Volume IV s Issue I

Photo Essay why do we fear? success & mores s

editor-in-chief Alec Cunninghamart director Hannah Berling

content editor Melissa Maucerionline media coordinator Adrienne Dickersonassistant online media coordinator Ashley Bell

newsletter editor Madilyn Elliotcopy editor Stephanie Turnerproofreader Michael Emery

writers TJ MillerMegan Franklin

editor-in-chiefAlec Cunningham

art directorHannah Berling

content editorMelissa Mauceri

a Tusculum student run magazine

Photo: Kassie Voelker

The clock is silent against the hum of fingers clicking against keys, each tick an asynchronous second pressed light-years before the clock hand’s twitch. It’s midnight, and there’s so

much work to be done. After class, home-work, club activities, athletic practice and a bit of obligatory socialization, there is little time to breathe, let alone to strive beyond Tusculum College’s common curriculum. For some students, the philosophy and civic engagement briefly touched on in core classes becomes a thirst that may only be quenched by intimate, prolonged discus-sion found most prominently among those classes offered by Tusculum’s Honors Pro-gram. Unfortunately, many of these students don’t have the time for a larger workload and extra classes, which is precisely why junior student Madilyn Elliott founded the Honors Student Organization. “Whenever I first started the Hon-ors Program [as a student in the program] at Tusculum, [it] was just a class list,” said

Elliott, now acting president of HSO. “It was extra work [and] there was no sense of community. The Honors Program... needed something extra to make it a program worth having.” Since its formation last year, the HSO has worked in tandem with the Honors Program to promote academic success for those students who enjoy learning as an extracurricular activity. The organization fo-cuses on independent thinking and personal growth outside of the classroom, fostering a responsibility to society as a whole. “The title of ‘honors’ doesn’t mean just an academic standing,” said Elliott, “HSO encourages honors students [as well as regular students] to be involved, therefore improving the name of Tusculum College in the Greeneville community.” In order to maintain that involvement and engage students in culture, activities director Hannah Lefler, a junior student, carefully plans projects in accordance to student abilities and interest. “We’re definite-ly going to see some shows,” she said, while flipping through a Niswonger Performing

Arts Center brochure, “But, we’re also going to help the elderly have a better Christmas.” Lefler hopes to establish a yearly ‘Christmas Angels’ project where HSO members deliver supplies, such as socks and toiletries, to nursing homes and interact with the resi-dents. The organization also provides opportunities for success after graduation. “It prepares you for graduate school and also to be a better employee— you learn critical thinking, to be open-minded, to think of things in ways that you wouldn’t think of them before, making you more adaptable to different environments,” said Elliott. She explained that, in essence, HSO stresses the importance of becoming a conscientious and responsible citizen and the only requirement to join is “an interest in higher academic achievement than is required for graduation.” All students are invited to take part in bettering their commu-nities on and off campus. s

Story: Sarah Holly Photo: Megan Franklin

4 5

HSO meets each block at the Honors House located across from campus. For more information, visit their Facebook page

at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1405264593036695/.

Keyspainting by Kassie voelker, SeniorOil on canvas, photographed

BottlesPrint by Kassie Voelker, Senior2 process Linocut,photographed and cropped

6

As humans our ability to fail has been shown time and time again; but as humans, that ability is also our pathway to success. Thomas

Edison once said, “I failed my way to success.” If we as a society cannot accept our failures then we cannot rise up out of them. In a narcissistic world, we are driven to be the best, but where do we begin to do that? From the beginning we are told to be doctors, lawyers, dentists, anything that offers a substantial living, and means something to the world. We are not told to be a waitress, farmer, artist, writer, because those careers don’t fit into society’s perception of success. If we do not have money, then we have failed, Right? Wrong. Failure is not falling. Failure is not

getting back up when we do. In order to succeed, we must sometimes fail. If we do not succeed, are we nothing? The idea that we haven’t proven ourselves or have let someone else down can push us to certain extremes. In 2005, according to Suicide.org suicide was the second leading cause of death among college students in the U.S. Today, on average, one suicide occurs every sixteen minutes, and it is the 11th leading cause of death of all Americans. The pressure society puts on students to not fail is immense. We cannot fail at being skinny, being popular, being rich or being better because if we do, then we don’t belong. Thinking that we have failed can push us to many different extremes such as suicide,

depression, or the desire to give up, but in order to succeed, we have to let our failures push us to success. Benjamin Franklin, Stephen King, Jay-Z, and Steven Spielberg are just a few of the people who “failed” before they succeeded. Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie was rejected thirty times and almost thrown away, but now King’s books have sold over 350 million copies. Steven Spielberg was rejected from the University of South Carolina twice and is now a prolific filmmaker with films like E.T and Jaws under his belt. He, along with several other people, succeeded, because they did not let failure define them. They kept pushing through and chose to succeed. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of success is “to achieve the desired aim or result.” That definition does not say we must achieve the desired aim or result that someone else has set for us. Mark Caine, author, said, “The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.” Just because society puts pressure on you to be skinny, popular, or rich does not mean you have to do those things in order to succeed. You succeed when you have fulfilled the goals you, and you alone, have set for yourself. If you set those goals you have the power to change them. So if you do fail you have the power to say, “Okay that didn’t work, but I know how it can.” Failure can feel like defeat, but with today’s technology, there are so many ways to get help. Just by typing in the word failure in the google search engine gives

you so many ways to overcome the moment when you fall. Whether it is a book or an article online, there are steps laid out to help you get back up. You can succeed in life by being willing to accept that you can fail and knowing that it is not the end. You may ask what the point of all this failure talk is. It’s so we know, myself included, that success is achievable even when we are at our lowest. Success has to start within. If you are okay with the direction in life you have chosen and the person you are, those small moments in your life when you do fall will be just that: small moments. Most people will tell you the key to success is to look at yourself, then look at the situation, and then say okay this is what I have to do, this is what needs done, and this is how to achieve it. If we quit being afraid to fail, we can focus on succeeding. We have to quit being afraid of the “what if.” What if I am not a lawyer, or skinny, or rich? Does that mean I have failed? Will my life end and no one love me? No. If you are not any of those things, it means you didn’t want to be those things. It means that you were not afraid to go after whatever it is that makes you happy. Whether, it is being poor, having a little more body to love, or being exactly what you want, no matter the pay. The key is to be what you want, and you will have succeeded. s

Story: Megan Franklin Photo: alec cunningham

9

ex post-factomatt pierce

Where tread so lightlymen and womenlost in easy dreamingamong the crumbling porticosand cherry-blossom scentwashing up likefriendship eroded by the waves.Let this pass even as it will,but hand me first the holly leavesto mark my name in passingupon these tumbled.winsome days.

flask and funnel setmatt pierce

A soft dream under denim.I woke up in a bookstore caféto the diesel reekof chainsaws and tractors.There were seascapes, barges,and a strip mall burning down.Falling up stairwells,rusty blood. Coppertastes like a story Ionce read. I think aboutsailboats and the obscene buzzof a windmill farm.Cars abandoned on thehighway, stretching inlines of lost exodus formiles and miles. A weirdand lonesome breeze speaksonly in terms of silt and sod;tells me I’man asshole, screaming drunkalone in the forest.

Intaglio Print: Kassie Voelker Charcoal Drawing: Kassie Voelker11

weatheredEmily Waryck

The garden is lyingThe flowers are deadAnd even the weeds areGasping for airThe clouds are swollenLike the belly of a motherI keep waiting for the rainBut it stays humidThe garden and IAre suffocating in the gripOf a stormy tomorrowAnd I’m feeling justLike those cloudsFull of waitingAnd the need for todayTo become todayThe need for releaseThe sky is a nooseThat I’ll wrap aroundMy air-breathing throatMy pulse-beating neckAlive with nothing moreThan the promise of tomorrowBut what if the world ends beforeTomorrow comesWhat if the world ends before

drownDoes God have a plan for meOr am I his forgotten childLost in the iris of a hurricaneI am dizzy with wonderUpside down king of cupsDrowning yesterdayAnd the day beforeDrowning all the daysThat you remember rememberingThe day you broke the picture frameThe day God’s promise didn’t breakThe day the promise shatteredToday is the start of tomorrowPicasso’s colors come aliveTurning rain into rosesAnd rivers of silkI am his forgotten childToday I will rememberThough I’ve already forgotten

Emily Waryck

13

fear presented a Grand Canyon-sized gap for this writer – myself – to tackle, though some may call me the Ray Lewis of writing because of it. (Get it – the old Ravens middle linebacker who was much more dominant than everyone else. He won two Super Bowls and was even labelled MVP in his first appearance. Really, nothing rings a bell? Geez, I need you guys to catch up.) Now, let’s all take a college-sized nap and drift off to The Nightmare before Christmas. With the recent passing of October and Halloween, the question has to be raised: Why the hell is our culture so obsessed with violence, death, and fear in the month of October? I mean honestly, think about it Picture yourself on February the 14th, showering everyone around you with love and affection. Now, fast-forward to the summer months with days of sunshine, smiles, butterflies, and rainbows. Then life slows down a little more, and we all adjust to the changing seasons and begin to enjoy the fall colors, cold weather, warm fireplaces, those hideous wool foot-ovens called UGGS, and of course – don’t worry girls, I’ve got you covered – pumpkin spice lattes. And then, out of nowhere like an

Story: TJ Miller Photos: Kassie Voelker

A Formulated Experience Against Reason, what on earth could this possibly mean? Is this an article depicting the evil upper-level-government-Project-

MKUltra-type scheme that was created deep in the hollow earth in order to indoctrinate the entire human public? No, no, this is not that article, but I got you reading, didn’t I? If this was an iMessage, this would be where I insert that sly looking winky face emoji you might send to your significant other at 2:19 in the morning after a long evening of striking out at the local watering hole. If all goes well, you hopefully won’t find yourself needing a “cold one” and a visit to your local watering hole after listening to this heart-pounding, edge-of-the-seat thriller that explores the innate emotions and feelings we all have towards fear, but I digress. For one reason or another, fear is a subject that is oftentimes shied away from. It’s like talking about death while Grandma Nancy lies in her hospital bed; it’s generally frowned upon, and mothers everywhere will scold you for it. However, the sensitivity of

15

Theories behind the human obsession with horror films have been around since the time of Aristotle and continue to perplex psychologists and scientists alike. Right now you’re thinking, “Wait a second; that doesn’t make any sense; How could Aristotle develop a theory on horror movies when they didn’t know how to even change the channel?” Oh, just wait and see, my fellow minions. There is something about horror and fear itself that stimulates the instinctively animalistic traits that are a fundamental part of our DNA. Deep down at the human core, we have an evolutionary connection to our ancient ancestors of the wild. When necessary, these “forefathers” could tap into a stream of subconscious primordial anger or evil that often results in extreme violence; this being no different for the modern-day man. Professor Nobuo Masataka conducted research on children as young as three and found that most children could spot a snake on a screen more easily than a flower. The results of this research further proves that fear is an innate feeling, which is simply a building block of all human emotions. Christof Koch, a professor and

chief scientific officer at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, conducted research that showed the right amygdala – the portion of the brain associated with fear – responds more dynamically to images of animals than to images of people, landmarks, or objects, regardless of their danger relevancy to the civilized world. This idea is significant to film producers and directors, because this notion feeds the beast that is the “horror movie monster.” These inherent fears of animals are what has led to the creation of blockbuster hit movies, such as “Frankenstein,” “The Wolf Man,” and “Dracula.” Although there are arguments for the actualization of fear while watching horror films, scholars continue to argue over the origination of fear in the brain. Brain scan research conducted by Thomas Straube in 2010 at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena showed that scary movies don’t actually initiate fear responses in the amygdala. Instead, several other parts of the brain were firing including the visual cortex, the part of the brain responsible for processing visual information, the insular cortex, associated with self-awareness, the thalamus, the relay switch between brain hemispheres, and

RKO in the ring with Randy Orton, October comes busting through the western-style saloon doors with two seven-shooters at his hip. The barkeep gets a little angry and says, “Oh great, here comes October again with all his violence, ghouls, and scare-tactics, but why?” That is a great question barkeep; let’s see if some light can be shed on the subject. Although it may appear as though fear is an unexplainable emotion that simply occurs in the human body, Dr. Margee Kerr has some more knowledgeable answers. She is a staff sociologist at ScareHouse, which is a haunted house in Pittsburgh, Penn., and a teacher at Robert Morris University and Chatham University, where she is referred to as a “scare specialist.” Dr. Kerr is interviewed in the online article, Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear? from TheAtlantic.com by author Allegra Ringo, a comedian and writer. One of the reasons behind those who enjoy the feeling of being scared is the natural high that comes from the activation of the fight-or-flight response. Dr. David Zald, a psychology professor at Vanderbilt University, researched this exact idea. His studies revealed that dopamine is released in the brain as a response to the

scary situations. In this sense, the actual act of being scared can be compared to working out or doing drugs; it simply makes us happy. Dr. Zald described how people differ in their response to fear because of their chemical makeup and how some people lack the “brakes” to stop the flow of dopamine when they are scared. In other words, some people will find thrilling and risky situations enjoyable and others not so much. Another by-product of fear is the boost of confidence once you’ve survived the high speed corn maze chase. It seems odd, and yet intriguing, that as humans we are willing to put ourselves through an extreme amount of discomfort and trepidation just to attain a confident sense of achievement. If you ask this writer, there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that you’ll find me at a haunted house in order to raise my confidence. You can find me over at the local watering hole ingesting some of that liquid encouragement. (Again, insert sly winky emoji here.) Now that we have explored some of the scientific reasoning behind the enjoyment of fear – freaking weirdoes – let’s dive into why we are so obsessed with horror films and similar entertainment.

horror movies. For those of you who are a little sicker than others and enjoy the doling out of a good well-deserved whooping, or in these cases death, there is the dispositional alignment theory. Deep down in the depths of our souls, we have a quiet passion for the bad guys getting what they deserve. When we see someone getting ruthlessly punished for their evil actions, we revert back to our animalistic natures and a sly smirk may slide across our faces. The gender socialization theory relates specifically to all college student horn-dogs and is often referred to as the “snuggle theory.” For obvious reasons, this is my personal favorite, and it relates to an experiment that took place between teenage boys and their lady friends and gauged their reactions based off of the other’s gender. The boys were found to enjoy the horror movies more when their counterparts were visibly scared. The opposite was true for the girls, who enjoyed the movie less when their “man” was obviously scared and not brave. Although there are countless theories and notions as to what causes the actual feeling of fear and why we’re so obsessed with it as a society, it all boils down to the following quote: “Where there is no imagination, there is no horror,” said Arthur Conan Doyle. Fear has long plagued the human race and spanned across thousands of years involving countless tales of terror and horror. For years, people were afraid to leave their domiciles for fear of the unknown. But fear not my fellow readers, take a bright look at the dark side of things, and make fear your friend and enemy, your frenemy.s

prefer to stay alive while seeking thrills, a trip to the local box office may be the best solution. Fear is one of those human emotions that continues to be a mystery to both the psychological and scientific worlds. The debate of the origination of fear dates all the way back to before the time of Aristotle and continues to reach its’ horrific grasp into the 21st century. On one hand, we have psychoanalytical minds like Sigmund Freud, who deemed horror came from our primitive images and thoughts that were being suppressed by the civilized mind. Another great psychological mind was Carl Jung, who believed movies tapped deep into our primitive archetypes as a part of our general subconscious. This meaning the dark images of shadows and mothers play a vital role in the horror genre. Aristotle developed a theory based on the term known as catharsis, which means our attraction to violent and scary stories stems from our desire to purge our negative emotions. The scary stories we were told as children helped us to relieve the pent up emotional distress we often felt, according to Aristotle. However, modern science has proved that watching these violent horror films actually increases aggression. An interesting theory was developed by film scholar Noël Carroll, known simply as the “curiosity and fascination.” Horror is outside of everyday normalities and so we have an innate fascination with what would be deemed taboo by others. Many studies show that there is a direct correlation between people who are accepting of violations of the norm and those who enjoy

type, which references a viewer’s feelings of either identifying and sympathizing with the protagonist or condemning the antagonists or victims to their ultimate demise. The final factor is unrealism, which can easily be considered the most counterintuitive. Albeit viewers know that they are in store for a truly graphic and violent experience, we all know at some level these images on the screen are not

real. Research was conducted by Haidt, McCauley, and Rozin in 1994 on disgust among students. In this experiment, the students were shown a series of gruesome documentary videos with very few of

these students completing the films. Yet when these same students were put in front of a horror movie on the big screen, often with even more disturbing images, they handled it with ease. Why? The reasoning behind this may be that when we walk into a theater with our $14, 36-oz. tub of buttered kernels and $9.50 six-ounce cup of Pepsi, we know that what we’re seeing is fabricated reality. Although those prices may appear to be the actual fabrication of our reality, they’re not. Rather, the images on the screen are the fabrication, and we find a thrill in being so close to danger, yet so far away. Thrill seekers are always actively searching for the next big thing to quicken their pulse and makes their hands clammy: be it swimming with sharks, hunting down Dracula, or reuniting Frankenstein with his bride. But for those of you out there who

the dorsal-medial prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain associated with planning, attention, and problem solving. So, the real question is if we are not being scared, at least chemically in the brain, then what the heck is going on and why on earth are some people so obsessive? Before this Glenn-Close-Michael-Douglas-esque fatal psychological attraction can be explained, let’s take a look at the allure of horror movies through the eyes of psychologist Glenn D. Walters. Walters describes three primary reasons behind the natural moth-to-flame magnetism of horror movies. The first is tension, which is created through mystery, suspense, gore, terror, or shock. This factor is a straightforward element of horror, which can be observed as the essential foundation of the house of horror. The second factor is relevance, being that the horror addressed on screen needs to be relatable to the viewers in their own daily lives. This does not necessarily mean the film utilizes current events or issues, but rather the relevance is in accord with a universal relevance of fear – that is capturing the collective fears of death or the unknown. There is also subgroup relevance, which directly associates with viewers consciously placing themselves in a character’s shoes. Teenagers are one of the more popular groups that flock to horror films, and this is due in part to the subgroup relevance that they feel towards the characters. Personal relevance is a third

Fear is one of those human emotions that continues to

be a mystery to both the psychological and scientific

worlds.

19

photos: Ben Cash

This series of photographs were taken by a junior at Tusculum College, Ben Cash. These photographs are an acknowledgement to the wonders of nature.

This photograph was taken in the summer heat in Cades Cove Loop of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with a Nikon d600.

This photograph was taken at the Treemont Institute, also a part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was taken with a rather long exposure time to create the smooth look of the water. This was taken on a cloudy day with a Nikon d600.

This photograph was taken at the raging falls in Southern California’s Kings Canyon National Park. This photograph was taken with a longer exposure and neutral density filters allowing for a slower shutter speed in high sunlight. This was also taken with a Nikon d600.

This fall 2014 the Tusculum college English department coordinated a trip to Dublin, Ireland for 10 days as part of the college’s Study Abroad

program. There was a group of eight students and one teacher, and I was one of the students. The focus of study was Irish Literature. While visiting, we went to a variety of places related to Irish Literature, and we even ended up at a few places we initially could not believe had a relation to Irish Literature. Learning about Ireland’s history and personality first hand was an engaging experience. One of the students on the trip, Sarah Holly said, “You grow up in one place, and sure, you can read about other places, but actually being there completely out of your element, actively taking in the importance of this landmark and that street, it’s all bewildering. Very disorienting and so, so wonderful.” When we visited the An Post Museum, General Post Office, in Dublin we were surprised to see bullet holes visible from the Easter Rising in 1916. Seeing them personally made us feel a sense of connection to something that happened almost 100 years ago in a foreign land.Clonmacnoise It all began with a boat ride from Athlone, down the river Shannon, and we ended up at Clonmacnoise. The day had started out cold and rainy, though the day eventually warmed up. This place is a monastery and was an amazing view of the crosses and burials. They had burial mounds to walk around and view, and inside there was information about the high crosses: the cross of Scriptures, the South

cross, and the North cross.“It’s a magical place: on one side of the wall, Celtic crosses stand amongst biblical verses written into gravestones and on the other side are druid altars and burial mounds,” said Holly. Clonmacnoise is history in an open field, un-shielded from the public, and that was something Holly appreciated about this place. The grounds had a couple round towers used for defense. When attackers were coming everyone would pile up in the towers to hide, and the high window was used to watch for attackers coming. Seeing the crosses and seeing the faint scriptures etched into the cross was a sight to see. Newgrange Newgrange is in Boyne Valley in Ireland. It is known as a passage tomb, and is thousands of years old. The front entrance has been reconstructed, but the stones used to create the front are ones the archaeologist found on the Newgrange lands. The archaeologist who came out and viewed the place has rebuilt the front to what he believe it looked like at the time it was built. Once inside, the tour guide turned the lights off inside, and let us experience what it would be like when the winter solstice came. One beam of light would shine through for a short period of time and illuminate the room. “I stood inside its innermost chambers where druids once prayed in the dark surrounded by the spirits of their ancestors and deities,” said Holly.Hill of Tara The Hill of Tara ho is said to be home to the gods, though it looks like grass mounds. The location is said to be an

Story: Ashley Bell Photos: Beth COllins 27

Gaol because I’m a Criminal Justice Major and a lot of the stuff we’ve studied was there.” 16 executions took place at the Gaol. These people were killed either by firing squad or hanging. James Connolly, an Easter Rising leader, was one of these prisoners executed. His story is a bit tragic because he had already been injured and suffered from horrible wounds. When it was his time to be executed he was too weak to stand. Instead they tied him upright in a chair for his execution. The prisoners at Kilmainham Gaol were not placed in cells properly and there would be multiple prisoners in one cell. They did not place men and women together, but the tour guide said they would have about 15 people in a cell at a time. Sarah Holly says she encountered an experience with an Irish spirit while we were at the Gaol. “To be more descriptive, it began when we entered the room labeled with a “Robert Emmett” placard above the door, the one where prisoners on death row were held prior to execution. There was a hole cut into the wall where the executioner could examine the prisoner and decide what weights to use when hanging him or her. As we stood there, listening to the guide, I felt horribly dizzy and a small headache began somewhere at the edge of my mind. A tad nauseated, a tad jarred by a feeling of distinct ‘strangeness,’ if that makes sense.”O’Neills There was one pub in Temple Bar we visited multiple times and was the perfect Irish dining experience. They had a great variety of items including lamb

shank, Irish stew, soup, and brown bread. On our last night at Dublin we chose to eat here one last time, and by chance we were eating in the writer’s room. There was a picture of all the great Irish writers, which served as more proof that literature is all over Dublin. Study Abroad Program at Tusculum College The Study Abroad program was introduced to Tusculum College in 2008 when Geir Bergvin funded the center for global studies. The trips include all transportation, lodging, excursion, and insurance. Some of the other places Tusculum students have been to include Barcelona and Malta. Different courses offer Study Abroad, so a variety of students get a chance to qualify for the trips. Students are allowed to go on multiple trips. A Tusculum graduate Beth Collins went to Malta, and this trip to Ireland. “Tusculum’s Study Abroad program is perfect for inspiring individuals to become more rounded. It pushes students to get out of their comfort zone and experience the world while retaining a safe, educational environment,” said Collins. Overall, the Ireland trip inspired students and gave us a chance to learn and grow. It was truly a once in a lifetime trip.s

breadth and depth of the literary tradition of Ireland. The sheer number of amazing literary talents that have come out of Ireland and Dublin is absolutely fascinating,” said Pierce. One of the writers, W.B. Yeats, helped to create the Abbey theatre with Lady Gregory. This was interesting, because we expected to learn about the writing these writers did, not what these people did in their community. James Joyce Center

The James Joyce center was dedicated to him because of the impact Joyce’s writing had on Ireland. One of his major works is “Ulysses.” He also wrote “Dubliners,” a book of stories about the Dublin society.“Joyce is just such a monumental figure in literature that I think serious students sometimes forget the real person that existed under the deification we project onto him,” said Pierce. The Center had a model

of his room and where he wrote. “Playing his piano, sitting amongst his personal effects, watching videos about the man himself, as a person and not an abstract literary titan, really bring home the humanity of the person himself,” said Pierce. Kilmainham Gaol Kilmainham Gaol touched each student emotionally. While there, one of the students, Victoria Browder said, “My most memorable experience was Kilmainham

entrance way to the spirit world. The stone of destiny is there and is speculated to be from the godlike people. If one places their foot on top of this stone and their name is hollered out then they are meant to be the King of Tara. “The Hill of Tara feels powerful, not due to me simply placing a foot on the Stone, I mean there’s just this echoed energy there that crawls beneath your skin. You can feel it in the air, that this was the coronation sight of kings and now you’re there as a tourist,” said Holly. One mound at the Hill of Tara used to hold hostages, a term that meant important people at that time in history. They had a small passage door to enter, but visitors were not allowed to go in. This is because it was too small, and artifacts had been stolen from inside.Dublin Writers Museum The Dublin Writers Museum shared some of the most importance to our class. Writers in the museum included James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, and W.B. Yeats. The Dublin Writers Museum had countless interesting things to see. “Seeing the first editions, manuscripts, and artifacts of these great figures really gives you a sense of perspective about the depth of the Irish literary heritage, and also demystifies the writers themselves to some extent,” said student Matt Pierce. “The Dublin Writers Museum really just throws into sharper relief that incredible

29

Upon first flipping through these pages, you may find a slightly different magazine compared to previous issues of Frontier Magazine. Don’t panic though, this was entirely our intention – to positively shock our readers and bring a fresh spin to our college magazine. We have found ourselves shift-

ing in a slightly different direction as our talent as a group has continued to mature. So in effect, this issue is the culmination of that talent. In that we provided this issue with a much needed face-lift, merging together this magazine into an entirely new layout with a clear, concise style was a challenge to our entire team. It’s been a hectic last few weeks, but the result seems to have been well worth the effort. In an ever-developing world of journalism, it is pertinent to develop solid, reli-able content. When creating a magazine, it’s even more important to wrap that con-tent up with an extravagant bow. After experiencing a recent budget cut, we were hard-pressed to create the precise magazine we imagined while remaining within our budget. Despite traversing new creative grounds and stumbling upon a few bumps in the road, we managed to make our design dreams come true. Our goal was to create an appearance that was contemporary and fresh – a style that will keep our readers engaged while flipping through our pages. Furthermore, in this specific issue we wanted to honor our fellow Tusculum students by showcasing his and her work within our pages. Everyone deserves a little recognition, and that’s

what we planned to provide. Not only have we included our regular journalistic entries but we have also added artistic content comprised of photo essays and poems. We hope you find Frontier Magazine both visually appealing as well as chocked full of solid content to sink your teeth into. Essentially, we want this to be a magazine you will come to rely on for years to come for information and news about Tusculum and the surrounding community. It’s been our objective to portray the full talent of Tusculum College’s students through the sampling of content we have provided here. From stories about your big-gest fears to poems about life decisions, we’re confident you’ll find enjoyment in this issue of Frontier Magazine. This, I believe, is our best issue yet, though none of it would have been possi-ble without the hardworking, dedicated group of staff members I have working beside me. Ultimately, there are three key people responsible for making this magazine what it is – Art Director Hannah Berling, Content and Acquisitions Editor Melissa Mauceri, and Copy Editor Stephanie Turner. Without them, this issue most certainly would not have come together as successfully as it did. So stoke the fire, make some hot cocoa, sit back, and enjoy our magazine. Have a very merry holiday season, from all of us at Tusculum’s Frontier Magazine.

Best Wishes,Alec CunninghamEditor-in-Chief