Secular vs. Spiritual: An Inside Look at Liberty University
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Secular vs. Spiritual: An Inside Look at Liberty University
Fall Newsletter 2012
By Alaina Berry
The Honors Program was pleased to wel- I had the opportunity to speak with Volume 5, Issue 1
come Kevin Roose, pictured right, as the speaker Roose following his lecture where I began by
for the Fall Lecture. Roose is the author of the asking about his favorite class while he
book, The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner’s Semester at attended Liberty. He responded that he
America’s Holiest University, which was the re- most enjoyed the class explaining the Old
quired summer reading assignment for Honors Testament as he affectionately described it
Program students. A former resident of Oberlin, as, “The world’s most confusing family sto-
Ohio, Roose was a sophomore at Brown University ry.” Though he was careful to avoid, as he
- a college known for its liberal reputation - when put it, “falling in” the religious groups in or-
he developed the novel idea of a domestic study der to preserve his journalistic perspective,
away experience. Instead of traveling across the Roose also explained to me how he missed
world to encounter a new culture, why could he the idea of “collective effervescence” that he
not do the same in the United States? Roose’s experienced during worship services.
book documents the semester in which he attend- Looking back on his experience,
ed Liberty University, one of the largest Christian Roose realized that he had initially viewed
universities in the U.S., where his goal was to gain Christian students as “spiritual warriors,” and
a better understanding of the lives of Christian he “didn’t realize they’re still just teenagers.” In this issue:
college students. He presented the idea that people are “multi
Page 2: Students Give
Before the lecture began, a fellow Honors -dimensional” though often, as a society, we
Advice to Freshmen
student, Hailey Sult, had the privilege of introduc- are quick to place labels on one another.
and Honors Students
ing Roose. Roose started the lecture by giving a With this in mind, I asked Roose what he rec- Go Above, Beyond, and
brief history of Liberty University (located in ommended as a course of action regarding Abroad
Lynchburg, Virginia and founded by the notorious bridging the gap between conservative and
Page 3: The Decline of
Dr. Jerry Falwell) and proceeded to describe his liberal students. His take-away message is
College Enrollment for
experiences during that semester. Ultimately, this: “The first step is listening.” He went on
Males
Roose discovered that Christian college students to clarify that this meant listening with an
were not as foreign as he had originally imagined. open mind and not simply patiently waiting Page 4: Finding the Bal-
They spent time with friends, complained about for our next turn to speak. “Listening to peo- ance: Sports and
homework, played sports, and watched movies ple with different views is really hard,” Roose School and A Closer
like any other secular student. The main differ- sympathized, “However, it is vital that we Look at the Man in the
overcome our own egos in order to under- Crocs
ences were that Liberty students had stricter
guidelines compared to secular universities (such stand and connect with others.” Page 5: A Glimpse into
as the limitations of three-second hugs, no R rated **For those who are curious as to what hap- the Metal Scene and
movies, and no swearing) and, overall, were more pened to the boy who was in trouble from the Page 6: Contact Info
enthusiastic and passionate about their faith. In beginning of the book, I asked Roose about it. and Letter from the
short, Roose concluded the foundational differ- Unsurprisingly, he was kicked out of Liberty. Editor
ence as a secular person using the word “lucky”
where a Liberty student would use “blessed.”
1
Students Kathryn Paul Lauren
Brickner Lattimer Goossens
Give Advice
to Freshmen “My experiences taking Honors classes have all
been positive! In fact, it is because of the Hon-
Another senior, psychology major
Lauren Goossens, comments, “Being in the
ors Music and Drama Across Culture classes Honors Program has given me an edge on
By Sarah Guarino offered last spring that I am considering study- my grad school applications, as it is some-
ing abroad in India.” She goes on to share her thing that sets me apart from other appli-
Each year, the Ashland University advice to future classes, stating, “Choose Hon- cants, and the Honors thesis has also helped
Honors Program welcomes a diverse freshmen ors classes that sound interesting and truly try to prepare me for grad school.” She goes on
class into the program. As 27 freshmen began to engage. Take this opportunity to take a to advise new students to “Make sure you
this fall, they contributed with a wide range of class you normally would not and open your really take advantage of the Honors core
majors and home states. The 12 men and 15 mind to something new.” classes. I have had a great experience with
women in the freshmen class are native to almost all of my professors during my years
Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, A senior member of the Honors Pro- at AU, as they are all willing to help and real-
and Wyoming. As each new class enters the gram, Paul Lattimer, shares, “The Honors Pro- ly care about their students.”
Honors Program, it is beneficial for the incom- gram can seem intimidating at first, especially
ing class to learn about the experiences of up- the Capstone Project, but, if you want to be The advice that these upperclass
perclassmen. Several upperclassmen have the person who is not afraid to fail because of Honors Program students have shared em-
shared their experiences with the Honors Pro- the chance of success, then I encourage you to phasizes the invaluable experiences of being
gram and have provided advice to future in- stick with the Honors Program.” Paul’s advice a member in the Program. From enrolling in
coming classes. to incoming classes is: “Don't be afraid to fascinating Honors courses to preparing stu-
change your major; it's better to switch and dents for a graduate education, the incoming
Kathryn Brickner, a current sopho- possibly stay an extra semester or two than be classes have exciting things to look forward
more in the Honors Program, shares her expe- miserable for the rest of your life because you to as the newest members of Ashland Uni-
rience thus far: picked the wrong degree.” versity’s Honors Program.
Honors Students Go Above Beyond & Abroad
By Mary Moeller
Lydia Felker and Audrey Wagner of the Audrey spent part of her summer on a mis-
Ashland University Honors Program both spent sion trip in the Dominican Republic. She volunteered
their summers experiencing new and amazing at an orphanage in San Juan for one week. Her du- Lydia Felker
things.
ties ranged from bonding with the children at the
Lydia went to Ashkelon, Israel for three orphanage to making sidewalks and digging sewage
weeks during the summer of 2012 to participate in drains. She said that “the experience was literally
an archeological expedition. While there, she life changing” and that seeing a poorer country
found that archeology fascinated her. “It’s like one
made her appreciate her life in the United States
big puzzle” she said, because one can expect to
find things in certain places and put together the even more. She was astounded by the fact that even
pieces to see what past civilizations were like. Lyd- though the people she helped had so little, they
ia considered it an amazing experience, even if it were full of joy. This experience reminded Audrey
ended up being a lot more hard work than she that “we are so blessed every single day of our
anticipated. She would definitely recommend that
lives,” and she definitely got as much out of the trip
others try it if they get the chance because, in her
words, “I got to step back in time for three weeks, as the children she was helping.
and that is pretty incredible.” Audrey Wagner
2The Decline in College Enrollment for Males
By Larissa Berry
If asked the question, are there cording to National Center for Education
more girls or more guys attending col- Statistics, was in 2005 with a nearly 15% gap
lege in the U.S. today, how would you in favor of women at 57.2% compared to
respond? Maybe you believe that males the male enrollment of 42.8%. The projec-
have always been favored historically tions show that by 2020, the percentages
and continue to rise to the occasion. will be divided 60/40 in favor of women for
Perhaps you think women have striven undergraduate enrollment.
to rise above their masculine counter- When informed about this rising
parts. It could be that you believe men epidemic, several male Ashland University
and women are equally matched in high- Honors students had some interesting com-
er education. But the real question is ments about the decreasing number of
who are going to college: girls or guys? So, what has happened to all of
males attending college. In particular, Chris the men? Are they in fact opting out of
Obviously by a quick scan of any Beisel, a Journalism/Digital Media major college for jobs that require less educa-
American college or university, you will and Theatre minor, believed that college tion? In some ways, sociologist Michael
see both male and female students. enrollment for males was declining. “On Kimmel would say they are. “Boys think
There is no question whether or not average,” Beisel remarked, “it seems males that academic disengagement is a sign of
both genders make an appearance on aren’t as self-disciplined as females to moti- masculinity,” said Kimmel in his
campuses across the nation. Surprisingly vate themselves to study and remain aca- cbsnews.com report, As Gender Roles
though, a gap between males and fe- demically sound.” Change, Are Men Out of Step?, “The less
males attending college is on the rise. Nolan Dilts, a freshman studying you can do in school, the less connected
In 2011, National Center for Sport Management, also felt that the gen- you are, the less interested you are, the
Education Statistics issued a study which der gap was logically accurate. Dilts said, more manly you are.”
showed the total undergraduate enroll- “it makes sense because men can do more Now that we have identified
ment of both male and females within jobs that just require physical labor instead that men may be indeed less interested
the past 40 years. Until 1980, males of a degree. Most girls don’t have that op- in enrolling in college, what needs to be
were almost always the forerunners in portunity.” Another student commented on done to bring the numbers back up? The
college enrollment. Since then, the trend the job market. Ivan Larson, majoring in same Ashland University males were
seemed to shift. In 1990 women domi- Political Science, replied, “if you look at asked if they worked as admission repre-
nated the enrollment charts at 55% many skilled jobs that pay well but don’t sentatives for a university, what they
against males’ 45%. By the year 2000, require a college degree, such as welders or would do/say to entice males to go to
women were ahead with 56.1% of col- mechanics, they are often seen as ‘male’ college. Paul Lattimer, a senior Religion
lege enrollment. The largest gap be- jobs.” major, thought that males would be in-
tween male and female enrollment, ac- terested in the large number of females
on campus. “I know it sounds very shal-
low,” Lattimer remarked, “but telling a
teenage male that there is a plethora of
young women all in one spot would be
very enticing to him.” Dilts seemed to
agree, “all you need to do is tell them
that the school is 60% women. If that
doesn’t appeal to them then something
is wrong with them.”
Furthermore, what advice can
be given to incoming male undergradu-
ates? Beisel said, “Don't forget why you
are coming to college and why you are
spending money on tuition. It is im-
Source: National Center
portant to have a positive experience
for Education Statistics’ here and have fun, but you do NOT want
“The Condition of Educa- to neglect your academics. That's the
tion 2011” purpose of college. At the end of the day,
you are pursuing your degree--so don't
forget that!!”
3Finding the Balance: Sports and School
By Kelly Crowl
tramural and club teams. Freshman “working ahead, being organized, is provided by Ashland Uni-
Many student Sport Management major and varsity and maintaining good communi- versity sports as well as the
athletes are pushed in wrestler, Nolan Dilts, shared some cation with professors.” Nolan camaraderie of the team.
high school to maintain insights about being an athlete and devotes up to eighteen hours per Her teammates have be-
high grades while still be- being in the Honors Program. Nolan week to wrestling and said that it come some of her closest
ing active in a varsity has been wrestling for six years and can be difficult to find time to do friends. Although free time
sport, but by the time has adjusted well from wrestling at homework. To help with this is- is limited for both athletes,
they arrive at college, the high school level to the collegiate sue, freshmen are required to they believe it is worth the
they have chosen to dedi- level. He said there are programs to attend study tables for four hours sacrifice, and the limited
cate their time to either help freshmen manage the change. a week. Nolan said that he has free time makes it all the
sports or academics. Sev- Wrestling plays a huge part in time to complete all of his home- more exciting when they do
eral Honors Program stu- Nolan’s life—he said it not only helps work but the study tables help have time to visit with
dents have chosen to con- him stay in shape, but that it was also him maintain high grades. friends or watch a movie.
tinue to pursue excellence a factor in attending Ashland Univer-
McKenzie and Nolan While many stu-
both in a sport and in the sity.
both believe that one of the best dents choose to focus most
classroom. This year, the
Senior cross country runner, parts about being on a college of their time on either
Honors Program boasts
McKenzie Roth, agrees with Nolan. sports team is the opportunity to sports or academics, stu-
students who play foot-
When asked about how she manages push themselves as individuals dents like McKenzie and
ball, softball, wrestle, run
her time between classes, running, but also work toward a common Nolan have been able to
cross country and track as
and campus activities, McKenzie said goal with a team. McKenzie loves find a balance between
well as numerous other
that time management requires the high level of competition that both. They are able to en-
students who play on in-
joy playing a sport at the
collegiate level while still
A Closer Look at the Man in the Crocs maintaining high expecta-
tions for themselves aca-
By Ashley Lorah demically.
Last year, the First Year Honors student. He wants students to deepen and improve
Seminar professor, Dr. Howard Walters, their ability to think objectively about any subject.
earned a spotlight in the The Honors Bugle. Therefore, he warns scholars not to accept any-
Now it’s Dr. Duncan Jamieson’s turn for his thing at face value, but rather, to challenge every-
own article. Dr. Jamieson has been working thing!
at Ashland since 1979 and for the Honors
Not only does Dr. Jamieson have a busy
introduction class since 1995. In addition to
schedule here at Ashland, but he also keeps himself
the Honors course, Dr. Jamieson teaches
occupied outside of class. When I asked what he
history and social science courses. Although
does in his free time, he immediately mentioned his you love and you’ll never work a
he enjoys teaching regular lectures, Dr. Ja-
daughter, Heather. He really enjoys watching her day in your life.” It is inspiring to
mieson appreciates how Honors students are
run cross-country for Ashland Middle School. In see someone in a career that he
more engaged. He thinks they are more
addition, Dr. Jamieson likes kayaking in the Adiron- truly loves. My hope is that his phi-
open to different ideas yet also resistant.
dacks, long-distance cycling, and traveling in gen- losophy will motivate his students
Although that does not sound like good traits
eral. A common theme I recognized amidst our ami- so they find the same passion in a
for students to have, Dr. Jamieson encour-
cable interview was that Dr. Jamieson does what he future position.
ages opposition and debates. His ultimate
loves. He is living proof of the expression, “Do what
goal is to get into a verbal argument with a
4A Glimpse into the Metal Scene
By Melany Bagnola
Blaring, head-banging, scream- When asked how the thesis
ing music – the metal scene. Sunday has helped him personally, Paul re-
morning, worship, praising God – the sponded with three distinct areas of
church scene. One may not think those growth. First, he remarked that his
two have very much in common, or one fear of the project, which initially
may think that they could be the antithe- made him want to drop out of the is probably going to be your biggest
sis of one another; however, senior Reli- Honors Program, was transformed academic undertaking to this point,
gion major Paul Lattimer embarked on a into a vessel that allowed him to see but don’t quit. Use it as an opportuni-
thesis intertwining the two seemingly that he is capable of bigger things ty to climb to the next level. But,
opposite worlds. than he thought. Second, he was able even more importantly, don’t forget
As a requirement to graduate to have fun researching and studying to give God the glory for blessing you
from the Honors Program, each student the metal music genre, of which he with the ability and always being
completes an Honors Capstone Project. was a huge fan, on an academic level. there for you always!”
Paul’s project, “Sacred Metalcore: A wor- And third, Paul stated that this pro- Paul’s plan after his Decem-
ship, culture, & missiology study of the ject has taught him to stand up for ber graduation is to follow where
Christian metal scene,” seeks to unveil what he believes in. God leads him. He and his wife, Mi-
the enactment of the Christian faith with- Lattimer included some caela, plan to set off on a yearlong
in the metal scene. His argument is, “that words of wisdom for younger Honors mission trip to Asia to share the gos-
the redemptive power of Christ is power- Program students: “Don’t give up. If pel and love of Jesus with nations
ful enough to redeem a broken music you quit on yourself before you even who have never heard it before. In-
scene and transform it into a new crea- begin, what kind of standard will that trigued? You can follow updates on
tion that can bring honor, glory, and set for the rest of your life? Not a their journey at
praise to the one true God.” good one. Sure, this Capstone Project lattimers.blogspot.com.
Peer Mentor Program
true? Stephanie Julian, fresh-
By Amanda Mayes
man, says they do; “it was help-
ful knowing that if I had any
questions, someone who actually
early summer before a fresh- went through freshman year at
man’s first year, usually via Ashland was willing to answer
email, Facebook, texting, etc. me.” Julian and her mentor, jun-
This relationship, Andres says, ior Melany Bagnola, talked
In the fall of 2010, the should be trusting; “they are so- throughout the summer, and
Honors Program made the deci- cial equals in the university en- Julian notes that Bagnola is still
sion to create the Peer Mentor vironment and yet the mentor more than willing to help her out.
Program. Why? Nancy Andres, hopefully is able to develop a Julian is a full supporter of the
the Honors Program Coordinator, relationship of a trusted friend Peer Mentor Program for the sole
says it helps “incoming Honors or one who is able to provide reason that Bagnola was, and is,
Program freshmen acclimate to guidance and share wisdom with a great mentor. Julian states,
college life as well as build a com- the incoming student.” Almost “Melany made me feel comforta-
munity in the Honors Program.” always, Andres notes, this rela- ble with my choice to join [the
Mentors, says Andres, should be tionship holds true. However, Honors Program] and has be-
able to stay in contact with their there is the occasional negative come a friend I know will help me
mentees and be able to answer feedback when a mentor never if I need it.” The Peer Mentor Pro-
any question, whether it be Hon- meets with his or her mentee. gram is certainly making great
ors Program related or not. Inter- From a student’s per- headway at Ashland University.
action between the mentor and
mentee should, ideally, begin by perspective, do these ideals hold
5401 College Avenue
103 Clayton Hall
Ashland, Ohio 44805
419.289.5260
Dr. Christopher Swanson, Director
www.ashland.edu/academics/honors-program
ashlanduniversityhonorsprogram.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Ashland-University-Honors-Program
HONORS INTERNS:
2012/2013 HONORS SOCIETY OFFICERS:
Melany Bagnola
President: Lindsey Knapp Alaina Berry
Vice President: Katy Higaki Larissa Berry
Public Relations: Alex Higgins Kelly Crowl
Secretary: Alaina Berry Sarah Guarino
Ashley Lorah
Treasurer: Hailey Sult
Amanda Mayes
Freshman Representatives:
Mary Moeller
Stephanie Julian
Tricia Martin
Dear Readers, the Program as well as Nancy An-
dres for coordinating events, her
The fall semester of 2012 has
input and ideas, and her continual
proved to be very successful for the
support of the program and its
Honors Program! This year, we have
individual members. This news-
offered more social activities than ev-
letter would not have been possi-
er and have made unbelievable
ble without Nancy’s leadership featured in this issue, and
strides in fundraising. It is so won-
and guidance and the contribution best of luck to graduating
derful to be a part of a program that
of my fellow Honors interns. senior Paul Lattimer!
is improving annually. Thanks goes
out to the members of the Honors These articles truly show- I am looking forward
Society who planned the events, the case the talents of the Honors Pro- to what the Ashland Univer-
Honors interns for composing articles gram members—through both sity Honors Program has in
for this newsletter, and each member their accomplishments that are store for not only next se-
of the Honors Program that played a highlighted in multiple articles mester, but for years to
role in the growing success of the and also via the writing abilities of come!
Program. This was undoubtedly each intern. I am proud to be a
achieved by a group effort. member of the Honors Program in
addition to being the editor of the Best Wishes,
Additionally, I would like to
thank Dr. Swanson for his enthusi- current issue of The Honors Bugle. Alaina Berry, Editor
asm, direction, and participation in Congratulations to each
Honors Program member who was
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