PAGE 8 * THE STERLING KANSAS BULLETIN * THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012
The offical student-run newspaper of Sterling College
Servant leadership a draw for newest Religion and Philosophy professor, Dr. Dave Briones By BEN WRIGHT Staff Writer The fall semester is always sure to bring a substantial number of new faces to campus. These new arrivals, though, are not always freshmen and transfer students. For example, a new member of the Sterling College community is a brand fresh addition to the Theology and Ministry Department, Dr. Dave Briones, who will I be teaching classes such as Hebrew I, Greek III, Intro to New Testament, and Pauline Literature. The new professor has had a lot of experience with these types of classes. “After becoming a Christian at the age of 18, a friend at church told me that I could actually go to school to learn more about the Bible,” Briones said. Briones attended Life Pacific College in San Dimas, California where he graduated with a BA in Biblical Studies. From there, he received a Master of Divinity from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. After that, it was on to England where Briones would obtain a Masters of Theology with an Emphasis on Biblical Studies and a PhD in New Testament under Professor John M.G. Barclay at Durham University. Now, he has come to Sterling College. He was very attracted to the “focus of the College, its emphasis on serSee Briones, Page 7
THISWEEK Friday. Good Friday Easter break begins (No classes) Saturday. Track at Hutch @ 10 a.m. Track at Larned @ 10 a.m. Softball at Ottawa @ 1 p.m. Sunday. Easter Sunday Monday. No classes Sterling Golf Invitational at Carey Park in Hutchinson @ 8 a.m. Softball vs. Central Christian @ 5 p.m. Baseball at Central Christian @ 7 p.m. Tuesday. One day without shoes Wednesday. Chapel @ 10 a.m. Interview Skills Workshop in Cooper Incubation 1 @ 12:15 p.m. Softball vs Tabor College @ 5 p.m. Thursday. Softball at Haskell Indian Nations University @ 2 p.m. So You Think You Can Dance in Culbertson @ 8 p.m. Friday. SGA election forum in Culbertson @ 10 a.m. Baseball vs. Friends University @ 2 p.m.
Volume 115 issue 13
Junior Evan Kolacny takes gold in first Annual Juried Student Art Show By BAY BAKER Staff Writer The Annual Juried Student Art Show opened for the first time ever on March 29th, 2012. A number of talented people were selected to have their work displayed, including Evan Kolacny, Kara Svaty, Lucas Knauss, Shelby Huber, Courtney Huber, Sarah Grafel, Krisi Colburn, Adrianna Ballor, Jordan Getting, Cody Green, Britt Westerman, Chris Halcromb, Leonore Enfield, Zach Taylor, Taylor Whitfield, Mark Morely, Megan Reed, and Melissa Kerr. Looking for the best quality levels possible, David Harmon and Daniel Swartz judged the show. “There is some fine visual art talent on campus,” Harmon said. “We wanted to reveal this in our all student calls for work. We have a steady group of art and design ma-
jors and minors who always submit quality work. We [want] to give students who have taken our art courses, especially during the academic year, a chance to submit. Not all submitted work will be accepted for the exhibition.” Among the many accepted were three talented individuals who were carefully chosen for First, Second, and Third Place. First Place was awarded to Evan Kolacny for his painting entitled Dealey Plaza #1. This was one of two of his paintings chosen for the Show, and Kolacny, a Junior, is glad to have his art acknowledged. “I feel like everybody in the show was really solid,” Kolacny said. “Every piece lifted all the other pieces up. The one that got first was my strongest piece. I’m really attached to the style, and I’d like to continue working with
it in the future.” Second Place went to Zach Taylor for his creative drawing. “I am so glad that we were able to have a student art show this year,” Third place winner Courtney Huber said. “It is great to see all of the talent of students on campus and I am pleased with the turnout of pieces this year.” The photography piece that got Third was one of her several other art pieces chosen for the show. “I have only been doing photography for a few years,” Huber said. “I have experience doing both manual and digital photography. I prefer manual because it is so fun to see the image appear on the paper in the darkroom – it is such a cool experience. I hope that future shows will just continue to grow and involve even more students across
campus. Shows are good publicity for the art department. I love the interest that it sparks in what we do.” “We feel it is a good exhibition,” Harmon said “And hope more students will feel moved to submit their best work next year when the submission call goes out.” Professor Harmon said the Art Department expects to hold an Annual Juried Student Art Show each spring of the academic year. That way, more work by students having taken our courses can be gathered and displayed. Whether the students took art courses as majors, minors or electives, the art department believes that all student talent should be honored. “We feel that this is a beginning which can build momentum for bigger and better shows in years to come,” Harmon said.
Strategic Planning Task Force focus on 2020 vision By BAY BAKER Staff Writer
The Strategic Planning Task Force has “one big-rock goal,” according to Dr. Paul Maurer: to strengthen the academic core of Sterling College. The Force came together as a group of twenty-five faculty, staff, trustees, students, alumni, and community members who together asked the question: “What do we need to do as a college to do the best job of achieving our goals over the next five years?” The task force had nine meetings, each three hours long, over which they created a list of fourteen objectives to improve the college academically and spiritually. Logging twenty-seven hours together as a group, the task force submitted recommendations to the president, who then submitted recommendations to the board of trustees. Dr. Maurer explained that the process of strategic planning has many layers, the first of which is to develop the mission of the institution. SC’s mission and an over-arching goal is to develop creative and thoughtful leaders who understand a maturing Christian faith. Another layer of strategic planning, the vision statement, was viewed by the task force in light of the mission. The vision statement is that SC be recognized as the finest Christ-centered, servant leadership development-focused, liberal arts experience in the Great Plains. Taking the mission and the vision statement into consideration, the Task Force reviewed a plan that was originally designed by Doctor Maurer in 2010 called “Vision 2020”. This painted a picture of how the next ten years at Sterling College are going to look. Though not set in stone, the principles on which it is built present the foundational ethics of Sterling College. Through a highly participative process of revising, subtracting, and adding details based on input, the Strategic Planning Task Force refined the Vision 2020 document, which was written in the form of an article to the New York Times dated for 2020. This article described Sterling College in its future state as a high-quality institution. The Task Force used this article as a blue-print as it devel-
oped a strategic plan for SC in the next five years and formulated a list of 14 positive objectives of the strategic plan. A key question that came up was asked by the Sterling City manager: “Does Sterling College want to be different, or better?” The Strategic Planning Task Force considered this question. There are eighteen private colleges in Kansas, only four of which (in the area) are like Sterling. These colleges are viewed as very much the same by spectators. Is it possible for Sterling to be different and better? Which one is most important? “Both,” Maurer said. “There is a lot of sameness. We strive to set ourselves apart as both different and better.” The plan to set Sterling College apart includes the installation of signature academic programs, the strengthening of the honors program, making SC’s academic programs more accessible by looking at growing our online platforms, growing internship opportunities, growing study abroad experiences and others. In addition, SC will also increase the number of terminal degrees the full time faculty possess. All of these things will help students’ education, increase the value of the diplomas given out, and strengthen the college overall. The objectives are going to be reduced and narrowed as time passes to further ensure the quality of the plan’s development. Sterling College will be expanded online to further its reach. An architecture firm will be doing a study and will bring recommendations on space usage. Some improvement is needed on the level of space usage and facilities. For example, the pre- med program at Sterling is outstanding -- ninety-four percent of med grads have been accepted to med school – however, the facility should match the quality of the program. Thus, renovations and expansions are needed. The architecture firm will help Sterling College become an even better institution spatially, as well as academically, as it presents an estimate of how much money will be needed to have new or renovated space for the natural sciences, as well. “It’s an exciting time,” Maurer said. “The task force did a great job. We know that any vision or plan has to be done by the whole community. The faculty and staff have to do this together. That is why we have this highly-participative process. We can’t do this alone.”
Film festival debuts Friday, April 13, in Culbertson Auditorium By NATHAN EHRESMAN Staff Writer Each year as film festival season draws near, emerging filmmakers and actors around the world work tirelessly to finish projects in hopes of garnering recognition and fame for their work. This year, that filmmaking frenzy has caught fire in little Sterling, KS. This April will bring the 1st Annual Sterling College Film Festival. The festival will take place at two separate times;; the first being Friday, April 13th at 7:00pm in Culbertson Auditorium and second on Sunday, April 15th at 2:00pm in Cooper Hall. The showing on Sunday will be spread throughout the various rooms in Cooper with the directors and producers there to represent their films and answer any questions. Dr. Raymond Anderson – a first-year professor in the media side of the communications department – has been working with a committee of current Sterling students since last semester to devise how best to hold this first edition of what they hope will be added to the long list of Ster-
ling College traditions. Nathan West and Jaron Hensley have served as the chairpersons of the committee, alongside Angel Edwards and Lucas McKenna, with Chris Halcromb serving as the public relations person for the event. Dr. Anderson came into Sterling with aspirations of starting up a film festival from the beginning. “I intended to start up what could become a tradition from here on in,” Anderson said, “You know, every April you have this event and we have these categories, but it could be something we could expand upon over time.” This competitive festival will feature three main categories: mood piece, short film narrative, and documentary/mockumentary. After all submissions are entered on April 4th, they will then go to a panel of people all with experience in the Sterling College communications department for judging. Based on the decisions of the judges, awards for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Mood Piece, Best Short Film Narrative, and Best Documentary/Mockumentary will be announced at the end
of the Friday night showing. Those in attendance on Friday night will receive a ballot and will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite piece. These votes will be tallied and the winner will be announced on Sunday, receiving the special sixth award, the Audience’s Pick for Best Picture. In addition to being a fun event for students to attend, Dr. Anderson has high hopes for the Film Festival. “I’d like to see Sterling being a school that creates strong Christian stories – both non-fiction and fictional – and to be known for it,” Dr. Anderson said. “So my expectation… is to see it help the school grow in terms of its media awareness and creativity.” The result of a lot of hard work and planning, Dr. Anderson’s vision is turning into a reality. On top of benefits for media students gaining experience in directing and producing short films and theatre students practicing on camera, the 1st Annual Sterling College Film Festival promises to be a fun inauguration of a great new Sterling College tradition.
S S sterling.edu/stir-newspaper
* THE STERLING KANSAS BULLETIN * THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 2012 * PAGE 9
SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Weekly Sports Wrap Finding Christ in Film Talking Cinema With Tim
By KATIE MCGRATH Sports Editor
During an eventful week in athletics, the baseball team played five games in three days. Against Northwestern Oklahoma State University the Warriors stole the victory after the game went to the fourteenth inning. The final hit came from Ian Josh who sent Daniel Campbell home to win the game. The following day the Warriors took on Ottawa and ended up winning in game one with a score of five to four, but lost the second game one to six. The next games were played at Ottawa. The Warriors won the first game with a score of twelve to nine, then lost the next game four to five. With five more games played, the Warriors are now 26-8 on the season and 9-3 in conference play. Continuing the busy week,
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the golf team competed in the Ottawa Spring Invitational. The men’s team took 4th and Jake Gose lead the team by finishing in 7th place overall. As for the women, only having two eligible players prevents them from competing as a team, however, Alexa Pelton finished 14th after two rounds with a score of 180, followed by teammate Katelynn Cantrell with a two round score of 189. “I was honestly a little disappointed in how I played,” Pelton said “But it came out decent. It’s a good place to build from.” In track, Jillian Linnebur earned the title of KCAC Player of the week. This makes for back-to-back titles for her. This week she earned it by placing fourth in the 800 meter run at the Alex Francis Classic in Hays, Kansas. She ran the 800 meter in 2:19:31, which is her new personal best, a
new school record, and good enough to place her first in the KCAC. In softball, against Oklahoma Wesleyan University, the Lady Warriors split the series. After starting off on a bad foot by losing 1-10, the Lady Warriors held their heads high and won the second 12-9. In the two games against Friends University, the first two conference games of the season, the Warriors lost both. The final scores were 0-8 and 4-12. Their record for the season is now 12-27 with a conference start of 0-2. To follow up on the crosscountry team, seven student athletes were named 2011 KCAC Scholar Athletes. These athletes, Austin Gautier, Chris Penner, Evan Kolacny, Jillian Linnebur, Kendall Perry, Lindsay Rollins and Sara Doll, all maintained a grade point average of 3.33, have sophomore status, and lettered.
By JON FAULKNER Staff Writer
he Freshman
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By SAMANTHA DAVISON Cartoonist
Kutless Believer Album Review By JON FAULKNER Staff Writer Kutless has always been one of the most consistent bands in Christian Rock, managing to remain relevant while staying true to their own unique style of rock. Since their self-titled debut album in 2002 they have produced a solid discography and with a decade of music under their belts they have become leaders and role models to younger upcoming artists everywhere. John Michah Sumerall and company’s seventh studio album Believer is another great example of growth and maturity. Kutless has never had a problem with sticking to their unique, easily identifiable sound while proving they can add to their style. Believer takes facets and styles from each of their previous records and mixes them together to make easily one of the most well crafted albums of the year.
The album opens with “If It Ends Today”, a power opener that really grabs the listeners attention. Here we hear the high screaming guitars and John Micah’s smooth vocals. “Carry On” is a great follow up with a power entrance and music that never overpowers the vocals. “Even If” is the first of several slower songs on the album, all of which are expertly produced. The best part of this section of the album is just when you think it’s going to slow down the powerful “Need” kicks in, taking the listener almost by surprise. The track “I’m with You” also stands out as John Micah masterfully pulls off more of a pop vocal pattern. Lyrically this may be one of the best Kutless albums to date as the band seeks to incorporate the beautiful worship lyrics with the usual heavy hitting, deeply convicting lyrics found on previous projects. “If
it Ends Today” starts Believer off by combining worship and encouragement to live as the body of Christ. “Carry On” might come across as a bit clichéd at first but it drives to the heart of our need for the Love of God. “Hero” might be the weakest song on the album but it still packs a bit of a punch. “I’m With You” is sure to be a fan favorite as it paints a beautiful picture of God’s love for us. The title cut “Believer” helps to close the album out strong as the singer seeks to encourage a friend through his belief in Christ and the closer “Carry Me to the Cross” may be one of those songs that becomes a gem within Christian Music. All in all Kutless’s seventh full length studio album is far from a disappointment and will make a great addition to any music lover’s collection.
Briones
bring an even deeper level of passion for Christ with him. This relates to his personal teaching philosophy. “The integration of the mind and the heart in Christian faith and living” is a very important thing that he is planning on bringing to the classroom. This idea of coupling the development of the mind and the heart simultaneously fits in very well with his ideal of approaching
the teaching experience pastorally. Dr. Briones is a professor who tries to bring Christ into other people’s lives by practicing what he preaches. He also enjoys skateboarding and hopes to do a little of both in his free time in Sterling. He is bringing with him Mindy, his wife of eight years and stay at home mother of Micah William, his son.
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vant leadership, and especially the classroom sizes.” When discussing what he was looking forward to about teaching here, he mentioned relating to and engaging his students on a one-to-one level. He also looks forward to being involved in his new community and the college. He really hopes to
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Editor-in-Chief.................................................................................Tim Luisi Assistant Editor.........................................................................Ryan Corwin Sports Editor..........................................................................Katie McGrath Staff Writers.............................................................................Patrick Wright Bay Baker Nathan Ehresman Jon Faulkner Ben Wright Cartoonist.........................................................................Samantha Davison Faculty Advisor........................................................................Felicia Squires
By TIM LUISI Editor-in-Chief Two millenniums ago, a man came to earth, was born of a virgin, performed countless miracles, died on a cross and rose again to save humanity from its sins, ascending to heaven and promising to return. Although Jesus has not returned yet, that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from trying to create its own Christ figures throughout the years. On this Maundy Thursday then, let’s take a look at the five film characters that have perhaps come closest to accurately representing the figure of Jesus Christ, recognizing that while all of these characters have amazing abilities and fantastic traits that none of them come close to the life-changing power and love that comes from the one true Savior. 5. E. T.- E.T.- You think an extraterrestrial can’t be a Christ figure? Think again. This alien heals the sick, is persecuted by a group that doesn’t understand him, and ultimately comes back from the dead, flying off into the heavens at the film’s conclusion. Perhaps more importantly, however, E. T. shows up to a hurting Elliot at the film’s onset and gives him the one thing that he has always wanted: a father. Jesus is not only our savior, but our father as well. Having a child-like faith, like Elliot had in E. T. can help us see the truly miraculous like he did. 4. Harry Potter- Harry Potter Series- Yep, I just lost a few readers with those two words I’m sure, but let’s look at the facts. Harry Potter, while was not born of a virgin, had extraordinary circumstances surrounding his birth, being labeled the chosen one (more on that in #3) and prophesied to be the one to take down the dark lord. As he grew older, he refused to accept the customs of the day, often rebelling like Jesus did at the temple, and speaking out against pureblood/Pharisee ideals. Finally,Harry gives up his life and returns from the dead, becoming stronger than ever and removing evil from the grounds of Hogwarts and the rest of the wizarding world, just like Jesus ultimately will remove evil from earth on the day of judgment.
Rating: 9.5/10
The Stir is produced by Sterling College students and printed weekly in and by the Sterling Bulletin, Sterling, Kansas. We seek to serve the Sterling College community with news and information. We work toward goals of honesty and integrity while always seeking the truth. We also work with an understanding of service to a Christian community. Letters to the editor must be signed and legible. Letters are subject to editing for style and spelling and will be printed at the editors’ discretion. Letters should not be longer than 350 words. Letters must be received by 3 p.m. the Tuesday before the print date (Thursday). Opinions presented on the Opinion page do not necessarily represent the views of Sterling College. Address letters to The Stir, SC Box 8, 125 W. Cooper, Sterling, KS 67579.
3. Neo- The Matrix- Just like Harry, Neo is called “the one” and is supposed to be the one that will bring the machines down. Neo is the first example on this list to expel demons (machines, but you know what I mean) and like many others is willing to give up his very existence to save a world of people that he hardly knows. What makes him an even more convincing Christ figure, however, is his flair for the miraculous. Jesus calms the waves; Neo stops bullets. Jesus walks on
water;; Neo flies through the sky. Jesus raises Lazarus; Neo raises Trinity. Jesus saves the world and of course Neo does as well. 2. Wall-E- Wall-E- Yes, I realize that Wall-E is a robot, not a miracle worker, and that I have now compared Jesus to an alien, wizard, and a robot, but let me tell you a story first
before you throw that stone in your hand. In a world seemingly irrevocably broken, someone is sent to try and set things right. In the process he falls in love and does everything he can to save the one he falls in love with, even when she wants nothing to do with him. He is not only pursuing her, but is also trying to bring the world back from its near death state, going so far as to sacrifice his own life to save the world, only to finally come back from the dead and return to earth once again. If the story sounds familiar, it’s because it’s not only the story of Wall-E, but also that of the New Testament. Wall-E, yes, that slapstick creation of Pixar is definitely one of the better representations of Christ; able to save the world through his death and never stopping his pursuit of Eve, this robot, completely sans language, is a beautiful picture of Christ’s courage, sacrifice, and unending love. 1. Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy- Ok, so this is cheating, putting three characters as Christ figures, but it’s what Tolkien did and easily produces the fullest picture of Christ in a fictional world. Through Gandalf is shown the contemplative Jesus, full of wisdom and also the eventual sacrifice needed for the fellowship to emerge victorious. Through Frodo the picture is drawn of a man (or hobbit in this case) willing to take on the burdens of every living thing to save the world. And finally, through Aragorn two aspects of Jesus’ character are displayed. Firstly, his undying love for his bride (that would be us, for those of you still following my ramblings) and secondly his willingness to go to war to utterly annihilate the darkness from the world. The peacemaker, the lover, the savior, the miracle worker and the warrior… almost every aspect of Christ can be found in these three characters. Thankfully all of them can be found in the same place in real life. The same Jesus Christ who all five of these characters are in some ways based on, died and rose again to save us from our sins nearly 2000 years ago. It is for his life, sacrifice, miracles, and so much more that we celebrate Easter this weekend. Despite how awesome Gandalf, Neo, and Wall-E are, it is amazing to think that the best of their fictional qualities doesn’t even scratch the surface of the real thing.