CRITERION

By Chuck Dickerson

Class has barely started and I’m bored out of my mind. Although I’m physically here, my mind is absent. It’s a new quarter; I know I should be listening for clues for our first exam, but today I don’t care.

I reach into my bag and grab a book I’ve been reading by Oscar Lenius entitled “A Well-Dressed Gentleman’s Pocket Guide.” Flipping through pages regarding the history of knitwear, I grow tired of it and toss it back to its resting place. My mind is busy, but the clock doesn’t seem to be moving. So I reach for my MacBook, close the blank Microsoft Word document I had opened for notes, and open Safari. The Google search begins.

While listening for test terms and homework hints, I simultaneously hunt for denim deals and shoe sales. I can trace the roots of this illness to my childhood, when Christmas was a time when I went from a poor beggar to a splurging king. I can remember racing to the local mall to spend my riches on countless pairs of shoes. No matter the cost, I felt an honest need for Nike Air Maxes and Timberland boots. These remain few of my fondest memories as each New Year I was draped in fresh new gear.

Now that I am a grown college student, splurging has become an increasingly rare thrill and the realities of bills and bare necessities have sunk into my bank account. However, I haven’t fully rejected the tradition as of yet, and have discovered some new looks that 2011 has delivered for both men and women alike.

Despite the typical drab that manifests throughout the winter season, 2011 has done away with such protocol. I’m here to tell you that colors are widely permitted and even encouraged this New Year. So break out your color wheels and mix some highlights into your darkest outfits. Let your bright colors shine as the sun takes her vacation.

The secret of the season is to know which piece in your closet is deemed the most valuable by the fashionistas. This New Year, pack your drawer with a variety of denim tops. When done right they offer a crisp alternative to the customary cotton tops you are overstocked with. You can find an array of them from zip-up vests to button-down dress shirts wherever you shop. Denim jackets are also fun to throw over your formal wear when heading out for a night in the city. The key is (as is with most clothing) to wear these tops true to size or even a size under what you would typically wear.  This keeps one looking of age while more comfortable than those wooled-up preppies.

Now, it is important to note that with the addition of denim tops to one’s closet comes the need for bottoms of alternative variety. Go find the pair of vintage khaki chinos you wore at your respected Academy and dump them in the nearest wastebasket. This time, search for a pair that actually fit, baring only enough room for comfort. Once you’ve spotted a khaki pair, go nuts and add some colored chinos to your collection. Make sure they are trim and tapered, and most importantly, without pleats. (Ladies, pleats are acceptable in your case.)

This next must-have of 2011 may make me seem like I have lost my marbles, but I ask that you hear me out. This year making their official debut out of the house, are sweatpants. I have found a new appreciation for these living room giants and foresee them making more public appearances over the next several months than ever before. Now, be mindful that I don’t mean the seven year old, gray sweats you wear every Sunday. I’m talking about the heavier Navy blue or black, low-rise sweats that fit comfortably and do not bunch. Just so long as their design and fit are kept appropriate, these weekend staples are ready for the spotlight.

Finally, though it is not a look per say, this is the year for you to find your signature scent in a perfume or cologne. In years past one was able to pass by wearing exceeding amounts of deodorant alone. Well boys and girls, it is time to cut back on the antiperspirant and find a fragrance that suits you. Remember that subtly is key. Overdoing is immature. Keep it fresh and simple.

Good luck in your search for Happy New Gear!

By Daniel Gramling

At first glance, choosing the right toilet paper may seem trivial in the grand scheme of things.  Though toilet paper is considered a necessity, like toothpaste, it’s value is commonly underestimated. Because of this, customers are left uninformed and resort to purchasing the cheapest generic brands with the lowest quality to save money. Fortunately, there is one brand name that answers all of it’s customers needs. Charmin Toilet Paper exists to not only inform consumers of its advanced capabilities through advertisements, but also to provide an affordable unique touch to the most sensitive areas including one’s pocket. Charmin Toilet Paper’s value and performance makes it the best of its kind and should be purchased in place of any other toilet paper.

Charmin Toilet Paper has been known for many things, some of which include the commercials its advertising teams put together. For the last few decades, each commercial has used a cute harmless grizzly bear family as an imagery technique. As a result, social classes of all ranks are able to view Charmin Toilet Paper as a universal “family brand” worthy of their purchase. It continues to win support through its jingles and catchy phrases such as “[Charmin] more absorbent than your regular leading brand I’m sure”, techniques of which generic brand advertisers’ lack. Generic brands fail to compete with Charmin Toilet Paper in the marketing aspect of advertising, a probable cause of their low budget or confidence in human frugality.  Rather than advertise in magazines or on television, generic brands avoid the advertising process and rely on their low prices plastered in stores in red and black large print, hoping that customers see only price, and lack all questions on performance (as seen in the 99 cent store). Conversely, Charmin Toilet Paper advertises using an array of methods, one including a comparison between their product and a generic brand’s with a test of absorbency. To no surprise, the generic brand’s product loses every single time.

When it comes to performance, Charmin Toilet Paper rises far above competing generic brands. It has been proven to last four times longer than other brand, a leading reason being its absorbent qualities that allow individuals to get more from less. Charmin Toilet Paper is also more diverse (consisting of four different types), and significantly stronger than generic brands.  Upon testing, it was able to withstand the weight of a gum ball after becoming wet. The compared nameless generic brand it was tested against was unable to do so, causing the gum ball to fall through the toilet paper leaving an enormous gaping hole

Charmin Toilet Paper is undoubtedly a strong force in the toilet paper world, but critics may argue that it costs too much.  A twelve-pack of Charmin Toilet Paper costs twice as much as a twelve-pack of a competing brand known as Scott Naturals Toilet Paper sold at Wal-mart. Consumers could buy two packs of Scott Naturals Toilet Paper, and would still have money left over, and twice as much toilet paper (Bath Tissue).  Critics could further argue that no matter how superior Charmin Toilet Paper was to generic brands such as Scott Naturals Toilet Paper, its performance could never excuse the high price it is asking customers to pay.

Despite the price, Charmin Toilet Paper is a fair and reliable product. Through investigation and the polling of Facebook as well as Myspace users, I found that out of twenty votes, ninety-five percent of voters preferred Charmin Toilet Paper over leading generic brands. Out of everyone else who did not vote, their feelings toward toilet paper can be predicted based on the poll results.  By means of observation of the poll results I gathered, it seems as if people have no problem spending the necessary funds to buy Charmin Toilet Paper because the product performs so well. Though Charmin toilet paper costs twice as much as any generic brand, at least consumers know that it is a brand they have known for decades, and one that can get the job done properly

By Kendra Kravig

Boxes shoved into the Chrysler’s trunk, clothes strewn across the back seat, my TV strapped into the passenger seat, I drove away from my father’s house at the pace of a snail because I didn’t want any of my precious cargo to fly out of my convertible. I was 18, and off to my first year at LSU as a doe-eyed high school graduate who was ready for college and the independence that came with it. I arrived at Angwin Hall after an agonizing drive down the 91 freeway, only to realize that the dorm had no elevators, and my room was on the side of the dorm by Gladwyn Hall, meaning I’d have to lug my stuff across the dorm and up two flights of stairs. I quickly regretted my decision to bring my television set, as well as my refusal of my older brother’s offer to help me move my stuff into my dorm room. On this rather discouraging note, my dorm life began.

Like me, every freshman has the same choice when they’re filling out entrance paperwork: on-campus or off-campus housing? Some of us have no choice: it’s the dorm or bust. But others of us have family within a commutable distance, and so the question becomes: to dorm or not to dorm?

Living in the dorm definitely has its perks. Perk #1: the illusion of independence (I say “illusion” because without rent/bills/groceries to pay for, it’s really quasi-independence). We all brag to our friends in high school about how, when we get to college, we’re going to strike out on our own and declare ourselves free of parental constraints. The dorm offers an ideal environment for this, because while there are still certain rules put in place for our safety and well-being, like room checks and curfews, we decide what we do with our time without parental input. Perk #2: you are in the middle of campus life. It’s easy to get involved with campus activities because you’re on campus most of the time. If you want to hear some great music but don’t have money for concert tickets, you can mosey down to the Student Center on Tuesday nights for Tuesday Tunes (best part? It’s free!). For senior music major Fern Nelson, the dorm isn’t only a place to sleep—it’s also a place to grow a social life. “The dorm is a great place to live because of the community you become a part of,” says Fern. “People that you would normally only have a classroom relationship with become the people that you have sleepovers or all-night movie marathons with.” And this brings us to Perk #3: convenience. After having stayed up all night with your roommate, you can catch 30 winks of sleep before you sprint to class, or as Fern puts it: “You can literally roll out of bed 20 minutes before and still get to class in time to choose your favorite seat.” As a dorm student, you also don’t have to fight for parking spots behind the library or worry about not getting to class on time because of traffic, because your car will be parked in the parking lots reserved for dorm students.

I spent my freshman year at LSU relishing in all of these perks, but as the spring quarter drew to an end, I realized that I did not have the money to dorm for a second year. I would have to back in with my parents. Having tasted the sweetness of quasi-independence, I hated having to conform back to the rules of my parents’ household. It took a while to adjust back, but then I realized that living at home, rent-free, also had its benefits. Benefit #1: free laundry. No longer did I have to scrounge for quarters under the seats of my car. My mom’s washing machine was free, better-working than those in Angwin, and I didn’t have to wait for someone else’s laundry to be done before I could do my own. Benefit #2: the commuting experience. Spending more money for gas to get to school wasn’t ideal, but on the upside, I spent my mornings listening to good music. I also found that the commute made me more alert for my classes, since I had to wake up earlier to make it to my classes on time. Benefit #3: home cooking. After an allergic reaction to cafeteria food at the beginning of my freshman year, every mealtime I would spend 15-20 minutes determining which foods were safe and which ones were not for me. Since my mother shares my bizarre allergy to spinach, any food in her refrigerator is always safe for me to eat. And, let’s face it, mom’s cooking tastes better because it isn’t produced in mass quantities for hundreds of students. And lastly, Benefit #4: cleanliness. In the dorm, there’s always that bit of doubt that your bathmate cleaned like he/she said they would, that nagging suspicion that maybe, just maybe, they forgot to clean. At my mom’s house, I always knew if the kitchen or bathroom was clean or not because we did all the cleaning ourselves.

Throughout my sophomore year at college, I slowly realized that I preferred living at home to living on-campus. At the end of that first quarter of living at home, I noticed that my GPA had risen significantly, probably because I studied more. I lost weight, exercised more, and learned how to manage my time more effectively. I enjoyed my time dorming in Angwin Hall, but for me, my college experience became a lot more satisfactory when I became a commuter student.

Ultimately, if you’re allowed to make the choice between dorming and not dorming, it’s up to you as a student. Which atmosphere is better for both your school and personal lives? Remember the saying “You are what you eat”? You are where you live, too.

By Paula Hernandez

For those students, employees, and faculty who spend nearly every waking hour in the beloved library (which is often viewed as their second home), their patience and perseverance has been tested daily as they are forced to endure the wrath of an indecisive thermostat.  Although this is a problem that has been occurring for several years, more and more people have been taking notice that the temperature of the library fluctuates rapidly between two extremes: hot and cold.

During the first week of January, several employees returned to work in the library prior to the start of winter quarter.  The weather outside was gloomy, cold, and wet, as predicted.  Expecting to arrive at work and find refuge from the disagreeable cold, the library employees entered the building and quickly discovered that the temperature in their work environment was as cold, or colder, as the weather outside, and nothing that could be done about it.  Darren Thomas, a sophomore who works in the circulation department, was one of the unfortunate few scheduled to work that week.  When asked what it was like working under these conditions, he responded by saying, “The temperature here is insane! It changes ever so often…I was wearing six layers of clothes: I had a hoodie on, a sweater, a shirt, a long-sleeve shirt, and an undershirt.  And I was still cold”.

It is not only cold temperature which causes discomfort for students, but heat as well.  At times, the temperature seems to rise to unbearable highs in the library, leaving everyone to cook like a turkey.  More specifically, there are certain areas that seem to be affected more than others.  The third floor appears to heat up the most, especially the big study room next to Periodicals, while the basement (first floor) is significantly cooler.

As a student employee for the library, I work in the Periodicals Department, and am able to experience first-hand the effect that this issue is having on the students. Quite often, students have come to me, begging for the air conditioning to be turned on because studying is simply impossible when sweat keeps dripping on your textbooks.  The only solution, I sympathetically tell them, is to move to another area or open the doors of the study room to allow for some ventilation.  While I have only experienced a minor handful of these frustrated students, Darren receives at least 3 complaints per week, if not more.  What irritates students and faculty the most is the fact that the library has no control over the heating and cooling system, despite there being thermostat control boxes scattered throughout the building.  The HVAC system, as it is commonly called, is controlled by Physical Plant.  The director of the library, Kitty Simmons, explains that there is minimal information for the reasons the temperature fluctuates so much, or as to who really has control over this device.   As she simply puts it, “All we do is tell [Physical Plant] when we have problems.”

When a student complains, the most that employees are able to do is make a phone call to Physical Plant and report the problem, and then hope that either the heat or AC will kick in fast.  Physical Plant supposedly has the ability to regulate the HVAC system, but apparently their control is more limited than imagined.  Al Valdez, the director of Facilities Management on campus, and his team of technicians and managers, quickly informed me that with the library’s “inefficient, antiquated, and complicated system, the ability to control things is not possible.”  They are doing their very best to maintain an average temperature of 72 degrees, but it proves to be very difficult without a modernized, digital system that would allow for a visual record of current temperatures in each room.  As of now, Physical Plant “relies on people’s say-so as for what the environment is,” and thus any changes made occur only when people complain.  The concern with this method seems to be that everybody’s internal thermostat is wired differently.  For some it may be freezing cold, but that same temperature for others is perfectly fine, leaving the poor workers up at Physical Plant to go crazy as they attempt to please everyone.

There is only one solution for this hectic mess: modernize the current HVAC system.  Physical Plant is pushing towards making this change in the near future, with  Al Valdez commenting that “research and meetings with several promising vendors have already been taking place.”  After an affordable and compatible company is selected, the question remains as to “when can we do it?”  A job of this sort requires time; something not very easily found on a university campus.  It takes at least a month for the company to gather, assemble, and ship all the parts in which it will then take a full two weeks to install.  Time scheduling has been one of the main reasons for why the system has not been modernized as of yet.  It is simply impossible for construction work to be done during the scorching heat of summertime or the raining and flooding season of the winter.  For many students, it would be almost catastrophic if Physical Plant attempts to work with their noisy machinery and trucks when school is in session, or, worse yet, during finals week.  Already, I hear complaints from those who live at the dorms that their precious hours of slumber are being cut in half because of those who cut the grass early in the mornings.  I can guarantee that the ruckus and commotion that will result with the new installation of the system would be exponentially worse.

As it can be seen, there is no opportune moment to modernize.  Yet, Physical Plant and Administration both feel that a functioning HVAC system is crucial on a university campus, and thus they are striving to tackle this problem wholeheartedly as swiftly as possible As for now, maybe we as students should attempt to be more patient the next time we are in the library studying.

….That, and always have both our snow suits and tank tops handy in our closets.

by Sheldon Benjamin

December 21, 2012 is when the government will turn off the force field protecting Earth from all the bad aliens. No, wait, it’s when we slip into the center of the galaxy and meet up with the Martians…I mean Mayans. Er…no, no, it’s when John Cusack races to reach the “arks” that the government made to protect us from when a chain of catastrophic events is triggered. Ah, yes, that’s it. Well okay, maybe not. Centropolis Entertainment and Columbia Pictures spent an estimated $200 million on the film 2012 and made about $225 million worldwide. And who knows how much money Blizzard Entertainment put into their cataclysm expansion of “World of Warcraft.” The end must be near. At least somebody is making money in this economy.

At the office in which I work, somebody mentioned all the animals that had died around the world and how scientists can’t figure out what killed them. Right after the topic came up, another person cryptically whispered “Twenty twelve…ooooh.” (It wasn’t me I promise.) The phrase has weaseled its way into everyday talk and anything tinged with conspiracy is often accompanied with an utterance of next year. There are hundreds of theories on 2012, and new ones seem to be concocted in conjunction with, or in explanation for, every new problem the earth experiences. So in overviewing some popular theories and foundations of the idea of “Doomsday 2012” and applying them to our society, we should ask one important question; does any of this matter? If there are countless scientists, and even governments, that have actually looked into the ideas surrounding 2012 and what it could yield for us, then you can’t help but wonder if there’s anything substantial behind all the outlandish speculations.

Now in order to comprehend all the 2012 hype, you have to understand the founders of the doomsday idea. Enter the Mayan civilization. The oldest Mayan settlement was discovered in Belize and dates back to around 1000 BC, but the exact dates of their civilization are a bit sketchy. Long story short, the Mayans were obsessed with math and science and blended their science into their spirituality. So they set out on a quest to understand cosmic synchronicity, kind of like what Apple did when creating the iPad, but what the Mayans came up with lacked a touch screen and the ability to play “Angry Birds.” The product of their curiosity was a super calendar able to predict a lunar eclipse thousands of years in the future. The History Channel claims that the Mayan calendar is more accurate than our own.

“In the 8^th Century AD, it (the Mayan calendar) predicted that white skin bearded gods would arrive from across the sea on March 5^th, 1519. On that exact date, Cortez and his conquistadors arrived in the new world.”(History Channel) Okay Mayans, you got lucky this time, but what else have you predicted? Well, after about 1000 years of working on this calendar, the Mayans finally came up with a date of a “great cycle’s end.” There are supposedly 5 great cycles, and according to the Mayans, 2012 would be the end of the 5^th.  They describe this event as the Sun crossing into a dark rift (or dark mother as they also call it) which was also understood as a black hole at the center of the galaxy. It wasn’t until about 8 years ago that Western Science even knew that there was a black hole at the center of our galaxy. Many geologists believe this “crossing over” would push the earth into a possible pole shift, relocating the poles and essentially remapping the surface of the earth. Perhaps it is already happening? Tampa International Airport has had to remark one of their runways due to a shift in the magnetic north on January 13th. (TBO.com)

Now aside from the History Channel with its doom and gloom, there are hundreds of videos and written works by home scientists explaining much of the same information with various other outcomes. Essentially, on the winter solstice of 2012, which is December 21, the sun will cross the galactic plane. I saw one video that used apples and oranges for the sake of simplicity, and to be honest, it was my favorite. Now the sun has crossed this plane before, and actually does so once a year, but it is only once every 26,000 years that scientists claim the sun will cross the galactic plane while in line with the earth on winter solstice. This crossing of the sun actually occurred in 1998. The reason the Mayans picked 2012 was because from Southern Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula, it will be visible as more of an all-day event where the sun will start to cross at dawn and finish crossing at sunset with the plane of the galaxy behind it.

So, since it already happened, what’s the big deal? It could be that because all the turmoil and problems the world has been going through, people are hoping for something big to change everything. I have a friend that believes the entire world will have an epiphany all that the same time. Wouldn’t that be nice? When it boils down to it, there is only one statement we should be concerned about, and that is what the Bible says. In Mark 13:32, Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (NIV)  Just like Y2K, there will be continuous speculation about how things will go down on one December 21, 2012, and the media will stop at nothing to blow it out of proportion.

The next few years of our lives will be both trying, exciting, and revolutionary, regardless of a robotic zombie apocalypse. There are a hundred theories on how or why the world will end, but instead of listening to those that try to decide how it will end, why not trust the words of He who decided how it began? So tell your friends and family that you love them. Not because 2012 is just around the corner, but because you love them.

By Natalie Romero

On May 25^th, 2010, the Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists removed La Sierra University from its employee subsidy list. The charge: apostasy.

Some are outraged. Many see it as, since it happened last year. Others have no idea what is going on. The case, I believe, deserves some attention, however—especially after recent visitations from both WASC and AAA accreditation bodies. For those who are not up to date on their religious vernacular, apostasy means a complete desertion and departure from one’s religion, cause, or principles. La Sierra University has been accused of this desertion due to the inclusion of the theory of evolution in some biology courses.

But repercussions of such action should be considered. When Michigan cut off employee subsidies (financial assistance) to La Sierra, they cut off any chances for the dependents of their employees to attend our university. Adventist education does not come cheap. Conference employees do not get paid well. Were it not for employee subsidies, many people would not be able to attend Adventist institutions. In this economy, taking out loans for school is increasingly dangerous. There has been talk of other conferences taking the same action, which could prove disastrous for many students who are counting on that financial aid in order to attend La Sierra. Elder Jay Gallimore, President of the Michigan Conference, declined the opportunity to comment on the issue.

There could be repercussions for both current and future teachers who wish to work in schools in the North American Division (NAD) because of the Michigan Conference’s declaration. “By eliminating subsidies, Michigan has put not only La Sierra’s curriculum but also its instruction methods into question,” said Deanne Sparks, a current LSU graduate student and former teacher and school administrator. “How we learn is how we teach and vice versa.” The problem lies in that by questioning or blacklisting the school, teachers who earned their degrees at La Sierra might end up finding themselves unemployable by other Adventist schools within the NAD.

Defining just how we learn and how we teach, especially in the field of science at this institution is important. “Different people mean different things when they use the term evolution,” said Dr. Gary Bradley, a professor of biology and genetics at La Sierra. He explained that for most conservative Christians, the word “evolution” carries the usual anti-God connotation. However, for a scientist, the word represents the process by which all kinds of alterations and modifications happen in our world. Dr. Bradley believes that the Creator God designed the world with the ability for evolution to occur, and urges everyone to learn as much as they can about our Lord’s created universe. “There is abundant evidence that living things change. Thus evolution is well documented and well supported in the scientific world. It is unconscionable for a science student to remain ignorant of this fundamental aspect of life.”

From an administrative standpoint, President Randal Wisbey responded to Michigan’s actions as follows. “La Sierra University is an integral part of the Church’s shared endeavor to educate our young people to think well and to believe well. Our students constitute our best hope for the future of the Church, a Church that must be responsible, redemptive, and relevant if it intends to meet the needs of the world in the 21^st Century.”

While Sparks’ concerns are legitimate, recent accreditation lays to rest any notion that LSU’s quality of education has been compromised. This past summer, WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) reaffirmed La Sierra’s accreditation for eight more years; and hopes are high that the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools (AAA) will follow suit and also renew LSU’s accreditation when they convene on March 31^st. Accreditation is vital, because it means that the university in question has been deemed to be operating at the level of quality consistent with its mission statement, as well as with the expectations of a school of higher education. As President Wisbey put it, “Accreditation is one of the most important marks a university can earn. It is a measure of excellence in education.”

Despite the renewal of accreditation, the WASC evaluation team noted the issues pertaining to LSU’s Biology Department. While they understand that it’s mainly a denominational issue, it directly touches on several WASC standards, including the roles of the faculty and academic freedom. As a result, WASC plans to send a team back to our campus later on this spring for a reevaluation. And hopes are high

But despite the concern by some, others are confident that this will all subside in time. “I’ve seen this kind of thing happen in other times and places. Eventually, it has blown over and the focus has shifted elsewhere,” said Jocelyn Fay of the Southeastern California Conference. George Virgil Larson, attended Walla Walla College, where there was a disagreement about instruction within some theology classes. “It got to the point where he was asked to spy on the religion teachers. He was expected to report back to other people. It was a big mess at the time,” said Larson’s daughter.

Many students involved in campus-based ministries have said that we are not apostate, but rather apostles. One such example is Krissy Traustason, who actively participates in Home Base, a ministry open to everyone at La Sierra. “We’re made up of devoted students who are dedicated to outreach in our community; we’re driven to be missionaries not only in foreign countries, but also here at home,” said Traustasson.

Jaylene Chung, who is actively involved in missions, agrees. She believes that La Sierra is fulfilling the Adventist church’s mission of spreading the gospel and helping others both inside and outside of the program. “[People who have gone through the missions program] have an intense first-hand experience of what it means to step out of their comfort zone to help the global community,” said Chung.  “On top of that, there are also so many people at LSU who care deeply for others and live a life as Jesus exemplified, without having even left the country.”

La Sierra has a special challenge with missions programming, because a great deal of our student body is not Adventist. Many, in fact, are not even Christian. Despite this, there are several programs aside from missions, such as STORM, Rask@ls, REVO, and the like, where students of every background and belief come together to help make a difference in the lives of those around them, embodying one of the most powerful gospel messages: love your neighbor.

In the opinion of Dr. Kendra Haloviak of the School of Religion, we are a “passionately Adventist institution,” far from apostasy. The Twenty-Eight Fundamental Beliefs are some of the most important aspects that define us as a church. And despite what others may say, the Twenty-Eight Beliefs are actually taught in a variety of ways at La Sierra. “When I heard about the decision by the Michigan Conference I wondered if anyone there had contacted our campus before their action,” Haloviak said. “If those with concerns had been able to have a conversation with the members of our community, they would encourage their employees’ college-aged children to further their Adventist education at La Sierra University.”  And with the highest enrollment in recent memory, with 2,098 students registering for Fall quarter, Haloviak’s confidence in LSU’s standard of education seems to be substantiated.