Men’s tennis wins national tournament • Lady Saints take third — Page 1B
Crusader www.crusadernews.com
Year 45, No. 4
Saints start new season — Page 2B
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Liberal, Kansas
Brownlee dies at 75
Fourteen-year-old Amira Coleman plays a betrothed maiden in “The Robber Bridegroom,” one of the stories in the Drama Club’s fall production of “Story Theatre.” Also appearing on stage are high school senior Jessica Malin, SCCC/ATS students Tabitha Barnett, Cody Mitchell, Erandi Garcia-Peralta, Franklin Guillen and Juan Carlos Contreras. The play opens at 7:30 Nov. 7-9. For more photos, see page 7.
HigherGrounds
Papers vanish from racks — Page 6 Crusader photo and illustration/Maria Lara
Jairo Vazquez, Bradley Kinser, Rhonda Kinser, Shelby Stevens, Drew Swan and Zach Carpenter stay after Bible study for a photo. The group encourages other students to join them on Sunday mornings.
Maria Lara Crusader staff
Staff takes on the Big Easy — Pages 4-5
It’s early on a Sunday morning, the fall breeze is chilly outside as students begin to gather around a table at Spencer Browne’s Coffee Shop. Students are there not only for the coffee, but also to share common grounds in one purpose, the study of the Bible. Spencer Browne’s has been the location for non-denominational Bible studies every Sunday since the beginning of April last year. Rhonda Kinser, Counselor and Retention Specialist at Seward County Community College / Area Technical School is the leader of the gatherings that have been open to SCCC/ATS students. “It is an informal gathering of students who are hungry for more of God,” Kinser said. In the spring of 2012, Kinser noticed that a group of her college students were on fire for God. “Maybe it’s selfish of me, but I wanted to be a part of what God was doing in their lives,” Kinser said. Then on a Sunday morning, Kinser’s pastor’s title to his message was “Let God’s dreams become your dreams.” Kinser said, at that moment, “I heard the Spirit of the Lord speak to my heart and say, ‘I want you to start a college Bible study.’” Kinser didn’t know how she was going to make this happen, because at her church there was no more space for another class. So she reached out to her pastor. After praying over the situation, Kinser said she feels the Lord gave her the thought having the
studies at Spencer Browne’s. She checked Spencer Browne’s that following Sunday to see the space it would provide and to seek permission from the owner to host the Bible studies. Shannon Francis, owner of Spencer Browne’s, said he was very happy that Kinser asked to host the Bible studies there. “Coffee shops are places for people to meet, visit and discuss the important things in life,” Francis said. The classes began that Sunday after Easter. “In addition to Rhonda’s class, we have at least three other groups meeting here on a regular basis. One is a Women’s Bible Study, a Widow/Widowers Christian support group and a Wednesday Men’s Coffee,” Francis said. Not only does it benefit the coffee shop in business because of the attendants purchasing coffee and other beverages, but it also benefits the group in general. It’s more accessible, and a little less traditional place to meet, making the groups feel comfortable. One Spencer Browne’s worker, Shannon Francis’s daughter, Kimberly Francis, added, “I would say no one was surprised because my parents wanted to add a space like that specifically for groups wanting a good place to meet.” Kimberly said that everyone
she knows that works the morning shifts likes the studednts in the group because they are genuinely so nice whenever they come, especially the group leader, Kinser. There have been no advertisements of the Bible studies because Kinser wants it to be a word of mouth choice taken by the s t u dents. At the beginning, as the students themselves passed the word, 10 students showed up to the first meeting and are still going. They meet every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. “Since we have several different students from different denominations, some students leave before 10:15 because their church starts at 10,” Kinser said. Being a non-denominational Bible study group, despite all the different backgrounds, the students have been cooperative and open-minded toward each other. “We’re pretty chill, no conflicts ever break out,” said Zach Carpenter, recent graduate of SCCC/ATS and now drummer at New Beginnings Church. Another student who participates in the Bible studies, Drew Swan, said, “I started to attend last semester, the beginning of May and that is when I gave my heart to the Lord. It’s simply been a blessing.”
Charles Brownlee, one of the first faculty members of the college, died Tuesday, Oct. 29. Brownlee served as a math instructor, athletic director and division chair of math, science and HPERD. He taught at SCCC for 30 years before his retirement. In April of 2013, he was inducted into the SCCC/ATS Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also an active part of SCCC/ATS Athletic Booster Club. For full obituary, see page 3.
Mulligan talks twins, tea and traveling Diana Chavira New Media Director
Sigma Chi Chi succeeds — Page 2
2013
Charles Brownlee
Crusader photo / Dawn Shouse
College treats young visitors — Page 8
November 6
The all girls boarding school, Pipers Corner, located in England, is where Katherine Mulligan was given her first job out of college as the head of the lacrosse program and assistant boarding house mistress. Mulligan arrived in England last August and moved to Liberal in July. She is now the director of the Student Living Center at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School. Mulligan was about to graduate from college and she realized that she still didn’t know what she wanted to do. She didn’t want to go back to school, but she knew she would love to have a job as a lacrosse coach. Originally, Mulligan wanted to find a job in her home town of Denver, Colo., but one day while job hunting, she came across an opening in England for a lacrosse coach. Mulligan had played the sport throughout college and saw the job opening as a perfect opportunity. Before Mulligan arrived at Pipers Corner she had to interview with United States lacrosse and English lacrosse in Baltimore where she was hired; 30 coaches were hired along with Mulligan. At Pipers Corner during the day, she was a P.E. teacher, and during the afternoons she ran the entire lacrosse program with no assistance. Mulligan was in charge of four teams, which consisted of about
100 girls. It was a lot to keep track of, but the job translated to what she does now. At night, Mulligan would work with all of the girls in the boarding house. Mulligan shared that she doesn’t like her experience in England better than Seward, she just likes it differently. “It’s just so different, when I was over there, every weekend I could go to a different country if I wanted to,” responded Mulligan. She described it as one of the big perks of her former job, but she also included that it was nice to be somewhere more settled. Most of Mulligan’s traveling was paid for out of her own pocket, but she also didn’t have any living expenses to worry about so affording travel was no problem. As far as seeing the world, Mulligan has traveled to Ireland, Scotland, Poland, France twice, Austria, Croatia and up and down England. Although she had the experience of a lifetime and was able to travel Europe, she was not able to travel back home to see her family. Mulligan also shared that her time in England made her grow up and it made her appreciate where she was in life. “It made me appreciate home a lot more, but it also taught me that seeing the world is something that you can’t take for granted,” said Mulligan. She fully acknowledges the fact that her overseas adventures are something that not many get to experience. n See MULLIGAN, page 3
Cosmo students compete for Million Hair Runway Maria Lara Crusader staff Cosmetology students are putting their skills to the test at the annual Million Hair Runway competition. Sheila Scheib and Denice Paden have organized the competition to take place on Nov. 11 at 2 p.m., hosted at SCCC/ATS Room SU 214. “The January 2013 class is about to graduate and they are the ones competing against each other,” said Scheib. Judges will be former students from the Cosmetology program. “We have also asked our past students, currently licensed stylist, to be judges,” said Scheib. Each of the student stylists will select a model to makeover. According to Scheib, the purpose of
holding this event is to enhance the students’ skills and to assess each of the assignments given for the competition. “First, the students decide on a theme, and have to design a poster to promote the competition finale,” said Scheib. After the students have chosen their models, they will write a report about what they are going to do for the makeover. On the day of competition, the makeovers will be in the cosmetology school from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The students will take before and after pictures as well as give presentations of their models and describe their makeovers. Anyone who would like to observe the competition is welcome.