The Tabor View by Tabor College

Grace Church expansion in Hillsboro, first service during Easter Sunday

TABORSTOCK See what bands will be performing for Taborstock 2012

News, pg 2

Top 25 in NAIA

Tabor baseball is nationally ranked for the second year

Campus Life, pg 8

facebook.com/TaborView

Sports, pg 6-7

April 18, 2012

Issue 7

Students serve in Joplin, Mo.

Zach Bissell work, Garza and freshman Joe Editor-in-chief Cannon took down a wall. AcSpring break is over and so is the only Spring Serve trip. This year saw a group of 15 Tabor College students under the direction of Dr. Karol Hunt go to Joplin, Mo. to help rebuild after the tornado in May 2011. “You could tell something horrible when through just by looking at the trees,” said sophomore Aaron Garza. “The trees told the story, they were still mangled.” The tornado that ripped apart Joplin was classified as an EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale which rates the strengths of tornados by the damages they inflict. An EF5 is the highest tornado ranking. The group left for Joplin Mar. 18 in two vans provided by Mennonite Disaster Relief. While in Joplin, the team tore down roofing, did some insulating work, painted, put up dry wall and prepared a driveway for concrete. During one of the days of

cording to Garza, they were taking out dry wall and the framing in the house to leave just the outer shell of the house. Toward the end of the day, they were told they had 15 minutes left, and they had a wall in front of them. “Joe started on one side and I started on the other,” said Garza. Garza said he has a photo of the wall on his Facebook page for anyone that wants to see Cannon and his work. “We were spoiled with food,” said Olsen. “It was awesome.” The group stayed with several other Mennonite-based groups and families in Joplin, and the food was home cooked according to Olsen. As a whole, Olsen said the entire group was a good one. He said, “We got along with other groups that were helping out, and they enjoyed the time with us as well.”

Action!

Photo by Nicole Tunks

Seniors Maria Loewen and Ashley Bird, English Professor Dr. Chris Dick and junior Nolan Dirks rehearse for the upcoming spring drama, “Another Antigone.”

Theater to present ‘Another Antigone’ Destinee Cogburn Reporter

In the spring drama, “Another Antigone,” the plot revolves around a college senior, Judy Miller, (played by senior Ashley Bird) must pass Professor Harper’s (Dr. Chris Dick) course on Greek tragedy who in order to graduate. After his many years of teaching, Professor Harper is hardly surprised when yet another student wants to rewrite Greek masterpieces to reflect the current social and political affairs. When Judy Miller announces that she plans to submit a more “current” version

of Sophocles’s “Antigone” instead of the formal paper that was assigned, Professor Harper stubbornly refuses to let her do so. Though Judy must pass this class in order to graduate, she is equally as stubborn as her professor and insists on turning in her project anyway. In the conflict, Harper appears as Creon, the symbol of authority, and Judy represents Antigone, the ultimate rebel. Though the play is not nearly as profound as Sophocles’s “Antigone,” Director Judy Harder said that is a clever piece that both students and faculty will enjoy. “It references college issues

that never go away and deals with some of the issues that are ongoing on college campuses,” said Harder. David Appleton, Judy’s boyfriend, will be played by Nolan Dirks and Maria Loewen will play Diana Eberhart, the academic dean of the humanities department. Performances will take place in the Tabor College Theater Lab located in the lower level of Lohrenz at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26 and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 28. Seating is limited. Call the Student Life Office 620-947-3121, extension 1033 to reserve tickets. General Admission is $5.

Library opens new listening station Jordan Giffin Opinion & Campus Life

Demolition

Above: The group of Tabor students who went on the Spring Serve trip to Joplin, Mo. pose for the camera in front of one of the houses that they were helping to renovate. Below: Freshman Joe Cannon and sophomore Aaron Garza demolish a wall in one of the houses to help in the rebuilding project in Joplin.

Photos courtesy of Carly Wilhelm

Many renovations and additions to the Tabor College library are either in the works or nearing completion to ensure that the best possible resources and work place can be provided. Robin Deich Ottoson, associate professor and director of library services, said that the library recently purchased a new listening station to replace the old one formerly located upstairs. It is located in the music alcove, created two years ago on the first floor, near the copier.

“We needed a good listening station, not only for music students (who frequently listen to classic recordings on LP albums, in addition to CDs), but also for anyone interested in taking a break, previewing a new album or wanting to preserve a favorite cassette that is not available as a CD,” she said. “The listening station’s center piece is an all-in-one unit capable of playing the most popular forms of sound media,” added Library Assistant Aaron Ratzlaff. “Housed in a compact retro-styled wood cabinet is a compact disc player, a cassette

Social work club event

deck, AM/FM radio, and a turntable for our large collection of LP records. There is even an input for iPods and MP3 players. The unit has stereo speakers, but the library recommends the use of headphones, which are available for checkout.” Ottoson said that the unit is meant to provide the best library possible for a liberal arts college. This unit is only one example of the many additions and progressions being made to guarantee a work space best able to serve Tabor students.

See LIBRARY pg 2

The new Social Work Club will be hosting Shantee Town on Wed., April 25 from 8:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. on the Dakota Lawn. Questions? Ask Brad Prescott at bradleycprescott@tabor.edu.

2 NEWS Grace Church opens satellite campus in Hillsboro

Easter Sunday

Photo by Nicole Tunks

Head pastor Adam Utecht preaches at the opening service for Grace Community Church’s new satellite campus in Hillsboro on April 7.

Scott Morrow

Reporter

Grace Community Church in Newton has decided to branch off in order to have a church plant in Hillsboro.

“We want to reach out to the community and be a part of it,” said head pastor Adam Utecht, “really care for people’s needs and share the good news with people.” Utecht was the head worship pastor at the Newton branch but was selected to be head pastor in Hillsboro. The church became interested in planting a church a while back. “The head pastor at Grace was sensing God leading him towards smaller communities,” said Utecht. “There are so many churches in small communities that are dying and closing their doors. “There’s a need for new churches to be planted in small communities.” Several of the core beliefs of the church are very similar to churches around Hillsboro, such as the deity of Christ, the bodily resurrection of Christ and the authority of scripture. “Our goal is common with the churches that desire to preach the gospel,” said Utecht. “That Jesus died for your sins and wants to transform your life.” The church planters became interested in Hillsboro after finding out some

of their existing congregation in Newton was coming from Hillsboro. “Doors were just opening and the Holy Spirit was leading us,” said Utecht. The church currently has a lease agreement with the elementary school to meet in their cafeteria on Sunday mornings. The first service was held Easter Sunday at the fairgrounds. “We’re open to wherever God wants us to meet and it doesn’t matter as much as what we’re doing,” said Utecht. “The church isn’t just a building, it’s the community.” Overall, the church is focused greatly on others and community outreach, time will tell if Hillsboro will reach back. “We want to love people no matter who they are or what they’ve done,” said Utecht. “That’s a heartbeat of ours: to care for people and have a compassion for one another.” Services will meet at Sundays at 10:00 a.m. in the elementary school cafeteria. “We want to grow in our walk with Christ and with others and do it sincerely,” said Utecht.

Changes impact registration for 2012-2013 academic year

Jordan Giffin Opinion & Campus Life

Reformations have been made to the upcoming school year’s schedule, which are meant to provide a more efficient school day for students. Not only will students be registering for a full year of classes, rather than by each semester, but they will also have an 11 a.m.

class period on Mondays and Wednesdays, which is currently the time slot for chapel. Deanne Duerksen, Tabor registrar, said she sees these changes as positive. “We hope that having an additional class time in the morning will help eliminate some class conflicts and will prevent athletes, in particular, from having

Invisible Children bring KONY awareness to Tabor campus Zach Bissell Editor-in-chief Kony 2012 is a short film that Invisible Children created. The film was first released on March 5, 2012. The film has grown in popularity since it was released gaining over 87 million views on YouTube alone. The film was created to make Joseph Kony, an Ugandan war criminal and International War criminal, known to the world. The film is hoping to see Kony arrested by Dec. 2012 which is when the campaign ends. “KONY 2012 has been spreading like wildfire all over the web and is quite a controversial topic,” said sophomore Sydney Coughlin, “so I think it was really good for students on our campus to be able to ask questions and get more specific details about KONY 2012.” Invisible Children came to

campus on March 27. During their time on campus they showed a video, followed by a time for questions said Coughlin. One of the men that was on campus actually lived in Uganda and saw both his father and uncle abducted. He also gave his life story to the crowd that night. “Our little pocket of the world in Hillsboro, KS isn’t the only reality that’s taking place, there’s more than just us” said Coughlin when reflecting on what she has taken away from the event. She also talked about how the event reminded her that the world is bigger and smaller than people think at times. Junior Abbey Burns, sophomore Meredith Voran, senior Shelby Koons, sophomore Melisa Cruz and sophomore Nicole Tunks were the students who contacted Invisible Children to see if they would come to Tabor. This was part of their Christian Ethics class.

to miss so many afternoon class sessions because of competition,” she said. The Division Chairs proposed having a new class period during the 11 a.m. time slot last year, but it was not approved. However, after more negotiations with different departments this year, the faculty approved the change. Students need to pay attention to when classes will be accessible now because “there are a lot of changes of when classes will be offered,” said Aleen Ratzlaff, professor of communications. One example of these changes is the band’s new rehearsal time of 3 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Also, students will now get

to choose which chapel section they attend when they register for their next full year of classes. Duerksen said there were several reasons as to why the spring 2013 semester was already opened for registration, such as, “to help students solidify their schedules the year before so they have a better feel for where they are as they progress toward completing their degrees.” She said letting students already decide helps the college better understand what courses are needed and how many sections are needed for each course. Also, it “begins to move us (Tabor College) toward student online registration.”

LIBRARY

Ottoson said she and the rest of the library staff wish to provide a library experience that the students will enjoy. The staff has provided a “wish list” that students and faculty may add to that includes prospective books that they would like to see added to the library, located at www.amazon.com. To guarantee the best library experience, the staff must know what it is that the students want. Therefore students must let them know by participating in their surveys so that they may continue to add to, change and fix different aspects of the library. Stop by and vote today.

continued from pg 1

“Over the past five years, we have continued to update, weed and add to the (music) collection, added information literacy tracks to courses across the curriculum, and refurbished the physical aspects of the library,” Ottoson said. More examples of current and future improvements include “creating better seating, a variety of quiet and collaborative spaces (some full-spectrum lighting), an atrium where students can enjoy food, better exhibit spaces with more variety and repainting study individual rooms,” Ottoson said.

News in brief 2012 Obliterating Heat Records

If you found yourself thinking last month, “Wow, it’s awfully hot for March,” you weren’t wrong. Temperatures were 8.6 degrees higher than normal last month in the contiguous US, and 6 degrees above average for January, February and March, the AP reports. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s calculations, that’s much higher than past temperature records. Why? Weather patterns including La Nina have come together in unusual ways, meteorologists say, and many are concerned climate change is a factor.

Why Woodpeckers’ Brains Don’t Burst

After jack hammering their heads into trees all day, how is it that woodpeckers don’t head home with the mother of all headaches, much less brain injury? The key is an astonishingly strong skull, say researchers in Beijing. Scientists discovered that the birds’ skulls are insulated with a remarkably thick, spongy bone that protects their brains. Woodpeckers bang their head into wood at a force of 1,000 times the force of gravity— way more than the maximum 46 or so G’s that humans can endure, reports LiveScience.

Gas Prices Level Off, May Have Peaked

Gas prices are holding steady at $3.92 a gallon, and that could be on the verge of coming down, reports USA Today. With a key benchmark falling to a two-month low yesterday and growing signs of a global economic slowdown, experts think pump prices will fall short of the most dire predictions, as well as short of last year’s $3.99 high and the all-time record of $4.11 set in 2008. Already in pricier markets, such as Chicago and Los Angeles, prices have dropped as much as 20 cents per gallon.

Baboon ‘Readers’ Pick Out Real Words

Don’t expect him to pick up a novel anytime soon—but Dan the baboon and five buddies know real English words when they see them. For instance, if Dan sees the letters BRRU, ITCS, and KITE, he’ll pick out the last one as the real word, even though he doesn’t know what it means, the AP reports. After doing 300,000 tests in France, the animals were able to pick out real words some 75% of the time.

Google Splits Stock as Profits Soar

Google has unveiled a stock split that will double the number of shares while keeping co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin firmly in control. The company is creating a new class of nonvoting shares that will be distributed to existing shareholders in a 2 for 1 split. The move will allow the company to make long-term investments using its shares without the co-founders’ power being diluted, Bloomberg notes. The split also allows Google to hang on to its $49 billion cash pile instead of paying a dividend to shareholders. Source: newser.com

OPINION Columnist says Kony 2012 is “like” worthy Whether you’re on Facetowards the Kony 2012 cambook, YouTube, or simply paign. checking the news, you canI have to say, there is somenot leave the Internet without thing to what the detractors are having heard about Joseph saying. There are many things Kony. wrong in the world that need No matter your views on more focus from our country the subject, you have to adand others. mit that the Invisible Children But should that prevent us Scott Morrow from being accepting towards have made an utterly effective Staff Column the projects that get selected campaign to bring down Joseph Kony. by the national media or even are virally Most people would say that the cam- popular? paign to bring the Ugandan war leader No, not at all. down is a positive thing. I am one of them, Uganda’s Kony problem is something but there is a small faction of minds that that needs to be recognized and changed are just plain tired of the coverage. in a delicate manner. The fact that this They are tired of the Kony talk because cause has gotten so popular has given Uganda has so many problems that Kony me some hope that our generation is conis probably on the lower side of the Ugan- scious of at least some of the problems in da’s top ten worst things list. the world. Whether they have visited Uganda or There are also a lot more important are simply follow the major problems in and long lasting issues that Uganda faces. the world, there is growing resentment Food, water, and shelter are huge

needs in Uganda and these people are scared that when the media coverage fades, we’ll simply see Uganda as another African country. These needs are not only needed in Uganda though. There is a lot of wrong in the world. There is a lot that needs to be addressed even in America. People all over the world are in need, including the homeless and needy in America. So what are we supposed to do? There is so much need in the world, are we as followers of Christ supposed to take these huge problems on? It seems impossible. I think the Bible’s pretty clear that we are supposed to help or sacrifice in every single way we can. So when you stop hearing about Kony and think back on what happened, remember there is a lot to be done in the world and there is a call to help in a multitude of ways.

What band would you most like to see at Taborstock? “A gospel group would have been nice. Like Mary Mary or Fred Hammond.”

Brandon Gooden Junior “Justin Bieber. He’s my fave. ”

From the Wire

Hydraulic fracking controversy intensifies Ashley Cooper From The Beacon via SNCW Public discourse over hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” seems to have taken precedence even beyond the exclusive environmental news realm. Adding to its salience is critical speculation that fracking contributed to the recent East Coast earthquake, which reached an impressive 5.8 magnitude on the Richter scale. However, in casual discussion regarding current events, there seems to be a misunderstanding of the actual fracking method and the controversy surrounding it. Hydraulic fracking, also known as “HF,” involves the procedure of extracting natural gas after horizontally drilling

into primarily shale gas-based resources. Sand and water fused with chemicals are pumped into well bores sometimes as deep as 7,000 feet below surface. It is done at an astounding pressure rate in order to force openings in the shale and release natural gas through the cracks. The technique of HF is anticipated to minimize dependence on foreign fuel. It is also expected to boost the economy several notches as a result of creating more jobs related to the technology. There are also conjectures around the fact that less carbon dioxide will be liberated into the atmosphere by enforcing the practice of hydraulic fracking. Horizontal drilling, which occurs before the actual “fracking”

process, is also seen as more cost-effective. HF controversy stems from its environmental impact. There is concern that aquifers could be chemically contaminated in the process of recovering shale gas. Chemicals released into the fresh water supply may range from harmless citric acids to the carcinogenic benzene. Methane is also suspected to affect drinking ground water. Although 98% percent of materials used in fracking are sand and water, the remaining percentages may be occupied by radioactive materials and harmful toxins. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently in the midst of highly concentrated research regarding hydraulic fracturing and its environmental

effects. On their website, the Enviromental Protection Agency assures that a finalized report of HF impact will be completed by 2014. In the meantime, various health and water boards within the nation are proposing the enforcement of not only hydraulic fracking, but creating job opportunities in the field of water treatment post-fracking. It almost seems too early to solidify an opinion on HF based on limited research. In the past, rushing into science while neglecting the consequences has proven to be detrimental. We know that. The question seems to arrive with where our best interests lie: in the economy rehabilitation or in environmental and health protection.

Student senate hosts campus cares, concerns meeting Jordan Giffin

nJordan Costa: Possible use the same standard.

Page Editor of room by maintenance office

Student Senate Minutes: April 4, 2012 Cares and Concerns Meeting nStacey Warkentin: Request for floor reservations in the women’s quad for upperclassmen with upperclassman Resident Assistant. Action taken: Forwarded to Student Life.

for storage of sound equipment. Action Taken: Forwarded to Maintenance for assessment of space. nHanna Vogel: Faculty being able to drink in public. They do not have a lifestyle contract, and the concern among other students is that they feel that the faculty and staff should not enforce the rule of alcohol consumption if they are not held to

Action Taken: Forwarded to Student Life. Jr. Sr. Banquet Update: Michael Klaassen: Photo booth acquired along with DJ, dry bar, and prizes to give away. Wichita Boat House will be the site of the dance. Elections: nPossible candidates to consider and to recruit: David Ewert (Senior VP), Andrea Pankratz (Senior President), Jesse Todd

Did You Know... n March 20 marked World Social Work Day, and to celebrate, several Tabor Students traveled to Topeka to do their part in providing help to others. n Pioneer College Catering recently held a question-and-answer session where students, faculty and staff could voice comments and concerns to improve the cafeteria efficiency and experience.

(Sophomore President), Kendra Fleming (Sophomore VP). Schlict Update nOpening delayed due to manufacturing problems with the ping pong table. New table to be ordered. Creation Care nTessa Hoduski, Anna-Marie Richert: Inquiring about pay. Action Taken: Classified as a campus club, but not organization. No salaries allotted for this year.

Ben Heyen Senior “Switchfoot.”

Kaylan Blumanhourst Freshman

Letters The View welcomes all comments, opinions, questions and suggestions from students, faculty and employees. We want to hear what you have to say. Let your voice be heard! Send all letters to the editor,Zach Bissell, at zacharylbissell@tabor.edu.

The View Staff Editor-in-Chief, News &Sports Editor: Zachary Bissell

The Tabor View is the official

Features, Opinion & Campus Life Editor: Jordan Giffin

newspaper of Tabor College in

Reporters: Jordan Giffin, Zachary Bissell, Destinee Cogburn,

Hillsboro, Kan. It is published by

Scott Morrow

Print Source Direct, LLC, 116 S. Main, Hillsboro, Kan., 67063. The

Photographer: Nicole Tunks

opinion expressed in the Tabor

Adviser: Sara Sigley

View are not necessarily those of the Tabor View staff.

4 FEATURES Legend

1. 608D Male Leadership, Integrity and Discipleship House (LID House)

4. Adams III Hall Service House

6. Adams VI Hall Latinos Outreaching Various Ethnicities

25. Lincoln I Hall Ladies of Leadership

Hiebert house New International Carson House

(LOVE house)

28. Lincoln VI Hall Scholarship and Athletic House

7. Adams VII Hall Faith, Film and Culture

2012-2013 Tabor C a m p u s T H E M E Houses

Graphic from Tabor College web site; legend by Ted McFarland

Destinee Cogburn

Reporter

Theme houses provide the opportunity for students to live together in a different and dynamic living situation that offer a more unique experience apart from traditional campus housing. A group of students that choose to live in theme houses, craft their own theme based on their unique interests, hobbies or ideas that they feel will offer something that the campus doesn’t already have. The house is expected to put on a minimum of two programs per semester that relate to their theme, but often they do more. Each house also has a connection with a faculty or staff advisor who helps to guide them in their theme and provide mentoring through monthly meetings with the house. Next year, there will be seven theme houses on campus. The following themes have been lined up for next year’s houses: Faith, Film and Culture: Adams VIII This house is a continuation of this year’s Film House. Next year however, it is expected that they will take it to the next level. The guys of the Film House have built a following of students, and even some staff and faculty, who attend their movie showings in their specially made theatre. Additionally, they will be seeking to engage students more in conversations after film showings to ask pertinent questions about the film’s story and its interaction with the Christian faith. The group is also trying to include some more challenging conversations around the subject of culture as well. They plan to have faculty speakers present to help with these discussions. Their faculty advisor is Chris Dick. Male Leadership, Integrity and Discipleship House (Man House): 608 E. D Street This house is also a continuation of a current house this year. The men of the Man House will be seeking to continue and improve upon their desire to provide Bible studies and other activities to encourage students toward a growing rela-

tionship with Christ. Part of their activities will involve more MAN church events and accountability groups. Their staff advisor is Joe Wuest. Latinos Outreaching Various Ethnicities (LOVE): Adams VI This new house will be seeking to expose and involve students in various cultural experiences. The house members plan to provide things like Brazilian food nights, samba food festival night, Cinco de Mayo celebrations and possibly even Latin dance lessons. This group wishes to bring opportunities to experience more culture and history than what students currently see on campus. Their desire is to promote intercultural awareness. Aleen Ratzlaff is their faculty advisor. Service House: Adams III This is a new house comprised of men who wish to build a culture of servanthood on campus. They are seeking to accomplish this by volunteering their own time at various service projects, as well as help to organize activities for other students to serve on campus or in the local community. Their staff advisor will be Mike Ball. Scholarship and Athletic House: Lincoln VI This will be a continuation of the current Athletic house. They wish to involve other students in gathering together and breaking down the barriers that sometimes exist between various sports on campus. They plan to accomplish this through inviting students to their house, encouraging them to attend games and provide strong team spirit against opposing teams. Their faculty advisor is Karol Hunt. Ladies of Leadership: Lincoln I This house is a new house made up of individuals who wish to provide more activities for women on campus. Their desire is to build relationships and fellowship that will deepen the faith of women on campus. They plan to bring in

speakers and host various “girls’ nights” at their house. Their staff advisor is Coleen Ball. New International Carson House: Hiebert House This is a new house purchased by Tabor this past fall. It will house a group of female students interested in partnering with the Carson Center (located on campus in the back hall of the library) to provide a focus on missions and service. They will be seeking to bring in speakers and host events that lead students to examine how missions are important to their faith. Their greatest desire is to expose the students of Tabor to missions as a way to deepen their faith and reach the world. Their faculty advisor will be Joanne Loewen. Theme Housing: in general Patrick Masar’s, director of housing, advice to students who would like to consider applying for a theme house in the future is to start early. He suggests seeking out the group of people you wish to live with starting in late fall, then working together to come up with a theme to promote on campus. “It is not just a chance to live with your friends in a house,” said Masar. “We expect students to really follow through on their themes, and even provide some small funding towards that end. They can also request extra funding from student senate each semester that is available just for theme houses and their programs.” Each house seeks to bring something unique to Tabor’s campus experience through the events that they host. The events are fun and seek to broaden your experience and faith outside the classroom. Masar encourages all students to attend several theme house events. “If you are new to your faith or just wondering what this faith thing is all about, these are students who are excited about bringing you into conversations to explore that,” said Masar. “Theme houses are a dynamic and exciting part of Student Life, and just waiting for you to participate.”

FEATURES

Students, faculty share experiences as sponsors, advocates with Compassion International ministry to children Scott Morrow

Reporter

Tabor hosted Compassion International musician and speaker Shaun Groves on April 2. Groves lead worship and spoke about the importance of giving away what you have to the poor during Chapel. Later that evening, Groves played a special concert in Java Jays. Groves’ purpose was to increase awareness of the ministry of Compassion International. He also encouraged students to consider sponsoring children around the world who desire to be a part of Compassion’s work. Compassion International’s main focus as an organization is the bringing of aid to underprivileged children across the globe from monthly gifts from people who have more than enough. Susan Paine, the academic affairs office manager, is currently the advocate for Compassion on Tabor’s campus. The purpose of Compassion’s child advocates, according to their web site, is “to use your gifts and

“

A lot of what everybody has, even the poor in America, is excess and we need to give from our excesses. Whether to Compassion or to something else you have a passion for, it’s important to give.

Compassion concert

Susan Paine

”

“In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.” www.compassion.com

influence to raise awareness of the needs of impoverished children and encourage others to respond to the biblical mandate to love the poor.” “It’s a good way to connect with kids across the world,” said Paine, who has been volunteering for the position for five years. “Be your own little missionary, in a way.” Compassion works with organizations, churches and individuals to sponsor children through donating money that goes towards food, clothing and education. “It’s really important because it’s people speaking up for the children that can’t speak for themselves,” said Paine. American society is considered to be one of the more privileged countries in the world and, as the organization’s mission statement suggests, Compassion has a Christian outlook on an international society. “A lot of what everybody has, even the poor in America, is excess and we need to give from our

Photo by Nicole Tunks

Shaun Groves, speaker and sponsor for Compassion International, spoke to the campus about the importance of helping others during Chapel on April 2. “Shaun is a humorous speaker and gifted musician,” said Mike Brouillette, campus pastor and director of spiritual formation, in an email inviting students to Groves’ concert in Java Jays later that night.

excesses,” said Paine about the importance of Compassion in American society. “Whether to Compassion or to something else you have a passion for, it’s important to give.” Brittany Hofer, a sophomore, is currently sponsoring a child in Ghana, Africa with her boyfriend, freshman Trenton Wilker. “I’ve always had a heart for (missions) and a heart for children,” said Hofer. “Especially after I’ve been to Africa and seen them go through things first hand.” The child’s name is Freda and she is six years old. Compassion offers the chance for communication between the children and their sponsors through exchanging written letters. Translators are used to translate the child’s letter into the language of the sponsor. “We’ve gotten one so far and we need to write back,” said Hofer. “She asked me about myself and awkwardly, wonderful questions like that.” “She’s happy for us and praying for us.” Hofer grew up in a household that sponsored a couple children over the years. “Noella in Tanzania is about my age now,” said Hofer. “It was cool growing up with her and being able to write her, like a pen pal I guess.” Another opportunity given to sponsors is that they can meet their sponsored child if they desire to and have the funds. Hofer said she probably will not be able to but if she ever goes back to Africa the longing to do so would be huge. “I just want everyone to be aware of the incredible opportunities like this,” said Hofer. “We sometimes want to help but we don’t know how and this is such an accessible and professional organization.” She went on to talk about how she started sponsoring the child in November after feeling the call to do so at a Winterjam concert. “Trent and I are splitting (the cost), so there really isn’t an excuse that you don’t have money,” said Hofer. “You can find someone or a group to do it with. “I’m glad I am though; it makes me feel like I’m helping in some small way.”

6 SPORTS Baseball in top 25, hosting regional tournament Destinee Cogburn

Reporter

With a 16-4 record in conference, 32-8 overall, the Tabor Bluejays are continuing to have a successful baseball season. Friday and Saturday April 13-14, the Bluejays played a conference series against Kansas Wesleyan. On Friday the team lost both games at home 12-13 and 7-5. On Saturday the team traveled to Kansas Wesleyan to play 2 more games against the Coyotes. The Jays won the first game Saturday with a score of 5-2. After a weather delay, due to tornado storms in the area, the Bluejays lost the second game 8-0. The team also had victories against Ottawa University on April 7, and Baker University April 10. “It’s been a good season,” said senior third-baseman Adam McCormick. “We just try to take it game by game.” McCormick describes the team as “laidback and happy-go-lucky” saying that he thinks that their more laid back attitudes add to the team’s success. Apparently it does, as the team is currently ranked 17th in the nation. McCormick has also been awarded individual honors, being named the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Baseball Offensive Player of the Week, as well as National Association of Intercol-

Photo by Vance Frick

legiate Athletics (NAIA) Baseball Player of the Week for the week of April 2. McCormick says that the team’s ultimate goal for the season is to make it to the NAIA World Series, and hopes to see the fans continue to come out to the games to show their support, as they help cheer the team to more victories. The team will continue to play conference games against Friends University, Thursday, April 19 at home, Saturday, April 21 at Friends, and against Sterling College, with games being played Friday, April 27 at home and Saturday, April 28 at Sterling. Following the end of the regular season, the conference tournament will start Tuesday May 1 and conclude Saturday May 4. The tournament will be held in Hutchinson. Tabor will also be hosting the regional tournament, which will be played in Hutchinson Friday May 11 through Monday May 14. By hosting the tournament, The Bluejays will automatically be granted a spot in the regional tournament, placing them one step closer to the world series.

Pitch and Catch

Photo by Vance Frick

Top Left: Matt Lambert pitches during a home game against McPherson College Top Right: Cody Wheeler holds a Morningside College runner at first base while the runner gets his lead. Bottom: Art Corona and Bret Lentz celebrate with a hug during a home game against McPherson College

Track and field looking to conference meet Zach Bissell

Jump and Throw

Photo by Vance Frick

Above: David Loewen shows his vertical in the high jump during a meet last year. Below: Kruze Sanders preforms a hammer throw during a meet last season.

Photo by Vance Frick

Editor-in-chief

The track and field season is well underway and has already seen several promising events happen. Junior Dominick Eastman was awarded the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Association Male Track and Field Athlete of the Week after he won the 110 meter hurdle race at the Baker Relays hosted by Baker University in Baldwin City, Kan. “We are working hard and reaching our goals,” said junior Emily Post. She went on to talk about how the hard work is paying off with the amount of personal records that are being set, and the amount of people finishing in the top spots of their respective event. The latest track and field meet took place on Sat. April 7 at the Hutchinson Night Relays in Hutchinson Kan. In the men’s track and field events, Tabor had a good showing. Tabor placed first in six events including junior Jacob Heil in the 3000 meter steeplechase, freshman Joel Allen in the 1500 meter run, and Eastman in the 110 meter hurdles and the 400 meter hurdles. The other first place events were in relays. The team of freshman Garrett Daugherty, freshman Phillip Mangos, sophomore Dylan Crawford, and sophomore Nathan Vogel won the 4x800 meter relay, while Crawford, Allen, Heil, and Mangos teamed up to win the 4x1600 meter relay, and ju-

nior Brandon Gooden, Eastman, Daugherty and Vogel won the 4x400 meter relay. Other top three finishes for the men include freshman Jake Nachtigal, third in 110 meter hurdles, freshman James Dotson, third in the 400 meter dash, junior Michael Klaassen, third in the hammer throw, and the relay team of senior Collin Mainord, sophomore Sam Castro, freshman Alex Salazar, and sophomore Joshua Taylor, third in the 1600 meter sprint medley. On the women’s side Tabor had another good showing. The women only took home two first place awards. Post won the triple jump while the team of sophomore Yvonne Brubacher, freshmen Kaylin Barnhardt, freshman Kaitlyn Lowry, and sophomore Makenzie King won the 4x400 meter relay. There were another eight top three finishes for the women including Lowry, third in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, freshmen Brielle Lund, second in the 1,500 meter, King, second in the 400 meter dash, senior Samantha Van Ranken, second in the hammer throw and second in the javelin, senior Jasmine Peggese, third in the hammer throw, junior Tynan Honn, third in the shot put, Post, second in the high jump, and Brubacher, second in the pole vault. “We are a few weeks from the conference meet,” said Post “and we are seeking a conference championship.” The next meet for the team is today, April 18, at the Tabor Invitational right here in Hillsboro.

Pace yourself

Photo by Vance Frick

Brielle Lund paces herself as she passes another runner during one of her events last season in a home meet. This year’s home meet is being hosted today on the track.

SPORTS

Softball experiences season of ups and downs Jordan Giffin Opinion & Campus Life

Hit and run Top: Sarah Massey is in the middle of swinging at a pitch thrown by a Central Christian University player in a home game earlier this season Middle: The team awaits Kyleen Condon to celebrate her home run in their home game against Central Christian Bottom: Taylor Funk prepares to catch a pitch during the game against Central Christian University

The softball team’s current season is a back and forth whirlwind with wins and losses remaining relatively close in the record. The team holds a current record of 17-15, 6-5 in the KCAC. Head Coach Suzanne Unruh’s says her goals for the season have been “building a winning program for the future of Tabor Softball, getting better every game and playing well as a team.” Each game is proving to do just that: improve the team’s cohesiveness and build a winning program. Unruh said that every team in conference play is tough and very competitive so the women must strive to be tougher and to ensure victory in the KCAC bracket. The team’s first conference game, against Bethel College, proved to be a close game with extra innings “and both teams were playing great the whole game,” said Unruh. Fortunately, Tabor was able to pull ahead for the win in both games against Bethel, which proved to be a confidence booster for the team. Skills that the team have been trying to step up that may have attributed to the wins over Bethel are “thinking a play ahead and always communicating on the field,” Unruh said. After back-to-back wins against Bethel, the team split with both the University of St. Mary on April 3 and then McPherson College later that week. Compared to previous years, the team is finding more talent on the team, said Senior Amanda Howe. “However, we need

Week full of matches for TC tennis teams Scott Morrow

Reporter

Over the next week, the Tabor tennis teams will play four games against conference rivals. The women’s tennis team is currently 7-3, 2-0 in conference, after losing to Oklahoma Baptist 1-8, beating Southwestern 7-2, and beating McPherson 7-2. “We’ve been doing really well, I think our team has shown a lot of improvement,” said sophomore Meredith Voran. “I think we have a good chance of doing really well in conference this year.” After a tough injury, Amanda Brown is also back at the top of the roster for conference play. “When she was out, several of the lineup had to play up a little so that give us all some good experience,” said Voran. “I think we’ve all improved from that experience.” The men’s tennis team is currently 5-7, 1-1 in conference, after losing to Oklahoma Baptist University 0-9, beating Southwestern 8-1, and losing to McPherson College 0-9. “We’re not doing too bad, we’re still kind of trying to figure out who to place where in the lineup,” said sophomore Kelyn Vix, placed third on the men’s lineup.

“Overall we’ve been doing good, we’ve won about half of our games.” According to Vix the goal of the coach is to take third in conference. “We really need to step it up and play our ‘A’ game,” said Vix. “It’s been tough, we’ve had some tough losses but also some good wins.” Both Vix and Voran emphasized that there has been great improvements throughout the season from both teams. “I was playing the seventh spot last year, which doesn’t matter for score,” said Vix. “It’s a little different playing third because I start playing people better than me. “Playing people better than me is helping me improve though.” Voran also said talked about the experiences of improving through challenge. “I think the bottom of our lineup has shown a lot of improvement and I think we have a strong team through the entire lineup,” said Voran. With a lot of important games coming up, the pressure is on to put out the best tennis they’ve played. “I think it’ll be one of the most exciting seasons in Tabor women’s tennis that we’ve seen in a long time,” said Voran. The next match is today against Bethany College here at Tabor.

Return to sender

Photo by Vance Frick

Above: Jake Brucks returns the ball in the match against Baker University Below: Anna Friesen returns a hit during her set against Emporia State University

Photo by Vance Frick

to learn to make it consistent and put it all together every game. “With smart decisions as a team and consistency in our lineup we are going to be a top competitor in the conference,” Howe said. “I think we are right there,” Unruh said. “We have great talent on the defense and some of the best hitters in the conference. The players have worked so hard all year and strive to become better every day we are out there.” The team was scheduled to play MidAmerica Nazarene University but the games were postponed due to weather conditions. They are scheduled to play Southwestern College at Southwestern tomorrow, Thursday April 19. The first game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Their next home game is Saturday April 21 against Kansas Wesleyan University.

Second Annual Spring Sports Showcase Destinee Cogburn

Reporter

On April 28, Tabor College will be hosting its second annual Spring Sports Showcase. At this event, several of Tabor’s sports teams from both the spring as well as fall, will either play a game or a scrimmage, giving supporters the opportunity to see a little bit of everything in one day. “Last year was the first year that we’d done this, and the idea kind of grew on us,” said Vice President of Athletics, Rusty Allen. The day will begin at 7:30 a.m. with the alumni golf tournament at the Hillsboro golf course, followed by the football scrimmage and alumni volleyball scrimmage at 11 a.m. From noon till 1:30 p.m. there will be a picnic lunch located at the Joel H. Wiens stadium concession stand for $5. Mary Bostic and her crew will be grilling sausages, sandwiches and hotdogs. The cafeteria will close for lunch, and all students will be invited to enjoy lunch at the stadium. At 1 p.m. the women’s softball team will honor their seniors during their senior day double-header against the Ottawa University Braves. The women’s soccer alumni scrimmage will begin at 1:30 p.m. and the men’s alumni soccer game will follow at 3:30. “I think it will be a great day for the campus,” said Amy Ratzlaff, head volleyball coach and organizer of the showcase. “I would love to see this grow into an event that would feel like homecoming, but in the spring. It would be a time to reconnect with friends and the campus community.” Weather permitting, spectators can look forward to a fun filled day of Tabor athletics.

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