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Leah SeaverS| Liberty Champion

BEGINNINGS — Professor Andrew Geffken takes a villainous turn as the Black Stache in the origin story of Peter Pan.

Teams serve around the globe Students work overseas

Liberty mourns professorSharon Hähnlen, who battled cancer for five years, remembered for service

Quinn Foleyqfoley@liberty.edu

During Christmas break, many students not only took a break from school but also from the comfort of their everyday lives to travel all over the globe.

John, the director of global teams and a team leader whose last name is withheld for security purposes, said the Center for Global Engage-ment (CGE) sent out four teams over Christmas break on trips to Togo, the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia, with the purpose of sharing the love of Jesus.

According to CGE’s website, all teams left Dec. 12, and trips varied from 12 to 14 days.

John stressed the importance of global teams and the impact that they make.

“During my seven years of working with CGE, I have seen God use the global teams over and over again, both in the lives of the students and team leaders, as well as in the lives of people in the various places where the teams serve,” John said.

John stressed the significance of these trips for the students involved.

“In my own experience with teams, I have observed God work in the lives of almost every student that has par-ticipated on a team to form Christ in them, to teach and grow them regard-ing his heart and plan for the world, to teach them that he is at work in even some of the most unreached cor-ners of the world and to move them to lifeong-term ministry and help

See GLOBAL, A6

Josh Janneyjjanney@liberty.edu

After years of fighting cancer, Liberty University Professor Dr. Sharon Hähnlen died Saturday, Dec. 6 at the age of 69.

Sharon Hähnlen was born in Indiana and received a bachelor’s degree in modern language from Iowa State University. She was married to Rev. Dr. Lee W. Hähn-len, who was a former professor of church history and philoso-phy at Liberty University and a pastor at the historic Hat Creek Presbyterian Church. She came to Lynchburg in 1980 and had been with Liberty for 35 years. She taught various languages for the Department of English and Mod-ern Languages and was an adjunct faculty member for the School of Education.

Sharon Hähnlen is survived by her son Joshua Hähnlen, 38. Her husband Lee Hähnlen died three

months earlier in September at the age of 72. Her daughter Amanda Hähnlen, who was a student at Liberty University, died in 2001 as the result of a brain tumor.

Joshua Hähnlen remembers his mother as one who would work her hardest to prepare her children for the future.

“(My parents would) bend over backwards to make sure we had everything we needed as kids,” Joshua Hähnlen said. “We had a very Christian household to grow up in. Very, very high expectations.”

Former Liberty professor and founder of the Liberty Champion Ann Wharton had known Sharon Hähnlen and her husband since the late ’70s.

“(My husband) and I met for years on Saturday mornings at the Golden Corral at break-fast with them,” Wharton said. “So we just had years worth of friendship that grew, and we

became closer and closer. She cared deeply about teaching.”

According to Wharton, Sharon Hähnlen loved traveling over-seas, collecting items that could be used to teach, researching his-tory and her family background and doing what she could to support her husband’s congrega-tion. She spoke French, German and English.

“She took excellent care of Lee, who was handicapped from birth,” Wharton said. “And she took on more than she should have. If someone asked her to take something on academically, she’d do it. She taught overloads. She advised student teachers. She was always willing to do one more thing. She was on all kinds of committees. She just gave and gave and gave and gave.”

Her legacy at Liberty includes helping to establish the Depart-ment of English and Modern Languages, working to have

courses added, working to estab-lish the teaching major and help-ing the school gain accreditation.

Professor of Communication Studies Dr. Cecil Kramer largely credits Sharon Hähnlen for fight-ing to keep the foreign language program during the early stages of its development.

“She certainly kept the for-eign language program before our eyes,” Kramer said. “She saw the value and the importance of it and (over time), it continued to grow.”

Wharton loved having her at the school, describing Sharon Hähn-len as blunt, but also cheerful and supportive.

“She was always there,” Whar-ton said. “We always were friendly. I don’t really remember an angry word or disagreement. So I guess you could say we were tolerant ofeach other’s weaknesses.”

Before her death in 2014, Sharon Hähnlen had previously

struggled with bladder cancer, a cancer with the highest re-turn rate in women, in 2009. She went into remission after treatment.

See HAHNLEN, A2

HAHNLEN

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Watson speaks against racismNew Orleans Saints tight end shares thoughts on racial prejudice in AmericaEmily Brownerbrown@liberty.edu

Ben Watson, a tight end for the New Orleans Saints who just finished his 11th season in the NFL, tackled the issues of racism and identity in his appearance at the second Convocation of the semester Friday, Jan. 16.

In the question-and-answer-style session, Watson explained that in the NFL, players are con-stantly judged based on their per-formances, and it is easy for play-ers to find their meaning in the game of football.

According to Watson, a torn anterior cruciate ligament that relegated him to the sidelines during Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 helped him realize that he was placing his worth in foot-ball and finding his identity in his job rather than in Christ. The struggle helped him understand that as a Christian, a job is merely “what you do.”

“When you’re a believer, that is who you are and your essence,” Watson said. “What you do with your life is simply what you do. You are a Christian. You are a believer. You are a child of God. You are all those things. What you do is become a doctor. What you do is become a lawyer. What you do is teach, be a pastor. What I do is play football. … What I do doesn’t change who I am and who God sees me as. … We are God’s children. We are Chris-tians first, and then what we do flows from that.”

Watson encouraged the audi-ence to find an identity in Christ rather than in any temporary satisfaction.

“Make sure you know your identity is in Christ, so that when you get laid off from your job, or when you get a raise from

your job, or when things don’t go right, you’re not up and down, up and down,” Watson said. “… If (your identity is) not grounded (in Christ), you’re going to be all over the place. You’re gonna be like a leaf blown by the wind.”

Watson also spoke about his Nov. 25 Facebook post, which has garnered attention from around the nation. The viral post came in the wake of the grand jury decision about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Once Watson heard the news of the decision in late Novem-ber as he walked out of the lock-er room after a Monday Night Football game, he cautiously began to record his thoughts on the incident.

“I kind of hesitated to even write it from the beginning,” Wat-son said in an interview. “I didn’t

quite know what to say. I had so much on my mind. But then, once I started putting it on paper, I re-ally felt like this is something that I want to say. I don’t know how it will be received. I don’t know if it’s for anybody else, but I need to flesh these thoughts out.”

According to Watson, it took him approximately one day of writing on and off to craft the post, which puts into words his emotions and the reasons for his reactions. The letter begins with the emotions of anger and frustration and shows a journey to hopefulness and encourage-ment Watson has found in the gospel message.

Though the parts of the post pertaining to sin and salvation have impacted many people, Wat-son said his decision to include the material was not so simple.

“There was a little hesitation,

especially when it got to the gos-pel,” Watson said. “I’m not happy to say that, but there was a little hesitation. (I thought), ‘How are people gonna receive the gospel?’ (Then) I said, ‘Hold up, hold up. Why am I worried about this? This is the truth.’ … So I just sent it out, and it’s been amazing what God has done through it.”

The post has been shared nearly 475,000 times, and more than 860,000 people have liked it. Additionally, according to Watson, Facebook personnel had informed him at one point that his post received more than 40 million impressions.

“Everybody could kind of find some emotion in there that resonated with them,” Watson said. “I think that’s why it was so appealing to so many people.”

In all of the attention the post garnered, Watson said he has

been most encouraged by the responses of those in the NFL.

“The biggest (encourage-ment) just came from my team-mates saying — whether they’re white, black, young or old, (and) coaches (were) the same way — ‘You know, that’s how I felt. I just didn’t quite know how to say it,’” Watson said.

According to Watson, he chose to write the post after he real-ized the deep roots of the issue of racism.

“The thing about race is, in this country, it runs very deep,” Watson said in Convocation. “It’s something that’s kind of like our black eye that we try to cover up with the eye patch instead of really dealing with it.”

Instead of facing racism with societal and traditional means, however, Watson explained that people in the U.S. must address the root of the problem.

“Racism is simply a symptom,” Watson said. “It is a symptom of a disease, and the disease is sin, and it is a disease that we are all affected with from birth. … Un-til we deal with that issue (of sin), we’re just putting Band-Aids on bullet wounds.”

And according to Watson, the only cure for the disease is found in the center of the gospel.

“(I)’m encouraged because God has provided a solution for sin through his son Jesus, and with it, a transformed heart and mind,” Watson wrote in the Face-book post for which he has be-come famous. “One that’s capable of looking past the outward and seeing what’s truly important in every human being.”

BROWN is the editor- in-chief.

Courtney russo | Liberty Champion

TAKING A STAND — Ben Watson speaks out against racism while sharing his story during Convocation.

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HAHNLEN continued from A1

“It’s about an 80 percent

return (rate) of cancer within five years,” Joshua Hähnlen said. “She got treated in ’09, went into remission and didn’t have anything coming back. Then she had this cough, it may have been an allergen, this really deep hacking cough. I thought, ‘Something’s not right, she needs to go to a doc-tor.’ But she wouldn’t go to a doctor because she was always worried about taking care of Dad. My father was having some significant health issues. He did his entire life.”

Lee Hähnlen went into the hospital in May and died in September. After his death, Sharon Hähnlen said she felt she should go to the hospital because she thought she had an ulcer, according to Joshua Hähnlen.

“At the time she was di-agnosed, there was nothing, short of a miracle, that could have been done to save her life,” Joshua Hähnlen said. “By the time she went in, she was already stage four cancer, and it had spread into her chest, which made sense because of the cough. She went in before Thanksgiving for a check up, and she was admitted and then sent home. And then she went back in on the 29th of No-vember and died on the 6th of December. It was that fast. ”

In the months before her death, Sharon Hähnlen contin-ued to try to prioritize others’ needs before hers. Accord-ing to Wharton, she had been busy with teaching, supporting her husband and his minis-tries and trying to sort things out with her estate for her son to inherit.

“She tried to work up until the end, but she just couldn’t do it anymore,” Wharton said. “I wish I could have gotten her to go to the hospital sooner, but Sharon would do what Sharon would do. She just never quit.”

According to Joshua

Hähnlen, his mother was not worried about dying because she wanted to be with her daughter and husband.

“She was in a lot of pain,” Joshua Hähnlen said. “My mom never took painkillers. She got a root canal with-out anesthesia or any numb-ing. So when they told me that night, the 5th, ‘We had to give your mom morphine’, I (thought), ‘This is it.’ And the next morning, they said, ‘We gave her morphine. She was at peace,’ and I said, ‘That’s when the Lord took her, because she was at peace.’”

Kramer admired Sharon Hähnlen for her perseverance.

“She had a lot of trials and struggles and difficulties in life,” Kramer said. “It was not an easy road for her to hold. She herself had some trying times in her life and she over-came those.”

Despite facing many hard-ships, Sharon Hähnlen never retired from teaching at Liberty. She stayed with the school for 35 years.

“She loved teaching,” Josh-ua Hähnlen said. “I think that’s what gave her the most joy in life. Students comment on loving her classes or write to her after they graduate about how much of an influence she had on their formative col-lege years. As a professor, you want affirmation from your students that you taught them well, and she got that.”

For Wharton, the realization that her friend of more than three decades is no longer here still hurts.

“I’ll be thinking about something and thinking of telling Sharon, and then I’ll re-member she’s gone,” Wharton said. “She was a good friend, and I miss her.”

A memorial service was held for Sharon Hähnlen Monday, Jan. 18, at Rivermont Presbyterian Church.

JANNEY is the asst. news editor.

Rachel Grafrgraf5@liberty.edu

Thomas was a doubter. Known for being a skeptic, a

disbeliever, a questioner and for demanding proof, “Doubting Thomas” and people living in today’s chaotic world have some-thing in common, especially with the millennial generation. They are asking questions and looking for answers.

Liberty University is giving students and professors an op-portunity to do both with the new Center for Apologetics & Cultural Engagement, directed by Joshua Chatraw, which launched this month.

“When we’re struggling with our own doubts, our own chal-lenges that we have, things that we struggle with, apologetics helps us think through those issues,” Cha-traw said. “Apologetics should be an extension of the second greatest commandment, which is to love others. Apologetics is loving people in an age of skep-ticism, where people have ques-tions and people have doubts, and simply saying ‘be quiet and listen to my gospel presentation’ really dehumanizes the people we interact with.”

Originally from Valdosta, Georgia, Chatraw holds a doc-torate in biblical theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and served as a pastor in Dublin, Georgia, before mov-ing to Lynchburg five months ago with his wife of 10 years and their two children. Chatraw is also the co-author of two books — “Truth Matters,” and “Truth in a Culture of Doubt” — and was named one of Christianity Today magazine’s notable people in its readers’ choice “33 Under 33” article in July 2014. He currently serves as a professor of theology at Liberty.

“Sometimes people hear ‘apol-ogetics’ and they think theology and philosophy,” Chatraw said. “But really, I think apologetics is something that we should all use. I view apologetics as simply lov-ing your neighbor enough to care about the issues they have with Christianity and to help them think through that.”

For many, the word ‘apologet-ics’ carries a combative feeling, with the focus on winning an argument or proving a point. Ac-cording to Chatraw, nothing could be further from the truth.

“When people hear ‘apologet-ics,’ they hear ‘somebody’s go-ing to debate me,’” Chatraw said. “And when people hear ‘cultural engagement,’ they typically don’t know what that is. It gives us some room to actually explain (that) ‘cultural engagement’ is engaging the culture on a variety of platforms and issues. It sends the message to the university and the wider culture that this is for every believer.”

The Center for Apologetics & Culture Engagement also recent-ly began accepting applications for its student fellows program. If a student is accepted into the program, he or she will have the opportunity to work closely with senior fellows — a group of 11 diverse, distinguished professors

from across the university — who are veterans when it comes to engaging culture. Student fellows will have the opportunity to en-gage in research and writing with men and women who have asked and answered tough questions.

“The benefit of being a stu-

dent fellow is that you get to in-teract with some, I would say, top professors who are doing cultural engagement across the university,” Chatraw said. “You’re able to interact with them. You’re able to come alongside our senior fellows as they do projects, and do different things … and have an opportunity to have a platform among the student body, to talk about cultural engagement and share the vision for that in various areas with other students.”

The student fellows program is not just for those studying theol-ogy, philosophy or biblical studies. The program is designed to be in-tegrative and interdisciplinary — both undergraduate and graduate

students studying everything from aviation to zoology are welcome to apply.

“We really want to touch every department and figure out how (we can) help that department teach its students and its fac-ulty to engage the culture for the

gospel,” Chatraw said. For Chatraw, apologetics can-

not simply be head knowledge or logic, because a great part of faith has to do with the heart. In addition, apologetics not only tackles the question of what to believe, but why to believe it — something that Chatraw views as central if Christians are to be effective in reaching others with the gospel.

In Chatraw’s opinion, learning apologetics begins with reading God’s word.

“I think we should think about everything from a Christian worldview, from the lens of the Bible,” Chatraw said. “… Then you can begin to see what’s wrong

with the world, and (which) things don’t line up, and how the Bible makes sense of the world. It’s simply reading your Bible and letting the Bible be the lens from which you view everything else. It’s not as if I wake up in the morning and say, ‘OK, I’m putting my apologetics mask on today.’ No, I’m constantly think-ing, because I’m a Christian, and this is what Christians should do. Christ is supreme over all of our lives and that means (in) every as-pect of our life, we’re thinking in light of the gospel.”

Those interested in applying to the student fellows program are invited to visit the center’s web-site, liberty.edu/academics/reli-gion, where they can download and submit an application.

“(Apologetics) might not be what you think it is,” Chatraw said. “Give it a shot, because if you think it’s two old white guys debating on stage, then it’s cer-tainly not. And if we’ve given you that impression, that’s not what it is. Give it a chance. It’s simply how you can love your neighbor for the gospel."

GRAF is a feature reporter.

Liberty Champion | January 20, 2015 | A3news

Searching for answersCenter for Apologetics and Cultural Engagement begins its first semester

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— JOSHUA CHATRAW

Among college sports fans, the argu-ment about compensa-tion for college athletes has persisted. Follow-ing a landmark decision made Saturday, Jan. 17, fans can finally see what the top NCAA schools think about the issue.

According to a Bleacher Report article, representatives from the five ma-jor conferences — which include 65 schools — voted 79-1 in favor of in-creasing the items covered in athletic scholarships for Division I athletes at

the annual NCAA convention. In addition to tuition, room, board,

books and fees that were previously cov-ered in scholarships, athletes will also be given a stipend to cover transportation and personal expenses, according to ACC Senior Associate Commissioner for Inter-nal Affairs Brad Hostetter. The stipend will be based on each individual school’s estimate for typical students’ costs. The change is effective Aug. 1, 2015.

While many people across the nation will probably respond with indignation, I side with the 79 who voted for the new policy.

Sure, athletes do receive what amounts to thousands of dollars for playing sports. But what they do consists of more than just putting on a uniform and stepping onto the court or field on game day.

During the season, athletes wake up at 5 a.m. to practice or lift weights before heading to class later in the morning. Later

in the afternoon, they assemble with their teams again to watch film. When they are not in class or practice, they can use the few hours they have left during the day to complete the papers and homework they have for regular classes. Then, of course, there is all the time they spend during games and traveling for road matches.

Their jobs do not end when the regular season does, however. In the offseason, athletes work on their conditioning for nearly as many hours as the regular sea-son. Many athletes often make appear-ances at local schools or volunteer at non-profit organizations as well.

Additionally, consider what athletes do for their universities and for the NCAA. Major sports such as men’s basketball and football — as well as several other sports — bring in millions of dollars for both the schools and the NCAA between merchandise and ticket sales. Without the athletes, there would be no games. There

would be no need for jersey sales. There would be only empty stadiums.

Although I would love to have my col-lege costs covered like these student ath-letes now will, I definitely do not get up every morning at 5 a.m. for practice, and I do not exactly possess the athletic tal-ent either. I also know I do not bring in thousands of dollars for my school.

NCAA student athletes deserve the little bit of extra money to cover the cost of necessities. The work student athletes put in is equivalent to a full-time job — on top of working to earn a degree. I think it is safe to say that they probably do not have time to pick up another job to cover the cost of gas. Additionally, they deserve to get some compensation in return for the millions they make for the NCAA and their schools.

Good job to all those who chose to do something to support, rather than exploit, the student athletes.

Tré Goins-Phillipsdgoinsphillips@liberty.edu

Stepping out of virtual obscurity to the unknowing world, Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine printed weekly in Paris, splashed onto front pages and flashed onto breaking news reports around the world.

A magazine that only printed 60,000 copies a week became the international poster child for the freedom of the press when radical Islamists brutally murdered 12 cartoonists and journalists at the publica-tion’s headquarters in Paris Jan. 7.

In the wake of the attack, “Je Suis Charlie,” translated “I Am Charlie,” became the song sung by an international chorus of supporters. But that chorus was quickly silenced.

Days after the attack, Charlie Hebdo re-leased a cover saying “All is Forgiven” with a cartoon of a crying Prophet Muhammad, holding a sign that read, “I am Charlie.”

Before the new cover ran, everyone was Charlie. Once it printed and the Muslim world reacted, support began to waiver.

According to Anjem Choudary, a radi-cal Islamic cleric in London, the most recent cover of Charlie Hebdo was an “act of war.”

At that point, Charlie Hebdo began to take on blame in the eyes of the public, painted as a provoker. But I want you to know, I am still Charlie.

For years, Charlie Hebdo has been insult-ing the world’s religious groups, and I am cool with it.

The provocative publication has print-ed many cartoons that are far from flat-tering toward the Islamic faith and sev-eral illustrations that are anything but

graceful toward Christian culture. From capitalizing on the horrors of

Sharia law to exploiting the fundamental Christian belief in the traditional family unit, Charlie Hebdo has delivered many blows to the faith community.

And I am glad they are doing it. Yet many around the world think it is

time the provocateur tones down its free speech. And if they are taking their cues from the Quran, I understand why.

It is written in Quran 9:12, “If they … defame your religion, then fight the leaders of disbelief, … fight them that they might cease.”

How can we, as a free society, allow the offense of the Muslim community — or any religious or political community — be the measure for what is “too far?”

Even Pope Francis cast blame on the publication, according the Huffington Post, claiming that there are “limits” on free speech if it insults someone’s faith. I guess the pope is not well versed in the Islamic faith’s teachings.

According to the Quran, anyone who rejects Allah is an enemy. The holy book commands jihadists to fight the nonbeliev-ers as punishment from Allah.

So if offense is our measure, by simply being a Christian — or just a non-Muslim — I have offended the Is-lamic world, and the punishment is death. To allow this to be our cultural standard is absurd.

How many times in the last 10 years have you seen the Christian faith used as a mea-sure for offensiveness or insensitiveness?

For goodness sake, if you say “Merry Christmas” too many times, you are labeled a Bible-thumping zealot.

“Offensive” and “insensitive” have be-come commonplace buzzwords, thrown around with little to no thought be-hind them. Being such relative terms, who can be the judge of where that line should be drawn?

By my measure, it is better to allow the ebb and flow of the free marketplace of ideas to sort out the frustration. The prob-lem is, rather than allowing the wide spec-trum of opinions to establish balance in our society, our politically correct brothers and sisters want to decide for the collective masses just how wide that spectrum is.

Sure, I find many of the cartoons in

Charlie Hebdo to be highly offensive. So what? The publication is free to offend, and I am equally free to be offended.

If you do not like it, do not buy it. Without the freedom to experience a

varying chorus of ideas, how can anyone find the song that rings true?

So to Charlie Hebdo, I say keep the of-fensive cartoons coming and, even though I am sure to be offended by your work again, I stand by my claim — I am still Charlie.

GOINS-PHILLIPS is the opinion editor.

Erin Diazejdiaz@liberty.edu

The militant Islam-ic group Boko Haram strapped explosives to a young girl and forced her to walk into an open shopping area in a Nigerian town Jan. 3, leading the way for the radical terrorists to kill more than 2,000 people. This is a heinous crime, but I am not surprised if you have not heard about it yet.

I am not surprised be-cause I know that there are

two ways to handle a tragic situation such as this one. We can repress it, as we often do, shoving it in our box of harmful memories and trying to throw it into the fireplace that will end it forever, or we can face it, challenge it and conquer it. It seems that in Nigeria, Boko Haram’s actions are being handled in the former way — their treacheries are being repressed or possibly even ignored.

Why is this? This is the question that I ask myself

as I see the words “Charlie Hebdo” in bold-faced let-ters on nearly every news site. In Paris, 17 people were killed in the Charlie Hebdo attack Jan. 7, and it seems as if the world knows about it. If this news has spread like wildfire, why is it that the Boko Haram crime in Nigeria just four days ear-lier has not been mentioned nearly as much?

Considering this ques-tion, I asked multiple friends and acquaintances for their opinions on the Boko Haram situation. Their expressions were blank as they all said that they had not heard about it, but they had all heard about what was happening in Par-is. One friend in particular had an opinion that caused me to think about the inci-dent in a new light.

“I think that I haven’t heard about the Boko Ha-ram crime because it seems that Nigeria is a place where things like this happen of-ten,” David Shbeeb said. “I feel as though the world is more desensitized to it than

they are to a terrorist attack in Paris.”

I agree with Shbeeb as he said that some places of the world are not as used to ter-rorist attacks as others. Yet, does this give us a right to be desensitized to the at-tacks in any place? It is hei-nous for us to ever become desensitized to crimes such as these, no matter where in the world they are occurring.

In his article “Nigeria’s Horror in Paris’s Shadow,” Matt Schiavenza noted that the difference in world reac-tions to the attack on Char-lie Hebdo and the Boko Haram assault has to do with the governments of each place. France’s govern-ment is undoubtedly more effective than Nigeria’s, and this is shown by the way the leaders of each place handled the situations.

French President Fran-cois Hollande responded to the Charlie Hebdo attack by calling for a unifying march against terrorism on Jan. 11 in Paris with other world leaders and more than one

million people. While he handled this situation with surprising straightforward-ness, President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria gave a speech about the upcom-ing presidential election in Nigeria and did not say one word about the Boko Ha-ram attacks. For this reason, he has seemingly lost the respect of many.

Perhaps Jonathan does not want to address the Boko Haram situation be-cause it means he would have to face the tragedy instead of repressing it. Yet, it is necessary to face a tragedy even if it is a bit frightening for some, be-cause it leads to what we all desperately seek — hope.

If I were a resident of France or Nigeria at this time, I would be searching desperately for hope, just as many Americans were after the terrorist attack of 9/11. We cling to hope and turn to our leaders for assur-ance, and this is what Paris and Nigeria both need — hope and assurance. Clearly, Hollande faced the attack

head-on and has given people hope, while Jona-than’s casual brushing off of the Boko Haram at-tack has caused people to become disappointed.

There is no way to truly know how to deal with a tragedy so great as a ter-rorist attack, but if there is one thing I know, it is that no terrorist attack should go unnoticed. Our world needs to fight for hope in these times when fear can so easily overcome us.

No matter the country, no matter the president or the strength of the coun-try’s government, we all need to be reassured that we have hope — because we do. Hope is the com-mon thread that binds us. The capacity for the collec-tive human race to dream, press forward and rally to-gether is unparalleled. In times like these, hope is our anchor.

DIAZ is an opinion writer.

OPINIONA4 January 20, 2015

by Emily Brown

Why I am still Charlie

What Nigerian massacre?

How one provocative publication speaks to the greater issue of free speech

Islamic terrorist organization launches deadliest attack in group’s history

GooGle ImaGes

UNITY — After the attack, four million Parisians marched together against terrorism.

GooGle ImaGes

HORROR — Boko Haram killed approximately 2,000.

Matthew Ozburnmozburn@liberty.edu

The world watched as nearly 3.7 million people, including 40 world leaders, took the stage in Paris to show their solidarity against terrorism.

Leaders such as German Chancellor An-gela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Israeli Prime Minister Benja-min Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were all in attendance, according to the Daily Mail UK.

But from the United States, the leader of the free world, there was only the American ambassador to France.

This was an enormous failure on Presi-dent Barack Obama’s part. Not showing up to the world’s largest anti-terrorism rally to date is sending the world a message that the U.S. is no longer relevant in the rest of the world’s affairs. To be fair, Obama apol-ogized a few days later for not sending a higher profile representative. The damage, however, was already done.

For decades, we have always had a strong influence on and relevance in the world. Back in 1989, our influence was unwav-ering as President Ronald Reagan spoke those famous words, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” and it was done.

Our influence only grew after the 9/11 terror attacks as President George W. Bush sent a message of courage and justice to the world. The world, for the most part, respected us.

Obama was first sworn into office in 2009, and our relevance on the world’s

stage has been decreasing ever since. Our alliances have been weakened, including our relationship with our strongest ally in the Middle East — Israel. Our officials dis-missed Israel while Hamas fired thousands of rockets into their country.

As tensions rise in the Middle East and around the world, it is clear that this is not the time for us to be passive in the face of the world, especially with the threats to our freedom more real now than they ever have been. Some of those threats include the Islamic State, al-Qaida

and even North Korea. The world needs to know that we

are to be taken seriously, and the lack of presence at last week’s rally sent an opposing message.

If Israel and Palestine can forget their differences and stand together to put a stop to terrorism, then so can the U.S.

According to The Hill, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement Monday, “We should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there.” He also said the security that

would have to be in place would have been “onerous and significant.”

This is coming from the same admin-istration that, according to the New York Post, forced a soldier and his future wife to relocate their wedding because of the presi-dent’s security detail he uses while golfing. The excuse of not going just because of how big the security detail would have been is simply not acceptable.

Netanyahu attended amidst the threats against him, according to The Jewish Daily Forward. If the Israeli Prime Min-ister was there in spite of security issues, there is no excuse for the U.S. President to have been absent.

According to the New York Daily News, both the president and vice president’s schedules were clear during the day of the rally. This shows how apathetic this administration has become.

It is a very dangerous thing for our coun-try to be absent in the world’s affairs at this point in time. This is telling the world that our nation does not care.

The world is watching us. Our presi-dent should have been in Paris. He was not there when we needed him to be. The na-tion known for its unparalleled defense of freedom was absent.

Now the world knows where we stand, and our reputation is soiled. It is time to fix what has been broken and show the world that we are determined to stop terrorism, whatever the cost may be.

OZBURN is an opinion writer.

Charae McQueencmcqueen7@liberty.edu

President Barack Obama re-cently proposed a free community college plan. Yes, free.

“(What) I’m also going to do is announce a proposal that I’m going to be making to make sure that community college is acces-sible for everybody,” Obama said. “Put simply, what I’d like to do is to see the first two years of com-munity college free for everybody who’s willing to work for it.”

Now let us be real — anything in America that says “free” is almost always a false advertise-ment. That brings me to my first question — where will the money for this ‘free community college’ come from? The answer: tax payers.

Is it fair that hard-working, nine-to-five Americans have to pay for someone else’s educa-

tion through their taxes? I do not know about you, but taxes take more than enough out of the minimum-wage paycheck I receive every two weeks. I would rather keep what I can in my pocket.

How is any of this fair, really? I mean, think about it. You are practically working a job, getting paid and having your hard-earned money taken from you to put some random students through their first years of college.

What 18 year olds even know what they want fresh out of high school? For example, some stu-dents start out attending a com-munity college for free and then, by the middle of the semester, decide they want to drop out be-cause they figure they are not real-ly cut out for college. Then what? Wasted money.

Then factor in faculty. Without tuition cash coming in and little to

no athletic presence, unless there are significant tax hikes, how can a government-funded com-munity college adequately pay its professors?

Additionally, making communi-ty college free could make it more of a hassle to enroll into classes. Just imagine community college full of students that just want an education because it is free. Essentially, free community col-lege is just two extra years tacked onto high school. I am not saying people will attend with no ambi-tion, but, honestly, anything free brings a crowd.

Disguised as helpful, this pro-posal can only hurt the economy.

Currently, the U.S. government already pours billions of dol-lars into kindergarten through 12th-grade education. Our na-tion is already $18 trillion in debt. With this community col-lege proposal, our nation may fall

even deeper into debt. Sorry, Mr. President, but did

you even think this through? Our economy does not need this, and if a person wants an education

bad enough, he or she will work for it like the rest of us.

MCQUEEN is an opinion writer.

opinion Liberty Champion | January 20, 2015 | A5

LETTERS TO THE EDITORPOLICIES & INFO

Emily Browneditor-in-chief

Gabriella Fullergraduate assistant Tom Footegraduate assistant

CONTENT

Dave Van Dyknews editor

Josh Janneyasst. news editor

Tré Goins-Phillipsopinion editor

Alex Tichenorsports editor

Nate Haywoodasst. sports editor

Amber Tillerfeature editor

Olivia Browncopy editor

Ash Browndcopy editor

PHOTOGRAPHY

Courtney Russophotography editor

Leah Seaversasst. photography editor

DESIGN

Breann Blackgraphic designer

Meighan Thompsongraphic designer

Josh Gordonsocial media manager

Jomer Bunqueweb manager

ADMINISTRATION

Deborah Hufffaculty advisor

Omar Adams advertising director

The Champion encourages community members to submit letters to the editor on any subject. Letters should not exceed 400 words and must be typed and signed. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. Letters and columns that appear are the opinion of the author solely, not the Champion editorial board or Liberty University.

All material submitted becomes property of the Champion. The Champion reserves the right to accept, reject or edit any letter received—according to the Champion stylebook, taste and the Liberty University mission statement.

Send letters to:

Liberty ChampionLiberty University, Box 2000,Lynchburg, VA 24515

or drop off in DeMoss Hall 1035.

C O N V O C O N N E C T I O N B Y: E R I N K E L LY emkelly2@liberty.edu

The moment I set foot back on Liberty University’s campus this semester, I felt the Holy Spirit’s pres-ence. His movement in our midst is power-ful and overwhelming, tangible and real. Al-though unique and un-like any other college campus on the face of the earth, God’s pres-ence has become what I expect here. And yet, he never ceases to amaze me, to reveal something all together new and holy.

When I walked into the Vines Center on the first day of Convocation, I felt something. Something very real. Some-thing I had not felt before. There were a handful of people preparing and organiz-ing before students would arrive. Every-thing was the same. And yet, everything was different. I believe this is a time of revival. A divine time for the champions of Christ to stand up and stand out.

One of Liberty’s most beloved pro-fessors, Dr. Ben Gutierrez, challenged us to be bold in allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our lives and hearts so that we might encourage others Wednesday,

Jan. 14. Everyone needs encouragement. God knows the details of our lives and longs to be the comfort we desperately need. And with the perfect comfort he ex-tends to us, we are to comfort others. We cannot comfort anyone unless we have first received God’s love and comfort. It always starts with him.

New Orleans Saints tight end Benja-min Watson spoke Friday and shared a glimpse of what I believe God was start-ing to reveal to me when I walked into Vines that first day back: “Always chase it. Never give up. Go after it.” When we know Christ and our identity is in him, we

can abandon the old way, the complacent life. Revival begins with revelation and repentance and leads to radical living.

It is a new year and a new semester. Je-sus is the same yesterday, today and for-ever — but he is doing a new thing here at Liberty University, in your heart and mine. Let us pray that God will help us to be open and willing, vulnerable and ready to receive the truth and know him, and as a result, stand up and stand out for the king and his kingdom. KELLY

© Copyright 2014 Liberty University, Inc.All Rights Reserved

We cannot afford free college

U.S. leader skips peace rally

More government-funded education is not the answer to our financial woes

Both parties disappointed in President Barack Obama’s absence at march

GooGle ImaGes

DEBT — President Barack Obama proposed free community college.

GooGle ImaGes

RALLY — Forty world leaders joined millions of Parisians in march against terrorism.

Emily Hoosiereahoosier@liberty.edu

During this time 150 years ago, the United States was fighting in the bloodiest battle this country has ever seen. Now, the Nation-al Civil War Chaplains Museum (NCWCM) is hosting numer-ous events to commemorate the anniversary of the end of the war.

The NCWCM will screen the film “The Daughters of Eve” Feb. 10 in DeMoss Hall room 1113 at 7 p.m. with an admission price of $5. The writer and direc-tor of the film Jessica Keath is a graduate fellow at American Insti-tute of Film Conservatory.

“This is a fundraiser for Ms. Keath, who is trying to pay off the cost of the film, but also for us for (creating) a black chaplains exhibit,” Rowlette said.

Half of the admission will be given to Keath, and the remain-ing half will fund a new exhibit honoring the black chaplains who

served in the Civil War. Rowlette hopes the exhibit will be complet-ed in spring 2015.

“All events are open to the pub-lic,” Dr. Kenny Rowlette, NCW-CM director, said. “I want to fill up 1113. I’d love to have a second showing that night. It’d be great.”

The exhibit currently displays select chaplains on poster boards propped up on easels.

“What we hope to have in this space is a nice, framed, series of images of all of the black chap-lains,” Rowlette said. “There were about 22 black chaplains who served the North, two who served the South and six white chaplains who served black troops.”

Rowlette said he also plans to show either an exclusive video or Skype interview with Keath about her experience making the film.

“The Daughters of Eve” is about Rebecca, whom Keath de-scribes as a “free woman of color living during the Civil War era.”

“It’s an exploration of faith and questions of faith,” Keath

said in a promotional video for the film. “Why do we go through hard things? I think it’s some-thing that we all, in one way or another, face.”

“(Rebecca) is someone who has grown up in the church and thought she understood who God was,” Tracy Wu, producer, said in a promotional video for the film. “She comes to a place where hor-rible things are happening, and she has these questions about where is God in the midst of it.”

Trailers for “The Daughters of Eve” and other promotional videos for the film are available at thedaughtersofeve.com.

Dr. Paul Bennett, a Liberty alumnus, will speak on his Civil War era novel, “A Fall of Spar-rows,” March 19 at 7 p.m. in Esbenshade Atrium Conference Room in the Jerry Falwell Library. “A Fall of Sparrows” is Bennet’s first published novel, and it won Athanatos Christian Ministries’ 2014 Christian Novel Contest.

The 19th Annual Liberty Uni-

versity Civil War Seminar will be March 27-29 and will highlight speakers Steven Woodworth, James Fink and more. Call 434-582-7328 for ticket information.

The Bedford, Virginia,-based band Riddle on the Harp will play the Civil War Music Con-cert in the Esbenshade Atrium in the Jerry Falwell Library April 1, 12–1 p.m. Rowlette described the band as an all female group that primarily sings Celtic music.

The Liberty University Civil War Day Encampment, which consists of re-enactments, guest speakers and several activities, will be April 2. The specific times are to be announced.

“We’re going to have soldiers and tents,” Rowlette said. “And naturally, we’re going to have a chaplains display. We’re expecting 400 ROTC students from Liberty and the University of Virginia.”

A Civil War Relic Exhibit will occupy the Esbenshade Atrium in the Jerry Falwell Library April 7 at 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Rowlette said

the exhibit will include bullets and guns from the Civil War, as well as other artifacts collected from that time.

Rowlette will speak about the assassination of Abraham Lin-coln April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Esbenshade Atrium Conference Room in the Jerry Falwell Library.

Rowlette mentioned that he will speak on little known facts concerning Lincoln’s death, in-cluding an attempted robbery of his body.

Rowlette said he also plans to tell the story of the people who tried to steal Lincoln’s body in 1892 and what authorities did to Lincoln’s crypt to ensure no one would ever attempt to steal it again during his April 14 talk.

For more information concern-ing the 150-year anniversary, visit the NCWCM’s website at chap-lainsmuseum.org/production/ or call them at (434)-582-7090.

HOOSIER is a news reporter.

newsA6 | January 20, 2015 | Liberty Champion

MFA and BFA expand program

Sesquicentennial celebrated

School of Communication & Creative Arts offers new, prestigious degrees

Civil War reaches 150 year anniversary as preparations take place for events

Courtney russo| Liberty Champion

INSPIRATION — Art students viewed exclusive equipment for the Master of Fine Arts program, including an arts studio designed for their use.

Taylor Frosttfrost2@liberty.edu

A new breed of excellence is coming to the halls of Liberty, and it includes the use of a paintbrush, camera and no small or-der of creativity. These students are at the forefront of design and photography, and now they have the chance to increase their learning through a new program at Liberty.

This is the first semester the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) are now obtainable by undergradu-ate and graduate students. The School of Communication & Creative Arts is offering these new degrees.

The BFA is designed to give undergradu-ate students the opportunity to develop their craft. According to a Liberty news re-lease concerning the program, the degree requires 127 credit hours. Students can choose to focus on graphic design, 2D art or 3D art. A minor in photography is also

available for those looking to gain training in that area.

“The Bachelor of Fine Arts allows you to get a broad range of skills and still fo-cus on your craft,” Todd Smith, chair of the department of Studio and Digital Arts (SADA), said.

Currently, there are 20 students enrolled in the BFA program, according to Smith. The maximum amount is 50 students. Since this is a highly competitive program, students must submit a portfolio of their work in order to be accepted into the curriculum, Smith said.

The MFA is for graduate students desiring to advance their careers or sharpen their skills. It is a terminal degree made up of 60 credit hours. Graphic design, 2D art and 3D art specializations are the subsets offered to the graduate students. Both online and residential courses are offered. However, only those wishing to complete the graphic design degree

may take classes online.According to the School of Communi-

cation & Creative Arts website, the MFA has two main goals. The first is to prepare students to go into academia to teach. Sec-ondly, students will be able to create more masterfully in their industry.

A special requirement for the MFA is gaining field experience. Students will learn by having to create in their own mediums. Considering the nature of the profession, hands-on experience is a great way to learn and hone their skills.

This semester, there are 10 graduate stu-dents enrolled in the MFA program. In the future, Liberty hopes to accept 25 students a year. This program is designed to com-pete with other larger universities.

“We are strategically located, mak-ing the program appeal to many people,” Smith said.

Through the MFA program, there will be six graduate student assistant (GSA)

positions offered. These positions will in-clude a tuition waver and stipend. GSAs will be responsible for helping class flow and the Studio and Digital Arts faculty.

Each of these degree programs has been in the making since the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year. All SADA faculty members also helped shape the BFA and the MFA.

During the first meeting between stu-dents and faculty, the audience was able to explore the new assets brought to the program, including the newly restored art workspace, provided exclusively for the new MFA program.

Whether it be a paintbrush, camera or keyboard, creativity is at the forefront of the program, encouraging students to broaden their horizons and inspire audiences.

FROST is a news reporter.

GLOBAL continued from A1

further that work.” “So the Lord, in his grace, is using global

teams for the sanctification and discipleship of the global team participants, as well as for the expansion of his kingdom,” John said.

John shared a story from a team that served in South Asia over break that encouraged him.

“On one particular occasion, about half the team went to visit and worship together with a particular church plant in a village,” John said. “The church met in this particular night on the rooftop of an apartment building. One of the men on the team preached a message to the church to seek to encourage them in the faith, but the best part about the experience was the little glimpse of heaven that it displayed.”

John shared his excitement at being able to

praise the Lord with ethnic groups across the globe.

“In eternity, we will worship the king together with people from every language and ethnic group,” John said. “As we worshiped the same king together on that rooftop that evening in multiple languages and multiple ethnic groups, it displayed a small glimpse into our coming experience in eternity.”

According to John, CGE is planning on send-ing out 11 global teams over spring break and another 11 in the summer. Teams will go to places such as Spain, France, the Arab world, Southeast Asia, Bolivia, Romania, Ethiopia, Cameroon and many other places.

All of the trip descriptions are listed at liberty.edu/globalteams. Students can use this website to apply for any team that still has openings.

FOLEY is a news reporter.photo provided

SERVE — Global team works with children in Southeast Asia.

Liberty Champion | January 20, 2015 | A7news

5. Workers tear down DeMoss back hallway for the new Student Center.

6. Commons 2 Dorm is under construction alongside the completed Commons 1 Dorm.

7. The newly renovated Prayer Chapel offers place for quiet prayer and reflection.

1. The Science Hall nears completion, with certain labs already in use.

2. Dunkin Donuts opens for business in the Commons 1 dorm.

3. Commons 2 dorm readies for the fall 2015 semester. 4. Builders work around the clock constructing Liberty’s newest buildings.

constructionA R O U N D L I B E R T Y

1. 2.

3.

5.4.

6.

7.

Courtney russo| Liberty Champion

newsA8 | January 20, 2015 | Liberty Champion

KirkFranklinFEB. 13 8 P.M.VINES CENTER

TICKETSSTUDENTS - $1O IN ADV.

FLOOR - $15 IN ADV.PURCHASE TICKETS ATWWW.LIBERTY.EDU/SA

.

Simulators receive certificationFAA-certified flight simulator improves virtual training as school advances

David Van Dykdvandyk@liberty.edu

Since its inception in 2002, the School of Aeronautics has been growing at a rate other schools have not seen, according to Kevin Martin, associate director of flight operations. While other aviation schools have been shutting down operations, Liberty’s School of Aeronautics is maintaining a fleet of more than 30 aircraft, with 700 students taking to the skies. This has translated into economic growth for the regional airport.

According to Martin, the school purchases more fuel than any oth-er operator that comes into the airport. Liberty also manages its own fixed-base operator (FBO), which supplies services such as fuel, maintenance and hangar space. Martin also explained that because of the recent growth, more jobs have come to the air-port, whether at the control tower or with maintenance work.

“About five to 10 years ago, the main travel coming in here was the airlines and corporate jets, and it was a very calm, small little air-port that no one had really heard of,” Martin said. “Today, the School of Aeronautics is doing 80-100 operations a day.”

The School of Aeronautics is developing at a pace not familiar to other university operators, ac-cording to Martin. This growth can be attributed to two main fac-tors, including the growth of Lib-erty as a whole and the retirement of military-trained pilots from the Vietnam War era. Because of the decrease in available pilots, the airline business has been hiring pilots very quickly.

The new flight simulator has been a part of the School of Aeronautics expansion, giv-ing Liberty a competitive edge over other colleges offering the program. With the new flight

simulator comes FAA certifica-tion as part of the National Simu-lator Program, according to Jim Molloy, dean of the School of Aeronautics.

“Two Cessna 172 simulators were recently upgraded to the certification of Level Five Flight Training Device, which means that these simulators replicate the actual aircraft so closely that certain training in them can be substituted for aircraft training in the air,” Molloy said. “With ac-tual aircraft equipment and wide visual displays using satellite im-aging of the Earth, the simulators look and feel very similar to the real aircraft.”

Martin said a huge plus is the realism that allows advanced

ground training to take place.“The whole point of a simu-

lator is to be able to augment or increase training, and we want it to be as real as possible,” Martin said. “It feels like the airplane. It sounds like the airplane. It looks like the airplane. It has the cock-pit of the airplane, and that aids in allowing the students to learn concepts on the ground instead of in the air.”

Martin spoke of the praise they received from FAA repre-sentatives, who gave the FAA certification for the new flight simulators.

“That’s what these guys (are trained to inspect) — from air-line simulators to military simula-tors all the way down to Liberty

University simulators,” Martin said. “It was the first time the inspectors had been in a simula-tor of a small aircraft like what we train in. They really had a great time learning and seeing the capa-bilities of what it could do.”

Martin explained that with the new flight simulators, students can now earn their degree and ob-tain certifications for a decreased price. Because using a simulator costs less than flying a Cessna 172, students can spend more time on the ground while achiev-ing benchmarks without spending nearly 20 minutes prepping the plane and clearing for takeoff.

According to Molloy, with the new flight simulators offering stu-dents new chances to tackle their

issues on the ground, their usage is not a problem.

“With the rapid growth of the School of Aeronautics, the Cessna 172 simulators are oper-ated almost 15 hours per day, six days per week in the conduct of flight training,” Molloy said. “We are always looking for ways to put more simulator training into the flight courses, but at this point, additional devices will be required to make that happen.”

Whether harsh rainfall or thick fog, the new flight simulators will be able to train students during the cruelest weather, allowing a cheaper and quicker way to defy gravity.

VAN DYK is the news editor.

Photo Provided

BELLS AND WHISTLES — The new technology offers an avionics package identical to that found on a real aircraft.

M. Basketball M. Basketball W. Basketball W. Tennis W. Tennis

W. Basketballvs. CampbellJan. 24 @ 2 p.m.

M. Basketball@ RadfordJan. 24 @4:30 p.m.

WE’LL SEEYOU ATTHEGAME

Liberty CSU

86 51Liberty Wofford

6 1Longwood Liberty

85 71

M. Basketball vs. Winthrop Jan. 22 @ 7 p.m.

M. Tennisvs. JMU Jan. 23 @12 p.m.

Liberty NCCU

6 1 CSU Liberty

80 58

M. Tennisvs. More. St. Jan. 23 @ 6 p.m.

SPORTSJanuary 20, 2015 B1

Follow @LUChampSports for Flames athletics coverage

Hockey returns homeNo. 11 Flames split home series for the sixth consecutive time this year

Leah SeaverS| Liberty Champion

FIRE — Forward Kyle Garcia (18) scored his fifth goal of the season in Liberty’s 7-3 win over Rochester in the latter game of their two-game series.

Conference dominationLady Flames keep rolling in Big South play

Courtney ruSSo | Liberty Champion

DRIVE — Freshman Candice Leatherwood attacks the hoop against Longwood.

Ryley Rushrarush@liberty.edu

Liberty men’s Division I (DI) hockey team split its first home series of the spring semester 1-1 against Rochester College Jan. 17 and 18.

The 11th-ranked Flames came out slow in their first game against the unranked Warriors, who seized the opportunity to post a 2-1 upset win.

The Warriors scored midway through the first period, then settled into a tight, efficient defense, effec-tively shutting down the Flames preferred passing lanes and slowing down their forecheck.

“I think those guys played their system to a tee to-night,” Head Coach Kirk Handy said after the final buzzer. “They were able to get up one-nothing early and set up their game. ... They wanted to slow it down for us tonight, and they were successful in doing that.”

The Flames front lines made a strong rallying push, peppering Rochester with 40 shots on goal before the night was over. Forwards Ryan Kerr, Christian Garland and Tyson Street provided consistent energy, while for-ward Ryley Egan finally put Liberty on the board on as-sists from defenseman Cam Bakker and forward Grant Garvin in the third period.

“We were buzzing around, but they played a good

game and good system and shut us down,” said Kerr, who finished the night with four shots on goal, two blocked shots and several thunderous hits. “We saw some good things there at the end. … Third period, we were all over them, but we just couldn’t get it to go.”

Street echoed his linemate’s disappointment, credit-ing the Warriors for frustrating the Flames efforts.

“Hats off to their team tonight — they bought into their system and it worked out for them,” Street said. “We might have a few tweaks in the lineup, but we’re just going to have to step up to our own game and bind to our own system better.”

See HOME, B2

Cierra Cartercmcarter18@liberty.edu

The Lady Flames basket-ball team pulled out another impressive conference vic-tory Tuesday, Dec. 13 as it defeated neighboring rival Longwood, 70-48.

The Lady Flames came into the contest at 10-5, hav-ing won four in a row and five in a row at home. Tues-

day night’s win contributed to Liberty’s perfect Big South Conference (BSC) record.

Although the Lancers, 2-15, have struggled this sea-son, the focus and motivation coming into the game re-mained very clear, according to Lady Flames Head Coach Carey Green.

“We need to develop our team regardless of who we’re playing,” Green said. “We

need to continue to develop certain areas and try to reach our goals, … to win the regu-lar season and win the con-ference and be able to get into the NCAA.”

Liberty started off the game a little slow, struggling to rebound and allowing Longwood to score nine points off turnovers.

See DOMINATE, B3

Liberty 70, Longwood 48

Liberty 7, Rochester 3Rochester 2, Liberty 1

sports B2 | January 20, 2015 | Liberty Champion

TICHENOR

Tich’s Take

Sarah Rodriguezsrodriguez70@liberty.edu

When the Liberty University wom-en’s softball team begins regular-season play in a few short weeks, it will be a season of new opportunities.

The Lady Flames will debut their new 1,000-seat stadium, as well as seek to improve on a modest 11-46 2014 campaign.

Returning senior second baseman Megan Robinson said she is very ex-cited to finally have the chance to play in the new venue.

“Being here for the past four years and playing in our old stadium (then) compared to this, it’s just amazing that we get the opportunity to play in one of the best stadiums in the country,” Robinson said.

Second-year Head Coach Dot Rich-ardson echoed Robinson’s enthusiasm about the opening of the new complex.

“We are extremely excited about the commitment that Liberty has made to our sport of softball,” Richardson said. “If you look at the stadium, it is a testa-ment to that. You look at fans that are now going to be able to come and en-joy probably the No. 1 stadium in the nation. Every seat has a great view. It is built for fans to be able to get them close to the action.”

Richardson added that the stadium is modeled after MLB stadiums. The new softball stadium houses team meeting

rooms, locker rooms, an umpire room and athletic training facilities under-neath the main level. As an extension to the side of the stadium, there are batting cages with offices above.

As well as debuting the new stadium, skill-wise, the Lady Flames also hope to improve upon last year’s season.

The Lady Flames will have to deal with the loss of 11 players from the 2014 squad, according to Richardson.

The Lady Flames will be without graduated senior outfielder Katie Za-vodny, who, according to the Liberty Flames athletics website, was named to her third All-Big South team in 2014 and finished as Liberty’s all-time stolen-base leader with 111.

However, Richardson remains posi-tive that the incoming players will have an immediate impact.

“This year with our nine new incom-ers on the team (and) their commit-ment to the returners, it’s a whole new ballgame,” Richardson said. “We are very excited about it.”

Eight new freshmen and junior transfer shortstop Mickey Loveridge will be seeking to aid the Lady Flames this season. Loveridge was a National Junior College First Team All-Ameri-can selection in 2014.

The Lady Flames’ schedule will not come without challenges, as they have matchups versus defending national champion Florida, as well as peren-nially high-ranking schools such as the University of Central Florida, the

University of Arkansas and the Univer-sity of South Alabama.

Yet, Richardson and her team re-member that no matter the outcome, it is their goal to take this season one step at a time.

“Our team’s goal right now is to live in the moment,” junior first basemen/ out fielder Katie Han said. “Make ev-ery moment count. Make every pitch count. Make every play count.”

With an 11-46 season in the past and the hope for improvement in the future, Richardson remains grounded in the fact that ultimately, she and her team are playing to glorify the Lord.

“The goal that we have … is to al-ways remember that God has given each of us amazing gifts and oppor-tunities,” Richardson said. “We honor him in our preparation to be the best we can be and to seize those oppor-tunities and show the world our gifts. It’s never about winning or losing. It’s about being the best we can be, and in doing that, people see the gifts God’s given us.”

The Lady Flames will begin their 2015 campaign on the road Feb. 6 ver-sus South Alabama, and they will play their first game in their new stadium March 19 versus Rider University.

RODRIGUEZ is a sports reporter.

A fresh start Softball team looks to improve on losing 2014 year

HOME continued from B1

True to their word, it was a tighter Flames unit that took the ice and delivered a 7-3 win in the second game of the series.

Liberty struck first on a blistering goal from forward Kyle Garcia (defensemen Ben Hughes and Steven Bellew on the first and sec-ond assists, respectively), allowing the Flames to re-lax and focus on the speed and zone entries Handy em-phasized after the previous night’s loss.

Assistant Coach Jake Han-non made the call to swap

offensive forward Robert Ward for more 200-foot-minded Bram Erickson on the top line with alternate captains and forwards Luke Hannon and Lindsay LeB-lanc balancing the line and resulting in five points for Hannon, four for LeBlanc and three for Erickson by the final buzzer.

“Jake (Hannon) made a great call putting Bram (Er-ikson) up with Luke (Han-non) and Lindsay (LeB-lanc),” Handy said. “Ward’s a fantastic player, but we weren’t having anyone go in there and play a strong, physical game. … It was im-portant for us to get Bram in

there, and he paid dividends for us for sure. I thought Bram had his best game for us as a Flame tonight.”

Between key person-nel changes and a much-improved forecheck, the Flames found the back of the net six more times be-fore the night was through. Hughes, Erickson, Bak-ker and Luke Hannon lit the lamp in the second, and Luke Hannon and Er-ickson each added second goals in the third. The de-fense still lagged at times — Rochester scored twice in the second period and once more in the third — but the Flames regrouped

and responded every time.“I think we were able to

establish ourselves … and dictate our style of play for the game,” Handy said. “It was a strong effort for our team tonight, and that’s what we’re going to need. I think last night was a rallying cry for us.”

If that is the case, the Flames will test their strength this weekend with games against Ohio Uni-versity at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23 and 24.

RUSH is a sports reporter.

Courtney russo | Liberty Champion

ROUNDING — The Lady Flames hope to finish above .500 in Big South play for the first time since 2011.

Alex Tichenoratichenor@liberty.edu

The final score: 161-2. Yes, you read that right. That was the score of a

varsity girls’ basketball game in California between Arroyo Valley High School and Bloomington High School earlier this month. Predictably, it did

not take long for the outrage to bubble to the surface.

Arroyo Valley coach Michael Anderson was promptly sus-pended for two games and lam-basted as classless, lacking even an iota of sportsmanship. Is that really fair?

In a word, the answer is “no.” Let us get one thing straight: Bloomington is bad. Before their

game with Arroyo Valley, the closest they came to winning a game was a 54-13 loss, according to Max-Preps. Their average margin of defeat leading up to the game in question was 61 points, including a 101-point loss.

Compare that to one-loss Arroyo Valley, who had beaten its previous three opponents by a com-bined 181 points. This was a matchup between a shark and a newly trained swimmer.

Still, according to reports, Arroyo Valley un-leashed its usual full-court press with its starters for the entire first half, only to pull back the dogs in the second half with a semi-comfortable 104-1 lead at the break.

As a coach, leading a team into a game where there is a vast talent gap is a sticky situation. Coaches see every day, whether it is practice or a game, as an opportunity for their team to get bet-ter. How can a team get better if they have to alter the way they play because their opponent cannot keep up with them? Arroyo Valley might have been playing Bloomington on that particular evening, but they had important league games coming up down the road. Are they supposed to write off the Bloomington game as nothing more than a meaningless exhibition?

On the other hand, unleashing a full-court press on a team with no chance at breaking it does not improve a team anyway. Anderson could have used the game as a different type of learning tool for his team. Use the game as an opportunity to work on half-court sets. Give some little-used bench players a chance to start for maybe the only time of their high school careers.

Still, to say Anderson showed exceptionally poor sportsmanship might be taking it a bit far. His team was just playing basketball to the best of their abili-ties. That is all you can ask a group of high school-ers to do. Telling an athlete to give less than 100 percent would be worse, or at least equally as bad, sportsmanship as running up the score. He simply treated Bloomington like it was any other team.

So what should Anderson have done? Was he absolutely wrong for coaching a team that won by a 159-point margin? All I can offer is to say what I would have done.

If I were coaching a powerhouse team with an upcoming game against a team that was struggling like Bloomington, I would not have come at it with the “it’s just like every other game” approach. I would sit down with my team before the game and explain the situation. Protecting players from scru-tiny is a top priority of a coach, and I would not want my players under fire for beating up on a team because they were simply more talented.

I would start players from the end of my bench to let them experience the limelight. I would not change the way my team played, at least in the first half, because they would be lost on the court without playing how they have been practicing all year long.

And if my team still won 161-2, so be it.

TICHENOR is the sports editor.

Liberty Champion | January 20, 2015 | B3sports

DOMINATE continued from B1

However, with some help from the three-point line, the Lady Flames ended the first half with a 39-23 lead.

The Lady Flames made 11 three-pointers in their dominant performance, a season high and Vines Center record, according to libertyflames.com. Simone Brown, Karly Buer, Mickayla Sanders and Jaymee Fisher-Davis were all in on the three-point action.

“I just try to go into every game (telling myself), ‘Jaymee, when you get an open shot, you have to shoot it,’” Fisher-Davis said. “I’m getting more confident shoot-ing. I wasn’t as confident in the beginning of the year.”

Liberty’s depth is a crucial element to their success this season. The “next man up” mentality can be seen as the Lady Flames continue to see success from their starters and bench alike.

“We’ve been very blessed with having depth and certainly tonight you saw it firsthand,” Green said. “We have a good, deep team that can really have an impact if they’re playing and clicking.”

In Tuesday’s victory, the bench put up 46 of their 70 total points, more than half of their offense. Four different Lady Flames were able to score double digits.

“We’re very fortunate that we have

several bullets in the gun at each position,” Green said. “It was great to have a lot of energy coming from the bench and their contributions to-night and gaining some confidence as we move on.”

Defense has been key for this year’s squad. The Lady Flames have the No.1 defense in the BSC, consistently hold-ing their opponent to 50 points or below. Working on defense is a task emphasized regularly in practice.

“In practice, we focus on (defense) a lot,” redshirt junior Catherine Kear-ney said. “Going at each other a lot and just really trying to push each other has helped us in games so much.”

With another conference win un-der their belt, the Lady Flames hope to continue to improve and build an even stronger team.

“We need to have confidence,” Green said. “We need to secure our play, especially on the offensive end.”

The Lady Flames continued to roll through conference play with a 86-51 road win over Charleston Southern Jan. 17, in which the Flames tallied a season high in points. Winthrop will host the Lady Flames Jan. 20 in another Big South clash.

CARTER is a sports reporter.

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MONDAY IS ZAXBY’S®

COLLEGE DAY

Slow start for Flames2014-15 men’s basketball team trudges through the first half of the season

Nate Haywoodnahaywood@liberty.edu

Singer Barbara Cook once told us in her legendary voice, “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.” Unfortu-nately for Liberty, she may have been onto something.

After an 85-71 defeat against conference opponent Longwood Lancers (6-13, 2-4 Big South), the Liberty Flames men’s bas-ketball team extended this season’s confer-ence losing streak to six games, tying the 2011 season for the worst conference start in program history. Nearly a month into conference play, the Flames have yet to pick up a win against a Big South opponent. With a subpar 6-13 record (0-6 Big South), it is safe to assume that this is not the start Head Coach Dale Layer anticipated.

This past offseason was a busy one for the Flames coaching staff. It was tasked with replacing graduated seniors, includ-ing starting guard John Caleb Sanders and starting forward Antwan Burrus, who were responsible for most of Liberty’s points, rebounds and assists. However, along with the statistical contributions, the players also brought valuable experience. Last season’s core unit had played together two to four years. With that kind of time together, the chemistry between teammates was able to develop.

But now, Layer has a group that has played just under 20 games together, and that aforementioned chemistry from prior seasons is not present. Liberty now has a completely different roster this season. It was not given the luxury of bringing back many experienced athletes. Five graduated and three transferred. To counteract the roster losses, Layer brought in a promis-ing group of eight athletes for the current season. Since most of the roster’s additions were freshmen, this team is young, and thus inexperienced.

Despite the new roster, the Flames tipped off the season with two straight vic-tories, one of which was against the reign-ing Colonial Athletic Association cham-pion Delaware Blue Hens. Senior forward Tomasz Gielo — one of the few remain-

ing veterans — led Liberty to victory with a commanding 23 points and 10 rebounds (his first career 20 and 10 game).

Believe it or not, the 2-0 start was one of the best for Layer’s club in quite a few seasons. However, the Virginia Tech Hok-ies were next up on the schedule, and this game proved to be a true test. The Flames were only down by three at halftime, but they ultimately fell to Tech by 10. Adding insult to injury, this tough loss ignited a four-game losing skid for Liberty.

After Blacksburg, the Flames headed south of the border for the Cancun Chal-lenge. Liberty, along with three other teams, was invited to Mexico for this pre-season tournament. The Flames returned to Lynchburg empty-handed, losing to all three opponents, including two games by double digits.

However, while in Cancun, Layer saw further emergence of junior David An-doh, a transfer form Merritt College. De-spite going scoreless in game one, Andoh posted 10 points and seven rebounds in game two, ultimately earning the start-ing forward slot for game three. This was one of the first of many starting lineup shifts from Layer. Game three ended in a heartbreaking one-point loss at the hands

of the Morgan State Bears. The Flames would appear to have

bounced back after a dominant perfor-mance against the Furman Paladins. An-doh did not start, but boasted game highs in both points and rebounds (14 and 12). Another lineup change occurred when Layer integrated freshman guard A.C. Reid, a three-point specialist out of Texas, into the lineup.

At this point in the season, the Flames were 3-4 and undefeated in the Vines Cen-ter. To some, the victory against Furman was a positive sign of the future, but the statistics gave rise to valid concern. Yes, the Flames did win, but this game ex-posed many issues that would continue to haunt them.

Liberty ended the game with 18 turn-overs. Twelve games later, the Flames currently average 17 turnovers per game, which is good for 347th out of 351 Divi-sion I (DI) teams.

The Flames also shot 12-18 (67 percent) from the free throw line. Twelve games lat-er, the Flames average an eye-watering 66 percent from the free-throw line.

Maintaining those numbers alone would make it difficult for any team to be suc-cessful. But unfortunately for the Flames,

free-throw shooting and turnovers would become a mere fraction of their problems.

After the Furman victory, the injury bug made its way to Lynchburg, Virginia. The up-and-coming freshman Reid injured his nose. Starting point guard Joe Retic is also out indefinitely with a foot injury. But, the most devastating loss by far was leading scorer Gielo, who sustained a leg injury that has sidelined him for nearly two months. Reid recently returned to the court, but Gielo and Retic are still out, leaving for-ward Andrew Smith and guard Ethan Layer as the only two with experience as Flames.

Since Gielo’s injury, DI opponents have outscored the Flames, 623-512. During his absence, the Flames allowed 69 points per game but only score 57 points themselves. Gielo is the only Flame to average 10 or more points (the closest is Andoh with 9.5, per espn.com).

Scoring is low, which means the assist count is as well. Liberty is tied at 267th in assists per game. Retic and guard Peter Moller combine for 9.2 assists per game, which is well over half of the team’s aver-age. Outside of those two, not a single play-er averages two or more assists per game.

It would be an understatement to say that this has been a rough start for the Flames. Starters keep falling to injury, and espn.com calculates that the Flames have the second worst Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rank-ing in DI basketball. RPI is a major tool the NCAA uses to select which teams make it to the National Tournament at the end of the season.

While the RPI will probably not be in Liberty’s favor come tournament time, the Flames season is not over. Gielo and Retic are set to return sometime next month. When they hit the court, they will have a young team that has grown since the season began last October. However improbable and unlikely it may appear, the Flames can still win the Big South Tournament. And a conference championship means a ticket to the Big Dance.

HAYWOOD is the asst. sports editor.

Courtney russo | Liberty Champion

HIT — James Johnson has struggled with fouls, averaging 5.4 per 40 minutes of play.

Courtney russo | Liberty Champion

DIMES — Sadalia Ellis dished out seven assists against Longwood.

Emily Brownerbrown@liberty.edu

In the 10th annual Liberty Open Friday and Saturday, Jan. 16-17, the host Flames and Lady Flames track and field teams racked up 17 event victories in addition to a number of Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) qualifications.

During the two-day event, the men’s team took top honors in the long jump, triple jump, pole vault and weight throw in the field.

Sophomore Aklesso Agama took first place in the jumping events with distances of 22-11.75 in the long jump and 48-3.25 in the triple.

The Flames swept the top three spots in the pole vault, with freshman Carson Wa-ters bringing home the win after clearing 15-9 in his debut with the Flames.

“I knew I could do it,” Waters said. “… I was just feeling good today, and I went and got my new personal best.”

The freshman’s clearance was also good enough to qualify for the IC4A meet, which includes some of the top men performers in the country and will take place at the end of the season. Ken Ritchey, who placed second after clearing the same height but missing more attempts, also qualified for the end-of-season meet.

Also in the field, redshirt junior Da-vid Scouten won the weight throw on his IC4A-qualifying 57-7 toss.

In the heptathlon, sophomore Zach Da-vis added a victory for the Flames after notching 4,757 points.

The Flames also fared well on the track in the Liberty Open. In the 200-meter dash, sophomore Stephen Racanelli notched an IC4A qualifier and win after crossing the finish line in 22.6 seconds.

Freshman Andrew Garrett came in just under two minutes in the 800-meter run to give the Flames another event victory.

Yet another IC4A qualifier was senior

John Sherret with his 1,000-meter win in 2:28.4. Sherret beat out the rest of the field by more than five seconds.

“With the 1,000, it is basically just an 800,” Sherret said. “You just pull a little bit on the breaks at the start and try not to go as fast as you normally would. Anybody can do the first 500 meters, so you just keep calm the first half of the race. The last half of the race, you do what you know to do. You keep calm, keep relaxing, keep push-ing, and just keep focused on that.”

Sherret also aided in 4x400-meter and 4x800-meter relay wins each day of the event. In the longer race, Sherret was joined by freshman Andrew Crowell, se-nior Trevor Hope and redshirt junior Ja-cob Onifer for the IC4A-qualifying relay time of 7:50.16. In the 4x400-meter relay, freshman Levi Mack, sophomore Ryan Davis and redshirt senior Ryan Versen clocked 3:24.08.

On the women’s side of the meet, the Lady Flames took the top spot in seven events.

Like Sherret, senior Abigail Flower used her experience to bring home three event victories. In her solo events, the 60 and 200-meter dashes, Flower finished in 7.61 and 25.37 seconds, respectively. Her 200-meter time qualified her for the ECAC meet in the event.

Flower also teamed up with junior Corinn Bedell, sophomore Mary Witmer and redshirt senior Ansley Gebben to take first place and in the 4x400-meter relay with an ECAC-qualifying time of 3:55.28.

The Lady Flames brought home a vic-tory in the longer 4x800-meter relay as well. The quarter comprised of senior Riley Brandon, sophomore Megan Versen, junior Christieanna Apon and senior Jacy Chris-tiansen won by more than 18 seconds on a 9:31.96 clocking.

In the field events, the Lady Flames add-ed three more wins. Freshman Erin Zap-pia cleared 5-7 in the high jump to take the first-place spot. Junior Janae Jones leaped to 38-2 in the triple jump for her event win,

and freshman Mariel Finger took first after clearing the bar at a height of 11-3.75 in the pole vault. The Lady Flames swept the top four spots in the pole vault.

The men’s and women’s teams will now travel for the first time in the 2014-2015 indoor campaign to compete in the Hokie Invitational in

Blacksburg, Virginia, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 23-24.

BROWN is a feature editor.

Research contributed by GREG CASTEL.

Paul Vandenboschprvandenbosch@liberty.edu

After a disappointing 2014 sea-son, the Liberty women’s lacrosse team looks to rebound in the upcoming 2015 campaign.

The Lady Flames finished the 2014 regular season with an over-all record of 2-16, while going 1-6 in conference play. Their only wins of the season were a 13-9 victory over Elon at home and a 20-10 road win against Pres-byterian. However, five of Lib-erty’s losses were decided by four goals or less.

As the 2015 season draws near, spirits and expectations are high for the Lady Flames. This season will mark the sixth year since the squad moved from a club sport to the ranks of NCAA Division I.

“I think we look pretty good,” Head Coach Kelly Nangle said. “We’ve only had two practices, but I think we’re going the direc-tion we’ve been wanting to go since we started in the fall.”

Nangle, in her second year as head coach at Liberty, believes that although her team won just two games last season, the record does not tell the entire story.

“Yeah, we went 2-16 (last sea-son), so hopefully we win a few more games than that, but we ac-tually had a couple close games last year,” Nangle said. “So we just need the strength and the stamina to get through some of those close games.”

The 2015 schedule may prove to be a challenge for the Lady Flames, as they open the season at home against Virginia Tech Feb. 6, followed by home contests against Navy, Vanderbilt, George Washington and Richmond. Lib-erty was 0-5 against those teams last season.

Liberty will also travel north up I-81 March 25 to visit James Madison University, which fin-ished last season ranked No. 21

in the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse Rating Percentage Index.

Despite the formidable opposi-tion Liberty will face, Nangle be-lieves that challenging her players with tough nonconference oppo-nents will only make them better and prepare them for the games that really matter.

“I’m just a big believer in challenging them,” Nangle said. “Our conference play is the most important thing, but I think it’s important to be chal-lenged outside of conference so that when we get to confer-ence play, we’re prepared for our conference opponents.”

Liberty possesses a solid veter-an presence led by redshirt senior captains Nina Dunay and Morgan Becker, whose experience is a val-ued commodity on a young team.

“They’re both here for their fifth year, so they both kind of automatically have the skillset to be good leaders, and we have a really young team, so just their experience in general is good to lead these young kids that don’t really know what they’re doing,” Nangle said.

Becker, who missed her freshman season due to in-jury, considers it a privilege to be put in such a position and

does not take it lightly.“I think it’s just a great honor

to be leading these girls and just share some of the experiences that Nina and I have been through the last couple of years — the tough times and the good times — and just share our excitement of the season with them,” Becker said. “I feel like it kind of puts me on a platform where people can watch me closer, so I have to be more aware of my actions and make sure that I’m being a good example and a good leader.”

Dunay, who also suffered an injury in her freshman season, is grateful to be back for one more

season with the Lady Flames and welcomes the challenges that lie ahead this season.

“Challenges excite me, because I feel like we always rise to the occasion,” Dunay said. “When-ever you play teams that might be lower than you, you kind of play down to their level, so I’m hoping that the opposite is true for us and we play up to level and surprise other people and surprise ourselves.”

VANDENBOSCH is a sports reporter.

sportsB4 | January 20, 2015 | Liberty Champion

Time to bounce back

Flames host annual Open

Lady Flames lacrosse hopes to surpass its 2-16 mark from last season

Track and field teams leave competitors in the dust in first meet of 2015

Leah SeaverS | Liberty Champion

VETERAN — Junior Kelly Grant is one of many Lady Flames returning for the upcomming 2015 season.

Courtney ruSSo | Liberty Champion

HIGH FLYING — Jumping events were some of the many that the Flames dominated.

Liberty Champion | January 20, 2015 | B5feature

Heart for homelandDr. Ben Kalu returns to Nigeria in attempt to find cancer cure

Radio debut

Lauren Glossnerlbglossner@liberty.edu

Dr. Ben Kalu, an assistant professor in Lib-erty University’s Department of Biology & Chemistry, spent Christmas break research-ing, teaching and training at Abia State University in Uturu, Nigeria.

Kalu was selected for the second round of the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow-ship Program, which awarded 33 scholars an opportunity to travel to their native Afri-can countries to research, teach or train in a variety of fields.

“It’s a huge privilege, and I’m extreme-ly grateful to the Carnegie foundation,” Kalu said.

He is also appreciative of his department, especially to Dr. David DeWitt for his sup-port and supplies and his colleagues for their ideas, support and prayers.

Kalu has always had a heart for his home-land. He received his medical training from Abia State University. He knew from experience the difficulties faced by medical professionals in Nigeria.

During his trip, Kalu collected breast tissue samples and made arrangements to continue receiving samples in order to study breast cancer. He will be able to analyze the samples when he has collected a substantial amount.

Kalu chose to study breast cancer because

of the high mortality rate of 13.16 deaths per 1,000 people in Nigeria, which is higher than that of the U.S. at 8.15 deaths per 1,000 peo-ple, according to the CIA. Kalu suspects this has to do with Nigerian doctors’ solely clini-cal treatment methods that only treat symp-toms without actually helping the cancer.

“Medical education in Nigeria is majorly clinical,” Kalu said. “These days, the medi-cal trend is to combine clinical competence with the biomedical research because it gives a better picture of what you are looking at.”

Knowing that the clinical aspect only deals with the apparent problem and does not ad-dress the root of the problem, Kalu taught medical students biomedical research tech-niques and discussed these techniques with resident doctors there.

He was able to build relationships with people in Nigeria that will allow him to continue researching and enable stu-dents to study abroad. Kalu also gave free medical care and shared the gospel with approximately 200 patients.

“My goal of the whole project was to set something in motion,” Kalu said.

Kalu discussed exchange programs for Nigerian students to come to Liberty and learn biomedical techniques and utilize the advanced equipment. This would increase Liberty’s international influence by spreading medical knowledge and the gospel.

Kalu said that it would also be beneficial for Liberty students to travel to Nigeria to learn. For example, Nigeria is very good with tropical medicine, according to Kalu.

“This is just like a stepping stone, a door-way to a more serious engagement,” Kalu said. “The possibilities are great, both for medical education in Nigeria and for Liberty as well.”

Kalu’s biggest concern was how he would be received in Nigeria, but a warm reception awaited him. The students were enthusiastic, inquisitive and appreciative.

“It was very inspiring for the students, for them to know that this guy was once here and learned under these harsh conditions and to see what progress he’s made,” Kalu said. “It opened their eyes to what they could do.”

Kalu noted that this is an ongoing process, but he has established a protocol for obtain-ing the tissue samples and has built valuable relationships. He is optimistic and excited about what the Lord will continue to do through this opportunity.

GLOSSNER is a feature reporter.

Photo Provided

RESEARCH— Over Christmas break, Dr. Ben Kalu worked with scientists at Abia State University taking samples from breast cancer victims.

Students create family friendly drama

Tobi Walshtwalsh12@liberty.edu

It is hard for Assistant Pro-fessor of Theatre Arts Chris Nelson to contain his excite-ment as he talks about the theatre department’s latest project: a radio drama com-pletely produced by Liberty University students.

“It is a developmental work right now,” Nelson said. “We’re still deciding what it could be and what direction it can go in.”

More than 60 students auditioned for writing, act-ing and producing posi-tions with the program Tuesday, Jan. 13.

“It was a great turnout,” Nelson said. “We had stu-dents from all over the School of Communication (& Creative Arts) wanting to get involved.”

Nelson said that right now, nothing is official when it comes to this new venture, as he is still in the process of creating his team.

“I think that’s OK, though,” Nelson said. “ I want this to be student-based and have them take the lead on what direction we go in. I just want to act as a guide.”

The theatre department is no stranger to radio dramas. So far, it is has produced two programs — a reading of a Charles Dickens work and an adaptation of an Edgar Allen Poe piece.

Nelson is looking to cre-ate a series like Focus on the Family’s “Adventures in Od-yssey,” a family-friendly radio show that has been on the air since 1987, according to the program’s official site.

“I know a lot of students grew up listening to it,” Nel-son said. “I know my kids do. I would sit in my car until I finished an episode.”

The goal is not to be a copycat, but to have the same structure, according to Nelson.

“What ‘Odyssey’ does so well is that it creates stories that everyone can relate to,” Nelson said. “That’s what we want to accomplish. We want to bring people together through stories, and radio is a great way to do that.”

What makes radio such an odd, yet unique, medium is the way it tells a story with-out the visuals, according to Nelson.

“It’s like reading a novel,” Nelson said. “You can’t see what’s going on, but you cre-ate this image in your head and still become engaged. I think that’s why we get so shocked when we see pictures of radio hosts and what they really look like. It’s never ex-actly what we (imagined). Two people can be listening to the same exact radio pro-gram and imagine something totally different.”

Nelson hopes to have two episodes by the summer. Once the writers are deter-mined, the team will have four to six weeks to create a script.

“We’re going to see what we produce and hopefully this will become more than just a few episodes,” Nelson said. “Who knows where the Lord is going to take us.”

WALSH is a feature reporter.

LATE continued from B8

Some students even started other activi-ties such as a Duck, Duck, Goose and round-robin pingpong., which allows players to switch off around the table after every hit in an effort to keep the ball in play and include as many participants as possible.

Freshman Makayla Millington and her friends were among the first peo-ple to experience the fast-paced game. Although the games raised compe-tition among students, the activities helped students celebrate the start of a new year.

“It was a good way to end the first week of class-es and just kind of relax and hang out with your friends,” Millington said.

As the night continued, students laughed out loud while circulating around the room to enjoy the games and the free pop-corn supplied by student activities (SA).

The Back to School Bash also awarded stu-dents Starbucks and Chi-

potle gift cards for win-ning scavenger-hunt-like ventures in which students had to retrieve a certain object to win.

Although SA pro-vides many chances for

students to enjoy extra activities at college, the Back to School Bash gave students an opportunity to experience something new and meet new peo-ple, as well as connect

with old friends. “It’s a fun way to connect

with people just from previ-ous semesters,” sophomore John Henry said.

For more infor-mation on upcom-

ing SA events, visit liberty.edu/sa.

TILLER is the feature editor.

Kari Moye| Liberty ChaMPion

CELEBRATE — Students enjoyed inflatables and board games at the Back to School Bash.

featureB6 | January 20, 2015 | Liberty Champion

Collection completeAn unlikely artist is now unveiling his work in the art gallery

Dominique Howertondhowerton5@liberty.edu

Using the mediums of graphic design, user interface design, film, and photography, Liberty

U n i v e r s i t y professor and artist David Meyer will be opening a self-featured art exhibit entitled “Menagerie.”

“I went with the name ‘Me-nagerie’ be-

cause it’s a collection, kind of like a hodgepodge of things,” Meyer said. “The work I do is wide and varying.”

The exhibit will feature a form of photography called hyper-lapse, in which about 60 photos shot consecutively are stacked and made to simulate a video. Hyperlapse is something Meyer had not yet done before prepar-ing for the exhibit, but he said he was inspired by a student to try the technique.

The exhibit will also feature user interface design, which is a form of graphic design that is used for software or applications.

“Menagerie” will be located on the fourth floor of DeMoss Hall, room 4069. The gallery, which is free and open to the public, will open Thursday, Jan. 22, with an artist reception from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The exhibit will continue through Feb. 19.

Meyer, who is a professor and graduate of the studio and digital arts department at Liberty Uni-versity, began his career with photography by accident.

“(In pre-school) I was horrible. I got in trouble because I never colored inside of the lines,” Mey-er said. “And in Sunday school,

I was ostracized, and now I’m teaching art.”

Meyer needed a free elective in high school and decided to take on photography. Meyer’s father gave him one of his old cam-eras from the ’70s, and he began shooting. His first shot was of a barn in the winter.

“Growing up in Ohio, there are a lot of barns,” Meyer said. “I got really inspired, so for a while, all I would do is (take photos of) barns in Ohio.”

Seeing that first film develop really struck a chord with Mey-er, thus jumpstarting his career with photography. When he be-gan studying at Liberty, there was only a single photography class and no photography major. This pushed Meyer to explore graphic design.

“I was not a good student,” Meyer said. “My parents were sur-prised that I graduated and then went to college and then to grad school and became a professor.”

Meyer’s inspirations, much like his artwork, are extensive and varying. Some of his more recent work, such as the art featured in his gallery, draws inspirations from British bands from the ’90s and music heard in the Church of England.

“Inspiration comes from dif-ferent places,” Meyer said. “I like to read a lot, so I really draw a lot of inspiration from getting im-mersed into those worlds. I just love stories.”

Next, Meyer plans on working more with a software company he is a part of and also plans on working more in photography.

“I really want to focus on com-bining photography in motion,” Meyer said.

HOWERTON is a feature reporter.

Photo Provided

EXHIBIT — Professor David Meyer’s “Menagerie” opens Thursday, Jan. 22.

CLOWNS continued from B8

how much character I can put into it.”

Usually, the operas the music department put on have double casting. In this case, the role of Nedda had three actresses, and the role of Silvio had two actors. Bree Jordan, one of the actresses who played Nedda, explained her experience sharing her role with two other people.

“(It was) interesting, because normally double casting is stan-dard, but it’s not usual to have three people on a role,” Jordan said. “But it’s been really cool for each of us to have the chance to do the role.”

Also performing in the role of Nedda were Autumn Stru-har and Kristen Christopher-son. Jordan performed Jan. 15 and 18. Struher performed Jan. 16 and 19. Christopherson performed Jan. 17.

Because Jordan had the op-portunity to both play the role of Nedda and enjoy the opera as a spectator, when she was not on stage, she had a different perspective than a typical opera patron.

“It’s very cathartic to watch, and it (caused) a lot of introspec-tion in the viewers because the ending (was) very abrupt, and the climax (was) just like, ‘whoa, it’s over,’” Jordan said. “And I think that one of the largest takeaways (was to) be wary of the conse-quences of your actions and the emotions that take place, … be-cause every character has some good and some bad in them. It’s very realistic and very bad in that sense.”

SAMMS is a feature reporter.

Ellie Fraserefraser2@liberty.edu

Brisk winds, snow blowing and frigid cli-mate change can produce dangerously low temperatures in the winter season, as well as difficult circumstances for students try-ing to travel from dorms to classes.

Although Virginia does not boast the lowest temperatures in the U.S., frost-bite can occur if the temperature is be-low 20 degrees and the wind is blowing at 20 miles per hour or more, according to orthoinfo.aaos.org.

U.S. Climate Data states that the aver-age low temperature in Lynchburg during January is 25 degrees, but the temperature can drop to single digits. The lowest tem-perature recorded in Lynchburg last year was 2 degrees in January, according to USA Today.

“The most common cause of frost-bite is exposure to cold-weather condi-tions,” mayoclinic.org states. “Pay atten-tion to weather forecasts and wind chill readings. In very cold, windy weather, exposed skin can develop frostbite in a matter of minutes.”

Early signs of frostbite listed by the Mayo Clinic include red or pale skin, prick-ling and numbness.

Frostbite can be more serious than a burn, because it typically encompasses a whole finger or toe, whereas a burn that touches only a specific area on the skin, according to Dr. Alicia Morales, an emer-gency room doctor at Hurley Hospital in Flint, Michigan.

“The best thing to do is layer up, because the layers add insulation,” Morales said. “The fingers, nose, toes and lips are all the most susceptible to frostbite.”

Mayoclinic.org suggests wearing clothing that fully covers ears. Woolen and wind-proof materials are the best option. Wind-proof and waterproof clothing layers are also recommended. Mittens are preferred instead of gloves, because the thickness is more protective than thin gloves.

Morales warned that using heat to treat a frostbite can be dangerous. Decreased feel-

ing in the frostbitten area limits the ability to judge the heat being applied and can re-sult in a burn. If frostbite is suspected, visit a doctor to see how severe the frostbite is and what the correct remedy is for the severity of the damage.

To further protect from the freezing temperatures, be sure to stock cars with winter gear to stay warm.

“When traveling in cold weather, carry emergency supplies and warm

clothing in case you become strand-ed,” mayoclinic.org states. “If you’ll be in remote territory, tell others your route and expected return date.”

The Center for Disease Control and Pre-vention (CDC) also urges that manufac-turer-suggested maintenance is monitored closely, the radiator system is checked, antifreeze levels are checked, windshield wiper fluid is replaced with a winter mix-ture, worn tires are checked and tire air

pressure is checked. While gearing up for winter weather, re-

member these tips are not only for warmth, but also safety and health. Enjoy the snow, and soak up the feeling of freezing breezes, but also be aware, be alert and be ready for the cold winter ahead.

FRASER is a feature reporter.

Baby, it’s cold outsideTips for staying safe and warm if temperatures in Lynchburg plummet

Courtney russo| Liberty ChamPion

FREEZE — Though cold weather may bring entertainment, students should take precaution against the temperatures and conditions.

MEYER

“Inspiration comes from different places. I like to read

a lot, so I really draw a lot of inspiration from getting

immersed into those worlds.— DAVID MEYER

Liberty Champion | January 20, 2015 | B7feature

Hannah Elizabeth Taylorhetaylor3@liberty.edu

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wis-dom,” cried the Psalm-ist thousands of years ago in the 90th

Psalm. This ancient plea resonates deeply in the soul of Liberty Uni-versity Campus Pastor Dr. Charles Hughes, affectionately known as “Liberty’s walking miracle.”

“The doctors say that Charles may have minutes to live, but we are trusting the Lord for a mir-acle in his life,” wrote Charles Hughes’ wife after his tragic car accident and ten-week long coma 37 years ago.

While Hughes remained in the coma, Dr. Jerry Falwell persisted that believers all over America pray for this man and decreed, “Lord willing, next year’s com-mencement speaker will be

Charles Hughes.” Sure enough, one year later,

the man once standing at death’s door was standing proudly on Liberty’s stage for the 1979 commencement ceremony.

Charles Hughes’ father, Dr. Robert L. Hughes, found-ing dean of Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, adopted Charles Hughes from an or-phanage in Philadelphia, Missis-sippi, when Charles Hughes was 8 years old. The loving adop-tion by his earthly father helped Hughes to understand the divine adoption by his heavenly father. Charles Hughes later obeyed the call the Lord placed on his life to preach and evangelize all over America.

Charles Hughes pastored mul-tiple churches all over the Unit-ed States. In 1998, he became the first graduate of Lynchburg

Christian Academy to earn the Doctor of Ministry degree. In ad-dition to being a campus pastor, he is the founder of the Prayer Center. Student workers and volunteers gather together each day at the Prayer Center to lift up requests from residential and online students.

“Dr. Hughes is constantly overflowing with joy,” Student Manager of the Prayer Center Sara Trammel said. “I’ve never encountered a conversation with him where he hasn’t men-tioned God’s love and good-ness. He is definitely passionate about prayer.”

TAYLOR is a feature reporter.

Emma Jane Maureremaurer@liberty.edu

How exactly did Peter Pan become “the boy who never grew up?”

The answer to this age-old question is re-vealed in the play “Peter and the Starcatch-er,” which opened at the Academy of Fine Arts Thursday, Jan. 15. The play is being presented through a partnership between Alluvion Stage Company, a professional theater company run through Liberty Uni-versity’s Department of Theatre Arts, and the Academy of Fine Arts. “Peter and the Starcatcher” marks the second show pro-duced as a collaborative between Alluvion and the academy.

According to Scott Hayes, associate dean for the School of Communication & Cre-ative Arts and director of the show, the play is a prequel to J.M. Barrie’s novel “Peter and

Wendy,” on which “Peter Pan” is based. Originally conceived as a 2006 novel, “Pe-ter and the Starcatchers” by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson was adapted for the stage by Rick Elice. It had successful off-Broadway runs in 2011 and 2013, as well as a successful turn on Broadway in 2012.

The Alluvion production marks the show’s Central Virginia debut.

“The reason we get to do this premiere is because the university thinks that the arts are so important,” Hayes said. “That’s one of the very best things about having a professional theater company that’s part of Liberty University. To reinforce that, the company that controls the rights to the show (Music Theatre International) ap-proached us, and we took them up on that offer to be the first professional theater in Central Virginia to produce the show.”

Although not originally intended to have

a religious theme, Hayes believes the Chris-tian atmosphere at Liberty gives the show a different meaning.

“When talking about original stories, you’re talking about how things are creat-ed,” Hayes said. “For me, it just goes back to who we worship — our creator.”

According to 2013 Liberty graduate Carson Burkett, who plays the boy who later becomes Peter Pan, the play makes the audience really contemplate their definition of “home.”

“You think the statement, ‘Home is where the heart is’ is really cliché,” Burkett said. “But it really does apply in this case. (The show) is a wonderful challenge to the audience to redefine what is important in their lives and what the definitions of home and family mean to them. It’s a great re-minder that home isn’t necessarily a specific place. It’s not always your relational family,

either. It can be many things.”For Liberty senior Kara Faraldi, who

portrays Molly Aster, the show is about enjoying the moments you have with other people.

“Molly and Peter go on this very brief, yet exciting, journey together,” Faraldi said. “They become closer because of it. The ending is very bittersweet because of the consequences that come with it. Just en-joy people and their company while you have it. As a graduating senior, that speaks to me a lot.”

The show runs through Jan. 25. The Academy of Fine Arts is located at 600 Main St. More information can be found at alluvionstage.com.

MAURER is a feature reporter.

The boy who never grew upAlluvion and Academy of Fine Arts partner to premiere Peter Pan prequel

Tragic triumphCampus pastor hailed as ‘walking miracle’

Leah SeaverS | Liberty Champion

MAGIC — Audiences viewed the first Central Virginia showing of “Peter and the Starcatcher” at the Academy of Fine Arts in downtown Lynchburg.

Following the completion of the renovations in Liberty’s Prayer Chapel, the Prayer Center has also launched a new program, offi-cially known as the Strategic Prayer Initiative.

The vision for the Strategic Prayer Initiative comes from Prayer Center founder Dr. Charles Hughes. Although the Prayer Center has long been a central location for students to receive prayer, the new initiative will serve as a platform for faculty and staff members to receive these same benefits.

According to Hughes, the Strategic Prayer Initiative will see the faculty and staff in every department connected through prayer. This will include opportunities to both receive support for requests as well as share the testimonies of answered prayers.

In order to facilitate the department-wide initiative, Hughes plans to target one department and five departmental offices each week. These weekly email memos will include department updates, impor-tant campus-wide prayer requests, specific scripture and prayer, an-swered prayer requests and testimonies, and personal prayer requests.

In addition to the information disseminated through email, Hughes will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis to person-ally host prayer meetings in each department. Furthermore, Hughes will be available on a daily basis for a faculty and staff lunchtime prayer in the Prayer Chapel.

According to Hughes, this process will ensure that each academic department and office will be prayed for by the end of the semester. More importantly, offices will have the unique opportunity to join in prayer for one another, uniting the campus on a new spiritual level and providing a sense of interdepartmental community.

For more information on the Strategic Prayer Initiative, email prayercenter@liberty.edu.

Hughes begins Prayer Initiative

“Dr. Hughes is constantly overflowing with joy.

— SARA TRAMMEL

HUGHES

Danae Sammsdsamms2@liberty.edu

The Center for Music & Performing Arts opera “I Pagliacci” — mean-ing “clowns” in Italian — debuted Jan. 15 and ran through Jan. 19. The Italian opera was full of lovers’ duets, betrayal, jealousy and revenge. Though it was per-formed in English, the mu-sic, costumes and perform-ers took the audience back to 19th century Italy.

The story covered a clown troupe that traveled into a small city to perform. The group came into town and what had been happen-ing inside their personal lives was revealed.

Jason Nichols, a senior at Liberty, played the lead role of Canio, and explained that his character had some dark elements.

“(Canio is) the father fig-ure, the benefactor, he’s the godfather, he’s the dictator, he’s everything,” Nichols

said. “He’s kind of got dual personalities. He’s all great and sweet and nice until you cross him. Once you cross him, you’re going to go down. … In the begin-ning, you’ll see someone tell him, ‘Hey, I think you’re wife’s cheating on you,’ and he gets very stern in front of the whole townspeople.”

While an opera can seem intimidating, “I Pa-gliacci” dealt with com-mon issues and had recognizable music.

“You’re seeing what really is revealed, true per-sonalities, true desires, true wants,” Nichols said. “So all of this is a show about a mask and putting on the perfect illusion and see-ing true life. … The Aria, ‘Vesti la giubba,’ the iconic aria, you see it featured in a lot of commercials. It’s just got a really familiar line. The reason why I liked it so much is just because of

See CLOWNS, B6

FEATUREB8 January 20, 2015

Clowns come to townCenter for Music & Performing Arts debuts theatrical performance of “I Pagliacci”

Race to the topRunners get ready for cold-weather challenge

SA welcomes students back with games and prizes

Amber Tilleratiller2@liberty.edu

The Schilling Center, gener-ally filled with pickup basket-ball players and others spend-ing their Friday nights at the gym, transformed with tons of games and music blaring from the speakers for the Back to School Bash Jan. 16.

Inflatable games such as

laser tag and the wrecking ball — a game of balance that in-volved students swinging a ball much like a pendulum at other competitors in an attempt to knock them over — filled the corners. Nine-hole mini-golf, a sumo wrestling station and a photo booth that provided additional entertainment sat alongside the inflatable games.

Students gathered around

the various activities either in hopes of being the next competitor or to watch their friends attempt to outlast the other participant.

“(The sumo wrestling) gets everybody involved,” se-nior Patrick Finn said. “It’s really fun, but you can re-ally just look like an idiot in front of your friends.”

As the outskirts of the

Schilling Center filled with stu-dents, the middle of the room held round tables stacked with games such as Taboo, Mad Gab, Apples to Apples and Hedbanz for students to enjoy.

See LATE, B5

Kari Moye | Liberty ChaMpion

RELAX — To celebrate the end of the first week of classes, students gathered in the Schilling Center for the Back to School Bash.

Ashley Bunnerabunner@liberty.edu

Each year at the beginning of the spring semester, runners bundle up as they pre-pare to combat the frigid temperatures that await them at the Arctic 5K Trail Race. The fourth-annual Arctic 5K Trail Race, which is hosted by Liberty University’s Student Activities (SA), will take place Saturday, Jan. 24 at 9 a.m.

In previous years, the race has been held at the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, but SA decided to change things up by moving the location to Camp Hydaway this year.

According to Associate Director of SA Joshua Yeoman, the Arctic 5K Trail Race differs from SA’s other races in that it proves to be the most challenging race to run.

“This race is our most difficult 5K race,” Yeoman said. “It is difficult because of the elevation gain and loss. It is also difficult because of the type of weather we receive during this time of year.”

The Arctic 5K Trail Race’s slogan is “Ice, Sweat, and Tears,” which has proved to be an accurate description of the race in years past, with temperatures being in the 20s during last year’s race.

“The weather always affects this event,” Yeoman said. “We have had snow, ice and cold every year. We hope we get the same this year.”

According to Yeoman, the Arctic 5K is expected to attract an average of 150 to 200 participants this year. Approximately 70 percent of those participants are Lib-erty students, faculty and staff, and the remaining 30 percent are the general public.

Runners interested in participating in the race can find registration forms at liberty.edu/races. The cost for this event is $10 for students who register before the day of the race and $15 for the general public.

For more information about upcoming SA races and to view course maps, visit liberty.edu/races.

BUNNER is a feature reporter.

aMber tiLLer | Liberty ChaMpion

SING — Following a band of clowns, the opera brought music to a story of love, pain, tragedy and a lesson learned.

Late night festivities