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Scaremare celebrates its A3-A5 40th anniversary Oct. 11
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The Flames came up with a big Homecoming win
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LIBERTY CHAMPION Today: P. Cloudy 63/41Tomorrow: P. Cloudy 72/37
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
libertychampion.com
Volume 30 • Issue 6
parade of champions
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
HOMECOMING PARADE — Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife, Becki, toss candy and wave to students as they ride down University Boulevard during the Homecoming Parade Saturday, Oct. 6. See the story on B10. Afterwards, the Liberty Flames football team took on Gardner-Webb University and won 42-35. See the story on B1.
Congressional responses
Candidates present their district-specific cases Tabitha Cassidy tcassidy@liberty.edu
Photo Provided
ELECTRICAL — A technical studies student worked on his electrical wiring skills.
Technical studies hones skills
Jay Sir ysir@liberty.edu
When Liberty University student Drew Moore took his Electrical 101 course, little did he know that the class would help his chances of landing a job at Oliver Electric in Delaware this summer. “I was enrolled in the electrical program with hopes of having some practical experience to fall back on in the future,” Moore said. “After having dipped my feet in the electrical field, I am considering the possibilities of a career in such a field.” The technical studies program at Liberty has been offering classes for students in
welding, plumbing, electricity and other areas since it began in the fall of 2011. According to Director of Technical Studies Lance McClure, the program resulted from a meeting with Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. and the staff at Virginia Technical Institute (VTI) in AltaVista, Va. “They decided that it would be good for Liberty University students to have a trade or a craft during their college years,” McClure said. “It’s resulted in a lot of students taking these classes either as a minor or taking these classes as an associate degree itself.” Around 100 students enroll in the technical studies program each semester. Classes
are held in the facilities at VTI, and transportation is provided by Liberty to the VTI campus. The associates program offers six different specializations in the areas of carpentry, electrical wiring, HVAC, masonry, plumbing and welding, according to McClure. “With the associates degree, students will come out highly employable — they will have learned all the required skills (for their profession),” McClure said. “All they would need after leaving us will be the field experience that some jobs require you to have.” Students from the program have been able to acquire work
See STUDIES, A10
In addition to voting for the future president of the United States of America, on Nov. 6, citizens will be given the opportunity to vote for both congressmen and senators for the state in which they are registered to vote, should the congressional or senatorial seat’s term be up for reelection. For this issue, the Champion will include information on the candidates running for Congress in the 5th and 6th Districts of Virginia. Those who live in the 5th District will be voting between Gen. John Douglass (D) and Robert Hurt (R). Voters living in the 6th District will be voting between Dr. Andy Schmookler (D) and Robert Goodlatte (R). All four candidates have responded to questions posed by the staff at the Liberty Champion regarding issues most relevant to Liberty students. Each candidate’s responses were to total no more than 1,000 words and were edited only in regards to newspaper style rules. The candidates’ responses can be found on A3-A4. Students are encouraged to read the responses and understand the differences for themselves. Having served in the Air Force, Douglass was the assistant Secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition under Clinton and was the president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace
INSIDE THE CHAMPION News The first presidential debate was held at the University of Denver. A5
Sports
Women’s goalkeeper Karen Blocker improved her school record to 18 shutout wins. B2
Feature The annual Homecoming bonfire included a drumline and LU cheerleaders. B8
News Opinion Sports Feature
Industries Association. Douglass’s campaign website, johndouglassforcongress.com, includes information about his view of students, Virginia families, jobs, veteran rights and safety. Since being elected congressman, Hurt has made job creation, support of small business and reduced government spending his top priorities. Hurt’s campaign website, roberthurtforcongress.com, goes into detail about his views on federal government, energy, second amendment rights, jobs, national security and social security. According to Schmookler’s campaign website, andyschmooklerforcongress.com, Schmookler “had grown up in poverty.” He was the valedictorian of his high school graduating class and graduated with highest honors from Harvard University. Schmookler later received his doctorate from the University of California Berkeley and the Theological Union. Since starting his 10th term in Congress in 2011, Goodlatte has become a member of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over any proposed amendments to the Constitution. Goodlatte’s campaign website, bobgoodlatte.com, contains information on his primary issues, promoting fiscal responsibility, national security, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his views on illegal immigration. CASSIDY is the editor in chief.
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NEWS
A2/Liberty Champion
October 9, 2012
Forensic team charges forward Amanda Fortner afortner@liberty.edu
Sarah Nguyen | Liberty Champion
AMERICAN FLAG — Scholarships for the ROTC programs are proving to be more competitive.
ROTC students face trials Elizabeth Smith
ejsmith2@liberty.edu
ROTC programs across the country are cracking down on their acceptance policy this year. According to Liberty junior Cadet Josh Warner, ROTC scholarships are very competitive. Too many students want scholarships, but not many scholarships are available because the army is cutting back the budget. For this reason, ROTC programs must be extremely selective with their applicants. Not all of the students who make ROTC can receive scholarships. The ROTC is a military program that gives people the opportunity to get a college education while simultaneously pursuing a career in the military. When they graduate with a four-year degree from college, ROTC students will get a commission in the army as a second lieutenant. According to Capt. John Ezzo, it is not hard to fulfill the required number of ROTC students because of all of the incentives the program provides. To help deter students from applying for these scholarships this year, Liberty’s ROTC program held a freshman orientation which
explained the conditions and obligations required to be in the ROTC. The orientation was designed to help weed out students who are not capable to do the intense training and physical fitness that the ROTC requires. “Our goal was to minimize how many students we have in the program because the army is downsizing, so we have to be very selective (about) whom we take into the program,” Ezzo said. According to Ezzo, leadership, physical fitness and responsibility are the three biggest objectives that the program focuses on, but not just anyone will get in to the program. Ezzo said that ROTC students are held to a much higher standard than the average student. Liberty ROTC students recently went to Fort Pickett in Blackstone, Va. for an FTX (field training exercise), where they spent two days learning land navigational skills, ranger challenges and obstacle courses. The purpose of FTX is to prepare cadets for the Ranger Challenge at the end of October. The Ranger Challenge is a series of events that cadets must compete as a team. This year, Liberty ROTC students will be competing against more than 30 different colleges on
the eastern seaboard. These mini competitions test the cadets’ understanding of land navigation, patrolling, leadership skills and infantry tactics. FTX also prepares the cadets for the Leadership Development Assessment Course (LDAC). Twenty-three senior cadets recently performed at LDAC, an evaluation ranking cadets based on their physical abilities, leadership skills and academic standing. One of those cadets, Rebecca Moschler, completed the LDAC this past summer at Fort Lewis in Washington State. “Your freshman through your junior year, you are preparing for LDAC. It’s a really big deal, and how you perform determines where you stand with your fellow cadets,” Moschler said. The ranking that a cadet receives through LDAC establishes what position he will have in the army once he graduates. “Our program is growing with quality, rather than with quantity. The students here are very patriotic, and they want to serve. It’s becoming an honor and a privilege to be a part of the program,” Ezzo said. SMITH is a news reporter.
The Liberty University forensics team brought some truth to the university’s motto “Training Champions for Christ” when they competed in the tournament they hosted on campus Sept. 29-30. Liberty’s team won the Limited Team Sweepstakes division, which means they placed first in the division that included schools of approximately the same size. “We represented Liberty University well, I believe, and our team individually did well. Just about everyone ‘broke,’ which basically means they reached the final round,” Christian Collins, one of the forensics team coaches, said. “Shad Hicks, our newest member, and a freshman, got first place in his event, which is really exciting for us,” Collins added. Liberty’s forensics team welcomed other teams from James Madison University, George Mason University and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, among others. Collins is very proud of the team and explained that simply being on the team benefited the students in many ways. “Personally, I think that it breeds professionalism,” Collins said. “First of all, they’re growing in that avenue, and they have to be on time, they have to dress well. In any line of work that you will be doing, you need to be able to speak well. You have to get your point across whether in business meetings, or interacting with people one-on-one.” According to Collins, most of the team members have done forensics or something similar in high school. “Competitions are a twoday whirlwind,” Whitney Rutherford, one of the team members, said. “Each week-
end features two tournaments. We have two preliminary rounds before finals are announced. Finals consist of six people per event. The competition is grueling, but the days are also filled with team-bonding and growing closer with other teams.” Rutherford mentioned the vigorous process that she and her teammates must undergo for each competition. “Preparation for impromptu speaking includes scouring websites and news sources as well as listening keenly for interesting facts that pop up in day-to-day life,” Rutherford said. “Events such as persuasion require keeping every source up to date, running the speech multiple times to keep memorization fresh, and timing the speech over and over to be sure it is perfect.” “Competitions are highintensity and high-stress. They’re really worked up because they have butterflies in their stomachs, I presume,” Collins said. “It’s riveting for them — they just love it. You start to make all these connections with all these other schools. They have a big network of people that they’re friends with outside of LU, and they get to see these friends every weekend.” Some of the topics that the forensics team has covered have been as diverse as a poetry interpretation on what it means to be a man, communication analysis on Candy Chang’s “Before I Die,” a duo interpretation on the true impact of teachers on society and an informative speech on philanthrocapitalism, discussing a brand-new way to give. “I’m grateful for my cocoach, Meagan Roper, and to work with a great team of people. I consider them my friends,” Collins said. FORTNER is a news reporter.
Liberty Counsel focuses on presidential election Jeremy Angione jangione@liberty.edu
Among the many programs of Liberty Counsel, one activity includes educating and motivating pastors and people about the upcoming election is one of the most important. They have opened several lines of communication to potential voters, including numerous pastors, speaking, sending DVDs, booklets and emails as well as making phone calls urging people to vote for biblical values, according to Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law. “Voting is not merely a political act. It is a biblical witness to the community. It is a talent we must exercise wisely,” Staver said. “We elect agents to act on our behalf. If we believe life is sacred, then we cannot elect an agent to do that which is contrary to the Bible. As we believe and act on Sunday, we must be-
lieve and act on Tuesday, (Nov. 6), at the ballot box.” Liberty Counsel represents Liberty University, which became the first private party in the nation to file a lawsuit against the Obama administration’s healthcare bill, known as “ObamaCare,” the day the bill was signed into law, March 23, 2010, according to a Liberty Counsel press release. Staver argued the case at the federal district court in Lynchburg, at the federal court of appeals in Richmond, and then filed briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court. According to a Liberty Counsel press release, Liberty Counsel has filed a Petition for Rehearing concerning ObamaCare, and the Supreme Court has now ordered the federal government respond within 30 days, which means the challenge to ObamaCare is still alive. “Under ObamaCare, Liberty University, Christian employers and other individuals, will be forced to fund abortion contrary
to their religious beliefs. Our lawsuit continues to challenge the employer mandate and this forced abortion funding under the Free Exercise of Religion protected under the First Amendment,” StavVisit the er said. Fo u n d e d Liberty by Staver, Counsel Liberty website, Counsel is an international lc.org, for non-profit more litigation, informaeducation and policy legal organization that seeks to “restore the culture by advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life and the family,” according to Liberty Counsel’s motto. According to Staver, Liberty Counsel was founded in 1989 with a goal to keep the doors open for the gospel, to advance religious freedom, the sanctity of
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human life and the family. “It is critical for Christians to be involved in the political realm, not to simply be political, but to be a voice for biblical truth,” Staver said. According to Staver, the greatest civil rights issues that Christians face today are the deconstruction of marriage, abortion and the loss of religious liberty. Staver cited the demonization of Chick-fil-A for adhering to a biblical view of marriage as an example of how culture and the government seek to redefine traditional values by silencing those who hold them. Liberty Counsel remains in touch with the media to monitor civil rights issues wherever they may be. Liberty Counsel also produces a short radio program known as Freedom’s Call and Faith and Freedom that educate on current issues affecting family, faith and freedom. “Liberty Counsel is a multifront defender of truth. In the courtroom, Congress and comLETTER TO THE EDITOR POLICIES & INFO
munities across the country, our attorneys and policy experts are protecting and defending our religious freedoms, the sanctity of life and the family,” Liberty Counsel Communications Director Charla Bansley said. Bansley is responsible for writing press releases, managing social media, writing and directing the radios programs, and is also Staver’s publicist. According to Bansley, Liberty Counsel receives more than 1,300 calls every year from people in need of legal consultation and representation, which Liberty Counsel will provide free of charge. The right to display the Ten Commandments, pro-life sidewalk counselors providing alternatives to abortion, and the right of Good News Clubs to meet on public school campuses are just a few cases that Liberty Counsel has litigated, according to Staver. ANGIONE 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
October 9, 2012
Liberty Champion/A3
Congressional hopefuls talk back John Douglass and Robert Hurt oppose each other in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, while Andy Schmookler and Bob Goodlatte battle for Virginia’s 6th Congressional District on the Nov. 6 election. The Champion sent each candidate a list of important questions relating to their policies and these are their respective answers.
Douglass draws on experience Hurt pushes for jobs creation What specific policies would you support to create jobs and stimulate the economy? After advocating for aerospace manufacturing jobs, I can tell you that a highly skilled workforce attracts high paying jobs. Everywhere I go, people agree that if we stopped spending $330 million a day in Afghanistan, one week’s worth of that money in the Southside would finance the type of DOUGLASS apprenticeships and training programs I helped put in place for ship-building. But to promote local growth, I know as a small family farmer that there is so much more to help improve access to lending and reward small businesses for hiring more workers. What separates you from the other candidate? While I am campaigning for Congress to help Virginia families get a fair chance at a better future, Corporate PACs are bankrolling Congressman Hurt’s campaign to bankrupt our nation’s future by continuing deficit-funded tax subsidies for corporate outsourcers, ending Medicare as we know it and refusing to stop dangerous uranium mining that threatens our district. This election is about more than Republican vs. Democrat or Wall Street vs. Washington. This time, it is about choosing good over greed. What are your top five priorities, and what would you do to make your political goals become a reality? I am running for Congress to help Virginia families — in both parties — get a fair chance at a better future. My plan will help support parents and students by rewarding teachers who boost college and career readiness, bring job creators and seekers together by easing access to lending and encouraging hiring, protect retirees and veterans from the Ryan-Hurt budget cuts, keep communities safe from uranium mining and other threats to our borders and costs, and honor America’s founders by defending the personal liberties under attack by the state legislature. Right now, our district is being hurt by too many career politicians in Washington who are bought and paid for by their corporate campaign contributors. Having spent my life in public service, I have no interest in catering to party leaders or power brokers. I hope to earn your support in November, because I care too much about those we love not to take action. What steps would you support to reduce the national debt? I believe there is plenty of waste to cut out of all programs, including the Pentagon. In the Navy, I cut through the “red tape” to balance budgets for ship building and built more ships for less money. Let us start by bringing our troops
home from Afghanistan. With the money we spend there in one day, we could set up apprenticeships and new worker training programs for our returning veterans and other Virginians looking for work. My opponent’s vote to keep troops in Afghanistan and his pledge to oppose any federal revenue growth threatens to bankrupt our nation’s future. Even if we allow tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires to expire, I will push for tax simplification that rewards hard work and fair play. This will allow us to finance lasting investments in education, technology development and transit projects that ultimately boost incomes and federal revenues, helping America continue leading the world. What specific laws, if any, would you support regarding abortion? I agree with the law of the land that leaves family planning decisions up to families away from the Virginia legislature, free from outside intrusion. And I will tell any politician that forces their agenda on Virginia women that no means no, whether it is painful ultrasound procedures or delegitimizing victims of rape. While respecting medical decisions between a mother, a doctor and God, my personal faith inspires me to support contraception and abstinence education, along with childcare assistance for new moms. What is your position regarding whether marriage should be between one man and one woman or whether it should also include people of the same sex? I spent my life protecting the freedom of religion and promoting civil rights, and I believe there are two kinds of marriages. One is in a court of law, and the other is in a church. I support a church’s right to practice their faith in their own way, but on the other hand, I think people should be allowed to have a state marriage in a courthouse because we are all equal. We can honor America’s founders in this way, by continuing the fight for equality. Why should college students feel inclined to vote for you? We need to do much more to expand access to college with a direct loan program that offers more delayed interest loans, Pell Grant levels that account for rising tuition costs and scholarships for those who commit to public service. At the same time, keep costs in check by making student loans accessible at low interest rates, along with tax credits for childcare and tuition like the American Opportunity Tax Credit for children pursuing higher degrees. Yet my opponent joined the fringe of his party to allow student loan rates to double. Raising two teenage boys, including a 14-yearold with autism, with my wife Susan, I understand that America’s growth takes parents who work hard and teachers who give them a chance at college and a career.
Don’t forget to register to vote! Tomorrow, Oct. 10, is the last day to register on campus. Oct. 15 is the last day to register at the local Registrar’s office.
What specific policies would you support to create jobs and stimulate the economy? With unemployment unacceptably high in the 5th District and across the country, my top priority in Congress continues to be promoting policies in Washington that will lead to job creation by reducing Washingtoncreated uncertainty. High energy prices, record deficits and debt, unnecessary regulations that hinder HURT small businesses, and the threat of tax increases looming at the end of the year are all contributing to this uncertainty. In Congress, I have supported a pro-growth agenda that addresses all of these issues and reduces this uncertainty. We in the House have adopted budget plans that rein in reckless spending and put us on a path to balancing the budget. The House has identified regulations that harm growth and passed bills that minimize their disastrous effects. We have advanced a responsible energy policy that reduces our dependence on foreign sources of energy and creates jobs at home. And the House has passed legislation to prevent a massive tax increase on every American family and thousands of small businesses. By adopting pro-growth reforms that return our country to its founding principles of limited government, free enterprise and individual liberty, we can get our economy back on track, create the jobs we desperately need and preserve the American Dream for our children and grandchildren. What separates you from the other candidate? At a time when our nation is facing this debt and job crisis, we need real leaders in Washington who are more worried about the next generation than they are their next election. On behalf of the people of the 5th District and on behalf of our children and grandchildren, I am committed to reducing our debt and deficit, creating jobs on Main Streets across the 5th District and making the tough decisions necessary to get this country back on the right track. What are your top five priorities and what would you do to make your political goals become a reality? My top priorities include: • Reduce Washington-created uncertainty to spur economic growth and create jobs. • Pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and implement real budget reforms to reduce our debt and deficits. • Adopt an “all-of-the-above” responsible energy policy in order to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, enhance our energy security, create jobs and reduce energy prices. • Reform our broken tax code, which creates uncertainty for our small business owners and families, and make it fairer and flatter for all Americans. • Repeal the president’s health care law which is bankrupting our country and driving insurance premiums up and replace it with patient-centered solutions that will ensure access to affordable, quality care.
What steps would you support to reduce the national debt? My first act as a member of Congress was co-sponsoring a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, which would mandate that Congress pass balanced budgets every year. I have also voted for two House-passed budget plans that cut trillions in federal spending and put us on a path to balance the budget without raising taxes on families and small businesses. These plans address the greatest drivers of our debt by making the reforms necessary to strengthen and preserve critical health and retirement security programs upon which our seniors rely. By contrast, a path I do not support is the path the United States Senate has taken — the path of inaction. The Senate has not passed a budget in more than three years. Every member of Congress voted against the president’s budget proposal this year, which offered no serious solutions to address our massive debt. The House has led the way on getting our spending under control where others will not, and as the president continues to add to his record of accumulating over $5 trillion in debt, I applaud the House of Representatives’ willingness to make the tough choices to address our impending debt crisis before the choices are not ours to make. What specific laws, if any, would you support regarding abortion? I believe that life begins at conception, and that each and every American, born or unborn, has an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In Congress, I have voted on a number of occasions to protect life. For example, I have voted to permanently prohibit the use of federal funds for abortion, and I support repealing the president’s health care law and its contraception mandates. What is your position regarding whether marriage should be between one man and one woman or whether it should also include people of the same sex? I believe that the institution of marriage should continue to be defined as between one man and one woman. Why should college students feel inclined to vote for you? We are approaching the most important election of many of our lifetimes, but this election is particularly important for young people, who have so much at stake. College students face the risk of not getting a good job when they graduate because of a stagnant economic recovery. They face the risk that more of our freedoms will be infringed on by an ever-growing federal government that continues to expand its role into our lives. There is the risk that our young people will be forced to foot the bill for the debt that years past of federal spending has accumulated because those in Washington have refused to make the tough choices while we still have time. And perhaps the biggest thing that college students, and all Americans, have at stake in this election is the risk that the American Dream that we all hold so dear will not be available for those who will come after us. There is hope because young people have a choice this November, and the choice is theirs to elect leaders who believe that a limited government will provide unlimited opportunity as it has for generations past. Those leaders are, as I am, committed to ensuring that our college students and all Americans have the same opportunity to achieve the American Dream as our parents and grandparents who came before us.
A4/Liberty Champion
NEWS
October 9, 2012
Foes face off for 6th district seats
Schmookler begins political quest Goodlatte aims for reelection What specific policies would you support to create jobs and stimulate the economy? We need to fix our crumbling infrastructure, provide job opportunities for our youth and end incentives for sending American jobs overseas. With the economy hobbled by lack of demand and corporations sitting on piles of cash rather than creating jobs, we need the SCHMOOKLER government to take the lead. But it cannot lead if Republicans in Congress block every effort. What separates you from the other candidates? In the past, the issue between a Democrat like me and a Republican like Bob Goodlatte was often “liberal vs. conservative.” But not now. Not in this race. Not in today’s America. This is constructive vs. destructive. Honest vs. dishonest. The spirit of seeking the greater good versus the spirit of “everything for me.” This is the fundamental battle being fought in American politics today. That is why, at age 66, I am running for office for the first time. What are your top five priorities and what would you do to make your political goals become a reality? A) Average citizens, not just the richest and most powerful, should have a meaningful voice in our politics. I will propose a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s disgraceful Citizens United decision so that “all men are created equal,” and “one person, one vote,” are not overpowered by “one dollar, one vote.” B) Redistricting should be determined by computer and algorithm so that politics can be removed from that process. Congressional races would be more competitive, and voters would have real choices. C) To honor private property rights, stockholders of publicly traded companies should have a genuine voice in determining how their companies act in matters having important social and political consequences. D) I will continue to use my voice to stop the lie from defeating the truth in our political process. Our Declaration of Independence says that government gets its just powers from “the consent of the governed.” But that consent can be meaningful only if it is informed consent. The dishonesty in our politics has too often made that consent misinformed. E) I will work to restore America’s leadership in “social mobility” — the chance for people to rise from the level they are born into. America was once known for that, but we have been surpassed by other democratic societies. We need to ensure that each young person has the opportunity to make the most of their God-given potential. What steps would you support to reduce the national debt? The best solution to the deficit is to put people back to work and revive America’s economy. When the economy is strong again, Congress can help cut the deficit by closing tax loopholes for corporations
and raising taxes on the richest Americans back to what they were in the prosperous 1990s. As for spending, instead of cutting Social Security and other vital government programs that help average Americans, we should reduce the deficit by bringing health care costs under control and by cutting defense budget excesses. Fiscal discipline need not dismantle programs and institutions that make America a great and humane society. I will defend Social Security from those who cannot be trusted to deal with it honestly. What specific laws, if any, would you support regarding abortion? I believe strongly in the freedom of religion that our founders gave us in the Constitution. They had seen in the history of Europe the nightmares that come when the state enforces the religious views of some on those with different beliefs. It is the American way to let others live according to their own fundamental beliefs, even when we think those beliefs terribly mistaken. Because of our founders’ wisdom about how to sustain a free and peaceful society, we Americans respect the right to be wrong. At the core of the abortion dispute is a fundamental question of a religious nature: At what point, from conception onward, does a life become a fully human person, entitled to all the rights — life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness — that our Declaration of Independence says we have been endowed with by our Creator. Many Americans believe that the soul enters the body at the moment of conception. Roughly as many Americans disagree. And if we look at these two groups, we find that there are good people on each side. Science is powerless to resolve this essentially religious question. The American way is to keep the coercive power of the state out of such religious disputes. What is your position regarding whether marriage should be between one man and one woman or whether it should also include people of the same sex? I am happily married. I never chose to be straight. It is what I always naturally was. Other straight people I have asked do not feel that they ever made a choice to be attracted to the opposite sex, rather than their own. If straight people did not choose to be what they are, what reason is there to think that gay people did? A gay friend of mine, the son of a Protestant minister, said, “I’m gay, as God made me.” Science increasingly seems to support the idea that, in most cases, being straight or gay is like being right-handed or lefthanded: The vast majority are born one way, but a minority is born the other. (Earlier societies thought ill of left-handers, as words like “sinister” and “gauche” attest. It has not been easy being different.) If we knew that being gay is like being lefthanded, with no moral choice involved, what would that suggest about how we — as a caring and just society — should deal with that minority? I think the best answer is found in Jesus’ Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Why should college students feel inclined to vote for you? I believe that young adults — facing a more difficult situation than any generation since the Great Depression — deserve better treatment than Bob Goodlatte gave them when he voted to double the interest rate on student loans. My generation did not graduate with a burden of debt like today’s college students. It is unfair to the young, and bad for our nation, to make it so difficult for them to prepare for success in a competitive world. I believe that the way the present treats the future is a basic moral issue. I will use my voice and my office to see that the decisions of today do not sacrifice the needs of tomorrow.
What specific policies would you support to create jobs and stimulate the economy? I am committed to finding real solutions to address our nation’s unemployment crisis and sluggish economy. The first thing we must do is remove barriers to employment, including the threat of higher taxes, new government regulations and costly mandates. It GOODLATTE is common sense that you should not raise costs and taxes on employers at a time when unemployment is at record levels. Removing the threats of higher taxes and excessive regulations would provide immediate certainty for American job creators so they can hire new workers with the confidence that a higher tax bill is not on the way. In addition, we must restore confidence in America’s economic future by restraining federal spending. What separates you from the other candidates? I have the proven experience needed to effectively represent the good people of Central Virginia and have shown through my accomplishments that I have the ability and determination to conduct the people’s business with results. Furthermore, I embody the conservatism required to protect the common-sense family values represented by the hardworking citizens of Central Virginia. I am committed to the conservative principles and priorities of accountability, limited government, low taxes, fiscal restraint, energy independence, border security, a strong national defense, personal responsibility, individual freedoms and economic prosperity, and I have been and will continue to be a leader in addressing these important issues. What are your top five priorities and what would you do to make your political goals become a reality? Jobs/Economy: Today, folks in the 6th Congressional District, like folks from all across the country, are facing one of the most challenging times in our nation’s history. Our economy remains sluggish, people fear losing their jobs and their homes, and many are worried about the future their children and grandchildren will inherit. To spur economic growth, create new jobs and bring personal opportunity to every American we must strengthen our free market system, not hamper it. We must reduce government intrusion, not allow more bailouts and regulation. We should also unleash all of our energy resources and become energy independent, not stifle certain energy sources with artificial government barriers. We must give our nation’s entrepreneurial spirit the opportunity to thrive, not enact policies that will forever alter our ability to seek prosperity. Fiscal Responsibility: Outof-control spending, skyrocketing deficits and massive growth in government programs have also increased economic uncertainty and prolonged our unemployment crisis. The federal government should focus on cutting spending and reducing the deficit, not finding more ways to spend taxpayers’ dollars. That is why I have introduced legislation that would force the federal government to balance its budget. National Security: Defending our country is the most important constitutional function of the federal government. At this very moment, the brave men and women of our armed forces are serving on aircraft carriers in distant oceans, keeping the peace on volatile borders, and patrolling the skies of international hot spots. It is these heroes who are working hard to make our nation stronger and safer for future
generations while working to preserve the freedoms that we as Americans hold dear. That is why I remain committed to ensuring that the U.S. military has the necessary resources to keep them ready to overcome any challenge we might face. Constitutional Freedoms: It is crucial that Congress, the president and the Courts strictly adhere to the Constitution when making, enforcing and interpreting the laws, and that all three branches of government acknowledge and abide by the very real limitations on federal power contained in the Constitution. Unfortunately, in recent years, we have witnessed an unprecedented expansion of the federal government that has expanded the finite authority granted to it in the Constitution into seemingly infinite authority, trampling on state and individual rights and blurring the distinction between the public and private sectors. I am committed to the Constitution and to the constitutional principles of limited government, states’ rights and individual liberties, and I will continue to fight hard to make sure the federal government abides by the restrictions the Constitution places on it. Moral Issues: It is my priority to protect the conservative common-sense family values represented by the hard working citizens of Virginia’s 6th District. By applying the principles and beliefs that have guided our nation since its founding, I will continue to work to protect the sanctity of life and define marriage as a sacred union between one man and one woman. What steps would you support to reduce the national debt? I believe we need to cut spending now, and that we must also enact institutional reforms such as passing a balanced budget amendment, enacting biennial budgeting, and other measures that will bind the federal government’s hands and cut up its credit cards once and for all. That is why for many Congresses now, I have introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to require Congress to balance its budget each year. This will force Congress to make the decisions necessary to bring fiscal sanity back to Washington. What specific laws, if any, would you support regarding abortion? I support legislation: to declare that the right to life guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution begins at conception, to prohibit the expenditure of federal funds for any abortion and prohibit federal funds from being used for any health benefits coverage that includes coverage of abortion, to prohibit transporting a minor across a state line to obtain an abortion without the written consent of the minor’s parents, to prohibit discrimination against doctors, hospitals or health plans which refuse to provide abortions, and to ban abortion based on the gender or race of the unborn child, just to name a few. What is your position regarding whether marriage should be between one man and one woman or whether it should also include people of the same sex? I strongly support the traditional definition of marriage as solely between one man and one woman, and I support a constitutional amendment to define it as such. Why should college students feel inclined to vote for you? I am committed to ensuring that college students have a secure economic future and the opportunity for gainful employment. The enormous debt that we are accumulating today is unsustainable and will rest on the shoulders of today’s youth. I am working to curb federal spending and have introduced legislation to require balancing the federal budget. I also support policies that will enable employers to create jobs and grow our economy.
NEWS
October 9, 2012
Liberty Champion/A5
Denver hosts first presidential debate The President and Republican presidential hopeful discussed domestic policy in the opening debate of three Isaac Eder ieder@liberty.edu
President Barack Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney squared off Wednesday night in the first presidential debate of the 2012 election. The event was held in Denver, Colo. and moderated by National Public Radio’s Jim Lehrer. Obama won the coin toss and made the opening statement of the debate, marking his 20th wedding anniversary with his wife, Michelle, and touting the addition of 5 million private sector jobs over the past 30 months. He argued that he and Romney represented different views of how to better America. “Now, it ultimately is going to be up to the voters, to you, which path we should take. Are we going to double down on the top-down economic policies that helped to get us into this mess, or do we embrace a new economic patriotism that says, ‘America does best when the middle class does best?’” In response to the president’s comments about his anniversary, Romney joked, “And congratulations to you, Mr. President, on your anniversary. I’m sure this was the most romantic place you could imagine, here with me! ... Congratulations.” Moving on to the substance of Obama’s economic remarks, Romney said, “It’s small business that creates the jobs in America.
YouTube Screenshot
CAMPAIGNING — President Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney debated issues Oct. 3. And over the last four years, small-business people have decided that America may not be the place to open a new business, because new business startups are down to a 30-year low. I know what it takes to get small business growing again, to hire people.” “When it comes to our tax code,” the president said, “Governor Romney and I both agree that our corporate tax rate is too high. So I want to lower it, particularly for manufacturing, taking it down to 25 percent. But I also want to close those loopholes that
are giving incentives for companies that are shipping jobs overseas. I want to provide tax breaks for companies that are investing here in the United States.” In response, Romney agreed that “we ought to bring the tax rates down ... both for corporations and for individuals. But in order for us not to lose revenue, have the government run out of money, I also lower deductions and credits and exemptions, so that we keep taking in the same money when you also account for growth. With regards to that tax
cut ... I’m not looking to cut massive taxes and to reduce the revenues going to the government. My number one principal is, there will be no tax cut that adds to the deficit.” In closing, President Obama expressed confidence in America’s future and recounted several anecdotes in support of his point. “You know, four years ago, we were going through a major crisis. And yet my faith and confidence in the American future is undiminished … And so the question now is, ‘How do we build on
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those strengths?’ And everything that I’ve tried to do, and everything that I’m now proposing for the next four years in terms of improving our education system or developing American energy … all those things are designed to make sure that the American people, their genius, their grit, their determination is channeled and they have an opportunity to succeed.” In his closing, Romney emphasized the differences between the president and him, a theme both candidates returned to repeatedly throughout the debate. “If the president’s reelected, ‘Obamacare’ will be fully installed ... If I’m elected, we won’t have ‘Obamacare.’ We’ll put in place the kind of principles that I put in place in my own state and allow each state to craft their own programs to get people insured. And we’ll focus on getting the cost of health care down … I know this is bigger than an election about the two of us as individuals. It’s bigger than our respective parties. It’s an election about the course of America. I will keep America strong and get America’s middle class working again.” The vice presidential candidates will meet in a debate Thursday, Oct. 11, at 9 p.m. The presidential candidates will face off for a second debate Oct. 16 at 9 p.m. EDER is a news reporter.
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OPINION
OCTOBER 9, 2012
Smartphones hindering intelligence Debates rage over whether or not handheld devices are turning us into the generation with the weakest memory Whitney Rutherford wrutherford2@liberty.edu
In the moments before a class begins, they are on desks, in laps and cradled between palms. Whether texting a friend a few classrooms away, answering emails or perusing Facebook, students seize the minutes to put their technological arm to work, the smartphone. Smartphones saturate all aspects of society on and off campus. Neilson Wire reported in July 2012 that more than 54 percent of United States mobile subscribers use smartphones. As our society has rapidly abandoned traditional cellphones for smartphones, we have become accustomed to constant connectivity and high levels of multitasking. Due to the ongoing web of communication we have with one another, many wonder whether smartphones are crafting more productive or more distracted Americans. However, studies show that smartphones do not make more or less intelligent people. Neuroscientist Gary Small, who wrote the book “iBrain: Surviving Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind,” offered his opinion on a link between smartphones and lowered intelligence. “Direct systematic studies are either unavailable or I am unaware of them,” Small said. Smartphones are simply tools that reveal the intelligence of the user. Still, many insist that smartphones con-
Ricky Romero | Creative Commons
APPLICATIONS — While they can be fun, applications can soak up a student’s time. sistently drag people from the task at hand to a different priority or frivolity. However, as Forbes reported in September 2012, scientists who specialize in distraction studies have yet to prove that smartphones impair intelligence. Rather than blaming the device for creating distracted students or employees, we should turn to the brain. Dopamine is the chemical in our brains that spikes when we experience a feeling of sensation. Technol-
ogy may present us with minute-to-minute updates, but deciding what takes priority is still internal. Dealing with distractions is chiefly a personal responsibility, not the fault of a box of metals and wires. Rather than inducing distractible, unproductive behavior, smartphones can enhance learning. Our smartphones can be a tool instead of a glorified toy. Carly Shuler, a researcher, developer and author in the children’s media and toy industry,
insists that smartphone learning advantages outweigh disadvantages. Shuler presents innovative technology as a window for “anywhere, anytime learning.” Smartphone manufacturers could not agree more with Shuler. The Apple App Store created “iTunes U” as a platform for learning “anything, anywhere, anytime.” The application allows students of any age to access classes, lectures and books by authorities on hundreds of subjects. Smartphones are filled with the opportunity to utilize capabilities far beyond just tweeting and texting. On the other hand, the Apple App Store offers plenty of just-for-fun applications. Facebook and Instagram, as well as gaming applications such as Angry Birds, are routinely in the top 10 applications of the day. While these applications do not directly enhance education, they are an invaluable source of communication and entertainment. The amount of time spent on social and gaming applications is far more problematic than the games themselves. For the college student with a smartphone, the device can be a time enhancer or waster. Our technological arm will take us in either direction, but the smartphone will not be to blame in the end. When the professor enters the room and students hide away their smartphones, the intelligence of the user will be laid bare. RUTHERFORD is an opinion writer.
Preserving history is a critical need Leanna Branner
lbranner@liberty.edu
The Doughboy leans against his rock wall at the bottom of Monument Terrace, downtown Lynchburg. The butt of his rifle rests between his feet, the barrel held casually in one hand. For weeks, he reclines against the wall, waiting for help. Crafted in 1926, the Doughboy serves as a monument to the city’s soldiers who died in World War I. The statue recently received a new bayonet, thanks to donations made by Liberty University through the Lynchburg Save Outdoor Sculptures! (LSOS!), after an act of vandalism left the rifle’s bayonet broken. But the Doughboy is not the only one who needs help. Numerous historically-significant statues and monuments around Lynchburg are also in need of continuous repair and maintenance. LSOS! is a committee of Lynchburg’s Historical Foundation that raises the necessary funds for these projects. According to lychburgva.gov, the Historical Foundation established LSOS! in 1996. Originally, the program was called Save Our Statues!, but in an effort to revamp the old initiative, the fundraiser received a name makeover as well. LSOS! has successfully undertaken the restoration of several projects, including the Dolphin
From the
Desk Tabitha Cassidy tcassidy@liberty.edu
After the Oct. 3 presidential debates, I found myself bombarded with comments from my friends all over Facebook. Most of the friends that I still have from my public, northern high school were very outspokenly singing President Barack
David Duncan | Office of Promotional Publications
THE DOUGHBOY — Lynchburg Museum system director Dough Harvey held the bayonet that broke off the statue in downtown Lynchburg. fountain at the Community jor projects, the fundraiser is re- in Miller Park. The monument Market, the John Warwick Dan- ceiving fresh attention. has lacked a scabbard for so long iel Statue at the corner of Park When the Liberty University that no one seems to remember Avenue and Ninth Street, the administration read about the what it looked like before the Water Pitcher at Old City Cem- damage to the Doughboy statue, piece went missing. The statue is etery, the Jubal Early Monument they donated $2,000 to LSOS! now in the process of getting reon Fort Avenue, and the Mar- for the new bayonet, a generous fitted for a new scabbard thanks shall Packet Boat at Riverside gift that was noted in News and to funding through LSOS!. Park. In addition, LSOS! donat- Advance on June 27. Although the committee has ed $40,000.00 in 2003 toward “(Liberty’s contribution) is accomplished much, there are the preservation of Monument a shot in the arm for us to get still many other statues and Terrace. started again,” Sally Schneider, monuments throughout the city The organization has an im- executive director of Lynchburg in desperate need of renovation. pressive list of achievements to Historical Foundation, said. The next project on the agenda show for its 16 years of existence. The current initiative of is the restoration of the Greek However, in light of the recent LSOS! is the repairing of the 2nd Water Bearer Statue at the Old Doughboy repair and other ma- Virginia Cavalry Marker, located City Reservoir on Clay Street,
Obama’s praises. Nearly all of my friends from my private, Christian university in the south were harping on the fact that voting for anyone besides presidential candidate Mitt Romney would be ridiculous. Being caught in the middle of the two, I find myself not questioning my own choice for president, but questioning the methods people use to figure out who they will be voting for Nov. 6. A good amount of my generation who interacted after the debate did not speak about how well whichever candidate they were supporting presented
himself, or how great of a point so-and-so made. No, instead they spoke about h o w awful Romney looked or how terrible of a person O b a m a CASSIDY is. Not until some of my friends were challenged on their opinions did anyone try to make a good point about the presidential candidate they were supporting, and many of these comments did not even make sense.
Do not get me wrong, I was also able to hear from some of my more educated friends who had a reason for voting for Romney or Obama. But the point is that they were educated. They knew what they were talking about. So many people these days are blindly supporting one presidential candidate because it is the cool thing to do, or because their parents were Republicans or Democrats, and following in their footsteps would only be natural. When does the bandwagon support stop, and the education begin? Voting can be an in-
which was destroyed by vandals. The Water Bearer, sculpted in the late 1800s, is Lynchburg’s oldest outdoor artwork, making it a very expensive undertaking. The Historical Foundation is still assessing the project, but Schneider told the News and Advance that the cost to repair the Water Bearer could be as much as $18,000 and that they are currently seeking to raise $25,000 for similar projects throughout Lynchburg. They clearly need public involvement. As a gift to the community to show our appreciation, and as a way to preserve history for future generations, we should consider contributing and supporting the efforts of LSOS. “Lynchburg has a long and proud history, and these monuments are important symbols that illustrate this history,” Schneider said in a news brief posted on the city of Lynchburg’s website. “We hope the Lynchburg community will join with us to provide the funding to make these whole again.” Anyone interested in supporting this effort should contact the Lynchburg Historical Foundation, either by phone at 5285353 or by email at lhfi@centralva.net. BRANNER is a contributing writer.
credible experience that allows your voice to be heard if done correctly. Casting your vote without any knowledge about who the candidates are, what they have done in their past offices, or what they support and will be trying to pass into law once elected, however, can be detrimental to the country. Instead of advocating for people just to vote, the older generations should be encouraging us to educate ourselves about politics and the people involved in them, and only then cast our vote. Supporting Obama or Romney just because it “feels
right” does not sit well with me. Frankly, I would rather people not vote at all if the most they know about the candidates are their political party or where they shop to get great deals. I do not want the country I live in to be run by a president voted in by a bunch of mindless voters. Listen to the words the candidates say, listen to what they are not saying, and educate yourselves on their platforms. You will learn a lot. CASSIDY is the editor in chief.
OPINION
October 9, 2012
Liberty Champion/A7
OpenSourceWay | Creative Commons
My 2 cents Andrew Woolfolk
alwoolfolk@liberty.edu
keep candidates accountable. After the allotted time limit has passed, simply turn the microphone off. Candidates who expect the time limit to fluctuate tend to ramble on, making point after redundant point. If they knew that the time limit was set in stone, chances are they would only include their most important points and would get to them quicker. Another solution is to simply give the candidates more time. In some circumstances, two minutes is not enough to describe your economic policies and intricate plans for our country’s wellbeing. With so little time to delve into such complicated topics and issues, candidates eventually end up in a conversational seesaw, arguing back and forth against the unelaborated claims of the opposing candidate. Until these changes are enacted, the moderators are merely the political version of an overwhelmed substitute teacher. They know how the action is supposed to go, but they just do not have the authority to direct it. “Thank you, Mr. Woolfolk, your time is up.” Better cut off the microphone.
In the Liberty Champion’s last issue, we ran an article pertaining to the popularity of the newest hit website on campus, “Awkward Couples of Liberty.” Our writer went through great lengths to interview the creators of the site, the dean of students Keith Anderson, and also lifted quotations straight from the website that were posted by students. Yet, when the article ran last week, students took to Facebook to insult our writer’s work. “This article is a joke,” one Liberty student said. “The person who wrote this is a terrible journalist,” another said. Still others threw out words like “stupid” and “dumb.” Some suggested that our writer find another career. These are specific examples of baseless and incorrect comments. All over Facebook were examples of Liberty students throwing out WOOLFOLK hate mail because of a disagreement over, among all things, a website meant for humor. As the editor of this page, I can assure you this: our writer did her job, and she did her research. She gave her opinion, and that is what we ask of her. At other institutions, insults toward a person’s intelligence and writing proficiency may be standard procedure, but at an institution such as Liberty University, are we not called to a higher standard? Disagreement with an article is one thing, virtually attacking the author is not. The best way for those who disagree to settle who is right is not by seeing who can yell their case louder or hurl the sharpest insult. Disagreeing parties need to hear both sides of the story, work across the table with each other and develop a common agreement and respect. To see a great example of tolerance, we need look no further than the late Jerry Falwell Sr., who became friends with Larry Flynt, founder of the pornographic publication Hustler magazine. Even though the two were ethically as far apart as possible, and even after Flynt published heinous advertisements attacking Falwell — a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court — a friendship developed. “The ultimate result was one I never expected and was just as shocking a turn to me as was winning that famous Supreme Court case,” Flynt said in a 2007 LA Times article. “We became friends.” When lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocates arrived on campus one year, Falwell used convocation to keep students in line. “If I hear so much as a whisper of any of you being anything but welcoming, respectful and loving — you’ll have me to answer to,” Falwell said. The greatest characteristic of the opinion page is that it is a safe harbor for just that — our opinions. Other pages report the news, but opinion gives people a voice and opens the door for discussion. We know you will not agree with every opinion that runs on the page, but our goal is to create dialogue and, hopefully, cause growth amongst the student body through interaction with each other. That is just my two cents, and you might not like it or agree with it. Send a letter to the editor, have your voice be heard. But please, get rid of the hate mail.
WOOLFOLK is the opinion editor.
WOOLFOLK is the opinion editor.
Lauren Adriance | Liberty Champion
Time to say ‘Thank you’ LIBERTY EMPLOYEES — The staff at the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall works diligently to keep the hall running smoothly.
Jacob Tellers
jtellers@liberty.edu
Whether intentionally or not, students at Liberty University can sometimes take too much for granted. You know the hallways will be swept and the bathrooms kept fairly clean when you return to your dorm. You know the meals will be hot when you get to the dining hall. With over 12,000 students on campus, many people work behind the scenes to keep Liberty running. We need to take the time to give them the thanks and recognition they deserve. One of Liberty’s many employees is Ryan Pennock, who works full time as a janitor while studying to get his master’s degree in history. Because of his work schedule, he is only able to take one class each semester. “I know (that) for the next several years, I’ll be here as a student,” Pennock said He plans to potentially teach history at a graduate or undergraduate level. For his current job, he is responsible for cleaning all three floors of dorm 22. Cleaning out the bathrooms, taking out trash and sweeping and mopping the hallways are some of his duties. Two of the things he appreciates as he works are having the hallways clear and being given room to work. “When students keep their stuff out
of the hallway, we don’t so much think about it,” Pennock said. However, when hallways are cluttered with stuff, the janitors have to go out of their way to straighten everything so they can clean. Something else Pennock appreciates is when students take notice of closed signs. “It’s such a silly little thing, but you know, we will have two wet floor signs, a mop bucket and a closed sign in front of the bathroom door, and students will consistently climb over it,” Pennock said. Pennock explained that the janitors are willing to quickly clean up a shower stall if all the ones in the other bathroom are full but that they like it when students ask first. Receiving thanks from students for cleaning up any type of mess is rewarding for Pennock. One particular instance that stuck in Pennock’s mind was when he cleaned up grease-sprayed graffiti on dorm 22. “I had a lot of guys thank me for that, and it really touched my heart and kept me from potentially straying to a bitter attitude,” Pennock said. “(It) kept me in a thankful attitude.” Annette Donigan is another one of the workers on campus. She is a food service worker at the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall, where she has worked since August 2011. When the dining hall is open, she will either be going around cleaning or serving food, usually at the main dish area.
Once the dining hall closes for the day, Donigan is part of the group that goes through and cleans all of the tables and counters. This work will last over an hour after the dining hall’s closing time. Donigan described the atmosphere as being a good one to work in. “You have to give respect in order to get respect. And if you don’t respect these students, then you can’t expect to get respect back,” Donigan said. She said that students will come up to her and ask her how her how her day is going and if they can pray for her. “I really like when (the students) come up to you and say, ‘Can I pray for you?’” Donigan said. Pennock and Donigan are just two of the hundreds of workers on campus who do so much behind the scenes to make our time here at Liberty easier. There are many little things we can do to make a Liberty employee’s job easier, such as keeping the hallways clear for janitors or asking workers if they have any need for prayer. Even something as simple as stopping by and greeting them and saying thank you is something students should do to show appreciation for their work. It may not seem like much, but it is very meaningful to them. TELLERS is an opinion writer.
Lehrer loses during debate Andrew Woolfolk
alwoolfolk@liberty.edu
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had the first of three scheduled debates on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Most viewers came away with their own opinion about who won the debate and why. Some say Obama was more composed, others say Romney made better arguments. As I watched the debate, I could not help but notice that one person was having the worst night of them all. It was not Romney, and it was not Obama. The victim was Jim Lehrer. Jim Lehrer, the moderator of the debate, was constantly ignored and rebuffed. Lehrer, known for being the host of the PBS NewsHour for more than 30 years, is an esteemed name in the field of journalism. Lehrer has also moderated 11 other presidential debates, but none came close to the level of discord that occurred on Wednesday. Republican commentator Laura Ingraham said on Twitter that Lehrer seemed “a bit overwhelmed.” Today Show weatherman Al Roker said that Lehrer was “run over by a truck.” Lehrer was less critical of his performance than others.
“I’m not going to say I’ve done a poor job,” he said to the two candidates near the end of the debate. Unfortunately for him, the two candidates disagreed, and most of those watching did too. “I get the last word of this segment,” Romney said at one point. “I had five seconds left before you interrupted me,” Obama added at the end of one of his statements. Now, Lehrer has a Twitter account dedicated to the debacle named “SilentJimLehrer.” The account features phrases ranging from “uh, excuse me” to “so, uh, guys,” all quotations from him during the debate as he helplessly tried to interject. But can you really blame Lehrer? Candidates suffer no repercussions from frequently overshooting their allotted time frame, and there seems to be no backlash directed toward them when they scold Lehrer for simply trying to do his job. A new system has to be used in future debates. One solution is to actually enforce the time limits. If candidates are told from the start of a discussion that they have two minutes to talk, then hold them to that. Anyone who has had experience on a debate team in high school or college has likely come across ways to
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NEWS
A8/Liberty Champion
October 9, 2012
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NORTH KOREA — Professor Jim Jones taught a group of North Korean students at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.
Opportunity to teach in North Korea Two Liberty professors had a chance to teach students about electronics and technology in North Korea this summer Marissa Nadeau mnadeau@liberty.edu
Liberty professors Jim Jones and Feng Wang from the School of Engineering and Computational Sciences were given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to North Korea and teach at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) this past summer. PUST is the first and only privately-funded university in North Korea, founded by a Christian man who envisioned other believers coming to teach at the university. Over the years, the university has gained the trust of the highest levels of the North Korean government. Although it is not specifically a Christian university, the school’s founder encourages believers to teach there so that they can ulti-
mately become influential to the students and share Christ’s love with them. The students at this university are the top students in North Korea and are preparing to be the future leaders and elites of the country. For Jones and Wang, this underscores why it is such a vital ministry. Both professors agreed that these students were the best that they had ever had. According to Jones and Wang, access into and out of the campus is highly controlled. A high stone wall protected by armed guards surrounds the campus. For permission to leave, professors have to attain advanced approval from the central government, and they are accompanied by guards at all times when they are off campus. Students can leave only twice a year. “We could not get out, and nobody else could get in,” Jones
said. The two professors also said that they had to deal with rather primitive living conditions. Sleeping on floors, eating food they were not accustomed to, facing very poor sanitation, and dealing with no air-conditioning in an extremely humid climate made life a bit challenging for the duo. With the death of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il this past December, the country faces uncertainty as the new leadership gains control and defines itself. Yet, rules at the university seem to be easing up a bit. Students and professors are now able to sit together at meals. The flexibility is due to the fact that the government trusts the university and those who teach there. Referring to the government, Jones stated that “they see that
we are genuine, that we are honest, that we work hard, so that has built trust.” Wang taught two engineering classes, microelectronics and digital and logical circuits, during the spring semester, while Jones taught project-oriented programming over the month of July. Wang said that he is eager to return and teach at the school because he “loves the students and faculty.” Jones said that the decision is harder for him because it requires great sacrifice. He too loves the students very much, but “from a fleshly perspective, I would say no. But when you think of it spiritually, having the opportunity to impact 400 North Koreans who have never heard of God, how could you say no to that?” Not only were the professors
able to have a significant impact on the students, but also on the workers, military guards, North Korean officials and other professors on campus. “There are many lives there that we can touch for God,” Jones said. Jones and Wang are permitted to freely share about their experiences verbally, although they are limited as to what can be written and recorded. They would like to speak in detail to any students or campus groups who are interested in hearing about the wonderful things God has done through their time there and how he is still working in the university.
NADAEU is a news reporter.
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NEWS
October 9, 2012
Liberty Champion/A9
Visulite Cinemas lowers prices The Lakeside Drive theater owners hope to get the community’s attention with new prices Merigrace Ramsey mgramsey@liberty.edu
Lynchburg moviegoers may enjoy the changes Visulite Cinemas will embrace Oct. 12, when the theater changes admissions to a flat rate of $2 per ticket. “We want to be more of a community theater and not just play movies and be a big box kind of store,” Chris Davidson, general manager and Liberty graduate, said. “We want to be more of a boutique kind of store.” The cinema should appeal more to the community, a high majority being home to many college students. “We are mostly trying to capitalize on the audience,” Davidson said. “The (Cinemark Movies 10) theater is also very successful, so we don’t want to take away from their business or anything like that but try to replicate that down here since it seems to be more of where the market for this town is. We want to offer the best value that we can.” Located at 901 Lakeside Drive, the cinema owners hope to entice Liberty University commuter students to visit their location rather than the Cinemark Movies 10 theater, which is closer to campus. “We have a lot of off-campus students that live in the downtown area. It’s a little bit closer to get here,” Davidson said. “You don’t have to fight campus traffic or Candler’s Mountain Road construction. I think that’s one of our drawing points.” Davidson says he hopes that Lynchburg College, which lies 1.3 miles from the cinema, will take advantage of the theater’s transition as well.
Melanie Oelrich| Liberty Champion
CINEMAS — The Visulite theatre will feature $2 movies and discounted concessions beginning Oct. 12. “I think if we know about it, we will go there because it’s more convenient than going across Wards Road and all the way up Candlers Mountain,” David Dale, senior at Lynchburg College, said. According to Davidson, the general admission for movies will begin at $2 for all ages. The com-
pany hopes to later announce college discounts for specific items such as combo meals and other concession markdowns. “I think it would be great, especially since it would be closer,” Ashley Mitchell, junior at Lynchburg College, said. “It’ll probably get more college kids over there instead of paying the $10
(at the Regal Theater).” “Liberty dominates the dollar theater over there near campus,” Davidson said. “We are kind of hoping that Lynchburg College can come here, and it’s kind of the same generic, poor college student that can’t really afford to see a big movie.” “I think freshmen will really
enjoy it,” Dale said. “I remember when I was a freshman, before it was the Visulite four years ago. (Lynchburg College students) used to walk over there because we didn’t have cars. It isn’t a bad walk.” RAMSEY is a news reporter.
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NEWS
A10/Liberty Champion
October 9, 2012
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GUIDANCE — Liberty professors participating in the Center for Teaching Excellence program meet with each other for a mentoring session.
Learning new ways to educate
The Center for Teaching Excellence provides Liberty professors with beneficial tools for their classes Tracie Hearne thearne@liberty.edu
College is a place for students to learn from their professors, but the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) is a place for professors to learn. The CTE provides Liberty University faculty with many helpful classes, workshops and any other assistance that is needed in order for them to succeed in all areas of their work. It is here that faculty learn the newest, most effective teaching methods. Sharon Wheeler, director of the CTE, described how important it is for the school to have this service. “We’re all about assisting our faculty in any way that we can,” Wheeler said. The program is only one year old, but Wheeler said it has already provided much assistance for school faculty. For example, a professor may be assigned to move from teaching a 50-student class to a 500-student class and may not have experience in teach-
STUDIES continued from A1 positions within companies such as Georgia Pacific, Southern Air, Fleetwood and other companies, according to McClure. Even if a student does not major in technical studies, they can still choose to take these classes as an elective or a minor. Engineering major Rebekah Houser is also taking classes in electronics with the program. “I would recommend taking one or two classes if you can put it in your degree completion plan,” Houser said. “It’s something that you can do on the side to give you an extra skill set.” Houser also mentioned
ing a larger-classroom setting. In this instance, help is provided to assist the professor with this transition. After training sessions, the CTE is able to observe professors as they implement what they learn in the classroom and determine the impact their training has on the students. “It’s a great opportunity to meet together with the entire faculty to discuss and learn about relevant, timely topics in teaching,” Anita Satterlee, associate dean of the School of Business, said. “I think CTE shows you the opportunity to work on new things you don’t know about, and then it also helps you to polish the things you think you’ve been working on,” Bruce Kirk, a professor of communication studies, said. “We went over rubrics, writing skills and how to grade papers the right way. You think you’ve been doing it correctly, and they help you to understand what the best practice is. They tell you what’s happening in the educational world right now that maybe you’re not
that the technical studies classes can be beneficial to business majors and people who are planning to go into missions. “I think that even when you’re on a missions field, having these skills can be very helpful, especially because sometimes you have to do a lot of (technical work) by yourself.” Studio art major Sarah Hines has taken welding classes with a different motive. “My dream is — and has been for a long time — to make a metal sculpture,” Hines said. “Level one welding has taught me the basic knowledge in the trade, and it has also taught me that my dream of making a metal sculpture is realistic. I plan to
aware of even though you’ve been teaching for a few years.” The CTE provides boot camp programs, new faculty orientation and the Institute for Student Success (ISS) that help prepare faculty for the upcoming semester. More than 52 different workshops are provided for faculty to choose from during one day of the institute. Additionally, ISS includes a one-day workshop featuring renowned national speakers. This year, Tim Elmore, noted author and founder of Growing Leaders, spoke. Not only does the CTE provide workshops during new faculty orientation and the ISS, but an entire academic calendar of events can be found on their website. If a faculty member is struggling with technology in the classroom, there are many workshops available to help them. During the ISS, some sessions provided for faculty were entitled “Blackboard Basics,” “Clickers — The Next Step,” and “How to Effectively Use Smartboard Software.” “We go through the teaching
excellence program for a number of things — they have workshops in the summer. I also went through a boot camp with them, which is a one-week intensive. It was a technology intensive — they taught us everything under the sun,” Kirk said. Wheeler said that professors who become familiar with modern teaching technology often experience positive feedback from students. “It is important for us to know that it is getting down to the student level,” Wheeler explained. In addition, the CTE has started a new graduate student assistant program. Wheeler sees graduate students as the “future faculty” of Liberty University, which makes teaming with the graduate school a smart decision. “We are so excited about what we do here that we are constantly adding things for faculty,” Wheeler said. Two new programs this year include Koinonia Mentors, where veteran faculty are paired with new faculty, and the Faith Learning Integration Brown Bag
series. The Graduate Student Assistant (GSA) program offers several training sessions, including sessions that teach graduate students how to transition from being a student to a teacher. Wheeler hopes that this will eventually lead to a certificate program for the GSAs that will aid them in the competitive job market. Many other colleges have a seasoned CTE program implemented within their school. Liberty’s CTE is new, but Wheeler and her team have helped the program flourish by providing countless opportunities and services for faculty to get involved with. Overall, Wheeler believes this will be most beneficial for students. The CTE is located in DeMoss 3032, and further information on their program can be found at liberty.edu/cte. HEARNE is a news reporter.
nical studies classes. “We offer (CRFT 101) as an intensive between Jan. 7-11, and it’s important that (interested) people get registered for that soon,” McClure said. “We take you to VTI and we bus you down there — it’s kind of a neat way of taking CRFT 101.” Students will be able to sign up for CRFT 101 along with other technical studies classes through ASIST, but McClure recommends that they check the availabilities as soon as possible because the classes are limited. Photo Provided
CARPENTRY — A Liberty University student advances his wood crafting skills. finish all three semesters of welding as well as completing my B.S. in Studio Art
at Liberty.” But before a student can jump straight into welding
or carpentry, he must first take CRFT 101, which is the prerequisite to all tech-
SIR is a sports reporter.
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SPORTS
OCTOBER 9, 2012
Triathletes have strong showing
from 0-4 to 1-0
Kyle Harvey
kharvey@liberty.edu
Ruth Bibby| Liberty Champion
A game of redemption NEVER SAY DIE — Running back Aldreakis Allen fended off a would-be tackler while following his blocker.
Kyle Harvey kharvey@liberty.edu
Gardner-Webb quarterback Lucas Beatty came into Saturday’s contest having completed 62 percent of his throws for 761 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. Playing against an injury-depleted secondary in Lynchburg, he seemed nearly incapable of throwing an incompletion, connecting on 94 percent of his passes for 301 yards and one touchdown in the first half alone. For a Liberty team that had rationed away a 0-4 start with the promise of a conference sweep, the first half was not promising. But the second half was all about redemption and retaliation — redemption for a humiliated secondary, redemption for a tight end that dropped a sure touchdown,
and redemption for a team that has come up just short every week thus far. Liberty finally showed that it can finish a game, winning its sixth straight Big South opener and its sixth straight victory over the Runnin’ Bulldogs by a score of 42-35. “I’m proud of our players. They showed great character. This was a character win,” Head Coach Turner Gill said. “Sometimes you go through ball games, you go through seasons, you go through a lot of games and practice and different things, and you have to find a way to overcome some adversity. And they demonstrated how they are so committed to this staff, how they are so committed to our fans and to this football program.” “We were hungry this week,” quarterback Josh Woodrum said. “Our out-
of-conference games — we wanted to win them obviously, but they are not our season. The conference is our season … it’s really hard to win this conference if you lose one game, so we take each game like a championship game, and I think that’s how we came out and played tonight.” Down by 18 in the second half, with perhaps the fate of the entire season hanging in the balance, the Flames went on an 18-point scoring run to tie the game at 28. The comeback was sparked by a 99-yard scoring drive engineered by freshman quarterback Josh Woodrum. “Coach Stamn and the staff put together a great offensive game plan, and then Josh just went out there and balled out and made all the throws he needed to throw,” wide receiver Pat
Kelly said. “He just did a great job of leading. I think today was a big time step in his career.” After calling his own number on two consecutive quarterback keepers, Woodrum hit Justin Gunn for a 13-yard pass on third down that sustained the drive. Gunn finished the night with two first downs and one touchdown. “When coach came over, he was like, ‘That was a good 99 drive.’ I was like, ‘Eh?’ I didn’t even realize we had just gone 99 yards, but I had a good third down conversion to Gunn, and then we just kept driving from then on.” Relying heavily on dumpoff throws and screen passes to his backs, Woodrum methodically moved his team
See FOOTBALL, B5
Each member of the Liberty triathlon team traveled a greater distance under their own power Sunday, Oct. 7 than most other students will in a given semester. The Olympic-distance triathlon features a grueling course consisting of a .9-mile swim, a 32-mile bicycle ride and a 6.5-mile run. Thirteen athletes represented Liberty at the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Triathlon Conference (MACTC) meet in Columbia, Md., which was attended by 18 schools as well as other professionals and amateur triathlon enthusiasts. The entire event benefitted the Ulman Cancer fund for young adults. The most notable professional racer was cancer survivor, and world-renowned cyclist Lance Armstrong. Liberty’s Joseph Anderson entered Sunday’s contest having won the first two meets of the fall season, and was one of the favorites to take home first place in conference meet. The only obstacle standing in his way was Navy’s David MacFarlane. Anderson and MacFarlane have enjoyed a long rivalry, frequently finishing one-two in races. Although Anderson’s love for triathlons began in Zimbabwe as a military kid, at the end of the month, Anderson will represent the United States in the 20-24 year old group in the world championships in New Zealand. Perhaps just as valuable as his athleticism is his team attitude, Frackleton said. “He’s such a great athlete, but he shares his knowledge,” Frackleton said. “(He) takes the time out of his busy training week to work the other athletes, encouraging them and helping them to get better which is just awesome.” Sunday, the primary goal was to beat one man, and in so doing beat everyone else. Anderson’s training has bordered on fanatical — he even carries a picture of MacFarlane as a constant reminder to train harder. “When I’m on my trainer at home, I have a picture of him sometimes, and I just stare him down,” Anderson said. “It’s kind of weird, but it gets me motivated just to look at his face. I know he’s training, so I just want to push it a little bit harder when I’m training to beat him.” Anderson’s dedication paid off. He beat MacFarlane — and 136 other participants — by two whole minutes, completing the grueling course in two hours and 26 minutes. “He just looked as strong as ever coming across the finish line,” Frackleton said. “He actually had a significant lead on his
See TRIATHLON, B5
V-Ball picks up easy win Courtney Tyree cntyree@liberty.edu
Katie Welch | Liberty Champion
SERVICE — Libero Gabrielle Shipe began a rally in the match against Campbell.
The Liberty Flames volleyball team dominated the Campbell Camels Friday night,Oct. 5, in three quick sets (25-13, 25-18, 25-19). Alumni, students and parents spent their Friday night at the Vines Center cheering on the Lady Flames. The win now puts them at winning nine straight home matches overall and 16 conference home contests in a row. “We just wanted to come in and win, obviously because it was a conference match. We came up with the mind set to execute and do our best,” senior Loren Thomas said. Liberty started off strong in the first set with an easy victory over Campbell (2513). Freshman Caroline Douglas, junior Lillie Happel and Thomas all recorded three kills on the set. The second set had fans on the edge of their seats with 10 ties and six lead changes throughout. “We let a lot of our errors dictate the game, so halfway through that game, we realized we needed to execute our part,” Douglas said. The Lady Flames did execute their part and were able to cap off the win over the Camels. Douglas recorded a set high seven kills, while Thomas added four more to the teams 17 total.
Campbell was out matched, losing by 11 points at a moment during the final set. Thomas ended the match with a kill, and the Lady Flames were able to clinch another conference win. The Flames now advance to 3-1 in the Big South Conference with Campbell following 0-4. Liberty surpassed Campbell in attacks with an average of .312 to .106. Douglas totaled 16 kills on the match while Thomas added nine and Happel seven. Junior Jade Craycraft totaled 30 assists, 11 digs and five kills. “It obviously all rides on my team,” Douglas said. “If they are not behind me, I can’t do what I do, so it’s just great to have that support system.” Douglas was named Big South Freshman of the Week for the second time this season. “The future looks pretty good in her position because she has only been playing it 19 times in her life, so she is still learning and trying to figure things out, but her learning curve is pretty quick. She makes me look like a good coach,” Pinder said concerning Douglas. The Lady Flames will travel to Charleston, S.C. on Oct. 12 as they try to keep their conference-winning streak alive against Charleston Southern at 7 p.m..
TYREE is a sports reporter.
SPORTS
B2/Liberty Champion
October 9, 2012
Hockey wins high-scoring affair
Jonothan Pearson
jwpearson@liberty.edu
It was an exciting night with an unexpected turn out in the LaHaye Ice Center on Friday, Oct. 5 as the Liberty Flames D2 hockey team defeated the Wolfpack of North Carolina State 9-5. The high-scoring game saw most of its goals in the first period, with a few fights and a penalty shot or two before it was all over. In the first period, the Flames came out hot, putting up two points with in the first 10 minutes. John Cotton struck first by returning a rebound past Wolfpack goaltender Nick Kamaris. Five seconds later, the evening’s top goal scorer Brad Docksteader got his first puck past Kamaris. The Wolfpack answered back four minutes later when Alec Engel cut Liberty’s lead in half. However, Aaron Semiao returned the favor, restoring the two-goal advantage. Docksteader’s second goal of the evening put Liberty in the lead 4-1. Cotton struck again from a back door pass to score the last point in first period, putting the Flames at 5-1. The second period started with a Wolfpack penalty shot taken by Mike Reisland, bringing them within three. The Flames retaliated with an effort by D.J. Dinnison off an assist from Cotton. With only two minutes left, Engle snuck one past Liberty’s goalten-
Gabe Hernandez | Office of Promotional Publications
RELENTLESS— Liberty beat N.C. State 9-5 in a physical matchup Friday, Oct. 5. der Justin Gortman. The period had finished with Liberty maintaining their three-goal lead, 6-3. Halfway through the third period, N.C. State’s Mackie Hayman threw one in on a breakaway to bring the difference to two. However, their excitement was shortlived. Liberty’s Clinton Nigh slapped in a goal off a rebound to bring the score to 8-4. The teams traded one more goal each, and Dinnison got his second of the night with one minute left on the clock.
Dinnison had a major part in the Flames offense on Friday with his two goals and several assists on the evening. He was excited for the victory and looking forward to the next match. “It feels good,” Dinnison said. “I’m really happy that we got the win. I think that we could have toned it up a little more defensively, and we are going to work on that a little more in practice.” Liberty’s Head Coach Chris Lowes was impressed with what he saw Friday evening and is ex-
cited about the improvement that his team is making. “Coming into the game, we tried to keep it simple and eliminate mistakes,” Lowes said. “We gave away five goals to a team that we were better than. That’s not a great thing, but we probably had 35 great minutes out of the 60 that we played well in.” The team seemed to improve as the night went on, and not many changes were made between the periods. “I think our lines were collect-
ing a little better,” Lowes said. “We scored quite a few five-onfive goals, so our lines are starting to have a little more unity. We are starting to learn each other a little better.” According to Lowes, there is a lot that the Flames will be able to take away from this win. “After this, we will be able to have a good video session, and we will learn a lot from that and see a lot of the mistakes we made.” Liberty adapted well to N.C. State’s defensive scheme, and Dinnison was able to pick up a few things to use to his advantage. “I think that we are going in and crashing the net a lot more,” Dennison said. “What wasn’t working was we were kind of puck watching. We weren’t picking up guys in front of the net, and they got a lot of goals that way.” “Personally, I have great line mates,” Dinnison said. “We work really well together and have a great chemistry. We see the ice really well, and it felt really good to have that tonight.” Liberty’s D2 hockey team will face East Carolina University at the Raleigh Ice Center before they have a rematch with NC State next Saturday. PEARSON is a sports reporter.
Lady Flames victorious at homecoming
Blocker improves school record for most shutouts to 18 with 2-0 win against Winthrop Olivia Witherite ogwitherite@liberty.edu
The Lady Flames soccer team came out with tenacity on Homecoming Weekend, posting a 2-0 win over Winthrop University at the East Campus fields Saturday, Oct. 6. Unable to get the win over Gardner-Webb in double overtime on Thursday, Oct. 4, the Lady Flames settled for the tie at home with the Runnin’ Bulldogs. Despite outshooting Gardner-Webb 34-6 in number of shots on Thursday, none found their way past the goalkeeper. After Thursday’s draw, in which multiple shots by the Lady Flames ricocheted off the crossbar, Head Coach Jessica Hain noted that the team had to “continue going until (goals) actually go into the back of the net and not just on the frame of the goal.” After the game, Liberty worked on finishing goals, capitalizing on their shots and ball possession the next day in practice. “We will improve. I have no doubt that we will be a huge threat by the end of the season,” freshman Jamie Bouffard said after Thursday.
“Expectations for the team are very high. I expect to win.” On Saturday, Bouffard’s expectations were met. Playing against conference rival Winthrop University, the Lady Flames snagged the lead in the first half and never relinquished it. Sophomore Helena Pereira listened. With seven minutes remaining in the first half against Winthrop, Pereira ripped a shot into the net unassisted after working around a defender. The goal was Pereira’s first of the year and third of her career. After Pereira found the back of the net, defender Lauren Stell recorded her fourth goal of the year, which she knocked in off of Brittany Aanderud’s assist on the corner kick. Stell, a senior defender, has four goals on the season, only one behind forward Bouffard, who leads the Lady Flames. “The whole focus for this team this year was to build unity, and the whole team has come up and done that,” Bouffard said Thursday. “From the seniors to the freshmen, we’ve meshed into one team, you know, instead of cliques … we’ve
been able to mesh and play really well together.” Karen Blocker, the Big South’s Defensive Player of the Week, finished the game with seven saves. The redshirt senior now has 310 career saves. Blocker notched her seventh shutout of the season, which brought her career shutout number to 18 — a university record. With the loss, the Eagles fall to 6-6-1 and 3-2-1 in the Big South Conference. The Lady Flames remain unbeaten at home after improving to 9-5-1 overall and 3-2-1 in the conference. The Lady Flames finished with 20 shots on goal, eight more than Winthrop. Before the win over Winthrop, the Flames hosted their Alumni Weekend, welcoming in previous players to a game at 10 a.m. and a tailgate lunch, followed by viewing Flames football’s thrilling 42-35 win on the gridiron. Liberty will look to keep up the momentum on Oct. 11, when they will face conference rival High Point in High Point, NC. Timothy Sutton| Liberty Champion WITHERITE is a sports JUST FOR KICKS — Alex Mack handles the ball during the game against Winthrop. reporter.
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SPORTS
October 9, 2012
Liberty Champion/B3
Flames stay aggressive in shutout
Men’s soccer ends Campbell’s winning streak, and their own three-game losing skid with 1-0 victory Jay Sir ysir@liberty.edu
A strong defensive showing, coupled with a goal from Kyle Breitmeyer, ended Campbell University’s three-win streak on Friday, Oct 5. Breitmeyer’s goal came at the 62nd minute, when he dribbled down the left side of the field and hammered a longrange shot into the top right corner of the Campbell goal. Breitmeyer was assisted by Johnny Torres and Sachem Wilson. “I thought our guys demonstrated the fight, the grit, the hunger and the determination they needed to be successful,” Head Coach Jeff Alder said. “It’s been a tough season for us so far, but our guys haven’t lost hope.” The Liberty men’s soccer team’s record now tallies up to 3-6 overall, with a 2-1 record in the Big South Conference. Friday night’s game was Campbell’s third loss in the season, and its record stands at 7-3-1 with a conference record of 2-2. “We went through the refining moment of losing some matches,” Liberty defender Uriah Bentick said. “But I think we’re on the right track thanks to God. Jesus Christ is good, and we’re on the right track.” Clutch Saves Campbell showed its offensive capabilities as it managed to hit 10 shots on-target out of the 14 shots taken at the Liberty goal, and there were many occasions in the second half where Camp-
Jake Mitchell| Liberty Champion
HAMMERING AWAY — Liberty blasted 14 shots on goal. One finally made it through in the 62nd minute to seal the deal. bell almost scored. “It was tough to defend, but I think we did a lot better in the box than we have in the past few games,” Liberty defender Tim Harbinson said. “We’ve gotten a lot (of balls) cleared off the (goal) line that we might have let slip before.” Campbell came the closest to equalizing when Campbell forward Bryce Miller shot the ball past Liberty goalkeeper Scott Sutarik at the 70th minute. The
ball was headed away by Liberty defender Henry Reyes, who had slotted into the right corner of the goal before it crossed the goal line. “(Campbell) forced us to focus on the game a lot more,” Harbinson said. “We couldn’t ever let our guards down because they were coming down the left side, and we just had to stay tight.” Campbell narrowly escaped a chance to salvage a draw at the 84th minute when Sutarik wan-
dered too far from his goal to punch a cross coming in from a corner kick. The Liberty goal was left exposed, but Liberty managed to keep a clean sheet after it formed a human wall in front of the goal that deflected any shots. The ball was eventually cleared away by Harbinson. “We did a great job withstanding the pressure in the last eight or 10 minutes,” Alder said. “I think we showed some grit today. I think we wanted to win more
than the other team, and I’m very proud of our guys.” Liberty University will play their next home game against American University on Oct. 9, 7 p.m., before playing three consecutive away games in the Big South Conference. SIR is a sports reporter.
Women’s Hockey holds 3-2 victory vs. Raleigh
Liberty University’s Lady Flames dominated the ice against Raleigh in a two-game series, Oct. 6-7 Courtney Sharp csharp@liberty.edu
The Flames Liberty D1 Women’s hockey team wore their pink uniforms in their exhibition game against Raleigh on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. Flames brought home the win 3-2. The game started with the Flames having an early advantage. The first goal of the night was scored against the Liberty Flames in the 14th minute of the first period. Sarah Stevenson had a great shot on goal. Two minutes later, the line change and goalie swap happened. It was the first major change of the night. Several calls later, and the score remained 0-1. Intensity swirled as the game rush picked up around the ninth minute of the first period. Sophomore Amanda Grainger had a beautiful
breakaway opportunity, but unfortunately missed her scoring attempt. Four minutes remaining in the first period, shots piled upon the opposing goal, with no scores. With 2:19 remaining in the first period, Liberty’s Carly Peleshok tied the score 1-1. A high shot by Steph St. Amand led to the goal by Brittany Hymer with two minutes remaining in the first period, making the score 2-1 for Liberty. The second period began uneventfully as Raleigh pulled its goalie for a brief time, but did not manage to score. Several trips to the penalty box were made by both teams. The game was tied 2-2 with 9:44 remaining in the second period. A failed breakaway attempt by Lady Flames forward Carly Peleshok at 8:45 spawned the opposing team to fight harder. As 7:51 remained, Liberty took the lead 3-2 as
Timothy Sutton | Liberty Champion
JUST ENOUGH — The Lady Flames were able to sweep Raleigh Oct. 5-6. Carrie Jickling scored off the assist by Brittany Hymer. Several penalty box visits occurred from both teams, rounding out the
second period. Between periods, the women were told to continue “the hard work and remain calm. You know the game. Just communi-
cate with each other out on the ice. Be familiar and relax. It’s only an exhibition game. In practice, we will try and fix the mistakes,” Head Coach Paul Bloom-
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field said. The final period was filled with trips to the penalty box and Senior Stacey McCombe had several nice breakaways with no avail during the game. With 7:32 left in the game, the crowd picked up when the opposing team began to lose its composure as the Flames swooped and pounded the puck at the empty net after Raleigh pulled their goalie. “The team has a couple tough games to get through as they attempt to work together for the first time,” Bloomfield said. “The girls worked well overall tonight and scrambled a bit in the beginning, but pulled out the win. (We) feel good about the win, and (we) got the freshman debuted.” SHARP is a sports reporter.
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SPORTS
B4/Liberty Champion
October 9, 2012
Cross Country set for history Derrick Battle
dbattle2@liberty.edu
Katie Welch | Liberty Champion
BARRAGE — Liberty out shot the Wildcats 14-7 in their win on Saturday.
Field Hockey notches eighth win Lady Flames escape with 2-1 victory over Villanova Hannah Kearney hlkearney@liberty.edu
The Liberty Lady Flames field hockey team added to a four-game winning streak with a 2-1 triumph over Villanova University this past Saturday, Oct. 6, at 1 p.m. This is the eighth win for the 2012 season, and with a five-game winning streak, it has made it the best start in Liberty program history. The game was a great success for the team and a great addition to Liberty’s Homecoming Weekend. In only their “Overall, I think we did second really well,” Head Coach Jodi Murphy said. “The season, first half for us started the Lady very strongly, and in most Flames games, that’s the trend have an that we’ve had. The second half the team we’re 8-5 record. playing comes out with a lot more fire ... but I felt like today we finally put together 70 minutes, which is a really big goal for us in the season.” Natalie Barr was able to come through with a goal in the first period, making it 1-0 at the half. Sophomore Helen Doolittle, who led the team in goals and points for the 2011 season, scored the second goal of the game, making it 2-0. “I think we did really well as a team and played really well from the start,” Barr said. “We got more into it the second half, and we
FYI
just gained so much experience from that game. We went in with the intention of getting more experience and came out with a win, and we’re so happy.” Big East opponent Villanova scored a goal within the second half, leaving the game with the ending score of 2-0. “The season’s going really well,” Murphy said. “After this weekend, we go into the second half of the season, which is the NorPac League, which to me is the most important part, so everything that we’ve done up until this point has just been a stepping stone for those games.” According to the NorPac Field Hockey Conference 2012 season standings, the Lady Flames are ranked No. 3. The tournaments begin Nov. 1 in Farmville, Va., and the Lady Flames are anxiously preparing for it, using these great triumphs as experience for the conference games. “We came out really strong and really played well together as a group,” Doolittle said. “It’s definitely a building season. We’ve grown so much as a team since the beginning, and it’s exciting to see really how far we’ve gotten, and we are excited for the rest of the season, especially as we get into the NorPac conference games.” The Liberty Lady Flames will be continuing their season Oct. 12 with a game against NorPac opponent Radford College. KEARNEY is a sports reporter.
Liberty’s upcoming Royal Cross Country Challenge on Oct. 12 is not the first thing that is on the Flames minds. What is at the top of their list is the Big South Championship, which starts at the end of the month. What hangs in the balance for the men’s cross country team is winning their eighth straight conference championship. The Lady Flames, on the other hand, are looking to climb back onto the mountain. “I believe the streak started my sophomore year,” Assistant Coach Josh McDougal said. “We hadn’t won anything since the mid-90s. If we win this fall, it will be our eighth straight championship, which is already a conference record.” At the Notre Dame Invitational 5K, both Flames squads had success. The Lady Flames had five runners finish with their personal best. Sophomore Meredith Mistretta shaved 35 seconds off her time from her last 5K and nearly a minute, 19:14 – 18:17, since the season began. “It’s very exciting,” senior Jennifer Klugh said. “Girls are dropping times left and right between first and fifth runners ... It’s good to see the girls stepping up and improve each meet.” Klugh was the Women’s Big South Runner of the Week due to almost breaking the school record she set a year ago. At Notre Dame, she finished
TRIATHLON continued from B1
opponents … and made it look so easy.” Falling temperatures and freezing rain took their toll on competitors. On a day when dozens of athletes were forced out of the race on account of hypothermia, to finish was an accomplishment. “It was one of the toughest triathlons I think I’ve ever seen,”
with a time of 17:33, only five seconds slower than the pace she set at the 2011 Charlotte Invitational. “It went really well, although on paper it may have not looked great,” Klugh said. “But we were up against some really good competition. Our team did the best we have done in the last couple years.” In his season debut, senior David Ricksecker set the pace for the Flames with a time of 24:37, ultimately finished 61st. Following him, Ngetich Kipchirchir (70th place) and Caleb Edmonds (71st place) both finished with a time of 24:41. Over the course of the season, both teams have dealt with nagging injuries to key runners. Luckily, they were not severe enough that runners missed much action, but they always are a cause of concern for any coach or runner. “There were a lot of positives at Notre Dame,” McDougal said. “We did not finish as high as we wanted to, but we’ve had a lot of setbacks this year. Our No. 1 runner has not been healthy to run ... our top freshman in the first race pulled a calf muscle ... Overall, we ran better than anyone from the conference in the meet.” As for right now, Tolsma has spoken to this team about not only success, but coming together in their final meet before the Big South Championship Oct. 27. BATTLE is the asst. sports editor.
Frackleton said. “You’d had to have been there to appreciate the conditions. They were horrible … it took a lot of guts and courage to actually race today because it was scary conditions.” Anderson’s win was not the only victory for Liberty. Three members of its women’s team finished in the top 20 out of 71 participants. Sophomore Lane Ruchte finished
sixth, junior Kathryn Mullaly finished eighth and senior Jeannette Larsen 18th. “Each of them improved so much as the year went on,” Frackleton said. “They all had very strong races, they weathered the storm really. I’m very proud, it’s a young team and the future is so bright.” HARVEY is the sports editor.
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SPORTS
October 9, 2012
Liberty Champion/B5
Editorial: Flames show second half fight Derrick Battle
dbattle2@liberty.edu
Drenched with Gatorade by his players, Head Coach Tuner Gill walked from the sidelines with a smile on his face, shook the hand of Gardner-Webb Head Coach Ron Dickerson Jr. and joined in the celebration as the Liberty Flames defeated the Bulldogs 42-35. For the Flames, it was their first victory this season, and for Gill, it was his first victory in 14 games. However, there could be a lot learned for the game played in front of the fifth largest crowd in Williams stadium history on Saturday. One: never count the Flames down with their backs against the wall. Two: The Flames offense led by quarterback Josh
Woodrum showed a deadly balance as the game progressed. And three: Never predict a score between winless teams. The Flames finally won their first game in the Gill era, but the Bulldogs were no slouch. Gardner-Webb offense hit on all cylinders for the first three quarters. Bulldogs quarterback Lucas Beatty had only one incompletion BATTLE and threw for over 300 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone. After a pooch kick that the Bulldogs recovered to begin the third quarter and later scored to take a commanding 28-10 lead, Williams Stadium was as quiet as
it ever had been. Students and former alumni looked on, stunned and disappointed. However, the Flames never lost hope and went on to score 18 unanswered points — tying the game 28-28 before the third quarter ended. After the pouched kick and Bulldog touchdown, the Flames came alive on both sides of the ball. The offense began to click and started moving the ball down the field. After being pinned on their one-yard line, the Flames marched 99 yards in 10 plays to a touchdown. Gill stressed that his defense needed to cause turnovers, and in that second half, his defense came away with a fumble and interception, both caused by defensive back Walt Aikens. During the second half, the Flames defense made Beatty and the
Bulldogs offense look mortal as they only gave up 151 yards of offense. Late in the fourth quarter, an Aikens interception, which helped set up the Flames game-winning drive, and the Aikens’ forced fumble and defensive lineman Bryant Lewllyen fumble recovery solidified a Flames win. As the clock struck zero, a huge weight of needing to win was lifted off the team and fans’ shoulders. ESPN anchor Chris Berman always murmurs this line when teams of any caliber play. “That’s why they play the game.” While the Flames were expected to blowout the Bulldogs, a victory is a victory, and any team will take a win any way it can.
BATTLE is the asst. sports editor.
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
CELEBRATION — (Left) Tight end Justin Gunn is swarmed by teammates after his touchdown catch from Aldreakis Allen. (Right) Brandon Apon celebrates his touchdown.
FOOTBALL continued from B1 down the field. Woodrum finished with 373 yards through the air, but perhaps the most important throw of the evening came from the arm of Aldreakis Allen. Allen, who confessed he had never thrown a pass in his entire football career, connected on a 15-yard scoring strike on a pass option play to close the deficit to within five. The Flames went back to the air again on the two-point conversion, with Woodrum hitting Kelly to bring Liberty to within three. “We’d just been pounding the rock with ‘Dreak (Aldreakis Allen) so far, so we just pitched it back to him, and Gunn ran a little corner route, and we made a good toss and a good catch,” Woodrum said. Lunsford nailed a 33-yard field goal three minutes later to tie the game at the close of the third quarter. Not to be outdone in a game in which they had dominated so long, the Bulldogs answered the Flames 18-point run with a six play, 71-yard scoring drive to reclaim the lead 35-28. The Flames responded, scoring on a 45-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Ferguson. Though it began as a short screen pass, Ferguson was sprung loose on a block by Gunn and ran completely untouched to the end zone.
The screen game was especially effective for the Flames, thanks in large part to the blocking ability of the wide receiving corps. “Perfection — there was nobody around me,” Ferguson said. “I give credit to Justin Gunn on that one. He came out there and got the corner and set it up perfectly. Josh put the ball where it needed to be, and it was just off to the races with that one.” “I think blocking is just an attitude thing,” Kelly said. “Coach Taylor has done a great job with us. One of his sayings is just, ‘You got to make it mean something to you.’ Going out there realizing, ‘Hey, we can just be physically imposing. We got to shut these guys down, and if we do, we can have some big plays.’ We did do that tonight, and we did have big plays.” With the game tied at 35, cornerback Walt Aikens, who had been victimized by GardnerWebb receivers the entire first half, came down with an interception that gave the ball back to the Liberty offense at the Runnin’ Bulldogs’ 31-yard line. “I had to have a mental check, had to check myself to see if I’m ready for this game. My back was against the wall,” Aikens said. “I just felt I had to do something to avenge the first half. The first half, I didn’t do anything. So second half, I came out with a different mindset.” “He was having a little bit of a rough first half — the offense
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Ruth Bibby| Liberty Champion
AT LAST — Wide receiver Ryan Ferguson hauls in a pass for a touchdown in Flames victory. had a good scheme,” defensive captain Bryant Lewellyn said. “Gardner-Webb was playing really well. Their quarterback and their receiver corps were doing really well. But like I said before, he’s a big player, so he stepped and really made some big strides in the second half.” Woodrum wasted little time taking advantage of the turnover, hitting a wide open Brandon Apon in the back of the end zone on a play-action pass. The go-ahead touchdown served as redemption for the tight end who had dropped a sure touchdown in the second quarter. “Just to have the blessing of being able to redeem myself, I was elated,” Apon said. “It was
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an unbelievable feeling.” On the ensuing possession, Aikens forced another turnover, jarring the ball loose from Seth Cranfill. Lewellyn recovered the fumble. “I saw that ball come out,” Lewellyn said. “I was running towards the ball, trying to get in on the tackle, and saw the ball come out and was just like, ‘This has to be ours because this is what’s going to win the game for us right here. It’s going to shut it down.’ So I just dove as far as I could and pulled that ball in tight.” After a couple of first downs, courtesy of Aldreakis Allen, Liberty lined up in the victory formation. The win moves Liberty to 1-4 overall and 1-0 in
Big South play. Big South Update Around the league, Stony Brook defeated Charleston Southern University 49-7, Virginia Military Institute (VMI) defeated Presbyterian College 17-7 and Coastal Carolina University had a bye. Last weekend’s results leave Liberty in a three-way tie with Stony Brook and VMI for the Big South lead. Liberty will travel to Presbyterian Oct. 13, 2012. See libertychampion.com for a photo gallery of Aldreakis Allen. HARVEY is the sports editor.
FEATURE
B6/Liberty Champion
October 9, 2012
Photos Provided
RUNNING FOR CHANGE — According to the race’s website, there are 25 locations, including Lynchburg, where Run for Their Lives races will take place Oct. 20.
Freedom 4/24 to hold ‘Run for Their Lives’ Lynchburg to join in effort to stop global sex-trafficking industry by running at Heritage High School Oct. 20 Daniel Bartlett dbartlett@liberty.edu
A woman stands by the road, the glare of a red-lit traffic light casting crimson glares across the dark shadows under the eyes above her hollowed cheeks. Soon, a man will come and pick her up, and the rest of her night will become a repressed memory. This was not the life this woman or many others wanted to choose, but due to circumstances in their lives, most are left with few options. If it means putting food on the table for themselves and their family, these women are forced to sell the only things they have left — their bodies.
For the third year in a row, the Run for Their Lives (RFTL) race will be held by Freedom 4/24 and aims to bring awareness of this issue to the Lynchburg community and raise funds to help get women out of the sex-trafficking business. Last year, there were more than 1,200 participants. RFTL offers a 5K, 10K and a youth 1K race that will start at Heritage High School between Wards Ferry and Leesville Roads in Lynchburg on Saturday, Oct. 20, at 9 a.m. It is $24 for adults to sign up and $13 for the 1K. Founded in Lynchburg by Christine Pettit, Freedom 4/24 is a successful non-profit orga-
nization whose goal is to raise awareness about a commonlyoverlooked issue: sex trafficking. The organization also raises money to assist fellow Christian organizations that give aid and freedom to women affected by the sex-trafficking industry. According to Freedom 4/24, many women and young girls in poverty-stricken nations are forced into sex trafficking by their own families. That, or they do it because it is the only thing they can do for the survival of themselves and their loved ones. RFTL races happen in many cities around the nation, including Lynchburg. Sarah Kline, the sister of Freedom 4/24’s found-
er, helps out at the Lynchburg race each year. Its main goal is to raise awareness of sex trafficking and to get people motivated to help women involved in it. “Most believe that slavery ended back in Civil War times, but today there are more slaves than ever,” Kline said. In the summer of 2008, Pettit went to Thailand with an organization called Beginnings, which works with a population of women who are exploited into the sex-trade industry. The idea of Freedom 4/24 came from the $24 that it costs to purchase a woman’s services in Thailand for a day. According to Kline, Begin-
nings paid the money, but instead of buying the women’s service, they took them out of that lifestyle and showed them a life they never knew could exist. They provided them with food, healthcare, housing, education and hopes for permanent freedom. This also presented an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with these women. For more information on how to sign up for the race or donate, visit r4tl.com. BARTLETT is a feature reporter.
FEATURE
October 9, 2012
Liberty Champion/B7
Deep Hollow race challenges runners Students enjoy colors of fall leaves while participating in first Liberty Mountain Trail Series race of semester
Samantha Gum sgum@liberty.edu
Many students, alumni and Lynchburg residents participated in the Deep Hollow 5K and Half Marathon Saturday, Oct. 6. The race results webpage at liberty.edu/sa lists a combined total of around 300 participants for both events. The runners could not have asked for better weather, Samantha Wells, Liberty student and runner said. “There wasn’t much of a breeze in the trails, but the shade was nice,” Wells said. The fall season was very evident on the trails, which furthered Wells opinion of a perfect run. “The trails were stunning and the leaves were beautiful,” Wells said. The course for this race was a challenge for many runners. Jean Turner, first-time participant of the 5K, described a fall she took around the halfway point. “(The race) was awesome. I fell. It made me feel terrible,” Turner said. Turner’s sister Elaine Maddy, who also participated in the 5K, likes the challenge that running trails brings. “I love it, I knew that I would do all right,” she said. Ross Meyer, a 5K runner, agreed. “The race was a challenge, but trails are better than road. It’s easier on your body and not as boring,” he said. Trail races are nothing new to student and 5K runner Tinsley Zentmeyer. The Deep Hollow 5K did not seem to be difficult for her at all, and the beginning of the race was easy. “It was a wider trail, and there weren’t very many rocks or roots,” Zentmeyer said.
This smooth trail made the race fly by for Zentmeyer. “I didn’t see the mile markers going up, so it was a good race,” she said. However, it was not this easy the whole time for Zentmeyer. “Towards the end, I started to get down, but I was like, you know, I just want to enjoy this,” Zentmeyer said. Wells, who participated in the half marathon, did not have quite the same feelings in regard to the course. “The course was wicked hard at a lot of points,” Wells said. “There were a lot of bridges, which was cool, but there was also a lot of hard elevation. Through it all, I just had to keep running. I honestly felt great mentally.” Liberty student Trey Fisher’s only intention for the race was to have fun, but with his 7:04-minute pace, he took first place with a three-minute lead. Fisher ran as a student at Liberty Christian Academy and currently runs cross-country for Liberty University. Fisher has been running for five years but “never used to be a big trail runner,” he said. As he crossed the finish line, Fisher did not seem to be struggling at all. “I feel like I ran a half marathon, but I felt good the whole time, and I feel good now,” Fisher said after crossing the finish line. Deep Hollow kicks off the Liberty Mountain Trail Series. It consists of seven trail races, all of which take place on the Liberty Mountain trail system and are hosted by Student Activities. Jill Springer | Liberty Champion
GUM is a feature reporter.
THROUGH THE WOODS — The Deep Hollow 5K and Half Marathon marked the first race of the Liberty Mountain Trail Series, hosted by Liberty Student Activities.
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FEATURE
B8/Liberty Champion
October 9, 2012
Writing club guests to visit Kourtney Trivett kdtrivett@liberty.edu
Sara Warrender | Liberty Champion
ON FIRE — Students gathered at the bonfire Friday, Oct. 5 to get pumped up for homecoming weekend and the next day’s football game.
Bonfire heats up homecoming
Students gather around flames as football team looks to catch fire for rest of season Sara Warrender sewarrender2@liberty.edu
Students filled the field where the homecoming bonfire would be held this year, clustering in front of the wooden stage on which football players would soon gather. Student Activities hosted the event Friday, Oct. 5. “It’s a great time for people who have different interests to come together and be excited for one thing — cheering on Liberty,” Stephanie Ward, the promotions manager for Student Activities, said. The bonfire offered a chance for the students to meet Liberty’s football team, the cheerleaders, Head Coach Gill and Sparky, Liberty University’s mascot. Before the lighting of the bonfire, the drumline beat their instruments, feeding off the students’ excitement as the cheerleaders performed stunts in front of the stage. “We’ve been preparing since early August, so we enjoyed getting the chance to play. The reaction was great,” Ryan Jones, the drumline captain, said. The students cheered while watching the drumline weaved across the stage, each drum beating in time with their intricate movements. “The drumline really got you going and excited for homecoming,” Liberty freshman Michaela Whittaker said. The cheerleaders performed their routine to the light of nearby fires as the drumline fin-
ished playing. The cheerleaders’ smiles and exaggerated motions brought enthusiasm to the crowd of students. “I loved seeing how much the crowd gets into the celebration and how excited the football players are,” Liberty cheerleader Bryan Munoz said. Shortly after the start of the bonfire celebration, the football players jumped on stage, followed by Gill, who gave a quick speech to the students. Gill motivated the team as the football players cheered and shouted, pumping their fists and exchanging smiles with the audience of eager onlookers. After Gill spoke, he performed the lighting of the bonfire. A huge stack of wooden pallets sat in the middle of an area roped off to students, waiting to be ignited. The wood quickly caught on fire, placing an orange glow on hundreds of students’ faces. The fire towered higher and swayed with the wind as cameras flashed to capture the scene. “The bonfire was a little scary when the wind was blowing,” Liberty sophomore Brittyn Carr said. As the bonfire dimmed and turned to glowing ashes, students’ thoughts turned to the game that would take place the next day. “We have a mission where we want the students to come out and just fellowship with each other,” Cort Comfort, an event supervisor for Student Activities, said. Free s’mores were offered to
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
ROASTING — Students stayed warm by gathering around the fire. the students along with hot chocolate in an attempt to draw them to help support Liberty during homecoming. Sparky joined the students in roasting marshmallows as some individuals posed for pictures with the mascot. “There’s no real agenda,”
Comfort said. “We’re not trying to teach you anything. We just want the students to come out to meet the players, the coach, and have a great time.” WARRENDER is a feature reporter.
Liberty tailgates take shape for game Sara Warrender sewarrender2@liberty.edu
Smeared face paint and laughter marked another tailgate party at Liberty University. These parties are meant to prepare students to support their school’s football team in the upcoming game, but they also serve to unite students around campus as they fellowship together. According to Mark Hyde, Liberty’s student conduct officer, campus leaders ensure that no student at Liberty be left out of these events. Tailgating opportunities are offered for each dorm, along with commuter and alumni tailgates. An open invitation is also extended to Liberty’s online students as well as family and friends of the university.
“I’m from California, and here at Liberty, the tailgate parties are a lot more fun,” Rebekah Brewer-Padilla, a transfer student, said. “There’s more fellowship, and we pray before meals.” Tailgate parties offer students the chance to connect through games such as cornhole, frisbee, soccer or volleyball. These parties also have music and offer many types of food for the students to enjoy together. Commuters gathered Saturday for their party in the parking lot of Thomas Road Baptist Church. Unlike the students who live on campus, the commuters of Liberty were notified of the gathering through emails and Facebook messages. The commuter tailgate party was hosted as an outreach
opportunity by commuter services of the Student Affairs office, under the direction of Keith Anderson, the dean of students. “These parties are a great way for the students to get involved with Liberty,” Mark Hyde said. “The tailgate parties allow students to meet other commuter students and grow relationships with their fellow commuters whom they already know.” Laughing and sitting in the grass together, the commuter students enjoyed meeting each other before heading to the Liberty football game. “My favorite part is the food and the friends,” Amber Helms, a commuter at Liberty, said. Hyde said that this tailgate party provided the commuters with the
unique opportunity to learn new ways to connect with Liberty while living off campus. The front lawn of the Hancock Welcome Center was the location of another tailgate party at Liberty. The alumni of Liberty may no longer be enrolled in classes, but they still play a role in the running of Liberty’s campus, including the tailgate parties offered at each home game. “Alumni that are willing to come back to campus are the kind of alumni that are going to be more connected and involved with the programs and decisions we will make in the future as a university,” Mark Watkins, senior alumni officer, said. “The alumni are still seeing kids that are at Liberty because they love Je-
sus and they want to make a difference wherever they end up in the world and whatever job they end up doing,” Watkins said. “It encourages the alumni to stay involved with Liberty.” The alumni can also provide contacts for present students to help them become involved in possible internships or job opportunities, according to Watkins. Ultimately, Liberty tries to make tailgating more than just grilling food in a parking lot. There are three more home football games on the schedule for Liberty students and alumni to find the tailgate party for them.
WARRENDER is a feature reporter.
The creative writing club of Liberty University, Scribble, will welcome Marie Colligan and Charmaine Davis on Oct. 15 to speak to students about their experiences in the field of writing. Colligan is an award-winning author who has published many non-fiction stories in women’s magazines. She is also part of Greater Lehigh Valley Writers, the Hampton Roads Writers, the Piedmont Literary Society, Write Now! and HillCity Writers. Davis is an author who writes in a variety of different genres and blogs. Colligan and Davis will speak to the club about their experiences as authors. According to Mary Helen Norris, vice president of the club, they will be speaking on a topic of their own choice, and then the floor will be opened for a time for questions and answers. Norris said that the two guest speakers are part of Lynchburg’s local writing group, HillCity Writers, that a few of the Scribble members attend. “Both were quick with their responses and have voiced their excitement for the meeting,” Norris said. The club officers expect members to learn a lot from hearing the stories of the guest speakers. “We are hoping to get two unique perspectives on the publishing business,” Norris said. She believes that having two people with publishing experience speak “will provide a unique and fun experience for our members.” By having two authors present, Norris said that “our members will see that no two publishing stories are the same.” She also hopes that the club will “get a glimpse into some of the obstacles that have to be overcome in order to see your work in print.” “As far as we can recall, this will be the first time that we have had guest speakers,” Norris said. Scribble has also scheduled guest speaker Dawn Dowdle in November. Dowdle is a literary agent in Lynchburg who hosts HillCity Writers. “Next semester, we are hoping to have a speaker on the subject of screenwriting, possibly more authors and anyone who can help us reach our goal of improving the writing and technique of our members,” Norris said. Rachel Werner, the club’s public relations officer, said that Scribble’s purpose is “to create a community for campus writers of all genres and stylistic techniques.” She said that it allows students “to meet, discuss ideas, improve techniques and enjoy an atmosphere of support and encouragement.” “Scribble is a place where Liberty’s creative writers can come to enjoy discussions about writing and lessons on how to write better,” Werner said. The club also offers editing for writers who are looking to improve their work. For more information, go to their website at scribblewriters.webs. com. TRIVETT is a feature reporter.
FEATURE
October 9, 2012
Liberty Champion/B9
Joel Ready | Liberty Champion
PIZZERIA — Domino’s has unveiled its “pizza theater” in its new location where customers can watch their pizza being made, the only Domino’s of its kind in Virginia.
Domino’s opens Main Street store Melissa Terry mterry3@liberty.edu
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. to celebrate the grand opening of a new Domino’s Pizza “pizza theater” located on 910 Main Street, Lynchburg, Va. “This just opened on Monday,” owner and operator Kenneth Cobbs said. “We are the only Domino’s Pizza in Virginia of this style. This is an open kitchen called the pizza theater. We have seating for 13 people, we have a chalk wall to communicate back and forth to our customers, and there are only around 12 in the country.”
This new franchise provides a different way of doing things that makes the customer more involved. “It’s a totally new design,” Cobbs said as he talked about the many new features of this restaurant. “We get to engage with the customers as we make the pizzas. We are looking at each other face-to-face as the customer is part of the process, making it look like the customer is in the kitchen with us making the pizza.” According to the Domino’s Pizza downtown website, customers can come to the new pizza theater and watch as their pizza is being made.
“The new Domino’s has a great atmosphere,” Liberty University sophomore Jennifer Tari said. “I really enjoyed seeing the pizza being made and hanging out with friends in the comfortable environment they created.” Cobbs said that there are many quick options to choose from, including freshly-made salads and pizza by the slice. Customers also have the option of dining in or carrying out. “I already own multiple stores in Lynchburg, and we felt like this was a market that needed some lunch business and a need for late night pizza service as well,” Cobbs said. “We are open till midnight during the week and 1
a.m. on weekends. We are locally owned. I live in the Lynchburg area, and I work in all my stores. It’s a family business. I own 10 Domino’s Pizzas in the Lynchburg area, all the way from Danville to Buena Vista.” Open for lunch and dinner, the new Domino’s Pizza offers takeout and delivery, as well as catering and the perfect environment for a group dinner. As the official sponsor for Liberty Athletics and the Student Flames Club, they will soon be accepting Flames Cash. “We are a huge supporter of Liberty University with our mobile store that we do there for the games. Everything we do for
students at the Wards Road location, we will be doing down here as well,” Cobbs said. “I’m really excited to go try out the new Domino’s Pizza downtown,” Liberty student Kaitlyn Nelson said. “My friends and I are always looking for new places to try in Lynchburg, and this sounds like a great place to go.” To find more information or check out updates, visit their Facebook page at facebook. com/dominospizzadowntownlynchburg. TERRY is a feature reporter.
Liberty grad studies abroad at Cambridge Tracie Hearne thearne@liberty.edu
A recent Liberty graduate received one of the highest academic honors available to college students when he was selected to participate in a program that allowed him the opportunity to study at Cambridge University this past summer. Jonathan Davis, former history major and honors student, applied for a competitive study abroad program. He got into the program and studied at Corpus Christi College, a subset of Cambridge University. Davis spent about one month there, in a program that provided six academic graduate school credits. According to Davis, the program was not offered through Liberty University, but instead through an outside source. “An email was sent to the head of my department about this opportunity to study at Cambridge,” Davis said. The encouragement Davis received was, “It’s up on the board — give it your best shot.” Davis applied within the first week of the program’s opening, and the application process was open for a month and a half. “I think that gave me an advantage because I was there in the forefront,” Davis said. Davis was selected along with 12 other applicants from schools such as Harvard and Boston University. Jim Nutter, honors director and quiz bowl coach at Liberty, said that the Cambridge program received about 400 other applications. “Davis not only got this posi-
tion, but also got partial funding,” Nutter explained. “I was in charge of taking care of the contacts, applying and finding independent funding,” Davis said. He received a scholarship from the program along with other outside funding to help cover the cost of the experience. Davis was in England during the Summer Olympics in London. While he was able to go to some of the celebration festivities, he was unable to purchase tickets to an actual Olympic event. “I wanted to go to a track and field game, but one ticket was about 1,200 pounds. That is almost $2,000.” There were two specializations offered by this program — British and American security intelligence and archaeology. Davis took part in the intelligence class and was also required to write a research paper during his time there. “Every day, we were studying,” Davis said. “We did not even get Sundays off. We had double lectures meeting in awesome classrooms.” He explained that the classrooms did not have modern technology for use by the professors and that the rooms looked like a scene out of a Harry Potter movie. Studying at Cambridge, Davis also had the opportunity to visit significant places in England that related to his studies. He was able to visit Parliament, to sit in on a House of Lords session, and Whitehall. He spent three days at The National Archives of the UK government.
Photo Provided
ACROSS THE POND — Liberty graduate Jonathan Davis was selected by a program that took 13 applicants to study at Corpus Christi College, a subset of Cambridge. According to Davis, there was a class structure at Cambridge. There is a meritocracy in the university that only allows professors and fellows, or post-grad scholars, to walk on the immaculate grass located on campus. “You had to earn your right to walk on the grass. I’ve never wanted to walk on grass that badly before,” Davis said. Nutter described Davis as
“down-to-earth and humble,” explaining that the opportunity Davis received was well deserved. “He was a moderator for the quiz bowl team, in the honors program, and now as a graduate student, he is part of the racquetball team. He is a guy with a lot of extracurricular activities (as well as academic),” Nutter said. “I’ve really tried to divide my time in athletics, community ser-
vice and academics,” Davis said. “I feel that if you really diversify yourself, you give yourself a better shot.” He encouraged other students to apply for every opportunity that arises. “If you don’t try for it , you’re never going to get it.” HEARNE is a feature reporter.
FEATURE
OCTOBER 9, 2012
Parade welcomes home alumni Student Activities annual homecoming parade puts on show as clubs, organizations show Flames spirit
Greg Leasure gleasure@liberty.edu Victoria Wood vwood7@liberty.edu
This year’s homecoming parade was nothing short of spectacular. Candy attracted children, children attracted parents, and surprisingly, parents did not scare away students as thousands of people lined the campus streets to be a part of such a great tradition. Stephanie Ward, the promotions manager for Student Activities, shared about the excitement buzzing around the department every year in preparation for the parade. “Our department is always extremely excited for homecoming weekend,” Ward said. “We put lots of time and energy into preparing a good time for the current students, LU alumni, faculty and staff. We think it’s a great time for the Liberty University family to unify, and it pumps everyone up for the football game to follow.” The annual parade entertained students and alumni alike and gave different Liberty clubs, organizations and departments the chance to compete for the prize of the parade’s best float. “We give participants the flexibility to create a float that symbolizes their club or department,” Ward said. “Most of the entries cater to current students and LU alumni.” Homecoming weekend at Liberty also brought out some of the best competition this year, and it was not only on the football field. A sea of red shirts gathered along University Boulevard and raked in the candy as horses, floats, the Liberty University Marching Band and sports cars with well-known Liberty figures passed. Two of the most competitive departments in the parade were the Nursing Department and the Psychology Department, both looking to capture bragging rights for the rest of the year. “We are looking forward to beating psychology,” senior nursing student Aimee Phillips said. “We got second place to psychology last year, and we are pretty confident this year that we will
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
HOMECOMING — People lined the street for a parade that included horses, sports cars and candy. take first again.” A $500 prize was awarded to the winner selected by the judges, along with a $400 prize for second place and a $300 prize for third place. However, the only thing on the minds of the Psychology and Nursing Departments was taking home the first place title. According to Liberty psychology professor Larry Anderson, the Psychology Department came in second two years ago, but they won last year. Saturday was the day for them to attempt to defend their title. “They knew we were coming, but Dr. Logan, five students and I marched into one of the classes with signs that said ‘Beat Nurs-
ing’ and ‘Post-Traumatic Parade Disorder.’ Since they knew we were coming, they (silly) stringed us right in the middle of class. We did that in two classes, so we knew we were going to get it. (It was) just to create some rivalry, enthusiasm and awareness.” Two years ago, the Flames football team played Charleston Southern University in their homecoming game, and the Psychology Department’s float featured a therapist helping a Buccaneer dressed similarly to Charleston Southern’s mascot deal with his fear of losing to Liberty. Last year’s theme for the game against the Coastal Carolina University Chanticleers was a psychology tailgate, complete
with students playing cornhole. They also held a fake roast of a rooster, also called a chanticleer, over a fake fire. This year, the Psychology Department had a new concept for the opponent, the GardnerWebb University Bulldogs. Ivan Pavlov, famous for his experiment in which dogs were conditioned to expect food, was portrayed on the float by one psychology student, and another student in a dog costume acted like a bulldog being conditioned to fear the Flames. “It’s a good concept because Pavlov is one of the famous people in psychology,” Anderson said. “He discovered classical conditioning. So it fits psy-
chology, and it fits homecoming because we’re playing GardnerWebb. So that’s what we try to do. That’s what we’ve done the last three years, to combine the event with the team we’re playing and psychology in some way.” Their rivals, the Nursing Department, chose a more department-centered theme. According to Phillips, the department’s saying, “We are the hands and feet of Christ,” played a part in the theme of their float. “We had talked about doing missions,” Phillips said. “That’s why we have all the flags and stuff on there. We are concentrating a lot on Africa and AIDS in Africa, but it’s turned into a more generalized missions type of theme.” The department’s float featured flags from different countries and nursing students in their white lab coats. Including the planning and building process, Phillips said that it took about four weeks to make. About 15 students organized the float, and more students participated on Saturday. After the parade had passed and the candy had been thrown, the results were a surprise to both the Psychology and Nursing Departments. A poll on the Student Activities Facebook page asked students and parade attendees which float they thought was the best, and a new champion emerged Monday morning. The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ float, titled “Life 4 U,” took the victory and the $500 prize. Students in white T-shirts decorated with colorful handprints filled the float along with lots of colorful balloons. Nursing took home the secondplace prize, and psychology settled for third. Other homecoming week events included the Homecoming bonfire and the Deep Hollow Half Marathon and 5K Trail Race. Coverage of those events can be found on page B8. LEASURE is the feature editor. WOOD is a feature reporter.
Scaremare marks 40 years of frights Sara Warrender
sewarrender2@liberty.edu
Scaremare, the widelyknown, annual Halloween evangelism outreach run by Liberty University, is almost ready for an opening night filled with fright. Opening Oct. 11, Scaremare prompts visitors to walk through woods crawling with men holding chainsaws and paintball guns before they walk through a house with multiple themed rooms. Visitors will meet Liberty students in unexpected places, disguised under draping garments and wearing oozing masks that drip blood. Although it is intended to give visitors a scare, the event’s purpose is a little different from the normal haunted house. “Our main objective is evangelism,” Steve Vandegriff, the event’s director, said. “Scaremare is just a very unusual and unique way of evangelizing.” Initial planning started early in January, and preparations began in
July. More than a haunted house, Scaremare uses many different techniques to scare its visitors, showing them the reality of death in order to introduce them to salvation. After walking through the woods and the houses at Scaremare, individuals are invited into tents where a Liberty student shares their testimony. Chosen from Liberty’s youth ministry communication class, 20 to 40 students are given the opportunity to alternately share their story to Scaremare visitors before telling them about Christ. “Scaremare inspired me to see how many different ways you can go about sharing Jesus with people,” Liberty sophomore Jacob Weatherholtz said. Approximately 10 percent of individuals in total attendance each year make a decision for Christ. Last year, close to 25,000 individuals visited Scaremare and 250 wanted to know more about salvation after their visit. “We’re partnering with truelife.org, so if a kid had
Ruth Bibby | Liberty Champion
FEAR — Scaremare combines Halloween scares with a Christian message. a question about anything after Scaremare, he or she can get a video answer online,” Vandegriff said. The website also features a church directory where individuals can get plugged into a local church in order to further their newfound walk with Christ. This year marks Scaremare’s 40-year anniversary, and they are planning to celebrate with the addi-
tion of another two-story building. “If you’re afraid of tunnels, dogs, heights, certain animals or clowns, you probably don’t want to come,” Vandegriff said, hinting at the new features of Scaremare. Visitors will begin their journey at Scaremare through the doors of the new addition before walking through woods that lead to the house used in
previous years. Liberty was gracious to provide much of the needed help to open the new building. Construction, electrical and ground and marketing crews from Liberty dedicated a portion of their time to donate to this outreach’s efforts. “From a Christian perspective, we’re kind of taking back the holiday,” Vandegriff said. The students around
Liberty are anxiously awaiting the opening of Scaremare for the season. “Will I go? Definitely. Will I tell people to go? Yes,” Liberty junior Patrick Swilley said. The longer walk and added features of Scaremare are drawing attention from Liberty students as Oct. 11 approaches. “It’s so popular (that) everybody comes to it, then people do get saved from it,” freshman Brooke Ashe Batista said. “I’m really excited to go this year.” Friendly faces of Liberty will be hidden from view, threatening screams from locals as they promote the name of Christ through the Halloween season. “We’re going to do our best to scare you, but we’re also going to challenge you at the end,” Vandegriff said. Scaremare runs the weekends of Oct. 11, 18 and 25. Proceeds benefit Liberty’s School of Religion. WARRENDER is a feature reporter.