Shield Magazine | Fall 2014 | Vol. 15 Issue 1

SHIELD MAGAZINE

T H E I N D E P E N D E N T S T U D E N T P U B L I C AT I O N O F R O C H E S T E R C O L L E G E

WELCOME TO

The Island of Misfit Toys

CHANGE: it’s not just for vending machines

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

T

his year, SHIELD looks a little different. Our website is redesigned, our podcast is now ShieldTV and our new name is the sleek-sounding “SHIELD MEDIA.” Since its inception, SHIELD has had the tagline “the independent student

publication of Rochester College,” and this year, we’re honing in on what freedom that independence can bring.

This year marks a new era for SHIELD. We hope to make SHIELD MEDIA serve a wider purpose than just being the pet project of a small group of students.

Across all aspects of production, we are pushing toward professionalism, and I’m so proud of the hard work our staff has contributed to the rebranding so far.

Though Rochester College is a small school, SHIELD still caters to a diverse audience. Our readership includes men and women, students and faculty, Christians and non-Christians. We want to honor the variety of perspectives Rochester College’s campus holds.

Inside this issue of SHIELD magazine, you’ll find yet more changes: from layout to photos to articles themselves, the magazine has gotten an upgrade. You’ll find stories that will make you laugh, keep you informed and challenge your assumptions.

However, we want the changes we’ve made to SHIELD this year to extend beyond the media campaign.

Hopefully, after reading SHIELD, you’ll find yourself changed, too.

Peace, Love and Little Baby, Natalie Redmond

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C ON T EN TS

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FEATUR E S 11 18 2 9 M IN IS T RY

C om munit y for young adu lts at Ke nsi ng ton C ommunit y C hurch

12 D O N ’T D R I NK T HIS KO O L - AI D

We i rd R el i g i ons ( l i ke really weird )

22 OLIVIA MIL L ER S C H IN

14 IS L AN D O F M IS FIT T OY S

B ound l ess Ta l ent/ L o c a l R o ot s R o chester Hi l ls nat ive and qu ar te r- f i na l ist i n t he l ast s e as on of Ame r ica’s G ot Tale nt s i nge r /s ong w r ite r, Ol iv i a Mi l l e rs ch i n st r i de s into her f utu re as an ar t ist . He re, we have t he i nsi de s co op.

D e te r m i nat i on , rene w a l, dis cove r y, communit y

VIEWPOINTS 2 6 M IL L E N IALS :

The k i ds w i l l b e a lr ig ht

2 8 IL L U M IN TI: 18 JAE BECK E R

A process of discover y

C ampus t a ke over

6

E A S T E R N UK R AIN E

S ove re i g nt y or s el f-de te r m i nat i on

5 IMP E N D I N G E P ID E M I C

Eb ol a cl ai ms atte nt i on & l ive s

PA G E S D E S I G N E D B Y N I C K S I M O N I S

3 1 T H E G R E AT DIV IDE

Br i dg i ng t he gap b et we en RC stude nt cl i ques

7 MAK IN G S E N S E O F G AZA

3 2 C R IM S O N C OM E T

8 AN E N DAN G E R E D FAI T H

3 4 T R U E WAR RIOR

What t he conf l i c t me ans for you

T he is ol at i on of Yaz i dis

9 O P E N IN G T H E D O O R O N DO M E S T I C VIO L E N C E Abus e i n t he NFL

SHIELD

The move me nt is g row ing

SPOR TS

BE Y ON D AV ON

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3 0 H E forS H E

R o cky Wi l l e tte, a t wo sp or t at h l e te

Kay l e e K ho shab a

S

www.rcshield.com The Shield Online @SHIELD_RC RCShieldtv shield@rc.edu

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CONTR IBUTOR S

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR ASSISTANT EDITOR - DIGITAL MEDIA ASSISTANT EDITOR - CONTENT / CREATIVE

NATALIE REDMOND NICK SIMONIS RACHEL TAYLOR BRAD FECTEAU

COPY EDITOR

JOSHLYN BOOTH

DESIGN MANAGER

AMBER JOSEPH

PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

CAROLINE HUEY

OPINIONS EDITOR

SHILOH COVELL

ACTIVITIES EDITOR

NICK ROSSETTI

SPORTS EDITOR VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGER SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

LINDSAY BASLOCK MADISON KOLKE KAITLIN MILLIGAN

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS KAYLEE ANDERSON, DYLAN BOLE, DANIELLE FECTEAU, JENNA ORR, ELIZABETH WARNER

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS KAYLEE ANDERSON, JUSTIN GABRIEL, RACHEL MILLER, LAURA VAN CAMP

PUBLISHER, FOUNDER & ONLINE ADVISER LORA HUTSON PRINT ADVISER LIZ FULTON MULTIMEDIA ADVISER KAYCE MCCLURE

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PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y N I C K S I M O N I S

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS REBECCA ALLEN, STACY CATALANO, GABII HARJU

» BE YO N D AV ON

IMPENDING EPIDEMIC EBOLA CLAIMS ATTENTION AND LIVES

BY D Y L A N B O L E

PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y G A B I I H A R J U / / P H O T O S V I A G O O G L E I M A G E S

T

he Ebola virus has ravaged through the West African countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

The virus was first reported in March 2014 but has now killed 3,865 people. The outbreak began in Guinea in December when a 2-year-old girl died from an unknown disease that caused diarrhea, fever and vomiting.

The World Health Organization labeled this disease “Ebola” in March. The disease quickly spread through these three African countries because of their close borders.

Liberia and Sierra Leona are experiencing the most hardship with controlling the virus due to the outbreaks occurring in their capital cities of Monrovia and Freetown.

Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma has issued a quarantine of the Northern, Eastern and Southern districts of the country. As a result, most of Sierra Leone’s population cannot move easily from town to town for fear of spreading the Ebola virus.

The Ebola virus is spread through bodily fluids such as sweat or saliva. The virus can also be transferred from person to person through blood. The virus takes from two to 21 days to start developing symptoms within its new host.

Symptoms of the Ebola virus include fever, diarrhea, nausea and eventually damage to the central nervous system.

At the moment there is no cure for the virus, but hydrating patients can speed up recovery.

The virus’s current mortality rate is 70 percent.

Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea have weak healthcare systems, which has allowed the virus to spread through open avenues.

For instance, Liberia, with a population of 4.2 million, only has 51 doctors, 978 nurses and 269 pharmacists, Afri-Dev reports.

There has also been a lack of beds available for new patients. Sierra Leone and

Liberia alone need 3,000 beds to assist new patients.

The World Health Organization has sent health workers to treat patients and create Ebola treatment centers in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

“The number of patients is moving far faster than the capacity to manage them,” WHO Director General Margaret Chan said.

Additionally, many Western countries were slow to give aid when the virus was first reported. Robert Garry, a virologist from Tulane University, visited a Sierra Leone hospital at the beginning of the outbreak. He expressed concern to the state department about the epidemic in Sierra Leone.

“Their response was cordial, but nothing really happened,” Garry said.

The lack of involvement of Western countries in the beginning regarding doctors, medical supplies, treatment centers and beds connected with exposed healthcare systems in the hardest hit countries permitted the virus to spread from community to community.

“It was not until five months and 1,000 deaths later that a public health emergency was declared, and it was nearly

another two months before humanitarian response began,” said Peter Piot, one of the researchers to discover the Ebola virus, and now director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The reports of infections in Guinea seem to be stabilizing, yet Liberia and Sierra Leone continue to report new cases. The virus continues to spread in urban areas, even areas placed under quarantine.

“This disease attacks the best of Liberians’ culture: that of touching and caring and kindness,” Patricia Omidian, a medical anthropologist, said.

Thus, the slow attention to the initial outbreaks has caused many deaths and the spread of the virus to the United States and Europe.

DYLAN BOLE Dylan is a junior majoring in mass communication/journalism.

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B EYOND AVON

EASTERN UKRAINE:

SOVEREIGNTY OR SELF-DETERMINATION?

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ince April in Eastern Ukraine, proRussian rebels and Ukrainian forces have been fighting. Currently, a tense ceasefire resides over the area as both sides agree to release prisoners.

The conflict has lasted five months and left 2,600 people dead, making it the deadliest conflict in Eastern Europe in 15 years.

The crisis in Eastern Ukraine has occupied a vast majority of news reports for the last five months, but does anyone really know what is going on?

The conflict started when Russian forces seized the Southern Crimea Peninsula in Ukraine in March. This led Ukraine to believe that Russia was trying to seize Eastern Ukraine and prompted pro-Russian Ukrainians to occupy police stations and government buildings.

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These protests were further spurred by the ousting of Ukraine’s former president, Viktor Yanukovych. The leader and his cabinet had agreed to make closer trade ties with Russia, giving pro-Russian supporters hope that Eastern Ukraine would eventually be seized by Russia.

The majority of Eastern Ukraine’s population speaks Russian, which causes further escalation with the two countries’ geographical proximity.

Pro-Russian rebels gained support and ground quickly, attacking checkpoints, occupying the airport in Donetsk and eventually declaring independence.

Those aggressive actions forced Ukrainian forces to react, labeling their response an “anti-terrorist operation” because the enemy consists mainly of former Ukrainian citizens.

The current president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has been working with the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia’s five state banks, ban the visas of Russian officials and restrict two of Russia’s largest oil companies’ access to the European financial market. The European Union has continued to impose these sanctions because Russia has been sending troops and weapons across the Ukrainian border. Additionally, Russia has stationed over 1,000 troops in Eastern Ukraine and 20,000 troops near the border.

Poroshenko said this is a “war for the independence and integrity” of Ukraine.

Pro-Russian rebels countered his remark by declaring they “are not considering remaining part of Ukraine.” These statements reveal the fight between national sovereignty and national autonomy.

This territorial dispute within Ukraine, spurred by outer support from Russia, demonstrates the ongoing instability in Eastern Europe. Russia remains a powerful neighbor, constantly seeking to expand geographically and politically.

An agreement between Ukraine, Russia, Eastern separatists and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has been put into place following the bombings that occurred during the ceasefire.

This agreement focuses on creating a buffer zone, banning flights over the buffer zone and removing foreign mercenaries from the conflict zone. This peace plan recognizes the importance of ending the conflict, but it is not concerned with the status of rebel-held areas.

The Ukraine Parliament created a bill allowing the rebel-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk a three-year “self-rule,” creating more confusion within Eastern Ukraine.

As a pro-Russian rebel leader said regarding these regions, “We have our opinion on it while Ukraine has its own.”

PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y B R A D F E C T E A U P H O T O S V I A A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S & R E U T E R S

BY D Y L A N B O L E

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B EYOND AVON

MAKING SENSE OF GAZA G PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y R E B E C C A A L L E N A N D A M B E R J O S E P H / / P H O T O S V I A G O O G L E I M A G E S

BY E L I Z A B E T H W A R N E R aza has been a source of conflict in the world for so long that it is hard to make sense of what is going on.

At times, the conflict between the Israelites and the Palestinians seems impossibly confusing.

Here is some information to help you make sense of current events: The Gaza Strip is an area of land on the coast of the Mediterranean between Egypt and Israel. In its long history, Gaza has been a part of Egypt, conquered by Philistines, ruled by Jews and controlled by Muslims.

But the fighting does not begin here.

Rather, all of the current conflict started shortly after the British partitioned the nation of Israel after World War II. Many Palestinians do not like the idea of Jews living on land they view to be theirs.

Much conflict occurred between the two groups, and in 1967, Israel finally occupied Gaza.

Israeli forces left the area in 2005, but shortly after they left, the Hamas group came into power.

Israel and many other governments view Hamas as a terrorist organization that seeks to reclaim the land they view as theirs – Israel. It is a conflict between religious as well as ethnic groups.

Recently, Israel has been enforcing a blockade of Gaza’s borders, both by land and by sea. This blockade has proven problematic for the civilians living in Gaza.

In July 2014, fighting broke out anew following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers.

However, “not much really has changed as a result of the war, aside from more than 2,000 people dead, thousands more injured, and 18,000 Gaza homes destroyed,” said Dr. Craig Bowman, Rochester College professor

“We should pray for all of those whose own home countries are in turmoil.” of Old Testament history.

A ceasefire was declared between Israeli and Hamas militant groups on Aug. 26.

Both sides are currently working with the UN in order to rebuild the area.

Additionally, on Sept. 23, Israeli forces found and killed the two men who they believe were responsible for the murder of the teenagers.

Since Gaza is thousands of miles away from the United States, it may seem like this conflict has no influence on us, but this is not the case.

“The United States’ financial support to Israel and Egypt, to achieve U.S. goals

within the Middle East, is well into the billions per year,” Bowman said.

This means our government is going further into debt because of the conflict in Gaza.

Additionally, as fellow humans, we should be concerned with the massive loss of life that is going on in the Middle East.

Even though we are safe here in the United States, we should pray for all of those whose own home countries are in turmoil.

ELIZABETH WARNER Elizabeth is a freshman with an undecided major.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 07

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B EYOND AVON

BY J E N N A O R R

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JENNA ORR Jenna is a junior majoring in Elementary Education.

SHIELD

SOURCES CNN WORLD NEWS // THE GUARDIAN // BBC WORLD NEWS

PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y K A I T L I N M I L L I G A N / / P H O T O S V I A G O O G L E I M A G E S

IRAQ S FORGOTTEN PRISONERS

ith news headlines across the United States and the world at large, ISIS has been raising concern.

ISIS was started by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and is now under the control of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. The goal of this militant terrorist group is to turn the Sunni region between Iraq and Syria into an Islamic state; ISIS is currently in control of hundreds of miles with no regard to national borders or state laws.

ISIS is known for its violence: public executions and mass killings of men, women and children alike. The world recently learned of the Yazidis, one of Iraq’s oldest minorities, stranded on Mt. Sinjar in Northern Iraq.

ISIS wants control of the land where the Yazidis live and considers their religion to be heresy.

The Yazidis are mainly of Kurdish culture. Their religion comes from ancient times and stems from a combination of Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism.

They face a long history of oppression but have fought to keep their religion alive.

Currently, there are roughly 700,000 Yazidis worldwide, the majority of them residing in northern Iraq.

Part of the reasons Yazidis have a poor reputation is because of their worship of a fallen angel, Melek Tawwus. It is said the fallen angel was forgiven by God and was welcomed back to join him in heaven. The Yazidis have been labeled devil-worshippers and have suffered at the hands of extremists and cruel leaders for centuries.

Under the control of ISIS, there were two options for the Yazidi people: be taken hostage and brutally slaughtered by ISIS or try to escape to the nearby mountain.

Those who escaped to the mountain now face consequences from the lack of vegetation and water there. The number of deaths is still increasing and the number of people who are able to make the journey from the mountain to safety is smaller each day. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable. Many have had to bury their loved ones in shallow graves, covering them with rocks on the hard mountain terrain.

Though the U.S. has sent water, food and medicine to those still trapped on the mountain, they have not received anything since Aug. 13th, according to The Guardian.

The Yazidis fear the world may be forgetting about them. On top of those stranded, there are approximately 4,500 currently in the hands of ISIS—3,000 of whom are women and children.

Many Yazidis say they would rather die than become captives. They are being held in buildings under ISIS control, which includes anything from prisons to wedding halls. These buildings are secured with locked doors, locked windows and guards, making it difficult for those on the inside to escape.

A handful of women have been able to break away from the ruthless extremists, but they worry about those still trapped. Many girls, some as young as 9 years old, are being sold and trafficked for sex.

A Yazidi woman who managed to escape explained how the women are forced to remove their head scarves and are then dragged out of the room by their hair before being sold or relocated. Many are held at gunpoint, beat with cables and forced to wash their face with gasoline.

Unfortunately, the government of Iraq does not believe many Yazidis have been taken prisoner, and as of right now, officials are not planning on doing anything to help them.

Luckily, however, some Yazidis have been able to make it to the refugee camps popping up in the Kurdish-controlled enclave located in Syria.

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B EYOND AVON

been charged with domestic abuse.

Greg Hardy, defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, was convicted of domestic violence this summer. He is accused of choking his girlfriend and threatening to kill her.

The Carolina Panthers were also criticized for not immediately placing Hardy on the inactive list. He now currently sits on the inactive list but will continue to receive money from his one-year $13.1 million contract.

Goodell changed the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy to include the stipulation that if an NFL player or personnel violates the policy concerning domestic violence, assault, sexual assault or battery that involves physical force, the player “will be subject to suspension without pay of six games for a first offense.”

A second offense leads to banishment from the NFL for a year. Players and personnel who are suspended for a year may “petition for reinstatement after one year,” but there are no guarantees their petition will be accepted.

These changes to the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy had not been in place before the video of Rice punching his fiancée was released, and they were only created following the public outrage that erupted after Goodell originally suspended Rice for just two games.

Goodell did apologize for the NFL’s lack of harsh discipline in response to the first

PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y G A B I I H A R J U / / P H O T O S V I A G O O G L E I M A G E S

OPENING THE DOOR ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE:

T

he NFL was forced to react to domestic abuse when the video of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his fiancée in an Atlantic City elevator was released on Sept. 16.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell responded slowly, only suspending Rice for two games. However, once the commissioner saw the whole video, released by TMZ, Rice was suspended indefinitely.

This conflicting response and the changes to the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy only after this horrific incident caused many to question the NFL’s understanding and rules concerning domestic violence.

Rice is not the only NFL player who has

video, which showed Rice removing his unconscious fiancée from the elevator.

“My disciplinary decision led the public to question our sincerity, our commitment and whether we understood the toll that domestic violence inflicts on so many families,” Goodell said.

However, the NFL still has not taken a clear stance against domestic violence.

Hardy is not playing for the Panthers, but he is not suspended by the NFL for being convicted of domestic violence.

This discrepancy raises a question: do teams wait for due process to play out in court or can the NFL suspend a player because he was arrested for domestic violence?

The Carolina Panthers have taken the due process route.

Hardy is scheduled back in court after the NFL season is over, and a jury will decide if he is innocent or guilty of domestic violence.

After the Panthers heard the verdict, an official statement from the team was released: “We have just learned of the verdict and are respectful of the process.”

The team had initially planned on Hardy playing this season, but he was placed on the inactive list after public criticism regarding its indecision.

Hardy was also convicted of domestic violence a month before Goodell made changes to the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy. However, this is not an excuse for an NFL team’s hesitancy to bench a player when this player has been convicted of domestic violence.

The Rice incident was released publicly

by TMZ, which caused the NFL to eventually respond harshly once the full video evidence was released. As a result, the NFL decided to suspend him indefinitely.

Rice will appeal his indefinite suspension in November, and the result will clarify if the NFL stands firmly against domestic violence or if the justice system alone is responsible for disciplining players arrested for domestic violence.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 09

THE FEED facebook

August 27

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Apparently I do not do well in the mornings! Not only did I walk into the wrong class, but I sat there for like 10 minutes before I even realized it....my bad lol Like • Comment • Share

Robert Williams October 4

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That moment when you show up to bowling tryouts to see what they’re all about and no one shows up but you...—feeling awkward Like • Comment • Share

Matthew Etoh October 26

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Sometimes you must learn to draw strength from making others feel happy. When you are weak, help someone else feel strong.

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Dena Marie Stewart November 9

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I am a terrible Facebook stalker. I stalk one person’s page and before you know it, I’m in four friends removed and reading about the dinner they ate in 2011.

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Matthew Burrows

@Mattburrows12

It’s going to be sad cheering against a Canadian school as they face Rochester today. #traitor #ohwell #rcisgoingtowinanyways

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Dustin McMillan

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@Dustmcmillan

“I’ve never sang this song with instruments.” #ThingsChurchOfChristKidsSay Follow

« Hannah Kwiecinski

@Hannah_ksi

When someone looks at you and asks “Did you just wake up?” And you’re just like “No my face always looks like this.” -.- #thanks

« Nick Simonis

@Nick S

None of the chips in the bag taste as good as the one you dropped on the floor would’ve.

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TO BE FEATURED IN THE THE FEED, “LIKE” THE SHIELD ONLINE OR FOLLOW US @SHIELD_RC 10 // FALL

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PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y K A I T L I N M I L L I G A N / / C O M P I L E D B Y K A I T L I N M I L L I G A N

Mercedes Hostetler

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» F E AT UR ES

A NEW MINISTRY IN METRO DETROIT

PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y S TA C Y C ATA L A N O / / 1 8 / 2 9 G R A P H I C B Y K C C

BY R A C H E L T A Y L O R

Even though Kensington Community Church is known in the metro Detroit area for being a fun, multi-campus mega church, it has yet to establish a young adult ministry.

This year, however, Kensington is finally making you a priority.

In addition to multiple programs for adult members, Kensington has very sucessful children and student ministries for all ages. However, at the beginning of 2014, Kensington began to craft a new ministry for individuals between the ages of 18 and 29. It established a budget, channeled a vision and hired Courtney Bareman to lead the new community.

This new group, titled 1829, is on a mission to foster relationships and help people experience and understand the biblical truths of the Christian faith.

“We want to offer hope and a voice to young adults in this area,” Bareman said.

1829 meets at the Kensington campus in Troy, Mich., on the corner of John R Road and East Square Lake Road. The group gathers four times a year for large worship events, twice a month for mid-sized fellowship events and weekly in various small groups scattered throughout the area.

“Every interaction and event will hopefully lead young adults to a smaller group setting,” Bareman said.

For many young adults, this season of life can be difficult because numerous decisions,

big and small, are demanding to be made.

Some college students have just moved out of the house and have not decided to continue in a community of faith. Many are lost and in a state of confusion, hurt and hopelessness.

Bareman said she wants the 1829 community to be the hands and feet of Jesus by meeting these people right where they are.

“There is a light and there is hope when you step out of the darkness and into a light where you can be seen and heard,” Bareman said.

This ministry recognizes that people are hurting, but it is determined to be a community where feelings of loneliness are replaced with feelings of acceptance.

RC Senior Maria Banou has attended multiple 1829 events this semester and has had a positive experience thus far.

“I really enjoy the focus on community,” Banou said.

1829 also provides Bible study resources for the small groups and dinner for everyone in the ministry twice a month. These events are established so the community can be drawn to better know God and to better know each other.

1829 also plans larger-scale worship nights which are held three to four times a year. The first one occurred on Good Friday and helped over 500 young adults encounter God in an intimate and beautiful way.

In the future, Bareman hopes this group will be known as a thriving community of believers.

“I want us to be white hot for Jesus,” Bareman said.

This new ministry has already created friendships and connections for many young adults, and hopefully it will continue to be an authentic source of hope and community in Metro Detroit.

For more information, search Kensington 1829 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.

RACHEL TAYLOR Rachel is a sophomore majoring in mass communication/public relations.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 11

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FEATU R E S

DON’T DRINK

BY J E N N A O R R

There are thousands of different religions all across the world. No matter what it is, each religion joins people together and shares their common beliefs and morals, giving them a sense of community. Just remember, even religions that may seem silly to you can in fact be very real experiences for someone else.

BEYISM

PASTAFARIANISM

Pop star Beyoncé is known all over the world for her talent and beauty, earning her the nickname ‘Queen Bey.’ Those who follow the religion of Beyism believe that Beyoncé is not only a stunning musician, but also a goddess.

The following began when Pauline John Andrews, founder of Beyism, and 11 other women would partake in their weekly Sunday ritual of singing all of Beyoncé’s songs, drinking moscato and smoking marijuana. One Sunday after analyzing her songs, it occurred to the women that Queen Bey is more than your average diva.

This revelation was the start of Beyism, a religion that has grown to have hundreds of members. Though they do not have a website of their own, you are able to follow their Tumblr blog, national-church-of-bey.tumblr.com, to see their updates and messages.

Though followers of Beyism, or Beys, do not recognize Beyoncé as the creator of the world, they do believe she is a goddess living among us on Earth. Eventually, Beys are hoping to have their holy book, the Beyble, published.

Unlike Beyism, this next religion’s deity has “noodly appendages”.

Pastafarianism is a religion that has been around for about nine years.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster started in May 2005, when founder Bobby Henderson wrote a letter to the Kansas school board requesting that his alternative theory, in which a Flying Spaghetti Monster created the universe, be taught in schools. In his opinion, this was only fair if the idea of Creationism is also shared with young minds.

He also suggested that, out of respect, teachers explaining the theory should dress as pirates, since pirates were the original Pastafarians.

Pastafarians across the world have taken their driver’s license photographs while wearing the religion’s official headpiece: a colander.

There was even a Pastafarian minister sworn in to Pomfret, N.Y., town council wearing the religious headpiece.

Thinking of becoming a Pastafarian minister yourself ? At venganza.org, the church’s website, you can receive official certification for $20.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster wants to make it clear that it is not mandatory to believe in a Flying Spaghetti Monster deity to become part of the church; their core tenant is simply that spiritual enlightenment does not come from literal beliefs.

CRAZY IN LOVE

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NO MEATBALL, NO CRY

THIS KOOL-AID KOPIMISM PA G E S D E S I G N E D B Y S TA C Y C ATA L A N O / / P H O T O S V I A G O O G L E I M A G E S

FBI WARNING

Four months prior to the dawn of Pastafarianism, Kopimism began.

Kopimism is a religion that started in Sweden and has since spread across the world.

Those who follow this religion strongly support knowledge and believe that it should be pursued and circulated by all. Copying information from the Internet is viewed as a fundamental right to Kopimi believers.

Kopimism also encourages piracy of any and all media types.

In 2010, Isak Gerson, a 19-year-old philosophy student in Sweden, started the Missionary Church of Kopimism.

On Jan. 5, 2012, seven years after Kopimism originated, Sweden officially recognized the Missionary Church of Kopimism as a religious institution.

In April of that same year, the newly official religion was able to host its first wedding. The church was thrilled to marry the new couple and encouraged them to get busy and copy their DNA cells to bring forth the newest member of the church.

The missionary leader of the church, Gerson, was even able to attend and give his blessing to the marriage.

For more information regarding this religion, feel free to copy down their website: http://kopimistsamfundet.se.

JEDIISM MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Last, but certainly not least, The Temple of the Jedi Order (TOTJO), or Jediism, is a relatively new religion spreading across the globe.

The aim of Jediism is to encourage community, goodwill and serenity. Jedis wish to achieve spiritual awareness and a greater understanding of the universe.

If you fill out an application on the TOTJO website, templeofthejediorder.org, you are then able to swear an oath and follow their doctrine.

If members want to become more active with the religion, they can study to achieve higher rankings within the church. Rankings start with Team Member and go all the way to Grand Master.

Jediism also recognizes several holidays, including Anniversary Day (Dec. 25) and Reflection Day (Jan. 1). The Jedi Path is one filled with an understanding for others and does not discriminate on sex, age, sexual orientation or ethnicity; they aim to make all members feel welcome.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 13

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FEATU R E S

The Island of Misfit Toys The Island of Misfit Toys

BY B R A D F E C T E A U & N ATA L I E R E D M O N D

W

By: Brad Fecteau & Natalie Redmond elcome to our “Island of Misfit Toys,”

Knowing that this unique trait would ostracize Rudolph

made popular by the 1964 Rankin/Bass

from his peers, his parents decide it was best to conceal his

Christmas classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed

bright red nose.

Reindeer.” If you haven’t seen it, here’s a brief synopsis: Rudolph was born with a birth defect—a red nose.

When Rudolph finally starts to make friends, however, his secret is found out, and he runs away from the North Pole in shame. He eventually stumbles upon two fellow outcasts, and the trio sets off to the Island of Misfit Toys, a land where “unwanted” toys reside until they find a suitable home.

Rudolph leaves the island, believing his unique trait will only bring trouble to his new friends, and eventually returns home.

However, when Christmas is endangered because of a blizzard, Rudolph saves the day by guiding Santa’s sleigh through the snow by using his red nose as a headlight.

Upon their departure, Rudolph guides the sleigh to the Island of Misfit Toys and takes the “unwanted” toys to children who want them. Rudolph and his band of misfits persevere through adversity and find places to belong.

Though it might not seem so at first, Rudolph’s journey is similar to that of many Rochester College students.

Many students come to Rochester College because it was their plan all along. However, there are many students who happen to find themselves here, despite adversity or other plans, as they journey through the college selection process and life in general.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 15

Senior Holly Hemmings came to Rochester College from sunny California. In addition to transitioning from high school to college, Hemmings had to transition from West Coast sunshine to Midwest deep freezes.

However, like many others, Hemmings did not initially intend to end up at RC. “I wanted to go to college, and I knew I wanted to go to a smaller school that was Christian influenced,” Hemmings said.

Her college search first began closer to home.

“For a while I was set on going to Point Loma Nazarene University.

I liked it, but I wanted something different. I wanted to grow and get independent and branch out,” Hemmings said.

Her boyfriend at the time recommended Rochester to her. During academic symposium, she toured the college. She was amazed at the smallness of the school—and by the coldness of early spring in Michigan.

“When I went home, Rochester kept coming up in the back of my mind. I just kept thinking about it and could see myself going here,” Hemmings said.

Against her parents’ wishes, Hemmings turned down her acceptance from Point Loma and enrolled at RC. “My decision caused a huge issue with my family. We didn’t talk for a while,” Hemmings said.

That summer, Hemmings ran away from home and flew to Chicago.

From Chicago, she hitched a ride with a friend up to Michigan.

Throughout July, she stayed in Rochester Hills with her boyfriend’s family.

Later in August, her family convinced her to come home. However, Hemmings stuck to her guns about coming to Rochester. She prayed about the decision and, ultimately, became determined to attend.

The last week of August, she flew back to Michigan to start school.

Her family, though, was still angry with her.

“My freshman year, I didn’t get the experience of my family moving me into the dorms,” Hemmings said.

For her first semester at RC, she did not receive any financial support from her family. Furthermore, once at school, Hemmings felt alone and out of place.

“It was a strange experience for me. My roommate already had friends, so I was determined to get connected,” Hemmings said.

Hemmings’s RA convinced her to pledge Sigma Phi, and the social club has been her second family ever since.

During her years at RC, Hemmings has also served as a tutor in the ACE lab, student government officer, Shield staff member, RA and NSO peer adviser.

“I helped the freshmen who were lonely or were a long way from home,” Hemmings said of her time as an NSO adviser.

Now, Hemmings’s relationship with her family is much better. Time and distance served to calm them down and Hemmings said she now appreciates her family more.

“And I’m still at Rochester. I’m stubborn,” Hemmings said. “I’m going to finished what I started.”

Though Hemmings’s road to Rochester was a rocky one, she has learned a great deal from the experience.

“Choosing a college is not about whether one choice is better than the other, or that one school is right and one is wrong. It’s about which one is right for you,” Hemmings said.

Certainly, anyone who has met Hemmings can agree­—Rochester College is grateful she has found a home here.

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Jude Gouveia was a standout basketball player at his high school in Toronto. “My sophomore year, I was scouted

by Gonzaga University and West Virginia University,” he said.

Unfortunately, prospects did not pan out.

“I got cocky,” Gouveia said. “I figured I would play basketball at a Division 1 school, so I started slacking off in high school. In 11th grade, I scored the game-winning buzzer beater against our rivals. Lots of scouts were there and I just felt on top of the world.”

The next day, Gouveia’s coach informed him that both Gonzaga University and West Virginia University saw his grades and were not interested anymore.“I felt like everything I’d done the past three or four years was just wasted,” he said. “I wanted to play college ball. I wanted to prove myself.”

Gouveia fell into depression and a bad lifestyle. After talking to his coach, he realized the only way he could play college basketball would be at a junior college.“I graduated and went to Kirtland Community College, hoping to eventually transfer to a D1 school,” he said. In his two years at Kirtland Community College, Gouveia averaged 20 points a game. His last game for KCC was against Rochester College. “I put up 35 points,” he said. “Rochester hated me!”

Gouveia’s prospects were looking great until he tore his ACL at a Thanksgiving practice. “I thought it was over. I thought I was going home,” he said. With his injury, Gouveia’s dreams of playing college basketball seemed to come to a halt. “The only school that contacted me after I tore my ACL was Rochester College,” he said.

His teammate at KCC, Stavros Schizas, had transferred to Rochester College a year earlier. “We all made fun of him,” Gouveia said, “We thought Rochester College was a joke!”

“I didn’t want to come here, but [Rochester College coaches] were the only ones willing to give me a chance,” he said. “I was damaged goods and RC was willing to look past that. Once you tear your ACL, nobody wants you. The fact that Rochester College wanted me in spite of that told me this was the place to be. It was the only place there for me.”

After accepting a scholarship at Rochester College, Gouveia spent his first year on the bench while his injury healed. Not suprisingly, he struggled initially. “Rochester College felt so small. The people seemed weird to me. I just didn’t feel like I fit in,” he said.

After spending the past summer on campus, however, Gouveia has taken a liking to the RC community. “This year has been a lot better,” he said. “I love the RC community. I’ve met a lot of people who’ve opened up to me and who have helped me open up. All these ‘weird’ people have worn me down. I love them!”

“I used to take advantage of people, but since coming here I’ve realized that everybody is the same on the inside,” Gouveia said. “That’s how I try to treat everybody.”

Gouveia thinks he is here for a reason, and that reason is to grow as a person. “Rochester College has changed me,” he said. “The person I am now is a much better person than I ever was.”

“When I think about everything, it’s really crazy,” he said. “The journey getting here really blows my mind. My last game before I tore my ACL was against Rochester College. I blew up the scoreboard. Then, at my lowest of lows, that very same school was the only one willing to take a chance on me. That can’t just be coincidence.”

PA G E S A N D P H O T O S B Y N I C K S I M O N I S

Nearing high school graduation, sophomore Sarah Economeas realized she had two options: continue playing soccer with a small college, or end her soccer career sitting the bench with a larger college.

A Google search introduced Rochester College to Economeas. Even though she had never heard of the school before, she applied.

Coach Todd Stank attended two of Economeas’s games and presented her with a scholarship.

“I always wanted to go to a small school because of the small class sizes,” Economeas said. “I signed with Rochester College in June 2013 without ever even visiting.”

“I wasn’t that into church, but I figured I could just go through the motions,” she said, “I never saw myself attending a Christian college.

Never.”

“My first time seeing Rochester College was the day I moved in,” Economeas said. “I felt so lost. I kept to myself because I didn’t know anybody. Everybody seemed really weird at first—they were so friendly.”

Economeas initially second-guessed her decision.

“At first I regretted coming here because I thought a bigger college would have higher academic standards,” she said.

“Last year, I was pretty miserable. I planned on transferring. I didn’t care about playing soccer because we were losing so much and our team was so small. It just felt like a waste of time. My goal last year was: come in, play soccer, get my degree, and get out,” Economeas said.

“This summer, something changed,” she said. “I began to miss RC. I realized how much I loved this place.”

“At first I didn’t want to be here at all. I felt like I didn’t fit in. But now, even as a sophomore, I feel like this is the perfect place for me,” Economeas said.

“It’s made me better not only as a Christian, but also as a person,” she said. “My teachers push me as a student, my coach pushes me as an athlete and my friends push me as a person.”

Now, Economeas is getting the education she always wanted.

“I have a connection with teachers I never could have gotten anywhere else,” she said. “Take Dr. David Greer, for example. His classes are hard, but he’s such a great person. If I miss a class, he’ll email me right away just to make sure everything’s OK. That connection means a lot. It’s priceless.”

Economeas also has a deep appreciation for her fellow students.

Over summer, she began connecting with people she’d never talked to on campus.

“Some of the people here are so weird, but in the best way. If I’m having a bad day, I just know I can count on some weird kid to come along and cheer me up. You’re allowed to be weird here,” she said.

Economeas’s faith has also grown since coming here.

“I was never really involved in church,” she said. “Now I find myself willingly going to Rochester Church of Christ to hear different professors talk. I even want to go on mission trips now. I never thought I’d say that!”

“Even my mom has noticed changes in me,” Economeas said. “I’m a better person to be around now. I’m open and bubbly. I’m positive.”

Sophomore Gage Bolton ended up at Rochester College after years of being “stalked” by the school.

A Rochester College recruiter briefly introduced the college as a possibility when theater performance during Bolton’s

he spotted Bolton at a sophomore year in high school.

A year later, the same recruiter caught Gage at a chorus concert and once again introduced Rochester College as a choice.

However, Bolton didn’t entertain such possibilities.

“My senior year came and I thought of Rochester College as a joke,” he said.

After graduating high school, Bolton wanted to attend Oakland Community College.

“I planned on getting a few credits with good grades so I could transfer to a bigger school with performing arts,” he said. “I was an average student in high school, so I was getting average scholarship offers from any decent colleges.”

Rochester College changed that trend, though.

A week before classes started, Bolton received a scholarship offer from Rochester College that substantially beat any other amount. He knew he had to take advantage of the chance.

“The money brought me here­—Rochester hands out scholarships like it’s nobody’s business!” Bolton said.

“I never even check my email so I think it’s kind of cool that I just randomly checked it on a whim and all of this happened because of that…

It was almost like a sign,” he said, reflecting on the moment he decided on Rochester.

Though he was only a part-time student his first semester, Bolton grew familiar with the college.

“I was working full-time and I hated it, so I came back the following semester as a full-time student,” he said.

Upon attending full-time, Bolton began to establish himself. “I got to know people better. I got involved,” he said.

In his short year and a half here, Bolton has been involved with theater, chorus, Shield, and Student Government.

While he understands the relevancy of classes and grades, Bolton maintains, “Rochester College impacts you on a deeper level than just academics.”

When Bolton first started here, he was “weirded out” that random people he did not know would say “hi” to him in passing. Eventually, that kindness rubbed off on him. “Now I’m the person who says ‘hi’ to people I don’t even know!”

“I feel like that one little thing that has had the greatest impact on me is just how genuinely nice everybody here is,” he said. “It influenced me to be genuinely nicer…The community has bettered me as a person.”

“I never planned on going to Rochester College,” Bolton said, “but now I can’t picture myself anywhere else.”

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 17

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FEATU R E S

JAE BECKER A PROCESS OF DISCOVERY

BY N A T A L I E R E D M O N D

M

any Rochester College students and faculty remember Janis Becker, who now goes by her nickname Jae, by her masculine identity, Jarrett.

During Becker’s time at RC, she majored in biblical studies, sang in the a cappella chorus and tutored English, biblical studies, Greek and Hebrew in the ACE lab.

After graduating from RC in 2013, Becker studied religion in graduate school at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas.

Around this time, too, Becker also began her transition from male to female. This decision has been a major step in Becker’s own ongoing process of gender* identity and self-acceptance.

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Part of the reason Becker had chosen the school in Fort Worth was to be away from family when she began her gender transition.

“Fort Worth is also a liberal area of Texas, and there is a large LGBTQ* presence,” Becker said.

However, after about a semester, Becker left Brite and returned to Michigan.

“I found myself going to my classes and wondering, ‘Why am I here?’ ” Becker said.

There was a disconnect between her own personal views and the material she was studying, and it became difficult for Becker to make sense of why she was at the school.

GROWING UP

“From an early age, I knew I was different,” Becker said.

She recounts that, even when she was young, she always had feminine interests: from dressing up in her mom’s clothes, to playing with Barbie dolls and forming close friendships only with girls.

“I never really felt comfortable with boys. Even as a little boy, I remember thinking, ‘That’s not me,’ ” Becker said.

At around age 15, Becker strongly began experiencing feelings of gender dysphoria* as her outward body developed differently from how she felt inside.

“I remember wishing I could magically become a girl. I didn’t know that transgender people existed then,” Becker said.

She felt that her only option at the time was to live as a gay man.

The interplay between sex* and gender, Becker explains, is complicated, but gender identity goes beyond sexual preference and focuses more on how a person perceives his or her own identity as masculine or feminine.

PA G E S D E S I G N E D B Y A M B E R J O S E P H / / P H O T O B Y K AY L E E A N D E R S O N

LIFE AT RC

During Becker’s senior year at RC, she began researching for her capstone project, which was on queer theology and how it can fit within a biblical Christian worldview.

“My studies introduced me to a whole spectrum beyond heteronormative* culture,” Becker said.

That year, Becker also experimented with making her appearance more feminine. The experimentation was partially research for her capstone project and partially self-exploration.

“It took me a while to rediscover the true me that I had buried for so long and kept hidden. Doing that research made me think about myself again. I felt more gender queer at first and moved slowly towards transgender* because that’s really how I felt internally,” Becker said.

This process of rediscovery was challenging for Becker.

“Any kind of major change you make is scary. You don’t know how you’re going to feel about it: if it’ll be okay or if you won’t want it anymore,” Becker said.

To get to the point of self-acceptance that Becker is at now took years.

“I’m finally comfortable enough with myself to have made the decision to transition. While I was at school, I think RC handled me pretty well, when I went through my experimental phase. The college does a good job of being nondiscriminatory, but we can all go further toward being more accepting,” Becker said.

TODAY

Now, Becker has been on hormone replacement therapy for about a year, and she feels much more comfortable with herself.

She does not get questions about her transition very frequently, as most people simply assume that Becker is cisgender* female.

GENDER (noun): The socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate to men and women

“I pass for a female pretty well,” Becker said. “The only people who realize the difference are those who have had other interactions with transgender people.”

Though coming out has been a process, Becker’s friends and family have all supported her.

“When I told my parents I was transgender, they asked, ‘What does that mean?’ They had no idea, so I had to explain a lot about what being transgender is. My mom wanted to support my decision, but she was also concerned,” Becker said.

“ANY KIND OF MAJOR CHANGE YOU MAKE IS SCARY. YOU DON’T KNOW HOW YOU’RE GOING TO FEEL ABOUT IT: IF IT’LL BE OKAY OR IF YOU WON’T WANT IT ANYMORE.” At work, Becker said her transition has been a non-issue.

Speedway, her employer, has a comprehensive nondiscrimination policy, and when she came out to her manager, she did not encounter any trouble.

“Most regular customers who have seen me before and after have been nice about it,” Becker said.

Becker also believes the people in her life support her transition more since they have seen how much happier it has made her.

RECONCILING THEOLOGY

LGTBQ perspectives can fit with biblical theology, Becker said.

“If we really want to capture what Jesus is doing, then we have to focus on forgiving and loving each other. Hatred should never be the basis of religion,” Becker said.

A worldview can be found that has room for multiple perspectives.

Humility, and realizing that one’s own views are not superior to someone else’s, is a vital part of this process.

Even within Christianity, practices and beliefs have changed and evolved over time and by country. To this point, Becker referenced Christian missionaries from Africa who evangelize in the United States because they think churches in America have strayed from the message of Jesus.

Room, therefore, must be made in theology for differences in interpretation and respect for perspectives and practices.

“Religion often reflects the culture around it. We live in a culture that is different from 2,000 years ago. There wasn’t a conception of gay or transgender people then. But now, we have an acceptance for diverse views and identities, and there needs to be a shift toward

SEX (noun): TRANSGENDER GENDER DYSPHORIA LGBTQ (acronym): The biological (noun): An identity (adjective): covers a broad and physiological disorder experienced spectrum of sexual An umbrella term for characteristics that by people who feel a orientations and gender anyone whose gender disconnect between identities (Lesbian, gay, define men and women identity does not match their born biological (“male” and “female” bisexual, transgender, his or her assigned sex sex and their gender are sex categories) questioning)

that acceptance within mainstream Christian theology,” Becker said.

Good models of inclusive churches and theology do exist.

Particularly, Becker mentions the LGTBQ-focused Metropolitan Community Church she attended in Texas and Bible stories like that of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 that show God’s radical love and acceptance.

“Jesus affirms and redeems our identities. We aren’t perfect, and we will never become so, but we are OK the way we are. God meets us where we’re at,” Becker said.

A MESSAGE TO OTHERS

For those who are straight and cisgender, understanding the broad spectrum of gender and sexual identities can be difficult.

However, Becker’s request is simple: just try to be more accepting of others.

The world today is multicultural, and co-existence and understanding are necessary to navigate it. Becker also advocates for people to show grace toward one another.

“No one chooses to be a sinner. I had to struggle with wondering if my identity was sinful. Eventually, I came to a place where I realized, no, it’s not. Sin is active rebellion, and that’s not what I’m trying to do. I want to serve God while also being a better me,” Becker said.

Everyone is on a journey through life. People need time, patience and understanding in order to come to terms with their identities.

To those who may be struggling with their sexual or gender identities, Becker encourages them to never give up on finding their own personal happiness.

“There are more people who support you than you think. Even if you find yourself in a situation where your friends and family don’t support you, you’ll still be able to get through it and find people to stand by you along the way,” Becker said.

“WE AREN’T PERFECT, AND WE WILL NEVER BECOME SO, BUT WE ARE OK THE WAY WE ARE. GOD MEETS US WHERE WE’RE AT.” Even though the process of self-acceptance can be a difficult one, and even if it might not seem worth the trouble sometimes, Becker stresses the journey’s ultimate value.

“If you can’t let yourself be happy with yourself, you’ll just continue in a miserable existence, and you shouldn’t have to give up like that. Don’t give up. God is looking out for you. God takes special concern in you,” Becker said.

CLEARING UP MISCONCEPTIONS: FOUR FACTS TO KNOW 1. The decision to gender transition is not an overnight choice.

In the media, gender transitions are often portrayed as flippant decisions, but a person’s choice to transition is actually reflected over a long period of time.

As with sexual identity, it can sometimes take transgender people years to come out and accept their gender identity. For some transgender people, gender transitioning is one deeply considered step in a much longer journey into self-acceptance.

2. Not all transgender people are the same.

The word “transgender” is an umbrella term that can cover a variety of identities, from those who have not

ALLY (noun): A heterosexual/cisgender person who supports the LGBTQ community

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gender transitioned but experience gender dysphoria, to those who have transitioned, to those whose identities are gender fluid.

Gender identity is complex and fluid, and the term “transgender,” therefore, can cover anyone whose gender identity is nonconforming.

3. Asking people about their surgeries is impolite.

Not all people who gender transition choose to have sex reassignment surgery, but asking about someone’s surgery pries into a private part of his or her life.

The choice to operate or not largely “depends on how people see themselves and how comfortable they are with their bodies,” Becker said.

CIS-FEMALE (noun): A woman who is born biologically female and gender-identifies as female

CIS-MALE (noun): A man who is born biologically male and gender-identifies as male

Since gender has more to do with societal portrayals and self-perception, it is possible for people to transition genders without changing their biological sex.

4. If you don’t know what gender pronoun to use when referring to someone, just ask.

Some people prefer the pronoun that reflects the gender they are transitioning toward. Others favor pronouns like “ze*,” which are gender neutral.

Either way, it is always acceptable just to ask someone’s preference.

“People will be happy to tell you which one they prefer,” Becker said.

NATALIE REDMOND Natalie is a senior majoring in English and Theatre.

HETERONORMATIVE (adjective): A worldview that perceives heterosexuality to be the norm.

ZE (pronoun): A gender-neutral pronoun, sometimes used in place of “he” or “she”

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VIEW POINTS

NOTHING ANNOYS ME MORE THAN:

USING FACEBOOK IN CLASS PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y A M B E R J O S E P H / / P H O T O B Y N I C K S I M O N I S

BY D A N I E L L E F E C T E A U

Imagine this: You’re a diligent student. You’re actually shooting for the Dean’s List this year and you’re sitting in your class, ready to take notes about the lecture your professor has prepared.

With your phone tucked safely in your backpack and your laptop armed to aid you in note taking, no distractions are in sight!

This is totally your semester.

Then, another student takes a seat in front of you and casually pulls out his laptop. Could he be preparing to take notes as well?

You watch as he opens his laptop and…logs onto Facebook.

With this distracting classmate in front of you, you spend the entirety of your professor’s lecture vicariously browsing Facebook.

You don’t even know the people popping up on your peer’s newsfeed, but you also find it impossible to breakaway from the distracting status updates and pictures.

Sadly, this scenario is a reality for a lot of students, including myself, on a day-to-day basis.

Nothing makes it harder to focus in class than watching someone else looking at his or her Facebook feed for an entire lecture. These students don’t even have to be sitting directly in front of you for your eyes to periodically be sucked towards their laptop screen.

Social media is inviting, especially in a class situation, because it gives the mind an opportunity to kick back, grab a fruity beverage and read about how your friends’ days are going.

I’m not one to hate on Facebook; I actually spend quite a bit of time procrastinating on social media myself. It’s fun to look at all

the people I’ve added to my list of “friends” over the years, see how they’re doing and keep updated on their ever-changing lives.

Facebook is a cool and convenient way to stay in contact with friends in other countries or even just friends you knew in high school. Facebook is a great place to reminisce and interact with your past and that certainly is an awesome social advancement.

(Thank you, Mark Zuckerberg!)

So don’t get me wrong. I love checking my Facebook…just not my peers’ pages, and ideally not in class. Somehow, though, I still find my mind distracted when strangers in class check their notifications or message their friends.

What really annoys me about Facebook in class is that, as students, we are all paying to take our classes, and tuition is expensive.

What’s the point of paying for a class if you don’t pay enough attention to pass the quizzes and exams?

Why do you have to spend class time reading your Aunt Sally’s newest Facebook post about how this new Youtube video about praying kittens is a “must watch”?

In fact, what’s the point of even going to class when you could just as easily be sitting on your couch, Facebooking without distracting the paying students around you?

In my opinion, the status updates, the picture posting, the poking and the messaging can wait until you’re out of class and away from me. Nothing annoys me more than Facebook in class.

DANIELLE FECTEAU Danielle is a junior majoring in mass communication.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 19

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FEATU R E S

BOUNDLESS TALENT / LOCAL ROOTS

BY N I C K S I M O N I S

W

hile I sat waiting in downtown Rochester’s Bean and Leaf café for Olivia Millerschin, I couldn’t help but feel some preinterview jitters.

Millerschin, a Rochester-born recording artist, has

recently been getting much buzz after her participation on the national TV show, America’s Got Talent.

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Though Millerschin is a busy person, she agreed to take out time from her day to meet for a feature story in Shield.

My pre-interview nervousness, however, was unneeded. Millerschin arrived, a pleasant breath of fresh air. After a bit of conversation, she was happy to share with me how she got to where she is now.

As far as her journey to reality television, Millerschin was actually

OVER THE W EATHER

involved in several other music competition shows before her America’s Got Talent debut.

Ol iv i a’s mo st re cent a lbum , O ver the Weather is av ai l abl e on iTunes, S oundC l oud and Sp ot if y. ( Si nge r/ S ong w r iter) -If you li ke : Ing ri d Mi cha el s on

She has been scouted on numerous occasions for others such as American Idol and The Voice. Millerschin and two of her companions joined the ranks of fellow contestants on “America’s Got Talent” after she was contacted by the show in December 2013. Millerschin, along with long-time friend Matt Heim and past collaborator Sammy Affer, auditioned in New Jersey for the 2014 season of the reality talent show as Livy, Matt and Sammy: an acoustic indie band.

Following rave reviews from the judges at the live auditions, the trio went on to perform in several rounds, meeting fellow contestants and

OLIV IAMILLE RSCHIN . COM

OLIV IA M IL L ERS CHIN

OLIV IA MILLE RSCHIN

@OMILLERS CHIN

growing as people and artists. The group made it to the quarterfinals, where it was ultimately eliminated following its assigned cover performance of “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen.

The part of the story that many missed through only watching the show, however, is Millerschin’s solo career preceding and following her time in the trio. She wishes show viewers could have seen her passions more clearly.

“I am a 19-year-old woman,” she said. “Not that I want to be a sex symbol in any way, but I am not just the girl with the ukulele.”

Fans of the show who followed her on social media throughout the duration of the season got to know and appreciate her one-of-a-kind personality and solo art.

PA G E S D E S I G N E D B Y N I C K S I M O N I S / / P H O T O S P R O V I D E D B Y O L I V I A M I L L E R S C H I N

Millerschin began her independent career as a singer-songwriter when she transcribed and recorded her first tracks at the age of 15.

Although this beginning work is generally “kept on the down-low,” she said what she has learned since that time has been invaluable to her personally and as a musician.

When I asked who inspired her musical pursuits, she shared that her grandmother was a classically trained opera singer. As a young child, Millerschin wanted nothing more than to grow up to be just like her grandmother.

Millerschin went through classical training as a young singer and said her instruction made her much more well rounded than she would have been without the experience.

This training helped her to understand the difference between singing in a healthy manner that supports a lifetime’s worth of performances or crooning in a way that is damaging to one’s body and capability.

Millerschin is appreciative of her operatic background because she said she is comfortable with singing notes just as high or varied as many other well-known belting artists, but she can do so in a way that will not harm her voice in the long run.

Millerschin said her first experiences performing came during her

Before continuing classical training in college, Millerschin went on tour during her senior year at Adams, promoting her then freshly released debut album, “Yes, No Maybe So.” During this time, she joined fellow artists Teddy Geiger and Ryan Cabrera on their cross-country conquest.

Touring was so successful that she was able to connect again with Teddy for a second tour the following season.

In 2014, shortly after touring, Millerschin began her freshman year of college. She studied fine arts and majored in music at a school in Cleveland, Ohio.

Quickly, she realized that college was not the path she wanted to pursue, and she moved back home to focus on her music career full time.

After releasing her sophomore album, “Over The Weather,” in May 2014, Millerschin became reacquainted with the tour lifestyle, and she has promoted her most recent work all across the U.S. throughout the final months of this year.

“In the future, I’d really love to work with everybody!” Millerschin said, addressing those with whom she aspires to collaborate. “I think it would be amazing to work with John Mayer or maybe Coldplay some day. I feel as if the vocals would be a great pairing with either.”

In the coming year, look out for Millerschin’s next album and spring tour dates, as well as two of her tracks that will be featured in major films.

The soundtrack for the narrative documentary, The Bully Chronicles, includes her song ”I Can Say.” Additionally, one other movie that cannot be named at this time will feature a specially written record by Millerschin.

If you would like updates on Millerschin’s personal life, recording endeavors and much more, join in on her fun through the social media links included above.

time at Rochester Adams High School, when she played small gigs inside local coffee shops and other venues. She was able to meet many

NICK SIMONIS

amazing people and accrue a small group of admirers during this time,

Nick is a junior majoring in mass communications/public relations.

and Millerschin credits this experience as key to where she is now.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 23

MO R SELS TUNES

Nathan Mitchell

YOU+ME / ro s e a v e .

TR IP LEE / R i se

Old p a ls D a l l as Gre en ( of Cit y and C ol ou r ) and A l e ci a

R app e r and Pastor, Tr ip L e e, s ays Ri s e is, “...a c a l l-

Mo ore (P! n k ) ma ke one of t he ye ar’s more e cl e c t i c col l ab orat ions , s e am le ssly bl e ndi ng u n i qu e i ndiv i du a l s ou nds to cre ate t he m i n i ma l maste r pi e c e t hat is ros e ave. Gre en’s gu it ar and vo c a ls w i l l fe el f ami l i ar, w hi l e Mo ore’s vo c a ls are in shar p c ont r ast to he r st y l e we have come to k now. (Fol k ) - If you li k e : Fi r st Ai d Kit

to -ac t i on to r is e f rom t he de ad and ac tu a l ly live.” L e e ai ms to e ncourage l iste ne rs to t a ke on l ife now —not s ome w he re dow n t he ro ad. Wit h Ri s e, L e e br id ges t he g ap b e t we e n C h r ist i anit y and h ip-hop, br ing ing phe nome na l pro duc t i on and p e rsiste nt ly r ics to t he l iste ni ng e x p e r i e nce. ( Hip-Hop) - If you l i k e: L e cr a e

B E LI E V E M E

C AM P X- R AY

D e sp e r ate, broke and

A s ol di e r assi g ne d to

out of i de as , fou r c ol l e ge

Gu ant anamo B ay gets

s e n i ors st ar t a f a ke char it y

more t han she b argaine d

to e mb e z z l e mone y for

for w he n she de velops a

tu it i on .

rel at i onsh ip w it h a man

*Al ex Ru s s el,

w ho has b e e n i mpr is one d

Ni c k O f fer m an

t he re for e i g ht ye ars. * Kri sten Ste w ar t , Pay m an Maadi

TH E G O O D LIE

AN N IE

Su d anes e ref u ge e s g ive n

Or i g i na l ly l e f t by he r

t he chance to re s e tt l e i n

p are nts as a b aby w it h t he

Amer ic a ar r ive i n Kans as ,

prom is e t hat t he y’d b e b ack

w here t heir encou nte r w it h

for he r s ome d ay, Anni e has

an empl oy me nt age nc y

e x p e r i e nce d a hard k no ck l i fe.

cou ns elor fore ve r change s

But, a chance e ncounte r w it h

t he i r l ive s .

D addy Warbucks me ans t h i ng s

* Re es e Wit h er sp o on

m i g ht b e l o ok i ng up. * Jam i e Fox, C am eron D i az

24 // FALL

SHIELD

PA G E S D E S I G N E D B Y N I C K S I M O N I S / / P H O T O S V I A G O O G L E I M A G E S

THE REEL DEAL

N UG G E T S O F E NTER TA INM ENT GO O DNES S

THE H O N EY TREES / B r ig h t F ir e

JAM ES B AY / L et i t Go - E P

Af ter fou r ye ars , T he Hone y Tre e s’ f i rst f u l l - l e ng t h

B or n i n a sma l l Eng l ish tow n and w it h a p enchant for

a lbu m has ar r ive d, f u l l of b e aut i f u l ly orche st r ate d

craf t i ng mov i ng and e vo c at ive fol k-p op, James B ay is a

su nny har monies . R ang i ng f rom rel a xe d p op s ou nds to

s ou l f u l si nge r/ s ong w r ite r wel l on h is way to j oining t he

ref le c t ions of ‘7 0 s A M R a di o, Br ig ht Fire is t he p e r fe c t

ran ks of si m i l ar ar t ists such as E d She e ran, Foy Vance

re cord to t a ke you on a j ou r ne y t hrou g h it s t r a ck l ist.

and B e n Howard.

(A lter nat ive) - If you li k e : T h e C i v i l War s

( Si nge r/ S ong w r ite r) - If you li ke : Van c e Joy

PAGES H UMAN S O F N EW Y O R K

U N B R O KEN

by : Br and on St anton

by : L aura Hi l l e nbrand

A b e aut if u l, he ar t felt, f u n ny

S o on to b e a mot i on pic ture,

and inspir ing col l e c t i on of

t h is nar rat ive fol l ow s t he

photog r aphs c aptu r i ng t he

l i fe of L ouis Z amp er ini and

spir it of a cit y. T he un i qu e

h is stor y of Oly mpic t a lent

stor ies of hu nd re ds of

to t he st ark t ransit ion t hat

indiv idu a ls cre ate a d ive rs e

come s w it h b e i ng pushe d to

re ading exp er ience, p e r fe c t

t he l i m its of h is e ndurance

for any cof fe e t abl e.

i n a Jap ane s e P.O.W. c amp.

CLICKS

C O MF O RTA B LE — 50 p eo p l e 1 q u e s t i on by : Jubi le e Proj e c t

T H E C OLLABORAT I ON PROJEC T LO V E by : JacksGap

v ia YouTube

WH Y I H AT E RELI G I ON B UT LOV E JESUS—SPOKEN WORD by : Je f fe rs on B e t h ke

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 25

»

VIEW POINTS

MILLENIALS THE KIDS WILL BE ALRIGHT

BY N A T A L I E R E D M O N D

PA G E S D E S I G N E D B Y A M B E R J O S E P H / / P H O T O S B Y N I C K S I M O N I S

I

am, perhaps, an unconventional advocate for my generation.

At the tender age of 19, I already own an appalling number of argyle socks, get tired by 10 p.m. and have developed a disturbing obsession with cats.

Yet when older folk lambast the young adults of today’s Generation Y (known alternately as “Millenials”) for being bratty, self-centered harbingers of the coming apocalypse, I have to fight the urge to tell them exactly where they can shove their doomsday attitudes.

History is far easier track in retrospect than it is to notice in the moment. Glancing backwards from the 21st century, labeling and evaluating the generations that came before becomes easy.

However, no such retrospect is available yet for Millenials. The oldest members of Generation Y, born in the late 1980s, have just recently entered the workforce. Surely, it’s a bit soon to be judging the entire generation’s capabilities.

Yet, Millenials have already earned a reputation of being lazy, self-absorbed and entitled.

A cover story published by Time Magazine in May 2013 termed Millienials the “Me Me Me” generation.

More young people ages 1829 “live with their parents than with a spouse” and “58 percent more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982,” Joel Stein said in his Time piece.

However, other researchers claim that this generational data is almost entirely inaccurate.

While laziness, narcissism and entitlement may be rampant among today’s Millenials, these qualities are prevalent not because of a generational flaw, but simply because the people of Generation Y are still young.

Accusing Millenials of being immature is like “doing a study of toddlers and declaring those born since 2010 are Generation Sociopath: Kids These Days Will Pull Your Hair, Pee On Walls, Throw Full Bowls of Cereal Without Even Thinking of the Consequences,” Elspeth Reeve said in The Wire’s “Every Every Every Generation Has Been the Me Me Me Generation.”

From my perspective, if Generation Y has an original fault (“But of course it can’t!” naysayers shout. “Originality died after MY generation!”), it is simply that we are generation without a focal point.

History provides excuses for the supposed “faults” of other generations.

Of course Baby Boomers were rebellious; they were the generation who had to protest against the Vietnam War, begin second-wave feminism and advocate for civil rights.

But what excuse do Millenials have for being rabble-rousers, nonconformists or idealistic? We don’t have noticeable social oppression. We are not threatened by the Soviet Union or fighting a world war abroad.

We live comfortable lives. We have access to more technology than ever before.

The Internet provides us with communication opportunities and informational resources of which our great-grandparents could only dream, so why is our biggest fascination posting selfies on Facebook?

Millenials are growing up in a rapidly changing world, and no one is sure what the repercussions of the digital age will be.

Unlike our parents, who walked to school uphill both ways, barefoot, through 10 feet of snow and had to flip through the white pages and dial a landline to place a phone call, we have an ease of transportation, communication and information that is unprecedented.

This easy access might enable some of us to skate through life effortlessly, but I don’t think this will be the case for the majority of Generation Y. Instead, our abundant resources, coupled with a drive toward progress and innovation, provide opportunities for creative thinkers and dreamers to not only be inspired, but also to be heard.

No generation is an island.

Millenials will have to cope with economic recessions and housing crises passed down to them by earlier generations, just as old timers will have to endure a world filled with smart phones and iPads while mourning the end of simpler times.

However, Millenials have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes some of their elders have made and continue improving upon the history of those who came before them.

From generation to generation, old folks will complain about the young folks, even as these kids strive to undo the previous generation’s damage and progress into a better future.

Though the young Millenials of Generation Y may get some flak, I still believe that, ultimately, the kids will be alright.

“OUR ABUNDANT RESOURCES, COUPLED WITH A DRIVE TOWARD PROGRESS AND INNOVATION, PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATIVE THINKERS AND DREAMERS TO NOT ONLY BE INSPIRED, BUT ALSO TO BE HEARD.”

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 27

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VIEW POINTS

THE ILLUMINATI TAKES OVER CAMPUS EVERY COLLEGE HAS ITS SECRETS, AND ROCHESTER COLLEGE MIGHT HAVE HELD THE BIGGEST ONE OF ALL—UNTIL NOW.

BY M A D I S O N K O L K E

STUDENTS WALK AROUND EVERYDAY UNAWARE OF THE INDOCTRINATION GOING ON. ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN RUMORED BEFORE, SHIELD EDITOR MADISON KOLKE NOW BRINGS YOU THE TRUTH: ROCHESTER COLLEGE IS IN LINE WITH THE ILLUMINATI. YOU MIGHT THINK RC WOULD NEVER BE IN WITH THIS SINISTER GROUP. YOU MIGHT THINK OUR BELOVED SCHOOL WOULD NEVER EMBED EVIL INFORMATION INTO OUR SUBCONSCIOUS, BUT THAT, FRIENDS, IS JUST WHAT THE ILLUMINATI WANT YOU TO THINK. JOIN MADISON’S JOURNEY THROUGH CAMPUS AS SHE POINTS OUT SOME OF THE CLEAR SIGNS YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN MISSING. THE ILLUMINATI, coming from a Latin word meaning “enlightenment,” is a secret society of “free thinkers” whose goals are to eliminate the domination of the government and oppression of citizens. Allegedly, they also have a hand in government affairs and pop-culture.

Their symbol, the triangle, can be found throughout everyday life and has apparently found its way into Rochester College as well.

28 // FALL

SHIELD

PA G E S D E S I G N E D B Y A M B E R J O S E P H / / P H O T O S B Y C A R O L I N E H U E Y

Some of the first clues I noticed were among nature. We have been living surrounded by the clues, but we had yet to solve the mystery.

I decided to go on a hike, and as I feared, the world around me came through in a much different light.

I ran as quickly as I could down the path. By the Illuminati’s carefully planted triangular markings, I knew they were on to me.

I had to gather my research to share my findings with the RC community before it was too late.

Little did I know, what waited for me in the woods would surely petrify me more than encounter number one.

After my sprint, I stopped to take a breath within the forest.

With my hands on my knees, I bent, closing my eyes for a brief rest. But as my eyelids fluttered open, I screamed at this sight: I spun back on my heels and booked it up the hillside, my eyes never leaving the bundles of logs.

As I turned to look forward, my foot caught a root and sent me tumbling down a hill, where I eventually landed on my back with a loud thud!

Blinking again, I looked up to the sky hoping for some guidance, and that was when I saw this.

With my head angled toward the ground, I was swift in motion, and I quickly approached the teardrop.

I tried to not show my excitement at finally nearing safety, for I was afraid that someone would be watching and spoil my devise.

However, as I reached the oblong brick median, a feeling of dread washed over me.

I gasped, distress filling me to the bone, and I turned to find that my solace, my one true refuge, had been claimed by the Illuminati.

Stumbling as if the world beneath me was beginning to crumble, I manage to get myself into the flag circle. I begin to spin, trying to make sense of it all.

But even in the flag circle, I discovered I could not escape the Illuminati’s grasp.

I cried out with frustration and made my way to the library. Maybe I could seek advice on how to make the terror end.

In the elevator, however, I realized that I was going to have to fight very hard to save Rochester College.

I apprehensively press the button and began my ascent. When the doors opened, I was met with more insidious signals.

I wretched open the doors to the sacred place of knowledge. As I entered the library, though, I unwittingly staggered into the headquarters of the Illuminati.

I stepped back into the hallway and fled down the stairs. Obviously, I had been too late.

My Illuminati suspicions were confirmed when I saw my fellow students.

Gage Bolton had no idea that the Illuminati had gotten to him, but like a virus, their reach had spread, and I wasn’t able to save him.

I slumped, unable to hide my regret. I followed the rest of the students to the dinner line. There, I noticed that some students had also suspected the Illuminati’s influence on RC. Rather than fighting the group, though, they accepted the Illuminati and were cajoling other students to conform.

As I hung my head low, I felt a tap on my back. I turned. They had found me, and it was obvious that resistance was futile. The Illuminati has risen.

MADISON KOLKE Madison is a sophomore majoring in English.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 29

»

VIEW POINTS

HEforSHE THE MOVEMENT IS GROWING

A

s of late, the world has gotten a fresh perspective on feminism from Ms. Hermione Granger.

Emma Watson, former actress in the Harry Potter series and other movies, was named U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador early in the summer 2014.

On Sept. 20, Watson called out the men of the world to join in on a new movement called HeForShe. The movement is for the equality and acceptance of all men and woman.

So what does HeForShe have to do with feminism? “…Feminism by definition is ‘the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes,’ ” Watson said at the conference.

Watson decided she was a feminist when she started noticing gender stereotypes affecting the people around her: her girlfriends were dropping out of sports and her male friends started to hide their sensitive sides as well as their emotions.

She questioned, and has not stopped questioning since, why men and women feel compelled to act certain ways.

Watson states in her speech that in order to reach equality of the sexes, the stereotypes of both sexes need to be challenged.

“If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, then women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, then women won’t have to be controlled,” Watson said.

Watson believes not only that she should be paid the same amount as her male colleagues, but also that she should be able to be strong and confident without being considered bossy or hotheaded.

Why is it that when men cry, they are considered unmanly? And why are women who are in leadership roles so often portrayed in a negative light?

Watson believes that these stereotypes are one of the world’s greatest injustices and are holding both sexes and all cultures back.

“Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum, not as two opposing sets of ideals,” Watson said.

To combat these injustices, the HeForShe movement calls men to join in on striving for equality of the sexes, which is the true definition of feminism.

Feminism over the years has not always been painted in the best light; however, Watson and others are encouraging men, women and all society to realize that feminism’s ultimate call is for equality of both sexes.

“We are struggling for a uniting word, but the good news is we have a uniting movement. It is called HeforShe,” Watson said.

On the homepage of this new campaign, there is a place for men to sign up to support the true definition of feminism in all countries. Lower on the page is a map that any viewer can scroll over to see how many men from each country have joined in on this movement for equality.

With only a handful of countries still lagging behind with 0 men participating as of November, this new movement is already changing society’s view of both feminism and the world’s participation in gender equality overall.

TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT, VISIT HEforSHE.ORG

SHILOH COVELL Shiloh is a sophomore majoring in English.

30 // FALL

SHIELD

PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y A M B E R J O S E P H / / P H O T O S V I A H E F O R S H E . O R G

BY S H I L O H C O V E L L

»

V IEW POINTS

THE GREAT DIVIDE

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ROCHESTER COLLEGE’S STUDENT CLIQUES

BY K A Y L E E A N D E R S O N

PA G E D E S I G N E D B Y S TA C Y C ATA L A N O / / P H O T O S B Y J U S T I N G A B R I E L

A

s college students, many of us agree that what people participate in on campus will define their time in college.

We can also agree that among the little cliques, there are two distinct spheres on campus: the athlete students and the traditional students.

This divide is not only a part of Rochester College but is seen on campuses across the country.

“There is a natural thing that occurs: athletes hang with their team and sometimes don’t think about branching out of this peer group,” Candace Cain, dean of students at Rochester College, said. “That happens with chorus, theatre and others, but for some reason, not as significantly.”

Different priorities are a key cause of this famous gap between college students.

Like many other students, Catherine Mankiewicz, a sophomore nursing student, has struggled with the stress of being a member of both peer groups.

Mankiewicz has participated in theatre, chorus, the Offering band and Shield. Last year, she took on the task of playing soccer for Rochester College as well.

“Athletes often get a bad reputation for not trying as hard academically, for not involving themselves enough with campus activities or for blowing off their non-athlete friends. From the outside, it’s so easy to make those assumptions,” Mankiewicz said.

“It’s undeniable: there is a social gap between most traditional students and student-athletes. We need to have understanding,” she continued.

Mankiewicz explains that the gap is nothing personal against either group. “It’s all about priorities, obligations and, for many athletes, scholarships. If athletes didn’t work so hard to do what they do, the rest of us wouldn’t have games to attend,” Mankiewicz said.

The same mentality can go for theatre productions and chorus concerts.

Cain understands that coaches want teams who know one another and have a tight bond. She sees a problem with the gap only when it becomes an “us against them” mentality or when organizations don’t recognize their part in the larger organization of Rochester College and the mission for which the school stands.

“We all need to be bridge builders and get out of our comfort zones. Stop looking across the aisle at what is different and walk across the aisle to understand what may be important to the ‘other,’ ” Cain said. “But this requires effort from all parties, both athletes and nonathletes.”

Student athletes Kaylee Khoshaba, a senior soccer player, and Christian Carlisle, a senior English major and baseball and tennis player, both understand the gap and how difficult it is to cross it.

“Honestly, my non-athlete friends get put on the backburner a lot because of my soccer schedule. I think for the majority of people in athletics, more than not having time for our non-athlete friends, we are lacking the time to even make friends who aren’t a part of our team,” Khoshaba said.

Carlisle also finds it hard to juggle sports and his involvement as president of TAU, a chorus member, an NSO peer adviser, and IT department worker on the campus of RC. Carlisle works to try to get athletes involved in other activities across campus.

“As president of a social club, I am always trying to recruit athletes to join my club. I try to get people to come to the dances, the mixers and campus ministry’s Unplugged. Unplugged is a way for a person to relax without the distraction of technology. It is a way to unwind and let go of some of the stresses of college,” Carlisle said.

College presents many opportunities for student involvement, both in athletics and other areas. Sometimes, people’s schedules are so consuming that going out of their way to reach out to a stranger on the other half of the student/athlete divide seems impossible.

However, college is also a time to grow as a person and build meaningful relationships with others. If students limit themselves to only those in their immediate social circle, these potentially invaluable friendships may never blossom.

Strike up a conversation with a sports player in class. Sit next to someone from another social club at lunch. You may be glad you did.

KAYLEE ANDERSON Kaylee is a senior majoring in mass communication/public relations major.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 31

CRIMSON

THE

» SPOR T S

COMET A TWO SPORT ATHLETE

BY R A C H E L T A Y L O R

H

e played his first baseball game at 3 years old. By the time he was 11, he pitched in a USSSA World Series game. When he was 19, he signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Rochester College.

Now 21, Dirk “Rocky” Willette is taking another big step: this time, onto the tennis court.

Last October, when the RC athletic department announced the addition of a tennis team, Willette immediately reached out to the coach. Over winter break, after his tryout, he was offered a spot on the team.

He signed on Feb. 6 and since then has officially been a two-sport athlete at Rochester College.

Though he has solely been devoted to baseball the past three years at RC, Willette’s high school sports career included both baseball and tennis.

During his sophomore year at Canton High School in Canton, Mich., Willette saw tennis as an opportunity to keep himself in shape and his arm loose for baseball.

He said he felt like he needed to stay busy, and he ended up having a successful couple of years.

For the past two baseball seasons, Willette has pitched for the RC Warriors, but because of recent issues with his shoulder, he will be playing first base this year.

This upcoming season in baseball, Willette is excited to revisit a position he played in travel ball growing up and hopes to gain more experience while doing so. He also is eager to hit again.

In regards to the tennis season ahead, Willette is looking forward to playing with a new team and has the honor of doing so as captain.

Head Coach Evan Valeri offered him the position after the second week of playing together as a team, and Willette graciously accepted.

“Tennis keeps my shoulder healthy. Doing both sports is taxing on my shoulder, but I know my limits,” Willette said, regarding how training for tennis has affected his baseball game.

He also mentioned that tennis conditioning is very intense: it helps the athletes to become fast and quick, and Willette said this training has helped keep him in shape for baseball.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TWO SPORT ATHLETE MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

6:30 a.m. Tennis practice

6:30 a.m. Tennis practice

1-4 p.m. Tennis practice

6:30 a.m. Tennis practice

5 p.m. Baseball practice

5:30 a.m. Get up

8-9 a.m. Weight training

5:30 a.m. Get up

8-11:40 a.m. Class/Chapel

9:35-3:35 p.m. Class/Chapel 2-3 p.m. Weight training 5 p.m. Baseball practice

5 p.m. Baseball practice

11 a.m. Wake, eat

5-8 p.m. Baseball practice

8-9 p.m. Team study session

5:30 a.m. Get up

7:30 a.m. Weight training

8-11:40 a.m. Class/Chapel

SATURDAY

9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Baseball practice

SUNDAY

9:35-3:35 p.m. Class/Chapel 5 p.m. Baseball practice

ALL DAY Work

“I am always thankful for what I have

P H O T O S B Y K AY L E E A N D E R S O N

and where I’m at now.”—ROCKY Willette wakes up early for tennis conditioning, spends time in the classroom and then heads to hours of baseball practice after dinner every day. Then, once he is taxed both mentally and physically, he has no other choice but to work on homework well into the night.

“Back-to-back practices are hard and it’s much more difficult to find time to do homework,” Willette said, but somehow he still manages to do it all.

He shares that his biggest challenge this semester is finding time to make academics a priority.

Back home in Plymouth, Mich., Willette’s number one fan is still a little concerned about his commitments this year.

Willette’s mom, with whom he is very close, was hesitant at first about his decision to play tennis because “she knows how taxing two sports can be on a body and a mind, and she wants my focus to be on my work in the classroom,” Willette said.

Upon graduating from Canton High School, Willette pursued his broadcasting media arts degree from Specs Howard School of Media Arts in Southfield, Mich.

After completing the 12-month program, Willette enrolled at RC to further his education with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication.

However, after his first semester, Willette changed his major to sports management and now hopes to have a career in the business world. His dream is to move to Texas, work part-time and eventually earn his MBA. But for now, he is still a great part of the Rochester College family. Since he has been at RC, Willette has met “lifelong friends” and has engaged with a faith that both grounds him and encourages him.

“It keeps me sane,” he said. “I’m always thankful for what I have and where I’m at now.”

Rocky Willette is a hardworking individual who truly personifies what it means to be a student athlete at Rochester College. Whether in the classroom, on the tennis court or on the baseball field, he is representing us well.

Willette is more than a true warrior: He is Rochester’s own Crimson Comet.

»ROCKY

ONETHROUGHTEN 1

Scout’s honor, he is a former Boy Scout.

2

Dream job=professional fisherman for the the Bass Series

3

Superheroes are his jam. Flash is his favorite.

4

He’s a self-proclaimed mama’s boy.

5

He has an extensive and highly valuable baseball card collection.

6

He’s 6’5” (Maybe he should play basketball too?)

7

He was in a culinary arts program in high school.

(So ladies, he can cook.)

8

His family has a cottage on Torch Lake.

9

He’s a history buff.

10

So naturally, Dr. Greer is his favorite professor at RC.

R C S H I E L D . C O M // 33

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SP OR TS

KAYLEE KHOSHABA A LEADER IN SPORTSMANSHIP AND FAITH

STORY AND PHOTO BY K A Y L E E A N D E R S O N

“Praying before and after every game is Kaylee’s way of keeping her team connected to God throughout the season.”

PA G E S D E S I G N E D B Y A M B E R J O S E P H

BEING A TRUE WARRIOR AT ROCHESTER COLLEGE IS A REMARKABLE HONOR TO ANY COLLEGE ATHLETE. Not only does the recipient have to be a leader on and off the field, but he or she has to show exemplary academic standings and a strong faith that represents Rochester College.

Senior soccer player Kaylee Khoshaba is a prime example of a True Warrior.

Kaylee (Higle) Khoshaba is a fourth year business management major at Rochester College from Canton, Mich. She has made the Dean’s List multiple times and has received the Scholar Athlete Award every season playing for RC. Not only is Khoshaba graduating in May 2015, but she also has worked hard the past four years to balance school, soccer and work. Khoshaba’s coach, Todd Stank, thinks very highly of her.

“Kaylee has been our team’s spiritual leader since the first day she stepped onto campus. She has brought and sustained a high academic standard throughout her academic years. She is an accomplished and intelligent player who is mature in her view of the game,” he said.

Khoshaba has been a vital part of the RC women’s soccer team the last four years.

As a captain during her junior and senior years, Khoshaba has done an admirable job in her leadership position. Though it has proven hard to keep a small team

motivated, Khoshaba encourages the team to stay close and have fun with one another. “If it’s just about soccer, it can be discouraging with so few girls,” Khoshaba said. Making sure the players are friends on and off the field helps keep the team close and positive.

As a strong follower of Christ, Khoshaba finds it easy to apply her faith to the game of soccer as well as her leadership as a captain. She tries her hardest to be an example to her fellow teammates through her sportsmanship and faith. Khoshaba believes in building her teammates up instead of using criticism. Praying before and after every game is Khoshaba’s way of keeping her team connected to God throughout the season.

“Kaylee was a good captain in many ways. She would lead on and off the field.

On the field she would be the organizer and keep everyone on the same page and focused. Off the field she would lead by example by being the best player she could everyday at practice and always showing up,” Stank said.

“She has played many positional roles on our team, and for the past two seasons has been the glue that has held our midfield together.

Kaylee has played in every game throughout her four years at Rochester College and has pushed herself to work harder every year as an example to her team.”

Khoshaba couldn’t have accomplished what she has without the overwhelming support of her mother and her husband,

Ramsen. Khoshaba’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after Khoshaba was to come to Rochester College. “I was pretty set on not going to college and staying home with my mom, but she pushed me to follow my dreams and play soccer as a college athlete,” Khoshaba said.

Khoshaba recently got married to her husband Ramsen in June 2014. He has been a great supporter of her soccer career coming to every game he could make.

Outside of being one of RC’s finest students and athletes, Khoshaba is constantly involved in her church. Woodside Bible Church of Troy regularly puts on events that Khoshaba enjoys volunteering for and participating in. Khoshaba is also employed at Woodside Bible Church as an administrative assistant and plans on continuing her position or becoming a ministry director after graduation.

Though her four years of playing soccer at Rochester College are finished, Khoshaba plans on continuing her soccer career through various adult leagues. “I will miss the competitiveness most about playing at Rochester College. I know I will go on to play with other leagues but it will never compare to what I had at RC,” Khoshaba said.

It is clear that Khoshaba’s coach and teammates will miss her just as much as she will miss them.

“Kaylee is a great ambassador of Rochester College and our women’s soccer program,” Coach Stank said. “She will leave a very large hole in our program and her shoes will not easily be filled or replaced.”

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WHAT LIES BEFORE US AND WHAT LIES BEHIND US ARE SMALL MATTERS COMPARED TO WHAT LIES WITHIN US. AND WHEN YOU BRING WHAT IS WITHIN OUT INTO THE WORLD, MIRACLES HAPPEN.

DESIGN BY NICK SIMONIS