Liberty Champion, March 5th, 2013

“All My Sons” premieres at Tower Theater

Women’s basketball honors seniors B1

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LIBERTY CHAMPION Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Today: Rain 52/35 Tomorrow: Snow 39/29

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Volume 30 • Issue 17

Liberty bus crashes near tunnel

Derrick Battle

dbattle2@liberty.edu

Greg Leasure gleasure@liberty.edu

A Liberty University bus veered off the road, fell down a hill and crashed into the retaining wall near the entrance of the East Campus tunnel Saturday night, March 2.

The accident, which left the bus leaning at a 30-degree angle about 56 feet from the entrance to the tunnel, took place at the intersection of Liberty Mountain Drive and Towns Court around 8:30 p.m.

Freshman Jake Beerel and three friends boarded the bus at North Campus and were seated

near the front when the crash occurred.

“We were just heading toward the bus stop at the tunnel and we started to drift,” Beerel said.

“I first felt like something was wrong, and everybody started screaming.”

Beerel was released from the hospital Sunday morning, though he was still experiencing dizziness and nausea.

According to university spokesperson Johnnie Moore, the accident was handled with the utmost attention.

“Liberty University and Lynchburg Police responded to the scene of the accident immediately, and handled it all with the highest degree of care and professionalism,” Moore said.

“Our entire community is grateful that none of the 19 passengers on board sustained serious injuries. Only four passengers were sent to Lynchburg General. They were sent only as a precaution for further evaluation, and each was released on the same evening.”

Liberty freshman Brian Travers witnessed the accident while sitting in the passenger seat of the car directly behind the bus.

“I saw it from the corner of my eye,” Travers said. “The bus was kind of driving along the sidewalk, and we looked at each other like, ‘Is this really happening?’ The bus kept on going until it crashed.”

Travers and his prayer group

See CRASH, A8

Greg Leasure | Liberty Champion

COLLISION — A Liberty bus carrying 19 passengers crashed on East Campus Saturday night.

#Shorty Awards

luck of the Irish

Melanie Oelrich

moelrich@liberty.edu

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

CELEBRATION — Liberty student Austin Edwards aided in bringing Irish spirit to the kickoff Friday, March 1.

“I nominate @LibertyU for a Shorty Award in #BNcollege because we believe Jesus turned his tomb into a door that saved the world,” or, “I nominate @LibertyU for a Shorty Award in #BNcollege because in the Old Greek, ‘Liberty University’ actually translates to ‘Shorty Award.’”

These tweets from Johnnie Moore and Campus Praise worship leader Justin Kintzel, along with other social media campaigns such as online voting and numerous Twitter postings, launched Liberty University and the School of Communication into first place for the fifth annual Shorty Awards.

The Shorty Awards, for which Conan O’Brien, Neil Patrick Harris and NASA have all been winners, recognizes the best universities, people and organizations in social media.

According to the Shorty Awards website, every year, millions of people visit the site to support their favorite social media content creators by tweeting

See AWARDS, A7

SAO moves Irish American month kicks off Office now in DeMoss

Students, faculty and staff gathered with Center4ME to celebrate March’s heritage

Daniel Bartlett dbartlett@liberty.edu

Melanie Oelrich moelrich@liberty.edu

T

he Center for Multicultural Enrichment (Center4ME) hosted its third-annual Irish American Heritage Kickoff Friday, March 1, where students, faculty and staff donned their favorite green and orange garb in celebration of the country’s culture.

The front steps of DeMoss were covered with roughly 700 students, and Center4ME staff dressed in their best Irish attire as students enjoyed cotton candy, greenfrosted shamrock cookies,

green-dyed pink lemonade and chocolate coins.

“My roommate mentioned the event to me, and I heard they had themed music, so I came out to see what it was about,” Liberty student Nicole Davis said. “I really enjoy the Irish music.”

According to Associate Director of the Center4ME Joy Jefferson, the center has been open since 1996, but was originally named the “Minority International Office” before switching to the Center for Multicultural Enrichment in 2004.

Jefferson said that the Center4ME has been celebrat-

ing Irish American Heritage month for three years.

“At the beginning of each Irish American heritage month, we always have a kickoff where we serve refreshments and give students a calendar so they know when the events are for that month,” Jefferson said. “We celebrate Irish American heritage because we celebrate cultures that have minorities within the U.S.” Center4ME will also host additional events this month, including a deliberative dialogue on Irish legacy Tuesday, March 5 in DeMoss Hall 1090, a cultural excursion

festival Saturday, March 23 in Richmond, a “Faces of America” screening Tuesday, March 26 in Green Hall 1878, and “Shamrock Friday,” March 29 in Green Hall 1878.

“Our goal at the Center4ME is to educate students about all cultures,” Jefferson said.

For more information about Irish American Heritage Month, contact the Center4ME at Center4ME@liberty.edu or visit the website at liberty.edu/center4me.

OELRICH is the news editor.

INSIDE THE CHAMPION News The Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society recognized their seniors.

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Sports

Tim Tebow is scheduled to speak in Convocation Friday, March 8.

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Feature Bliss Bridal Expo offered ideas for upcoming weddings B8 and celebrations.

The Student Advocate Office (SAO) hopes that its new home in DeMoss Hall will help increase the office’s ability to meet student needs.

Once located in Green Hall, the office recently made the move to DeMoss 2247, which is located between the computer lab and the grand lobby. According to Justin Mercer, director of retention and orientation of the SAO, the new location is much more accessible for students.

The SAO consists of six student advocates: Timi Plyter, Leigh Detzel, Christina Nolton, Michael Morrison, Katie Moore and Tanner Hoyt.

According to their website, the role of these student advocates is to help

News Opinion Sports Feature

See SAO, A6 A1 A4 B1 B8

NEWS

A2/Liberty Champion

March 5, 2013

Museum noticed

Lynchburg flights stay grounded

Cecilia Hines

The Lynchburg Regional Airport experienced an unusually high number of weather-related cancellations in January, but faces cancellations of a different type in the near future.

According to Lynchburg Regional Airport Director Mark Courtney, the airport had nine cancellations in the month of January, which was up from the three they had last year.

The airport in Lynchburg runs up to six flights per day, according to Courtney.

Most of the cancellations were affected by weather conditions at the Charlotte/ Douglas International Airport, which is US Airways’ hub for the commuter planes coming from Lynchburg.

Courtney also said that while cancellations were higher than usual, they were not uncommon for the month of January.

The airport also faces some potential

chines2@liberty.edu

Amazement Square, a downtown Lynchburg institution, was nominated for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, awarded annually to five museums and five libraries across the United States.

The children’s museum is one of 33 finalists, competing against more than 17,000 museums across the country for the nomination, according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

“This nomination is about what we are doing outside our four walls. We have a huge outreach into the community,” Amazement Square Director of Marketing Ashleigh Karol said.

The IMLS website states that the national medal honors outstanding institutions that make exceptional contributions to their communities and demonstrate innovative approaches to public service.

According to an IMLS press release, the national medal is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a museum or library for its exemplary service.

“It’s a great recognition,” Karol said. “The medal would open the doors not only for more funding to start more programs, but will also bring in existing programs (that) would want to work with a national medal winner.”

Amazement Square places a large focus on the Virginia Standards of Learning and works with local school systems to provide a hands-on educational resource. According to Karol, the museum utilizes Amazement Square for the friendly environment and the learning experience in order to maintain a strong relationship with Lynchburg schools.

The museum is closed on Mondays to the public, according to Karol, but it is open for the Laurel Regional School. Laurel Regional is a special needs school, and various grants have allowed Amazement Square the opportunity to provide adaptive technology that allows special needs students to participate in the activities offered.

The nomination brings national recognition and awareness to a community like Lynchburg, according to Karol.

“This says a lot about the community, because we run on their support,” Karol said. “We made a commitment to downtown revitalization — we made the choice when we opened our doors in the late ‘90s in an old building downtown, which spurred other businesses to settle there as well.”

Karol is excited to be a part of an organization that has been nominated for the national medal. “(The National Medal) is like winning an Oscar for being one of the best museums in the country,” Karol said.

The winners of the award will be notified in mid-April, and the awards ceremony will take place in early May. HINES is a news reporter.

Jacob Tellers jtellers@liberty.edu

Karly Kryza | Liberty Champion

COCKPIT — Lynchburg weather keeps planes on the ground. problems in March and in later months due to Federal spending cuts that are now in effect as of March 1. The cuts will result in a loss of funding for traffic control towers at more than 200 airports, according to Courtney.

The cut is also in addition to more than $600 million of cuts from the Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. While the spending

Sequestration could cause problems for students flying for spring break.

— ACCORDING TO MARK COURTNEY cuts have now been enacted, travelers may not feel the full effects until closer to April, LaHood said.

According to Courtney, the good news is that the airport will remain open,

Studio and Digital Arts gives students the opportunity to showcase their work Angela Swinson ajswinson@liberty.edu

Students crowded around the art displayed on the fourth floor of DeMoss for the Liberty University Studio and Digital Arts (SADA) art exhibit, featuring the artwork of senior students until March 15.

According to SADA chairman Todd Smith, students have their work reviewed by professionals during the exhibit.

Having the chance to showcase their artwork is a major opportunity for students seeking exposure.

In order to have a piece shown in the art gallery, participants had to submit it to professors for judging.

“The work is critiqued by 13 professors and also allows them to compare their work to other students,” Smith said.

Smith also said that in addition to the learning process, the best pieces will be awarded first through third place, as well as honorable mention prizes.

“The students realize their work will be visited by the public,” Smith said. “The eventual outcome of a piece of artwork is to be viewed, appreciated and evaluated by the public.”

The students are judged on technical skill, use of software, original-

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

ADMIRATION — Liberty students look at some of the artwork displayed in the SADA exhibit. ity and style, according to Smith. The professors have many years of experience with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, which they put to good use when judging the students’ skill.

Josh Siner, a senior at Liberty, currently has a piece exhibited. Siner, who said he is proud of his accomplishments, has appreciated his professors’ taking notice of his hard work.

“Everything I have ever done for class has been with the goal of breaking out of the classroom, and it is humbling to see that

happen,” Siner said.

More than 70 students entered a piece to the SADA professors for judging, according to Smith.

Many of the students who have work featured in the gallery also won this past Saturday, March 2, at the ADDY regional award competition.

The ADDYs is a competition held by the American Advertising Federation (AAF). According to the AAF website, it awards students who create original work in areas like interactive media and advertising.

“One of the best ways

1971 UNIVERSITY BLVD, LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 24502

Tabitha Cassidy

Shelanne Jennings

EDITOR IN CHIEF

GRADUATE ASSISTANT

Deborah Huff FACULTY ADVISOR

Omar Adams ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Ashley McAlpin GRADUATE ASSISTANT

TELLERS is a news reporter.

Senior artwork on display in DeMoss

LIBERTY CHAMPION administration

despite this.

“We will have to come up with a contingency plan to be able to smooth operations in an uncontrolled environment,” Courtney said.

Now that the sequestration has gone into effect, however, it could cause some problems for students flying in and out of Lynchburg for spring break, according to Courtney.

The airport will have to adjust how it manages flights and make “procedural changes” in order to keep everything running smoothly, Courtney said.

He also explained that the majority of delays will stem from larger airports that will in turn affect travel to and from Lynchburg.

For example, if a flight coming into the Charlotte airport in order to transfer passengers to a flight to Lynchburg is delayed, either the Lynchburg flight will be delayed, or those passengers will miss that flight.

“Flights to major cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco and others could experience delays of up to 90 minutes during peak hours because we have fewer controllers on staff,” LaHood said.

“Delays in these major airports will ripple across the country.”

For more information on airport services, visit lynchburgva.gov.

content

Derrick Battle ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

FEATURE EDITOR

Tyler Eacho

Tess Curtis

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

Abigail Bock

Sara Warrender

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

ASST. SECTION EDITOR

Kevin McAlpin

Kyle Harvey SPORTS EDITOR

need to be conscientious consumers. We need to evaluate the things we view from a Christian perspective,” Smith said.

The exhibit is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

According to Smith, some of the pieces are for sale.

SWINSON is a feature reporter.

The Champion encourages community members to submit letters to the editor on any subject. Letters should not exceed 400 words and must be typed and signed. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Letters and columns that appear are the opinion of the author solely, not the Champion editorial board or Liberty University.

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

Ruth Bibby

Greg Leasure

OPINION EDITOR

POLICIES & INFO

photography

Melanie Oelrich

Andrew Woolfolk

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

this can help me is to give me an idea of where I am and what I have to work for,” Siner said.

Hundreds of College For A Weekend participants visited the gallery in DeMoss Hall, giving the students’ work statewide and nationwide exposure, according to Smith.

Smith said Liberty students won 12 gold and 17 silver awards for work entered in the ADDYs. Students like Siner, who received gold awards, will be given the opportunity to compete statewide.

“As Christians, we can’t just be consumers. We

design

Elliot Mosher

WEB DESIGNER

Send letters to: Liberty Champion Liberty University, Box 2000, Lynchburg, VA 24502 or drop off in DeMoss Hall 1035.

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NEWS

March 5, 2013

Liberty Champion/A3

Apps for everyone

Faculty and students learn new technology Ashley McAlpin akbollinger@liberty.edu

Research by Samantha Boontjer sbboontjer@liberty.edu

Though technology might isolate human interaction, Liberty University’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) has made a point to encourage fellowship by hosting Mobile Applications Learning Lounges (M.A.L.L.).

The purpose of M.A.L.L. is to gather faculty, students and staff together to share their knowledge of the most recent mobile devices and applications, according to Teaching Advisor and Associate Professor of Education for the CTE Shawn Bielicki. “We don’t want (faculty) coming here just for work or help, we want them coming here for some more relaxed things,� Bielicki said.

For a lot of people who attend, M.A.L.L. is an opportunity to learn about the newest technology that can be utilized in the classroom. “(By attending M.A.L.L.), you get a wide perspective from a number of people with different levels of knowledge. Some are different ages, so they like different things, � Electronic Resource Librarian Mike Cobb said. “You get a lot of information to help you learn more about what you just spent your money on.�

During each meeting, the CTE provides featured applications for attendees to test on their own devices, Bielicki said.

During the most recent M.A.L.L., held Feb. 27 in DeMoss Hall, the applications “Shazam,� “Flipboard� and “The Night Sky� were a few of those featured.

However, according to Bielicki, not everyone came to the gathering to learn about the newest applications. “I came to figure out what the needs for faculty and staff were in

Katie Welch | Liberty Champion

M.A.L.L. — Faculty members talk. terms of apps,� Liberty senior and employee for Liberty’s Information Technology department Neal Harmon said. “I think the industry is moving more toward tablets, and we want to develop that into some type of change.�

According to Cobb, M.A.L.L. helped him learn more about his own devices, specifically his new smartphone. “I don’t even know what I don’t know. Seeing what people do with (mobile devices) and how other people use them gives me ideas on how to use mine,� Cobb said.

The CTE will host M.A.L.L. on the last Wednesday of each month during the Spring 2013 semester, according to the center’s website. “I would encourage people to get out of their comfort zone and engage with technology because it can help you with your personal life, scholastic life and ‌ your professional life,â€? Harmon said.

For more information, visit liberty. edu/academics/cte.

MCALPIN is the graduate assistant.

BOONTJER is a news reporter.

Tyler Eacho | Liberty Champion

FITNESS — The Fitness Center at Green Hall offers multiple health and wellness classes.

LaHaye promotes health Mark Tait

mtait@liberty.edu

Avoiding sickness is often a challenge for many college students, but Liberty University students will soon have the opportunity to learn how they can protect themselves from disease. As part of the LaHaye Health and Wellness Series, Annette Florence will share her lecture entitled “Staying Well: Increasing your R.E.S.I.S.T.A.N.C.E.�

March 6 at 5:15 p.m. The lecture will take place in the front aerobics room of the LaHaye Fitness Center.

According to Florence, the event will focus on lifestyle changes that students can make to naturally boost their immune systems. “This particular event ‌ is especially important now, in the spring, because there’s a lot of bugs going around and people are getting sick, so it’s a good way to find out how to try to avoid catching those things and being put out of commission,â€? Jamie Swyers, the associate director of fit-

ness at the LaHaye Student Union, said.

Florence, a health promotion and nutrition professor at Liberty University, has been actively involved in disease prevention for many years.

She said that she is looking forward to sharing valuable information at the event. “When we’re in such a closed environment — when you’re in a classroom, you’re on the bus — and germs are just going everywhere — really, to boost someone’s immune system, that’s probably the best way to prevent in an atmosphere like this,� Florence said.

According to Swyers, the event will feature free food and prizes, along with health information. She hopes students will take the initiative to learn healthy habits.

The final installment of the series for this semester is a strength training event with Donna Barber. According to Swyers, those who attend will have the opportunity to learn how to train for specific goals that gym-goers often struggle

to reach in the weight room.

Swyers said that the main objective of the Health and Wellness Series is to give students the opportunities and resources they need to gain information that they would not otherwise be able to find at the Fitness Center. “It can be extremely beneficial to have these opportunities,� Swyers said.

The LaHaye Health and Wellness Series currently provides health education to students. However, according to Swyers, the LaHaye Fitness Center hopes to provide even more educational programs in the future. “Basically, what the students demand and what they are asking for is what we really want to drive toward,� Swyers said.

For more information on the upcoming lecture or the classes offered at the LaHaye Student Union, email lahayestudentunion@liberty.edu.

TAIT is a news reporter.

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OPINION

March 5, 2013

Congress is not crying over budget cuts Andrew Woolfolk alwoolfolk@liberty.edu

I remember back to the days of my youth, when my parents would frequently lecture me for using bad words — which in those days consisted of vocabulary such as “stupid” and “idiot.”

But after observing the outstanding failure of Congress that has led to a budget cut of $85 billion starting March 1, I think my parents will excuse my next slip of the tongue.

Congress ... is full of idiots.

Due to their inability to create a budget and agree on a way to cut the country’s increasing deficit, Congress has plunged our country headlong into a sequester that will affect millions of people across the country.

Many politicians have said that a cut of this magnitude could stunt the growth of a recovering economy, taking funding away from a variety of critical services. Border security is set to be cut by $581 million, airport security by $323 million and FEMA’s disaster relief fund by $375 million.

The list goes on, as more big name organizations feel the effects. The FBI will lose $480 million. NASA is set to lose $970 million. Medicare will lose $10 billion from their budget.

Yet the groups most affected by the new cuts are those who protect us. The Pentagon alone is expected to have its spending reduced by $46 billion in the upcoming year. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was quick to condemn the budget slash.

“This is not a game. This is reality,” Panetta said at a recent speech at Georgetown University. “These steps would seriously damage a fragile American economy, and they would degrade our ability to respond to crisis precisely at a time of rising instability across the globe.”

According to USA Today, nearly 20,000 civilians working for the Marine Corps

YouTube Screenshot

SAFE — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid do not have to worry about their salaries being reduced through the crisis. would have to work with reduced salaries, and the military has alerted another 800,000 employees to expect pay cuts and required furlough starting in April.

In an attempt to help solve the issue, Panetta recommended that military salaries only increase by one percent in 2014.

Based on the calculations found by the Labor Department’s Employment Cost Index (ECI), a one percent increase in pay is less than the growth of the ECI. Because the ECI includes factors such as inflation, and because the rate of increase in pay is less than the increase of the ECI, the raise is actually a pay cut.

Jenelle Hatzung, a Navy wife, spoke on behalf of all her fellow compatriots when she talked to CNN about the cuts.

“I never thought Congress’ inability to

pass a budget would so intimately affect my personal life,” she said.

But perhaps the most disturbing part of this situation is not who these budget cuts affect, but who they do not.

According to senate.gov, congressmen do not have to worry about their annual pay of $174,000. None of that amount will be affected by budget cuts. Other members of Congress serving in higher-level positions, such as House Speaker John Boehner — who makes $223,500 a year — and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi — who makes $193,000 annually — will have no cuts to their pay, either.

Nor will President Barack Obama lose any sleep over fear of a salary reduction.

His $400,000 — not including the countless benefits of the position — is safe for the

foreseeable future.

The most ludicrous fact about the salaries of Congress members, though, is who sets them.

Congress does, of course.

Not surprisingly, from 2000 to 2009, Congress voted in favor of raising its salary every year.

In September, congressman Charles Bass of New Hampshire proposed a bill that would have cut Congress’ salary by 8.2 percent should the sequester happen.

“We all know the negative impact that sequestration will have, and we also know that we can solve this problem if the House, Senate and the president work together in a bipartisan manner to find a solution,” Bass said during his proposal. “If Congress and the president fail to do so, my legislation will simply ensure fairness by applying the same reductions to the salaries of members of Congress, the president and vice president that domestic spending programs will face.”

Shockingly, the proposal did not even gather enough support to get a floor vote, which is the most basic, preliminary start to a bill’s formation.

So, while members of our military and defense system suffer, our politicians’ pockets remain as deep as ever. The men responsible for our financial crisis because of their lackadaisical approach toward spending will continue to laugh their way to the bank for the days to come.

I do agree with Obama on one count.

In a recent press conference, he called the budget cuts, quite simply, “dumb.”

Indeed. But what about keeping your salary and Congress’ salary at their same absurd level?

Pardon my language, but that is just plain stupid.

WOOLFOLK is the opinion editor

Apple followers watch and wait for latest gadget Gabriella Fuller gfuller2@liberty.edu

If there is one thing Apple is famous for, it is creating new product categories that consumers never realized they needed — or even wanted. Not only did Apple change the technological landscape by inventing the iPod, the iPhone and most recently the iPad, it dominated the respective market for all three products.

Now, the technology giant is at it again, with rumors of their latest up-and-coming product: the iWatch. The hope is that this dazzling smartwatch will once again be an entirely new, must-have gadget previously unimagined by either the customer or the competition.

Nifty as the iWatch may sound, this is one category Apple will not be luring me into. Though I am an avid Apple product supporter — embarrassingly enough, I own a Mac, iPhone and iPad — I am not convinced that the iWatch will add much benefit to my already technology-saturated life.

As is, you will rarely find me without my iPhone in hand. If one of my dozens of apps is not calling my attention, a friend or a family member usually is. Since my phone has now basically become an extension of my hand, I see little to no inconvenience using it as my timepiece.

My grandmother still cannot send a text message.

Sometimes I worry about her, thinking that she might get left behind

Feras Hares | Creative Commons

THE FUTURE — Will Apple’s next press conference feature an “iWatch” appearance?

For the true Apple zealots out there, though, I can already imagine the lines forming outside of storefronts. As with every other product release, the world can anticipate iWatch owners raving about their new device before even having it in hand. And as per usual, the Apple community will momentarily feel superior to those not fortunate enough to buy into the in-crowd.

Perhaps the innovative, new

and remain ignorant about what is happening in the world, or even in the family.

But mostly, I really respect her.

technology will serve its purpose to a targeted audience — such as athletes. Though measuring steps and tracking fitness is already possible, the iWatch could advance this technology to a cutting-edge level.

Business Insider speculates that in addition to time, the iWatch will also be able to show calendars, directions, maps, messages, emails, news headlines and weather. Since it will retain most

Why do I respect my non-texting granny’s lack of technology usage?

Well, even though she does not spend countless hours a day on the Internet or with a smart phone glued to her hand, she still manages to knows what is going on in the nation, she still keeps in contact with the family, and half of the time, she somehow knows what is happening before I do — someone who is glued to every news outlet the moment classes end.

In an age where our phones become an extension of our arm and we

app functions, the iWatch will simply resemble a much smaller smartphone, ideal for on-the-go situations and already-faithful watch wearers.

Yet with all this new hype in the air, a large part of me dreads the release of the iWatch. To be honest, the idea of wearable electronics going mainstream frightens me. Though technology certainly has its virtues, it is also responsible for its fair share of vices.

Sure, Apple and other likeminded companies claim that they are committed to making products that benefit consumers, but in the end, how helpful is technology, really?

Sadly, rather than allowing technology to make our lives simpler, most of us have freely given gadgets control, resulting in unnecessary chaos and stress. Be honest, most people in 21st-century America would feel entirely out of touch with the world if a cellphone was left at home. Even on campus, the frustration is tangible when the Internet crashes or programs run slower than usual.

The government now has to pass laws just to get users off their phones for the duration of a 10-minute drive. Families sit around the dinner table, staring at the television rather than talking with one another. Though ebooks offer a nice alternative for readers, more often than not, tab-

cannot answer a question without first consulting Google or Bing, the thought of never using the Internet seems preposterous. CASSIDY It really is not, though.

In 1969, the very first shadow of the Internet began with four computers connecting to one another. It took less than 60 years for this form of technology to take hold of people and skyrocket

lets are replacing the education of books with the mindless entertainment of apps.

Try going through just one day without the use of any technology whatsoever. It is nearly impossible for our generation. Face it, we are addicted.

So why not slap another device on our arms — it will help us be more productive, right? As is, I am afraid that far too many of us do not know how to first and foremost find the off button, and second build up the courage to push it. After all, we have grown accustomed to being connected to everyone, everywhere, at every hour of every day. Perhaps the last thing society needs is to strap a piece of technology to our bodies and carry it around permanently, distracted from the world around us.

Ultimately, it is undeniable that our generation has normalized a level of integration between man and machine beyond what generations before us dreamed of imagining. So, either way you look at it, excitement for wearable, flexible technology is warranted. Whatever else it may be, the iWatch will certainly be a new, never-before-experienced step into the future.

FULLER is an opinion writer.

us all to obsession — and I do mean obsession.

Would we be able to survive without our phones, computers or tablets? The primary method of communication for me is through some medium that needs a satellite 22,000 miles above the earth’s surface. If a meteoroid were to suddenly strike the satellites I depend on, I would be at a loss when it comes to talking to my best friend back home in Michigan.

I wonder, how many of you would be in the same boat as me? How

many of you primarily use email, text messaging or even Facebook chat to keep in touch with your loved ones? If that meteoroid suddenly crashed into all of our satellites, how many of us would be terrified of a world without technology?

On second thought, I should not worry about my grandmother surviving too much. After all, she knows how to survive and function without the Internet.

CASSIDY is the editor in chief.

March 5, 2013

Liberty Champion/A5

OPINION

First lady is finding her footing

Over time, Michelle Obama has adapted to being evaluated under the political microscope by people around the world Whitney Rutherford wrutherford2@liberty.edu

President Barack Obama’s second term began in national controversy, not the least of which was his wife’s dramatic haircut. From bangs to presenting the “Best Picture” Academy Award, Michelle Obama has begun her second term as first lady with abandon.

Pretending that Michelle Obama’s audacious actions are irrelevant is naïve. Carl Sferrazza Anthony, a historian for the National First Ladies Library, told USA Today in 2008 that the role of first lady says as much about America as it says about those who have inhabited the role. According to Anthony, America “locks these women in a china closet.” The approach Michelle Obama takes toward her responsibilities sparks dialogue concerning the role of a woman from the White House to houses across the nation.

Michelle Obama did not readily embrace her title. As her husband prepared for the presidency, she delayed moving her children to the White House. In her 2012 Democratic National Convention speech, Michelle Obama explained that her primary concern was for her children’s well-being. Furthermore,

Mike Brophy | Creative Commons

MOVING FORWARD — Obama’s legacy remains to be seen, but her confidence is apparent.

Liza Mundy, who wrote a biography on the first lady, said that Michelle Obama did not have much faith in politics, either.

Being first lady might, in some respects, be more difficult than being president, because the role of the “first lady” is not defined by the U.S. Constitution. For a career woman who is also wife and mother, crafting her own role in a precarious political climate must be daunting.

Michelle Obama quickly transitioned her background in community development to the

national level by implementing “Let’s Move!” — her campaign to fight child obesity through healthy eating and exercise. Similar to Laura Bush’s initiatives to further education, “Let’s Move!” established Michelle Obama as a concerned mother figure.

Throughout the Obamas’ first term, Michelle Obama appeared on shows such as “Sesame Street” and “The View,” skyrocketing her social appeal. She used the spotlight to champion “Let’s Move!” — but appearances such as the cover of Vogue

made her more of a cultural figure than a political icon.

Amidst critics of her personable approach to being first lady, Michelle Obama stepped into the cameras on inauguration day 2013 with bold new bangs and wearing more of her favorite J.Crew and Jason Wu. Her fearless look fit with the “Forward” message of the campaign, and her demand for progress gave her audience the impression that she was ready to work.

Michelle Obama traded Twitter game faces with Jimmy Fal-

lon before creating the “Evolution of Mom Dancing,” which rapidly went viral. While the video shows a casual first lady, it also reinforces her image as a modern mother. More startlingly, she appeared via satellite to announce the “Best Picture” Academy Award. The first lady combined National Governor’s Weekend with the biggest event in Hollywood, illustrating her ability to balance the many opportunities that come with being first lady.

Whether you agree with the Obama administration’s policies or not, it is easy to understand why Michelle Obama’s approval ratings soar. While forerunners like Jackie Kennedy or Hillary Clinton tested a first lady’s boundaries politically and socially, Michelle Obama has simply infused her personality and goals into the role. She is smashing the china closet that hides the first lady behind pristine fashion choices, pleasant receptions and lukewarm initiatives. Michelle Obama began her tenure in the White House as a reluctant mother, but will exit it having flung open the door for all wives and mothers who follow her.

RUTHERFORD is an opinion writer.

Hackers in Anonymous leave little data hidden The controversial group that has cracked countless websites as well as the Federal Reserve now has their eyes on Facebook David Van Dyck dvandyk@liberty.edu

The Federal Reserve, the Australian Government, the CIA and 485 Chinese government sites are just a miniscule number of databases that Anonymous has hacked over the past four years. The group, whose members call themselves “hacktivists,” has become an infamous global phenomenon.

One reason why Anonymous’ movements are so spread out is because its members can be found throughout the globe.

The means of entry into this online vigilante group are fairly simple. Essentially, knocking on its virtual door, asking to be part of the group is all it takes to join.

I am sure everyone has heard of the phrase “strength in numbers.”

The number of participants in each hack is the primary source of strength for Anonymous.

Mark Shaneck, a professor of Computer Science at Liberty University, understands the overwhelming advantage in a quantity of hackers working together simultaneously.

“Many of their attacks are denial of service attacks, where they use their large numbers to simply overwhelm the victims’ computers — (a) very lowskilled attack and hard to

defend against,” Shaneck said.

Oftentimes, these denial of service attacks are the primary means by which Anonymous targets its groups of interest.

However, Anonymous has also proven to be of some value to law enforcement when it comes to exposing online predators.

In a 2007 case, Anonymous’ actions were crucial to incriminating Chris Forcand, an Internet predator, who was arrested after multiple accounts of luring children under the age of 14.

“Internet postings suggest that before Forcand was on the police radar, those email addresses had attracted the interest of cyber-vigilantes who seek to out anyone who presents with a sexual interest in children,” Toronto Sun reporter Jonathan Jenkins said.

According to the Washington Post, hacking groups related to Anonymous threatened to attack Facebook as recently as last November.

“A group claiming to be part of the hacktivist collective Anonymous has declared war on Facebook — but they shouldn’t expect the support of the majority of their peers,” Washington Post reporter Hayley Tsukayama said.

“On a more mainstream Anonymous Twitter ac-

count, AnonOps, members of the group said that the announced attack on Facebook does not represent the views of all its members.”

This division in future goals shows the weakness that Anonymous has experienced in the past. There is no leadership or central figure within Anonymous, therefore allowing anyone to claim to be part of the group. This is a main reason why Anonymous has accumulated so many affiliates and copycats.

But with group after group aiming to hack Facebook and other social media sites, many users have asked if cyber-security is becoming a major issue.

“One of the biggest effects that they (AnonyLorraine Murphy | Creative Commons mous) have had on cyber BOLD — Anonymous members are notorious for their “Guy Fawkes” masks. security is by bringing more widespread awareness of the problems with ordinated attacks require mous continuing to as- virus software, along with insecurity,” Shaneck said. large amounts of funding, sault major systems, our a reliable firewall.

“In that sense, Anonymous which implies the involve- focus is shifting to better To the criminals and is having a positive impact ment of nations,” Shaneck passwords and stronger predators online who on the state of security, as said. “I see that as a much firewalls. Buying that fire- think that they can get it is leading to more rigor- larger player in the future wall protection might be a away with victimizing unous security testing and of cyber-security. In fact, better investment than the suspecting users, there is more security awareness.” we have already seen a lot newest computer game. a new vigilante in town.

When powerful and of it already, from the atThis is my advice to It has vowed to expose large hacking groups tacks on Georgia and Es- people who are worried those who may inhibit the funded by countries like tonia several years back, about possible hackers get- freedoms of online users, China hack into a net- to Stuxnet, to the recent ting into their computers: wherever they may be. work, nobody knows. It report from Mandiant on the longer the password, And when it strikes, it will goes undetected a large Chinese state-sponsored the better. Do not make be signed, “Yours truly, amount of time, and in attacks.” your security question Anonymous.” most instances it does not Cyber-attacks are tak- your birthdate or other get media coverage. ing the fight to a new easily attainable informa- VAN DYCK is an “Highly skilled and co- battlefield. With Anony- tion. Invest in strong anti- opinion writer.

1. THE LIBERTY UNIVERSITY QUIZ BOWL TEAM TAKES DOWN BIG-NAME SCHOOLS IN THEIR LATEST TOURNAMENT. 2. IS NEW JERSEY GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE THE FRONTRUNNER IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, OR HAS A NEW NAME TAKEN OVER?

VISIT THE CHAMPION’S WEBSITE AT LIBERTYCHAMPION.COM. CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK. Photo Provided

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A6/Liberty Champion

NEWS

March 5, 2013

School of Business hosts career fair

Joseph Park

ypark9@liberty.edu

Liberty University’s business students and alumni practiced their business etiquette and networking abilities for 28 companies that attended the School of Business Career Fair, Feb. 28 in the Williams Stadium Tower.

The event — which was open to all School of Business juniors, seniors, graduate students and alumni — was hosted

by Liberty University’s Career Center.

The attending companies included governmental agencies, national brands and local businesses.

According to the Career Center, the primary purpose of the event was to provide the students and alumni with the opportunity to network, apply and interview with companies that are based locally and nationally.

“I was very excited to attend this job fair,” Mark Jones, a Liberty business alumnus said. “I’m thankful for Liberty University (for opening) up a great opportunity for me to … connect and interact with employees in the business sector.”

Companies represented at the fair in-

Katie Welch | Liberty Champion

JOBS — Students talked with businesses at a career fair Thursday, Feb. 28. cluded national brands such as Wells Fargo Bank, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Frito-Lay, Edward Jones and other employers looking to fill part-time, full-time and internship openings.

Gregg Phelps, a representative for Lowe’s Home Improvement, was searching for potential employees to take on a variety of jobs.

“We are looking to hire students for jobs of all kinds — seasonable jobs, part-time jobs, week-time jobs. We are anticipating to see who’s well-fit for the job,” Phelps said. “I expect to see good, quality candidates for jobs — students that have good work ethics and students that are hardworking. So far, Liberty students have met my expectations.”

SAO continued from A1 students solve problems ranging anywhere from finding scholarships and resolving financial issues to encouragement and prayer time.

According to the student advocates, in addition to the daily responsibilities of answering student questions, they take time to personally call students to remind them of deadlines, help them keep track of their records, and also see how students are handling the semester.

Mercer said that before the move, the SAO shared offices with LU Online, Graduate Admissions, Resident Admissions and International Admissions, along with other offices.

According to Mercer, being located on the 2nd floor of Green Hall was out of the way for students, and that the SAO wanted to be closer to students.

“They’re happy to have their own spot, and you can Jazmin Quaynor | Liberty Champion tell the sense of ownership (they have), and everyone is so ADVOCATES — The SAO Office is now located in DeMoss. gleeful – and (this) also helps boost morale and camarade- the first day they walk onto cer said. rie amongst the staff,” Mercer Liberty’s campus as freshmen, Mercer also encouraged said. until the day they stroll down students to just walk in beMercer also praised his the aisle to get their diploma. cause the doors are always staff for going above and be“We want to make sure that open. yond what their jobs require when (students) are here, they The SAO hosts Scholarship of them. He believes that he stay, and get the most out of Search 101 sessions, which will is blessed to have such a great this amazing educational op- take place Tuesday, March 19 staff because, without them, portunity,” Detzel said. and Tuesday, April 16 from his position would be nothing.

In addition to making sure 6-7 p.m., to further assist stuMercer and Assistant Direc- students are where they need dents with tips on successfully tor of the SAO Joshua Haley to be with their education, finding scholarships online. work side-by-side with the advocates deal with the indiFor more information on staff to help students. They vidual issues of students that signing up for one of these come alongside students to can disrupt their college expe- events, visit the SAO homepmake sure that their time at rience, according to the SAO age at liberty.edu.

Liberty is a positive experi- website. The advocates also ence and help them solve any show outstanding willingness BARTLETT is a news problems they may have. to lend a hand. reporter.

“My favorite part of this job “Whether it be personal, is helping students overcome academic or spiritual, I try to what seem to be impossible put my best foot forward in situations,” Haley said. solving these issues,” MorriAccording to the SAO web- son said. site, their main goal is to cater “There’s no strings atto the needs of students from tached — we just care,” Mer-

Representatives from other companies also expressed their interest in students attending the fair.

“We are very impressed by the Liberty University students — the professionalism and the unique value of honesty that Liberty students have definitely is an attraction to employees,” Wendy Kosie, a business manager from Alpha Six Cooperation, said.

Apart from the booths set up for fulltime employment, there were booths with representatives recruiting students for internships. The Washington Fellowship Program, an internship program run by Liberty University’s Career Center, also had representatives talking with students about possible internship opportunities.

The School of Business Career Fair is only one of the many career fairs that the Career Center hosts, and the career field changes each time. The next career fair will be the Health Professions/Psychology/Counseling Career Fair, which will be held March 19 at the Williams Stadium Tower.

PARK is a news reporter.

New English Honors

Sigma Tau Delta inducts latest members Tess Curtis tcurtis@liberty.edu

Initiates, parents and current members alike poured into the DeMoss Hall Grand Lobby March 1 for the Sigma Tau Delta induction ceremony.

The event welcomed new members of Liberty’s chapter of the International English Honor Society and featured a lecture by Liberty alumnus and Sigma Tau Delta member Justin Morgan, who talked about society’s obsession with the American Dream.

According to Morgan, there has been much debate over whether the dream is compatible with Christianity.

“Freedom, comfort, stability, success — there’s nothing inherently wrong with that,” Morgan said. “You just need to distinguish between having and worshipping wealth.”

According to Morgan, American society has idolized the American Dream to such an extent that citizens have become obsessed with the idea of the occupation.

“We’re pressured into choosing and pursuing that ‘perfect job.’ Our occupation defines us. People used to come up to me and say, ‘Oh, you’re an English major. What are you going to do with that?’”

When an individual loses his job, Morgan said that the real cause of his anxiety is that his identity has been put in jeopardy.

“If our employment doesn’t exist, we don’t exist,” Morgan said.

However, Morgan argued that human beings do not belong to a profession.

“Like the Apostle Paul, we are ‘bondservants’ of Christ. We all belong to the same employer — Christ.

It’s to whom, not to what do we belong. Enjoy your work, but don’t worship it. The American Dream isn’t evil. We are. The American Dream hasn’t failed. We have.”

After the speech, officers Brittany Bonelli and Lauren Longenecker

explained the purpose of Sigma Tau Delta and the opportunities it provides students.

According to Bonelli, Liberty’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, Zeta Tau, strives to foster interest in literature in the community and exhibit high standards of excellence, while holding true to the founding principles of “sincerity, truth and design.”

The new members of Zeta Tau were then called to the front to receive an official certificate of membership as well as a Sigma Tau Delta membership pin.

According to Secretary Carley Meyers, more than 30 members were inducted into Zeta Tau, although some initiates did not attend the official ceremony.

The new inductees were drawn to Sigma Tau Delta for various reasons.

For Liberty student Corey Hayes, whose parents attended the ceremony, the community atmosphere was a major incentive.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to get to know people — people who are interested in the same things, like literature and the arts,” Hayes said.

According to Liberty student Lydia McGlynn, her decision to become a member of Sigma Tau Delta was due in large part to the career advantages offered to those wishing to enter the field of writing.

“I joined because … you can send works into their journal, and they’ll publish it,” McGlynn said. “It’s a good way to get started.”

“I wanted to get to be a part of a group with more English majors,” Liberty student Lisa Hock said.

“The visiting author and the lectures sound interesting — I’ll get to learn more about what people actually read and write.”

Upcoming events include an Applebee’s fundraiser taking place March 11 and March 18. For more information, visit the “LU Sigma Tau Delta” Facebook page.

CURTIS is the copy editor.

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NEWS

March 5, 2013

AWARDS continued from A1

Jessica Jordan | Liberty Champion

HONORARY — ALD recognized senior members at a banquet Saturday, March 2.

ALD seniors awarded Courtney Sharp csharp2@liberty.edu

The Alpha Lamda Delta (ALD) Honor Society held its annual Senior Banquet March 2 in the DeMoss Hall Grand Lobby.

According to ALD Faculty Advisor Bessie Grayson, the banquet honored 137 graduating seniors, while 75 attended the event.

“This is something we do in honor of ALD graduates, and we always use the theme ‘finishing well,’” Grayson said.

With the portrait of Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. looming above the podium, guest speaker Bruce Bell reminded students to “finish well.”

Bell recounted the stories of Peter, Lance Armstrong and Howard Hendricks.

“Peter did not stay defeated but rather finished well … Lance Armstrong is an example of someone that failed to finish well,” Bell said.

He also spoke about Hendricks and how he was told as a child that he was most likely to end up in prison. Hendricks eventually worked at Dallas Theological Seminary, finished well and then died a week later.

“To finish well, you need to commit to what brought you to this point, acknowledge Christ, seek friends and accountability partners that know you well, find a good church and become men and women of the Word,” Bell said.

The officers of the society were recognized for their involvement, and awards were given to the two graduating officers.

“They have been here

“This is something we do in honor of ALD graduates, and we always use the theme ‘finishing well.’”

— BESSIE GRAYSON since the beginning induction year, devoted to the continuity of the organization, attended meetings every Wednesday and doing assignments for every service opportunity,” Grayson said.

Senior advisors Andre Craig and Sarah Harper were recognized for their efforts with gifts, according to Grayson.

The recipients of the Maria Leonard Senior Book Award were also recognized during the banquet. This award is given to the ALD member with the highest GPA, which happened to be an 18-way tie. Drew Dickson and Jocelyn J. Van Den Bos were the two in attendance. The book “100 Cities of the World” will be donated in their honor to the A. Pierre Guillerman Library.

The spirit of ALD is to have a “heart and desire to serve the campus and the community,” Grayson said.

“My responsibility is more of a team effort, specifically depending on the different events,” President of External Communications Austin Edwards said.

“I learned how to work as a team. ALD has inspired me to continue to serve others as I made good friends and got involved in the community.”

The ALD is primarily a community service society, where the junior and senior classmen do not really have to be active.

“To be invited, you must

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have a 3.5 GPA at the end of freshman year,” ALD Editor Kaitlyn Quesinberry said. “The active officers are sophomores. Next year, the positions go to the upcoming sophomores, but as a junior or senior, you can still be involved.”

“As a historian, I am working on the scrapbook that shows the pictures and articles about the services we have done over the year,” Erin Carney said.

“It’s fun working together, planning these things … and it’s cool to see how well people are doing in school.”

The scrapbook is how Liberty’s chapter showcases its work to the national level.

“Last year, we were awarded the Order of the Torch, a national honor for our scrapbook,” Grayson said.

ALD will host their Spring Initiation April 5 in Towns Auditorium, and administration expects to accept 400 new initiatives.

“This year is a record year for us,” Grayson said.

“We had 343 people join last year, so this is good for the first-year student as some will never join their major’s clubs.”

Students can get involved with the ALD and partner in serving the community by participating in the ALD annual campus-wide Teddy Bear Drive March 18-21.

SHARP is a news reporter.

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nominations. All tweets culminate in an awards ceremony, which will be held April 8 in Times Square.

This year, Liberty was entered into the Barnes & Noble (#BNCollege) category, which recognizes the college or university that most effectively uses social media to drive campus engagement with the entire campus community.

Most importantly, the award also celebrates the school’s authentic spirit and attitude, according to the Shorty Awards’ website.

Liberty held a top spot among schools such as West Virginia University, University of Mississippi, Indiana University and others.

“While it’s a distinct honor to receive these accolades from such a prestigious group, our current standing in the Shorty Awards demonstrates, yet again, that Liberty University and our School of Communication and Creative Arts students and faculty stand at the exciting ‘cutting edge’ of the social media revolution,” Dean of the School of Communication Norman Mintle said.

According to Professor Bruce Kirk, who led the response team for the Barnes & Noble (BNCollege) category, Liberty’s high standing was due in large part to the “extraordinary talented student teams.”

“We’ve already won a place in the top tier,” Kirk said. “That means we beat just about every ‘name’ communication, business and/or journalism school in the nation in our category. This is just another example of the fact that our students are not just ‘crazy Christians,’ but they

Liberty Champion/A7

“I nominate @LibertyU for a Shorty Award in #BNcollege because in the Old Greek, ‘Liberty University’ actually translates to ‘Shorty Award.’”

— JUSTIN KINTZEL are talented, innovative and extraordinarily valuable ‘crazy Christians,’ and this will only increase employer demand for our graduates.”

According to Kirk, communication has launched into a new world of immediate and interactive media, and Liberty University is in the forefront.

“This just shows how right our dean, Dr. Norman Mintle, was when he came in and called for a ‘world-class’ social media capability for our school,” Kirk said.

With help from communications students like Jamie Vest, Mark Landis, Kerah Kemmerer and Jake Holland, a promotional video, as well as tweets and Facebook posts, were made in part to increase votes for the award.

“We had two days to shoot and edit a ‘Gangnam Style’ dance, and I’ve never been so stressed out in my life,” Vest said. “But to have such a great response made it so worth it.”

According to Holland, he was recruited by Kirk to help boost awareness and get the student body voting in favor of Liberty in the #BNCollege category.

“I jumped on board with tweeting — like a maniac — and encouraged friends and students to do the same,” Holland said.

“We were able to rally together over the course of 48 hours and push Liberty

from sixth to first place.”

Among the numerous social media outlets available, Holland prefers Twitter and Instagram.

“I like the limitations of Twitter, as far as how much you can post in one tweet,” Holland said. “Facebook can get bogged down with people posting entire books as their status updates. Instagram is great too, as far as challenging myself creatively in the field of mobile photography and beyond.

It’s such a fun community of creative minds.”

Kemmerer, a School of Communication’s Graduate Student Assistant, works predominately with the department’s social media, as well as for a non-profit and her father’s company.

“I have utilized some aspect of social media in every job I’ve had since undergrad,” Kemmerer said. “Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn are some of the most useful platforms through which to promote a company and interact with its given client base.”

The Shorty Awards ceremony will be streamed live online at livestream. com/shortyawardslive. To stay updated with School of Communication events and campaigns, check out their Facebook page, Twitter and Pinterest page.

OELRICH is the news editor.

NEWS

A8/Liberty Champion

March 5, 2013

CRASH continued from A1 saw the bus go straight at the intersection before their own car turned left. As they made the turn, the bus drifted to the left and down the hill, appearing to bounce twice before stopping.

“When it stopped, all the lights were still on,” Travers said. “It was almost like a faint glow, and smoke was coming out from the bottom.

My friends bolted out of the car, and I went to park and (then) ran down there as well.”

According to Travers, both Liberty and the Lynchburg police as well as medical crews converged on the scene minutes after it happened.

“Once we got down there, one of our guys called 911,” Liberty freshman Justin Liskowski said.

“We were checking to see if anyone was underneath the bus. Fortunately, no one was underneath the bus, and the people that were on (the bus) got out of the bus and laid down by the stairwell (near the tunnel).”

Crews made sure it was safe for everyone involved before workers began towing the bus back onto the road.

Around 10 p.m., police officers and crews from Bee Line Towing began removing the bus from the walkway near the tunnel, leaving displaced and broken bricks. The tunnel remained closed for the rest of the night as officials and crews investigated what happened.

Police have yet to release the cause of the accident.

BATTLE is the asst. sports editor.

LEASURE is the feature editor.

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

RECYCLING — Bins around campus give students the opportunity to recycle various materials.

Students enact “Care for Creation” Dylan Friberg dwfriberg@liberty.edu

Members are reviving a former Liberty University club known as Care For Creation Association (CFCA) this semester with a fresh drive to encourage the stewardship of God’s creation and to promote an environmentally healthy campus.

According to club President Robert Morris, CFCA existed in 2010 before becoming inactive following the graduation of leading club members. Morris said that as the club returns from inactivity, members have been making a push to help make students and the university more environmentally conscious.

According to Morris, first among the objectives of the revitalized club is to promote stewardship. This idea is based on the command found in Genesis 1:28, when God blesses Adam and Eve with domin-

ion over the earth and all that lives in it. Members of CFCA believe that God has given humans the earth and placed us in charge of taking care of it. Morris believes that taking care of the earth begins with respect for the environment.

“We’re supposed to be good stewards of our bodies, good stewards of our relationships, and good stewards of the environment,” Morris said. “We want to be good stewards of creation, and we believe that this is mandated.”

Club Treasurer Caleb Vance said that a primary goal of the club is to have recycling bins placed in every dorm. The club also hopes to place bins in other public centers, such as the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall and the Tilley Student Center.

“Most people wouldn’t normally recycle if they had to go out of their way to find recycling bins, but if they were placed in hallways, or in a convenient location, people would

be more likely to recycle,” Vance said.

According to Morris, members of the club are currently discussing practical plans with Liberty’s administrative offices.

Morris said that the goal is not just to find out how to increase environmental efforts on campus, but also how to do so economically.

Morris said that in the long run, CFCA hopes to help the university set up a simple way for students to monitor their utility use. Hundreds of other university’s around the country use utility measuring devices to keep students informed of needless waste. According to Morris, not only is such a system good for awareness, but also for environmental contests and activities that challenge students to save as much as possible.

During preliminary talks between the club members, they agreed that overall awareness is a large pillar of what

CFCA wants to achieve on Liberty’s campus. Members believe that many students would act more environmentally conscious if they simply knew the changes they could make.

“The impact that we are leaving doesn’t just stretch to our kids and grandkids,” Morris said. “It stretches to 10-15 generations, and even further along. Is that the impact that we want to leave, or do we want to be good stewards to leave the environment better than we received it?”

Morris said that the club plans to change its name to Students For Stewardship in the near future to clearly and publicly state the purpose of its members.

For more information, visit the clubs and organizations page at liberty.edu/studentaffairs.

FRIBERG is a news reporter.

SPORTS

MARCH 5, 2013

M. Lacrosse

M. Basketball

Softball

M. Tennis

W. Lacrosse

Liberty 19

Liberty 73 Radford 56

Liberty 7 Manhattan 0

Liberty 7 Guliford 0

Liberty 21 Delaware St. 4

Coastal 6

The fantastic five

Senior Portraits

Lady Flames seniors are recognized as they defeat Charleston Southern 88-62 Derrick Battle dbattle2@liberty.edu

Parents and family gathered with senior players and managers to celebrate their last home game before the Liberty Lady Flames (24-6, 16-2 Big South) trounced the Charleston Southern Lady Buccaneers (8-19, 3-15 Big South), 88-62.

Something that has never happened in the careers of these five Lady Flames finally took place with 5:45 left in the game. The crowd cheered as forwards Tolu Omotola, Terika Lunsford and Brittany Campbell, as well as guards LaKendra Washington and Devon Brown, entered the court together for the first and last time.

“It was really exciting,” Campbell said. “I think it was a little hectic because all five of us never have played at the same time before.”

These five Lady Flames finished the game with 54 points and 26 rebounds before they exited the game with 3:20 left in the second half.

With the victory, Liberty earned their 300th Big South victory, as well as tied for the most conference wins in a season with 16 — a mark the Lady Flames set last year.

“I am very pleased for the opportunity of tying our own record,” Head Coach Carey Green said. “It is just an indication of a lot of hard work. I’m just thankful to be able to work with such a great group under the leadership of five great seniors.”

As soon as the game began, Liberty was aggressive and attacked the Charleston Southern defense.

Within four seconds, Campbell put the first points on the board.

Only trailing once the entire game, the Lady Flames were able to put together a 20-7 run, jumping to a 30-17 lead with 7:24 remaining.

Points in the paint and rebounding helped the Lady Flames as they headed into halftime with a 43-29 lead. As a team, they collected 33 rebounds and had 26 points.

“I tried to bottle up my emotions and leave it all out there on the floor,” Omotola said. “I didn’t

BROWN

“I would have to say my biggest memory is winning the Big South Championship for as many years I have been here. We have won three out of four.”

“My biggest memory as a Lady Flame was during my sophmore year, when Devon (Brown) hit her game winning shot.”

CAMPBELL

“Last year playing in the Big South tournament was big for me. It was my first time winning the championship.”

LUNSFORD

“Playing at Notre Dame and being in front of that audience and playing on their court was the biggest memory I had.”

OMOTOLA Jake Mitchell | Liberty Champion

ALL ON THE COURT — In her last home game at Vines, Devon Brown finishes with 19 points and 11 rebounds. want to have any regrets and (did) not hold anything back. I was really excited to play in my last opportunity to play on this floor.”

Omotola ended the half with 14 points and six rebounds. Brown tallied seven points, seven rebounds and two steals, and center Jasmine Gardner added nine points and 10 rebounds.

As the second half began, the Lady Flames continued to con-

trol the paint and forced 13 Lady Buccaneers turnovers.

Thirteen of the total 18 Charleston Southern turnovers were steals. Washington led Liberty with three steals and finished the game with three points, four rebounds and an assist.

“I was ready,” Washington said.

“I was so pumped for this game.

WASHINGTON

“Winning the Big South Championship is big for me. I have been here four years. We missed one (championship) of them since I’ve been here, but that ring is amazing.”

See SENIORS, B3

Flames sweep home invite Alex Close’s walk off RBI in the 11th inning lifts Liberty over Army

Courtney Tyree cntyree@liberty.edu

Kyle Harvey kharvey@liberty.edu

Steven Abbott | Liberty Champion

ON A ROLL — Liberty has seven straight home victorites.

The new Liberty University Baseball Stadium played host to Army and Sienna College over the weekend as part of the Liberty Invitational. Playing in anything but summery weather, Liberty’s boys of summer won each of their four games in the invite, two against each team.

Friday vs. Army Liberty University baseball fans who came out to cheer the Flames on to victory over the Army Black Knights, 6-4, in the Liberty Invitational Friday, March 1 witnessed history.

Outfielder Nick Paxton hit for a cycle — the first one in nearly seven years and first in the new ballpark. His cycle started with a single, then a home run in the bottom of the third inning. Next came the triple, before finally the double

in the seventh inning.

The last person to hit for a cycle was third baseman Chad Miller in 2006.

“It felt great,” Paxton said.

“I haven’t hit one like that in a game ever, so it felt pretty good.”

The first two innings were scoreless until Army’s Grant Van Orden and Jon Crucitti scored in the top of the third.

Liberty caught up later in the

See INVITE, B4

We’ll see you at the game Baseball vs.

William & Mary

March 5 @ 12 p.m.

M. Tennis vs.

Longwood

March 6 @ 1 p.m.

Baseball vs.

Maryland March 6 @ 3 p.m.

W. Lacrosse vs.

St. Francis (Pa.) March 7 @ 3 p.m.

M. Lacrosse vs.

Tennessee Wes. March 7 @ 12 a.m.

SPORTS

B2/Liberty Champion

March 5, 2013

Scorching a rival Lady Flames defeat Coastal 6-1, now 2-1 in conference Steven Sullivan Ssullivan5@liberty.edu

The Lady Flames beat the Lady Chanticleers 6-1 Saturday, March 2, enduring almost freezing weather.

“It’s a real big deal that we beat our rival at Liberty,” Rebekah Jenkins said. “It’s a really good feeling when you beat that giant.”

The Lady Flames played strong in the doubles matchups, winning both. Liberty’s pairings of Jenkins and Nicola Wellman defeated Shelby Bates and Kourtney Kowl of Coastal Carolina, 8-5. In addition, Liberty’s duo of Brittany Yang and Jessie Boda defeated Coastal’s couple of Vanessa Ortiz and Mikaela Davies, 8-5.

“First thing is to win the doubles point,” Cameron Richard said. “That’s a big thing. If you win that, you get the extra point and get the momentum going in the singles.”

The next portion of the match is the singles matchups. Liberty defeated Coastal, 5-1. Recording victories in the singles were Jenkins, Alexandra Sheeran, Brittany Yang, Nicola Wellman and Valerie Thong.

“We walked into this matchup with the mindset these girls are here to (play tennis), and we weren’t going to mess around, and we walked on the court with that and gave it our all,” Jenkins said.

The Lady Flames lost only two of the nine matches.

“We’re here, and we’re contending for the top spot, and we’re coming in strong,” Richard said.

With the win, Liberty improved its record to 3-5 and 2-1 in conference play.

As the season is almost coming to an end, the team recognized the importance of today’s game.

The Lady Chanticleers featured a team of five freshmen out of eight tennis players, a new lineup that is different from what Liberty has seen in previous years.

“It’s interesting because we didn’t know a lot about them,” Head Coach Jeff Maren said. “I think they had five new players this year — and for a women’s tennis team, that’s a lot. Coastal has been one of the better teams in the conference for a number of years.”

Unlike Coastal, Liberty has a core group of veteran tennis players. With their eyes on a Big South Championship, they understand that winning is a process.

“We are about the journey, getting from point A to point B,” Maren said. “So, this win is a part of the process that we are trying to move to conference (tournament).”

The weather played some factor in the matchup. With temperatures in the low 40s, both teams had to push through the almost freezing conditions.

“It kind of slows you down because your body is not as warm,” Richard said.

“Also, in the cold weather, the balls do not bounce as high. So, you really have to focus on your foot work and getting to

Kyle Milligan| Liberty Champion

TAG TEAM — Rebekah Jenkins and Nicola Wellman helped Liberty go 2-1 in doubles. the ball early because it’s not going to get there as fast.”

The Lady Flames begin a three-game road trip March 7 against UNC Asheville. They return home March 19 for a

game against East Carolina.

SULLIVAN is a sports reporter.

Flames lose in semifinals Tom Foote tfoote2@liberty.edu

A breakaway goal late in the second period by junior forward Christian Garland sparked a 7-1 victory by the Liberty University men’s D1 hockey team in the first round of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) tournament vs.

John Carroll University Friday, March 1.

However, the win was shortlived when Liberty was defeated by the Ohio Bobcats, 7-4, in the second round of the tournament.

With the game tied 1-1 late in the second period, sophomore goalie Clayton Brown made two saves to preserve the lead for the Flames.

Liberty’s Lindsay LeBlanc won the ensuing faceoff after Brown’s save. Teammate Scott Morongell chipped a pass over the defenders’ heads to a fastcharging Garland, who was able to sneak the puck through the goaltender’s five-hole to score the game-winning goal.

“The Garland goal came about after a huge save from Clayton Brown,” Liberty Head Coach Kirk Handy said. “The key (to the game) was some huge saves by Brown that kept us in the game.”

The Flames controlled the play throughout the game, but Garland’s goal late in the second period helped ignite the Flames offensive attack in the third period.

“The team knew that the second goal would be a turning point in the game,” Garland said. “It was only a matter of time before we got it with our dominance during both the first and second periods.”

Although they controlled most of the game, the 13th seeded Flames were not without adversity as the 20th seeded John Carroll Blue Streaks capitalized off an unfortunate bounce to claim a 1-0 lead just 3:30 into the game.

“We knew from the get-go that they would come out strong in the first,” Garland said. “We eliminated many chances early, and they came out with a goal off of an unlucky bounce for us.”

However, the Flames bounced back with a goal of their own in the first period, as sophomore defenseman

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

SURVIVAL— Liberty was 1-1 before the game against Ohio.

“We knew that once we took a two-goal lead, it would take the wind out of our opponent’s sails.”

— GARLAND Cam Bakker fired a wrist shot past the Blue Streaks goaltender with 11:46 left in the first period.

The Flames continued to create numerous chances throughout the first period, but they were unable to add another goal despite a staggering 23-7 edge in shots.

Handy and Garland both reiterated the point that sticking to their game-plan, continuing to shoot the puck and not panicking were major factors in keeping their composure.

“We knew we were fine and we were going to score, so it was just to stay calm and play our game,” Liberty senior forward Rick Turner said. “It was frustrating at times, seeming like we had shot after shot, but we knew it would come to us.”

The second period was similar to the first, as the Flames continued to outshoot the Blue Streaks, leading to Garland’s game-winning goal.

“The key play was Garland’s breakaway,” Turner said. “(The goal) put us up one, and then the floodgates opened up for us, and we put a lot in the back of the net from then on.”

Garland’s goal would not have been possible without an individual effort by Brown, who stopped 26 of 27 shots he faced on the night.

“Playing with a goalie in the net who you know you can trust to make saves during important times during the game is huge — especially at a tournament like this,” Garland said.

The Flames carried that 2-1 lead into the third period, where they finally broke away by scoring five goals.

Turner scored the Flames third goal of the night on a power play just 2:19 into the third period.

“I was in the slot and (Andrew) McCombe hit me with a nice pass,” Turner said. “I just fired it low glove because he was pretty good high glove all game.”

Turner’s goal early in the third period was the start of an offensive explosion by the Flames, as they would quickly add four more.

“The team was confident in our ability to score,” Garland said “We knew that once we took a two-goal lead, it would take the wind out of our opponent’s sails.”

Just a few minutes after giving the Flames a 3-1 lead, Turner added another goal for the Flames, and the rout was officially on.

Andrew McCombe, Caleb Grow and Scott Morongell each added a goal in the third period for the Flames to highlight the five-goals, which tied with the Flames top scoring period of the season.

“The third period, we played a bit harder, and it paid off,” Turner said. “Once we netted a few, the floodgates opened up, and one after another kept going in.”

FOOTE is a sports reporter.

Jody Johnson | Liberty Champion

GETTIN’ IT ROLLING — The Lady Flames have put together two straight wins and now look to continue their success on the road.

Smokin’ Aces Brittingham shutout leads Liberty to 7-0 win Michael Williams Mwwilliams5@liberty.edu

Liberty freshman Annah Jo Brittingham made the Manhattan Jaspers’ bats cold, striking out five while allowing only two hits in a 7-0 win.

The Lady Flames did not hesitate to ignite the offense early.

Katie Zavodny reached base on an error, followed by an infield single by shortstop Blair Lawrence.

Strategic base running was key to the first run as Lawrence made a go for second. As soon as the ball left the Manhattan catcher’s mitt, Zavodny scored to put the Flames ahead, 1-0.

Later, Sammi Shivock brought Lawrence home on a squeeze bunt to bring the lead to two runs while loading the bases, but Manhattan pitcher Kate Bowen struck out Megan Robinson to avoid any further damage.

Brittingham tossed a no hitter through three and a third innings, but Bowen ended it with a sharp single into the outfield. However, Brittingham and her defense retired the next two batters, leaving Bowmen stranded at first.

The Flames loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning and Katie Hon brought Robinson home, giving Liberty a three-run lead. Manhattan had a chance to get back into the game in the top half of the fifth, loading the bases, but Brittingham and the Flames escaped unscathed.

The big blow to Manhattan’s comeback attempt came in the bottom half of the fifth, when the Lady Flames Megan Robinson sent a three-run blast over the fence and ended Bowmen’s day in the circle as Liberty doubled its lead to 6-0. The Lady Flames tallied another run in the sixth, and Brittingham finished off the Jaspers as Liberty captured the 7-0 win.

It was the first shut out for the Lady Flames of the season. Brittingham tossed a complete game, allowing no runs on two hits with five strikeouts. The Lady Flames improved to 5-7 while the Jaspers dropped to 0-1.

WILLIAMS is a sports reporter.

SPORTS

March 5, 2013

Liberty Champion/B3

The Tebow Top 10 List Ruth Bibby| Liberty Champion

BREAKING THE CEILING — Liberty’s men’s track and field team places fifth out of 44 teams.

On track to Boston ECAC/IC4A qualifiers set personal best against the nations top-notch athletes Emily Brown erbrown@liberty.edu

Distance runner junior Josh MacDonald finished with Liberty’s highest placing as the men’s and women’s track and field teams wrapped up their indoor seasons at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships in Boston, Mass., March 1-3.

In three days of competition, 30 Liberty athletes competed in a field including more than 120 schools.

Those participating in the championships met or exceeded ECAC/ IC4A qualifying standards in their individual events throughout the indoor seasons.

In the ECAC Championship, redshirt senior Christina Mitchell finished the pentathlon in fourth place with a total of 3,614 points for the Lady Flames. Mitchell was a top finisher in the championship pentathlon for the second time in her career. She placed third in 2011.

Teammate Audrey Bamford finished in eighth place in the pentathlon in her first appearance at the championship meet. Sophomore Riley Brandon also competed in the championship for the first time, earning ninth place in the multi-event. The three Lady Flames combined to produce six team points for the women.

On the second day of the meet, sophomore Melissa Rohwer finished the triple jump in 14th place with a distance of 38-3.25. Janae Jones jumped for 38-1.25 and came in just behind Rohwer for 15th place.

On the track, senior Khristina Kanagy set a new personal record in the 5000-meter run, finishing the race with a time of 17:13.96.

Kanagy’s time earned her 19th place in the event.

In the IC4A Championship, the Liberty men posted notable field finishes in the weight throw and

SENIORS continued from B1 Coming out, playing with the group of girls we have, we all had energy, we were ready to play.”

With 2:35 remaining in the game, Liberty had its largest lead of the evening with 31 points.

In all, Omotola finished the game with 21 points and eight rebounds. Both Brown and Gardner had double-doubles. Brown ended with 19 points, 11 rebounds and two steals, while Gardner had 11 points and 15 rebounds.

The Lady Flames outrebounded Charleston Southern 54-25 and had 22 second chance points.

Also, 27 of their 88 points came from off the bench.

high jump during the first two days of competition.

Ryan Smith threw for 61-6.25 and earned fifth place in the weight throw. Smith placed for the third consecutive year in the IC4A event.

High-jumper Kyle Wheeler finished the competition in seventh place after clearing 6-9. Smith and Wheeler contributed 5.5 points to the team score.

Redshirt freshman Cody Bingham also contributed a point to the Flames team total with an eighthplace finish in the heptathlon.

MacDonald crossed the finish line in third place in the men’s 5000-meter run, providing six team points. MacDonald’s time of 14:10.33 was more than three seconds faster than the 2012 championship-winning time. He also improved his personal best time by 17 seconds.

Freshman Jeremie Bourget and redshirt sophomore Ngetich Kipchirchir also set personal records in the 5000. Bourget took 10th place with a time of 14:29.28, and Kipchirchir crossed the finish line at 14:41.98 for 20th place.

After an impressive indoor season, the track and field teams will now transition to outdoor competition.

“It’s always fun when we can start outdoor,” Head Coach Brant Tolsma said. “We’re looking forward to our first meet.”

The Flames and the Lady Flames will travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to begin their outdoor seasons with the Coastal Carolina Invitational March 8-9. Liberty will then host the Liberty Collegiate Invitational April 5-6 at the newly refurbished Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex.

The Big South Outdoor Track and Field Championships will also be held at the improved facility toward the end of April.

BROWN is a sports reporter.

“That’s who we have been,” Green said. “Our identity is to be very aggressive. We are blessed to have four big post players, and they have been doing a pretty good job of (rebounding) all year long.”

As the regular season come to a close, Liberty sits atop the Big South and has won 11 straight games heading into the postseason play. Most importantly, the Lady Flames are poised to win their fifth Big South Championship in six years.

“As we go into conference tournament play, we want to be executing and not be on an emotional high,” Green said. “Right now, we want to take the fundamentals of the game

Sportiqe|Creative Commons

Well everyone, it is finally here.

The moment we have all been waiting for is nearly upon us: Tim Tebow arrives Friday, March 8. That being said, the Liberty Champion sports desk has compiled a short list of the things we are pretty sure could happen at the long-anticipated Convocation.

1. Home-schooler’s revenge — For all those loud and proud homeschoolers out there, your lifetime of getting picked on ends today.

Tebow will probably say something along the lines of, “Who here was homeschooled — (with thumbs pointed back towards himself) this guy.”

2. Girls will have Scripture written on their face in eye black. Better still (or worse) — guys will too.

3. Girls will be waiting outside the Vines Center for Convocation — on Thursday.

4. Tim Tebow will not say anything noteworthy for the first 20 minutes or so, but in the last four minutes, he will come back and cement his place in Convocation history with an inspiring story that ties together the Gospel, the pro-life movement, international missions and relationships in a nice, repeatable quote.

5. Inevitably, because Tebow played in the SEC, Alabama fans will find a way to be obnoxious either with chants or signs — most likely both.

Really, ‘Tide fans? Really?

6. Tim Tebow will pull a “Mike Huckabee” and join the campus band. We already know via his NFL “Mic’d Up” segment that he is an enthusiastic singer.

7. Liberty will make it into Twitter’s trending topics for the second time in three months (the first being Christmas Coffeehouse) with all the Liberty-Tebow related hash tags sure to explode during his speech.

8. Tim Tebow will “Tebow” on stage — to roaring applause.

9. During what will be an otherwise eloquently delivered introduction, Johnnie Moore will mistakenly refer to Tebow’s accomplishments “both on and off the football court.”

10. The Tim Tebow Convocation will, without a doubt, become the highest attended Friday-before-Spring-Break-Convocation ever.

and stay focused. It’s like the old saying, ‘You take your eye off the ball, you get a strike.’ We don’t want to take our eyes off the small things.”

The Lady Flames have a bye in the opening round of the Big South Tournament and will face the winner of the No. 8 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 9 Gardner-Webb in the quarterfinal Friday, March 8 at 8 p.m. in Conway, S.C. BATTLE is the assistant sports editor.

Jake Mitchell| Liberty Champion

REAGANOMICS — Reagan Miller is tied for 11th in Lady Flames history for number of three-point field goals scored, with 84.

B4/Liberty Champion

Editorial:

SPORTS

March 5, 2013

Fans, stay seated until we leave

Coach K. is upset with officials for not helping Duke leave the court after a 73-68 loss to University of Virginia Derrick Battle dbattle2@liberty.edu

After guard Jaron Lane hit the lay-up to tie the game 81-81 and a UNC Asheville timeout with 37 seconds left in overtime, Liberty held the ball for one last shot.

Guard Jesse Sanders dribbled the ball up BATTLE the court and passed it to forward David Minaya, who rose and attempted a shot. It clanked off the rim, but forward John Brown gathered the ball and tipped it in the bucket just as time expired.

The 4,000 fans that filled the Vines Center poured onto the court to celebrate an 83-81 Liberty victory.

This was the scene two years ago when the 15-9 Liberty Flames faced the 10-10 UNC Asheville Bulldogs.

Storming the court after a game is

INVITE continued from B1 inning, when Nick Lacik singled and Paxton knocked him home with a two-run homer over the right field wall.

Lacik started the fifth inning with a walk, and then stole second and third.

Third baseman Dalton Sype popped out, but Lacik made it home on the tag. Paxton was up next and hit a triple to right field, and then scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Ryan Cordell.

“When you have a close game like that, you just have to stay focused, but we were really confident because we’ve been swinging the bat well,” Cordell said.

The Flames kept the scoring run alive in the seventh inning. Paxton completed his cycle with a double.

Cordell sent Paxton home with a single RBI, giving Liberty LU 6 Army 4 a three-run advanLU 4 Sienna 0 tage (5-2). Justin Sizemore then brought Cordell LU 9 Sienna 0 home with a single to left field, putting LU 4 Army 3, Liberty up four.

11 innings The Black Knights came fighting back in the top of the eighth with two outs. With the bases loaded, Army’s Michael Sands hit a single, sending two home and making the score 6-4.

“We just wanted to play hard, and we knew Army was a good team, but we were confident with (Carson) Herndon on the mound,” Cordell said.

Starting pitcher Carson Herndon allowed two runs on five hits during the first five innings and walked two. Closing pitcher Josh Richardson posted his first save of the year.

Scores

Saturday vs. Sienna Flames starting pitcher Brooks Roy threw 103 pitches in eight innings, picking up his second victory of the season against Sienna March 2, 4-0. He retired five batters and relied heavily on a defense that he described as essential to his team’s success.

“Honestly, I just have a great defense,” Roy said. “Cordell, Paxton, Lacik — all those guys. It’s pretty easy to pitch when you got those guys out there, tracking balls down, and our infield doing its job. I’m not a big strikeout pitcher, so it’s important to

a symbolic tradition that occurs when a team that has no business winning achieves victory against a top-ranked opponent. Recently, however, the tradition has become more of a regularity than a special moment.

In a two-week time period, there were at least eight games where fans stormed the floor to celebrate. Villanova has stormed the court twice, but schools such as Indiana, Butler, Gonzaga, North Carolina State and Duke all faced massive crowds.

The most notable incident was Thursday, Feb. 28, when the University of Virginia upended No. 3 Duke, 73-68.

After the loss, Duke Head Coach Mike Kryzewski was not pleased that his team was unable to leave the court before the madness ensued, and he was worried about the safety of his coaches and players.

“It’s not all fun and games when people are rushing the court, especially for the team that lost,” Kryzewski said to the Raleigh News & Observer. “Again, congratuhave a good defense, and they did the job today.”

Sophomore closer Ashton Perritt picked up his first relief win of the year, including one strikeout.

Liberty out-hit Sienna eight to six and played error-free baseball.

It was Cordell and second baseman Bryan Aanderud who kicked off the scoring for the Flames early in the bottom of the first inning. Cordell singled, and Aanderud followed with an RBI double into left centerfield.

Later, in the bottom of the third, left fielder Lacik singled into right field to start the inning and managed to steal second on the ensuing pitch. It was his first of two steals on the afternoon. Paxton popped out to deep right field, and Lacik advanced to third on the tag. Aanderud once again came through with an RBI double to score Lacik, which gave the Flames a 2-0 lead at the end of three.

In the sixth inning, the Flames offense found some rhythm — with a little help from the Saints. After Liberty shortstop Dalton Britt was walked, designated hitter Justin Sizemore hit a single inches above the outstretched glove of the Sienna second baseman. Britt advanced from first to third on the play. Third baseman Sammy Taormina followed and hit an RBI single, allowing Britt to score and sacrificing Sizemore at second.

First baseman Alex Close kept the rally going with a single on a ball that hit the shortstop’s glove before falling to the turf.

Lacik was then walked to load the bases.

This brought on a pitching change for the Saints.

Matt Quintana took the mound for the Saints against Paxton, but he hit Paxton on his very first pitch, allowing Sizemore to walk to home plate for the Flames fourth and final run of the afternoon.

Lacik and Aanderud topped the offensive leaderboard for the day, each getting two hits and scoring one run. Aanderud’s two RBI’s led the team, as did Lacik’s two steals.

“It’s tough to face our lineup,” Roy said. “We’ve got guys that scrap and get on base, and we’ve got guys that hit the long ball as well, too, so it’s a good mixture.”

Sunday vs. Sienna Liberty baseball continued Sunday with a double-header — rematches against Si-

lations to them, and they should have fun and burn benches and do all that stuff.

I’m for that. They have a great school, great kids, but get us off the court. That’s the bottom line.”

Duke has been on the opposite end of the celebration for the past two decades.

Before the game against UVA, they were at the mercy of three other ACC opponents like rivals N.C. State, the Maryland Terrapins and the Miami Hurricanes.

Some would say that the legendary coach is a sore loser. However, Kryzewski may have a point.

Just ask current Charlotte Bobcat and former University of Kentucky Wildcat forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. In a game against the Indian Hoosiers, KiddGilchrist ended up in the bottom of a mosh pit when Hoosier players and students trampled on him after their win.

Now, I am not saying that this action was done purposefully, but Kidd-Gilchrist could have been seriously hurt at the bottom of the dog pile.

Not only should the opposing players’ safety be considered, but that of everyone else who partakes in the frenzy.

Yes, it is a great when a team with no possibility of winning surprises students, along with the nation, but when fan reactions threaten or harm an opposing player, there is a problem.

It really hurts me to say this as a North Carolina Tar Heel fan, but I will come to the defense of Coach K. on this one. He is right this time, no matter how people look at it.

It is great to celebrate a victory, but players and fans need to wait until the opposing team has left the court.

BATTLE is the assistant sports editor.

Steven Abbott | Liberty Champion

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE — The Flames have outscored their opponents 22-7 in the Invitational. enna, and then Army. The Flames pitch- gled to lead off and Wimmer followed by a ing staff went to work on the Saints in the single that advanced Jake Kimble — who first game, with Trey Lambert pitching ran for Sizemore — to third base. Next up seven scoreless innings, giving up only five for the Flames was Close. hits and one walk, as well as striking out “I’ve been struggling lately. I’ll be the three in a 9-0 victory. first to admit that,” Close said. “If I go Relievers Kyle McKelvey and Blake into the batter’s box and don’t tell myself Fulgham each chipped in one scoreless that I’m the best hitter, and continue to inning to preserve the shutout win for the tell myself that I’m a good hitter, and the Flames. On the offensive front, the Flames pitcher has no shot to get me out, I’m gobats produced 13 hits with five players. ing to get out every time. So my thoughts were, ‘You’re a dang good hitter. You’ve Sunday vs. Army just got to put the bat on the ball, and good Later in the evening, fans and players things are going to happen.’” got their first look at the new ballpark unLuckily for the Flames, Close put his bat der the lights. The second game against on the ball to the tune of a walk-off RBI the Black Knights became an 11-inning single. romp, wrought with twists and turns that “We’ll give all the glory to God. That’s would have been more richly enjoyed in what we’re playing for — an audience of warmer weather. one,” Head Coach Jim Toman said. “I’m Temperatures below 40 degrees paired so proud of my players for battling. … The with strong wind gusts kept the flags fully idea is to score one more run than your unfurled and fans bundled in blankets. opponent, and that’s basically what we did “It’s the coldest weekend I’ve ever here tonight.” played in my life,” Close said.

The Flames only allowed three runs in The Flames held a one-run lead at the four games throughout the invitational, top of the ninth when Army connected on thanks in large part to a deep bullpen. Toan RBI single that tied the game at three. man was pleased with his pitching staff After a hitless 10th inning for both and looks forward to making use of even teams, Army looked to have Liberty cor- more of them throughout the next few nered in the top of the 11th, loading the games. bases with two outs. However, Liberty reliever Ashton Perritt mowed down the next batter in the lineup, who struck out TYREE is a sports reporter. swinging.

In the bottom of the 11th, Sizemore sin- HARVEY is the sports editor.

FEATURE

March 5, 2013

Liberty Champion/B5

Lecrae to visit Grammy-winner performs March 22 Jessica Jordan jmjordan@liberty.edu

Christian hip-hop artist and rapper Lecrae, who won a Grammy last month for best Gospel album, will perform in concert with Andy Mineo and Propaganda at the Vines Center March 22 at 8 p.m.

Lecrae, whose full name is Lecrae Moore, attended a Gospel conference with hundreds of other teenagers and stood in awe of the participants’ demonstrated faith, according to reachrecords.com, the website for the recording company to which Lecrae belongs. This conference is where his love for Christ began, and, according to the Reach Records website, it gave him the passion to found Reach Life Ministries five years later in 2005 with Ben Washer, a friend he met through youth ministry.

According to the Reach Records website, Lecrae began his outreach by volunteering, speaking and rapping at a juvenile detention center. Lecrae has released five albums since 2005, and his latest album — entitled “Gravity” — won him a Grammy. His third album, “Rebel,” became the first Christian rap album to ever sit in the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Top Gospel Charts. “Rehab,” his fourth album, brought him to No. 3 on the Top 10 Albums chart on iTunes as well as a Grammy nomination.

“Lecrae has a talent for word-playing, with metaphors and examples of Christianity,” Liberty sophomore Mallory Corpe said. “I admire how he so bluntly portrays the Gospel through rapping. I am really pumped to get ‘cray at Lecrae,’ to see how crazy the crowd gets, and to see such a popular artist perform.”

However, some students had no previous knowledge of Lecrae’s ministry before his visit was announced.

“I have heard a lot of Liberty students on campus talking about Lecrae but have never personally heard his music,” Liberty junior Kimberly Jamison said. “I am excited to hear him perform and witness for myself his … talent. I am glad that Liberty is bringing in a performer with such a different take on Christian music and that they are being so open to more current, modern styles of worship.”

Tickets are already being sold online for the March 22 concert, and they are $5 for Liberty students and $10 for the general public. For more information, call 434.582.SEAT or purchase tickets online.

JORDAN is a feature reporter.

Chris Mabes | Liberty Champion

YOU’VE GOT MAIL— Will Luper finds joy in the little things as he interacts with students over packages.

Post office connections Will Luper allows his people skills to translate to customer service skills

Emily Webster ewebster@liberty.edu

For the outside observer, working at the Liberty University Post Office (LUPO) might appear like a monotonous job of swiping Flames Passes, lugging packages to the counter and scanning box after box while also dealing with the frustrations of damaged or missing items.

For Will Luper, an LUPO employee, this is not the case. Arriving at work at 6:45 a.m. two or three times a week and sorting through packages is just the beginning. Luper uses what may seem like uninteresting and repetitive work as a way to do what he truly loves.

Luper, who graduated with a degree in communications from Liberty in 2008, said that the best part of his day is communicating with students.

“We have some students that come in pretty regularly, and we can recognize them and talk to them, and it’s fun,” Luper said. “I’ve had a couple of our students bring food and presents because we have a good rapport with our regulars.”

After sorting through more than 400 packages each day, Luper said that his curiosity sometimes gets the better of him.

Interesting packages such as bananas, coconuts and even a single flip-flop with a message that its counterpart will soon follow are not in short supply.

“If you order something internationally,

they have to put what is in the package for customs,” Luper said. “(One package) came in, and it said ‘Cigarette Case,’ and I laughed and said (to the student), ‘Hey man, just so you know — that’s on (the package), but I don’t know what you’re using it for.”

Dealing with interesting packages is just one aspect of Luper’s job. Other aspects are not as humorous for the employees, or for the students.

“The most frustrating thing is when the United States Postal Service messes up, or when UPS messes up or FedEx messes up,” Luper said. “We are obviously the face that people talk to, so we deal with a lot of frustration.”

When circumstances like damaged or missing packages occur, Luper said that he understands that students are not mad at him personally. He has learned to let things like that roll off his back.

“If somebody’s mad, personally, I like to explain stuff and make sure they understand what’s going on,” Luper said.

“My goal is to make sure that people will leave here understanding what’s going on, not having questions about stuff and being satisfied with the way things are going and also knowing that we’re going to work as hard as we can to get it to them as soon as it’s here.”

Freshman Christina CampbellBrunson has experienced Luper’s friendly manner despite the frustration of a de-

layed package.

“He’s really nice,” Campbell-Brunson said. “He asks how your day is. If you go a bunch of times, sometimes he’ll remember your name. To deal with that many people, especially around holiday times, and to be able to remember faces and names is pretty cool.”

Campbell-Brunson visited LUPO multiple times over the past few weeks in search of her package and said that she was received with kindness each time.

“They’re really understanding and really nice about it,” Campbell-Brunson said. “I was actually skeptical (about) going back all the time without getting an email. I thought they’d get annoyed, but ... they were really understanding.”

Luper said that his pleasant attitude and mentality comes from knowing that there are unfriendly people that students have to deal with, and he does not wish to be one of them.

“If I go someplace, I want to be treated nicely,” Luper said. “I don’t want to be another grumpy face. Most of the time, everyone is really nice, so I’ll smile … and try to make conversation.”

According to Luper, his personal approach to the job has made all the difference.

WEBSTER is a feature reporter.

Liberty student owns recording studio Kyle Hoppe discovered his passion for producing music at an early age and now runs Proclamation Studios James Ebrahim jebrahim2@liberty.edu

Kyle Hoppe studies worship at Liberty University, which for many students brings to mind stereotypical images of v-neck shirts, TOMS shoes and skinny jeans. Though these attributes describe Hoppe, it was his love of music that provided him with the passion to open his own production studio while still attending college.

Proclamation Studios is not just the name of Hoppe’s studio, although most of his work is done in Green Bay, Wis. The mixing and audio recording he does while studying at Liberty is also created under that title.

“I chose the name Proclamation because it is my goal to make recording, mixing, mastering and all those services accessible to anyone,” Hoppe said.

“I’d love to see Proclamation Studios turn into a network of artists and engineers who work together and produce great music.”

— KYLE HOPPE According to Hoppe, juggling schoolwork and recording can be a challenge, but his passion for the work lightens the load.

“It’s just what I love to do, so I cut down on video games and Breaking Bad to make time for it,” he said jokingly.

Hoppe also said that prioritizing music and school helps him get better at what he does. His work includes recording, mixing and mastering both covers and original music by Liberty students.

The conflict between keeping prices low and sustaining production costs is one of the potential problems that Hoppe said

he faces when considering sound engineering for a living, and he laments the high prices charged by record studios.

“I think restricting art based on how much money people have is not really appreciating it,” Hoppe said. “Obviously, there are expenses in recording, but at the same time, if I’m just looking to make money, it is just a business. For me, music is not just a business.”

Although Hoppe is studying to become a pastor, he started producing music with the help of his father.

“My dad got me an eight-track recorder. It was my first digital

work station because I couldn’t afford a laptop. I did a lot of work on that until I got a computer.”

One of Hoppe’s friends, who also produced music, played a part in his decision to learn the craft.

“I got to watch someone experience it in front of me,” Hoppe said. “I got the things that he was getting after I had already seen what he could do with them.”

Now that he can choose what artists to collaborate with, Hoppe said that he has had to make some tough decisions.

“It’s sad that sometimes I have to turn people down that I would normally want to work with be-

cause their music has horrible content,” Hoppe said.

According to his company’s website, Proclamation Studio’s goal is to record artists and give them the tools to share their music with the world.

“I’d love to see Proclamation Studios turn into a network of artists and engineers who work together to produce great music,” he said.

Hoppe said that he will continue to work on his degree at Liberty, but the quest for new artists and engineers to work with is never finished.

EBRAHIM is a feature reporter.

FEATURE

B6/Liberty Champion

March 5, 2013

World of Social Media Alumnus Josh Beaty visits Liberty to share knowledge Greg Leasure gleasure@liberty.edu

Jenny House | Liberty Champion

GAMING — Members play and discuss games during Thursday night meetings.

Virtual exploration Freshman student starts Liberty video game club Josh Brandenstein jbrandenstein@liberty.edu

Each Thursday in DeMoss 4066, video game enthusiasts meet under the leadership of freshman and Liberty University Video Game Club President Jonathan Cole.

According to Cole, the group meets for a variety of game-based discussion, as well as for watching and playing games, but the club might not have been created had it not been for a friendly challenge.

“I was eating at Doc’s with a friend last semester, and we were joking about having a video game club,” Cole said.

“The next day, I was talking about it with other friends, and some said I could not do it.”

Cole said that he would prove them wrong, and he did, officially launching the club Nov. 27, 2012.

The video game club now boasts a unique distinction. Almost all of the club’s officials are second-semester Liberty freshmen. The only difficulty they ran into, according to Cole, was finding a professor to approve the club. After a week, Associate Professor of Information Systems Jerry Westhall signed the

much-needed paperwork, making their club official. “(The meeting discussions) range from creation of games to overall design,” video game club member Kevin Wheeler said. “(We) usually end up playing a popular game with 50 other people.”

Some of the group’s short-term goals include game tournaments, Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) teams, and a university-wide Minecraft server, according to Cole.

In the long run, they hope to compete with other colleges and organizations, send a group to Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and establish an outreach program — through which they would like to visit other colleges and high schools, sharing Christ along with their passion for video games, Cole said.

Cole also explained that as part of the outreach, they are considering finding a way to integrate with Campus Serve to have kids in the community play video games with them in order to have the opportunities to minister to them.

BRANDENSTEIN is a feature reporter.

Diamonds are said to be a girl’s best friend, and in a way, Liberty University alumnus Josh Beaty makes his living on them.

Beaty, the director of social media and community for Diamond Candles in Raleigh, N.C., visited his alma mater Thursday, Feb. 28 to share some of the secrets of his trade with Liberty’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

The “World of Social Media” event, which was held on the third floor of DeMoss, was open to PRSSA members as well as the public.

According to Kristen Gorsuch, the president of Liberty’s PRSSA chapter, Beaty gave Liberty public relations students an opportunity to learn how to “effectively utilize social media and keep up with trends.”

During his address, Beaty revealed some of the best websites to attract customers, manage the company’s social media outlets and analyze the successfulness of his efforts — including desk.com and mention.net.

“Students will benefit from the wisdom that Josh (Beaty) can share from his past and present successes in attracting attention to a thriving business,” Gorsuch said.

After graduating from Liberty in 2008 and completing a master’s degree from Liberty in 2012, Beaty now oversees all of his company’s involvement in various social media, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Diamond Candles boasts nearly 250,000 likes on Facebook and has nearly 25,000 followers on Twitter.

Beaty explained the value of effectively meeting the needs of customers through social media, while surrounded by a display of colorful rings and candles.

Each scented candle made by Diamond Candles contains one ring worth $10, $100, $1,000 or $5,000 buried beneath the wax, and the excitement of the PRSSA members reached a peak

Photo Provided

BLING — Each candle has a ring. as Beaty announced that each person would receive either a candle or a ring to take home.

According to Beaty, Diamond Candles has experienced substantial growth in its first few years of doing business, due in part to the company’s social media efforts.

As PRSSA members sampled the scents of their free candles after the event, Beaty said that the most important piece of advice that he hoped people would remember from his talk was that people should work for a company that they have a passion for.

The reason Beaty has a passion for managing Diamond Candles’ social media is not hard to figure out when he views videos and pictures of customers pulling out a ring from the middle of a wax-filled candle. For Diamond Candles and many other businesses, connecting with customers is what his job is all about.

LEASURE is the feature editor.

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PRACTICE— The cast rehearsed for 4-5 weeks before the play’s premiere.

ALL MY SONS continued from B8 “This is obviously a grand view scale of what dishonesty can do,” Towns said. “In small ways, this is what it does every time.”

According to Brasher, each production demands approximately 70 hours of preparation from the cast.

“Probably the most gratifying thing is to see the progression of the ac-

tors, especially because this is a theater education program,” Brasher said.

“We have some very good actors in this cast.”

Tatum said that she is excited to see the reaction that people like her grandfather, a Korean War veteran, will have to the show.

“People who grew up in that time period, I’m excited to see their reactions,” Tatum said.

Brasher has included a note in the program, dedicating the performance

to the veterans of World War II and all the members of the armed forces.

According to Brasher, that is a message that the cast and crew of “All My Sons” wants to clearly depict.

“All My Sons” will be performed six times, concluding with a performance March 5 at 7:30 p.m.

WARRENDER is an asst. section editor.

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FEATURE

March 5, 2013

Liberty Champion/B7

Mission funding gets creative Liberty students sell goods and perform music as a new approach to raising money for mission trips Sophia Hahn shahn3@liberty.edu

“Buy a donut to help send me to Southeast Asia,” one student yelled as she stood outside of the Vines Center before Convocation. Students at Liberty University are always finding new ways to raise money for their mission trips.

Liberty frequently sends out mission teams to help spread the Gospel. Students who volunteer for these trips usually raise their own money, and many get creative in their efforts.

Nikko Stuart, a junior majoring in audio broadcasting, went on a mission trip to Italy last June. Stuart said that he raised money in several different ways before he left, including holding a benefit concert, posting statuses on Facebook and selling bracelets and desserts.

“Facebook was very convenient and could get the word out to all of my friends quicker than asking individually,” Stuart said. “I also know people love music and will pay to watch and listen, especially for a good cause, so I thought that (the benefit concert) was a good idea.”

While many students said that raising money can sometimes be a strenuous process, Stuart said that he found it enjoyable. According to him, he scheduled a benefit concert in Towns Auditorium, which was moved to a smaller classroom because of complications. However, the move only helped his proceeds, and he was able to receive donations for his entire mission team.

“I think it turned out better than it would have in the Towns Auditorium because everyone was so close together,” Stuart said. “It felt more personal.”

Chris Cannon, a senior majoring in criminal justice, took an alternative route to raising money for his mission trip. Cannon went to Guatemala the same summer Stuart went to Italy, but instead of raising all of his funds beforehand, he received

donations during his trip.

During the three months that Cannon spent in Guatemala, he sold souvenirs through Facebook that he bought in Guatemala as well as original songs that he had recorded through iTunes.

“The missionary we were working with in Guatemala mentioned that it would be a good business plan to buy souvenirs cheap in Guatemala and sell them for profit in the United States,” Cannon said. “Instead of doing it for profit, I did it for fundraising.”

However, other students prefer a more typical form of fundraising, asking for money from friends and family through letters and other correspondence.

Tom Sosin, a junior majoring in psychology and Christian counseling, took the more direct route of asking for donations. Sosin has been on numerous mission trips since going to Germany in 2009, including living in Norway for the past four months in order to be a more handson missionary.

“I sent out letters and then intentionally followed up with people — on the phone, face-to-face,” Sosin said. “In three months, God built my monthly support team, a network of churches and prayer warriors consisting of people of almost every profession.”

According to Sosin, instead of getting all the money he needed right up front, a support team gave him smaller amounts of money each day he was on his mission trip. Sosin learned about this technique through his career missionary preparatory course, which helps prepare students for mission trips.

“God put people in my path,” Sosin said. “All credit to him.”

From seeking donations to selling goods, Liberty students raise money many different ways, but the goal remains the same — spreading the Gospel to all the world.

HAHN is a feature reporter.

Photo Provided

GUATEMALA MADE — Chris Cannon sells souvenirs through Facebook to raise funds.

Photo Provided

GROUP EFFORT —The FACS Association sells bracelets for Threads of Hope organization.

FRIDAY, APRIL 12 • 7:30 P.M . • VINES CENTER TICKET INFORMATION

LIBERTY STUDENTS - $7 ADV : GENERAL PUBLIC - $10 ADV FOR TICKET INFORMATION CALL (434) 582-SEAT OR PURCHASE ONLINE AT LIBERTY.EDU/SA FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL STUDENTACTIVITIESINFO@LIBERTY.EDU OR CALL (434) 592-3061

featuring Rend Collective Experiment & Moriah Peters

FEATURE

MARCH 5, 2013

‘All My Sons’ premieres Liberty’s cast depicts subtle themes in a play dedicated to veterans Sara Warrender sewarrender2@liberty.edu

Photo Provided

BLAST — Master’s Inn provides opportunities to soar.

Master’s Inn offers free fun Liberty students can participate in activities at the Lynchburg camp Josh Brandenstein jbrandenstein@liberty.edu

From paintball tournaments, ropes courses and horseback riding to dodgeball tournaments, hayrides and wakeboarding, The Master’s Inn offers many opportunities designed to get the blood flowing — all of which are free for Liberty University students to take part in.

The camp has been around almost as long as Liberty — it was founded in 1974 — and, according to the camp’s staff, most employees and volunteers are Liberty alumni or current students.

“It’s pretty much the most fun you’ll ever have in your entire life,” Children’s Camp Director Adam Mullins said.

According to the camp’s website, The Master’s Inn Ministries is designed to share the Gospel with everyone from children to adults through camping and outdoor recreation.

While paintball costs only $5, and wakeboarding costs $10, all of the activities offered are otherwise free of charge for students, according to Mullins.

“We’re just awesome like that,” Mullins said in reference to the cost. “We just started this program for Liberty students to come out and have a blast. It’s something we enjoy doing, so we know you’ll enjoy it too. We’re trying to get the word out now. It’s surprising how few students know about us.”

According to Mullins, those who come to The Master’s Inn will be hooked. The camp also offers a kickball tournament in March and a night dodgeball tournament in April.

“Paintball, horseback riding and our ropes course are the main things we’ll be doing with Liberty students, but there’s plenty more to do,” Camp Director Sean Mills said.

The Master’s Inn has two available paintball courses. One is a smaller course with various natural and man-made obstacles, and the other is a longer field containing two tree forts and crisscrossing trenches. Horseback riding takes students through the forest. The ropes course features a rock climbing wall, a leap of faith from a telephone pole to a trapeze bar, and a mish-mash climbing course through suspended tires, rope ladders and nets.

The Master’s Inn website also lists multiple wakeboarding opportunities that will take place throughout the month of April.

“The counselors and staff are easy to talk to, and they make a point to get to know you and invest in you and your life,” previous summer camp counselor Julia Weisenstein said. “I made some friends to last a lifetime and learned verses that are forever hidden in my heart. It’s amazing to see how (God) works in and through everyone who steps foot on the property — whether they are campers, church leaders or staff.

I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

According to Liberty Student Activities, they help promote The Master’s Inn, and students can find more information about what is available to Liberty students at liberty. edu/sa.

Some of the activities offered have already started, but they will continue throughout the semester.

To find out more about upcoming events, visit the themastersinn.com/liberty.

BRANDENSTEIN is a feature reporter.

A storm rolled across the stage of Liberty University’s Tower Theater opening night March 1 as the cast prepared to reveal a story riddled with tragic themes.

According to Neal Brasher, the play’s director, “All My Sons” is a naturalistic play set in the mid-20th century. The play follows the story of a post-World War II family who deals with the loss of Larry Keller, who is supposedly missing in action.

Kate Keller, the mother of Larry and Chris Keller, struggles through daily life without Larry and with the realization that his previous love has transferred her feelings to Chris.

“The first act is all about covering up those issues and putting on a smile, but in the second and third act, things start getting churned up,” Witney Tatum, who played Kate Keller, said.

Joe Keller, the father of Larry, supposedly produced faulty parts for WWII fighter planes — causing the death of many men. The play leaves the audience unsure about the truth of this until the performance’s conclusion.

“Jesus talked about loving your neighbor as yourself,” Brasher said.

“The moral of this play is about human beings all being responsible to each other — that we belong to each other.”

According to Brasher, the symbolic actions and lighting effects used in the play are expressionistic.

Many of the cast members often refer to a fallen tree displayed on set. The tree holds hidden value, according to Brasher.

“Right after WWII, a lot of fami-

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

TRUTH — The play demonstrates the consequences of dishonesty. lies would plant trees in honor of fallen family members,” Caleb Towns, who played Chris Keller, said. “The fact that it fell down on this day, and everything was coming out, that’s Larry in the show. If we reference that tree, we’re thinking about my brother, their son, their lover. He’s still a very real part of the show.”

The nine-member cast of Liberty students depicts mature themes throughout their performance. According to Tatum, each attending audience’s reaction is different and

provides the cast with a fresh start.

“I’m really hoping that our work and Brasher’s insight … will result in something that is truthful and relatable to people who have experienced something like this,” Tatum said.

Some audience members may not sympathize with the feeling of such a tragic family occurrence, but according to Towns, many values can be taken away from this production.

See ALL MY SONS, B6

Bridal show provides ideas Melissa Skinner

mjskinner@liberty.edu

Soon-to-be brides were invited to attend the annual Bliss Bridal Show at Tresca on 8th in downtown Lynchburg Sunday, March 3.

Brides attended numerous workshops designed to help them plan their upcoming weddings. Participants were welcome to visit various vendors from the Lynchburg area from 1:30-5:30 p.m.

Jennifer Prince, owner of Hill City Bride and Clutch, a business dedicated to bringing resources to future brides through print and the Web, coordinates the annual event.

“I really wanted to do something to educate the brides,” Prince said. “The premise of this event is to help the bride feel empowered to plan her wedding the day after attending.”

Brides were treated with a fashion show featuring wedding gowns from Celebration, catered food from Cater This and Love Is In The Air, an interactive photo booth from Lynchburg Snapshot Studio, and a grand prize of a Jamaican honeymoon giveaway along with various door prizes.

“When I attend this event, I learn many practical things that I can use while I am planning my wedding,” participant Shannon O’Brien said.

Workshops were offered for the brides to attend, including Do-ItYourself (DIY) for Brides,

Jake Mitchell | Liberty Champion

WEDDING BELLS — Gowns from Celebration are shown to future brides.

Jake Mitchell | Liberty Champion

CATERED — Future brides enjoy refreshments at the event.

Tending to Your Attendants, Beauty Outside the Box and The Less Stress Bride.

“Sessions are meant to be helpful in general, and not just steer a bride toward a particular venue,” Prince said. “We offer workshops on budgeting your time and money, personal style, and how to be a DIY bride without getting up in all the details, and we offer a dance session.”

Prince said that she had

many friends in the wedding industry who saw the need for a local wedding blog in Lynchburg since weddings happen so often. In response, she began Hill City Bride at hillcitybride.com.

Prince’s goal is to plan upscale events to help brides as they prepare for their special day.

“I would recommend attending this event to any future bride. The experience is a good one.

I was able to decide on

a photographer and a caterer for my June wedding,” participant Molly Carter said.

Hill City Bride is planning another Bliss Fine Wedding Affair for the fall in Roanoke. They are also planning a venue tour entitled Bliss the Venue Tour for Nov. 10 of this year.

SKINNER is a feature reporter.