SPORTS TROY LEAF LEAVES LEGACY IN FINAL SEASON 12

LIFESTYLE BSA HOLDS ANNUAL EXPRESSIONS NIGHT 5

OPINION IS THE DISNEYLAND EXPERIENCE WORTH THE MONEY? 9

ClauseWEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 VOL. 51, NO. 13 WWW.THECLAUSE.ORG

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Womens basketball looks to win PacWest championship 11

BASKETBALL HEADS TO PLAYOFFSMens basketball earns No. 2 seed, first-round bye, No. 4-seeded womens team to play Academy of Art in first round

Landon Trokaassistant sports editor

Katie Richcreeksports editor

APU Sports Information COURTESYHead coach Justin Leslie holds up the net after clinching a share of the PacWest title. This is his first conference championship since taking the helm in the 2007-08 season.

Azusa Pacific enters the PacWest Men's Bas-ketball Championship tournament having earned the No. 2 seed after finishing 17-3 in conference and tying with Dixie State for the regular-season title.

The Cougars lost the tie-breaker to the Red Storm for the first overall seed. As the top two seeds, both schools have earned first-round byes.

"Each team poses a different matchup for us," said APU senior guard Troy Leaf. "A different matchup problem, a different matchup advantage. But at this point, we have to beat the best teams in our league if we want to win a tournament cham-pionship."

Azusa Pacific closed out the regular season with five straight wins. During that stretch, the Cougars avenged road losses to BYU-Hawaii and California Baptist.

APU is ranked 13th in the national coaches poll and first in the most recent West Region poll the one that determines its fate in the NCAA tournament.

The Cougars have avoided the injury bug, maintaining the same starting five for all 28 reg-ular-season games. The team will also be well-rested, having played only one game in 11 days preceding the PacWest tournament. It's a recipe for continued success for the senior-led Cougars.

The team is likely to make the NCAA tourna-ment regardless of the outcome of the conference tournament, but the Cougars want to prove that their regular-season championship and current re-gional ranking are no accident.

"We want to go in there with something to prove. We want to prove that it wasnt a fluke that we won in the regular season," Leaf said.

The Cougars have beaten every team in the field and are confident that regardless of the matchups, there is an opportunity for success.

The votes are in and counted for Azusa Pacific Universitys 2015-2016 Student Government Association elections. Taking on the coming year are President Max Walden, Vice President Jacova Snyder and Controller Nicole Hag-gard.

SGA is an organization com-posed of six executive board mem-bers who work under the leader-ship of the elected president to encourage the student body to in-teract with the community.

These officials act as a bridge between the students and the ad-ministration, providing a voice in university decision-making on be-half of the student body.

The new SGA team has a lot to focus on, but it is determined to accomplish its goals of better com-munication with the student body and integrating the group with the students more efficiently.

My hope is to make the orga-nization valuable to every student. Creating this new image invites

the student body to join SGA in the important work were doing on campus, said Walden, senior physics major.

Lack of communication with students has been a recurring is-sue with SGA. In a majority of the speeches given by candidates during the 2015-2016 election process, speakers expressed their understanding that students are unaware of SGA or what role it plays on campus.

If you go back and watch the speeches for the last eight years or so, you will see consistently in al-most every speech the candidates citing poor communication be-tween SGA and the student body, and an overall sense that students dont know what it does, said current SGA President Brian Jes-sup, a senior business major.

The concept of an interactive student government has been ide-al for SGA teams over the years and that is still being reached for into a new year.

Similarly, students feel left in the dark when it comes to under-standing SGAs role on campus.Many students admit to never stopping by its office or getting involved in SGA events, which leaves them with little informa-tion about the organization.

Students select new SGA team

Erin Antochguest writer

New SGA members outline their plans for the next term

see SGA 6

see BASKETBALL 11

Blake Standal PHOTO

This week, Azusa locals checked ballot boxes in the March election, one of which was a vote for or against Measure A, which proposes a raise in the transient occupancy room tax rate.

The TOT is also known as a "bed tax," one a person pays when staying at a hotel.

According to Azusa city attor-ney, the current 7.5 percent bed tax "is imposed upon paying guests of

hotels within the city for occupy-ing a room or other hotel space for dwelling, lodging or sleeping pur-poses for a period of 30 consecu-tive days or less. ... The passage of Measure A would increase the tax rate to 10 percent."

Compared with other cities, this is a relatively low rate.

The city of Anaheim has a 15 percent TOT and receives more frequent visitors, given attrac-tions like Disneyland and Cali-fornia Adventure.

Nearby cities, including Du-arte, Monrovia and Pomona, all have rates at 10 percent.

The cities around us all have bed taxes at 10 percent, which is the norm. If our voters approve it, we will see another $47,000 more in revenue," Azusa Mayor Joe Rocha said.

New hotel in Azusa may be preceded by tax increaseMarch 3 election has measure to raise bed tax before opening of new facilityBrooke Seipelstaff writer

see MEASURE A 4

Kimberly Smith PHOTOA local Super 8 hotel at 117 North Azusa Avenue is a two-star hotel.

The following are selected inci-dents as reported from the Daily Media Log from Feb. 22 through Feb. 28, courtesy of Campus Safe-ty.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25SMITH HALLOfficer received a suspicious phone call from a male shout-ing over the phone for help. Of-ficer responded to check the area. No subject was located.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25PARKING LOT HReporting party advised of a car that had been circling the parking lot for 45 minutes. Officers responded but could not locate the vehicle.

THURSDAY, FEB. 26FOOTHILL BLVDRP reported a subject in the area who was behaving sus-piciously. The subject seemed to be hiding behind poles as if someone was following him. Officer responded to the area but was unable to locate the subject.

THURSDAY, FEB. 26STUDENT SERVICES VILLAGE RP reported a small fire that occured in the office. The fire was put out with a fire extin-guisher. Officer responded and Custodial Services assisted.

THURSDAY, FEB. 26CITRUS AVEOfficer advised a non-injury traffic collision had occured. Both parties pulled onto APU property to assess the situa-tion. Officers were dispatched to location to meet with both parties who exchanged in-formation and confirmed that there were no injuries.

Weekly NumbersKeys lost/found....................2ID cards lost/found...............5Cellphones found...........0Unsecured bikes found.........0False fire alarms.....................2

REMEMBER 1. If you see something, say something. 2. Safety is everyones business. 3. Dial 911 for life-threaten-ing emergencies. 4. Non emergencies: Cam-pus Saftety (626) 815-3898.5. Lock all doors and win-dows to your dorm, apart-ment and vehicle. 6. Keep all valuables se-cured and out of plain view. 7. At night, keep to well-lit areas.8. Always be aware of your surroundings. 9. Utilize the trolleys, safety escorts or walk groups. 10. Avoid places where you are vulnerable and there are no exits. 11. Avoid texting or talking on the phone while walking as you may be distracted. 12. Avoid walking and jog-ging alone. 13. Secure your bike with a recommneded Kryptonite U-lock.

2 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 Clause THECLAUSE.ORG/NEWScampus safetyreport

CALENDAR

xmana_kahanax COURTESYThe men of APUs dance group, Variety for One, rehearse in Bruno Mars-inspired outfits.

Tuesday, March 17Graduate RecitalYasumichi Ichikawa will present a Bass and Baritone recital for his Master of Music in Vocal Performance. The performance will be held in Munson Recital Hall from 8 to 9 p.m.

compiled by gina ender

Friday, March 6C.H.A.M.P. visit day The Center for Academic Service-Learning & Research and stu-dents from the Diversity in the Classroom course will be hosting around 200 fourth grade students from the Azusa Unified School District as part of the College Headed and Mighty Proud program. The students will be visiting West Campus from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 8Cello Studio Performance APU School of Musics Cello Studio presents its second collaborative recital of Bach solo pieces with violin students from Midoris studio at USC Thornton School of Music and cello students from Marek Szpakiewiczs studio at APU. The performance is from 7 to 9 p.m. in Munson Recital Hall and admission is free.

Sunday, March 15Chamber Singers Performance APU Chamber Singers, directed by Michelle Jensen, will present a diverse selection of music. The concert is from 3 to 4 p.m. at Northpark Community Church and admission is free.

Clause mailing address p.o. box 9521-5165, azusa, ca 91702phone 626-815-6000, ext. 3514website www.theclause.org email editorinchief@theclause.org

NEWS STAFFeditor-in-chief kaity bergquist

news editor jessie gomezasst. news editor gina ender

lifestyle editor becky kay opinion editor kelyn struiksmasports editor katie richcreek

asst. sports editor landon trokaphoto/design editor kimberly smith

chief copy editor kayla johnstoncopy editors faith vander voort, sara champlain

business manager blake standal staff writers brianna rodriguez, sam

quintanilla, alex perez, brooke seipel, lauren duran, sydney potter, arianna ruvalcaba,

angel eleyae, kianna mourer FACULTY ADVISER dr. kyle huckins

The Clause is a student newspaper dedicat-ed to providing a realistic, journalistic educa-tional experience for students of Azusa Pa-cific University; to seeking truth and reporting it boldly, fairly and accurately; to enhancing the university community by providing a stu-dent voice imbued with truth, responsibility and accountability.

The newspaper is published weekly, ex-cept during examinations and vacation pe-riods, by the students of the Department of Communication Studies at Azusa Pacific Uni-versity. The newsroom is located on Cougar Walk in between the cafeteria and Cougars Den. The views expressed in all letters to the editor and all signed opinion articles are those of their authors, not the staff or university.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORPlease include a phone number for verifica-tion of all letters to the editor. Anonymous and unverified letters to the editor will not be printed. The Clause reserves the right to edit the letters for length and journalistic style. The opinions expressed in this news-paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the faculty, staff or administration of Azu-sa Pacific University. Send to editorinchief@theclause.org.FOLLOW US! Our Facebook page: facebook.com/apuclauseOur Twitter handle: @apuclauseADVERTISE WITH US! Contact Blake Standal at clauseads@gmail.com

APU transfer student starts Bible studyNew on-campus ministry is a student-initiated groupArianna Ruvalcabastaff writer

Lighthouse Campus Ministry is a new undergrad-led Scripture study founded late last semester by junior political science major Paul Konadu. He leads the group, which meets ev-ery Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Wilden 228.

Konadu, who transferred to Azu-sa Pacific University from Ohio State University last fall, did not want to wait until the following year to start a Discipleship Group.

Initially, I wanted to jump into a D-Group, but there was a time con-flict, said Konadu. You have to go to a camp, you have to go through a whole training for discipleship, and I think thats what it was. I was just so eager to start something for God. I couldnt wait till next summer, so I decided to start a small gathering for people who just wanted to get togeth-er and fellowship.

As a member of Lighthouse Cam-pus Ministry, undeclared freshman Calvin Dong explains the difference between D-Groups and Lighthouse.

I feel like it is similar to a D-Group, but every group is different in

the new insights it brings into the Bi-ble. Its co-ed, too, but the main thing is it provides new insights," Dong said. "I like supporting what Pauls doing. He came here from Ohio to try to create this presence where theres good fellowship."

Konadus ultimate goal is deeper than just providing a place for fellow-ship. The founder explains what he aims to accomplish with the group.

The goal is to build disciples who are on fire, who are radical for Jesus Christ, he said. I feel like the age has come where we need young people who are going to be able to go to against the status quo. Where are

the Josephs? Where are the Timo-thys? Where are the Daniels who can flip the whole of Babylon upside down for Jesus Christ?

According to Konadu, he began leading Bible studies as a freshman at Ohio State University and is no stranger to being viewed as a radical.

At Ohio State, I went through so much persecution, he said. I remember when my roommates car was bashed in with an axe because he was helping me with a Bible study. We wanted to serve Jesus Christ, and we were radicals on campus for God.

In order to advertise the group at

APU, Konadu began posting fliers and spreading the word, and people started showing up.

Freshman English major Sha-ron Lee is already in a D-Group, yet she decided to sit in on a Lighthouse Campus Ministry meeting anyway. She has been in attendance ever since.

My friend Jasmine told me to come check it out one day, so I came out and I really, really liked it. I felt like it was a really different commu-nity than my D-Group, and I felt like

both were extremely necessary for my continued growth, Lee said.

Though the church Konadu cur-rently attends is called Lighthouse, there is no affiliation to the on-cam-pus group. He liked the name and de-cided to maintain it at APU as well as Ohio State.

The founder, along with the rest of the members of Lighthouse Cam-pus Ministry, encourage others to join them.

The Bible says, O taste and see that the Lord is good. Just come and check it out, Konadu said. You can never enjoy swimming if youre at the shallow end. You gotta jump in.

The goal is to build disciples who are on fire, who are radical for Jesus Christ.Paul Konadu

Kaity Bergquist PHOTOLighthouse Ministry focuses on following Jesus through reading Scripture.

THECLAUSE.ORG/NEWS Clause WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 3

Dining Services turns down the eatery tunesOn-campus eateries enforce clean music policy

Melissa Quintero staff writer

Kimberley Smith GRAPHICOnly quiet, Christian music is allowed to be played in campus eateries.

A new sign in the Cornerstone Coffee House has become a strik-ing cause for conversation among those in the student body. The notice, which hangs over the cashier counter, states the type of music that can be played and the volume level at which it can be heard.

"Dining Services received sev-eral complaints that the music being played in the eateries was so loud, the customers had a hard time in-teracting with the service staff. This was a reoccurring issue that affected customer service, so the short-term decision was to remove music from all dining areas until there was a suitable solution," said Assistant Di-rector of Dining Services Jim Cac-ciatore.

According to Cacciatore, switch-ing to solely Christian music is Din-ing Services' way of honoring God in the workplace. Though the music is solely Christian, it can be any genre (for example, rap, hymns, rock or hip hop) and is left up to the discretion of managers and supervisors. He feels that as a whole, the Dining Services management team sees this change as positive.

As a bridge between playing mu-sic without restrictions and playing no music, he sees this compromise as appropriate.

"The employees are happy to have music back in the workplace. The customers also like that we are once again playing music. It adds to the ambiance and enhances their overall experience," Cacciatore said.

The coffee shop's supervisor, Yui Enomori, explained that the decision to play only Christian music was from higher management.

We can still play Christian mu-sic and instrumental [music], I mean, technically, the sign tells us that we have to play at a very low volume, but at least we can still have music, he said.

Enomori went on to say that the coffee house was not the only cam-pus facility affected by this change. The Cougar Den was required to stop playing music altogether.

Nabil Nazir, supervisor at the Cougar Den, explained that apart from complaints, several of the stu-dent workers were concerned about the changing of songs or stations in the kitchen, which distracted them from their jobs. He said they decided to stop playing music in order create a more efficient working environ-ment where tasks would get done in a timely manner.

After receiving the news, some employees were not happy, including cashier and sophomore social work major Cciara Mosella.

I dont like this 'no music' rule. Seriously, it made the time go by faster when we were allowed to play music, and I feel it attracted more customers, Mosella said.

Although music is not allowed during working hours, Nazir allows students to play their own tunes after closing.

A few steps away from the kitch-en is the Paws N Go, where this rule does not apply. Many of its employ-ees were unaware of the change and said their boss had not mentioned anything about shutting off the music in the store.

Paws 'N' Go is allowed to play most music as long as it is neither ex-plicit nor degrading, said junior busi-ness management major and Paws 'N' Go employee Reuben Lindsey.

"I agree with [the new rule]," Lindsey said. "I dont think we should be playing anything thats not going to glorify the Lord, and if we set an example for people who are visiting the school, we should at least have clean music.

Due to the manager's influence, Mexicali employees have similar rules in which only low-volume Christian music can be played.

This requirement also affects West Campus Hillside Grounds.

Ive noticed more people sit-ting with headphones and listening to their own music," sophomore psychology major Gabby Gianno-vola said.

The Cougar Dome is not a part of the university's Dining Services and

frequently plays secular music. Jack-son Harbolt, a sophomore accounting major who works at the front desk in the dome, explained that whoever is scheduled to work the front desk is allowed to play whatever music de-sired as long as it is appropriate.

This new rule is kind of disap-pointing because even when you go to any kind of restaurant, music is just something that fills the silence and picks up the vibe in the room, he said.

Harbolt said the upbeat, electric music he plays from his Pandora stations typically gets a positive re-sponse from students.

I think people will still listen to secular music anyways, regardless of where they listen to it, so I could definitely see this making people up-set on both ends, freshman applied exercise science major Sara Hernan-dez said.

News Assistant Gina Ender con-tributed to this report.

Students commemorate Black History Month

Kimberley Smith GRAPHICBlack History Month is celebrated throughout the month of Februrary.

APU organizations continue celebrating the annual tradition

In February, the U.S. celebrated Black History Month as an annual recognition of the contributions of African-Americans as well as histori-cal progress toward removing racial barriers.

In observance of the month, APU students, faculty, staff and ethnic organizations joined together to cel-ebrate.

According to Dr. Bryan Lam-kin, professor in the Department of History and Political Science, Black History Month is a testament to the black Americans who carved out their own culture in spite of the slavery and segregation they suf-fered.

Although the Civil War had not originally intended to end slav-ery, it gave African-Americans a chance to fight for themselves and encouraged American diversity.

Racial discrimination began to diminish with the historically remembered voices of Abraham Lincoln, Fredrick Douglass, Mar-tin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall. Although Black History Month originated as Black History Week in 1926, with time, it ex-panded to all of February as a way of honoring the birthdays of Lin-coln and Douglass.

Art, poetry, music and archi-tecture are a few of the traditional representations used in the cel-ebration of Black History Month.

According to Lamkin, America has become a country of amazing contrast and diversity. The fact that Black History Month is still commemorated in this generation celebrates the wonder and joy of what it is to be American," he said.

In light of the month, the Black Student Association (BSA) held an outdoor barbecue this past Thursday on Trinity Lawn for all APU students .

"This past year has been a rough one, and many of the per-formers expressed themselves in whichever way they wanted. Whether [it be] singing, dancing, spoken word, etc," BSA Co-Pres-ident and senior biblical studies major Norris Spanger said. "It was imperative for the student body to step into the environment and lis-ten. Another reason for the BBQ was to come together along with other ethnic organizations and just have a good time."

Additionally, BSA hosted events throughout the month in honor of the annual celebration.

"BSA, at the beginning of the month, has had conversations on the importance of Black History Month

or if we should even celebrate the month. We also had a movie night where we watched Selma together," said Spanger.

The radical racial reform movement took flight during Lin-colns presidency in the 1860s.

To this day, he is remembered

as the man who issued the Eman-cipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in 1863.

Over the next few generations, men such as Douglass, King and Marshall contributed to the recon-struction of America after the Civil War.

Black History Month is defi-nitely one of the main traditions in my household that my family has celebrated. From a young age, I can remember my parents sitting with me showing me the different African-Americans, both men and women, who were the first to do something during the racial tension they were living in, Resident Ad-visor and junior liberal studies ma-jor Morgan Dawson said.

Soon after originating, Black History Month became a celebra-tion of cultural expression.

During this time period, the freed slaves lived in a world of racism where they often were le-gally separated from whites.

However, through the broken-ness that was America after the Civil War, the black culture pre-vailed and became an expression of hope and progress still marked generations into the future.

I haven't particularly wit-nessed my girls incorporating Black History Month into their schedules, but I have had discus-sions with them about diversity, Dawson said with regard to the promotion and celebration of Black History Month among her residents.

When the country had fallen to the point of civil injustice, a few people stood up and encouraged the infusion of cultures.

Black History Month is not simply the remembrance of these men, but the encouragement of the continuous incorporation of a di-verse heritage.

After 250 years of slavery and the segregation that came next, America has chosen not to forget but to honor the cultural success that was drawn from suffering by celebrating Black History Month.

Bailey Brown guest writer

Black History Month is not simply the re-membrance of these men, but the en-couragement of the continuous incorpo-ration of a diverse heritage.

4 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 Clause THECLAUSE.ORG/NEWS

Rocha also explained that Azusa is building a hotel off Azusa Avenue and has already purchased a vacant lot that used to be an Enterprise.

The hotel will be close to the 210 Freeway, just minutes from campus, and offer a place to stay for the fami-lies of students and those visiting the university for conferences or sporting events.

Were looking forward to open-ing a beautiful 5-star hotel, Rocha said. We lose a lot of revenue by not being able to offer a place to stay for the university students and events nearby like the Rose Bowl and Rose Parade."

The city attorney expects the tax to raise around $75,000 total for the city annually.

This money is part of Azusa's general tax fund and can be used for a number of areas, including parks and recreation, libraries and police services.

Dr. John Thornton, an account-ing professor, explained that the concept behind raising the hotel tax is simply supply and demand.

"There is a little economic concept called supply and de-mand, and it is affected by anoth-er concept called price elasticity if prices are inelastic, demand stays the same, regardless of price," Thornton said. "Take gas, for example. The demand stays about the same if prices go up, be-cause we still have to drive to get somewhere.

"As this relates to hotels in Azusa: If the people staying at

the hotels are just passers-by, off of the 210, for example, raising the taxes will raise the hotel price, so travelers may drive on to Pasadena or Claremont. Elastic. But if people staying in Azusa hotels have a spe-cific reason to be here, like visit-ing their APU students, then they may stay here regardless of price. (Prices are inelastic.) In that case, occupancy will stay about constant with the raise and Azusa will get more taxes."

According to the APU website list of preferred places to stay, none of Azusa's hotels are suggested to parents or visitors to the university, most likely because the three current inns are only rated as 1-star lodging. Preferred hotels are those that offer discounts if you mention APU.

MEASURE A, from P. 1

New tax measure appears on election ballots

Womens Resource Center encourages self-care for allFirst of three events focusing on mind, body and soul care

Melissa Quintero staff writer

The Womens Resource Cen-ter held its first self-care event this month, focusing on the mind.

The event was held Feb. 27, and included a short, three-session pro-gram focused on teaching students the three aspects of self care: mind, body and soul.

Second-year graduate student Lisa Nena conceived and executed the idea.

Im a really big advocate per-son, as one could tell. I think its important to speak out for people and to love people. The Womens Resource Center is just such a great place for that. People dont realize but really, all we're here for is just all students - male, female - faculty [and] staff, Nena said.

Nena explains that she came up with the idea for the event when she noticed a lot of students coming in exhausted or having issues related to self-shaming.

She wanted to create a comfort-able space where workers could remind people of the importance of self-love and care.

In this first session, the 10 at-tendees received a reusable cup with a small gift inside, and snacks were provided.

Nena began with a prayer and followed up by explaining the pur-pose of this first event.

So this week is mind [wellness week], and it's actually National

Eating Disorder Awareness week. And I was thinking about the fact that a lot of the time, self-love is so important, and, like I said, we chose mind first because that's what you filter everything through," Nena said. "I think the hardest person to defeat in this is yourself, so I was hoping all the activities could just be a gentle reminder that you are in power and you have the capacity to change your own life."

The session included a Dove Beauty video, a few readings from the Bible, a couple of activities that allowed the group to share thoughts and a message from Nena.

One of the activities encour-aged women to share five things they liked about their physical ap-pearance and five things they liked about their personalities.

I did benefit a lot because while I was writing my list, I was thinking about how it may be seen as conceited, but then it made me realize that its OK and it's totally fine to write things about myself that I like and not be ashamed or anything like that, said Ladonna Rodriguez, a graduate student in the College Counseling and Student Development program.

Rodriguez helped Nena coordi-nate the event and shared her per-sonal thoughts on self-care with the group.

Although only women attended, the Womens Resource Center in-vites all students, faculty and staff to be a part of the sessions.

No one is required to share if they dont feel comfortable, as the WRC aims to make itself a safe place to come and learn.

I attended this session because I am being mentored by Lisa, who ran the group, and I think it's really

important to work on all aspects of self-care. I think that Im going to leave here feeling encouraged and that Im supported in having healthy views of myself despite other influ-ences that may tell me I shouldn't have a healthy view of myself, said sophomore social work major Courtney Frybarger.

The next session is March 20

Womens Resource Center COURTESYStudents meet at the Womens Resource Center for its first self-care event Feb. 27, focusing on mind, body and soul.

from 1-2 p.m. with a conversation centered around the body and how that relates to self-care.

We are going to do recipes and just talk about different ways to take care of yourself, like during finals week - how to handle stress and maybe mention alternatives to caffeine to help students stay awake. This conversation will just

be a helpful reminder to be mindful of what we are eating or doing on a daily basis. Also, we're going to have food, so it's going to be fun," Nena said.

The Womens Resource Cen-ter is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and wel-comes anyone who would like more information.

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A junior BFA and acting for the stage and screen major, Maryanne Burr, can attest to this as an out-of-state student.

My parents have come to Azu-sa for my theater productions. My mom usually finds the hotels with the best rates that offer rewards sys-tems and Marriotts usually have the best deal, so theyve ended up stay-ing at the Fairfield Inn and Suites, Burr said.

I do think it would be more convenient for families [to have a hotel in Azusa]. I dont feel like Ive even seen hotels around here, except maybe for one motel," she continued.

The city has already hired a contractor and is in the early stages of developing the hotel.

Kimberly Smith PHOTOThis Super 8 hotel in Azusa is one of the few options for city visitors.

Lifestyle

Spending spring break in SoCalStudents have lots of local spring break options

BSA holds annual Expressions Night

Edward Beasley IVguest writer

BSA has a successful evening filled with spoken word, poetry, dancing and more at Expressions Night

On Friday, Feb. 27, the Cougar Dome at APU was filled with students while the Black Student Association held its annual Expressions Night, titled All Black Everything. Students of all ethnicities and backgrounds gathered as the performers displayed their talents.

The host of the event was senior board member and Christian ministries major Deji Olajide, who kept the show rolling with trivia questions as well as lighthearted comedy. The crowd was engaged and alive throughout the night, often singing and clapping along with the performers and offering encouraging words to those who performed the spoken word and poetry.

Student Life Director of Reconciliation and Diversity Aaron Hinojosa spoke about the sig-nificance of the evening.

The event allows for a greater entry point for those in the community to see and hear from students of color on campus, primarily our black students, Hinojosa said.

Expressions Night is one of the largest events that BSA holds. With semi-formal attire encouraged, many students took advantage of this opportunity to dress nicely. People who at-tended enjoyed the sparkling cider and choco-late strawberries that were offered as refresh-ments. The poetry and spoken word drew many

emotions from the crowd. While the singers got a lot of reaction, snaps and sing-alongs occurred throughout the night.

Senior biblical studies major and CoPres-ident of the club Norris Stagner spoke about the intentions behind the night. The purpose of this event is to get everyone to come togeth-er and have a good time, he said. Everyone gets to know one another and they express and articulate whatever is on their heart. It really touched me that a lot of the women expressed their fears and spoke their mind about what was going on.

Other groups from APU that performed at the event were VFO and the Step Team, also known as Umoja, which closed out the night. The last performance featured a variety of steps that Umoja choreographed. The team threw in

its own twist on the new hit The Whip Dance to conclude the performance. At this time team members went and got other students from the crowd and they joined together in dancing.

Sophomore applied exercise science major Ariel Braxton, who is a part of Umoja, spoke about what the night means to her.

I really enjoy performing and hearing the hype from the crowd, she said. This event is a time for everyone to come together, meet one another and for people who are not in BSA to see what were about. I really look forward to seeing the other performances, as well as the dancing, singing and food. Its just a fun time.

After the show, many stayed back and con-tinued to sing, dance and connect with one an-other. All Black Everything proved to be a fun-filled night.

Edward Beasley IV PHOTOThe BSA board members come together to celebrate the end of their event.

Edward Beasley IV PHOTOSenior Deji Olajide was the emcee for the night.

New trolley welcomed to APU

Emilie Brownguest writer

The APU trolley system is a big part of student life. The trolleys are how students get from one campus to the other in a timely fash-ion. They run from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on week-days, with four different stops. Recently, a much newer and larger red trolley has been added to the family.

The new red trolley has many new features, which the older trolleys do not. When you look at the new trolley, it appears much larger and shinier than the old ones. But the newest feature is the Ford-powered engine. Chuck Martikan, trolley driver and retired mechanic, explained how the new engine allows the trolley to drive much smoother with more power.

The new Ford engine makes the ride on the new trolley way quieter, Martikan said.

Senior psychology majorKaitlin Briggs, who rides the trolley once or twice a day, de-scribed her experience in the new trolley as wonderful.

This new trolley is much bigger, smells wonderful and drives very smooth, Briggs said.

Another feature this trolley has is that the air conditioner is able to pass through clean air. Martikan revealed the reason why APU got a new trolley was because the old red and green ones no longer passed the clean air test. But this new trolley passes the clean air test along with the other red vehicle.

Freshman undeclared major Megan Frank-lin, who rides the trolley around three times a

day, said, I appreciate the clean air circulation, making my experience more enjoyable and less stressful.

Martikan said the university also bought a new trolley because it would have been too ex-pensive to restore older ones. The former red model has already been sold and the green is still on the market waiting to find a new home.

Another new feature of the red trolley is how large it is. When comparing this with the older models, it looks wider and longer. Marti-kan confirmed this and said there are more seats and they are also wider, making the drive more enjoyable.

The new red trolley is more spacious and efficient when transporting students from cam-pus to campus, Franklin said.

Martikan concluded by revealing the uni-versity is trying to keep its trolleys updated. He also said how that hopefully there will be more new trolleys in years to come.

A new red trolley has been driving the roads by APU the past few weeks with some improvements from fellow trolleys

Emilie Brown PHOTOThe new trolley parked on East Campus.

Faith Vander Voortcopy editor

Not going to Cabo San Lucas for spring break? No problem. While many students across the country are counting down the days to their SoCal spring break, its easy for APU undergrads to forget how great their location really is.

Staying on campus could be the best plan possible. For starters, there is no need to purchase a hotel room if you are crashing in your own bed at night!

The Los Angeles/Orange County area is one of the most sought after vacation spots in the nation, so with a few friends, a reli-able car and free time, you may just have the spring break of a lifetime.

Find your inner fan-girl (or boy) and head to The Grove for a celebrity sighting. The Grove is not only known as a favorite shopping center in the celeb world, it also hosts a wide variety of upscale stores, a range of restaurants and a movie theater. SoCal Fun Places marks The Grove as a must-see in Los Angeles and notes it as a great place to shop and see wonderful danc-ing fountains, green lawns and unique street vendors.

Freshman nursing major Emilee Mur-phy is staying in SoCal over break and plans on spending the majority of it hiking. As a native of Orange County, Murphys favorite trails are in Laguna overlooking the ocean. She also suggests students spend their break laying out on Laguna State Beach because its always full of college students during spring break.

If you are looking for a more peaceful

beach experience, Murphy suggests 1,000 Steps Beach in Laguna. The cliffs separate this more secluded beach from the popular, often crowded main beach and allow for a more spacious-feel-ing and quieter day.

The only problem with this spot is the stairs, which can be a difficult climb for some. Keep that in mind that there are quite literally 1,000 steps.

Theres a restaurant in Dana Point called Taco Surf, and its this awesome Mexican res-taurant thats right by the beach, so I like going there a lot, Murphy said. Another one would have to be Harbor House, also in Dana Point. Those two are definitely my favorites.

Taylor Guthrie, freshman psychology ma-jor, plans to go to the beach and travel around Palm Springs over spring break. Guthrie has a long list of beaches she faithfully visits, but similar to Murphy, her favorite shore is Laguna Beach. The area surrounding it is home to laid-back seafood restaurants and plenty of boutique shopping.

Guthrie suggests exploring downtown Los Angeles for those who are staying close over break. Her favorite activity is finding hole-in-the-wall restaurants and coffee shops that arent widely advertised to the public. Wexlers Deli, The Pie Hole, Alfred Coffee & Kitchen and Daily Dose Caf are examples of quirky stay a while coffee shops and bakeries downtown.

Trip Advisor names the Los Angeles Coun-ty Museum of Art as one of the top 30 things to do in LA. LACMAs Urban Light exhibit is a favorite on Instagram, so head to DTLA for an artsy photo-op.

Another must-see on Trip Advisors list is the Griffith Observatory. Despite the smog, it allows for a beautiful view over the City of An-gels not to mention, its free!

Whether its hiking, shopping or beaching, Southern California is home to thousands of things to do, and not everything will cost you an arm and a leg. Staying on and near campus doesnt have to be a drag spring break 2015 is what you make of it!

6 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 Clause THECLAUSE.ORG/LIFESTYLE

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I think there is a misconception about who SGA is and what it does, said Snyder, senior communication studies major. SGA is not about a handful of students coming into the office with all the right answers. Its about a team of people who are passionate about who APU is coming together to dis-cover how to make us even better than we are.

The 2014-2015 officials worked hard to close the gap between students and administra-tion, and communication issues are slowly but surely becoming more resolved, say leaders.

This year we set out with communica-tion as one of our top priorities, and although we have a long ways to go, I think we did a good job. We had almost record participation in SGA elections this year, Jessup said. I hope to see the new SGA team pick up the legacy that was handed to us by past SGA administrations. I trust them to do that, and knock it out of the ballpark!

Newly elected officials are just as eager to continue that trend.

I definitely have broad hopes for deepen-ing our commitment to Christ, Scholarship, Community and Service, Snyder said. Our current executives have worked hard to better integrate SGA into the student body, and I think I can speak for my fellow executives in saying that we hope to learn from President Jessup, Vice President Alpha Joy Ferrer and the rest of the current SGA team so that we can further their work next year.

There are still six other members of the ex-ecutive board to elect. Voting for Senate elec-tions began March 2 and closes March 4.

SGA, from P. 1

SGA executive team discusses future plans and goals for 2015-2016

Jacova Snyder COURTESYThe new Vice President Jacova Snyder.

Max Walden COURTESYPresident Max Walden and his furry friend.

Nicole Haggard COURTESYThe new Controller Nicole Haggard.

Movie Review: The Last Five YearsReview of film based on musical tale of changing relationship

Paige Smithstaff writer

The off-Broadway musical film The Last Five Years follows the story of a successful writer, Jamie (played by Jeremy Jordan), falling in love with Cathy, a struggling actress (played by Anna Kendrick), and their five-year relation-ship. Thanks to their on-screen chemistry, one can feel the connection between the two from the beginning or else it would have been a hard movie to sit through.

The first lines of the film are with Cathy sit-ting alone in their townhouse crying and sing-ing, Jamie is over and Jamie is gone. / Jamies decided its time to move on. / Jamie has new dreams hes building upon. / And Im still hurt-ing. Although you can already tell by the lyr-ics what will happen next, the films captivating emotions make you want to sit through the rest.

From there, the film backtracks to the be-ginning of Jamie and Cathys relationship, from their first date to their engagement, wedding, book release parties for Jamie and more.

The film beome more captivating by show-ing viewers how important it is to still be an individual when in a relationship rather than solely a couple. This is shown in the musical number Climbing Uphill when Cathy realizes she is more on the sidelines of the relationship, not wanting to become a housewife as her hus-band becomes successful.

The film does have a few faults such as scenes that seem to be misplaced or repeated. It would have helped as a viewer to have a time-stamp provided, since the film does take place over a five year time period.

There is a lot of singing, and I love mu-sicals, but it would have been nice to have a bit of dialogue between the two characters to understand what they were going through at those various points. However, this makes for a unique viewing experience.

As the first lines and the trailer showed, the ending might be obvious, but the full story leaves you craving for more.

Kendrick shows a different side of her act-ing as she plays a character in a more vulnerable state than her other films. She shines superbly with her voice and brings the musical to film for audiences to enjoy.

Anna Kendrick is best known for her roles in Pitch Perfect, Into the Woods and Up in the Air.

Jeremy Kennedy has previously been in SMASH and Joyful Noise.

Writer and director Richard LaGravenese is best known for his involvement with A Little Princess, Monster-in-Law and Freedom Writers. He was also a screenwriter for the award-winning film Unbroken.

If you are looking to check out the film in Southern California, it is at Playhouse 7 in Pas-adena and the Sundance Sunset Theater in West Hollywood. More locations are on the films official website: http://lastfiveyearsmovie.com/

The movie is also now available on iTunes and Amazon. This film was rated two out of four Jon Wallace heads.

Star Seeker COURTESY

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Opinion

Angel Eleyaestaff writer

Whiplash: Art or addiction?Unleashing ugly realities about becoming the best

A hand holds a drumstick while it beats up and down on an instrument faster than Eminem raps. The player tightens his grip as the drumstick be-gins to slip due to the sweat dripping from his brow. The strong hold and intense effort create painful friction as the drummer begins to bleed. The blood drips down onto the drum and splashes on the cymbal. He stops. He exhales.

This scene in the award-win-ning movie Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle, portrays the extreme determination of musi-cians. The film is partially inspired by Chazelles personal experience, but mainly tells the fictional story of story of Andrew Nieman, a 19-year-old drummer.

Nieman, played by Miles Teller, is enrolled in a cutthroat music school pursuing a professional career as a concert musician. The character ac-

cepts an offer to join the studio band led by Fletcher, a renowned conduc-tor, who demands nothing but the best from his students, particularly Nieman.

Throughout the film, Fletcher hurls insults, chairs and instruments, pushing Nieman to not only be the best player he can, but also the best drummer. However, with the pressure heaped on Nieman, he begins to ne-glect his social life, family life and, to an extent, his own life in hopes of being chosen to hold the core position in the band.

This brings up the questions, How far is too far? and How much do musicians need to go through to be a lead performer at Carnegie Hall?

For the most part, people that really want to learn to play well, I mean really want to be first-rate, have to become a bit obsessive with prac-ticing, with learning, said Michael Kozubek, director of guitar studies at Azusa Pacific University.

With how outrageous he gets in the movie, Fletcher could actually be on the right track of developing per-formers to become the best. Whip-lash provides an extreme, theatrical example of dedication, but it is com-mon for aspiring musicians to prac-

tice multiple hours a day if they are wanting to be a professional.

Dennis Royse, professor and chair of graduate programs in the School of Music, explains: People should expect to practice four hours a day. Violinists and pianists, theyll practice 6-8 hours a day, because somebody that theyre going to be competing with is putting in that much time. So if theyre not, then theyre losing ground.

It is often believed that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert, but this assumption is is clearly not going to cut it when one wants to be a concert musician. There is an unbe-lievable amount of dedication needed to get such a position, which people generally dont realize. However, Whiplash brings attention to these extreme efforts and expectations.

As a kid, I played the violin, but never wanted to practice; I liked the sound it made and how other people liked to listen. However, at the same time, I also liked television, friends, family and my dog. I was not ready to compromise my social, family and personal life to solely focus my atten-tion on practicing the violin, unlike Nieman in Whiplash.

So the question is, where can we

Debating the right to die with physicians assistance

Kianna Mourerstaff writer

Senate Bill No. 128 asks for dignity to decide for yourself

No one ever wants to hear the words, You have about six months left to live, which, if you follow through with treatment, will be full of pain and suffering. Now imagine hearing this at 29, shortly after your wedding, just as you are beginning to settle down and start a family.

Brittany Maynard, a former resi-dent of California, was in this situa-tion. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer. Instead of spending in treatment the little time she had left, Maynard moved to Oregon, where she could utilize the states Death with Dignity Act.

This law allowed Maynard to choose when and how she would die, instead of letting nature take its pain-ful course. She spent the final days of her life traveling with her family, instead of in a chemotherapy chair getting pumped with toxins. May-nard made her story public in the hopes of inspiring other states to al-low terminally ill patients the choice of how they die in these unique cir-cumstances.

California has heard her plea.Jan. 20, state Senators Lois Wolk

and Bill Monning introduced Senate Bill No. 128, named End of Life. The California Legislative Informa-tion website explains how this bill would allow mentally competent state residents with less than six months to live the opportunity to die by physician-prescribed drugs, which would end patients lives when they choose to ingest them.

The patients would need to have two doctors verify their terminal con-dition before being prescribed the drugs. Those using the law would also be required to give two oral dec-larations of their decision 15 days apart and provide a written statement with a minimum of two witnesses signatures.

Everyone has a personal perspec-tive on death and the effects of this particular issue, causing it to be a very emotional debate.

I had never heard of the Death with Dignity Act nor the right to die laws until I followed Maynards story in the news.

At first, I was very uncomfort-able with her decision. Maybe I felt this because I have a deep-seated fear of death, or maybe it was because it reminded me of the time I euthanized my dog. To me, that was exactly what Maynard was doing. She was putting herself down because she was in pain or she knew she would be in it if she continued with treatment.

I wanted so badly to tell her how she was so much more than my be-loved dead dog. She had a soul, and for me, hastening and controlling the death of it was not dying with dig-nity, but rather undignified.

I had to remind myself how not everyone sees it that way. I am still in the process of figuring out where to put my faith, whether that be Chris-tianity, Buddhism, agnosticism or another religion, I am not yet sure. However, the point is, I do believe there is something after this life, and I believe there is a purpose for me be-ing here.

The fact that I was born with a natural desire to know a creator makes me believe there is a divine being who instilled it. Many famous philosophers argue that the only dif-

ference between humans and animals is that we have more complex brains and nervous systems. If this is true, then there is no value in suffering.

Yet, even if you do believe in a soul, does that truly justify suffering?

Some believe the very reason hu-mans have souls is reason enough to further this bill and avoid suffering through the power of pills. Therefore, the fundamental question is: Does suffering rob someone of his or her dignity or can suffering ennoble the person?

It is hard to put the justifica-tion for suffering into words, said Dr. Stephen Parise, adjunct profes-sor in the Department of Theology and Philosophy. It is hard for me to find the words to describe the kind of spiritual uplifting that occurs in suf-fering without demeaning it. There is a perseverance, a wisdom, an insight, a seriousness, and so much more that comes from suffering. Suffering en-nobles the soul.

It is like how certain metals are refined through the fire. Gold, for ex-ample, is of higher value when it is put through more pressure and more fire. In suffering, while you are losing your body, and losing your mind, you are also gaining something deeper, because this world is not all that there is.

Another debated aspect of this bill is whether or not we should give doctors the power to prescribe these lethal medications as it goes against the Hippocratic Oath to try to heal the ill and other ethical standards most graduating medical students swear by.

The modern version of the Hip-pocratic Oath that many physicians swear by reads: Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

Unless you take a more deistic approach to God, I think many would agree that if there is a God, then he should have the authority to bring us

in and take us out of this world. Senate Bill No. 128 allows phy-

sicians, pharmacists and health care facilities to opt out of prescribing this pill. Senior psychology major Mary Goral expresses her concern for the doctors who choose to opt in.

I dont think doctors can emo-tionally handle [prescribing these pills] at times, Goral said. They all come from different walks of life, so for them to prescribe this to a patient seems detrimental to their emotional health. I see doctors as people who care about you, I also see friends as people who care about you, and I wouldnt just ask someone I trust to prescribe me this because I want to die. It seems like an inhuman thing to ask of anyone, whether they went through medical school or not.

While actively ending someones life can be a traumatic experience for a health care provider, sometimes seeing the pain of patients is just as detrimental to the workers own emotional health. Freshman nursing major Sabrina Odlum describes how neither call is an easy decision.

This is a hard topic, especially when you bring your faith into it, but I think that it should be every

draw the line?Well, in this case, the line sepa-

rates good and great and the decent and excellent. I am not endorsing the tactics Fletcher uses in the movie, but I am wrestling with the notion of fig-uring out and doing what it takes to be the best, to be brilliant.

It takes time to get to the level of dedication where one is practicing their art a minimum of four hours a day, but whether a musician or not, its worth a try. The practice is worth it. The dedication is noticeable. The discipline is evident.

Sometimes its rough, junior music education major Carlos Pralta

said. Youll have days thats just like: Why am I doing this? But then when it comes to just like performing and the thrill of, you know, entertain-ing people, sometimes you get that one person with emotions who [will] come at the end and say, Thank you for playing that or, You made my day. Its worth struggling and losing sleep sometimes.

As college students, we are the next professionals. Where will we stand? What will we individually do to be set apart from everyone else?

The answer is simple: We need to put in the time if we are wanting to reap the rewards.

www.newyorker.com COURTESY

At the 2015 Academy Awards, Whiplash recieves three Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

www.newyorker.com COURTESY

The state of California is deciding whether or not to pass a law giv-ing rights to terminally ill patients.At the end of the day,

everyone thinks that what they are put-ting their faith into is right. However, a big part of being an American is the ability to decide for yourself what con-

stitutes your beliefs.

individuals decision, Odlum said. Right now, hospitals cant adminis-ter that drug, but when a patient is in hospice care, they do everything they can to make that patient comfort-able. However, even with all of the morphine, patients are still in a lot of pain, which I think is just as hard to see as someone ending their life with this pill.

Even if an individual does figure out where to stand on Senate Bill No. 128, the measures path to passage is not only difficult, but lengthy. The first committee hearing is scheduled for March 25.

America prides itself on being a democracy where individuals are given the right to self-govern. Some Christians argue that although they disagree with actively ending a life, it is not their right or the governments right to decide for other individuals. However, other Christians say that if they support this bill they will be against what their creator intended.

God gave people free will, so by going against the right to die, are Christians taking away the publics right to utilize its free will or are they obeying their God?

At the end of the day, everyone thinks that what they are putting their faith into is right. However, a big part of being an American is the ability to decide for yourself what constitutes your beliefs.

I dont think it would be ethical to decide for someone else if they should be allowed to take this pill or not. Instead of taking away each individuals right to decide on how they want to die, Christians and oth-ers who believe there is dignity in the suffering of ones soul should focus on encouragement.

It is reasonable to assume that people will look into each option if they are given the choice presented by Senate Bill No. 128. This will allow for Christians, and spiritual people in general, to be able to share their beliefs to the public in a more effective manner. However, if people vote against it based on their religion, then the ones who are dying from ter-minal illness are more likely to resent religion in their suffering.

THECLAUSE.ORG/OPINION Clause WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 9

Kianna Mourerstaff writer

Falling out of love with Christian Grey

Feminists have been fighting for equality in America since the first womens rights convention held in Seneca Falls in 1848. It was at this meeting where people gathered and discussed injustices against women and increased support for womens rights. Since then, the feminism movement has made progress, but the fight is far from over.

At the 2015 Academy Awards, Patricia Arquette explained in her ac-ceptance speech that now is the time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America.

I dont think any woman would argue against the fact that she wants to be seen as more than just what mass media portray. Women want to have their potential acknowledged through equality; yet, the popular cul-ture that women participate in con-tradicts the idea of them being more than mere objects.

The book 50 Shades of Grey written by E.L. James is a perfect example of how society supports the objectification of women. The main character, Ana Steele, is portrayed as an introverted, self-conscious girl with daddy issues; Steele is barely self-sufficient when the great Chris-tian Grey, an attractive and success-ful CEO, comes along and gives her life meaning. He reshapes her sexual

identity by taking her virginity, then continues to gain authority over her by making it seem as though his con-trolling tendencies are done out of love.

The book totally neglects the equality that every relationship should have, undeclared freshman Katie Carter said. The submissive-ness of Ana sends a bad message to women regarding what their role is in a relationship and in society.

Grey is obsessed with command-ing every decision that Ana could possibly make. He requires her obedi-ence through a contractual agreement that not only constitutes the rules of their sexual relationship, but the rules of her lifestyle, including what she eats, when she works out, what she wears and how much she sleeps.

He objectifies and dominates Steele for his own selfish purpose,

yet some women who indulge in this book envy the couples relationship and believe that Greys controlling nature is a symbol of his deep love for Steele.

This book and recently released movie promote the idea that lust is love and how a womans role in a relationship is complete submission to her significant other.

It is scary to think that some women have such low self-esteem that they would envy and long for a relationship where their purpose would be to please. Women are equipped to do so much more than entertain mens sexual desires, which is why this book is so insult-ing.

Dr. Daniel Pawley, associate professor for the Department of Communication Studies, is an ex-pert in fandom and explained how

the emphasis is more about the con-sumer than about the product.

Media products like Fifty Shades ... mirror the motives and de-sires of audience members who con-sume them, Pawley said. So its re-ally more about the consumer than it is about the product. Of course, when we look at ourselves in the mirror, its possible that the image we see also has an influencing effect. So in that sense, any media product can affect our reality.

This realization that women are not just victims of the book, but in-stead consume it based on a desire predating this twisted love scares me. I always assumed the media impacted societys ideology more than societys ideology impacted the content of the media. It is no longer about first changing what constitutes popular culture and expecting that to

Returning to the happiest place on earthSydney Potterstaff writer

Increasing prices, decreasing desires

For most students who live or at-tend college in Southern California, Disneyland has always been an added perk. Students enjoy afternoons and APU study days at the park and rid-ing the attractions, eating clam chow-der bowls and making quick trips to dazzle at Fantasmic! However, with prices at Disneys parks continu-ing to rise, who knows if such days will continue to be a reality for most students.

At the end of February, Disney-land Resorts made its annual an-nouncement of park ticket increases and put the changes into effect imme-diately. College students can expect to pay just under $100 for one day at the happiest place on earth.

A single-day, one-park adult ticket increased from $96 to $99. To upgrade a park hopper ticket, buyers now pay $56 in comparison with the prior $54.

Annual passports were also in-cluded in the price increases. The biggest spike hit the premium annual pass, which includes parking and no blockout dates. Already expensive enough, the pass went up $100, cost-ing a total of $799. New regulations explain that the premium member-ship is now the only pass offering parking benefits.

THE COMPETITION

Knotts Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain and Universal Stu-dios are all local amusement parks willing to work with people and their

finances.Knotts Berry Farm, located less

than 10 minutes away from Disney-land Resort, offers a single-day ticket for $65, charging $84 for the entire year. Similar to Disneyland, it also has a resort that includes both a hotel and water park.

Six Flags Magic Mountain, lo-cated in Valencia, offers a one-day ticket for $69.99 and an annual pass for $129.

In Hollywood, Universal Studios ranks No. 2 for the most expensive park in the area, charging $92 for a one-use, full-day ticket and $139 for a yearly pass with no blackout dates.

In the past few years, Disneyland has implemented a more affordable way to purchase its annual passes by creating an option for park-goers to either pay the entire amount up front or a monthly fee starting at $19.

Dr. John Thornton, Leung School of Accounting chair and professor of accounting ethics at APU, explained how his experiences have changed over the last few years when the monthly plan became an option. He guessed that the increase in capacity affects the overall park experience.

The last two years have been super-crowded, I would try and go on a Thursday in the middle of Febru-ary and [the park] would be packed, Thornton said.

Perhaps with the increasing pric-es and the elimination of the Southern California pass, the Disneyland Cor-poration is more concerned with the quality of experience rather than the quantity of visits.

AFFORDING THE MAGIC

For the college student, having an annual pass is convenient and ultimately more affordable if one

plans on going to Disneyland mul-tiple times in one year. Even with the recent price increase, junior lib-eral studies major Mckenzie Goff believes that there is more value in being able to experience Disneyland at ones own pace than covering the grounds in one day with extremely long lines.

My experience was great [when having a Disneyland pass] because I was able to experience the Disney magic without the Disney exhaus-tion, Goff said. I appreciated not having to feel the chaos of wanting to see everything in one day, and passes allow you to to really understand what you are taking in and seeing all aspects of the park.

There is no greater stress than trying to figure out how you can ride and see everything to get your mon-

eys worth.Olivia Cate, freshman commu-

nication studies major, is passionate about Disneyland and not bothered by the crowds, nor does she hesitate renewing her pass as long as she can continue to afford it.

I have loved Disneyland since I was a child and now as an adult, said Cate. I have a mature respect for the artistry and what goes into it. The price increase sucks because everyone cant afford it, but its the capitalist dream and I completely un-derstand it.

IS IT WORTH IT?

Disneyland creates a unique atmosphere, one unlike any other amusement park. It is clear lots of creativity and inspiration go into cre-

ating a place full of magic and won-der for all ages to enjoy. However, I cannot stand behind the annual price increases.

As a former deluxe pass holder of three years, there is no good expla-nation as to why the company must increase its prices every year. My experience is valuable, but having a healthy bank account is more valu-able.

I am not saying Disney is not jus-tified in increasing its prices. How-ever, paying approximately $375 to $549 more with additional blackout dates and having no parking benefits, all changing within a three-year span, is too drastic a move. Not only that, but who knows where the prices will be in another three years?

Disneyland will always have my heart, but perhaps not my wallet.

Kaity Bergquist PHOTO

Disneyland is now charging more money for the same magic. A one-day park ticket now costs $99.

Women advocating for their own oppression?change the way society views wom-en. Rather, it is about changing how women view themselves and how they act on their motives and desires.

I wrongfully assumed that the book was the reason for the portrayal of women as objects in society. I re-alize now that it is actually women who are corrupting their own image. Every woman desires love, but love is something that takes time and in-volves understanding oneself first.

The craving of attention from the opposite sex begins far before wom-en have had enough time to discover their spiritual identities and estab-lish their self-worth on a foundation much more concrete than changing appearances. Instead of taking the long route to a healthy relationship, women substitute love with lust and visually attract the opposite sex, causing society to see women as just being pretty objects.

The mass media came to this realization far before I did and have used it to turn a profit by luring its audiences. Lisa Nena, Azusa Pacific University alumna and second-year graduate assistant at the Womens Resource Center, explained how Hol-lywood encourages this objectifica-tion.

It is insane how physically at-tractive people are in Hollywood, Nena said. You watch interviews with celebrities and they are not talk-ing about what you do or how good you are at doing it, but about how hot you are. This reinforces and enhances the idea that looks are everything.

I believe that the cure for the por-trayal of females as objects involves women taking a step back and think-ing about where their self-worth lies.

Creative Commons Google Images / www.beat102103.com COURTESY

Fifty Shades of Grey was released on Valentines Day weekend, bringing over $80 million to the box office.

SportsBreaking down acrobatics and tumbling

Azusa Pacific senior football players Terrell Watson and Cody Clay are preparing to impress NFL scouts at APUs Pro Day on March 9. The combine-style workout is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Dillon Recreation Complex.

Theyre going to show everything they got and will be able to put on a pretty good dis-play of athleticism. They have the attention of scouts, and thats really all you need, said APU head football coach Victor Santa Cruz.

Neither Watson nor Clay was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but their talent has not gone unnoticed. Both players competed in the National Football League Players Association Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 17.

The NFLPA bowl is where pro-football scouts evaluate players entering the draft who

Acrobatics and tumbling stepped into the college athletics scene in 2011 and has since grown into a 12-member association, with Azusa Pacific among the original founding members.

BACKGROUNDThe developing sport combines

various gymnastic disciplines and is governed by the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Asso-ciation, which began competition in spring 2011.

APU head coach Colleen Kaus-rud describes the sport as a cross be-tween gymnastics and the athleticism of competitive cheerleading.

Before the NCATA, Azusa Pa-cifics squad competed as part of the National Cheerleading Association. The team experienced a great deal of success throughout its five-year ten-ure, culminating in a national cham-pionship in 2010.

The new national affiliation proved to be helpful to the team. It allowed the athletes to compete in head-to-head competition and in-game scoring, which the NCA did not offer.

The NCATA looked at [acrobatics

Terrell Watson and Cody Clay prepare for APU Pro Daydid not receive much attention because they played at a smaller school or did not receive much playing time compared with their higher-profile teammates.

Clay played well in that game, but it was Watson who opened eyes after a performance that won him MVP honors. Watson rushed the football nine times for 55 yards and scored a touchdown in the National teams 17-0 win.

He belongs in the NFL, said Mike Martz, a former NFL coach who coached the National team in the bowl game, at a press conference following the contest.

According to college football writer Mike Huguenin at NFL.com, NFL players like Julian Edelman, Antonio Gates, Wes Welker, James Harrison, Victor Cruz and Doug Baldwin were never invited to the combine.

Additionally, according to d2football.com, there are currently 108 players from NCAA Di-vision II schools in the NFL.

But who are Watson and Clay, really?Clay is a 6-foot-5, 305-pound offensive

tackle who has been described as an intelligent

and nasty player by his coaches. Santa Cruz fur-ther described Clay as fierce.

He doesnt shy away from competition, he will protect his quarterback, and he will help his team exceed, Santa Cruz added.

Watson has an unusual combination of size, strength and speed. He is a 6-foot-2, 240-pound running back who has been described as spe-cial, unreal and a freak of nature by Santa Cruz and running backs coach Ben Buys.

Buys compared Watson with current Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray.

He is a bigger guy. Hes strong and can get downfield. He runs through tackles and is a one-cut kind of guy, Buys said.

NFL draft analyst R.C. Fischer of profoot-ballspot.com projects Watson to be a fourth-round draft pick in the upcoming NFL draft, which will be held April 30-May 2 at the Au-ditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago.

One thing is for sure: Both Watson and Clay will be competing for an NFL roster spot later this year.

Azusa Pacific will host Pro Day on March 9Brandon P. Rodriguezguest writer

History, explanation and future of the developing sportKatie Richcreeksports editor

Sam Quintantillastaff writer

APU Sports Information COURTESYTerrell Watson (left) and Cody Clay (right) prepare to walk out for the coin toss at a home game.

and tumbling] as a real sport, Kausrud said. Meaning we have a real season.

Throughout the season, teams compete in dual- or tri-meets leading up to the national championship.

The competitions are sanctioned by USA Gymnastics, a governing organization recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee. This approval demonstrates the type of support the NCAA Committee on Womens Athletics would be looking for in an emerging sport proposal from the NCATA, the first step the association would seek to take toward formal rec-ognition.

The ultimate goal for the NCA-TA, is for [it] not to exist anymore for the NCAA to fully adopt the league, said Jackson Stava, NCATA director of operations.

Stava, who serves as the assistant athletics director at APU, oversees the associations rules and regulations and works with the NCATA executive director in oversight of officials and the scoring committee, among other responsibilities.

He said the association has been working alongside the NCAA for multiple years, planning the possibil-ity of recognition. Of course, there are multiple levels of complexity in the process, as he said, but hopes for it to happen soon are high.

Sports that file for NCAA emerg-ing-sport status must also have a min-imum of 20 established varsity teams. The NCATA has already doubled from its six teams in its inaugural season. Once emerging-sport status is achieved, the sport would then have 10 years to qualify for NCAA cham-

pionship status or otherwise demon-strate substantial progress toward it.

MEET FORMATCompetitions are composed of

six events: compulsories, acro, pyra-mid, toss, tumbling and team. Each event has a series of heats and a pre-determined start value in which the officials make deductions based on execution of skills.

Two to four athletes compete in acro heats, performing acrobatic movements with a base holding a flyer, who demonstrates flexibility.

The pyramid heats allow up to 24 athletes to compete in original pyra-mid sequences of 2.5-person high structures.

The toss heats feature groups of three athletes tossing a fourth into the air to perform an individual or syn-chronized flip or twist similar to ones seen in cheerleading routines.

Tumbling heats showcase passes performed by either individuals or groups.

The first event of any meet, com-pulsory, simply devotes one heat to each of the four disciplines before the dedicated events begin.

The final team event is a 2 1/2-minute performance featuring 24 athletes combining all the skills dem-onstrated in the first five. The team with the score closest to the 300 pos-sible points wins the individual meet.

The NCATA National Champi-onship employs a single-elimination tournament format. Teams are seeded based on results from regular-season meets. Oregon owns all four national titles to date.

Katie Richcreek PHOTOThe APU acro and tumbling team competes in a pyramid heat at their 2015 opening meet against the reigning national champion Oregon.

Katie Richcreek PHOTOAthletes represent the Cougars in an acro heat at the 2014 NCATA national championship meet.

Katie Richcreek PHOTOCougar group competes in an individual toss at the 2014 NCATA national championship.

Katie Richcreek PHOTOA pair of Azusa Pacific acro and tumbling athletes compete in a syn-chronized tumbling heat at the national championship meet last season.

THECLAUSE.ORG/SPORTS Clause WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 11

Pray through every day. Live joy-fully. Love unconditionally. Serve humbly. Those are Katie Powells words to live by, and perhaps the most telling thing about the Cougars starting guard.

Shes incredible, said head coach T.J. Hardeman. She is 100 percent the girl you want represent-ing APU basketball.

Powell is the only four-year se-nior on this seasons Azusa Pacific womens basketball team, but given her full career, she was not the typical aspiring college basketball player.

I always tell people I dont even know how I ended up at APU because I didnt really plan on playing a sport in college, Powell said.

Her journey from a small town in Oregon to APU was mostly happen-stance.

She was not seeking to play col-lege athletics. She was not being re-cruited for other schools. She had no offers elsewhere. Yet, she found her-self in an open gym for the Cougars her senior year of high school and hasnt looked back since.

Her career has matured simul-taneously with the teams transi-tion into the NCAA joining the program in its final year of NAIA

competition, competing through the provisional membership seasons and now in its NCAA postseason debut.

The senior is a consistent con-tributor, shooting .351 from beyond the arc and .397 from the field overall with an average 7.5 points per game. Her defensive performance is also solid, with 32 steals this season.

Powell considers herself a be-hind the scenes player, but as one

Katie Powell: Leader with a servants heartPowell brings unifying spirit to womens basketballKatie Richcreeksports editor

of just two seniors, she has found herself in a position of leadership in which she has seamlessly translated those words to live by.

Shes played a big role in trying to encourage people, getting people to be on each others side and to be excited for each other, said team-mate and junior forward Kelly Har-deman. Thats a huge thing, espe-cially in womens basketball.

Powell describes her mission as a leader as cultivating her teammates strengths while also helping them work on their weaknesses.

That entails a lot of different things for a lot of people, because ev-erybody is so unique and beautifully individual on our team, she said. But its recognizing the potential in others and trying to bring that out.

Her teammates have reflected

her effort to invest in one another, which has ultimately lent itself to the squads on-court performance.

If we dont come out every night united and if we dont play to-gether, were not going to win, said Kelly Hardeman. She definitely brings us together, gets us fired up and reminds us that were playing for each other.

While she may downplay her on-court contributions, Powells unify-ing impact has evidently influenced the teams dynamic on and off the court so much so that its hard to imagine the teams season without her.

But that was nearly a reality the senior almost didnt return for her final year.

I was set for a while on, Im not playing basketball next year. Theres no way, she said.

After some contemplation, con-versations with family and lots of prayer, she decided to return.

I realized, Why would I not do this next year? Im so glad I did, Powell said.

With the Cougars fourth-place regular season finish, she will now have the opportunity to lead the Cou-gars to their first-ever NCAA postsea-son appearance at the PacWest tourna-ment next weekend. But for Powell, this final run was more than just about the accomplishments on paper.

More than anything, I wanted our team to grow visibly from the beginning to the end of the year. Whether that was spiritually or as players, she said. I think we have.

Mens, womens to compete in Pacific West tournament

Katie Richcreek PHOTO

Were just getting ready for playing our game because every time weve played our game, weve beat-en our opponent, said senior guard Kevin Stafford.

The Cougars will play the winner of the California Baptist vs. Hawaii Pacific game on March 6 at 4 p.m. at future PacWest member institution Concordia University in Irvine.

As a player and young assistant, I used to overanalyze matchups, and then something would change, said head coach Justin Leslie. To win any tournament, you need to play your best games and beat the best teams.No. 1 Dixie State

The Cougars lost an overtime thriller to the Red Storm on the road that broke their 14-game winning streak. APU turned around a week later to beat Dixie State in the Felix Event Center, claiming the victory af-ter coming back from an eight-point deficit with four minutes remaining.

The Red Storm has 6-foot-10 se-nior center Zach Robbins, who poses a matchup problem in the post for the Cougars, although APU was able to hold him to around his season aver-ages in both meetings.No. 3 California Baptist

The rival Lancers also split the season series with the Cougars, win-ning at home before coming to the Felix Event Center and losing. APU was able to hold Ryan Berg, the Lancers second-leading scorer, to just 12 points between the two con-tests while Leaf scored 61 points combined in the two.

Additionally, the Lancers relied on over 60 percent 3-point shooting in their win a rate that is unlikely to be reproduced.No. 4 BYU-Hawaii

The Seasiders also pose a match-up problem in the post for the Cou-gars. BYU-H has four players that are over 6-foot-7, including 6-foot-10

and 6-foot-11 centers. In the game at BYU-H, the Seasiders out-rebounded the Cougars 42-29 to win 92-78. APU was able to tighten this margin to 36-33 during the rematch in Azusa, but the matchup is still troublesome for the smaller Cougars.No. 5 Point Loma

The Cougars swept the season series against the Sea Lions, win-ning both games by more than 10 points. Point Loma was only able to grab one victory against the top four teams, falling squarely in between the upper echelon of squads and the rest of the conference. The Sea Lions do have some extra motivation with their eighth-place spot in the most re-cent regional ranking but would need a strong showing to earn an NCAA berth.No. 6 Hawaii Pacific

HPU must win the PacWest tour-nament to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament, but its unlikely for the Sharks, who finished 11-9 in the conference. The Cougars swept the Sharks this season, including a 78-50 drubbing in Azusa. Hawaii Pacifics best win was over Point Loma, and HPU was the only conference loser to the 1-19 Holy Names Hawks.

WOMENS BASKETBALLAzusa Pacifics 14-6 conference

record and fourth-place regular-sea-son finish earned the team the fourth-seed in the PacWest Womens Cham-pionship tournament.

Among the other five teams to clinch tournament berths, the Cou-gars only beat three during the regu-lar season.

We need to win, said APU head coach T.J. Hardeman. I think weve improved a lot as a team. I really feel like were starting to go to our strengths and recognize our weak-nesses and stay away from those.

APU enters the tournament with the PacWests second-leading scorer, Kelly Hardeman, one of just two

players in the conference to reach the 500-point mark in the regular season. The junior forward nearly averages a double-double with 19 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.

The Cougars also enter the field with the one of the conferences most dynamic point guards, Cydnie Jones. Her 2.2 steals per game rank third in the PacWest while her 4.5 assists per game are fourth. She also averages 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

As the fourth seed, the Cougar womens squad does not enjoy the benefits of a first-round bye like the top two seeds. APU will play Acade-my of Art in the first round on March 5 at Concordia University in Irvine.

Tipoff is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. A win would advance the team to the semifinal game against No. 1 Hawaii Pacific on March 6.No. 5 Academy of Art

The Urban Knights swept the Cougars in the two-game season se-ries. Azusa Pacific led both games at the half before second-half shoot-ing adjustments put Academy of Art ahead. Both contests were deter-mined in the final 90 seconds by less than five points.

The Cougars turned the ball over 44 times between the two games giving the K