Friday, March 19, 2021

THE
AUGUSTANA MIRROR Vol. CVIX
No. 8

Swanson produces album Students should be conscious of food waste Softball begins season
‘Year of the Zauce’ on Spotify McCabe calls for environmental awareness Starts strong with 4-2 record
Variety Page 7 Forum Page 4 Sports Page 10

Augustana Green, Metzel

president present on
addresses bar genetics at
appointment Boe Forum
Anna Sorenson
Noah Wicks acsorenson17@ole.augie.edu
ntwicks17@ole.augie.edu

The 24th Boe Forum on Pub-

When the Jan. 6 riots erupted
lic Affairs—the first ever held
at the U.S. capitol, Augustana
virtually—featured two promi-
President Stephanie Herseth
nent geneticists, Dr. Robert
Sandlin said she began to once
Green and Dr. Jamie Metzl, who
again feel a pull toward public
discussed the future of genetic
service that convinced her to
sequencing and the ethical con-
be sworn into the federal bar on
cerns and responsibilities that
Feb. 10.
come with genetic progress in
But Herseth Sandlin, who
healthcare.
hasn’t yet been nominated for a
The event, titled “Are We
position as a federal judge, said
Ready? The Science, Ethics, and
she also feels strongly about the
Geopolitics of Genetic Engineer-
work that she currently does at
ing and Preventative Genetics,”
Augustana.
was originally scheduled for
“For me, the reward of my
March 2020 but was postponed
work here at Augustana and the
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
call that I felt over four years
The Boe Forum was presented as
ago to come here is still really
a YouTube livestream on Mon-
strong,” Herseth Sandlin said in
day, March 15, at 7:30 p.m., with
an interview with the Mirror on
a peak audience of more than
March 9. “That’s why my heart
580 viewers watching the event
struggles with where I am at this

One year later

live.
point.”
Metzl spoke of the great pos-
Herseth Sandlin said in an Art by Elizabeth Dobbe sibilities — and subsequent great
email to staff on Feb. 16 that she
ethical dilemmas — that he be-
had been approached about the
lieves the world is at the thresh-
possibility of a federal judge-
old of discovering with the sci-
ship. But it wasn’t until the riots
ence of genetics.
at the Capitol that she truly felt
“After billions of years of evo-
the desire to begin the necessary

A look back at the COVID-19 pandemic

lution, our one species, of all spe-
preparations for a potential ap-
cies that have ever lived, we sud-
pointment.

through the eyes of AU administrators

“It wasn’t until after January
6 that I was open to having the
conversation about serving in
a different way,” she said. “It’s
hard for me to imagine leaving
denly and increasingly have the
ability to read, write and hack
the genetic code of life,” Metzl
said. “The question for us is ‘Will
Dawn Geertsema Noah Wicks
drgeertsema18@ole.augie.edu ntwicks17@ole.augie.edu we have the wisdom to use these
Spring 2020
promethean technologies wise-

A
Augustana, but the pull on my
ugustana students, faculty and Blackburn sent the first email concerning ly?’ This is a conversation about
heart towards public service is
staff were off campus for spring COVID-19 on Feb. 28, announcing that the science, about technology. But
still there.”
break exactly one year before last university was monitoring reports of the vi- at its core, this is a conversation
Herseth Sandlin, a South
Thursday, March 11, when they received an rus after it had originated in Wuhan, China. about ethics.”
Dakota native, graduated from
email in their inbox with the subject line Five days later he wrote that all spring break Metzl said three fundamental
Georgetown Law School and
“Special Message from President Stephanie international group travel programs would be transformations are coming as
clerked for a U.S. District Court
Herseth Sandlin.” postponed. genetics progresses. Healthcare
judge in Pierre and a U.S. Court
The email came as a shock to some and On March 10, the South Dakota Depart- will transition from generalized
of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
confirmed what others had feared: CO- ment of Health confirmed five cases of the vi- care based on population aver-
in Maryland. In 2004, she was
VID-19 had arrived in South Dakota. This rus in the state and campus leaders scrambled ages to personalized healthcare
elected into the U.S. House of
announcement initiated a year of disruption, to determine the safest route forward. Hers- based on sequenced genomes.
Representatives.
adaptation and unpredictability. eth Sandlin sent her initial email the day after. Genetics will expand beyond
After serving for four terms
Throughout this time, Herseth Sandlin Tupper said right away, there was little in- healthcare and will be applied to
in the House of Representatives,
and other administrators worked to find an- struction given to universities by the federal thinking about how people ex-
Herseth Sandlin joined a law
swers to the Augustana community’s ques- and state governments. While administrators ist within different spectrums.
firm in Washington, D.C. and
tions. Dean of Students Mark Blackburn, As- kept track of Centers for Disease Control and Finally, genetics will change the
later was hired as Legal Coun-
sociate Vice President of Safety and Logistics Prevention (CDC) research and what other way people think about repro-
sel at Raven Industries in Sioux
Rick Tupper and Athletic Director Josh Mor- schools were doing, they made decisions duction.
Falls. She was hired as Augusta-
ton were among those tasked with guiding
See APPOINTMENT, page 9 Augustana through the pandemic. See LOOKING BACK, page 2 See BOE FORUM, page 9
NEWS augiemirror.com Friday, March 19, 2021 2
LOOKING BACK Continued from page 1
SAFETY LOG
based on what they thought was best for POSITIVE CASES FROM FIRST REPORTED CASE ON APRIL 23, 2020 Below is recap of notable Cam-
Augustana students at the time. pus Safety reports from Feb. 25
to March 13.
“What became very evident early on is, Employee Student Off Campus Student On Campus
while everybody’s in the same boat, there 50 Stolen Property
was really a lack of real guidance and lead- March 13
ership nationwide,” Tupper said. “I think 40 Students were searching the
everybody was looking for someone to Global Education House for stolen

Number of Positive Cases

stand up and say, this is what you needed to 30 property. Campus Safety officers
do. I realized that we’re just going to have arrived and investigated.
to start making decisions on our own.” 20
That’s exactly what administrators did. Alcohol Violation
First spring break was extended a week to 10
March 13
March 26. Students then were instructed to Campus Safety officers responded
attend online classes until April 14, and all to an argument in the Bergsaker
0 Hall parking lot. The intoxicated
university business travel outside of Sioux May 1, 2020 July 1 Sept. 1 Nov. 1 Jan. 1, 2021 March 1
subject left the area.
Falls was suspended through the same date. Chart by Suzie Meara O Hearnes
“I think [that extra time] helped,” Hers- Illegal Entry
eth Sandlin said. “Both faculty and stu- pionships were canceled and the NSIC an- adaptive way. We are in uncharted terri-
dents overcame that first really big barrier, nounced that all conference competitions tory here.” March 13
which was psychologically—and logistical- were canceled. Blackburn said a lot of the policies they Campus Safety officers searched
ly for faculty—how do you transition the Morton said he will not soon forget were changing hadn’t been modified for for a subject that was reported
curriculum to an online experience?” meeting the tennis teams at the airport last years, so he shifted gears. trespassing in a student’s room in
Bergsaker Hall.
When Herseth Sandlin announced the year following their last competition be- “Let’s […] figure out how we’re going to
extended 2020 spring break, Blackburn fore the season was canceled. maintain and sustain this fall semester be-
Intoxicated Subject
said that he thought the virus would be “They were the last team[s] to arrive cause we’re going to be in a world of hurt
back in Sioux Falls whenever they got it with this pandemic,” he said. March 13
around for just the break or maybe until
summer. shut down, ” he said. “You knew that might The Scenario Planning Task Force cre- Campus Safety officers dealt with
“It totally blew my expectations of how be the last time we’re gathering for a while ated the Viking Flex plan, essentially split- a student found passed out in
at the time. You thought a while might be ting the semester into two parts. If they Bergsaker Hall.
long it was going to be,” he said. “And then
when you look around the country, you see a month. ” were able, masked and socially distanced
During this time, campus was silent students would attend in-person classes
Stolen Vehicle
things are going a little chaotic.”
March 10
Herseth Sandlin announced in an email with most of the community working from from August 26 to Nov. 20 with no fall
Campus Safety officers and the
on March 24 that, with the support of home and the doors to all buildings except break. Then after Thanksgiving break, they Sioux Falls Police Department
the Board of Trustees, online instruction the Morrison Commons locked. would continue online classes from home
investigated a report of a stolen
would continue for the remainder of the “It was eerie, ” Tupper said. “When you until Dec. 4. motorcycle at Solberg Hall.
spring semester. She walk around a campus, “We have talked COVID-19 for the last
recalls that the deci- you’re used to seeing year, and it was a struggle sometimes when

“
Suspicious Activity
sion to keep students people walking on the you’re talking about one topic nonstop,”
at home during that sidewalks or going into Tupper, who was a member of the Scenar- March 4

spring was the wis- It was eerie. When you walk

decision to make at
the time but that it
was a disappointing

Augustana commu-
“
est and most prudent around a campus, you re used just a ghost town.”
the buildings.

Students
It was

who
io Planning Task Force and a part of the
risk assessment team, said.
to seeing people on sidewalks couldn’t get home were summer months. Employees measured
Logistical planning happened over the

or going into buildings. It was moved to Stavig, Gran- each classroom in every building on cam-
one for many in the just a ghost town.
-Rick Tupper
skou and Tuve and pus to determine how many students they
campus staff provided could safely fit with social distancing.
them with food during “Our campus was really designed for
A student stopped by the Campus
Safety desk to report a subject “act-
ing wierd” off campus.

Vagrant
Feb. 27
Campus Safety officers removed a
vagrant from the area of Granskou
nity. VP for safety and logistics that time. very personal class experiences, which Hall.
“I think that the
burden, the chal- Graduation was held means classrooms are small,” Tupper said.
lenge, was just over- in the Elmen parking “Suddenly, a lot of the classrooms we Hit & Run Auto Accident
coming the disap- lot with faculty and couldn’t use because you couldn’t get more Feb. 25
pointment around staff sitting in their cars than four to six people in [them] by the Campus Safety officers investigated
that and [focusing on] how we could create and seniors weaving through those cars, distancing.” a hit and run to a student’s vehicle
meaningful virtual experiences,” she said. getting applause and picking up their grad- The summer also came with some tough near the corner of 33rd Street and
uation boxes. decisions. An email from Herseth Sandlin Summit Avenue.
Faculty members were forced to sud-
denly shift to online instruction, a dramat- to faculty and staff on June 25 stated that a
Summer 2020 Suspicious Activity
ic change that most weren’t prepared for. decrease in enrollment for the upcoming
“We’re an in-person university, [so] we Once the spring semester ended, it was school year coupled with unreimbursed Feb. 25
didn’t have a lot of bandwidth to set up re- up to campus employees to determine COVID-19 costs for the spring semester A student from the Olsen House
mote learning,” Tupper said. “So when we how—and if—the campus would open created a need for at least $3 million in brought a flyer left on the house
went to them and told them, ‘well, you’re back up in the fall for in-person teaching. cost reductions. door to the Campus Safety office.
going to have to teach online remotely,’ After the Board of Trustees met in April, As a result, employees experienced sal-
they all had to scurry to try to build an on- Herseth Sandlin said they began looking at ary reductions, 14 non-faculty positions Marijuana Smell
line component for each of their classes.” creating the Scenario Planning Task Force and 3 continuing term faculty positions
Feb. 25
On Thursday, March 12, the day after to determine safety protocols for the fall were cut and 16 faculty members volun-
the university first announced that it was semester. teered to take early retirement. A freeze Campus safety officers responded
extending spring break, the NCAA an- “This is adaptive leadership,” Herseth was placed on new hires, which resulted to a report of marijuana smell in
nounced that all winter and spring cham- Sandlin said. “We’re asking people to be Solberg Hall and located the room
leaders in different ways and to do it in an See LOOKING BACK, page 3 the smell was coming from.

Variety Editor Julia Johnson JOIN US

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Opinions Editor
Sports Editor
Anna Sorenson
Olivia Bertino THE AUGUSTANA MIRROR Holden Sutter
If you are interested in contribut-
ing to the Mirror, please email
augustanamirror@gmail.com for
Copy Editor Jenifer Fjelstad Mariah Mantz
Ana McCabe more information.
ASA Reporter Andrew Kronaizl Noah Wicks Dawn Geertsema
REPORT AN ERROR
Social Media Producer Kayla DeAlba Editor-In-Chief Managing Editor Cole Tessendorf
Laura Johnson
Photographer/Videographer Gage Hoffman The Augustana Mirror corrects all
Photographer/Videographer Camryn Hay augustanamirror@gmail.com @augiemirror factual errors brought to its atten-
Podcast Director Chelsea Felton tion. Please email augustanamir-
ror@gmail.com with any errors.
3 Friday, March 19, 2021
LOOKING BACK
in increased workloads and changes in
structure for many professors.
Fall 2020
Students gradually moved back to
campus in the weeks leading up to Au-
gust 26 as they prepared to begin in-per-
son learning in the fall. Move-in day was
organized in time shifts and designed to
limit as much contact as possible.
Blackburn said this fall was one of the
most efficient move-in weeks Augustana
has had since he’s worked on campus.
“I remember vividly our moving
process,” he said. “We did a kind of seg-
mented time that really went very, very
smoothly.”
It was at this time that the safety pre-
cautions were implemented, but Herseth
Sandlin said these guidelines were sub-
ject to change based on the spread of
COVID-19 and feedback from the cam-
pus community.
“I just wanted people to feel that we
weren’t just saying that we were putting
people’s health and safety first but that
they saw that we were,” she said.
Tupper noted that when in-person
instruction first began, he was worried
about controlling high-traffic areas.
“What scared me going into this were
two things: residence halls and class-
rooms,” he said.
But with various safety precautions
in place,Tupper said he was happy to see
that neither residence halls nor class-
rooms were problem areas for transmis-
sion. He said most of the exposure was
in off-campus housing, where as many
as seven students could have been living
together at one time.
“What we saw is obviously at those
places, they didn’t have the mitigation
plans,” he said. “People weren’t wearing
masks. They weren’t cleaning it. It spread
like wildfire in those types of environ-
ments.”
Before moving back to campus, stu-
dents signed a pledge to follow all COV-
ID-19 guidelines — self-monitoring for
symptoms, wearing masks in all build-
ings, disinfecting any surfaces that they
touched and quarantining if they dis-
played any symptoms.
Students were advised to “exercise
good judgement” when traveling off
campus, and if any rules were broken,
students could be removed from campus
housing.
Herseth Sandlin said she and other
campus leaders expected that some stu-
dents would break the rules — and they
did.
“The compliance with the pledge and
the protocols, we knew was going to be a
challenge,” she said. “But I think every-
one — again, the kind of community that
we are — we weren’t going to be militant
about policing and enforcing but, rather,
helping each other develop these new
habits.”
At some points in the semester, CO-
VID-19 cases became worrying, Tupper
said. At its peak for the month of Sep-
tember, Augustana reached a high of 35
active cases with 122 members of the
campus community in quarantine. Oc-
tober remained quiet, but cases surged in
augiemirror.com
Continued from page 2
A giant mask was placed on the face of the Ole statue to encourage Autustana students to also wear masks.
the two weeks following Halloween. As
of Nov. 2, there had been a total of 187
confirmed cases, and by Nov. 11, that
number had increased to 236.
Blackburn said the university wasn’t
ready when it came to having the facili-
ties needed to properly quarantine stu-
dents.
“There was a time where our quaran-
tine houses were full,” Blackburn said.
“People were getting sick left and right,
and we had to go out and reach a hotel.”
He said the university was under-
staffed in this instance.
“There was one time when we had 19
in a day,” Blackburn said. “It was like a
puzzle piece, trying to put things togeth-
er.”
“
The judgement of not having a
fall break really took a toll. And
it would have elevated people s
anxiety about where the stu-
dents would go and what they
might bring back.
“
yet, if we had put in a fall break,
-Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
University President
Every weekday Tupper would track
the numbers, keeping an extra column
in the spreadsheet devoted to counting
down each day until Nov. 20, just for his
own sake. He and seven other employees
communicated with, contact traced and
made arrangements for students, faculty
and staff that tested positive or had close
contacts. He remembers having 55 stu-
dents on the worst day.
“It was overwhelming,” he said.
Students who tested positive were in-
structed to contact the campus clinic and
either head home, to a quarantine house,
to the Ramkota Inn or another quaran-
tine location for 10 to 14 days.
Tupper said at first, they made a few
mistakes with on-campus quarantine
housing.
“We know that there were some stu-
dents that early on went into quaran-
tine that you know, maybe they didn’t
feel that these are the best places or how
they were getting their food provided to
them,” he said. “Those were the lessons
that we all had to learn along the way.”
While Herseth Sandlin said she didn’t
believe that the university necessarily
made “mistakes,” she did question the
decision to eliminate fall break.
“The judgment of not having a fall
break really took a toll,” she said. “And yet
if we had put in a fall break, it would have
elevated people’s anxiety about where the
students would go and what they might
bring back.”
The pandemic shifted the campus’s
entire IT infrastructure. The university
invested in the Canvas learning man-
agement system and enhanced techno-
logical capabilities and training allowed
professors to accommodate remote
learning.
But it came at a cost for professors.
“It has taken a real toll on faculty and
staff because really virtual settings create
more work, not less,” Herseth Sandlin
said. “In addition to the caring concern I
have for our students’ mental health and
well-being, I have the same concerns for
my colleagues’ mental health and well-
being.”
Spring 2021
The spring semester began on Feb.
2, and Herseth Sandlin said so far,
things have been operating much more
smoothly than in the fall. Faculty and
students have become more comfortable
with hybrid classes, staff members have
determined which protocols seem to
work best and the promises of vaccines
have sent ripples of hope across campus.
“It really has been this all-hands-on-
deck, constant, adaptive leadership of
applying lessons learned every day, every
week and knowing that we’re all in it to-
gether,” Herseth Sandlin said.
According to Tupper, reduced CO-
VID-19 case numbers indicate that the
current protocols appear to be working.
NEWS
Photo by Camryn Hay
“The spring numbers have been much
more manageable,” he said.
With the vaccine distribution well
underway, Blackburn said he feels opti-
mistic about the rest of this year. He pre-
dicted that the COVID-19 vaccine will
become a common dose much like the
flu shot.
Athletics are also looking up.
“It was a really successful winter,”
Morton said. “Now [with] moving out-
doors [and the] vaccine becoming more
available, I’m really optimistic that our
spring sports will compete to the fullest.”
The athletic department has been able
to incrementally allow fans to come to
games live, which Morton feels has been
successful.
“We’d love to get to a point where we
can have normal spectator attendance
yet this spring, but we’re going to start
slow and try to build on that,” he said.
After the fall, Herseth Sandlin said
the university “applied lessons learned
to that calendar to make sure we had
a break.” Easter and spring break have
been combined, meaning there will be
one fewer break than previous years.
Because of this experience, Blackburn
said Augustana will be better prepared
for unforeseen events in the future.
“I think this pandemic taught us to
slow down a little bit and look at yourself
because things could change in a min-
ute,” Blackburn said. “[This experience]
gives us the preparation and the muscle
memory to withstand some of this stuff.”
Overall, Herseth Sandlin said the
spring semester has been a culmination
of lessons learned so far and though
there is still more to discover, she said
she believes the university has done well
despite the odds.
“I really think that we hit the right bal-
ance in terms of offering an on-campus
living and learning experience that, yes,
had significant new protocols in place for
health and safety but wasn’t so restrictive
that it diminished the overall student ex-
perience.”
Read the entire story at www.augi-
emirror.com
FORUM
SOAPBOX
Geertsema: Cancel culture limits conversation
Dawn Geertsema
drgeertsema18@ole.augie.edu
Over the last few years, can-
cel culture has risen strong,
ending celebrities, brands and
even films left and right.
While it has its place taking
religion and racism out of na-
tional anthems, holding public
figures accountable for their
actions and other similar roles,
cancel culture has gone too far.
Today, it is pushing into the
realm of journalistic media and
even trying to forget history.
Journalists strive to enlight-
en the public and be a watch-
dog for corruption of power.
This is similar to what cancel
culture tries to do, but journal-
istic media values two things
that cancel culture lacks: ob-
jectivity and the marketplace of
ideas.
Take the movie “Grease,” for
example.
According to Express UK,
after the classic film aired on
BBC, critics lashed out against
sexist, racist and degrading
themes.
“Grease” is a film from 1978
about teenagers from the 1950s.
Of course, it was objectively
sexist, racist and degrading.
SUSTAINABILITY
Students should be conscious of food waste
Ana McCabe
ajmccabe19@ole.augie.edu
Picture this: A large plate
piled high with well-seasoned
fried rice, crispy egg rolls, saucy
sesame chicken and crab ran-
goons galore is placed in front
of you. Your mouth waters at the
tanilizing scent. As you hungrily
dig in, your friends are present-
ed with similar plates of their
own. Soon, you feel stuffed but
content.
You place the tip on the ta-
ble as your group leaves, right
next to the half-finished plates
of now cold rice and bits of egg
rolls. While you thought about
bringing these leftovers home,
your craving for Chinese cuisine
has been satisfied, and you can’t
picture yourself eating another
bite. Besides, it’s just some rice
and egg rolls.
Not that big of a deal.
Sound familiar? While this
seemingly small food left for the
dumpster seems fine, it’s not.
According to GreenBlue, an
environmental nonprofit, a half
pound of food is wasted for ev-
ery meal in a restaurant. The or-
ganization said to also consider
the water, fertilizers, pesticides
and fuel needed to produce,
Dawn Geertsema
And it was also objectively ac-
curate to the film’s setting.
You cannot expect ideas to
be decades ahead of their time.
Pretending that students in the
‘50s were is naive. Ignoring his-
torical facts is asking for history
to repeat itself. In this instance,
critics are being unrealistic
about things that are present in
the movie.
An article in The New York
Times highlights Amazon’s new
app art and the controversy
around it. The company recent-
ly changed from a shopping
cart to a cardboard box taped
shut with blue tape with the
classic Amazon arrow slapped
across the center.
Many people on social me-
package and transport that
food.
Then, add in the potent
greenhouse gas methane emis-
sions generated by all that food
waste sent to landfills, and food
waste becomes a much bigger
problem.
However, there are many
ways that leftover food — oth-
erwise thrown away — can be
reused.
Emily Worden, senior at Au-
gustana, is a conscientious cook,
and she experiments in the
kitchen to create less waste.
“I make my own bone broth
from leftover vegetable scraps
and meat bones and freeze it,”
Worden said. “Some of the fat
floats to the top, so I use that to
cook instead of oil sometimes. I
do a little smorgasbord with my
broth with ramen and meat that
comes off the bones, risotto with
leftover rice, soups with leftover
veggies and other things.”
With the help of Bon Appé-
tite, an American food maga-
zine, Worden has learned to
candy fruit peels to use up the
whole fruit. Worden also likes
to use up her leftovers in chilis
and soups, casseroles, stir-fries,
smoothies, salads and sand-
Friday, March 19, 2021 4
Tweets
dia were comparing the brown
box and blue tape to Adolf Hit-
for things that are opinions and
political beliefs. This statement
of the
ler and his mustache, saying the
arrow resembled a smile.
Times like these are where
cancel culture crosses a line.
is in no way saying that I agree
with the author’s claims, nor is
it implying what I do and do
not believe.
Week
The watchdog’s job is to hold However, I am saying that
powerful people and compa- the author is entitled to her
“I hate daylight savings as
nies accountable for things that opinion in the forum section of much as anyone but at least
are harmful to society. Mistak- the paper. Anyone is allowed to the clock in my car is right
enly seeing an entire human enter the marketplace of ideas
and his whole war influence in in journalistic media.
again!”
three simple shapes that don’t Journalists are taught to -@LayneSymington
even match his coloring is not be objective as editors, and
going to make positive change. a newspaper is supposed to
Objectively, that art is sim- gather opinions from all sides
ply a cardboard box. Yet, Ama- of issues to create organic and
“Weird how a random 60
zon had to change the art due to necessary conversation among degree day has supplied
the uproar. a community. me with more serotonin
This absurdity with cancel That conversation does not
culture isn’t just something we translate to threats and sham-
than a little pill from my
watch from a distance online. ing. Unfortunately, these things doctor every could”
We’ve seen it on our own risk bleeding from cancel cul- - @noahhovorka
campus and even in this publi- ture and into the media, and if
cation’s comment section. that happens, objectivity could
In early October, the Mirror be lost.
published an op-ed about what Cancel culture, it’s time to
“Does your mom text you that
it’s like for a politically conser- face the facts. the sidewalks on campus are
vative student on a seemingly People have opinions, and slippery and to be careful/not
liberal campus. forcing contrary opinions on
Reading the article’s com- them will not change that. Only
fall bc you’re clumsy (even
ments on the Mirror website a mature conversation with ob- though she’s 2.5 hours away),
embodies one way cancel cul- jective facts and sources can do or are you normal?”
ture has made its way, full force,
onto Augustana’s campus.
that.
- @madilindley
People tore the author apart
have compost bins with earth- Leftover food tips
worms and a little bit of soil from faculty members:
on floors in which people can
• Compost old lettuce or to-
throw in their paper waste and
matoes on a hamburger, add
food waste like peels,” Thakkar
some ketchup or mayo to make
said. “However, one has to make
it more appealing.
sure that there is absolutely no
meat, dairy, plastic or other • Repurpose meat such as
non-compostable materials in ham, chicken or turkey by cut-
it.” ting it up and throwing it in a
The health of the environ- salad, noodles or soup.
ment is affected daily when we
• If leftovers look unappeal-
leave leftover rice at the res-
ing, consider why they gross
taurant table, throw away half
you out and change that part of
a sandwich or toss the mashed
Ana McCabe the food, such as using new veg-
potatoes and green beans we
etables or bread.
were too full to eat at Thanks-
wiches.
giving dinner. • Freeze food that you don’t
Vedant Thakkar, a freshman
However, we have the power want to eat right now. Freeze
at Augie, is working toward
to create a more sustainable bones from meat and make a
creating a more sustainable
world at the tips of our finger- broth or stock for soup.
commons. Thakkar said Au-
tips. Or rather, the edges of our
gustana cannot compost most • Plan your meals around the
plates.
food waste because it contains foods you will be consistently
According to The Washing-
meat and dairy. These products cooking for that week. Beef for
ton Post, if food waste is halved
are difficult to compost due to chili one night could easily turn
in the next 30 years, the world
bad odors and the potential at- into enchiladas or tacos the next
will avoid emitting at least 10 gi-
traction of pests. However, if night with a different side dish.
gatons of carbon dioxide. That’s
enough funds are gathered from
equivalent to taking 2,570 coal- • Add liquid, such as milk, to
the administration, an indus-
fired power plants offline. dried out pasta or toss it in dif-
trial composter could be in the
By avoiding deforestation ferent sauces.
campus’s future.
for additional farmland, these
For now, Thakkar believes in-
measures will also prevent more
dividual composting could be a
than 70 gigatons of additional
solution.
emissions.
“It would be a good idea to
5 Friday, March 19, 2021 augiemirror.com FORUM

How should Augustana handle emotional support animals?

Anna Sorenson
acsorenson17@ole.augie.edu
Emotional support animals (ESAs)
are pets that provide comfort and sup-
port through the decrease of depression,
anxiety, loneliness or other challenges
that may compromise a person’s life, ac-
cording to the American Kennel Club.
Any animal can be an ESA, and ESAs
are not legally required to have specific
training, unlike service animals and psy-
chiatric service animals.
According to Augustana’s Emotional
Support Animal Policy, the university
makes an exception to its “no pets al-
lowed in campus housing” rule for ser-
vice animals and ESAs that satisfy the
accommodation process. ESAs are only
permitted in the owner’s assigned resi-
dence hall or apartment and the outdoor
spaces adjacent to the building.
To have an ESA on campus, Augie
students must provide documentation
showing an identifiable relationship be-
tween their disability and the assistance
provided by the ESA, according to the
policy. ESAs must also be registered with
Campus Life before they are permitted at
the university.
Students with ESAs must follow the
procedures outlined in the Campus Life
guidelines for ESAs. If at any time the
guidelines are not met, Augustana re-
serves the legal right to ask the student to
remove the ESA from the residence hall.
The guidelines include keeping the
ESA in only the student’s place of resi-
dence; maintaining the pet’s health and
providing an annual clean bill of health
from a vet; ensuring the pet is wearing a
collar and tags at all times; taking care of
the animal; and managing the pet while
in the Augie community.
The policy further states that the uni-
versity can remove an ESA if the animal
isn’t taken care of or poses a threat to the
owner or other residents.

Guidelines needed for pet and owner safety VS. Support animals decrease student stress

Cute critters have a
place in our hearts, but
sometimes not in our
dorms. Although dogs
are great for improving
our mental health, owners
need to consider pets’ own
well-being when allowing
them on campus.
With the growing
awareness around mental
health, emotional support
animals (ESAs) seem like
a good way to keep anxi-
eties at bay in college. But
keeping a big, high-energy
dog in a tiny dorm is unfair
to the animal and isolates
them from their environ-
ment.
There are differences
between ESAs and service
dogs. Service dogs offer
great abilities when help-
ing those with health con-
ditions and go through at
least six months of training.
They are more adapted to
live on campus and usually
are there to assist owners
all day, giving them plenty
of time to walk around.
Since an ESA doesn’t
need to have special train-
ing to be certified to live in
dorms, students should be
cautious when considering
which animal they’d like to
pair with.
Dogs like Australian
Shepherds, Border Col-
lies and Huskies thrive in a
high-energy environment,
so unless the dog can be
taken out multiple times a
day, they shouldn’t be living
in a dorm.
Dogs like the ones listed
Chelsea Felton
cmfelton17@ole.augi.edu
above should not always
be bound on a leash, and
Augustana doesn’t have
a place for them to roam
free. Dog parks and doggy
daycares are great places to
send pets to play with other
dogs.
Remember, taking the
dog out might be easy in
the summer months, but
once colder weather ap-
proaches, owners would
rather stay inside.
Also, a busy school
schedule can limit the time
an owner spends with a
dog. Keeping a dog in the
dorm all day without bath-
room breaks is negligent.
ESAs are not limited to
just dogs. Cats, rabbits and
hamsters usually qualify as
ESAs, but because dogs are
loyal, compassionate com-
panions, they are a popular
pick. But highly consider
how much goes into taking
care of a dog before making
it your new roommate.
A cat isn’t in need of
constant attention and
doesn’t need to be let out
to live happily. Cats also
manage to clean them-
selves and aren’t code-
pendent on their owner.
Finding the right ani-
mal should also be done
ethically. Find pets from
shelters and not ones
bred in a puppy mill.
Older dogs and mutts
are less likely to be ad-
opted, so it may be bet-
ter to adopt a pet that
needs you just as much
as you need it.
ESAs are not a cure-
all for one’s mental
health but only a step
toward getting better.
Owners of ESAs should
also seek assistance
when trying to feel bet-
ter. Thankfully Augusta-
na offers free therapy to
students via Sioux Falls
Psychological Services.
In no way should Au-
gustana make it harder
for those who want an
ESA to have one, but-
those looking need to
respect the life of the
animal they are getting.
Guidelines for ESAs
should be taught to
those seeking pets to
maintain happy and
healthy students and
critters.
Chelsea Felton is a
senior English and
journalism major from
Riverton, Wyoming
College is stressful.
Pets can decrease stress.
Therefore, some students
may benefit from having
emotional support ani-
mals (ESAs) with them
on campus. ESAs should
continue to be allowed
on Augustana’s campus
to properly accommo-
date students who benefit
from ESAs and create a
welcoming environment
for stressed students.
According to “Coun-
seling Today,” a publi-
cation of the American
Counseling Association,
the benefits of having a
positive social interaction
with a pet include calm-
ing, relaxing, lowering
anxiety, alleviating lone-
liness, enhancing social
engagement and interac-
tion, reducing stress and
reducing depression.
College students live
in an environment that
can induce high levels of
stress, anxiety and some-
times loneliness. Students
can be overwhelmed with
homework, anxious from
the pressure to do well
and lonesome living far
from hometown family
and friends.
Having a certified ESA
at Augustana can allevi-
ate some of that stress, al-
lowing students to better
acclimate to Augie and
do well in their academic
pursuits.
Although ESAs do
not have to be trained to
perform certain tasks or
Anna Sorenson
acsorenson17@ole.augie.edu
behave a certain way, the
United States Depart-
ment of Housing and Ur-
ban Development (HUD)
says on its website that it
requires ESA owners to
get a recommendation
from a trained profes-
sional, saying they would
emotionally benefit from
a support animal.
Therefore, there is a
process in place to ensure
that both the individual
and the animal are being
properly cared for.
The HUD also stipu-
lates that housing provid-
ers are not required to
provide accommodations
if an animal is destruc-
tive, poses a direct threat
to the health and safety of
others or interferes with
the ability of a facility to
perform its intended pur-
pose.
If an animal were dam-
aging a dorm room, nega-
tively affecting the well-
being of others living in
the dorm or somehow
keeping the dorm from
functioning, Augustana
has the authority to inter-
cede. With this in mind,
those with ESAs can un-
derstand the expectations
of living with an animal
in the dorms.
It should be acknowl-
edged that small dorm
rooms are not always
the ideal place to house
large or high-energy ani-
mals, such as certain dog
breeds.
Yes, ESAs should be
allowed on campus, but
students need to consider
the well-being of the ani-
mal, as well. Both the stu-
dent and the pet should
be taken care of while liv-
ing on campus.
Finally, allowing ESAs
on campus contributes to
the larger idea of provid-
ing a welcoming experi-
ence at Augustana. The
campus should do what
it can to ensure students
have the best experience
while attending, which
includes providing re-
sources for their mental
health.
Anna Sorenson is a senior
English and journalism
major from Brandon,
South Dakota.

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VARIETY Friday, March 19, 2021 6
'Pandemic: The Art of Survival': Adaptating to challenges of 2020
Jeni Fjelstad
jrfjelstad18@ole.augie.edu

The Center for Western Studies (CWS) gallery ex-

hibit, “Pandemic: The Art of Survival,” commemorates a
year-long artistic journey of the pandemic with artwork
by 37 artists.
“We needed to honor a year that was really awful for
artists, and we needed to take a look at what they were
doing [...] during this time of self-isolation, sadness,”
Kristi Thomas, CWS education assistant and curator of
the exhibit, said.
The mixed mediums and subject matter of the ex-
hibition display how diverse the experiences of artists
were during the pandemic.
Some artists went into nature for inspiration, depict-
ing landscapes, flowers and animals. Others contem-
plated empty cityscapes. Yet more artwork considers the
pandemic directly.
Thomas said a variety of moods accompany the ex-
hibit. One wall is sad, another beautiful, another ex-
citing, which reflects the mixed emotions of living
through a tragic time while still growing to find little
joys throughout.
In 2020, the CWS shut down for three months, so
when it reopened, Thomas said she wanted to do every-
thing she could for regional artists. Photo by Jeni Fjelstad
“We have this wonderful little artist community,” Jessie Rasche's oil painting titled "Careful Grace" is a social commentary on lSouth Dakota during the pandemic.
Thomas said. “It’s almost like a family.”
Many artists have struggled with canceled shows, vir-
tual or limited events and other COVID-19 restrictions.
“We started doing exhibits with as many artists as we
could because we knew how hard the pandemic had hit
the artist community,” Thomas said.
To help as many artists as possible, the pandemic gal-
lery was opened up to any subject matter made between
March 2020 and now.
Thomas said acceptances were limited to one per art-
ist so as many artists as possible could be exhibited. This
broad span and tight numeric limit are unusual for the
gallery.
The result is an eclectic mix of styles well-suited to
the pandemic that “zig-zag from one emotion to the
next,” according to Thomas. Photo by Jeni Fjelstad

Jessie Rasche, who painted “Careful Grace” displayed
in the gallery, said her piece focused on capturing the
story of essential workers in the pandemic in South Da-
kota. The artwork depicts a grocery store employee in a
mask on the left and a line of unmasked customers on
the right.
Rasche said this oil painting stemmed from her mo-
ments of coming to grips with that story of some people
wearing masks, others not, some people being forced to
be in public all day for their essential jobs, others not.
“It’s this thing that affects everybody’s lives in the
whole world, and yet, all of us are experiencing it very
differently,” Rasche said.
She started with photographs she took at a local gro-
cery store, narrowed the images to one that told a story,
and set to illustrate the scene with her oil paints in her
home studio. “Careful Grace” is the first pandemic-cen-
tered artwork of Rasche’s to be displayed in a gallery.
Considering the different experiences of South Da-
kotans was a common theme for other gallery artists as
well.
Rodger Ellingson’s watercolor cityscape, “Perspective
Matters,” depicts downtown Sioux Falls in sections of
bright color, gray and blank white.
“The whole thing is South Dakota’s reaction to the
whole pandemic,” Ellingson said.
The color sections represent people whose lives go
on pretty much as normal, the grayscale swaths bring in
people whose lives have drastically changed with cau-
tionary practices and the blank sections represent those
who’ve passed from COVID-19.
Other elements of the gallery report COVID-19
times from a more personal perspective.
Photo by Jeni Fjelstad
Lindsay Twa's graphite drawing titled "Self-Portrait."
Art professor Lindsay Twa has a graphite self-portrait
displayed in the collection. In the drawing, she wears a
mask and an intense look.
Twa said the piece was part of the Summer Sketch-
book Challenge that she started for students, alumni
and the art community to stay connected as everyone
dispersed last March. The idea was to put pencil to pa-
per every day to stay in practice with art.
She said this sketch felt like a “right of passage” in
a collection of artwork set in a pandemic, and even a
year later, it still fits with the global conversation and
the mood.
“That drawing for me will just be a moment of where
things were definitely not normal,” Twa said. “We adapt,
and we get used to a lot of things. But sometimes mark-
ing how we are feeling in the moment and how things
have gone off kilter is a worthwhile exercise.”
Ellingson’s style is typically plein air watercolor, but
he said this piece varies from his usual in that it adds
social commentary.
“This year has affected people,” Thomas said. “You
Rodger Ellingson's painting titled "Perspective Matters."
can see it in their artwork.”
The changes manifest themselves as improved tech-
nique from extra hours dedicated to practicing or ex-
perimentation with different mediums.
Rasche said more of her art business has transferred
online because of gallery closings in 2020.
The changes were a catalyst for her to begin a weekly
online drawing workshop of relaxing lessons with live
questions and feedback, a project she’d been hoping to
begin for a while.
Typically, Twa’s style of art is lithography printmak-
ing. However, she said the technique requires a team to
properly set the print, and during the COVID-19 pan-
demic, it isn’t safe for her father-in-law in his late 70s to
help her create anymore.
So, she moved toward a more individual art: draw-
ing.
Although she’s never taken much interest in creating
botanical artwork before, Twa said she spent much of
2020 outside in her garden sketching flowers and plants.
The result is a full series that reflects the lifecycle from
budding in spring to wilting in fall.
The CWS “Pandemic: Art of Survival” gallery reflects
these artists’ changing styles during a deeply affecting
year.
“There’s a really lovely collection of a very wide range
of local and regional artists working in a very broad
range of subject matter,” Twa said.
The exhibition will run until May 28 in the CWS
building, open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
7 Friday, March 19, 2021
Swanson produces album 'Year of the Zauce'
Andrew Kronaizl
jajkronaizl19@ole.augie.edu
Augustana senior Logan
Swanson has claimed 2021 as
his year and named it the "Year
of the Zauce," which coincides
with the title of his first full-
length extended play (EP).
Senior Logan Swanson,
who goes by the stage name of
DJ Zauce, has performed for
events at Augustana as well as
throughout Sioux Falls and in
his home town of Mankato,
Minnesota. He released his six-
track rap album "Year of the
Zauce" on March 13.
The album is meant to be a
temporary capstone of Swan-
son’s musical career, Swanson
said. This sense of finality is
partly because he will be gradu-
ating next winter.
“It being my senior year at
Augie,” Swanson said, “I was
like ‘it would be really funny,
and it would be really cool if I
made an entire album.’”
It's also because it’s his senior
year that Swanson has claimed
all of 2021 as his own.
“2021—Year of the Zauce,”
Swanson said. “This is it, the fi-
nal everything. This is all I got.”
The album is full of varied
styles, which stems from Swan-
son’s songwriting philosophy
of drawing inspiration from a
range of different genres and
sources.
“Each song has a different
flavor to it,” Swanson said.
The varying styles of the al-
bum include West Coast-style
rap as heard in “Town Mayor,”
modern party-rap in “Ferda,”
lo-fi rap as heard in “Levitate,”
R&B in “Without Me” and
louder, upbeat rap in “Time’s
Up.”
All of the songs from "Year
of the Zauce" tell stories about
Swanson’s own life.
“When you hear the beat,
what are you trying to tell?"
Swanson said.
“Town Mayor,” which fea-
tures Augustana graduate
Bryce Wollmann, covers a night
Swanson spent hanging out and
partying at the Crow Bar, then
later relaxing in a hot tub with
Wollman.
“Levitate” tells the story of
a relationship Swanson had
where the two broke up, only to
get back together happier than
before.
“Time’s Up” is inspired by
scenes of Swanson getting
ready to run out onto the foot-
ball field before games and
seeks to portray the emotion of
those moments.
augiemirror.com
Senior Logan Swanson, also known as DJ Zauce. posed in front of
the Ole statue for the cover of his album, "Year of the Zauce."
“Building your story that
you want to tell in the song is
probably the biggest way to
help me write lyrics that make
sense,” Swanson said.
The creation of stories is one
of Swanson’s biggest goals in
songwriting, as he says it helps
people connect with his music
on a meaningful level.
VARIETY
can do that for them just like
music does that for me.”
Sioux Falls producer Ryan
Adams, who goes by the stage
name of 3NAM3S, produced,
featured in and marketed "Year
of the Zauce." He said the pro-
cess of creating the album
started with Swanson’s variety
of creative song ideas.
“Logan came to me with a
bunch of ideas,” Adams said.
“We would slowly take these
concepts and write back and
forth […then] we developed it
until we had six songs that were
pretty solid.”
In addition to the five main
rap songs, the sixth and final
track of the album is an acous-
tic version of Swanson’s first
song “Who You Think You Is?”
The song features Swanson,
alone, playing the guitar and
Album cover submitted by Logan Swanson
singing the vocals.
Swanson started playeing
guitar at nine years old. He
was also involved in choir from
“Music’s helped me through-
sixth grade to his freshman
out my entire life,” Swanson
year at Augustana.
said. “So if people can find
According to Swanson, the
something in my music that
inclusion of “Who You Think
they like, that helps them get
You Is?” is mainly for his own
through whatever, whether that
artistic satisfaction.
be weightlifting, getting over
“That’s just for me,” Swanson
someone cheating on you, just
said.
being down and trying to find
positivity—I hope my music

Your ultimate guide to the parks of Sioux Falls

Mariah Mantz
mmantz17@ole.augie.edu
When the sun comes out to warm
our souls in time for spring, that means
parks are the most likely place to go to
for a beautiful activity in the warmth.
My boyfriend, Holden Sutter, and I en-
joy a nice park, but we aren't connois-
seurs. So, when March 6 rolled around
and Holden wanted to hike, I—as the
person who didn’t want to put too much
exertion into my afternoon—instead
suggested a challenge to see how many
parks we could visit in one day (or at
least until we got hungry) and rate them
on a scale of 1 to 10. Our opinions of
parks may vary, but we did get to learn
more about Sioux Falls and enjoy our
warm afternoon.
Lion's Centennial Park
6/10
Lion's Centennial Park is a small lo-
cal park with a playground and OK
space for frolicking or grass games. It
has an iconic metal lion statue with it’s
mouth open. We thought it used to be a
water fountain, but now it is just a lion
with a strange metal disc in its mouth.
Holden still stuck his head in it though
for the photo op.
Pasley Park
8.25/10
Pasely Park has a huge space set up
to act like a long pathway with trees and
foliage on one side and a busy street on
the other side. It's also home to a great
playground. There's also a creepy out-
door chapel and a secret dragon you
can play on, if you can figure out how
to get to it.
Cherry Rock Park
7/10
Cherry Rock Park is home to no one
but two playgrounds, one for typical
playground activities (slides, monkey
bars, etc.) and the other a literal spider
web. The only downfall is that every-
one knows how cool the spider web is,
so there were a ton of kids. But, it has
a cool bridge for those seniors in high
school who want candid senior photos.
Nelson Park
5.5/10
Nelson Park, A.K.A. the park where
all the cool kids go to. It has a skate-
park that seemed to be open to kids
of all ages. Not to mention it’s next to
some old train tracks, which are always
a good time for the park lovers albeit
the smallness of actual green space. Un-
fortunately, Holden and I were not cool and an old cannon that Holden looked
since we left the wheels to our Heelys at in to see if there were any old cannon-
home, so we couldn’t show off our sick balls in there. There were not.
moves.
McKennan Park
Fawick Park
9/10
6.5/10
McKennan Park is the full package.
Fawick Park is the sassy sister park of
There are rose gardens (which weren’t
downtown Sioux Falls. It's also the park
in bloom when we were there #sadface),
with the classic Statue of David. Holden
a small replica of the Statue of Liberty, a
and I showed off our best Alexis Rose
great playground area for kids, multiple
impression as we spoke the classic lines
green spaces, an area for playing horse-
of “Eww! David!” while posing with the
shoes and an amphitheater! If you stand
statue. However, it is a small park and
downstage in the center facing into the
the geese there were very clear that it
amphitheater, your voice echoes. The
was their territory.
old man statue is the icing on the cake
Falls Park of a classic park.
10/10
Campus Park
You know her, you love her and so did 3/10
everyone else that day. What can we say
Last and very much so least, Campus
about such a classic Sioux Falls staple?
Park leaves nothing to the imagination.
We saw a man juggling who has skills
If you need to make a shady deal with
that I could never surpass. It has great
a man in a trenchcoat, Campus Park
views of downtown as well as the falls
is your place to go. However its small
when you make your way up the view-
playground and overall depressing at-
ing tower. Falls Park is the perfect place
mosphere made it kind of meh. The
for a perfect spring afternoon.
only upside is their benches had springs
Lyon Park underneath them, so I shook the bench
4.7/10 until Holden fell off.
Lyon Park is a tiny park just across the See a full photo gallery of their adven-
street from Phillips Avenue. Although tures on augiemirror.com
small, it does have a cute playground
VARIETY augiemirror.com Friday, March 19, 2021 8

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) and the dragon Sisu (Awkwafina) team up to find the missing pieces of a magical orb that protects the people of Kumamandra from evil spirits.

'Raya and the Last Dragon' is 'Moana' but better

Holden Sutter
hasutter17@ole.augie.edu
The world seems to come to a
halt whenever a new Disney an-
imated movie comes out. Films
like “Zootopia” and “Moana”
were bona fide instant classics,
and I still have nightmares of
“Let It Go” playing several times
essary to save Kumandra from preachy a lot of the time.
certain doom. But Raya herself is where the
Like most Disney movies, real meat lies. Her rivalry with
the animation is absolutely gor- Namaari, played by Gemma
geous. What makes it stand out Chan and Jona Xiao, a princess
is how it blends realistic envi- from another tribe, drives the
ronments with the cartoonish whole plot from the very start.
designs of the characters and Each encounter they have gets
creatures. Other films have progressively more tense, and
d
James Willar
“Raya and the Last Dragon.”
While that may make it seem
less original, it manages to com-
bine all of those elements to
make what is wholly unique for
a Disney film.
One surprising difference be-
tween this and “Moana” is the
lack of songs. For once Disney

done this, most recently “Soul,” it leads up to a truly exciting didn’t feel the need to make their
in a row on the radio. Now, it’s
but this film makes it look the climax that was as cathartic as newest Disney princess film a
surprising that we just got a
most seamless and natural. it was harrowing. (No spoilers musical, and it’s all the better
new Disney movie that no one
The gorgeous designs com- here, don’t worry.) for it. If songs were shoehorned
seems to be talking about. It’s a
plement some fantastic, original That being said, I’m now re- in here, it would’ve greatly con-
shame, because “Raya and the
characters. As Raya travels, she alizing just how much lore and flicted with the tone and pacing.
Last Dragon” is the best Disney
gathers a troupe of comic-relief plot there is to this film. It’s so Is “Raya and the Last Drag-
movie I've seen in a while.
Long after the era of dragons
characters who all have their
Raya and the Last jam packed that I almost wish it on” worth the $30 that Disney

Dragon
own unique tragic backstories were a TV series instead. Noth- has the audacity to ask for it?
has ended, five tribes struggle
and sense of humor. Two char- ing seems particularly underde- No, but I struggle to think of a
to control the last remnants of
magic in the land of Kumandra.
acters in particular—a baby and Starring: Kelly Marie Tran veloped, but I just wish the film movie that would be. Luckily it’s
A princess from one of these
a boy who owns a shrimp boat— and Awkwafina could have spent more time in being added to Disney+ for free
steal every scene they’re in. each location. in June, so perhaps then more
tribes, Raya—played by Kelly
Awkwafina’s dragon charac- Director: Don Hall and If you were to combine the people will be able to enjoy
Marie Tran—accidentally un-
ter Sisu was probably the most Carlos López Estrada journey from “Moana” with the “Raya and the Last Dragon” for
leashes an ancient evil and must
grating part. I didn’t find many Distributor: Walt Disney setting and political conflict of the fun romp that it is.
travel throughout the different
of her jokes funny, and she Studios “Avatar: The Last Airbender,"
tribes gathering the magic nec-
just came off as annoying and you’d probably end up with

Check out our

'Viking Reflections'
podcast Scan this barcode to listen on Spotify
9 Friday, March 19, 2021
BOE FORUM Continued from page 1
Metzl noted that these innovations come with
the possibility of risk.
“This moment comes with a tremendous
amount of danger,” Metzl said. “What role can we
play to do our bit to make sure that these tech-
nologies are used in the wisest possible ways that
enhance our communities rather than under-
mine it?”
Metzl also put genetics into the context of the
ongoing pandemic. He said the speed and effec-
tiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines points to the
“magic of biotech and genetics revolutions.”
Green argued that there are three narratives
that have kept genetic sequencing from general
public health care: a narrative of catastrophic
emotional distress, a narrative of genetic com-
plexity that clinicians won’t be able to translate
and a narrative of a threat to privacy and invita-
tion to insurance discrimination.
To negate these fears, Green provided evidence
that although emotional distress can occur, pa-
tients are less likely to react negatively when they
find out their genetic information when they view
it as unexceptional and a part of their day-to-day
health. Green also said that by simplifying the
human genome, clinicians can be trained to read
the sequencing of several genes just like charts.
Also, Green said there are federal laws in place
to help protect against insurance discrimination.
There are four domains of information that
can be learned from sequencing a genome, ac-
cording to Green. First, monogenic dominant
genes determine traits for individuals. Second,
monogenic recessive genes can determine traits
for an individual’s children. Third, pharmaco-
genetics helps physicians comprehensively pre-
scribe drugs. And finally, polygenic risk scores
are composed of thousands of markers that create
a bell curve when computationally put together.
Green ended his remarks by speaking about
Student of the Month
Claire Eisworth
Majors: Biology and Spanish with a pre-
Physician Assistant concentration
Hometown: Bloomington, North Dakota
Activities: Campus Ministry, Augustana
Choir, chemistry and biology TA
Cecelia Miles, associate professor of de-
velopmental biology, said, “Claire has main-
tained a remarkably positive attitude in both
the current challenging semester and in my
past experience working with her. Her pres-
ence raises participation levels in the class-
room and promotes a safe and inclusive at-
mosphere for which I have been very grateful
on more than a few occasions. She is a pleasure to have in the classroom.”
Dr. Gubbels, associate professor of physiology and immunology, said, “Claire is just a
gem! She is smart, kind, and fascinated by all thing’s biology. She has a genuine passion
for learning. I loved having her in class.”
Paid for by Augustana Student Association
augiemirror.com NEWS
health disparity and fears of a “genomic apart-
heid.” He said as of now, the majority of par-
ticipants in genetic sequencing have European
ancestry. Genetic data looks different when se-
quenced from non-European ancestries, Green
said, stressing the importance of having a more
diverse database.
“One of the things we’re going to focus on is
trying to address the diversity problem in genom-
ics,” Green said. “We have to do whatever’s neces-
sary to collect the data from diverse populations.”
The Boe Forum concluded with the doctors
responding to questions from Augustana jour-
nalism and biology students and genetic counsel-
ing graduate students. Moderated by President
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Metzl and Green
answered questions on equity in genetics, future
risks, biohacking and regulation, preventative ge-
netic policy and the ongoing investigation into
the origins of the coronavirus.
Herseth Sandlin hosted the forum. She noted
in her introduction that Augustana partnered Photo by Augustana Marketing and Communications
with Sanford Imagenetics in 2016 to establish a
master’s program in genetic counseling. At the APPOINTMENT Continued from page 1
time, the program was one of only 32 in the coun-
na’s president in 2017. eral counsel to Raven Indus-
try.
Herseth Sandlin said tries.
Metzl is a senior fellow for technology and na-
that because she hasn’t been If Herseth Sandlin is nom-
tional security with the Atlantic Council and an
nominated, she is not at a inated, she knows she will
appointee to the World Health Organization ex-
“decision point” yet. have an important decision
pert advisory committee. His latest book, “Hack-
“It’s really the discern- to make.
ing Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future
ment process at this stage,” “That’s where I struggle
of Humanity,” speaks to his specialty in making
she said. and I’ll continue to wrestle
revolutionary science understandable to the gen-
She said that she was first and discern,” she said. “But
eral public, according to the university website.
admitted to practice in Fed- that doesn’t in any way di-
Green, a physician-scientist and Harvard pro-
eral Court in 2000 when she minish how strongly I feel
fessor of medicine, is an internationally recog-
was on the East Coast, but about the importance of our
nized leader in conducting research and has es-
didn’t have the occasion to work, my love of this work
tablished the first family-oriented Preventative
appear before the local fed- and my commitment to this
Genomics Clinic, according to the Augustana
eral bar when she was gen- community.”
University website.
SPORTS 10

Softball enters season with hope

augiemirror.com Friday, March 19, 2021

Cole Tessendorf
cdtessendorf17@ole.augie.edu

After winning the 2019 NCAA Divi-

sion II Softball Championship, the Vi-
kings were ready to go the distance again
in 2020. COVID-19 had other plans.
The Vikings were 16-3 with seven-
straight wins when the pandemic shut
down collegiate play on March 13, 2020.
The team unofficially finished fourth
according to the National Fastpitch
Coaches Associations (NFCA) poll.
As she enters her 15th season as head
coach of the Augustana softball team,
Gretta Melstad said her team’s mind-
set remains the same: to go as far in the
NCAA postseason as it can.
“Winning the DII [NCAA Tourna-
ment] in 2019 does add pressure, but
that pressure is a privilege,” Melstad
said. “In reality, we just want to play ball
again. When something that you love
gets taken away, all we wanted to do was
take ground balls, play catch and com-
pete again.”
On Feb. 26, the Vikings got their
wish. Playing six games in the span of
three days, the Vikings faced off against
some of best competition in DII, includ-
ing No. 4 University of Texas Tyler and
No. 7 Texas A&M Commerce.
“Playing for the first time in almost a
year was crazy and so much fun,” senior
Ashley Mickschl said. “We all definitely
had first-game jitters, but… it came to-
gether just like riding a bike—we just
went out there and did what we knew
how to do.”
Coming away from weekend 4-2,
Melstad is extremely pleased with how
her team played, especially after facing
southern universities who have been
practicing outside for months.
“Many coaches schedule cupcake
teams to get wins and build confidence,”
Melstad said. “Our confidence comes
from playing the tough teams and get-
ting tested. We know right away what
level we need to be at.”
Melstad said she likes to strengthen
the team with these two-by-four games.
“If we want to be among the best in
the country, we need to play the best,”
senior Kendall Cornick said. “I would
rather face tough competition early on,
figure out what we need to do, make
those changes early on.”
Mickschl and Cornick are just a few
Photo by GoAugie
The women s softball team played Texas Women s University and the University of Texas Tyler on Feb. 28.
serve as leaders on the team. Senior Ab-
bie Lund ended 2020 with a team-high
.483 average and junior Mary Pardo fin-
ished with a .696 slugging percentage.
Melstad believes that these experienced
players are one of the factors that could
lead them to another postseason run.
“Anybody can have one good year,”
Melstad said. “But I believe that the tal-
ent, leadership and the intangibles are
on our side to have another run in the
postseason.”
One of the “intangible” factors that
Melstad believes sets her team apart is
the culture.
“When we recruit, we look for stu-
dent-athletes that buy into our culture
[…] and uphold the standards of our
program,” Melstad said. “I look for girls
who really care about their future and
Photo by GoAugie
family […] and are playing for the peo-
ple around them, before and after them.” The softball team enters this season with a 4-2 record after their first games.
Mickschl and Cornick both agree that
ily […] that just takes care of each other sky is really the limit.”
the softball program is so much more
no matter what.” To Melstad, it all comes back to the
than a group of athletes playing a sport.
Cornick said the team has a support- mission of Augustana.
“My teammates and I pride ourselves
ive atmosphere. “Being a part of Augustana softball is
on holding each other accountable in any
“We have a lot of talent from the out- something special,” Melstad said. “My
aspect of our lives,” Mickschl said. “That
field to the infield to our pitchers and goal is for each of my players to leave the
involves getting after people if they are
catchers,” Cornick said. “Combine that program better than when they found it,
not meeting our high standards, but also
with our work ethic and our culture, the and that’s what Augustana is all about.”

Volleyball in competition season

of the talented returning starters that becoming one big team and one big fam-

Olivia Bertino with a fall season as normally played so competition season does not affect eligi- The team has two hour practices ev-
orbertino19@ole.augie.edu
long as the NCAA or NSIC allow a regu- bility for players, as the NCAA allowed ery day except for Sunday, with eight
lar season. an extra year of competitive gameplay scrimmages scheduled throughout the
After losing its traditional fall season
“We had to declare this spring our for all sports. season.
to COVID-19, the volleyball team chose
championship season, which allows “We tried to keep it semi-normal,” Ja- Sophomore libero Erika Bute said her
to declare this spring as its competition
us to have some more opportunities to cobs said. “Ironically, the way that most schedule was much lighter in the fall,
season.
play, or scrimmage, as well as some more of our players work things out is they’ll and some players had their harder class-
The team is scrimmaging against oth-
dates to practice,” head coach Jennifer schedule their tougher classes in the es scheduled this spring.
er teams in the league, which allows it to
Jacobs said. spring usually and their lighter sched- “I know it’s tough because it can be
have unofficial games now that the NSIC
Jacobs said declaring this spring as ules in the fall.”
allows gameplay. The team will proceed See VOLLEYBALL, page 11
11 Friday, March 19, 2021 augiemirror.com SPORTS

Photo by GoAugie
The women s distance medley team placed fourth out of 10 teams with a time of 11:35.55, landing the group the school record and All-American awards.

TRACK Continued from page 12

2.03m and 831 points.
The women’s medley team placed No.
4 out of 10 teams with a time of 11:35.55.
Running was sophomore Patty Jo Eng-
lish, senior Sydney Mudgett, sopho-
more Cami Streff, and junior Nicolette
Schmidt. The team received All-Ameri-
can honors and set a new school record.
“We all went out there and gave ev-
erything we had for this team and came
together for each other,” Schmidt said.
“You could really feel the team energy
during the relay, and I’m beyond proud
of how we competed.”
English also placed No. 5 in the wom-
en’s mile with a time of 4:57.00.
“I am most proud of the way I didn’t
let the experience of other runners in the
field scare me away from my goals,” Eng-
lish said. “Especially in the final half of
the mile final, I am proud of the way I
dug deep to have a good finish.”
While junior Callin Naddy did not
qualify for the final race in the women’s
one mile, she said she was proud to see
the success of the team as a whole.
“It’s kind of hard to be proud of a last
place finish. On my cool down, I was ob-
viously super disappointed in that and
then not getting a chance at the DMR,”
Naddy said. “But I’m trying to keep it in
perspective. I qualified as an individual
which is a huge accomplishment for me
right now. So I just want to continue this
momentum and keep qualifying or at
least being close to qualifying in outdoor
and cross country and just the rest of the
seasons.”
First Team All-Americans included
sophomore Elizabeth Schaefer in the
pentathlon, Woelber in the heptathlon,
senior Mearah Miedema in the high
jump, English in the mile and distance
medley relay, Schmidt in the mile and
distance medley relay, Mudgett in the
distance medley relay, Streff in the dis-
tance medley relay and Miller in the
mile and 800-meter.
Second Team All-Americans includ-
ed sophomore Lawrence Lokonobei in
60-meter hurdles and senior Meagan
Schenk in the mile.
“Walking away from the weekend
with All-Americans in seven events is
absolutely remarkable,” English said.
“What’s more, bringing 11 athletes to
the national meet is close to the largest
group we have ever had, and that isn’t in-
cluding the talented individuals we left
back home. I’m confident that Augus-
tana Track will be bringing 10-plus ath-
letes to every national meet from here
on out.”

VOLLEYBALL Continued from page 10

a grind not playing and having
a lot of practices, but I feel like
everyone stayed very focused
and very positive throughout
everything,” Bute said.
Jacobs said the Vikings tried
to keep their practices as regu-
lar as a normal year. This Feb-
ruary they held individual prac-
tices, and March and April will
resume with regular practices.
“I have yet to have a true
spring season,” Bute said. “I
would say it’s probably a little
less than I was hoping consider-
ing we didn’t have a season this
fall.”
The scrimmages right now
have no officials or referees and
no spectators, but Jacobs said
she hopes fans will be allowed
soon. Bute said this will prob-
ably start as two spectators for
each player and move up from
there.
“I think they’re glad to be
playing,” Jacobs said. “To be
back and playing against some-
one else instead of just ourselves
is huge.”
Bute said the seniors who are
not returning for an extra year
chose not to participate in the
scrimmages. She does appreci-
ate that next fall’s team will con-
sist of everyone who is currently
scrimmaging, plus recruits.
“We’re in a really good place,”
Bute said. “We are all super
close and everyone gets along,
so it’s really fun to be a part of.” Photo by GoAugie
Volleyball Head Coach Jennifer Jacobs declared this spring the official competition season.
SPORTS
AOP climbing indoors
The Augie Outdoor Program took students to Frontier Climbing and Fitness for an indoor climbing experience.
Laura Johnson
lajohnson19@ole.augie.edu
A bright green climbing hold shaped
like a devious octopus is just out of
reach, taunting sophomore Sean Bo-
land as he contemplated his chances
of surviving this daring leap. Director
of the Augustana Outdoor Program
(AOP) Ryan Brown yelled from the
floor below to use leverage in order to
reach beyond what should be humanly
possible. Boland leapt across the wall
and successfully gripped the hold long
enough for him to achieve a strong
foothold. Brown cheers him on as Bo-
land scales the rest of the wall.
The AOP hosted one of its many rock
climbing events on Thursday, March 4
,at Frontier Climbing and Fitness. The
AOP hosts similar events at a variety
of facilities throughout the Sioux Falls
area.
“I think rock climbing brings a chal-
lenge to people,” Brown said. “It pushes
them outside their comfort zone.”
Depending on the location, students
have a chance to learn a variety of rock
climbing skills: bouldering, scaling, be-
laying, etc. Rock climbing destinations
Friday, March 19, 2021
vary because each facility has different
benefits. When the weather is more
predictable and conducive to climbing,
students have the opportunity to climb
cliff faces outdoors at places like the
Palisades State Park. At Frontier, there
are multiple levels of difficulty and
types of climbing.
“It’s a great sport for people of all dif-
ferent levels,” Brown said. “You can start
with easy climbs, and you can move up
to more challenging ones. There really
is no limit to where you can go with it.”
At indoor places, students have to
pay a fee, about $10, though AOP cov-
ers the rest of the admission costs. Some
places such as Central Church do not
charge an admission fee, and students
can climb as long as they want.
Boland has attended multiple AOP
rock climbing events. He said he enjoys
“meeting everyone as well as getting
a good workout in.” Boland said he is
at a beginner skill level, though he has
learned about the importance of “plan-
ning ahead.” Learning to think and
strategize has been a skill Boland has
applied outside of the sport as well.
“It’s fun,” Boland said. “It’s still chal-
lenging at parts, but there is still stuff
12
Photo by Laura Johnson
where I feel like I got this and I know
what I am doing.”
The AOP has been facilitating these
events all year and has accumulated
regular climbers. Students have the op-
portunity to learn more than just rock
climbing. Many have expressed interest
in learning how to belay and how to set
up anchors at outdoor climbing events.
“We’ve really grown a core of stu-
dents who are coming regularly in
climbing,” Brown said. “[I have been]
able to see them really grow in their
skills and abilities and really take their
climbing to the next level.”
With the variety of skill levels and
variable times, Augustana students have
the chance to experience something
new while being active. Rock climbing
creates an opportunity for students to
move beyond their limits with the en-
couragement of faculty and peers.
Boland pulled himself up at the top of
the wall using the last green handhold.
Feeling accomplished, he leaned back
against his harness and let his weight
carry him down slowly with the electric
belay. On his way to the ground, Boland
said he was already visualizing his next
climb, focusing on the big picture.
Track competes
at NCAA national
championships
Olivia Bertino
orbertino19@ole.augie.edu
Augustana Track and Field sent 10
athletes to the NCAA Indoor Champi-
onships in Birmingham, Alabama on
March 11 - 13. After a weekend of per-
sonal bests and All-American awards,
the men’s team was No. 33 out of 44
teams, and the women’s team placed
No. 12 out of 48 teams for their highest
placement in the program’s history.
“We are very pleased with the results
of the national championships,” Augus-
tana head coach Tracy Hellman said in a
release. “All of our athletes performed at
a very high level, and we finished the in-
door campaign with multiple All-Amer-
icans and personal bests.”
Senior Austin Miller qualified for
the final races in both the men’s mile
and 800-meter with qualifying times of
4:06.86 and 1:52.12 respectively. He then
placed seventh in the mile and eighth in
the 800-meter.
“I don’t think many people thought
that I could make both finals since it
was such a tight turnaround between
events,” Miller said. “I pride myself on
always racing to win, so at first seventh
and eighth place in those events was a
tough pill to swallow.”
Miller said it took a lot of physical
and mental energy to prepare and com-
pete at a national level.
“I am really proud of how my team-
mates and I dealt with the stress of being
at an NCAA championship,” Miller said.
“It has been a long time since we have
been able to compete at a track meet of
this caliber because of COVID restric-
tions. It felt good to get back out there
and compete against the best runners in
Division II.”
In the No. 4 men’s high jump heptath-
lon, junior Tyl Woelber, placed first with
See TRACK, page 11
Photo by GoAugie
Sophomore Elizabeth Schaefer
receives her All-American honor in
the women s pentathalon.