The Clause Blogs

By Karina Pineda

Last Night, I experienced music, comedy, spoken word, and dance in a way that I have never really experienced them before. Yes, I have seen and listened to people play music and dance before. However, none of those music performances or dances truly celebrated diversity and the advancement of one’s culture like the ones I saw last night. Where did I experience this diversity? The BSA Coffee House.

I have heard of many multicultural organizations at APU who put on events for students, however I had never been to one before. So I had no idea what to expect as I walked up the steps to UTCC where the event was being held. I sat down and noticed a banner on the stage that stated the theme for the night, ‘Love is: A Tribute to Black History Through the Decades.’

Right away, I thought it was going to be a celebration about musical achievements in black history only to realize that it was about much more than that. Just by watching the first performance, a poem entitled “Why am I black,” I knew that this coffee house was set up to celebrate all types of achievements in Black History, such as fighting for justice and putting an end to segregation. In order to show the struggles that African Americans had, YouTube videos that documented the history of the civil rights movement were shown on the screens above the stage. Each video was either preceded or followed by a musical or spoken word performance that touched upon the subject of love and diversity.

I could tell that I was definitely not the only one who enjoyed the music as guests in attendance began to clap and even dance in the aisle during a rendition of Etta James’ “At Last.” They even participated in the event by going on stage and answering questions from a game that the event hosts made up.

As I said before, this was my first coffee house events and I felt very honored that I had the opportunity to do attend. As cliché as it might sound, this coffee house made me think about all the tough times people had during the civil rights movement. We’ve all heard the stories and learned about it in school, however it is different when you are learning about it from your peers.

Even though some forms of discrimination still exist today, it is important for us as Christians to remember that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27).

By Heather Allen

“Sex & Chocolate,” and annual sex talk held in Engstrom Hall provides answers to all those awkward questions that we don’t want to ask our parents or friends.

“It shouldn’t be weird to talk about sex or masturbation or the issues that our life patterns,” senior Biology major and panelist Caleb Van Essen said.

With a lobby full of both guys and girls, the event was just as successful as it has been in the past.

“I’ve been to Sex & Chocolate all four years now and it’s a really great thing to hear people talk about sex because it isn’t talked about much,” senior Psychology major and panelist Ellie Van Essen said. “Also as an RA is was very cool time for some of my residents to start talking about things like masturbation and sex before marriage, and their struggles and experiences with them.”

Most of the questions consisted of whether masturbation is acceptable or not or how often the married couples have sex, but there was one question in particular that generated some very interesting answers from the panel. “Why do you think God made sex for marriage?” Half of the panelists were quick to offer responses with references from the Bible and sharing their personal experiences of mistakes that were made before marriage. ‘How do you stop having sex after you’ve already started?’ was another question asked from the crowd.

“I don’t think the questions couldn’t have gotten any more blunt,” freshman International Business major Brenton Kelly said. “All the speakers were very straightforward and informative. I thought it was great for all the students of APU to hear what a Christian sexual relationship is supposed to look like.”

The panel consisted of four married couples ranging from eight months of marriage to 33 years of marriage, and two single individuals. Each couple shared their own relationships stories, both good and challenging. One couple was actually on the panel at the beginning of their marriage and came back this year to share their new experiences.

“When Jack and I were first on the panel, we would get questions and we would be like ‘we’ll let you know’ because we were still figuring out so much,” panelist Melissa Stava said. “Sex would still be awkward because of the fact that we were only three months in, but now since we’re three and a half years in, we’re getting the hang of things. Now, we’ve grown so much as a couple.

The night was filled with great tips of how to stay pure in this day in age, how to help others who may be going through issues concerning sex, and cute marriage stories that had the room swooning.

“The only bad thing about the night was that there wasn’t enough chocolate,” freshman Biology major Cameron Wielemga said.

By: Heather Allen

Would you watch a fourteen-hour documentary all in one sitting? Most would say ‘no,’ but that’s why the English department and BSA decided to split it up into one hour increments throughout the month of February so we wouldn’t have to sit all day watching the award winning Civil Rights documentary Eyes on the Prize.

“I chose this film because it is Black History Month” Associate Professor for the Department of English Patricia Andujo said. “I noticed that APU as community didn’t do a lot to acknowledge Black History Month on campus and I thought that this would be a great resource for everyone can be exposed to. It’s a pivotal moment in our country’s history.”

Eyes on the Prize is a documentary series about the almost thirty year long Civil Rights Movement that started from the year 1954 and ended with the year 1985. The first segment begins with the murder of Emmett Till in 1955 while the last segment ends with the election of Chicago mayor Harold Washington in 1983. Throughout the documentary, highlights some of the major events that occurred during that time such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, the Voting Rights Movement in Selma, Alabama, and the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It also touches bases on some of the people that had a large part in the Civil Rights Movement including Rosa Parks, Malcom X, Muhammad Ali, and, of course, Martin Luther King Jr.

“This documentary series allows us students to experience a part of history that often isn’t widely broadcasted and talked about because of the sheer horror and reality of what took place,” freshman Graphic Design major Elizabeth Cecconi said.

In honor of Black History Month, it was only appropriate to show this moving documentary to help educate us about what became an extremely important part of the history of the United States. If the Civil Rights Movement never occurred, we would still be living in a prejudiced country and would most likely not be friends with the people of different ethnicities around us now. It shows us the struggles for racial equality and the fight for social justice that still continues to take place in today’s society more than a decade later.

If you ever need a break from your homework or are interested in the events that made our country the way it is today, come to Wynn from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM during the month of February to watch this incredible award-winning documentary and engage in thought-provoking discussions following the segment. Grab a friend and some coffee and watch history unfold before your very eyes.

Yesterday I attended the brown bag lunch discussion entitled “codependency” as part of APU’s “Speak Out” week hosted by the Women’s resource center. Dr. Elaine Walton of the university counseling center provided expert insight to the event while also bringing those who were attending into the discussions.

Walton defined a codependent as “someone who becomes so preoccupied with someone else that they disregard themselves.” She had those in the group evaluate the relationships they are in, both platonic and romantic, and also look at the relationships of those around them to see if they could attest to any codependent tendencies.

The discussion was quite intimate and some attendees revealed intimate details of their own relationships or their friend’s relationships. It was an insightful discussion that helped everyone understand how to see codependency and how to approach your friend’s about it or heal codependency in your own life.

We talked about how faith can impact codependency. One of these ways was through the sometimes unrealistic expectations of the “Proverbs 31 woman.” “Desire for the Proverbs 31 woman takes away from our value as Christians and people made in God’s image,” senior global studies major Erika Lal said.

Some of the ways that Walton discussed avoiding overcoming codependency is to talk problems through, express your feelings openly, avoid unrealistic expectations and work to meet your own needs.