April 2016 by Spring Arbor University's The Pulse

PULSE

A p r i l 1 5 , 2 0 1 6 • I s s u e 7 • Vo l u m e 3 • t h e s a u p u l s e . c o m

THE

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As a Muslim at SAU, Mazen Ghazy has encountered prejudice and kindness. Read more on pgs. 14-15.

TA B L E O F

C ON T E N T S Bilbro’s Fellows hi p Pag e 5

S G A P r e s i d e nt & VP Q & A Pa ge 4 AS L L e a r n i ng Pa g e 1 0 To Cu b a W e G o Page 9

Sen i o r G i f t & Ce le b rat i on Pag e 8

THE CAST OF FORBIDDEN Broadway Cabaret singing “The Ballad of Sweeny Todd”

PHOTO BY Nate Bortz

Wo men’s Leadership Co nf eren ce Pa ge 11 SENIOR CHRISTIAN Yonkers at the Research Symposium

PHOTO BY Nate Bortz

O p - Ed : Lo o king Beyond Pa g e 1 8

SAY I N G G O O D BY E TO R ET I R EES Pa g e 6 -7

Evolution & B i o lo gy Pag e 20

VA R L A N DS M OV I N G TO K ENYA Pa g e s 1 2 -1 3 Artist Review: George Virden Wat s ky Pa ge 2 1

Bein g M u s l i m on a C h r i st i a n Ca m pu s Pag es 1 4-1 5 Loki, the Theolog i a n? Pa ges 16-17

K A ZO O CHOIR Pa g e 22-23

Fl at l i n e Page 1 9 St . Joh n’s Essay Winner Pa ge 2 5

Coa c h Q & A Page 2 4 2

PHOTO PROVIDED BY Ryan Jones

thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

Athlete’s In spiration Pa ge 2 6

R ECRU I TI N G Pa g e 26 -27

Editor’s Note

With 21 days until the end the year, I’m burnt out. There are semester projects to finish, essays to write, one more Pulse issue to organize, summer plans to finalize, sophomore checks to question your future... And then there are these things called sleep and friends. I’m almost halfway through my college career, and I’m asking why. Why must we be busy? Why does busyness directly correlate with success or good work ethic? How did we get to a place where caffeine is required to perform and lack of sleep becomes bragging rights? I came across this picture below on Facebook last week. It’s made me question my priorities

and time management. Do we over commit ourselves because the culture demands it? Do we book ourselves until 11 p.m. because we enjoy what we do? Or do we join everything just to see if we like it? To try and decide what to do with our lives after four years of experimenting? “Overexertion is the third leading cause of unintentional injuries in the U.S., accounting for 3.3 million emergency visits,” the National Security Council said. Busyness does not equal success, I’ve come to learn. So here’s to trying to manage our time better. To more hours of sleep. To production nights that start and end in the same day. To ending the semester on a strong note.

PHOTO BY Andri Hill

The Pulse Staff & Contributors Editor-in-Chief Kayla Williamson Associate Editor Amber Cekander News Editor Elizabeth DeGraaf Features/A&E Editor Amber Cekander Sports Editor Dana Sebald-Van Doren Lead Copy Editor Alexa Matthews

KAYLAWILLIAMSON

EDITO RINC H IE F

‘Til next time, Kayla Williamson

Monthly Meme:

Copy Editor Ryan Jones Design Editor Kim Bigos Business Manager Corina Cekander Finance Manager Luke Roberts Social Media/ Photography Editor Nate Bortz Designers Kaci Bedgood Libby Buckland Rebecca Conley Andri Hill Megan Himebook Ellerie Hughes Staff Writers Libby Buckland Maggie Belcher Heather Clark Sarah Dean Ellerie Hughes Ryan Jones Olivia Landis Nathan Salsbury Hannah Shimanek Katie Shotts Mary Sramek Kaley Teceno Guest Writers Molly Anderson Richard Cornell Taylor Reed Video Production Team Kylie Ambu Casey Hanson W. Cody Pitts Zach Seguin

April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

NEWS

New SGA President and VP Q&A A M BE R CE KAND ER

A SSO CI ATE E DITOR

he Pulse” sat down with newly elected Student Government Association (SGA) president, Joey Dearduff, and vice president, Alessandra Varelis, to talk about their vision for next year. The Pulse (TP): What made you decide you wanted to run for office? Joey Dearduff (JD): It started freshman year. I knew a lot of people. I love this university. [I thought] it’d be a fun thing to do. As these past two years have played out and I’ve been able to serve and lead in different ways, that desire has continually resurfaced. So, this year when election time rolled around, that desire had been rekindled into something more powerful, more motivating. TP: What made you two want to pair up? Alessandra Varelis (AV): It was a random thing. I had thought about running and I knew I would make a great support for someone. I called him up but he was leaving for a retreat that weekend. When he came back, we talked for a few hours. We really got to know each other and our passions and interests and thought we’d make a great team. TP: What unique talents do you have that will help you in this position? JD: This is something we talked about. I love people. Sometimes, though, that can be a weakness because I’m very relationship oriented, not so much time oriented. I know when it’s time to be serious, but Alessandra does a really good job of getting me focused. AV: I think something good and bad is I’m a good listener. I’m very quiet, so I like to sit and observe and I love people and getting to know people. I like to be that voice for those

individuals whose voices aren’t heard or they don’t feel like they belong. With Joey, it’s good because we balance each other out really well. He’s very outgoing and very creative and I’m more the rational one. TP: How do you two plan to mimic Christ in your leadership? JD: Servant leadership. She’s been an Intercultural Advisor and I’ve been a Peer Advisor for two years so we’ve had a taste of what it means to serve and lead people, which is exactly what Christ did. That looks like sacrificing our time, our energy, some sleep and giving it our all to make campus better and enrich student life.

think, what I’m most excited about. Being able to make this campus very rich and diverse, things I’m super passionate about. JD: Throughout the past month and a half, Alessandra and I have been painting this vision of what we have for this campus next year. Now we’re in a place to make that vision happen. We’ve already been talking to faculty and staff, to Chartwells, coaches and professors. People are hopping on board left and right before the school year even begins. That excites me beyond belief. Read more of Joey and Alessandra’s interview at thesaupulse.com.

AV: God is using us to serve the students. We are not here to say we are better than you. We are all humans, we are all equal. We want to love on each other and belong. TP: What about this position makes you the most excited? AV: I’m excited for myself to grow. But I’m also excited for the student body, for all the things we’re going to do. Being able to discover those passions and people who are a bit on the outside. Bridging that gap between so many different students is, I

thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

PHOTO BY Andri Hill

NEWS

SAU Professor Earns Grant To write more about Wendell Berry STAF F WRITE R

ike many other professors, Spring Arbor University (SAU) associate professor of English Dr. Jeffrey Bilbro is more than just a teacher and a family man—he is also an author. Writing is something Bilbro values and does constantly. Bilbro’s most recently published book, “Loving God’s Wildness: The Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature,” was recently published, and he has moved on to work, again, with the writings of Wendell Berry. Though he was given a lighter course load this semester, Bilbro is still working on a project along with his teaching schedule. He cannot apply for sabbatical until he has been a full-time professor for seven or eight years. In order to find time and funds to write his newest book, Bilbro has had to look for money outside of SAU. His search led him to the Issachar Fund Writer’s Fellowship, a fund designed to serve the church by “partnering with scholars, leaders and

PHOTO BY Nate Bortz

organizations that seek to charitably engage, learn from and contribute to the norms, practices and values of our scientifically minded-culture,” according to its website. Bilbro is known for his scholarship but also for his appreciation and love for agricultural solutions, especially those presented by author Wendell Berry. “We live in a culture that tends to respond to big problems with big solutions,” Bilbro said in his proposal to the Issachar Fund Writer’s Fellowship. Bilbro sent in his book proposal and received the Issachar Fund Writer’s Fellowship and will be working on his next book, tentatively titled “Practice Resurrection: Wendell Berry and the Virtues of Sustainable Form.” His proposal explained how he hopes to use Berry’s “literary forms and agrarian ideas to help readers imagine more virtuous, sustainable ways of dwelling in their places.” The new book is meant to demonstrate how “the humanities contribute to the understanding of the relationships between humans and the natural world” and how people should be changing the structure of their lives to solve the problems in their community, rather than looking for larger, outside sources to do so. Bilbro’s book will focus on Berry’s poetry, narrative and essays to embody the virtues of life that could help cultivate solutions to problems. These virtues, Bilbro said, focus

much on hope, humility and love, especially in regards to the Earth. Bilbro hopes to use time away from school to finish the introduction and the first few chapters of the book. The book’s title “Practice Resurrection” comes from the line “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front,” a Wendell Berry poem hanging in Bilbro’s office.

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We live in a culture that tends to respond to big problems with big solutions. Jeffrey Bilbro,

Associate Professor of English

While Bilbro has published several essays, a book and coauthored a book with fellow associate professor of English Dr. Jack Baker, he said his publications were not his proudest accomplishments as a scholar. His proudest accomplishment, Bilbro said, is his ability to influence his students to think about the world around them, but more specifically, his influence on alumna Kayla Chenault’s Wendell Berry inspired tattoo, “Practice Resurrection.”

NEWS

2016 SAU Retirees KAT I E S H OT TS DA N A S E B A L DVANDOREN S TA FF WRIT ER

SPORTS E DITOR

Cathy Crater

Irene Price-Greiner

Chuck Livesay Length of Time at SAU 40+ years Area(s)/Department(s) Music Special Memory Livesay has loved tailoring his teaching style to the learning styles of individual students.

Gerrilee Lacy

Mary Rick

Length of Time at SAU 30 years

Length of Time at SAU 13 years

Length of Time at SAU 15 years

Length of Time at SAU 18 years

Area(s)/Department(s) World Languages, Core, Communications and Education

Area(s)/Department(s) Office of Advancement

Area(s)/Department(s) Health services and Student Development

Area(s)/Department(s) Health services, Core and Cross Cultural Studies

Special Memory “[I loved] speaking and dialoguing with the SAU women at Feminar.”

Special Memory “My favorite memory was working in a Christ centered environment and forming the wonderful relationships with students.”

Special Memory “My favorite memories are of sharing my students’ excitement, enthusiasm and pride in their accomplishments and praying with them for their concerns.”

Special Memory Price-Greiner has cherished the relationships she has built while working at SAU.

thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

NEWS

Joyce Cole

Sam Rigglemen

Craig Hayward

Mary Hayward

Length of Time at SAU 27 years

Length of Time at SAU 14 years

Length of Time at SAU 25 years

Area(s)/Department(s) Physical Plant, PhilosophyReligion, Cross Cultural Office, Business Office

Area(s)/Department(s) Athletics

Area(s)/Department(s) Health, Human Performance and Recreation; Adult Studies; Education

Area(s)/Department(s) Computer Science and the E.P. Hart Honors Program

Special Memory “I have had a hard time coming up with just one memorable moment. I guess when you work here for so many years you probably have lots of memories. I think the thing that stands out the most is the relationships I’ve made with students throughout the 27 years that I’ve been here. I think sometimes I was their mom-away-from-home. One other big event was my engagement to my husband. We got engaged on 05-0505 at 5:05 in the afternoon! My co-workers were in on it with my now-husband. That will always stand out as a memorable day.”

Special Memory “From the coaching side, my favorite memory was coaching and being a part of the 2007 program. We finished the season with a 48-5 record, won 36 games in a row and finished national runner-up at the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. It was a blast.”

Special Memory “Being the men’s cross country coach in 2005 when the team qualified for the NAIA National Championship meet [was great]. It was only the third time in the history of SAU that a mens team made the meet. I was on the first team in 1970 as a runner, so to take my alma mater to the meet as a coach was a special experience, after having the experience of running as a participant in the meet myself.”

Special Memory “[I have enjoyed] seeing the satisfaction of a student solving a difficult problem with a computer program and working with the honors students.”

See Roger and Deb Varland on pages 12-13

“The Pulse” staff thanks you for your dedication and service to the universtiy and its students. April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

NEWS

Senior Class Gift and Senior Celebration Email

alumni@arbor.edu

with

any

booth and hear from the senior class choice

M O L LYAND E RSON questions, comments, or to inquire about of professor of the year as well as several GU EST WRITE R

SENIOR GIFT

he Spring Arbor University (SAU) class of 1966 has partnered with current SAU seniors to create a 2016 Senior Class Gift. The class of ’66 has offered a $100 matching grant for every student that donates $20.16 to the gift (i.e. a donation of $20.16 becomes a $120 gift.) Originally conceived and implemented last year, this opportunity provides seniors a chance to give back and “pay it forward” after receiving so much over their four or five years here. Last year around 80 students gave money, creating a $10,000 scholarship. Currently, two students are receiving the Class of 2015 scholarship, greatly aiding in allowing them to continue their time at SAU. A survey taken of seniors in March found that seniors again wished to give to a scholarship for current students in financial hardship. To date more than 60 seniors have given, creating a $7,400 scholarship. Many on-campus seniors have given a portion of their housing deposit ($200 returned after graduation) while others have given via cash or credit card. This scholarship will be awarded to current underclassman to help them continue their education at SAU. Gifts of any amount will go towards the scholarship. Only those of $20.16 or more will receive the $100 match. You can give to the 2016 scholarship by: Stop by the Advancement Office to give via housing deposit, cash, debit, or credit or online at www.arbor.edu/give (specify “senior class gift”).

joining in the effort.

SENIOR CELEBRATION Another project the Student Alumni Council has worked on this year, in tandem with the Office of Advancement, is putting on an end of the year celebration for seniors. “Everyone remembers the fun and meaningful events we had to kick off our college career as freshmen,” Morgan Lee, a student on the Alumni Council said. “Why not bring closure to our college careers and reflect on our four years together?” The graduating class of 2016 will celebrate on Mon., May 2 at 9:30 p.m. in the Ralph Carey Forum, with the chance to reminisce with classmates, win prizes, take pictures in a photo

thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

seniors. There will also be an opportunity to participate in a video time capsule. “We want to give students a time to all be together in a relaxed casual setting before the craziness of graduation begins,” Lee said. Their desire is to create a time for students to celebrate the memories and moments of their time here at SAU. The hope for the Senior Celebration event is a sense of closure for seniors, as they remember how thankful they are for the unique experience. For more information about these initiatives, or to learn more about how Spring Arbor can serve you after you graduate, contact Steve Castle, director of alumni relations.

NEWS

From Obama to Spring Arbor: Nemecek and Darling to lead CCS to Cuba STAF F WRITE R

n July 20, 2015, Cuba and the United States (U.S.) made an agreement and plan to open a U.S. Embassy in Cuba’s capital, Havana. Cuba will also open an embassy in Washington, D.C. The U.S. and Cuba have had a rough relationship since the Cold War in 1961. The U.S. severed its diplomatic ties with the country, due to Cuba’s communist government and placed an embargo, or an official ban on trade or other commercial activity, on Cuba. The countries have both decided that this bitter tie has gone on for too long, and it is time to once again be diplomatically represented within each country. In March, President Obama made a historic visit to Cuba as the first U.S. president to set foot on Cuban soil in over 80 years. While there he met with Cuban President, Raul Castro. This was only the second time the two met since Obama took office, the first time being at a Panamanian summit a year prior. Upon arrival Obama tweeted saying, “¿Que bolá [what’s up] Cuba? Just touched down here, looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people.” While only about 30 percent of Cubans have Internet access and in most parts of Cuba Twitter is blocked, he still tweeted.

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H A NN A HS HI M ANEK

Obama met with dissidents and young entrepreneurs, spent time with a group of Castro’s critics who face arrests and prison terms, walked and talked to citizens on the street and even saw a baseball game. Obama also gave a speech in Havana’s center, which had a turn out of between 800-1200 people.

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Interacting with people in a country just 90 miles from the U.S., that has in some ways been frozen in time and run by a Communist dictatorship for the past 50 years, should be fascinating. Terry Darling, professor of psychology

Due to the new nature of the U.S.Cuban relationship, the borders have been opened to tourism in the Latino country. Since going into Cuba is now a possibility, Spring Arbor University (SAU) has decided to take advantage of this opportunity and

open up a cross-cultural trip destination in Cuba. Paul Nemecek will be the head professor and leader of this trip, and depending on the student sign-up, Terry Darling will go to assist him. Nemecek and Darling will be making a trip to Cuba in June to arrange the specifics for the trip. “Given the contentious and complicated history between Cuba and the United States, it is almost a certainty that the trip will be interesting,” Darling said. “Interacting with people in a country just 90 miles from the United States, that has in some ways been frozen in time and run by a Communist dictatorship for the past 50 years, should be fascinating.” Once all is straightened out, there will be more of a description on what the trip will entail. This is how the course catalog describes the trip: “When Columbus landed in Cuba in 1492, he found a beautiful island inhabited by Arawak and Taino peoples. Since the Spanish colonization, Cuba has gone through many changes and is in the process of changing even more. Ecological and ethnic diversity make Cuba a fascinating place with nine UNESCO World Heritage sites and an intriguing blend of old and new.” Contact the Cross Cultural Office with any questions on this trip.

April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

FEATURES

SAU siblings start ASL club on campus H E ATHE RCL ARK

STAFF WRITE R

student-led American Sign Language (ASL) learning club meets on campus Monday nights to learn basic sign language and gain insight into deaf culture. Bobby and Grace McCoy, two deaf Spring Arbor University (SAU) students, formed the group in response to students’ requests to learn ASL. “Between each of us, we had several people who came to each one of us and told us that they wanted to learn sign language,” Bobby McCoy said. “That was something that never happened to me the first two years that I was here, so I just realized that it was something that Spring Arbor wanted to learn about.” On campus, they sign and also interpret. During meetings, they will communicate with sign language.

DA N A S E B A L DVANDOREN SPORTS E D ITO R

“I know that there’s quite a few of my friends and they would sign to me, but it’s very, very basic,” Grace McCoy said. The McCoys hope their group will help students become more comfortable interacting with both deaf students on campus and deaf people they meet in other places. “My passion is to break the silence, so I’m just hoping there will be more people that will be aware of sign language, and they will be able to go out and reach out to the others,” she said. Since very few people on campus sign, Bobby and Grace have found other ways to connect with deaf people in the surrounding community and even across the world. They attend a deaf Bible study, and Bobby McCoy uses

thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

Skype to keep in touch with some deaf friends in Vietnam. “Even though it’s not ASL, we can communicate enough that we understand what’s going on,” he said. The McCoys have a passion for using their unique communication skills in ministering to the Deaf community. “The deaf are considered an unreached population in terms of Christianity. It’s all because the people in the church who are hearing do not recognize the need they have,” Bobby McCoy said. “It’s one of my passions for the people to realize that they can, if they see a deaf person just come up to church, they can do what they have. Even if it’s just a little knowledge of sign language, it will make a big difference in their life, because they’ll have realized that somebody tried to make the effort.” Grace McCoy said there are many reasons she enjoys sign language. “It is a beautiful language that you can use your hands, and it is very easy to learn, and the nice thing about it is that you don’t need to learn how to speak...with your voice,” she said. Students attend the group for many different reasons. Sophomore Alexis Trumble said she has been wanting to learn sign language for some time. “I’m actually going deaf, so it’s something that will come in handy in the future,” she said. Blake Tubbs, freshman, is learning ASL to communicate with an aunt who is able to speak and hear but still uses sign language as her primary means of communications. “It’s important for me to learn her language so I can truly understand who she is as a person,” Tubbs said.

PHOTO BY Heather Clark

FEATURES

A M BE R CE KAND ER

A SSO CI ATE E DITOR

hat does it mean to be a women and a leader in today’s society? This is the central question of Spring Arbor University’s (SAU) annual Women in Leadership conference. The event is put together entirely by a student committee, led by co-chairs Amanda Barrett and Taylor Johnston. “We wanted to change the theme of the conference this year,” Barrett said. “We wanted to stray away from the stereotype that to be a leader you had to wear a business suit. “Standing Tall” is embracing all types of leaders.” In previous years, the focus of the conference has been empowering business women, but this year the agenda goes beyond traditional leadership. The intended audience has broadened to address women from all walks of life. Whether attending as a stay at home mom, church member, community volunteer or young professional the conference will be “focusing on wherever you’re at as a leader,” Johnston said. Linda Schaub, faculty advisor for the event, said, “It’s a great opportunity to pull together

M AGGIE BELCH ER STAF F W RITE R

women of every age spectrum.” Angel Kono, who will be taking over as faculty advisor next year, said, “The purose of the event is to bring women engaged in all types of leadership roles together to learn how to fill the roles they play with excellence.” There are several workshop activities including a spa and keynote speakers. To emphasize the “Stand Tall” idea, the speakers come from multiple backgrounds: Alicia Wagner, one keynote speaker, worked in the corporate world, but set it aside to become a life coach; Ellen Harven is a stay at home mom and Janelle Merrit balances being a mom to three kids and a director at American One Credit Union. “We have an excellent line up of speakers this year who are presenting interesting topics that will both challenge and inform their audience,” Kono said. The event not only offers workshops and a spa, but plenty of networking opportunities, as well. Many members of the Spring Arbor and Jackson community attend the conference and represent different businesses and

organizations with professional prospects for SAU students. “Some of our students have actually come away from this day with opportunities for summer jobs or internships,” Schaub said. Professional advances aside, the event is a way for SAU students to meet and form relationships with women in the community and on campus. “Those who come will get to meet some pretty phenomenal women who have done some great things and been creative in how they run their professional and personal lives,” Schaub said. “It’s something fun for women on a Saturday to come and pamper themselves while still learning about themselves and leadership,” Johnston said. Whether a student or a woman in the community, this is a day dedicated to personal development and appreciation of the self; it is the chance to develop one’s own kind of leader. It is an opportunity to meet new people and learn about being a woman in leadership.

April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

FEATURES

Out of the University, Into the Academy H E ATHE RCL ARK

STAFF WRITE R

probably be ready to retire after five years; “Rift Valley Academy is basically an Roger Varland may teach more, but we American school for missionary kids,” Roger don’t know where we’ll be.” Varland said. A number of factors led the Varlands to Children who accompany their parents their experiences in Kenya. They had been to the African mission field will spend nine searching for ways to gain cross-cultural months living at the Academy, a K-12 school, experiences, specifically teaching, and had studying the same subjects taught in American been looking at various opportunities all schools. over the world. Finally, an opportunity Since they are often living far away from came along. family, the Rift Valley students become a “There were students who graduated family of their own. The students live in from Rift Valley at dorms on the school Spring Arbor, and grounds, and eat all they encouraged us their meals together to go there,” Roger in a cafeteria. “They’re Before I certianly Varland said. very close-kinit,” Deb saw us as there to The Varlands Varland said. decided to see Rift Valley’s serve... that time...I what teaching at students are not all fell in love with the the Academy was American. There is like and traveled a mix of students. missionary kids. to Kenya for Korean missionary Deb Varland, their first year of kids make up about teaching in 1991. twenty percent of assistant professor of HPR the students, Roger Varland said. “There are also occasionally other ethnic students,” he said. “German, Danish…Sometimes they come because their parents want them to get an American education, but there really aren’t a lot of options for schools there too.” The Varlands first taught at Rift Valley in the 1991-92 school year, then returned in 2001, and again in 2013. “I just love the students,” Deb Varland said. The realization, she added, hit her hardest in the 2013-14 year at Rift Valley.

thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

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pring Arbor University (SAU) professors Roger and Deb Varland will be leaving SAU to spend five years teaching English at a missionary children’s school in Kenya, Africa. Roger Varland, professor of art and history, and Deb Varland, assistant professor of health, human performance and recreation, will be leaving in August for Rift Valley Academy. This is not the Varlands’ first experience overseas or even their first time teaching at Rift Valley Academy. Both professors have led crosscultural trips, and they have spent three one-year teaching engagements at Rift Valley, as well as an exchange semester in China through an SAU program. They enjoy the challenges and uniqueness of the experiences. “We’ve turned in our resignations to Spring Arbor,” Deb Varland said. She said she is unsure if she and her husband will be returning to Spring Arbor, as professors or to live in the area. “I’ll

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY the Varlands

FEATURES

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“Before that I certainly saw us as there to serve, but that time...I fell in love with missionary kids. They’re a unique bunch. I have a lot of respect for missionary kids and their families.” But the Varlands have not found the process easy. “Our emotions vacillate,” Deb Varland said. “It feels right being [in Kenya]; that doesn’t mean it’s easy. No place is easy.” Five years is the longest the Varlands have will stay in Kenya, so preparing for this is a new and sometimes very challenging experience. The Varlands will not be the only ones in their family relocating to Kenya. The Varlands, in addition to adult children, have two sons adopted from Kenya. Reed, 14, and Sid, 13, will be accompanying their parents overseas and attending high school in their native country.

“Sid will just be graduating in five years, “When we go over there, none of our and Reed will be in college,” Deb Varland said. stuff is important,” Deb Varland said. “It’s She said the boys certainly have mixed very freeing…we won’t have stuff weighing us feelings about leaving their friends behind, but down. We get to start over there.” also are interested in spending time in their One thing that the family is constantly original home country. The boys will have the learning, she said, is that God is never finished opportunity to spend a few years there and with us. get a better understanding of their cultural “It was the result of lots of prayer, and identities as being influenced by both Kenya doors opening,” she said, adding that she and America. realized paying attention to God’s prompting The family is selling most of their was very important in influencing their household furnishings (although not their decisions through their entire experience with house), since they Rift Valley Academy. will buy locally “It’s important to sold furniture and just keep your antenna appliances in Kenya up and be listening,” We love Spring Arbor, to furnish their new she said. house, provided by “Looking back and why would Rift Valley Academy. at the past twentyyou want to leave “Years ago, five years, it’s hard someplace you love? missionaries packed to imagine who we up everything and would have become For someplace else shipped it over,” as a family without you love. Deb Varland said. our cross-cultural Now, local stores experiences,” Roger Deb Varland, make it possible Varland said. “It’s assistant professor of HPR for missionaries changed the way we to find appliances live, who we are, the and furniture in the way we understand the country they are world. We think about serving. Roger Varland is going to be selling people different from us very differently than most of his photography collection in the Art if we had stayed home.” Gallery on April 28, since the Varlands will Deb Varland summed up their thoughts, not be taking the photographs with them and saying, “We love Spring Arbor, and why the money they raise will go toward buying would you want to leave someplace you furnishings when they arrive in Kenya. love? For someplace else you love.”

FEATURES

Senior Mazen Ghazy’s story about being a Muslim from Egypt and still being friends with Christians in the middle of nowhere Michigan Ghazy said Michael had

KAY L AW I LL I AMSON wanted to step up too, but ED ITOR IN CH IEF

pring Arbor University (SAU) senior Mazen Ghazy almost died standing up to an Islamic priest in Saudi Arabia during a debate in a mosque. The Imam, or Islamic priest, spoke about how Christians should not be welcomed in Saudi Arabia. Standing beside Ghazy was his Christian friend, Michael, from high school. “The Quran says if you don’t believe in [the existence of] Christians then you’re not a true believer,” Ghazy said. “So [I said], ‘apparently you’re not a true believer, so don’t make us like you.’”

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I did not sell my brain. If I had consented with them, then I would have lost. I would rather die for my concepts than live for a lie. Mazen Ghazy, senior

Saying an Imam is wrong is one of the highest offenses in the Islamic religion. In Saudi Arabia, mosques include places where people are whipped. So when Ghazy spoke out, the Imam sent him to the whipping place for insubordination.

Ghazy said it was all on him. So it was Ghazy who stood at the whipping place for five hours. For five hours he endured ridicule. For five hours he was told he would be whipped until he died. The leaders of the mosque later gave him a choice: admit he was wrong and apologize to the Imam or he will be whipped. He said he would apologize. “But the thing is, I did not sell my brain,” Ghazy said. “If I had consented with them, then I would have lost. I would have felt like a false teacher too. I would rather die for my concepts than live for a lie.” When he agreed to apologize, the leaders told him to stay until the next session when the Imam returned. Then they left. And then he ran. When he lived in Egypt with his Muslim mother and father, Ghazy would attend prayer once a week on Fridays, when the Imam would preach for a half hour. Technically there are five prayers a day when Muslims would go to a mosque to pray, but Ghazy said he prayed at home. In Egypt, children are not bound by their parents’ religion. So the first book Ghazy read was the Bible. He spoke to Imams and priests with

thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

his questions and doubts. At 13-years-old, Ghazy chose to be Muslim. “[My questions] weren’t answered because everyone seemed to say we don’t know everything about God, and we don’t have the capacity of knowledge to know everything about God,” Ghazy said. “So I read the Quran and everything made sense.” When he was 15, he moved to Saudi Arabia, where most of the mosques, Ghazy said, were extremists. In Egypt, his Imam would teach interpretations of the Quran and tell stories of his life as a blind man. There are two different divisions of Muslims: Sunni and Shia. Shias believe in Jihad, a war against unbelievers. They are also the minority numbering 10-20 percent of the Muslim population. The countries where they are the majority

are Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain. “I don’t like their lifestyle or anything they do,” Ghazy, a Sunni, said. “They are still living in war.” After high school, Ghazy moved over 6,500 miles to Spring Arbor, Mich. to pursue a biology degree at

FEATURES a Christian college, away from all the Christian bashing, and into a new culture that bashes his own religion. Despite the different religion, Ghazy was fine with attending chapel. He said besides the more high tech lights and sound system, chapel is like a worship service in Egypt. “I knew it was a Christian college, but I believe the best way to believe in what you believe is to challenge it and encounter every other perspective from it,” Ghazy said.

MARRYING IN MICHIGAN Three weeks after they met, Heaven (Jones) Ghazy and Mazen Ghazy could not find each other. A friend’s girlfriend texted Mazen Ghazy saying she found the girl. At the time, he was playing a FIFA video game, which he never stops, but this time he paused it and travelled back to campus just to talk to Heaven. Before they started dating, Heaven Ghazy’s friends warned her he was Muslim. They discouraged her from pursuing a relationship. As a Christian herself, she was not worried. “After that we talked about our values and decided to continue dating,” she said. “I mean, I love it. I wouldn’t choose anything else or anyone else.” Despite different religions, Mazen and Heaven Ghazy both agree that their relationship is normal. It is just like any other marriage. “My philosophy now is that I want to love people by living what I believe and what God wants me to believe,” Heaven Ghazy said. “Just be kind and nice and respectful.

anything and drop it.” He chose to drop it. “People who do that, I don’t see them as offenders of me,” Mazen Ghazy said. “I see them as victims of their thoughts and knowledge about other religions.” Mazen Ghazy said there are three types of people who interact with him on campus. There are the people who are nice to him when he is around, but talk behind his back. There are the people who are mean. There are the people who walk up, greet him, ask for his name and then ask if he has heard of Christianity.

“That’s the Spring Arbor bubble,” Mazen Ghazy said. “The bubble does not like me.” Despite the expectations, Mazen Ghazy stayed on campus, first because of soccer and then because of his marriage. The couple attends a Free Methodist church every Sunday and contemplated returning to Egypt. However, their region-specific medical education could restrict their travel destinations. “Everywhere there are good Christians and bad Christians, good Muslims and bad Muslims. It’s just life,” Mazen Ghazy said.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY Mazen & Heaven Ghazy

PREJUDICE AGAINST MUSLIMS The Monday after Easter, Ghazy met with his advisor in Whiteman-Gibbs. When he left, he walked down the corridor, beyond where his advisor and another staff member could see. They thought he left. Instead, he heard this comment: “[He or she] said, ‘I don’t know why those people would come here and be on campus. They know they’re not welcomed, and they walk around and feel like they’re welcomed,’” Mazen Ghazy said. He also heard, “They probably tell them when they come here to get married as soon as possible.” “When I heard that, I had two choices,” he said. “I could tell [him or her], “Hey I’m here. I didn’t leave. That was insensitive. Or I could just not say April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

OPINION

Loki, the Theologian?

Religious servitude and freedom in “The Avengers” RIC H ARD CORNEL L GU E ST WRITE R

’m a huge fan of the Avengers movies. For some of you, my stock just went up. For others, I’ll have to beg your forgiveness. Though I enjoyed the second Avengers movie (Age of Ultron), I prefer the first one. One reason would be the presence of Loki, played brilliantly by Tom Hiddleston. There is one of Hiddleston’s scenes that strikes me as very interesting. Loki is in Stuttgart, Germany and is putting his diabolical plan into play. After stealing an eyeball (yuck!) and tearing up a police car with his “glow stick of destiny” (Iron Man’s phrase for Loki’s scepter), he comes out of a museum and the following dialogue ensues: Loki (speaking to a terrified crowd): “Kneel before me. I said KNEEEEEEL! (pause) Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity. That you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end you will always kneel.” Old Man (rises to his feet): “Not to men like you.” Loki: “There are no men like me.” Old Man: “There are always men like you.” Loki: “Look to your elder, people, let him be an example.” [Loki shoots a bolt at the old man, but Captain America shows up just in time to send it right back at Loki.] Captain America: “You know the last

time when I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everyone else, we ended up disagreeing” Loki: “The Soldier, the man out of time.” Captain America: “I’m not the one who is out of time.” [Battle ensues] I find Loki’s opening remarks very interesting. They are, of course, meant to be taken as the ravings of a homicidal megamaniac, hell-bent on subjugating everything and everyone to his perverse purposes. They are meant to repulse the audience. Yet, I’m struck by the fact that, theologically speaking, his comments contain more than a grain of truth. Let me start at the end and work my way back. Loki believes the day will come when all humans will bow to a higher power. Hmm… that sounds vaguely familiar (Phil 2:10; Isa 45:23; Rom 14:1; Rev 5:13-14). In addition, he claims humans were made to be ruled by one greater than themselves, and this condition of subordination is their natural state, something they instinctively crave. An interesting thought and one that is pretty odious to most moderns. Yet it is another claim that is theologically on target. Humans were, in fact, made to be ruled. Putting it in other terms, we were made to serve something or someone. Paul repeatedly refers to himself as a “slave of God” (Rom 1:1; Gal 1:10; etc.) and sees the Christian life as one of loving service to our Lord and creator. Paul does not envision, and indeed rejects, a lord-less existence. We just need the right lord. The human condition is not one of raw autonomy – we will serve something, either Sin, Satan and Self or

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Father, Son and Holy Spirit (cf. Romans 6). Loki also takes aim at that most cherished human good – freedom. He claims freedom is a mad pursuit of power and identity and ends up diminishing our joy. Yet here again, there is truth beneath the lines. There is a kind of freedom, the kind most in vogue today – the freedom to do what I want, when I want, how I want and nobody gets to tell me otherwise – that can be a kind of fool’s gold. This freedom actually buys into the lie that we are masters of our own destiny and that selfaggrandizement and the maximizing of our choices is the highest aim. True freedom, biblically speaking, looks like servitude (Rom 6:15-23), first to God (1 Pet 2:16), then to others (Gal 5:13). True freedom involves the reduction of choices (e.g., selfish choices are ruled out). True freedom frees one to love others with reckless abandon, to love like God loved us. True freedom sometimes denies its own rights in order to do the right thing. And such freedom does bring joy. In response to this opening salvo from Loki, the old man in the crowd stands up and rather courageously says “not by men like you!” It’s a powerful line meant to cause the movie-goer to marvel (pun intended) at this man’s courage and pluck. Yet I think that most moviegoers either miss what he says or hear him say something he doesn’t say. I think the audience expects the old man to say “No we won’t! We are free men, and we bow to no one!” Yet the man says “Not to men like you.” Here’s what I think the old man is saying: “We might well be meant to be ruled. It might well be our nature to submit to one greater than us. Freedom understood as a mad scramble for power and identity might be a dead end street. But you are not the right

OPINION chap for the job.” Am I reading too much into this? Maybe. But maybe not. Loki is, in a sense, right about human nature and the wise old man doesn’t balk at the claim about lordship, just the claimant. A final point. Who opposes Loki? Captain America, of course! Decked out in the red, white and blue, he epitomizes the goods (and I mean “goods” in a philosophical/ethical sense) that Americans deem most important –freedom & equality. He’s come to beat up the bad guy and save the day. But he’s also come to challenge the assumption. Someone standing over others and speaking of submission – that won’t do! That ain’t American! I think this scene resonates with the audience because it plays off of our basic sentiments about power, authority, equality and freedom (the first two being bad; the last two being good). But what if our sentiments are a bit off ? Heaven, after all, isn’t a democracy! I think I know how the audience is supposed to respond to this scene – Loki’s not only homicidal, but also dead wrong, while Cap gets it right. But my theological eyes see something different. Loki’s a fruitcake, but his theology is, to a significant degree, on target. The old man realizes it without being duped by a false lord, and Captain America might not have it all right, as much as it pains me to say it (he is my favorite Avenger, after all).

PHOTO FROM 25.media.tumblr.com

April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

OPINION

Being Equipped To Do How a re-evaluation of time changes perspective

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e could be a lot of other places doing a lot of other things for less money than we’re spending to be here at Spring Arbor University (SAU). Conscious of this, we, of course, are ideally here for a reason. At SAU, we’re afforded time and space to progress and develop in a number of ways, and one of these ways is preparation to excel in the future workplace. We’re given eyes to see our own capabilities, and the sense that whatever we set our minds towards we can do. This can be understood as a blessing to enter into any enterprise or employment possible, with the added wisdom that jobstability, upward mobility and politeness are strong assets in leveraging our faith in the presence of others. How do these things speak though? What do they communicate to others? Tolstoy wrote, “…it’s necessary to think, and to think hard about the conditions one lives in and about one’s past, to evaluate what one considers to be important and

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unimportant in life and to find out what one really believes in — i.e. what one considers the invariable, indisputable truth and what one will be guided by in life. Otherwise one does not truly know what he believes in, or whether one believes it or not.” (Personal Correspondence, “Spiritual Writings”)

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We’re given eyes to see our own capabilities, and the sense that whatever we set our minds towards we can do.

Looking beyond what we can do and questioning whether or not we should pushes us towards a deeper understanding of the world. It draws us into a more redemptive usage of time. It carries us past the abstraction

thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

of societal expectation and towards engaging more visceral questions of depth and rigor. Engagement with these questions, which often leave us humbled and compelled to trust something outside of ourselves, gives power to our motions and movements. Our distinction is not our success or prominence. It’s that the heart our words and actions flow from has a different orientation and aim than what’s more ordinarily found. Contrary to common perception, this doesn’t mean shoddy work. The mode of measurement of our work is transformed, however. To do well is to do well upon others, rather than just the bottom line. What this looks like specifically is ultimately different for everyone, but it does allow for meaningful and authentic action, rather than complacency, distraction or vicarious philanthropy. With that said, is what I’m about to do worth doing? Is what I’m about to say worth speaking? Am I fulfilling a need or creating one? I pray those questions shape my own interactions and intentions day in and day out.

OPINION

N ATEBORTZ is done…I’m preparing myself for getting

PHOTO GRAPHY E DITOR

recent development has been taking place during chapel worship sets: fog filling the chapel has reportedly enhanced Holy Spirit presence by at least 42 percent. Thanks to not only a new fog machine, but also brighter lights, louder speakers and two more guitar players, chapel band has been kicking it into high gear, and the Spirit has been coming nearer. “The vapory essence of the thick fog surrounding my face as I worship really brings a type of physicality to things,” one student said. “Never mind the fact that I start getting a little light headed after the set

slain in the Spirit!” Spring Arbor University’s (SAU) chapel band has been doing its best to stay relevant and in-tune with what students need as well as what they didn’t even know they needed. One front row residing student explained how she learned that she wasn’t really experiencing Christ through worship until it felt like a flashbang had gone off. “The lights make me blind to the evils of the world, and the sound makes me deaf to Satan’s lies…but I’m also literally blind and deaf for a couple minutes…” she said. In an attempt to bring out the “party poopers” who stand in the back with their arms folded, audio/video workers installed a new spotlight on the stage.

“Those not worshipping with the rest of the school will be illuminated with the spotlight as a symbol of God showing Himself to them,” an official chapel band statement said. Chapel Band also has some big changes in mind for the next “Worship Chapel.” The same statement detailed new plans students can expect the next time they go to chapel expecting a time to reflect on all that God has done for them. First, the chapel will be pushed to 7 p.m., but doors open at 6 p.m. Local SAU favorite Twenty One Pilots is scheduled to start the night off with a set of their own. Official chapel band T-shirts and rubber wristbands will be sold outside the sanctuary. Tickets are available now. Get yours today, and don’t miss out!

PHOTO BY Andri Hill

April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

A&E

“Evolution and Holiness” RYAN JO N ES

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pring Arbor’ University’s (SAU) own assistant professor of philosophy, Dr. Matthew Hill, has recently joined the list of authors here at SAU. Hill’s book, “Evolution and Holiness: Sociobiology, Altruism and the Quest for Wesleyan Perfection,” was published by InterVarsity Press earlier this year. “The Pulse” recently sat down with Hill to ask him about his new book. The Pulse (TP): What is your new book about? Matt Hill (MH): It’s asking a question about nature versus nurture, and if nature gives us a kind of disposition to act in certain ways. For instance, if you’re genetically and biologically a sociopath, then you lack the ability to feel empathy. So are you morally responsible for being a violent or non-empathetic person? Or are you less responsible? Or let’s say that nature made you a very kind and caring person. What does it mean for you to be holy? Should you get pats on the back for doing those good things? Not that you couldn’t have done anything different, but you were more likely to do those good things. TP: What was your inspiration for the original idea? Was this your thesis when you got your Ph.D.? MH: Yeah, this book is an adaptation from my dissertation. I very much believe in Wesleyan theology, and I also very much think that we are influenced by our genes. By “genes” I mean not just passive attributes like the way you look, it also includes active things like your behavior. If there are some proclivities that we have less control with, then what does that mean for being a better/worse Christian? TP: You said this was more like course material or a textbook? MH: It’s not really a textbook, it’s just an academic book. So it has a lot of footnotes and things like that. I’m working on a second book, a project that will hopefully be more accessible and in more laymen’s terms. TP: You mentioned that you’re working on another book; will that expand on this topic? MH: It’s different in that it’s kind of more, ‘what does all of this biology, anthropology and sociobiology mean for the Church and the Christian life?’ So it’s a similar kind of theme. But it’s going to be more accessible to people. TP: What did you want to accomplish in writing this book?

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MH: Here’s what I think is important for the Church and for Christians: if we can understand where we came from, then maybe we can cultivate some of those virtuous habits to help us on the way to responding to God’s grace and becoming a holy person. We can better become a holier person when we understand where we come from, I think. TP: Would you say this project falls under the topic of philosophy or theology more? MH: I think that it bridges the gap between philosophy and theology. My hope is that it touches on both subjects and brings them together. Matt Hill’s book is now available for purchase now through major book retailers, as well as through the University Book Store for SAU students. PHOTO FROM amazon.com

A&E

George Virden Watsky M ARYS RAME K

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eorge Virden Watsky is a slam poet turned rapper based in Los Angeles, Calif. By the age of 15 Watsky had found his love for poetry, turning to slam poetry to process his emotions. He won nearly a dozen slam competitions. In 2006, he was the champion at the Youth Speaks Grand Slam national championship. Watsky was also the champion of the Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam competition. Watsky attended Emerson College in Boston where he received a bachelor’s degree for writing and acting for the screen and stage. During his freshman year at Emerson, Watsky performed on Season 6 of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. Watsky continues to support education, performing and giving guest lectures on writing poetry. After graduation, Watsky moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles to focus on his music career. Much of Watsky’s music is known for placing political and social commentary into his songs. Several songs approach depression, struggles with self-image and growing up and respecting people who are different.

Between 2007 and 2014, Watsky released four studio albums and four mixtapes. His self-titled album, “Watsky,” reached number seven on the iTunes charts. He has been featured on “Ellen” and Carson Daly’s “Last Call.” In 2011, Watsky was one of 23 other artists in the world dubbed “The Next Big Sound.” Watsky has been more focused on his music, but he does continue to use spoken word on his albums and in his songs. ‘Tiny Glowing Screens Pt. 2” and “Cannon Ball” have focused on the poetic medium over rap. Watsky’s website (georgewatsky.com) has hyperlinked seven free albums available for download on Bandcamp.

Five Watsky Songs: ~Cardboard Castles ~Moral of the Story ~Sloppy Seconds ~Tiny Glowing Screens Part One ~Tiny Glowing Screens Part Two

PHOTOS BY Eleanor Stills

April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

A&E

SAU’s Got Talent: Andrews Hall Kazoo Choir E L IZ A BE TH D E G RAAF

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rom Chamber Choir to chapel band to bathroom trios, Spring Arbor University (SAU) is home to many musically gifted individuals. One such talented group is the Andrews Hall Kazoo Choir. According to its founder and leader, Luke Roberts, the Kazoo Choir started with an idea. “I thought it would be a funny thing to do for the Talents for Christ chapel,” he said.

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I thought it would be a funny thing to do for the Talents for Christ Chapel. Luke Roberts, Choir Founder

“Ron Kopicko told me that that chapel was full but we could also perform at the last chapel of the year.” Last year, the group of about fifteen Andrews Hall men stood up front in chapel, each wielding his own kazoo. They performed classics such as the “Imperial March” from Star Wars, “In Christ Alone” and the Choir’s personal favorite, the “Doxology.” Sophomore Hank Bunting conducted the group at this performance and continues to be a key musical leader in the choir. He said, “My favorite part of the choir is having fun with the guys.” Bunting

compares the mechanics of playing the kazoo to humming. It takes some musical ability, but they are accepting of all levels of talent. Bunting said the men who have musical talent play harmony, while the rest carry the melody. “We need a balance,” Bunting said. Since performing in chapel, the Kazoo Choir has performed several other times, including presenting the National Anthem and a half time show at the Gainey Powder-Puff football game this past fall. On April 8, the Andrews Hall Kazoo Choir planned to perform in Lansing to present the seventh inning stretch at the Lansing Lugnuts game. However, the game was postponed due to foul weather. “We were really disappointed that we weren’t able to perform because of the snow,” Roberts said. “But we’re already working with the Lugnuts to schedule another performance date in a couple of weeks.” He also said the group was not nervous for the event. “The important part is that we practiced enough to feel

confident. We were all really hype about it.” Roberts said when they are planning for a performance, they practice once or twice a week. Although they can practice for hours, they only seriously practice for about 20 minutes. For the past two years, all of the members of the choir have lived in Andrews Hall, most of them residing on 3 South. Next year, the group plans to expand and accept men from all residencies on campus. Roberts says that the best part about the Kazoo Choir is being able to build community with the other Andrews Hall guys he does not hang out with very often. Roberts hopes the choir is a tradition that will continue in future years. Roberts is a senior and will graduate in May, but plans to establish new leadership before he leaves in order to ensure the future of the group.

A&E

The Transcendence of Unity St.John’s Bible Essay Contest Winner

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pon first glance, “Life in Community,” the hand painted illumination featured in Acts 4:32-35 of the Saint John’s Bible, may seem typical of Medieval Eastern Orthodox works of art. In it, the Virgin Mary is flanked by nineteen saintly figures sitting along the perimeter of a crescent shaped table with what appears to be a meal upon it—chalices, bread and bowls of fruit. Below this table is an altar-like stand which holds the elements common to communion—a cup of wine, votive candle, bread and a Bible. Last, elevated above both tables and the seated individuals is Jesus Christ, with an angel to both his left and his right. Standing out against the subtle pastels of much of the rest of the illumination, the figures of this painting are each accented by gold, a feature found otherwise only in the wispy lettering of Acts 4:32-35 in the background. Upon further reflection, however, we can detect three subtle nuances relating to time, geography and ethnolinguistics that serve to broaden the dimensions of the oneness and unity that the very passage speaks of. Though it is possible to easily overlook this detail, it is important to note the two architecturally different buildings in the background of the illumination, which take on great significance in breaking the illumination free of the potential confines of time that its medieval stylings might suggest. The small building on the left is the Stella Maris Chapel, originally built in 1982 (CSB/ SJU). Its antiquated stylings contrast with that of the modernist building to its right, St. John’s Abbey, which was constructed in 1953 (GreatBuildings). Both are found on land belonging to the College of St. Benedict at St. John’s University, the commissioning

institution for the creation of the Saint John’s Bible, and both buildings appear out of place amongst the Byzantine stylings of the rest of the work. Acts 4:33 states that “the apostles continued [emphasis added] to testify to the resurrection.” Rather than the revelation of Christ being a singular event in time, followers are to share it continually and actively. This concept is beautifully portrayed by the inclusion of the two contemporary chapels in the illumination. The apostles’ call spans the reaches of time and is indeed in effect today. Amongst the seated figures in the painting, an unlikely pair is found. The first person seated, all the way to the left of the assembly,

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Nothing can separate the followers of Jesus from the triune of God, including location.

is a bearded Middle Eastern man shrouded in brown clothing (CCEBU). His opposite, all the way to the right, is a Guatemalan woman with a head wrap dressed in muted pinks (Ibid). These figures represent the geographic diversity that is often forgotten of the early church, and those belonging to the family of God henceforth. Nothing can separate the followers of Jesus from the triune God, including location. The unity under Christ displayed in Acts chapter 4, which is the most significant example of a Christ-following community found in the Bible, is available to persons regardless of their physical location.

Beyond physical location, oneness in Christ transcends cultural and linguistic divisions. In the illumination, Christ is perched above all. He sits in a mandorla, an almond shaped feature often used in Byzantine art to indicate sacredness (CCBU). Within the mandorla there are four words. The first two are “IC XC”. In Greek, these indicate the name “Jesus Christ”. The other two are “I Am,” which is the English rendering of the Hebrew words God offered as His name in the book of Exodus. These words, which are the only words that appear in the painting other than the text of the Acts passage, represent the bridging of the societies and languages of ancient Israel, post-exilic Judaism, early Christianity, classical Greece and the contemporary West. Much deeper than nationalistic and cultural constraints are the bonds amongst those in the extraordinary community of Acts 4. As seen, the illumination serves to uncover depths within the text of Acts chapter 4 and reveal details that often go unnoticed. These details, especially when considered amongst the rest of the book’s words and themes, are not simply intellectual trappings. They are challenges to be fleshed out within the lives of believers today. Life in community involved testifying to others with “great power” and “much grace [being] upon them all” (v. 33). For the church to find its way back to such vibrancy and life, it should consider the example of Acts 4. By expressing that unity in Christ transcends time, geography, culture and language, the St. John’s Bible offers insights crucial to understanding and implementing this transforming unity. For the Christian church to discover this today would be for the church to find, and consequently share, new life.

April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

SPORTS

Q & A with Jeremy Smith

N AT H A NSAL SBURY

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eremy Smith is in his second year as head coach of the men’s track and field team.“The Pulse” recently sat down with Smith to learn about his coaching experience. “The Pulse” (TP): What is your favorite part about coaching men’s track and field? Jeremy Smith (JS): It’s very fulfilling being able to invest in our athletes, to help develop them athletically, but even more than that to integrate our faith with the athletics and help the guys grow in their walks with Christ. We also talk a lot about leadership principles and life principles that can help equip them for life after college, too. The overall development of the student athlete, I think that’s a great thing. TP: What are some challenges that you encounter in coaching the team? JS: There are challenges whenever you’re dealing with team chemistry, because every single one of our athletes is an individual life and every life is composed of a lot of challenges. I think a specific challenge that is

fifth out of 18 teams. So it was exciting to see how well they did

One thing I say to our team and to our recruits is that I’m passionate about track and field, but I don’t worship it. It’s important for me to do my best to model a better balanced lifestyle of taking care of my wife, my sons and the team. The other challenge is track and field can become a very selfish sport because you have to qualify for nationals individually unless you’re part of a relay team. I want to try and change that common stereotype of being selfish as an athlete to being more teamoriented. To maintain unity in the team despite those differences is a challenge.

TP: What are you looking forward to most out of these next three meets and then into the next school year?

TP: How does your faith impact your coaching? JS: It is foundational. It is not something I shy away from and that’s one of the greatest things I love about coaching at Spring Arbor University (SAU). I don’t need to shy away from it in any way, shape or form, but I’m fully supported to be able to encourage our team in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and to be transparent and real in my life and walk with Christ and to meet them where they’re at and to encourage them with their walk with Christ. So being able to care about the athlete more as a person than just as an athlete, like a time or a distance. I care about these people, not just treat them as numbers. TP: You’ve had two meets in the outdoor season so far. How have those gone? JS: Quite impressive. They’ve been unpleasant experiences as far as the weather is concerned for our last two outdoor meets. So we’re hoping and praying that the remaining three regularly scheduled meets of our outdoor season will be wonderful experiences for our athletes. But they’ve still been great performances. The first one a couple weeks ago, one of our females qualified for nationals in pole vault and last week down in Kentucky in 40 to 50 mile per hour winds, our women took third place out of 19 teams and our men

thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

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PROVIDED BY Jeremy Smith

always there for our coaches, myself included, would be balancing life with coaching.

JS: Looking at the next three meets, not only am I looking forward to continual athletic development and improvement for the athletes themselves, which is so encouraging to them, being able to set their own personal

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I care about these people, not just treat them as numbers. Jeremy Smith, track and field coach

records, but definitely outside of just the numbers, I am really looking forward to the team continuing to grow closer as a family and as a body of Christ. Going into next year, I always get very excited about who God is bringing in as a freshman class and what kind of impact that’s going to have on the team as a whole. So it’s an unknown, but an exciting unknown, to see who arrives on campus

SPORTS

To Run The Distance: SAU Athletes and Those Who Inspire Them

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nspiration is defined as “something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create: a force or influence that inspires someone” by the Merriam Webster dictionary. Inspiration takes many forms in our daily life. For some, it may be a person or lifestyle. For others, it could be a quote or simply the desire to reach a lofty goal. Athletes in particular know the power that inspiration can have in their lives. Several freshman athletes had a few inspirational figures to talk about. For freshman track runner Kayla Kilgore, that figure is Allyson Felix. Felix is a world renowned track star, being a Olympic medalist and threetime world champion for the 200 meter dash. “I like how she is versatile in different events,” Kilgore said. “I just look up to her because those are the events that I run and she’s like a world champion. I am aiming to be like her in track.”

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RYAN J O N E S

That just tells me about his work ethic. He was the best but that didn’t stop him from getting better. Matt Kovacic, track member

“I would say Calvin Johnson inspires me because he was a man of God and was very humble,” said freshman track runner Matt Kovacic. Kovacic said he takes inspiration from the former Detroit Lions’ wide receiver’s incredible work ethic. “Once he was out with his team and having a good time with the team. They had some beers and a lot of food, and they decided to go sweat it out in the sauna. Instead, he was heading in the other direction to the weight room to sweat it out,” said Kovacic. “That just

PHOTO PROVIDED BY Kevin Smith

tells me about his work ethic. He was the best, but that didn’t stop him from getting better.” Kevin Smith, a sophomore track and field athlete, is inspired by his grandmother, Annie Luckie. Kevin’s grandmother used to run track herself, and encouraged Kevin to try out for track and field. “She pretty much did long jump and hurdles, and she was pretty quick,” Smith said. “That’s how she inspired me. She was like, ‘You don’t have to be big or muscular and giant like anyone else; you can be small. Run track and be good at it.’” Outside of his family, Smith said he is also inspired by professional track and field athlete and Olympic medal winner Jeff Bennett. “They say decathletes typically want to be six foot three and 192 pounds. I am nowhere near that,” Smith said. “So since he’s the only other smaller decathlete that I’ve seen have international success, I look up to him because he’s paving the way for us smaller people.” Inspiration for athletes is not only a tool but a discipline, one which they use to better their bodies, minds and soul. With this discipline, it gives them a motivation to continue towards future success.

April 15, 2016 • thesaupulse.com

SPORTS

Recruiting Athletes: A Team Effort Cottingham said coaches also discover athletes through heading up a sports camp, leads from “trusted sources” and contact with S ARAH D E AN various people, including high school, college STAFF WRITE R or AAU/Club coaches, parents, faculty or staff and the student athletes themselves. “Building a network is a very key component he process of recruiting new athletes is an essential part of a university’s athletic in collegiate coaching,” Bryan Burk, head program, said Ryan Cottingham, director coach of the womens cross country and track of athletics at Spring Arbor University (SAU) and field teams said. “If high school coaches know what you are looking for in an athlete, and head coach of the mens basketball team. “Recruiting is the lifeline of coaching at the and they have a good relationship with you, collegiate level,” Cottingham said. “Finding the they will often point out the athletes on their right fit is essential to building and sustaining a team that are a good fit for our program.” Jacob Leyrer, head coach of the mens successful program.” Cottingham said SAU’s coaches look for golf team, said looking at athlete’s scores students with both athletic skills and good character. published in newspapers is another method “Our coaches have done an outstanding of identifying recruits. Also, Burk said that job identifying and if an athlete is able attracting young men to compete at a state and women that fit both meet, he will send a these characteristics,” Finding the right fit is recruiting letter. Cottingham said. Burk said recruiting Coaches spend essential to building often derives from the a great deal of time and sustaining a student. If a student is recruiting athletes interested in SAU, he successful program in order to do this. or she can fill out an Cottingham and Sam Ryan Cottingham, online questionnaire Riggleman, head coach Mens Basketball Coach regarding athletics. of the mens baseball However athletes team, said recruitment is are recruited, the “a year-round process.” coaches then stay in Cottingham said SAU’s coaches begin connecting with potential touch with athletes in various ways. “Phone calls, texts, social media contacts, team members and their current coaches in a variety of ways. Often, coaches will attend attending games, practices, AAU/Club recruiting showcases, summer camps, high school competitions and home visits are all part of games, summer games and Amateur Athletic the process,” Cottingham said. “It is our responsibility to follow up on Union (AAU) and associated club tournaments. The AAU, according to its website, is a potential recruits,” Riggleman said. Cottingham said one extremely important nonprofit organization which helps facilitate step in the recruiting process is hosting amateur sports programs. Debra Thompson, head coach of womens potential athletes on campus. “Our coaches believe if we can get a recruit softball, said recruitment often happens as a result of summer travel leagues. The coaches are to visit campus, our chances of landing the able to see girls play throughout the summer in recruit increases immensely,” Cottingham said. Cottingham said that while SAU’s coaches order to assess their readiness to play for SAU.

DA N ASE BA L DVANDOREN SP O RTS ED ITO R

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thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016

are excellent at promoting SAU to potential new athletes, it takes more than good coaches to sell SAU. Student athletes can also play a large role in encouraging recruits to attend SAU. “Our current athletes can often be our best recruiters based on the way they connect and engage with potential teammates,” Cottingham said. Cottingham also gave special mention to Lorie Cornell, administrative assistant for athletics. “Lorie is arguably the face of our department and does an incredible job modeling servant leadership not only to our recruits, but also to our current athletes and non-athletes as well as our coaching staff,” Cottingham said. “She has helped create an incredible energy within the athletic department.” Cottingham did not focus entirely on the efforts of those in the athletic department, however. “The recruiting process and especially the campus visit is a total team effort,” Cottingham said. “The culture and vibe of our campus typically has a huge impact on recruits.” Cottingham emphasized the friendliness of current students, faculty and staff, saying, “I can’t overstate the value our student body (primarily the non-athletes) can have on not only the recruitment of athletes but also in helping us retain them. The impact our students can have, especially on the nonbelievers and/or those that are young in their faith walk is enormous.” Cottingham said SAU’s coaches recruit a balance of Christian and non-Christians. “Our coaches view Spring Arbor University as a mission field,” Cottingham said. “We recruit student-athletes that are all over the map in terms of their spiritual journey, and not all of them have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” “We recruit team members by valuing and respecting God’s guidance in their lives and ours,” said Jeremy Smith, head coach of mens cross country and track and field. “We are true to who we are as a Christ-centered team and do our best to introduce our recruits to our athletes so they better understand who we are rather than just who we say we are.”

SPORTS

Recruitment from a student perspective: Olivia Landis, sophomore volleyball player “Recruiting was a lot of work. First, I made a video of me playing and then put that on a YouTube channel in addition to emailing it out to college coaches and other recruiting websites. Also, AAU Tournaments were a prime time to be recruited, so you always had to watch your behavior, because coaches would see how you reacted to mistakes on the court, and then how you would treat others off the court. Nobody wants a bratty kid on the team to mess up dynamics, no matter how good! After emailing my information out and performing well in tournaments, I began to receive emails from college coaches all over the country and then had to narrow down my search by doing visits, practicing with the team and staying overnight on campus. When I visited SAU, it was not my first choice, and I honestly didn’t think I would end up here. It was mid-February, and I was running out of time to commit and make a final decision. I remember driving home from a tournament with my mom, and we passed a Spring Arbor University sign on the highway, and I just felt called to come here. I called Carol the next Monday (the coach at the time) and verbally committed to play here next fall. It was really rewarding to sign and see all my hard work pay off and of course continue my volleyball career at the next level.”

Do you consider yourself witty, sarcastic or downright cynical? The Pulse is looking for a new Flatline writer! Enter your satirical writing piece (250-300 words) to kayla.williamson@arbor.edu by April 29. The top four pieces will be published in our May 6 issue. Vote for your favorite satire piece on thesaupulse.com from May 6-13. The winner will be our next Flatline writer!

April 15,2016 • thesaupulse.com

SPORTS

Athlete of the Month Josh Smith Track & Field

PHOTOS BY Machala Cullhane

O LI VI A L ANDIS

STAF F WRITE R

reshman Joshua Smith, a Sterling Heights native, competed at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Indoor Track and Field National Championship, finishing seventh place in the nation for the 60-meter hurdles and clocking in at 8.30. He was awarded AllAmerican honors in the event, the first Spring Arbor University (SAU) Cougar to capture this prize since the 2013 Championship. “The Pulse” sat down with Smith in order to learn more about his relationship with his sport. The Pulse (TP): What’s your favorite part about track and hurdles? Joshua Smith (JS): I would say just the uniqueness of it, because everybody has different hurdling forms. So, really, I learned from all the different hurdlers. If you take some of the world athletes, Aries Merritt, Pascal Lagarde, all those guys, I learned from them, because they’re all different. There are all different types of techniques. TP: So you learned from watching YouTube videos? It was kind of self-taught? JS: Yeah, almost, and the help of my dad. TP: So your dad ran track as well?

JS: Yeah, he’s in the Hall of Fame here. He holds the record for the 110 meter hurdle. That’s the record I’m trying to get now. He holds a couple records here. TP: When you were running, did you know you were going to get a PR (personal record)? JS: Really, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I knew I was going to be faster. But I have to say, kind of, I knew I was going to get a PR, but I didn’t know it was going to be that major. So it was really exciting. I was just like, “Alright, let’s do it.” I was just hoping for the best, honestly. TP: Do you have any pre-meet or post-meet rituals? JS: I just pray, really. I don’t do anything crazy. I just pray and I just thank God for everything that’s going to happen during the race or after the race. I just tell Him I’m fine with whatever happens. TP: How do you see yourself improving over the next few years?

muscle, getting faster. Over the summer I’ll be putting in more work, because I’ll be going to Las Vegas, Nev. I went there last summer, and I trained with my aunt there at this place called Phase One. It’s a training facility. They train professional athletes, so I’ll be down there for about a month. I think that will help me get better. TP:Was there one specific coach or person that really inspired you to pursue track? JS: My dad. TP: Because he’s an alumn here? JS: Yeah. He got inducted in the Hall of Fame a couple years ago. Just hearing all the records, all of his All-American plaques he had up on the wall, I was just like, dang, I want to do that someday too. So yeah, I’d say my dad.

JS: I can see myself improving a lot, actually: just strength-wise, getting more thesaupulse.com • April 15, 2016