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Volume 29 • Issue 22
Roadwork delays traffic
miracle grad
Drivers encouraged to avoid Candler’s Road mall entrance Jessica Gavin jgavin@liberty.edu
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
ALL SMILES — Proud to complete his degree for a diploma, Patrick Andrews shares his familiar welcoming hug.
The man in orange
Student perseveres to graduate Shelanne Jennings snjennings@liberty.edu
Kyle Termarsh ktermarsh@liberty.edu
E
very Wednesday, eyes catch sight of a man in a nice fluorescent-orange buttoned shirt, sitting and smiling from his seat to the right of Liberty University’s convocation stage. Often referenced from stage or seen as a contributing host on Around Liberty in 90 Seconds, students, both past and present, have grown to know and love the man in the orange shirt. Patrick Andrews, whose laugh echoes down hallways and hugs wrap around fellow students and university staff, will bear cap and gown this year as he walks across the
graduation stage. “Just to think, there is a degree with my actual name on it,” Patrick said. His laugh punctuated his exclamation. As one of Liberty’s longest-term students, Patrick will receive his Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications on May 12, 2012. He celebrated his 40th birthday on April 28, 2012. “After all, 40 is the new 30,” Patrick said. Upon graduation, Patrick will have been at Liberty for nearly two decades, since he first arrived in January 1994 — the semester of the car accident that changed Patrick’s life forever. Patrick and two of his friends were travelling down Candlers Mountain
Photo Provided
GRAD — Under his regalia, Patrick Andrews’ orange shirt will glow. Road, March 24, 1994, only a few miles from campus, when the car’s front axle presumably snapped, flipping the car and causing it to skid
See PATRICK, A8
Last Wednesday, construction began on the new Candlers Mountain bridge. Those traveling in the area should not expect to see both lanes of the bridge open for quite some time. The bridge is in need of various repairs since its initial construction in 1958. “The old deck has to come off, and there is some borderline work that needs to be done. We are replacing one line of beams. There’s also some work under the bridge that needs to be done as well,” Area Construction Engineer Todd Bolling said. According to Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), unlike most local construction, the City of Lynchburg is not financially responsible for the project. “Because that is a national route, we are using the federal funds to do the bridge,” VDOT spokeswoman Paula Jones said. Nearly 40,000 people will be affected by the construction, as it requires one lane of the westbound side of Candlers Mountain Road be closed off. Bolling describes the construction’s two-phase process. “One phase will be the inside, the left lane, and then traffic will be switched to the new deck, and then we will go to the right lane and do that one,” Bolling said. VDOT encourages travelers to use alternate routes. “Liberty University students should be aware that this construction will take place during the time of graduation,” Bolling said. “The left hand turn lane onto 460 Westbound will not be there into the mall. Those wanting
See CONSTRUCTION, A2
Hancock Welcome Center nearing completion
Building expected to open by mid-June Tyler Eacho tpeacho@liberty.edu
Dirt, hard hats and backhoes, all signs of construction, have been evident on the hill across from Williams Stadium day after day for anyone who walks or drives through campus, but people may have forgotten that construction began on the threelevel, 33,000 square-foot Hancock Welcome Center in March 2011. “The university decided that this building truly needed to be special and a flagship unlike any-
thing else we had ever constructed,” Alan Askew, construction coordinator for the university, said. “It is exciting to continue to raise the bar with each new structure at Liberty. After Hancock, the new library will continue that trend,” said Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. “The Hancock Center will be a silent statement to prospective students and their families that Liberty is a warm and welcoming Christian university and that providing a quality Christian education to students is its top priority.”
The completion date of the Jeffersonian-style building was originally scheduled for October, but the deadline was extended to allow for more details to the interior. According to the university’s website, designers wanted to be assured that the newest technologies and amenities could be incorporated into the new building. Students and faculty are no strangers to construction across the campus of Liberty University. In less than a year, there have been five major construction projects completed either on or nearby the campus. The Wards Road pedestrian bridge opened in November 2011. Shortly after, the 200-foot-
long pedestrian tunnel, which connects campus to Wards Road, was completed. Regents Parkway, the perimeter road that borders the west side of campus, was also extended from Sonic to the circle dorms on south campus. The university also constructed a double-sided press box and bleacher seating to separate two east campus athletic fields for field hockey and lacrosse as well Liberty’s club and intramural programs. Finally, the new Schilling Center is the latest addition to the LaHaye Student Union. In all of that time, the visually
See HANCOCK, A3
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
INSIDE — New lobby shines.
INSIDE THE CHAMPION
News
In remembrance
The Champion honors the fifth anniversary of Dr. Falwell’s death. A10
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Student musician releases top 10 song on music site Noisetrade. B10
NFL Draft report
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News Opinion Sports Feature
A1 A4 B1 B10
NEWS
A2/Liberty Champion
May 1, 2012
Faith-based movie filming in Lynchburg Melanie Oelrich moelrich@liberty.edu
Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC) recently hosted a press conference filled with media from local news stations, as well as multiple leaders from the area. “Finding Faith,” a Christianbased film, will target the issue of Internet child predators and is set to cast Erik Estrada, formerly known as the law enforcement officer from the 1970s and ‘80s show “Chips.” Estrada, who is the international face of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, is a staunch supporter of the Safe Surfin’ Foundation and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces. Estrada, a big fan of Liberty, mentioned how he and the production team in charge of shooting the movie plan to utilize parts of TRBC and Liberty’s campus for the film. “Liberty’s a terrific place. I think it’s wonderful that there is a place where Christians can come and continue their education,” Estrada said. “The facilities are great here, and the people are totally professional.” According to his website, Estrada is a professing Christian and starred in “The Cross and
Melanie Oelrich | Liberty Champion
ACTOR — Chips actor Erik Estrada discusses his leading role in the upcoming film. the Switchblade,” the first faithbased movie ever made. Delegate Scott Garrett and Senator Steve Newman were also in attendance at the press conference and are supportive of the efforts of the movie. “Because of the work that Sheriff Mike Brown is doing, we have put in place a 25-year mandatory minimum (sentence)
for sex crimes against children,” Newman said. “This project is not about one man, and it’s not about one problem — it’s about our society and what we value. This film will strike a chord of harmony for our families, for our faith, for our fundamental freedoms and for the future of our greatest assets, which are our children,” Garrett
said. Sheriff Mike Brown of the Bedford County Sheriff ’s Department is the man behind the big idea. Brown has stood behind the Internet Against Crimes Task Forces for many years. During his 42 years of law enforcement, Brown has witnessed numerous events which spawned the idea for this film. Because the film
has a Christian message and is targeted toward teens, Brown requested that Liberty and TRBC be involved with the film. “It didn’t take a lot of thinking to say this is the avenue we want to go — utilizing Thomas Road and Liberty University for support — and they’ve been great. We couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Brown said. Scottie Ward, the film’s producer, is excited for the film, and firmly believes Lynchburg will make an impact for Christ. “The doors that have opened on this…in two months, we’ve locked up the post production house, the distribution…the biggest hitters in the industry side,” Ward said. “Lynchburg, in my opinion — because of Liberty and TRBC — is going to be the new Christian Hollywood. I’m 100 percent positive of that fact. The great thing is that faithbased education is now going mainstream, and I think it’s awesome. The support of the university is everything,” Ward said. Casting has already begun and production is expected to start this summer.
OELRICH is a news co-editor.
award-winning publications
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
YEARBOOK — Left to right: Nalani McCormick, Scott Walker, Dylan Longerfelt and Nate Reynolds enjoy cotton candy outside DeMoss Wednesday as a part of Selah Yearbook’s release party of the first-ever online edition.
Victoria Pearce| Liberty Champion
BRIDGE — Bridge construction is expected to delay traffic for an indefinite time.
Melanie Oelrich | Liberty Champion
STAFF — The Champion staff members have been recognized for their excellence. The 2011 Virginia Press Association college contest in writing, photography, artwork and news presentation have been recently judged by journalists from members of the Virginia Press Association. Winners will be awarded for their excellence at a special luncheon on Friday, May 11 at the VPA headquarters. Graduate Assistant at the Champion Amanda Sullivan will receive awards for her excellence of the front page as well as page design. Graphic Designer Elliot Mosher will be awarded for illustrations. Former editor-in-chief Taylor Overhultz will receive recognition for excel-
CONSTRUCTION continued from A1 to eat within the mall or along Wards Road should follow the detour signs that go up to Wells Fargo and circle around to the traffic signal. There are access points in other places off of Wards Road to get to the mall and the restaurants in the area.” The project will not end anytime soon. According to Bolling, the goal is to open
lence of the general makeup of the newspaper. The American Scholastic Press Association presented two first place awards for Best Newspaper and Best Special Section — 40 years in the making. —Melanie Oelrich.
In an article about the recent Student Government elections, the Champion covered the announcement of winner Chad Atchison. In the headline, Atchison’s name was misspelled.
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LIBERTY CHAMPION Ashley Bollinger
both lanes of traffic by November and complete the entire project by the end of the year. Opening the bridge will alleviate traffic congestion and once again allow Lynchburg residents easier access to River Ridge Mall. “We are anticipating having the bridge open for traffic by Thanksgiving of this year,” Bolling said.
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Volume 29 • Issue 21
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
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Thank You:
Mitt Romney to address graduates
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celebrate Commencement with Liberty’s 2012 graduates,” Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said in an of- ROmNEy ficial press statement. “This will be a historic event for Liberty University reminiscent of the visits of Governor, and then presidential candidate, Ronald Reagan to Liberty’s campus in 1980 and of President George H.W. Bush who spoke at Liberty’s 1990 Commencement ceremony.”
According to his website, Romney was born in Detroit on March 12, 1947. Although Romney is now classified as a politician, he spent most of his life working in the private sector before he was elected Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, according to his website. Romney, like many, has encountered hardship in his life, according to his website. His wife Ann was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998. She also recently “fought a battle with breast cancer,” according to his website. However, Romney has main-
tained strength in his hardship through his religion, as he advanced towards the 2012 Presidential elections, according to his website. Religion has played a role in Romney’s life and political career, according to his speech on Dec. 6, 2007, given at the George Bush Presidential Library. “Almost 50 years ago another candidate from Massachusetts explained that he was an American running for president, not a Catholic running for president. Like him, I am an American running for president...A person should not be elected because of his faith, nor should he be re-
ruth bibby
ruth bibby
BOLLINGER is the editor in chief.
jected because of his faith … I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it.” He continued, “My church’s beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. ” Romney has yet to comment as to what it is he will be speaking about May 12. Commencement will be Romney’s first appearance at Liberty.
NEWS
Liberty University announced April 19 that Mitt Romney will be addressing Liberty graduates at the 2012 Commencement, May 12. For 40 years Liberty has been training “Champions for Christ.” This commencement will mark the 39th send-off of graduates from the school. Romney is currently the frontrunning Republican candidate for the 2012 Presidential elections. “We are delighted that Governor Romney will join us to
akbollinger@liberty.edu
Ashley Bollinger
GOP presidential candidate, former Mass. gov. announced as commencement speaker
stunning welcome center has continued to undergo changes and developments. According to Askew, while the initial October goal was a stretch, the sixmonth redesign of the entire interior of the facility halted basically all of the interior construction during that time. Askew says that construction crews are currently finishing a few items on the upper two floors and are about halfway done with the terrace, or lower level. “We will be completely done with the top two floors by the time graduation weekend arrives, and we hope to have
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HANCOCK continued from A1
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BOARD ROOM — The new board room in the Hancock Welcome Center is ready for use. Seating over 30 people, it will offer a state-of-the-art location for meetings. | Liberty Champion
the terrace level and the remainder of the exterior landscaping completed by the first half of June,” Askew said. At that point, the building will be ready for use, and the visitor center staff will begin to occupy the building, moving from their current location in the grand lobby of the Arthur S. DeMoss Learning Center. “It truly is a remarkable building,” Askew said. “It was interesting to watch the contractors begin to take ownership of and pride in their work as the project progressed.”
EACHO is a news co-editor.
FINISHING TOUCHES — Worker Dave Mayberry makes some finishing touches on side panels. Right, the sun shines through the full windows in the new atrium.
| Liberty Champion
OPINION
MAY 1, 2012
Immigration bill heats up Andrew Woolfolk alwoolfolk@liberty.edu
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
BACON — The tasty treat has taken over.
Bring home the bacon Ruth Bibby
rngbibby@liberty.edu
Vegetarians, I suggest you stop reading. Don’t read another sentence. Health nuts, this applies to you too, because bacon is on the menu today. The delicious and crunchy treat seems to have taken over America’s taste buds as it moves into almost every culinary sect. Bacon popcorn sits on the shelves at Urban Outfitters, small town cafes serve up slices of bacon apple pie and delicate cupcake shops advertise bacon-infused cupcakes. But when is the bacon trend too much? When companies offer bacon soda or coffee? Or how about bacon floss or perfume? For $23.40, you can own Fargginay’s Bacon Gold Fragrance Spray from baconfreak.com to smell like the fatty meat treat. While this would be a perfect time to transition into a rant about American consumerism, let’s keep that topic tucked away in hipster coffee shops and blogs and keep bacon on the front burner. The sizzling food sliding out of the pan has captured the hearts of so many Americans who crave it long after the pancakes and scrambled eggs are gone, and it makes sense. Scientific American Magazine reported that eating bacon can transmit a neurological response, encouraging people to eat more. If you are a woman who has a bun in the oven, give in to any craving you have for the pork product. The choline found in bacon works with the unborn baby’s brain to encourage a higher intelligence level, according to a study conducted by the University of North Carolina. A separate study by Cornell University found that choline is also associated with healthier births overall. Even automobiles are munching on the fatty treat. TMI Foods has been recycling the fat collected after cooking around 10 million slices of bacon a week. Through processing the runoff grease, TMI has been able to produce a biodiesel fuel that is comparatively clean. Maybe one day dirty fumes from rush hour traffic will be replaced by puffs of exhaust smelling like bacon. We can only hope. The bacon bug has bitten even Lynchburg. Sweet Stellas appealed to bacon fans by creating the Maple Bacon Doughnut. Bacon, like everything else, should be consumed in moderation. Avoid creating a bacon Christmas tree like the chefs at Epic Meal Time made, using more than 2,000 bacon strips to create the colossal food structure containing more than 216,000 calories. The words of comedian Jim Gaffigan say it best, “Even the frying of bacon sounds like an applause.” BIBBY is the photo editor.
M O FRTHE
K S E D Ashley Bollinger
“All lovely things will have an ending, all lovely things will fade and die; and youth, that’s now so bravely spending, will beg a penny by and by,” Conrad Aiken wrote in his
Proponents of the Arizona Immigration Bill known as SB 1070 got a lift this past Wednesday as the bill made its way through the Supreme Court. The bill, which has fumbled through the court system since it was drafted in April of 2010, has finally entered the doors of the Supreme Court. After preliminary discussions of the bill commenced on Wednesday, the unanimous decision was that the state of Arizona’s case was in the driver’s seat. Arizona’s governor Jan Brewer felt her time in court arguing the case was a success for her state and their quest to get the bill’s full passage. “Today was a great day, I believe, for freedom and for states’ rights and for Senate Bill 1070,” said Brewer, who feels the case is helping change the perception of those who believe the bill is racial profiling. “For two years, we’ve heard nothing other than Arizona is racist, Arizona is bigoted, and it is all about racial profiling. You walk down the street in Phoenix and you’re licking an ice cream cone, you’re going to get arrested if you don’t have proper ID,” Brewer said. The bill, which is viewed as a crackdown on illegal immigrants by proponents and nothing more than racial profiling by opponents, has been debated for nearly two years now. Arizona’s border has resembled a revolving door
Associated Press
SUCCESS — Arizona Governor Jan Brewer expressed her content with the bill’s beginning stages in the Supreme Court. for immigrants for years. The lice would saunter around Arizona Daily-Star reported abusing their powers to questhat the state was allowing tion any suspicious person nearly 475,000 immigrants a throughout their day. These year to cross the border ille- opponents seem to overlook gally. Illegal immigrants reap the fact that the bill specificalthe benefits of school, health- ly states that law enforcement care and welfare systems that personnel are only given the they haven’t funded through power to ask for identification taxes, putting honest taxpay- with “reasonable suspicion.” ers on the backburner. That’s where common According to the U.S. sense needs to step in, and Code Book, if passed, the law those who disagree with the would require that all aliens bill don’t want to accept that. 14 years or older presiding in Thousands of illegal immithe country for more than 30 grants are in Arizona, and days register with the govern- they need to, over time, be ment, receive documentation removed. The only way for and have it in their possession this to happen is to let law enat all times. The proposed bill forcement do its job, find who would make it a misdemean- is not here legally, remove or to neglect carrying the re- them and build the border up. quired documents. Even Donald Verilli, a Opponents argue that po- member of the Obama ad-
ministration who was present during the court hearings, admitted that racial profiling is not a legitimate arguing point. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was even more blunt in his assessment of the case, citing the fact that officers must have pulled a suspect over for reasons other than specifically being in the country illegally. “The decision to stop the individual has nothing to do with immigration law at all. All that has to do with immigration law is whether or not they can ask the federal government to find out if this person is illegal or not, and then leave it up to you,” Roberts said to Verrilli. “It seems to me that the federal government just doesn’t want to know who is here illegally or not.” For now, Roberts’ view seems to be that of the majority. Support is building, and it seems that it will only be a matter of time before it makes its way through the legislative process. Fox News reported that the final say could come as early as the end of June. If passed, expect other states to follow suit. Georgia, Alabama, Utah and other states have already drafted bills similar to SB 1070. More cases could be passing through the Supreme Court in the future. It’s safe to say that this summer, the weather won’t be the only hot topic in Arizona. WOOLFOLK is the opinion editor.
Photos lead to trouble for troops Troy Dauksys tadauksys2@liberty.edu
Over time, traumatic events can dehumanize individuals. For example, war can have adverse affects on soldiers. So when the LA Times recently published photos of U.S. Army troops posing with severed limbs of dead Afghan troops, disgust was a common reaction among Americans. Yet, on the other side of the dichotomy, there are those who feel that actions like this, while grotesque, can be explained away by the horrors of war. Some people believe that what those men go through serves as an excuse of sorts for their actions. The photos, which show numerous army soldiers smiling while posing with dead, bullet-riddled and blood-covered Afghan soldiers, have sparked outrage. Afghan officials became aware of the photos, and the relationship between the two sides has
walked a thin line ever since. Seeing photos of enemies posing with your own dead soldiers should spark some outrage. But sadly, this is nothing new. In fact, photos like these have been leaked for several years. Recently, the NY Times reported that President Obama wanted to perform an investigation for pictures dating back to 2010. Commander of International Security Assistant Force Gen. John R. Allen and American Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who were informed about the photos, condemned the actions even before the photos were published online. According to MSN.com, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also condemned the photos and made an attempt to slam the LA Times for publishing them, saying, “We had urged the LA Times not to run those photos. The reason for that is those kinds of photos are used by the enemy to incite violence, and lives have been lost as a result of the
poem “All Lovely Things.” As I end this chapter in my life, I can see the reality and truth of Aiken’s words. Sitting in this office has become a part of me, a defining season in my life. This is the place that I came to understand what it means to be a writer and what it will take to be a success. Being the editor-in-chief of the Liberty Champion, or even just on staff for that matter, has been a roller coaster ride. Through stress, joy, panic and pride, I have weathered the storm over the past two years. It is with great relief and gratitude that I pass the baton to a worthy successor. I hope you will be as good to her as you were to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed contributing my thoughts, prayers, dreams and opinions, and wish
publications of similar photos in the past. We regret that they were published.” The Pentagon issued a statement saying, “anyone found responsible for this inhumane conduct will be held accountable in accordance with our military justice system.” According to a spokeswoman for international forces in Afghanistan, it is not clear where the photographs were taken, the number of service personnel involved or if they are still serving in the military. The photographs were believed to have been taken in Zabul Province, which is an impoverished province in the south of the country where the Taliban has maintained a strong presence. The Boston Globe reported that one photograph contained two soldiers holding a dead man’s hand with the middle finger raised. “This is not who we are, and it’s certainly not what we represent when it comes to
her the best as she does the same. For my last farewell from this old desk, goodbye my friends — until we meet again. Tabitha Cassidy Another year has come and gone, and as the seniors are scrambling to pass their final classes and leave Lynchburg for unknown possibilities, the rest of us are left wondering what the following school year will look like. Will we finally get that ring by spring (even if half of us have never been in a relationship)? Or will we snag that career-making internship that takes us away from the familiarities of friends and residential classes? The summertime gives us all a chance to ponder these thoughts and plan outfits to impress the opposite sex on the
the great majority of men and women in uniform,” Panetta said. “I know that war is ugly, and it’s violent. And I know that young people sometimes caught up in the moment make some very foolish decisions. I am not excusing that behavior. But neither do I want these images to bring further injury to our people and to our relationship with the Afghan people.” The White House also said President Obama had called for an investigation and promised that those responsible will be held accountable. Let’s hope the relationship between the U.S. and Afghanistan is not hindered any further because of photos that were taken in 2010. Everyone makes mistakes, including those who fight to protect us on a daily basis. Is that an excuse for their actions? No. But does it serve as an explanation? Yes. DAUKSYS is an opinion writer.
first day of class. But it also gives us time to think about the empty chairs that we will be filling and the new positions we are all taking on. Primarily for me, the chair of editor-in-chief and the new responsibilities of making sure you, the readers, are satisfied with your newspaper will be weighing heavily on my mind as I skip from state-to-state on a whirlwind of summer adventure. So as we say goodbye to the graduating seniors and give a big farewell to an old time friend and previous editorin-chief, Ashley Bollinger, I promise you all that the previous traditions and standards of the Liberty Champion will continue to be upheld. My name is Tabitha Cassidy, and I am looking forward to hearing from you all.
OPINION
May 1, 2012
Liberty Champion/A5
Champion Staff: Last Goodbyes Besty Abraham
Andrew Gula
Journalism is all about people. When writing about anything, be it a pedestrian bridge opening, a football team winning their conference title or an event like Coffeehouse, reporters are encouraged to get the details and the facts. But what truly sets a story apart from the others is the human element, because people are what make a story important. I think the same can be said for my past four years at Liberty. Of course I won’t forget the details and the facts, the practical skills my parents paid thousands for me to learn, the campus life or the great opportunities I had while I was here. I’ll never forget getting baptized at TRBC during Campus Church or going on a missions trip the summer after my freshman year. I’ll hold on to the memories of staying up late and taking day trips to the beach or nearby cities. But what made my time at Liberty so significant was the people. From teachers who have always pushed me to do my best, teaching me about life as well as about my major, to roommates who became like family as we shared life together, to classmates who became best friends as we found out that life doesn’t always go as planned, I’ll never forget the people who have taught me so much
I cannot wait for May 12. Throughout my entire life, I have always looked forward to being an adult. It seems like a strange fixation, in retrospect, but I was just always excited about what the future might hold…at least until I started my four years at Liberty. Early on in freshman year, my mindset changed drastically. Adulthood became that unwanted next step that I knew would eventually be forced upon me: you have to get a boring full-time job, you have to leave your friends and you are left with an inhumane amount of responsibilities and bills. But this year has been an unusual one for me. There are a lot of changes guaranteed to be waiting for me when I get back home, and that has forced me to grow and mature in my outlook on life. Probably the biggest change is that my family is moving from Delaware, out of the house in which we’ve lived for 20 years now. And I’ll be going with them, leaving behind everyone and everything to start over. But it’s okay. For some odd reason, I’m not concerned.
about not only the world but myself and the person I want to be. I’ll never forget who I spent those late nights with, who encouraged me on the bad days or who I laughed with until my sides hurt. It’s the people that really make the memories so important. So people of Liberty, whether you know it or not, you have blessed me more than you know. Thank you for making my story so much better.
Amanda Sullivan
I could be a small part of that — sharing their stories with you. Thank you for your readership. It has been an honor serving you as the Liberty Champion’s 2011-12 Feature Editor.
Dominique McKay Every graduation day, college students across America embark on the life-long journey that will define their generation. Three years ago, I had that day—a perfect day of celebration followed by a perfect summer of bliss. I originally graduated from Liberty University in 2009. Unemployment ranked at 9.4 percent, America was in the midst of two hotly-contested wars and the heated debate about healthcare had only just begun. I paid no mind. I had graduated. My world was small, and my life was wonderful. But in the years that followed that perfect day, God would open my eyes to a new way of thinking. I would learn the hard way that life is about perspectives, and that there is a whole world beyond our Facebook photographs, ever-changing statuses and the way that others perceive us to be. God calls us to be a light in the darkness, but instead we are too easily satisfied with a life of mindless bliss—of safety and security. That’s where I was three years ago, in perfect acceptance of mediocrity. Now, as I prepare for my second walk across the commencement stage, I wait in anxious anticipation of what will be.
Omar Adams I have really enjoyed the opportunity to work under Mrs. Huff for the past two years. I am glad I got to meet so many great people and cover interesting stories. I was honored to interview veterans to tell their stories and keep students aware of the sacrifices made by so many of their peers. Working with my old instructors and friends at the School of Aeronautics has been another highlight of my job. I may not have finished my pilot training, but my heart is still with the aviation program. I still have to find a replacement liaison between our two offices. The 2012-13 staff is great, and I wish them all the best for the coming year.
Shelanne Jennings Every life is marked by moments — periods that grow and shape you into the individual that you are today. This issue of the Liberty Champion marks a defining moment in my life. It marks the last Liberty Champion issue that I will contribute to as an undergraduate student, my last words as the Feature Editor and my last day of classes before I graduate. I have been so blessed to be part of this staff and to be able to serve the Liberty community by bringing news, events and personal stories that affect you, as our readers. We have been able to bring you many exciting stories this year, from the many theater shows we have covered, to Michael Tait’s return with the Newsboys, the profiles we’ve done on students and alumni for the homecoming and 9/11 specials. Liberty University is not only training Champions for Christ academically, but it is bringing in Christian leaders who exemplify the many ways we can make a difference, too. Looking back, I am pleased that
I always knew that the year after graduation would be a season of change in my life, whether it is starting a career or moving out on my own. I know that graduation is just the first step out into the big, wide world, and I look forward to it. I’m certain that the right doors will open when the time comes, and it will be up to me to step through them while the opportunity is there.
Seven years after my first day at Liberty and four years of working with the Liberty Champion later, I will be graduating with a Masters in Communication. The possibilities are not only endless, but they are out there, waiting to be achieved. God gives us the potential to do amazing things in his name, and it’s up to us to accept the challenge—to leave our safe harbors and go where he may lead. That’s our challenge as Christians, and that’s our challenge as graduates.
One-hundred fifteen — that’s how many issues of the Liberty Champion I’ve officially helped produce during my time at Liberty University. This paper marks my last issue, and I will graduate May 12 with an M.A. in Communications. The reality is bittersweet. These past few weeks have been so jam packed with obligations, expectations, assignments and grading that I haven’t really had time to digest how my life will change after graduation. Mostly, I just keep thinking how difficult it will be to pack up my office that has managed to accumulate five years worth of paraphernalia. At least Ben will be able to unlock the office supply cabinet again. Not only that, but what will I do with the all the pink pens I’ve acquired for editing? And the two voice recorders that I have “borrowed” from the Champion office throughout the years — I guess I need to transfer my interviews somehow. There are some great interviews on those recorders, too. One of them holds the first real interview I ever conducted — Michael Tait, formerly of the band DC Talk. Another recorder harbors my interviews with Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. My favorite interview, though, was with TobyMac, and it’s still tucked away on a recorder, too. The Champion has given me so many wonderful experiences throughout the past years. But more than that, the experiences have helped shaped me into the woman I am today. Although helping produce a special political edition of the Champion that went out to 30,000 people and was credited with swaying an election certainly aided in building my confidence, it was Mrs. Huff who made the most impact on my life. Her guidance and unending love and support for me have been instrumental in
my life. She took a chance on me when I was a freshman — all because I told her I would do anything, even if it meant take out the trash. She guided me in my times of struggle and never really seemed to mind that I wasn’t her biological daughter. I mean, Kelsey and I get along great anyway. Mrs. Huff will be what I miss most about my Sunday and Monday traditions. I will miss the way she “swims” through the office and talks about the ions in the air converging for an extra dramatic day. I will miss the way she ends her prayers with, “Lord, help us to learn something new that we can use for Your glory.” I will miss sitting on the opposite side of her desk eating lunch. That’s only a few of the things I will miss. There’s so much more. It’s because of Mrs. Huff that I know I can go out into the world and be “OK”. She tells me I will do great, and she taught me, so she should know. So, Mrs. Huff, if you ever need anyone to remind the future generations about what it means to truly be snarky, you know how to reach me. And feel free to still call me at 11 p.m.
1. IS BUBBA WATSON THE NEW MAN TO BEAT IN THE PGA? 2. WOMEN’S LACROSSE WRAPS UP THEIR SEASON AGAINST LONGWOOD 3. LIBERTY TRACK AND FIELD COACH BRANT TOLSMA SPEAKS AT SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AWARDS
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VISIT THE CHAMPION’S WEBSITE AT WWW.LIBERTYCHAMPION.COM. CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK. Alyssa Bockman
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NEWS
A6/Liberty Champion
May 1, 2012
Brick campaign in full swing Betsy Abraham babraham3@liberty.edu
On a bookshelf in Dr. Elmer Towns’ office is a brick. Visitors to the co-founder’s office might not notice it, might brush it off as nothing more than a bookend. However, this brick is a piece of Liberty University history. Inscribed with the words “In honor of Mrs. Erin Towns, given by Dr. and Mrs. Towns to the glory of God, Liberty Baptist College,” this brick is part of Liberty’s original brick campaign, which took place in the ‘70s. Donors paid $500 to dedicate a brick to a loved one or to commemorate a special moment or team. In return, they had one copy of their engraved brick mailed to them and another used to build part of Liberty’s campus. Towns’ brick was used for the original Schilling Center, and bricks from the campaign were also used to construct the prayer chapel and residence halls. Liberty is once again rolling out a brick campaign to pave the way toward the Jerry Falwell Library. While funds from the original brick campaign went toward a one-story residence hall on main campus that cost $100,000, the new library costs 500 times as much. While most people may not be able to donate thousands to the library to get a study room or book tower named after them, the brick campaign is a more affordable way to get involved. The campaign is driven by the Marketing Department, formerly known as the Office of Promo-
Betsy Abraham | Liberty Champion
BUILDING — Building Liberty brick-by-brick has gone according to plan thanks to donors like Towns. tional Publications. Marketing Manager Christi Gee said the idea to do another brick campaign came about in the initial stages of planning how to raise funds for the library. “(The Chancellor) was very insistent that we include options for people to be able to give at a smaller amount. We do need the multimillion dollar gifts, but his heart is always for the students and the alumni, and he really wanted there to be an option so that they could feel like they had participated,” Gee said. A standard brick is 4 by 8
inches, allows for up to 3 lines of engraving and cost $125. A large brick is 8 by 8 inches and costs $500 for 6 lines of engraving. The most expensive brick is the premier, which is 12 by 12 inches, has 12 lines of engraving or a logo and costs $1500. To appeal to a student budget, the Marketing Department allowed for payments to be split up into monthly installments. Gee also encourages students to et together with a group of friends, a residence hall or club to buy a brick together. According to Gee, the Market-
ing Department does not have a goal for how many bricks they hope to sell. However, the success of the campaign will be measured by how many people participate. “Honestly, the main goal of this campaign was to engage more people to give back to the university. We’re gauging this by how many people choose to get involved with this,” Gee said. Already, more than 300 bricks have been bought, including 17 by Towns, who bought bricks for his wife, children and grandchildren.
“I want to remember my grandchildren. I want them to be able to come to campus and see (I) did that for them, I want to tie my children to the campus, to show them they’ve got a part in this campus,” Towns said. “After I’m gone, I want them to keep that relationship with the campus and with Liberty and all that God is doing here.” According to Gee, this campaign is a great way that members of the Liberty community can leave a mark on campus. “These bricks will be here for decades, if not longer. No matter where you go, there’s a little piece of your history in the mountain with your name or something that was special to you,” Gee said. “There’s so many people who Liberty has made a mark on, and this campaign lets you give back. You get to leave a mark on the mountain that has left a mark on you.” The bricks will be placed on the ground at the main entrances of the library. Bricks can be viewed online at the Jerry Falwell Library page of Liberty’s website. Those wishing to purchase a brick can see what their personalized brick will look like before they order. To find out more about the brick campaign or the Jerry Falwell Library, go to www. liberty.edu/jflibrary.
ABRAHAM is the assistant feature editor.
alumnus profile
Liberty alumnus receives Microsoft award
Brittany Laird bhlaird@liberty.edu
Deputy Secretary of Technology and Liberty alumnus Aaron Mathes was recently given the opportunity to accept the Real Impact Solutions Award, presented by Microsoft to Virginia at the U.S. Public Sector Chief Information Officer Summit. This event is geared toward educating the attendees on the work that is going into improving the efficiency of the government. Mathes, along with several other individuals, were given the chance to present some of the top projects in the industry. “Each year Microsoft does a U.S. Public Sector Chief Information Officers conference,” Mathes said. The conference takes place annually in Washington State, near Microsoft’s headquarters,
according to Mathes. The recipient of the award is selected through a vote of the summit attendees and is bestowed by industry peers to the most innovative and effective government IT (information technology) project presented. Mathes presented the work that his team has been working on for the past several years. “We’re transforming state government paper processes into electronic processes and electronic workflows using the Microsoft technology,” Mathes said. His team is working to make it so that filling out paper forms for various governmental reasons becomes an unnecessary step. Their goal is to allow individuals to access and fill out the documents through the internet, instead of having to submit it in paper form, according to Mathes.
MATHES
“We’re building webbased portals where citizens with an iPhone, an iPad, a PC…can fill out the form electronically and submit it,” Mathes said. Mathes and his team are currently working with 10 different agencies as they begin to incorporate their plans. The agencies include the State Board of Elections, the Department of Education, the Governor’s Office, the Department of Historic Resources and several oth-
ers, according to Mathes. “What I am most proud of is the fact that this is actually producing a result,” Mathes said. “We’re actually changing things.” One change that Mathes and his team are working on is the process of becoming a notary. “Every year, approximately 20,000 citizens apply to be notaries. Before, that was entirely a paper process and took 30 days to complete,” Mathes said. “Now, it is an electronic-based process and you can get approved and get your ability to be a notary within a week.” The change allowed the department to reassign three employees to different positions. It not only minimizes the time that goes into the process, but it also greatly reduces the amount of paperwork, according to Mathes. Mathes was not originally involved in technol-
ogy when he attended Liberty. He graduated from Liberty in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in religion. “I actually started working in technology at Liberty as a student and then a full-time employee,” Mathes said. Mathes has had about 12 years of experience working in Liberty’s IT department. Following his time working at Liberty, Mathes interviewed for the Chief Information Officer position at the Attorney General’s Office, according to Mathes Since then, Mathes has become Virginia’s Deputy Secretary of Technology at the Secretary of Technology Office of the Governor. Mathes is pleased with the amount of change that his team has been able to bring about. Both he and his team are looking forward to continuing to impact the way the gov-
ernment utilizes technology. “We want to improve citizen services and at the same time reduce the size, complexity and cost of government,” Mathes said. Mathes does not take the credit for the success that they have experienced. He credits both his team and the governor. “I don’t see it as my success, the governor gave us the opportunity and the mission to make government more efficient,” Mathes said. Mathes and his team will continue to work to give the government and the citizens the best possible options available when the two interact. “I was very honored to accept the award on behalf of the Commonwealth,” Mathes said. LAIRD is a news reporter.
NEWS
May 1, 2012
Liberty Champion/A7
Liberty ROTC cadets commission Seven Air Force ROTC cadets from Liberty will become commissioned officers at a special ceremony May 11 Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu
Liberty University will witness eight brand-new second lieutenants commissioning into the U.S. Air Force at 3 p.m. Friday, May 11, in a special ceremony at the Tower Theatre. Jared Abramowicz, Nate Cromer, Arielle Marino, Molly Morrissey, Jesse Moser, Jessica Vaughan, Jayson Warren and Luke Williams will be the latest Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets to commission out of Liberty since the university’s first class in 2007. Williams will be transitioning into pilot training with the goal of flying fighter jets. It will be a yearlong training regimen after passing initial flight screening, where the Air Force weeds out initial pilot candidates. “I would love to fly fighter jets, but I’m open to anything,” Williams said. “I’m open to wherever the Air Force takes me, and I’m excited to see what kind of flying I like.” According to Williams, pilots often intend to fly fighters but find they enjoy the flight and lifestyle of other types of aircrafts instead. Larger aircrafts like transports — nicknamed “heavies” — offer more opportunities for travel and overseas stations. Either way, Williams is looking
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FUTURE OFFICERS — Air Force ROTC cadets pose at Detachment 890’s 2011 Dining Out ceremony. The front row (from left), Luke Williams, Nate Cromer, Jared Abramowicz, Jessica Vaughan, Molly Morrissey and Arielle Marino, along with Jesse Moser (back right), will commission May 11. forward to flying for the military. “I’m kind of excited for pilot training — nervous excitement — because it’s going to be a lot of studying, a lot of long hours,” Williams said. “It’s also going to be what I love, so that’ll make me amped up to do well.” Another cadet will be stationed with her husband at Columbus AFB, Miss. Morrissey married her husband Sam — who commissioned from Liberty last May — in January, right
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before he started pilot training in March. As a Force Support Officer, Morrissey could hold a number of jobs on base, but she is currently studying Swahili for the Department of Defense. “I will also be travelling to Kenya for eight weeks for the second summer in a row through a Department of Defense program called Project GO,” Morrissey said. “Project GO is a program that enables ROTC students to study critical lan-
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guages for the Air Force.” Morrissey said it has been tough being away from her husband, but she is “extremely proud” of him and his accomplishments. “When you marry someone in the military, you have to expect to spend some time apart, but, like I said, I am so very proud of him and support him in every way,” Morrissey said. “He is always very supportive of me as well. I am really excited because
he is able to come to commissioning and will be administering my oath of office.” Williams is also looking forward to having his family members attend commissioning. “That’s the best part of our commissioning, I would say — having our families there and having them pin our (second lieutenant rank) bars on our brand-new uniforms,” Williams said. Of the other six commissioning cadets, Abramowicz will be a Financial Management Officer, Cromer will be an Air Battle Manager, Marino will be a Space and Missile officer, Moser and Vaughan will enter Security Forces and Warren will be an intelligence officer. “I cannot think of a more honorable thing to do than to have the ability to serve my God and this country,” Morrissey said. “Through ROTC, I have not only learned life skills such as discipline and leadership but have developed some great friendships. In a lot of ways, we are like a big family. I am proud to have the seven other Liberty cadets by my side to commission on May 11, and wish them the best of luck as we go off into the ‘wild blue yonder.’”
ADAMS is the web editor.
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NEWS
A8/Liberty Champion
May 1, 2012
ALD hosts annual teddy bear drive
ALD hosts its annual teddy bear drive to provide warmth and love to children in the hospital Kate Powley knpowley@liberty.edu
The Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society sponsored the Annual Teddy Bear Drive as part of its community service to give a smile and a bear to a child in need. The event went from April 2225, but, according to the Administrator for ALD Bessie Grayson, the event is going to be extended a week, so there is still an opportunity to donate. “(Community service) is not only beneficial to you, but when you get to see how other people live, you realize that helping them is worth it,” freshman Samantha Moran said. Moran bought four little bears for donation and is excited for future service opportunities from the society. Moran was recently inducted to the ALD society and hopes to become an officer. “It’s a good opportunity to help others. Alpha Lambda Delta is just a fun, organized way to help our campus and community and broaden your horizon,” Moran said. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals were collected from stu-
Kate Powley| Liberty Champion
TEDDY BEAR DRIVE — Students donate stuffed animals for the Centra Health Pediatric Center. dents, faculty and staff. Cradles and other designated drop-off areas were located around campus for stuffed animal collections. Dorms were also encouraged to sponsor a teddy bear donation on their hall. The most popular location was in the DeMoss Grand Lob-
by, where several tables were put together so students could drop off the stuffed animals Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. According to the ALD website, the annual drive benefits the Centra Health Pediatric Center, which is located at the Lynch-
burg General Hospital. Members of the society collected the stuffed animals and delivered them to the hospital Wednesday, April 15. “It’s a bit of a tradition. We’ve been doing it for several years,” President of ALD Brian Mauldin said.
According to Mauldin, ALD officers and a few volunteers from the society helped with the fundraiser and collected the bears to take to the hospital. The society has been contributing since 2008, and anyone can donate a stuffed animal to the campus-wide drive according Grayson. “I think it’s (successful) because when the university gets involved in a worthy cause, a lot of students contribute.” Grayson said. “There are even people on campus who have benefitted from it and are a testimony on how it is received at the hospital.” Liberty University’s chapter of ALD on Facebook claims that the university raised 400 stuffed animals during last year’s drive, and the group was optimistic to raise more this year. Contributions to the Teddy Bear Drive could be any size or shape of new stuffed bears. Even Liberty University Online students were encouraged to participate.
POWLEY is a news reporter.
Reber-Thomas workers treated to sweets Victoria Lind name@liberty.edu
Employees of ReberThomas Dining Hall enjoyed free ice cream for an appreciation event planned and held by two Liberty students, graduate student Joshua Minnick and junior Kevin Ng. The two decided to give back to the dining hall employees in a special way by catering an ice cream social in the executive dining hall Thursday, April 26. The event was staffed and funded by students from Minnick and Ng’s dorm and sister dorm, 27-1 and 26-1 respectively, to honor the hardworking individuals of ReberThomas. “We wanted to show our appreciation to these employees, starting with… cleaning up other people’s dishes,” Ng said. “Then we thought, how cool would it be to show our appreciation for them serving us by us serving them in some way?” Many employees came to the executive dining hall to find decorations, music and smiling Liberty students greeting them.
PATRICK continued from A1 almost 50 feet. “I remember nothing at all about the wreck,” Patrick said. “I’ve been told about it, but I can’t remember anything.” Although doctors told Patrick’s family that his decision to wear a seatbelt saved his life, Patrick suffered severe head trauma. Patrick was in a coma for the next six weeks, under careful watch at Lynchburg General Hospital. “It took me a while to figure out what was going on and where I was,” Patrick said. While Patrick was still in a coma, Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. came to visit, offering prayer, support and a scholarship to continue his education. “He told my family, ‘If Patrick can come out of his coma, (he) can come
alyssa bockman
| Liberty Champion
SOCIAL — Reber-Thomas employees are served and treated to specialty ice cream treats for their hard work. Menus at the table had the choice of vanilla or chocolate ice cream and a variety of toppings ranging from salty to sweet. Banana splits were also available. “This is a great event, especially since the students are serving us and having conversations,” Reber-Thomas employee Linda Pettiford said. Next to Pettiford sat colleague Kenneth Herbert,
who quickly agreed with Pettiford. “All this makes me feel appreciated,” Herbert said. “It’s nice that some students are serving me instead of the usual other way around.” Along with a bowl of ice cream, the employees also received a thank you note, acknowledging them for all their efforts in the dining hall. Minnick and Ng said
back to Liberty on a scholarship,’” Patrick said. Patrick eventually transferred to a rehabilitation center in Richmond, for the following six weeks. “There was no break for vacation,” Patrick said. “Every day, I was in therapy, working to understand everything.” However, Patrick had one thing on his mind — getting back to school. “In my mind, I was thinking, ‘I can’t just go back to Liberty,’” Patrick said. “‘No possible way.’ It took so many years for my brain to even get a grasp of why I was not in school any more.” “It is hard to explain to you how my heart ached,” Patrick said. “But in my heart, I was crying, wanting so much to be back at Liberty.” Patrick later moved back to his hometown of Austin, Texas, where he
worked for a year and a half to regain his memory. “Literally every other day, I did therapy. I did three hours worth of physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. I would not wish that on anybody in the world,” Patrick said. “I hated every second of it, but I kept on doing it. I knew that that’s what I needed to do.” After leaving the rehab center in Austin, Patrick took Falwell up on his offer and returned to Liberty in the fall of 1998. From then on, Patrick had a special relationship with Falwell. Patrick thought so highly of the outspoken reverend that he wears a bight orange shirt in memory of him. “In 1998, I saw the shirt in a box of Good-Willtype clothes given to the LBI (Liberty Bible Institute) class. When I saw the
their decision to host the ice cream party was about showing how hardworking and serving the employees themselves are. “It’s not necessarily to make us feel good,” said Minnick. “It’s to make these employees feel appreciated.” The event planning became a collaborative effort between the two students and staff members of Reber-Thomas
as Minnick and Ng discussed more logistical matters: what sorts of ice cream toppings to get and how much ice cream to purchase. Many ReberThomas employees were thankful for all the appreciation, and some even assisted in purchasing supplies for the event. Reber-Thomas employee MaryAnn Carlson spends most of her shift cleaning silverware and
PATRICK
rick said. “The Wednesday after he died, I started wearing it in honor of Jerry Falwell, and now I wear it in honor of him and because it’s tradition.” While he is graduating in a few short months, Patrick secretly hopes his future will not lead him far from Liberty. “I know my situation at Liberty is unique. And it’s not beyond God to open a unique position here at Liberty University,” Patrick said. “It has been a huge part of my life. I’d love to promote it here.” Patrick is amazed at what he says God has done in his life, making what is impossible, possible. “A traumatic brain injury (TBI) and a college degree are usually mutually exclusive. You don’t usually have one if you have the other,” Patrick said. “But praise the Lord that I was not only able to get an LBI
bright orange shirt, it was like glowing in the dark, and I was like ‘whooooo,’” Patrick said. Every Wednesday after that, Patrick wore the shirt to convocation, hoping that its color would catch Falwell’s attention while he spoke on stage. “While Jerry was up there talking to us, I wanted him to spot me, to see that I am out there,” Pat-
wheeling a cart filled with dining utensils, making sure there is clean silverware available for students. Carlson said the free ice cream was a nice gesture and demonstrated the hospitality Liberty students have. “It’s the simple little things, like the ice cream for us, that mean a lot,” Carlson said. “I love when students just take the time to say thank you or handwrite cards to the employees. I sometimes get personalized thank you notes with my name on it, and things like that just touch my heart.” Carlson recommends showing appreciation by just saying “thank you” with a smile because it greatly improves the atmosphere within the dining hall. “It becomes more of a family atmosphere than a job atmosphere,” Carlson said.
LIND is a news reporter.
diploma in 2003, but nine years later actually get a bona fide, real life, Bachelor of Science degree.” For Patrick, the best part of his story is yet to come, but he understands what he has been through is all a part of God’s perfect plan for his life. “The reason I think God allowed this when I was only 21 years old was because he wanted to use that as an example and a testimony to him,” Patrick said. “The Bible says, in Ephesians 3:20, that God is able to do exceedingly more than we can ask or imagine. I am living proof that absolutely nothing is too hard for God.” For more information about Patrick, look up his life story on YouTube— “The Story of Patrick Andrews.” JENNINGS is the feature editor.
NEWS
May 1, 2012
Liberty Champion/A9
Military family fun day a success
Lindsey Birchfield
lsbirchfield@liberty.edu
Liberty University Military Affairs hosted its second annual Military Family Fun Day on Saturday, April 21. A total of 190 guests attended the event at Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, according to Military Outreach Coordinator Kathi Edinger. Every military base in Virginia was invited to spend the day for free at Snowflex. Several military bases in D.C. and Maryland were invited to attend as well. Military families were able to enjoy free skiing, snowboarding and tubing and were also provided a catered lunch. Edinger directed the event and felt it was a great way to show appreciation for Virginia military. “It is important to show appreciation for all they sacrificed to secure our freedom,” Edinger said. Edinger said it was a day of relaxation for the military families as they enjoyed the Snowflex activities and free ice skating at LaHaye Ice Center. According to Edinger, two Liberty military sup-
port groups helped coordinate the Military Family Fun Day—Students Behind our Soldiers (SBS), which regularly sends care packages to the military personnel all over the world, and Silent Ranks with a Vision (SRV), which provides support for military spouses. “Students Behind Our Soldiers (SBS) came to the event to assist with Community Service (CSER) hours, but also to give more meaning to what their group is about, to be students actually supporting our military,” Edinger said. It was significant for the military families to see the student groups involved, according to Edinger. “It allows the military to see Liberty has military support groups,” Edinger said. SBS member Meredith Gilbert said the group worked with registration, setting up lunch and handing out free Liberty paraphernalia. “This shows we are proactive in showing support for the military,” Gilbert said. The SRV actively supports the military as well,
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SNOWFLEX — Military families enjoyed free snowboarding, skiing and tubing at Liberty’s Snowflex Centre. specifically providing support for military spouses, fiancées and girlfriends, according to Edinger. “I believe it was good for our military guests to see that they can also be a part of this support group and that it’s not just for Liberty students, but that we are also reaching out to the community,” Edinger said.
Drewcilla Shumake Holifield, a member of SRV, said the SRV set up a booth at the event and spoke with most of the military wives who attended. “We asked these women questions about what needs they are not getting met in this area. We were able to direct many of the wives to our group for
community and to another Sunday school group at TRBC,” Holifield said. According to Holifield, the Military Family Fun Day was an opportunity for SRV to make connections with military wives. “We are part of the military ourselves, so it was nice to be involved with other women who have
the same needs and desires we have. The military life is not normal, and it was wonderful to meet with other women who understand the struggles we also face,” Holifield said.
BIRCHFIELD is a news reporter.
School of Government tours FBI Academy Melanie Oelrich moelrich@liberty.edu
A class from the School of Government had the chance to visit the FBI Academy, located in Quantico, Va. Associate Dean at the School of Government Stephen Parke and his CounterTerrorism class was given an indepth tour of the Academy on April 10. While the Academy is not usually open to the public for tours, Parke and his class were given a unique opportunity to privately tour the secured facility. According to Parke, one of the goals of the GOVT 482 class is to produce graduates who will become future decision-makers, with the tools necessary to make rational and effective decisions for both preventing and countering terrorism. The purpose of the FBI tour is to expose undergraduate students to the world’s finest learning and research center for counter-terrorism and intelligence analysts with the desire that some will pursue positions as members of these professions in serving their country. “Liberty students had an opportunity to meet and interact with FBI agents and experience the sights and sounds of the nation’s top law enforcement academy,” Parke said. Three tour guides led the group throughout the day. The first guide was a senior agent who
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TOURS — Students from the Helms School of Government pose outside the FBI Academy building. has taught counter-terrorism at the academy and is now working in the cyber-terrorism division. The second was a former police officer from Lynchburg who is now teaching at the academy. The final tour guide was Tony Dillon, a Liberty alumnus who is now working as a Supervisory Special Agent. Dillon, who played football for Liberty from 1982-86, has been with the FBI for more than 15 years. Dillon met the class in a conference room, where he shared his testimony and life story and answered questions from
the students. Brian Sammis, a junior in the criminal justice program, mentioned how much he benefitted from the tour of the academy. “The coolest part of the tour was seeing the history that is in the academy. There are certain areas where the new students cannot step because it’s a place of honor and a way of keeping the pride in the academy,” Sammis said. Sammis also recalled the 9/11 memorial set up to serve as a reminder of what has happened in the past and to give an incentive
to prevent anything like it from happening in the future. “The connection between the academy and the counterterrorism class is the constant reminder that there are always threats out there and that we need people with many skill sets. That’s what the academy is for, to train people and keep everyone safe,” Sammis said. Daniel Desmond, also a junior criminal justice major, said that the best part of the training center was seeing the mock city center. The academy has a fake movie theater, drugstore
and other community buildings set up to train agents in specific scenarios. “I thought it was really cool how the academy gave us specifics on how to become an FBI agent, because they gave us practical steps and told us what we need to know and do in order to set ourselves up for the academy,” Desmond said.
OELRICH is a news co-editor.
Liberty CWA chapter chooses to change name Melissa Gibby mfgibby@liberty.edu
Liberty students have been involved with Concerned Women of America (CWA) since 2005. This year, the club officially changed its name to Young Women for America as part of the CWA’s new college chapters project, according to YWA National Liaison Amanda Haas. The mission of YWA is to train high school and college students to promote biblical values of American citizens through prayer, education and influencing society, according to the CWA website.
Liberty’s chapter of YWA is committed to being involved in current issues in the nation and through prayer, fundraising events and education. “We are built on prayer and action, so we hold prayer meetings that educate our ladies on the issues at hand, then we pray about them and for our nation’s leaders,” Haas said. “After each meeting, we have one action item that each member is to do. Some of the action items include calling a list of Representatives in Congress, urging them to vote a certain way on a bill, or it’s writing a letter to the
editor or assembling care packages for our troops or girls in crisis pregnancies.” YWA has hosted several large events on campus that have raised money for crisis pregnancy centers, anti-sex trafficking organizations and military aide groups. Members of YWA also took a group to Washington, D.C. this January to participate in the March for Life rally, according to President Shea Anderson of Liberty’s YWA chapter. YWA also participates in lobby days called Project 535 in Washington, D.C. through CWA’s Legislative Action Committee.
Project 535 is named after the 535 members of Congress. Each month, Project 535 members visit up to six congressional offices to tell them what they think about a piece of legislation, according to the CWA website. “We all go up to D.C. and meet with CWA National, and we are put into groups to go meet with legislative aides in congressional offices to discuss and inform them on certain bills. This last time, about six of our girls went,” Haas said. “It was for H.R. 1179 — the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act so that religious institutions, like
Liberty University, would be exempt from paying for the mandatory health care insurance that includes the costs of abortion pills and contraceptives.” “The group keeps up with legislation both in the state and at the federal level,” Haas said. “We make sure the conservative woman’s voice is being heard in both. We not only do this, but we pray about the work we are involved in, and for our country and our leaders, and finally, we are involved in ministry through the fundraising efforts,” Haas said. Anderson sees the club as an important asset to
the university. “YWA has a passion for our country,” Anderson said. “I truly believe that the girls can have a major impact on Liberty’s campus by spreading the word that the members of Congress are making decisions for us.” Female students who are interested in more information about YWA can visit the chapter Facebook page at www.facebook. com/groups/luywa/.
Gibby is a news reporter.
NEWS
A10/Liberty Champion
May 1, 2012
REMEM B E R I N G Dr . Je r ry Fa lw e l l August 11, 1933 - May 15, 2007
Remember His Presence
Remember Who You Are
Remember What He Said
The God of creation is the God of comfort. He is soverign, yet He is sympathetic. He manifests His power, but He also ministers His pity. Our God of greatness is a God of grace.
Remember, you are His possession.
Remember His Promises
God’s man/woman is indestructible until he has finished the work God has called him to do. Therefore, we have no reason to fear anyone or anything.
God is faithful. He is never surprised. He is never perplexed. He is never out of control. Remember what He said.
Our Lord said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5b.
“For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,” Acts 27:23.
“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world,” Matthew 28:20b. EXCERPTS FROM
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee, for I am the LORD thy God...” Isaiah 43:2-3a.
THE INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF GOD’S SERVANT Sermon, April 29, 2007
SPORTS
MAY 1, 2012
Swimmer from down under
catching air
Jay Sir
ysir@liberty.edu
Liberty University has long arms when it comes to recruiting athletes. Upon examination of the current men’s tennis roster one can find Estonia, India, Brazil and New Zealand among the locations members hail from. Liberty stretched its arms once again to Australia, where it was received by Jess Reinhardt, who will be competing for the Liberty women’s swimming team starting next semester. Reinhardt comes to Liberty with a wealth of experience in swimming, as well as some notable achievements during her high school career as a swimmer. According to the Liberty Flames webJess site, she has set the Reinhard Australian school record for the 50has meter fly and has comcompeted peted in the Australian in the Olympic Trials or two Austrailian occasions. Also, the Olympic head coach for the Trials women’s team, Jake Shellenberger, mentions that Reinhardt’s recruitment will add more credibility to the swimming program because of her experience in swimming at a national level. Reinhart will attend Liberty in the fall semester of 2012 and intends to be a business major. She will be part of the third class of the recently formed NCAA Division I women’s swimming team and also part of the team that coach Shellenberger describes as “the most talented of the three classes we have brought in thus far.” Unfortunately, Reinhardt was unavailable for interview due to school compliances for new students, but she was quoted saying that she is looking forward to “continuing my education at a Christian institution, as well as training with a great team and sprint coach,” on the Flames website. Reinhart is one of seven recruits who have been scouted by Jessica Barnes, the recruiting coordinator for the swimming team, this season and will be competing in the butterfly stroke events for Liberty. Other honorable mentions among the new recruits include Laura Day, who has also cleared the American Olympic Trials qualifying standards according to Swimswam.com. Emilie Kaufman will also join in the fall and holds records for the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke events that break the current records for Liberty University. Before becoming recognized as an official Liberty-endorsed sport, the women’s swimming team was a club sport during the 2009-10 season. Despite the fact that it is made up of all freshman and sophomores, the women’s swimming team has already had a member included in the Women’s Mid-Major All-American team, and has already won CCSA medals for every swimming event during the two short seasons that they have been competing. Liberty finished this season with a record of 12-2 and will head into the 2012-13 season with more depth and national diversity.
FYI
SIR is a sports reporter.
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
FLIPS — In this year’s Dew Games, snowboarders and skiiers nailed various trick combinations.
Riders take flight Timothy Steltzer, Ryan Paul sweep ski, snowboard events Brent Washburn bwahburn2@liberty.edu
O
ne word to accurately describe Dew Games 2012 at the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre is “epic.” Double-corks, double-backflips and double-side-flips were all thrown down Saturday night as nearly 20 of the best skiers and 30 of the best snowboarders the East Coast had to offer came out for a chance at part of the $10,000 purse. The games were broadcast live over the Internet and Liberty’s local television station, WTLU. Kevin Pearce and Brent Blakeney hosted the games live. Ski qualifiers started at 2 p.m. and were followed by snowboard qualifiers shortly after. The rail jam qualifiers debuted the newest Snowflex Centre feature—a stair-set with a five-foot ledge drop, handrail, creeper rail, flat-down box and a butter-box where the stairs would normally be.
The athletes had three tricks to make their best overall impression on the judges in the rail jam and big air competitions. In the rail jam finals, both skiers and snowboarders familiarized themselves with the new features, and many flip variations were thrown off the five-foot drop of the ledge. The progression of the athletes in the area since the first Dew Games two years ago has been drastic, and this was quite apparent on the very technical stair-set feature. Big air finals were the last event of the evening. Skier Timothy Steltzer came out on his first run and stomped a double-side-flip 180, setting the bar quite high. Other highlights were a switch misty 900 and a cork 1260. The most impressive trick of the evening was Steltzer’s double-cork 1260, which scored a 96 and earned him $1500 for first place in big air. This was the first double-cork 1260
RESULTS
Skier Rail Jam 1st - Timothy Steltzer 2nd - Matt Rodgers 3rd - Jon Steltzer Snowboard Rail Jam 1st - Ryan Paul 2nd - Ryan Leeds 3rd - Ben Sullo. Skier Big Air 1st - Timothy Steltzer 2nd - Jon Steltzer 3rd - Austin Tatom. Snowboard Big Air 1st - Ryan Paul 2nd - Luke Fosse 3rd - Myles Stark. Overall Girl’s Snowboarding 1st - Jessica Woody 2nd - Shannon Branthoover 3rd - Amelia Steltzer Journey 2 the Jumps 1st - Isaac Gibson 2nd - Kevin Grosso 3rd - David Ireland
See DEW, B2
Flames baseball falls to rival Coastal
Greg Leasure and Jonathan Pearson
gleasure@liberty.edu jwpearson@liberty.edu
As baseball season begins to heat up around the league, the Liberty Flames season continues to cool down. The Flames were unable to find a victory in last weekend’s three game series against conference rival Coastal Carolina. Game One The Flames took a 5-3 loss in the series opener, and the Chanticleers bullpen was a big reason for the Flames struggles. Five relief pitchers combined to
throw five scoreless innings for the Chanticleers. Liberty third baseman Dalton Sype faced relief pitchers in two of his four at-bats and went 3-for-4 with three singles and a run batted in on the day. “Not a lot of times does a team put out two sidearm pitchers, two that are pretty effective,” Sype said. “They’re not just guys that throw it up there. They’re guys that have movement on the ball. They were really good.” The Flames opened the scoring in the second inning with a solo home run from first baseman Alex Close. “He threw a first-pitch slider,” Close said. “I had a feeling he
was coming back with the fastball, and he tried to sneak one inside. I was able to get my hands through it.” The Chanticleers answered in the fourth with a home run of their own from right fielder Daniel Bowman. Liberty reclaimed the lead with two runs in the fourth, but a three-run sixth inning by Coastal Carolina and an insurance run in the top of the ninth proved too much for the Flames to overcome. “We figured out where we stand, and we learned something about Coastal,” Sype said. “They’re not the same Coastal
See BASEBALL, B2
Nate Brown | Liberty Champion
SWEEP — Tyler Cox beats a play at the plate.
SPORTS
B2/Liberty Champion
May 1, 2012
Lacrosse loses to Elon in semifinals
Quillan said. “There is a lot to be said of a team that can come from behind and knock off the No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina. It says a lot about our program.” In the tournament semifinals, the Flames faced Elon University. In a regular season matchup with the Phoenix, Liberty lost 12-11 in a hard-fought game. The tournament matchup was like the regular season one in many ways. It was hard-fought by the Flames even though they were coming off of a difficult game against Coastal. In the end, Elon came away with a 1312 win. “Elon has been a team that’s beat us for the past five to six years,” McQuillan said. “It was tough to face them coming off of a game where we had to battle back from being down.” Despite the disheartening loss, McQuillan remained encouraged about his team’s progress.
Tyler Eacho
tpeach@liberty.edu
In just their third year of existence, the Liberty Flames men’s lacrosse team participated in the Division II SELC Playoffs, losing to Elon in the semifinals. The Flames, who participated in the SELC Division II North West Conference, finished with a record of 7-3 before heading into the playoffs. Head coach Kyle McQuillan was named SELC Division II coach of the year, while Will Perkins and Kurt Tobias were named to the all-conference team. “Being named coach of the year is a testament to how far the team has come and how hard the players have worked,” McQuillan said. “Our program has worked hard over the past year, and guys like Will (Perkins) and Kurt (Tobias) are main examples of where our program is headed.” The 7-3 record was a vast improvement from last year for the program, when spent quite a bit of time trying to find their identity as a team. “Our improvement was gradual,” McQuillan said. “We worked better as a team, and we
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
TOUGH OUT— Lacrosse fell short losing a second time to SELC Division Champions Elon. were playing our best ball during our showing in the SELC tournament. We feel like we were able to put Liberty lacrosse on the map.” In the first round of the tour-
nament, the Flames faced Coastal Carolina. The regular season matchup with the Chanticleers was canceled due to inclement weather. The Flames got behind 5-1
in the first quarter. It didn’t look good for McQuillan’s team, but they were ready to put up a fight. “When we were down, it was the best time for us to stand back and look at the situation,” Mc-
“This was our first year of eligibility for the tournament and our second year as a program, so accomplishing this is great for us, but we still have some steps to take,” McQuillan said. EACHO is a sports reporter.
commentary
Colts get ‘lucky,’ score top talent in 2012 NFL Draft Derrick Battle dbattle2@liberty.edu
National Football League fans witnessed plenty of drama during this year’s NFL draft. Quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III were picked first and second, going to the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins. Fans witnessed the quickest first round in NFL history, roughly three hours. The Dallas Cowboys shocked everyone, trading up into the top 10 to get their guy, Louisiana State University cornerback and wonderlic test failure — Morris Claiborne. While many fans became witnesses, some became victims of horrible picks made by general managers and head coaches. The Seattle Seahawks should be ashamed of their draft picks. In the first round, the Seahawks reached on West Virginia University outside linebacker Bruce Irvin. Yes, he is lightning quick when it comes to pass rushing, but that is it. He brings no other skills to the table. Another pick that puzzled many was the third round pick of University of Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson. As talented as Wilson is,
Google Images
CLASS — The players from the 2012 NFL draft should not disappoint come this September. it brings into question why the Seahawks would sign free agent quarterback Matt Flynn. Also, there were better quarterbacks still on the board, such as Kirk Cousins, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Redskins. Year after year, the Jacksonville Jaguars amaze fans, but not in a good way. Yes, they got much-
needed Oklahoma State University wide out Justin Blackmon, but they traded up for him, giving away quality picks. Although Blackmon is a major need for quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the Jaguars gave up a little too much. The Jaguars made another questionable decision when selecting a punter in the third round. The er Tyler Herb held the Flames scoreless until giving up the two seventh inning runs scored by Grauer and Wimmer.
Nate Brown | Liberty Champion
POWERLESS — The Flames were outscored 16-6 in the series.
BASEBALL continued from B1 we saw last year and the year before. We feel we’re the better team. We just didn’t come up with the victory tonight.” Game Two The Flames also dropped the second game of the series Friday night by a score of 4-2. The Flames allowed two runs in the first inning and another two in the fifth inning, but mounted a comeback in the seventh. Liberty catcher Trey Wimmer and right-fielder Danny Grauer came around to score on a twoout single by left-fielder Ian Parmley, bringing the Flames
to within two. The Chanticleers changed pitchers, and before a pitch was even thrown, Parmley was promptly picked off at first base, ending the rally. “We have to get guys on and get them around and in, especially with a (Chanticleer pitching) staff like that, with one of the lowest earned run averages in the conference.” Grauer said. The Flames made one more attempt to tie the game in the ninth inning, but a double play and a groundout to the pitcher ended the game at 4-2. Flames starting pitcher John Niggli lasted into the eighth inning, giving up four runs and striking out six. Coastal Carolina starting pitch-
Game Three The Chanticleers completed their sweep Saturday, defeating the Flames 7-1 in game three. Patrick Eckelbarger was the Flames starting pitcher for the day, and he made quick work of the Chanticleers in the first and second inning with one strikeout. The game remained scoreless on both sides until the third inning, when it all fell apart for Eckelbarger. He walked two batters and gave up four hits —ultimately resulting in him coming off the mound. “The first and second inning I was on a little bit more, but I don’t know what happened in the third,” Eckelbarger said. “I’m going to keep working, keep throwing and come out every day and do what I can to get better.” The Flames closed out the top of the third after allowing three runs. It looked like they were going to answer back in the bottom of the inning after Dalton Sype came in for the Flames first and only run off a base hit by Ian Parmely, but the Flames batters
Jaguars have been at the bottom of the barrel in the NFL for the past couple of seasons, and bad decisions make bad teams. While the Seahawks and Jaguars may have made questionable decisions, many teams were solid with their draft choices. The Pittsburg Steelers made shrewd draft choices, selecting
players that fit the Steeler football mold. With their first two picks, the Steelers addressed their offensive line, selecting Stanford University guard David DeCastro and Ohio State University tackle Mike Adams. These two selections may not look appealing to viewers at home, but these picks were wise. Protecting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been an issue the Steelers have faced for a while. After making wholesale changes from the front office to the players, the Colts struck gold in this year’s draft. New head coach Chuck Pagano not only got Luck, but the two best tight ends in the entire draft, as well as Luck’s old teammate Coby Fleener and Clemson’s Dwayne Allen. Youth and talent is what the Colts needed, and if these cores of rookies are willing to work, the Colts will yet again become dominant in the NFL in the years to come. Talent is something that this year’s draft did not lack. Expect immediate impact from these rookies when the NFL season starts this September. BATTLE is the assistant sports editor.
were shut down the rest of the day. The Chanticleers scored three more runs in the top of the fifth. However, they were shut down by a pitching change in the fifth when Liberty closer Patrick Bankemper came in and struck out two batters. Coastal got its last run at the top of the sixth after one batter was walked and another was hit by a pitch —setting up a perfect RBI scenario for Bowmen. Justin Sizemore had a double in the second, which was Liberty’s biggest hit of the day, but he was ultimately left stranded on second. “They were obviously a good pitching team,” Sizemore said. “They were locating hidden spots all weekend and series long. They’ve got a good pitching staff, and they have the lowest ERA in the nation. We just couldn’t put it together as a team. We have got to give credit to them and tip our hats because they shut us down the whole weekend.” The Flames will face North Carolina A&T May 2.
DEW GAMES continued from B1
LEASURE and PEARSON are sports reporters.
WASHBURN is a sports reporter.
landed at the Snowflex Centre and just the second double-cork to be landed. There was no shortage of tricks never before attempted at the Snowflex Centre as the event progressed. Ryan Paul landed a double-backflip and attempted a triple-backflip. Ben Sullo attempted the double-cork 1080 for all three of his runs. Sullo was the first to ever land the double-cork at a Snowflex Centre. Other big tricks thrown were a backside cork 1080, a backside cork 900 and a switch backside 900. First place winners in all categories received a $1500 prize, second place winners received $750 and third place winners received $250.
SPORTS
May 1, 2012
sports TALK
Liberty Champion/B3
Nate Brown: I was media when...
Nate Brown nbrown4@liberty.edu
The first football game I covered was a 52-7 drumming of St. Francis University at Lynchburg’s City Stadium, Sept. 4, 2010. Mike Brown and Chris Summers teed off that game and made covering the story easy enough. After the game, I interviewed Brown and Summers in a quiet, shaky voice. That’s when Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. walked up to talk to then-coach Danny Rocco. I turned to my media liaison, Todd Wetmore, and asked, “Am I allowed to talk to Jerry?� “Sure, if he’ll talk to you,� Wetmore said. I strode over to the chancellor and cleared my throat. “Ahem, Mr., Dr., Chancellor Falwell Jr., sir?� He didn’t turn around. I stood there like Mr. Collins trying to introduce himself to Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice and cleared my throat again. “Dr. Falwell?� “That’s my dad,� he said as he finally turned around.
Several things went through my mind in a split-second. The first was that Chancellor Falwell is much taller in person than I expected. The second was that this was actually Chancellor Falwell, son of the Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. My voice cracked on the first question I asked him. “What did you think of the gaame, sir?� He looked me in the eye and gave me an honest answer. I asked a few more questions, and we ended up talking about the Green Bay Packers and Dr. Falwell’s friendship with Bart Starr. I left that game on cloud nine and told all my dorm buddies about it. From that day two years ago, it has been a rich and unforgettable journey. I interviewed Orlando Magic co-founder and CEO Pat Williams while he was walking from Thomas Road Baptist Church to his car and chatted with Rashad Jennings at a baseball game about the NFL lockout that hadn’t happened yet. I was media when Tebowmania happened. Linsanity hap-
Brent Fortenberry | S.O.A.R. Dunk Team
MEMORIES — Nate Brown recalls his highlights after two years of being on the Champion staff. pened. Sixburg happened. LeBron’s ring still hasn’t happened. It’s been a great two years. Thanks to Brent Fortenberry, I dunked a basketball, a lifelong dream of mine of and my boss. Heck, I’ve even got the picture to prove it. You can’t even see the trampoline I had to jump on to
accomplish it. Ed Gomes and Ben Shipps showed me what it really means to be ‘second.’ Chris Lang talks to me now. Sometimes. It’s been an incredible two years, and I will deeply miss and remember the memories I’ve
made, the relationships I’ve been blessed with and the platform which God allowed me to use. From a City Stadium press tent, to now, I wouldn’t trade any of it. BROWN is the sports editor.
Track competes at Penn Relays, Highlander Invite starts May 11 at the IC4A Championships in Princeton, N.J. On top of the these circumstances, coach Brant Tolsma says his biggest challenge will be getting his team to come back together and round back into form after these next few weeks. “The big thing right now is we need our team to come back together,� Tolsma said. “We need to get the team spirit going where you’re not out there
Paul Frazier pfrazier2@liberty.edu
The Liberty University men’s and women’s track team are in the midst of a very hectic stretch of their season as they try to prepare for the Championship portion of their schedule. The Flames still have a few tuneup meets left to compete in, as well as the all-important finals week, before they to get that Championship portion of the season, which
just competing for yourself, but as a team. When you see a teammate do well, you want to do well too.� This task is harder than it sounds. What makes this part of the season “hectic� is how unconventional it is. For instance, this past weekend, April 26 and 28, the Flames had some of the team competing in the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa., others at the Highlander Invitational in Radford, Va. and some not competing at all.
“At the moment we are kind of disjointed,� Tolsma said. “We had some distance runners go up and compete Thursday (April 26), and then come back on their own, and we had sprinters go up and stay and compete Friday and Saturday. So there’s quite a disconnect that happens at this point in the season.� Tolsma went on to say that one thing that helps overcome this, is that once the athletes are finished with the semester, they
can devote their full time and mind on the team and ongetting ready for the Championship season. The Flames will be in action next week, but then will once again be split up, having one portion of the team competing in the Duke Twilight Meet, others at the Winthrop Twilight Meet and others not at all. Even with everything going on, Tolsma is very pleased with where his team is right now. “Heading into the IC4A
event, I think we have more people qualified than we ever have before,� Tolsma said. “Our women could potentially finish higher than they ever have, and I think our men could be in the hunt. We have a good chance of being on the Podium if we can fire on all cylinders and pull together.�
FRAZIER is a sports reporter.
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B4/Liberty Champion
SPORTS
May 1, 2012
2011/2012: Big South Champion Showcase Volleyball The Lady Flames volleyball team posted a stellar 10-1 home record the past season at the Vines Center. Shane Pinder’s team won their fifth straight regular season Big South title on their way to the program’s sixth Big South Tournament Championship, a shutout victory over Radford University. The team then represented Liberty in the national tournament, losing a hard-fought match to Big Ten heavyweight Pennsylvania State University. Coach Shane Pinder won VaSID Coach of the Year, and Loren Thomas earned two COBRA magazine awards, including All-Region team and honorable mention All-National team.
Men’s Track Track excelled across the board this season, with the men winning their sixth straight Big South Championship. In the field, the men’s pole-vault team finished with a complete sweep. Kolby Shepherd cleared 16 feet, 0.75 inches for the individual title. The discus team finished first, second and fourth. Ryan Smith won the title with a throw of 169 feet, 11 inches. Kyle Wheeler broke a Liberty record in the high jump, winning with a height of seven feet, one inch. Ryan Smith won the shot put with a throw of 55 feet, 2.25 inches. Jacob DeValve won the decathlon, the ninth Liberty athlete to win the event in the last twelve years. Topping Liberty’s scoring on the track were both of Liberty’s relay teams (4x100, 4x400), which placed second. Among the top individual efforts, Leonard Robbins won the 400-meter dash, running it in a sizzling 47.37 seconds.
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
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SPORTS
May 1, 2012
Liberty Champion/B5
Men’s Cross Country The men’s cross country team won their seventh consecutive team championship in October 2011. Zac Edwards claimed the individual title, running the eight-kilometer course in a record time of 23:56. Edwards was one of five Liberty runners to finish in the top 11.
Les Schofer | Promotional Publications
Men’s Golf The golf team won the program’s second straight Big South Title in April of 2012. Liberty won the tournament with a record setting score at the Patriot Golf Club in South Carolina. The 20-under par score of 844 broke a championship record set by Coastal Carolina University in 1999. Sophomore Chase Marinell, sophomore Niklas Lindstrom and senior Robert Karlsson each earned Big South all-conference honors for their top finishes.
Les Schofer | Promotional Publications
Scott Hill | OPP
Men’s Soccer The no. 4-seeded men’s soccer team defeated no. 2-seeded Gardner-Webb in the Big South Championship, 3-1. Kyle Breitmeyer, Phillip Aseweh and Darren Amoo scored goals in the game, with Amoo’s goal placing him at the top of Liberty’s all-time scoring list. The Flames then moved on to the national NCAA tournament, where they lost a tight match to Old Dominion University in a penalty kick shootout. Aseweh and Amoo were both selected in the Major League Soccer supplemental draft following the season. Aseweh was taken by the Houston Dynamo, while Amoo landed with the Columbus Crew.
Women’s Basketball The Lady Flames basketball squad won the program’s 13th Big South Championship, defeating High Point University on the Panthers own court, 81-73. The Flames then advanced to the national tournament, losing to would-be national runner-up Notre Dame University. As a team, Liberty led the nation with a 15.6 rebound margin. It was the tenth consecutive season the team has appeared in the top 10 in that category. Redshirt senior Avery Warley finished seventh in the nation individually, rebounding 11.5 rebounds per game. Warley also ranked no. 19 in the country with 15 double-doubles. Newcomer Reagan Miller earned the Virginia Sports Information Directors Rookie of the Year Award. Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
FEATURE
B6/Liberty Champion
May 1, 2012
Runners compete in Bald Mountain 10k Greg Leasure gleasure@liberty.edu
Over 100 students and Lynchburg residents laced up their running shoes and took to the woods Saturday morning at Camp Hydaway for the Bald Mountain 10k Trail Race. The race started at 8 a.m. near the camp lake. The 6.2mile course led runners all the way past places like the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre and the Liberty University monogram, finishing where it started. Scott Miller, a junior at Liberty, especially appreciated the course setup. “I really liked it a lot,” Miller said. “I liked the finish line, how you get to run around the lake at the end, and I liked going below the monogram too. This is a good course all in all.” The Bald Mountain 10k was the third and last race in the spring series of races put on by Liberty Student Activities, but this was the first to be held at Camp Hydaway. The Arctic 5k Trail Race and the Liberty Mountain 5k Trail Race both started and ended at the Snowflex Centre. Timothy Shafer, a Liberty student, won the race with a time of 40:25. Miller and his friend, freshman Matt Merry, finished 13 and 15. The two considered this an accomplishment, having never participated in a 10k race before. “I did really well,” Miller said. “I never ran that far before. I was trying to train by going on the track at school, but I got sick last week. So I only made it up to five and a half miles. I don’t know how I did so well.” Many runners were impressed by Student Activities’ job of putting on the race. Senior Liberty students Matthew Henry and
Dawn Supper were grateful for the free breakfast provided for the runners. “They blew my expectations out of the water,” Henry said. Music, free T-shirts for participants, handmade trophies, free pizza and raffles for gift certificates to Riverside Runners, a store that helped sponsor the race, made sticking around after the race more enjoyable. Student Activities staff member Devin Gatling helped host the event, along with event supervisor Amanda Jacobsen and race supervisor Josh Yeoman. “It takes a lot to run,” Gatling said. “It takes a couple of days. We promote it at least a month or six weeks ahead of time, and Josh goes out and scouts the trail, marks the trail. We work with Riverside Runners, Rehab Associates of Viriginia and a lot of different sponsors.” Medals were given out to the
Greg Leasure | Liberty Champion
SETTING THE PACE — Over 100 students and Lynchburg residents competed in the third race of the spring series. first, second and third place runners in each age group, and the overall male and female winners were given trophies worthy of their accomplishments. “All the trophies we have, we make from scratch,” Gatling said. “They carve those.” The wooden trophies featured the eagle from the race’s logo. Student Activities will host another race series in the fall, and information about that race will be posted in the fall at liberty. edu/sa. Race results for Saturday’s Bald Mountain 10k can be found there as well. LEASURE is the feature editor.
5k to raise autism awareness Father hosts race in honor of autistic son Kayla Gurley kgurley@liberty.edu
The Coleman’s Run 5K race for autism awareness will be held May 5 at 9 a.m., and nobody is happier about it than Dr. Clark Zealand. For Zealand, an assistant professor of sports management and race director for Eco-X, a passion for running and his love for his 10-year-old autistic son Coleman led to his idea to do the Coleman’s Run in order to support the many families that autism affects and to make the community aware of the options for help that are available to them. The race will begin at the Aid Station at 1035 Avalon Drive in Forest, and the proceeds will benefit Educational Solutions of Central Virginia, a local non-profit organization that provides resources to families who have autistic children or loved ones, according to a press release sent out earlier this month. “When Coleman was diagnosed with autism, my wife and I were like, ‘what now?’” Zealand said. “Through this event, families who were in our exact situation can find resources they need to help their own children who are affected by autism, and can gain support by talking with other families, such as mine.” According to Zealand, the cost to run in the race is $30, and he encourages even people who are not runners to at least donate because all proceeds go to help a cause that is near and dear to his heart. “Educational Solutions of Central Virginia has helped my family, and Coleman especially, in a tremendous way,” Zealand said. “My wife homeschools both Coleman and his sister, and Educational Solutions of Central Virginia guided us with what curriculum to use to best teach Coleman.” According to autismspeaks.org, recent national statistics show that one in every 88 children is diagnosed with autism yearly, topping leukemia and AIDS combined. For this reason, Zealand said that autism education and awareness needs to be brought to the forefront of people’s minds. “Autism is tough, but there is something we as parents can do,” Zealand said. “We can learn what our options are and what resources are out there.”
Michael Johnson| Liberty Champion
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HELPING OUT — Libety professor Clark Zealand was inspired to hold a 5K to benefit families caring for a loved one with autism. One of these resources, in addition to Educational Solutions of Central Virginia, is the Blue Ridge Autism and Achievement Center located in Blue Ridge, Va. The center’s executive director, Angela Leonard, has a 16-year-old son with autism, and she agrees that getting the right resources to help children with autism makes all the difference in the world. “I always tell parents that no one will fight harder for their child than they will,” Leonard said. “Whatever it takes to get them the training and help they need to be able to function normally as an adult should be done.” Zealand said the Coleman’s Run 5K will be more than just another race. It will be an event where supporters can choose to either walk, be involved in the actual run, or simply bring their families to observe the race while they visit the various booths set up by autism centers and resources available locally. For more information about the Coleman’s Run 5K, or to sign up for the event, go to colemansrun.com.
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www.octapharmaplasma.com GURLEY is a feature reporter.
FEATURE
May 1, 2012
Liberty Champion/B7
Alumni media company excels Award-winning Innovative Faith Resources gains recognition Amanda Sullivan amsullivan3@liberty.edu
Although the company has only been in existence for a little more than a year, Innovative Faith Resources (IFR) already has several awards under its belt. The nonprofit media company has claimed 11 awards so far this year. IFR earned seven from the Telly Awards, two from the Baptist Communicators Association and two Addy awards. The newly constituted company is comprised mostly of Liberty University alumni with SBC of Virginia (SBCV) Director of Ministry Services Doyle Chauncey as president of the group. Vice President Brandon Pickett, Media Specialist Ishmael LaBiosa, Marketing Director Chris Riddick and Videographer/Editor Brian Wood make up the rest of the IFR lineup. The team itself is just one aspect of IFR that helps the company produce award-winning products. “I love our team. We are really blessed with people who love the Lord, excel in their field of work and want to create award-winning material,” LaBiosa said. “The positive environment allows me to be more creative and gives me that extra desire to do more. I also like the fastpace environment. Sure, deadlines can be frustrat-
ing, but that keeps me coming back every day.” Despite IFR’s recent success, the company struggled in the beginning with only Pickett, one of the founders and LaBiosa at the start. “With any new business that you start, it’s not having enough of anything. You know, not having enough people, not having enough tools,” Pickett said. “The one thing we did have plenty of, which was great, was potential clients that really wanted to see if we could help them.” Like any media conglomeration, IFR had more work than the small two-man team could handle upon inception. “It was like I walked onto the football field in a tied game with only seconds left on the clock. I had no idea how busy I would be within the first few days on the job,” LaBiosa said. “That held true for me until our leadership team decided that we were getting so much work that we need to hire additional video, web and marketing professionals to help carry the load. Adding three more to our staff allowed me to focus on my forte, video production. Even today, we are working as fast as we can to keep up with the workload. All of that said, we are extremely grateful that God is blessing us with work to do.” The concept for IFR
Photo Provided
INNOVATIVE FAITH — IFR Vice-President Brandon Pickett interviews Mark Koch, manager for Nationwide Series NASCAR driver Blake Koch. came through Pickett’s couldn’t we take the media have the money. But what churches in helping them long-time friend Vince and the marketing side of if they could have access to fulfill the great commisBlubaugh, who suggested it and marry it to the finan- top-notch marketing and sion.” opening a business called cial, rebrand it and move branding and media and IFR’s devotion to misInnovative Faith Market- forward. So that’s what we not have to pay top-notch sions is the identifying ing. did,” Pickett said. prices? That’s where IFR factor for establishing the “I thought, ‘Great idea. Shortly after talks began comes in.” company as innovative. It’ll never happen,’” Pick- to establish IFR, Pickett Unlike many businesses, “Innovative Faith Reett said. “Dr. Chauncey and Chauncey realized where money is the driv- sources is not just innovasaid ‘Why not? Let’s see if they were on the right ing force, IFR is a ministry tive because of what we we can make it happen’.” track for the development first. do, but how we’re doing Chauncey had a 501 (c) of the business. “At the heart of IFR, I it,” Pickett said. “God’s (3) established for a section “We found out very think, is missions — the given us tools to use. Inof SBCV called Church quickly that there is a desire that we all have stead of just using it for Ministry Services, which real need in the Chris- to use the gifts and tools our own promotions, what was responsible for assist- tian, or the ministry non- through media that God’s if we open the doors and ing with financial services. profit, world for people given us to help promote say ‘Hey, we can help.’” IFR works to bring mar- who know how to market missions,” Pickett said. For more information keting and branding, fi- or brand and do media,” “The heart of IFR is about IFR, visit www.innonancial services and media Pickett said. “They’re al- to help ministry agencies vativefaith.org. services — print, web, and ways thinking in missions and churches and those video — to churches and or ministry that they can’t trying to fulfill the great nonprofit organizations. do great, cool, cutting edge commission,” Chauncey SULLIVAN is a “His idea was why things because they don’t said. “We’re trying to assist graduate assistant.
FEATURE
B8/Liberty Champion
May 1, 2012
Falwell Museum curator watching over history Emily Bass embass@liberty.edu
Dave Campbell, museum host and curator, sits Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in a decoratively furnished chair just behind those double doors of the Jerry Falwell Museum. The museum tells the story of Liberty University’s great founder Jerry Falwell, and, tucked inside the dimly lit corner of the museum’s entrance, Dave Campbell is yet another hidden iconic figure of Liberty. “I will be here every morning,” Campbell said. “Unless it’s raining. I don’t come in when it’s raining.” Generally, a coffee cup rests politely on the table between the two chairs while a simple table lamp illuminates his corner of the room. The empty chair beside him beckons company from students, faculty and visitors as they take the time to reap his precious wisdom. Campbell, who is a former hotel manager and retired banker for the City of Lynchburg, has been a member of the Liberty University staff family for eight years. Campbell genuinely appears to have enjoyed his time at the university and looks forward to many more years on staff. Nolan Burton and his wife Pat visit the Jerry Falwell museum often and enjoy spending time with the employees. Both Nolan and Pat Burton can attest to what an enjoyable man Campbell is and what a valuable asset he has become to Liberty through the years. Their visits are often sparked by the hope of his company. “Dave Campbell…that says it all,” Nolan Burton said. “He is true to who he is all the time. He has such a heart for people.” The Burtons represent only a couple of people touched by the life of Dave Campbell. When
Dominique McKay | Liberty Champion
REVISITING THE PAST — Dave Campbell has been serving Liberty and educating visitors about its history since being hired by Jerry Falwell Jr. asked how he obtained the position of museum curator, Campbell smiled reflectively. “Jerry Falwell Jr. called me and said they were going to be building a museum for his dad and wanted to know if I would come and work for them,” Campbell said. “And I said, ‘When do you want me to start?’” Campbell considered Jerry Falwell Sr. to be a dear friend, his best friend in fact, and was more than willing to do anything to carry on his history. “How about Monday morning at 8 o’clock?” Campbell recalls Jerry Falwell Jr. saying. “I will be there,” Campbell had said. “Anything I can do to help carry out your dad’s legacy. I want to be there.” Campbell smiled as he reached back into the archives of his memory to pull out his favorite times with Falwell Sr. He folded his hands as he explained that
there are so many good memories that it was difficult to pick only one. “Being with him at the ball games,” Campbell said after a long reflective pause. “When we went to the baseball and football games we had a lot of fun together.” The memories led Campbell to talk about his own passion for sports and how much fun he could remember having playing them as a young man. “I am a sports nut,” Campbell said. “I played baseball, basketball and track. Oh yeah, I liked football too.” Morgan Long, Spencer Fuller and John Graves are each student workers at the Jerry Falwell Museum, working alongside Campbell on a daily basis. The consensus among the men was that Campbell knows more about sports than anyone they had ever met.
“He knows so much about sports it’s ridiculous,” Fuller said. “Even current sports stuff. That’s mostly what we talk about every day from 8:30 to 12:30.” Campbell explained that he liked baseball the best of all the sports he played growing up. He played the position of shortstop and was even awarded a spot in the Lynchburg Hall of Fame for his athleticism. While Campbell loves talking about his sports memories, it is obvious he would rather tell visitors about his family. “I have been married 65 years,” Campbell said. Campbell met his wife while they were both students at Lynchburg College. “I have a daughter, a son, three grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren,” Campbell said. Campbell has lived in the Lynchburg area for his whole life and considers it to be a great
place to live. Before Campbell began working in the banking industry, he was offered an opportunity to work as a secret service agent for the United States government. However, he realized that working for the secret service would have taken him from his family and out of the Lynchburg area, so he declined. “He is quite the family man,” Pat Burton said. Campbell is also a World War II veteran and was enlisted to travel overseas at the age of 18. “I am a very patriotic person,” Campbell said. When you ask students and faculty around Liberty what the most striking thing about Campbell is, the most common response tends to be his impressive ability to strike up a conversation about anything with anyone. “I’m in ROTC, so it’s interesting to hear all his world World War II stories,” said Graves. “Even if I have heard the story a couple of times, I still learn something I didn’t know before.” In the rush between classes or after jogging up the steps leading into the grand lobby of DeMoss, each student would benefit from taking the time to sit with Campbell. He has seen a lot of things from his quiet corner—none of which he has taken for granted. Campbell is described by many people in a variety of affectionate ways. The common thread remains that Dave Campbell is a man who has always loved people. He loves to talk, but loves listening even more. Campbell enjoys talking with students and invites anyone who wants to visit with him to take a few minutes to occupy the vacant chair beside him inside the museum. Just remember, if it is raining, Dave Campbell will not be there.
BASS is a feature reporter.
FEATURE
May 1, 2012
Liberty Champion/B9
Christian driver loses sponsorship NASCAR driver Blake Koch faces funding issues due to ad with ‘religious overtones’ Amanda Sullivan amsullivan3@liberty.edu
ESPN rejected Nascar Nationwide Series racecar driver Blake Koch’s advertisement for Rise up and Register, causing his sponsorship to fall through. The pro-vote advertisement was not aired because of Koch’s outspoken Christian beliefs, according to ESPN. “The spot was declined for political and religious overtones, which we avoid by all of our standards. We looked at the website… you know… as well… at Blake’s website and do see the religious aspects of this. So those are the reason,” ESPN’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Outreach Rosa Gatti said on a Koch’s voicemail, according to Fox news. Because the Koch’s commercial for Rise up and Register was denied, he lost his sponsorship — a reality that has caused him to question other potential endorsements. “When I first found out when my sponsor couldn’t air a commercial because of my religious content on my website, I initially was like man that is crazy,” Koch said. “What happens if I get a Home Depot sponsorship, and they can’t air it because I’m a Christian? That could really affect me big time, and then it really turned into like, that’s not what this is about, that can’t be the real reason why this commercial isn’t airing so I knew that
Photo Provided | www.blakekoch.com
NOT ASHAMED — Blake Koch remains outspoken about his beliefs, even though he has fallen on hard times financially. God was up to something.” Although not having a sponsor has created some funding issues, Koch is optimistic about the future, relying on his faith in Christ Jesus to direct his next steps. “I knew He had a plan and from that point on, I had just been going with it just trying to figure out what the outcome is, what the plan is, what it’s all going to turn into,” Koch said. “It just sums it all up with faith in Christ that He’s all in control, and He’s going to out you where he wants you.”
Koch’s complete reliance on God came through a gradual process, he said. The progression began when he started racing professionally. “There isn’t one time when I completely changed my life. It’s been a slow process. The fastest process was, probably, when I started racing and talking about my faith in public,” Koch said. “When you start talking about your faith in Christ, God sometimes touches your heart that way. It just makes you grow as a Christian.”
Liberty honors Israel Emily Bass embass@liberty.edu
Pastor Scott Thomas of Free Life Chapel in Lakeland, Florida, was the featured speaker for Liberty University’s second annual Israel Emphasis Week. The event which was held at the Liberty University School of Law in the Mountain View Room, was themed “One Night with the King” and would be held specifically to honor and show support for the nation of Israel. Thomas is a strong supporter of the nation of Israel and speaks at many different events to promote prayer and support for the nation. Tickets for the event were available on the Liberty Splash page for five dollars for students and 10 dollars for adults. “It’s an exciting journey,” Thomas said describing his work to promote support for Israel. “We want to raise up a new breed of leadership. While Thomas is the senior pastor of Free Life Chapel, he travels frequently to promote his understanding of the importance of being pro-Israel to students on college campus’ and in Washington D.C. Thomas expresses that his biggest concern over the people that he talks to is the lack of knowledge on the subject of Israel. “I want to enlighten and educate,” Thomas said. “I am a Christian who sees this as part of my faith. Just like praying, reading my Bible, trying to live right, and being faithful to my wife, supporting Israel is just part of my faith.” Thomas explains that throughout the scriptures we are commanded to support Israel in five specific ways. The first is to bless Israel as a nation with our time and resources. The second is to pray for the nation of Israel and its safety and prosperity. Thomas explains that as Christians we are called to comfort, speak out, and give to Israel as well. “When I first went to Israel in the early 90s, my heart just went crazy,” Thomas said. “Visiting the nation and seeing the people made my faith make sense. I had to do something.” Since that time, Thomas has worked tirelessly to stand up for what he feels is his calling to educate a not always willing people group the importance and blessing
Ryan Perry | Liberty Champion
SUPPORTING ISRAEL — The second annual Israel Emphasis Week included numerous events. behind supporting Israel. “I run into a lot of people who don’t care or are just disinterested in learning about Israel,” Thomas said. “People also don’t want to repent and relearn their theology.” Thomas continues to passionately work to educate Americans on the issues Israel is currently facing and how they can get involved today. Specifically for college students, Thomas suggests joining Christians United for Israel and learning to be as informed on the issues as possible. “So often people rely on just the scriptures to defend themselves, but we are often interacting with people who don’t know scripture,” Thomas said. “We have to deal in the real world and factually correct.” Thomas encourages all people to practice support of Israel and promotes that God is faithful to those who heed this commandment sprinkled throughout scripture. BASS is a feature reporter.
Koch’s responsibility as an outspoken Christian athlete is not limited to his on-stage presence, but extends into his fans’ lives. “There’s more to being a Christian than going on stage and sharing your stories when you get a chance,” Koch said. “It’s about sharing the love of Christ. It’s taking an extra five minutes to talk with a fan or keeping a smile on your face no matter what happens.” But even more than taking time to meet with fans, Koch’s
Christian lifestyle dictates how he handles struggles. “There’s some challenges like losing sponsorships and handling those,” Koch said. “And the answer to all that stuff is just being in prayer and listening to what God is trying to tell you to do. Everything you do make sure it glorifies Christ.” For more information about Blake Koch, visit his website www.blakekoch.com. SULLIVAN is a graduate assistant.
FEATURE
MAY 1, 2012
Student musician pursues dream Noisetrade users tune into Jane Marczewski who is turning her singing and songwriting talent into a career
Courtney Wiest cwiest@liberty.edu
For as long as junior communications major Jane Marczewski can remember, she has wanted to be a singer. Her dream has started to come true, as she has recently become the No. six download on Noisetrade, rising above artists such as Jars of Clay, Matt Maher and the Civil Wars. The website allows artists to make their music available to be downloaded for free and gives users the opportunity to leave a tip for the artist. “I put my EP (extended play) online on a whim,” Marczewski said. “I was definitely shocked.” Marczewski, whose name is pronounced “Mar-chess-key,” released her EP, which is called Lines. It includes three original acoustic songs. She is currently working on more songs and hopes to record an album this summer. “Also, I have plans to shoot a music video in Los Angeles,” Marczewski said. Growing up involved in the kids’ church choir, she performed in musicals. After auditioning for a city American Idol contest, Marczewski started pursuing other opportunities to sing. “I thought for most of my life that I would become a worship leader,” Marczewski said. “As I wrote more and more songs, I realized that they weren’t worship songs. They were stories, feelings and messages.” Marczewski has high hopes for her future. “I have come to the realization that there is a calling for my life,” Marczewski said. “I don’t know where I will go with it, but I have made the decision to be a good steward of the gifts that God has given me.” She believes God has given her the messages to deliver, hands to
Raquel Harmon | Liberty Champion
MOVING UP THE CHARTS — Marczewski became the sixthmost downloaded artist on Noisetrade. play guitar, a voice to sing with and a mind to hear music before it is played. She wishes to live her life with an eternal mindset and spend her life on ministry and people. “It’s scary to step out and pursue this, but just because I’m scared doesn’t mean I’m going to stay home where I’m safe,” Marczewski said. Marczewski’s biggest musical inspiration is Brooke Fraser, a singer and songwriter from New Zealand. Fraser has written worship songs for Hillsong Church. “She is a Christian musician performing under a secular record label, using her platform to bring glory to God,” Marczewski said. “Most of her songs have no mention of God or Jesus. However, her music gives hearers a hope, a vision, a prayer for some-
thing more than this life.” After being accepted to Ohio State University, her mom suggested she check out Liberty University. Marczewski was open to the idea, and that summer she made the trip down to see the school. “I loved the campus and was drawn by the excitement of a big-campus experience that was also Christian. I was sold,” Marczewski said. Her upcoming show is on Friday, May 4, at 8 p.m. It will be at 1202 Main St. in Lynchburg. Students can check out her Facebook page and download her free EP on Noisetrade.
WIEST is a feature reporter.
Volleyball Beach Bash an overnight success Justin Berry
jlberry2@liberty.edu
With the sun setting and a slight breeze blowing, teams huddled together and shouted cheers in preparation for the Beach Bash volleyball tournament 2012, which would last almost an entire night. The Beach Bash started at 6 p.m. on Friday and lasted until around 6 a.m. Saturday morning, with the championship round beginning at close to 4:30 a.m. “Our main goal is to promote the women’s volleyball team, and this gives students a great chance to meet them and hang out some,” Beach Bash Event Coordinator Ryan Culkin said. Ten members of the Liberty Flames women’s volleyball team took part as referees for the games in the tournament. Four new sandy courts at Campus East was where the tournament took place, providing students a place where they could keep all eyes on the happenings between their friends and the other teams. “We just came to hang out and watch friends take home the trophy and enjoy the beautiful weather,” said senior Samuel Seaborn. “Maybe even get a little tan.” The courts were littered with bright colors of pink, red and even neon green.
Victoria Brunner | Liberty Champion
UP ALL NIGHT — Students sacrificed sleep for fun Friday night in pursuit of the title of Beach Bash champion. These explosions of colors represented the teams that were excited to compete. Team CH’YYEEAH was one of the groups that sought the road to victory this year, and certainly showed it through their unity as a team. “The sand is cold and it’s really intimidating, but we’re doing it for the story,” team CH’YYEEAH’s captain Zachary Boyd said. Other students had stories of their own to tell, but all with one thing in their thoughts: winning the
Beach Bash. “I’m out here enjoying this because I get to dominate volleyballs into the sand,” said sophomore Austin Smith. “Good food and good times with friends, but hopefully going home as the champions.” Other students showed excitement to just be in attendance having something to take their minds off of the last few weeks of school. “I’ve been excited for it all day, and it’s very refreshing and fun,” fresh-
man Alyssa Wheeler said. “It’s a nice break from the upcoming exams.” Each team was competing for the title of champion of Beach Bash 2012. Prizes for the winning team also included gift certificates from local businesses around Lynchburg, as well as a Mikasa volleyball for each member. Second place teams would get Mountain Dew duffle bags and third place winners would all get Mountain Dew T-shirts. Pepsi sponsored the Beach Bash tournament
this year, providing the Mountain Dew T-shirts and duffle bags as well as free Mountain Dew on the sidelines. Sodexo stopped in around 10:30 p.m. to provide free food and drinks to those in attendance. “We just wanted a good opportunity to use these new state of the art courts and give students an opportunity to do a cool late night activity,” Culkin said. Culkin also mentioned that a special pre-announcement was being made at the Beach Bash.
“On Wednesday, Club Sports is announcing that there will be a men’s and women’s beach volleyball team for next year,” Culkin said. As the sun dropped behind the mountain ridge, the air temperature began to drop too. However, that did not stop the teams of students from the pursuit of fun and ultimately winning the tournament.
BERRY is a feature reporter.