MC Baseball Team's Season Opens in South Carolina

The Manchester College baseball team’s season started this week.

Although in recent years the team has gone to Florida for the start of the season, this year will be different. The team will be traveling to Myrtle Beach, SC. They left on Thursday, Feb. 28 and will be gone through Sunday, March 2. Their opening game was Thursday against Concordia College (MI).

Several of last year’s varsity players graduated in the spring of 2007: Scott Tarnowski, Matt Talarico, Tyler Wolfe, Marcus Miller, Jordan Adams, Jason Carmichael, and Zac Bireley. As a result, this year’s lineup will include several first-year students: Wes Bucher, David Tatham, John Smolinski, Trey Forbes, Jay Sheets, Eric Roof, Curtis Mallory, JT Podell, and Andy Hughes will all be joining the team on its trip to South Carolina.

This year’s players expressed excitement about the upcoming trip, particularly because it offers a chance for them to spend time together as a team. “I’m excited to go and get to know the first-year players a little better, and to spend time with the team,” said junior Shawn Baker. “We always have a good time on road trips because we are so close.”

It is also particularly exciting for many of the players precisely because it is the start of a new season. “I’m excited about starting the season!” said junior Jared Baker. “There’s nothing like opening day. It’s a new year; everyone has a chance to go all the way.”

One anticipated benefit from the trip is the chance to leave the grey, cold and fickle Indiana weather. “I am the most excited about leaving the snow behind,” said senior Shaun Carrico, “and
replacing it with some decent 60 degree weather.”

But that coin has two sides; the dismal Indiana weather has meant that their practices have, so far, all been indoors. “The thing I’m the most nervous about is going from practicing inside to playing games right away without having a single practice on the field,” said sophomore Kaz Kalita. “Everything is different outside: throwing, fielding groundballs for infielders, reading the ball off the bat for outfielders, and even hitting.”

“But I’m confident that my teammates and I can adjust quickly down there in Myrtle Beach,” Kalita concluded.

Sophomore Adam King is not only excited about the prospect of playing baseball and seeing the east coast; this trip is giving him a chance to meet members of his family for the first time. “I have family in Myrtle Beach who I’ve actually never met,” he said. “They’re coming to watch me play.”

Like many of his teammates, King started playing baseball when he was four or five years old. “It’s a great game, the best in my opinion,” he said.

Nevertheless, he hasn’t lost his perspective. “It took an ESPN: The Magazine article about Morgan Ensberg, a major league ballplayer, to make me realize how minor baseball was compared to some other things in my life. Striking out or making an error doesn't mean the end of the world,” King said.

This perspective helps him sustain his joy for the game, which he said has “always been a means of pure enjoyment.”

The time on the road is a great way to start the season, according to junior Jeffrey Mendenhall. “We’re going to have a few days of thinking about nothing except for baseball,” Mendenhall said. “I believe that it will help to set a tone for the rest of the season.”

(This article appeared in the February 29 edition of The Oak Leaves)

Destruction of Snow Phallus Bemoaned by Its Creators and Their Fellow Students

There was a new arrival to the MC campus during the evening following the Super Bowl. Although the visitor seemed cold and hard, there was an air of artistry and dedication surrounding the area. By the morning, there was no remaining trace of the visitor ever having come at all. What was this mysterious stranger? It was a giant snow penis, constructed by Manchester College art students.

Very few members of the MC community got a chance to see the snow construction, however, because it was destroyed by campus security and maintenance before the start of Monday’s classes. It had existed for less than seven hours before it was removed.

The demolition of the snow phallus has since been protested by the students who created it, as well as by their fellow students who wanted to see the campus’s infamous penis.

Sophomore Chris Webster conceived of the idea for the construction of the snow phallus. “No one that I called wanted to just go outside and play in the snow, but when I changed my request and asked if they wanted to help me build a big, giant, throbbing [penis] on the mall, they were all for it,” Webster said. “It started out as play, and ended up as art.”

Martin Yohn, a first-year student, was one of the friends that received a call to come help. “I immediately put on everything warm that I owned and met Chris, followed closely by Brian [Kunze] and Joe [Dwars],” Yohn said. “It must have been amusing for any passersby to see four figures, spaced evenly on the sidewalk around the mall, each with a 40 pound ball of snow being pushed and forced along the path in front of them.”

Dwars’ sense of humor and desire for novelty contributed to his participation in the construction of the penis. “I decided to join in because I thought it was hilarious to do a snow penis when everyone else was just making snowmen, and I wanted to make something everyone would be talking about, kind of like immortalizing us and the penis.”

Construction of a snow phallus of such a magnitude required some creative problem-solving in order to achieve the right shape and level of realism that was envisioned by its creators. “You would be surprised at the amount of consideration that is involved in sculpting a hard-on out of snow,” Yohn said. “We had to ask ourselves questions like, how big should we make it? How long? Should it be vertically or horizontally erect? Should we even tackle the issue of hair?”

“The shaft was multi-balled, and then unified—we put three or four balls in a line and then filled in the spaces,” Webster said. “Marty and I demanded that it be huge; we didn’t want just a tiny [penis] for the corner.”

“Once we had it together, it was all about rubbing the [penis] thoroughly to make sure it had the right shape—you know, good and strong,” Webster continued. “Then, from there we added on veins, to make it throbbing.”

All of the people who were up and around on campus late enough to witness the creation of the phallus were amused, supportive and impressed. “Everybody who saw the penis loved it and loved the idea,” Dwars said. “We even had a bunch of people stand and watch and even pack some snow on.”

Kunze and Webster agreed that their fellow students seemed more enthusiastic than offended. “While we were making the penis, a group came to the mall, and we all threw some snowballs back and forth,” Kunze said. “After a while, they went off to make a wall across the road in front of the Union. Everyone who walked by or stopped to watch was amazed by the snow penis.”

“The people who witnessed the assembly of the [penis] were all pretty supportive,” Webster said. “Some people rode it, but that was before it had the veins on it yet. Others asked us why we were making a giant penis on the mall in the first place. Still others joined in and helped with the construction. Some other people were talking about making a giant vagina, too, but then they realized it would be too difficult.”

Although students’ opinions regarding the snow penis were varied, there seems to be a consensus among many students that it was not necessary to destroy the snow art. “I can see how the penis could seem offensive, but college is a time for people to be more explorative and open-minded,” said sophomore Maggie Winey. “I’m a little pissed off that I didn’t get a chance to see it in person.”

First-year student Zachary VanWinkle sees the destruction of the phallus as an indication of the power dynamic between students and the administration. “I think that the way the college reacted to the snow penis reveals that anything that is deemed inappropriate is subject to censure by the college’s administration and staff,” VanWinkle said. “Although this may be their right, we live here, and we should have the right to freedom of expression.”

Junior Natasha Miller was one of the most outspoken students in favor of the existence of snow phalluses on campus. “I have no problem with penises,” Miller said. “In fact, I am very fond of them. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of them (like this snow penis) around campus.”

Likewise, first-year student Epigmenio Sanchez regrets that the penis was destroyed so promptly. “A big snow penis on campus is actually pretty funny,” Sanchez said. “It would have been nice to be able to see it myself, and maybe even get a few photos of myself with the penis.”

The creators of the snow penis were saddened by the removal of their creation. “When it was tore down we were all upset, because we really didn’t feel like anyone had the right to demolish our snow penis,” Dwars said. “After all, there’s a bunch of art that has penises and other genitals in it. We were also pretty pissed that not a whole lot of people got to see the penis, because what we wanted to do was make the campus laugh.”

Chris Webster agreed. “I felt a great disappointment towards this college when our penis was destroyed,” Webster said. “It was art, and I had hoped it would be respected, but it wasn’t. It was throbbing—I mean, c’mon, you have to at least respect that.”

Webster also had advice to offer to other potential snow artists. “If I was to give any advice to future snow masons, it would be this: wear gloves. Good ones.”

(An edited version of this article appeared in the February 22 edition of The Oak Leaves)

Scout Fuller Fund for Social Justice to Provide an MC Student with Opportunity for Service-Oriented Internship

On March 1st, applications for the 2008 Scout Fuller Fund for Social Justice Summer Service Award are due; all Manchester College students who will still be enrolled for the 2008-2009 academic year are eligible to apply.

The recipient of the award will receive up to $2000 of expenses directly related to a service-oriented internship, as well as up to an additional $3000 cash award to help cover expenses during the 2008-2009 school year.

This fund is in memory of Josephine “Scout” Wollman Fuller, the daughter of Abby Fuller (associate professor of sociology) and Neil Wollman (former professor of psychology), who died following a seven-month-long battle with cancer on July 7, 2007 at the age of eight.

“The idea for the fund originated very soon after Scout’s death out of a desire to perpetuate her legacy of concern for others and strong sense of justice,” said Abby Fuller. “We have all found it very meaningful to create and run the fund; it has given us something positive to do in the midst of our grief.”

In a tribute written for Scout’s Caring Bridge website, Abby said that “Scout was scrupulously honest, and could be indignant when others were not. She had a strong sense of fairness and was troubled when people were not treated equally…. She had philosophical discussions with her dad about evolution, about the spiritual world, about the importance of helping others…. It is Scout’s sensitivity to others, though, that was perhaps her defining quality.”

“We decided to give an award to an MC student for a summer internship or volunteer experience because as an MC prof, I know that there are many capable and motivated students who must work during the summer,” continued Fuller. “So, we decided to not only pay for the internship/volunteer experience but also to award extra money for the student to use the following year.”

“Scout inspired me,” said Neil Wollman. “We learned from each other, and she’s continued to inspire me in a lot of ways even after her death. For instance, I’ve been thinking more about how I interact with others, becoming calmer in certain ways, so there’s definitely been a personal involvement…. But there’s also been an effect in my work with social concern projects. Wherever I can, I try to think about Scout and how I can remember her and honor her in certain ways. This fund, likewise, is a way of remembering her and honoring her.”

“I feel that there are still a number of ways where it seems as though Scout is still around, helping other people,” Wollman continued. “It seems impossible to completely accept her death, but it is made easier to accept because of this sense that she still has a presence that reveals itself in ways that are helpful to people, and creative, and to a fair amount that means that she is showing her power continually and carrying on some of her character.”

A touching account of Scout’s story, told by members of her family, can be read at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/scout.

Information on the Scout Fuller Award for Social Justice, including a link to the application, can be found at http://www.scoutfullerfund.org/pages/apply-for-the-2008-summer-service-award.php.

(This article appeared in the February 15 edition of The Oak Leaves)

Growing Divide between Liberal and Conservative Students Results in Conflict, Conversation

On January 28, a message titled “Some Nice Conservative Opinions about Manchester” was circulated on Facebook. This message, written by a self-avowed “Conservative [sic] Republican,” damned Manchester as a “Hippie Palace… controlled by gay liberal vegans,” and declared that “the bottom line is basically that people need to grow the [expletive] up.”

Although the majority of Facebook notes stand on their own, without response, this particular message yielded almost a dozen replies within the first 18 hours. Remarkably, many of these responses were from liberal students who felt empathy over the writer’s sense of alienation, and included many offers for further conversation.

These messages indicate that dissent within the student body regarding politics and lifestyle is more prevalent than is apparent from the average classroom discussion. Because these matters are primarily discussed in informal settings and online forums, it is likely that much of the faculty and staff are unaware of the disputes at all. However, there is clearly both a need and a desire for a forum for discussion between liberal and conservative MC students.

The original message stated that the writer’s experience at MC has led her to feel that “if your [sic] not a liberal then the gays basically assign you as to what you are supposed to believe and think and if you don’t do as they say they degrade [you] as a human…. They order you to recycle and never eat meat and to stop buying name brand clothes,” she wrote. “I can understand the hate of soldiers and the abuse of children from parents, but for one Caucasian HUMAN to treat another Caucasian HUMAN so badly for how they dress and for what they eat? That’s terrible.”

She also expressed confusion regarding the presence of Christian homosexual students; “Last time I checked Christianity protested against homosexuality.”

One of the first replies, written by sophomore Zach Blatz, warned future readers to avoid automatically responding in a judgmental and hostile manner. “[The writer] is obviously saying this because something happened,” he said. “Why are we, as accepting ‘liberals,’ going around attacking people for not being just like us?”

First year student Zachary VanWinkle was easily able to see the parallel between the writer’s sense of alienation in a liberal environment and his own experience of alienation as a homosexual in a conservative environment. “There are some very misinformed and troubling arguments in this piece,” he said. “But if I reverse the role, I can try to understand. Kendallville is not a liberal heaven, and especially not a place to be gay or vegetarian.”

“I am not sure where [the writer] came from, but know this-- I never felt safe or at home in Kendallville,” VanWinkle said. “I am safe and can be who I want to be here. I can be gay, liberal, and a ‘label whore’… But you should speak out. Voice your opinions, or else how will you and I communicate and find common ground?”

Senior Anna Simons, referring to another poster’s comment, wrote “Thanks for the reminder that ‘mean people are suffering.’… I think it’s probably [one of] the easiest truths to forget. I think we forget it because we get angry, too, because we suffer also and then we get mean sometimes.”

“I can understand this person’s feeling that she is surrounded by differing assumptions and wanting to rail against those,” Simons continued. “I often feel that way too, and sometimes
feel like the only response I can make is to take just as strong a position on the other side and act like just as big an asshole. One of the scariest and most important things we can do as members of a human community is to learn to really listen to each other.”

John Fagan, a sophomore religion major, spoke out on behalf of moderate and conservative students here at MC. “I will be honest about the letter written by the first year student; I don't disagree on every point made,” Fagan said. “Yes, I think that her letter was racist and narrow minded and all around poorly thought out, but a valid point was made [regarding] the overwhelming unbalance in the liberal to conservative population of the student body.”

“In my experience here, I have found that it is to be expected that if one is to express a conservative view point in a group setting, one should be prepared to be attacked much more aggressively than [if a liberal student were to express] his/her point,” Fagan continued. “Furthermore, in my opinion, I feel a forum of discussion between the two sides would be excellent. I would have much to say, given that the discussion was properly mediated.”

“I have learned so much already about people and how different they can be,” said sophomore Erica Nisley, a self-professed conservative Mennonite. “In no way, however, have I ever felt that a certain group of people has overbearing control of the environment here.… As for the groups on campus who support clothing not manufactured in sweatshops, recycling, and encourage us not to waste as much food, they're just being proactive with their values. It may not be your style, but its their's. They're doing something to better the lives of others in a way they see fit.”

“As far as Christianity goes, the Bible contains passages that don't condone homosexuality, but then there are also the passages that speak about the love of your fellow human beings,” Nisley said. “Which matters more, your orientation or your common humanity? No matter where you go to school, no matter where you live, you'll come into contact with people whose views are so much different than yours. You're going to have to learn to live with them.”

First-year student Matthew Bennett said “I am a conservative Christian…. However, I have adapted to the culture of the school, and am not angered by it…. While I believe homosexuality is immoral, I do not believe hatred and violence against those who choose that lifestyle is warranted.”

“The note spoke of the way the author felt that certain groups were seeking to force her to adapt to their points of view. I have not felt that I have been pressured to accept their agenda or to conform to their beliefs,” said Bennett. “While the sort of tolerance I possess may not be what some want it to be, I am tolerant on several levels…. Not all conservatives are full of hate, just as not all liberals are full of hate towards others. Hopefully more of us will realize that, and we can all go through our days without hard feelings towards one another.”

Kendal Sue Kosta Mikel, an MC alum from the class of 2007, observed that prejudice tends to produce conflict rather than knowledge. “I feel sorry for this person, who seems to be completely misinformed,” Mikel wrote. “It’s sad if she was mistreated by someone in a certain social group, however, she should probably understand that generalizing people is not going to solve her problems. She does not want people unlike her to say that because she is a conservative
she fits into a specific ‘box,’ so why does she believe this about others?”

Mikel concluded by observing that some of the important things that students are able to learn during their time at MC include a deepening understanding of “who [we are], what [we] really believe and, most importantly, why [we] believe those things.”

Great Jukai: Ceremony of Love, Family, and Dedication

Earlier this evening, I was in a Hell Realm with my good friend Frank Villone. Red faced demons, black faced demons, and blue faced demons peered out at me through the tight, smoky passageway. Haunting music was playing relentlessly. I turned a corner, and was confronted with images of starving, tortured, mutilated, and dying beings. Breath came short and skin crawled. I wanted out of there.
Together we traveled through the walkway of the Zen Center in Rochester, New York, which was set up to vividly represent the six realms of unenlightened existence. Each realm revealed to our senses the defilements, suffering, and impermanent nature of the world in which we live.

This is Great Jukai, the most sacred of Buddhist ceremonies that a lay practitioner will ever participate in, it only happens every three years, and the hell realm is just the beginning. I have been a member of the Rochester Zen Center for almost six years, and so this is only my second time participating in a Great Jukai ceremony.

“In Buddhism, traditionally we talk about different realms, or levels, of unenlightened existence,” explained Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede, the abbot of the Zen Center. “You could say that before reaching Buddhahood, or enlightenment, we must all ascend through these six realms. We use our covered walkway to lay out images and music representing these six realms, so that en route to the Buddha Hall for the Great Jukai ceremony we have to go through these—it represents our spiritual evolution through these different realms.”

The gentle touch of Frank’s hand on my shoulder gave me the strength to continue on into the next realm. In our hands we clutched the klesa papers that had been given to us as we entered the tunnel; on these papers were the symbols for greed, anger, and delusion, the three poisons that estrange us from our intrinsically pure nature.

Unfortunately, the suffering in the next realm, that of hungry ghosts and thirsty spirits, was not less than that of the hell realm, just different. Gloved hands reached out of the walls, grabbing for my legs; starved beings seemed to moan from every direction; the blank and empty gaze of addicts penetrated into my awareness.


But the animal realm that came next felt desperate and frightening. Bullet shells were scattered everywhere, traps lay hidden, and the elusiveness of food and nourishment seemed tangible.

“How are you doing, Laura?” Frank asked. “Are you ready to move on?”

I inhaled, looked around, hearing the sounds of gunshots and screeching, and nodded. I knew what came next; this was no time to be timid.



For next came the realm of asuras, the fighting titans who represent the competitive, destructive, and warlike impulses within us. Images of warfare, wealth, consumption, and hatred reflected into me, and I felt the sadness and separation that lay beneath my desires for success and security.


The human realm included pictures of elderly, sick, and dying people interspersed with pictures of people embracing and images of tenderness and connection between children and their elders. A sign hung from the rafters of the walkway that read “The human realm provides the most advantageous foundation to attain Buddhahood. But: 1. Rare is birth as a human being, 2. Scarce is the probability of hearing the Dharma, and 3. Serious is the delusion of our mind,” a succinct reminder of the deeply precious nature of life and the human bodymind.

“There are different ways of looking at all of these realms, and different ways of articulating the essence of it,” said Roshi. “One way of looking at the human realm is that it is a realm of dualism, dilemma, and choice. Animals, people in hellish realms, people in states of addiction and craving—they don’t have the same element of choice…. The human realm is where we can exercise our wisdom in making choices that do not cause unnecessary suffering.”

“The Buddha said that another way of looking at the human predicament,” continued Roshi, “is that of being caught between desires and aversions, our likes and our dislikes… There is a great German saying that ‘whoever has choice has pain.’”


From the human realm, we moved into the sixth realm of unenlightened existence, the heavenly realm, the realm of devas. It often seems curious to people who grew up in an Abrahamic religion that heavenly realms are considered deeply dangerous for those with spiritual aspirations, for the overwhelming comfort can lead to complacency in the face of the suffering of others.

“The deva realm means any existence of comfort or privilege or pleasure, such as being wealthy, beautiful or admired-- when everything is going so well, when there is so much comfort and adoration, it can be more difficult to see into the impermanent nature of things,” said Roshi.



“So, great, you reach a deva realm, you become a wealthy financier of some sort who has houses in the Hamptons and Miami and so forth, and there is then little incentive usually to practice [meditation]. I haven’t heard of people in these kind of deva realms who practice with the rigor of the dharma. It’s true that when you’re in pain, when you’re in a hellish realm, there is more dukkha, more dissatisfaction, more motivation to try to get out of that, to transcend that, but when you’re adrift in pleasure, well, eventually, that becomes hell too.”

After moving through the misty rose light, clouds, and beautiful beings floating in the deva realm, we exited the covered walkway. We stood outside the Buddha Hall under the echoing crisp winter sky. A stone Buddha just sat in the garden, steady and patient and still.

As we entered the Buddha Hall, we removed our shoes and hung our jackets up in the coat room. The air was fresh with light, woody incense, and the deep pounding of the mokugyo-- the large, round wooden percussion instrument that sets the rhythm of our chanting-- was clearly audible, even though it was being played on the upper level of the building. The Ten Verse Kannon Sutra, a chant dedicated to the bodhisattva of compassion, was being chanted by the ninety-some people slowly making their way up the stairs.

Kanzeon, praise to Buddha, All are one with Buddha, all awake to Buddha, the voices of all people joined into one voice, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, Eternal, joyous, selfless, pure, and it was so easy to feel that way as the chant continued and I slowly, one step at a time, waiting, chanting, being, listening, This moment arises from mind, this moment itself is mind.


After we reached the top of the staircase, Frank and I walked down the aisle towards the altar, embraced by the chants of those who had already taken their seats. We deposited our klesa papers in a bowl at the altar, did a prostration before the Buddha statue, and walked around the circumference of the room before taking our seats on two cushions towards the back of the room.

Jukai is formed from two Japanese words, ju (which means both to give and to receive) and kai (which means precepts).

“The precepts are the morality leg of the tripod of what we call the three essentials of the practice of Buddhism-- the precepts (or morality), meditation (what we call zazen), and wisdom (or prajna),” continued Roshi. “I see upholding the precepts as a way to stop hurting other people and oneself.”

“This goes more to the core of it than looking at morality in terms of right and wrong. Right and wrong I see as just an overlay, a western religious overlay. You don’t need to frame things in terms of right and wrong, all you have to know is whether it causes suffering or not.”

“This is not just a technical, semantic difference-- the right and wrong thing is a judgment that doesn’t need to be there-- it has an absolutist quality to it. We don’t need to go that far. We just need to know whether an action or speech, both of which originate out of thoughts, whether these things cause suffering or not.”

“Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin-- if you are really giving with a full heart, then you are always receiving-- you cannot give without receiving if the giving is pure, genuine and sincere-- the giving and receiving are like the breath. So, technically, you could say that student who goes to the Jukai ceremony is receiving the precepts, but they are also very much giving to me as the teacher by being able to, in this formal way, usher themselves into the Buddha’s family.”

After everyone had gone to the altar and made their way around to their seat, we sat together in silence before Roshi ascended into the Buddha Hall and prostrated before the altar. After he had taken his seat, the quietude settled around us before the voice of Roshi, gentle and low, introduced the Repentance Gatta:

“We ask the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, who have realized enlightenment, to have compassion for us, to help free us from obstructive suffering, the legacy of our past lives, and to help us share in the merit power that fills the countless worlds. The Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the past were like us, and we will in the future become Buddhas and bodhisattvas,” a gentle reminder of our origins, attachments, and the potential that grows from them.

And then, with one voice, almost one hundred people said together: “All evil actions committed by me since time immemorial, stemming from greed, anger and delusion, arising from body, speech and mind, I now repent having committed.” It is said 9 times in all, deeper each time, and there were tears on my face by the fifth. The air seemed to shine when we again fell into an awakened silence.

Following the repentance, the klesa papers were burned ceremoniously in a metal urn. The flickering of the flames shone off of our faces, and the heavy smell of smoke hung for only a minute before dispersing, lightened, towards the full moon shining in through the windows.

“All of this is a way to embody the meaning of all of this,” said Roshi. “It’s one thing to think about and to talk about it, but to enact it through this drama of picking up the paper, going through the tunnel, ascending into the Buddha Hall, doing a prostration, putting the paper in the bowl and seeing and hearing the paper burn is very dramatic in the silence of the Buddha Hall.”

Next, we recited the 16 precepts that lay practitioners of Buddhism vow to live in accordance with. “The taking of the precepts themselves is another way of embodying them,” said Roshi. “When you have to articulate them, you engage the lips and the tongue and the throat and the larynx and so forth; when you have to engage all of these aspects physically, then it goes deeper than by just thinking about it.”

We say all 16 of the precepts three times each, the energy of compassion and dedication pulsing tangibly in the air. “We do it three times each to hammer it in deeper each time,” said Roshi. “Hopefully by the third time there will be some deeper attention being brought to it.”

The ceremony ends with the Return of Merit. The lead chanter sounds the echoing toned kesu, a large low ringing bowl-shaped bell, while chanting deeply, Homage to all Buddhas and Bodhissatvas. Homage to the living Buddha in the ten directions. Homage to the living dharma in the ten directions. Homage to the living sangha in the ten directions. Buddhas and dharma ancestors have opened wide the gates of compassion; We enter the Buddha’s family. We now return the merit of out efforts to all beings in the ten directions. May all beings attain Buddhahood.

The Return of Merit is a grounding reminder that we take these vows not so that we can feel proud of being such good, moral people, but in order to avoid causing unnecessary suffering in the lives of all beings.

We walked back down the stairs, lighter and different than when we had entered an hour earlier, smiling and loving each other. Frank and I didn’t talk as we put our shoes and jackets back on. Outside in the cold air, we exchanged hugs and laughter with the dozens of glowing people standing in the clear western New York night.

I walked down the curving brick walkway of the garden back to the main building of the Zen Center. I had a cup of tea and a gallon of conversation before I headed towards bed.


The following day, I drove back home to Indiana. I left while the sky was still dark in the east, but it shifted into shades of indigo blue, and then purple, and then pink, as the light stretched to catch up with the rising sun.

It was in this iridescently changing light that I saw the deer. He was dead and strapped to the top of a brown Grand Cherokee. Although his legs were bound together, his head was nodding and bouncing in the rush of wind that flowed over the vehicle moving at 70 mph. His tongue was sticking out, and it flapped at me hauntingly as I passed.

I thought about what the deer’s last few moments must have been like, and contemplated the desperation for survival that pervades the animal realm. I felt the desire to chant, and remembered that I had recorded the previous night’s ceremony.

I plugged my digital recorder into my radio transmitter, and the sounds of the Ten Verse Kannon Sutra swelled through my car’s speakers. I chanted along, hoping to ease the pain of myself, the deer, the hunter, and all beings.

“The Buddha is quoted famously as saying, ‘I teach but two things, suffering and the end of suffering,’” Roshi said. It seemed to me, then and there at 8:00 am on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, dead deer in rearview mirror and chanting in my ears and throat, that that is all that the entire world is ever teaching us.

At one point, in between chants when nothing was being said, I realized that what I was not hearing through the silence of my volume turned all the way up was the sound of yesterday’s defilements crackling as they burned.

I was driving home from my visit home, and I felt at home as I moved at 72 mph down the sun-shadowed highway.

Giving Thanks and Buying Nothing

This Friday, November 23, there will be no new edition of The Oak Leaves as a result of Manchester College's Thanksgiving break.

Nevertheless, there is an even larger occurrence scheduled for November 23. I would like to encourage all of you to participate in the 15th annual Buy Nothing Day, which takes place each year on the day after Thanksgiving ("Black Friday"). This is a great opportunity to question the role of consumption and consumerism in your life.

Buy Nothing Day was started by the good people at Adbusters, which I unreservedly assert is one of the most innovative, intelligent, and politically pertinent magazines currently being published.

More information on Buy Nothing Day can be found at http://adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/view.php?id=403.

Carol J. Adams, Author of The Sexual Politics of Meat, Speaks at Manchester College

In her book The Pornography of Meat, Carol J. Adams reveals ways in which advertising and pornography have made inequality tasty, sexy and fun. We don’t see this inequality as anything wrong, she says, because we benefit from it. The dominant paradigm of inequality is at the root of violence against both women and animals.

On November 12, Adams presented her slide show on “The Sexual Politics of Meat.” Afterwards, she met with students for lunch and conversation .

“We live in a world of dominance,” Adams said. “In the western world, we are made to fit into a dualistic structure in which the dominant side is over and against the non-dominant ‘other’…. Women live in sexual objectification the way fish live in water. The water of sexual objectification is all around us.”

The environment of sexual objectification is created by “the male gaze,” which views women not as specific and unique individuals, but as consumable things that are “to be looked at and used.” This is synonymous, Adams said, with the way that the male gaze views animals.

“What is on the plate in front of us is not devoid of specificity; it is the dead flesh of what was once a living, feeling being,” Adams said. “The crucial point here is that we make someone who is a unique being into something that is the appropriate referent of a mass term. Mass terms signal the thingification of beings.”

According to Adams, the role of feminism is to intervene against inequality in order to create equality. She has certainly exerted a great deal of effort towards this goal in her own life. In the 1970s, she and her partner started to run a hotline for battered women.

A difficulty arose when it became necessary to find safe places for the women. When community support failed to rise to meet this opportunity to help, she decided that her home could serve as headquarters until volunteer participation increased.

She also intervenes against the inequality of species-ism through her choice to live a vegan life.

In the absence of the currently all-pervasive power dynamic that is created by advertisements and pornography, society would look much different than it does now. “For one thing, women would no longer die at the hands of their lovers,” Adams said, “and animals would not be slaughtered for food.”

It seems undeniable that that would certainly be an important indication of a more peaceful, less violent, and more just society.

Creating such a society would not be an easy task, because it will require that people collectively open themselves to the pain that has been caused and continues to exist. However, in the long run, the healing will be greater than the difficulty.

“Compassion is a renewable resource,” Adams said. “It is true that when we allow ourselves to be aware of the pain of others, there will be disappointment, anger and grief; but these will not kill us. We are better off feeling the compassion. Many people don’t recognize that it ultimately takes more work to protect yourself from the vulnerability and pain of caring than to just let yourself care.”

Although there is certainly merit in dedicating oneself to equal rights causes and/or a vegetarian lifestyle, one does not need to make such a large commitment in order to bring about positive change to the current conditions of inequality. “I’d like to see male college students call each other out when they objectify women, for them to become more deeply aware that the objectification exists and to recognize it for what it is,” Adams said, “and to begin to accept accountability,”

“I’d also like to see a world in which women feel safe,” Adams continued. “How do we think that there can be equality if there is not safety?”




(This article appeared in the November 16 edition of The Oak Leaves)

Moving up in the World of Science: A Look at the Glass Ceiling from a Different Angle

One could hardly imagine a less likely subject of campus controversy than the architectural configuration of the new Science Center.

However, many members of the Manchester College community have alleged that the staircase in the main foyer (the steps of which are made primarily of glass panels) was designed without proper sensitivity to female students and faculty members, and poses a risk that anyone wearing a skirt or a dress could be inadvertently putting themselves on display.

The MC Science Center was completed in the fall of 2005, after more than 13 years of planning and $17million in expenditures. Later that same year, it was awarded the ABC Award of Excellence by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana. Nearly every detail of the building was considered in relation to both practical and aesthetic concerns.

Other than the glass stairs, that is. Although the treads (the horizontal surfaces that are walked on) are opaque, every vertical surface of the staircase is completely transparent. Although it is extraordinarily unlikely that anyone would ever be fully on display, the upward angle of sight available to those walking on the first floor poses a risk that a student on the stairs may be showing more than she intends to or is comfortable with.

The oversight is noticed and felt by many women in the MC community. “Yes, I have thought about those stairs before,” said Reaunna Murphy, an MC alumna from the class of 2006, “and I think it’s obvious that no one thought about all of the implications of making a staircase like that.”

“I agree that the staircase design was gender insensitive,” said Dagny Boebel, a former MC English and Gender Studies professor. “Actually, before the first faculty meeting in the new Science Center, female faculty members were warned NOT to walk up the stairs if they were wearing a skirt. I know that I have sometimes walked up or down wearing a skirt, but only when I have forgotten that this activity puts me on display.”

One consequence of the glass staircase is the impression that it makes upon prospective students. “Upon walking up to the Science Center stairs on my tour, one of the first things I thought was ‘Wow, thank goodness I didn’t wear a skirt!’” said first-year Becka Lee. “I wanted to make an impression, just not one of that sort.”

“No person should be subjected to being put on display in a manner that is outside of their control,” said Travis Rose, a frequent visitor to North Manchester and a current prospective student, “albeit even a minor one.”

Obviously, Lee decided to enroll at MC despite her observations regarding the
glass staircase. However, the comments of Lee and Rose illustrate the probability that other prospective students (not to mention their parents) have been keenly aware of the stairs’ transparency.

Not all members of the MC community agree that the staircase poses a problem. “In general, MC faculty had an above average amount of input into the design of the Science Center, and that includes four women,” said chemistry professor Dr. Terrie Salupo-Bryant. “The glass staircase is in keeping with the glass design throughout the building, and my opinion is that it looks much better that way.”

Defenders of the staircase design pointed out that the area directly under the stairs is barred off. However, this does not solve the problem, for two reasons.

Firstly, the bars are a mediocre deterrent at best. It is easy to get around the bars, as there is a sizable gap between the bars and the wall. Furthermore, I sat and stood in the barred off area on several occasions during the investigative process, which included a few passing periods. Although I am sure that I was seen by faculty members, not once was I confronted or asked to move.

Secondly, because the treads and the landing of the stairs are opaque, the angle that is the most worrisome is not from directly under the stairs, but from the heavily-trafficked areas slightly further from the staircase.

Opinions varied regarding the best way to respond to the design. The simplest way, many contend, is for students and faculty members to avoid wearing skirts and dresses on days when they may need to be in the Science Center.

“I expect that the administration would say that students are here to learn, not to be fashion icons,” said first-year Wendy Lude. “If students feel exposed [by climbing the Science Center’s stairs] while wearing skirts…. then they should simply not wear skirts.”

Others feel that it is unfair to ask students and faculty to be forced to either alter their attire or to find an alternative route to their classrooms, simply so that the foyer of a building can be aesthetically pleasing. It is also an insufficient remedy, for it doesn’t account for those who either have momentarily forgotten or have not yet considered the implications of the glass risers.

Unfortunately, many feel that it is unlikely that the college will actually do anything to change the situation: “I think if the administration had thought about female students and their skirts before the stairs went in, there would have been changes,” Murphy said. “As it is now, I doubt much will be done to help console upset female students.”

The solution most commonly proposed was for the glass risers to be frosted. This would be inexpensive and fairly simple to accomplish, and would preserve the aesthetic unity and openness of the Science Center’s lobby.

(published in Manchester College's weekly newspaper, The Oak Leaves, on November 9, 2007)

Outdoors in Indiana 7: Salamonie State Park and Reservoir

I am writing this week’s article in my notebook, sitting at a picnic bench in the Salamonie State Forest. The Salamonie Lake is glistening before me in the afternoon sun, and I’m wishing I had brought a picnic.

The Salamonie State Forest and Reservoir are only about a 30 minute drive from campus, which makes me wonder why I haven’t been here sooner.

The forest is huge, and there are two separate boat docks; one is on the Salamonie River and one is here, on the Salamonie Lake. Within the last week I have kayaked on both. For what it is worth, I preferred kayaking on the river, although the lake has a better vista. It is a windy day today, and I must say that kayaking into the wind (or worse, perpendicular to it) was a rather… interesting experience.

There are two entrances into the forest, one on Lost Bridge Road off of 105 and one off of 524. The Lost Bridge area, where I am currently writing, offers camping, boating, hiking, areas for picnicking, and snowmobile trail for use in the winter months.

The picnicking area here is, without hyperbole, sublime. There are several picnic tables, spaced several hundred feet part, each with its own grill. Most of these tables are long the crest of a hill that overlooks the lake, but there is one below me that is directly on the lake’s shoreline; it is only accessible by going down to the boat launching area and walking southeast along the shore about 400 yards.

Yesterday, I visited the area of the forest that is accessible off of 524. There, you can find horseback riding trails as well as a primitive horseman’s camp, hiking trails, primitive and family camping, and (as previously mentioned) a boat ramp onto the Salamonie River.

As I drove into that area of the forest, I noticed a sign marking the entrance onto the “Three Falls Trail.” This trail is not mentioned in the Salamonie State Forest map and info brochure, and sounded intriguing, so I decided to hike it after my kayaking adventure.

Kayaking down the river was a peaceful and invigorating experience. The only sounds were the “Gluck! Gluck! Gluck!” of my paddle entering the water and the “Tschhuhhh” of the wind blowing through the trees. It was the warmest day in over a week, and I worked up a bit of a sweat before returning to the dock.

I did learn a very important lesson, however; if you plan to be boating down a river in a westerly direction, don’t plan on doing it while the sun is setting. The light that gleams beautifully when filtered through the trees can become a bit blinding when reflected off of a body of water.

After I got the kayak strapped back on to the hood of my car, I went to the trailhead of the Three Falls Trail. I hiked through a beautiful stretch of forest, with a lovely open clearing along the way, before I heard the water.

And, after a slight curve in the trail, I saw the falls. They were rushing and white and bubbly and musical, and I couldn’t help but smile. The trail at that point travels alongside a drop off of about 100 feet, the river with its occasional rushing falls flows below it.

It had rained the day before, and the ground was soft underneath my shoes. The wind was still playing with the leaves, and the surroundings could not have been more beautiful. It was by far the nicest hiking trail that I have ever found in Indiana thus far.

All of this, a mere 22 miles from campus! The world is right outside your door... let's go!

(This article appeared in the November 16 edition of The Oak Leaves)

Outdoors in Indiana 6: Crooked Creek Trails

In last week’s article, I mentioned that Tippecanoe State Park has bridle trails and a horse camp (“Outdoors in Indiana,” November 2, 2007). Sadly, I am one of the many MC students who does not own my own horse, and so I was unable to take advantage of those opportunities. However, an employee of Tippecanoe State Park recommended that I check out Crooked Creek Trails.

Crooked Creek Trails Horseback Riding is in Cass County on W CR 250 N, just over an hour’s drive from campus. According to their website, http://www.crookedcreektrails.com/ , Crooked Creek was established by Luke and Jan Riley and their friend, Gene Ohrt “around 20 years ago (it’s hard to say… time flies when you’re having fun!)”

“We started this ‘business’ because we knew that good, public riding facilities are hard to find,” say the Crooked Creek founders. “With the hustle and bustle of most peoples’ lives these days, we’ve made it our goal to make this the perfect place to relax.”

That was certainly my experience. I went on a 1-hour guided trail ride around their property. My horse’s name was Starbuck, a handsome fellow full of energy. We wound around the trails on the property, passing beautiful scenery that included streams, forested areas, and a small lake.

A light drizzle began to fall about halfway through the ride, but no one in the group was bothered in the least. The guide asked if we wanted to return to the stables, and a resounding “No!” was the answer. What is a little bit of rain to a person riding a horse as handsome, gentle, and responsive as Starbuck while surrounded by the luminous colors of fall?

Crooked Creek Trails offers 30-minute and 1-hour trail rides at the cost of $15 and $20 per person, respectively.

They also offer Moonlight Rides from May through November for $25. These rides, offered only to riders over 18, start at approximately 9:00 p.m. on nights with a full (or almost full) moon; the last one of 2007 is scheduled for November 24th (the Saturday of MC’s Thanksgiving Break). Groups of 10 or more with reservations receive a 10% discount.

If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then you’re already trying to figure out the details involved in getting a carpool of MC students together on the evening of the 24th.

Crooked Creek also offers “Outfitter Rides” for groups of five or more; these rides last from roughly 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and wind through the forests of the Tippecanoe River, Potato Creek, and Brown Country State Parks, the Francis Slocum SRA, or the Harrison Crawford State Forest. Prices vary based upon the location of the ride and the number of riders in your group.

Riders under six years of age cannot ride horses alone, but can either ride tandem with a parent or go on a pony ride. Hayrides are also available for groups of 12 or more.

The proprietors of Crooked Creek were kind enough to extend a 20% student discount for MC students who bring in the accompanying coupon; I strongly recommend all of you to take advantage of this opportunity.

Guided tours are available year-round, seven days a week; however, it is necessary to call ahead to schedule rides on weekdays. Crooked Creek Trails can be contacted by calling (574) 643-9395 or by emailing trailguide@crookedcreektrails.com.

Remember, the world is right outside your door… Let’s go!

(published in Manchester College's weekly newspaper, The Oak Leaves, on November 9, 2007)