The VISTA - Fall 2012

R FI ST S IS U

Fall 2012 Volume 109 Issue No. 1

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A new era of student publication at Greenville College

Š2012 The Vista - Greenville College - Greenville,

Fall 2012 | Volume 109 | Issue No.1

photograph by Logan Shaw

Content Editor.........................Wes Bergen Visual Editor...............Amanda Richardson Art Director.............................Logan Shaw Designers/ Photographers

Kristin Minshall Andrew Schreiber Joe Kam Alex Brandt Jessica Bolin

Staff Journalist.................Matthew Harper Writers/ Reporters

Beth Watkins Maggie McMurtrey Andrew Baugh Patrick Brown

Design Advisor..................Jessa Wilcoxen Writing Advisor.............Alexandria LaFaye Cover Photo............................Logan Shaw

The Vista is produced at Greenville College, located in Greenville, Illinois. The Vista has been designed using Adobe Creative Suite 6. Jostens, Inc., of Topeka, Kan., has printed 1,000 copies of this inaugural issue.

The staff would like to thank Greenville College, the GC Publications Board, Jessa Wilcoxen, Alexandria LaFaye, Deloy Cole, Norm Hall, and lastly all of the contributors, designers, and advertisers for their support.

4 | The Vista

Making the first issue of this magazine was a bit like skinny-dipping in December. We were vulnerable, nervous, and only vaguely aware of what was in store for us. Once we jumped in, we wondered what we were thinking. Yet now, wrapped in blankets & sipping cocoa, we’re glad we did it.

Friends, I welcome you to the new Vista.

Content Editor

Greetings, we hope that you enjoy the look of the new Vista. A group of 7 designers worked many hours to compile all of the articles into layouts of professional quality. This has been a unique experience for us; none of us have ever been a part of such a large group project, let alone an entire magazine. We hope you enjoy the new Vista.

Art Director Visual Editor

3 Title Page 4 Editor’s Notes & Staff

6 The Times They are a Changin’ Understanding the new format of The Vista and how it affects you 8 Mini Articles Campus Changes for the Better Grow Lettuce Winter Reading Finding Fun in Greenville 10 Freshman Thoughts Freshman Nicole Flynn shares her thoughts on arriving at GC as a freshman 12 Alumni Spotlight Yvi Martin listens to God’s call on her life to become a minister and the impact it’s had on her life 14 Fair Trade Fassion How you can make an impact by choosing to purchase products that are Fair Trade 16 Musical Chairs Big changes in college leadership postions this semester...But not how you’d think

26 The Christian Movie Conundrum Are Christian movies accurate in their portrayal of reality?

28 We’ve Got the Beat A history of popular music at Greenville College

30 The Balancing Act Senior Amari Mason balances a busy sports schedule with an equally busy academic schedule 32 The Myth of the Good Character Scholarship Do athletes get a secret scholarship from Greenville College?

34 The Tim Tebow Tumult Why do we place such a heavy emphasis on Tim Tebow?

Standardized Tests for 36 Differentiated Instruction Are standardized tests really the best answer for evaluating Americas’ students?

18 Traveling Abroad Stories from three Greenville College students who have been shaped by their experiences

38 Faithfulness and Patriotism A look at the relationship between religion and politics

20 Lifestyle Statement - Then and Now A look at the changes to the Lifestyle Statement over the years

40 Student Art Gallery Student produced paintings, photos, videos, poetry, and more

22 Taboo Tattoo Are tattoos on Christians taboo?

43 Alumni Artist Profile A look at the latest installation by alumni Katy Gilmore

24 There Will Be Marraige The myth of “ring by spring”

44 A farewell to the old yearbook The Vista | 5

Vista had pictures and names of almost all of the faculty and students, the extracurricular activities, clubs, sporting events, and other traditional features of a yearbook. The new Vista won’t exactly follow this format, but that is not to say that such subjects will be ignored. It would constitute a failure on our part not to include as much of Greenville College as possible.

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, freshmen and super-seniors, alumni and faculty, to the brand new Greenville College Vista! As you are sure to have figured out by now, this is not the Vista of the past. It is a bittersweet moment for you, dear reader, and also for us. Year after year, the yearbook’s popularity withered; so many Vistas were being printed and never picked up that it was perhaps just as upsetting to keep things going the way they were as it is to change formats. It could just be a sign of the times that a yearbook was no longer a successful venture, but the fact of the matter is that something had to be done.

And so, much like with the school’s newspaper, the Papyrus, which has moved to an online only format, some major changes have been made to evolve the Vista into something worth looking forward to, something exciting and fresh.

For those that loved picking up the old Vista every year, it might be a difficult transition. It will be for us too. But, chances are high that this new take on a Greenville College tradition will win all of us over. So, what’s new?

6 | The Vista

First off, of course, the Vista is no longer a “yearbook.” Instead, it is a once-a-semester magazine -- 48 pages of articles, pictures, and designs put together by an ambitious and talented crew of Greenville College students with the help of professors dedicated to making the Vista a relevant part of the Greenville College experience.

The new Vista features (and will continue to feature) profiles on alumni and students, analyses of campus culture, and reflections on

college life, all presented in a format with great graphic design and photographic integration.

In addition, this magazine also contains articles about a wide range of topics that are important to students at Greenville College and, hopefully, the wider community of faculty, alumni, friends, and neighbors. The old

Next, assembling the Vista is now a much different beast than it was in years past. The body of contributors is made up of many people from different majors and backgrounds -- from photographers to commissioned and volunteer writers to designers to digital media wizards. The staff wants the Vista to be an unprecedented magazine in Greenville’s history. The goal is to strike that difficult balance of informative but fun. We can’t do that in a book filled with page after page of ID photos. The Vista is a long- running tradition of the school, and it is the intention of everyone working for this publication to keep it running for many, many more years. The fact that this magazine will be out on a semester-to-semester basis should be exciting, as it allows for more articles, pictures, and various other features than was previously possible in the yearbook.

If you are a freshman just starting out at Greenville College, you will hopefully be able to collect eight of these magazines by the time you leave the school, recording the highs, the lows, the people you met and the events that shaped your years at GC. If you’re an upper classman, this magazine is, most of all, a new part of the Greenville experience, something unlike what has been available before the issue you

It is up to you, the readership of Greenville College, to help make this new Vista a success. The magazine might not be perfect, but

its got heart, and, we want you to know that we didn’t slack off while putting this together. It wasn’t easy by any means to take the school’s long running traditional yearbook and transform it into something altogether new, but it was a step in a direction that will hopefully engage the reader in a more meaningful way. Think of us as the phoenix from the ashes.

The magazine will fail without the support of the GC community. As you flip through these pages, you are sure to find something that you like, and, when you do, share it with your friends. Tell them to grab

their own copies if they haven’t already. This magazine was put together for the enjoyment of you and the rest of the Greenville College family. Yes, it was a lot of hard work. And there were multiple fast approaching deadlines and hectic meetings, but with your help it will have been well worth it. The original Greenville College Vista was a wonderful part of this school’s legacy. Help us make this new Vista the very same.

by Matthew Harper

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GC LIFE VIEW

are reading now. You may not be able to collect as many of these magazines in your time here as some of the younger folks, but you’ll be the ones who can tell future generations of students that you “remember back in the old days” when all you got were pictures of your classmates and professors, none of those fancy full-color graphics that those crazy modern kids get. And that’s kind of fun, right?

PATRICK BROWN

Renovations and remodels are popping up all over campus. One of the most noted refurbishments students might spy is the lower union. The union has received a new smoothie and shake machine, a coke machine — the only one of its kind for 100 miles— brand new floors and kitchen. The gentrification — or the out with the old, in with the new process — of Holtwick by replacing the old sinks with exquisite sinks in the bathrooms.

Redecorators are busy at Burritt Hall, too, on the first and second floors.

One of the oldest buildings on campus, The Langue, finally received

It’s where the magic happens, often literally. The noise, the smell of the grill, the quick, yearning glances between tables that seem to say so eagerly, “I know you’re here getting a snack instead of doing your homework. It’s alright, don’t feel bad. I’m doing it too.” As something of a Union-novice, I don’t know many of the unspoken rules that hold in the laissez-faire, Randian, post-Darwinian, heavily Freudian environment bounded laterally by glass doors and dorsally by the counter. One thing I think I’ve got is that it’s bad form to walk by the trashcan holding trash. People may ask questions, which, require answers.

Though I may be the blind leading the blind here, you could reply, “I’m using this to grow lettuce.” Yes, bombshell idea: growing lettuce in your dorm, only using things found in the Union (seeds excepted).

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some much needed attention with new carpet, a dry wall job and a new, modern paint job. New carpet in the Ruby E. Dare Library spruced up the place and the Armington Center’s bathrooms on the basement level underwent an overhaul as well. The Factory Theater installed a much-needed central air unit and last, but certainly not least, a digital media building was added just off campus. With changes happening all over campus, students will have a hard time keeping up with all the great new additions and improvements this year in Greenville.

WES BERGEN HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED: Order a salad and save the container.

Take the cup, walk outside, and gather some soil from the garden by the mailroom. Before dumping it in, use the pen to poke about 25 holes in the bottom of the salad container. Then dump. Press your seeds (try ordering online from rareseeds.com) just below the surface of the soil. Cut the lid off and put it under to catch drainage, then water from your cup. Keeping the soil moist, sprouts should come in a week. Harvest in 3 to 4 weeks, when the leaves are more than a finger’s length.

MITCH ALBOM

I AM THE MESSENGER Markus Zusak A story about Ed Kennedy, a seemingly unexceptional young adult chosen to become “the messenger” in his innercity neighborhood. His job is to find out what those around him need the most.

SELECTED POEMS Elizabeth Barrett Browning, has much to offer for lovers of poetry. She writes of love with honesty and sophistication, and whether you are in love yet or still searching, Barrett Browning’s poetry is certainly worth considering.

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS Agatha Christie In the dead of night aboard a stranded train, a mysterious millionaire is found violently murdered in his compartment.

Detective Hercule Poirot is determined to catch the killer before the train pulls into the station.

A compelling story about the precious nature of time and how often we take it for granted, The Time Keeper is the perfect book for a cold winter’s evening!

BETH WATKINS

Everyone who goes to Greenville College knows it’s not the average college, and some people may ask what students can do to have fun.

Some people prefer to sit inside and play card games, which vary from the complexity of “Magic: the Gathering” to the simplicity of “Go Fish.” For those who are more energetic and need to use up some adrenaline, they go with a more active approach, like playing a good old game of mattress wrestling or doing trick shots in Greenville College’s own recreation center. For those with a little bit of money on hand, thrift store adventures might be their cup of tea — thrift store scavenger hunts or who can buy the most unique item with a certain amount of money.

For students more intrigued by

outdoor crusades, many enjoy a game of ultimate Frisbee after a day of classes or even after Vespers.

Another strategy to beating classroom boredom is squirrel chasing. The sport of Par Core — or building climbing — is a popular option to cure midyear madness for those excited by outdoor crusades in the extreme. More fun things to do on campus include mud sliding down Scott’s Field on a rainy day, chair rolling — or sledding, if you prefer — down Burritt Hill and urban golf.

PATRICK BROWN

So if it’s a boring day and all the homework is done, for someone looking to just unwind any one of these activities is worth a try.

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THE TIME KEEPER

Freshman Thoughts By: Student Nicole Flynn

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olleges today are quite varied. You have your community colleges, your big universities, and then you have Greenville. A school that has strong values and wonderful support systems. In the end, I felt compelled to attend a Christian school. I just wasn’t sure where. I looked into five different schools, but Greenville always had the upper hand because my sister was here.

I had spent time on the campus, knew some people, I had never had a teacher pray in class and I thought and I sat in on a class, so I knew a bit about what it it was a great way to connect with students. He also was like. I also saw how much my sister had grown read a verse and the class discussed the verse and in her faith since coming here, which encouraged how it could apply to their lives and to the classroom. me to take a bigger interest in Greenville. What What a way to start the day! really sealed the deal for me was coming to spend three nights with my sister. I came on a Thursday The third thing that made me choose Greenville, after school. That night, she took me to Vespers was the community. I was here with her and her friends. I loved it. I “I raised my hands for three days and I already felt never imagined that students could worship together so passionately and and worshiped along- like I belonged. My sister’s friends freely on a college campus. I raised side my sister and included me and didn’t treat me my hands and worshiped along side her friends. It was like I was the annoying little sister anymore. In public school, I never felt my sister and her friends. It was the the most freeing most freeing experience of my life. experience of my life” like I had a place where I belonged The following day, my sister took and I never felt like I had anyone who me to a class with her. What I loved about the class shared and understood my values. Here, I feel like was that the professor prayed before class started. almost everyone has the same core values and it is Having gone to public school, so amazing to have so many people willing to come alongside me and build me up.

Another reason I chose Greenville is because of the size and location. I went to Morton High School, which has a population of about twelve hundred students. Finding a school that was so close in size was comforting to me. Greenville is about two hours and ten minutes from where I live, so it is far enough away that I will not get unexpected visitors, but close enough that I can go home when I need to.

My parents love it because my sister and I are both here and they can come see us at the same time. They were sold, I was excited, and

10 | The Vista

Our society tells us life is all about the latest technology, being popular, and looking good. And there is nothing wrong with using technology, having lots of friends, and staying in shape. But when it consumes us and our lives revolve around these things and others, it becomes a big problem. Many times these obsessions will turn into addictions, or they may become an idol. Most of society says there is nothing wrong with being of this world and having your own plans, however the Bible says otherwise.

Romans 12:2a says,

This verse tells us that we will not be accepted.

Reading this gives me courage. It helps me remember that Jesus experienced rejection and hatred, just as I have and will. And that is okay. This life is short and will be filled with difficult things, but Jesus told us to expect these things and throughout the Bible He gives us encouragement and shows us love. Being a Christian in today’s society is hard, but we can look forward to an eternity in Heaven with Jesus. And surrounding ourselves with other Christians who are walking out their faith helps immensely.

“Do not conform to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Hearing this encourages me to look at everything I do and think, “Is this what God would want me to do? Or is this what society wants me to do?” It isn’t easy to follow a God that we can’t see or touch, but the Bible never told us it would be easy. As a matter of fact, it tells us how hard it will be. John 15: 18-19 says,

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”

Get to Know Nicole

Nicole is a freshman student from Morton, Illinois. She is studying Social Work and wants to become a counselor when she grows up. Some of Nicole's favorite things to do are make crafty things like cards and duct tape stuff, hangout in the prayer room with friends, and listen to music. If Nicole could do anything in the world it would be to work at Mercy Ministries.

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GC LIFE VIEW

my sister was thrilled I would be here with her. I am so happy that I have a school that will support me and teach me how to be a stronger Christian in a world that doesn’t always value the same things I do. Being a Christian in this world is hard, but having a school that encourages us to do what is right is amazing.

Yvi Martin “I Want You to Go”

Pictured: Yvi Martin, husband Scott Griffen, and baby Ezekiel Griffen

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leven years ago with a Greenville College diploma in hand, Texas native Yvi Martin would probably not have pictured herself in Springfield, Missouri working as a pastor at Kingsway Way United Methodist Church. Although she felt led to follow God’s plans for her, Missouri was probably not what she had in mind. Yet isn’t that what’s great about life?

The roads you want to take and the roads God lead you to can sometimes be two totally different paths.

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Yvi knew at the young age of 15 years old, what God had in store for her. She attended a Free Methodist Youth Conference called, the “International Youth Conference” (IYC) in Colorado. Students went to seminars and workshops all week long. One of the workshops challenged students to find a quiet place and spend time listening to God. So Yvi found a tree and asked a question many of us strain over everyday: “what do you want me to do with my life?”

“I just sat there,” Yvi explained, “and within seconds it seemed as if it was an audible voice speaking to me

and saying, ‘Yvi, I want you to go.”’ She knew where wasn’t important at the time, just that her willingness to go was.

Yet even feeling at home, college is still a big adjustment, especially when you are in a new state and a new environment. “It was easy to get connected and get involved,” Yvi explained, “but learning to manage my life was really the big learning step at first.” She was also involved in the choir and soon adjusted to her knew found freedom. She took literary classes with Brad Shaw and Dale Martin and enjoyed some of her religion classes with Brian Hartley and Ruth Houston.

“After I graduated I wanted to go to Senegal, but God made it pretty clear that I was looking in the wrong place,” Yvi said. In 2002 she received a call from Bob and Alice Snyder, asking her to help them build a program for Greenville in Mozambique. “I said no, I don’t want to go to Mozambique,” Yvi admitted.

Alicetold her that they would give her a call in a week before they left to see if she changed her mind, and sure enough, a week later, Yvi was packed and ready to go to Africa.

Yvi spent 18 months in Mozambique and realized that she wanted to take more religion classes. That’s when she realized that seminary was her next path. “I knew the cultural piece of my calling,” Yvi explained, “but what was the religion piece that is the foundation of my faith, and how do I connect that with the people of different cultures that have a completely different understanding of the world?” Her curiosity sent her to seminary in Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. “Greenville College was the first safe place where I got to chew on my faith,” Yvi noted, “and that gave me immeasurable confidence going in to seminary.”

“Greenville College was the first safe place where I got to chew on my faith and that gave me immeasurable confidence going in to seminary.”

Greenville gave Yvi the chance to take a semester in the Philippians and jumpstart her mission’s career. Although she ended up declaring her majors as English and Sociology, which was a seemingly untraditional way to get into ministry, she used those skills and classes when she finally decided to go to Emory University for seminary.

Ministry for Yvi was a large reason why she was drawn to the Sociology major. “I was interested in people and how people work, and how different cultures do things differently,” Yvi revealed, “I knew that I wanted to know more about that because I knew I wanted to do things with international missions.” She always had a passion for literature, but didn’t realize the significance of her English degree until she took theological classes in seminary. “I discovered the way the narrative fits into our spiritual lives…our whole story [as Christians] comes from a book.”

Even though Yvi knows now how beneficial her majors were to her, when graduation came, she was as lost as every other college graduate. She moved

After graduation from Emory University in 2009, Yvi and her husband Scott Giffen (Greenville College Class of 1999) moved to Springfield, Missouri, to follow God’s calling once again. Although her work in the church is not completely international, her calling has not been altered. “I think the whole church is called to mission,” Yvi explains, “my calling is to help the church be the church throughout the world, not just inside their four walls.”

Yvi Martin’s story did not always have the clearest path. Yet her immeasurable trust in God always put her in the place where she belonged. This faith and her foundations of education at Greenville College helped make that path clear.

By Carolyn Fairbanks The Vista | 13

GC LIFE VIEW

Yvi had known Greenville College her whole life. “I was third generation on both sides of my family, but my family didn’t push me to go there.” So like any eager high school senior, Yvi explored her options.

She visited four other schools, some similar to Greenville, some very different, but she knew that Greenville College was the best fit. “It just felt like home,” she conveyed.

back home after graduation in May 2001 and found a temporary job in her hometown of Arlington, Texas, at an International Trade Administration. She learned a great deal about international trade, but knew that this was not where she wanted to spend her life.

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14  |  The Vista

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Risking blatant oversimplification, the penultimate goal of fair trade is fairness in trading (the ultimate goal, of course, is economic justice). The novel practice behind fair trade is that companies actively work to make sure their employees get what they deserve for their work. As responsible Christian consumers, we should be aware when we’re purchasing something whether or not the person who put their labor into creating that product is going to profit from our purchase.

One of God’s Ten Commandments to the Israelites, which Jesus later identified as the second greatest commandment, is to love our neighbors as ourselves. We wouldn’t be doing a very good job of loving our neighbors if we didn’t make any effort to see them benefit from the hard work they put into a product. In a world filled with child

laborers and sweatshops, we need to realize the impact our shopping choices can make, especially if we want (as we should) to show the love of Christ in our lives.

Take a look at clothing companies, for example. The fact of the matter is that many, if not most, are doing a poor job of promoting any sort of fair trade. Most of their products are made in foreign countries by workers making next to nothing for their efforts. If we walk into a store and pay $10 for a shirt that someone overseas makes dozens of for mere dollars a day, we shouldn’t be comfortable with that. Obviously we all need to have clothes to wear, and, especially as college students, money can be tight, but that doesn’t mean that we can ignore the needs of others. Not only that, but there are some companies that, when getting rid of excess stock, shred their clothes before throwing them out. Some of the companies have even claimed that they purposefully ruin the clothes before discarding them so that they can’t be found and resold – but how hard would it be to donate those clothes to charity?

Many of us growing up would take clothes we had outgrown to the Salvation Army or Goodwill, so why is it that big name clothing companies and stores can’t do the same? I’m not saying there aren’t good economic reasons for why companies shred their clothes; I’m just saying Christians should be wary of accepting them.

We are fortunate in that we live in a time and have access to technology that allows us to learn just about anything we want to know about a company (including its stance on fair trade) in a matter of seconds.

One organization, Not For Sale, has an iPhone/Android app called

Free2Work that can instantly tell you how a product you’re considering scores between A and F on modern slavery worldwide.

All you have to do is scan the barcode on an item with your phone’s camera, and the app will show you various categories, such as labor rights and transparency of their operations, and grades them. For you luddites out there, the same info can be found on their website, www.free2work.org. Some companies might be very open about their policies, but that doesn’t mean they treat their workers fairly.

Similarly, there might be a company that treats their laborers very well but they might not do a good job of making that information clear to the public. The app provides an instant answer to whether or not you should give your money to a company. In a world where we can discover such information so quickly, how can we consciously continue to support companies that mistreat their workers (or, in some cases, might indirectly support actual slavery)?

It is increasingly easy for us to help those in need. If we’re lucky enough to have iPhones and laptops, we should be kind enough to use them for something as simple as looking up whether or not a company is treating its workers fairly. Thirty seconds of reading about a product before you buy it can help you avoid supporting slavery. If we can check our multitudes of social media profiles, then there is no excuse for why we can’t take the time to help our brothers and sisters. The God of this universe told us to love our neighbors – if that can be as simple as pulling out your cell phone and scanning a barcode, how can we justify not doing so?

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College students love their causes.

Whether it’s a political campaign or a new religious movement, young people seem to throw themselves behind some new fad with gusto every chance they get. One cause that many would call themselves supporters of is fair trade, and, unlike most causes the average 20 year-old throws their weight behind, it’s a cause that actually makes a lot of sense, especially on a Christian campus like ours at Greenville College. Fair trade as a business practice fits extraordinarily well with what we as Christians claim to stand for. This isn’t meant to be an attack on those who aren’t currently supporting the fair trade movement, nor is it meant to say that this is the only way we can go about helping those less fortunate. It is, quite simply, a look at one way we can all easily go about making an attempt to support those who are struggling in our world.

Musical Chairs Big changes in leadership on campus inspire bravery

Who says administrators don’t know how to party?

Only that small slice of the population who hasn’t seen administrators playing high-stakes musical chairs, that’s who. This semester, GC administrators played high-stakes musical chairs, and as a result, our school witnessed some surprising changes in leadership. The stakes: anyone left with a seat gets a promotion, the odd man out moving on to bigger and better things. The rules: when Cotton-Eyed Joe stops, grab a seat, and get promoted to whatever position is written on the card under the chair. Bonus points are awarded for exhibitions of both character and service.

Promotions within Free Methodist institutions have been handled this way for years, which, until 2001, prohibited mixed bathing, dancing, and committees.

No one could have foreseen that Dr. Larry “Seat Stealin’” Linamen, favorited to win the 2011 Musical Chair Bowl, would take the fall. But every end marks a new beginning. With the end of one champion comes the reign of another. In this case, Dr. Randy “4 Legs” Bergen, an alumni from GC’s D-3 Competitive Musical Chairs team, found the Acting President card underneath his Samsonite and stepped up his career to fill this newly available position at Greenville.

“I graduated in 1984 with a degree in psychology,” Bergen said. “After graduating, I took a year off of

16 | The Vista

school and worked in the fundraising department in management. I had an office that was literally a closet.”

Amidst the coats and boxed photographs, realizing he wanted more from his life and his career, Bergen went on to earn his doctorate in psychology from the University of Illinois, following typical doctoral candidate musical chairs rules. For those unfamiliar, winners get Ph.D.s while the loser signs on at Starbucks.

“When I first started working here in 2001 in the position of Dean of Instruction, which is no longer a position here, it allowed me to work with the faculty to help manage the classes and make sure that all classes were available and worked with the schedule to help the students,” Bergen said, arranging a series of La-Z-Boys for that afternoon’s game.

After four years of working in the Dean of Instructions position, all the while dominating the musical chairs competition, the then-Academic Vice President resigned, allowing Bergen to move further up the ladder.

“A couple of years after I was promoted to Academic Vice President, I was approached about becoming the Provost here at Greenville” Bergen recalled. “These

In addition to having a working knowledge of 2nd century disses, Dr. Bergen is a devout Christian. He believes God called him to this new position and that God had a reason for all of his previous work experience.

President for Planning,” according to an e-mail sent to the Greenville College community last Spring.

Dr. Vickie “Ergonomic” Cook is also reclining into her new role of Associate Vice President of Innovation and Technology from her former position as Dean of the School of Education and Director of Online Learning.

Many others have also seen promotions at Greenville this year, such as Dr. Brian Reinhard, a.k.a. “The Swiveler,” now Dean of the School of Education and Dr. Brian Hartley, a.k.a. “The Wicker Rocker,” the new Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. Lori “Amish-Made” Gaffner will assume the role of Dean of the Chapel and Director of Spiritual Formation. Christina “Label Not To Be Removed Except By Consumer” Smerick, philosophy professor and Shapiro Chair of Jewish Studies, is now assuming responsibility as the chair of the Religion Department.

“I have enjoyed the past few years working as Provost and will miss all of the faculty I worked with,” Bergen said. Bergen also sports a near-perfect record at Faculty Noon Chairs, an H.J. Long tradition often overshadowed by the longer standing, more notorious, and more shirtless Noon Ball.

The president recalled all the great times he had working with fellow alumni and how he was very moved to hear so many of their stories. Though he will miss aspects of his former job, he is excited about his new role as Acting President. While “4 Legs” Bergen looks forward to his first year as Acting President, he is certainly not the only GC administrator settling into a new role.

Though Bergen’s position of Provost was dissolved, the approximately equivalent position of Vice President of Academic Affairs opened in its stead for the 2012-13 musical chairs season. Filling this new position is Dr. S. Bradley Shaw, who on the court is known as “The Seat-tan of the Ottoman Empire.” Shaw, who earned his Ph.D. from University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, sports an impressive publications record in addition to his formidable musical chairs stats.

Other big promotions happened as a result of the game. Some of these include Dr. Dave “Lumbar” Holden who will “become a faculty member and the director of our new Master of Arts in Education – Coaching program. He will also be the Associate Vice

No matter how big or small the promotion, be assured these musical chair players worked hard and played hard to get to the positions they now hold.

Discerning God’s plan for your life is often difficult, so asking big questions like, “Where am I going in life?”, “Should I take this risk?”, and “Is it technically cheating to mosey toward the chairs just a litle bit early?” challenges people of all ages and from all backgrounds to act bravely.

These faculty members are all brave people, not to mention being in peak physical condition. They have earned their positions and the respect that rightly goes with them. If you see them around, be sure to congratulate them, wish them good luck, and if you’re lucky, maybe they’ll invite you to play the game of champions with them.

By Patrick Brown The Vista | 17

LIFE VIEW GCGC LIFE VIEW

were the stepping stones for my changes.” Provost, of course, is an old school diss of Latin origin: from prodoceo (lit. to teach openly) and voster (lit. you), with the approximate colloquial meaning of “I school you”, or in context, “I school you at musical chairs.”

The title of Provost is the highest honor in the Illinois Synod of Musical Chair Players.

Greenville Students Ecuador

Betsy Wagoner Hoopeston, IL To say that my trip to Ecuador this summer was life-changing would be an understatement.

On my two-week trip, my mind and my heart were opened to feelings and thoughts I had never experienced before. I was able to look into the eyes of “the least of these” and see Jesus staring back at me. I was able to serve someone else, but feel like I was the one being served. I was able to spread the love of Christ through my actions, and not just my words.

Our team of students and faculty members volunteered at a school called Amor y Esperanza, located in one of the poorest neighborhoods of Quito, Ecuador. Despite the meager economic conditions in which they lived, I was blown away by the children’s hospitality, by their gentleness, by their sincere kindness, and most importantly by their genuine love for us and for one another. The children at Amor y Esperanza showed their love in what seemed the simplest, yet most genuine, of ways.

For example, one classroom would have to share just one glue stick or a couple boxes

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of crayons. Unlike kids in the United States, these Ecuadorian children were patient with one another, often offering a crayon to someone else before they would use it for themselves.

They were constantly thinking of someone else’s needs before their own. One day I was outside playing with the children, and it was raining. A little girl ran up to me and insisted that I wear her sweatshirt. I felt overwhelmed by her generous offer. I am an American who has everything I could ever want or need, and she was a poor, young girl who probably only has one sweatshirt in her wardrobe, yet she was the one offering her things to me.

I was suddenly reminded that I take the things I own for granted, and I don’t use the materials I have been blessed with effectively. I think the children at Amor y Esperanza have got it right. They live their lives fully consumed by Jesus, and their actions match the faith that they claim. The little worldly possessions they have, they freely give away to those they feel need it more. I am so glad I had the opportunity to venture to Ecuador this summer. I went with the mindset that I could help these children, but I came back realizing they helped me more than I could ever help them.

Uganda

Hannah Groves Greenville, IL I spent the spring semester of my junior year studying and living in Uganda, Africa. Unlike the emotionally saturated commercials that had shaped my preconceived notions of east Africa I was somewhat surprised to find that there was enough food in Uganda to feed its people, enough clothes for all to have several outfits (beautiful, colorful outfits I might add) and an opportunity for most everyone to receive an education.

I do not mean to paint a picture of ease and comfort in Uganda for certainly there is still need for medical advancement, clean water sources, etc., but there was not anywhere near the desperation or devastation in Uganda (at least where I was staying) that seems to bombard and desensitize much of the Western world. I found all of this quite fascinating.

What intrigued me further still were the celebrations in which I participated during my stay in Uganda. My classmates and I had an ongoing joke that Ugandans would make up holidays and find every excuse possible to throw a party, invite the neighborhood, and eat lots of food. Thoughts of materialism, stewardship, needs, wants, etc.

were continually rolling around in my mind. I began to think about consumerism in a new light.

It is true that Americans, in particular, possess and feel that we have a right to way more material wealth than is necessary and even biblical, but I want to address this issue of consumerism in a slightly different way than merely saying, “We have too much stuff!” (although I believe that is certainly true). While in Uganda I discovered a new kind of contentment and joy, a peace of sorts, regarding the issue of consumerism. I eventually realized that one of the reasons for this contentment was that I was simply thinking about material things less. There is an important distinction to be made here: I was not worrying about cutting back and having less material possessions (as many sincere American Christians are, for, of course, there is a need for this), but instead ‘things’ seemed to hardly consume my thoughts at all.

The Ugandans that I lived and interacted with understood how to not allow a lack of material possessions rob them of joy and, at the same time, they knew how be thankful for and deeply enjoy times of abundance. Sometimes, on our sincere quest to follow Christ and give to the poor as he commands, we swing the pendulum too far and join in with the disciples who scorn the woman pouring perfume at Jesus’ feet.

My hope is that, as Christians, we will be consumed with following

in the way of Christ and not consumed by consumerism – that material possessions will not be in the way of seeking God (through greed or through worry) and that we might join with the apostle Paul who says, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation” (Philippians 4:12).

China

Xu Li (Albert) Yuncheng City, Shanxi Provence As you know, China’s national economy has developed at a high speed, with its overall national strength increasing notably and the people’s living standards greatly improved. Even like this, most Chinese people’s concepts of consumption have been very similar. From ancient times, the Chinese people have valued the virtue of thriftiness; most ancient Chinese philosophers advocated that people should exercise thriftiness and frugality. These values were implemented so that the nation could become stronger and stronger. Even now, you can still hear a voice from the people who don’t want only average citizens in China to be more frugal, but who also expect the same from institutions and government.

permeating through China’s society and people’s thinking.

We can use Engel Coefficient to measure the living standards of urban residents. In the past several decades, the Engel curve of China is getting lower constantly, which means the living standards of China’s urban residents are increasing. Due to the increased living standards, people have spare money for other things besides eating. They are able to use that money to enjoy their life and do what they want to do. But most Chinese people do not use that money for themselves for enjoyment. They will save that money for the future life, like getting a new house, seeing a doctor, or meeting their children’s demands. Especially for Chinese children, they practically can get anything that they want from their parents, if their parents could afford it. So that is where money goes.

Even though the Chinese people’s concept of consumption is not bad, I still wish that they could change their mind a little bit. My wish is that they can enjoy life more and not just work for others. It also will accelerate the growth of China’s economy, so that China does not only make contributions to itself, but also to the whole world.

Those ideas, thoughts, and concepts are imperceptibly

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GC LIFE VIEW

Traveling Abroad

When you mention the phrase “lifestyle statement” around the campus of Greenville College, differing opinions will be given. These responses can range anywhere from “it’s fantastic” to “it’s the worst thing about going to Greenville College.” Whatever a person’s opinion may be, there is no denying that the lifestyle statement – and the continuing dialogue about it – is part of the fabric of Greenville College.

For those unfamiliar, the lifestyle statement is a set of rules that a student must agree to follow while attending the college. Like most other institutions, things such as plagiarism, violence, and the destruction of school property are frowned upon. However, there are other rules that show our Holiness heritage: gambling, smoking, and pornography are strictly forbidden.

Though the lifestyle statement has been around for a long time, over the years it has been amended and redacted. In the college archives, a list of rules and regulations from the early days of Greenville College highlights some of the practices of the past. For example, Rule Three states, “Cleanliness and neatness as to person, dress, room, and furniture is required in all cases.” Taking a brief stroll through Joy or Holtwick Hall shows that this rule, if it even still exists, is no longer enforced (no offence to the

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good lads in those dorms).

Several rules involving the inability to leave campus were listed. Rule Eight says, “Students residing in the building or boarding themselves outside will not be permitted to leave the college premises without permission from the president.” People are now free to leave the campus daily to go shopping or head home. Imagine being required to ask the president every time you wanted to make a Wal-Mart run.

Enforcing that rule today would be, frankly, ridiculous.

As a Christian establishment, faith is an essential part of life at Greenville College.

The tenth rule states that, “Students residing in the college are required to attend church on the Sabbath with the president and other members of the faculty.”

Were this rule still in effect, several Greenville churches might have to start hanging pews from the ceilings. While a Sunday skybox would be an interesting addition to a service, the sheer increase in the number of students attending Greenville makes this regulation highly impractical.

A Greenville practice still in effect is the mandatory chapel attendance policy. Chapel is an early morning worship service held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:30. A student is required to attend thirty-six of these services over the course of a semester. As one might be

If you ask a student what their plans are for a typical Friday night, they may mention attending a party or going to the Globe Theater. These were not always possibilities for Greenville students. Rule Twelve states, “Students are not allowed to attend theaters, dances, parties, shows, or social gatherings which, in the judgment of the president, will interfere with their progress in college work, or prove otherwise detrimental to their good.” What if this rule was still in effect in, say, 2004 when Shrek 2 came out? Every Greenville student would be deprived of a great movie filled with good moral values.

But dances? Surely Greenville College long ago lifted the ban on dancing, right? Well, they sure did…in 2006.

Just like the town of Beaumont in Footloose, “busting a move” in Greenville was akin to breaking the law just a few years ago. A major questioning of the usefulness of the rule happened near the end of 1997. Junior class officers proposed to the college that dancing be allowed as a feature of the year’s Junior/Senior banquet. As a result, the student government hosted a major debate about the issue.

Voting on the issue took place four years later in the spring of 2001. In an email on Thu, 03 May 2001, Norm Hall, Dean of Students and Leadership Development, revealed the results of the voting: Aye – 7, Nay – 8, and Abstentions – 3. The major

arguments against dancing “centered on the position of the Free Methodist Church toward the issue and the slippery slope of secularization.” Another point mentioned was that if this issue were resolved, the debate about drinking or another item would be next.

Despite not being repealed then, the wheels were set in motion. Dr. V. James Mannoia, the President of Greenville College at the time, decided that this issue needed to be examined again responsibly, but not when the campus was in an uproar about it.

Meeting with trustees and working in conjunction with the student association, a change in the lifestyle statement was finally made. On Sept. 1st 2006, Greenville College sponsored its first dance on campus. Though chaperoned, this was a major step for a rule that had been in place for decades.

The lifestyle statement is a cornerstone of Greenville’s community.

It’s an important part of how we identify ourselves. Unlike other colleges where drinking, smoking, and sex are widespread and often done thoughtlessly, Greenville, being an institution that is concerned with student’s moral as well as intellectual development, attempts to stop – or at least interrupt and provide time for reflection about – these practices. Does that mean that the lifestyle statement is perfect as is? Well, maybe not. As times have changed, so has the lifestyle statement. Our school’s roots in the Holiness tradition ensure that there will always be concern for our inner, spiritual purity. Careful not to confuse a contractual agreement with an actual state of inner purity, the institution must be deliberate with what rules it enforces, continually reevaluating and discussing what is important to being a well-rounded person of faith.

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able to surmise, this is no new tradition. Rule Fifteen tells us that, “all students are required to attend devotional exercises in the chapel at 8:45 a.m. daily.”

Some noticeable differences between the two are the removal of a daily schedule in favor of a more blocklike one, and a time delay of forty-five minutes.

“Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

1 Corinthians 3: 16 (NASB)

Today, tattoos are becoming common among college students across the U.S. One can generally expect private, Christian campuses like GC to be different than state schools, but in regards to tattoos, many show influence from culture. In fact, many Christians have co-opted tattoos by getting ones with Christian symbols to broadcast their faith.

However, this doesn’t mean that the idea of permanently etching art onto one’s body is accepted in all Christian circles, for both religious and secular reasons. These include reasons like not being career appropriate and a fear of needles or regret. From a religious standpoint, there are those who believe that it is a Christian’s duty to protect their body from being damaged or diminished. They believe that tattoos are, if not sinful, then at least a bad idea, and that the people who get even Christian ink are making a mistake. By contrast, there are those who say that tattoos can shed the light of their faith onto an otherwise dark world. In an interview, one of the members of Kutlass said that where he comes from, tattoos and piercings do not demonstrate rebellion.

In fact, he mentioned that the Christian Tattoo Association supports and encourages these tattoos.

Even on a small Christian campus like Greenville College, there are disagreements. Junior Chelsey Noe says “I think tattoos, in general, are acceptable. It would be hypocritical to say that only Christian tattoos are acceptable. I think that many Christians feel that tattoos are taboo, but I made sure that I felt strongly about my tattoo and that it meant something to me.”

...tattoos can shed the light of their faith onto an otherwise dark world.

On the other hand, Freshman Ramsey Woolard said that he disapproves of tattoos in general. He said “Your body is a temple for God, so you don’t want to destroy or cover up that temple. Getting tattoos or piercings is altering the temple that God gave you.” It appears that the most common rationale for Christians not wanting others or themselves to get a tattoo is that they feel that God creates people’s bodies in a perfect image. However, those with tattoos counter this thought by saying that they are helping to demonstrate the fact that their body is a temple by broadcasting or presenting their faith in God. The traditional feeling about tattoos seems to be fading, in no small part due to the large amounts of Christians getting tattoos as a display of faith. Like any controversial topic, there will always be proponents and opponents, and tattooing is no exception.

However, if our culture continues to proceed in the way that it has, tattoos will become even more prevalent among the general public and Christians must inevitably respond somehow.

If society continues to accept tattoos the way it has been lately, it would not be irrational to think that in the future, it will be common for leaders of the church to have one or multiple tattoos. Would it make a difference if the church congregation raised their tattoo sleeved arms to praise God, or if a youth leader displayed her cross tattoo while teaching children about the Bible?

This is the sort of question we are in the process of answering.

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The Bible says that a person’s body should be a temple that glorifies the Lord (1 Cor 3:16-7; 6:1920). It also discusses being grateful and thankful for the human body. Traditionally, this has meant that a person should not pierce, modify, or tattoo their body (c.f. Lev 19:28). It was assumed that tattoos and piercings were symbols of rebellion or revolt.

However, the modern Christian perspective has a largely different understanding than the traditional thoughts and opinions. Today’s culture is becoming more and more accepting of body modification, especially tattoos. One example is the appearance of “punk rock Christians” within the last few decades, which seems to have been spurred along by Christian artists such as Ethan Luck from Relient K, and Toby Mac.

There will be

Marriage The name most give it is “Ring by Spring.” We call it this and laugh for a few seconds, but the truth is that every single year, a quick glance at your Facebook or Twitter timeline will show multiple engagements or weddings involving Greenville College students. It never seems to fail.

Obviously, relationships, engagements, and weddings are experiences to be excited about.

They’re happy occurrences for the people in our lives, and being a part of these special events is a great joy. Here at Greenville, though, matrimony has a dark side. Dating, engagement, and marriage are an unspoken expectation for many, if not most, students.

When students first arrive at any college, they are immediately confronted with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of new people. Most of these new people are similarly-aged fellow students, but they also meet for the first time the faculty and staff that will guide them through their college experience. Many of the faculty and staff introduce themselves with brief summaries of their life or shortened versions explaining how they ended up teaching or coaching or working at the school. At Greenville, it’s very common to hear this kind of story with one element added in: “I met my wife/ husband during my time here at Greenville.” That on its own doesn’t add up to much, but when many Greenville students recall the speaker at their commencement stating that “many of you will meet your future spouses here,” it starts to become clear that maybe an unrealistic expectation of the

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By Matthew Harper

Greenville College experience is being formed.

Freshmen enter the gates of the school under the pretense, whether supported by data or not, that they’ll leave with a diploma and a spouse.

In the words of Kevin Dunne, a junior education major, relationships ending in marriage are “almost an implied expectation. It’s something they started talking about as soon as I got here.” He went on to say, “It’s unfair to have that looming over the heads of students. If a student doesn’t accomplish this, it might make them feel as though they missed out on something or did not have as full of an experience as they could have.” Dunne made it clear that, in the minds of most at Greenville, every romantic relationship should be leading to marriage. Likewise, maybe it’s not right to take away the basic idea of a relationship, which is to grow together, and it is eliminating the fact that not all relationships lead to marriage. “They try to foster the idea that every relationship here should end in marriage. Outside of Greenville, the whole idea of ‘Ring by Spring’ and marriage is less emphasized. I can see why they push this concept, but it feels like it’s being forced,” Dunne finished.

To be clear, obviously not all students will feel the same way. Many appreciate, and rightly so, the idea that relationships here will be taken very seriously, and that they have the potential to become marriages in their time here at the school.

Greenville is a school founded on Christian ideals, and Christians take the institution of marriage very

On the warmer days, it’s not difficult to take a walk around campus and see a couple holding hands or sitting on a bench, but that doesn’t mean that everyone is having success finding a significant other. First of all, it is, mathematically speaking, a pretty big challenge. The ratio of guys to girls at Greenville is not very balanced, with far more boys than girls in recent incoming classes. Add on to this the fact that many young Christians are awkward in how they deal with relationships or meeting people, and the chances of finding a long term relationship shrink a little bit more. Clearly, there is no rule saying that Greenville students can only date within their ranks, but when people are making statements that before students leave Greenville many will have met their spouses, most students won’t look beyond Greenville for a potential spouse. If marriage is the end goal, after all, these singles will be searching for someone with similar beliefs to them, and where better to look than the Christian college they’re attending?

“

experiences anyone could hope to have. It is a blessing to attend a college where so many meaningful, long-lasting relationships form – but why wait expectantly for four years? The worst things that happen are when students, being inundated with marriage rhetoric, panic about finding a spouse, and try to force a relationship that isn’t right. For every person that finds their spouse here, there will be multiple who don’t, and that’s okay. Both narratives of the college experience are real, and one isn’t clearly inferior than the other. I think Greenville College would do well to be intentional in the stories it tells about marriage, presenting in a good light the possibilities of singleness or marriage after college.

Outside of Greenville, the whole idea of “Ring by Spring” & marriage is less emphasized. I can see why they push this concept, but it feels like it’s being forced.

”

It simply seems unfair and counterproductive to instill in freshmen’s minds the thought that they will be married, engaged, or close to it by the time they leave Greenville. Four years of searching isn’t a very long time, and with unbalanced male to female ratios and developing college students, chances are that a lot of students won’t be leaving here spouse-in-arm.

Greenville College is a place of learning, both academically and spiritually. It doesn’t have to be a place where the pressures of a lifelong relationship are put onto the shoulders of students. Relationships are incredible, life-altering things. Marriage is perhaps one of the greatest

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seriously. Many don’t see the point of dating if it isn’t leading to some important end goal. However, with the topic being so commonly discussed, it could lead to the sense of disappointment or failure that Dunne hinted at, if a student does not find a meaningful romantic relationship while attending Greenville College. Whether done consciously or not, failure in dating and failure as a person are connected by much of Greenville’s rhetoric.

by Matt Harper

We’ve all got that aunt who sends us the trailer to the new Kirk Cameron film and tells us that “it’s going to be amazing” with about thirty more exclamation marks than necessary. However, both you and I know that the new Kirk Cameron movie is not, in fact, going to be amazing. It won’t be any good whatsoever, actually, unless it’s fun to watch in one of those holycow-this-is-so-terrible-I-can’t-takemy-eyes-off-of-it kind of ways.

We all understand why people run out to pick up copies of things like Fireproof, of course, but don’t we as human beings, and more specifically Christians, deserve better than that?

Yes, it’s great to see familyfriendly films with good morals at their center being released. They give more conservative Christian households something to sit down and watch together, but they also, for the most part, insult the very nature of film. Movies are meant to be art. They are images and audio

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put together in a way that hopefully inspires us to think, to feel, and to discuss the important issues of our world. When something like Facing the Giants starts gaining popularity in Christian circles it’s hard not to just shake your head and wonder why we, as Christians, don’t expect better of the people making such films.

there are independent gems by the dozen, such as this year’s Moonrise Kingdom from Wes Anderson. Christians never seem to get the gems, though. We get actors who are clearly reading their script while on camera and happy-go-lucky endings with bad contemporary Christian radio hits playing over the credits.

Obviously poorly shot, poorly written, poorly edited, acted, and directed films aren’t exclusive to Christianity. After all, the Twilight franchise keeps raking in millions and Michael Bay keeps getting deal after deal long after his creative spark (All-Spark?) has left him. But unlike Hollywood blockbusters, there never seems to be so much as a single great Christian film released in a year.

Each summer we get disasters like Battleship in our theaters, but there are always a few good blockbusters, sometimes even great ones (Marvel’s The Avengers, anyone?). And then

The problem, quite frankly, is that the makers of these films are so concerned with not offending anyone and making sure that no one says a “bad word” or commits any violent acts, that they ignore making any sort of important statements at all. You know when you start the movie that the good guy is going to win and, in most cases, the bad guy is going to be brought to the light.

We’re never concerned for the characters because there’s never any reason to be. Isn’t it quite possible that it would be better for us to strengthen our faith by watching a truly great film in which

Is it Christian of us to ignore the world around us and lock ourselves in a little box with whatever the makers of Courageous decide to bring us next? How is a young Christian going to learn anything from a movie where everything works out perfectly in the end?

And how does it make sense to only raise our children on films that don’t show them the perils that exist in our world? Oh, congratulations, we’ve made sure our children never hear a swear word; now how are they going to react when they have someone shout one at them on the street?

This kind of thinking is what needs changed. Christians should strive

to find Jesus in everything, not be spoon-fed movies with half-hearted performances that just happen to mention God a lot. At Greenville College, many of us have been lucky enough to take a film class (or three). The wonderful thing that happens in those classes is that students are challenged with films that might be outside of their comfort zone. Watching your classmates struggle to process Martin Scorsese’s infamous (in conservative circles) The Last Temptation of Christ is a more important experience than seeing how Kirk Cameron continues to trick that old aunt of yours into thinking that he can act. By watching a film that questions our beliefs, challenges them, or tries to tear them apart, we are actually able to learn and strengthen our faith. We can challenge what the film is trying to say, and, in some cases, even find morals or metaphors that the filmmaker might not have intended to put into their film. Wouldn’t it be better to

watch a film like Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko and discuss the Jesus allegory than it would be to watch The Hangman’s Curse and talk about how someone needs to take a few more acting lessons?

Step out of your comfort zone.

Don’t continue to watch movies that are saying the same thing over and over again if you don’t have to. Pick up something you’ve heard some member of your church badmouth or call into question.

Watch it, take notes, talk about it with your friends and family. If someone says a bad word or picks up a gun, well, that happens in the real world too, and you shouldn’t turn a film off just because something you disagree with happens on screen. It has always been and will always be better to be an angered but informed audience member than it is to be a person confused as to why Fireproof 3: The Reckoning wasn’t a bigger commercial hit.

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a character has to face real issues and real dangers? It seems crazy that someone would continue to bombard their senses with the comically disastrous releases from Christian studios instead of watching a, heaven forbid, R-rated movie with real stakes.

Ah, music. It makes the list of Greenville College staples. Music is a vital part of the Greenville College experience, as majors from Christian Contemporary Music to Mathematics will agree. This leads one to wonder just what type of music is popular among the students of GC. Strap yourself into that weird boat from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, because we’re about to go on a strange journey through time in our quest to discover the history of popular music at Greenville.

First stop: the present. The music that is popular today is more diverse than it has ever been. You can stand outside Janssen and hear rap music about a man who likes to make immodest amounts of money while someone walks by humming “The Desert Song” by Hillsong. If those aren’t opposites then I’m a rhinoceros. This, I believe, is a statement on the diversity of people that attend Greenville College.

Let’s jump back a decade to when the Now That’s What I Call Music! compilation albums were in full bloom. Chart-topping hits like “Whenever, Wherever” by Shakira, “Gone” by ‘N Sync, and “I’m a Slave 4 U” by Britney Spears were just a few of the illustrious titles included in discography. The Now! collections might have been huge on other campuses, but something else was going on in the CD players and Walkmans of Greenville College students.

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The Christian alternative to Now!, WOW Hits featured a variety of popular Contemporary Christian songs like “Joy” by Newsboys, “This Day” by Steven Curtis Chapman, and “Dismissed” by ZOEgirl.

Let’s go back another ten years. When someone says 80s metal music, what are the first bands you think about? If you said Stryper or Petra, then you’d fit in with the Greenville College students of the time.

Believe it or not, Christian metal bands were once popular on the campus. And, of course, mainstream glam metal bands like Twisted Sister, Mötley Crüe, and Poison were foreign to the students, due to an effect known as the “Greenville Bubble,” that is, the shield put up by conservative, evangelical Christians against secular culture.

Moon-walking back to the 70s, disco music was rampant among the American populace. People put on extravagant attire and golden medallions, headed over to their local discothèque, and boogied to songs like “Get Down Tonight” and “Stayin’ Alive.” Despite its

The 60s were a fascinating time in history of popular music in Greenville. The British Invasion, as one may or may not know, was a phenomenon where a group of rock and pop bands from the United Kingdom invaded the airwaves of the United States. The students were shielded from this assault by hunkering down inside the impenetrable Greenville Bubble.

This may seem shocking considering the amount of students today who profess their love for The Beatles, but back then the only beetles students knew about were those with six legs. If you were to mention The Rolling Stones, students would believe you were talking about the resurrection story from the Bible.

During this time period, Greenville students mostly just listened to classic hits from The Ink Spots from past decades.

A decade earlier, Christian music was the same as it had been for years. Gospels hits and classic Christian choral arrangements were normal listening for a typical Greenville College student. The “Hallelujah

Chorus” was a particularly popular hit. A student could start humming particular section of the piece, and five other students would soon join in to create a beautiful medley. Any other music like rockabilly or doo-wop was expressly forbidden. There is an apocryphal account of a student unknowingly listening to Buddy Holly and believing himself to be possessed. He was, of course, not.

In the late 1800s, back in the early days of Greenville College, Richard Wagner was an exciting new artist amongst the college students. After their studies, students would pull out their comically oversized phonographs and play some of his famous operas.

On Friday nights, students would don frock coats and stay up until as late as 8:30 at night listening to his Der Ring des Nibelungen. Though not all of the faculty approved of this newfangled type of music, their penchant for German nationalism allowed it to be played nonetheless.

Around 100 AD, students would actually make their own music. Playing a lullaby on your harp during shepherd class was a popular activity. Signing around a bonfire is an activity that is still carried on today.

Unfortunately, that is about all we know from this time period. The records that described the popular music then were left in Houge Hall when it was torn down.

As one can see, Greenville has had a rich and diverse interest in popular music throughout the decades. Though it has only been recently that more secular music has been accepted, Christian music is still a dominant force on campus. It will be interesting to see what type of music is considered “normal” in as little as a decade here on campus.

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popularity in society, disco music was largely unheard of within the friendly confines of Greenville College.

At that time, dancing was against the official Lifestyle Statement, so, tragically, disco was forbidden. It wouldn’t be until decades later in the mid 2000s that dancing was finally allowed on campus, though by that time, disco had been dead for many years. The magic that was “The Hustle” would remain forever unknown.

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times and bothersome at others, but balancing them is something that must be enjoyable first. I love being busy and feeling like people desire my assistance or presence at different places. Call me needy, but I think everyone wants to feel wanted.

A valuable lesson I learned is that if you have anything in your life that feels unpredictable, make sure you leave time for the unpredictable. For me in GCSA, sometimes this meant sacrificing personal relaxation time to know that an event or an announcement would go on without any problems.

Education classes meant time spent at another school even after I just had classes on campus.

Things like this fall into a rhythm and for most people, even busy rhythms can be easily handled. I was not so much balancing these classes into my life as much as I had to balance everything else

around them. Lastly, athletics, or in my case track and field, is the piece in your life that takes up what seems like the bulk of your time and energy. It can also often leave you feeling even more drained than you were before and leave you with doubt about making it through the next day. For things like this, I treat them as my playtime. In my life, track and field was, and still is, my relaxation and my socialization time. When things like athletics are taking time and energy you must put the positive in to get the positive out. So I go in with a positive attitude and often came out with a positive outlook and outcomes.

All in all, I did a pretty fair job of balancing things last year and I can say that no, not everything was perfect. Keep in mind that being successful at the balancing act is not about being perfect like the “above-and-beyonders,” and it is not about being busy like the “booked buggies” either.

It is about putting all you have, your talents, your expertise, and your skills out there for people to appreciate and see. If you apply that to your own individual balancing act, then those times when you are feeling overwhelmed (trust me they will come) you can just take a second and realize that it really it is all worth it.

I loved the balancing act I did last year, if I had the choice I would do it all over again and not change a thing.

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SPORTS

Everyone has things they must balance in life, whether it is to balance family and friends, or work and school. How do they do it? Some are what I like to call, “above-and-beyonders.”

These are the wonder children of our generation, and they are able to balance what seems like everything that you could possibly think of while still managing to volunteer part-time at the Simple Room. Then you have the “booked buggies.” Booked buggies are the ones who overbook themselves in all their activities to a point where they may be completing everything but they are invisible to the social networks.

These people I am sure we are all familiar with and you may even find yourself trapped in this web of scheduling at times. No worries – this is NOT a bad thing! However, there are always the ones that fall snuggly in between, though never staying too far away from either extremes of the balance beam. Last year especially, that “snuggie,” was me. Here’s what I have to say about my experience, and hopefully it can help you, too.

Last year, I was balancing track and field, elementary education classes and field experience, along with working on Greenville College Student Association (GCSA). Did I ever have a plan going into these activities about how I was going to be successful in everything?

No, and planning every second of your day out might not be the best idea either. Taking it piece by piece and day by day, the events in my life last year were hectic at

BY WES BERGEN Most of us believe the myth. We are convinced that the good character scholarship is Greenville’s way of giving athletes scholarships. Sure, we know Greenville College is a Division III school, so it technically can’t give out athletic scholarships. But, the myth says, that’s the beauty of the Character and Service Scholarship (a.k.a. the ‘good character scholarship’): on paper, it doesn’t have anything to do with athletics. It’s Greenville’s sly way of bringing athletes in. In fact, I know a friend of a friend who supposedly earned $15,000 for playing footb… er, their character and service, I mean. Yet, if that is true, then Greenville is severely compromising its integrity to improve recruiting numbers. I’ve tried to get to the facts behind the myth.

First, we need to get a picture of how scholarships at Greenville College generally work. I talked to Jordan Schneider in the Admissions Office who was able to make this clear for me. Financial aid comes in three types: federal, state, and institutional. Any student at any college in the U.S. can apply for federal aid, which can come in the form of either a grant or a loan. Federal aid isn’t specific to Greenville College, because someone at Mizzou or Princeton can get the exact same package from the Feds. State aid, on the other hand, is a bit more specific to Greenville. It’s only available to Illinois residents who attend Illinois schools. The MAP Grant is an infamous example of this. The aid in the

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last category, institutional, is all given out by GC to its own students. Greenville’s scholarships come in five forms: merit, departmental, need, legacy, and match. Without going into burdensome detail about what all these categories are, the Character and Service Scholarship falls into the merit category.

Merit scholarships are based on applicants meeting certain conditions like GPA or ACT and SAT scores.

Usually, merit scholarships are reserved only for high scores. Yet, the Character and Service Scholarship has some of the lowest academic requirements of any scholarship on the market: all someone needs is a 2.5 cumulative GPA and not qualify for any other merit-based scholarships. So, if I meet both of those conditions, regardless of if I’m an athlete, I will earn a Character and Service Scholarship. If there is any connection between this scholarship and athletes, it is only because athletes meet these requirements.

Even with all this new information, I still felt like the myth had neither been either debunked or verified. It seemed to me that there were still ways the college could use this scholarship to attract athletes. For example, the scholarship is on a variable pay scale from $500 to $5,000. What if the school just gave $500 to non-athletes and $5,000 to athletes? Or, what if the existence of a scholarship for anyone with a 2.5 GPA existed solely to attract more student athletes? While it is technically an academic scholarship because it has grade requirements, a 2.5 GPA hardly demands brilliant academic output.

Surely, I thought, the statistics would reveal the seditious nature of the Character and Service Scholarship.

So, I took my search to Marilae Latham, director of student financial aid. “Here is where the buck stops,” I thought. “She’ll give me some wild statistic, something like eight athletes receiving the Character and Service Scholarship to every one non-athlete, and they are all making $10,000

SPORTS

a semester.” The response I got, however, was far from the one I expected. She told me that the NCAA keeps a close eye on the ratios of financial aid disbursed between athletes and non-athletes in all of its affiliated institutions. Offering a loaded scholarship to attract athletes, like what the myth of the good character scholarship claims Greenville offers, would constitute a violation of NCAA rules.

So, every year, Greenville College must prove to the NCAA that it doesn’t give significantly more to its athletes. Looking at the statistics on the average amount of financial aid given to incoming freshmen, I discovered that, on average, student athletes only earned $886 more per student in institutional aid in 2011. In fact, in the past five years, incoming athletes on average have never earned more than $1,251 more than non-athletes in scholarships.

That was not what I expected to learn. Yet, the statistics listed in the report to the NCAA only account for all scholarships. They don’t say anything about the distribution of individual scholarships. Maybe the reason athletes qualified for so much money is that they all had Character and Service Scholarships. Maybe that scholarship is overwhelmingly given to athletes over other, non-athlete students. I asked this question to Ms. Latham, thinking I had just asked the question that would prove the truth of the myth. Again, the answer was surprising. We searched her database for statistics on this year’s freshman class, asking the computer to tell us who earned the scholarship and whether or not they were an athlete. We found that there were 114 freshmen receiving the Character and Service Scholarship, yet only 44 of those recipients were athletes.

Theses data-backed conclusions seem to challenge the myth that Greenville College gives out good character scholarships to entice student athletes.

Not only is the NCAA watching us to make sure we don’t give more money to our athletes, but the Character and Service Scholarship is given to more non-athletes than athletes. At this point, defending the myth seemed pretty hopeless. One final question, I thought, was my last hope. Since the Character and Service Scholarship is a variable rate, I asked whether or not the athletes were given more than the non-athletes. Because of privacy issues, I couldn’t do an in-depth search, but pulling several random samples from both athletes and non-athletes who earned the scholarship, I found that it seems to be pretty equal across the board.

And with that, I think, the myth crumbles.

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By: Matthew Harper

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The fact of the matter is that Tebow is far from the only Christian in his respective sport, let alone in all professional sports. In the past decade of the NFL alone there have been several prominent players to have been open about their Christian faith. For example, Jon Kitna, a former quarterback most well known as a Cincinnati Bengal and later a Detroit Lion, is someone who has consistently been open about his faith, even preaching on occasion at his local Baptist church. Yet Kitna never got any attention for his faith, despite the fact that he started at quarterback from 2001-2007 in the NFL, the biggest of all the professional sports. Sure, his name would pop up from time to time on a Christian website with him giving his testimony, but was he on the front page of ESPN? Sports Illustrated? Was his faith suddenly the talking point of the nation if his team happened to come back in the fourth quarter of the game? The answer is a clear and firm “no.”

Another huge name that has to be brought up is that of Aaron Rodgers, starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, a very successful team. Much of that success is due to Rodgers, one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks, who, believe it or not, is a devout Christian. He caused a little bit of controversy right around a year ago when he implied that Tim Tebow should tone down all the God talk and on-field prayers, but his reasoning was very solid. Rodgers is a fan of showing faith through actions. On multiple occasions over the years, even before the Tebow phenomenon, Rodgers has brought up the same quote from St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words.” Rodgers lives a life free of the kind of big time screw-ups that many pro-athletes constantly make the news for and is very open and honest about his faith when asked about it. He feels Tebow, though, is almost making a show of his faith.

Many would agree with Rodgers about Tebow if they examined his reasoning, but no one seems interested in digging into that reasoning. It seems that every time someone mentions Tebow in a negative light, Tebow fans go straight for “angry and argumentative” instead of “thoughtful and inquisitive.” This reached a bit of a pinnacle earlier this year when Tebow was traded to the New York Jets. Many people had somehow decided that Tebow was a strong enough quarterback to start in the NFL, despite the fact that nearly every expert, owner, and coach in the NFL disagreed. When they heard he was going to be a backup to Mark Sanchez and used sometimes to run, these people were outraged.

The problem is that people only judge Tebow on his faith. No one seems to care about his skill as a quarterback, which is the only thing truly holding him back. When he was put in place as a backup, people immediately started to blame the media and the NFL and the Jets for being against Tebow “because of his faith.” Tebow’s faith is inspiring and strong, yes, but it’s not what is throwing the football.

It’s not what has to make quick, important decisions on the playing field should he find himself behind center. If a person is applying for a job at a local fast food joint and doesn’t get it because one of the other applicants had more experience and better skills, does anyone really think that the person who missed out on that job because of their lack of the needed skills is going to be able to say that “you didn’t hire me because I’m a Christian” and get attention for it? That person didn’t get the job because they weren’t properly equipped for it. If they put in the time and effort, they could be.

When and if Tebow is ever ready to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, it will be because of hard work. To him, yes, his faith is a huge reason for him to keep pushing. But it’s not the reason his coaches have him as a backup. The same can be said for Christian athletes in all sports. Work hard and you might be lucky enough to play, even if right now you aren’t ready. Using your Christianity to get your name out there and holding it up as the reason why people don’t want you to succeed is not at all the proper way to go about things. And that’s something that Tebow’s fans, not the man himself, need to learn.

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s nice as it would be to stop hearing the name Tim Tebow a hundred times a day, that’s just not going to happen. His name seems to pop up in every story on ESPN, football related or not, and his legions of devout followers number in the thousands upon thousands. The reason, of course, is that Tebow is a very outspoken Christian. He’s someone the media loves to bring up to stir a little controversy and he’s someone that Christian groups love to talk about as being a great inspiration.

Why Tebow? Why now? Is Tebow really the first outspoken Christian in professional sports? And, even if he is, doesn’t something about his rise to the public eye feel a bit, well, off?

EDITORIAL BY JON BAIR

However, as Prof. Lisa Amundson said once, the American system of education is a large, heavy, slow steamboat and it takes a long while to turn. Researchers may learn something, but it takes a long while to disseminate that information amongst teachers, and then it takes a while for teachers to see the value of something that upends their tried and true strategies and beliefs, and even once they do adopt new measures, it takes years for these new measures to become general practice across the whole field.

While we have new ideas and philosophies on teaching the students with differentiation, making sure we teach to them in ways they can learn best, and while we are all buzzing about formative assessments that are small, often informal, and sometimes invisible that help the teacher gauge student

progress and make data-driven decisions on their instruction, there is an enigma. While the field of education is moving in beautiful, promising directions for the betterment of our kids (if our regional, state, and national governments don’t cut too much of the schools’ funding), there is a terrible breach of these new philosophies that still remains entrenched in our nation’s deep educational fabric.

They are so entrenched into our educational system that we may not even recognize them as something that shouldn’t belong, especially with the value we give them, in our kids and students’ lives. You may have guessed it: I’m talking about standardized tests. Whether it’s the ACT or the SAT or the PSAT or the Prairie State or the TOEFL or whatever hundreds of other tests it could be, I am convinced we have forgotten the proper place of standardized tests. Don’t get me wrong; I do not think that standardized tests are inherently bad, though I do come down on them pretty hard. Rather, I think we have turned them into something that is entirely invalid and unreliable—the two biggest determining factors in how good or bad an assessment is.

tests really measure the content of what we think they should know, or do they measure how good they are at simple test-taking strategies?

These questions are just a few of the many (I won’t even touch on the concerns about culture and background knowledge) that make standardized tests tricky, especially when millions of students are compelled to take these ‘gatekeeper’ tests like the ACT and SAT. And if there are questions about how appropriately the tests measure what we designed them to measure, there is no way we can say with certainty that these tests should have the authority to keep kids from college or from pursuing any given profession.

In the rest of the field of education, we have analyzed what we are doing and why we are doing it and made changes accordingly in our large and clunky attempts to do what’s best for kids, and it seems to me that it’s time to do the same with our nationalized standardized tests. They have a place (and it’s a small one at best), and we need to find that place and keep them in it.

Many students, perhaps even you yourself, have struggled with test anxiety. Many students know the information necessary to take a test, but struggle with translating their thoughts into multiple choice questions and answers. This brings up some questions about the testing system. Do our tests really measure the proficiency or the understanding or the abilities of our students who are brought to tears simply by the sheer terror of the test? Do our

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one are the days of teaching to the middle, and the days of passive students sitting in their seats, quietly receiving knowledge from the omniscient teacher are on their way out. No longer do we view our students in the field of education as merely tabula rasa, blank slates ready to be etched upon by the careful trained instructor. Instead, we know that each and every student is different, enters our classroom with different experiences under their belt, different sets of background knowledge and understanding, as well as having unique perspectives on what they do know. Now, our goal is to help that student become a lifelong learner. Now our goal is to help that student be the most they can be and to empower them to follow their dreams for their best and the best of those around them.

2012 ALUMN

EDITORIAL BY DAVID JUSTICE

hroughout my childhood I never questioned whether I was primarily an American or a Christian; I assumed that those two aspects of my identity were fully compatible. My Bible cover prominently displayed an American flag, my private Christian school faithfully recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and on the 4th of July my church proudly paid homage to the flag. Through my education and the growth of my faith at Greenville College, however, I have come to believe that we cannot so easily accept this post-enlightenment model for thinking about our status as members of the Kingdom of God. Prior to the Enlightenment, religion was understood to have civic as well as personal implications.

However, thinkers like Rousseau started a movement that eventually privatized religion and emphasized that the individual’s primary identity was found in his/her citizenship in a secular nation state. In this new model religion was permissible, but only so long as it did not challenge the political authority wielded by a nation. Authority was no longer rooted in the divine right of kings but in the social contract of the democratic state.

Despite the fact that I was raised in this context, I have come to reject the notions that the church ought to be subservient to the governing powers and that Christianity has no political implications. The Bible, the New Testament in particular, is full of political language, such as the fact that Jesus calls us to be members of an alternative kingdom, and the Pauline claim that Christ’s death has disarmed and publicly humiliated the powers and authorities of this world (Colossians 2:15). Even the Greek word translated as ‘gospel,’ euangelion, contains a political message. In the Roman Empire this word was used by messengers

to declare some ‘good news’ regarding the emperor. If a son was born to the emperor, or if a war was won, euangelion or ‘good news’ would be shouted in the streets as a celebration of the might of Rome.

Thus, when the gospel writers co-opted this word and used it to announce Christ and his coming kingdom, they were not merely declaring that Christ’s coming was good news, but also that Christ’s coming heralded the beginning of a new political order. The gospel writers realized that Christ’s life and message was dangerous to the predominant social structure, something that is still true of the gospel today.

What I am suggesting when I say that the gospel is political, however, is not that all Christians should be Republicans or that we as Americans need to support the nation of Israel, or any of a number of other claims in this vein. These sorts of claims presuppose that government is the primary agent for bringing about positive change in the world. Christians, though, have a long tradition that tells us that the Church is called to be God’s primary actor in the world, and that through the body of Christ, God’s Kingdom will be brought about. So, we are called to be political, but we are not called to participate in America’s civil religion, nor are we called to believe that God’s plan will be carried out through our political prowess.

What then is the Christian alternative to the politics of the world?

I think the answer to this question lies in a change of our mindset. I think we ought to take seriously the idea that we are resident aliens in this world, and that we are members of a different polis, the paradoxically simultaneous ‘now present’ and ‘yet to come’ Kingdom of God. This does not necessarily mean that we ought not to vote or participate

in the American political system, although it’s possible that a faithful Christian response to politics would be to abstain from participation in a corrupt system based on an understanding of power that is contrary to the power that Christ exhibited through his sacrificial life and death. It also leaves open the possibility that we ought to be participating in widespread civil disobedience, disobedience that reflects our allegiance to the cross of Christ. Ultimately, however, I am uncertain how to best live out my faith in America. I know, love, and respect Christians who are very politically active and also those who choose to abstain from politics altogether. The purpose of this essay then is not to prescribe one particular way of life for the American Christian, but to show that our allegiance is to our Christian faith, and that we cannot be faithful Christ-seekers without finding our political identity in some other source than Republican, Democrat, or American. Faithfulness to Christ also forces us to conclude that our faith is not a private matter, and that our membership to the universal Church ought to inform every aspect of our lives. In Christ, we have the freedom to say that voting, protesting, abstaining from American politics, and even participating in civil disobedience can all be acts of worship.

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Oreo Olivia Snyder Acrylic on Canvas

Stuck Garrett and Andie Rae 50 Hour Film Festival Winners

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Mixed Media on Photographic Ink Jet Carrie Sleme

GALLERY

Acrylic on Photograph

Walkabout Alawnna McDaniel Original Poem

Visual Quote Sean McFarland Digital Illustration

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The Dark Knight Logan Shaw Photograph

9-11 Sam Allen Digital Illustration Title Your Name

ld u o rk c ! o r w here u o Y be

Medium

If you are an artist at Greenville College whether you are an art major or create art as a hobby, we would love to feature your work! If you have a photograph, painting, drawing, film, sculpture, short story, poem, etc, all you need to do is send Professor Wilcoxen a digital version of your work at, jessa.wilcoxen@ greenville.edu, for consideration by the Vista design team. Please include your full name, title, medium, and dimensions (if applicable).

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GALLERY The Shape of the Air 2012, Aluminum screen, cotton thread 12 feet x 6 feet x 5 feet

ALUMNI ARTIST

Name: Katy Gilmore Graduated: 2011 BA in Art, BA in Mathematics, BA in Spanish

After Graduating from Greenville, Katy moved to southern California to begin the Master of Fine Arts program at Azusa Pacific University. Her recent solo exhibition, “The Shape of Air” took place in Heritage Art Gallery from September 10 - October 4, 2012. Katy works at the university in the missions department and will graduate in 2014.

A Note from the Artist: I collect data through daily rituals, mathematical formulas, and seemingly mundane information. These are quantifiable, observable phenomena. The shape of the air, essentially the negative space around objects, fluctuates in time. In an effort to visualize this fluid, invisible substance, I set permeable barriers for the air. At any point in time, the shape of the air inside the screens is observable and calculable. Moving air nudges the wires. Elements pass, move, leave. New air enters, pushes elements out of the way, waits to be pushed out.

“I want to collect the shape of air in time.”

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