Journey of Life 
Nearly seven years ago, Bob and Bev 
Bretsch first arrived at the College View 
Church to begin their ministry here. Since 
then, they have taught a message of love and 
acceptance that is difficult to forget. Pastor 
Bretsch has reminded church members of 
this message in his extemporaneous ser-
mons, lively Adventist Beliefs classes, and 
casual games of Softball and golf. 
Mrs. 
Bretsch has lived her message through long 
hours at the Good Neighbor Center, patient 
counseling with troubled members, and most 
recently in her psychology classes at Union 
College. Both have been known for their 
innovative approach to sharing the Gospel. 
Many members were surprised to learn early 
this month that the Bretsches will soon be 
leaving College View. 
According to administrative pastor Terry 
Bock, Elder Bretsch will be leaving in late 
May for a new position at the Sunnyside 
Church in Portland, Oregon. His last Sab-
bath at CVC will be May 2. Hopefully, the 
new senior pastor will be in place by this 
summer, definitely in time for the beginning 
of school next fall. 
No doubt Pastor Bretsch will put some 
careful thought into the preparation of the 
last few sermons with his College View 
family. He says that one of his favorite 
responsibilities here has been preaching on 
Sabbath mornings. 
"That is the biggest 
challenge, but also the most rewarding," he 
says. In his new position, he looks forward 
to continuing his service with open, authen-
tic people "who are willing to travel together 
toward the love of God, the mind of God, the 
essence of God." Students will probably 
remember that this sense of teamwork and 
togetherness has been an important element 
in many of Pastor Bretsch's sermons. 
Pastor Bretsch took a few moments to talk 
about issues he sees influencing the future of 
the Adventist Church. First, he expects that 
we will soon face a theological debate over 
creation and the age of the earth. Secondly, 
he fears that we may have a split in the church 
because "there is a group out to undermine 
the trust in the organized church. This could 
come to a head in the next five or 10 years." 
As the Adventist Church deals with these 
trends, Pastor Bretsch hopes that they will 
stay together. "We need people who will 
Bob Bretsch, Senior Pastor of College View Seventh-day Adventist Church from 1985-1992. 
love each other and who are grounded in 
Scripture," he says. 
What is the one message that Pastor Bretsch 
hopes students will not forget about his min-
istry at CVC? "1 want them to remember that 
they are on a journey, and that the most 
important journey of life is not what they da 
but what they are. And what we are is much 
better when we are with God." 
The selection of a pastor for such a diverse 
church as College View is no easy task. This 
pastor must be the ultimate blend of liberal 
and conservative, innovative and traditional, 
feeling and objective. And after achieving 
this delicate balance, someone will still be 
unhappy. Fortunately, many others can still 
receive a great blessing from the dedicated 
service of a man who allows God to lead. 
While the Kansas-Nebraska Conference 
Committee will make the final decision 
about the new CVC pastor, the members of 
this church will also be able to give a great 
deal of input. Pastor Terry Bock explains 
that in the last few years, large churches 
have been requesting more power in the 
decision-making process of calling pastors. 
On March 17, a search committee of 11 
people was nominated to list candidates and 
narrow the possibilities for the next CVC 
pastor. 
The search committee is scheduled to 
meet on Sunday, April 5, to do some pre-
liminary checking on their current list of 
about 25 names. 
Ultimately, they will 
narrow the list down to two or three names, 
which will be screened more carefully be-
fore they are prioritized according to first, 
second, and third choices. The final recom-
mendations will be sent to the Conference 
Committee, which will discuss the candi-
dates and vote on whether or not to extend a 
call. Pastor Bock says, "There is a fairly 
good chance that the search committee's 
choice will also be selected by the Confer-
ence Committee." 
The search committee includes represen-
tatives of many areas of CVC. Members 
include Dr. John Kerbs, Elder Jim Hoehn, 
Pastor Bock, Pastor Rich Carlson, one repre-
sentative from SDA Schools of Lincoln, one 
from the finance committee, two church 
members from the community, and one 
member of the church board. Also on the 
committee are Byard Parks, representing 
Union College students, and Shannon 
Fordyce, representing the twentysomething 
group. 
Pastor Bock mentions three characteris-
tics that he believes are important for the new 
pastor. "He should be a good preacher with 
relevant sermons. 
He should be a good 
people person who has a strong identifica-
tion with his members. And he should be a 
progressive person who relates well to col-
lege students." Some things that Pastor Bock 
appreciates from the ministry of Pastor 
Bretsch are his contemporary issues Sabbath 
School class and his wide variety of worship 
formats. He says, "1 think kids have sensed 
in him that God really loves and likes people 
where they're at." His advice to the new 
pastor is to be genuine and to be open. "I 
think openness appeals to both college kids 
and to older members," he says. 
Many students agree that the new pastor 
should have some of the traits that Pastor 
Bretsch has shown here. "Laurel McClelland 
explains, "He is the type of person who 
accepts everyone. Yet he wasn't afraid to tell 
things the way they were. He took risks, and 
I like that." Helen Cassidy says, "He made 
Christianity applicable to us in today's world." 
Mark Morton admires Bretsch's sense of 
balance and his practical approach to issues, 
"Bretsch" continued on page 
2. 
More Sex 
Page 3. 
Deli Update 
Page 4. 
Ha, Ha, Ha's 
Page 5. 
JRReview 
Page 6. 
Editorial 
Abstinence -vs- Ignorance 
In the past two weeks there has been a lot 
of discussion on this campus and, I hope, 
elsewhere about an article published by 
The Clocktower 20 March 1992, entitled 
"Sex Education?". Responses varied from 
person to person. Some agreed 
wholeheartedly, while others were 
vehemently against it. I must say here that 
I wish the teachers who voiced their 
opinions in the classroom would have 
written to the paper and shared their 
response with us all. This issue of sex, 
contraception, and the education about 
both touched a sensitive chord within this 
institution. Whether it irritated you or 
pleased you or caused only a brief 
response of any kind, it did at least one 
thing. It caused you to think about an 
issue that has long been kept dormant in 
our Adventist sub-culture, and to some 
extent in our whole society. In both 
segments the lack of thought in this area 
has caused problems. 
Think about this for a moment: As a 
fairly conservative Protestant denomina-
tion we, especially when young, are taught 
three basic vices that are evil. These are 
alcohol, sex, and movies (or rock music). 
When you were growing up and actually 
went to Sabbath School, how many times 
did you hear about the detriments of 
alcohol, or see the really cool Smoking 
Sam demonstrations? Or have somebody 
come and talk about back-masking on 
your favorite record? I dare say that most 
can't count the times. But you could 
probably count on one hand the times you 
saw anything on why our church taught 
that pre-marital sex is a no-no, or what the 
consequences were if you did have sex. 
Where is the logic in that? You probably 
had one class of sex ed in academy (I can't 
say about high school), and even then it 
was probably by your Bible teacher, with 
whom you felt really uncomfortable 
asking very personal questions about sex. 
When I was in academy, I had about a half 
hour of good discussion about sex with a 
qualified adult. John Buxton told me that 
while he was in academy he had "...one 
day of sex ed." This consisted of a man 
coming with pictures of all the terrible 
sexually transmitted diseases that are out 
there. He was told that because of these 
diseases he shouldn't have sex before 
marriage. This scare tactic is common, 
but all it offers is an increase in ignorance 
or confusion. 
Sex is a very important part of life. But 
immature, casual, or ignorant attitudes can 
cause major problems with sex in life. A 
casual attitude causes emotional stress and 
spreads disease and callousness; immature 
sex causes emotional stress and unwanted 
pregnancies and a score of other problems; 
ignorance causes all of the above. So why 
as Christians are we so afraid of discussing 
sex and offering classes that teach people 
to have healthy attitudes that are mature 
and knowledgeable? Because it will cause 
people to have sex? Because if I under-
stand contraception or have it available to 
me I will use it? This is ridiculous and 
immature thinking. All of us were shown 
the pros and cons of drinking: that we 
could have a good time, but it was 
harmful. Does this mean that 90% of you 
are alcoholics? No it doesn't. It means 
that you are informed about the subject. 
Unfortunately we can't say the same 
about sex. 
Union College offers what is known as 
SCIP (Student Community Intervention 
Program) to counsel those with drug or 
alcohol problems. It tries to catch the 
problem and deal with it before it gets out 
of control. This is an excellent program—a 
good Christian way to help a person help 
themselves and to give demonstration of 
our beliefs about temperance. So why not 
have a good seminar on sex education 
once a semester? Why not bring in 
somebody from the community and teach 
the students about the sexual situations 
they may find themselves in and what they 
need to think about as far as their responsi-
bility? This could easily be reinforced 
with why Adventists believe in pre-marital 
Shan Thayer(place the umlauts over the 
first a) of Bozeman, Montana will take 
over for the next issue ofTheClocktower. 
A second year Unionite, majoring in 
Computer Science or Critical Socialism(it 
hard to tell from the PG), Shan brings a 
strong background and healthy attitude 
to 
the 
arduous 
task 
ahead. 
He will be joined by an able staff as of yet 
un-named. 
However, the 1992/1993 
staff will doubtlessly reveal themselves 
appropriately in the next breathlessly 
awaited installment of your ASB dollars 
in a literary pastime, The Clocktower. 
Coming soon to a desktop or low table 
near 
you 
on 
April 
16. 
abstinence. Then each student would have 
to think about their responsibility to 
themselves and the doctrines that they 
have been taught. Understanding one's 
position on sex and morals before they're 
at Holmes Lake is a must. To think out 
our beliefs and understand them, we must 
understand the subject and its pros and 
cons. Union had a date-rape seminar, but 
we have not had a thing on sex or contra-
ception. We have one class period by 
Planned Parenthood in Concepts of 
Science. I must say that when I took this 
class it was the only period that everyone 
was there and even some not in the class 
attended. 
The Adventist Church has always 
taught abstinence. No one is advocating 
that those principles be thrown out. But to 
not let a subject out of the taboo stage and 
into the discussion arena is showing an 
incredible ignorance. People often find 
themselves in situations without under-
standing how they got there. Maybe if 
they had discussed it with qualified adults 
in a non-threatening manner, they could 
have applied their beliefs and learning so 
as to understand where it was they were 
heading and how to avoid problem areas. 
Advocating abstinence is a strong Chris-
tian principle in this world. However, 
abstinence and ignorance don't go hand 
in hand. Union is both a Christian, and 
an educational institution. At this point 
Union is only living up to half of this 
description. 
"Bretsch" cont. from page 1. 
while Jason Welch appreciates the many 
small groups he started within the church. 
"He can't be replaced," says Sam Fazio. "I 
thought he was a good teacher because he 
wasn't hypocritical. He gave us the pros and 
the cons and helped us see both sides. I liked 
that." 
While these students say they will miss 
the Bretsches, they also have several ideas of 
what to require in the next pastor: 
Jeni Newman: "Someone creative with 
an open mind." 
Ernie Staatz: "Good sermons. Approach-
able. Easy to talk to." 
Gene Astolfi: "He must be able to relate 
to all generations, preferably ours." 
Chuck Hagele: "1 think the main respon-
sibility of the senior pastor should be to 
preach. And he should be a people person." 
Dr. Ralph Neall: "He should love our 
young people. 
Orthodox but innovative. 
Open-minded. And I would like to see a 
pastor who is interested in reaching out to the 
community and someone interested in stew-
ardship." 
The Clocktower Staff 
Editor 
Mark A. Pfeiffer 
Asst Editor 
T.I. Mahlum 
Copy Editor 
Becky Lane 
Photo Editor Jeff Scoggins 
Ad Manager 
Tammie Mentzel 
Staff Writers Gabrielle Bailey 
Jim Mules 
Shannon Nelson 
Byard Parks 
Rikki Stenbakken 
Kelly Strom 
Manish R. Pandey 
Sponsor 
Greg Rumsey 
Printer 
Sun Newspaper/ 
Nebraska Printing 
Center 
The Clocktower is a bi-weekly publi-
cation of the Union College Associ 
ated Student Body. Letters to the Edi 
tor Personals and submissions must be 
under our door by noon on the Sunday 
prior to publication. Editorials are 
opinions of the Clocktower. All other 
opinions expressed are those of the 
author and must bear his or her name. 
The Clocktower reserves the right to 
edit letters for reasons of space or 
clarity. 
Coming Soon! New 
Management! 
2 
April 2, 1992 
Dialogue... At Last 
Here and There 
April 4: 
Laser Doors Mueller Planetarium 
April 5: 
Daylight Savings Time begins 2am. 
(remember spring FORWARD and 
fall back) 
MCAT 
Parent/Daughter Brunch 
Lser Beatles "Abbey Road" Mueller 
April 6: 
ASB-Monday Morning Blues 
ASB Senate 
CABL Cancer Week April 6-10 
April 11: 
FES Jeremiah People 
ASB Birthday Party 
Laser Zepplin Mueller 
April 12: 
Business Club Banquet 
April 13: 
GRE 
April 16: 
Clocktower 
#15! 
With Shan Thayer at 
the helm, the Tower 
of intellect prepares 
for next year. 
Dear Editor: 
Forty students in my class, Philosophy of 
Christian Service, were asked to respond to 
the recent editorial titled, "Sex Education?" 
I collected these statements before offering 
my personal views to the class, and the 
students understood their statements would 
not be graded and that they were free, to 
respond anonymously if they preferred. I 
have attempted to select paragraphs from 
their written reactions which fairly represent 
the predominant view of the group. Here 
they are: 
I think that Gabrielle Bailey has a very 
valid point. Just because we are, for the most 
part, SDA young people does not mean that 
we will be well informed on the topic of sex. 
... If the young people are educated properly 
in our institutions, they will be better equipped 
to face difficult situations or to avoid them 
totally.... I feel that we should be informed 
on the topic of sex factually, emotionally, 
and spiritually. 
—Roger Hagen 
I don't know what the solution to this 
problem is or even if Union College can 
provide a solution, but I do agree that educa-
tion is imperative. People need to be taught 
that it CAN happen to them.... Union is in 
a position to give guidance and education 
about sex, AIDS, pregnancy, and birth con-
trol, and it should provide this! They should 
also encourage responsibility. 
-Kim White 
Good people these unmarried individuals 
may be, but God-fearing? To be a God-
fearing Christian means to follow God, to 
respect and obey Him, and in His word God 
plainly denounces sex before marriage. . . . 
Gabrielle states in her article that prevention 
is the answer. I agree. And so does God. But 
His answer - listen up, all you professing 
God-fearing folk out there - is abstinence 
before marriage. 
—James Bise 
Sex education could help prevent preg-
nancy and sexually transmitted diseases. I 
don't know why sex is such a scary topic at 
Union. 
If it were talked about, students 
would probably have less curiosity to try it 
themselves. Also, students would know of 
the physical and emotional consequences of 
having sex. It is unfortunate that pregnant 
women are asked to leave Union.... Maybe 
if they were in school, other students could 
see what it was really like to be pregnant, and 
choose to use birth control. 
—Julie Allardyce 
I thought that the article was merited in 
some ways. 
The Seventh-day Adventist 
school system needs to greatly improve their 
sex education. 
I have gone through the 
system all my life and only once I had a talk 
about sex in the 4th grade. I think that when 
it is never talked about, it makes the topic 
mystical and almost scary. I think that it is 
almost too late at the college level to educa-
tion people about sex in general. 
—Jeff Means 
To teach how to use contraceptives be-
cause students are going to have sex anyway 
would be like teaching a class on how to 
cheat and not get caught since students are 
going to cheat anyway. . . . 
—Mike Carner 
One thing I would like to see the college 
do somehow is to give students good reasons 
why to wait until marriage to have sex. Many 
students see no point in waiting and are 
curious to experiment 
I would like to see 
the college come out and say a little bit 
louder, "wait," and give students justifica-
tion for it. 
—Doug Hardt 
The least that could be done here is that 
the issues be discussed. ... To those who 
believe our youth are not doing this sort of 
thing, my only question is, How long will it 
take before these people take their blinders 
off and start realizing that it is a much needed 
topic on our campus. There are many people 
who may be opposed, but I don't think that 
it would hurt for them to learn a little some-
thing. 
--Lovern 
Moseley 
I think that the article even started out on 
a bad tone. God fearing people are fornicat-
ing, yes, but is it right? Does it matter? 
Should it matter if we are somewhat ignorant 
of these birth control devices? It would not 
matter if we had enough guts to abstain in the 
first place. Sure we should make people 
aware of sex, but teaching contraceptives is 
a cop-out for the weak. To teach it makes it 
readily available and supported; therefore, 
"it must be right." Teach abstinence, not sex. 
—Evan Moravetz 
The problem of rampant sexual inter-
course outside of marriage is a problem of 
the secular age we live in. In whatever we do 
to protect and educate our students, we must 
remember that we cannot endorse sinful 
actions on a Christian campus. We cannot 
address the problem of sex out of marriage 
by hiding it—handing out condoms is not the 
answer. Even if it was not openly said, the 
message would still be there: "It is okay to 
avoid disease by protection—abstinence is 
no longer the only answer." This message is 
wrong, and must be avoided. 
College students are adults responsible 
for their own actions. We must make sure 
that the Seventh-day Adventist position on 
sexual behavior is presented to all in a lov-
ing, non-condemning, non-threatening man-
ner. If college students do not want to abide 
by these standards, they can go down to the 
local gas station and stock up on condoms. 
Condoms and other forms of birth-control 
should not be freely distributed. If sexual 
diseases do begin to spread in the Adventist 
church, it should and will be publicized to 
make people aware, but it should not be 
curbed by a compromise. 
We should not encourage people to con-
tinue to do wrong by removing the conse-
quences. Sex education should occur. People 
should be made to understand that immoral 
sexual acts are wrong, and that the conse-
quences could very well be sickness or death. 
Let's not pad that fact with foam and 
condoms. 
—Jason Welch 
I wholeheartedly agree on the concept of 
education. 
I do find it unfortunate that 
abstinence is nowhere mentioned as an op-
tion. The attitude seems to be that of a 
defeatist. "Everyone is having sex anyway, 
so let's throw up our hands and admit that 
God's way just isn't working." This attitude 
seeks to treat the symptom rather than the 
disease. The emphasis is on being careful 
instead of being responsible... What about 
commitment? What about love? Are we 
controlled by our lusts? The world around us 
follows the line of this article - must we 
follow the world, or does God have a higher 
standard? Why is it that prevention is only 
used in relation to birth control? Why not 
wait for marriage? Virginity is not a life-
threatening condition. No, the school policy 
doesn't need to change; these attitudes do, 
however. "Good", God-fearing", "smart", 
and "Christian" are not terms I can freely use 
about someone who casually tosses out God's 
advice and accepts the perverted advice of 
human "wisdom." 
God did not suggest 
abstinence to oppress us but to protect us. 
The answer truly is education, but what 
education? Man's or God's? 
—Bob Forbes 
The class strongly agreed with the call for 
more education. On the issue of providing 
birth control supplies on campus, about 10 
percent agreed while 90 percent were op-
posed. 
I find myself in rather complete 
agreement with what appears to be the con-
sensus of this class; i.e., more openness and 
education in all sex-related areas; more per-
sonal responsibility; total harmony with the 
Word of God; and gentleness with those who 
err. 
Regarding the availability of contracep-
tives on the Union College campus: No 
contraceptive sponges have been given to 
unmarried students, and none have been 
purchased by the school for that or any other 
purpose. Some samples have been received 
by the student health office and to date have 
been used for educational purposes only. 
These samples will not be distributed to 
unmarried students. There have been no 
other contraceptive devices in the student 
health office this year or, to our knowledge, 
in years past; and there is no present intention 
to stock, distribute, or sell such on the Union 
College campus. 
John Kerbs 
President 
April 2, 1992 
3 
» 
Feature 
Deli To Open! 
The new deli is going to be done within ten 
minutes from the time you read this article. 
Well, actually it will not be done until the last 
couple of weeks of the school year. Food 
Service Director, Pat Parmele thinks that it 
will be done in plenty of time for this year's 
students to see the finished product. Al-
though it will not be finished in time to use 
this year, Mrs. Parmele encourages all stu-
dents to take a quick look anytime they are in 
the student center. 
There has been a lot completed already, 
and they will be starting on some of the 
aesthetics next. Parmele said that it will have 
black and white tile, which will extend into 
the TV room so students can watch the tube 
while eating. Later, they plan to have a carpet 
that will match the new mauvish, greyish, 
pinkish type of color that is currently being 
sported by some of the tables in the old deli. 
The seating will be a great improvement over 
the current closet style of the deli. The 
seating area will extend north to the second 
pillar, and there will be a chest high divider 
running along the ASB offices to section off 
the dining area. There will also be stools at 
the dining bar and some cafe style tables set 
in the middle and boothes running along the 
divider. At the far north end will be the pool 
table and other games. These will also have 
a divider to section it off. 
Mrs. Parmele hopes that the new sign that 
has been in construction should be in during 
the next couple of weeks. 
Stop by in the next couple of weeks and 
watch the improvements. It has been a long 
time coming, so don't miss it. It will be a 
drastic improvement over the back room, 
closet-like, beauty that we are used to from 
the present deli. I don't know if the food will 
change, but the scenery will definitely be 
better. 
News Shorts! 
ByGaylena Gibson 
Once again a few brief descriptions of 
current and upcoming events on campus: 
This time of year—as always—it seems most 
divisions are either planning major events or 
nothing at all. 
Arts and Humanities 
April 21 — General Piano Recital. 
April 28 — Union Brass concert. 
April 30 — Advanced Piano Recital. 
All recitals and concerts will be in 
the recital hall at 7:00 p.m., and they are all 
free. 
Business 
April 12 — Awards Banquet, 6:30 
p.m. This formal dinner, to be held at the 
Eleven on top of the NBC bank building, will 
be free for members and $15 for non-mem-
bers. (See the Ad in this Clocktower) 
Human Development 
This division is still showing the 
Emmy-award-winning series, Eyes on the 
Prize. This history of the United States Civil 
Rights movement is a must see, every Mon-
day evening at 6 p.m. in the amphitheater. 
Education Club's 1992/1993 of-
ficers are planning something for April. If 
you have any questions about events, contact 
Stephanie Stickney in Human Development 
(2525) or at home (486-3597). 
Nursing 
April 26—brunch at the Cornhusker. 
At this time the Nursing club is unsure of how 
much it will cost. Find out when signing-up 
in the nursing division. (Non-members are 
welcome.) 
Religion 
The Ministerial Club members are 
invited to the Senior Banquet, to be held on 
Monday, April 13. Non-members interested 
in going should contact Virgil Minden for 
the cost. 
Science/Math 
April 12 ~ Science Fair. This is 
another chance for all creative and talented 
people to earn $$$. There will be two 
contests, each of which has a first prize of 
$50 and a second prize of $25. The two 
contestswiUbethebridge-buildingcontestand 
the egg-drop contest. You provide materials 
for the egg-drop, but the Science/Math divi-
sion supplies toothpicks for the bridges. 
Science/Math will also be providing 
munchies. Hopefully not the eggs! 
April 25 -- Sabbath afternoon ac-
tivity. What an opportunity to look at God 
through nature. Each department will have 
something for to look at, such as videos or 
microscopic slides, or maybe even the beetle 
collection. 
April 26—Human Croquet. You've 
heard about it all year long, and it's finally 
here. Just what is human croquet? Find out, 
by attending this event. The venue is not yet 
known and the science people aren't talking. 
They did give one clue, however: wear 
tennis shoes and clothes that can be stained. 
That is the short list of events upcoming 
on and off the Union College campus. 
Food Service 
Director Pat 
Parmele and 
Director of Deli 
Affairs Linda 
Vollmer lend their 
painting talents to 
finish the work on 
the new deli. 
(Photo by Gerik 
Parmele) 
Friday, April 3,1992 
Mifiinr 
JL 
y 
First Period 
Second Period 
Third Period 
Fourth Period 
Fifth Period 
Honors Convocation 
(College ViewChiavh) 
7:30 - 8:00 
8:10- 8:40 
8:50- 9:20 
9:30 - 10:00 
10:10 -10:40 
11:00-12:00 
If you have any questions, please contact 
Dr. Sandra Price's office. 
4 
April 2,1992 
Class Schedule Foil 
the Morning of 
Word 
of the 
Week 
April 2,1992 
On Campus 
"All thatisgolddoes not glitter, 
Not all those who wander are lost; 
The old thatisstrongdoes not wither, 
Deep roots are not reached by thefrost. 
From the ashes afire shall be woken, 
A lightfrom the shadows shall spring; 
Renewed shall be blade that was broken, 
Thecrownlessagainshallbeking." 
--J.R.R. Tolkien 
ByT.I.Mahlum 
From Forod Waith in the far north to the 
RiverHarnen south of Old Gondor, from the Iron 
Hills in the east to Ered Luin, the mountains of 
the True West, exists a complete and original 
imaginary world: Middle Earth. 
J.R.R. 
Tolkien, began to create this world in his 
middle teens and complete the majority of 
the lore of Middle Earth before he was forty. 
His creations ranged from rather simple varia-
tions on elves and dwarfs of western Euro-
pean legends to complete languages and a 
system of mythology to rival the size and 
dimension of the Greek legends. 
Tolkien's adult life was taken up prima-
rily with is professorship at the English 
universities Cambridge 
and Oxford. He was an 
Anglo-Saxon 
literaturist and linguist. 
His imaginary Middle 
Earth sprang initially 
from his hobby habit 
of creating probable 
ancient and lost lan-
guages. His study of 
ancient English, Dan-
ish and Icelandic lan-
guages led him to cre-
ate his own "Elvish" 
tongue complete with 
a runic alphabet and 
pronunciation guides. 
The completeness and 
depth of his fictitious 
language necessitated 
tales, legends and his-
tories of which to write 
in Elvish. Thus Middle 
J" R 
R 
Tolkicn 
Earth, Gandalf the 
1 
Grey, Sauron, and the 
Hobbits came to exist... in thought at least. 
Ironically it was not until many years 
after he began writing his massive collection 
that he considered publication. It was in fact 
Tolkien's friendship with a famous twenti-
eth-century Irish fantasy author which moved 
him towards his inevitable success and fame 
in literary circles. At Oxford in late 1929, a 
friendship grew between Tolkien and C.S. 
Lewis. After reading a partially completed 
epic poem of Tolkien's 
Lewis, already a published 
author, urged Tolkien to prepare 
his work for print. Long years passed before 
his work came to be published yet while still 
in it's formative stages it had an immense 
influence. Tolkien, Lewis and several other 
of the Oxford literate circle met regularly 
under the title The Inklings. At these gather-
ings the members of the group read from 
works in progress and accepted, or at least 
heard criticism and suggestions. 
It was 
during these years, prior to World War II that 
Lewis wrote the first of his Chronicles of 
Narnia. Though no malice was intended, he 
"borrowed" heavily 
from Tolkien's work 
on his first book, The 
Hobbit and snippets of 
his 
Ring 
trilogy. 
Tolkien spent almost 
twelve years on his 
Middle Earth tales 
before the first was 
published. 
It was with the pub-
lishing of his books 
that Tolkien's influ-
ence was truly felt the 
world around. His sto-
ries directly influ-
enced almost every 
fantasy author who fol-
lowed. 
Indeed, 
Tolkien's world of 
Middle Earth basi-
cally created a genre, 
into which succeeding 
1 
authors placed their 
own tales, using the 
parameters of "the" fantasy world he cre-
ated. 
In the work of Lloyd Alexander, 
Thomas Covenant, and many others scenes, 
characters and creatures of pure Tolkien 
origins appear. 
Tolkien's influence reaches beyond the 
world of fantasy fiction and into the main-
stream world of film and rock music. Though 
no reality feature has been made of Tolkien's 
tales (the special effects and budgets to truly 
do his tales justice has 
only recently been 
reached) a half-
baked anima-
tion of The 
Lord of the 
Rings, 
and 
a 
truly 
excel-
lent 
Hobbit 
have 
been 
pro-
duced. 
The 
themes 
of 
the 
tales, how-
ever, keep re-
appearing in sci-
ence-fiction and 
fantasy films and TV as 
diverse as, episodes of Star 
Trek and the Star Wars movies. 
Many names from Tolkien's tales have 
entered common English speech without 
much thought to their origins. The Jazz 
group Shadowfax borrowed their title from 
Gandalf s horse. 
A chain of Psychiatric 
centers appropriated their name, Rivendell, 
from the home of Elrond one of Tolkien's 
High Elves. To a lesser degree, the names of 
Bilbo and Frodo Baggins forever appear over 
retro-hippie head-shops and craft stores. 
Perhaps the most recognizable heirs of 
Tolkien's vision are the least obvious. The 
seventies super-group Led Zeppelin, reused 
Tolkien's themes, stories and even names in 
many of their greatest hits. 
Next time 
"Ramble On" comes on listen for Mordor, 
Gollum and the Evil One. "The Battle of 
Evermore" is a retelling of the climactic 
battle of Pelennor Fields from book three of 
The Lord of the Rings; The Return ofthe King. 
Zeppelin's most famous song, "Stairway to 
Heaven" borrows heavily from a Tolkien 
poem about one of the Ring heroes Aragom. 
If then, intellectual development and cul-
tural fullness is desired, perhaps a detour 
through a few pages of Tolkien's work is in 
order. After Sophocles, after Dante, after 
Cervantes, 
after 
Shakespeare 
and 
Hemingway, look for the unknown twenti-
eth-century giant—J.R.R. Tolkien. 
Do it in your 
Best Style 
Best Styles Fomnalwear is proud to offer you the 
most exciting collection of tuxedos ever available! 
We've worked hard to bring you the newest creations 
by formaKvear designer from around the world. 
Choose from over one hundred combinations of 
accessories, many made exclusively for Best Styles 
FormaIwear, which wil add a unique final touch to 
your wedding ensemble. 
Our guarantee of quaity and satisfaction is 
unmatched in the industry. When you 
do It In your best style, you'll have the 
confidence you need to totally 
enjoy your wedding day and night. 
Visit us today, ask about our new 
"Athletic Cut" tuxedos, and receive 
a free, full-colour catalogue. 
<^onmaLvjE,ari 
INSIDE 
BEN 
SIMON'S 
GATEWAY 
ATRIUM 
6 
April 2,1992 
Also 
We Need You to Help Sliare Jesusl 
The following positions are open for young adults 
ages 18-29. For more information or for applica-
tions, contact the Rocky Mountain Conference LE 
or Youth Department, 2520 So. Downing, Denver, 
CO 80210, (303) 733-3771, fax (303) 733-1843. 
BMC Youth 
MISSIONS 
Lighting a Darkened 
World* 
Literature Evangelism - Summer 
Summer Camp Ministry 
Literature Evangelism - Task Force 
Literature Evangelism 
Secular Campus Ministiy 
LaVida Mission - Task Force 
Youth Pastor - Task Force 
Boarding Academy - Task Force 
Glacier View Ranch - Task Force 
Conference Youth Dept. - Task Force 
Total Young Adults Needed 
Positions 
48 
43 
16 
8 
14 
Duration 
9wks 
9 wks 
6 mo. 
full time 
9-12 mo. 
9-12 mo. 
9wks-9mo. 
9 mo. 
4-12 mo. 
4-9 mo. 
Dates 
June 1-Aug. 1 
May 25-July 26 
Jan.-June/July-Dec. 
wide open 
Sep.-May 
wide open 
wide open 
Aug.-May 
wide open 
Sep.-May 
with 
KIMCO 
Self Storage 
* Special Student 
Discounts* 
Stuff It! 
2601 N. 
27th 
466-744 
6000 S. 
56th 
423-3003 
Personals 
Peons Anonymous: 
Jude: 
PN Meetings will re-convene, next 
Give it up. 
Tuesday after the unfortunate departure of 
Pris is uncovered, 
the last chairman. 
Allpersonals and responses should be sent theTheClocUbox inthe UCBookstore. The 
Personals section is a FREE service ofThe Clocktower.filled bi-weekly on afirst come;first 
servebasis. 
What do you think? The Clocktower wants to know. A lot has changed since this time 
last year, in and out of the paper. New format, new paper, new staff, new deal. Do you, 
the reader, like it? 
Please take a few minutes to fill out the following short questionnaire. The Clocktower 
will compile and print the results in the final 91/92 issue. The results will also be shared 
with next year's staff. If you really like something about the paper, let us know and perhaps 
you will see it again. Likewise, vent your spleen and we promise to listen. Circle the 
response which best expresses your opinion, clip it out and send it to The Clocktower. 
1. 
Format. What is your opinion of 
the Tabloid format of the paper? 
Love it. 
Like it. 
No opinion. 
Dislike it. 
Hate it. 
2. 
Paper. Newsprint, from Sun News-
paper/Nebraska Printing Center. 
Thumbs up. 
No thumbs. 
Thumbs down. 
3. 
Lay-out (graphical). Headlines, 
typestyles, graphs and doodles. 
Great. 
Good. 
So-so. 
Bad. 
Evil. 
4. 
Lay-out (format). 
Frontpage 
tease-boxes, Cartoon page, Sports page, 
Boxscores and Pagetops. 
Excellent. 
Adequate. 
Okay. 
Clean it up. 
Ditch it. 
5. 
Editorial (topical). Coverage of 
pertinent issues, Cultural coverage (Art, 
Music and Film) and Humor. 
L. 
Wonderful. 
Subtly beneficial. 
Average. 
Decrepit. 
Vile. 
6. 
Editorial (Tone). In depth discus-
sion of issues, forums and event discus-
sions. 
Dig it. 
Groovey. 
Exxxcellllent. 
Cool. 
Keep it up. 
7. 
Photo. Clear, regular, informa-
tive, coverage of events and people. 
Swell. 
Dignified. 
Fine. 
Worthless. 
Rotten. 
8. 
Writing (report). Educated, well 
informed, opinion-free reporting. 
Slick. 
Good. 
Ugly. 
9. 
Writing (feature). Well thought, 
informative and necessary and pointed. 
Gnarly. 
Swift. 
Decent. 
Nasty. 
Negative. 
J 
busiNESS club PRESENTS.. 
AN EVEN/NC AT THE^ 
ApRil 1 2, 6:50pM 
TIH flooR Nbc buildiNq 
MEMbERS fREE; QUESTS $ 1 5 
s'iqn up iN buSiNESS div. 
April 2,1992 
Stuff It! 
MEN'S HOCKEY STANDINGS 
TEAK 
s 
L 
S£ 
OA 
HARDT 
2 
1 
1* 
11 
WOOD 
2 
1 
1C 
11 
KITTLESON 
2 
1 
14 
IT 
TRIMBLE 
0 
3 
14 
20 
Soorts 
SLAP STICK SPORTS 
games because they understand the game 
and enjoy the game. First and second year 
officials can learn a lot from watching the 
ones who enjoy what they are doing. The 
good officials don't get intimidated, don't 
get power hungry, and enjoy explaining the 
different aspects of the game to the athletes 
who honestly love the sport they are playing. 
Officials need to realize that the relationship 
between an athlete and his or her sport is truly 
a love affair, an affair that brings the ultimate 
joy and utmost bitterness. But far worse than 
bitterness, is an untimely whistle that had no 
business interfering in the athletes' affair. 
Officials need to let the kids play, and the 
kids need to let the officials call their game, 
and hopefully it will be a good game all the 
way around the puck. 
To officials and athletes alike, a 
sport is a game, a fun game, and nobody is a 
winner if everyone is a loser (Yogi Berra)... 
By Shannon&FrankE. 
Hockey world has hurled into 
full schwing here on the Union Col-
lege campus, with action-packed 
puck placement in both men's and 
co-ed leagues. The men's league 
this season has started out with lots 
of parity, as three teams are vying 
for first place. Doug Hardt's team is 
leading the league in scoring with 
an average of six goals per game, 
followed by Troy "Hull" Wood's 
team who is slapping in S.3 goals a 
game. Perhaps the surprise team 
thus far in the season is Brian 
Kittleson's. Brian said he wanted to 
pick a team that didn't have any 
superstars, but team players. Well 
so far, Kittleson has his cardiac kids 
playing as a fine team, and the only 
team tp beat Troy "Hull". Chris 
Trumble, whose team is in last place, 
owes their franchise to Gene Astolfi, 
who at least makes their losses re-
spectable. 
Early on in the season, top goalie 
awards are shared by Rick Craven 
and Wes "LaBlanc" Phipatanakul. 
Both have only given up eleven 
goals in the young season. 
The 
other two goalies, Sam Fazio and 
Brian Herbal, perhaps the best of 
the four, should come around as the 
season slaps along. 
Hockey is a heated sport with 
bumbled body contact and boister-
ous words. 
It's hard to tell the 
difference between a hard body 
check and a soft check, or if there is 
even any difference at all. If that's 
not a hard enough paradox, what 
constitutes a high stick? Is it four 
inches? Is it six inches? Or is thirty-
six inches? Who knows... Finally, 
hockey is probably one of the most 
vocal sports around. In the rink, 
there is a residual ringing of cheers 
that bounces from blue line to blue 
line, spot calls on the floor from 
players, and the providential taunt-
ing of wooden sticks followed by 
intimidating murmurings that bring 
athletes to higher levels of perfor-
mance. 
I 
repeat, 
they 
are 
murmurings. 
Yet through all of 
this, officials think they can see 
every penalty and hear every word. 
Somehow, some ofthe officials think 
that the athletic arena has become a 
place to see how many times a whistle 
can be blown and how long they can keep 
players inside the box. It seems like some of 
the officials have never held an L stick in 
their lives. Yet, they are experts on the sport. 
There needs to be a rule on the back page of 
every officiating manual that requires offi-
cials to like the game they officiate and to 
have at least played it once, just once... 
The P.E department has made a smart 
decision in that they are involving the cap-
tains in the officiating rotation, and they are 
doing a fine job. They are calling good 
Get up to 30 minutes' of long-distance calling. 
Every month, for a full year—absolutely free. 
^iraOilu(ui>lufiTCwlHimrarn)«chMIUn)|UJiciivMfotWrauHlu>ri«fcnnJlmeM WJDI»*nu>hoihf cfcwjKk" 
Oam-Mk' JOminwc nfcWwnfcm] MO Csnl Gwpjnh*lii jr call *») jppropriMc tuidurp- niutf cnruji by Deronhn Jl. 1991 
Finally; you really can get something 
for nothing. 
American Expresf Student Privileges' 
now includes great long-distance savings. 
And all you need to do Is enroll. 
a 
Then, use the Card as your 
> 
calling card. Ybur long-distance 
charges will appear on your monthly 
billing statement, along with a credit. And 
you don't have to change your current 
long-distancc carrier. 
Call today to sign up It's easy It's free. 
And talk doesn't get any cheaper 
than this. 
Enroll today. It's free end it't easy: 
CALL 1-800-456-0545 
To apply for The Card, call 1-800-285- AMEX 
Talk is cheap. 
12 
April 2,1992 
HARDT 
7 
TRUMBLE 
3 
KITTLESON 5 
WOOD 
4 
WOOD 
4 
HARDT 
2 
HARDT 
9 
KITTLESON 4 
WOOD 
a 
TRUMBLE 
4 
KITTLESON S 
TRUMBLE 
4 
CO-ED HOCKEY STANDINGS 
IE&U 
H
i 
££ 
fi& 
B. ROSENTHALL 
3 0 
21 
8 
J. PETERSON 
2 1 
1< 
15 
B. WOODRUFF 
12 
IS 
1* 
D. KELSTROH 
0 3 
12 
22 
WOODRUFF 
10 KELSTROM 3 
PETERSON 
7 WOODRUFF 3 
ROSENTHALL » WOODRUFF 2 
PETERSON 
7 KELSTROM 5 
ROSENTHALL 5 KELSTROM 
4 
ROSENTHALL 7 PETEROSN 2