Liberty Champion November 1 2016

SURVEY SAYS...

THE VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE

WHO WILL LIBERTY STUDENTS CHOOSE FOR PRESIDENT? SEE A6

OCTOBER 12

IS QUICKLY APPROACHING.

Flames edge out win in overtime

VOLUME 34, ISSUE 8

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LIBERTYCHAMPION.COM | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2016 | LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

A new gallery

she said yes

Dedication ceremony credits donated art Will Young weyoung@liberty.edu

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, School of Communications & Creative Arts Dean Norman Mintle and Provost Ronald Hawkins gathered Oct. 28 at the Alumni Ballroom with friends and donors of the university for a dedication of the 20-piece collection of donated paintings depicting the life and resurrection of Christ.

The families of Dr. Troy L. Day and Alton H. Thigpen donated the paintings, which collectively hold a value of more than $1 million.

Members of the Thigpen and Day families were in attendance of the dedication ceremony, where they were honored by Falwell and given a chance to talk about the story and origination of the paintings.

The ceremony included an invocation and prayer of dedication following the formal dedication of the paintings by Falwell. Prior to and following the ceremony, those in attendance were permitted time to view the paintings that hang along every wall of the ballroom.

“This room is not only a banquet room, but now it’s also an art gallery,” Falwell said. “The theme of the life and resurrection of Christ fits so well with Liberty University, and we’re deeply honored that the families made the donation and thought about Liberty. This (room) is going to be a showpiece not just for Liberty, but for the entire community.”

Kaitlyn BecKer| liBerty University news service

IGNITING THE FLAMES — Josh Detwiler proposed to Sydney Caldwell during the halftime show of Liberty’s football game against Gardner-Webb University Saturday, Oct. 29.

YOUNG is the news editor.

Taking a stance Students represent candidates in YAL hosted debate Jack Panyard jepanyard@liberty.edu

The Liberty University branch of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) held a student-run presidential debate forum with five candidates represented Tuesday, Oct. 25.

The students who characterized their candidates were tasked with articulating the nominee’s stances on pertinent topics the moderators brought up, such as national security and health care.

Of the candidates involved, McKinley Cardwell represented Democrat Hillary Clinton, Aaron Sobczak represented

Libertarian Gary Johnson, Joseph McGowan represented independent runner Evan McMullin, Allie Childers represented the Green Party’s Jill Stein and Josh Rosene represented Republican Donald Trump.

The director of the YAL branch at Liberty, Timothy Magee, said the group has been planning this event since September.

“We wanted the students to be able to see the full range of candidates, and we wanted to promote discussion among the students about the different candidates,” Magee said. “We wanted them to see where the candidates stand on the issues,

which is often lost in the actual debates.”

The debate touched on a variety of topics and policies, with the audience getting heated and rowdy throughout.

One of the topics with the most diverse answers was on abortion.

Sobczak received the question first, saying Johnson believes abortion laws should be up to the states and not enforced by the government. He followed that up by saying Johnson wants to repeal Roe v Wade.

McGowan received the question next, saying McMullin believes abortion is See DEBATE, A2

Cadets answer the call Three ROTC students earn distinguished military honor Logan Price lprice7@liberty.edu

Three Liberty University students were awarded the honor of being distinguished military graduates within the 2016 graduating class of the ROTC. Ben Solem, Rob Moretz and John Hixson, seniors at

Liberty, received this distinction based on their nationwide class ranking, which is comprised of their GPA, involvement in extracurricular activities, a physical fitness test, and their professor of military science’s rating. After combining these different aspects, Moretz ranked in the top 20 percent and Solem and

Hixson ranked in the top 10 percent in the nation.

“We are a nation with millions of people, and one tiny Christian university, in backwoods Virginia, produced three top future officers,” Hixson said. “Yeah, we worked hard for that, but that’s a victory for our school, our ROTC program, and for

Photos of the dedication ceremony can be found on A2.

our instructors that were sent here.”

One such military instructor is Col. Bret Hamilton, who Moretz said teaches him and the other cadets something in every single conversation, one of the primary lessons being that leaders create more See CADETS, A7

Stronger together LU and CVCC launch dual enrollment Will Young weyoung@liberty.edu

Liberty University and Central Virginia Community College (CVCC) entered into an agreement Wednesday, Oct. 17 that allows high school graduates the opportunity to simultaneously take classes at both schools in a dualenrollment program.

The program, which could start as soon as Spring 2017, gives 50 qualified students the ability to take prerequisite and gateway courses at Liberty while they are enrolled as a student at CVCC. Each dual-enrolled student is allowed to take one course at Liberty per semester while they work to receive their associate’s degree at CVCC. To be qualified for the program, a stu-

INSIDE THE CHAMPION

News

SGA town hall meeting gives students a space to express their questions and concerns. A7

Opinion

A student’s opinion on how much faith the public should put in A4 America.

Sports

Coverage of men’s soccer’s victory over Presbyterian on Senior B2 Day.

Feature

Overview of new, student-led improv club that seeks to host shows on campus. B8

dent must be taking at least six credit hours at CVCC and be on-track to receive their associate degree. Once the student receives their associate degree, they may transfer to Liberty full-time to finish and receive their bachelor’s degree.

The classes that dual-enrolled students take at Liberty will be able to count as credit toward their associate degree and will also count toward their bachelor’s degree once they transfer.

According to Liberty Executive Vice President of Enrollment Management Chris Johnson, Liberty’s financial aid office is cooperating with CVCC to lower the price of Liberty classes to See CVCC, A3

News Opinion Sports Feature

A1 A4 B1 B5

news

A2 | November 1, 2016 | Liberty Champion

‘a showpiece for the community’

Will Young | Liberty Champion

DEDICATE — School of communications & creative arts Dean Norman Mintle introduced President Jerry Falwell at the dedication ceremony for the Life of Christ paintings Oct. 28.

Will Young | Liberty Champion

MASTERPIECE — The Life of Christ collection was painted by Robert Wilson Sr. and has a collective value of more than $1 million.

gun control.

McGowan, representing Mcand and not enforced by the fed- Mullin, said gun control is a negaeral government. He followed by tive thing and that America needs saying Johnson wants to repeal to treat the root cause of mass shootings like depression and psyRoe v. Wade.

McGowan received the question chological disorders instead.

Cardwell answered next for next, saying McMullin believes abortion is morally and religiously Clinton, stating the importance of wrong and that the federal gov- promoting gun control and closernment should not fund abortion ing the Charleston Loophole — the National Criminal Background in any way.

Cardwell said Clinton is fully in Check System’s loophole that alfavor of abortion, and apart from lowed Dylan Roof to buy a gun Clinton, he doesn’t believe in im- and murder nine church members posing his religious beliefs on in Charleston, North Carolina those that have the responsibility June 17, 2015.

Rosene covered Trump’s poliof bearing a child.

Rosene answered next, saying cies on minimizing gun conthat Trump is opposed to abortion trol, claiming that all recent and illustrated why he believes mass shootings occurred in gun-free zones. abortion is morally wrong.

Childers said Stein’s policies “I want to pose the question: If we are going to terminate a life, support increasing background or say its okay to terminate a life checks, implementing psychobefore it can survive outside of the logical exams and tracking womb, with or without help, why gun owners.

“The issue of gun control is it’s wouldn’t we do it on the other side Zenny Phuong | Liberty Champion of the spectrum?,” Rosene asked. basically saying, ‘Let’s be smart REPRESENT— Donald Trump supporter Josh Rosene (left) and Jill Stein supporter Allie Childers (right) lobbied “Should 90 year olds who can’t about this,’” Childers said. “Let’s for their respective candidates’ stances on a variety of issues. survive outside of the nursing keep in mind when we’re selling home, should we just go ahead and someone this that it is an item that ning nominee’s take on some of the bate, which ran over two and a “I think that with the huge kill them? I mean, they’re a burden has the ability to take someone’s major issues. half hours.

Trump presence on campus, he’s to society, aren’t they? You’ve got life relatively quickly.”

Stephens brought a light and Some of the students, like been belittled,” Sobczak said.

Sobczak said Johnson is very satirical tone to Supreme’s pro- Cardwell, were taking positions “He’s been misrepresented, and to go both ways on that.”

Childers then gave Stein’s pro-gun and opposes almost all grams, reviewing his asinine poli- unpopular to Christian conserva- his views have been lied about. side of the debate, saying that bans or regulations, saying they cies in a tongue-in-cheek manner. tives during the debate, but they This definitely cleared some while Stein is pro-choice, she are unconstitutional.

“We’ll be instituting a new stood by their candidate. things up.”

“You have to have due process lifeguard program expressly for also believes in improving sexual “I knew Hillary Clinton was not Many of the third party repreeducation to prevent unwanted to take away someone’s rights, and the use of the Silicon Valley and going to get a fair shake here at sentatives, like McGowan, believe pregnancies from happening in without the due process, the whole Wall Street constituencies,” Ste- Liberty University, and I thought in voting their conscience, regardcountry can go down a slippery phens said. “This initiative … will to myself, I’m very moderate in my less of the odds of winning. the first place.

“As the only person up here with slope into tyranny where someone place a lifeguard at every Scrooge views, but I was a former liberal, “I think (McMullin) represents a uterus, I feel like I can speak a could take away anyone’s right for McDuck-like pool of money to and so I decided you know what conservative ideals the best, and little more to this,” Childers said. any reason,” Sobczak said. prevent drowning accidents. The — let’s argue for policy,” Cardwell he has the character that I think There was an intermission in mainstream media doesn’t report said. “Let’s argue for the right rea- I can trust to lead our country,” “Jill Stein, as well as myself actually, are pro-choice with the belief the middle of the questions, where on them, but they happen, and it’s sons, not just to throw insults.”

McGowan said. “People don’t that choice also means the choice Doug Stephens, representing un- just unacceptable.”

Sobczak believes representing think that he can win, and that is conventional candidate, Vermin to not get pregnant.”

The candidates answered 10 Johnson in the debate cleared up a drawback, but the question is if Another controversial issue was Supreme, presented the boot-don- questions throughout the de- some issues that students had with you want to vote for someone who the third party candidate. is going to win or you want to vote for who you believe in.”

Childers debated on Stein’s behalf because of her faith in the candidate.

“I really, honestly, don’t think that she has an agenda,” Childers 11/5 - Movie Night - Café Society said. “She has spent her entire life

8 p.m. | LaHaye Event Space working for the American people, In the 2012 even outside of political office.

11/8 - Election Day presidential general When she has no motive to do so

6 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Vines Center election, Libertarian other than caring, she still fought for people’s rights, and she fought 11/11 - Marketing NASCAR Watch Party candidate Gary for the same things that she’s fight 8:30 p.m. | Nascar Track for today.”

Johnson recorded ingRosene participated in the de11/12 - NEEDTOBREATHE ft. Mat Kearney, Parachute & Welshly Arms bates in an attempt to clear up more votes at the 7:30 p.m. | Vines Center some of the misconceptions he beVines Center voting lieves are attached to Trump.

11/15 - SWRVN Tour: C.J. King ft. Clay Finnesand “I would like students here to

8 p.m. | LaHaye Event Space precinct than any see the real side of Donald Trump 11/28 - Christmas in Lights other in Lynchburg. and not the media side of Donald Trump,” Rosene said.

7 p.m. | DeMoss Steps He received 48 After the debate, YAL posted a 12/3 - Christmas Coffeehouse: Unwrapped poll on Facebook for the attendees votes from Liberty to determine who won the debate.

11:30 p.m. | Vines Center students, according Supreme, represented by Ste12/6 - Open Mic Night phens, blew away the competition to the Virginia with 33 votes. The second high 7 p.m. | Argo Tea Café est was Sobczak’s arguments for Department of 12/9 - Comedian: John Crist Johnson with 19 votes.

DEBATE continued from A1

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Liberty Champion | November 1, 2016 | A3

Raffles for research

Jerry Falwell Library hosts annual service fair Nov. 7 to highlight programs Rachel Ali rmali@liberty.edu

The Jerry Falwell Library (JFL) will be hosting its third annual Library Service Fair Monday, Nov. 7 from10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. with 10:30-11:30 being exclusively for faculty and staff. Students are encouraged to come to the library and take advantage of the programs being highlighted this year.

“A few of the services included are how to get assistance with your research questions, how to borrow materials that our library doesn’t own, and how to get your research published,” Cynthia Schmidt, head of communication and customer services at the JFL, said.

Additionally, students have the chance to lower their library fines by bringing nonperishable food items to donate, which will go toward benefitting a local food bank.

Schmidt said the Food for Fines campaign offers $2 in fine forgiveness — up to $30 — for each nonperishable food item donated at the Food for Fines table during the Library Services Fair.

The Food for Fines table will be located in the Montview Student Union from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The library also announced the service fair will hold a variety of giveaways, including multiple gift cards, JFL merchandise and a grand prize of an iPad Mini 4 for all students who attend.

“Students can enter hourly door prize drawings by tapping in with their Flames Pass at the Library Services Fair welcome table in the JFL,” Schmidt said. “Then they can visit tables at the fair and return their entry card for a chance to enter the grand

Caroline Sellers| Liberty Champion

INNOVATION — The Jerry Falwell Library offers a variety of learning programs and study resources for Liberty students. prize drawing.”

Students will get one chance to enter the drawing for every five tables visited. Vendro workshops can be found in the Active Learning Classroom of the JFL. Activities and snacks will also be provided.

“Students can expect to have fun while also learning more about how the library resources, services and spaces can help them in their coursework,” Schmidt said. “They will also have a chance to get more familiar with

specific resources directly from some of the library vendors like ProQuest and EBSCO.” Both ProQuest and EBSCO are online databases filled with thousands of scholarly journals that help students discover the information they need.

Schmidt said she believes the service fair gives students a fun opportunity to learn about the research programs and assistance the library offers that students would not usually know through any other means.

Amber Tiller | Liberty Champion

LEARN — The CVCC gives students the opportunity to save time and money while obtaining their degree.

CVCC continued from A1 CVCC’s current rate for dualenrolled students. Doing this, he said, makes it possible for students to begin their education at Liberty at a cheaper rate while enrolled at CVCC. Currently, the price of one credit hour at CVCC is $138 compared to Liberty’s $490, allowing dualenrolled students to save up to 72 percent on one credit hour.

According to Johnson, the lower

price of classes became the reason for limiting dual-enrolled students to taking one Liberty three credit class a semester.

“What we don’t want happening is a student graduating high school, going over to CVCC and taking a three-credit hour class, getting a CVCC rate and coming over to Liberty to get their entire bachelor’s degree,” Johnson said.

“The class limit is kind of a way to protect that.”

Dual-enrolled students can take

any class at Liberty that would be able to substitute for a similar class at CVCC. Liberty Senior Vice President of Student Financial Services Robert Ritz said most of the classes offered will be general education and prerequisite courses that students would usually take at a community college prior to transferring to a four-year university.

“If you look at a typical CVCC degree completion plan, and we have that course equivalent and

“We realize students are busy, so we want to provide a fun way for them to discover things that the library offers that will make their research faster and easier,” Schmidt said.

ALI is a news reporter.

the registrars approve it, then it’s good to go,” Ritz said. “There is no set list of courses. It’s whatever we can fit on the DCP, and the registrars will help coordinate that.”

Johnson noted that Liberty’s goal of the dual-enrollment program is to get CVCC students connected to Liberty before they become full-time students. Those enrolled in the program will be registered as part-time Liberty students and therefore will be able to use the Montview Student Union and Jerry Falwell Library and also have the option to attend Convocation. “(Students) can come over and use them and start to feel more like a student at LU, and that is really the feel we’re going for,” Ritz said.

“It’s a cooperative thing between the two schools. We’ve got a great relationship with CVCC, and we want to strengthen it.”

The dual-enrollment program was originally introduced to Liberty by CVCC President John Capps. Ritz noted Liberty’s proximity to CVCC and its ability to further promote the program were among the main reasons CVCC sparked interest in starting the dual-enrollment agreement.

In past years, CVCC has agreed to similar programs with neighboring colleges. CVCC has been partnered with Lynchburg College

since 2013 and Randolph College since 2015.

Depending on the interest level and success of the dual-enrollment program at Liberty, more spots may open for students in the future.

“We wanted to test the waters,” Ritz said. “So 50 students gave us a nice healthy group to work with.

It could evolve and improve even more after that, but we needed a place to start.”

In a joint press release, Liberty President Jerry Falwell said he believes the dual-enrollment partnership with CVCC will prove to not only benefit students but will also strengthen the relationship between Liberty and CVCC in the future.

“This agreement provides an excellent opportunity for current and future CVCC students to experience Liberty University while completing their associate degree at CVCC,” Falwell said in the news release. “This is a continuation of our strong partnership with CVCC.”

YOUNG is the news editor.

Dear

Christians, and Others:

With the devil on a roll across America, WE ASK OURSELVES,

“WHAT CAN WE DO FOR ‘JESUS' TODAY?” We can answer by simply saying:

You Jesus” every day

with Faith, Love, Joy and Hope in our Hearts.

“Dear Readers:

“JOIN US in sending the ‘Thank You Jesus’ ad across America OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 4 DROP OFF AT “SHOEBOX CENTRAL” IN BOOKSTORE PARKING LOT

by urging families and friends to scan ‘it’ into their Facebook and Twitter accounts – press send,” Padre Don . ©2016 by Padre Don.

OPINION

A4

November 1, 2016

On Christ the solid rock?

Some Christians are choosing to find solace in politics

AT

WH S ’ T A

TH

Kirkland Gee kgee10@liberty.edu

“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”

That refrain from “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less,” written by Edward Mote in the early 1800s, still rings true today for those of us who profess belief in Christ.

Well, it should, but based on my perceptions of the evangelical community throughout 2016, there is nothing farther from the truth.

From Franklin Graham’s vehement support of Donald Trump to Deborah Fikes’ stepping down from her position as a board member of the National Association of Evangelicals to support Hillary Clinton, it seems as if the refrain of some of God’s people is “On America the not-so-solid rock I stand.”

I hear so many professing Christians talking about the importance of voting — or in some cases, not voting — that it sounds as if they think America is their salvation. If Christians actually believe Christ is their salvation, why do they have so much fear for the future of their nation?

I, just like any other American, care deeply about the state of our nation. I hope it changes, and I will do all I can do as a citizen to push the country in the direction I think it needs to go, but is the health of our country worth the health of our souls?

Just this past week as an RA, I had to deal with two students on my hall arguing over whether it was biblical to vote for Trump.

The issue wasn’t the discussion but the heart behind it.

I could see that neither of them were willing to see the other’s side. They both firmly believed their opinions were biblical and were ready to argue them to the death.

I’ve even seen myself involved in the same arguments. As someone who initially refused to support Donald Trump and then decided not to vote at all, I often found myself not able to understand how a Christian could support a man of Trump’s character.

SAID

Sarah Rodriguez srodriguez70@liberty.edu

Caroline Sellers | Liberty Champion

FAITH — The 2016 election cycle has created a rift within the Christian community.

But in the same breath, how can a Christian refuse to “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s,” as President Jerry Falwell often speaks of?

Even as pastor Darryl Scott preached Friday in Convocation on why Christians must refuse to compromise their beliefs and values in a culture that is pressuring them to do so, a message ending with his wife telling the crowd why Trump is a Christian and deserves their vote, I noticed a disconnect.

There were screams and applause, certainly, but there were those in the crowd who refused to support the speaker because of his support for Trump.

Why have we, the church, allowed politics to divide us as much as it has? I think we have forgotten the important distinction of where our citizenship lies. Our American citizenship falls secondary to our heavenly citizenship.

Throughout Scripture, we see over and over again that kings and kingdoms will fall, but God reigns forever.

He was God when Israel was in captivity to Egypt. He was God when Christians were being persecuted, thrown into coliseums with lions and burned at the stake in Rome.

He was God when the Catholic Church murdered countless non-believers in the name of “religious crusades.”

And he will still be God whether Trump or Clinton become president.

American Christians must decide on which rock they stand, and fast, before they realize what they’re actually standing on is quicksand.

GEE is a copy editor.

FYI President Falwell explained in Convocation last week that, when the Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus into saying that Christians should avoid involvement in civil government, he made it clear that his followers should be good citizens by paying taxes and otherwise fulfilling their responsibilities and obligations to the civil authorities. Falwell said he believes this includes voting.

This old party ain’t grand Political parties offer no clear moral choice for believers Cierra Carter cmcarter18@liberty.edu

I grew up in a Christian household, and ever since I was old enough to grasp the complexities of the U.S. government, I considered myself a Republican.

Notice the past tense.

The 2016 election cycle has been eye-opening to me and most of my generation.

Us lazy millennials seem to have stopped taking selfies long enough to realize that we’re not happy with the direction of our society.

The very core of what I’ve always thought to be true has been rattled by the dialogue surrounding one of our most cherished civic duties. In short, voting in 2016 is stressful.

If you would’ve asked me my political affiliation four years ago, I wouldn’t have even hesitated to claim the GOP. Now ... not so much. Actually, not at all.

Maybe it’s resentment over how this season has played out, or maybe it’s a better historical understanding. Maybe it’s because my 17-year-old self had the tendancy to blindly follow my parents beliefs. Maybe it’s all of that.

Whatever the case may be, I currently have no political

Michela Diddle| Liberty Champion

VOTE — Christians face a variety of issues as Election Day nears. identity, as I realize that my understanding of God, what it means to be an American, and how the two go together has been shaken.

Being a Christian should mean more than being pro-life — well really just anti-abortion — and anti-same sex marriage at the polls. If it is, I think we’ve done a terrible job of showing it.

It’s not that these issues aren’t important. It’s just that they aren’t the only issues of importance to God. God doesn’t play favorites.

That means he loves the refugee and unborn child all the same.

In our short-sighted human nature, we place the limits of

man on God. It’s difficult for us to understand how someone could possibly make it all work together. I still don’t fully grasp it and probably never will this side of heaven.

God cares about systemic racism and oppression, which is not a Democratic or Republican issue, considering both parties have played a big part in establishing the problem.

But as a person of color, I see less support from the GOP, which has seemingly embraced nationalism and damaging, ignorant racial rhetoric.

If you haven’t struggled through making a decision at the polls, then you are prob-

ably bringing preconceived notions and tradition with you to the booth.

There’s no one political party that perfectly represents Christian principles.

There isn’t now, nor will there ever be a candidate that completely exemplifies biblical principles. So what do we do?

Voting, while very important, is not the end-all-be-all influence on society. In fact, I strongly believe the church could be that influence if we were willing to step outside of our comforts, do the more difficult ground work and be present, reliable refuges in our communities.

With time running out before casting my first presidential ballot, I believe I’ve gained a greater understanding of my responsibility and privilege as a citizen. I’ve done my research and will have to make a decision that doesn’t go against my conscience.

Come Nov. 8, I will vote, it won’t be for a Republican, and I won’t feel any less saved because of it.

CARTER is the opinion editor.

My late night musings when I’m laying awake in bed are going to be heading in a different direction in the coming months, as Twitter announced Thursday, Oct. 27 that it would be soon shutting down the video platform Vine.

Watching six-second vines have filled my life with hours of entertainment since the app debuted in 2013.

I can distinctly remember during my freshman year laying in my bed sending links to the latest vines to my roommate, who joined me in my sometimes uncontrollable laughter.

According to Business Insider, Twitter, the owner of Vine since 2012, also announced Thursday the company would be laying off 300 employees in its company’s sales, partnerships and marketing teams The article said Vine has struggled to keep its content creators because they have been pulled to other social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. According to a study by markerly.com, more than half of the top Vine users left the app by Jan.1, 2016.

It seemed as if Vine was dying off from a numbers perspective, but I don’t want to believe that is why one of my favorite apps is shutting down. Yes, Vine is a business that has to keep a profit, but my first thought when I want to watch funny videos won’t be to go to Twitter, its mother company.

When I heard the initial news Thursday, I was immediately shocked and saddened. It may seem like such a small thing to get upset over, but as a busy and overwhelmed college student, Vine brought a small smile to my face just by scrolling through the app.

What is better than a little kid getting an avocado for his birthday or a girl riding in her “mum’s” car or a boy saying “LeBron James” over and over again?

Then again, you can’t forget Daniel with the white vans or all those chickens or how to block out all the haters.

Certain vines will stick in my memory for years to come because I associate watching those short videos with good memories in my own life.

I could always count on Vine for a good laugh to brighten my day.

The Vine team’s statement said that for right now the app and the website will remain the same for the immediate future, so for the next few weeks, I’ll be watching all my favorite vines in anticipation of the day when it is no more.

Vine, you will be missed. It looks like I’ll have to go somewhere else to satisfy my late night craving for a good laugh.

RODRIGUEZ is the editor-in-chief.

AT’S H T !

D ...AN E WROTE SH ALL

opinion

Liberty Champion | November 1, 2016 | A5

Training champions for media New light has been shed on the journalistic process, questioning the purpose a private institution — not to mention the freedom to practice Christianity and grow unhindered in our faith.

For all of that and more, I am a proud and Almost two weeks ago, former sports edi- grateful student of Liberty.

Furthermore, under that status of privacy, tor for the Liberty Champion, Joel Schmieg, wrote a personal opinion column criticiz- Liberty’s administration technically has eving Donald Trump’s “locker room talk.” ery right to censor anything that circulates Schmieg had planned to run it in the Champi- within or from its community. That includes on two issues ago, but according to his Face- the newspaper.

As hard as it may be for a journalism book page, his piece did not run because of the administration’s decision to instead run student like myself to swallow, approva letter to the paper’s editor, which also criti- ing articles in the student newspaper can and does fall within the basic right of discized Trump and endorsed Hilary Clinton.

“I decided to go with the medical student’s cretion that Liberty has to enforce as it letter because the writer was a student, not sees fit among its student body, whether in a staff member,” President Jerry Falwell Jr. publication or behavior.

That said, the pressing question pertainsaid. “The two pieces were redundant and I saw no reason to publish the same content ing to Liberty’s journalism department is not so much the aforementioned “can” as it is twice.”

Nevertheless, the omission and Schmieg’s the pressing but unspoken “should.” I find a doubt over the reasoning behind it sparked multi-faceted answer here.

We journalism students absolutely should a firestorm. Schmieg ended up resigning from his position as sports editor practice honing our journalistic skills to the best of our capacity, even if it is within this for the Champion.

A bruising week for staff at the school pa- bubble called Liberty. Every way in which per, to say the least. However, it served to students are trained as “Champions for renew a neglected but important reflection Christ” goes toward the coming actuality of concerning the paper’s place within the uni- working in the real world — of influencing all versity and the administration’s place respec- sorts of social spheres with excellence and godliness. tive to the school’s journalistic training.

And if there is any sphere that needs such How well are we in Liberty’s journalistic community being trained for work in the influence now, it is the media.

Journalism students should pursue their media? How free is our inquiry? Does Liberty exercise an authoritative presence over calling in this sadly demonized trade with free speech, inquiry and political expression all thoroughness and enjoy practicing among its students? These questions and within the relative spiritual and ideological more have trickled through the undercur- safety of Liberty.

And yet, I am afraid that we students tend rent of concerned Liberty students, as well as among the outside world looking in, as a to defeat our own purpose by inflating our recently published Politco article — titled status as “reporters” at Liberty, rather than “How Trump is Dividing Jerry Falwell’s Uni- merely “reporters-in-training.” We hurt ourselves by making assumptions before doversity” — clearly hints.

A point worth remembering here is that ing proper research, by becoming ideologues Liberty is a private university. It does not who justify any and every approach “because, receive extensive funding from a state gov- rights!” and, quite frankly, by raising a ruckus instead of ernment and thus does raising honest not need to adhere to I BELIEVE IT IS inquiry. a conventional public IMPORTANT TO When we university structure in students eleducation or policy. A ENCOURAGE ETHICAL evate ourselves private college or uniJOURNALISTIC so much in a versity effectively functions independently, DISCOURSE WITHIN ANY place that is simply a consetting its own policies AND EVERY INSTITUTION. centrated and to cater to the specific temporary needs within its particular student body. In this case, a largely slice of life, we might be stinting ourselves of more than we know. Honestly, I tend to Christian one.

As a private university, Liberty has see a trend of up-and-coming Woodwardbeen able to do so much that is so right wannabes who contrive sinister intent where and refreshing in light of the pathetic nar- there simply may just be a misunderstanding rative carried on within campuses across or poor communication.

In the end, a half-baked, conspiratorial the United States. Enabling campus-carry rights, not condoning fickle “safe-space” approach is demeaning and defamatory to or “micro-aggression” policies, and allow- all involved. Even worse is hasty propagaing the unencumbered teaching of creation- tion of faulty information, which I personism are just a few of the benefits that we ally encountered this week as I worked at Liberty reap from the school’s status as on this very article.

Jordan Jarrett jjarrett4@liberty.edu

“

Michela Diddle | Liberty Champion

STAFF — The Liberty Champion is a student-run publication by Liberty University.

At the end of the week, Schmieg went on to clarify the actualities of his kerfuffle with Liberty that led to his sudden resignation from the Champion staff.

“Unfortunately, the main story turned out not to be the column, but the fact that it was pulled by President Falwell,” Schmieg said on his Facebook page in response to the overwhelming national attention his piece received. “In the end, President Falwell had every right to pull the article. Obviously I did not like his reasoning, but he is still in charge. Looking back, I wish the President and I would have had a chance to have a conversation about what happened. Maybe some of the negative parts of all this could have been avoided.”

Like Schmieg, I do question the reasoning behind the omission of his column. I also lament over how the public disproportionately zoomed in on a singular aspect of the story instead of zooming out to pan across the story’s entirety.

But right there is a perfect snippet of the state of our country’s journalism — the fragmented whole that it is right now. Right there is the perfect motivation for us journalism students to keep charging ahead full-steam in our calling.

I believe it is important to encourage ethical journalistic discourse within any and every institution. Questions do not necessarily equal defiance or even ill-will. United States citizens in general love their home country, but does that mean they gush only good things about its government? Assuredly not.

However, Liberty itself may do well to reconsider the purpose of its training for journalism students where excellence and wholeness are concerned.

If we in this budding journalism community cannot be allowed to hone our newsgathering skills, to learn how to ask tough but timely questions, to gather objective information about controversy, to pursue honest reporting instead of “gotcha” nonsense, or even to run a “redundant” column with proper and

thorough correspondence between the administration and newspaper staff, then what are we really being trained for? Public relations or journalism? How then are we to truly be “Champions for Christ” in the media?

As a journalist, I absolutely believe in upholding accountability and freedom of information in any community especially academic, and more especially Christian. It is crucial for that community’s climate, well-being and, in this case, testimony.

The testimony part is of utmost importance for Liberty in particular, being a unique community that proclaims adherence to Christ above all else. Student reporters can play a very important role in furthering such a mission from within through honorable inquiry.

By the same token, what good is an academic mission of excellence if one hugelyimportant field in the program lacks for the sake of the school’s public image or political stances?

The ending question then: Are we seeking to uphold and reflect deep-set, consistent, and truly Christ-like standards in each and every pursuit — including that of information? That question, loaded though it may be, goes for both my school’s administration and my fellow student reporters.

Publisher’s note: If Mr. Schmieg had been employed as a writer by any major newspaper and had complained publicly that his publisher had decided to run another column with redundant content over his column, he would likely have lost his job and would have become unemployable as a journalist for the rest of his career.

Liberty University has indicated that it will advocate for Mr. Schmieg in the future. He was a victim of his own youth and inexperience that others exploited in the heat of a hotly-contested political campaign.

Liberty University is committed to teaching young journalists to conduct themselves with professionalism in order to succeed and to represent both their profession and Christianity with impunity.

JARRETT is an opinion writer.

what to expect at the polls THE POLLS WILL OPEN ON NOVEMBER 8 FROM

6 A.M. - 7 P.M.

ACCORDING TO THE VIRGINIA REGISTRAR, IF YOU ARE IN LINE BY 7 P.M., YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO VOTE.

ON-CAMPUS STUDENTS REGISTERED WITH THEIR ON-CAMPUS ADDRESS ARE TO VOTE AT THE VINES CENTER.

ANNEX STUDENTS

REGISTERED WITH THEIR ANNEX ADDRESS MUST VOTE AT SHEFFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.*

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICIES & INFO PHOTOGRAPHY

SOCIAL MEDIA

Michela Diddle photography editor

Amber Tiller social media manager

T. J. Davis asst. sports editor

Caroline Sellers asst. photography editor

Victor Canas web manager

Shannon Moyer feature editor

DESIGN

ADMINISTRATION

Sierra Franklin graphic designer

Deborah Huff faculty advisor

Alexander Doub graphic designer

Matt Pierce advertising director

Sarah Rodriguez editor-in-chief

Cierra Carter opinion editor

Nathaniel Haywood graduate assistant

Luke Dillard sports editor

Jacob Clarke managing editor CONTENT Will Young news editor

Carri Garber copy editor

Katelyn Rutt asst. news editor

Kirkland Gee copy editor

The Champion encourages community members to submit letters to the editor on any subject.

Letters should not exceed 400 words and must be typed and signed. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday.

Letters and columns that appear are the opinion of the author solely, not the Champion editorial board or Liberty University.

Send letters to: Liberty Champion Liberty University Lynchburg, VA 24515 or drop off in Green Hall 1565.

All material submitted becomes property of the Champion. The Champion reserves the right to accept, reject or edit any letter received—according to the Champion stylebook, taste and the Liberty University mission statement. © Copyright 2016 Liberty University, Inc. All Rights Reserved

opinion

A6 | November 1, 2016 | Liberty Champion

POLITICS On Nov. 8, Liberty students will get the opportunity to vote for their preferred candidate for president of the United States. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, Republican candidate Donald Trump and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson are the three candidates that are performing the best in national polls. Below are editorials where students explain how they have determined their candidate of choice.

HILLARY CLINTON In an election year where emotions are running high, it can be difficult to see the presidential candidates clearly. Voters come with preconceived notions about each of the candidates but may not truly know the platform of any.

DONALD TRUMP

Every great leader has his or her flaws. For King David, it was Bathsheba, and President’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy had similar problems with lust and extramarital affairs. However, each of these leaders brought their countries through difficult times, including the unification of the tribes of Israel, World War II and

GARY JOHNSON I am supporting Gary Johnson in this upcoming presidential election. I do not support Johnson because I agree with him on everything or because I am a die-

Hillary Clinton’s platform has grown over the election cycle and encompasses many important policies and social issues. There are many reasons to vote for Clinton, but the following are the parts of her platform that most compel me to vote for her.

I believe that while all lives matter, we need to be focusing on those lives that are vulnerable at the moment. According to her website, Clinton says she will double investments in early education programs, which will help underprivileged children as they move into the public school system.

Additionally, Clinton’s platform claims she will work to reform the criminal justice system. According to the World Justice Project, the United States has 25 percent of the world’s prison population. As our prison system continues to grow larger, Clinton will work to reform

sentencing laws to keep minor offenders out of prison and with their community.

While it is true that her husband passed some of the laws that have helped to contribute to the prison population, Hillary Clinton has worked to repeal those laws — alongside her husband.

Clinton will also work to stop conversion therapy, which is a method of “turning” persons straight through therapy. Many medical experts have proved this controversial practice ineffective, and Clinton would not allow anyone under 18 to go through this process. She will also combat the growing number of homeless LGBT youth by providing funding for youth shelters, keeping vulnerable persons off the street.

Politicians have long ignored the mental health of the American people, but Clinton will launch

healthcare initiatives to assist those struggling with mental illness. Additionally, she will create a nationwide suicide prevention initiative and require healthcare providers to enforce the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

Becoming a citizen of the U.S. is a difficult road, and Clinton will reform the immigration system to help keep families together. She will also end immigration policies that keep families apart, and she will make it easier for immigrants to pursue work visas and become naturalized.

Clinton stands by Planned Parenthood, which offers many essential women’s health procedures.

According to Planned Parenthood’s website, they offer cancer screenings for men and women, prenatal care, pelvic exams, mammograms and infection testing — all of which are offered to persons

without insurance — on plans that allow them to pay based on income.

Additionally, abortions are not offered at every Planned Parenthood.

Lastly, Clinton will help change our country for the better. Her commitment to making the U.S. the “clean energy superpower of the world” will also create jobs in infrastructure, energy research and solar technology. She will also provide relief from taxation to small businesses, allowing them to grow and providing more jobs on a local scale.

Clinton has made mistakes in her life. However, no candidate in this election has been perfect. What Clinton promises to do with our country compels me to vote for her because she will create an America I will be proud to live in.

the Cold War. Donald Trump is by no means a perfect candidate, and I would not choose him as a moral role model.

He is, however, the candidate who is best suited and prepared to redirect America’s current course.

The Supreme Court has been one of the most talked about and politicized issues of this election and rightly so. The court has taken to personally amending the Constitution, adding the right to an abortion and same-sex marriage.

In the case of Obergefell v. Hodge, which legalized same-sex marriage, Justice Antonin Scalia dissented, writing, “They have discovered in the Fourteenth Amendment a right that was overlooked by every person alive at the time of ratification and almost everyone else in the time since.”

It is imperative that Scalia’s seat be filled by a justice who will recognize the authority of the Constitution and defend it rather than bend it to their will. All of the individuals on Trump’s list of po-

tential nominees hold to conservative values and the authority of the Constitution, particularly in the areas of First and Second Amendment rights. Also, this is not a list of Trump’s supporters, as with past presidents. Instead, quite a few of them have been vocally critical of his campaign.

Other efforts to uphold the Constitution include a desire to see power returned to state and local governments, thus shrinking the federal bureaucracy. Some of the ways he intends to do this were outlined in his “Gettysburg Address” Oct. 22.

The primary means outlined involved cutting back on government regulations and programs, which have played a large role in the out-of-control budget. On cutting back the number of federal regulations,Trump said, “For every new regulation, two existing must go.”

While that may seem drastic, civil-liberties lawyer Harvey Silverglate estimates that the average

American unknowingly commits an average of three felonies per day. One part of the problem is the constantly changing regulations enforced by government agencies.

Every day, a 100-200 page book is dropped off in every congressman’s office detailing the new regulations going into effect that day.

It is impossible for our representatives to keep track of the current regulations, so what hope does a law-abiding citizen have of abiding by the law?

Trump also aims to end federal intervention in education by giving control over schools and their curriculums back to the states and local communities. Common Core’s curriculum has failed current grade school students, as the graduating class of 2016 saw Common Core implemented when they were in sixth grade. However, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found only 37 percent of them to be ready for college. Trump has promised to push for legislation to repeal Common Core and end the

one-size-fits-all approach of federal government intervention.

Then there is the Obamacare nightmare. As providers are fleeing the marketplaces and premiums are skyrocketing, healthcare.gov has revealed that one third of the counties in America will have only one insurance provider this year, and in Arizona, premiums are increasing 116 percent. Trump has proposed a solution that will eliminate the county-by-county, state-by-state marketplaces in order to promote competition, driving premiums down and benefits up.

Trump may not be the moral leader that many of us had hoped for at the start of this election, but neither are any of the other candidates. Putting aside personal feelings about his behavior, Trump is the policy leader needed to reestablish the authority of the Constitution and make America great again.

hard Libertarian Party member. I am voting for Johnson because he is the candidate which aligns most closely with my libertarian beliefs.

Libertarianism is a belief in individual rights and liberty. The role of government is to prevent coercion and promote voluntary cooperation among individuals. This places limits on the government both domestically and abroad. Government will also promote voluntarism by defining the boundaries under which we cooperate with a uniform system of law and adjudication of disputes.

Libertarianism is moral because it does not sacrifice the rights of individuals to prioritize the group, unlike collectivist ideologies.

Johnson best represents the libertarian movement in this country. Donald Trump represents a disturbing trend in the American conservatism which puts national-

ism and populism over liberty, and Hillary Clinton epitomizes the statism the democrats have pursued for a hundred years. A Trump or Clinton presidency would both be an affront to liberty. I will outline some important issues to me and to the survival of freedom in this country.

In terms of character quality, I do not believe Johnson is morally bankrupt like Trump who has allegedly sexually assaulted people or Clinton who allegedly covers up sexual assault. Giving depraved people power just amplifies their immorality, allowing it all to spill over into public policy.

Johnson is for peace and free markets. He would end the welfare, warfare state. Government should abstain from interfering in the workings of the free market and the internal affairs of other countries.

This would mean reducing expen-

ditures on the holy cows of entitlements and the military, which consume a vast majority of our budget.

The role of the U.S. government is not to redistribute wealth nor police the world. Taxes and regulations would be slashed allowing markets to function property. We should build an invisible military for the purpose of defense. The result would be a wealthier, safer and freer America. Trump and Clinton are both socialists and warmongers who are detrimental to these objectives.

In regards to the culture war, I believe Johnson falls short on the very important issue of abortion.

He has supported just about every restriction on the practice, but abortion is not a right. Government should protect human life, and Johnson’s Supreme Court appointments will do that best by return-

ing the issue to the states. I do not believe Trump values human life when he calls for targeting families with drone strikes, and Clinton’s position on the issue is truly deplorable. Johnson is the most prolife candidate.

Fearmongering tactics have been employed by the two major parties to bully people to not vote their conscience. The two party monopoly is not entitled to any of our votes, and voting the lesser of two evils is still voting evil. A vote for Johnson will not likely result in him winning the presidency, but it will tell the establishment that if they want our vote, they have to support our policies. Voting Trump or Clinton just encourages their reprehensible polices.

SURVEY To guage where students stand on the presidential election, a random sample of more than 1,500 residential students was conducted by Liberty University on Monday, Oct. 31.

DEMOCRATIC

4%

SHANNON MOYER is the feature editor.

ELIZABETH LAPP is a journalism major.

TYLER WEATHERS is a public policy major.

VOTES

78%

REPUBLICAN

18%

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news

Liberty Champion | November 1, 2016 | A7

Changing for the better Faculty and students attend town hall meeting to discuss campus concerns Valerie Pors vpors@liberty.edu

Students’ questions and concerns about Liberty University were addressed by various department representatives at the Dean of Students Town Hall Meeting held in the Jerry Falwell Library Oct. 25.

Roughly 50 students attended the event, as well as 11 departments, including representatives from Sodexo, Student Affairs, the Registrar’s Office and Commuter Student Life. Dean of Students Robert Mullen hosted the event.

“That’s what we’re here for, to serve the students, and if they have questions, then it’s our job to get answers,” Mullen said.

Caleb Fitzpatrick, speaker of the house for the Student Government Association (SGA), submitted questions he had heard repeatedly from students, including adding to-go boxes in the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall, bringing back double meal swipes, making curfew later on weekends and wearing shorts to classes.

Concerning to-go boxes, a major concern has been food safety, according to Ryan Wheeler, Sodexo’s marketing manager. No final decision has been made yet, he said.

“I know it’s on the table right now,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler also said double meal swipes had been a bug in the system that Sodexo allowed to continue. Students were actually losing money on the system and they would often use up their meal swipes too quickly.

“Double swipes will never come back,” Wheeler said.

A change to curfew and wearing shorts to class were discussed as well.

Freshman Class Vice President Gage Taylor also addressed dancing prohibited by the Liberty Way. No substantive changes have been discussed about this matter.

Questions on behalf of commuter students were also featured heavily in the meeting. Students asked about a location where commuters could watch a live-stream of Convocation.

Mullen said the spirit of the school is for commuter students to participate with residential students, but he recognized the request.

“We’re going to look into other options of location where commuters can come together to do that and create a little bit of commuter community,” Mullen said.

Also regarding Convocation, Megan Gentleman, an SGA senator representing CADETS continued from A1 leaders. Solem also said Sgt. 1st Class Adrian McGill and his method of letting the cadets experience trial and error can be helpful.

“I think that’s a unique trait as a leader when you’re able to allow someone to fail and still learn a lesson out of it,” Solem said.

While many traits are developed during ROTC training, Hixson said persevering helped him create discipline.

Hixson estimated the time ROTC demands increases from roughly 10 hours per week as a freshman to up 40 hours per week as a senior. Those hours occasionally occur in the darkness before dawn, and on those mornings, Hixson and Moretz said they look for anything wrong with them, even a hangnail, that could excuse them from going.

“Then you’re like, wait a minute,” Hixson said. “There are 89 other guys on this campus with the same thing running through their mind, so I’m not going to be the one left out. That pushed me to keep going.”

As a result of their shared challenges and victories, Hixson said the Army becomes a brotherhood. While other schools’ ROTC programs may bond over parties and fraternities, Hixson said at Liberty, they bond over a shared faith in God. Hixson said their shared beliefs helped create unity within the program. While in uniform, there is respect earned by upperclassmen who have experience. For Hixson, it goes beyond that.

“The minute you take off the uniform, you respect each other as a Christian, not necessarily as a cadet rank,” Hixson said.

This connection has helped Liberty’s ROTC program perform well at competitions, according to Solem. For example, at the Ranger Challenge Competition, Liberty

Amber Tiller| Liberty Champion

DISCUSSION — Students voiced their opinions and concerns about campus life to Liberty administrators during the SGA town hall meeting Oct. 25. the school of divinity, requested consider- it to classes on time, lowered housing prices ing inviting speakers who are not famous to on the South Campus Quads, 15-minute parking spots in front of Residential ComConvocation.

“As grateful as I am to hear from such well- mons II to relieve congestion, and videos known public figures, I have to wonder what displayed around campus about the class ofkind of a message we are trying to preach to ficers who represent students. The panel said our student body about what it means to be a these questions would be looked at further.

Last year’s town hall meeting resulted in champion for Christ,” Gentleman said.

She suggested that a pastor of a small some visible changes to this year’s campus.

Convocation security checks, the current church might have wisdom to share.

Hine said he hoped students’ defini- dining plan, off-campus freshmen parking, tion of success was not purely defined by an area for commuter students at Green Hall, Convocation. He said during his time as a and the Montview Student Center all were student, students and faculty had a great prompted by student questions, according to SGA President Jack Heaphy. impact on his life.

Sydney Blackman, a student who helped “I used to walk with my best friend in college, and we talked about God and the things set up and tear down for the event, said she of God, and we sharpened one another,” had originally thought students might come Hine said. “Liberty is so much more than to the event to complain.

“It actually turned out a lot more positive Convocation.”

Hine also pointed out that not all potential than I thought because all the students were speakers would be able to speak before such really respectful in what they had to say, and they had good reasons for what they asked,” a large audience.

Other student concerns included addition- Blackman said.

Students might feel that they are bothering al buses for aviation students trying to make

placed third out of 42 schools even though the team was primarily freshmen and sophomores.

Solem said Liberty cadets consistently rank among the top of the nation has provided a platform for him and the other cadets to share what they believe because people take them seriously. This helps combine the goals Moretz said he has.

“For me, it’s an exciting opportunity not to just serve in the military but to be a light,” Moretz said.

“We’re not just here to become great officers and build the legacy of the Army. We’re here to build the legacy and kingdom of Jesus Christ.”

The distinguished military graduate honor that Solem, Moretz and Hixson earned provides them priority when requesting which branch of the Army they want to pursue.

This spring, Solem will graduate with an interdisciplinary degree with focuses in government and biomedical science. Solem then plans to move to Georgia where he will eventually lead an infantry platoon for a few years before going to medical school.

Moretz plans to graduate with a Christian leadership and church ministries degree. He also received permission for an educational delay in order to begin seminary and then pursue becoming a chaplain for the military.

Hixson will receive a pre-law degree with a minor in strategic intelligence. After graduation, Hixson will be commissioned to Fort Sill in Oklahoma as a Field Artillery Officer before possibly pursuing jump school to join an airborne unit and then law school.

staff with their questions, but Blackman said the panel seemed very interested.

“My biggest takeaway is probably that the panel actually does care about what we have to say,” Blackman said.

Nate Nickerson, a student who asked about initiating a homeless ministry in Lynchburg, said he came to voice his concern and passion.

“I thought that it went really well, and I’m appreciative that we go to a school that has something like this, where we have the head of every department come here and listen to students,” Nickerson said. “I think that’s a good idea, and that’s how you get problems solved.”

No transit services representatives came to the meeting, perhaps due to a mix-up, Mullen said. He said the Dean of Students Office will forward questions to the various departments who can answer them.

“The nice thing about it all is we really do take seriously the fact that, if it can’t be answered here, that we’re recording them, we’re following up and getting students the answers to their questions,” Mullen said.

Mullen said this was the best town hall meeting he had been to.

“The quality of the questions was excellent,” Mullen said. “It was a really good spirit in the room as people got to ask their questions.”

Raffle prizes at the meeting included Tshirts, beanies, water bottles and coffee from Bean Tree Café. At the end of the raffle, Mullen hurled remaining water bottles into the audience.

Mullen said that sometimes it only takes one person’s good idea to prompt a change on campus.

“I want to encourage students to come to the town halls,” Mullen said. “It’s a chance to be heard.”

Mullen said the Dean of Students Office is open any time to suggestions, questions and feedback. Students may contact the Dean of Students office at deanofstudents@liberty.edu.

PORS is a news reporter.

Photo Provided

MARCH — Liberty ROTC cadets placed third out of 42 teams at the 4th Brigade Ranger Challenge Oct. 20-22.

THE TOP TOP 20% 20% OF OF THE ROTC GRADUATES GRADUATES ROTC ARE NAMED NAMED ARE DISTINGUISHED MILITARY MILITARY GRADUATES GRADUATES EVERY YEAR. YEAR. EVERY LAST YEAR, YEAR, THERE THERE WERE WERE 1,115 1,115 DMGs DMGs OUT OUT OF OF 5,575 5,575 LAST SENIORS ON ON THE THE ORDER ORDER OF OF MERIT MERIT LIST LIST SENIORS SOURCE: ARMYTIMES.COM

PRICE is a news reporter.

news

A8 | November 1, 2016 | Liberty Champion

it’s you. it’s me.

Thomas Jefferson Crossings • 16960 Forest Road 434.237.6301 • www.finks.com

␣ P O LY VORE

No Interest if paid in full by January 2018* On Purchases of $1,000 or more with your Fink Jewelers credit card made between November 1st and December 31st 2016. Interest will be charged to your account from the purchase date if the promotional purchase is not paid in full by January 2018. Minimum Monthly Payments required. *Off er applies only to single-receipt qualifying purchases. No interest will be charged on the promo purchase if you pay the promo purchase amount in full by January 2018. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo purchase from the purchase date. Depending on purchase amount, promotion length and payment allocation, the required minimum monthly payments may or may not pay off purchase by end of promotional period. Regular account terms apply to non-promotional purchases and, after promotion ends, to promotional balance. For new accounts: Purchase APR is 29.99%; Minimum Interest Charge is $2. Existing cardholders should see their credit card agreement for their applicable terms. Subject to credit approval.

SPORTS

November 1, 2016 Our goal is 200 yards rushing and no sacks. Anytime you can rush for over 200 yards is a huge thing.

- Senior Center Aaron Lundy

B1

This week in Flames history

The Liberty Flames football team rushed for more than 300 yards in a 26-12 victory over Charleston Southern for the seventh straight win over the Buccaneers.

2012

over the middle

Flames back on track Volleyball sweeps UNC Asheville Luke Dillard mdillard1@liberty.edu

michela diddle | Liberty Champion

SCREEN — Junior running back Todd Macon caught a pass from freshman quarterback Buckshot Calvert and ran for a 40-yard gain.

Bulldogs blocked Liberty beats Gardner-Webb in overtime nail-biter TJ Davis adavis331@liberty.edu

Dexter Robbins had always heard that the biggest plays happen when you least expect them. That was exactly the case as he ran off the edge and blocked Paul Schumacher’s potential game-tying kick to clinch Liberty Football’s (5-3, 3-0) 23-20 win over Gardner-Webb (3-6, 1-2) in overtime.

The rest of the team stormed the field as the family weekend crowd of 16,608 rose to its feet and cheered in approval of the Flames performance.

“I got crushed by about five 300-pound guys,” Robbins said. “I fell to the ground because I was like, that really just happened.”

It was only right that Robbins, the senior linebacker who is also a team captain, got his hand on the ball for the game winning blocked field goal. Robbins led the relentless Flames defense with seven tackles on a day when they only allowed 13 points to a high-powered Gardner-Webb offense.

The game started off as a defensive stronghold. The Flames won the coin toss and elected to take the ball in the second half and put their defense to the test first.

The defense forced a Runnin’ Bulldogs 3-and-out, but the Flames would eventually punt the ball back to Gardner-Webb after only gaining 23 yards on their first drive.

Football (OT) GWU

Liberty

20

23

WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE GAME

The game would remain scoreless until Todd Macon punched in a 3-yard touchdown on the Flames second possession after setting the up the Flames with a 40-yard screen pass up the middle.

FYI

Flames senior safety Alpha Jalloh and senior linebacker Dexter Robbins both eclipsed 100 career tackles in the game against Gardner-Webb.

The Flames defense continued to excel with the help of some dropped passes from Gardner-Webb’s receivers, and the Flames would force another scoreless possession.

But the Flames third drive marked the start of some trouble offensively for freshman quarterback Buckshot Calvert.

Calvert was unable to find a rhythm as he was sacked five times by the Runnin’ Bulldogs defense. On the day Calvert went 14-23 passing, with two interceptions and threw for 182 yards with a

M. Soccer Presby

0 Volleyball vs. Presby Nov. 4 @ 7 p.m.

single touchdown.

To end the half, the Flames posted two scoreless drives while Gardner-Webb ended its last two possessions with a pair of field goals to enter half with Liberty leading 7-6.

The Flames came out in the second half looking to fortify the lead, but Buckshot’s struggle continued as he threw a picksix to the Big South leaders in defensive scoring to give them a 13-7 lead. At this point the coaches recognized Calvert’s loss of confidence and transitioned to a heavier run game.

“We started running the ball more and hitting the simple short routes to get my momentum going,” Calvert said.

Junior running back Carrington Mosely led the rushing attack for the Flames with 69 yards off 21 carries. The Flames running backs also combined for 72 yards receiving.

“We had to be very patient on our reads,” Mosley said. “(We had to) keep pressing the line of scrimmage and be very physical at the point of attack and keep pushing the pile.

The running attack would gradually break down the Runnin’ Bulldog’s defense as the Flames would produce a field goal on their final drive of the third quarter to shorten the deficit to 13-10.

See BLOCKED, B2

W. Soccer

The Liberty Flames volleyball team (14-10, 9-3) dominated visiting Big South conference foe UNC Asheville (11-13, 5-8) on its way to a 3-0 sweep Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Vines Center.

The Flames returned to their winning ways after their loss Oct. 25 at home against Radford, a match that ended a season-best eight-game win streak for the Flames.

“Coming back with a win today at home helps us learn from the Radford loss,” Flames Head Coach Shane Pinder said. “We had to come back today and respond at home against a team in Asheville that’s won four out of their last five.”

The Flames continued to receive big contributions from young players on the team. Freshman outside hitter Leah Clayton finished the game with nine kills, three aces and 10 digs. Fellow freshman outside hitter Casey Goodwin had two kills in one set of play. Freshman middle blocker Anna Gragg recorded seven kills, four blocks and one assist.

Gragg and Clayton have both received Big South freshman of the week honors twice this season, while Goodwin has earned the honor once.

“We all connect,” Clayton said. “Our strength and conditioning coach said when he’s with us, he doesn’t really know who’s the upperclassmen and who’s not. Helping each other out has made it easier to be freshmen.”

Pinder was not surprised with the way his freshmen showed up to play and looks forward to having them on the squad for the next couple of seasons.

“In some occasions, (the freshmen) are a little bit beyond their years,” Pinder said. “They’re showing up and making the right plays at the right time. It’s encouraging for the program.

The Flames jumped out to a commanding 8-1 lead in the first set. The Bulldogs managed to trim the lead to 9-5, but that was as close as they would get as Liberty won the first set 25-18.

See BACK, B4

michela diddle | Liberty Champion

SMACK— Liberty served up eight aces.

Volleyball

Field Hockey

Liberty

UNCA

Liberty

UNCA

Liberty

UNC

Liberty

2

0

4

0

3

3

1

Volleyball vs.

High Point

Nov. 5 @ 2 p.m.

W. Basketball vs. Duke Nov. 11 @ 6 p.m.

M. Basketball vs. Cairn Nov. 11 @ 8:30 p.m.

Football vs. CSU Nov. 12 @ 3:30 p.m.

Follow @LUChampSports for Flames athletics coverage

sports

B2 | November 1, 2016 | Liberty Champion

Just a warmup Flames scrimmage as season nears Lindsey Ball lcball1@liberty.edu

Junior forward A.C. Reid gave the Red team the advantage they needed to triumph over the Blue team, 38-37, during the Liberty men’s basketball preseason scrimmage Oct. 28 at the Vines Center.

“We still have the competitive nature against each other, but this was a chance for us to play for the fans,” Reid said.

To begin the men’s basketball season, Coach Ritchie McKay split the roster in half for the Red v. Blue scrimmage to give both fans and commentators a glimpse into the season.

“This team cannot be dissuaded by mistakes,” McKay said. “However, this is a really compliant group. They will do whatever I ask them to do.”

The scrimmage was divided into two 12-minute halves to leave time for Mckay to ask each one of the players a question or two in front of the crowd. After this short Q&A portion, the players went to the Vines Center concourse to sign autographs for fans.

“This team is fun to support,” McKay said. “The neatest thing about this group is that they fit the university. I love guys that want to be at Liberty — because it’s Liberty — a Christian school.”

SB Nation predicted Liberty to finish second in the Big South Conference due to the performance of senior guard John Dawson and the coaching abilities of McKay. “I do not put much stock in preseason polls, but this is definitely a compliment,” McKay said. “We haven’t had the chance to do much as a program yet, so I will wait until the final ranking before I give an evaluation.”

Both teams were neck and neck throughout the game. However, when the Red team was down by two with seconds left in the second half, Reid was fouled on a deep threepoint field goal attempt. His three successful shots finalized the score with the Red’s 1-point advantage.

“We committed to the defensive end,” Reid said. “That is where we will hang our

hats this season, and that is what is going to take us over the edge against opponents.”

Although Reid spoke highly of the defensive end, his offensive strength and decisionmaking created 17 points for the Red team.

“We need to lock in and never take plays off,” Reid said. “When we take plays off, other teams go on runs. If we are consistent during the game, we have a good chance.”

Senior guard John Dawson stood out as a defensive force for the Blue squad.

“We were in the stands,” Dawson said.

“That means we were ready and alert, ready to impose our will for every play. We need to work on ball pressure and more talk, but that will come.”

In addition to Dawson, sophomore guard Ezra Talbert led the Blue squad in field goal attempts and total points, scoring 10 of Blue’s 37 points.

“Let’s get to this tournament,” Dawson said. “This is my last year, and that is my overall goal — compete for a national championship.”

As a whole, McKay said he was pleased with the scrimmage and looks forward to the upcoming season.

“We need to keep sticking to the process,” McKay said. “We have young guys and inexperience, so there are times when it will look really good and times when it won’t.

We are building a program, not only for today, but for tomorrow as well.”

Sophomore guard Caleb Homesley finished with eight points for the Blue squad.

Freshman guard Xzavier Barmore and freshman forward Brock Gardner chipped in six points each as well.

Freshman forward Josiah Talbert scored seven points and Bradley transfer Scottie James scored nine for the Red squad.

The Liberty Flames open the season versus the Cairn Highlanders Nov. 11 at 8:30 p.m. in the Vines Center.

BALL is a sports reporter.

amber tiller | Liberty Champion

HUSTLE — Sophomore guard Lovell Cabbil led the Flames in steals in 2016 with 46.

michela diddle| Liberty Champion

YAC— Freshman reciever Antonio Gandy-Golden fought for extra yards.

BLOCKED continued from B1 The Flames defense continued to contain the Runnin’ Bulldog’s read option, giving them possession and momentum heading into the fourth quarter.

Though Calvert struggled throughout the contest, Gill remained confident in his freshman quarterback and chose to keep him in the game. Early in the fourth quarter the Flames called on Calvert during a gutsy fourth-and-two play, where Calvert faked a handoff and threw a pop pass to tight end

Kendall Couamin for 18 yards.

The clutch play allowed the Flames to keep their drive alive and eventually kick a field goal to tie the game at 13, with 11 minutes left in the game.

“He made the plays when he had to make them,” Gill said. “That’s the sign of a good quarterback.

You’re going to have these kinds of games occasionally.”

The Flames defense again held the Runnin’ Bulldogs and forced a punt that was returned to the Gardner-Webb 41-yard line by sophomore receiver B.J. Farrow. Calvert eventually turned that field position

amber tiller | Liberty Champion

LOCKDOWN — Sophomore midfielder Nico Bellarde fought for possession.

Senior shutout Men’s soccer wins last home game Will Collier wcollier@liberty.edu

The Liberty mens soccer team’s stout defense shut down Presbyterian to notch a 2-0 victory Oct. 29 on Senior Day at Osborne Stadium.

Liberty pushed its record to 7-7-2 overall and 4-2-1 in Big South conference play. The Blue Hose fell to 6-9-2 overall and 4-3 in the Big South.

Liberty seniors Martin Agedo, Alan Arellano, Kyle Carr, Oluwatomiwa Kosoka and Jeremy Lee were honored before the game for Senior Day. “We talked to the boys at halftime because we were generating shots five to one,” Liberty men’s soccer Head Coach Jeff Alder said. “So after halftime we just refocused, told them to keep moving the ball, keep trying to find some pockets and see if we can get something in.”

In the first half, the crowd roared as sophomore midfielder Jovanni Chavez sped pass the Blue Hose defense to the top of the 18yard box, but his shot flew over the top right corner of the goal during the 26th minute.

At the 30-minute mark, senior forward Martin Agedo split through Presbyterian defenders then fired a shot from the side of the box that sailed high over the crossbar to leave the game scoreless going into the half.

“We knew it was important to stay compact and tight,” sophomore defender Nico Bellarde said. “Throughout the game they were quick on counters and attacked with large numbers, so we just focused on clearing the ball properly.”

Early in the second half, sophomore forward Tresor Mbuyu rushed past the Presbyterian backline from midfield to break free and dribbled forward leaving only the Blue Hose goalkeeper Connor Behrend to beat. Mbuyu fired shot but Behrend managed to block it.

Junior midfielder Pepe Segarra gathered

into a 29-yard touchdown pass four plays later. The pass was caught by senior receiver Dante’ Shells, who beat the corner with a double move and wrestled the ball down in the corner of the end zone.

“Defensive-wise he was squatting on me a lot, so our coach in the press box called a double move,” Shells said. The reception gave the Flames a 20-13 lead with just under eight minutes left in the game.

This time around the Runnin’ Bulldogs rolled over the Flames defense and marched right down the field, led by junior quarterback Tyrell Maxwell. Maxwell capped off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run up the middle.

Liberty would then begin the final drive of regulation from their 25-yard line. At one point Liberty faced a third-and-eight where Calvert had to check the ball off to Mosley, who then broke a tackle and gained the first down off the 27-yard completion.

The Flames eventually worked their way to the Gardner-Webb 22yard line and put the game in freshman kicker Alex Probert’s hands with a 39-yard field goal attempt.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs called all three of their time outs consecutively before the final play, in attempt to ice the freshman kicker.

Probert’s potential game-winning kick sailed wide left.

The Runnin’ Bulldogs won the overtime coin toss, and choose to put their defense on the field first.

The Flames went 3-and-out on their first overtime possession after

the rebound and netted his third goal of the season to put the Flames up 1-0.

Liberty nearly extended the lead in the 79th minute when freshman forward Rigoberto Rojas fielded a pass from midfield then shot, but it bounced off the left goalpost.

Agredo then found open space on left side of the 18-yard box then headed a ball that Behrend blocked high outside the box. Again, Segarra was there to capitalize on the rebound. He collected the rebound then fired from 20 yards out to score his fourth goal of the season and put the Flames up 2-0.

“It was an amazing feeling,” Segarra said.

“Scoring my third goal of the season and then my fourth, I felt really good — happy for me and happy for my team.”

Segarra’s goals proved to be enough as the Liberty defense stayed tight to capture the victory in the last regular season home game. Defense managed to allow freshman goalkeeper James Knoebel to not have to make a single save in the game, recording his fourth blank sheet of the season.

“That backline was unbelievable,” Alder said. “From front to back, we were blocking balls, we were stopping shots, we were clearing balls out. Our team defense bent a little, but we didn’t break, and that was remarkable. Our team defense was off the charts.”

Liberty’s defense looks to be coming together just in time with the Big South Conference Tournament just a week away.

“It feels really good to have this type of confidence,” Bellarde said. “To be able to close out one of the last games of the season with a clean sheet, now going into the playoffs — it gives us good confidence to take on each game with that same confidence.”

Before the playoffs start, the Flames make the trip to Farmville, Virginia Nov. 2 to take on Big South Conference foe the Longwood Lancers to conclude the 2016 regular season.

COLLIER is a sports reporter.

a pair of runs from junior running back Todd Macon and an incompletion thrown to senior receiver Zac Parker. The struggling Flames offense had to rely on their field goal unit once again.

Just three plays after missing the potential game-winner, Probert calmly walked onto the field and nailed the 34-yard field goal that would end up being the game winner.

“I didn’t say anything on the first (attempt),” Gill said. “I didn’t say anything on the second. I have confidence in him. He’s been a very good kicker. I’m proud of the way he’s been performing.”

The Runnin’ Bulldog’s matched the Flames 3-and-out, thanks to sophomore corner Chris Turner and junior corner Tyrin Holloway’s blanket coverage, and were forced to attempt a field goal.

Due to a high snap, Robbins was able to crash in off the right side of the line and block Schumacher’s kick to seal the victory for the Flames.

“As a defense we always want to make big plays,” sophomore defensive end Juwan Wells said.

The rising defensive star recorded five tackles on the day, along with two hits on the quarterback and a 10-yard sack.

The Flames defense did not force any turnovers, but made big plays when the game was on the line.

The stingy defense only allowed the Runnin’ Bulldogs to convert 5-17 third down attempts. The Flames only allowed a single touchdown

and two field goals on a day where special teams proved to be the deciding factor.

On the Flames side, Probert cushioned the sluggish Flames offense, converting 3-4 field goals on the day as the Flames struggled to find the end zone.

The Flames only posted 291 total yards, after putting up 681 total yards against Monmouth on Liberty’s homecoming weekend.

“They did a good job scouting us,” senior receiver Dante’ Shells said. “They had a good defensive scheme.”

Both teams’ efforts in the film room paid off defensively as the two powerhouses, who combined for 1,162 total offensive yards in their previous games, only combined for 556 total offensive yards on the day. But in the end, Liberty’s defense would get the edge as it held the Runnin’ Bulldogs to a threeand-out on their first overtime possession that led to the blocked kick.

The victory gives The Flames their fourth consecutive win and keeps the Flames undefeated in conference play.

The Flames play Charleston Southern (5-2, 2-0) Nov. 12. at 3:30.

DAVIS is the asst. sports editor.

sports

Liberty Champion | November 1, 2016 | B3

Flames put out by heavy Wake Liberty Senior Day spoiled by No. 18 Demon Deacons in final home game

Caroline Sellers | Liberty Champion

ATTACK — Sophomore midfielder Abby Julius has five goals and four assists on the season.

Julie Deutsch jdeutsch@liberty.edu

Liberty’s field hockey team (7-9) suffered a 1-3 loss on Senior Day to Wake Forest University (10-7) at the Liberty Field Hockey Field Oct. 30.

The first goal scored by Liberty was by

senior defender Serena Barr and assisted by freshman midfielder Agueda Moroni at the 27th minute. It was shot low into the right side of the goal.

“Our goal was really nice,” Coach Jodi Murphy said. “It was a great execution of a penalty corner on the part of Serena and Agueda.”

Wake Forest forward Jule Grashoff scored

the second goal with assists from midfielders Megan Anderson and Emily Conroe.

It was shot into the top left corner at the 29th minute.

Liberty used a strategy that they have benefitted from throughout the season, taking timeouts to get reenergized and regrouped.

“Being able to push through after a time out and getting that goal as soon as we can is important,” Barr said.

Jule Grashoff scored the third goal off a penalty stroke in the 54th minute.

“They were a strong team,” Barr said.

“When we look at the film, we Will see where we can improve,” Liberty struggled to come back after Wake Forest took the lead, but Barr said it will be used as a lesson for the next game.

“It is always hard to fight back in a game, but it’s something we need to learn and come back with next time,” Barr said.

Murphy said the girls prepare for these games by watching film, team meetings, practice, treatment and rehab. It helps them to know what to expect and how to handle each situation.

“The skill we best performed was being able to weather the calls we did not get against us,” Murphy said. “We did not lose our cool, and we kept our composure.”

The fourth goal of the game was scored by Wake Forest forward Sarah Thornhill with assistance from Grashoff. It was passed to the center and shot into the right side at the 62nd minute.

Liberty’s freshman goal keeper Allison Schaefer saved five shots in the first half and four in the second.

Liberty struggled with making passes during the game. They were keeping it too long, which Murphy said needs to change before

the next game.

“For this game, we just got caught up into old habits,” Murphy said. “We are dribbling too much and not passing enough, which must change.”

Wake Forest’s goalkeeper, Cat O’Connor, had two saves the first half and none the second.

Liberty received three penalty corners in the first half and one in the second.

They also took six shots in the first half and three in the second.

Wake Forest received three penalty corners in the first half and one in the second.

They took nine shots the first half and seven in the second.

Barr said Liberty struggled to find successful passes.

“We need to learn to use each other and overlapping passes,” Barr said. “Finding a way to come back is going to help us in the next game.”

Liberty’s next game is against Providence for the Big East Conference Championship at Temple in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Nov. 4.

DEUTSCH is a sports reporter.

FYI

The Flames clinched the No. 2 seed in the Big East Conference Tournament that begins Nov. 4.

Bobcats chew up Flames

Ohio ends Liberty’s five-game win streak with dominant weekend sweep Logan Smith lcsmith1@liberty.edu

The Liberty University men’s DI hockey team (8-3) battled the Ohio University Bobcats (10-1-1) Saturday, Oct. 29 for the second straight night at the LaHaye Ice Center, this time losing 6-1.

Within the first minute of the game, Bobcats forward Matt Rudin scored from the right face-off circle, giving Ohio an early lead. Despite the power play advantage late in the first, the Flames could neither contain the Bobcats ferocious offense nor penetrate their strong defense.

“It was a good learning experience this weekend,” Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy said. “When it comes down to it, it wasn’t about what Ohio did. It was about what we didn’t do.”

Handy said the Flames struggled to compete for the full 60 minutes. Despite losing, the Flames were encouraged by the last 30 minutes of the game. According to Handy, the team did a lot of things right within that time frame.

“We started out a little rough, but you don’t win the national championship in October,” Handy said. “It’s a process.”

With one minute left in the second period, Flames fans cheered as freshman defensemen Matt Cruickshank scored from the blue line, giving Liberty its first goal of the game.

“I did like the resilience of our team,” Liberty defensemen Ben Hughes said. “We

Caroline Sellers | Liberty Champion

SCORE — Freshman defenseman Matt Cruickshank scored the lone goal for the Flames. definitely competed much better than our previous night.”

After Ohio’s fifth goal, sophomore goalkeeper Blake Scott replaced senior Matt Pinel for the rest of the game.

“The first thing that came to my mind when I came in was that I knew we needed a

big shift,” Scott said. “I did what I could to make our team step up.”

According to Handy, the comradery between Pinel and Scott has made both players better goalkeepers.

“Blake (Scott) is a great goalie, and so is Matt (Pinel),” Handy said. “We put Blake

(Scott) in, and it changed the course of the game.”

After Scott’s appearance, Ohio was scoreless until the last two minutes when Ohio forward Mike Palasics drove the puck past Scott to solidify the victory.

Handy said one of the biggest problems the Flames faced was starting off the game with a high intensity.

“To be honest, we didn’t have a great start,” Handy said. “(Ohio) scored within the first minute, which is something you never want to happen.”

Although they lost, Hughes said the defeat was something they have to learn from. “(The loss) is always in the back of your mind, but we have to find a way to move on whether it’s in life, school, work or anything like that,” Hughes said.

The Flames will take on Stony Brook University in the LaHaye Ice Center Nov. 4-5.

According to Hughes, it will be an important weekend for the team.

Handy said the Flames have been through rough games before and have experienced ugly losses due to poor play.

“I truly believe there’s something special in our locker room,” Handy said. “We just have to stay the course.”

SMITH is a sports reporter.

sports

B4 | November 1, 2016 | Liberty Champion

Mickey’s clubhouse Flames golfer has best average in Big South Timothy Cockes tlcockes@liberty.edu

Nine weeks into the college football season, we are finally starting to see which teams are setting themselves apart from the rest in their march to the College Football Playoff.

You may call it SEC bias since I am from the South, but the Alabama Crimson Tide are head and shoulders above every other team in college football. It’s not even close. Nick Saban is the best DILLARD coach in the country who recruits the best high school players in the country and now fields the best team in the country.

Saban has won four national titles at Alabama since 2009, and this is the best team he has had since he took over the program. As much as I hate to say it — since I am a Tennessee Volunteers fan — Alabama is the clear favorite to win the national championship.

Behind Alabama, it gets a little trickier.

Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines currently sit at No. 2 in the country. Harbaugh is a good coach, but Michigan has not played the toughest part of its schedule yet.

The Wolverines still have to travel to play a tough game on the road at Iowa before heading to the Horseshoe to play the Ohio State Buckeyes. The season finale against Urban Meyer in Columbus could very well be for a playoff spot when all is said and done.

The Clemson Tigers sit at No. 3. The Tigers fought their way back this past weekend to beat a tough Florida State team in Tallahassee thanks in large part to their ferocious play from their defensive line. Deshaun Watson pulled off another clutch performance to keep his Tigers in the hunt for a national championship.

The Tigers have had some close calls this year, narrowly beating North Carolina State and Troy at home, two teams that are nowhere near the talent level of Clemson.

The Tigers did hand a talented Louisville squad, led by Heisman trophy front-runner Lamar Jackson, their only loss of the year so far, and they should finish the season undefeated, earning a spot in the playoff.

A lot can happen between now and the end of the season, so the fourth playoff spot will most likely be up for grabs until the season is over. Right now, the Washington Huskies sit at No. 4, but I am not so sure they deserve such a high ranking.

Head Coach Chris Petersen joined the Huskies a few years ago and has turned the program around, just as he did with the Broncos while he was at Boise State. There he lead the Broncos to a 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in what was one of the greatest college football games ever played.

The most difficult game remaining on the schedule is a trip to long-time rival Washington State, who cracked into the top-25 rankings this week. If the Huskies leave Pullman with a victory, they will play for the Pac-12 championship and probably win, because there is not a team in the conference that is close to Washington right now.

If one of the top four teams does slip up, Jackson and his Louisville Cardinals will most likely slide up from their No. 5 position in the rankings and take the fourth spot.

If Ohio State beats an undefeated Michigan team in the last week of the season, the Buckeyes would probably slide right back into the playoff picture.

My college football playoff bracket is as follows: No. 1 Alabama versus No. 4 Louisville and No. 2 Clemson versus No. 3 Ohio State.

I hate to write this, but I think Alabama will beat Clemson in the title game for the second year in a row. The Crimson Tide is just too talented. Watson and his offense will not play a better defense all season than the Crimson Tide, and the Tide will win all the marbles for the second year in a row.

DILLARD is the sports editor.

Liberty junior golfer Mickey DeMorat continues to separate himself as one of the best golfers in the Big South conference and the country.

DeMorat was named Big South men’s golfer of the week for the week of Oct. 14 after his performance in the Tar Heel Intercollegiate Tournament.

DeMorat shot a four-under-par, 140, for the 36-hole tournament. The tournament was shortened to 36 holes due to inclement weather caused by Hurricane Matthew, according to libertyflames.com.

DeMorat shot 26 pars and only three bogeys over the two rounds. He ranked 12th out of 81 competitors in birdies with seven, according to libertyflames.com.

DeMorat leads the Flames with a 70.63 stroke average on the season and ranks 75th in the first Golfstat individual rankings of the year. He has the highest ranking of any golfer in the Big South.

This is the second weekly award DeMorat has received at Liberty after being named the Big South men’s golfer of the week Feb. 25, 2016, according to libertyflames.com.

DeMorat said he is satisfied with his play thus far this season and strives to be the best he can be.

“I’m happy with the way I’ve played so far this year,” DeMorat said. “My goal is to have a chance to win every tournament that I play in and be in the top 100 players in the country as well as be named an All-American.”

DeMorat said he sets goals for himself based upon his performances in tournaments.

“I write down my goals in a journal as I’m looking at my statistics,” DeMorat said. “It helps me to see what I need to work on in practice. It’s how I base what I should be working on.”

DeMorat said these goals are mainly for preparation purposes and he does not focus on them during tournaments.

“I try not to think about them while I’m playing,” DeMorat said. “I just try to focus on getting the lowest score I can.”

DeMorat said his love for golf started at a young age.

“My grandfather is the one who really got me into the golf,” DeMorat said. “He got me my first set of clubs and would take me to the course and shoot with me.”

DeMorat, a Florida native, said he used to attend professional tournaments with his grandfather and admire the golfers there.

“I used to watch the Arnold Palmer Invitational,” DeMorat said. “One golfer that I really admired was Ernie Els. I wanted to copy his swing and the way he played the game. He made everything look easy.”

Ernie Els, nicknamed “The Big Easy,” is a professional golfer with 19 career PGA Tour victories.

Although DeMorat loved golf from an early age, his journey to playing golf was uncommon.

“One thing that was difficult for me was that I didn’t start playing in junior golf tournaments until I was around 15,” DeMorat said. “Before that I played baseball and basketball in addition to golf. The guys that I was playing against had

Liberty University News Service | Leah Seavers

SMILE — Mickey DeMorat has a 1-under-par score this year.

been playing golf only since they were 7 or 8. I was getting beat really badly at first.”

DeMorat said that although waiting to focus on golf made his journey challenging, he does not regret playing other sports.

“Playing multiple sports gave me a good fundamental skillset and a strong competitive drive,” DeMorat said.

DeMorat said his approach to the game has changed in his second year playing golf at Liberty after transferring from East Florida State after his freshman season.

“This year I know what to expect more from tournaments, and I’ve become more detailed in my preparation and confident in my abilities,” DeMorat said. “My mindset has changed, and I understand more of what it takes to compete.”

DeMorat said that coming to Liberty ended up being the best decision for him.

“Playing at Liberty made me a better player because I had to adjust to competing against people who were just as good as me,” DeMorat said. “I could previously do poorly and still have a chance to win tournaments, but not anymore.”

DeMorat and the Flames continue the season in search of a second consecutive Big South championship.

COCKES is a sports reporter.

BACK continued from B1 “(In) those first eight to 10 points, we executed exactly the way we wanted to,” Pinder said. “We stayed on game plan, and to see them bounce back and get a quality win where they had to make plays and earn it was good to see for the next few matches down the stretch. We did a good job of taking away the things (UNC Asheville) wanted to do. We kept pressure on them.”

Clayton led the Flames in the first set with five kills, followed by junior outside hitter Gabrielle Vess, who had four.

The Flames jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the second set, but the Bulldogs refused to back down and cut the lead to 17-14, causing Pinder to call a timeout.

“They made a couple swings that were just good swings,” Pinder said. “We had to protect the ball a little bit better, stay aggressive (and) stay patient.”

The Flames responded by winning eight of the next 13 points to win the second set 25-19.

Clayton and Vess each had eight kills in the second set to lead the Flames, while Gragg added six more. The Flames finished the second set hitting with an 84 percent success rate.

The Flames won the decisive third set 25-19 with five kills from Vess. After battling back and forth throughout

Michela Diddle|Liberty Champion

BUMP — Sophomore libero Margaret Latchford had seven digs in the game. the beginning of the set, the score was tied 11-11.

The Flames won the next five points to take the 16-11 lead, and the momentum from that run helped the Flames seal the sweep of the Bulldogs.

“That was definitely a turning point for us,” senior defensive specialist Michelle Melendez said. “We wanted to get on a run and slow them down and make sure we kept going forward from that.”

The win gives the Flames their ninth victory in their last 10 matches, and they remain in sole possession of second place behind Radford in the Big South in the weeks leading up to the Big South volleyball championship tournament.

The Flames next home game is Friday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. against Presbyterian.

DILLARD is the sports editor.

VALLEY VIEW MIKE DONAHUE 5 MILER MEMORIAL RUN $25 - NOVEMBER 5 - HYDAWAY REC. CENTER - 9AM Major Donahue was an integral part in establishing Liberty’s trail race series as well as the trail system. At Liberty, Donahue was an assistant professor of military science for Liberty’s ROTC program from August 2008 to July 2010, during which he completed his master’s degree in education and most of his doctorate.

RUNSIGNUP.COM

feature

Liberty Champion | November 1, 2016 | B5

Photo Provided

HORSING AROUND — Josie McCormick poses with her horse. McCormick has been ranked No. 8 in the world at the National Barrel Horse Association World Championships.

She’s the mane event

Three-time state champion barrel racer balances school and competition Nathaniel Fraticelli nlfraticelli@liberty.edu

Since she was 7 years old, Liberty University student Josie McCormick’s passion for barrel racing was a large part of her life.

Eventually, her passion for riding horses would take her to the championship level.

“I have been the Virginia state youth champion three years in a row now, and as of 2015, ranked 8th in the world at the National Barrel Horse Association World championships,” McCormick said. “I have made these accomplishments possible through the grace of God, and I give him all the glory.”

Balancing her time as a nursing student at Liberty and a three-time state champion can be difficult, but even through her hectic life, McCormick always points back to God as her strength and barrel racing as her passion.

A native of Appomattox, Virginia, McCormick began practicing barrel racing as a fam-

ily pastime. The sport requires the rider and horse to work together in order to perfect a specific pattern.

“It is a sport where a horse and its rider run through a set of three barrels as fast as they can in a clover leaf shaped pattern,” McCormick said. “Whoever keeps all three barrels up and is the fastest, wins. However, if a barrel is knocked over, five seconds get added to your time. In the tightest situations the win can be determined down to a thousandth of a second.”

When she’s not competing, McCormick, a freshman at Liberty, spends her time in the nursing program in hopes of one day becoming a pediatric nurse. Despite the difficulty of competing and being a full time student, McCormick manages to make the best of it.

“Due to the fact that nursing school is extremely difficult and takes up a lot of time studying and getting assignments done, it does not give me much time to ride and practice as much as I would like,” McCormick

said. “Although I manage to make it work … my professors are very generous and help me out a lot when it comes to me having to miss school for barrel races.”

As a Christian and an athlete, McCormick believes that prayer and God both play a large part in her life, both on a competitive and an academic level.

“I use prayer right before my runs,” McCormick said. “I pray with whoever is around me, whether it is my family or close friends.”

McCormick recalled a time during the 2015 championship when she felt that prayer not only helped her win, but also helped her friend and fellow barrel racer to give credit to God as well.

“I prayed with a close friend of mine, and right after that prayer I ran the fastest time and earned that title,” McCormick said. “The next week I started seeing on Facebook how (my friend) had begun to post statuses about God and how he works and giving him the glory for all the things he blessed her with in

her accomplishments in barrel racing.”

McCormick plans to continue balancing her nursing and competitive life past graduation into her professional career, hoping to one day compete in the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Until then, whether she finds herself in the classroom or at the reins of a horse, McCormick continues to draw her strength from God. “I hope to finish my next four years of schooling and hopefully earn a bachelor of science in nursing and work as a pediatric nurse, all while still competing and winning more titles,” McCormick said. “None of this would be possible without God. … He is the one that gives me the strength to manage to succeed in both my nursing career and barrel racing.”

FRATICELLI is a feature reporter.

A mother’s love knows no bounds Outstanding Parent Award given to Reina Alvarez for her dedication to her sons Valerie Pors vpors@liberty.edu

“Goodnight, don’t stay up too late.”

Most children around the U.S. have heard this parental phrase more times than they can count.

But Reina Alvarez’s sons never heard it because she would stay up with them until all their work was done, encouraging them to keep going.

“I didn’t feel good about being able to rest and go sleep knowing that my kids were still trying to work hard,” Reina Alvarez said.

That is one reason why Reina Alvarez is Liberty University’s Outstanding Parent of 2016.

Jesse Alvarez, a sophomore studying exercise science, was one of nearly 200 students to submit an essay for Liberty’s 2016 Outstanding Parent Essay Contest, held each year by the Parent and Family Connections office to recognize deserving Liberty parents.

Reina Alvarez received the award at the Family Welcome Reception, which was held the same day as her birthday.

“I’m really just surprised any of this happened,” Jesse Alvarez said.

“I just remember I first saw the essay (contest announcement), it was hanging up on the wall, and that was actually the weekend I had the most homework. … And then something just told me, ‘You have to write that essay.’ I was just thinking, ‘I know I have an outstanding mom.’”

Reina Alvarez grew up in El Salvador, but emigrated to the U.S., where she financially supported Jesse Alvarez, 19, and his brother Santos Alvarez, 21. Due to financial problems, she was unable to get an education and struggled to find a job.

“Seventeen years I worked at Burger King,” Reina Alvarez said.

“Now I work at a hotel.”

When Jesse Alvarez was just a child, his father died, leaving Reina

Alvarez to support the family by herself. But she still served others, and together the family would visit church members and visitors when they were sick.

“She takes a lot out of her time just to help out our church,” Jesse Alvarez said. “She’s been taking care of the infants for our church ever since I was born.”

Jesse Alvarez said that because of her example, he joined the chorus, music and church cleanup groups and became an assistant youth group leader.

“She was always just trying to show me and my brother a good testimony,” Jesse Alvarez said.

“She really taught us to play a role in the church.”

She also encouraged her sons in sports, paying for uniforms or anything else they needed, and coming to their races. Jesse Alvarez participated in track, cross-country and wrestling.

“She would only work part time because she wanted to actually spend time with me and my brother as well,” Jesse Alvarez said.

But he spoke most highly of his mother’s faith in God during difficult times when her husband died, and more recently when she was diagnosed with leukemia last summer.

“Trying to understand how God could let a humble, widowed mother be diagnosed with leukemia was difficult,” Jesse Alvarez said. “But even though she was going through leukemia, she was still strong. She never blamed God for anything, and she just kept giving him thanks and just said everything was his will. It was really just shocking to me to see, ‘Wow, that’s my mother,’ that she’s actually this strong in the Word.”

Reina Alvarez said her strength came from God and reading the Bible. She especially clung to the story of Job, saying that even though circumstances were not going well for him, he still stayed firm in God’s Word.

“I was very sad, but I knew that

Kevin Manguiob | Liberty University News Service

AWARD — Reina Alvarez (middle) was given the Outstanding Parent Award after her son Jesse (right) nominated her.

God was watching over me, so that gave me peace in my heart,” Reina Alvarez said. “When the doctor told me I didn’t have leukemia anymore, I cried, but I cried of happiness.”

Jesse Alvarez said his mother inspired him to work hard and never give up, which he applies to his academic work at Liberty.

Now that he is not playing a sport, Jesse Alvarez said he also works part time as a shoe sales assistant at Finish Line in the nearby River Ridge Mall.

“She didn’t want me to get a job during college,” Jesse Alvarez said.

“She just wanted (me) to focus on studying. But out of my own will I decided I was going to get a parttime job because I feel like it helps to manage my time.”

Reina Alvarez said she wanted her sons to get a good education so they would not experience her struggles.

“I am happy with God for the kids that he gave me and that they’re making an effort,” Reina Alvarez said.

Operations Assistant Jessica

Young, who coordinated the event for the Parent and Family Connections office, said that the way Jesse Alvarez treats his mother — more so even than the speech itself —impacted her. She told of how he had helped his mother onto the stage before reading his essay, and how afterwards he had given her a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

“I thought it was so sweet how caring he’s been … towards his mother,” Young said. “He seems to really respect her. He seems to be really appreciative of her. … I like that Jesse’s not just saying it, he’s showing it.”

Jesse Alvarez read his essay in Spanish so that his mother could

understand it better.

Tony Huffer, one of the Liberty parents in the audience, said Jesse Alvarez’s appreciation for his mother was evident. Having traveled to South America, to Peru and Ecuador for short-term missions, Huffer said he knew how tight-knit the family unit is in South American culture.

“I think we can learn from that dedication to each other, and loyalty to each other and support for each other,” Huffer said. “It’s a wonderful thing to see the family being strong.”

PORS is a news reporter.

CHAMPION CORRECTIONS The article that ran on B8 and B7 titled “Safe house saving lives” in the Oct. 25 was incorrectly attributed. The true author is Erin Covey (ercovey@liberty.edu), a feature reporter.

feature

B6 | November 1, 2016 | Liberty Champion

Fast-fire’d A shoebox of hope

Blaze Pizza location opens on Wards Road

Operation Christmas Child aims for 3,000 boxes Erin Covey ercovey@liberty.edu

Siani Null snull@liberty.edu

Gourmet pizza ready in just 180 seconds – four different sauces, three different doughs, nine different cheeses, eight different meats and 24 different toppings to choose from. These are the mouthwatering possibilities available at Blaze Pizza’s new location: 4026 Wards Road, Lynchburg, Virginia.

On Thursday, Oct. 20, the restaurant had its grand opening of the chain’s 159th location. The purpose of Blaze Pizza is to create “fast-fire’d” pizza in a casual environment.

“In three minutes you can get your pizza in and out to you to eat,” Operations Trainer Don Ash said. “You go down the line and employees build your artisanal pizza that you create yourself.”

Blaze Pizza began in 2012 in Irvine, California. Its vision is to have 1,000 restaurants open by 2022.

The local franchise is called “Blazing Virginia” and, according to Ash, they hope to have 20-30 restaurants open in the next five years. Currently in Virginia there are shops running in Williamsburg and Lynchburg. A Richmond location will open in the next two weeks.

The company began thinking about opening a location in Lynchburg about two years ago. Ash said this area was chosen because they had previous experience with restaurants in this community and knew it had a good market.

Ash and his staff agreed that Blaze Pizza differs from any other pizza shop in the area.

“It is the most amazing thing that I’ve ever been involved in in all my life,” Assistant General Manager Rich Kipp said.

“I’ve managed Applebee’s, Cracker Barrel and a 4-star restaurant in downtown Albany. This blows them all away.

The energy is just something you can feel when you come through the door.”

Friday, Oct. 21 was the location’s Free Pizza Day. Customers who came into the shop and showed they “liked” Blaze Pizza on Facebook received a free pizza of their choice. The restaurant gave away a total of 1,415 pizzas.

“It’s part of the ‘Blaze vibe’ and a good way to get its name out and some excitement in the community,” Ash said. “If you’re giving away something free in a town, people hear about it and it gets the word out.”

Ash said both Blaze’s speed of service and value for its price are very rare. Pizza prices range from $5.50-$7.95 and include unlimited toppings.

In addition to pizza, Blaze also serves salads, drinks and their specialty dessert: S’more Pie. A great amount of work went into the preparation of the new location. The company had to gain location approval from Blaze corporate, negotiate leases with the shopping center owners, plan the opening management team, hire 50 associates and complete training. Six experienced trainers from California were needed at the Lynchburg location during the first week to help manage the grand opening.

There are two basic positions in the restaurant: the “Pizza-olo,” an employee who comes in contact with customers and takes orders, and the “Pizza-smith,” who controls the 500-degree oven and fires the pizzas.

Another unique aspect about Blaze is its passion for helping others fundraise. The company will work with nonprofit or non-profit-affiliated groups to raise money for sicknesses, mission trips, church events, schools and athletic teams.

A group interested in fundraising through Blaze would pick a date to do so. If someone ordered a pizza on that date and announced their support for the group when they paid, their order would go toward the cause.

“We donate 20 percent of all the proceeds that the fundraiser brings in,” Kipp said. “It’s one of the best fundraisers that I’ve ever seen out there, and I’ve been a restaurant manager for … close to 30 years. It’s amazing.”

Kipp described the first time he tasted the pizza, but determined that a person really just has to come try it for themselves.

“I wasn’t originally a thin-crust kind of guy, but I had this, and this is amazing,” Kipp said. “I’ve had pizza all up and down the East Coast, and this is hands down the best one.”

For more information, connect with Blaze Pizza on Facebook or visit their website at blazepizza.com.

NULL is a feature reporter.

Jonathan Husker | Liberty Champion

YUM — Blaze Pizza says its pizzas are ready in 180 seconds.

Liberty University’s Operation Christmas Child (OCC) Shoebox Blitz is in full swing as the OCC club works to collect 3,000 shoeboxes from the campus.

OCC presidents Taylor Frost and Tyler Smith believe the third annual Blitz can bring in almost twice as many shoeboxes as last year due to growth from previous years. Last year, the Blitz brought in 1,800 shoeboxes — the year before that, 900 shoeboxes.

Operation Christmas Child is a humanitarian project organized by Samaritan’s Purse each year. According to the Samaritan’s Purse website, participants collect school supplies, toys, hygiene items and more to pack in shoeboxes for underprivileged children around the world.

“Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to over 135 million children in more than 150 countries and territories,” the FAQ page of the website said.

Liberty’s Blitz week started Oct. 31 and will end Friday, Nov. 4. Students can drop off their filled shoeboxes all week at a tent set up in the Liberty Bookstore parking lot. During this time, the club is offering a variety of events to promote the collection of shoeboxes.

OCC is hosting their “Be A Kid at Christmas” party at Snowflex from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1. This event will promote the Blitz and give students an opportunity to write letters and take Polaroid pictures for the shoeboxes they pack.

The club is also hosting an approved late-night event Wednesday night to encourage community groups to pack boxes together and then drop the boxes off at the OCC tent, Frost said.

“Go out into the community, pack a box together because that’s a great bonding experience, and then bring it back and put it on the truck,” Frost said.

Smith said about 1,000 students came to the community group collection night last year and the majority of the shoeboxes collected came on that night.

Frost believes that prayer is a vital part of OCC’s mission.

Therefore, the club will provide students with the opportunity to pray for the shoeboxes and the future recipients Thursday night at the prayer chapel.

“We’re going to have different stations set up of things to be praying for,” Frost said. “Prayer is an essential part of OCC, and without prayer, ultimately, our efforts are

Amber Tiller | Liberty Champion

GIFT— Boxes are available at the OCC tent in the bookstore.

going to fail.”

Frost said OCC will be celebrating the final day of Blitz week in the bookstore parking lot with Christmas carols and testimonies from shoebox recipients. This final event on Friday, Nov. 4 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. will end with the departure of an OCC truck filled with shoeboxes from Liberty.

Each shoebox will then be sent on a journey that ends in the hands of a child across the globe.

Frost said she is encouraged by seeing how children truly value each shoebox. In fact, she has spoken to many international students at Liberty who remember receiving one of these shoeboxes years ago.

“Whether it’s personalizing each box, sending a polaroid in each box, or praying over each box — all those things are so important because in turn it’s going to make the child that receives it feel so special,” Frost said.

Shoeboxes can be picked up at various locations around campus, with a central location at the OCC tent in the bookstore parking lot.

Students interested in joining OCC or volunteering during Blitz week can contact Frost at tfrost2@liberty.edu and Smith at tsmith577@liberty.edu.

COVEY is a feature reporter.

Acting with the flow Liberty’s first improv club offers a new experience Amelia Whittaker awhittaker1@liberty.edu

Millicent Phillips, freshman at Liberty University, was looking through the clubs and organizations that are offered at Liberty when she realized something was missing.

“When I found out I was coming to Liberty I looked and saw they didn’t have an improv team, so I knew I wanted to start one,” Phillips said.

The summer before beginning her first semester, Phillips contacted club directors and officially became the president of Liberty’s first improv team. Phillips gained an interest in improv when she was a sophomore in high school.

“I randomly auditioned and joined a team and was hooked,” Phillips said. “I love that it is an outlet for craziness.”

Photo Provided She is drawn to the fact that there is always the possibility of anything happening because there are TEAM — The improv club, pictured above, formed this year. no scripts or lines used. Improv is a live theatrical performance where the scenes are made up completely in the them to know when one is about to make a joke or when to moment, according to Hide Out Theater’s site. Performances move on to something new.

Improv is something that is used to create and develop are often inspired by suggestions taken from the audience.

“You can be on stage and be silly,” Phillips said. “I couldn’t skills that an individual can use for the rest of their lives. According to the official website of the Panic and Anxiety Recovdo the stress of school without having improv.”

Auditions were held at Liberty and Phillips created a group ery Center, improv is a vehicle for leadership development as of 10 individuals who hope to perform for the student body it matures crucial life skills.

Phillips believes that improv creates strong friendship once a month.

Stephanie Anderson did not have any experience with im- bonds and confidence that can be utilized later in life. She prov when she saw the posters for auditions and decided to try uses the example of public speaking not seeming so scary afit. She is a fan of “Saturday Night Live” and comedian Jimmy ter performing improv.

“When you walk into a situation and think, ‘I’ve walked Fallon and their style of improv shows.

She was nervous going into the audition because of her onto a stage with no script before so I can walk into this room lack of experience, but learned quickly. She believes that be- and talk to people I’ve never met’ — it helps,” Phillips said.

The goal of Liberty’s improv team is to establish their ing on an improv team will make an impact in other areas of shows as an anticipated event, according to Phillips. her life as she continues to grow and develop as a person.

“We want our shows to be a time of laughing where people “Improv keeps you engaged and always ready for what people throw at you,” Anderson said. “I think it’s helped me can go and enjoy a break,” Phillips said. “We want people to come because they know they are going to have a good time.” already in opening up quicker and just being myself.”

According to Phillips the first rule of improv is known as The team meets once a week to practice and prepare for the performances. Because there are no lines or scripts used, the the “yes, and” rule. This phrase means that instead of just anrehearsals are made up of the different games that take place swering a question with yes or no, an answer is given to move during performances. Phillips shared that practice allows a the scene forward. It allows the person to accept the information given and to then add to it making the scene interesting. time to work on scenes and create characters.

This idea is something that Phillips hopes to keep in her life It is also important that the team gets to know each other very well which the small number of members allows. Accord- even if she stops working in improv.

“That principle of saying ‘yes, and’ — saying I accept what ing to Phillips, the nature of improv makes it difficult to have you’ve given me in a scene and I’m going to add to it and move a big group.

“The whole point of improv is listening and being able to forward — is something that can really apply to your life and understand scene partners, and it is hard to do that with a lot even your relationship with God,” Phillips said. of people,” Phillips said.

Knowing each member will also help during performances and make it easier without having scripts, according to Phillips. Once people are familiar with their teammates it allows WHITTAKER is a feature reporter.

feature

Liberty Champion | November 1, 2016 | B7

Them’s fighting birds The current performers who don the Sparky suit talk about their experience Ryan Klinker rmklinker@liberty.edu

The goal of any successful mascot is to delight people of all ages, and Liberty University’s “Sparky” has enthusiastically been doing his job by entertaining Flames fans since 1977.

Sparky is tasked with pumping up those in the stands at Liberty’s many athletic competitions, representing the school in various community events, and competing in the UCA College National Mascot Championship. The five performers who don the suit — as well as the rest of the mascot team — consistently strive to be a worthy symbol for the university.

Jordan Ballard, head coach of the cheerleading team, noted that the objective at the end of the day is to make everyone enjoy themselves and have fun with Sparky.

“Sparky’s ultimate goal is to make every person in attendance feel like his best friend,” Ballard said.

For almost 40 years, Sparky has been a figure on Liberty’s campus. His likeness has evolved over the years just as much as the campus itself. According to Ballard, Sparky began with a thinner, chicken-legged figure, but became more rounded and kid-friendly in the early 2000’s before finally settling into his current look, which is more of a “fighting Sparky” image.

While fans and admirers only see the outward presence of the mascot, the five performers who take turns in the costume have a unique perspective of what it is to be the embodiment of school spirit. John Smith, the head mascot, has spent three years behind the mask. He does not struggle to find a good reason for the time he puts in.

“The answer is pretty simple: either you’ve made a kid’s whole week better, which happens all the time, or … you had the opportunity to lead … the team out of the tunnel in front of thousands of fans,” Smith said.

Smith said he loves the anonymity and secret celebrity status of the experience as he sees

the same people in the halls who were shouting “his” name the day before when he was in the costume. While he cannot tell any of his friends about his work as Sparky, Smith said he loves the many unique chances afforded to him by being Sparky that he otherwise could never do.

“I’ve hit the jumps at Snowflex, stolen golf carts in the stadium, taken literally hundreds of pictures on Dr. Wheeler’s phone and so much more,” Smith said. “But my favorite thing is sitting down on the ground with a baby that has seen a mascot for the first time.”

As only a select few are able to wear the suit, an exclusive mascot club — or “furternity” — has developed between all of the past and present Sparky performers. Smith said he made a secret Facebook page for the members to stay up to date with the team and connect with others who have to keep the same secret.

“We love to keep the secret alive as we share it with each other and pass on the torch from one person to the next,” Smith said.

As the symbol for Liberty’s athletic program for close to 40 years, Sparky continues to energize and entertain people of all ages with his antics. Tryouts for new performers will be held in the spring, and Smith encouraged anyone with hopes of entertaining thousands of fans to try joining the team.

“If anyone is interested in this opportunity — if the sweaty disgusting life and time commitment doesn’t scare you away — be ready,” Smith said. “With 15,000 students we have to take the best, and a lot of people get turned away, but this could be you.”

Editor’s note: John Smith is not the true name of the current mascot. While the quotes are real, the identity of the bird needed to be protected.

Caroline Sellers| Liberty Champion

KLINKER is a feature reporter.

MASCOT — Sparky entertained the crowd at the 2016 Homecoming parade.

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B8

FEATURE

November 1, 2016

Kevin Manguiob | Liberty University News Service

DRAMA — The cast of “Over the River and Through the Woods” was made up of six Liberty University students, five of whom made their Tower Theater debut with the production.

Over the river, through the woods Production opens at Tower Theater bringing comedy and romance with it Dominique Howerton dhowerton5@liberty.edu Shannon Moyer srmoyer@liberty.edu

“Over the River and Through the Woods” opened Oct. 28 at the Tower Theatre, the third production to do so in the Fall 2016 semester.

The production follows Nick, a single marketing executive, who every Sunday visits his four grandparents for dinners that are governed by faith, family and — most importantly — food. When Nick announces he is moving to Seattle, his grandparents scheme to keep him close by.

According to Christopher Nelson, Director and Associate Professor, “Over the River and Through the Woods” can be appreciated by anyone from young students to grandparents.

“It is a pretty relatable plot,” Nelson said.

“I am finding that it is relating to a lot of college age students who see life the way Nick, the grandson, sees it. And then there (are) parents and grandparents in the community that come on out and have a very close connection to the way the grandparents see how their grandson ought to live life.”

Out of the six cast members, five of them made their debut at the Tower Theater with this production. Nelson chose this play not only because of the message it contains, but also the challenge that it presented to the production team, since young actors and actresses were cast as 70-year-old grandparents.

“Every year we look to see what we might want to produce, and a lot of times, we like to find a contemporary comedy or drama,” Nelson said. “This play had a nice message about family. It is not a perfect family, but it is a good challenge for our young actors.”

Lynchburg resident Kathleen Thompson has visited the Tower Theater for mul-

tiple shows with her husband, and felt that effort put into “Over the River and Through the Woods” showed.

“I really did enjoy the show,” Thompson said. “We are always so amazed at the hard work these kids put into the production.

There were only about five or six actors … and to carry on a whole two-hour play is pretty good in my opinion.”

Nelson felt that the audience enjoyed seeing the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren onstage, and that the play’s message of the importance of family was meaningful.

“There is a line in (the play) where one of the grandparents reminds Nick that you can’t hold onto the ones you love forever,” Nelson said. “I think there are some bittersweet truths that come out in the play.”

Liberty University’s Theatre Arts department partnered with Operation Christmas Child this year. Collectively, their goal is to fill 130 shoeboxes and to raise $1,000 in

donations. After each showing of “Over the River and Through the Woods,” representatives from Operation Christmas Child will be in the theater lobby to accept financial donations to reach this goal.

“Over the River and Through the Woods” will run from Oct. 28 until Nov. 6, with both matinee and evening showings. Tickets can be purchased through the MyLU portal or by calling 434-582-7328.

HOWERTON is a feature reporter.

MOYER is the feature editor.

Making an (O) positive impact Liberty students make A+ blood donations at LaHaye, remembering to B positive Elisa Palumbo epalumbo1@liberty.edu

“I like to tell people: ‘blood doesn’t grow on trees,’” blood drive coordinator Wensday Tumalak said when asked about the importance of donating blood. Having worked for Virginia Blood Services (VBS) for almost three and a half years, this topic is one that hits home for her.

Tumulak explained she never donated blood until getting a job in this field, and she credits it all to her brother-in-law, Charles, whose faithful dedication to donating blood opened her eyes to the importance of giving back.

“Charles was an avid blood donor,” Tumulak explained, and with tear-filled eyes told of how an accidental fall during an obstacle course race left him paralyzed. “Seeing him live as a quadriplegic has helped me appreciate the small stuff, and it’s because of him that I got this job.”

Charles proactively donated blood before his accident. In honor of him, Tumulak has worked to raise awareness of the importance and impact this small act can have.

“A lot of people use the excuse that they don’t have time, but in reality we do — it only takes forty-five minutes to an hour of your day,” Tumulak said. “Each donation helps three people as one pint of blood is divided into the platelets, plasma and red (blood) cells.”

According to Tumulak, cancer patients are the number one recipients of their products.

She feels that if more people understood where their blood was going, they might be more apt to donate.

Other common recipients of blood dona-

tions include premature babies in need of blood transfusions and mothers who have just delivered, since they lose a lot of blood in the process. Tumulak said that blood used for car accidents and gun wounds are “few and far between.”

The reality lies in that most people do not understand the importance behind donating blood.

“The only way people in the hospital will get the products they need is if people selflessly give their time,” Tumulak said. “It won’t cost you anything, but you can give your time and invest in a life.”

Donating is a simple three-step process consisting of registration, screening, and donating. Of these three, the actual donation takes no more than five to 10 minutes.

The FDA has regulated that needles cannot be left inside of someone for more than 15 minutes.

Tumulak provided two common reasons why people do not donate blood.

“Either because no one has asked them to or they are afraid of needles,” Tumulak said.

Liberty University sponsors one blood drive every eight weeks, and holds them most often in the LaHaye Event Space located in Green Hall. The university partners with both the Red Cross and Virginia Blood Services.

Some of Liberty’s professors raise awareness in the student body by offering extra credit for general classes like Biblical Worldview or Evangelism 101 to get students to participate in the blood drives. Tumalak stated that 30 percent of the donor base for Virginia Blood Services are high school and college students.

Tumulak pointed out that when Liberty holds a drive where students receive extra

Cristianne Gormley| Liberty Champion

GIVE — Blood donations were taken in the LaHaye Event Space on multiple days. credit, the turnout is much bigger. Far fewer students show up to an event if extra credit is not offered.

Junior Abbie Suttle has personally seen both the benefits and importance of receiving blood and organ donations through the life of her older sister, Erin. Erin was born with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, an autoimmune disease. She lived only a month and half shy of her fourth birthday. But, those years of life came about only thanks to a much-needed organ donation.

Though Erin died before Suttle was born, she knows how much those extra years of her sister’s life blessed her parents, and as a way of returning the favor to others, she

donates blood.

“I try to donate where I can,” Suttle said.

“I’m not the … most rare (blood type), but I’ll give when I can.”

Since her freshman year, Suttle has not missed a single blood drive offered at Liberty.

“Everyone gets scared and freaks out about how they will feel after,” Suttle said.

“Just drink water, eat food and get decent sleep — if you have those three things you’ll be okay.”

PALUMBO is a feature reporter.