The The University of the Student Newspaper University of Cumberlands the Cumberlands Student Newspaper
Spring Issue 8 April 2018 Spring Issue March 29,13, 2018 Spring Issue 76April 5, 2018
Bradshaw passes wisdom to UC students
Friday April 13, 2018
Editor-In-Chief Eric Ford Edwards Managing Editor Megan Willoughby Faculty Adviser Jeremiah Massengale
Hello readers, Welcome to another edition of The Patriot. For this letter I’m going to deviate from my usual format and express my thoughts about the message given at the recent convocation. During the Forcht Leadership Convocation UC had the honor of hosting four-time Super Bowl winner Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw spoke a lot about reaching your full potential, striving to lead others with mutual respect, and trusting God throughout it all. My personal experience with football consisted of one season of little league, many hours of confusion and a very clean jersey. I was so talented; in fact, I was put on a special team that was only used as a last resort. While my experience in football was minimal, I have found myself in a position of leadership at the collegiate level. Bradshaw explained that at some of the most pivotal points of his life he wasn’t always sure where it would lead, but he kept driving toward the best version of himself. This has led him to a life of success and more career options because of his NFL achievements. Bradshaw’s message to the student body struck me because I, like most of the graduating class, are at a cross road in our lives. After 16 years of being educated, we now have to scramble to revise our resumes adding our newly acquired skills, then sending out these resumes, blocking out time to grab coffee with professionals, and hustling to find a job in the field we’ve studied for the last four years. It’s stressful. What if I’m not ready to walk up the steps in The Rollins Center, grab my diploma, shake Dr. Cockrum’s hand and jump out of the metaphorical nest? The one nugget of knowledge that I stowed away from Bradshaw’s address was that determination will help propel you toward your goals. So, my advice to all the students, which is equivalent to reheated leftovers, is trust in God and keep driving forward.
Eric Ford Edwards
Staff Emilee Agee Taylor Duke Leanne Gregory Tyler Kohn Mike Krzyston Megan Muggridge Nichole Sharp Zane Ross Editorial Review Board Lisa Bartram Marianne Worthington
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 weekly 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.
Page 3 News
Paragon springs on to stage BY TAYLOR DUKE Sta ff Writer
UC’s theatre department took to the stage on April 12 to showcase the spring play, “Paragon Springs.” Set in a Wisconsin town during 1926, this tale of small-town drama is set to make you laugh and question the facts. Written by Steven Dietz, “Paragon Springs” is an adaptation based off of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People.” The story goes that the town of Paragon Springs has healing waters that many travel far and wide to partake in. In a mysterious series of events, the water becomes poisoned, leaving the towns people to figure out why this is happening before the town begins its eminent downward spiral. UC junior Foster Colvin plays Dr. Thomas Stockman, the main character in the play and the town’s campaigner for the truth. When talking about his role Colvin stated, “It isn’t my first time playing the lead role, but it is among the most challenging for me to play. It’s because there’s a fairly wide emotional spectrum to the character. I start with life being all good and excited for a particular reason but, later in the play, I get extremely ticked off only to be optimistic again a minute later. I do feel, though, that this was a rewarding role to play, and I am enjoying it.” Dr. Kim Miller, the artistic director of UC Theatre, and the students in the production have put a lot of effort and time into rehearsing Paragon Springs. When talking about the dynamic of rehearsals, freshman Makayla Tallant stated, “The cast is really fun to work with. The backstage crew is all on the same page. We’re never, not working together so that makes the show much easier to go through. Everyone is really great to work with and it’s a great production.” The theatre program has become a home and sanctuary for Colvin. Colvin said, “This cast and crew are extremely connected in ways that cannot be fully understood to outsiders. The whole bunch of us have been a part of multiple productions and projects from this department. We always try to push each other to be our best, and we have a heart and soul for this department no matter what major we have. That is how our bond endures.”
Performances of “Paragon Springs” will be held in the Kohn Theatre from April 12 to the 14 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee show on April 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets for the community are $10, student tickets are $5, and tickets for UC students are free.
Page 4 News
Photo by Mike Krzyston
BY MIKE KR Z YSTON Sta ff Writer
Football and faith Terry Bradshaw speaks at Excellence in Leadership event
On April 10, at the 13th annual Excellence in Leadership Series event held in the O. Wayne Rollins Center, the University of the Cumberlands hosted former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw as the main speaker. Cam Baxley, a UC junior, said, “It was an absolute honor to have him here. I think everyone learned a lot,” Baxley said. Headlining speaker Terry Bradshaw was introduced by a short speech from UC president Dr. Larry Cockrum and a video featuring quotes by Bradshaw, as well as game footage and scenes from his movies and television appearances. As a warm welcome, the crowd waved yellow towels in the air as Bradshaw took the stage, in lieu of the “terrible towel,” a widely recognized symbol for fans of the Pittsburg Steelers. “Terry offered a lot of life lessons throughout his speech that I think a lot of students enjoyed,” said Milton Shelton, a UC sophomore. From the second Bradshaw stepped up to speak, the crowd was engrossed in what he had to say. He spoke with vigor and passion about his path to playing in the NFL, his role as a leader on a team, as well as his family, and his faith.
While Bradshaw’s claim to fame is his time playing as the quarterback for Pittsburgh through the ‘70s, he is also known for his broadcasting career, his acting roles in movies such as “Failure to Launch” and “Father Figures,” his faith as a Christian, and even his singing career. It was Bradshaw’s talk about leadership and never giving up that captivated the crowd, however. He discussed the importance of being a happy person, being good to others, and building relationships with one another. Bradshaw, an outspoken Christian, explained to the crowd how his faith makes him feel free and fearless. Throughout the entire speech, soft “amens” could be heard lingering in the crowd. “Above all, I am most proud of the fact that I have never quit anything,” said Bradshaw. For students who attended the event, Bradshaw’s words moved mountains, and provided inspirational entertainment for the closing weeks of the semester.
Page 5 Sports
Putting up the Podium Photos courtesy of UC Sports Information BY TAYLOR DUKE Sta ff Writer
The University of the Cumberlands’ women’s golf team continues their stellar season with a 1st place finish at the Mid-South Conference Spring Tournament also known as the Dale Hollow Invite that took place in Burkesville, KY on April 9 and 10. As of this MSC Spring Tournament win, the team has won seven of their tournaments this year. UC’s team for this invite consisted of senior Kaitlyn Riley, sophomore Hannah Griffith, and freshmen Lucia Pena, Katie Jones, Carlee Shoemaker and Mattie Cardin (who competed as an individual). On day one of the tournament, the Patriots finished tied for first alongside Cumberland University team with team rounds of 321. Team captain Kaitlyn Riley continued to standout for the Patriot’s program with her fifth individual first place finish of the season. On day one of the tournament Riley was both the daily leader as well as the daily low round with a round of 73. Riley said, “This season has obviously been great for me. This semester I have won 3 tournaments individually and that’s a
great way to round out my senior year. Last year we had a team made up of mostly seniors and myself who was a junior. This years team is a lot different since we had 4 freshman and a sophomore come in that were completely new. Since it has been a very young team I think we have grown a lot and have showed great improvement.” Day two was an opportunity for another Patriot golfer to standout. Carlee Shoemaker, a UC freshman, made a comeback by shooting a 73 on the course when par is 72. When talking about the tournament overall, Shoemaker states, “We all played really strong and came out with a win. I’ve definitely grown a lot as a player psychically and mentally as a player since I’ve been here. Coming here I wasn’t really good at course management but Coach Riggs has really helped me with that.” The women’s golf team will next compete in the MSC Conference Championship taking place in Bowling Green, KY on April 23 through 25.
Page 6 Features
‘The Push’: a masterclass in ethical dilemmas
BY NICK BOYS Guest Writer
Derren Brown’s latest project “The Push” reveals the shocking depth of peer pressure in a way so entertaining you almost feel guilty. The new Netflix special released in February highlights Brown, a British mentalist and illusionist, and his incredible use of the powers of suggestion and social compliance. Brown uses a series of social cues to raise the stakes and ultimately answer one question, as he ponders, “Can we be manipulated through the familiar forces of social pressure to commit murder?” What ensues is the kind of captivating television that leaves you picking your jaw up off the floor on more than one occasion. We begin with our lovable guinea pig (subject, if you prefer) Chris, a 29-yearold man who is invited to a fictional charity launch after he is led to believe he has picked up a contract to develop an app for the charity. Chris becomes the focal point of the 70-minute special as you can’t help but feel sympathetic about the social manipulation he incurs as it’s clear he has good intentions at heart. This sense of empathy and living vicariously through Chris is the truly enjoyable aspect of the special as it becomes a personal game to think how far each one of us could be pushed given the same circumstances. Nonetheless, the depth of Brown’s set up is truly incredible and keeps the ruse intact for Chris and the viewer. From the upscale appearance of the venue to the celebrity testimonies in favor of the fake charity, the cooperation of the whole experiment is commendable. The background of the experiment is seamlessly weaved in with Chris’ journey through the ethical gauntlet. Although
Brown tries to establish and prove that any given person can be manipulated, he outs himself by revealing Chris was hand-picked through a series of social compliance tests. This devalues the perception of Brown’s abilities of manipulation and social pressure knowing that Chris was pigeon-holed as the prized pig of social compliance. From his arrival at the launch, Chris faces an onslaught of social challenges testing his moral code. Brown excellently masterminds the experiment to start out slow and “harmless” such as not telling Chris it is a black tie event in an attempt to have him feel subservient to others and labeling the sausage rolls as vegetarian to more intense tests such as presenting a fraudulent speech. The escalation of the tasks that Chris is faced with is what creates this “can’t-miss” atmosphere around what the next test will be and ultimately whether Chris will be manipulated to push a person off a building. Because everyone is “in on it” but Chris, the acting on display is the real key in the execution of the experiment. Tom, acting as the director of the charity does a fantastic job of both keeping Chris on script and following social cues as well as improvising upon Chris’ reactions to each task. The other slew of supporting actors also play a huge role in setting the scene and deliver their parts flawlessly. All of the background research, elaborate set up, and flawless acting culminate as Chris finds himself on the roof asked to push a man to his death. And does he do it? Well there’s only one way to find out... 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Page 7 Entertainment
Game On A review review of: of: a
BY EMILEE AGEE Staff Writer
Based on the book by Ernest Cline, from director Steven Spielberg, “Ready Player One,” released March 29 is the perfect movie for all ages. Set in 2045, where people all over the world are playing OASIS, a virtual reality universe game created by a man named James Halliday. When Halliday dies he leaves his fortune to whoever finds all the Easter eggs he hides somewhere in OASIS, which creates an intense global competition. The protagonist, Wade Watts (played by Tye Sheridan) finds himself in the middle of it all and where he and his teammates discover danger along the way. If you are familiar with Spielberg’s movies or are an avid video game fan, you will appreciate the references and the Easter eggs that are found throughout the movie. From mentions of movies like the “Iron Giant” to “Fight Club” as well as old school games like “Adventure” and “Sword Quest” and new like “Overwatch” and “Minecraft,” it covers all the bases for different age groups too. At the same time, even if you
didn’t know the first thing about video games the action and storyline are enough to keep you absorbed the whole time. At one point, characters enter into the Overlook Hotel from “The Shining” and things get spooky, but the movie has its fair share of scenes that are also lighthearted and funny as well as nostalgic, so there is a spectrum of emotion that the movie pulls you through. So, whether you are into geek culture or not, you don’t need to understand the references or have any prior knowledge from the book to enjoy it. If you’ve ever thought about just how close our society is today to being able to achieve this degree of virtual reality, where people from different countries all play at the same time in one virtual world, it’s not so far-fetched and feeds a curiosity about the future of gaming and expanding its capabilities. The combination of animation and life-action are visually entertaining and help to cut through some of the scenes that drag. If you’re looking for a flick that brings out the kid in you, “Ready Player One” is for you.
