Liberty Champion Feb. 21, 2012

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Tuesday, February 21, 2012

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Volume 29 • Issue 15

Longtime trustee dies at 85

s n o w d a y, a t l a s t

Tabitha Cassidy tcassidy@liberty.edu

Liberty University lost its second Board of Trustees member this year. Complications from diabetes claimed the life of Rev. Richard Herbert Fitzpatrick, Saturday, Feb. 11, according to his obituary on Oakey’s Funeral home website.

Fitzpatrick, 85, was put on the board of directors in 1976 Fitzpatrick for the Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (LBTS), according to Dr. Elmer Towns. When the theology school’s board of directors was combined with Liberty’s regular board, Fitzpatrick made the transition, Towns said.

Fitzpatrick had been a friend to Towns since before the founding of Liberty. He was a very quiet man, Towns said, and never tried to take over a room.

“He could lead from the subordinate role. He never played himself up as a big dominate preacher,” Towns said.

According to Towns, he featured Fitzpatrick in his book, America’s Fastest Growing Churches, after Fitzpatrick caught his eye.

“He’s wonderful one-on-one and he loves everyone,” Towns said.

Fitzpatrick was described by Towns as being a man of sterling character, having a reserved nature and being able to connect with people.

“They say he was the very best hospital visitor. He would go through the hospital and go talking to people, praying with people, encouraging people,” Towns said.

According to Towns, Fitzpatrick first gained his attention while he was preaching at Calvary Baptist Church in Connersville, Ind. Fitzpatrick took the church in the small farming community and watched it grow to over one thousand members. After moving to Maryland, Fitzpatrick was the reason for growth of an even larger scale at Riverdale Baptist Church.

“To build two mega churches is a pretty big thing,” Towns said. “(The church) grew from 400 to 2,000 in a couple years, that was just outstanding. He did it just based on his character and his person.”

The late Fitzpatrick continued to build big when Liberty was suffering financially in the late 1980s. According to Towns, Fitzpatrick loaned the university roughly $1 million during that time.

After a few strokes and a heart attack, Towns said, Fitzpatrick’s death did not come as a shock. Instead, there was relief.

“When people suffer, you’re happy that they’re going home to be with the Lord. So I was happy for him when he died,” Towns said.

CASSIDY is the news editor.

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

sledding — Students slide on slippery slopes after Sunday’s snowstorm. Eight inches of snow blanketed the campus.

Snowy weather hits ‘burg Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu

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ynchburg’s first snowstorm of the season hit Sunday, and Liberty University students rushed outside to enjoy the weather.

Junior Chad Porell decided to go sledding down the Hill along with dozens of other Hill residents.

“That was so fun,” he said. “It was fun till I wiped out — that was unfortunate.”

Nursing a skinned shoulder, the South Carolina native described growing up in the South and rarely seeing

snow.

“In South Carolina, it only snows an inch (at a time),” he said. “It’s such a disappointment because you can’t do anything with it, and it melts immediately.”

Lauren Trout and Logan Jones also enjoyed the sudden storm.

“This is the most snow I’ve seen in my entire life,” Jones, a missionary kid from East Africa and India, said. “The last snow I saw was in Texas seven years ago.”

Logan and Trout participated in a snowball fight Sunday afternoon with Dorm 8. Logan said Dorm 8’s resident

assistant approved it as long as nobody “started a fight or broke a window.”

“There were probably four different dorms involved,” Logan said. “It was hilarious.”

After growing up in Indonesia, Trout was thrilled to see all the snow.

“I just love playing in it,” she said.

The freak storm only lasted a day, and the weather forecast is expected to be in the 60s throughout the rest of the week, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

ADAMS is the web editor.

A time of healing after tragic train accident Students look to see God’s plan revealed every step of the way Melissa Gibby mfgibby@liberty.edu

Five students took a walk on train tracks high over the James River on Nov. 17 to look at the stars and marvel at God’s creation. But the serenity of the evening turned into tragedy because of a train’s rapid approach.

Freshman Hannah Emmaline Williams, 18, of Sanford, N.C. was killed that night and another student was seriously injured.

Three months later, the students who survived are still recovering from the night they ran for their lives, and they continue to look to see God’s plan revealed every step of the way.

David Duque, Julianne Ashbaugh, Kaitlyn Hermening and Patrick Marshall were friends before the night of the accident, but in the weeks following the accident their friendship solidi-

fied into an inseparable bond.

Ashbaugh had broken bones and internal bleeding after losing her grip and falling from the train trestle.

She was in the hospital for three and a half weeks before being released home to continue occupational therapy. Today, she is back at school and continuing to regain full motion of her wrists and elbow.

Hermening said the four immediately began spending every day together, praying for one another and visiting Ashbaugh in the hospital.

“God brought us really close right after the accident. I feel like these are my brothers and sister,” Ashbaugh said.

Throughout the following weeks, the students received an outpouring of love

See TRAIN, A6

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

Drawing close — Survivors Julianne Ashbaugh, Patrick Marshall, David Duque and Kaitlyn Hermening grow closer.

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NEWS

A2/Liberty Champion

February 21, 2012

Campaigning for cleaner water Claire Riss

criss@liberty.edu

Freshman Cassie Foster is on a mission to save lives with the simple gift of clean water. She is campaigning with CauseLife, an organization which partners to bring clean water to developing countries. Her goal is to raise $15,000 to fund two wells in Kenya and one in Guatemala.

To date, she has raised $13,288.

According to CauseLife statistics, more than one billion people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water. The global water crisis claims the lives of two million people each year, and the majority of them are children. Each day, 6,000 children — the number of 20 filled jumbo jets — die from water-borne illnesses like cholera, malaria and diarrhea, according to CauseLife.

Foster’s journey in ending the global water crisis began two years ago. Her desire to provide clean water stemmed from a trip her father took to Haiti just days after the January 2010 earthquake.

“When my father returned, he was a completely different person. He had a passion in him I had never seen before, a passion that I wanted so very badly. That

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New hope — Clean water can save 6,000 children a day. CauseLife moves toward a better tomorrow. pushed me to get involved with CauseLife,” she said.

The organization works to supply clean water to desperate communities around the world by joining with advocates to raise awareness about the necessity of clean water for health. Through personalized online platforms called “mycause,” CauseLife offers individuals unique fundraising opportunities that are easy to share through venues like social media. “ … CauseLife gives you the

opportunity to use your voice to make an impact and to literally save lives,” CauseLife Assistant Director Rachel Kolb said.

Foster’s decision to become involved in this campaign came after visiting Guatemala and witnessing firsthand the difference clean water was making through CauseLife wells. She traveled to a village that was overflowing with people when she arrived. It was previously under-populated, but had experienced an influx of people who had learned about

Romney cuts coach

a clean water well that had been drilled through CauseLife.

These villagers had migrated so that their families and livestock could simply survive.

“I wanted to be a part of making that difference,” Foster said.

Soon after, she began fundraising by selling custom-designed CauseLife bracelets and speaking publicly at various events.

On the first day of her campaign, she set up a booth in the Vines Center where she sold her bracelets during convocation. In

20 VOTE

an address that day to the student body, World Help Founder and President Vernon Brewer mentioned Foster’s cause, which triggered an overwhelming response from the students, Foster said.

“I was expecting (to raise) maybe $100 or $200. On that day alone, we raised almost $3,000,” she said.

Although her efforts have seen tremendous results, Foster said she has also faced times of discouragement and doubt.

“I had fundraising opportunities that had major setbacks, leaders that ran short on time and couldn’t mention us (during events) and times where we just did not sell any bracelets or raise any money for weeks … ” she said. “At many points, I just wanted to quit and give up.”

As she nears her goal, Foster is confident that her decision to partner with the organization will produce the difference she set out to make.

“When I think of CauseLife, I think of all the children who were and are orphaned, sick and frail (that) now have a chance to have a healthy life,” she said.

“With clean water, we can dramatically change … lives forever,” she said.

RISS is a news reporter.

Students to vote at Vines Center

12 Mitt’s campaign staff severs ties with former Liberty debate coach Romney, Paul on ballot for primary Kate Powley knpowley@liberty.edu

Former Liberty University debate coach Brett O’Donnell made headlines nationwide for his recent split as a temporary outside consultant for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.

The incident came about after the Republican presidential primary in Florida on Jan. 31, turning a lead in the polls for the presidential hopeful.

“It’s not uncommon O’Donnell for consultants, which is really what Brett O’Donnell is, to work for someone on a temporary basis to provide a specialty and move on past that,” Liberty senior Zach Martin said. Martin, a campaign manager for Councilman Jeff Helgeson, had a year of debate experience under O’Donnell. He has worked on 12 campaigns and currently works for Sen. Steve Newman.

There has been debate amongst the media as to the exact cause of the split between O’Donnell and the Romney Campaign.

According to the political website Politico, there was “discomfort” amongst campaign workers concerning the media’s perception of O’Donnell’s importance to the campaign.

“Sometimes (politicians) hire people like O’Donnell, who has a lot of expertise, to come in and make a few brief comments or to critique something,” Martin said.

O’Donnell worked at Liberty from the fall of 1988 until his resignation in 2006 to help with the McCain campaign,

according to Liberty’s Director of Debate Michael Hall.

“The type of skill sets (O’Donnell) uses for the debates are the same he used to teach his students (at Liberty). I think there’s a very direct relationship between what he learned here at Liberty — and the skills he taught our students here — and what he’s doing now for political candidates,” Hall said.

In addition to being an outside consultant for Romney’s campaign, O’Donnell has worked as an advisor for the McCain 2008 presidential election and, more recently, as an advisor for Bachmann before her withdrawal from the race.

“Even now (O’Donnell) is a huge fan of (Liberty’s) debate, and he still stays in contact with us. He will meet us at tournaments if we’re in the D.C. area and sees the team and how they’re doing,” Hall said. “And I think that the neatest part is to see someone who goes and does what he does and works with presidential candidates … and he still is very much part of the (Liberty) family as an alumnus and I think that speaks highly of him.”

According to Hall, the type of debate the university teaches and that O’Donnell uses is called policy debate.

The work that goes into one year of research for this kind of debate is similar to that of a doctoral dissertation. Additionally, O’Donnell knows his political process and public policy.

“With the work he has already done and how good he is at that sort of work, I would be surprised if he wasn’t working for political campaigns in the future,” Hall said.

O’Donnell did not wish to comment on the incident.

POWLEY is a news reporter.

Lindsey Birchfield lsbirchfield@liberty.edu

Students living on campus now have the opportunity to vote at Liberty University’s Vine Center after the recent redrawing of district lines. As of Feb. 2, more than 4,000 students were registered to vote at the Vines Center, according to General Registrar for the City of Lynchburg Carolyn Sherayko.

Sherayko hopes the convenient location will increase student voter turnout.

“Voter turnout really depends on the interest in the race on the ballot,” Sherayko said.

The only two Republican presidential candidates that will appear on the ballot are Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. According to Sherayko, there is a lot of interest in candidates off the ballot, which could affect voter turnout March 6.

Students at Liberty are extraordinarily educated and well thought out on the issues, according to Dean of the Helms School of Government Shawn Akers.

Akers said that Liberty students vote with knowledge.

“Voting with knowledge is powerful and can affect a race,” Akers said.

Even though this is a primary election, voting is just as significant. The primary election gives the opportunity to reflect the voter’s values and to show every candidate what values most people hold to, according to Akers.

Akers said the best way students can become prepared and educated on a candidate is researching their worldview.

“Understanding the foundational ideas that shape a candidate’s political decision is the most important research to begin with,” Akers said.

Freshman Kristen Baber prepares for

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the primary by discussing the election with her family and listening to the news and radio, keeping bias in mind.

“I want to have an influence on the direction of my country,” Baber said of her reasoning for choosing to vote.

“We have time for what we make time for,” Akers said.

According to Akers, there are just two choices Three elections for presidential in 2012 candidate at the end of the Presidential primary. TherePrimary: fore, it is necesMarch 6 sary to communicate to the City: May 1 candidates what is important to Presidential: voters by voting Nov. 6 in the primary.

Sherayko said students need to be positive they are registered to vote. USA Today reported that over 24 million voter registrations are “inaccurate, out-of-date or duplicates.”

“Every time you move, update your registration. It can be done anytime,” Sherayko said.

Students can check their voter registration at sbe.virginia.gov.

The next election is May 1 to elect four City Council members — all four incumbents have announced their reelection campaigns.

The November election includes not just the president, but also a senator and congressman.

FYI

BIRCHFIELD is a news reporter.

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NEWS

February 21, 2012

Liberty Champion/A3

Film students use their skills for charity Brittany Laird

bhlaird@liberty.edu

The Liberty University chapter of the National Broadcast Society (NBS) sponsored an event last weekend known as Forty-Eight. The event was created in order to raise awareness for local charities and to give students the chance to participate in a friendly video competition that could be added to their portfolios.

The event consisted of two parts, the competition itself and the Black Tie Event on Feb. 24, which will conclude the affair. According to Devin Francis, assistant media relations personnel, the competition consists of students writing, filming and editing their footage to help increase awareness for local charities.

The competition ran from Saturday at 9 a.m. until Monday at 9 a.m., giving the students a mere 48 hours in which to create a video for the charity that they chose to represent.

Students assembled their teams prior to the competition, leaving only the charity that they would represent undecided until the beginning of the competition. The list of participating charities was released the day before the competition began, according to NBS Public Relations Coordinator Alicia Whitecavage.

Participating in the competition are Causelife, Interfaith Outreach Association, Habitat for Humanity and Special Olympics Virginia, according to NBS Treasurer Tasha Willett.

Each team was allowed to choose which charity it wanted to represent from the list of participating organizations, according

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Film making for charity— Participants had 48 hours to created a film for their charity of choice. to Dr. Carey Martin, the advisor for the is the first major event of this type that campus NBS chapter. the university’s NBS chapter has held, acAt the beginning of the 48 hours, teams cording to Martin. were given the chance to sit down with the “This is our debutante ball, this is our representative from the organization they first big event we’ve had for the commuwere representing and discuss what direc- nity,” Martin said. tion they wanted to take for their video.

The society was interested in holding an “And then they’ve got 48 hours to script, event that not only benefited the students, cast, shoot and edit it,” Martin said. but also reached out to the community.

While a good portion of the com“We wanted to create an event that alpetitors are communications majors, the lowed students to use their God given talteams are made up of students from vari- ents,” Whitecavage said. ous majors.

Whitecavage and Martin are pleased by One student, Bobby Blanding, jumped the turnout for the competition, regardoutside his pre-med major comfort zone less of the fact that it is their first one. and joined forces with three communica“For the participating students, it’s the tion studies students and a cinematogra- perfect opportunity to use their future phy major to produce a 48 hour film. career skills, provide the charity of which “I really like the project….I think it will the Bible speaks and have fun under be great for people’s resumes,” Blanding slightly more intense deadlines than the said. real world,” Martin said.

The event, founded by Whitecavage, There are two levels for the judging of

the contest. Students will be required to upload their videos onto YouTube where viewers can vote for their favorites. The video with the most votes will get one of the awards, according to Martin.

There will also be an award presented by a panel of judges. The panel will include judges such as Scottie Curlee, the producer and director of the Christian feature film “The Potential Inside,” according to Martin.

The judging committee will also include Ash Greyson and Steve Mason, according to Willett.

The winners will be announced at the Black Tie Event, which will take place on Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. This event will include chances for the attendees to get to know the charities that were involved in the competition. There will be opportunities for individuals to sign up for volunteer work or donate to specific charities, should they feel called to do so.

The NBS is looking forward to seeing the work that the students put into the competition and the positive results that the charities will get through this event.

“I think this is a wonderful opportunity on all kinds of levels for all our constituencies,” Martin said. “I think it serves the Lynchburg community because students are reaching out to do something for local charities.”

“We want to make this something that happens annually,” Willett said.

LAIRD is a news reporter.

sundae~GRILL This weeks question: What did you do with your snow day? *Please send your answer to: libertychampionadvertising@gmail.com by 2/28 for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Sundae Grill.

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contamination — Lynchburg residents had to resort to drinking bottled water.

Breaking water mains Melissa Bauman mbauman3@liberty.edu

Twice last week the city of Lynchburg’s Department of Water Resources issued a boil water notice for Liberty University and the surrounding area on Friday, Feb. 10. During construction, a water line was hit on Liberty’s campus.

“What happened was a contractor working for Liberty hit a water line on campus. It was a main line for the city that runs right through the campus,” Director of Water Resources Tim Mitchell said.

“We had to try and isolate the area of the break which was most of the Fort Avenue areas around the mall and surrounding neighborhoods.”

Liberty’s campus was affected by the water contamination, as the first break occurred on campus. Students received warnings through email, text messages and via campus leadership.

“Our water was out for two days,” Mary Leigh Hatcher, a residential freshman at Liberty, said. “We found out through our prayer leader and had to boil our water that night. The next day we stocked up on bottled water because we were unsure when the water would be safe to drink again.”

Other students living off campus, and away from the impacted areas, were less affected.

“I found out about the water contamination through a friend. Even though I live off campus, I still used bottled water and filtered my water,” junior Melissa Kaleta said. “It didn’t really affect me personally.”

Although many areas did not experience any issues, approximately 200 homes in the area were affected, along with local restaurants and businesses, according to the Department of Water Resources.

The affected areas experienced water discoloration, low water pressure, and water service disruptions.

“Restaurants were affected more than anyone else because they couldn’t use their fountain machines. They had to boil

any water that they used in cooking and they also used bagged ice,” Mitchell said.

Several of the restaurants were asked to be cautious. According to Mitchell, Shakers, a restaurant near Liberty’s campus, discovered the issue when they saw water discoloration. Shakers, along with many other affected restaurants, had to purchase bottled water, bagged ice and canned soda in order to avoid any dangers.

“We had to take precautions just like anyone else under the advisory by either boiling water or serving bottled water,” Shakers Restaurant Manager David Sonnen said. “We let our customers know of our situation when they walked through the door, and allowed them to choose if they would dine with us, and most if not all still chose to eat there.”

“We also weren’t able to serve fountain drinks. Apparently, it affected not only the water, but also the drinking machines. We served tea that we made using boiled water,” he said.

The advisory was lifted on Sunday, Feb. 12. The Department of Water Resources was very cautious in lifting the notice.

“The contractor who first hit the line fixed the issue,” Mitchell said. “Tests were run at various locations to make sure the water was safe to drink again. We ran two different tests, and each test takes 24 hours to get the results. We were able to safely rescind the notice on Sunday.”

Then, on Tuesday, Feb. 14, pressure on the water mains in the Rivermont and Boonsboro Road areas built up and broke the lines. According to a release from the City of Lynchburg, the Department of Water Resources had to issue a “boil water notice” for nearly 200 homes affected by the breaks. These breaks could cost around $20,000 to repair, according to the Department of Water Resources.

The Department of Water Resources was able to isolate each break individually and limit the damage. The lines will be flushed to prevent the spread of any possible contamination.

BAUMAN is a news reporter.

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OPINION

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Religious freedom vs. the president Changes to ObamaCare reveal administration’s disregard of First Amendment Dominique McKay dgmckay@liberty.edu

America’s latest issue of Newsweek features a photo of red, white and blue contraceptive pills accompanied by bold print text, showcasing writer Andrew Sullivan’s article titled, “The Politics of Sex.” The cover is just one of many media platforms addressing the health-care debate’s current uprising.

President Barack Obama’s most recent health-care reform efforts requires religious affiliated companies to cover birth control in their employee health insurance plans. As the conservative right has risen up against this, the more liberal media has catapulted a swarm of attacks against them.

Since Obama’s announcement, the debate has waged on in the media with pictures recently surfacing of an all male panel listening to various testimonies supporting the birth control mandate during a house committee hearing last week — a sight that sent many liberal democrats into turmoil over the lack of female representation.

But stepping back into reality, behind all of this salacious sex talk going on, there is a stronger argument being trampled on — one that has nothing to do with sex, contraception or even our

issues with health-care.

Since the start of our nation, the First Amendment of the American Constitution has prohibited the making of any law impeding the free exercise of religion.

Likewise, for centuries the Catholic Church has taught its members that unnatural or artificial means of birth control are immoral. In 1968, despite knowing popular opinion was against him, Pope Paul VI issued a Humanae Vitae reaffirming this traditional teaching against any artificial forms of birth control.

Forty years later in 2008, the current Pope Benedict XVI readdressed the Church’s controversial stance stating, “Drafted to treat a difficult situation, (Humanae Vitae) constitutes a significant show of courage in reasserting the continuity of the Church’s doctrine and tradition.”

For the Catholic Church, the stance against artificial forms of birth control is a part of their well-documented doctrine and forcing any religious organization that follows this doctrine to go against it violates the Church member’s First Amendment rights.

Whether a person is Catholic or not, a woman or not, a supporter of birth control or not — the fact is this health care

mandate is unconstitutional.

Since the controversy unfolded, Obama has shifted his mandate from the arms of the religious organizations to the insurers themselves, ultimately leaving the burden of funding contraception on the shoulders and the wallets of the American public.

In the end, the entire issue has raised many questions not only about how impractical Obama’s health-care plan really is but also, and more importantly, about his lack of ability to abide by our

country’s own well-established doctrine — the Constitution.

In the 2008 Humanae Vitae address Pope Benedict XVI stated, “What is true yesterday is true also today.” Now, reflecting on Obama’s disregard of our First Amendment rights, one can only wonder: Is what is true about him and his policies today also true when it comes to his management of our nation’s tomorrows?

McKAY is a graduate assistant.

Don’t tread on me: New directive is more offensive than progressive Andrew Gula jagula@liberty.edu

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

That is the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. It is an understood benefit of being an American citizen, something that our founding fathers looked upon with pride. It would allow future generations to enjoy freedoms that no other nation on Earth had ever experienced.

It’s not surprising, then, that the First Amendment was designed to be very straightforward. Specifically, the sacred division between church and state was highlighted in the freedom of religion.

But, sadly, the amendment wasn’t clear enough.

Earlier this month, President Obama showed a complete misunderstanding of this freedom when he announced that all places of employment will now be required to provide contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs for their employees.

In his announcement, Obama described religious liberty as “an inalienable right that is enshrined in our Constitution.” The irony, of course, is that he completely overlooked the fact that it is…well, inalienable. When he decided to ignore numerous petitions from churches to make this directive, he took the first step in forcing Americans to forsake their Constitutional religious freedoms.

To be fair, Obama isn’t the only guilty party. There is also the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to thank for this violation of our Constitutional rights. And in response to the

abovementioned outcry from religious organizations, two changes were made to the updated ObamaCare.

First, the DHHS made a half-hearted attempt to placate the upset religious community. So rather than force the change immediately, the department elected to grant a one year grace period.” After that year, however, the religious employment organizations will be required to follow to the new ObamaCare mandate.

And last week, the second alteration came when Obama returned to the podium to clarify his new directive: “If a woman’s employer is a charity or a hospital that has a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health plan, the insurance company, not the hospital, not the charity, will be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive care free of charge, without co-pays and without hassles.”

“The result will be that religious organizations won’t have to pay for these services and no religious institution will have to provide these services directly,” Obama said in this second announcement.

The key word, of course, is “directly.”

As a college student, I admit that I don’t have a complete understanding of insurance policies and medical plans.

However, I’m aware enough to know that the employer ultimately pays — however indirectly — for any medical service that is covered by provided insurance plans.

So while claiming that the employer does not pay certainly sounds like a fix-all, it is only a sneaky way of saying that the money will come out of the employer’s pocket — it will just funnel through the insurance company first.

Mathew Staver, Dean and Professor of Law at Liberty University, as well as Founder and Chairman of the Liberty Counsel, immediately rose to take a

Newsweek

Obamacare — Newsweek and other news organizations zeroed in on President Obama’s new health care directive and its wide-reaching effects. stand for American religious liberties.

“Laundering a Catholic or Christian organization’s money through the insurance company to pay for abortifacients does not suddenly correct the moral sin inflicted by Obama. ObamaCare is a direct attack on the moral and religious beliefs of our nation... ObamaCare is an assault on our freedom,” Staver said in a Liberty Counsel announcement.

“ObamaCare is a direct attack on the moral and religious beliefs of our nation.

One year will not change religious tenets that have been in place for thousands of years,” Staver said.

While Staver is more than correct in this view, it does not provide an alternative. Fortunately, Staver isn’t the only person to rise to the challenge presented

by Obama’s directive.

Currently, a bill by Sen. Marco Rubio has been introduced to Congress. According to his article in the New York Post, Rubio “introduced the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012…

to establish a firm religious exemption to this insurance requirement under ObamaCare. [This bill] is a narrowly focused, common-sense measure that simply says the government can’t force religious organizations to abandon the fundamental tenets of their faith.”

Americans are fortunate that politicians like Rubio are in office. Without men like Rubio, or Dean Staver — who will participate in the Liberty Counsel’s argument against ObamaCare in the Supreme Court next month — the battle for our continuing religious freedom might already have been lost.

The only task left to us, it seems, is to rally behind the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and see that it passes through Congress. It is obvious that we need to make sure that the bill reigns in a presidential administration that is seeking to undermine the very infrastructure of American freedom.

GULA is the opinion editor.

OPINION

February 21, 2012

Liberty Champion/A5

Super Bowl commercial causes conflict

Subliminal messages in Chrysler’s ‘Halftime in America’ ad leave audiences in an uproar Troy Dauksys tadauksys2@liberty.edu

Super Bowl Sunday — practically a holiday in itself — isn’t just a championship game of the National Football League.

It is also a time when the world of advertising fights for its chance to be recognized for creating the best, most entertaining commercial spot.

While many commercial spots this year aimed for generating laughter, humor and wit, Chrysler Group LLC decided to take a dramatic tone with “Halftime in America,” leaving many viewers bewildered.

American film actor, producer and — according to the LA Times — republican, Clint Eastwood narrated a powerful piece for Chrysler in reference to its “re-birth” since the economy took a dive in 2008.

This was the year time Barack Obama took office, which aided in saving Chrysler Group from retiring its role as a car manufacturing Company in respects to the bailout.

Interestingly so, multitudes of viewers — both republicans and democrats — couldn’t help but relate Chrysler’s advertisement with American politics — particularly to President Obama.

Whether or not the intention was to reek of politics by supporting the Obama administration, the simple fact of the matter evidently fueled controversy across the nation.

“It was tax payers money used to make this spot, on our dime. The bailout of

M O FRTHE

K S DE O

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H : AS

IN OLL

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By

n Sunday, Lynchburg was given a gift of perspective — snow.

There is something beautiful about the perfection of snow. Maybe it is its uncanny ability to cover everything in its path and give everything a new appearance — a new perspective.

This spring semester has brought with it a lot of baggage. The political scene is heating up, the job market continues to flounder, construction continues to change the face of Liberty University — not to mention Lynchburg, GLTC managed to, yet again, recover a fraction of its losses, and Whitney Houston is no more.

All of these things, and many more, have a tendency to shift our Americanized philosophical perspective on life, love and, of course, the pursuit of happiness.

Take the presidential primary elections, for instance.

We have a propensity to fight so long and hard over the perfect candidate to lead our nation that we lose sight of the bigger picture. We spend so much time

Google Images

Confused — Political undertones in Chrysler’s commercial left viewers baffled. the unions is all on our dime,” Professor of Communication Studies Dr. Stuart Schwartz said.

“My concern is that Chrysler is not a viable company anymore, and what we’ve done is subsidize bad behavior, bad mar-

keting, bad operations, and unless we keep from subsidizing, Chrysler Group is not going to make it,” Schwartz said.

“I will not buy any car in which the government had a hand in a bailout.”

According to FOX News, Clint East-

hating the people who stand on our side of the fence. We forget we are all running after the same purpose.

Yes, choosing the correct presidential candidate to run against our current president is important. The Republican Party needs someone strong, courageous, smart and economically minded. However, instead of searching for all of those things the Republican Party is spending its time fighting over all of the wrong things.

We pull out each candidate’s dirty Bollinger laundry and argue over whether grass stains trump mud stains, whether ripped knees are worse than frayed heals.

Yet, somehow I am convinced we are missing the point. It is not the perfect candidate we should be looking for, but the worthy one.

Perfection is something that cannot be found in this lifetime.

As the snow falls and covers the land, our perspective may change — but the reality doesn’t. Snow allows us to see the beauty that could be despite the imperfection.

In kindergarten, I did a project with snow. My class went outside and we each filled a cup with the white wonder. Then we set our cups inside our classroom before leaving for the rest of the day.

The next morning when the class came into the classroom, we were all surprised at what our perfect white snow had become. It was nothing more than dirty,

foggy water. Our teacher then explained to us the appearance of white.

She said that if the snow were actually completely clean and without other foreign bodies, it would not appear as white to the naked eye — but would appear to be less dense and more ice-like.

The beauty of snow is not actually in its perfection — but in its imperfection.

Is it possible that our perfect candidate is also worthy in his, or her, imperfection

wood shared that the ad was not meant to be politically suggestive.

“I’m certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama,” Eastwood said. “It was meant to be a message about job growth and the spirit of America, and I think all politicians will agree with it. I thought the spirit was alright,” Eastwood said.

“My view of Eastwood has changed. By doing what he did, it makes me less likely to see a new release of his, but I’ll still watch his classics, of course,” Schwartz said.

P3R Publicity, a public relations firm in Los Angeles, Calif. — also, the firm responsible for “Halftime in America” — doesn’t “beat around the bush” when describing their role in advertising.

According to P3R’s “about us,” their mission reads, “Whether an established brand or a start-up company, P3R custom-tailors consultation and product development designed to increase brand identity, media exposure and ultimately boost sales.

New companies build name recognition, while established clientele rejuvenate and strengthen their identity by staying in the forefront of their respective marketplace.”

There is no doubt that P3R was successful in providing media exposure.

However, there is doubt that Chrysler’s sales will be boosted. However, if publicity and politics were the intended tactics for “Halftime in America,” then mission accomplished.

DAUKSYS is an opinion writer.

as well? Who is to say that having a past should disqualify a person from leading a successful future?

Whether the 2012 Republican presidential candidate is Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul, I am convinced that the airing of their dirty laundry, or the dissection of their past mistakes, is not going to make them a better qualified or acceptable candidate.

NEWS

A6/Liberty Champion

February 21, 2012

Job search turns to sex-trafficking scare Tabitha Cassidy tcassidy@liberty.edu

Being shoved into a trunk, gagged and sold for sex was not the fate of one Liberty University student as she avoided what could have possibly been a sex trafficking scheme.

Elyse Klink, a resident advisor (RA) for dorm 81, was at risk of being picked up for human trafficking, she said.

Klink said that after applying to various baby sitting and nanny jobs on Craigslist.com, she received one reply that seemed too good to be true.

“I got a response from one of the ads within 24 hours….

The pay was $400 a week, and I was basically able to set my own hours,” Klink said.

Klink and the woman continued to speak to each other via email and text messaging, but not once did Klink actually hear the woman’s voice, she said.

According to Klink, after asking several questions about the job to figure out an exact work schedule, the response she received was vague and seemed fishy.

According to Klink, after the woman did a supposed background check on her, she did not

hear anything back for a while.

Roughly a week later, another email came, this time with information on how to deposit a $2,750 check that was waiting for the RA. Klink noticed the check she received was from Washington state, but the envelope it came in was postmarked from Atlanta.

“I was extremely uncomfortable with the situation, so I brought it to LUPD the next day. They confirmed that it was a scam and that Craigslist was one of the largest sex trafficking hubs,” Klink said.

Since Klink’s situation could not be confirmed because of her not meeting with the woman, she said that the police told her it could be inferred due to the fact that she was told to meet at an obscure apartment complex.

“I was definitely a little shaken up…It shocked me to realize trafficking can occur even in a place like Lynchburg,” she said.

According to a study done by the University of Pennsylvania in 2009, more than 200,000 youth in the United States are at risk of being sexually exploited for commercial use. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that 1.2 million children are globally trafficked

each year.

Having just attended the Passion 2012 conference, Klink said she learned a lot about sex trafficking and the threats it poses to society. It would have been easy for her to have been captured and taken advantage of had she not been educated, Klink said.

“The thought of what could have been was enough to make me feel exploited. The idea of having that taken away from me was scary more than anything else, but at the same time, the Lord has given me such a peace in knowing that whatever I go through, I can use it for God’s glory,” Klink said.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), between January 2008 and June 2010 federally funded task forces opened up 2,515 suspected incidents of human trafficking in the United States of America.

Seven percent of those investigations were for sex trafficking accusations. “(This experience has) made me passionate about educating girls about trafficking, because we are so naïve about the reality of it,” Klink said.

CASSIDY is the news editor.

Photo Provided

help — Klink, who spent her summer helping children in South Africa (pictured), had a scare with a sex-trafficking scandal on Craigslist.

Removing limitations on handgun laws Virginia legislation changes to allow citizens to purchase firearms sooner

Justin Jones jljones@liberty.edu

Virginia’s state senate voted to pass a handgun law that had stood for nearly 20 years, removing the limitations that allowed for only one handgun purchase a month.

The former law, which passed in 1993, could be overturned after receiving a 21-19 vote Feb. 6 in favor of lifting the once-amonth rule. The proposed bill will soon be placed on the desk of Gov. Bob McDonnell to be signed into law.

“A gun owner who is reasonable, responsible and trained is able to protect his family and his community,” junior Tyler Daugherty said. “This type of gun owner is restricted unnecessarily when gun laws do not specifically target criminals.”

Delegate Scott Garrett, who represents the Liberty precinct, voted in favor of the bill, seeking to return gun-owners’ rights that he views as a matter of personal choice.

“Fundamentally, citizens should be able to purchase what they wish to consume,” Garrett

TRAIN continued from A1 and support from friends, family and many people they didn’t know.

“We all got bombarded on Facebook. People around the country would send us messages saying, ‘Hey, I don’t know you, but just wanted to let you know I’m praying for you,’” Hermening said.

All four students were thankful to attend Liberty University, where they knew people would be praying for them.

The Worship Pastor at Liberty University, Justin Kintzel, had a unique perspective of the Liberty student body during the Convocation after the accident.

“Students were praying together, even mourning over what had not been fully described yet,” Kintzel said. “The spiritual sensitivity of the Liberty student body is very strong.

They can gather together in a time of mourning and pain, and turn to God and praise Him

Sxc.hu

gun — Virginia residents can now purchase more than one handgun a month after a new bill passed. said. “Some have brought up the stands that licensed gun own- current system for background illicit gun use on college campus- ers are responsible and deserve checks will be able to effectively es like Virginia Tech, but I don’t the right to purchase handguns keep criminals from purchasing, without restriction,” Daugherty and trafficking, handguns to the believe that’s the same issue.”

“It seems to be a nod to gun added. “It also shows that Vir- degree that they did prior to the owners that the state under- ginia legislators believe that the purchase limit.”

while lifting up those who don’t know what to feel.”

All four students had the sense that God was carrying them through the weeks of recovery.

“After the accident, Kaitlyn, Patrick and I worshiped, prayed and read Scripture in the E.R. It was during this time that I, for the first time, truly felt the presence of God in my life,” Duque said.

Ashbaugh said God became real to her through experiencing the miracle of being alive after coming so close to death.

“I live with more of a sense of urgency, like God’s given me this second chance at life and I really, really want to live it all for him,” Ashbaugh said.

Ashbaugh, Hermening, Duque and Marshall expressed a new boldness and motivation to serve God and share their faith.

“Your whole life is determined by the decisions you make every day…it’s really motivated me to put more time and effort into schoolwork or whatever God

has for me here,” Marshall said.

“From the moment I woke up in the hospital it was like a wake up call. Things that were important to me before, I realized, had no value, and I kind of just realized what’s really important,” Ashbaugh said.

Even in the midst of tragedy, the survivors say that God has been working in the their lives and the lives of those around them.

“The night of the accident we asked God that He would be glorified through this tragedy.

He has answered our prayer and will continue to,” Duque said.

Duque, Marshall and Hermening asked Kintzel to come surprise Ashbaugh in the hospital, and after learning they were worship majors, Kintzel and the four shared a time of worship.

“The sheer dedication and desire to know what God wants from them, especially after going through such a traumatic time, is unmatched by anything else I’ve experienced. They are

According to the Associated Press, nearly two years ago a similar bill cleared the House but failed to pass through the Virginia Senate. The original bill in 1993 was part of an effort to limit gun trafficking.

“Certainly, it affirms the Founding Father’s words they wrote some 200 years ago,” Garrett said. “They put the language in the Second Amendment to bear and keep arms for a reason.”

Garrett said that he has heard comments of how the new law will allow some to continue in their collection of handguns, giving them more freedom to purchase a handgun as they choose, instead of waiting another 30 days.

Multiple sources have reported that Gov. McDonnell will sign the bill. Garrett believes that it is the governor’s decision to do what he sees as “best for the commonwealth.”

“To me it’s about choices, folks owning their own guns for their own reasons,” Garrett said.

JONES is a news reporter.

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

healing — Train tragedy victims continue to spiritually heal. walking, talking evidence of God’s mercies being new each morning and how sometimes, all you can do is rely on Him,” Kintzel said.

Surrounded by insurmountable circumstance, all four students have seen the faithfulness of God. They now use their stories as testimony and encouragement to others of God’s

healing and power.

“When you’re going through a really hard time, look for God working, because God has plans and doesn’t do anything by accident. He does everything for a reason,” Ashbaugh said.

GIBBY is a news reporter.

NEWS

February 21, 2012

Liberty Champion/A7

Photos provided

New Dawn — Spc. Bruno Mizerani deployed to Iraq with the 1-116th Infantry as part of Operation New Dawn. The deployment lasted from August to the end of the war in December 2011. In the bottom left photo, Mizerani is on the left, followed by LCpl. Vincent Inatomi, Spc. Nick Horne and Pfc. Corbin Brown.

Spc. Bruno Mizerani: End of the war Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu

Liberty University student Spc. Bruno Mizerani left Iraq in mid-December when his unit, Charlie Company, 1-116th Infantry Battalion, returned to the States with the last U.S. forces.

The mission was Mizerani’s first overseas deployment since joining the National Guard two years ago. He began training for Operation New Dawn — America’s official withdrawal from Iraq — back in May, and

the unit shipped out at the beginning of August. “It was a total culture shock when I went there because everyone dressed differently in the towns we passed and the places we went to,� Mizerani said. “I enjoyed the heat — even though it was 120 Fahrenheit — at least it was dry heat.�

According to a news release by the Virginia Department of Military Affairs, the soldiers of the 1-116th were fully aware of the scheduled troop withdrawal at the end of 2011, but they knew

plans could change depending on conditions in Iraq.

Local townspeople also anticipated the troops’ exit, but not always with good intentions, Mizerani said. Some of the Iraqis tried to predict the days he and the 1-116th would pull out to plan one last attack. “Being one of the last ones to leave was actually pretty interesting,� he said. “The neighboring city southeast of us was trying to find out the days we’d be leaving so they could do a final strike.

There were a couple of times

they got it wrong, and once they even had it in their local newspaper the dates they thought we’d be leaving.�

Originally from the little town of Baixa Quente in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil — about 12 hours east of the capital — Mizerani immigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was 12.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Mizerani decided to enlist in the Army National Guard when he enrolled at Liberty. “My dad was in the Army before, but then he went back in

as a chaplain — through that I saw what the Army was like,� he said. “Later I wanted to join to serve my country and also because the Army would help me pay for school.�

With the Army’s help, Mizerani enrolled as an aviation student. He expects to graduate from Liberty in 2014 and hopes to go on to fly commercial aircraft.

ADAMS is the web editor.

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Visit our homepage frequently for weekly menus, calendar of events and news you can use.

Valentine’s Day fit

Dinner

Teaching you to make healthier choices

-�WHAT by reservation only-�

IS FIT FLAMES? A workshop with eating and exercise tips to improve your well-being, taught by a Registered Dietitian.

VIP Room (Reber-�Thomas Dining Hall)

Tempt the palate with dinner for two by candlelight and enjoy MEETING DATES:

a savory meal.

5:30-6:30 in the VIP roomfour-�course at Reber-Thomas Dining Hall 31, 2012 t 'FCSVBSZ $40January per couple.

Limited seating available. .BSDI t "QSJM Call or stop by the Main Dining Office for reservations, (434) 582-�2262

TOPICS INCLUDE: Making healthy choices in the dining hall (with a guided tour led by the dietitian) )PX UP SFBE B GPPE MBCFM t 1PSUJPO EJTUPSUJPO t 3F UIJOL ZPVS ESJOL t &BTZ XBZT UP CF BDUJWF t 4UPDLJOH ZPVS EPSN SPPN XJUI HPPE GPS ZPV TOBDLT t &BUJOH XFMM PO B CVEHFU t "OE NPSF

, Â y a d s e Tu th 4 1 Â Join the workshop to learn more fun facts a about food! y r Febru *G JOUFSFTUFE QMFBTF DPOUBDU 3PCJO . 2VBZ .4 3% Registered Dietitian

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CHOOSE Your  Plan In celebration of African-�American Heritage Month, Sodexo and Center4ME present

SOUL We recognize that Faculty and Staff here at Liberty University convenience and flexibility in a PORK CHOPS & GRAVY AND FRIED CATFISHrequire | MACARONI AND CHEESE | FRIED OKRA AND COLLARD GREENS | SOUTHERN CORNBREAD | DESSERT BANANA PUDDING meal plan.

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AND COLLARD GREENS | SOUTHERN CORNBREAD | DESSERT BANANA PUDDING PORK CHOPS & GRAVY AND FRIED CATFISH | MACARONI AND CHEESE | FRIED OKRA AND COLLARD GREENS | SOUTHERN CORNBREAD | DESSERT BANANA PUDDING PORK CHOPS & GRAVY AND FRIED CATFISH | MACARONI AND CHEESE | FRIED OKRA AND COLLARD GREENS | SOUTHERN CORNBREAD | DESSERT BANANA PUDDING

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increments. All meal plans expire at the end of the academic year.

For more information, visit  www.libertydining.com  and  download  the  form  to  select  your  plan  today!

NEWS

A8/Liberty Champion

February 21, 2012

Kate Schoener | Liberty Champion

long distance — An archer prepares to shoot his foe from the other side of the field. Another student prepares to take a break as his time to battle has not yet come.

Dueling with duct tape weapons Liberty’s Sword Fighting Club battles with handmade weapons every weekend, rain or shine Victoria Lind vlind@liberty.edu

Each weekend on the grass field next to dorm 28, the Liberty Sword Fighting Club (SFC) dukes it out with handmade foam swords, daggers, katanas, clubs and more. Playing group games and sparring matches, the SFC meets every weekend to hone their technique and have fun.

According to sophomore and SFC council member Sean Cordani, SFC was started about six years ago by two Liberty students and since then, has increased in member size, eventually adding a council.

In rain or shine, extreme cold or humidity, the club still meets.

“We fought in the snow, we fought in the rain,” Junior Sabrina Hardy said. “We rarely cancel meetings.”

Each meeting starts out with a devotion from the club Chaplain James Genter and a time for prayer requests. After this, group games take place such as “Rise of the Dead”, “Zombie”, and team-based sparring matches.

New group members are required to go through a small

safety course that includes a rundown of the group rules with the council. No metal or wood weapons are allowed, and a person can never hit above the collarbone or hit others with too much force. After a sparring session with a council member to confirm the member is ready to play, they are free to participate in games with the group.

On average, around 20 people show up to SFC every weekend.

During College for a Weekend (CFAW), that number increases.

According to Cordani and Hardy, 50 people showed up for a session during CFAW weekend last year, many of them CFAW visitors.

“We love when people just come out and we love to show them the ropes,” Cordani said.

“The more the merrier.”

Senior Katherine McKenzie has been coming to SFC for the past two years and appreciates the comradery within the club the most.

“Just having a common bond with all the members and being able to see them on campus and talk about anything is great,” McKenzie said. “Even though we beat on each other, there’s

Kate Schoener | Liberty Champion

battle — When students get stabbed, sliced or hit, they “lose” that limb and must continue to fight. a special bond. It’s a group, a brotherhood.”

Freshman Benjamin Beck found out about the club through Hardy and McKenzie and has been coming to SFC since Fall 2011.

“I get a lot of exercise out of the club, to say to the least,”

Beck said. “The club is just a lot of fun. It’s just awesome to be out there in the cold shivering with your friends and beating them up with foam swords.”

“We vanquish people in the name of Jesus,” Hardy said.

“That’s basically the club motto.”

Anyone interested in participating in SFC, regardless of experience level, is encouraged to check out the Facebook page at facebook.com/lusfc to be up-todate on club meetings.

LIND is a news reporter.

Redvolution kicks off Jessica Rowell criss@liberty.edu

Daryl Calfee

frozen yogurt — Two children enjoy Bloop’s frozen treats.

Bloop yogurt expands Jon Mitchell

jmitchell6@liberty.edu

Candler’s Mountain Road now has a new Bloop Frozen Yogurt location to satisfy students’ desires for frosty treats as of Feb. 11.

This franchise, started nine months ago, is the creation of four Liberty University graduates. After realizing that there was a large market for frozen yogurt, Daryl and Johanna Calfee, along with Todd Allen and Josh Oppenheimer, decided to start a franchise that would make better yogurt and provide friendlier customer service.

Bloop is a corporately owned franchise based in Lynchburg, Va. with new locations opening soon in Charlottesville, Va. and Greensboro, N.C. Franchisees are even interested in expanding

Bloop Frozen Yogurt from West Virginia down to Florida. The immediate goal is to launch 10 stores in 2012.

The yogurt company also donates to charity, according to their website. Bloop has partnered with Charity: Water for their “Cup 4 A Cup” program.

The yogurt business donates five cents for every cup of yogurt to help raise funds to dig a well through Charity: Water, according to their website.

“Our goal is that each Bloop store will donate enough...to buy one well that will provide water for...people in places around the world where curable diseases can be prevented by simply having clean, safe water to drink,” the website said.

MITCHELL is a news reporter.

Screaming fans, electric guitars and spiky-haired rock stars are not typical components of the college application process.

But for some prospective Liberty University students, their road to college may begin at the REDvolution! 2012 concert tour.

This new recruitment tactic employed by Liberty University features several Christian rock bands, including the band RED as the main performance and special guests Thousand Foot Krutch, Manafest, Kiros and Nine Lashes, according to Assistant Director of Recruitment Kevin Gibbs.

The campaign utilizes music as a tactic to attract new students, especially those of the male gender.

“A few months ago, we came up with this idea and saw it as a great opportunity to reach out to males,” Gibbs said. “It is a great demographic.”

The university hopes to draw in prospective students by encouraging them to apply at the concert. As an incentive, Liberty will be giving away a grand prize package that includes a $16,000 scholarship and a guitar from the REDvolution! 2012 signed by each member of the bands.

To register for the prize, concert attendees must fill out an

application to Liberty University at a designated booth. Those who apply will have the $40 application fee waived and will also receive a free REDvolution!

T-shirt.

“We are not just reaching out to high schoolers, but their parents and youth pastors that bring them. (LU Online) would be great for parents and the youth pastors,” Liberty University National Recruiter Courtney Hamel explained. “So really, we are reaching anyone and everyone that comes to the REDvolution! tour.”

In addition to the booth setup, the school is also connecting to potential students through social media. A Liberty University recruiter will tour with the bands and provide updates via the university’s website, Facebook and Twitter profiles.

“We will be using our Twitter account to send updates, to say where we are at…we want to give students a look at what we are doing and get them interested,” National Recruitment Coordinator Amanda Craft explained.

The tour has already yielded impressive results, with over 800 tickets sold on the second night and a sold-out concert in St. Petersburg, Fla. scheduled for the end of the month.

“The tour covers all demographics, both students and

parents. It promotes music that students enjoy but is still in the Christian market,” Craft said. “I believe Liberty was one of the first education sponsors of music festivals. This really gets Liberty out there…this is a really great testing ground.”

The kickoff of the tour began in Rochester, Minn. on Feb. 10 and will continue on to a total of 19 locations throughout the United States, ending March 24 in Fort Wayne, Ind. ROWELL is a news reporter.

Tour Schedule Feb. 24: N. Charleston, S.C. Feb. 25: Jacksonville, Fla. Feb. 26: St. Petersburg, Fla. March 8: Corpus Christi, Texas March 9: Dallas, Texas March 11: Tulsa, Okla.

March 15: Las Vegas, Nev. March 16: Redlands, Calif.

March 17: Phoenix, Ariz.

March 21: Wichita, Kan. March 22: Fort Smith, Ariz.

March 23: Sauget, Ill. March 24: Fort Wayne, Ind.

SPORTS 4FRNT skis to sponsor freshman

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

charitable hockey

Brent Washburn

bwashburn2@liberty.edu

To an action sports athlete, sponsorship is huge. It’s a necessary component in establishing a future in the industry. This is especially true for Liberty freshman Jonathan Steltzer, who recently signed a sponsorship contract with 4FRNT skis.

Steltzer fell in love with 4FRNT’s products after having to use the Snowflex Center’s rental 4FRNT skis the entire fall semester.

It wasn’t until a demo day at the Snowflex Center last fall that the 4FRNT guys laid their eyes on Steltzer’s skiing.

“They offered me a STELTZER discount and I told them about a previous offer that was a better discount,” Steltzer said. “I asked if they could beat (the original deal) because I liked (4FRNT’s) product better. They were like, ‘Send us your resume and the competitions you’re doing,’ and then I got sponsored by them.”

The amount of new tricks that Steltzer was able to learn in the short amount of time he spent riding Snowflex while visiting his brother drove him to come to college at Liberty.

As for other sponsors, Steltzer is currently working with getting signed by a few outerwear companies and just signed with Nightrain, a free-skiing clothing company.

Steltzer has been competing this season in a few circuits — the Collegiate Freestyle Association, the United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association and the Appalachian Ski Mountain Series.

Steltzer grew up near Sunday River Resort in Maine and learning how to ski as a 3-year-old, but it wasn’t until he was in his teens that he started freestyle skiing.

“I started freestyle skiing when I was about 15 years old,” Steltzer said. “My youth group leader was really into freestyle skiing, and I thought he was like a pro because he could do a 360. So after that, I got really into it and about a year later, I was better than him. It surprised me.”

Inspiration is a huge part of the action sports culture and for Steltzer, his skiing inspiration is drawn from Phil Casabon and Henrik Harlaut.

However, he also notes his father and Jesus Christ as the biggest inspiration for his life.

Steltzer has a lot of season left. He’ll be competing in a few more collegiate competitions this season and will end at his home mountain of Sunday River in Maine for the USCSA Nationals.

WASHBURN is a sports reporter.

flames

scoreboard • Baseball at Richmond 12-0 (W) at Towson, 8-0 (W) at Towson, 12-3 (W) at Citadel, 11-9 (W)

• Softball at Georgetown, 7-2 (W)

•

Men’s Basketball at Morgan State 69-81 (L)

• Women’s Basketball at Winthrop, 69-71 (L)

• Men’s Tennis at Georgia Southern, 5-2 (W)

•

Men’s Lacrosse vs.

Davidson, 15-11 (W)

Ruth Bibby| Liberty Champion

Toss — After the first goal of Friday night, sophomore defensiveman Matt Sherry and the hockey program collected a torrent of bears given by fans.

a night of

Domination

Men’s hockey wins against OCU Kyle Harvey kharvey2@liberty.edu

L

iberty Men’s Division 1 hockey concluded its 201112 season Saturday with a two game sweep of No. 15 Central Oklahoma University. The Flames netted 11 goals over two games, winning 8-2 on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday.

“Confidence is huge,” head coach Kirk Handy said. “I think we were able to gain that this weekend for sure. We wanted to play two real solid games and we accomplished that.”

The set was a rematch of an earlier matchup this year for both teams. The Flames traveled to Edmond, Okla. in November, winning two games 5-3 and 3-0.

“We played them twice earlier in the year and played two very close games to them, so it was pretty big to come out here and beat them 8-2 yesterday and … beat them today pretty easily,” senior defender Seth Jensen said. “I think it shows that we’re getting better as a team and we’re really ready to hopefully make some noise at nationals.”

For seniors, emotions ran high as the weekend represented their last time taking the ice as a Liberty University Flame in the regular season. Perhaps none ran higher than senior captain and emotional leader Joe Smith.

“Let me start with Joe. Obviously, wearing the ‘C’ for us is huge,”

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

dominant — Brent Boschman and the Flames handled OCU. Handy said. “The character, the hard work and the consistency it takes, the leadership ability — Joe’s risen to that and more as our captain. Having our team be a .500 team last year and then turning that around this year to such a great extent is all attributable to the leadership Joe brings to the table.

“We’re going to miss him inside and outside the locker room.

See HOCKEY, B4

Team collects 309 teddy bears Jay Sir ysir@liberty.edu After the first goal of Friday night’s men’s hockey game, the crowd at the LaHaye Ice rink threw 309 teddy bears onto the ice in participation of a teddy bear toss, sponsored by the Teddy Bear Brigade.

“The Teddy Bear Brigade is a partner with Gleaning for “I’m from the World, and they have Canada, a ministry of and we do c o l l e c t i n g the Teddy teddy bears Bear Toss and donating them every to under- year... so p r i v i l e g e d my mom children in brought the world,” Director of six bags LaHaye Ice of teddy Center and bears.” head men’s - BLAIR hockey coach BENNETT Kirk Handy said.

“We were approached by the Teddy Bear Brigade and they asked if we were interested in this event and we gladly accepted.”

In the spirit of this event, some of the staff and players also donated to the cause.

“I’m from Canada and we do the Teddy Bear Toss every year back home so my mom came down and brought about six bags of teddy bears,” goaltender Blair Bennett said. “My junior team at home had a couple teddy bear tosses and they’re a lot of fun. I think it’s good that everyone can contribute by giving teddy bears.”

SIR is a sports reporter.

SPORTS

B2/Liberty Champion

February 21, 2012

Women’s tennis drop matches against Tech Mark Meyers mameyers@liberty.edu

Taking care of leads is a vital part of all sports. Liberty University’s women’s tennis team fought hard against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Feb. 17 but failed to maintain their leads and close out matches as the fell 5-2.

“I can’t ask my players to fight any harder than they did tonight,” coach Chris Johnson said.

The Lady Flames fell in all three of the doubles matches despite having a lead in two of the matches.

Sophomore Jessie Boda and senior Carol Lobel raced out to a 5-2 lead in their No. 3 doubles match before squandering it away and losing 8-6. Sophomores Alexandra Sheeran and Rebekah Jenkins held a 5-4 lead in their No. 1 doubles match before falling 9-8.

In the No. 2 doubles match, sophomore Cameron Richard and freshman Nicola Wellman found themselves in a 6-1 deficit right off the bat.

They battled back to make the score 6-4 before losing steam and falling 8-4.

“Virginia Tech has some really good players, and we fought hard and gave ourselves a chance

Micharl Johnson | Liberty Champion

effort— Liberty fought hard against Virginia Tech. However, the Lady Hokies left with the win. to win,” Johnson said. “And that is all I can ask from my players.”

The bright spots for the Lady Flames came from Wellman and Boda, who each won their singles matches. Wellman took the first set 6-4 but lost the second 3-6. “(Losing the second

set) was tough mentally for me,” Wellman said. “I just had to tell myself ‘I’m not going to lose this match for my team.’” Wellman came back strong in the third set and won 6-4.

“I just knew that I needed to get one extra ball in each serve.

In order to beat her I needed to try and get to everything. Every ball was mine.”

Boda earned her first collegiate dual win in her No. 6 singles match.

“It feels pretty amazing,” Boda said. “I just had to breathe be-

tween each game like my coaches told me to do.”

Boda did not expect to play but because of an ankle injury to freshman Brittany Yang, she was called upon to step in.

“I did not expect to play tonight but I want to thank my coaches for giving me the opportunity and I am just glad I could take advantage of it,” Boda said.

The No. 3 singles match featuring Jenkins against Virginia Tech senior Courtney Rauscher lasted a grueling three hours.

Jenkins grabbed the first set 7-5 but dropped the second set 2-6.

In the rubber match, third set, Jenkins held a 5-4 lead before she ran out of steam and fell 5-7.

“I just told my team to take the positives away from tonight. We are a young team and this is valuable experience for us heading into conference play next week,” Johnson said. “We schedule a match [against an opponent] like this so we can be used to playing a higher level of tennis.”

The Lady Flames will be on the road for their next six matches, beginning their Big South Conference schedule with a match Feb. 24 against Charleston Southern.

MEYERS is a sports reporter.

editorial

To keep or not to keep: Manning’s future unclear Colts consider releasing star quarterback’s contract

Andrew Woolfolk alwoolfolk@liberty.edu

Ruth Bibby| Liberty Champion

machine — The Flames have scored 43 runs in four games to open the season.

Let the games begin First home pitch flies Feb. 21 against Radford John Pearson name@liberty.edu

As the crack of a bat begins to echo throughout the hills of Lynchburg, sounding the beginning of a new baseball season, no team is more eager to “Base Up” than the Liberty University Flames Baseball team. From their two previous record setting seasons and high preseason rankings in the Big South Conference, they have set their sights high as they cross the chalk into the 2012 season.

Practice has been going well for the Flames, head coach Jim Toman said.

“We’ve been blessed. This is probably the best weather that we’ve ever had.

We’re usually shoveling snow or dodging rain at this point in the season,” Toman said. “We haven’t missed any time on the field. Our guys are tired of playing each other and they’re ready to play someone with another name on their uniform.”

Toman is hoping to improve from the first time they step on the field. However, with all the new talent and a few changes in the coaching staff, it may take a few weeks to get everything dialed in. Like most coaches in the beginning weeks of the season, he is concentrating on finetuning the teams pitching to make for a dependable bullpen. The captains, Michael Robertson and Trey Wimmer, expressed the team’s tenacity and excitement about their first series of games that was played over the weekend.

“We’re going to get off to a hot start and not look back. Just keep on winning.

That’s the only goal we’ve got,” Robertson said.

With the least amount of returning players of any team in the conference, the season is shaping up to be a challenging one. The Flames have had a great

fall and spring and they have 19 possible players to fill 10 pitching positions.

“You always look to the next game and, obviously, we play some good teams on our schedule,” Toman said. “We play Virginia and North Carolina, two teams that have been in the College World Series, and St. John’s, who’s ranked highly in the Big East this year. Coastal comes here this year and they are the team to beat.

They’ve been to numerous Regionals in a row and they’ve been in the top 25 in the country. We’ve been close to beating them. Last year we had two to three, one run games. The guys are looking forward to the season and the coaches in the Big South picked us second again. People know we’re going to be good.”

The Flames’ past seasons have been record setting. In the past two years they have had seven players drafted into the majors. Last year they had 42 wins. This year, they are looking for much more.

“We understand that we are setting records but what we got to do is get into a regional,” Toman said. “We want to get into the NCAA and into the national scene. In order to do that, there’s going to have to be a lot of new guys to step up.”

The Flames’ captains are pushing the team to focus on the midweek games this year. They believe that that is the key to getting a regional bid. Robertson believes that they will be competitive with every team that they play this year and their scrappy attitude will give them an edge to keep on winning.

The Flames home opener is a conference game against Radford University Feb. 21 at 3 p.m.

PEARSON is a sports reporter.

In his prolific career, Peyton Manning has thrown 399 touchdowns, over 50,000 yards, completed over 7,000 passes, won a Super Bowl, gone to the Pro Bowl 11 times and won four MVP awards.

Got all of that?

Every single one of those accomplishments were with one team, his team, the Indianapolis Colts.

Now, it’s time for a new identity.

After missing the entire 2011-12 football season while recovering from numerous surgeries on nerve damage in his neck, a new dilemma faces Manning and the entire Colts organization. Should they retain Manning, the mastermind founder of their dynasty, or deal him away and use their number one draft pick on a quarterback of the Woolfolk future.

Team owner Jim Irsay has a decision to make that could change the look of the franchise more than anything since it moved to Indianapolis. If Manning is kept on the roster

by March 8, he will receive a $28 million bonus from the team. If not, he will be released into free agency to go to the highest bidder.

Irsay must decide if he wants to keep a 36-year-old quarterback with a hurt neck and a seemingly limited future. That’s not to say Manning won’t return to 100 percent, but the uncertainty plays a factor in Irsay’s choice. Despite all he has done for the franchise, the time ahead of Manning seems unclear. The Colts will almost certainly try to reconstruct the five year, $90 million deal Manning is currently in the middle of.

Regardless of whether or not Manning is kept, the fact is that the Colts are going to draft either Andrew Luck of Stanford or maybe Robert Griffin III of Baylor.

Manning is not the type to enjoy fighting for his job against a rookie, nor should he have to play the roll of teacher while he himself is trying to recover to his original form.

Football purists squirm at the possibility that Manning would put on a jersey adorned with any color other than the stampede blue and white. But times have changed. Nowadays, players participate in a complex game of musical chairs called free agency, and that’s just a part of progress.

If Peyton were to become a free agent,

he would undoubtedly become the most sought after quarterback. Currently, he would join the ranks of other free agent quarterbacks such as the inconsistent Jason Campbell, the league journeyman Kyle Orton and Matt Flynn, who has had success but in too small of a sample size for some teams. The money will be on the table for Manning. Perennial free agent bank-breakers Washington has already declared themselves bidders in the impending Manning sweepstakes. This is the same team that threw $100 million to an often disgruntled and lazy Albert Haynesworth.

Duck Manning, the kitchen sink is headed your way.

Right now, no one knows the progress of Mannings recovery better than Irsay, who undoubtedly will make a smaller contract offer than Manning will prefer.

Reports have come out of Indianapolis stating that Manning has lost as much as 20 percent of his velocity on his throws.

In the free agent market, desperate teams will be much less wary with their money.

If Manning were to join a new franchise, the team would revolve around him. In Indianapolis, there would be an invisible ticking clock counting down Manning’s days as the team’s leader.

Manning’s main reason to stay with Indianapolis, the prolific, high-flying offense, is turning into a shadow of its former self whether he returns or not. With an aging soon-to-be free agent in Reggie Wayne, a beaten up Dallas Clark and a mediocre offensive line that allowed 35 sacks, the Colts are not what they once were. The luster has faded.

Also, gone is the father-son team of Bill and Chris Polian, who had managed the team since 1998 and were very close friends with Manning. Irsay fired the duo after last season’s 2-14 debacle even though they were instrumental in the drafting of Manning and many of the other players who brought the Colts out from their losing ways. Gone is head coach Jim Caldwell, who had also been Manning’s positional coach before being promoted. The hiring of former Baltimore defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano serves as yet another harbinger of the impending philosophical change coming to the team’s game plan. Irsay knows the next few years will be ones of growth for the team’s offense, but he also has to know they will be ones of uncertainty.

One fact throughout this situation is clear, though. The Colts are in a transitional period, headed in the direction of a new identity.

It’s time for Manning to do the same.

WOOLFOLK is a sports reporter.

SPORTS

February 21, 2012

Liberty Champion/B3

It’s more than just bragging rights This year’s Rail Jam provided a new twist as two brothers battle for the top spot Paul Fraizer name@liberty.edu

The Rail Jam has come a long way from a “bragging rights” event held in front of a small crowd on the front steps of DeMoss.

Fast-forward to now, where a large crowd sits eagerly on a brisk, February Friday night at the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center watching a field of pro and out-of-state riders compete for not only “bragging rights,” but also a $750 cash prize.

According to Casey Reed, the shop manager at Snowflex and one of the judges for the competition, Rail Jam has grown quite a bit since its beginning, mostly due to the growth and notoriety of the Snowflex Center.

“The unique surface of Snowflex, being able to ride all the time and weather this year has a lot of guys coming here to stay on top of their game,” Reed said. “(Events at Snowflex) definitely shows that we are here to be a part of the game. A lot of people, when we first opened, were saying it’s not really snowboarding, but it is. You use the same skills.”

The event consisted of two separate legs — a skiing competition and a snowboarding competition. Riders were given 10 separate “runs” down their choice of three different styles of rails. Each rider had his or her choice of which rail to use at anytime and were judged on style and technicality. The riders were given a score by each of the three judges after each run, and the winner was the rider with the highest cumulative score.

In the skiing group, it was a close race for first place between two brothers, but in the end Tanner Senclair outlasted his brother Cameron Senclair to take home the title (and second place respectively), and Jon Steltzer took home third place.

The snowboard session lasted almost into the next morning, keeping the crowd on edge until about 11:45 p.m. In the end, the clearcut winner was Ryan Leeds. Ben Sullo finished in second behind Leeds and Luke Fosse finished third.

FRAIZER is a sports reporter.

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

grinding — Riders in Friday night’s Rail Jam busted out their best tricks to try to win thousands in total prizes.

Editorial: Fil-Lin’ in the blanks on Jeremy Lin Derrick Battle dbattle2@liberty.edu

Scoring 136 points in five games is not anything to go unnoticed. As a matter of fact, the U.S., as well as China, has been dazzled by the play of New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin. But are they more excited because of his skill level or that he is from a different race? Websites such as ESPN, CNN and Yahoo have all talked about his Chinese and Taiwanese heritage or Christian faith at some point of time, but what really seems to be lost in the details is the actual story of Jeremy Lin. After a game against the Lak-

ers featured on ESPN, Lin scored career high 38 points in a victory for the Knicks. After the game, Kobe Bryant was amazed about the way Lin plays the game.

“Players playing that well don’t usually come out of nowhere, but if you go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the beginning. It probably just went unnoticed,” Bryant said.

This talent went unnoticed by two previous NBA teams. This talent went unnoticed in the 2010 NBA draft where Lin went undrafted. This talent went unnoticed to colleges around the U.S. when he did not receive a single Division I scholarship.

“Players playing that well don’t usually come out of nowhere, but if you go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the beginning.”

- Kobe bryant

Everyone seemed to miss out on this Palo Alto, Calif. native.

How Lin flew under the radar during his basketball career is still unclear, but one thing is clear.

He found his home as the Knicks starting point guard. During his first eight starts the Knicks went 7-1, giving new hope to fans that enter into the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden.

The Spring House

Before Lin, the Knicks shuffled guards such as the inconsistent Tony Douglass, an aging Mike Bibby and the rookie black hole, Iman Shumpert.

Now given a chance to prove himself, Lin has not disappointed.

During the month of February, Lin has averaged 22 points, eight assists, two steals and shot

around 50 percent from the field per game, with only one flaw to his game — turnovers.

In his first eight games, Lin had 46 turnovers — the most ever by a player with less then 10 starts — perhaps due to the load of star forwards Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire being inactive during that stretch.

Is Linsanity a fad? Not at all.

Just like Tim Tebow, Lin has become a media favorite and his face will be seen everywhere for quite a while.

BATTLE is the assistant sports editor.

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SPORTS

B4/Liberty Champion

February 21, 2012

Making an impact through sports Nate Brown nbrown4@liberty.edu

John Wooden once said, “Never mistake activity for achievement.”

Pat Riley said, “There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out. There’s no such thing as life in-between.”

And executive director of Impact Sports International, Scott Duke, who plays softball in prison rec yards, ultimate Frisbee in East African villages and basketball in Middle Eastern gyms once said, “We’re not going to do something if we can’t share the Gospel.”

That’s the concept behind Impact Sports International, founded by Duke after realizing how the universality of sports could be a platform to share the gospel. “[T]o use sports as a vehicle to take the Gospel to places it’s never been, is not allowed, or the delivery of it has been previously been ineffective,” according to Impact Sports’ literature.

“Our heart is the ends of the earth,” Duke said. “The uttermost. The 10/40 window (10 degrees north latitude to 40 degrees north latitude). Most of what we do is in that window – 90 percent of the world’s unreached are found there.”

Duke was introduced to the game of basketball as a fifthgrader when he got a basketball hoop for his birthday. A couple thousand driveway free-throws later, Duke played basketball at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., where he first felt a tug toward ministry.

“Between my sophomore and junior year in college, God called me to coach, so I entered the education world with the intention of using that as my platform and that became my mission field,”

Photo Provided | Liberty Champion

Hearts and minds — Members of Impact Sports took Ultimate Frisbee to an East Aftrican village, as well as the Gospel.

Duke said. “But I never really saw it go beyond the school where I was teaching. God had a larger perspective and a bigger focus and I just couldn’t see it at the time.”

Duke taught in the public school system and coached basketball for eight years before he was introduced to the idea of using sports to reach the lost.

“I was introduced to the concept of sports missions by a guy who came to our church and said ‘Hey why don’t you go to (East Asia) with us and play basketball and tell people about Jesus?’ And my response was ‘You can do that?’”

During the summers in between teaching, Duke traveled to the region five times on mission trips that featured a ball as the main form of communication, and ultimately, a vehicle to share the Gospel.

“Toward the end of 2005, God was leading me in a different direction and Jan. 1, 2006, I started Impact Sports.

Since then, Impact Sports has sent teams on 25 international trips to “closed-door” countries and has visited eight different prisons throughout the Southeast dozens of times.

“Sports is a universal language and that’s why we’re able to go to places others can’t go.

There may be political issues at the government level, but team to team, player to player, coach to coach, it doesn’t matter. We’re enjoying the relationships being built through our time together playing and coaching.”

A recent trip to a volatile Middle Eastern country required Duke to be escorted by armed bodyguards.

“They were very job-oriented, tough, wouldn’t open up early in

the week,” Duke said. “They’d never played basketball before, so I taught them how to shoot.

Even in their suit coats with their guns underneath their arms, they were still trying to shoot jump shots and relationships were organically built.

“By week’s end, they were wanting to send video messages to my family, tell my wife (and kids) hello. The relationship and the melting of the ice was visible between us and I had a chance to share the gospel with them.”

It’s stories like these that keep Duke going.

“There are some places we continue to go time after time.

There have been times where people have come to know Christ on the second or third visit to a place,” Duke said. “It takes the sport, it takes the relationship bonding, to break that boundary… I have been face to

HOCKEY continued from B1

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

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“Joe’s a phenomenal leader for our program,” Handy said.

“I’ve been trying to prepare for this for a long time because I knew I was going to be emotional. I made the decision that I wasn’t going to dwell on the fact that it was my last game, I just wanted to play,” forward Joe Smith said. “We wanted to carry momentum into nationals and we decided that was what this game was going to be for.”

“It was kind of nerve-racking going into it for some reason. I think it’s just because it’s the last one you want to play well,” senior forward Luke Aitken said.

Aitken did what he hoped to do, scoring in his last game before a crowd of friends and family.

“Fortunately, our line was doing well.

I got the puck and got a goal, which was a good thing it happened when my family was here. It doesn’t really hit me that it’s my last one because we’re going to Nationals, but it’s probably going to feel like it later on tonight,” Aitken said.

“What Luke brought to the table this year was this: he showed our team that we can play all four lines and he’s proven to guys that are on the third and fourth lines that they are a valuable part of our team and they can play big roles for us.

In a game like tonight, Smith, Aitken and Kerr scored two of the three goals and were a big reason why we won this hockey game,” Handy said.

The last home games of the year were standing room only, a tribute to the kind of support hockey has enjoyed over the years. The players took note.

“It’s been an awesome journey being here, being a part of this program, the last four years. God’s really blessed this program a lot in terms of fans and everything we have, the intensity of the team. This weekend, yesterday and today, I was just trying to take it in and love every second of it,” Jensen said.

Not unlike their loyal fans, Handy cites Jensen’s consistency and commitment as one of the many reasons for the program’s success.

“Seth Jensen obviously is a huge calming influence on Cam Bakker, who he’s played defense partner with. He’s a great guy in the locker room, someone who’s consistent. He’s there every day and he’s the same guy Monday through Sunday,” Handy said.

Jake Hannon is another player that

face with people who have no idea who Jesus is or what Jesus is and it’s because someone else decided for them that they weren’t going to hear it.”

Ministry is not abstract, Duke said. It’s not a skill-set. It’s as simple as a ball, a gym or someone willing to go to the places God is crying over.

“Matthew 28 says ‘go and make disciples’ and when we hear that word, ‘go’, we think that means somewhere else,” Duke said.

“But the tense of that word in Greek means ‘as you are going,’ make disciples,” he said. “And so, it could be pickup ball at the student center, it could be a churchleague softball game, or it could be at the restaurant. It could be wherever.”

BROWN is the sports editor.

“God’s really blessed this program ... I was just trying to take it in and love every second of it.”

— SETH JENSEN played his final game on Saturday. The defender provided a veteran presence that will be missed dearly by teammates and coaches.

“It’s been such a blessing to be here.

This has been my favorite time ever in my life playing hockey. We just have an unbelievable group of guys and coaching staff, the school, how many fans we get, we’re just really blessed to be able to enjoy all this. It’s been special,” Hannon said.

“Jake has been able to show veteran leadership to our bench score and he’s been a key component for Josh Cornelissen’s success as well. But from a spiritual standpoint, Jake really was able to elevate certain aspects of our team and that’s a legacy that all of those guys are going to leave,” Handy said.

Looking forward, Handy hopes his team can hold the same level of intensity, while also playing smart hockey.

“We got to play physical with an edge, but we need to stay out of the penalty box and discipline is going to be a key factor for us going into the national tournament,” Handy said.

The American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament, hosted

by Kent State University, begins March 2 at Hoover Arena in Cleveland.

HARVEY is a sports writer.

Side dish •

Liberty is ranked fifth in the 20-team bracket at the ACHA National Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio.

•

The Flames play No. 12 Adrian College Saturday, March 3.

•

The tournament culminates Wednesday, March 7.

FEATURE

February 21, 2012

Liberty Champion/B5

short take

artistic expressions

Senior students exhibit art Art majors display portfolio collections Desiree Wheeler

Ruth Bibby| Liberty Champion

dwheeler4@liberty.edu

mug shot — Liberty employee Paul Mignon’s moody doodles became a business idea worth smiling about.

A

rt can take many shapes and forms. It can be molded, sketched or painted but no matter the form, the Senior Portfolio Exhibit at Liberty University offered a gallery of student rendered art to be admired from Feb. 10-18.

The Senior Portfolio Exhibit was a culminated collection of student’s art that was displayed in the Liberty University Art Gallery. Each Studio and Digital Arts major was required to participate in the exhibit while completing the ARTS 492 course, offering them a platform to display the work they created during their time at Liberty University. More than 150 people were in attendance for the opening ceremony Feb. 10.

“The Senior Portfolio Exhibit is meant to showcase the work of graphic design, studio art and art education students in the Studio and Digital Arts Department. It includes a wide range of media including photography, graphic design, paintings, drawings, etc.,” Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Chair of the Department of Studio and Digital Art Todd Smith said.

The Gallery assistant, Katelyn Coogan, participated in the 492 Exhibit during her undergraduate studies at Liberty.

“The purpose of this exhibit is to not only showcase the ways that God has gifted each one of the students featured, but also display the development of the artists coming through the program and prepare them for their professional futures,”

Raquel Harmon| Liberty Champion

Framing their strengths — Studio and Digital Art majors presented their work to the public, Feb. 10-18.

“I think this show is important because it exemplifies the students we want to send into the field of studio art.”

- katelyn coogan

Coogan said.

The exhibit featured a wall for each artist’s collections. During the course of the spring semester, other artists in the Arts 492 class will also have the opportunity to showcase their work for a viewing audience.

Over 500 people walked the gallery during the eight-day exhibit.

“This particular exhibit is limited to seniors. We have other shows, such as the photography show, the juried student art show and various other shows that allow all undergraduate students to enter work,” Smith said.

In order for students work to be displayed, it must go through a board of professors who advise and critique the collection prior to its exhibition. “As a part of their capstone course, students have to present their collection in front of a panel along with their portfolio,” Coogan said. The board consisted

Raquel Harmon | Liberty Champion

on display — Art collections included a wide array of media. of professors Phillips, Paul Reynolds and Sandra Slayton.

“This show really helps the artists to brand themselves as well as strengthen their skills. This is the last class the students take so it is intended to refine their abilities,” Coogan said.

“I think this show is important because it exemplifies the students we want to send into the field of studio art, digital design and education, who will act as ‘salt and light’ to those around them and bring glory to God and reflect his creativity,” Smith said.

WHEELER is a feature reporter.

Mugs with attitude What began as an office joke has become a growing business for Liberty employee Paul Mignard, designing mugs with attitude and function.

“It started as a side project. We always draw little pictures and things like that. I work in creative media so we do a lot of art-type things,” Mignard said. “The one image that kept on coming up was this mug with a face on it.”

Working in Liberty University’s Creative Media Department, Mignard and his coworkers began to doodle jokes that included the emoting mug.

“I think that someone actually just brewed some coffee and the saying we came up with was ‘this person makes me weak,’” Mignard said.

According to Mignard, it wasn’t long before the drawing became popular around the office.

“Someone actually said, ‘Hey, I would buy a mug that looked like that,’” Mignard said. “I decided to make some mugs with it on there and that’s how it got started.”

Mignard’s “Moody Mugs” have become a business, ordering a few hundred mugs at a time and selling them through his website and on his company Facebook page.

As his business grows, Mignard continues to etch out more moods for his mugs.

“It’s just starting. We’re still playing around with it,” Mignard said. “It’s kind of a fun diversion right now, something to do on the side. I don’t think I’d ever want to have a mug empire or something.”

For more information about Mignard’s Moody Mugs, visit Getmoodymugs.com.

- Shelanne Jennings

MEW: Reaching the world through missions Justin Berry jlberry2@liberty.edu

Liberty University’s bi-annual mosaic of missions opportunities was held Feb. 13-17. This semester’s Missions Emphasis Week (MEW) was themed “[un] Reached,” offering students a chance to speak with missionaries from across the world and experience different cultures through seminars and other events.

The Founder and International Director of Empart Jossy Chacko was the first guest speaker to address students during Monday’s convocation service in the Vines Center after a special presentation of the “Parade of Nations.”

The “Parade of Nations” helped to kick off MEW and provided an opportunity for Liberty’s international students to take pride in their respective countries by giving them a chance to carry their nation’s flag in front of the student body while dressed in their traditional cultural clothing.

Chacko spoke about his personal convictions in the Christian faith and challenged students to explore God’s objective for their lives.

“The only reason for me to exist as a Christian is to fulfill the Great Commission,” Chacko said. “The only reason for you to exist as a Christian is to fulfill the

Ryan Perry | Liberty Champion

Mobilization through education — Missions organizations set up displays around DeMoss to educate students about how they can change the world through missions.

Great Commission. That’s why we are here, that’s why God left us on this planet Earth.”

Chacko spoke from the heart while sharing his experiences of working in North India. He elaborated on his decision in pursuing missions work and how he observed God using simple, humble people to accomplish big things in the mission field.

“God is keeping and enabling us to train up indigenous na-

tional leaders who are planting churches and transforming communities through many social programs. So far, God has enabled us to see 4,900 churches planted.”

Throughout the week, different missions groups set up their stations in DeMoss Hall and made themselves available to answer any questions students might have.

According to the article “Stu-

dents Learn global needs during Missions Emphasis Week” by Liberty News, the Office of Student Leadership welcomed over 130 representatives from 60 missions organizations to come be a part of this semester’s special celebration at Liberty University, making this the largest MEW to date.

This event gives students an opportunity to connect with these missionaries, building

relationships while learning about the mission field.

During Tuesday’s hall meeting, missionaries were welcomed into the resident dorms and invited to speak about their experiences in the mission field and give personal testimonies. A fundraiser for Rwanda also took place amongst the students.

In Wednesday’s convocation, Marilyn Laszlo spoke about being on the mission field in Papua, New Guinea, translating Bibles as part of her work in ministering to the unreached.

Friday, Reverend and Vice President for Executive Projects Johnnie Moore took the stage to share his passion for missions and working with Liberty University.

A special “Experience Ethnos” series took place Monday through Wednesday, as well as other events, to allow students to learn about different cultures and how they can get plugged into missions.

The Schilling Center held a concert Thursday night featuring the Children of the World International Children’s Choir.

An international coffee and tea tasting was also one of the highlights from the event.

More information about MEW and other upcoming campus activities can be found on Liberty’s website, liberty.edu.

BERRY is a feature reporter.

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FEATURE

B6/Liberty Champion

February 21, 2012

Photo Provided | Liberty Champion

Media Revolution — Around Liberty in 90 Seconds producer Scott Southard travels with videographers to help capture footage for Liberty’s weekly news segment.

More changes for 90 Seconds Daniel Garcia

dtgarcia@liberty.edu

G

ive Scott Southard a minute — a minute and a half, to be exact, and he can inform an entire student body of the events that take place on their campus.

Southard, a 2011 graduate of Liberty University, is the producer and editor of 90 Seconds Around Liberty, the familiar student-run news production aired every Wednesday during convocation. Over the last two years, Southard saw 90 Seconds Around Liberty evolve from a faceless university production into a news package manned entirely by him and his peers.

However, the change of command was abrupt, according to Southard. “(Liberty) turned it from a

television production class into a 90 Seconds (class) two weeks into the semester,” Southard said. “I didn’t edit it then, I just did seconds for it. The next semester after that I started editing it.”

Immediately, changes took place in the way that 90 Seconds was produced, but those changes presented challenges.

“There was no host at first, and then the teacher, Bruce Kirk, came up with the idea to have two hosts leading it,” Southard said. “At first, we started with having the hosts switch every week, and it just didn’t work out.

We wanted to make a face for 90 Seconds for the year, so I had come up with the idea that we needed to keep the two people the same the next semester. We picked out the two best people that could do it in the class, and we kept them the same.”

Southard also noted that organization was an element that the re-born production lacked.

“We started with a total mess,” he said. “No one had any jobs, and we had no idea what we were doing. As the semesters progressed, I started making jobs for people. Scriptwriting was a specific job. If you had to do scriptwriting, then that was your job for the rest of the semester.”

Positions for videographers, photographers and an audio technician were formed as well, Southard said.

Within the last year, however, Southard explained that even more changes have occurred with 90 Seconds.

“As of last year, I was just a student in the class,” he said.

“Every semester, we had to start from scratch again, not knowing what was happening, and when

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I came on board, it made it so it was consistent from year to year.

One person could stay in the class each semester so they could let everyone know what to do and how to do it each semester.

“If there was a new videographer in the class, I’d go with them, show them what they needed to do, rather than them just going out and making the same mistakes from semester to semester.”

Southard said he helped focus the production on campus events, removing unnecessary material from each week’s episode.

“I cut all the corniness from it,” he said. “We actually have news segments to try and make it more into a news thing, so people actually get their attention back into it and actually enjoy watching it in convocation.”

One of the methods in which Southard and the students in Professor Kirk’s class have regained the attention of the 90 Seconds audience has come from the class’s four-member public relation team’s use of social media.

The team spawned the ideas for the production’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, a photo contest and T-shirt and logo designs, Southard said. Twitter giveaways and a Facebook photo album that covers supplemental news events are also helping promote the production.

Ninety seconds is by many standards a minimal amount of time, but for Southard, week after week it represents revitalization and rewarding work.

GARCIA is a feature reporter.

Valentines for life Pro-life club, Lifeline, held a charity gala to support education and prevention.

Kayla Gurley kgurley@liberty.edu

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Liberty University’s pro-life club, Lifeline, held a Valentine’s Gala on Feb. 13 in the DeMoss Grand Lobby from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Close to 35 students showed up for the event and, for $10 a ticket, were able to enjoy refreshments and music by a group of students who formed a local Liberty Band. There were also games such as “Who’s Their Other Half ” for students to play and a magic act, as well as many raffle prizes.

“The purpose of this event is to bring awareness to Lifeline and raise money for those affected by abortion,” the group’s president, Lillian Otieno, said. “Our mission is to minister to those affected by abortion and to educate and equip students to be active pro-life leaders.”

Lifeline’s president and leaders made it clear that they are all about saving lives in the name of Jesus Christ. According to the club’s website, the club’s purpose is to honor and glorify Christ by defending the “least of these” through pro-life activism and incessant prayer.

“On Saturdays we meet on campus at 6 a.m. and travel to either abortion clinics in Roanoke or Charlottesville to do counseling and sidewalk prayer,” Otieno said.

“Sometimes, we have random people approach us and tell us thank you for what we are doing, and even ask if they can pray with us.”

According to Otieno, it is not just people in Roanoke and Charlottesville that have supported them, but the Lynchburg community alone donated $369 to the Valentine’s Gala through selling raffle tickets and gift card donations.

“Lifeline took a day to just go out in the community and ask for donations for raffle prizes for this event, and the community responded in a way we never imagined they would,” Otieno said. “La Carreta, Olive Garden, Chick-fil-A, Lifeway, Buffalo Wild Wings and Ledo’s Pizza

Kate Powley | Liberty Champion

Love and Charity — Liberty’s pro-life club, Lifeline, brought hope to the unborn through their charity gala. all contributed, just to name a few.”

“I am here to support Lifeline and everything it stands for,” senior Andrew Hodges, who came out to the Valentine’s Gala, said. “I think this event is a good way to bring about awareness to students.”

According to Otieno, Lifeline has three main goals: to minister to men and women pre and post abortion, to educate students to make an impact in the pro-life movement and to equip and enable students to be effective pro-life leaders.

“If I could encourage Liberty students to do anything it would be to just keep up with the pro-life movement in Washington,” Katie Jeffries, Lifeline’s secretary, said. “People need to know that they don’t have to abort their babies. There are other options.”

The event raised over $300 in Valentine Gala ticket sales, which Lifeline’s treasurer, Ian Kirkland, said the club was very thankful for.

Lifeline meets every Monday night in DeMoss 1105 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and students are welcome to join.

For more information about the club, email lifeline@liberty.edu, or find the group on Facebook by searching Liberty Students for Life.

GURLEY is a feature reporter.

FEATURE

February 21, 2012

Liberty Champion/B7

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

full house — Royal Tailor (left) and Casting Crowns (right) performed for a sold out Vines Center, pointing the audience to God in an evening of high-energy worship.

Casting Crowns: Come to the Well Betsy Abraham

babraham3@liberty.edu

L

eave it all behind and come to the well.”

That was the line reverberating through the Vines Center as Casting Crowns played a sold out show to an audience of all ages Saturday, Feb. 18.

Students, College for a Weekend (CFAW) guests, families and youth groups filled the Vines Center for the Come to the Well tour, which featured award winning Christian band Casting Crowns.

Lead singer Mark Hall explained how the tour name, which is also the name of their latest CD, comes from personal experience and the Biblical passage of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.

A youth pastor in the Atlanta area, Hall encouraged his audience to always draw from Jesus, not from our own plans or routines.

“When Jesus is not the well for us and people, church and ministry are the well for us, that’s when that (the church) gets beat

down and we are just drawing from empty holes,” Hall said.

Hall shared his experiences in ministry, creating a personal connection with the audience. In between songs, he shared personal stories of what God had been teaching him and the meaning behind songs. Dispersing prayer and Scripture throughout the show, the band played songs off their latest CD, as well as older songs that have become classics in churches and on radio stations nationwide.

Emily Greek was visiting Liberty from California and said she’s been listening to Casting Crowns for as long as she can remember.

“I’ve grown up with them and have a couple of CDs and they’re really great in person. I just love how personal they are with the audience and how they put God first and they’re really great to see,” Greek said.

Liberty student Jeremy Morgan said that what appealed to him most about Casting Crowns was their lyrics.

“My church sings a lot of their songs in our worship services,

and they’re one of my favorite Christian rock bands,” Morgan said. “They’re really honest.

They take life issues and talk about them in a family friendly way so they can still talk about heavy subject matter and it’s still friendly for everyone. They’re all really inspiring.”

The band played an almost two-hour set that was broken up by a 20-minute intermission. Audience members sang along to older songs such as “Praise You in this Storm,” “Voice of Truth” and “Lifesong” and newer songs such as “Spirit Wind,” “Courageous” and “Another Birthday.”

Despite winning numerous GMA Dove awards, Grammys and selling over 8.2 million albums to date, according to their website, the band members stay loyal to their work as youth leaders at their church and use their influence to encourage audiences and change lives.

The band partnered with World Vision for the tour and played a video for the audience about their visit to Rwanda with World Vision, where several band members met children

they have sponsored through the non-profit organization.

They encouraged audience members to get involved in child sponsorship, saying that it not only affects the child but the whole village. Hall and band violinist Melodee DeVevo shared their personal experience with World Vision and sponsoring children. Many people were moved to sponsor, including Lauren Meadows, who was visiting Liberty for CFAW. “I wanted to sponsor because the pictures of the children who didn’t have anything touched me, so I decided to (help) other kids,” Meadows said.

The concert ended with Casting Crowns’ song, “Until the Whole World Hears” and the band invited all the openings acts back on the stage with them.

Also on the tour was Lindsay McCaul, an up and coming singer who opened the show with songs such as “Say My Name.”

Royal Tailor, the four piece pop band, took the stage next, engaging the audience with catchy, energetic songs.

“I really enjoyed their stage

performance,” CFAW Jenn Kersletter said of Royal Tailor.

“They combined the retro pop style to pull in the youth and college students, and they have some really great lyrics to add to that. I think this whole stage performance really pulls the rest of the crowd in.”

Matthew West set the stage up for Casting Crowns, joking with the audience and performing well known songs such as “The Motions” and “My Own Little World.”

West also read an excerpt from his book, “The Story of Your Life,” a compilation of fan stories about the different life experiences they have had and how they have encountered God in the midst of them.

The Come to the Well tour continues until May 5 in states all over the east coast. For more information, visit castingcrowns. com/tour.

ABRAHAM is the assistant feature editor.

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featuring The City Harmonic, Abandon, & Anthem Lights

Saturday, March 24

Vines Center 8:00p

FOR TICKETING INFORMATION CALL 582.SEAT OR PURCHASE ONLINE AT WWW.LIBERTY.EDU/SA FOR MORE INFORMATION EMAIL STUDENTACTIVITIESINFO@LIBERTY.EDU OR CALL 434.592.3061

FEATURE

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

The sound of Change — Liberty students Taamu Wuya (right) and Ciji Prosser (left), who play Coalhouse Walker and his beloved Sarah, use performance to illustrate the tensions faced by the black community at the break of the 20th century.

Ragtime narrates a changing America The latest Tower Theater musical explores race relations at the turn of the century Shelanne Jennings snjennings@liberty.edu

Hailed as a modern classic, the musical “Ragtime” opened in the Liberty Tower Theater Feb. 17 and captivated a sold-out crowd.

“I thought it was fantastic,” senior Melinda Bendik said. “I really liked how it highlighted modern-day life and how we’ve become more tolerant of other races and cultures.”

Rhythmically narrating the clash between black Americans, the white American society and the incoming immigrants, “Ragtime” used both fictional and historical characters to show America’s evolution at the start of the 1900s.

“Ragtime” was the second show Bendik had seen in the Tower Theatre, having seen Liberty’s production of “Phantom of the Opera” last spring.

“Phantom was amazing, but I enjoyed this so much, maybe even a little bit more, because of the diversity in it,” Bendik said.

The play, originally produced in 1996, is a production adapted from E.L. Doctorow’s 1975 novel

“Ragtime.” Liberty’s adaption of the show includes a full live orchestra, crew and a 49-person cast.

“Doing Ragtime, which is the story of the turn of the century and the historical figures that were part of the show, everyone was so strong,” Liberty performer Taamu Wuya, who played the part of Coalhouse Walker, said. “Mr. Nelson has done a great job. The cast and crew, especially the orchestra, came together to do a really fine job on this.”

Contrary to the large cast performing on stage, the set pieces used were minimal, drawing attention to the characters and the themes portrayed, according to ensemble member McKenzie Connell, who played one of the immigrants entering America.

“So much relies on the characters and their movement, not so much the set,” Connell said. “It becomes more about character building and the process.”

With a mix of mime and purposeful use of props, each actor displayed the tension between classes and race, leaving much up to the imagination of

Ruth Bibby| Liberty Champion

Displaying humanity — Carson Burkett, playing Tateh, held Kate Pittard, who took on the role of his little girl, displaying the trials faced by immigrants at the turn of the century. the audience.

“I think that it was a lot to ask (for the actors to work with minimal set pieces). Actors aren’t used to moving set pieces, but they’ve taken it and owned it,” director Chris Nelson said. “I think that’s the essence of the show. It’s owned by the group and owned by the people — no

matter what class or ethnicity.

What gives it that neat effect is that, at times, all of them will be moving something together and yet they are still apart. It still continues to tie in that idea of brokenness.”

As broken as the musical phrases of the ragtime melody, each set showed the humanity

of characters caught at the crossroads of past and present.

“You see the ugliness of people, which is really important to notice,” performer Ciji Prosser, who played the part of Sarah, said. “It’s important to realize that people are ugly and unwilling to change until change just forces itself upon them.”

According to Prosser, the way that ragtime music infiltrated America became a metaphor for the other changes displayed in the show.

“Music played a huge role,” Prosser said. “Taamu and I did a lot of research on ragtime music and Scott Joplin music and how large of a part it played in African American culture and how it infiltrated the rest of society. Ragtime music, and music itself, played a large role in the turn of the century.”

Liberty’s cast and crew continue to prepare for upcoming shows and are encouraging students and Lynchburg residents to join the audience. The remaining show times are Feb. 24, 25, March 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 26 and March 4 at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at the Vines Center Box Office or online at liberty.edu/theatre.

JENNINGS is the feature editor.

Children of the World bring smiles Emily Bass

embass@liberty.edu

“I like singing. My favorite song is Happy Day,” Angel said.

Angel is one of the 15 children who travel with Children of the World, a choir composed of orphaned and disadvantaged children from all over the world.

She is from Uganda and smiled as she explained she has known Jesus since she was a little baby.

Liberty University students and faculty were able to experience the joyful choir sing and dance to a variety of lively praise music at convocation on Wednesday, Feb. 15, and in a special concert at the Schilling Center on Feb. 16.

Allison Beck, a sophomore at Liberty, said that the Children of the World visit her church in Duncansville, Pa. twice a year.

“I just love seeing them,” Beck said. “Watching them worship the Lord gives me a better perspective on my own life.”

Angel and the other Children of the World travel 10 months

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

A Joyful noise — The Children of the World choir performed in the Schilling Center, singing cheerfully and sharing messages of how their lives had changed through child sponsorship. out of the year and have 250 events annually.

Grace, Angel’s chaperone, explains that her favorite thing about working with Children

of the World is watching the attitude of the children who participate.

“At first, we were having a hard time dealing with them,

but then they started to obey us.

Sometimes they are tired, but they are doing their best to sing and dance in front of the people,” Grace said.

Even with more than 200 events each year packed into their schedule, Angel explains that each night the children are genuinely excited to perform and worship with their audiences.

“We home-school the kids every Wednesday,” Grace said.

“They enjoy doing artwork and coloring.”

According to the World Help website, Children of the World exists to give a face to the more than 1 billion orphaned children all over the globe who have been affected by war, famine, poverty, unclean water and preventable diseases. The children who are selected to be part of the choir are from World Help’s Child Sponsorship program.

“It is a great opportunity for the children to come to the U.S., learn another culture, improve their English skills, help other children around the world and share Christ’s love,” the World Help website said.

BASS is a feature reporter.