Vote Today!
2 1 0 2
Dew Games B1
LIBERTY CHAMPION Today: T.Storms 81/62 Tomorrow: T.Storms 85/62
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Libertychampion.com
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
Sports
Events
Derrick Battle breaks down NFL draft highlights. B2
Student musician releases top 10 song on music site Noisetrade. B10
NFL Draft report
Career beginning
News Opinion Sports Feature
A1 A4 B1 B10