PULSE Piecing it Together:
March 1, 2019 • Issue 5 • Volume 6 • thesaupulse.com
THE
being a community in change
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PREVIEW
TAB LE OF
CONTENTS
ACADEMIC ADJ UST M E NTS
SAU’S DECADE CHALLENGE
PAG E S 4 - 6
PAGES 10-11
DORM F U T U R ES
PROFESSO R PROFILE
PAG E 7
A L M OST C H A P EL’S F IR ST Y E AR
PAG E 1 2
F L AT L I N E PAG E 1 5
PAG E 1 4
MUSIC REVIEW PAG E 1 6 PHOTO BY Jared Boekenhauer
L IT TLE WOMEN PAG E 1 8
CHEERING F O R A NEW SPORT PAG E 1 9
PHOTO PROVIDED BY Nathan Salsbury
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thesaupulse.com • March 1, 2019
PHOTO PROVIDED BY Susan Panak
Erin Couch | Guest Writer
This season at Spring Arbor University is a hard one. With departmental cuts, and the necessary adjustment to budgets and the continual need to become better stewards of what is given to us, we are feeling the tightening of the reins. There is great loss to be felt and those who have been marked by PHOTO BY ShanShan Akamu this hardship have much to grieve.These programs have brought great significance and transformation, and we are losing more than I can express, but we must ask ourselves what we do when what’s done, is done. To ignore either the complexities of this process, or the pain of the individual who must wrestle with the massive impact these decisions have left on them, is to stand alone under the banner of community and miss God’s invitation to walk into profound growth and healing. So these are my three questions for this institution, for you the reader: What will you move towards? What will you breathe in? What will you choose to see? As I have tried to work through and process what has been occurring, God keeps bringing to mind Proverbs 26:13: “Do you see a person who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” The heartache and tension created by departmental cuts is a serious reality, and our need for continued growth in our communication as an institution and community is real, but this pain cannot be the only thing we choose to see. There are good things being cultivated in this place through God’s people. The heart of God is in this place because God’s heart is with his people; choose to see the hope of growth, because Christ has not stopped seeing the hope of growth and restoration in us. Let yourself feel deeply the discomfort and pain of this season, but rather than breathing in fear, take in grace. Breathe deeply of Christ’s grace, and release it in abundance upon those who have been wrecked by
what is happening, and those who lost weeks of sleep making unfathomably hard decisions. Choose to see hope for one another, choose to breathe in and extend grace, and then choose to move towards one another. It’s as if we are all standing around, each holding one piece of a puzzle, which has no completed picture to reference. We are either declaring we see the whole picture, or we’re waiting for the answers to magically come together by themselves. We must choose to press into each other, to call one another to a higher standard, and settle into the discomfort of this season. Fight for one another. The complexities that come with running an institution such as this university are endless. Students–choose to care about what happens here, before it directly affects you; present yourselves as people who deserve the respect to be let into a process because you will be mature enough to listen before you speak. But likewise, to my leaders– fully acknowledge the hearts being uprooted, and the immense significance of what is being lost; take a leap of faith and invite your community into what is happening. We must trust the heart of God in one another. We claim community at this institution; we must communicate like one. Choose to share your piece of the puzzle so that we can begin the process of restoration. Choose to see hope, choose to breathe in grace, choose to move towards one another and the promises of God, and let’s see what new things God grows in all of us.
EDITORIAL
Guest Editorial
The Pulse Staff & Contributors 2018-2019 Editor-in-Chief Elise Emmert
A&E Editor Nathan Salsbury
Associate Editor Celeste Fendt
Sports Editor Alex Anhalt
News Editor Jared Boekenhauer
Sales Manager Kaelyn Hale
Features Editor Caralyn Geyer
Design Editor Makana Geppert
Designers Elise Emmert Celeste Fendt Nathan Salsbury Staff Writers Ellie Brugger Ash Knauss Libby Koziarski Conner Williams Sarah Williams Guest Writer Erin Couch
March 1, 2019• thesaupulse.com
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News
Spring Arbor University’s Budget Elise Emmert | Editor-in-Chief
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n December 14, just after the last exams ended and students left campus for Christmas break, university president Brent Ellis pressed “send” on an email to students that announced academic changes coming to campus over the next year. In the following hours, days and weeks, administration, faculty and students attempted to understand what was happening and how they should move forward. There has been anger, frustration and sadness, both regarding the nature of the decision itself and the amount of information presented to the campus. The actions and reactions came from different facets of the university, and not all of the explanations, concerns and questions have bridged the gap between groups. The process to get to where campus is today took many months and substantial input from individuals across campus. The road was long, and the journey is not yet over.
THE PROCESS
One of the first major tasks given to Vice President of Academic Affairs Carol Green was to take a close, critical look at the academic affairs budget. Since the institution’s revenue has gone down and expenses have gone up over the past several years, she knew some adjustments would probably need to be made.
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To make the adjustments in the most financially sound way possible, Green had to look at multiple data reports, many of which had not been examined together before. Beginning in June of 2018, Green started examining 17 different data sets to determine how she could adjust the budget for the most financial impact while affecting the fewest number of students. By early November, Green had come up with a financial plan. But because she wanted to understand more than just the numbers and data points, she reached out to a small faculty budget committee, as well as the university Leadership Team, the Senate and the Cabinet, to expand the conversation and get input from others. Professor and Chair of Communication Dorie Shelby was one faculty member on the budget committee. The group met several times with Green, as well as with Vice President for Finance and Operations Kevin Rose and Assistant Vice President of Finance and Administration Dawn Schnitkey, to talk about the plan. The budget committee discussed and broke down finances, expenses and revenue, a five-year projection for enrollment and a report of how many students were enrolled in each major and minor across all of campus. Shelby said the committee was allowed to ask questions and challenge the assumptions and projections the group brought to them.
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Green asked the budget committee what decisions they would make based on the data presented, but the committee declined to make the choices. Instead, the faculty group waited to hear what the plan was before speaking into it. Green said some adjustments were made to the plan based on advice and input from the budget committee. Green said the university’s faculty handbook requires that faculty be given a certain length of notice if their contracts are not going to be renewed. For the academic changes to take effect in May of 2019, the plan needed to be announced before December 31 of 2018. Because of the time necessary to solidify and finalize the decisions, the announcement came right before winter break. “The timing of [the email] was really unfortunate because we all dispersed and there was no opportunity to have direct conversations and make things clear,” Shelby said.
Green expressed a similar feeling, and said she wished the announcement could have been made in October. But because of the volume of information she had to examine, approaching the budget thoughtfully took more time than an announcement in October would have allowed. As early as she knew the list in certainty, Green started making appointments with faculty members who would be affected so she could meet with them to talk about the adjustments. She met with nearly all the faculty affected, and department chairs met with the rest. The email to students, which was delivered on December 14, was sent out within about two-and-a-half hours of all the faculty being notified.
THE CHANGES
As a result of the budget changes, some programs at Spring Arbor University (SAU) will no longer be available for incoming students. This does not mean the programs are ending immediately, but that the university will no longer recruit students to enter into the programs. The majors that are being phased out are worship arts, worship ministry, drama education and actuarial science. The affected minors are drama, physics and probability, and statistics and the master of arts in education program. Though these are the only majors and minors that will no longer be offered, some other departments are seeing adjustments to faculty. Changes were also made to faculty load or assignments. In all, 23 individual faculty or positions were affected by the budget changes. Some positions were cut, some faculty saw a reduction in their
typical course load, some faculty saw an adjustment in which classes they teach and some positions that were empty due to recent retirement or vacancy are not going to be filled. Not all the changes will take place at the end of May 2019. Some faculty contracts will end then, but tenured faculty who were cut can stay until May 2020. Green said all the shifts and cuts that were made saved more than a million dollars in the academic affairs budget. Some students who are currently in the on-campus programs that were cut will be able to fulfill their major or minor requirements before the changes take effect. For students who will not graduate before their programs are phased out, the university is willing to work with them to make schedule changes to finish their degree requirements. There are 11 students in this latter group of students. “We’re committed to giving students the opportunity to finish what they signed up for,” Green said. Before any conversations were had with faculty about what was being cut, Green had plans in place for the 11 students regarding what they would need to do to finish their major or minor. For students who still have a few years of their program to go, this might mean their senior year would include tutorial classes or classes with only a few students in them. These students have also been presented with other options, such as switching their major or minor to something else that is similar to what they have now.
THE POSSIBILITIES
Each affected department has a different timeline for when and how they should respond to the cuts because their faculty will be affected at different times. For example, Shelby said up until May 2020, the drama program and season should look the same. After May 2020, when the drama major and minor are officially phased out, the department is planning on continuing theater as an extracurricular. “The university has committed to funding an extracurricular program, so I don’t see it going away,” Shelby said. “I just see it being different.” Assistant Professor of Music Mark Douglass, as the new department chair, was already planning to reexamine and restructure the music major programs. With the cuts to worship arts and worship ministry, he said the changes he planned to make have been accelerated. He spent his Christmas break, and even some of Christmas day, working on new class plans. “I spent many hours sitting with Dr. Green, redesigning a curriculum within the budgetary confines they made for us that still makes sense for students,” Douglass said. In some capacity, Douglass said this restructuring can be an opportunity to create a program that makes more sense for SAU music students who may want more experience and training in composition, performance, pedagogy or another area of music.
News
Adjustments: Cuts and Changes to Academic Programs
March 1, 2019 • thesaupulse.com
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News
Green and Douglass both mentioned the possibility of students configuring majors on their own after they are no longer officially offered. Though a student will not be able to study worship ministry, it could be possible for them to have a music major with a minor in the ministry department. Or, Green said, instead of actuarial science, a student could study a combination of finance and accounting, which is what the actuarial science major generally consists of.
THE RESPONSES
As the news of the cuts and changes spread, different reactions settled in different parts of campus. After Green’s meetings with the affected faculty, she and President Ellis met with the full faculty to explain the changes and answer any questions.“There was just a sense of sadness [at the meeting],” Green said, “and it is sad when you have to make these adjustments. It is hard.” Some professors in departments that have seen cuts have had students from multiple majors, not just those affected, come to them with concerns. Some students have asked Shelby if their majors might be the next to be cut, and if they should be worried about losing their programs. Douglass and Professor of Communication Paul Patton have also talked to concerned students. Douglass has had students from different affected programs approach him who want to transfer. Some of these students, he said, are already halfway through their degree. He said his job is to help students take the “next steps” in their lives, and if transferring is their next step then he is going to help them. Patton said what he wants to emphasize through the cuts is a reflection on the meaning of grief.
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“Every grief is a great compliment to what has died, what has been buried, what has been lost,” Patton said.“Can you imagine the opposite? ‘Hooray, we don’t have to do this anymore’?” Douglass expressed a sadness for losing some creative arts programs. “For a university like this to cut so deeply into the creative arts makes me very concerned,” Douglass said. “Everybody knows that art is expensive, and so they get donors who believe we need this to be human. In this world, knowing that art is worship, for us to cut art is devastating.”
THE FUTURE
Green said the cuts are not the only changes to come to campus. She called the changes an adjustment, where cuts in one area allow for other areas to be added onto or strengthened. Some of the proposed changes will go to the university Senate this spring. Electrical engineering, for example, has been internally approved at the university and is awaiting external approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The HLC visited campus in midFebruary to look at the proposed program. Once SAU receives HLC approval, the university can start to admit students to the program. Some of the potential changes depend on campus enrollment as it affects revenue and expenses. Based on trends, on-campus enrollment is projected to stabilize around 1,100. Retention rates and projections on what programs future students are interested in are considerations in what programs might be expanded or added. Regarding the drama program, Shelby said she
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and other leaders are not going to try to replace what the university had, but to continue to create drama opportunities for people who are interested. She said the drama community has remained on campus because of the people who are involved in it, not necessarily because there has been a program on campus. “It’s the people who will maintain that community,” Shelby said. “There’s no reason that community should be dismantled.” Douglass, along with planning to adjust the music degree requirements, said he wants to continue to support student-led music programs and classes as much as he can. He also said he wants to continue promoting the arts programs. “My dream is to have a university where everybody, with vigor, is going and promoting our arts programs, because they know that the heart of art is worship,” Douglass said. Shelby said if people have concerns about the affected programs or their own majors that they can come talk to her. Green also said communication is important to helping campus move forward and said students can talk to her or send her an email if they have questions. “I really do care what the students think and how these things affect the students,” Green said. “The hardest thing is when people don’t have full information and they feel very passionately about something and they can’t get full information.”
News
The Future of Muffit and Ormston Jared Boekenhauer | News Editor Ormston Hall and Muffit Hall have been serving Spring Arbor University (SAU) students for years. However, they have not been functioning as dorm buildings for the 2018-19 school year. “To ensure that all of our facilities are meeting the standards of quality that we have for all of our campus facilities, there will be times when certain buildings, or portions of them, need to come offline for evaluation, maintenance or repair...University leadership decided prior to the 20182019 school year to take advantage of the opportunity to evaluate Ormston and Muffit halls,” said Vice President of Marketing and Enrollment Jon Bahr.
During the time of evaluation was the “Master Planning” process, which looks at facilities and university goals to exam growth in the student population and academic programs. It was discovered that there was more than enough student housing space for enrollment growth in the future, but not enough for faculty offices or large meetings. The recommendation from the master plan process is to use Ormston Hall as administration and faculty offices and to have Muffit removed from the campus footprint. “As it currently sits, Muffit would require significant structural updates to ensure a quality experience for our
students. As one of the older buildings on campus, the cost to do that work is quite significant,” Bahr said. The plans for Ormston and Muffit have not been finalized yet, however they hope to have a final plan by the end of this school year.
PHOTOS BY Jared Boekenhauer
July 31, 2018 • thesaupulse.com
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Features
A Random Poll By The Pulse Editorial Staff
Who is your favorite co-host on Almost Chapel?
Which DC station is your favorite?
Where is your favorite place to do homework?
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thesaupulse.com • March 1, 2019
Features
of SAU Students What is your favorite drink from Sacred Grounds?
What is your favorite way to take notes?
March 1, 2019 • thesaupulse.com
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Caralyn Geyer | Features Editor
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his winter, a new trend appeared online in the form of a 10-year challenge: people posting their pictures from middle school with purple eye-shadow and fringe-everything. What was Spring Arbor University (SAU) like 10 years ago? A decade may not seem like much in the grand scheme of time, but it can bring about radical changes. Change can be tough to deal with but is a critical part of SAU’s Concept. As a university and as students, the vision to be “critical participants in a contemporary world” means adapting to the rapidly changing world around us, especially as Christians. For Professor of Communications Mary Darling, approaching change with a biblical perspective means “staying in front of change in a positive way.” From her view, this is how SAU has handled the past 10 years and how the school is looking toward the future.
In June 2009, SAU was gifted a partnership with Camp Michindoh, thanks to the work of former university president, Charles Webb.
Now known as The Pulse, SAU’s monthly news magazine used to be called The Crusader. The change was initiated at the end of the 20082009 school year, and the first magazine-style issue was released on September 17, 2009. At the time, sitting in the chair of editor-inchief was Michael J. Metts, son of Professor of Communications Wally Metts.
In 2010, SAU renewed the relationship with global partners in China. The school has hosted professors from Wuhan Technological University for many years, and still hosts professors today.
In the fall of 2010, SAU also added its international business major, a reading minor to the school of education, an early childhood development concentration and an urban education leadership program.
SAU saw the addition of the criminal justice major and the Masters of Science and Nursing programs to the course catalog in 2009-2010.
Features
Features
2009 vs. 2019
Spring Arbor takes on the decade challenge Fall 2011 brought the addition of the second semester-abroad program to Guatemala run by crosscultural and sociology professor Paul Nemecek, and wife, Bev.
Construction on the complex where the Cougars won state titles and various championships finished in the fall of 2011. The stadium both students and athletes now use for sports games and some intramural sports was completed with seating for 700 and FIFA 2-star turf. PHOTO FROM Wuhan University of Technology
In 2013 HOME.fm, SAU’s own radio station received the “go ahead” for construction. The station is still around today and the studio has grown since.
Though officially started in 2011 by Professor of Psychology Terri Pardee, SAU’s Center for Autism Spectrum Enrichment (CASE) expanded in 2014 to include grades K-12, pushing past its first cap of only 10 students. CASE has grown with student volunteers and through partnering with schools around the Jackson area and still continues every Wednesday evening.
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In 2015, the walls near the RCF received some more color when a mural was added by 1984 SAU alumnus Rick Herter.
Student center renovations were completed in 2013 with additions of the Dining Commons, Holton Health and Wellness Center, Ralph Carey Forum (RCF), bookstore and Cougar Den.
2013 brought in new professors still here and cultivating students’ education today: Matthew Hill, associate professor of philosophy; Jack Baker, assistant professor of English; Jen Letherer, professor of communication and current director of theater; and Cameron Moore, assistant professor of English and the third member of the Moore family to begin teaching at SAU, alongside his uncle and aunt, Robert and Kimberley MooreJumonville.
Across the street from the art building, SAU added its physical therapy clinic in 2016, open to all students, faculty and town residents. The clinic was put into practice by Mitch Zigler, associate professor of physical therapy and clinic director.
In 2017, campus pastor Ron Kopicko, announced in a spring chapel he would be stepping down as university chaplain and handing the position to Brian Kono, current chaplain.
PHOTO FROM Facebook
thesaupulse.com • March 1, 2019
PHOTO FROM SAU Athletics
The Cougar Den received its second renovation in 2018 with a new layout to help improve space issues and bring more efficiency as well as food options to the lines for the meal exchange
PHOTO FROM arbor.edu
March 1, 2019 • thesaupulse.com
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Features
Professor Profile: Eliseé Ouoba Sarah Williams | Staff Writer
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or most of his youth, Assoicate Professor of Biblical Studies Eliseé Ouoba dreamt of becoming a medical doctor. He went to the University of Ouaga in Burkina Faso, West Africa to study biology and sociology. While in college, Ouoba started to feel God pulling him in a different direction: ministry. A great change came over his life as he fell in love with biblical theology. He moved to two other schools, receiving his Bachelor’s in Theology, Master’s in Biblical Studies and a PHD in Biblical Theology. He was a full-time pastor and was later assigned a teaching position. Becoming a teacher was a change he did not expect but now appreciates. He has taught at Spring Arbor University (SAU) for eight years and said he feels privileged to
have taught so many students during an important time in their lives. Ouoba’s favorite class to teach is Biblical Theology of Mission. He said he enjoys this class because it goes through the Bible looking at the way the mission of God is unfolded. “It is eye-opening for me to see who God is, how he interacts with humanity and how the mission of God looks like in Scripture,” Ouoba said. He said his proudest moments are when a light turns on in his students as they learn the subject. When he sees they understood the material in their papers, “I go ‘Yes! They got it’ and it makes me so proud,” Ouoba said. Besides teaching, Ouoba enjoys taking hikes in nature. He also likes watching impactful movies like “Same Kind of Difference as Me”
PHOTO FROM Facebook
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and “Wonder Woman.” He relaxes by reading books about society, today’s top issues and biographies. He likes reading biographies about his heroes, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. “I like reading their biographies to think about the challenges they faced and what we can learn from them,” Ouoba said. “Any person that has been a major influence in their nation, continent, or the world, more broadly, I like to read their story.” If he could have superpowers, Ouboa would want the power to enhance humanity’s ability to understand each other. He would use his gifts to help better society and make life more meaningful. As someone who has also experienced significant change in his life, Ouoba said, “The first thing is to accept that change is unavoidable, and number two, that change can be desirable and necessary.” Ouoba is happily married with five children (one daughter and four sons). He has dealt with many changes in his life, from moving to three different schools, trading his dream of becoming a doctor for theologian, deciding to live in the United States and coming to SAU. Though for him the changes in his life were significant and unexpected, Ouoba considers them good changes that revealed new opportunities.
Features
Life Advice from Kathy Schaefer Ash Knauss | Staff Writer
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athy Schaefer is an administration assistant and a lab coordinator in the biology department of Spring Arbor University (SAU), where she has worked for 8 years. “Life is what you make it,” Shaefer said. “There are sometimes bumps in the road that you don’t expect.” Her life has many examples of this. When her now 20-year-old son was six weeks old she and her husband learned their son had a heart problem. “It was a crazy journey, having to live life with a child that was sick, and then how he endured and made it through,” Schaefer said. After that, she could not have anymore children. When she was 50, she adopted two more children to take care of. Shaefer said she didn’t expect to have a 20-year-old, a six-year-old and a five-year-old. Through all of life’s surprises, Shaefer said she cannot stress enough, “Trust God.” “God’s in control, God knows what the plans are. He knows where he’s taking you even if you don’t,” Shaefer said. According to Shaefer we have a need to be in control all the time, but when we have no clue what the next step is. That is when we grow the most. She says God will control and guide our lives. “Whatever you’re going through it will end and something else will come along,” Schaefer said. Shaefer has a biology degree but first
worked for the federal government. Due to her son’s heart condition, Shaefer said she later switched jobs from the federal government to working in a childcare center. There she learned money is not everything. Switching from one career to another, she said, “I loved the money (working for the government), but I love being a mom and impacting lives more.” It is not that she did not impact lives
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“God knows what the plans are. He knows where he’s taking you even if you don’t.” Kathy Schaefer
in the government, but in childcare she had a more personal touch and her life moved at a slower pace. She said a hard part of working in the federal government was that she missed parts of her husband and sons lives due to travel. “Relationships are more than money,”
Schaefer said. After working for the childcare center, she started working at Spring Arbor University. She said the transition from working with first graders to working with college students was not too big of a jump. She said they have a lot in common: needing their basic needs met, needing a hug, needing to talk things through and needing care and compassion. For both groups it is their first time away from home and their first time making their own decisions and remembering things on their own. Shaefer’s life advice is to take chances. Do not stay comfortable, if you need something do not be afraid to ask. Always turn to God, seek wise counsel from Godly people, and have fun. “Fun is part of all this, laughter is good,” Schaefer said. According to Schaefer, a big part of this life is to enjoy it. Above all, trust God, He knows what He’s doing.
PHOTO FROM Facebook
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Features 14
lmost Chapel: Where are they now?
Libby Koziarski | Staff Writer
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t is Monday. 10:05 a.m. The lights in the chapel dim, the voices hush and Andrew Sutton appears onscreen next to a face cut-out of university chaplain Brian Kono. This is Almost Chapel, but it has not always looked this way. In the summer of 2017, Kono presented an idea to Communication Department Chair, Dorie Shelby. “I asked if [Almost Chapel] would be possible, and what I love about Dorie is she pretty much always says, ‘Yes! Let’s do it,’” Kono said. According to Kono, weekly chapel services should reflect not just Spring Arbor University (SAU) worship, community and tradition, but also SAU’s academic tradition. With the tools and skills of the communication department and production staff, Almost Chapel began. “Video production is an intensive, time-consuming and manpowerdemanding venture,” Shelby said. According to Shelby, the team collectively spends about 32 hours per week, every week, on each short “episode.” The team consists of five students: host Andrew Sutton; director Josiah Sweeney; editor Kyle Winchell; production assistant Amanda Piehler;
and producer Nathan Salsbury. Shelby, Kono and engineer Clayton Saren also work to create each show. Kono said last year’s process was figuring out what works and what it takes to get it done every week. This year, the team is refining, fine-tuning and finding their rhythm. The set has also evolved over the year. According to Kono, the team decided “simple is better,” a nod to their modest beginnings when the only prop was a single refrigerator. “I’m not sure why my head is still in the set, but it’s something I assumed was going to happen,” Kono said. Fun and creative engagement with
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the community is “not as easy as it seems,” host Andrew Sutton said. The team has to “stay one step ahead” and continue to improve and add new dynamics without miscommunicating weekly announcements. “We’ve created this sort of unique entity that has outgrown the original goals, and we’re accomplishing more than we hoped to accomplish,” Shelby siad. They hope growth will continue as they look ahead to the future, which means searching for new recruits. “We’re basically losing the entire crew over the next year and a half or so, which means bringing in a new director, producer and a new host,” Sutton said. “You name it, we’ll need it.” “I’m hoping that people recognize the good that comes out of it, and they recognize our capacity for contributing to the greater good of the university,” Shelby said. Students who are interested can contact Dorie Shelby (dorie.shelby@ arbor.edu) or Nathan Salsbury (nathaniel.salsbury@arbor.edu).
Ellie Brugger | Staff Writer
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ith each new year comes new demands for special skills and topics offered to Spring Arbor University (SAU) students. This spring, SAU is offering four new and highly specialized courses to every college student. These classes have limited space and will fill up fast, so make an appointment with advisors as soon as possible.
A&E Features
New Courses For Spring 2019 Looking Like You’re Paying Attention
Proposal Planning 101
Because of high demand for more “life skills” classes, “Proposal Planning 101” will be offered this spring through the Student Development office. It will be taught by a group of freshman girls who were deemed qualified because of the number of wedding-themed Pinterest boards they have. Additionally, “Ring by Spring” will now be considered a graduation requirement. Because of this, it only seemed fair to offer a class on the topic. “Proposal Planning 101” will be an accelerated eightweek course because of the short time before actual proposals need to happen for current seniors. The final class project will be to successfully plan and execute a proposal. Some of the week’s topics include: how to woo and what not to do, biblical pickup lines to avoid and Pinterest account hacking.
DC Tips and Tricks
For most students, one trip to the Dining Commons (DC) costs $9. This class will teach students how to make the most of this $9 and how to actually be full by the time they head back to their dorms for a post-lunch nap. “DC Tips and Tricks” teaches students the art of using pizza seasonings on potatoes, eating cereal at all three meals and making deconstructed sandwiches if you have any kind of dietary restrictions. Students are NOT encouraged to steal food from the DC, but if you were to do so, this course would show you the best ways to take the food you did enjoy back to your dorm.
For any college student, staying awake and attentive in every class can be a real struggle. This class is perfect for freshmen, but all are welcome. Whether you need help staying awake in an 8 a.m. writing course, chapel or that three-hour night class you are dreading, you can now have the skills because your parents pay the bills. “Looking Like You’re Paying Attention” is led by one super senior who has already mastered this skill and one clueless professor who will read directly off PowerPoints even if every student is asleep. The only grades are participation points put in by the professor and weekly assessments from the super senior as to how attentive students seem.
Ice-Skating
The Camping Ministry and Sports Management majors have put together an ice-skating class. It will cater to beginners and those looking for a safer way to get around campus during the winter months. Since the sidewalks have been quite icy the past few weeks, it was determined that offering this new class would be cheaper than continuing to purchase salt. The class will also teach students about the real dangers of climate change, emphasizing that even though it is colder than normal, it does not mean the planet is not boiling alive.
March 1, 2019 • thesaupulse.com
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A Playlist for Black History Month F
A&E
Conner Williams | Staff Writer
ebruary is Black History Month, so for this month’s artist review, we want to honor the contributions African American artists have made to the music industry. We reviewed an individual album below, but we did not want to stop there. Instead of limiting our attention to one artist for this issue, we also made a whole playlist of songs by influential black musicians to celebrate the history of their revolutionary influence on popular music. The songs we have selected range from Aretha Franklin to Beyoncé and represent the work of black musicians throughout the past few decades. Take a listen to these songs and appreciate a small portion of the rich history of music created by these artists. 1. Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin 2. Doo Wop (That Thing) - Lauryn Hill 3. Cold War - Janelle Monáe 4. Overjoyed - Stevie Wonder 5. Lovers Rock - Sade 6. Try a Little Tenderness - Otis Redding 7. Prom - SZA 8. Plastic - Moses Sumney
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Janelle Monáe’s “Dirty Computer”
anelle Monáe’s “Dirty Computer” is an entire tracklist full of anthems for people who have been made to feel like outsiders. Released in April of 2018, “Dirty Computer” is Monáe’s musical anthology of experiences of being both black and a woman in America, and her message of self-love in the face of narratives that misrepresent one’s personhood is universally powerful. In the upbeat pop song “Crazy, Classic, Life,” Monáe proudly declares: “We don’t need another ruler, / all of my friends are kings. / I am not America’s nightmare, / I am the American dream.” This message of self-confidence in defiance of narratives that portray one as broken or dirty surges through the entire album. “I Like That” features Monáe singing, almost ballad-like: “I never liked to follow, I would rather chase the sun... / I don’t care what I look like but I feel good.” The lyrics on this album show a narrator who has broken free of the stories people have projected onto
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9. Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone 10. The Greatest – KING 11. Dy-Na-Mi-Tee – Ms. Dynamite 12. Love On Top – Beyoncé 13. So Emotional – Whitney Houston 14. Raspberry Beret – Prince 15. Killing Me Softly With His Song – The Fugees
her and proudly proclaims “I am the American dream.” For “Dirty Computer,” this self-love is bound to a deep power. In “PYNK,” Monáe belts out: “Boy it’s cool if you got blue / We got the pink.” The self-love the album establishes is shown to be the bridge to an unshakable contentment
thesaupulse.com • March 1, 2019
and confidence. Beyond contentment, the self-love Monáe demonstrates provides the key to bring about a tide of change. In “Django Jane,” against the back drop of violins and violas, she raps: “We fem the future, don’t make it worse.” In the midst of the narrator’s revelation about her own value, she realizes the insight she has to offer the world. In her individual character– in her blackness and her womanhood– she has the power to change the world. She has the power to fem the future. For the listener, “Dirty Computer” is a spectacle of hope contained in a set of danceable pop songs. It presents the possibility that we can ascend out of self-hatred without outside help. We can come to love ourselves even when we perceive that other people think we are dirty or lack value. This self-love goes beyond the level of motivational speaking. It promises ancient powers of contentment and the force needed to change the world around us. Monáe, by giving us the spiritual chants of self-love, provides us a path to a love for other people that can transform the world as we know it. PHOTO FROM studybreaks.com
Conner Williams | Staff Writer
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A&E Features
A Two Month Retrospective: The Hottest Memes of 2019
nder normal circumstances, one would expect the time period covered by a retrospective to be longer than two months, especially when said retrospective is a Best Of Style meme list. However, the internet sensations 2019 brought were too irresistible not to shower with the praise, so journalism can only give in. The year may be only a few months old, but it has already churned out a piping hot batch of spicy memes. Brace yourselves for a shockingly non-satirical list of the best ones we have encountered.
Kylie Jenner Vs. The Egg Nothing will make your brain throw up its metaphorical hands in resignation to the absurd than the fact that a picture of an egg has 52.8 million likes on Instagram. This famous egg now holds the world record for the most liked picture on Instagram, beating out Kylie Jenner’s birth announcement, which had a measly 18 million likes.
Small Spiderman Staring at Big Spiderman In the film “Into the Spiderverse,” we see Peter Parker mentoring young Miles Morales on how to be Spiderman. There is one particular still where Peter is smoldering and Miles is gazing in wonder at his face. People have recently taken this image and captioned both Peter and Miles, typically implying whatever caption Peter has is an upgraded version of the caption Miles has. In our personal favorite example, Elon Musk is gazing at Phineas and Ferb.
The Marie Kondo Paradox
They Can’t Hear Us, They’re Wearing AirPods Last but not least is 2019’s spiciest AirPod related meme. In this meme, someone is shown to be in impending danger in some way, usually standing in the middle of the street as a car is approaching. The caption is an attempt to warn the character of the danger, but they cannot hear, as they are wearing AirPods. The joke is funny because it has AirPods in it.
This is a two-in-one meme deal. Apparently, Netflix star Marie Kondo is an eminently controversial figure. Half of the memes about her are light-hearted and formatted as follows: a picture of Marie Kondo saying “this one sparks joy” is placed next to one image, and a picture of her saying “this one does not spark joy” is placed next to another image. Fun, right? Well, the other half of the memes about Marie Kondo portray her as a relentless supernatural being who breaks into people’s houses and demands to know why they need two crock pots. She contains multitudes.
March 1, 2019 • thesaupulse.com
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A&E
Raising Little Women
Bringing a musical to the stage takes a village Nathan Salsbury | A&E Editor Putting on a show can be challenging, whether there are time constraints, rough weather conditions or a lack of resources. Putting on a musical can be even harder because it adds extra sound elements to the show. But SAU Hearts Drama and the SAU Music Department accomplished a three-night run of “Little Women: The Musical” thanks to the commitment and passion of everyone involved. The process of choosing “Little Women” as this year’s musical was not short. Jen Letherer, director of the drama program, worked with Assistant Professor of Music Mark Douglass to decide what show would fit their budgetary constraints and fit the cast well. “I’m always interested in shows with several strong parts for women, because we often have more women try
out, so there’s a natural draw with this show,” Letherer said. “It had some nice character parts as well and I was eager to see people try out for those.” The story is set in the late 1800s, so costuming could have been difficult for the show. However, SAU alumna Angelina Dickinson was able to bring that aspect of the story to life. Letherer said Dickinson even owns many costumes for this time period, which made the process of costuming much easier. The directorial staff brings their vision to stage during rehearsals, but as soon as tech week begins, the show’s stage manager is in charge. Senior drama major, Erin Couch, was the stage manager for this year’s musical. When asked what her responsibilities were in this role, she laughed and replied, “All of them.” PHOTO BY ShanShan Akamu
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thesaupulse.com • March 1, 2019
PHOTO BY ShanShan Akamu
Couch communicated between the cast, crew and directors and was in charge backstage to make sure the show runs on time. She also had to problem-solve when things go wrong. “Not if,” Couch said, “but when.” She said if this show had been more choreography heavy, she also would have been responsible for taking blocking notes that included more movement, as she did for 2017’s musical, “The Pirates of Penzance.” Although Couch loved much of the process of bringing this show to life, including getting to watch the actors become their characters and watching the stage become transformed, she said it was not without some bumps along the road. “The most challenging part of the process was the weather,” Couch said, in reference to winter storms that hit at the end of January and early February. There was also an issue transporting supplies to the school as no one in the cast or crew had a car big enough. However, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies Richard Cornell saved the day, as Couch put it, by using his truck to pick up the supplies. The show ended up coming together and had three successful performances.
Sports
Cougar Pride on the Dance Floor New spirit programs come to SAU Alex Anhalt | Sports Editor Sarah Williams | Staff Writer For some people, dancing means following the instructions of The Cupid Shuffle or the Cha Cha Slide. For Coach Tietricha Thomas, it means hard work, athleticism and competition. This year, it also means Spring Arbor University (SAU). Thomas will be working to build Cougar competitive cheer and dance programs from scratch. New equipment, staff, uniforms and athletes to fill them are all on the agenda for the coming year.
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It’s complicated, but I enjoy seeing all of my hard work come to fruition. Tietricha Thomas, Director of Spirit Programs
Thomas has experience creating spirit programs. So far, she has already helped Olivet Nazarene University and Albion College start programs. “My favorite thing to do is build from the ground up,” she said. “It’s complicated, but I enjoy seeing all of my hard work come to fruition.”
So what will a Cougar spirit program look like? Thomas said that although fans might see cheer teams on the sidelines of basketball games, their main focus will be competitions. For now, they just need to build the program, and that is starting with equipment. The cheer team needs panel mats for a practice floor, which Thomas says are on their way, while dance can use the wood floor at the Academy of Arts. They will also try to get temporary floors to use for practice. They will also need about three coaches between the teams if Thomas chips in with her own expertise. Uniforms are currently being designed and prepared for recruits. But those uniforms need athletes in them, which is why Thomas said “right now, our main focus is recruiting.” That means signing new athletes, such as Grace Cracraft, the first dancer to sign for the Cougars, as well as scouting SAU’s campus for talent. If the new program’s first open meeting from a few months ago is any indication, there is plenty of it waiting to be tapped. Thomas said 20 to 25 girls showed up and expressed interest in the teams. Both competitive cheer and competitive dance are going to need equipment, staff and committed athletes, and they do both involve athleticism and agility, but that is where their similarities end. Cheer is about “stunts and tumbling, as well as some jumps,” Thomas said. “There’s very little dancing involved.”
Dance, on the other hand, will come in many forms, including jazz, hiphop and others. Both require teamwork and agility and both will see the Cougars traveling to competitions. Thomas says Cougars will likely compete in the COURTESY OF SAUCougars.com
Wolverine and Hoosier conference. Interested in competitive cheer or dance? There will be an audition event in April. Follow the development of the team and check for audition dates at saucougars.com. “If you’re on campus and interested, that is your opportunity,” Thomas said.
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Celeste Fendt | Associate Editor Serena Williams Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan. She began playing tennis with her father at four years old. She and her sister, Venus, were homeschooled. She competed for the United States in the Olympics four times. She won the 2016 Australian Open while she was eight weeks pregnant. She has been ranked first by the Women’s Tennis Assocation eight separate times, and the sixth time she held the spot for almost four years straight. Her serve has clocked in at 128.6 mph, giving her the third fastest recorded serve of any female tennis player.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. Johnson was born in Lansing, Michigan. Although he received several athletic offers from universities across the country, he decided to stay in Michigan and played for Michigan State University. Johnson holds the All-Star Game singlegame record for 22 assists, and the AllStar Game record for 127 career assists. In November 1991, Johnson established the Magic Johnson Foundation to fight against HIV. He has also received the United Nations Messenger of Peace award.
Sports
Recognizing Michigan Athletes for Black History Month Setter. Tony Dungy Dungy, former football player and coach, was born in Jackson, Michigan. In college, Dungy was the quarterback for his team at the University of Minnesota. He went on to play for three seasons in the National Football League (NFL). In 2007, Dungy became the first African American head coach to win the Super Bowl, where his team, the Indianapolis Colts, defeated the Chicago Bears. He has served with Big Brothers Big Sisters as well as the Prison Crusade Ministry.
PHOTO FROM Twitter
PHOTO FROM Twitter PHOTO FROM Instagram
Alisha Glass Glass is a retired volleyball player who was born in Leland, Michigan. She played college women’s volleyball at Penn State University, where she competed in three consecutive NCAA championships. She also won Gold at the 2014 Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). Glass competed in the 2016 Olympic games and won Best PHOTO FROM Instagram
March 1, 2019 • thesaupulse.com
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