Liberty Champion Nov. 1, 2011

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

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Volume 29 • Issue 08

New parking plan presented

Ashley Bollinger

akbollinger@liberty.edu

Commuter students will have the opportunity to vote on whether a new parking plan designed by the administration will be put into effect next spring.

Liberty University’s administration met Friday to address the parking complaints voiced by students and to finalize a solution.

Because of the increase of students on main campus, parking issues have arisen primarily surrounding the commuter parking lots.

“At the beginning of the semester, we received many complaints from commuters who said they were searching for a parking space for 45 minutes or longer, causing them to be late for class,” Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. said. “I asked the Provost to ask all professors to excuse commuters

VOTE!

for any absences (or for being late) in the first three weeks of the semester, thinking that the problem would subside after a few weeks like it has every other semester.”

However, now nearly 11 weeks into the academic year, the administration has yet to stop receiving complaints, according to Falwell.

Richard Martin, who initially created the current parking process, said that the

Meet the candidates

See PARKING, A6

tunnel vision

Steve Newman Jenna Vanden Brook jvandenbrook@liberty.edu

Les Schofer

LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL — Liberty’s new pedestrian tunnel has entered into the final stage of construction, marked by the opening of the Wards Road entrance that took place last week.

Pedestrian tunnel break-through

Sen. Steve Newman, a 15-year state Senate veteran, seeks reelection as the 23rd District Virginia State Senator.

Newman, 46, is the Republican incumbent for the 23rd District, which includes Lynchburg and Bedford, AmNEWMAN herst and Campbell counties.

Newman’s democratic opponent is Robert Short Sr. Newman was elected into the Virginia State Senate in 1996, and he has also served on the Lynchburg City Council for three years and the Virginia House of Delegates for four years, according to a survey on Short and Newman published by the Altavista Journal.

See NEWMAN, A3

Wards Road entrance of pedestrian tunnel opened up, on track for December use Katherine Lacaze name@liberty.edu

Liberty University’s in-process pedestrian tunnel, connecting the main campus to Wards Road, finally saw a break-through Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Construction workers opened the Wards Road entrance of the pedestrian tunnel with Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife, Becki, in attendance, according to the Liberty News Service.

“Falwell and his wife, Becki, entered on Liberty’s side behind the Vines Center and walked the full length of the tunnel before Falwell kicked out some boards that protected the Wards Road side during construction,” the Liberty News Service stated. Falwell drove through the tunnel later in the week.

The pedestrian tunnel, which will cost roughly $2 million according to Director of Planning and Construction Charles Spence, runs underneath the Norfolk

Southern railroad track at the back of the campus. It empties out near Panera Bread and the pedestrian bridge that runs from Panera Bread to Sam’s Club. According to WDBJ7.com, construction on this tunnel began about three months ago.

The tunnel, when completed, will look similar to the one that connects East Campus to Main Campus, although not identical. Spence said that the new tunnel will have ribbed walls, instead of smooth, and, if funding allows, it will have an overall more Jeffersonian appearance.

These projects, both the tunnel and the bridge, were originally undertaken for the safety of the Liberty students and specifically to deter them from crossing over the railroad tracks and Wards Road to leave Liberty’s campus, according to Falwell and Spence.

Falwell said that students will soon not even have the option of using any other access point, since there are plans to build a fence along both the railroad tracks and

in the median of Wards Road.

However, the pedestrian bridge has the extra advantage of providing students with easier access to the businesses along Wards Road, which will be beneficial for them, according to Spence.

The pedestrian bridge across Wards Road has been in use since the beginning of last week. However, Spence said that the City of Lynchburg is planning an official opening date at some point in November. The opening of the tunnel will follow within a few months. Spence said at this point, the tunnel is basically installed and now the construction crew is working on the finishing touches, such as lighting and sidewalks.

“We are hoping to have it open early in December,” Spence said. “Hopefully before the kids go home for Christmas.

By the spring semester of 2012, the bridge will be ready for full-fledged use.

Robert Short Katherine Lacaze name@liberty.edu

A self-defined small-government and libertarian Democrat, Robert W. T. Short Sr., 24, is running against Republican incumbent Steve Newman for position of 23rd District Senate seat for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Short currently lives in Bedford with his wife SHORT Amanda and three children, Rebecca, 3; T.J., 2; and Andy, 6 months old.

Short, a student who is on sabbatical from Liberty University for a semester to run for office, an Iraq war veteran and a member of the Virginia National Guard, entered the race Aug.

See SHORT, A3

Lacaze is the news editor.

INSIDE THE CHAMPION

News

Dorm Fire

Students act quickly to put out kitchen fire in male quad. A2

Sports

Events

Thomas and the Lady Flames tested their mettle against Radford. B1

Little Shop of Horrors brings satire and ethics into play. B8

Dig Deep

Acting Out

News Opinion Sports Feature

National Collection Week November 14-21 www.samaritanspurse.org

A1 A4 B1 B8

NEWS

A2/Liberty Champion

November 1, 2011

Council takes on hard issues Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu

Photo Provided

FIRE — A mishap involving deep-fried Kit-Kat bars led to a fire in Dorm 32 on the Main Campus Circle.

Kitchen fire threatens South Campus Brittany Laird bhlaird@liberty.edu

The shrill sound of a fire alarm that every dorm resident dreads hearing went off in male Dorm 32 shortly after 9 p.m. last Monday. This time it was not a drill.

Quad residents swarmed out of the smoke-filled building and into the surrounding parking lots.

The wide-eyed, confused students stood far enough away to escape the smoke, but close enough to watch the building as smoke began pouring out of the windows.

“There was smoke rolling out of the front door even though it was closed,” first-year grad student Sean Dalton said.

Dalton had been visiting a friend when the fire alarm sounded. He and the residents of the dorm initially believed it to be just another fire drill. They soon discovered that there was a fire in the kitchen on the first floor of the quad.

“The alarm started going off, but we just thought it was a drill,” sophomore Andrew Walters said.

“Then smoke started filling the stairwell and the RAs screamed for us to get

“I was just thinking the whole time, ‘Don’t be my dorm.’”

— DANIEL MOORE

out.”

Mark Dickson, one of the dorm’s Resident Assistants (RA), ran into the kitchen to find out what had triggered the alarm.

The sight that greeted him in the smoke-filled kitchen was far from what he expected.

The fire was a result of an attempt to deep-fry KitKat bars gone wrong, according to Dalton.

“This pot exploded in flames and then there was fire on the walls and stove,” Dickson said.

As students evacuated the building, several of them got a glimpse of the kitchen and the rapidly growing fire.

“There were flames engulfing the cabinets,” sophomore Wesley Foster said.

Several of the guys who were on the upper levels of the dorm were unaware of the fire until they reached the stairwell. As they attempted to leave the building, the smoke continued to build.

“As soon as you got down into the thick of the smoke, you couldn’t see.

You could barely breathe,” sophomore Charlie Allocco said.

“Mark, the RA, ran in with a fire extinguisher but ran back out and screamed for everyone to get out,” Walters said.

Armed with fire extinguishers, Dickson and senior Cody Burke worked to put the fire out three times before it remained fully extinguished. Their quick action ensured the full evacuation of the building and minimized the damages caused by the fire.

Lynchburg Fire Department responded to the calls placed by the students and was on the scene within 10 minutes, according to Walters.

Eleven emergency vehicles responded to the emergency call. The multiple fire trucks and ambulances driving through campus grabbed the attention of more than a few curious onlookers.

“I heard the fire sirens and I opened up my blinds and there were lights flashing everywhere,” freshman Lindsay Crawford said.

She and freshman Lauren Baugniet watched the event unfold from the safety of dorm 33, across the parking lot from the burning male dorm.

“It looked like it was really bad,” Baugniet said.

“There were like four or five fire trucks, and then they kept coming. It was a huge response.”

Sophomore Daniel Moore, who lives next door to dorm 32, was returning from the computer lab when he saw the emergency vehicles heading in the direction of South Campus.

“I was just thinking the whole time, ‘Don’t be my dorm. Don’t turn there,’” Moore said.

After the safety of the dorm was determined, students were allowed to return to what they had been doing before the alarm sounded, minus the deepfrying.

Dickson is proud of how well the guys in his dorm reacted to the initial alarm and then the fire itself.

“Everyone got out pretty quickly once they realized it was real,” Dickson said.

LAIRD is a news reporter.

Liberty University is still on track to receive its own polling location, following approval by the City Council during an open hearing Oct. 25.

The redistricting changes must be approved by the federal government, but the polling location should be in place for spring elections. Only students who are registered as living on campus will be able to vote at the Vines Center. No one opposed the changes during the hearing, and the plans passed the council without debate.

A more contentious matter was the proposed stormwater fee to meet strict new EPA and state regulations.

Regulations state that stormwater runoff from parking lots and other “impervious areas” increases river pollution and leads to environmental problems in the Chesapeake Bay. The city is proposing the fee be included with landowners’ water bills starting July 2012. While the fee is mandatory because of federal regulations, debate centered on the fee amount, how the money would be used and whether it ought to be sent to landowners or tenants.

EPA and Several Lynchburg residents voiced support or dissent with the fee, state regulaand the City Council debated the is- tions to be sue for nearly two hours. addressed by “We have a $120 million bill look- City Council ing at us possibly, and a lot of it is in upcoming unknown,” Councilmember Jeff meetings.

Helgeson said. “$120 million to the little City of Lynchburg — 50 square miles. Just think, $120 million for 50 square miles. You extrapolate that out over all the square miles across the country — wow, it’s hard to even fathom how much money that is.”

Councilmembers voiced frustration with the federal regulations in particular. Turner Perrow Jr., a professional civil engineer, argued that the EPA’s computer model used as the basis for the regulations is critically flawed “at the micro level” where it pertains to individual cities.

“This is a mandate and we have to comply with it, but I’m going to comply kicking and screaming,” he said.

Current fee amounts proposed by the city would be $4 for average-sized houses, but the amount would fluctuate based on lot size. Zones with large amounts of “impervious area” like Liberty University would have to pay $.15 per 100 square feet, which could amount to more than $200,000 per year from the University’s budget. Retail and grocery stores will also have to pay huge fees that will likely be passed on their customers in the form of higher prices.

Helgeson suggested the Council table the measure until Dec. 13. Certain changes to the bill were recommended, and the city manager was asked to return with two versions to vote on in December.

FYI

ADAMS is the web editor.

Lynchburg airport receives grant money to lure new airline

Tabitha Cassidy

tcassidy@liberty.edu

New wings might be coming to the Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH).

The Virginia Department of Transportation (DOT) recently awarded the Lynchburg Regional Airport a $700,000 federal grant as part of their small community air service development program for 2011.

The grant given to Lynchburg, according to a news release from DOT, was only conditionally selected since the amount awarded was less than the city requested. DOT Air Service Development Program was able to award $15 million to 29 communities that met their requirements.

Lynchburg Regional

Airport Director Mark Courtney said that the grant is valid for up to three years and that the airport is currently only able to pursue AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of Southwest Airlines in Dallas, with the grant money.

However, Courtney said, that does not mean the airport is not actively seeking other airlines to fly out of Lynchburg.

“We’re looking at a number of prospects that might possibly consider adding service,” Courtney said.

After losing Delta Airlines in 2010, US Airways, according to the Lynchburg Regional Airport website, became the only airway to fly out of the city to any connecting areas. The airport went from 400 daily departure seats

Jenny House | Liberty Champion

EXPANDING — LYH to pursue AirTran Airways as competitor for US Airways. to 300, Courtney said. breaks from school. HavBecause fewer flights and ing more airlines in the seats are available for pas- Lynchburg Regional Airsengers, the airport has lost port would mean more opportunities for frequent some revenue.

Passengers, such as fliers to depart from a Liberty University senior closer location than RoaChelsea Thompson, are noke, Va., the next closest forced to travel great dis- airport.

“It would be a lot more tances to find connecting flights to their primary convenient,” Thompson locations over extended said when asked about

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whether more airlines in Lynchburg would be beneficial.

While the grant given to the Lynchburg Regional Airport can only be used for AirTran Airways, Courtney suggested that the airport would like DOT to allow the airport to extend the money to other airlines as well.

“We certainly would like to pursue the possibility of mending our grant to allow it to be applied to a second airline, any second airline,” Courtney said.

Lynchburg’s new grant money is only one way the Lynchburg Regional Airport hopes to lure prospective airlines to its gates.

Currently, the airport’s primary prospective candidate for possible future air services is United Airlines, a subsidiary of United

Continental Holdings, according to Courtney. Professionals at the airport are in the process of creating a detailed market forecast to bring to the headquarters of United Continental Holdings in Chicago.

With some $36 million in improvements to the airport over the past 10 years, the offer should be enticing to airline providers, Courtney said. If United Airlines decides to join the Lynchburg Regional Airport, then there is the possibility of having a direct express service from Lynchburg to Dallas, he said.

“In terms of our local air service needs and providing those local air service needs, this airport is critical,” Courtney said.

CASSIDY is a news reporter.

The Champion encourages community members to submit letters to the editor on any subject. Letters should not exceed 400 words and must be typed and signed. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Letters and columns that appear are the opinion of the author solely, not the Champion editorial board or Liberty University.

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

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NEWS

November 1, 2011

Liberty Champion/A3

Alumnus channels students’ ‘Potential Inside’ Liberty’s National Broadcasting Society chapter hosts movie night fundraiser Jessica Rowell jrowell@liberty.edu

Liberty alumnus Scotty Curlee spoke to students on Friday at The National Broadcasting Society’s fundraising Movie Night, which featured his nominated film, “The Potential Inside.”

As the producer, director and lead role of the film, Curlee gave those in attendance the unique opportunity to hear his story and directly learn from his experience in the film industry.

“I knew that I wanted to have a ‘life work,’ something that could potentially

have a lasting impact on the lives of people. But I didn’t have a set plan on getting into the film industry,” Curlee said.

“The Potential Inside” traces the journey of a professional biker who seeks to reconcile struggles in his faith. The sports backdrop holds a deep plotline that addresses human struggles particularly relevant to the Christian faith.

“The goal was to develop…a story about being a Godly father, a loving husband, while having the correct priorities in life as a believer. It’s a tall order and you see in the film that the main character doesn’t get it all right... at least not in

the beginning,” Curlee explained. “It is through the purifying process as a believer that God shapes him into the husband, father and ultimately, the Christian that he needs to be.”

He describes the movCURLEE ie as a story that everyone can identify with and firmly believes in creating movies established on experience or research. Curlee himself is an avid cyclist of 18 years who competed in the 1992 Olympic trials.

He now devotes his time to creating faith-based films out of Virginia. Curlee’s work with Abandon films led to the production of “The Potential Inside” as the first film in a series of five films that are

dedicated to “changing the world through cinema.”

The religiously focused film has been warmly received, even on a global scale.

Curlee said the film had been nominationed at seven worldwide festivals, including locations in the United States, Italy and South America.

“The most rewarding thing about what we do are the emails we received from people whose lives have been positively impacted through the film … that is Holy Spirit working in people’s hearts,” Curlee said. “I pray that our next film will have the same or even greater impact on the world.”

Rowell is a news reporter.

Photo Provided

NEWMAN FAMILY — Steve Newman pictured with wife, Kim, and sons.

NEWMAN continued from A1 Newman said that he has been involved in the writing and passing of numerous bills and legislation throughout his career, including carrying the Medical Malpractice Insurance Legislation, which saves small businesses in their medical insurance costs. Among many other movements, he authored the Marriage Amendment that was passed into Virginia’s constitution and carried Gov. Bob McDonnell’s Economic Development package, according to the Altavista Journal.

“In the Virginia Senate, there is far less partisanship than most legislative bodies, and most of the bills I have sponsored have enjoyed wide support from both sides of the aisle,” states a quote by Newman in the Altavista Journal article.

Newman trusts his experience will inspire confidence in voters.

“I see myself as a principled conservative, and I believe that that’s what the nation and our commonwealth need,” Newman said. “I have been at the capitol for over 20 years, voting my convictions, and I think at this point in my career, I have the ability to get much more done at the capitol than at other times. I think that based on my beliefs, and also based on my tenure, I can assist our district again this term.”

The Economic Development package that Newman carried competes with the strong economic development programs set up by North Carolina, Texas and Maryland. Newman believes the program “will allow Virginia to be on the leading edge of start-up companies in the nation.”

Newman’s approach to economic growth and job creation is to keep state and federal government out of the way.

“Government does not produce jobs, but government certainly can inhibit job production,” Newman said. “The most important thing that we can do is keep taxes and regulation low so that private industry can thrive.”

Newman recognizes the daunting job market for what it is and had advice for college students who will soon be facing the workforce head on.

“Right now is a perfect time to prepare yourself,” Newman said. “The job market in the United States will come back and those that are most qualified will be on the leading edge of getting those jobs.

I would encourage students to find their area of expertise and educate themselves to the limit of their capability.”

For the entirety of Newman’s involvement in the state senate, he has been on the education committee. He served as the chairman of the Public Education sub-committee for a number of those years. Newman, who wrote McDonnell’s K12 Education package, worked on a committee with Liberty University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. to improve higher education and defended the Tuition Assistance Grant program. Newman believes his involvement in education legislation gave him a strong handle on education in K12 through college and universities in the state of Virginia.

“We need to make sure that more

“Based on my beliefs, and also based on my tenure, I can assist our district again” ­­— NEWMAN

money is going into the classrooms and less money into administrative functions of schools,” Newman said.

Newman is also an active supporter of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s efforts to sue the Obama administration over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.”

“The national healthcare act will injure America in many ways,” Newman said. “One, it robs our freedoms and requires people to purchase a product they may or may not want. Number two, it puts government in between the patient and the doctor, which is a mistake that Europe made and America should not.”

Newman was able to get the Partial Birth Abortion bill passed in Virginia and continually supports regulating abortion clinics to bring them up to hospital standards.

“I am unequivocally, proudly pro-life, and I have been a leader in the Senate of Virginia for the pro-life cause for decades,” Newman said.

According to Newman’s campaign manager, Liberty University senior Zach Martin, Newman not only talks a great talk but he walks the walk, living out his values and political beliefs.

“Senator Newman is the real deal,” Martin said. “He is not a politician, he is a statesman. He is one of the most influential senators in Virginia…. His convictions are real, and he does this because he loves Virginia, he loves freedom and he loves his family.”

Newman is a devoted family man who said his “biggest hobby is (his) children.”

Newman and his wife, Kim, have two boys, Tyler, 15, and Wesley, 12. Newman enjoys hiking, golfing and canoeing with his family.

“Steve Newman is extremely committed to his family,” Martin said.

Recently, Newman was invited to three political events hosted by his good friends Rep. Robert Hurt, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Gov. Bob McDonnell, Martin said.

He turned down the events, all occurring on the same evening, to watch his son’s final football game of the season.

“There are many things I have grown to admire about Sen. Newman, but I think of the most striking is that Sen. Newman does not accept personal gifts from lobbyists and even turns down donations from groups that have ideologically different views from his own,” Martin said. “Sen. Newman is in Richmond for the protection of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, nothing else.”

Vanden Brook is a news reporter.

Photo Provided

SHORT FAMILY— Robert Short Sr. with wife, Amanda, and two of his children.

SHORT continued from A1 23. He said that he decided to run for office when he saw that officials were not taking a stand on issues that affect the day-to-day lives of individuals, and he wanted to help rectify this problem.

“I have always believed that you have a calling in life, that God puts a drive and a focus in your heart, and that you should follow it,” Short said. “I have always felt the desire to serve others … For me, taking this next step in seeking public office is just a way of continuing my service.”

Short said his platform has been molded to address such issues as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) controversy. This controversy involves the EPA coming into Virginia and, in order to confront the problem of pollution and dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay, “imposing costly erosion and pollution regulations on local governments and farmers,” according to the News & Advance.

According to Short, “these regulations were not going to be tailored to the specific needs of the area.”

He said that they were going to be the typical response of big government, or one-size-fits-all regulations. Short said he felt no one wanted to come up with a practical solution and put it into action.

There are many more issues that Short intends to address once in Richmond.

For instance, one government action that Short said he strongly opposes is unfunded mandates where politicians decide that they want a certain action to take place.

However, instead of making commonwealth laws, whereby the government would be obligated to fund the actions, officials just tell localities, “you have to do this,” and leave the localities on their own to figure out how to obtain the funds, which tends to lead to increased taxes, according to Short.

Other issues on which Short said he would take a stand are Virginia’s employment tax credit, the government unnecessarily borrowing money and the unbalanced budget.

According to Short, the General Assembly voted in their last session to borrow $600 million at six percent interest, which means that over the next 30 years citizens are going to be paying that money back, including the interest. However, Short said that now they are claiming that too much money was borrowed and they’re trying to decide how to utilize the surplus. Short’s response to this situation was that the state should not have borrowed that much money in the first place.

“I make this promise,” Short said. “I will follow the Virginia constitution….

I will balance the budget. If we need to borrow money, I will put it through the public referendum, like it’s supposed to be.”

Short said that he does not believe that tax money belongs to the government.

“The money comes from the people. It belongs to the people,” Short said. “It is wrong to take more money than you need to for the functioning of society, just because you can’t get along. And it is even more wrong to take money from people who haven’t even been born yet in order to pay it off.”

“I look forward to walking across party lines and reaching compromise” ­­— SHORT

Short said that he possesses a biblical worldview, believes the best form of government is a constitutional democracy and is a staunch supporter of personal freedoms and limited and responsive government.

“I don’t think the government should be all things to all people,” Short said.

One of the disadvantages in the race has been the discrepancy between Short and Newman’s monetary funding, according to Short.

Because he has not campaigned for money or gone around to local industries and companies to try to obtain funding, Short said he has faced limited funding.

However, Short said he had his reasons.

“I don’t think you should be indebted to any special interest group,” Short said.

However, Short has been dedicated in making public appearances and taking advantage of opportunities to share his platform and beliefs. The Richmond Times-Dispatch article also discusses Newman’s absence from a political debate held at Lynchburg College on Oct. 19, which was only one of the five debates that both candidates were invited to at which Newman was a no-show, according to Short.

One thing that Short said sets him apart from other candidates is that he recognizes he does not know all things about all areas of life or aspects of society over which government is involved.

He said that it is important for elected officials to actually go to their constituents, listen to them and find out what their needs are, instead of just appropriating what they themselves think that their constituents need.

“If they’re going out and voting on a bill for education, they should actually go and talk to teachers and find out what these teachers need,” Short said.

Another unique aspect is his desire to work across party lines to come up with common-sense solutions to address the problems that constituents care about, according to Short.

“I don’t care who comes up with the idea,” Short said. “If it’s a good idea, we should do it. The only consideration on whether or not we should do an idea is the merit of the idea.”

In this election, Short said that he hopes people are aware that there is a choice and to not just vote along party lines, but to carefully consider which candidate will represent their best interests.

“I look forward to walking across party lines and reaching compromise,” Short said. “I look forward to getting both establishments mad at me because I refuse to sit down and play by their rules, where you sit down on one side of the aisle and stay there your entire career.”

Lacaze is the news editor.

OPINION

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

Fixing the NBA lockout Gabe Fowler gfowler2@liberty.edu

Philip Andrews

LIBYAN DICTATOR — After three decades in power, the people of Libya took their country back by force.

Live by the sword, die by the sword Libya’s Moammar Al Gadhafi dies a tyrant’s death Clint Hayes rhayes4@liberty.edu

Libya Head of State Colonel Moammar Al Gadhafi died the way he lived: via revolution.

The man South African President Nelson Mandela once called “my dear brother leader” was dragged through the street and murdered execution-style, ending a four decade long experimentation with socialism, Arab unity and totalitarianism.

So, what will become of Libya, a land torn apart by oppression? Numerous warring factions vie for control, willing to die for disparate and contradictory ideologies. Gadhafi himself inspired such disunity. The Great Socialist Popular Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah he created was exactly as dissonant and complex as its name suggests.

“Brother could not trust brother. In any group of three, at least one would have to be assumed by the others to be a regime informant,” Robert Grenier, former CIA chief of station in Islamabad, Pakistan, said in his Al Jazeera English opinion piece.

Optimists see democracy on the horizon. Pessimists fear another dic-

tator will rise from the Sahara sand.

The National Transitional Council, the current interim government of Libya, has laid out plans for a constitutional democracy run by elected officials.

But the very nature of Gadhafi’s demise, an anarchic and brutal death, does not bode well for Libya’s stability. He is the first autocrat to be killed in the Arab Spring, a wave of protests demanding greater democracy in the Middle East.

There is no doubt that the popular uprising in favor of democracy is a positive and necessary movement in the Middle East, a region long governed by fundamentalism and totalitarian rule. Gadhafi’s violent death, however, does not reflect a democratic method of dealing with despots, no matter how vile.

In the hours after Gadhafi’s death was confirmed, people all over the world cheered and rejoiced. Rivalries were set aside as strangers congratulated each other in the streets. A great hush fell over the Libyan revolution as a collective sigh of relief was breathed. Surely, the fall of any tyrant is a cause for celebration, but what sounds will cross the lips of the people

M O FRTHE

K S DE

GER LIN L O YB HLE S A By:

It’s not about me.

Usually, races are about runners – who is fastest, who can win. They revolve around selfish ideals and competitive natures, but not Run For Their Lives.

Waking up at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday to run 3.1 miles in freezing rain is not usually my idea of a great weekend, but this Saturday I did just that.

As I sit drinking my new obsession — Thai Tea — and feeling accomplished for my ability to run all 3.1 miles regardless of the fact that I have not run since that unsightly 13.1 mile marathon, I can’t help but think of the 300,00 women in one of Thailand’s 60,000 brothels.

when the jubilation runs its course?

The eyes of the world are upon the National Transitional Council, which has already received the blessings of organizations as widespread and powerful as the U.N. and the Vatican. Despite the fragmented nature of Libya, there is much hope to be found in the transitional government. Unlike Gadhafi, whose feeble grasp on unity through socialism led to a convoluted state of terrorism and brutality, the Council seems to possess a true desire to establish a free democracy in Libya.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban KiMoon may have said it best.

“The road ahead for Libya and its people will be difficult and full of challenges,” Ki-Moon said, according to a FoxNews.com article. “This is a time for healing and rebuilding, for generosity of spirit, not for revenge.”

It will be difficult, but the map has been drawn out. It is up to Libya’s people to explore its uncharted territories.

HAYES is an opinion writer.

Run for Their Lives is a race put on by Freedom 4/24 to help fund the efforts to save these women from prostitution.

According to the United Nations, human trafficking brings in about $32 billion annually.

For $24 a woman in one of Thailand’s sexual service centers can be set free for 24 hours.

For me, this is insane. A woman’s worth is $24 for 24 hours. When is the last time you worked for 24 hours straight and made $24? My guess is never. Minimum wage in the U.S. is $7.25. That means $174 for 24 hours. That is seven times more than a woman in one of Thailand’s brothels — and that $24 doesn’t even all go to the woman.

Just $24. That is all it takes to save, or ruin, a life.

On Saturday morning, despite the rain and cold, 1,300 people got out of bed and ran for someone other than themselves. That is 1,300 women who now have the chance to find freedom.

“As we continue our fight against the injustice of this issue, we know that a life of freedom begins with a day. One day – 24 hours that can be the beginning of a life of freedom,” Freedom 4/24’s website reads.

For me, running 3.1 miles in the freezing rain is worth the chance of saving a life — because after all, it’s not about me.

The unemployment rate in the United States has been at a steady 9.1 percent for the last three months, yet time and money is wasted debating the outcome of the 2012 basketball season.

With the games being cancelled through November thus far, there is talk of continued cancelations.

Not only are players and owners losing money, but businesses surrounding the stadiums that usually benefit from the games are losing money as well.

However, it would only take the 44th president to speak a few gentle words to stir the minds of “stars” back to the reality of the game.

“Well, look, if you look at the NFL, they were able to settle theirs, and I think they understood. Players were making millions of dollars. Owners, some of them are worth billions of dollars,” President Barrack Obama said on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. “We should be able to figure out how to split a $9 billion pot so that our fans, who are allowing us to make all of this money, can actually have a good season. And I think the owners and the basketball players need to think the same way.”

Sports lovers around the world look up to these players, sometimes even looking past all the drama shown in the media. As much as it should not matter how people perceive you, it does.

A lockout only sheds light on the greedy and selfish, that is what it comes down to. People can talk about how these athletes deserve the extra money, or how they have put in the work, but think about it, athletes get treated like kings and queens. They receive VIP status to go to the after, after, after party where only a select few are invited, and body guards to protect their precious lives. It only looks like they are taking things for granted.

“They need to remind themselves that the reason they are so successful is because a whole bunch of folks out there love basketball,” Obama said.

“The players’ union made 57 percent of the basketball related income, worth about $2.17 billion in total salaries. They initially proposed a drop to 53 percent. Three weeks ago, NBA Commissioner David Stern raised the idea he’d ask league owners for approval of a 50-50 split, but the players’ union rejected that offer,” an article from the LA Times said.

Really, $2.02 billion is not enough? A survey done in 2008 by RustyLime.com, giving the breakdown in food spending around the world, found that a family of seven adults and six children from The Kingdom of Bhutan in South Asia spends the equivalent of $5.03 a week on food, compared to a family of two adults and two kids from Germany who spend the equivalent of $500.07 per week, the site said.

Wealth gives a new face to people, which is why it is not a surprise a majority of lottery winners go bankrupt soon after winning. Many athletes fall off the same cliff, spending millions on material things unnecessary for a successful life, while completely overlooking the long-term needs.

Should athletes be paid significantly more than the local grocery store bagger? Yes, but should the difference between a couple billion dollars completely rattle the face of a sport? Absolutely not.

Fans want to watch sports. Players should want to perform and play the game even more, no matter the amount they make.

FOWLER is an opinion editor.

OPINION

November 1, 2011

Liberty Champion/A5

President lies about troops actually coming home Friends and families will be disappointed that soldiers are merely moved to Kuwait Rachel Deas redeas@liberty.edu

H

ome for the holidays will not be the troops theme song this year.

President Barack Obama issued a statement on Oct. 21 saying that, “All troops will be out of Iraq by the year’s end,” according to CNN. President Obama made statements that led the nation to believe that U.S. troops would be returning home in time for the holidays according to several news sites such as the New England Post and 13 News. However, U.S. troops may not get to come home quite so soon. According to the New York Times website, soldiers are merely being moved to Kuwait, a nearby nation to Iraq.

It seems wrong of President Obama to tease soldiers and their families with the hope of being home for the holidays when the real intent is merely to hedge his bit on the successful transfer of power.

According to the article, President Obama is afraid for Iraq without U.S. assistance and is simply relocating the soldiers to the post in Kuwait.

President Obama is not the only one worrying about the nation of Iraq. The New York Times article said that military officers and diplomats of the U.S., and several nations in the Middle East, “worry that the withdrawal could leave instability or worse in its wake.”

President Obama’s concerns are reasonable considering Iraq’s internal struggles for control between the different religious and ethnic groups. The country is divided by different types of Muslims, such as the Shi’a and Sunni, as well as other groups such as the Kurdish Yazidis, according to ProCon.org. The two Muslims groups differ on the question of who should lead after the Prophet Muhammad died, according to About.com.

This initial disagreement has led to conflicts between the two groups that have been hard to reconcile, the site said.

In addition to Iraq’s internal struggles, the country also has to worry about maintaining control externally.

Iraq and Iran are right beside each other, and since Iran

Maya Alleruzzo

LEAVING IRAQ — U.S. troops are being moved from Iraq, but they are not coming home.

“Why risk undoing nearly nine years of work during this ‘War on Terrorism’ merely to see it fail, or to see the U.S. troops have to return to the nation of Iraq once again?” has a more established government, there is a concern that once the U.S. steps out, Iran will try to take control of its neighbor.

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Volume 29 • Issue 07

Homecoming weekend

Chancellor announces new library New state-of-the-art facility to honor late Dr. Jerry Falwell Katherine Lacaze kelacaze@liberty.edu

Ruth BiBBy| LiBeRty Champion

FOOTBALL FUN — Cheerleaders run out onto the field of William’s Stadium on Sat., Oct. 15, before the Flames football team wins its Homecoming game against Coastal Carolina 63-27 in front of a record-breaking crowd. See B1 for full story.

Chancellor of Liberty University Jerry Falwell Jr. announced Friday, Oct. 14, that Liberty University will soon begin construction on the Jerry Falwell Library.

The library is part of Liberty’s campus makeover and “will make a statement about our commitment to academic excellence,” Falwell said. “(The) new freestanding library will be the academic hub of Liberty’s campus,” the Liberty Journal states. “It will overlook a new lake behind the Vines Center.”

The Board of Trustees met Tuesday, Oct. 11, to finalize details about the library. According to Falwell, because of the capital investment being made for the library, as well as the fact that it will become a focal point of the campus and the center of student life and academic programs, he suggested it be called the Jerry Falwell Library to commemorate his father and Liberty’s founder.

“They (the Board of Trustees), for years, have been looking for the right structure, the right opportunity to honor his memory,” Falwell said. “They all decided it should be named in his honor, because of the sacrifices he made to make Liberty a reality.”

See LIBRARY, A8

Candidates for Virginia House of Delegates, District 59 Democrat Connie Brennan Jenna Vanden Brook jvandenbrook@liberty.edu

BRENNAN Connie Brennan is using her community involvement and healthcare background as the basis for her campaign for the 59th District Virginia House of Delegates seat.

Brennan is campaigning against Republican Matt Fariss and Independent Linda Wall.

The candidates seek to replace retiree Watkins Abbitt Jr., who has held the 59th seat in office for 25 years.

Brennan involved

herself in committees ranging from a poverty agency to the Jefferson Area Board of Aging, where she is currently active. She also worked on the Nelson County Child Care Center Board, the Sexual Assault Resource Agency and the Planning District 10 Workforce Council.

She served on the Dental Advisory Board and volunteered in her community criminal justice system, Brennan’s campaign website said.

Brennan is in her 10th year as a member of the Nelson County Board of Supervisors.

“I’m the kind of person that if I don’t know something then I have to volunteer to be on some committee that is related to that because it’s how I learn,” Brennan said.

See BRENNAN, A6

Independent Linda Wall

WALL Businesswoman Linda Wall seeks to reform the nation by reintroducing biblical truths and action into government beginning with running for the 59th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Wall is an Independent whose opposition is Republican Matt Fariss and Democrat Connie Brennan. Although Wall does see a challenge in running as an independent as opposed to being attached to a party, she has prepared

to run for political office since the mid-1990s. She worked for the House of Delegates, lobbied and fought for laws and amendments and testified in committee hearings.

The Virginia native believes that the focus of the United States government and citizens should be to turn their focus back to God. “It’ll be 50 years in 2010 since prayer was taken out of schools,” Wall said.

Ultimately, Wall believes the solution to the nation’s problems, particularly those of the economic crisis, starts with obedience to God and prayer. Wall referenced recent history and stories from the Bible explaining that, often, the result of

See WALL, A6

Republican Matt Fariss

FARISS Matt Fariss’ business experience and conservative values define his campaign for the Virginia House of Delegates.

Fariss is the Republican candidate in the race for the 59th District delegate and is a self-proclaimed “common sense conservative.”

Fariss is running against Connie Brennan, Democrat, and Linda Wall, Independent.

Some of the most significant focuses of Fariss’

campaign are lessening government regulations, lowering taxes and fighting against excessive government spending.

Fariss approaches the economy with a pro-business mindset believing that incentives for entrepreneurs, investors and farmers will stimulate business growth which will, in turn, increase job availability, he said.

“We can foster a probusiness environment right here in Virginia by keeping effective tax rates low and fighting back against the big government regulations breaking the backs of small businessmen and women,” Fariss said.

Fariss’s stances on the economy and job creation stem from his business experience. The Campbell County native was involved in various See FARISS, A6

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The troops being sent to the Kuwait post would enable the U.S. to “respond to a collapse of security in Iraq or a military confrontation with Iran,” according to the New York Times article.

While President Obama’s concerns are understood, why even bother to remove troops from Iraq only to move them to nearby Kuwait. It seems like it would be easier to simply leave the troops where they are until the nation of Iraq is truly ready to stand on its own.

Why risk undoing nearly nine years of work during this “War on Terrorism” merely to see it fail, or to see the U.S. troops have to return to the nation of Iraq once again?

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A6/Liberty Champion VOTE!

November 1, 2011

Liberty theology professor runs for office

Kelsie Knowles Kknowles2@liberty.edu

November has arrived, and with it comes some familiar traditions. Leaves are falling, assignments are piling up and Liberty students will once again have the opportunity to vote in local elections on Nov. 8. Upon entering the voting booth, some students may recognize the name of one of their professors on the ballot.

Dr. James A. Borland will run for a position on the Campbell County Board of Supervisors in the Spring Hill District.

Borland is currently in his 35th year of teaching Bible and Theology at Liberty.

“When I first came here, there were no buildings,” Borland said.

He recounted how Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. had first shown him around, pointing to empty fields and telling Borland which buildings would go where.

Borland has resided in Campbell County for the last 34 years. However, his family heritage goes back much farther.

“My ancestors were here before Campbell County was founded. They were Quakers, and they met at the old Quaker meeting house in 1755. The county was

formed in 1791,” Borland said. “Now I have a chance to get into the history as well.”

The Campbell County Board of Supervisors consists of seven elected Campbell County citizens, with each repreBORLAND senting a different district of the County.

The officials serve their district in a variety of ways. According to Campbell County’s official website, Supervisors’ responsibilities include setting tax rates, reviewing County budgets and making decisions concerning land use.

Borland said he believes the opportunity to run for office presented itself at the perfect time.

“I was asked to consider it, and I thought if there was any time in my life where I could serve and was ready to serve, it would be now,” Borland said.

Borland’s longtime friend Harold Knowles was among the first to contribute to Borland’s campaign.

Knowles, who works for Estate Planning at Liberty, first met Borland 20 years

ago while helping with his estate plans.

Knowles expressed confidence in Borland as a candidate.

“He is a great husband and a great father to his children,” Knowles said.

“Over the years that I’ve known him, I’ve watched him work very hard in the tasks he was asked to do. He has proven that he is a man of integrity and honor.”

Though his heritage has roots in Campbell County, Borland himself originally hails from Santa Monica, Calif. He studied at Los Angeles Bible College followed

by Los Angeles Theological Seminary.

He received his master’s degree from Talbot Theological Seminary in 1971 and earned a Doctorate of Theology from Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Ind. in 1976.

Borland moved to Lynchburg, Va., the next year.

The Campbell County Spring Hill district, for which Borland will run, encompasses a large area stretching from Waterlick Road to English Tavern Road, as well as major stretches of Wards Road and Candler’s Mountain Road.

Borland said that chief among his concerns for the county is his belief in limit-

ing taxes. Borland’s campaign brochure advertises that he believes government taxing and spending do not increase jobs and tax revenues. Borland also supports low property taxes for Campbell County residents, he said.

“I told my constituents, ‘I can’t promise I will never raise taxes. I promise that I will never vote to raise taxes in this county without first having a constituent meeting where my constituents in my district demand to raise the taxes,’” Borland said.

In the past, Borland has served as Treasurer for the Campbell County Republican Party, as well as Treasurer for the Evangelical Theological society. While residing in California, Borland also served as a Deputy Sherriff in Los Angeles.

“Ronald Reagan actually signed my peace officer certificate,” he said.

Borland currently lives in Campbell County. His wife, Linda, teaches science at Sandusky Middle School in Lynchburg, where she serves as department chair.

The Borlands have eight children and 20 grandchildren.

KNOWLES is a news reporter.

PARKING continued from A1

Photo Provided | Liberty Champion

HANDS-ON — Students in the School of Aeronautics Flight Attendant Program get to work with mock planes, commercial airliner interiors, life rafts and pools.

Fighting fires, manning life rafts Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu

Most classes at Liberty University do not include extinguishing fires, jumping into pools to practice water rescues or flying cross-country for a weekend for on-the-job experience, but that is just another day in the School of Aeronautics Flight Attendant Program.

The program will be two years old this January, and it is still relatively small, according to School of Aeronautics Chairman Ernie Rogers.

Students can enroll in the program as a one-credit elective, a minor or an associate’s degree. Taking the elective alone earns students their flight attendant certification.

Rogers said students love the hands-on nature of the class.

“I guarantee you that if students take the elective, it will be the best class they take in college,” Rogers said.

A room in the School of Aeronautics’ Airport Campus is set up like the inside of a commercial airliner, so students can train on everything from the galley to oxygen masks. A three-story inflatable slide is also set up for students to practice evacuation procedures. Students also train with life rafts and water safety in the pool at the LaHaye

Student Union.

“The fire department lets us put out fires,” Rogers added. “They’ll set fires out there, and we’ll take CO2 bottles and learn about fire safety.”

Current students in the program said they love the in-depth nature of the classes.

“We don’t just learn how to use a fire extinguisher and the steps to go through in case of an emergency, we actually put out a fire with it,” senior Sarah Sinnema said. “We didn’t just watch a video about emergency water landings, we got in the pool and had a life raft and recreated an emergency situation.”

“At the airport they have a mock plane with actual seats, a galley and a blow up slide that comes out over the wing,” senior Stephanie Rivera said. “We got to prepare first class meals, jump down a three-story slide, get into the water, flip a life boat and practice rescuing passengers. We also got to put out fires, board actual airplanes and talk to real flight attendants, explore the control tower and even prepare for interviews with mock trials from our instructors.”

The program focuses on safety and instilling a sense of responsibility in students, like all School of Aeronautics courses.

“We are responsible for not only

comforting the passengers but making sure they are safe, and if anything should go wrong, their lives are in our hands,” junior Jessica Incorminias said. “This is something that Liberty’s program stresses. We get so much hands on training with actual flight attendants and learn how to handle anything from extreme to everyday situations.”

Students who choose the minor or associate’s route are required to take the same courses in weather, ground school and aerodynamics that pilots have to take as well as CPR certification, hospitality and food safety.

“This program gives us a huge advantage in the field, because it is so rare and it allows us to make great connections with the pilots as well,” Incorminias said.

Students also work with members of the Flight Attendant Training Group who offer training and advice from years in the industry.

“I also loved being able to talk to real flight attendants and hear how much they love their jobs and how useful the information that I am learning at Liberty will be to me one day,” Sinnema said. “Hearing from people that have been in this career field for 20-plus years makes it much more realistic.”

ADAMS is a web editor.

current parking problem is not only because of an oversell of decals per spot in the lots, but also a lack of students willing to walk a great distance to reach their vehicles.

“It seemed to me that, while there may be enough total spaces for commuters, the lots where commuters are allowed to park are too spread out across the campus, and it was taking commuters too long to find that open space,” Falwell said.

“So, I came up with an idea a month or so ago to assign each commuter to a certain lot on campus.”

Currently, the spots in the commuter parking lots are oversold at a rate of approximately 1.65 decals per every one spot. With the new parking program initiated by Falwell, this number will drop to 1.2 decals per spot.

This is an advance that Martin said will increase the chances of finding a spot.

However, he cautioned that students may still have to circle to find a spot, because unless the spots are sold at a one-to-one ratio, there cannot be a guarantee of an immediate parking spot.

(It is a nationally accepted practice at colleges to oversell parking lots because commuter students typically attend classes at different times and on different days.)

In the new plan, reviewed and discussed by Martin and other members of the administration Friday, the parking lots around campus will now be gated, and only vehicles assigned to the lot will be granted access.

According to Falwell, the lots will be chosen by holding drawings in which all commuters who have already paid the $300 annual fee will be assigned to one of the lots in which they are currently allowed to park. Students

who are assigned to more distant lots will receive a refund of all or a portion of their Spring semester parking fee in Flames Cash.

Additionally, there will be a number of new lots placed along the perimeter of the university in hopes of oncampus students moving their vehicles in order to free up more parking for commuters, Martin said.

According to Falwell, oncampus students will be offered incentives, possibly including Flames Cash, to park their vehicles in areas on the perimeter of the campus Monday through Friday.

With the new spaces this will create, Falwell is sure that the parking 1,230 new issues that parking have been spaces are seen over the past 11 proposed weeks will to be improve greatly if added by the new the spring plan is put 2012 into place.

However, semester. because it is c o m mu t e r students who are, and will be, most affected by the change or lack thereof, Falwell said it is crucial that they have a say in the change.

“While we have received a fair number of complaints, that number is still a very, very small percentage of our commuting students,” Falwell said. “The only way we can know whether a large number of commuters think a change is needed for them to vote.”

Commuter students will be receiving an email with directions regarding how to vote within the next week, Falwell said.

FYI

BOLLINGER is editor in chief.

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November 1, 2011

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Liberty Champion/A7

Cpl. Mark Finelli: Sept. 11 survivor

World Trade Center survivor fought in Fallujah, Iraq, now studies law at Liberty University Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu

Liberty University students may recognize the name Cpl. Mark Finelli. An investment banker-turned Marine combat veteran-turned Liberty law student, Finelli made a radical career change when a plane full of people flew into his office building on Sept. 11, 2001.

Three years out of Hampden-Sydney College with a major in history, Finelli worked as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley at the South Tower of the World Trade Center. He and some coworkers stopped for coffee on the 61st floor.

“And all of a sudden you heard a very small explosion, very quiet,” Finelli told the Farmville Herald a mere five days after Sept. 11. “You barely noticed it.”

Conversation stopped, and sheets of paper fluttered past the windows. Finelli told the Herald that being a skydiver prepared him to make split-second decisions.

After stopping to grab his coat, cell phone and wallet, which he “shouldn’t have done,” Finelli raced for the stairs.

“By the time I got to the 11th floor, the lights flickered,” he told the Herald.

“There was another very small sounding explosion, very light, the building shook maybe half an inch.”

Finelli continued down the stairs, beginning to smell jet fuel coming from the elevator shafts. Reaching the exit, he checked for falling debris before sprinting for the Hudson River.

“I was on the phone, and I saw everybody’s head turn, and that’s when the building fell,” he told the Herald.

“I jumped over a gate that divided the Hudson River from the land, and, as the smoke came toward me and the debris, you literally couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.”

Photo provided

SMILE — Finelli stops for a picture with a local boy while deployed to Fallujah, Iraq.

Finelli was overseas from June 2005 until February 2006 Finelli boarded a fire department boat for New Jersey, handing his life jacket to an injured woman. When he spoke to the Farmville Herald and students at his alma mater days afterward, Finelli said he felt guilty for not doing more.

“All those firemen who, I’m running out of the building and they’re running in. The first building came down, they’re still running in the second building,” he told the Herald. “These guys are the most heroic people. And my stepfather is a fireman in New York City, so the whole time I think he’s dead. My two best friends from high school worked in the other building.

I’m not sure where they are.”

Two years later, Finelli enlisted in the Marine Corps to serve his country. He was deployed to Fallujah, Iraq in June 2005. Finelli boarded the bus leaving Camp Lejeune with the understanding “that I wasn’t coming back.”

“I said there was no way I could be this lucky — that I got through 61 flights of the South Tower on 9/11, and then I’m going to do a six month and three week tour at Fallujah in the infantry and not die,” he said. “So I got on the bus and cried like a baby because I didn’t think I was coming home. I admit it, I cried

like a baby.”

Following his tour of duty, Finelli said it was simply fear of the unknown that had scared him.

“You go to Iraq and go weeks and months without anything happening, and you think, ‘What was I so scared for?’” he said. “But people do die — the 20th (of October) was the anniversary of when my three friends in my company got killed, so it’s tough.”

As part of Weapons Company, Finelli’s job was to guard the two main highways between Baghdad and Fallujah. He said guarding paved roads was good because the enemy could only plant improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the sides of the road.

“That’s how the guys in my company got killed,” Finelli said. “They rolled over a big IED that was buried.”

Since returning from Iraq, Finelli has been a consultant for Fox News, MSNBC and CNN for both his Sept. 11 experience and service in the Marine Corps. He obtained his MBA from the Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Arizona and is now pursuing a Juris Doctorate from Liberty University’s School of Law. Finelli intends to work in the private sector for a while, but he said many people have asked him to run for office, “which is a big honor.” He referred anyone interested in his Sept. 11 story to Google his name and “I don’t believe it happened” — the story by the Farmville Herald.

The one thing Finelli wanted to change in the Herald article was his statement that “anybody who is educated or read the Koran knows that has nothing to do with true Islam.” Finelli said he only made that statement because the president did, but he now thinks exactly the opposite.

ADAMS is the web editor.

NEWS

A8/Liberty Champion

November 1, 2011

Ben Lesley | Liberty Champion

ANTIQUE LITERATURE — The Center for Judaic Studies displayed a collection of artifacts, including a 200-year-old Torah Scroll which comes from the Netherlands and is printed on vellum. It is opened to Exodus 13:3-28:7.

Center for Judaic Studies shows students, faculty their biblical heritage with Jewish feasts Omar Adams oadams@liberty.edu

Liberty University’s Center for Judaic Studies recently finished the last of three biblical feasts celebrating the beginning of the Jewish New Year. Students hurrying through DeMoss Hall noticed the tent covered with branches outside the center to commemorate Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles.

The Feast of Tabernacles was established by God in Leviticus 23:33-43 as a harvest celebration where the Israelites were to build tents, called booths or sukkot. Branches were used to form the roof and the whole structure commemorated their ancestors’ journey in the wilderness and God’s dwelling with them.

For modern Israelis, it is a religious celebration, a family time and a chance

to identify with their forefathers in Israel, Executive Director of the Center for Judaic Studies Dr. J. Randall Price said.

“It’s kind of a fun time for the kids — they get to decorate the booth with all kinds of things, and then they get to have dinner in it,” he said. “It’s like camping outside, and sometimes you get to spend the night in it.”

Celebrating Jewish feasts with students and faculty is part of the Center for Judaic Studies’ mission, Price said. The goal is to help students and faculty both understand the Jewish roots of their faith “and at the same time, use that in worship and in teaching.”

“As an Israeli, I grew up with the Jewish feasts,” Price’s administrative assistant Ayelet Evans said. “Now as a Jewish believer, I love being a part of the Center for Judaic Studies where I

can share Jewish celebrations like Sukkot with other Christians and help them see the important relationship between the Jewish feasts, Jesus Christ (Yeshua) and ultimately, God’s plan of salvation for the entire world.”

The center offers classes like biblical archaeology, hosts archaeological exhibits, has a library for Jewish studies, invites speakers to campus and offers annual trips to Israel.

Ultimately, Price would like to see the center expand — ideally to its own building. He said that a stand-alone biblical archaeology museum was part of the late Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr.’s vision for Liberty.

“We bring the context of Israel here in the sense of archaeological artifacts so that people don’t have to imagine these things happening, they can come in and see some of the artifacts associated with

the time periods and events mentioned in the Bible,” Price said.

Price has plans drawn by an architect for what that museum might look like, and representatives from Israel have offered to help with the project.

“I have a collection of artifacts for initial exhibition,” he said. “Such a museum would be unique for this area and enhance Liberty’s goal to be a world-class university.”

Price said a museum would provide a solid foundation for biblical history and Israel’s history in the land.

“Here (at Liberty) we have a unique understanding of Israel and its people and its purpose in the plan of God,” Price said. “I think that’s why we have this (center) and why it ought to continue.”

ADAMS is the web editor.

Invisible Children raises the bar Organization’s co-founder to speak at Liberty convocation Kelsie Knowles kknowles2@liberty.edu

Photo Provided

FAMILY TIME — Military personnel were invited to bring their family for a day of food, fun and fellowship at the Liberty Snowflex Center.

Military Appreciation Day at Snowflex honors men and women who serve Justin Jones jljones9@liberty.edu

In this country, much of our freedom is attributed to the brave service of men and women who sacrificially gave their lives to defend freedom and liberty. On Saturday, the Liberty Snowflex Center showed its gratitude to service men and women by holding its first Military Appreciation Day. Naomi Joseph, the event coordinator at Snowflex, wanted an event that showed the appreciation of Snowflex to those who have served in the armed forces.

“Everyone was really pumped to support the military,” she said. “It went great. I couldn’t have asked for a better event.”

The offices of Student Affairs and Military Outreach assisted in the event, hosted by Snowflex from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday afternoon at the Barrick-Falwell Lodge. Over 400 people attended the Military Appreciation Day event, meaning a huge success for Joseph and staff.

“Some of the people that were here were actually discharged or still on active duty,” she said. “So we really had them here seeing how we can benefit them and how we just appreciate the things they do.”

The event did not have a typi-

cal speaker, allowing an opportunity for more conversation between veterans and active military and those from the military outreach department to thank them for their service. Attendees were given all opportunities to have a great time of food and fellowship with each other and staff.

“We did free skiing, free snowboarding and free lessons, as well as free tubing,” she said. “We had Charley’s upstairs for catering.”

Guests were greeted by staff from the Military Outreach department and Snowflex to gather information about their time of service in the United States military. Attendees were then encouraged to participate in their activity of choice. The amount of attendees and feedback leads Joseph to believe that there will be another event next year, similar to this event, to once again honor those who sacrifice for liberty.

“We got a great e-mail from a customer that came in that said he was a sergeant in the military,” Joseph said. “He was so appreciative about how everyone was so warm and that it was a great Saturday for his family. It totally made my day.”

JONES is a news reporter.

The November winds replace green leaves with shades of gold, orange, and red, reminding everyone that sometimes, change can be a good thing. That could not be truer for members of the Invisible Children chapter at Liberty University, who have been busy welcoming a few changes of their own.

For starters, club members are excited to see Invisible Children co-founder Jason Russell speak in ConvocaRUSSELL tion for the first time ever on Monday, Nov. 7.

That same day, Russell will attend a screening of the organization’s film, “The Rescue,” at 7:45 p.m. in Towns-Alumni Auditorium.

Russell was among the original three filmmakers who began the Invisible Children Organization in 2003.

These men first decided to visit Africa on a “film-making adventure,” according to their bio on the Invisible Children website. It was there that they discovered African children wandering far from home beneath a shield of darkness, praying they would not be found and forced to exchange their childhood for soldier-hood.

The Invisible Children organization remains dedicated to aiding Ugandan children who were kidnapped and transformed into soldier by force. For Liberty sophomore Mathias Bekele, the mission of Invisible Children hits particularly close to home. Born in Africa, Bekele lived there until the age of nine, when he came to the United States.

“My best friend’s name was Yared,” Bekele said. “His family didn’t have Ethiopian citizenship so the rebels came and took them away. I remember them crying and me and my friend embracing each other’s wet shoulder from all the crying. I never saw Yared again. But to this day I still remember the promise that we made to each other: one day me and Yared would do something for those who were suffering from the injustices that they received.”

Bekele, a current member of Liberty’s Invisible Children chapter, discovered the organization in high school, and has been an active participant ever since. This year, the group has set an especially high goal as they are trying to raise $32,000 by Dec. 14 to help build a rehabilitation center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“This is new for us,” said club president Gabriella Peguero. “We’ve never had to raise this much money before.”

In the past, the group has raised money on campus to help the child soldiers in Africa, sell-

ing bracelets and T-shirts and holding screenings on campus since the chapter was brought to Liberty in 2009. But with the bar set higher than ever, they have planned several changes.

“I hope to see people come and see what we do and how it can change lives,” club member Cesia Alvarenga said. Alvarenga has been involved with Invisible Children at Liberty since February, and said she is excited about raising money for the center.

The club is also employing a variety of new strategies to reach their goal in time, both on and off-campus. “We want to go on to different halls and give a short presentation, to see if people feel led to give,” Peguero said.

Additionally, Liberty’s Invisible Children chapter hopes to reach beyond the University and into the community. This will involve reaching out to local high schools, churches and businesses. The group feels particularly passionate about reaching local schools.

“Our primary goal is education and community building. We really want to instill a better mindset in our youth, and in our community, and help raise an empathetic generation,” Peguero said.

According to the Invisible Children’s website, the Lord’s Resistance Army has battled the Ugandan Government for 23 years. This war has altered the lives of the 2 million civilians who have been unwillingly caught in the middle.

“The Government of Uganda’s attempt to protect its citizens from this rebel militia has largely failed, resulting in an entire generation of youth that has never known peace,” the website states.

Today, many of these children have managed to escape the LRA. The organization’s website states that over 70 percent of these children now suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Upon completion, the center will “provide psychosocial counseling, vocational skills and reunification services in partnership with Invisible Children’s Search and Rescue Teams,” according to the website.

“We want to integrate these people back into society,” Peguero said. “These kids can’t even go to school because they aren’t able to interact on a normal social level. They need this rehabilitation to get them on the path toward normalcy.”

Peguero added that students who would like to contribute to, or simply learn more about, the Invisible Children are encouraged to attend the group’s film screening on Monday, Nov. 7 at 7:45 p.m. in Towns-Alumni Auditorium.

KNOWLES is a news reporter.

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

Strength training program builds team

Warley helps US to victory

Kyle TerMarsch

JaQuayla Cameron

kmtermarsch@liberty.edu

Jccameron@liberty.edu

One vision that Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr. had for Liberty University was to establish a dominant Division I football team, and that’s where Bill Gillespie enters the scene.

Gillespie is the strength and conditioning coach for the Liberty football team.

He started with the Liberty athletics department back in 1981 as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. In 1991, Gillespie left Liberty to be an assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Washington. The Huskies went to the Rose Bowl the next three seasons and made nine bowl appearances the next 11 years. Gillespie was named “Pac-10 strength and conditioning coach” in 1991 and was promoted to the director of strength and conditioning at Washington in 1999. Four years later, he went to the NFL and was part of the Seattle Seahawks strength and conditioning team for the 2003-04 season.

In the winter of 2005, Gillespie returned to Liberty and really connected to Dr. Falwell’s dream of creating an elite football team.

“Coming here to Liberty, I really believed in the mission Dr. Falwell had of reaching the world for Christ through the game of football. So when I had an opportunity to come back, he explained to me how his vision of reaching the world for Christ and developing a championship program started with the weight room.”

Upon his return to Liberty, Gillespie introduced a program here that he was confident the players would latch on to. “When I was at the University of Washington, we started developing a program where you develop strength through speed of movement. It was a more accurate strength that we found was more applicable to the game of football,” Gillespie said. “When I went to the NFL, the players ate it up. They loved it, they thought it was the greatest thing in the world.

And it really confirmed to me that it was helpful.”

See GILLESPIE, B4

The 2011 Women’s Basketball Pan American Games, featuring Liberty center Avery Warley, in Guadalajara, Mexico have come to a close. Eight countries competed in the Games for a shot at the gold medal.

Warley had the opportunity to be among the 12 players that took WARLEY part in representing the United States.

“I enjoyed being able to wear USA across my chest,” Warley said. “I also enjoyed the respect that we got from just being American.”

USA started the first two games of the tournament against Argentina on Oct. 21 and Puerto Rico on Oct. 22.

In each game, USA had a doubledigit lead after the first quarter, but lost to Argentina 58-55 and to Puerto Rico, the eventual gold medal finalist, 75-70. According to USAbasketball. com, turnovers were among the biggest setbacks to USA’s success.

After readjusting, USA defeated Mexico on Oct. 24 and Jamaica on Oct. 25 to finish seventh overall with a 2-2 record.

According to Libertyflames.com, Warley contributed a total of 10 points and 16 rebounds during the Pan American Games. She shot 42.9 percent from the field and 100 percent from the free throw line. She played a total of 28 minutes.

Playing alongside a different set of skilled players and underneath a new set of coaches were a few challenges that Warley experienced while in Mexico.

“Being around superstars, the whole experience, was a challenge,” Warley said.

However, if the opportunity presented itself, Warley would choose to put on the United States jersey again.

“Just being able to see basketball in a different perspective, I would want to try it and do it all over again,” Warley said.

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

MONSTER DAY — Aldreakis Allen (20) rushed for 140 yards, and two touchdowns in the Flames double overtime thriller against Presbyterian.

NO PROBLEM Summers, Hyland pull through for Flames Nate Brown nbrown4@liberty.edu

C

lutch.

In the second running of an overtime joust, Liberty University quarterback Mike Brown lobbed an end zone pass to 6’4” wide receiver Chris Summers.

Summers plucked the ball from the air just before a crashing free safety could

disrupt the play. Liberty goes up 27-20.

Clutch.

The defense must hold the visiting Presbyterian Blue Hose to secure the young lead. Liberty middle linebacker Nick Sigmon busts up a quarterback draw to set up a 3-11.

The Blue Hose line up in a spread, 3-by-1 formation. Sophomore backer Scott Hyland shades inside

and comes on a blitz. The guard double-teams the nose tackle and Hyland slams through the gap, sacking Blue Hose quarterback Ryan Singer, effectively ending the game.

One incomplete pass later, the Flames faithful, “The Bonfire,” poured onto the field to celebrate the victory with their team.

See FOOTBALL, B2

CAMERON is a sports reporter.

Lady Flames rally for a win and for breast cancer Thomas played in honor of mother

Kyle Harvey kharvey@liberty.edu

Friday, the Lady Flames volleyball players sported pink T-shirts throughout the day reading “Dig Pink” as the team recognized National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Many in the crowd of 700 wore pink as well in support of medicine’s race to find a cure for breast cancer. On the court, the Flames had to dig for something else — an improbable comeback victory over visiting Radford University.

Coach Shane Pinder has said repeatedly throughout the season that his young team needs leaders. His starting seven features only two upperclassmen. Leaders, he says, will carry a team on their shoulders when the team is down.

After set two, Pinder’s team found themselves in a 2-0 hole, needing to win three consecutive sets to steal the victory.

“At the break I told them we’re getting beat right now in every facet of the game. We didn’t look like we were engaged in the battle.

I kind of threw the numbers out

the door and asked, ‘Where are the leaders? Who’s going to lead?

Because right now I don’t know who the leaders are out there,’” Pinder said.

As the curtain opened for set three, Liberty’s darkest hour quickly turned into Loren Thomas finest hour. The junior middle blocker took over the game and sparked Liberty’s unlikely comeback.

Thomas, who has already captured three Big South Defensive Player of the Week honors in the last month, seemed to be everywhere on the court at once.

Thomas sent down 11 kills with a .391 average – punishing what had previously been an impenetrable Radford defense. In addition to her big swings, Thomas contributed nine block assists, bringing her overall point total to 15.5.

“Coach came in (at intermission) and challenged us to find a leader and that we needed to step up and play how we know how to play. We were just making a ton of mistakes. We were all playing as individuals so coach just told

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

LT — Loren Thomas and the Flames ground out an emotional win Friday night. The night was dedicated to breast cancer awareness. us that someone needs to step up and be a leader,” Thomas said.

For Thomas, who was playing with a pink bow in her hair for Breast Cancer Awareness Night, the fight was personal. Thomas’s

mother, Natalie Thomas, succumbed to her own fight with breast cancer Jan. 22, 2006.

“My mom died from breast cancer so I always try to play this game for her as if she’s watch-

ing,” Thomas said.

“After the first two sets, she (Thomas) was an absolute monster down the stretch of the match. She came out and led on offense and led at the net and everybody jumped behind her. She did great tonight. I’m very happy for her,” Pinder said.

With the nine blocks against Radford, Thomas moves into sixth place in Liberty history for career blocks.

Following the intermission, Liberty won set three 25-20 and set four 25-16 en route to a fifth set, one that statistically has belonged to the Flames this season.

Liberty is a perfect 4-0 in 2011 when a match is five sets long and 11-0 in five set conference matches dating back to 2008.

Set five was over almost as fast as it started with Liberty claiming an easy 15-5 victory. Liberty’s offensive hitters saved their best swings for the final set, running up seven kills on a .500 average with no errors to conclude the match.

Liberty returns home to take on Campbell on Nov. 4.

HARVEY is a sports reporter.

SPORTS

B2/Liberty Champion

November 1, 2011

All by Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

110 PERCENT— Aldreakis Allen (left), Mike Brown (middle) and Tommy Shaver (right) fought down to the last minute, and even further, securing the win in two overtimes.

FOOTBALL continued from B1

Grading

Flames Football

Coaches:

B

The play calling was fine, the execution was a problem. However, rallying your troops for an OT win is significant

Def:

B+

A scoreless first half, 13 points allowed (20, with OT), and the big final stand earn the unit a solid grade

Off:

C

Racking up 486 yards is great. Having only 13 points at the end of four quarters isn’t

Spec:

C

A blocked field goal and a quality punt return were key to the Flames staying in the mix. A missed field goal cost them.

Overall:

B-

It wasn’t the worst game the Flames have played, but was not the best either.

Rocco called it an ugly win, but a win nonetheless

“(We knew) that if we played our defense, we could shut them down,” Sigmon said. “Everybody was in the right spot for the play to happen.”

Clutch.

“Big time players have to be at their best in critical moments,” head coach Danny Rocco said. (Summers) was there for us and we’re very happy to walk out of here with a 27-20 victory.

Saturday’s double-overtime thriller was a rose of a different color than what is typical for Rocco’s usual offensive conflagrations.

At kickoff, in Liberty’s previous three Big South contests, the Flames sparked early, chasmic leads, outscoring opponents by a combined 101-0 (Gardner-Webb 21-0; Coastal, 42-0; Charleston Southern 38-0).

Saturday afternoon, the Flames listened to Rocco’s halftime speech with only a three-point lead.

sports TALK

Offensive momentum was interrupted by penalties, turnovers and poor execution.

“I kept telling myself and my teammates, it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish,” Brown said. “You can play terribly for three and a half quarters and if you play good for that last half of a quarter, you can still come out on top and that was the thing that pulled us through tonight.”

To skin a cat Liberty found the big-play button late in the fourth quarter. It could have been desperation. It could have been determination. It could have been both.

Ervin Garner returned a punt 41 yards to set up a Flames touchdown, putting Liberty up 13-10 with 1:32 left.

But, Presbyterian drove 50 yards to kick a field goal and force overtime in the waning seconds of the game.

Blue Hose junior wide-receiver Michael Ruff scored

on the first overtime play — a 25-yard end-around.

Aldreakis Allen answered by stretching the football over the goal line after the change of possession, evening the score at 20, all around.

Clutch.

Brown and Summers did their thing, Sigmon and Hyland theirs. Game over, Liberty 27-20.

“When you’re called on,” Hyland said, “You gotta answer the bell.”

Clutch.

“I knew today we’d get their best shot,” Rocco said.

“I told our kids all week long we’re going to get their best shot until we show them that their best shot isn’t good enough … we responded at the end and that’s really what it’s all about.”

Counting Cards Liberty’s narrowly won fight lifts them to a perfect 4-0 Big South record and 6-3 overall, becoming the first Big South team in league history to attain such

a conference record five consecutive seasons.

Ryan Singer’s escape for a 74-yard touchdown was the first rushing touchdown the Flames have allowed to Big South ball carriers this year.

Redshirt-sophomore running back Aldreakis Allen’s 140 rushing yards set a career-high for the redshirt sophomore, breaking his previous high, 126 yards, set just last week at Charleston Southern.

The Blue Hose fall to 2-6 on the year and dip below the .500 conference record mark, sinking to 1-2.

Closing Remarks “The reality is this,” Rocco said. “If you’re going to make a run, if you’re going to win a championship, you’re going to have to win ugly somewhere along the way… you’re going to have to win a game like this somewhere along the way, and we did today.”

BROWN is the sports editor.

Tebow or not Tebow

Nate Brown

Andrew Woolfolk

nbrown4@liberty.edu

Awoolfolk@liberty.edu

Just picked up a new blue and orange watch, but I think it’s broken. Every time I look at it, it just says it’s Tebow-Time.

Alright, that was cheesy, I know, but I’ve been on the Tebow Train since it left Ole Miss in 2008, still teary.

Here’s why.

He wins.

Period. It’s that simple. You can criticize his form, his decision-making, his accuracy, but you can’t deny the guy is a winner. BROWN I don’t know how he does it, he just finds a way.

Let’s throw out his BCS National Championship over a heavily favored Oklahoma squad, his MVP trophy for his performance in that game and his vindication of his “I willwork-harder-than-anyone-in-the-nation” speech, since that was all winning in college.

We’ll talk strictly about the NFL, his 14 total games in which he has taken at least one snap.

How about December, last season, against the Texans?

Down 17-0 at half time, Tebow cranked out a stat-soaked fourth quarter, throwing a 38-yard touchdown, rushing for another and notching a 24-23 victory.

He wins.

I don’t even have to remind you about Miami’s hearty fourth quarter. Tebow led the Broncos to two scores, digging them out of a 15-0 deficit and forcing overtime, where the Broncos nabbed the win.

He wins.

Sunday’s game got you worried? Did you see Denver’s offensive line? Yeah, neither did I. Tebow got sacked seven times. What, you want the guy to block for himself too?

You want him to look like the Aaron Rodgers, the Tom Bradys and the (former) Peyton Mannings?

Well, lets look at their first 14 games. Aaron Rodgers was sitting behind a grey-stubbled Favre, Brady behind Bledsoe and Manning went 3-11 in his first 13 games.

Tebow wins. I don’t have a Tebow Time watch. I don’t have the plush doll, the poster, the T-shirt or “Tebow the Video Game.”

He’ll probably never win a Pulitzer, never run for President, will probably never get the key to Denver or be able to shoot webs from his wrists. I just know the guy is athletically one of the most gifted players in the NFL, and, he wins.

After all the Tim Tebow praises you’ve heard about the past few days, months and years, you’d think he could leap tall buildings in a single bound and beat Chuck Norris in hand-to-hand combat, all while walking on water.

The comeback win over the hapless Miami Dolphins only opened the floodgates for praise even more.

WOOLFOLK Down 15-0 with just over five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Tebow led the Broncos on two scoring drives to force overtime, in which the Broncos were victorious.

Spirits of Denver fans were a mile-high, if you’ll excuse the cliché. Even fans in Sun Life Stadium were going crazy for their former Gator.

But is he really that great? I know, I know, he’s a great leader, an inspiration, a good guy. I’ve heard it all before.

But allow me to be Kryptonite to your Superman for just a few minutes.

Remember, he didn’t do this against some powerhouse team. It was the lowly Dolphins. This is a team that has yet to win a football game this year and features a pass defense ranked in the bottom 10 of the league. Collectively, they offered Tebow about as much intimidation as the defensive line in the Little Giants.

And let us also not forget that for the first 55 minutes of the game, Tebow was abysmal. Not average, not bad, abysmal.

He was 4-14 passing for a mere 40 yards against a pitiful Miami secondary. He overthrew balls, he missed open receivers, and he threw passes so wobbly that hunters everywhere were taking aim at them.

Add in the fact that for his career he’s only completed 48.7 percent of his passes, and you realize you’re looking at a raw talent, full of potential but not nearly as sharp as he could be.

So let’s get this straight. As of right now, Tim Tebow is a great leader, and a great motivator, but let’s not act like he’s John Elway just yet.

SPORTS

November 1, 2011

Liberty Champion/B3

First game challenges team

Flames travel to Aggieland to face No. 19 Texas A&M Derrick Battle dbattle2@liberty.edu

At the beginning of the season, Division I teams normally take it easy and play warm-up teams so the players can get a feel of what the season can become. That is not likely this year for the Liberty Flames men’s basketball team, because a visit to Texas A&M is how its season will begin.

The Flames play in the 2K Classic (formally called the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic) Lynchburg Regional bracket, which includes the Flames hosting Eastern Kentucky, Lehigh and William & Mary. However, the Flames first test is against the Texas A&M Aggies.

“We’re going to have to meet the challenge. We’re not going to sneak up on anybody or catch anyone off guard,” head coach Dale Layer said to libertyflames. com.

A look inside A young up-and-coming Liberty team has plenty of talent to go around. Although missing a key starter in John Brown and a key reserve player, Sommy Ogukwe, due to a season ending injury, others have shown last

FYI

Liberty Flames men’s basketball home opener is Nov. 11 against Randolph college.

year that they can produce.

“I think we are finally balanced in our classes and balanced in our experience,” Layer said to libertyflames.com. “That’s where you want to be every year.

We haven’t been there the last two years. Whether that means 28 wins or 6 wins, I don’t know.

That’s something you’ve got to earn.”

Led by last year’s player of the year in the Big South, Jesse Sanders, the Flames finished second last year in the Big South.

“Jesse is obviously coming off a terrific year as Big South Player of the Year, which will make him the guy that everybody looks to stop on the opponent’s scouting report,” Layer said to libertyflames.com.

Texas A&M has put together a solid team over the past couple of years and finished third in the Big 12 last season. Returning are

most of their starters, including Khris Middleton, who led the Aggies in scoring, averaging about 14 points per game. Also, the Aggies added a key addition in recruiting Jamal Branch who was ranked in the ESPNU’s top 100 high school players list. The Aggies are primed to be a contender in the Big 12 and garner more national attention.

Some key proponents between these teams will be rebounding and shooting efficiency.

The Flames ranked 17th in the NCAA in rebounding a year ago while the Aggies ranked 100th.

Both teams, however, shot poorly from the field last year. Both teams scored under 70 points a game and shot under 45 percent from the field.

If anything, this game will have all the components of a defensive game with a small dosage of offensive spurts. This game will be an early test for the Flames team, who has not played a ranked opponent since Clemson in 2009.

The Flames are also 0-4 against ranked opponents since 2001.

Promotional Publication | Liberty University

BATTLE is the asst. sports editor.

A TALL ORDER — The Flames look to knock off No.19 Texas A&M to open up the year on a high note.

Basketball Big South outlook Flames predicted to be fourth in the preseason polls Derrick Battle dbattle2@liberty.edu

It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. After quick starts by rivals Liberty University and Coastal Carolina, neither team was able to come out on top at the Big South tournament, as the UNC Asheville Bulldogs took the title.

After winning a record 13 conference games, Liberty faltered late in the season, losing five straight games. One of which included an early exit from the Big South tournament, losing to the High Point Panthers in the first round. Coastal , at one point of the season, had won 21 straight games and became regular season champions. However, a loss to UNC Asheville in the tournament final placed them in the NIT. Starting the season mediocre with a 2-5 record, the Bulldogs finished off the year with a six game winning streak, including a Big South title and an NCAA tourney birth before losing in the second round to the Pittsburg Panthers.

This year is a different story. Liberty is

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

SANDERS YEAR — Reigning Big South player of the year looks to lead the Flames to the Big South championship.

projected to finish fourth in the preseason polls while UNC Asheville is considered to win for the second consecutive season.

Led by preseason Big South Player of the Year, Matt Dickey and J.P. Primm the Bulldogs are primed to defend their title.

However this year’s conference looks as wide-open as ever.

Among other teams who are willing to make a run in the Big South are VMI, a team who led the NCAA in scoring, putting up about 88 points per game. Also,

The Spring House

the frisky Winthrop Eagles team is no stranger to making the NCAA tournament with eight appearances since 2000.

Jesse Sanders, last year’s Big South Player of the Year, is the lone Liberty player to make the Big South preseason team. Sanders is joined by UNC Asheville’s Dickey and Primm, Presbyterian’s Al’Lonzo Coleman and High Point’s Nick Barbour.

With John Brown and Sommy Ogukwe sidelined for the year and a team full of youth, Liberty will look for other contributors. With only two seniors, Sanders and David Minaya, Antwan Burrus and junior college transfer Tavares Speaks are other pieces that must fit Liberty’s formula for success. The last time the Flames made an NCAA appearance was in 2004, and as an apparent underdog, the Flames have stiff competitions this year.

But anything can happen in the Big South. A new year means a new opportunity for 11 teams, all capable of making noise toward the end of the season.

Big South Preseason Polls 1.

UNC Asheville

2.

Coastal Carolina

3. VMI 4. Liberty 5. Winthrop 6.

High Point

7. Presbyterian 8.

Charleston Southern

9. Campbell 10. Gardner-Webb 11. Radford

BATTLE is the asst. sports editor.

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SPORTS

B4/Liberty Champion

November 1, 2011

Beyond belief: Triathlon runner going the distance Julie Gonzalez jngonzalez@liberty.edu

For some students, walking from the first floor to the fourth floor of DeMoss seems like an athletic achievement. Meet Liberty University student Jaime Azuaje, who completed the triple-iron triathlon, which consisted of a 7.2 mile swim, 336 mile bike and 78.6 mile run — the longest official triathlon in the United States held in Virginia.

“The opportunity was too great not to try,” Azuaje said.

Azuaje is a member of Liberty University’s triathlon team. His love of sports in high school led him to pursue the ultimate athletic challenge — triathlons.

“I played football and ran track in high school and was very active,” Azuaje said.

“After graduation, I didn’t want to get fat so I got into cycling. I wanted to do a cycling race but couldn’t find any races in my area. All I could find were triathlons, so I thought to myself, ‘Well self, you can bike, so that is the longest part. I run a little, I just need to learn to swim. So I did my first sprint, a 500-meter swim, 13-mile bike and a three mile run.”

Training for a sport like the triple-iron triathlon is practically a sport itself.

To prepare for the race, Azuaje had to train nearly every day.

“I swam five days a week about 8-10

“What motivates me to try is the gift that God has given me of health and capability to be able to attempt these races. ” miles a week. I would bike whenever I could about four times a week. Ran five times a week from 40-70 miles a week.

And lifted weights twice a week,” Azuaje said.

Motivation is key, especially in such physically demanding sports like the triple iron triathlon. Azuaje relied on a higher power for his strength.

“What motivates me to try is the gift that God has given me of health and capability to be able to attempt these races,” Azuaje said. “There are people we come in contact with who are not able to get out of bed, so I see every mile as a precious gift that God allows.”

For Azuaje, simply running the race was not his source of satisfaction. Finishing the race was what kept him going.

“A lot of people say that they are addicted to running or racing. I do not believe that I am. I believe that I am addicted to finishing,” Azuaje said. “The relief

•

Flames Sports Report •

Zac Edwards led the men’s cross country team to their unprecedented seventh consecutive Big South title. Edwards took first place in the individual men’s event.

•

Jennifer Klugh finished first in the women’s individual cross country event, placing Liberty in second place overall in the women’s division.

•

Division I men’s hockey downed Adrian College, 6-2, Friday night, boosting their overall record to 9-2 on the year.

•

The Lady Flames soccer team finished out their season with a 3-0 victory over visiting Big South rival UNC Asheville.

GILLESPIE continued from B1 Coach Gillespie admitted that it was difficult to leave the NFL, especially since Seattle went to the Super Bowl the season after his departure, but he loves being here at Liberty and praised Rocco for the success of the football team.

“Coach Rocco gives me so much support in allowing me to run the program

the way I need to run it,” Gillespie said.

“Honestly, I have worked for some of the greatest coaches in America and Coach Rocco has been my favorite head coach to work with. He understands my goal is not to develop weight lifters but to develop a championship football team.”

Winning a championship and being competitive is what Coach Gillespie is all about. To accomplish those achieve-

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you feel after you know that you are done is what gives me that runners high everyone speaks about. When you finish, the race director plays your national anthem and you run the last couple hundred yards with your nation’s flag. I finished fourth overall and felt very honored to be the first American across the line of 2011.”

For those brave students looking to get started in triathlon races, Azuaje offers advice that he once received from Liberty University professor David Horton.

“You can do more than you think you can.”

Since completing the triple ironman triathlon, Azuaje is looking to the future.

“I would like to compete in more ultra triathlons overseas maybe in Spain or Germany and do the Hellgate 100k mountain bike race. Also, not as a race, but I would like to bike across America and hike the Appalachian Trail,” Azuaje said.

Azuaje is living proof that with strength, determination and a belief in Jesus Christ, all things are possible, even the triple-iron triathlon.

Alyssa Bockman | Liberty Champion

GONZALEZ is a sports reporter.

MOTIVATION — Azuaje contiunes his search for more marathons in different countries.

Womens hockey takes two Melissa Bauman mramsey2@liberty.edu

The Lady Flames hockey team proved themselves to be tough and determined as they faced the Raleigh women’s hockey team this weekend. On Saturday they came through with a final score of 2-1, and Sunday with a big 4-1 win. With four players out due to injuries, each player was forced to play harder and longer shifts. Freshman goalie, Chantal Lishynski, was asked to play outside the net and surprised everyone when she not only played well, but also scored the winning goal.

“I was so excited when coach let me play out because it gave me a whole new perspective on the game outside of the net,” said Lischynski. “It felt a little strange at first, but when I tipped the puck in and scored, it felt so good to be on the other side of the net for a change.”

The game started out strong with a goal from assistant captain, Laura Del-

ments, he explained it all starts before anyone even steps foot on the field. “Everybody wants to win on game day but you don’t win on game day, you win in the offseason.”

TERMARSCH is a sports reporter.

Monte. With a 2-0 lead in the third period, Raleigh came forward and scored their first goal with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Crunched for time, Lishynski fought for the puck and gained control, giving the Flames a strong 4-1 lead to finish the game.

The fans were ecstatic after Lishynski’s goal, giving the Flames even more momentum to finish the game strong.

“With so many girls out with injuries, we had a short bench, so we had to play really hard,” said freshman Sarah Stevenson. “I was playing with a broken hand and a few other girls played with minor injuries as well so it gave us a lot of motivation to play hard.”

With a new sense of motivation for their next game, the Lady Flames are ready for their full team to be back on the ice for the annual CFAW weekend blue and white game on Nov. 5th.

BAUMAN is a sports reporter.

FYI

Since Gillespie joined the Flames staff in 2005, the same year head coach Danny Rocco was announced as Liberty’s new head coach, the Flames have won four Big South Championships

FEATURE

November 1, 2011

Mom recognized for her enduring spirit in trials

Parent and Family Connections Office honors Donna Edwards with Outstanding Parent Award Kayla Gurley kgurley@liberty.edu

Liberty University held its third annual family weekend dinner at 6 p.m., Oct. 28, where freshman Austin Edwards’ mother, Donna, was honored with the Outstanding Parent Award.

The evening opened with songs from Sounds of Liberty, followed by a welcome from the Director of Parent and Family Connections Theresa Dunbar and prayer by Campus Pastor Chris Deitsch. Following the prayer, families enjoyed a buffet style dinner of grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, cooked carrots, salad, bread and cobbler for dessert. The evening closed with the reading of the winning Outstanding Parent Award Essay and the handing out of door prizes.

Dunbar said the idea to give away an Outstanding Parent Award originated from a visit to Virginia Tech.

“Vice President Hine had been to Virginia Tech a few years ago where they presented this type of award at their parent weekend. We felt it would be a great event to include in our family weekend activities. We did our research on it and came up with our version of the contest. The idea has

she is such an Outstanding Parent.

“If it weren’t for the sacrifices and financial support of parents, then I know Liberty University would not be the large, unique university that it is,” Dunbar said. “The parents who support their children are a confirmation to me that God is at work, and I consider it an honor to be able to be a part of this event.”

Beatrice Wright, one of Stephanie Marshall | Liberty Champion the guests at the dinner, is STRENGTH IN HARD TIMES — Donna Edwards, one of many parents who (left), mother of Austin Edwards (right), was named Par- sacrifices for and supports her child attending Libent of the Year, and is shown here with Vice President erty. of Student Affairs Mark Hine.

“It’s hard for parents to proven to be successful man at Liberty, wrote in let go and have to separate his essay that both of his from their child when they thus far,” Dunbar said.

For three years, Lib- parents had instilled in send them off to college,” erty University has given him values that would Wright said. “However, undergraduate students leave a legacy. knowing they are in an “Strength, generosity, environment at Liberty a chance to honor their parents by entering an es- courage, beauty, persever- where people really do say contest in which they ance, joy and integrity. care makes that transition write why their parents are These attributes are sel- so much easier.” deserving of an Outstand- dom found in anyone.

For more information ing Parent Award. One Both of my parents have about family weekend or hundred and twenty five personified all of these on how to enter the Outessays were submitted this qualities and so many standing Parent Award year and a panel of five more,” Edwards said. essay competition for Both of Edwards’ par- next fall, contact Theresa judges picked the winner.

“Austin’s essay really ents attended Liberty, Dunbar at the Parent and stood out from the others where they met and fell Family Connections Offor a couple of reasons,” in love, according to Ed- fice at 434-582-2339.

Dunbar said. “One reason wards.

Even after her huswas simply because of how well-worded the essay was, band’s death in 2009 due and another was because to leukemia, Donna EdAustin focused on the at- wards has led her family to tributes of his mother and trust in God’s plan and didid not dwell on himself.” rection, which, according GURLEY is a feature Austin Edwards, a fresh- to Austin Edwards, is why reporter.

Liberty Champion/B5

UPCOMING EVENTS Now until Nov. 13 Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors performances are currently underway for the Theater Department’s second show of the semester. This comedic musical tells the story of a florist who discovers a bloodthirsty plant and the downward spiral he faces after trying to appease its morbid appetite. To buy tickets, visit the Vines Center Box Office or call 582-7328 for more information.

Nov. 12 Valley View 5 Mile Trail Race The second race in the Liberty Mountain Trail Series, this five mile trail race starts at Snowflex at 9 a.m. For more information and to register, contact studentactivitiesinfo@liberty.edu.

Nov. 18-20 Winter Market The Liberty Godparent Foundation will be hosting a shopping expo in the Schilling Center with dozens of vendors selling clothing, jewelry, gift items, food and more. General admission is $5 and there is a discounted rate for Liberty students and staff. All proceeds benefit the Liberty Godparent Ministries. For more information, call 592-4407.

Show to feature iconic fashion Emily Davis

eldavis3@liberty.edu

“Lights. Camera. Fashion. Iconic Design.”

That is the theme for the 6th annual Family and Consumer Science (FACS) department’s fashion show.

The theme and plans for the upcoming fashion show were announced to a group of 30 designers who met in the Reber Thomas executive dining room to attend the Family and Consumer Science (FACS) department’s Launch Party on Oct. 25.

Prospective designers were warmly welcomed by this year’s fashion show director, Ruth Bibby, who gave a short, informative presentation on the theme and explained exactly what the show was about.

The theme of the fashion show was chosen in honor of iconic designers of the fashion industry, such as Ralph Lauren, Dolce and Gabbana and Oscar De La Renta.

“A student is going to take a name of an iconic designer that they can associate their designs with, not just one that they know,” Bibby said.

“They are taking designs from the past and putting them in the present.”

The designers were all given a handbook at the beginning of the meeting, letting them know of the benefits of being a designer in the show, the requirements, the date of model casting and meetings and due dates that they must meet.

“You really have to know what you are doing. It makes your knowledge grow in the fashion industry and that is something that we are really trying to push this year,” Junior Katie Johnson said. “The word ‘professional’ is something we want to implement in everything and every aspect.”

This will be Johnson’s third year being involved with the show. The first two years she acted as a designer herself and this year as the show’s assistant director.

Oct. 28 The Blue Ridge and South Virginia Food Drive Now until Nov. 16, Sodexo, in partnership with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, will be collecting non-perishable food items for families around the Lynchburg and surrounding area who would otherwise go without. Donations are being collected at the ReberThomas Dining Hall and in convocation, Nov. 16.

Jessica Shadel | Liberty Champion

THEME REVEALED — Designers met Oct. 25 to discuss the theme of the FACS annual fashion show. This year’s theme: Iconic Design.

“It is nice because with the current designers coming in this year, they each have a leadership team with me and Ruth and even Mrs. Howard,” Johnson said. “They have all different angles. Ruth was a model, I was a designer and Mrs. Howard was an event coordinator.”

The preparation for the FACS fashion show started with the Launch Party and ends March 24, 2012, with the show.

The show is open to the public and is being judged by a panel, giving the designers the opportunity to be awarded prizes in the categories of best in show, originality, menswear, childrenswear and runway presentation.

According to Bibby, there were over 1,200 people in attendance at last year’s show, including sponsors from the Lynchburg area.

“This is my third year doing the show. It is a lot of fun. It stretches my imagination as far as sewing goes,” senior designer Kariann Durst said.

According to Durst, the challenge is in creating a unique design instead of simply choosing a pattern and sewing it together.

The FACS fashion show has tak-

en place every spring semester for the past five years. It is a chance for designers to come and get to know other designers and enhance their creative talents. The event is held during the spring College for a Weekend (CFAW) in the Schilling Center. Some of the proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to the charity Threads of Hope.

“We really wanted to support a charity that is excited about what they’re trying to accomplish and is helping support fair trade in struggling countries,” Bibby said. “Since we are a fashion show, I found that the title and mission of Threads of Hope is so fitting. It’s giving people a fair chance to work for their money, and it fights the underground sweatshops that pay workers almost nothing. I’m really excited about having this opportunity to support them.”

For more information, contact Ruth Bibby at rnbibby@liberty.edu, Katie Johnson at krjohnson@liberty. edu or the FACS office in SLAB 122.

DAVIS is a feature reporter.

Nov. 4 The 7 Tour The David Crowder Band, Chris August, Gungor and John Mark McMillan will be playing at the Vines Center. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

FEATURE

B6/Liberty Champion

November 1, 2011

Halloween comes to Community Market Adrienna Hood Alhood@liberty.edu

Local members of the community got the chance to indulge in all of fall’s defining activities and foods at the Lynchburg Community Market this past weekend for Harvest at the Market.

Harvest at the Market was held Oct. 29 downtown. The event was an opportunity to bring families and friends together to participate in fall activities, shop at the markets local vendors and meet other members of the community. The market was fully decorated with harvest colors and themes suitable for the time of season.

Local vendors appealed to the season by selling pumpkins, fresh apple cider, autumn foods and desserts. Activities located throughout various parts of the market included guessing the weight of pumpkins, face painting, ring around the pumpkin, pumpkin painting and trick or treating at the local vendors.

Travis Schwartz, also known as Balloon Dude Travis, was creating balloon animals for kids and adults as people arrived at the Harvest Festival. Schwartz’s balloon animal creations were not the normal balloon animals one is used to seeing. Schwartz added a seasonal theme specifically for the event by creating skeletons, ghosts, harvest hats, pumpkins, aliens, bats and goblins.

“I am here to make sure the kids are happy, have something to do and something to take home,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz believes that the harvest market is about creating an atmosphere of bringing people closer and getting ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Adults with their children waited in line to receive a balloon animal from Schwartz.

Madison Wilson, 8, received a balloon wand with a pink heart inside. To show her Harvest spirit, Wilson dressed up as a Liberty

“I am here to make sure the kids are happy, have something to do and something to take home.”

-Schwartz

Universty cheerleader.

“I like coming to the Harvest Market to eat the pumpkin pies, and I can’t wait to go trick or treating,” Wilson said.

Even some parents joined in with their children by wearing costumes, ready for a few hours of trick or treating.

Nancy Norton dressed up as a monster with her two children James, 3, and Sandy, 1.

Norton explained that it was her families first time coming to the Harvest Festival, and it was a great time to get her family out.

“We are having fun and I love that the event is inside where it is warm,” Norton said.

Both Jacob Green, 2, and Amelia Green, 2, were dressed up as lambs. Their parents watched them participate in the ring around the pumpkin activity. Jennifer Green, the siblings mom, explained how it was also her family’s first time coming to the Harvest Market “This is a time to let the kids experience some fall activities, dress up and have fun,” Green said.

Another popular activity was pumping painting. Sitting at the table painting her pumpkin was Madison Carson, 10, who was accompanied by her mom.

“My pumpkin has yellow eyes, a green noise, a red mouth with yellow and green braces, green hair and yellow highlights,” Carson said.

Amongst the vendors were Lorraine’s Bakery and Chocolate R Us. Co-Owner of Lor-

Alyssa Bockman| Liberty Champion

FALL FUN IN THE COMMUNITY MARKET — Parents and children dressed in costumes played games, ate seasonal food and received balloon animals made by Balloon Dude Travis. raine’s Bakery, Steve Hackman, explained why foods such as the fresh butternut squash bread, apple turnovers and desserts shaped like candy corn were specifically made for the theme.

Specifically for the Harvest event, Chocolate R Us served chocolate treats that were created to look like spiders, ghosts, leafs, pumpkins and skeletons.

The chocolate shop also offered seasonal flavors like pumpkin, spiced apple and caramel apple.

Market Manager at Lynchburg Community Market Jennifer Kennedy explained how this was the first time that most of the kids activities were brought back and how it was important that along with the great shopping available, the kids also had something available to them

Alyssa Bockman | Liberty Champion

ACTIVITIES GALORE — Face painting was just one of many activities attendees of Harvest at the Market were able to enjoy. as well.

The Lynchburg Community Market hosts the Harvest Market annually. The market is also open to residents of the community and visitors Tuesday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. For

more information on Lynchburg Community Market, visit www. lynchburgva.gov.

HOOD is a feature reporter.

Make a difference in the life of a child this year. Pack a Shoebox!

National Collection Week NoV. 14-21 for more information, Visit: www.samaritanspurse.org

FEATURE

November 1, 2011

Liberty Champion/B7

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The deal with

Vitamin D

Abigail Koppenhaver Akoppenhaver @liberty.edu

Winter is just around the corner and that means one thing — cold season. But before rushing to the drug store to stock up on the usual tissues, cough drops and cold medicine, a person should consider one of the most important vitamins needed to stay healthy — Vitamin D. Vitamin D is key to many important aspects of a person’s health, and it’s not just in the winter time that most people are deprived of it.

According to the Archives of Internal Medicine, experts say that 77 percent of Americans are deficient, or lacking, in Vitamin D. A recent article in Women’s Health magazine explains that even though our bodies naturally make Vitamin D (sunlight converts substances in the skin into the vitamin), in order to get the necessary amount a person needs, one would have to soak up direct midday sunlight on the majority of the body for at least 15 minutes a day.

The human body’s lack of Vitamin D is a major problem, especially since it helps solve most of the body’s problems. “It affects cell death and proliferation, insulin production, and even the immune system,� Director of the Vitamin D, skin and bone research laboratory at the Boston University Medical Center Michael F. Holick said in a recent interview with Women’s Health.

Holick explained that lack of Vitamin D has been crucial in cases of depression, heart disease, pregnancy issues, skin problems, cancers, weight problems and many other diseases. “I take Vitamin D because there is a history of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes in my family

Stock Exchange | Liberty Champion

SOAK IN THE RAYS — Studies show that being out in direct sunlight for at least 15 minutes a day is a healthy practice. and also, being a college student I’m more prone to other people’s germs,� junior Jade Carey, a nursing student at Liberty, said.

It seems that the easiest way to get the necessary amounts of Vitamin D is to take a supplement. The simple vitamin solution costs about five dollars at the local grocery store.

According to Alisa Bowman, a writer for Women’s Health, consumers should look for labels that read Vitamin “D3,� which is the vitamin our bodies make, since some companies make D2, which is plant based.

Doctors are even recommending

Vitamin D supplements, especially since people are eating more and more unhealthy these days. Vitamin D can be found in some foods, but the simple fact is that people don’t eat enough of those foods (certain kinds of fish and fortified dairy), according to Medical News Today. “Many of my patients report a dramatic improvement in their feeling of overall well-being after they increase their Vitamin D levels,�

Holick said in the same interview with Women’s Health.

The recommended daily amount of Vitamin D for adults is 1,000 IU or more, which roughly translates to

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Holick suggests taking a supplement that provides at least 1,000 IU (one pill) and drinking two glasses of skim milk per day for best results.

So start treating more than cold symptoms this winter. Think about your overall health and get the vitamins needed to stay healthy.

KOPPENHAVER is a feature writer.

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FEATURE

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

little shop of horrors

Don’t Feed the Plant: Little Shop of Horrors opens with a bang Betsy Abraham babraham3@liberty.edu

A blood thirsty, talking plant, evil dentist and nerdy florist all came together on the Tower Theater stage this past weekend for Little Shop of Horrors.

The show tells the story of Seymour, a poor floral shop worker who discovers and breeds a new plant, similar to a Venus fly trap. However, this plant is not hungry for flies, rather, it craves human blood.

Though different from shows Liberty University has done in the past, the play delivers a strong Christian message. As Seymour begins getting desperate in his attempts to please the plant so that he can hold on to his newfound fame, he begins to do things he would have never imagined. Soon his actions spiral out of control.

“It’s all tongue in cheek and meant to be comedic. But in the end, there is a moral tale to it, told in a very weird and extraterrestrial way,” Director Chris Nelson said. “And the (moral) is, don’t continue to feed the bad habits and sin in your life. And don’t sell yourself to try to get things that are not going to last in the end.”

Nelson acknowledges that the play is unconventional and that some audience members may not like the darker themes or B-movie-esque feel of it, but he hopes that they can still walk away entertained and with an understanding of the greater moral message.

“The best thing we can do is pick stories that we think, as a whole, have something good to say. We realize that some parts of it may step on some toes,” Nelson said. “But at the end of the day, there was something positive being said and we think that’s important. We prepare, we do our best to present the story as a whole and get the

Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion

SOMETHING NEW — Tim Ross, Sarah Seaman and James Bock play floral shop workers who hope that the floral shop’s newest addition, an exotic plant similiar to a Venus fly trap, will bolster the floundering shop’s business. message out. We allow the audience to have whatever reaction they have because there is no controlling it anyway, so we just sit back and hope that it’s a positive one.”

Senior Katelyn Outhous was in the audience opening night, Friday, Oct. 28, and said that she was a fan of Liberty’s spin on the play.

“I liked the lightheartedness of it. The story was really unique. I never heard of this before so I thought it was really cool and they did a really good job with presenting it,” Outhous said.

Sophomore Rebekah Kogok and her boyfriend, Sam Ober, were also in the audience opening night and said their favorite part of the play was the cast, Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion which consisted of only eight actors and TRYING TO TAME — As the plant gets bigger and garners more fame for Ross’ two puppeteers.

“There’s only (a few) characters in character, it becomes harder to satisfy its appetite. the show but each of them brought such originality to it. It was just as powerful “I’ve wanted to play Audrey for forever. story that is unlike any other. and magnificent as a show of 20 or 30 I’m really excited to bring her to life and “If you’re looking for a fun night where people,” Kogok said. bring some of myself to her. It’s such it’s kind of quirky and funny and for a “I was really impressed,” Ober said. an honor and awesome opportunity,” good opportunity to laugh and have some “The cast did a great job. They brought Seaman said. fun and see a show we’ve never done such life to the show.”

Perhaps the true star of the show was before, this is a good one to come to,” The role of Seymour was played by Audrey 2, the flesh eating plant. This Nelson said.

Tim Ross. It was his first leading role. is the first time the Liberty Theater Shows continue until Nov. 13 and “I like how it’s really easy for me to get Department has used puppets as such a tickets can be purchased at the Vines into this character. I find a lot of myself major component of a show, and with the Center Box Office. For more information, in him. That’s what makes (Seymour) a help of four different puppets, the plant call 582-7328. really enjoyable character to play because was able to come to life on stage.

I can just do things that would be me, but “Having the puppet embody the bigger,” Ross said. character and have energy and personality His love interest, Audrey, was played by of its own has been a fun opportunity,” senior Sarah Seaman. Seaman is a regular Nelson said. to the Liberty stage and said that playing With witty dialogue, fun music and ABRAHAM is the assistant feature Audrey was a dream come true. hilarious characters, the play is a quirky editor.

Breaking a sweat in support of Freedom 4/24

Alyssa Bockman | Liberty Champion

RUNNING FREE — Lynchburg residents and students gathered, Oct. 29, at Heritage High School to run 5K and 10K races in support of Freedom 4/24’s fight against sexual slavery.