Flaherty Hosts “Good Food: Your Right, Your Responsibility” Presentation
By Derek Hamilton
Published in the Mount Mercy Times
The future of food availability and sustainability may be in the hands of college students, according to visiting lecturer John Ikerd. “On college campuses there is a responsibility to provide leadership and understanding the nature of the challenges and understanding what needs to be done,” says Ikerd.
Ikerd is a professor emeritus of agricultural economics, who has worked various positions at several state universities. He spends much of his retirement writing and speaking on issues concerning sustainability with regard to agriculture and economics. His presentation was November 11th, in Flaherty Community Room.
Ikerd says the current food system of industrialized farming is, “unequitable, unhealthy, and unsustainable.” He says it used to be good, until it was deemed necessary to increase the efficiency of agriculture, in order to address hunger. What has been created, has made matters far worse in unanticipated ways. Ikerd serves this as a warning, not to create new problems by focusing on narrow aspects of flaws in the system. He suggests we instead try to resolve the system in a broad sense.
This will require radical change, posits Ikerd.
Highlighted during the presentation was the Green New Deal. A movement which has gained some traction lately. “It has climate change in there, it has ecological issues in there, but it also has social issues and economic issues,” says Ikerd, adding that such a comprehensive plan is necessary to create real, effective change that doesn’t create a new problem for every one it fixes.
Ikerd touts colleges as prime grounds for implementing what he calls a “vertical cooperative.” In which, food recipients, farmers, and processors would all be members of the cooperative, and all be represented in the board of directors. All interests would be considered, the sustainability and ecological responsibilities of the farmer, and the needs of the people to get quality, culturally appropriate food.
For this to happen, he says students must demand good food, set up a program for low income students where they spend subsidized dollars, perhaps for working, and spend those dollars just like anybody else would spend their money on food. Crucial to the goals of the vertical cooperative is getting everyone involved, this way the system maintains itself. Existing structures can be used to phase in change.
As to how the world can move from massive, industrialized farms which are ecologically disastrous, to smaller, more responsible farms that work within communities, Ikerd says it is a risky environment. Yet, government could absorb a lot of the risk created from switching to more sustainable methods such as crop rotation, integration between crops and livestock, and improved forestry. These transformations would benefit even the farmer who now makes a living off a corporate farm, as these farmers currently only see around 15 percent of the final price of the goods they raise. Although, Ikerd notes, focusing too much on the market has led us astray in the past. That’s partially how we got to where we are today, and Ikerd also uses the example of slavery not being mentioned in the Constitution to appease slave owners at the time.
Ikerd says he is hopeful, not optimistic. Hopeful because he feels humans have a need to feel like they’re right and good. So, to change, he says we must become, “fully human.” Ikerd illustrated that agriculture is a perfect place to start to transform society, as it deals with so many facets of the system that needs changing.
New Nursing Dean Lives Among Students
By Derek Hamilton
Published in the Mount Mercy Times
If you live on campus you might have seen the new dean of the Martin Herold College of Nursing, Chandice Covington, around. That’s because she has chosen to live in Andreas Hall. She notes how over the past many years, she has lived in all sorts of homes, in all sorts of places. And has enjoyed those diverse experiences.
“I don’t need the burden right now of a home, and a lawn, a long drive to work… I need a way to build exercise into my life without having to struggle to much,” says Covington.
Covington is happy just living in the middle state between her four children and seven grandchildren. She also enjoys the vegan options at the cafeteria.
At first, she wasn’t interested in the job. Until she realized how conveniently located she would be with short, non-stop flights to see any of her family in the Midwest. Mount Mercy also linked up with her values. That there are basic human values, including, she notes, freedom of religion. After careful deliberation, she went with Mount Mercy.
Covington comes from a diverse, and prestigious background where she rubbed elbows with big donors and celebrities at UCLA. She worked on a Native American reservation as a nurse practitioner. She has been a tenured professor at several top ten nursing universities, and says she became a star anywhere she went. And she is bringing her passion for getting grants to Mount Mercy.
When discussing Martin Herold College’s greatest strengths, Covington said among the top is the “Fantastic, dedicated, experienced and engaged faculty.” She also noted that being a now endowed college, the nursing school cannot afford to rest on its laurels, and Covington says it will not cease to strive.
Gamers Hate Loot Crates
By Derek Hamilton
Published in the Mount Mercy Times
If there’s one thing college students know about video games, it is that they’re becoming a more expensive hobby. College students are often on tight budgets, and today’s games are selling victories to the highest bidder.
The highly anticipated Star Wars Battlefront 2 released to extreme controversy. A game featuring a prominent multiplayer platform, it also featured content packages which would upgrade the player for real money. Electronic Arts’ stock plummeted almost nine percent after the internet initially reacted to this pricing structure.
The structure was a range from $5 packs to $100 packs of points the player can then spend on bonus content “loot crates”. Crates contain items the player can use to craft, customize their player, new weapons, victory poses, and other content. These are known as microtransactions.
Electronic Arts reacted by pulling the priced packs. Several months later, after apologizing amid much scrutiny, they reinstituted microtransactions in the form of purely cosmetic upgrades. Players were upset players who lacked experience, could have access to the most advanced content in the game. It became a game in which the player could pay-to-win.
Pay-to-win wasn’t new to Battlefront 2, other games had been experimenting with this idea for years beforehand. The popular Star Wars game was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Games had been doing similar things in which you pay for points you can then use to buy things that made you stronger. Bonus characters, weapons, in-game currency and even literal experience points all had been experimented with, and some games still use some of these tactics. Most popular fighting games have DLC character rosters.
Junior History and Political Science major Paul James Elliott says about loot crates, “I hate them. For many it takes away the skill of being able to earn at a reasonable pace.”
Another ongoing experiment is the new way games are priced. While the basic base rate of $60 still persists, there is often more complete editions of the game which may feature what has been dubbed the “Season Passes.” Season Passes often include bonus characters, weapons, and additional playable content. So, a game may cost $60, but the each Season Pass costs typically $30 on top of that to have complete game.
Games these days tend to cost tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of dollars to make. Which means they have to be good sellers just to break even. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, which is getting a remaster, cost about two hundred million dollars to produce. However, the game also sold more than a billion dollars.
On the other end of the pendulum, there is Overwatch. Which released for $60, and made all loot crates experience based. They also made all additional content free. That’s new characters and bonus arenas. These arena games, known as multiplayer online battle arenas, or MOBAs, are gaining in popularity. They are also popular for streaming.
Game streaming is rapidly growing. Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has over five million YouTube followers, and frequently hosts Twitch broadcasts for over one hundred thousand people. Doing this, he is making more than half a million dollars a month. He recently played a game of Fortnite with the rapper Drake. A broadcast which shattered records at Twitch with over six hundred thousand viewers live.
“I think that I offer a combination of high-tier gameplay that they really can’t get with other content creators. It’s very difficult to be like one of the best at a video game… …and also I’m very goofy,” says Blevins in an interview with CNBC.
Apart from being a competitive Halo player previously, Ninja made his fame playing a game called Fortnite, which has a game mode known as a battle royale, multiplayer games which are decided by who is the last man standing in an open world. Fortnite is beating out the competition and become a phenomenon, partially because their battle royale mode is totally free.
Former MMU Grad Takes Job at Graduate Center
By Derek Hamilton
Published in the Mount Mercy Times
The new Masters of Strategic Leadership coordinator has a unique perspective on the program. She earned her MSL here at Mount Mercy. Her name is Cherrie Spurlin and she is also an assistant professor. “It completely changed my life,” Spurlin says about obtaining her MSL at Mount Mercy.
“I learned a lot about myself during the program. I learned that I could teach,” says Spurlin, “…I developed wonderful relationships here with people that work for Mount Mercy and other alumni going through the program.”
After graduating, she became an adjunct professor, and once an opportunity opened to be full-time faculty, she pounced on it.
She says it was a mixture of experiences that prepared her for her role at the Mount Mercy Graduate Center. Her business experience, and leadership experience. She had been in charge of large teams before, and worked in human resources. She says she also understands what her students are going through being working adults who are also in school.
“We really want program outcomes to be applicable to their work.”
When asked what she brings to Mount Mercy, Spurlin describes herself as an “enthusiastic, positive, driven person.” She says she wants to see the university “grow and be innovative in the community.” She also wants to build new relationships, and strengthen the ones the university already has.
“The program did so much for me, I want to be able to replicate that, and give that back to every business leader in the community.”
Aside from her role at Mount Mercy, Spurlin is a wife and a mother to a daughter and two dogs. Her family loves to go ice skating. She also started the Business and Leadership Book Club, because she loves not only to read and learn, but also to share it with other people.
Anti-Flag “20/20 Vision” Album Review
By Derek Hamilton
Published in the Mount Mercy Times
Anti-Flag is a politically charged punk rock group from Pittsburgh, PA. Originally formed in 1988, the band has changed members somewhat over the years, but the lead guitarist and vocalist, Justin Sane, and the drummer, Pat Thetic, have remained the same.
The band really caught on during the George W. Bush administration, when their lyrics and rage struck at the heart of what leftists saw as the evils of the political climate and also societal ills. They released several albums between 2006 and now, but none seem to have captured the rarity of those mid-2000s efforts. Well, “20/20 Vision” is an uplifting step in the right direction.
Now, I’m not saying Anti-Flag hasn’t made great music since the 2000s, and this album works with a deep tool kit of things they’ve tried in the past. Like using other instruments including acoustic music. They only lightly dabble with these concepts, however. In place of an experimental approach is a properly honed aggressive sound. It is all distorted guitars, drums and excellent use of bass.
There are some seriously catchy songs on this album. The first track, “Hate Conquers All,” might be the best song on the album. It features quotes from president Trump, and reflects the feelings many leftists, and especially anarchists, have living in this era.
One of my greatest musical enjoyments is when a song is not only entertaining, but also delivers a message. The title track is an example of evolved song writing by the band. They really have figured out how to hook you in. Like the catchiest song on this album, “Christian Nationalist,” has been stuck in my head regardless of what I’ve been doing.
Much of this album is more positive than I’m used to hearing from Anti-Flag. The penultimate song, “Unamerican,” is a memorable slow song, the only slow song on the album, which I like. I like my punk loud and fast, so when you do slow it down you’ve got to get it right. The final track, “Resistance Frequencies,” is a very positive call to action to listeners to be the change they wish to see.
Unfortunately, not every song on this album is a winner, in my opinion. Some of it is rather forgettable or seems like filler. But the bad is heavily outweighed by the good. If you like rock music at all, especially punk, check out this album, “20/20 Vision,” by Anti-Flag