THAT’S WHAT
SAID
B6 Editor-in-chief on Pence’s visit
Tower Theater hosts Hunchback
VOLUME 34, ISSUE 3
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LIBERTYCHAMPION.COM | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016 | LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
Vote at Vines A talk with Dean Mullen on voting Sarah Rodriguez srodriguez70@liberty.edu
A sacred responsibility one must not take lightly said Robert Mullen, dean of students at Liberty University, when referencing voting.
“God has given us a responsibility to be salt and light,” Mullen said. “In some situations — some nations and countries — that ability to be salt and light is really restricted, but God has placed all of us in a place where we have that oppor-
tunity in a lot of ways — one of which is to actually vote and determine who your leadership is going to be. I believe it is a sacred biblical responsibility for See VOTE, A6
Convict caught Local inmate captured after escape Will Young weyoung@liberty.edu
The inmate who escaped the Blue Ridge Regional Jail (BRRJ) in Lynchburg over a week ago was captured by authorities Wednesday, Sept. 14 near the wastewater plant on the Lynchburg side of the James River, approximately 2.3 miles
from the jail. James Richard Pavlis, 22, was found dehydrated and with minor scars on his body when he was located by police 60 hours following his escape. He was taken into custody without incident and is currently being held at the Amherst County Adult Detention Center. Pavlis initially escaped
under a fence the morning of Sept. 12 after leaving through the jail’s kitchen area where he worked. The fence he escaped under is over 1 foot off the ground, and according to BRRJ superintendent Tim
See ESCAPED, A3
the children of the world
Michela DiDDle| liberty chaMpion
SING ALONG — The Children of the World International Choir, composed of chilren from Nepal, Honduras, Uganda, India and the Philippines, performed multiple songs on-stage during Convocation Sept. 14. to kick off Global Focus Week.
Celebrating diversity
Liberty’s Global Focus Week showcases the world’s cultures and customs Logan Price lprice7@liberty.edu
The Children of the World Choir made an appearance at Liberty University Convocation Sept. 14 with their dancing, singing and brightly-colored, native dress as they signaled the start of Global Focus Week. According to the LU Serve webpage, Global Focus Week seeks to help students, faculty and staff become more globally aware through a variety of opportunities. LU Serve International Director Steven Gillum said students should be equipped to serve and interact with various cultures from around the world, as access to them has become almost immediate. “My personal heartbeat is that the LU students and staff capture the vision of being global ambassadors in every sphere of
society,” Gillum said. To encourage students toward this global vision, Global Focus Week engaged students’ five senses to help them feel as if the world had come to them. Sight was appealed to as students explored the Culture Shape art exhibit, which was comprised of paintings and photographs that depicted people from around the globe. To Mariannette Oyola, a Master of Fine Arts student, images contain power because they cannot be unseen and will have a psychological and emotional impact, which can be used for good. Oyola live painted a picture of a young boy and had two other paintings in the exhibit, all of which drew inspiration from pictures her friends had taken on their mission trips. “We are making sure you understand that these are not just paintings, and they are not
just photographs,” Oyola said. “They are people out there that need help one way or another. They’re less privileged, but they’re still able to smile and still represent God’s workmanship.” Students also had the chance to see “The Insanity of God,” a movie inspired by the book bearing the same title by Nik Ripken. This event, hosted in an overflowing lecture hall in DeMoss Hall, chronicled the life of Ripken as he served as a missionary and interviewed members of the persecuted church in countries closed to Christianity. Closing with a time of prayer, Liberty professor Dr. Chris Gnanakan prompted the audience to pray for persecuted Christians and the missionaries serving them. Sound was employed as well at the ethnomusicology concert, in which stu-
dents from countries such as Nicaragua, Indonesia and Albania told stories from their countries. Accompanying this, the students sang songs in Arabic, Spanish and other languages with a variety of instruments. This was all done to combine music and global engagement so that cultures could express their unique identities through the arts, according to a brochure on the Master of Arts in Ethnomusicology. Throughout Global Focus Week there were also opportunities to hear from professionals about how they do missions within their field. The lectures ranged from Convocation with Vernon Brewer, founder of World Help, to events hosted by the school of business and the school of engineering,
INSIDE THE CHAMPION
News
The story of neighboring school Sweet Briar’s comeback from near A7 bankruptcy.
Opinion
A student’s opinion on Hillary Clinton calling Donald Trump’s supporters “deplorable.” A4
Sports
Profile of African men’s soccer player, Shalom Dutey and his journey B1 to the U.S.
Feature
An overview of Liberty’s Title IX office and recap of RAINN day. B7
See GFW, A2
News Opinion Sports Feature
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A2 | September 20, 2016 | Liberty Champion
Don’t trust a phishing tale IT Helpdesk combats recent phishing attacks against faculty and students Kirkland Gee kgee10@liberty.edu
Phishing scams affect colleges, businesses and organizations every year, and Liberty University is no exception. With the start of the fall 2016 semester, Liberty students, faculty and staff have been attacked more than usual. Joshua Burch, a security engineer for Liberty’s IT security team, and his coworkers are working hard to make people aware and protect the Liberty community from these scams. “A phishing email is any email trying to look like a legitimate email or impersonate something else and get you to fall for a scam,” Burch said. According to Burch, the emails that Liberty receives are typically regarding part-time job opportunities or asking the recipient to update their account information. Burch said the goal of the scam is usually to steal people’s account credentials. There are multiple ways they can do this, but the primary way is by getting someone within the organization to “update” or “verify” their account information. “They’ll either hack a website, set up their own website, or they’ll use a free website depending on what they want to be doing,” Burch said. “Then they’ll go on the Liberty website, take the Liberty logo, and make [their website] look like the Liberty website.” Once they’ve done that, they’ll send out an email to all the users in an email directory they previously acquired, asking them to validate their credentials. After the user puts in their username and password, the scammers Christianne Gormley | Liberty Champion have access to that person’s Liberty account. “Once the hacker gets ahold of one per- ASSISTANCE — The IT Helpdesk in the DeMoss Hall computer lab works to stop scam attacks. To view a complete list of reported scams and son’s Liberty account, they get everybody’s to notify the IT security team of any possible phishing attacks, email scams@liberty.edu or visit their page on Liberty’s official website. email because it’s in the global address Any students, faculty, or staff that receive “Things to watch for are spelling errors … book,” Burch said. “[The email] will have a notice what they have done. link in it that says, ‘We changed the settings When they start sending out phishing [or] if the top of the email says, ‘professor of an email they suspect to be a scam should imon one of our servers, and we want you to up- emails from that one official Liberty account, school of business,’ and the signature at the mediately forward it to scams@liberty.edu. date your account,’ and it will give a link. The they have a higher likelihood of acquiring a bottom is for the helpdesk, then its not real,” More information can be found at liberty.serlink will go to their website, which is fake, staff member or professor’s account, allow- Burch said. “Another thing is if you hover vice-now.com or by calling the IT Helpdesk and after you fill that information out, it will ing them to spam universities and perform over the link in the email, you can verify at (866) 447-2869. whether it is from Liberty University or not.” say, “Thank you very much,” or even redirect bigger and bigger scams. If the information for the link is showyou to Liberty’s website.” In order to prevent that from happening, Burch said the hacker’s goal is to make Burch said there were some precaution- ing “weebly.com” or something other sure the account they hack stays as normal as ary steps students can take and things to than www.liberty.edu, Burch said that it is not officially from Liberty. possible because they do not want anyone to look out for. GEE is a copy editor. GFW continued from A1 focusing on how to fuse their future occupation and missions together. Lem Curran, keynote speaker for the Engineers on Mission event, said students should focus less on the questions in their life and instead begin to say, “Yes, Lord.” Curran did emphasize one question though. “You can have good theology, but does it help you love somebody?” Curran said. “It’s not all about knowledge.” Beyond sight and sound, students could taste and smell foods
from exotic cultures prepared by students of those countries. A Middle Eastern open house included pita and humus from Jordan, salad from Lebanon and lentil soup from Iran. Along with this, Culture Break events in the library allowed students to savor fresh crepes and on another day drink coffee from Rwanda, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Guatemala. The final sense engaged at Global Focus Week was touch, which was first incorporated at the showing of “The Insanity of God,” as everyone was given rubber bracelets molded as barbed wire to show unity with the
persecuted Church. Oyola lived in Puerto Rico until she was 12 years old, which she said helped her grasp the importance of understanding and impacting other cultures through her skills. “We need to reach out as Christ would,” Oyola said. “I don’t believe everyone is called to do it in the same way though. I don’t believe we all need to be missionaries.” Any student curious about the lentil soup could have found out it was made by Nastaran Morgan, who works for LU Serve International and whose family escaped
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Iran during a revolution when she was 10 years old. The recipe Morgan used was passed down from her mother, who helped preserve their family’s Iranian heritage even after coming to America. “She’s in heaven now, and I miss her more than I can tell you, but in many ways she was my Iran,” Morgan said. “Even though we left home she still had all of our recipes and traditions and connections.” Jimmy Thomas provided the coffee through his business Third Wave Coffee, located in Forest, Virginia. Thomas uses his coffee shop for missions, both through conversations with customers coming into his local shop or developing connections with coffee farmers in Nicaragua. In addition to the events throughout campus, students could meet and make connections with missionaries and representatives from dozens of organizations. Morgan said being in communication with people like this
is important so that one does not become content within their own bubble. “God could’ve had me be born here, but he chose me to be Iranian,” Morgan said. “Then he chose me to be expelled into this country so that I could help other Americans know that Iranians too are loved by God and have loved God. We are all truly made in his image, and we are all truly sinners in need of him. The differences aren’t fundamental, they’re usually very surface ones.” Students seeking to continue expanding their global awareness can go to www.liberty.edu/admissions/international/ to learn about future open houses or to the LU Serve International webpage to sign up for service training.
PRICE is a news reporter.
Michela Diddle| Liberty Champion
PASSION — Vernon Brewer spoke about the importance of helping the needy overseas through mission work.
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And another one
An update on the Commons III construction Valerie Pors vpors@liberty.edu
The future Residential Commons III is in the rock-removal stage of construction and is scheduled to open for the fall 2017 semester, according to Alan Askew, vice president of Major Construction at Liberty University. The new dorm will have two five-floor wings joined by a two-floor connector to form a U shape, according to Brad Butler, planning coordinator for the department. The short connector will allow Residential Commons II residents to still have a view of the mountains, Butler said. “It’s going well,” Butler said. “We have a very, very tight schedule as usual. At Liberty that’s kind of the way we do things.” The 784-bed dorm is on a 12-month construction schedule, whereas most construction projects take 18-24 months to complete, Askew noted. The new commons will have two “retail spaces” which will occupy the bottom floor, according to Askew. There has been much discussion on what to put in them, but no decisions have been made, Butler said. One of the challenges to constructing the new Residential Commons III has been the rock where the foundation will be, Askew said. “One of the contractors … refers to the rock up on Liberty Mountain as ‘God’s rock,’ because no man can break it,” Butler said. “You have to have dynamite to fracture it, and it really has slowed us down. … It’s very, very unique to the
construction process and particularly right here in Lynchburg. It’s the hardest rock around.” Most of the blasting was done over the summer, and only a small amount remains, according to Askew. “We do try to work around the students because we know that students live right next door, so we do try to minimize that and plan those around when it’s not a disturbance as best that we can,” Askew said. Students should not experience traffic difficulties due to the construction, Askew noted. However, a busy construction site does require vehicles to enter and exit. “There’s just a lot of traffic there with the construction traffic, and the normal traffic, and the foot traffic, and we’re going to have people there and they’ll flag them … to help you guys get across safely,” Butler said. Students will be affected by the temporary closure of the Champion Circle sidewalk
wrapping around the west side of the Residential Commons III construction site leading down to Liberty Lake, according to Askew. “We had some safety issues with trucks leaving in and out,” Askew said. “We were worried about students walking right against the perimeter of the site if unnecessary.” Askew said they plan to keep the fences around the site, so students should not experience disruption in their foot traffic. “The kids have really been great to all the construction there,” Butler said. “You guys put up with a lot, and we understand that, and we appreciate it deeply.” That segment of bluestone walkway currently being laid within the fence will be completed within the next few weeks, Askew said, but the last segment, which will connect the walkway to Champion Circle, will not be done until the completion of the Residential Commons III building.
Butler confirmed plans for a future Residential Commons IV, also mentioning the possibility of a multi-tiered lakeside dining hall which would attach on the back of it. This dining hall would replace the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall and is part of the campus master plan, according to Butler. “Whether it’s student activities or educational venues or dorm life, we’re really committed to the president’s challenge to build buildings that the students want to reside in and a college that provides the best learning environment,” Butler said. Liberty’s planning and construction department has partnered with the Construction Management Association Inc., and are currently working together on Residential Commons III construction.
PORS is a news reporter.
Jonathan Husker| Liberty Champion
CAMPUS ADDITION — A construction crew worked on the new dorm building.
SODEXO SPOTLIGHT MICHELLE ROEBUCK
ESCAPED continued from A1 Trent, the fence was built for purely decorative purposes. “(The fence) does not have any security features with it,” Trent said at a press conference Wednesday. “When that jail was built, it was one of the conditions of the location where it’s at. They didn’t want it to look like a jail.” Several schools — including all of those a part of Lynchburg City Schools and Campbell County Schools — were put under immediate lockdown after news of the escape. Liberty University students were emailed by the Liberty University Police Department Monday afternoon with the physical characteristics of Pavlis. Soon after his escape, authorities released a statement saying Pavlis is considered dangerous. According to Lynchburg Police Department (LPD) Captain Ryan Zuidema, LPD received a flood of tips from the public claiming to have seen Pavlis in the area. It was a group of these tips that eventually directed officers closer to Madison Heights, near the river and the 2300 block of Concord Turnpike where authorities found Pavlis. During the search, tracking dogs from the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office and Virginia Department of Corrections were used to pinpoint Pavlis’s position in a matter of hours. With their help, officers were able to easily find Pavlis between the river and the railroad tracks when they got near his location. “He would still be on the loose if it wasn’t for the K-9 officers,” Zuidema said in a press conference. “The handlers and the dogs both worked extremely hard. I can tell you they’ll all probably sleep very well tonight.” Pavlis was apprehended
by authorities at 5:45 p.m. He was charged with escape, a class six felony, but could face additional charges. Pavlis was initially incarcerated for grand larceny, identity fraud, burglary and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Zuidema noted the investigation into Palvis’s escape is still ongoing, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Zuidema said it is still unknown what Pavlis was doing during the time of escape and whether he had a plan once he got out, though it so far seems he had no assistance during any part in the escape. “There’s going to be two investigations going on,” Zuidema said. “There’s a criminal investigation that the Lynchburg Police Department is [conducting] because this escape took place in our jurisdiction, and then Mr. Trent’s staff will be conducting an internal investigation into procedures.” Trent declined to say in the press conference whether changes will be made to the Lynchburg Adult Detention Center’s jail policies moving forward, but mentioned Pavlis will not continue to serve his time there.
YOUNG is the news editor.
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OPINION
A4
September 20, 2016
HAT W T’S THA
SAID Sarah Rodriguez srodriguez70@liberty.edu
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ELECTION — In a close election, Democrat Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers have continued to decline amidst a number of controversies.
We the deplorables Hillary Clinton takes a strong shot at Trump supporters Cierra Carter cmcarter18@liberty.edu
When hearing the word “deplorable,” one thing comes to mind — the 2016 presidential election. It is now September 2016, and the circus continues. On Sept. 9, 2016 in New York, Hillary Clinton was very vocal about her opponent Donald Trump and the 44 percent (according to fivethirtyeight.com) that have chosen to support him. “You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it,” Clinton said at the LGBT for Hillary Gala. Of course, what Clinton said is ridiculous, much like everything else that has come from this year’s election season. There are no more surprises. To assume that all of Trump’s supporters are bigots, racists, sexists and so forth is idiotic and hypocritical. Especially coming from a candidate who many are supporting because she is the “lesser of the
two evils.” It is as if Clinton has forgotten her own “deplorable” track record. It is interesting that such comments would anger Trump supporters. After all, he has become the candidate who “speaks his mind” and “says it like it is,” so Clinton’s words should not be too off the mark. Have we suddenly become sensitive to offensive speech? Weird. The supporters Clinton mentions must be those who had no problem with Trump’s own gross generalization that all Mexican immigrants are rapists or murderers. Or maybe his sexist comments about female journalists? The man has given us a lot of options. If Clinton were wise, she would keep the criticism where it belongs — toward her opponent and his policies (or lack thereof). Back in 2012, Republican nominee Mitt Romney also made the mistake of calling out the “47 percent” of entitled Americans who were looking to the government for handouts, and it did not go over well. In such a close election, it does not make much sense to insult those whose votes you need. According to fivethirtyeight.com, Clinton’s lead has been on a downward spiral, and this gaffe certainly did not help her.
The American people, with all of their flaws and shortcomings, have a tough choice to make come November, and it is only getting more difficult. Both candidates seem to have forgotten what this whole thing is all about — the people. The job of the president is to serve them all, doing all they can to improve the country. But here we are. Although Clinton’s remarks are not correct, they are consistent with the view of many Americans. This does not take away from the fact that, as someone who hopes to be the president of the U.S., it is not wise to generalize and judge her future constituents. If Clinton gets what she is hoping for, she will serve that same deplorable basket of people.
CARTER is the opinion editor.
Law of whose land?
President Obama continues to diversify the federal court Jordan Jarrett jjarrett4@liberty.edu
Last week, President Obama nominated attorney Abid Qureshi to the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., marking the first time in American history that a Muslim has ever been nominated to the position of federal judge. Qureshi, a Cornell and Harvard graduate who immigrated from Pakistan, specializes in cases involving healthcare fraud and abuse, securities violations, False Claims Act liability, white-collar defense, commercial litigation and government contracts. He is an esteemed partner with Latham & Watkins in D.C., which is one of most prestigious law firms in the world. Qureshi has never been a judge before. Still, no one can say the credentials are not there. But while Qureshi is a skilled attorney, this nomination involves more than a skillset, if you know anything about Obama’s judicial nomination history. Obama has made diversity a distinct priority in nominating judges. Obama has nominated around 138 women and 120 mi-
norities over the last seven years, according to NPR. Not only is race a factor with the Qureshi selection, but it seems that religion is too. In an interview with the Christian Science Monitor, Chicago law professor Steven Schwinn noted that “diversity shouldn’t matter because judges should judge with regard to the case in front of them and not with regard to the life experience they bring to the case. ... I think we all recognize that judges bring their
provides in article six that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” We already have a Muslim in Congress (Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison), and there are already Muslim justices serving throughout the country on a state level. They all take an oath to abide in their practices by the law of our land, which is decidedly the Constitution, not Shariah law. Oaths and public service aside,
THE POINT IN SHORT: QURESHI ABSOLUTELY CAN SERVE THE POSITION THE PRESIDENT HAS SELECTED HIM FOR. own experiences to the bench – and that we actually like that.” But what perspective will Qureshi bring to the bench nonetheless? And what about the facet of diversity causing the most stir concerning his nomination: his faith? The point in short: Qureshi absolutely can serve the position the president has selected him for. The Constitution explicitly
however, personal faith of any kind will always remain embedded in its host and somehow always find its way into one’s work. Qureshi’s own faith is surely no exception. He demonstrated this, according to the New York Times, when he defended the civil rights and free speech of two Muslim filmmakers who wanted to distribute their comic documentary “The Muslims Are Coming” in a
New York City subway system. The Senate will undoubtedly be slow to confirm Qureshi, but if and when the Senate does approve him for the seat, will his presence on the federal bench provide a prickly quandary rather than the sweeping unification touted by Muslim Americans? What will his perspective bring to, or take from, our country’s fight against mounting terrorism? I had hoped to answer all of that, but the truth is, we have nothing to work from here except for a few assumptions and our own fragile tension over the havoc we have seen wreaked by terrorists who claim Qureshi’s religion. We can only wait and watch.
Liberty University is no stranger to all things political this election season. First, Republican candidate Sen. Ted Cruz announced his campaign at Convocation. Then, Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders spoke at Convocation, despite holding views that differ from the majority of students. Then, Republican candidate Ben Carson came to Convocation. Most recently, Republican candidate Donald Trump came to Convocation, in which students had to wait in hour-long lines and go through Secret Service security measures. But the political presence at Liberty is still not over. Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. announced at Convocation Sept. 14 that Indiana Governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence would be attending Convocation Oct.12. Falwell said that he received a call from Pence after writing an editorial for The Washington Post a few weeks ago. “I had never spoken with him before, and he just impressed me with his sincerity — with his Christian faith,” Falwell said. “We talked for a long time, and he expressed his desire to speak here at Liberty, so we made some changes to reschedule one speaker for later in the year. Mike Pence will be here Oct. 12 for Convocation. … I really don’t think Donald Trump could have chosen a better running mate than Mike Pence.” All personal political views aside, you can’t deny how cool it is that Pence is making an appearance on campus. The future vice president of the U.S. could be just a few yards away from us. Though politics sometimes get on my nerves, I have grown to appreciate their significance, especially after listening firsthand to such a variety of candidates. After hearing each one speak, I was able to better grasp their points of view and stances on certain issues — better allowing me to choose who I wanted to vote for in the primary election. Now, with Pence making an appearance at Liberty, all the students will have the same chance again. We will be able to hear Pence share what he believes and why he thinks the Trump-Pence ticket deserves our vote. As a Liberty student, I encourage you to go into this Convocation with an open mind. Being informed goes a long way in your credibility as a U.S. citizen. People will listen to your opinion because you have information to back up your perspective. Liberty is a special place. Liberty works hard to allow us to make our own decisions in the political process. Take advantage of this opportunity we’ve been given, and don’t take it lightly.
RODRIGUEZ is the editor-in-chief.
T’S ! A H DT OTE ...AN HE WR S ALL JARRETT is an opinion writer.
opinion
Liberty Champion | September 20, 2016 | A5
New statute California looks into changing rape laws to benefit victims Cassandra Hernandez chernandez59@liberty.edu
In the state of California, the discussion of sexual assault cases and their statute of limitations has been in the news recently. According to the LA Times, Bill Cosby will only be put on trial for one out of dozens of women who have claimed Cosby sexually assaulted them, mostly due to “legal deadlines.” Some are proposing a longer time limit to press charges for those who have been sexually assaulted. Others disagree with this idea because the case might be harder or because of the great cost it would be to house more felons, according to the LA Times. Should there be a time limit to keeping the perpetrator accountable? Just the thoughts of the evil acts of rape and sexual assault can give any person goosebumps. The act is so vile and horrible. What is worse are the reactions women are met with when they have the courage to report the incident. Recently, a Canadian judge was questioned because of his comments made to a victim of rape. According to CNN, Federal Court Judge Robin Camp questioned the 19-year-old victim about why she did not do more to push away the man who assaulted her. The judge also made comments about how women always want to have sex, especially when they are intoxicated. According to CNN, the judge was quoted saying in court, “Some sex and pain sometimes go together. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.” With this in mind, it is understandable why women would not want to reveal what has happened to them. It is one example of the act of rape or sexual assault not being taken seriously. The Stanford rape case is one publicized case of many where the victim is questioned or the guilty person on trial is given a lesser sentence. Women are not believed to be telling the truth. They are blamed for their wardrobe the night they were raped. Men are even less likely to report rape. In America, the Stanford rape case is another example. A serious sexual conviction was turned into just a six-month sentence, and Brock Turner was released after just three months. According to the LA times, the judge of the case decided to not give Brock Turner a harsher sentence because it would have a “severe impact” on him, the rapist. By doing this, the judge showed no concern for the woman who was sexually assaulted beside a dumpster while she was unconscious. It is hard to ever understand what it is like to be a rape victim. To get up the next day and realize that your nightmare is a reality. To be afraid, because maybe the man who assaulted you is popular and well-liked. Maybe you do not want people to know because you cannot deal with the fact that you were the one who was sexually assaulted. There is a fear that you are always going to be the victim. The whole world will never know who you were before you became one. No matter the reasons, a victim has the right to come forward, share their story and hold the person who hurt them accountable. There should not be a time limit on such a life-altering and evil crime. HERNANDEZ is an opinion writer.
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LAW — Recent cases sparked rape discussions.
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BIBLE — The Georgia pastor’s sermon series discussed the topic of inerrancy and caught the attention of many in the process.
Who needs God?
Pastor Andy Stanley tackles tough questions of faith Jacob Clarke jlclarke3@liberty.edu
North Point Community Church Pastor Andy Stanley created controversy through the way he has approached the inerrancy of Scripture in his current sermon series “Who Needs God.” The premise of the series is that Stanley believes the rise of the religious “nones,” those who have left their faith but have not fully embraced the conclusions of atheism, is partly because young people are given “faithbased answers to fact-based questions.” Most of the conflict centers on Stanley’s third sermon in the series, titled “The Bible Told Me So.” Stanley essentially said the Christian faith is not dependent on believers’ abilities to defend the entire Bible, calling the task “next to impossible.” He said when science calls into question the biblical account of creation, Christians are told by other believers, and even pastors, to just have faith in the Bible, similar to a “the Bible says it, that settles it” form of apologetics. Or when archaeologists dispute the account of the walls of Jericho crashing down or the exodus from Egypt, they are told that the Bible is inspired and therefore perfectly accurate. Though biblical scholars and some scientists do provide evidence for the biblical accounts, their voices are drowned out in the midst of college academia and professors that create doubt in students’ minds about their childhood faith. Stanley instead advocated for focusing attention on the resurrection of Christ and allowing that truth to inform the rest of someone’s beliefs about the Bible. His logic is that the resurrection proved Christ was God, and therefore all of his words, including those about the Old Testament accounts such as Adam and Eve or the flood, can be trusted. “If a man can predict his own death and resurrection and pull it off, I just go with whatever that man says,” Stanley often says. Stanley found himself on the hot seat by those who believe his apologetics are a
form of “old liberalism,” as David Prince, an assistant professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky wrote. Prince believes Stanley’s methods are “spot inerrancy,” where someone can choose which parts of the Bible he or she believes are true and which parts are not. “(Stanley) speaks as if his view is a cutting edge apologetic position for our time or an innovative evangelistic strategy, but what he is advocating has historically had a name — liberalism,” Prince wrote on da-
AS THE U.S. MOVES TOWARD A POST-CHRISTIAN SOCIETY, CHRISTIANS COULD BE LESS EFFECTIVE IN ASSERTING THE INERRANCY OF SCRIPTURE WITHOUT ALSO PRESENTING A CASE FOR IT.
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vidprince.com. But Stanley, who makes it clear that his sermons are preached with the unchurched in mind, chooses to not force unbelievers to take an uninformed leap into inerrancy without presenting his case for why Christians believe the whole Bible. Not everyone approaches the Scriptures with the presupposition that they are inspired, but if the resurrection account is true, it follows that the Christian faith is as well. Even the disciples were not convinced of Christ’s deity until he rose from the dead. Therefore, one place to start in examining the reliability of the Scriptures is the resurrection. Paul even wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:14 that the faith is meaningless without the resurrection. Apologist Ravi Zacharias explained the importance of the historical fact of the resurrection in informing how to view the rest of Scripture. “Even the Bible that Christ gave us is sustained by the miracle of the resurrection,” Zacharias said in an interview with Enrichment Journal. As the U.S. moves toward a post-Christian society, Christians could be less effective in asserting the inerrancy of Scripture without also presenting a case for it. While previously, people were open to the “the Bible says it, that settles it” argument, people today are less likely to accept its inerrancy from the start. In 2014, the researchers at the Barna
Group found that “the number of those who … believe that the Bible is ‘just another book of teachings written by men that contains story and advice’ has nearly doubled from 10 percent to 19 percent in just three years.” While Christians should not shy away from asserting the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture, we should understand how to present the case without making what appears to be, in the mind of an unbeliever, a blind assertion of authority. “If a pastor says, ‘all we need is the Bible,’ what does he say to a man who says, ‘all I need is the Quran?’” Zacharias said in the interview. The irony of the criticism is that Stanley and his critics all arrive at the same conclusion: The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. His critics just question the logic he uses to get there. Though Christians believe the truthfulness of the whole Bible can be reasonably defended, starting with the case for the resurrection is not flawed logic. It is a starting point for those who have come to doubt their childhood faith.
CLARKE is the managing editor.
BIBLE SKEPTICS Researchers at Barna Group, in “The State of the Bible: 6 Trends for 2014,” found that “skepticism toward the Bible continues to rise.” Additionally, they found that younger generations are more likely to be Bible skeptics than generations before them. The doctrines of biblical inerrancy and inspiration are no longer assumed by as many Americans as they were in previous generations, and people are less likely to view the Bible as sacred than they were just three years ago.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICIES & INFO Sarah Rodriguez editor-in-chief
Cierra Carter opinion editor
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Joel Schmieg sports editor
Jacob Clarke managing editor
Luke Dillard asst. sports editor
CONTENT
Shannon Moyer feature editor
Will Young news editor
Carri Garber copy editor
Katelyn Rutt asst. news editor
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PHOTOGRAPHY Michela Diddle photography editor
SOCIAL MEDIA Amber Tiller social media manager
Caroline Sellers asst. photography editor
Victor Canas web manager
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news
A6 | September 20, 2016 | Liberty Champion
POLITICS TurboVote is a new Web platform develped by Democracy Works that keeps track of voter registration and elections across the nation. Liberty is now one of TurboVote’s 260 partner schools. Students can use TurboVote to register to vote, view their voter registration status, and vote abstentee. TurboVote allows students to register in either their home state or in the state where they attend school. Student can also choose whether they would like to register online through TurboVote’s web portal or by paper. For people already registered, TurboVote can update voter registration information, and students are able to sign up for voter notifications that remind students when voting day is and when they are able to cast their vote. Students are able to access TurboVote at liberty.turbovote. org or by going to the Liberty Dean of Students page. *Note: Alaskan students are not eligible for the special Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend if they register to vote in a state other than Alaska.
VOTE continued from A1 especially (since) it’s most of their first opportunity to do that.” Mullen encourages all Americans to vote in the upcoming elections, but particularly college students because they have so much potential to influence the country. He used the analogy of a church calling its youth group the future of the church. “No, (young adults are) not the future,” Mullen said. “They’re the present of the church. They’re the main target, the main focus of the church, and I think the same thing is true with college students when it comes to the political process. Historically, college students have exerted a great deal of political influence.” Register right where you are In order for students to vote in the Nov. 8 presidential and congressional elections, they must be registered in advance. Mullen said Liberty is making a push for students to register in the state of Virginia and then exercise their right to vote in Lynchburg. Mullen said being registered in another state during college at Liberty makes the voting process more difficult. “If you are registered to vote in another state, more likely than not, you’re going to have to vote absentee ballot which is just kind of a pain,” Mullen said. “It’s complicated. It’s cumbersome. If you register to vote locally and live on campus, you can walk right to the Vines Center and go in, pull the lever, and you’re done with it.” Beyond just the ease of voting in the Lynchburg area, Mullen said Liberty students registering and voting in the area sends a message that Liberty students need to be looked at as a force that should be recognized as having power. “Liberty and its students are politically involved, and they care about Virginia, but even more importantly, they care about Lynchburg,” Mullen said. “When Liberty began registering a lot of students and got its own precinct, it began to be viewed in local politics as someone that had to be acknowledged. … The power of the ballot speaks.”
Guns and Gary Students voice opinions on recent election issues Hayden Robertson hrobertson@liberty.edu
College students have been involved in national elections and are known to sway the results because of the large number of votes in that demographic. At Liberty University, many political clubs have opened for students in order to get involved with their party of choice and stay informed about what is going on. The Young Americans for Liberty Club is one of the main political clubs at Liberty. Club president Matthew Lofgren discussed what his group does during a national election. “Last semester, we were not as active as we should have been or would have liked to,” Lofgren said. “This semester, we are looking into doing some debates, holding open forums like we did last year, and also attempting to bring in speakers to talk to our students about Libertarian philosophy.” Lofgren also said since they are considered a school club, they do not publicly endorse political candidates. However, Gary Johnson is the club’s favored candidate this election. During the interview, Lofgren also mentioned that Johnson’s views on
Choosing the next president With Nov. 8 quickly approaching, Mullen encourages students to vote even if they feel as it they do not closely identify with any of the candidates in the race. “First of all, I believe it is a Godgiven responsibility, and I believe that responsibility to be salt and light is not conditioned upon the state of the state around you,” Mullen said. “Make your best choice. Daniel didn’t get to vote, but he supported the leadership around him. He didn’t have a lot of good choices, but he had to support the one that he had the choice of.” Mullen said this election is the perfect time for college students to have a say in the future of politics in this county. “I think it’s a chance for college students to step up and say, ‘Hey, we want a different kind of political future for ourselves and for our children, so we’re gonna help make it,’” Mullen said. “There’s a lot of things they can do — you can be involved in politics, you can work for a campaign, etc., but the one thing everyone can do is register to vote. When someone registers to vote, it sends a message that they’re serious about their responsibility and that they can’t be taken for granted.” One vote does matter Mullen was adamant that even just a few votes can make a difference in any election. “People have asked the question, “Does one vote really matter?” Mullen said. “If you were alive in 2000, you would know a few votes matter,” referring to the George W. Bush v. Al Gore election. Mullen shared a personal story that epitomized the value of a single vote. He said before coming to Liberty University, he pastored a church in Roanoke. Just a few years ago, two church members approached him and said they were running against each other for a spot on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. “The day of the primary came, and honestly I remember driving past the primary spot a couple of times and being really busy and not going to vote,” Mullen said. “At the end of the day, I looked on the news and found out they had tied.”
abortion could hurt his chances in the election. “He is more pro-choice than I would prefer,” Lofgren said. “Johnson personally believes that a fetus should be treated as a person at the point of viability.” Despite Johnson’s views, Lofgren said he would still vote for him because he feels past Republican leaders have failed in decreasing funding to Planned Parenthood. Recently, Johnson was asked by MSNBC commentator Mike Barnicle what he would do about the Syrian city of Aleppo if he is elected. Johnson said he did not know what Aleppo was, and therefore Lofgren said Johnson’s answer was not as significant a gaffe as some members of the media and electorate have expressed. “Saying, ‘What is Aleppo?’ is such a small problem compared to the email scandal Hillary has or Trump’s subtle comments that have started violence in his rallies,” Lofgren said. “If your candidate’s worst thing is that he didn’t know a city in Syria but found out what it was and gave a great response, then that problem is not that big of an issue.” As the Young Americans for Liberty starts its new year, another new club named Students at Liberty for Gun Rights is beginning its advertising early. Former secretary Brittany Specht explained the club’s views on the 2nd Amendment and why it is important to find a candidate who upholds it. “We do not come out as a club and en-
“One vote would have made the difference one way or another,” Mullen said. He said the only way to resolve the tie was to have the winner drawn from a hat. “That’s why you register and vote every single time,” Mullen said. “It’s not just the right thing to do. It’s the practical thing to do.” Taking the first step of registering Mullen said he has little patience for someone who complains about the way things are politically, yet does not register and vote. Liberty will assist students in registering by the Oct. 12 deadline by allowing students to register in class, during hall meeting, and at tables located throughout campus.
dorse a certain person,” Specht said. “Our main push is making sure people realize how important the 2nd Amendment is and how we need to remember that it’s a right to own a gun. Government officials are trying to take away our rights as citizens, and we want our members to be informed and to vote.” Specht said that purposed gun-free zones were not good for our nation. “If a criminal sees a gun-free zone sign, he is going to be more inclined to go to that area,” Specht said. Specht also said the club believes gun violence can be a bad thing, though it is rare. She also discussed why guns are not the problem. “There is always a person behind that trigger,” Specht said. “Guns don’t kill anyone. It’s the people behind it who do.” Specht was asked what she would say to someone who does not want her to have her gun rights. “I would ask them if they would plan on protecting me then,” she said. As Nov. 8 gets closer, these clubs and many others will start advertising in hopes that people vote for the changes they want to see in the country.
ROBERTSON is a news reporter.
“I’d like to encourage Liberty students when the time comes in hall meetings and in classes on Sept. 21 and 22 when they’re asked to give about 10 minutes of their time for that process that they be enthusiastic about it — that they understand … by their attitude and response to it, they can be an encouragement to someone who is maybe on the bubble about whether they are going to register to vote or not,” Mullen said. Mullen said Liberty is using TurboVote software to make registering to vote a simpler process. “If a student is a Virginia resident and they have a Virginia driver’s license, they can go online to www.turbovote.org/liberty,” Mullen said. He also added that students without a Virginia license can still
use TurboVote, but they have to go through a longer verification process where the student can print the form, sign it and turn it in to the Dean of Students Office or the Student Government Association office. Above all else, Mullen wants Liberty students to take responsibility for their right to vote and exercise it as all U.S. citizen should. “It doesn’t matter who the candidate is, it’s your first chance to (vote),” Mullen said. “It’s setting a pattern. It’s also taking responsibility for your future.”
RODRIGUEZ is the editor-in-chief.
the polls 50 47%
48%
National Poll Virginia Poll
Percent
TURBO VOTE
45%
43%
40
30
20
8%
10
9%
Hillary
Donald
Gary
Democratic Candidate
Republican Candidate
Libertarian Candidate
Clinton Trump Johnson Source: Fivethirtyeight.com as of 9/19/16
Sierra Franklin | Liberty Champion
news
Liberty Champion | September 20, 2016 | A7
Back in bloom again Nearby Sweet Briar College makes recovery after near bankruptcy in 2015 Katelyn Rutt kerutt@liberty.edu
After being on the brink of foreclosure almost two years ago, Sweet Briar College hopes to be an example to small colleges in Virginia and other students as well. “Thirteen months ago, most people thought Sweet Briar would never see another year,” Sweet Briar President Phillip C. Stone said in a prepared comment. Director of Media, Marketing and Communication Joelle Ziemian said the college was in serious trouble the last few decades. While there were many factors that led to Sweet Briar’s bankruptcy, she said the building costs and low enrollment were the school’s biggest issues. Additionally, Sweet Briar offered a 60 percent tuition discount to prospective students to grow enrollment. Ziemian said the school was scheduled to close March 2015 because of its seeminglyirreversible state. “Determined alumnae fought back,” Stone wrote. “Those fighting for the survival of the then 114-year-old institution were undeterred.” Stone added that 5,000 alumnae joined and formed a nonprofit called Saving Sweet Briar Inc. Over the course of just four months, the women raised over $12 million to help keep the college in operation. “Last year was a rebuilding year,” Ziemian said. “President Stone and the new board were handed the keys of a mostly shuttered college six weeks before classes were scheduled to start.” Ziemian said the restoration of Sweet Briar was a joint effort between the local community, faculty and alumnae. Ultimately, the school was able to bring back former professors, students and administration for the fall 2015 semester. “After a remarkable academic year, not
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ONE YEAR LATER — Sweet Briar College opened for the fall 2016 semester with almost half as many students before bankruptcy scare. only did we graduate the class of 2016, Sweet Briar has ended the fiscal year with better results than anybody could have imagined,” Stone said. “I am equally proud and amazed by that fact.” Overall, Stone said this year has been a true test of perseverance for Sweet Briar as a whole. He said the school has overcome the impossible, and it has been encouraging to see so many positive changes after such a difficult time in the school’s history. “The Sweet Briar community has celebrated miracles,” Stone said in a prepared comment. “We brought one of our slogans to life: At Sweet Briar College, the impossible is just
another problem to solve.” Ziemian said 2016 is proving to be a year of change and re-adjustment for the college and students. Even so, she said Sweet Briar’s main goals remain the same. “Everything about Sweet Briar that has inspired passion since 1901 is the same,” Ziemian said. “After students graduate, their relationships with faculty are so connected that many remain in touch literally for decades.” Nonetheless, Stone and the school understand that this is certainly not the end of their struggles, but they are equipped with the tools and support needed for a long and prosperous future ahead.
Currently, the school has approximately 320 students, but continues to rebound from their loss of overall student admissions the bankruptcy scare brought about. “Many challenges await, but all small colleges can look at the Sweet Briar case and learn important lessons about survival in a tough environment,” Stone said in a prepared comment. “Survival ... requires a gritty determination to reject fatalism, buckle down and find the way ahead. We expect to succeed.” RUTT is the asst. news editor.
A new office, a new SGA Liberty's Student Government Association celebrates relocation of club HQ Jack Panyard jepanyard@liberty.edu
Photos Provided
KICKOFF — SGA President Jack Heaphy, Dean of Students Robert Mullen, SGA Vice President Luke Welgoss and SGA representatives celebrated the grand opening of the new SGA office.
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The Student Government Association (SGA) moved from its closet-sized location in Green Hall to a spacious set of rooms on the third floor of the Montview Student Center Thursday, Sept. 8. The new location provides more space for official clubs to meet and organize events and for SGA to interact with the student body. “We’re a very large organization,” Student Body President Jack Heaphy said. “We have over 100 clubs on campus that fall under SGA, and we also have over 150 members in total in SGA. A small space like that just wasn’t able to fulfill the capacity that we required.” Many SGA members attended the grand opening, which was commenced by Dean of Students Robert Mullen. “You all have gone from the outhouse to the penthouse,” Mullen said. “The reality is that the place, the bricks and mortar and drywall, that stuff is really insignificant. I know you know this because you’re in student government. It’s not about a place as much as it is about the people that are in the place.” With the new location, SGA members are hoping the offices will be more accessible to the students. “The culture so far has been set to where this is the place to hang out, and this is the place to be,” Luke Welgoss, student body vice president, said. “It used to be the library, but I think it’s shifted over into this area. Whenever people need to talk with SGA or work on SGA stuff, it’s really easy to just get up here.” Looking to the future, SGA is planning a variety of events, giving students many chances to get involved with student government. “I would say the biggest event we have coming up is the presidential debate viewing party,” Heaphy
said. “We will be hosting the first ever prime-time event in the Alumni Ballroom.” The viewing party is scheduled for Sept. 26 with the doors opening at 8 p.m. “We also have a clubs fair on September 28 outside of the Vines Center on the lawn,” Heaphy said. “We will have some of the clubs have tables, and that will be directly after Convocation until 4 p.m. We’ll also be serving popcorn, cotton candy and snow cones outside for that.” SGA class officer elections for class presidents and vice presidents for the 2016-2017 academic year started yesterday and will run through Wednesday, Sept. 21. With the upcoming class elections and the improvements in student government, SGA members are anticipating a fruitful school year. SGA’s growth will also mean more money for clubs because SGA’s budget is dispersed across oncampus clubs to support them and help them host events throughout the semester. “We did have a budget increase, and that should help get clubs more involved,” SGA Treasurer Hannah Lacey said. “(It will help) get them to put their name out there more.” Looking forward into the future, Heaphy also said he hopes this year becomes one that sets that standard for future classes of SGA presidents and representatives. “There’s just a great community here, and I think being able to facilitate that for the next generation of student leaders here is just a great blessing,” Heaphy said. “My goal is to help lay the groundwork for future SGAs and student leaders to be able to flourish and thrive and contribute to the mission of the school.”
PANYARD is a news reporter.
news
A8 | September 20, 2016 | Liberty Champion
Praying for the nation
Liberty’s Center4ME holds a month of prayer asking for healing of racial tension Will Young weyoung@liberty.edu
For Liberty University’s Center for Multicultural Enrichment (Center4ME), the month of September has become a month of unity and awareness as the group sets out to collect 5,000 prayers by the end of the month to heal the racially tense and divisional climate of the U.S. The initiative — named formally as “Praying Because It Matters” — was created to help students look at the recent Black Lives Matter movement through a biblical lens. Jose Hernandez, associate director of the Center4ME and driver of the initiative, said the hope of the initiative is to bring issues that minority students deal with to the forefront of conversations while also praying to God that he would unite students despite their differences. “We want to show students that there is a way that we can bridge differences because this is simply beyond just a race issue,” Hernandez said. “This is bias. This is stereotypes, and we want to make sure that in Christ, we are breaking all of these things down.” “Praying because it matters” began in the beginning of September and ever since has struggled to stay on pace to reach its goal of 5,000 prayers by the end of the month. To collect the prayers, students and staff of the Center4ME have handed out colorful fliers with a space for students to write down their prayers to God concerning ongoing racial disparities, the upcoming presidential election, or anything else that they feel the nation is at unrest with. Currently, the Center4ME has only collected approximately 500 prayers with 16 days left until the end of the month. In an effort to pick up the pace and collect more prayers in a short amount of time, Hernandez said the Center4ME has set tables in front of the library, student center and Vines Center before the start of Convocation to attract more students and raise awareness for their cause. Hernandez hopes that once some students become aware of the initiative, they will urge their friends to fill out their own prayer fliers. “We’re hoping that we can step it up a little bit more in the final days of the month,” Hernandez said. “We want to make sure that we push this initiative, and we hope that other students and other departments will catch on to this vision.” So far, students who have heard the pitch of the initiative have largely given positive responses, according to Hernandez. Most students, he said, have been willing to fill out
PRAY — Students from Center4ME collected prayer cards from students about problems in the nation. a flier with their prayer after hearing what the initiative aims to do, and some have asked for extra fliers to hand out to their friends. Because the student body of Liberty is mostly Caucasian (68 percent, according to collegeboard.com), many minority students, such as Liberty senior Rakeem Robinson, said it is important that students share this initiative as much as possible. “(Being a minority has) its own struggles and troubles, but this initiative has given me a way to communicate with my peers these are problems that they can help solve,” Robinson said. “The one way we thought to do it is to pray about it because that is the way that we can impact the community the most.” Throughout the U.S. in the past two years, accusations of police bias and racial hatred among politicians has sparked numerous Black Lives Matter protests throughout towns such as Ferguson, Baltimore and Dallas. The protests have in some cases grown
to be violent, with some protesters reducing to shooting at police officers, burning down buildings, and beating up bystanders. The fear, Robinson said, is that some people may look at the violent actions of protesters as an excuse to not listen to the message of the movement. Hernandez echoed this fear, but said he has hope that the Praying Because It Matters initiative will help both educate and inspire Liberty students to reflect upon the current racial division through the lens of a Christian worldview. “There is all lives matter, black lives matter, blue lives matter, the presidential election, and we have the persecuted Church and world affairs,” Hernandez said. “To these problems, we want people to seek justice, to love kindly, to walk humbly with our God, and to start bridging dialogue with full of kindness and compassion.” At the end of the month, the Center4ME
Photos Provided
hopes to pin up all of the prayer cards they receive on the walls of their new office building on the second floor of the Montview Student Union. According to Hernandez, it is another way that the Center4ME can advertise themselves on a larger scale and bring about awareness of their dedication to the minority student long after the month of September has ended. Once the Pray Because It Matters initiative is over, Hernandez said the Center4ME is planning on rolling out more events to fully immerse students in the mission of their program. “We want to teach people how to be more compassionate and place Christ before (their) views,” Hernandez said. “Jerry Falwell used to say that if it’s Christian, it ought to be better. And for us, if we’re Christian, it should be better.” YOUNG is the news editor.
Transitioning to campus New center opens in Montview Student Union to help student veterans Cassandra Conley cconley20@liberty.edu
Liberty University heads into the fall semester with the recently opened Veterans Center, located in the Montview Student Union, providing support to the many student veterans both on and off campus.
The Office of Military Affairs, according to Student veteran liaison Jon Norman, aims to work with the new Veterans Center to provide support for online students who may not get the opportunity to visit the campus and experience the benefits of the center. “We have our Military Affairs Facebook page, and there’s a lot
of communication that goes on through there,” Norman said. “I think eventually, just looking into the future, our student veterans’ organization could potentially become one of the largest student veteran’s organizations in the nation because of our online program.” Norman said he is so far pleased with the new space because it has
Caroline Sellers | Liberty Champion
SUPPORT — Student veterans took advantage of the tools provided at the new center.
been able to double the amount of time he spends with students. “It just gives us a place where veterans that normally wouldn’t meet each other are meeting, and it’s really providing times where we talk about our military careers, what we’re doing now, and what we’re doing in the future,” Norman said. “It provides a place for us to have deeper conversations that go into the philosophy of what we need to do to help new transitioning students.” Norman also said he is able to help student veterans with transitioning from active military to campus life. “A lot of vets will struggle transitioning from active duty military to civilian education,” Norman said. “If you can imagine, you’re being told what to do from sunup to sundown, and then you come in and you have your class schedule. … So managing that time in between is what I help with.” Student veteran RJ Martinez joined the Army when he was 18 years old and earned an associate’s degree before attending Liberty. Having the veterans center available, he said, has helped him balance being a guardsman and a student at the same time. “I was commissioned into the Virginia National Guard as an infantry officer and coming here to Liberty from a military experience was kind of a clash, but I wanted to come here and I’ve really enjoyed it since,” Martinez said. “In terms of being a guardsman and a student,
I mean it’s really good because a lot of my teachers are willing to work with me.” Students such as Martinez have the option to pair with faculty members for further support and advice throughout the semester. “I wanted to find a way to take our faculty who have been military, someone who has done professionally what our student veterans are looking to do, and allow them to work with students to help them see college as not just a route to a degree, but a route to a career,” Norman said. “The program really depends on not only the faculty but the veterans themselves taking it seriously.” For Norman, though, the veterans center is the most recent addition that has given him new opportunities to connect with student veterans on a new level. “I love it,” Norman said. “I definitely have one of the best jobs in Military Affairs. I’ll meet with students that are having really tough times, and being at Liberty, I’m able to pray with students which is a blessing. It’s just really a lot of fun to be able to motivate a veteran and help and reach out to them in a way they can comprehend, so they can become successful in school.”
CONLEY is a news reporter.
SPORTS
September 20, 2016 Obviously the NFL is in my dreams and aspirations, so hopefully that will work out. -former Flames quarterback Josh Woodrum
This week in Flames history
2013
B1 Former Liberty Flames cheerleading coach Jennifer Sydnor says that cheerleading is not a sport, but her cheerleaders are still athletes.
Shalom
the buck starts here
Men’s soccer freshman forward shares his story
TJ Davis adavis331l@liberty.edu
Shalom Dutey is a freshman defender for the men’s soccer team whose first career shot was a game-winning goal scored against the University of South Carolina Upstate Spartans in the 67th minute. Dutey is one of the six All-Americans added to the team this year that have helped the Flames get off to a 3-2-1 start in non-conference play. Part of the success is due to a strong defensive showing from the Flames, who have only let in one goal in the first half through the first six games, according to libertyflames.com. As a freshman, Dutey has started in five of those six games, quickly earning his place as reliable member on the back line. But before he is a defender, he is a servant. Dutey was born in Togo, West Africa — one of poorest and smallest countries in Africa. Between tough living conditions and poverty, Dutey quickly developed a negative outlook on life. When he was five, Dutey’s mother was awarded an opportunity to go to America by being selected in the Visa Lottery. The opportunity only allowed Dutey’s mother to be relocated to America. The rest of his family would have to stay back in Africa until they had enough money to send the whole family. Three years later, his mom had finally saved up enough money to send everyone else to America — but tragedy struck. Dutey’s father died from an illness. “A month before we were going to leave, everything seemed so right, but my father had a sickness,” Dutey said. “To this day my mom never told me what sickness or what happened. But I just remember my whole family, my brother, my sister, just stood there. I didn’t even know what was going on. All I could see was my father laying across from me. My brother and my sister were crying. All I could do was just stare because he wasn’t moving.” Dutey and the rest of his family then made their way to America, where he quickly noticed feelings of being an outsider. “I didn’t know English,” Dutey said. “I didn’t have any friends. Whenever I would go to school, I didn’t know what they were saying. I remember sometimes when we would go to the playground, since my classmates knew that I didn’t know English, they would just find ways to say stuff I didn’t know and make me seem as if I didn’t know or as if I wasn’t smart or capable.”
Tim isaacson | LiberTy UniversiTy
LOCKED AND LOADED — Flames Head Coach Turner Gill has to make a decision at the quarterback position this week.
Open season
Has the Buckshot era begun for the Liberty Flames?
Timothy Cockes tlcockes@liberty.edu
A nickname like “Buckshot” is a good indicator of potential on the football field. As it turns out, Buckshot is not only a nickname, but the given middle name of Liberty Flames freshman quarterback Stephen Buckshot Calvert. Buckshot is Liberty University’s 6’2,” 180-pound freshman backup quarterback from Miami Carol City Senior High School in Plantation, Florida. Buckshot committed to Liberty in July of 2015, turning down offers from Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic and South Florida, according to 247sports.com. While Buckshot may still technically be the backup on the depth chart, he finished the game at quarterback for the Flames as they attempted to come back against Southern Methodist, Sept. 17. Calvert was given the name Buckshot by his father both in honor of his favorite NASCAR driver, Buckshot Jones, and to give him a unique name.
Field Hockey Villanova
Liberty
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WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE GAME
“My father gave me that name because he knew I was going to grow up to be something special,” Calvert said. “He wanted me to stand out.” Calvert says that it was his father who sparked his love of football. His father would spend his days off from work throwing the football with Stephen,
29 - 14 5th straight road loss
teaching him to work hard to achieve his goals. “My father pushed me to be the best I can be,” Calvert said. Calvert had a successful high school
W. Soccer FGCU
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football career in the state of Florida. He transferred to Miami Carol City Senior High School for his junior and senior years after recovering from surgery on his leg during his sophomore year, an injury that Calvert says was the biggest obstacle he has overcome in his football career. Calvert recovered over the next two seasons. He threw for 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior, and 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior. Calvert was named to both All-County and All-State honorable mention teams during his senior year. Despite his success in high school, Buckshot entered Liberty as a fresh face, and became the backup for junior Stephon Masha. Buckshot sees this as an opportunity to grow and learn from a more experienced player. “Masha has taught me a lot and helped me see things I didn’t see already,” Calvert said.
See SHALOM, B2
micheLa DiDDLe| LiberTy champion
See BUCKSHOT, B4
M. Soccer
EYE — Shalom Dutey keeps his eyes on the prize.
Men DI Hockey
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American
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Field Hockey vs. Longwood Sept. 20 @ 4 p.m.
Field Hockey vs. Quinnipiac
Sept. 23 @ 4 p.m.
M. D1 Hockey vs. W. Chester Sept. 23 @ 7 p.m.
M. D1 Hockey vs. W. Chester Sept. 24 @ 3 p.m.
Football vs. Jax St. Sept. 24 @ 7 p.m.
Follow @LUChampSports for Flames athletics coverage
sports
B2 | Semptember 20, 2016 | Liberty Champion
Women’s tennis dreams big The Lady Flames gear up for their fall season in prep for next spring Bobby Keating rfkeating@liberty.edu
The women’s tennis coaching staff has put some plans into place to ensure the hunger for a Big South championship is greater than ever. A photo hangs directly next to the door to the team locker room. It serves as a visual representation of the sting of defeat, according to junior and team captain Evangeline Crist. The picture has pushed each individual on the team to work even harder to get to the next level.
FYI The Lady Flames won five singles matches and three doubles matches at the three-day Tribe Invitational Sept. 16-18. “They printed out the picture of us receiving the award for second place, and none of us were smiling whatsoever,” Crist said. Following a disappointing end to their 2015-16 campaign, they are looking to bounce back to reach their goals. Last season, the Lady Flames held home court advantage in the 2016 Big South Championship, only to fall to Winthrop 3-4 in the championship match. “I think that losing that match, as painful as it was, could end up be-
ing a very good thing,” Head Coach Jeff Maren said. “The hunger that they have is much greater. I think they’re tasting it more now.” “I have honestly seen a difference from last year to this year,” Crist said. “I think (the loss) was helping over the summer in that we all worked extra hard in little aspects to improve in little ways and that will make a big difference.” As they move through the new season, the Lady Flames will look to steadily improve in order to peak at just the right time. The NCAA tennis season is unique in that it is divided into two parts: the fall season and the spring season. During the fall season, teams play in non-conference tournaments, whereas the spring season focuses mainly on playing against conference opponents. “The first part of the season is about being tested,” Maren said. “We want to try to force our players to rise to another level. The last part of our season is our conference schedule, and that’s where we want to build our confidence and roll through the conference heading into the tournament.” While the women’s program has grown to achieve many firsts in recent years, such as beating nationally ranked teams and being nationally ranked itself, there is a singular goal to be met this year — the Big South Championship. “At this point my only description of success is that we accomplish the goal of winning the conference championship,” Maren said. Championship status is a goal that has resounded with
SHALOM continued from B1 On top of that, though his family was in a new country with new possibilities, they still struggled financially. “Me, my brother, my sister, my mom, my paralyzed uncle and my grandma were all living in a two-bedroom apartment,” Dutey said. In high school, by God’s sovereignty, Dutey came across an organization called “One7.” Through a soccer tryout, his life was changed.
Leah Seavers| Liberty Champion
RETURN — Valerie Thong moved for a return shot for the Lady Flames last season. the entire team. “I think if we all work well together then the success of winning the Big South will come with that,” Maren said.
One7 is a ministry founded by David and MC Garrett based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. According to one7.org, it all started in 1994 when David Garrett was led to mission fields all over the world carrying out the Great Commission. Garrett soon realized that he did not have to leave the country to engage in missions work, and after four years of independent missionary work in Chicago, he was led to start his new mission in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2008, David and MC Garrett officially started their own nonprofit, giving it the name “One7.” The name comes from Jeremiah 1:1-7, where God tells Jeremiah
The nine members of the team will play in four more events in the fall before gearing up for conference play in the spring, and the defining moment of the
in verse five — “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” That verse resonated with Dutey, as his experience with One7 Ministry was much different than the constant adversities he faced in life. Dutey experienced discipleship. He had leaders and teammates who truly loved and cared for him as a person, not just for his talent according to one7.org. For the first time, Dutey experienced the love of Jesus and was continuously shown the gospel. This love would lead him to give his
HEADS-UP — Shalom Dutey went up for a header against American Friday, Sept. 16 at Osborne Stadium.
year will come April 17, 2017, at the Big South Championship. KEATING is a sports reporter.
life to Jesus Christ and develop a personal relationship with him. “It wasn’t for public view,” Dutey said. “It was just me inside of a [church] bathroom crying, asking God to forgive me. That if I’m one of your sons and you created me for a purpose on this Earth, just lead me through this.” Dutey’s transformation gave him a new life and a newfound purpose. “Shalom has become a legendary One7 leader, pouring truth into his peers, boldly sharing his faith with other teams, and training up the next generation to follow in his footsteps.” Dutey wrote in his testimony on one7.org. One7 Ministry also gave Dutey his first experience with organized soccer. In the past, he had only played pickup games with his friends. He developed quickly and eventually joined One7’s club soccer team. A few years later, Dutey would become North Carolina’s 19th ranked soccer player. In his 62-game varsity career, Dutey racked up 58 points for his club and scored 21 goals while assisting 16 others. Dutey received titles of all-conference, all region, all-state, All-American, and his team won a national championship in 2016, according to libertyflames.com. Even amidst these accomplishments, Dutey was still able to stay humble. “Everything I did was to glorify (Jesus’) name and to point everything back to him,” Dutey said. “If it wasn’t for him carrying me on, I wouldn’t be on this path. I am his hands and feet.” All of these accomplishments led multiple schools to pursue Dutey, but he said that he felt that God wanted to place him at Liberty University. On a full scholarship, Dutey now continues his game, and his discipleship, at Liberty. According to Coach Jeff Alder, the team was doing post-game prayer following the first game against Howard University and sharing the gospel with the opposing team. Then, freshman Shalom stepped in and shared his testimony with the other players. It was nothing new for Dutey, who had been doing this with his team at One7 after every game, telling the opposition about the word of Jeremiah, and sharing a testimony of their lives. “It was a feeling in me that I couldn’t explain, that told me to go to Coach Alder and ask him if I could speak after him,” Dutey said. Dutey hopes to pursue a career in youth ministry, using soccer as a platform to reach kids in difficult situations like he once was.
Michela Diddle | Liberty Champion
DAVIS is a sports reporter.
sports
Liberty Champion | September 20, 2016 | B3
Stalemate Flames play to 1-1 draw at Osborne
Logan Smith lcsmith1@liberty.edu
Caroline Sellers | Liberty Champion
FOCUS — Emma Pirro dribbled through the FGCU defense on her way down the field.
Streak over Lady Flames fall to FGCU at home
Will Collier wcollier@liberty.edu
The Lady Flames women’s soccer team (4-4) snapped a four-game win streak in their 1-0 loss to the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (4-4) at Osborne Stadium Sept. 16. “Their overall pressure just put us under pressure and made us uncomfortable,” Liberty Head Coach Nate Norman said. The Eagles applied great defensive pressure, not allowing the Lady Flames to get into any type of a rhythm. “They had very good high pressure,” Liberty mid-fielder Abigail Persson said. “Anytime we had the ball on our back line, they were right there ready to press us.” In the opening 10 minutes, Liberty lined up two chances to score. Sixty-one seconds into the game, junior forward Isabella Habuda’s shot from the goal line flew wide. Farrell, the reigning two-time Big South Freshman of the Week, dazzled the crowd by creating separation and firing a shot from 10 yards out that went right into the hands of Eagles goalie Melissa Weck. The FGCU pressure allowed the Eagles to speed up the game in their favor. “They played a lot of good through balls,” Farrell said. “They got a lot of speed up there. All around, they had a great team and a great offense.” That offense enabled the Eagles to take more than double Liberty’s total shots at senior goalkeeper Holly Van Noord. The goalkeeper moved to second on Liberty’s all-time save list with 341 saves by saving five
more goals in the match Eagles senior forward Tabby Tindell was all over the field during the game for the Eagles. In the 77th minute, she capitalized on a pass from senior midfielder Paulina Speckmaier with nothing but green in front of her, netting a goal from 10 yards out to put the Eagles ahead. “To be blunt, (Tindell) is a special player, and she gave us problems all day long,” Norman said. “She made big plays, and eventually one of those big plays resulted in a goal.” “Every loss, you’ve got to find a way to learn from the lessons,” Norman said. “Teams cause different problems. This team certainly caused a few. We got to figure out how we don’t let another team do that to us.” Norman’s message echoed out to his team. “He told us to pick ourselves back up,” Persson said. “We have to remember what we learned through it and remember it for the next game.” Norman hopes his team can stay motivated and focused for the Lady Flames next test waiting in Richmond, Virginia against the High Point Panthers Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
The Liberty University men’s soccer team (3-2-1) went head-to-head with American University (3-1-3) Friday, Sept. 16 at Osborne Stadium, which resulted in Liberty’s first draw of the season with a score of 1-1. Sophomore forward Tresor Mbuyu gave Liberty fans hope for a victory when he scored 30 minutes into the match. Being down a goal, the American Eagles relentlessly attacked the goal every opportunity they had. With 15 minutes left in regulation, Eagles senior forward Joe Iraola scored a free kick from 35 yards away, forcing extra time. American was aggressive throughout the match, shooting over 25 percent more than the Flames. The Flames defense, according to Head Coach Jeff Alder, did a good job containing American’s forceful offense. “We knew they were going to put us under pressure,” Alder said. “We knew we had to start fast. We thought we could make them pay if we got past their first line of pressure.” The Eagles were ranked No. 19 in the country prior to the game, which according to Alder made the draw feel like a victory. “Our guys competed tonight,” Alder said. “We play to win games, but unfortunately some days it may end up like this against a good team.” As extra time slowly wound down, both teams had ample opportunities to steal the victory, but neither could score in extra time. “I’m proud of our guys,” Alder said. “I
thought we created some good chances. We thought there was a game-winner out there, but we just couldn’t find it.” Despite their lone goal, the Flames knew they did not make the most of the opportunities given to them during the game. “We had a great goal, and we had awesome chances throughout the game,” sophomore defender Nico Bellarde said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the boys for fighting through.” Alder said the last few practices have proven beneficial, giving the team time to rejuvenate in preparation for American. “We fell short last game against Buffalo,” Alder said, “What we really tried to do this week in practice was get reenergized and refocused for this game.” Freshman goalkeeper James Knoebel had a career game against the Eagles, reaching a season record of 10 saves, according to libertyflames.com. Knoebel’s saves, five of which were in overtime, were a key part in Liberty’s success. “He has made some good saves this season,” Alder said. “He has made a couple timely saves to either keep us in the game or keep the game going in our direction.” The Liberty soccer team will travel to Raleigh, North Carolina to face off against N.C. State Sept. 20. “Our energy level is very important,” Alder said. “We have proven in back-toback games that we can play with anyone in the country.”
SMITH is a sports reporter.
Michela Diddle | Liberty Champion
COLLIER is a sports reporter.
BATTLE — Martin Agredo raced past an Eagles defender after beating him to the ball.
Michela Diddle and Caroline Sellers| Liberty Champion
DOUBLEHEADER — Osborne Stadium hosted the third of four doubleheaders this season between the men’s and women’s soccer programs.
sports
B4 | September 20, 2016 | Liberty Champion
Starting new The journey to the top of the Big East begins Lindsay Ball lcball1@liberty.edu
The NCAA has recently pulled seven championships out of North Carolina due to the HB2 bill which “makes it unlawful to use a restroom different from the gender on one’s birth certificate, regardless of gender identity,” according to ncaa.org There are many things wrong with this decision, and the NCAA is not the SCHMIEG only group making decisions like this one, but they are the ones who are going to deal with these decisions sooner rather than later. What happens when a man wants to play a women’s NCAA sport? Sure, he identifies as a woman, but he is still as strong and athletic as a man. Yes, I understand that not all men are more athletic than all women. But men are different from women physically. Nobody can deny that. If it weren’t true, why are men not allowed to play with women already? So with that established, a man who identifies as a woman is a man in every sense of the word that matters when it comes to athletics. Bruce Jenner was one of the greatest Olympic athletes of all time. What if he was an athlete today and wanted to compete with the women? Would that be fair? Of course not. So apply that to today. What if a man wants to play women’s basketball? A man who is probably 4-5 inches taller than every other woman on the court. Does he really just have to identify as a woman? If he has to do anything more than that, then I would argue that the NCAA is not being inclusive, according to its own definition of the word. “The NCAA Constitution clearly states our values of inclusion and gender equity, along with the membership’s expectation that we as the Board of Governors protect those values for all,” Susquehanna University President Jay Lemons, vice chair of the Board of Governors and chair of the ad hoc committee on diversity and inclusion said. Mark Emmert, NCAA president, better be ready for the storm he has created. Very soon, there will be numerous instances of men who identify as women trying to play women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc. I hope he is prepared to handle that in a way consistent with the standard he has set. Either way, he will be in trouble. If he sticks to “inclusivity,” things will go south quickly in women’s sports with biological men competing among women. If he doesn’t allow it, he will be a hypocritical bigot. After all, isn’t that what bigot means? Somebody who disagrees with someone? Forgive me, that’s just the definition society has created. Pick your poison Mark. Either way it’s not going down smoothly.
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SCHMIEG is the sports editor.
Classic Dad Move of the Week
Goes to his son’s college intramural game and yells at the referee.
BUCKSHOT continued from B1 Having the role of a backup comes with its own set of challenges and obstacles, but Buckshot has his own goals for this season. “My goal is for my teammates to have trust in me when I come into the game even though I am the backup,” Calvert said. Calvert said the goal for the team is to take the season one game at a time and hopefully bring a conference championship to Liberty. “The key is working hard and taking everything seriously, both on and off of the field,” Calvert said. Buckshot got a chance to start toward his goal and gain valuable experience when the Flames faced the Virginia Tech Hokies Sept. 3 in front of a crowd of more than 60,000 at Lane Stadium. Playing at Virginia Tech was a nerve rack-
For the Liberty University field hockey team (1-4), this season brings a challenging schedule full of nationallyranked teams as well as first-time participation in the Big East Conference. The Flames’ season began with four top-20 teams, including James Madison (3-2), Duke (6-0), Syracuse (6-0) and Virginia (3-3). These teams lived up to their rankings and defeated the Flames. “I have been pleased that we have been getting better every game,” Head Coach Jodi Murphy said. “Though we have been playing pretty inconsistently, we have been playing one half really strong, and then the other half, we’ve been pretty inconsistent.” Previously, the team did not compete within a conference. The Big East is new territory for the team, and will create
more opportunity for the Flames to appear in the NCAA tournament. The match against Villanova Friday, Sept. 16 was the Flames’ first Big East opener. The Flames emerged victorious over the Wildcats, taking the game 5-1. The Big East conference increases visibility for the team through its strong media presence and promotion. Senior defender Serena Barr described the Big East as an opportunity above all else. “We want to go out and make a big impression and put our stance out for the Big East,” Barr said. “Obviously, we want to win the Big East. Being in the Big East is a big step, because it is a big conference. Being able to have a conference play at the end gives us a buffer zone as well.” “Having membership in a conference versus last year competing as an independent gives you the opportunity to earn an automatic qualifier into the NCAA tournament,” Murphy said. “So we know these games really count. Not to say that the ACC teams that we have played don’t matter, but these are the ones we are working toward.” This year, 10 freshmen were added to Liberty’s roster. Last year, the team graduated 10 players, creating room for new athletes to establish themselves. According to sophomore midfielder and forward Abby Julius, the team is just beginning to become a cohesive force. “It was a little different last year,” Julius said. “We had a group of seniors who had been playing together for so long that there was already a gel initially there. For this year, we have a lot of new players.” The team is young, but each game creates an opportunity to excel and perform at higher levels. “This is a very strong league, and we want to make an impact on the conference,” Murphy said. “We want to go out in our first season and make a difference. My biggest goal at this stage is that we get better every single game and that we get more confident. I want us to play with greater faith than fear — to operate out of confidence and joy even. Sometimes we get caught up in how monotonous it is, and we lose the joy in the performance and glorifying God.” The Flames will play their first home game of the season Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. against Longwood.
Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion
NEWBIES — The Lady Flames are ready for the Big East.
BALL is a sports reporter.
On the move
New triathlete joins Flames from overseas Julie Deutsch jdeutsch@liberty.edu
Liberty University has added a new runner, freshman Thomas Sonnery, to their triathlon team for the 2016-17 season. Sonnery is originally from France and chose to attend Liberty because of his athletic abilities. Sonnery grew up in a family of runners, starting with his parents and his older siblings. He began running at a young age and decided to try triathlon when his brother and sister joined the sport. He was raised watching them race, and it gave him a desire to join a team. Sonnery said his dad has been his biggest influence since day one, and his father has been an excellent example for him and continuously supported him and his decisions. Sonnery has raced in France and is excited to join a team in the U.S. He is looking forward to meeting people in America that will greatly influence him and his future. Sonnery finished in 18th place during a European Cup race in May. The runner made his decision to come to Liberty in August 2015. He came to Lynchburg to visit his sister, who also attends Liberty, and he had the opportunity to meet the coaches and people on the triathlon team after taking part in a camp at the university. “I am more than happy today to be part of the Liberty community,” Sonnery said. “I’m still getting used to a lot of things. I keep saying it is like an American movie. Everything is bigger — cars, roads, schools and supermarkets.” Sonnery decided to come to Liberty because he wanted to progress and experience somewhere other than France. His sister attending the school helped influence his choice to come to the U.S. He said he is excited to see what comes from the opportunity he took to live in America. “God is at the center of my existence,” Sonnery said. “He is with me in anything I do and guides me. God helps
ing situation for Calvert, but also a great experience and a dream come true. “Once you get that first snap, most of the nervous feelings go away,” Calvert said. Along with goals for this season, Buckshot has several long-term goals at Liberty through both football and academics. “My goal at Liberty is to get my degree and to lead the team to a national championship,” Calvert said. Calvert is a sports management student and wants to pursue a career in coaching when his football playing days are over. “I want to stick with the game of football and give my knowledge of the game to younger kids,” Calvert said. So far this season, Calvert is 16-32 passing for 188 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. COCKES is a sports reporter.
me through difficult times and is with me to celebrate good times. It is not easy every day, especially because I did not speak any English before I came, but my teachers are amazing and I am learning every day a little bit more.” His primary goal is to progress as much as he can in his athletic abilities so he can represent Liberty well. Sonnery is here to see where the year takes him and how much he will be able to improve in his sport, as well as learn spiritually while developing close friendships with students at the university. “I hope to grow in my Christian faith and confirm that the path I have chosen in school, sports and spirituality is the right one.” The third annual Mid-Atlantic Conference Triathlon Championships will take place at Smith Mountain Lake State Park Oct. 15. DEUTSCH is a sports reporter.
Club Sports
TRIATHLETE — Thomas Sonnery is the newest Flame.
Tim Isaacson | Liberty university
CONNECTION — Buckshot Calvert threw a pass to Carrington Mosley amidst pressure.
feature
Liberty Champion | September 20, 2016 | B5
Encountering the truth Radio drama series allows students and professors to entertain and teach Amelia Whittaker awhittaker1@liberty.edu
The Liberty University Theater Arts Department, in conjunction with the Digital Media and Communication Arts, are working on recording its second season of the radio drama series, “The Encounter.” This series developed from director and Liberty professor Chris Nelson when he imagined a story about what it would be like to have an authentic encounter with the truth. From this idea came the series that has already recorded one season and will work this semester to record the second. Philip Sitterding is a junior at Liberty and is returning to be a part of the writing team for a second year. According to Sitterding, the vision of the series is to allow the audience, through entertainment, to explore an important idea of what it means to encounter truth in their lives. Most of the people working on this project are Liberty students along with several professors helping out in different areas. The group of writers are currently in the process of writing a third season for the series, with professors Chris Underation and Kornel Gerstner assisting the project. “We have a really talented group of four writers who are currently meeting with Mr. Nelson … to hash out where we want to take this story over the next season, and perhaps beyond,” Sitterding said. The series has the potential to continue on for several more seasons, but there are many areas that have to be taken into account, according to Sitterding. The writing team is most cautious about the honesty of the storyline. “We don’t want to push the story forward if it would detract from the overall impact of the project,” Sitterding said. The first season of the series has not aired yet and is still being edited to ensure that the music and sound effects are perfected. Sitterding said there are several professors that help with the voices of characters and with the editing process. “It’s definitely a big project that many different people are passionate about,” Sitterding said. The project’s target audience is primarily middle and high school students, but the storyline is also one that can be appealing to anyone. According to Sitterding, the story
is set in a dystopian world with two separate societies. The series follows some of the kids from these societies that begin to question what they have been taught growing up. Once the series is ready, it will be able to be aired on Liberty’s radio stations, according to Sitterding. This will make it available for Liberty students to listen, along with others throughout the state. “I think the ultimate goal is to get it in as many formats as we can, so eventually we’ll probably have it available as a podcast in some form or another,” Sitterding said. “The Encounter” will continue to work to have several seasons prepared for broadcast with the hopes of reaching many through this series. Sitterding enjoys being a part of this team and is grateful for the opportunity to work on a radio drama. “I love the project because it gives us the opportunity to explore some really pertinent questions people ask through a medium that’s very non-threatening,” Sitterding said. Season one of “The Encounter” is scheduled to be broadcast in the spring with teaser episodes airing shortly after Thanksgiving.
WHITTAKER is a feature reporter.
Photo Provided
RECORD — Student talent was used for much of the voice acting in “The Encounter”.
Photo Provided
SCRIPT — The first season is being finished as the third series is written.
Photo Provided
MIC — Students recorded at 90.9, a local radio station.
Creating level ground L3vel Nation aims to stop human trafficking with its clothing brand Nathaniel Fraticelli nlfraticelli@liberty.edu
Photo Provided
ENTREPRENEUR — Liberty student Josh Chen is the chief financial officer of L3vel Nation.
Founded in 2011 by CEO R.J. “L3vel” Wilson, urban clothing brand L3vel Nation has set out to be a positive influence to the world, using its line of clothes, hats, skateboard decks and accessories to bring important social issues to people’s attention such as human trafficking, child soldiers and broken homes. “I want to use our company as a tool to help stop human trafficking,” Liberty student and chief financial officer Josh Chen said. “Even though there are so many organizations already that are trying to help stop it, I don’t think there’s enough. There can never be enough. It’s such a huge problem, and in order to be effective, you need a large amount of organizations.” According to Chen, L3vel Nation started off as a for-profit business that gave about 2 percent of their profits to charity. Now, the company is working on becoming totally nonprofit in order to give more to mentoring programs for children and organizations dedicated to ending human trafficking. “We were like, ‘No that’s not enough. We need to do more than that,’” Chen said “Once we get larger, I want to make our company into an actual anti-human trafficking company if it’s possible. If not, we’re just going to help support anti-human trafficking organizations.” Chen said some of the organizations he hopes to support in the near future are Freedom 4/24, the A21 Campaign and Jars of Hope, which is run by a fellow Liberty student. To help illustrate its mission, many of L3vel Nation’s graffiti-style clothing designs are based around the social and
global problems the company is trying to combat. Its logo is a boy with crossed out eyes, headphones over his ears and a zipper over his mouth. The original intent for the design was based off the three mystic apes: see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. “I describe it more with the Gospel message,” Chen said, “The Xs in the eyes are to represent people who are too blind to see the truth. The zippered mouth is for people that don’t care to speak the truth. The headphones are for people who don’t want to hear the truth. It’s kind of like a reminder to not be like (the logo) – to be bold in your faith and preach the Gospel.” L3vel Nation is also dedicated to staying independent. Although the company has yet to launch any storefront locations, their products are available in close to 350 independent skate and clothing stores across the U.S. and worldwide. “We don’t sell through big corporations,” Chen Said. “You’re never going to see us in Wal-Mart or J.C. Penney. We want to sell in local stores – local skate shops and local clothes stores that aren’t big chains.” Online, L3vel Nation products can always be found at l3velnationlifestyle.com.
FRATICELLI is a feature reporter.
feature
B6 | September 20, 2016 | Liberty Champion
Under the sea KINE 232 offers students scuba certification Ryan Klinker rmklinker@liberty.edu
Getting the students out of the traditional classroom and into a more direct form of education is the goal of KINE 232, a 1-credit course in scuba diving. This class offers students the opportunity to explore life below the water’s surface. While other classes keep students confined to desks, the course offers students a total of 32 “contact hours” (eight in class, eight in confined water, and 16 in open water) to learn and apply their lessons firsthand, resulting in a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) certification. According to professor J.D. Emerson, who is the instructor for the class, this certification will authorize students to dive to depths of 60 feet in open water. In the near decade that Emerson has been teaching at Liberty University, he has only good things to say about the students he has taught. He strongly encourages students to try scuba diving, regardless of their skill level or learning speed. “It may take some of the students longer to pick it up, but I don’t like to leave anyone behind in my class,” Emerson said. “Liberty has some of the best students that I’ve ever taught.” Emerson, who served in the United States Army, has been involved with diving teams and organizations for 51 years and has been associated with Liberty for 10 years. His initial inspiration to get into the world of scuba diving came from “Sea Hunt,” a popular television show which originally aired in the late 1950s and early 1960s. “It was one of my favorite TV shows because it was about adventure in the underwater world,” Emerson said. One of the students who is currently taking the course, sophomore Matthew Klein, said he became interested in taking the class because most of his family has their scuba certification, and he wanted to get one for himself. Klein also pointed out that the course offers two incentives as it counts as college credit in addition to the certification. According to Klein, the class is held in three separate locations that correspond to the particular lesson that session is geared toward. These locations include a regular classroom, a pool located at Liberty’s LaHaye Student Union, and a quarry located about an hour from Lynchburg which is used for diving tests. The scuba course has already begun for the fall semester. However, Emerson said another section of the course will be held in the spring semester for interested students to enroll in. KLINKER is a feature reporter.
William Rice | Liberty Champion
FOR SALE — The goods at the Liberty University Farmer’s Market range from farm-grown produce to leather-bound journals.
Going to market Sodexo-hosted market aims to promote community William Rice wsrice@liberty.edu
With the freshest produce, one-of-a-kind jewelry, handstitched leather accessories, topof-the-line coffee and enough food options to satisfy even the belly of a college student, the Liberty University Farmers Market is the place to unwind after a hard day and store up for the week ahead. The market offers a variety of goods for students and the community to enjoy in the easily-accessible parking lot of Doc’s Diner. Hosted on Thursdays throughout the fall and the spring semesters, the market allows students to enjoy goods from the Lynchburg area without leaving campus. Casey Kelley, a regular attendee of the weekly markets brought her husband, Micah
Beginner scuba divers limit.
Recreational scuba dinving limit.
Anthony Delligatti expressesd his motives for launching the market as a means to expose students to a new environment. Delligatti explained that one-fifth of the artisans attending the market are former Liberty students, who need as much support from not only their previous classmates, but also from the faculty and administration. Delligatti feared that beginning another farmers market in the area would spark a strong competition between the already existing markets in the area. Before Liberty’s market began gaining traction, Delligatti was in constant contact with the Forest Market, the Lynchburg Market and the Bedford Market to ensure that there would be no backlash. Delligatti, with the approval of the other markets, decided to host Liberty’s Farmers
Market on Thursdays, a day that is untouched by any other market in the area. Furthermore, the market makes no profit. Delligatti and his coworkers have volunteered their time, ensuring that the market has no business affiliations and primarily runs to promote unity with the local community and Liberty. As the market does ask for the vendor to “give a monetary donation,” all the proceeds are donated to local charities. Previous donations have gone to Lynchburg Daily Bread, Society of Saint Andrews, and this year’s donations will go to Miriam House.
RICE is a feature reporter.
William Rice | Liberty Champion
LOCAL — The market is held every Thursday at Doc’s Diner, featuring vendors from Lynchburg such as Liberty’s Morris Campus Farm. MCILWAIN continued from B8
Warm water scuba diving limit.
Kelley, to the market for the first time for a Momma Crocketts doughnut – one of the 50 vendors that make appearances at the markets. “We try to eat well, but you need to get a doughnut every once and a while,” Micah Kelley said. The market is held every Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to give the student body a ‘taste’ of the local community. Students Taylor Bohon and Sarah Breyer admitted they showed up for the free samples, but also because the market is a good place for talking with friends and doing a little light shopping. “They have good selection of different variety of things,” Breyer said. “It’s neat to just walk around and shop.” Sodexo District Manager
Instead, President Jerry Falwell Jr. arranged to personally send a team to deliver the conferred degree. Dr. Ben Gutierrez, vice provost for academic administration, was contacted in regards to delivering the degree. “It was a whirlwind of events — everyone hustling to make this happen,” Gutierrez said. Within an hour, Gutierrez was on a plane flying to Hickory Grove, Pennsylvania to personally deliver the degree to McIlwain. When he arrived, he was greeted by pastors from the church and McIlwain’s family. According to Gutierrez, the house was filled with friends and family, offering support.. Gutierrez remembers hearing phrases such as “unbelievable,” “what a miracle,” and “not enough words to say thank you” from those gathered at the house.
“You would have thought it was a church gathering the way people were there fellowshipping,” Gutierrez said. Gutierrez was able to officially present the degree and have a dedication prayer with McIlwain and all of the friends and family that were gathered in the house. According to Gutierrez, after the degree was given, McIlwain was officially ordained by John Bailey, the senior pastor of New Life Baptist Church. McIlwain’s two dreams were turned into a reality on the same day, according to Fair. The reactions of those gathered were so thankful and amazed that this was able to happen on such short notice, Guiterrez said. Gutierrez said he was grateful to be a part of this occasion and proud to take part in something that was so significant to a particular family. “At Liberty University, we do a lot of very meaningful things,” Gutierrez said. “What occurred on
that day — wrapping our arms around a family and a local church community during their deepest time of need — was one of the most eternally impactful things we have done.” This experience captured the essence of
Liberty’s founder, Jerry Falwell Sr., according to Gutierrez. Falwell believed in loving the whole person and extending that love to a hurting body of believers. Gutierrez believed that this spirit is also embodied by
Jerry Falwell Jr., who was able to make this experience happen.
WHITTAKER is a feature reporter.
Caleb Atkins |Liberty University News Service
MEMORIES — McIlwain died as a college graduate and an ordianed pastor.
feature
Liberty Champion | September 20, 2016 | B7
Shining light in the dark Title IX Office provides support to students, participates in national event Alexandra Ramey aramey3@liberty.edu Janae Williams jwilliams453@liberty.edu
Brittney Wardlaw, the director of Liberty University’s Title IX Office – located in Green Hall 1830 – believes sexual sins and discrimination do occur, but that the Title IX Office is helping more people learn about these situations and the resources the university offers that can help prevent them. “Title IX is an amendment that was passed in 1972 … that basically states that schools who receive federal funding are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of gender or sex,” Stephany Steger, the administrative assistant of the Title IX Office, said. “People ask me all the time, ‘Do you get a lot of reports in your office?’” Wardlaw said. “I would say the reports have grown. I think that where people are, that’s where sin will be and those things happen … but if people are more aware that they actually have support when they report this and they understand what’s going to happen when they report it, they feel more comfortable coming forward.” Title IX offers a lot for students and faculty on campus, Steger said. According to Wardlaw, the Title IX facilities are offered to everyone: students, faculty, both online and residential and visitors to campus as well. According to Steger, Title IX offers educational opportunities and resources to victims of sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual harassment, stalking and gender-based bullying as they work cooperatively with the Office of Community Life (formerly known as the Office of Student Conduct). “We have a responsibility to stop, prevent and remedy any instances of discrimination harassment or violence or assault,” Wardlaw said. According to Wardlaw, Liberty’s Title IX Office has been around for almost two years while a coordinator has been around for at least five years. The office holds a total of six employees, and up until about a year ago, Wardlaw was the sole member of the office. This past July marks a full year of a Title IX Office staff. “I’m primarily responsible for making sure Liberty is compliant with Title IX and
that we are stopping, preventing and remediating sexual assault, sexual violence and sexual harassment,” Wardlaw said. Wardlaw said she travels around campus to different athletic teams and departments to give presentations. The presentation for freshmen and transfer students has become more robust, and professors have asked her
RAs, took part in raising awareness about sexual assault. “I firmly believe in the power of raising awareness about things such as rape and assault,” Johnson said. “I think it’s cool that Title IX is active, especially at a Christian campus, so that students can talk about it.” Program Manager Lindsey Scott of the
WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO STOP, PREVENT AND REMEDY ANY INSTANCES OF DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT OR VIOLENCE OR ASSAULT. — BRITTNEY WARDLAW to come speak in classes. Wardlaw said various interim measures are offered if a student is facing something at home or on campus, such as the no-contact agreement, which states that neither party may have contact with the other. The Title IX Office also provides housing changes for people in bad situations, as well as academic assistance such as tutoring or working with a professor for a student who is dealing with something outside the classroom. A RAINNy day on campus A big part of what Title IX does for the students is prevention education where they raise awareness through different awareness campaigns, according to Wardlaw. On Thursday, Sept. 15, the Title IX Office hosted its first Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) Day event on the Vines Center lawn. Yellow umbrellas were lined along the lawn in a display to attract students and to offer emotional healing. Sept. 15 marked the day that college campuses across the nation hosted national RAINN Day events in hopes of raising awareness of sexual violence on college campuses. Prior to this event, the Title IX Office collaborated with Liberty men and women who are a part of Residence Life in decorating yellow umbrellas with words of hope, love, Scripture, and abstract art decorated on them. Resident Assistant (RA) Christiana Johnson, and other female resident directors and
Sexual Assault Response Program of Central Virginia (SARP), which the Title IX Office partners with, informed students of the lack of exclusivity in sexual violence in regard to religion, sex or gender. “Unfortunately, sexual assault is not going to be exclusive with who it happens to,”
Scott said. “Christian girls are just as easily susceptible to it as non-Christians.” Candy, pens, LED flashlights for those walking alone at night, and informational pamphlets were all available for students at the RAINN Day event. Title IX intern Lori Mercer, who works as the office’s events coordinator for their victim advocacy and awareness projects, appreciated how engaged the students were on the desire to educate themselves on sexual violence. “Students are engaged and asking us what our display is about and admiring them and thanking the Title IX Office for doing this event,” Mercer said. Mercer also took pride in educating those that were not aware of what Title IX is. “Some students may have even gotten our name wrong,” Mercer said. “Either way, we are here today to educate them, and let them know what all Title IX does ... day in and day out to assist them.” RAMEY is a feature reporter. WILLIAMS is an opinion writer.
Caroline Sellers | Liberty Champion
DISPLAY — Yellow umbrellas were lined up to create an eye-catching display for RAINN Day.
HUNCHBACK continued from B8
Michaela Diddle | Liberty Champion
CHOIR— The musical boasted an 18-member choir that performed Oscar-winning songs from the original film.
Pusey believes her character is compassionate toward others and that trait is what makes Esmeralda so unique. “She doesn’t always think she deserves the love, but she would love anyone,” Pusey said. “That’s why she’s so close to Quasimodo — because she doesn’t see what everyone else sees. She just loves him for who he is. I think that’s what makes her such a special character.” Although the play does not openly express a biblical mindset, Pusey believes the Gospel is still hidden within the theme of the musical. “God calls us to love, and I think it may not say it openly, … but I think that’s so what it’s about – about not judging people, about not disliking someone because they’re different,” Pusey said.
“It’s just about showing God’s love to everyone.” The musical is recommended for those ages 10 and above, due to the musical’s darker undertones. “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” will run at the Tower Theater until Oct. 2, 2016, with a special performance Oct. 2 featuring American Sign Language interpretation. Tickets can be purchased through the MyLU portal or by calling 434-582-7328.
SWEENEY is a feature reporter.
FEATURE
B8
September 20, 2016
Michela Diddle | Liberty Champion
PERFORM — Alluvion Stage Company’s production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” was the largest production in Liberty’s history, with a total 98 people involved in the musical.
God help the outcasts ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ premieres for the first time in Virginia Abby Sweeney asweeney8@liberty.edu
The Tower Theater was reimagined into a gothic cathedral as “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” premiered Friday, Sept. 16. The Alluvion Stage Company has the honor of being one of 12 theaters in the nation to hold copyright privileges to the musical. According to Director Linda Nell Cooper, the Tower Theater is the first to show the musical in the state of Virginia. Accompanying the show is a live orchestra led by Kathryn Voelker. Based on the animated Disney film of the same name, the musical features much of the same music as the movie. The music is brought to life by the cast’s 18-member choir.
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is the largest production that Liberty has put on to date, with a 50 person cast and a total of 98 people involved in the musical itself. Liberty University alumnus Ryan Scanlon plays the character “Quasimodo,” a hunchbacked character who has lived his life locked in a bell tower, hidden from the world. According to Scanlon, Quasimodo is a joyful and compassionate character, despite the struggles he has endured. “I think he’s a really unique character because even though it’s this really tragic, sad story, he’s just this joyful character, which is not usually what the lead character is in a really dramatic piece,” Scanlon said. Quasimodo’s character is complex, as he has a longing to connect with others while also having lived a life of solitude, according to Scanlon.
“I think he’s really yearning for human connection, and you get to watch him experience it for the first time,” Scanlon said. “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” has a theme of community and understanding, Scanlon said. The musical prominently features characters with disabilities and characters from marginalized groups, including Quasimodo. “It has a really important message that people should hear about empathy and understanding other people, and caring about people around us,” Scanlon said. Scanlon believes the show is special not just because of the storyline, but because of the actors and actresses who come together during the performance. “The cast is something that makes it special,” Scanlon said. Liberty alumna Makenzie Pusey graduated in May 2016 but came back to perform in the
show as Esmeralda, the female lead. “Everyone has an expectation about (the musical), but it’s very different than the movie,” Pusey said. “It goes so much deeper than the movie.” Pusey believes that although her character can be confusing at times, Esmeralda is a gallant person that wants to help others. “I think she is a very selfless character, which is hard to find ... when that’s just not human mentality anymore,” Pusey said. Pusey believes that although her character can be confusing at times, Esmeralda is a gallant person that wants to help others.
See HUNCHBACK, B7
Granting one last wish
Liberty University Online student receives degree two days before dying Amelia Whittaker awhittaker1@liberty.edu
Jason McIlwain was one class away from completing his degree when his battle with cancer stopped him from taking his final class. On the afternoon of Sept. 2, Liberty University received a call regarding a unique member of the
Liberty Online family. The caller, Tim Fair, said that McIllwain’s fight with cancer was coming to an end. McIlwain died Sept. 4, 2016, but not before his dreams of receiving his degree from Liberty University and becoming a pastor were fulfilled. Fair, the associate pastor of New Life Baptist Church in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, contacted Liberty about the possibility of
Caleb Atkins | Liberty University News Service
COMFORT— Ben Guiterrez prayed with Jason McIlwain at his bedside.
getting McIlwain’s degree. McIlwain had been a student of Liberty University Online until 2012 when his battle with cancer caused him to put school on hold, although he was only one class away from graduating with a bachelor’s of science in religion. According to Fair, one of McIlwain’s dreams had been to graduate from Liberty. Fair said the whole church family
came together to surprise McIlwain by making one of his dreams finally come true. Fair first contacted Kelly Lesley in the Registrar’s Office because her brother-in-law attends the same church in Pennsylvania. “They are a very close, connected church family with many Liberty alumni serving as pastors,” Lesley said. Lesley was able to provide
Fair with the contact information of several other faculty members that led to the beginning of the process. Fair was hoping Liberty could confer McIlwain’s degree and have someone call to congratulate him.
See MCILWAIN, B6
Caleb Atkins | Liberty University News Service
FAMILY — McIlwain’s parents attended the impromptu graduation ceremony that Liberty held for McIlwain.