November 2018

November 2, 2018 • Issue 3 • Volume 6 • thesaupulse.com

Onward and Outward: Breaking out to grow new communities

PREVIEW

TAB L E OF

CONTENTS

PROFESSOR PROFILE

E NR OL LM E NT CH A N GE S PA SE T U P

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E N G IN E ER IN G D EG R EE

PAG E 4

PAG E 5

C OMM UN IT Y P R OF IL E PAG E 1 1

GR OW IN G O U T INTO T HE W OR L D PAG E 1 2 - 1 3

T HE CLO U D S PL AY PAG E 1 6

F L AT LI N E PAG E 1 8 PHOTO PROVIDED BY Riley Weaver

LOGISTICS OF A F O OTB A L L TE A M PAG E 2 0

PHOTO BY Christi Waldo

A FUL L- F I E L D LOOK INTO THE SO C C E R T E A M S PAG E S 2 2 - 2 3

PHOTO BY saucougars.com

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thesaupulse.com • November 2, 2018

Editorial Staff During the week of his hearing, from September 23 to 29, Google searches for Brett Kavanaugh’s name peaked. Only four weeks later, from October 14 to 20, searches were down by ninety-seven percent.

This is not an isolated trend. Google searches surge when controversial or scary news breaks. Net neutrality saw a sudden incline and an abrupt drop, as did Hurricanes Irma, Maria and Harvey, Trump’s tax fraud scandal and the Flint water crisis. All peak when the news breaks and then decline as people lose interest.

Every day, the internet is flooded again with new media. This pace gives us so much to be angry about, yet compels us to move on from the crises of yesterday. We jump from one resentment to the next, without time to process these emotions, let alone act on them.

This short-term anger may engender what some perceive as action: ranting on social media, reacting to other people’s posts or adding temporary frames to Facebook profile photos.

But what does this accomplish?

One could argue that perhaps it spreads awareness, but awareness alone won’t solve the Flint water crisis or prevent a nominee from making it onto the Supreme Court.

If spreading awareness is not enough to begin solving problems, then the next step is taking action. And there is more than one way to take action.

There is the option of reactive action. This type acts out of anger and confusion.

In this case, the focus remains narrow-mindedly on the problem rather than what can be done about it. This tends

to be a dangerous catalyst for the blame-game, where no work is accomplished in the end.

Proactive action, however, combines critical participation with the ability to share opinion. It seeks to find and embrace the truth of the matter with the goal of peace and understanding.

Proactive action takes work and effort. We do not suggest that it is easy, or that it is possible for any person to take proactive action toward all of the problems we see in the world today. What we do suggest is that it is wise to find what causes are the ones in which you can make the most impact, can cause the most positive change or are most passionate about and not to stretch yourself beyond your capacity to work well for the causes.

Sometimes proactive action means going to a protest or calling your representatives. Sometimes

it means voting, sometimes it means researching and sometimes it means talking with people you know.

Jesus lived this example of proactive action throughout His life. He preached parables all the time, but when he wanted to grab the attention of others, he made his actions memorable, from flipping tables in the temple to sacrificing his own life.

We want to be proactive writers here at The Pulse, and spark conversations that encourage people to be proactive in the Spring Arbor community and beyond.

We hope reading about community clubs (pages 7 and 8), how people are cultivating community (pages 12-13) and how you can give back (page 14) encourages you to move in and out of Spring Arbor to act for lasting good in the world.

EDITORIAL

How can we be properly angry?

The Pulse Staff & Contributors 2018-2019 Editor-in-Chief Elise Emmert Associate Editor Celeste Fendt Features Editor Caralyn Geyer A&E Editor Nathan Salsbury Sports Editor Alex Anhalt

Sales Manager Kaelyn Hale Design Editor Makana Geppert Designers Kyle Davis Elise Emmert Celeste Fendt Nathan Salsbury Abby Hardin

Staff Writers Hazel Biggers Bekah Black Jared Bokenhauer Ellie Brugger Bekah Carter Emily Dimmick Brynna Henika Ash Knauss Libby Koziarski Kerrie Sparling Conner Williams

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News

e h t e d c n n a e t i r n e e p lm Ex l Changes in the Core o r PA 100 program n E Emily Dimmick | Staff Writer

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he Core experience is integral to Spring Arbor University (SAU) Freshman and Transfer life, and with the lower on-campus enrollment numbers, it looks different than ever. A clear marker of this change can be seen in the implementation of a Co-Peer Advisor (PA) system with two separate Core groups this year.

Cores 7 and 8, each with 17 and 20 students, have two PAs for one group of students. Ryan Bloom, sophomore, and Brooklyn VanderHill, junior, coPA Core 7 together. Riley Weaver and D.B., juniors, co-PA Core 8. This is a new experience for all four PAs. This change from the traditional brother-sister Core experience has come about because of a significant drop in the number of incoming freshmen.

Over the past ten years, the number has dropped almost 50 percent. Last fall, enrollment went from 292 freshmen to only 215 freshmen.

Though the co-PA system used to be the norm for Core, none of the PHOTO PROVIDED BY Brooklyn VanderHill

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current PAs have experienced it. They are all figuring it out as they go. Both sets of PAs worried about their students naturally gravitating into two different groups, essentially creating two Cores within one. However, they have found everyone has come together as one big family.

“It’s kind of weird not having a brother or sister core,” Bloom said.

“But at the same time, we are able to do everything together.”

Even though Cores 7 and 8 are larger than the average Core of 13 students, PAs and instructors have all formed strong personal connections. One way they accomplish this is through the mentoring and one-on-one process.

Bloom and VanderHill split up the mentoring by each selecting the students with whom they connected the most.

But they did not completely forgo the other half of the Core. All students were invited to schedule a second one-on-one with the other PA, and most have taken advantage of the opportunity.

We a v e r and D.B. took a slightly different route by randomly splitting their 20 students

thesaupulse.com • November 2, 2018

into perfect halves. They also invited students to meet with both PAs for mentoring sessions and have been pleased to find their students responding in the same way as Core 7, by reaching out to both PAs. For both Cores, the greatest advantage to having a co-PA manifested itself at Cedar Bend. Rather than one PA taking charge of everything, responsibilities were split, making the Cedar Bend experience less stressful for all four PAs. Bloom and VanderHill found the splitting of responsibilities at Cedar Bend came naturally, with each PA wanting to do what the other wasn’t inclined to. For VanderHill, a second year PA, the joint Cedar Bend experience was smoother than last year’s trip with her brother Core because of the continual presence of another PA. “Cedar Bend didn’t have to be all me, I didn’t have to know everything, and that was really nice,” said VanderHill.

The co-PA system only came about because of a drop in Freshman enrollment, and it is unknown if it will continue. Bloom, VanderHill and Weaver can all see the benefit to continuing the co-PA program, but also worry that future PA matching won’t be as smooth as this year’s. The future is still unknown, but this new experience may have opened a door for Core.

Online and global class options meet students where they are

News

Every Walk of Life Hazel Biggers | Staff Writer

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rom the very beginning, Spring Arbor University (SAU) sought to provide accessible, quality and faith-based education. In 1983, when SAU launched its online and global sites, it operated under the umbrella of that same idea. Nontraditional students flocked to the first Michigan school to offer online coursework.

According to Senior Director of SAU Global, Josh Wymore, three out of four college students today are not traditional students.

They are not 18-22 and not dependent on their parents. They may have kids, or they may not have come directly from high school. That is what makes online classes so appealing; it means students can have education on their terms.

SAU’s Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing Jon Bahr, said this is more of a reflection on the institution than the students themselves.

“SAU is well-positioned as an institution. We want to offer an option to the students, so anyone in any stage of life can have an education,” Bahr said.

Now, thanks to drastic changes in the economy over the last few decades, people are going back to school more than ever.

As the economy changes, skill sets change as well. Because required skill sets are now so diverse, more people

find that as they go down the road of life, they often need more education, a different degree or a degree they may not have had before. If someone needs to attain a degree later in life, they need a nontraditional setting that SAU global a n d

unheard of. According to Bahr, SAU was one of the pioneers for online college degree completion.

“We were one of the first schools in the state of Michigan to offer nontraditional evening and weekend type courses, so we have a long and rich history of offering coursework for students no matter where they might be in their educational journey, whether you’re a traditional freshman coming out of high school, someone who has a little bit of college credit who’s stopped out for a while or someone who went straight into the We want to offer an option workforce and then to the students, so anyone in went back to get a any stage of life can have an degree,” Bahr said.

As different education. needs and Jon Bahr, situations arise, Vice President of Enrollment Spring Arbor seeks to meet and Marketing those situations, to grow as a university and to invest in the lives of people from all different walks of life. online sites allow. Working Monday-Friday at a 9-5 job means a traditional classroom setting is off the table.

With the accessibility of the sites, it is more than feasible for people to return to school to better themselves and adapt to the changing world around them. Twenty years ago, the number of students on SAU’s sites would have been

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News

SAU Prepares For New Engineering Degree Jared Boekenhauer | Staff Writer

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pring Arbor University (SAU) has a wide variety of majors for students to choose from.

Included in the list will soon be Engineering, planned to start in the Fall of 2019.

Starting the new major has been discussed for some time by The Board of Trustees. The major has not existed here at SAU already due to the perceived costs. This perception was changed when University President Brent Ellis discussed the actual costs of the program with the president of another university.

After discovering the cost was not as high as originally thought, Ellis contacted

PHOTO PROVIDED BY arbor.edu

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Vice President of Academic Affairs Carol Green. Green then contacted Ron DeLap at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, now SAU’s Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, in order to develop an analysis of the actual costs of the major.

The first year of the major will be only freshman level classes taught by DeLap. The following year, freshman and sophomore level classes will be available. In order to save money and build the program, a new professor will be brought into the department each year.

“The freshman year is kind of an introductory year to engineering where we just introduce what engineering is to students” DeLap said.

Anyone at SAU already will be able to transfer into the major, but students will be limited to the available class levels.

DeLap said the initial emphasis of the major will be electrical engineering. He

thesaupulse.com • November 2, 2018

also said students will be trained for a plethora of careers. Some examples he gave were working for SpaceX, the automotive industry, working on phones or manufacturing.

The major will give students an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited degree.

This would cause the major to be a one hundred and thirty-four credit hours.

The ABET accredited degree requires forty-eight hours of engineering and thirty-two hours of math and science.

This with the general education classes required by SAU, brings the credit hours up to that amount. DeLap said it will be one of the most difficult majors at SAU. “Unless you want to spend five or six years here then you can double major; it’s even going to be difficult to do a minor,” DeLap said.

SAU has a strong emphasis on providing a Christian education for students. Engineering will be no exception to this practice.

“We wouldn’t expect to see our engineers going into, say, a job designing slot machines for Las Vegas because that does not redeem the world, that does not do anything good for the world. But we would see them building things like prosthetics that are going to improve people’s lives or developing monitoring systems for your body that can tell when you’re sick,” DeLap said.

News

Student Brings Together University and Local School Kerrie Sparling | Staff Writer

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f there is one thing that matters to Brie Couling, it is bringing together things that she cares about. This includes the schools that she has attended and is currently attending.

Couling, a junior at Spring Arbor University (SAU), is studying Elementary Education with a concentration in English Language Arts.

Couling is originally from Hanover, MI, and she attended Concord Community Schools growing up.

Both of her parents are teachers in Concord Community Schools, where her brother currently attends school, so she already has connections to the community.

It is also partly why she decided to start an after-school reading club at Concord Elementary.

Couling said the idea for the club came to her over the past summer. She said the main motivation behind the club is a new law the state of Michigan passed a few years ago.

In October 2016, Governor Rick Synder passed a law stating that third graders must be reading at grade level in order to move on to the fourth grade.

According to the Michigan Education Association, students will be tested three times per year starting in 2018 to track their progress. An individualized reading plan will be made for students who are reading below grade by their teacher, and their parents will be informed that their child is not reading at grade level.

If the student does not improve by the end of the school year, they could be held back in the third grade.

Couling said the principles of the

law made sense since students do need to know how to read to perform well in school.

“But if they can’t read well, if they’re just a struggling reader, then that’s hard on them,” Couling said. “Holding them back might help, but it’s also going to cause problems that they don’t deserve to face.”

Couling said the problems students might deal with if held back could include separation from their friends and peers and feeling “less than” for having to repeat a grade.

This is why Couling went to professors from SAU’s School of Education (SOE) to see if her idea for the reading club would be possible.

She was told to contact the principal of Concord Elementary. After going back and forth between the SOE and Concord Elementary, Couling was approved to start the club.

Couling held an informational meeting in mid-September to see how many people would be interested in participating. She said about fifteen people showed up and seemed drawn toward what Couling had to say.

Couling said putting the club together has been a struggle, but the people involved have been very patient as she works out the finer details and brings everything together. All of the effort put into making the club will benefit not only SAU students, but students at Concord Elementary as well.

“It would be a critical point for us to step into the community and become a

helping force that can help the students, help the teachers, and give these kids a better chance of success,” Couling said.

Starting in late October, education majors from SAU will travel to Concord Elementary on Thursdays and Fridays to read to third-grade students. This club will count for some of the 140 observation hours students in the SOE need in order to graduate.

Couling said she hopes the club will continue long after she graduates from SAU. She hopes to see the relationship between Concord Elementary and SAU develop into a strong one.

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Features

New Neighbors

The Ins and Outs of Unlikely Relationships Ellie Brugger | Staff Writer

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hat is New Neighbors?

New Neighbors is a group of volunteers who assist immigrants in learning English, taking citizenship classes and providing tutoring for immigrant children.

Who are the New Neighbors?

As far as Spring Arbor University’s (SAU) involvement goes, there are five to ten students who participate in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) each week.

Senior Emily Wagler began working with the program as a part of an internship for her children’s ministry major. She started spreading the word, and more students started joining. One of these students is AnnaLiz Gill. The people they serve are all refugees mostly from the Congo and Burma, escaping political conflict.

Why participate in New Neighbors?

Wagler and Gill are both Spiritual Life Leaders (SLLs) working towards getting their certificates for teaching ESL. This requires 14 credits from SAU, so when Wagner asked if Gill would like to tag along, she jumped at the opportunity

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for a hands-on experience.

The New Neighbors program allows students to assist families and individuals who have been dumped in a completely foreign place with very few resources. Often, refugees do not have connections in the States, and even if they do, they do not have much say in where they are placed.

New Neighbors provides a space for refugees to come together in a community setting and acquire the tools they need to get on their feet in their new home.

How does New Neighbors work?

Teaching someone a new language can be a struggle in its own right, but most teachers and learners who participate in the program do not even start with the same language. This makes the process a bit more challenging than usual.

Gill has a particular affinity for language, having taken Spanish, French and German in high school. She also knows a bit of Haitian Creole from her time in Haiti on mission trips.

Unfortunately, none of these languages have been helpful in this setting. Gill said because of the language barrier, they use pictures and actions to teach “survival English.”

One of the refugee women understands a bit of English so she can translate to others what the tutors are saying. However, she cannot speak English very well, so communication is usually onesided.

thesaupulse.com • November 2, 2018

“ ”

It’s like a mission trip every week.

AnnaLiz Gil

Where does New Neighbors take place?

New Neighbors was started by Pastor Joanna DeWolf at the Central Free Methodist Church in Lansing. Members meet on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8.

A group of students from SAU meets at 5:50 to carpool, and anyone who would like to tag along and help out is always welcome.

AnnaLiz Gill highly recommends the experience.

“It’s like a mission trip every week.”

She believes it is a real need within the community and a great way to help out. The New Neighbors community provides a ‘home away from home’ and a place for immigrants to feel like they belong.

Features

Life Advice from Ben Havenaar Ash Knauss | Staff Writer

PHOTO FROM Facebook

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en Havenaar is a senior Peer Advisor for freshman Core 1 this year. What has he learned so far from life?

“Really take time to appreciate things that are going on around you,” Havenaar said. Whether in school, work, in relationships or anywhere else you may be, treat everything like it’s important.”

Havenaar said in life, it is common to be constantly working toward the next thing. Students go to college to get a degree in order to find a job. It’s always about living for the next step and forgetting the present. Even in walking to class, students are focused getting from one place to the next. In that, Havenaar believes people lose a lot of opportunities for connection when it is not at the forefront of one’s attention.

But there is much more happening in the time it takes to walk to class. One may ask others “How are you?” but how genuine of a question is that? In this there may be a lack of authenticity in the way one appreciates the blessing

of community God has provided.

Havenaar believes the question is just as easy to discount and not take seriously as it is to miss life.

In terms of recognizing differences in opinion, Havenaar said his time at SAU led him to wonder, “What makes people believe what they believe?”

Instead of simply accepting others and their opinions, Havenaar now takes time to learn, listen and see other people’s lives.

Havenaar said it helps that SAU is a liberal arts school. He said it is much easier to relate to others when you have some understanding of their major and their passions. People sometimes complain about taking classes unrelated to their major, but he thinks it adds curiosity and the crucial understanding of what it takes to relate to others.

“Time to appreciate outside our comfort zone, the easier it is to be comfortable with those people outside our comfort zone,” Havenaar said.

He said if people accept that they do not know everything, there is so much to learn. It is essential for communities to grow, so students should take extra time to get to know people around them.

Havenaar went to Ecuador this summer where he noticed many interesting differences. In Ecuador, time is not of the essence - community is.

He said life is not based on the ladder of success like America is. Instead, life is based on deep relationships that transcend personal gain. He said in Ecuadorian culture, people understand

when someone is late, knowing it’s not a fight for better salary and more money.

They do not think it worth it to ruin a relationship over a few extra dollars.

“Ecuador has nothing, but they’re the happiest people you’ll ever meet, and they’re so welcoming,” Havenaar said.

He said success shouldn’t come at the cost of a good relationship, but rather because of a good relationship.

Even though Havenaar’s group did not speak much Spanish, the Ecuadorians wanted to sit down and talk and learn what they could from them, coming up with creative ways to share their lives.

“There was a really cool, pure moment where we realized God made [them] and [their] family, but God made us too,” Havenaar said.

Havenaar said it can be easy to fall into complacency. He said students pass people on campus without learning anything about them. Many people get so comfortable with who they already know that they forget about the other others, setting aside people and interaction. It is as simple as seeing others as fellow humans, making a genuine introduction and getting to know someone. It’s going to be awkward and weird. The important part is to make sure one is approaching others. Just talking to people creates a connection to build upon, even if it means doing so at a later time.

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Features

Professor Profile: Kurt Hoffman

Celeste Fendt | Associate Editor

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he big questions. The hard questions. The problem of Evil– God’s existence–sanctification– questions. Pursuing truth and answers to these questions led Kurt Hoffman to where he is today: a professor, an author, a husband and father.

As an undergraduate student at Arizona State University (ASU), Hoffman met a teacher and pastor who finally helped him find clarity and answers to these kinds of questions.

This mentor helped Hoffman decide to change his undergraduate major to Philosophy.

“He was the reason my life just pivoted exponentially,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said he became a Christian at age 21, but did not become a thoughtful one until he was about 25. He never felt satisfied with blindly accepting the claims of Christianity.

“Being a believer is like living out of my nature as a thinker,” Hoffman said.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY Kurt Hoffman

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“Seeking to understand what is true and seeking to understand God are not separate categories.”

Academically, Hoffman continued to study what he loved. He dreamed of using his passions to serve others, but a specific career was never on his radar.

He earned two Master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Administration, also from ASU, and is in the process of earning his Doctorate in Humanities.

When he started teaching as an adjunct at Jackson College, he fell in love with it. He taught World Religions and other general education courses on their campus and in their prison education program. In 2014, Hoffman became an adjunct professor at Spring Arbor University (SAU). The following year, he became a full-time assistant professor of social work.

While interviewing for the fulltime position, Hoffman experienced a health problem which he described as one of the hardest physical challenges of his life. Hoffman believes this issue was largely caused by the stress that came from trying to control his own life instead of trusting God’s providence.

“Once I finally surrendered, he started raining blessings on my life,” Hoffman said. “I got my dream job and all the suffering I was going through was made beautiful.”

After he recovered, Hoffman and his wife got matching tattoos as a

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“

Hoffman’s advice to young people stems from his life’s most influential experiences: 1. Ask the hard questions.

Don’t just be content with platitudes.

2. Make use of suffering.

There’s no escaping it, the question is just what we do with it.

3. In context of the first two, do what you love. Know your unique gifts and develop the heck out of them.

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reminder of God’s blessings that can arise from hardships. Inscribed in Latin, the tattoos read: “what destroys me nourishes me.”

The two of them homeschool their three children, and they own a counseling service in Jackson called Flourish. In his free time, Hoffman enjoys spending time with his family, eating good food, and listening to all kinds of different music: hip-hop, 80s and 90s country, instrumental and his favorite band, Sigur Rós from Iceland.

PHOTO BY SAU Athletics

Features

Ted Comden: No Regrets

Libby Koziarski | Staff Writer

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oaching is often viewed as a thankless job. Coaches are constantly under a microscope.

Their worth is determined by their wins and losses record. They are evaluated, scrutinized, celebrated or scorned depending on their team.

In retired Spring Arbor University (SAU) cross country and track coach Ted Comden’s case, the general consensus is celebration.

“His supportive personality allowed him to be like a father to his athletes as well as being a very knowledgeable coach,” SAU alumnus Don Walker said.

During Walker’s first visit to Spring Arbor College as a high school student, he found much of the cross-country team was planning to run in the Grand Valley Marathon the next day. They asked if he wanted to join, and Walker agreed despite having never run a marathon before.

23 miles in, Walker found himself struggling to finish. When Comden drove by in the school van, he asked an embarrassed Walker if he wanted to stop. After a one-on-one talk, Walker knew Spring Arbor was the college for him.

“I will never forget the way he handled that situation,” Walker said. “It was a

prelude to how we would interact when I was one of his athletes.”

Comden himself ran track, cross country and played basketball in his early years. While teaching at another school in southern California, he received a call from friend and former teammate, Hank Burbridge, asking if he would be interested in teaching at SAU. “The Lord opened the door and it just seemed right,” Comden said. “My roots had always been back east [at Spring Arbor], so it wasn’t foreign to me.”

Not only was Comden the cross country and track coach for more than 30 years, he was also the Health and Human Performance Department Chair and professor. His time at SAU from 1968-2003 saw him in a few different hats, but he does not have any regrets.

“It was frustrating at times, being drawn in different directions,” Comden said, “but the possibility of coaching and teaching made it worthwhile.”

From seeing the construction of the fieldhouse in 1975 to having his name stamped on the courts, Comden looks on his time at SAU with fondness.

“Working at SAU was a part of doing God’s kingdom work,” he said. He enjoyed building relationships, forming

student athletes and working with people who became lifelong friends. For Comden, Spring Arbor was the perfect place to raise a family of three children.

“Spring Arbor is an institution that I believe in,” he said after reflecting for a moment.

“I believe in the concept. It is a very satisfying thing to be a part of a great mission.”

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Features

Growing Beyond: Creating and Cultivating Community Outside the SAU Bubble Caralyn Geyer | Features Editor

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he Concept. We hear it repeated time and time again for four years. Until we finally walk across the stage with our diploma in hand, the final pillar of Spring Arbor University’s (SAU’s) mission statement, “critical participation in a contemporary world,” can be easily forgotten inside the campus “bubble.” Most of us are safe for a while, or at least for four years. But what then? We face real jobs without the luxury of Core groups or Peer Advisors (PAs). For whatever the real world looks like for each one of us, community can sometimes be hard. Most often, “critical participation” is a lot easier said than done.

Steve Castle, SAU alumni director, said community is always a work in progress. He said many tend to think it happens naturally. This, however, does not make for long-lasting community because without a similar end goal, the borders of community may shrink even smaller than when it started. Castle said this can lead to uncomfortable situations and missed opportunities.

“God can use someone else, but we miss the chance to be used that could have been good for ourselves and to touch other people,” Castle said. “It all has to do with being present where you are, even if you don’t love it.”

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Like every journey, Castle said even with the right community to expand its borders, there will be bumps along the way, but there should still be a telos, or ultimate end. The purpose should be the same, but he said people may disagree on the path to getting there.

In order to see that community begins with similar end goals, Dan VanderHill, Dean of Students and Community of Learners (COL) 100 professor, recommends starting small groups before borders of community become expanded. VanderHill said that is what core groups are intended for. They are like labs for Christian community, and though only for a short time period, they offer an “intense environment where there is work to do, spirituality to encounter, and fun to experience.” He said core groups explore the questions, “What is my contribution to society?” and “What am I both gaining and giving?”

Social Work and COL200 professor Jeremy Norwood believes these are questions that build into what students learn in their second core class. Norwood said most students default to the “What am I gaining?” part of the question, but what he teaches in his COL200 classes is community must be reciprocal.

For Norwood, the SAU “bubble” is something students tend to impose on themselves because of an

thesaupulse.com • November 2, 2018

uneasiness or lack of desire to step outside of it. In this, there is no secret – if community is to form, sacrifices must be made. Norwood said community never becomes fully cultivated, but in looking to stepping out, embracing humility, grace and a nonjudgmental attitude helps the bigger picture of community not seem so paralyzing.

Dr. Moore-Jumonville (MoJo), professor of Theology and COL300, believes part of building community is through shared experience. He said a great way to find common ground in a new place is to find a church or ministry one could stick with for a period of time, no matter how short or how long, but it must be something that requires face-to-face interaction. This generation of college students could be considered the “I-gen” because of its constant connection to social media. MoJo said this creates an “entertainment culture” with an “artificial connection” people must break from if community is to be grown outside of safe borders. “[We must create] a pattern for communal living,

intentional s m a l l groups acting as the preparation step for going out into community. The smallest group is the discipleship core, or “bands” as Heumann terms them. These are groups of three to five people who grow into the larger missional community. All missional communities come together to participate in the worship gathering, hosted by Heumann in his home. The gathering service ends in communion and continues with a meal for every meeting, building the church from the inside out through its people first.

“If you start with a church, there will be no disciples. But, if you start with disciples, you will build a church,” Heumann said.

In his future ministry, Heumann wants to see his church become a place people come to be heard and who will take that mission out together, a concept he calls “missional communities” through “missional families.”

According to Heumann, for college students, today’s culture is filled with what he calls “hyper-individualism.”

In Ann Arbor, 58 percent of the city, mainly college students, is unchurched, a statistic that follows the upward trend of Americans who are also unchurched, at 41 percent.

As a student, Heumann recalls the pressures of a small university like SAU. He remembers the pulls to be part of toxic “micro-communities” that offer no hospitality to others.

Because being a believer to Heumann means both communal and social Christianity, it is hard for one to truly be a follower when not involved in some aspect of community. Therefore, he said if we are Christians looking to step outside of our bubbles, we need to view

Features

under the word,” MoJo said.

“Given the way culture goes, we won’t have community if we’re inattentive.”

These are the building blocks Derik Heumann, SAU alumnus, took to his mission of Evergreen Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Heumann graduated from SAU in 2013 with a Bachelor’s in youth ministry and a minor in business.

After graduation, he went on to get his Master’s in Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary. Heumann is a pastor and a church planter with a vision for the ways in which his church cultivates community inside and outside of its walls, which happen to be Heumann’s own basement.

Heumann said there are three groups of people: the churched, who are currently connected to a ministry; the de-churched, who were once connected and are not today; and the unchurched, who never considered themselves part of the church. Heumann said he is working to make his church a community space one creates that disciple-makers who evangelize and equip others to do the same. But since he knows this is a rather large vision, he starts with defining small community and growing both up and out.

Heumann defines community as a place people come to fulfill their need to be known, loved and feel belonging.

At Evergreen, this takes the form of

the surrounding communities as our “marketplace for influence.”

When success follows, further actions towards social justice and community service will be an added overflow to the progress of a more refined community.

There can be talk of the future, but reality is here now, the “later” has come.

Senior drama major Erin Couch said plans for cultivating community do not have to start sometime in the future.

In fact, they can start today. Couch said she makes every day’s interactions intentional, no matter who she is with.

She said for her, that means meals or coffee with people who may not be as familiar, and time with a safe person or persons in a safe space. These safe people are ones who come with the rhythm of life, and who, over time, find moments together naturally. Couch seeks to find spaces that are not just secure, but sanctuaries as well, where anybody who walks in can also feel safe. No matter what, she believes one’s safe people must be those who see the whole soul of the other.

“Make sure you have the security of small community first,” Couch said.

“It grounds you enough to open your arms to whomever is in your path.”

Being rooted in Christ is what allows one to “throw open the gates” to a larger community bigger than a campus, and with greater purpose than one could imagine.

Questions for Derik Heumann can be directed to: derikevergreenchurcha2.com

November 2, 2018 • thesaupulse.com PHOTO PROVIDED BY Derik Heumann

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Features

Poor in Finances?

Opportunities for giving back in the community Bekah Carter | Staff Writer

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he Spring Arbor “bubble.” It’s the thing keeping students insulated in the privacy and safety of campus. Christ-followers, however, are called to leave comfort to serve others. C.C. Said, Spring Arbor University’s (SAU) Post Graduate Outreach Ministry Intern, said there are many “great opportunities to break the bubble” when people come together and volunteer time to serve the community. Here are some practical ways to do just that:

Sewing for Missions

Where: Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church When: Mondays 1:30-4:00 p.m.

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hree years ago, a group of women at Spring Arbor Free Methodist Church (SAFMC) partnered with the organization “Days for Girls” to sew feminine hygiene products for girls in third world countries who don’t have access to such commodities.

According to Donelda Clevenger, the woman in charge of this event, SAFMC has sent “close to 2,700 kits to 43 countries around the world.”

Every Monday, women meet in the church to enjoy fellowship while sewing these kits. There are about 100 steps in making one kit, so the process is broken down into an assembly line setup. Some stations require sewing, but other steps can be done by non-sewers.

In addition to making these kits for girls around the world, Clevenger said, “we have ladies who enjoy making baby blankets and hats that we send around the world as well. Thus, our name: Sewing for Missions.”

This group meets from September through May following the district calendar for Christmas and Easter breaks, and not everyone can come every week. So, while the group varies, “we always welcome more help.”

Xchange Teen Center

Where: Downtown Hanover When: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:30-5:00 p.m.

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he Xchange Teen Center opens its doors in January 2019 to welcome local students from grades 6-12 to come hang out after school. Wendy Valentine, student, pastor and creator of the Xchange Teen Center said “students will have opportunities to participate in a multitude of activities including outdoor sports and games, arts and crafts projects, programs featuring college-readiness and life skill training and many others.” The Xchange Teen Center’s vision is to empower teens to reach their full potential.

Spring Arbor students can get involved by volunteering to help run or participate in the group activities and programs, help with homework and exam prep or simply be a listening ear and shoulder to lean on if a student needs support.

Contact Pastor Wendy Valentine at pastorwendyv@gmail.com or by phone/text at 517-937-0234 to get involved or ask questions.

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Kids Hope USA

Where: Warner Elementary or Bean Elementary When: School hours, for about one hour per week

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ids Hope USA is a nonprofit that exists to partner elementaryaged kids with an adult mentor. They believe that the biggest impact churches can have on America’s at-risk children is to provide reliable and caring adult relationships.

Wendy Grant, the coordinator for Kids Hope USA in Jackson, pairs each volunteer with a student. The volunteer will meet with their student for an hour each week at school during school hours. Each volunteer will simply hang out with their student, do fun activities, talk about life and help them with academics. According to C.C. Said, volunteering for Kids Hope USA is to be the light of Jesus in these elementary kids’ lives.

To get involved or ask questions, contact Wendy Grant at wendy. grant@springarborfm.org.

Features

Be Rich in Giving

These are only a few of the many opportunities available to SAU students in the Spring Arbor and Jackson area. While all these options can seem overwhelming, C.C. Said would love to help. She said she is always available in her office, located in Student Success and Calling, for students who have questions.

“You don’t realize how important it can be...it does wonders in your own life and also impacts other people,” she said.

November 2, 2018 • thesaupulse.com

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A&E

Head in “The Clouds” Drama program performs play from 400 B.C. Bekah Black | Staff Writer

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or SAU Hearts Drama’s first foray into the realm of Greek theater, director Angie Dickinson chose to bring ancient playwright Aristophanes’ voice to the Spring Arbor University (SAU) stage at the risk of trying something new. The Clouds isn’t a typical redemptive, realist story—it’s satirical, absurdist and, at times, even crass. Why, then, would Dickinson choose it for this semester’s comedic gift to the community?

“Seeing something that’s godless, unredeemed and un-Christian is an important reminder of what we have and what we should be grateful for and where the world could go if we completely pushed God out of the picture,” Dickinson said. “I think that’s what the biggest message of the play is: when you push God out of the picture, when He’s not present, this is what happens. And this is not how you should live.”

This picture, of what the life of godlessness can be, is shown in the story of Strepsiades (Ellerie Hughes), who finds his son, Pheidippides (Luke Richardson),

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caught in debt. When Pheidippides refuses to go to Socrates (Nathan Salsbury) to learn how to reason his way out of his debts, Strepsiades enrolls in The Thinkery instead, only to find that learning from Socrates was not all that he expected. Along the way, the play’s Chorus, called the Clouds, offer advice and critique as, through Strepsiades’s and Pheidippides’s decisions, chaos ensues.

Dickinson wanted not only to create this picture of godlessness, but also to bring Grecian theater culture, the foundation of Western theater, to the SAU stage. She did this by creating a cultural exhibit onstage, nodding to classic Greek tradition by using overthe-top, ridiculous facial expressions and makeup. She even employed the talents of a SAU Hearts Drama alum as well as an artist who interned with a makeup artist for the Hobbit movies.

The actors found this absurdism and ridiculousness equal parts challenge and delight. Luke Richardson, who plays Pheidippides, saw this as an excellent opportunity to grow his understanding and competence in the craft.

“As an actor, sometimes it’s easy to fall into a rut of stories that are all the same, styles of plays that are all the same,” Richardson said. “I’m very excited to be a part of a new type of theater experience that I hadn’t even considered I might be able to perform here.”

Beyond creating a space for the actors to grow in their understanding and experience of theater, Dickinson also wished to challenge how they moved in the world outside of the Prop Shop.

“Good, sweet, kind Christian people have a tendency to apologize for taking up space in the world,” she said. “This gave them permission to be bigger than life, and they ran with it.”

This production not only challenged the actors’ sense of identity, but also the audience’s, as they watched the story unfold on the stage. SAU Hearts Drama’s production of The Clouds urges the audience to examine their life, surfacing from that feeling grateful for what they have and aware of what could be.

thesaupulse.com • November 2, 2018 PHOTOS BY Christi Waldo

Drama major examines different types of women through senior recital Nathan Salsbury | A&E Editor

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t started with the story of Frankenstein, an “outsider” trying to find their way in the world. Simoné Searcy came to Spring Arbor University as a Drama Major in the fall of 2016. She joined the cast of Frankenstein in a cast of more than fifteen – which is unusual for most SAU Hearts Drama productions – and felt alone, seeing all the relationships the cast had already formed with each other. But she knew that God wanted her at SAU and wanted her to be a drama major, so she stuck with it. By the end of the last performance, Searcy found her way into the department and formed friendships with everyone in the cast.

Two years later, Searcy is preparing for her Senior Recital, “Simoné Searcy: The Full Package.” It tells a story about the different ways that women might see themselves. The show is split into three parts based on these different ideas of “The Full Package”: the Sensual Woman, the Virtuous Woman and the Full Package That God Wants You to Be. The Sensual Woman section is about the type of woman who knows how to look good and might have special tricks to seduce men. One example Searcy gave was Kim Kardashian.

The Virtuous Woman section is about the idea of “the perfect wife” who cooks, cleans and raises the children, but might also run a successful business or blog.

Searcy’s example for this type of woman is

Ayesha Curry.

The final segment of “The Full Package” is about the type of woman who grows to become the one God intended her to be. Searcy referenced Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”

To further accentuate the theme, the songs playing before and during the show, like the transitions between each type of woman, will all be songs performed by women.

“I relate to this on a deep level because I have tried to be all these things,” Searcy said. “I’ve tried to be sexy. Then I got saved and I wanted to become this

A&E

Simoné Searcy: The Full Package ‘ultimate, proper woman’ and it made me frigid and rigid and not being able to relate to other people either because I’m trying to embody this perfection. Now that I’ve spent this alone time and I’m growing into the things that make me me, I really like them.”

“ ”

Now that I’ve spent this time alone and I’m growing into the things that make me me, I really like them.

Simoné Searcy Drama Major

“Simoné Searcy: The Full Package” will be performed on November 15.

Searcy jokingly said the recital will be by reservation only, but encourages people to make reservations at dramatickets@arbor.edu in case she makes it by reservation officially.

November 2, 2018 • thesaupulse.com PHOTO PROVIDED BY Simoné Searcy

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A&E

Wise, Humble, Just Happens to Guitar in Trafficked

Sensitive Boy be Playing Heavily Area

Conner Williams | Staff Writer Oh, he didn’t see you there. He, being the soft-spoken beautiful boy who is sitting in the middle of the plaza singing some of Jon Foreman’s early solo work while the crowd from chapel walks to the library and the student center.

He is so introspective and earnest that he does not even notice how literally hundreds of people are walking where he is having a private jam session– nay, his only audience is Jesus and his own worshipful, melancholy ears.

This wonderful boy could not be reached for comment.

We assume he has some sort of background in worship ministry, but this is an assumption that may prove to be incorrect. What we do know is that his eyes are closed and, swaying softly, he is deaf to the stampede of traffic walking right by him. He simply can’t be seeking the praises and affirmations of mere people, because his eyes are closed.

Can’t you see that his eyes are closed?

Wow. What a prayer warrior.

He must be

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unaware of young h a v e congregate p l a c e and softly rendition

thesaupulse.com • November 2, 2018

of the handful women who begun to around the where he sits strums a soulful of “White as

Snow.” It’s like an audible version of the experience of eating a scented candle.

He is completely unaware of the outside world– both the swooning young women who gaze upon his beautiful, beautiful face with its eyes squeezed shut, and the mass of people who most likely did not expect to hear the sweet tones of a gentle soul pouring out its love as they walked to the Poling Center.

“This is even better than my Spotify playlist,” one girl sighed as she reclined in the grass. “This is like the Plain White T’s pouring maple syrup into my ears,” said another girl on her way to the Dining Commons. Those who claim there are no good men in these troubled times need look no further than the wise and selfless young man playing guitar in the exact center of the plaza. It is to him we must look for hope and guidance, and love. We can’t forget love when we look at his contrite, humble expression.

A&E

Sufjan Stevens: For Sundays, Studying and Sleeping Ellie Brugger | Staff Writer

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etroit born artist and musician Sufjan Stevens is well known for composing soundtracks to films, including “Call Me by Your Name” (2018). This coming of age indie film takes place during an Italian summer and demonstrates Stevens’ uncanny ability to highlight landscapes with his music. Each piece not only tells a story with its lyrics but paints a picture through the music itself. The

accompaniment is subtle yet intriguing, making room for Stevens’ lyrical melodies to soar overtop, dotting the landscape of his music with mountains, trees, rivers or lakes.

In 2003 the album, “Michigan,” was released. Because Stevens was born in the Great Lakes State, the album includes titles such as Say Yes! to M!ch!gan!, Flint (For the Unemployed and Underpaid) and Tahquamenon Falls. Each is an ode carefully constructed for its intended audience. It makes for great study music because of its calming nature.

Stevens attended Interlochen Arts Academy and then Hope College where

he learned to play the guitar. Prior to his time in college, he played the English horn and the oboe, which can both be heard on his albums in addition to his guitar playing. He went on to complete his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) at The New School for Social Research in New York City and currently resides in Brooklyn. He and his stepfather are the founders of Asthmatic Kitty Records, which published Stevens’ first album, “A Sun Came,” in 1999.

The record company continues to publish Stevens’ records, and now he works for the label himself.

Stevens’ work never begs for attention, which is why it can be so relaxing. It successfully creates a calming atmosphere because of slower tempos and lack of a bass line or prominent drum part. Of course, there is still a percussive feel to some pieces, but it is brought about by the strumming patterns or some light snare and cymbal work.

Some pieces are even lyricless, for studying, sleeping or a relaxing walk to class.

While some of the tunes are more upbeat, they still have a playful vibe. Steven’s work can be defined as “indie-folk or “folk-pop” and often features Christian themes.

If you like this artist, you might enjoy: Vance Joy- less folk, more pop José González- more acoustic Bon Iver- more vocally led Iron and Wine- more folk, less pop

Available on: Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Pandora and iHeartRadio If you like this artist, you might enjoy: Vance Joy (less folk, more pop), José González (more acoustic), Bon Iver (more vocally led), or Iron and Wine (more folk, less pop).

PHOTO BY Facebook

November 2, 2018 • thesaupulse.com

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Sports

What if the Cougars Scored a Touchdown?

Daydreaming about an SAU Football Team Alex Anhalt | Sports Editor

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ight now, Spring Arbor University (SAU) does not have a football team planned for any time in the immediate future.

With ongoing construction in gym facilities, a recently installed track and a soccer reputation to uphold, SAU’s athletic department has plenty on its plate for now.

But as students prepare for pumpkin pie in front of the post-turkey game, one might start to wonder, “what if ?” What if SAU did have a football program? What would it take to get the Cougars into helmets and pads? What would the school need to score its first touchdown?

This fall, Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) started their first season of football. Since they’re a school of comparative size and part of SAU’s own league, it’s fair to look to them for a hint of what students could expect in an SAU football program.

Here’s the scary part; how much would this cost? Part of the reason a football team is such an intimidating

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idea is that it would be expensive.

IWU had to build a stadium from the ground up, something SAU would also have to consider. By their first kickoff, the program had cost $16.3 million, $6 million of which was set aside by trustees. The rest came from donations.

Once a program is ready to go, most teams will go through a provisional period with the NAIA before they can become full members. This means SAU would be able to compete against its usual opponents, including schools like IWU, Marian University, Taylor University and the University of St. Francis that already have football teams.

SAU would just not be able to play in postseason tournaments.

Next, the team would need to hire a few coaches. SAU’s lack of experience could be appealing to coaches interested in breaking into the college football teams, so SAU would likely see more than a few applicants. IWU had over 100 applicants for the position of head coach for their new program. In total, they signed on 12 coaches, assistants and trainers to work with the team.

thesaupulse.com • November 2, 2018

That seems about average for schools our size. St. Francis has 16, Taylor has 10, and Marian only has 8.

Then comes recruiting. IWU recruited more than 90 players for their first team, and more than 60 freshmen a year before their program even launched.

They signed on their first recruit before the stadium had even been built. Now, they have 91 players on their team.

Finally, it’s time to get the season started. A young program does not a bad program make. Marian University, a school of comparable size to SAU, started their program in 2007. Only 5 years later, they won their school’s first ever national championship. The sport?

Football.

So what’s the lesson to be learned from all of this? For now, SAU is not getting a football team any time soon. It’s fun to dream though, and if anyone just so happens to have access $16 million, 10-15 coaches and about 90 interested players, maybe that person can help get it off the ground.

November 2, 2018 • thesaupulse.com

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Sports

Guide to the Crossroads League Tournament Alex Anhalt | Sports Editor

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o far, Spring Arbor University (SAU) Women’s Soccer has won two national tournaments in three years. Will they do it again? And don’t forget the Men’s team; they’re seeded in the Crossroads League Tournament, and they had a perfect conference season this year. As the Cougars fight their way through the brackets, here are a few things to keep an eye on.

The Crossroads League Tournament What is the Crossroads League Tournament? Don’t get confused, winning this isn’t the same as winning Nationals.

This tournament involves competitors from our conference, and the winning team seals their spot in the national tournament. Even if SAU does not win

this tournament, a team that loses the conference tournament could still make it to nationals if their rankings are high enough.

Coach Jason Crist Crist has been around for almost 20 years, and during that time he has shattered many school and NAIA records.

He helped the Women’s Soccer Team reach a 32-match winning streak, the second-longest streak in the NAIA, and a 42-match undefeated streak, which ties for the second-longest streak of all time. Crist has made the Cougars regular season champions eight times over and tournament champions nine times. Oh, and don’t forget about mention two national tournaments in three years.

PHOTO BY Chris Bauman

Coach Nathan Miller Coach Miller has been around since 2013. In 2016, he brought the Men’s Soccer team one of the best seasons in Cougar history, taking them to the national tournament. He has one league tournament and one regular season title on his record so far. As the Cougars continue to climb the rankings this season, could this be a chance to add a few more banners to the collection?

“We have put in consistent elite performances for a month and a half,” Miller said. “The boys bring forth an attitude and mentality that doesn’t change and doesn’t waiver...They want to achieve something special and know that comes with a cost, and they are willing to sacrifice for it.”

“We want and expect to win the tournament title. That’s something that runs deep in our belief. We know what we can achieve and we believe that goes well beyond our league, we want to work to go the whole way.”

Bethany Balcer Last year, SAU beat Benedictine College 2-0 to win the NAIA championship. Balcer made both goals. A few days later, she was named National Player of the Year for NAIA Women’s Soccer, making it the second time she’s won the award. This season, she already has 20 goals and has been named Crossroads League Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week three times.

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thesaupulse.com • November 2, 2018 thesaupulse.com • July 31, 2018

Sports

In other words, you’re going to want to keep an eye on #8.

“The team dynamic this year has been different than any year I’ve been here, but it has been truly special,” Balcer said. “[The] seniors are excited to leave our mark on the program and we are soaking up our last moments in a Cougar uniform.”

Morris Kamara During his freshman year, Kamara was named to the Crossroads League AllLeague Second Team. The next year, he made First Team. Now, he’s a senior and the top scorer for the Men’s Team with 13 goals this season, so watch out for #17 during this year’s tournaments.

Allison Keizer Keizer has started 12 out of 16 Cougar games as goalie, and so far this season she has 33 saves. She has six shutouts under her belt this season and blocks almost 90% of the shots that come her way.

“All of the people that come out to our games are so supportive and it means the world to our team,” Keizer said. “This tournament, for me and the rest of the seniors, is our last chance to play on our field in front of our phenomenal fans.”

Lauren Orr As a freshman, Senior Lauren Orr was an instrumental part of a defense that earned 15 shutouts in one season.

Now, she’s a senior, and a powerful midfielder looking to finish off her final season with a bang.

Jake Crull This Junior midfielder has 4 goals and 11 assists so far this season.

Coach Miller said not only has Crull “improved every single aspect of his game” on the field,

PHOTO BY Chris Bauman

“He is a great example for many guys to follow” off the field, too.

Seniors On the men’s team, forwards Morris Kamara and Janum Sailor are finishing up their final season, as are midfielders Stephen Gabriele, Jason Liguori, Cory Swartzendruber and Nick Vander Stelt.

Between them, they have 19 of the team’s 46 goals.

On Our Own Turf Here’s the good news- SAU students don’t have to go anywhere to see the tournament for yourself! Both the Men’s and Women’s teams were seeded high enough that they get home field advantage, and the Crossroads Tournament will be held at SAU.

That’s especially good news because so far, neither team has lost a home game this season.

Every player has worked hard to get to this point. Every coach, athlete, trainer and manager has put incredible effort into their respective seasons, and the coaches are proud of what they’ve seen so far.

Miller said some of his players “didn’t come here with massive reputations, but through hard work, persistence, and belief, have transformed their games to become elite performers and teammates.”

Now, they’re on the verge of historic seasons here at SAU. Support them during the tournaments as the dates and times of these final games are announced.

November 2, 2018 • thesaupulse.com

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Stephen Gabriele

Sports

Athlete of the Month Elise Emmert | Editor-in-Chief

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entral Michigan is a long way from New Jersey, but thanks to a Christian university and soccer, senior Stephen Gabriele ended up at Spring Arbor University (SAU).

Gabriele started playing soccer when he was five years old, and he and his older brother and sister swam and played soccer through middle school. In high school, because of time demands, they had to choose between the two.

Gabriele’s brother picked swimming, and he and his sister picked soccer.

In high school, Gabriele looked to branch out from his home in New Jersey. On a visit to Taylor University in Indiana, Gabriele met SAU’s Coach Nate Miller. A few months later, Miller contacted Gabriele and came to watch him play at his high school.

What drew Gabriele to SAU’s soccer program over the other places he visited, he said, was the culture of team.

On his visit, he spent time with the soccer team’s then-juniors, students who would be seniors when he joined the team as a freshman.

“They were extremely welcoming,” Gabriele said.

“More than any other place I visited.”

Collegiate soccer is not a small time commitment for Gabriele or his teammates. At the height of the season, Gabriele said, practices take up about 11 hours a week, and each game they play takes a minimum of three-and-a-half hours between prep and play time. If the game is away, there is travel time to factor in, too.

Though the team has changed over the years with different students and personalities coming and going, Gabriele said the overall aura of the team is still the same. The team’s goals have changed as they have improved and have won more games. He said his relationship to the team has changed over the past four years, too.

“Responsibility-wise it has changed,” Gabriele said, “from a freshman just going along with things as opposed to being a senior trying to encourage a certain atmosphere, maintain it and keep pushing it and striving to be something greater.”

But this greatness is not just found or created on the field.

Gabriele said, as a college athlete, PHOTO BY Chris Bauman the most important things for

PHOTO BY Chris Bauman

him are discipline and balance. It is not just practice that affects how he plays, he said, but also how he cares for his schoolwork, his health and his relationships off the field.

Gabriele said soccer has changed the way he goes about the world. He said, overcoming obstacles in soccer is similar to overcoming obstacles in relationships and in work. There is a shared principle, he said, of understanding that effort must be put in, even when it is difficult, if one wants to achieve the desired results.

After he graduates at the end of the semester, Gabriele will leave collegiate soccer behind. But he plans on returning to playing for fun when he can, possibly in leagues, and the principles he learned through soccer will follow him on his next step.

November 2, 2018 • thesaupulse.com

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