Collide Issue 30: The Middle

Collide 

for student, by students 

30 

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2 • Collide • March 2016

Collide 

APU’s Student Magazine || March 2016 || Issue 30 

. 

Editor-in-Chief || Maureen Wolff || mwolff12@apu.edu 

Art Director || Ayzia King || aking14@apu.edu 

Publicist || Camille Frigillana || cfrigillana12@apu.edu 

Online Editor || Ashlee Polarek || apolarek11@apu.edu 

Copy Editor|| Yasaman Khorsandi || ykhorsandi13@apu.edu 

Adviser || Jessica Sherer || jsherer@apu.edu 

Contributing Writers 

Camille Frigillana, Yasaman Khorssandi, Kennedy Myers, 

Ashlee Polarek, Lynn Yeo 

Mission Statement: 

Collide is a publication of The Clause, a multi-media student voice of undergraduate Azusa Pacific University. Our 

stories seek to bring people together on our pages while our ideas collide and stories impact readers. We provide 

narratives, inquires and dialogue in a Christian academic setting that values individual’s stories as well as community 

concerns. Our writers are student-journalists interested in crafting articles that connect with readers and challenge them 

to grow as people and reporters. 

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“WE DANCE ROUND IN A 

RING AND SUPPOSE, BUT 

THE SECRET SITS IN THE 

MIDDLE AND KNOWS.” 

- ROBERT FROST 


ON THE COVER 

Courtesy of Pam Steenwijk 

Pam lives in The Netherlands and graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in 2015. 

She states that she will never stop drawing. 

To view more of her work, please visit www.pamsteenwijk.com 

LETTER 

FROM THE 

EDITOR 

"BETWEENS" IN A SEA OF 

STORIES 

The familiar fairy tale rhythms of “once upon a time” 

and “happily ever after” have conditioned us to crave 

beginnings and endings. But as March settles in, everyone’s 

finally started writing down the correct year, the “fresh 

start” feeling of 2016 has faded and we’re faced with the 

dullness of the mid-semester weeks stretching ahead. Quick 

to equate the middle ground with monotony, we miss the 

importance of Act II of the narrative. 

Being a student can feed a visceral fear of mediocrity—a feeling of invisibility within a sea of 

multi-faceted students, all stuck in a phase of life that has partially dismissed childhood while 

making a half-hearted attempt to enter the adult world. With this in mind, our staff chose to 

dedicate Collide 30 to “The Middle,” engaging with the challenging expanse between genesis 

and resolution. We want to celebrate the process of being en route (“In the Making”), finding 

sparks of creativity and reconciliation amidst transition. 

The middle of the story is often the part that requires the most courage (“Amid a Transformation”). 

It can rob us of a sense of safe space or belonging (“Transitioning Out of Homelessness,” 

“Third Culture Kids”) or leave us in need of a temporary escape from the cacophony of a 

plugged-in life (“The Middle of Nowhere”, “Finding Your Center”). 

Without the energy of a beginning or the incentive of a conclusion in sight, momentum can 

waver. Compromise can seem daunting, especially on controversial issues such as modesty 

when everyone seems to have a unique opinion (“The Midriff”). Many of our country’s ills, 

from racism to polarized politics, don’t have a quick remedy or clear end in sight. It would be 

easy enough to become callous with cynicism, but what would it look like to acknowledge the 

scariness of uncertain victories and still move forward to pursue them? The middle—the area 

of debate and undetermined endings—is no place for cowardice. 

Though juggling many middle spaces can be overwhelming, I hope that as students we will 

continue to reinvent and reconsider the plot points we inherit. As one character in Salman 

Rushdie’s “Haroun and the Sea of Stories” explains, “no story comes from nowhere; new 

stories are born from old—it is the new combinations that make them new.” 

With the momentous occasion of our 30th issue, I want to appreciate the evolution of our 

magazine, celebrating the writers and staff that have come before and the ones that will come 

after. As we tackle critical and controversial topics surrounding culture, sexuality and identity 

in this issue, I hope our content will catalyze bold conversations that will make the “middles” 

of the world a little more interesting. 

Editor-in-Chief, Maureen Wolff 


COLLIDE WITH US. 

Collide is looking for 

passionate student journalists 

to join out fall 2016 staff. Have 

your writing published in the 

only student-run magazine at 

APU! 

Enroll in JOUR 326: 

Magazine Workshop 

Jour 210: News Writing & Reporting 

required for enrollment 


CONTENTS 

08 

12 

21 

10 

22 

18 

24 

08 In the Making 

Upcoming releases to watch for 

10 Finding your Center 

Exploring the rhythms of meditation 

12 Amid A Transformation 

18 Midriff 

A conversation about modesty on- 

Christian campuses. 

21 Middle of Nowhere 

Fnding sacred space in the City of 

Angels 

22 Third Culture Kids 

Navigating new cultural spaces 

24 Transitioning Out 

of Homelessness 

New beginnings for LA families 


shorts 

MAKING 

BY YASAMAN KHORSANDI 

BINGE-WORTHY 

HOUSE OF CARDS 

The Netflix original series known for 

its binge-watching fans and conniving 

portrayal of Washington politics has 

been renewed for a fifth season to 

come in 2017. Kevin Spacey plays 

the main character, Frank Underwood, 

who seeks vengeance on all his political 

colleagues that have wronged him. 

Although our government may not be 

as exciting in reality, HOC balances 

between dramatizing the game of 

politics and accurately playing off of 

what is going on in our nation and in 

the White House. 

WHEN While season five is set to 

return in 2017, season four airs on 

March 4, 2016. 

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH 

House of Cards and its actors have 

won Golden Globes, Emmys, Screen 

Actors Guilds and Writers Guilds 

Awards consecutively since its 2013 

premiere. Variety.com concluded that 

House of Cards made up 6.5 percent 

of Netflix users, making it the most 

watched show on Netflix as of April 

2015. Not only is the general public 

raving about this show, but also President 

Obama admitted his love for the 

political drama to Netflix CEO Reed 

Hastings. In a meeting with other business 

CEOs, President Obama said, “I 

wish things were that ruthlessly efficient 

[in Washington],” according to a 

Washington Post article. 

Season four is just days away from 

airing. The good news for those that 

want to start watching now is that 

three seasons is nothing to catch up on 

in the world of Netflix binge-watching. 

This show does contain some violence, 

profane language and sexual content. 

THE 

Photo courtsey of Netflix Network 

2016IN 

8 • Collide • March

MUST SEE MOVIE 

FOR THE RECORD 

The pop rock sisters are back for their highly anticipated sophomore album. 

Originating from L.A’s San Fernando Valley, the Haim sisters have just returned 

from touring with Taylor Swift on her “1989” world tour to get back to work 

in the studio. Taylor Swift asked this girl band to open for her tour that broke 

records after selling out the Staples Center five nights in a row. In a recent 

tweet, sister Este Haim posted a picture in the studio with producer Ariel Rechtshaid 

at work in front of a computer and piano captioned, “Here we go again 

everybody.” Their 2013 album titled, “Days Are Gone” did exceptionally 

well, landing them a spot at No. 1 on the UK’s Billboards, and No. 6 on the 

US’ Billboard 200. The band’s hit single “The Wire” has over 46 million plays 

on Spotify. 

WHEN Spring 2016. An exact date is yet to be released. 

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN First of all, what could be cooler than three girls 

shredding it on bass, electric guitar and drums? HAIM is also praised for the 

incredible production of their music. According to Billboard.com, they are 

working with Colombian producer Ariel Rechtshaid again. Rechtshaid has 

worked with artists like Adele, Vampire Weekend and Madonna. HAIM fans 

have high hopes for the creative direction and sound of their second album. 

HAIM 

Photo courtsey of Columbia Records 

Based on the documentary “Citizenfour” 

and the book “No Place to 

Hide” by Glenn Greenwald, Snowden 

is a film about former CIA agent and 

NSA contractor, Edward Snowden. 

Snowden leaks classified information 

to the public and sparks the heated 

debate over government surveillance 

and invasion of privacy for citizens. 

At the movie’s press conference, Greenwald 

said, “I am excited about the 

opportunity to be part of a political 

film that will resonate with today’s 

moviegoers.” 

WHEN 

May 13, 2016 

Photo courtsey of Citizenfour 

SNOWDEN 

WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH 

With technology increasing government 

surveillance, this film is taking 

a pressing national issue and bringing 

it to the public eye in a creative 

and interesting way. With a stacked 

cast of actors including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 

Shailene Woodley, Nicholas 

Cage and Scott Eastwood, this 

film is simultaneously educational 

and thrilling. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 

99 percent of movie critic users 

have voted “want to see” this film. 

Snowden has not been rated yet. 


shorts 

Finding your 

Center: Exploring 

the Rhythms of 

Meditation 

By Ashlee Polarek 

They say that the center or the ‘eye’ of a storm is the 

calmest. Chaos lurks in the gray clouds that swirl around, 

yet at the center there is peace. Occasionally life is its own 

version of an F-5 tornado. It’s as if things are being hurled 

at us—deadlines,work, friendships, life after graduation. 

One thousand voices telling us to accomplish one thousand 

things in 24 hours. 

When the body is stressed, the immune system is at 

a higher risk of being attacked. Therefore, those that are 

stressed have a higher rate of contracting sickness. According 

to the Mayo Clinic, stress can affect the body in 

many ways including; headaches, sleep problems, muscle 

tension, anxiety, depression and irritability. Stress may also 

lead to changes in behavior, possibly resulting in substance 

abuse, eating disorders and social withdrawal. 

A study released in Biological Psychiatry early this February 

found that mindfulness meditation is linked with 

improvements in markers of health. The study showed 

that after three day intensive meditation treatments participants 

produced more of a chemical in their brain that 

combats inflammation. 

Many Americans are turning to meditation to combat 

some of the results that stress has played in their lives. According 

to the Department of Health and Human Services, 

18 million adults in the U.S report using mediation 

as a complementary and integrative approach to their 

health. 

In his book, “Awaken to Superconsciousness: Meditation 

for Inner Peace, Inner Guidance, and Greater Awareness,” 

guru Swami Kriyananda taught, “Center everywhere, circumference 

nowhere.” 

Kriyananda said that most people live superficially and 

show their ‘circumference’, which is created of chaos and 

vibrations, to the world and others. In order to achieve 

inner peace and turn outer peace and improved health, 

one must learn to find the peaceful center and project that 

center outwards. 

10 • Collide • March 2016 

Attitudes of a Successful Mediator Kriyananda offers 

several attitudes of success that help capture successful 

meditation to find one’s center during a time of great 

stress. If warding off illness isn’t enough reward for practicing 

mediation, recent studies by Yale, Harvard and John 

Hopkins University conclude that meditation improves 

concentration, reduces anxiety, and helps individuals recover 

from addictions and lower blood pressure. 

Kriyananda claims that the first step to beginning successful 

meditation is self-acceptance, writing, “You are 

who you are. Make the best of it, and envy no one for what 

he or she is. Don’t draw comparisons between you and 

others: encourage yourself, rather, in your efforts to attain 

your own highest potential. Self-acceptance will come progressively 

as you try to live up to the highest that is in you.” 

The second step to successful meditation is kindness. 

Practice kindness outwardly as one does inwardly. Be kind 

to others, but also to yourself. You will never get over your 

failings, like bombing a test or forgetting a friend’s birthday, 

by hating your mistakes or yourself. Be stern with 

yourself but do not be judgmental. 

photo courtsey of 

creativecommmons 

When to Meditate Tris Thorp, a certified yoga and 

meditation master, offered some tips for mediation, claiming 

that the center is not based on balance, but on harmony. 

According to Thorp, balance in life is nearly impossible, 

but harmony is more feasible. To achieve a state of 

centered harmony, Thorp recommends meditating twice 

a day. 

“Start and end your day with time in stillness and silence,” 

said Thorp. “If you can start your day with 15-20 

minutes of stillness and silence in meditation before you 

greet your day, then essentially what you’re doing is beginning 

your day coming from that place of centered, restful 

awareness.”

When the day begins frantically, the rest of the day 

usually continues in chaos. Things are forgotten, you’re 

late to class or meetings or you say things you don’t mean. 

Meditation in the mornings puts us in a place of “restful 

awareness” as Thorp calls it. 

Meditation in the late afternoon or early evening is just 

as important as morning meditation. By meditating in the 

later hours of the day for 10-15 minutes, you’re essentially 

hitting the “spacebar’ between the busyness of the day and 

the winding down of the evening. 

To make time for meditation, Thorp recommends making 

a change in your routine. Wake up earlier, get the coffee 

pot prepared for brewing the night before or take 5 minutes 

off your morning shower. She also reminds those new 

to practicing meditation to schedule meditation for the 

same time everyday, so it becomes routine. 

Types of Meditation The next step to meditation is 

choosing the type of meditation desired—either mantra or 

breathing. The purpose of both is to give the mind something 

to focus on while in meditation. 

Breathing meditation is focused on the cycle of inhalation 

and exhalation, sitting with your back straight and eyes 

closed. 

In mantra meditation, a word or phrase is repeated. Not 

so it sounds like a broken record, but rather as a means 

of focus through repetition. The classic is ‘Aum’ which in 

Hinduism is said to mean ‘it is’, ‘it will be’ or ‘to become.’ 

According to Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, monks used 

to say the mantra Maranatha, which in Aramaic means, 

“come Lord”, which is the final instruction of Saint Paul’s 

teaching to the Corinthians. 

Don’t be discouraged if your mind wanders onto other 

thoughts, like thinking about homework that needs to 

be completed or the coffee date that’s rapidly approaching. 

According to Throp, it’s natural to get distracted, but 

when you catch yourself becoming unfocused, go back to 

repeating your mantra or focusing on breathing. 

Throp notes that some people experience negative 

emotions or physical pain a week into meditation. This 

is a good sign—it means that you are accessing deeper 

layers of yourself. She likens this to the beginning of a 

workout routine. After the first couple of workouts, your 

body is sore, but you know if you do it again the soreness 

will go away. If you keep meditating, the pain and negative 

emotions can pass. 

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AMID A 

TRANSFORMATION 

BY CAMILLE FRIGILLANA 


Film Still from 

www.theclause.org/collide • 13 

A Place in the Middle


n 

the town of Honolulu, Hawaii, 11- 

year- old Ho’onani is a hula dancer 

yearning to be a part of the boy’s hula 

dance for her school’s performance. 

The problem isn’t that Ho’onani’s 

dancing skills aren’t good enough, 

but it is because Ho’onani is a girl 

trying to get on an all-male group. 

In the 2015 documentary “A 

Place In The Middle,” directors 

Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson use 

Ho’ onani’s story in order to challenge 

gender norms that are in 

place in today’s society. The story 

is told through the perspective of 

Ho’onani, a girl who identifies herself 

as a mahu. The concept of 

mahu in the ancient Hawaiian tradition 

is defined as one who does not 

identify with one gender or the other, 

but rather places themselves in 

the middle, identifying with different 

traits from both genders. 

“This film is told through the 

young person’s point of view. It’s in 

her voice and it’s her experience. It’s 

not experts talking about the concept 

of the gender spectrum. It’s just 

her experience,” co-director Joe Wilson 

said. 

“A Place In The Middle” is a spin 

off of Wilson’s 2014 documentary 

“Kumu Hina,” which follows a 

transgender hula dancer as she petitions 

her future husband to immigrate 

from Tonga to Hawaii. Hamer 

and Wilson have been long time 

advocates for the LGBT community, 

having previously shot a documentary 

about a gay teen from a small 

town in 2009. 

“For many years, we have been 

working on the issue of how to raise 

visibility of the LGBT people- youth 

in particular- and find ways to overcome 

prejudice and discrimination 

that they continue to face,” Wilson 

said. 

While filming the documentary, 

a mutual friend from Hawaii introduced 

Wilson and Hamer to Kumu 

Hina, who quickly learned that she 

was a respected and revered figure in 

her community, despite seeing herself 

as mahu. 

“Hina just invited us to become 

more involved in helping to share 

her story because she realized, too, 

that there’s a lot of things people 

can learn by seeing an indigenous 

perspective on how gender is embraced 

and respected in many other 

cultures,” Wilson said. The film explains 

that mahus were once highly 

regarded in the Hawaiian culture. 

But once Christian settlers came to 

the island and condemned their type 

of people, mahus became something 

of a taboo. 

“The term mahu- you know, just 

like the term in English ‘queer’ had 

been used negatively- mahu has 

also been used like that over many 

decades. So just now over the last 

couple of years Hina and a couple 

of other mahu are now working to 

reclaim the word. It’s a slow process 

but we’re in that period now where 

the stigma is still there, but little by 

little the cracks are peeling that negativity 

away,” Wilson said. “A Place 

In the Middle” is now being used as 

a tool for schools in Hawai’i to talk 

about the concept of mahu to the 

young and old alike and to break the 

stigma surrounding it so that conversations 

can begin to take place and 

the term’s historical significance can 

be restored to what it was before. 

The Western world can definitely 

learn a thing or two from this film, 

as it is there that the harshest stigmas 

and stereotypes are present. 

Even though this film is focused on 

one particular culture, aspects of it 

can also relate to the general idea 

"When you realize that those people that we"re 

always taught were the other are just like us, 

then it just becomes normal. The prejudice and 

the other things just kind of dissipate in a natural 

way," Wilson said. 

that certain ideologies can hinder 

a full understanding of people who 

may be deemed as different than the 

norm. 

“When you realize that those people 

that we’re always taught were the 

‘other’ are just like us, then it just becomes 

normal. The prejudice and 

the other things just kind of dissipate 

in a natural way,” Wilson said. 

A Unique Perspective 

Sophomore biblical studies major 

Ashli Lomeli’s father came out 

to her as transgender when she was


A Place in 

the Middle 

11 years old. The stigmas attached 

to transgender is something that she 

knows, and once believed to be true. 

“My mom comes from a Mexican 

Catholic family, so it was very shocking 

for her, but more shocking than 

it should have been. So I modeled 

my response after my mom’s. But I 

knew something was up because he 

started talking hormones even before 

he told us. If I hadn’t been as 

shocked as I was, I would have probably 

been okay with it,” Lomeli said. 

Now, Lomeli is willing to help her 

father, who now goes by the name 

Dee, during this transition. Dee remains 

steeped in her Christian faith, 

and Lomeli appreciates their Bible 

studies together. However, there is 

one thing that Lomeli won’t do, and 

that is refer to Dee as a she. 

“When you’re their kid, you refer 

to them as what they were to you. 

I don’t call him mom because he 

claims that he will always be my father. 

It’s not a matter of gender but a 

matter of parental role. So I call him 

dad out of respect of that fact that 

he is my father. He doesn’t want that 

added stress of me having to change 

pronouns all the time. He knows 

that when I call him ‘he’ it’s not out 

of disrespect, but out of the fact that 

he is my father,” Lomeli said. 

But, Lomeli and her mother 

weren’t the only ones in the family to 

be angered by her father’s decision. 

Growing up, Dee’s parents wanted 

her to act more masculine. But now 

that Dee has fully accepted who she 

really is, her family barely even talks 

to her anymore. 

“We heard countless stories about 

how he felt growing up. When he 

was three, his parents had to cut his 

hair really short and they said that 

he was crying for days. And then 

during picture days when he would 

have to wear a tie and do his hair, he 

hated it,” Lomeli said. 

Dee entered the army and became 

staff sergeant before she left, 

which made Dee’s father very proud 

of her. She continued on as part of 

the California Highway Patrol Officer 

and father to Lomeli. 

“It was just 40 years of him being 

unhappy and trying to please everyone,” 

said Lomeli. 

After coming to Lomeli, it took 

her four years to finally start talking 

to her father again and take the time 

to learn about who she is. 

“I lived with my dad during the 

summer when I was 16. We would 

go out in public and he would wear 

feminine shirts, long hair, makeup. It 

was different but it was still my dad. 

The only way I could tell it was different 

was how everyone was looking 

at my dad,” Lomeli said. 

Now, Dee is more comfortable 

with dressing up and putting on 

makeup in public, not paying attention 

to the stares that she might get. 

However, because she lives with her 

elderly mother who still disapproves 

of her being transgender, Dee seems 

to be living a double life as she has to 

wear her long hair in a hat and dress 

in baggy clothing. 

With her unique experience, 

Lomeli at first wondered why she 

picked such a school that didn’t nec- 


trans·gen·der 

adjective 

of, relating to, or being a person who identifies with or 

expresses a gender identity that differs from the one 

which corresponds to the person’s sex at birth. 

definition from merriam-webster. 


essarily believe in what her father was going through. 

But now she sees her purpose on campus. 

“I think my job is to answer people’s questions, educate 

people about it or bring up the topic when other 

people don’t because I think it’s important to take the 

stigma away,” Lomeli explained, pointing to the negative 

stereotyping that can be attached to transgendered 

individuals in a Christian community. 

The Fight For Acknowledgement 

Many Christian universities now have to face the issue 

head-on with an updated Title IX. When Title IX 

was passed in 1972, it was originally intended to help female 

athletes get equal treatment with their fellow male 

teammates, according to titleix.info. But that changed in 

2014 when it extended to protect transgender students 

and faculty. 

With the expansion of Title IX to protect students 

that identify as transgender, the battle for equality within 

universities is becoming more and more evident, especially 

at Christian Universities. Title IX now allows 

for those who identify as transgender to use restrooms, 

locker rooms and dorm rooms with the pronoun they 

identify with. It also allows for them to dress appropriately, 

or maintain their right to keep their status a secret. 

Many Christian universities, however, are putting 

in requests to be exempted from Title IX because it goes 

against their religious freedom. 

APU is commonly considered to be liberal when it 

comes to Christian universities, but that does not mean 

that many students and faculty are ready for an open 

conversation about transgender and LGBT issues. An 

anonymous faculty source hopes that there will be more 

of a willingness for students to reach out to LGBT community 

members and start a conversation. 

“You can read all the books and articles you want on 

the issue, but it’s not the same as face to face interaction 

and getting to know that type of person,” the anonymous 

source said. 

Because of people like Wilson, conversations are now 

slowly starting around the country. Hawaii is finally 

starting to restore an identity that was once highly regarded. 

“Think about the concept of aloha, which is just unconditional 

acceptance and respect, and how it can be 

applied to your own community in order to make places 

of inclusion for everybody. Because this is really about 

everybody having an equal opportunity and finding 

their way in life,” Wilson said. 


A Place in the Middle 


MIDRIFF 

A Conversation About Modesty on Christian Campuses 

By Yasaman Khorsandi 

photo courtsey of creativecommon 


Among the Christian 

community, modesty 

is often used to 

describe the way 

women should dress 

to prevent the opposite sex from 

stumbling. The word modesty, 

however, carries a spectrum 

of physical and emotional 

implications. 

For sophomore social work 

major and Honors College 

student, Heather Turner, modesty 

is self-motivated. “I personally 

dress modestly to be respected and 

taken seriously. I don’t want people 

to know my butt cheeks before they 

know my name.” 

Dress Code 

Christian college campuses 

offer differing views of modesty 

within their dress codes. There is 

no specific dress code in the APU 

Student Standards of Conduct 

other than Clause 8.0, which 

states, “Inappropriate dress will 

not be tolerated.” 

Comparatively, Biola University’s 

dress code states, “No spaghetti 

strap or tank tops, no skirts, no 

exposed midriffs or backs, no 

excessively baggy, tight or low-cut 

clothing.” This is applied to all 

students, male and female. 

Liberty University, considered 

to be one of the more conservative 

Christian universities in Virginia, 

enforces a dress code with “class 

dress” and “casual dress.” Class 

dress includes long pants for 

men and long skirts/dresses and 

pants for women. Facial jewelry is 

prohibited on men, and reduced 

to small nose studs and earrings on 

women. 

“We don’t want students’ 

appearance to be a distraction or 

interruption to any environment,” 

said Cimber Cummings, associate 

director of the Office of Student 

Leadership at Liberty University. 

“We encourage them to reflect 

Christ in all things, including their 

decisions with what they wear. I 

believe the standards we hold for 

both genders are fair and equally 

modest.” 

While APU does not have a dress 

code, certain professors practice 

the freedom of enforcing their own 

dress codes in the classroom. Turner 

had a dress code in her Honors class 

with a female professor. 

“My professor said, ‘I don’t want 

beach attire’, which means no thighs 

or shoulders or baseball caps. I was 

really intimidated, because at the 

time it was August in Azusa, so it 

was extremely hot,” said Turner. 

Senior history major Kadie 

to drop one test grade if everyone 

abides by the dress code. Males are 

included in this dress code because 

they cannot wear tank tops or 

hats. 

When approached by Collide for 

an interview, Professor Edmund 

Mazza declined to comment. 

What do men think? 

Modesty, especially on a campus 

with no rules and regulations, 

is a self-motivated expression 

of personal fashion and values. 

While choice of dress can reflect 

individuality, it also has the ability 

to influence the sexual thoughts 

of others and their occurrences. 

In 2011, a research team at Ohio 

State University provided 283 

students with golf score counters 

and asked them to press and record 

"When you realize that those people that we"re 

always taught were the other are just like us, 

then it just becomes normal. The prejudice and 

the other things just kind of dissipate in a natural 

way," Wilson said. 

Chakerian also had an in-class 

experience regarding dress code with 

history professor, Edmund Mazza. 

“It was a week into class and I was 

wearing a shirt covering my chest 

but my back was open. He took 

me aside and asked me to make 

sure it was covered next time. It 

was embarrassing and it was the 

first time I had been told that what 

I was wearing was inappropriate,” 

Chakerian said. 

Chakerian has had eight classes 

with this professor since. Professor 

Mazza has restructured the way he 

goes about dress code and now offers 

every time they thought about sex, 

food, or sleep. Research showed 

the average man had 19 thoughts 

about sex, while women had 10. 

In 2009, a select group of male 

students from Princeton University 

participated in a study where they 

were shown images of women in 

bikinis and tested their reactions. 

When the men were shown images 

of women in bikinis, the brain 

scans showed that the region of 

their brain associated with tools, 

such as hammers and screwdrivers, 

lit up. One researcher said the men 

were “reacting to these women as 


M 


if they are not fully human, as if 

they are objects, not people.” 

While men are often targeted 

for objectifying women, research 

shows that women look at and 

objectify other women just as 

much. In another study done in 

2013 by University of Nebraska 

Lincoln, psychologists fitted 65 

college students with eye-tracking 

devices to test how men and 

women viewed images of females. 

They found that women had strong 

visual patterns suggesting they 

objectify other women. When they 

looked at both men and women’s 

“overall dwell time—how long 

they focused on each body part,” 

the exact same effects were found 

for both groups. 

For junior music major and 

international student Hector 

Vega, modesty is embedded in his 

cultural upbringing. Vega defines 

modesty as “the style of clothing 

that shows respect to yourself 

and doesn’t provoke the opposite 

gender.” Vega’s upbringing in 

Mexico paved the way for culture 

shock when he came to the U.S. 

for college. 

“It was an uncomfortable 

distraction. In Mexico it’s harder 

to find women wearing short 

shorts,” said Vega. 


Junior music major, John 

Christiansen, was raised in a 

conservative Christian home in 

which his parents taught him not to 

objectify women. In conversation 

about what is distracting in the 

classroom, Christiansen said, “It’s 

short-sighted to blame women for the 

sin of man. I believe a woman should 

dress modestly for the right reasons. 

If she feels like her relationship with 

God suffers because she dresses 

immodestly, then she should dress 

modestly.” 

Modesty at APU 

While some professors find dress 

codes effective, associate professor 

of journalism Brooke Van Dam is 

open to discussing modesty in other 

ways. 

“I don’t believe you can legislate 

morality, if you even consider the way 

people dress a moral issue. I’m all for 

having a discussion about modesty, 

but I’m not sure dress code is going 

to facilitate that conversation,” said 

Van Dam. 

Elaine Walton, director of the 

Women’s Resources Center, hears 

from APU’s campus about important 

issues and create events that seek to 

explore those issues in-depth. 

“I would think if students find it 

[modesty] problematic, that might 

give rise to some good conversation 

and exploring what it means to 

have a dress code,” Walton said. 

Walton explained that the 

Women’s Resource Center 

promotes modesty by being good 

role models. 

“Our goal is not to impose what 

we think is right, but to help every 

woman come to a place in their 

relationship with God so that their 

dress reflects that,” Walton said. 

Modesty is also addressed through 

the Office of Residence Life. Sarah 

Brackbill, junior psychology major 

and Adams Hall resident advisor, 

acts as a role model in what she 

wears, while also having grace 

on her freshman girls who are 

undergoing a transition of fitting 

in. 

“As a staff, we talked about 

making sure girls in Adams dress 

appropriately. For my hall, I put a 

sign that says, ‘Modest is hottest,” 

Brackbill said. “I have to remind 

myself of how I dressed in high 

school and give them grace. They 

are learning still. I tell them, ‘it’s 

okay to dress your body how you 

want, but think about the message 

it sends to people.’”

n 


MIDDLE OF NOWHERE 

Finding Sacred Space in the City of Angels 

By Kennedy Meyers 

While attending college in Southern California, it 

can be difficult to find peace and quiet in a city 

so busy, stressed and technology dependent. The greater 

Los Angeles area has a population of 18.55 million, so 

it can be challenging to find yourself alone with your 

thoughts. 

Sturtevant Falls: 

Leaving the city and going on a hike can relieve stress. 

If you are in the mood to work up a sweat for a hike to 

a destination, Sturtevant Falls might be the hike for you. 

This is a hike through a part of the San Gabriel Mountains 

that leads to a 50-foot waterfall. On the way to the 

falls, there are multiple private cabins that were built in 

the 1900s, as well as streams and dams that create smaller 

waterfalls. 

Griffith Park: 

If you want a hike in downtown Los Angeles, what 

says “L.A.” better than the Hollywood sign? Griffith 

Park is home to the Hollywood sign and more than 53 

miles of trails. Even though this park is in the middle of 

busy Los Angeles, it has 6.7 miles of terrain. There are 

many diverse trails to choose from, starting as short as 

0.3 miles. Whether you’re a beginner or someone with 

years of experience, everyone can find a hike that works 

for them. 

Claremont Loop: 

Junior psychology major Destiny Rico, hiking enthusiast 

and a native of the L.A. area, recommends the Claremont 

Hills Wilderness Loop. “I love hiking The Claremont 

Loop because I can escape the busy everyday 

life and explore,” Rico said. Claremont Hills Wilderness 

Park offers short trails and a five-mile walking loop. 

Beaches: 

The beaches around L.A. can also be a location of 

solitude. During the weekend this would not be the case, 

as they are usually packed with people. Research by the 

Coastal Water Research Group shows that 48 percent of 

Southern California beach visits occur on the weekend. 

Also, 53 percent of all visits occur during the hot summer 

months, with July being the busiest. 

However, if you can get away from work on a 

mild-weather weekday, the beach can be calm and relaxing. 

Social media has made it more difficult to find 

secluded beaches, because tourists now know the locals’ 

favorite spots. However, visiting the beach on weekdays 

will help you beat the crowds. The fall is also a good 

time to visit the beach because the weather is milder and 

people usually are not vacationing at this time. Thousand 

Steps Beach is famous for the long and steep 220 

steps upon arrival, and also for the seven blocks of sandy 

beach to surf, play volleyball or sunbathe while reading 

a book. If you walk down far enough, there is a cave on 

the south end of the beach with tide pools and a private 

beach on the other side. 



THIRD 

CULTURE 

KIDS 

Navagating New 

Cultural Spaces 

By Lynn Yeo 

Most of us can agree that 

culture and identity are 

two things that make us 

who we are as individuals. In an 

essay by anthropologist Paula Gray, 

the author states that “human beings 

are social animals. Our lives depend 

on other humans. We develop and 

learn about the world around us 

through the filter of other people. 

Our connections to others are key 

to not only our survival, but also to 

our happiness and success of our 

careers.” 

The sense of belonging in a specific 

sociocultural space makes sense to 

those who grew up in a consistent 

social group or community, but what 

about those who don’t have one? 

What about those who don’t feel like 

they fit in a single culture? These 

people are called “Third Culture 

Kids,” also known as “TCK.” 

The term TCK was first coined 

by sociologist and anthropologist 

Dr. Ruth Hill Useem, who is 

considered the founder of TCK 

research. According to the website 

TCK World, Dr. Useem and her 

husband were sponsored by the 

Hazen Foundation to study overseas 

Americans in India. They took their 

sons with them to live abroad on both 

of their visits, and their experiences 

led them to coin the term “Third 

Culture Kid.” 

Amy Jung, TCK and assistant 

professor in the Department 

of Communications Studies, 

describes a TCK as a person who 

spent significant time in another 

international culture as a child 

or adolescent for the purpose of 

their parents’ work. According to 

non-profit organization TCKid, 

backgrounds of TCK include 

military, government, religious and 

business work. 

“So many things about it are open 

and free and flow possibility, and I

think that’s one of the things about being a TCK that’s 

not as well understood,” said Jung. 

The concept of liminality is strongly emphasized within 

the TCK community. According to Victor Turner, who 

came up with this particular concept, the attributes of 

liminality are ambiguous, since the individuals transcend 

the classifications of cultural space. Liminal entities are 

neither here nor there. 

Using this concept, Jung compared the TCK 

experience to that of a coming of age or transition 

from childhood to adulthood. In the middle of it, there 

is a process—an experience or timeframe spent in the 

space between childhood and adulthood. All the rules 

are broken, expectations are suspended and there is 

immense potential. 

“This concept helps understand why TCKs are not just 

a blend,” said Jung. “A blend is when you combine and 

work together with the rules and expectations of both. 

With TCKs, it’s both a combination and it’s a whole 

new culture, and the whole new culture is constantly 

changing. It is not geographically based, so the rules of 

culture don’t apply.” 

TCK World, the official home for Third Culture 

Kids states that a TCK can never revert to being a 

monocultural person. Parents of TCKs can return 

“home” to their country of origin, but the children, 

enriched by having shared life in their formative years 

with another people group, will find characteristics of 

both cultures in their very being. 

Raffelia Yong is a TCK who was born in Malaysia 

and moved to New Zealand at the age of 15. Yong said 

that despite differences in both accents and culture, she 

has taught herself how to adapt. 

“I have learned to keep myself in check every time I 

go back to Malaysia,” Yong said. “I did not want to be 

judged because my accent was different, so I developed 

this skill to just switch my accent.” 

She added that she finds herself having to be the 

middle person, explaining different cultures to different 

people. She considers both New Zealand and Malaysia 

her home. 

“It doesn’t matter where it is; home is anywhere you 

feel comfortable in,” Yong said, who is now a nurse in 

New Zealand. 

Junior biology major Valerie Valencia, who is also a 

TCK, said that she has had her fair share of struggles 

after experiencing life in both the United States and 

Mexico. 

“I remember when I went back to Mexico, I was 

called racist names because I grew up in America and I 

spoke fluent English. I eventually made a lot of friends 

because they would come for my help with English 

homework,” Valencia said. 

Valencia said that she eventually learned to adapt, 

although she did not quite fit in the culture of Mexico. 

“I did have to explain a lot of culture differences when I 

went back to Mexico, because I adapted in America and 

I was used to doing things a certain way,” said Valencia. 

“I also became the translator of the family, translating 

from English to Spanish and vice versa to my parents.” 

If Valencia had to call somewhere home, she would 

point to where she grew up in Indiana, the location of 

her childhood memories. 

TCK Network President Heather Ardill, who was 

born and raised in Nigeria, believes that the time she 

spent as a child around people from different countries 

helped broaden her worldview. 

“Being a TCK has given me the opportunity to have 

greater appreciation for people coming from different 

places. I can understand people from different cultural 

backgrounds more than someone who maybe has spent 

the majority of their life here in this country,“ said Ardill. 

“It doesn’t matter where it 

is; home is anywhere you feel 

comfortable in.” - Raffelia Yong 

“I grew up with people from Lebanon, India, China, 

South Korea and Australia. I’ve grown to understand 

how they do different things and the way they interact 

with people.” 

Growing up, Ardill was acutely aware of her 

surroundings. When she goes on missionary trips, she 

finds herself advising other people to embrace the 

discomfort of cultural differences and to seek attunement 

to the rhythms of other’s customs. 

“Whenever you come into a situation that you’re not 

familiar with or uncomfortable with, or a culture that 

you’re not aware of, just watch and observe,” said Ardill. 


Transitioning 

Out of 

Homelessness: 

New Beginnings for LA Families 

By Kennedy Myers 

The amount of homeless people 

in Los Angeles has increased by 

12 percent since 2013, according 

to the Los Angeles Homeless 

Services Authority. Los Angeles was 

recently declared to be in a state 

of of emergency for homelessness, 

as people have lost their jobs and 

then proceeded to lose their houses, 

forcing them to live on the streets. 

According to the Los Angeles 

Homeless Services Authority, 30 

percent of all homeless people 

living in Los Angeles are chronically 

homeless individuals. 

According to the White House 

website, President Obama’s project 

“Opening Doors” has helped 

decrease the number of unsheltered 

homeless veterans by nearly 50 

percent since 2010. On Feb. 9, 

the President announced his new 

$11 billion plan to fight family 

homelessness. Over the next 10 

years, the majority of this money 

will be used for housing vouchers, 

while the rest will be used for other 

short-term help. 

Organizations around the greater 

Los Angeles area are helping create 

long-term plans to help transition 

people out of homelessness. Rather 

than focusing on finding immediate 

housing for homeless people, these 

organizations empower participants 

with the skills to keep a job so they 

do not return to living on the streets. 

Instead of giving individuals quick 


fixes by housing them immediately, 

shelters like the Foothill Family 

Shelter encourage residents to 

participate in finding a job, attending 

financial training and meeting with 

a counselor. “Homelessness can 

create a lot of stress and barriers, 

so meeting with a counselor is 

mandatory, ” said Megan Nehamen, 

co-executive director of The Foothill 

Family Shelter. 

“Homelessness can create a lot of stress and 

barriers, so meeting with a counselor is mandatory, 

” said Megan Nehamen 

Founded in 1984, the Foothill 

Family Shelter is a nonprofit 

organization that houses homeless

Booker Sanders, 55, has spent the past 20 

years living on Skid Row. He hopes to one day 

go back to school and help others on the Row 

in the future. 

Photo Courtesy of Benjamin Dunn 

families for free up to 120 days and 

provides transitional housing to help 

families back to the workforce. 

Nehamen explained that prospective 

program participants are chosen via 

a selective screening and application 

process. 

“We interview families to make 

sure these families will participate in 

the program. A lot of times people 

come to us in desperation with no 

hope, but often times people who 

come to us are not ready for the 

program,” Nehamen said, adding 

that the shelter staff interviewed 64 

families the previous week. 

According to Nehamen, there are 

28 apartments for the three different 

programs. There is also one-year 

housing and permanent housing 

available for those who have already 

successfully completed the 120-day 

program. 

Some families are not ready for the 

program because they do not want 

to commit to finding a job, meeting 

with counselors, attending job 

development meetings and meeting 

with a client service team. In order 

to live in a furnished apartment 

with both rent and utilities paid for, 

the families must fully participate 

in the program. All of the adults 

must learn independent living skills 

such as household budgeting, job 

searching, resume writing skills and 

conflict resolution. 

In order to be a part of the 

program, the parents must be 

working, or have an income such as 

welfare or unemployment. Half of 

everything they earn will be put into 

a trust fund with the shelter for them 

to receive once they have completed 

the program. The families must be 


A man walks by a 

painted mural in Skid 

Row. Photo courtesy 

of Benjamin Dunn) 

facing the threat of homelessness in order to qualify for 

the program. This shelter is drug and alcohol free, as 

parents will be randomly tested for drugs and alcohol. 

The Foothill Family Shelter also has a communitybased 

food pantry where individuals from the program 

can walk in and request food, diapers, wipes and hygiene 

products. These goods also go to the community around 

the shelter, to help low income families threatened with 

the impending possibility of homelessness. The goal is 

to help alleviate the stress of buying groceries, so they 

can pay their rent. 

Nehamen encourages people to visit the Foothill 

Family Thrift Store that has been open since March 

2015. The thrift store’s purpose is to generate funds, and 

100 percent of these funds go to the program. 

The Giving Keys is another organization that helps 

transition people out of homelessness by giving them 

a job. In a testimonial on The Giving Keys website, 

an employee expressed gratitude for the accepting 

atmosphere of the organization and how surprised he 

was when they did not judge him. 

The Giving Keys has created 33 jobs for homeless 

people, according to their website. 

“Once we bring transitioning employees on board, 

they go through a three month probation period 

to make sure they are a good fit with the working 

environment,” said Amy Rigell, Partnerships and 

Public Relations Coordinator of the Giving Keys. 

“Once that period is over, they have the option to 

come onboard with us full time. We have employed 


33 transitioning employees and had our first employee 

sign his own lease last week. It’s so exciting!” 

In March 2013, The Giving Keys partnered with 

Chrysalis, a Downtown L.A. organization that offers 

job training and life mentorship to help transition 

people into the professional working environment. 

Chrysalis’ mission is to create a pathway for homeless 

and low-income individuals to reach self-sufficiency by 

providing the resources and support to find and keep 

employment. According to their website, changelives. 

org, Chrysalis has provided over 500 transitional jobs 

every year since 1991. 

In a testimonial on the organization’s website, 

Chrysalis client Dianna explains that she found a 

sense of home through her employment with the 

organization. 

“If I hadn’t found Chrysalis, I’d probably be on Skid 

Row right now. I honestly don’t think I would have 

made it. Chrysalis is more than a job opportunity, it’s 

a family—they’ve been with me through thick and 

thin.” 

These organizations are all designed to not only help 

people find housing, but also to give them the skills 

they need to become independent and in the workforce 

today. They focus on the long-term plan instead of 

quick fixes. In order for homeless people to become 

self-sufficient, they need resources and support, and 

that is exactly what these organizations intend to give 

them.

alks by a 

l in Skid 

courtesy 

in Dunn) 

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