Stand Alone

This tree is by far my favorite tree I have ever come across. Standing on the top of the hill this tree is the perfect shape, perfect size, and most importantly it stands alone. Out of all the trees at Shawnee Mission Park this tree stands all by itself on the top of a winding hill- to me it represents independence and freedom, as well as nature and the beauty within it. On an evening drive at sunset the tree appears to be on fire capturing the sun in the lens- the true beauty and magic of nature appear across the road.

 

Giving Tuesday

Salvation Army bell-ringer stands in 18 degree weather outside a hardware store in Lenexa KS with a smile on her face.

My First Voting Experience

My first "I voted" sticker!

       Me, like most people my age, had the opportunity to vote for the very first time last Tuesday. Our generation like those before us had the chance to experience the right to vote and the pride we feel after knowing that we are doing our duty to our country. For me this election was a bit of an eye opener. Perhaps it was noticed, but this year social media was a rather large influence on many of the young voters in America. Candidates, supporters, and other media outlets were able to voice their opinions and project their campaigns to billions of users via twitter, facebook, and various other forms of social media. On my newsfeeds and twitter feeds, like those of millions of others, I experienced what I call the “campaign fever”. Regardless of political party, each side openly displayed their opinions over the internet and it got a little intense, even to the point where people’s feelings were getting hurt. I personally stayed out of the political debates on twitter and facebook and decided to conduct my research on more factual websites and by watching the news, something I wish more of my friends would have partaken in.

For me my first time voting was exciting, I’ll admit I was even slightly nervous waiting in line at the church for my chance to vote. It wasn’t what I expected, I didn’t know it would be touch-screen and computerized, however I suppose I should have guessed that it would be. All in all it was an interesting experience, not just the voting process but seeing how people acted on social media leading up to the election, and the night of, and even still today people who are upset with the turn out. Personally I believe that regardless of political party the last thing we need to be doing is fighting amongst ourselves, and especially moving into the future we should be proud of our country and its leaders and excited about the direction we are headed together.

Make A Difference Day

On October 27th, 2012 all across the country and globe people reached out to their communities celebrating Make a Difference Day! For more information on Make a Difference Day visit www.makeadifferenceday.org to get involved next year!

An Insider Look: Talks with Ron Jones

Ron Jones Explains to Students
his job at WDET

     On Tuesday October 30^th, Professor Snorgrass introduced a speaker to his Journalism class at 11:00, that speaker was Ron Jones, the Program Director of WDET in Detroit. WDET is an informative news program that is broadcasted over the air and on the internet to the community- it is a locally produced news station and services over 150,000 listeners. What separates WDET from the rest of the news programs in the area is that it is based on something called public insight journalism as Jones says, “We just want to know what you know”. WDET features music from local contemporary artists, while still reporting on local and world news.

     Jones explained to the class that the media realized a while back that journalists weren’t always right, and they couldn’t always get the stories right or get the info out that people were interested in, so WDET decided to use a different approach to journalism. WDET uses what is called a public insight network; he explains “we get information from people and promise not to sell information or lobby people for money- we simply want to know what you know.” One of the ways WDET allows users to become more involved in the news of the day is by posting a Question of the Day blog- where listeners and web surfers can answer the question and provide feedback to the station; Ron Jones said “people are surprisingly eager to tell you what they know!”  Jones sees this as a new approach to journalism and values building trust in the community.

     The website allows users to respond not only to the broadcasts and blogs posted, but it allows people to come in and send their stories and news that they feel is important to them. The WDET explains that “The Public Insight Network is a group of people from all walks of life who inform our news coverage,” which allows WDET to stand out from the other stations in the area. Ron Jones is a lifelong friend of Professor Snorgrass, and it is a rare treat to have him here to speak at Avila University.

Ron Jones speaks to class

The Parking Nightmare

Junior Hayley Keith explains her parking
ticket she received on 10/10/12.

Take a look around the parking lots on campus and you will notice one thing that each has in common. They are all completely full almost all of the time. This new lack of parking is due largely to the fact that there are a whole lot more students at Avila, and a good portion of those students are commuters. With the growing number of commuters there needs to be a growing number of parking spots, however this is not the case. Students often risk parking violations by parking on the streets or in spots marked for faculty or residents. The new resident hall has brought more cars to Avila with no new spaces for them. Campus police are cracking down about the parking violations and getting more serious about handing out tickets.

                Junior Hayley Keith is one of the students who has felt the wrath of the parking lot as she received a parking ticket on Wednesday the 10^th. She stated, “I parked over in Dallavis… they recently made regular parking into employee parking and I didn’t realize they were different since I’m so used to parking there.” Keith is just one of the many students who receive tickets daily for parking infractions. Hayley also went on to say “The parking situation wasn’t thought out well when they built the new dorm. They weren’t planning ahead, a new building should have meant new parking, it just makes sense.” Students who have class times after nine often struggle to find parking, a common trend among those students has been to arrive on campus early just for the sole purpose of finding themselves a decent spot, however this is causing less and less parking earlier and earlier in the day.

                Clearly the parking situation is causing a headache for more than just the students as employees too must struggle to find parking with only a limited number of spaces marked for them. Keith suggests “They should just build a parking garage, I’m sure they’re financially able to do so.” A parking garage would be an excellent problem solver to this growing problem of parking on campus; however it is unlikely that will happen. Whatever the solution the school needs to come up with one in a timely matter and apply it, before the problem gets worse.

Trying Something Different

Students enjoy the culture fair in the cafeteria last Thursday.
(Left to right) Tyler Blattel, Kori Weatherspoon, Morghan Cooper, Kortney Ward.

       This past Thursday September 20^th, was the annual Culture Fair at Avila University. The Culture fair held in the cafeteria offers a chance for students to taste different foods from all over the world for free, an opportunity many students wouldn’t have otherwise. The event was open to all Avila students and faculty for free, allowing the commuter students who usually don’t eat in the cafeteria an opportunity to enjoy different types of food and step out of their comfort zones.

      Juniors Tyler Blattel and Morghan Cooper sat with sophomores Kortney Ward and Kori Weatherspoon in the cafeteria enjoying the different cuisines from all over the world, and even though Ward stated “I think the food was better last year,” she said, “it’s still a neat experience for the students.” Blattel said “It’s such a fun day and the food is so good, I really enjoy it.” “I really enjoyed Avila’s ethnic cultural festival today!” said junior Kaleigh Sheridan as she enjoyed her food in the cafeteria with her other dance team friends, “I was able to experience all kinds of new foods” she said as she took a bite of her tasty Chinese food.

Junior Kaleigh Sheridan shares her culture fair experience.

Looking Back



Abercrombie associates MaShaun Jenkins and Roberto
Green share stories about 9/11.

Perhaps the most significant historical event of our generation is remembered on this day, September 11^th, as the day that changed the United States forever. No matter who you ask (as long as they were old enough to remember it) every person has a different memory and a different take on what happened that dark day just eleven years ago. Nick Carpenter was only nine when the towers were struck, but he could remember clearly how his day went, “I was having a regular day in my 4^th grade class. I could tell something wasn’t right due to my teacher’s body language. They never announced anything on the intercom or told us what happened. I went home that day and my mom was watching the coverage of the aftermath,” he went on to say, “I was too young to really understand the impact it had on the whole world.”

Now, eleven years later as Nick sat in his apartment he could remember the sadness he felt for those who had lost their loved ones, and although neither him nor anyone he knew directly had lost their loved ones that day, his heart still went out to the families of those who did. MaShaun Jenkins, who was thirteen the day of the attack, had quite a different experience. MaShaun grew up on military bases as both of her parents were in the army, her brother in the air-force, as well as other family members serving in other branches of the military. “We weren’t allowed to go home,” she said, “we couldn’t leave the school.” Jenkins lived on a military base at the time and the base had been temporarily locked down for safety precautions. “I remember directly after everyone was getting deployed,” thankfully neither of her parents were deployed, and MaShaun was able to return home later that night.

Roberto Green was in the third grade on September 11^th, and remembers the confusion he felt that day. “I remember when I went to school I didn’t know what had happened. I knew everyone was sad, and they weren’t telling us something, I just didn’t know what was going on.” Once Roberto got to his home he was surprised to see both his parents home, and glued to the television, this was when he realized what had happened and the significance of the day. “I’ve noticed a lot of changes since then,” says Green, “the increase in security would probably be the most significant, especially in government buildings.”

There is no doubt that the United States has changed significantly since the attacks on September 11^th, and through all the heart break and sadness still there is hope in this nation. Never before had we been challenged with such force and hatred on our own soil, and hopefully never again will we be. It seems everyone has a story about that day, whether it is a story of sadness, confusion, fear, or anger there is one thing September 11^th did do for all Americans- it brought us together as a nation and rekindled a sense of patriotism that was hidden, and born again out of the dust of the fallen towers.

Mu Sigma Pi Brings Sweet Sweet Music

Mu Sigma Pi is a student organization that encompasses all of the choral groups on campus including Men’s Glee, Avila Singers, The University Singers, and the Women’s Ensemble. Meika Mnwomah is the current president with Erika Imtfen as vice president; they are surrounded by a large board of other choir members.  “WE SING!” said Mnwomah, as well as perform at many of the campus activities such as The Steer Dinner held each year to raise money for the University. At the University Kick off Mass on Thursday morning they acted as the choir and even featured several soloists throughout the mass. This year they are proud to announce that they are performing Handle’s Messiah at their winter concert, which will be held later this year.

Mu Sigma Pi also teams up with the theatre department for many of its theatrical performances. Theatre and choir have always gone hand in hand; at the performing arts department at Avila is no exception.  This April the theatre department will be producing the very entertaining musical “The Producers” which members of both the choral and acting departments will be performing in. Vice President Imtfen said she is “most looking forward to the Messiah and the Steer Dinner,” as those are some of their larger events for the upcoming school year.

Kickin' Off the Year Right

Alongside the fountains on the beautiful Avila
      University campus, students met to eat and enjoy a
      day of relaxing and mingling at the 2012 AU
      Campus Kickoff.

Sophomore Kori Weatherspoon met with freshmen Abbey Rice and Jennifer Quezada to enjoy food and fun between classes at this year’s AU Campus Kickoff on Thursday August 30th 2012.  Students enjoyed a free picnic on the lawn of the Quad with music and lots of activities including, balloon artists and free massages. The weather was perfect as students walked from table to table learning about the different organizations on campus and ways in which they could get involved. Freshman Abbey Rice stated, “I’m really looking forward to making new lifelong friends and becoming a better person through my experiences here at Avila!”

                The kickoff was one of the first opportunities for some to get out and meet their classmates outside of the classroom setting. Student organizations also took this as an opportunity to attract new students by handing out flyers and candy and allowing students who were interested to have more information about their organization. Freshman Jennifer Quezada said that she was “looking for a fun college experience, and a chance to make a difference this year,” after seeing all the different ways in which she could become more involved on campus.