October 1, 2013
Enter Sandman
BY A L E X W I L L I A MS StaffWriter
Joe Castillo, the sand artist who was featured on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” will be performing at the University of the Cumberlands during Homecoming Weekend on October 4, 2013 Castillo was featured on the finals of Season 7 of “America’s Got Talent,” where he was fifth place overall Castillo, who has performed in front of millions of people, says he is honored to participate at UCs homecoming “To tell the truth, I have never been the headline performance for any Homecoming. For that reason, it is an honor and a thrill. It should be great fun and I hope that everyone in attendance will feel the same when it is all over,” Castillo said Castillo also enjoys performing in front of live audiences compared to performing in front of a television camera “There is a great disconnect when performing on television Even though there was always a live audience when I performed for “America's Got Talent,” it seemed strange to know that the vast majority of people watching were miles away watching on a small TV screen with no way to directly interact,” Castillo said. Castillo is also excited to perform at UC because of the students “I am excited every time I perform but young audiences are my favorite. They are lively, energetic and respond with great enthusiasm,” Castillo said
Lisa Bartram, the director of UC’s Campus Activity Board, states that they chose Castillo due to his popularity and his Christian faith. “He does the sand art about the Passion, which is the story of Christ We thought he would be a great fit for us,” Bartram said
Castillo was originally due to perform a week after Homecoming, but after talking with Rick Fleenor, the director of convocation at UC, Bartram agreed that Castillo would make a great headliner for Homecoming. “With a performer of this magnitude, we thought it would be a great thing to bring in for our Alumni and Family Weekend,” Bartram stated
Castillo’s unique talent is called SandStory, which is described on his official site as “art images created by Joe Castillo as he draws in sand with his Hands-on light table ” Castillo’s performance is scored and choreographed to music with a video projected on a screen for large audiences Castillo discovered his talent after a trip to the hardware store; he accidentally purchased sand instead of mulch, which led him to discover sand stories as an art form
Castillo will be performing on Friday, October 4th from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the O. Wayne Rollins Center on campus.
• Creech- Boswell Club Luncheon & 1963 Cla ss R eunion – 12 - 2 p.m. • Golf te am 3 person scramb le – 12 -
U C music d epar tment ho sts concer t
UC music depar tment hosts 21st annual
Phyllis Richardson Benefit Concer t.
BY CH R IS T I N M I L L ER Editor-in-Chief
University of the Cumberlands music department held its 21st annual Phyllis Richardson Wood Scholarship Benefit Concert Tuesday, Sept 24, 2013 The scholarship was created by Mary Wood Stuart and Amelia Wood Carey, in 1992 as a way to honor their mother, Phyllis Richardson Wood. Wood graduated from Cumberland College in 1932 and was a long time supporter of the arts in Williamsburg, Ky
As a way to raise funds for the scholarship, the UC faculty performs for the concert The faculty that performed this year was James R. Corcoran, Jr., vibraphone, David Etter, tenor, Kay Dawn McFarland, piano, Jeff C Smoak, JR , baritone, Steven Sudduth, trombone and David Threlkeld, clarinet
Each year, the PRW Scholarship is awarded to a deserving student who is majoring in music and is outstanding on his or her primary instrument In addition to receiving the scholarship, the recipient is given the opportunity to perform with the UC music department’s faculty during the PRW Benefit Concert. This year ’s recipient, Tyler Vaughn, is from Mt. Vernon, Ken-
The UC music department faculty and scholarship recipient, Tyler Vaughn, afterperforming for the PRWconcert.
tucky. “I am so honored to be this year's scholarship recipient and to have the opportunity to perform with the amazing and talented faculty members of UC's Music Department” said Vaughn Vaughn is a senior majoring in music with a vocal emphasis and is under the instruction of Dr. David Etter, vocal professor at UC.
“This was an excellent concert with outstanding performances from all of the music faculty members And I thought that Tyler Vaughn presented the music department very well in his fine performance” said Etter.
Phot
BY N ATA SH A JON E S AssistantEditor
Ch anges comi ng to campu s
Rumors have spread around campus since the end of last semester about what all the construction around the football stadium and athletic fields are for Upon arriving back on campus this semester students saw that more buildings had been removed as well as the hillside on the outskirts of UC’s campus had been cleared and marked off
Let the rumors be put to rest. Kyle Gilbert, vice president for operations at UC, informed us that in the past few months the university has purchased land between the main campus and the Cumberland Inn All of the land in between is now considered a part of campus and has expanded the campus footprint approximately 30 acres
Coming from the Inn toward the main campus on the left along 10th street, UC will
have three athletic fields built consisting of two lacrosse fields and a women’s softball field.
Randy Vernon, athletic director at UC, said, “We’ve had a softball program for a long time and during that entire time we’ve always used the city field and we appreciate the fact that the city has worked with us during these many years we’ve shared it with Williamsburg
High School softball league and other adult softball league It hasn’t always been to where we could schedule the way we wanted to, having our own softball field will allow us to be completely in control of our softball season ”
According to Vernon, the university wanted to bring a lacrosse team to campus because it’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country right now. The administration is in
the process of hiring coaches for both a men’s and women’s team
One of the lacrosse fields will primarily be used for a field for a games and the other will be a practice field The men and women’s teams will share both fields but due to the wear and tear the sport can produce, they want two fields, one that can be played on every day and the other that will be specifically for games
The other main addition to campus that is in the works is a new entrance into campus. Across from the James H Taylor II Stadium on 2nd street, the hillside will be cut down and open up the main campus. A new entry boulevard will be built that will go up the hillside and connect in front of the Hutton School of Business.
“The Main Campus, the Football Stadium, the new athletic fields and the Cumberland Inn will all be connected and visible as one large University ” said Gilbert
The construction on the athletic fields will continue this fall and the new entrance construction is expected to start in early 2014
This entrance will offer a direct path into the academic side of campus making it easier for visitors and commuters who will not have to drive through the residential side of campus to get to the buildings that classes and events are held at
A new kind of gro ove
Live and Loud is set to bring a new sound to Homecoming
BY BR A N DY NOR M A N StaffWriter
What could make University of the Cumberlands’ homecoming week better than ever before? Adding a music festival for everyone to enjoy, of course It’s no secret that UC has lots of talented musicians and vocalists From the band field to the doorstep of Roburn Hall, you can hear the faint twang of an acoustic guitar or the beating of a drum
Several bands, including OH! Divide, Of The Spheres, The Unfortunate Freshman and Under Innocent, which are all UC student-led bands, will be performing on the lawn of the Boswell Campus Center on Tuesday along with The Kingdom Productions, Foreveratlast, The Protest, Grown Up Avenger Stuff, Joshua Brown, and Flying Colours
University of the Cumberlands senior Ryan Coots, along with Campus Activities Board and UC Cru, has rounded up some of the campus’ most talented students and found touring bands to participate in “Live and Loud,” the Boswell Music Festival
Coots said, “I had been brainstorming different ways to unify the campus. I wanted to present something that could speak to the whole campus I shared this idea with Lisa
Bartram, CAB director, last year and she seemed down so, we ran with it ”
Many of the bands are filled with your own classmates while some of the other bands are prominent in the music scene and are currently touring. Having “clean” lyrics was the only rule although it seems as if most of the music will be Christian rock
Tyler Bird, a UC senior and member of OH! Divide, said, “This was a way to make homecoming more fun and to get everyone involved while sharing our music. It’s also cool because a lot of the bands were recommended or related back to UC in some way I’m really excited about it.”
Coots worked hard finding the bands for the event, admitting that the more popular groups gave him less trouble than the others.
“Strangely, the more ‘famous’ bands were the easiest to work with Playing in a band of my own (Of The Spheres) and shamelessly handing out demos to the ‘real’ bands, I learned they were human and that helps ”
While creating this event, Coots focused on the importance of unity. Coots wanted to develop something that the whole community
could show up to.
“It couldn’t just be a worship night because I wanted the community to be involved as well So, I made flyers and took them to high schools. I talked to Lisa and the members of CAB They had a budget that we stretched super far and we just made the logistics happen,” said Coots. “I really hope to replicate it again if it goes well, but this time with open involvement from other organizations I hope that next time there will be more rap and country, as I am always on the lookout for more talent ”
The Boswell Music Festival will be held on the Boswell Campus Center lawn on Oct
1 from 3 p.m. until approximately 9 p.m. This free event is open to the public.
UC students, don’t miss your chance to see some awesome talent and cheer on your fellow classmates as they share their music.
Aw kwar d fir st d at es
BY JA N N ICA BR A DY StaffWriter
We have all been there; it’s something that we all have experience with and it has been the topic of many entertaining conversations with our closest friends. If you are anything like me, then you have had your fair share of awkward and uncomfortable first dates There was the one guy who wanted me to pick up the tab because I had a better job at the time than he did Then there was the one who said I intimidated and scared him, so he refused to make eye contact and barely spoke the entire time Thus, I was left to fill the awkward silence with a meaningless oneway conversation with myself. I’m pretty sure I know what you are thinking, and I wouldn’t have believed it either, but I promise these are both true stories.
On both of these occasions, as well as numerous other times, I should have ran to the bathroom, called a friend to come pick me up and climbed out of the window I could probably write a decent book on all of these stories, but I’m pretty sure no one wants to suffer through my hideous attempts at starting a relationship But then again maybe you love to laugh at other people’s misfortunes. If that sounds like you, then please keep reading.
Three brave souls took time to share a few funny stories about their experience with awkward first dates
Matt Johns, a senior at University of the Cumberlands, had an awkward first date his first semester of his freshman year at UC He met a girl in his freshman Insights class and all semester she had kind of given him the run around So, after many attempts, she agreed to go out with him during finals week right before Christmas break “I was like every other person on campus, what little money I did have I had spent on my Christmas shopping. So I didn’t have much extra cash so we decided to just go to Wendy’s,” said Johns
Well, apparently she was not a fan of Wendy’s “She didn’t order anything and only ate a few French fries off my plate,” Johns added. In the end, the relationship obviously didn’t work out
Rhyana Barker, a junior at UC, had a doozie of a first date. The poor, clueless guy who asked her out, knew next to nothing about women Not only did he not pick her up, but he wasn’t even on time. “He was 30 minutes late, so I had to sit there by myself,” Barker said
Barker and her date, let’s call him “Steve,” had originally met while they were
still in high school. “He was a couple of years older than me I went against my better judgment and agreed to go out with him ” Barker added.
When Steve finally did show up, he pulled into the parking lot in a beat up red Dodge truck, with both the front and back bumpers missing When the waitress brought the check after they had ordered and ate their food, things got worse. Much worse. “He proceeded to complain about how expensive the ticket was,” Barker said
After dinner they headed over to the movie theater and before he would go inside he needed to smoke a few cigarettes
“He basically started chain smoking right outside the entrance to the movie theater and the manager came out and asked him to move 25 feet away from the entrance. Steve did not appreciate being asked to move so he proceeded to yell at the manager and made himself look like the biggest jerk,” Barker said.
By the time the whole ordeal between the manager and Steve was over, they had already missed the movie that they were supposed to watch. “We had to settle on a movie that nei-
ther of us really wanted to see,” Barker added.
About three-fourths of the way through the movie, Steve left to go to the bathroom where he texted Barker and asked her to repay him
“My phone went off and I saw that Steve had sent me a text. He wanted me to pay him back for my part of dinner and my movie ticket He said that he was running low on cash and didn’t have enough money to put gas in his truck I never replied back to his message and ran out of the theater before he came back from the restroom,” Barker said.
After this horrific experience, needless to say, Barker never went out with Steve again and deleted all her contact information for him “Looks like I dodged a bullet with that one,” Barker said
Jasmine Newport, a junior at UC, went on a date with a guy last spring and let’s just say it never went on to a second or third date “I had been talking to this guy and he finally had asked me out on a date. He wanted to know where I wanted to go so I chose O’Charley’s, I figured everyone had been to O’Charley’s or at least had some experience
with a restaurant like it,” Newport said.
Well, I guess she thought wrong “It was obvious that he had never been to a nice sit down restaurant before, because he had no idea what to do He didn’t realize that after the waiter brought the check, you were supposed to put your money in the checkbook. He also didn’t know that they would bring him his change back I am still not sure what was more awkward, the fact that he didn’t know how to act in the restaurant or the fact that I had to keep telling him what to do,” Newport added
There are very few things in life that plague us all, but one thing that is pretty much universal is that everyone has some sort of experience with first dates that have gone wrong. Sadly, some of us have more experience with this than others, but more than likely you will at some point in your life have at least one date that goes horribly wrong
Masks o f UC
BY EM I LY H EM PH I L L StaffWriter
Homecoming Weekend is a time when UC students –from those who are in their first semester of classes to those attending their 50th class reunions – come together to celebrate the University and reminisce about the history of this small southern school For the most part, these people are coming from all the corners of the country where they now live and work, but there are a few who seem to never have left.
One of these, Dr Jolly Sharp, is currently a professor of English at UC She is an expert on southern fiction writer Flannery O’Connor, and wrote a book about her that was published in 2011, entitled “Between the House and the Chicken Yard: The Masks of Flannery O’Connor ” In her book, Sharp examines O’Connor ’s own writings, both public and private, to determine how O’Connor presented herself to her friends, family, and to the world For anyone interested in southern literature, grotesques in fiction, or the concept of presenting an image of oneself at different times and in different circumstances (wearing a mask), Sharp’s book would be an enjoyable and informative read. In the meantime, I’ve asked Sharp to share some memories about UC with the students of today
EMILY HEMPHILL: What is your favorite story from UC's past?
Dr Sharp: My favorite story dates back to the early 1930s
when my mother was a student at Cumberland Her work study was in the cafeteria, which was located in the basement of Johnson Hall (now Gillespie). Growing up in a large family in a small rural area of Whitley County, Mom had never used an electric mixer Her first attempt sprayed potatoes that were only partially mashed onto the walls. She managed to clean the walls before her supervisor knew about the experience, though
What is the biggest thing you have seen change at UC between now and when you were a student here?
So many changes have occurred since my time at Cumberland and now One is the way that a student registers for class In the early 1970s, all professors sat at long tables in what is now the Intramural Gym. Each student had a registration card and went from professor to professor to gain a signature for each course What a lengthy and hot process!
What do you think Flannery O'Connor would have to say if she came to visit our school
“A Good Man is [still] Hard to Find.” Or, “I wonder if these folks know themselves, their region, and their God?”
Is Dr. Sharp perhaps implying that today’s UC students wear masks of their own? Certainly students today present the exact image of themselves that they want people to see –whether by appearance or through social media – just like O’Connor and other past residents of the south. Maybe this just proves the old saying true: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
BY W H I T L E Y W E S T
Photography Editor
21st centur y treasure hunting
Ever find yourself wondering what on earth to do with your free time on campus? Of course you do As we all know, there isn't much to do in this small town. Fortunately, there is a more to do than you might have originally thought Geocaching.
What is this, you ask? Geocaching is a worldwide outdoor treasure hunting game using a GPS device or your smart phone. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache, or container, that is hidden at that location.
It's happening right now, all around you There are over 2 million active geocaches and over 6 million geocachers worldwide.
The only necessities are a GPS device or a GPS-enabled phone so that you can navigate to the cache and a membership with geocaching com Once you find the general area where the cache is you can read the description that helps you narrow down the possibilities of the cache's exact location Geocaches vary in size and appearance You could see anything from large ammo cans to
film canisters to fake rocks with secret compartments It is helpful to your search to find out what size the cache is because it will help you eliminate certain hiding locations in the area
Okay, so you're probably wondering what the rules are. It's simple. Once you find the cache, if you take something from the container leave something of equal or greater value. If the cache is big enough people will take an item and leave one in return Make sure it is appropriate as folks of all ages participate. There will be a log book inside for
Cache Sizes
you to sign your name as proof that you found the cache Once you have done this, return the cache to the exact location you found it so future finders won't have to look for a cache in the wrong location From there you can move on to the next cache!
Happy hunting
Photo by Whitley West
BY CA R L EEN F L E T CH ER
StaffPhotographer
This year, I began my fifth and final year at the University of the Cumberlands with a feeling of nostalgia. Recently, I realized I had come full circle, and here I was back where it all began with the Patriot Adventure Club One of my first memories and experiences at college was a caving trip I had been invited to go on, and since caving was something I had never done, I gladly went. I made some of my best friends on that trip
After yet another amazing adventure on September 12, 2013, trudging through the mud, climbing, and bear crawling with my camera dangling from the strap clinched in my teeth through the cave, I caught up with Ben Clayton, staff sponsor of the Patriot Adventure Club, to talk about all things PAC
What is the Patriot Adventure Club all about?
It’s all about giving people an opportunity that would like to try new things, sports, go hiking or camping, or caving or learn to make a fire. It’s all about giving them the opportunity and the knowledge to do that. A lot of kids that come to college, they are from inner cities
or they have never been outside in the outdoors, or maybe they didn’t have a father or mother that taught them those things or took them adventuring So this is kind of an opportunity for them to do that and for people that have more experience to show leadership and to get out and help me lead other people in doing those things So it’s all about finding adventures and making the most of life, not just sitting in your room playing videogames
How do you get people involved in PAC?
Well, today is the day of Facebook and Twitter and all that so really we try to hit it up online, get people and show them pictures and videos We are gonna have some awesome pictures and videos from the past trip so that should really boost us. Besides that, just going around and saying, “Hey, this is what I did on a Thursday night, what did you do?” and just word of mouth, talking about it, showing it to them. We are gonna be sending out some emails and maybe announcing at some different campus events just trying to get people more involved.
Th e Pat rio t Advent ure Club
What are some other upcoming events that you have planned?
We are taking a look at a skydiving trip; we’re just working on getting funding for that. We will be doing a couple of backpacking trips, some hiking trips; there’s the possibility of a ski trip, but once again it’s just all about funding A lot of college kids don’t have as much money and things cost money like gas Oh, we are planning on going rock-climbing in Knoxville There is an awesome place called Riverside Sports; they have an awesome indoor rock-climbing wall. Apart from that, maybe go bear watching out in the woods Whatever you can think of, we wanna try to do.
What does the cost look like for students?
The different trips, the ones that are more local, let’s say the drive is an hour or less, those are typically free trips If we do an overnight trip, generally we can get food from the cafeteria and they will supply that for us, so they don’t have to worry about paying for food or anything like that. It’s the trips where we go and do other things, maybe like sky div-
ing or white water rafting or rock-climbing, those are generally the ones that cost more money because we are going through a different organization
And anything you would like to say to someone who is considering joining? It doesn’t matter what your experience is, if you’re a newbie and never even been out in the woods or anything like that, just come on It’s gonna be fun; we will teach you how to do it and have a good time. We’ll laugh with you, laugh at you, but either way it’ll be a good time and you will meet a lot of friends lifelong friends, and it will be a blast. So come join the Patriot Adventure Club
If you are considering joining, find The Patriot Adventure Club on Facebook.
Photo by Carleen Fletcher
Shining her own light
BY N ATA SH A JON E S AssistantEditor
The distracting noise of sets being built next door in the Kohn Theatre interrupt our conversation as I sat down in the office of Dr Kim Miller, associate professor of theatre at UC, for an interview.
Over the summer, Miller was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor of theatre. Miller said, “I was very grateful for and excited about it What I like about the University of the Cumberlands, at least from my point of view, you really can’t tell which professors have tenure, which don’t, who’s working at what rank I have been at other places where once faculty reaches a certain level, they’re either burnt out or don’t really contribute as much Everyone here is working to their full capacity and beyond.”
Miller is starting her sixth year at UC; she began in 2008 as the assistant professor of theatre to teach acting, directing and theatre history
As an undergrad, Miller attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. After graduating from Knox with a degree in English and with an emphasis in creative writing, Miller wanted to stay in the area for a while so she got a job in retail management and worked for about a year and a half Then, she attended graduate school at Iowa State University
where she earned her master ’s degree in English but while there she also got more involved in theatre and doing research She then decided to get her Ph D in Theatre from University of Kansas.
During her senior year as an undergrad, Miller met a former student who worked as a dramaturg, someone who works as a support person for a theatrical production doing things like research, special training and audience outreach activities. This particular person worked with the actors and showed them how to carry themselves
Miller says, “When the actors came on stage, I had to do a double take; these people had transformed themselves into different people. I was very impressed with what her research and what her coaching had helped them to do So, when I went to graduate school, I told my advisor I was very interested in dramaturg and she hooked me up I served as the dramaturg with the Iowa State University Theatre for a year and did a lot of research with them ”
After graduating, Miller began working with the University of Kansas for a while but wanted to look for something more permanent, which led her to UC Miller said, “This one came open and it seemed like a good fit
and they seemed to think I was a good fit and that’s the way it’s been.”
Miller had very little exposure to the area she now resides in when applying for jobs but had visited briefly when she was in high school for a mission trip Despite having no association with University of the Cumberlands prior to her being hired, Miller was already adjusted to the small town culture of Williamsburg since she grew up in a small town herself.
Miller says, “I connect with the small town culture ideas I feel very comfortable with having to drive to another place to get to a movie theatre or shopping mall I trusted it would be a good thing so I came here ”
In the fall of 2012, Dr. Jim Taylor, president of the University of the Cumberlands, asked Miller to adapt a stage play from his book “A Bright Shining City Set on a Hill,” which he wrote for the centennial anniversary of the university 25 years ago
“He told me his vision for the play which was to spotlight the families that really pulled together for the commitment to have a school here in Williamsburg, Kentucky and the people that made it happen I’ve taken his book and a little bit of other research and that’s what I’ve created the play out of.”
Despite a few challenges, Miller has enjoyed her important task of adapting a stage play that showcases the history of our school Miller says, “I feel a stronger tie to the university, because I know more about it. I appreciate how the university has been impacted by the larger world and vice versa Every day I come to work there’s something that reminds me of the play or something in the play that reminds me of something I do ”
As a part of her work with the UC theatre department, Miller has helped put on 10 major productions at UC; “Shining Our Light” will be the 11th.
“Shining Our Light” will debut over homecoming weekend as a celebration to UC’s 125th year of operation, to be shared with students, faculty, staff and alumni Kayli Gizel, a UC senior double majoring in theatre and communication art who worked with Miller in UC’s productions of “King Lear” and “Into the Woods” says, “She’s a great professor, great director, very professional and very friendly I enjoy working with a director who takes the time to get to know her actors and her students.”
It’s no doubt Miller has made quite an impact in her time on campus and will continue to shine her own light at UC.
Photo by Natasha Jones
Some ofthe staffofThe Patriot newspaper pose before agame ofkickball
Julie Paris andKatie Reidmake bows atthe AngelDale House allgirls sleepover.
Phot
Phot o by To sh a Jone s
Phot o by C a r le e n F let c he r
The castof “Shining Our Light” during rehearsals.
P hot o by Ch lo e Gu
The Kingdo m P ro ductio ns presents Open mic night
BY H A Y L E Y DAV IS Online Editor
The room echoes with a serious tone as a poem is recited and the snapping of fingers signifies an intuitive end to the page Then, suddenly, the audience of 70 plus roar with applause as each new performer dances, sings or raps for the crowd.
Perhaps all the people came for the popcorn, mini candy bars and Kool-Aid drinks but the booming sound of excitement as students like Emily Rose, Jake McPheron and Caleb Ealy take the stage begs to differ
“What is this commotion?” you ask as you pass by the mid-BCC at eight on a chilly September night. It’s Open Mic Night – an event hosted by an organization on campus known as The Kingdom Productions.
“Kingdom Productions is all about expressing yourself It's a great outlet for you to showcase your talents,” Katie Reid, a sophomore at the University of the Cumberlands and member of the TKP team, says Her words are true The Kingdom Pro-
ductions is a student-led organization that started on campus last year in order to make a positive influence and spread creative thought.
“You get to build a lot of core relationships, and it’s not just one group of people that come [to the events] – there’s diversity,” says Reid.
What began with a few mics and some rap battles brought about a group of UC students with a drive to change the world, one viaduct at a time
The Kingdom Productions doesn’t just
host Open Mic nights but also an event called Confabulation where they have open debate and discussion about topics such as abortion, racism and school policy Other events include themed parties and their comedy nights – also referred to as Hoopla.
The Kingdom Productions plans on having their second event for the semester on October 9 at 8 p.m. in the mid-BCC.
“If you’re game for that, then you should get involved,” says Reid
Jordan Infieldperforms for open mic night.
Warnky competes o n ‘A merican Ninja Warrior’
BY JA N N ICA BR A DY StaffWriter
University of the Cumberlands alumna Michelle Warnky recently competed on the popular NBC television show “American Ninja Warrior ” “American Ninja Warrior” features an extremely difficult obstacle course designed to showcase the competitors’ strength, courage, determination and heart
Warnky began her journey on “American Ninja Warrior” last year and became a finalist on the show and competed at the Las Vegas stage of the competition, becoming only one of a select few females to make it to Vegas to compete Her run on “American Ninja Warrior” aired on G4 and NBC about one month ago. Warnky failed to make it past the Las Vegas leg of the competition, but she was called, “one of the most promising female competitors” by one of the hosts. Growing up in a family that put a lot of emphasis on physical activities and competition, Warnky knew that this was something she needed to try. Warnky said, “Growing up I loved doing any kind of challenge, climbing things and playing sports I had never actually
heard of ‘American Ninja Warrior ’ until last summer, when three friends told me that I should try out for the show.”
Warnky’s journey on “American Ninja Warrior” has been an incredible one that has brought her closer to her family, friends and God, but that does not go without saying that it didn’t have its challenges Warnky started watching the show last summer and began to research the application process “I connected with a group page on Facebook and saw that there had been an American Ninja Warrior event in New Jersey at Chris’ Warrior Lab, but I had missed it I contacted Chris Wilczewski, the owner of Chris‘ Warrior Lab, and he told me I was welcome to come train at his gym anytime,” Warnky said
Amanda Walton, an admissions counselor at UC and Warnky’s close friend, said, “Michelle is 100 percent passionate about everything in her life She is very adventurous so I had no doubt she would go very far in this competition ”
It was during Warnky’s road trip from
Ohio to New Jersey that she realized how difficult this was going to be “I knew this was going to be my make or break moment. But I felt like I owed it to myself to at least try,”
Warnky said
While in New Jersey training at the Warrior Lab, Warnky came across the infamous warped wall After nearly two hours of constant training and practicing scaling the wall, Warnky became the first female to ever master the warped wall at Wilczewski’s gym
Warnky said, “God, taught me so much through my failed attempts as well!”
Warnky went all over the United States training and competing to gain extra practice on the various obstacles that she would face in Las Vegas at the “American Ninja Warrior” finals. For some time Warnky had wanted to build obstacles in the gym where she worked in Columbus, Ohio, her boss gave her the goahead to start the construction “Building the obstacles at the gym where I work, not only helps me with my training, but it gives other people in the area a place to train We actually
held our first Ninja event in March,” Warnky said
During this whole journey Warnky has been passionate about her love for God and helping to spread his light to others “I prayed about this constantly about opportunities to share about God as well as to meet and have fellowship with other Christian ‘ninjas’, like having our first ‘Ninja’ Bible study and prayer time in Las Vegas, something one of the veteran ninjas has been praying for for years and something I prayed for all this past year,” said Warnky.
Warnky may have not made been this year ’s winner of the competition, but that doesn’t mean she is giving up on her dream. She plans on competing again next year with hopes of making it farther than she did this year.
Walton said, “Next year when Michelle goes to Vegas a group of us from college are going to go and show our love and support for her I love her so much and am so blessed to be able to call her my friend ”
BY R Y A N P OY N T ER
StaffWriter
According to the United States Census Bureau, the current approximate population of the world is about 7,109,940,000 people. Those people, as diverse as they may be in the areas of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, cultural tradition, and economic status, can be pretty easily divided into two separate groups – group A, who are extroverts, and group B, who are introverts. How do you tell them apart? Finding someone from group A is easy -- chances are, they’ll tell you about it And then they’ll talk to you about their grandmother And then about baseball And then about the salad bar in the cafeteria And then probably even more about something else.
For those that aren’t so quick to speak, chances are they belong to group B One of the best ways to tell is to check to see if they’re sweating (look at the hands); it’s hard to avoid seven billion people for very long, and trying to do it for an entire lifetime has a tendency to make a person anxious and fearful Other introverted candidates for group B include: The girl awkwardly staring at the ceiling or tying her shoes for several minutes at a time as you try to talk to her, the guy who is hovering uncomfortably just outside a circle of people with his hands in his pockets, and the guy who eats four or more pieces of cake at a wedding because he’s afraid to dance with other people around
These are all things that I do For a while now, I’ve aligned myself loyally with those in group B, though I’ve never been entirely confident in my choice (Confidence seems to be an issue for people in this group.) Group B is
Nice to greet you: An introver t’s at tempt at being an extrover t
most comfortable for me, but I’d be lying if I said there was nothing alluring about commanding the complete attention of a person or group of people for any length of time It’s intriguing, to say the least
But things like that are give-and-take. If you want to be paid attention to, sometimes you have to give up your own time and attention to someone who wants it. So I came up with an idea last November– for three days, I decided that I wanted to shatter the line between group A and group B by becoming a total extrovert and offering my full attention to every single person that I saw Yes, every single one. This, I hoped, would allow me to see from the eyes of someone not at all like me It would allow me to be outspoken and to attract the attention of plenty of people everywhere I went Ideally, this kind of experiment would provide for me a new perspective on my current surroundings and some interesting insight into the lifestyle of someone (or a group of people) very different from what I’m used to. Sounds like a plan.
But I knew I’d need some rules first Because I live on a college campus, I didn’t want to annoy or offend anyone I’m going to have to see for the rest of my college career At the same time, controlling an experiment like this really limits its effectiveness, and, as a result, whatever the outcome Knowing this, I did my best to come up with three simple rules Here they are:
1. If any person came within ten feet of me, I had to acknowledge them somehow This usually meant saying hi, waving, or both. Eye
contact was a bonus, but it didn’t always happen
2. If I knew someone’s name, I had to say it when I addressed them This allowed for more personalization in my greetings and it gave the illusion that I was genuinely interested in speaking to them at that time and not just fulfilling the requirements of this experiment, though it wasn’t always one or the other.
3. If someone started a conversation with me, I had to finish it I could not walk away until they had said what they needed to say. I chose to do this because I wanted to know how it felt to ask for and to hold someone’s attention; to dismiss it so quickly after obtaining it would be unfair to them, to me, and to the experiment
These rules, however, weren’t perfect -they required amendments To avoid redundancy and to remain inconspicuous, I chose to make two exceptions to these rules:
1. If I approach a group, I can address them all together This way, I’m not saying hi to every person in a group as they try to ignore me interrupting their conversation My go-to line in these situations was, “Hey guys ”
2. If I’m in the cafeteria or any other highly crowded area, I could limit myself to acknowledging only those people who make direct eye contact with me. Otherwise, I’d have to make a visit to each table in the cafeteria and I’d never get to eat anything
Turns out, this experiment proved even harder than I expected. My three days were filled with plenty of failures and, even knowing that, I still estimated the number of people
I spoke to at somewhere around three hundred – about a hundred people a day The thought alone makes me cringe.
Day one was spent in much the same way I’d spend any other day going from place to place – my hands were pocketed, my head was down, and I walked at a pace that most would consider a slow jog The only difference is that, for every three or four steps, I’d raise my head up, say hello to someone, and then drop it right back down
I tackled that day like I was some ugly Halloween decoration that only activates when someone gets close enough to trigger its motion sensor – my actions were unexpected and probably creepy to the people around me This showed in the responses that I got from others, too; most of the time I didn’t even get a response, and when I did, it was just as unenthused as my initial greeting
The result I had achieved was a mutual disappointment between my new acquaintance and me – the opposite of what I had intended when I started the experiment.
I learned quickly that getting this experiment to work the way I wanted it to would mean more than simply saying hi to each person I passed by on my way to class or to lunch; I’d have to completely change my approach. In the same way that painting racing stripes on a Kia doesn’t make it Nascar-worthy, teaching the group B, quiet, look-downat-the-pavement me to wave at a few people I’ve never met doesn’t make me outgoing. It makes me a faker Even these people that I’d never spoken to before could tell that.
But days two and three weren’t much of an improvement, unfortunately. I’d decided by those days to make eye contact with people a few paces and try to smile before I said hello, hoping to let them see that I was more open to conversation and more interested in who they were and what they were doing This concept was somewhat new to me, and I had some interesting results I must’ve forgotten how uncomfortable it is for most people to maintain eye contact with a stranger for any more than a brief moment Most of the time when I looked up and into the eyes of someone I planned to greet, they’d look away – often down – and ignore me entirely Backfire
There were even a few times I forgot to smile as I approached someone, so instead of looking friendly and open as I had intended, the eye contact just made me look unapproachable and really mad about something.
Three days of that was enough to make me confident in saying that I am a full-blooded introvert. In 72 hours, I had spoken to over 300 people Yikes That’s probably about 15 times the number of people I usually speak to in that amount of time. It was mostly awkward and uncomfortable and I finished my last day feeling like I hadn’t accomplished much at all in the way of progress. But then I thought of something: It’s interesting to try to estimate
the amount of influence I might have had on those individuals that I saw and greeted if I had really taken the opportunity to capitalize on it
Most of them I doubt will even remember me, and the ones that do will likely not remember much positive (the creepy smile and stare, maybe). But even so, my opportunity for influence was outstanding The chance to meet new people, or to learn more about both myself and someone else by chatting with another person for only a few moments The possibility to allow a stranger ’s grin to give me one of my own, when all I really wanted was to create a situation uncomfortable enough for both
parties to be written about These are all opportunities that I discovered because I chose to look for them, and they’re all opportunities that I had missed before when I chose not to I won’t always take these opportunities, but I’ll be glad for them when I do, and I think realizing that means that my experiment saw at least some success. That, I suppose, is enough to keep my head up about
Phot
BY K R IS T I N A SM I T H StaffWriter
The top five films o f Fall
In 2013 alone American movie goers have fought alongside multimillionaire Tony Stark and then with girl scouts Lucy, Agnes and Edith This is the same year that audiences have watched the birth of Clark Kent and the death of Jay Gatsby. With the monsters having gone off to school and the wolf pack leaving for Vegas, how could 2013 get any better? Well, Hollywood isn’t done quite yet Film addicts across the country can expect the final four months of the year to be packed with more drama and more adventures to create the ultimate movie-going experience
The Counselor
In theaters October 25
Brad Pitt stars in “The Counselor” as an ambitious lawyer who quickly finds his own money hungry ego to be the ultimate downfall when he gets tangled up with the wrong people in the world of drug trafficking. This original screen play is written by American novelist Cormac McCarthy, author of “The Road” and “No Country for Old Men,” and that fact alone has a lot of movie critics buzzing “The Counselor” is going to be overflowing with drama from familiar faces such as Michael Fassbender, Dean Norris, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz.
In theaters November 8
Chris Hemsworth returns as the god of thunder in “Thor: The Dark World ” A sequel to the first “Thor” staring Hemsworth, “The Dark World” has high expectations from audiences across the nation The first “Thor” brought home five wins and 15 nominations from various award shows, therefore reason stands that this follow up film will match, if not exceed, its predecessor. With this pressure and the brief controversy surrounding star Natalie Portman (who tried, but failed, to back out of her role of Jane Foster) what audiences are looking for is to see if director Alan Taylor was really able to keep it together
In theaters November 15
A film based upon the true story of the rise and fall of wealthy stockbroker Jordan Belfort, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is a film that will have more crime and corruption than audiences can fathom Laced with action and extravagance this film just may be what DiCaprio needs to score his first Oscar There’s no doubt that director Martin Scorsese, who worked with DiCaprio in “Shutter Island,” had a hand in DiCaprio landing this role but this lead role selection is raising the eyebrows of critics everywhere Earlier this year DiCaprio landed his most highly praised role to date in “The Great Gatsby” so it will be interesting to see if he is capable of topping that And if the trailer is any indication, this role will pass “Gatsby” with flying colors.
In theaters November 22
Perhaps the most highly anticipated movie of the year, the games continue and Jennifer Lawrence returns as Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ” Everdeen has sparked a fire in the souls of the impoverished and ruffled the feathers of the status quo and those higher up don’t approve Another round of games is created that brings back all the winners from previous years games in what seems to be a direct attempt on the life of Everdeen More of the same highquality acting, special effects and screenwriting are expected. However, viewers still want more. A film that has already been nominated for two awards just based off of its poster, my prediction is that “Catching Fire” will be the film of the year
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
In theaters December 13
The journey continues for Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves as they fight against Smaug, a dragon who is holding their gold captive. Director Peter Jackson has already worked on the highly successful “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the first “The Hobbit” film which released last year; therefore, there is no contest that he will bring the same level of excellence that audiences fell in love with before Viewers who have read the novel created by Tolkien will know what to expect and they’ll also realize that screenwriters have added an original character not found in Tolkien’s work, but that is not expected to diminish the quality of the film in any way.
Thor: The Dark World
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Guns and G o d
Chuck McAlister stirs up convocation
BY A BBE Y CH ER R Y StaffWriter
“Duck Dynasty” recently made its way to University of the Cumberlands, well not quite, but something similar enough Camo-wearing, gun-bearing, and God-fearing Chuck McAlister treaded Cumberlands soil on Thursday, Sept. 19.
McAlister opened his convocation speech by talking about his award-winning hunting program, “AdventureBound Outdoors”. He reeled the audience in by quickly making the statement, “We don’t harvest [deer], we blow them to smithereens ”
McAlister grew up in South Carolina and was bred to hunt from a very young age. He spoke of going hunting with his father and grandfather from the young age of four “They taught me lessons about life and what is important while we were out hunting,” stated McAlister, “But I know not everybody had the father or grandfather I had ” While talking, McAlister began making his way towards the back of the stage where he went and grabbed a Stevens 12 gauge, single shot and jokingly said, “I don’t think there’s ever been a gun in this place, that is until now ”
McAlister explained how this particular gun belonged to his grandfather and how engraved throughout the gun were life lessons that he learned He pointed to the gunstock where there was a mark. He recollected disobeying his grandfather and going to hop a barbed wire fence Just before the fence
caught young McAlister, his grandfather caught it using his gun stock and said, “Every time you disobey, you leave a mark on your character, just like you did on this gun ”
He continued sharing stories about marks on the gun and the significance of each blemish He spoke on the importance of marriage and staying faithful by pointing out a knick made from his grandfather ’s wedding band. He fired off story after story and concluded this segment in a Phil Robertson-like manner saying, “And that’s why this is so precious to me and why no government on earth is going to get this gun from me.” Gatliff Chapel exploded with clapping and amen’s throughout
McAlister waited for the cheers to subside and then reminisced to Christmas morning where he got his first gun, a .410 shotgun He talked about anxiously waiting up that night in anticipation of going quail hunting with his father, grandfather, and dogs.
While out in the field, as he had done countless times before, he looked for the dog’s tail to wag as a signal that the quails were in sight. With the wag of the tail, he took three steps back and went to signal to his left at his grandfather and to his right at his father so they could move in for the kill However, this time was different.
“I stepped back and felt my dad and grandfathers hands
on my back. They looked at me and said, ‘Step up son, it’s your time’,” said McAlister, “It was right there that I was invited into the fraternity of men ” It was those very words, “Step up son” that would resonate in his mind from that point on
Fast forward years down the road and he recounted a very somber time while serving with the U.S. Army in South Korea. He stated, “It was Christmas Eve and all I wanted was to be home with my family I wanted to cry but knew I couldn’t because the tears would freeze to my face. Then all the sudden, I heard that voice say, ‘Step up son’.”
McAlister then transitioned into his testimony of faith using these three powerful words. He spoke of accepting Christ in a National Guard Armory a few years later. He stated, “You see, the Father and the Son were alone in the Garden of Gethsemane and it was there that God told Jesus it was time to step up, son.”
Through McAlister ’s all-American values, wholesome and down-to-earth nature, and unique representation of the gospel, he challenged those individuals in attendance to step up Though he is an avid outdoorsman, McAlister was aiming on winning people to Christ At the end of the night, the target was hit and 12 people had made the decision to finally step up
Jesus mad e me a frog
BY CA L EB H E T R ICK
StaffWriter
You know the sight: a toad was trying to cross the road – and he failed The car ran him over and the sun baked him There he is dry and crusty on the pavement.
That’s what I was like Disobedience to God had squashed me I couldn’t stop disobeying
The result was gross and ugly but it was worse than that It was hopeless How can a toad that is dead ever fix his problems?
But God, because of His great love with which He loves me, breathed into my dry bones and gave me life again Not only that, but He also transformed me from a toxic toad into a frog. Frogs are not toxic, and better yet, they have the potential to turn into princes But frogs are also famously cold-blooded animals who adjust to their surroundings The story goes that if you slowly brought a pot of water to a boil, a frog would simply try to adjust to the temperature and allow himself to be killed Research has shown that this is not entirely true; however, frogs will still try to be comfortable at unnaturally high temperatures
I am the same way Even though God gave me new life and a new identity I still tried to blend in with the world around me The result was that I found myself caught up in sin again The result could have been disastrous, but God is better than that He guided me to a solution: meditation on His Word Memorizing verses from the Bible, repeating them and thinking about them have the power to renew a per-
son’s mind. When we think in terms of God’s words we have the tools we need to resist temptation
I’m not a prince yet. The devil still is coming at me and trying to skewer me on the end of his frog gig But as I put my trust in what God has said, He shields me from all of that and continues to transform me into the likeness of His Son
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions it is by grace you have been saved.”
- Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)
BY H A Y L E Y DAV IS Online Editor
Fo rgiveness
God’s mercy has a way of overwhelming the soul with peace and gratitude. However, God’s gift is costly, and we are designed to share it with others. The age-old problem is, I often act like a three year old and don’t share very well Mine! God’s gift to me! But how dare I accept God’s grace and refuse to give it to someone else. I would literally have to hate them to be that cruel, but if I serve the Alpha and Omega, and He is love, I’m required to forgive. But forgive who?
For starters, forgive yourself The first step is admitting that you need help (True story.) If this is hard for you, please take on the yoke of Jesus which is light and let him free you from this burden of the law Accept his rest. Move past your imperfections and onto the prize Christ holds for us Make Matthew 11:28-29 your memory verse
Once you have bit into the undeniably sweet peace hand-crafted by our Savior, make sure to let others have a taste Forgive those that have deeply wronged you. Yes, it is terribly painful Yes, it burns what seems beyond repair But your arch-enemies waste too much of your gospel-spreading energy. Think of all the love you could be giving if you weren’t so busy hating someone who rightfully deserves a little anger. Don’t publicly or privately belittle your foes any longer
Your forgiveness may or may not be expected or accepted, but their “apology ac-
cepted” is not required for your peace – only theirs. If they desire to cut off ties, that is their own choice You leave your door unlocked for them. Not open, but unlocked.
In God there is great freedom from sin. Grudges have a way of trapping us instead of the guilty one, but if we would let go and let God, we could break the chains. We could have freedom to give, love, and serve; not begrudgingly, but willingly Eagerly Freedom is a universe of peace that was always intended for us to dwell in since Eden Let God start the healing process Yes, it’s long People do the most “God-awful” things to each other sometimes, but even still, God stands with open arms, ready to forgive if we choose to be pardoned. He isn’t holding back, so why are we? Negative is a much easier charge than positive, but it’s not really worth it I don’t want to be angry anymore. I want to free myself from the grudges And I have a feeling that tonight will be a good night if I not only accept God’s forgiveness, but give it to others – times seventy Try to do the impossible this week and forgive Because through God all things are indeed possible.
“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)
Three in a row
BY CODY EL L IS StaffWriter
The University of the Cumberland’s men’s golf team captured their third straight Bill Sergent Invitational at Crooked Creek Golf Course in London, Ky They finished the tournament by shooting a two day team total of 580 (+4), winning by 14 shots over Holy Cross College
The Patriots started off in control after the first day leading by four The second and final day topped the first day performance as UC blew out the field by 10 strokes to their nearest threat The Patriots were lead by Isac Lambartsson shooting a two day total of 144 (E) and earning All-Tournament team honors.
Head golf coach Chris Kraftick said, “I didn’t really know what to expect with such a young team, but I am excited to see what the rest of the season holds.” The B team also had a successful performance for the first tourna-
ment of the fall season, tying for third place as a team with a team total of 595 (+19).
The women’s team had a strong performance in the season fall opener as well The ladies came right out of the gate on the first and got out to a comfortable lead after the first day of the tourney leading by 21 strokes They continued their strong play throughout the tournament and captured first place as well
UC’s men’s C team and women’s B team both made places in the tournament, finishing in ninth and second place respectively With the men shooting a team total of 618 (+42).
Both teams will be back on the course Sept 30 at the Conference Fall Tournament in Georgetown, Ky. at Cherry Blossom Golf Club.
How I see it : A chan gin g gam e
BY T I MO T H Y W YAT T AssistantEditor
Football has come a long way since Walter Camp. Football has come a long way since the formation of the NFL Football has come a long way since the Miami Dolphins’ perfect season And by the time our children are in college, it will have come even further But it may not be for the better.
The men playing at the professional level nowadays are machines They are conditioned from an early age to run faster, jump higher and hit harder It’s ingrained in them It’s how they’ve played the game their entire lives. Now, the NFL wants them to stop.
Anyone who follows professional football on even a semi-regular basis should be aware of the giant conversation looming over the sport about safety So many rule changes have been placed on the game that it doesn’t even look like it did in the early to mid-‘90s when I started watching it
And the real truth is that rule changes aren’t going to make football safe Professional football has been compared to the old games of Roman gladiators. It’s a dangerous game and you can only make a dangerous thing a little less dangerous, but never safe.
Season Records
“The United States of Football” is a new documentary that chronicles head trauma from the pee-wee level to the NFL. In the film, director Sean Pamphilon interviews well known author Malcolm Gladwell, who believes professional football is reaching a more major shift Gladwell said, “We will go to a middle position where we will disclose the risks and essentially dare people to play. That's what the Army does. So we leave the Army for kids who have other options, for whom the risks are acceptable. That's what football is going to become It's going to become the Army ”
Basically, he’s saying that football will be left for those who are the most desperate The thing is: we are already witnessing that. A vast majority of NFL players came from poverty They found something they were good at and decided to try and ride it out Communities like where these players come from will never let go of football It’s too important to them. And the rewards that are reaped from making it to that next level will always seem to offset the very high risk of playing
While football may be changing, it isn’t dying It might be getting safer but it isn’t getting any less dangerous. Maybe it’ll look different in another 20 years, but it’ll still be football
BY CA L EB VA N DER A R K StaffWriter
Are you a human being between the ages of 13 and 31? If so, you’ve probably heard of Apple’s newest addition to their tried and true smartphone line: The iPhone 5s However, for the first time ever, Apple also introduced a second model in the form of the iPhone 5c. The announcement of the two devices also coincided with the launch of Apple’s latest smartphone operating system; iOS 7. Are you considering adding one of Apple’s latest flavors to your technology portfolio? Read on to see if the iPhone 5s (or 5c) is right for you.
Traditionally, Apple has launched only one smartphone each year Due to increasing pressure from Google’s Android operating system, which now controls over 80 percent of the worldwide smartphone market, Apple decided to plunge into the murky waters of budget smartphones alongside their traditional place as quality king Android smartphones have a habit of declining in price rapidly within a few months of their launch. For example, the Samsung’s Galaxy S4 smartphone
Apple’s latest flavor
can be found for as little as $120 online (with a new two-year contract), a decrease of 40 percent since its launch. Apple’s iPhone line, on the other hand, rarely comes down in price until a new model launches Usually, Apple attempted to capture the budget smartphone market by offering the previous-generation iPhone model for a $100 discount By launching the iPhone 5c, Apple is trying to woo customers with a low cost option that is still fresh and new The iPhone 5s stands in the traditional role of high quality with a higher price. So what’s new and exciting in this launch?
Unfortunately, not much Both phones keep the same “retina” display from the previous generation, which was outmatched long ago by flagship Android devices such as the HTC
One and Samsung Galaxy S4 The screen remains on the small side at 4 inches. On the positive side, the camera has been upgraded with a larger sensor in order to capture better photographs in low light, a welcome change from most smartphone cameras
The 5s features a fingerprint scanner built into the home button which, while admittedly pretty cool, has rather limited functionality. Internally, Apple overhauled the central processing system and graphical processing system, though the average user will likely not notice the difference The iPhone 5c is all about color And plastic I was very disappointed with Apple departure from aluminum as their material of choice in the iPhone, it was one of the last things setting them apart from Samsung in the smartphone arena. Other than the slightly improved camera, faster processing, and fingerprint scanner, the iPhone 5s is really no different from the iPhone 5. It is important to note that the iPhone 5c has identical internal hardware to the previous generation iPhone 5 and did not receive the same overhaul internally that the iPhone 5s obtained. So, should you buy one of the new iPhones? Maybe First and foremost, I strongly advise against buying an iPhone 5c. Yes, it is $100 cheaper, but fundamentally it is
an old device Considering that you’ll more than likely be stuck with it for 2 years on a contract, $100 is a small price to pay for a much nicer product Secondly, wait a month or so Last year, the iPhone 5 went on sale for as little as $130 relatively soon after launch, it may be that the 5s will follow the same trend Finally, especially if you already own an iPhone 5, ask yourself if a fingerprint scanner is really worth a new contract and $200.
My advice? Wait for the iPhone 6 Usually, Apple’s “s” iPhone models are a baby step above the original device. The iPhone 6 will likely feature a larger, more detailed screen, new wireless technologies, a more refined fingerprint scanner, and whatever magic dust Apple decides to throw in If you absolutely must have a new iPhone, then buy the 5s. If you can be patient, wait for the iPhone 6 Or, consider trying out Android Check out LG’s new Optimus G2 or the HTC One, which has a camera that handily beats the new iPhones in low light performance
The Asus T10 0 hy brid – what Windows 8 is meant to b e
BY CA L EB VA N DER A R K StaffWriter
The day before Apple’s iPhone announcement, Asus revealed a new product that mostly slipped under the radar. However, Asus’ new tablet they introduced may be worthy of more praise than Apple’s latest rehash of their iPhone. Why? Because Asus is finally giving us a product that runs Windows 8 and actually makes sense for the average consumer.
The Asus T100 builds on Asus’ venerable line of Transformer tablets The concept is
simple: A tablet with a full keyboard and trackpad dock that is specifically designed to work with the tablet and add functionality. When Windows 8 first launched, Asus and other companies released similar devices Unfortunately, they all resided somewhere north of the $700 range, far too much for a lowpower tablet With the T100, Asus is throwing all that out the window. It starts at a mere $350 Additionally, they are including the keyboard dock by default even though it is tra-
ditionally sold separately
Furthermore, Asus is also bundling the Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 suite with the tablet for free
The T100 is a perfect example of what a Windows 8 device should be. It combines the versatility of a tablet with a full-fledged operating system The included keyboard dock gives a significant edge in productivity over similar Apple and Android tablets, especially since Asus indicated that they compared the key-
board with those found on Apple’s Macbooks and Lenovo’s Thinkpads to make sure it was of high enough quality.
For $350 with Microsoft Office and the keyboard dock included, the T100 is an excellent choice for students. The portability of a tablet with the productivity of a laptop at an incredibly affordable price
An Introvert’s Experiment
pg. 16
