The Patriot - October 5, 2017

The University of the Cumberlands Student Newspaper

Fall Issue 4 October 5, 2017

October 5, 2017

Editor-In-Chief Eric Ford Edwards Managing Editor Megan Willoughby Faculty Adviser Jeremiah Massengale

Managing Stress Patriots, Midterms are approaching with full force. Like you, I am swamped with various papers and assignments.

Unfortunately, I am allowing myself to reach far beyond the “stressed” level. We are all wondering how we are going to push through the rest of the semester.

In pure confidence and support, I assure you that that you are not alone. I highly encourage you to focus the positives and maintain what you can control.

Everything else will fall into place.

With homecoming week under our belts and fall break approaching, we are all anticipating Halloween festivities. The leaves are turning fast and the air is getting colder by the minute. In the mean time, allow yourself to enjoy the fall weather while watching campus change into a kaleidoscope of color.

As for the staff at The Patriot, we are thoroughly excited about this week’s issue discussing miscellaneous trends

within society and events occurring around campus. We are faithfully continuing our weekly distribution to provide more entertaining content for the student body.

We appreciate the positive feedback we have received over the past few weeks for it has fueled us to make each issue better than the last.

Remember to be grateful for what you have.

Sincerely,

Staff Emilee Agee Anna Brown Taylor Duke Kathryn Green Leanne Gregory Megan Kelly Tyler Kohn Shandi Lindsay Brian Mahadeo John McCoy Megan Muggridge Zane Ross Editorial Review Board Lisa Bartram Marianne Worthington

Email comments, concerns or tips to: thepatriot@ucumberlands.edu or call us at 606-539-4172 7000 College Station Drive Williamsburg, Kentucky 40769 The Patriot is the weekly student publication of the University of the Cumberlands. Our goal is to provide timely and original content by highlighting campus news and views.

Megan Willoughby

Award-winning member of the Associated Collegiate Press and Kentucky Press Association.

Page 3 Features

The bestseller’s menagerie University book club is set to meet again this year

Photo by Shandi Lindsay

Sincerely, Shandi

BY LEANN E GREGORY

Photo by Eric Ford Edwards Martha West glances over the novel to be read by the Bestseller Book. Club.

BY SHANDI LINDSAY Staff Writer

Staff Writer

There is nothing in the world quite like reading, for there is nothing else in the world that enables a single person to be able to learn about people from myriad cultures, time periods, and races that are vastly different from their own in one setting through the idiosyncrasies of written words alone. For book lovers at the University of the Cumberlands, this unique opportunity of traveling the world has become more accessible through the reconvening of the Best Seller Book Club. The club was established over ten years ago

by University staff members as a way to keep up with the most current literature available, or what members of the club were most invested in reading at the time. The club chooses the books that will be discussed at the club meetings through the selections present on the New York Times Best Seller Lists, and the books themselves can range in genre from fiction to non-fiction.

“We keep in mind that not everyone can buy a book every month,” Nick Harris, the circulation supervisor at the University Library, said.

“So we look at prices, we look at what libraries in the area have and try to keep our selections more or less based on that,” Harris noted.

The Best Seller Book Club will have its first meeting on Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. in room 201

at the Hagan Memorial Library. The book that is to be discoursed during the October meeting is “Small Island” by Andrea Levy, an international bestseller that was the winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction, The Orange Prize for Fiction: Best of the Best, The Whitbread Novel Award, The Whitbread Book of the Year Award, and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize according to Amazon.com. In November, the club will be delving into the Agatha Christie mystery novel “Death on the Nile.” The meeting will mark the first time the club will be deliberating Christie’s literature since the club was founded.

Anyone who is affiliated with the University of the Cumberlands is welcome to attend the club, including students, staff members, faculty, and the spouses of faculty and staff members. Attendance is not mandatory for club members, nor are club member required to pay a fee in order to participate in club activities, but club members are encouraged to bring their own personal copies of the book that is to be discussed at the meeting to be able to participate fully in the club discussion.

Q: What are some good study tips for students that haven’t found their study groove yet?

A: Studying is different for everyone. If you feel more confident when you talk with someone about the content before taking a test, then studying in groups may be a good option. But if you prefer to work things out on your own or get easily distracted, then studying alone may better suit you. Make sure the room is quiet; you may think having the TV on low or having music playing is helping but it may just be causing a distraction. A lot of people choose to work with index cards but for me most college classes don’t usually depend on memorization, which is all you’ll learn with index cards. So, the best option for me is to actually read the book. Read when you’re supposed to. I know it’s a tedious task but I promise it really will help; you also won’t feel like you have to cram the night before a test. And if you feel like you’re just not understanding the class, don’t be afraid to ask for help from the ARC or your professor.

Need advice? Have a question? Send your queries to thepatriot@ucumberlands.edu. Your question might be answered in the next issue.

Page 4 Features

Students comment on the pumpkin spice craze

BY HANNAH REYNOLDS

Pumpkin spice, everything

John McCoy viciously consumes Pumpkin Spice Cheerios.

Photo by Ford Edwards

Staff Writer

For most college students in the past few years, it seems that the beginning of fall doesn’t start until Starbucks gets their Pumpkin Spice Latte brewing again. Pumpkin spice is no longer just a drink at Starbucks though; it extends to cereal, candles, hair dye, lip colors, popcorn, cough drops, crackers, butter, pretzels and yogurt, along with almost every other junk food you can think of. What makes pumpkin spice so popular? How did one little latte become the epicenter of all things autumn? Students across the UC campus have been awaiting the arrival of the PSL and if you can’t tell by the even longer line than usual, it’s here. I’m sure every college professor in walking distance of a Starbucks are tired of the students coming in to class late, disrupting class, with a PSL in hand, I know I am. Thanks, Starbucks.

So what makes the Pumpkin Spice Latte so popular that it would spur such a trend?

Allie Browning, a UC junior says, “If you ask my opinion, the more pumpkin spice, the better!” Browning is very enthusiastic about her love for the

PSL, and it seems a large number of campus is on the pumpkin spice bandwagon with her.

Red, White and Brew employee and UC junior, Grace Uebel, says, “I personally love everything pumpkin spice. It’s tastes so warm and cozy in your mouth. At Starbucks we have the hot and iced latte and a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino. Everyone seems to be super excited about getting the fall drinks and they are very popular at UC right now!” As an employee, Uebel has a upclose and personal experience with the PSL, as she has been working with it everyday and seeing the enthusiastic responses by students and staff alike.

On the other hand, some students aren’t so keen on the trend. “Personally I love Starbucks, but the pumpkin spice craze has never affected me. I’m glad it hasn’t because it would create an even bigger hole than it already costs me with iced coffee and caramel Frappuccinos. I guess I’m just not a Pumpkin Spice person,” says UC senior Megan Willoughby.

To meat or not to meat?

Page 5 Features

the vegetarian dilemma on campus

Photos by Ford Edwards

Brian Mahadeo eats broccoli .

BY T YLER KOHN Staff Writer

As I sit peacefully on the steps to the library, eating my delightfully meatless wrap from Tossed, I see a poor, defenseless little worm struggling on the concrete. “This is it,” I tell myself, “The moment you’ve trained for.”

I set down my dinner and approach the tiny creature. Carefully, I move it into the grass and then resume eating with all the self-congratulations that one can rationally entertain after such an event. My particular brand of vegetarianism is perpetuated by events such as this. The thought of eating a hamburger or squishing a sweet little worm can easily send me into a spiral of moral and political aversions so deep I may never emerge. Other vegetarians choose this lifestyle for health reasons or simply because they dislike the taste of meat.

Leshae Smiddy, a UC freshman, has an interesting perspective on vegetarianism. “I’ve been a vegetarian since January 1, 2017,” she beamed. “It started as a new year’s resolution but for health reasons I don’t see myself ever going back to eating meat. I actually plan on going vegan on January 1, 2018.”

Smiddy’s account of her resolution-turned-lifestyle may sound chipper and optimistic, but her everyday struggle to find appropriate nutrition on campus is certainly not. “It’s really hard to be a vegetarian here because the only options are salad at “the Caf,” or french fries, or greasy pizza. And salad gets tiring every day,” she said, while munching on a typical dinner of cheese pizza. Smiddy was quick to point out that while salads can be quite healthy, they are really not ideal for every meal, which means that in order to get enough calories or grab a bite to eat quickly before class, vegetarians on campus must eat alternatives such as pizza.

Sophomore Taylor Duke became a vegetarian while studying Hinduism in high school and hasn’t looked back since. Duke said, “I don’t feel as heavy, and I just don’t feel the ‘meat sweats’ anymore. I went back to eating meat for a little bit, but I really just didn’t like it anymore. I don’t like the taste and [eating meat] is kind of gross when you think about it.” Duke makes a point echoed by many other vegetarians: that eating meat is just gross. Whether they come from the ‘Killing animals is disgusting and cruel’ perspective or the ‘This was once alive and now I’m consuming its dead flesh’ perspective, many vegetarians are disgusted by the thought of consuming meat.

Tyler Kohn is elated about her gift of lettuce.

For sophomore Brian Mahadeo the choice to become a vegetarian just made sense for his lifestyle. Mahadeo said, “It started about three years ago in my senior year of high school. I was wrestling and it was easier to cut weight at the time if I just cut meat out of my diet. Also, I fast at the beginning of every year so I do a vegan diet. When we watched a documentary in health class about mass production of meat in America that kind of just did it for me. I didn’t really turn back after that.” Mahadeo also emphasized that being a vegetarian doesn’t make it hard for him to stay healthy. He added, “A lot of people ask me how I’m this big if I don’t eat meat. I just tell them that there are a lot of ways to get protein other than meat.” Much of the stigma around being a vegetarian does stem from a lack of understanding and confusion over what protein substitutes are available. Vegetarians substitute proteins with eggs, beans, tofu and even yogurts and other dairy products.

Vegetarianism on campus is nowhere near as prevalent as the traditional omnivore approach to nutrition; in fact, a study published by “Vegetarian Times” in 2008 states that only 3.2% of American adults follow a vegetarian-based diet, but it is important to know that vegetarians have varying reasons for choosing this lifestyle, and every vegetarian is different in the way they eat and maintain their health. I know that when the urge comes for me to reach for that chicken nugget or hamburger, it is almost immediately overpowered by thought of some precious little cow or a sweet, fluffy chicken dying to indulge my desires. My abstinence from the consumption of meat is something that brings me closer to others who choose this lifestyle, regardless of their motivations, and is indicative of my love for animals of all types, from the greatest whale to the smallest little worm, writhing on the sidewalk.

Page 6 Features

A fresh spin WCCR begins new season of college radio

Photos by Ford Edwards J.P. hosts “The Prog Hours” on Wednesday, Oct. 4 2017.

BY MEGAN MUGGRIDGE, HANNAH REYNOLDS, KIM BUNDY Staff Writers

Since the summer of 2004, UC has been home to 94.5 WCCR, an on-campus radio station located in the Grace Crum Rollins Fine Arts Building. This semester several students have debuted new programming on the station.

UC senior Zane Ross is among the students that are on the radio for the first time this semester. Ross hosts “The Time Warp” at noon on Wednesdays and says he’s enjoying his time on the radio. Ross said, “An hour doesn’t sound like a lot, but during my first show I was extremely nervous. It’s a weird feeling knowing that your voice is being heard by so many people. But being a part of WCCR is probably one of the most fun things that I have ever been a part of.”

The radio station is creating a fun and interactive environment for WCCR’s new staff. For some, working for the station is opening doors for a brighter future and career in radio broadcasting.

Another student, UC junior Clara Arnold, is thrilled to have the opportunity to work for WCCR. Radio broadcasting is her intended career for the future and she hopes to someday have a talk show on a Christian station such as WAY-FM or K-LOVE. Until then, Arnold hosts a show on WCCR called “Clarify” where she plays contemporary Christian music on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Arnold says, “I want to discuss things like my testimony and what’s happening in my spiritual life while on the air in hopes of encour-

aging others in their walks, and I’m so happy that WCCR gives me the freedom and means to do just that.”

UC students like Ross and Arnold are putting a lot of hard work and dedication into their shows and it is starting to pay off. Dr. Keith Semmel, professor of communication and also the station manager for WCCR, said, “The new students are doing a great job; they are getting more comfortable on the air. And they are playing some great music.”

All UC students, faculty and staff that are interested in helping with the radio station are encouraged to become involved. You do not have to be a communication arts major in order to participate with WCCR. UC sophomore Brian Mahadeo calls his new radio show, “Easy Listening,” which airs every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Mahadeo says that on his show he plays a lot of Gospel tunes, because that’s what he himself enjoys, and plans to continue with this theme throughout the semester.

An enthusiastic Mahadeo says, “As of right now I love radio broadcasting and I wouldn’t be opposed to volunteering for the radio station after this semester.”

Page 7 Entertainment

Too much of a good thing The downfalls of binge-watching

Photo by Ford Edwards

BY ERIC FORD EDWARDS Editor-In-Chief

My version of binge-watching as a kid consisted of finding the Disney tapes I wanted to watch, realizing I hadn't rewound them, waiting for what seemed like years for the film to return to the right side of a VHS, and then finally pressing play on a film I'd lost interest in. Today we have access to thousands of films and shows and at times I find myself feeling really jaded. Binge-watching isn’t a new trend, but it seems to be one that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Devon McMillin, a UC sophomore, defined binge watching as the action of, “sitting down and watching multiple movies or TV episodes at a time over a long period of time.”

Since the demise of Blockbuster and the advent of digital content the way we consume media has changed. For few shows do we anxiously wait in front the TV for commercial interrupted broadcasts? In response to this, the phrase, “I’ll wait till it’s on Netflix” has become has become very common.

Part of this gift of modern technology is near instantaneous access to thousands of movies and TV shows. When I was younger I can remember taking trips with mom to the video store to pick up a movie to keep me occupied. Now, we have Netflix.

A room’s worth of content, all perfectly organized by genre on the user’s screen, what could be better? I spoke with some of UC’s students to get a better grasp on the topic.

Seth Melton, a freshman at UC, states after watching others around him binge watch shows, like “Grey’s Anatomy,” he’s come to realize how

Trenton Wheeler looks at his computer screen.

time consuming it can be.

Melton went on to explain, “It’s a lot of time that could be more useful.” Personally I’ve found myself looking at the clock slipping into a “Netflix coma” and realizing I just watched a whole season, and I haven’t moved for hours.

Wes Parrot, a UC sophomore, echoed this, saying that when he bingewatches “Vampire Dairies,” with friends that they “get nothing done.”

Netflix doesn’t stop you from jumping on to the next episode after completing the previous one, and when it does ask if you’d like to continue, it seems like you’re too deep into the season to stop. Trenton Wheeler, a UC senior, added, “It can be fun, but it can be very distracting.” In enticing shows like, “How I Met Your Mother,” Wheeler says it’s hard for him not to get caught up in the love life of Ted Mosby.

McMillin concluded that he doesn’t believe binge-watching is bad.

He adds, “As long as you’re not irresponsible with it.” He prescribes that those who do binge-watch for hours to get up and move periodically, see friends, and maybe eat some food.

This generation is lucky to have some much information and entertainment at our disposal. With the ease of ingesting all this content, it’s easy to become an entertainment glutton, gouging yourself with televised pleasure, but it’s important to remember moderation, and understand that too much of a good thing is just that.

The University of the Cumberlands Student Newspaper

Fall Issue 4 October 5, 2017