Writer: Joan Schueller I Photographer: North Steinbacher I just don’t care anymore is an attitude that permeates our culture. Whether it is working through a college degree or reading the flood of news we receive daily, it is hard to stay invested in everything all at once. We have resorted to the most simple response of apathy. It is easy to get swept up in the fast-paced world we live in and meaning and purpose are lost on us. What can be said to remedy the problem? Maybe the use of time and space can help alleviate this sense of apathy. Apathy Defined Dr. Uche Anizor, Christianity Today’s award-winning author…
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Diversity in Children’s Media
Writer: Kayla Cha | Photo courtesy of Unsplash Representing people of color in children’s realistic fiction, “Diversity means including real people throughout all levels of fiction (and nonfiction), representing real struggles and challenges—and the complete mundane ordinariness of life, too!” —Kate Sullivan There is something special about seeing ourselves represented in media. Through fiction, for a moment, we are able to step into a different world in which we can be a warrior, a princess, a lawyer, an artist, in love, a prodigy—we can be anything we want to be. As children, whether it be Hermione Granger or Peter Pan or Iron Man, we admire these characters, dress…
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(Not) Home for Thanksgiving
Writer and Photographer: Jenna Wirtz For the Students not Going Home this Thanksgiving Whether you are in class, walking around campus, or grabbing coffee with a friend, chances are that the topic of your Thanksgiving break plans came up this week. Whether that is to a relative’s house nearby, driving up north or down south, or hopping on a plane, many Biola students are going home for the holiday. Although the break is only 5 days long, including the weekend, students return home to family and friends for a momentary refuge from the busyness of the fall semester. There are many reasons why a student may choose not to return home.…
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COVID-19 and the Shifting of Missions Focus in the Church
When the world seemed void of promise, new opportunities for missions arose. For many churches during the pandemic, opportunities to serve across the world grew scarce and they began to recognize a greater need in their local community. Others worked around obstacles to continue serving other countries. Churches have seen a shift in missionary focus leaning in either direction in the wake of COVID-19. Local Missions Focus For sophomore music composition major Michael Fausett, the pandemic shifted his focus toward local outreach. His love for missions stems from his home church in Texas church, Coronado Baptist, which often emphasizes the importance of Acts 1:8. “With missions specifically, we are called…
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Local Escapes: Life Outside Zoom
Writer: Lily Johnson Photographer: Jalin Cerillo After a year of tired eyes and drained hearts, students struggle to focus as Zoom fatigue hits harder than ever. Trying to maintain a balanced lifestyle with school, work and relationships can be overwhelming, which is why implementing certain lifestyle changes can help lower stress and leave one with less anxiety. Students have a very sedentary lifestyle; they spend hours staring at a screen during class and even more hours sitting while working on homework. Setting time aside to get out of the house or dorm to get some fresh air not only helps improve one’s mood and relieves stress, but also helps one stay…
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End of DACA Affects Los Angeles Residents
Written by Jehn Kubiak President Trump rocked the world of 800,000 people—28.7 percent of those in California and 13 percent in Los Angeles—after he officially ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act on Sept. 4. The United States government stopped accepting applications on Oct. 5. Thousands of youth have lost protection since Trump ended the act according to United We Dream. According to a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services report, practically 40,000 DACA recipients have adapted to Lawful Permanent Resident status, but 760,000 do not have LPR status. The USCIS continues adjudicating requests for those who filed an initial or renewal DACA request and application before Sept. 5.…
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California’s Identity as a Sanctuary State
Written by Jehn Kubiak In a country with a president that openly vocalizes his resistance towards illegal immigration, one Democratic state stands with its non-citizen residents––through its identity as a sanctuary state. Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 54 on Oct. 5, in opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Sen. Kevin de León authored the bill, which will officially take effect in January. [sidebar title=”CAIR California legislative fact sheet lists the following purposes of SB 54″ align=”right” background=”on” border=”all” shadow=”on”] Prohibiting state and local law enforcement agencies, school police, and security departments from investigating, detaining, detecting, reporting or arresting persons for immigration enforcement purposes. Prohibiting state or local law…
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An Overview of the Immigrant Population in California
Written by Jehn Kubiak Over 10 million immigrants call California home. While people from across the world have emigrated to the United States, the majority have come from Latin America, Asia and Mexico. The oil, agricultural and entertainment industries drew millions of immigrants to California in the 1920s and 1930s, thereby bolstering Southern California’s economy according to Calisphere states. Although Native Americans, African Americans and Hispanics all settled in California during the 20th century, Hispanics were the dominant group of that time. Starting in 1769, groups of Spanish missionaries and soldiers came to California and built missions throughout the state’s southern region, a region which native peoples inhabited. After Mexico…
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Adopting Local Los Angeles
Written by John Kay Within Los Angeles’s robust Echo Park, the Dream Center exists as a faith-based outreach and mission organization. Since 1995, the Center has been positively impacting lives affected by poverty, homelessness and addiction. From their ministry of providing warm meals to the homeless presiding in Skid Row and South Central to the 135 blocks that are now “adopted,” over 30,000 lives have been affected by the Dream Center. This latter program, called Adopt-A-Block, serves people in 16 housing projects from Watts to Pueblos located in South LA. Adopt-A-Block director, Alexa Duerest, oversees 30 weekly outreach programs. For her, Adopt-A-Block functions as an outlet for people to…
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Outgrown: Vancouver Sleep Clinic serenades Los Angeles
Written by Leah Lu The Bootleg Theater is a music venue that strikingly resembles the residential studios surrounding it. Sitting on the fringe of Echo Park and backdropped by the Los Angeles skyline, Beverly Boulevard felt like it was nestled in a suburb, quiet and littered with pharmacies, liquor stores and churches. The area is not glamorous and rather homely, a vibe that could not have been more fitting for Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s intimate, headlining show on Nov. 29. Upon arrival, one immediately notices the welcoming, almost familiar comfort of the Bootleg. The theater is spacious, its walls donned with exposed brick and cement. Down the hall there is a…
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Made in Hollywood
Written by Leah Lu LANY has become a household name at Biola. After drawing a large crowd at The Eddy last October, there’s been an indisputable connection between this campus and the three-piece synth-pop group. That link was evident at LANY’s sold-out Los Angeles dates of the closing leg of their “Kinda” tour. Several groups of Biola students were interspersed in the line that wrapped around Hollywood Boulevard outside of the historic Fonda Theater. After doors opened on November 19th, Saturday night, the checkered floor of the venue gradually grew saturated with fans ranging from teenage girls to guys in their mid-twenties and, a personal favorite, a grown man repping…
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The Northern Wild
Written by Stephen Day In my Mind I sat outside by the fire for a long time, staring into the warm tongues of flame as they wrapped themselves around the dry pine logs, wondering why I couldn’t write. Every time I picked up a pen or opened my laptop to place words where they should be, my mind would drift away, leaving nothing but a frustrating inability to produce any work and another long evening staring at blank pages. Placing a fresh log onto the waning fire, I finally accepted that my heart wasn’t here. I didn’t want to write about nature and camping. I didn’t want to write about…
