The
eorgetonian G
November 5, 2014 Volume CXXXIV Issue 8
Foundations program enters fifth year Aspects of Foundations explained by professors and commented on by students
By BROOKE WHITAKER A&E Editor The Foundations program is one that is familiar to all current Georgetown students, but is fairly new to our college. The program is entering its fifth year of implementation, which is cause for a review of its progress and effectiveness (this process is similar to the review cycles undergone by individual departments). The goal of the Foundations program is to “have a freshman–level class that teaches students skills like reading critically, writing coherently and forming well-reasoned arguments,” said Dr. John Henkel, Chair of the Foundations 111 Committee. Henkel described the Foundations program as a “critical thinking class, among other things” that would teach students how to “read and use texts to support a carefully-crafted argument of their own making or of someone else’s.” The Foundations program is currently divided into two sections, Foundations 111 and Foundations 112. Foundations 111, taught in the fall, is the first section of the course and all freshmen get roughly the
Inside
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same class. All 111 classes, the 111 section, students may no matter the professor, are choose from a variety of differcentered around the theme ent classes covering different of “Revolutions and Renais- subjects for their 112 section. sance.” Dr. Ellen Emerick, Chair of the Henkel pointed out that Foundations 112 Committee, this theme was one of three said that the purpose of the 112 potential themes that were class is to “take the skills that evaluated during the concep- you’ve been working on [in tion phases of the program Foundations 111] and apply five years ago, with the other two being “Community” and “Foreignness, the Stranger, and the Other.” The Revolutions and Renaissance theme is based on the idea that humanity has undergone and will undergo in the future major shifts in ideology and values, and gives faculty and students the chance to explore bigger questions and themes. Henkel also pointed out that professors of FoundaThe Georgetonian/NOAH KRIEGER tions make a concerted effort Foundations: Revolutions and to keep the program consis- Renaissance is the theme of tent across individual classes, Foundation 111 classes. saying that over the past five years faculty have gathered them to different disciplines.” to standardize their grading, There will be twelve differrubrics and reading choices ent classes of Foundations in order to ensure “equity and 112 taught in the upcoming fairness across the sections” of spring semester, and many of the program. them are cross–listed for credit Foundations 112 is the within other departments. The second section of the program offerings for next semester will and is taught in the spring. include classes in the areas Unlike the unified front of of biology, women’s studies,
education, communication, history, classics, art and religion. The Foundations 112 class is also an opportunity for faculty to teach a class in an area that they are knowledgeable about that wouldn’t necessarily fit into a degree program. “It gives the faculty an opportunity to teach the discipline in a more creative way,” said Emerick. Students who have completed the program and have gone on to upper–level classes within their disciplines have strong feelings both for and against the program. Alysha Bodenbender, a senior chemistry major, has less than favorable feelings toward the program, stating that “We have other classes that do the same thing, and those classes are required to take with gen eds. We have religion, philosophy and literature classes that we are required to take for gen eds. These classes go over similar readings and do literature analysis. And you learn how to write papers in English 111/112.” Fellow senior and biology major Melissa McQuilling disagreed, stating that “ I think it’s a great idea because let’s be honest, a lot of people are ter-
rible writers.” McQuilling also pointed out that “I didn’t know about counterarguments until I took Foundations. I had never even heard of such a thing. I remember sitting in Foundations thinking ‘What do you mean you want me to include the other side? What kind of parallel universe is this?’” Junior and English and theater/film major Fiona McElrath spoke in favor of the Foundations program. She said that it’s “good to teach that reading and writing [in Foundations classes] because it’s not usually taught in English 111.” When asked how the Foundations program could be improved, she suggested that there be “more step by step instruction on how to analyze readings because they [professors] typically hand you the readings and assume that you already know what to do.” The Foundations program and its mission to prepare incoming students for critical thinking and coherent expression of ideas formed through this manner, is a vital part of the core program and serves as one of the many factors that gives Georgetown its liberal arts identity.
Shop Local Kentucky keeps businesses local page 2
Day of the Dead celebrated last Sunday page 6
Should a major be chosen on passion or practicality? page 11
McConnell wins election for Kentucky page 3
News
Page 2
Global
Headlines Compiled by Noah Krieger
Thousands of people in Sierra Leone, quarantined to their houses for Ebola, are leaving their houses to go to public markets to get food. Several groups are delivering food to the country, but there are too many spots still being missed. In Lahore, Pakistan, a suicide bomber killed at least 45 people near the Pakistani-Indian border at a daily ceremony. His target was the Pakistani security forces. A Taliban splinter group claimed responsibility. A group of ISIS extremists lined up and shot at least 50 men and women in Iraq’s Anbar province. They accused their victims of retaliating against them when ISIS took control of their town a month ago. A college student dressed as a Teletubby for a Halloween party broke into a friend’s house at 2 a.m., stole Chinese food from his refrigerator, and dumped it into a man purse. He’s been sent a summons for disorderly conduct and criminal mischief. A man from Brighton, England recently had surgery to get rid of his seizures, but upon awakening, found that he had also lost his severe arachnophobia. The surgery had been on his amygdala, a portion of the brain partly responsible for fear.
The Georgetonian
New initiative urges local buying By AUSTIN FRALEY
which are made by Kentuckians for Kentuckians. Rick, head of the SLK project, stated that though he toyed If you were going to buy some- around with the idea of fundraising thing today, most likely you would go or even making a kickstarter camto Wal–Mart, Kroger, or another large paign, it seemed that the only logicorporation to buy it. This has been the cally consistent thing to do was sell growing trend in the US for a while things from local vendors in order now and it seems to have become the to support and raise awareness for norm. those local vendors (thekyshop.com). However, in recent years, several Because the group has invested Source: Twitter.com groups of people have sprouted up so much into giving back to the com- SLK aims to sell to local vendors to raise who have spoken against the habit of munity, they have not had much awareness of local businesses. consuming only from corporations and money to advertise themselves. “We strongly advocated local shopping. In are a start–up, which I believe is a idea for them or want to write a blog light of this, one organization has arisen French term for penny–less or broke,” for them, their website and contact out of the realization for an easier way Rick quipped, asking people to share info can be found at: http://thekto search for locally made products and and spread the word about the initia- yshop.com/news/why-are-we-doinglocations where you can buy them. tive in whatever way possible (thek- this/#more-393. Begun in the spring of 2014, Shop yshop.com). They can also typically be found at Local Kentucky was developed out of Although not out yet, the next the Night Market on North Limestone a study that showed “business owners advance which is coming soon to the in Lexington on Fridays from 7-10 p.m. in regions with some form of shop local SLK initiative is an app for iPhones and They should not be difficult to contact program see a 5.6 percent increase in Androids which will allow people to as Rick states, “We’re millennials, so annual revenue compared to 2.1 per- search for SLK–sponsored businesses naturally the latest device is somehow cent in those without any initiatives.” near them. The app will operate some- tethered to our hand, foot or head.” The benefits of small, locally owned what similar to Yelp, with reviews and businesses are many, including simply coupons available for shoppers. The knowing where the products you buy difference is that the businesses will be come from (thekyshop.com). totally locally owned and supported The project is funded by something (herkentucky.com). called The Kentucky Shop, an online There have been several other local store where products can be bought initiatives, but this is the first effort that Now accepting applications will be statewide. The hope behind having a statewide initiative is to for Editor-in-Chief, Page raise more awareness about the benefits of local shopping and its availability. Dec. 1-7 will be “Shop Editors and Copy Editors Local Kentucky week” with the goal of making that the staple week If interested or would like for Kentuckians to go and buy local more information, contact during the holiday season (thekHannah Krieger at hkriege0@ yshop.com) The people behind this projgeorgetowncollege.edu ect are still looking for small, local business owners to sign up and Source: Irvinekybusiness.com be part of their program. If you Deadline to submit appli“Shop Local Kentucky Week” will be held or anyone you know is involved cations: Dec. 5 Dec. 1-7. in one, or even if you just have an Backpage Editor
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Issue 8
News
November 5, 2014 Page 3
Gas prices in the U.S. plummet
By EVAN MOORE Staff Writer
Citizens across the American nation have been pleasantly surprised the last two or three weeks. Gas prices are decreasing faster than they have been since the new millennium. The most recent national average is at $2.98 (boston.com), but some gas prices in the Georgetown–Frankfort–Lexington area have dipped below $2.70 at points. The largest influence on gas prices is crude oil—it affects over 60 percent of the cost—which is now hovering at around eighty dollars per barrel, a 16 percent drop since this time last year (macrotrends.com). A number of factors have combined to cause this freefall. First of all, American crude oil production has risen monumentally in the
last year. By 2015, the United States could be the number one producer of crude oil in the world. There have been no major natural disasters recently—no hurricanes, no immense wildfires—and there have been no man–made catastrophes, such as oil spills or pipeline ruptures. American oil is at an all–time high, and we have begun exporting our oil to other countries. With more supply and a constant demand, prices drop. With the Saudis, U. S. companies have decided to lower oil prices in order to possibly place further sanctions on Russia. Russia has been peculiarly quiet recently, and many economists believe this is because Russia can no longer compete with the oil market of America and Arabia, destroying their second biggest export to Europe. It is provable that Russia’s economy is hurt-
ing because of the sanctions and the lower oil prices, but it is not provable whether or not they are tied. However, it is theorized that they are. Russia’s single biggest export to Europe is natural gas, and Europe did account for almost 50 percent of their total trade in 2013. However, with America now the world’s number one producer of natural gas, Russia is no longer needed by the European Union. Methane is cheaper and more efficient than coal and gasoline, so the higher demand, higher quantity and cheaper price of natural gas also causes oil and gasoline prices to drop. Again, it is not provable to say that this is economic warfare against the Russians (chooseenergy.org). With oil and gas prices plummeting, it is estimated that Americans as a whole are saving over one hundred
million dollars every day according to CNN. By the end of the year, if oil continues to drop, and it stays below $80 per barrel, over six hundred sixty billion dollars will be pumped into the global economy simply by Americans saving over thirty cents per gallon at the pump (oil-price.net). Regardless of reason, there is no doubt that lower cost of gasoline at the pump is a positive for the United States. Forbes has predicted that the prices are going to decrease further, but it is still an unpredictable market.
to hold a leadership position in the US Senate. With McConnell’s win, he has plans to become Majority leader of the Senate, which would also make him Kentucky’s second US Senator to become a Majority leader. Alben Barkley was Kentucky’s first US Senator to hold not only a leadership position in general, but to hold the Majority leadership position (Wikipedia; “Alben W. Barkley”). In order to follow through with this plan though the majority party of the US Senate would obviously need to be Republican, which is looking highly likely according to “The Washington Post” article “The Senate will go Republican, the election models say.” If Grimes had won, Kentucky would have had their first female US Senator. The US Senate has been around since 1789, so for over 220 years Kentucky has elected male candidates for US Senate, which means Grimes’
win would have been quite the change for Kentucky (Wikipedia; “Women in the United States Senate”). If Grimes had won, that would have meant a minority leader had been knocked out of office, and that has not been done in US Senate history in quite some time. Both McConnell and Grimes have spent millions on their campaigns. On Grimes’ Campaign Finance section of votesmart.org, it is reported that she has spent over 15 million dollars during the 2014 cycle. For McConnell’s ‘Campaign Finance’ section, it says that he has spent over 25 million dollars in the 2014 cycle of his campaign. Some of the main issues they have been basing their campaigns on are jobs, coal, women’s issues, Medicare and veterans’ care. They have gone back and forth on who will provide the best plans regarding these issues and which one will help. Both explain
their plans surrounding these issues, and more, on their websites: http:// www.teammitch.com/ and http:// alisonforkentucky.com/. Grimes’ is in the “Issues” section of her website and McConnell’s is in the “Get the Truth” section of his. Also there is another significant Kentucky election going on right now: the State House elections. According to Alex Caudill, Field Coordinator of Kentucky Democratic Party, since 1921 Kentucky’s House has been controlled by Democrats and it is the last Southern State to hold Democratic control. Right now the State Senate is in Republican control, so the election results for State House will determine whether Kentucky stays a split state or whether it will be completely under Republican control.
Historical election for Kentucky
By ANDREA BELLEW Staff Writer The United States (US) Senate election has received a lot of attention, in part because there was no Presidential election this year to take up attention. The election is especially important for Kentucky because it holds a lot of significance and implications for its history and government. The fact that important history was made when Mitch McConnell (Republican) was elected, would have also held true if Alison Grimes (Democrat) won as well. With McConnell’s win, he continues to be Kentucky’s longest held US Senator. McConnell was first elected as Kentucky’s Senator in 2006 and became Minority leader of the US Senate in January 2007 (Wikipedia; “Mitch McConnell”). He is the second Kentuckian
Sports
Page 4
The Georgetonian
Volleyball fights in emotional games
By JOE RICHEY
Cancer. Several Georgetown workers, alum and retirees who are fighting or had beaten Last Tuesday the volley- cancer were in attendance. The ball team donned pink jerseys Tigers lost 15- 25, 20-25, 22-25. in their match against No. 10 “We came out a little flat, Lindsey Wilson for Block out but showed fire in each set. I thought we were going to take that third set, but we learn from this and finish out our season,” said coach Nick Griffin. “We’ve got a long road ahead of us with postseason play around the corner.” Allyson Wilbourn had 12 kills on a .286 hitSource: GCathletics.com ting percentage followed Stephanie Gurren sets the ball for by Caraline Maher with her teammates. 10. Junior Lindsey Mar-
tindale and Stephanie Gurren had 16 and 14 assists, respectively. Sophomore Courtney Grafton had 12 digs. “It was an emotional night and you try to remember the larger lessons here,” said Griffin. “I’m so proud of the way our players care about what is bigger than a game.” Two days later was Senior Night for Caraline Maher, Stephanie Gurren, Allyson Wilbourn, Mariah Tesarz and Ashley Booth. The Tigers (2410, 11-2) beat Cumberland University (12-17, 1-11) 25-12, 25-19, 25-15. Maher and Wilbourn each had a .538 hitting percentage on nine and eight kills, respec-
tively. Junior Corri Muha had eight kills on a .375 hitting percentage. Lindsey Martindale had 17 assists and Gurren had nine. Junior Kristen Schellhaas and Gurren each had three aces. Courtney Grafton had 13 digs and Mariah Tesarz had 10. “Tonight is always tough to see another class finish four years with us,” said Griffin. “This group has been so amazing and helped us through so many wins. We will really miss this class.” The team’s last regular season game is Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Shawnee State (www.georgetowncollegeathletics.com).
By TYLER PHILLIPS
now stands at an impressive 11 touchdowns on the year and is quickly closing in on the Georgetown College single season record. Alan Williams and Terry Johnson would also carry the ball into the end zone before all was said and done. These scores would prove crucial during a game in which Bluefield took an early lead of
14-6. Despite these early results, the Tigers rallied to dominate the board in the second half by scoring 31 unanswered points. Four of these points were defensive, as the squad put up two safeties on the day. Playing against a team known for its overpowering rushing attack, this defensive effort cannot be under-appreciated. Ryan Sowder recorded seven tackles with two assists, while three separate Georgetown defenders found their way to the quarterback for a sack. The Georgetown secondary also shone, as Bluefield was limited to three completions for 42 yards on the day. Although Bluefield would eventually answer the Tigers with a fourth quarter rushing touchdown, it would prove
Sports Editor
Source: GCathletics.com
Allyson Wilbourn and Corri Muha attempt to block a shot.
Tigers dominate second half to beat Bluefield
Backpage Editor Georgetown football won its third consecutive game this Saturday, improving its record to 7-1 on the year. The Tigers travelled to Bluefield, Va., to take on the Bluefield College Rams, and emerged victorious with a final score of 37-21.
Men’s Bball Women’s Bball Football Men’s Soccer Women’s Soccer Volleyball
Due to wintery conditions on the field, the game was defined by a strong rushing performance from both teams. Georgetown rushed for a net 179 yards, while Bluefield kept up with a total of 172. Georgetown College back Demonte Smith led the pack with 14 rushing attempts that resulted in three touchdowns; Smith
W. 105-74 Salem International L. 37-20 Bluefield College L. 1-3 Pikeville W. 3-1 Pikeville W. 3-0 Cumberland
Nov. 9 @ Kentucky 7:00 p.m. Nov. 7 vs. Brescia 7:00 p.m. Nov. 8 vs. Union College 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 5 @ Shawnee State 7:00 p.m.
too little too late as the clock would gradually wind down for the Tiger victory. After the game, the Tigers were granted the No. 6 seed in the NAIA football rankings. Neck and neck in the points system with just a few more games to play, the Tigers still have an opportunity to advance further up the chain. Next week, the Tigers will return home for their final home game of the regular season against the 1-7 Union College Bulldogs. The game will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m. at Toyota Stadium. Come out to support your Tigers!
Sports
Issue 8
November 5, 2014 Page 5
Anachronistic Sport: Rapier Fighting By FIONA MCELRATH
between the Renaissance Faire we are all familiar with and historical reenacting. It is not In the Society for Creative either of these things, nor is Anachronism, or SCA, there it considered “larping.” It is are many different kinds of devoted to recreating the lifeactivities centered on fighting style that exited before the 17th styles, which were considered century. Members of the SCA the “sports” and sometimes can create a character in any entertainment of their time time period from the end of the period. Before I go into these Roman Empire to the Renaisthings, however, allow me to sance, and do any of the things explain the SCA to you. that said character would have The SCA falls somewhere done in their lifetime. Depending on where your interest lies, an SCA member may do anything from dancing, to baking, to sewing, or my personal favorite, fighting. Since the SCA draws inspiration from a span of about a thousand years, there are Source: SCA.org different At SCA events combatants may fight many against each other in teams during mel- kinds of fighting styles one may lees or wars. choose from, but I Copy Editor
happen to prefer rapier. This style of fighting began near the end of the Middle Ages, after the days of knights in shining armor. Indeed, while a rapier blade cannot hack off limbs like a knight’s broadsword can, it is able to pierce through armor and chain-mail. Unlike the modern fencing that many are familiar with, Rapier uses many different kinds of tools for combat. This includes shields, daggers, rods and even a cloak or a second sword. This fighting style is also unchoreographed and takes place in the round, as it were, which gives combatants more freedom to maneuver around one another. The armor for rapier fighters is simple, consisting of a typical fencing mask, a gorge or neck guard, leather gloves and heavy clothing. There is some variation in armor which is generally due to style, but all combatants must wear some kind of protection from head to toe. This armor must also
meet the SCA safety standards. Similar to modern fencing, rapier swords are capped with rubber and foam and have unsharpened edges. However, they are much heavier than the light epees and foils used in fencing, and it is Source: Facebook.com not legal to use either of At SCA events combatants may these against a rapier, as fight against each other in teams the lighter sword would during mellees or wars. undoubtedly snap. At SCA events, combatants may fight against each and fair based on angle, presother in teams during melees sure of the hit and location. or wars. During such fights, Stabbing a fellow in the back, a marshall is always standing for instance, is considered bad nearby to make sure every- form. When the opportunity thing is going smoothly, much to “kill” someone from behind like during a sports game. arises, it is more acceptable to Just like the medieval go up to them and say, “death knights, there is a code of from behind.” honor, or chivalry, in the SCA The SCA is full of amazing that it is everyone’s responsi- opportunities to learn history bility to uphold. Whether one while partaking in a differis sparring at practice or fight- ent kind of lifestyle, and SCA ing in a war, it is up to them sports are diverse and intriguto recognize if a strike is valid ing.
Tractor Pulling and Mud Bogging By CAITLYN MOORE Staff Writer Kentucky is truly a unique place when you think about it. Not every state has sports for their tractors and “tricked out” trucks. For tractors, there is the tractor pull. For fancy trucks, there are pulls and mud bogs. For those of you who didn’t grow up in a rural community,
you’re probably wondering what I’m talking about. Well, prepare yourself for a little Kentucky culture lesson. Pulls and mud bogs typically occur in summer or fall in county or state fair. The tractor pull is a competition determining who has the strongest and heftiest tractor that can pull the most weight; the same applies to the truck pulls. The pulls are extremely
noisy, and the vehicle pulling the weight often goes back on two wheels. There is a significant amount of smog involved; however, there is something very thrilling about the entire situation and environment. If you like a little mess involved with competition and the thrill then you might gravitate towards the mud bogs. A bulldozer basically pushes dirt
into one spot so that it creates a hump. Obviously, it is very muddy. When trucks run that straight track the core goal is to get the farthest in the quickest time. You are at a large disadvantage if you are the last truck to run it, due to all the trucks getting stuck on that hump and running their tires against it adding more mud to the pile making it an even bigger hump than it originally
was. Mud bogs are incredibly intriguing, especially if you have an appreciation for trucks. Some of the runners tend to be antiques or very impressively fancied up. Like pulls, mud bogs are very noisy and smoggy; however, they are no less competitive than any other sport.
Features SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: COURTNEY SPENCE
Page 6
By TERESA CURTIS Staff Writer When she came to Georgetown College, she was a transfer student who hadn’t even toured the school. She was blindly trusting that Georgetown would be a perfect fit for her and her major, considering it was close to home. Senior Courtney Spence has never regretted her decision to come to Georgetown College and is sad to see her time here drawing to a close. She has really come to like how small the classes are, and how the professors connect with their students. Courtney is originally from Cynthiana, Ky., and she commutes to Georgetown College every day. She is an English major and has a double minor
The Georgetonian
in history, and Medieval wards for you. I have and Renaissance studies. learned the most from She is a member of the lither,” Courtney said. erary honor society, Sigma Whenever she is not Tau Delta, and she has also hitting the books, figuapplied to be a Fulbright ratively and quite posScholar. sibly literally, Courtney After graduation she likes to unwind with plans on either accepting Netflix, particularly the Fulbright Scholarwith the new season of ship and teaching English “The Walking Dead.” in Norway or attending She also enjoys your Source: Facebook.com graduate school to get her other typical shows, Courtney has a fondness for literature Masters and eventually such as “Dr. Who” and and an appreciation for her professors. her Doctorate in English. “Sherlock.” What influenced Her only goals for Courtney to become an have taken college algebra the remainder of the year are English major and have such instead of statistics, which is a that she does not have a breaka strong passion for literature perfectly normal regret to have down in Dr. Barbaccia’s office was her fondness of reading as an English major. and to avoid the crying chair as a child. She was always into Another big influence on in Dr. Burch’s office. Lookhistory as well, but decided Courtney’s college career has ing back on her past years that English was her strong been Dr. Barbaccia; “Hands at Georgetown, Courtney’s suit and stuck with it. She down, she is my platonic soul favorite memory was being only regrets that she should mate; she will bend over back- dubbed “miscreant” by Dr.
Allen after declaring her allegiance to Bullingbrook, and taking over “Owen Island.” [If you would like to know what either of these things are, I suggest you take Dr. Allen’s Shakespeare class in the fall.] In five years Courtney sees herself completing her Doctorate Degree in English. Her advice for the freshmen is to not procrastinate. “Just don’t do it. It’s a bad idea.” Courtney leaves us with her favorite quote from author Patrick Rothfuss: “Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”
El Dia de Los Muertos honors lost loved ones
By ANDREA BELLEW Staff Writer Every November 2nd is All Soul’s Day, a Christian holiday observed by some denominations. All Soul’s Day is when all souls are honored and prayed for. During this time, the Mexican holiday Dia de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is also celebrated. During this holiday, people are encouraged to celebrate the relatives and friends lost through death, but it is not seen as a sad holiday. This is a holiday celebrated with positive outlooks.
Georgetown College’s (GC) Newman Center and Spanish Immersion Program partnered with Saints Francis and John Catholic Parish in order to have mass in honor of
Dia de Los Muertos at GC. Spanish Immersion students, Newman Center students and St. John parishioners gathered in the Ward Room of the LRC for this celebration. The normal happenings of a mass service were performed, such as offertory, communion, call and response and singing, but there were The Georgetonian/CAITLYN MOORE also differA decorated altar was set up to honor and ences. remember the dead. This ser-
vice was different in that there was a second altar added that was specifically decorated in honor of remembering the dead and there was also an extra prayer said that was in honor of the dead. Throughout the last week, people were allowed to write down the names of people who they have lost. These names were then added to the Dia de los Muertos altar during the service. The people who attended the service were also given the opportunity to add loved ones’ names to the altar. In the library’s lobby, Pan de Muertos, special bread made specifically for Dia de
The Georgetonian/CAITLYN MOORE
Father Linh of Ss. Francis and John performed mass. Los Muertos, was laid out for the attendees to partake in after the service. The serving of this bread is a tradition that goes along with any Dia de Los Muertos celebration.
Features
Issue 8
November 5, 2014 Page 7
Upbeat Cafe is a downtown staple
By AUSTIN FRALEY BackPage Editor
Broadway Street in Georgetown is filled with tons of great, local restaurants but none has an atmosphere quite like Upbeat Café. Located just past Whitaker Bank, Upbeat has been a local staple for years and will be for years to come. Upbeat is a family–run business owned and operated by the legendary Christy Mann who opened the business in order to provide a place where relationships could be made between people. Open for 10 years this December, Upbeat came about after much prayer about what Christy and her family were being called to do. Christy had done some catering before, and her husband Al had a passion for music and coffee. They saw a need for this in Georgetown and felt God provided a path for them to fulfill that need. “My favorite part is the
Barista Jessica Carey said, “The opportunity to get out of the Georgetown bubble and experience more of Georgetown as a community at large has been amazing. The Georgetonian/KAITLIN FAHEY It’s allowed me to Upbeat Cafe is located at 117 N. Broad- have relationships way Street in downtown Georgetown. that I wouldn’t have had otherwise people,” Mann said. “I enjoy that have meant a great deal bringing good food to people to my life. I don’t feel like just in a setting that is relaxed and another employee at Upbeat, comfortable. I love watching but I feel like part of a family.” people connect with others More recently hired who wouldn’t in other set- employee Austin Colliver also tings.” This is perhaps the most commented on the commuobvious truth about Upbeat nal atmosphere of the café. Café, which is captured in its “In a community like this you tag line: “Where old friends develop close friendships from come to gather and strangers the regular customers. You become new friends.” There’s really get to know the commualways someone to meet in nity well here.” Carey said that Upbeat, whether you know her biggest recommendation is them or not. to stop in and ask Colliver to Several Georgetown Col- make a scrumptiously named lege students have worked at drink called the “liquid cinUpbeat Café over the years. namon roll.” She also recom-
mends her personal favorite, the coconut caramel latte. The shop is decorated with all sorts of paraphernalia from Uganda, as several members of Christy’s family help to run local organizations Adopt Uganda and Promise Kids a Future, both organizations concerned with helping disadvantaged orphans in Uganda by both sponsoring and adopting them. Many of these items are for sale and directly support the efforts in Uganda. Some people that have gone into the doors of Upbeat have been invited on their first visit
to accompany the owners on a trip to Africa and have actually gone! This is definitely the most extreme case of strangers becoming friends. Whether you like coffee, music, food or playing a game of Headbandz on the couch, Upbeat has something for you that goes beyond any of these things—relationships. Don’t miss out on the wonderful atmosphere of this local coffee shop.
Quote My Georgetown Professor “If 2+2=5, then I am the Pope.” - Dr. White Posted on the “Quote My Georgetown Professor” Facebook group
Georgetown Tree Huggers
Donut Express is popular among students By CAITLYN MOORE Staff Writer A common word you hear around the Georgetown College community is the word “Hong’s.” Apparently, Hong’s is a location in Georgetown. However, you won’t find any businesses named Hong’s. It is actually a business called Donut Express; but through word of mouth it was given the name of Hong’s by Georgetown students. Donut Express, or Hong’s, as it is
very commonly called, opens up at two in the morning providing the freshest, most delicious donuts you will ever eat. The opening time is extremely appealing to Georgetown’s students, considering most of the students are up at night doing homework. Georgetown students run into each other all the time when going to Hong’s. You may develop a best friend from a visit to Hong’s and coincidentally realize that they go to Georgetown the same as
you do. It also helps to have a place to go and chill when you’ve been doing homework nonstop at night. Hong’s provides the ultimate college chillout zone. However, no one must forget the legendary donuts Hong’s has. If you have not experienced Hong’s yet, go now. Donut Express is located at 100 Mary Lynn Dr., just off of Lexington Rd., in Georgetown. The Georgetonian/KAITLIN FAHEY
This week’s Tree Hugger is Junior Tyler Phillips.
ArtsEntertainment The Importance of Being Earnest wraps a success
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By KAITLIN FAHEY Features Editor Georgetown College is home to the Maskrafters, the oldest collegiate theater company in Kentucky. The Maskrafters’ latest production, Oscar Wilde’s comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest,” ran on Oct. 24, 25, 26, 30, 31 and Nov. 1 in GC’s Lab Theater. The play’s plot centered on a man named John Worthing who lives a double life: in the city he is Earnest, though in the country he goes by Jack and uses the name “Earnest” to refer to his nonexistent brother whom he often pretends to visit in the city. In reality, John’s city interest is a lady named Gwendolen, the cousin of his friend Algernon Moncrieff. After John’s proposal, Gwendolen confesses that she has always dreamed of loving a man named Earnest, much to John’s concern. Gwendolen’s mother, Lady Bracknell, is vehemently opposed to the two marrying because an incident in John’s infancy has left him not knowing who his parents are. Though John desires to keep his two lives separate, Algernon manages to obtain the address to John’s home in the country in the interest of meet-
The Georgetonian
ing Cecily L a d y Cardew, Bracknell a wealthy soon follows young lady her daughter, who is opposed to John’s ward. the fact that Algernon she has gone presents to visit John, himself a disrespectat Ceciable man in ly’s home her eyes. She as John’s learns that brother, her nephew, The Georgetonian/BROOKE WHITAKER A l g e r n o n , Earnest, and by the end of No one is as they seem in “The Importance of has become the morning Being Earnest.” engaged to has proposed Cecily, an to Cecily, who also confesses that she arrangement of which she approves has always dreamed of loving a man of after hearing of Cecily’s wealth. Howthat name. Algernon, as concerned as ever, Cecily is forbidden to marry John was, frantically leaves and plans until age 30—which she will not reach to be rechristened “Earnest” to keep for another 12 years. However, John Cecily’s affection. agrees to permit the marriage if Lady Shortly thereafter, Gwendolen Bracknell gives her consent for John arrives in the country and miscommu- and Gwendolen to be married, and she nication ensues as both women believe obliges. that they are engaged to a man named Gwendolen, however, is still disEarnest; each woman accuses her fiancé satisfied with not knowing her fianof infidelity. When Algernon and John cé’s real name. Through an interesting return, their true identities (and names) turn of events, it is discovered that are revealed, much to the displeasure Miss Prism, Cecily’s tutor, was John’s of the ladies. caregiver as a baby — and can inform
him of his real name and who his parents were. He discovers that he truly is Algernon’s older brother and that his christened name is Earnest John Moncrieff. Gwendolen is pleased with this revelation, and the play ended with the main character announcing that he has finally learned “the importance of being Earnest.” The show featured an exquisite set and guest appearances by Georgetown faculty members such as Dr. Sonny Burnette and Dr. Jonathan Dickinson. Many roles were doubly cast, with each cast performing for three nights. Samuel Adams starred as John Worthing, Dalton Graves played Algernon, Meredith Scalos and Ariel Wren played Gwendolen, Brenna Jewell and Mimi Housewright played Lady Bracknell, Stella Hundley and Julie Anderson played Cecily and Taylor Dillon played Miss Prism. Overall, incredible performances by the aforementioned actors as well as other cast and crew members contributed to yet another delightful production by the Maskrafers.
ArtsEntertainment Featured Student Work: The Joys of Autumn
Issue 8
By LIZ DUCCILLI Staff Writer The reds, yellows and browns On every single tree. The crunch of the leaves Under your shoes. Or their lively dance from A crisp breeze in the air. Warm apple cider From the store or the kitchen Hayrides and bonfires With your friends close and dear.
November 5, 2014 Page 9
The week of Halloween With its lifelong traditions. Plump, orange jack-o-lanterns And their grins or grimaces. Scary stories by a campfire Real or untrue. Costumes and masks Of all shapes and sizes. The little trick–or–treaters And their plastic pails of candy.
The Macy’s parade And all the floats and performances. Homemade cornucopias With their vegetables The succulent turkey And the potatoes and the stuffing. Sweet pumpkin pie Under a dollop of whipped cream. The whole family happy and united Before the chaos of Black Friday.
The day of Thanksgiving With all the great food.
All of these and more Are the many joys of autumn,
Here for our pleasure For these three months Every single year Before the sudden arrival Of winter’s snow and ice. Then the long spring and summer Until the next autumn With these lifelong memories.
Bandicoot crashes into Guild Game of the Week By KAYLA BOSWELL Staff Writer Let’s take some time to revert back to childhood memories and the games that we used to play; back to when the only gaming system we had that could hook up to the television was the Sony PlayStation. How about a famous protagonist that many of us young ones know? Crash Bandicoot, perhaps? Want some history about our dear protagonist dog? He was actually originally named Willie the Wombat who lived on North Sanity Island and was captured and then evolved by none other than Doctor Neo Cortex. Yeah, that weird scientist with a giant silver N on his forehead. So, there Doctor Neo Cortex and another Doctor, Nitrus Brio, were experimenting on animals with the Evolvo-Ray and turning things evil. But wait! Crash is immune to the evil ray. And in the confusion of things, Crash manages to escape. So BAM! Crash has now escaped
character travels alone (not in video games at least!). No, Crash gets the awesome Aku Aku, a witch doctor mask thing that watches over him and protects Crash from different types of dangers. Well, without going into too much detail and skipping straight to the obvious spoiler of the Source: Playstationgang.com main story, Crash defeats Crash Bandicoot is a game featured in the Dr. Cortex and saves his girlchildhoods of many. friend, Tawna. A year passes between and now our dastardly canine/ the first and second games, wombat/humanized creature must and everything is calm and quiet in the put an end to Doctor Cortex and Brio’s Bandicoot realm. If I remember corplans. Why you may ask? Well, obvirectly, Crash was taking a nap in the ously our protagonist has his lovely woods with his little sister Coco Bandigirlfriend that Doctor Cortex has also coot. Then, oh no! Coco has to find a evolved. I believe her name was Tawna battery for her laptop and then Crash Bandicoot, but you can never trust ends up abducted by Doctor Cortex Wikipedia for an important fact like (he never knows when to stop, darn that (can you?). that arch nemesis). Although, Doctor Now Crash must set off on a jourCortex swears that he has changed his ney to stop Cortex and save his lovely ways and requests that our hero gather girlfriend, but we all know that no main 25 crystals to stop another world doom-
ing project. This time, along with Aku Aku, Crash has his handy dandy sister who hacks into Cortex’s computers because she is suspicious of his intentions. Crash even gets a pet polar bear! How cool is that? I mean, some people get horses to ride, but nobody gets a pet polar bear to ride. It is unheard of! Once again, our hero triumphs over plans to take down the villain and save the world—with the help from his lovely younger sister, of course. A hero cannot be alone when destroying the evil plans of their arch enemy. Now, that was just the beginning of Crash’s adventure. As with most heroes, he has many more adventures, but if memory serves me correctly, those were the first two games of Crash Bandicoot. If you would like to know more, please visit chapter 18 of our Crash course.
Opinion
Page 10
The Georgetonian
Georgetonian Parking, parking,
The
Editor-in-Chief............................................. Hannah Krieger Managing Editor................................................ Eric Balmer News Editor........................................................ Eric Balmer Sports Editor........................................................ Joe Richey Features Editor................................................ Kaitlin Fahey A&E Editor.................................................. Brooke Whitaker Opinion Editor................................................Stephanie Lee Back Page Editor.................... Austin Fraley & Tyler Phillips Web Editor . .....................................................Kate Doctor Photo Editor..................................................Angel Woodrum Technical Editor..............................................Nathan Smith Copy Editor...................................................Cassidy Clayton Copy Editor................................................... Fiona McElrath Copy Editor................................................. Brooke Whitaker Faculty Adviser...........................................Jennifer Beckett
The Georgetonian is a free weekly newspaper published most Wednesdays during the academic year by Georgetown College in Georgetown, Ky. Its contents are written and edited by current students of Georgetown College. Letters to the editor should be under 600 words and should include the writer’s name and telephone number. Letters may be edited for clarity and brevity. Please send letters to one of the following addresses:
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where art thou?
By TERESA CURTIS Staff Writer
my heart heavy, I head for the dreaded Pit. I know some, if not most, of us have experienced something similar when trying to locate a parking spot on South Campus at one point or another. The situation has become increasingly worse since the Freshmen women are now living on South Campus. Do not get me wrong, I have no objection to them living with A/C comfortably, but parking was cramped before, and now it’s just the Hunger Games Car
Note: This is mostly directed toward those that dwell on South Campus, and therefore park on South Campus, and obviously those that drive from East and the small amount of commuters. Join me in an adventure; it will be thrilling and a rollercoaster of emotions, I promise. There we are driving back to campus after work, a Taco Bell run or maybe you just really really needed to go to Walmart for some more pumpkin flavored treats. We are nearing Jackson Street on South Campus, and I’m already getting ner- Source: Elbrooklyntaco.com vous. My palms Finding a parking spot on campus are sweaty can be difficult now that spots are as I grasp the more limited. steering wheel tighter, and gently ease onto Version, people. I sometimes the breaks as I ease onto Jack- catch myself thinking of when son Street, praying I find a spot. I could strategically move my Oh! Look!! There is a spot! Oh car so it is closer to my buildwait…that’s a motorcycle. Keep ing, which is always Friday the faith, keep going. There is evenings, especially before nothing on Jackson, so I lower a huge break. I feel as if this my standards and hope there shouldn’t be a problem, conis something in the Wellness sidering we have five parking Center Lot. lots, not including The Pit, on Driving slowly past the South Campus. lot I notice that it is crammed, However, it may not be wait…is that a dumpster?! My a “problem,” but it is defistandards even lower, and nitely “annoying.” There is
nothing worse than the feeling of coming back to campus after a late shift at work only to be forced to park in The Pit. I believe that The Pit is a wonderful parking lot, but with a name like “The Pit” who would ever want to park there?! It’s just more convenient to park in lots that are close to your building, and it also helps when packing stuff out of your dorm before break. I propose a solution to the “annoyance” that is the parking games here on Georgetown’s beautiful campus, which is that of assigned parking. It is taboo, I know, but it would be splendid. If you purchase a “parking spot” you would get assigned a certain number, and that would be your parking spot for the entire year. Of course if you don’t park there and happen to take someone else’s parking spot, because of that parking envy, you would be subject to consequences. It would also be nice if the Wellness Center lot was paved with clear parking spots designated, because that too becomes an exciting game of “Can I fit my car in this space, or am I going to have to crawl out of the trunk?” Either way, it’s all fun and games, until someone has to park in The Pit.
Opinion
November 5, 2014 Page 11
that society considers “practical” there is much less scepticism involved when being asked about the future. Of course you will be successful with a business or psychology degree—why wouldn’t you be? Those are good fields to go into because there will always be something for you to do, right? But when one answers that first question with a language, anything in the arts or philosophy we receive a nod, maybe some strange looks and a change of topic. When asked what our future plans are, there is a distinct implicit question behind the explicit one: why? Why did you choose
something that there is no practical use for, except teaching or (oh the horror) research? Allow me to enlighten you. When people are talking about “practicality,” they nearly always mean “for going into the workforce.” Business, communications, psychology—these are all things that are useful in the workplace. However, theater, art and music are not considered as such, and are thus undervalued and pushed aside as things to be taught, but not made a living out of. Everyone knows, after all, that few artists of these sorts do it for the money. So why do they do it? One word: Passion.
not because it’s practical. Now, I don’t mean to imply that you cannot love psychology or business. I think those things are awesome and valuable, and there is passion to be had in doing those things as well. However, in the question of practicality and emphasis of society, they are among those pushed to the front, not the sidelines. All fields of study should be considered equal in learning opportunities and the enrichment of life in general, not put down for not being “practical” enough. So, why am I a theatre/film and English major you ask? Because I’m passionate about them.
man refused to adapt himself to his environment. Instead he adapted his environment to suit him…but he didn’t know when to stop…he made it more complicated. Now his children are sentenced to 10 to 15 years of school, just to learn how to survive in this complex and hazardous habitat. And civilized man now finds he has to adapt and re–adapt every hour of the day to his self-created environment. For instance, if it’s Monday and 7:30 comes up, you have to disadapt from your domestic surroundings and re–adapt yourself to an entirely different environment. 8:00 means everybody has to look busy. 10:30 means you can stop looking busy for 15 minutes. And then, you have to look busy again. Your day
is chopped into pieces. In each segment of time you adapt to new circumstances.” I apologize for the length of that quote, but it is essentially my argument. We live in a world which is rapidly progressing. But progressing toward what? Our goal in technological advancement has always been to make life easier. It has been presumed that if we could simply rid ourselves of daily troubles we would finally be happy. But as it has apparently turned out, once we’ve rid ourselves of actual daily troubles we will create for ourselves new and pointless daily troubles. Rather than “I’m stressed because I don’t know where I’ll find food today,” our complaint has become “I’m stressed
Issue 8
Passion or practicality?
By FIONA McELRATH Copy Editor
“What is your major?” This is the question that plagues all college students from the moment they decide to pursue higher education. It has come to my attention that many of us at Georgetown, and at colleges in general, are choosing majors and minors based not on passion about the subjects or field we wish to study but on the practicality of the thing. “What are you going to do with that [degree]?” is a frequent question that college students and prospective college students are asked. When one has a degree
Source: Reddit.com/r/funny
What is your major? It is human nature, the desire to create, be it art, a stage, a performance, music or dancing. Many artists will tell you that it goes against their nature not to perform their art, even if they never get rich or famous off of it. They do what they love because they love it,
Society should embrace simple living
By AUSTIN FRALEY BackPage Editor
There is a wonderful South African film from the 1980s entitled “The Gods Must Be Crazy.” In it, a small uncivilized tribe in Botswana lives an apparently utopian lifestyle. “They’re very gentle people. They’ll never punish a child or even speak harshly to it. Naturally the kids are extremely well-behaved,” the narrator explains. There is no sense of ownership among them. He goes on, “In the Kalahari, it’s always Tuesday, or Thursday if you like. Or Sunday. No clocks or calendars tell you to do this or that.” All of this is told in contrast to the civilized tribe 600 miles to the south. “Civilized
because my washing machine is broken.” This is horrifying in itself as we realize we will never be free of problems, but even more worrying is the fact that it seems those who lived with the first kind of stress had lives filled with more meaning. Of course, I’m not saying that we all ought to live as starving nomads. Technological progression is a good thing. But at a certain point we go beyond human beings and become receivers of everything. We create nothing. The apocalyptic novels describing robot takeovers were right, but not in the way that we thought. Robots run our world because we passively accept everything that they provide. Are we human beings if we
no longer create? If we were made in God’s image, we are all meant to be little creators. Even if belief in God has left us, we are left with the conclusion that we must create ourselves since there is no creator above. But now we have machines to do it for us. Our technology is rapidly approaching the point at which life will become moot. As T.S. Eliot wrote, “This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.” There will be no active resistance, but a passive acceptance of mindless drones sitting in front of a computer screen, as I am right now. We must remember to live and live simply because to live complex is to not live at all.
THE BACKPAGE Read the BackPage: Just do it
By A. Fraley & T. Phillips BackPage Editors
Over the past month or so, we here at the BackPage have been snarkily complaining about issues near and dear to our hearts. However, this week, on a more somber note, we have decided to inform you of the dangerous trend known in some circles as “advertising.” Each year, 2,387,462.75 people are killed in advertising related incidents (source: Wikipedia - The Free Encylcopedia). And, Betsy, these doggone-accurst commercials keep interrupting my favorite program! You’ve got to be kidding me! This commercial has played three times in the last 20 minutes! I get it, Rob Lowe. Complaints like these can be heard on the regular daily. Do not fear, overly frantic but engaged reader.You can rest assured that this sort of nonsense will never happen on the BackPage; we are not sellouts. We vow to only present you with honest, realistic news about mutant skunks and giant mythical Yik Yak beasts. It is our pledge to never let corporations dictate your knowledge, or buy space on our page.
not sold–out parable about our friend, Tony the Ti--uhhh--Asherlan the Georgetown Tiger, in order to illustrate the dangers of consumerism. Asherlan was a wealthy, noble tiger. He lived all his days in a White, Castle–like paradise. When interviewed for this parable, he told us himself, “I’m lovin’ it. I can totally have it my way.” It all began with an average breakfast. Upon eating his Wonder Bread™ toast, he realized that he had accidentally spread it over with some bizarre slimy cream. Incredulous, he exclaimed, “I can’t believe it’s not butter!” His beliefs had been shattered. He must think different. This was the
The Georgetonian/T.Phillips
Again? How... strange. Who is putting these here?
Source: Underconsideration.com
Weird. How did that get here? That’s bizarre. In this spirit, we are going to tell you an advertisement–free, completely
beginning of his existential crisis. Pondering the depths of life, his reality was further shaken with another sudden realization. His rational belief “I think, therefore I am,” had now been replaced by the evidence that he could think outside the bun. If one can think outside the bun, how does one know there is anything inside the bun?! He must open the bun in order to open happiness, but for everything else, there’s mastercard. Overcome with emotion, he ran out of his den in a frenzy. Suddenly, he encountered a viking on the street who inquired, “What’s in your wallet?”
Source: Wikipedia.org
Tired? Why not take a vacation to– umm... I mean, how pretty? Frightened, he simply handed his money over. “I don’t want any trouble.” He suddenly remembered what he had always been taught to do in these circumstances. Closing his eyes, he cried out, “Like a good neighbor State Farm is there — With a well–thought out development about the purpose of human nature and a solution to the overwhelmingly oppressive corporate dogmatism that living in a postmodern capitalist framework has plunged our race into. Also, a footlong. Eat fresh.” A wild State Farm agent appeared! “Hello,” he said. “The name’s Brown. James Brown. What can Brown do for you?” Asherlan wondered why the agent was talking in the third person about himself. Oh, no. It was worse than he thought. No one had knowledge of themselves. Everyone was being tricked into believing things about themselves that weren’t true! His wants were not his true wants; they had been crafted for him by advertisers! He now realized that his paradise was phony, even though he was surrounded by all of the things which he thought were fulfilling him. It had become clear that they weren’t making him happy. In fact, the whole point was to keep him unsatisfied. That’s why the butter hadn’t been enough! He said to
himself that he would go straight home and spend time with his family. He had seen the light and knew the truth! Perhaps he had seen a little too much of the light as straight after this, due to the temporary blindness he experienced from the brightness, he walked underneath an unstable billboard which promptly fell on him and killed him. The phrase “Wow! That’s a low price!” crashed directly into his cranium. Asherlan had become yet another statistic in the 2,387,462.75 killed annually by advertisements. Don’t be like Asherlan. It is much better to live in blissful ignorance of all of the reasons you buy things. Look where contemplating gets you. Crushed by a billboard. Don’t get crushed by a billboard. Get DirecTV.
[We apologize for the empty space, but we were just informed of a FLASH SALE AT THE STORE BUY ONE GET ONE FREE and had to step out for a moment. How does our absence cause a blank space in the article? Don’t ask questions. You’re in college! This is the time for Netflix™.]
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Okay, fine, we sold out. BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT THANKS.