Liberty Champion Feb 23 2016

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

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Permit No. 347 Roanoke, VA

Making it through the RA process

B9

®

Lynchburg, Virginia

Volume 33 | Issue 4 Tuesday, February 23, 2016

come all to the square

Leah Seavers| Liberty Champion

DANCE — The sound of Celtic music accompanied dancers on stage as the musical “Brigadoon” opened in the Tower Theater Friday, Feb. 19. Read the full story on B8.

Looking toward the future Potential for Lynchburg area dam to provide long-term benefits for Liberty Quinn Foley qfoley@liberty.edu

As Liberty continues to see growth in population and the size of the campus, the university is interested in purchasing a dam located on the James River.

The News & Advance reports the site of interest is Scott’s Mill Dam, which is located in downtown Lynchburg and was built between 1830 and 1840. Liberty is now considering buying and enhancing the dam to produce hydroelectric power.

Vice President for Special Projects Chris

Carroll said President Jerry Falwell assigned him to this project. Carroll said the project is still being thought out but has potential to benefit the school.

“We are in the beginning, exploratory stage,” Carroll said. “We are still in what I would call the infancy of the project.”

Carroll said he would expect the project to take anywhere from 18 months to two years to complete. Once the project is complete, Carroll said the university could start seeing financial benefits during the second or third year of use and that the benefits will increase as the years continue.

Because the dam is set in nature, Carroll

said it is most likely a reliable investment.

“When you look at renewable energy … the river is going to be there a hundred years from now,” Carroll said. “So if the university decided to make a utility portfolio based on the way the river would flow and produce energy, a reasonable assumption would be that a hundred years from now that is all still in place. So that is really our way of thinking. How do we … as a university that continues to grow and expand … hedge our utility cost?”

Carroll said the project would benefit the university long term, and most people would never even know it existed.

Because of the various factors involved in purchasing and enhancing the dam, the decision to begin the project will ultimately be up to Falwell and the university board.

Carroll also said he is working with Executive Vice President Randy Smith, the construction department and Liberty’s attorneys to solidify the project details.

Carroll said the university is looking toward projects that would help Liberty in the long run.

See PROJECT, A2

Opening up to more options Sodexo to offer the PLUS+ dining plan in which meal swipes can be used at retailers Elizabeth Lapp elapp@liberty.edu

Michela Diddle | Liberty Champion

SNACKS — Auntie Anne’s to be included in the PLUS+ dining plan.

Coffee lovers rejoice. Next semester Sodexo will be offering a new meal plan option that will include swipes to your favorite places around campus including Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.

The Freedom Dining PLUS+ plan is an upgraded meal plan being introduced for the fall 2016 semester. The new plan will turn the 10 bonus swipes that students receive each week into PLUS+ swipes that can be used at the many national brand locations on campus includ-

ing Pizza Hut, Auntie Anne’s, Chick-fil-A and more.

Ryan Wheeler, the unit marketing specialist for Sodexo, was part of the team who helped create the new meal plan.

“The PLUS+ swipes can be used at all locations for a variety of delicious options,” Wheeler said. “Each location will have specific menu items that guests can choose from to use a PLUS+ swipe.”

The Freedom Dining PLUS+ plan also comes with the same features as the current meal plans including unlimited access to the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall and

INSIDE THE CHAMPION

News

Election Day for the Virginia presidential primary is March 1.

Opinion A8

Students give reasons why they endorse certain presidential candidates.

A6

Sports Men’s basketball suffers two tough losses over the weekend.

B1

Feature

Dylan Vestal and Jake Ziegler performed at the Campus Artist Series.

B10

$200 in Flames Cash. With the new meal plan, some students might actually save money as the upgraded plan will only cost $100 more than the standard Freedom Dining Plan. For example, if a student were to use their 10 PLUS+ meal swipes for coffee at Starbucks each week, their plan would pay for itself in just over three weeks.

For commuter students and faculty members who are not interested in the Freedom Dining Plan, the upgrade is also available with the purchase of a 30, 60

See DINING, A2

News Opinion

A1 A4

Sports Feature

B1 B6

news

A2 | February 23, 2016 | Liberty Champion

Dinesh D’Souza speaks at Liberty Author shares fears and concerns about radical Islam and the future of America

Kevin Manguiob | Liberty University News Service

INFLUENTIAL — Dinesh D’Souza produced documentaries about politics in America.

Taylor Coleman tcoleman64@liberty.edu

New York Times bestselling author, political analyst and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza spoke to students Feb. 11 about the dangers surrounding radical Islam and the role of young people in society.

D’Souza’s most prominent films are

DINING continued from A1 or 90 PLUS+ meal plan. These swipes are available to be used anywhere and at any time on campus throughout the semester.

Wheeler said the new swipe option was created by Sodexo as part of a continual effort to improve the campus dining experience for students and staff.

“Liberty Dining by Sodexo is constantly on the cutting edge of innovative dining, from menu choices to meal plan structures, kiosk ordering, the food truck — the list goes on,” Wheeler said.

“With these new plans, we wanted students not to feel limited in their options.”

Shayna Fleenor is just one of

PROJECT continued from A1 “Our president is very visionary,” Carroll said. “We continue to look for ways to improve ourselves. If you look around at all the construction going on, those are all ways to improve the Liberty campus, to improve re-

“2016: Obama’s America” and “America.”

After an introduction from Adam Ochs, chairman of Young Americans for Freedom, D’Souza told of his first time in the U.S. He was born in India but came to Arizona at age 17 as an immigrant.

“I saw the skyline of New York and the Statue of Liberty, and I had this very odd feeling that my whole life was about to change dramatically,” D’Souza said.

“For the first time, I was going to be the architect of my own destiny.”

D’Souza explained that people today are wishing for “another Ronald Reagan” for president but do not understand that the world is different than it was in the 1980s.

In his 2012 documentary “2016: Obama’s America,” D’Souza made several predictions of how President Obama would handle a second term as president before he did eventually secure a second term in the White House. D’Souza’s first concern was the national debt.

“He has single-handedly doubled the national debt,” D’Souza said. “The national debt was $8.5 trillion when Obama came in. It is now well over $17 trillion.”

D’Souza said his next projection in 2012 was a very controversial prediction.

“The second thing that I said about Obama is that he would undermine our allies and strengthen our enemies,” D’Souza said. “He has a view of America that involves subtracting and contracting and withdrawing American influence in the Middle East that creates a vacuum in which groups like Al Qaeda, but now especially ISIS, can flourish.”

D’Souza said Obama is purposefully turning the cold shoulder to Israel, while making deals with the enemy. As America begins to diminish in power, the radical Islamists begin to grow.

The main difference between traditional Muslims and radical Muslims, according to D’Souza, is that radical Islamists are looking to restore Islam back to a state of rules, codes and commandments.

“Radical Islam is a political move-

ment that is a response to the greatly diminished power of Islam in the world today,” D’Souza said.

D’Souza said the U.S. can certainly deal with the threat of radical Islam, but the reason the U.S. is not making any efforts, in his opinion, is not because the U.S. does not have the resources to fight or does not know how.

“It rather is that (Americans) are bitterly divided over who we are and what we stand for and what our roles are in the world,” D’Souza said.

He said the world is headed in one of three directions: the Christian direction, the radical secularism direction or the radical Islamic direction. Each of these options has the power to convert.

D’Souza said the choice of where the world is headed is not up to radical Islamists, but rather the choice is up to the young Americans.

“We will decide which of these three currents of history is going to be dominant,” D’Souza said. “The real power of university, the real power of young people, is that you combine three powerful things together: knowledge, idealism and action.”

As his speech concluded, D’Souza encouraged the students in the room to seek a career goal that makes them both a dangerous Christian and a dangerous American.

“No matter what you do, you want to be that kind of a Christian and that kind of an American, because America needs you to be that way in order to restore, strengthen and protect our society,” D’Souza said.

COLEMAN is a news reporter.

the Liberty University students who frequents Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks each week.

“I go to Dunkin’ about six times a week,” Fleenor said.

“We are a few weeks into the semester, and I only have $70 in Flames Cash left.”

After being told about the new Freedom Dining PLUS+ plan, Fleenor was sold on the idea and was already contemplating how she would use her PLUS+ meal swipes.

The PLUS+ meal swipes will be the only meal swipe accepted at each of the five new dining locations set to open next semester as part of the new student center currently under construction.

These new options will in-

clude Argo Tea, UFood Grill, WoodFire Pizza Company, Garbanzo — featuring Mediterranean style food — and Star Ginger, consisting of an Asian grill and noodle bar.

When students complete Financial Check-In for the upcoming fall semester, they will have the option to upgrade to the Freedom Dining PLUS+ plan through their ASIST account. Until then students will just have to continue rationing their Flames Cash and wait for the day when a cup of coffee from Starbucks is just a meal swipe away.

LAPP is a news reporter.

UPGRADE — Students can use PLUS+ swipes at Chick-fil-A.

sources and activities for the student body (and) to make Liberty better. The same is to be said for the way we position ourselves financially, and we felt that this was worth looking at because it would provide a hedge for utility costs for years to come.”

Carroll said this project could protect the university financially by providing utilities.

“When we go to look at the financial side, the benefit to the students, and the long term benefits, there is a lot that goes into the equation before the decision can be made,” Carroll said.

Carroll said the project could also benefit Lynchburg as well as Liberty. The city of Lynchburg could potentially buy into a direct line from the dam, and there are

other possibilities where the city benefits from the dam.

“It would have to be built up and have the hydro installed, which would then help generate the electricity,” Carroll said. “So the dam currently is there, but it is just water flow. It doesn’t really do anything. By improving that, creating the hydro and creating electricity, it could either (only)

Jonathan Husker| Liberty Champion

go straight back to Liberty ... or we can actually sell it back to the open market. But the primary goal is (to figure out) how … this asset benefits Liberty 20, 30 or 100 years from now.”

FOLEY is the asst. news editor.

CAMPUS CALENDAR 2/23

2/24

2/25

2/25

2/25

2/25

2/25

2/26

2/27

- Church Planting Expo 1 p.m. | Jerry Falwell Library - Campus Community 7:30 p.m. | Vines Center - Entrepreneurship on the Edge Roundtable 5 p.m. | DeMoss Hall 4046 - Turn a Job Fair into a Career Workshop 5:30 p.m. | DeMoss Hall 1101 - Collegiate Day of Prayer 7 p.m. | R.C. Whorley Prayer Chapel - Wind Symphony Concert 7 p.m. | Towns Auditorium - GOP Presidential Debate Watch Party 8 p.m. | DeMoss Hall 4040 - National Eating Disorders Awareness Expo 12 p.m. | DeMoss Hall Grand Lobby - Liberty Mountain 5K 9 a.m. | Camp Hydaway

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Michela Diddle | Liberty Champion

POWER — Leaders at Liberty proposed enhancing the dam.

news

Liberty Champion | February 23, 2016 | A3

Photo Provided

SOLUTION — Students who committed to sponsoring a child received an individualized card with the child’s photograph, birth date and home country.

Fighting the poverty plight Liberty students partner with Compassion and sponsor more than 500 kids Taylor Coleman tcoleman64@liberty.edu Taylor Frost tfrost2@liberty.edu

During Global Focus Week, students had the opportunity to sponsor children from all over the world through Compassion International. Nate Ernsberger, regional director of speaker relationships for Compassion, said this was the largest partnership Compassion has had with college students in a campus setting. By the conclusion of the week, students had sponsored 588 children.

“I had wanted to (sponsor a child) for a while, but I didn’t think I had the money for it,” sophomore Autumn Campbell said. “But this time I just decided to trust God with it. I thought about all the kids I met when I went on a mission trip to Africa and wanted to continue to love on them and show them Jesus, even if it’s from across the world.”

“This relationship has a twoway benefit,” Ernsberger said.

“Sponsorship is one way to conceptualize what is happening. What we have really learned over time is that (it) is a relationship between a child and a sponsor. My family and I find out from the children that we sponsor that they are praying for us, and that’s huge.”

Every child sponsored will

receive access to the basic needs of life. Ernsberger shared there is only one sponsor per child. “(The sponsored children) will gain access to nutrition and education and have the opportunity to develop life skills,” Ernsberger said. “Those are the practical pieces of it. (Also they gain) a relationship with someone, not just the sponsor but also the people at the church. … (They get) to say I’m advocating for you and there is a safe place for you. This adds so much to a child’s life.”

According to Ernsberger, Compassion partners with local churches all over the world.

Each local church, whether that be in East Africa, West Africa, South America, Central America or Asia, begins by picking 50 children in their community who they believe would benefit from being sponsored. Then as the church grows in its ability to manage their sponsored children, it can begin sponsoring more.

“Kids are just kids, and they are full of joy and life,” Ernsberger said. “What I find when I go and visit children we are working with is a deep joy. Their surroundings want to beat that out of them, and they do beat that out of them until we get to stand in the way, until the church gets to stand in the way, until a sponsor gets to come in and say, ‘I’m going to make sure the joy doesn’t get beaten out of you.’”

Compassion also brought along the Compassion Experience, a mobile truck-and-tent based exhibit that allows participants to see and hear about the lives of people who have been released from poverty through Compassion’s work.

From Feb. 9-13, the Speakman parking lot by the bookstore housed a large tented area featuring the interactive walkthrough drama. Through a guided tour, students walked through elaborate sets and scenes depicting the vastly different lives of men, women and children across the world.

“Each person receives headphones and goes through one of four stories and learns about a particular life,” Ernsberger said.

According to Brock Eastman, the Compassion Experience regional manager, more than 4,788 people attended the experience Feb. 9-13.

“The stories brought feelings of encouragement to see that an (organization) such as Compassion could change someone’s life completely for the better,” sophomore Malaika Butler said. “It impacted the way I see organizations like Compassion and how they exist to sustain a life as well as draw kids closer to Christ.”

The four stories profile the true stories of children who have been saved by Compassion, including Jonathan, Kiwi,

Samson and Yannely. The scenes displayed showed the penniless conditions of these poverty-stricken children.

The Compassion Experience attracted the community as well.

Christine Dunaway, a Rustburg, Virginia resident, and her son, Christopher Dunaway, 11, came to the Compassion Experience to gain a new perspective about poverty and reinforce their homeschool curriculum. After going through the Compassion Experience, Christopher Dunaway picked out a child to sponsor.

“I learned that God answers prayers every time even though (some) people go through hard times,” Christopher Dunaway said.

According to Ernsberger, when readying the Compassion Experience equipment for the Liberty location, the large unit they were planning to use, which houses three stories, was booked for a different event. Instead, two smaller units were brought in, which house four stories.

Compassion Experience has been available for four years. During this time, more than 200,000 visitors have experienced the walk-through in more than 90 cities.

Ernsberger said the inspiration to begin the Compassion Experience, a branch of Compassion International, was to give a visualization to those who have an interest

in the organization but are unable to experience it for themselves.

“What if we try to do some storytelling, so people can be immersed in the story and can understand what life is like?” Ernsberger asked. “It is a hard thing to understand if you can’t see it.”

Ernsberger said students who want to get involved with Compassion International can volunteer through many different outlets. The Rock and Worship Roadshow is coming to Charlottesville, Virginia March 12. If students would like to volunteer, they can sign up at compassion.com/ roadshowvolunteer.

“It’s been a real honor to be here,” Ernsberger said. “It’s very unique for Liberty to invite an organization like Compassion. It is asking students to engage really, really deeply. … It shows that students at Liberty are generous.”

Sponsoring a child costs $38 per month. To become an advocate for a child through sponsorship, visit compassion.com/ sponsor_a_child.

COLEMAN is a news reporter.

FROST is a news reporter.

Cracked, shattered and broken Phone Axiom provides cost-efficient way to have technological devices repaired Hayden Robertson hbrobertson@liberty.edu

Your brand new phone has a split screen, and it is not the type of split screen that you want. There is a crack running diagonally from left to right.

With the amount of students and faculty on Liberty University’s campus dealing with such a dilemma, Phone Axiom plans to provide a cheaper alternative to fixing broken technology.

Phone Axiom is a technology screen repair business that will fix any type of broken screen ranging from your phone to your computer. According to its website, Phone Axiom began repairing Apple products in 2009. Phone Axiom is now a nationwide company that fixes technology for customers.

This past year, Phone Axiom brought its business to Liberty. It has set up machines on campus to place an order to get a screen fixed.

“There is a huge need for our services on different college campuses,” manager of Phone Axiom Chris Weston said.

Phone Axiom is providing

students and faculty with a cheaper alternative to get their iPhones, Androids, tablets and computer screens fixed. Weston said Phone Axiom has grown due to its competitive prices and what it offers to customers when getting their phones fixed.

“At Phone Axiom, we provide our customers with a lifetime warranty for the screen we repaired,” Weston said. “Unlike our competitors, if our screen breaks after we repair it, we will provide that customer another screen completely free of charge.”

If customers have a current iPhone model like the iPhone 6s, screen repair through Phone Axiom will cost that customer $169, and it includes the lifetime warranty of Phone Axiom.

“Our business is very competitive,” Weston said. “We have excellent prices that will beat our competitors due to our lifetime warranty on the screens.”

Phone Axiom does not stop with just doing current and upto-date phones. They specialize in phones like the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 came out five years ago, and Phone Axiom can still repair that screen even though the

iPhone 4 is an older model.

Liberty provides Phone Axiom with new customers through their machines on campus that allow students and faculty to request their phone to be fixed.

“There was a great need for us to come to Liberty University,” Weston said. “Two out of five people walk around with a broken device.”

Weston commented on the amount of people Liberty has, both students and the number of people Liberty employs. He said there are a great deal of phones on campus that need to be fixed.

Weston said the customers are who make their business, and anyone who is interested in getting his or her phone fixed can read about their work.

“People can see our many reviews on Google and on our Facebook,” Weston said.

For more information about Phone Axiom or its prices to get a screen fixed, visit getmyscreenfixed.com/welcome.

ROBERTSON is a news reporter.

Cassandra Steptoe | Liberty Champion

REFURBISH — Phone Axiom repair machines are located on campus.

OPINION

A4

February 23, 2016

Feeling the pressure Students should be wary of rushing into marriage at too young of an age Carrington Garber cgarber6@liberty.edu

There will be four, maybe five bridesmaids. Gardenias with wide, swirling blooms will beautifully intertwine with the roses’ more delicate, colorful blossoms.

There will be twinkly lights. Maybe not during the ceremony, but they could give the reception hall that enchanted glow — the friendly illusion of a thousand stars glittering warmly, just beyond reach.

The centerpiece is the dress. There are designers dedicated solely to producing gowns for just this occasion. It will be perfect. It will caress and taper and drape and flutter — it will be less like wearing a dress, and more like wearing a dream.

A wedding ceremony lasts only 30 minutes. With allowance for a photographer’s fussing and trivialities, it could take 30 more. This event lasting no longer than one hour commands time and money that far outweigh its longevity. However, the sacrifices demanded by the celebration are nothing compared to those required by the institution.

A wedding is a party, but a marriage is a commitment.

“Till death do us part” is a steep parameter within which to make a promise, and a vow of this magnitude should not be made under environmental influence or peer pressure. At Liberty University and other Christian universities, the pressure for students to marry young is present and detrimental to the success of this divine institution.

The pressure is as subtle as an 8-foot billboard hovering above the student body in the Vines Center.

Three times a week during Convocation, a local jeweler’s glittering engagement ring stares down at the 8,000 young adults in attendance. Administrators do not deny Lib-

Google Images

MARRIAGE — Liberty students may be getting married younger than most. erty’s “ring by spring” reputation — rather, they endorse it.

“I use that as a recruiting tool,” President Jerry Falwell said in a News & Advance article on the subject. “It’s a great place to find a mate. I tell parents that it’s a great place for your son or daughter to find (a spouse).”

PSYC 150, psychology of relationships, is a prerequisite that all students need for graduation. This course discusses the different attachment styles and how to adapt these concepts into a well-functioning relationship. For the more advanced, Liberty offers PSYC 361, marriage and family. Both courses, as well as segments of biblical worldview 101 and 102, encourage Christian matrimony.

Besides curriculum influences, Liberty hosts brother- and sister-dorm activities as

well as speed dating and other events that encourage students to mingle, therefore accelerating the campus dating process.

Psychology Professor Larry Anderson said in an interview in the same The News & Advance article that he felt Liberty relationships moved faster than most other college students’ relationships.

“I would guess that the average age for the Liberty student (getting married) is a little lower — a year or two younger,” Anderson said.

A biblical marriage is a sacred relationship. It is a bond that brings joy and hardship in equal measure and one that calls for the kind of love that only ignites upon meeting one’s match in another. But in rushing a marriage, God’s own timing can be undermined.

One argument against marrying in col-

lege comes from the opportunity cost of other friendships and relationships sacrificed in exchange for a romantic connection. Clinical psychologist Allison Conner spoke on the issue in an interview for Washington Square News.

“Students who marry while in school may be missing out on some experiences that would enhance their life experience and maturity,” Connor said.

She discussed the dangers of young marriage and contributors to its demise.

“Young couples are at the highest risk for divorce,” Conner said. “It is possible that those who marry too young are still maturing, and are not as equipped to deal with the stresses and strains of marriage and family. Not being established professionally is one of those stresses.”

Speaking specifically of an unstable financial base before marriage, Connor believes that not being fiscally independent or steady is a reason to delay the nuptials.

“It is definitely more desirable for a couple to marry when financially independent,” Connor said. “Not only does it protect the integrity of the couple, but the way each handles money will have a chance to be demonstrated to the other beforehand.”

Christian colleges should avoid influencing young couples to rush to wed. Couples should consider psychological maturity and financial security rather than jumping to satisfy social pressures.

There can still be four, maybe five bridesmaids. They will just have to wait a year or so for their chance to catch the bouquet.

GARBER is an opinion writer.

Newspaper attacks men in blue The privacy of police officer’s personal information should be the top priority Brianna Young bdyoung4@liberty.edu

The San Antonio Observer threatened Feb. 6 to publish the names and addresses of every San Antonio police officer. After the tabloid came under attack for the threat, the paper recanted and claimed that the paper would not follow through with their threat.

However, even the simple notion that a professional journalistic organization would threaten to put the safety of police officers and their families at risk is absolutely horrid.

In a press conference explaining why the San Antonio Observer would even consider espousing private details of the city’s law enforcement, editor Stephanie Zarriello likened the police to the Ku Klux Klan and sex offenders.

“Like Ku Klux Klansman with hoods, (officers) do everything they can in order to protect their identities for fear of being

brought to justice,” Zarriello said.

“Just as the names and addresses of sex offenders are publicized in order to protect the public from their wicked behavior, we feel that our community has the right to the exact same level of protection.”

After an officer-involved shooting that killed a 36-year-old man, the newspaper felt justified in its desire to publish the private information of every officer in the city, whether or not they had anything to do with the event that provoked the situation in the first place.

Although the San Antonio Observer has said it will not go through with revealing the names and addresses of every police officer in the city, the threat should be taken as seriously as if the newspaper still planned to go through with it.

If the private information of officers were to be made public, criminals with a desire to do harm

A TES NO

HAYWOOD

“I’m tryna keep my faith but I’m looking for more. Somewhere I can feel safe and end my holy war. I’m tryna keep my faith.”

Guess where this line comes from.

I’ll give you a hint. It comes from a recent rap track. Was it Lecrae? No, Andy Mineo, right? Maybe it came from Trip Lee or one of the more classic Christian rap guys. Well before you check your friends’ Instagram bios to see which one has it, I guarantee you will not find it.

While you check, I’ll give you another line.

“Don’t have much strength to fight so I look to the light. To make these wrongs turn right, head up high, I look to the light… ‘cause I know that

to an officer who had formerly arrested them would be able to track down and take his or her vengeance. The innocent friends and family members of officers would also be at risk for attack.

To liken every police officer to a Ku Klux Klansman is to say that every single police officer is racist and deserves to be put in harms way. However, very few police officers have ever committed a crime or abused their power. Most are good, law-abiding citizens whose safety does not deserve to be jeopardized.

There is no reason why anyone would need the address of a police officer unless they planned to show up at their house and commit some atrocious crime against the officer and their family.

When the daughter of Eric Garner, the man who died in police custody in New York City in 2014, tweeted the address of one of the officers involved in her father’s arrest, the tweet was quickly

you’ll take good care of your child.

Oh, no longer am afraid of the night, ‘cause I, I look to the light.”

If you are still wondering where these blatant, clear-as-day lines referencing where our ongoing, internal struggles are coming from, I’ll gladly tell you.

It came from Kanye West.

Yes, the arrogant, self-centered jerk who disrespected poor Taylor Swift on a national stage (on multiple occasions) put this in his album.

In fact, he put it in the album’s first song. And he had help too — help from Grammy award winner and gospel artist Kirk Franklin.

Initially, I was skeptical. Surely, Franklin would not dare be a part of West’s album. The album has songs about alcohol, drugs, infidelity and pretty much anything else Christ preached against. So why on earth would Franklin willingly be a part of such a thing?

Google Images

POLICE — A newspaper compared police officers to the KKK. removed. Just as a private social media account was made to remove the information, so should any publication that reveals the information of law enforcement.

That being said, the San Antonio Observer should be held responsible for the threats made against law enforcement officers and face legal repercussions.

By ensuring that one major

Naturally, the gospel artist received much flack. The beautiful and sacred realm of social media attacked Franklin for cosigning with something such as this, especially involving Kanye.

I too thought Franklin made a mistake. I figured he precariously perched himself upon the ever-thinning line between being in the world and of it. However, my perspective soon changed.

Think about it. West released the album on a streaming website, Tidal, where millions have heard it.

However, some reports revealed more than 500,000 people illegally downloaded it.

Millions have heard this album, and when they hear the first song, they hear the words “We don’t want no devils in the house, we want the Lord and that’s it.”

Yes, they will hear so much more that does not coincide with these

publication is taken seriously and dealt with, police officers and their families can be assured that other major publications would not dare to even mention publishing their personal information.

YOUNG is an opinion writer.

lines. Chance the Rapper, a featured artist on the track, even uses a few expletives in this very song. But Franklin, regardless of the stage, used this as an opportunity to encourage others while addressing the difficulties we as believers endure.

So before we are quick to bash Franklin for being involved in a sinoriented album, know at least one non-believer heard his prayer at the end of the song.

“Father, this prayer is for everyone that feels they’re not good enough.

This prayer’s for everybody that feels like they’re too messed up. For everyone that feels they’ve said ‘I’m sorry’ too many times. You can never go too far when you can’t come back home again.”- Kirk Franklin, Ultra Light Beam.

HAYWOOD is the editor-in-chief.

opinion

Liberty Champion | February 23, 2016 | A5

Sanders wins millennials’ vote Young adults are not turned off by the term “socialism” as their parents are

Google Images

MILLENNIALS — Sen. Bernie Sanders continues to receive overwhelming support from millennials.

Kimberly Stefanick kmstefanick2@liberty.edu

Presidential candidate and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders is surging past Hillary Clinton in popularity with millennials. One of few candidates to connect with the younger generation, this could prove to be very valuable to Sanders during the rest of his campaign for the presidency.

Bloomberg reports that last year, millennials surpassed the baby boomers as “the largest share of the U.S.’s voting-age population.”

Among the millennials, 75 percent of Democrats support Sanders versus only 17 percent that support former Secretary of State Clinton, according to Reuters. A CNN entrance poll of the Iowa caucuses reports that “more than 80% of voters aged between 17-29 years old supported Sanders.”

Breitbart News Network reports that in early December of last year “Hillary Clinton led Bernie Sanders by seven points among Democrat voters under 30,” but this number has visibly shifted since last year, especially in the last few months.

This surge can be largely attributed to the lack of fear of socialism among millennials and an appreciation of Sanders’ persona, according to Investor’s Business Daily.

This change can dramatically affect the outcome of the caucuses in the race to 2016. Breitbart reports that almost a quarter of the people voting in the caucuses in the 2008 election were under 30.

So how does a 74-year-old self-described socialist who did not enter public office until he was almost 40 years old find a place in the hearts and minds of young Americans?

The answer is simple. Millennials do not fully understand what socialism is to begin with. TIME reports that only 16 percent of millennials can correctly define what socialism actually is, according to a national poll. When asked about the economy, 64 percent of millennials reported they favored an economy managed by the free market, with only 32 percent wishing for an economy managed by the government.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines socialism as “a way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government rather than by individual people and companies.”

So even though millennials essentially support free markets, they are willing to elect a socialist who holds an opposing viewpoint. A greater understanding of what socialism represents is needed in society before Sanders is given control of the country.

“Do they think I’m afraid of the word?” Sanders said in an interview with The Nation. “I’m not afraid of the word.

Everybody in the state knows that I am (a socialist).”

While Sanders has been identifying as a Democratic socialist throughout the election, he has also referred to himself simply as a socialist.

So with no more fear of the word “socialism” and a misunderstanding of the word’s actual definition, young Americans can freely appreciate Sanders’ ideas and proposed solutions to problems in the government.

America is no longer a blue-collar society, and with many young people in debt from paying for college and not being able to find work, Sanders can promise free tuition for college and easily strike a chord with a struggling population.

In addition to calling for free higher education, Sanders also wants to start a universal healthcare policy, according to The Washington Times. Sanders is calling for a “political revolution” and says the way to make this possible is increased voter turnout, which he may achieve with his popularity among millennials.

With 62 percent of millennials calling themselves liberal, according to TIME, young voters are willing to forgive, and even appreciate, Sanders’ unkempt hair and ill-fitting suits for a promise of a brighter future.

I am not sure this bright future would ever come to pass if Sanders became president, but this promise is proving to be a force to be reckoned with.

Not even Clinton’s squad of celebrities including Kim Kardashian-West, Demi Lovato and Britney Spears has changed the tide of millennials supporting Sanders. His messy hair and socialist ideals are here to stay for the moment, and our generation is the reason why.

STEFANICK is an opinion writer.

Justice found dead in Texas Antonin Scalia will be remembered for impacting a generation of conservatives

Lee Sutherland lsutherland6@liberty.edu

This weekend one of my heroes passed away. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead Feb. 13 at age 79. According to CNN, Scalia was on a hunting trip in Texas with a number of family friends.

He was the longest serving member of the current court, having been nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1986.

The first memory I have of Scalia was his now-famous interview with 60 Minutes.

His larger-than-life personality, wit and great sense of humor shined through in the interview, and I was immediately drawn to him. My senior year of high school, my father and I were able to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court and see Scalia in person. He constantly interrupted the lawyer’s arguments and had the whole court room laughing more than once.

Yet what I will always remember him most for was his intense and unshaking commitment to his beliefs. Scalia entered the Supreme Court only a decade after the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. The predominant view at the time was that the Constitution was a living and active document — namely that the Constitution’s meaning adapts to the current society’s values.

The minute Scalia sat behind the bench in the Supreme Court, he became the public face and leading implementer of a revolutionary constitutional interpretation method known as originalism. This view stands in direct opposition to the living constitution view and believes the

Constitution should be viewed as the writers and the society at the time it was written viewed it.

Scalia, along with Court of Appeals Justice Robert Bork and former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, led the charge for establishing originalism as the standard constitutional interpretation of conservatives. While Bork may have been the creator and Meese may have been the architect, Scalia was the megaphone for this new movement.

His opinions, most notably in dissent, were the intellectual foundation for the movement and became infamous for their accessibility, humor and oftentimes bite.

One of his most read dissents came last year in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which legalized same-sex marriage as a constitutional right.

“If, even as the price to be paid for a fifth vote, I ever joined an opinion for the Court that began: ‘The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons, within a lawful realm, to define and express their identity,’ I would hide my head in a bag,” Scalia wrote. “The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie.”

Scalia’s originalism emphasized the importance of self-government and downplayed the role of the Supreme Court.

Through his decisions, Scalia sought to pull back the Court’s reach into the legislative branch and tried to empower the American people to make the changes they saw fit.

Google Images

COURT — Justice Antonin Scalia passed away while on a hunting trip in Texas.

Yet Scalia’s philosophy did not purely lead him to decisions that he always agreed with. One very famous decision made by the court was in United States v. Eichman, where the court ruled that a person has the constitutional right to burn the American flag. Scalia voted with the majority in this case, supporting a decision that was not conservative politically and protecting something that he openly believed should be illegal. “(Scalia) strained to be consistent, to rule based on principle rather than on his partisan biases — which made him stand out in an age when justices often seem as purely partisan as any other office holder,” Ross Douthat wrote in the New York Times.

Scalia will be remembered as one of the most influential Supreme Court justices of all time. His writings have formed the foundation for an entire philosophical model of constitutional interpretation and will be read by law students for decades. His originalist philosophy has been so influential that it has begun to pop up in more liberal judicial circles. Most importantly, he inspired a generation of young people like myself to pursue a career in law.

SUTHERLAND is the opinion editor.

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opinion

A6 | February 23, 2016 | Liberty Champion

POLITICS A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR The Virginia primary, which is a part of Super Tuesday, is March 1. With this in mind, students have written a short piece for each candidate still in the race, presenting reasons why their peers and professors should support their chosen candidate. The candidate endorsements are divided by party and are in alphabetical order so as not to give preference to any specific candidate.

REPUBLICANS An outspoken entrepreneur and a selfdescribed socialist have shocked many pundits in this year’s presidential race. It is clear that on both sides of the political aisle Americans feel the government has failed them, and they are looking for answers in extreme places. In a political environment that can only be described as “tumultuous,” I believe America is in dire need of a constitutionalist in the Oval Office.

As an outsider with no political background, Dr. Ben Carson’s road to the White House is paved by his belief in

America’s most sacred document.

As a conservative Christian, I appreciate his faith, but what I find more impressive is his commitment to a government by the people, for the people. No man is perfect, so electing a president based on spirituality alone is subjective and risky.

However, we have a document written by men of faith who logically formed a system of government designed to serve the American people.

When evaluating Donald Trump or Sen. Bernie Sanders, consider what it is they are advocating. Whether you agree with them or not, you cannot say that their views are constitutional. While Sanders says America was founded on “fairness,” he is wrong. Equal opportunity for all men does not present it-

self in the form of equal wealth. While Trump supporters boom that he will “get things done,” I hear a hint of approval for authoritarian rule. The same conservatives applauding Trump condemn the executive orders issued by the current administration.

Carson’s platform is simple: Fight for conservative values, and fight for them the right way. His campaign has lasted longer than anyone said it could because his message is compelling. There is an overwhelming chance that Carson will not be president, but I sincerely hope he is involved in the next administration.

We need a voice dedicated to holding the government accountable to the people.

Sen. Ted Cruz has risen to be one of the top candidates for the GOP presidential nomination for 2016. He has rallied despite being labeled as too conservative and overly Evangelical.

Cruz sits directly behind Donald Trump in the election, passing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the seemingly favored candidate among Congress in Washington and the mainstream media. Not only is Cruz gaining momentum in the polls behind Trump, he is currently beating Hillary Clinton in the general election polls as well, according to Real Clear Pol-

itics’ polling data as of Feb. 15.

My personal reason for supporting Cruz is due to his consistent conservative policies he has stood behind and his courageous fight against the liberals in Washington. Cruz has stood up for American’s liberties through the fight against abortion, ObamaCare, religious liberty, and preserving free market values. He has shown time and time again that he will stand up to the Washington elites and defeat the liberal ruling class.

I believe if Cruz becomes the nominee he will outshine any other candidate currently on the GOP stage. Not only will he beat Clinton, but he will also protect our borders, stand behind Israel, implement a flat tax, and sustain our religious liberties.

While working on the Cruz campaign I have seen him become stronger in each state during the primaries. His work ethic and grassroots efforts surpass many of the other GOP hopefuls. I have also personally met Ted Cruz multiple times, and his genuine love for America shows. It is obvious why he is running for the presidency, and he states it well in his slogan, which is to Reignite The Promise of America.

In a race filled with loudmouth bullies, there is one candidate who has been treading water ever so silently — until his rise to the surface after the New Hampshire primary. Gov. John Kasich is undoubtedly an underdog, but if nothing else, Kasich is persistent, wanting to be known as “honest, direct, authentic and tenacious.”

Kasich, a 63-year-old moderate Republican, spent nearly two decades in Congress before serving as the governor of Ohio, where he lives with his wife and 15-year-old twin daughters. Kasich, who

grew up Catholic, renewed his faith after a drunk driver killed his parents.

“I drifted away from religion as a young adult,” Kasich said. “Then I looked up one day, and there was a huge hole in my life where God and religion had been.”

Although Kasich is a true-blooded Republican, his stance on major issues is a fresh take compared to the other candidates.

Kasich believes in traditional marriage but has decided it is time to move on from the same-sex marriage debate, a battle that cannot be won after the Supreme Court’s final decision.

In contrast, he wants to defund Planned Parenthood, holding true to his pro-life beliefs with the exception for instances of rape, incest

or if the mother’s life is in danger.

Kasich is concerned about protecting jobs while protecting the environment.

He is advocating for less prison time for nonviolent offenders, focusing instead on rehabilitation and treatment. Kasich not only supports Common Core but also defended it by criticizing opponents as “politically-motivated.”

As a man who converted Ohio’s $8 billion deficit into a $2 billion surplus, Kasich’s view on the budget and economy is filtered through his idea to “lift everybody and build a stronger America.”

Until recently, Kasich has been drowned out among the tidal waves created by the bigger fish, but Kasich is proving to be a strong swimmer who may just win this race.

There are three major reasons Sen. Marco Rubio is the best candidate for the upcoming generation.

First, Rubio is dedicated to removing Common Core from the education system. Rather than allowing the federal government to mandate what students need to know, Rubio wants to return that right to the state level and allow local communities “complete autonomy in education decision making,” according to his campaign website.

Second, Rubio believes in net neutrality and the free Internet. For the last

few years, the Federal Communications Commission has been trying to impose taxes on Internet services by classifying them as a “public utility.” If the Internet providers are allowed to throttle the speeds of services based on how much they can pay, it hinders startups from creating something special.

Rubio understands that this would destroy the core principles that the Internet is built on — access and opportunity. If the Internet ceases to be an open and available platform for innovation and creativity, then the next Facebook will never see the light of day.

Third, Rubio has a tax plan that consolidates and simplifies the tax code while still providing the funding needed to run the government.

He plans to lower the amount of tax brackets from seven to three. Until someone makes $75,000 or more in a year, they will only be taxed 15 percent of their income. After that, the rate becomes 25 percent, and then it goes up to 35 percent for anything over $150,000.

Rubio also plans to lower the top corporate rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. Not only that, but he will also remove the capital gains, dividends and estate taxes in order to incentivize savings and investment.

There are obviously hundreds of issues on the table, but for people looking to start businesses and raise families in the next 10 years, Rubio’s plan is a great start.

BEN CARSON RJ GOODWIN

TED CRUZ

LAUREN CREEKMORE

JOHN KASICH KALLIE BRITTON

MARCO RUBIO KIRKLAND GEE

opinion

Liberty Champion | February 23, 2016 | A7

POLITICS Our country is a mess. We are overtaxed, overregulated and we owe over $19 trillion dollars in debt. For too many years we have voted for Republicans who claim to be conservative, most of who have not followed through on their campaign promises. It is time to elect a common-sense conservative. I am supporting Donald J. Trump for president of the U.S. Trump has a phenomenal track record of success in the private sector: He has created thousands of jobs, negotiated thousands of contracts and built a multi-billion dollar company.

DONALD TRUMP CODY BRIGHT

Students across the nation are unable to find employment, and companies can no longer afford to stay in the U.S. Trump has a tax plan that will cut the current 39.1 percent corporate tax rate to 15 percent. This will allow companies to create more jobs and stay in America.

Responsible gun owners are under attack. Trump has a concealed weapon permit and is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. As an Evangelical, protecting the lives of the unborn is very important to me. Knowing Trump will do just that should encourage those who hold the same belief.

Trump was the first presidential candidate to address the growing illegal immigration problem we have in America. We have more than 11 million undocumented immigrants that we know of living in

our country. Trump will reform our immigration system. He will build a great wall along the southern border and allow immigrants to come here legally.

Obamacare is a disaster. Millions of people have lost their health insurance, insurance premiums have skyrocketed, and the quality of healthcare has decreased. Trump will repeal ObamaCare and replace it with private healthcare plans, health savings account and allow the purchase of insurance across state lines.

Our country is headed in the wrong direction, but it is not too late to address and fix these problems. I ask that you join me in supporting the only candidate who can solve them. Let’s Make America Great Again!

DEMOCRATS

When it comes to experience and familiarity with the vital issues facing this nation, Hillary Clinton has proved throughout her entire career she has the qualifications and capabilities to be not only a leader but also a strong and intelligent voice for the people. Clinton has repeatedly displayed her commitment to fight for equal rights for women, provide students with cost-efficient education and create affordable and accessible healthcare.

Clinton served as a first lady for almost two decades, as her husband served

HILLARY CLINTON CASSANDRA HERNANDEZ

We are currently in the midst of one of the craziest election seasons this country has ever seen. It is tough to find a candidate that really satisfies voters, with the parties being dominated by flipfloppers and egomaniacs alike.

Obviously, the gospel is the salvation of souls by the redemptive act of Jesus on the cross, and our job in the Great Commission is to spread that good news to the whole world. But 1 John 3:17-18 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God

BERNIE SANDERS MATT JOHNSON

as governor and eventually two terms as president of the U.S. Most notably, Clinton’s work during her time as secretary of state has shown her authoritative and admirable behavior addressing Congress and working with both parties to work through issues facing the nation.

As the secretary of state, Clinton also traveled across the world, speaking with leaders around the globe, representing America and molding and repairing international relations. Clinton was able to be close to the Obama Administration, gaining even more vital access to the presidential office.

There are many issues that Clinton plans to focus on, if elected for president. This includes fighting for the equal rights of women both in work and social

situations. Clinton also believes students should not have to borrow money to pay for necessary things such as books and tuition and would provide more options and grants for students to be able to not only pay for their education, but to finish with a degree.

Believing that healthcare is a basic human right, Clinton is a supporter of the Affordable Care Act, advocating the idea that healthcare should have value and quality while staying affordable for every American, putting care ahead of price.

Clinton is a voice for the people, young and old, who speaks for the basic human rights of every person and who has also fought for these issues throughout her entire career. Experience and success are what define her appeal as a candidate.

be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” We are supposed to care for those who are needier than us and actually do something to help them.

This idea of helping the poor is the basis of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ political campaign. Sanders’ campaign website asks if we want to “continue the 40year decline of our middle class,” or if we want to “fight for a progressive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health care for all.” Sanders has made it clear that his first and foremost interest is to help citizens who are struggling in poverty.

Yet there are conflicts that arise between the morality of the gospel and

the ideas of Sanders. His website says as president, Sanders would fight for abortion, which is very clearly against the pro-life viewpoint that the gospel exhibits. Many Christians might take issue with Sanders’ pro-same-sex marriage and LGBT rights stances.

All in all, I still believe Sanders is the best candidate for Evangelicals to vote for in the 2016 election. While he does not necessarily share the same faith as many believers, in my opinion, his platform comes more in line with how we are to live the gospel out day-by-day than most of the Republicans running and therefore is who I will be giving my support to.

PRIMARIES FOR DUMMIES LEE SUTHERLAND

The primary season is in full swing as four primaries have now been completed. As debates and campaign speeches are being watched by millions of people, there are a number of terms that are being thrown around by candidates and the media that may be confusing to the average voter. Below are explanations for a number of the more important terms and ideas that often go undefined.

Establishment – This is a hard term to define as it can mean many different things. However, it is most often used to describe a candidate who has more moderate policies and has the backing of the party elites. For how vehemently she denies that she fits in this category, Hillary Clinton is a perfect example of an “establishment” candidate. An “anti-establishment” candidate is the exact opposite; namely, he or she holds to policies and beliefs that are polarizing, appealing to the extreme right or left of their party, and does not have the support of the party elites. Clinton’s opponent, Sen. Bernie Sanders, fits this description.

Delegate – These are what every presidential candidate is hoping to get.

These are a specific number of people from each state who vote at each party’s convention for the candidate(s) who won a certain percentage of the vote in their home state. There are three types of delegates, according to the RNC. First, there are at-large delegates who are “statewide delegates who are residents of that state and are selected at large.” There are 10 of these in each state. Second, there are congressional district delegates who represent the specific congressional district they live in. There are three of these per district.

Finally, three RNC members per state, such as the state’s national committeeman and woman, and state chair, vote at the convention.

Super Delegates – These are specific to the Democratic primary and have garnered a great deal of attention in this year’s race. Super delegates are delegates who are not bound by the vote in a specific state but are able to

choose whichever candidate they want to vote for at the Democratic Convention. These super delegates are “usually members of the DNC and other state and federal elected officials,” according to NBC News. Also, super delegates are able to change their mind and shift their support to another candidate, which is different from general delegates. This special type of delegate came about through the McGovern-Fraser Commission, which sought to diversify the delegates who voted for the nominee.

Proportional vs. Winner-TakeAll States – Each state employs a system of determining which candidate will be awarded its delegates. Some states use a proportional method, which awards candidates the percent of the state’s total delegates that they won in the primary. For example, Sen. Ted Cruz won the Iowa caucus but only received eight of the state’s 30 delegates because it uses the proportional method. Other states use a winner-take-all method which awards all of the state’s delegates to the candidate who wins the highest

percentage in that state’s primary. Donald Trump was able to win all of the delegates in South Carolina because the state uses this method. The upcoming Virginia primary allocates its delegates proportionally.

Open vs. Closed Primary – These are the two major types of primaries in the nomination process. A closed primary is one in which you must be registered with that specific party to vote for one of its candidates. The Nevada primary Tuesday, Feb. 23 is an example of a state that employs this model. An open primary is just the opposite of a closed primary. These primaries allow anyone of any political affiliation to vote in a party’s election. Virginia is an example of this type of primary. There is also a third way that has arisen, a semi-closed primary. States that employ this system allow only people registered as independents to vote in any election they please.

SUTHERLAND is the opinion editor.

news

A8 | February 23, 2016 | Liberty Champion

Time to vote in Lynchburg Information on polling center locations for students and how to register in Virginia Sarah Rodriguez srodriguez70@liberty.edu

College is a time of learning, growing and stepping into the next stage of life.

Liberty University students, as well as all college students in the state of Virginia, will have the opportunity to fulfill their responsibility of voting March 1.

“Students are moving on to complete adulthood, so (they need) to make sure to (vote) and show their civic responsibility,” Morgan Hanson, assistant director of programming at the Dean of Students Office, said.

During the March 1, 2016 election, students living in Ward III-2, which contains on-campus students at Liberty, will have the chance to vote in the presidential primary election at the Vines Center.

Hanson said the Dean of Students Office has been working in the recent weeks to make sure students are informed about the date of the upcoming election.

“We’ve done posters in the hallways, in the classrooms and on bulletin boards around campus,” Hanson said. “We have organized three voter registration drives — two in the Jerry Falwell Library and one in the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall. We passed out voter registration forms in the lines to Convocation — the many lines that we’ve had recently due to the Trump Convocation and Ben Carson’s Convocation.”

During the presidential primary, all

polling centers will be open 6 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Hanson said a photo ID is needed to vote, for which a new Flames pass will work. The old Flames pass will not be sufficient identification. Hanson said bringing a voter registration card will help speed up the process at the polling center.

Though the deadline has passed for a student to register to vote in the presidential primary, if he or she was not registered before, Hanson said there is still an opportunity to get involved.

“They’re welcome to volunteer (March 1) if they want (and) if they can’t vote,” Hanson said. “They can call the Lynchburg Registrar and see how they can volunteer.”

Hanson also emphasized the necessity to get registered because there is a local election May 3, 2016 in which students can vote.

Hanson said when a student wants to vote, filling out paperwork takes less than five minutes. The paperwork is then sent to the Lynchburg Registrar’s Office within 10 days by law, then the information is processed.

“You should have your Virginia voter registration ID within a month (from) when you submit the form,” Hanson said.

Voter information is supposed to be revised each time a move is made, according to Hanson.

“You are supposed to update your voter information every time you move, which technically does mean every time you move

FYI

Important dates to remember: March 1 — residential primary Election Day April 11 — Final day to register to vote or submit a change of address for the May 3 local election May 3 ­— Local Election Day for city council and treasurer Oct. 17 — Final day to register to vote or submit a change of address for Nov. 8 general Election Day Nov. 8 — General Election Day

Courtney Russo| Liberty Champion

PRIMARY — Students living on campus will vote in the Vines Center in March.

MSC boxes,” Hanson said.

In order to make the change, Hanson said students can come to the Dean of Students Office and fill out a voter registration form with the new and previous addresses, or the form can be filled out online at elections.virginia.gov/ registration/view-your-info.

The Dean of Students Office encourages students to vote in Lynchburg because driving back and forth from home is a lengthy endeavor but also because the elected officials in Lynchburg are passing laws that affect college students.

“We really encourage students to register and vote here because it really makes a big difference and impacts their situation, as Liberty has influence and impact right here,” Dean of Students Robert Mullen said. “So for the City Council election coming up in May (students should be) registered to vote in that, and that directly impacts their pocketbook.”

Mullen also said that by voting, students show officials how important their opinion is.

“Some of the things that have just hap-

pened with the rezoning and some of the other … wins that Liberty has had have been the outcome of students being engaged, involved, registered and voting,” Mullen said. “It sends a message that you have to listen to students’ concerns.”

Off-campus Liberty students cannot vote at the Vines Center, but according to Hanson, they can find their polling location on their voter registration card. They can also search online at vote.elections.virginia. gov/voterinformation.

For on-campus students, their polling location is the Vines Center. Mullen said snacks will be available for all students outside the Vines Center on Election Day. “There is no excuse for a student not to turn out on that day because it’s right there in their backyard for every on-campus student,” Mullen said.

Students who wish to register to vote in other upcoming Virginia elections can go to the Dean of Students Office at Green Hall 1830 or visit elections.virginia.gov/ registration/how-to-register/index.html.

RODRIGUEZ is the news editor.

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news

Liberty Champion | February 23, 2016 | A9

Concealed carry clarification Liberty University Police Department discusses rules about firearms on campus Shannon Ritter sritter2@liberty.edu

Liberty University Police Department (LUPD) will offer its next concealed carry class for students Friday, Feb. 26 from 5:45-10 p.m., according to LUPD Chief of Police Col. Richard D. Hinkley.

“The class teaches basic safety principles for handling any type of firearm and the basic principles needed to shoot accurately,” Hinkley said. “To complete the class and receive a completion certificate, all participants are required to go to the range and demonstrate the ability to safely handle and fire a firearm.”

Contrary to popular belief, there have been no changes to the university’s firearms policy, according to the Office of Legal Affairs General Counsel David Corry. Firearms are still not allowed in the residence halls, with the exception of law enforcement and Resident Directors who have a concealed carry permit.

Corry, who had a hand in drafting potential changes to the policy, said it is the Board of Trustee’s responsibility to approve or disapprove changes to the policy. Changes in the policy will be presented at the Board’s next regular meeting, which will take place April 15.

“We’re contemplating a system that will allow students in the residence halls who are approved to conceal carry to store weapons in a safe in their room, which would be provided and installed by LU,”

Corry said. “They would be secured to a wall, kind of like a hotel safe, and we’re looking at the kind of safe to use to ensure that only the person with the permit can open the safe. We’re considering biometric access.”

However, Corry said Liberty will take the necessary steps toward ensuring every student is comfortable in the residence halls.

He added that a student will not be forced to live in a room where a weapon is stored if he or she is not comfortable with it. A student wishing to store his or her weapon in the dorm room will have to acquire consent from his or her roommate(s).

“There will be a system of consent,” Corry said. “You’ll have to get consent from your current roommate or find someone who is willing to move. … If you’ve given consent to have a weapon in your room and you then want to withdraw that consent — you’ve changed your mind — then you will be the one who has to find a different place (to live).”

According to Corry, additional rules will be added, stating that students must either store their concealed carry on their person or in the safe at all times. A weapon will not be allowed to be on display or passed around.

Only the person with the concealed carry permit is allowed to handle the weapon.

“If you’re not wearing enough clothes for it to be concealed, then it needs to be in a safe,” Corry said. “We don’t want people

Joel Coleman| Liberty University News Service

POLICY — Firearms are currently not allowed in the residence halls, but a change may come soon. to be confronted by the presence of weapons on display. That’s not what concealed carry is all about.

Concealed carry is out of sight.”

Corry said he and the others involved with drafting the policies have used their experience and the experience of other universities to guide them in coming up with a system to recommend to the Trustees.

“We think we’ve come up with solutions that will work,” Corry said. “The impact on the dorms will not be as great as some might imagine because you can’t get a concealed carry permit unless you’re 21. That’s the same age that many people move out of the dorms, so it’s a very small percentage of the 21 and up population that even take

advantage of the opportunity.”

To sign up for the next concealed carry class, students must email lupdrange@liberty.edu. To view the current full university gun policy, visit liberty.edu/administration/lupd.

RITTER is a news reporter.

Protect the Second Amendment Students at Liberty for Gun Rights educate others on the right to bear arms

Michela Diddle| Liberty Champion

BEAR ARMS — Students in SL4GR gather in support of the Second Ammendment.

Jordan Jarrett jjarrett4@liberty.edu Shannon Ritter sritter2@liberty.edu

The student-run Liberty University club Students at Liberty for Gun Rights (SL4GR) recently hosted several tabling events in the Jerry Falwell Library and the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall. Club members, headed by founder and president Jordan Stein, ran the information tables to educate people about Second Amendment rights.

Coming up on their third year, SL4GR and its efforts have remained steady since Liberty’s pro-gun policies were announced in December.

“Having guns in dorms is something we’ve been pushing for,” Stein said.

“Our dorms were gun-free zones, and I feel that the most dangerous place on campus is a gun-free zone.”

Stein said there is no correlation between the proposed lifted ban and his recent tabling events.

“I’m glad people are thinking about us now,” Stein said. “We’re something that’s been going on before (this year).”

Stein started SL4GR in 2013. Sander Smith, the public relations officer for SL4GR, helped Stein start the club after they met in an evangelism class. The club has since burgeoned to 80 active members and an email list of more than 600.

Smith said the only difficulty the club has experienced was procedural pushback and the resultant lack of funding from Liberty’s Student Government Association (SGA), as they perceived SL4GR to be a political group.

However, SL4GR is not officially affiliated with any national organizations, such as the National Rifle Association, but the club has worked with Virginia Citizen’s Defense League for events.

“We’ve worked with national organizations before, but we’re not tied to them,” Stein said.

He clarified that the club tries not to adhere to any one-sided political ideology, since the gun issue is a wide

and polarizing one. SL4GR adheres only to the Constitution, Smith said.

“Whatever view you have, you shouldn’t have to argue with something laid out in the Bill of Rights,” Smith said. “A lot of people think we’re a gun club just because we like to shoot at (the range) and talk about guns. It’s more about helping people understand that (bearing arms) is their right and it should not be infringed.”

The purpose of SL4GR, according to its officers, is to encourage people inside and outside of the Liberty community to learn about and appreciate gun rights.

“We want to convince people that (bearing arms) is a God-given right, not just

a right given by the Constitution,” Smith said. “Every person should have the right to defend themselves against anyone — enemies, criminals, even our own government if we have to.”

The club’s members ultimately hope that gun laws, both locally and nationally, get to a point where people do not need to even apply for a concealed carry permit.

Remso Martinez, editor and lead contributor for SL4GR’s blog, used an illustration of floors to describe Liberty’s position on firearms. While the “tenth floor” of zero-permit is virtually unattainable, being on the fifth or sixth floor of limited gun rights seems better than being at the bottom with none at all.

“You shouldn’t have to ask to defend yourself,” Martinez said. “We have an opportunity here (at Liberty) to take advantage of the fact that we are one of the few concealed-carry campuses in America, so we have the freedom and outlet to go out and discuss this.”

Liberty criminal justice student and event coordinator for SL4GR Tim Falasca is optimistic about Liberty’s firearm policy and the potential changes to occur for residence halls.

“You don’t bring a knife to a gun fight, and I think that you have to sometimes fight fire with fire,” Falasca said. “When you see all these college campuses that prevent firearms being on the campus, those are gunfree zones. Only law-abiding citizens obey gun-free zone. Criminals, by default, don’t obey laws. They commit crimes. So therefore, if you have some college campus that’s prohibiting firearms … they’re magnets for people for who have otherwise violent intentions. So the best counter to a violent person is not necessarily a police officer because police are minutes away when seconds count. The best counter to a violent person with a firearm is a good person with a firearm.”

SL4GR meets twice a month on Thursday evenings. Falasca encourages any student who shows interest in gun rights to attend a meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in DeMoss Hall 4084.

JARRETT is a news reporter.

RITTER is a news reporter.

FYI Second Amendment A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

news

A10 | February 23, 2016 | Liberty Champion

Who is our authority?

Mark Dever tackles the question of whether Christians should support the government Lee Sutherland lsutherland6@liberty.edu

Convocation Wednesday, Feb. 17 hosted Mark Dever, the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C. Dever’s talk was an exposition of Mark 12:13-18, and he focused specifically on the famous response Jesus gives to the Pharisees after they question him about paying taxes.

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17, ESV) The first point Dever pulled out of the text was that Christians are called to be good citizens.

“In this short answer, Jesus picks up a biblical theology of government, and he applied it to the new phase in the history of God’s people that Jesus himself was commencing,” Dever said.

Dever continued by discussing how a pagan government can be legitimate and what the Bible has to say about the role government plays in God’s kingdom.

“God teaches us in the Bible that he is sovereign, and that the state is the servant of God in very particular ways,” Dever said.

Dever emphasized many times from

Leah Seavers| Liberty Champion

DUTY — Mark Dever spoke about how Christianity and government can be reconciled.

Scripture how the authority of a government reflects God and how a government reflects the command God gave Adam in Genesis 1:28 to “fill the earth and subdue it.”

“As Christians we believe that government is one of a number of enterprises that

we can be involved in that are not specifically Christian but that are good and mediate the blessings of God’s own authority in the life,” Dever said.

Dever then told the audience the importance of knowing that Christians are international. He pointed out specific texts, such

as Genesis 12 and Matthew 28, which cast a vision of the church being for all people.

“The international (nature) of Christ’s church today … shows that it has never been just an American thing,” Dever said. “It’s never been just a Western thing. In fact from its very earliest beginnings the worship of the one true God has always been something that has been envisioned for all nations.”

Dever said while the Christian duty to the government above him or her is limited, the duty to God is comprehensive. In making this point, Dever referenced the famous quote from Dutch politician and theologian Abraham Kuyper on the totality of God’s authority.

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign overall, does not cry mine!”

Dever concluded by reminding students of the importance of the gospel.

“The wonderful news of Christianity isn’t about government,” Dever said. “It’s about what God does with people who have offended and broken his laws, and that’s all of us.”

SUTHERLAND is the opinion editor.

Overcoming mental illness Student Counseling Services offers help to students with anxiety and depression Samuel McQuage smcquage1@liberty.edu

Many college students will feel down and afraid at some point during their time in college. New students are faced with leaving home and picking a major, while older students are preparing to finish their degree and enter the workforce.

Sometimes these feelings can escalate to forms of anxiety and depression. Students at Liberty University have access to mental health professionals if they are experiencing either of these feelings.

“The first step in alleviating anxiety and depression involves deciding to meet with a mental health professional to determine the extent of the problem,” Steve Nielsen, clinical coordinator for Student Counseling Services, said.

According to Nielsen, students should not be embarrassed or hesitant about contacting a counselor. Student counselors are trained professionals who have dedicated their lives to helping students.

“It is important to remember that (these feelings) are often the result of being confronted with a problem for which we have no solution,” Nielsen said. “Although we all have the tendency to reach out to friends at times like this, it is critical to seek out

the help of clinicians who have the training and strategies for addressing the problem.”

He said students can contact Student Counseling Services when they want to meet with a professional.

“The second step involves scheduling an intake session with a clinician,” Nielsen said. “In that session, it is important to be honest and straightforward when describing the problems.”

A lot of students tend to not seek help, in the hopes that they can fix their problems by themselves, but that rarely works.

“(Most everyone) experiences anxiety and depression as a part of our normal development,” Nielsen said. “The symptoms associated with anxiety and depression often indicate the areas in which we need further growth. If you underrepresent your problems or find yourself unwilling or unable to describe them at length, your clinician will not be able to help you to create accurate strategies to relieve the anxiety and depression.”

Students need to continue to go to the sessions even if they start to feel better, Nielsen said. Anxiety and depression may subside temporarily after telling the counselor, but they are not truly gone.

“Unfortunately, they find themselves anxious and depressed when they are again confronted with the unresolved problem. The next step is critical for overcoming the problem,” Nielsen said.

He said arranging additional sessions is critical in order to assess the problem in greater detail and establish some approaches for a treatment plan.

Nielsen said even if a student

Shannon Ritter| Liberty Champion

TALK — Counselors are available to meet with students in need. is not suffering from anxiety or depression, he or she may have a friend who is. It is important to realize when a friend needs help.

“As a friend or even as a concerned acquaintance, we want to ensure that the person feels our acceptance, warmth, support and care,” Nielsen said.

Nielsen gave advice to students for when they see a friend in need of help.

“If the person is currently receiving counseling, then encourage him or her to continue to do

so,” Nielsen said. “If not, allow the person to describe the concern and gently encourage the individual to seek professional help.

If the individual will not seek help, call Student Counseling Services or talk with your Resident Assistant. Turning the problem over to them will allow you to assume your most critical and productive role as part of that person’s support network.”

MCQUAGE is a news reporter.

Advice from the real world Pastors meet to encourage one another and consider how to better programs Jacob Clarke jlclarke3@liberty.edu

The Liberty University Pastoral Leadership Advisory Board gathered Tuesday, Feb. 16 to encourage one another in ministering to families in their churches and to evaluate Liberty’s pastoral leadership program.

On a day when campus was closed until 11 a.m., more than 50 pastors from places such as North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan and

Iran traveled across the snow-covered campus to the Jerry Falwell Library.

Jonathan Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC), was the first featured speaker of the morning. He said pastors must lead their own families well, a lesson he learned firsthand from his father, Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. “The one thing (my dad) never lost sight of was … the fact that his primary duty, outside of his relationship with Christ, was to

Photo Provided

GROWTH — Pastors gathered together Feb. 16 to learn from each other.

be the pastor of his home,” Jonathan Falwell said. “I learned that from him.

People around him learned that from him.”

Jonathan Falwell said when he became the lead pastor of TRBC, he told the congregation he would not allow his work as a minister to take priority over his role as a husband and father.

“I don’t ever want my kids to think they were neglected because I was out doing the work of God,” Jonathan Falwell said.

Gene Dodson, the lead student pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, taught the group how to minister to paid staff and their families. He said the first step is to establish a healthy work culture.

“If your staff are constantly coming home frustrated due to poor leadership … it’s really hard to get around that to do min-

istry to the staff person and their family,” Dodson said. “Before you minister to the family personally, you have to minister with them professionally.”

He also said a pastor should be intentional about developing leaders within their church. It is then the pastor’s responsibility to cultivate those leaders’ abilities by giving them greater authority in the organization. Along the way, the lead pastor must “affirm them, love them, trust them, listen to them (and) celebrate them publicly,” Dodson said.

Dr. Daniel Broyles, an executive pastor at Tri Cities Baptist Church in Gray, Tennessee, explained his church’s strategy for partnering with parents to help disciple their children. He said his church wants to come alongside families and help them teach their children age-appropriate lessons at each stage of life.

“(Parents) want the family to be the primary place for training and making disciples,” Broyles said. “The problem is that if you ask them, ‘What is your strategic plan for doing that?’ you get the long pauses … because there’s really not a year-by-year plan.”

The church created a plan titled the “Family Discipleship Plan” that presents Bible content and themes to teach to young congregants all the way through graduation from high school. Broyles said his goal was not to have each of the pastors adopt his church’s specific plan, but he hopes each of them would begin to reflect on how their churches are approaching the topic of family ministry.

In between each of the three main speakers, Matt Willmington, the director of ministries at TRBC, moderated discussion among the pastors as they broke into small

groups to discuss the respective topics. Throughout the day and during the rest of the week, the pastors spoke as guest lecturers in pastoral leadership classes and advised the faculty on how they can best prepare students for ministry.

Dr. David Adams, the director of pastoral leadership at Liberty, said the board serves as a “brain trust” for the program. He said the pastors help bridge the gap between the academic knowledge needed to serve in ministry and the real-world situations pastors face in their roles.

“Since 1985 I’ve been convening advisory board meetings like this, and our curriculum and our practice and experiential learning (are outcomes) of their advice,” Adams said. “So as a result, we’d like to think our program will be improved.”

CLARKE is a copy editor.

SPORTS

February 23, 2016

Baseball

M. Basketball Radford

Liberty

USF

69

67

2

(series)

Liberty

1

W. Basketball

Softball N.W. State

10

B1

M. Basketball

Liberty

Coastal

Liberty

Presby.

Liberty

8

58

51

79

73

what goes up must come down

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

WILLPOWER — Freshman guard Caleb Homesley tried to keep the Flames in the game with 10 points, all in the second half, but in the end Prebsyterian was too much.

‘This is a process’ Flames drop two in a row after going on seven-game tear in Big South play

Radford 69, Liberty 67 Paul Vandenbosch prvandenbosch@liberty.edu

All good things must come to an end.

The Liberty men’s basketball team (12-16, 9-6 BSC) experienced what that was like Thursday, Feb. 18, seeing its seven-game winning streak snapped in a 69-67 loss to the Radford Highlanders (15-12, 8-7 BSC) in the Vines Center.

Radford senior guard Rashun Davis hit a mid-range jumper with 5.1 seconds to play in regulation to give the Highlanders their first lead since the start of the second half.

Flames sophomore center Evan Maxwell had a chance to tie the game as time expired, but his layup attempt rolled off the back of the basket, securing the win for Radford.

“It definitely stings,” Flames redshirtsophomore guard Ryan Kemrite said.

“I mean, any loss stings, but (this hurts) especially since we’ve been winning. … It’s a wake-up call. It’s a slap in the face. But we’ve got a quick turnaround, and we have to get it out quick.”

Flames redshirt-sophomore guard John Dawson led both teams in scoring with a career-high 22 points. He added seven rebounds and four assists, while Kemrite contributed 10 points and six rebounds for the Flames, who suffered their first loss in more than a month (Jan. 16 vs. Winthrop).

For the Highlanders, senior guard Cameron Jones finished with 19 points, 13 of which came in the second half, and nine

WE’LL SEE YOU AT THE GAME

Presbyterian 79, Liberty 73

rebounds. Jones came into the game averaging 18.9 points per game in his last six contests. Davis added 16 points, and freshman forward Ed Polite Jr. notched 10 points and eight rebounds.

Both teams started off slowly on offense, as the first four minutes of the game saw only two baskets from each team.

After Dawson knocked down a three-pointer to give the Flames a 5-4 lead with 16:18 remaining, the Flames remained in control throughout the first half. They led for more than 15 minutes and by as many as eight in the half before allowing the Highlanders to come storming back in the final minutes.

“I think we got complacent,” Dawson said. “We got entitled, acting like our defense was going to show up without us having to work hard. So I guess this is a punch in the mouth saying that we have to let our defense dictate our game.”

The Highlanders ended the half on a 9-5 run to take a 30-29 lead into halftime after shooting 45.8 percent from the field. The Flames shot 39.3 percent, but were 4-of-11 from three-point range in the first half to keep them in the game.

Liberty started the second half on a high note when freshman guard Caleb Homesley drove into the paint from the right wing and threw down a ferocious left-handed dunk to give the Flames a 31-30 lead. They would not relinquish that lead until the final seconds.

Baseball vs. W&M Feb. 23 @ 3 p.m.

See RADFORD, B3

Joel Schmieg jaschmieg@liberty.edu

Sophomore forward DeSean Murray put the Blue Hose (9-18, 4-12) on his back, scoring 28 points and bringing down 12 rebounds, as he rendered Flames Head Coach Ritchie McKay’s pack line defense — the No. 1 scoring defense in the Big South — almost completely ineffective.

Presbyterian College beat the Liberty Flames (12-17, 9-7) 79-73 Saturday Feb. 19, handing Liberty their second straight loss and dropping them to sixth place in the Big South conference after being only one game out of first place less than a week ago.

“I felt like we heard so many good things about what we were doing that maybe we started to believe it and hoped for it instead of earning it,” McKay said. “Our guys accelerated people’s excitement, even our own. But this is a process. … I was at UVA for six years. Our first two years we were .500. It takes a while.”

The Flames won seven straight games before losing the last two to Radford and Presbyterian by a combined margin of eight points. In the Presbyterian game especially, the Flames defense could not carry them when they needed it most.

“Maybe we are just being complacent,” Freshman Guard A.C. Reid said. “When you win seven games in a row you become a target — teams are going to give you their very best.”

W. Lacrosse vs. VCU

M. Basketball vs. GWU

Feb. 24 @ 4 p.m.

Feb. 27 @ 12 p.m.

Presbyterian gave Liberty just that, as their 79 points were a season high in conference play.

“To me the difference in the game was DeSean Murray,” McKay said. “He thought he could score whenever he wanted. He scored eight points against the double team tonight. I’ve never seen that.”

Murray’s 28 points and 11 defensive rebounds matched his career highs in those categories. He also had three steals and two assists and shot 61 percent from the field. “(Murray’s) a beast,” redshirt sophomore guard Ryan Kemrite said. “He’s strong. But we just let him do whatever he wanted.”

The Blue Hose took their first lead of the game with 6:47 left to play in the first half and only relinquished it for 25 seconds shortly after before regaining it and never letting up. The Flames tied the game with 7:49 to play in the second half but could not get the defensive stops needed to pull ahead.

“We should have the defensive mindset that can carry us through dry spells on the offense and tonight we didn’t,” Kemrite said. “Being good means you do it every now and then. Being great means you do it consistently. We have to be able to be more consistent on the defensive end.”

Presbyterian earned their largest lead of the game with 52 seconds remaining, but Liberty fought to the end as they made three 3-point field goals in the final minute.

See PRESBYTERIAN, B3

W. Basketball M. Basketball vs. Longwood Big South Tournament Feb. 27 @

3 p.m.

Mar. 3-6

Follow @LUChampSports for Flames athletics coverage

sports

B2 | February 23, 2016 | Liberty Champion

A long time coming

Lady Flames lose to Coastal Carolina for the first time in more than 20 years Will Collier wcollier@liberty.edu

The Lady Flames Basketball team fell to Big South foe Coastal Carolina 58-51 in the fnal conference meeting between the two teams Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Vines Center.

It was the first time in more than 20 years the Chanticleers had beaten the Lady Flames since a Feb. 19, 1996 victory. The loss ended a 45-game winning streak held by the Lady Flames, which was the secondlongest active winning streak in NCAA Women’s Division I basketball.

The Flames made a stunning comeback in the first meeting against the Chanticleers at The HTC Center and looked to rekindle some of that fire after a rough first half, but fell short in the closing seconds of the game.

“We just didn’t get in the right position,” Liberty Head Coach Carey Green said. “I was really surprised with our decision making.”

Liberty dug themselves into a first half hole by making poor decisions with the ball, and committing 13 first half turnovers, 11 of which came in the second quarter.

“They were trying to get us rattled, and we fell right into their traps,” sophomore guard Candice Leatherwood said. “We dribbled into traps and we made some unforced turnovers trying to pass it to someone that’s covered.”

After pressuring the Lady Flames with a full court press and knocking down eight three-pointers, the Chanticleers built an

Michela Diddle | Liberty Champion

SETTING UP — Senior guard Sadalia Ellis dribbles upcourt against Coastal Carolina.

18-point first half lead of 42-24.

The second half was different for the Lady Flames. They held Coastal to just five third quarter points and scored 15 of their own to cut the deficit to eight points.

“It was primarily the heart of a champion to fight back,” Green said. “From a strategy standpoint we did very little, it was more of the determination.”

The crowd roared when Leatherwood nabbed her second straight steal and ran the length of the floor for a lay in that cut the lead to six.

Green said the was team sparked by aggressive play off the bench from Leatherwood, who did a good job of getting to the foul line and getting easy buckets in transition.

Senior guard Sadalia Ellis also contributed to the second half turnaround.

“Sadalia and Candice’s defensive efforts were excellent and started the turn of our team,” Green said. “It was difficult to keep them fresh with how fast the game was.”

Coastal hit a buzzer beater to gain some momentum heading into the fourth quarter, which propelled them to find their footing for the rest of the second half.

“Liberty is a championship program so you know they are going to make runs,” Coastal Carolina Head Coach Jaida Williams said. “And the key is to maintain our poise through their runs.”

Late in the fourth quarter, Chanticleers sophomore guard Josie Utley hit a threepointer that gave Coastal Carolina some breathing room late in the game.

The Flames had chances to draw closer but uncharacteristically missed some late free throws that were crucial. For the season, the team shoots 70 percent from the free throw line but shot just 47 percent for the game.

Green said this loss will not be easily forgotten since it was the last meeting against Coastal Carolina before they move to the Sun Belt Conference.

“I want us to be prepared for the tournament and playing our very best,” Green said.

The Lady Flames next game is Saturday, Feb. 27 at home against Longwood University. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.

COLLIER is a sports reporter.

All aboard the Flame train Liberty Baseball is looking for its third regional appearance in four years

Courtney Wheeler | Liberty Champion

PANORAMA — The Flames opening day is Feb. 23 at 3 p.m.

David Scoggins dscoggins4@liberty.edu

Spring is in the air and baseball is here.

The Flametrain pulled out of the station in Tampa, Florida for a weekend series against the South Florida Bulls starting Feb. 19.

The Flames dropped the opening series to the Bulls 2-1.

The Flames, who have managed to win 40 games in three of the last four seasons, have a tough schedule ahead of them fac-

ing 2015 Regional participants Maryland, Coastal Carolina, and Radford along with 2015 National Champions, Virginia.

The Flames return 17 players from last year’s roster, and look to return to a regional for the third time in four years. If they do, seniors Carson Herndon, Dalton Britt and Austin Bream will be the first class ever to go to three regionals during their tenure at Liberty.

Herndon, a right handed pitcher who was the Flames Saturday starter two years

ago before undergoing Tommy John surgery last year which kept him out, will be a key leader of this year’s pitching staff according to pitching coach Garrett Quinn. “(Herndon) has a lot of experience, he is a senior, and he has the capacity to lead,” Quinn said. “I am really hoping he steps up and leads the staff and just kind of brings some of his toughness and his competitiveness to everybody else.”

Shortstop Dalton Britt will be the key to success of the offense. Britt, who has been the Flames starting shortstop for the past three years, is ready to enjoy his senior season.

“I am just enjoying the little things, coming to the field everyday, the guys, a lot of things that I took for granted when I was younger,” Britt said. “Just stuff as a freshmen and sophomore that I did not get excited for I now am because it is a last ride and just being able to come in everyday with 35 of my best friends and just being able to get after it together. You are not always going to remember the baseball things but you will remember the locker room stuff.”

The conductor of the Flametrain, Head Coach Jim Toman, who is entering his ninth season at Liberty, is three wins shy of 300 career wins at Liberty. If he accomplishes this he will become only the second coach in Liberty history to achieve this feat joining Al Worthington.

After missing out on a regional last year, Toman believes this team has a little some-

thing extra to play for.

“We had a really good season last year until the last five games when we went 1-4,” Toman said. “In college baseball you lose a lot of RPI points when you lose at home so we actually went from 32nd in the RPI late in the season … ending up at 63rd or 65th just because our last five games did not go the way we wanted them to. We are working extremely hard and I think the guys have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder because they know that we should have been in a regional last year, which would have been three years in a row.”

There are three keys to success for the Flametrain to get back on the tracks, according to Toman.

“Pitching comes first, then you have defense, then the offense comes last,” Toman said. “If we can have guys who throw strikes and pitch well we have usually been pretty good defensively and I think our offense is primed to have one of our better years.”

The Flames will play their home opener in Lynchburg Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. due to poor field conditions at William and Mary.

The Big South Championship will be hosted in Lexington, South Carolina at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium May 24-28.

SCOGGINS is a sports reporter.

sports

Liberty Champion | February 23, 2016 | B3

Here it is the last full week of February, and March is nearly upon us, and you know what that means.

It means that in just a few weeks, the greatest tournament in all of sports will begin and 64 teams will compete for a AUL chance to take home colVANDENBOSCH lege basketball’s crowning achievement. Yep, March Madness is almost here.

But what makes this tournament so great? It is hard to pinpoint exactly what it is about the Big Dance that makes it so appealing, and any explanation as to why is strictly personal opinion, but that is why we have columns.

If you ask me, the number one reason this tourney is so incredible and draws so many people is because of the sheer unpredictability of it. This year will be no different, especially because of how wildly sporadic teams have been thus far. No matter who seems like the frontrunner, that team rarely is the one that will hoist the Naismith when all is said and done.

And teams that people never even knew existed come out of nowhere and make unprecedented runs deep into March.

Who even knew Davidson was a school before Steph Curry put it on the map in 2008 with a run to the Elite Eight? Or who had heard of Florida Gulf Coast before its run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013?

And what about Dayton in 2014?

The list goes on and on, but even in recent years, there are countless examples of the excitement that comes with the madness. We see chances for teams to make history and watch giants fall. And no matter what allegiance a fan has to a team, when and if their team is eliminated, they become fixated on another team, caught up in the whirlwind that surrounds

many programs at this time of the year.

There is also the thrill and heartbreak of this crazy tournament. For every game-winner at the buzzer, there is always a shot that could have been.

The 2010 National Championship game where Butler’s Gordon Heyward almost hit a half court shot at the buzzer to win it all for the Bulldogs will forever live in my mind.

On the flip side, Aaron Harrison’s game-winner against Wisconsin in the 2014 Final Four, and his game-winner four days before against Michigan left the Wildcats and their fans on an enormous emotional high. Although if you ask me, the best shots are the ones that seal the improbable upset, such as R.J. Hunter’s 35-foot three-pointer last year to secure an upset win for No. 14 Georgia State over No. 3 Baylor.

I would also venture to say that there are few events where inconsistency is so welcomed, but this tournament is definitely one of them. Nothing is ever the same year to year. In 2014, the Florida Gators were the No. 1 overall seed and made it all the way to the Final Four. A year later, they finished with a losing record and missed the tournament altogether for the first time in 17 years. Kentucky went from a No. 8 seed in 2014 to a nearundefeated season in 2015.

And so sports lovers, as you trudge through this dreary month of February, find solace in the fact that the madness is just around the corner.

VANDENBOSCH is the sports editor.

As this is the last issue before the great month of March, and with only two more issues after this one before March Madness starts, Paul and I decided that we better go ahead and start our college hoops postseason coverage.

The NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, aka March Madness, is the single greatest sporting event in the nation. I would say the world, but the World Cup still holds that recognition, even if it only happens every four years.

March Madness is a time for the greats to shine, and for guys you have never heard of to shine even brighter. March Madness is Cinderella’s race against the clock before it strikes midnight and all hope is lost. March Madness is just that, madness, and I could not imagine March without it.

Some of my fondest memories are of the tournament games I watched live in person, the people I watched the games with and the adrenaline rush that I get when the clock is ticking down and it all comes down to one shot.

With that said, step inside my head, as I take you down my March Madness memory lane.

When I think of the NCAA tournament, there is one thing that automatically comes to mind. The 2014 Final Four in Dallas, Texas with Kentucky, Florida, UConn and Wisconsin. That group was a star studded one indeed. The 2014 stage had guys like Shabazz Napier, Frank Kaminsky, Aaron Harrison, John Calipari and Kevin Ollie, just to name a few. But the best part of all of it — I was there in Dallas to see the madness myself.

I was a senior in high school and I decided a couple weeks before the tourna-

ment started that I was going to Dallas. Once the idea was in my head, there was really no stopping it. Once I found a friend willing to spend the kind of money necessary to make the trip a success, I jumped right into planning. Just a few weeks later, I boarded OEL a plane to Dallas for the SCHMIEG best time of my life.

My memories of that weekend do not all take place in Jerry World in Arlington, although that stadium was pretty amazing in and of itself. No, Final Four weekend is one of the biggest events out there. There were free concerts, fan festivals, surprise run-ins with college basketball legends (yes, Aaron Craft is a legend to me) and overall great times to be had. If only you knew the story of how I met Craft … I am not sure you would ever look at me the same. But alas, the clock is ticking, and that story will have to wait.

Now for the actual basketball — the 2014 Final Four had some big time moments. Aaron Harrison knocking down a game winning three with 5.7 seconds left against Wisconsin was one. Seeing Florida lose by 10 to UConn was another. But watching Napier go off in the final against Kentucky was in a league of its own.

And the celebration … I have never seen anything like it. I am sure you have seen the confetti showers on TV, but you have no idea how crazy it is until you see it in person. And Kevin Ollie’s victory speech about the “hungry huskies.” That was a moment I will not soon forget.

And that was a weekend of madness that I would not trade for anything. After all, we all love a little madness.

SCHMIEG is the asst. sports editor.

RADFORD continued from B1

PRESBYTERIAN continued from B1

Both teams heated up in the second half, with Radford shooting 56 percent in the final half and Liberty shooting an even 50 percent from the field. The Highlanders finished the game shooting 51 percent while the Flames finished with a 44.8 field goal percentage for the game.

The teams went back and forth for the remainder of the game, with the Flames stretching their lead to as many as six and holding the Highlanders at bay. The Flames led 65-59 with 2:39 remaining before Jones took over and brought Radford back yet again.

Jones hit a three to cut the Flames lead to 65-62 with 2:18 left in the game. Then, after a Flames turnover, he knocked down a baseline jump shot and was fouled

by Kemrite. He made the free throw to complete the three-point play and tie the game at 65 with 1:29 left to play.

Dawson made a layup to give the lead back to the Flames with 1:10 remaining, but the Highlanders quickly responded to tie it up at 67. After Davis put the Highlanders in front with his jumper, Dawson took the ball up court and called a timeout once he crossed half court. With 2.6 seconds to go, Kemrite lobbed a perfect inbound pass to Maxwell, who put up a contested layup, but watched it roll off the basket as the home crowd groaned in agony.

“That’s a play that we’ve run in the past,” Flames Head Coach Ritchie McKay said. “Ryan threw a heck of a pass, and I think Evan had a little more time than he thought. But he got a good look and I’ll take that (shot) any day of the week.”

But the defense could not hold the Blue Hose.

“We didn’t defend as a team,” Reid said. “When you don’t play team defense you don’t have a good chance at winning the game. “ Reid and Kemrite, who had 18 and 15 points respectively, led Liberty for most of the night as freshman guard Lovell Cabbil and sophomore center Evan Maxwell were in foul trouble for most of the second half. Redshirt sophomore guard John Dawson had the second most minutes on the team, but only managed to score three points and committed five of Liberty’s 10 turnovers.

“I just felt like this was coming,” McKay said. “ …The team that is favored to win, they all of a sudden feel the pressure and the other team has nothing to lose.”

As a team that is 92 percent underclassmen, the young players on this Liberty team had never gone into a game as the favorite, until these last few games.

“We’ll have to finish the season strong when doubt or maybe a little fear creeps in,” McKay said.

“We’ve got to find a way to get back to who we are …”

The Flames take to the road Feb. 25 against UNC Asheville before returning home Feb. 27 for their final regular season game against Gardner-Webb.

“We’ll get the ship headed in the right direction again,” McKay said.

“It’s just going to be a process.”

VANDENBOSCH is the sports editor.

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion SCHMIEG is the

CONTESTED — Ryan Kemrite looks to drive to the basket against Presbyterian’s Ed Drew.

Liberty Athletics presented Director of Athletics, Jeff Barber, with a plaque to celebrate 10 years of leadership for the Flames, Saturday Feb. 20. He took to Twitter to say thanks.

asst. sports editor.

sports

B4 | February 23, 2016 | Liberty Champion

Getting a fresh start

Softball team youth movement includes 12 new freshmen for the 2016 season Bobby Keating rfkeating@liberty.edu

The Lady Flames softball team is looking to have its best season with Coach Dot Richardson at the helm.

Richardson, now in her third year as head coach of Liberty’s program, saw her team win 18 more games in her second season than her first.

“This team is a lot younger, and this team has a lot of talent,” Richardson said. “We’re going to have a lot of ups and downs because of youth and getting experience, but I see a lot more consistency as we start getting into our conference play.”

There are 12 new freshman and seven sophomores compared to the five upperclassmen on the team. According to Richardson, youth will be both the biggest strength and weakness of the team.

“When you look at the underclassmen who are taking the lead and growing up quickly, you’re going to see a great future for our program because of that,” Richardson said. “They’ve been playing softball for almost all of their lives, yet when you get to division one and you put the Liberty uniform on, it’s a different ballgame.”

One of the freshmen is Jaclyn Amader, who was ranked the number one recruit in the nation according to the OnDeck Softball National Leader Board. The outfielder has seen no problems adjusting to the collegiate level of softball.

“I’ve been playing softball for 13 years, so I’m not worried about playing the game,” Amader said. “I’ve just got to stay strong mentally and trust my teammates.”

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

HEART — Coach Dot Richardson believes her team will be a contender this year.

An essence of family on the team is helping the young players mesh with the rest of the team.

“We all have really outgoing personalities and (are) always trying to have fun,” Amader said. “The older girls push us and keep us in check. The program is going big places, and it’s awesome to have so much potential (being) so young.”

A vast amount of challenges await the Lady Flames this season. On the schedule for the 2016 season are Alabama and LSU, who both competed in last year’s Women’s

College World Series, along with UCF and Baylor, two 2015 NCAA Regional Finalists.

For Richardson, there is a method to her scheduling madness.

“When we get to the postseason I don’t want our players with their skill to not have experienced those jitters and excitement of playing teams that have been ranked really high,” Richardson said.

Coaches from across the Big South picked Liberty to finish fourth in the conference, the same exact place they found themselves in at the end of last season.

Tabbed to finish first is Longwood, second is Coastal Carolina, and third is Charleston Southern, respectively.

When asked if the pre-season rankings were right, Amader was confident those predictions are inaccurate.

“I think we’re taking Big South easy,” Amader said.

When asked the same question, Richardson said her focus is game to game.

“Talk is cheap, it’s a matter of doing it,” Richardson said. “Liberty softball has not made it (yet), but I tell you we are making it.”

With so much young talent on the team, the aura surrounding the program is one of positivity. With only one senior scheduled to be in the starting lineup, the bulk of the team will have many years together to gel into a cohesive unit.

Richardson said this season is one that will be filled with highs and lows because of the learning curve of competing at the division one level. Looking beyond physical wins and losses, she said she will be happy if every individual player can step off of the field and say that she gave it her all in every way possible.

“The heart of a champion is to be able to want it more, be hungry, know what you want and seize the moment, those are the standards that I’m looking for,” Richardson said. “We have some work to do, but I tell you they’re getting better.”

KEATING is a sports reporter.

Not-so-fond farewell Men’s hockey team gets swept by No. 1 Minot State in regular season finale Denton Day dday26@liberty.edu

The Liberty Flames Men’s Division I hockey team took to the ice for the last game of the season against the ACHA No.1 Minot State Beavers. In a hard fought senior night battle, the Flames came up short in overtime in a 4-3 loss Saturday Feb. 20.

The Flames started the night honoring the seniors and graduate students on the team. Goaltender Cary Byron, forwards Danny Logan, Bram Erickson, Kyle Garcia and Tyson Street, defenders Peter Shantz, Steven Bellew and Kyle Miller will all be moving on from Flames hockey.

“The seniors were big this year,” Head Coach Kirk Handy said. “They laid everything out on the line and we appreciate that.”

The Beavers found the back of the net less than a minute into the game. The Beavers jumped to a quick 2-0 lead before the Flames answered back.

Logan found Owen Harris skating toward the goaltender

from the left side of the ice. Harris sent the puck top shelf on a backhand and put the Flames on the board.

Five minutes into the second period, sophomore forward Paul Lamoureux pushed the puck down the ice and dished it to freshman forward Eric Masters. Masters had a good look on the Beavers net, but instead dumped it off to freshman Raymond Wilson who put the puck in the back of the net and tied the game at 2-2.

The Flames ended the period on a high note and took their first lead of the night. Freshman Jackson Giammona fired a prayer from the blue line through traffic and the puck snuck by everyone including the goaltender and Liberty led 3-2.

The Beavers quickly tied the game up less than 15 seconds into the third period. Each team had opportunities to score throughout the third period, but neither of them could capitalize. A couple big hits and some scuffles got the fans loud but they never heard the horn that would have signified

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

DISAPPOINTMENT — The Flames played their final series of the year before a long offseason.

Liberty had taken the lead.

A 3-3 tie at the end of the third period meant another five minutes of hockey. In the overtime period it was all Beavers and forward Jeremy Johnson scored his second goal of the night ending the Flames season with a loss.

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“That’s the number one team in the country and we proved against them that we have character in our locker room,” Handy said. “We could not change going to Nationals this year, but we could leave a statement going into next year. Our team is here and

we’re here to compete with the nation’s best and we’re going to do that next year.”

DAY is a sports reporter.

sports

Liberty Champion | February 23, 2016 | B5

Time for a new beginning

Caleb Homesley is making the most out of his opportunity with the Flames

Michela Diddle | Liberty Champion

SECOND CHANCE — Despite missing his senior year due to injury, Caleb Homesley was brought to Liberty and has made an immediate impact.

Nate Haywood nahaywood@liberty.edu

Caleb Homesley led his Porter Ridge High School basketball team onto the court during the Pirates 2014-15 season in his senior campaign. However, the Indian Trail, North Carolina native and Liberty Flames men’s basketball team commit was only six games in before the unthinkable happened.

“I didn’t think it was going to happen to me. … At first I didn’t want to believe it,” Homesley said.

After the game, he felt pain in his left leg, informing him he sustained some sort of injury. But after further analysis by a doctor, Homesley soon learned this was more than just leg pain.

“I tore my ACL,” Homesley said. “At first, I just thought that my knee was hurting. But then I went to the doctor and found out (my ACL) was torn.”

This injury proved to be a devastating blow. He was sidelined for essentially his entire senior year of high school. The injury required surgery, and the young forward was prohibited from playing the sport he loved for six to nine months.

This telling experience proved especially difficult for the then-senior, primarily due to the fact he just committed to Liberty earlier in the year. His senior season would have been an opportunity to showcase his talents one more time in Porter

Ridge purple.

“I really wanted to play my senior year,” Homesly said. “I wanted to be a part of the team, but I just felt that I couldn’t be a part of the team anymore.”

Homesley sat out for the remainder of the season. The next game he would play would be nearly a year later for Liberty as a freshman in 2015. However, another unexpected occurrence potentially jeopardized his intentions.

Homesley committed to the Flames in 2014 under the Dale Layer regime. When Layer was replaced with Ritchie McKay, Homesley’s future as a Liberty student became less certain. He still wanted to play for the Flames, but he knew it was no longer up to him.

“I wanted to see what McKay was going to say,” Homesley said. “I still had planned in my mind on coming here, but it was up to him at that point.”

Soon after McKay’s hiring, the freshman learned he had nothing to worry about.

“We knew Caleb had signed (with Liberty), and we wanted him to know he was a part of the family,” McKay said. “So we went and met with him at his high school and … told him that even though he didn’t play his senior year and we didn’t recruit him, we still wanted him. … We owed him an opportunity to play for the college he chose.”

So it was official. McKay had plans to revive a sinking ship, and he wanted Homesley aboard.

Soon enough, Nov. 13, 2015 came.

This day was not only the day the men’s basketball team returned to the court, it was the day Homesley did as well. Admittedly, there were nerves. But any bit of nerves paled in comparison to the excitement stemming from playing again.

“I was definitely nervous,” Homesley said. “I can’t lie about that. I just told myself that this was just like any other game. ‘Just go play the game and you’ll be alright.’”

In his first game back, the freshman forward finished with six points and three rebounds in only 14 minutes of play. This sort of stat line would be a recurring theme throughout the first few games of the season.

However, come late December in a matchup against ACC powerhouse Notre Dame, he scored a game-high 18 points in 25 minutes of playing time. This game displayed to the Flames coaching staff that he was ready to take his game to the next level. According to assistant coach Brad Soucie, Homesley’s improvement emerged from his willingness to work and passion for the game.

“I’d say probably early December is when he really made a commitment to dedicate himself to get the extra work in, to work hard everyday in practice, and his improvement continues to show each day and each week,” Soucie said.

According to McKay, Homesley began displaying improvement from the very moment the season tipped off.

“Caleb is just a young man that’s just growing like a weed,” McKay said. “He’s got such a versatile package to his offensive game. He can shoot, put it on the floor, pass. He’s really been the most improved player from start to finish in our season, and I really like his future. … If he works, he’ll have a chance to be all league in the Big South.”

When the season began in November, Homesley usually came off the bench and played less than 20 minutes. But when January came around, he earned a starting role on the team. His play during the month of January excelled at such a high level, he was awarded with the Crons Brand Big South Freshman of the Week honors for games played during Jan. 25-31.

In fact, the month of January as a whole proved to be an impressive one for Liberty, as the Flames won seven straight games. During that span, Homesley averaged around eight points and three rebounds per game.

Along with earning a starting five spot, Homesley has also been trusted in late game situations by McKay. “It’s very special to know coach trusts (me) on the court,” Homesley said.

Currently on a two-game skid, Homesley and the Flames head to Asheville, North Carolina to face off against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

HAYWOOD is the editor-in-chief.

Inside Look at Homesley’s Stats

SEASON Class

GP FGM-FGA FG%

PPG

RPG

APG

SPG

Total Points

12/29Present

Frosh

15

51-106

48

9.2

4.1

1.6

0.9

138

11/1312/29**

Frosh

14

23-47

48

4

2.8

0.9

0.6

56

2013-14*

Junior

20

120-237

51

19.0

3.0

2.5

1.6

380

49

194-390

49

10.7

3.3

1.6

1.0

574

Average/ Totals

*= Last full year of high school basketball. Only played first seven games and missed the remainder of senior season due to ACL injury. **= 12/29: Liberty @ Notre Dame / 2015-2016 season.

feature

B6 | February 23, 2016 | Liberty Champion

Taco Boss

Run, bike, race Professor, Dr. David Horton trains for upcoming Tour Divide

Mexican restaurant provides new menu items in Lynchburg Abby Sweeney asweeney8@liberty.edu

Historic downtown Lynchburg welcomes a new Mexican restaurant to the array of dining options.

El Jefe Taqueria Garaje opened in September 2015 and is located on 1214 Commerce Street.

The new restaurant has attracted college students, families and Lynchburg locals during the five month period it has been open.

“We get a fair amount of everybody,” front house manager Scott White said. “It’s a different pace from most of the Lynchburg restaurants. It’s been very well received.”

El Jefe, translated to “the boss,” is known for tacos and tequila, according to White.

“Everything is house-made here: guacamole, pico (de gallo), salsa; it’s all house made here,” White said.

El Jefe serves a variety of 10 different tacos, on either a 6-inch corn or flour tortilla.

Tacos can be served gringo style with cheese, lettuce, lime sour cream and salsa or traditional style with cilantro, pico de gallo and lime.

The restaurant sticks to a minimalistic menu. While the tacos are the main focus, the restaurant also serves quesadillas, salads and nachos.

“We just like to use fresh ingredients,” White said. “Nothing’s really a secret. If you ask, we’ll tell.”

The restaurant is narrow with the main dining seating in the back. El Jefe also has patio seating during warmer weather. Without the patio seating, the restaurant can seat about 40 people.

El Jefe brings something new and a change of pace to Lynchburg, according to White.

“It’s quick,” White said. “It’s easy. It’s a little more of a relaxed atmosphere as opposed to a sit down casual dining restaurant.”

El Jefe is owned by Stephan Parry, of Stephan Parry Restaurants, and Roger Murphy, who is also the head chef.

The restaurant group currently owns 16 restaurants statewide including Shoemakers American Grille and Waterstone Pizza in Lynchburg.

The Stephan Parry Restaurants group also owns restaurants in Roanoke, Charlottesville, Richmond and Fairfax.

El Jefe is open Sunday to Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Photo Provided

LONG DISTANCE — Liberty professor David Horton’s first race was the 17th annual JFK 50 miler Nov. 17, 1979.

William Rice wsrice@liberty.edu

Dr. David Horton, professor of Exercise Science, defined the difference between living and existing through his accomplishments in the racing community across North America.

Having taught at Liberty for more than 30 years, Horton has continually made time for training and racing, and is currently in the process of gearing up for the Tour Divide, the world’s longest off-road cycling course that stretches from Canada to New Mexico.

Horton has been participating in races, both biking and running, for more than 36 years.

“My first race was an eye opener.

Matthew Phillips | Liberty Champion

COMPETE — David Horton has taken part in races for more than 36 years, and he is currently training for the upcoming cycling race, the Tour Divide.

I finished 24th out of 405 … not that I remember,” Horton said.“I don’t think this will be the last time I do (the Tour Divide). I’ll be 66 when I do it. And I’ll probably do it again after that. I may even start doing the ones on the road, who knows.”

With a rich background in racing, Horton has successfully been accepted into the Lynchburg Hall of Fame, having raced more than 113,000 miles, enough to have circled earth 4.5 times.

“I can’t imagine not being an athlete,” Horton said. “I’m an athlete, I (have) been through problems, I’ve got issues, but I will always be an athlete.”

Unlike most who take on such daunting adventures, Horton’s motivation is very simple.

“No crew, no aid, no course

markers, no awards,” Horton said.

“So why do it? Cause it’s there.

Why try to climb Mount Everest?

Why try to run a sub four-minute mile? The challenge.”

Horton compares the Tour Divide to the upcoming Trans Am, a 4,400 mile race which has recently been documented into a film and will premiere Feb. 26 at the LaHaye Event Space.

“I’m doing a race that’s primarily gravel roads, single track trails, and stuff like that, dirt stuff,” Horton said. “It starts in Canada, and goes across Montana, into Idaho, back into Wyoming, across Colorado, all the way down into New Mexico — 2,700 miles, but a lot harder in terms of difficulty. Right down the Rocky Mountains, back and forth across the continental divide 31 times ...

Up and down, and back and forth across the mountains.”

In addition, Horton explained the value of hard work when preparing for these events.

“A man can only enjoy that which he acquires with hard work and toil,” Dr. Horton said.

“What do you like best? The things you worked hard for. What are you the most proud of ? The things you worked hard for. If it was easy, it’s no big deal, but if you worked hard for it, it’s a big deal.”

RICE is a feature reporter.

A heart for Colombia Campus club ‘Limitless’ raises awareness for Latin America Katelyn Rutt kerutt@liberty.edu

Once a country known for coffee, Colombia is now a land ravaged by crime, drugs and civil war. The Liberty University club Limitless was created with the goal of raising awareness to these issues. Run by passionate, mission-minded students, the club holds campus fundraisers to support relief organizations already working in Colombia.

“I founded Limitless in 2012 as a club that raises awareness about social issues affecting Latin America through the promotion of sustainable local projects,” Limitless founder and graduate student Joy Cruz said. “We believe that God’s love is limitless and it transcends

geographical, racial and linguistic social barriers.”

Although Cruz had always felt God calling her to make a difference, she was given the motivation to take action during her sophomore year at Liberty University.

“I remember it was at Convocation, Johnnie Moore was speaking and the Lord touched my heart and told me to stop waiting to see a change and to go make a change,” Cruz said. “From that moment I felt my mission in life was to seek justice for the powerless and for those who can’t speak for themselves.”

As a native of Latin America, Cruz was well aware of the dire situation in Colombia. However, she quickly discovered that few of her classmates and professors were in-

formed about the problems facing Colombia.

“It really caught my attention that many people did not know about the conflict in Colombia and the ongoing civil war that we’ve had for 60 years,” Cruz said. “I felt like this was an invisible crisis.”

With her passion and determination for the cause, Cruz began to raise awareness with the other students and faculty on Liberty’s campus. As the club formed, they began fundraising for the Moses Home, a refugee haven connected with the Path of Light church in Colombia. Not only is the home in need of funding for its job-training and education programs, but also for an expanded refugee building.

“So far we are just fundraising for the Mo-

ses Home … hopefully in the future we will be able to support other local projects,” Cruz said.

“We’re looking to do more events this year to raise more awareness and financial support.”

In previous years, the Limitless club hosted events highlighting Latin America’s culture with music, food and charity bracelets. Cruz said the club also held movie nights showing documentaries about Colombia and the local projects that Limitless supports.

“Even though events and financial support (are) important, we really ask people to keep these refugees in their hearts and minds when they are praying,” Cruz said. “We also encourage people get educated about internal displacement in Colombia

and the project that we are helping out.”

Cruz encourages Liberty students to connect to Limitless through the club’s blog and Facebook, facebook.com/LimitlessColombia. She also says that it is important to attend the events in order to become further informed and gain a passion for the ministry.

“It is so incredible to see how God has been working these past few years,” Cruz said. “He is already touching so many students’ hearts and giving them a passion and a heart for Colombia.”

RUTT is a feature reporter.

SWEENEY is a feature reporter.

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

TACOS — Sign displays new menu options at El Jefe.

Photo Provided

HOPE — Children from an internal displaced community in Colombia pose.

Photo Provided

HELPING — Joy Cruz, center, founded “Limitless” club.

feature

Liberty Champion | February 23, 2016 | B7

Weekend of adventure The Outdoor Rec Fest offers multiple events throughout the two-day span Shannon Moyer srmoyer@liberty.edu

Bouldering, running and photography — oh my! All of these activities find commonality in the Outdoor Rec Fest, held Feb. 26-27. The Outdoor Rec Fest encompasses athletics, fine arts and hands-on outdoor experiences.

Multiple events are being offered, both on and off campus.

“We wanted to give a lot of different things that people can get involved in,” Outdoor Recreation Director Joshua Yeoman said.

The bouldering competition will kick off the Outdoor Rec Fest Feb. 26, at the LaHaye Student Union rock wall. Categories range from beginner to advanced, with awards being given for the top four competitors in specified areas. The registration fee also places participants into a raffle to win athletic gear for participating.

A screening of the documentary “Inspired to Ride” will take place Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in the LaHaye Event Space. After the film, there will be a Q&A segment with Dr. David Horton of Liberty’s kinesiology department. This is also an approved psych activity.

From Feb. 26-27, the Photography Expo will be held in the LaHaye Event Space and lobby.

Student photography with an outdoor theme will be displayed and judged, with $100+ gift cards offered for the top three winners.

The Liberty Mountain 5K will take place at 9 a.m. Feb. 27 at Camp Hydaway. Pre-registration, available at liberty.edu/campusrec/studentactivities, is required to participate.

In addition to the 5K, there will be two separate activities offered at Camp Hydaway Feb. 27. Biol-

ogy professor Gene Sattler will lead a bird and nature walk beginning at 1 p.m. The backcountry cooking expo will also begin at 1 p.m., including a two-mile hike filled with food tastings.

The outdoor gear expo will take place Feb. 27 in the LaHaye Event Space. Vendors will have gear available for viewing from 1-5 p.m. Gear centered around running, biking, fishing and more will be included in the expo.

The Outdoor Rec Fest will culminate in a feature film and raffle Feb. 27 in the LaHaye Event Space. The cost of admission automatically enters students into a raffle and gives access to the screening of “Everest.”

After the film, a Q&A panel on the movie will be held. Tickets can be purchased for $5 through the myLU ticket portal or for $8 at the door.

While all these events center on the outdoors, all students are encouraged to involve themselves in the Outdoor Rec Fest.

“We want to expose people to the outdoors,” Yeoman said. “If that’s just taking a walk on a trail, that’s great. Everyone doesn’t have to climb Everest or be some gnarly mountain bike rider. We want to get people outside and unplugged.”

Registration links for the events and more information on each event can be found on the liberty. edu/campusrec/studentactivities.

MOYER is a feature reporter.

Liberty University’s QEP The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is designed to improve undergraduate student learning and fulfill a reaccreditation requirement from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Liberty’s QEP, “Illuminate: Cultivating a Community of Research” offers opportunities to help undergraduate students gain the research skills needed for the purpose of glorifying God and impacting the world.

Benefits of QEP Students involved in the QEP “Illuminate” will:

How do I get involved?

Check the QEP website, www.Liberty.edu/QEP, often for upcoming QEP events and additional details, including this year’s QEP Week, March 21–25, and the 2016 Research Week, March 29–April 1.

feature

B8 | February 23, 2016 | Liberty Champion

Embrace the exiled Students Chris Hill and Gabrielle Drew begin initiative for refugee crisis Will Young weyoung@liberty.edu

Across the Middle East, statistics from the humanitarian organization World Vision have tracked 13.5 million people who are currently suffering from the Syrian civil war. More than four million of those people are refugees, 6.6 million are misplaced, 320,000 have been killed, and two Liberty students are setting out to do something about it.

Liberty juniors Chris Hill and Gabrielle Drew said they were struck with grief last September when the Syrian refugee crisis began to take the spotlight in mainstream media. They strove to find a way to help the cause while at college, without the time or money to help physically in Middle Eastern refugee camps.

The result was a prayer initiative, which the duo named Embrace the Exiled. Hill and Drew created the initiative in hopes of raising awareness of the refugee crisis in the Middle East and organizing times of prayer in which students at Liberty can become actively involved in praying for both Christians and non-Christians being persecuted in Syria.

“God commands us to pray,” Hill said.

“Now we don’t know exactly what God will do through prayer, but we know it’s better than doing nothing. It’s something that we can do where you don’t have to raise $5,000 to go on a weekend missions trip, and where it won’t hurt your schedule.”

Hill and Drew, who are both delegates for Liberty’s Student Government Association (SGA) themselves, are helping the SGA begin a project in which the body of student representatives hope to fund student-run initiatives. Hill and Drew were given $1,000 from the SGA to start Embrace the Exiled, which they used to buy decals, t-shirts and other promotional supplies.

The success of the Embrace the Exiled initiative could determine whether the SGA will fund student-run initiatives in the future, according to Hill. Both Drew and Hill noted that without the help of Student Body President Quincy Thompson,

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

REFUGEES — Graphic shows top ten countries of origin (red) and asylum (green) of refugees in 2014, according to UNHCR data.

Vice President Jack Heaphy and other SGA members, the initiative would not be able to get off the ground.

The initiative looks to first engage Liberty’s campus in a month-long commitment of prayer for both the victims and the oppressors of the refugee crisis. In the beginning of March, Hill and Drew plan on distributing a list of refugee camps that are in need of prayer through the campus e-cog, a list of announcements from Liberty that are e-mailed to students weekly.

“We want to get on the e-cog for the month of March,” Drew said. “That way, prayer leaders can be aware of the issue.

Hopefully we can get a few people to say, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on at Liberty. Let’s just take a moment to pray for the persecuted in the middle east.’”

At the end of the month, Hill and Drew plan to host an event in which people who

were actively involved in the initiative can gather to receive an overview of what has happened in Syria since the initiative started, talk about what people have learned, and continue to pray for the situation in the Middle East.

“We’re trying to get Campus Collective to come lead worship, and then get a speaker who is really knowledgeable on the issue to come talk,” Drew said. “We want the article to be a praise report. Like here is what we prayed for, look at what’s been happening here and here in the Middle East.”

Hill and Drew said they hope the initiative will extend well beyond Liberty’s campus. They are looking to involve pastors in the Lynchburg area in praying for those in the refugee crisis, and hope to encourage students enough to bring the prayer initiative to the attention of churches elsewhere around the country.

The initiative does not take any political stance on the issue of amnesty for refugees.

Hill and Drew expressed the intention to keep the initiative based on a spiritual perspective, to understand what Christians specifically can do to help those suffering in the Middle East.

“We hear what Democrats and Republicans think about refugees already, but this (initiative) is about looking at this problem through a spiritual perspective,” Drew said.

“We’re excited to give that perspective to students because it really doesn’t cross people’s minds every day.”

To get involved in the initiative and find out more about it, search Embrace the Exiled on Facebook or follow on Twitter at @EmbraceExiled.

YOUNG is a feature reporter.

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

THE HIGHLANDS — The Tower Theater transforms into Scotland for its presentation of Brigadoon, a classic tale involving mystery, romance and a love that transcends time.

Scotland comes to Liberty Student production of Brigadoon musical shows at Tower Theater Feb. 19-28 Shannon Moyer srmoyer@liberty.edu

Bagpipes filled the air as dancers leapt across the stage, clad in plaid sashes. Fog filled the area as a booming Scottish voice rang out. Though it might seem like it, this is not Scotland — it is the Tower Theater’s Liberty University production of Brigadoon.

Opening Feb. 19 and running until Feb. 28, Brigadoon tells the story of a town in the Scottish marshes, which only appears once every 100 years. While the story is set in 1940, the townspeople of Brigadoon are still stuck in 1742.

When two New Yorkers discover the magical town, they find them-

selves on a journey full of mystery and romance.

The style of the musical mixes Celtic influences alongside modern ballet dancing. With multiple styles of dance, the choreography was noted as “astounding” by freshman Kiera Smith.

“It really is a beautiful, classic musical with a timeless feel,” Smith said.

After many weeks of hard preparation, the cast members can finally showcase their work.

Brigadoon is an academic performance, which means it is separate from the Alluvion Stage Company and comprised solely of Liberty students.

After seeing the musical, senior Liz Bagley gave

the production high praise.

“It’s amazing,” Bagley said.

“The dancing in it is fantastic, they’ve worked so hard … they did a fantastic job.”

Similarly, sophomore Amos Barkhouse was impressed by the choreography the dancers mastered. Dance numbers incorporated props alongside multiple dance styles, such as the combination of Irish dancing and swordplay.

“They pulled out swords, and they danced over them … it was really neat,” Barkhouse said.

Around him, other students enthusiastically agreed.

Opening weekend, the mood in the Tower Theater lobby after the show was overwhelmingly positive. Many attendees, from stu-

dents to professors, were buzzing with praise for the performance.

“I want to go back and be there in Brigadoon,” Liberty Online professor David Sosin said. “I felt pulled there, it was so lovely.”

Senior Elaina Gomez-Palazzo has been in four theatre shows at Liberty, and though she was not in Brigadoon, she could see the hard work that was put into creating the musical.

“They put so much work and effort and heart into this, and it’s always worth coming out and seeing the show,” GomezPalazzo said.

An Instagram-centered promotion will post every week of the show’s run. Students can upload photos using the hashtag,

#BrigadoonLU. As Brigadoon is a peaceful place, students can submit a photo of wherever their own “Brigadoon” is. The winner will receive two tickets to see Brigadoon at the Tower Theater.

Brigadoon will have both matinee and evening showings throughout its run. Ticketing information can be found in the myLU ticket portal.

Brigadoon will run two matinee shows Feb. 27 at 2 p.m. and Feb. 28 at 3 p.m. The show will also run Feb. 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m.

MOYER is a feature reporter.

feature

Liberty Champion | February 23, 2016 | B9

Artist, writer, pioneer Amber Tiller atiller2@liberty.edu

Jessie Rogers | Liberty University News Service

BANQUET SERIES — Students, faculty and guests heard from Dr. Craig Detweiler as he lectured on “God In Pop Culture” Feb. 18.

Ann Wharton honored

12th annual banquet held for founder of The Champion Amber Tiller atiller2@liberty.edu

“I want to suggest that pop culture is having a deep, on-going discussion about the nature of Jesus, and yet I wonder — do we have eyes to see and ears to hear?” Dr. Craig Detweiler, the guest speaker, proposed the question to an audience of nearly 300 people at the 12th annual Ann Wharton Lecture Series banquet.

Detweiler, a communications professor at Pepperdine University, spoke about “Discovering God in Pop Culture” Thursday, Feb. 18 at the event held in the third floor of Williams Stadium.

The banquet, held in honor of Ann Wharton, founder of The Champion newspaper, was hosted by Liberty University’s School of Communication & Creative Arts and co-sponsored by the Center for Apologetics & Cultural Engagement.

Before the lecture, Dean of the School of Communication & Creative Arts Dr. Norman Mintle opened the evening by commenting on the dinner — a surf and turf meal provided by Sodexo — and played two video clips from the movies “Amistad” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” to introduce the pop culture topic.

The short scene from “Amistad” included a simple-explanation of the gospel of Jesus Christ by two slaves trapped aboard a slave ship, and the next from “Talladega Nights” showed a prayer to “baby Jesus” from the main character, Ricky Bobby.

While “Amistad” brought about chilling silence across the room, laughter erupted as “Talladega Nights” played on the television screens in the room.

The two, though very different, shared a common subject — Jesus.

Detweiler then transitioned into an explanation of Scripture as special revelation and also how God reveals himself outside of Scripture as general revelation. Detweiler used these two movie clips as examples of general revelation, and he challenged Christians to use media and pop culture references to minister to others.

“If the culture at large says, ‘I can’t see God in Scripture, but I sort of feel God when I see this film or when I listen to this song, can we help connect the … experience (of God in the song or film) to God as revealed in Scripture?” Detweiler said. “And isn’t that our job — to stand in the gap as cultural translators and communicators?”

Detweiler wanted the audience to use movies like “Talladega Nights” and “Amistad” in order to open conversation about who Jesus Christ is. Detweiler also shared a story about the scene from “Amistad” shown earlier that evening.

According to Detweiler, his friend worked for Stephen Spielberg on the set of “Amistad,” and Detweiler questioned his friend about the scene where the gospel was shared between two slaves.

“I was like, ‘Who wrote that?

How’d that get in the script?’”

Detweiler said. “He said he didn’t know where it came from ... because it wasn’t in the script. Folks, that’s more than movie magic.”

Detweiler elaborated more on special revelation throughout biblically based movies like “The Passion of the Christ” and “The Ten Commandments” and general revelation through movies including “Bruce Almighty” or “Nacho Libre” which, while not labeled “Christian,” can lead to conversations about God. He also encouraged the audience to look for God while spending time outside of devotions or church activities.

“It’s not just finding God at a special time or place like holy week and Easter but throughout our experience,” Detweiler said.

“While we’re working, playing or even watching movies … I don’t want that to be time away from God. I want that to be time possibly with God. ... If (God) speaks through burning bushes, can he not speak through a film?”

Detweiler offered the idea to engage with pop culture through referencing popular movies, shows and songs and then turning the conversation to the general revelation revealed through the pop culture.

Detweiler also observed Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr.’s past influence in the media and culture.

“Rev. Falwell was like, ‘I’m not gonna abandon the airways, I’m going to invade the airways,’” Detweiler said. “He wasn’t afraid of communicating and going into areas where he wasn’t supposed to go. He didn’t ask for permission.”

Detweiler continued to elaborate on different movies, artists, songs and shows today in which he saw God and shared his personal testimony of how the movie “Raging Bull” brought him to a realization in his life.

After seeing the movie, he compared himself with the main character, who suffered from severe anger issues. He accepted Jesus Christ shortly after seeing the movie and attending a Young Life group, and he explained his reasoning for wanting to change pop culture for the sake of the gospel.

“I want to redeem entertainment in our eyes and sharpen our senses and to focus upon the power of story. … to consider the unexpected places where you might see and hear God like the small screen, the big screen or even your iScreen, ” Detweiler said.

After Detweiler finished, Mintle addressed the audience of artists.

“Great art, great communication, (and) great stories come out of all of us who are filled (with) the spirit of God,” Mintle said.

Finally, Joshua Chatraw, director of the center for apologetics and cultural engagement, made comments at the end of the night addressing the importance of the artists sitting in front of him.

“There’s something about the arts,” Chatraw said. “There’s something about stories that seep into our bones … that … logic and dissertations don’t quite do.”

TILLER is the feature editor.

Ann Wharton and her husband, Jim Wharton, sat amongst students, faculty and guests at the 12th annual banquet held in her honor. The banquet featured special speaker Dr. Craig Detweiler, who spoke on the topic of cultural engagement.

Ann Wharton’s 40 year career included teaching at Grace College and Liberty University, serving as editor for numerous publications, authoring several books, and exploring trends in desktop publishing and photography. In all her activities she remained unwavering in her faith as she engaged the culture.

“We don’t have to apologize for being Christians,” Ann Wharton said.

In their retirement, Ann and Jim Wharton can be found most days at Main Street Café & Coffee in Alta Vista, a shop owned by their daughter and son in law, Lisa and Dale Moore.

Since retiring, Ann Wharton still ministers to others through prayer.

“I do like to pray for people, and it’s amazing how God opens the doors (to minister) to others,” Ann Wharton said.

For more information about Ann Wharton’s life or to see her past work, Liberty’s Art Gallery is hosting an exhibit in her honor of her called “Ann Wharton: Artist. Innovator. Pioneer.” through March 10 in Green Hall room 1955.

TILLER is the feature editor.

Mitchell Bryant| News Service

ARTIST — Ann Wharton’s work is now at the art gallery.

Next year’s leaders 2016-2017 Resident Assistants revealed after two-week evaluation process Kirkland Gee kgee10@liberty.edu

With more than 450 applicants and only 120 Resident Assistant (RA) positions for the 2016-2017 school year, deciding who should fill those positions is no easy task.

Dustin DuBose, director of student leadership, and his team of Assistant Directors (AD) and Resident Directors (RD) worked diligently to ensure the best decisions were made.

DuBose said that the two weeks between Experience Weekend and RA placement are filled with deliberation and discussion.

“Most of it is amassing our paperwork and getting everything together in order to do second cuts, make the decisions and run the meetings.” DuBose said. “The RDs will talk back and forth a lot about what they saw during the weekend and host week and talk together about what is going to be the best option for any particular applicant.”

He said their priority during that time is compiling all of their data so when they do make the decisions, they will be well informed and will have discussed everything thoroughly.

While the current RAs do play a role in determining who is best qualified for a position, the decision is ultimately not up to them.

“Once we get to the actual meeting, it is the RDs, the ADs and myself,” DuBose said. “The RAs give us a lot of information in discussions with their RDs, but when we sit down to discuss who should and who should not be offered a position, the RDs present their home applicants to the ADs saying, ‘This is who I think should make it,’ and then we confirm that decision, or if we have questions we ask and just discuss until we come to a decision.”

These decisions are based on what the RDs and ADs observed over Host Week and Experienced Weekend. They were looking at each applicant’s character and competence to determine if they would be a good fit for the position.

Many positions similar to the RA would be filled by standard interviews, but the Office of Student Leadership likes to do things differently. “(Experience Weekend) gives us a good view of the applicant outside their home environment where they live on the

hall,” DuBose said. “It provides a quality control mechanism in some senses.”

DuBose also said it gives them a baseline to go off of when planning training for next year.

They can see their new applicants’ strengths and weaknesses, which help them decide what to focus on when the RAs return for training in August.

DuBose had two pieces of advice for anyone wanting to apply for an RA position next year.

“Talk to your current RAs,” DuBose said. “Look at what they’re doing, discuss their decision making with them. Think about what you want to accomplish with the students on your hall. Obviously there’s the administrative portions of RA, but there’s also the relationships with the people on the floor, leading and saying, ‘Hey, this is what we’re going to do together.’”

Any students who are interested in more information about any of the student leadership positions can go online to liberty.edu/osl.

GEE is a news reporter.

Michela Diddle | Liberty Champion

INTERVIEW — 120 RAs have been selected for the 2016-17 year.

B10

FEATURE

February 23, 2016

explore Brigadoon

Leah Seavers | Liberty Champion

ON STAGE — Brigadoon, the Liberty University Theatre Department’s most recent production, opened Friday, Feb. 19 and will continue to show through Monday, Feb. 28.

For full story, see B8

A dream come true Juniors Dylan Vestal and Jake Ziegler fulfill three-year long goal to perform Hannah Elliott helliott9@liberty.edu

Since their freshman year, Liberty University students and former roommates Jake Ziegler and Dylan Vestal dreamed of performing a musical collaboration on what is known to them as “Concert Thursday.”

Now, half way through their junior years, that dream has finally become a reality.

Hosted by Liberty’s Student Activities (SA), Jake Ziegler and the Locals along with artist Dylan Vestal were welcomed to the stage of the LaHaye Event Space Thursday, Feb. 18 to showcase their music.

After an intimate moment of prayer before their set, Jake Ziegler and the Locals jumped up to take their positions center stage. The riffs from a red, electric guitar began to echo through the speakers as the familiar tune of the Bob Seger classic, “Old Time Rock and Roll,” began to resonate into the ears of an eager audience.

“Are you guys ready to rock or what,” Jake Ziegler said, seconds before he began singing that famous first verse.

Influenced by bands such as Aerosmith and Guns and Roses, the band performed several original songs such as “Moving On” and “Don’t Have to Have the Blues” as well as a few covers with an electrifying energy from beginning to end.

Suddenly, members of the crowd began yelling, “give us what we want” over and over again, which sparked a birthday tribute to friend Conner Richardson for whom they performed Taylor Swift’s pop hit “22,” compelling the crowd to sing and dance along to the upbeat rendition, even encouraging members of the SA crew to break out their own moves.

Constant screams and cheers could be heard from the crowd during each song of the vivid performance. The band, made up of guitarists Mark Gartner, Charles Eivens and Matt Coelho, drummer Derek Plegge and second vocalist Rachel

RJ Goodwin | Liberty Champion

COLLABORATION — Jake Ziegler and the Locals opened for Dylan Vestal Feb. 18.

Ziegler, left every wall in the large room vibrating ceaselessly.

Their collaboration with Vestal for a cover of The Darkness’ “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” had Liberty student Stephen Adams astonished with the duo’s musical ability.

“I had no idea we had this kind of talent here,” Adams said. “It is just amazing how much energy they have. . . . There was just so much stage presence.”

Although Jake Ziegler brought the enthusiasm with his animated motions, frequent jumping and love for crowd surfing, it was little sister Rachel Ziegler that delivered the attitude to the rock and roll blues performance, according to Adams.

Their set ended with the song “Don’t Have to Have the Blues,” which they announced will be featured in an upcoming EP. The classic rock and roll vibe concluded with the blues as Jake Ziegler popped

out his harmonica to finish the performance under blue and green strobe lights.

The night did not end there. The lights dimmed to a faded orange and Vestal took center stage with members of his band, including Jake Ziegler, to tone down the mood of the energized crowd, beginning with a cover of Gavin Degraw’s “I Don’t Wanna Be.” Vestal encouraged crowd participation throughout each of his songs, allowing a member of the audience, Patrick Pena Ariett, to jump up on the stage to sing along with the chorus filled with “oh’s” he had taught to them just moments before.

With an indie-rock sound, Vestal overwhelmed the audience with the soft melodies and the sweet lyrics of his original songs, “Shades of Grey” and “The Way,” which he said were inspired by his wife, Keren Vestal. “‘Shades of Grey’ is not based on the

movie,” Vestal said, joking with the audience. “It’s about the girl who is now my wife. . . . Most of all my songs are actually about Keren.’”

In between songs, Vestal described a few humorous moments shared between Jake Ziegler and himself as freshman roommates that also explained where Vestal received all of his inspiration.

“Every night before Jake and I went to sleep, I’d look over at him usually around three in the morning,” Vestal said. “Sometimes, I would even set an alarm just to wake him up to tell him this because I knew it would annoy him. I’d say, ‘Hey, Jake . . . I love Keren, man.’ And he’d be like ‘I know, go to sleep.’”

“It was so annoying,” Jake Ziegler said, emphasizing it to the crowd. “Every single night, even when he wasn’t dating Keren, he would wake me up when he was half asleep to tell me he loved Keren.”

Liberty student Monica Lewis said that while she enjoyed the entertaining banter from the artists, she was drawn in by Vestal’s passion and lyrics during his acoustic performance of “The Way.” “Dylan’s lyrics were captivating,” Lewis said. “I mean nearly every girl dreams about having a song written about her, and I was really impressed with his voice. I’m sure he will go really far in his music.”

The night came to a close with an original song called “The Beat,” that will be featured on Vestal’s future EP as well as covers of Shawn Mendes’ “Stitches” and Bloc Party’s “Pioneers.” With the completion of Vestal’s performance, a three-year dream of two young artists had come true.

“It really happen(ed),” Jake Ziegler said. “Thanks to everyone for coming out. We really appreciated sharing our music with you.”

ELLIOTT is a feature reporter.