SpringhillianThe

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam | March 15, 2012 | volume 94 Issue 7

By AliciaCANDELA

Life Styles Reporter

see SGA on page 5| 15

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| 7

InsidenEWS

InsideOPInIOn

InsideLIFESTYLES

InsideSPORTS

Nursing and Business accreditation rumors put to rest

Blind support for “Kony 2012” movement

Upcoming musical ‘Godspell’ hits the Hill

Quarterback says goodbye to the NFL

Reaching new heightsAs of March 7, 2012 the President

and Vice President for the 2012-2013 year are President Gabriel Wagner and Vice President Payton Tanner.

Junior Gabriel Wagner has been involved with the Student Government Association since his freshman year at Spring Hill. “I was elected as SGA Freshman President Senator, reelected to Sophomore President Senator, ac-cepted the executive cabinet position as Vice President of Student concerns and now here we are today,” stated Wagner.

Wagner discussed his past experi-ences with SGA and his involvement during this past year. His responsi-bilities consisted of organizing many of the social events this year includ-ing the junior class senate Halloween week event and the Christmas New Year’s weekend event. Wagner also ar-ranged some of the athletic events like the Spirit Charter bus for the volleyball tournament and the 2011 Badger Vol-ley Brawl spirit week event. “This was a very busy year for me within the SGA and we are just getting warmed up,” said Wagner.

All new policies, changes and goals are all listed on the campaign Face-book page, entitled SGA Truth 2012. “Our Platform includes our prom-ise to always be available to meet the students’ needs. We will help make the

THIS WEEK | 2 March 15, 2012

WEEKLYFORECAST

HILLIAnSTAFFEDITOR(s)AllisonPATRICKKatelynGARDNER

ADVISORStuartBABINGTON

NEWS editorCoraALLEN

LIFESTYLE reporter(s)AliciaCANDELABrandyJONES

SPORTS editorMattLaBORDE

SPORTS reporterKieferGINGLES

CARTOONISTEfrenFLORES

HILLIAnCOnTACTThe SpringHilliana: 4000 Dauphin Street c/o The SpringHillian Mobile, AL 36608e: hillian@stumail.shc.edup: 251.380.3850f. 251.460.2185

On COvERTHE

EvEnTS WEEKOFTHE

Housing Forms DueHousing Contract is due on Wednesday the 21st which includes a $150 commitment deposit.

Students must registered as full-time with 12 credit hours for Fall 2012 by March 23.March 26 will commence round 1: Fairway’s & Skip’s Place

April11 will start round 2: 1-Person Housing & 4-person Housing April 16 will be the 2-Person Housing due date.

3/15/12Jambalaya Lunch

Join Campus Ministry in their Jambalaya Lunch today, Thursday in the Gautrelet Room. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. - 1p.m., and will include jambalaya, bread, salad, dessert, and drink for only $8. Tickets may be purchased from any of the ISIP students or by calling Campus Min-

istry at 380-3495. All proceeds benefit the International Service/Immersion Program.

3/21/12

thurs fri sat sun

81/59 78/61 78/62 77/62

mon tues wed

79/60 77/61 76/61

3/17/12 MS Walk

Please join us as a community to support MS Walk.Sign up/ Student Center Information Desk

Donation, $10 includes t-shirt and donation to Multiple Sclerosis.

3/16/12Undergraduate Research Symposium Information Meeting

The SHC Undergraduate Research Symposium will be held on Friday, April 20, 2012 from 3:45-5:30pm (following the Honors Convocation).

Information sessions will be held on Friday, March 16 from 12-1pm in QH301. For more information about the symposium, visit kudzu.shc.edu/urs

Contact Dr. Jamie Franco-Zamudio jfrancozamudio@shc.edu 251-380-3058

3/19/12Public Safety Forum

Public Safety Director Todd Warren invites you to a Public Safety forum on Mon-day March 19, 2012 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. They would like to have a discussion with our stu-

dent population about the possibility of expanding of our Public Safety Department to in-clude sworn police officers. Please come and give us your input and ask a lot of questions.

3/18/12RHA’s Minute to Win it

Residence Hall Association is presenting a MInute to Win It competition! 18 contestants will be chosen from the audience that day. There are going to three great prizes: Kindle, flip video recorder, and an iPod shuffle!.

Attend the event located in the Cafeteria from 2 - 3:30 p.m.

Juniors Gabriel Wagner and Payton Tanner step into office as they are named President and Vice President of SGA for the 2012-2013 school year.Photo by KeliMAZZA

3/17/12

The Luck of the Irish celebrates all things Irish with a family–friendly event in Bienville Square on St. Patrick’s Day. The Irish stew and corned-beef & cabbage cook-off will begin early that day and be ready for tasting by 11 a.m..

The The parade runs at 2 p.m. and wraps around the Square. The park will be filled with Irish bagpipers and trouba-dours as well as Irish dancers. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate with children under 12 free with a paid

adult. Call 251.479.5700 for more information.

Luck of the Irish Cook-off & Parade

3 | nEWSMarch 15, 2012

The Spring Hill College Under-graduate Research Symposium provides students with the opportunity to present their research to a large audience. The re-search can be from an internship or for a classroom project. It provides the com-munity as well as the students and faculty with a space where they can see how re-search and education connects. According to kudzu.shc.edu/urs, it is a great way for students attending the program to learn about the broad range of opportunities at Spring Hill College. Many projects in various disciplines will be presented by the students.

According to Dr. Jamie Franco-Za-mudio, 2012 is the second year of the Undergraduate Research Symposium. There will be poster presentations set up around the LeBlanc room in the Student Center. One can show anything from a term paper, to a research, video or even an artistic presentation.

“The best part about SHCURS is that it is about professional development. We are developing presentation skills that they can use throughout their lives,” Fran-co-Zamudio said.

Workshops also know as SHCURS information sessions will be held by Dr. Franco-Zamudio and Gentry Holbert. It is on Friday, March 16, from 12 to 1 p.m., in Quinlin Hall, room 301.

Dr. Piafsky and Dr. Ruiz-Limon will be holding the Abstract/Project Descrip-tion writing workshop on Tuesday March

20 from 4 to 5 p.m., in Quinlen Hall room 301. The abstract/project descrip-tion writing workshop will help with the application process. On the application there is a 250 word essay slot on what the project is about. The essays are posted on the Spring Hill College website. “Our goal is for people to be able to go to Spring

Hill College and see what the students are doing,” said Franco-Zamudio.

Dr. Dorton, Dr. Reed and Dr. Ruiz-Limon will hold the Presentation Tech-niques workshop on April 10 from 4 to 5 p.m. in Quinlen Hall, room 301.

SHCURS will be held on Friday, April 20, from 3:45 p.m. through 5:30

that demonstrates substantive use of the print and digital collections in Burke Me-morial Library. There will be two excel-lences awards in presentations as well.

There are several Spring Hill College faculty and staff that are taking part as judges at SHCURS. Teachers and staff alike have stepped up to judge the proj-ects. “The judges are looking at how in-formative the poster is. The visibility of it, can they understand what it is just by looking at it. The presenter’s ability to articulate their project. How informa-tive they are in that articulation and their professionalism. The eye contact, the abil-ity to engage more than one person in the project,” said Franco-Zamudio. “It is about us and as many people as possible being there for our students. We are cel-ebrating what they’ve done over the year and acknowledging it. We are giving them a forum to talk about it and share what they’ve done.”

The deadline to submit the applica-tion for the 2012 Research Symposium is April, 6, 2012. For more information contact Dr. Jamie Franco-Zamudio at jfrancozamudio@shc.edu or Gentry Hol-bert at gholbert@shc.edu. The informa-tion on SHCURS is available on the IR page on badgerweb. According to Franco-Zamudio, the entire program is free. “The students that are involved in the sympo-sium should not have to pay for anything. There is no entry fee. There is no fee for printing for their posters. Everything is printed out of the Student Affairs office,” said Franco-Zamudio.

Spring Hill College hosts Undergraduate Research Symposium for students

Mobile, Ala.--- Spring Hill College will mark Alpha Sig-ma Nu Week on March 18-23 2012. Alpha Sigma Nu is the international Jesuit honor soci-ety. Induction into this exclu-sive group is the highest honor Spring Hill College confers upon an undergraduate student. Those selected must excel in academics, campus involvement and leadership, and demonstrate loyalty to the ideals of Jesuit ed-ucation. Each year, Alpha Sigma Nu inducts only four percent of the Junior and Senior classes.

Alpha Sigma Nu Week is an opportunity for the entire Spring Hill College community to celebrate its Jesuit identity and heritage. Faculty members are encouraged to show the award- winning animated film, “The Olive” in their classes. This short film chronicles the life and mission of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order.

Activities scheduled for the student center dining room in-clude students writing appre-ciation notes to their favorite professors and to passing on

“Magis cards” to fellow students and faculty who exemplify the Jesuit ideal of generosity. Ma-gis (pronounced “màh-gis”) is a Jesuit phrase that means “the more.” It is taken from Ad ma-jorem Dei gloriam, a Latin phrase meaning “for the greater glory of God.”

Two lectures will highlight Alpha Sigma Nu Week. Dr. Sarah Duncan, assistant profes-sor of history at Spring Hill College, will deliver the latest in-stallment in the “Last Lecture” series. The Last Lecture origi-

nated as a talk given to students at Carnegie Mellon University by Dr. Randy Pausch, a profes-sor of computer science who was dying of pancreatic cancer. This extraordinary lecture, in which the professor opened up about his life, beliefs and struggles to students, resulted in an interna-tionally best-selling book titled “The Last Lecture.” Duncan will speak on Tuesday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Byrne Hall.

Dr. Nader Entessar, profes-sor of political science at The University of South Alabama is

the featured speaker on Thurs-day, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. in LeBlanc Room C in the Student Center. Entessar is an interna-tionally recognized expert on the culture and politics of Iran and will speak on “War Addic-tion: Vietnam to Afghanistan and Beyond.”

For more information on the Alpha Sigma Nu Week and the scheduled lectures, contact Rev. Michael Williams, S.J. at mwilliams@shc.edu or 251-380-4641.

Alpha Sigma Nu to celebrate Jesuit heritage

By BrandyJONESLifestyles Reporter

Photo By Jamie Franco-Zamudio

Ashley Derenbecker and Megan Zeringue present their posters at the symposium

p.m. in the LeBlanc Ballroom in the Stu-dent Center. According to kudzu.shc.edu/urs, the workshops are held to help students prepare for the symposium.

Franco-Zamudio said the workshops are open to the student body in general and all students are welcome to attend.

According to kudzu.shc.edu/urs, the Friends of the Library will spon-

sor two Charles Boyle Research Awards for student projects of exceptional qual-ity. A special collections for $250, will be awarded to research that demonstrates substantive use of the archives and federal depository materials of Burke Memorial Library. A print and digital collections for $250, which will be awarded to research

nEWS | 4 March 15, 2012

Dr. Peter VanInwagen, John Cardinal O’Hara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, presented the annual Suarez Lecture on Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m. in Byrne Memorial Hall.

VanInwagen’s lecture, “Can Science Disprove the Existence of God,” argued that in order to disprove God one must have a philosophical argument instead of merely using science to prove His non-existence. The exam-ple given is science’s disproving

of crystallized spheres. Van-Inwagen states, “Why should science be able to show God exists,” when He is unable to be measured or seen. It is through this argument that VanInwagen differentiates between an item disproved through science and God: “There is a vast difference between God and any object that science says doesn’t exist.”

VanInwagen discussed the logical argument that challenges God’s existence, saying that God is everywhere. With the analogy

“‘Why should science be able to show God exists,’ when He is unable to be

measured or seen.”

Dr. Peter VanInwagen’s presentation of ‘Can Science Disprove the Existance of God?’By KatelynGARDNERCo-editor

Photo By MatthewLABORDE

Recently there have been a number of rumors regarding the accreditation of the Busi-ness and Nursing departments here at Spring Hill College. Dr. George Sims, Provost is eager to silence the rumors and give the students the truth. Dr. Sims says that there has been somewhat of a “telephone effect” regarding the situations, and that while there is a “kernel of truth,” the facts are distorted.

Many students have heard rumors that the Business De-partment, the Accounting pro-gram in particular, has lost its accreditation. The truth is, how-ever, that the department chose not to renew its accreditation in the 2009-2010 academic year. Until 2010, the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) accredited the department, After that year they chose not to renew. There are a number of factors that led to this decision. Dr. Sims ex-plains that while there is a “gold standard” accrediting body in business, it is not ACBSP but rather The Association to Ad-vance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB.) The ACBSP was actually created by several

institutions, which were not members of the AACSB, and is the equivalent of a Junior Var-sity team in terms of accrediting institutions. So, even though the department was in good stand-ing with the ACBSP, the college saw no benefit in renewing the accreditation and according to Simm, “the only communica-tion we had with them for five years was the invoice that they sent us.” He also says that the ACBSP was “tak-ing advantage of the word accredi-tation,” because even without submitting “re-quired” reports, Spring Hill Col-lege was still listed as a member. The department and adminis-tration decided that the accredi-tation did not make a differ-ence in whether or not students were getting jobs or getting into graduate school, so it wasn’t re-ally worth it. Currently, Sims says they are in the early stages of seeking membership in the AACSB, and will be deciding within the next academic year whether or not this is a viable option.

Until then, Sims sees no rea-son for students of the division of business to fret. Spring Hill

is among many other prestigious colleges and universities that do not have an accredited business department. Schools such as Milsaps, Rhodes, Center Col-lege, and Davidson College also do not have accreditation.

Students also shouldn’t worry that this will affect the likelihood of getting into grad-uate school, said Sims. Julian Miranda (’11,) graduated as an accounting major, and despite

the lack of accreditation was accepted into the University of Michigan’s accounting program, which is ranked No. six in the nation by U.S. News. Julian will be working at the Big Four ac-counting firm in New York City this summer. He says that he isn’t alone and three of his classmates were accepted and attended Florida International University, University of Miami, and Notre Dame. Sims says this is because grades and GMAT scores matter much more than accreditation.

Many students have also heard rumors regarding the ac-

creditation of the Nursing Program. This situation is a bit different and to understand completely, one must have some background knowledge on the issue. The Alabama State Board must approve every nursing pro-gram in Alabama. This is essen-tial because only the graduates from accredited institutions are able to take the NCLEX, or the licensing test. In order to have this accreditation, 80 percent of

graduates from an in-stitution must pass the NCLEX on the first try. Spring Hill’s pro-gram has had several recent years where they haven’t met this require-ment. Last year 76 per-

cent of the students passed on the first try. Sims explains that since the program is so small, if one more person would have passed, or if one person who didn’t pass hadn’t taken the test, then the department would have met the requirement. He explains by comparing the situ-ation to a test, “if you have 10 questions on a test you can’t af-ford to get many wrong, but if there are 100 questions, there is more room for error.”

Since the graduating class had a 76 percent pass rate, the Alabama State Board of Nurs-

ing now only provisionally ap-proves the nursing program. Sims attributes this somewhat to students taking a “vacation,” after graduation and not being prepared to take the NCLEX in the summer, fall or even into the next year.

This means that if the se-nior class does not meet the 80 percent pass rate on the first at-tempt then the department is “subject to further action by the board.” Sims says, however, that he and the Nursing Department are confident that this year’s 22 seniors will be able to meet the requirement for a number of reasons. First of all, this year’s class was the first to complete the new, much more rigorous curriculum that was created as part of the “plan for improve-ment” created to raise NCLEX scores. He also says that as a part of senior seminar requirements, the senior class is required to score a 900 or higher on a com-prehensive exam very similar to the NCLEX called the HESI. The correlation of the two is very strong, so it is a good in-dicator of how well the student will do on the NCLEX. The se-niors have already begun an in-tensive NCLEX review, and are confident that they will meet the requirement.

of a painting, he stated that just as creative activity is pres-ent everywhere throughout the painting so is God’s presence

in our world. Students and participants questioned Van-Inwagen with statements that brought up scientific findings

and arguments that analyzed his argument. “God is locally pres-ent nowhere and totally present everywhere,” stated VanInwagen.

Each year, the philosophy and theology departments hold the Suarez Lecture that is free to the public. The lec-ture began in 1965 and was named after the famous Jesuit, Francisco Suarez. This lecture usually addresses timely is-sues such as the relationship between God and science.

By CoraALLENNews Editor

Sims says that he and the Nursing Department are confident that this year’s 22 seniors will be able to meet

the requirements

Accreditation rumors of Business and Nursing made clear

5 | nEWSMarch 15, 2012

According to Jim Hall, Spring Hill College athletic di-rector, the decision has been made to transform the former pool into an auxiliary gymna-sium. The transformation will provide added space for athletic and recreational users. Upon completion, it will include a wooden floor, six basketball goals, two volleyball courts, as well as badminton and pickleball courts. The new gym will also be available for intramurals

Hall said that the extra space will allow for multiple var-sity athletic teams to practices at the same time. There will also be more time slots available for intramural scheduling and recre-

ational play. Intramurals will be able to implement more indoor sports and play more games with the extra space.

During summer and spring of 2011, the school gathered feedback on preferred addi-tions through student surveys. Possible options were discussed with the president’s cabinet, and the long term needs for ath-letic programs and intramurals were evaluated. According to Hall, through these processes it was determined that turning the pool into an auxiliary gym would the most beneficial to the entire student body as well as the athletic programs.

The transition timeline for the pool is still being deter-mined. According to Hall, the space will remain vacant until

funding becomes available. The conversion of the pool into an auxiliary gym has been added to the list of capital projects that the college wants to complete in the coming years. All of the funds will be raised through philanthropy and no budget has been set. The final design and cost of the structural modifica-tions have also not been final-ized. “The future auxiliary gym will be tremendously beneficial to Spring Hill College. It will give us the added space we need to expand our varsity, intramural and recreational sport offerings. This is an important project for the athletics and recreation de-partment, and I look forward to the day when it will be complet-ed.” said Hall.

MOBILE, Ala. – The Heim Duo will perform as part of the Creagan Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday March 15 at the Eichold Gallery on the campus of Spring Hill College. The Heim Duo features Annette Heim on flute and Bret Heim on guitar, with Jim Lichten-berger on viola.

In this musical celebration the audience will choose the pieces to be performed. Nei-ther the audience members nor the performers know which works will be requested. When guests arrive, they will receive a uniquely numbered menu filled with musical masterpieces from Renaissance to pop. For each course, a menu number will be

picked, and the audience mem-ber with that number will get to select which piece will be per-formed next.

This concert series is dedi-cated to the memory of the late Rev. Daniel Creagan, S.J., the first chair of the fine arts de-partment at Spring Hill College. Creagan taught art courses and led the department from 1961 to 1983. In 2006 he returned to Spring Hill College, where he remained until his death in March 2009.

Admission is $10 for the general public and $5 for stu-dents. For more information, contact the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at (251) 380-3861.

Nearly two years after the largest maritime oil spill in world history, British Potroleum and the city of Gulf Shores Ala. have reached a settlement to cov-er future losses to the city’s tax revenues.

BP has agreed to a $6.5 million settlement that does not cover beach cleanup costs or past tax revenue, only future losses in tax revenue. The settlement pro-posal includes key provisions that the 120,000 people and businesses who brought the suit have been call-ing for. It leaves a few areas un-answered, but negotiations will continue for the next 45 days. According to ira.com BP has al-ready funded a $20 billion pro-vision to pay claims for property damage, loss of business income, and health and medical issues re-lated to the massive oil spill and clean-up effort.

According to the Mobile Press-Register, Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft says the city is concerned that tar might re-turn to the beach in the event of a storm, and the city’s revenues could suffer if the beaches close.

Recent Spring Hill graduate and Gulf Shores business owner

Kristi Ybarra (‘10) says “I be-lieve for the most part that the settlement was fair. There were definitely some faults and glitch-es in the system, but in the end, if you were honest and had the proper documentation to prove your losses you were handled fairly.”

Heim Duo to perform tonight as part of Creagan Concert Series

Pooliteria renovations put on hold By BrandyJONESLifestyles Reporter

SGA Badgerweb page more in-teractive and updated with pro-files for our members, a com-munication outlet with regularly submitted and archived minutes,” stated Wagner. Plans for next year include SGA’s attempt to make campus living conditions better and have direct commu-nications to the Residence Life

Office. “We will continue to work for enhancements to Pub-lic Safety so that our campus re-mains safe for everyone.”

Out of about 1,200 stu-dents, only 384 people voted in the SGA presidential elections. Wagner and Payton received 283 of votes, winning 76 percent of the voters’ support.

When asked why Wagner chose student Payton Tanner as a running mate, he replied, “For the past three years Payton and I have always been SpringHillian Student Ambassadors, effort-lessly working together to pub-licize SHC for prospective stu-

dents.” Wagner said that Tanner has a strong record of involve-ment in SHC activities across a wide range of areas that will en-able her to be on top of all areas of the platform. “Payton is also a member of Tri Delta as the New Member Educator and was a Rho Gamma as well, bringing a strong awareness of the needs of fraternities and sororities for

Greek life to SGA and adminis-tration.”

The senatorial elections will be held on Wednesday March 14, 2012. Those who are run-ning for sophomore class senate are Matthew Keller, Mary Cath-erine McKinely and Ricardo Pita. Those running for junior class senate are Kevin Macar, Kevin Smith and Stefany Carty. Running for senior class senate is Shawn Patrick Hynes. If anyone is interested in getting involved with SGA contact Gabriel Wag-ner at Gabario40@me.com or Payton Tanner at patanner@stumail.shc.edu.

“Plans for next year include SGA’s attempt to make campus living conditions better and have direct

communications to the Residence Life Office.”

SGA continued

According to the Weekly Journal “The Nation,” the case does not address what may still go to trial. The charges brought against BP by state and federal governments. Include penalties for harm to wildlife and the en-vironment, as well as Clean Wa-ter Act penalties.

A Judge in New Orleans is also set to consider potential criminal charges at a later trial.

The Gulf Coast is still shaken by the event, and many or-ganizations like the Mobile Baykeep-ers are calling for a moratorium on all

offshore drilling until the entire industry can prove that its op-erations are safe. They are also calling for the establishment of a Citizens Advisory Council to oversee the oil industry’s contin-ued Gulf activities. The issue of offshore drilling is becoming a political issue in the upcoming elections.

“ I believe for the most part that the settlement was fair. There were definitely some faults and glitches in the system, but, in the end, if you were honest and had the proper documentation to prove your losses you were handled fairly.”

- Kristi Ybarra (‘10) Gulf Shores business owner

Gulf Shores settles with BP for $6.5 millionBy CoraALLENNews Editor

OPInIOn | 6 March 15, 2012

By KatelynGARDNERCo-Editor

By AllisonPATRICK

Co-Editor

How technology is socializing our world

Have you ever stayed online for longer than you planned? It starts out with just a quick trip to Moodle and ends up becom-ing a two hour conversation with a friend on Facebook. Or what about using the Internet as an es-cape from homework or real life issues? Wait, our homework as-signment is due this Friday? Oh well, Twitter is more entertain-ing. If this sounds like a typical

scenario for you, this could be a red flag warning you of your ad-diction to the Internet.

Although most of us hate to admit it, we are all addicts. From e-mails and Facebook to smart phones and Twitter, most of our information and interac-tion with others is dependent upon technology. Without a cell phone in our hand, we feel uneasy. It seems as if the Web pages are loading slower and our Facebook friends are more inter-esting than our lunch tables.

Checking our phones every 10 minutes has become sec-ond nature, so natural that we don’t even realize we are doing it. It seems normal to have your phone out during dinner or to text a friend while talking to someone else. Even something as mundane as a dead phone battery can be as lethal as be-ing stranded on a desert island. Could it be that we are placing

too much trust in something as permeable and dehumanizing as technology?

Walking to my dorm room I realized how hard it is to avoid my own complacency with tech-nology. My phone alarm wakes me up in the mornings (some-times) and my coffee pot brews warm coffee with the touch of a button. On my way to class, I continuously check the time, the weather and can’t help but take a peek at Facebook. Anything I need to know is at the tips of my fingers, all I have to do is just Google it. Even my ID card al-lows me access to my room. By a simple swipe, I can eat a buf-fet of food or lounge around in the common room. With all of these privileges that I am so used to, I could only imagine the war that would break out if the school lost access to technology.

According to nytimes.com, researchers are beginning to see

a correlation between excessive usage of cell phones and Inter-net with characteristics such as impatience, forgetfulness and impulsivity. And let’s face it, it will only get worse. With phone applications that keep us orga-nized and remind us of meet-ings and projects, what use is there to memorize a planner? As Apple releases its newest iPad, all I predict is a greater dependency upon the objects that take us away from what is actually hap-pening around us as we surf the Web or check how many “likes” we got on our newest status up-date.

Our phones are becoming so high-tech that we can now talk to each other face to face, through a screen that is. Skype and Facetime are making it possible to have virtual meet-ings and interact with friends and family through a new type of visual medium. When I am

“skyping” a friend, it feels more personal than a phone call and I almost forget that they aren’t sit-ting right next to me.

So what does all this show? A frightful addiction to some-thing that is almost out of our control. It’s sad how far we have come in this day and age, yet how much we still need to travel. Although technology has given us numerous advancements, a lazy nation has also come to a rise as well.

Why use a library when there are so many resources on the Web? Why go visit your grandparents when you can Skype them later tonight? And more importantly, why volun-teer, exercise or even read a book when a world of information is at our fingertips. Let’s not mis-take innovation for laziness, but let us remember that with great technology comes great respon-sibility to not let it control us.

What is your definition of a hero?

My definition of a hero is the woman who prolonged the life of a member of the United States Marine Corps by register-ing to be an organ donor. The soldier was my cousin.

Tragically, 19 people die ev-ery day as they wait for an or-gan transplant. At the National Network of Organ Donors, they believe that number should be zero. The numbers are sur-prising and heartbreaking. More than 112,000 people are on the transplant list, and the number of people who die waiting for transplants continues to grow.

According to thenational-networkoforgandonors.org, the number of deaths of people on the list has risen from 10 per day in 1990 to today’s 19. Sadly, the number will continue to grow unless we make a significant ef-fort to reverse the course today.

Organ donation begins with a person who recognizes an op-portunity to help others and

shares this information and de-cision to be a donor with family and friends.

When the person has done this they are saving the lives of up to eight people who desper-ately need organ transplants. That’s eight people who won’t have to spend months or years on the transplant waiting list and will get a second chance at life because you made the selfless decision to be a donor.

As you are reading this, at least one name is being added to the national transplant waiting list. In the United States, a per-son is listed for a transplant every 11 minutes. That is 130 people joining per day, and currently, only about 75 people receive or-gan transplants each day. These

numbers can be overwhelming to understand. It may help to think of these numbers that I am talking about in a more per-sonal way, by remembering that every number represents a per-son. Every number represents someone’s child, parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin or friend, and it may be some-one you know.

Waiting for an organ can be a stressful experience con-sidering the waiting period is uncertain. The national median waiting time for a heart is 115 days, to receive a liver it would take about 360 days, and for a kidney the time frame is around 1,200 days. Matches for organs are based upon the organ’s char-acteristics, the degree of match-

ing required, the lifespan of the organ once outside the body, and various policies specific to each organ.

The altruistic process of donation begins by perform-ing the simple act of indicating consent with enrollment in their state’s donor registry. Most of-ten, this occurs when obtaining or renewing a driver’s license or by going online for those state registries that have an internet registration.

The need is real. One hun-dred thousand and twelve peo-ple are currently waiting for an organ and 19 of those are dy-ing each day. Enroll today, save up to eight lives and get a heart on your driver’s license LIKE I DID, and be an organ donor.

7 | OPInIOnMarch 15, 2012

How technology is socializing our world

SUBMISSIONSThe SpringHillian publishes guest submissions at the discretion of the student-editors and section editors. Submission should be no more than 300 words, and editors reserve the right to edit the submissions for length and content. Original articles should be mailed or delivered to:

Student EditorCommunication ArtsSpring Hill College4000 Dauphin Street

Mobile, AL 3660

EDITORIAL POLICYThe SpringHillian is published weekly from September to May, except during examination periods and vacations. The views expressed within do not repre-sent the views of Spring Hill College and are not the views of the faculty, ad-ministration, staff or students, but are the views of the individual columnists.

By KieferGINGLESSports Reporter

Kony 2012: The dangers of mass media and blind support

A little over a week ago, social activist group Invisible Children released a viral video, “Kony 2012,” which has already received over 75 million views and continues to gain blind support as appalling images of brutal Ugandan conditions are aimed straight at the hearts of sentimental viewers.

Director Jason Russell an-swered the question of why the video has gained such popularity in the short time since its release in an interview with TODAY’s Ann Curry: “We’re all human beings, and for some reason we forgot about our humanity be-cause of politics and because all

these things we’re talking about have paralyzed us.” If the situ-ation at hand weren’t so tragic, Russell’s comment denouncing politics would be comical con-sidering his blatant disregard for conveying the true evils that plague the Ugandan setting.

Set to dramatic music, lined with tear-drawing children tes-timonies, and capped off with atrocious images of mutilation, it is nearly impossible to watch the video and not throw your fist in the air in support of lo-cating and eliminating Lord’s Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony. However, the makers of the film are obviously as blind to the true problems in Uganda as the people who shout in support of “Kony 2012.”

The video disgustingly un-dermines and oversimplifies the struggles and intricate dilemmas in bringing peace to the war-torn country, and worse, it em-ploys the power of a well-made film facilitated by the medium of today’s viral video mass ap-peal to evoke blind emotional support to a faulty cause. Invis-ible Children’s short, 30-minute film prompts solving violence

with more violence and severely threatens any progress that has been made toward peace in the country over the past years.

As reported by cnn.com, from 2006 to 2008, the situation regarding the conflict between the LRA and the government of Uganda looked promising. Vio-lence had subsided greatly due to peace talks and the LRA had left Uganda. Impressively, two years of these talks cost less than $15 million. Despite Invisible Children’s presence at many of the meetings there was no video made to sway the public in sup-port of the peace effort. Instead, they spent the time gathering emotion-riveting footage that could be compiled in an effort to evoke war.

Although the activist group’s video targets Kony as the single individual responsible for the devastation in Uganda and pres-ents the man as the one obstacle standing in the way of Ugandan peace, the truth is that violence in the country resumed in 2008 when the Ugandan army used U.S. planning to help bomb the LRA camp.

Undoubtedly, Kony’s tactics

are indescribably immoral, but “Kony 2012” presents a dan-gerously one-sided view of the struggles that plague Uganda. The video provokes viewers into veiled support of the Ugandan government; a government in-undated with tyrannical and corrupt leaders. Any study in the brief history of the Ugan-dan government will reveal that this body which “Kony 2012” directly promotes also utilizes child soldiers and has commit-ted countless war crimes of equal atrocity.

In fact, Michael Deibert, au-thor of “Democreatic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair” wrote in a report, “The problem with Invisible Children’s whitewashing of the role of the government of Uganda’s presi-dent Yoweri Museveni in the vi-olence of Central Africa is that it gives Museveni and company a free pass, and added ammunition with which to bludgeon virtually any domestic opposition, such as Kizza Besigye and the Forum for Democratic Change.

By blindly supporting Ugan-da’s current government and its military adventures beyond its

borders, as Invisible Children suggests that people do, Invisible Children is in fact guaranteeing that there will be more violence, not less, in Central Africa.

I have seen the well-meaning foreigners do plenty of damage before, so that is why people un-derstanding the context and the history of the region is impor-tant before they blunder blindly forward to “help” a people they don’t understand. U.S. President Bill Clinton professed that he was “helping” in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1990s and his help ended up with over 6 million people losing their lives. The same mistake should not be repeated today.”

So before you are persuaded to purchase a “Kony 2012'” ac-tion kit from Invisible Children’s website which boasts the sell-ing point of “People will think you’re an advocate of awesome,” look beyond the sentimental footage, inspiring music, and impressive editing of Russell’s documentary and be sure you are knowledgeable in what you are truly supporting. It could be that you are supporting a cause that you know nothing about.

LIFE STYLE | 8 March 15, 2012

Life

on

the

Hill

Top: The SHC men’s baseball teams makes the most of a rained out game by using the rain cov-ered tarp as a slip and slide.

Bottom Left: Marlena Martin, Shardena Jones and Am-ber Bowie pose with a newly printed t-shirt in the Student Center.

Bottom Right: Oshaunda McKinney listens to her iPod while working out on the El-liptical machine in the Arthur R. Outlaw Center.

Photo by MatthewLaBORDE

Photos by BrandyJONES

9 | LIFE STYLEMarch 15, 2012

Top Left: Team “Pillow Talk” competes in SHC’s Best Dance Crew competition sporting a hu-morous ensemble.

Top Right: The Tri Delta’s win the SHC’s Best Dance Crew Last Thursday, March 8.

Bottom: Students brush up on their basket ball skills in the Arthur R. Outlaw Center.

Throughout the weekPhotos by MatthewLaBORDE

Photo by BrandyJONES

LIFE STYLE | 10 March 15, 2012

By AliciaCANDELALifestyle Reporter

It has been 11 years since Spring Hill College has performed a musical but this year a talented group of people under the direction of Father Campbell, associate professor of the fine and per-forming arts department, have decided to perform “Godspell” on the weekend of March 22, 2012.

“Godspell” tells the story of the Gospel of Matthew with a theatrical twist. Most of the scenes in the Gospel of Matthew, such as the miracles of Je-sus and Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist, are included in the musical.

According to Rev. Campbell, S.J., the last musical that was held was “Happy End” by Kurt Weil and Bertolt Brecht. Campbell explained that this musical was the inspiration for Broadway Musi-cal “Guys and Dolls.”

When asked how the production is coming along so far, Campbell replied,

“It is going pretty well, we don’t have much time left and we have a lot to do but we are moving along.”

Campbell expressed his enthusiasm for choosing to perform “Godspell” this year saying, “I have always loved the mu-sical ever since it came out and I really have enjoyed seeing how much fun the actors are having during rehearsals.” Jake Chase, who will play the role of Jesus, describes what sparked his interest in auditioning for the musical: “I took Fa-ther Campbell’s theater class last semes-ter and it sparked my interest in acting again. When it came time for auditions, I promised myself that I would try out just to see how it would go. I’ve always liked acting and I was kind of upset that I hadn’t done it in a while.”

As one of the main characters of the play, Chase expresses his optimism about the musical saying, “I’m nervous but excited. I’m having a lot of fun with it and it has been a good stress reliever this semester. I know the whole cast is

there to help me out when I need it and I think so far everything is coming along greatly.”

Chase has had some theater experi-ence before auditioning for “Godspell.” “I was in a play in my elementary school and during my senior year of high school I was in a production of ‘No Time for Sergeants’ as well as a skit team. I also had a small role in ‘As You Like It’ during my freshman year here at Spring Hill,” said Chase.

According to Father Campbell, this might be the last musical the theater de-partment will host for a while. “We can’t just put on a musical just to put on a musical. We have to have the talent and it’s hard to put on a musical when we do not have a music department,” said Campbell.

The opening weekend for “God-spell” is March 22-25. As the time gets closer there will be more information about the musical.

Preview of the upcoming musical, ‘Godspell’

By AliciaCANDELALifestyle Reporter

This past weekend about 114 students traveled off campus to have a relaxing and spiritual experience.

The Spring Hill Awakening Pro-gram takes place every semester in an effort to give students the opportu-nity to be off campus and have some reflective time to themselves, person-ally as well as spiritually. SHAPe nev-er ceases to amaze those who attend the retreat. It gives students a chance to grow closer with one another and really get to know each other outside of the Spring Hill environment.

At first, most students who de-cide to go on SHAPe have no idea what to expect and are often worried about their decision to attend this re-treat. Sophomore Brian Delholm talks about his experiences on SHAPe stat-ing, “I was weary at first, not knowing what to expect but it ended up being a really good spiritual experience and I also had a lot of fun.”

Graduating student Rachel Ce-deck stated, “My last SHAPe was an incredible experience. It reaffirmed to me that I’m always going to be a part of this Spring Hill community.” Cedeck, along with the many other graduating students, received her “Out of SHAPe” shirt on Sunday, commemorating the senior class’ final steps to graduation.

Every semester SHAPe brings a large group of people together and gives them a chance to focus on themselves and their current situation in life. It is a good experience for any-one with any religious background. The program helps students become better people and presents the op-portunity for spiritual growth. For those who are interested, SHAPe is offered in both spring and fall semes-ters. Anyone who is looking for a nice weekend to themselves should make an attempt to sign up for the next re-treat in the fall.

123

If you could witness any event, past, present or future what would it be?

Favorite adventure on the Hill?

FRESHMANKamery Nichols

NICHOLS: “A certain underground adventure where I left my signature.”BURDSALL: “Golf course…”

NICHOLS: “The beach because it’s calming and beautiful.”BURDSALL: “Dale the Bartender because I’ve never seen a more perfect specimen of man.”

NICHOLS: “Woodstock because it would be awesome.”BURDSALL: “I wish I could go back in time and marry Mr. Darcy.”

SENIORAgnes Burdsall

veteransFRESHMEAT

versus

If you could paint a picture of any scene you’ve seen before, what would it be?

Awakening retreat transforms students

11 | LIFE STYLEMarch 15, 2012

If you love the game Pic-tionary and are a self-proclaimed artist then you will love Draw Something. With Draw Some-thing there is an artist in every-one of us. Draw Something is an addictive game in which you and your partner take turns drawing a picture of one of three words that are given. The three words

range in diffi culty, length, and number of coins awarded to each player who guesses correct-ly. Once the drawing is done, it’s up to the other person to guess. This person watches their part-ner’s entire drawing procedure and guesses the image from a pile of scrambled letters. If the guess is right, both players re-ceive the coins.

There are many other features of this game such as bombs that

WEEKAPPLICATION

of theDraw Something

eliminate letters and increase your chances of guessing the word cor-rectly. Also, with the coins that you earn throughout the game you can buy more bombs or new color selections to enhance your drawings.

The point of the game is not winning. Instead, the goal is to get the longest possible streak of correct guesses between you and your partner.

Because the game is available for iPhone, Android, Twitter, or Facebook, you can play with any of your friends. But, if you get impatient and your friends take

By AllisonPATRICK

Co-Editor

too long to respond to your drawing or forget to draw back at all, there is a feature where you can play random people that

Photos provided by AllisonPATRICKScreenshots of the game Draw Something.

Spring Hill CollegeMarch Madness Bracket

SOUTH

WEST

EAST

MIDWEST

nEW ORLEAnS nEW ORLEAnS

nEW ORLEAnSAPRIL 2

CHAMPIOn

Visit www.bleacherreport.com for NCAA Tournament coverage.

LIFE STYLE| 12 March 15, 2012

The Thelen hoop legacyBy AshleyGAYNORContributor

The pressure is on. Jake Thel-en enters the place where he feels relaxed and at ease: the gymna-sium. The same place where he continues a family legacy of ath-letic talent. He hopes that one day his name will be remem-bered just as the names of the ones who came before him.

Jake, a native from Kentucky, started playing basketball at a very young age. “I probably started playing basketball when I was 5-years-old, when I lived in Cleveland,” said Jake as he remi-nisces on his childhood. “We had little recreational leagues when I was younger.”

Jake attended Covington Catholic High School where he made a big name for himself. As a senior, Jake was averaging 22 points and nine rebounds per game. He later received the honor of becoming the fourth-leading scorer in the Covington Catholic High School program history scoring 1,258 points in three seasons. He was also noted for setting a new record for field goals in a season with 258 and tied the record for the most field goals in a game with 17.

Jake is a very humble and hardworking player, which led him to be invited to the Ken-tucky-Indiana All-Star game and multiple Kentucky All-Star

games, such as the Northern-Kentucky All-Star game and the Kentucky All-Star game. He be-came Northern Kentucky’s run-ner-up for “Player of the Year.”

“It was really fun,” said Jake. “You play against a lot of good competition, and you just realize how good people are in Division 1 Basketball.”

Not only did his parents, teammates and coaches think that he was an outstanding play-er, but Spring Hill Men’s Basket-ball Coach, Robert Thompson, thought so as well. On April 19, 2011, Jake was offered a full ath-letic scholarship to attend and play for Spring Hill College.

Jake has been stirring up ma-jor talk with his undeniable tal-ent, scoring at least 18.5 points per game as a 6-foot-6 starter for Spring Hill College basketball. Thompson characterizes Jake as being “an intelligent player with good hands.”

“Coach Thompson treats me like any other player, but we’re all one team and I know I couldn’t do it without them,” says Jake with his hands rubbing up and down his arms.

Spring Hill’s student assistant John Redman characterizes Jake as a great guy. “Anyone would be proud to have him on their team. He works hard each and every day and it shows on the court. You can truly tell that Jake is a very sincere, genuine person both on and off the court.”

However, that’s not the only thing that has people talking. Jake comes from a very athletic background. More than two de-cades later, Jake has become the fifth member of his family to play basketball and make a name for himself at Spring Hill. Both of his parents Jon Thelen, class of 1988, and Ashley Thelen, class of 1989, played Spring Hill basketball. His uncles P.J.

345

St. Patrick’s Day From Irish car bombs to green beer, St. Patrick’s Day is famous for its Irish drinks. Since the Irish are com-monly known for their pubs, “The SpringHillian” staff took a poll of their favorite holiday drinks to help you enjoy the St. Paddy’s Day festivities this Saturday.

Green beer

Guinness

Irish chocolatePopular Irish drinks that you can make us-ing Bailey’s Irish Cream are common during St. Patrick’s Day. Irish cream is a popular choice for such a drink, combining Bailey’s with traditional hot chocolate to give it just a little bit of an Irish kick.

Irish car bombsPour a little bit of Irish cream into a shot glass and top it off with an Irish whiskey. Drop the shot glass into a glass of Irish beer and down the drink as quickly as you can. You don’t want to wait too long or the cream will curdle inside the concoction and that’s just not a palate-friendly drink.

Irish coffee

Beer is a popular drink among the Irish. Fa-vorite Irish beers are Guinness and Kilk-enny but any Irish stout will do you well. Add a bit of green food coloring to the glass and you’ve got something special for the holiday.

Mixing this hot drink on a cold day may be a better way to go this St. Patrick’s Day. Combine hot coffee and Irish whiskey. Add sugar and stir. Top it off with liquid cream and you’ve got something delicious that will warm you up from the inside out.

12

Thelen and John Defraties also played Spring Hill basketball. P.J. Thelen was inducted into the 1,000 Point Club, scoring 1,325 points. Jake’s mother, Ash-ley Thelen, was inducted into Spring Hill’s Hall of Fame for being third on the women’s scor-ing list. “He’s a lot better than I always was,” says a proud mom as she laughs. “His dad worked really hard with him and taught him the basics.”

But Jake and his parents are not the only ones blessed to have athletic genes. Jake’s younger brother plays basketball and his younger sister Heidi plays vol-leyball. “My sister is really tall,” says Jake as he chuckles while talking about his sister.

“Even though Spring Hill is away from my family back at home, my mom has family in Mobile, so it’s a lot easier for me to adjust here I guess,” says Jake.

Since the drive from Ken-tucky to Mobile, Ala., is an 11-hour drive, Jake’s parents rarely get a chance to attend his games. But a surprise was coming to him. Spring Hill’s women and men’s basketball teams took on Auburn-Montgomery and Jake’s family showed up to support their superstar. “I was so happy that my family came and that they got the chance to finally see me play college basketball. It was an amazing feeling,” says Jake with a big grin.

As the basketball season has come to an end with a record of 13 wins and 13 losses, Jake is now trying to get back in the swing of things academically. “Now that the season is over, I try to catch up on a lot of sleep and homework from all of the traveling and practices. I’m try-ing to keep my grades up, and now I can just focus on school instead of school and basket-ball,” says Jake.

Photo provided by AshleyGAYNOR

Top 5 spirits to celebrate

Known as a popular Irish dry stout, this drink originated in the brewery of Ar-thur Guinness at St. James’s Gate, Dublin. Whether you use this beer in an Irish stew or drink it straight out of a glass, your holi-day will be filled with tasty options.

The Thelen hoop legacy

13 | SPORTSMarch 15, 2012

Spring Hill College will add track and field as a var-sity sports in the spring semester of 2013, according to athletic director Jim Hall. The new addition to the school’s list will make a total of 15 varsity sports that Spring Hill has to offer.

The Badgers will be competing in the National As-sociation of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) confer-ence and will join s63 other track and field teams. While Spring Hill doesn’t own a facility to host the sports, the teams will use those of neighboring St. Paul’s Episcopal school.

Cross Country head coach Joe Williams will be run-ning the team and will be in charge of recruitment. Wil-liams has been around the sport for 30 years and is a certified USATF Level 2 track coach.

Williams says that the programs he has been a part of have positively shaped how he coaches today: “Each institution that I was directly involved with had great coaches and people. They were very important people who were not only great coaches but had high standards and helped me develop my own philosophies today.”

Williams will also be in charge of recruiting pro-spective student athletes. “At Spring Hill there are very high standards already set in place, both academically and athletically,” says Williams, “We will continue oper-ating with the same mind set and recruit student athletes who fit those standards.”

The addition of the track and field teams will allow cross-country runners to train year around. Senior Kate Imwalle believes that the new program will be a vital ad-dition: “I think it is essential for the cross-country team’s success, and I expect that the entire team will participate in some way.” Imwalle also says that successful cross-country teams participate in track and field. “I think

Track and Field to be added as varsity sportBy MatthewLaBORDESports Editor

it’s safe to say that having a track and field program is a major part of other schools’ success.”

“As primarily a track runner, I almost passed up Spring Hill because of the lack of track and field,” says sophomore and cross-country runner Claire Stewart, “But now, it gives Spring Hill more of an opportunity to dominate the University of Mobile with our fero-cious badger skills and speeds.”

Some students believe that the addition will not benefit the school. “We could focus more on sports that raise money,” says junior Whitney Webre, “No one is

going to initially want to play sports for a college that doesn’t win, and our tuition is scaring off many poten-tial athletes so the problems will not be solved by adding another team.”

Imwalle disagrees, saying: “Track and field is such a wide ranging sport that it could help improve the entire athletic program. Students participating in other sports can jump in on track and field and cross train, whether in or out of season. I think it’s a relatively inexpensive addition to the athletic program that serve a wide of variety of current as well as incoming students if it is utilized well.”

T

This week in Badger SportsFRIDAY, March 13th

BASEBALL(21) Southern Polytechnic at

Spring Hill6:00 p.m.

SOFTBALLSpring Hill at

Jackson State University 1:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of JimSTENENT

With no plans to create track and field facilities on campus, the school will use St. Paul’s Episcopal Schools resources.

SPORTS | 14 March 15, 2012

The Spring Hill College men's golf team could not hold a 6-stroke lead after Day 1 of the annual Spring Hill Bad-ger Invitational and fell to 2nd place out of five teams as Wil-liam Carey rallied to take an 11-stroke victory.

Over two rounds of play, SHC shot combined scores of 297 and 317 for a final card of 614 (+38) while WCU shot scores of 303 and 300 for a fi-nal score of 603 (+27) across the 6665-yard, par-72 course.

Junior Joseph Webster of Trussville, Ala., closed with a +1 score of 145 (70, 75) for 2nd place while Carey's Nic Ishee finished even par at 144 with rounds of 73 and 71 for the individual title.

Junior Nathan Ceille of Hales Corners, Wis., finished in 6th place with scores of 71 and 82 (153, +9) and freshman Jordan Portal of Miami, Fla., carded a 158 (77, 81, +14) to tie teammate sophomore Phillip

Dugan of Lake Forest, Ill., (79, 79) for 12th place.

Junior Scott Shields of At-lanta, Ga., closed out the Badger team scoring with a +19 score of 163 (79, 84).

Individually for the Badgers, freshman Robert Bo Cox of Gardendale, Ala., finished in 7th place out of 31 competitors with a score of 154 (79, 75, +10). Sophomore Spencer Lane of St. Louis, Mo., placed 11th with a +12 final score of 156 (75, 81) and sophomore Rickie Lee tied Portal and Dugan for 12th place with a 158 (77, 81) while senior Wyatt Esteves of New Orleans, La., was 22nd with a tally of 162 (80, 82, +18).

Junior Chris Cartmill of Chesterfield, Mo., was 26th with a +20 card of 164 (86, 78) and senior J.D. Sabio from St. Louis closed the day with a +24 mark of 168 (88, 80).

The Badgers will next play at the Lou Hart Invitational at Northwood Country Club in Meridian, Miss.

Golf finishes second at Badger Invitational

Photo by MatthewLaBORDE

Freshman Jordan Portal scans the fairway before he tees off at the Badger Invitational

By KieferGINGLESSports Writer

With Spring Hill College athletics making the shift to join the Southern Sports Athletic Conference, there has been much talk regarding new policies and proce-dures, and undoubtedly the most popular topic is the newly implemented drug testing policy.

Although the official SSAC website says that the conference is governed by a Code consisting of three parts, one of which is the Policy and Procedures Man-ual, it is not accessible via the internet. Therefore, any student wishing to inquire about the specifics of the banned substance policy may have some difficulty.

In addition to this dilemma, the new policy seems to have created some animosity and concern for athletes at Spring Hill College. Coming from a past of non-testing, it has been sudden news to hear that random tests could occur at any time. There are obviously con-cerns of privacy and relevance by the athletic body, but the hostility toward the new policy seems to be greatly concerned with the monetary consequences as well.

“I understand them saying they are going to drug test so that people won’t do drugs because they won’t know when the tests are and I think it would defeat the purpose if they told us. However, I think drug testing would be a waste of money because it’s not a major problem and I think the people who do them are going to continue doing them even if we have tests,” stated basketball player Kristin Rogers. The capability of drug testing to eliminate the use of banned substances is cer-tainly questionable, and the real purpose of the tests is also in question.

John Tanner, a member of Spring Hill’s soccer team, feels that the decision of whether or not to drug test should be handled by the individual schools themselves, not mandated by the conference to which they belong. “This isn’t an NCAA school and testing the athletes is such is a waste of the little money our athletic programs have. That money could be used in much better ways. It should be left up the coaches and teams to set up and regulate policies concerning banned substances. Al-though school-backed drug tests are a good deterrent to athletes, the actual enforcement of the tests would cause more harm than help because instead of using

the money to build programs and give scholarships, the tests would just waste the much needed, money we don’t have,” said Tanner.

Aside from the arguments of wasted money and privacy issues, there is the more broad concern of some students who feel that focus on the new policy has taken away from what should be the real focus of athletes; preparing to win games. “I feel like that’s all I hear now when it comes to athletics; drug testing. If that’s their focus when it comes to athletics then that’s a problem. They either need to do something or drop it. The only games they should be focused on are the ones they are playing,” said former Spring Hill soccer player, Jade Bea-son.

Of course, drug testing in sports has proponents who argue its advantages such as facilitating better health by helping eliminate performance enhancing drugs which can cause long-term health issues, leveling the playing field, and presenting a positive role model to young followers. In the end, there will always be a debate over drug testing policies, but at Spring Hill, it is certain that some athletes are not on board with the new conference policy.

SSAC drug testing policy a waste, students say

15 | SPORTSMarch 15, 2012

By KieferGINGLES

Sports Writer

On Wednesday, March 7, Peyton Manning held an emotional press confer-ence at the Colts’ Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center to officially acknowledge his release from his franchise team.

Anyone who has followed Man-ning’s career over the last 14 years surely expected nothing but class from the ath-lete and that’s exactly what was conveyed at the conference. The Colts’ release of Manning may have come as a surprise to many that associate the franchise with the dominating quarterback’s face. However, the decision between Colts owner Jim Irsay and Manning arrived with much deliberation and attempted compromise, but unfortunately, an agreement between the two was impossible. The relationship of the two men is impressive and the fact that they were able to part ways with such empathy is nothing less than inspiring.

In his opening statements of the press conference, Irsay acknowledged, “As difficult as this day is, it’s made dif-ficult because of the greatness and the things Peyton has done for our city, for our state, for our franchise. There will be no other Peyton Manning.” In addition, Irsay awarded Manning with an action of utmost respect by confirming that the number 18 jersey will never be worn on the field by another Colts player. It’s hard not to like Manning, a quarterback who has maintained a scandal-free 14 year ca-reer with the same franchise, but his emo-tional and genuine release says even more about the man.

As the conference was turned over to Manning he began with the theme of respect, a characteristic that has been the domineering theme of his football career: “I sure have loved playing football for the Indianapolis Colts. For 14 wonderful years, the only professional football I’ve known is Colts football. Our team won a lot of games here, I’ve played with so many great teammates here and I’ve been part of a great organization here, an orga-nization and an owner who I respect and continue to respect.”

The immediate question for some is “Why doesn’t he just retire? Does he still have something to prove?” In response to these questions at the press confer-ence, Manning responded, “I don’t want to retire. And no I don’t feel like I have anything to prove. Nobody loves their job more than I do. Nobody loves play-ing quarterback more than I do. I still want to play. But there’s no other team I’ve ever wanted to play for. Nobody’s had it better than I have playing for the Indianapolis Colts for these 14 years. I just can’t say how thankful and how for-tunate I feel to have played here. I still love playing quarterback.” Manning’s re-sponse was commendable and honest: he simply loves what he does, and it’s that passion and integrity that has made him the future hall-of-famer that he is today.

As hard as it is for fans to watch Manning leave the city he’s devoted so many years to, it’s even harder for Man-ning himself. Claiming to have his arm in better shape and working diligently to have it back at 100 percent for the begin-ning of next season, it’s a shame to see Manning leave Indianapolis in search for a new team, but March 13 was the be-ginning of the free agency period, and he has to search for a new home quickly. As of Sunday, March 11, most insid-ers and ESPN.com agree that the Den-ver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals are Manning’s two most likely choices. It’s impossible to declare with certainty where he will end up, but the two teams were the first stops on Manning’s visita-tion schedule and they both appear to be great fits.

Manning personally knows mul-tiple staff members for both teams but the Broncos have the added advantage of keeping the quarterback in the AFC, where he has played his entire profes-sional football career. As spectacular as it would be to see Manning return to Indianapolis in an opposing uniform, the thought of him walking away with a loss is almost heartbreaking. Manning has given no deadline for when his deci-sion will be made and he continues to visit possible suitors, but there are some certainties in Manning’s decision: It

will come with perks that no team wants to miss out on; a large fan base, tons of publicity, and plenty of merchandising opportunities.

With all the new changes to Man-ning’s future football career, there are guaranteed aspects that will remain con-sistent: Manning will remain the poised,

Peyton Manning says goodbye

Photo courtesy of Stock Xchange

Seeing Peyton Manning in a different uniform will come as a shock to many long time and loyal fans

BADGER ZOnE | 16 March 15, 2012

On the Spot

KATIETheRkeLSen

“I haven’t noticed any changes, so I don’t have a problem with them.”

“I deleted my Facebook” JuNioR

What is your opinion on the privacy issues dealing with Facebook?

ERINBRennAnFRESHMAN

NICCOLivARioSSopHoMoRE

MAMIEJAyneSSENioR

Sudo

kuP

uz

zL

e

“Helpful, but annoying. If I wanted them, I’d look for them. ”

“I hate it. I feel like I’m be-ing spied upon and that it’s a virus waiting to happen.”

‘Movers and Shakers’ is a weekly series that highlights influential individuals on the Hill.

By MatthewLaBORDESports Editor

Movers and Shakers

Photo by MattLABORDE

Here at Spring Hill College, we have tall Badgers, short Bad-gers, funny Badgers, sneaky Bad-gers, Honey Badgers and wacky Badgers. Then, there is also Will Kirkirkis.

Owner of a red unicycle and inline skates, Will is the epitome of a mover. He moves diligently under the oaks as he runs with clean posture among his cross country teammates, all while maintaining a perfect “left to right” swoop of his com-mendable hair. He moves rap-idly through the backwoods of the South Alabama mountain bike trails as he shows off his patriotism with a United States of America biking jersey. And, he moves, he swims, and then he bikes in triathlons all over the city of New Orleans and Mo-bile. “I’m literally always run-ning around this place.”

Native of Kenner, La., Kirkikis ran cross country and played lacrosse at his Alma Mat-er, Brother Martin High School, and would eventually go on to create the Triathlon club at SHC and was instrumental in the cre-

ation of the new SHC lacrosse team. He’s a business manage-ment major and hopes to one day be involved with his father’s company.

Will was named the NAIA runner of the week three times, and emerged as the leading scor-er, (and the only scorer) for the lacrosse team last Sunday in the club’s first game against the New Orleans lacrosse club. Will has been to nationals for triathlon running, which means he placed in the top 10 percent of his age group in non-collegiate compe-titions.

Kirkikis is also involved in the community. He is a coach of a youth lacrosse for the Lower Alabama Lacrosse League. “La-crosse is growing down here, and the head coach of the league didn’t actually know how to coach lacrosse, so my friends and I volunteered to teach the kids,” said Kirkikis. The kids range from fourth to eighth graders.

Will keeps a youthful spirit around the Hill, and it’s a rar-ity to see him around without a smile on his face. It’s a playful spirit that keeps him young, al-though he is a senior, and it’s a spirit that embodies his love for Spring Hill. “What keeps me young here is the interesting and fun people at this school, and, of course, the massive amounts of exercise I do on a daily ba-sis.”

For a man with many inter-est, the one he seems to look forward to the most is good ole’ fashion down time, but being one of the most liveliest Badgers on campus forces him to keep moving. “I don’t get involved with things around here because they are resume builders, I get involved because it’s fun to me.”

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