the patriot - august 30, 2013

2

Editor-in-ChiefChristin Miller

Assistant EditorNatasha Jones

Assistant EditorTimothy Wyatt

Graphic DesignerBrad Pearce

Online EditorHayley Davis

Staff Writers:Abbey Cherry

Alex Williams

Brandy Norman

Caleb Vander Ark

Cody Ellis

Emily Hemphill

Erin McMullen

Jillian Carpenter

Kristina Smith

Matthew Williams

Ryan Poynter

Solomon Whitaker

Staff PhotographersCarleen Fletcher

Whitley West

Faculty Advisor:Jeremiah Massengale

Copy Editors:Brandy Norman

Jannica Brady

Editorial Review Board:Lisa Bartram

Marianne Worthington

Our Staff

The official student publication of the University of the Cumberlands

Contact us at:Phone: (606) 539-4172 E-mail: [email protected]

Mailing Address: 7609 College Station Drive Williamsburg, KY 40769

What’s Inside

News Pages 3-4

Features Page 5

Dear Freshmen Page 6-7

Photos Pages 8-9

Faith & Ministry Pages 10-12

Entertainment Pages 13-14

Sports Pages 15

August 30, 2013

News 3


A Letter from the Editors

Greetings, from The Patriot newspaper.

As the returning staff comes together for

a new school year, we want to take this

opportunity to announce a few changes. In

addition to a slew of new members, we will

be making a very pivotal leap forward. In lieu

of our old publishing format of three issues a

semester, our newspaper will become a

biweekly publication. And starting in

October, we will have a new, updated website

for you to access new stories without having

to wait for the next print edition.

Aside from the re-launch of our website,

we hope to build our overall online presence

through social media outlets such as

Facebook and Twitter and encourage you to

become involved in our pages. If something

important to you is happening, if someone is

doing something that shouldn’t go unnoticed,

if you just want to say that you liked an arti-

cle: let us know. We love to highlight goings-

on around campus. We love feedback, too.

All these changes are coming to you with

hopes of providing a better, timelier reading

experience; giving you more of the informa-

tion that you want and getting it to you faster.

That means new features, sports stories, pho-

tos, and everything else you love about The

Patriot twice as often as before. Also, as you

may have noticed, we have returned to the

tabloid-size newspaper in order to give the

paper more of an easy to read, modern,

magazine-like feel for you, our readers.

Don’t forget, we’re always offering com-

munity services hours for students who may

want to participate in the paper but don’t have

the necessary time to devote to grueling

biweekly deadlines.

The executive staff, as well as every other

member of The Patriot, take great pride in the

work we do. Our goal is to help you feel the

same. We hope that you will look forward to

and enjoy these new changes as much as we

are. Here’s to a safe, healthy and great school

year to us all.

Sincerely,

The Editors.

Christin Miller, Editor-in-Chief

Natasha Jones, Assistant Editor

Timothy Wyatt, Assistant Editor

News4


Tuning into the Tenth

KRISTINA SMITH

Staff Writer

The walls at the University of the

Cumberlands’ campus radio station, WCCR,

speak for themselves, and they have a lot to

say.

Decorated with newspaper clippings,

photographs of various musical geniuses and

random tid-bits of deejay-friendly informa-

tion, the walls at WCCR speak volumes of

the activities that have been taking place over

the past nine years.

Now WCCR is beginning to play its way

into its tenth year on the air and station man-

ager Dr. Keith Semmel looks to add to the

collection of wall memorabilia.

However, getting WCCR to look and

sound the way it does now took a great deal

of patience and effort from all those involved.

“When I was hired here back in the fall of

1990 the academic dean of the time was a fel-

low by the name of Dr. Joe Early,” Semmel

explains. “Dr. Early wanted to see the

Communication Department grow because at

that time it was part of the English

Department. So, part of his long-range plan

was to see a campus radio station.”

After branching out the Communication

Department, Semmel received his chance in

2002 to bring Dr. Early’s dream to life and

filed an application with the Federal

Communications Commission to start a radio

station.

“For a longest time we didn’t hear any-

thing back and I thought it was just kindly

dead in the water – that it had been lost in the

Washington bureaucracy,” says Semmel.

But the FCC eventually sent its letter of

blessings and after a year and half of con-

struction, Semmel was able to sign onto

WCCR for the first time in the summer of

2004.

Initially, empty shelves plagued the sta-

tion due to the lack of CD selection.

“Our student deejays would pick the

longest songs to play, like ‘Stairway to

Heaven,’ over and over again because they

simply didn’t have anything else to play,”

Semmel says while laughing at the station’s

initial misfortune.

Today, however, student deejays such as

Timothy Wyatt have a far-reaching variety of

CDs to pull songs from.

“I try to play everything on my radio

show because I really do love every type of

music. I know people throw around the word

‘eclectic’ a lot, but that really is my taste of

music and my kind of show,” says Wyatt.

This variety of music is what Semmel

believes really makes WCCR stand out on the

airwaves. Listeners can hear any type of

music on any given day.

“That drives some people crazy I sup-

pose, but we are an alternative to your typical

one genre radio station,” says Dr. Semmel.

In addition to being able to hear to an

assortment of music, listeners can also tune in

online to listen outside of the stations ten mile

broadcasting area. Semmel considers the day

that WCCR began streaming online to be a

breakthrough moment for the station.

Semmel reports that listeners from England,

France and Norway (just to name a few) have

signed online to listen to WCCR.

Needless to say, Semmel has witnessed

many changes throughout WCCR’s broad-

casting history and still expects more good

things to come. With its tenth year now in

progress, Semmel would like to see WCCR

stream live seven days a week with special

live coverage over various campus and com-

munity events. He also hopes to see scholar-

ships come available for student deejays so

that even more students can go on-air.

“The station will look different in the

spring semester than it looks right now,”

promises Semmel.

Photo by Kristina Smith

Timothy Wyatt hosts The Intermission on WCCR 94.5 FM.

“We are an alternative to your typical one genre radio station.”


5Features

The Wildwood Theatre grows in Williamsburg

BY BRANDY NORMAN

Staff Writer

Graduating from college can be veryintimidating and downright scary for studentsat times. Finding a job can be a struggle thesedays, much less finding the one you'vealways dreamed of. However, for RebeccaPartin, a recent UC graduate, her dreamscame full circle this summer when shelaunched The Wildwood Theatre, a commu-nity theatre in Williamsburg, Ky.

While at UC, Partin was a busy bee whenit came to the theatre department. She wasinvolved in a variety of different productionsincluding “The Tempest,” “A ChristmasCarol,” “My Fair Lady,” “Our Town,” “Intothe Woods,” and “Proof.” She was also a partof the backstage crew and ran the spotlightfor “Hello, Dolly!” as well as running thelight board for “The Fantasticks.” She alsoparticipated in two UC productions while stillattending high school which Partin believeshelped her in her theatre career.

“That’s probably what sparked my inter-est in theatre to begin with. So, I’m reallyglad the theatre department at UC allowscommunity involvement,” said Partin.

She was also a participant in severalsemesters of Stagefest, a student-led dramashowcase. In that, she directed “Don’t Fearthe Reaper.” She was also involved withAlpha Psi Omega, which is the theatre honorsociety where she served as vice presidentand president throughout her years.

I know what you’re thinking, how did shemanage to do all of those things? There’s asimple answer, she made time for the thingshe loved to do most and in return, has made

a career out of it. Partin graduated in 2012 with a bache-

lor’s in theatre arts and a minor in communi-cation arts. Now, at a very young age, she hasrecently opened up a community theatrecalled The Wildwood Theatre, which finishedits first production in late July, “The ShakingTree.” This original play was directed byPartin and written by another UC graduate,Lucas Waters.

“I decided to do this because I reallyloved being a part of the theatre department atUC, but after graduating, I realized thereweren't really any opportunities to beinvolved in anything theatrical in this area.I've half-jokingly said before that once I gotmy theatre degree, there weren't any theatrejobs in the area, so I had to create my own,”Partin said while laughing.

Partin stresses how much she wanted tocreate something that would give a chance forpeople in the Williamsburg community toparticipate in productions and how she wantsit to keep growing.

“So far, we've had a really good response.A lot of people have approached me aboutwanting to be involved, and since our lastshow, interest has only seemed to havegrown. I'm really excited about seeing thetheatre keep growing,” said Partin.

It’s no secret that Partin was essential tothe theatre program while at UC, as her hardwork ethic and talent is evident just throughthe drive she has shown by launching herown theatre. Dr. Kim Miller, associate profes-sor of theatre at UC, seems to agree with that

as well. “Rebecca was great to work with in pro-

duction. When she was cast in our shows, sheintelligently developed her character,whether it was a supporting or main charac-ter. And Rebecca was reliable. She took timeto get to know her fellow cast members, andI could always sense that they trusted eachother on stage and off,” said Miller.

Miller also mentions that the qualitiesPartin holds are excellent for running a the-atre and that she never refused to take on achallenge no matter how difficult it mighthave been. This says a lot about Partin, ascreative work comes with a lot of challenges.It’s no wonder that someone so driven andversatile is running a community theatre onher own.

When asking Miller what she thoughtabout The Wildwood Theatre and their firstproduction she was very eager to respond.

“I was there opening night! It was excit-

ing and I thought the entire cast and crew did

a great job on their opening show. It takes a

lot of time, planning, coordination, and just

sheer nerve and sweat, to get something like

this started. It was an excellent beginning.

Wildwood is creating its foundation right

now, and I'm very excited to see how it

grows,” said Miller.

The Wildwood Theatre currently doesn’t

have a permanent home. Although they are

looking for one, right now Partin is renting

performance space wherever she can find it.

Partin emphasizes that she has a lot of big

dreams and plans for the future. For one, she

would love to have her own permanent build-

ing for performances. She is also excited to

produce several other shows as soon as she

has the finances and resources. She says all of

this while reminding herself to take baby

steps.

“I would like to think this could be some-

thing I'll do forever! However, I also hope

that as it continues to grow, it will generate

enough interest that someday, I can pass it on

to someone else as passionate about it as I

am. Part of what I want for this program is an

opportunity for people to get involved with

all aspects of theatre,” said Partin. “Ever

since I got my first taste of theatre, though, I

haven't been able to distance myself from it

too much. It's absolutely my passion, and I

don't think I could go very long at all without

being drawn right back in.”

Partin also mentions that if someone

qualified wants to direct a show, that she

wouldn’t mind stepping aside and giving

them the opportunity to do so. She just

always wants to be involved in the theatre in

some way, as passion is something you can-

not control.

It’s clear that Partin’s motives for her the-

atre are very selfless. Although she enjoys

being surrounded by what she loves, her main

goal is to help performers within such a small

area come together and have a collective

experience. The goal of a community theatre

is to bring people together and Partin is doing

just that all while chasing her dreams.

UC graduate Rebecca Partin launchescommunity theatre

Features6


Dear Freshmen...BY KELLY ALLEN

Patriot Alumna

Dear Freshmen,

I know that college seems a long time to

be in school and in reality four years is a long

time, but think about how short four years is

too. That is not even a decade; heck, it’s not

five years. It’s four years to figure out what

you are going to do with the rest of your life.

The decision that you make right now will

mean everything down the road. Don’t rush

your decisions just because you want to get

out sooner. Think about every step that you

take down your road to success. They could

mean the difference between loving your

work and hating what you do.

Don’t be afraid to fail. Failing is a natural

part of life and people do it all the time. There

is this idea that failing is bad. Some of the

greatest people in history failed. If you are

like me, then failing has never been an

option. It became a reality in college. I prom-

ise it’s not a bad thing. Don’t come to college

and think that you are going to be so great

and never fail a single assignment. It happens

to everyone. Failing is also good for you.

I know that sounds crazy, but it can be if

you do it in the right way. Failing shows you

your mistakes and then how to fix them.

Don’t be defensive if a teacher doesn’t like

your work. Ask them why they don’t and how

to make it better. College is supposed to be a

growing experience and failure is a part of

growth.

Coming to college and thinking that you

know everything will make your college

experience miserable. Have fun. Learn.

Grow. Appreciate the experience while it

lasts. Remember, when else in your life are

you going to live within walking distance of

your best friends?

Sincerely,

Kelly

Class of 2013

A student at Cumberlands once told me,

“Casey, you’re different from most

Americans. Most Americans don’t talk to us,

or spend time with us, but you are always

saying ‘hello’ and taking the time to hang out

with us. I’m glad you do that.”

Who is the “us” in that sentence? Who

was she referring to? They are the interna-

tional student population at University of the

Cumberlands. They consist of roughly eight

to ten percent of the total number of students

living on campus. They play a large role in

almost everything that happens at

Cumberlands, from athletics to multimedia to

even serving in the cafeteria. If these

international students are so important to the

campus, why do they sometimes feel rejected

and forgotten?

The answer to that question is fairly sim-

ple, yet still quite complex. While the interna-

tional student population is one of the most

largely isolated groups on campus, they are

not the only ones.

Whoever doesn’t fit into the perfect little

box you have of desired friendship can imme-

diately get written off, never to be talked to or

even acknowledged again. Because… life is

supposed to be easy, right?

We’re just supposed to spend time with who-

ever is most like us and easiest to get along

with so that we can be happy. Isn’t that how

it’s supposed to work?

The reality is, that’s not how it’s supposed

to work.

That’s how feuds and animosity build up

between different people groups. That’s how

we continue to fuel and recreate a culture of

segregation, discrimination, prejudice, intol-

erance, and ultimately ignorance. The defini-

tion of ignorance is literally just “lacking in

knowledge or information about a particular

subject.” When we always spend time with

the people we like the most and the people

that it’s easiest for us to hang out with, we

continue to incite and sustain that lack of

knowledge or information about people dif-

ferent from us.

We climb into our little boxes and hide

from the rest of the world, only to let our egos

and self-centeredness fill our heads with hot

air until we can’t even get out of the box

because we’re jammed inside of it. But, in the

words of Kid President, “You’re gooder’n

that!” (Translation: “You’re better than

that!”)

So what can we do? It’s a new day. It’s a

new year. Whether you’re a brand new, fresh-

man or a fifth year (know everybody on cam-

pus and their momma, had every single pro-

fessor twice, thinking about staying one more

year just because you like the people) senior,

you can make a change in the way you live

your life this year.

There are so many more amazing people

out there than the five or ten that you hang

out with every day. As I alluded to earlier, a

great place to start building new relationships

is among the international student population.

It might be hard at first. Just give it time and

you might find one of the most unexpected,

long-lasting friendships of your life. You can

decide whether you stay jammed down in

your little box of inexperience, or let some of

that hot air out so you can climb out into the

world of new friends and new possibilities.

I pray you choose the latter.

BY CASEY HAMM

UC Alumnus

Features 7


Dear Freshmen,Congratulations on deciding to come to

UC. It’s a very, very large step, but the factthat you decided to take it is amazing. I’ll beblunt; the next few years will be tough. Youwill experience stress like you have never feltbefore. You will feel more tired and drowsythan you have in your entire life. You will beexhausted at times. However, these will bethe best years of your life.

Use these next four or five years not onlyto earn your degree, but also to learn aboutwho you are. College is completely differentfrom high school or anything that you haveexperienced. The amount of freedom you aregiven alongside the plethora of friends youcan see at nearly anytime is truly a sight tobehold. However, the secret to being a suc-cessful college student is to counterbalancethat freedom with responsibility.

Responsibilities aside, use this time toexplore and have fun. Do stupid things withfriends every once in a while. Walk to thepark and swing on the swing sets. This may

be one of the only times in your life that youare able to do this. At this moment, you arehalfway through the door between yourteenage years and your responsible adultyears. Use this time to your advantage anddon’t let it slip through your fingers. Fouryears isn’t a very long time.

Use this beautiful time of your life andtake advantage of it. True, there are moreresponsibilities and stresses, but have funwhile doing it. I’ve seen way too many peo-ple who go through college, ignore friendsand end up being miserable.

If you take one thing out of this letter,remember this: these are your years so takeadvantage of them. I hope that you have asgood a time as I have.

Stay classy,Alex

BY ALEX WILLIAMS

Staff Writer

Dear Freshmen,The transition from high school to college

is a scary time for all students and themoment that all parents dread. For the firsttime in our 18 years of life we are moving outand finally trying to make it on our own. Webecome responsible for our actions and ourmommas, daddies and teachers are no longerthere to tell us what we need to do. There arehundreds of things that I could tell you aboutcollege, but I have narrowed the list down tothe top four things that you need to know.Good luck!

1. Domino’s delivers:For those nights when it’s cold and rain-

ing or once again the caf food is not lookingtoo good, remember Domino’s delivers. Trustme, you will quickly memorize the numbersof all the local restaurants that deliver to cam-pus.2. Do your own laundry:

The first few weeks your mom won’tmind that you brought all your dirty clotheshome to wash, but after a while she is goingto teach you how to use the washing machineand the dryer. Those handy little washingmachines and dryers located in the basementof the dorms, they will not bite you, so headon down there and let them do their magic.Plus it’s free.3. Study:

I know this seems kind of obvious, butseriously studying in high school and study-ing in college are two completely differentthings. If you are anything like myself youdidn’t have to study much (or at all) in highschool to get straight A’s, but sadly that does

not transfer over to college. Your professorsare going to expect a lot more from you ontests and papers. In order to meet their expec-tations you are going to have to crack openthose expensive textbooks and start reading.The first semester is always the hardest, butyou will get the hang of it eventually.4. Enjoy it, it goes by way to fast:

These next four years are going to be thebest years of your life, and sadly they go byway too fast. One day you’re walking acrosscampus heading to your first class, and thenwithout ever really noticing, the next day youare heading into the Rollins Center wearingyour graduation cap and gown. As I men-tioned earlier you need to study, but you alsoneed to spend time with your friends. Youreally only have four years with these people,then you each are going to go your own direc-tion and begin your lives.

Sincerely,Jannica

BY JANNICA BRADY

Staff Writer

Dear Freshmen...


8 Photos

Photos by Whitley West

#WelcomeWeek

Patriot Party

Photos 9


Photos by Karleen Fletcher and

Jillian Carpenter

Photo by Whitley West

Stock Your Dorm

Paint Fest

Faith & Ministry10


The biblical story of Peter is one that has

been told time and time again. This story is

told to children in church from the time they

are old enough to walk; but this story is

founded in the idea of desperate faith. The

Christian band Hillsong United, recently

released, “Oceans” which paints the picture

of this kind of faith.

It would be this song and that desperate

act of faith that would lead University of the

Cumberlands senior Julie Paris to the Acts1:8

summer mission team, which traveled to

Athens, Greece.

Acts 1:8 states, “But you will receive

power when the Holy Spirit comes on you

and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem

and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends

of the earth.”

Paris says, “This experience truly lives

out that verse. You are His witnesses in your

Jerusalem, or Kentucky, and will be a witness

to the ends of the earth, which for us was

Athens, Greece.”

“Oceans” opening line reads, “You call

me out upon the waters/The great unknown

where feet may fail/And there I find You in

the mystery/In oceans deep/My faith will

stand.” For Paris, she was confident in God

calling her to Acts1:8. Through prayer and

steps of obedient faith, God continually was

opening doors that led her to this team.

Overseas missions were nothing new for

Paris, as her family is actively involved in

missions to Uganda, Africa. Despite having

been overseas prior to this experience, she

was still jumping into the unknown as the

mission field of Uganda is completely differ-

ent from that of Athens, Greece.

She explains, “In Africa, there is definite-

ly a need. Their need stems from literally not

having anything. They have a sense of need-

ing a Savior. The places I served this summer

don’t feel hopeless. They are content in their

lives and with what they have. Having to

teach someone that they need something is a

lot harder than giving someone what they

need.”

Paris admits that her biggest struggle lay

simply in the language barrier, but she recog-

nized that God called her for a specific pur-

pose.

“Some are called to sow, others water,

and others to reap, but we are rarely called to

all three. This is where my faith came in. I

must trust that He will take care of the seed

because He is the ultimate gardener and dis-

ciple,” she says with an emphasis. “He is

always in control, never us, no matter how

much we want to be.”

Despite the language barrier and the dis-

couragement that comes along with it, Paris

anchored herself to God and His promise to

never fail us. This promise surfaced itself

over the course of her entire Acts1:8 experi-

ence.

She spoke of the eight-hour flight from

Philadelphia to Zurich, which landed her in a

position to speak to a lady on the plane about

what a relationship with Christ is really

about. Paris says, “The Lord led it every step

of the way and I praise God for that seed that

was planted. I will continue to pray for God’s

provision over the rest of her spiritual

growth.”

Paris later went on to talk about a 4-year-

old girl from Nepal who would come to the

sports camps and simply play with chalk.

Paris reminisced about the girl knowing little

English but being able to see the girl’s face

light up with something as simple as drawing

in chalk or swinging. It wasn’t the chalk or

the swing that impacted Paris the most, but

rather planting the seed of Christ by singing,

“Jesus Loves Me” to a sleepy little girl. With

joy she states, “That was the work of God and

I will forever by grateful and prayerful for

that little girl.”

The chorus of Hillsong United’s

“Oceans” echoes, “Spirit lead me where my

trust is without borders/Let me walk upon the

waters/Wherever You would call me/ Take

me deeper than my feet could ever

wander/And my faith will be made

stronger/In the presence of my Savior.”

These words became more than a song for

Paris over the course of her time with

Acts1:8; they became her prayer. It was her

desire to have a faith that was desperately

dependant on God, and a faith that would

allow her go to the deepest depths with Him

in confidence that He would take care of His

child.

Paris crosses Oceans

BY ABBEY CHERRY

Staff Writer Photo Submitted.

“Some are called to sow, otherswater, and others to reap, but weare rarely called to all three.”

Faith & Ministry 11


Answering the Call : Missions in Admissions BY NATASHA JONES

Assistant Editor

This summer, employees of our very own admissions

office at the University of the Cumberlands got the opportu-

nity to do God’s work in Kenya.

Amanda Walton, an admissions counselor, and Jordyne

Gunthert, the admissions social media coordinator, went on

what Walton described as a “Vision Trip” to serve and expe-

rience the community in the sovereign state of East Africa.

The pair went to witness how 127 Worldwide was work-

ing with other local organizations. 127 Worldwide is an

organization whose mission is to connect people to the needs

of orphans and widows around the globe through education,

advocacy and sponsorship. Their first week was spent work-

ing with the Tuimaini: Miles of Smiles Children’s Home in

western rural Kenya, where 127 Worldwide is a large contrib-

utor.

This was actually not Walton’s first mission trip to the

sovereign state; this was her sixth time, and Walton actually

lived near the Children’s home for half of 2010 and half of

2011. Working near a place she had called home before left

Walton feeling very humbled.

Walton said, “It was like going back home. Arriving on

site, seeing the finished library, that we had been collecting

books for over the past few years, and then knowing it was

our responsibility to fill it was very fulfilling.”

While there they helped contribute to sponsorships by cre-

ating profiles of some of the children, cataloging the library,

helping with local church services and, just in general, loving

the community and those around them. The two were very

moved by the vibe of those around them during their time

there.

Gunthert said, “They treat things and people differently. The

sense of community is constant. Culturally they have another

view of time. They think nothing of sitting and spending an

hour and pouring into people.”

The second week they worked in the Kibera slums of

Nairobi, an atmosphere much different than the rural area

they spent the week before, with Kibera being much more

crowded. They worked with the Swahiba Youth Network, a

Christian youth organization whose main objective is to reach

out to young people with the message of Gospel using evan-

gelism, discipleship, mentorship and empowerment. The

organization is an umbrella network that oversees three differ-

ent groups: First Priority Kenya, the Jitambue Club and The

Mentor and Empowerment program, also known as MEP

organization.

MEP works with young widows and young women; they

teach them trades and connect them to successful women in

those industries to help get jobs outside of the slums. They got

to see those workshops and also go out into the high schools

and witness the Jitambue Club, a purity project, speak to

young women.

Walton said, “Working in the slums aside empowering

women, who are learning the importance of purity and how

God sees them no matter what they've been through and how

he can redeem their story, and spending that time with the

ladies there was really awesome.”

When asked what her favorite part of the trip was,

Gunthert said, “There was one particular worship service that

was incredibly moving. First of all, these kids are aged 5-14,

and they participate in worship in a way that I've never seen

before. Every eye closed and every hand raised; it was like

they were just exposing their souls to God, 'all-in' for Him.

Despite the distraction of the crashing thunder and rain on the

tin roof of the children's home that night, they were focused

in their praise and dedicated in their thankfulness. It was

beautiful.”

You can visit the website 127 Worldwide to learn more

about the organization and learn how to donate. Gunthert also

wrote a blog post on for the site about her calling for the mis-

sion trip before embarking on the journey, titled “The impor-

tance of willingness” which can be read at http://127world-

wide.org/category/blog/.

Walton and Gunthert agreed that they strongly encourage

anyone and everybody to go to a third world country to be

reminded that being a Christian is something outside of our

race or culture. The counselors got to see parts of Christianity

shine through and surpass culture by worshiping with an

established Christian organization that was run by Kenyans.

To hear more about their journey, mark your calendars for

Monday, October 7th at 7 p.m. because the duo will be in the

Gatliff Chapel sharing about their time spent in Kenya as part

of an academic and cultural convocation opportunity that you

definitely don’t want to miss.

Photo submitted

Jordyne Gunthert.

Photo submitted

Amanda Walton.

“Every eye closed and every handraised; it was like they were justexposing their souls to God.”

Faith & Ministry12


By Kristina Smith

Staff Writer

He greets me with a smile that matches

the warmth of the summer heat outside.

“Hello! Come in and have a seat,” his voice

bellows with such a level of excitement that

I’m almost certain even the windows slightly

rattled in response.

Sitting in front of me is Marc Hensley, the

director of the University of the

Cumberlands’ Mountain Outreach program.

However, we’re not alone.

“This is Dirk and Jeremy Bertha and

assistant director Jonathan Bowman,” says

Hensley while pointing to his left. After a

round of handshakes, Hensley quickly

chimes in, “How can we help you?”

Help. Help appears to be continuously

flowing from the Mountain Outreach team

even during the summer months when most

students have left campus. With the assis-

tance of approximately 600 volunteers this

summer’s team was able to provide help to

many who were in need. They completed 34

projects which varied from splashing a new

coat of exterior paint onto weather-beaten

homes to raising walls in order to construct

two nearly 1,200 square-foot homes.

“Dirk and Jeremy were actually recipi-

ents of one of the homes we built,” Hensley

says. “They got to build their own house.”

To this the brothers only let out the slightest

chuckle and their demeanor expresses more

gratitude than pride.

“This home has definitely changed our

future. It has helped our family a lot, and

hopefully I’ll have a summer job again next

year if Marc will have me back,” Dirk, a jun-

ior majoring in education at UC, quickly

explains.

But for Jeremy, a UC senior studying

business and health, this summer with

Mountain Outreach is about more than just

receiving a home – it’s about developing new

friendships.

“I was working with strangers but I

gained comfort from learning that people

around me held the same beliefs. I was able

to grow more spiritually,” says Jeremy.

Both brothers acknowledged that

Mountain Outreach provided them with an

opportunity to spend bonding time with peo-

ple of the same faith even when they weren’t

working on a project.

“That’s one of the great things about what

we get to do,” interjected Hensley. “This

summer we were having a good time and

helping people without doing anything that

could be considered wrong.”

Of course Hensley is enthusiastic about

people of any skill level joining in on the fun.

“Applications for our summer team are

available in the spring. At the beginning of

the summer we hold our summer orientation

where we make sure we equip our volunteers

with the skills and experience necessary to

complete projects,” Hensley says.

Still yet, despite all of their pre-summer

preparation, Hensley and the rest of the

Mountain Outreach team were forced to

reevaluate the plans they had drawn more

than once. Dealing with what Hensley

labeled as “one of the wettest summers in

recent years” oftentimes threw a wrench into

project logistics.

“Rain sometimes forced us to be late in

getting a foundation laid and a frame up,”

says Hensley. “Our volunteers were told to

be prepared to do any type of work because

we often had to change our plans for the day.”

But Mountain Outreach doesn’t just lock up

the tools and throw away the key at the first

sign of difficulty.

“Blessed are the flexible for they cannot

break,” Hensley recites with strong determi-

nation and an index finger pointing towards

the heavens.

With frequent phone calls and walk-ins

requesting for Mountain Outreach’s help the

work is never done. Summer’s door is closing

but Hensley is already drawing up blueprints

for the fall semester.

The help is ever-flowing.

Summer Help

Photo by Kristina Smith

Marc Hensley, Dirk & Jeremy Bertha, and Johnathan Bowman of Mountain Outreach.

Entertainment 13


PhD Comics

Fiction: “Perelandra” by C. S. Lewis

Everyone knows about C. S. Lewis’

“Chronicles of Narnia,” but not many people

are aware that he wrote a sci-fi series for

adults as well. Although “The Space Trilogy”

has a very different tone than the “Narnia”

books, Lewis’ common themes of redemption

and the inclusion of other biblical ideas are

present. “Perelandra” is the middle book of

this trilogy, and at its heart it is a retelling of

the Fall of Adam and Eve. The catch is, this

story takes place on the planet Venus, and a

man from Earth has been sent to verbally spar

with the Devil as he tries to persuade Eve to

bite into the proverbial apple. This added

dynamic and Lewis’ imaginative description

of Venus as an ocean world full of floating

islands keep this story from becoming a strict

retelling. This book is for anyone who is a fan

of C. S. Lewis’ writing, enjoys fiction that

makes them think, or likes to read science fic-

tion that has a deeper purpose.

Nonfiction: “The Secret Thoughts of an

Unlikely Convert” by Rosaria Champagne

Butterfield

If you are looking for a challenging read,

here it is. “Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely

Convert“ is the amazing story of Rosaria

Butterfield and how God saved her through a

“train wreck” of a conversion. Once upon a

time, Rosaria was a tenured English professor

at Syracuse University, and a committed les-

bian. The faculty advisor for every LGBT and

liberal feminist group on campus, Rosaria

began to study the Bible from an academic

standpoint as a literary work. Around the

same time, she began meeting with a pastor

who managed not to scare away this woman

who hosted LGBT gatherings in her home

where she and her friends made fun of

Christians.

Through the incredible witnessing of this

pastor and his wife, Rosaria broke up with

her girlfriend and became a Christian, deliv-

ering a speech at Syracuse that alienated

everyone she knew there. She went on to

teach at Geneva College, where she met the

man who became her pastor and husband.

Together they have had 10 years of incredible

ministry, adopted children, and provided fos-

ter care for many more. Rosaria uses her edu-

cation to give her children the best education

she can through homeschooling. Story after

story in this book will wrench at your heart –

I laughed and cried more than once through

this 150 pages.

I would recommend this book to pretty

much anyone. If you like conversion stories,

if you love to see how God works, if you

want your faith to be challenged and your

apathy dissolved, this is the book to read.

The Best Books I Read This SummerBY EMILY HEMPHILL

Staff Writer

Entertainmment14


Top Five Performances of Bonnaroo 2013

BY MATTHEW WILLIAMS

Staff Writer

The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is

one of the most anticipated and successful

summer festivals of this day and age. In fact,

only California’s Coachella and the leg-

endary 1969 Woodstock Festival can com-

pare to the size, to the attendance rate, and to

the extreme devotion that its fans have.

Bonnaroo continues to amaze year after

year with its perfect tanning weather, the

friendliest hippies on this side of the

Mississippi, and an extremely varied selec-

tion of music that never stops going from the

time the gates open on Wednesday evening,

until they close when the last note echoes

throughout the 700-acre farm on Sunday

night.

Hundreds of legendary bands have played

the farm throughout its eleven-year existence,

playing even more legendary shows, such as

the Police’s 2007 show that accompanied

their short-lived reunion tour, Phish’s infa-

mous four-hour 2012 set, or, of course, the

Beastie Boys’ 2009 show, which was the last

time the late Adam “MCA” Yauch performed

on stage before his death. Every year, a leg-

end takes the stage, and 2013 was no differ-

ent. Here are my top five performances of

Bonnaroo 2013.

5. Of Monsters & Men

It seemed like this Icelandic indie folk

band’s set was a long-time coming. Despite

only having one incredibly catchy album, the

fans erupted into dance throughout the entire

set, yelling “HEY!” along with “Little Talks”

and harmonizing each “ooh” and “ah” per-

fectly.

With several singles on the pop stations,

no one can deny the impact Of Monsters &

Men have had on the music world within the

last couple of years, and the fact that they

were able to play the second-biggest stage

during their first visit to Bonnaroo is impres-

sive, but no one seems to be questioning it.

They’re too busy singing along.

4. The National

The National has always been a pretty

unique band, with Radiohead-like backing

music accompanied by deep vocals that could

remind a listener of Crash Test Dummies

before the other indie and alternative bands

that the National is always billed next to.

Their pre-headlining show warmed the crowd

up to Tom Petty later in the evening, but

nobody was there as a chore. New singles

“Don’t Swallow the Cap” and “Sea of Love”

enveloped the crowds, wrapping them up in

the depressingly relatable lyrics of simple life

and love, but the high point of the set was

definitely when St. Vincent’s Annie Clark

joined them on stage to sing “This is the Last

Time.”

3. Weird Al Yankovic

Before this set started, chatter filled the

crowd, most of the conversations covering

the same topic: “I can’t believe we’re about

to see Weird Al.” When the man himself took

the stage, he immediately flew into his pop-

medley “Polka Face,” never slowing down

from that point. Hands waved back and forth

through “Amish Paradise” and the Star Wars

inspired “Yoda” ended the incredibly fun and

energetic show with extreme crowd participa-

tion.

But, it was Weird Al’s soft and strikingly

genuine words that he spoke mid-set that

really touched the crowd: “This is without a

doubt the best crowd I’ve ever played for.”

2. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Maybe choosing one of the headliners as

the number two spot is a cop-out, but this is

Tom Petty we’re talking about. Breaking the

Bonnaroo tradition of ending the festival with

a jam band, Tom Petty & the Heartbeakers

took control of the entire farm Sunday night,

with the entire populace of Manchester,

Tennessee singing along to anthems like

“Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” and

“Learning to Fly,” to name a few. With a cou-

ple of covers scattered into the setlist (like

their fabulous version of the Grateful Dead’s

“Friend of the Devil”) Tom Petty & the

Heartbeakers ended this festival the best way

they knew how.

As Tom Petty finished bathing in the

applause of the band’s encore, he whispered

into the mic, “Now we’re going to end the

night where it all started,” and they erupted

into a cheer-induced rendition of “American

Girl.”

1. Paul McCartney

Perhaps a bigger cop-out than choosing

Tom Petty as the number two spot is choos-

ing Sir Paul McCartney as the number one

spot, but it’s most incredibly deserving.

Opening with “Eight Days a Week,” the

crowd broke down into cheers, tears, and

stares of absolute awe, believing themselves

to have been taken back to the ‘60s and

smacked down into the center of a Beatles

concert.

Perhaps the true personification of rock

and roll, Sir Paul astounded a hundred thou-

sand people continuously, playing the spiritu-

ally enduring “Blackbird,” the George

Harrison-devoted “Something,” a truly eye-

watering “Let It Be” that literally brought

people around me to tears. The crowd sang

“Na Na Na Nah” for what seemed like hours

as Paul continued to play the main piano riff

of “Hey Jude” over and over, fireworks lit up

the black sky into a collection of colorful

lights during “Live and Let Die,” and the

acoustic version of “Eleanor Rigby” was

delightfully chilling to the bone.

Appropriately, Sir Paul finished the night

with “The End” and he bid farewell to the

crowd with a wave and a “thank you.” But, it

was the crowd wanting to say “thank you”

after that night.

Sports 15


Building a championQ&A with UC Football Coach John Bland

It all starts with the “Brass Lantern.” In

case that term is unfamiliar to you, it is the

traveling trophy that is passed back and forth

between University of the Cumberlands’ and

Union College’s football programs. The

premise is simple: win and the trophy is yours

for an entire year. The Patriots hold a 19-9

all-time record over the rival Bulldogs.

Currently, the Brass Lantern is nestled

safely within the hilly confines of UC’s cam-

pus in Williamsburg. Last season, the Patriots

defeated Union 48-14, the largest margin of

victory in the series' history. On Aug. 31

though, the rivalry is rekindled and the trophy

is once again on the line. But before even the

first whistle sounds, there is a lot of work to

be done. And after a spectacular 2012-13 sea-

son, Patriots head football coach John Bland

has his work cut out for him.

Entering his eighth season as head coach,

Bland is focusing on building off last year’s

success. I sat down with him before the start

of the semester to discuss how he plans to do

that, what he still needs to work on, and even

what he thinks about UC adding bowling to

its long list of sports teams.

Timothy Wyatt: You just came off one of

UC’s best-ever seasons, how do you plan to

follow that up this year?

Coach John Bland: This program has been

building each year. We think back to when

football started here in ’88, they went 10 and

0 but they lost in the first round of the play-

offs. You know, that was a great team and

that’s the one people talk about. Now, when

you get to the playoffs and you get that record

to be at home, you can make some noise and

maybe push for the national title and that’s

what we’re shooting for. We want to grow on

last year.

And, obviously, everyone’s goal is to win

the whole thing. What do you think you’re

doing to put yourself in that position? Well,

first off, our coaches did a great job of

recruiting. It starts with the players and the

recruiting and the senior class. All these guys

who have been here who have experience:

they know what it takes; they’ve been around

the success of the program; they have a

hunger and a passion to take it to the next

level and not only to win again, but knowing

what it takes to get there.

TW: What do you most look forward to at

this point before the season?

Coach Bland: The games. Preparing for the

games is important. I look forward to seeing

them execute on Saturdays.

TW: If the season were to start tomorrow,

what’s your biggest concern?

Coach Bland: We’re not ready just yet.

We’ve got a lot of kids who are returning

already and probably ready to play. We’ve

got a lot of kids that are new that we feel will

be ready, but we still need to prepare a little

bit.

TW: I mean, out of just the small sample-size

you’ve seen, what do you predict being your

biggest hurdle to jump in the first few weeks?

Coach Bland: My first big hurdle, I believe,

will be going to Belhaven, which is predicted

to be number one in the west. We’ve got to

make a long trip—about nine hours on two

buses. It’ll be a big challenge.

TW: There are a handful of All-Americans

on the team, but let’s just say I was to put you

on the spot, who is your standout this year?

Coach Bland: Terrance Cobb.

TW: So, you think that’s who Patriots fans

are going to see the most of this year?

Coach Bland: Well, they’re going to see

them all, but Terrance Cobb is probably the

best player in the country. Period. Not only

on our team, but the best in the country. I

mean, we’ve had three NFL teams at our

practices. That’s never happened here before.

TW: If I was to give you a loudspeaker and

have you be that guy for a minute that makes

big predictions, at the end of the season,

what’s your record?

Coach Bland: Our goal is to be 14 and 0.

And I think we’re good enough to do that. We

are good enough as far as talent-wise. We’ve

got the players to beat everybody we play, but

the breaks also have to go our way.

TW: I’m throwing you a curveball. What are

your thoughts on UC adding a bowling team

this year?

Coach Bland: You know what? It’s very

unique. I feel like University of the

Cumberlands is the best school around, at this

level, for all sports. I’ve already had some

guys ask, “Hey, can I go tryout for the bowl-

ing team?” and I say, “Are you any good?

What’s your score?” [laughs]

BY TIMOTHY WYATT

Assistant Editor


Bonnaroo ::: Books ::: Brass Lantern ::: WCCR ::: Wlldwood Theatre ::: Welcome Week

the patriot - august 30, 2013

Documents