The Shield Winter 2014 | Volume 14, Issue 3

theshield

ISSUE 2014 | THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF ROCHESTER COLLEGE | VWINTER OLUME 14 ISSUE 3

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THE 21ST CENTURY EXPLOITATION OF THE HEADLINE BAYLEIGH LASTER: A BIG HEART HELPS THE HEART OF INDIA HOMESCHOOLERS: FACT VS. FICTION // ROLLING OUT THE RC RED CARPET FOR “ANNE OF GREEN GABLES” FUTURE HUSBANDS/WIVES LISTS: FOR & AGAINST GUILT FREE COMFORT FOODS And Don’t PRISCILA LIRA: A LONG JOURNEY HOME Forget #FOREVERALONE // WONDERFUL WINTER ACTIVITIES WHAT’S NEW ON FACEBOOK NAMMT // THE MYTH OF THE POOR COLLEGE STUDENT AUTUMN: PITCH PERFECT PASSION PROFESSOR COGSWELL // DEVOTIONAL PURIM NETFLIX // MOVIE REVIEWS STUGOV SCANDALS // FAMILY TIES, TETHERS & TEARS SEAN WESTAWAY: GUARD FOR RC, GUARD FOR CHRIST MODERN DAY IDOLATRY RC SPORTS RECAP FOR LOVE OF THE GAME // SHOULD STUDENT ATHLETES BE PAID JIM CALDWELL GOES LION // MEET COACH OBEY WINTER FITNESS // VINCE ELLIS EXPRESSIONS

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THE SHIELD ONLINE FOR THE LATEST SHIELD ACTIVITY

PAGE DESIGNED BY NICK SIMONIS

WINTER 2014

CONTENTS

meet the staff.

theshield THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT PUBLICATION OF ROCHESTER COLLEGE

www.rcshield.com FOR THE LATEST RC ACTIVITY

Winter 2014 • Volume 14 • Issue 3 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Chelsea Hackel

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Rachel Taylor

COPY EDITOR Natalie Redmond CREATIVE DIRECTOR

DESIGN EDITOR

Nick Simonis Joshlyn Booth

PHOTO EDITOR Cathryn Mankiewicz OPINIONS EDITOR

Katie Martelle

SPORTS EDITOR

Sara Beason

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Lindsay Baslock

EXPRESSIONS EDITOR

Sarah Roper

WRITERS

Brittany Artis, Dylan Bole, Shiloh Covell, Brad Fecteau, Olivia Feldman, Allyson Huey, Madison Kolke, Amber Joseph, Philip Powell, Laura Van Camp

DESIGNERS

Stacy Catalano, Brad Fecteau, Bethany Hagerman, Amber Joseph, Madison Kolke, Mandi Kuhn

PHOTOGRAPHERS

ONLINE EDITORS BROADCAST PRODUCERS

Laura Corp Abby Cook Kevin Moore Dan Thomas Daniel Thomas

PUBLISHER & FOUNDER

Lora Hutson

PRINT ADVISER

ONLINE ADVISER

DESIGN ADVISER

BROADCAST ADVISER

Liz Fulton Kayce McClure

Carol Cooper

Darren McCullough

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PAGES DESIGNED BY NICK SIMONIS

Caroline Huey, Moni Musial, Rachel Miller, Laura Van Camp

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Welcome to

theshield “DON’T EVER FORGET WHERE THAT WORTH COMES FROM.”

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Hey, Rochester College. Chelsea here, and I have a few things to say.

I will admit that I don’t know all of you. But that

by CHELSEA HACKEL doesn’t need to hinder EDITOR IN CHIEF what I want to say to you.

You are doing a good job.

Yes, you. No matter how much you don’t believe it, it is true.

Sure, everyone has room for improvement.

We are humans, not gods. We can expect to have “room for improvement” for the rest of our lives.

After all, life isn’t always pretty, mistakes happen and things go wrong.

But there is still something undeniably worthwhile about you.

Don’t ever forget where that worth comes

from. It’s not in grades, popularity, fashion, success or knowledge.

It doesn’t have anything to do with what you do, actually. Your worth comes from God. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Before you were born, someone loved you desperately.

Before you had done anything, whether good or not-so-good or bad, Jesus died out of love for you.

He loves you still, today.

So smile. Look at that face in the mirror and remind yourself of the fact that God has given you purpose, and no matter what, you are worth it to Him. Don’t forget.

-Chelsea

Talk to us!

We want to hear what concerns you, tickles you or ticks you off about theshield! Contact us with your comments and sugggestions.

email: theshield@rc.edu @rcshieldonline The Shield Online

PAGE DESIGNED BY CHELSEA HACKEL

WINTER 2014

photo by CHELSEA HACKEL

, H C R U H C O T G N I I STOPPED GO

CHEATED ON MY HUSBAND

T A C R U O Y D AND KILLE

Over the past few months, perhaps you’ve seen links on Facebook to trending blog posts with titles

by NATALIE REDMOND such as this. Perhaps COPY EDITOR you’ve even gone so far as to click on these links and read the (generally disappointing) writing that follows.

If this is the case, then you’ve likely departed from your brush with the Internet’s finest literary minds feeling underwhelmed.

After watching a rash of these articles clutter up your newsfeed, perhaps you’ve even become angry at their popularity.

So what’s with this trend of provocatively titled blogs? Is an inflammatory headline a cheap ploy to drive readership, or does its apparent effectiveness make it a journalistically sound attention grabber?

Now fortunately, I have never cheated on my husband (a loyalty that’s easy to maintain by the fact that I don’t have one), and I

certainly have never killed your (or anyone else’s) cat.

But what if I were a church-less, husbandcheating, cat-killing human being? I very well could write an article with a cheesy and theologically questionable punch line about how through Christianity and God’s grace, even cat killers can find redemption.

Or, instead, maybe my hypothetical blog post is a poignant recollection of how I left a church in which I wasn’t comfortable, cheated on my husband once during a card game and mercifully euthanized a friend’s beloved-butailing pet at my veterinary practice.

The same headline could be paired with either article, but the two would definitely glean different reactions from their readers.

Our recent frustration with the smatterings of scintillatingly titled blog posts stems not from being upset with the title itself but rather from the drivel that too often follows.

Titles are meant to entice their audience into reading the full work, but people feel

slighted when that work doesn’t match up with the allure promised.

“Surprise is merely an instrument of the unusual, whereas anticipation of a consequence enlarges our understanding of what is happening,” says Roger Rosenblatt in the New York Times Sunday Book Review article “How to Write Great.”

Indeed, blog titles are allowed to surprise and thrill us, but the rest of the article should bring clarification and meaning to that initial jolt of interest.

For a writer to bring a fresh perspective to an old subject can be revolutionary, but misdirecting a reader with the intention either to shock or preach at them in the ensuing article is an abuse of authorial responsibility and a waste of the reader’s time.

So what of this article? With an exciting title angled to pique reader’s interest, I may be getting angry emails from Coleman Yoakum tomorrow. Is my content worthy enough to justify the scintillation? Well, that’s up to you to decide....

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PAGE DESIGNED BY BRAD FECTEAU

...And I’m Still A Christian: The 21st Century Exploitation Of The Headline

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Her passport reads “Bayleigh Laster,” and say, “What is your name?” “How are you?” and “Thank you” in Hindi. over Christmas break she set off to Nagpur, “Some of our clinics were really hard. In our second one of the India, for a medical missions trip with week, we were told that the kids we were seeing had been pulled Seeds Ministries. Packing up and departing out of school for the day because they were HIV positive,” Laster said. shortly after Christmas, Laster, Rochester Throughout the week, she saw signs of starvation, mental

by RACHEL TAYLOR College sophomore, joined 10 other medical disabilities resulting from diseases at birth and malnutrition.

ASSOCIATE EDITOR professionals with the mission to bring “That was the moment when I realized I had the choice to either sit God’s healing to people far from home. in a corner and be sad at all I saw or to accept that I have no power, no Laster was offered the opportunity through a friend of her father, control over the lives of anyone—even my own,” Laster said. who became aware of her dream of becoming an emergency Laster’s decision to accept her own lack of control opened her eyes medial technician and wanted to help to a beautiful new understanding of shape her perspective on the medical the God she serves. world.

“Ultimately there is a greater plan She admits to being terrified before that I can’t see. And I can’t say that the trip, but her anxieties were soon plan is always perfect, but I know forgotten as the vision of India became it’s there and that is what makes a reality.

India beautiful. It makes the people “[I felt] complete and total and experiences beautiful, and it excitement…we were flying in over makes smiling and having short Nagpur; the sun had recently risen and conversations a blessing,” Laster said. it was just…perfect,” Laster said. “I had Laster found beauty in the trip’s the realization that I was in a totally details and in the complete unknown. different country and it was awesome.

Her eyes were opened to new I was psyched,” she said. understandings in both the seen and On Laster’s first day, the Crossroads unseen worlds. of India orphanage held a welcoming Laster said that upon returning photo courtesy of BAYLEIGH LASTER ceremony to honor her and her team. from this trip, she has been able to With the conclusion of the ceremony, connect with many different people the work began. who have faced similar experiences The group had six clinics throughout the week with new locations on mission trips. These conversations are reminders of the world every day, and sometimes they traveled two or more hours outside she left too quickly, yet they have provided a heartbeat of truth upon of Nagpur for a clinic. Laster was responsible for taking the blood her return to reality. pressures and pulses of clients before the doctoral staff saw them.

Not only did she serve the people of India, Laster learned to serve “We did basic medical care, dealing with people who had high God by putting complete faith in His word. blood pressure, people who were anemic, wounded, had tumors.

“Ultimately, I am being taught to give up, to give up on my views We gave all of the kids vitamins as well as the parents for most of and my thoughts and to accept His,” Laster said. our clinics because everyone is deficient due to lack of resources This process may not be easy, but it’s a lesson we all need to learn. and supply,” Laster said.

“I love that I see the heart of God in the people around me. In both While taking the client’s vitals, Laster mastered the ability to India and America, He is present...He is here,” Laster said.

PAGE DESIGNED BY MANDI KUHN

WINTER 2014

“Ultimately there is a greater plan that I can’t see.”

- BAYLEIGH LASTER

Homeschoolers: Fact vs. Fiction Ironically, though modern American culture strains to break free from stereotyping anyone, many people still

by CHELSEA HACKEL EDITOR IN CHIEF revert to stereotypical assumptions when dealing with homeschoolers.

Homeschooling isn’t a foreign concept anymore, but the term still sparks interesting questions and comments. It seems many people simply don’t know what to expect of homeschoolers.

Allyson Huey, a senior at Rochester College, believes one of the most common stereotypes homeschoolers face is that of social awkwardness.

“Sometimes I get the ‘You don’t act like you were homeschooled’ comment, which is annoying because honestly, there are SO many homeschoolers who aren’t socially awkward,” Allyson Huey said.

Olivia Butler, sophomore, goes even further, stating that homeschoolers tend to be confident because many have never experienced bullying.

“They are extremely comfortable with who they are. They honestly don’t care what other people think, so they don’t mind letting their natural crazy show,” Butler said.

Having confidence will undoubtedly be a positive influence in the working world. In fact, Sarah Roper, senior, said she landed her first job as a result of being homeschooled. “[I got the job] not because I was available in the mornings, when other kids weren’t, but because the office receptionist had heard great things about homeschooled kids and told the owner to hire me,” Roper said.

Another stereotype commonly faced by homeschoolers is that they do not need to work hard at their studies.

However, Zachary Kwiecinski, sophomore, says homeschooling prepared him for college because it taught him to be “autonomous.”

Butler credits homeschooling with teaching her how to manage her time. Roper agrees, stating that homeschooling taught her to be an “independent learner.”

That independence carries over into the day’s schedule, as well.

Caroline Huey, freshman, said she would rise at 8 a.m. each day, while other students preferred to get started later.

Kwiecinksi said his mother always made sure he got up and going in the morning.

“She liked to think that waking us up at a certain time would help prepare us for college.

Little did she know; nothing can prepare you for 8 o’clock classes,” Kwiecinski said.

Many of RC’s formerly homeschooled students said they are frequently surprised by people who think homeschoolers never leave their houses.

“People tend to think that because

[homeschoolers] do all their work at home, they never get out…But there are actually many programs designed especially for homeschoolers,” Caroline Huey said.

Roper agrees that homeschooled children are able to participate in many outside activities and cites science labs, writing classes and sewing clubs as only a few of the opportunities she had.

“I was a very busy homeschooler! My family participated in probably five different co-ops over the years…I always wondered what public school kids did if they were at school all day. Weren’t their lives so boring?”

Roper said.

Kwiecinski said that in the past he has had a bit of fun with people who asked him these kinds of questions.

“I would lead them on for a bit to believe that they were the first person outside my family I had talked to in weeks,” said Kwiecinski.

Contrary to stereotypes, homeschooling provides freedom for students to learn in creative ways.

“Learning wasn’t all about tests and studying; we read books and played games and acted out wagon trains and watched National Geographic documentaries for fun.

We built a Sumerian ziggurat out of cereal boxes…I think my imagination is so much more wild and free because I wasn’t confined to a classroom for seven hours a day,” Roper says.

Allyson Huey agrees, summing up the beliefs of many homeschoolers: “I discovered learning sometimes means the most when it doesn’t come from a textbook.”

Rolling Out The RC Red Carpet For Anne Of Green Gables

g or other recorduction is bited. following

Lucy Maud Montgomery’s famous novel and series, Anne of Green Gables, turns 100 this April.

In honor of this widely popular and autobiographical story, students from RC recently finished producing the play.

Freshman Emily Bodine made her Rochester College theatre debut as Anne, a spunky, strange and captivating 11-year old orphan girl.

Anne is mistakenly sent to a remote farm in Prince Edward Island, Canada, to siblings

Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, who had intended to adopt a boy.

The story that ensues is about a girl who finds a home, a town that grows in spirit and hardened hearts that open up in love.

Anne of Green Gables chronicles the girl’s life as she changes from an ugly duckling to a talented young lady. Anne transforms herself and the people around her, and she makes many quirky and adventurous memories along the way.

This play sparks humor, empathy and the inner child in every audience member.

The Anne of Green Gables book series was each produc-

first published in 1908 and has since sold over 50 million copies and been translated into 15 different languages. It has been transformed into a musical, play and TV series.

RC students and faculty alike collaborated on the production both on and offstage.

Cast, stage managers, student directors and crew all worked hard to bring this timeless story to life.

As Cathie Parker, director, put it, Anne of Green Gables was “a great show for the whole family.”

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PAGE DESIGNED BY JOSHLYN BOOTH

by OLIVIA FELDMAN STAFF WRITER

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WINTER 2014

by BRITTANY ARTIS STAFF WRITER

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For some reason, having a husband or wife list (HWL) seems to carry with it a negative stigma.

To those of you who are raising your eyebrows and wondering what the heck I’m talking about, the HWL is basically a shopping list. However, in this case you aren’t looking for gluten-free pancake mix; this list is all about the characteristics you want in a significant other.

Let’s get this straight—there is nothing wrong with having a HWL. Lists are all the rage; people have bucket lists, Christmas lists, bridal registries and music playlists.

The purpose of any good list is to remind you of what is important. It’s meant to create order in our chaotic lives.

“If you decide and know ahead of time what you will not put up with in a dating relationship, you could save yourself from a season or even a lifetime of misery,” said Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend in their co-authored book, “Boundaries in Dating.”

In other words, the purpose of the HWL is not to create a perfect person, but to help you better understand what you are and are not willing to put up with in a relationship.

Many critics of HWLs think the list will encourage people to dream up unrealistic expectations of a mate that will eliminate all possible partners.

Honestly, I think people do that with or without a list.

If you expect to use a HWL to find or create the perfect person, I suggest you start investing in The Sims games. No one is or will ever be perfect except God, and that includes our mates, our children and Miley Cyrus.

I’m sure a significant other who is fun, has a great sense of humor, hates broccoli, and likes Bob the Builder would be fine and dandy for middle school relationships. But let’s face it; after that first or second heartbreak, you start to realize that there are some qualities you can live with but some you most definitely want to live without.

I’m not encouraging single people to walk around with a piece of paper and pencil in order to quickly evaluate people before giving them their phone numbers.

However, having a HWL can serve as a reminder that there are some cases in life when compromise is acceptable and there are other times when it is not.

Against

by CHELSEA HACKEL EDITOR IN CHIEF

While preparing to write this article, I did a Google search for “qualities for my future husband” and received nearly 3 million results.

Clearly this is a hot topic and one that is not limited strictly to women searching for the perfect man. A search for “qualities for my future wife” had almost the same number of responses.

In addition to writing a few “husband” lists myself throughout the years, I’ve engaged in numerous discussions with girls of all ages about this topic.

It is extremely entertaining and fun to dream about the kind of man I hope to be with one day. Unfortunately, this list making can very quickly turn into an inevitable countdown to disappointed hopes and unmet expectations.

While there are some aspects of a person’s character that should never be overlooked when choosing a mate, there are a few reasons why I have stopped making lists of what I want in a husband and have started making lists of what I need to become in preparation for marriage. Here are my top three reasons: 1.) It’s downright distracting I used to spend a lot of time making lists of what I wanted in a man, but I eventually realized that doing so simply made me impatient for marriage. Since I’ve given this area of my life to God and am waiting on His leading, dreaming up the perfect man is not going to get me anywhere. I will be far better off spending my time accomplishing what I have before me and crossing each bridge when I come to it.

2.) A list of what I want limits my perspective of what God can do When I make lists of my wants, I am living with a narrow focus. God, the writer of every love story, knows exactly what each one of us needs in a partner, and He delights in giving us good things (Psalm 84:11, Romans 8:28). Making a list of my wants won’t limit God, but it will limit my perspective of what He can do. Rather, I should give this area of control to Him and then watch and see what He does.

3.) I need to develop my own character before regulating someone else’s Jesus said we should remove the plank in our own eye before commenting on the speck in another’s. When I tell myself I want someone who meets qualifications A, B, and C, I’m spending more time focused on what I want him to be like than I am on developing my own character. It is not my job to make anyone into the kind of person I want him to be. I need to be more worried about whether I am the kind of person God wants me to be.

PAGE DESIGNED BY MANDI KUHN

For

Guilt Free Comfort Foods Brownies Ingredients: ½ cup all-purpose flour 6 Tbsp. Cocoa powder ½ cup white sugar ½ tsp. Vanilla extract ½ cup applesauce 2 eggs Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease an 8x8 inch square pan. Stir together flour, cocoa, sugar and salt. Pour in oil, vanilla, applesauce and eggs. Mix until everything is well blended.

Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is shiny and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

PAGE DESIGNED BY AMBER JOSEPH

Oven-Fried Chicken Ingredients: 3 to 4 pounds chicken parts 1/4 cup flour 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/3 cup butter Instructions: Preheat oven to 425°. Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels. In a pie pan, combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Coat chicken with the mixture.

Put butter in a shallow baking pan; place in oven to melt.

When butter is melted, arrange chicken in the baking pan in a single layer, skin side down. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes; turn and bake 15 to 25 minutes longer, or until chicken is done.

Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients: 12 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni 2 1/2 tbsp flour 2 cups nonfat milk 1/4 cups reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated Instructions: Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package.

While pasta is cooking, place flour in a medium saucepan and gradually whisk in milk. Heat the milk and flour and bring to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.

Reduce heat and allow to simmer until the milk begins to thicken. Stir in cheese and continue to stir until cheese melts. Mix pasta and sauce in a large bowl.

Recipe courtesy of food.com

Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream Ingredients: 4 large very ripe bananas 2 tablespoons peanut butter 1-2 tablespoons milk* Instructions: Peel bananas and slice into discs. Freeze for 1-2 hours.

Place the banana slices in a food processor or powerful blender. Puree banana slices until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Add the peanut butter and puree to combine.

Serve immediately for soft-serve ice cream consistency or place in the freezer for a few hours and then serve. *Note-if you have a hard time creating a creamy consistency, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to help puree the banana slices. Make sure you use a powerful food processor or blender!

Recipe courtesy of twopeasandtheirpod.com

Recipes compiled by OLIVIA FELDMAN & AMBER JOSEPH

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Recipe courtesy of southernfood.about.com

Under 500 Calories

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PRISCILA LIRA Photos by RACHEL MILLER

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Home.

The definition may be simple, but the concept is hard to grasp.

by PHILIP POWELL Finding a sense STAFF WRITER of home can be even more difficult when you are an international student, living thousands of miles from home while trying to receive your college education.

But this is life for 29-year-old Rochester College freshman, Priscila Lira. And getting to RC from São Paulo, Brazil wasn’t an easy journey.

Lira says she would never have imagined her current life just a few years ago when she was living as a housewife. Unfortunately, her path changed directions when her husband left her after seven years of marriage.

Looking back, Lira says, “If I made my own plans without God, I wouldn’t even get close to what I have now.”

God blessed Lira with a supportive family, and soon she felt hopeful about her future.

When her older sister and brother-in-law,

graduates of Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, invited Lira to move to Oregon with them in 2011, Lira saw the invitation as an opportunity to start her life over, find peace and continue her education. She accepted the couple’s offer and moved to America in August of that year.

To help pay her way to America and pay for school, Lira’s parents sold an apartment they owned and gave half of the money to her. This encouraged Lira even more.

“My parents were willing to do anything for me to find peace and happiness again. I even remember late nights that I caught my dad bowed down on his knees saying prayers for me,” she said.

After living in Oregon for a few months, Lira enrolled in Portland Community College to begin learning English. It was around this time that another one of Lira’s sisters and brothers-in-law began assisting her with applications to Christian colleges across the U.S. One of the colleges Lira applied to and was accepted at was Rochester College.

The transition from Oregon to Michigan was tough; Lira didn’t know anyone in

Michigan and still needed a way to pay for school. But as usual, God provided her with a combination of international student scholarships and two on-campus jobs, one in Academic Services and the other in the Fletcher Center cafeteria.

Lira also credits the warmth and friendliness of the RC campus with helping her through the day-to-day struggles of being far from home and those that come with living with multiple sclerosis, which Lira was diagnosed with in 2012. “[Having] my family and my brothers and sisters in Christ praying and supporting me get me through life. I can’t stop my life because of MS; there is still lots to experience in my journey and I will go as far as God sends me,” she said.

Juggling school and work definitely help keep these worries off her mind as well. “I like the challenge! It renews my strengths: spiritual, emotional and physical. Without life challenging me, I would never have the chance of appreciating God’s love and seeing the enormous world surrounding us,” Lira said.

PAGE DESIGNED BY BETHANY HAGERMAN

WINTER 2014

A LongJourney Home

ter,

The Rage Comics charac Forever Alone

by AMBER JOSEPH STAFF WRITER

#foreveralone

It’s easy for our generation to get caught up in broadcasting our every thought on the ever-changing world of social media. Some people choose to over-share about their relationships, and some people have the opposite problem.

Enter #ForeverAlone, a plight that has infested the Internet through Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr.

In addition to social media, websites have popped up with names like, “forever alone together” and even foreveralone.com, where people compete to see who can be the most alone. Finally, there is the foreveralone meme, which started this whole mess back in 2009.

I admit that I find this meme hilarious, and initially, #ForeverAlone was pretty entertaining as well.

So why take something so funny and make it so serious? When did “single” become a swear word? Who decided that being single was no longer a temporary state but instead a commitment to being alone “forever?”

You might be one of these people who fall into this supposed foreveralone category, but don’t start adopting cats yet. As a college student, it is unlikely that your current relationship status will last forever.

Your life right now might not be an ‘80s movie, a country song or a Nicolas Sparks novel, but that doesn’t mean you will never find that sort

of relationship in your life. Just because John Cusack isn’t holding a stereo outside your bedroom window and Kate Hudson has yet to give you a love fern, doesn’t mean you’re going to be forever alone.

If you really want to find someone, posting this hashtag will likely only draw you the wrong sort of attention.

While I completely understand the need to complain about the fact that Honey Boo Boo’s mom is engaged, yet you’re still single, or that you made that milkshake, but no boys came to your yard, posting online is not the best way to deal.

Singleness may not always be easy, but you have plenty of time later in your life to date someone, while on the other hand, your singlehood might be going fast.

This all being said, let’s not forget to appreciate the truly hilarious #ForeverAlones:

“Perfect cuddle weather! low Good thing I have my pil pet #foreveralone”

“Happy Valentin e’s Day or Half-Priced Chocolate Eve #foreveralone ”

So, this is just a friendly reminder that you might be alone now, but it’s not going to last forever.

With all the snow, freezing weather and school cancellations Rochester College students have experienced so far, many have become experts on how to occupy their time on these bitterly cold days.

by ALLYSON HUEY However, some are still not fully taking STAFF WRITER advantage of all the beauty that comes with this wonderful winter weather.

So instead of complaining about the snow, here are some ideas for ways to spend your time inside and outside. The options are endless!

Indoors, there are countless card and board games to be played.

If you’re not in the mood to play a game, grab a couple of friends and have a movie marathon. It’s hard to go wrong with hours of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter.

There’s also the option of finally attempting that recipe you’ve been dying to try on Pinterest, a puzzle that has been sitting in a corner just waiting to be put together, or that entirely non-academic book you’ve been planning to read for a month now.

If none of these ideas sound appealing, you could also do some slightly less fun but extremely productive things, such as finally cleaning your sink or going to the gym like you’ve been saying you would for the past three weeks.

Of course, your options aren’t just indoors! This time of year there is likely to be plenty of snow outside.

The options out in the winter wonderland are only limited by your imagination. Snowmen (or maybe snow families) are just waiting to be built, and a few snow pets are as well. Or maybe you feel more like going sledding on a nearby hill.

Snowball fights are always a great choice, and this would, of course, require fortifying yourself in a snow fort.

Ice-skating and hockey are also options if you have skates. Or try to be the first to successfully make a snow angel without ruining it when you stand up.

You could also spend your winter day following some of the latest Facebook and Pinterest trends.

If it’s cold enough, go outside and blow some bubbles to see if you can make them freeze. Or perhaps get some snow and try concocting some delicious snow ice cream.

You could perform your own version of Disney’s new movie Frozen or try out “snow graffiti,” which only requires water, food coloring and a spray bottle. You could even draw countless tic-tac-toe boards and play to your heart’s content.

Or embrace the winter and remain warm at the same time by testing your artistic skills and cutting your own snowflakes from paper.

Whatever you do, inside or out, be sure to stay healthy and warm as you enjoy this Michigan winter!

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WONDERFUL Winter ACTIVITIES

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Olivia Butler

Olivia Feldman

My roommate just agreed with me when I said that I’m a horrible person.

Glad we’re on the same page here.

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year

John Larocque “Jesus, worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us. You’re the Son of God and man. You are high and lifted up and all the world will praise Your great name.” Anthony Evans

WINTER 2014

yesterday 5:17 · Comment · Like

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Kayce McClure I keep getting calls for a woman named Debra from an infectious disease doctor. They really need Debra to call back and I am now very worried for Debra. If you know a Debra with an infectious disease, let her know that her doctor is looking for her.

Jan 29 · Comment · Like

Katelyn Hargrave

Viktoras Merkevicius

It’s amazing how warm 30 degrees feels. I walked out of the apartment this morning and thought, “it’s like spring!”.... haha. You’d think it’s been super cold lately or something ;)

I usually don’t like those stupid motivation quotes, but there is one, which I kind a like: Two Things defines you - Your patience when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything.

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PLEASE NOTE

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Compiled by Bethany Hagerman. The Shield prints Facebook statuses as they appear when posted. To see yourself in the ”What’s New on Facebook?” recap next issue, become a fan of The Shield Online.

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-Ralph Waldo Emerson

by BRITTANY ARTIS STAFF WRITER

Nothing Annoys Me More Than: A Car That Won’t Start

Imagine walking out of the 80-degree tropical resort that is your home on a bitterly cold Monday morning.

After readjusting your backpack while balancing a coffee cup in one hand, you manage to lock the front door.

Once you’ve safely made it into your car and escaped the tundra winds sucking the warmth from your body, two things are stopping you from heating up: a key and an ignition.

Nothing annoys me more than the clicking sound my ignition makes when it decides not to turn over because a car with a dead battery or starter, coupled with alternator issues, is a huge pain in the tuchus.

First, car trouble will make me late for class or, worse, unable to attend at all. Although cutting class every once in a while is good for the soul, it’s not good for participation points.

Second, I have to play the “Guess What Engine Noise That Is?” game in order to coherently describe the problem over the phone. Unlike Chris Shields, my beat boxing skills are limited to that of a stuttering six-year-old.

Thirdly, the call for help leads to my favorite game titled, “Guess How Much You Don’t Know About Your Car?” Turns out that my brain doesn’t have enough storage space to remember those important details.

The relationship I have with my vehicle should be

photo by MONI MUSIAL

simple: I pour every last cent I have into the gas tank, and it continues to take me to my desired destinations.

I don’t think it would be too much to ask to have some type of telepathic communication with my vehicle so it can let me know when it plans on ruining my day.

As it stands, however, I have a check engine light, a gas light and a stubborn ABS light that will not go off no matter how many times I get an oil change.

Standing outside in the dead of winter and staring under the hood of my car as I pretend to know what is going on is not the highlight of my day. I’m telling you: nothing annoys me more.

The Myth Of The Poor College Student throughout my body.

Comatose though I may look to the outside observer, my mind is actually racing wildly through my future plans…plans that tend to involve graduating with a useless arts degree, failing to find even subsistence employment, and dying alone in a trailer at the tender age of 23 with only a mangy feline named Mr. Fluffy to mourn my passing.

In short, it’s not a pretty picture. And though I struggle to tamp this nauseous fear down, a part of me is still very, very scared of life after college.

However, whenever I approach college education from this light—a $25,000-a-year ticket into the already oversaturated job market—I cheapen my experience. Whenever I think about myself as a “poor college student” who probably shouldn’t buy that cup of coffee because, hey, I might need that money for rent in two years, photo by LAURA VAN CAMP

I mock a privilege I should be nothing but grateful to have.

A college education, I forget far too often, is not designed to make me money. It’s not meant as a free pass into the successful, big-girl career I envision myself having one day.

On Rochester College’s website, the school’s mission statement includes “cultivat[ing] academic excellence, principled character, servant leadership, and global awareness.”

Nothing is mentioned about the careers of which graduates are assured or the money they will make, and this is because a graduate’s projected economic success is not the standard by which a college may best measure itself.

Instead, college—and particularly this college—is obligated to instill in students the mindset that a worthwhile life can be lived by pursuing knowledge and justice both.

None of us can tell in advance what our future prosperity will be.

Perhaps having a college degree will lead to a financial payoff, or perhaps we’ll find satisfaction in undertakings that don’t pay money at all.

We may or may not end up rich. And we may or may not end up happy.

But I have noticed that my apocalyptic post-collegiate fears are only successfully quenched when I stop looking at a college degree as just an indefinite stepping-stone into the workforce and start embracing the immediate opportunities only college can provide.

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PAGE DESIGNED BY AMBER JOSEPH

by NATALIE REDMOND COPY EDITOR

Each semester, there inevitably comes a day—a day, I’ve noticed, that tends to strike suspiciously close to finals week—when I go into mini-life crisis mode.

I tend to spend this occasion sitting in my room, staring dumbly at my homework as I eat chocolate after chocolate to numb the feeling of panic that’s slowly permeating

13

AUTUMN : PITCH PERFECT PASSION

WINTER 2014

A

14

"[Autumn] has helped me find out who I am, what I believe and what my identity in Christ looks like."

- Angela Stabel

utumn is a season of change, stillness and grace.

Autumn is also the result of talented Rochester College students who join together to make music for many. Autumn is RC’s very own a cappella group, and they are gifted in both sound and heart.

Brianna Wilkinson, Morganne Bentley, Jalen Seawright, Angela Stabel, Kalita Zila, Matthew Burrows and Chase Davis are the seven members of Autumn, and they are led

by Director and Campus Minister Christopher Shields.

You can find them tucked away in Gallaher Center four times a week, rehearsing in the small-but-cozy music technology lab.

Here, the students meet to practice, pray, laugh and learn as a unit.

Freshman Matthew Burrows says rehearsals are “genuinely fun,” and he always looks forward to time spent together as a group.

Even though Chris Shields is the director, the students take initiative when it comes to arranging and learning parts to each new song.

“In arranging your own music, we have to be willing to let go of your own ideas and listen to others. The song doesn’t always turn out exactly how [one person] imagined it, but because of the collaboration, we end up making something better than we could have dreamed up individually,” Angela Stabel, junior, said.

Autumn is a highly selective ensemble and a long-standing tradition of Rochester College.

This year, Autumn has a set list filled with the music of Phillip Phillips, Rachel Lampa, Imagine Dragons, Pentatonix, Misty Edwards, Kelly Clarkson and Avicii.

In the past, they have performed in places as far as Washington, D.C., Kentucky and Ontario, Canada.

This year the group has performed at Troy Church of Christ, Gladwin Church of Christ, Trenton Church of Christ, and the group’s favorite, Michigan Christian Youth Camp.

This is junior Jalen Seawright’s third year in Autumn, and he is no stranger to the stage.

He has played piano around the metroDetroit area for over eight years and currently leads worship at four different churches.

Though Seawright brings experience to the table, he admits that “Autumn has helped me hone in on my ability to sing and perfect my gift. It has helped me become much more of a performer rather than just a singer.”

This summer, Seawright will take with him the lessons he has learned from Autumn as he sets off to Los Angeles, Calif., for the opportunity to record a free demo with Sony Music Entertainment.

Though this offer is certainly worth applauding, Seawright maintains an air of humility as he shares about his great opportunity.

Each member of Autumn has passion and a God-granted gift they are using for His glory.

The group takes time before learning a new song to discuss what they are singing. They deliberately connect their messages to God and each other.

“It’s cool to be in a group with a bunch of people who just love Jesus. We’ve been through so much, and we’re connected by something that we all love. It’s great to just be in ministry with them,” Burrows said. “[Autumn] has helped me find out who I am, what I believe and what my identity in Christ looks like,” Stabel said.

The relational, spiritual and musical dynamics of Autumn take the entire group to a new level.

Their performances combine melodies, harmonies and vocal percussion. Even if a member has a solo, he or she is always supported by six other voices.

Currently, Autumn is working on performing Avicii’s song “Wake Me Up.” One of the lyrics reads: “Feeling my way through the darkness, / guided by a beating heart. / I can’t tell where the journey will end, / but I know where to start.”

Circumstances change. People in the group graduate, say goodbye and are replaced by new faces and voices.

Regardless of what the future may hold, Autumn has this year upon which they can always reflect.

The members are gifted and passionate individually, but together they become a truly exceptional and irreplaceable element of Rochester College.

PAGES + PHOTOS BY NICK SIMONIS

by RACHEL TAYLOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Matthew Burrows

VOCAL PART Bass FAVORITE AUTUMN COVER

“Run To You”

SCHOOL DEETS Freshman undecided major HOMETOWN Brampton, Ontario, Canada THANKFUL FOR “ My family, friends and dogs”

Brianna Wilkinson

VOCAL PART Soprano FAVORITE AUTUMN COVERS

Michael Jackson Medley, “He Lives In You,” “Remedy” SCHOOL DEETS Super duper senior music + theatre major HOMETOWN Washington Twp., MI THANKFUL FOR “The opportunites I’ve been given at RC to further my skills in music/theatre.”

Jalen Seawright

VOCAL PART 1st Tenor FAVORITE AUTUMN COVERS

Chase Davis

VOCAL PART1st Tenor FAVORITE AUTUMN COVER

“Who’s Gonna Save/Don’t You Worry Child” SCHOOL DEETS Freshman music major HOMETOWN Flint, MI THANKFUL FOR “God’s grace + forgiveness of my sins!!!”

Morganne Bentley

VOCAL PARTAlto FAVORITE AUTUMN COVER

“Make Me A Storm” SCHOOL DEETS Junior music + psychology major HOMETOWN Rochester, MI THANKFUL FOR “The people that God has put in my life. I would be lost without them.”

“How Deep the Father’s Love” SCHOOL DEETS Junior business management major HOMETOWN Pontiac/Oxford, MI THANKFUL FOR “Jesus, my family, church and RC.”

Angie Stabel VOCAL PART Alto + vocal percussion FAVORITE AUTUMN COVERS “I’ll Run” SCHOOL DEETS Junior accounting major HOMETOWN Linden, MI THANKFUL FOR “Lots of things!”

Kalita Zila

VOCAL PARTSoprano, alto, vocal percussion FAVORITE AUTUMN COVER “Home” SCHOOL DEETS Sophomore youth + family ministry

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major, music minor HOMETOWN Beamsville, Ontario, Canada THANKFUL FOR “Jesus, my boyfriend, family, friends, education, hospitality, faculty, RC community, music and grace.”

15

Sacrifice Your Beloved

16

photo by CATHRYN MANKIEWICZ

Steven Cogswell is a new professor at Rochester College who started teaching microbiology this semester.

Cogswell received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences from Western Michigan

by ALLYSON HUEY University and his medical degree from Michigan STAFF WRITER State. He has worked as a U.S. Navy medical officer and served on the Medicine Residency faculty at Genesys Hospital as the education director.

Currently, Cogswell works in private practice by caring for elderly patients in assisted living facilities, in addition to teaching at RC. When asked how he became connected with RC, Cogswell said, “Last year, my wife contacted Dr. David Brackney when she felt led to return to teaching. When she was unable to teach the class in the fall, God’s nudge moved from her to me.” Cogswell said he “felt that the Lord was leading” him back into teaching.

“So far, teaching here has been great. I’m enjoying interactions with and reception from the students. The campus environment and attitudes of the students have been refreshing,” Cogswell said.

Cogswell most looks forward to “helping the students realize and appreciate the connections between science and God’s awesome designs.”

He says he is also excited to help develop the pre-professional programs at RC. Cogswell said he is going to be working on “beefing up” the pre-med program. He has been talking and working with Dr. Brackney on this project and hopes his medical background can help the program grow in new and exciting ways.

Personally, Cogswell said his life’s focus is on his family. He finds his greatest enjoyment in the time he gets to spend with them. His wife (who goes by Dr. Chirco to prevent confusion) teaches biochemistry at RC and in the past has been a family physician. The couple have three children: a 15-year-old daughter and two sons, ages 13 and 9.

Between work and home, Cogswell keeps busy. When asked if keeping up two jobs and raising a family is difficult, Cogswell said it definitely is, but he hopes the “longer [he teaches] here the easier it will get.”

Thankfully, Cogswell has some flexibility with his other job, as it is his own practice and his “office is his van,” which he drives from house to house.

As for hobbies, Cogswell said, “I’ve always been an avid reader. When I have free time, I also enjoy flying both remote control aircrafts and single engine planes.” Cogswell also has his own private pilot’s license.

Cogswell is a new, dynamic part of RC, and even if you don’t need to take his class and aren’t going into the pre-med program, do your best to meet one of our newest professors, who brings his love for teaching and students to our campus.

Editor’s Note: Steven Cogswell is also founder and owner of a Christian publishing company called Divine Inspiration Publishing. More information can be found at www.divineinspirationpublishing.com.

Devotional

WINTER 2014

-Dr. Cogswell

Sacrifice makes us uncomfortable. We accept Jesus’s sacrifice because it has a purpose we understand. But the idea of sacrifice in our own lives bothers us because sacrifice involves pain.

Genesis 22 relates the story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. God told Abraham to take Isaac to the mountain of Moriah and sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering to God. Abraham obeyed, saying, “Here am I” (Genesis 22:1).

He went to the mountain, built an altar and was moments away from sacrificing his son before God intervened.

Many people struggle with the paradox of God asking for a person’s death merely to prove a point.

Why would God ask Abraham to kill his only son, the son God had promised?

God had passed judgment on places like Sodom and Gomorrah, cities filled with evildoers, but the Bible doesn’t label Isaac as evil.

Because of this, many people have a problem with God’s request.

Trust is one of this story’s major themes. God had a plan and asked Abraham to trust His word. Abraham had to set aside his own doubts and give up his plans to submit to God’s will instead.

He had to decide if he trusted God to fulfill His promises, even without Isaac.

Another aspect to this story focuses on sacrifice. Isaac was Abraham’s beloved son and the most important person in Abraham’s life because he represented God’s answers to Abraham’s prayers.

God asked Abraham, “What are you willing to sacrifice for me?

Will you give me everything?”

Did Abraham put God above everything else in his life, even above his beloved son?

Sometimes we find uncovering relatable messages in Bible stories to be difficult. A story about human sacrifice? What in the world does that have to do with us?

Genesis 22 translates to modern life because it asks one basic question: “If God asked me to sacrifice something or someone I love for Him, would I do it?”

In Abraham’s case, the sacrifice was literal. But while that seems horrific to our modern point of view, it would not have been terribly odd to Abraham. His world was filled with violence done in the name of religion, such as babies being sacrificed to the Canaanite god Moloch.

Abraham knew that his God was not afraid to ask him to make hard choices.

Because literal sacrifice is not part of modern culture, and rightfully so, it is far less likely that God would ask us to burn something (or someone) on an altar for Him. Instead, He’ll ask us to sacrifice in other ways.

God may ask for the sacrifice of a relationship or a dream. He may ask for sacrifice on your career path or a passion.

You might need to sacrifice an obsession that is drawing you away from Him, like social media or a movie franchise. Or perhaps you have a dream that God has given you, but if He asks you to give it up for Him, would you do it?

Ultimately, it comes down to a choice: God or your earthly blessings.

“For now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (Genesis 22:12b.)

God was already planning to sacrifice His son for us. He wanted to know if Abraham would do the same for Him. Will you answer, “Here am I?”

PAGE DESIGNED BY MANDI KUHN

Helping the students realize and appreciate the connections between science and God’s awesome designs.

by SARAH ROPER EXPRESSIONS EDITOR

PURIM:

Purim is a Jewish holiday that falls between the months of February and March and commemorates the

by KATIE MARTELLE OPINIONS EDITOR Book of Esther.

This year, Purim begins March 14 and ends March 15.

Purim is celebrated as one loud, crazy party where everyone dresses up in costume and eats fruit-filled cookies called Hamentaschen that are supposedly shaped after the hat the villainous Haman wore. (They’re triangle shaped, so apparently Haman was part pirate.)

Last year, my congregation held a contest for best Purim costume and we had people dressed as everything from Willy Wonka to a gypsy to a bunch of grapes (true story).

Somewhere in the midst of all the laughter and celebrating, someone reads the whole Book of Esther out loud while all of the little kids cheer and boo when Mordecai and Haman’s names are mentioned, respectively.

Celebrating Purim by helping out those less fortunate than us by giving time and money to different homeless shelters and charities is also considered a mitzvah (good deed).

Purim is a loud, boisterous and busy holiday. It is frequently easy to get caught up in the fun and noise and exciting chaos

while losing sight of the true meaning of the holiday.

(And you’d think I wouldn’t have this problem by not celebrating Christmas! Just because I’m Messianic doesn’t mean I get to avoid commercialism.)

With Purim (as is frequently the case with holidays), there’s a significant story behind the celebration.

Esther was stuck in a pretty tough situation. When the Persian King Ahasuerus decided to kick out his first wife after she wouldn’t parade herself through his court for his drunken friends to admire, he decided he needed a new woman to replace her as queen.

Ahasuerus chose Esther as his new queen.

Before she went to the palace, Esther’s Uncle Mordecai, who had raised her from birth, advised her not to tell anyone there that she was Jewish.

This secrecy turned out to be a wise choice, as Haman, the king’s vizier, began to work his way into power and create a plot to completely destroy the entire Jewish race.

Though Esther knew about the plot, Persian politics forbade Esther to visit the king unless he invited her in first. Breaking this law was punishable by death.

With all of her people facing annihilation, Esther stepped out in faith and went before Ahasuerus anyway.

Spoiler alert: the king decided not to lop off her head, and Esther successfully revealed Haman’s plot.

The king had Haman killed for his treachery and the Jewish people were saved, hence the reason why Jews celebrate even thousands of years later.

Now, you’re probably thinking, “Cool story, bro…But what in the world does this obscure Jewish holiday have to do with me?”

At some time or another, we have all been in Esther’s position.

We have all found ourselves in situations where even considering taking a step forward was a terrifying possibility.

The way was dark and we didn’t know what was around the corner. We could fall.

We could get hurt.

Stepping out in faith is difficult because it is often much easier (and safer!) to stay within our comfort zones.

However, we can boldly move forward with confidence because our God is not uninvolved or apathetic toward our lives.

God cared about Esther’s life-threatening situation, and He cares about our struggles, no matter how small or enormous they may seem.

Whether the problem is emotional, financial, physical or spiritual, God is involved: even when it doesn’t feel like it.

God has never failed before, and I don’t expect Him to now. He’ll come through, perhaps right at the moment that I’m facing the king, bracing myself for that final, fatal blow—He’ll step in. He’s never late.

He was faithful for Esther, and He’ll be faithful for you. Trust in Him.

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PAGE DESIGNED BY JOSHLYN BOOTH

God’s Faithfulness Then and Now

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by MADISON KOLKE STAFF WRITER

As college students, it seems pretty clear that at some point we are going to have massive amounts of homework or other stressful things on our plates.

When these unpleasantries creep up on us, as they so often do, some college students

get to work cramming for days, trying to get everything done so they can get a minuscule amount of sleep before their next class. For the rest of us, however, Netflix always seems to be the right option when facing a time crunch.

Do you have a paper due the next

day? How important is homework when you could be finding out if Dunder Mifflin will make their quota for the month?

Netflix, of course, is not a bad thing; it actually has all of the spiritual benefits of yoga. Some people relax their Chi by bending into impossible human pretzels in front of their laptops while others find calm in clicking the ‘next episode’ button.

Sometimes our minds and bodies need a bit of relaxation before diving head first into another project, and Netflix provides a break from reality.

After a couple of episodes (or seasons), I find myself in an open state of mind where anything becomes possible. That math exam you need to study for? Easy as pie. Need to get a three-page essay done? Well...two-anda-half pages seems acceptable!

Netflix’s attractiveness probably has something to do with the variety of shows and movies available. On Netflix, there really is something for everyone.

The only downside to Netflix is that it does not include the current season of shows until the season has been fully aired on television.

Such waiting can be painful, which is why most Netflix users binge-watch eight seasons in one weekend so they can start the new season with everyone else.

Netflix can be viewed on your television if you have a compatible gaming system or a Blue-Ray player. It can also be accessed on most smartphones and tablets.

Perhaps Netflix’s greatest quality is its price. It is available for a low $7.99 per month, whereas an average cable company charges $79 or higher a month.

Theoretically, you could access more channels by purchasing a cable package, but invariably you end up watching the same movie 15 times in a row because that is all they offer on the schedule.

Ask almost any college student and you will be told the same thing: Netflix is absolutely necessary for that post-finals cool down.

18

“Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013), based on the second Frozen kingdom, frozen hearts and a singing snowman: book in Suzanne Collins’s best-selling trilogy, proves to the “Frozen” (2013) certainly lives up to its name. film industry that a movie starring a strong female character Sisters Elsa (Idina Menzel) and Anna (Kristen Bell) can be an enormous success. live enchanted lives. Princesses of Arendelle, they In the words of Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), build snowmen and play in the snow and

by SARAH ROPER ice….snow and ice that Elsa creates, that is.

“This trip doesn’t end when you get back home.” Katniss EXPRESSIONS EDITOR Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) may have won the 74th Hunger Young Elsa has a special power that quickly Games, but her life will never go back to normal. First, she must go spirals out of control, and she accidentally injures on the obligatory Victory Tour, and then she must face the Quarter Anna. Only with the help of mysterious rock trolls is Anna’s Quell and watch more children die at the Capitol’s hands. life saved, but her memories are altered in the process. Out of As Katniss struggles to re-acclimate to life in District 12, other necessity, Elsa’s parents lock away in her room, nearly severing districts see the turmoil and rebellion. the bond between the sisters in order to keep Anna safe. Over President Snow presents Katniss with a choice: convince him that the years, Elsa’s powers increase and Anna’s loneliness grows, her romance with fellow victor Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) is and everything comes to a head on Elsa’s coronation day. When real, or lose the ones she loves. passions run high, Elsa accidentally reveals her power to the Katniss’s PR situation goes from bad to worse on the Victory kingdom and flees to a faraway mountain, freezing Arendelle in Tour, and when she blatantly defies a Capitol peacekeeper in order the process. Anna, refusing to let her sister stay in exile, embarks to protect her friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), President on a quest to save both Arendelle and Elsa.

Snow decides that she, and all other previous victors who pose Joined by snowman Olaf (Josh Gad), ice merchant Kristoff (Jonathan threats, must die.

Groff), and reindeer Sven, Anna must melt both Elsa’s heart and her own.

Instead of mentoring for the Quarter Quell, the Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, “Frozen” replaces Tangled 75th Hunger Games pushes Katniss back into the (2010) as the newest Disney princess film. With gorgeous animation and arena. This time, however, Katniss is no longer an unforgettable soundtrack, some critics are calling “Frozen” the best just the Girl on Fire. She is the Mockingjay: Disney movie since “The Lion King.” Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s symbol of the rebellion. fairytale “The Snow Queen,” “Frozen” blazes a new path.

The final consequences of the Capitol’s The soundtrack features fun songs such as “For the First Time in immorality will hit theaters in Mockingjay Parts Forever” and “In Summer,” but the most striking and poignant song, I & II in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Enjoy your “Let it Go,” features Idina Menzel’s Broadway talent. Filled with positive debauchery now, Capitol, because the messages, “Frozen” is a movie for people of all ages. “Frozen,” a journey Mockingjay is coming for you. of self-discovery, brings a fresh, positive message to the big screen and captures the hearts of audiences worldwide.

PAGE DESIGNED BY BRAD FECTEAU

WINTER 2014

MELTS HEARTS

Student Government Scandals

photos by CAROLINE HUEY

Though governmental systems vary country-to-country, one factor unites them: all have seen their fair share of corruption throughout the years. Little did anyone suspect, however, that Rochester College’s student government is also prone to such scandal. Recently, an informant, who wishes to be known only by the pseudonym “Itchy Knee,” has come forward with the inside scoop on what REALLY happens behind the closed glass door of RC’s student government office. All of the stories that follow are 100 percent factual. True to

by NATALIE REDMOND journalistic integrity, I fact-checked Itchy Knee’s sources and found support for the evidence on Wikipedia. It COPY EDITOR grieves my heart to say this, dear readers, but there’s no doubting Itchy Knee’s validity now.

At the start of fall semester, RC’s student government struggled to fill vacancies in its executive branch.

After much consideration, Kalita Zila and Shelby Ramey were appointed activities and community life leaders.

However, recent information has come to light that finds Laura Corp, our once-beloved student body president, guilty of cronyism. As it turns out, both Zila and Ramey are Corp’s good friends, and neither is legitimately qualified for the duties her position requires.

In fact, Zila, activities leader, is involved in only six organizations on campus…hardly enough to qualify her for a position that involves organizing campus activities. Ramey, for her part, is a residential adviser in Alma Gatewood hall, and, therefore, clearly out of step with the campus’s community life. To handpick these women for their roles is clearly an abuse of power on Corp’s part.

should wonder how anyone as powerobsessed as Peper might fall out of love with Lorde’s song ‘Royals.’ ” Finally, Secretary Matt Sanders was caught destroying compromising photos. Sanders, when confronted next to the paper shredder in Campus Center, hesitated to explain his activities. Upon threat of arrest, Sanders relented, showing officers the remaining pictures. The officers gasped, then guffawed, as they gazed upon photos of Sanders in his awkward adolescent stage.

“People are always teasing me about my childhood photos,” Sanders said in a recent interview. “I just wanted the nightmare to stop.”

When asked for comments, the officers could only say that Sanders was “a very cute 13-year-old” and that “though not prosecutable, destroying such precious pictures is a crime in its own right.”

Family Ties, Tethers and Tears

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and her parents have always been close, but now that she is in college, it is harder to keep up their relationship. “We are not as close because I am not able to get to them as quickly as I need to, but we usually call each other several times a week,” Carey said. Although Carey does not believe her relationship with her parents has changed dramatically, she does say that it is more distant. She is glad that her relationship is transitioning from one of dependence to one where she can readily stand on her own two feet, but she does miss being able to give her mom a hug every day.

Sophomore Christian Frink has had a different experience as he moved from living with his parents to life on campus, where he has lived for the past two years. Even in high school, his relationship to his parents was atypical, due to his parents’ divorce and his mom living more than 2,000 miles away. “My relationship with my parents was very strained in high school,” Frink said. “I lacked the necessary communication skills that were important to keep a healthy relationship with them.” Despite the stressed relationships he has had with both parents, he believes that they get along better now that he is in college. He is still working on communicating with them and has made a New Year’s resolution to call his mom at least once a week.

College students might not be able to give their parents a hug everyday (or even every month), but they can make an effort to stay in touch and keep their parents updated on their collegiate lives. The bond between parents and their college students is far more important and meaningful than just financial support, and students will most likely find themselves attempting to strengthen rather than sever that bond as the years pass.

Almost all high school students dream of wiggling their way out of the house and getting away from the parental tyranny that suppresses them. They eagerly wait for the day they will be able to throw their caps in the air and declare independence.

However, little do these ambitious high schoolers know that not only will they be tied to their families for financial support for the next four to five years, but they will also yearn for the emotional support that family can offer. When their semester begins and the college starts asking for tuition payment, the bliss of new beginnings quickly wears off and the students quickly realize that they need their parents far more than they originally thought. Not only do financial burdens start to weigh them down, but midterms also loom and decisions between having a social life or furiously studying have to be made.

In a flurry of papers, pens, sweat and tears, this is usually when students break down and call their mothers.

Personally, I emotionally crumbled much sooner than the average college student. My mom and I have always been best friends, but when the semester started, I was so busy trying to make new friends, write papers, and get involved on campus that calling my mom became an afterthought. I realize now, a semester into my freshman year, that I can still talk to my mom at the end of the day.

I can still stay connected to her, but now it just takes more of an effort. Upon further investigation, I found that I am not the only college student who longs to stay connected to his or her parents.

Brittanie Carey, freshman, is experiencing something similar. She

by SHILOH COVELL STAFF WRITER

PAGE DESIGNED BY AMBER JOSEPH

The corruption continues when Vice President Kelly Peper is examined.

Desperate to retain her vice presidential role for next year, Peper has secretly established the Society to Keep Every Threat to Change Halted, known derisively as “SKETCH” by her opponents.

SKETCH’s sketchy activities have included breaking and entering into potential VP rivals’ dorm rooms and keeping a slush fund (which, when questioned, Peper weakly claimed was actually a fund she used for purchasing slushies at 7/11).

Shortly after questions about SKETCH began arising, Peper deleted five songs off of her iPod, which together totaled approximately 18 minutes. While no conclusive evidence can be drawn from this supposedly “routine” occurrence, Itchy Knee does wonder if the missing songs might have been significant.

“At least,” writes Itchy Knee “one

19

SEAN WESTAWAY:

photo courtesy of SEAN WE

STAWAY

Guard for RC, Guard for Christ “Being a missionary does not mean crossing the sea; it means seeing the cross,” Sean Westaway said.

For those that have not had the pleasure of meeting the “midnight watch” of Rochester College, this may come off as a pretty bold statement.

However, nothing less should be expected from a man who has had the privilege of guarding individuals such as President George W. H. Bush and Donald and Ivana Trump.

On campus, Westaway is the keeper of the keys, but others in various cities across the country see him as an ambassador for Christ.

There are many ways people can witness to one another. Over time, Westaway has developed a ministry mission that is unlike any other, sending out more than 600 personalized Bibles to people he has come across.

His ministry has reached many, including rock stars, political figures, boxing champions, legendary criminals and, of course, regular folks.

“I figure the Bible hasn’t changed since God gave it to us, [and] other than through translation, the message hasn’t changed,” Westaway said when asked why he chooses to send Bibles.

In his youth as a fledgling-in-Christ living in Newark, N.J., Westaway and a few others from his church helped a young inner-city missionary remodel small, unused storefronts for groups of local Christians to gather and worship together.

Westaway recalled that at the end of the project, the missionary was so thankful that he gave the hardworking group his own Bibles containing private notes and markings.

Looking back, Westaway sees the gift of those Bibles as encouragement. “[The Bibles are] just saying I want to encourage you. If you’re going through something, spend a week or two reading [the Word],” said Westaway.

He hopes that might turn into future Bible studies down the road.

Although Westaway could tell stories until he was blue in the face, many of the tales have a recurring theme: use moments that could be filled with idle conversation and turn them into opportunities to witness about Christ.

by BRITTANY ARTIS STAFF WRITER

In December 1997, while working as an activities director at a local YMCA, Westaway met Ted Nugent, also known as “The Great Gonzo,” and was able to share the Gospel.

A few months before Westaway with Motor City boxing legend, the celebration of Nelson Tommy “The Hitman” He th arns Mandela’s 85 birthday, Westaway was one of many to sign a large birthday card that would be sent to South Africa.

An address was also listed in case people wanted to send other gifts as well, so Westaway sent Mandela an engraved Bible, though he doubted it would ever reach Mandela himself.

However, a few months later, Westaway received an autographed photograph of Mandela casting his ballot in the 1994 election, as well as a Christmas card.

“Throughout the Bible we are told to be steadfast and hold our ground, and work toward God. It’s a perseverance kind of thing. One man can make a difference,” Westaway said.

When delivering this message to youth groups and small Bible study sessions, Westaway sometimes ties in the story of Tank Man in the showdown in Tiananmen Square during a protest of the Chinese military in 1989.

One man had placed himself in front of several Chinese military tanks, refusing to move one inch.

The Tank Man was a regular man carrying what looked like groceries. He was not a celebrity or loud-mouthed radical; in fact, news reports were unsure of his name. However, this anonymous man took a stand and held his ground. “Tank Man, in a way, defines the whole Bible,” Westaway said.

Although the students of RC might consider themselves Westaway’s top priority, he has encountered persons far more significant to modern culture than those gaining their freshman 15.

However, we are grateful to realize that God has prepared a man with a heart to serve not only Him, but also RC.

2020

PAGE DESIGNED BY JOSHLYN BOOTH

WINTER 2014

One man can make a difference.

MODERN-DAY IDOLATRY

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Whenever someone says idolatry, I picture the little golden statues that got the Israelites into so much trouble in the Old Testament and congratulate myself for being able to say I’ve never worshiped

by KATIE MARTELLE those.

OPINIONS EDITOR Poor, dumb Israelites, I think. (And I won’t even mention the early Christians in Rome who decided to give up Jesus for Diana and the like!)

However, sometimes we forget that Christians are guilty of idolatry on a daily basis…and I don’t mean the kind where we bow before stone gods.

Modern idolatry is whatever we place above God in our lives. It can be Netflix, Facebook, sports, or even a person.

I’ve had to purge my life of a few idols recently, and this process wasn’t pretty. I didn’t go all Moses and smash a giant golden calf, but it was pretty close.

I love music. I’m a horrible singer, but that doesn’t stop me from belting out songs anyway.

My taste in music is among the most varied of anyone you’ll ever meet. I’ll listen to and appreciate pretty much any music genre. (Though I’ll admit that rap isn’t my favorite.)

Recently, I had many different types of music on my phone, and I listened to them frequently. I didn’t have anything explicit on my iPhone, but I was listening to a variety of artists, mostly secular.

It wasn’t until I was scrolling through my library one day that I realized just how much secular music I had. My secular music choices heavily outweighed my Christian and worship songs.

Slowly, I realized that this music was distracting me from Jesus.

Through this music, I was pulling away from Him. I was stuck in a place where I had a choice to make.

It was no contest. I deleted the secular music and listen to strictly Christian artists now.

The point of this article is not to get you all to go wipe every artist other than Hillsong off of your iPod, so don’t write me off as the crazy Shield writer yet!

I’m merely suggesting that we all take a hard look at our lives to see what we’ve placed on our pedestal higher than God and then pull an Elijah and destroy it. (There’s a reason so many different people in the Bible destroyed idols. It was a big problem!)

Idolatry continues to plague us today. What may be an “idol” for some may not be for others; mine just happens to be music.

Other people may have different idols, but we all have something that distracts us.

The world will do whatever it can to pull us away from Jesus, and it will do so with whatever means necessary. We must be the ones to realize what those idols are and say no to them. Smash them completely and give up this trend of modern day idolatry.

We need to choose whom we will serve.

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The ice and snow have not kept the Rochester College baseball team from preparing for spring season.

The team met during the first week of the spring semester to work on

by SARA BEASON conditioning. The two-hour conditioning SPORTS EDITOR practices focused on improving flexibility, endurance and strength.

Additionally, the athletes have to complete a weight lifting program at Lifetime Fitness and attend a study group one night each week.

As is the case for most sports teams, the men’s baseball team expects to have some challenges.

Head Coach Ryan Chipka said that having such a large group in such a small practice space will require the team to maintain a high level of efficiency going into the season.

This is also Chipka’s first season as head coach, so the program is new for everyone involved. “It’s a learning process every single day,” Chipka said.

The season opens up on March 1 against Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. The team is headed down to Vero Beach, Fla. for its spring trip and will stop in Atlanta for the first two games of the season.

“Our guys are hungry…they love to work hard, and they love baseball, which makes it so much easier on the coaching staff,” said Chipka.

WINTER 2014

WARRIORS SKATE INTO UNITY

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The first-ever Rochester College men’s hockey team faced the struggle of being together for the first time but came out as a unified body by the end of the season.

“The team culture and closeness in the locker room really contributed to the team’s wins,” Coach Nick Tomczyk said.

Tomczyk said that he wanted to lay a foundation of culture during his first season as coach. “If we measure that as our success, I think we definitely exceed it,” he said.

Halfway through the season, when one of the team’s leading point scorers Matt Kadolph broke his ankle, the team rallied around him. “His support and his leadership have been good in the locker room,” Tomczyk said. “It has meant a lot for the team to still have him as a major influence.”

The team was also encouraged by the fans and even received compliments about the student involvement in the stands. “The overall excitement of being at the rink and having a group of students there…we fed off of that a lot,” Tomczyk said.

During the offseason, the players will focus mainly on getting stronger. This summer, the men will be required to keep a log of their strength exercises.

Tomczyk hopes to get more bodies on the team that will add more scoring up front and deepen next season overall.

The program will also host two prospect camps, one on May 16-17 and the other in mid-July, for prospective players who are interested in joining next year’s team.

Draining Hoops For Titles WARRIORS WORK TOWARD SECOND TITLE

After winning the USCAA National Championship in 2013, Rochester College men’s basketball had high standards to maintain.

The Warriors began the season 3-0 in the Travis Bass

by LINDSAY BASLOCK Classic held in Rochester Hills, Mich.

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR From there, the team faced other colleges from around the country and even stretched its reach to Canada.

The team traveled to Montreal, Quebec, Jan. 17-20 to play in the Martin Luther King Classic, taking on State University of New York-Canton and University of Maine at Fort Kent where they went 3-0.

During the midst of this tournament, many players had record-setting games and all had a major influence in the weekend’s success.

Senior Stavros Schizas led the team to victory over SUNY-Canton with 29 points and 8 rebounds.

“My teammates did an outstanding job passing the ball,” Schizas said. “I was in the right place at the right time and was able to benefit from my teammates’ great passes.”

Senior AJ Burton also had a record-setting day against the SUNY-Canton by draining 27 points, going 9-14 from behind the arc.

Burton made nine three-pointers in one game, which is the highest amount for any single player in the A.I.I. Conference.

“AJ has been shooting the ball very well,” Head Coach Klint Pleasant said. “More importantly, AJ is the consummate teammate. He would be the first one to pass up a shot for the good of the team, and he just wants to win.”

Only a few more opponents separate the Warriors from a second consecutive title. “Each time we take the floor, it is an opportunity to improve and play well again the game of basketball,” Pleasant said. “All we can ask is that our team attitude and effort are hitting on all cylinders as we move into post season play.”

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL GOES 3-0 IN MONTREAL

After returning from a three-day tournament in Montreal, Quebec, the RC women’s basketball team experienced quite the high.

The Warriors finished 3-0 at the Martin Luther King Classic, which gave them an incredible confidence boost.

They stormed in right away, routing the State University of New York at Canton Kangaroos 75-33.

Junior Kari Burton and senior Keala Kaaikala led the Warriors by scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Meagan Heiden, sophomore Sam Charney and freshman Tiffany Misch followed, each scoring nine points.

During the next two days, they faced the University of Maine at Fort Kent Bengals where they once again had two wins.

On the first day, they beat UMFK 92-77, and Heiden led the team with a career high of 27 points and 10 rebounds.

On the second day, the Warriors won 80-72. Kaaikala led the team with 22 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks and 4 steals.

Showing another powerful influence in the game was senior Jazzmone Russell, who had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

“It was a great team win and everyone gave great effort,” Russell said.

“Everyone played hard and without every piece to the puzzle we wouldn’t be successful.”

The rest of the season consists of the A.I.I Conference Tournament in Clinton, IA and the USCAA National Championship Tournament in Uniontown, PA. “The biggest and most important goal that we have as a team is winning a national championship ring,” Russell said.

PAGE DESIGNED BY AMBER JOSEPH

BASEBALL TEAM SWINGS INTO ACTION

As sports players, we build athletic foundations at a young age.

Throughout our lives,

by LINDSAY BASLOCK we attempt to emulate ASST. SPORTS EDITOR professional athletes and dream of playing on the same fields as they do.

In reality, however, only a few get to actualize that dream, and at a certain point in one’s sports career, the game is left behind and new dreams are created.

Approximately 420,000 young adults in the United States each year have the opportunity to play their sport at the collegiate level.

If our chances of playing professionally later are so slim, why do we continue to play?

For many players, the reason they play at a collegiate level is because of the tremendous passion they have for their game.

On the other hand, many athletes have protested that they should get paid to play their sport in college.

Although the NCAA has looked into the possibility of paying their student athletes, if we look past players’ feelings of what they should or should not be compensated for, we can be reminded of the true beauty of the game.

Yes, athletes do receive scholarship money for college, but the reason they got to that level in the first place is because of the dedication they put into the game they love.

For many athletes, their athletic dreams started from the enjoyment of playing a simple sport.

“I’ve been playing golf my whole life.

Just having the opportunity to play at the collegiate level is enough for me,” freshman golfer Kristin Loiselle said.

If a love for the game is enough reason for college athletes to continue in their sports, then why is there still push for more compensation?

“I play for the love I have for the game.

I also play for the people on my team. They are like family to me and are some of my best friends,” freshman soccer player Sarah Tomkowiak said.

While there is a fine line between collegiate and professional sports, mainly because one is paid and the other is not, collegiate athletes can also be distinguished by their love of the game.

They may have the talent to get to a professional level, but it’s their pure love for the game that keeps them playing.

SHOULD STUDENT ATHLETES BE PAID?

Recently, a debate has been ongoing in the world of collegiate sports over whether or not college athletes should receive payment for participating in sports.

I cannot help but giggle every time I hear a college athlete groaning about not receiving a paycheck for being on a sports team.

The reality of the matter is that most student athletes are paid

by SARA BEASON thousands of dollars each semester. That money is just contracted to be SPORTS EDITOR used for school tuition.

Superb student athletes even have the opportunity for scoring scholarships that provide them with a hefty refund at the end of school if they use their money wisely.

Therefore, it is difficult to argue that school-funded food, housing and education are insufficient to pay for the 20-25 hours of training, practice and games student athletes have each week. I wish I only had to work that many hours to get what I needed.

But what if an athlete gets injured during college? His or her athletic career is over, and the excitement and passion are now limited for the rest of the athlete’s life.

This is a good point. Although an injury would be unfortunate, here is a reasonable counterargument: the school still helped pay for the athlete’s degree so he or she can be financially stable post-college.

That is like having a backup job that is just as reliable as your current one; that is financial insurance! Are we still arguing for a paycheck?

Here is another thought for the stubborn: most college students work lousy, inglorious minimum-wage service jobs just to pay for that same tuition bill while student athletes make news headlines for their triple-doubles during last night’s game.

I applaud the athlete’s accomplishment; I really do. I, of all people, enjoy following athletes and their success stories in the news. A triple-double in a college basketball game is something to be praised.

What also must be praised, however, are all the people who make college athletic scholarships possible. Many people donate to collegiate athletic departments so that student athletes can save money based on their sports talents.

Athletes are also being helped financially to do something they are passionate about. On top of that, they get to develop their skills and travel on the school’s dime.

Would student athletes rather be flipping burgers in a fast food joint for that same tuition?

Colleges give student athletes a great deal to be grateful for.

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PAGE DESIGNED BY STACY CATALANO

For Love Of The Game

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WINTER 2014

by DYLAN BOLE STAFF WRITER

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The Detroit Lions has selected a new head coach.

Jim Caldwell was chosen on Jan. 14 and held his first press conference two days later.

Caldwell brings “discipline and accountability to the Lions” and “knows how to work with quarterbacks and get the best out of them,” Jeff Saturday, a former player under Caldwell, said on ESPN SportsCenter.

These happen to be two qualities the Lions management was looking for in the next coach.

Caldwell was the first coach to interview for the position in Detroit and impressed General Manager Martin Mayhew and Vice Chairman Bill Ford Jr. with his detailed evaluation of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Caldwell first worked in the NFL as a quarterbacks’ coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001. Caldwell then became coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008.

In his first year as head coach he took the Colts to the Super Bowl, and he led them to the playoffs the next.

Caldwell’s latest job was as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens, and he was calling the offensive plays during the Ravens’ run to the Super Bowl last year.

Overall, Caldwell’s insight and experience with quarterbacks will be pivotal to Stafford’s rise from a mediocre to a consistent passer.

Under Caldwell, Stafford will constantly have an overseer pushing him to improvement. The new hire shows that the Lions’ management is confident that Caldwell will be successful in helping Stafford improve.

Caldwell also worked under Tony Dungy from 2002 until 2009 and Dungy has high praise for him. Dungy said he possesses leadership qualities and understands how to bring a team together.

He also “expects a high level of play and high level of carrying yourself on and off the field,” Chris McCosky of the Detroit News said.

These two statements reveal that Caldwell is focused and expects his players to follow his protocol of preparation, leading to discipline on the field and in the community.

His “sound football philosophy, intelligence, communication skills, integrity, and discipline,” said Lions’ President Tom Lewand at Caldwell’s press conference, are the building blocks that will take the Lions to the next level.

Meet Coach Obey Jaresha Obey accepted the position as Rochester College’s JV women’s basketball coach four years ago after herself playing for RC. Immediately after graduating, Obey volunteered as an assistant with the varsity team until she

by SARA BEASON accepted the JV position.

SPORTS EDITIOR “I had hung around long enough and when a spot in the admissions office opened up [they figured] this girl isn’t going away; let’s get her a job,” Obey said.

In college, Obey studied sports management. She was also a point guard on the varsity team, which made it to the championship tournament one of the seasons that she was on the team.

“After I completed my eligibility, I couldn’t imagine no longer being around the game,” Obey said.

Q&A WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE NBA PLAYER? Kobe Bryant IF YOU COULD BE ANY ANIMAL, WHICH WOULD YOU BE AND WHY? I would be a baby monkey. They are very smart animals, and people treat them like they are real children when they own them. No one messes with them in the wild because their parents are nuts and they always have a posse around them. Also, when I get the urge to slap someone, pull someone’s hair or steal their belongings, they will find it funny and cute.

WHEN PLAYING MARIO KART, WHOM DO YOU PLAY AS? I play as Wario because the guy is huge. I was never a big person, so playing as Wario is my only chance to use size to my advantage and ram people for no apparent reason.

PAGE DESIGNED BY MADISON KOLKE

JIM CALDWELL GOES LION

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DANCE MOVE? When I don’t want to put anyone to shame I keep it simple with my two-step.

I spice it up by adding a little shoulder action, and I frown and squint my eyes for visual effect.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FAVORITE SONG? Anything from Drake’s Nothing Was The Same album.

photos by RACHEL MILLER

VINCE ELLIS:

Two years into of the Lansing State Journal. Then, during the school at the University 2008-09 NBA season, he accepted a full-time of Alabama, current job as the Detroit Pistons’ sports reporter for Detroit Free Press sports the Detroit Free Press. reporter Vince Ellis was He said his first season with the team was a

by SARA BEASON unsure of which career memorable one, as his first major assignment SPORTS EDITOR path he wanted to take. was to cover the controversial Pistons’ trade “Like a lot of college involving Chauncey Billups and Allen Iverson. students, I really didn’t have any idea what I A typical game day for Ellis involves several wanted to do for a living,” Ellis said. responsibilities.

Two years into his college career, Ellis He first arrives to observe the morning decided to take a year off from school and practice, where players practice shooting and explore his interests. His dorm neighbor fine-tune the evening’s game plan. He uses had suggested that he join the school’s his observations of these exercises as the newspaper. Since it basis of his pre-game was an independent expectations column publication, Ellis was able for his online section. to write for the paper Ellis returns in the during his year off. evening for coach and After experimenting player interviews. with journalism, Ellis Before games, returned to Alabama as he enjoys casual a journalism student. His conversation about new career plan enabled the players’ families him to focus and get and other sports as better grades. well.

Ellis served as copy Once the fourth editor for the Tuscaloosa period of the game News at Alabama for four comes to a close, Ellis years. He accepted his immediately posts first paid internship as a brief report of the a sports writer for The game online. Then Akron Beacon Journal as a he interviews players junior in college. before submitting “My heart almost his longer column for exploded when they print. called and told me I got Ellis says about 95 [the internship],” Ellis percent of his work said. involves covering the photos by SARA BEASON During his internship, Pistons, but he also Ellis was able to cover occasionally picks up the Cleveland Browns, a Detroit Tigers series minor league baseball and local high school during the Pistons’ offseason. sports.

Ellis receives other assignments as they “It was almost a validation that I could do come up. For example, while covering a this,” Ellis said. “There is always doubt until Pistons road trip in Los Angeles, Ellis had the you get somebody to pay you.” opportunity to interview football coach Brady After graduation, the Ashville Citizen-Times Hoke when the University of Michigan was in North Carolina recruited him as an assistant scouting new coaches. metro editor. Two years later, Ellis became the In all, Ellis says sports journalism has many sports editor during a time period when he perks, one of his favorites being his ability to was one of the few black sports editors for a travel often and visit new places while on the nationwide daily newspaper. job.

Ellis later found a job as the sports editor

The Ball Is In Your Court For those who want to get in shape but dread going to the gym, there is hope.

If you get bored on the treadmill or simply hate

by SARA BEASON weight lifting, consider SPORTS EDITOR taking up tennis to get fit while enjoying the company of good friends.

Tennis is an excellent workout for beginners because missed swings will keep you constantly running the court. A good way to challenge your endurance is to see how long your group of friends can keep the ball in play.

In addition to heavy cardio, tennis provides an intense arm workout. The various types of swings keep both arms engaged. Tennis also works the core because the body continuously rotates through each stroke.

Furthermore, it is a low-risk sport for injuries because it is non-contact and requires mild joint movement.

Rochester College students have two exclusive opportunities to get into the sport of tennis. First of all, RC students with Lifetime Fitness memberships have easy access to tennis courts all year. Residential students are given a Gold Membership, which allows students to take individual or group lessons.

If a student upgrades to the Platinum membership, he or she will be able to reserve courts in advance simply for leisure. RC alumnus Jesse Stirnemann, who is a Lifetime tennis instructor, said he hopes to get RC student discounts for tennis in the future.

Individuals can take one-on-one lessons with an instructor that will help improve performance as well as deliver a good workout.

“I provide them with practical tools to help their tennis technique,” Stirnemann said.

Stirnemann said he looks at their unique game and finds the weaknesses in their strokes, giving them a solution to master their skills.

He also tries to provide encouragement and be relatable to them even outside of the game of tennis.

Another way for RC students to get involved with tennis is by joining the new men and women’s tennis teams that will be starting this fall.

Coach Sarah Johnston said she anticipates having eight players on each team and that there are still openings on both the men’s and women’s teams.

This will be the first year that RC has ever had a tennis program, and the teams will play at Lifetime.

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PAGE DESIGNED BY NICK SIMONIS + MANDI KUHN

LIVING THE DREAM

WINTER FITNESS:

25

EXPRESSIONS

In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.

Alfred Stieglitz

Light

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“Hi, my name is Judy, and I’ll be taking your order this evening.

What can I get you?”

“Um, I’ll take a PB&J but without the peanut butter.”

“Excuse me, but you’re missing an essential part.”

“Oh, right. Then I’ll take the chicken soup but without the broth.”

“Again, ma’am, you’re missing one of the most important parts.”

“Silly me, I knew that, too. Okay, then I’ll just have a chef salad.”

“Okay, ma’am. Anything else this evening?”

“Yes, please make my salad without lettuce.”

“Ma’am, why do you insist on ordering everything without the most important parts? Parts required to make the dish taste best, bring out the best flavor, and enhance it and show its goodness in every way possible? Without those ingredients, it is not complete.”

“Well, I’m missing an important ingredient in my life as well, in my heart. And until I can be complete and again bring out the best in me to show others my full self, no missing pieces…I don’t want to have anything complete. I miss my missing piece too much.”

“I see. I don’t know what else to say, ma’am.”

“Well, if you happen to find my missing piece, please tell him I’m still here waiting. I won’t be going anywhere without him.”

“Ma’am, I think I already have.”

“You have?”

“Yes, I believe so. This man you speak of, I know him too. And I know how to make him a part of you. See, his name is Jesus and he died for our sin. All we have to do is ask him and he comes in. He loves you so much with everything in his power. He never lies, and he never leaves even when we think he’s gone forever.

“The truth is, he is within us, and it is us who leave him by turning him away. If you don’t mind me asking, would you like me to pray? I do this every day. We can pray together to invite him in, and I guarantee a new light will shine in. He’ll be shining in you with all of his glory. And, honest, it will be the beginning of your story.

Forever will your life be changed. May I?” The waitress prayed with the woman, and she burst into tears.

Immediately the hole she had felt was gone, and her heart was lifted. She was searching for the wrong parts; she just needed a whole new heart, a heart made and covered by God. After a week, the best week of her life, the woman went back to the restaurant to thank the waitress for all she had done. But when she arrived, the manager said he had never seen the waitress of which she spoke. Confused, the woman left.

That Sunday she went to church and asked God to help her find the waitress, for he had already done so much for her. Two days later the woman’s mother died in her sleep. The woman asked God why he would take her mother when everything was going so well.

Frustrated that she did not hear an answer, she went up to her room.

The doorbell rang. At the door stood the waitress.

“What are you doing at my house? I went to the restaurant and no one knew who you were!”

“I was only there for you. God knew who you were before you knew who he was, remember?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with you?”

“In time, Julie, you will understand.”

After the woman received the comfort she needed, she turned to the kitchen to get coffee for the two of them.

“I have coffee on and—wait. How do you know my name?”

But the angel had already gone, leaving Julie with the comfort she needed and an answered prayer.

by RACHEL MILLER

by RACHEL MILLER

PAGE DESIGNED BY MADISON KOLKE

WINTER 2014

by KRYSTAL WARDA

The Passing of a Titan

by JOSEPH CANDELA

Ladies, Gentlemen, Family, and Friends, we are gathered today to honor the passing of a Great and Powerful Individual. An individual...No, a human, who has made us more than we could ever have been otherwise. From the moment I saw him, I knew he was mine and mine alone to befriend. He was a different color than the rest: pearly, pure white, rather than the cool black that surrounded him. I dropped my task at hand, immediately overtaken by his otherworldly beauty. I halted in my tracks, a small cloud of street dust whipping around me like a veil. I ran to the clear glass, pressed my eyes against the pane, and said...

“Mommy, I’d like that one, right there.”

And thus began the greatest friendship I have ever known.

Through his unique melodies, he laid us down to sleep, as our eyes drowsily shut, failing their mission to stay awake. By his entertaining games, we escaped from the droll, unforgiving world around us, living lives as lords of realms beyond our ability to pronounce. He seemed to warp the sunlight around him, glistening in the brisk summer air as he sang songs lifted from the lips of wise, pan-dimensional deities.

I held his hand wherever I went, through unforgiving institutions, one after the other. He was always waiting at home to comfort me, licking my ears after a day of verbal harassment. Steadfast, day after day, year after year. Patient, like a benevolent stone. It seemed the days would go on forever and ever. I truly believed they would.

We were holding hands, skipping merrily down the road, exchanging tunes and smiling ear to ear. It was a perfect sunny day, as usual. Then a gust from Heaven or Hell tore you cruelly from my grasp, twisting you around in the air. You soared higher than a free bird, and giddy, I assume. But the crash...Into the gutters of the road you splattered—red, white, grey, and blue...A small puddle stained with your color was all that was left of your majesty.

It was sudden. Too quick to even understand the weight of my loss, even while it was dealt out before my eyes. And it was so great that it took me far too long to accept his death. I did not see him perish; rather, I saw him alive and dead, both in the span of a second. Lightning takes time to reach our eyes; so, too, did this deed take time to reach me. I was still grinning when the tears began to dribble down my cheeks.

But I know that he has gone to a better place. His service shall not stop here but be put to greater use elsewhere. Maybe he’s become one of those lords he used to love so much. God Bless you, my friend, and may the lessons you’ve taught me rip me to the core.

I shall never forget the day I dropped my PSP in the water on my way to school.

Media has Replaced the Encyclopedia Conversations lost in translation Everyone focused on their Facebook friend limitations Relationships are weak 4 sentence messages are the peak Curiosity replaced by apathy Ignoring the family Libraries are closing Leading to knowledge

decomposing Leave prime time for the book The immense and driven insights may get you hooked.

E

Are you an artist, writer or photographer?

Submit your creativity to the Expressions pages!

Email submissions to sroper@rc.edu It could be featured in the next issue of The Shield!

My Guided Light

by DOMONIQUE MINTER

These shackles they hold me.

The worldly duties of my enemy.

Keeping me from the fate the Lord instilled in my heart, breaking me free from this life.

My life is dead, my sinful life that is.

It is binded to the angels in the sky, the whisper of his voice, “Come to me, my child.”

HE is the light that I didn’t have.

In darkness, I am not binded, for his voice holds tight to my ear and his hand I feel carrying me through these shadows.

The expectations of the superficial world can’t capture me and make me its slave anymore.

For the beauty of the Lord is my light, who is guiding me through.

When you are weary, lost in deep depression, open up the shade and let the light shine in.

He is my guided light…

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by DYLAN BOLE

by LAUREN PEARCY

27

the events we’ll remember the people we’ll never forget the stories we’ll retell

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