B5
Battle of the Bands
B1
Track and Field wins big
LIBERTY CHAMPION Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Today: P. Cloudy 68/48 Tomorrow: T. Storms 79/51
libertychampion.com
Volume 30 • Issue 21
Fun Run held at Snowflex
‘How Animals Eat T heir Food’
Jacob Tellers jtellers@liberty.edu
Liberty University Student Activities and Riverside Runners held a Fun Run Thursday, April 18 at the Snowflex Centre. According to Student Activities, the free race drew more than 50 runners from Liberty, as well as some from the surrounding community. One of the reasons The Bald to hold the race was Mountain to help runners get 10K at prepared for the upcoming Bald MounCamp tain 10K, which will Hydaway be held at Camp Hyis coming daway April 27, Student Activities said. up, The Fun Run inSaturday, volved both a 5K and April 27. a 10K race. According to Student Activities, all runners started together, but they had the option further along the trail to run on the shorter or longer path. About half of the runners opted for the 5K, while the rest ran the 10K.
FYI
See RUN, A8
Debate wins again Dylan Friberg dwfriberg@liberty.edu
The Liberty University Debate Team took home two national championship titles for their performance throughout the season, edging out Northwestern and George Mason University. Liberty topped the rankings of the American Debate Association (ADA) and the Cross-Examination Debate Association (CEDA) for the fifth consecutive year. This brings their win tally to 33 national championships since 1995, according to the Liberty News Service. According to Liberty’s Director of Debate Michael Hall, the process of planning for these debates is both rigorous and time consuming. “A lot goes into preparing for a debate, including practice speeches, practice debates, strategy work with partners and coaches, and individual time spent researching,” Hall said. “For most of our students, this amounts to 20-30 hours of work each week.” Students have a topic given at the beginning of the year that will be debated for the entire season, Hall explained. This year’s topic was the U.S. energy policy. Liberty is also vying for the top spot in the rankings of the National Debate Tournament (NDT), acording to Hall. The NDT is the third and final championship that Liberty participated in, and its
See DEBATE, A7
Courtney Russo | Liberty Champion
CREATIVE — Students Ian Deibert (left) and Nick Sjolinder (right) will be attending VidCon this summer.
Video hits 46 million views What started as a funny idea, has become a viral YouTube sensation
Melanie Oelrich moelrich@liberty.edu
The pseudonym “MisterEpicMann” may not ring many bells, but perhaps “How Animals Eat Their Food” does. What some people might not know is that the two individuals featured in the viral video are Liberty University students junior Nick Sjolinder and senior Ian Deibert. The YouTube video was posted one week ago and has already accumulated more than 46 million views. To put things in perspective, the new “Hun-
ger Games” sequel trailer, “Catching Fire,” has only gained a little more than 22 million views after six days. According to Sjolinder, he bases the ideas for his videos on improvisation. “I came up with the idea for ‘How Animals Eat Their Food’ the way that I come up with my other video ideas, which is waiting for (the idea) to pop in my head,” Sjolinder said. “I always try not to plan too much ahead for my videos.” Sjolinder and Deibert met when they were placed as roommates on Dorm 10. “We both had a crazy amount in
common, especially our love for art, media and idiotic laughter,” Deibert said. “When he started showing me his old YouTube videos he had made for his channel back in high school, I thought they were hilarious and wanted him to put them back up. He finally agreed, and since last fall, we’ve been filming new videos.” According to Deibert, the popularity of their videos is due to the rapid response from friends, relatives and “faithful” YouTube subscribers.
See YOUTUBE, A8
‘Social Scavengers’ go hunting
The School of Communication hosted the event Saturday, April 20 Daniel Bartlett dbartlett@liberty.edu
“Social Scavengers,” an event hosted by Liberty University’s School of Communication, brought in students from all majors Saturday, April 20, to compete for various prizes based on their social media involvement during the event. Beginning at 11 a.m., students registered their teams on the outside terrace of the Hancock Welcome Center, according to senior communications student and product manager for the department Ashley Thomas. Students were given the option to group into teams of two or three, or to choose to work by themselves. The hunt took six teams to nine different locations around Lynchburg, including The Drowsy Poet, City Stadium, Cinemark Movies
Nathan Rohrer | Liberty Champion
ACTIVITY — Students check in to the scavenger hunt at the Hancock Welcome Center. 10, Dickey’s and the monogram. Various clues took them around Lynchburg, and once a team arrived at the specified location, members had to take a creative photo and tweet it, according to Thomas.
“Certain locations, such as Dickey’s and Snowflex, allowed students to gain bonus points throughout the race,” she said. According to Student Assistant and General Manager of the School of Communi-
INSIDE THE CHAMPION News
Sports
Feature
The College of Osteopathic Medicine inked a five-year agreement with Centra. A3
Kyle Harvey reviews “42,” the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. B1
The A.S.A.D. Fashion Show took place Saturday, April 20 in the Towns Auditorium. B8
News Opinion Sports Feature
cation Joe Marcus, in order to participate in the event, at least one team member needed a smartphone and a Twitter or Instagram account. Local businesses, such as
See HUNT, A8
A1 A4 B1 B8
NEWS
A2/Liberty Champion
April 23, 2013
Boston Bombings Tyler Eacho tpeacho@liberty.edu
Two explosions rocked the Boston Marathon Monday, April 15, killing three people and injuring 183 others. In the ensuing days, local and state police as well as federal agents began their pursuit of the terrorists responsible for the act. In a press release Thursday, April 18, the FBI revealed photographs of the two suspects, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, in hopes of receiving assistance from the public. Approximately five hours after the release of the photos, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) police officer was shot and killed, according to CNN. Shortly thereafter, a car and its driver was hijacked on the MIT campus. Police tracked the vehicle to Watertown, Mass., where they engaged in an extensive firefight. According to CNN, the driver of the vehicle was released by the suspects, but older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot and killed in the firefight. At that point, the police said they realized that they were dealing with the two suspects from the bombing. With one suspect dead, younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remained at large. According to CNN, thousands of police and military officers joined in the manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the 20-block area of Watertown. On the morning of Friday, April 19, authorities requested that the residents of Watertown and the surrounding area stay indoors. In addition, public transportation, most businesses and most public institutions were shut down. According to CNN, on Friday evening, a resident found Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in his boat, just outside the police perimeter. After a standoff, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured and taken to the hospital, where he is currently being treated for serious injuries. Due to his injuries, CNN reported that he has yet to speak about the incidents.
Katie Welch | Liberty Champion
FLIGHTS — Saved money will keep the control tower at the Lynchburg airport open for planes like these.
Airport tower still open The Lynchburg airport control center will remain in use for another year
Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu
Lynchburg Airport Director Mark Courtney plans to use saved state entitlement money to fund air traffic control tower (ATCT) operations for the near future. According to Courtney’s ATCT Interim Phase Plan presented to the Virginia Aviation Board (VAB), estimated monthly expenses will total around $40,000, but the airport has nearly $622,000 saved up in its entitlement fund. Lynchburg Airport has also imposed an FAA-approved passenger facility charge generating roughly $25,000 per month. In addition, the airport has added more flights for family and friends that will be traveling to Lynchburg in May to see students participate in Liberty University’s commencement ceremonies. Airport personnel hopes that the additional flights will also provide more funding. “The airport management is ex-
ploring reducing the number of hours the ATCT will operate, thus reducing the operating cost,” VAB member and retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Dave Young said. “This will, in turn, spread the available funds over a longer period of time. The airport management indicated that this time could be up to 12 months.” Because Virginia State Entitlement funds are not meant for uses like ATCT operation, a fee will be invoked by the Commonwealth of Virginia, according to Young. Seven of the eight VAB members voted to not waive the penalty out of fairness to the other 65 airports in Virginia. Young withheld from voting. “I abstained after conferring with the legal counsel for the Virginia Aviation Board, as it could be viewed as a conflict of interest since I’m the dean of the (Liberty University) School of Aeronautics and the president of Freedom Aviation,” Young said. “Both of these entities conduct extensive business on the
airport and significantly interact with the ATCT on a regular basis.” Young said that he believes Courtney’s plan is a temporary measure to continue operations while other options are identified and analyzed. “I’ve encouraged the airport management to not ‘put all of their eggs in one basket’ and count on the ATCT to be funded by the FAA or federal government in the future, but to include users of the ATCT, like the (Liberty University) School of Aeronautics and Freedom Aviation, in the planning and analysis of options for continuing to provide similar services currently provided by the ATCT,” Young said. ADAMS is the advertising director.
Wa r d s R o a d t u n n e l
EACHO is the asst. news editor.
Champion corrections • The front page photo from last week’s issue of the Liberty Champion featured an original design by student designer Hannah Lynch. • The Liberty University Equestrian Center is located on Sunnymeade Road. • In last week’s article about Coleman’s Run, more than $10,000 was raised for Autism Speaks. The Zealands have two children — one boy and one girl. • In last week’s issue of the Liberty Champion, the health missions story that begins on B8 should have had a headshot for Richard Lane.
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ACCESS — Crews are hard at work constructing a new pedestrian and vehicular tunnel at the intersection of Wards Road and Harvard Street, across from Central Virginia Community College and next to Sandrof Auto Body. The tunnel will lay below the train tracks and provide four lanes for traffic and a sidewalk for pedestrians, according to Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. The company constructing the tunnel will create a large “box” on the campus side of the tracks and will then pull the fully constructed box under the railroad using cables that run through small tubes from the Wards Road side. The tunnel is scheduled to be completed July 31.
LANE
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NEWS
April 23, 2013
Liberty Champion/A3
Liberty signs agreement with Centra The College of Osteopathic Medicine and Centra Health have begun a five-year partnership to train students Emily Webster ewebster@liberty.edu
Liberty University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine held a private celebration for the beginning of a five-year affiliation agreement with Centra, Monday, April 15, in the Hancock Welcome Center. The celebration included speeches from Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr., Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine Ronnie B. Martin and former President and CEO of Centra W. Michael Bryant. According to Martin, this partnership will allow students to be trained for residency programs by Centra physicians. “It gives us the opportunity to really move forward with our education,� Martin said. “You cannot develop the school without a stable, long-term partner. It shows that you can provide all of the education for your students. This partnership, this affiliation, will expand our opportunities in nursing.� According to Martin, part of the reason that Centra was chosen for this partnership is the fact that they are located in Virginia, giving students the opportunity to stay in the area if desired. Another reason for this agreement, however, was Centra’s quality health care system. “They have a reputation for an excellent practice in medicine,� Martin said. “They have a very wide diversity of physicians, and they have a major commitment to this area. Much like us, they have this commitment (to) providing service to the people in this area, and they fit our mission and vision in that regard. They provide all of the essential services that we need to train our students.� Bryant, who recently resigned, said that he knew he could not pass up an opportunity to collaborate with Liberty and that this partnership will help Centra accomplish its mission. “Our mission is excellent care, every time, and part of that means we’ve got to have quality, well-educated physicians who will be here to help us accomplish that mission,� Bryant said. “So, the opportunity to accomplish our mission in collaboration with such an outstanding
Emily Webster | Liberty Champion
NEW SCHOOL — Ronnie B. Martin, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine, speaks during an affiliation agreement. institution as Liberty was really more than too hard to pass up.� With the opportunity to learn under Centra physicians, Bryant said that students will see firsthand their commitment to quality and service. “It’s not a low bar to be a physician, and if you’re going to be an outstanding physician, (students) are going to learn very early if they meet that standard,� Bryant said. “I think they’re going to see a commitment of excellence by our physicians, a thirst for knowledge, and the excitement of taking care of people.� Once the school receives accreditation, Martin said that the recruiting process will begin with classes starting in August 2014. “The future holds that we will have the
opportunity to make the difference in a lot of people’s lives, both our own students and faculty and the patients that they’ll take care of for a lot of years,� Martin said. “The future is that we can become even more of an important player in the quality in life for all of the people that live in this region.� Both Martin and Bryant expressed gratitude for the support and vision that has been given from the Liberty and medical communities. According to Martin, the affiliation with Centra is a reflection of the support received from hundreds of physicians in the area. Bryant expressed special thanks to Falwell, Martin and Godwin for their leadership and vision. “To see something like this and put the effort and time, resources and energy to
get to this point is truly amazing,� Bryant said. “It certainly should give everyone in the Liberty community great confidence in their visionary leadership and their ability to make things happen for the benefit of the people that we’re all privileged to serve. Congratulations to the whole Liberty family for this historic day in health care in Central Virginia.� For more information about the College of Osteopathic Medicine, go to their official site, liberty.edu/lucom. WEBSTER is a news reporter.
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OPINION
April 23, 2013
Nicholas Malkoun | Creatiive Commons
STANDING STRONG — Regardless of the sadness surrounding the bombings, the city of Boston — and the entire country — has pulled together.
From a Bostonian
A look at the marathon bombings through the viewpoint of a local Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu
The events that occurred April 15 during the Boston Marathon became an important date for the city. Long before the bombs exploded and plunged the city into absolute chaos, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts commemorated the third Monday in April as Patriots’ Day. The special holiday marks the battles of Lexington and Concord on the morning of April 19, 1775. We Boston natives share hazy memories of getting up before dawn and driving to Lexington Green to watch men re-enact the legendary ride of Paul Revere and the “shot heard ‘round the world.” Every year, the battle continues a few hours later at North Bridge in Concord. Patriots’ Day reminds Bostonians of the rebellion we launched 200 years ago that birthed a new nation founded on the idea of freedom. The holiday is an annual rite of spring as residents take the day off from school or work in order to spend time with their families — to explore the city’s rich history or to simply enjoy nature and see the annual herring runs. It is a day where locals can catch an early Sox game at Fenway Park, or yes, celebrate with runners as they cross the finish line of the famous Boston Marathon in Copley Square. For members of the Boston
The end of the semester is quickly approaching, and for most students, that means one thing — summer vacation. For the thousands of us graduating in May, though, the end of the semester means so much more than just good
“The city will pick itself up and move on as it has from many disasters over the past 400 years...” — OMAR ADAMS diaspora here in the South, it was maddening to watch the news knowing we were 700 miles from home — unable to help or even be there with loved ones. Pictures and videos from the scene show that our city is in good hands, however. Boston police, firefighters, EMTs, military personnel, doctors and nurses — even bystanders and marathon runners — all rushed to the force to save lives, regardless of personal risk. On the very day of the tragedy, the Red Cross stated that they had plenty of blood to help the victims and requested that people simply check on family members and consider donating in the future. A quotation attributed to beloved television host Fred Rogers made the social media rounds yesterday: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Boston is full of helpers right now, and it is strangely comforting to be reminded of that fact by a late childhood icon. The city will pick itself up and move on as it has from many disasters
weather and relaxation on nice beaches — it means deciding what the rest of our life is going to look like. While those students attending graduate school next fall do not have to panic about finding a job, those of us who have yet
over the past 400 years, and before you know it, we will see victims throwing out the first pitch at Fenway alongside Jimmy Fund supporters. Tragedy will not change the way Bostonians celebrate Patriots’ Day. Sure, it will take time to heal. Families have suffered loss, and others have experienced the psychological trauma of an attack at home. But holy ordinances like summer night Sox games at Boston’s Grand Cathedral will proudly continue. The marathon will be run next Patriots’ Day as it has every year since 1897, and Boston residents will commemorate the marathon’s tragedy the way they have for centuries — by learning from the past and moving on, never forgetting the lives lost. The remaining living bomber would do well to remember one thing: this is not Boston’s first massacre, and the last one did not end well for the perpetrators. ADAMS is the director of advertising.
to find employment are left in a state of dread with the realization that we can no longer put off our career decisions. CASSIDY Ultimately, we all want to be successful at something. No one ever looks at himself and says, “I want to be the most mediocre teacher that ever lived!” Dreams of high-end job placement and making an impact on the world right after graduation are excellent aspira-
The story behind “Sweet Caroline” Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu
“Sweet Caroline” has probably never been played as often as it was last week. Neil Diamond’s 1969 hit has been closely associated with the Red Sox’s home field, Fenway Park — and thus, the city of Boston — since the mid-90s. The song has become as much a fixture at Fenway as the Green Monster, the towering 40-foot wall in the ballpark’s left field. While most Bostonians admittedly do not know how “Sweet Caroline” came to be played during the eighth inning, we loudly sing along. Baseball teams around the country played “Sweet Caroline” in solidarity with the people of Boston. The dearest tribute was hearing the song belted out by our legendary rivals, the New York Yankees, and seeing a sign hung on Yankee Stadium by the team that read “New York hearts Boston” with the Yankee and Red Sox logos. People from outside of big sports cities cannot truly understand the significance of these small gestures. Sports teams are part of the very fabric of their lives. We almost religiously identify with our teams. Baseball is more than just a sporting event to us. It is America’s pastime — a game with a rich, 150-year history of storied triumphs and defeats that builds a sense of pride and unity even through difficult times. Bostonians can list every one of the Sox’s World Series wins like a catechism. The following Friday would have been the first home game since the bombing, and Bos-
tions, but they are not realistic for college students still fresh out of school. Accepting that lowpaying, part-time job at that no-name firm we want nothing to do with is not easy. Still, that could actually be the last puzzle piece we need in order to secure our dream job down the line. Unless you are mortified of independence and are trying to avoid choosing a concrete career, then working at the bottom of the barrel in your major is far better than working at a fast food restaurant because you failed to make a solid decision. Most of us probably sufficiently understand
tonians anticipated a somber mood in honor of the three victims. But instead of waking up to the day of a game, locals woke up to the news that yet another tragedy, the murder of an MIT police officer, had occurred. The Greater Boston area was locked down for the day, with business halted and 4.5 million people stuck indoors. When Commissioner Ed Davis finally announced, “We got him,” the entire city erupted into celebration reminiscent of Boston’s 2004 World Series victory. Residents spilled out into the streets, cheering every passing police car and jubilantly mobbing law enforcement officers now standing at ease. Major League Baseball released a video showing the shared celebration at ballparks around the country. Fans waved American flags and posters reading “Boston Strong.” The next day, the Red Sox finally played their first home game since the tragedy. While those in attendance still mourned, there was an air of relief. Law enforcement and city officials were honored at the game, surviving victims threw out the first pitch, and Sox favorite David “Big Papi” Ortiz gave an impassioned “thank you” to a roaring applause. Diamond himself even made an appearance to lead fans in singing his beloved tune. After one of the darkest weeks in Boston’s nearly 400-year history, it was a great relief to reach the end and sing that “good times never seemed so good.” ADAMS is the director of advertising.
this, but still doubt being offered even an entrylevel position in a field we actually want to work. I have come to the conclusion that in order to overcome your reservations, you must apply to every job for which you meet the basic qualifications. And I do mean every job. Finding that first job is the hardest step in the process of securing a spot in the career you see yourself spending the rest of your life. Applying to more than 100 jobs and getting more than 100 rejection letters puts a damper on anyone’s mood, but only the tenacious work through it and
end up with a position they love. Instead of moping around this summer and taking “one last break” before you enter the professional world, start the process now and understand that it is going to be an uncertain ride. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) CASSIDY is the editor in chief.
April 23, 2013
Liberty Champion/A5
OPINION
Britain’s ‘Iron Lady’ dead at 87 As the prime minister of our greatest ally, Margaret Thatcher served as the political embodiment of toughness
Whitney Rutherford wrutherford@liberty.edu
When I was born in 1993, Margaret Thatcher’s tumultuous three terms as the first female British prime minister had concluded. Her death April 8 made me realize yet again that it was Thatcher’s example that taught me that being a stateswoman was a far more worthy occupation than being a Disney princess. Thatcher’s example taught me, and many others, what it means to capture and exceed your potential. She dared her contemporaries to challenge her contagious resolve and became an unshakable leader. Thatcher was a steamroller of determination — not for worldly gain, but for progressive change that would empower others to be enthusiastic. “What Thatcherism did do was to unleash a spirit of enterprise and to imbue the ambitious striver with a sense that government was on their side,” Melissa Kite said in the British news magazine, The Observer. Thatcher was a stranger to handouts, claiming that the best way to get to the top was by hard work. She first became famous for being the youngest woman candidate in the country to run as the Conservative candidate for a strong Labour seat. Though Thatcher did not win the position early in her career,
she spoke with conviction as she furthered her education, married and eventually won a seat as a member of Parliament. While Thatcher is known for her fiery speeches and skillful judgement of human character, hundreds of handwritten letters mark the passion behind her drive. Her heart for people inspired her to fight each battle until she won. “She demonstrated a pacesetting work ethic. Energy, I have come to realize, is the single greatest common factor of highly successful people,” Heather McGregor, director of British communications firm Taylor Bennett, said of Thatcher in The London Guardian. Her daring and innovative nature encouraged women to strive beyond their social limitations and affirmed, for both genders, that hard work and a sense of purpose could render success. Thatcher employed her energy when she stepped into her role as prime minister. At a time when her nation was awash in strikes and sliding into recession, Thatcher delivered exactly what she believed her beloved Britain needed: an iron lady. Whether you agree with Thatcher’s economic and foreign policies or not, it is impossible to deny that she provided unyielding, principled leadership. Thatcher did not pretend that having integrity was popular or
easy, but insisted in her speeches that it was the “highroad to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction.” She preferred patience and debate to the “stench of appeasement.” The Iron Lady’s approach gained her more enemies than friends, but her toughness is what will be remembered. “To be transformative, being reasonable doesn’t get you very far. In government, it is unreasonableness that improves people’s lives,” Steve Hilton, leader of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, said in his tribute to Thatcher in The Spectator. As Christians, as college students and young adults in an era of tolerance and acceptance, we would do well to emulate Thatcher’s stony insistence on what is right and important. Thatcher’s death triggered a media storm of adulation and criticism. Many leapt to defend her, but I believe Thatcher would have been the first to laugh at the insults. After all, it was Thatcher who, during an interview on her 10th anniversary as prime minister, taught us, “If you just set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing.”
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OCT. 13, 1925 - APRIL 8, 2013
RUTHERFORD is an opinion writer.
World remembers Holocaust horrors April 8 commemorated the annual day of remembrance that educates future generations about the tragic events Gabriella Fuller gfuller2@liberty.edu
Famous philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In an effort to never forget, Holocaust Remembrance Day — also known as Yom HaShoah — was held on Monday, April 8. This annual observance recognized nearly 70 years since the horrific crimes responsible for the loss of millions of lives. This most solemn of days on the Israeli calendar was marked by moments of silence and commemorative ceremonies at Israel’s Yad Vashem memorial. Having visited Yad Vashem last summer, I can personally attest to the overwhelming emotion that walking through the multiple museums and exhibitions produces. One need not be Jewish or have ancestry tracing back to the Holocaust to be moved to tears by the pictures, personal items and testimonials dispersed throughout the living memorial. This heartbreak for the travesty of the Holocaust, however, is not a sentiment globally shared. Tel Aviv University recently released a devastat-
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PROGRESS — Many museums, such as this one in Macedonia, help the world learn from a tragedy. ing study announcing that anti-Semitic hate crimes have increased by 30 percent in the last year. In 2013 alone, there have been 686 reported attacks in 34 separate countries. At the opening ceremony night at Yad Vashem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the Nazi genocide of the past, along with the current condition of Israel. “The murderous hatred against the Jews that has
accompanied the history of our people has not disappeared, it has just been replaced with a murderous hatred of the Jewish state,” Netanyahu said. Graffiti of Nazi symbols, physical and verbal assaults, burning of Israeli flags, and desecration of Jewish synagogues and graves are only a few of the many signs of the unprecedented levels of increased anti-Semitism throughout the world.
This trend toward global growth in anti-Semitic events is appalling. Can it be possible that the world has failed to learn from its darkest days? Perhaps most chilling of those stories now coming to light is the group of Dutch teens who recently shared with the world via video that they “hate Jews, period,” and are “more than pleased with what Hitler did to the Jews” and “regret that Hitler didn’t
finish the job he began.” If we embrace such hatred by choosing to simply overlook it, the world runs the risk of once again becoming a place unsafe for the Jewish population. As the group of Holocaust survivors ages, their numbers are dwindling, and the new generation is all too quickly forgetting that, in order to shape the future, we must remember the past. The world may never
understand the full extent of cruelty suffered by Jews in concentration camps so many years ago, but the world can understand the suffering occurring in the present day. The Holocaust stands as a perpetual reminder of the crimes that humanity failed to prevent — now that we have seen, we are responsible to ensure that the memory of the Holocaust always prevails and that history does not repeat itself. The only way to avoid repeating past mistakes is to join in a global effort to end hatred and intolerance. Anti-Semitism is not just a Jewish problem — it is a human problem. The Holocaust did not begin with death camps and crematoriums. That is where it culminated. It began with the hatred and the demonization of an entire race as society blindly looked the other way. Anyone claiming to value freedom and equality must fight to end this resurgence of anti-Semitic thought. If we do not, our world will once again embody the moral failings of our past. FULLER is an opinion writer.
1. THE WAR IN IRAQ LASTED AN ENTIRE DECADE. THE CHAMPION OPINION SECTION TAKES A LOOK AT THE PROGRESS THE COUNTRY HAS MADE. 2. LIBERTY’S TAU SIGMA NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INITIATES 300 NEW MEMBERS. 3. CENTER FOR MINISTRY TRAINING GIVES STUDENTS A PLACE TO SHARE THEIR FAITH AND EXPERIENCE MINISTRY.
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NEWS
A6/Liberty Champion
April 23, 2013
Lauren Adriance | Liberty Champion
PROFESSIONAL — School of Communication students Heather Riggins and J.D. Mason connect with local businesses in an effort to land potential jobs or internships.
Students seek job opportunities The Career Center hosted a job fair for communication majors Tuesday, April 16, in Williams Stadium Daniel Bartlett dbartlett@liberty.edu
Liberty University’s School of Communication and the Career Center hosted a career fair on the third floor of the Williams Stadium Tower, April 16. The 119 students who attended showed great enthusiasm for the fair, with more than 90 students RSVP’ing to attend, according to Career Center Employer Relations Representative Bethany Stafford. “I think (the fair) overall was successful,� Stafford said. “It did what we wanted it to, which was to offer students with job opportunities, and I hope that some students will be able to graduate with jobs lined up for them now.�
According to Stafford, current students and recent graduates of Liberty were able to speak to 16 different employers. The companies present at the fair were hiring for jobs and internships in Lynchburg, Roanoke, Richmond and Washington, D.C. Some companies, like Time-Warner Cable, were hiring for national positions. “The career fair was a great experience for me and helped me make great professional connections,� advertising and public relations major Lindsey Birchfield said. “I was impressed by the number and variety of companies at the fair and the different opportunities each one presented.� According to the Career
Center website, the fair hosted a wide variety of employers, including Verizon Wireless, Vision Marketing, Time-Warner Cable, The News & Advance, Humbly I Serve (HIS), along with many others – each representing a different field of communication. “Communications is kind of a very diverse field,� Career Center Director Richard Glass said. “You have a lot of different majors within the School of Communication, so we tried to find organizations that have a good depth and breadth of opportunities.� According to Glass, there have been 15 job fairs hosted at Liberty this year — seven in the fall and eight in the spring —
with each fair featuring 15-20 employers. The fall semester was the first time that the Career Center started offering majorspecific job fairs, as previous ones have been generic and usually held off campus. “A lot of students just want to see more and are excited about the job opportunities,� Stafford said. “As long as the students keep coming (to the fairs) and their excitement stays up, we’ll keep on recruiting.� Glass also said that many excited students continue to return to career fairs. “The students that are here, I’m seeing that some also came in the fall,� Glass said. “They’re coming back because they’re seeing new employers, and also
some of the same employers that showed up (in the fall) have new opportunities.� For students interested in upcoming career fairs, Stafford recommends utilizing some of the Career Center’s many services, including career counseling, rÊsumÊ and cover letter assistance, as well as mock interviews provided to any individual associated with Liberty. For more information about the Career Center, visit liberty. edu/careercenter. BARTLETT is a news reporter.
Entertainment Law Society kicks off Mark Tait mtait@liberty.edu
The Liberty University Sports and Entertainment Law Society held its inaugural meeting at Liberty’s School of Law, April 19. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from several individuals who were influential in the making of “Day of War,� a film based on Cliff Graham’s book of the same title about King David. Ken Herfurth, a financial patron of the movie, joined the meeting via Skype to answer legal questions from students. He also encouraged those
in attendance to let their Christian motives show in the secular world. “Be authentic in your faith, be authentic in your relationships, and bring that forth in the way you do business,� Herfurth said. “I was really glad that we got to Skype with one of the financial partners, because he could answer a lot of our questions about the legal aspect of it and just what people like him look for in lawyers, so that we know how to make ourselves marketable to these fields,� Paige Wells, the Sports and Entertainment Law Society co-founder, said.
Justin Torrence, a promoter for the “Day of War,� was present at the meeting to talk about the fans’ financial impact on the movie. According to Torrence, much of the financial support for the high-definition film came from its fans. Torrence claimed that the “Day of War� is the most heavily supported independent film on the popular fundraising website, Kickstarter.com. According to Torrence, the “Day of War� team is currently constructing the largest studio in Hawaii and developing schools and other resources to create a family atmosphere in the
movie-making industry. “The lifestyle we’re selling is one that brings honor and courage,� Torrence said. Along with creating a family environment, Torrence said that his team will work to establish a Christian film industry that will endure for generations and impact Christian cinema for years to come. “It’s not about a film or even a trilogy,� Torrence said. “It’s about a movement that God’s starting. We’re not just fighting for one film. We’re fighting for an entire future.� “I really enjoyed the passion that these guys had
for pursuing the entertainment industry with such a Christian worldview mission,� Wells said. Along with her fellow first-year law student John Maghamez, Wells founded the Entertainment and Law Society. “There was a lot of interest in (the society) in the first-year law students this year, and a lot of us really want to enjoy this aspect of law and have a lot of passion for it, so we have kind of worked together and started this to try to get it back off the ground,� Wells said. According to Wells, the new society’s constitution has been approved by the
Student Bar Association, and the society will become official once the document is approved by faculty. “We just want to have a way for students who want to go into the sports and entertainment law field ‌ to be able to talk about different issues that are going on in sports law ‌ and see ways to move forward with a Christian worldview,â€? Wells said. For more information about the Entertainment and Law Society, email pmwells@liberty.edu. TAIT is a news reporter.
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NEWS
April 23, 2013
Liberty Champion/A7
New plans for islands announced Liberty aims to develop a park for the Lynchburg community on the James River Mark Tait mtait@liberty.edu
Liberty University has announced plans to construct an athletic park on its abandoned Treasure and Daniel Islands in the James River near downtown Lynchburg. According to Lee Beaumont, Liberty’s vice president for Auxiliary Services, one of the park’s major services will be to provide recreational and organized athletic opportunities for the Lynchburg community. “We already have enough recreational and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) facilities to accommodate our needs at this stage in the growth plan,” Beaumont said. “This is about getting our students out into the community and being a good neighbor.” Beaumont noted that the plan for the islands is still in the early stages of development, but it currently includes a new access bridge that will have a road and sidewalks, portable bathrooms and about 19 multi-purpose athletic fields. The fields will be open to the public for recreation when Liberty students are not using them and will provide opportunities for students to develop and pursue ministry opportunities at the park, as well as creating more student jobs. In addition to recreational play, Beaumont said that he hopes the park will provide facilities for local schools and organized leagues. According to him, Lynchburg schools and local colleges are in need of athletic fields, and he believes the new park will help fulfill that need. Beaumont also said that the
Photo Provided
PARK — Treasure Island as it looked when it held a YMCA camp, circa 1920s. new facility may be used for hosting events. “We’re thinking of possibly bringing in traveling team tournaments during the weekend to generate some revenue as well,” Beaumont said. “When you bring guests into town, it’s good for the local economy. They sleep in your hotels, eat at your restaurants and spend money at your businesses.” According to Beaumont, plans are also being discussed for a garden on one of the islands. Members of the community will likely be able to rent out plots of land and grow the plants of their choice. “I grew up on a farm, so I’m really excited about the community garden,” Beaumont said. “I think gardening is kind of a lost art.” Along with possible athletic fields and garden, Beaumont
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noted that the islands may also provide an access point to the river for Liberty’s crew team and for other local crew teams. According to Beaumont, high schools in the Lynchburg area lack the facilities needed to put teams on the water, so a launchpoint on the islands would allow students to row for their school for the first time. Beaumont said the crew facility would also provide an improvement for Liberty’s crew team. Racing in the James River would allow Liberty to host long course races instead of short course regattas at its current location, Ivy Lake. According to Beaumont, a bridge will have to be built to the islands before any further construction can begin. The university will likely develop Treasure Island before building facilities on nearby Daniel Island.
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Treasure Island once served as a location for Liberty’s football training facilities, several dormitories and a summer camp, Beaumont said. The island was used mainly for camping and fishing after the James River flooded the location in 1985. “There’s still football pads in an old building on the island and a car is in the swimming pool,” Beaumont said. Beaumont also mentioned that revitalizing the islands is something Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. has been planning to do for a long time. He came to Beaumont with the idea for the new athletic park, and the new plan will be going into effect soon. TAIT is a news reporter.
DEBATE continued from A1 rankings will be released at the end of April. “I believe we will finish at or near the top of the NDT rankings, but we won’t know for another week or two,” Hall said. “Northwestern and George Mason were our two strongest competitors.” According to Hall, if the team clinches the NDT championship, Liberty will have topped all three rankings in one season for the seventh time. Even though Liberty has been a dominant force in the last few years, it is important to keep students on their toes and constantly improving, according to Hall. “It’s easy to look at five consecutive championships and think that we use the same formula each and every year, but every year, we have students graduating and students arriving,” Hall said. “As our team changes, so does the formula for success.” The debate team consisted of 27 students this semester, but many seniors on the team are graduating. According to Hall, one of the largest classes of firstyear debaters will join the team for next year. New students bring a certain amount of unpredictability to the season, but they also give an exciting challenge to the coaches and team, Hall added. “As our team changes, so does the formula for success,” Hall said. “Different teams have different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s the coaching staff ’s job to recognize and respond to that reality. Motivation is much easier when we embrace the unique challenge of each season.” According to Hall, the debaters hope to come out strong once more and take the ADA, CEDA and NDT championship titles. FRIBERG is a news reporter.
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NEWS
A8/Liberty Champion
April 23, 2013 RUN continued from A1 “I’m training for a 5K, so I thought this would be a good way to, like, have fun with it and be with people, and our friend Amy is really into Student Activities” Katherine Madrid, a runner in the race, said. Elyse Klink, who also participated in the race, said that she enjoyed the opportunity to compete in the Fun Run. “I just finished my second half-marathon, so I just wanted to keep running,” Klink said. “This is a fun way to run with friends.” Klink also said that after enjoying the Fun Run, she is eager to take part in Student Activities’ Bald
HUNT continued from A1
YouTube Screenshot
TRENDING — This animal impersonation video skyrocketed Deibert and Sjolinder to YouTube fame.
YOUTUBE continued from A1 Sjolinder is currently studying at the Zaki Gordon Cinematic Arts School. “With me about to graduate and (Sjolinder) in film school, we’ve had busy schedules, which made finding time to film difficult at times,” Deibert said. “We had no idea the explosion in exposure that was about to take place. For about a week, we were officially the fastestgrowing channel on YouTube, surpassing all others in the rate of our subscribers per hour.” According to Deibert, videos from their channel, “MisterEpicMann,” have appeared on Dutch news stations and all over the Netherlands, as well as on many major, international blogging and social
“We had no idea the explosion in exposure that was about to take place.” — IAN DIEBERT media websites. Their latest video was featured on the blog Mashable. “We’ve been invited to and are planning on attending VidCon — which is like ComiCon for YouTube — this summer in California,” Deibert said. “It’s just been such a crazy, surreal ride so far. We’ve been so blessed and can’t wait to see what God has in store for us next and how we can use this platform for his kingdom.” Sjolinder hopes to break into the
film industry, and his YouTube videos may help him achieve that. “For me, this is especially exciting, because the videos have opened up some doors in Los Angeles, but at the same time, I want to glorify God through all of this, which means I really need to consider my steps wisely,” Sjolinder said. “(Deibert) has been a great partner for the videos because he is always willing to go along with whatever idea I throw at him.” In “How Animals Eat Their Food,” Sjolinder is the protagonist portraying the different animals, and Deibert is the straight-faced antagonist. For more videos from Sjolinder and Deibert, visit youtube.com/ misterepicmann. OELRICH is the news editor.
Panera Bread and Father’s Table, donated food for the event, and 90.9 The Light broadcasted live from the Welcome Center. According to Marcus, this was the first time that the School of Communication was given a budget for an event of this kind, and he hopes that “Social Scavengers” will inspire future events. One of the teams, known as the “Freudian Slips,” was excited to begin hunting as members waited for the 11:30 a.m. start of the event. “It has cool prizes, and I love scavenger hunts,” team member Christopher Heverly said. The top three teams received prizes, including $150 in Target gift cards, $200 in Diamond Candle gift certificates and $50 in
Mountain 10K. However, for other participants, the choice to run was rather spontaneous. “My friend Amy texted me an hour ago asking if I wanted to, and I was like, ‘Yeah, sure, why not?’” Liberty sophomore Tyler Bunzey said. Student Activities provided runners with water and Gatorade before and after the race, and participants were rewarded with complimentary pizza to conclude the event. Riverside Runners raffled off two gift cards to their shop and will also help with Student Activities’ upcoming race, the Bald Mountain 10K. TELLERS is a news reporter. La Caretta gift cards, as well as Cinemark movie tickets and Chipotle discounts, according to Marcus. In first place for the “Social Scavengers” hunt was team “Leppy Lovers,” consisting of teammates Jillian Diblin and Sarah Baaram. In second were the “Freudian Slips,” followed by “Team Jex.” According to Marcus, the winners will be featured on the School of Communication’s Facebook. “We wanted to do something that would allow students to get together and have a good time,” Marcus said. For more information about the School of Communication and future events, visit liberty.edu/ communication. BARTLETT is a news reporter.
SPORTS
APRIL 23, 2013
Softball
W. Lacrosse
Baseball
M. Tennis
Paintball
Winthrop 3
Longwood 19 Liberty 12
Liberty 3 Winthrop 1
Campbell 4 Liberty 3
Northeastern 4 Liberty 3
Liberty 2
center of gravity
Reel Talk “42” a stirring tribute to Jackie Robinson Kyle Harvey kharvey@liberty.edu
Kyle Milligan | Liberty Champion
A CUT ABOVE — Freshman Ken Ritchey finished fourth in the men’s pole vault.
Track takes two titles Women return to 2010 form, men take seventh consecutive triple crown Emily Brown erbrown@liberty.edu
The Liberty University men’s and women’s track and field teams swept the Big South Outdoor Track and Field Championships after three days of competition, April 18-20. The Flames captured their seventh consecutive and 18th overall conference title. Having won the cross country and indoor conference meets earlier in the year, the men’s outdoor victory secured the Flames seventh straight “triple crown.” The Lady Flames title avenged a 2013 indoor season loss to Coastal
Carolina, winning the outdoor championship for the first time since 2010. On the men’s side, Liberty posted eight individual event victories en route to an 82-point triumph over Coastal Carolina. Redshirt senior Ryan Smith made conference history in the meet, becoming the only Big South athlete ever to sweep an event’s indoor and outdoor titles in four straight years. Smith won the shot put with a throw of 60-6. The throw was a new personal record for Smith and also set new meet and facility records. “(The Big South record) was important to me, but I wasn’t focused on it,”
Smith said. “I was focused on doing my best and praising the Lord with my abilities and enjoying my last time around. I was very happy to do my best, and, fortunately, my best was a new record.” The redshirt senior added a secondplace finish in the hammer throw with a 194-7 toss. He finished the meet with a second-place, 161-foot throw in the discus. Smith’s three All-Big South finishes notched 26 points for the Flames in the team-scored meet. Smith’s performances propelled him to a second consecutive Big South See
CROWN, B4
For moviegoers born in the early ‘90s and later who have never borne witness — either as a victim or an observer — to outright racial segregation or prejudice, writer/director Brian Helgeland’s “42” provides a sobering view of the African American struggle for equal treatment as a part of “America’s game.” For those who have experienced such prejudice, the film is a chilling reminder of one of the darkest chapters in American history. But “42” is also a celebration, for all Americans, of the progress that has been made toward mending racial animosity in recent decades. While certainly not an exhaustive view of Jackie Robinson’s life or career — the film only covers a few months of history — it is a fitting tribute to the brave men and women — Christians — who, by their commitment to do what they believed was right in the eyes of God and what was best for baseball, gave steam to a movement that ultimately brought equality to America. In early 1947, Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, an unashamed Christian played by Harrison Ford, decided that it was time. His ball club was going to break the color barrier, regardless of the response. Robinson, portrayed by Chadwick Boseman, was a UCLA-educated, former second lieutenant in the United States Army and rising star playing shortstop in the Negro League — a perfect candidate for the Dodgers. Robinson’s baseball acumen was unquestioned, but his self-restraint was. Known for jawing and trash talking on the field, Robinson was not one to take discrimination lying down off of it. To play for the Dodgers however, he would have to. The film captures that overwhelming prejudice in a way
See “42,” B4
Flames baseball keeps winning at home Tom Foote tfoote2@liberty.edu
Courtney Tyree cntryee@liberty.edu
The Liberty University men’s baseball team (2219, 8-7 Big South) won two of three games in its series against the Winthrop Eagles (15-27, 3-15 Big South) April 20-21. Second baseman Bryan Aanderud continued his 11-game hitting streak with four hits and a RBI during the series . Winthrop 3, Liberty 2 In the first game of a doubleheader Saturday,
April 20, the Eagles defeated the Flames 3-2 despite 11 hits from Liberty. The Flames stranded 10 runners on base and failed to take advantage of multiple scoring situations throughout the game. “We have to give credit to their pitcher,” Liberty Head Coach Jim Toman said. “He threw a complete game, and on his 125th pitch, he was still throwing 92 mph. He is a very good pitcher, and they deserved to win that game.” The Flames opened the scoring in the bottom of the second when designat-
ed hitter Danny Grauer doubled to lead off the inning, and left fielder Justin Sizemore drove him home with an infield single. But the Flames lead was short-lived. The Eagles responded immediately in the top of the third with two runs of their own, taking a one-run lead. In the bottom of the third, the Flames appeared poised to tie the game after right fielder Ashton Perritt singled to lead off the inning, and then quickly stole second base. Similar See
HOME, B2
Steven Abbott | Liberty Champion
SEEING THE BALL — The Flames found their stroke and connected for 30 hits during their series against Winthrop.
We’ll see you at the game Softball vs. Softball vs. Crew vs. Coastal Carolina Virginia Virginia Tech April 24 @ 2 & 4 p.m. April 26 @ 2 & 4 p.m. April 27 @ 8 a.m.
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SPORTS
B2/Liberty Champion
April 23, 2013
Greg Leasure | Liberty Champion
SPECIAL DELIVERY — Catcher Danny Grauer had two hits including a double in Game 1 against Winthrop, April 20.
HOME continued from B1 to many innings during the game, the Flames could not capitalize on the scoring chance. “Their pitcher did a great job,” Grauer said. “He was hitting spots all day, and he was very effective, but we just couldn’t come through, although we had plenty of opportunities. In a situation like that, we have to capitalize.” Flames starting pitcher Carson Herndon labored through four innings of work, surrendering three runs before handing the ball to reliever Josh Richardson in the fifth inning. Richardson inherited a difficult situation, after Winthrop had already scored once in the inning and had runners on first and second base with nobody out. After an infield single that loaded the bases, Richardson was able to work out of the jam without surrendering another run. Striking a batter out, Richardson then induced a double play when Perritt caught a fly ball and threw a runner out who was attempting to score after tagging from third base. Perritt’s throw was a one-hopper from right field that just beat the runner by a second. Catcher Trey Wimmer applied the tag to the runner, who was closing fast with a feet-first slide. Despite the shift in momentum, the Flames continued to squander opportunities throughout the game. “It was my job to go out there and get out of the situation we were in,” Richardson said. “I was trying to fire them up, and we just came up short. It
happens — it’s baseball.” Richardson pitched five scoreless innings, surrendering only two hits and six strikeouts. “He came in and did as good of a job as you could ask him to do,” Grauer said. “We have to offensively build off of that and take the momentum.” In the bottom of the sixth inning, third baseman Jake Kimble had an RBI single that brought center fielder Ryan Cordell home. However, the Flames did not score another run, despite having runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings. “That pitcher from Winthrop was very good,” Toman said. “We tip our hat to him. We had 11 hits, but you have to get timely hits, and it seemed like every scoring situation (we had), he made a pretty good pitch.” Liberty 4, Winthrop 1 Liberty fought back in the second game of the doubleheader against Winthrop Saturday, April 20, winning 4-1. Perritt led the Flames to a victory, going 3-4 on the night with two RBIs. He also took over as closing pitcher in the top of the eighth. “The team knew that we played pretty well the first game, but we knew we had to keep our energy up and play regardless of the previous game,” Perritt said. Winthrop took the lead early in the first inning, as second baseman Leighton Daniels hit a double to center field. Eagles third baseman Jace Whitley laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving Daniels to third. Daniels later scored on a balk by Liberty starting pitcher Brooks Roy. The Flames quickly
came back in the bottom of the second. Cordell landed a base hit and advanced to second on a hit from third baseman Sammy Taormina. Perritt brought Cordell home with a two-out single to tie the game. Liberty gained the lead in the bottom of the third when left fielder Nick Lacik singled and then stole second. Right fielder Nick Paxton then advanced Lacik to third. Second baseman Bryan Aanderud’s single scored Lacik, giving the Flames a 2-1 lead. In the fourth, Cordell beat out a hit to shortstop for an infield single. Perritt once again brought Cordell home with a hit to center field, advancing the score to 3-1. Liberty gained another run in the sixth with help from Grauer after a single brought Perritt home. The Flames held the Eagles scoreless the remainder of the game. “It is a great feeling having played a role in a win,” Perritt said. “The team has been struggling recently, but we will hit stride and shock some people once the postseason comes around. I am just trying to contribute that, whether it’s in the box or on the mound.” Roy pitched more than seven innings, striking out five and walking two. He gave up one run on three hits, making his record 5-4 on the year. The Flames added nine hits on the afternoon, while the Eagles had four. Liberty 4, Winthrop 1 Liberty starting pitcher Trey Lambert threw a complete game masterpiece, guiding the Flames to a 3-1 victory over the Eagles (15-27, 3-12) Sun-
Steven Abbott| Liberty Champion
ICE IN THE VEINS — Despite allowing 10 hits, Carson Herdon worked his way out of several jams and only allowed three runs in the first game against Winthrop. day, April 21. Lambert surrendered only six hits on the afternoon and tied his career-high of nine strikeouts. Lambert gave up his only run of the game in the first inning, but the Flames responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score. Perritt hit a leadoff single for the Flames and scored later in the inning when Aanderud grounded out. Liberty scored the deciding run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Singles from Cordell and Grauer
put runners on the corners for first baseman Alex Close, who drove Cordell home with a sacrifice fly to give the Flames a 2-1 lead. The Flames manufactured another run in the fifth inning, despite not being able to get the ball out of the infield. Perritt recorded a oneout infield single, advancing to second base after a sacrifice bunt by Lacik. With two outs, Aanderud also reached an infield single, which moved Perritt over to third base. With Wimmer at the plate, Eagles pitcher Sam Kmiec
threw a wild pitch that allowed Perritt to score and extend the Flames lead to 3-1. The Flames will go on the road to take on the Maryland Terrapins Tuesday, April 23. FOOTE and TYREE are sports reporters.
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SPORTS
April 23, 2013
Liberty Champion/B3
Editorial: Just stop with NFL mock drafts Derrick Battle
dbattle2@liberty.edu
Coming in from a day of school or work, some people — primarily men — sit down, turn on the television and catch up on all the sporting news of the day. NFL teams start their organized team activities, NBA playoff BATTLE games are now set, and New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is out until the
All-Star Break. In between these headlines is yet another NFL mock draft created by football analysts. Honestly, how many versions do we need? The NFL draft begins Thursday, April 25. Currently, ESPN draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay are on their sixth revision since December. McShay even had a mock draft 4.1. He updated his 4.0 draft due to the Oakland Raiders acquiring quarterback Matt Flynn from the Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals adding quarterback Carson Palmer. With these changes, McShay felt that there
was zero chance that a quarterback will be taken in the first round of the draft. Drafters do this to keep track of which players’ draft stock has increased or decreased. While it is necessary for fans to know where their team stands, evaluating college athletes can be overdone and a bit unnecessary. In between December and April, prospective players for the NFL draft go through college bowl games, the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine and pro days held at their respective colleges. One problem with the speculation is that players are scouted mostly on their workouts, and
not their body of work in college. For example, a player’s draft stock may rise if he has a great workout during his pro day. Or, it may fall because he did not perform well at the combine. Whatever the case, it is impossible to predict how they will fare. Workout studs that scouts and analysts rave about during this process may become busts. In McShay’s mock draft 5.0, he has the Kansas City Chiefs selecting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei from Utah. His 4.0 model proposed the Chiefs selecting offensive tackle Luke Joeckel from Texas A&M. On nfl. com, four analysts have Joeckel
going No. 1 while the fifth, Bucky Brooks, has offensive tackle Eric Fisher from Central Michigan in the top slot. As April 25 approaches, the media hypes the draft, various scenarios and certain players a little too much. Just like in other drafts, no one knows who will be selected first overall or be Mr. Irrelevant — the last pick. Only the coaches know who they feel will best fit their team. One mock draft is necessary, not dozens. BATTLE is the asst. sports editor.
Men’s, women’s tennis teams fall in tourney
Flames ousted in the quarterfinals as the Lady Flames lose in the semifinals to No. 1 seeded Winthrop Mike Williams mwwilliams5@liberty.edu
Steve Sullivan ssullivan5@liberty.edu
Men’s Tennis The Liberty University men’s tennis team lost 4-3 to the No. 2 Campbell Fighting Camels in the quarterfinals of the Big South Championship, Thursday, April 18, after a Fighting Camels rally. Shea Thomas, won his singles match (6-1, 6-4), giving the Flames an early 3-0 advantage. “I beat my opponent a couple weeks ago when Campbell was here playing against us,” Thomas said. “I knew that his forehand breaks down after four or five shots, so I just kept myself in the points and attacked his forehand.” After a brief rain delay,
Campbell mounted a furious comeback, evening the score, 3-3. The match came down to the final point between Liberty sophomore Jorge Azuero and Campbell senior David Clavera. The first eight points of the third set were split evenly between Clavera and Azuero. However, Clavera claimed the final two points, clinching the match for Campbell. “Our guys fought hard every match. The whole season came down to a few very close matches,” Flames Head Coach Chris Johnson said. “I am very proud of the character that our team has shown the entire year.” Thomas, who has the Flames fourth-best winning percentage in Liberty history, looks forward to continuing his success next
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
BACK AND FORTH — After a 9-2 start, the Flames struggled during the second half of the season. year for his senior season. “I’m looking forward to being a leader on the team,” Thomas said. “Our team is always giving 110 percent on the court. I have never been more proud of my teammates
than I am right now.” The Flames finished their season 11-11, with a 3-5 conference record. Women’s Tennis After defeating the Coastal Carolina Chanti-
cleers in the quarterfinals, the Lady Flames tennis season came to a close when they lost to the Winthrop Eagles, 4-0 in the semifinals of the Big South Championship. “Today, we saw the fruits of our labor as the team played well from start to finish,” Head Coach Jeff Maren said to libertyflames.com. “I couldn’t be more proud of our girls.” The Lady Flames opened the quarterfinals match with strong play from the No. 1 doubles pairing of Rebekah Jenkins and Nicola Wellman, who defeated the Chanticleers No. 1 duo, 8-2. The Lady Flames No. 2 pairing of Brittany Yang and Jessie Boda also won their match, 8-4. Liberty defeated Coastal Carolina 4-2 in singles play with the Chanticleers only
point of the match coming from No. 1 Libby Scott, who defeated Liberty’s No. 1 Cameron Richard (6-4, 6-3). In the semifinals, Winthrop’s No. 1 doubles pairing defeated Liberty’s No. 1 pairing of Jenkins and Wellman, 8-0, and Winthrop’s No. 3 pairing were victorious against Liberty’s No. 3 Richard and Valerie Thong, 8-5, to give the Eagles an early 2-0 lead. The loss brought Liberty’s record to 11-11 in new Head Coach Jeff Maren’s first season. WILLIAMS and SULLIVAN are sports reporters.
SPORTS
B4/Liberty Champion
April 23, 2013
CROWN continued from B1 Men’s Outstanding Field Performer award. Liberty swept first through fourth places in the pole vault and contributed 29 points to the team score. Redshirt freshman Cody Bingham finished in the top spot, vaulting 16-0.75. Redshirt senior Chris Johnson secured 10 more points for the Flames, winning the triple jump with a distance of 48-4.75. On the track, Isaac Wendland captured his first Big South individual titles, taking first place in both the 800-meter and 1500meter runs and adding 20 points to the Flames tally. Wendland finished the 800 with a time of 1:51.37 and clocked 3:56.78 in the 1500. In the 5,000-meter run, Caleb Edmonds, Josh MacDonald, Jeremie Bourget and David Ricksecker took first, second, third and fifth place, respectively, adding 28 points for the Flames. Edmonds finished the race in 14:26.14. In the 10,000-meter run, the 5K quartet swept the top four spots and contributed 29 additional points. Ricksecker crossed the finish line first, clocking 31:22.29, followed by Edmonds, MacDonald and Bourget. Andre Washington posted 10 tallies for Liberty, claiming a victory in the 400-meter hurdles. “I tried to stay pretty conservative throughout the race, but, once I hit that last stretch, I felt myself speeding up, and I saw myself passing people,” Washington said. “I thought, ‘I got this, I really actually have it this time,’ and that thought, that idea, just carried me throughout the rest of the race.” The senior finished with a personal-best time of 51.95 seconds. “I expected to run around a mid-52-ish, but when I saw 51 (on the board), I mean, the first thought was, ‘Thank you, God,’ that came through my head, and I don’t really remember much after that. I was too excited,” Washington said. He also posted a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.17 seconds. The senior ran in both relays as well, helping Liberty to third
“42” continued from B1 that is as well-done as it is, at times, unsettling to sit through. The culture war was fought both in the public and within the Dodgers organization. Several players ultimately rejected the notion that an African American could play in the majors and made appropriate career moves. Perhaps no one hated Robinson’s presence more than Phillies’ manager Ben Chapman, portrayed by Alan Tudyk. In a scene that just seems to never end, Robinson endures Chapman’s heckling — without a filter and
Kyle Milligan| Liberty Champion
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS — Senior Cody Fridgen pole vaulted his way into second place at the Big South Championship. place in the 4x100-meter relay (41.11 seconds) and fourth in the 4x400-meter relay (3:15.24). Washington was joined by Roderick Spruel, Tarell Williams and ConRoy Smith in the 4x100 and by Kyle Kill, Isaac Wendland and Paul Arslain in the 4x400. The Flames finished with 213 points, defeating Coastal Carolina (131) in the championship. “I figured we should’ve had about a 30-point win, and the team really rallied together and competed well, and 82 points is, like, dominant,” Head Coach Brant Tolsma, who took home both the Men’s and Women’s, Big South Coach of the Year awards, said. After being ahead for most of the competition, the Lady Flames relinquished their lead to Coastal Carolina in the final events of the meet. The teams exchanged the lead several times before Liberty guaranteed its victory in the 5,000-meter run, the second-to-last event. Senior Khristina Kanagy finished the 5K in second place with a time of 17:14.83. Sophomore Jacy Christiansen then sprinted past two runners in the home stretch, crossing the finish line third in 17:26.2. “I just kept working up and trying to get a better and better place, because I knew the team
with increasing vulgarity — for three consecutive at-bats. In an amazing display of restraint amidst a steady barrage of unfathomable hatred, Robinson holds himself together publicly before retreating to the entrance tunnel. In one of the most emotionally moving scenes of the entire film, Robinson flies into a rage before eventually slumping in a heap, in tears. But Rickey, taking Robinson in his arms, explains to “Jack” that he is medicine for America, and the game. The backand-forth between Ford and Boseman throughout the film is rich with feel-
needed points,” Christiansen said. The two All-Big South finishes allowed the Lady Flames to put 14 points on the board, giving them a 10.75-point margin. With the new cushion, Liberty secured the team victory, since Coastal Carolina could not have scored enough points to surpass the Lady Flames in the last event. “I’m just glad that our team was able to pull together and find team unity and get that first place,” Kanagy said. In the final event, the team of Ansley Gebben, Abigail Flower, Brittney Webley and Corinn Bedell scored six more team points in the 4x400, stretching the final margin to 6.75 points (210-203.25). The team earned third place with a time of 3:51.26. “Everybody, all through the day, competed really hard,” Tolsma said. “I kept telling them how close it was and that every point counted, and I was really proud of how they laid it on the line.” The Lady Flames also notched four event victories in the team win. Redshirt senior Christina Mitchell earned two individual titles in her last conference championship. Mitchell scored 4,743 points in the heptathlon for the win. She also added a
Kyle Milligan| Liberty Champion
LEAP — Sophomore Kyle Wheeler finished third in the long jump. gold-medal performance in the ships in her two years. The sophomore also added a javelin, throwing 152-9 for new win in the discus with a 166-11 program and meet records. Sophomore Mychelle throw and a new meet record. Cumings won the Women’s Additionally, she has won the Big South Outstanding Field Big South discus championship Performer award after secur- in both of her years at Liberty. The Flames and Lady Flames ing victories in the shot put will travel to Radford University and discus. Cumings recorded the five lon- to compete in the Highlander gest throws of the competition in Invitational April 26 and 27. the shot put and threw 50-6.75 for the victory. She has brought home shot put titles in all four BROWN is a sports indoor and outdoor champion- reporter.
Screenshot | Warner Bros. Pictures
DODGERS — Chadwick Boseman stars as Jackie Robinson in “42.” good moments like this. of conservative audiences The same can be said is unadulterated by typical for the on screen chemis- Hollywood promiscuity, is try between Boseman and warm and believable withNicole Beharie, who plays out being overly cutesy or the part of Robinson’s wife, cheesy. Rachel. The romance, The film also provides which to the satisfaction more than a few chuckles.
One teammate jokingly suggests to Robinson as they stand before a booing crowd that for the next game, the entire team should wear No. 42 so that the crowd would not be able to tell them apart. The film does suffer from a handful of small continuity problems however. Several times, screenshots taken of particular events appear in color, which seems out of place considering color photography did not exist in the ‘40s. As a writer, I appreciated the character of Wendell Smith. Played by Andre Holland, the black sportswriter who chronicled Robinson’s early career.
While overall, the exchanges between Holland and Boseman do not have the same quality as those between Boseman and Ford, a scene where Smith describes to Robinson how he is not permitted to sit in the press box is particularly impactful. Overall, “42” does more than a good job of telling a great story that anyone — sports enthusiast, or not — will enjoy. To the Liberty community, I would say that the movie is worthy of being seen at Regal Cinemas, rather than in a few months when it eventually arrives at Cinemark. HARVEY is the sports editor.
FEATURE
April 23, 2013
Liberty Champion/B5
Battle of the Bands showcases talent Jessica Jordan Jmjordan3@liberty.edu
Musically inclined students were given the chance to showcase their talent and compete for $1,500 in prizes at the Battle of the Bands, an event that rocked the Tilley Student Center April 19 at 8 p.m. The night featured six bands: Glass Oaks, Native Blood, Chasing the Horizon, Jane Marczewski, Pilgrim and Adalia. Bands competed for the overall prize of the night — a $250 gift card to Lynchburg Music and 30 hours of recording time with Hallow Tree Studios. In order to compete in Battle of the Bands, the public voted on which band they wanted to compete out of the nine bands that applied to the competition. Marczewski — the one participant who is normally a solo artist — employed the help of other musicians behind her during the competition. The night began with Glass Oaks and Chasing the Horizon performing to a crowd of more than 250 students. According to the rules stated by Student Activities’ hosts before the night began, each band was required to perform an original song and a cover of a song. Adalia was next to perform, announcing that Battle of the Bands was the band’s first big debut since returning from a break. Adalia played a cover of “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons and brought an Indie, alternative vibe to their music. Although Adalia was not a final contestant, the band seemed to be a fan favorite of the evening, as the performance was met with cheers from everyone in the room. Another band, Pilgrim, is an experimental instrumental band
Jessica Jordan | Liberty Champion
FEEDBACK — Jane Marczewski sings her way into the finals. of three students, according to its Facebook page. Pilgrim performed a cover of a Mute Math song before playing an original song, the only purely instrumental, original song of the evening. A change in musical genres signaled the beginning of the fifth band’s performance. Native Blood, whose members include drummer Tim Supp, lead vocalist Luke Thornley, rhythm guitarist Kevin Russel and bass player Dane Spearman. The band performed a Black Keys song for their cover. The final performance was Jane Marczewski, who covered a song by the Civil Wars before performing her original song. As the only female performer, Marczewski faced a different kind of pressure than the other bands. “It’s a complete moment of pride being able to stand out as a female artist, and I had a blast,”
Marczewski said. Throughout the night, students’ tweets were projected onto a screen above the stage if they included “#SAbattle” in their message. Even Liberty University co-founder Elmer Towns tweeted about the event, saying, “The talent at the #SAbattle is great. Good job, youngsters.” Students voted for Native Blood and Jane Marczewski as the two finalists of the evening and the competitors for the final prize. Once both finalists had performed, the final round of voting opened for students, and the wait for the winner was almost over. In the end, it was Native Blood who won the Battle of the Bands and the ultimate prize. Once the winner was announced, all of the competitors came together to congratulate Native Blood and revel in the success of the night. “We are friends with all of the
Jake Mitchell| Liberty Champion
COMPETE — Students show their musical talent Friday, April 19. other bands who performed, so it wasn’t really a competition,” Thornley said. “We had fun just sharing the stage with such talented people. We are so appreciative to be voted the winners and had such a great time tonight.” The Battle of the Bands was planned by Student Activities, a team of students and staff who,
according to their website, plan various events on campus. More information about the bands that competed can be found on their Facebook pages. JORDAN is a feature `
Air Race Classic 2013 Liberty University
Liberty Belles June 18-21, 2013
Sara Warrender | Liberty Champion
AFRICAN ROOTS — Attire from countries such as Ghana was displayed.
FASHION continued from B8 Santana also said that working with so many different cultures promoted a sense of unity backstage as the models and performers prepared for the night. The clothing displayed throughout the event was available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting each vendor. Authentic African attire was also for sale, along with accessories and homemade items from different countries. “It’s not just something for people of African descent, but all people,” Adu-Gyamfi said. “Anybody is welcome to join.” McFarland gave a presentation about autism, giving facts and explaining how they can get involved. “They brought something to everyone through fashion and culture, then (added) in autism awareness,” D-trex member Alisha Clark said. During one dance the
“It’s not just something for people of African descent, but all people.” — YAW ADUGYAMFI models displayed the autism symbol throughout in an effort to promote the cause in a creative way. After the show, attendants were offered African food and the chance to meet the performers and models of the night. “A lot of people, when they hear A.S.A.D., they automatically assume that it’s just organized strictly for Africans, like there is a boundary just for Africans, but there’s not,” Jones-Nwankwo said. “It’s basically to inform the Liberty community about what Africa is — the values and beliefs.” Including the “Faces of Africa” fashion show, A.S.A.D. has many differ-
ent events for students to attend. “Every year, we will be hosting all kinds of events, from soccer tournaments to cookouts and different revved up events, to get more involvement from the Liberty community within A.S.A.D.,” JonesNwankwo said. Ticket proceeds from the night benefit A.S.A.D. and bring scholarships to a few chosen student members each year. According to Jones-Nwankwo, A.S.A.D. wishes to thank all who came to support the show and remind them that every culture is welcome to join future events. WARRENDER is an asst. section editor.
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FEATURE
B6/Liberty Champion
April 23, 2013
Godparent guidance Daniel Bartlett dbartlett@liberty.edu
Professor J.J. Cole, a sociology and psychology professor at Liberty University, is a teacher who uses the classroom as a vehicle for ministry. Born into a Christian home and raised as a Southern Baptist, Cole spent most of her childhood traveling from place to place. Cole’s family was required to move every three years, since her father was in the J.J. COLE Marines. Cole calls herself a military brat and considers the time spent at different bases a wonderful experience, one that has molded her into who she is today. She often uses the patience she learned moving from place to place to help lead students through their college careers. “I tell my husband, ‘If we could pack up and move every three years, I’d be the most organized housekeeper in the world,’” Cole said. In the late ‘70s, Cole began studying psychology and human services at Liberty while serving as a resident assistant (RA) for three years. Later, she went on to get her master’s degree in social work. “Liberty defined me, which I think was a good thing,” Cole said. According to Cole, during her senior year at Liberty, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. talked about the Liberty Godparent Home (LGH) and his plans to develop and design it, which sparked Cole’s interest. According to the LGH website, it is a non-profit residential home for girls under the age of 18 facing the responsibilities of unplanned pregnancy. Founded in 1982, residents come from all walks of life, different socio-economic backgrounds and various states across the country. Following graduation, Cole said that she did not want to leave Lynchburg, but instead preferred to stay and work at Liberty. After applying and being denied for a resident director (RD) position, Cole thought it best to return home to Florida and enroll in graduate school. According to Cole, during her second year of graduate school, her sister called her to encourage her to apply to Liberty, informing her that they were now accepting résumés. Upon submission, Cole was hired as a caseworker at the LGH. Cole explained how God had
LIFE continued from B8 Patterson designed the Pro-Life Emphasis Week to help students gain more knowledge about the topic so that they can share what they have learned with others. “I hope that students will gain a greater awareness on the topic and gain a passion for
closed the door to getting an RD spot at Liberty. As a result, she could finish her master’s degree and find where God wanted her to be all along. “(God) will give you the desires of your heart. You just have to wait patiently on him and be OK with the closed doors,” Cole said. While employed at the LGH, Cole met her husband, who then worked as a volunteer. After getting married, they decided to stay in the community and spent the next 18 years working with the LGH, where Cole still works today. Cole also serves part-time as director of family life services in an adoption agency branch, in addition to teaching at Liberty. At the adoption agency, Cole’s work consists of screening applications and working with families coming forward to make adoption plans. She works with girls seeking adoption and guides them through the process. According to Cole, many of the women associated with the adoption agency consider Cole “the mom,” since she invests a significant amount of her time in them. Cole has the same mentality when it comes to her students. After having worked with the LGH, Cole was offered a teaching position at Liberty when a spot opened just a few weeks before the start of the semester. According to Cole, she is currently part of the College of General Studies, where she teaches introduction to sociology and social problems classes. “I love being in the College of General Studies,” Cole said. “Its goal is to connect with students and keep them focused with Liberty through their whole academic career, and I think that’s very fulfilling.” When it comes to teaching, Cole said that she loves to hear students interested in making a difference. “Having my students come back and talk to me, having students go, ‘I’m just interested in social work. Can you tell me about it,’ I think that’s the part I love the most,” Cole said. Cole encourages students to wait upon the Lord in everything they do, whether it is searching for a job or even a spouse. God guided the timing of the events in her life, and she uplifts students by telling her story and showing that God’s plan will develop in their lives just as it did in hers. BARTLETT is a feature reporter.
saving the lives of the unborn,” Patterson said. “If there are any who have personally been affected by abortion, whether they’ve had one themselves, or know someone that has, I hope that they will know that there is forgiveness and hope for them, and that they can use their story for the glory of God.” For more informa-
tion about LifeLine, email Sean Maguire at LSL@liberty.edu. For more information about the Student Government Association or Pro-Life Emphasis Week, contact Chelsea Patterson at cpatterson5@liberty. edu. JORDAN is a feature reporter.
Jillian Springer | Liberty Champion
PRAISE — The Night of Worship gave students an opportunity to join together in praise.
WORSHIP continued from B8 professors has always made it a point to make sure that all of their students are OK. I always know that I am prayed for.” According to Bowlin, she hopes to become a recording artist and worship leader in a church after she graduates from the program. “Singing has been the one thing I have always had a certain measure of confidence in,” Bowlin said. “As I have gotten older, music has been my greatest passion. If I am singing or playing one of my instruments, I am happy. It is my biggest love in life.” Another member of the choir is junior Timothy Fraser, who is currently studying music and worship with a specialization in worship leadership. “The Night of Worship is important to me because I get to worship God during this event, but I also get to help lead the whole audience in worship as well,” Frasier said. Multiple choirs dedicate
“As I have gotten older, music has been my greatest passion. ... It is my biggest love in life.” — KATI BOWLIN
countless hours of practice time in preparation for the Night of Worship, including Saturday and evening rehearsals from time to time, Frasier said. In 2005, the late Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. shared with Whaley the dreams he had for the future School of Music. “Dr. Falwell longed to see the Center for Worship all around us grow because he believed that Liberty University could change the world for Christ,” Whaley said. “I trust that tonight’s performances stand as a testimony for what we believe God is doing in the School of Music.” As Whaley and School of Music students carried out that mission, Jonathan Falwell shared his appreciation for the students’ hard work
and worship. “We are so blessed to be able to hear from these students,” Falwell said. “We look forward to this event each and every year because it is the culmination of a whole year of this team prepping for this night. It is good for a church to come together every once in a while and experience a night solely based on worshiping the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.” For more information about the School of Music and various programs offered in the department, visit liberty.edu/schoolofmusic. SKINNER is a feature reporter.
FEATURE
April 23, 2013
Liberty Champion/B7
Digital media students attend conference Matt Atkins and Courtney Aube utilized cutting-edge technology at Sony’s NAB Student Experience Greg Leasure gleasure@liberty.edu
While their classmates worked on projects and papers at school, Liberty University digital media students Matt Atkins and Courtney Aube received a different kind of education at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference in Las Vegas. Atkins and Aube participated in Sony’s NAB Student Experience April 6-11, where they were trained to handle some of the company’s newest digital media and broadcasting equipment. Once the conference began, the two worked at booths alongside 49 students from colleges across the country as they were given the chance to demonstrate the technology from their area of interest to media professionals at Sony’s booth. Aube, a Liberty senior who previously worked on “Around Liberty in 90 Seconds” and currently works for Liberty’s radio station, 90.9 The Light, spent most of the conference learning about and demonstrating Sony audio equipment. “I never expected to learn and remember as much as I did,” Aube said. “I was trained by the senior product manager of professional audio, who was extremely knowledgeable.” According to Aube, her booth included equipment that she was somewhat familiar with before coming to Las Vegas, such as wireless microphone systems, recorders, lavalier microphones, shotgun microphones and headphones. Atkins, on the other hand, worked with technology that can be used for the type of work he loves most — live broadcasts. Atkins learned and then dem-
Greg Leasure | Liberty Champion
CAPTURED — Matt Atkins works a camera during the live broadcast of a Liberty Flames baseball game. onstrated shooting a live broadcast in 4K format. According to Atkins, to put it in perspective, high definition television is shot in 2K. To produce a 4K image, two images shot side-by-side are stitched together by a computer in order to create a substantially higher resolution image. “Since it’s really high definition, you can crop,” Atkins said. “Have you ever cropped a photograph, and it just loses quality right away? You can crop four times, and it won’t lose any quality, so the potential for replay to zoom in that far and not lose any quality is immense.” Even though Atkins and Aube got the chance to briefly explore the area, Atkins said that if he was given all six days of the conference to see as much technol-
ogy as he could, it would still be impossible to see everything. “You don’t realize how big it is,” Atkins said. “The floor size of the whole thing was probably upwards of 10 football fields, and there’s hundreds and hundreds of vendors. They have an app where you can type in what booths you have to see, and it plans the route for you. Just taking in the enormity of everything was kind of overwhelming.” Both Liberty students said that exhaustion set in from working 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, but Atkins and Aube still made time for a little fun. They walked around Las Vegas, saw the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino and watched college basketball on television. However, Atkins and Aube
also took the time to build relationships and learn from other students in the Sony program. “The other students were great,” Aube said. “We talked about our different schools’ programs and about what type of equipment each school uses. We are now all able to stay connected through LinkedIn.” According to Atkins, he gained a new appreciation for people who work in other areas of his field. “I discovered that film gets written off a lot, and people say, ‘Aw, that’s easy,’” Atkins said. “I worked with a lot of film people, and there’s a lot more that goes into it than people think. I just had a new respect for the intensity and the skill that you have to have in order to pull off film.”
For Atkins, one of the most exciting parts of the whole experience was having the chance to learn about some of the equipment that Liberty will buy during the course of its campuswide upgrade to high definition broadcasting. In the end, Atkins and Aube returned to Lynchburg having gained valuable experience. “The trip was amazing — one of the neatest things I have ever experienced,” Aube said. “I feel so blessed that I was able to be a part of this opportunity, and I would go back and do it all again tomorrow if I could.” LEASURE is the feature editor.
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FEATURE
APRIL 23, 2013
Night of Worship
culture on display
New School of Music makes first official performance Melissa Skinner mjskinner@liberty.edu
Sara Warrender | Liberty Champion
HERITAGE — Local vendors brought designs that put a flashy spin on traditional African attire.
‘Faces of Africa’ shines Sara Warrender
sewarrender2@liberty.edu
A crowd of students cheered as models made their way onto the stage, strutting down the runway before posing with the colors of different countries’ flags mixed behind them. Hosted by the Association of Students of African Descent (A.S.A.D.), the “Faces of Africa” fashion show debuted April 20 in Towns-Alumni Auditorium. According to Liberty University’s A.S.A.D. fashion coordinator Keith Jones-Nwankwo, the show promoted African culture, presenting it in a way
that enabled each Liberty student to be involved, regardless of descent. “Everybody’s equal — we just have different cultures and traditions,” Jones-Nwankwo said. Performers from different nationalities represented the show through song and dance, such as the Tanzanian group — known as the J’Sisters Gospel Group — rapper SiMplY KenDall and D-Trex, a Liberty dance team. The show concluded with an autism presentation from Samantha McFarland, a guest speaker from the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center. “This (event) showcases what Afri-
can students can bring to the university,” founder of A.S.A.D. Yaw AduGyamfi said. The designs presented throughout the night were brought to Liberty through local vendors who acquired the prints from overseas. Tanzania, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya were some of the countries whose authentic attire was shown, according to Jones-Nwankwo. “It was nice being able to show that other nations do exist,” Liberty model Janitca Santana said. “We’re all the same in a way.”
The Liberty University School of Music presented a Night of Worship Sunday, April 21, in the Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) Sanctuary. According to Dean Vernon Whaley, the event was the first time the department performed as a united body. The Department of Music and Humanities and the Department of Music and Worship joined together to form the School of Music in September 2012, making it the seventh-largest school of music in the country. “We are absolutely thrilled to present this tonight as our first official presentation as the School of Music,” Whaley said. At the event, audience members were greeted with a choir and presented with a performance by Charles Billingsley. Individual students also performed, and the audience was invited to join the choir during certain worship songs. “I am excited about this event because this is a group of people on this stage that are probably some of the most talented people that you will ever hear from in your entire life all put together in one spot,” Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor of TRBC, said. Kati Bowlin, a sophomore studying worship within the School of Music, performed Sunday evening as a first soprano in the choir. “The Night of Worship is something that we work on all semester in the (School of Music),” Bowlin said. “It is a chance for all of us to come together as one huge choir and worship. I hope that the people who come out can really just let go and worship freely. Our God is so incredibly worthy of every single ounce of praise that we can muster. I hope that the entire audience will just engage and worship with us and not just be spectators.” Bowlin originally came to Liberty as a psychology major. However, she switched to the worship program after she realized that she was running away from what God wanted her to do with her life — sing for his glory. “My favorite part of the program is how involved the professors are,” Bowlin said. “Every single one of my
See FASHION, B5
See WORSHIP, B6
Pro-Life Emphasis Week unites students Jessica Jordan jmjordan3@liberty.edu
Liberty University Student Government Association Senior Class President Chelsea Patterson directed a Pro-Life Emphasis Week April 17-19 to inform students about pro-life issues and encourage them to get involved any way they can. “I think it is a Christian’s duty to fight for the lives of the innocent and fight against injustice,” Patterson said. “I believe that abortion is the greatest injustice of our time because it brutally ends a life. The reason I chose to plan a Pro-Life Emphasis Week, even though it is a controversial topic, is to inspire the student body and equip them on how to be pro-life in the world.” According to Patterson, students had the opportunity to hear from a variety of speakers throughout the week, including Mike Spencer and Thomas Donovan from the Life Training Institute ministry, as well as Phil
Kline, the former attorney general of Kansas. In addition to attending various lectures, students met with different pro-life organizations from around the country. The entire student body also received a preset email in which they could encourage their home states’ congressmen and senators to stand up for the pro-life movement. Although this is the first year a Pro-Life Emphasis Week has been hosted at Liberty, Patterson said that she would like to see it become an annual event. In 2009, then Student Body President Matt Mihelic organized a pro-life-focused Convocation and started the ROSE Initiative, which stands for Reclaiming our Sacred Existence. “I thought it would be beneficial to have a longer time focusing on the issue of pro-life so that students could attend different lectures, such as Abortion and Apologetics and Abortion and the Law, et cetera,” Patterson said. As a testament to their support
of pro-life, Friday, April 19, students wore either a red or white shirt to Convocation to represent the number of babies aborted each year in the U.S. Liberty senior Jill Diblin posted a photo of the Convocation on Instagram with the caption, “Today, one-third of our student body wore red to represent the babies that were never given the opportunity of life because of abortion. We are not OK with the babies that were murdered, and we will stand up for their rights as human beings.” Sophomore Lindsey Eggeman also posted a photo of the student body on Instagram, with the caption, “Let them live, #endabortion.” “This week is beneficial for two reasons: first, it allows a greater number of people to become more aware of the issue of abortion, and life in general,” Liberty student Greg Belise said. “Second, it forces those people to question their own views, thinking about how they personally
Sara Warrender | Liberty Champion
‘LET THEM LIVE’ — Vendors in DeMoss offer students pro-life items. view life. Simply put, the future of our nation rests in the students of our universities, and knowledge about pro-life is vital for them.” Belise went on to describe the religious implications of the abortion debate. “Even though the issue of life is a scientific and philosophical issue, it is also a religious one,”
Belise said. “There is never any danger in learning further the importance of life, because ultimately it is an issue close to God’s heart.” Students can join a pro-life club on campus called LifeLine in order to become more involved.
See LIFE, B6
