Why I started wearing masks again

First of all, I’m not telling you that you need to wear a mask. I think you should (for the time being), but it is your life, your right, and your choice to wear one or not to. I am simply laying out the reasons why I’m wearing masks again when I go out in  public. 

I had stopped wearing masks this summer after the CDC changed their guidelines in May. When they changed the guidelines back again in July, I continued not wearing a mask at first. My logic was that I’m vaccinated, so I didn’t need one. Then I found out that even vaccinated people can get covid and spread it to others and I sat down to have a good long ponder about it. I did something that most people find near impossible and I found incredibly daunting at first. I changed my mind.

The reasons I’m wearing a mask again:

• Although my state has not implemented a mask mandate again (and it’s extremely unlikely they will, given how strongly against masks most Republicans are, Tennessee being one of the most red states in the country), the CDC currently recommends people to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.  Again, this is not a law right now in my state, but it should be. I consider myself to be a law abiding citizen, therefore I plan on following the law. My school district’s superintendent also just recommended this, based on CDC and ADA guidelines, and I will follow my school district’s rules.

• I don’t want to get other people sick. I don’t have Covid right now and I don’t plan on getting it anytime soon, but I could easily get and spread the virus without even knowing it. The virus, as we all know by now, affects everyone differently and a large portion of people who are infected by it are asymptomatic. This means we could have the virus and give it to many other people even if we never have a cough, fever, etc. I value other people’s lives, safety and well-being and do not want to get others sick. Even more than that, the thought that scares me most — I do not want to kill anyone. I cannot stand the idea of me getting the virus, giving it to someone else, say an elderly person in poor health, and that person dying. I know this is extremely unlikely, but it is not impossible and I doubt I would ever be able to get over it if I was the cause of someone’s death.

• I don’t want to get sick. I hate being sick. Being sick sucks. If you like getting and staying sick, there is something legitimately wrong with you. I know that I am in good health and am very unlikely to die if I get Covid (though there is still a microscopic chance). But again, I hate being sick and would rather avoid it if it’s at all possible. When I’m sick, I feel like shit and can only think about getting better. If you think it makes me weak to wear a mask again and it seems like I’m afraid of getting sick, I’d ask you to stop and think for a second of the last time you got sick. I bet you felt weak. I bet you weren’t functioning at anywhere near 100% capacity. I bet you wished more than anything else that you could get better as quickly as possible. This is how I feel when I get sick. I remember the last time I got sick. In March of this year, I had a cough and a fever for a few days and felt like death. It wasn’t corona, I got tested and it came back negative. I had to take my first sick day from work — ever — and I hated it. I hated having to ask my school to scramble to find a sub for my class. I hated letting someone else teach my class. I hated how far behind the class was when I got back to school. I hated every second of being sick. I know that getting sick is a part of life and it’s bound to happen again at various points in my life. I also know that wearing a mask will help prevent me from getting sick right now when Covid rates are skyrocketing from the Delta variant. If the simple act of wearing a mask again can help prevent (I know it’s not foolproof) me from getting sick, then you can be damn sure that I’m going to wear one in public.

• I want to set a good example for others. I know that my wearing a mask will most likely not change anyone else’s decision of whether to wear one or not, but that’s not important. What is important is me setting a good example, being a role model for my kids (students), my friends (a good number of whom are strong conservatives and are vehemently against masks), my family (also mostly strong conservatives), and even random strangers (such as the people who get in my car for Uber rides). Perhaps by my wearing a mask, I can make an impact in the lives of others. Perhaps by my putting a cloth covering with elastic straps around my ears for a few hours at a time when I am out in public, others will be more likely to reciprocate my actions and stay safe and healthy themselves. Perhaps by me performing this incredibly simple act, I can save a life, and others in turn can save countless lives.

I know this might sound like hyperbole or abstract nonsense, but the fact of the matter is this, there is no single more important thing I can do right now to fight this pandemic than wearing a mask (I have been vaccinated for months).  I hate how little power I as an individual have in fighting something so big. I usually like to believe that I can take down any opponent I face. I’m a big strong man who loves competition. This virus is a rival I can’t beat, but you can be damn sure I’m not going to let it beat me.

Call me a sheep if you want. I love it. As a Chrisitian, I consider myself to be a sheep. To understand why I say this, I ask you to read Psalm 23. You’ve probably read or heard it many times in your life even if you’re not a Christian (it’s one of the most famous Psalms/chapters in the Bible), but I’d ask you to reread it again from the perspective of a sheep. “The Lord is my shepherd,” (Psalm 23:1 NKJV). I believe in God and I believe He will take care of me. I believe when I die (not if), I will go to Heaven. I also believe that I have a lot of work to do on Earth before that happens, work that God has called me to do, and there is no reason to put myself or others at risk by not wearing a mask in the midst of a worsening pandemic. 

Before you get mad at me for asking you to consider wearing a mask again, I ask that you sit down and have a good think about it like I did. Think about why you feel the way that you do about masks. Do you actually find it to be such an imposition that you would put others’ lives at risk by choosing not to wear one? Or are you sticking to your guns for the sake of sticking to your guns? By this, I mean, are you so against masks because you hate being told what to do? I bet if you stop and think about the risk you’re putting yourselves and others in by not wearing one, you might not be so steadfast. 

***

PS- If you see me not wearing a mask when I’m outdoors, that’s because all the data that I’ve seen suggests it’s very unlikely the virus will spread when you’re outside, unless you’re in an incredibly crowded area. 

Passing the Baton: Reflecting on my time at ZU News

This article was originally published in ZU News.

Unlike a lot of college students, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I arrived at Azusa Pacific my freshman year. I had worked for my high school newspaper, Hoofprints, all four years and I was excited to demonstrate my skills for APU’s newspaper, The Clause. 

I met the editor-in-chief at the time, Regina Ender, and she gave me the opportunity to start writing as a freshman. I remember how shocked she was, as was the rest of the editorial staff, that I volunteered to take two stories my first week as a staff writer. 

No one took more than one story a week—for good reason. Stories take a lot of time and effort to write, and busy college students don’t have an abundance of either to spare for extra stories. Fortunately, I was a freshman without a job, so I was able to handle those stories and many more in the weeks that followed.

Although I was only a freshman, I made great friends with many upperclassmen in the journalism department. My sports editor, Brandon Rodriguez, showed me the ropes of covering collegiate sports. My news editor, Erika Hunt, showed me the details to look for when covering newsworthy events. My opinion editor, Sharon Lee, showed me how to integrate my opinions in a well-thought argument. And my lifestyle editor, Jamie Roebuck-Joseph, taught me what to include and not include in great reviews.

The Clause Staff in spring 2017. Photo courtesy of Nathan Foster.

After 16 stories and a lot of real world learning, I was hired on as the opinion editor during my second semester freshman year. Although op-eds were never my cup of tea, I tried to make the section as intriguing and informative as possible. I have a lot of fond memories from freshman year, including staying up until 3 a.m almost every Monday night to put the newspaper together, among other things.

I moved to serving as the news editor during my sophomore year and helped student media transition from four separate outlets to one convergent organization, ZU Media. The Clause became ZU News and we went from releasing stories days after an event happened to just hours after. Our office also thankfully moved from a tiny, sweltering room where Starbucks is now located on East Campus to the back of Darling. We grew in numbers and the quality of content we produced grew in turn.

Then I left for a semester in New York City, where I interned at Newsweek, and learned from professional journalists in the capital of journalism. It was an amazing experience and I returned to APU with lots of ideas for how to improve ZU News.

However, when I got back, many things had changed. We had moved into the new Convergent Media Center; our stories had garnered national attention in the fall; and the school was vastly different after all the handbook changes. Nonetheless, I was excited as I began my role as editor-in-chief, a position I had been dreaming of for years. 

It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year and a half since then, let alone four years since college began. I watched as many students took the ZU Media workshop for the first time and improved their writing tremendously in just months. We increased our output, story quality, and production pace dramatically. Then we did it again last fall and again this spring. 

Then COVID-19 struck and everything changed. We were sent home and I, along with countless other seniors, saw our dream ending of our collegiate career disappear. While it was an abrupt transition, my staff and all the students in the workshop picked up right where we left off. It’s a bummer constantly reporting bad news about the coronavirus, but I am extremely proud of all my writers and how they responded to the situation.

This is not the ending I anticipated, not at all. However, I am eternally grateful for all the memories from my time at ZU News. I’ve written more than 100 stories, interviewed hundreds of students and faculty, made many lifelong friends, and helped create a brand that will keep growing long after I’m gone. 

The newspaper is quite different than when I first started writing for it four years ago, as is APU itself. I’ve watched as countless friends graduated and moved on into the real world. Now, it’s my time to do the same. 

Before I go, there are some people I’d like to thank.

First, Kent Walls, assistant professor of journalism and lead advisor of integrated student media, thank you for inspiring me to pursue my dreams and for pushing me out of my comfort zone in Digital News Gathering. You gave me the opportunity to work for ZU News and have set a fantastic example to follow. Thank you for being the best role model I could ask for.

Second, Regina Ender, Sharon Lee and Jamie Roebuck-Joseph, thank you for showing me what a great editor-in-chief looks like. I owe so much of my growth and editing skills to you. The Clause/ZU News was your baby before it was mine and I tried to take good care of it before passing it along to the incoming EIC. 

Third, Brandon Rodriguez, thank you for demonstrating an unparalleled work ethic and dedication to your job. I would not be the sports journalist I am today without learning from you. I worked three jobs and more than 50 hours a week for most of the past year and I still think I slept more than you. 

Fourth, Jessica Sherer, Ismael Medel, Allison Oster, Courtney Davis and my other journalism/PR faculty, I learned so much in all of your classes. I was never a great student in high school because most of the subjects didn’t interest me, but I loved going to all of your classes and I know I’ll continue to use what I’ve learned from you in my career.

Finally, to my staff, thank you all. I could not have done it without your help. You guys don’t make my job easy all the time, but you make it a lot more enjoyable. Anna Savchenko, you are the best writer I know and I love how much you care about helping your writers improve. APU is lucky to have you for another year. Brenda Covarrubias, you’re the only person I’ve met at APU who writes as much as me. I definitely thought you were going to break my record of the most stories—and I would have been proud if you did. You’ve done so much for ZU News in the past two years alone. I wish you would have been on staff earlier. Jasmine Campos, you write killer op-eds. You never cease to amaze me with your political opinions and your ability to defend them. You’re going to be a great EIC someday. Brendan Fretwell and Jordan Green, you guys literally anchored the sports section for over a year. I always had fun talking sports with you and I’m excited to keep up with your stories. Ruby McAuliffe, you were a fantastic copy editor, and I know you’re going to be an even better EIC. Just don’t play too much Taylor on production nights. Joelene Milan, I’m glad that you told me about your interest in being an editor that one day at Mexicali, we were lucky to have you. Charissa Enns, you brightened every one’s day with your smile and personality. I’m so happy you got to go to New York too. 

I’m excited to keep up with ZU News stories in the future. I know it’s in good hands.

ZU Magazine: Fragility

This article was originally published in ZU Magazine.

As each day of quarantine passes, hundreds of millions of Americans around the country are stuck in their homes asking the same question: how did we get here? 

The United States prides itself as being one of the best, if not the best, countries in the world. We have remained at the top of the world’s economy since 1871, and our GDP makes up almost a quarter of the global economy. Yet, in just two months, the economy crumbled as nearly every day for weeks brought about record losses. The Dow Jones fell from an all-time high of $29,551.42 on Feb. 12 to $18,591.93, the lowest it’s been since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. It has since climbed back up a fair amount, but many economists are skeptical of how long it will take to readjust.

The U.S. is also considered the cultural epicenter of the world. Hollywood produces countless big-name movies and shows every year. It’s closest competitor is Bollywood, which produces far more movies, albeit with far fewer profits and cultural acclaim. The top music artists, for the most part, also reside in L.A., or elsewhere across the U.S. 

However, even celebrities are not impervious to the effects of the coronavirus. All of the major movie theater chains across the country have closed, as the closure of thousands of box offices cost Hollywood millions of dollars in losses. Broadway, home to the most prestigious plays and musicals in the world, has shut down indefinitely as actors struggle to make ends meet. Even musicians, both small and large, have been affected since they are unable to perform in concert. Countless concerts and festivals have been canceled or postponed. According to John Ochoa of Grammy.com, “the financial fallout is virtually immeasurable at this point.”

America’s other biggest form of entertainment, sports, has also suffered massively during this time. For sports fans across the country, the calendar year revolves around the four seasons of basketball, baseball, football and hockey. Minor sports, such as tennis or soccer, have their place too, but the big four produce more than $34 billion per year.

Then, one-by-one, all the major sports leagues shut down. The NBA postponed the rest of their season, some 259 regular-season games and the playoffs. MLB canceled the rest of spring training and postponed the beginning of the season indefinitely. The NHL postponed the rest of their season which was nearing its end, and star players don’t think it’ll resume. Although football season doesn’t start again until August, NFL teams are suffering and the second biggest event in football, the draft, was moved to a virtual format. Many experts don’t think sports will start again for a long time, and when they do, they may be in front of empty audiences.

All of these institutions seemed rock solid at the beginning of 2020. The economy was at an all-time high yet now it may be in a bear market. Prominent national cultural events, from basketball games to Coachella, were scheduled to proceed as normal, yet are now postponed indefinitely or canceled. In mere weeks, the U.S. went from the superpower of the world to the country most affected by COVID-19.

However, like all things, the coronavirus too shall pass. When it eventually does, hopefully sooner than later, the U.S. will rebuild itself. Herein lies a silver lining. While the U.S. seemed unsinkable, much like the Titanic, it was rather fragile underneath the surface. Recovering from the coronavirus may take years, but it allows us to take a deep look at how we can improve our systems for the future.

On a personal level, individuals have the opportunity to examine their lifestyle. Maybe they didn’t have nearly as much money saved up as they thought. Maybe they only had enough toilet paper to last a few weeks. Maybe they spend too much money on things like coffee every morning and drinks every night. While it is different for each person, people will certainly need to examine their lifestyle and what changes they need to implement. Individuals will also have the opportunity to make a fortune on stocks as the market rebounds.

On a business level, employers have the opportunity to create a more solid infrastructure. So far, nearly 17 million people have filed for unemployment. While businesses could not have anticipated the impact of COVID-19, they could have had a more stable model that allowed them to retain their employees for at least a few weeks or months. It may not be feasible for every business to do so, but those who make a significant profit can set aside money for an emergency fund should another pandemic or catastrophe destroy the economy again.

On a cultural level, celebrities and organizations can change the way they operate to ensure they have stronger foundations. Musicians might consider a trade-off of cheaper tickets to attract more fans. Theaters might offer special screenings to attract millions of Americans away from Netflix and other streaming services. Sports leagues may shrink their schedule to reduce the risk of their seasons being impacted. Cities may reorganize themselves to be more environmentally friendly.

Pandemics, by nature, are unpredictable. The last major pandemic (on a similar scale) happened more than 100 years ago, when the Spanish Flu swept across the world, claiming more than 50 million lives. The next one may happen in a matter of years or a matter of centuries. We cannot control that. What we can control is how we prepare for it. The response to COVID-19 has been almost purely reactive. If we are proactive in how we approach it, the next pandemic might not have nearly as harsh of an impact on the country.

That's debatable: Getting dressed is still necessary

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

Perhaps the most insidious element of COVID-19 is the effect it has on our productivity. As we work from home (WFH), it can be tempting to stay in our pajamas all day, but this is much worse for you than it seems.

During the first couple of weeks back home, I slept in until nine or ten pretty much every day. Since I don’t have in person classes anymore, I figured there’s no reason to get ready early. 

This resulted in me getting good sleep, but not being nearly as productive. I fell behind on assignments and had to stay up late to finish them on time. Then I would sleep in again because I was up so late. In mere days, I had transformed my habits for the worse and my productivity was paying for it.

Let’s face it — while we are not in school, we are not out of school. This means that we still have work to do. We can’t throw in the towel just yet. 

That’s when I rediscovered the importance of routine. 

Waking up to your first alarm, making your bed, brushing your teeth, showering, drinking a cup of coffee and the other basic parts of your morning routine are all essential to productive days. Getting dressed is just as important as all the other parts.

According to a New York Times article, vesting up in professional attire is a form of control, especially when everything else is so out of control. 

“The traditional suit … was a form of protective gear, a means for demarcating boundaries between public and private, work and leisure, the exigencies of the corporate world and the intimate needs of one’s family life,” Guy Trebay said in the article.

Cards on the table, I haven’t been putting on a traditional suit each day to go to online classes. I’m not a businessman. I’m a college student. I’ve been getting dressed each day in outfits I would normally wear to school (well warmer versions of them since it’s far colder in Reno, Nev. than Azusa) — flannels, sweaters, t-shirts, jeans, chinos, etc. 

While this might not seem much nicer than sweats and oversized comfy shirts, it is noticeably different. That’s the key, according to Mason Donovan in a Fast Company article.

“When I change into casual clothes, it’s a physical and visual distinction, and it helps me set boundaries … Otherwise you could feel like work never ends. Your personal life could take over work time or your work commitments can take over personal time. Clothing helps create a distinct separation,” Donovan said.

Part of a good routine is a good work-life balance. Since I can’t go to the library or a coffee shop like I usually would to study, I needed to figure out a different way to separate work and relaxation. Getting dressed in real clothes is the perfect method.

Once you’re dressed, you can begin your work day. Then when you’re done working, you can change back into your sweats and unwind. It’s that simple.

But if you want to make it more complicated, you can look at all the other benefits of getting dressed.

According to a GQ article, getting dressed can improve your mood and restore a sense of normalcy. As the world reels in the aftermath of the coronavirus, we could all use some normalcy.

Staying in your pajamas keeps you stuck in a rut, while getting dressed sets the mood for a new day, according to a Refinery 29 article. 

Finally, one of the silver linings of not seeing anyone is that no one has to see you. Since no one sees what you wear, you can try new outfits that you wouldn’t normally wear out of the house. Put on some skinny black jeans with a Hawiaan button down or plaid dress pants with a striped shirt. No one will judge you because they can’t see you (family excluded). Maybe you’ll find a killer combo that you wouldn’t have otherwise discovered and now you have it in your arsenal of fire fits.

I know it’s easier to stay in your smelly pajamas all day, but doing the right thing isn’t always easy. Get dressed and watch as your mood and productivity improves. We’ve only got three weeks left. End the semester strong. 

That's Debatable: It's okay not to vote

This article was originally published in ZU News.

In just eight months, the people of the United States will have the opportunity to either replace President Donald Trump or give him another four years in office. But before you make the decision of who to vote for, consider the unpopular alternative of not voting.

From a young age, citizens of the U.S. are educated of the significance of voting. We are told to vote because it’s our obligation, because people died for our rights to have a democracy and thereby our right to vote, because our vote can make a difference. 

This is all true.

I am not arguing against the importance of voting. It is our duty. People did go to war and die for our right to vote. Indeed, our vote can make a difference. 

Our vote can also make a difference if we choose not to use it.

Most people associate not voting with laziness or apathy to politics. While this is true for millions around the country who do not vote each election cycle, it is not true for everyone.

In 2016, I had my first opportunity to vote. I had turned 18 just 10 months prior to election day and I did vote in the Nevada Primaries. While I’m not fond of politics, the significance of voting had been instilled in me through my AP US History class and my Citizenship in the Community and Nation merit badges from Boy Scouts. 

I had every intention of voting in the presidential election. Then the unthinkable happened. Trump won the GOP presidential nomination. 

I am a registered Republican. The vast majority of my family are Republicans. I was raised with conservative values and like most who affiliate themselves with a party, I planned to vote for my party’s candidate. 

I could not in good conscience vote for Trump.

While I may agree with some of his policies and points of view, such as being the “most pro-life president ever” to supporting the military, I do not agree with the way he treats people or many of the decisions he makes.

From his disgusting mocking of a disabled reporter to his extremely crude “locker room talk,” Trump has been the definition of scandalous since far before he was elected. 

This leads me to the second half of my argument, I could not vote for another candidate. 

In 2016, Hillary Clinton captured the DNC nomination for presidency. While Clinton may not be as bad as Trump, she was just as untrustworthy. You can see this in her private server email scandal or her foundation taking money for corrupt reasons. 

I, and millions of other Americans, did not trust Clinton. Thus, I could not in good conscience vote for her. 

Then there were the third party candidates. The most popular was Gary Johnson who received 4.4 million votes in the election (Trump and Clinton both received more than 60 million). I didn’t vote for Johnson because I didn’t agree with many of his stances on topics like abortion. The same goes for Jill Stein, Evan McMullin and all of the other third party candidates that you probably forgot about three years ago.

In essence, I did not vote in the 2016 election because I did not trust or agree with any of the candidates. 

When I told friends and family members that I chose not to vote, I heard numerous negative responses. No one seemed to understand my decision to abstain from voting. 

Yet, just months earlier, I had heard a family member say this might be the first time they might not vote for a Republican candidate because of how terrible he was. But when election day came, they proceded to vote for Trump because they did not want Clinton to be elected. Numerous other Republicans did the exact same thing. This is a mistake to me.

To pick the lesser of two evils is still to pick an evil. You’re still supporting a candidate you don’t agree with. By giving them your vote, you have to live with the aftermath of all the decisions they made while in office, knowing that you supported them. 

Trump’s scandals have not ceased since he took office. If anything, they have amplified dramatically. From the Ukraine aide freeze to the Stormy Daniels hush-up, Trump has been anything but presidential in his tenure in office.

If you voted for Trump in 2016, you have to live with knowing you supported perhaps the most controversial, scandal-bound president in U.S. history. I chose not to vote for him and I chose not to vote for any other candidate. 

There weren’t any candidates I trusted or agreed with on enough important issues to support with my vote, so I didn’t.

And that’s okay. 

That’s all the reason anyone needs. If you vote for someone who you don’t trust or agree with on a majority of important issues, it’s a mistake in my opinion. People are blinded by their pride and party loyalty to a fault. 

I am confident I will hear many of the same things I heard in 2016 later this year if I again exercise my right not to vote. “If you don’t vote, that’s a vote for Trump,” “If you don’t vote, that’s a vote for Bernie,” or “If you vote for a third party candidate, you’re wasting your vote.”

People need to stop being blinded by party loyalty to the point where they feel like they have to vote for a candidate they don’t like or agree with. Not voting is perfectly fine. If there is a candidate you believe in, that’s wonderful, vote for them, but if you can’t find a candidate that you can get behind, you are well within your rights to choose not to vote. 

That's Debatable: Celebrities and Politics

This article was originally published in ZU News.

Over the past few years, award shows have undergone drastic structural changes. The Oscars no longer have a host. The Golden Globes dinner is now entirely plant based. However, no change has been bigger than the shift of award acceptance speeches from simple monologues of gratitude to political tirades.

Perhaps the first big instance of this was Leonardo DiCaprio’s speech after winning the Best Actor award at the Oscars in February 2016. As millions of fans watched DiCaprio accept his first Oscar, instead of talking about how long he had been waiting for the award like everyone expected him to, he spent a minute saying his thank you’s and then launched into a rant about the environment.

The audience of celebrities sat transfixed as DiCaprio regaled them with a series of bold statements, including “Climate change is real,” “It’s the most urgent threat facing our entire species,” “for those people out there whose voices who have been drowned out by the politics of greed.” 

It was the first major acceptance speech of its kind, but it would not be the last.

Just one year later, renowned actress Meryl Streep delivered a potent speech attacking then President-Elect Donald Trump for making fun of a disabled reporter, and talking about the need for a free press. Streep went well over her time limit, but no one booted her off stage because what she was doing was unprecedented and admirable.

“Disrespect invites disrespect, violence incites violence,” Streep said. “And when the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.”

Other actors began taking note of the new trend and decided they would give it a go, including Andrew Garfield at the 2018 Tonys. Garfield talked about the struggles of the LGBTQ community and how they deserved to be treated the same as everyone else.

“It is a spirit that says no to oppression; it is a spirit that says no to bigotry, no to shame, no to exclusion. It is a spirit that says we are all made perfectly and we all belong,” Garfield said. “So let’s just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked.”

While Garfield, Streep and DiCaprio spoke about vastly different topics, they had one theme in common. They used their platform for something more. 

For decades, these speeches have had the same format. Thank you Mom. Thank you Dad. Thank you to the production company, to my spouse, to the other actors in the production and the other actors who did not win but had such brilliant performances. 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you Leo for throwing a wrench in the format of acceptance speeches. We’re all tired of all the gratitude. We know you’re grateful for everyone. We know that you would not have been able to do it without their support. 

What we do not know is what else they can do with that time in the spotlight. 

DiCaprio loves the environment and has fought for environmental issues for years. He wants to stop climate change and the best way to do this is through awareness. If one person decides to change their lifestyle, to recycle more and maybe bike to work instead of driving, that will make a small difference. If millions of people make the same small decisions, the ripple effect will be monolithic.

Streep is a kindhearted woman. She saw an abuse of power and called the president-to-be out on it on national television. That takes guts. Streep fought a culture of bigotry and used her speech to inspire change in the way we treat others.

Garfield used his platform to fight for equality among the LGBTQ community. When people, no matter their political views, see a celebrity they love and respect advocating for something bigger than themselves, that just might incite a change in heart.

You accomplish nothing by telling the world how grateful you are. Your family and cast and crew already know that. You can tell them that at literally any point. However, even celebrities only have a live audience of millions at a handful of times in their lives. 

Should they waste it, or should they use it for something more? 

Switching Back to the Light Side

This article was originally published in ZU News.

I remember the day I got my Galaxy S8. I was sick of my iPhone dying every four hours after a full charge and I wasn’t going to shell out more than a thousand dollars for a new one. After getting my first Android device at the AT&T store, I was convinced I had made the right decision.

I was wrong.

After getting the Galaxy, I posted on Instagram, “Made the switch to the dark side,” which was greeted with a plethora of polarizing reactions. All of my friends with Android devices of their own were very excited and said things like, “We’re glad to have you here,” or “You made the right choice.” My friends with iPhones criticized me and said I’d regret it. 

They were right.

Here’s the thing: I loved my Galaxy. It was phenomenally better than my previous phone, the iPhone SE (a special edition iPhone which was the size of an iPhone 5 with the processor of a 6S). My galaxy’s screen was much larger; the battery lasted more than 10 hours longer; it was faster; it took photos that made me look like a good photographer (I’m not); I could customize it much more; the list goes on.

So why did I switch back?

Honestly, the novelty of the Galaxy wore off pretty quickly. All the things I had never been able to do on an iPhone, like swiping to form words faster or downloading a bunch of Pokemon and other Gameboy games from my childhood onto the phone, were pretty great. But they soon became second nature and stopped being special. Customizing the home screen with widgets and putting apps wherever I felt like was empowering, but it also became normal. 

However, what also became normal was the endless stream of things I disliked about the Android system. Almost every app is less user friendly. My most used app, Spotify, didn’t have one of my favorite features, swiping right on a song to queue it. Instead, you had to hold it down and hit add to queue. It sounds dumb, but it took five seconds longer with each song and grew annoying. Some of my other most used apps – Facebook, Instagram, MLB At Bat – had more complicated interfaces that made them much more tedious to use. 

There were also a bunch of apps that I took for granted on my iPhone, mostly Notes, Voice Memos, Podcasts, Maps and Messages. 

The first two I use all the time in my job as a journalist. There are similar versions of the apps on the Google Play store, but they usually come with ads which makes them annoying to use and they don’t work as well. Apple’s Notes and Voice Memos apps are very simple, nothing superfluous, no ads. I missed that right away. 

The Apple Podcasts app is also simple, but the biggest perk is that it has a huge number of podcasts on it that are not available on Spotify, Stitcher or any of the other podcast apps.

Every Android phone comes preloaded with Google Maps, which is always a bit ahead of Apple Maps, offering features that Apple usually gets a few years later, which is nice. However, it’s less user friendly and Siri doesn’t talk back to you (more on Siri in a bit).

Perhaps the biggest difference of any app was in Messages. Apple’s iMessaging uses data (or wi-fi) instead of SMS texting, which allows it to tell you when a message is delivered and if the recipient has read it (contingent upon them having read receipts on); it lets you text on your laptop (if you have a MacBook); and it turns your messages with other iPhones blue. 

This might not seem like much, but people love iMessage. They love it. They hate anyone who has an Android with green messages. In fact, the first thing my girlfriend said to me when I got my new phone was, “Yay! You’ll finally have blue messages!”  People with Androids “mess up” every group chat, meaning you can’t name the group chat and you get annoying texts of “John laughed at [the text].” I was that person who messed up the group chat for two years.

Now I’m not.

After two weeks with my new iPhone, I can definitely say I made the right choice to switch back. I only have to charge my iPhone 11 once every two days, instead of twice a day. My pictures look even better, a lot better with portrait mode, than on my Galaxy. The phone, especially the face unlock feature, is much faster. 

More than all of that, all of my friends and family members with iPhones, approximately 90 percent of everyone I know, like me again. Okay, they didn’t stop liking me because I got a Galaxy, they just liked me less. This was the first text I got from my dad on my new iPhone: “Welcome back to the (iPhone) family, Nathan.  You ventured off the reservation, learned the error of your ways, and came home.” Was he joking? I’ll leave that up to you.

There are lots of arguments not to switch to an iPhone. iOS doesn’t let you customize as much. Some Android phones have better cameras (even with the iPhone 11 Pro’s weird/fancy camera setup). Some Android phones have better battery lives. 

Then there’s the most common argument – iPhones are too expensive. No, they’re not. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves when people complain about how expensive new iPhones are every time they come out. Yes, if you want the top of the line iPhone 11 Pro Max with 512 GB of storage, it will set you back nearly $1,500. However, for most everyone, the regular iPhone 11 is good enough for nearly everyone and starts at just $700 (though I would recommend the 128 GB version which is $50 more expensive). 

That’s just $700 for a device that you will use for many (probably too many) hours each day. Every day I use my phone for dozens of things like listening to music, watching shows, sharing on social media, texting friends, reading books, to emailing professors, taking beautiful pictures, navigating to new places, calling my family, checking game scores, looking random things up online and countless other activities I forgot to mention. Spending a few hundred bucks on a device that will entertain you for many hours every day for years is not a bad investment. Stop complaining about it.

Okay, I’m done ranting.

There are a million little reasons why you should switch to an iPhone, or get a new one. However, the biggest reason is simple. Having an iPhone is incredibly inclusive. 

I remember sophomore year in one of my classes, we did a focus group for the APU Mobile app. The developer stood in front of the 25-person class and asked who had an Android phone to talk about the Android version of the app. I was one of three people that raised my hands. 

When I said I was switching to the dark side originally, I didn’t know how right I was. I got shunned by friends and family and was shut out of several group chats. I struggled to use some of my favorite apps because the android versions weren’t nearly as user friendly as their iPhone counterparts. I was unable to get the AirPods I wanted for two years (I now have them).  I could go on, but it boils down to this – when you have an iPhone, you’re a part of the Apple family. 

As my dad said, I’m part of the family again, and it feels good to be back.

#MeToo Fights Sexual Assault In New Ways

This article was originally published in ZU News.

Whenever I go on my social media accounts and I see many people posting about the same thing in my news feed, it is almost always about one person: Trump. On Oct. 16, when I went on Facebook, it was the first time I saw dozens of friends posting about something different, something called #MeToo.

I had no idea what it was at first, since it was just two words preceded by a hashtag. But then I saw an old friend who wrote: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too.’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

This article is not about me telling my story of “Me too.” I did not post it. I just sat in silence and watched as I found out more and more of what my friends had gone through without sharing it until now.

According to an article from CNN, the #MeToo movement started over 10 years ago, led by an activist named Tarana Burke. Burke was a director at a youth camp in 1996 when she had a child ask to talk to her privately. The child told her about how she had been abused by her stepfather, and Burke told her to talk to someone else about it. Burke did not have the courage to simply say “Me too.”

The first thing I felt when I saw all the #MeToo posts was pity. I felt bad for all my friends that had gone through sexual harassment and assault. But after thinking about it, I’m glad that they had the opportunity to express their story.

Junior English major Emily Benedetta chose not to participate in the #MeToo movement, even though she has been a victim of sexual harassment in the past.

“I have experienced numerous accounts of sexual assault, in all forms starting from the young age of two or three going all the way to now when I’m catcalled while walking from my apartment to class,” Benedetta said.

For a long time, people would have been told to keep something like that inside. This could lead to depression or anxiety. On top of that, a lot of people just may not have had the courage to admit it.

Therein lies the beauty of #MeToo.

“I’m a little torn on the #MeToo. In one way, I think it is a good way to bring awareness to the fact that sexual assault does occur, and it occurs more often than people think,” Benedetta said. “It’s also a good way to acknowledge the fact that sometimes we don’t consider things ‘sexual assault’ when we should. [#MeToo] allows girls to look into themselves and see what they have faced, come to terms with it and see that others are experiencing the same things, so they shouldn’t feel alone.”

It is hard to be the only one standing in a room of people sitting. When you see other people standing too, it is easier to stay on your feet. It makes you feel like you’re not alone, and other people are there to help you out when you need it. They can tell you their story and you can say, “Me too.”

“To someone who has experienced sexual assault, I would want them to know that they aren’t alone and that they shouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath of it alone,” Benedetta said. “I would also say that they shouldn’t feel ashamed of it, because nothing that they did contributed to them experiencing this. I would encourage them to reach out to someone that they are comfortable with to talk about things.”

Benedetta focused on one key aspect of the “Me too” movement—the awareness that it brings to this uncomfortable subject.

“I believe that too often girls think they are not victims, because they did something to provoke the words or actions, and that’s very much a societal issue. ‘No’ means ‘no,’ period,” Benedetta said. “I would say that we need to start educating females to know their worth, which is something that needs to be instilled from a very young age. Social media is a good way to start, but this problem is a long fight for women both online and in person.”

Serial: Modern Investigative Journalism

This article was originally published in ZU News.

I recently decided to start listening to podcasts. Let me rephrase that. I recently decided to start going to the gym. While at the gym, I’ve been sifting through dozens of hours of podcasts accumulated on my phone, and working out a bit on the side.

I tried to listen to several podcasts that friends suggested to me from Pod Save America to Freakonomics, but none of them captured my attention nearly as well as Serial.

Serial is a podcast that deals less with news and current events. It delves into the story of two individuals with extremely curious cases.

Season one examines the story of Adnan Syed, a man who was arrested as a high school senior for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. Syed claimed he was innocent from the time he was arrested in 1999 and maintained this claim until today. However, the jury in his trial found enough evidence to imprison him for life.

Serial goes incredibly in depth into Syed’s story. The host, Journalist Sarah Koenig, spent many months on this investigation. She interviews many of Syed’s friends as well as a number of people who provide insight to his case. The story is intriguing and great to listen to on the treadmill.

In the second season, Koenig tells the story of Bowe Bergdahl, a soldier who became well known for deserting his unit in Afghanistan. She interviews Bergdahl a number of times as well as many soldiers from his unit and high ranking military personnel.

Koenig tells this story with little bias and examines both sides of Bergdahl’s story. Bergdahl claims he didn’t leave selfishly; he did it for the greater good. It’s fascinating to hear his side of the story.

What I love most about Koenig’s podcast are not the stories themselves. Don’t get me wrong, they’re interesting and fun to listen to. But the most impressive part is how deep Koenig goes into her investigation.

In the age of fake news, click-bait and news sources racing to get the story out as quickly as possible, it is truly refreshing to hear quality investigative journalism. Serial just has that element of months of research and in-depth interviews that you will not find in most news stories anymore.

I’m struggling to keep my gym motivation up, but knowing that I have something good to listen to while I’m there is always helpful. Serial is a must-listen for any podcast fans out there. I give Serial 4 out of 4 Jon Wallace heads.

iWant Good Wi-Fi

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

It’s honestly pretty sad to say, but one of the things I looked forward to most going home over break was good Wi-Fi.

Of course I looked forward to seeing my dog and my family most, sleeping in my own bed next, but fast Wi-Fi was shockingly next on my list.

Friends and mom’s cooking followed closely, but I’m honestly just tired of slow Wi-Fi.

It’s hard to binge-watch “Friends” if you have to wait 10 minutes for each episode to load. Netflix is my study break, but it takes twice as long as it would with fast Wi-Fi. And it’s not just Netflix.

In a long distance relationship, I’ll FaceTime my girlfriend and the call will drop four or five times during a half an hour conversation. Or it will drop the Wi-Fi but keep going, eating up my limited data plan crazy fast.

I honest to God saw a girl post something on APU Buy and Sell asking everybody in UP to get off the Wi-Fi so she could watch a movie for class.

If that’s not a statement about our campus Wi-Fi, I don’t know what is.

The Wi-Fi isn’t quite as bad if you’re on a laptop, but I use my phone far more than my laptop most days. It’s just more convenient.

Anna Dean, a sophomore psychology major, shared this experience. She said she rarely has problems on the Wi-Fi while she’s on her laptop, but experiences frequent drops on her phone. She gave it a six on a 1-10 scale.

“I think the Wi-Fi should be improved at APU, especially in the living spaces, because the most people are on it in the living spaces,” Dean said. “You see that especially across the street in the sophomore housing because it’s a little farther off campus.”

Jonathan Davis, a freshman computer science major, rated it even lower, at a five on a 1-10 scale.

“I believe since we’re paying a good amount to go to this institution, we should receive what we’re paying for, in terms of Wi-Fi,” Davis said. “At home, it’s a lot faster. Netflix loads at the snap of your finger. Here I have to wait a lot.”

Davis even noted that when he’s Snap-chatting his friends, it can sometimes take a minute or so for the snap (picture) to download. This compares poorly to his home Wi-Fi where he said snaps download instantly.

Yes, these are First World problems. Yes, we should care more about real problems like what’s happening with Jeff Sessions. Yes, the Wi-Fi isn’t extremely terrible, but it’s also not great.

A five and a six on a 1-10 scale are not exactly stellar ratings. Think about it: If you got a 50 or a 60 percent on a test, would you be happy with that?

I agree with Davis, we do pay a lot of money to go here and there should be better Wi-Fi. This is one issue that nearly every student on campus can relate to; therefore, it is something that would benefit nearly every student at APU. There are very few things that could benefit all students across campus, faster Wi-Fi is one of them.

Now if you’ll excuse me, while I was writing this, my episode of “Breaking Bad” has finally loaded.