Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
Dear Patriots,
Halloween is officially over, which means awful 2020 is coming to an end. I hope you all had a safe Halloween with your family and/or friends. Chilly weather is coming in, so I hope you have your sweaters ready. Itâs definitely starting to feel more like fall around here.
If you missed our posts on our Instagram (@ucthepatriot) last week, I wanted to let you know that we have won two Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) awards at their fall conference for our first two issues! I still pinch myself because I want to make sure Iâm not dreaming this. This is such a huge honor, and I am so grateful for everyone else on staff for their hard work because it wouldnât be possible without them. The ACP fall conference was a national competition, so receiving sixth place for both awards we received is a huge achievement for being at a small private school in Kentucky and having a newspaper staff of around 5 people.
Speaking of The Patriotâs staff, we are welcoming some new contributors this week! Iâm excited to introduce the work of Elizabeth, Masyn, Nathan and Cassidy in this weekâs issue. They have been interested in being a part of The Patriot since the beginning of the semester, so
Iâm very proud to finally have their work featured in an issue. I remember when I got involved as a freshman and how intimidating and exciting it was to have my work published for the first time, so Iâm very happy that their names have joined the others in our staff list.
Time flies faster all the time. I canât believe that Iâm already a junior here and that after next school year, I could be a college graduate. Take the time to soak everything in. Youâre only a college student for a short period of time, so make sure that you have all those photos and memories from your time at UC before you become an alum. Itâs like the old saying from Lewis Carroll: âIn the end⊠We only regret the chances we didnât take, the relationships we were afraid to have and the decisions we waited too long to make.â Youâre gonna have regrets regardless, donât make them opportunities that you wish you had experienced.
Do the good things,
Haley Bullock, Editor-in-Chief
Editor-In-Chief
Haley Bullock
Managing Editor
Jenna Rose
Social Media Coordinator Abigail Fletcher
Faculty Adviser
Jeremiah Massengale
Staff
Emilee Agee Makayla Durham
Nathan Evans
Cassidy Howard
Kristin Mitchell
Masyn Mitchell
Front cover by Abigail Fletcher
Back cover by Abigail Fletcher
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.
Around the World in 80 Minutes
A recap of Worldâs Got Talent
BY ELIZABETH UNDERWOOD Staff Writer
Photos by Samuel Jackson
On October 1st, 2020, students filled the pews of Gatliff Chapel for University of the Cumberlandâs first ever Worldâs Got Talent. This event was created to provide a platform for UCâs international student population where their voices could be heard and their cultures celebrated. Many international students are athletes with busy schedules and therefore cannot always participate in shows that require a long-term commitment or pursue other avenues to display and develop their talents that lay outside of athletics. Campus Ministries wanted to provide an opportunity for all students, especially those who have never had the chance, courage, or time, to perform on the stage for one evening and share the gifts that God has given them. Affiliated with University of the Cumberlands, Campus Ministries upholds the mission and vision of UCâwe will actively serve students from all backgrounds eagerly and wholeheartedly. Matthew 28:18-21 says,
Then Jesus came to them and said, âAll authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.â
This is the mission of Campus Ministries and provides the foundation of our desire for and commitment to diversity and multiculturalism. Worldâs Got Talent was a joyous night of laughter, various languages, different backgrounds, captivating cultures, beautiful music, intense raps, and inimitable artistry from all of the performers. Where else will you hear rapping in Italian, Spanish, and German in one evening?
Worldâs Got Talent has performers, not contestants, because it is a celebration, not a competition. The next Worldâs Got Talent will be on November 12th, 2020, at 8:00pm. Whether you can sing, dance, juggle, rap, play an instrument, or do impressions, magic, or comedy, we would love to see you on the stage. Duos and groups are welcome as well. Contact me or Campus Ministries on Instagram for questions or to sign up. If you would prefer to keep practicing your craft until the next time, we still hope to see you in the audience along with your friends, supporting and empowering those on stage and rejoicing in the diversity in Williamsburg, Kentucky.
Quarantine Drama
UCâs theatre plans a virtual production
BY JENNA ROSE Managing Editor
Due to rising cases of Covid-19, the University of the Cumberlands theatre department will put on a virtual performance, their first in history.
The University of the Cumberlands has guidelines for student safety during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the universityâs Fall 2020 reopening plan, located on their website, âFaculty, staff, and students will be required to wear a face covering when social distancing is not possibleâ and âSocial distancing is encouraged in common areas around campus.â
These guidelines apply to the theatre as well and left the students of this department with a task to brainstorm new ways to put on productions amid a pandemic. The students in the Applied Theatre class took on this task with Nic Lewis, a junior at UC, writing an outline for a virtual play.
Dr. Kim Miller, a theatre professor at UC and the artistic director for the production, stated, âWe were going to do a fully mounted stage production but with Coronavirus and wanting to keep people safe we decided to do Zoom or virtual and the benefit of creating our own production is, we donât run into any copyright problems.â
Outside of a live and in-person production being recorded and posted online, this will be the departmentâs first entirely virtual project. The only cause for this change is the pandemic that is requiring new creativity from the world through technology.
Quarantine Q&A
Insight into studentsâ lives during quarantine
BY MASYN MITCHELL Staff Writer
Question 1
How did your school life change while being quarantine?
Question 2
Where did you choose to quarantine and why?
Question 3
Is there more that you think the school can do to improve life in quarantine?
Ryanne Adams, freshman
by Alex Nunn
According to Devin Rose, a senior at UC and actor in the production, each student is recording their part, which will then be edited into a video.
The Applied Theatre students, along with Dr. Miller, are still making decisions on how to finalize the production. Students at the University of the Cumberlands should expect the show that will make history in two to three weeks.
The play will feature seven friends and follow their journey in quarantine together through vlogs that they record. The process of recording the production will follow the universityâs safety guidelines as well because each student will take turns filming their vlogs on the set.
Dr. Miller also shares that the original plan for the production was solely to entertain until â⊠almost the entire class had to go into quarantine for different reasons, and it changed our attitude towards what we were doing. We actually wanted to tell a little more serious story and talk about how boring this is, how scary it can be, and what is driving people not to follow the rules.â
The production will still have elements to entertain, along with serious topics. Not only will the play make history as the theatre departmentâs first virtual production, but it will also bring light to the struggles that Covid-19 can bring.
1. My school life changed because I had to do school from my house and I wasnât able to get ahold of people as easily as I would have staying on campus. I much prefer to do school here rather than at home.
2. I quarantined at my houses because my cats are at home and I had more support there.
3. I donât know, I like that they offered for us to stay at home because it was nice to go home for two weeks and see my family.
Tristin Petrie, freshman
1. It really didnât change much, because classes were already mostly online. The transition was pretty smooth.
2. I chose to quarantine at home, just because that felt like a more comfortable place than the Motel 6.
3. I think the school does pretty well, for the most part.
Cheyenne Hopkins, freshman
1. My grades kinda dropped while in quarantine, it made things a lot more difficult.
2. My house.
3. No, it seems fine.
Photo
Photo Courtesy of Nic Lewis
The Return of Mando and Baby Yoda
Disney+ releases the first episode in season two of âThe Mandalorianâ
BY NATHAN EVANS Staff Writer
The pilot episode of âThe Mandalorianâ aired back in November 2019, ending with the cliff hanger that was Baby Yoda. Ever since then, showrunner Jon Favreau and the rest of the crew of âThe Mandalorianâ introduced us to Din Djarin (also known as The Mandalorian played by Pedro Pascal), the rest of the characters. The show became the Disney plus streaming servicesâ golden child, rising to extreme levels of popularity. After the first seasonâs finale, that popularity only kept on rising. Ever since the end of season one, fans eagerly waited on the arrival of season two, but now the wait is finally over!
The first episode of season two, âChapter 9, The Marshal,â written and directed by Jon Favreau, was a great way to start off season two. Right off the bat, the show wastes no time getting us back to where season one left off. Mando needs to get The Child back to his people, the Jedi. In a world set after the events of the second death star explosion, that wonât be too easy. This task leads to Mando going to different planets trying to find other Mandalorians that can help his search go faster. This causes Mando to get into a fight that he easily wins to gain information. Information about another Mandalorian in a city on Tatooine. Just from the first nine minutes of the show, you know youâre in for a treat. It has good storytelling and an amazing action scene. These nine minutes go a long way for the rest of the episode and is my favorite part of the episode.
After the introduction, the shows charters go to Tatooine, where the rest of the episode takes place. We run into some familiar faces such as Peli Motto (played by Amy Sedaris) and her droids. She points Mando in the direction of the town that this âMandalorianâ is in. Without getting into major spoilers, once Mando and Baby Yoda get there, they find a town thatâs being tormented by a monster that lives under the sand. Mando makes a deal with the town Marshal (played by Timothy Olyphant) that he will help them kill the monster in exchange for the Marshalâs armor.
The defending the town plot point is one of the episodeâs weakest points. It feels way too generic for a show like âThe Mandalorian.â It also feels way too similar to the storyline found in chapter four in season one, where they also had to defend a village. Luckily, the fun interaction between the Marshal and Mando does a good job distracting you from the more than basic storyline for the main part of the episode.
The last part of the episode is the showdown with the monster, and a showdown it is! We even get to see Mando use the new shiny jet pack he got at the end of the last season. Despite the storyline not being the best, this action sequence goes above and beyond to impress the audience. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you at the edge of your seat. Something that I would like to mention is that the whole show is shot on a soundstage. So most everything we are seeing was shot indoors or added in post-production. That makes this whole last action sequence all the more impressive. You really got to give the crew behind âThe Mandalorianâ a handclap for all they are able to pull off. And for just a nice little bonus, the episode ends with an amazing tease that I wonât spoil.
Overall, I think this was a pretty good way to ease us back into the world of the Mandalorian. The intro was amazing and got my blood pumping for what was going to come next. While the middle part of the episode wasnât all that exciting, the chemistry between Pedro Pascal and Timothy Olyphant and their two characters more than made up for it. The ending was a real joy to watch and left me excited for what will come next! And of course Baby Yoda was just has great as he was the last time we saw him. This is the way.
Photo courtesy of Disney +
Photo courtesy of Disney +
Tribute to Abbey Road
UC students dress up as The Beatles for Halloween
BY ABIGAIL FLETCHER
Social Media Coordinator
Photos by Abigail Fletcher
Dressing up for Halloween, for most, is all about just the costume and getting semi-close to the character of choice. This although is not the case for Connor Packman as John Lennon, Caleb Packman as Paul McCartney, Garrett Woosley as George Harrison and Drew Shannon as Ringo Starr. These four UC students took dressing up as The Beatles to heart with the accent, mannerisms and carrying around their own crosswalk pieces. Connor Packman, UC sophomore, says, âAside from loving the band as a whole, my friends and I dressed up as the band Queen last year and decided The Beatles would be a cool and funny follow up. Plus, my brother [Caleb Packman] and I love the band.â Caleb Packman, UC sophomore, shares the same connection to The Beatles by stating, âI really just like their music and some of the songs are peaceful, soft and nice. I just connect to them.â
The Beatles made their first appearance at the UCâs music departments chapter, CNAFME, annual Boofest. Due to the boys commitment to dressing up, a photoshoot was in order to mark their dedication. Drew Shannon, UC junior, says, âOh yeah, when were in costume we were The Beatles. Accents, [walking around] the order they are in the picture, etc.â The group also carried around their own âcrosswalkâ with white cardboard pieces, so they could have a portable Abbey Road. Garrett Woosley, UC sophomore, says, â[A part of the] preparation was mainly getting used to walking in a line together to mimic the famous road pictures and also making our own fake crosswalk to be able to replicate it anywhere.â
CNAfMEâs Boofest
The UC music deparment chapterâs annual Halloween party
Fog on the Hills
BY CASSIDY HOWARD Staff Writer
A mix of indie/folk vibes that pair perfectly with the cloudy & calm weather of a Cumberland Valley autumn. featuring artists like Bon Iver, Gregory Alan Isakov, and some smaller artists, this playlist is sure to leave you feeling relaxed, rewound, and refreshed.
Photos by Abigail Fletcher
Catherine Horton poses as Winifred Sanderson.
A âSuperdoodleâ makes an appearance on the dance floor.
Sarah Mayberry as Velma investiges a blood splatter.
UC students dance to some spooky tunes.
Kevin Siler and Zane Wampler as Mermaid Man and Barncale Boy.
Caleb Chambers poses with a horse mask on.
Photo by Cassidy Howard
