The Patriot- October 29, 2015

Issue 4 | Oct. 29, 2015

Oct. 29, 2015

Letter from the Editor

Hello Students, We’ve reached the point in the semester that is quite possibly the hardest. Mid-terms are over but there’s still about a month and a half of school left and we’re running on coffee fumes and candy corn. While it’s easy to get discouraged, relish in all the incredible resources our campus has to help us in times of slump. The Academic Resource Center is always available for tutoring and with registration for next semester having started advisors are always a good place to find encouragement and inspiration. With the added pressure comes the desire to quit, or at least pretend to that you’re doing way better or worse than you actually are.

As the Halloween festivities are upon us and you see Halloween costumes around campus, allow yourself to be reminded that we all wear costumes and masks in everyday life. There’s always so much more under the surface, don’t let the outward appearances fool you. The individual who depicts a strong and confident demeanor can sometimes be the individual who struggles the most. College is a time to grow and learn, both inside the classroom and out. Allow yourself to try and fail, and make friends with the most unlikely of characters.

Reach out to one another, as we at The Patriot hope to reach out to the student body and the inhabitants of campus. Regardless of what costume or mask we wear on the outside, we’re all just trying to survive the semester, and ultimately we’re all just students of life, trying to learn as we go.

This has been a lesson that the staff at The Patriot has learned this semester. The journey to improve is never over and as a staff we’ve discovered that we all hold room for progress. So as this semester comes to a close, we strive to push each other to continue to reach our goals, and acknowledge the hurdles we overcome. We hope to continue to serve our campus and community and build our relationship with both the administration and with our readers.

Sincerely,

Natasha Jones

/patriotnewspaper

@UCThePatriot

UCTHEPATRIOT

(606-539-4172 *thepatriot@ucumberlands.edu - 7000 College Station Drive Williamsburg, Ky 40769

The 39 Steps 4 C Missions, Prisons and 6 O Spielberg N 8 Photo Spread T Halloween movies to E 10 make you feel like a N T S

kid again 12 Happy Boo-day

Life after college: 14 A devotional

The Patriot is the biweekly 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 Kentucky Press Association.

Editor-In-Chief

Natasha Jones

Staff Writers

Trenton Canada Ashton Rector

Assistant Editors

Liz Guillermo DJ Hite Lydia Jay Shyann Norris Christin Rottenberger

Faculty Advisor

Staff Photographer

Jeremiah Massengale

Eric Ford Edwards Jay Sanksa kulchai Editorial Review Board

Lisa Bartram Marianne Worthington

Securing the Safety How UC prepares for threats to campus

BY ASHTON R ECTOR Assistant Editor

event in addition to administration Gilbert said, “Yes and no… we probably don’t have as much regular ongoing training as we should with the faculty and staff and we’re aware of that, we’ve been discussing that for some time now.”

Cassidy Daugherty, UC sophomore says, “I don’t feel like you can really be prepared because it always seems like it always happens so far away, and we don’t have drills [at UC] or anything like we did in high school.”

“With the next edition of our student handbook, we are going to include more information about an active shooter on campus,” states Gilbert.

UC junior Jade Profitt comments, “I don’t feel safe at all. Not a single person on campus is allowed to have a gun so the best we can do is hide and hope they don’t find us. I think each professor should be trained in gun safety and allowed to keep a firearm in the room.”

Gilbert also adds, “Of course, one of the first things that we would ever do when anything happens is notify the campus community with our emergency notification system and that’s why we strongly suggest that everyone sign up on that system every year.”

This system sends important information about campus through text messages, web pages, RSS, PDA, email, text pager, Google, AOL, or My Yahoo Page.

One can access the emergency notification system sign-up page can be found on the UC website under the student tab and listed under tools and resources. Along with the ENS, there are published reports of crime and fire on campus dating back to 2002 under The Clery Act. This act states that all institutions of postsecondary education must publish an annual report that discloses crime statistics on campus as well as providing a “timely warning” that could pose a “threat to students and employees.” Also, that act declares that an individual, more detailed public crime log be made available. Violators of the act can be punished by the Department of Education and be fined up to $25,000.

More details on this act can be found on the UC website.

Coleman adds, “We talk about these things, we’re prepared, I read about what happens on other campuses so we can learn from those and to see how we can continue to prepare in the case that something like that would ever happen, but we’re a very safe campus. We’ve not had or received anything that would raise concern in those ways.”

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In recent years, school campuses around the United States have experienced tragic losses of students, faculty, and staff members directly related to the event of an active shooter being present. Also, events of written threats found on rest room walls at neighboring universities of Eastern Kentucky University and Union College have resulted in class cancellations. However, how would our campus respond if we were in that situation? University of the Cumberlands officials Mr. Kyle Gilbert, Vice President for Operations, and Dr. Emily Coleman, Vice President of Student Services speak about the plans in place if an event such as this were to happen on campus.

“When something doesn’t seem right, tell someone. Don’t just look the other way or don’t just participate by being a bystander. If something doesn’t seem right, or something doesn’t look right, or something doesn’t feel right, tell somebody so that we can look into it to make sure that we continue to keep the safe campus community we’ve always had,” states Coleman.

According to Coleman, students can call campus security, student services, or enter any office on campus to report safety concerns and campus security will respond.

Ethan Lake, a senior at UC says, “I feel completely and 100% safe on this campus. I feel like if there was such an event as an active shooter or something of that nature that the school would do it’s best to protect us.”

In the event of an active shooter, Coleman tells, “We have a formalized plan that works out step by step as to when we become aware, what do we do, where do we work together, what are our steps to lock down campus, and what are our steps to notify the campus community.”

An article recently released by Associated Press studied security and safety protocol at more than 40 universities reported, “Many public college and university systems leave it up to their individual campuses to draw up emergency plans and decide what level of training, if any, to give employees and students.”

Gilbert states, “The plan goes along with all guidelines that are put out by the department of homeland security, and it covers the wide range of anything that could possibly happen on campus.”

The exact plan was not explained in detail due to maintaining the protection of these safety measures. However, some of the safety protocols for events such as inclement weather can be located in the student handbook.

When asked if faculty members were aware on how to respond to such an

Photo by Ashton Rector

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Photo by Ramona Rosales Photo by Liz Guillermo

The 39 Steps

An insider’s look at UC Theatre’s newest production

UC Theatre’s work-study students work to construct

BY LIZ GUILLER MO

Features

Staff Writer

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Whenever you see a play in the theatre, you enter a world of suspended disbelief, which means that you put behind you what it real in the world that you exist in to believe in the world being shown to you on the stage. You perceive what is on stage as truth, become enchanted by the magic of the fictional, and at the end of it you leave, go back into the world that you know and continue your journey with a new piece in your head. What you don’t see, however, is the amount of effort, the everyday grind, the effort that is put into each word spoken and each platform walked on. The world that is known inside the theatre has been carefully and lovingly pieced together to give the audience a complete escape into a new environment.

This semester at UC, the University of the Cumberlands theatre department is presenting a play by the name of “The 39 Steps.” The play is a farcical retelling of a lesser-known Alfred Hitchcock film of the same name. A comedy force filled with mystery, spies, and murder! This is a play that will suspend your disbelief and send you to a place of intrigue. But what about all the work that is putting into it before it goes onto the stage for your pleasure? I may be a little biased as I’ve been involved in theatre my entire career at UC and am, in fact, cast in this play but I truly feel that diving deeper into how everything comes together is a journey that I’m ready to take you all on. So, let’s look into all of the steps to putting “The 39 Steps” in front of the audience: from casting to closing night and everything in between. We can explore each part of the play in more detail to help you to appreciate what all goes into the finished product.

First, we shall begin with the physical world of the play, the set. The set is built here on campus by students. Work study in the theatre revolves around

the set for the upcoming production, “The 39 Steps.”

building, painting and assembling the set. A ground plan is given to students and they work tirelessly to bring to life the designer’s dream of what will be on the stage. The use of the shop to measure lumber, cut, drill, and attach keeps the whole process inside the department. Allowing each set to be a part of us, just as much as the play itself. Students push themselves to build a set that they can be proud of, as well as a set that fulfills all of the needs of the actors and is safe to use in a variety of scenes. The theatre welcomes all students of any class level to join and help to build; to learn a new skill and to do a hands-on job they can be proud of. There is the construction aspect but they also get to go up on a suspended grid to hang lights, some students who are musically inclined get to help to not only pipe sound into the play but also to write and arrange new pieces for shows, for example a theme for “The 39 Steps” is being written in house.

I asked, freshman Nick Kidd how he feels about not only being cast in the play but actually helping to build the set, and he replied, “I feel like I’m completely involved in the play. It’s actually my first time ever building a set for a play and I’ve really enjoyed it. Especially knowing that I’m going to work on my own work; I think it’s pretty cool.”

It is pretty cool, when you think about it, how often do you get to experience all of the aspects of something? Not only do they get to build the set, but they also get to light the stage and work on the sound cues, even getting the chance to make them on their own. Students work about three hours in the afternoon every day to ensure the stage comes together. So far, we’ve hit on the stage, the lights, and the sound; but what about the clothing worn on stage?

Photo by Wesley Gra ham

A lice Neff, the costumer for the upcoming production, adjusts Liz Guillermo’s costume.

play. Here at UC that means director Dr. Kim Miller’s idea of what the play is translating to the audience through the cast. Each member is responsible for breathing into the character and the actors behind the characters are as different as can be and bring something different to each character. When I asked freshman football player Brandon Northern how he feels about being in front of an audience instead of a crowd he laughed and said, “If they cheer a lot, I’m gonna know ‘Yay! They like me!’ if they boo, I’m gonna know I need to stick with football.”

After it is broken down into all of its parts: at least 15 hours a week for set, five hours of costume fittings, fifteen hours a week of rehearsal, around 30 people on and off stage, and the countless outside hours of everyone’s time designing and learning to make the two hours or so you see on stage really worth suspending your disbelief. “The 39 Steps,” a story of mystery, spies, and murder is one that is being continuously molded and shaped for your viewing pleasure. The show opens on November 19th and goes through the 22nd, so take some time and come see all the parts come together to give you a show worth remembering. Maybe, now that you know a little more about what goes into the show, you will connect to the people on stage and really see how all their hard work comes to fruition. There are a lot of parts to making one show and sharing it with an audience is always a rush of pride and excitement. Nick Kidd put it best, as when I asked him what he was most excited about sharing with the audience. Kidd didn’t hesitate to reply, “All of it!”

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That is the one out of house aspect to the plays at UC, in fact, it’s an out of state import. The costumer, Alice Neff, actually comes in every semester from North Carolina bringing in tow costumes and ideas to bring the characters into the correct time period. This semester brings with her clothing similar to what was worn in 1930s London. Each fitting takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes of changing, pinning, and sometimes twirling. My own fitting involved learning how to fix a hat to my head using hat pins, and if you know me personally you may have noticed some changes that I’ve made for the play, namely dyeing my hair and wearing fake eyelashes.

These are all things we do to help make our character more real to us. While Alice is from North Carolina the work that she has put in through the years makes her just as part of the theatre family as those in house.

Lights, sound, set, clothing, and finally: action. The first step to getting people on stage is to fill in the cast list. We normally hold a casting call where people come in and deliver a monologue, then a call back where everyone is put through some scene and motion work, and finally the cast list is posted, positions are accepted, and we move into the first night of rehearsal: a read-through of the play. In most semesters, the rehearsal schedule is a basic Monday - Friday working each night from seven to ten. Fifteen hours a week just on stage, countless hours of the actor’s own time working accents and lines. Rehearsal is the time for the actors to work on the set as it’s being built and to go through a process called “blocking.” Blocking may seem strange but all it is really for is learning when and where to move on stage. Theatre is about action and movement, telling a story using people and action. Blocking allows the director to bring to life how they view the

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Missions, Prisons and Spielberg The untold story of Rose Marlowe, UC graduate and prisoner of the Japanese

BY TR ENTON CA NA DA

Features

Assistant Editor

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Anyone who knows me understands that I’m a history nerd, and if you didn’t know that, now you do. So, it comes to no surprise that a few weeks ago, during alumni weekend, I began digging into the history of the University of the Cumberlands. My first stop was the documented 100-year history of the institution, former UC president and current chancellor Dr. Jim Taylor’s book, “A Bright Shining City Set on a Hill.” Flipping through the pages, I wasn’t really learning anything that I didn’t already know. It seemed to be the same story any student or faculty hears at the Founders Day ceremony. That is, until my eyes landed on page 70. There, at the bottom of the page, was a picture of an elderly woman named Rose Marlowe. Marlowe’s picture didn’t stand out against the others included in the book; she appeared to be just another alumnus, just another name attached to the university. Yet, her story, both the one included in print next to her photo and the one I uncovered, is one that begs to be told, one that connects her to not only all of us but also to perhaps the most famous name in the film industry, Steven Spielberg.

According to birth records, Marlowe was born in 1890 in Pleasant View, Kentucky. The small bit of information about her included in Dr. Taylor’s book states that in 1912 Marlowe graduated from the Williamsburg Institute, which later became Cumberland College and then the University of the Cumberlands. The UC digital archives provided some light on Marlowe’s life as a student. She was listed in the yearbooks as a member of the art club, the Philosophian and the young ladies athletic club. After graduating, she joined the missions field through the Foreign Missions Board and the Southern Baptist Convention and is referenced in their official records.

Yet, included in that information presented by Dr. Taylor was the one statement that set me on a quest to uncover Marlowe’s story: “Miss Marlowe spent several months in an [Japanese] internment camp…” While this is incredibly interesting in itself (I mean, how many people do you know that spent time in such a place?), her story isn’t finished there. In fact, it’s just getting started.

According to the records obtained from the Foreign Mission Board, Marlowe was sent to Shanghai, China, in 1921, assigned to work with the Shungtak School as well as the Cantonese Baptist Church. It was during her time in that tensions across the world began to stiffen, leading to many conflicts and two world wars. In particular, Japan and China saw each other as enemies, and in 1937 Japan invaded China, bringing World War II to the Pacific. Following the invasion, Japan targeted many citizens and foreign occupants, including missionaries from the United States. This included Marlowe.

My next move was to find the camp that Marlowe was sent to in 1943. Dr. Taylor’s book mentioned that she moved to Louisville, Kentucky, upon returning to the United States. Some digging revealed that she attended the Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville. After speaking with a receptionist there and visiting the church’s online site, I found more information about Marlowe. Her online biography didn’t say much about her time in the prison camp, but it does mention that the camp was fashioned from “a school in Shanghai.” The question then was this: “How many prison camps in Shanghai were made from schools?”

As it turns out, just one.

p t S o L w m “ e p n

Photo taken from Dr. Jim Taylor’s 100-year histor y of UC, “A Bright Shining City Set on a Hill.”

Steven Spielberg and featured a very young Christian Bale as the lead.

Photono provided

by William So, there’s the connection. While there have been records foundTurtonerindicate with absolute certainty that Marlowe and Ballard knew each other, the evidence seems to suggest that they were interred in the same camp. Marlowethe woman born in Pleasant View, Kentucky, the 1912 Cumberlands graduate and missionary- appears to have been a captive in the very camp made famous

by Ballard and Spielberg.

Finding Marlowe’s story was more than I had hoped for. Marlowe was born and raised in southern Kentucky, an area that doesn’t get much recognition. Yet, she was able to not only attend college- an impressive feat for many women in the area at that time- but also stay courageous in the face of such adversity. So often we are told of the horrors of World War II, of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the fear that swept American soil. Yet, we seem to have forgotten of the perils that befell out citizens abroad. Marlowe dedicated her life to teaching and to her missions; that much is evident from all that she helped to establish in in the foreign mission field. Her life became a living nightmare and yet there is little remembered about her on our campus- no plaques or monuments dedicated in her honor, no mention of her true story in the annals of our history. She was forgotten, forgotten until now. Her story, and I suspect many others’, are hidden just beneath the surface of dust that covers them. We simply have to brush it off and follow the clues to uncover these forgotten stories of heroes close to home.

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Both Project Gutenberg and Greg Leck, author of “Captives of Empire,” provide the names of the documented Japanese prison camps, which held an estimated 125,000 civilian prisoners during World War II. Under the listings for Shanghai, China, only eight camps seem to have been created, and of those, only one was ever a school. Here’s where things get really exciting. The Lunghwa camp was listed as the former Chinese Kiansu Middle School, and while that name, “Lunghwa,” may not mean much to some, to avid readers it may ring a few bells. Lungwha was the setting for the famous JG Ballard novel “Empire of the Sun.” Ballard was a young boy when he entered into the Japanese internment camp, and his novel fictionalized some of the events that took place in Lungwha. The novel received so much attention that in 1987, an Oscarnominated movie of the same name was released. The film was directed by

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A Day with the Band The Patriot Marching Band takes the Practice Field

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Photos by: Jay Sanksakulchai

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Halloween movies that will make you feel like a kid again

BY NATASHA JONES

Editor-in-Chief

When the air gets colder, pumpkin spice fills the shelves of grocery stories, and the days grow shorter, you know Halloween is coming. It’ the time of year when no matter what age, you can dress up as someone else and indulge in so many new and old seasonal movies. As a college student, sometimes it’s tough to allow yourself to relax and take a break but Halloween movies help us do just that. Here’s a list of Halloween movies that will make you feel like a kid again.

8 Hocus Pocus Another classic film that stands as a staple for Halloween movies in everyone’s childhood; this comedic movie has humorous villains that make it hard to hate and a sense of romance. This movie is notorious for being a part of ABC’s Family “13 nights of Halloween,” and is a popular movie to be aired on cable, which makes it easier to, gives Halloween lovers their fix for the season.

W Casper This longtime generational flick is a must see in October.

This film has a bit more serious adult themes and dark tones in this film compared to some on this list but still a kidfriendly movie with lots of humorous personalities and teen drama. Casper the Friendly Ghost is icon in pop culture which makes the movie only more memorable.

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B Halloweentown Everyone’s favorite Disney Channel original movie and the town we all secretly wished we could visit. The original movie premiered in 1998, with the last movie featuring the original cast and lead coming out in 2004, viewers became really attached to the magical town and the characters in the film. It’s not Halloween if we don’t take a visit to Halloweentown.

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B The Nightmare before Christmas A movie that has a much larger time frame than most on this list as it can be enjoyed between the holiday seasons. Tim Burton’s animated world, Halloween Town gets shaken up when Jack Skeleton stumbles upon the portal to Christmas Town. This film provides fun, creative characters and worlds with added in suspense that make this a timeless classic.

8 Twitches The “Sister/Sister” duo alone is enough to allow you to feel nostalgic about this Disney Chanel original movie. Add in some supernatural magic and switched at birth twins and you’ve got a movie to get you into the Halloween season. v Casper Meets Wendy When Lizzie McGuire, before she was Lizzie McGuire, meets Casper the Friendly Ghost. This is a spinoff from the original Casper film. The great chemistry between the characters and the unfortunate circumstances of the lead character make this a film that leaves viewers feeling like they actually know the lead character and have empathy for her.

1 Edward Scissorhands Another great Tim Burton film that features Johnny Depp as an estranged, mysterious abandoned boy who has scissors for hands. When the local Avon lady discovers the boy, she takes him in as a part of her family which shakes the plain, lame, “normal” suburb up a bit.

BY CHRISTIN ROTTENBERGER

“Scream Queens,” the new hit series on FOX, has taken over and causes Twitter feeds to blow up every Tuesday night. Take this quiz to find out if you would survive against the Red Devil. Who is the Red Devil? Well, nobody truly knows. The Red Devil is the main antagonist of the series who is out for blood. His main targets are the women and men of Kappa Kappa Tau and the Dickie Dollar Scholars.

Staff Writer

1. What’s your go-to accessory? a. Scarf b. Bracelet c. Just one accessory? There’s too many to choose from!

2. You find out that someone is spreading rumors about you. What do you do? a. Confront them face to face b. Avoid everyone until the rumors stop c. Subtweet the person spreading rumors 3. What is your current pump up jam? a. “Can’t Feel my Face”- The Weenkd b. “Stitches”- Shawn Mendes c. “Drag me Down”- One Direction 4. What is your morning routine? a. Occasionally I’ll dress up, but only if I have the time b. Roll out of bed, throw on whatever, and go c. Dress to the nine’s. Every. Single. Day. 5. What do you get your best friend for their birthday? a. A CD from their favorite artist b. A gift card to Taco Bell c. Their entire Amazon Wishlist RESULTS Mostly A’s: You would survive a little too well against the Red Devil. Maybe you’re the Red Devil! You’re straight to the point and know what you want in life, whether it’s your next victim or with your friends.

Mostly B’s: Unfortunately, you would not survive against the Red Devil. You’re super easy-going and simple, which makes you the perfect target.

Mostly C’s: You’re cunning, witty, and ready to roll with the punches. You’d definitely survive against the Red Devil.

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2 Beetlejuice This fun but eerily creepy movie has some disturbing humor that will leave you eerily intrigued. This is a classic movie that’s not only appropriate for Halloween but has several characters end up as Halloween costume icons.

Would You survive

Photo by Er ic Ford Edwards

5 things that happen when Boo-Day is your birthday!

DJ HITE

Staff Writer 1. Candy! The coolest part of having my birthday on Halloween is getting the extra candy. As a kid that was one of the most exciting moments knowing that the night of Halloween I would be able to trick or treat and still get birthday presents and extra candy at the house. When I used to trick or treat I remember having bags and bags of candy that my family and I could never finish, so we would keep Halloween candy until Christmas.

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2. Popularity! Another thing that happens when your birthday is on Halloween and just like any other holiday, everyone remembers your birthday.

My friends growing up never forgot my birthday and also teachers. My teachers also used to do cool things like scary scavenger hunts or other Boo-day games during class because it was my birthday.

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3. Costumes! Not everyone gets to dress up on the birthday. As a kid it was such a thrill to dress up as one of my favorite superheroes or even a movie character. I remember one year when my birthday was nearing, I wanted to be a ninja. My mom and grandma helped me make a ninja costume and had so much fun. Having your birthday on Halloween is cool also because not everyone sees people in costumes on their birthday.

4. Halloween and my birthday is totally different now that I am older. The excitement is still there but the curiosity and fulfillment has died out. Now that I am older I don’t trick or treat as much anymore unless I am going with family or a younger sibling. The candy has turned into money because of all the responsibilities that come with age. Since I don’t trick or treat any more the old costumes just collect dust in the closet.

5. College! Halloween and my birthday in college is awesome. There are many different parties and activities that the university hosts every year. On top of that I get presents and gifts because of my birthday. College has forced me to dress up again because of the costume parties. My freshmen year my friend and I dressed up as the Fresh Prince and Carlton Banks for a Halloween party, which was a blast. Even though things have changed because of my age it is still awesome having your birthday on Boo-Day. The candy is endless no matter how old you get.

Confident:

A review of Demi Lavato’s recent album

BY CHR ISTIN ROTTENBERGER Staff Writer

putting someone’s happiness above yours even if that means you’re no longer in the picture. Lovato sings, “If happy is her, I’m happy for you.” With nothing but powerhouse vocals, a piano, and drums, this song is great for anyone who is experiencing a breakup.

Both “Kingdom Come” and “Waitin for You” are the only songs on the album that feature other artists besides Demi. “Kingdom Come,” featuring Iggy Azalea, is a fun song about being in love and wanting to rule the world with your special person. “Waitin for You,” featuring Sirah, has a different vibe. This track has strong lyrics about standing up for yourself and not letting anybody tear you down.

The next track, “Wildfire,” is a sultry tune about the fires of love and traveling through a relationship with no sense of direction. “Lionheart” follows and has a totally different message of love. This track is all about love conquering any and all problems a couple may face and having the spirit of a lion.

This song is also great for self-empowerment, giving people the realization that they can have more strength inside of them than they believe.

The final tracks of the album have a bit more emotion to them than the previous songs. “Yes” is a song that would remind anyone of a wedding. The lyrics suggest wedding vows and talk about giving yourself over not only to yourself but to the one you love. “Father,” the last track, is a message to Lovato’s late father. This song is a prayer not only to God but to her father, wishing him the best and praying for his peace in heaven.

Overall, the album has a great mix of songs, lyrics, and vibes. Be sure to pick up Confident on iTunes.

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Heartfelt, raw, motivational, fun. These are just a few feelings you experience when you listen to Demi Lovato’s new album Confident, Lovato’s fifth studio album, released on October 16 of this year. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200. Fans of Lovato, called Lovatics, were ecstatic about the album release since her last album was released in May of 2013. The former Disney Channel star gave her all recording this album, singing about anything from summer flings in her hit single “Cool for the Summer” to laying all of her emotions on the table for the heart wrenching track “Father.” In 2014, Lovato told MTV, “The sound (of the album) just evolves into everything that I’ve been and everything that I want to become. I’ve never been so sure of myself as an artist when it comes down to confidence.”

The album begins with a flourish of horns delivering a fierce fanfare, starting the title track “Confident.” The song continues with messages of not “holding your freak back” and making your own choices. “What’s wrong with being confident?” is repeated throughout the chorus, empowering listeners to love themselves and stay true to who they are. The second track, “Cool for the Summer” is a sultry song about summer flings and having fun. The electro-pop rock beats in the chorus make for the perfect party tune that’s easy to dance and let loose to.

“Old Ways” an empowering track about overcoming your past battles.

While previous albums by Demi have had songs similar to this one when it comes to the message, it’s a power song that’s fun to move to rather than a slow ballad. “For You,” the next track, is a song with a strong ‘80s vibe about loving someone more than they love you. With lyrics like, “I’d do anything for you. Nail my heart to the ceiling, put my fist through a wall,” it definitely hits close to home for anyone who’s been in a similar situation.

The breakup track “Stone Cold” is truly a masterpiece. This song is about

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Patience:

A devotional

Photo by Shyann Norris

SHYANN NOR R IS

Faith & Ministry

Staff Writer

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When being asked what stage of our life we are in our first response is usually, “I am in college.” The next question asked is usually, “What is your major?”

Some of us may have an answer to that question and some of us may not. As a young child I knew without a doubt what I wanted to major in but as time went on, my mind changed at least five times. I began to become impatient with what God wanted from me and my life. I knew what I wanted but what did God want? Patience was what I struggled with. I wanted a plan for my life and I needed something to prepare for; however, God wasn’t giving me the answer when I wanted it. This is when I learned that it wasn’t always my timing that mattered, it was God’s.

When it comes to future plans, something we may all struggle with is being patient. Consider Job in these situations. Job was one of the most patient people in the Bible. God continuously reminds me to keep the patience of Job. Despite every trial Job faced, he was patient. He was not quick to get upset or give up. He kept the faith. Not only did Job face many trails; he faced them all at the same time. This is much like what college can be like. If one thing happens, it is a host of things happening at the same time. This is where God needs to intervene for your life long decisions and plans. In Romans 5:3-4, God reminds us that in time of tribulation is when we need the most patience. “And not only so, but glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience, and experience, hope:…” (KJV).

Making a decision about your major or what you want to do with your life is nothing to take lightly and not the decision to make on your own. Let God guide you and lead you. My biggest fear in making a decision for my life is that I would make a decision that would only be for myself and not what God wants; therefore, I would miss out on letting God use me and being in His will.

The next time you feel as if you are needing an answer or needing God to show you where you need to be; consider yourself as Job. Trust in His timing.

I still to this day face times when I am uncertain of what God has for my life. Hebrews 10:36 (KJV) says, “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

Life after college: A devotional

BY LYDI A JAY Staff Writer

As we all know, the semester is winding down. For many of you that means you’ll be done with school come Christmas break. As for others the day of freedom, much needed sleep and being in the “real world” will be in the spring. Knowing that graduation is almost near can be both exciting and nerve wrecking, in figuring out the next step in life and walking into that season of your life after college. Some of you may know what the next step is in life; as for others, they may not. That’s okay. The important part is getting to the place where you know what your next step is and having peace about the next step and walking in that season in your life. So how do we do that? How do we go beyond making good grades and passing your classes? How do we know that the next step we take after college is the right one for us? How do we even begin to find out the next step in our lives? What’s next to do after we’ve done all were supposed to do and still don’t have a clue as to what to do? Who do we go to after we’ve done all we can do on our own? These are the many questions that go through our minds, whether we verbally express it or not. So how do we get the answers to all of these questions? How do we ensure that our life after college will ensure that we have the right job, grad school, living environment, vehicle, marriage or no marriage, money etc. It’s simple; you go to the only one who knows everything and who is more than willing to help us. God. So how do we allow God to help us?

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One: You need to surrender. We have to come to a point in our lives where we give up the reins of attempting to run and control our lives and admit that we need help. That we need God’s help. When you surrender you are going out on a limb and trusting that things will work out without you’re doing. Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Two: Pray. When you pray talk to God as if you would a friend. Tell Him about your concerns, your desires, plans, requests, feelings, and ask him to reveal to you how all that you on what you should do. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (KJV) says, “Pray without ceasing.” Pray for Him to reveal to you the direction you are meant to take and to have the strength to walk in it. Even when your prayers aren’t answered right then and there continue to pray; don’t stop. 1 Chronicles 16:11 (KJV) says, “Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.”

Be Blessed.

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Three: Wait patiently and expectantly. Be patient and confident that the Lord will speak to you on what to do. Be confident that you will hear and know when He is speaking. Expect for Him to speak to you and reveal the life he has for you. Psalm 32:8 (ESV) says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Habakkuk 2: 3 (KJV) reminds us, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.”

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