The prayer chapel, complete with stained glass and wooden benches, will open soon. Photo by Elizabeth Pirkle.

North Greenville University is responding to student growth by implementing a slew of new construction projects. Some projects are near completion, while others are still awaiting government approval before construction can begin.

The Craft-Hemphill Mission, Evangelism, and Christian Worldview Center and the 24-hour Todd Prayer Chapel are two projects that are almost ready to be opened.

Temporary occupancy permits for these buildings were gained on Jan. 20, but the surrounding grounds and landscaping must be completed before permanent permits can be granted. The inside of the buildings, however, are close to being completed.

Tony Beam is already settling into his new office in the Missions and Worldview Center. While the Prayer Chapel is only lacking six custom-made wooden prayer benches.

Both the Prayer Chapel and the Missions and Worldview Center promise to be important parts of university activity.

Joe Hayes, the director of development for North Greenville, emphasized the importance of prayer on campus. Hayes said of the Prayer Chapel, “If that building is used like it’s intended to be used, it will be the most important building on campus.”

The Missions and Worldview Center will also play an important role in the fulfillment of one of the founding goals of NGU.

“When the school was founded in 1892, it was founded by the North Greenville Baptist Association to be a school to train up young people in this area, to go spread the light of Christianity to the dark corners of Greenville county,” said Hayes, “but now North Greenville is a light to the world.”

This center will not only serve as the mission and Christian Worldview center on campus, but it will also offer an important service to local churches, providing weekend training opportunities for church mission teams.

Groups will be able to communicate with the missionaries in the area where they will be serving, partake of a meal similar to what they will be served overseas, and receive basic language and cultural training.

The university will also offer a commissioning service, either on campus or at the team’s church.

Another project will soon begin to take shape behind the Crain Science Building. An addition to the current structure is waiting to be built that will double the size of the current science building. Plans for this new addition include more labs, classrooms, and office space.

There are also plans for a nursing school and a study break room, a space complete with computers and snacks where students can hang out and study. This new building will connect with the old one, which will be receiving internal and external updates as well as modernizations.

An architect is currently working out details of this project, and construction is set to begin as soon as the university can obtain the proper building permits, which will hopefully be between March and May of this year.

Hayes said the new science building should be open by the fall semester of 2013 but added, “That’s just a rough guess.”

Also in the works are projects like a new tennis facility and the Wood Store. The tennis facility will be built near the football complex and will include a locker room and refreshment area in addition to 14 new tennis courts.

The Wood Store will be located near the post office and will house an old-fashioned soda fountain and Papa John’s Pizza with indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a gas pump.

Both the tennis facility and the Wood Store are projected to be completed by fall 2012.

SPIRITUAL RENEWAL

Student-Led Renewal will be held Feb. 6-8. This annual event will span both bonus and regular chapel services and serves to encourage student leadership and involvement in spiritual life on campus.

Local

TRAVELERS REST SHOOTING

James Brock, 26, was shot and killed outside a Travelers Rest home the evening of Jan. 26. Brock was reportedly shot after trespassing and participating in a violent argument with a female at the house. No one has been charged so far in this incident.

FAFSA DEADLINE

Due to changes in FAFSA procedures, students should file their FAFSAs by June 30 to ensure eligibility for South Carolina tuition grants.

National

CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY

Scientists at University of Texas have allegedly managed to create a cloak that is capable of concealing three-dimensional objects.

FAST FOOD CHANGES

McDonalds will no longer use “pink slime” as an additive to its burgers due to widespread criticism. This filler is made of beef trimmings mixed with ammonium hydroxide to supposedly kill bacteria and enhance flavor.

International

NUCLEAR DISCUSSION

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims that he is open to discussing his nuclear program with the West.  This comes after the European Union placed a ban on importing Iranian oil.

Last November, the South Carolina Baptist Convention recommended five members to serve on North Greenville University’s Board of Trustees. They included 1957 NGU alumnus Daniel Boling, decorated U.S. Navy F-14 pilot Lee Capell, business owners David Edwards and Mark Ells,  and the former President of the Baptist Women, Lucile Sullivan. Their purpose, along with the other 20 members of the Board of Trustees will be to oversee the business of the school, said LaVerne Howell, NGU’s director of Public Relations.

NGU President Jimmy Epting added that their main purpose is to set the policies for the school. “Their second purpose is to hire or fire the president. We hope that they will donate significant funds and promote the school in every way,” he said. “These people on our board see this as an opportunity to serve Jesus Christ and to allow him to make a difference in their lives.”

College students across the country often complain that keeping up with the political scene during the school year can be inconvenient.  It’s no surprise that voting trends among college students have diminished over the past few years.  The low turnout of college students at last Saturday’s primary election was proof; yet while students may lack the passion to get to the polls, they are not short of opinions.

North Greenville’s Christian Worldview Center created a straw poll to probe students’ political convictions.  The survey was given during spring 2012 check-in, and was completely optional.   More than 1,200 students completed the survey, representing more than half of the student body.   While some students found the survey “uncomfortable,” many were grateful for the opportunity to voice their opinions.

Students took the survey nearly a week after Michele Bachman, Minnesota Representative, had withdrawn from the race, yet the creators of the poll agreed to leave Bachman’s name as an option to gauge how closely students follow the campaigns.  When asked who they would most likely choose for the next President of the United States, 6 percent of those surveyed (70 students), chose Bachman, seemingly unaware of her withdrawal.

Following the trend among college-aged  South Carolinians, most NGU students were strongly in favor of Texas Representative Ron Paul, who won nearly a quarter of the respondents’ loyalty.  Surprisingly, recent South Carolina primary winner Newt Gingrich scored the lowest, with only 9 percent (109 votes) of the straw poll votes in his favor, prompting one to wonder what the outcome of the recent primary would have been had more students made arrangements to vote.

Though students are typically not active voters, they represent a sector of the population that is thought to be open-minded and accepting.   Within the Republican Party, college students have seemingly few qualms with any of the GOP candidates.  True to their reputation, many students who did not identify themselves as supporters of Former Massachusetts Governor and outspoken Mormon Mitt Romney, admitted in individual interviews that if Romney were to win the nomination, they would enthusiastically support him in spite of religious differences.

In addition to questioning students about Republican candidates, the poll also asked for students’ opinions on incumbent Barack Obama’s possible re-election, vice presidential nominations, and issues such as the national debt and the creation of jobs.  According to students, economic recovery should be the next president’s main focus.  Pro-Life Advocacy was second with 19 percent of the votes.

The Christian Worldview Center welcomes anyone interested to view the results of the recent poll on its website, which can be found through a link on the NGU website.  The creators of the straw poll are also welcoming ideas for future polls.

The travesty of human trafficking occurs around the world, but sometimes we forget just how close to home it happens as well. Experts at the Polaris Project/National Human Trafficking Resource Center estimate that there are a minimum of about 5,100 to 60,500 people trafficked into and within the U.S. each year, and an estimated 100,000 American children who are prostituted within the U.S. each year.

Human trafficking, whether for forced labor or commercial sex, is one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world, and traffickers reap billions in profits. According to Janice Crouse, Senior Fellow at the Beverly LaHaye Institute, the think tank for the Concerned Women for America, sex trafficking is the number two crime worldwide. The number of people, 30 million, who are in slavery now is greater than at any other point in human history. The victims are beaten down both through psychological terrors and physical brutality. Even after being rescued, scars both literal and metaphorical can last forever.

After developing a special passion for stopping human trafficking, NGU student Bethany Stoddard, senior church music, started a Greenville chapter of Love 146 this past August. Love 146 is an organization whose mission is the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation. Being a part of Love 146 involves joining a task force, a group of people who meet monthly and commit to fighting human trafficking.

“What we do is educate people about sex trafficking, both worldwide and in the U.S., and what we can do about it,” Stoddard said. “Basically, in Love 146 you commit to raising a certain amount of money each year as a group. You meet once a month. Your group should be active, which means you brainstorm ideas or organize projects that can help raise money.”

Stoddard became aware of the issue in her senior year of high school and wanted to help.

“I was searching online for something I could do for a speech, and it had to be a cause,” she said. “Nothing was coming to mind. I ran across a site that talked about the sex trafficking issue. I had never heard of it before, and I was appalled by it. I immediately wanted to do something to help. I didn’t find any way to get involved from where I am until the Love 146 option became available. [Then] I decided to start a task force here in Greenville.”

Cecelia Alfonso, freshman interdisciplinary studies, worked over the summer with Redeem the Shadows, an organization that fights sex trafficking in the U.S.

“We cannot distance ourselves from this issue no matter how hard we try,” Alfonso said.

While preventing human trafficking and rescuing its victims are essential, sometimes the importance of healing is forgotten.

“Most of what I’ve been able to tell is that what these girls need most is Jesus,” Alfonso said. “They’ve been horribly abused, and they have terrible psychological issues, and they no longer know how to think of men. Jesus is the only person who can heal them completely.”

William J. Watkins, Jr., an assistant attorney with the U.S. General Attorney’s Office in South Carolina, works on human trafficking cases. Both forced labor and sex trafficking occur right here in Greenville.

“Attorneys in this district come across a couple of human trafficking cases a year. That’s only the ones that we locate; there are a ton more going on, unfortunately. It’s just getting worse,” Watkins said.

“You have young girls who are either unaware or meet somebody who seems like a friend. It’s really force and intimidation. Their will to resist is beaten down, and they do as they’re told.”

Young girls are often ensnared through the Internet, believing that social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace and ads published on Craigslist and Backpage.com are safe.

“You would think it’s something Third World, but I think a lot of it is the Internet,” Watkins said. “It’s easier for people to reach out and contact. It’s more common now to have friends on Facebook that you don’t even know, and I think a lot of that contributes to it. People have lowered their guard.”

According to the 2010 state rating by the Polaris Project, the lead organization focused on human trafficking in the U.S., South Carolina was among the “Dirty Dozen,” 12 states in the bottom tier with 0-2 statutes addressing human trafficking. This year, only nine states remain in the bottom tier—South Carolina included.

State legislators are working to bring more awareness to the issue of human trafficking. According to a South Carolina 2011 Legislator’s Brief for H3757, also known as the Human Trafficking Bill, “lack of awareness about the crime of human trafficking by the public and law enforcement in South Carolina drives a continued increase in human trafficking.” The bill defines terms pertaining to human trafficking more clearly, and key to this bill, it provides for forfeiture of trafficker assets and restitution for victims of human trafficking.

The bill went through a hearing in May and is currently being revised in anticipation of the reconvening of the legislature in January.

If you encounter a human trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-3737-888.

To join the Greenville task force, contact Bethany Stoddard at bethanymuse89@gmail.com.

On Saturday, Oct. 29, at about 12:30 a.m., several North Greenville University students were aroused by an unsettling noise from outside their house on Chinquapin Road. Two Blue Ridge High School students, Benjamin Lindsey, 17, and Christopher Howard, 18, were inside a vehicle that had crashed into the neighboring house. Lindsey, the front-seat passenger in the car, died Thursday, Nov. 3, while Howard is still in critical condition.

Bradley Barnes, senior biology, and Marcus Fuller, senior Christian studies, were two of the NGU students who heard the crash. As medical personnel were notified, Barnes and Fuller entered the vehicle to reach the boys. They wasted no time securing the area, checking vital signs and praying with other students on the scene.

“It was comforting to have a band of brothers come together to bathe the situation in prayer,” said Barnes. “Even in the midst of this terrible tragedy, God’s love and grace was evident.”

Rick Morris, Chief of Campus Security, responded to the accident that night. He is proud of the courageous students who helped the boys in the accident.

“I commend the students who ran over there,” said Morris. “It’s refreshing to know that our students are willing to help others, even if it puts them in danger.”

Barnes, Fuller and the other NGU students not only showed true heroism that night but also put the love of Christ into action.

Students, like Barnes, consider it a blessing from God that no NGU students were harmed. This accident marks the second car crash into the house in the past two weeks. The house is located just around a sharp curve on Chinquapin Road that has been a factor in both accidents.

Some NGU students that live around the area on Chinquapin have seen the sharp curve as a potential danger for years now.

“There definitely needs to be a yellow curve arrow sign to alert people that it is a very sharp curve,” said Ben Wofford, senior youth ministries. “There is a 25 mph sign telling people to slow down, but those signs can be very relative and this particular one is simply not enough warning.”

Morris agrees with Wofford and, along with the entire Campus Security department, wants to stress to students how important safety is and how serious accidents like this one can be prevented.  According to Morris, the state of South Carolina will be putting up guard rails soon, and police officers are looking into putting up more warning signs. Morris hopes students learn to be more cautious from accidents like this.

“Students need to know that just because they drive up and down a road three or four times a day, doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be attentive,” said Morris. “As easy as it is to get distracted while driving, students should always be alert and cautious.”

PSI CHI
The North Greenville University chapter of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, will be inducting eight new members on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

LITTLE WOMEN
The casting list for Little Women, next semester’s musical, will be posted Friday, Nov. 18 in the School of Theatre building.

ML SUBMISSIONS
The submission deadline for the 2012 edition of The Mountain Laurel has been extended one week.  Submissions are now due by Monday, Nov. 21 in the White Hall.

NGU 5K
The annual Health Promotion & Wellness 5K will be held Saturday, Nov. 19 at 8:30 a.m.  Students can register in the fitness center for $10 or 10 canned goods.

On Saturday, Nov. 12, North Greenville University will be hosting Military Appreciation Day (MAD). MAD is a day when NGU does its part to recognize and honor the veterans who have served and those who are currently serving to protect and secure our nation’s freedom.  MAD also serves as a day to raise awareness for the Army ROTC program and its cadets on the campus.

This year, NGU ROTC wants to welcome all students, faculty and staff to come and enjoy various activities planned for the afternoon. There will be a paintball arena where teams of four can battle each other in a round of paintball for $10 per team.

Also featured will be a rock climbing wall, where given donations will go towards the Blue Star Mothers program, a society that sends supplies to troops overseas. These events will take place on the field in front of the football stadium.

At 1 p.m., NGU’s football team will play Ohio’s Notre Dame College. There the Army ROTC program at NGU will be hosting a special half-time ceremony. Lieutenant Colonel Tom Gilleran, professor of military science, and NGU President Jimmy Epting will make special remarks  and be followed by a patriotic performance by the NGU Marching Crusaders. This ceremony will be held to honor those who serve and have served in the military.

Drew Brogden, junior Christian studies, holds MAD close to his heart and sees it as a very important event. As a member of NGU’s Army ROTC program and a Simultaneous Membership Program Cadet with the Furman Paladin Army ROTC, he wants to stress the importance of this day to the NGU family.

“MAD is important because our freedom to have events such as football games, and even private educational institutions, was bought with the blood and effort of warriors who fought, fight, and will continue to fight to keep this nation free,” said Brogden.

Brogden also sees MAD as a day to honor the ROTC cadets on campus.

“This gives us an opportunity to be put on display and for people to come ask us about what we’re all about,” said Brogden. “A lot of NGU students do not realize the sacrifices we make. While most of the student body is sleeping, we are up early in the morning running and training.”

While MAD has exciting activities in store, Brogden does not want the purpose of this day to be overlooked.

“The purpose of MAD is first and foremost to recognize the individuals who sacrifice their lives for us as Americans every day and to give them the honor that they deserve,” he said.

Brogden and the rest of the NGU ROTC encourage the NGU family to come and enjoy a time of fun and fellowship, while honoring those who serve our beloved country.

VALUES VOTERS BUS TOUR
In an attempt to educate Republicans on the value of voting, the Values Voters Bus will be stopping on campus Thursday, Nov. 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students who are not registered to vote will be able to do so regardless of what state in which they live.

LITTLE WOMEN AUDITIONS
The North Greenville University theatre department will be hosting auditions for its spring musical Little Women. Students should prepare 16 bars from a song from a musical, preferably not from Little Women, and should bring their own sheet music for the accompanist. Also, students should be prepared to read from provided scripts. Open to both men and women, auditions will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14 in the School of Theatre building.

MOUNTAIN LAUREL SUBMISSIONS
Final submissions for The Mountain Laurel are Monday, Nov. 14. Submission boxes can be found in the White Hall lobby.

Local

“FISCAL FITNESS” PLAN
President pro tempore of the South Carolina Senate, Glenn McConnell, stopped in Greenville last week to gain feedback from local residents concerning his “fiscal fitness” plan.

National

CAIN ALLEGATIONS
Another woman came forward last week with decade-old sexual harassment accusations against GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain. This was the second charge of this nature brought against Cain, and he denies all allegations.

North Greenville University has broadened its horizons this school year. With 640 new students, NGU has no choice but to grow, and with that growth, comes change.

This semester, Todd Dining Hall and ’63-’64 Grill, also known as “the Grill”, have made significant changes in not only food choices,  but also in NGU’s overall dining experience.

The dining services on campus are controlled by Aramark Food Services. Aramark is a leading provider of dining, facilities and conference center management to colleges and universities.

This year, Aramark has brought a variety of different foods to Todd Dining Hall, and it has caught NGU students’ attention.

“I really like how they have more fruit and vegetable options at the salad bar, and the dressings are really good, especially the home-made ranch dressing and the poppy seed dressing,” said Meredith Lewellen, junior broadcast media.

Aramark offers NGU a wide variety of foods including salads, sandwiches, home-cooked meals, tofu, pizza and other options that change daily. Some students prefer the new healthier choices NGU now offers.

“I’m a big salad fan so when they put egg salad, chicken salad or tuna salad out in the salad bar, I usually get that and make a sandwich,” said Lewellen, “It’s fast, healthy and really good.”

Just below Todd Dining Hall in the student center, the Grill has made even bigger changes. From the high definition television menus to the newly offered curly fries, the Grill has definitely improved, according to Lewellen.

“The Grill has really stepped it up this year. The food is so much better, and the overall atmosphere makes it feel like a real fast food restaurant,” said Lewellen.

With almost a completely different menu, the newly added foods have changed the meal plan values. Some of the prices of items have risen and the students have noticed. With students only getting a certain amount of Crusader Bucks, it is not easy to splurge on some of the new perks the Grill has to offer.

“The curly fries are so good, but I think it is crazy that you have to pay extra for them,” said Lewellen, “The same goes for the bacon cheeseburger. I wish we could either get more Crusader Bucks or have the chance to put food items like that on our meal plan so we can enjoy them.”

With all the changes to the dining services on campus, Aramark wanted the NGU family’s feedback. At the start of the year, Todd Dining Hall and the Grill offered a survey to students who would like to voice their thoughts and opinions on the new system. The survey ended earlier this week, and the results have not yet been released. The Aramark staff has declined to comment any further.

If you did not participate in the survey, both dining services have comment cards at the payment counters where you can leave questions, comments or concerns.

Students gather around to watch Coleman Woody, junior intercultural studies, try his hand at the mechanical bull outside the Tingle Student Center. Bull riding was one of many exciting homecoming activities last week. Photo by Abby Gregory.

Even the chilly fall air couldn’t hinder the Crusader spirit that brought students, families and alumni to Younts Stadium to celebrate Homecoming on Saturday.

“I like coming back and seeing my old friends and the community,” said Trevor MacPherson, 2011 alumnus.

Embracing this year’s Wild West theme, students dressed up as cowboys and indians and some even rode horses in the parade. Among the many events were pumpkin carving, mechanical bull riding, bowling, skit night and a float-decorating contest.

“I enjoyed seeing how creative the clubs were with their float decorations,” said Sarah Webb, freshman elementary education.

The festivities included various competitions that clubs participated in to win points. The club that accumulated the most points at the end of Homecoming was the RAs. The L’aMaet human video team took second place with the Biology Club in third and Campus Ambassadors in fourth.

“This was the best Homecoming as far as participation. There was the most participation from clubs in all the events,” said Billy Watson, director of student services.

Even the dining hall staff sported Wild West apparel to show their school spirit on Friday.

Casey Goodwin, sophomore psychology, sprays paints a cactus for one of the homecoming floats. Photo by Abby Gregory.

“I like how everyone gets so involved in the competitions,” said Marinn Brown, sophomore interdisciplinary studies.

In the midst of all the fun, however, students also participated in community service events. The annual homecoming week canned food drive took place and almost 2,000 canned goods will be donated to The Storehouse food bank. The first annual Soles4Shoes shoe drive was also initiated at NGU with about 300 pairs of shoes collected.

Following NGU tradition, Erin Gray, senior business administration, was named homecoming queen.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CONFERENCES
Beginning Monday, Nov. 7, North Greenville University will host Men’s and Women’s Conferences with worship pastor Travis Agnew and wife Amanda of North Side Baptist Church. The conferences will take place Monday and Tuesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. and will count as bonus chapel credit.

COURSE EVALUATIONS
The student evaluation of course instruction surveys, which are now required, will be administered beginning Monday, Nov. 14 and ending Monday, Nov. 28. Students must complete surveys for all of their courses in order to obtain exam passes.

MISS NGU FUNDRAISER
Currie Dickerson, 2011 Miss NGU, will be raising money this week in support of her platform. All funds raised will be donated to the Children’s Miracle Network.

Local

REPUBLICAN
This election’s first Republican primary debate will be hosted at Wofford College Saturday, Nov. 12. The debate will be hosted on CBS at 8 p.m.

National

PLANNED PARENTHOOD CHARGES
Planned Parenthood now faces more than 100 criminal charges filed nearly three years ago by Phill Kline, former district attorney of Johnson County, Kan. The charges include allegations that the organization was performing abortions on girls younger than 15 years old and that it forged client records.

Former North Greenville University baseball coach Tim Nihart is joining the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) collegiate level baseball team, the “Niagara Power,” for the summer of 2012.  Nihart retired from full-time collegiate coaching in 2008 after spending 10 years as NGU’s head baseball coach.

Nihart has spent the last seven summers directing Camp Marietta, a summer camp and conference center located in Marietta, S.C.  He will be parting from the camp ministry to return to the baseball diamond.

Nihart said, “The last seven years at camp Marietta have been simply amazing.  I have built relationships with staff members, campers and guests of the camp that will last a lifetime.  The Lord has taught me so much on the mountaintop of Camp Marietta; I am thankful.”

Since retiring from college baseball, many opportunities to join a professional league have surfaced for Nihart, from broadcasting, scouting, administrative work and even coaching.

“The timing was not right for those situations,” Nihart said. “We still had some unfinished work at the camp.”

But now all seems to be falling into place.  Camp Marietta is now a debt free ministry, much of the camp facility has been renovated, camp programming has been revised and a great team of staff members have been trained.

“Camp Marietta is alive and well,” said Nihart.

For the past year he has been working on transitioning away from the camp.  He feels that Camp Marietta is capable of continuing its success.

Nihart was hired by FCA baseball last month.

“Baseball has been a part of my life, all my life.  Using baseball as a vehicle to share the love of Jesus is my passion,” Nihart said.

Throughout the months of June and July, Nihart will coach on the field, teach community Bible studies throughout the week and share in many churches in and around the Western part of New York.

“I am very excited about the challenges with FCA baseball for the summer of 2012,” Nihart said, “though I will miss the campers and staff at Camp Marietta.”

On the second Tuesday of every month, Student Services hosts a round table meeting on campus called the Round Table. The meetings are meant to act as a forum allowing students to share their opinions concerning North Greenville University student life, from resident life to dining services.

Will Broadus, senior international business, is the resident coordinator responsible for helping Billy Watson facilitate the meetings.

“Student Services wants to ensure that you are having the best college experience that we can provide. In order to do this, we need your ideas and input on the things that we have done well and also, the things upon which we could improve,” said Broadus.

Ansley Boltin, junior biology, is serving as the round table representative of her dorm for the second year in a row. Boltin said changes are made due to the meetings’ discussions.

“The Metroplex Movie Night came out of the round table discussions. There has also been a lot of discussion and some plans put in place for providing more areas for girls and guys to hang out together on campus,” Boltin said.

Currie Dickerson, sophomore broadcast media, also spoke on changes from the meetings.

“At one meeting last year, we brought up that the campus is too dark at night, especially for a girl who is walking from the library back to her dorm. So, in response, Student Services put up more lights around campus and made sure that all of the bulbs were functioning properly,” said Dickerson.

Dickerson said that issues discussed are not limited to those affecting the students who attend the meeting. She explained, “We are asked to get feedback from students before each meeting about various issues regarding dorm life, the cafeteria, projects around school, and other issues involving the campus.”

Boltin added that the students are sometimes given questions to ask other students. The answers to those questions provide discussion topics for future meetings.

Hannah Hall, junior interdisciplinary studies, enjoyed the meeting she attended. “The information shared by Billy Watson gave the ‘bigger picture’ to some of the things happening around campus. [The information] also showed the students present the genuine concern felt for student input and opinions,” said Hall.

Though Hall feels that the meeting she attended was informational, she sees a greater need for student attendance. She said, in addition to herself, only about 10 other students attended the meeting.

Hall added, “If students don’t take the initiative to voice their needs and concerns in the appropriate context, it is impractical for them to expect results.”

When it came time to get approval for the Bachelor of Arts interdisciplinary studies in musical theatre program, “It was an easy sell,” said Corrie Danieley, assistant professor of theatre.

“We have the people in the music and theatre department to handle the classes, so it just made sense,” said Daniely.

“It’s not a pure theatre degree; we’ve collaborated with the music department. I don’t know any other school that’s done that in the same way,” said Dale Savidge, professor of theatre.

Currently North Greenville University doesn’t perform a musical on a regular basis. With the implementation of the new major, the theatre department hopes to create more opportunities.

“If we get a lot of excitement about [musical theatre] we’ll do musicals every year. Right now we’re doing them every other year just because we don’t yet have the students to cast. Musicals always are much larger to cast than plays,” said Danieley.

Lauren Shealy, sophomore theatre, said, “Musical theatre is one of my biggest passions. I’d love it if the musical theatre program meant that we’d get to do a musical every year.”

By having a major that focuses solely on musicals, the department expects to raise the bar from previous performances.

“We hope to do more and better work with our musicals. I think we’ll see that in February with the musical version of Little Women. When we’ve offered musicals in the past we’ve had actors who can sing; now we’re hoping to attract singers who can also act,” said Savidge.

A focus in musical theatre gives the department options to branch out from the current selection of genres when it comes time to put together a performance.

Students will take 36 hours in theatre and 33 hours in music that will also include private lessons in voice.

“It’s an interdisciplinary degree. So we feel very strongly about students getting exposed to both the music and theatre side of it,” said Savage.

Performers will be given opportunities to audition for fully staged musicals as well as musical revues and concerts. Students will be exposed to experienced faculty, facilities and production experience in both music and theatre. Training experienced, disciplined and Christ-like actors who can compete in auditions for roles and graduate programs is the goal.

“I’m very excited, and we hope that a lot of students come and take advantage of the major,” said Danieley.

Currie Dickerson, sophomore broadcast media and 2011 Miss NGU, North Greenville University President Jimmy Epting and Hannah Failoni, senior elementary education and first runner-up, pose after the Miss NGU pageant on Saturday. Photo by Carlie McKinley.

Currie Dickerson, sophomore broadcast media, was crowned Miss North Greenville University on Saturday, Oct. 22.

The runners-up include Hannah Failoni, senior elementary education, with first; McKenzie Wells, graduate student Master of Education, with second; Amanda Styles, junior early childhood education, with third; and Lauren Jones, sophomore business administration, with fourth.

With her “Your Voice, Your Vote: Make It Count” platform to interest students in politics and playing the piano as her talent, Dickerson won the title. Dedicating her full time and energy to this position is her main focus as Miss NGU.

“My goal,” said Dickerson, “is to be a servant of the students and faculty, while representing the school in any positive way I can.”

North Greenville University is having its very first Soles4Shoes Shoe Drive through Saturday, Oct. 29 with hopes of collecting 500 pairs of shoes. Collection boxes can be found in the lobby of Todd Dining Hall.

In light of this week’s campus events, North Greenville University will be hosting the Annual Homecoming Week Canned Food Drive. Collection boxes are also located in the lobby of Todd Dining Hall.

Leslie Brown, library faculty and sponsor of the International Students’ Club, hosted a “hangout”, Friday, Oct. 21 at her home. Students enjoyed exotic foods and music while mingling with foreign exchange students from various colleges in the surrounding area.

Local

Republican presidential candidates Rick Perry and Rick Santorum will be stopping in the Upstate this week as part of their campaigns.

This week T. Walter Brashier, local real estate investor, gave the former Steak & Ale restaurant building in downtown Greenville, appraised at $1.6 million, to North Greenville University.

National

Economists estimate the Commerce Department’s gross domestic product report this week to show a gain anywhere from 2 to 3 percent, up from last month’s report when analysts were bracing for recession.

It is heart that makes North Greenville University’s baseball team the force it is today. A strong bond combined with a hard work ethic helped bring NGU a National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) national championship in 2010, and a runner up finish in 2011.

Other than skill on the field, it was the coaching that helped them build success. Going into this season Reggie Reynolds will take over as head coach.

“We’re really excited about coach Reynolds taking the head coaching job. He’s been with me and this senior class for four years so we know him pretty well. He knows the game a lot, and I think he is the best candidate to replace coach Henson,” said Markus Duckworth, senior history and red shirt baseball player.

Reynolds has been the assistant under Henson since both of them took the positions in the summer of 2008. Reynolds, a high school friend of Henson, was an easy choice to bring along to assist in creating a winning team.

“It’s a great thing in that we have had the opportunity to put the [NGU] program together both ourselves. Naturally, there are going to be some differences. He is a great motivator. The flow that we do on a daily basis is pretty much just carrying on,” said Reynolds.

Henson’s faith led him to take the position as the Director of Athletic Missions and Community Relations.

“My main focus is not only ministering to student-athletes, but also ministering through student-athletes as we seek opportunities to serve our local community. We want every team and each student-athlete in our athletic program to be actively engaged in serving God and our community,” says Henson.

“Coach Henson is doing something he felt he has been called to do working with athletic missions. Coach Reynolds has been around the program for several years now and is very capable of leading the Crusader Baseball program. The players respect him and he has the experience and knowledge necessary to lead the baseball team into its first year in Conference Carolinas and further into the future,” said Micah Sepko, Assistant Athletic Director and Media Relations Director.

Reynolds says, “As far as the spring season, it is going to be huge for us. With the senior experience, I think we have the opportunity to do great things as a team. This will be the first time going through the Conference Carolina as a member. It’s going to be huge having the opportunity to take part in a conference tournament. We’ll see what happens. I anticipate being very, very competitive.”

Art by Christine Parks.

The Mountain Laurel staff is working hard this year to make the campus literary magazine the best it has ever been.

As a student-created and -designed publication, it includes forms of poetry, art, non-fiction and fiction pieces from students and alumni. Anyone can submit work by filling out the submission form on the website or at White Hall.

“It is an outlet for the students. It can be a chance to publish their work and share the gospel through it,” said Beth Godwin, senior interdisciplinary studies and editor-in-chief of The Mountain Laurel.

The Mountain Laurel has hosted three editing workshops this semester for written works. Students are invited to bring their work and get feedback and critiques before publication.

Some of the workshops are student-led, while some have special speakers. Many times the artists hear professional tips and participate in peer critique circles.

For those interested in submitting to The Mountain Laurel, submissions are due Nov. 15 in the boxes in the lobby of White Hall.

In an attempt to better the dining services on campus, Aramark has published an online survey for students to take at www.college-survey.com/ngu. Participants have the opportunity to win a $150 Ticketmaster gift card or one of three $50 Visa gift cards.

NGU will be hosting Apologetics Day Saturday, Oct. 22 from 10 am to 4 pm. The event will be hosted in the Fero Conference Room in the Tingle Student Center. More information has been sent to every student’s campus email.

NGU’s literary magazine The Mountain Laurel will hold a Moe’s Night fundraiser Wednesday, Oct. 19 at Moe’s Southwest Grill in Taylors from 4 to 9 pm. Proceeds will fund costs for this year’s publication.

Local

On, Saturday, Oct. 22, Dogwood Terrace Stables will host the 6th Annual Boo in the Barnyard from 11 am to 6 pm. The proceeds from this fall festival will benefit the stable’s rescue program and riding scholarships.

Herman Cain, GOP nominee for the 2012 presidential election, topped Mitt Romney this week in a S.C. poll.

National

Occupy Wall Street marks one month of protests this week as the movement has spread to more than 600 cities across America. Starting in lower Manhattan and marching up Broadway, more than 2,000 people rallied last month to protest bank bailouts.

Anita Perry speaks in the President's Dining Hall. Photo by Jordan Ecarma.

Anita Perry, wife of presidential candidate and Texas governor Rick Perry, visited the North Greenville University campus on Oct. 13.

Rick Perry’s campaign office contacted NGU on her behalf. Anita Perry was staying with a friend in the area and requested to come by the NGU campus for a visit. She had breakfast with NGU President Jimmy Epting and his wife as well as NGU faculty and staff in the president’s dining hall and spoke afterward.

Epting introduced Perry as “Governor Perry’s much better half” and warmly welcomed her to NGU. “Here you can talk about your faith as proudly as you want,” he said.

Perry took full advantage of Epting’s invitation to speak about her faith. She choked up when describing her Christian background.

“I’ve never told anyone that before,” she said after telling a story about her grandfather, who was a deacon in a Christian church and made sure she went to Sunday school every week. “Nothing made him prouder,” she remembered.

Perry was encouraged to be among believers at NGU.

“It’s been a rough month. We have been brutalized and beaten up and chewed up in the press to the point where I needed this day,” she said.

Her remarks focused on her family’s faith and its influence in their lives, even when it came to her husband’s decision whether or not to run for president.

“There was a nagging and pulling at my heart for Rick to run,” Perry described. While he did not want to run for president at first, she felt that God was directing him. “He needed to see that burning bush,” she said, comparing the circumstances to the sign God gave to Moses in Exodus. The entire Perry family discussed the decision and decided in May that it was something God needed them to do.

“Every door we thought would be closed was open,” said Perry. “We felt called to do this.”

Lisa Van Riper (right) shows Anita Perry the NGU campus. Photo by Jordan Ecarma.

Perry concluded her informal speech with a simple request. “Most of all, I ask you for your prayers,” she said.

When asked if she had a word for the next generation, Perry gave a straightforward response that highlighted the two main themes of her husband’s campaign.

“Another reason we’re in this is that we need to create jobs for the next generation,” she said. “When you have a job and have faith, you’re on the road to success.”

Perry’s warm presence and thoughtful remarks were encouraging to those who attended.

“She was very compassionate and moving in her message,” said Jenna Church, junior American studies. “I think she’s a good role model for any woman in the public spectrum.”

Perry’s visit is not the first time the NGU campus has welcomed presidential campaign members. George W. Bush visited during 2002, and Mike Huckabee came during the 2008 campaign. Most recently, Elizabeth Santorum, daughter of presidential candidate Rick Santorum, visited NGU on Sep. 20.

The Miss NGU Pageant will be held on Saturday, October 22 in Turner Chapel.

Submission deadline for The Mountain Laurel is November 14. Submission guidelines and collection boxes are located in the lobby of White Hall, the library, the art building and the theater building as well as the cafeteria.

Travis Henson, championship winning baseball coach, has been appointed the Director of Athletic Missions and Athletic Outreach. Reggie Reynolds will replace Henson as the head baseball coach.

Local

Following his wife’s two-day stop in Upstate S.C. last week, Mitt Romney will campaign the Lowcountry as he continues his campaign for the Republican nomination for president.

The S.C. Drought Response Committee recently said that all counties in the state are at moderate drought status despite last week’s rainfall.

National / World

After four years, an Italian court overturned the conviction of Amanda Knox for the violent murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher.

The funeral for Troy Davis, a man controversially put to death despite multiple occurrences of alleged police misconduct, was held Saturday in Atlanta.

The Information Technology department at North Greenville University has been hard at work this summer improving the campus network.

Because of NGU’s steady growth over the past few years, Paul Garrett, Director for Information Technology, and his staff have had to prepare for dramatic increases in network usage. As part of their preparations, the IT staff has replaced servers, increased bandwidth, and is planning more refinements in the future.

The foundation of any large network is its set of servers, called a “server farm” by IT professionals. Servers are essentially powerful computers that are networked to increase processing power. Although individual computers can create networks, dedicated servers allow for greater speed and efficiency.

NGU’s server farm now has built-in redundancies, which will maintain the network even if several servers go down. A stable network is important, and according to Garret, “Internet access is soon to be ubiquitous.” This prevalence will allow for cloud-based computing, which means data can be accessed from any device connected to the Internet.

By utilizing services like BlackBoard for content delivery, the professor has “more opportunity to teach besides just what we might call ‘data-dumping’ to the student,” said Randall Pannell, vice president for Academic Affairs.

Also integral to the network is the amount of bandwidth available. The term “bandwidth” describes the amount of data that can be transmitted at any time. Think of bandwidth like water through a pipe. If the pipe is bigger, more water can be delivered.

According to Garrett, campus bandwidth has increased from 100 megabytes per second to 1 gigabyte per second. “We’ve multiplied our bandwidth by 10,” said Garrett.

This bandwidth increase not only increases speed on campus, it also opens other opportunities for NGU to expand for academic advancement.

Finally, IT services is planning to support growing Internet needs on campus. Plans are currently being made to revamp the school’s wireless network. The current wireless network consists of 37 access points, which have been overloaded by the sheer number of devices on campus.

“At any one time, we have about 1,000 mobile devices connected to our wireless system,” said Garrett. While that may seem like a lot, many of these devices are not actively using the Internet; they are simply holding a place on the network.

The hope, according to both Pannell and Garrett, is to increase the number of access points to 225, which will also increase the number of buildings on campus that have wireless access. Although the current network is overloaded, Garrett said that he is exploring ways to compensate for the network’s limitations.

“We want to really see how many devices, on average, we need to support with the system. And that’ll give us the metrics we need to stabilize… the network,” said Garrett. Overall, IT services will continue to support the students, faculty and staff at NGU.

During the summer of 2011, the softball and men’s tennis teams brought back championships for North Greenville University from the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association.

“These wins mean great exposure for our sports program and for the school as a whole,” said Micah Sepko, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information and Athletic Fundraising. “NGU has joined the Conference Carolinas to face different competitions in many other sports.”

His hope is that every athlete will represent NGU well in the conferences, tournaments and play-offs they may attend.

The expectations for the teams who won championships are extremely high this year. The men’s tennis team has an impressive record. The team has won seven total championships since 2002 in the NCCAA in spite of having a few injuries to overcome in last year’s season. The NGU tennis team was seeded fourth in the tournament.

Mark Elliott, head tennis coach, said, “This championship, I played eight players, and all 10 players contributed to our winning the title.”

Elliot tries to maintain the success by getting the players to trust and believe in themselves. His expectation for the team this coming season is for the students to be a better team at the end of the season than they were at the beginning.

Timur Kamilov, senior print media, has been playing tennis for 12 years. On receiving new players in the fall of last year, Kamilov said, “All the players were good individually, but we were not good as a team.”

During many practices and games, they worked on their attitudes and personalities while bringing it all together to come out with a National Championship.

On a similar note, the Crusader softball team pulled off the unthinkable. With a troubling season, they came home with a National Championship as well.

Sarah Hall, head softball coach, said, “The regional tournament that we were able to host was definitely a point when everything started to click. The girls started playing as a true team, and we got hot at the right moment.”

The team did well both hitting and pitching. It also offered solid defense in the tournament.

The expectations for the Lady Crusaders are high this year, but with their good pitching and hitting, the season will be a success.

Hall said, “Going into Conference Carolinas will be difficult, but I would definitely like the opportunity to compete in the conference tournament.”

The NGU softball and men’s tennis teams are striving for another great season this year.

North Greenville University has uniquely designed a traditional ring for upcoming juniors, seniors and alumni that Jason Ross, director for alumni affairs and annual giving, hopes will “create a legacy. Students will want this ring because their grandmother has it.”

For this reason, the ring cannot be personalized as in years past, but Ross says, “The alumni are sick of the high school style. They want a traditional class ring like Clemson and the Citadel. They haven’t bought [NGU] rings because they say they’ve already purchased a personalized high school ring.”

The Alumni Council, Board of Trustees, executive officers and students have all assisted in the design of this new crest. The shanks of the ring artfully display meaningful emblems of NGU. These include the centennial bell tower, which marked the reestablishment of Christ on this campus with Dr. Epting’s assistance, the sunburst over the NGU fountain, which reminds us we are the “Light on the Hill,” and Turner Chapel, the first and last impression the students receive of NGU. Along with our school name, the foundational year of our school, and the year of our graduation, the new motif openly declares NGU’s motto: “Christo Planto Distinctus,” where Christ makes the difference.

This symbolic signet will be available in multiple colors including gold, silver, and platinum for roughly $500. Gender may affect the price because of sizing differences.

“Most people just want to get out, but then five or six years later, they want a ring to show off their school.” says Ross.

For more information, please contact Ross at jason.ross@ngu.edu or call 864-977-7026. Some information will also be available at the bookstore later this semester.

In response to the increase of students this year, campus security has made some changes to commuter parking. Students with commuter and commuter housing permits will no longer be allowed to park in the overflow lot in front of Tuttle Clinic or in the parking lot around Wingo house.

Local

South Carolina superintendent of education Mick Zais is petitioning this week for the state’s opting out of the No Child Left Behind law. If his request is granted, he plans to base his program on the system that was in effect before the current federal law.

According to recent statistics from the Department of Public Safety, S.C. traffic deaths have risen by three and a half percent already this year. Specifically, pedestrian and motorcycle deaths have increased, which some officials attribute to higher gas prices.

National

Recent polls reveal Texas governor Rick Perry to lead the Republican primary with 28 percent over Mitt Romney, who comes in second with 21 percent. After the GOP debate last week, Perry’s lead dropped from 30 percent.

After President Obama’s announcement of his jobs plan this month, taxes are becoming the defining issue of the 2012 Presidential Campaign.

The student evaluations will be part of class requirements as of this semester.

Dr. George Hopson, Director of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, said the responses will be used to improve North Greenville University. The surveys or evaluations are used to see the strengths and weaknesses in the classrooms, professors and departments.

Emma West, sophomore early childhood education, was asked what she thought of the whole process. “It is not that big of a hassle, and it doesn’t take much time,” West said.

She also agreed it would better the school and the programs it offers.

Ten thousand surveys will go out to 2,200 students at the end of the semester. Every student will receive an email to their NGU account with a link for each class they are taking. From there the students will take the survey.

Students have to take all of their surveys or they will not receive their exam passes in the library.

After submitting the form, students will not be able to return to the evaluation to change it.

As always, surveys are submitted anonymously. There is an average of 25 to 30 questions for each survey, and classes such as music lessons, independent classes, internships and seminars will not have a survey to fill out.

The surveys will open Monday, Nov. 14 and close the Sunday before exams begin.

Ben Moore, junior intercultural studies, said it is good to give feedback so the school can adjust where it needs to. “The surveys are definitely for the school’s improvement.”

Becky Thompson, assistant professor of English, said, “Although many see the surveys as a pain, it actually benefits the school, students and facility. They should be taken seriously to make NGU a better place with better classes and professors.”

Art by Brandon Seabrook Nelson.

The latest edition of The Mountain Laurel was submitted to the analysis of the Associated Collegiate Press, a professional critique that is published nationally and judges according to content, quality of writing and editing, photography, art and graphics as well as to layout design and the overall theme. The staff was honored to be in the top 20 finalists of ACP’s 2011 Magazine Pacemaker competition.

In 2009, The Mountain Laurel was submitted to the evaluation of Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Circle competition. The journal of student-produced art and literature won four certificates of merit in the categories of poetry, essay writing, cover design and overall design. These were the first significant achievements of recognition that The Mountain Laurel received since it began, according to Deborah DeCiantis, Associate Professor of English and advisor of The Mountain Laurel.

Art by Matthew Ausley.

“[This] means lots of attention for the school and for individuals. We were judged ‘excellent,’ which makes this a big accomplishment. We wanted a journal that could compete in the marketplace of literary publications. This is an indication that God is helping us toward our objective,” DeCiantis said. “This is a higher level of recognition. Being a finalist is different from honorable mentions. This award has raised the bar. We [The Mountain Laurel] are now known in both the professional and educational circles.”

DeCiantis is proud of the way her students executed the latest edition of The Mountain Laurel.

“The students committed it to the Lord. They prayed over it and made honoring God an objective as well as excellence in the craft. Last year’s edition had an explicitly Christian message that will be passed on to people who look at samples of the book,” DeCiantis said.

The winning theme of The Mountain Laurel was that of Christ’s life as represented by the phoenix, a mythical creature that, at the end of its life, burst into flames and dies in a pile of ashes before rising again in a glorious rebirth. The story of Christ is skillfully embedded into this journal as the student-produced poems, essays and art are organized to manifest Christ.

Along with the award-winning content, The Mountain Laurel also has a new look that coincides with its mythical entitlement. Wendy Greve, senior English and this year’s art editor, added, “It was carefully put together. Continuity is important. This edition has a more traditional view, which draws more people. It comes back to the basics.”

Hard copies of the 2011 edition of The Mountain Laurel are available for free in the Hester Library and in White Hall’s lobby along with free CDs containing readings of the published poetry.

“This was an exciting accolade, and it gives the staff lots of inspiration for next year’s edition,” said Greve. The Mountain Laurel staff has already begun working on its 2012 issue.

Students who are interested in presenting their work to The Mountain Laurel should first read the submission guidelines available online on NGU’s website and then fill out a submission cover sheet.

Students can apply by e-mailing their work to themountainlaurel@ngu.edu or by placing hard copies of their work along with the cover sheet in one of the brightly colored Mountain Laurel submission boxes in the White Hall lobby.

Various flags from different countries stand in the center of campus during Global Missions Week in honor of Christian evangelism abroad. Photo courtesy of Shanelle Williams

The 10th annual Global Missions Week at North Greenville University was a success as missionaries poured into students’ lives and keynote speaker Danny Akin, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary president, challenged students to answer the call to minister to the nations.

The conference theme, “Give It All Away,” reinforced the concept of radical abandonment in serving Christ. Concluding chapel on Wednesday, many students committed to serving others and sharing the gospel either locally or overseas, both short and long term.

Missionaries fulfill their greatest calling “by making themselves available to be used by God to reach the world,” Allen Garnett, personnel consultant for the International Mission Board, said.

Missionaries, however, aren’t the only people called to share the gospel, and students at NGU have many chances to travel to other parts of the world and fulfill this calling as part of L.I.G.H.T. teams organized by the Office of Global Missions. L.I.G.H.T. is an acronym which describes the biblical mandates of the teams in five key areas: loving, interceding, going, helping and telling.

These teams are immersed in the culture as they study and live among different peoples while also being able to share the gospel in various outlets.

Last summer, a team of students traveled to Honduras for five weeks, spending the first four weeks studying and volunteering and the last week participating in medical missions work.

“The most rewarding aspect of the medical mission trip was that through all the hard work, God was glorified in that town. We not only took care of their physical needs but also their spiritual needs, and I strongly believe that is what Christ has called us to do: to care for the needy and to spread His name among the nations. We saw over 3,000 people in four days, and several hundred said they accepted Christ. If only one said they accepted Christ, it would be completely worth it all,” said Stephanie Patton, senior interdisciplinary studies.

Danny Akin, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary president, speaks to NGU students during Monday's chapel service. Photo courtesy of Jim Bates

Eleven different trips are  scheduled for the 2011-12 year. These trips are funded by the individual students, though the Office of Global Missions provides training in the area of raising financial support. The trips are spread out during the various breaks: two during Christmas break, six during spring break, and three during summer break.

Although Christ is glorified through every L.I.G.H.T. team, the teams minister differently in each location. During Christmas break, a team will travel to Honduras to work with youth camps, and others will travel Haiti to teach English and to help with construction work.

During spring break, a team will travel to Brazil to work in orphanage ministry, relational evangelism, recreational ministry and academic tutoring. Another team will travel to Canada for university and multi-ethnic ministry while others will go to Ecuador for student and community ministry and church development. One team will be in Greece working with refugee, children and university students. Other teams will travel to Mexico and Romania for various activities such as football camps, juvenile ministry and discipleship.

During summer break, teams will travel to Honduras, Suriname and Uganda to work in language study, construction and medical and orphan ministry.

If interested in taking part in any L.I.G.H.T. team, students should pick up the guidelines and application in the Global Missions Office in the lower level of the Tingle Student Center. For additional details, see Dr. Allen McWhite. The deadline for applications is October 4, 2011.

Photo courtesy of Joshua Putnam

Joshua Putnam, South Carolina State House Representative of Anderson County District 10 and a North Greenville University alumnus, boldly steps up to the plate of being a leader for South Carolina.

Putnam graduated from NGU in May 2011 with a major in international business and marketing. While entering NGU, Putnam was elected to be freshman class president. The following year, he was named student body president, a notable feat for a sophomore.

Putnam realized early on that leadership and politics were in his blood.

“Politics is my passion. I knew back in high school that I wanted to run for a government position,” said Putnam.

His decision to run for the State House was purely an answer to God’s call. On his official website, he states, “I have felt the Lord calling me for some time to be a leader among men within our government. I said to myself if the door opens, I will walk through it and leave the rest in His hands.”

Putnam stays busy working in out and of his office.

“I’m in meetings a good majority of the time. Meetings and speaking events are what I spend most of my time doing,” said Putnam.

With this full time job, Putnam’s goal is to bring South Carolina back to the conservative principles that it has strayed from by standing firm on his beliefs and keeping his trust in God. He credits NGU for teaching him strong values and understanding.

“North Greenville definitely taught me how to stay Christ-centered and keep God as my focus, and it also taught me biblical understanding that has helped me build the strong foundation that I stand on now,” said Putnam.

His academic classes offered him great benefits as well. He says classes in economics and ethics helped advance his knowledge on certain issues that arise in his career.

NGU not only influenced Putnam, but Putnam influenced others here on campus. Brooke Smith, junior art, is a friend and supporter of Putnam and says his personal qualities are what make him shine as a leader.

“His best quality is definitely his respect for others. He genuinely cares for people and desires to be used in big ways making a difference for our Father in this country,” said Smith.

Smith, along with other students at NGU, supported Putnam by using his campaign poster as their profile picture on Facebook during his campaign for office.

“I put his poster as my profile picture because he’s my friend and I just knew he would do a fantastic job in office,” said Smith.

To Smith, State House Representative is only the beginning for Putnam.

“The best is yet to come, and there are many more doors to be opened for him. With his ambitious character and loving personality, he will go so far. Keep your eye out for this kid,” said Smith.

Putnam continues to work hard for the state of South Carolina with the goal of never losing sight of the true mission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people around him.

To find out how to support or contact Joshua Putnam or learn more about his campaign, visit his website www.joshuaputnam.com.

The NGU Sport Information Department has announced a contest for the designing of a new Crusader mascot. The school colors and seal should be incorporated into the image, and the winner will be awarded $100. All files can be sent to Micah Sepko, who can also answer any questions.

For the remainder of the academic year, IT Services has disabled the wireless network in Donnan Administration Building, Todd Dining Hall and Neves Academic Hall due to capacity and performance issues.

The runoff election held last week determined Logan Craig, freshman sport management, as the new class president.

Local

As flu season approaches, flu clinics are opening across the Upstate. For locations and more information, visit the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s website at www.scdhec.gov.

This summer, Greenville county schools created new jobs, hiring 900 additional employees for the school year.

The South Carolina unemployment rate rose this month to 11.1 percent from the previous 10.9 percent in spite of growth in manufacturing employment.

National

President Obama announced his plan to cut the nation’s deficit by $3.6 trillion over the next decade on Monday. Nearly half of the money will come from tax increases affecting wealthy individuals and businesses like oil and gas companies.

According to new polls by the U.S. Census Bureau, average salaries over the last decade have increased only for those with advanced educations such as graduate and doctoral degrees.

Last week’s Freshman Class Election resulted in a tie between Olivia Buchanan, freshman early childhood education, and Logan Craig, freshman sport management. A special runoff election will be held Wednesday, Sep. 14 from 11a.m. to 2p.m. in Todd Dining Hall.

The theatre department will be holding auditions for Arsenic & Old Lace, this semester’s second play, Monday, Sep. 19 from 2:30 to 5p.m. in the School of Theatre acting studio. Students will be reading from the script, which can be checked out from Corrie Danieley, assistant professor of theatre.

Local

Joshua Putnam, NGU alumnus, won the South Carolina House District 10 Seat last month, becoming the youngest representative in the state.

Last Sunday, several thousand people gathered at Taylors First Baptist Church to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

National

Details of President Barack Obama’s jobs plan reveal tax increases to pay for the $447 billion proposal. Republicans predict these increases will kill jobs, not increase them.

The federal student loan default interest rate increased from 6 percent to 6.4 percent in private schools, along with larger increases in public and for-profit schools.

North Greenville University welcomed new Vice President of Academic Affairs Randall Pannell this summer.

Replacing Don Dowless in July, Pannell says the transition to NGU was an easy one. In fact, Pannell said both he and his wife, Stella, felt like God wanted them to be here.

That sense of God’s calling is apparent in Pannell’s vision for school improvement. The native Texan said the school already does really good things and has a good foundation to begin with. However, Pannell believes we should always be looking to improve.

Pannell envisions an increased capacity to reach outside of campus through an improved online education system which will translate the North Greenville ethos to online courses. Pannell also believes an improved online system will bring about subsequent improvements in NGU degree completion and distance learning programs.

According to Pannell, a wider range of diverse programs offered at NGU will bring about more opportunity to make more people difference makers.

Not only is Pannell responsible for online programs, he is responsible for all things academic as it relates to the campus. This responsibility spans from coordinating curriculum to working with the dean of each department to managing both administrative and academic institutions on campus, such as IT Services and the library. Pannell also serves on an executive board with the other vice presidents and NGU President Jimmy Epting.

Pannell is used to such responsibilities, though, having more than 40 years of experience with higher education and pastoral ministry. Teaching and administrating at institutions such as Regent University in Virginia, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky, and Seminario Internacional Teologico Bautista in Buenos Aires, Pannell feels comfortable with his new position.

Though he’s served in the same position at another institution, Pannell said NGU is distinct in its heavy emphasis on having a Christian community that integrates faith and learning.

Pannell could even attribute his new position to NGU’s community-driven mindset. He says he became friends with. Sam Isgett, vice president for graduate studies, while working with him on an accreditation review committee. Upon hearing of Dowless’ departure, Isgett asked Pannell if he’d be interested in applying for the needing-to-be-filled Vice Presidency.

Pannell admitted that he anticipates NGU to be his last full-time employer. However, if his vision

for the university’s academics and his past experience as an educator serve as an indicator, it would be a mistake to count Pannell out of the game before he even starts playing.

As a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, North Greenville University participates in the Best Semester Program. Students may apply for semester long programs both domestic and abroad with programs based in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Australia, China, Egypt, Uganda and many more.

Best Semester classes are fully credited through NGU; letter grades go on student transcripts after completion of the semester and most semesters provide average to above average course loads (16-18 credit hours).

Financial transactions are handled through NGU’s business office, and students are eligible to receive a $1,500 study abroad scholarship. Individual program costs vary by location; Best Semester’s Web site maintains pages with detailed program expenses.

While CCCU Student Programs are designed to be multi-disciplinary, each program has certain emphases and options.

Each program seeks to involve its students in learning subjects through experts and experiences while fostering an appreciation for various contexts.

In 2010, North Greenville sent students to study in Washington, D.C., the Middle East, Uganda and Oxford. Returning students have described semesters abroad as incredible and influential.

Visit www.bestsemester.com for more information or contact Alumni Ambassador Wendy Greve at wendy.greve@ngu. Additional questions? Contact the office of Vice President for Academics.

Room Checks

At NGU, Tuesdays are known as “room check day.” The resident assistants look over each room for neatness and order, so students know to go the extra mile when tidying their rooms that day. Adherence to Enlightener regulations is also necessary to pass room checks.

Warnings are given for first offenses, and fines are eventually issued for subsequent offenses.

Cultural Events

Every semester, the art department hosts dozens of cultural events for students to enjoy. Ranging from band concerts to plays and art exhibits, cultural events promise to be outstanding.

Full-time students are required to attend three cultural events each semester. Visit cevt.ngu.edu for a list of events and dates.

Also, students are required to dress in church attire (no jeans or t-shirts).

All events are free to students, but some events are ticketed. Tickets can be picked up on a first come, first served basis at the CEVT office in the School of Theatre Building.

Students are also allowed to attend one off-campus event for cultural event credit each semester. Visit the Web site for guidelines and pre-approved events.

Bring your NGU ID to receive CEVT credit.

Mountain Laurel

North Greenville University’s The Mountain Laurel is a literary magazine dedicated to showcasing the artistic abilities of students, faculty and others affiliated with the campus. Led by English professor Dr. Deborah DeCiantis, the editorial staff is made up of NGU students who specialize in writing and art.

The Mountain Laurel publishes all types of literature ranging from poetry to nonfiction. As for artwork, The Mountain Laurel accepts digital photography, painting, drawings and photographs of 3D art.

The 2011 edition debuted in April and is available in multiple locations across campus, including the library, the cafeteria and White Hall.

If you are interested in publishing your work in The Mountain Laurel, submission guidelines and forms can be found at www.ngu.edu/mountain-laurel.php. Visit the Web site for a digital version of The Mountain Laurel.

NGU Theatre

Jonathan Derbyshire, sophomore broadcast media, and Nathan Baker, senior theatre, entertain the audience during NGU's production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Photo courtesy of Theatre Department.

The theatre department’s productions are exciting events on the NGU campus. The shows chosen have always been of great variety, and this past year was no exception.

The 2010-2011 season included Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, children’s classic Winnie the Pooh and the Shakespearean comedy Twelfth Night.

For the 2011-2012 school year, the theatre department is set to put on C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, the comedy Arsenic and Old Lace, a musical version of Little Women and an original theatre piece with and for special needs communities.

Visit the theatre departmental Web site for more information, including dates for upcoming shows. Parts in the shows are open to all majors, and audition alerts are sent through the NGU student email.

Most NGU plays also count as cultural event credit.

Left to Right: Haley Huff, sophomore early childhood education; Brent King, sophomore interdisciplinary studies; Scott Blackwell, sophomore sport management; Andrew Bradford, freshman undecided; Kaitlin Poston, sophomore early childhood education; and Becca Bryant, sophomore interdisciplinary studies, hang out in the crowded cafeteria.

Notice a lot of new faces around the North Greenville University campus this semester? According to  George Hopson, Director of Institutional Assessment and Planning, 541 new freshmen and 99 new transfer students have registered this semester, resulting in a record-breaking enrollment of 640 students.

“This is the highest number of new students NGU has ever seen, so this is a big deal for us,” said Hopson.

“Admissions worked really hard to bring in new students this year with preview weekends and events that got North Greenville’s name out. We are very pleased to have so many new students on our campus this year,” said Hopson, crediting the Admissions office for such high enrollment.

Beth Ross, administrative assistant to Campus Ministry, is excited to see the large number of new students and sees it as a sign of positive growth.

“Growth is always a good sign for a university. Just like in the church, if you don’t have new people and you don’t grow, eventually you will die as a church,” said Ross.

Hopson echoes Ross but says too much growth at one time can be overwhelming.

“Growth is such a good thing, especially here at North Greenville, but we’re pushing the limits right now,” said Hopson.

The dramatic change in enrollment numbers is having an effect on NGU students and campus life. With dorm rooms almost filled to the maximum, parking being an inconvenience for some and chapel being a tight squeeze, adjustments and expansion are in NGU’s near future.

“There will be growing pains with growth. People have to be willing to put up with a few inconveniences so that improvements can happen,” said Ross, “With more people, adjustments or changes have to be made. As a university we are trying to foresee the future as best as we can and prepare for those adjustments.”

Changes have already been put into action this year on campus. This semester, NGU has an overflow section in Hamlin Music Hall during chapel on Mondays and Wednesdays because of the high number of students.

Freshmen classes have also made a major change because of the high enrollment.

“This year, freshman First Year Experience classes are grouped by majors. We thought it would be an easier way to sort the freshmen out and enable them to build a bond with other people in their major,” said Hopson.

Hopson expects to see the same amount of students for the Fall of 2012 and said changes are already beginning to be made to accommodate growth.

“Maintenance is looking into new houses and dorms for students, and we are looking into expanding Crain Science building,” said Hopson, “Also in the works is a new athletic gym and auditorium where we will also hope to have graduation ceremonies and possibly chapel, but nothing is definite yet.”

Hopson, Ross and the rest of the NGU family are proud to have so many new faces this year and hope that God uses this growth to glorify His kingdom.

The NGU Campus Band leads worship during the Chapel service. They also play in other events around the Carolinas. Photo by Shanelle Williams.

Chapel looks slightly different this year as the Campus Band takes its place leading the student body in corporate worship.

The band is made up seven students: Heath Williams (lead vocals and acoustic), senior Christian studies, Tara Sheffield (vocals), senior elementary education, Micah McMinn (electric guitar and vocals), senior media ministry, Tyler Beemer (team leader and sound engineer), senior business administration, Matt Weaver (bass), junior interdisciplinary studies, Gage Glass (lead guitar), sophomore Christian tudies and Mike Quint (drums), sophomore youth ministries.

Auditions were held in the spring of 2011 . This year’s band is the first edition and they’re excited about the opportunity.

“I’m just really blessed, excited and overjoyed to be a part of a ministry like this. Knowing that worship leaders before me would have killed for this particular opportunity and that I’m actually a part of the first version of campus band,” McMinn said.

The band practices two to three hours every Tuesday night with additional practices as needed. While the majority of the band’s time is spent in preparation for chapel, they will also pursue “other various events around North and South Carolina.”

“We’ll be leading worship for the Global Missions Week events at NGU September 12-14 as well,” said Sheffield.

Campus Band ministers to the student body each week yet its members have been blessed because of their service.

Matt Weaver (bass) and Micah McMinn (electric guitar) focus on the music for their Chapel performance. Photo by Shanelle Williams

“Campus Band is a scholarship opportunity. This has been a huge blessing, as I don’t have to work while I’m at school. This gives me more time to devote to practicing music and studying for classes,” Weaver said.

Band members also find fulfillment on a spiritual level.

“Few things bring me greater joy than being able to lead my brothers and sisters in worship, and be able to hear them sing praise to our God. Hearing the student body sing out loudly gets me so pumped; it’s like a glimpse of eternity every time I lead worship,” Sheffield said.

Most of the band has been performing for many years in various capacities.

“I’ve played in a few other groups inside and outside of a ministry setting, but campus band has been the most challenging for me. The musicians on this team are wicked talented; I just try to keep up with them. All of the members have led worship before in some aspect, so it’s also great to learn from their ideas, wisdom and experiences,” Quint said.

Campus Band members also hope to spark a new passion for God in their fellow students.

“I know that in the past, chapel wasn’t necessarily the most looked-forward-to event of everyone’s Monday and Wednesday schedule, and there’s a lot of motivation in the hope that we are facilitating a change in people’s opinions of chapel and North Greenville as a whole,” Weaver said.

Alaina Mullinax, junior broadcast media, races down the slip-n-slide during orientation week. Photo courtesy of Student Services.

Incoming freshmen at North Greenville University have a lot to look forward to this fall. The start of a new journey in life and the beginning of new friendships await them.

Kicking things off is the “Link” Student Orientation, which is aimed at making this transition as smooth, efficient and fun as possible.

One of the initial groups to which new students belong is their orientation group. Some of the first memories at NGU are made with these people, and this year the university is striving to place new students within a group that best suits them.

The big move-in day at NGU begins with check-in, followed by a free lunch for everyone, including family members of students.  After the flurry of moving in and setting up dorm rooms, students and parents attend a meeting with NGU President Jimmy Epting, who officially welcomes them into the NGU family.

New this year is where students go after this meeting. Instead of heading back to the dorms to meet with resident assistants and coordinators, they will be placed into their orientation group. For freshmen, this group will consist of their classmates in the First Year Experience class they will attend during the fall semester.

By putting students into this group from the start, NGU hopes to enable new students to get to know others who will be transitioning into college life as well. These classes are also grouped according to major. This plan is an effort to place students with others who will be on the same path for the next four years.

To avoid confusion, students will be given group-specific wristbands that they are to wear throughout the orientation process. These wristbands may also include First Year Experience class numbers to ensure that freshmen are with their particular group.

Students who will be participating in the honors program and transfers will also have specific groups with others who are on the same track as them. This setup is intended to avoid scenarios such as transfers who already know what to expect from college being placed in sessions geared towards freshman.

NGU hopes the formation of these specific groups will benefit students, better help them adapt to life on campus and surround them with people who are on the same journey.

Another helpful addition to this year’s program will be the presence of mentors. Mentors are NGU students, from sophomores to seniors, who have gone through an interview process and meet all of the qualifications.

The goal is to put incoming students with a mentor who is involved in the same field of study. Mentors will be an important contact for new students and will give them someone to rely on throughout the semester.

This week is the beginning of an exciting time in the lives of incoming students, and student orientation is a key element to ensuring this time starts off right.

Students Jordan Ecarma, junior print media, and Jenna Ecarma, freshman broadcast media, speak at Asia is Not a Country event. Photo by Sarah Crescenzi.

James Chip Moore
Staff Writer

“Scientia potentia est” is a Latin maxim meaning “knowledge is power.” In an oppressed society, many freedoms can be taken away. One thing that can never be taken away once obtained is knowledge.

For many cultures, knowledge is seen as power and freedom. Once equipped with knowledge, the only thing holding one back from success is opportunity. Being the land of opportunity, America is seen as an escape from oppression with bountiful available opportunities.

Knowledge is the only thing that stands between many attempting to have the best for themselves and becoming successful. During the Faith, Race and Culture’s event, Asia is Not a Country, several speakers stood before the group explaining how important education is within their culture. An overall theme for the families is that it is not an option to pass on an education.

Shurijat Gopal, mass communication instructor, said, “I am thankful that I was born in India, an intellectual country. The average family is middle class with a standard of three or four children. The belief is with no money, no wealth, you must educate with the most qualification. They believe a child would be able to go out and make a good living.”

Reginald Ecarma, mass communication professor, said, “We left [the Philippines] because of oppression. We thought that America was the land of the free and the home of the brave. When we got here, we found out that it’s true. Don’t ever take for granted the opportunity of liberty.”

For immigrants, it is a blessing to become citizens of America, though many are proud of where they come from. For hardworking individuals, America is ripe with advantages.

Suyash Raiborde, junior interdisciplinary studies, said, “I remember when I first got here, my parents sat me down and said, ‘Remember where we came from and where we have been blessed now.’”

For most, education is held in high regard because of the advantages it gives toward success. The cultures don’t accept missing out on an education. America caters to high salary jobs that come with education as much as it caters to employment that fulfills someone’s calling in life.

For Jason Han, junior Christian studies, growing up in American culture presented him with conflict. While getting an education, Han began to struggle with the conflict of going against his parents’ wishes and pursuing his calling to preach the Gospel of the Lord. Han said, “Now I’m met with the obstacle of where to preach. Do I preach in a Korean church where I’m not fluent in the language or traditional churches that aren’t accustomed to foreign preachers?”

Regardless of the obstacles they face, most are thankful for the opportunities God has given them through life in America.

The turnout for the event was better than expected. More tables and chairs had to be brought out to accommodate the participants. Professors and volunteers prepared food and drink for everyone in attendance. Fried noodles, vegetable rice, spring rolls, fruit, pandan rolls, fortune cookies, rice candies, fruit juice, sparkling water and green tea were among the refreshments prepared.

“This is the land of opportunities. If you set your mind with prayer, you can achieve anything.” Raiborde said in closing.

Andrew Stevens, mass communication professor, enjoys the 2011 film festival with his students. Photo by Timur Kamilov/The Skyliner.

PSA/Commercials
1^st place:  “NRB Promo” by Justin Robinson, Laurel Vaughn, Justin Solinas, and Michael Gibbons.
2^nd place: “First and Far Most HD TV spot” by Michael Gibbons

5 Minute Short Films
1^st place: “Lovers in Japan” by Candice Mackie
2^nd place: “What if” by Justin Robinson
3^rd place: “This is a Dream” by Ryan Atkins
Honorable mention: “Sweet Disposition” by Natalie Roush

10 Minute Short Films
1^st place: “The Valley” by Ryan Atkins

30 Minute Short Films
1^st place: “A Bruised Rose” by Laurel Vaughn
2^nd place: “Into the Fire” by Michael Gibbons

Due to the lack of response to the voluntary student course evaluations, beginning in the fall, the university will require students to complete course evaluations before getting exam passes.

For the past five years, course evaluations have been delivered to North Greenville University students via their NGU email accounts and are not required to complete a class. However, since the evaluations have been online, the university has run into a dilemma.

George Hopson, Director of Institutional Assessment and Planning, explained, “The problem we have had in the last five years since it has been on the web is that the number of responders is very low; therefore, the data is not very useful.”

“In order to try to improve response rate,” said Hopson, “we did some research and found out that many schools require [course evaluations] as part of the course instruction. In other words, it is part of the course syllabus just like turning in a term paper or taking a test.”

Starting in the fall semester, NGU will adopt a similar policy. “When students go to get their exam passes, they have to have all their obligations to the university met, parking tickets paid and library fines paid, and this will be one of those other things we will check on,” said Hopson. Students will be unable to get an exam pass until they have completed all their course evaluations.

Hopson is assured the responses to the evaluations will remain confidential and will in no way impact students’ grades, either positively or negatively. There is the issue that many students do not check their NGU email accounts and allow their inboxes to fill up, inhibiting their ability to receive the email containing the evaluation. Hopson mentioned the possibility of starting a campaign next semester that will encourage students to keep up with their NGU emails.

The university believes this new policy will benefit both the school and the students in the long run. These evaluations have a twofold purpose. Hopson explained, “One is to help the school recognize the strengths and weaknesses of instructors, and secondly it’s for the instructors to recognize strengths and weaknesses or areas where they could improve… so it’s really a program designed to help improve instruction.”

Jonathan Derbyshire, sophomore broadcast media, and Nathan Baker, senior theatre, entertain the audience during the play. Photo by the Theatre Department.

North Greenville University students did an exceptional job in bringing to life Twelfth Night, the epic and hilarious story about the things people will do in the name of love. The Theatre Department’s performance of Shakespeare’s comedy served as this year’s spring production.

NGU theatre professor Corrie Eddleman directed the play. With an all-student cast and a creative  Coney Island background, the performance put an interesting spin on the comedy, while at the same time, staying true to its Shakespearean roots.

The stage was set in the new Billingsley Theatre. The scenery and props displayed the vast creativity of the students and staff in the theatre department.

Both the set design and the talent of the student actors were an impressive display.

The story begins with the shipwreck of twins Sebastian (played by Jamie Costa, junior theatre) and Viola (Becca Van Cleef, senior theatre). After Viola is rescued in the land of Illyria, presuming that her brother was killed in the storm, she disguises hereself as man and goes to work for the Duke Orsino (Josh Weir, sophomore broadcast media). Viola calls herself Cesario and her task is to woo Lady Olivia (Addison Musen, sophomore theatre) on behalf of Orsino.

Lady Olivia, mourning the death of her brother, vows not to speak with strangers or to become engaged to any man while she mourns. She finally agrees to see Cesario and ends up falling in love with him, not realizing this “man” is a woman in disguise.

The story introduces comical characters like Olivia’s drunkard uncle, Sir Toby (Jonathan Derbyshire, sophomore broadcast media) and Sir Toby’s accomplice, Sir Andrew (Thomas Sieberhagen, sophomore theatre ministry). This dynamic duo, along with Olivia’s lady-in-waiting, Maria (Brittany Ayers, freshman theatre), brought loads of laughter to the performance with their goofy mannerisms and sneaky plots against Olivia’s grumpy waiting-gentleman, Malvolio (Timothy Whitson, freshman theatre).

Senior theatre majors, Becca Van Cleef and Nathan Baker, who played Olivia’s clown, Feste, and Andrew Turner, who served as the play’s technical director, presented their work in Twelfth Night in partial fulfillment of their B.A. degree in theatre.

These students have worked hard in their time at NGU and view the end of their time here as only the beginning.

Van Cleef hopes to continue her theatre career either public theater or in a local church. Turner wants to continue working in the theatre arts and hopes to one day open his own theatre. After graduation, Baker will be heading overseas for two years to serve in the IMB’s Journeyman program.

NGU’s performance of Twelfth Night is a good time for all and leaves the audience satisfied with the outcome of the lives of these love struck characters.

The production ran April 13-16 and will run April 18-21 in Billingsley Theatre at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, contact the cultural events office.

The 2011 edition of The Mountain Laurel was presented at the 10th annual Sigma Tau Delta Tea on Friday, April 15.

The 2011 edition features an audio CD comprised of the book’s poetry read by the author of each piece. A short demo of The Mountain Laurel CD introduced the audience to the publication’s poetry as they listened to poets read their work.

During the tea, Zack Bishop was remembered by a video tribute. Junior art major Megan Morrow recalled memories from her friend Bishop. Bishop was on the Mountain Laurel staff and offered several memorable contributions. The new Mountain Laurel logo and 2010 t-shirt design are a couple of these contributions. Bishop’s parents were in attendance at the tea to accept his first place award for his art.

A major force behind The Mountain Laurel is Deborah DeCiantis, professor of English and Mountain Laurel adviser. Every year, DeCiantis and the editor of The Mountain Laurel spend countless hours devoted to organizing submissions, raising funds and editing. The hard work and dedication of DeCiantis is part of the reason poets, writers and artists are able to see their work in a published manuscript.

The 2011 edition of The Mountain Laurel is available in several places throughout campus, including White Hall, the Avery-Wood Library and the Todd Dining Hall. CDs are limited and available by request in White Hall. The book and CD are both free for everyone.

To raise money to cover the publishing of The Mountain Laurel, there are a couple of events for fundraising. Wednesday, April 20 will be the last Moe’s Night for The Mountain Laurel. On Wednesday, April 27, The Mountain Laurel will be selling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. Pre-order in White Hall or buy them on the event day.

NGU President Jimmy Epting was on hand to welcome everyone and spent a few moments praising the English department, Sigma Tau Delta and The Mountain Laurel for their accomplishments. Attendees included the authors published in the 2011 edition of The Mountain Laurel. The staff of The Mountain Laurel was introduced by editor-in-chief Melissa Weaver, senior English.

Sigma Tau Delta is the English Honors Club at North Greenville University. For the past three years, Sigma Tau Delta has joined forces with North Greenville’s literary and art journal The Mountain Laurel. Guests of the event wore formal attire for the tea party.

Editor’s Note: Lawrence Fowler is a member of the Mountain Laurel staff.

North Greenville University students proved to have extraordinary talent during Poetry Night Thursday evening, April 7, in Hayes Ministry Center. NGU students were invited to relax, enjoy a cup of Starbucks coffee and listen to various student writers, musicians, actors and more.

The night was full of entertainment with NGU students reading their original poetry, and musicians performing or singing various songs. Jamie Costa, junior theatre, impersonated famous celebrities and NGU’s Improv team performed skits.

Students were encouraged to read their writings in front of the audience. Some students, like David Towns, junior youth ministry, were a little hesitant about reading their poetry.

“I honestly didn’t want to share,” said Towns. “Several people had asked me to share, but I was very hesitant. I often have self doubt in my writing ability. I never think anyone else will like my writings.”

“I really enjoyed poetry night,” said Tanya Tipton, sophomore early childhood. “Honestly, the only reason why I decided to go was for extra credit for my class, but after staying there a while, I thought it was great. It’s an enjoyable time for students.”

Tipton said one of her favorite parts of the night was the atmosphere the room brought to the event.

“The environment and layout of the room was perfect for the atmosphere they were trying to create,” said Tipton. “It was cozy and inviting, and the dim lights added to the dramatic environment.”

The relaxed atmosphere relieved the nervousness of the performers.

“Poetry night felt very non-judgmental to me. I was still super nervous but that’s just because I’ve never really shared much of my stuff in front of a big crowd before, but it was a very relaxing environment,” said Towns.

Towns was one of the crowd favorites, earning a very loud round of applause after reciting his two original poems entitled “Needle in the Vein” and “Megaphone.” Towns said he sees poetry as his way of telling his story.

“‘Megaphone’ was really inspired by a lot of stuff. I never wrote it down. I wrote it all in my head while driving over the period of a month or so. I just began to memorize stuff piece by piece and slowly add to it,” said Towns.

Towns said both of his poems can be related to everyone.

“I was inspired to write because not everyone has a calling to be a pastor or an amazing speaker, but everyone has something to say,” said Towns. “We don’t need to be afraid to speak to the world. Whether it is through poetry, sports, art, dance or music, whatever God has blessed you with, you should use that as your ‘megaphone’ to speak life and to tell your story.”

Poetry Night was a success at the NGU campus. It allowed students like Towns to tell their stories and to communicate in their own creative ways.

“Poetry Night is a great way for the writers at NGU to express themselves. It is such a great event,” said Tipton.

Make sure to look for the upcoming issue of The Mountain Laurel, coming out on April 15, to read more literary works by NGU students.

The pitter-patter of little soccer cleats could be heard all over North Greenville University’s soccer field on Thursday, April 7 as coaches and players hosted a free soccer clinic for children ages 4-10.

The clinic drew kids from all over the community and was designed to build fundamental soccer skills while also sharing the Gospel.  This is the third year NGU has hosted this clinic, and from the smiling faces of all the kids, it continues to be a big hit.

Jesse McCormick, head coach for the women’s soccer team at NGU, was one of the coaches who facilitated the clinic.  “It’s just giving the kids an opportunity to come out and play—learn skills in a fun environment,” he said.

From the looks of all the kids scampering around the field, the clinic was most certainly fun.  Parents and siblings looked on as NGU’s soccer players interacted with the kids, joining in their drills and providing instruction and encouragement.

One drill involved the kids moving the soccer ball around using only a certain part of their bodies, while pretending to be an animal.  Both the coaches and the children alike seemed to enjoy moving the ball only using their arms, or trunks, when they portrayed elephants.

Another fun-filled drill involved the kids kicking a soccer ball through a college player’s open legs, “megging” that player.  After successfully scoring, the kids would then get down on all fours and crawl under the players to retrieve their soccer ball.  Excited shouts of “Meg!” and playful giggles filled the evening.
The clinic concluded with a devotional for the kids as a way to keep the focus centered on Christ.  Not only was teaching the children soccer skills a worthy cause, but ending with time focused on the Lord was even more so.

The clinic drew a variety of families, such as the Eckmans: Bryan, Bryce and Breanne.  Dressed in matching Messi jerseys, the twin boys, who are 4, expressed their enthusiasm for the game of soccer.  Both were excited to play, eager to follow their dad’s example.   Among their favorite aspects of the game are “the first line of the guys playing” because “you get to score” (also known as the kickoff), and “the guy in the middle,” or the striker.

While their sister Breanne, who is 7, was not participating in the clinic, she does enjoy playing soccer with her brothers from time to time.  She said, “I like to be the goalie more.  I’m not interested in soccer as much as the boys, but I like it.”

Another participant in the clinic was 7-year-old Isaiah Kelbey, who was brought by his grandmother, Patricia Stanga.  She shared how excited he was about attending the clinic.  “He thinks it’s so much fun.  He likes kicking the ball around.  He’s really social, so he likes to get out here and meet kids and ‘real’ soccer players.”  She showed a picture snapped on her phone of Isaiah refusing to leave the field for a water break, and instead choosing to continue training until the other kids returned.

Stanga also shared that she felt very comfortable bringing her grandson to a clinic hosted by the university.  “It’s a very good environment,” she said.  “If I wasn’t staying here, I would feel comfortable leaving and coming back.  It’s not everywhere you can take your kids and not worry.”

Under the watchful care of the coaches and players, all the children seemed to have a fantastic experience that will hopefully continue to grow their love for soccer and help them keep their focus on the Lord, even at such a young age.

Anyone who plays soccer has insight as to why it is such a great sport.  Bryan really summed it up when he made this comment: “Soccer is a good sport because you exercise when you run, and you run in soccer, so it’s good to play soccer.”  There are many soccer players at NGU who would agree with him.

North Greenville University’s health and wellness program will host another 5K (approximately 3.1 miles) run/walk on Saturday, April 16.

The purpose of the 5K is to promote health and wellness within the community and raise funds for future health and wellness programs.

Gloria Bunn, senior health promotion and wellness, described the 5K as the “campus community getting together for the importance of exercising and being fit. It’s increasing the quality of life.”

Brandon Southern, senior health promotion and wellness, said, “The course is pretty much the same as before, but due to the construction by the library, there will be a slight change. The course will be clearly marked on race day for participants.”

Prizes for finishers will consist of Fleet Feet Sports and Road I.D. gift cards. First through third place, male and females, will be awarded with pottery made from the NGU art department.

Packet pick-up begins at 7 a.m. Chick-Fil-A and Einstein’s Bagels will be in attendance, providing free food for the participants.

The money raised through the 5K registrations will go toward equipment for the health and wellness program. Also, the assistance will go to aid research and supplies. By putting together the race within the program, all benefits will return to the school through the program.

Funds for the previously held 5K went to purchase a lactate threshold monitor. The lactate threshold monitor is the best predictor of athletic endurance. It is the best way to tell how well training has been working.

On previous 5Ks, Michael Southern, junior health promotion and wellness, said, “Everything went smooth. The weather was beautiful, and we received a lot of positive feedback.”

Joining one of the events is a great way to come together with students and staff members for the reason of bettering  both the university and those in need.

Although running is the norm, it is not a rule. Many participants walk the track and are just as important as those who take on the challenge of completing it by running. The most important aspect of the event is that people come out and help support programs that fulfill needs.

Next time you’re in the gym using new equipment, know that contributors in health and wellness sponsored functions that help create the availability of that machinery.

Register for the 5K inside the Fitness Center or by searching NGU’s 5K on Active.com.

Vlad Sabou, retention coordinator at NGU, pies Billy Watson, director of student services, in the face at the Relay for Life event on Friday. Photo by Sarah Crescenzi.

North Greenville University students gathered at the Relay for Life event on Friday, April 8, which raised money for cancer patients in South Carolina.

The features at the event consisted of a DJ, a clown, an inflatable slide, an inflatable velcro wall, face painting, a jewelry table, popcorn and snow cones, a candy table, a yard sale table and “pie the professor.” Everything at the event was free excluding the candy table, the yard sale table, the jewelry table and “pie the professor.”

Students had a great time at the event. Cady Spencer, senior secondary math education, said, “The highlight of my night was painting people’s faces and seeing them smile at what I painted.”

For some students, seeing a few of the student services staff members get pied in the face was the highlight of their night.

Justin Bishop, sophomore accounting, said, “The highlight of my evening was paying two dollars to pie Donald Lilly in the face. It was worth every penny. Because of the stuff that goes on with him working us like crazy, I feel like I got a big stress reliever out of it.”

One sweet moment of the evening was how Donald Lilly’s daughter reacted to him getting pied in the face. At first it scared her because she thought the people who pied him in the face were hurting him. After he told her that was not the case, she felt better about it. After the fact, she said, “Daddy needs to take a shower.”

Another popular activity was led by Buttons the clown. Buttons made a variety of fun balloon toys such as balloon hats, ballerinas, swords, hearts, penguins, monkeys and more.

Once Buttons started making balloon animals, students lined up to get one. By the end of the evening, many people were wearing or carrying a balloon animal he made for them.

For a few people, the slide was the highlight of the event. Mary Green, daughter of Danny and Lorry Green said, “My favorite part about being at the NGU Relay for Life event was the slide.” Anna Edwards, sophomore broadcast media, and Tiffany Johnson, freshman elementary education, said the slide was their favorite thing at the event as well.

Some students even made their own fun by playing with a Frisbee. A couple of students even sprayed silly string on each other after seeing “pie the professor.”

Before the memory lap, Nyesha Orr, sister of Toni Orr, gave a strong word of encouragement to everyone at the event on how to help others who have cancer. She said, “If you don’t have cancer, you may know someone who does. When you see that person, give them a hug or a kiss or tell them something encouraging. You don’t always have to give money to help somebody who is dealing with cancer. You can volunteer your time. People always love children. One way to brighten their day is to take children and let them brighten up that person’s day. You don’t have to have money. You can just have yourself, your smile and your kindness.”

Toni Orr, senior interdisciplinary studies and director of Relay for Life at NGU, said, “I am excited and overjoyed by how well the Relay for Life event went. Students were happy just to come together and support the fight against cancer.”

Marley McDonough, junior biology, said, “Cancer awareness has been close to my heart because my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer over the summer. I’m really happy to see the student body come together to support cancer awareness.”

Melody Stripe, sophomore psychology, said, “My favorite part of the night, other than my awesome alien balloon animal, was the turnout. Many students were here to support the fight against cancer while having fun.”

Overall, $6,000 was raised for Relay for Life at NGU.

Bradley Barnes, junior biology, is running for student body president. Photo by Courtney Donald.

The student government ballot is ready, and with another school year wrapping up, it’s time for students to think about who will represent them.

April 1 was the deadline for SGA applications, and there are six students on the ballot for this year. The positions they are running for:  Student Body President, Student Body Vice President and Senior, Junior and Sophomore Presidents.

To qualify for a position in SGA, students must be in good standing with the university and have a minimum GPA of 2.5. They must be full-time resident students unless running for the position of Commuter Representative.

The Enlightener states that, “Because self-government promotes the development of character and responsible citizenship, the Student Government Association, consisting of all students at North Greenville University, is established to interact with and advise the office of Student Services regarding the activities of student life.”

Through the formation of student-led councils and committees, the student body can coordinate and promote educational and social programs and events.

Student Services Coordinator Diane Turner serves as the adviser for the SGA program and holds meetings with the SGA leaders at least once a month.
“The main requirement is to be great leaders by getting out and getting to know the NGU community and to provide opportunities for students to get involved in campus life,” Turner said.

Brandon Haase, freshman interdisciplinary studies is running for student body vice president. Photo by Courtney Donald.

With various campaigning tactics, SGA candidates get their names and faces out there to get votes from the student body. All campaigning strategies and materials must be pre-approved by Student Services.

Although it is too late to run for a position in SGA this year, students interested in running in next year’s election can apply next spring.
Turner hopes to see a better turnout for SGA elections in the future.

This year’s voting will take place on April 20 in Todd Dining Hall during the lunch hours of 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

North Greenville University has garnered praise from two well-known organizations during this academic school year. U.S. News named NGU the 10th most popular liberal arts school in America, and the Center for College Affordability ranked NGU as having the fifth best professors in the nation.

U.S. News calculated the popularity of liberal arts colleges by comparing the number of students who were accepted into the schools with those who actually ended up enrolling. The most popular liberal arts school is the United States Naval Academy with an 85.5 percent of accepted students enrolling. NGU, number 10 on the list, is at 55.3 percent.

The Center for College Affordability compiled its list of the 25 colleges with the best professors and the 25 with the worst professors by analyzing reviews on RateMyProfessors.com.

This website is a forum for college students across the nation to rate their professors on several different criteria such as easiness, helpfulness, and overall quality. RateMyProfessors.com is the largest such site on the web and boasts of 11 million ratings. Fifth-ranked NGU is the only South Carolina school that made the top 25 list.

Keli Sewell, North Greenville’s Director of Admissions, laughingly said, “Well we already knew these things were true,” but is appreciative of the recognition such high rankings bring to the university. “I definitely think it causes people to take notice,” Sewell said. Sewell works hard to promote NGU.

Sewell recognizes that it’s one thing to advertise but there’s a respect gained “when someone else notices” the quality of the school that cannot come from advertising.

Sewell notes that incoming student applications are up this year, and recognition from well-known organizations like U.S. News and the Center for College Affordability can’t do anything but help.”

On Monday, March 28, poets, artists, writers and friends gathered for a sneak preview of this year’s Mountain Laurel, North Greenville University’s literary magazine.

The evening showcased the students’ literature and art submitted to this year’s Mountain Laurel and celebrated the publishing of the magazine. The 2011 edition will come out on April 15 and will include for the first time an audio CD of the authors reading their poetry.

The emcee of the night was Mountain Laurel editor Melissa Weaver, senior English. Hosted by Leopard Forest, Mountain Laurel Preview Night featured the submissions read by the authors themselves

During the night, most of the published authors and artists of the book were present to showcase their work to the crowd. Authors were able to give a brief background of the inspiration behind their piece before reading it aloud.

Weaver reflected on the evening, “It was a celebration of art, but more than that, it was a celebration of life, making beautiful both the sufferings and the triumphs of humanity. We saw so many faces there Monday night. The ML staff, two former editors, professors, current students, and alumni made an appearance. I was honored to be a part of everyone’s sharing their hearts through literature, music, and visual art. ”

Beth Godwin, junior interdisciplinary studies and the future editor of the Mountain Laurel, said, “This was my very first Mountain Laurel preview night, and I enjoyed it immensely. I love how both the art and the literature took on a whole new meaning when the authors breathed life into their own pieces. Hearing their voices speak the words was beautiful. Also, I loved hearing the inspirations for the pieces.”

Weaver revealed the theme of the book was “The Phoenix.” She proceeded to weave the tale of the Phoenix into her presentation of the Gospel. The three sections of the book are “Fade,” Ashes” and “Rebirth.”

“Fade” represents mankind’s fall from perfection and resulting harshness of life. This section mimics the Phoenix as its glorious plumage fades to gray.

“Ashes” articulates the revealed consequences of the fall. The pieces in this section are dark, symbolizing the harshness of a separated relationship with the Father.

In mythology, the Phoenix erupts in flames and burns to ashes when it dies; however, the Phoenix does not rest in the grave. Out of the ashes, it rises. “Rebirth” celebrates the resurrection of the Phoenix with joyful proclamation through color artwork, poetry and literature.

Through this theme, similarities between the Phoenix and Jesus Christ are apparent. Christ descended from His glorious throne to this earthly realm. Like the firebird, Jesus traded his glory for rags. After living a life of perfection, He paid our debt on a cross. And like the Phoenix, Jesus did not stay in the grave. He rose again in all His glory, and we celebrate new life found in Him.

Editor’s Note: Lawrence Fowler is also a member of the Mountain Laurel staff.

Want to help make a spiritual impact alongside fellow North Greenville University students? That very opportunity will be here April 7 through April 21 when NGU will host its second season of 24/7 prayer.

Every hour for two weeks, people will be in one of the prayer rooms, located at Tigerville Baptist Church near campus, praying to God about what is on their hearts.

The 24/7 prayer kickoff will be on Wednesday, April 6 at 11 p.m. Activities at the kickoff will include praise and worship along with Will Broadus speaking about the history of prayer and how it has been effective. The 24/7 prayer will officially start at 12 a.m. on Thursday, April 7.

During this semester’s prayer weeks, people will mainly concentrate on praying for the church. People will pray that today’s churches will be stronger in their walks with God and set better examples for their communities.

When asked why he is passionate about praying for the church, prayer week director Will Broadus, junior interdisciplinary studies, said, “I’m passionate about praying for the church and missions because God is passionate about it. As we seek Him we become more passionate.”

Students who participated in the event last semester are looking forward to see how God will use it to better NGU. Hannah Hall, sophomore studio art, said, “I’m excited to participate in this event because it was a great experience last semester. Through several prayers I was encouraged in different areas for what God is doing here and around the world.”

Prayer week coordinator Christine Parks, senior interdisciplinary studies, said, “I’m really excited about this semester’s prayer initiative because I’m looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do. Knowing that He wants people to know Him, it is exciting seeing Him accomplish that. It’s a great thing that people come to know the Lord in a more intimate way.”

Participating in the 24/7 prayer is one way students can see and help Christ make the difference at NGU. Broadus said, “My hope for the NGU campus is that they won’t just know Jesus as a fact in their head or someone they know from afar. Jesus is someone they can consistently talk to. He is intricately involved in their lives. I have seen and learned that throughout history, when people take the time to pray to the Lord, He responds.”

Get involved with the 24/7 prayer event by signing up for an hour to pray at www.signupgenius.com/go/ngu2471. For more information, contact Will Broadus at wtbroadus@ngu.edu or find him on Facebook.