November 15, 2019 | Vol. 65, Issue 3
INSIDE The Joker p. 2 Pavilion Ribbon-cutting p. 4 Homecoming p. 5 Folklife p. 7 Ferrum vs. App State p. 8 Halloween p. 9
Letter From The Editor: Folklife Festival, Halloween Festivities, and Homecoming, oh my! October was a jam-packed month for Ferrum College, and The Iron Blade made sure to cover all of the excitement. Between the beautiful fall colors around campus and timeless traditions that make our campus unique, this is a special and highly anticipated time for Ferrum College. In this issue, we covered major annual traditions as well as new events and ceremonies. From stepping back in time in order to appreciate a simpler lifestyle at Folklife, to participating in the annual Halloween celebrations like trunk-or-treat, the Ferrum community has been its busiest this Fall. We hope you enjoy our special edition of The Iron Blade and continue to enjoy everything Ferrum has to offer this beautiful fall season!
Janine Latus: If I am Missing or Dead By AnnGarner Eubank, Destinee Nelson On Monday, Oct. 29, New York Times bestselling author, Janine Latus, shared her experience of violence and abuse with students and faculty in the Panther’s Den. The best selling and award-winning memoir, If I am Missing or Dead: A Sister’s Story of Love, Murder, and Liberation has served as an educating tool along with being a vehicle for awareness, inspiration, and motivation for victims of domestic abuse to find safety and strength to break free from their abusers. “There are victims and perpetrators in this room and on this campus and I want to position you to not only be able to recognize it but to be able to reach in and help,” Latus said. Latus began her talk by sharing facts and statistics about domestic violence, abuse, and how more people are victims and abusers than one would imagine. She began the night by explaining the power and control wheel,
a tool used to explain the different ways a partner can use power and control to manipulate a relationship. The wheel describes more than just physical abuse but goes into further detail with economic abuse, coercion and threats, isolation, and intimidation. From a young age, Latus had been exposed to sexual abuse and violence. She recalled her first instance of abuse occurring when she was just twelve years old when she was assaulted by a family friend whom she had babysat for. One night after babysitting for her father’s friends, the children’s father had come home drunk and came up behind her and attacked her in front of his own kids while his wife was upstairs. When Latus returned home after having to ride in a car with her abuser who told her “to keep this between us,” she instantly ran upstairs to tell her parents what had happened, to which her father responded to her by saying, “Never
tell anyone or people will think you are a slut.” Latus said that comment from her father might have hurt even worse than the trauma she had just experienced, and the relationship with her parents continued to head south from there. While in high school, Latus had moved into an apartment with a friend and was working two jobs. One night, Latus and her roommate went out on the town and were enjoying a night out. While out, the girls were drinking, dancing, and mingling with people. At one point in the night, Latus told her roommate goodbye and said they would see each other later when they would arrive home. That night, Latus’ roommate came home to find her curled up on the floor shaking and cut up. Latus had been followed home from the bar and had been brutally raped on her coffee table inside her own apartment. Her roommate helped clean her up and tried to comfort and be with her. The two prom-
ised to never tell anyone because they feared others would think it was her fault for drinking and being out late. “We swore we would never tell. We were drinking, flirting, and dancing. Everyone would have thought I was a slut,” Latus said. In college, while working at a hospital, Latus began dating a “good looking trust-fund boy” who had also worked in the hospital. In this relationship, Latus experienced physical abuse like she hadn’t experienced before. She had seen abuse and verbal degradation between the boy’s parents and tried to justify his actions with his upbringing. “I wanted to be able to change him. I was gonna love him until he was happy and full,”
Latus said. However, during a ski trip in Colorado, the two had been day drinking and returned to their room when Latus fell victim to a painful attack. He had hit her, knocked her down, and kicked her in the ribs, breaking several bones. After she had been kicked on the ground, the boyfriend cried and held her on the floor.
Latus remembered being taken aside by a female security officer at the airport just several days later who had asked her if she was okay and what she could do to help. Instead of seeking help, Latus said she insisted to the security officer that she had hit a tree while skiing in order to protect her abuse because she didn’t want to Continued on page 10
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The Iron Blade
November 15, 2019
OPINION The Killing Joke By Diamond Hudson
“At this point it’s normal to have theatersecurity, which is sad to say.” -- Dakota Fletcher, Junior
“I believe that there was a lot of security because of how violent his character was and all the messed up things he did in the movie. The reason why people wouldn’t be able to wear costumes is because of identity protection, as you don’t know who is under the mask, which can cause questions about safety.” -- Chris Rodriguez, Junior
“Well I don’t think it’s necessary to do that. I also don’t get why they are just trying to protect one specific movie when shootings are happening everywhere in this country. If we had better gun laws in the first place this wouldn’t be an issue.”
On October 4, Joker was released in theaters nationwide. Joaquin Phoenix gave an award-winning performance. The film took place during the early ‘70s with specific New York City landmarks sweeping the screen to project Gotham City as an era of a high crime ratio, business corruption, economic crises, and a rise in social disconnect and mental illness. What made this movie so realistic is the familiarity with the landmarks used, such as Time Square. Phoenix played the role of a mentally ill man in his late 30s, Arthur Fleek, who is stuck in a society not meant for him. Arthur is a man who has never been happy one moment in his life. This a plot that explores how Arthur finds his happiness through the persona of the Joker. The less he teaches and praises during the plot is the notion of an unfair society that lacks empathy and suffers from being too comfortable with its cruelty, deserves the monsters that are created from such a society. The persona of the Joker is a symbol of Gotham’s collective disregard for the well-being of its citizens rather than the judgment of individual social classes or persons. Todd Philips was able to get the audience to sympathize with the protagonist. The film offered four comic book origin stories in one plot. It did not give any easy answers to Joker’s origins, everything was layered and dynamic to his story. Phoenix had a dedicating performance similar to The Dark Knight’s Heath Ledger, to how committed he was to the character by losing weight to look like he was suffering and in pain. Joker will have DC fans, non-DC fans, comic books, and non-comic book fans leaving the box office both empathetic and disturbed by the sequence of events.
“Typical that doesn’t happen in the theater. (Talking about the shooting) It may not be a bad idea but to up the security so that it doesn’t happen again. Upping the guards definitely isn’t a bad idea. I feel like it will prevent people from having the mentality that it is acceptable to act that way.”
-- Payton Stuart, Senior -- Liam Pope, Junior
Ferrum College 215 Ferrum Mountain Rd. Ferrum, VA 24088 IBlade@Ferrum.edu
Editor-in-Chief: AnnGardner Eubank News Editor: Mary Stoudt Layout Editor: Diamond Hudson
Sports Editors: Sam May Frances Best Social Media Editor: Destinee Nelson
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Staff: Lindsey Foster Caroline King Joshua Reeves Kieran Sawyer Advisor: Dr. Mingxiao Sui
The Ferrum College Iron Blade Newspaper is a student-written, student-managed, and studentproduced newspaper. Opinions do not necessarily express the views of all students or the staff. Letters may be emailed to IBlade@ferrum.edu. Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
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November 15 , 2019
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By Mary Stoudt A mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado in 2012 led to twelve deaths and 70 injuries. The shooting occurred in a busy movie theater during the premier of The Dark Knight Rises. Following the shooting, fear seemingly swept over the country about going to movie theaters. Seven years later with the announcement of the movie Joker, that same fear from the past was reignited. Joker was not shown in Aurora, CO for security reasons. Additionally, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security warned law enforcement around the US about potential threats, according to CNN. Certain movie theatres around the country also banned costumes and masks because of the potential threat. The idea of having heightened security at a movie theater is comforting. Having police present at theaters adds a sense of security. With the threat of another potential shooting during Joker, having police already on scene limits the threat. Banning costumes means movie theater staff and other moviegoers are able to see each other in the lobby areas and the theater itself. Certain costumes cover an entire person and mask their real identity. With a ban on costumes, if someone were to commit a crime, their face would be identifiable. For movie specifics having heightened security is important. During the movie itself, the Joker shoots a talk show host during a live show. This shooting could potentially trigger a moviegoer to commit a crime in the theater or to take other actions outside the theater, similar to how the previous attack was inspired. With so many potential threats surrounding the film, highetened security is important for public safety. Police would be able to stop a shooting quicker if they were present in a theater and they could also identify someone who seems suspicious. Having police in a movie theater ensures that everyone can enjoy the movie and feel safe at the same time.
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By Joshua Reeves Ever since the shooting during The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, CO on July 20, 2012 which saw 12 deaths and 70 injuries, movie theaters have been very cautious as to what they allow customers and their employees to do. Many theatrers do not allow anyone inside the theater to be dress up in costume, wear masks or face paint, or bring in toy weapons for certain movies. So far, the showing of Joker has earned more than $543 million globally (Frank Pallotta, CNN). Movies like these are ones everyone wants to see, and usually end up breaking box office records. Movies such as Joker tend to make hundreds of millions regardless of the obstacles that could stop them from doing so. It is possible that these bans take away money from the film. Instead of applying these bans, there are many other precautionary steps that can be taken to make the movie as enjoyable as possible, such as not allowing bags in the theater and checking people at the gate for weapons. The bans in place could potnetially inspire another shooting to try and mimic The Dark Knight Rises. Coming from a person who watches Criminal Minds on a daily basis, making something so public and such an enormous deal in the media could trigger a response by an individual who would carry out the same plan as the shooting in Aurora, otherwise known as the copycat effect. While keeping it out of the media may be impossible to do, the bigger media platforms such as CNN, FOX, or ABC should consider limiting their discussion of the controversy surrounding the fil and the movie-going experience. It may be a better resolution than making it a mass hysteria within the people and the media. When aiming to protect the public, creating a sense of panic does not ensure safety, just paranoia. While the goal is to ensure safety, not everyone feels safe. The movie theater in Aurora that was the site of the first shooting has decided to not show Joker. Across the country, the FBI has warned local law enforcements to be on the watch for any suspicious activity online that may be related to a threat of a mass shooting. According to an article from The Washington Post, a potential threat was informed to a US army base in Oklahoma. The memo warned them of suspicious chatter online and advised them to be aware of the possibility. They quickly shut this down as there was no credible threat that included a specific venue. It seems very disappointing that we live in a place that is deemed as the “greatest country in the world” by some, however, our citizens cannot go to something as simple as the movies without the worry that their life will be taken away too soon. While everyone wants to have a good time at the movies, ensuring the safety of the people is a top priority.
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Ferrum Theater Department Gets Rockin: The Rocky Horror Picture Show By Lindsey Foster
Mark Logan, Alyssa Robles, Elijah Hill, Marquis Lee, Hayley Moore, Kathryn Bonner, Alyssa Smith, Sarah Laliberte, Saudley Delphin, Jamie Gilbert, Erica Leed,Leondria Davis, Grace Patton. Photo Credit Lindsey Foster.
The Ferrum College Theatre Department hosted their rendition of Richard O’ Brien’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show from Oct. 24 through the 26.
The story is about a recently engaged couple that are stranded in a storm and stumble upon the residence of Dr. Frank-NFurter, a mad transvestite scientist, who reveals his
Photo Credit: Forbes.com
latest creation, “Rocky.” The couple was in for a wild night as events throughout the evening began to unfold. Starting work on the first day of classes and without going home on fall break, the department’s entire cast and crew worked tirelessly to make the production entertaining. The musical conveyed messages of love, hate, power, and sex. After countless hours of hard work during practice and rehearsals, the cast, crew, and the orchestra did not disappoint. The musical production was directed by professor Giuseppe Ritorto. He was also a cast member, performing the role of Riff Raff. During casting, the
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department did not have a student vocally capable to take on the role of Riff Raff, the character being of one of the assistants for scientist Frank-n-Furter. Giuseppe jokingly volunteered to take on the role, which he ultimately did. It was a challenge, but Giuseppe rose to the occassion. “You have to eventually stop focusing on the actors as a director and you have to focus as an actor on the character,” said Giuseppe. Giuseppe recruited a talented group of actors that worked well together portraying their characters on stage. His favorite part of the production was watching the students grow and have fun with the musical. “There was never a moment in rehearsal where we weren’t laughing our butts
off,” said Giuseppe. Freshman Mark Hargrove, who portrayed the role of Rocky, enjoyed working with the cast and crew for his first ever college production.Hargrove enjoyed his role and found it to be a fun task. He was able to bring his own creativity to the stage in his portrayal of Rocky. “This production helped me grow as an actor because I learned so much more about acting from being a part of the show. As a person, I grew from this production because it taught me to go after what I want in life... Being in the speedo was fun too,” said Hargrove. Freshman Sarah Laliberte, another cast member with their first ever musical debut, portrayed the role of Janet, Brad’s fiance. The biggest challenge for Lal-
iberte was performing and singing in front of people. “It was scary at first, but once I got comfortable it was so much fun,” said Laliberte. The musical featured a wide accompaniment by an orchestra. One member of the ensemble, Dave “Chopper” Campbell, played guitar for the production. Dave has shared the stage with such notables as Chuck Berry, Mick Fleetwood, Johnny Johnson, and two-time Grammy Winner Jim Lauderdale.nCampbell is also a local musician in the band Kerosene Willy. Prior to the Rocky Horror Show musical, he had performed in the Spring showing of Pippin. Since this production’s music genre is rock and roll, it was right up Campbell’s alley. Continued on page 4
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The Iron Blade
November 15, 2019
NEWS Leo H. Scott Memorialized with Pavillion By Josh Reeves The Grand Opening of the Leo H. Scott community, and trying to make a better Pavillion on October 16 featured many community for his neighbors, when we members of Mr. Scott's family, Ferwere approached by the Blue Ridge Instirum College, and residents of Franklin tute we were honored to put it on Ferrum County. Mr. Scott was very involved in College,” said Chase Scott. his community, having founded his own In 2001, Scott was awarded the Bencabinet company and K.C. Farms. In adjamin M. Beckham Medallion, Ferrum dition to his companies, he created many College’s highest alumni award. Although jobs in the community. Mr. Scott is no longer with us, his impact In 1983, Scott purchased ten Red Angus on the community and the college remain cattle and started K.C. Farms. He ended evident and important today. up turning this business into one of the On the plaque that’s mounted on the Palargest breeders and sellers of registered villion it says: “Mr. Scott will always be Red Angus cattle in Virginia. remembered as a hardworking, humble, A characteristic that stood out about faithful, and generous man and a true Scott was his compassion. living representation of his alma mater's “He was very compassionate about his moto, ‘Not Self But Others.’”
Memebers of the Scott family cut ribbon as President David Johns, Blue Ridge Institue Director Bethany Worley, and Director Emeritus Roddy Moore look on. Photo Credit Josh Reeves.
Mailroom Cats, Next Generation Over the years Ferrum College students have been reciving their mail from the mailroom in Franklin Hall. While many students know, some are unaware of the new generation of emotional support mailroom cats owned by Kathy Creech, Supervisor of Mail Services at Ferrum. Before this new generation of cats at the mailroom, Mr. Dice used to live in the mailroom. According to Creech, “Mr. Dice is currently enjoying retirement at home.” With Mr. Dice now at home, four new cats have moved into the mailroom. Lady Panther is the mother of two of the kittens in the mailroom, Reese’s and Snickers. Lady Panther, Reese’s, and Snickers moved into Ferrum June 2019.
By Mary Stoudt The family trio originally came from around the Ferrum area. Lady Panther lived outside and had to support her newborn kittens on her own. In addition to Reese’s and Snickers, Lady Panther also gave birth to Moo and Patches which are owned by Kim Police. In addition to the family trio already at Ferrum, an even newer addition has been welcomed to the mailroom. A male all black cat named Shadow has been busy making the mailroom his home. Since October 2019, Shadow has been finding his way around the mailroom and learning how to interact with Lady Panther, Reese’s, and Snickers. Sophomore Lauren Ries has worked in the mailroom with the cats since last year.
Continued from page 2. “I’ve been seeing and going to the movies of Rocky Horror for almost 40 years now. When I heard last spring about this, I jumped at the chance to play in the orchestra,” said Campbell. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is well known for keeping the audience involved and entertained. Several special effects used throughout the show heightened the experience for all viewers. The use of water guns during a rain scene had spectators covering their heads with newspapers. Audience members participated throughout the performance by shouting commentary during narrations of the scenes, while throwing playing cards, toilet paper and confetti. Phantom, played by Kathryn Bonner, threw treat bags to the audience as others danced in the isles to their favorite songs. This production featured energetic dance scenes, musical numbers, and crafted comedic profanity. The crude humorous phrases spoken at unexpected moments from the characters were rewarded with hearty laughter and applause from the audience. From the flamboyant costumes, glitter make-up, strong vocal performances, and audience participation, The Rocky Horror Show was tons of fun and a spectacular musical to see. The Ferrum Theatre Department was able to welcome members of the community for three nights with their production of Rocky Horror Show and will be back again in December with their production of A Christmas Carol.
Photo Credit: Mary Stoudt.
Mailroom cats just hanging around.
“They are super playful and everyone comes there for them,” said Ries. Senior Cameron McAfee is a true testament of students coming to the mailroom simply to see the cats. “I don’t go to the mailroom to get mail. I go there to see and hold the cats. Almost everyday a mailroom student worker asks ‘Do you have a package’ and I just say nope I want a cat,” said McAfee. The mailroom cats have been a fun tradition at Ferrum for years. Creech is coming up on her 18th year at Ferrum and the cats have continued to be by her side making students smile over the years. To see the cats for yourself just drop by the mailroom and ask for them, they’ll be more than happy to play.
November 15, 2019
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Panther Homecoming The Mind Reader
Beer Garden
By Frances Best On Saturday October 12, Eric Dittelman, also known as “The Mind Reader,” came to Ferrum’s campus. In the past he has wowed audiences around the country with his supernatural skills and abilities, and has even been featured on Ellen. The Mind Reader performed for an audience filled with students in the Panther’s Den. In his act, he pulled volunteers from the audience and ask them specific and personal questions and when guessing their answers, he was completely accurate. He left the audience in awe when he showed his ability to read their minds. This event was part of the homecoming week celebrations and overall was a big hit. Like any performer, Dittelman never revealed his secret, which kept the audience confused, impressed, and sometimes even disturbed. To find out more about The Mind Reader and his upcoming shows, visit his website: ericdittleman.com.
By Frances Best The beer garden took place on Saturday, October 12 at 12:00 p.m. A small fenced in area was located on Bassett Field where local brewery out of Callaway, Chaos Mountain Brewing, set up five taps. Many beer tasting participants included alumni, staff members, and parents of students. Each person was charged five dollars a beer and everyone was welcomed into the fenced in area but only people that were 21 or older were served.
Abbey Hayes and Allison Setlak pose for a photo at the Beer Garden. Photo Credit: Frances Best.
One of the many Venders at the Beer Garden getting ready to sell. Photo Credit: Frances Best.
Breanne Kretzer and Mac Cannaday hanout at the Beer Garden. Photo Credit: Frances Best.
Top left, Middle, Bottom Left: The mind Reader Preforms his act in the Panthers Den. Photo Courtsey Frances Best.
Panther Takeover at The 202 Social House By Destinee Nelson Ferrum College’s 2019 Homecoming Weekend kicked off in Roanoke at connecting with Dr. Johns who was telling us the The 202 Social House. Current students, faculty, alumni and friends were new things coming to Ferrum. This event and other invited to attend a gathering organized by the school. The festivity featured ideas and plans will help the students enjoy more food, drinks, and entertainment for all to enjoy. The first fifty people to arof social life and I love that they’ve changed things since I’ve graduated,” Reddick said. rive to The Social House received a free drink ticket from a list of options. The event lasted for about three hours and alThis was the first year that Ferrum College took over The 202 Social House, which was a huge success. lowed for current students at Ferrum to speak with President of the College, Dr. David Johns, was one of the first to arrive to alumni and professors in a more casual and relaxed the event. As the crowd started to gather, Johns greeted and spoke with stusetting. The main goal of the takeover was to give dents, alumni, faculty, and friends. Johns noted that the Ferrum takeover had people a chance to unwind after a day at work or school in a fun atmosphere while bringing the Ferbeen an idea that took a lot of thought and preparation to turn into reality. “We wanted to find a rum Family together. Photo Credit: Destinee Nelson place in Roanoke that would be a fun venue and that would be comfortable for people to relax and have a good time. The 202 is a fantastic venue for that,” said Johns. Johns wasn’t the only one who enjoyed their night. Ferrum Alumni, Micaela Reddick ‘18, was in attendance and met up with some friends to kick off homecoming festivities as well. “I enjoyed reconnecting with alum and profesPhotos left and top: Ferrum Friends and Alumni kicked off 2019 Homecoming Weekend Dr. Johns and Ferrum faculty Dr. Bob Pohlad had a pleasant coversation at sors. I especially enjoyed at 202 Social House. Photo Courtesy: Ferrum College. the Social House kick-off. Photo Courtesy: Ferrum College.
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November 15, 2019
Panthers Dominate Homecoming By Joshua Reeves and Kieran Sawyer The Ferrum Blackhats took on The Quakers of Guilford College on Oct. 12 for the annual Homecoming game. The Panthers were able to take down Guilford in a 45-23 victory. The Panthers ran a total of 572 yards. One of Ferrum’s key plays featured a 68 yard run by Rah’Quan Payne. Ferrum QB, Zack Clifford, connected with Payne for the 68 yard touchdown pass to get the Panthers on the board. Later that quarter, Guilford kicked a field goal to make the score 7-3 heading into the second quarter. At the start of the second quarter Ferrum running back Joe Burris III rushed for 22 yards to score another Ferrum touchdown, Quinten Wallace then received a pass from Zach Clifford to add another Ferrum touchdown. Ryan bidleman then received a 68 yard pass from Tyler Enlgish to make the score 28-3. Ferrum wasn’t done scoring yet in the Men’s Football Game from Homecoming Weekend: Photo Courtsey of Ferrum Colfirst half, Ausin Pennington score five minutes before lege. halftime to make the score 35-3. Guilford scored with a 21 yard pass from Derrien Phillips to make the score 35-10. Ferrum on their next possession score a touchdown when Jordan Smith ran for 25 yards. After this Guilford strikes back to close the gap a little more. Guilford then gets a stop and scores on a 36 yard touchdown pass. Ferrum then scores a field goal to make the final score 45-23. Ferrum’s offensive attack was lead by Quarterback, Zack Clifford, and receiver, Ryan Beidleman. Clifford was 16-23 with
Panthers Get Hype By Caroline King
Ferrum Sports Fans from Homecoming Weekend. Photo Courtsey of Ferrum College.
238 passing yards and also had 68 rushing yards, Ryan Beidleman caught three passes for a total of 138 yards and one touchdown. Ferrum’s defense was anchored by Chrisian Johnson and Niccolas helvy, who combined have a total of 12 tackles combined. Head Coach Rob Grande was proud of the panthers performance and was glad that the alumni were able to witness the current panthers. Outside of the game, many students and alumni enjoyed themselves by reconnecting, trying some of Buddy’s BBQ, The Beer Garden provided by Chaos Mountain Brewery and other accommodations provided by multiple sports teams such as the Men’s lacrosse team. The environment before the game was equally energetic and many fans stayed at the tailgate the entire time.
Pep rallies have been the “hype” for years. This year, Ferrum decided to amp up their game and move the pep rally outdoors. “I remember last year we had the pep rally in the gym,” said sophomore, Jetta Huffman. “I feel that, by moving pep rally outside it made it seem cooler,” said Huffman. There were several different things going on. The pep rally started of with the band playing Cake by the Ocean. That was then followed by the dizzy bat competition. “Having the band play reminded me of our high school pep rallies,” said freshman Cree White. “The games were interesting ideas and I wish they would have had more,” said White. Half way through the pep rally the dance team performed for everyone. The cheerleaders also performed stunts. The band played a crowd favorite, Hey Song, which everyone joined in on. They also introduced the homecoming court. The final pep rally game was a cookie eating challenge. “I participated in the cookie challenge because I saw an opportunity and get a tasty treat,” said Mark Hargrove. There were several thoughts that the Ferrum students had after the pep rally. They expressed what they thought would make the pep rally better next year and how Ferrum’s pep rally reminded them of their high school pep rallies. Several of them suggested that with more participation the pep rally would be even more exciting. “This pep rally was very similar to my high school pep rallies. The only difference was that we never had our pep rallies outdoors,” said Hargrove. “My high school pep rallies were very similar to this one. It really made Ferrum feel a little more like home,” said Jetta Huffman. This year’s pep rally was filled with enthusiasm and spirit. The Ferrum students definitely got involved and showed their panther spirit.
Melanie Rooks: The 2019 First Citizens Recipient at Ferrum College By Mary Stoudt
Melanie Rooks graduated from Ferrum College in 2015 with a degree in psychology and art and became a qualified mental health professional and from there she traveled to Capetown, South Africa working with non-profit Lift Every Voice. Rooks was the first recipient of Citizens Engaging in Service for her work. When Rooks came to Ferrum she became involved in the Student Government Association (SGA) and joined the Senate. In her sophomore year Rooks was elected Sophomore Class President. During her last two years Rooks was SGA President and created the SGA award. Before going to South Africa Rooks was involved in a three year program with Lift Every Voice. Rooks traveled initially to North Carolina for service work and then later to South Africa. Rooks was in South Africa from March to May of 2019. The organization in South Africa Rooks worked with was Born Free South African Youth Development. While in South Africa Rooks gained skills in building up an organization and worked with youth in leadership groups. After returning to the United States Rooks has continued to write grants for Born Free South African Youth Development and she plans to return in a few years. Currently Rooks is working with youth in low income communities and does in-home counseling with 3 clients. Rooks is planning on continuing her education and receiving her masters.
Melanie Rooks giving her speech after recieving the First Citizens Recipient award. Photo Credit: Mary Stoudt.
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Blue Ridge Folklife Festival 2019 By Mary Stoudt Each year on the fourth Saturday of October the Blue Ridge Folklife Festival is held and this year was no different. Celebrating its 46th year the Folklife Festival put on by the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum (BRI) at Ferrum College showcased traditional music, food, and crafts of the Blue Ridge. This year the festival had the traditional three music stages: The Gospel Stage, String Band Stage, and Farm Stage. The three stages had live music from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. In addition to the three stages, the smells of different foods filled the Ferrum campus. Located below the BRI, a variety of food vendors filled the field and the YMCA. New this year was Get Baked, a local in-home bakery which provided fresh biscuits and cinnamon rolls along with a variety of other treats. Along with music and food, the traditional crafts were also featured in the YMCA. Crafts included brooms, stuffed animals, turkey calls, quilts, and more. The festival also featured the annual coon dog competitions, horse and mule competitions, moonshine heritage, and classic cars. The Folklife Festival is the largest festival of its kind in the state of Virginia. Over the years hundreds of thousands of people have enjoyed taking in the smells and scenery of the festival.
Busy traffic flow of people walking through Ferrum’s campus during the Folklife Festival. Photo Courtesy: Ferrum College.
YMCA Crafts By Mary Stoudt Every year at the Folklife Festival, craft vendors fill the YMCA and Farm Museum. This year a variety of crafts showcasing the skills of Blue Ridge artisans were at the festival. In the YMCA crafts such as bird house making from gourds, quilts, and brooms were featured. At the Farm Museum traditional crafts such as casket making and blacksmithing were featured. This is the second year casket making has been featured at the festival. In addition to crafts being sold at the festival, numerous vendors also demonstrated their crafts while at the festival. Janet Jamison has been demonstrating quilting at the festival for years. The crafts featured at the festival are all handmade by artisans dedicated to preserving traditional crafts of the Blue Ridge. Handmade scarves sold in the YMCA. Photo Credit: Mary Stoudt.
Quilts and their materials displayed in the YMCA. Photo Credit: Mary Stoudt.
Musical Performances By Destinee Nelson The Blue Ridge Folklife Festival has been a tradition for the past 46 years in Franklin County. The annal celebration that occurs every fourth Saturday of October has brought thousands of people to the Ferrum College campus. One of the main attractions that people come to Folklife for is music. This year there were three stages of musical performances to entertain the crowd. There was a stage at the Blue Ridge Farm Museum called the Farm Stage, the Gospel singers were singing inside the chapel on the Gospel Stage, and the other performances took place on the String Band Stage. This year the stages were returned to their former locations from years prior. The Gospel Stage was returned to the Chapel and the former Bowl Stage returned to its original name, The String Band Stage. Music will continue to fill the air of the Folklife Festival for years to come. Make sure to come out next year to continue hearing the musical traditions of the Blue Ridge.
One of the three stges where music was performed. Photo Credit: Destinee Nelson.
Another stage featuring a musical perfomance located in the Chapel. Photo Credit: Destinee Nelson.
Moonshine
Folklife Food
By AnnGardner Eubank
By Kieran Sawyer For the 46th annual Blue Ridge Folklife Festival, students, faculty, staff, and members from the community and beyond were able to enjoy a wide variety of attractions, including the very popular food options. From Amish donuts to pork rinds, guests were able to try an array of different foods and drinks. The huge $2 homemade donuts were a popular choice for many. Visitors were also able to enjoy freshly squeezed lemonade that was sold in large souvenir containers. Many of the food vendors were set up on the lower field of campus between the chapel and the lakeside residence halls. Other food options included barbeque plates, fried fish platters, and sandwich stations. Other booths and stations featured homemade and artisanal food items like apple butters, jams, and preserves. As always, the food options were a hit at the festival and people were able to have a taste of folklife.
Visitors crossing the road to see various attractions located on both the farm and campus. Photo Courtesy of Ferrum College.
Moonshine is a corn based, unaged, typically clear whiskey that has a very high alcohol content. It’s made from a still and remains a bit of a taboo process, as it is still illegal to make in its purest form without a license. Throughout history, moonshine has been a hot commodity in Franklin County. The area was even deemed “the wettest county in the country” for its moonshine practices. Folklife honored and recognized the area’s history with moonshine by showing the process in which it’s distilled, along with sharing old moonshine folklore from the Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains. Moonshine typically takes two weeks with “street” prices reaching up to $100 per gallon.
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The Iron Blade
November 15, 2019
SPORTS Men’s Soccer Kicked Out 2019 Season By Frances Best The 2019 Men’s Soccer season has officially come to an end as of October 29. Their final game was played on October 26 where they lost to Randolph-Macon 4-0. Based on their standing in the conference, whether or not they made it to playoffs was dependent on the game played against Bridgewater and Virginia Wesleyan. The Panthers needed Bridgewater to win in order to make it into the playoff tournament.Unfortunately for the Panthers, Bridgewater lost to Virginia Wesleyan with a final score of 3-0, ruining the Panther’s chance at a shot at the playoffs. The Panther’s finished their season with an overall record of 10-7. With this season ending earlier than the Panthers had hoped, Jeffery Calix feels that their shortcomings were a result of lack of teamwork. Junior Jeffrey Calix - Photo Credit Ferrum “The season overall was a rollercoaster in my Athletics. opinion. We had too much going on which would just bring the team’s morale down. We had the talent but we just weren’t a unit,” said Calix. With the opprotunity to learn from their mistakes, the Panthers are now focusing on the 2020 season. “I think we have a lot of work to do going into next season. I see this season as a learning experience for the young ones and they should come back next year knowing what to expect,” said Calix.
y b e a l l l l o V By Kieran Sawyer
With the season coming to an end, the women’s volleyball team finished strong with the 3-1 win over Christendom on Nov. 2 rounding out the season 5-22. After their non-conference loss to William Peace,
the program was hungry to finish the season strong and minimize their errors. In comparison to the 2018 season, this year was more of a rebuilding year with a completely different roster of players with a wide variety of talents and skills
to contribute. Head Coach Ruthann Duffy made many adjustments by changing players positions and managing the transfers and freshmen. The program graduated three seniors and will have three seniors next season.
Ferrum vs. App State By AnnGardner Eubank
The Ferrum College Men’s Basketball Team took on the division one Mountaineers at Appalachian State on Nov. 7 at Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, NC. Last season, the Panthers faced off against the Mountaineers and fell 97-44. Appalachian was picked to finish eighth in the Sunbelt Conference while Ferrum was picked tenth in the ODAC. The Panthers and Mountaineers tipped off at 7 p.m. for the exhibition game. Ferrum struggled during the first half of the game, trailing the Mountaineers 24-47 by half time. Transfer junior, Kajuan Madden-McAfee, lead the team in scoring the first half with eight points. Ferrum’s head coach, Tyler Sanborne, was disappointed with the first half of the game, but ultimately was impressed with his team’s ability to turn the momentum around and really compete with App. “We didn’t play very well the first half. I think we were a little nervous,” said Sanborne. “We were taking too many quick shots and we didn’t have great defense.” Despite having to work out the kinks and shake the first game jitters, the Panthers were able to play their game in the second half. Madden-McAfee scored another eight points, leading the second half of the game in scoring. Senior guard, Rashad Reed, lead the team in rebounds with three in each half. “We were really able to turn it around and play our game. We only lost to them by four in the second half,” said Sanborne. The ESPN televised event was quite the change of scenery for the Panthers. Because the competition was an exhibition game, the loss doesn’t count against Ferrum’s record. Coach Sanborne finds the exhibition games to be highly beneficial for the program by exposing the team to such a big arena and a high intensity atmosphere which challenges the team to compete at a higher level against such large and competitive programs. The Panthers had a much stronger showing against the Mountaineers this time around in comparison to their match-up in Boone last season. Sanbore credited a more experi-
enced and older team to the improvements. The season has only just begun for the By Joshua Reeves Panthers and the team is looking optiThe Black Hats have been very up and down this season, however, Ferrum did bounce back mistic and is excited for the remainder into the win column by beating Guilford College 45-23 on homecoming weekend. Quarof the season. terback Zack Clifford and receiver Ryan Beildemen led the attack for the Black Hats. Head “We don’t really have any specific Coach Rob Grande was pleased with his teams effort. record goals,” Sanborne said. “We are “I was very encouraged by our efforts in our homecoming win. This year we’ve worked just trying to improve every day. We’re through injuries and played some very good teams. After three tough weeks we were glad to focusing on falling in-love with the get back to our winning ways,” said Grande. process, not the result. We’re working Following the win, they were handed a loss against an undefeated Bridgewater team by a score of 53-10. During Folklife weekend the Black Hats had an ODAC matchup vs. Southern towards achieving our potential as a Virginia College. Ferrum started the game with a 31-7 lead and hung on to win 31-28. team.” Clifford came into this season holding eight Ferrum records. The senior added 4 more over The Panthers will be back in action the past weekend. Clifford set the school record for pass attempts, pass completions, passin a home match against the Methodist ing yards, and touchdown passes. The following weekend on Senior Day, Ferrum dropped Monarchs at 7 p.m in Swartz gymnaan ODAC matchup to Shenandoah by a score of 49-31. Their next game will be on Nov. 16 sium. away vs. Emory and Henry for the annual Crooked Road Classic.
Panthers Try to Gain Consistancy
QB Zach Clifford looking for a pass, photo credit Ferrum Athletics.
Panthers Hope to Bounce Back Ferrum Women’s Soccer has had a hard few results since their homecoming game against Bridgewater. The women couldn’t send the alumni home happy after suffering a 2-0 homecoming defeat to Bridgewater. Since then the women have played Lynchburg at home and Eastern Mennonite away at their stadium. Lynchburg didn’t bring too much joy either and the Panthers suffered a 3-0 defeat. On their travels to Eastern Mennonite, however, they did pick up a point with the game ending 0-0 after overtime. Junior Ysabella Bettilyon was optimitstic for the team’s final few matches. “We are keeping our heads up
By Sam May and moving on to the next game, we hope to do well in our next few games to put ourselves in a good position for playoffs and to finish our season strong,” said Bettilyon. The playoffs were reached by the women last year and they were able to do it again this year. However, Bettilyon knew it wasn’t going to be easy. “I am confident that we can secure a place in the playoffs, but how we do in these next few games will determine where we place and how tough it will be for us to continue through the post season,” said Bettilyon. With the season coming to a close, the team had to say goodbye
to another crop of seniors. Bettilyon believes the rest of the team would push extra hard for the seniors in their final matches. “Knowing that our seniors only have this season with only a few games left, and then they are done, it encourages and pushes us to work harder for them and leave all we have on the field for them,” said Bettilyon. The women’s soccer team have now finshed their season after qualifying for the ODAC quaterfinals. Unfortunately the Panthers lost that game 4-0 away to Washington and Lee. The women reached the ODAC finals for the second year in a row.
Junior Ysabella Bettilyon - Photo Courtesy Ferrum Athletics.
November 15, 2019
The Iron Blade
Page 9
Hocus Pocus By Josh Reeves On Wednesday, Oct. 23 Delta Phi Epsilon held a pumpkin carving contest to help raise money for Cystic Fibrosis and Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. The contest saw pumpkins ranging from Starry Night look alikes, to mummies, and Ghost Busters.
Can you guess who I am?
Jamie Gilbert as thejoker dancing in front of the theater.
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Lights Out, The End of Spooky Szn
Mary Stoudt and Dakota Fletcher
By Lindsey Foster This Halloween Ferrum College suffered from inclement weather. Around 5 p.m., students received a tornado alert, warning them of the potential risk. Activities such as Trunk-or-Treat and the Lip Sync Battle were canceled. A spooky coincidence was the campus-wide power outage. Due to this inconvenience, students had to either cancel their current plans or come up with new ones to enjoy their Halloween night. Some students were unable to study for their tests due to the outage. Sophomore Trevor Johnson was planning on studying in the Academic Resource Center. “It was very inconvenient and it kept me from studying for my test for a good while,” said Johnson. Other students were working on their assignments when the power went out. Freshman Samantha Gravette was finishing a paper, but due to the outage she was unable to finish. “The power outage made me mad. I couldn’t write my paper because we had no WiFi,” said Gravette. The cafeteria also closed early, which left some students very little time to eat dinner. For others who cook on their own, they were unable to use their kitchen utilities or run water. “I was unable to shower or heat my food up in the microwave,” said Junior, Briana Williams. Despite all these hiccups, some students still managed to occupy themselves. Some students went off-campus and others had fun times in their dorms. “We had so much fun, we played card games and the whole campus had this great vibe,” said Junior, Sierra Helton. Four hours after the power was cut off, Ferrum regained power and WiFi. Once the power was returned everyone continued their Halloween evening as usual.
doo doo doo o d doooo dodooodo oo do oo d ddoooo ddoooo d o do d o o d o dodooo oo doo o o d d o doo oo doo o do o d o o doo doo d Photo Credit: Alec Kendrick Cameron McAfee
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Trunk-or-Treat By Lindsey Foster Due to inclement weather on Halloween evening, Trunk-or-Treat was rescheduled for Nov. 1 in Roberts Hall parking lot. Trunk-or-Treat is an annual event at Ferrum College that allows students to contribute back to the local community ensuring that children have a fun and safe Halloween. When families arrived they were able to go from car to car to receive candy. Each car represented a different club or organization on campus. Some clubs and organizations included Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, Minds-n-Medicine, and Ferrum College Republicans. Each club and organization that participated was encouraged to decorate their cars and trunks in a way to represent and celebrate Halloween. A raffle, candy, games, and costumes all helped with the annual event’s success and allowed for local families and the organizations participating to have a great time.
Sorority Theta Gamma Omega (OGO)
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The Iron Blade
November 15, 2019
The Senior Spotlight is on:
Panther Briefs
Taylor Dodson By Frances Best
Thanksgiving Break
Taylor Dodson will be graduating as a member of the Ferrum 2020 class. Dodson is originally from Warrenton, Virginia and went to Liberty High School. Dodson, along with many of her other classmates, first arrived at Ferrum in the fall of 2016 and has been here ever since. Dodson has served her time at Ferrum as a true student-athlete and has found success both on and off the soccer field. “I have played women’s soccer for 4 years while at Ferrum and have made the Dean’s List every semester,” said Dodson. Dodson is majoring in Health and Human Performance with an emphasis in Exercise Science and plans on furthering her education after leaving Ferrum this May. “I actually just applied to graduate school at Shenandoah University for the ABSN program,” said Dodson. Besides attending graduate school, Dodson has several other exciting plans she is looking forward to following gradua tion. She’s been busy planning her June wedding for this upcoming year and is looking forward to marrying her highschool sweetheart. “I’m looking forward to stepping out into the real world and also my wedding a month after graduation,” said Dodson. Although she is ready to move on from Ferrum, Dodson is grateful for her experience and will miss her time here. “I will miss the team atmosphere from the soccer program and the friends I have made on the team. I’ll also miss the beautiful fall leaves and the gorgeous campus,” said Dodson.
Continued from page 1. “ruin his life.” When Latus finally came home from her tumultuous ski trip, she confided in her little sister, Amy, who encouraged her to immediately break up with him. “Amy had asked me that night, ‘Are you going to wait until he kills you?’ Latus said. Latus described how her sister was there for her whenever she needed her. She answered all of her late-night phone calls, was constantly offering her support and was reminding her of her value. Eventually, Latus did break up with her abusive boyfriend and quickly moved on to a new relationship with an older, wealthier, more professional man. The man was a doctor who she thought
would respect and love her the way she deserved. The doctor was a married man, and their affair was described as a whirlwind of emotions and ups and downs. At first, the relationship between the two had been going well. was going great between them and Latus had finally come to a good point in her life. She still kept in contact with her sister, Amy often updating her about her newfound love and how her life did a complete turnaround. Amy who started a relationship of her own with a man who had a criminal background and anger issues started to become skeptical about their future. Amy didn’t tell Janine or any of her other family members about her
concerns. After a fight with her boyfriend, Amy came to the realization that her relationship was toxic and feared for her life. Instead of talking to someone Amy wrote a note and taped it to the inside of her desk. The note read today Ron Ball and I are romantically involved, but I fear I have placed myself at risk in a variety of ways. Based on his criminal past, writing this out just seems like the smart thing to do. If I am missing or dead this obviously hasn’t protected me. It wasn’t until four days after the 4th of July that Janine received a phone call from her older sister asking if she had talked to Amy. Janine told her older sister that she hasn’t talked to her recently, which did
seem kind of odd. The two sisters found out that Amy had already missed four days of work. Only Amy’s car was found days after along with the note she left tapped in her desk drawer that her coworkers found. The note was written ten weeks prior to her disappearance. Although Amy’s body wasn’t found with the car, police and news outlets still searched for her. Jetski’s were used during the search in the local river to try to find Amy. Weeks after on one Monday after Janine’s mother called and informed her that the police found Amy. Janine knew it wasn’t the Amy that she knew. “I knew they hadn’t found Amy my funny sister with the big laugh, what they had
found was a body wrapped in a painter’s turf, tied with speaker wire and buried at a construction site,” Latus said. Amy was underground so long that police had to send for her dental records to identify her. “I remember exactly where we were when our favorite detective pulled up in that big black Crown Vic walked out and said, “Mom, it’s Amy and then he held her while she cried,” Latus said. To cope with her sister’s death, Janine wrote a book to bring awareness and save others. Janine wanted to share her story to teach others about abuse as well as to help individuals like her sister Amy. “So I didn’t save Amy so I wrote a book to maybe save other Amy’s,” Latus said.
d r a o B n i t e l l Panther Bu Satu rday, Decembe r 14t h:
Thursday, Decembe r 12th:
Friday, Decembe r 13th:
8:00-9:20
T/TH
8:00-10:00
12:30-1:50 T/TH 8:00-10:00
8:00-8:55
12:20-1:15
MWF
10:30-12:30
9:30-10:50 T/TH 8:00-10:00
11:15-12:10 MWF
10:30-12:30
1:25-2:20
MWF
1:00-3:00
9:05-10:00 MWF 1:00-3:00
11:00-12:20 T/TH
1:00-3:00
2:30-3:50
MWF
3:30-5:30
2:00-3:20
T/TH
10:10-11:05 MWF
3:30-5:30
6:45-9:45
T/TH 6:45-8:45
Monday, Decembe r 16th: 3:30-6:30
T/Th 8:00-10:00
3:30-5:30
Reading Day: Wednes day, Decem ber 12
4:00-6:30 MWF 10:30-12:30
Night Exam: 6:45-9:45 M/W 6:45-8:45
MWF
8:00-10:00
RA Interest Meeting: Monday November 11th
@7pm Panther ’s Den
Thanksgiving Break begins after each student’s last class on Friday, November 22nd. Residence halls will close at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday November 23rd. ALL students must leave campus no later than 12:00 noon on Saturday, November 23rd. Residence halls will reopen on Sunday, December 1st at 12:00 PM, and classes resume on Monday, December 2. All Residence Halls will be closed during the break. As a reminder, campus Residence Halls will close at the end of the Fall Semester (all students should leave campus within 24 hours after your last exam or no later than noon on Tuesday, December 17)---discuss travel arrangements with your family and friends during Thanksgiving Break. Internship Oppurtunity Red Valley UMC (30 Red Valley Rd. Boones Mill) is looking for student interns who will serve as a choir director and a soloist. We have a wonderful pianist and a passionate choir. The candidates are not required to have a music degree but enthusiasm for music, praise, and worship is a must! One period of this internship will be one semester (either midJanuary to mid-April or mid-Sept to mid-Dec; the spring semester includes Easter Cantata and the fall semester includes Christmas Cantata – this may require an extra practice and rehearsal. These Cantatas could be on other dates than actual Easter and Christmas). The hours for this position would require every Sunday (10:20 AM to 12:20 PM) and one evening every other weekday (one and half hours; Example 1st and 3rd Wednesday or whatever day chosen by leader and choir members)Red Valley UMC will provide a scholarship for this internship; $1,000 for a choir director and $700 for a soloist. Or, two friends can share the responsibilities and scholarships ($850 for each). If you are interested in applying for this internship, please contact Pastor Jae Song at jaesong@ vaumc.org.