Letter from the Editor
Dear Patriots,
It’s that crazy time of the year when political talk is overtaking social media and other forms of media. With the polarizing views on our nation’s current administration, it seems as if almost everyone has an opinion on what needs to be done for our country to succeed. I am not a Kentucky native, and watching this past gubernatorial race as an outsider was absolutely crazy. I actually had the opportunity to photograph a political rally in London, which turned out to be more fun and challenging than I thought it would be.
Regardless of your political views, I hope you all voted. I think the results of this governor’s race for the Bluegrass state speak volumes, seeing that the winner edged out his opponent by a mere 5,000 votes even when he lost in the majority of the state counties. (At the time I was writing this, Bevin called for a recount as the results were too close to call, so who knows what’s going to happen by the time this is in print). The more people who care about making a change will ultimately have the power to make it, and that goes for all political parties.
These are formative years in our lives, as I’ve said in many of my letters, and growing up in this polarizing political landscape is weird, to say the least. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone believes their opinion is right. I have many friends who I can’t even talk to about my political opinion without starting a fight, which has created this weird tension these past few years. Ultimately, it has taught me patience and respect when it comes to others views and beliefs, and I hope some of you can learn that as well.
That was a very wordy way to say “love each other,” but you get the point. We’re all human beings, after all. Have a good week, Patriots.
Fire it up,
Mike Krzyston, Editor-in-Chief
Editor-In-Chief
Mike Krzyston
Faculty Adviser
Jeremiah Massengale
Staff
Emilee Agee
Haley Bullock
Whitney Couch
River DePetris
Taylor Duke
Makayla Durham
Abigail Fletcher
Leanne Gregory
Alex Nunn
Jenna Rose
Sara Sherman
Elizabeth Spires
Maranda Young
Front cover by Mike Krzyston
Back cover by Haley Bullock
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Students react to election results
What do students think of the 2019 election?
BY EMILEE AGEE Staff Writer
The gubernatorial election took place on November 5 and Kentuckians took to the polls to either re-elect Matt Bevin or elect democratic candidate Andy Beshear for governor. Beshear won with 49.2% of the votes with Bevin close behind with 48.8%. Bevin has since sought for a recanvassing of votes. Students at UC were asked their opinion on the results.
Erika Satterfield, a UC senior said, “Fantastic. There’s going to be a difference made in Kentucky, folks, you just wait and see.”
Will Daugherty, a UC junior said, “I didn’t pay much attention to it, but I just know it’s going to benefit me because I’m looking to be a special education teacher, and that’s one of the positive things about him [Beshear].
Whitney Rodgers, a UC sophomore said, “I feel like we were stuck between a rock and a hard place, and there were not a lot of good choices.”
Hannah Thomas, a UC freshman said, “I felt really relieved that he won because as a person who wanted to go into the education field, the
stuff that Matt Bevin was doing in Kentucky towards the educators was worrisome and not what Kentuckians are used to. It was destroying what we are used to, and I’m glad Andy Beshear is getting us back in line with where we should be.”
Briona Pollard, UC sophomore said, “As a republican, I agree more with Bevin’s policies as they do not negatively affect the majority of the state. Most of the policies that everyone hates will still be in play and no one considers that. I don’t think Bevin losing the election will change the policies and overall leadership of our state, though a lot of negative change may come from it.”
Lindsey Jones, a UC freshman said, “Andy is such a well-rounded guy and ran for Kentuckians, not strictly Democrats or Republicans. I’m so happy Bevin is out.”
Illustration by Haley Bullock
BooFest Bash
It was a scary good time
BY MAKAYLA DURHAM Staff Writer
Boofest is a Halloween party that falls around the day of Halloween every year and is held by the organization NAfME (National Association for Music Education). Boofest is a great way for different groups and ensembles, not just from the music building alone but anyone, on campus that would like to attend and meet new and exciting people. Rachel Meaders, a UC senior, was asked about how Boofest contributes to the music department as whole. She said, “Boofest is a great opportunity for students to get familiar with the music department staff and students. Even for those that are not in NAfME, it’s a great introduction into the Cumberlands music family!’
NAfME is one of the largest national art education groups in the United States; they help support millions of not just students, but music educators at all teaching levels and in every state. The University of the Cumberlands music representatives enrolls through NAfME underneath KMEA (Kentucky Music Education Association) and attends a conference every February to meet other group members and learn new opportunities on how to teach music, both vocal and instrumental. NAfME is the sponsor
of Boofest, the main contributor of funding of this event, meaning it would not be possible without them. Drew Shannon, a UC sophomore and vice president of NAfME, explains why the organization hosts a Halloween party with their own funds. “They get to hang out with all of the other students all around campus in a pretty carefree environment. It also helps them build new connections with each other that can help to spread future music education!”
Boofest is a night filled with dancing, plenty of snacks and plenty of music to warm their spookiest heart’s desire. People come dressed up in their costumes, take photos with their friends and make yet another wonderful memory at the University of the Cumberlands. If you haven’t been to Boofest before, come next year and join the fun!
Photos by Makayla Durham
Students get jiggy to the “Cupid Shuffle.”
UC students Zane Wampler, Connor Packman, Caleb Packman, and Garrett Woosley lip sync to a Queen song at BooFest.
UC’s ‘Papaw’ Matthew Brock shares about his fashion style
By HALEY BULLOCK Staff Writer
A nice button-up, high-rise wool blend pants and a clean cut face everyday. Those words, to most people, are used to describe fashion from at least a few decades ago, but not for Matthew Brock, to which many people, including himself, would consider him as a “papaw.” Krista Kromer, a UC freshman, says, “The reason we call him ‘papaw’ is not because of the way he dresses, but also the way he acts. Part of that is the slow, kind of deep southern accent. Other parts of it is how he treats others and how he cares for pretty much anybody. He cares for everybody, like a papaw would. He doesn’t care what other people, like a papaw would. He’s just there for you.” He has a dedication and a charming admiration for the aesthetics and trends from the 1920s to the 1980s. Considering that most teenagers and young adults donn skinny jeans and extremely form fitting clothes, Brock could be considered an anomaly in society’s fashion norms. He even admits that his sense of style is the most interesting thing about him, “I dress like it’s 1956 and I wear my pants right under my rib cage and I like big wide lapels on my suit jackets and I like big cuffs and I like wide-legged pants.”
Brock claims that the inspiration for his iconic looks comes from his role models, including his uncle Ron and jazz musicians like Jerry Lee Lewis and James Cagney. Brock says, “ I got into [jazz], I started playing the piano. Then from there I started watching old movies. I got into the old gangster movies, people like Edward G. Robinson, you know, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, people like that. The way they dress was like ‘Wow! I really like that and that looks really really cool.’”
He even admits that even though he contains countless pieces of the older style of clothing, that it can be hard to obtain these clothing items unless you’re willing to pay an arm and a leg or head to local consignment shops. Brock says, “I think the biggest issue if you’re going to dress like this is you
gotta build a wardrobe and that’s tough. If you don’t want to spend a whole lot of money, because I mean the cheapest pair of high-rise pants you can get is probably 30 bucks and you know that’s not crazy cheap if you’re just buying one pair. You gotta have more than one pair. The best thing to do is to go to Goodwills. At Goodwills you can usually find wool, which is what most men wore back then. You can find you a couple pairs of nice wool trousers, sometimes polyester.” Fitting into a certain aesthetic can be difficult unless you do some hunting over time or you have the budget to purchase a full wardrobe in a short period of time.
For Matthew Brock, the main reason he dresses this way is simply because it is his preference and he feels as if his style is more flattering. He says, “For me, I just like the way it looks. I’m a big nerd, but I really think it looks a lot cooler and it always makes me look a little more professional too. So that helps out a little bit too. With the high-rise pants they look a little bit cleaner. I don’t know why, it’s just that they go higher up on you so there’s less material that’s bagging and hanging out, and you can tuck it a certain way and it just looks better.”
Being able to express yourself is an important part of discovering who you are. Not many people are able to say that they are so sure of their style and who they are as a person. Matthew Brock, however, is comfortable with himself and the style that he has revamped for himself. Taking something that is considered old and making it into something that is fashionable today can be difficult, especially when it seems like society and your peers are more judgemental than ever. There is something to be admired about being so willing to perform self-expression without an immense worry about judgement and odd looks.
Photo by Taylor Duke
Women’s basketball keeps on heating up
The women Patriots continue their winning streak and rack up achievements
BY TAYLOR DUKE Staff Writer
The women’s basketball team at the University of the Cumberlands has been on fire since the beginning of their 2019-2020 season. This season has given the women Patriots ample opportunity to achieve greatness and so far, they keep on delivering.
The start of the season marked the second season under head coach Rick Reeves. The Patriots will compete in 30 games with two exhibition matches, one against Tennessee Tech University and another against Kentucky Wesleyan University.
This year’s schedule consists of 16 home games as well as 16 conference games. The Patriots were on the road for the first five games. Winning against Florida National University marked Coach Reeve’s 500th career win. It also marked the Patriots going 3-0 in the season.
When asked about his achievement, Coach Reeves told UC’s Sports Information, “I feel very fortunate to work at the universities I have in my career as well as all the players that I have had the pleasure to coach.”
On November 1, the Patriots took on the Cavaliers of Montreat College for with an early tip-off at 11 a.m. For the game, roughly 1,100 elementary-aged children were brought in from the surrounding area to cheer on the Patriots.
The O. Wayne Rollins Center was roaring with high pitched screams and thunderous claps. Groups of students chanted “Abbey, Abbey, Abbey,”
until Coach Reeves would put sophomore and Williamsburg native, Abbey Estes back on the court again. The enthusiasm from the students helped the Patriots win with a 22-point lead.
Talking about this particular game, Tori Combs, UC student and veteran dance team member, said, “Cheering on our women’s team has never been more fun. The kids really interact with you and truly supported the women’s team. They just cheered for us because they wanted to make noise but you could tell that our players played better because of it.” The final score was 70-48 in favor of the Patriots.
From the start of the season to the game against Montreat, the Patriots have scored a total of 371 points during play time, averaging 74.2 points per game. The team has also had 200 rebounds this season, 109 turnovers and 71 total steals.
Carla Covane, a junior-transfer student from Seward County Community College leads for points with 67 points this season. Freshman, Abbi Douglas is the team leader for field goals percentage with .632. Senior, Becca Lewter has currently leads the team for free throws, making 100% of her shots.
The next home game will be on Saturday November 9 against the Mariners of the College of Coastal Georgia. Come out to the Randy Vernon Court to support the women’s basketball team at 2 p.m.
Photo by; Taylor Duke
Photo by: Taylor Duke
Review: Kanye West’s JesusIsKing
5.5/10
BY MIKE KRZYSTON Editor-in-Chief
Describing Kanye West as “bold” would be a bit of an understatement. After a manic and successful summer of 2018, which included not only releasing two of his own projects but also producing three others for artists such as Nas and Pusha T, Mr. West teased a follow up to 2013’s sporadic and lush “Yeezus.” The project, titled “Yahndi,” would never see the light of day after being pushed back multiple times, and was eventually scrapped to make way for West’s newest endeavor; the gospel-inspired “Jesus Is King.”
In the wake of West’s newfound Christianity he vowed to stop making secular music, stop cussing in songs and start creating music to glorify God and his beliefs. The result of this drastic change is a lack-luster record that feels more like demo tape rather than a polished album.
The problem is not the subject matter—West has never been shy of his relationship with Jesus, just look at tracks like “Jesus Walks” or “Ultralight Beam.” Where this record suffers is in the rushed production and poor lyricism. Take the easily forgettable cut “Closed On Sunday”, which opens up with the lines, “Closed on Sunday/ You my Chick-Fil-A,/ You my number 1/ With a lemonade.” Usually, West thrives on simple and absurd lyrics, however, the complexity of the material he is trying to cover in this record overpowers the need for humor.
“Jesus Is King” finds West as a victim to the public eye for making a drastic change in his music and life, comparing himself to key Biblical figures including Jesus Christ himself. “Before the flood, people judge/ They did the same thing to Noah/ Everybody wanted Yahndi/ Then Jesus Christ did the laundry,” he raps on “Selah.”
West even attacks fellow Christians on the track “Hands On”, saying, “Said I’m finna do a gospel album/ What have you been hearing from the Christians?/ They’ll be the first one to judge me/ Make it feel like nobody love me.”
Despite its flaws there are still some positives about “Jesus Is King.” Take the track “Follow God” for example, a song that features production similar to 2010’s “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” with its use of sampling and heavy bass drum. Along with this, the classic vulnerability of a Kanye record is still potent throughout “Jesus Is King” as he raps about his shortcomings as a Christian on the track “On God”, as well as his father’s denial of West’s newfound spirituality on “Follow God.”
It is also hard to consider this album a “gospel” album. Yes, the production includes choir samples and organs, and the lyrics are heavy with Bible references, however, like every Kanye West record, the songs are vain, arrogant and a little bit ignorant, perhaps more than ever.
Rather than completely glorifying God, like a gospel record would,
From the self-proclaimed “greatest artist living or dead”, “Jesus Is King” feels rushed and sloppy, with weak lyricism and shallow bars on even the best tracks. With one of the best discographies in all of hip-hop, as well as one of the most influential artists to multiple genres, Kanye West’s next move may be pivotal in his longevity as an artist. While his contribution to music is unquestionably significant, one can only hope that the next project from Mr. West has more bite than bark.
