University of the Cumberlands Student Newspaper
One Big Give
Cumberlands Fundraising Campaign is a Major Success
BY:
One Big Give faced its third annual year this November 12th, 2024, crushing its donor goal of 2,024, with 2,692 donors raising over $300,000 for the University of the Cumberlands. “One Big Give is the University of the Cumberland’s annual 24-hour fundraiser,” said Courtney Bidwell, the manager of Strategic Studies at the University of the Cumberlands. One Big Give is a way for anyone who desires to financially support the university to help the students who attend campus-wide. “It’s campuswide. So, it’s from the departments to teams, clubs, and organizations. It’s everything.” stated Bidwell. Whether a family of a student, an alumni, a current or prospective student, or someone who wants to give, the University of the Cumberlands recognizes One Big Give as the time to do it.
Bidwell says, “While all over smaller private institutions have chosen to increase and increase and increase their tuition and cost, Cumberlands has gone the opposite direction and they’ve tried every possible way to make it affordable and make this a place where students feel supported.” University of the Cumberland’s has aimed to make college affordable. They have shown this through their mission to provide a quality, affordable education to students from all backgrounds. Therefore, they offer a one-price guarantee and free textbooks; over 96% of students receive financial assistance. Through donations of One Big Give, students can achieve their goals and reach their academic standards without worrying about excessive debt or out-of-pocket costs.
Bidwell stated, “One Big Give to me is a
bigger way to celebrate philanthropy and giving because you have those matching funds.” One Big Give has 24 hours set apart from the rest of the year, where people can have matching funds to the University. Matching funds are funds set to be paid in matching the cost that someone else can spend. During One Big Give this year, there was a match for Scholarships and the Ministry department, with all gifts directly to them, matching 1:1 separately up to $15,000. This match was completed, as not only did they receive $15,000 each, but it was doubled! The most substantial donations were to the Athletic Department, reaching $165,700. UC baseball is the most raised in this category, with only 77 donors reaching $35,600! Donations have been shown to improve lives and make a difference at UC. Savannah Wagers, Donor Relations Coordinator for the Office of Development at UC, said,” It was so impactful to watch them [clubs and organizations] fundraise for stuff they need. They were so surprised at it that they were able to reach their goals, and some even exceeded their goals. They [students] can take these trips and not have to worry about paying out of pocket.” For example, the Education Club, Kappa Delta Pi, receives $2,207. The donations they receive will help in service projects like helping support local Pk-12 schools by supplying them with needed supplies or volunteering their time. Therefore, One Big Give helps pay for the experiences and materials of the students growing in their field, and when they become alumni, they can also give back to help current and prospective students develop in the way others have helped them.
Verses to Live By
One Big Give is more than just a fundraiser; it’s a celebration of community united to support the University of the Cumberlands students. This year’s event saw overwhelming donor participation. The departments, teams, and organizations reaching–and some exceeding–their fundraising goals make a difference for students having the resources for academics and extracurriculars while helping student’s thrive without financial worry. Donations are still welcome online at www.ucumberlands. edu/giveday, where every gift is greatly appreciated by UC staff, faculty, and students.
PHOTO BY AMANDA GAULT
NIC LEWIS STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY AMANDA GAULT
Lifestyle Letter From the Managing Editor
Hey Patriots!
I hope the second bi-term finds you all well. As we go into week five, I would like to remind everyone how hardworking you all are as students. College is a big step in adult life. I remember the first time I sat on the plane here, thinking of my new life ahead of me. Although I was excited, there was also a fear inside of me. I was scared of how college would treat me. What if I didn’t make any friends, didn’t pass my classes, or I would miss home too much. All of those thoughts were going through my mind as I was flying over the Atlantic to my new life.
For everyone struggling with being homesick, I can relate to the feeling of missing home. Especially as we still have around three more weeks before Christmas break. During my freshman year, this time was the hardest for me. I was so close to going home. I want to remind all of you who are missing home a little extra not to give up. Even though the feeling of homesickness wants to take over your mind, remind yourself how strong you are about taking the step of starting college.
There are a lot of things to do when you feel homesick. Our campus never makes college life boring. I would like to shout out CAB for arranging incredible events for our students. CAB and many more campus organizations arrange events throughout the semester to attend when you feel bored, homesick, or need a break from homework. For example, Worry Free Wednesdays is a highly appreciated recurrent event for students. My all-time favorite event on campus is bingo. Even though I have never won anything, I still recommend that everyone attend the next bingo event.
With that said, I hope everyone stays strong for the next few weeks before an anticipated Thanksgiving Break. For all the international students waiting to go home over Christmas, hang in there. Remember to work hard, be kind, and take time to relax. The break will be here before you know it!
Staff
Editor- in- Chief
Morgan Roberts
Managing Editor
Filippa Malmstrom
Social Media Coordinator
Shayra Calderon
Staff Writers
Nicholas Jackson
Alexander Legg
Nic Lewis
Hannah Phillips
Sydney Schwenke
Staff Photographers
Lilly Mckeehan
Jonah Mumford
Brittany Smith
Faculty Advisor
Jeremiah Massengale
Warm Up This Fall
Quick and Easy Recipes for College Students
BY: HANNAH PHILLIPS STAFF WRITER
College students often face tight schedules and limited cooking facilities, making it challenging to prepare full meals. The practical solution: meals in a mug! These recipes require minimal ingredients and are made using a microwave and a mug, allowing quick preparation. From savory options like mac and cheese or hearty soups to desserts like mug cakes, meals in a mug cater to various tastes and dietary needs. Customizing ingredients based on what is available adds to the convenience of a mug recipe. By utilizing mug meals, students can efficiently create dinners or desserts without relying solely on cafeteria food or takeout. Here are a few different recipes that can be made at your leisure for a cozy night in.
#1: Potato soup
This recipe is a great way to make a classic favorite using only a microwave and 10 minutes of your time. Furthermore, all the toppings in this recipe are optional to accommodate your taste. Start by dicing ½ of a medium potato and placing it in a microwave-safe mug. Add ½
cup of vegetable broth and a pinch of salt and pepper. Microwave for 3-4 minutes until the potato is tender, stirring halfway through. Once it’s cooked, stir in 2 tablespoons of milk or cream for added richness. Optionally, you can top it with shredded cheese, chopped green onions, bacon bits, or a dollop of sour cream.
#2: Cinnamon roll cake
Cinnamon rolls are a classic testament to the season upon us. While a recipe for actual cinnamon rolls requires hours of labor and money, this recipe is quick and only needs a mug and a few ingredients to complete. In a microwavable mug, mix 4 tablespoons of allpurpose flour, ¼ teaspoon of baking powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon in a mug. Then, add 3 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and stir it all together until it’s well blended. Microwave for 1 to 1 ½ minutes until it’s cooked through. If you want to make it extra tasty, drizzle some icing from powdered sugar and a bit of milk.
#3: Macaroni and cheese
Nothing quite says Thanksgiving dinner without a timeless recipe of macaroni and cheese. If you can’t wait for the big day to arrive, here’s a convenient recipe for macaroni and cheese that students can make for dinner or a quick snack in minutes. Mix ½ cup of elbow macaroni noodles and ½ cup of water in a microwave-safe mug. Microwave it for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the pasta is cooked. Then, add ½ cup of shredded cheese (cheddar is excellent), along with some salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything together until the cheese
melts and you have a creamy sauce. You can add other toppings, such as shredded chicken, bacon bits, or breadcrumbs, if you desire.
#4: Chocolate mug cake
For a quick and delicious dessert, try making a chocolate mug cake. This easy twist on a classic chocolate cake is perfect for a study break snack or a celebratory reward. Mix 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, and ⅛ teaspoon of baking powder in a microwave-safe mug. Add 3 tablespoons of milk and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, stirring until smooth. You can also mix in some chocolate chips or nuts if you like. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, checking to ensure the cake rises and is set. Allow it to cool slightly before enjoying it. You can add a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for an extra bite of sweetness.
If you try one of these recipes, send us a picture on Instagram @UCTHEPATRIOT for a chance to be featured on our story!
PHOTO COURTESY OF FILIPPA MALMSTROM
From Classroom to Newsroom
Young Journalists Connect and Learn at This Year’s Media Convention
PHOTO BY JEREMIAH MASSENGALE
BY: HANNAH PHILLIPS STAFF WRITER
Last week, four members from The Patriot traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana, to attend the National College Media Convention. Editor-in-Chief Morgan Roberts, photographer Shayra Calderon, writer Hannah Phillips, and designer Marinah Akridge participated in the conference to learn more about journalism, media, and scholarly and career opportunities. The National College Media Association was created in 1954 and annually serves as the nation’s largest gathering of college journalists and advisors. It lasted three days at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans, featuring speakers from around the country to offer sessions of expertise and advice to young journalists.
On Thursday, the team arrived at the Sheraton at 9:00 a.m. to attend the college fair held in the main lobby of the conference. At the event, graduate schools from around the country set up in hopes of drawing students in to apply to their facility. Institutions in attendance included Syracuse University, the University of Alabama, the University of Southern California, and others. Also in attendance were other booths such as travel abroad opportunities, legal help for
newspaper teams, giveaways, and advertisements for different organizations.
The team then split up to attend different info sessions of our choice. Morgan Roberts and I attended “Want to be a better storyteller?” hosted by a professor at Augustana University, Janet Blank-Libra. In the session, we learned different techniques to become better storytellers.
The group met up for the Keynote session featuring photographer Kathy Anderson. After lunch, I attended a music-making session hosted by publisher Jan Ramsey.
The group had free time after the conference. Since it was Halloween, Morgan, Marinah, and I decided to attend a local ghost tour through the French Quarter. We learned about the city’s haunted history and how the area’s architecture has contributed to spooky folktales over the last several centuries. After the ghost tour, we indulged in some timeless beignets from Cafe Du Monde.
Friday, we got an early start to the conference. I arrived around 8:30 a.m. to attend a 9:00 a.m. session, Get Out of Your Comfort Zone, by speaker Sacha DeVroomen Bellman. This session entailed the importance of committing to uncomfortable topics and meeting with strangers for their input on different topics. Shayra attended “Breaking News: The Revolution is on Social Media” to strengthen her skills with social media apps regarding The Patriot.
“We watched PowerPoints showing the stats of students who read the paper when it is advertised on social media versus students who read an unadvertised newspaper. They also discussed the best times to post, and different trends to keep up with.”
When the group met for lunch, we decided to attend a local diner- Coterie NOLA. We tried different cuisines and experimented with new flavors and seasonings. We went back to the Sheraton for the afternoon sessions, where we all attended Chicken Salad: by Michael
Crossword
Fall at the Cumberlands!
Koretzky and learned the ‘rights and wrongs’ of a newspaper. We split and attended our final session of the day- I chose Great Journalism on a Private Campus by Elizabeth Smith.
Friday night, we all walked to the Smoothie King Arena and attended an NBA game. The New Orleans Pelicans played the Indiana Pacers, and the Pelicans won by only a few points. Everyone had a great time, and Marinah even caught a t-shirt from a cannon during halftime.
Saturday, we ventured out into the city to explore and shop before leaving later in the evening. Morgan, Marinah, and I went to the Garden District and had brunch at a local spotThe Chicory House. Afterward, we made our way down to Magazine Street for some final shopping before returning to the Sheraton for the award ceremony. We had a great time watching schools nationwide compete and win in different categories such as newspapers, online channels, or specific articles. After the award ceremony, we grabbed dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, then hit the road for the ten-hour drive home.
The trip to New Orleans for the National College Media Convention was not only an educational experience but also an opportunity for the team from The Patriot to bond, explore, and reflect on the future of journalism. The lessons learned from different sessions will undoubtedly shape how we approach our work moving forward. As we consider our futures, we are grateful for the chance to attend such a vibrant learning environment and are excited to continue growing as student journalists.
BY: NIC LEWIS STAFF WRITER
On Campus Does Hypnosis Work?
BY: NIC LEWIS STAFF WRITER
An Event Hosted by the Campus Activities Board
PHOTO BY NIC LEWIS
On Nov. 5, David Antony, a magician and hypnotist from Cleveland, Ohio, came to the University of the Cumberlands campus. Sponsored by the Campus Activities Board (CAB), Anthony aimed to provide entertainment and hypnotize some students at UC. He began with relatively twenty chairs on stage and asked for any willing participants from the audience to come on stage and fill a seat.
One of the participants, Hannah Phillips, a communication major and senior at UC, said, ”He [Anthony] basically spoke to us calmly and told us to relax; it felt like 15 to 20 minutes. Then, he told us to open our eyes and stare at the lightbulb and told us to ‘don’t blink, don’t move, don’t look away.’ By the end of that, my eyes were more watery and tired which I believe was the purpose of that. Then, I was further out. After, he would tap on our necks to lean our head down, and he started telling us to do stuff.”
Anthony would tell the audience to be quiet until he spoke otherwise. During the show, he created illusions for the participants and audience alike by using low lighting, soothing tone, repetitive speech, and ambient sound to invite a relax-
ing atmosphere and, theoretically, to take the participants into a more accessible state of hypnosis.
People may enter hypnosis with a skeptical mind, but the pressure to perform in front of an audience can influence them. Phillips stated, “He [Anthony] stated at the beginning that he would be sending people back to their seats if the hypnosis didn’t work on them. So, he said he was looking for the boldest, biggest movements, and I think that sent a lot of people into a performance mode.”
Cam Jackson, a social work major and sophomore at UC, had a different experience; he says, “Going up there, I was very nervous to start out; once it started, I felt very relaxed. From there, I let the show take its course. It was successful, in my opinion.”
Anthony had the participants undergo various acts, such as playing an instrument, smelling foul smells, restricted movement, and losing belly buttons. Yes, you read that correctly. But was there ever a moment of lost control?
Jackson says, “I definitely won’t say he [Anthony] had full control. I still had some feelings of my own, like I knew what I was doing. I knew where I was that type of thing. But, I would say
he did have a bit of like psychological [control.]”
Phillips states, “Whenever I’ve watched people be hypnotized, I’ve always thought like they didn’t know what was going on. Like they’re unaware of what’s happening; they’re just a body following commands. But that wasn’t what was happening. It was more like I was so relaxed and just doing anything he said because it felt like if I didn’t do what he said to do, I would be doing something wrong.”
One of Anthony’s acts was to make people forget their names. In response, he would ask various people what their name was. After the show, Jackson said, ”I actually genuinely, at the moment, when he asked me what my name was, all I could think about was the letter C, but Cam just wouldn’t come out.” Jackson wasn’t the only person Anthony gave tasks to.
Phillip states, “At one point, he told me that every time the crowd cheered, I would stand up and blow kisses to the crowd…I really played into that. But It was more like I was in like a dream, or something like a lucid dream, almost cause like I was there. I was aware. I knew it was happening.”
After the show ended, Anthony told the participants that they would be very relaxed and recall everything that had happened. Jackson states,” I felt like I just woke up from a nap. I had practice that day, and I was super tired before the show, but after my experience, my body generally felt like I had taken on a little bit of rest. I could have gone out and had a whole other practice; it was cool.” Anthony’s hypnotism shows as the UC left participants with varying perspectives. Some felt hypnotized, while others remained aware and in control. The performance showcased the mind’s ability to enter altered states through suggestions, sparking curiosity and conversation.
Tackling Seasonal Depression
BY: ALEXANDER LEGG STAFF WRITER
Daylight saving came as a time change meant to save both energy spent in a day and a means to make better use of the daylight when the shift from fall to winter would occur, which by itself would usher in an era of shorter days and longer nights. Germany and its ally Austria were the first countries to acknowledge the benefits that Daylight Saving Time posed when it came to the resources that the civilians needed that were also required for the efforts in World War I, precisely on April 30, 1916.
Now, that is not to say the concept itself was not stolen, as a small town in Ontario, Canada called Thunder Bay, formerly known as Port Arthur, was the first population to utilize this system and reap the rewards of such a novel idea, coming from a British builder named William Willett and a conversation he had with a New Zealand scientist called George Hudson back in 1908 on July 1. It was one of the most
prominent and accepted markers for winter’s beginning. It slowly encompassed the world, thus calling for more energy and resources unavailable as crops, and the natural human drive to work dwindled without the sun.
Following upon the naturally diminished motivation that people find during the change of season into winter, it is not entirely uncommon for people to find themselves in a down mood, more commonly known as Seasonal Depression. As a branch of Major Depression Disorder, there has been a noticeable surge of seasonal depression right around the time change that has occurred this bi-term, as described by Dr. Gina Bowlin, who is the director of behavioral health in the Browing Annex, sometimes known as the Counseling Center.
Bowlin proceeds to reference that “someone who might not always struggle with depression might struggle with depression during the fall or winter season. Like you said, less ability to be active can bring the bigger symptoms of depression…”. There can be other factors that come into play when one considers their own mental space as well as emotional
happiness, which is why Bowlin encourages all of those who seek assistance to look at the options the school provides regarding therapy. As a part of the plentiful resources the school provides to the students attending, onsite counseling sessions are available to students attending in person. There is no charge to any students who set up appointments with the two full-time therapists who work next to Bowlin. These appointments can be set up online by emailing counselingcenter@ucumberlands. edu and asking to meet with a therapist, but walk-ins are also accepted and accommodated as long as there is a gap within the schedule. Would you like to go and visit the facility and schedule? The Browning Annex is situated behind the Correll building and shares a parking lot with the science building itself. Something that can always be expected is a small segment of paperwork. That way, the therapist can find a better way to help their clients and be a part of an assessment that comes with the first visit. This assessment can occur later, but it will make the very first visit vastly different from every session after as you are trouble-shooting on the first meeting, then striving to meet your goals and find a sense of fulfillment when working with the counselor you are paired with.
Free Counseling Available for Students
PHOTO BY LILLY MCKEEHAN