NGU Skyliner

Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will speak at NGU on immigration reform and the future of the conservative movement in South Carolina on NGU’s campus for free on April 17, 2013 at 7 p.m in Turner Chapel. Alberto Gonzales served as Attorney General under President George W. Bush.  Other speakers and guests will include those from the Palmetto Conservative Alliance Foundation, friends of the SC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the host of Common Cents, Josh Kimbrell.

Candice Paschall
Senior Writer

The 2011 Clery reports show how NGU stacks up compared to other campuses in the Greenville area. Referrals remain solely under a school’s jurisdiction.

In light of the tragedies that have shaken college campuses over the past two decades, safety is a top concern for many. But, how does one know if a college campus is truly safe?

The Clery Act requires most colleges to release the statistics of crimes that occur both on and near their campuses to the public. This law was named after a student at Lehigh University, Jeanne Clery, who was brutally raped and murdered in her dorm in 1986. This occurrence prompted the public to wonder why so many on-campus  crimes were not reported, which led to the implementation of the Clery Act in 1990.

Now, college campuses across the country are required to report their crime statistics in an annual public report.

At North Greenville University, campus security diligently works to ensure the report is completely accurate and accessible to the public. In fact, Chief Rick Morris ad Captain Gary Morningstar went to a seminar earlier this month to see how they could improve different aspects of their Clery reporting.

While there, Morris learned that his team needed to make the report more accessible on the NGU website. “[We’re working to make it] no more than a two click process to get to it and [want to] make it as user friendly as possible,” he said. Morris also stressed the importance of the Clery report to prospective students and their parents.

“[It] gives parents and students a barometer to look at to see what type of atmosphere they’re going to be going into when they’re looking for a place to attend college,” he said.

So, how does NGU stack up? According to the 2011 Clery report, NGU is one of the safest Upstate campuses, next to Bob Jones University.

The Clery report is broken down into five different categories: criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests, disciplinary actions, and fires. From there, the statistics are further categorized by occurrences on campus, off campus (within a three mile radius, according to Morris) and on public property.

In the past year, NGU boasts zero hate crimes or fires on campus, few referrals for disciplinary action, and just one arrest.

In comparison, neighboring school Furman University had 326 referrals for disciplinary action and 12 arrests on campus last year.

The other schools surveyed were USC Upstate and the main campus of Greenville Technical College, which both had higher numbers of arrests than NGU but fewer referrals for disciplinary action than Furman.

To access any of these reports, go to ope.ed.gov/security/ and follow the directions on the screen.

Campus

Senior Women Invited to Luncheon

The NGU Women’s Auxiliary Board is inviting female graduating seniors to attend a spring luncheon on Tuesday, April 9. Myrtle Hall-Smith, former soloist with the Bill Graham Crusade, will be speaking and singing. Those interested are encouraged to contact LaVerne Howell in the Office of Advancement and Development for more information.

Upcoming Poetry Night

This semester’s Poetry Night will be held Thursday April 4 from 7 p.m. to midnight in Hayes Ministry Center. Poets, artists and storytellers of all experience levels are invited to present their works to fellow artists. Sign-ups will be at the door and taken on a first-come, first-served basis.   Coffee will be provided for attendees.

National

Video Stunt Causes Death

A stunt for a YouTube video resulted in the death of 22-year-old Kyle Lee Stocking. He was killed while swinging from a rock arch. According to the Grand County sheriff’s office, he died after hitting the ground below the 140-foot-tall Corona Arch near Moab, Utah. His stunt was inspired by viral videos featuring rock climbing ropes and jumping from near the top of the arch. The most popular video, “World’s Largest Rope Swing,” has had more than 17 million views.

Man Fakes Mugging for Death

A several-day manhunt ensued after one man’s elaborate attempt to impress his date turned into a disaster. Jeffery Tyler Siegel, 26, had one of his friends dress up and mug him. Siegel told the woman he was with to run while he fought off the attacker. She ran for help and Siegel told authorities that he sustained two cuts to the chest and wrist. On March 25, the unnamed woman told police that her date had been texting excessively and acting strangely while they were out together. Seigel eventually confessed that he lied about the incident in order to impress his date.

Chelsea Ferguson
Assistant Editor

Spring Break is a highly-anticipated vacation time after the stress of midterms.  Students often go on beach trips, work some extra hours or simply sleep all week at home. For a number of North Greenville students, Spring Break was not about rest.

NGU sent out mission teams to several countries, including Nicaragua, Jordan, The Netherlands, Austria, and Slovakia.  The students on these teams raised their own money and gave up their time away from school to serve in other countries.

Kelsie Windsor, sophomore intercultural studies, went with a team to Jordan, a small country in the Middle East bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria and Israel. Because of the location, Windsor said, many students shied away from the trip.

The team of 8 taught English at a school during the day to build relationships with the students. In the evenings, the team had dinner with some of the teacher’s families. One family was Muslim, the other Christian. Eating with the Muslim family was the highlight of Windsor’s Spring Break experience.

“It broke a lot of stereotypes for me. Lots of people just assume Muslims are mean or that they hate Christians, but they opened up their home to us and served us” Windsor said, “And they even allowed us to pray over their house before we left.”

The trip was eye-opening for Windsor spiritually. She added, “I really thing the best part for me was the realization that they are a completely different culture, but they need a Savior just like we do.”

The Nicaragua team also experienced culture shock when it was confronted face-to-face with the level of poverty in the country. Ben Wade, junior secondary education, explained that the team was heartbroken by the living conditions of the people.

Many of the “good” houses were composed of only sticks and black plastic and had no electricity or running water. The villages had access to water at wells, and some wells were more than an hour’s walk each way.

What really affected Wade were the children he encountered. “Taking pictures of the kids really got to me. You see all these kids and wonder what their futures will look like. It really tore me up that I have so many opportunities and they have none.”

He said he was struck by the fact that God answers prayers no matter what they are about, even little things Americans deem urgent. “We pray that God would fix our washing machines when they break and Nicaraguan people pray for food to survive. But God answers us both,” he said.

Flowers bloom in the Dutch countryside. Photo courtesy of Ashley Marquiss.

Ashley Marquiss, senior print media, went to the Netherlands with her Missionary Media Ministry class, taught by Karyn Campbell, Mass Communication instructor. Linwood Hagin, Chair of Mass Communication, accompanied the four students on the trip.

Taylor Edwards, senior print media, tests out the recording equipment in the TWR studio. Photo courtesy of Ashley Marquiss.

The team worked with a local missionary and stayed in the city of Barneveld, considered the Bible belt of the Netherlands. Since the class consisted only of Mass Communication students, their work was solely with media promotion of the missionaries in the country.   Marquiss said, “Basically we took video and stills for Trans World Radio (TWR) so that the missionaries can show their supporters in the U.S. as well as overseas what they do on a daily basis.”

The Netherlands is rich in history, specifically sites from World War II. One historical sightseeing venture stuck out to Marquiss, “I enjoyed going to Corrie Ten Boom’s house. It was a really moving experience. Our tour was led by a bold Christian lady who was not afraid to tell their story.”

When asked if they would go back to their respective mission sites, Marquiss, Wade, and Windsor, all responded with a resounding, “Yes!”

Joshua Mulvaney
Staff Writer

The world is connected by language, and last Friday morning, North Greenville University’s linguistics department hosted a francophonie event celebrating the French language and culture.

Photo by Joshua Mulvaney.

Francophonie, which means “French speaking,” is an international organization of countries where French is predominantly spoken. Francophones enjoy eating French foods, discussing French culture and, of course, speaking French.

When the Francophonie started in 1970, it was only for countries where French is the official language. Now they’ve expanded to more than 200 countries.  “There are people [everywhere] who like learning French,” said NGU French professor Lilliane Toss.

While most of the world sees Francophonie primarily as a celebration of French culture, the NGU linguistics department has used the event as an opportunity to familiarize students with missions.

With so many French-speaking nations, it is important that students understand the magnitude of the language’s influence.

Francophonie at NGU allowed students to experience a taste of French culture as they discussed the challenges of communicating the Gospel to francophone nations. The day included songs, poems, a skit and a variety of French foods while students fine-tuned their French accents with one another.

Photo by Joshua Mulvaney.

After some interaction, the students sat down as guest speaker Paul Bramsen, a missionary from Senegal, spoke about his experiences sharing the gospel in the French-speaking west African nation.

Following Bramsen, several NGU students from the mission field spoke about their experiences. Shawn Blackwell, senior interdisciplinary studies, talked about Guinea; Danielle Bates, English, discussed Belgium; and Ashley Faulkenberry, sophomore international business, spoke on Montreal.

Victor Prieto, a linguistics professor at NGU, also spoke about Francophone nations in Central and South America.

These speakers helped the students realize the significance of understanding the French language. Each explained how there are many French-speaking people groups in the world that are desperate to hear the gospel, and it is multilingual communicators who will help share this message.

“I hope this will make more students aware of the challenges of preaching the gospel in those French-speaking countries,” said Toss. “And even in France itself because… the evangelicals are less than 1 percent there.  It’s a big challenge because Islam is growing even in France very fast, so we need to know how to assist people, and we need to know that there is a real need there.”

Dante Wilcox
Staff Writer

Photo by Allie Outhouse.

Early Sunday morning March 17, a man and his young daughter came speeding down highway 253 from the Mountain View area.

The man was driving under the influence and was already a danger on the road; however, the danger stopped when the man’s car plowed into North Greenville University’s recently erected, electronic sign at the intersection of highways 253 and 414.

The daughter’s back was severely broken upon impact, but she was rushed to the hospital as soon as possible.  The father was promptly arrested and charged with a felony DUI and is currently sitting in jail awaiting his court date.

Many students were surprised when they arrived back on campus after spring break to see the destroyed sign.  Candice Paschall, senior broadcast media, witnessed the aftermath of the accident, seeing the medics placing one of the people from the car into an ambulance. “The sign was completely destroyed and rubble was everywhere,” she said.

The debris of the sign remain where it was scattered, currently behind several cones and a good bit of caution tape.

The sign’s future is yet to be seen since it only just happened. When questioned about whether the school would have the sign replaced, Vice President for Business Affairs Michelle Sabou said, “We are still working with the insurance companies involved to determine the amount of reimbursement that the University will receive.”

The plan thus far is to get the sign replaced, but it will take several months for the whole affair to be finalized.  Director of Public Relations LaVerne Howell said the new sign will be erected probably sometime in the summer.  There was no word on if it will be designed the exact same way that it was before or not.

Kyle Hancock, senior intercultural studies

Q: What specific changes can you make in your life after this conference?
A: I can focus on spreading the good news to the people around us.

Q: What did you like best about Derwin Gray?
A: I liked his focus on scripture and relationships.

Q: What topic would you like to be addressed during the next Christian Worldview Week?
A: The biblical apology of miracles and spiritual gifts.

Amy Sneed, junior business administration

Q: How do you feel you are equipped for handling debates with non-Christians?
A: Approach it with an empathetic point of view. I need to be understanding of why people think a certain way. We need to show them love so they know what they’re missing and come to us asking for it.

Q: What did you like best about Derwin Gray?
A: He kept pointing out that Christians should spread the gospel, not huddle together in groups.

Morgan Cox, freshman intercultural studies

Jeremy Weatherton
Staff Writer

Players of each and every sport have a competitive fire that pushes them to exceed new limits, but that fire also takes decent behavior out of the sport upon occasion.

However, members of the   North Greenville women’s soccer team would not let the competitiveness of the sport allow them to behave erratically.

The team was awarded the Team Sportsmanship Award by the coaches of Conference Carolinas, for its excellent demeanor throughout the season.

According to the Conference Carolinas website, the sportsmanship award is presented annually to the member institution judged to have exhibited the highest degree of sportsmanship among its players, coaches and fans during its regular playing season.

North Greenville won the award for women’s soccer, while Mount Olive College took the award for men’s soccer.

“I consider it a real honor for my team to receive this award,” said women’s head coach Rachel Baer, adding. “It speaks so highly of my girls and the character they have on the field.”

Baer, who just finished her first year as head coach at North Greenville, said she challenged the team at the beginning of the season to play in a way that was tough and competitive, but honoring to the Lord.

Baer’s team did just that throughout the season, as it was recognized with the award through a voting process that considered the votes of a coach and a student-athlete from each of the member institutions of Conference Carolinas.

The award is only given to one team per year, per sport, and contributes to an overall average score that each school achieves.

At the end of the season, the school with the highest overall score is awarded the Messick Sportsmanship Award.

While sportsmanship is a very high goal in this team and Baer’s eyes, winning is also a goal for the team. As it heads into its offseason training program, the team works on improving on its personal skills and improving in the win column from last season.

“Our fitness level is continually being raised and we’re getting stronger every day,” said Baer, of her teams offseason training.  “We will continue to improve technically on the ball and stay disciplined in our training habits.”

Each of these aspects looks to allow the team to improve as it heads into the second year under Baer, and her third year involved with the program.  However, the Crusaders do not look too far ahead, as Baer said, the spring is about player development.  Simply put, if the players continue to improve, more wins will come.

The team has played one scrimmage already this season, taking on Truett McConnell College in Cleveland, G.A. earlier in the month.

The team will also take on Bob Jones University at Bob Jones on April ninth and Converse College in Spartanburg on April 13.  It ends with the spring scrimmage series with the annual NGU Soccer Alumni Day on April 20.

Rae Toadvine
Lifestyle Editor

In the age of technology, “unplugging” may be the best way to reduce stress and depression.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or scatter-brained this semester, it may be due to the technology in your life.  Although technology has the potential to make users more productive and efficient, according to the NeuroDevelopment Resource Center, when abused, technology causes excessive anxiety and stress.

One of the greatest downfalls of technology in our daily lives, is the overstimulation.  In an age where phones can be loaded with games and apps;  Web pages are lined with flashy, pop-up ads; and even the most basic devices are sold with pre-installed games,  it’s no surprise that  techies have trouble concentrating.

Electronics offer so many options, it’s hard to take it all in.  According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, this constant flood of information leads to a phenomenon known as overstimulation.

Overstimulation is when the brain processes so much data that it either exhausts the brain, or causes the brain to work so fast that it has trouble slowing down.  Studies have proven that the human brain has almost limitless capacity to process new knowledge and information.  But when your brain is working so fast, it makes it hard for the body to slow down.

According to greatschools.org, overstimulation increases the stress and lack of satisfaction we feel, causes headaches (occasionally even migraines) and makes us scatter-brained, which can make absorbing even simple information difficult.

Overstimulation makes it difficult for your brain to focus on any one thing, and leads to weaker memory, according to health central.com.

The best way to combat overstimulation and the anxiety that follows it to cut back on your use of frivolous technology.  A great example of an unnecessary use of electronics is internet gaming.  Time-suckers like “Bad Hotel” and “Angry Birds” are designed to be addicting, and often creep slowly into our lives until we’re spending hours a day playing them.  The more addicted you become, the worse your overstimulation becomes.

Another great downfall to technology is how much it distracts us from the world around us.  Americans today, especially those in the college age bracket, have grown so attached to their devices that they miss out on many of life’s simple pleasures.

Technology often interferes with healthy social interactions.  For example, smart phones have now been proven to be harmful to close personal relationships when abused.  Technology can also prevent us from enjoying some of the old fashioned pleasures of life as well.

How can you prevent technology from interfering with your life?  Start trying to limit yourself when it comes to unneeded screen time.  Instead of playing “Hill Climb Racing” between classes, visit with your classmates, or read a few pages of a book or magazine.   You’ll be amazed how much more relaxed you are when you’re not attached to your technology.  Plus it’ll help you become more connected to the people around you instead of a soulless device.

This week, try to “unplug” from technology, and plug in to the here and now.  Instead of sending constant text messages, sit down with a close friend and have a heartfelt talk face-to-face.

When you’re walking to chapel, leave the earbuds behind and listen to the sounds of Creation waking up to another day.  Instead of going to the gym to run on a treadmill, try running outdoors today.  Admire the beautiful sights of nature instead of the sights of the other cardio machines, and listen the sounds of wind rustling through the trees rather than the top 40 pop on your iPod.

If you do a lot of driving, leave the radio off and use your commute as thinking time and you’ll find staying organized will become a lot easier.  Instead of “Bad Hotel” try doing an activity that’s tangible, like a crossword puzzle or Sudoku.

Feeling tempted to turn on the TV? Reach for a book instead.  Women, try not logging into Pinterest for a week.  You’ll be amazed how much free time you’ll have for other activities.

Gradually cutting back on the amount of time you spend using electronics will help you stay relaxed and less stressed.  It will also help you focus better, absorb more information, listen more easily and remember more accurately.

Unplugging will also reintroduce you to the world that you may have become accustomed to ignoring.  Technology doesn’t have to have negative effects.  It’s how we use technology that makes all the difference.

Candice Paschall
Senior Writer

It’s Friday night. You’re at dinner with your significant other  and you both just finished an amazing meal of chicken alfredo. The bill is delivered, and with it, the most difficult decision of your night: how much to leave for a tip.

You figure that your server didn’t really do a lot and you don’t want to spend much more than what you’re already spending on dinner, so you leave a mere $4.

Unfortunately, this scenario is all too common among restaurant patrons. The misconception that servers don’t do enough for their tips is a huge one.

Besides carrying massive trays through a crowded restaurant every night, servers are usually juggling at least three tables at a time.

This means they have to remember what each table is drinking, keep their special requests in mind, and continuously check back on all of them within a reasonable time frame.

On top of so much multi-tasking, servers are also expected to be polite and friendly with their customers. In fact, a close friend of mine was working a lunch shift one day and was waiting on a solitary woman who had an easy order.

When the time came to deliver the check, she accidentally gave the customer the wrong one, but quickly apologized and came back with the right check immediately. After she apologized again, the customer said, “I will not be leaving you a tip today because you brought me the wrong check, so you don’t deserve it.”

Scenarios such as this one happen to servers on a daily basis. Obviously, this job is not for everyone, yet many depend on it as the sole means of their survival.

That being said, many diners are under the false impression that servers make minimum wage, so their tip is just an added bonus to what the server is already earning.

However, in most states (including South Carolina), servers only make $2.13 an hour, which barely covers the taxes on what they do earn from tips.

To put that into perspective, if none of the tables tipped a server on a typical eight hour shift, he or she would only make $17.04. Clearly, that is not nearly enough to live off of.

As if that pay rate is not low enough, many servers also have to “tip out” the people who bus the tables for them. This basically means they have to give their busser 3-5 percent of their tips for the night.

Furthermore, few diners realize that the tipping percentage is actually 20 percent of the check rather than 10 percent. According to tripadvisor.com, the lowest end of tipping should be 15 percent and should only fall below that if the service is terrible.

Just like anyone else, servers need their jobs to make a living. However, their well-being directly depends on you whenever you go to a sit-down restaurant to eat.

They deserve to be tipped at or above 20 percent based solely upon the fact that they barely receive a paycheck otherwise. So, if you plan to dine out, be sure that you have enough money to spend on the meal as well as a reasonable tip. Otherwise, you should probably consider eating your chicken alfredo at home.

After taking this weekend’s series against Pfeiffer University, including a doubleheader last Friday afternoon, the Crusaders baseball team is team of the week.

Allen Staton, sophomore sport management, got North Greenville on the scoreboard in the first inning, when his two-run home run gave the Crusaders an early 2-0 lead.

The Crusaders used an Andrew Lawrence, senior accounting, sacrifice fly to score a run in the bottom of the fourth.  The run would prove crucial as Pfeiffer would score one run in the fifth and two runs in the sixth to tie the game.

Adam Taylor, senior business, broke up the tie game with his inning leading home run to give the Crusaders a 4-3 lead.

The Crusaders would use Taylor’s home run to start a rally that saw them score two more runs.

Three Crusader relief pitchers combined to pitch the final three innings, giving North Greenville the 6-3 victory in game one.

Ryan Woodring, junior psychology, recorded his second win of 2013 after pitching 6 1⁄3 innings. Woodring allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, striking out four and walking three.

Tim Youtsey, sophomore social studies education, pitched just 1⁄3 of an inning before leaving the game with an apparent arm injury before Brandon Poole, junior sport management, shut out the Falcons for 1 1⁄3 innings. Staton earned his fourth save of the season, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.

Staton was also the man at the plate for the Crusaders. He led the Crusaders with a 3-for-4 day, including two doubles and his seventh home run of the season, to go along with two runs scored and two RBI.

Taylor was 2-for-3 in the game with a home run, one RBI and three runs scored, while Lawrence finished the game 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored.

Game two saw a dominant pitching performance from Ian Haley, graduate Christian ministry,  earned his first win of the season.

Haley threw a complete game shutout, going seven innings, allowing just seven hits and striking out four batters.

Taylor was once again the hero for NGU as his sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning, scoring John Reinholz, senior broadcast media, from third.

It was all the run support Haley needed and all the scoring the game would see as the Crusaders got the 1-0 win.

Taylor was 1-for-2 in the game with an RBI, while Reinholz and Mitchell were the only other Crusaders to record a hit in the contest.

The Crusaders play at Coker College this weekend. Their three game series starts Friday March, 29 at 3 p.m.

Paddy O’Conor
News & Opinions Editor

North Korea has a history of aggression, beginning in June of 1950 with the start of the Korean War.

The war is technically still happening, as the two countries only signed a ceasefire and not a peace treaty.  This has led to a series of acts of aggression and threats against South Korea as well as the United States, which supported South Korea in the Korean War.

When North Korea’s previous leader, Kim Jong-Il, passed away, many pundits hoped his son, Kim Jong-Un, would stabilize the region.

Kim Jong-Il has been criticized as being insane, and essentially re-wrote  Korean history to erase most western achievements and attribute them to himself.  For example, Minju Joson, a North Korean newspaper, reported that Kim Jong-Il invented the hamburger as a way to feed university students.

However, time has shown that Kim Jong-Un has continued the legacy of aggression and threats. In February, North Korea conducted a third nuclear test, estimated to be much larger than its previous two.  This prompted new sanctions from the United Nations on March 7.

North Korea responded by declaring that it was nullifying the cease fire as well as the denuclearization agreement with South Korea.  North Korea has also threatened to attack American bases in Japan and Guam in response to the United States training South Korea.

Mark Roeder, associate professor of political science at North Greenville University, said that virtually the only way the current United States administration would intervene militarily is if South Korea was attacked. Roeder, however, thinks that there is very little danger of an attack. “Most of North Korea’s power is in its army, and it is very difficult to project that power,” Roeder said.

After a four-game win streak and a dominating spring break the Lady Crusaders softball team is the team of the week.

The Crusaders started their win streak by dominating Shaw University. The Lady Crusaders

beat  Shaw 13-0 in the first game and followed it up with an 8-0 thrashing. The Lady Crusaders then beat Queens University 9-1 and 5-4 during the double header.

In the first game against Shaw, the Lady Crusaders used a strong start from Rachel Glazebrook, junior Christian studies. Glazebrook racked up nine strikeouts in three innings

of work. Rebecca Holeman, freshman history, pitched the final two innings for NGU, giving up just one hit while striking out two.

The Lady Crusaders opened up the scoring in the second

inning when Holeman’s RBI double scored two runs, giving the Crusaders a 2-0 lead. Tori Freedman’s, sophomore health and wellness, RBI single brought Holeman home and pushed NGU’s lead to three.

The third inning saw the Crusaders blow open the game. RBI singles from Amy Nagel, senior elementary education, Holeman, and Kansas Wofford, junior early childhood education, gave the Crusaders a commanding 7-0 lead.

Freedman’s three-run home run in the fourth, put the game away as the Crusaders scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth putting the game away.

The pitching for the Lady Crusaders was phenomenal as Shaw only had one hit in the first game of the double header.

North Greenville’s offense stayed hot during game two as Megan Steading, freshman mathmatics education, led the game off with a double for the Crusaders. She would eventually

score, giving NGU a quick 1-0 lead.

The Crusaders took advantage of numerous Shaw mistakes in the second inning to blow the game open and take a 6-0 lead.

The Crusaders would score one more run in the fifth inning, and another in the sixth to “run rule” the Bears for the second straight game.

During the Lady Crusaders next doubleheader against Queens, NGU struck early in game one, scoring three runs in the opening frame.

Aided by three Royals’ errors and two hits, the Lady Crusaders lead increased to five in the third inning. Glazebrook pitched five innings and struck out six while allowing just one unearned run, she is now 4-5 on the season.

After Queen scored in the top of the fifth to make cut the NGU lead to 6-1, NGU’s offense, responded, putting together a three-run fifth frame to end the game, giving the Crusaders the

eight run lead and a “mercy rule” win, in game one.

NGU’s offense continued its strong week in game two of the doubleheader, getting off to a hot start and a 2-0 lead after one inning.

A two-run homer by Sarah Armstrong, sophomore health and wellness, in the second inning gave the Crusaders a 4-0 lead after two innings.

But the Royals would not go away easily, as the Royals were finally able to break through in the top of the third. A Royals grand slam with one out would even the tally at four. NGU used a bloop single from Nagel in the bottom of the fifth to give the Lady Crusaders the 5-4 lead and that’s all they would need.

NGU will return to the field on March 20, when Limestone travels to Tigerville. The Crusaders and Saints will square off at 2 p.m. in Tigerville.

Jeremy Weatherton
Staff Writer

Guard Chris Dean goes to the hoop strong against four defenders in a game against Erskine. Photo by Cory Guinn.

Parity is a word tossed around college athletics to describe the fact that no matter the circumstances, any team can win on any given night.

The men’s basketball team at North Greenville University embodied the word parity on a nightly basis this season, as it was an underdog in most games played.

The team opened the season with injuries to three of the four incoming freshman, and two never even touched the practice court, much less had the ability to contribute to games, according to head coach Chad Lister.

“Our senior leadership was crucial,” said Lister, and he pointed to it multiple times as the glue that held the team together this season when it felt as though nothing was going right.

The team also lacked depth in the post this season as injuries crippled the big men on the team.

“We lost two post players to season-ending injuries, including [sophomore sports management] Phil Brown, who was having a breakout season,” said Lister.

Brown went down at a crucial point in the season, as the Crusaders were playing some of the best basketball of their season when he went down, and the team was poised to make a run into the top eight of the conference and a berth into the conference tournament.

Brown went down early in the second half of the home game against Erskine College, after already recording a double-double in the game of 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Brown’s injury represented an enormous loss of post presence that could be seen as the team dropped four of its final six games, including its final four conference games.

The Crusaders did not give up on the season, though, as they fought hard in every game they played before and after the injuries to the five different players.

“Our improvements [this season] came from mental toughness,” said Lister of his team, adding, “There were glimpses of great play this season.  Our defensive effort in a win against King College was one of the best of any team I have coached in 18 years.”

This year’s team exceeded the expectations of the rest of the conference as the conference coaches picked the Crusaders to come in last in the preseason, and the team finished ninth, just missing out on the opportunity to go to the conference tournament.

The team loses four seniors in Tyshawn Patterson, undecided, the team’s leading scorer, averaging 23.8 points per game, inside presence Jamaal Pryor,   sport management, three-point shooter Jimmy Ellis, business, and point guard Tim Franklin, sport management.

However, the team returns  key contributors to this season’s success, such as Chris Dean, junior sport management, and Keith Johnson, junior business administration, the second and third leading scorers, respectively.

“We are so excited to get everyone healthy and possibly have everyone back to work out at some point before the end of the spring semester,” said Lister.

While the team may not have had the best season possible on the stat sheet or record wise, it seems as though they are building toward a brighter future, and as next year’s recruits come in, so will the potential for another run at the conference tourney.

But, as the Crusaders learned this year, nothing is guaranteed, as injuries and other factors can contribute to the demise of a team, and any team can win on any given night.

For this simple reason, the team keeps its head held high on a great season, and looks to next year to improve.

While the players may change, the principles of college athletics, and Crusader basketball, remains the same, and for another year, parity will rule the landscape of basketball.

Alex Kern
Staff Writer

Tigerville Baptist Church is hosting a week of prayer from March 20 to 27 starting on Wednesday at 8 p.m. The purpose of this prayer time is to have someone constantly praying on campus the entire week it is available.

The church will be open 24/7 with five prayer rooms to a different theme. However, each theme will revolve around the idea of peace. These themes are: peace with God, peace with man, peace through praise, peace for the persecuted and peace for the freedom of slaves.

Students can pray about anything, but these rooms are designed to keep the mind flowing with topics about which to pray. If students get stuck and do not know what to bring to God next, scripture, prayer requests and praises will be posted around the walls in each of the rooms.

Hannah Murray, senior early childhood education, is leading prayer week this semester. “God has really been working on me a lot in understanding that prayer is with the God of the universe,” she said. “And He cares about what we have to say to Him.”

She wants students to focus not only on the campus and personal needs when they pray, but also on the needs of the world. One of the prayer rooms will be devoted to human trafficking. Facts and posters will be pinned up to show the students pictures and statistics of slaves who need prayer. Another room will be for praise. Murray plans to have music playing and butcher paper hanging up on the walls so students may write praise reports. Another room will be committed to the nations’ salvation.

Some students fear they will run out of issues to pray about in an hour; however, a person can pray for abortion, family, enemies, mission trips, persecuted churches, addictions and many more topics.

Murray does not want the people who participate to worry about the right words to pray when the hour comes. “Sometimes, it isn’t about what to say to God,” she said. “It’s about listening to Him.”

If students plan on signing up for any time between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., they must do so with a friend of the same gender for safety reasons.

Because the front entrance will be locked, students and church members will have to enter through the fellowship hall entrance, and the five rooms students will use are in the Sunday school area in the church.

Students can snap the QR code below to reach the sign-up website.

Audrey Cappell
Assistant Editor

Ranging from devotional books to romance novels, many North Greenville University alumni have successfully written and published pieces of literature.

Incoming freshman were asked to read Freshman 15.  The book was written by Travis Agnew, 2005 alumnus, who is a well-known face at NGU.

When asked how NGU assisted him with his book, Agnew says, “With godly role models and godly peers, I was able to grow in Christ in very specific ways.  When I graduated, I was able to apply much of what I learned to help disciple other college students.”

Agnew’s insight into college life allows him to accurately address topics ranging from picking the appropriate friends to finding the right church as a college student.

Daniel Blackaby, 2010 alumnus, English, co-authored When Worlds Collide: Stepping Up and Standing Out in an Anti-God Culture.  According to Amazon.com, the book focuses on ways “the media-driven world places enormous pressure on people to conform to its secular point of view and young people are especially susceptible to this ploy. Blackaby attempts to explain how Christians typically respond to this pressure, in his book.

Mandy Goff, 2005 alumnus, English, is currently the Archives Supervisor at the Hester Library of NGU.  Goff has always had a passion for writing, even as a small child.  Writing was always a hobby, but Goff says English professor Cheryl Collier pushed her in the direction of making her hobby a profession.

Goff has published two novels, The Blackmailed Bride and Engaging the Earl.  Both novels were published by Love Inspired Historical, a Christian division of Harlequin Enterprises , Limited.  Goff said her novels are written with a sense of humor in hopes to entertain.  Goff says she uses romance to display the abundance of different feelings God provides in life.

Goff’s third novel is currently being reviewed by a potential publisher and her fourth novel will soon be submitted to her agent.  Goff is quick to state her appreciation towards NGU. “NGU and its people helped me to pursue what seemed to be an impossible call,” she said.

Candice Paschall
Senior Writer

Josh Weir, Jamie Costa, Justin Robinson, Andrew Bradford, and David Gaskin celebrate NGU’s first and second place victories with faculty advisors at NRB. Photo courtesy of the National Religious Broadcasters.

Thirty-six hours may not seem like enough time to complete an intense video or audio challenge, but for seven teams of North Greenville University students, that was all the time they had.

Each February, a large group of NGU students travel to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn. to participate in these challenges, as well as volunteer for a national media convention.

The challenges and the convention are put on by the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), which is a support organization that allows Christian broadcasters the opportunity to work and network with one another.

This year, the NGU mass communication department took five teams to compete in the 36-hour digital video competition, and two teams to compete in the audio competition. Overall, there were 11 video teams and five audio teams competing for the cash prize and the first place title.

Students had to follow a certain theme and incorporate a C.S. Lewis quote into their projects, while only having 36 hours to do so. Most participants barely slept at all during their day and a half endeavor, but all finished on time and came out with beautiful projects in the end.

The video A Portrait of Integrity by NGU broadcast media majors David Gaskin, junior, Andrew Bradford, sophomore, Ashley Campbell, freshman, and double print and broadcast major Elizabeth Pirkle, junior, took first place. Bad Idea by senior broadcast media majors Jonathan Derbyshire, Caleb Furrow, Josh Weir and December 2012 alumnus Justin Robinson, tied with Southwestern Assemblies of God University for second place.

“I feel like we worked together really well as a team,” said Campbell after winning. “We had a lot of setbacks, but we continued to seek the Lord and we overcame them all. I was so surprised and humbled to take first place.”

In addition to the competitions, there were also educational sessions taught by media professionals as well as Christian media vendors from all over the world. Popular attendees and organizations this year included Charles Stanley, Samaritan’s Purse and Jefferson Bethke (of the viral video “Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus).

An NGU student volunteers at NRB. Photo courtesy of Melissa Norris.

Student attendees who did not compete in a video or audio team had the opportunity to volunteer for the convention itself. Their duties included registering other convention attendees, facilitating events and providing assistance for those who were at the convention for the first time.

“Being a volunteer at NRB was truly one of the best experiences I have had,” said volunteer Melissa Norris, junior print media, “I got to work registration so I met people that work for organizations like Samaritan’s Purse, TWR (Trans World Radio), Hillsong Church and more. Working with an organization one day is what I would like to do, so this was a blessing to make those connections.”

Daniel Hissner, junior broadcast media, enjoyed the convention thoroughly and hopes to return. “Being a volunteer at NRB was tough, but worth the experience. I can’t wait to return next year, hopefully as an audio team member,” he said.

Overall, the NRB convention was a memorable experience for all who attended and will certainly continue to be the most anticipated event of the year for many mass communication majors.

Audrey Cappell
Assistant Editor

David Nalley, sophomore Christian Studies, enjoys a new e-reader in Hester Memorial Library. Photo by Audrey Capell.

North Greenville University’s latest form of technology can be found in the Hester Library where five brand new Kindle Ereaders are available for use.

According to Carla McMahan, Library Director, the five Kindle Ereaders are available for any current NGU student, faculty member or staff member who may provide their NGU identification.  An individual may check out a Kindle Ereader for a seven-day period by going to the circulation desk located in the library and filling out a use policy form for the Kindle e-reader.

McMahan says faculty members may make requests for eBooks on the Kindles in the same method they request textbooks be put on reserve for students.  However, some books are not always available in e-book.  For example, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, is frequently required by NGU professors for students to read.  However, the book is not available in e-book.  On the other hand, “The World is Flat,” by Thomas L. Friedman, is a book many NGU students are required to read and is available on e-book.

McMahan says the Kindles are a great method for saving money.  Instead of purchasing a large quantity of textbooks, one eBook may be purchased and used on all five of the Kindle e-readers. Though the Kindle e-readers are not inexpensive, ranging from $69 to $179 on Amazon.com, purchasing eBooks saves money over time.

For example, “The World is Flat” by Friedman is only $12.59 on Amazon.com.  In order to purchase the paperback version of the same book from Books a Million, one would pay $14.96.  Though this is only a difference of $2, the e-book could be placed on all five Kindle e-readers.  To provide five paperback books, the cost would be $74.80.  Therefore, the Kindle e-readers save $62.21 on only one book.

Currently, each Kindle e-reader available through the library contains approximately nine books, a few archives, and some dictionaries.  They even offer the Praxis study guide for education majors to utilize and prepare for their exams.  Whether one needs to read a book for an American Literature course, study for an upcoming Praxis exam, or simply read for pleasure, the brand new Kindles are now available for students to use and enjoy.

Paddy O’Conor
News & Opinions Editor

One of America’s favorite pastimes is getting together with friends and ordering more pizza than is healthy and several two-liters of Mountain Dew.  Unfortunately, Mayor Michael Bloomberg tried to banish this American goodness from the streets and stores of New York City.

Luckily, on Monday, March 11, a state court declared that the law was illegal.  Just in time, too, as the law was set to take effect that Thursday.  Unfortunately, the ruling simply said that there were too many loopholes, and the ban should have gone through the city council.  Essentially, the soda ban could be simply sleeping.

Bloomberg has decided that, as mayor, he knows how members of the community should live their lives, and he is doing everything possible to make sure the people of New York City know this.

Bloomberg has a history of overreach.  First, he banned the use of trans fat.  After that,  he attempted to regulate the amount of salt allowed in food.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, in November of 2012 Bloomberg stopped all food deliveries to homeless shelters, claiming that the city could not assess the nutritional information.

After all of this, access to powerful painkillers was heavily restricted in emergency rooms.

Then, Bloomberg came for the soda, as well as all other sugary drinks.  Under the proposed law, it would have been illegal in New York City to sell many drinks in quantities larger than 16 oz.  Not only is this an insane amount of government overreach, it is also very poorly done.

According to Reason, a national libertarian publication, you could still order a venti beverage at Starbucks, such as the 640-calorie White Hot Chocolate with whole milk and whipped cream, because half of the beverage is milk, which is “healthy.”  However, a venti black coffee with four teaspoons of sugar is off the table, even though it is a mere 60 calories.

It may seem like this doesn’t really affect students at North Greenville University, but it does.  All over the nation, states and cities are intruding on the rights of the people, and is a growing issue.

While South Carolina may not suffer from this, the mindset that the government needs to nanny the people is a growing one.  If enough of the populace is willing to vote for someone like Michael Bloomberg, we could soon have a president who feels the same way.

Government has been steadily taking more rights away from its citizens, and it will not stop unless we make it known that we have the ability to make our own choices.  It is insane that the government feels the need to nanny us.

Rae Toadvine
Lifestyle Editor

NGU students take a relaxing break from their electronic devices and spend time with family and friends, playing a fun card game instead of an internet game. Photo by Dante Wilcox.

In the age of technology, “unplugging” may be the best way to reduce stress and depression.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, exhausted or scatter-brained this semester, it may be due to the technology in your life.  Although technology has the potential to make users more productive and efficient, according to the NeuroDevelopment Resource Center, when abused, technology causes excessive anxiety and stress.

One of the greatest downfalls of technology in our daily lives, is the overstimulation.  In an age where phones can be loaded with games and apps;  Web pages are lined with flashy, pop-up ads; and even the most basic devices are sold with pre-installed games,  it’s no surprise that  techies have trouble concentrating.

Electronics offer so many options, it’s hard to take it all in.  According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, this constant flood of information leads to a phenomenon known as overstimulation.

Overstimulation is when the brain processes so much data that it either exhausts the brain, or causes the brain to work so fast that it has trouble slowing down.  Studies have proven that the human brain has almost limitless capacity to process new knowledge and information.  But when your brain is working so fast, it makes it hard for the body to slow down.

According to greatschools.org, overstimulation increases the stress and lack of satisfaction we feel, causes headaches (occasionally even migraines) and makes us scatter-brained, which can make absorbing even simple information difficult.

Overstimulation makes it difficult for your brain to focus on any one thing, and leads to weaker memory, according to health central.com.

The best way to combat overstimulation and the anxiety that follows it to cut back on your use of frivolous technology.  A great example of an unnecessary use of electronics is internet gaming.  Time-suckers like “Bad Hotel” and “Angry Birds” are designed to be addicting, and often creep slowly into our lives until we’re spending hours a day playing them.  The more addicted you become, the worse your overstimulation becomes.

Another great downfall to technology is how much it distracts us from the world around us.  Americans today, especially those in the college age bracket, have grown so attached to their devices that they miss out on many of life’s simple pleasures.

Technology often interferes with healthy social interactions.  For example, smart phones have now been proven to be harmful to close personal relationships when abused.  Technology can also prevent us from enjoying some of the old fashioned pleasures of life as well.

How can you prevent technology from interfering with your life?  Start trying to limit yourself when it comes to unneeded screen time.  Instead of playing “Hill Climb Racing” between classes, visit with your classmates, or read a few pages of a book or magazine.   You’ll be amazed how much more relaxed you are when you’re not attached to your technology.  Plus it’ll help you become more connected to the people around you instead of a soulless device.

This week, try to “unplug” from technology, and plug in to the here and now.  Instead of sending constant text messages, sit down with a close friend and have a heartfelt talk face-to-face.

When you’re walking to chapel, leave the earbuds behind and listen to the sounds of Creation waking up to another day.  Instead of going to the gym to run on a treadmill, try running outdoors today.  Admire the beautiful sights of nature instead of the sights of the other cardio machines, and listen the sounds of wind rustling through the trees rather than the top 40 pop on your iPod.

If you do a lot of driving, leave the radio off and use your commute as thinking time and you’ll find staying organized will become a lot easier.  Instead of “Bad Hotel” try doing an activity that’s tangible, like a crossword puzzle or Sudoku.

Feeling tempted to turn on the TV? Reach for a book instead.  Women, try not logging into Pinterest for a week.  You’ll be amazed how much free time you’ll have for other activities.

Gradually cutting back on the amount of time you spend using electronics will help you stay relaxed and less stressed.  It will also help you focus better, absorb more information, listen more easily and remember more accurately.

Unplugging will also reintroduce you to the world that you may have become accustomed to ignoring.  Technology doesn’t have to have negative effects.  It’s how we use technology that makes all the difference.