liberty champion march 24, 2015

Ellie [email protected]

Columnist, author and political commenta-tor Cal Thomas spoke Wednesday, March 19, at the Jerry Falwell Li-brary to a group of stu-dents and staff about journalism. He told his personal story and gave students advice from his experiences.

I started in radio when I was 16, two weeks after my voice changed, Thomas said, with crowd laughter quickly following the statement.

Thomas has never questioned the ca-reer path he chose, and he made that clear to students.

I knew really early that

this was what I wanted to do, Thomas said. I was very fortunate.

Two years later, at the age of 18, Thomas joined NBC as a copy boy. Thomas said he used this smaller job as a way to work up to the position he wanted a network correspondent.

I was in the door, Thomas said. This is the most important thing. If you have to become a janitor, if you have to clean toilets at night on the overnight shift, get in the door of wherever it is you want to be. You cant do anything outside the door. But once you get in the door, you can impress people with your work ethic and desire to learn.

Thomas said he took

home scripts at night to learn more about writing.

I learned more on the job than I ever learned in a classroom, Thomas said. Real experience is better than theory every time.

Thomas wanted to be a network correspon-dent by age 30, and he was determined to ac-complish his goal. Ev-ery year on his birthday, Dec. 2, Thomas said he

checked in with his goals to see if he was on track. And he was.

Eventually, he became one of the youngest an-chors on NBC radio and television. But, his ca-reer suffered a blow in 1973, and he was fired from NBC. At the time Thomas was fired, he had become increasingly interested in Christianity.

See THOMAS, A10

Officers gear up for SGA elections set to take place in early April.

News

A2

Hands up dont shoot misleads society on issue of racial equality.

Opinion

A6

Sports editor breaks down the science of the Sweet 16.

Sports

B3

Ben Eppard hitchhikes 4,444 miles, collecting stories from strangers.

Feature

B9

INSIDE THE CHAMPION

Volume 32 | Issue 18 Lynchburg, VirginiaMarch 24, 2015

SportsFeature

B1B6

NewsOpinion

A1A6

Coffeehouse blast from past B10Womens bball loses to UNC B1

Courtney russo | Liberty ChampionRACE BEGINS Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke on issues including faith, sanctity of marriage, repealing the Affordable Care Act and abolishing the IRS.

JoeL CoLeman| Liberty news serviCeWISDOM Students learn from professional.

o f f t o t h e r a c e s

Cruzing out of the gate

Cal Thomas hosts talks

Network lag fixed

Presidential hopeful launches campaign from Liberty University

IT enlarges Internet capacity

Deck hed deck hed deck hed Deck Hed

Tr [email protected]

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, 44, an-nounced his candidacy for presi-dent Monday, March 23, at Liberty Universitys weekly Convocation.

Today, I am announcing that I am running for president of the United States, Cruz said to an energetic crowd in a packed Vines Center, re-ceiving loud applause and a standing ovation.

In announcing his bid, the 2016 hopeful, who placed third in this

years annual Conservative Politi-cal Action Conference straw poll, skipped the longstanding traditional step of first forming an exploratory committee.

It is time for liberty, it is time for truth, it is a time to reclaim the Constitution of the United States, Cruz said.

Cruz, circling the stage in the middle of the Vines Center, declared unapologetic support for the na-tion of Israel, appealing to the evan-gelical presence on campus.

The announcement at Liberty is fitting, as Cruz has joked, Im

Cuban, Irish and Italian, and yet somehow I ended up Southern Bap-tist, according to Dallas News.

Additionally, Cruz advocated for the protection of Second Amend-ment rights, protection from the National Security Agency and voiced disapproval for President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, a key piece of legislation for the president.

Five years ago today, the presi-dent signed Obamacare into law, and hours later, Liberty University went to court to stop that law, Cruz said, launching thunderous applause throughout the arena.

Cruzs request to launch his cam-paign from Libertys campus signals that the university has reached a new level, according to Liberty President Jerry Falwell.

Were honored that political can-didates are now requesting to appear at Liberty, Falwell said. We never had that happen years ago we had to invite them. I think its a testa-ment to what Liberty students have accomplished and what they are accomplishing.

See CRUZ, A9

Quinn [email protected]

With a rapidly increasing population and a growing demand for more capable In-ternet, the Information Tech-nology (IT) department at Liberty University has made steps to improve Internet speeds and account for the increased bandwidth usage.

According to the Liberty University News Service, the speed of the Internet has been increased by 150 percent since March 2.

Mark Norris, director of IT Operations, said before the change, there was an un-equal balance between the demand for speed and the

capacity for growth.The recent issues with In-

ternet speed were related to the speed of demand outpac-ing the speed at which capaci-ty was increased, Norris said. When the demand exceeds capacity, it appears to the stu-dent as slow response times on downloads and access to web sites.

To fix these problems, IT added more Internet capacity.

When the overall capac-ity and throughput of the on campus Internet pipes are sufficient, the student expe-riences seamless downloads and quick response times, Norris said.

See NETWORK, A3

Emily [email protected]

Election day at Liberty is Wednesday, April 15. On this day, student voters will elect student body president (SBP) and student body vice presi-dent (SBVP) for the 2015-2016 academic year.

People will take their office at the end of this semester for the en-tire year, Jacob Broadway, Student Government Association (SGA) general counsel, said. Effectively, theyll take office that Monday after Commencement.

Current SBP Quincy Thomp-son confirmed his intention to run for re-election. And current Junior Class President Jack Heaphy plans to run with Thompson for SBVP.

Current Student Body Vice President Tanveer Bhatia also plans to run for student body pres-ident in April. Bhatia has not yet announced his running mate.

Student body candidates run to-gether in teams, but they are elected individually. Students can vote for a SBP candidate from one team and a SBVP candidate from the other.

The SBP typically manages the election committee and oversees candidate applications. However, due to Thompsons re-election plans, he transferred that re-sponsibility to the Student Court chief justice.

That Student Court chief jus-tice will be forming the election committee to finalize all the elec-tion rules and then start receiving applications, Broadway said. You should see that in the next week or so.

Once the election rules are final-ized, those interested can submit their application for candidacy. Broadway said the election rules are generally the same each year,

but the election committee needs to officially re-adopt them for each student body election.

Applicants become qualified candidates if they meet the mini-mum GPA requirement of 3.0 and have served in SGA for at least two semesters. Student Conduct also reviews each applicant, as appli-cants who have 12 or more repri-mands for Liberty Way violations will not qualify to run for office.

It does tend to narrow the pool, Broadway said. (But) there are several people that could quali-fy. Anyone that is currently serving in an upper leadership position in SGA would qualify.

Broadway said physical cam-paigning usually starts the Monday before Election Day. Candidates and volunteers can begin setting up tables and posting flyers that Monday at 8 a.m. The rules also usually prohibit social media cam-paigning until about a week before the election.

We keep it really compact be-cause we dont want to bombard campus, Broadway said. Were not here for the spotlight. Were here as servants. Thats what SGA is all about. We want to be here and engage with the students, show (them) what we do a little bit, but we dont want to force students.

To help students really get to know the candidates, Broadway suggested students ask candi-dates personal questions about their beliefs and ideas on student government.

Students can vote on the Liberty splash page for student body elec-tions Wednesday, April 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. One student can cast one vote for each office. Class officer elections will be held early in the fall 2015 semester.

HOOSIER is a news reporter.

newsA2 | March 24, 2015 | Liberty Champion

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITEFOR MORE STORIESAT LIBERTYCHAMPION.COM

THE JOURNEY RADIO NETWORK LAUNCHES AS A NEW BRAND FOR LIBERTY UNIVERSITY.

LADY FLAMES SPLIT DOUBLE HEADER WITH LOSS TO SAINT FRANCIS AND WIN OVER PRINCETON.

SHARE WITH US

Liberty Champion

[email protected]

@luchampionnews

@LUChampionNews

CAMPUS CALENDAR

Tweet us with the hashtag #whatsuplu at @LUChampionNews or email us at [email protected] with any upcoming events that you want to share and we will put it in the newspaper.

3/24 - PRSSA Etiquette Banquet 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. | DeMoss Grand Lobby3/25 - LU COM Medical Library - Open public forum 7 p.m. | Blue Auditorium (#1014)3/25 - Assessment Day 3/26 - AIGA @ Liberty: Design Wars 7 p.m.-11:30 p.m. | DH 21993/27 - SA Movie Night 8 p.m. | Vines Center3/27 - 19th Annual Civil War Seminar 6 p.m. | DeMoss Grand Lobby3/28 - D.C. Trip Registration opens March 163/31 - Photo Expo 8 p.m. | LaHaye Event Space4/2 - Propaganda 8 p.m. | LaHaye Event Space | $5 in advance

COLOR KEY:

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

CLUB EVENTS

CAMPUS EVENTSCONCERTS

Photo ProvidedMR. PRESIDENT Quincy Thompson serves as head of SGA.

rJ Goodwin| Liberty ChamPionRE-ELECTION Quincy Thompson hopes to maintain his position. Thompson leads student

body through service

SGA elections near

Making a difference

Student government prepares for a new year


Pastoral ministry student Quincy Thompson recently made Liberty University his-tory. Elected in April 2014, Thompson is the first junior to ever serve as student body president for the Student Gov-ernment Association (SGA).

(A junior being elected) hasnt been done before, Thompson said. Normally the student body president is a senior. Its been a great oppor-tunity, a great experience.

Thompson said he first gained interest in serving as a part of SGA freshman year when his residential assistant asked for hall senator represen-tatives. After a race to represent Dorm 22-2, Thompson began his career in public service.

It was just an interest, Thompson said. Ive always had a fascination with politics and government. Even though I feel called to be a pastor, Ive always had that interest.

From a freshman with an interest in politics serving as hall senator, Thompson soon moved into the posi-tion of spiritual life commit-tee chairman before going on to be elected into his cur-rent position as student body president.

Although Thompson does not plan to pursue public of-fice after graduation, he be-lieves the skills he has learned in SGA, such as leadership and hard work, can be practical in any career.

It was definitely a lot more work than I expected, but its been good work rewarding work, Thompson said. Its one of those positions that you never stop working. Ive learned what to do as a leader and what not to do as a leader.

There was no clear blue-print on how to effectively and efficiently govern a stu-dent body, so when Thomp-son ran for office last April, he wanted to cast a vision for how SGA would work if he were in office.

Overall, the student body was very responsive, Thomp-son said. There are various philosophies in how student government plays a part in the university. Some say SGA needs to be more active like a second Student Activities. I see SGA as more or less a servant leadership position.

According to Thompson, SGA most succeeds when they are servant leaders to the student body and represent the needs of students to the administration. One such re-sponsibility of SGA is allocat-ing funds to the 122 clubs on campus.

One of the largest con-cerns we started with was club funding, Thompson said, re-flecting on the beginning of his term. SGA plays a huge role in club life on campus.

Prior to Thompsons leader-ship, each club had access to approximately $1,200, and the process to claim those funds was unnecessarily complicated. Now, clubs have easier access to a larger amount of funding.

Now, most clubs have funds of up to $2,000, Thompson said. One of the highlights this year is how much we have simplified club funding.

Thompson said senators care deeply for what the stu-dent body really needs. SGA has written and passed bills to simplify complexities on cam-pus and to prepare for antici-pated growth in the future.

Its been fun to work with the club leaders and other SGA leaders, Thompson said. My motto is: I try to leave it better than what I found it.

In addition to working with club funding, another of the major projects Thompson tackled this school year was the SGA constitution.

Weve helped draft a new constitution for SGA, Thompson said. We felt like the old one had some holes in it some gray areas.

After attempts to patch those holes, SGA ultimately decided to write a new consti-tution in preparation for the growing student body.

By 2020, were going to have 16,000 (residential stu-dents), Thompson said. At the rate the university is grow-ing, we needed to start to draft a document that is going to sustain that growth.

Thompsons servant leader approach to student govern-ment applies to his view of success as well.

Ive always been a person that thinks success is never defined by how much recog-nition you have from others, Thompson said. Our culture highlights people on major platforms, but there are people in the background that are pur-suing hard work. I see success as behind the scenes. (Success) is more of a quiet thing a private thing. If you are where God has called you, and you do the work with integrity, hon-esty and excellence, then you dont need a billboard or a plat-form saying, Look what this guy has done.

Thompson plans to run for re-election as student body president in April. His run-ning mate, Jack Heaphy, is cur-rently serving as junior class president.

I look forward to pursing another year in serving stu-dents, Thompson said. Last year we had three days of physical campaigning, and it was exhausting, but it was fun. This year, Im running with my good friend Jack Heaphy.

The SGA elections will take place Wednesday, April 15 from 8 a.m.5p.m.


Liberty Champion | March 24, 2015 | A3news

Visit our homepage frequently for weekly menus, calendar of events and news you can use.

Reber-Thomas Dining Hall 1971 University Blvd. (434) 582-2262 www.LibertyDining.com

Sodexo Spotlight: macey lutzPosition/Years with Sodexo: Marketing Intern, 2nd yearGraduating Class: Sophomore, Class of 2017 Major: Business Marketing, Minor is Public Relations and AdvertisingResponsibilities: Planning fun events and keeping students engaged!

Fresh and local all summer long

Now available at the Sodexo table!

Facebook.com/libertydining

434.582.2287@LibertyDining

City reaches agreementCouncil votes in favor of Freedom Aviation as only area FBO

NETWORK continued from A1

Norris said IT has increased the capacity to 3,000 megabytes in just seven years, which is an increase in capacity of more than 1,422 percent, an average growth of 203 percent per year.

However, this process takes time. According to Norris, the process leading up to this in-crease took planning well before

it was implemented. Additional equipment was

purchased to prepare for the In-ternet upgrade, Norris said. Af-ter that equipment was in place, the Internet was turned up for student access. Also, wireless ac-cess points (APs) were replaced with more powerful models, and the number of APs was increased across campus.

Norris said that IT regu-larly monitors social media and

HelpDesk calls to detect any po-tential issues that may arise. IT works both on an enterprise level and individually with students in order to solve these issues.

However, university officials say the population of residential students will continue to increase and future upgrades are already being planned.

The next upgrade has already been planned, and infrastructure is being purchased to sustain even

faster speeds and greater capac-ity, Norris said. This next up-grade doubles the size of the sec-ond Internet pipe and also adds a third pipe. Those improvements are expected to be in place when the students arrive in the fall.

At Liberty, we take great pride in providing our students with an atmosphere that is both condu-cive to their academic demands as well as to an enriching social and personal life, President Jerry

Falwell said. Our IT Department works tirelessly to ensure students have reliable connectivity, trusted security and helpful support when needed. I am proud of the IT staff s commitment to the stu-dents in making these upgrades and preparing the university for the future.

FOLEY is a news reporter.


Liberty University was without power for just over an hour Friday, March 20. According to Senior Vice President of Construction Planning Charles Spence, the outage affected every-thing on main campus, stretching from Liberty Baseball Stadium to dorm 33 at the far end of South Campus.

The power went out shortly after 4:45 p.m. and was restored around 6 p.m., according to the News & Advance, which cited American Electric Power (AEP) officials.

All Liberty classes after 5 p.m. were canceled as a result of the outage.

Spence said the outage was caused by a defective capacitor on the AEP over-head line on Wards Road.

BROWN is the editor-in-chief.

Josh [email protected]

A nine-month battle between Freedom Avia-tion, a subsidiary of Lib-erty University, and some members within the gen-eral aviation community came to a close Tuesday, Feb. 24, when the Lynch-burg City Council voted 6-1 to work on a lease that would allow Freedom Aviation to become the sole fixed-based operator (FBO) in Lynchburg.

Ever since Freedom Aviation purchased Vir-ginia Aviation, the areas only other FBO, in June 2014, it had tried to ob-tain the lease from the Lynchburg City Council despite some concerns that Freedom Aviation could become a monop-oly. But it appears that most of the City Councils concerns have been ad-dressed. Freedom Avia-tion provides fuel, flight instruction, hangar space, maintenance, charter and other services to gen-eral aviation users at the Lynchburg Airport.

The Lynchburg Airport Commission, which is a recommending body to the City Council, initially made a recommendation that the city take over the

lease holdings to Virginia Aviation, according to Freedom Aviation Presi-dent Dave Young. The Airport Commissions de-cision was based primar-ily on a report prepared by a consultant who had been commissioned by the Lynchburg Regional Airport Director Mark Courtney. The lease hold-ings included the ability to provide, manage and control fuel.

We had an uphill bat-tle because first of all, we had to convince the council that the recom-mendation of the Airport Commission needed to be overturned or ruled against, Young said. That was a real obstacle. And part of that obvi-ously was, how could we convince them?

Young said the Coun-cil believed it was in the best interest of the airport and the city to sign the lease despite the Airport Commissions recom-mendation. He said the signing of the lease pro-vides a long-term benefit to the airport in terms of infrastructure improve-ment, construction and new facilities, and that the merger between Freedom Aviation and Virgin-ia Aviation works to

protect and enhance commercial air service.

(Freedom Aviation was) providing the best level of service to what we call the general aviation customer, Young said. I think those are the main reasons as to why they approved and signed with our recommendation.

According to Young, Courtney proposed that there could be a city-run FBO in addition to the Freedom Aviation FBO, and that creating a new one would enhance revenue for the Lynchburg

Regional Airport. When we purchased

Virginia Aviation in 2014, we knew that the lease that Virginia Aviation had with the city would terminate, Young said. The lease al-lowed the owner of Vir-ginia Aviation, now Free-dom Aviation, to manage the hangars and facilities and to manage and sell the fuel. (Courtneys) proposal was that the city do that instead.

Courtneys proposal was turned down by the City Council. Young believes part of the

reason the Council is not worried about Free-dom Aviation being the sole FBO is because the business has not abused its power.

Weve been doing this for several years, Young said. Weve been operating as we have with both companies for eight months. And there has been no indication in those eight months that anyone had received preferential treatment.

JANNEY is the asst. news editor.

Leah SeaverS | Liberty ChampionLEASE Freedom Aviation aquired all facilities and supplies from Virginia Aviation. .

Liberty withoutpower


Kiara Leers | Liberty ChampionSUPPORT Professional dietician Robin Quay said that people tend to do better in eating healthy and exercising when they have a friend to help them with the process.

Learning to live healthy

LaHaye expands programs

The Daniel Plan offers students and staff advice for nutrition and exercise

Newly remodeled Student Union offers opportunities for physical training

Living Well LibertyLiving Well Liberty@

Tobi [email protected]

Although wellness encompasses a num-ber of different facets, including mental, emotional and spiritual health, Liberty Uni-versity administrators are also focused on the physical well-being of students, faculty and staff.

According to Dean of Students Robert Mullen, Libertys recently established Liv-ing Well at Liberty Initiative has partnered with the preexisting Live Healthy Liberty program to provide the Liberty commu-nity with the convenient options to foster healthy lifestyles.

The Live Healthy team was very strong in the area of physical health, Mullen said. And the Living Well group was strong in the areas of spiritual and emotional health. It was a natural partnership.

The Live Healthy Liberty program has the goal of bringing together depart-ments and coordinating efforts to improve the health of students, faculty and staff, according to its Web page. The program is a campus-wide effort spearheaded by Campus Recreation.

One major facet of Live Healthy Liberty is the Wellness Series, which is comprised of lectures geared toward helping people learn how they can develop good habits. Some of the talks are hands-on, while oth-ers simply demonstrate and explain how to maintain healthy habits.

Health and wellness is far more than simply exercise, Jamie Swyers, associate director of fitness at the LaHaye Student

Union, said. At Wellness Series, we not only invite professionals to give talks of fit-ness, nutrition and motivation, but we also facilitate presentations on spiritual, mental and emotional wellness for a well-rounded series of talks. I always want to empha-size that wellness encompasses the whole person, and this includes spiritual, mental, emotional, physical and social health.

According to Swyers, the Live Healthy Liberty campaign provides students, faculty and staff access to a number of opportuni-ties to help increase physical wellness.

Over the last year, students have be-come more aware of our programs, espe-cially with the recent facility expansion, Swyers said. The response has been over-whelmingly positive, and we have received our highest participation on record for group exercise and personal training in the history of LaHaye.

Swyers explained that LaHaye stands out from other area gyms and fitness cen-ters because of its high-quality equipment and programs.

Each member of our fitness staff is hand-picked and thoroughly trained so they are able to offer the campus community safe, effective and exciting fitness options, Swyers said. The group exercise instruc-tors and personal trainers at LaHaye really care about the members, the students and the staff.

According to Swyers, the LaHaye Student Union offers the appeal of convenience to residential students, faculty and staff.

We are located on campus (and are) eas-ily accessible, with innovative equipment

and a lot of space to train, as well as six different group exercise studios that host a variety of class formats, Swyers said.

Residential students and staff also have the opportunity to participate in a wellness challenge, which encourages students to at-tend fitness-centered events and helps keep track of exercises and progress, as a part of the Live Healthy Liberty campaign.

This challenge encourages students to make healthy nutrition choices, exercise regularly and earn wellness points, Swyers said. Students can create teams and win gift cards and prizes.

Swyers said students should strive

for a healthy lifestyle, as it will increase productivity.

When you are healthy, you are able to think more clearly and act more proac-tively and practically throughout your day, Swyers said.

For more information on Live Healthy Liberty or to sign up for the wellness chal-lenge, visit liberty.edu/lsu. For more infor-mation on the Living Well at Liberty, email Mullen at [email protected].

WALSH is a feature reporter.

Courtney russo | Liberty ChampionINITIATIVE The LaHaye gym provides multiple ways for students to exercise.


At most campus eateries, it is just as easy to choose unhealthy food as it is to choose healthy food. And many times, it is hard to know the difference.

Buses will carry students across cam-pus to avoid a walk, and Netflix can dis-tract them from most everything else. At this point, healthy might seem like a confusing concept.

Even stuff that looks healthy really isnt sometimes, Robin Quay, registered dietitian at Liberty University Dining, said.

Quay hosts six weekly meetings each semester dedicated to learning about a healthy lifestyle through the Daniel Plan. The spring 2015 group ended just before Spring Break.

It was actually fantastic, Quay said. Everybody lost weight, which is a first. It made me so happy.

Liberty offers two groups one for stu-dents and one for faculty and staff. This se-mesters student group attendance was low,

so the two groups combined into one. Quay, along with the six-person group,

watched Daniel Plan DVDs with teaching from Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, and different guest speakers cor-responding to the weekly topic. The group also used the Daniel Plan workbook to learn about each of the five main points of the Daniel Plan.

Its not just about what you eat, Quay said. There are the five components, which are faith, food, fitness, focus and friends.

Quay said willpower alone usually could not fuel a life change that lasts more than three weeks. She said Gods power is need-ed to make sustainable changes. Rather than operating strictly as a diet and exer-cise program, the faith factor is weaved throughout the Daniel Plan.

Its faith based, so its not just about food and fitness, which is what youll get if you do most other programs, Quay said. Its very scripturally based. Its about lov-ing yourself and seeing yourself the way God sees you.

The group did not follow a specific diet

but focused more on eating natural foods and avoiding processed foods. As a dieti-cian, Quays appreciation for each food group kicked in when she noticed the Dan-iel Plan avoiding wheat and dairy.

For me, as a dietician, its a little bit anti-dairy, anti-wheat, which I dont necessarily agree with unless you have allergies, Quay said. For most people, they are fine to eat, but (the Daniel Plan) is a very flexible plan, so you can do what works for you.

Quay said the Daniel Plan is not about depriving or perfecting anyone, but rather appreciating what natural options God of-fers through creation.

The Daniel Plan website sells workout DVDs, but the campus group focused on finding the fitness activity that each person individually enjoyed.

The group also discussed some of the negative thoughts that get in the way of a healthy well-being.

Focus is about your thoughts, Quay said. How you think really affects what you do, and we have a lot of negative thoughts that pop in our heads that just

arent true. So its a lot about putting your mind on what is true and what God says about you.

Friends is the last component in the Daniel Plan, but it is the first that this group experienced at the meetings.

We all do better in community, Quay said. God created us to be in commu-nity to support each other, to hold each other up. Studies show that if you want to lose weight, youll be 50 percent more successful if you do it with a buddy.

Quay started living the Daniel Plan when she began teaching it two years ago, and since then, she has lost 40 pounds, ran three half marathons and completed two triathlons.

I would never ask someone to do some-thing that I wouldnt do myself, Quay said.

The next Daniel Plan group will begin in the fall 2015 semester. Those interested can inquire or sign up at [email protected]. Quay said students can also show up to the first meeting without registering.


Lauren [email protected]

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 25 percent of all college stu-dents struggle with an eating disorder. This struggle affects people of various ages, but it is most prevalent among 18-21 year olds, according to Dr. Linda Mintle, chair of be-havioral health at Libertys College of Os-teopathic Medicine. Eating disorders also affect both females and males.

Mintle added that this is also the age range in which people struggle with iden-tity issues, one of the core issues involved in the disorders. College is a time when previous eating disorders may worsen, or they can develop for the first time.

College students experience a sense of independence, some for the first time. They are constantly balancing freedom and responsibility. Mintle noted that there are many stressful components of college, which can include friends, romantic rela-tionships and academics. All of these is-sues can influence the development of an eating disorder.

A 2013 study done by the National Eat-ing Disorders Association (NEDA) shows a 32 percent rise among women and a 10 percent rise among men who are affected by eating disorders. The stresses of col-lege and the pressures students face are increasing in these technological times.

You look at social media where every-body posts and they want to look perfect, Mintle said. They only post the best pic-tures of themselves, so you do not see what people look like normally. They edit their pictures and control the images. The result is not real life, but a manipulated view of someones life.

This is also true in advertising and me-dia, Mintle said. If you think about how many images you see a day and that those images are not realistic for the most part, it does a number on your thinking.

Mintle noted that it is not wrong for

people to wear makeup or look their best, but culture has become obsessed with physical appearance.

The best thing you can do is to try not to focus so much on your looks but focus more on the character of people, Mintle said.

She suggests pointing out positive, non-physical attributes of people, such as their kind heart or their cheery disposition. Friends can also help or they can hurt. A group of strong, encouraging people will lift a person up, but a group of critical peers will only lead to self-esteem problems.

Mintle notes that from a Christian per-spective, there is great power in words. She referenced James 3, which talks about the influence of the tongue, both positive and negative.

She added that the way people think of themselves is often not how God

thinks of them. God isnt sitting in heaven thinking

Aw man, if she could just lose five more pounds, I could send her on a mission field, Mintle said.

In her book Breaking Free From a Negative Self Image: Finding Gods True Reflection When Your Mirror Lies, Mintle explains key concepts to change negative thinking and behavior.

One of the keys is understanding who you are in Christ and developing a very strong God image, Mintle said.

She noted that people should take care of themselves and their bodies, because their bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit and were created by God to use for his service.

There is a balance of looking good, be-ing fashionable and taking care of yourself versus obsessing, Mintle said. Obsessing

over appearance and weight is one of the warning signs that someone may be dealing with an eating disorder.

Mintle shared that other red flags include when people have a hard time loving them-selves, sudden vegetarianism, history of depression/anxiety, losing weight, a sud-den life event that triggers eating problems, odd eating habits, wearing baggy clothing, refusing to eat in front of others, eating quickly or feeling distressed from eating.

Eating disorders tend to manifest them-selves in women through dieting and in men through excessive exercising.

If someone exhibits some of these warning signs, Mintle advised those around them take action.

The best thing you can do is to speak the truth in love and confront the person, knowing that when you do, the person may deny or get mad at you, Mintle said. Lat-er, after they have received help, they will oftentimes come back and be apologetic and appreciative.

Mintle highlighted that an eating disor-der does not usually go away on its own. It is a complicated illness with different layers. Professional help is needed in several areas, on the physical side with help from a medi-cal doctor and dietician, and on the thera-peutic side with help from a counselor.

The earlier you get help, the better the prognosis is, Mintle said.

According to Mintle, eating disorders are easier to treat before they become habitual, but they can be treated at any stage.

She noted that eating disorders are not something to be taken lightly, especially since they have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. Mintle urged students to seek help if they think they may have a problem, to confront friends who show warning signs, to be supportive of those around them and to positively affect the culture.

GLOSSNER is a feature reporter.


The Campus Pastors Office plans to launch a Celebrate Re-covery (CR) location on cam-pus in the coming fall semester. CR is a program birthed from Saddleback Church 20 years ago, now active in more than 20,000 international churches. A CR group at Liberty is anticipated to begin weekly, two-hour, evening meetings Sept. 10.

CR at its core is a Christ-cen-tered, 12-step recovery program ministry that also uses eight re-covery principles based on the Be-atitudes that Jesus preached about in the Sermon on the Mount, Michael Mullins, Liberty campus pastor, said. It utilizes Christian community a group of Christ followers who want to honor God and help one another. So the key is Jesus, the Word of God and Christian community.

About 20 volunteers and a four-person lead team are currently learning the CR material and pre-paring for the inaugural group this fall.

Recovery is really another word for spiritual growth in Christ, Mullins said. The goal is to point participants to their need for Jesus, to live out his word and to not do that alone.

CR addresses a wide range of problems that attendees of the program may be facing. The three terms, hurts, habits and hang-ups, sum up the issues that CR aims to overcome, according to the CR website.

The three key words hurts, habits or hang-ups can encom-pass all kinds of issues that keep us from being all that God wants us to be, Mullins said. For ex-ample, a hurt could be abuse in your past. A hang-up could be

perfectionism or not processing anger. And then a habit could be an addiction of all sorts.

Each CR meeting will begin with an hour of worship, teach-ing or testimony in a large co-ed group setting. During the second hour, participants have the option to join a same-gender small group called Open Share, each with a specific issue to discuss. Open Share group themes will reflect the needs of students, covering is-sues such as substance abuse, lust, eating disorders, codependency in relationships and any other issue a student may be dealing with that hinders their personal growth. The Open Share groups will oper-ate within a confidentiality policy.

We want to create different environments, a large group and a small group, and there will be

some one-on-one relationships, Mullins said. The small group and the one-on-one (sessions are) supposed to be a safe environ-ment where someone could open up about their personal hurts, hang-ups or habits that are keep-ing them from being all that God wants them to be.

Mullins has served as a cam-pus pastor at Liberty for more than two years. That time spent with students on campus allowed Mullins the opportunity to learn the issues that students struggle with regularly.

There is a common issue here with lust, Mullins said. We have some people who struggle with alcohol and drugs. Well have (teachings about) those (topics) in place from the beginning, and over time, well see if theres a

demand or a need for a more spe-cialized hurt, habit or hang-up subject for an open share group.

The initial CR this fall will meet in a two-hour large group or small group format. Eventually, the CR lead team aims to launch a more in-depth group for students who want to practice the CR 12-steps.

There is another group that would be on a different night that were not ready to implement immediately, but its called Step Group, Mullins said. And thats where you get to the real depth of the CR process.

Mullins said the Step Group is similar to Open Share, but it is typically a larger time com-mitment of 9-12 months. Step Group also incorporates more ac-countability and discipleship than the initial CR group.

You can start applying the steps and principles right away, and learn about that through the large group and the Open Share group, Mullins said. But to re-ally take it to the mature level that CR is aiming for, were going to eventually want participants to get involved in the step group.

Those interested in learning more information about Liberty CR group can email [email protected]. The Liberty CR is partnering with leaders of the CR group at Blue Ridge Com-munity Church (BRCC) in Forest, Virginia. The BRCC CR group currently meets Sundays 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Visit blue-ridge.org for more information.



Photo ProvidedCOMMUNITY Celebrate Recovery will provide a safe, confidential environment for students to receive help for their personal struggles.

Bre Black | liBerty chamPionBY THE NUMBERS Eating disorders impact a significant number of students.

New ministry in the works

Speaking out against disorders

Liberty to launch Celebrate Recovery to aid students struggling with addictions

Dr. Linda Mintle discusses body image issues plaguing college students

Living Well LibertyLiving Well Liberty@

Tr [email protected]

After the August 2014 shoot-ing of Michael Brown, an un-armed black Missouri teenager, by then-police Sgt. Darren Wil-son, Hands up, dont shoot be-came the polarizing posture and mantra that defined a firestorm media frenzy under the banner #BlackLivesMatter.

The problem it was all a lie.Brown never surrendered

with his hands up, and Wilson was justified in shooting Brown, Washington Post columnist Jona-than Capehart said after reading the Justice Departments (DOJ) report of the incident.

According to the DOJ, three autopsies and multiple reports from eyewitnesses confirm that Wilson was in his vehicle and that Brown did, in fact, reach into the police SUV for the officers gun.

Additionally, several medical examinations confirm the report that Wilson fired only after the struggle to regain control of his gun, which was in Browns hands. No shots were fired at the teens back, as was inaccurately reported shortly after the incident.

Autopsies revealed injuries to Browns hand and a gunshot to his jaw, consistent with Wilsons self-defense claim.

(The left) knew it was a lie when they found out the size of Michael Brown, talk-radio host and conservative commentator Kevin Jackson told the Champion. When they found out he was a six-foot-plus, close to 300-pound guy, that was the instant they knew it was a lie.

But do not take anyones word for it. Read the report for yourself. My conclusion: many in the media threw an innocent, law-abiding police officer to the wolves.

As a free society built upon free speech and free press, the law and the honest practice of it is necessary. Yes, even when it does not serve to further line Al Sharptons deep pockets.

Ever since the August incident, many in the media reported it as fact that Brown threw his hands up in the air, pleading with the of-ficer, dont shoot, relying 100 percent on testimony from only a couple of witnesses.

From the St. Louis Rams and Happy singer Pharrell Williams to a CNN panel of contributors and several Congressional rep-resentatives declaring Hands up, dont shoot, the narrative continued to dominate headlines.

But not long after the shoot-ing, reports led to the conclusion that Hands up, dont shoot, most likely did not happen. But

the media pushed forward.Then, in early March, the

official DOJ report was pub-lished, confirming, Hands up, dont shoot never hap-pened. But, regardless, the media pushed forward.

It was not until last week the media faced the music the truth, that is.

According to Jackson, who described himself as likely the most outraged participant of a CNN panel he appeared in on the issue, businesses were loot-ed and burned to the ground over nothing.

Fergusons local business own-ers, along with Wilson, are the real victims. Because of national attention in the name of jus-tice, entire communities have been destroyed, with little to no hope of recovery.

The press, being the only es-tablished organization specifically mentioned in the First Amend-ment, has a responsibility to honesty. And it failed.

In an age when entertainment is king and activism on any is-sue is this generations favorite pastime, one can see why sensa-tionalism replaces accurate and honest news.

But is it not interesting to see how dishonest sensational-ism has served only to sully the great activist cause the media was determined to promote?

Hands up is the ultimate truth, and the reason why hands up has gone viral across the country is because its a pos-ture known to black people, Monifa Bandele, senior cam-paign director for MomsRis-ing.org, said of the Hands up,

dont shoot narrative.Yes you read that right it

is the ultimate truth, according to Bandele.

While that perspective is most certainly poetic, it is not the me-dias job to proselytize an abstract campaign touted as fact in order to go viral.

Who have you heard apologize for the nonsense that occurred in Ferguson? Jackson said. Youre not going to hear it.

An entire movement was built on a lie, and the only way to reverse the damage is hold those who purported that lie accountable.

It is true, black lives matter. Every life matters. And, for lifes sake, we should give honesty a try.

GOINS-PHILLIPS is opinion editor.

In the month of March, apparently there is more to life than basketball although this is news to me.

For years, I have been enamored with the NCAA Tourna-ment and March Mad-ness, and this year is no different. I am one of those crazies who will have three different games open at the same time during the first few rounds.

People have plenty of opinions as to what the greatest sporting spectacle is every year, but I will take the magic and madness of March any day.

For the teams that enter the tourna-ment on both the mens and womens

sides, they simply try to survive and ad-vance, hoping to take home the coveted title of national champion.

For the fans like me, the NCAA Tour-nament is a time to relish every moment of exciting basketball and hope our brackets are not busted too quickly.

And for others, the tournament means so much more.

This is the case for Sylvia Hatchell, the head coach of UNC womens basketball team, and her players.

In the 2014 womens tournament and the entire 2013-2014 season Hatchell was separated from her team, as she spent her days receiving treatments for Leukemia. According to Hatchell, at this time last year when all she wanted to do was see her team, she was not allowed to make the short trip to Carmichael Are-na four miles from her house, even with a surgical mask. The risk was too high.

Watching what she had to go through last year, that really is an eye-opener, UNC sophomore forward Stephanie Ma-vunga said following the Tar Heels win over the Liberty Lady Flames in the first

round of the tournament Saturday. She had to go through a lot. I dont know if I couldve done it.

This year is a different story, though. Hatchell, a Naismith Hall of Famer who has more than 900 career wins, has won her battle with Leukemia and is back at the helm for the Tar Heels.

Its a whole different thing (with Hatchell back), Mavunga said. Its like, Man, my moms here. Shes like a mama bear around us. She really takes care of us on and off the court. If I get hit (in the post), Im getting hit, and Coach Hatchells not having it. Shes like, Hey, my players getting killed in there! ... Its different when your moms coming out there and saying, Yo, watch it, theyre hit-ting my kid! Shes not going for that.

And Hatchells team is ready to play for her, more than for themselves or for the desire for glory.

I know last year, (Hatchell) had the possibility of going to the Final Four with us if we wouldve made it, and we didnt, Mavunga said. So having her back, we want to cherish those moments.

Coach Hatchell loves to win, and so weve got to do it for her.

UNC senior guard Latifah Coleman echoed Mavungas sentiments.

(Having Hatchell back adds) more fuel to the fire, Coleman said. Theres more purpose behind what we do.

In the same way, Hatchell is in it for her team not herself.

Im just glad to be back out there, Hatchell said. This whole week I have been so stressed out, and its a good stress, because I was so excited about the tournament. I cherish this week and opportunity to coach these kids and to be here. I just dont want to let these kids down.

So to those who think us basketball fans are crazy for devoting so much time to the sport of basketball or that it is not important in the grand scheme of life, think again.

March Madness is more than a collec-tion of embarrassing brackets filled with laughable picks, and basketball is more than just a game.

OPINIONA6 March 24, 2015

GooGle ImaGesLIES News media, congressional representatives and activists perpetuated false narrative even after official report proved it to be untrue.

by Emily Brown

Hands up hurt justice

LETTER TO THE

ED ITOR

Media-perpetuated narrative on Ferguson shooting distracts from reality

A call to action, asking students to remain informed on the Israeli state.

To the Editor:

Students at Liberty often hear that we live in this bub-ble. Now, whether the people saying this are referring to our Biblical beliefs or to the Vines Center, I cannot quite be sure, but when I do hear it, I cannot help but think of the one place that truly lives in a bubble: the nation of Israel.

The Iron Dome that surrounds Israels land has served as an effective military defense system against enemy missiles sent their way. Just this last summer, it deflected roughly 4,000 rockets targeted at its cities and people. But as the threats grow in strength and number, the bubble will only be able to handle so much.

On the morning of Feb. 3, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before a joint Congress on the dangers of allowing the current negotiations with Iran to end with little to no sanctions or restrictions on Irans nuclear program.

(The deal) doesnt block Irans path to the bomb, it paves Irans path to the bomb, Netanyahu said.

The implications of this are understood, especially for Israel, considering Irans past and current political state.

Look at either Testament and basically any book of the Bible and it is clear the Israeli land was, is and forever

will be near and dear to Gods heart. Being the largest Christian university on the planet, I think it is time to make this land and people group loved and valued by us as well.

But how can we do this? We can start by being informed both politically and scripturally on the issue. Take a few minutes every day to read a couple articles about it. Follow Israel-related twitter accounts. Trust me. Staying informed does not take much time, and it definitely will not be a waste.

A blind eye does not mean the problems cease to exist, nor does it mean the outcomes will not affect us. These decisions being made are ones that will affect the world. It is time we stop being silent, and it is time we start staying informed. It is time we stand with Israel and show our support.

Netanyahu said that even if no one comes to Israels aid, the people there are resolute enough to stand on their own. Well, Prime Minister Netanyahu, you dont have to worry, because you will not ever stand alone. God stands with you, and I am asking the students of Liberty University to stand with you too.

Taylor LaForestSophomore at Liberty University

Matt [email protected]

The trial for the two-years-removed Boston Marathon Bombings is underway, and the mounting evidence and in-formation is proving to make a Dzhokhar Tsarnaev defense nearly impossible.

The jury was shown the home-made bombs that the Tsarnaev brothers hurled at police during their last big shootout before Dzhokar was captured, according to ABC News.

The defense lawyers for Dzho-kar Tsarnaev are saying he is not a committed terrorist and that he was under the influence of his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

However, the evidence is not working well for that defense.

When you attack one Muslim, you attack all Muslims, Dzhokar Tsarnaevs note read, reported to have been found in the boat in which he hid during the manhunt.

When someone blows up a bomb with the intent to harm, he or she is a terrorist.

What matters is that in the name of religion people were injured and killed, and the families will never be the same.

According to Fox News, Dzho-kar Tsarnaev is facing the death penalty for killing three people and causing injury to 260 people. He is pleading not guilty to all 30 counts against him, includ-ing charges of using a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, according to ABC.

Survivor Rebekah Gregory lost

half her leg and had 18 surger-ies following the Boston Bomb-ing. She gave an emotional tes-timony in court while looking straight at the person who caused her trauma.

The judge and jury need to speed up this trial and not waste our taxpayer dollars. We see evi-dence that this man is responsible

for the bombing.According to the Islamic So-

ciety Newsmax, the mosque Dzhokar Tsarnaev attended was home to six other people with ter-rorist ties, including its founder and a prominent member of the Islamic State.

Additionally, several news out-lets have video evidence of him

and his brother strategically plac-ing these bombs to be set off at the marathon.

Police officers have even given eyewitness accounts of their fi-nal standoff with the brothers, in which the law enforcement officials were pelted with gun-fire and explosions and feared for their lives.

These witnesses and survivors have been through enough trauma and deserve justice for the hor-rible acts committed on that day. Dzhokar Tsarnaev is guilty, and we can quit with the speculation. He deserves the death penalty.

We need not complicate in the name of political correctness what is so simple. It is time that the justice system starts calling things what they are.

The law is no respecter of per-sons or beliefs. It judges on one thing alone right and wrong.

In the eyes of the law, Dzhokar Tsarnaev is guilty of the actions of which he is being charged. And for that, the justice system has a responsibility to hold him respon-sible.

OZBURN is an opinion writer.

opinion Liberty Champion | March 24, 2015 | A7

LETTERS TO THE EDITORPOLICIES & INFO

Emily Browneditor-in-chief

Gabriella Fullergraduate assistant Tom Footegraduate assistant

CONTENT

Dave Van Dyknews editor

Josh Janneyasst. news editor

Tr Goins-Phillipsopinion editor

Alex Tichenorsports editor

Nate Haywoodasst. sports editor

Amber Tillerfeature editor

Olivia Browncopy editor

Ash Browndcopy editor

PHOTOGRAPHY

Courtney Russophotography editor

Leah Seaversasst. photography editor

DESIGN

Breann Blackgraphic designer

Meighan Thompsongraphic designer

SOCIAL MEDIA

Josh Gordonsocial media manager

Jomer Bunqueweb manager

ADMINISTRATION

Deborah Hufffaculty advisor

Omar Adams advertising director

The Champion encourages community members to submit letters to the editor on any subject. Letters should not exceed 400 words and must be typed and signed. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Letters and columns that appear are the opinion of the author solely, not the Champion editorial board or Liberty University.

All material submitted becomes property of the Champion. The Champion reserves the right to accept, reject or edit any letter receivedaccording to the Champion stylebook, taste and the Liberty University mission statement.

Send letters to:

Liberty ChampionLiberty University, Box 2000,Lynchburg, VA 24515

or drop off in DeMoss Hall 1035.

C O N V O C O N N E C T I O N B Y: E R I N K E L LY [email protected]

We need to go back to the founder. We need to reboot. We need to go back to Jesus.

Alan Hirsch spoke these words in Con-vocation Wednesday, March 18, giving every student a deeply signifi-cant truth to ponder.

When we look at our nation and the church, what do we see? Do we see a people passionate about God and his kingdom? Has our nation stiff-

armed Christianity? Is the church chained to the altar of religion?

Religion is what binds us, Alan Hirsch said. Jesus doesnt sit well with religion.

Ultimately, it is all about Jesus. Not religion. Not politics. Not this world. Just Jesus.

We were reminded of this on Friday through a letter written by a family about our womens hockey team. I had the privi-lege of reading this letter to the student body during Convocation. The family had met the womens hockey team before its National Championship game. They were in awe of the teams compassion and kind-

ness extended to their young daughter, who shared a common love for hockey. Although this family may have been over-whelmed by the teams kindness, what they were really experiencing was the love of Christ. Because that is what we do and who we are at Liberty ambassadors of the King of kings.

Congressman Trey Gowdy from South Carolina brought the week to a close with one of the most moving and powerful Convocation presentations this semester.

What do you believe in enough to march forward into certain de-feat? Gowdy said. Which do you

value more truth or freedom? With deep emotion, conviction and re-

solve, Gowdy inspired us to communicate hope to our hopeless world by living a life of conviction and virtue. To live out what we believe, no matter the cost. Be-cause if we do, we will be the change this world so desperately needs. I am grate-ful that we have a godly man like Gowdy walking the halls of the U.S. government. Hopefully, after hearing Gowdy, Liberty students will put their faith into action, and maybe more men and women will passionately and fearlessly lead our nation back to God.

KELLY

Copyright 2014 Liberty University, Inc.All Rights Reserved

Boston bomber defenseless

Hillary Clinton buried in emails

Dzhokar Tsarnaev on trial for deploying deadly bombs in name of religion

Former secretary of state caught in contention over breach of mail protocol

GooGle ImaGesCATASTROPHE Emergency responders rushed to the scene of the April 2013 marathon bombing.

Lee [email protected]

Hillary Clinton, the for-mer secretary of state and senator from New York, is in the news once again.

During her time in President Barack Obamas cabinet, Clinton used a

personal Internet domain for her emails instead of using the .gov email ad-dress given to her. A House committee investigating the attack on the Ameri-can Consulate in Benghazi originally uncovered this.

Clinton stated in a press conference last week that

she used the personal email exclusively out of convenience, as she did not want to manage two separate emails. She went on to inform the report-ers there that she deleted around 30,000 emails from that account.

The New York Times reported that as recently as two months ago, Clintons aides went through her personal email and chose which emails they wanted sent to the State Depart-ment to abide by federal record-keeping laws. This is in direct violation of the Freedom of Informa-tion Act (FOIA), and for-mer White House advisor on interpreting the FOIA Daniel Metcalfe stated that Clintons conduct was laughable.

There is no doubt that the scheme she established was a blatant circumvent of the Freedom of Informa-

tion Act, atop the Federal Records Act, Metcalfe told the Canadian Press.

This revelation has major ramifications on the inves-tigation of the Benghazi attacks Sept. 11, 2012. Con-gress has been investigating whether the true intentions of the attacks were covered up for political purposes, and this discovery could bring up more speculation as to the Obama admin-istrations handling of the situation.

The need for a thor-ough accounting of the events of Sept. 11, 2012 is greater than ever, Mark Hemingway wrote in the Weekly Standard. We can, however, say for certain that Hillary Clinton has deliber-ately and brazenly erected roadblocks that have so far prevented us from learning the truth.

A further result of this debacle is the potential

openness of the Democratic presidential field in 2016.

Democrats have been re-lying heavily on Clinton as a candidate for president in the next election, and an alternative is nowhere to be seen. Yet, the Clinton cam-paign seems to be taking hit after hit it cannot with-stand, and the former sec-retary looks every hour like less of a viable candidate.

She seemed like a 20th-century figure in a 21st-century world, Wall Street Journal editorialist Peggy Noonan said of Clintons press conference on the emails. Her critics com-plain its the 1990s return-ing, but it isnt. Its only the dark side of the 90s without the eras peace and prosperity.

This could be an op-portunity for lesser-known liberals to take the spot-light, and the nomina-tion, from the former

first lady. Leaders such as Massachusetts Sen. Eliza-beth Warren, Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should see the is-sues with Clinton as an opportunity to do what Obama did in the 2008 primaries and take the party by storm.

Other, more famous Democrats like Vice President Joe Biden or even current State Secretary John Ker-ry might throw their hats into the ring, as Clinton seems to be reeling. Overall, this could make for a much more interesting 2016 pri-mary season on the Democratic side.

SUTHERLAND is an opinion writer.

GooGle ImaGesTRAPPED Hillary Clinton stuck in email controversy.


MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.

Contact Congress to Stop Internet Gambling.

/StopInternetGambling @StopNetGambling

FIND OUT HOW AT

StopInternetGambling.com

03.25.15

Internet gambling is predatory and threatens the safety of millions of American families. Stand up and have your voice heard by contacting your Representative TODAY.

Paid for by the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling

Amber [email protected]

In the midst of a busy semester, five of the Liberty Champion staff members re-ceived recognition for their achievements and publicized work.

Editor-in-chief Emily Brown recent-ly received the David L. Adams Apple Award for Best Copy Editing at the Col-lege Media Associations spring convention March 11-14.

Brown, a senior journalism major, has been involved with the Liberty Champion since her junior year, editing articles with AP errors and grammatical issues as a copy editor. During her senior year, Brown stepped up to the editor-in-chief position.

Its really cool to know that my hard work over the last couple years with the Champion has really made a difference, Brown said. I love helping writers to get better, and I honestly love AP style. All my co-workers make fun of me and all the marks from my turquoise pen, but now I have something to show for it.

Josh Gordon, the social media direc-tor for the newspaper, earned the title of vice president of member services on the national committee of the Public Rela-tions Student Society of America (PRSSA) March 14.

This specific committee is composed of nine members that run for each office every year out of the more than 11,000 PRSSA members nationally.

(It is) my proudest accomplishment to date, Gordon said. I was so incredibly

happy and blessed because of the people who have poured into my life to get me to this moment.

Noticed on a state level for her accom-plishments, Bre Black, a senior graphic designer for the Liberty Champion, was awarded first and second place for in-fographic design by the Virginia Press Association (VPA).

Unbeknownst to Black, she was en-tered into the contest and was informed of her award during spring break. Black received the news of her award as a pick-me-up during the final weeks of her undergraduate career at Liberty.

Sometimes you just get wrapped up in the semester and you are just tired, Black said. Before spring break, I was just worn out creatively, spiritually and emo-tionally. So when (I was told I had won), it was kind of like a pat on the back, like you can keep going.

Another Liberty Champion staffer, ju-nior Jomer Bunque, was also acknowl-edged by VPA for the layout of the Liberty Champion Web page.

Though Bunque changed his major from web development to business management and information systems with a cognate in information assurance, he is still involved with the newspaper.

Even though thats not my major any-more, its kind of cool that (web is) not my concentration and I still put a lot of hard work into it, and it pays off, Bunque said.

Bunque, the Liberty Champions web manager, will be accepting a third place award for Best Website in the VPA

April 18 at a ceremony for the VPA in Roanoke, alongside Black.

David Van Dyk, news editor, was recent-ly published by the Center for Internation-al Maritime Security (CIMSEC), a naval warfare nonprofit think tank. The report featured the Center for Strategic and Inter-national Studies seminar concerning the revised document A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower, signed by the three Sea Services.

Van Dyk found the opportunity through a blogger who was asking for a journalist to cover the event. Van Dyk drove three and a half hours to Washington, D.C. March 13 to cover the event and was later published on CG Blog. He also sent the article to CIMSEC, which later published his work, titled The Coast Guards Role in 21st Century Seapower.

Van Dyk highlighted the fact that his experiences with the university newspaper provided him the tools to report on the event, and ultimately to have it published.

What I learned at Liberty definitely prepared me for covering an event of this magnitude, Van Dyk said. Keep-ing a good flow throughout the article and knowing which facts to use and which facts to leave out are things I learned and prac-ticed in class and with the Champion.

While Van Dyk has been published in the Liberty Champion multiple times, he commented that it was nice to see his work in another publication.

TILLER is the feature editor.

Quinn [email protected]

Students had the opportunity to hear U.S. Congressman Trey Gowdy give an encouraging and convicting message at Convocation Friday, March 20.

Michael Hamlet, a longtime friend of the congressman, introduced Gowdy,

who represents the fourth district of South Carolina.

I have always seen (Gowdy) as someone who cares (for others), Hamlet said.

Gowdy opened his message with 2 Chron-icles 7:14. Gowdy said this verse applies to

people both past and present.That verse is directed to the very same

people who founded, protected, fevered and nurtured this country, Gowdy said. It is (also) directed toward you. So if you think that that call to action is for some-one else then you are wrong.

Gowdy continued by asking students to think if the influence of the government has gone up or down and if the influence of the church has gone up or down.

What would you believe in enough to lose? Gowdy said. What do you believe in enough to march forward, even if you knew that you were marching forward to a certain defeat?

Gowdy also told students they must decide about valuing freedom more than truth and diversity more than unity.

You have to figure out what you be-lieve, and more importantly, you have to figure out why you believe it, Gowdy said.

Gowdy continued to speak passionately about the law.

(The law) is the most unifying and equalizing force we have in this country, Gowdy said. It is the only thing that makes the richest person in this county drive the same speed limit as the poorest person. It is what makes the richest person in Virginia pay their taxes on the very same day as the poorest.

Gowdy also gave a word of advice to Christians going into politics.

If you are going to say that the Lord called you into politics, then you better act like it, Gowdy said. And if you are not going to act like it, then leave his name out of it.

Gowdy ended his message by telling a story of a man who was in a plane crash in the Potomac River. Gowdy explained that the man was offered a rescue ladder from a helicopter but kept passing it to others in the icy water. Gowdy encouraged students to be more like that man and live a quiet life of conviction and virtue and to actu-ally live out what they profess to believe.

FOLEY is a news reporter.


Leah SeaverS | Liberty ChampionACHIEVEMENT From left to right: Joshua Gordon, Emily Brown, Jomer Bunque, Bre Black and David Van Dyk.

Live, learn and work overseasas a Peace Corps Volunteer

Find out more at an info session:March 24 / 5 to 6 / Career Center

peacecorps.gov/learn

Celebrating successChampion staff wins awards for various accomplishments

Trey Gowdy visits

CRUZ continued from A1

Quincy Thompson, Lib-ertys Student Government Association president, called Cruzs choice to launch his campaign in Convocation as brilliant.

To come to the worlds largest Christian university is a statement in and of it-self, Thompson said. I think he was very clear in his commitment to Christ.

Cruz, advocating for tradi-tional conservative values, said he was raised Christian, remi-niscing of his journey to faith at Clay Road Baptist Church in Houston.

Imagine a federal govern-ment that works to preserve the sanctity of human life and to uphold the sacrament of marriage, Cruz said, as stu-dents waved American flags, creating campaign fanfare.

Falwell said he believes Lib-erty has become a regular stop for politicians seeking national office.

From a students perspec-tive, Im very, very proud, Thompson said. Im blessed to be at a university that has such a major platform that stands for Christian values.

In response to those who claim this is a political endorse-ment for Liberty, Falwell said the university plans to have

many candidates visit before the 2016 campaign is over.

After Cruzs announcement, Falwell explained to many me-dia representatives that Con-vocation is not a worship service and that its an op-portunity to hear from speak-ers of all walks of life.

Liberty, of course, by law, cant endorse candidates, and we dont plan to break the law, Falwell said.

According to Falwell, Vir-ginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the originally scheduled key-note speaker for Mondays Convocation, was informed of Cruzs plan to visit. McAuliffe was given the opportunity to share the stage with Cruz or

to remain the only speaker, in which case Cruzs event would have been moved to the afternoon, Falwell told the Champion.

His folks decided that he had some important things that he wanted to say to Liber-ty students, Falwell said. He wanted to come back when there wasnt so much else go-ing on at Liberty.

According to Falwell, the governors assistant is working with the university, and McAu-liffe is tentatively scheduled to visit the campus in the fall 2015 semester.

GOINS-PHILLIPS is the opinion editor.

GOWDY

CALCULUS TUTOR NEEDEDLooking for an upper level student (e.g. math major or

similar) able to provide tutoring sessions twice per week,

1 hour per session, to a CVCC student currently taking Calculus.

I can pay $25 per hour and the sessions can be at the

location of your choice.

Please contact Kevin at [email protected]

if interested.


Visit www.liberty.edu/SA for tickets and more info

With special guests

Audio Adrenalineand Finding Favour

Studentinadv.$10

Publicinadv.$12

ARTIST CIRCLE (FLOOR)inadv.$15

THOMAS continued from A1

(Getting fired) was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me, because it forced me to choose, Thomas said.

At the National Prayer Breakfast office where his wife worked, Thomas heard a powerful speech by a fed-eral judge who said every-one can have a personal re-lationship with Jesus Christ,

which sparked his interest. Thomas and his wife

began attending a Bible study, where his curiosity in following Jesus grew.

God began to work some things into my life, Thomas said. First, he worked me out of my life in order to have space for himself.

In 1983, Thomas wrote a column for the first time in his life. He took it to the New York Times, who, to his surprise, printed the

column, which he now has framed in his house.

The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times also printed columns Thomas sent in before he was offi-cially hired at the Los Ange-les Times to write a column twice a week.

Since then, Thomas has written several books, ap-pears on Fox News regular-ly and continues to write his column. April 17 will mark Thomass 31st year writing for the Times organization.

Thomas gave advice to all students on how to han-dle coworkers with egos.

Ego covers up a deep sense of insecurity, Thom-as said. Thats where you in a newsroom, or wher-ever God places you, can have the biggest affect on other lives.

Thomas gave specific advice to students concern-ing being a Christian in the media industry.

If you are a follower of Jesus of Nazareth,

realize that the most im-portant thing you do is that youre carrying him around in you, Thomas said. Youre taking him where he wants to go.

Additionally, Thomas said the only solution to solve Americas problems is God.

We have tried ev-erything, Thomas said. Weve tried liberals and conservatives and repub-licans and democrats and white papers and blue

ribbon commissions and study groups and the best and the brightest, and we cant solve some basic prob-lems. The one thing weve left out is trying God.

Thomas ended the speech by saying Christian journalists bring a differ-ent perspective to their job that nonbelievers will never have.

FRASER is a feature reporter.

Medical school sees growthThe College of Osteopathic Medicine builds new research facility and clinicDavid Van [email protected]

During the planning stages of Liberty Universitys College of Osteopathic Medicine (LU-COM), Liberty had been prepar-ing to open a medical clinic next to Kmart on Wards Road. The clinic would provide a place for students to shadow and learn from LUCOM physicians, there-by gaining experience while learn-ing from faculty and staff of the medical department.

The new medical clinic will be operational in the coming months, according to Dr. Ronnie Martin, dean of LUCOM, and it will offer services capable of providing care to families, athletes and children.

(The clinic) will offer pre-ventative and primary services in family medicine, pediatrics, wom-ens health, sports medicine, inter-nal medicine and Osteopathic ma-nipulative medicine, Martin said. It will have X-Ray, laboratory, ultrasound and cardiac diagnostic services on site.

Martin highlighted the fact that future plans for more clinics will depend on demand and the op-portunities offered with regional partners.

We anticipate opening addi-tional clinic sites for the training of our students in partnership with these groups and others to expand access to health care, Martin said. The decision to

expand into more extensive medi-cal clinics, diagnostic centers, sur-gical or birthing centers will be made in conjunction with these partners and based on the needs of the community.

Another expansion of LU-COM is the new 7,500-square-foot research lab. According to Martin, the research facility can handle Level II Bio Hazard re-quirements to support the medi-cal research of the students fac-ulty.

According to Martin, the new facility will provide students the chance to further their education

and allow them the opportunity to specialize in their unique field of study.

All students will have access to education in research procedures and protocol as well as the oppor-tunity to engage in state-of-the-art research projects based on their interest and ability, Martin said. Although smaller in scope than many mature facilities, it contains state-of-the-art equipment and capability and the potential for expansion as the research mission and capability of the COM grows over the next decades.

Partnerships with regional

medical establishments have furthered the mission of LU-COM, according to Martin.

We are committed to being a good partner to the physician groups and institutions in the re-gion, and we have worked hard to put our actions in alignment with our words, Martin said. The college is working with local phy-sician and institutional groups, among which are Central Virginia Family Practice, Medical Associ-ates of Central Virginia, Centra Health Systems, Orthopedic As-sociates and Johnson Health, etc. to expand clinical services in

the region.Since LUCOM began its in-

augural class in the fall of 2014, the growing school has seen development in several forms, one of which was an agreement with Centra Health Services. The agreement, according to Lynch-burg News & Advance, benefits both parties while maintaining a lasting partnership.

Centra has signed a 30-year affiliation agreement with Liberty University College of Osteopath-ic Medicine, a substantial change from the five-year, non-exclusive agreement initially signed in 2013, prior to the colleges opening, the News & Advance reported. Dr. Ronnie Martin, dean of the College of Osteopathic Medi-cine, said such lengthy affiliation agreements between health care systems and medical schools are uncommon, and this one benefits both parties.

According to the report, before the college had officially opened, Centra was more conservative with the original agreement, which was signed in 2013. When the school opened its doors and filled its inaugural class with 162 students, Centra formed a more lasting partnership with Liberty that continues to benefit both parties.

VAN DYK is the news editor.

Leah SeaverS | Liberty ChampionEXPANSION LUCOMs new research lab was designed to expand the schools resarch capabilities.

Baseball Baseball Softball M. Tennis M. Tennis

W. Tennis vs. Coastal March 28 @ 12 p.m.

Baseball vs. Presby. March 28 @3 p.m.

WELL SEEYOU ATTHEGAME

Liberty Princeton

2 1Liberty Coastal

4 3Liberty Radford

3 0

Baseball vs. DukeMarch 24 @ 3 p.m.

Baseball vs. Virginia March 25 @3 p.m.

Liberty Presby.

4 3Radford Liberty

12 3

M. Lacrosse vs. Georgia March 27 @ 11:59 p.m.

SPORTSMarch 24, 2015 B1

Follow @LUChampSports for Flames athletics coverage

Kevin Manguiob | Liberty news serviceAT THEIR HEELS Junior guard Sadalia Ellis attacks the paint against the Tar Heels in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tourney heartbreakLady Flames unable to come back from 14-point halftime deficit

Softball splits double-header Lady Flames win one, lose one of Saturday games at newly completed stadium

Leah seavers | Liberty chaMpionTHE WIND-UP Chandler Ball prepares for one of her 112 pitches.

Cierra [email protected]

The Lady Flames softball (12-14) team ended a week-end homestand with a tough 4-1 loss to the Toledo Rock-ets (12-16) Saturday, March 21 in front of a supportive home crowd.

Earlier that evening, the Lady Flames took on the Quinnapiac Bobcats (4-17), coming away with the win following an offen-sive surge in the fourth inning. Liberty's offense got going with four doubles from freshman Alexia Taylor, juniors Kassidy McCoy and Mickey Loveridge and senior Megan Robinson.

Blair Lawrence, a junior from Hampstead, North Carolina, singled, giving the Lady Flames the 4-1 victory over the Bobcats.

Redshirt junior Chandler Ball improved to 8-5 on the season, pitching her second complete game of the weekend's Lib-erty Softball Classic. Accord-ing libertyflames.com, Balls 27 wins give her the 10th most in program history.

In the 7:30 p.m. matchup against the Rockets, the Lady Flames bats were not as hot. The Rockets started strong with two quick runs scored in the first inning. After allowing four consecutive hits, Liberty was able to halt the Rockets,

leaving the score 2-0. The Lady Flames attempted

to rally back several times, but could not get the hits they need-ed, leaving 10 runners stranded. Freshman Alexia Taylor and Loveridge each had solid show-ings at the plate, both going 2-4.

We took the momentum from yesterday and just brought it into todays game and we made adjustments, and as a team we did a better job at certain things, Taylor said. We came out ready to play today.

The Rockets extended their lead to 4-0 at the top of the fifth inning with a Jessica Lemieux

See SPLITS, B2


With about nine minutes to go in the second half in an already loud Carmichael Arena on the University of North Carolina (UNC) campus, the Carolina faithful began to yell their common Tar Heels chant, and the fans clad in red more than 600 of them, according to Lib-erty Athletic Director Jeff Barber shouted back the L U chant with just as much fervor.

I noticed (the Liberty fans and noise) before the game started, UNC sophomore forward Stepha-nie Mavunga said. I remember all this red was walking in, and

that came in before the blue. Im thinking, OK, were border-ing states, but still. Liberty did a good job of bringing those fans in for sure.

However, despite having the sup-port of the sixth man in the form of hundreds of Liberty students who traveled two hours to Chapel Hill to watch their team Saturday, March 22, the No. 13 seed Lady Flames (26-7) were unable to com-plete the comeback over fourth-seeded UNC. Even though they outrebounded the Tar Heels 52-35, the Lady Flames could not over-come a 14-point halftime deficit and poor shooting to pull off the upset, ultimately losing 71-65.

Were happy to come out with the win, UNC Head Coach and Na-ismith Hall of Famer Sylvia Hatchell said. Its been a couple weeks since weve played. (We were) very rusty at times. These (girls), they worked hard and it pulled it through for us. I knew it was going to be a tough game, because Liberty is tough. This is just typical of these first-round games youve been seeing in the mens and womens tournaments.

A fast-paced, up-and-down first few minutes favored the Lady Flames, who went into the first media time-out with the 8-6 lead. But the lead was short-lived, and Libertys shoot-ing went ice cold for the remainder of the half.

Liberty shot a measly 25 percent from the field on 8-32 shooting, in-cluding 0-7 from three-point range, in the half. A 7-0 UNC spurt at the end of the first period put the Lady Flames in a tough position as they went into the locker room. UNC made 51.6 percent of its shots in the half.

We made some mistakes during the first half, and (UNC) shot the ball very well and put us in a hole, Lady Flames Head Coach Carey Green said. We showed determina-tion and character in the second half, and certainly came back and showed what were made of (Im)

See HEARTBREAK, B2

North Carolina 71, Liberty 65

Liberty 4, Quinnapiac 1

Toledo 4, Liberty 1

sports B2 | March 24, 2015 | Liberty Champion

SPLITS continued from B1

single followed by a Celeste Fidge home run.

The Lady Flames offensive ef-forts finally came together in the bottom of the sixth, as Loveridge hit a leadoff triple. Madison Kotchey brought her home with a single, scoring Liberty's only run of the game.

While Liberty fell to the Rockets in its last game of the Liberty Soft-ball Classic, the Lady Flames went 3-2 in the opening weekend in the new stadium.

It was kind of like we werent hitting, but yet we had 10 hits. They werent timely hits, that was the difference, Richardson said.

Richardson is excited to have the new home stadium completed and open to the fans that are coming out to support their Lady Flames.

You looked up (from the field) and there were people all in the stands and also in the hill, just watching the games, Rich-ardson said. We want people to realize how amazing these young athletes are.

The Lady Flames will travel to Hampton for a doubleheader Tuesday, March 25 for their next challenge. The first pitch is sched-uled for 3 p.m. at the Lady Pirates Softball Stadium.

CARTER is a sports reporter.

HEARTBREAK continued from B1

certainly pleased and very proud of this team.

Much like the first half, Lib-erty started the second period strong, scoring four points right out of the gate. However, an-other rough shooting stretch fol-lowing the 4-0 start left the Lady Flames in the same position they were in at halftime.

Liberty continued to fight through the remainder of the half, and the Lady Flames were

able to drastically increase their shooting percentage to 43.2 per-cent. Behind solid performances from redshirt senior guard Karly Buer, who finished the game with 14 points, and redshirt ju-nior forward Ashley Rininger, who ended the day with a dou-ble-double on 19 points and 13 rebounds, the Lady Flames were able to cut into the deficit.

Although the Lady Flames seemed to be clicking and con-necting more on offense, they were never able to get closer than six, as they were unable to

string together defensive stops. Every time Liberty got within close range, UNC answered.

North Carolina is a very, very good team, and theyre tough, redshirt senior guard Emily Fra-zier, who finished the game with seven points, seven assists and eight rebounds, said. Wed go on a run, and theyd just knock us out. I do feel like (a defen-sive stop) would have given us a lot more confidence. It would have given us a boost.

In the final minutes of the game, Buer hit Libertys first

three the Lady Flames fin-ished 3-18 from behind the arc but it was not enough, and Liberty ultimately lost by six to the storied ACC team.

UNC senior guard Latifah Coleman finished the game with 15 points. Sophomore guard All-isha Gray led UNC with 17, and Mavunga battled Libertys height in the post to score 12 points.

Liberty finished the game shooting 34.8 percent, while UNC hit 49.1 percent of its shots. Despite the rough shoot-ing display, a height and re-bounding advantage led to 22 second-chance points for the Lady Flames. Libertys bench also outscored the UNCs, 22-14.

In addition to what Liberty was able to accomplish on the court, Green acknowledged the contributions of the fans in the Lady Flames final game of the season.

Im biased when I make this statement, but I think our fans were louder than the Carolina fans, Green said. I think they may have had us outnumbered a little bit, but it was almost 50-50. The buses that came down, and the fans, hopefully they got their moneys worth. They should have. Thats their fault if they didnt. They picked us up. They were the sixth man to en-courage us, and were thank-ful for that.

BROWN is the editor-in-chief.

Paul [email protected]

Most athletes love the idea of be-ing part of a team the unity, the fellowship, the bearing of

liberty champion march 24, 2015

Documents