Iron Blade February 2018 Issue

THE

IRON BLADE Vol. 62, No. 1

SINCE 1955

60 Years of Ferrum College News

February, 2018

Johns Gets to Know the Ferrum Community

by Patrick Duggan In his first month as Ferrum’s president, Dr. David Johns has made himself known on campus.

He’s made appearances in the panthers den, the ARC and the dining hall, often inviting students to ask him questions and voice their concerns.

Junior Kate Anderson met him unexpectedly in the cafeteria. “We had a seat open and he sat with us,” Anderson said. “It was nice. He stayed for about fifteen minutes and asked us about our majors, stuff like that. He’s very approachable.”

Johns explains his active engagement as a symptom of restlessness; he hates sitting still and loves interacting with people.

“I had a job once working in a library, and I was in the back doing some processing work, but every half hour or so I was getting up and going someplace,” Johns said. “I loved the idea of being fired. It was just hard for me to sit there, and it’s hard for me to spend all day in my office, because I enjoy interacting with people so much.

That’s not just political strategy for me.” Since his arrival, he’s used his energy to meet the community, promote the school on the road, and search for resolutions to its most pressing problems. In the process, he’s developed a feel for Ferrum’s culture and appreciation of its legacy.

Johns has enjoyed a smooth transition so far, thanks in part to familiarity with Ferrum’s key characteristics and ample administrative experience. Before the presidency, he was the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Union College, a small, methodist, liberal arts school much like Ferrum. The two are both nestled in rural Appalachia, have similar population counts, feature strong athletic programs, and foster a large portion of first-generation college students. On a broader level, both serve student bodies of comparable demographics and challenges. The similarity is no coincidence. A first-gen student himself, Johns has had a front row-seat to the decades-spanning impact a good education can have on students and their families. He wants to create the same future for the children of his students that his favorite professor did for his son, who works at a British aerospace company.

“Before I went to Union, I was at a very highly selective liberal arts college,” Johns said.

“It was a wonderful place, but students at that college could drop out of school and be just fine, because they came from families with means and support systems. I want to be some place where what I’m doing is making a huge generational difference in students’ lives.” He found what he was looking for at Union and saw Ferrum as a continuation of that ideal. Though similar to his last schools, Johns has quickly noticed characteristics unique to Ferrum and its community.

“One of the things I’ve noticed is a really intelligent intensity among students,” Johns said.

“I’ve met a lot of students who care deeply about this place, and they’re asking smart questions.

Students are talking with me about the world, different issues that are happening in the world and how they’re impacting them, and I find that very impressive. Again, I wouldn’t speak ill of any

Photo by Kristin Waters

Above, Dr. David David Johns poses with students and peace activist Ken E. Nwadike Jr. (second from the right) at the Martin Luther King Day celebration. Since his arrival, Johns has made frequent unexpected appearances in meetings

place that I’ve been, not at all, but it was harder to have those conversations where I was before.”

Johns also sees a strong loyalty and gratitude to Ferrum among its veterans. While visiting Richmond to meet with state government officials about higher education, Johns ran into several Ferrum alumni and was taken aback by their passion for the school.

“I talked to one alumna who was asking about how things were going at the college and what we had in mind for the future, and she just started crying and said ‘I’m so happy,’” Johns said. “It was really interesting, because she obviously loves this school, it’s so important to her, and she was so happy to know that things were moving along. Another night, I was having dinner with a director at the University of Richmond.

After we’d been in this conversation for a while, she said 2 or 3 family members of hers used to be at Ferrum. It is crazy, they’re everywhere, we’re everywhere, and that’s pretty exciting.”

On campus, Johns is focused on identifying issues and finding their solutions. He wants to improve campus-wide communication to enhance team problem solving; “I think sometimes there are things going on one side of campus that the other side doesn’t know about, and sometimes that means we end up duplicating effort, or someone misses out on something because they didn’t know it was happening,” Johns said. He’s also met with the Student Task Force on Persistence and Student Success to address more complicated problems and hear the student perspective on how to solve them. The task force, formed in the spring of 2016 by former president Joseph Spooner, works to grasp the student experience at Ferrum and set the agenda for administrators. It recently circulated a survey designed to help administrators curb

their priorities to student opinion. Johns attended several task-force meetings to observe the process and gain insight into the Ferrum zeitgeist.

“He came to our first meeting of the semester and shared how excited he was about working at Ferrum,” said senior Jevonte Blounte, one of the task force’s 18 members. “He’s been a really active listener throughout the meetings.”

Johns plans to use the data collected by the survey to raise Ferrum’s retention rate, one of his top priorities. On top of that, he’s working with the task force to set up “reverse-town hall meetings” in Vaughn chapel, where members of the Ferrum community can ask him questions and voice concerns. In addition, in the coming weeks, he will receive campus groups and organizations at Stratton House to get a sharper picture of the needs and worries of the community. He’s serious about boosting numbers but confident about the future.

“Clearly, retention is an issue we need to work on,” Johns said. “Enrollment for fall is cautiously optimistic. Things are trending in the right direction. More applicants, more admits, more deposits.”

Overall, Johns is excited about the semester and settling in to his new position. He’s particularly looking forward to commencement; “For many families, this is the biggest event in their life until there’s a wedding,” he said. “It needs to be a celebration of that.” He’s also anxious for the arrival of his wife, Susan, who’s been finishing out a contract as a speech therapist in Kentucky.

“It’s been a great first month, and people have been very warm and generous, which has been terrific,” Johns said. You don’t have to be here very long before you see the kind of rich community this is."

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AROUND CAMPUS

Ferrum Panthers Get Back in the Swing of Things By, Mary Stoudt Under the direction of David Saleeba, the Ferrum Panthers Band is the “Sound of Panther Pride."

Ferrum College revived the band in 2015, but recently, the push for a band program at Ferrum College has grown. In the years to follow, the Ferrum Panthers Band will begin marching on the field at football games for the first time in over 50 years. The start of a marching band at Ferrum College also coincides with Ferrum joining the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Ferrum College had a band program throughout the 1970s and 1980s that dwindled over time.

David Saleeba and the current students in the band are hopeful that the program will grow over the next few years.

David Saleeba took over the band in the fall of 2017 and has been working with administration and band members to help the program grow. He plans to encourage success and expansion

in the department with new rewards and opportunities.

“Starting in 2018, there will be a $1000 scholarship opportunity for all incoming band students,” Saleeba said. “Our hope is that when a high school senior chooses Ferrum for one of our great major programs, they will also be rewarded for playing in the band. Our goal as a program is to have a marching band on the field for the 2019 football season, but we will start adding new traditions, which will enhance game day this coming year as well.

There's a lot to be excited about for the future with the Ferrum Panther Band." Last semester, members of the band went to a marching band competition at Franklin County High School to promote the band and recruit potential Ferrum College students. Members of the band also volunteered at a booth during an open house last semester in an effort to gain more students.

Last semester, the Ferrum Panthers Band played at three

Photo Courtesy of David Saleeba

Above, Dr. David Saleeba, far right, poses with the Ferrum Panthers Band. Since 2017, Saleeba has been working with the Ferrum administration to revive the band.

football games, one basketball game, and the annual holiday concert. Currently, the band is comprised of just seven students.

This semester, the students of the Ferrum Panthers Band will be playing at numerous basketball games, the annual spring concert, and the school musical (“Man of La Mancha”) in the spring. Members of the Ferrum Panthers Band attend night class every Tuesday and Thursday to prepare for events.

Junior Alease Allen, who plays the bass drum for the band, said

that band “helps with anxiety and is stress relief.” Senior and trumpeter Josh Sanders said, “Being a founding member of the band, it’s a really satisfying feeling to know that I helped start a Ferrum tradition.

I joined because of how awesome high school marching band was, and I quickly found out that the Ferrum Panther Band wasn’t just a band, we are family.”

The Ferrum Panthers Band will be back next semester and new members are always welcomed.

The band does (cont. pon page 8)

Campus Food Services Continues Decline By, Mary Stoudt Last semester, Subway shortened their hours of operation.

The News Cafe, which originally extended their hours in the beginning of the semester, went back to their original hours shortly after announcing the change. In addition, the planned new venue was unable to open. Equipment for a new restaurant was moved into the mercantile last semester, but there were not enough student employees to staff it. Since then, the “food crisis” has continued to grow.

In the beginning of this semester, many students took notice that the Papa John’s Express in Franklin Hall had gone dark. On January 8, 2017, director of retail operations Wendi Younce sent out an email, stating, “We regret to inform you that Papa John’s Express will be closed until further notice due to a lack of work study student employees. We will resume operation there as soon as possible.” For Papa John’s Express

and Papa John’s to operate optimally, there needs to be 25 student workers.

As of now, there are only ten. Since Papa John’s Express is currently closed, Subway has begun to sell eight-inch pizzas, putting more stress on the student workers. Subway is also short staffed, with only 11 of its 25 positions filled. Even though

Subway began making eight-inch pizzas to give staff and students more options at Franklin Hall, it does not offer food options comparable to that of the mercantile. With a shortened list of food options available at Franklin Hall, more students have started eating at Blue Ridge Burgers & Deli, which only has nine of its photo courtesy of Mary Stoudt

25 necessary employees. Both Blue Ridge Burgers & Deli and Papa John’s are now closing at 8:00pm.

All of the food venues on campus are understaffed and need more student workers to remain open.

As mentioned, the mercantile began to make room for a new venue last fall. Younce confirmed that it would have a Mexican theme. “Once open, the new Mexican Food venue will offer customers the choice of burritos or bowls filled with the items of their choice,” Younce said. “Meat choices, for instance, will be seasoned steak, chicken, or carnitas . Other items that will be available to choose from are white or brown rice, black and pinto beans, lettuce, fresh salsa, sour cream, cheese and guacamole.” However, since there is a lack of student workers, there is no telling when the new venue will be open. Junior John Childers, who has worked at Subway for several semesters, explained that (cont. on page 8)

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AROUND SPORTS CAMPUS

Ferrum Celebrates MLK Day with Speakers and Events

by Jacques Moore-Roberts Ferrum College’s Martin Luther King Day event was organized by Justin Muse and the Student Leadership Program. On Monday, January 15, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Panthers Den, Muse and the Student Leadership Program welcomed Fred Saffold III to display his exhibit, the “True Black History Museum.”

Saffold’s museum featured pictures, newspaper articles, magazines and more historical artifacts of African-American culture. The exhibit also featured a signed San Francisco 49ers Colin Copernic jersey. Many of you might remember him for his iconic kneel during the National Anthem of a National Football League (NFL) game, which he believed stood for racial equality.

Muse and the Student Leadership Program also incorporated hip-hop music videos that were impactful towards the African-American culture. Justin Muse stated, “Hip-Hop when it started served as a civil rights movement for that generation.” The exhibit showcased raw AfricanAmerican culture. Fred Saffold, the owner of

Above, True Black History Museum curator Fred Saffold III addresses an audience in the Panther's Den. Saffold presented a mobile African-American culture exhibit during the Martin Luther King Day Celebration.

by Jacques Moore-Roberts The popular clothing brand H&M set social media on fire when they released a photo on their online website of two children modeling some of their new hoodies. One of the models was Caucasian and the other was African-American.

The script that was placed on the hoodie of the African-American child said, “Coolest Monkey In The Jungle”. Many people bashed the H&M brand for lacking awareness of racial sensitivity.

Also, because of the incident, the brand lost major collaboration deals with big-named artist such as G-Eazy and The Weeknd. These two artist both spoke out against the brand and publicly announced how disappointed they were with H&M. Not only did the company lose huge partnerships with big names, other public figures voiced their opinions, such as Lebron James and Sean Combs (Also known as P. Diddy). Sean

Combs has even offered the model a one million dollar modeling contract with Sean John.

The model's mother, Terry Mango, spoke on the situation as well, but did not see the issue in the photograph. She stated, “This is one of hundreds of outfits my son has modeled… stop crying Wolf all the time, unnecessary issue.”

Even though it seems like the mother has no problem with the photograph, the world is still furious and outraged by it, and her remarks seemed to have startled people even more.

Since the issue became more popular on the internet, H&M made an apology post on their Instagram page on January 9, 2018. The post states, “We have a responsibility to be aware of and attuned to all racial and cultural sensitivities- and we have not lived up to this responsibility this time.” H&M continues by stating, “The incident is accidental in nature,

but this doesn’t mean we don’t take it extremely seriously or understand the upset and discomfort it has caused. We have taken down the image and we have removed the garment. We will now be doing everything we possibly can to prevent this from happening again in future.” This apology did not end the controversy of the photograph.

However, it stimulated more problems. There were later reports in the media that H&M stores in South Africa were sabotaged by protestors who felt disrespected by the photograph of the child.

I asked a student at Ferrum College named Markus Lewis if he felt there was an overreaction on the internet or was H&M truly out of line. He answered, “I think it’s a bit of both, H&M was wrong with promoting something like that, but I think the people who were upset could have voiced their opinions with more respect.”

3TG finances armed groups and state military units that commit serious abuses like rape, Do students know the computers, projectors abductions and murder. and printers at our College campus may be funding one of deadliest conflicts in the history We have to take action now and support of the world? electronics companies that are actively doing their part to trace and ensure that the minerals in their Electronic manufacturers represent one of products originate from conflict-free areas. In the largest users of tin, tungsten, tantalum, and November, 2017, the Enough Project, an NGO in gold (3TG). 3TG minerals are used in a wide Washington DC, ranked the 20 largest consumer variety of products, ranging from smartphones electronics and jewelry retail companies in the to batteries in electric cars. These minerals have world on their efforts to develop sustainable been linked to mass atrocities in eastern Congo, conflict-free minerals supply chains from Congo.

Through Enough's Student Upstander program, I am working to pass a resolution on campus that would commit our school to favor companies that are working the most on this issue when we make institutional purchasing decisions. The Apple computers we see in our library every day were ranked highest overall, and so we should support that progress both with our individual purchasing habits and through the large contracts Ferrum College holds.

the True Black History Museum, said, “Things would be rough for some to see, but we must see the roughness in order to see the beauty in our culture.” I asked Muse what sparked the idea of having the exhibit come to Ferrum College and

he said that “A History museum would speak volumes on the African-American culture.”

At 7:00pm, the event continued in the Panthers Den with a showing of the movie Selma, starring David (cont. on page 8) Photo by Kristin Waters

Public Opinion: The H&M Controversy and the Politics of Insensitivity

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor,

Thank you, Ricardo Pierre

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OFF CAMPUS

Panthers at the Roanoke Women's March

by Patrick Duggan and Mary Stoudt

all photos by Qazir Harnett, except where otherwise noted On January 20, 2018, around 5000 people gathered at Elmwood Park for the second annual “Women’s March on Roanoke.” The event was full of Ferrum spirit; Associate Professor of Spanish Patricia Suppes served as one of the march’s eight primary organizers and spoke on behalf of immigrant rights. Russian professor Caitlin Giustiniano recruited and coordinated volunteers from the Ferrum community. Six OGO sisters volunteered as an organization, and students like junior Kate Anderson and sophomore Sarah Patton participated in smaller groups. English professor Tina Hanlon came to march and protest on her own. The Iron Blade photographed the event and interviewed Ferrum participants about photo by Rae Thompson

Above, Dr. Patricia Suppes and friend Carolina Smalles speak to the crowd about the the struggles faced by Latino Americans and American immigrants, particularly DACA recipients. Originally not on the slate to speak, Suppes and Smalles filled in for Yolanda Puyana, who was unable to attend. An immigrant herself, Suppes takes President Trump's anti-immigration attitude personally. "I came in with my grandmother, who was exiled from Peru," Suppes said. "She applied for visas so I could come to the US. If that had happened today, I would have had zero points - I couldn't speak English, I wasn't college educated, I had no work experience or skills. I would not be here, would've had no impact." Left, Dr. Caitlin Guistiniano mans the headquarters table at the side of the stage. Guistiniano helped recruit volunteers from Ferrum and coordinate them at the event. Before-hand, she helped administer a facebook page to collect volunteers and reached out to Ferrum students directly. Student volunteers performed a variety of duties, from passing out fliers to assisting with security. Junior Kate Anderson and sophomore Sarah Patton were among her team.

"It was a really positive experience," Anderson said. "There's lots of dancing, a lot of people just standing around and smiling." Guistiniano managed to assemble around twenty volunteeers from Ferrum alone.

"We were lucky, our volunteers were really great," she said.

Above, Dr. Tina Hanlon sports an anti-Trump sign. Right, a marcher expresses similar discontent. Much of the march's criticism centers around a re-emergence of inflammatory racial attitudes and policy, often attributed to the president. "A really big piece of it [the march] is being horrified by some of the racist rehtoric that's coming out in the open now, and some of the policies that some people advocate to stereotype and persecute immigrants," Hanlon said. "I'm really very upset by that.

For someone who's old enough to remember the various civil rights movements of the sixties, it is extremely shocking to see people openly committing hate crimes."

Though the original women's march spurred in response to president Trump's conduct and political agenda, both Hanlon and Suppes insist that it's about a much broader issue. "The president was barely mentioned," Suppes said. "It's really about women being involved in decision making and voicing our opinions on things we care about."

Top right, Jade Jones, Ana Canas, Fox Yates and Kathryn Bonner of OGO collect donations. Yates and Jones also assisted with security. "Jade and I walked in with a bunch of short chicks, and the people running the event took one look at us and asked us to be security," Yates said. "It was cool to be put in a position like that and recognized by security guards who were all men."

photo by Rae Thompson

their experience.

- Read more online.

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OFF SPORTS CAMPUS Left and below, march attendees showcase a variety of political beliefs and concerns. Suppes identified diversity and intersectionality as a key goal of the event, with speakers chosen to cover a spectrum of political issues, including health care, immigration, violence against women, gerrymandering, pipeline opposition, and institutional racism. Left, Essence Bowles of Lord Botetourt High School brandishes a sign crammed with political messaging. "What inspired me to go to the march was that maybe by going and speaking, I could change or inspire other people to take action or to educate themselves on current issues that women everywhere have to face," Bowles said.

"I think the biggest issue today is the misconduct that is going on in workplaces and how women are being treated more like objects than human beings." Bottom right, two men display signs addressing violence against female activists around the world, nuclear weapons, and the gendered stigma surrounding feminism. Bottom left, marchers show off signs celebrating female empowerment, appealing for women's healthcare rights, and demanding environmental protection.

Left, the crowd marches up St. Jefferson Street immediately after exiting Elmwood Park. After the scheduled speeches, the crowd marched about four blocks down St. Jefferson Street and back again. According to Suppes, turnout exceeded both last year 's number and expectations for this year, landing somewhere around 5,000. Donations collected will be used to pay off the costs of the march and fund future activist events. Suppes is a member of a local activist group called Roanoke Indivisible, which helps coordinate political mobilization throughout the year. The members of Roanoke Indivisible were largely responsible for this year's womens march.

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SPORTS

Men's Lax Compete in First Scrimmage of the Season

by AnnGardner Eubank The Ferrum Men’s Lacrosse team made their 2018 season debut in a scrimmage at Randolph Macon College in Ashland, Virginia on February 2. The scrimmage was just a warm up for the Panthers before their first official game away at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, set to take place February 10.

While the team has been putting

in hard work with practices, lifts, and workouts in the off season and overcoming adversities with multiple team injuries, the Panthers are ready to put their skills to the test and get the season underway.

Junior veteran Koby McMahon is confident and excited about this year’s team, and thought the scrimmage at RMC was a good start for the Panthers. “Our first

Photo courtesy of Ferrum College Athletics

Junior Koby McMahon

scrimmage went pretty well,” McMahon said. “We played very hard and learned what we are going to have to work on in the process.”

To gear up for the rest of the season, the team is going to be taking everyday as a learning opportunity to improve on themselves. “We’re going to watch some film and find our weakest spots and some of the strengths we can capitalize on,” Photo courtesy of Ferrum College Athletics

Senior Ron Carney

McMahon said. The Lacrosse team takes pride in their hustle, knowing their efforts help cultivate their atmosphere and team chemistry.

“We all work hard and bring intensity everyday,” McMahon said.

McMahon isn’t the only one who’s pumped for the upcoming season.

Even while battling an injury, senior Ron Carney is anxious to get back on the field, and is extremely excited to get back to playing with his team.

“I don’t think I’ll be cleared before our first game, but I’m just trying to get healthy to ball out the rest of the season,” Carney said. Ron also said he was most looking forward to playing his new Coach’s alma mater, Bridgewater College, later in the season on February 21, which is also the first home game. “I think we can beat Bridgewater. It’ll be a good game. If we do what we gotta do, we can win,” Carney said.

The Panthers will hit the field again on February 10 in Maryland.

Men's Wrestling Starts Strong and Celebrates Seniors

by AnnGardner Eubank The Ferrum Men’s Wrestling Team started 2018 on a high note, defeating Greensboro 33-18 on January 10. Hunter Goulart was the big winner of that match, recording the one and only pin in just 43 seconds against his opponent. Just two days later, the team traveled to Hampton to compete in the Virginia Duals. On January 12, the first day of the matches, Tatom Tyree, Robert Ziehfreund, Andrew Tolbert, and Goulart all finished on top for the Panthers to push them to a 33-12 victory over Alderson Broaddus University. The following day, the Panthers fell to Liberty University 25-7, but came back to beat out Camden County 27-9, and beat the Apprentice School with a score of 24-16. Braxton May-Nicholson posted a pin in the match at 157.

Ferrum took third overall at the Hampton Duals, and returned to the mat on February 27.

The Panthers made their return to the mat at the Pete Willson/ Wheaton

Photo courtesy of Ferrum College Athletics

Men's Wrestling celebrated their three seniors, Max Baker, Bailey Cooper, and Mark Allan (left to right), for four years of hard work on the mat on their senior night when they competed against Southern Virginia University.

Invitational on the 27th and took 7th place. While the competition was tough, Bailey Cooper, wrestling at 133, was Ferrum’s sole place winner with a pin. However, the Panther’s bounced back on January 31, their

senior night, with a 37-12 win over Southern Virginia in Swartz Gym. The Panthers are graduating three seniors, Max Baker, Mark Allan, and Bailey Cooper. However, before they hang up their singlets for good,

the Panthers have a bit more time left in their season. The Panthers will be travelling to Greensboro on February 10 to compete before the regional tournament begins on the 23rd.

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SPORTS

Up to Bat, Ferrum Baseball Gears Up for Home Opener

by AnnGardner Eubank The guys of the Ferrum Baseball team have been hard at work in the off season, with regular conditioning, hitting, lifting, and practices. They get to showcase all their hard work on Saturday, Feb. 10. The team will be making their 2018 debut on their home turf against Christopher Newport University for a nonconference competition.

“We’re definitely excited. It’s the new season.

We’ve got a lot of guys that have potential to really help this team out and take us to conference to get those rings,” senior player Trey Hamlett said. Hamlett spent the last season battling a shoulder injury and is ready to be playing with his team again.

After graduating some key players and losing a few who transfered to other schools, the team knows they have some important roles to fill. “We have a really talented group of new

pitchers. We’ve got a lot of good players from past seasons who had big shoes to fill, and the freshman are stepping up,” sophomore

Grey Sherfey said.

With a talented mix of veteran players and the new crop, the Ferrum Panthers are confident

Photo courtesy of Ferrum College Athletics

Photo courtesy of Ferrum College Athletics

Sophomore Grey Sherfey

Senior Trey Hamlett

they will have a successful season as long as they stick to their guns and trust the system. “Conference wise, our biggest competition is probably Methodist and Piedmont. We just gotta be at the top of our game, keep all our ducks in a row, throw strikes, and just play our game,” Sherfey said.

The Ferrum Baseball team will be in action February 10 and 11 for their home opener and season debut against CNU on their home turf.

Mattox Mows Over the Competition, Makes History

by Jacques Moore-Roberts recent success. She has rebounds, and 3.4 steals Ferrum College’s accumulated great numbers on the season so far. In Women’s Basketball star by being active on every Mattox’s game against Photo courtesy of Ferrum College Athletics Greensboro College, she dominated by going into “Mamba Mattox Mode,” scoring 32 points, 5 steals, and 5 rebounds in a losing effort. However, the next day, January 21, Mattox again went into to “Mamba Mattox Mode” to put up outstanding numbers and help the team pull off a 67-53 win Senior Zarkia Mattox, left, has earned the nickname "Mamba Mattox." against Pfeiffer College.

Zarkia Mattox has been a area of the floor, averaging Her scoring output was just driving force in the team’s 20.7 points per game, 8.9 a small part of her role in

the team’s win, putting up 24 points, 11 rebounds, 8 steals and 3 assists. Last year, the team finished 18-9 and went 12-2 in conference play. With the teams current record at 16-9, Ferrum College believes that Mattox and the Women’s basketball team will continue their successes in hopes of winning the USA South conference and possibly a national championship.

Mattox was selected to the D3hoops.com Pre-Season All America team (20172018), and was also the USA

South Player of the year and the VaSID Player of the year in 2017. Mattox marked her name in Ferrum’s College basketball history by being the first player to ever receive a triple double back in 2016 against Bridgewater College, when she had 48 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Mattox may be the best basketball player that Ferrum College has ever seen. With a long season ahead of her, the expectations are set high for the finish of her senior year.

Women's Basketball Men's Basketball

by Kristin Perry Ferrum’s Women’s Basketball has had a great second semester so far, picking up many games and scoring big conference game wins.

They bested William Peace University 6455 on January 3, and Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC, 57-45. On January 10, they picked up another win against Meredith College at home, 66-53. They also scored two backto-back wins on January 13 and 14 over South Salem College and Averett University, both home games and USA South games. More recently, on January 20, the women’s team competed in a USA South game against Greensboro College and barely lost, 64-66. The Ferrum panthers then quickly picked up a win the next day over Pfeiffer University at home, the final score being 67-53.

by Kristin Perry Ferrum’s Men’s basketball team has been off to a rough start for the New Year, starting with a tough loss on January 3 to Pfeiffer University at home, with an ending score of 62-103. Ferrum was supposed to take on Pfeiffer University a second time in their home gym, but the game was cancelled. However, the men’s basketball team bounced back quickly, winning at home against Brevard College 63-57 on January 6.

After that, the team hit a rough streak, losing three USA South games in a row, the first being to Maryville College at home, with a devastating score of 58-90. The second loss was to Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, NC on January 12, with a final score of 58-81. The last and most recent loss was on January 20 to Berea College, finishing 73-86.

Intramural Basketball

by Kristin Perry Men, Women, and Greek leagues: you are being encouraged to play intermural basketball.

In order to participate, you must get in groups or teams ranging from five to eight players and complete the sign up process at IMLeagues. com. If you have any questions, you can contact Daniel Kyle at dikyle@ferrum.edu. Grab your friends and classmates and get involved.

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CONTINUE READING

Campus Food Continued

(from page 2) the worker deficit makes it extremely difficult to handle all items, they can go to the Pine House at 109 Ferrum Mountain Road, where of the duties necessary to run a restaurant. “Now with there being three of human resources is located. us, it’s going to take at least an hour and a half for closing,” Childers said.

“If there’s six of us it’ll take twenty to thirty minutes to close down, so How to Apply for a Work Study Position: that’s why it’s a really big hassle and we need more people to come down and work here at subway.”

1. Go to your Panther Portal The Ferrum Senate has been looking at solutions to get more students 2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Applications working on campus. The senate acknowledged the fact that not all students tab, then select iAssistant (new window will open) on campus qualify for work-study positions; Vice President of SGA and head 3. Hover over Student Employment and then select Apply of the Senate Lawrence Baranski proposed to change the employment policy 4. Click on Work Study positions: Fall semester 2017-2018 to include student labor, rather than exclusively work-study. He argues that 5. Select a job and click on the box to the left of the job name more students will be able to work on campus, which may result in venues a. Click on the job name to see a description staying open later and the new venue finally opening. Other Ferrum Senate 6. Scroll to the bottom and hit Apply members support his proposal.

7. Fill out the information required in the application With a lack in student workers, all of the food venues on campus are 8. Select submit being negatively affected. Hours of operation are being shortened, lines are growing, and service is slowing. In order for the venues to remain open and operate efficiently, they need more student workers.

Students who want to apply for a work study position need their birth certificate or social security card and either a direct deposit slip or a void check (for routing and checking numbers). Once students have the proper

MLK Continued

(from page 3) Oyelowo as Martin Luther King. The movie is a detailed account of the discrimination that occurred even after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which desegregated the South. Martin Luther King led a peace march from Selma to Montgomery that ultimately caused President Lyndon Johnson to sign the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Justin Muse explained why this movie was chosen to be played out of all the great Dr. King biopics.

He said, “Selma was not only the most recent movie, but in my opinion, it was one of the best depictions of Dr. King fighting for one of the many causes that he fought for.”

On Thursday, Muse brought in Peace Activist Ken E. Nwadike Jr. and the Student Leadership Program to speak to students and staff in the Blue Ridge Mountain Room, discussing Dr. King and how his stance against

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racial injustice effected how we live today. Nwadike Jr. is also widely known for his “Free Hugs” campaign on Youtube. Nwadike Jr. has been known to put his life on the line in order to comfort those who are exposed to major traumatic situations and give them encouragement with his Free Hugs. On October 1st, 2017, a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival on the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds. Nwadike Jr. was in a meeting when he heard about the information and left to go help the traumatized people be calm and bring peace to the scene. His speech seemed to touch the Ferrum community and raise social awareness on campus. Justin Muse believes that these Martin Luther King activities were a success. He also said there would be many more to come.

(from page 2) have instruments for students to use during the semester. Students who are interested in joining the band can register for the class.

S TAFF Staff Writers, Photographers, and Other Contributors Editor in Chief: Patrick Duggan Design Team: Patrick Duggan & Macie Stewart

Sports Editor: AnnGardner Eubank News/Feature Editor: Mary Stoudt

Staff: D'on Jones, Jacques Moore-Roberts, Kristin Perry, Austin Smith, Zavion Thompson, Mary Stoudt, AnnGardner Eubank, Patrick Duggan

Letters Policy and Publication Details:

Opinions expressed in The Iron Blade do not necessarily reflect those of Ferrum College administration, staff, faculty, or students. The Iron Blade is published four times each semester during the academic year at Ferrum College, Ferrum, Va. It is designed on Apple computers and printed at JS Printing in Montgomery, Ala. Material may be reprinted with the advisor’s written permission. To contact The Iron Blade, call 365-4304 or e-mail iblade@ferrum.edu. The crest on page one was designed by alumna Sandy Southard (’04) in 2005 and updated and colorized in 2009 by Glenn Thompson.

Join the Staff The Iron Blade is always looking for students who are interested in journalism, photography, or design. If you desire to contribute to The Iron Blade by being a writer, photographer, editor, or designer, please contact Patrick Duggan at pduggan@ferrum.edu.