The Patriot - Fall 2022 Issue 7

Letter From the Editor in Chief

Happy holidays, Patriots!

Christmas is not for another 25 days (or somewhere around that time, depending on when you read this), but I am already in the Christmas mood. Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is time to pull out the hot cocoa and candy canes, snuggle up in a fluffy blanket, and sit by the tree while listening to your favorite Christmas playlist. The Christmas holiday is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and friends!

If you are having trouble waiting until the end of the month for Christmas, I have the perfect solution: use this issue as a distraction! Our final Fall 2022 issue is full of fun content to help tide you over until Christmas break. If you are in a festive mood, you can check out our article on the Christmas traditions people follow worldwide. You can also find a photo spread of athletes on campus—maybe even spot your friends among them! The vice president of the UC Student Government Association, Amanda Gault, wrote a recap of what SGA accomplished this semester and some ideas of what you can look forward to next semester. You can find an article about the recent play by students in the theatre department, One Lane Bridge, along with photos of the production. We also have a lineup of tips to help you thrive in dorm life. And finally, our managing editor, Summer Mills, shared twenty of her favorite songs with us, which you can listen to by scanning the QR code on page 7. If all of that is not enough to keep you from wishing it was Christmas, what is?

One thing that I am particularly thrilled about in this issue is the cover. The Patriot recently held a photography contest, which we announced on our social media platforms. The idea was simple: we wanted students and faculty to submit photos that had UC students in them for a chance to win a spot on the cover of our next issue. I am so excited to announce that the winner of this photography contest is Shawn Sudduth, a professor in the music department. Her photo makes a great addition to this issue! If you want a chance to win contests like this in the future, be sure to follow The Patriot on social media for more opportunities.

Classes are coming to an end, and finals take place in a little over a week! Be sure to think ahead to finals week so that it does not catch you by surprise. Keep studying, keep asking questions, and, most importantly, keep a positive attitude. Finals week can be stressful, but remember that Christmas break is waiting on the other side!

God bless you all, Lacie DeGough

Editor-in-Chief Lacie DeGough

Managing Editor

Summer Mills

Faculty Advisor

Jeremiah Massengale

Staff

Izabella Buck

Erica Dick

Nathan Evans

Maddie Furtick

Anthony Cage Grubb

Tony Hensley

Cassidy Howard

Alyssa King

Ashlyn Liddle

Amber Simpkins

Hannah Mae Sizemore Elizabeth Spires

Front cover photo by Shawn Sudduth

Back cover graphic by Hannah Mae Sizemore

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 student publication of the University of the Cumberlands. Our goal is to provide timely and original content by highlighting campus news and views.

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

Photo by Elizabeth Spires

Graphic and photos by Elizabeth Spires

Connect, Represent, Improve

The UC Student Government Association Makes Life Easier for Students

BY AMANDA GAULT Staff Writer

Imagine being part of an organization where you plan fun events, earn service hours, and implement changes you want to see on campus. Well, you can be because the Student Government Association does precisely that! SGA gives students a voice on campus by serving as the liaison between the students and University of the Cumberlands administrators. In addition to being the voice for the students, SGA provides funding for many campus improvements, as voted on by Senate Members, and funding for sports teams, honors societies, and clubs. SGA carries out its motto: connect, represent, and improve.

SGA connects students and university administrators. This semester, SGA has had the opportunity to meet with several departments on campus, such as the Housing Department and Food Services. For Give Day, SGA partnered with the Housing Department and raised over $6,400 to renovate office spaces in residential halls. SGA invites departments on campus to address questions, comments, and concerns made by the student body.

SGA also represents the diverse student body of athletes and nonathletes. At the beginning of the semester, the leadership team and Senate members were sworn in. Hanna Lyons and Amanda Gault, the Student Body President and Vice President, respectively, added more specialized leadership roles, such as the Events Coordinator and IT Specialist. They rebranded the Red Blue Army Committee to represent every sports team, club, and organization on campus. Every group with a representative in SGA can receive up to $500 in funding. Jayla Medina, the Chief Financial Officer, states, “SGA has been able to provide more funding than ever before to teams and clubs on campus. We enjoy being able to support our fellow students and work toward making their experience at UC better!”

SGA listens to students’ ideas and implements them, helping to improve the UC campus. This fall, the organization implemented a transportation system

to take students to and from Walmart. In addition, SGA has provided funding for many campus improvements, such as water bottle fillers in the dorms and ID tappers to get into buildings. SGA has implemented several new committees to better serve the student body, such as the Community Outreach Committee. This committee is in place to serve the local Williamsburg community. In December, SGA members will go to the Williamsburg Nursing Home to do an activity with the residents and deliver cards and donations. In the spring, the Community Outreach Committee is excited to partner with different organizations on campus to serve Williamsburg.

The Student Government Association is also involved in planning and hosting fun events on campus. SGA hosts a combination of outreach and philanthropic events each year. This fall, SGA hosted the second annual “Hoco Hoedown’’ to kick off Homecoming week and had over 400 students in attendance. Harleigh Grubb, the SGA Events Coordinator, states, “This upcoming semester, the SGA Events Committee will be partnering with the Campus Activities Board to put on a Spring Formal for UC students! We will also be doing a mental health philanthropic event in some capacity, details coming later. Table events will continue monthly. My hope for the spring is that we continue to reach as many students as possible. Stay tuned for more information on what is to come next semester!”

Are you interested in joining SGA? If so, you will earn fifteen community service hours each semester and can make more by volunteering at events. You can stop by their office anytime to speak to someone about joining. It is located directly across from Chick-Fil-A. If you are interested in joining or want to bring an idea to SGA, you can also email sga@ucumberlands.edu. To stay up to date, follow @ucumberlandssga on Instagram!

Photo by Amanda Gault

From Krampus to KFC

Four Christmas Traditions Around the World

BY AMBER SIMPKINS Staff Writer

We all know plenty of North American Christmas traditions, such as decorating a tree, gift-giving, and having a Christmas dinner. Have you ever wondered how the rest of the world celebrates Christmas? Here are four fascinating Christmas traditions from around the world.

Sweden: The Gävle Goat

While many towns celebrate Christmas by lighting up a giant tree in the middle of their city, the Swedish town Gävle celebrates by placing a giant goat statue in the center of their town named, the Gävle Goat, also known as the Yule Goat. The Gävle Goat is a giant statue of a goat made from straw that stands in Castle Square in Gävle, Sweden. The goat has become a Christmas tradition of the town since 1966, being lit up by the lights on its horns. To make the goat even more interesting, the straw it is made of is highly flammable, so they have had to rebuild it multiple times. The goat has been set on fire by pranksters over 35 times. The goat now has a fence and guards to prevent further fires. Despite people urging the town to get rid of the goat due to the fires, the city claims they are still proud of their goat and will continue the tradition.

Japan: KFC

When people think of Christmas food, home cooked foods such as turkey and ham most likely come to mind. But when it comes to Christmas food in Japan, KFC is the popular choice. It has been a tradition in Japan to eat KFC on Christmas for a while now. It is so popular that many people order their KFC in advance. This tradition began in 1970 when the first KFC opened in Nagoya. The manager Takeshi Okawara started to sell Christmas barrels of KFC, marketing them as an American Christmas dinner. Ever since then, families in Japan have been enjoying KFC Christmas buckets every December 25th.

Austria: Krampus

Most people have heard of Santa giving the naughty kids coal for Christmas, but in Austria, bad kids have Krampus. In Austria, Krampus is a Christmas villain who is half-man, half-goat. While St. Nicholas would visit good kids to give them rewards, his monstrous counterpart Krampus would visit bad kids for punishment. There is a day called Krampusnacht, also known as Krampus night when adults dress up as Krampus to scare their kids at home. Some people run around the streets dressed as Krampus doing what is called Krampuslauf, known as a Krampus run. If you thought getting told you would get coal for Christmas for being bad was scary, imagine getting a visit from Krampus instead!

Latin America: Las Posadas

Las Posadas is a festival to celebrate Joseph and Mary’s journey to give birth to Jesus. It starts with a procession led by children dressed as angels. Others are dressed in robes, holding candles and pictures of Mary and Joseph as they walk. They travel to different houses to ask for lodging but are refused accommodation, like in the biblical story of Mary and Joseph. They keep repeating until they get to the last place, where they can enter. This house is where the party continues. This event happens from December 16th to the 24th.

There are so many unique Christmas traditions in different parts of the world. Hopefully, this article gives you insight into practices you have not heard of before. Which tradition is most interesting to you?

Graphic and photo by Elizabeth Spires

Dorm Life Survival Tips

Top Five Dorm Life Tips to Help You Thrive

BY ALYSSA KING Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered if there is a particular way to live as a student on campus? Have you ever found yourself looking for college life hacks on the internet? Well, fear no more because here is a list of the top five things needed to live on campus and in a dorm.

First, investing in reliable earbuds or headphones is a good idea. These electronics are essential for dorm life because they allow you to drown out noisy neighbors, help you to focus on your studies without distraction, and to relax after a long school day. If you have trouble focusing on your schoolwork, earbuds and headphones help you calm down so that it is easier to do so.

Second, you need a lockbox for your valuables. Valuables like medicine, money, pictures, and maybe even jewelry are all examples of things that you can keep stashed away. Keeping a box like this allows you to hide your private property in plain sight from guests when necessary. Just be sure to remember where you put your box!

Third, making friends with your suitemates is crucial to surviving dorm life. Your suitemates are basically your next-door neighbors but even closer.

Making friends with your suitemates can help make life in the dorm smoother. For example, if you are trying to focus on your studies and need the room to be quiet, you can ask your friend for some quiet time instead of contacting your RA.

Fourth, getting fresh air or new scenery is a great idea. Being in the fresh air and enjoying nature has proved to be a natural stress reliever and a way to give your mind a break from worry. Students should get out of their dorm rooms as often as possible to socialize and build a community around them.

Fifth, never be too far away from a snack! College students are often in a fast-paced environment where people might forget to eat—sometimes even all day. Always having a snack around can be a great reminder; this may even be better than a timer on your phone. You should never forget to have breakfast because it is the day’s most important meal.

So, the top five tips for dorm life are good earbuds, a lockbox, being friends with your suitemates, getting out of your dorm, and always having a snack nearby. Hopefully, this list will encourage you to think of more life hacks that you could utilize for dorm living!

Photos by Alyssa King

One Lane Bridge

The University of the Cumberlands’ Latest Play Was a Success

BY HANNAH MAE SIZEMORE Staff Writer

Summer’s Top Picks

University of the Cumberlands theatre students put on “One Lane Bridge,” a play written by Stephan Gregg. The play opens with two black wooden boxes on a platform. The cast, dressed in all black, comes onto the stage, and the main character, Eli, sits down on a box and mimics that he is driving. In the background, the other actors mimic trees. Eli drives, and a woman enters the scene to get into the car with him—her name is Samantha. While traveling, the audience learns that the boy is new to driving. They start telling scary stories to each other, and while this is happening, the “trees’” echo what is said. Samantha and one of the trees switch places, and the tree starts acting as Samantha.

After the new Samantha takes his seat (now a male actor), the story becomes even stranger. The trees in the background start to tell Eli to crash the car. Eli listens to them, and the play ends with the

Photo by Jonathan Ramey

new Samantha transforming into a scarier version of himself while Eli has a mental breakdown. Samantha and the other trees could have been ghosts, or they may have been all in Eli’s head. The end of the story is up for interpretation.

The Theatre Department’s Skyler Jones directed this play. Jones states, “Directing this show has solidified my want to pursue this career after college.” The cast and crew put a lot of hard work into this play. A lot of behind-the-scenes work brought together these performances. The next play performed by the Theatre Department is titled “Almost, Maine,” directed by The Patriot’s own Amber Simpkins, and they will hold it in the spring semester. Auditions for the play will be held earlier in the semester—keep an eye out if you are interested!

Summer Mills, the managing editor of The Patriot, is giving you an exclusive look into her music taste with this playlist! Shuffle this playlist for an even mix of her top favorites.

Graphic by Lacie DeGough