Volume 64 | Issue 11 | March 31, 2017
Schuster contributes strengths Swimmer uses experience on Olympic stage, brings depth to team BY MICHELE MUNOZ SPORTS EDITOR
In August 2016, Brandon Schuster, freshman engineering major and member of the swim team at California Baptist University, made his Olympic debut representing his home country of Samoa at the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. Eighteen-year-old Schuster competed in the men’s 200-meter freestyle and finished with a time of 01:57.720 in Heat 1. Schuster said competing at the Olympics started like any other international competition. However, at the last seconds before the race, his bubble popped and reality sank in. “As you move up each row it’s like something is slowly building up in you. You see the other people who just raced get out of the water and as you’re about to head out, everything crashes,” Schuster said. “It’s when you walk up to the board that you are at your peak.”
Schuster said he was overwhelmed by feelings on the Olympic stage. “Once you walk up and hear the first call, you’re totally focused – it’s only you and the water. It’s this surreal feeling. I haven’t felt it at any other meet I’ve been in. You’re at your high and suddenly you don’t know anything else that is happening,” Schuster said. “You forget that it’s the Olympics, you forget that you’re racing, you forget about your time. It feels out of this world and you only come back to reality once you’ve touched at the finish and you look up and see your time. It feels like from the start to the end you are not part of what is happening.” Schuster said his mother and former swim coach, Suzie Schuster, prepared him for his Olympic debut. “Marching in the Opening Ceremony was really emotional, and to have that shared experience with my son is second to none. I suppose ‘firsts’ are like that–first competition, first medal, first Olympics,” Suzie Schuster said. “Brandon was my first child–the one I made mistakes with–the one I learned to be a parent with. To attend the Olympics as his coach was an amazing first.” Suzie Schuster said she believes Brandon’s love for swim comes from his love for people.
Courtesy of Athletics
Brandon Schuster, freshman engineering major, takes fourth place in the 400-yard individual medley with a record of 48.81 seconds on day two of the NCAA Div. II Championships. Schuster helped the team take 16th place with an overall of 56 points. “He loves his Oceania swim family. These islanders are another part of his greater family. That is why he is loving it so much at CBU. The swim team has now become his family as it is people he loves the most,” Suzie Schuster said. After his Olympic debut,
Schuster said he wanted to focus on school. In December 2016, weeks after graduating high school, Schuster began training with the CBU swim team and later started his college career January 2017. “I was looking for a small college that had my major, had
a strong swim program, and a strong faith-based education,” Schuster said. “Growing up in a tropical island, I wanted to go somewhere that was warmer than Michigan.” Rick Rowland, head coach, said he exchanged emails with Schuster for some time discuss-
ing the team and the school. After meeting Schuster, Rowland said he saw a good athlete, person and student for the swim team because he displayed a strong work ethic, a positive spirit and an amicable personality with his teammates.
SEE OLYMPIC | PAGE 8
‘Day in the Capitol’ highlights potential cut to Cal Grant BY GIOVANNA BERROCAL STAFF WRITER
Cameron Cash | Banner
Group of students hikes Montaña de Oro State Park in Los Osos, California during one of the spring break trips offered by the Office of Community Life March 20-24. Students traveled to either Page, Ariz. or Northern Calif. to visit scenic sites with peers.
Comm. Life visits historic sites BY TESS SCHOONHOVEN ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Two separate groups of about 15-20 students and staff members spent their spring break with the Office of Community Life on Outdoor Adventure trips to the Grand Canyon,
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Horseshoe Bend, Big Sur and Santa Barbara. One of the groups, led by Tucker Carl, Community Life program coordinator, traveled to Arizona to camp and hike around the Grand Canyon. The second group, led by Tyler Cox, director of Recreation Pro-
grams, drove up the coast of California to Montaña de Oro State Park, just outside of Big Sur in Los Osos, and to the Santa Barbara coast. The Outdoor Adventure student interns planned the majority of the trips by putting together events and activities
for the students, preparing and cooking all the camp meals and leading morning and evening devotions throughout the trips. Jonah Mackin, senior Christian studies major, went
SEE COMM LIFE TRIPS | PAGE 3
The Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, (AICCU) hosted its annual Day in the Capitol event Feb. 28 in Sacramento, where students who attend private, non-profit institutions advocated against an 11 percent cut to the California Grant in Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent budget. The cut will see $1,028 less for each incoming freshman who chooses to attend a private institution. This cut is less than 1 percent of the state budget and will not affect currently enrolled students. Students from California Baptist University, La Sierra University, Pepperdine University and other institutions attended the “Day in the Capitol” event and had the opportunity to speak with legislators, assemblymen, assemblywomen and senators about why California Grant should not be cut. “Receiving Cal Grant at CBU has been an extraordinary relief, not having to take out a private loan or take a job to pay for tuition has allowed me to focus on other opportunities,” said Natalie Hollis, senior criminal justice major. “(Because of the Cal Grant) I
have been able to compete for CBU’s Speech and Debate Team throughout the state and country.” Hollis was also able to accept a non-paid internship with the Riverside County District Attorney. A large percentange of students who receive Cal Grant come from low-income families and would not have the ability to make monthly payments if this budget is approved for the upcoming school year. At the event, Sen. Mike Morell said he was torn on this issue but will probably vote against the cut. The proposal is controversial because of the debate about how much taxpayer dollars should go to financial aid at higher education institutions. Students who spoke with the legislators emphasized the effect the cut will have on future students who wish to pursue higher education at a private institution. “This could play a role in determining students ability to attend CBU. The $1,028 cut would mean some students would need to either increase their payment plan ($257/month) or increase the amount of loans they or their parents take out,” said Joel Brown, special programs coordinator the CBU
SEE CAL GRANT | PAGE 2
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