Veritas Issue 1, Fall 2012

“Do you want fries with that?”Questions of Nourishment Page 8

Photo by Christopher Michael

Sept. 6 - 12 2012Changing ourselves. Changing our community.

Message in the Music Bashar Murad: Won’t Be Silent Page 12

Welcome back, Bridgewater faculty, staff, and

students! Freshmen, I hope you are getting settled in well and feeling at home here in the Valley. Commu-nity members, we look forward once more to bringing you news, the Veritas way. The beginning of this year, as with every beginning, brings much change to our campus. First, as you may remem-ber, Mr. Roy Ferguson is now acting as Interim President, while the col-lege searches to find a replacement for Presi-dent Cornelius. Second, Parkhurst Dining Service has replaced Chartwells as our food service provider. Along with that change, both the student dining plan and the din-ing hall itself have undergone revision. In addition, Dr. Pierson is now the convo director; we are also welcoming many new faculty and staff mem-bers. There are several new clubs and organizations get-ting started on campus, and new leadership is beginning in some pre-existing ones. Last, but by no means least,

Sept. 6 - 12 2012 2 VERITAS

we have a new BC Big Ques-tion: “What is fair?” To me, asking “what is fair” is comparable to asking the meaning of life, or some other philosophical probe.

“Fair” depends on so many things: context, personal background, views on right and wrong, etc. Despite its enigmatic na-ture, I’m glad that BC chose this as the Big Question this year. I hope though, that we are prepared to answer it. The administration will likely be challenged on issues, as will faculty, staff, and even

students. When these chal-lenges arise, I would like to think that they will be met with valid consideration and concern, and not merely swept under the rug or dealt

with in a hush-hush man-ner. If the challenges raised are not met appropriately, then what is the point of us having such a deep Big Question? The college says it wants to train us to lead “intelligent, healthy, pur-poseful and ethical” lives as we grow into indepen-dent adults. College (especially a private, liberal arts col-lege with strong religious connections) should be a place of learning, practice, and nurture, wherein we should be encouraged to become adults. We should practice living indepen-dently of our families,

managing our time, handling conflict in a mature manner, sticking up for ourselves, etc. In other words, college should be a training ground for the “real world,” a place where it’s okay if we make mistakes, as long as we have the knowledge that we’re working to be better. We should almost be encouraged to make mistakes, as long as

Put on your “big-kid shoes”By Corley Tweedy

Brandy BrodeKatheryne Rivera

Corley TweedyKatheryne Rivera

Joanna Caples Nicholas Davies

Lacey NaffRebecca Heine

Katie Matherlee

Sarah RicoSarah Conner

Cassandra ClarkKatherine Bradford

Brooke Thacker

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we’re testing our strength as adults and improving all the time. However, in the past it has seemed that we are treated more like children instead of given a chance to put on our “big-kid shoes” and test out maturity and self-sufficiency. I hope that with this new Big Question, which I see as

an excellent chance for us to use our “BC Voice,” we will be allowed a chance to raise challenges--granted, relevant ones in a respectful manner--and that we will be met with respect and treated like...well, treated like adults. ...

Photo by Joanna Caples

2012 Sept. 6 - 12 VERITAS 3

We are looking for you!Come and join the Veritas team to boost your résumé with real, hands-on professional experience and training.We are currently looking for:

Marketing Manager (1 position): responsible for plan-ning, supervising, and assessing all marketing efforts (strategic communication, circulation, positioning, sales, product placement, promotions, etc.) for Veritas.

Marketing Associates (2 positions): support the Mar-keting Manager in planning, developing, producing, and executing marketing strategies and tactics.

Advertising Associates (multiple positions): works with the Advertising Manager in different functions, such as creation, production, traffic, sales, and media.

Public Relations Associates (multiple positions): work with the PR Manager in creating, planning, executing and assessing strategic PR campaigns, event planning, internal communication procedures, and other related assignments.

Office Manager (1 position): responsible for taking inventory, calculating costs, managing public commu-nication (phone, emails, and social media), preparing and suggesting budgets, and managing all clerical, administrative, and bureaucratic operations.

And also news reporters, photographers, designers and writers interested in music, design, movies, fash-ion, sculpture, dance, theater, sports, social events, science, environment, travel, food, philanthropy and business.

Those interested in the positions should contact Brandy Brode ([email protected]).

Dear Dean Miracle,

The new requirement for all students to purchase continuous dining,however, contradicts this lifestyle. I find myself facing an ethical dilemma regarding two of the most basic human needs—community andfood. As a freshman last year, I abided by the school’s policy to purchase a full meal plan; I can see it is a strong incentive to participate in campus life. Now my social life has broadened beyond the dining hall, as it has for many upperclassmen, and I do not need the dining experience to spur me to socialize. Bucknell University, using Parkhurst’s program, offers its upperclassmen opportunities to greatly downsize their consumption. The current Bridgewater program onlyoffers upgrades of dining dollars and guest passes, and the Transition Plan comes out to $17.96 per meal, not a college experience. I propose that BC allow upperclassmen who live in Stone Village, Wampler Towers, and Honors houses (places with full kitchens where they can cook for themselves) a broader range of choices, including opting out

and students who opt out of the Parkhurst also be included in the new “hangout” space? I am especially interestedbecause I want to study and learn with my fellow students—regardless of their living arrangements—in the newly renovated KCC. I am excited to continue my education at Bridgewater, and I look forward to using the honors house kitchen, buying food from local and sustainable sources, and sharing home-cooked meals with others. This experience will give me what I want from my college education—practice toward being an educated, healthy, and responsible adult in this world.

Thank you,

Aislinn Mirsch

P.S. I would like to invite you, Dean Miracle, to join me at my honor house (431) for a home-cooked meal to chat about the upcoming year.

...

entirely. As a counterbalance, I wonder if there is a way to open Kline Campus Center to public dining. With the acclaimed quality of food and friendly, restaurant-style seating (not to mention flat screen televisions!), this would be a great way for the school to increase revenue while connecting with the larger community. Willamette, a private liberal arts university here in Oregon, does this very successfully. For the students who decide to enjoy the new dining plan, I hope the college will track and evaluate the following during Parkhurst’s first year. • How will students learn to connect their eating habits with what it means to be globally conscientious citizens? • How will BC gauge the rate of waste from a system that allows students to eat almost continuously throughout the day? • How will BC record the health of students (including potential weight gain) from a lifestyle centered around continuous dining? • How will BC determine if students really do conserve gas money by deciding to eat late snacks on campus rather than off? • How will commuters

...Aislinn Mirsch, a sophomore at Bridgewater College, sent this letter to Dean Bill Miracle and then copied a few professors. In this letter, Mirsch expressed concerns about the lack of choice in relation to the new meal plan. This letter is referenced in several articles througout the issue. See pages 7, 8 and 9. Note: This letter has been edited from its original format.


By Morgan Alexander

“Everything that happens here has a ripple effect,” Anne Marsh, the Coordi-

nator of International Educa-tion, said. Though the quiet town of Bridgewater may at times feel secluded, our community has an impact on the global community, which the Center of International Education expects to increase this year. In hopes of diversifying Bridgewater College’s campus, the Center for International Education is introducing the International Student

Exchange Program, which was signed last October. The ISEP will allow a Bridgewater student to study abroad and a foreign exchange student to study at Bridgewater Col-lege. Although the program requires a GPA of 3.0, higher than previous years, “Our goal is not to have to turn a student away who wants to study abroad,” Marsh said. The staff at the Center of Interna-tional Education are willing to discuss possibilities with interested students. The Center is also partner-

ing with Eastern Mennonite University for the Intensive English Program. The pro-gram will allow a foreign BC student to take English immersion classes at EMU for elective credit, enabling the student to increase their language skills. Marsh expects the program will equip the students to become invested in the Bridgewater commu-nity. To reach out to students on campus, the Center, along with Veritas and the Center for Cultural Engagement, is

The Ripple Effect If you are looking for a great opportunity to network and find possible internships and job offers, you should come out Wednesday September 12th from 3 to 7pm to the Bridgewater College Business Expo of 2012 being held in the Funkhouser Center. There will be 40 Businesses there including Harvey’s Ice Cream, Papa John’s and Wildwood BBQ who are giving away gift cards within the Bridgewater, Dayton, and Harrisonburg areas. Amanda Harpine, the president of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization, said that by talking to business owners is the best way to benefit from such an event. “I want it to

be bigger than any expo JMU has, that’s my goal,” she said. The expo seems to be on its way, increasing greatly from the 10 companies that came two years ago for the very first one. The goal of the organization for next year is to have between 50 and 60 companies come out. The expo isn’t just about business--there will also be some great door prizes and free samples given out at this event. There will be $700 in door prizes given away from businesses like Plato’s Closet, Flying Pizza, and Mr. J’s Bagels and Deli. Come out and make some connections!...

By Melina Norman

Bridgewater’s business expo

continuing to initiate Global Café starting September 11. Through students conversing on global matters and contrib-uting their own background over meals, “I want the student population and their thinking to gravitate towards a global concept,” Marsh said. Students are also encouraged to become involved with glo-balization by joining the Inter-national Club or volunteering at the International Festival on September 29. Through the Center of

International Education and its new programs and events scheduled this year, Bridge-water College will stretch its ripple effect by influencing the global community more than ever before.

...SHOCK - TO PAGE 14 :

Photo by Victoria Minnix


Beginning this year, Bridgewater College will be

implementing a new program focusing on Academic Citizenship. Heading the project is Kathleen Herring, a new face to the campus, accompanied by a panel of professors. Along with her position in the Academic Citizenship program, Herring will also be acting as ad-ministrative assistant to Sherry Talbot in Career Services. Herring, as a JMU graduate, initially ap-plied for a position with her alma mater and found the experi-ence both unfruitful and dissatisfying. “They have a very impersonal hiring process at JMU,” Herring said. “It was very frustrating to me, so that’s why I started looking at some of the smaller schools.” When a friend told her to apply at Bridge-water, Herring was blown away by the

friendly, personal touch of the college. “I was just really impressed. The campus is gorgeous, everybody I met was so friendly, and I just got really excited about the job…pretty much by the time the interview was over, I was sold. This was where I wanted to be.” The Academic Citizen-ship program is a new and exciting challenge for Herring. Given the new-ness of the project, most of her job will be figuring things out as she goes and learning on the fly. There are two goals to the project: the first, as Herring put it, involves “implementing new teaching methods that are collaborative and proac-tive, allowing students to work together and chal-lenge each other rather than simply sitting in a lecture.” The second goal is tied into the Big Ques-tion, which for this year is “what is fair?” Altogether, the point of the project is to provoke students to enter into

engaging discussions, both in and out of the classroom. The program will consist of more than just a new style of teach-ing; there will be specific events hosted on campus to promote civic engage-ment among the student body, although the details are not yet clear. Accord-ing to Herring, there will be a meeting tomorrow that will decide much of the precise form this pro-gram will take for BC. “College is not just about the classes you take and the subjects you study; it’s about learning to think critically, learn-ing to process information and decipher your own views, developing your own opinions,” Herring said in closing. Through the Academic Citizenship program, students will be encouraged to take the information they learn at college and apply it in new and meaningful ways to their own communities.

...

By Rebecca Heine

Civic engagementBy Melina Norman

Geisert is now the home of one of Bridgewater’s newest Area Coordinators.

Miss Taylor Inge hopes to bring her skills she gained from being a Resident Assistant at James Madison University for two years to Bridgewater as an AC. “I hope that I can bring my experiences from JMU since it’s a bigger school and see how they might or might not fit in with a smaller school atmosphere,” she said. Even though Inge is new to the staff at Bridgewater she is familiar with the school and the general area. She’s from Crozet, Virginia but often visited Bridgewater when she was a growing up because it

was her mother’s home town and her grandmother stayed for a while at a local retirement home. After being on campus for a while Inge claims that she really likes the Bridgewater community and that everyone has been very welcoming towards her. She plans on being a part of the BC community for some time and is looking forward to some of the events like football games and theatrical plays. Inge says that she was at first a double major in college in Theater and English, but ended up graduating as just an English major. Besides looking forward to some of the events on campus she is also excited to expand her horizon more

on resident life and despite her shy nature she is looking forward to meeting the students. Hopefully the residents and faculty will continue to welcome her with open arms as the school year

begins....

A fresh face

Photo by Katheryne Rivera


Community \ n, pl -ties 1 : a body of people living in the

same place under the same laws” (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary 146). In our new BC mission statement, we call ourselves a “challenging and supportive community.” We say we embrace community as one of our “core values.” We claim to be a “welcoming, diverse and vibrant community.” And in our tagline, we even claim to be a “community of excellence.” Apparently we’re a community. But are we really? And if so, just what kind of community are we? I suppose by the definition above, we are a body of people living in the same place (at least several hours a day) and under the same laws. But I hope we aspire to more than that! You may be aware that the word community comes from the Old French communite which is derived from the Latin communitas (that is, cum, meaning “with” or “together” and munus, meaning “gift”). So community is literally a group of people bound together by the gifts they share. And that is getting very close to the biblical understanding where the

first humans were created to live in a community of interdependent mutuality and where the church is described as a community built up by the gifts God gave each member to share. So if the community of Bridgewater College is to be more than a body of people living in the same place under the same laws, it’s going to take more than being a friendly place; more than just getting along; more than a few picnics and holiday socials scattered throughout the year (as nice as those occasions are). In her book Big Questions, Worthy Dreams, Sharon Daloz Parks writes that in American society historically, “People gathered on the commons for play and protest, memorial and celebration, and worked out how they would live together” (10). I would suggest that creating community at BC is going to take moving out of our departmental silos, out of our isolated offices, out of our cloistered classrooms and dorm rooms and onto “the commons” where we can share our gifts and engage each other in ways that go beyond a smile as we pass on the sidewalk (preoccupied with our smart phone or the next thing on our list). I

would suggest that creating community is going to take interacting with each other beyond the classroom and on the commons which at BC includes the dining hall, the convocation program, the BC Chapel, the Eagle Production event, the athletic contest, the music concert, the theater production and, for the truly brave, the Frisbee football field with Tim Kreps and company. I would suggest that creating community is going to take valuing all the gifts that all the members of our community have to share, not just the academic ones. I had a theology professor once who said he always made sure every dish at the church potluck had been sampled so everyone’s gift had contributed to the community meal. And just for the record, no one on campus works harder than our housekeepers and I can’t imagine a BC community without the gifts they share. Let me acknowledge that we’re all members of other communities, including our families, and we need to share our gifts in that community above all others. But on the whole I would guess most of us could do more to share our gifts with each other in the BC community, even if it’s just the gift of our presence (often the

Spirit MattersBy Chaplain Robbie Miller

“BC Community?”greatest gift of all). And so as we move into this new year, let’s not be just another body of people living in the same place under the same laws. Let’s not be just another friendly college where most everyone gets along. Let us be a communitas, bound together by the gifts we share. And let us move out of

our departments, out of our offices, out of our classrooms and dorm rooms and onto the commons where we can become the challenging, supportive, welcoming, diverse, vibrant, and excellent BC community we claim to be. ...

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Walking in the rain, stepping in water puddles, I see

question marks form under my feet. “What are you doing here?” the voice of Dean Carol Scheppard’s question during this year’s opening ceremony echoes in my head. Her voice is not the only one haunting me as I walk in the rain. Reverend Robbie Miller’s invocation during the “State of the College” address less a week before also left an imprint: “Apparently we’re a community. But are we really? And if so, just what kind of community are we?” Of course, no proper intellectual haunting about questions in BC would be complete without Dr. Betsy Hayes’s and Dr. Jamie Frueh’s voices asking the Big Question: “Is it fair?” At the moment, I’m tired of questions. I have too many of them. My figurine album of question marks is filled. I have the big ones, the small ones, the deep ones, and many of the dumb ones. Now, it’s the time for answers. “What are you doing here?” Dean Scheppard asked. She was addressing the students, especially the new freshman class, but for some reason I took it personally. If I couldn’t answer that question, how fair would it be for a freshman to answer it? What would that say about our community?

More questions… However, I did have an answer. In fact, I had many. It’s not that questions don’t interest me; I actually find them much more interesting than answers. Nonetheless, too many unanswered questions make me feel like there is something missing. I became a journalist and an educator not only because I love questions, but also because I love hunting down answers. So, when students come to me with questions, I believe they are not necessarily entitled to answers, but they should be given a way to obtain those answers. When Aislinn Mirsch first sent me a copy of her letter to Dean Bill Miracle (read the main story on page 8 for more details) I thought that, even if she wrote that she wasn’t really expecting a reply, her thoughtful and well-constructed argument should at least receive some thoughtful and well-constructed examination. With her permission, I forwarded her letter to the faculty for discussion. I received no answers to the email but for a few comments in support of Aislinn’s idea or from faculty members who met Aislinn and wanted to tell me that she is a great student. Not much else. At the “State of the College”

By Bernardo H. MottaOmbudsman

address, Vice President of Finance Anne Keeler explained the choice for Parkhurst. In her letter, Aislinn said that she was happy that Parkhurst was chosen: “I am excited Parkhurst was selected because I pushed last year for BC dining to feature local and sustainable food sources. My upbringing and local community taught the value of globally-minded eating, and working with Bridgewater College’s ETF and NCP clubs has strengthened my resolve.” Aislinn was not questioning the choice, but the lack thereof. Aislinn offered many options in the letter and only asked us to consider them. When we met during the week classes started, she told me how much she was learning during the time she wasn’t utilizing her meal plan. She visited the farmers’ market, learned about food, got closer to the local community, shared food with friends, learned to cook new recipes and, above all, learned how to make her own choices as an adult does. We may think that it is part of the Bridgewater experience to sit in the newly reformed dining hall and socialize with all sorts of people. And we may even believe that it is important to make sure freshmen have

that experience. However, if after the first year, students don’t have the opportunity to judge by themselves why it is important to participate in that experience at least from time to time, all that it is left is an empty mandate. As they are forced to do it anyway, if there are no options, no thinking and evaluating process involved, how can we justify that it is a good part of the Bridgewater experience? Where is the chance for intellectual growth that we hold so dearly in our PDP program? Learning comes from choosing and evaluating the choices we make. “I chose Bridgewater to further my education toward an ‘intelligent, healthy, purposeful, and ethical’ life in our global society. Last year was enjoyable because much of what I learned corresponded to Bridgewater’s new college mission statement. The new requirement for all students to purchase continuous dining, however, contradicts this lifestyle,” Aislinn wrote. Like Aislinn, I don’t think choosing Parkhurst, among the available options, was a bad move by the college, but we should enjoy this opportunity for change to try to make the best out of it and not just “better than it used to be.” I’ve already heard many students complaining

about the taste of the food or the lack of simple options, but most of them think the quality is already better. The biggest complaint so far is that they got rid of the comment slips. Many students feel they should be partners of the college and Parkhurst in improving the dining service and, without a clear way to voice their opinion, they feel their opinion is less valuable. All Aislinn is asking for is for an opportunity to discuss the matter; to make sure her voice is heard and her opinion taken in consideration. She wants students to be able to be part of the choices that directly affect their health and lifestyle. I think that’s what all of us in the Bridgewater community should be striving for, or as Rev. Miller asked “What kind of community are we?” To help in that process, Veritas is asking all students, staff, and faculty to visit our Facebook page and leave a comment describing your experience with Parkhurst so far. We will compile the answers and present them to the college before the independent consultants hired by the college return in the middle of this year to speak with students....

The time for questions ...


QUESTIONS - TO PAGE 9 :

The changes to our dining experience have been a hot topic

around campus lately; most of the students I have heard are singing the praises of Parkhurst for the new food, new dining hall, and new meal plan. “We went through a competi-tive process before we selected Parkhurst,” Anne Keeler, vice president of finance, explained the process by which Bridge-water selected Parkhurst. Kee-ler said that the college used an independent consultant who was not related to any of the vendors to help assess the qualifications of various companies. “We laid out some very specific criteria on menus, rotation of menus, variety, freshness of food, procure-ment of food, etc…We put the

vendors through a fairly vig-orous process of responding to these requests, and what we found was that Parkhurst pre-sented the best combination of responses to everything we asked for,” Keeler said. With all the care and atten-tion the college has put into providing our dining services, students will ideally find an increase in both the quality and variety of food. The new meal plan and the reno-vated dining hall should offer students greater flexibility in their schedules and a relax-ing environment for studying and socializing. According to Keeler, the college has also gone to a great deal of effort to ensure this new meal plan will not pose any unexpected financial strain for students. “The financial implications are almost nonexistent, be-

cause for the same price as the 20 meal plan last year, which was our base plan, students now have unlimited access and extended hours,” Keeler said. Now for upperclassmen that may have purchased the 140 or 125 block plan in previous years, the new plan is a bit more expensive. So, for this first year only, the college is offering a transition plan to upperclassmen that will allow them to receive $600 off their bill for the year so long as they limit themselves to 125 swipes per semester. More informa-tion on the transition plan will be presented later in Septem-ber. Yet the new dining plan is not perfect. Aislinn Mirsch, a sophomore on campus, has raised an interesting issue regarding the lack of options with the new meal plan. This year Aislinn is living in a campus honors house, and as such, she has access to a full kitchen. “I thought it would give me the opportunity to cook a lot of my own food,” Aislinn said. “All summer long I was pick-ing out recipes and I figured out methods to save myself money.” But as she quickly discov-ered, Bridgewater does not al-low students to opt out of the

Questions of nourishmentStory and photos by Rebecca Heine

meal plan so long as they live on campus. In order to remain in her house, Aislinn was required to purchase the full meal plan. So Aislinn wrote a letter to Dean Miracle asking a few simple questions and sug-gesting alternatives that would allow students living in hon-ors houses, Wampler Towers, or the Stone Village—places with full kitchens—the chance to provide for themselves. The experience, Aislinn argues, would be a great chance to learn and grow, supporting the college’s mission statement by teaching us to lead an “in-telligent, healthy, purposeful, and ethical life.” In just one week living on campus, Aislinn visited the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market and purchased baskets of lo-

cal vegetables to experiment with. “That’s what I wanted this to be, a learning experi-ence. I learned how not to freeze eggplant, and I learned that freezing peppers works really well. That’s what I really wanted from this; I wanted the experience to figure it all out. I’ve found that my apprecia-tion of food goes up so much more, that I know where this tomato came from and I smiled at the farmer who gave it to me, and I made this pesto from scratch,” Aislinn said with excitement in her voice. In essence, Aislinn argues that we should have the option of providing for ourselves as a valuable way to train us for adulthood.

Photo by Bernardo H. M

otta

Photo by Rebecca Heine


: KCC - TO PAGE 9

: QUESTIONS - FROM PAGE 8

By JJ Krehbiel

When Bridgewater College first an-nounced the new

partnership with Parkhurst Dining Services, environmen-tal stewardship was identified as one of the key concerns that led to the hiring process. A statement from the college claimed that “Sustainability is a key aspect of the program, and the Parkhurst team will work closely with the col-lege to expand on its current sustainability efforts.” It seems that “sustainability” is often used as a mere buzzword to improve a company’s public relations, so I was curious to know the extent of Parkhurst’s environmental initia-tives. I sat down with Mary Spier, a general manager for Parkhurst, to discuss the new dining service’s environmental engagement and I was ex-tremely impressed with what I learned. One of Parkhurst’s many steps to decreasing their envi-ronmental impact is a dedica-tion to buying locally grown food when it is in season. Spier identified the com-mitment to purchasing local produce as one of the primary goals of Parkhurst. “One of the biggest points that we have is using local.” To utilize local resources Parkhurst purchases its produce and dairy prod-ucts from a partner company called FarmSource which sources its products from farms within a 125 mile radius from its distribution center

in Maryland. Several of these farms are located in Virginia. For fruit fans, you may be pleased to know that all of the peaches and the apples that are currently in the dining hall came from farms in Virginia. While buying locally-grown food may seem like a common-sense purchase, it is far from being the norm. A study by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture concluded that the average distance that food travels in order to get to our refrigera-tors is approximately 1,500 miles. That’s a distance twelve times greater than the 125 miles which is the maximum amount that food purchased from FarmSource will travel in order to get to the distribu-tor. Spier explained to me that the benefit of buying produce from local sources is it “cuts down on the carbon footprint, the waste, and the fuel.” Aside from the obvious CO2 reductions achieved through buying local produce, these types of purchases also help preserve the livelihoods of small family farmers whose businesses are under serious threat from agricultural cor-porations. When asked about the nature of the farms from which our produce comes from, Spier described them as “family-owned farms” and that several of them are also organic, although there is not a preference given to organic farms. Supporting small-scale

Parkhurst brings greater environmental standards to the KCC

Anne Keeler offers a coun-terargument to Aislinn’s proposal, citing the commu-nity aspect that Bridgewater values so highly. “Bridgewater considers itself a bit unique among institutions like ours because we do believe so firmly in the residential aspect of a higher education experi-ence,” Keeler said. “Living and eating together is part of that experience, part of what is Bridgewater,” she added. Mealtimes in the dining hall are considered a necessary social activity that keeps the students con-nected. I asked if that principle applied as strongly to upperclassmen, since they have already developed social circles out-side of the dining hall; Anne Keeler pointed out the value of having students at differ-ent stages of their academic careers interact. “We believe there’s a lot of maturation that occurs between freshmen and senior year, and it’s not a bad thing for them to have opportunities to con-nect,” Keeler explained. The dining hall also al-lows students the chance to further connect with the faculty, as professors are given a discount on their dining hall meals. “Anything we can do to encourage interaction between students and faculty and among students is some-thing we’re interested in do-

ing,” Keeler said. So allowing students to interact with each other and encourage each other to grow is a valuable part of the dining experience; what then do we say to the issue of commuter students? Commuters are not required to purchase a full meal plan, so they are not permitted ac-cess to the dining hall unless they deliberately put money on their card. If the goal of the dining hall is to create an atmosphere of socialization

for students, why are commut-ers excluded? These questions are not issues that can be resolved immediately, as Anne Kee-ler explained: “There are both financial and program-matic aspects to what Aislinn proposes, aspects the whole campus would have to con-sider. Having said all that, it is an idea and it has value.” It is possible that the new meal plan will change again

in the future; the independent consultants hired by the col-lege will be returning in the middle of this year to speak with students and make sure everyone is satisfied with the changes. Students will have a chance to evaluate the circum-stances and request a change, if they so desire. In truth, this is all Aislinn is asking for, that students critically consider the options provided and question what is best for their college experi-

ence: “Whoever I talk to about it, every single Bridgewater student, be it resident or commuter, has an investment in this. And I want people to know that this is something that you don’t have to just take because the college chose it for you, I want them to know that this is a choice we make as a democratic group of stu-

dents. I want students to know that they can make their voice heard, and if they have some-thing they don’t like about it they should say something. You don’t have to just roll with the punches and keep taking beatings, because this is a col-lege campus. If you can’t speak your mind here, where can you speak your mind?”

...

Going Deeper

Photo by Bernardo H. M

otta

10 VERITAS Sept. 6 - 12 2012

family farms is critical in a time where they are rapidly being replaced by large cor-porations. Farm Aid estimates that every week 330 farmers are forced out of business due to a heavily unbalanced com-petition with corporate farms.Purchasing local produce is just one of the ways that Parkhurst reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The way that Parkhurst disposes of its used fryer oil is also a conscientious effort to reduce its carbon footprint. Spier informed me that Parkhurst works with a company called Greenlight Biofuels to convert the fryer oil into biodiesel. Greenlight Biofuels picks up the used fryer oil from the campus and takes it back to their plant in Rockville, Virginia where they filter and dewater the oil before converting it into fuel. The environmental benefits of using biodiesel clearly make it a better alternative to using conventional oil. According to the Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA), burn-ing biodiesel emits 78% less greenhouse gas emissions than regular diesel.Although not all waste can be converted into fuel, Parkhurst is currently working with Teshome Molalenge, Bridge-water’s director of sustain-ability, to find ways in which it can more responsibly dispose of our food waste. For years various students and faculty members have been pushing for the college to incorporate composting as a way to do this; however, very little prog-ress has been made due to concerns of the space needed to have a compost pile large enough for the vast amount of food waste that a college campus produces. Fortunately, Parkhurst and Molalenge are

: KCC - FROM PAGE 8

currently exploring the pos-sibility of partnering with an organic recycling company called Black Bear Compost-ing. If a deal is reached, Black Bear would pick up the food waste at Bridgewater and take it to their facility in Crimora, Virginia, where they would compost it.Throwing food waste in a landfill may not seem like the worst thing one can do for the environment. After all, if our bodies can digest it, it seems as though it should be able to decompose easily in a landfill. However, the EPA notes that when food waste is allowed to decompose in landfills instead of a compost pile it produces methane, a green-house gas that is 25 times more detrimental than CO2. Furthermore, composting en-hances our natural resources by revitalizing soil nutrients, reducing our dependence on chemical fertilizers, and increasing the ability of soil to retain water.For environmentalists, the harvest of seafood is an especially difficult practice to

swallow. Due to irresponsible practices of overfishing and the reduction of endangered populations from bycatch (when marine life is caught unintentionally), the seafood industry has dramatically upset the fragile ecosystems of our oceans. However, the sea-food selection that Parkhurst is bringing to our dining hall comes from seafood farm-ers who are conscientious about their ecological impact. All seafood products that Parkhurst purchases conform to sustainable guidelines created by the Monterey Bay Aquarium. These guidelines provide information for what types of seafood conscien-tious consumers should avoid. For instance, Tilapia that is farmed in Asia is listed under the “avoid” category. Tilapia that is farmed in Central or South America is listed as a “good alternative” and Tilapia that is farmed in the US is listed under the “best choices” category. Any type of seafood under the “avoid” category is not purchased by Parkhurst.The Monterey Bay Seafood

Watch guidelines also recom-mend busi-nesses that raise fish on farms inland. This process takes away the risk of uninten-tionally damaging marineeco-systems through fishing practices. For com-panies that

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do catch fish from the ocean, it recommends fisheries that incorporate technologies which reduce the amount of bycatch. These technolo-gies include “pingers” which makes a sound that deters sea mammals, “Turtle Excluder Devices” which are trap doors in a net that allows turtles to escape, and the “Nordmore Gate” which can limit bycatch

in shrimp fisheries. When asked about these fishing methods and technologies, Spier replied, “It helps the marine life to stabilize itself. When overfishing happens, and it does, it helps nature balance itself back out.” While my discussion with Mary Spier left me feeling very good about the sources of our food on campus, I will be interested to see whether the college takes full advantage of the environmentally-friendly food resources available to us. For instance, whether Parkhurst will put a prefer-ence on produce that is not only locally grown but also meets organic criteria. Fur-thermore, I am eager to report on whether the administra-tion will make a deal with a company such as Black Bear to enable our food waste to be composted. ...


2012 Sept. 6 - 12 VERITAS 11

Before the hum of the track finally ending,

Before the silence as the song comes to an end,

Before the trumpet wails as a mother discovers the body

of her dead son,Before the sound of blood trickling from a caved in

skull,Before a loose rock drops

the final beat,Before the metronomes of two young children

thump wildly over a mere mouthful,

Before they violently play upon one another,

Before their drums echo with hunger pains,

Before their arms and legs morph into frail sticks,

Before their ribcages protrude like sick

xylophones,Before men of different color bring them plastic

instruments,Before you give your money

to those men,Before you sign that check,

Pause.

Think.

Songs of AfricaBy Katie Matherlee

Do you really want to hear this symphony?

Do you really want to press play?

Do you really want the score to end in hate and hunger-

driven gore?No.

You don’t.

Write a new song,A song people want to hear.A song made up of laughter instead of trumpets’ wails,

Without the echoes of empty drums and

The sickening twangs of xylophones,

Minus the clank of fragile sticks and the fast-paced

beats of frightened metronomes.

YouAre the conductor;

YouAre the writer.

Give Africa a new song.Don’t give this man your

money,Not one more minute of

your time.Just turn and walk away.You’ve got a lot of work to

do.Now,

Press play.

Our very own Kline Campus Center, the hub of campus

culture, has received a much-needed modernization this past summer. The 43-year-old building had been considered by many as an eyesore in previous years, offering fare even less desirable than its façade. Despite the mixed reputation our cafeteria has earned in recent years, according to research from Francis Fry Wayland’s “Bridgewater College: The First One Hundred Years” and photographs from our library’s special collections, it has come quite a long way from what it used to be.

The earliest known space at Bridgewater College devoted solely to dining was located in the White House, which once stood where the Alexander Mack Library stands today. The house, constructed in 1888, was initially a ladies dormitory before including the cafeteria. In 1928, the cafeteria relocated to much more spacious quarters in the newly built Rebecca Hall, where it remained until the Kline Campus Center’s completion in 1969. The tawny carpet and knotty pine paneling once present in the KCC lobby and cafeteria have long since vanished, since the building received an

Faces of the PastBy Chris Conte

extensive renovation roughly a decade ago, and most recently this past summer. The stainless steel and white tile that once adorned the walls, floors, and utilities of the serving area have long since vanished, in favor of the colorful buffet and machines we use today. The limited fare was served in the lunch-line style to which we all grew accustomed in high school. While there will always be complaints regarding Bridgewater’s dining services and fare, remember: it’s a whole lot better than what it used to be. ...

Photo courtesy of Alexander Mack Library special collections


The KCC

Sept. 6 - 12 201212 VERITAS

“Whatever, whoever oppresses you, you shouldn’t be silent. You

should be who you are,” Bashar Murad said. This is the message Murad hopes resonates with his audience in his first and upcoming album Won’t Be Silent. Hailing from Palestine, Murad has seen oppression due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Won’t Be Silent” and

“Olive Tree--White Dove” are two songs featured on the album which specifically refer to the conflict Murad has witnessed; “Won’t Be Silent” is Murad’s appeal for justice, while “OliveTree--White Dove” is an appeal for peace. Both songs were written at Bridgewater College, the latter of the two coming out of an exercise in a theatre class taught by Dr. Scott Cole

Message in the Music By Morgan Alexander

wherein Murad visualized he was a sixty-four year old olive tree, symbolizing his hope for peace after sixty-four years of Israeli occupation of Palestine. The album not only concentrates on the oppression found in Palestine but the oppression Murad finds in the judgments of others. “Just Being” deals with this particular form of judgment as he struggles with

his identity. “Coming here to Virginia, it’s not that diverse, especially Bridgewater. It’s hard to be myself. It’s hard to relate to people; they’re so different. They don’t understand me the way they do back home,” Murad confided. Compared to Palestine,

Bashar Murad: Won’t Be Silent

Bridgewater is another world to Murad, and his isolation is revealed through his thoughtful lyrics: “Under these lights/ it’s so damn bright/ I’m not me/ But in the dark/ I play my part/ but no one sees.” In Contrast to “Freeze,” as well as “Next to Me,” “Like a Little Boy,” and “Insanely,” which focus on varying issues concerning love and relationships, “Alive” displays Murad’s emotion following his mom’s death. Murad has used the song to receive attention from his audience, including Bridgewater students. Murad has performed the song

enough times on campus that some students are able to sing along. “Behind every song I write, I always want a message,” Murad said. Over a span of four years starting when Murad was fifteen, Won’t Be Silent combines ranging illustrations of oppression Murad has personally faced. However, “The album is not just about me but everyone,” Murad said. No matter where you are from or who you are, Murad anticipates that you can relate to the message in his music.

...

Photo by Rami Bajjali

Photo by Laila Saadeh

2012 Sept. 6 - 12 VERITAS 13

Thus those sepia-toned memories of summer’s last reprieves falls

forever into the cavernous nether realm that is the human memory, only to be replaced by the dimly lit rooms and tortuous existence that this place, this higher institution of learning places upon its denizens; students drifting from hall to hall, classes that are never-ending, forever haunted by the oldest question that seems to rear its less than savory head every fall like clockwork only to fade into non-existence: How was your summer vacation? In other words…we’re back on the air everybody! Perhaps even more importantly, your favorite narcissistic editor has

Season PremiereBy Nicholas Davies

returned to craft a worthy “Season Three Premiere” piece for you to glean, to judge, and then to ultimately throw into the rubbish bin. Before someone asks the dreaded inevitable question, however, I shall respond preemptively and say it was not as great as I hoped it would be. Now, this particular reply has nothing to do with my summer refuge on a personal level but rather with the crop of summer films that infested or invaded the local Cineplex’s, depending on how you want to view it. Granted, being strapped with shall we say limited funds, not every film passed through my intense critical gaze, but I certainly tried to attend screenings of the

more noteworthy films. Even then, disappointment soon became my constant companion and sometime mistress as film after film seemed more than comfortable to lull me into a fall sense of security before it dropped some unwanted baggage on the doorstep as it came in for a bit of a brew. Even the likes of Joss Whedon, Ridley Scott or,

perhaps most disappointingly, Christopher Nolan could not craft a film that would have found me bounding out of the cinema with such furor and glee that some of my fellow cinema patrons most certainly would have been distressed for my future well being. The specifics of my feelings toward the films of summer 2012, however, may be slightly easier to understand once one has read one of my long winded reviews that should, if everything goes according to plan, be published around the films’ release to DVD. For now though all that you, the reader, and they, the filmmakers, should know is that, in true parental fashion, I’m very disappointed. I could spend some time then, I suppose, gesticulating widely about the many other things that I have learned this summer…such as that I should have started watching “Sons of Anarchy” much, much sooner or that I am ever so slightly reassured that music as I know it is safe as long as acts such as “The Gaslight Anthem” keep producing quality records or that the Olympics not only did the sporting world proud but constantly bought a tear to my eye as it made me even prouder to be British. (Although, I would have been even happier if the opening ceremony had simply been Sir Kenneth Branagh doing

a one man version of “The Tempest” along with a quick Rowan Atkinson sketch and that simply divine rendition of Jerusalem/Flower of Scotland/Danny Boy/Bread of Heaven. Shame that the closing ceremony, as well as NBC’s coverage, was a load of rubbish) But I fear that if I attempt to hold on to those memories for much longer then the re-assimilation into the collective…I mean the student body will be just that much harder. So, what does this Third Season hold? Well, if

“Community” is to be trusted, which in all truth is a great deal considering how much I adore that show, then this year will be the darkest and strangest of the four years that we spend in college. This does though bring up a very important question: When does summer vacation begin again? ...

Photo by Taylor Dukehart

Sept. 6 - 12 201214 VERITAS

With the presidential election only months away,

voters are faced with a choice—the Democrat Barack Obama, or the Republican Mitt Romney. That’s it, right? Wrong. The citizens of this great nation have been swindled by politicians and the media alike. A Jedi mind-trick of sorts has been performed, leaving voters virtually clueless as to their options. There are no less than 17 other Presidential Candidates, listed below, on the ballot in at least one state in 2012. Not to mention the myriad of Independent Write-In Candidates. Why then, have Americans as a whole been conditioned to believe that there are only two candidates? Why don’t national media give any attention to these other legitimate candidates? One may argue that these candidates are unknown because they have no chance at winning. One could also argue that these candidates have no chance at winning because they don’t receive any recognition. In public school, from elementary Social Studies, to middle-school Civics, to high-school Government classes, Americans are taught that they live in what is called a multi-party system. By and

These are not the candidates you are looking forBy Joshua Trupo

large, this is mostly true. According to Stuart Fox, Life’s Little Mysteries Staff Writer, “While third-party candidates can find success in local elections, they have almost always failed to win the presidency.” Research done by Dr. Jonathan Mott of the University of Oklahoma on his website ThisNation.com backs that up, as one must go as far back as 1968 to find evidence of a Third-Party presidential candidate (American Independent George Wallace) winning any electoral votes. Using that same research, one must dig even deeper, back to 1912, for the one and only time a Third-Party has come relatively close to winning, a threat in the name of Theodore Roosevelt. After Roosevelt’s valiant attempt, he then proceeded to rejoin the Republican Party before making his way to the presidency. If Independents can be so successful in small government positions, why is it so difficult for them to succeed on a large scale? That would be due to the state laws, called Ballot Access Rules, which make it ridiculously difficult for Third-Party candidates to get their names on the Presidential ballot by requiring would-be candidates to gather a certain amount

of signatures, usually around 20,000, before qualifying for the ballot. These laws were created in a joint effort of Republicans and Democrats between 1890 and 1915. Before then, Independents consistently proved some sort of threat to the two larger parties. According to Stuart Fox again, the 1860 presidential election had four candidates from different parties win more than 10% of the vote. These days, Republicans and Democrats seem to never be able to reach an agreement, yet the two were clearly able to set aside their differences to create these laws, which differ from state to state. The reasoning given by States for these Ballot Access Rules is that lower or no criteria would result in numerous candidates on the ballot, which would split the votes of similar minded voters, possibly giving victory to a candidate who didn’t win a majority of the vote. This reasoning has been proven wrong time and again both in the past, before the time of these laws, and most recently in the case of the 2003 California recall where there were 135 candidates on the ballot. Not surprisingly, an article in the San Francisco Chronicle at the time of the recall

reported that the presence of 134 other candidates did not make it more difficult for voters to find the candidate they wanted to vote for, with “Most voters reporting little trouble in casting their ballots.”Instead of being able to join the two major parties in legitimate bids for the Presidency, Third-Parties are limited to the roll of “stealing” votes from one of the two sides. America likes to style itself as the land of the free, though we cannot even run for President without the Government’s consent; land of the free indeed. Though Americans only have themselves to blame. A stunt of this nature can only succeed if we, as Americans, allow it to. The only way to combat this is through knowledge. Get out there and learn the candidates’ names and what they stand for. If voting for Republicans or Democrats is too distasteful, there are other choices. Start casting your votes towards those whom you consider more worthy. Change doesn’t just happen. The only way to get out of this two-party rut is if we rise up and do it ourselves. ...

Independent/Third Party Presidential Candidates on the Ballot in at least One State:

Libertarian Party: Former New Mexico Governor, Gary JohnsonConstitution Party: Former Congressman, Virgil GoodeAmerican Independent Party: Tom HoeflingAmerican Third Position Party: Merlin MillerConstitution Party of Oregon/Independent American Party: Will ChristensenGrassroots Party: Jim CarlsonGreen Party: Dr. Jill SteinJustice Party: Former Salt Lake City Mayor, Rocky AndersonObjectivist Party: Tom StevensParty of Socialism and Liberation (PSL): Peta LindsayPeace & Freedom Party: Rosanne BarrProhibition Party: Lowell FellureReform Party USA: Andre BarnettReform Party of Kansas: Chuck BaldwinSocialist Party USA/Liberty Union Party: Stewart AlexanderSocialist Equality Party: Jerome WhiteSocialist Workers Party: James Harris

2012 Sept. 6 - 12 VERITAS 15

In their opening tourna-ment of the season on August 31st and Sep-

tember 1st at Christopher Newport University, the Bridgewater College volleyball team finished the tournament with a 1-3 record. Despite not finishing the tournament with a winning record, a whole host of Eagles finished the tournament with impressive statistics. On the first day of play the ladies fell 3-0 to their high-ranked host, Christopher Newport. Highlights of the match included Casey O’Leary leading the team with 12 digs and Cady Castle leading the team in kills, with eight. During the second match of the day, the Eagles fell 3-0 to Roger Williams Univer-sity. Bethany Doman and Cat Snead both lead the Eagles in kills with ten each. Other standouts of the day included Kylie Graham who posted an impressive 27 assists for the Eagles. Casey O’Leary led the Eagles in digs contributing 16. On day two of the CNU tournament, the ladies broke even finishing with a day score of 1-1. In their first match of

the day, the ladies faced Lasell University. On the front row for the Eagles, Cat Snead and Megann Grimes lead the team in kills with 12 each. Kylie Graham lead the team with 20 assists. Following behind Graham with assists was Lindsay Kallam with 10. From the back row, Rebecca Clay-tor led the Eagles in digs with 14 followed by Casey O’Leary who had 12. The Eagles beat Lasell 3-0. In their second match of day two the team lost to Texas-Tyler University 3-1. During this match, Snead and Grimes both had ten kills followed by Katie Long who contributed with nine. O’Leary led the Eagles in digs with 16, fol-lowed by Bethany Doman who posted 13. With their first tournament behind them, the Bridgewater College volleyball team will travel to Stevenson University on September 8th to play in the Stevenson Invitational Tournament. On September 12th the Eagles will travel to Randolph-Macon College to play their first ODAC game of the season. ...

A Hopeful SeasonBy Holly Fox

gcgcg gcgcS C O R E V C A R DSeptember 5, 2012Men’s Soccer v. Southern VirginiaBridgewater 2Southern Virginia 1

Women’s Volleyball

: PLAYIN’ - FROM PAGE 16

Upcoming Sports Schedule9-7: Women’s soccer at Greensboro College, 4 p.m.9-8: Football (home) v. Greensboro College, 1 p.m.9-8: Men’s soccer at St. Mary’s, 2 p.m.9-8: Women’s soccer at Stevenson University, 3:30 p.m.9-8: Volleyball at Stevenson Invita-tional, 8:30 & 10:30 a.m.9-9: Men’s soccer at Salisbury, 1 p.m.9-12: Volleyball at Randolph-Macon, 7 p.m.9-12: Women’s soccer (home) v. EMU, 4 p.m.9-12: Men’s soccer at Stevenson, 4 p.m.9-12: Field hockey at Hood College, 5 p.m.

The Eagles celebrated their first game with a victory last weekend against St. Vincent with a score of 23-7. With two touchdown passes and running in a touchdown in that game, Logan is already starting off strong, but like any leader of a team, he is pushing for them to get even stronger. “Watching film, there are already changes we see that need to be made, but it was a good learning game to have against a good team and it’s always nice to come out with a win,” said Logan. Like most teams top goal for the season, Logan said their goal is to make it to (and win) the ODAC championships, and finished by saying, “I mean if ya aren’t playing to be number one then why are ya playin’?” Everyone is encouraged to come out and support the Eagles who are back in action this Saturday September 8th for their first home game against Greensboro at 1pm. ...

September 5, 2012Women’s VolleyballBridgewater @ Mary WashingtonBridgewater 0Mary Washington 3

September 4, 2012Women’s SoccerBridgewater @ HoodBridgewater 7Hood 0

September 2, 2012Women’s SoccerBridgewater v. AverettBridgewater 5Averett 0

September 1, 2012FootballBridgewater @ St. VincentBridgewater 23St. Vincent 7

16 VERITAS Sept. 6 - 12 2012

By Lacey Naff

“Why are ya playin’?”

Junior athlete Will Logan has been playing football since he was ten years old.

He grew up nearby in Luray Virginia and attended Luray High School, where he played basketball and baseball along with football. He said that he was a pretty good player at an average high school, but was ambitious to play and do well at the college level. When I asked Will what made him decide to come to Bridgewater, he simply responded with “mulch.”Believing that I heard him wrong I questioned him again. He smiled and replied, “I was laying mulch with my dad here in the spring of my senior year, and I was like this place is so beautiful I can never leave, so I called Coach Clark and told him that I wanted to play football here.” Looking back now it’s easy to confirm that he made a good decision by choosing to play here at Bridgewater because after all his hard work he has now been named the starting quarterback this season for the Eagles. There are a few new coaches helping out the team this year, which has an impact on how things will be run.

“The new coaches are awesome. Coach Shaw, our offensive coordinator brings a little more excitement that we never really had before,” Logan said. He also credited a lot of the other

: PLAYIN’ - TO PAGE 15

coaches for bringing more energy to the games and practices. Overall the offense this year is a lot younger than usual which can make some teams nervous, but Logan is not concerned about this. “I feel like everyone is just so excited to go out and play some football,” he said.

Speaking about a young offensive player Jacob Wright, Logan said, “We were sitting on the bus on the way to the game and Jacob was just so excited to go out and play which was awesome to be around, and its stuff like that that spreads through the team.”

Photo courtesy of Bridgewater Sports

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Veritas Issue 1, Fall 2012