Liberty Champion April 10, 2018

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VOLUME 35, ISSUE 18

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LIBERTYCHAMPION.COM | TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018 | LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

Denhollander speaks First woman to step forward in Nassar case talks to students about experiences

Will Young weyoung@liberty.edu

Former gymnast and sexual assault survivor Rachael Denhollander spoke to Liberty University students during Convocation April 9 on the topics of forgiveness, justice and the “power of the Gospel” in the face of abuse and sinful actions of the world.

Denhollander was the first woman to publicly make allegations of sexual assault against the former USA Gymnastics Olympic team doctor Larry Nassar, who pleaded guilty to 10 accounts of sexual assault and was sentenced to a maximum of 300 years in prison. A total of 265 girls accused Nassar of sexual misconduct following Denhollander’s first outspoken allegations against Nassar in May 2017.

It was during her first visit to court when Denhollander said Nassar had sexually abused her on five doctor’s visits in 2000

when she was 15 years old. Seven months later, more than 150 women would follow in suit, testifying at Nassar’s sentencing in January of this year.

Denhollander was joined on the Convocation stage by Senior Vice President for Spiritual Development David Nasser, who asked Denhollander questions about her story in dealing with her abuse and how she was able to lean on God in forgiving her abuser.

Once she fully comprehended what Nassar had done to her as a teenager, Denhollander told students that she struggled for years to comprehend her faith in God while also facing what had happened to her. She based much of her discussion in Convocation on the question of, ‘Where was God in this, and why did this happen to me?’

She concluded with telling students that it was actually through her abuse that she was able to develop a stronger relationship with God and regain trust. She repeated to

Max Loth| Liberty Champion

TAKING A STAND — Denhollander spoke to students about the power of the Gospel. students her belief that God is sovereign, yet also said she believes it was not right to blame God for what happened.

“Larry was not a puppet in God’s hands,” Denhollander said. “Larry is responsible for his conduct, not God.”

During her lowest moment, she said it was only God who she really trusted, and she mentioned that trust is the hardest to regain for many victims of sexual assault.

See DENHOLLANDER, A7

Recounting a week in Rwanda Our reporter’s first-person account of her time spent overseas on the G5 trip to help those in need Leah DePiero ldepiero@liberty.edu

Anticipation hung in the air early on the morning of March 15 as 71 Liberty students, including myself, and 19 faculty and

staff prepared to leave for Rwanda for Liberty’s first G5 trip.

The anticipation did not wane and turned into excitement during the 10 days that both residential and online students as well as faculty and staff served and learned from the

Mike Marrotte | Office of Spiritual Development

G5 INITIATIVE — Liberty sent 71 students to serve in Rwanda over spring break.

people of Rwanda.

Liberty kicked off its G5 initiative in September 2017, which is meant to explore multiple methods of how Liberty University can exemplify the characteristics found in Galatians 5 to a specific country each year, particularly in the five areas of government, economy, religion, entertainment and education, according to Liberty’s website.

As part of the initiative, students had the option to participate in several tracks while on the trip and earn credit for education, psychology, divinity and Christian Service.

“Each track… scattered (the students) throughout the day to accomplish their specific goals; some academically driven, some service driven,” said Brandon Milks, director of strategic planning and operations management at LU Send. “The ‘Scatter and Gather’ approach, as we’ve termed it, has been implemented on trips before, but not at this scale. And from our perspective, it was very successful.”

In partnership with Compassion International, we visited Compassion Development

Centers to interact with children in the Compassion program by sitting in on their classes, playing with them, serving them lunch and listening to mothers in Compassion’s Child Survival Program. “(We were) not just learning about Rwandan culture by observation, but (by) getting our hands dirty alongside them and actually getting in the classrooms learning, practically engaging with churches, getting our hands literally dirty with Christian service and that type of stuff,” Weston Martin, coordinator of data analytics and systems management who led a group of CSER students on the trip, said.

Over four days, two sets of CSER students, with each group going for two days, traveled to a remote village in southern Rwanda. There, we helped build brick and mud homes for two families who had children sponsored through Compassion.

A range of opportunities Liberty Mountain Gun Club opens up for shooting team and students

Ryan Klinker rmklinker@liberty.edu

In response to what Liberty University officials call a combination of student interest, a budding athletic opportunity and a commitment to the Second Amendment, the university has opened the Liberty Mountain Gun Club.

The journey began roughly one year ago when the university offered a course to students looking to acquire a concealed carry permit, allowing the school to recognize the expanding demographic of Liberty students with an interest in firearms safety and sport. Planning Coordinator Brad Butler noted that the range used by the Liberty University Police Department for around 35 years was found to be inadequate for the newfound demand.

“With the increased number of students taking this class, we real-

ized that the existing range was really ill-suited for the class and students who wanted to participate,” Butler said. “We’ve used it very effectively, but it was time to grow into something big and modern for the students.”

While the venue is still partially under construction, the potential benefits for both the shooting team and the school as a whole are recognizable. According to Butler, the Gun Club is now one of the few college ranges in the United States to be located near the campus on Candler’s Mountain Road, and its Olympic-style capabilities will set Liberty’s facility apart from others.

“We think we carved out a really unique niche in that any prospective student who comes to Liberty will be able to count on the university having facilities designed especially for those Olympic shooting sports,” Butler said.

The Gun Club is split up into three entities: shotgun, rifle and pistol/three-gun. The shotgun is the only section to be fully completed thus far, due to weather delaying some progress.

Dave Hartman, head coach of Liberty’s shooting team, said the shotgun range’s state-of-the-art international skeet and trap overlay is what he finds to be most impressive. The bunker trap is outfitted with 15 ISS-standard Laport clay target throwing machines, which feature a computer that controls the timing and release of targets.

“It’s really nice to have for our team to be able to train on such a nice … field (up to international standards),” Hartman said.

“There are very few international fields in the country, let alone on college campuses.”

Students in SGA begin campaigning for this year’s student body A3 president elections.

Opinion

A student’s perspective on the expansion of the Vines and the benefits to A4 traffic flow.

Review of womens hockey’s stellar 29-3 season, winning a national championship. B1

NEWS @ LIBERTY

Liberty graduate Tenzi Chacha used her clothing and textiles minor to bring jobs to Tanzania through her program Sewing Empowers Women. This program provides women with training to sew products for Chacha’s fashion brand — TENZI.

Nate Haywood | Liberty Champion OPTIONS — Students can fire a See RANGE, A2 variety of guns at the new range.

Sports

WHAT’S

Liberty University’s Department of History will host Civil War Legacies, a free seminar, in the Hancock Welcome Center April 14. This event will feature special guest speakers, door prizes and an optional luncheon for $15.

INSIDE THE CHAMPION

News

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Feature

A guide to what parks to visit in Virginia as springtime puts the plants in bloom.

B5

Liberty senior and tennis player Evangeline Crist set a new program record April 8 with a 7-0 victory against Hampton University.

News Opinion Sports Feature

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news

A2 | April 10, 2018 | Liberty Champion

Defending the right to life Student Government Association hosts event for students on pro-life issues Liberty Champion Staff

Liberty University’s Student Government Association hosted an event in DeMoss Hall called “Defend Your Pro-life Views” April 5 to educate students on prolife arguments.

Pro-Life Apologist with Life Training Institute, online professor, Bible Department Chair and Bible Teacher of Biblical Worldview and Ethics at Liberty Christian Academy Thomas Donovan spoke to a crowd of about 150 students.

“Media and social media today tend to cloud what the pro-life position is really about,” Donovan said.

In an effort to clarify the

debate on abortion, Donovan defined the pro-life position as, ‘It is wrong to intentionally kill innocent human beings. Abortion kills innocent human beings; therefore, abortion is wrong.’

Donovan used graphic images to help show who abortion kills. Before showing a brief video that depicts the aftermath of a first trimester abortion, a second trimester abortion and a third trimester abortion, he explained the value of images in a visual culture. He explained that images have been used throughout history to raise awareness of issues such as slavery and the holocaust. The images

Atang Agwe | Liberty Champion EDUCATION — Liberty professor Thomas Donovan discussed various views on the pro-life issue at the event.

Atang Agwe | Liberty Champion UNBORN — The event focused on arguments for life.

Donovan showed provided a definition to abortion that words could not. For those not wanting to view the images, they had the option to simply close their eyes.

Equipping the audience to successfully engage the debate, Donovan stated that the whole abortion issue rests on one question, “What is the unborn?” He continued, “Before you can answer the question, ‘Can we kill it?’ We must answer, ‘What are we killing?’

Answering this question, Donovan turned to the authority on the beginning

of human development, the science of embryology. Leading embryology textbooks tell us that from the moment of conception, there is a full, living and distinct human being.

For the next step in engaging the debate, Donovan turned to philosophy to determine how the unborn should be treated. He provided four things that separates adults from unborn children using the acronym SLED: size, level of development, environment and degree of dependency.

“None of these differ-

space and tools to train for the Junior Olympic qualifier in international skeet and bunker trap. Also, Hartman said that he definitely sees the facility as a compelling recruitment tool.

“Both in the recruitment

aspect and what we can do for our current crop of students, it is pretty dynamic,” Hartman said. “The ability to get out and train on an Olympic field is priceless, and rather than driving anywhere from 3 to 5 hours to be able to

train, all they’ll have to do is come up to our field and set it up.”

Butler attributed the building of the club to President Jerry Falwell’s stance on the Second Amendment and the right for students to carry guns on campus. He contrasted Liberty’s administration to the others across the country.

“Because of political correctness, most college campuses are running away from the shooting sports and running away from giving their students a chance to properly use and enjoy a firearm,” Butler said. “President Falwell is boldly standing up and saying, ‘We’re not going to just say we support the Second Amendment, we’re going to boldly illustrate it by building one of the most beautiful, competitive and safe gun ranges on any college campus.’”

On a similar note, Hartman pointed out his views on the role of a gun in our country, and he praised the school for demonstrating a devotion to the proper use of firearms.

“The firearm is a tool, no

RANGE continued from A1 Hartman explained that these capabilities are already an aid to the team, as they offer some of the current team members the proper

Nate Haywood | Liberty Champion COMPETING — The range offers tools for the shooting team to train for Olympic qualifiers.

CAMPUS CALENDAR 04/10 - US Secret Service InfoSession

5:30 p.m. | DeMoss Hall Classroom - 1284 04/11 - Canada Open House

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ences justify killing the unborn,” Donovan said.

Donovan became actively involved in the prolife movement at the age of 15. After he was engaged in a debate by a pro-choice individual and could offer no defense for his position, Donovan began to educate himself on the issue and now desires to train and equip others on how to successfully engage the debate, change minds, change culture and save lives.

Donovan not only has the opportunity to present this to his students at LCA, but

is also available to speak in classes, chapel gatherings and church services.

His wife, who is a Liberty psychology professor, organized the event and allowed psychology students to get credit for attending.

Kyle Eisenhuth, president of Lifeline, the pro-life club on campus, said he was hopeful the event would have an impact on Liberty students.

“A lot of people on campus are pro-life, and I am just glad that they are learning to do something about this,” Eisenhuth said.

Nate Haywood | Liberty Champion SHOOTING — The gun club is open for any student to use. different than any other type of tool, and it’s what the human does with it,” Hartman said.

“Liberty has had the foresight to build a range to serve its student population that enjoy

the shooting sports and would like to go practice and become better at their sport.”

KLINKER is a news reporter.

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Liberty Champion | April 10, 2018 | A3

Running for reformation SGA president and vice president hopefuls launch campaigns and share values Kyra Thompson kthompson36@liberty.edu

Liberty University’s Student Government Association’s student body election campaigns are now in full swing, as the three tickets for president and vice president of the student body have launched. As the candidates prepare for voting day April 20, here is what each one is hoping to do for the campus.

A.J. Strom and Chris Porter — We Hear You For Strom and Porter, politicians are notorious for making abstract promises that make it difficult to measure any solid success or change, and their promise to not follow suit is central to their campaign.

Strom and Porter said they are running a campaign that lays out four solid steps that make SGA do what it was designed to do, which Strom says is two things: be the bridge between students and administration and work with clubs as a resource for them.

“We understand that SGA has a lot of problems, and in our campaign, our platform is that we want to take concrete steps to fix SGA so that it is as effective as possible,” Strom said.

Strom and Porter’s plan is broken into four action steps centered around making the voices of students heard.

• Relevant Reform: Strom and Porter said they do not plan on “telling people what the issues are,” and instead want to listen to what students think should be addressed.

• True Accountability: The candidates have a plan for an updated online legislation tracker that includes a voting tracker for students to monitor and check on delegates and executive officials to see what progress is being made.

• Clubs Done Right: Strom claims under his administration, there will be more hearings for clubs to make their complaints and needs heard and that SGA will help clubs expand their marketing.

• A Christ Centered SGA: The two would like to add a new focus in SGA on spiritual life by hosting more spiritual life events and by creating the position of Christian Life Director who would help foster a Christian community within SGA. “We are not coming in to this campaign with a personal agenda for change,” Strom said, “We want students to bring their ideas for change to us.”

Caleb Fitzpatrick and Esther Lusenge — Lead with Your Voice Fitzpatrick and Lusenge’s campaign is centered on a strong message of inclusivity, wherein they have said they hope to break the world’s assumption of the “typical Liberty student.” Their campaign slogan of “Lead With Your Voice” comes from a promise to support students in speaking out for themselves.

Fitzpatrick and Lusenge thus propose a Student Government Association that is not revolved around them, but rather the voice

of the student body.

“The hope is that this isn’t just me. If it is, I am in trouble,” Fitzpatrick said. “But we have gained so much feedback already. It’s contagious; our team is so passionate.”

Fitzpatrick also said he believes SGA has the resources and potential to initiate a movement on campus to become more engaged and involved in community service project in Lynchburg. He has brought up the need to alleviate Lynchburg’s extraordinarily high poverty rate.

The three main points of their campaign reach both on and off campus.

• Events: These candidates plan on hosting more events to foster discussion between students and SGA and bring more awareness to the resources provided

by SGA. • Clubs: Fitzpatrick and Lusenge believe that clubs are an important piece of the student body, and they plan on bringing more focus to promoting, funding and gathering feedback for improvements in clubs.

• Community Engagement: Of the points presented by this campaign, this is the one the candidates are most passionate about. Fitzpatrick has been building relationships with local officials in an attempt to create more opportunities for students to become more engaged in the Lynchburg community.

For Fitzpatrick though, his hopes are that this movement will carry on long after his time as a student here.

Jacob Page and Derek Rockey — Rise and Shine Similar to Strom and Porter, Photos Provided Page and Rockey have centered CANDIDATES — Students AJ Strom, Chris Porter, Caleb Fitzpatrick, Esther Lusenge, Derek Rockey and Jacob their campaigns on the frustration Page (left to right) hope to introduce various changes to SGA and the overall campus. of elitist politics, and they have

communicated that they are hoping to take their campaign in a different direction.

“We don’t want SGA to be some political, elitist, secluded club,” Page said. “We want it to be something where anybody can access it and don’t feel like they’re on the outside.”

Page and Rockey said that students should be able to access the untapped potential of SGA’s resources and position.

Furthermore, the candidates said they were grateful for everything the school has done for them, and they wanted to bring back a sense of appreciation for the campus.

Their campaign is summed up in two words.

• Rise: They hope to instill a renewed sense of pride, tradition and school spirit on campus and generate a movement of fresh zeal for the school’s original vision that will rival the greatest schools across the country.

• Shine: Page and Rockey hope to encourage a broader student support for community action to fulfill what they have said is the original purpose of Liberty.

They plan on partnering with LU Serve to present students with more service-oriented projects, creating opportunities for local pastors and leaders to speak, and they have already built relationships with town officials to begin brainstorming community outreach projects.

“There is that saying, ‘If it’s Christian, it ought to be better,’” Page said, “We want to see the school rise to the top and be all that it is called to be.”

THOMPSON is a news reporter.

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April 10, 2018

March madness Political protests decline in their effectiveness the Supreme Court decision in Roe v.

Wade, and leaders agreed to continue From the March for Life to the March this march every year until that amendfor Our Lives, peaceful protests and as- ment was passed through both Consemblies have become a focal point of gress and the states.

The March for our Lives has also public interest. The right to assemble sought to change policy with its clear — that fundamental right given in the and visible message. The homepage on First Amendment — has been imbedded the website features a link for voter regthroughout American history. istration for the youth who have joined In recent years, there has been a the movement.

The next link sends noticeable rise in both political awarereaders to five practical steps of gun ness and public activism. A successful control policy, including large magamarch, protest or rally is often defined zine bans and increased background by its impact on legislation, elections checks. and public policy. Many current proWhen it comes to visible leadership, tests are achieving these purposes, the modern protest has a significant while others have become lost along advantage over past generations. The the way. rise of social media has provided a platform for people to speak out and amass their own following. David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland school shooting, is one example.

Hogg has gained a Twitter following of 700,000 Google Images over people and has PROTEST — The March for Our Lives rally brought more than been provided a 200,000 people to D.C., but has failed to spark legislative change. platform to speak In his column for the Huffington before national Post, Chad Williams discussed various audiences and on live television. He has elements of a successful protest. The inspired his following to pursue unity in march must have clearly defined policy achieving their goals. At the march, he goals and visible leadership. Williams spoke of those who opposed gun conused the Civil Rights movement of the trol, saying, “They will try to separate 1960s as the standard and compared us by religion, race, congressional disthe impact of that movement to many tricts and class. They will fail.” modern demonstrations.

Similarly, the Tea Party movement The most effective protest is one that was a protest that began in 2009 and clearly addresses policy issues. The was successful due to its legislative purMarch for Life has always been in direct pose. Groups gathered in response to support of the Buckley Amendment. government overspending and taxation.

As explained by the New York Times, This group was in large part responsithis amendment would have overturned ble for Republicans regaining majority Chad Wylie cewylie@liberty.edu

control of the House of Representatives in 2010.

Unfortunately, many protests and demonstrations have become a reactionary response, rather than a proactive policy initiative. Williams addressed the Black Lives Matter movement and its response to individual police shootings.

While there is an argument for discriminatory police brutality, the reactionary riots to specific shootings have not accomplished an effective goal.

These protests are contrary to the effective and lasting impact of the Civil Rights movement that led to the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. This movement was headlined by the March on Washington in 1963, featuring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his “I Have A Dream” speech. The Smithsonian Magazine documented over 220,000 attendees participating in this march in the nation’s capital.

James Baldwin, a poet who was present at the march, spoke of the impact of King’s speech. He said, “That day, for a moment, it almost seemed that we stood on a height, and could see our inheritance; perhaps we could make the kingdom real; perhaps the beloved community would not forever remain the dream one dreamed in agony.”

This momentum carried forward to the passing of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. A people who stand up for what they believe is what makes the American democracy unique. The protests of recent years have advanced conversation, engaged in policy and created a culture of public awareness.

As King said, “Somewhere, I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere, I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere, I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere, I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right.”

WYLIE is an opinion contributor.

Vines branching out

Pros outweigh the cons with the Vines extension John Vence jtvence@liberty.edu

If anyone’s feeling nostalgic for the cranes that once loomed over Main Campus, you’re in luck.

Just when you thought Liberty University was finally tucking away its hardhats and blueprints, the school revealed at the end of last month its intent to house a 125,000 square foot athletic stadium in a Vines Center addition.

Construction will begin this upcoming fall semester, and the stadium is slated to hold its first basketball game by 2020. I say the sooner, the better.

Though cumbersome construction might temporarily hinder the campus experience, the stadium will ultimately benefit the school.

Currently, the basketball and volleyball teams practice and play home games in the Vines Center. They share their space with our tri-weekly Convocation, Wednesday’s Campus Community and other miscellaneous concerts and events.

That translates to constantly transforming the stadium multiple times a week. After Convocation, workers often must break down the stage, store

all the wires and speakers and monitors and remove the floor seating and foam tiles. Before Convocation, it’s all set up again. The work is Sisyphean and costly.

A stadium dedicated to those two sports teams, and nothing else, would remove the pricey juggling of sporting games and other events.

It also might benefit the teams on the court, as well. While a fully packed Vines Center delivers a lot of shock and awe, basketball and volleyball teams do not fill the house. And when only a couple thousand students pepper a stadium meant for 10,000, it leaves a discouraging impression.

Though a Wall Street Journal study showed dismally declining attendance at collegiate sporting events, Liberty basketball games get a significant turnout. The end of last year’s season saw the NCAA ranked the men’s team second in the Big South for home game attendance, with an average of 2,000 attending 19 games.

The novelty effect also deems that a new facility will spur a greater turnout.

With significantly smaller seating, the new facility would give the teams a

Google Images

PLAN — The proposed addition will be located between the Vines Center and DeMoss Hall, offering students additional entrances for Convocation.

better playing environment that is loud and packed.

Those words can also describe the space between DeMoss and Vines for the next two years.

As intriguing as the prospect of this new facility is, the return of construction work is slightly less so. I can safely speak for most of the student body in saying that nobody is looking forward to more rat mazes of chain link fence, or cross-campus strolls serenaded by a jackhammer.

A project of this size is bound to throw the school into a logistical nightmare. Pedestrians will have to deal with alternative and less efficient routes. It’s unclear how badly University Boulevard will be affected. Aside from a possible drop in the speed limit, vehicular traffic might just go unscathed.

But may God have mercy on the bus system — and its helpless patrons — when the construction obliterates the second busiest bus hub on campus as early as next fall.

President Falwell assured the Roanoke Times that the bus pick-up location won’t move far from its original location, but where exactly is still a mystery. There doesn’t seem to be any practical locations in either direction on University Boulevard, as moving it would most likely render the bookstore or the Residential Commons bus stop redundant or take out an existing parking lot students and faculty desperately need.

Growing pains are a necessary way of life, and it seems like the benefits of a new stadium outweigh the cons. I look forward to attending loud and packed games in the new arena. In the meantime, though, we’ll have to settle for it being loud and packed on the outside.

VENCE is an opinion writer.

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Will Young weyoung@liberty.edu

Having been a student at Liberty for just about four years now, I find myself continually immersed in waves of prolife rhetoric and support.

It is at this campus where one of the most controversial issues in modernday America becomes one of the most YOUNG commonly agreed upon and fundamental ideals; when I think about it now, I do not think I have met a single student who has expressed that they are pro-choice to me.

For context, I did a quick Google search and discovered that the number of people who consider themselves pro-life is actually decreasing nationwide. In a recent Pew Research study, only 37 percent of people said they are opposed to abortion, while 59 percent said they think abortion should be allowed in most cases.

To me — a Liberty student who has spent his past four years in this somewhat of a bubble, where pro-choice rhetoric is largely excluded — that was surprising. I have come to discover that by engaging myself in an atmosphere dominated by mantra of the religious right, that I have become ignorant to the larger sociological shift in the country.

I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I, too, believe abortion is at its base morally repugnant and scientifically the killing of a human being. Not that it’s good to shield oneself from healthy debate, but having a student body so committed to preserving the sanctity of life makes it easier to rally public support.

Yet, my optimism for a unified pro-life generation falls short as I scour the internet once again for verifiable statistics on the issue. As it turns out, there are at least 114,000 children waiting to be adopted in the U.S., and as adoption fees continue to rise and bureaucracy continues to get in the way, adoptions in the U.S. and overseas continue to decline.

To make matters worse, more prospective foster families have given up. An article in The Economist that was published last year states that more than 80 percent of families who have tried to foster a child change their minds. The result is an overcrowded foster care system, where children in the system are getting less attention and are less likely to be adopted than ever before.

Our response as the pro-life generation needs to be an unwavering fight to pressure Congress to make the public adoption process easier, and to seriously consider adpotion ourselves. Being pro-life needs to be seen as two-fold: one part opposing abortion, and the other part supporting adoption.

The two parts cannot be separated; pro-life supporters must know it is wrong to tell a woman considering abortion to give her baby up to adoption when they themselves are not willing to adopt. It is such a fundamental philosophy of being pro-life, that I would argue any person who is pro-life is morally obligated to at least consider going the adoption process if they have the financial and social means to do so.

If we, the students of Liberty University, have the opportunity and availability to adopt in the future when we are financially secure and yet do not consider it, we will unwillingly and unknowingly throw our support behind the perpetuation of our nation’s orphan problem — something that has arisen through a variety of factors, but has not been adequately addressed by many pro-life supporters.

It is not enough to say we support adoption over abortion; if pro-life Christians — no matter the denomination or political affiliation — are to spearhead the movement behind abolishing abortion, we must also be at the forefront of taking care of the children who need us the most .

I have been told how expensive adoption can be — up to $20,000 in total for the entire application process — and how hard it can be to raise a child. Of course, it depends on circumstance, and I would never encourage someone who is in college or someone who is strapped for cash to consider adoption until they have the financial means to do so.

It is for those who are capable, yet make excuses, who I address in this column. It is those who will praise their friends for adopting a child but would never consider doing it themselves. Considering it is all I ask. Simply Googling it to see if it would be possible is all I hope for.

Because considerations, when moved by the Lord, turn into commitments, and commitments turn into life-changing movements. Not just for you, but for children everywhere.

YOUNG is the editor-in-chief.

opinion

Liberty Champion | April 10, 2018 | A5

Census controversy

Adding a citizenship question to the census will provide valuable information Macy Hrncir mhrncir@liberty.edu

The 2020 U.S. Census will include a question about citizenship, for good reason. The U.S. Constitution requires an “actual enumeration” every 10 years. It is vital that this enumeration is a fair and accurate count of the total U.S. population, including the number of citizens and noncitizens. The question

of citizenship in the 2020 Census will help with this objective by allowing the government to collect more accurate information about the people living in the country.

Since the announcement that the citizenship question is returning to the census since its removal in 2010, there has been a cry of outrage from many political leaders.

According to a CNBC article regarding the census, Democrats, in

Google Images

IMPACT — Fears that a citizenship question could result in reduced responses center around the fact that census results affect the allocation of U.S. House of Representatives seats and funding for federal programs.

particular, say the inclusion of the question will ostracize immigrants (especially those who are in the country illegally) and may discourage them from participating in the census at all. They claim this will lead to underrepresentation and inaccuracies. This speculation seems to make the citizenship question on the census into a much larger monster than it is intended to be.

The secretary of the commerce department, Wilber Ross, said the 2020 census form will use the same wording that is already used in the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, which presents respondents with five categories that may describe their citizenship status. Three of the categories apply to people who are U.S. citizens at birth. The fourth pertains to naturalized citizens. The fifth category is for noncitizens. This category does not ask whether a person is in this country legally or illegally.

Additionally, there are ways to deal with missing responses to the citizenship question. The Census Bureau has already filled in missing data about people in past

censuses using a technique called imputation.

“In carrying out imputation, the bureau applies what it knows about the size and type of neighboring households to fill in the number of people, or their characteristics, at the addresses with missing data.

Imputation procedures have grown more sophisticated over the decades,” Pew Research Center said in an article.

According to the Census Bureau, 1,163,463 people were added in 2010 to the household population through count imputation (this amounted to 0.39 percent of the total count imputation).

Some people are also worried that the new citizenship question could sabotage many states that have large immigrant populations.

What some people may not realize is that the Census Bureau already asks more than 3.5 million households across the country every year about their citizenship through the American Community Survey.

“The ACS is a nationwide survey that collects and produces information on social, economic, housing

Too much information

People need to better guard what they share online Christianne Gormley cgormley1@liberty.edu

Just when I thought the FBI was watching my every move, I found out Facebook is making a profit off of basically doing the same thing.

In the months before the 2016 presidential election, Facebook failed to protect 87 million of its users’ information from being sold to Cambridge Analytica, a company contracted by a British political firm to extract data from the social media site.

According to the Pew Research Center, 74 percent of people in the U.S. want to be in control of what information is shared about them. Sixty percent said they would not feel comfortable sharing their contact information in their emails.

With this information, Facebook should have known to give these users at least a warning that their information was being collected. However, there is no confirmation of what happens to what we share on the internet so we, as users, need to be more careful about the information we publish.

In an experiment funded by the Na-

tional Bureau of Economic Research, researchers found that it did not take much for college students to change their minds about the Pew Research Center study.

More than 3,000 Massachusetts Institute of Technology students had participated in a Facebook quiz that involved sharing their friends’ email addresses for free pizza. Without question, 94 percent of the students gave away their friends’ emails.

Although economic news website Market Watch suggested checking off check boxes on Facebook’s privacy settings could further help secure what is shared on the social networking website, there are plenty of ways for another person to access personal information beyond the internet.

Market Watch said using public WiFi or having weak passwords on devices makes it easier for hackers to steal personal information.

In order for Facebook to earn back the trust of its users, Facebook must warn them about their information being shared or sold, or, perhaps, provide terms of agreement people can sign when they sign up for a Facebook account.

Google Images

ANSWERS — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is scheduled to testify before the Senate Commerce and Judiciary committee April 10 to address issues of user privacy protections.

Even with unchecking boxes or doing numerous things that could make the information I post on the internet private, I realize that ensuring privacy on the internet is never guaranteed.

Technology is supposed to assist and benefit humanity, not tear us down and rule us. The amount of power Facebook has to access all of our information to profit is insulting yet fascinating.

Facebook has been used by billions of users since it was created in 2004.

We will inevitably place some kind of trust in it.

Facebook was my first social media account because of how popular it was when I was a child. Having it for so long, I have noticed myself at times being flippant about the information I share on the internet, based on what has already been published on the site.

I do not think that my personal rules of sharing things on the internet will change because technology’s advancement has made it seemingly trustworthy — even when we know deep down that it could be dangerous.

Because of how much the world revolves around the internet, it has become natural for us to share information about our personal lives.

What it all truly boils down to is the decision of whether or not we are actually being smart about what we post online.

To stay secure in the information I share online, I must hold myself accountable for what I post online. I have to know that is my responsibility if that gets leaked.

So, if you know that there is information about you that you plan to never share with anyone and carry with you to the grave, what I would suggest is to not post about it on Facebook or anywhere else.

GORMLEY is an opinion writer.

and demographic characteristics about our nation’s population every year. This information provides an important tool for communities to use to see how they are changing,” the United States Census Bureau said in an article about the ACS. However, the ACS itself is not wholly adequate for collecting completely accurate information about the American people. The ACS is only distributed to 1 in 38 U.S. households each year. By putting a question about citizenship in the census, the U.S. will be able to receive information from the entire population, not just a small chunk of it.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s mission is to serve as the leading source of quality data about the nation’s people and economy. The U.S. Census is designed to give the most accurate picture possible of the American possible. Therefore, more information, such as whether or not the answerer is a citizen, is always better.

HRNCIR is an opinion writer.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

“

M A RT IN LUT HE R KIN G, J R. ON A P RIL 3 IN HIS FIN A L SE RM ON B E FORE HIS D E AT H.

THANK YOU

KING’S PLAYERS Instead of going home for Easter, members of the King’s Players Drama Ministry traveled to West Monroe, Louisiana, to perform at Rowland Road Baptist Church.

The group performed its musical passion play, “Days of Glory,” during two Easter services March 31 and April 1. In the end, at least 64 people were led to commit their lives to the Lord and find salvation through Jesus Christ.

Pastor John Yates, a 1985 Liberty graduate, said that one family in attendance saw all four of their children, ranging in age from 11 to 17, give their lives to Christ.

According to King’s Players Director David Allison,

nearly 20,000 people have given their lives to Christ following the group’s performances since 1977.

Thank you to all of the students who helped with this production. Your time and dedication has positively impacted this community.

Thank you for showing the community in West Monroe what it means to be a Liberty student. You showed them that being a Champion for Christ is not just a slogan, but an integral part of who we are and how we approach our vocational calling.

Thank you to everyone who went on the trip for taking time away from your families to advance the Kingdom of Heaven.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICIES & INFO PHOTOGRAPHY

SOCIAL MEDIA

Jacob Buwalda photography editor

Deanna Drogan social media manager

Jordan Jarrett feature editor

Max Loth asst. photography editor

Lillian Abbatacola web manager

Sarah Jackson copy editor

DESIGN

Emily Smith copy editor

Josiah Pierce graphic designer

Leah DePiero contributing editor

Sarah Keller graphic designer

Will Young editor-in-chief

TJ Davis sports editor

Nathaniel Haywood graduate assistant

Logan Smith asst. sports editor

CONTENT Jack Panyard news editor Erin Covey asst. news editor Elizabeth Lapp opinion editor

ADMINISTRATION Deborah Huff faculty advisor Matt Pierce advertising director

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

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

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

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

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

news

A6 | April 10, 2018 | Liberty Champion

A landmark for the lounge

The Commuter Student Life Center surpasses 25,000-visitor goal for the year Taryn Lammi telammi@liberty.edu

The Graduate and Commuter Student Life Center located in Green Hall celebrated its milestone of 25,000 total visitors with food, decorations and a prize drawing March 29.

Though the lounge’s visitation goal for March 29 was 25,000, the center has actually received close to 32,000 visitors since the beginning of the fall 2017 semester. “We get to celebrate with our students, and it really means that we get to live life with them,� Director of Commuter Student Life Eric Fehr said. “All those extra tap ins, all that data that we gather about usage, it means being able to provide more services and greater resources.�

The center hung gold decorations and blew up star-shaped balloons and a big 25K balloon in celebration of the accomplishment. The first

100 students were entered into a drawing to win gift card packs, and students had additional opportunities to indulge in a nacho bar, cookies and other desserts. “We didn’t want to make it elaborate. We didn’t want to do big sweatshirt giveaways because we didn’t want it to be about the giveaways,�

Fehr said. “We really wanted it to be about celebration and remembering where we’ve come from as a department.�

Since Commuter Student Life is growing at a rapid rate, according to Fehr, the center is planning renovations for summer 2018. The plans include tripling the seating capacity by getting rid of some office space.

Key components in the center’s promotional success include the use of social media to regularly display information and having partnered with Liberty’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America’s firm, Innovations PR. Innovations

PR created a video to help students find the lounge in Green Hall. “Since the beginning of the fall, we’ve really relied on commuters to spread the word, which they have,�

Fehr said. “A lot of it has been word of mouth.�

Renovation plans are only possible due to students’ dedication to returning to the center, according to Fehr. “I think (it’s) really important for our commuters to know that when they use the things that they are given, the chances of those things expanding or growing will be much better,� Fehr said.

Commuter students make up 46 percent of Liberty’s residential population. With such a large group, the life center stays busy brainstorming ways to cater to the needs of commuter students.

Plans for the next celebration include an open house to introduce “Lounge 3.0� after renovations

Defamation lawsuits dropped by former LU football players Emma Smith esmith83@liberty.edu

Defamation lawsuits filed against Liberty University by three former football players have been dropped as of March 23.

The former Flames football players filed lawsuits in 2017 against the university, listing several claims, including violating their Title IX rights and defaming them in a news release after an alleged 2016 sexual assault. The univer-

sity denied the allegations and the court quickly dismissed all but the Title IX and defamation claims.

The former players — Cameron Jackson, Kyle Carrington and Avery James — sued the university, Liberty’s Executive Director of External Communications Len Stevens and the alleged assault victim who accused them of assault in 2016. Each plaintiff sued for more than $100 million, claiming damages to their reputa-

tions, careers and future earnings.

The plaintiffs also alleged that the university noted the sexual assault allegations on their transcripts, preventing them from enrolling at other colleges. The former players claimed that the notations robbed them of both their athletic and academic careers and affected their future earnings.

Liberty University investigated the three men after the alleged victim re-

and welcome students back from summer break. “We’re not certain if we’re going to restart the count over for the year or if we’re going to continue,�

Fehr said.

Students looking forward to the fall semester can expect tailgates with free Chick-fil-A and giveaways.

At the first tailgate, the department will be giving away free commuter sweatshirts.

The location of the tailgates will also move from the Pavilion Parking Lot behind the LaHaye Ice Center to the LaHaye Parking Lot. The Pavilion Lot will be available for commuter parking during these times.

For details on activities at the commuter center, email commuter@liberty.edu.

LAMMI is a news reporter.

Jack Panyard | Liberty Champion

LOUNGING — The center surpassed its 25,000-visitor goal, taking in 32,000 visitors since the beginning of the fall semester.

ported claims of sexual assault in July 2016. The alleged defamatory news released was published in October 2016 after the university’s investigation was complete and sanctions were imposed.

The Lynchburg Police Department also conducted an investigation into the alleged sexual assault but did not file any criminal charges against the three former players.

The university responded to the suits by asserting its actions, and disclosures were consistent with the requirements of both federal and state law.

Following their depositions, all three plaintiffs

dropped their Title IX claims against the university in late February. However, the defamation claims against the university and Stevens remained until March.

Jackson dropped his defamation claim March 20. “(Jackson) agrees that there are no issues left for the Court to resolve,�

Jackson’s attorney, Joshua Farmer, said in an email to the News & Advance. “He’s satisfied with the outcome of his case. There’s really nothing else I can say on the topic.�

Carrington and James followed suit on March 23. “I am pleased that the matter has resolved, and

that Mr. Carrington can now move forward with his life,� Carrington’s attorney, Rebecca Wetzel, said in an email to the News & Advance.

Liberty University General Counsel David Corry made a similar statement to the News & Advance, stating that the matters have been resolved to the parties’ “mutual satisfaction.�

However, neither Corry nor the plaintiffs’ attorneys revealed anything more about how or why the cases were resolved.

SMITH is a copy editor.

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news

Liberty Champion | April 10, 2018 | A7

Humanizing the statistic

Students in Liberty for Orphans club work to practically impact orphan crisis Emma Smith esmith83@liberty.edu

Liberty for Orphans, a newlyfunded Liberty University Student Government Association club, hosted a meeting to raise awareness of the orphan crisis in Guatemala Wednesday, April 4 in the Jerry Falwell Library Scholars Conference Room.

Vice President Shannon Cherian, a biomedical sciences student, presented the information on orphans of Guatemala, following club announcements to an audience of about 10. Cherian shared that Guatemala used to be one of the most popular countries for international adoption.

Cherian said that many children were orphaned because of the Guatemalan Civil War, which raged from 1960-1996 and caused adoption rates to skyrocket. However, according to NPR, international adoptions ceased in 2008 due to corruption. The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that there are currently more than DENHOLLANDER continued from A1 “I had to really wrestle with not just what I do, but does what justice looks like, and how this meshes with my faith — ‘Where was God when his happened? What does he say about my abuse, and how can I trust him?’” Denhollander said. “One of the things that is really taken from you in any form of abuse is the ability to trust.”

Two video clips of Denhollander’s testimony during Nassar’s sentencing were shown to students. In the clips, Denhollander stood before Nassar and the trial’s judge and publicly forgave him, yet encouraged the judge to hand down to Nassar the highest sen-

350,000 orphans in Guatemala.

Cherian defined the purpose of the club when she shared the solution to Guatemala’s orphan crisis.

“The answer to the prayer of orphans is the local church,” Cherian said.

Liberty for Orphans holds regular meetings at the beginning of each month, hosts club activities and encourages volunteerism in the Lynchburg community, all with the intentions of raising awareness of the global orphan crisis and serving foster and adoptive families in the Lynchburg-area.

“Our main reason is to bring awareness to what is going on in the world and foster a heart of compassion because I think that seeing what’s going on and hearing about it helps me and everyone else understand it more and realize that it is not just a statistic,” President Kristina Kroemer said. “It’s something real that’s happening to kids around the world.”

At each meeting, Cherian shares a presentation on the orphan crisis in a country or region. So far, she

has spoken about the orphan crisis in the United States and Guatemala and has given an overview of the worldwide orphan crisis. Since the club started receiving funding this semester, club leaders hope to bring ethnic foods from the countries they discuss at each meeting.

“Through this club, one of the biggest things is … supporting people who are caring for orphans,” Kroemer said. “As someone from a family who’s adopted, there are ways that the church could be stepping up more.”

To meet this need, the club partners with Mosaic, Brentwood Church’s foster and adoptive family ministry. The ministry hosts date nights for foster and adoptive parents, and members of Liberty for Orphans work with church volunteers to take care of the children so that parents can have a relaxing, fun evening together. “(Caring for families) is something that I want our club to be doing as a branch of Liberty, which is a Christian school,” Kroemer said. “So, sort of an extension of

tencing possible under law. est hope for Larry, it is the greatest After the first clip was shown, hope for me, and it is the greatest Denhollander was given a stand- hope for all of us.” ing ovation from students.

A large part of the conversation “I was able between Nassto close out And ultimately, what he er and Den( Na ss a r’s) holla nder needs to hear is the gospel, spoke to sentencing h e a r i n g , because it is the greatest hope s t u d e n t s and God reat Liberty for Larry, it is the greatest hope who may ally guided for me, and it is the greatest have also my words, and I’m hope for all of us. undergone very grateabuse or — Rachael Denhollander have been ful for his direction,” w ronged.

Denhollander said. “I really had to The sexual assault survivor used wrestle with what I had to say, with much of her time on stage to enwhat Larry needs to hear. And ul- courage other students who have timately, what he needs to hear is dealt with abuse and harassment to the gospel, because it is the great- pursue justice and find forgiveness

“

the church to be supporting people not just when they first adopted, but years down the road and just obeying God’s command to care for orphans. And that doesn’t just stop when they’re legally adopted because there are still struggles.”

With the club being relatively new — becoming an SGA club in spring 2017 and receiving funding this semester — Kroemer said they are still looking for organizations in the Lynchburg area to partner with.

“It’s been hard finding places around here, and it’s hard to get connected, since everything is confidential,” Kroemer said. “So,

we’re still looking for places (to volunteer).”

Ideally, Kroemer said that the club would like to have more babysitting opportunities and offer tutoring and other services that are feasible for college students.

Cherian said that praying is also a simple yet powerful way to help.

To keep up with Liberty for Orphans, follow the club on Instagram @liberty_for_orphans. For questions about the club or membership, email Kristina Kroemer at kdkroemer@liberty.edu.

SMITH is a copy editor.

Emma Smith | Liberty Champion SERVE — Liberty for Orphans seeks to support orphans locally and globally. through God. She also spoke to the abusers.

Similar to her court testimony in Nassar’s sentencing, she encouraged those who have done wrong to acknowledge their wrongdoing, to feel “the soul-crushing weight of guilt,” and through that, repentance from God. Nasser, too, encouraged students to find the right avenues to pursue justice if they have been assaulted or harassed. He mentioned that Liberty is not set up to deal with possible legal issues of sexual assault, but that there are departments at the university like the Title IX Office are set up to support victims.

Denhollander later spoke to students at 4 p.m. Monday in

Liberty’s School of Law in a talk titled “The Lion and the Lamb,” where she continued her thoughts on the intersection of justice and forgiveness. There, students were also given a chance to ask Denhollander questions.

Along with Liberty, Denhollander has spoken to students at other United States colleges including Harvard University. She said that she has plans to continue to speak at universities and cities across the country and push for legislation to further protect victims of sexual assault.

YOUNG is the editor-inchief.

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news

A8 | April 10, 2018 | Liberty Champion

Integrating integrity Fox News Channel newscaster Harris Faulkner speaks at CFAW Convocation Rachel Van Tuyl rvantuyl@liberty.edu

Author and Fox News Channel newscaster Harris Faulkner encouraged students and College for a Weekend guests to surround themselves with special people and to have integrity at Convocation April 6.

Faulkner, who grew up in a military family and describes herself as a “military brat,” spoke on two of her nine rules of engagement, taken from her upcoming book entitled “9 Rules of Engagement.”

The first rule she spoke of was to “surround yourself with your spe-

cial forces.”

Faulkner emphasized the importance of having positive people on one’s personal “squad,” which she defined as the group of about 2-5 people a person is closest to.

“Science has shown that the five people we spend the most time with invade our souls in such a way that we begin to emulate them,” Faulkner said. “I don’t know about you, but there are very few people in the world outside of our conclave that I … want to emulate.”

One battle in this world, according to Faulkner, is the battle of doubt versus belief, and that there is always a greater amount of doubt

Max Loth | Liberty Champion RELATIONSHIPS — Harris Faulkner gave advice on engaging others.

RWANDA continued from A1 “I have never seen a community so united like Rwanda,” Michelle Martinez, who went on the trip on the CSER track, said. “When we were building the houses (ladies were carrying bricks and) all of the community was there helping us. In America, we don’t do that.”

In addition to playing with children, visiting development centers and building houses, we also visited some Compassion offices and attended home visits where we got to meet and talk with Compassion beneficiaries and their families. Students who sponsored children had opportunities to meet them.

Rebecca Olsen, who traveled on the CSER track and met her two Compassion children, said that the language barrier was difficult while meeting her kids, despite the presence of a translator, but that meeting them was “surreal but awesome.”

“(Mothers) would erupt in applause when we said that we sponsored kids,” Olsen said. “It’s not a huge sacrifice for me, but these people are so, so thankful for me and I really wanted to tell them, ‘You don’t need to be thankful for me; I’m not worthy of it because every good thing comes from God.’” While being able to talk and share stories with the Rwandan people and seeing the beauty of the “Land of 1,000 Hills,” we also learned about a dark chapter from the country’s history — the Rwandan genocide, which killed between 800,000 and 1 million people over the course of 100 days in 1994. We visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial and Mbyo Reconciliation Village, where victims and perpetrators now live together in forgiveness, watch each other’s children and even marry each other on occasion.

“Something that I really

in the world than of belief. The author spoke of the importance of removing from one’s life people who sowed seeds of doubt, comparing it to “firing” people from one’s life.

“Have you ever fired someone from your life?” Faulkner asked.

The question was met with dead silence from the crowd.

“Sometimes we don’t do this because it’s uncomfortable,” Faulkner said. “It’s hard to tell people that you’re on a mission, and that your mission is about goodness — no gossip allowed.

It’s about truth-telling — no fake news.”

Faulkner touched on the importance of surrounding oneself with people who would make sacrifices without even having to be asked, allowing her to move on to her second rule of “unleashing your integrity.”

“Integrity is necessary because

it is a non-negotiable in every situation. It is power filling, and it is powerful. If you choose to take the high road, it is empty,” Faulkner said.

The speaker encouraged her audience to always take the high road, even though many others in the world will not take it.

“The true meaning of integrity is who we are in those moments when people cannot see what is going on with us,” Faulkner said. “It is who we are in those moments, when the only thing someone can offer us is their company. They can’t do what we want them to in that moment, but they can be with us.”

Faulkner stressed the point that “you are enough” because Christians have God’s light in them.

“When things fall apart, believe that you have enough in you for victory,” Faulkner said.

She encouraged the audience to continue to “take the high road” in both big and little things, even when their integrity was tempted.

One example she gave of issues of integrity was standing up for people and groups others do not care about.

Faulkner’s new book, “9 Rules of Engagement,” will be released on June 5 and can be pre-ordered now from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

More information about Faulkner can be found by visiting her Facebook page at https:// w w w.f a c eb o ok .c om / H a r r i s Faulkner/. She can also be found on Instagram and Twitter as @ harrisfaulkner.

VAN TUYL is a news reporter.

Max Loth | Liberty Champion SQUADS — The Fox News host discussed navigating friendships through conflict and difficult situations.

liked was after everything how people were able to forgive,” Martinez said. “After the memorial, we went to the reconciliation village, and I got mad at the people at the beginning when (a perpetrator) was telling his testimony. I was getting mad because I was like, ‘Why God? He killed so many people, and how is he still alive?’ But then I realized that was the purpose of the genocide — for people to be able to forgive and to be forgiven. That makes me realize that if (the victims) were able to forgive these people who killed their family, as Christians we are called to forgive people.”

Whether students served by teaching in schools with the education track or helping to build houses with the CSER track, Milks said he hopes they learned more about God and that every student he had spoken with had grown in their relationship with Christ through the trip.

“My hope, with all of our trips, is that the students who join us on these trips start or continue to see how they can use their education, and ultimately vocation, to spread the Gospel,” Milks said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go to Rwanda after graduation, but hopefully God is doing a work in you where you have a heart for the nations … that the American dream status quo

of graduating and landing a 9-5 job just to get a pay check wouldn’t be their desire. But rather, they would see God for who he is and pursue him with their entire beings.”

After a full spring break of interacting with children and growing close to some of the members of Compassion’s national program in Rwanda who hosted us, leaving was hard.

“Saying goodbye to the

kids (and) saying goodbye to everyone was for me that hardest thing to do because I had never built so many good relationships in just a week, and it felt like I had been there for a month or for a year,” Martinez said. “To be honest, I had never been in a place that made me feel at home like Rwanda.”

DEPIERO is the contributing editor.

Mike Marrotte | Office of Spiritual Development

MISSIONS — Throughout the trip, the team served the community through physical labor, spending quality time with the children and ministering to the people.

SPORTS

April 10, 2018

B1

Late night lax Liberty lacrosse tames the Pittsburgh Panthers during annual midnight game Nathaniel Chambers nrchambers@liberty.edu

Nathan Spencer | Liberty News Service

READY, AIM, FIRE — Sophomore midfielder Derrick Esh looked to get a shot on net.

It was a cold and rainy Saturday morning, but that did not stop the fans from cheering and the Flames from scoring. Liberty Men’s Lacrosse won their Midnight Mayhem matchup with Pittsburgh 15-12 in a back-and-forth battle.

“I thought that we didn’t play with a lot of passion, especially in that second half,” head coach Kyle McQuillan said. “I thought that we came out early and we got a good lead, and we knew that we could have success against these guys, but I don’t think we ever really put the pedal to the metal and kind of made a point to really kind of separate ourselves.”

Liberty got out to the early lead and held their ground for most of the game. Caleb Britton scored at 13:10 to get the scoring started early. He scored again less than a minute and a half later, and four times after that for a double hat-trick. Britton and Sam Gregory combined for 11 goals in total.

Mateo Zumpano scored two goals, and Carter Elliot and Derrick Esh rounded out the scoring as Liberty had five players who scored a goal. Other notable performances were Chase Wright tallying five assists and Austin Aguilar winning 18 of 25 faceoffs.

Liberty took a 5-1 lead with over four minutes left after Gregory netted his second goal of the contest, but Pittsburgh made it a 5-3 game by the end of the third. The Flames then took an 8-4 lead into halftime after Britton scored his fifth goal of the contest.

Each time Liberty was able to create a big lead, Pittsburgh battled back, but the Flames were able to fend them off.

“Ultimately, we’ve got to be able to play man-down,” McQuillan said. “As a whole, I thought the defense, where we lacked most of our consistency was just in transition. They were scoring left and right in transition, espe-

cially in the first half.”

Although Liberty was able to keep Pittsburgh’s power-play to a minimum, they had a hard time stopping Pittsburgh altogether, especially in the fourth quarter.

Liberty was able to push the game to 13-7 entering the fourth quarter, but they had a difficult time closing out the game. Esh scored early in the fourth quarter, only for Pittsburgh to score three straight goals in the fourth to make it a four-goal game. Gregory then scored Liberty’s final goal before Pittsburgh was able to put two late goals in the back of the net only to lose the game by three.

“Obviously a win is a win. (But) it’s not necessarily about the wins all the time, it’s about how you play, and I thought tonight we didn’t execute in a lot of ways,” McQuillan said.

The momentum changed rapidly as the game moved along, both from the teams’ and fans’ perspectives.

“I think it all stemmed from getting that early lead and setting the tone early, and unfortunately we weren’t able to be consistent with that all night, but I thought we just kind of had spurts of moments where we would get a few quick goals here and kind of get some momentum,” McQuillan said.

Although the Flames came out on top, McQuillan said that he was not satisfied with the team’s performance and that they need to become more consistent in the future. McQuillan said that the team will have to continue to get better going into postseason play.

The Flames will host No. 10 Virginia Tech on Friday, April 13, to determine the top seed in the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference.

The SELC quarterfinals will begin on April 20, 2018.

CHAMBERS is a sports reporter.

Queens of the ice

Lady Flames cap off a sensational 29-3 season Emily Baker egbaker@liberty.edu

The Lady Flames hockey team (29-3) completed their near-perfect 2017-2018 season by securing the American Collegiate Hockey Association national championship title, despite facing several new challenges.

The ACHA championship victory was Liberty’s second national title for the women’s hockey program. Their first title was won in 2015 when the Lady Flames defeated the Miami University Redhawks.

“It is exciting. It is something a lot of players never get the opportunity to do.

It is monumental because it is the second national title for our program,” Chris Lowes, women’s hockey head coach, said.

Liberty’s victory came a year after the team fell in a heartbreaking defeat to the Redhawks in the 2017 championship game.

The Lady Flames dominated their opponents throughout the season, including teams such as Michigan State University, University of Minnesota and Adrian College.

Liberty began the season with a streak of 19 wins, both in home games and away games. Their streak was only broken by Michigan State, who the Lady Flames routed in the next game of the series.

“We were 17-0 and we lost a game, so that

Softball

really brought down our confidence, but then we fought back and we never lost a game,” sophomore forward Alex Smibert said.

The Lady Flames were undefeated from that point on, going on to finish their season 25-1 in ACHA play.

The season culminated in the ACHA finals when Liberty faced off against the Adrian Bulldogs and won 2-1.

“When we won it was a great feeling. It is just like a flash in a moment of time when you realize all your hard work has finally paid off,” junior forward Lauren McDonald said.

Their season was not without challenges, however. The Lady Flames faced a difficult obstacle getting used to new coaching staff, as well as a travel-heavy schedule.

The 2017-2018 season was Lowes’ first as head coach of the team and Leah Carlson’s first as assistant coach. Though the Lady Flames handled the changes incredibly well, the transition was not always easy.

“We had new coaching staff this year, so we had to adjust everything, and we had to buy into their systems and really trust them,” Smibert said. “We did that, and I think that is the reason why we did what we did in nationals.”

Joel Coleman | Liberty News Service

PURE DOMINANCE — Liberty women’s hockey outscored their regular-season opSee ICE, B2 ponents by a margin of 164-30 during the 2017-2018 season.

Baseball

M. Tennis

W. Lacrosse

W. Tennis

Longwood

Liberty

Campbell

Liberty

Winthrop

Liberty

High Point

Liberty

Hampton

Liberty

3

2

3

8

4

3

13

4

0

7

WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE GAME

Baseball vs.

CSU April 13 @ 6 p.m.

M. Lacrosse vs.

Virginia Tech April 13 @ 8 p.m.

Baseball vs.

CSU April 14 @ 4 p.m.

W. Lacrosse vs.

Longwood April 14 @ 3 p.m.

Softball vs.

Virginia Tech April 17 @ 6 p.m.

sports

B2 | April 10, 2018 | Liberty Champion

On to the next level

Hockey alum signs with the Norfolk Admirals Peter Gooch pgooch1@liberty.edu

As he jumped over the boards for his first shift as a member of the Norfolk Admirals March 16, defenseman Zane Schartz quelled any nerves brought about by a whirlwind week.

A few days earlier, he finished a season with the Liberty University Flames in which he was the highest scoring defenseman and sixth-leading scorer in the American Collegiate Hockey Association with 23 goals and 59 points in 35 games.

Now in the ECHL, a developmental hockey league two steps below the NHL, Schartz felt confident as he skated for an Admirals team that signed him for the final 10 games of their season.

“I just have peace that whatever happens, it’s in God’s hands,” Schartz said. “I may have been nervous earlier in my life, but it’s just a game and I’ve played it for so many years.”

Over his three years at Liberty, Schartz, 23, played 99 games and learned a lot, includ-

ing what it means to be a Christian on and off the ice.

“I went to Liberty for that aspect — to grow in my faith and grow as a person,” Schartz said. “I didn’t want to be known as Zane the hockey player, as I had been my whole life. I wanted to be known as Zane the Christian.”

During his time at Liberty, Schartz said he was challenged to mature and think about ways to reach non-Christians.

In the rink, Schartz credits Flames assistant coach Dan Berthiaume, a former NHL goalie who played professional hockey from 1983-2005, for helping him prepare for the jump to higher competition.

“He taught me a lot about what it takes to play at the next level,” Schartz said. “How I’m going to have to be different and train harder and change my game a little bit going from Liberty to the ECHL.” Along with his own agent, Schartz’s opportunity to sign with the Admirals can be linked to Berthiaume.

As a member of the Greens-

Ashley Barker FLING — Schartz saw an opportunity to shoot for the goal.

boro Generals from 20022004, Berthiaume played alongside Sam Ftorek, an ECHL hall of famer who came out of retirement to play for the Norfolk Admirals this season. “(Berthiaume) has a kid that’s about 20 now, and when they played together he was about 5,” Schartz said. “Now the 43-year-old (Ftorek) has a kid that’s about 5…and I just kind of see the paradox or the circle of life. In like 15 years, I’ll be playing with that 5-year-old or something like that.”

Berthiaume was able to help secure a tryout for Schartz two days after Liberty was eliminated from nationals March 10.

The Admirals were impressed enough with Schartz to give him a chance to show he belongs in the ECHL. While the transition has not been too difficult, Schartz has had to adjust to the difference in skill level.

“You have to elevate your game all around,” Schartz said.

“It’s just the size difference and the speed that they’re coming

at you…You’re playing against men as opposed to 18-year-old freshmen.”

Norfolk’s season ends April 7. Schartz hopes to show the team enough during his threeweek stint on the Admirals for them to re-sign him. If all goes well, Schartz said he could potentially move up to the AHL, or AAA-level of minor league hockey, sometime during the 2018-19 season.

But he wants to take things one step at a time.

“Signing back here is the next step and that’ll probably happen at some point this summer,” Schartz said. “And if it doesn’t, then I’ll have to go back to the drawing board.”

No matter what happens in his professional hockey career, Schartz is planning to finish his final year of college through Liberty’s online program and walk in May 2019’s Commencement.

GOOCH is a sports reporter.

Andrew Snyder | Liberty News Service BEAST — Schartz tallied 29 goals and 36 assists this season.

Kevin Manguiob | Liberty News Service UNITY — The Lady Flames huddled up before a game.

ICE continued from B1 Lowes said the change was not immediate, but the team quickly learned.

“There was a lot of change this year. We implemented a lot of new things, and we did a lot different than we did in the past. It was a learning process that a lot of teams do not have to go through. We had 24 players that had to buy in and trust the process,” Lowes said.

The players also faced personal obstacles, including Smibert, who dealt with an injury early on and was unable to play for the beginning of the season.

Despite their challenges, the Lady Flames overcame and are looking forward to the 2018-2019 season. Liberty is putting together a strong schedule for the season and an even stronger team with only one player graduating and several freshmen joining.

“We are going to have a big target on our back, and as a team we need to develop the culture we want. We are excited,” Lowes said.

“We know we have a lot of talent, so I think there are no limits to what we can do. I think we will be challenged, and it is an exciting time for our program.”

McDonald intends to continue to lead within the team as she enters her senior season and plans to be an example to younger players.

“There are going to be a bunch of new girls next season and we are going to have to show them what our program is and that we are a team that represents Christ and also a winning national team. If I put my 100 percent out, then other people will too,” McDonald said.

BAKER is a sports reporter.

sports

Liberty Champion | April 10, 2018 | B3

Leaving a lasting legacy

Liberty basketball’s all-time leader in 3-pointers Ryan Kemrite reflects on his career Jon Brienza jbrienza@liberty.edu

In the summer of 2013, a wide-eyed freshman walked on the campus of Liberty University as a student-athlete for the first time.

Feeling fortunate enough just to be playing college basketball, Ryan Kemrite could have never predicted the impact he would make on Liberty’s basketball program over the next five years.

Kemrite, a fifth-year senior, is originally from Conroe, Texas, a small community located just north of Houston. Throughout his

thought I would have achieved or done any of the things I’ve done.”

Having been part of the program since 2013, Kemrite experienced a lot of losing early on in his college career. In his first three years at Liberty, the team lost at least 19 games each season. In his final two years, however, the team enjoyed 20 back-to-back win campaigns, culminating in an improbable run to the Big South Conference championship game last month.

After upsetting No. 1-ranked UNC Asheville on their home court, Liberty had a chance to square off with rival Radford in the confer-

Leah Seavers | Liberty News Service

SENIOR NIGHT — Kemrite, his family, fiancee and coach posed for pictures before tipoff. high school years, he was homeschooled and played basketball at SATCH (Sports Association of Texas for Christian Homeschoolers), an organization developed for homeschooled athletes to play competitive school sports.

“Liberty was my only Division I offer, or any offer at any level,” Kemrite said. “To be able to come into a place that I was lucky just to be a part of and then lucky enough to play and then lucky enough to win – I would have never

ence championship game, with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line. The game, which was played at Radford’s Dedmon Center and was featured on ESPN, was a closely contested affair throughout.

In the closing seconds, however, Radford guard Carlik Jones hit a heart-breaking threepointer as time expired to send the Highlanders to the dance and Liberty home.

Kemrite had never been so close to achiev-

ing the ultimate goal of every mid-major basketball player in the nation: competing in the NCAA Tournament. As he watched Radford celebrate, he knew that dream would never come true.

“It was my last chance, I don’t get another shot,” Kemrite said.

Despite falling short to Radford, Kemrite said he was lucky to experience a successful 2017-18 season.

“For me to be a part of building a foundation at Liberty, that’s more important to me than any accolades that I can have,” Kemrite said. “I just count it a blessing to be able to be a part of this and to find a place that really believed in me and really tried to encourage me to go for my biggest goals.”

It is that kind of humble attitude that has endeared Kemrite to coaches, teammates and Liberty fans. In fact, after the loss, he concerned himself with how some of the younger players on the team – guys he would no longer be playing with – can learn and grow from a defeat of that nature.

“I had the opportunity to lose a lot,” Kemrite said. “How you handle losing tells a lot about your character, and that’s good that the young guys got to be a part of something that would test them and try them and make them stronger in the end.”

Kemrite would admit, as the old proverb goes, that it takes a village to raise a child. And although he was far from a child when he first crossed paths with coach McKay, he is profoundly thankful for the impact of his coach on his life.

“It’s hard to find sometimes in the college ranks, a staff from top to bottom that believes in you and wants you to succeed and has your best interest at heart no matter what,” Kemrite said. “And that’s something that McKay and the rest of the staff have really brought to Liberty.”

In addition to being team captain, Kemrite accomplished major feats on the court as well. Not the least of those is setting school records for career three-pointers made (258) and career three-point field goal percentage (43.0), according to libertyflames.com. Liberty has never had a better shooter from be-

yond the arch.

As with all good things, however, Kemrite’s college career must come to an end. After five years at Liberty, Kemrite will be graduating in May with an M.B.A in Finance and will be putting his playing days behind him. Upon graduation, he will start work as a Forensic Accountant for a firm in Miami, Florida.

As for what he wants to be remembered for, he hopes it will be for things much bigger than the game of basketball.

“I want to leave a personal impact with people, that whether I’m here or not ten years from now, they’ll remember me as a great teammate, a hard worker and someone who really cared and invested in them,” Kemrite said.

BRIENZA is a sports reporter.

Leah Seavers | Liberty News Service

PROPOSAL — Kemrite asked former Flames volleyball star Michelle Melendez for her hand in marriage following his recognition on Senior Night.

COMMUTERS & STAFF

sports

B4 | April 10, 2018 | Liberty Champion

Lacrosse the sea

Liberty athlete invited back to German national team Ian Strommen ibstrommen@liberty.edu

It’s been just under a month since my last column so I’d like to acknowledge some of the major events that have occurred in the sports world in the last few weeks: - The Rams are building a dream team.

- The 76ers have won a franchise record 14 straight games, including a DAVIS 132-130 win over LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

- JuJu Smith-Schuster has played a lot of Fortnite, including a record-breaking Twitch stream on March 15 when he played with Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, Drake and Travis Scott – for you old folks that’s a professional gamer and two rappers.

- Villanova made its opponents look like intramural teams en route to the 2018 NCAA men’s basketball championship.

- Patrick Reed won the Masters, and he listens to Imagine Dragons as hype music.

- LeBron James and Nick Saban are feuding over copyright claims – yes, the best player in the NBA and the best college football coach are arguing over Barbershop videos (whoever is controlling this Sims universe please do not let me go bald).

Okay now that we’re all caught up I’d like to focus in on one more event that happened in the past month – the NFL finalized its rules changes for the 2018-2019 season and there are some modifications that will deeply impact the game.

NFL Owners approved a total of 24 new changes to the game which consists of 11 rules affecting in-game play, 12 bylaws and one resolution. As usual, a majority of the changes are minor, but some will have a big influence on the league, and two will have major implications on the game. Here’s my unprofessional review/ breakdown of some of the more significant changes: “By Competition Committee; Amends Article XVII, Section 17.16 to permit clubs to trade players from Reserve/Injured.” – Pretty simple change, but it has the potential to have a big impact. Teams can now trade players on the injured reserve list, and those players would be eligible to return to play with their new teams, if they choose to designate them on the eligible to return list.

“By Minnesota; Amends Article XVIII, Section 18.1 to replace the 10-day postseason claiming period with a 24-hour period.” – Players waived during the postseason previously had to wait 10 days before they could be claimed by teams; now, they only have to wait 24 hours.

“By Competition Committee; Eliminates the requirement that a team who scores a winning touchdown at the end of regulation of a game to kick the extra point or go for two-point conversion.” – Courtesy of the Minneapolis Miracle. Now when a team takes the lead with no time left, they don’t have to awkwardly line up for a pointless extra point play.

“By Competition Committee; Makes permanent the playing rule that changes the spot of the next snap after a touchback resulting from a free kick to the 25-yard line.” – Another simple one. This rule has been in place for the last two years as an experimental change and now it’s being finalized. But its significance is that it’s a step in the direction of getting rid of kickoffs, which are statistically one of the most dangerous plays in football.

“By Competition Committee; Authorizes the designated member of the Officiating department to instruct on-field game officials to disqualify a player for a flagrant nonfootball act when a foul for that act is called on the field.” – Gone are the days of screaming at your TV because an official missed a dirty play that would have resulted in a player getting ejected. Now the designated official who is watching the TV broadcast can tell the on-field officials to eject a player over radio. What could possibly go wrong?

“By Competition Committee; Changes standard for a catch.” – The controversial catch saga continues. Essentially they changed the wording of what signifies a catch in order to try and make things simpler. It’s a three-step process: A receiver must secure the ball, establish themselves in-bounds and they have to initiate a “football move” such as a third step, turning upfield or extending the ball over the goal line.They eliminated the “going to the ground phrasing. The hope is to make a catch more objective, but realistically it’s just shifting the debate to what is deemed a football move. For the record, Dez caught it.

“By Competition Committee; Lowering the head to initiate contact with the helmet is a foul.” – This is huge, we’re talking big league. This is a rule change that aims to change the way football is played universally, not just in the NFL. If a player lowers his head to initiate contact it will be a 15-yard penalty and the player could potentially be ejected. The hope is to recondition players to not lower their heads during contact, which in theory should help prevent many head, neck and back injuries.

However, the rule proposal was not expected, so it was somewhat rushed and will probably lead to mass confusion this year because the language of the rule is so ambiguous. In the grand scheme of things, this rule is a good step in the direction of trying to make the game safer. Lowering the helmet is a routine natural reaction in contact, and although helmets are used for protection, they are also unintentionally the cause of some of the most gruesome injuries.

DAVIS is the sports editor.

Liberty’s top defender Lukas Tophoven is taking his talents to the German National Lacrosse Team this summer to compete in the Federation of International Lacrosse World Championship in Israel. Tophoven, who is both a German and American citizen, was the youngest player to ever play on the German national team at age 17 and will be the youngest again for this year’s tournament at 21.

Tophoven was born in Virginia and moved to Texas at a young age. When he was 11, his family moved to Berlin, Germany, where the future star found the game of lacrosse.

“There was no lacrosse in Texas and when I moved to Germany, I was looking for a sport to play,” Tophoven said. “I wanted to play football, but my mom said no.”

Tophoven wanted to play a fast and physical sport, so lacrosse was the perfect fit.

“I found lacrosse at my school. I loved the people who played, it helped me learn German… and it was different,” Tophoven said.

At age 11, Tophoven knew that lacrosse was going to be his passion.

His passion was tested three years later when 14-year-old Tophoven tried out for Germany’s under 19 national team but did not make the cut.

“After I did not make the team, I told myself I was going to work really hard to make the team again for the next tournament four years from then,” Tophoven said.

His determination paid off when only three years later, the coach for the Ger-

man National Team approached him and asked him to try out for the national team for fun.

“I took it because it was the next level for me,” Tophoven said. “I went to the three camps, made each cut, then made the national team. My hard work really paid off.”

Photo Provided

PRODIGY — Tophoven was the youngest player to ever play on the German national team.

The young superstar said that though it was fun being on the national team at such a young age, it was not always easy.

“I felt there was a lot of pressure on me since I was the youngest to ever make the team,” Tophoven said. “But it was still a lot of fun.”

Tophoven credits his early success to his determination to “make it” and his ability to learn from mistakes.

“I love constructive criticism and learning from my mistakes on how to get better,” Tophoven said.

Even with the distractions and commitment of being a national athlete, Tophoven says lacrosse is not always his main priority. He says one of the main reasons that he chose to come to America for school was to grow in his faith.

“Lacrosse has been a huge part of my identity,” Tophoven said. “My primary identity has been in God, but being here at Liberty, I have learned more about my faith and how it correlates with lacrosse and I have learned that lacrosse is not my whole life.”

The German-American citizen leaves no time wasted when not on the lacrosse field. Tophoven is studying psychology at Liberty with the goal of obtaining his doctorate in psychology.

“I love learning about people and different cultures,” Tophoven said. “I like to integrate people together, connect people and help share ideas.”

Tophoven also wants to use his psychology studies for mission work as well. Next school year, Tophoven will be a Resident Assistant on Liberty’s campus.

The German National team starts practice in two months in Barcelona, where they will be scrimmaging against the number one NCAA team in the U.S., Notre Dame. The Federation of International Lacrosse Championship takes place between July 12-21 in Netanya, Israel. To be a part of the German National Team, Lukas needs to raise $4,500 in two months. The donations will go toward travel expenses, housing and entry fees. Donations can be made on his Gofundme page at www.gofundme.com/roadtoisrael-com.

STROMMEN is a sports reporter.

Joel Isimeme | Liberty News Service

#WINNING — Toward the end of the season, the men’s hockey team produced a 19-game winning streak.

A year on ice in review Liberty men’s ice hockey looks forward to next year David Chhum dchhum@liberty.edu

After losing its season opener against the University of Alabama 3-1, The Liberty University men’s Division 1 hockey team was challenged to work harder to achieve the best possible result: a spot in the Top 10.

“We thought we were a top team in the country.

Our expectations were that we would grow and improve on the (previous) season and really take our team into the next level,” coach Handy said.

Handy said the loss only made the team hungrier for success.

“Sometimes you lose a lot of your energy because you’re emotionally tied up in the game, and sometimes that does have a negative effect on you early in the season,” Handy said.

Following their season opener, they bounced back to rattle off a dominant 5-game win streak, outscoring their opponents 39-3.

The Flames only got swept once, at the hands of Ohio University.

“We didn’t have Josh Hamilton and Ryan Cox in the lineup – two guys who became big parts of our team at the end of the year,” Handy said.

However, the sweep did not change Handy’s mindset.

Instead, his team adopted a

new way of thinking.

“We just played a really good team and lost each game by a goal.’ (It was a) great experience for us to have as we move through the season,” Handy said.

During the season, the

their season strong, and even brought home the conference title against Stony Brook 2-1.

“When you win the regular season title, it shows consistency throughout the season. It shows that your team

Kevin Manguiob | Liberty News Service

CLAPPER — Junior defender Zane Schartz loaded up a shot.

team’s longest win streak peaked at 19. “(We) focus our attention on the process instead of the final result,” Handy said. “Each week in practice we had an opportunity to get better. I don’t think we talked about the win streak a lot, we just kind of left it alone.”

During the Flames’ 19game win streak, the team defeated Western Michigan University, the University of Alabama and West Virginia University.

The Flames ended

is playing at its best,” Handy said.

The Liberty Flames Hockey team had a lot of momentum heading into Nationals. They opened against the University of Central Oklahoma, the defending National Champions March 10, but lost 1-2 in overtime.

“We had full confidence in our guys and we still do.

I thought that we played a good game,” Handy said.

“When you get playing against those top teams,

on a game that goes into overtime, anyone can win. I was proud of the result, we stuck with it. We proved to ourselves and everyone else (that) we are a program on the rise.”

The team graduated three seniors this season and lost Zane Schartz to professional hockey. The four players, according to Handy, will be hard to replace.

“We don’t just want guys because they’re good hockey players. We want guys who fit the culture and are good hockey players,” Handy said.

Though they are losing four key players, they still have a solid core.

“We have a lot of great players coming back,” Handy said. “The thing I’m most excited about is we have a united locker room.

We have guys in there who want to battle for each other.

We have a group of guys who want to push themselves to get better.”

Handy made it clear that the expecation for next season is to continue to improve.

“Our goal is going to be the regular season title,” Handy said. “Our goal is going to be the conference title. Our goal is going to be a national championship next year.”

CHHUM is a sports reporter.

feature

Liberty Champion | April 10, 2017 | B5

Rachel Estes | Liberty Champion

A HIDDEN RETREAT — Parks like the Smith Mountain Lake State Park (pictured) offer short-distance trails with views and swimming spots to refresh a weary student’s spirit.

Local parks for recreation

Need a study break? These local Virginia state parks are worth a road trip or two Rachel Estes reestes@liberty.edu

Whichever park you choose, you are guaranteed to get your fix.

With springtime (and exam week) upon us, students are itching for a break from the books. If you are looking for an outdoorsy adventure on a budget, the window of opportunity is not as narrow as you may have thought.

Reaching in opposite directions of Liberty’s campus, the James River and Smith Mountain Lake State Parks are just two of 37 Virginia State Parks abounding with unique opportunities to experience the outdoors.

Both within an hour’s drive of campus, these two parks are ideal destinations for your next day trip or weekend getaway.

“We like to use the saying that Virginia State Parks are a tonic for the mind, body and spirit,” Virginia State Parks Visitor Services Director Nancy Heltman said. “You can certainly exercise anywhere, but studies show walking in nature — really, just walking — is physically therapeutic over exercise not done in nature. The writer Richard Louv refers to it as Vitamin N.”

James River State Park Just past Amherst and surrounded by breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the James River, James River State Park allows you to trade the din of Wards Road traffic jams for a breath of fresh air.

“You can leave the stress and the busyness of the city behind and recharge out here,” James River State Park Manager Andrew Philpot said.

With more than 20 miles of trails, there is ample opportunity to lace up your hiking boots, saddle up your horse or roll out your bike and explore the natural wonders of Mother Earth.

“The gateway experience to state parks is typically hiking,” Philpot said. “There are very few barriers to experiencing that kind of recreation. There’s no equipment necessary—you can come out here wearing your flip-flops or tennis shoes or hiking boots or whatever you have and enjoy the trails.”

The park also features cabins and campsites for overnight visits, picnic shelters and

a canoe livery, which provides canoe, kayak and tube rentals as well as shuttle services.

According to Philpot, the James River is a great place for students to volunteer and knock out some CSER hours, too.

“You’ll experience a lot of different activities here than you’d probably be able to experience on campus,” Philpot said.

Among the park’s upcoming events is the Adventure Triathlon on April 21.

Online registration is open online at www.trireg.com until April 18 with an entry fee of $50.

To get in the know of all the upcoming events and James River State Park, visit www. dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/james-river and scroll to “Events, Programs.”

Smith Mountain Lake State Park On the north shore of Virginia’s second largest freshwater lake, Smith Mountain Lake State Park is a water aficionado’s dream.

“The park’s property is mostly fingers that extend into the lake, and the trails run so you can walk a short distance and get some great water views,” Heltman said.

The park also has a swimming area, boat ramp and rentals as well as a pier for freshwater fishing. Cabins and tent campsites are also available to rent.

About 10 miles from the shops and restaurants of downtown Moneta, Smith Mountain Lake State Park is not so far out that you cannot be close to the comforts of modern civilization while relaxing under the sun or stars.

According to Heltman, immersion in nature is a calming, irreplaceable experience that is sure to be worth your while, whether it is for a few hours or a few days.

“Getting away from the books and stress of the day-to-day student life is good to start with, but being outdoors and walking in nature really gives you a chance for personal reflection and a calming peace,” Heltman said.

“Whenever I drive into any of our parks I can feel the stress just falling away.”

You can find all 37 Virginia State Parks at www.virginia.org/stateparks. Whether you decide to visit James River, Smith Mountain Lake or another park on the list, Vitamin N awaits.

ESTES is a feature reporter.

feature

B6 | April 10, 2018 | Liberty Champion

The 12th Annual FACS Fashion Show takes the stage with springtime spirit

Flourishing in bloom

Liberty University’s Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) department joined forces with Tanzanian nonprofit City of Hope to bring the 12th Annual FACS Fashion Show in a blossoming display of springtime palettes as varied as a garden and design inspirations as delicate as rose petals.

The theme for this year’s show was “Flourish: Fashion in Full Bloom� — fitting for the theme of rebuilding lives that City of Hope founder Regina ChaCha and her daughter Tenzi promote in their work and ministry in Tanzania. Tenzi, who designed for previous FACS fashion shows herself when she was a student, graduated from Liberty several years ago, but still puts her skills to use in teaching Tanzanian women skills in sewing and design. Some of the women’s wares were sold at the City of Hope booth at the show.

From the display of Monet-inspired designs, to transforming ballgowns, to neutral-toned tea dresses, and even a “Lord of the Rings�-inspired men’s collection, the fashion show provided a spectacle of nature-inspired styles and tones.

The award ceremony commenced after the models walked with their designers on the runway. Designer Sarah Blanke (whose designs are pictured to the left and below) stole the show with awards in “Best Textile Innovation,� “Designer’s Choice� and “Best in Show� with her collection of neutral-toned pieces entitled “Paper Silhouettes: An Illumination of Repurposed Fibers and Unconventional Whimsy.�

JARRETT is the feature editor.

Jacob Buwalda | Liberty Champion

CASCADES — Model Grace Lynch displays designer Katelyn Verbeke’s collection “Botanical Vogue.�

Jacob Buwalda | Liberty Champion

Jacob Buwalda | Liberty Champion

WHIMSICAL — Sarah Blanke’s “Paper Silhouettes� collection (above and left) won three awards at the fashion show.

DAPPER — Luke Morgan (pictured above) won the Audience Choice award for “Best Male Model.�

Liberty  Graduation  Gala  Buffet

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“Anyone interested in Calvinism should have this book on his or her shelf.�

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feature

Liberty Champion | April 10, 2018 | B7

Story Slam dominates The Center4ME and Forensic Speech Team host a spoken-word performance

Jack Panyard | Liberty Champion

PURE POETRY — Students presented everything from poetry to life stories at the Story Slam.

Sarah Jackson sjackson81@liberty.edu

Nationally-renowned spoken word artist Lo Alaman took a breath, straightened his baseball cap and stepped up to the microphone. The crowd leaned forward in silent anticipation, and every eye carefully watched the starkly lit stage.

He launched into a piece called “The Morning Poem,” which touched on pain, loss and finding joy through Christ. Alaman then began a call-and-response setup, encouraging the audience to actively participate throughout the pieces.

This set the tone for an evening of storytelling through poetry, stories and mu-

sic during the Stories That Matter spoken word event at the Center for Multicultural Enrichment (Center4ME).

The event, a joint collaboration between the Center4ME and the Forensic Speech Team, was held April 6 at the Center4ME space in the Montview Student Union. The line to get in to the event streamed out the door, with an estimated 150 people in attendance, according to Denise Thomas, Forensic Speech Team coordinator.

The theme was Stories That Matter, where students both on and off the Forensics team were invited to share stories and spoken word pieces in a late-night event. “(It’s about) making a platform for people to come and share,” Allen Ancheril,

associate director of campus relations at the Center4ME, said. “I think the title kind of does say it all: Stories That Matter. If it matters to somebody, give them a venue for everybody to hear.”

Rebekah Sharpe, a junior English major and three-year participant on the Forensics team, was one of the originators of the idea for Stories That Matter. Sharpe got the idea from a diversity workshop at a college campus the Forensics team visited during a competition. Stories That Matter was an attempt to promote diversity and encourage students to embrace creativity.

“God himself is the most amazing and incredibly talented artist, and if we’re made in his image we were made to create art,” Sharpe said.

Students from different years, backgrounds and public-speaking experiences shared their various artistic pieces, most of which were original works.

Alaman, the emcee for the evening, picked names randomly from two hats to determine which participant went next: the yellow hat was for mostly traditional stories, while the blue hat held spoken word and pieces Alaman titled “new stuff.”

Aside from eliciting interest in the Forensics team and the Center4ME, Thomas wants to inspire students to share their work more freely. Thomas said she hopes that speaking at this event will spark confidence in the participants and encourage them to speak in public more often.

“Research tells us that the thing Americans fear most is speaking in public, even more than death,” Thomas said. “So even though people love the idea of doing it, putting themselves out there, especially if it’s original material… it’s a very vulnerable position.”

Though the theme was open to interpretation, the pieces generally stuck to heavy topics. Struggles with identity, the pain of loss and coming-of-age were

all touched upon through poems, songs, raps and stories.

One student performed a slam poem about the hypocrisy of the church based on her own walk with Christ.

The audience snapped in appreciation, echoed powerful phrases and promptly gave her a standing ovation once she stepped back from the microphone.

“We want people to have the opportunity to tell their story, to express their concerns or their joy,” Thomas said. “A lot of times the stories that matter to us are ones that are significant in our culture, or in our own human experience.”

Alaman, who flew to Lynchburg from Columbia, Mississippi, especially for this event, kept the night focused on the one story that he said truly matters — Jesus.

“If you’re looking to tell your story, I think he wants your actual story, not the pretty parts of it,” Alaman said.

“Your voice is your voice for a reason, so speak how you speak. Don’t try to be anybody else.”

Throughout the night, speaker after speaker proclaimed the name of Christ through personal testimonies or through lessons taught in spoken word format.

Emmanuel Cuffee, a coordinator at the event, said sharing personal stories of Christ’s redemption plants seeds in the lives of everyone who hears them. The Liberty student also participated in the event, with a spoken word piece titled “Regular Guy,” where he talked about image and the power of Christ. Cuffee said he wrote his piece based on his own experiences, and he hopes that his words influenced someone at the event.

“If you could just connect with one thing, it could change your life forever, and that’s the power of our testimony,” Cuffee said. “That’s how powerful it is.”

JACKSON is a copy editor.

The Bible’s two creation accounts are so obviously different.

Why? The book EDEN to EVIL argues that the church has misunderstood the mystery and puzzle of why God gave two very different creation accounts (Eden & 7-Day.) By exposing the truth behind God’s two creations, everyone, including scholars, can now understand the true source of evil, tragedy, suffering, predestination, and original sin.

The book Science, Origins, & Ancient Civilizations exposes government schools’ willingness to withhold scientific evidence from students. There is a lot of scientific evidence to support a sudden burst of creation within the last 10, 000 years, and literally no scientific proof of macro-evolution and millions of years. Explore scientific evidence withheld from school textbooks involving * the universe and solar system * physics and age * geology and the ice age * radiometric and C-14 dating * fossils and dinosaurs * mutations, DNA, and biology * humans, language and race * ancient civilizations, knowledge, and beliefs * the Queen of Heaven…and much, much more.

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FEATURE

B8

April 10, 2018

‘Diverse City’ meets the Hill City

Jessie Rogers | Liberty News Service

TURN ON THE IGNITION — Contemporary Christian music star TobyMac visited Liberty University with a show just in time for College For A Weekend (CFAW).

TobyMac speaks life with songs Grammy award-winning Christian artist performed both his old and new hits Jessica Hales jdhales3@liberty.edu

TobyMac and the Diverse City Band captivated an audience filled with students and CFAW guests on Saturday, April 7.

To start the night, TobyMac hyped up the crowd with two artists from his record label.

The first artist, Christian hip-hop and rapper Aaron Cole, came out with his drummer performing his song “Intro,” which grabbed the audience’s attention and brought them to their feet.

After Cole finished his songs, the second act, Hollyn, came in with a softer sound.

Eventually, Cole joined Hollyn on stage performing the song “Steady Me.” As the crowd waited anxiously through the first two acts, TobyMac and the Diverse City band finally came out through strobe lights and smoke.

TobyMac emerged on stage sporting a fedora and red striped pants singing his first song “Lights Shine Bright.” The illuminated stage mirrored the title of the song.

For the second song, Hollyn joined TobyMac on stage to sing “Backseat Driver.”

The choreographed routine of TobyMac and Hollyn had much of the crowd dancing along.

TobyMac challenged the audience by expressing his affection toward God through the songs he performed and his interaction with the crowd.

TobyMac continued to share God’s love throughout the night with a story he shared about his son, Judah. TobyMac said one night when Judah was younger, he asked TobyMac how does he “steal the show?”

TobyMac answers Judah by saying that it is not him but God that steals the show.

The crowd seemingly loved how TobyMac sang a mixture of his newer songs and

his older songs, such as, “Made to Love.”

When introducing the Diverse City band for the next song, TobyMac expressed his love for humanity as a whole by saying, “If your world is not diverse, you are missing out on the richness that I know.”

Audience members such as Rebecca Martin loved how TobyMac has a passion and love for others besides himself.

“What a selfless saying,” Martin said. “I love the fact that he continued, throughout the show, to express his love for everyone as people and not anything less than who God created us as.”

TobyMac then went offstage to change outfits while his DJ came out doing a mash up of different artists featuring Bruno Mars.

The DJ got the crowd dancing once again for TobyMac’s return on stage.

TobyMac performed his final song, “Love Broke Thru,” which had a video playing behind the band as TobyMac sang and

danced on stage. For the crowd, this was the most powerful message throughout the entire concert.

The song expresses how Christians should live for love and not war and showcases through the lyrics and rhythm of the song that this sort of love could only come from God. After the final song, the crowd shouted for an encore, and TobyMac obliged.

Some people were surprised that TobyMac was still popular, being that he originally came to stardom after co-founding the band “DC Talk” while a student at Liberty in the late 1980s. Students and guests at the concert, such as Martin, said they still enjoy listening to him today.

“This is such a throwback to my childhood when I used to listen to his older songs,” Martin said.

HALES is a feature reporter.

‘Kin’ play won’t let you forget Liberty’s latest stage production brings a somber chapter of local history to life Leah DePiero ldepiero@liberty.edu

Leah Seavers | Liberty News Service

HISTORIC CASE — “Kin” brings to life the Buck v. Bell case of 1927.

When people think of eugenics, images of Nazi Germany likely come to mind. However, the U.S., too, had a eugenics program, and one key part of it took place in the Lynchburg area.

Liberty’s performance of “Kin” shed light on a rarely-discussed part of American history by telling the story of Carrie Buck, a young woman who was sterilized after being deemed “feebleminded.”

Written by Jeff Barker, “Kin” follows Carrie, who lives with her foster parents, John and Alice Dobbs, in Charlottesville, Virginia, because her mother is placed at the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded in Madison Heights, Virginia. The Dobbs send Carrie to “the Colony” after she is raped by the Dobbs’ nephew and becomes pregnant.

The Colony’s superintendent Dr. Albert Priddy decides to use Carrie as a case to test a recently passed Virginia state statute that allowed people labeled “feebleminded” to undergo forced sterilization. Buck v.

Bell made it to the Supreme Court in 1927, where the Court determined that Carrie could be sterilized without violating the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process clause.

“The whole fact is that Americans were just as involved with the whole concept of perfecting the human race just like the Germans, but it’s

not something you really learn about, so it’s so important to talk about that and not hide that as a part of our history,” Claire Flores, the assistant stage manager, said.

For director Neal Brasher, the play’s historical significance with a local twist stood out the most to him.

“This is a play that is not only of great historical significance to the country, and the world actually, but here specifically because it’s something that mostly took place right here around the Lynchburg area in Lynchburg and Charlottesville,” Brasher said. “That makes it particularly compelling to me.”

To tell Carrie’s story, the play is set in the center of the Black Box Theater, with the audience surrounding the center of action and railroad tracks hanging from the ceiling.

“It took me awhile to get comfortable standing on a stage knowing that audience members were going to be on all sides, because it gives a vulnerability that was hard to get past at first,” said Laura Falcione, who played the story’s narrator—an older, wiser Carrie reflecting on the trial and the events leading up to it. “But after I got used to this, it actually lent itself to the vulnerability of the character.”

Brasher said that the railroad motifs featured in the set were a reflection of themes from the play that set designer Connie Hecker decided to include.

The stage sets the themes and tones of the show that deal with a historical

issue still pertinent today.

“This isn’t something deep far away in our past that we can forget about – this is still affecting people’s lives, both like that town in Tennessee (where a judge recently offered reduced jail time for inmates who agreed to be sterilized) or just people who are still around from when this happened, and it’s sad,” Flores said.

Flores said she hopes the serious nature of the topic causes audience members to think through the topic and feel led to respond.

“We don’t want people to be walking away devastated like ‘I can’t believe this happened,’” Flores said.

“We want people to come away from it with a feeling of contemplating this issue more and thinking about how it affects them, especially in regard to thinking about our history.”

For those involved in “Kin,” producing the play is a way to focus on a seldom-discussed topic and remember those affected by the U.S.’s eugenics program.

“I hope this play does justice to this topic of eugenics and everyone who has been affected by it,” Falcione said. “Every performance is, in my mind, a tribute to Carrie and those who were affected by this trial.”

“Kin” ran at the Black Box Theater from March 30 to April 8.

DEPIERO is the contributing editor.