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BECOME PART OF THE BEARS POPULAR WAYS TO GET INVOLVED AT LR

By Leah Bobbett | LRN Monthly Staff Writer

One of the most common regrets about college among college graduates is how little they involved themselves in their campus. One of the simplest solutions to this is to join a campus club. At Lenoir-Rhyne University there are clubs for all different interests and skills. Clubs are not something that are left behind in high school.

At the beginning of every fall semester there is a student involvement fair. The fair showcases LR’s clubs and organizations that are eager to present themselves to new or interested students. The tables can range from the Playmakers (the theater club) to the International Club to the Video Game Club. Once there, students can sign up to be put on the email list for a club that they are interested in.

“You don’t necessarily have to join (the club) just because you write your name down on the piece of paper,” Director of Student Activities Jodi Jabs said. “It does not mean that you have to show up. So let’s say you sign up, and then you realize later (that this is not the club for you,) it does not mean that you have to continue to go. Clubs are voluntary. You can participate as much as you want, you can participate as little as you want, it’s not like you sign up and you automatically have to go

Students dancing at the Campus Activities Board’s Red Carpet Spring Fling.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MELINDA HAGER

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PROFILES

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

THE MASTER OF HANDSHAKES AND HUGS HAS LEFT LR CAFETERIA WORKER GEORGE USSERY LEFT LR LAST SEMESTER

By Florian Lemmel | LRN Monthly Staff Writer

Normally George Ussery wore his blue cafeteria shirt under a black kitchen apron and black hat. On April 19 he was dressed in a black suit with a silver and red mustered tie standing in front of a big golden G-shaped balloon. Lenoir-Rhyne University celebrated George in the caf and students stood in line to get photos with him. For more than a quarter of a century, George has been something like LR’s heart and soul. This summer he moved away, but before he left town the LR family gathered to see him off. George -the man who always wears a smile on his face and a big golden ring on his finger and does the imaginative handshakes, like when he crosses thumbs and moves his hands up and down to create a butterfly.

“If you want to make someone laugh, just tell a joke and do the craziest things,” George said. “I also bring a tear to their eyes by singing a song and just know that they’re going to feel better about themselves.”

George worked in LR’s cafeteria for 26 years with this attitude, which made him well known among the LR students. After his aunt passed away this March, George decided to leave

LR and Hickory to live with his sister in Virginia.

“It’s very hard for me to leave and it’s really hard for me to leave everyone behind because it’s very hard for me to say goodbye,” he said. “It’s very hard for me to leave a place where I’ve been for so long, getting to know everyone, speaking, laughing, talking and there had been days where I could sing a song to them, or even when they have a bad day just give them a hug and lean on my shoulder and just know that I’m

right there.”

LR’s students were aware of that, greeting George whenever they saw him and he also was always there to joke with them, or give them a hug.

It wasn’t always easy for him to do that, as he had to suffer the loss of a big part of his family. His parents as well as other relatives passed away early. However, George tries to stay optimistic and leans on his strong religious belief. God knows “the best fortune” for us and shows himself on sunny days, George said.

After being one of LR’s most famous faces for more than a quarter century, George Ussery has left Hickory behind to move to Virginia. LR hosted an official farewell party where the LR family turned out to wish George well.

FLORIAN LEMMEL | LRN MONTHLY

“My favorite part of the day is the afternoon when the sunshine is out and there’s a smile on everybody’s face, but it brings a tear, too to everybody’s eye and myself when the sun is out,” George said. “Knowing that he’s there and he’s watching over us and he’s with us no matter where we’re at. He’s everywhere.”

During his 26 years at LR, George became a part of LR’s history and touched the hearts of different students. He felt that it was a wonderful experience to see all the students come, grow older, leave and return to visit LR. To stay in contact with the students he asked them to sign into a book and give him their number if they want. On the day of his celebration hundreds of students came to the caf to say goodbye to George, hug him and make a photo with him. Before George left on April 20, he wanted the students to know how much they meant to him over the years.

“I would tell them that I love them and that I miss them, they won’t be forgotten and they will always be in my heart and I tell them that I will be back.”

HELPING STUDENTS FOLLOW THEIR DREAMS PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER GOT HELP FROM LR’S CAREER CENTER TO GET HIS DREAM

By Cliff Barrett II | LRN Monthly Contributor

In 2014, O’Neil Blake was suited up in pads playing for the Bears; in 2015 he was in coaching gear as a graduate assistant coaching for them.

In 2016 and 2017, he was back in pads playing professional football in Austria’s National Gridiron League.

Blake was a leader the three years he attended LR. His senior year he finished with 53 tackles, 13 pass breakups, and a forced fumble.

“I felt like I had a pretty solid career. Looking back at it I feel like it there were some things I could have done better, but I’m happy with the turnout,” Blake said. “Playing here helped me develop myself personally, with the relationships I was able to formulate and the people I was able to meet. It kind of formed me into who I am today.”

In addition, Blake often used Lenoir-Rhyne’s Alex Lee Career & Professional Development Center – a resource that students can use to help them along the way when they’re thinking about career options.

“The Career Center is here to help our students take charge of their career and professional development,” LR’s Career Center Director Katie Wohlman said.

Blake found out about the Career Center while he was in the process of putting together his collegiate resume.

“I approached Katie Wohlman, and she assisted me in the process,” Blake said. “While helping me with my resume, she also presented a few potential job opportunities to me that were corresponding to the experience from my resume.”

Students may be lost or confused, or just not sure about what they want to do after graduating, and that can be scary.

“I had a few options after graduating college, so this mitigated the feeling of nervousness; however, I still had periods where I would think long and hard about what the future would bring,” Blake said. “I think it is natural for collegiate students to feel nervous after graduating, especially if students don’t have a set plan in place.”

Blake wasn’t 100-percent sure exactly what he wanted to do after graduation. But he knew he had a few options on the table, such as returning

to school for his MBA, pursuing an opportunity to play football overseas, joining the Air Force, or seeking a career opportunity in the real world.

“From these options I choose to return to school to pursue my MBA,” Blake said.

O’Neil Blake practicing on LR’s field for a key game.

CLIFF BARRETT II | LRN MONTHLY

While going to school, Blake was a graduate assistant for the Bears football team. When the opportunity to play professional ball came up, Blake was very excited and 100-percent up for the task.

“I love my job. I don’t feel like I work because I get the opportunity to play a sport that I enjoy playing in addition to travelling and seeing a different part of the world,” Blake said.

He put a lot of hard work and dedication into getting where he is now.

“The main elements I learned throughout college that I utilize on daily basis are my communication skills, written and verbal, the ability to use to my time efficiently on a daily basis, being able to adjust and get acclimated to different groups and people from different backgrounds, and networking/building relationships,” Blake said. “I strongly recommend the Career Center to students at LRU, even to those that have graduated and may be seeking a job opportunity.

The Career Center is a good resource to help connect students to the real world in the form of networking, internships and job opportunities. The Career Center can also help students figure out a direction for their futures.”

Paul Regan, a former football player who played with Blake, said, “O’Neil was a great player and a great leader. I learned a lot from him when we played together. He always did the little things right and encouraged the other DB’s to do so too.

His senior year he was a veteran who led on and off the field. He taught us a lot, so I’m pretty sure the transition, from a player to a coach back to a player, was a smooth one.”

Blake knows what he is doing isn’t very common for the average football player and knows the long hard hours he put in are paying off. He wanted to let younger players know that it’s possible even when it doesn’t seem like it.

“Following your heart’s passion is important. I always tell people I want to do something in the long term that I love doing. When I wake up, I want to be excited to go to work,” Blake said. “I’m very blessed to be in the situation I’m in and I just have to thank God.”

NEWS

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

FIND YOUR STIMULANT

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LR’S CONVO PROGRAM MIGHT BE BETTER THAN YOU THOUGHT

By Leah Bobbett | LRN Monthly Staff Writer

If you’d like to graduate from Lenoir-Rhyne University someday, you’ll need to get your convocations done – all of them.

But what does that mean, exactly?

Known as “convos,” they regularly top the list of student complaints, but that’s because not all students know that, with some planning and consideration, convos can be well worth your time – they can even be fun, according to the woman who’s in charge of LR’s Convocation Program, Carla Fowler.

“Convocations are opportunities for students to learn outside of the classroom,” Fowler, Director of LR’s Lohr Learning Commons & Academic Support Programs and the Coordinator of Student Engagement, said. “Things that they may not have the opportunity to discover about themselves (and) about the world that may not come inside a traditional classroom setting.”

LR’s goal is for students to develop themselves as whole people, and upon graduation to know more about the world than what they picked up while taking classes in their major. Convos are central to the liberal arts education

LR students Markus Crutchfield and Taylor Williams with intern for Jodi Jabs Natalie Frankle taking part in the Yoga on the Lawn convo.

LEAH BOBBETT | LRN MONTHLY

SEE STIMULANT, PAGE 4

DIGGING INTO MEAL PLANS HOW LR HELPS PROVIDE FOR STUDENTS IN A TASTY WAY

By Leah Bobbett | LRN Monthly Staff Writer

Lenoir-Rhyne University has a number of places on campus where you can eat. But how could you pay for them, you might ask? The answer is simple.

You would could pay with part of your meal plan.

“All (on campus) students come in on (an) Unlimited Plus Five (plan),” office manager of Lenoir-Rhyne’s dining hall Sarah Walker said. “‘Unlimited’ means that you have unlimited access to the dining hall. You can come in five times a week; you can come in five times a day; you can come in 100 times a week. ‘Unlimited’ means, as many times as you want, you can come into the dining hall.”

But what of the five, you may ask. Don’t worry, Walker has that answer too.

“The ‘five’ means that you have five meal exchanges in retail (per week),” she said. “Retail is the Subway, the Grille Works and the Joe’s Coffee.

There’s a list of all of (the meal exchange options in the Bears Lair). The meal exchanges start on Wednesday, so every Wednesday you have a fresh bucket of five meal exchanges. If you use four the week before, you do not get an extra one the next week. It won’t go up to six. Five is the max that you can get.”

However there’s more to a student’s meal plan than on-campus dining. There’s also one offcampus location that Lenoir-Rhyne has partnered with: Domino’s Pizza. The Domino’s location at 1820 North Center St. allows LR students to use their Bear Bucks.

“The $100 in Bear Bucks is kind of like having $100 in your checking account,” Walker said. “It’s dollar for dollar for anything that you purchase, plus tax.”

Students can order the Domino’s for delivery or pick up. Bear Bucks can also be used at any on campus location as well including Subway, the Grille Works, Joe’s Coffee, and even the dining hall in the event you have a friend or family member over who would like to try LR’s Caf. Students who want to upgrade their meal plans can do so in two ways. The upgrades are the Unlimited Plus Six and the Unlimited Plus Seven.

The unlimited portion remains the same, and depending on the number the meal exchanges per week are raised to either six or seven. With the increase of meal exchanges comes the increase of Bear Bucks. With the Unlimited Plus Six a student would get $150 Bear Bucks, and with the increase to the Unlimited Plus Seven, a student would get $200 Bear Bucks. “(As long as you have the Bear Bucks), you can get whatever you want,” Lenoir-Rhyne student and employee of Joe’s Coffee Veronica Flores said. “Unfortunately, if you run out of Bear Bucks you either have to pay cash or leave (your food) behind.”

Bear Bucks will carry over between the fall and spring semesters as well as renew every semester.

However the Bear Bucks you don’t spend during the spring semester will not carry over to the following school year.

On-campus students are not the only ones that Lenoir-Rhyne is looking out for though. Off-campus students are just as important. “(Off-campus are students) are required to have $120, and that’s automatically put (on a student’s) account,” Walker said. “When the student comes in, they don’t have to worry about signing up for this. It’s automatically going to be on their account. (Off campus students) have meal plan options. It starts at a 10 block meal plan, then a 25 block, then a 50 block, and then a 75 block. These are meal swipes (for the dining hall). It’s not 10 meals a week, it’s coming into the dining hall 10 times.”

These meal blocks can be used any time throughout the school year, in the fall or the spring semester.

In the event that a student is unhappy with their food or the service they are receiving, there’s an easy way for students to give feedback. “(Students) can go to (an employee) personally, review us, or they can speak to Sarah or Jeremy (McCosh),” said dining hall employee Rosemarie Parker. “(Jeremy) would rather students use the reviews for positive feedback. If there’s something negative… he would prefer them to come to him or go to the cook personally, that way (the problem) can be fixed right then as opposed to later.”

To contact Sarah Walker email her at Sarah.

Walker@lr.edu or call 828-328-7144. To contact Jeremy McCosh email him at Jeremy.McCosh@ lr.edu or call 828-328-7148.

Students getting some Subway in the Bear’s Lair. LEAH BOBBETT | LRN MONTHLY

Sarah Jones of Joe’s Coffee giving a student a muffin that is part of a meal exchange.

LEAH BOBBETT | LRN MONTHLY

Sarah Walker explaining blocked meals. LEAH BOBBETT | LRN MONTHLY

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NEWS

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

INVOLVED from page 1 (to everything). So you could sign up for 10 clubs and only participate in two.”

For students who are unable to go to the student involvement fair but would still like to participate in clubs, head up to student activities on the second floor of the Cromer Center above the Bears Lair. There students can speak with those involved with student activities or check out a book full of all of the clubs and organizations on campus for students. There are spreadsheets as well about the clubs and organizations that students can request from Jabs.

“The website doesn’t have anything (about clubs or organizations),” Lenoir-Rhyne student Zachary “Zach” Pulliam said. “So it can seem like there’s nothing to do on campus.”

Jabs is also able to contact the leader of

STIMULANT from page 3 LR is dedicated to providing its students.

“Do you know about the world?”

Fowler asked. “Do you know about cultural differences? Have you explored your spirituality? How have you tapped into your creative side?

All of that shapes who we are as people.”

The convocation program is composed of seven categories: 1. Intellectual Development, which focuses upon expanding students’ understanding of the world through exploring various scholarly topics and/or contemporary issues from the academic perspective 2. Creative Development/ Expression, which seeks to enhance, through attendance and/or participation, an appreciation of the visual and performing arts

whichever club or organization a student is interested in to help them get involved with the club or organization of their choice. And in the event that a club or organization that a student is interested in is not active or not on campus, Jabs can help the student reactivate the club or start a brand new one.

“I know when I first started and came (to Lenoir-Rhyne), I was worried about getting into a club and getting distracted from my school work, or work, or maybe that it would be overloading,” president of Suicide Abuse and Rape Awareness Diana Nava said.

“But it’s important to balance yourself, and if you want to get involved in a club, I say do it because the college experience isn’t just class work and work itself, but it’s also finding another part of you that you didn’t know before. So exploring what else you have or expanding yourself (is part of joining a club or organization).”

3. Cultural Development, through which students explore and/or experience intercultural and/or international issues 4. Professional Development, which focuses on developing personal life skills, leadership abilities, or professional competencies or opportunities 5. Health and Wellness, which cultivates students’ emotional/ social development, and/ or fosters physical well-being and healthy living 6. Spiritual Development, which promotes attentiveness to issues designed to deepen one’s understanding and/or clarify matters of personal faith 7. Community Service, which cultivates participation and contribution to the broader campus or local community.

LR requires its students to attend nine convos per year, with two of those nine consisting of the

Students enjoy various activities during the International Club barbecue on April 30.

JULIA PONOMAREVA | LRN MONTHLY

mandatory opening and closing “I like that you get to learn about convocations. The remaining seven new things that you don’t get to convocations must come from at take classes about, so things that least five of the convo categories you might not necessarily care about listed above. (originally),” Marinelli said. “When Many students only attend convos you’re a freshman I feel like you don’t to check it off of their to-do list, really know what you like yet so by however that attitude puts students going to different convocations it at risk of missing opportunities to might help you choose what major hear world-famous speakers, food you want to have or make you learn offered and dances performed from more about yourself.” around the world and plays performed by the theater department.

And if there is an event students want to attend or see on campus, they can contact the convocation department and request it.

The convocation program is especially helpful for incoming freshman, according Two counselors from LR’s Cornerstone House taking 2017 LR graduate, part in the Yoga on the Lawn convo. LEAH BOBBETT | Brittany Marinelli.

LRN MONTHLY

IT’S TIME TO GO ABROAD

LR’S OFFICE FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION CAN HELP YOU TO FIND YOUR BEST DESTINATION

By Florian Lemmel | LRN Monthly Staff Writer

Travel to a country a thousand miles away, explore new places, and live with people who speak a foreign language while working on your degree at the same time? These are the perks of studying abroad.

Lenoir Rhyne University’s Office for International Education is making that possible for LR students.

“There’s a world of opportunities,” Dr. Laura Dobson, Director of the Office for International Education, said. “There are both semesterand year-long opportunities and a variety of short term opportunities for people who can’t do a semester or year abroad. Those would be during spring, Maymester, or summer.”

Every student at LR can go abroad.

Even Athletes, and nursing majors and every other student – even those with the tightest of schedules can go see the world through LR’s programs. Last year LR students visited Costa Rica, Germany and Iceland with faculty-led trips. Also, students are not required to speak a foreign language if they want to study abroad.

“What’s new in study abroad in the last five years is that more and more European universities develop a curriculum in English to attract U.S. students,” Dobson said.

Still, studying abroad requires a lot of planning, so it is best to start thinking about it early. The Office for International Education, which is located in the Learning Commons area of the Carl A. Rudsill Library, can help you, along with your faculty

advisor, to figure out what classes you should take abroad and how to schedule all other classes required for your major.

“If you are a biology major, you can study abroad, but you have to do some careful course planning, so it’s helpful to think about it right at the beginning of your first year,” Dobson said. “For example, you might have to take Organic 1 in the fall, study abroad in the spring and take Organic 2, which most people do during spring semester, during the summer.”

“IN THE END IT WAS CHEAPER THAN A SEMESTER (AT LR).”

– Grace Caldwell, LR education senior who studied abroad at the University of the Basque Country in Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain

Since LR requires you to take classes that go beyond your major, Dobson suggests to study abroad at a university that offers classes that are in line with your class schedule at LR. Currently LR has one-onone exchange partners in China, Germany and Spain. In addition to that there are opportunities in 50 countries through the student exchange program ISEP. Because of these partnerships and programs, studying abroad is probably a whole lot more affordable than you think.

“I was awarded a scholarship that covered my airfare and I had a stipend each month that covered my rent and food,” Grace Caldwell,

an education senior who studied abroad at the University of the Basque Country in Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain, said. “In the end it was cheaper than a semester (at LR).”

According to Dobson, there will be more scholarship opportunities for students in the upcoming semesters than before due to the William H. Shuford Endowment that provides almost $2 million for international education and scholarships. The Office for International Education can not only help you to find the best scholarship opportunity for you, but also helps you to transfer your study abroad experience to your resume. Employers are looking for people with study abroad experience, Dobson said, but only if you are able to explain to them why it’s valuable. To do that, there is a class you can take after your stay abroad that is designed to enable you to reflect on your experience to get the maximum out of it for your career. Apart from that, studying abroad is an experience worth taking to develop as a person and explore new places.

“Everybody needs to have that cultural experience in their life to just go out into the world and see what other people are like and just to really expand your horizons,” Kristi Chandler, who studied abroad in Palmerston North in New Zealand, said. “You also learn a lot about yourself, so it’s a good personal growth experience when you’re able to make new friends in a completely new place.”

If you want to find out more about studying abroad, attend the convocations organized by the Office for International Education, or schedule a meeting with Dr. Laura Dobson. Email her at Laura.

Dobson@lr.edu.

LONDON’S CALLING (PARIS TOO) YOU CAN AFFORD THREE DAYS IN LONDON AND A DAY TRIP TO PARIS.

HERE’S HOW:

• 1x Three-day London pass $128 Gives you access to more than 60 sights in London (londonpass.com)

• 2x day-tickets for public transportation • Groceries for one person

$30 $15.50

Want to do the math yourself? Check out the prices at numbeo.com

• One dinner at a medium-priced restaurant $18 • London souvenirs $15 Small London bus and taxi and a dancing queen (crestoflondon.co.uk)

• Round-trip to Paris (Flight) • Paris souvenirs and chocolate • 1x day-ticket “Mobilis”

$85 $15 $7

• Food for one day

$25

One day public transportation in Paris

Coffee and Croissant in the morning, lunch at a restaurant

• Airbnb in the center of London ~$70 • Hostel with a bed in dorm ~$30

Not sure what a hostel is? Educate yourself at hostelbookers.com

Three days in London with trip to Paris in a hostel: $398.50 Three days in London with trip to Paris in an Airbnb: $478.50

(These numbers are susceptible to change – keep an eye on that exchange rate.)

NEWS

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

GREEK LIFE IS ON THE RISE

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LR’S FRATERNITY AND SORORITY MEMBERSHIP HITS SIX-YEAR HIGH

By Haley Wilkins | LRN Monthly Contributor

A quick glance at Lenoir-Rhyne University through Pikapp,” Vargas said. “In general it has reveals a campus bristling with building projects. helped me grow as a man.”

We are clearly growing. With construction nearly Vargas is not the only member of fraternity and complete on the science building and the four new sorority life that was looking for a place to belong new dorms behind Isenhour Hall, it is pretty easy and meet people. Senior Zeta Tau Alpha sister to see. This semester LR is projected to grow with Breanna Giordanella was looking for a way to meet this incoming class of more than 400 students. new people after an injury she sustained from But student numbers and buildings are not the swimming while on the university team. only things growing here -- so are the campus “Zeta brought me my best friends” Giordanella organizations. More specifically, fraternity and said. sorority life.

Shelby Bradshaw, a sister of Sigma Kappa, “Lenoir-Rhyne’s fraternity and sorority wanted a way to meet people too. community is growing so much,” Advisor of “I am a commuter so I was really interested in Fraternity and Sorority Life Jodi Jabs said. “It is a very exciting time to join in.”

In the 2016-2017 school year, 60 women have accepted membership offers from one of the five sororities on campus. This is the highest number of sorority bids given in six years. The university’s panhellenic council, the group that is over all sororities, expects to give 70 bids this coming year.

One sorority, Sigma Kappa, more than tripled in size last year, growing from eight members to 28.

We have also added a new historically black fraternity this year, Kappa Alpha Psi. Phi Beta Sigma, another historically black fraternity, is also planning to make a comeback on campus this semester.

Including the new members of the fraternities and sororities, it brings our campus sorority and fraternity member total to 13 percent of the student body at LR’s Hickory campus.

With all this growth, there are questions to be Sisters of the Zeta Tau Alpha Women’s Fraternity (from asked here -- what is the draw to fraternity and left to right) Caitlin Mcgee, Sara Beth Burrell and Nina sorority life and what makes people stay in it?

Cline give out “Think pink” ribbons for their philanthropy For sophomore Brian Vargas, it was a sense of at the university’s first red and black day of the year. belonging.

HALEY WILKINS | LRN MONTHLY “I went through recruitment because Mark Ling, a guy who lived on my hall, told me to come to an event with him one day when I didn’t have anything to do,” Vargas explained.

“Apart from Blue Mountain State and other college movies, I knew nothing about fraternities, but I went and ended up really liking the guys, they were cool and friendly – you didn’t have to know them for them to talk and cut up with you.”

The two ended up joining the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity here on campus.

Brothers of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and friends pose for a “Since joining I have grown a lot as a man. picture after doing the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics North The philanthropy has given me something to Carolina. HALEY WILKINS | LRN MONTHLY fight for. I now have role models and mentors

finding a way to meet others,” Bradshaw said. “I had friends that were in sororities and fraternities, and wanted that bond that they had.”

Others wanted people and more. Sophomore Jacora Wright of Zeta Phi Beta, LR’s only historically black sorority, was looking for a way to grow.

“I looked for a sisterhood that would help me grow as an individual and in my academics.

Zeta Phi Beta really offered that. Since joining I have really grown in leadership skills, academics, community service opportunities, and becoming a finer woman,” Wright said. “By becoming a finer woman I mean growing and developing myself as an individual.”

Others have testified the same things about growing themselves after joining their organization.

“Sigma Kappa has given me so many leadership opportunities that have shown me skills that I didn’t know that I had,” Bradshaw said.

“The skills that you are taught in the organizations are helpful for everyday life,” Brianna Giordanella said. “You are taught how to lead with a positive attitude, how to work hard and how to communicate with others.”

So how do you choose an organization?

Deciding on an organization is when things sometimes get pretty tricky for potential members.

Advice for this comes from Vargas.

“If you can grow there, then go there,” Vargas said. “Go where your potential is realized and can grow to make you a better person.”

A common saying among sorority and fraternity members when talking about choosing an organization is “finding your home.” This line is something that every one of the interviewed members mentioned.

“Go to the organization that makes you happy.” Giordanella said. “You want to find your home away from home with these people.”

“Come see what we are all about,” Vargas said. “If you are interested in fraternity or sorority life then come to recruitments. There is no harm in just coming to see what the organizations offer; no commitment is made until bids come around.”

If you are interested in fraternity and sorority life, go see Jodi Jabs in LR’s Office of Student Life, located above the bookstore in Cromer.

Fall formal recruitment will take place August 25-27.

THE RUNWAY TO RECRUITMENT SORORITY EVENT FASHION TIPS FROM A RECRUITMENT CHAIRPERSON

By Haley Wilkins | LRN Monthly Contributor

Every year there are a million question from new and incoming students about LenoirRhyne University and college life in general. At some point in these conversations, sorority and fraternity life usually come into play. One common question from students wanting to go through recruitment is what to wear to the rounds.

Junior Marketing Nina Cline, Recruitment Chairman for the Zeta Tau Alpha Women’s Fraternity, is here to help with that.

She was quick to point out that the process isn’t based solely on appearances.

“We care more about the words spoken and the conversations shared rather than the color of their shoes,” Cline said. “What is important here is that you make a good and honest, but lasting impression.”

There are three rounds of sorority recruitment.

The recruitment process this year will begin on a Friday night – Aug. 25, and continue until Bid Day on the 27th.

The first round is always based around the charities that sororities support. The second round is when the chapters talk about their sisterhood: they explain things that they all do together and the special bonds that they share. These two nights are friendly and casual.

“I would recommend something casual but dressy these two nights,” Cline said. “Wear nice jeans and a blouse, sandals or wedges and a nice statement piece of jewelry is something fun you can get away with.”

Sundresses and skirts are also popular choices for these first two nights.

“The point is to wear something that shows your personality to the sisters,” Cline said.

The last round is known as preference round.

This is the last round of recruitment that potential new members have before choosing who they want to be their sisters.

“Preference is a little more serious than the other rounds that we have,” Cline said. “It is an opportunity for potential new members to narrow down their choices of organizations that they are serious about. It allows the girls to get a closer look at the chapter and see a more personal side of the sisters.”

A little black dress might be just the thing.

“For this night, you want to wear something that is nicer than the other nights, but something simple,” Cline said. “This night is much more about what you are saying rather than what you are wearing.” Neutral colors are a solid choice for this round, paired with simple jewelry and heels or wedges.

Lastly there is Bid Day. This is the time that the potential new members get to see who has extended them a bid, or an invitation to join their sisterhood. This day is often described as the most exciting part of the process.

“This is the time where you make your final decision to join sorority life,” Cline said with a smile. “After that all you have to do is enjoy your new sisters.”

For this day, it is a good idea to wear something comfortable but cute. When accepting your bid, you will be given a Bid Day shirt by the organization. So it really does not matter what

you wear as a top, focus more on bottoms and shoes. Since it will be summer still, shorts or capris are a good idea. Denim is a popular choice because it pairs well with most colors. Khaki is also a safe choice. For shoes, make sure to wear a comfortable pair that you can, literally, run out to your new sisters in. Like Cline said, the rest of your day will be spent with your new sisters, taking pictures and enjoying the festivities that they will offer, so it is a good idea to put stylish comfort first.

“Recruitment is really just about finding your home away from home,” Cline said. “It is not just about joining a sorority -- you want to find a place and people that make you proud to wear your letters.”

Sara Beth Burnell demonstrates three looks suitable for a range of sorority events starting with a simple sundress with gold sandals. Next it’s a cotton V-neck top with a J.Crew skirt, beaded and metal jewelry and silver Jack Rogers Sandals. Lastly it’s a simple little black dress with nude wedged heels. HALEY WILKINS | LRN MONTHLY

6

OPINION

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

A SENIOR CONFESSION HICKORY’S THE BEST PLACE IN THE NATION

By Dylan Bedell | LRN Monthly Contributor

College towns offer a lot of different opportunities for students, but Hickory offers a community to the student body of Lenoir-Rhyne University. Take a drive through North Carolina and you will hit everything: the beach, the mountains, big cities, small towns, but always great people.

Among Hickory’s 40,000 residents, Lenoir-Rhyne is a household name, but its students often miss all they can gain from the community that surrounds them. Take it from someone who’s been around the block a few times: Hickory has much more to offer a young college student than it might seem to at first glance.

Sports Not only is Hickory home to the LR Bears, it also houses a Major League Baseball farm team. The Hickory Crawdads are affiliated with the Texas Rangers. Located off Highway 321, L. P. Frans Stadium seats around 4,000 fans with recent upgrades that enhance game experiences. This stadium is a typical take-me-out-tothe-ballgame experience, where you can buy Cracker Jack and concessions or deck yourself out in home team attire.

LR students get discounted tickets at the door and sometimes get in free on promotional days. Our LR Bears baseball team even plays against the Crawdads each season.

These nights the stadium is packed to the gills with students, families and crazy baseball fans.

There isn’t a bad seat in the house.

History The Hickory Airport hosts private planes and corporate jets, but it also reveals a variety of war planes and fighter jets dating from the Korean and Vietnam at its Hickory Aviation Museum.

At the Hickory Aviation Museum, this F-14 fighter jet takes on a more fun and interesting look than the standard Navy planes. DYLAN BEDELL | LRN MONTHLY

This museum is overflowing with artifacts and information about pilots, aviation, planes, and specifically the relationships to local North Carolina’s heroes. The exhibits range from World War II up to the present day. The indoor facility houses most of the gear (suits, plane models, plane artifacts, helmets, etc.) and photos documenting the world of aviation while the outdoor exhibit is a little more interactive.

A dozen planes are arrayed beside the runway in the museum’s outdoor exhibit. You can walk right up and touch the history. Look into the F-14, which you might recognize from “Top Gun” with Tom Cruise, or examine the fighter F-5 that took down Goose in the same film.

Scenery The reservoir nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains provides an ideal backdrop for anyone looking for some of Hickory’s most picturesque natural beauty. Duke Energy formed Lake Hickory in 1927 as a source for drinking water and electricity. With multiple marinas stationed across the lake, it’s easy to enter the water for boating, sailing

and jet skiing, although there’s not crisp cool breeze blowing through currently a public swimming area. the sails shading the tables, there is But if you’re a fisherman, the lake a sense of total contentment. Add in hosts summer fishing tournaments – local musicians playing some good anglers say the lake’s full of bass and old southern music, an abundance catfish. of local produce, food, flowers, and Hickory is reportedly working with crafts bursting from every corner, and Duke Energy to install camping sites you’ll know what it means to live in as well as facilities for water activities Hickory. like canoeing and kayaking as well as “I love the people and how friendly public swimming and fishing areas. everyone is,” LR junior Erin Illich said.

Grab a hammock and a few friends “They make you feel so included and then head down to the shoreline. welcome, as if they’ve known you for Local Connections your whole life.”

There’s no better way to get in Music touch with the heart of Hickory In the South, you’ll find a mixed than to attend the Hickory Farmers bag of musical styles and artists, Market. Open in season from April mostly towards folk or country, but in through November, each Wednesday Hickory there’s a soft spot for classic from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturdays American jazz. from 8 a.m.-1 p.m., the downtown On Sunday evenings, a number strip is flooded with folks looking for of musicians gather to perform at local bounty.

Located beside Union Square’s SEE CONFESSION, PAGE 14 train tracks, on a nice fall day with the sun shining and a The vibrant flower arrangements draw many LR students to the Farmers Market just one mile from campus.

DYLAN BEDELL | LRN MONTHLY

At the weekly Hickory Farmers Market, these rich and plump blackberries go fast on the produce stand.

DYLAN BEDELL | LRN MONTHLY

HIDDEN PLACES AT LR THIS IS YOUR HOME NOW – GO CHECK IT OUT

By Florian Lemmel | LRN Monthly Staff Writer

Lenoir-Rhyne University’s 100-acre campus may seem small at first glimpse, but you’re going to find a lot of places worth taking a closer look at. The fire place in Cromer Hall is a cozy place when the weather is cold and rainy. The trees around Shaw Plaza are perfect for relaxing in a hammock. Though you probably know these places, there are a few spots on campus that are a little bit hidden and maybe they will turn out to be your new favorite spot on campus. So take a walk and see if you can find them. PHOTOS BY FLORIAN LEMMEL | LRN MONTHLY What’s nicer than sitting on a porch-swing for a while? This swing is right in the middle of campus, but do you know where?

The perfect spot to hit some hoops after class, because of the lights you can even play in the dark.

This hidden bench is a great spot to hang out and study.

When you walk around campus you sometimes can hear mysterious music. Where does it come from?

When you are on the lookout for a new book to read, this place is worth taking a look. Just leave one of your old books before taking a new one.

LR has a lot of athletes, but do you know where the statue of the swimmer is located?

In the spring semester, LR’s tennis team starts into their new season and it’s fun to go to their matches during the weekend. However the tennis courts are a little bit off campus.

You have to walk LR’s labyrinth while you’re here; it’s one of LR’s nicest spots.

NEWS

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

7

DON’T HAVE A CLUE?

LENOIR-RHYNE’S CAREER CENTER ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO COME IN AND TALK ABOUT THEIR CAREER PLANS

By Cliff Barrett II | LRN Monthly Contributor

When you were a kid did you have a dream job? People in your life told you to dream big, so that’s exactly what you did. When you were younger it wasn’t as important to have a plan, or a backup plan, or even a backup backup plan.

Everything was just going to work itself out so you would become what you dreamed of becoming.

As you grew older, did this dream job start seeming like it would be harder to achieve? Did you end up settling for something other than your dream job because you thought it would be more realistic?

For about a decade, fresh college grads have found themselves faced with a sluggish economy. It’s still hungry for certain highly-skilled workers, like accountants, electrical linemen and engineers, but finding that first job out of college has been tough for a lot of liberal arts majors.

“The Career Center is here to help our students take charge of their career and professional development,” Katie Wohlman, the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Career and Professional Development, said. “A lot of students don’t know about the Career Center and we try really hard to visit all the freshman seminar classes, have workshops and events on campus to let students know we’re here to help them. But as a busy college student, you’ve got a lot going on – one walk through

Career and Community Relations coordinator Rita Purvis talks to Nitin Joshi about Career Center business. CLIFF BARRETT II | LRN MONTHLY

the Cromer Center and you see all these flyers and posters. It’s overwhelming; there’s so much going on all the time.”

With the real world awaiting you as soon as you graduate, there are a lot of things to be a little nervous about. Where will you will live?

What company you will work for?

Are you ready to move away from home? Is this the field you really want to go into? Graduates every year have to work at jobs that they didn’t plan on working at after college because they didn’t plan correctly in college. The career center isn’t promising that you

will be guaranteed your dream job after college, but it is a good starting point to help students better understand jobs, what options they might have and what skills employers might be looking for, which can help students out tremendously.

“The main thing I would want students to know is, whether or not they can come to any of our events it doesn’t matter, we just want to have an open door for them, to let them know that we’re here to support their career and professional development,” Wohlman said. “And that can

be anything from a student that’s struggling with their time management, we can meet with them about that because that can really help you be successful in your career and in your profession.”

The center also helps with things like resumes, cover letters, looking for internships or even for on campus work; they are here to help with all those things.

Certain students may be feeling a little bit lost academically; they’re not sure what they want to major in. They’re not sure what they want to do as far as their career goes.

The Career Center is here for those students too.

A lot of students may think that they have time because they’re just a freshman or a sophomore, but it’s never too early to get started on your career plans. The earlier the better. You will have more time to think through exactly what you want to do. And on top of that you can go out and experience certain things and see if that is something you will want to do for a career.

“I did know that LR had a Career Center. I remember my freshman year in F.Y.E class the career counselor came in and spoke to us about the career center and the opportunities it provides for us,” Paul Sloan, a senior graduating in December, said. “I have not really

SEE CLUE, PAGE 10

YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND LR’S STUDENT TUTORS ARE WILLING AND ABLE TO HELP YOU

By Kyle Cerrito | LRN Monthly Contributor

“It’s a really great place for students to come to, but not a lot of people know it’s here,” LenoirRhyne student Sabrina Powell said of LR’s Speech Lab. This seems odd. Why would a tutor at LenoirRhyne be so convinced that no one knows where the tutoring labs are? Yet Powell is not alone.

“A lot of people come up here and say they didn’t know it existed,” LR student Katelyn Vause said of the Writing Center.

How is this possible? Doesn’t every person that tours LR travel up the stairs in the Carl A. Rudisill Library to the Learning Commons on the second floor? Of course, they do, and there are even new provisions in the First Year Experience courses that should guarantee that every student knows where these services are.

“We have been able to get several FYE instructors to require students to visit the Learning Commons and labs,” LR professor Kathy Ivey said.

However, despite these efforts, student tutors like Powell and Vause could wait for hours in the silence of the library’s midday hours, when someone flushing the toilet is enough to disturb an entire floor. They wait, just in case someone decides to show up.

“I have many tutors who go their whole shift, and no one comes in,” LR professor and former head of LR’s Speech Lab Richard Gould said.

So, why would someone want this job? When questioned on the matter, each tutor had a different reason.

“I’m here every day,” Powell said. “It’s really a super great job…I do it to show (students) that they can do this themselves; it’s like they just need the boost of reassurance all along to say, ‘Hey, you know what you’re doing. You can do this.’”

She can’t help but smile as she remembers the few people who have asked her for help, but Powell isn’t the only one to give this reason.

“This is one of the most fulfilling jobs I’ve ever had,” Vause said. “It’s really satisfying to help and see it click with them.”

But what about math tutors?

“I just like helping people; it sincerely makes me happy when someone comes back and is like, ‘I did great on this test’ or ‘You helped a lot,’” LR student and math tutor Cody Mocilan said. “That really does make me happy.”

These are the reasons that compel LR’s student tutors to excel to the point that even LR alumna Noreen McAllister admits that she was willing to bring her papers into the Writing Center even when a student younger than herself was working.

“There’s always someone better than me, who knows grammar better than I do,” she said. “I like to use it as a double check.”

This isn’t to say that these students are perfect

teachers though. In fact, LR professor and head over the Math Lab Timothy Goldberg encourages students to have patience with the student tutors, who may not remember the Calculus they took back in high school as well as some would hope, but Goldberg does stand by the fact that the students who become tutors must have first shown themselves to be proficient in their field. Of course, this is no reason to be intimidated either.

“Our tutors are friendly, and they do not bite,” he said.

That is the promise of the LR tutoring labs.

No matter which lab you enter, someone will be eagerly waiting to help you.

LR tutor Sabrina Powell working with Preston Goforth in the Speech Lab. KYLE CERRITO | LRN MONTHLY

Cody Mocilan loves his job and will kindly point out any mistake you make.

KYLE CERRITO | LRN MONTHLY

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NEWS

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

CLUE from page 7 used the Career Center as much as I should have, but I plan on using it in the near future. I can remember plenty of times when I should have used it but didn’t, because I procrastinated most of the time.”

Procrastination comes up a lot when it comes to college students; it’s a common habit for some.

“I would say the Career Center is helpful to students because we prepare students for life after college and for the time they are in school.

We help students with internship opportunities and we also help students with presenting

themselves professionally,” Dorien Dickey, a Career Education Officer at LR, said.

“Sometimes a career center on a college campus has a reputation of being maybe a little stuffy. Some students may think ‘I have to get my stuff together before I go see them.’ No, we’re here to help you get your stuff together,” Wohlman said. “When I was a college student, I was very lost – I did not know what I wanted to major in, I did not know what resources were out there and I really struggled a lot. That is a big reason why I want to reach out to the students who may be struggling who may have the low motivation I had.”

Wohlman wants the students to know that they don’t have to be ashamed if they don’t

have a clue about what they want to do after college. That’s what the career center is here for. Everyone has been through a time where they struggled with something dealing with their career.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do so why would I be excited about any class that I took,” she recalled. “Those are the big things I want the students to know. We’re here to help them. We have an open door -- we will meet you wherever you are and help you get to the next step, whatever that is, in your journey.”

For more information, stop by the Career Center on the second floor of LR’s library in room 204 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

OVERQUALIFIED AND UNDERUTILIZED MEET THE FACULTY BEHIND THE TUTORING LABS AT LR

By Kyle Cerrito | LRN Monthly Contributor

The tutoring labs at Lenoir-Rhyne are not feels like an interrogation room. The mirror and well, so while the Math Lab and the Speech Lab intimidating or scary, but not everyone knows that. video camera single out whoever practices there, are both staffed mostly with student tutors, the “The perception in high school is if you need yet it all has a purpose. The camera, though Writing Center boasts several professors who love help outside of class, there’s something wrong, intimidating, is only there for psychological to help students. Adjunct professor Brenda Smith or you’re performing worse than you should,” LR reasons, according to Gould. As a baseball player is one of these people. professor Timothy Goldberg said. “Maybe in high looks to film to correct his swing mechanics, “I really enjoy getting to know a broad crossschool that’s true, but in college it’s the norm.” students can video themselves speaking to better section of students,” she said. “The key is they Goldberg isn’t alone on this. LR’s faculty is fully understand what the audience sees; additionally, bring their paper by several times throughout aware that college is difficult. Approximately 30 the pressure of the camera is designed to help the process, and who cares how many times you percent of college students drop out, according to simulate the pressures of a real audience. Too bad come? It’s free.” collegeatlas.org. not many people use this commodity.

Smith has been working in the Writing Center “Sometimes we have perfectly good students “I have three people that have ever used the for five years now, and she can’t help but laugh at who just need some advice and instructional camera,” LR student and Speech Lab Tutor Sabrina how eager graduate students have been to ask for support,” LR’s Provost Larry Hall said.

Powell said. “That’s in two years, but who’s help, while the people who tend to need the most Surprisingly he sounds much friendlier in person than from the podium when he speaks to the student body. His slight southern accent becomes more pronounced and soft, and when he leans back and begins talking, a 20-minute interview feels like five.

He begins explaining how he has, as he calls it, “beefed up” LR’s support systems by establishing a “one-stopshop” for tutoring found on the second floor of the Carl A. Rudisil Llibrary. In other words, the Math and Computer Science Lab, the Speech Lab and the Writing Center are closer together than the buffet lines in Cromer, so if any student is having trouble fulfilling the demands of their courses, all the help they might LR student Noreen McAllister doesn’t need her cell phone to enjoy LR’s Writing Center. KYLE CERRITO BLACKWELL | LRN MONTHLY need is readily available and enthusiastically recommended by the professors. keeping count really?” guidance never come. Even around exam time One example is LR’s Visiting Professor of Of course, this kind of high-pressure situation when students tend to flood the other tutoring Journalism Richard Gould. As any of his students isn’t for everyone, and while it can be helpful centers, the Writing Center’s appointments will tell you, Gould, who holds the distinction of to practice speaking, there is a much more schedule remains mostly bare. being not only one of LR’s most beloved professors relaxed option for learning to arrange ideas into a However, the Math Lab, with its walk-in but also among the most dreaded, sets high coherent paper. The Writing Center truly reflects appointment schedule, may be empty most of expectations that not everyone lives up to, and its overseer, LR professor Kathy Ivey, whose office the day and throughout the semester, but come while many (including himself) laud his tireless looks like it could be on HGTV. The natural light exam time, it almost never empties. The walls work ethic and passion for journalism, he doesn’t floods in from the floor-to-ceiling windows and are adorned with various math quips and jokes expect everyone to share those qualities. Gould illuminates the various glass trinkets resting on (including “Calculus has its limits”) written using knows and understands that some people just every open plane on every book shelf and side cut-out construction paper. The room certainly need to survive his classes; after all, there was table. Under her desk sits a small foot rest to make feels more like a middle-school classroom, but a time where he was the same back in his own sitting even more comfortable, and to top it all off, there must be some charm to it. Goldberg has undergraduate days. the room has a faint smell of flowers. Then outside realized that students are more interested in going “I just wanted to do enough to get by,” he said. her office, she has lit the Writing Center with to the tutoring lab to learn than to his office, but “I wanted to get back to what I cared about – lamps because they emit a much softer light than he embraces it. whether that was English literature, rock-climbing the normal overhead lighting, leaving the room “We hope our tutors can be ambassadors for the or the girls, I had plenty of stuff to keep myself quite dim. instructors,” he said. “I know sometimes students, occupied (in college).”

“We’re really trying to create a warm, welcoming if they’re not understanding everything completely This is hard to believe coming from a man environment,” she said. She probably wasn’t during class, think, ‘What help could it be to go see whose office has a photograph of a surly-looking referring to the space heater in the corner. Instead, the same person outside of class?’ The reality is Earnest Hemingway attacking the camera with an she was acknowledging that sometimes students that there is a tremendous difference.” expression Gould calls the “stink eye.” become afraid to ask for help.

So, when things stop making sense in class, “It reminds me to get back to work,” he “We want to influence students to not just write remember not only the people in the labs waiting explained. for their teacher and to fulfill requirements like to help but also the LR professors behind the labs.

This hard-nosed spirit even carries over to the they’re in high school; write for an audience,” Ivey “The lab fits in pretty well with a lot of what we Speech Lab, which Gould oversaw last school said. “We try to empower students to take risks.” do at LR where we make things available,” Gould year. With its plain walls, scarce furnishings and An integral part of this training comes from said. “They are here as an offer, and we would love harsh fluorescent lighting, the cramped space the professors who work in the Writing Center as for that offer to be taken up.”

FOR 5 KEYS TO PUBLIC SPEAKING GO TO PG. 14

NURSING

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

11

HI, I’M A MURSE HOW SOME IN LENOIR-RHYNE’S NURSING PROGRAM COPE WITH BEING THE MINORITY

By Bryana Hott | LRN Monthly Contributor

For those at LR who are not nursing majors, the nursing building can seem terrifyingly ominous, not just around finals week, but at any given time because of the insane workload.

It seems like at any moment some study-crazed nursing student is going to pop out like one of the zombies you see on “The Walking Dead” and chase you down the hall waving a stapler in the air.

However, with every year that passes, the graduates who walk across the stage to get their degree in nursing have somehow replaced their zombie shuffles with a proud saunter. Diploma in hand, and more often than not a job offer or two, the pains and agonies of nursing school become distant memories as they look towards their futures.

It’s a fun story really, one of triumph against what seem to be impossible odds, but what is it like for the often overlooked Murse? Yes. That right – Murse, the unofficial official title of the male nurse.

When asked about why he chose LR nursing, senior Zachary Pulliam had no reservations about answering as truthfully as he knew how.

“To pick up the chicks,” Pulliam said. “I’m kidding – kinda – mostly just because I realized it wasn’t working, so I gave up.”

Other than getting the ladies, Pulliam ultimately chose nursing school because it interested him and the job security was appealing.

“I’ll be able to do a lot with my degree once I graduate,” Pulliam said.

“Because I don’t just want to be a nurse, I want to keep going whether it be medical school or going into the business side of nursing.”

Pulliam’s not LR’s only ambitious murse.

“I don’t like the idea of stopping at just a nursing degree,” senior nursing student Cameron Kale said. “I don’t want to just be a nurse, I want to

be more than that. I want to keep going.”

After graduation, Kale plans to work in the nursing field for two years and then become a Nurse Anesthetist.

Many instructors agreed that very seldom do you find a male nursing student who wants to get into oncology, pediatrics or geriatrics.

SEE MURSES, PAGE 12

Nursing students Zachary Pulliam and Cameron Kale in the simulation lab in Lenoir-Rhyne’s McCrorie Center. Kale checks the machines for their ‘patient’s’ vitals while Pulliam administers a shot and checks the ‘patient’s’ bandages.

BRYANA HOTT | LRN MONTHLY

SURVIVING THE GAUNTLET SUCCESSFUL NURSING SCHOOL STUDENTS SHARE THEIR TIPS AND TRICKS

By Bryana Hott | LRN Monthly Contributor

Lenoir-Rhyne’s nursing program celebrates its 54th year this fall and, as one of the longest-standing programs on this campus and because of its reputation in the community, many pre-nursing and nursing students consider this program the hardest thing they’ll ever do. It is not uncommon for a nursing student to say their major and their peers say something to the effect of, “Oh that sucks, I’m sorry.”

The following tips are not to help people fall in love with nursing – if you’re reading this, hopefully you already have. These tips are to help any incoming freshman who decide to pursue a degree in nursing.

1. Be “that” student.

Sit in the front of the class, and ask lots of questions – but only questions that you don’t know the answer to, because you don’t want to be the annoying, pestering type either.

Morgin Arvey quizzing Anna Overcash on a test map for their nursing final.

BRYANA HOTT | LRN MONTHLY

Make sure the professors know you by name -- this will go a long way and even though Lenoir-Rhyne is small, going the extra mile to ensure that the professors know exactly who you are will be highly beneficial. And lastly: Ask professors for help – they will help you. Don’t be afraid to look dumb.

“I was having a really rough time in my ‘med surg’ class last semester and after talking with her, my professor allowed me to come to the same lecture later in the day so that I could attempt to learn it again – essentially she let me take the same class twice in one day to help me with comprehension,” senior nursing student Zach Pulliam said.

2. Work on your communications skills.

Whether it’s talking with your faculty advisor, working in a group project or presentation, all the way up to “performing assessments on patients when you get into clinicals, you must have good communication

skills,” senior nursing student Cameron Kale said.

The key is to be respectful, attentive and personable. Whether you consider yourself a particularly outgoing person or not, it is imperative that you know how to effectively communicate your questions and ideas in a professional manner.

3. Understand the “why” In nursing school it’s not enough to know how to do something. To be a good nursing student and a great nurse is knowing why you’re doing the things you’re doing. One of the most terrifying things for a patient, when it comes to student nurses, is being worried that they don’t know what to do because they aren’t professionals. So if you can be as knowledgeable as possible without being overwhelming, your patient will be much calmer. Experience is also a key; nursing students have found that reassuring a wary patient that they have performed the

SEE GAUNTLET, PAGE 12

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MURSES from page 11

Nursing student Zachary Pulliam demonstrates the proper way to administer a subcutaneous injection by pinching the skin together.

BRYANA HOTT | LRN MONTHLY

GAUNTLET from page 11 procedure before tends to put them at ease.

4. Figure out your learning style – and fast.

This includes understanding how you study. Anna Overcash and Madison Meyer are best friends and nursing students who know that their learning styles are very different.

“We’re best friends but we cannot study together – I can’t study in a group,” Meyer said. “Anna has to study in the study room in complete quiet, and I have to study in my room with Netflix or Pandora on in the background.”

One of the most challenging things about college in general is finding what works best for you to facilitate learning. Some students have made it through all of high school without having to study and it’s very different in college because they suddenly discover that they have to study and actually read for their classes. When it comes to nursing school, students who have discerned their learning style, whether it be auditory, verbal or visual, have an easier time.

“I would definitely say, ‘Record the lectures,’ because you’re having so much information thrown at you at one time that it may take two or three more times listening to it for you to actually understand,” senior nursing student Morgin Arvey said.

5. Accept that you are putting your life on hold You need to make sure that your friends and family understand that.

“You can’t go out most weekends.

You miss out on a lot of things, but it’s worth it in the end. Nursing school is the most time consuming thing you will do,” said senior nursing student Chelsie Jones.

6. Appreciate your friends and family Thank them constantly for putting up with the stress you’re under that you inevitably place on them as well. Thank them for answering the phone every time and listening to you cry about failing a test or being exhausted from clinicals. Thank them for understanding that you’re not able to be around as much and for being a constant source of support for you. You’ll be glad you did because many nursing students report friendships and relationships suffering because of their schedule being so nursing intensive – keep this in mind when managing your time.

7. Learn the art of time management It’s very different for nursing students to plan out their studying

“Most guys don’t want to be the nurse who stands by the bedside and holds your hand,” said Instructor of Nursing, Dara Swift. “They tend to be more interested in emergency room and operating room situations because they are higher intensity and every day is something new.”

Kale attributes his success in nursing school to a healthy balance of stress from studying and classes and then being able to cope with the stress by surrounding himself with good people. He feels this is a big difference between male and female nurses.

“They seem more uptight and they tend to let the stress get to them very easily. In my opinion, (Murses are) easy going and we enjoy cutting up and laughing to help ease the anxiety,” Kale said.

“It makes coping with the stress easier for us.”

Instructors of Nursing Dara Swift and April Williams agreed that there are a few character traits that can usually differentiate a nurse from a murse.

“They always tend to be very math minded, not that the women aren’t, but the numbers behind nursing never seem to pose much of a problem for our male students,” Swift said.

“From my observations it seems they tend to feel more pressured to take on leadership roles in clinical and simulation lab groups because they are males,” Williams said.

She sometimes wonders if murses are getting

throughout the day. For most college students it is commonly a best practice to set aside a dedicated time in your day for reading, studying and doing homework. Prioritization also plays a key role in becoming a successful student but also a great nurse, like understanding that a patient who is going into cardiac arrest and a patient who needs a new blanket are not on the same level of urgency. Just like you would prioritize the urgency of your patients’ needs, don’t spend too much effort putting a warm blanket on homework that isn’t due for another week because it’s easier than resuscitating clinical paperwork that is due the next day.

8. Have fun every now and then Any college student can agree that learning time management skills is hard at first, but once you have them they are extremely beneficial. Find a

everything they need.

“It interests me that the male nursing students haven’t said something along the lines of wanting a male instructor,” Williams said. “It seems like male nurses might do better with a male instructor and mentor because they can relate to it.”

Vasiliy Sakhonenko is originally from Russia and is a nursing program senior. He also has a wife, two kids and a full time job on top of attending LenoirRhyne’s nursing school. When asked about how he handles the stress and time management of it all, he attributed his success to a great support system and lots of motivation.

“It is hard. But I figured that I can do it if everything is calculated correctly. My wife helped me a lot,” Sakhonenko said. “And the ‘American Dream’ is what motivates me. I know I’m oldfashioned, but this profession offers lots of job security and I can work as much as I’d like to support my family financially and give them the things they deserve.”

Nursing school can be relentless and some wonder why they chose it in the first place. It’s a feeling that doesn’t discriminate between genders.

And neither does struggling. Not every male is good at the math behind nursing so they may really struggle with that. Oppositely there may be a female nursing student who does not feel as comfortable at a bedside, but that doesn’t mean they’re not cut out for the job.

good healthy way to cope with stress.

“Find ‘your people’ in your nursing class because your regular friends will not know what you’re going through and you’re going to need those people who you can celebrate your successes and mourn your failures but that will pull you back up,” Arvey said.

9. It’s okay if you don’t do okay.

If you fail a test – it’s okay. If you have to retake a class – it doesn’t mean you’ll be any less of a nurse.

Struggling is sometimes exactly the motivation you need to instill the drive to do it better. Remember: You’re not the only one who struggles, and retaking a class is not the end of the world.

“At some point in the program everyone is going to struggle. Today might not be your day that you need help but it may be tomorrow,” Arvey

Nursing student Cameron Kale checks the simulation labs inventory to find the correct medication to administer to his patient. BRYANA HOTT | LRN MONTHLY

said.

And once you do pass the class there is a strong sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving a goal that you once thought was impossible. Also keep in mind that the nursing school is not keeping you here to punish you, or make you feel stupid. It’s all to make you a better nurse.

10. Sleep and eat healthy Don’t pull all-nighters, unless you absolutely have to. Try to start studying for all of your tests as soon as you get the materials, but at least a week before the test so you can avoid over-cramming.

“My general rule of thumb is to stop studying by 10 p.m.– if you don’t know it by then, you’re not going know it, and you won’t have had enough sleep, which also means you won’t do as well on the test,” Meyer said.

Make sure to take care of yourself, whether it’s through eating healthy or exercising or both.

“Many times I would feel guilty for being at the gym because there was homework or studying that I should have been doing instead – you often don’t have time to exercise,” Overcash said. Find what works best for you and your schedule – for example, many students use their exercise regimen as their coping mechanism for stress.

11. Don’t quit “You will wake up many days and want to quit. You will wonder why you didn’t pick an easier major or why your life is so difficult, but don’t forget why you started. Don’t forget all the reasons why nursing school is the hardest but best thing you will ever do,” Jones said.

Nursing school isn’t easy – if it was everyone would do it. Don’t lose sight of what made you want to be a nurse in the first place.

Honorable Mentions: • If you don’t know the answer, do not try to ‘C’ your way out – putting C when you don’t know the answer is no longer safe.

• Airway, breathing and circulation are the important things to check with your patient –always– whether it be on a test, in the sim lab or in clinicals.

• Always check your patient before you check a machine.

• Do an internship the summer between junior and senior year – good paid internships are offered everywhere and the professors have the connections.

• Be on time for everything – as in 15 minutes early.

NEWS

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

LR’S INCOMING CLASS SETS

13

ENROLLMENT RECORD

By Leah Bobbett | LRN Monthly Staff Writer

A view of Lenoir-Rhyne from high above Grace Chapel. PHOTO BY JACK STUART

Have a look around and you’ll notice a whole lot of people – a record number, actually.

Lenoir-Rhyne University’s student population has grown each year since 2009. The biggest jump came last year when LR’s 220 incoming students swelled the university’s ranks by 9.55 percent across all three campuses.

Due to the increase in students, Lenoir-Rhyne has had to build new dorms and update different facilities across campus. But how is Lenoir-Rhyne attracting all of these new students? Provost Dr. Larry Hall believes he knows a few contributing factors. “(Lenoir-Rhyne has) added more sports, we’ve added lacrosse, swimming, men and women’s lacrosse. All of those things recruit students and get them here and get them interested in LenoirRhyne,” Hall said.

The trick is to get the students here and show them that we have what they want.

“A simple example: We didn’t have a criminal justice major. We’ve had it for two years now.

It’s been wildly successful, we probably have 40 (students in that major) towards that program.

And (the criminal justice major) is going to keep growing,” Hall explained. “And now we’re looking to figure out how to do an adult version of the program. You keep looking for those opportunities, meet the community’s needs, you find things that meet your mission, but you have to have the resources to do them with.”

It can’t just be the opportunities that bring students to Lenoir-Rhyne, right? What about the feel of the campus? For many students, LenoirRhyne’s small campus life and feel is what seals the deal.

“I wanted a smaller school, but part of me also wanted to go to this big school and get the huge college experience,” said former LR tour guide and Lenoir-Rhyne graduate Nikki Wiseman. “One of my cousins went to a bigger school and I went to visit and he took us to a football game… I went there and it was one of those prospective college days and I went on a tour and I went to a football

game and I hated it. I hated the atmosphere, I hated everything that was there… That next week I got a letter from LR offering me a free application because my grades were good enough.”

That was the push she needed.

“I figured that it was free so I might as well go ahead and do it… So I applied and then I got my acceptance letter from LR. But when I got my acceptance letter I had never toured, so I was like, ‘Let’s go on a tour here,’” Wiseman recalled. “The day after I got my acceptance letter I got a call from an LR student and it seemed really genuine.

Nowhere else had given me a call congratulating me on my acceptance, asking if I had any questions.”

Lenoir-Rhyne prides itself on its homey feel.

And when students from her high school asked Wiseman why she had chosen Lenoir-Rhyne, her answer was simple.

“It feels like it’s going to be home to me and it feels like it’s going to be a good experience.”

THE MAKING OF A NEWSPAPER EACH MONTH YOU CAN READ THE LRN MONTHLY FOR FREE, THIS IS HOW YOUR STUDENT NEWSPAPER IS MADE

By Florian Lemmel | LRN Monthly Staff Writer

Since you’re reading this story, you’ve probably a good idea. already discovered what is inside the red boxes all “Last year when I was a freshman I would pick over campus. They hold the LRN Monthly, Lenoirup the paper all the time and it would constantly Rhyne University’s student newspaper that you have articles in there that didn’t interest me,” LRN can read for free every month. It provides LR’s Monthly staff writer Leah Bobbett said. “What I students with information about new programs do as a writer with LRN Monthly is: I always think and changes and events on campus. As the term about what I wanted to see (in the LRN Monthly) “student newspaper” suggests, it is completely when I couldn’t have something to do with it written by LR students, mainly the members of and I try to write as to what I wanted to see as a the COM 211 Newspaper Production class and freshman, what I wanted to see as someone that LR’s Media Writing classes. However, this does not mean that other students can’t become part of LR’s student voice.

“The newspaper is open for all students,” the LRN Monthly’s faculty advisor and LR’s Visiting Professor of Journalism Richard Gould said. “When I came (to LR) our editor in chief was not a journalism student and had never had a journalism class. He was an English major.

Some of our best editors and designers have been English majors, or math majors. Anyone can sign up for the class and begin producing stories, photographs and charts.”

America’s oldest student newspaper is The Dartmouth which was first published on Aug 27, 1799 at Dartmouth College LRN Monthly staff writer Leah Bobbett working on a story for the in New Hampshire. Today, nearly every “Welcome back!” issue. FLORIAN LEMMEL | LRN MONTHLY university in the United States has a student publication and a lot of wellknown authors and journalists started their career at a student newspaper. Former The didn’t know a lot about the campus. I never saw Dartmouth contributor Jake Tapper now reflects something about how LR as a campus was running on the latest political events on CNN and David or how it worked and that’s what I generally try to Leonhardt, managing editor for the New York write about.”

Times, wrote his first stories for The Yale Daily All ideas come together in a story proposal that News. gets discussed during class to find the strong and At Lenoir-Rhyne, the LRN Monthly tries every weak spots of the ideas. According to Gould, this month to find the topics that could interest its process has to begin about one month before readers most and the student staff stands behind the paper gets published. So all articles in the each and every story. And every story begins with next issue of the LRN Monthly are going to be

discussed at nearly the same time that this issue gets distributed to the red boxes. When the first brainstorming process is done, all contributors have to find interviews to get all the necessary information and quotes to bring the story to life.

“I’m looking up people on campus who have job titles related to my story, I think about the people I know and who on campus could be related to (my story),” Bobbett said. “Right now, I’m writing an article about how LR is growing, so I’m thinking about the tour guides. They see all those incoming freshmen, so maybe they have background about what exactly makes LR so popular that it’s growing so much.”

With the finished story, the process of making the newspaper is not completed yet. Every article is peer-reviewed by the newspaper staff and the LRN Monthly’s Faculty Advisors, Dr. Lisa Harris and Gould.

Gould believes students should take all important positions in the newspaper with himself as advisor who helps when the students can’t solve a problem. When all stories are turned in, the LRN Monthly staff has to decide which stories make the final cut.

“We actually get to choose which stories go in the newspaper,” Bobbett said. “That’s not as easy as it would seem.

You get frustrated because you say: I want this story, but there’s nowhere to put it, so you have to re-work everything else.

It’s about as frustrating as signing up for classes in freshman year.”

The rough layout is sent to a designer. After the finished design is re-read and checked for factual and grammar mistakes it goes to print. The newspaper staff’s final task is to distribute the freshly-printed LRN Monthly to all the red boxes, so that you can pick it up to read about what’s new and important on LR’s campus.

14

NEWS

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

CONFESSION from page 6 the Olde Hickory Tap Room. The ensembles range from duos to five-piece combos – mostly local musicians coming together to play standards and improvise together. Sometimes famous artists and touring groups make special appearances, but the musicians are usually local Hickory talent.

LR junior Jake Hall got interested in the scene while taking an LR class on jazz history.

“It’s mainly an older crowd,” Hall said. “Generally people in their 40s and up with a few college students mixed in. I think that comes from jazz being a more complex form of music.”

The Taproom has the feel of an Irish pub. It’s dimly lit and the walls and just about every surface are covered with dark wood. The ambiance enhances the mystery and emotion behind the music.

Film Does “May the odds be ever in your favor” ring a bell?

If so, you’ll be delighted to learn that District 12 is just 10 miles from LR. Some of the most iconic scenes from “The Hunger Games” were filmed at the Henry River Mill Village. It’s a real life ghost town on Hickory’s outskirts. Built in the early 1900s, it was rediscovered by location scouts looking for the home of Katniss Everdeen. The town was reborn as the Coal District when the movie was filmed and released in 2012.

The village contains 21 buildings all used to create the movie magic of the coal district. On the property, you can walk through Katniss’s house, walk by District 12’s black market (the Hob), or pause by the bakery where Peeta and his parents lived.

It’s like taking a step back through time. Walk the grounds and watch each scene come alive.

Culture Since 1985, Hickory has been host to a three-day festival called Oktoberfest. It’s all about food, fun,

music and drinks.

Breweries and distilleries from across the state contribute their special brews that set them apart and help create this Carolina culture. But don’t think that this is just a weekend for the local drunks to have a high-profile event. This is a family affair.

Three stages of contentious musical offerings represent flavors like classic Carolina clogging, tap

dancing and polka tunes. Then there’s the twangy sounds of Blue Ridge bluegrass and the smooth crooning of American jazz.

If you have some money you don’t need any more, you can try your hand at the nigh-impossible carnival games or take a spin on one of the rides like the mini Ferris wheel, bumper cars and little roller coasters.

It’s all happening from Oct. 13-15.

ABOVE: In District 12, Katniss Everdeen is just waiting to come out of her house for the reaping day of the Hunger Games in the Henry Mill River Village LEFT: LR freshman Tyler Daily channels his inner Peeta on site of the bakery of District 12.

DYLAN BEDELL | LRN MONTHLY

5 KEYS TO PUBLIC SPEAKING

By Kyle Cerrito | LRN Monthly Contributor

1. Breathe.

2. Research.

3. Write.

Yes, you’ve been assigned a speech, but it’s not the end of the world. Always remember to breathe; most scientists agree that after five to 10 minutes without breathing you are likely to pass out, which would be far more embarrassing than messing up a speech.

Every good speech begins with research, and acclaimed author Dan Brown once said, “’Google’ is not a synonym for ‘research.’”

If you are having trouble finding a place to start, try walking into LR’s library and talking to one of the humans you’ll find there who are eager to help you.

As Lenoir-Rhyne Journalism Professor Richard Gould has said, there is a vast difference between public speaking and public talking. You do want to be able to talk in front of people and not be nervous, but public speaking is when you’re able to take your research and ask, “What do I want?” then “What does my audience want?”

Half the speech is writing the speech.

4. Act (like you care).

“Saying, ‘I woke up this morning and didn’t know what to talk to you about so I made it up on my way across campus,’ is akin to saying, ‘I don’t respect anyone in here enough to put forth effort; here we go,’” Gould said. Odds are that if you act like you care about a topic, you will gain some credibility with your audience.

5. Practice.

No one rolls out of bed and gives a TED Talk; practice makes perfect. The average TED speaker practices the speech he or she plans to give more than 200 times, according to “TED Talks” by Chris Anderson.

Get started.

SPORTS

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

BACK IN ACTION

15

KEY FACTORS POISED TO COME BACK BIG FOR THE BEARS

By Richard Hall | LRN Monthly Contributor

Last fall, the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears football team lost three key players to injury before the season even started: Kyle Dugger, a sophomore from Fayetteville, Ga., Demarius Hampton, a redshirt freshman from Carthage and TJ Smith, a transfer junior from Charleston, S.C. Dugger was coming off his freshman year when he won Defensive freshman of the year in the South Atlantic Conference. He was poised to make an even bigger impact for the Bears in 2016. He had just been moved from corner to safety, where he could make plays all over the field instead of just on one side.

“Late in the season, teams started throwing away from my side, so being at safety I will love to see what they will do,” Dugger said.

Dugger tore the meniscus in his knee the fourth day of camp and unknowingly continued to practice the rest of the day after it occurred.

“It was so hard for me, because I had sacrificed so much that summer going into the season,” Dugger said.

Kyle Dugger in a plank competition in the weight room on April 21.

RICHARD HALL | LRN MONTHLY

“I spent the entire summer up here and not being able to play was really hard to cope with at first.”

Teammates and coaches encouraged Dugger, telling him to stay strong. They hated to see such an important player on their team go down so early. “’Dugg’ worked so hard to continue getting better and to see something like that happen to someone we looked at as a team leader really hurt us,” teammate Calvin Edwards said.

Dugger’s using his setback as motivation.

“I have a similar feeling coming into this upcoming season. I’m hungry, even hungrier than I was going into my redshirt freshman year,” Dugger said. “I have something to prove this fall and I am ready for the challenge.”

The team’s hopes are high.

“Getting Dugger back is very important to us,” Coach Kellar said. “We are going to be strong defensively starting with him.”

Smith and Hampton were both were going to be the starting outside receivers but a few injuries turned what could have been a high-power passing attack into a struggle.

Hampton was a redshirt freshman who, when he got the ball in his hands, could make a lot of people miss and do things that make you just stand there in amazement.

About 6-foot 3-inches tall and 200 pounds, he had great size to be an intimidating match for any defensive back that lined up against him. For the defenders who could match his size, they could not match his explosiveness fueled by his 39-inch

SEE ACTION, PAGE 16

HUNGRY TO WIN LR’S SOCCER TEAM PREPARES FOR THE NEW SEASON

By Florian Lemmel | LRN Monthly Staff Writer

Before practice officially started, the members of Lenoir-Rhyne University’s men’s soccer team are already standing in a circle, passing the ball to each other as often as possible with only one contact while one or two players try to interrupt the pass.

It’s their training session before their last game of spring season.

Even without the pressure of an onlooking coach, the players are competitive, trying to keep the passes straight and alive. They shout each other’s names to warn themselves and burst in laughter when someone makes a spectacular move to save the ball, or when someone’s just short of interrupting the pass.

“The spring season was fantastic. The intensity was brilliant, the quality improved every single week and you can see it in every session that we had, how exited the boys were for the next season,” LR’s head soccer coach Jack Winter said. “We got a great team, a great bunch of competitive individuals, who just want to get back to winning games again.”

With this attitude LR’s soccer players finished their last season with an impressive 12-5-3. Now, they are looking forward to continued success this season. Their good results in the last season qualified them for the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade.

“The NCAA tournament is the highest honor a collegiate sports team can make,” Winter said. “It’s the collection of every Division II university in the country, so now, you not only play the best teams in your region – you play the best teams in the country” In the NCAA tournament, the eight conferences across the country are combined to four regions in which the eight best teams of each conference face each other. The team who makes it to the final plays for the National Championship.

LR is playing in the South-Atlantic Conference and is going to play in a region with the South Conference. According to Winter this “super region” is the strongest in the nation stacked with former national champions like Tampa and Palm Beach, or last year’s champions Wingate. Wingate is the team Winter wants to play more than any other team. In last year’s matchup LR had to take a last minute 1:0 loss in the 89th minute. However, the tournament comes on top of the regular season and adds more difficult games to the schedule.

“We have to adapt our training schedule because of the intensity of our season and the closeness of each game,” Winter said. “We have to allow (the players) recovery times. More often than not we play Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday every single week for three months.”

“You have two games a week, Wednesday and Saturday,” LR’s mid-fielder Jens Roessler said.

“When you play 90 minutes, you might have some

LR’s Marc Fernandez (right) and Kevin Nadeau (left) are fighting for the ball during a training session.

FLORIAN LEMMEL | LRN MONTHLY

recovery on Thursday, a training session on Friday and then you already go into the next game and you are just constantly tired.”

However, scheduling fitness exercises and recovery times is not the only important thing.

Every year players leave the team, creating empty spots that need to be refilled. Last semester four seniors graduated from the team, among them the team’s captain, Josh Alderson.

“Josh was the perfect captain and there was no one who could replace him,” Roessler said. “I think he never missed a game in his four years here if he wasn’t injured, and he was always there for the team bonding.”

To fill the gaps, Winter and his assistant Hector Ladero Rivas recruited new players. Winter is confident that the incoming players are not only a good complement, but they’re going to bring more depth to the team, giving the coaches more options during the season. The problem is that the new players will barely have a week to get used to their new surroundings before the pre-season starts.

“Teambuilding and anything we can do to integrate them in the squad, in the community, as soon as possible, is really important, because these guys come from all different corners of the world before joining our team and are asked to perform at a high level,” Winter said. “It is our job to make the transition as smooth as possible and make this place feel like home as quickly as possible.”

Five of the new players are recruited from this region, which means the Carolinas and Georgia, while there are three players from Spain and one each from England and Germany. The pressure on the new players is high from the first day.

“We need good new players. With the new players that come, our starting 11 could be better than last year,” LR’s defender Sercan Cihan said.

“Also, it’s important that everyone is in shape.

Last year we had two or three players injured, and when they’re missing you run out of steam at the end of the season.”

No one on the team wants that to happen in the next season. Everyone wants to repeat the results from last season and finish in the top two or three of the conference. The players that are going to play their last season for LR are especially motivated to prove something, and in some of them lives the dream of playing in the finals. One thing is clear: LR won’t be the underdog this year.

“I think now everyone is taking LR a bit more seriously and the boys did that themselves. The number of coaches that came up to me after the game, after we played them, saying, ‘It is difficult to play against your intensity for that long,’” Winter said. “That’s all down to the boys, and I think in years gone by, we might be an outsider, or an underdog, but this year we showed that we can match the highest level, losing to Wingate in the 89th minute showed that we can compete with national contenders.”

Besides a good record, the players and coaches hope that the soccer team gets more attention from the LR community this year.

“Last year we were one of the most successful teams (on campus), so it would be nice to have more spectators,” Cihan said. “We get new stands in the new season, so the atmosphere is going to be even better and it’s simply more fun to play when there are people cheering for you.“ Their coach agrees.

“I want people to understand just how important this program is,” Winter said. “If we can compete next year and go on with the same kind of success we did, I feel like this program needs to be noticed a little bit more and so do the players. These players put the program back on the map and they deserve to be noticed for their hard work.”

16

LR FOOTBALL

LRN MONTHLY | AUGUST 2017

ACTION from page 15 vertical leap.

Hampton was running when he got tackled and sustained a broken tibia.

He got pulled backwards and rolled over his ankle and immediately felt the pain. Hampton hasn’t been in competition in two years because he redshirted his freshman year.

“It’s fuel to the fire for me – that redshirt year I learned and thought I was going to come out strong my

redshirt freshman year,” Hampton said. “It just wasn’t in God’s plan, but I’ve been working hard to get back healthy and I’m ready for the fall.”

Smith, a transfer from Concord University, finished his last year there with 548 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Smith has speed and the ball skills to be a threat on quick screens and deep balls. His experience in games playing in a passing offense really gave us a threat that we needed, and with him down for the season we truly lacked

it.

“I’m just ready to touch the field again. Even when I was injured I was trying my hardest to get back on the field,” Smith said. “I worked out whatever I could to stay in shape and ready.”

The Bears are looking forward to seeing what options open up once Smith and Hampton are back on the field.

“Getting TJ and Dhamp back healthy will help us out a lot offensively. Both of those guys can

go get the ball and make teams respect the deep passes which will do nothing but open up the running attack for us,” sophomore Jaquay Mitchell said.

Combining TJ and Demarius with Jaquay in the slot and Nelson in the backfield would have given defenses fits. Getting those guys back healthy and 100 percent is the priority.

“Dhamp and TJ are about to have really good years if we can keep them healthy,” Kellar said.

BOYS OF THE FALL LENOIR-RHYNE 2017 FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEW

By Richard Hall | LRN Monthly Contributor

We, the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears Football team, have been preparing to give the students, faculty and fans a team they can be proud to support this fall. Last fall was a transition period with a new coach and a completely new offense.

This year we fully expect to go out and win games.

We have a very young but experienced team this season. We will feature five seniors and eight juniors, but last year the team had a lot of underclassmen step on the field and make an impact for the Bears, including freshmen Isiah Herring, Clayton Horn and Jaquay Mitchell.

“As a senior I’m trying to teach these young guys accountability and leadership. Being a young team we need both from everyone,” senior Paul Sloan said. “This spring has led us in a better direction, as far as everyone being accountable.”

The Bears also welcomed six mid-year transfers including: • Jordan Brooks from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. • Dorien Dickey from Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Ala. • Denzel Gilmore from Winston Salem State University • Jordan Mann from Louisburg College • Jalen Soto from Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County, Calif.

• Khalil Yelding from Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss.

Mann, Yelding, and Brooks will be defensive linemen for the team, Soto will help us out up front on the offense side of the ball and Dickey and Gilmore will be added depth to a loaded defensive secondary.

“I came on a visit and loved the atmosphere and the family environment so I decided to commit,” Yelding said.

The team and coaching staff has dedicated this spring to building that atmosphere. Last year we were not a team, just a few guys out there playing for themselves, especially after the losses started piling up. We have changed that culture and gotten rid of those negative voices in our locker room.

After finishing the season with three wins and eight losses last year, we are looking for a big change this year.

“We don’t want to make bold statements and say we are going to win 12 games – we just want to be competitive,” sophomore quarterback Jarrod Kellar said.

Kellar is coming off a season where he started all 11 games for the Bears and threw for 1,248 yards and six touchdowns.

“This upcoming fall, I’m not worried about my stats. My success drives off the team’s success,” Kellar said. “If I throw for 40 yards and we win the game, I’m fine with that.”

Kellar knows his coach well. They’re both team oriented and competitive.

They’re also father and son.

“Our main goal is to improve. We don’t look at the schedule and say we expect this many wins and losses,” Head Coach Mike Kellar said. “We are much more intelligent. We know how

important it is to play hard, and we have a competitive group. If we do all those things then the wins will come.”

Kellar is in his second year coaching the Bears. Last year we weren’t competitive. We looked at losses on our schedule before they even occurred.

We doubted the coaching staff and our teammates.

This fall things will be much different.

With negativity gone, we have assembled a team who is willing to go out and put everything on the line.

“Right now we are definitely at the highest point since I’ve been here,” Coach Kellar said. “This is a much tighter-knit group – as coaches we believe in the players we have, and they believe in us.”

We are returning a lot of key guys all over the field including our leading rusher Nelson Brown, who ran for more than 1,000 yards and had a huge game against Tusculum where he ran for 261 yards and a pair touchdowns. We also have our returning passer and a lot of receivers who made big contributions to the team last year. Jaquay Mitchell was a key part of our offense last fall and this spring is looking to be even more successful on the field.

“With a lot of games and practices under my belt, I am way more confident than I was last year,” Mitchell said. “I know what the college game is like. I also feel like me and Jarrod had a really productive spring together.”

With a lot of returners back on defense, that will definitely be our strongest unit. The entire secondary and linebackers are returning. We have three transfers on the defensive line that will look to help us out.

“Those transfers up front will be a tremendous help to us as they add a lot of size and experience to our team,” Coach Kellar said.

Expectations are running high.

“I expect us to get a lot of wins,” sophomore Kyle Dugger said. Dugger is coming off a season where he was not able to step on the field due to a knee injury. “We have a lot of potential, and I want us to reach that full potential, and continue to grow throughout the season.”

This spring the team grew a lot, not just on the field but as individuals. We helped out in the community and went to the Boys and Girls clubs of Hickory and volunteered for an entire week.

“We want to be do-right guys, people that the community can look up to,” Mitchell said. “We want to be in the newspapers for the right reasons.”

The Bears open the season up at home against West Alabama at home at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 31. “That West Alabama game will be a great opportunity to see how we match up against a top Division 2 program,” Sloan said. “We are really opening up the year with a bang and a game nobody wants to miss.”

We have five home games this year and five away games. We will look to seek revenge on a lot of teams that beat us pretty badly last year and shock every doubter.

“People are still doubting us, which I am completely cool with – the only people we need to believe in us is us,” Dugger said.

Ivan Milliken performing a hang clean on April 26 in the weight room.

RICHARD HALL | LRN MONTHLY

Jarrod Kellar performing big 30’s in the weight room April 21.

RICHARD HALL | LRN MONTHLY

Nelson Brown getting ready to squat on April 21 in the weight room.

RICHARD HALL | LRN MONTHLY