Juggling 102
We made it past midterm. If youâre a glass half-full type of person that means weâre half way through the semester. If not ⊠at least you made it this far! The seasons have reached a real transitioning point as well. Fall doesnât know if it wants to be winter, winter doesnât know if it wants to come early, and I donât know if I should break out my cargo pants that unzip at the legs and turn into shorts.
I began this letter to you, hoping that I could put a positive spin on a semester that may have been your most stressful yet. You might be juggling your education, a part time job, your mental and physical health, as well as your social life. I donât know about you, but I find juggling difficult. Your teammates count on you. Your professors expect your best, and your friends always want to hang out when itâs the least convenient for you. There are nights when assignments come so close to the submission deadline that youâre certain that time has sped up while you wait for the file to upload. There might be nights when you wake up so close to when you went to sleep that calling it a nap would be an overstatement.
Editor-In-Chief
Eric Ford Edwards
Managing Editor
Megan Willoughby
Faculty Adviser
Jeremiah Massengale
Staff
Emilee Agee
Anna Brown
Taylor Duke
Kathryn Green
Leanne Gregory
Megan Kelly
Tyler Kohn
Shandi Lindsay
Brian Mahadeo
John McCoy
Megan Muggridge
Nichole Sharp
Zane Ross
Editorial Review Board
Lisa Bartram
Marianne Worthington
Let me remind you: you have made it this far. Youâre working yourself into the person youâre going to be. Donât agonize that youâre not there yet because itâs a process. A year ago, could you imagine handling the load that youâre taking on now? The funny thing about pressure is it tends to yield some strong results. So take a breath and a long nap. Trust in your own abilities, and keep pressing forward. Maybe next semester you can take Juggling 102.
Best regards,
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Eric Ford Edwards
SHINE
Award-winning photographer and journalist José Galvez speaks at UC.
BY LEANNE GREGORY AND JOHN MCCOY Staff Writers
Life is full of moments that are too fleeting for the eye to capture indefinitely. That is why photography and its ability to immortalize the memories and emotions of people have become so important in todayâs society. In honor of the contributions photography and its practitioners have made towards allowing people around the world to get a glimpse of the world around them. The Department of World Languages hosted AquĂŹ Estamos, or âHere we areâ in English. The event was held Oct. 17 at 5 p.m in the auditorium of the Correll Science Building and featured Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and journalist JosĂ© Galvez.
Dr. Laura Dennis, the chair of the world languages department, said. âOur world languages program is growing. And we thought it would be a valuable experience for our students to hear a speaker like Mr. Galvez who has first-hand experience of Spanish-speaking communities in the United States.â
Galvez, who majored in journalism at the University of Arizona, began showcasing his photographic works at the age of 22 and is renowned for his documentation of the history and lives of the Latino communities of the American South through his black and white photographs. He is also known for his authorship of the book âShine Boy,â as well as his work as the first AmericanMexican photographer for the Los Angeles Times in 1984 that earned him, and others, a Pulitzer Prize in journalism.
During his presentation, Galvez encouraged attendees by saying, âServe your people. Honor where you came from, your family, your culture. Illuminate the world with newness and invention.â
Chris Mount, a UC senior, said. âBeing connected to Hispanic culture, it was nice to see someone bring it in and not water it down, but make it where everyone could understand it.â
The content of Galvezâs speech was centered on the stories of Galvezâs journey into the world of journalism and photography, and the people, places, and movements that Galvez has photographed over the length of his career and how they have grown and changed. Galvez spoke first about his early life and how the doubt and shame placed into him through the words of his high school guidance counselor and a man whose shoes he was shining inspired him to want to make something amazing of his life and allowed him to show his âganas,â or desire through the subsequent hard work he put into everything he did. He then went on to speak about the Civil Rights movement, the United Farm Workers movement, the Chicano movement, the Womanâs Liberation movement, and some of the prominent figures involved in those movements and what they were trying to achieve, as well as his work as the unofficial photographer of the Chicano movement.
Galvez then turned his presentation to speaking about several anecdotal stories of Latinos who have been influential in their communities and the world for the work they have done in making
those communities, and world, better, and about how it is his passion to capture those people and their lives to show that they are appreciated. He ended his presentation by emphasizing that people should try understand one another by going out and getting to actually know about the other cultures in their communities.
âNurture others by passing on your gifts and mentoring the next generation. Excel, push yourself past obstacles and grasp opportunities,â Galvez exclaimed.
There was a photo exhibit of some of Galvezâs work featured in the lobby of the CSC entitled âLivinâ La Vida Hispana: Latino Life in the United States. â
Abbey Grace, a UC student, said, âThe exhibit was wonderful and I enjoyed that the photos were in black and white, Because it makes you think about the content of the photo more.â
Students who attended the event had the opportunity to earn credit for UC Engage as well as extra credit for their world languages classes.
âI enjoyed it,â Sarah Pettit, an art major, with a Spanish minor, said. Pettit added, âIt was cool to get his perspective, cool from an art studentâs perspective and from a Spanish studentâs perspective. I got to learn about different movements, and what it was like growing up in an entirely Mexican community.â
Abbey Grace talks to José Galvez
Photos by John McCoy
University of the Cumberlands Homecoming Choir Concert
UC hosts homcoming choir concert
BY KIM BUNDY Staff Writer
Music filled the air. People parked outside the Grace Crum Rollins building. Some wore casual clothes, others dressed up. The sun was going down, decorating the sky in flames of pink and scarlet, but people did not stop and stare at its wonder, for they had come to hear something just as beautiful: the vocal stylings of the choirs performing that night at the McGaw Music Building. The Friday afternoon of Homecoming Week was the day that the performing choirs had practiced for. From how and where to stand, what to wear, and of course practicing the songs they were going to perform, everything had been leading up to this concert. The three choirs that performed that night was the UC Chamber Choir, The UC Singers and the Chorale.
The few minutes before the show had begun, the small lobby of the music building was packed. The halls were lined up from both sides by the UC Singers waiting to perform after the Chamber Choir. The office behind the lobby was occupied by the black-clad waiting Chorale, the men in black tuxedos, the ladies decked out in modest black dresses, each accompanied with a pearl necklace. Many family members and students coming to watch the show stood outside the doors of the auditorium and watched in the hall. The finely tuned vibratos of the Chamber Choir wafted around the music building. The nerves of the UC Singers could be felt, the tension breathing around them as it was almost their time to go on. It was almost dead quiet in the narrow hallway they occupied. When it was their time to go on, they uniformly marched out onto the stage, through the shadow of the backstage, past the thick curtain, into the blinding spotlight and clapping crowd. The songs they performed included âHow Can I Keep From Singing.â a gospel piece by Greg Gilpin, which the UC Singers sang with the UC Chamber Choir, and featured an alumni soloist.
âWhenever they did the combination between the Chamber and the UC Singers, that was a really neat experience because you could hear the really experienced vocals with the collective group as a whole,â said Cyr Wilson, a UC student. Cyr also excitedly pointed out a small sub-group that had been featured that night called the Highland Singers. They are a branch of the UC Chorale. This group was made up of section leaders and qualified vocalists that make up an elite chamber ensemble. This group plays advance vocal arrangements.
Another the UC Singers performed was âGod is Our Refugeâ by Allen Pote. The brief appearance of the UC Singers may have been short-lived, but received a loud applause nonetheless.
âThe way the people reacted in the crowd after we performed seemed like they liked the performance,â said UC Singers member Chelsa Bowman.
Next to perform was the exclusively advanced ensemble: The UC Chorale. They came out in the black-clad outfits sophisticated and professionally. They started with a unique version of the National Anthem, which the audience hesitantly stood up for; many found it unexpected.
The UC Singers and the UC Chamber Choir have been known to sing not only gospel music, but secular music as well. Last year, the UC Singers performed a rendition of the Aerosmith song âDream On.â When you go to one of these concerts, not only do you get a UC Engage credit, but you also donât know what youâre going to expect. You might find that you actually might enjoy what these hardworking individuals dish out. The UC Singers do occasionally dabble in acapella; for example they did so a few years ago with a cover of Totoâs âAfrica.â
Photos by Zane Ross
The Amazing Fung
UC brings famous magician to campus for engage credit.
BY EMILEE AGEE AND MEGAN MUGGRIDGE Staff Writers
On Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. UC students gathered in Gatliff Chapel to watch magician Nash Fung perform. Fung has been featured on the CW network on âPenn and Teller: Fool Us.â Fung kicked off the show by having the audience take a photo of him. He later used the picture to prove that his shirt changed from black to pink on stage without anyone noticing. Fung asked one student on to the stage to pour a bottle of water into a pitcher. When he turned it upside down, the water stayed inside the bottle. Then Fung slid pens into the opening of the bottle to prove there was nothing blocking the water. UC sophomore Emily Crump said this was her favorite trick. Crump said, âI found this the most mind-blowing because it just goes against the laws of physics. I enjoyed this event because it was really funny and kept me engaged the whole time.â
Fung told several stories from his life that he used as inspiration for some of his tricks. As an immigrant from Hong Kong, China who moved to the United States, Fung felt like he did not fit in with the culture. After he realized his insecurities were all in his head, he came to embrace being different. He then pulled two students onto the stage, blindfolded them and asked them whether they were either drinking orange juice or apple juice. Both students had a different answer when they were actually just sipping water. Fung explained that changing our perspective is powerful enough to convince us of almost anything.
Fung told another story about his grandmotherâs choice to give her daughter up for adoption in order to financially support the rest of the family. Fung said he wanted a trick that would capture her grit and strength and did this by performing what many students thought was one of the most shocking illusions of the night. Fung took out five razor blades and swallowed them. After swallowing a string, he used it to pull the blades back out one by one. Fung said this was his favorite part of his show to perform because of how personal and meaningful it was for him.
Fung said, âNo matter how tough life gets, we fight, we fight, we fight.â
The last trick of the night was a Russian Roulette-style game played with four staple guns. Only one of the guns had staples in it. After each staple gun was placed in a separate envelope and shuffled, an envelope was chosen and a student was given instruction to shoot the staple gun at Fung. None of the staplers chosen were the loaded one. Fung then proved that the last gun still had staples in it but that somehow he knew exactly which envelope students were going to pick. As Fung closed the show, he suggested everyone follow him on social media and check out more performances on nashfung. com.
Nash Fung explains his next trick where he plays Russian Roulette with a staple gun .
Photos by Megan Muggridge
All for the likes
BY MEGAN WILLOUGHBY Managing Editor
The relationship between âlikesâ on pictures and statuses on Facebook has grown to be a link to the reputation of an individual over time. People go out of their way to capture the best photo with the perfect filter or the perfect status with the best wording for a specific occasion in order to compete with others around them. By having the best material on Facebook, individuals are able to see how the general public reacts: with likes and comments.
A number of likes show the interest people have in the information posted. With the increased amount of likes, a person may feel more popular and in synch with society whereas with a decreased amount of likes, a person may feel like they have a boring life that provides nothing to others sending the underlying message of dislike. This invisible rule to like someoneâs post or to not, creates a competitive atmosphere among Facebook users, igniting either confidence or self-esteem issues.
Maddie Lawson, a UC sophomore, describes her frustration with the association of likes to a popular reputation. âSome people get too many likes! Once someone passes an outrageous amount, I usually get suspicious that they are from people who are not actually connected with the person who posted it. It seems fake,â Lawson says.
Connecting with people on Facebook is useful because it allows people to connect with those who live internationally or out of reach. âI use social media to connect with people who I barely get to see or talk to. Most people use it to publicize themselves in a way that is false. They try to gain a reputation from a large variety of unknown people,â Lawson says.
Some are able to disconnect from social media and realize their worth outside of the online world. Kayla Hensler, a UC junior, describes the feeling of disconnecting from social media. âIâd rather have friends in person than online. I never connect my popularity to the number of âlikesâ I get on social media. I feel like people have completely blown this idea out of proportion,â Hensler says.
Paul Kennedy, a junior at Male High School in Louisville Kentucky, describes his anger with the continuous popularity contest that stems from the ongoing posting on Facebook. Kennedy refuses to use Facebook or any other social media sites.
âI canât stand it! Why should liking something on social media determine whether or not Iâm a cool person? I donât want to buy into societyâs game. Itâs not the type of person I am,â Kennedy explains. The reputation factor consumes many into thinking they must participate or feel a certain way about their post in correlation to their reputation. âI feel sorry for those who waste their life worry about a number on a screen,â Kennedy says.
A simple like on the site can change a way someone feels about his or her body or self-being, damaging or aiding their self-confidence. Correlating likes for popularity has become a social norm that can haunt social media users. In a world where people seek the approval from others through social media, Facebook is the heart of the disease.
Bringing in the harvest
An overarching review of one of gamingâs most notorious series.
BY LEANNE GREGORY Staff Writer
The fall season, harvest time, that reminds us that sometimes, the simplest things in life can bring the most joy to people. A perfect example of this idiom can be found within the reverent adoration that the gaming community feels for the renowned gaming franchise: âHarvest Moon.â âHarvest Moon,â as a series, was first created by Yasuhiro Wada as a way to emulate the life of an everyday farmer. Since its first game, released in 1997, the series has risen to become a popular gaming platform that spans across multiple gaming consoles, from the SNES to the Nintendo 3DS, and has even spawned several spin-off series, such as âRune Factoryâ and âInnocent Life,â that have become giant franchises in their own right. It isnât hard to understand why players of the game are so enamored by it. All of the âHarvest Moonâ titles focus firmly on the aspect of the journey the player takes throughout the course of the game, rather than on where the player wants to end up or is forced into going.
The main tasks in the game mainly revolve around forming as many close knit relationships as possible with the other characters in the community where the main character lives, while simultaneously learning how best to develop the small farm the main character has inherited, or bought, into its own agricultural enterprise. Despite the simplistic premise that prevails through every instillation of the games, however, the actual game itself, in terms of the story and actual game play, can be as strategic and interesting as the player chooses to make it. Every game in the series boasts its own unique mixture of: constantly changing seasons and weather conditions; a rotating roster of crops, animals, and tools that bring in varying challenges and techniques needed to cultivate, sell for profit, and upgrade; realistic relationship goals that require the player actually learn about the character their trying to befriend; and various mini games and side quests, such as fishing, mining, or horse racing, that can be as charming and immersive as the actual game itself.
Each game also ensures that it has its own self-contained narrative as to why the main character and player need to work their hardest to make their
in-game farm the best it can be, so that every time a player decides to try a new installment to the series, itâs as if their entering an entirely new universe to explore and discover entirely on their own. As for the people and places that the player can interact with inside of those individual universes, many of the âHarvest Moonâ games offered players the chance to entrance themselves in scenery and characters that were as varied as the crops and livestock were. Some games created sprawling towns populated with inspiring characters filled with hopes and dreams that the player got to watch change and grow over the course of the game. Some games provided vast forests, cave systems, mountains, and even oceans to explore that always seemed to be changing with the seasons and days.
Furthermore, âHarvest Moonâ games do not require players to slog their way through convoluted combat systems or complex control schemes that require their own map to figure out, nor do the games make you pay to get extra content, items, tools, or characters that are required to progress the storyline, or enhance the gameplay experience. Beyond even that, the games themselves are absolutely gorgeous to look at and listen to, with some games opting to employ a verdant pastel color scheme, set in a realistic art style, that perfectly complements the soothing orchestral soundtrack that plays in every area the player travels to, while others make use of a far more cartoonish look accompanied by an ensemble of similarly stylized music that, when heard, cannot help but to bring a fond smile to the face.
Regardless of what style it chooses to present, âHarvest Moonâ as a series is always constantly striving for a fantasized realism that manages to immerse the player into its quaint world without completely frustrating them with endless, mindless tasks. For anyone who is looking for a way to lay back and enjoy the moment, give âHarvest Moonâ a try. With so many titles and experiences to choose from, there really is no limit to the amount of joy that can be obtained from one of gamingâs most simplistic games.
Photo courtesy of www.hmfarm.com. Used with permission.
