QuickBIC Admin – Page 7

Gladius and Glock: Weapon Regulation of Past and Present

QuickBIC Admin on October 8, 2015

Oath of the Horatii by Jacques-Louis David

Following the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, the age-old debate regarding gun control has arisen again. While we all might not be able to agree as to how firearms should be regulated in the United States, I would hope that we can all agree that there are currently 15 families in Oregon that are in need of support. Nine people have died and six have been critically wounded. Our thoughts and prayers here at the QuickBIC are with these families as we delve into the issue which has so drastically affected their lives.

On October 29, 2015, Christopher Harper-Mercer, age 26, entered room 15 of Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon and, armed with body armor, five handguns, and a semiautomatic rifle, proceeded to execute his fellow classmates and professors. Within five minutes of the first gunshot, local law enforcement arrived and began trading fire with Harper-Mercer. Two minutes later, along with nine of his victims, the gunman lay dead.

In order to survive, some students played dead next to their wounded classmates as Harper-Mercer fired into the heap of cowering bodies. Others, such as army veteran Chris Mintz who was shot six times as he attempted to prevent the gunman from entering another classroom, struggled to protect the lives of their fellow human beings in the face of such a travesty. (Mintz is expected to recover from his wounds.)

Unfortunately, we are all too familiar with the horror of school shootings. The very mention of “Columbine” or “Sandy Hook” evokes bleak emotions which require no explanation. Umpqua will join this list of names.

Catastrophes such as the Umpqua Community College shooting seem to beg the question, “Should stricter gun laws be put into place in the United States?”

Perhaps history will provide us with some answers.

The Byzantine Empire, the surviving fragment of the Eastern Roman Empire following the Byzantine-Sassanid Wars, serves as one of the few ancient civilizations for which there are surviving records of its personal weapon regulation laws. Taking the throne in 527 CE, Emperor Justinian I sought not only to reclaim Italy and Africa from its barbarian invaders, but also to systematically collate the complex laws of Rome. Within ten years, Justinian’s personally-appointed committee organized over six centuries of Roman law into a number of straightforward codices.

In the third such codex, Roman law states,

“We grant to all persons the unrestricted power to defend themselves, so that it is proper to subject anyone, whether a private person or a soldier . . . [to] suffer the death which he threatened and incur that which he intended” (Codex Justinianus 3.27.1).

As such, Romans were encouraged to protect themselves by any means necessary. Especially as the Byzantines were harassed on all fronts by “barbarous” nations, certain laws directly encouraged citizens to amass and utilize their own weapons in defense of Roman territories from barbarian raids.

For instance, the Edict of Valentinian proclaims,

“By this edict we urge one and all . . . to use, if the occasion demands it, along with one’s close relatives and friends, whatever arms they can against the enemy” (Nov.Val. IX, A.D. 440).

Yet personal weapon ownership was scarcely regulated. Certain laws forbade arming slaves with weapons, selling weapons to “barbarians,” or using them “unlawfully” – but there was by no means any way of ensuring that these laws were followed. As such, while some Romans simply protected themselves with swords and shields, others made massive profit by arming slave rebellions and barbaric invasions alike.

So where does that leave us on increased gun control vs. maintaining current gun control standards scoreboard?

The Byzantines lived lives that were constantly defined by war – wars that were fought not in distant territories but on their front porches, in their backyards, in their burning living rooms. I would argue that modern America is not plagued by such threats, but I am sure some would disagree.

Are guns inherently evil? Are swords naturally bloodthirsty? Should guns be completely outlawed for personal ownership? I would argue that weapons are inanimate objects that reflect the will of agents, namely human beings, and can be utilized to commit a robbery as easily as they can put a stop to one. I similarly believe that the Byzantine Empire would have fallen much sooner if citizens were not allowed to own swords.

I do believe, however, that there should be stricter gun control laws in the United States. For those who disagree, I would pose this question: Is utilizing a firearm properly not a skill?

Ask any soldier and he or she will tell you that intense training is required to wield a weapon as military regulations demand. Ask any seasoned hunter and he or she will likely tell you that he or she has spent many a hunting trip learning how to strike with precision while also keeping fellow hunters safe. In a sense, the proper utilization of a firearm is an art while its misuse can constitute an utter travesty. Should just anyone be allowed to access this art form without the proper training or materials? Should we allow this art form to be utilized by those who would harm humanity instead of elevating humanity’s skill?

Consider the prodigal works of Rembrandt, who sold all of his beautiful paintings through the leading art guilds of the time. I simply propose that prospective gun owners enter a similar, federally-mandated guild in order to insure that their passion, their “art” as it were, coincides with the continued safety of the American people.

I will leave you with the thought-provoking words of Psychology Today writer Michael W. Austin,

“The right to own a firearm is not absolute; its exercise should be dependent upon the individual meeting several important conditions: a criminal and mental health background check, a required safety course, competency with a firearm demonstrated via a skills test, a regular renewal requirement, a minimum age requirement of 25, and some form of gun liability insurance.”

Lee Shaw is a sophomore BIC student and the current editor of the QuickBIC.

Give Your Brain a Kiss

QuickBIC Admin on October 7, 2015

Fellow BICers,

These past couple of weeks have been long ones for lots of us as there are exams and papers and speeches. I know that for myself, it is getting to be overwhelming. So I have decided to write this week’s column on ways to motivate yourself while trying to do all this work.

When I was in Kindergarten, my teacher would always tell us once we were done with hard work, to kiss our brain. While I thought this was the weirdest and most disgusting thing at the time, I now understand what she meant. Doing something good for yourself after completing large amounts of work can help to support your brain when schoolwork gets hectic.

We are all familiar with the feeling of just wanting to cry because you are so overwhelmed. Taking a break may seem like the worst idea in the world at the time, but it is well worth it. Do not watch Netflix, but instead, go to the Student Life Center (SLC) and work out a little. It could just be walking around the track on the third floor, but getting your blood moving and getting away from the work will help you process what you have been studying. Exercise also releases endorphins into your brain. The endorphins help relax you and put you in a better mood.

One of my favorite things to do when I am extremely stressed and need a break is to go on a bike ride around campus at night. At night, it is not as hot as it can be during the day and there are not very many people wandering around. I have seen fireflies by the Brazos and often go and check in with Lady and Joy.

One of the biggest things that I find to help getting through rough assignments is a reward system. As soon as I finish a paper, assignment, reading, or anything else, I treat myself to something I crave. Even if that means getting Sic ‘Em delivery to bring me a slushy from Sonic, I make sure to utilize the time to focus on homework. While this can get to be very expensive, I usually only do this as a last resort when I am under a lot of pressure.

Now that all of the stress of last week has passed, I am able to relax a little bit. I am caught up on sleep and have the ability to now enjoy my readings. I took my own advice and ate a popsicle every time I made a big accomplishment. I am proud to say that I have survived and have given my brain a huge kiss for helping me get through the past week.

Zephyr Straus is a freshman BIC student majoring in social work.

Be the Face of Change

QuickBIC Admin on October 6, 2015

The Apple Watch is Apple’s most personal product to date. It can track daily activity, pay for groceries, and essentially serve the purpose of an iPhone on your wrist – all of these features on top of telling you the time of day. Now imagine a watch that is as aesthetically pleasing as the Apple Watch, but serves a purpose beyond your wrist.

1Face is a for-purpose organization that has a cause beyond telling time. 1Face brings about global change by unifying those who are capable of providing help with the people that desperately need assistance.

1Face is a watch brand that started with the belief that one person can literally change the world. Through 1Face, one person has the power to feed a child, provide an education, and find a cure.

With every purchase of a watch, a charity cause is supported. 1Face supports nine causes: cancer, hunger, breast cancer, clean water, disaster relief, environment, AIDS, education, and animal rights. The for-purpose organization has partnered with different charities to bring global change.

Every time a watch is purchased, there is a specific cause listed below that explains exactly how much of an impact your purchase will make. For example, some watches are color specific. The purchase of a red 1Face watch provides AIDS treatment for four patients.

1Face globally impacts the United States’ animal rights, cancer, and breast cancer research, Haiti’s environment, Guatemala’s education system, Syria’s hunger problem, the Philippines’s Red Cross disaster relief, and Bihar, India’s water supply.

Through the simple purchase of a $40 watch, lives can be changed across the globe. One watch can provide educational opportunities for a child in need or help find an animal a loving home. The purchase of four watches can provide a lifetime supply of water for one person. The impact is available; it is our turn to take the initiative.

We might not all have the immediate opportunity to start a for-purpose organization from our dorm room or travel the world and work with missionary doctors, but we do have the opportunity to change a life with a single purchase. 1Face is just one of hundreds of for-purpose organizations that can help us become the platform for change.

Every student at Baylor and in the BIC is trying to build a résumé for future opportunities such as internships or volunteer opportunities. We constantly surround ourselves with the overwhelming qualifications that come with pursuing medical school or graduate school.

Every once in a while, it will benefit us more than we think to pause and look around us. We often stress ourselves out so much over our next chemistry exam or rhetoric speech that we forget about the children across the globe who do not have the same privileged opportunity to attain an education as we do.

Similarly, there are people with families who are battling cancer or AIDS. There are communities searching near and far for clean drinking water while we refill our reusable plastic bottles with water from drinking fountains at every corner.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with embracing our lives, but as students, we have the power to create a platform – a global one.

Just picture this – if every student in the freshman BIC class bought a 1Face watch, we could provide food for 1,900 people, help support 1,520 cancer patients, provide treatment for 760 AIDS patients, assist in educational opportunities for 190 children in need, supply a lifetime of clean water for 47 people, and the list goes on.

The social impact a student can make is never limited; the world is constantly changing and the need for change is not going anywhere.

For more information on 1Face, go to http://1face.com/

Kassie Hsu is a freshman BIC student majoring in neuroscience.

World Cultures: Enjoy Before its History

QuickBIC Admin on October 5, 2015

Tests have a way of taking a subject you love and turning it into something you simply tolerate.

Freshman and sophomore friends, you have just endured the first round of World Cultures tests, and maybe that has happened to you.

Has Achilles become nothing more than a man who interacted with too many people, whose names you had to remember? Did the Odyssey devolve from a man’s journey home into a dark metaphor for the difficulties you will face on your road to graduation?

I was once there – the night before the first World Cultures exam, watching the stories I had enjoyed reading in class turn into little facts that fit on a notecard. When my first World Cultures V exam comes along, the temptation to see the class as burdensome will rise once again.

This is a message for you and me: Do not miss the beauty of your World Cultures classes.

World Cultures is not just a history class. If any of you have been paying attention, that much should be easy to see. Now that those first exams have passed and you have a little free time, let us take a breath and break down why this particular BIC requirement is so great.

We cannot have this conversation without mentioning the professors. The World Cultures faculty have such excitement about what they do, and they spread that enthusiasm as they share about their areas of interest. If we were in a regular history class, we would have one professor. That one professor would cover a wide-range of moments in history, some they might love and others they might not. In World Cultures, the risk of having a less-than-enthusiastic professor is almost non-existent. The World Cultures large groups allow each faculty member to teach the topics that interest them. This means we get to see historical events through the eyes of people who already love them.

Do not underestimate the significance of this. Before World Cultures III, the French Revolution was practically nowhere on my radar. All it took was fifty minutes listening to Dr. Longfellow and the event came to life in a captivating way. World Cultures is a place where you will hear lectures that will stay with you.

Such moments occur in our small groups as well, however. Great things can transpire when we are given space to think about and discuss history and culture with engaged people. World Cultures small groups create those spaces. Yet we are just as responsible as our professors are in creating those amazing moments. To get the most out of our class, we must engage both the material and our classmates. When we do, we might be surprised by the insights and perspectives that bubble to the surface.

Our World Cultures classes are unique. We have excellent professors eager to share their interests to a roomful of students who have the potential to understand that knowledge in unique ways. You may have heard this message before. I am saying it again because it is true. We have the privilege of taking these classes; let us make the most of them.

Kara Blonquist is a senior BIC student majoring in linguistics.

ISIS and Sertorius

QuickBIC Admin on October 1, 2015

In the past year, ISIS has murdered thousands of people, destroyed ancient ruins, bombed mosques and churches alike, instituted organized and theologically-ordained sex slavery, and has absorbed an additional 30,000 volunteers from the international community. How is ISIS continuing to rally support despite the atrocities that they have committed? While ISIS is a carnage-fueled terrorism epidemic the likes of which history has never seen before, the world of the ancients can provide us with some insight.

An estimated 30,000 volunteers have entered Syria over the course of the past twelve months with intent to join the malice and destruction of ISIS, including 250 American, 500 French, and 750 British citizens. Unfortunately, this is double the number of recruits that ISIS managed to muster during the year before. The number of countries from which ISIS draws its recruits has also increased, from 80 countries last year to 100 as of 2015.

The international community is desperately trying to combat the influx of ISIS recruits, but with mixed success. For instance, France has passed a law which allows the government to detain anyone who is suspected of intent to join ISIS, and countries such as Germany, Tunisia, and Morocco have passed laws which criminalize the support of terrorist groups. Yet only 5 of the 21 countries deemed as “high priority” in terms of the apparent need to identify and detain ISIS recruits have the required technology and laws to do so.

According to a report by the House Homeland Security Committee, “Foreign partners are still sharing information about terrorist suspects in a manner which is ad hoc, intermittent, and often incomplete. There is currently no comprehensive global database of foreign fighter names. Instead, countries including the U.S. rely on a weak, patchwork system for swapping individual extremist identities.”

ISIS constitutes an obvious threat with a significantly less obvious solution. Can history help us out here? While fortunately there are not many terrorist threats in ancient history that compare to that of ISIS’ advance through Southwest Asia, we can still draw certain parallels.

In 87 B.C.E., following the Roman Social War in which Rome and its Italian allies fought for control of the Italian peninsula, Rome was divided by the Optimates, who sought to limit the power of the plebs (that’s you and me), and the Populares, who sought to increase the say of the plebs. When violence finally broke out between these two factions, one member of the Populares, Quintus Sertorius, then proconsul, took matters into his own hands.

After being driven from Spain into Africa by Optimatian forces, Sertorius mounted a campaign in the province of Mauretania (modern day Morocco), freeing the Mauri from the oppressive rule of the Optimates. With both his forces and morale boosted by the success of his African campaign, Sertorius returned to Hispania (modern day Spain) where the Lusitanian tribes who had suffered under Roman rule welcomed him with open arms. At this time, the Populares regime in Rome had fallen, making Sertorius an enemy of the state.

Sertorius assumed supreme command over the Lusitani, however, and mounted a massive campaign against his fatherland, Rome. His forces were bolstered by the Lusitani, Roman deserters, freed and escaped slaves, pirates, and other tribes of Hispania who had suffered under Roman rule.

Sertorius instituted Roman education for everyone in his armies, promised plunder and victory, and preached religious tolerance among his diverse subjects.

You might be wondering, “Gee, this Sertorius guy who wanted to expand my rights sounds super cool, but he hasn’t bombed a mosque or instituted organized sexual slavery. Where’s the connection?”

Sertorius and ISIS make many of the same promises. This Roman general recruited everyone who had an issue with Rome with the promise of plunder, acceptance, and honor – even though it was particularly anti-Roman to bring violence against Rome. There is no hypocrisy so poignant that it cannot be obscured with money. In the same way, ISIS is promising the begrudged youth of Southwest Asia and the entire international community money, fame, and women – all under the guise of an honorable cause. While Sertorius actually utilized his cause to unite the oppressed, however, ISIS uses its cause to further oppress. Who, when properly uninformed, can resist such a call – especially when the cause seems so successful?

Fortunately, ISIS, much like Sertorius, will be stopped as long as there are people who stand up against injustice. As Americans and citizens of the world, I hope we stand together.

Lee Shaw is a current BIC sophomore majoring in professional writing and the current editor of the QuickBIC.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? All are welcome! Email me at Lee_Shaw@baylor.edu

Further reading on the Quintus Sertorius:

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Sertorius*.html

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/romanss/a/030211-Bingley-Quintus-Sertorius.htm

Cultures Collide at Akimatsuri by Clarissa Anderson

QuickBIC Admin on September 30, 2015

Young girls dressed in vivid purple, pink, and yellow yukatas walked beside their parents while visiting stalls filled with games and traditional food. In between performances, “Bohemian Rhapsody” and U2 played over the loud speaker. A children’s choir exuberantly sang Annie’s “Tomorrow” in between Japanese songs.

This vibrant scene embraced me when I visited Akimatsuri, a Japanese festival, in Dallas this past weekend. When I first entered the festival, I was greeted with a cheerful “Ohayō gozaimasu” (good morning)! From that point, I was struck by the interplay between different cultures. Over the loudspeaker, announcements were made in Japanese and English. In a stall containing various anime figurines, posters, and other toys, I overheard a little boy enthusiastically exclaiming to his mother, “¡Ay, está Naruto!”

Performances included Baylor’s Japanese Student Association (JSA), Kendo, Judo, and a handful of other dances. In one performance, two women, masquerading as a couple taking a stroll, danced to crooning, peaceful traditional music. Rather than quick, complicated movements typical of Western dance, the dancers’ movements were slow, brought more focus to the hands, and were full of symbolism. Later, Baylor JSA danced to a traditional song called “Sōran Bushi,” which originated in Hokkaidō, Japan, and depicts the daily lives of fishermen with movements representing ocean waves, pulling fishing lines, and tossing barrels.

Various types of Japanese food were being sold. Okonomiyaki, a Japanese pancake, was eaten with chopsticks and explained to me as savory rather than sweet (if you have had HRC Toasties before, you can fully appreciate the difference between these two words). Yakult, a dairy product that is like drinking yogurt, were being handed out for free.

There were various games available, some of which involved makeshift yoyos and fish as prizes. The former game involved trying to pull a balloon yoyo out of a pool of water with a small hook attached to a piece of paper. The balloon was decorated and filled with a small amount of water with a rubber band tied to it, allowing an elastic yoyo-like motion. The latter game involved trying to catch fish. At one point, I passed by some children who had unfortunately tipped over one of their cups containing their prize fish, frantically trying to retrieve the flopping three centimeter long fish.

One of the final performances, Music Together Dallas, which has classes for children, had an interactive performance, asking the children to follow instructions such as wave your arms, jump up and down, and turn around. One of the women told the children that she did not know what else for them to do and asking one toddler, held the microphone for him to speak. He thought hard for a moment, then answered, “um… wiggle?” And thus all the children had to dance and wiggle. It was absolutely adorable.

For those of you who would like to learn more about Japanese culture, I suggest next year attending Akimatsuri. It was an amazing experience to see many traditional performances and watch the interplay of different cultures. As a BIC student, I am sure you are aware that learning about other cultures needs to be an active, interactive process, and I advise that you search out numerous opportunities to extend your experience of other cultures beyond the classroom and mandatory extended learning activities. By pursuing a cultured life, you become more knowledgeable of your identity and position in the vast world we live in.

Clarissa Anderson is a sophomore BIC student majoring in journalism.

We are Not Just Students

QuickBIC Admin on September 29, 2015

Miss America – the annual pageant that showcases the talents and beauty of women from across the country. Every contestant struts across the stage and shows off their qualities in the hopes of being crowned Miss America. The only difference between contestant Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson, and the rest of the competition, however, is how she represented her beauty.

22-year-old Kelley Johnson decided to step out of the norm of pageantry talents at the Miss America 2016 Pageant on September 13, 2015. Instead of twirling a baton on fire or singing a love ballad, Johnson delivered a monologue.

Johnson delivered a compelling, 90-second piece that told the story of a patient suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s, Joe. In the monologue, Johnson discussed her relationship with Joe: late nights and long talks about miscellaneous things of life, and Joe’s many requests that she could not fulfill because she was “just a nurse.”

One night, Johnson found Joe crying and cradling his head in his hands. She went up to Joe and told him, “Joe, I know that this is really hard, but you are not defined by this disease. You are not just Alzheimer’s. You are still Joe.”

Johnson recalled how Joe looked at her in the eyes and said, “Nurse Kelley, then the same goes for you. Although you say it all the time, you are not just a nurse. You are my nurse, and you have changed my life because you have cared about me.”

That was the moment the Miss America contestant realized that she was not “just a nurse”. She is a lifesaver.

“Patients are real people with family and friends. You are not just a room number and a diagnosis when you are in the hospital, you are a person, very first.”

How does any of this relate to Baylor, and more specifically BIC, students? Allow me to make the parallel.

Johnson defied the norm of pageantry and made her voice prevalent among the 50 other contestants. She was not “just” a Miss America contestant. She was a lifesaver.

Similarly, in college, we are challenged to think outside of the box and “find ourselves” amongst the 13,000 plus students here at Baylor. We are asked to determine our futures and declare a major. We believe our GPAs and honors programs define us. We are all looking for a future.

With thousands of students passing us by everyday, everyone seems to be on the same journey to find the future. There are advisors guiding us in one direction. There are parents who push us onto the pre-law tract and do not support a degree in philosophy because it is not “practical”. Everyone seems to have a plan for us and our future when at the end of the day, we just want our voices to be heard.

It is easy for a college student to get lost in the void, but we must remember that we are not just students. We are leaders, athletes, advocates, and the list goes on. Most importantly, we are people, very first. The future is ours to pursue and we all have a voice, it just needs to be heard.

Additionally, just as Joe is not defined by his condition, our valleys do not define us. We may receive less than satisfactory exam grades or a few bad quizzes, but those do not define us as students. We are still people. Although our GPAs seem like the entire world right now, in actuality we are so much more.

Although I am a freshman, I have already questioned my capabilities as a student. I then remember that I am not just a student, but a person. Just like Joe, I have my own Nurse Kelley – that is my BIC community. My professors and peers care about me, and that has transformed my experiences here at Baylor.

While college has its challenges, we are never defined by anything but ourselves. Every student has an individual story and an even more unique calling. Just as Kelley Johnson found her calling as a nurse, we will find ours.

For more information on Miss Colorado’s monologue, go to:

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/09/watch_miss_colorado_delivers_monologue_at_miss_ame.html

Kassie Hsu is a freshman BIC student majoring in neuroscience.

Our Beloved BIC Professors

QuickBIC Admin on September 28, 2015

All departments have professors, but there are professors and then there are professors. The BIC is chock full of professors.

Why the odd emphasis? Even our newest BICers should understand the meaning within those italics.

These people who have given of themselves to help us learn are truly unique. They all have found some area of academia that intrigues them and manage to explain it in a way that intrigues students, too.

Case in point: I am in my third year of taking Chinese. Random, right? Why study a language whose native-speaking population is so very far from Texas? Answer: A BIC professor.

My major, linguistics, requires me to study both a western and a ‘non-western’ language (think Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, etc.). At the end of my freshman year, I was searching for which non-western language to study. In the midst of my searching, I attended a few World Cultures II large group lectures about the history of ancient China by Dr. Wang. The way he spoke about and described the culture of the people who spoke Chinese communicated his enthusiasm, and I was excited, too. I was intrigued enough to try to understand their language. Three years later, and I’m still chasing that goal.

The interest our BIC professors take in their students is another area in which they exceed expectations. Many professors have said at the end of a semester, ‘Come back and visit us,’ and they actually mean it. As a senior, I get to attend the class of only one BIC professor. When I drop in on or run into my past BIC professors, it is always so fun because they truly care. I have taken my fair share of classes, but only in the BIC have I been invited to a professor’s breakfast table for tea or into his living room for a shared meal, a human pyramid (thank you, Dr. Long) , and a movie.

Our professors are not just invested in us as individuals, but in the entire BIC as well. They give their time to our community. Our professors attend BIC Cafes, opening themselves up to the myriad of questions we have about their lives and professions. We also get to see them, and compete with them, in our beloved BIC Bowl in the spring, a tournament-style trivia contest in which our professors make up one team.

Why am I telling you what you already know? Because soon seeing BIC professors will not be a part of your schedule. In a few years, when you find your BIC classes winding down, you will have to go out of your way to see them. So take advantage of what you have now. Connect with your professors in class and use their offices hours. As BICers, we have the privilege of learning from some of the most engaging and invested professors on campus. Let’s take advantage of this gift.

{One article is nowhere near enough space to give our professors the recognition they deserve. I can think of many more professors who deserve shout outs. Who comes to your mind, and why do you love them? Share in the comments below.}

Kara Blomquist is a senior BIC student majoring in linguistics.

Female Spartans and Female Marines

QuickBIC Admin on September 24, 2015

Photo courtesy of the New York Daily Sun

Feminism is a stigmatized term that pops up in the BIC and in life every so often, and as I will be utilizing this term throughout this article, I would like to set the record straight. The sophomores received a great lecture last week concerning the rise of feminism during the Enlightenment, but the definition of the actual term “feminism” was overlooked.

Feminism is the belief that men and women are equal and, furthermore, that this equality should be represented on a global level through legislation, salaries, and general societal interaction. I believe that if both my mother and father were to work at 7/11 as cashiers, then they should be paid the same salary (though hopefully they would rake in some sufficient bonuses so I could go to Baylor). I am male. I am a feminist. If you agree with the above statement, then you are too.

The issue of feminism has flared up recently in regard to the Marine Corps’ intention to persistently fight against the Obama administration’s order that women be effectively integrated into all combat positions by 2016 (unless the military asks for certain exemptions for specific taskforces). While the Marines submitted the results of a 36 million dollar, nine month study which concluded that inter-gendered combat groups do not perform as well as their all-male counterparts, the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, dismissed the results and the study as a whole on account of gender-based bias.

According to Mr. Mabus, “My belief is you set gender-neutral standards related to the job Marines have to do, and you adhere to them. It doesn’t matter whether the Marines who meet those standards are male or female.”

The common argument against integration of women into Marine combat units relies on the belief that the presence of women in combat will undermine the general morale, fellowship, and overall killing power of the unit in question.

Mabus argues, however, “That is almost exactly the same argument made against ending racial segregation in the military, and the ban on gays – that it will ruin morale. And it just isn’t true. We’ve seen that.”

Since 2013, over 11,000 combat positions in the Marines which were previously closed to women have been opened, while 22,000 remained closed.

This issue has yet to be resolved, but can history offer us any answers in the meantime? Fortunately for Mabus, there are dozens upon dozens of historic examples of women in ancient warfare. But for the sake of time and word count, I will only mention a few.

Surprisingly, the ancient Spartans, though not exactly known for their “open-mindedness,” are cited by noted historians on multiple occasions in their employment of female soldiers. For instance, when Pyrrhus of Epirus (whose infamous military exploits resulted in the term “Pyrrhic Victory”) besieged Sparta itself, a Spartan princess named Chelidonis rallied a group of female warriors who aided in the defense of Sparta’s walls. Plutarch writes that the walls likely would have fallen without Chelidonis’ support; she who wore a noose around her neck while she fought – representing her intent to never be captured.

There are ancient cultures who went beyond individual units of female warriors, however, such as the Lusitani, an ancient Iberian tribe based out of the southwestern portion of modern Spain who tangled with the two largest empires of the time, Rome and Carthage.

According to the Roman general Sextus Junius Brutus, the female warriors within the completely gender-integrated forces of the Lusitani were, “Fighting and perishing in company with the men with such bravery that they uttered no cry even in the midst of slaughter – bearing arms with the men, never turning, never showing their backs, or uttering a cry.”

If a person, male or female, wants to defend his or her country, he or she should be allowed to do so. As long as that person meets the standards as set by the military, he or she should be allowed to become a patriot. I mean if the Spartans didn’t think it was too racy for women to fight alongside men, is it really too outrageous for modern America?

Further reading on the ancient warrior women:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0230&redirect=true

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Lives/Pyrrhus*.html

http://www.websfor.org/alexander/polyaenus/polyaenus5.asp

http://www.attalus.org/translate/polyaenus8B.html#27.1

Further reading on marines fighting gender integration:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/us/gender-integration-of-marines-brings-out-unusually-public-discord.html?ref=us&_r=0

Lee Shaw is a sophomore BIC student majoring in professional writing and the current editor of the QuickBIC.

Craving a Home

QuickBIC Admin on September 23, 2015September 24, 2015

Family Weekend is finally upon us and many people’s families are teeming around campus, making traffic awful and the dining hall food terrific. I received an email a couple days ago that said, “I’m worried that when my parents leave, I’m going to get homesick again. I just finished getting over it from move-in day, so what do I do?”

I feel that you are vocalizing what everyone is worried about. I know for me, I felt as if family weekend was a little early. I knew that it was going to be hard to leave my mom and dad at the end of the weekend.

On that note, your parents are always there for you and at least a phone call away. If you have an iPhone, you could Face Time with them or if you don’t, there is always Skype. I have found that it helps to talk to them on the phone and be able to see their faces at the same time. Whenever I Face Time with my parents, I always ask to see my dog. Though I miss my parents immensely, my dog, Jax, is a very important part of my life. Also, my older brother is in college in Vermont, so he is further away from my parents than I am. Even though he and I used to not get along, I still miss him. Ever since he went away to college, he and I have gotten closer and now he calls me at least once a week to catch up on what my life is like. Though the Face Time and Skype calls don’t compare to being able to talk to my family in person, it is a decent substitute.

If you are a creative and visual person like I am, pictures help a ton. My grandma and I used to scrapbook together, so I have found that hanging up pictures of my friends and family help whenever I need a quick fix and they aren’t available to talk at that moment. Also, scrapbooking can be a nice break from homework and gives your brain a chance to process the information you are studying. So in a way, there are two benefits in one!

If this still does not help, going to the counseling center in the Student Life Center (the SLC) will give you some amazing resources on how to get over this slump. The counselors there are able to help students with stress and other similar problems. Also, talk with your roommates because chances are, they are feeling a similar way to you and you guys can help each other out. You can call them at (254)-710-2467. They also allow walk-ins and will be able to help you very quickly after filling a basic information sheet. Also, no insurance or insurance card is needed.

I know that there is some bad PR behind seeing a counselor, but many more people seek help than you realize. There is nothing wrong with seeing a counselor. It is their job to help you and be able to provide some solutions that are specific to your situation.

Another solution could be going home on the weekends if you don’t live too far away. I know this won’t be possible for some people, but there are three-day weekends in which you can travel to see your family.

While the first semester of college life at Baylor is going to be difficult, there are so many people and resources out in the community that are willing to help in any way they can. Have a great week!

Zephyr Straus is a freshman BIC student majoring in social work.