I am disabilities.
the summer, I packed up my little Honda constantly learning and growing about This season has been a blessing
Accord and drove across the country. the field of disability resources; I have and a joy, the unexpected super bloom
From September until February, the opportunity to partner in destigma- that emerged after an exhausting and
I worked at REI and explored the city, tizing disabilities and educating others tumultuous season of unpredictable
finding spaces I loved, listening to the on ableism and the beautiful diversity it weather. I can’t wait to continue seeing
crashing waves and finding a church brings to our campus. Pamela Harris and the beautiful work God is doing here
family at King’s Cross. I still felt a little Sabrina Mathisen have been phenomenal and to be a vessel in helping that work
directionless, but embraced the lack of mentors and supporters, endlessly pa- continue to grow.
anxiety I felt in Philadelphia and contin- tient and encouraging and full of wisdom,
ued to search for calling. Over coffee one knowledge and passion for our students.
day in February, my community group As the new Manager of Academics,
leader suggested that I look at PLNU’s I’m excited to continue the important
sadness will consistently surprise you.
Just when you think you’ve settled into
the sweeping melancholy of the song
“Blue,” she immediately pivots to the
more optimistic “California,” as she
addresses the hopeful feeling of going
home. We go from a song that is dedicat-
ed to the foggy feeling of depression and
the way it can color every moment blue,
to a song dedicated to a place she loves
and the longings of hope that one will
finally be accepted and whole, wondering
if home will “take me as I am.”
There is a reason this album is
titled “Blue” rather than “sad vibes”
or “depression music.” Yes, Mitchell’s
album explores the feelings of sadness
or depression in heartbreak, but she also
highlights the lighter shades of “blue”
that may color one’s world.
In what has been lauded as one of the
greatest love songs of all time, dedicated
to songwriter James Taylor, “A Case of
You,” Joni’s voice rings out in metaphor
as she compares their love to a case of
wine: “Oh you’re in my blood like holy
wine / it tastes so bitter and so sweet /
I could drink a case of you / and I would
still be on my feet.” She provides the “BLUE,” BY JONI MITCHELL RELEASED IN 1971. PHOTO CREDIT TO
emotional landscape for sadness when WIKIPEDIA.
it doesn’t quite make sense, when one
ily desire to then consume mass amounts quite align with your mood. Just listen.
ought to be happy because they have
of other music. Perhaps you want to Allow yourself to be caught within the
found love, yet there is still a loneliness
relisten, or to simply sit in silence and motions of the album and follow its
that lingers.
process the emotional motions you have journey despite the uncomfortability of
Although these songs stand out on
witnessed and experienced yourself. it. Then listen to it all over again. Fight
their own, there is something about
In all of the search to listen to music the algorithm and fake genres of music
listening to them all together in the
that perfectly fits whatever mood one like “chill feel good movie vibes.”
intended order that gives a fuller emo-
desires to invoke, aren’t we actually
tional picture of what Joni may have been
sacrificing the contemplative and rich
attempting to convey. Not only that, but
emotional experience that can come with
one is forced to sit, focus and listen in
listening to an album? Algorithms and
moments where we may be uncomfort-
user-centered streaming services may
able.
try to convince you otherwise, but try
The Spotify algorithm has eliminat-
listening to an album you’ve never heard
ed the process of listening to an album
all the way through.
because it simply isn’t marketable. After
Don’t skip the song if it doesn’t
listening to “Blue” one doesn’t necessar-