Housekeeping: No hablen Español

Page 8Photo by Chris ConteOct. 11 - 17 2012Changing ourselves. Changing our community.

Illustration by Ellen Morris

Have you registered to vote? If so, good for you; if not...

well, that’s your prerogative. However, as I have said be-fore, I feel that if you do not contribute your opinion to a situation (in this case vot-ing), then you really have no grounds for complaint. I won’t get on that soapbox again. At the start of the school year, I was unsure if I was registered to vote. I vaguely remembered marking something when I got my driver’s license about registering to vote when I became of age, but I never saw anything else about it. Now, past (and often present) Corley would have just let it go; I’m not the best at asserting myself. Often times, it is easier for me to just let something go than deal with conflict, especially when bureaucracy is in-volved. But this election was a good place for me to start conquering this behavior. I drove to the DMV on Route 11, to inquire as to whether I was registered or not. As per usual with a DMV encounter, it was not so easy. Even though they had voter registration applications and absentee ballot applications, they could not tell me if I was registered to vote. I had to call my local voting office to find out. Once again, I was very ap-

Oct. 11 - 17 2012 2 VERITAS

prehensive to do this; I have had less than pleasing luck with my local government offices. However, the woman who answered my call was very helpful, and was able to tell me that I was not in fact registered to vote. So I got to

work--found the application, printed and filled it out, and mailed it in. Sooner than I expected, I received confir-mation that I was registered to vote! Of course, that wasn’t the end. I then had to submit an application for an absentee ballot. (It’s at this point that I almost understand people not voting--with all this hassle, it can be very daunt-ing and frustrating.) So I conquered that one as well, downloading, printing and

mailing that application. And once again, I received my ballot sooner than I expected. This past weekend, I filled it out, and mailed it back in--yes America, I have contributed to my future! I am excited to be voting in

my first presidential elec-tion. It might sound weird to you, but it’s just one of those things that’s cool to me. “So what?” you ask. “So you voted...so what?” Well, maybe nothing. Maybe I went to all this effort to vote for someone who will not win. But maybe my vote will be the one to tip the scales. I realize that one vote would not win an election...but follow my mindset here. If even one thousand people withheld their vote because they thought it wouldn’t matter, the election could have very different results. What if every grain of sand decided it was insig-

nificant, and left the beach? (I’m an English major--I will personify sand if I want to.) There would be no beach. Not all grains of sand are alike; some are very dry and loose, and others are wet and compressed. Despite their differences though, all to-gether they make the beach. Well, if each eligible Ameri-can minimizes the impact of their vote, no matter their political views, we essentially have no beach. While I real-ize I am just one person in

All the grains of sandBy Corley Tweedy

Brandy BrodeKatheryne Rivera

Corley TweedyRebecca Heine

Alyssa PenningtonJoanna Caples

Nicholas DaviesLacey Naff

Morgan AlexanderKatie Matherlee

Sarah RicoSarah Conner

Cassandra ClarkLatisha Branch

Brooke Thacker

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Veritas is a student-run newspaper of Bridgewater College serving the Central Shenandoah Valley area.

many hundreds of thousands who will vote on November 6, I still feel like I have a chance to control my future, because I voted. I’m still working on assert-ing myself on issues that mat-ter to me. It’s no easy task; I get caught up in the moment, and overwhelmed. But doing “little” things like calling the county voter registration

office, and of course, voting, definitely helps in doing the big things, like fighting an is-sue that will affect your life. I would urge you all to exercise your right as citizens to vote this year, and every year. It takes all the grains of sand to make a beach; don’t minimize the impact of your vote. ...

Photo by Joanna Caples

2012 Oct. 11 - 17 VERITAS 3

1. Kylie Graham: Does this jacket make my balloons look big?

2. Maddy Carter: Hey Bethany, did you just take a t-shirt?Bethany Doman: You didn’t see anything (walks away).

3. Bethany Doman: Crap! There’s Dr. Elick, and I didn’t go to class today! Maybe

Caption contest winning entries(In no particular order)

if I hide behind these balloons, she won’t see me.Maddy: Oh Dr. Elick!

4. Balloons: ATTACK!!Kristen Trice: But I’m allergic to latex!!Balloon on left: Well Donald was allergic to sharpie!!Balloon Named Donald: Sweet revenge.

5. Sign: What’s a “ta-ta”?Cat Snead: I think it’s a type of fish.Balloon next to Cat’s head: The doodle on my face makes so much more sense now.

Photo by Katie M

atherlee

Global CaféSilence speaks volumes: The sound of oppressionLIMITED SPOTS - RSVP to Dr. Bernardo H. Motta (bmotta@bridgewater.edu)

WHAT: Global Café - Silence Speaks Vol-umes: The Sound of Oppression WHEN: Oct. 25 (Thursday)

WHERE: at the Veritas House (101 N Third Street) - 6-8:30 p.m.

Participants are encouraged to bring snacks to share with the group. Any snack that you can relate to either your background or that reminds you of a moment of oppression you might have suffered. Global Café offers an opportunity for stu-dents, staff, and faculty to engage in civic dis-course about broad international issues while sharing meals, knowledge, experiences, and viewpoints in order to give the other partici-pants a better understanding of how people with different cultural backgrounds come to understand and act on different deep and overarching matters that affect people glob-ally. Global Café is not a presentation, but an informal conversation among participants. Everyone is welcome to share their own view-points. Global Café is an initiative of Veritas, the Center for Cultural Engagement, and the Center for International Education.

Oct. 11 - 17 2012 4 VERITAS

By Rebecca Heine

As part of the Home-coming festivities this past week, an

exuberant horde of students flooded Cole Hall to watch Bridgewater’s finest sing, dance, and generally humiliate themselves before their ador-ing fans—all in the name of school spirit. As is only right, the ladies went first on Tuesday night.

Nine beautiful and talented young women took the stage to strut their stuff, exhibit-ing their talent and poise. The audience was treated to singing, dancing, and a particularly passionate poem by Talaya Heard. The most stunning of these talents was the spectacular Irish dance performed by this year’s win-ner, Cyndi Wibe, complete

with traditional dress and bounc-ing curls. Cyndi said, “Winning this competition was a big honor because I did not think in a million years that I would get it. I am glad I won, and it feels amazing. I am so glad to be representing BC this year!” Then on Thurs-day it was the guys’ turn. Bridgewater men took the stage full force, putting on a show that had the audience roll-ing with laughter. The runner-up, Chris Michael, performed a side-splitting routine of sound effects, tell-ing the story of Mickey Mouse (Chris) chopping down three trees (brave members of EP) using successively a chainsaw, a lightsaber, and of course Optimus Prime. Perhaps the greatest mo-ment, however, was this year’s Mr. Bridgewater, Tyler Goss, and his pickup line. Rather than pulling out one of the many sweet/awkwardly pain-ful stereotypes we know so well, Tyler came out on stage in nerdified-splendor and pro-

The crowning glory of homecoming

ceeded to serenade the audi-ence with a brilliant combina-tion flue solo and beat-boxing routine. Interestingly enough, this wasn’t the first time Tyler claimed the crown. “I had a blast doing Mr. BC freshmen year, and I thought why not end my BC student experi-ence the same way I started it, by competing in Mr. BC?” Tyler said. After winning both times, Tyler looks back on the experience as a fun and mean-ingful reminder of the Bridge-water community. As Tyler put it, “what made this group of contestants exceptional was

how they acted behind stage. At the end of Mr. BC, Whit-ney Smith mentioned that it was shocking how friendly and pleasant all the contes-tants were to each other. Mr. BC may be a competition, but it shows what makes BC great. We are one community, and our pride for the school and the BC family outweighs pride in any individual.”...

Photo by Joanna Caples

Photo by Joanna Caples

2012 Oct. 11 - 17 VERITAS 5

Pictures by Tayseer Al-Safar, Joanna Caples, Ari Christopher, and Melina Norman

Pictures from homecoming 2012

Oct. 11 - 17 2012 6 VERITAS

People may get lost at times in absorbing news of tragedy and war all

around the world. While see-ing these stories and images of the terrible events that may occur, many people fail to consider what risks may have been taken to get the very im-age that they are staring at. Photo-journalist Gary Fa-biano risks his life at his job every day in order to fulfill the passion he has for informing people of the events in the world. Fabiano came to Bridgewater College on Tuesday, October 9 and shared stories of a few of the many phenomenal experi-ences of his life. His amaz-ing passion for his job and wonderful personality made him an absolute joy to interact and work with. From person-ally being a victim of 9/11, trapped in the rubble, to war zones overseas, to the heart-breaking detriment of Haiti after the earthquakes, Fabiano has no limitations as to where he may travel to get a story. As he told his stories to the students of Bridgewater, the fact that Fabiano has

been consistently a victim of circumstance became quite evident. For example he told us of how he never carried a flash while on the job, yet the day of the attacks on 9/11 he happened to have one. This flash is what helped to save peoples’ lives by helping them

to find their way out of the rubble. He told a story of how he ran through a field of gun-fire and stopped in his tracks for no good reason, narrowly missing a bullet whizzing by his head. Fabiano has risked his life endlessly to get photographs in which are extremely intense. Death, famine, and suffering are common things in which he comes into con-tact with and expresses to the rest of the world through his photos. As he spoke with the students here, he explained that it has become instinc-

By Abigail Blair

Worth a thousand words

Thinking back to catching those salamanders and frogs in the pond out back brings forth the memories of when we were young, naive, foolish, and ready to take on the world.The moths gathered around the outside lights and fluttered in the night, their tiny wings beating softly to seek warmth from the cold of fall. Little, fragile, perfect in our own gentle hands.Every day our adventures left us to our devices, to explore and seek the mysteries of life outside our minds. We did not yet know loss, heartache, and the brutalities of life.Even after my parents split and left me confused and dazed, I sought after you for comfort and consistency, like those little moths in our hands; following, promising we would always be friends.And even after I moved the first time, down south , hundreds of miles from you and the life we loved, we still talked. We still confided our secrets, ideas, wishes, and all the dreams we held dear.Our reunion afterwards remained short-lived and awkward from the inevitable pheromones that made a simple

UntitledBy Megan Fulkerson

UNTITLED - TO PAGE 14 :

Photo by Brooke Thacker

tual for him to plan for what is about to happen and be prepared for the shot. He also told us of times when he has known that the right thing to do was put the camera down. If no people can benefit from the photo that he could take, Fabiano will not take it.

The pho-tographs that he has taken have been published in many major me-dia outlets includ-ing HBO docu-mentaries and the New York Times. Evidence has been taken

from his photos to solve war crimes. Fabianos photos leave an impact that is undeniable. He expressed to us that he is neither for war, nor against war; merely that he has a passion for informing the world of what is going on and presenting them with the op-portunity of developing their own opinions on it....

2012 Oct. 11 - 17 VERITAS 7

Copper Ridge Animal Hospital, located just three minutes

from the heart of campus, is a full-service veterinary clinic and boarding facility, and the home this semester of Intern and Senior Biology major Jessica Owens. Owens, who hopes to pursue a career with either domesticated or wild animals, is acquiring internship experiences in various segments of the field to see what fits best. This semester, she is interning at the animal hospital, where she gets to work as an assistant in

various medical and routine procedures. In an internship, you get to “see the other world – the other side to pet ownership,” explained Owens. Pets are not always happy, healthy and friendly. Sometimes they are sick or in pain or upset. Sometimes they bite. A pet owner herself, Owens finds the world of veterinary care interesting yet sometimes difficult. “Just today we did an ultrasound on a dog that we believe has Lymphoma… it’s emaciated. The whole time we’re poking and prodding

By Kathleen Herring

[the dog] he’s licking me and it’s really sad… he’s got a needle sticking out of him and he’s still so happy. That’s the down side to this job.” Working at an animal hospital isn’t always sad. When she’s not assisting in surgery, Jessie helps out at the front desk and jokes with her coworkers. She confided that sometimes the pets’ owners can be funny in how they describe their problems. “We had a call from a gentleman [who] said his cat wasn’t making any water, meaning urinating. I thought that was funny.” This particular cat had a blockage in its urethra and needed a medical procedure to clear it. Owens herself and a Veterinary Technician worked on the cat while the Doctor was helping another patient, giving her hands-on experience in a new procedure. “I’m learning all the routine things that they do when it comes to vaccinations, doing submissions and holds on the animals – you don’t want the animal to be able to reach you to bite or scratch you so it’s important to hold them correctly.” She has also learned that paperwork is very important in a field where controlled

“Raining cats and dogs”

Photo by Tayseer Al-Safar

drugs are used and must be documented. When asked about her choice to do an internship, Owens emphasized that she highly recommended it to other students: “You’re not going to know until you try, until you see what it’s like… You’re paying for this education, so why not explore?” Internships give students invaluable experience in their field of interest that would not be available to an undergraduate in the job market and also earn them course credit (for juniors and seniors). Whether or not she chooses to pursue a career in veterinary science, Owens believes the experience will help her wherever she

goes. “I’ve learned the ladder system, how you work your way up and gain respect and more things that you can do. [For example], at first she wouldn’t let me hold an animal; I had to prove myself. Now she lets me step in.” Owens’ favorite part is “witnessing any surgery, anything that’s more hands-on that I can do.” She hopes to find another internship next semester, possibly working with wild animals to see the different paths she might follow. “I’m open to seeing where exactly I’m going to make a difference – I want to be somewhere where I’m going to make an impact in a positive way.”

...

Photo by Tayseer Al-Safar

Oct. 11 - 17 2012 8 VERITAS

By Morgan Alexander

“I do what they say. I want to keep my job,” Veronica Sanchez, a member of the

Housekeeping Staff at Bridge-water College, said. After a recent staff meeting, the five Hispanic members, out of the total 26 staff members, were asked to remain, followed by the demand not to speak Spanish. “They said it’s for the faculty and students because they don’t understand; they think we’re talking about them,” Sanchez said. The Hispanic members of the Housekeeping Staff did not embrace the request. “One of the girls started crying because she only speaks Span-ish,” Guadalupe Morales, an-other member of the House-keeping Staff, said. Morales inquired where the regulation was stated in the handbook, and she was told to look it up herself. Bridgewater College focuses on the Big Question “What is fair?” this year. Though the college is hoping to increase diversity, the restriction on staff to not speak their first language may seem to be a double standard. Is not allow-ing staff to speak their first language on campus fair? Morales was encouraged in previous years to speak Span-ish with faculty and students in Flory Hall where Spanish

classes are held. As Bridgewa-ter College desires to increase diversity on campus, discour-aging staff to speak their first language may seem to be a step in the wrong direction. “I feel extremely angry. I think it’s their right to have a

voice. Immigrants come to the states for rights. To deny them to speak their own language goes against ideas of freedom. They came here for a better life and equality. It is the way the country was founded,” Dr. Julia Morton, Associate Pro-fessor of Foreign Language, said. Morton, who hails from Peru, has spoken Spanish, also her native language, to house-keeping staff in Flory Hall. Following her own reflection

No hablen españolHousekeeping’s ban on Spanish raises questions of fairness

on personal struggles after moving to the United States, Morton acknowledged the ease of nonnatives to speak their first language amongst each other. “They share the same culture. They feel com-forted and protected with one

another because they share a lot--there is so much racism--they shouldn’t deny that. The world is already hard enough. That is forbidding people to be themselves,” Morton said. In response to the reason behind placing the regulation, Morton said, “People have fears. They assume that they are talking or plotting against them when they don’t under-stand.” Hilary Cauthorne, a junior

Spanish major, said, “Being denied to speak your first lan-guage isn’t just disrespectful to the language, it’s disrespectful to the person and to their cul-ture as a whole. I personally love the fact that we have such a culturally diverse staff, and it

really upsets me that our col-lege would deny them, or any-one for that matter, to speak their first language, which is a huge part of any culture.” The Director of Housekeep-ing La Donna Shiflet denied instructing staff not to speak Spanish and then informed, “What we have said is that, if we’re in a group and you know English, we encourage people to speak and practice it. We don’t want anyone to feel iso-

Graphic by Brooke Thacker

lated.” Despite Shiflet’s claim, Hispanic housekeepers have been reprimanded by their su-pervisor for speaking Spanish amongst themselves. Also, changes have been made to housekeeping at Bridgewater College, includ-ing rotating staff throughout the buildings, adding a night shift and weekend crew, and requiring staff to clock in. “We accommodate to the requests of students and parents,” Shi-flet said. Though alterations may be beneficial for some, the housekeeping staff agree that the work load is heavier and more to learn than previous years. According to Morales, two staff members have already quit. “It’s more complicated,” Morales said, “I’m very disappointed.” “The staff is a wonderful group of people. They work really hard. They have the best interest of the students, and the students become close with the housekeepers. They are an extension of family,” Shiflet said. While the house-keepers at Bridgewater never hesitate to smile and greet students, their smiles may be fading with harsh regulations and heavy workload.

...

2012 Oct. 11 - 17 VERITAS 9

Bridgewater College has seen growing numbers of incoming freshmen

throughout the years. This fall, Bridgewater College has welcomed one of the biggest classes to come through this school. At a tied record of 552 freshmen, for the big-gest class, the class of 2016

has filled every room avail-able on campus. The school is growing and therefore has been faced with overcrowding conditions this fall. Over-crowding has resulted in the school having to board some students in the Crimson Inn. As some students may know, the Crimson Inn is a small motel that is in the town of Bridgewater and only a couple minutes from campus. On the second floor of Rebecca, students can find the offices of student life. The activities and the way of life at Bridgewater are centered around the people here. “Right now we are only hous-ing a small amount, under-neath ten, of readmitted up-

perclassmen at the Crimson Inn at this time” explained CJ Yerington, director of resident life. “No freshmen are at the Crimson Inn now, we are continually trying to figure out rooming and making sure everyone can be housed.” Yerington said that the traditional capacity for

on-campus housing is 1473 students. They added twelve non-traditional bed spaces this fall, brining the current on-campus capacity to 1,485. Yerington assured that Resi-dent Life is constantly making conversions and accommoda-tions for all students, paying close attention to the ratio of female and male students. “At this time I have not heard about future housing projects. We would consider that after we look at the growth of the school and look at the num-bers coming in,” said Yering-ton. The first floor of Flory hous-es the business and finance offices. This is where major decisions are made about our

school and how the well be-ing of BC is constantly being talked about. Since we have had overflow of students this year, students are wonder-ing why Bridgewater would admit more students then it could hold. “We always admit more students then we think will come, all institutions do,”

explained Anne Keeler, vice president for finance. “ We try to look at what has hap-pened in the past and try to predict what will happen in the future. This year we had a very positive response to our admission decisions and a few more came then we had predicted.” Keeler made clear that there are no current plans concerning new housing on campus. “The Board of

Trustees has said that prob-ably somewhere between 1,800 to 2,000 students is the right number for Bridgewa-ter and there has been no conversation or intention of going any higher then that in the foreseeable future but you never say never.” Keeler went on to say that no architectural drawings have been done and that no funding has been identified regarding housing expansion. Since overcrowding has been a topic of interest, stu-dents are wondering where the school could add new housing options. “We know there is room to expand Stone Village, on the other side of the street, where the horse

No vacancyStory and photos by Jency Rogers

pasture is. So way down the line we’ve got some opportu-nity to expand there and that would be the thought to add more of that kind of housing” explained Keeler. Sarah Gully is a sophomore at BC and is also the RA at the Crimson Inn. “I like it a lot because it’s really nice and quiet. I don’t like that it is far from campus though. I drive to campus when it is dark out” explained Gully. She went on to add that “no, maid service does not come if that’s one of your questions because people have been asking me that lately.”

As of right now, only five students are living in the Crimson Inn including Gully. However these students don’t know yet when they will be able to move back to campus. As R.A., she will have to wait until the four boys, still at the Crimson Inn, are placed before she can move out her-self. Gully remains optimistic, however. “Even though we had to live here because of overcrowding, it is so great for Bridgewater because it means people want to come here and that BC is a growing school.”...

Oct. 11 - 17 201210 VERITAS

“Put down your ‘Eppy’ and come to dinner,” she said, crooking half of her

excited, jubilant body around the corner of the kitchen wall into the living room where I was faithfully reading. She is April; April is a woman, mother, teacher, lover, friend. April is a remarkable won-der of beauty collected. And ‘Eppy’ is her appellation for Epictetus, a man of cloak and rough beard centuries ago, whose discourses I dove into while she was crafting one of her excellent dinners. I shifted the weight of my body about the cool, tight, brown leather sofa in her liv-ing room while quietly assess-ing the day’s gifts: a woman’s invitation to dinner, her home to enjoy it in, her two chil-dren to join us, and all the while the time for diving into Epictetus. I looked at myself in the mirror —the inner mir-ror— and put into my head the conviction that when this ends, when the beauty that is a woman who loves you, whose children love you, whose home now includes you— when this ends, you will not be at a loss; you will not have lost her, you will have simply given her back. This was the face of Epictetus reflected

By Colby West

“Put down Epictetus and come hungry”in my inner mirror while I prepared myself to meet the love swallowing my life with a harlequin’s smile splitting my ecstatic face. With my nose out of the book, my attention tuned to the soft song of April’s beck-oning, I shook down my legs, shaking out the crisp, sleepy static of an hour’s immobility sunk into bodily quiescence, and slowly took my steps into the kitchen. My right leg lagged, for it failed to walk with the whole of me, sleepy as it was. April, as usual, was flitting from stove to counter-top, countertop to sink, sink to table, in a joyous rush fin-ishing up. Flight of the hum-mingbird, she was absolutely radiant with felicity in her creative stride, keeping time with Cannonball Adderley on the Bose and all the while flaming with the kitchen heat brought on by the blue flames of the burner and the hot bake of her fiery old oven. April’s small, but the kitch-en’s smaller. There’s hardly room for two bodies without one standing in the way of the other. The challenge posed in executing an action quickly enough to avoid dinner delay while also preparing mentally for the unavoidable conver-

gence with another being, partly accounted for my exile into the living room an hour beforehand—however, in the kitchen, I’m lost anyways, and far too happy around April not to be in her way, not to mention my fascination with the blue flames flitting from the burners which was more than enough to flag the mother of April’s being and banish me from the opportu-nity of hurting myself. —To be thankful is to be a better man. For your maternal eye, for the loving recognition of my limi-tations, April, thank you. Upon returning to the kitchen after having left mo-mentarily to place Epictetus into the dark recesses of a busy student’s JanSport, I met April first by her reflection in the mirror on the wall in front of our meal. The food must have been food, for the smells registered as such. However, I was not looking at the table. April’s beauty juxtaposed with the recognition of this glorious moment between two rational, eternally hungry creatures brought together in life sent a tremor deep down; I heard the crash of glass from within, but Epictetus, not one to be startled, did not recoil. I too, as a young

man in love with a woman, and not philosophy, asserted my position. I accepted my role, walked to the upper-level cabinet, opened the gatefold doors, pulled out two small plates followed by two larger ones, closed the cabinet doors, dodged April with a big bowl of crisp salad in her soft hands, and took out four forks for the evening’s meal, setting the table very slowly, savoring the moment, con-scious of the day’s gifts while simultaneously within the arresting intoxication of this experience. Yes, it was a good moment; it is good to be a young man in love becoming better, guided by life to experi-ence and chance, governed by reason to examine his sense-perceptions, and chosen by love not to weep in sorrow if for a few sweet seconds. Good, to be. The rest follows closely behind.* * * I remember April now from my dank basement room, writing this out. I remember her clever children who found the spinach in the lasagna that night; who became outraged, demand-ing to know how many bites (always a bite count, some single-digit number they were

in demand of when the meal wasn’t pizza) until they could get down from the table and play with all their heart and soul. I remember the deep red warming blush of the Black Dog wine that brought the wide open crystalline eyes and felicitous surrender of April after she excitedly snatched out the bottle from the bottom shelf of her refrigerator to show me. I remember Epicte-tus and an old voice from deep down within, exhorting me: “Boy, you’re getting close. Getting real damn close. That’s fine. But remember. Remem-ber what reason tells you. You never lose anything, you sim-ply give it back; that’s natural. Don’t be unnatural. Be thank-ful, if you be a good man. Be truthful, if you be a good man. Be aware, if you be a good man. Set your moral purpose aright. When comes the time, give without the dirty soul vexed in phantoms of earthly loss, or lose truly what is truly good within you.” In the bathroom mirror I caught a glimpse of my weeks ago stubble now turned to a beard, kind of rough. I cracked that same harlequin smile again, recalling how excited April gets with the

HUNGRY - TO PAGE 11 :

2012 Oct. 11 - 17 VERITAS 11

PrometheusBy Nicholas Davies

There are films, then there are Films; works that transcend the

very fabric of our known universe…okay, the introduc-tion may have been a little melodramatic. However, it is certain that Ridley Scott’s 1979 film “Alien” is one of the finest examples of modern filmmak-ing, both in the science-fiction genre and also in the medium as a whole. It could be the stillness and the silence of those horrific moments before the titular creature claims its next victim or the now infa-mous chest-bursting sequence or even the beautiful intricate visual design. “Prometheus” then marks Scott’s return to the universe that he helped to startlingly realize 33 years ago; to say, however, that the film is uneven at best is an under-statement. The plot of “Prometheus” could easily be summarized as “Scientists attempt to discover the beginning of the human race and up finding so much more…” Now that is being overly simplistic of course, but for all of the pontification and all of the gesticulation that occurs throughout the film, the headline mentioned above is ultimately the narra-

tive through line as the film’s script, written by Jon Spaiths and Damon Lindelof, is not necessarily interested in the actual plot that drives the piece but rather the larger questions it brings up, such as the usual existential “Why are we here?” and “What is the meaning of life”; unfor-tunately for the film, neither the plot nor the over-arching ideas that the film attempts to explore ever converge into a single neat package. Instead, there are number of logical problems found within the narrative that can leave the viewer scratching their head and the words “Why?” and “What?” escaping from their pursed lips, while the big-ger questions, despite being discussed a lot to the point of becoming self-important, never really amount to any-thing as the writers attempt to bring the film to close with a flourish. (Also, a quick note to Mr. Scott that may have some slight spoilers, so beware: I know that you keep emphasiz-ing that “Prometheus”, while set in the same universe as “Alien”, is not actually a pre-quel and based on 99 % film. I completely agree with as it explores its own characters

and its own unique themes, but you are really not doing yourself any favors with that last shot…) If “Prometheus” cannot quite find itself internally, then perhaps Scott can rescue the film externally and along with cinematographer Dari-usz Wolski, he does so with aplomb. From an aesthetic point of view, “Prometheus” is a gorgeous film to behold, especially when you watch it crisp, clear 2-D as I did. The titular ship as well as the planet and what dwells beneath it are given their own space and their own visceral quality that really allows the film to visually flourish while still feeling remote and, par-don the expression, alien. That being said, however, despite some very nice set-pieces that did at times have me gripping the chair and clenching my teeth, the real intrigue of the film lies in the character of the android David, who may or may not have ulterior motives, and it is here where we find the film stealing performance of Michael Fassbender; this is not to say that the rest of the cast, such as Noomi Rapace, Idris Elba, and Charlize Theron, do not give their own

intriguing performances. It is simply that Michael Fass-bender is so captivating and so utterly brilliant as David, that the problems the film has, do at least for a brief moment, melt away as Fassbender deliv-ers scene after scene of what is without question one of the best performances of the year, which may sadly be over-looked due to the conflicting quality of the rest of the film. In the end, “Prometheus”, for all its visual fervor and a scrumptious performance by Michael Fassbender, can-not overcome its story issues and thematic problems. Yet, despite all this, it is still nice to see that films and filmmak-ers such as Ridley Scott are allowed to make these gran-diose, finically-consuming behemoths that are allowed to think, to present and discuss intriguing ideas…even if they get wrapped up in them and become self-indulgent. Are there problems? Yes. Is it still a good science-fiction piece that allows the audience to think? I certainly believe so, but it is ultimately open to debate.

...

: HUNGRY - FROM PAGE 10

prospect of a trim. Al-most as excited as when she rubs her nose into my beard while the trimmer gains its charge for my next new face. Everywhere and all around us, from the coarse, austere hairs of my chin that bring her joy simple and true, to the coils of Medusian snakes that make up the delight-fully endless curling wisps of her hair (giving me thrilling chills), to the tomato, basil and pepper plants from her garden that contributed their na-ture to our dinner, to the souls within us that met through our open chan-nels one day (just like this one), but one day (just like this one) may play with all their energy I can-not know where or how, everywhere and all around us, this all-encompassing growth whose presence known through sense splits my lips into one eter-nal smile for experience, chance, love. These thoughts as seeds drink the water of reason as I grow into a better man, taking my place at the dinner table with April and her children....

Oct. 11 - 17 201212 VERITAS

By Chris Conte

Ninety-five years ago this year, the Virgin Mary supposedly

appeared to three shepherd children in Portugal. She allegedly made several visits over the course of several months, revealing to the chil-dren three dramatic prophe-cies. The apparition’s chilling divinations have managed to resound through the Twen-tieth Century and into our own, perhaps foretelling the dark end to mankind as we know it. According to the History Channel’s documentary, “Nos-tradamus Effect: Fatima’s Lost Prophecy,” Young Lucia, Fran-cisco and Jacinta were tending their family’s sheep on a quiet May afternoon. They were distracted by a sudden, bright light, and floating before them was “a lady brighter than the sun,” commanding the children to visit her on the thirteenth of every month thereafter. Between May and October, the apparition conversed back and forth with the children, sharing with them secrets regarding man’s pending future if he failed to change his errant ways. The first secret was alleg-edly a vision of souls burning in Hell. The second secret predicted the imminent end to the First World War, and a

Faces of the PastMysterious secrets of Fatima

darker, more sinister war to follow lest Russia convert and man change his aberrancy. Mary warned of a strange light in the night sky that would be the sign from God if such a punishment was to ensue. A war would envelope during the pontificate of Pius XI—a name completely unknown in 1917. On the night of January 25th, 1938, a very bright and

unusual aurora was broadcast over the skies of Europe, vis-ible even as far away as North America. Adolf Hitler began his annexation campaign and invaded Austria 47 days later--while Pius XI was pope. The children’s claims of being visited by the Holy Mother, however, were met with fierce skepticism. Visible only to the children,

Photo courtesy of ww

w.shrineofsaintjude.net

the apparition promised that on October 13th, she would make her presence known. On that cold, rainy afternoon, the clouds suddenly parted and the sun purportedly danced in circles across the sky before more than 70,000 witnesses, devout Catholic and otherwise, across a 20-mile radius. The third and final secret was the most controversial of the triad dictated to the chil-dren, and was released by the Vatican in 2000. The appari-tion instructed the children to divulge the secrets “when the time was right.” Lucia, who became a nun later in her life, penned the secrets on paper and handed them to the Vati-can several decades later. The only one of the three children to survive into adulthood, Sis-ter Lucia saw the disclosure as her duty. The general consen-sus was that the secret foretold the assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II in 1981, but others contend its true contents are being withheld by the Vatican. This secret’s style and length do not match those of the prior two, and are considered by some to be a conspiracy in hiding a more controversial prophecy. Did it broadcast a nuclear holocaust? The end of time? Or did it actually portend an assassina-

tion attempt? We may never know. Prophecies and apparitions are nothing new. They have been a part of our cultural and religious lexicon for as long as time has ticked. Even if the secrets of Fatima are a com-plete (and at that, remarkable) hoax, they still make for a noteworthy narrative. Regard-less of one’s religious creed, a dark prophecy always tends to excite our imaginations. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a little taste of imminent annihilation to spice their Wheaties in the morning?

...

2012 Oct. 11 - 17 VERITAS 13

Story and photo by Corley Tweedy

A more vibrant and exciting life

As Marketing Manager, one of her main tasks is to coordinate First Fridays, and promote interest in the community. "Different artists exhibit-ing around town where they otherwise might not have a chance to," she said. Art in the Park is another program offered by the Arts Council. Art in the Park is held once a month on Sat-urdays, at the same time as the Farmer's Market, which is located behind the Smith House. "We offer programs for the whole family to come to and usually they're built around a specific theme such as recycling; last time was donating--we did piggy banks decorated with fabric and things like that," Denny said. There are many ways for students and community members to get involved with the Arts Council. Anyone can help with setup and running of Art in the Park and other

special events, and Court Square Theater can always use volunteers (contact Michael Weaver). In addition, the Council utilizes interns--and you don't have to be an art or theater major to apply. The Arts Council has many events coming up. There is one more Art in the Park day, on October 20, and two more First Fridays, on November 2 and December 7. Court Square Theater is hosting many fall and Halloween related events throughout the month of October, including the "Movie Mockery 3000" which will be held October 25 and 26, featuring "A Bucket of Blood," "The Killer Shrews," and "Wasp Woman." Be sure to check out their website (www.valleyarts.org) for upcoming events--you won't want to miss out on their Hal-loween fun! ...

“The Arts Council of the Valley champions diverse artistic expression and

promotes the arts as funda-mental to a vibrant commu-nity," says the Arts Council of the Valley in their mission statement. "We're basically here to promote arts in the com-munity because we feel like it makes for a more vibrant and exciting life for everyone," said Lindsay Denny, marketing manager for the Arts Council. The Council is comprised of three main parts: the art gal-lery (the Darrin-McHone Gal-lery), educational programs, and Court Square Theater. The organization was formed in 2001 for the purpose of managing Court Square Theater. The staff of the Arts Council helps run the theater, doing tasks such as picking the season lineup. The Arts Council continues to be run out of the Smith House, which was formerly located close to the Daily News Record, and then the building was physi-cally moved to South Main Street. One of the main proj-ects of the Arts Council is First Fridays. "We have a partnership with venues in downtown Harrisonburg--shops, other art galleries, restaurants, whoever has a little space to show an artist's work--and each venue is responsible for getting their own artist for that month," Denny said.

Child Day Care.This month the 10th An-nual Race to Beat Breast Cancer 5K Run/Walk will take place at Westover Park in Harrisonburg. All pro-ceeds benefit RMH Breast Cancer Treatment and Support. The event will be held on October 20th and begins at 9:30 AM. The first 500 participants registered get an event shirt. Register online at www.active.com or call 540-433-9168.

October 13: Bridgewater Presbyterian Church will be holding a Blood Drive from 9am-1pm in Fellow-ship Hall, 110 East College Street, Bridgewater. For an appointment, call ahead 540-828-2442 or log onto www.vablood.org. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Do you love horses? On October 13, the Ride with Pride Judged Trail Ride Fundraiser, to benefit a therapeutic horsemanship program for children and adults with special needs, will take place at Cottage Hill and Bellevue properties. Event begins at 9 AM at 135 Cattleman Road, Swoope, VA. $25 entry fee, lunch included. Rain date October 20. For more information contact Laura Martlock, laura@themanestreet.com or call (540) 292-1654.

Can’t wait for Dancing with the Stars of The ‘Burg? Now you won’t have to! A Danc-ing with the Stars of The ‘Burg mini-fundraiser will take place at Bluestone Vineyard on October 18th from 5:30 – 8:30 PM. There will be a performance from Kelly Mae Brown and Stand-ing Room Only, $5 entrance fee. All proceeds benefit Harrisonburg-Rockingham

Community in Action upcoming events and opportunities

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Oct. 11 - 17 201214 VERITAS

Adopt a grandparent

If you ask 85-year-old Gordon Morris how you get curly hair, he will reply,

“Chicken bones.” Through the Adopt-a-Grandparent program at the Bridgewater Retirement Home, Rachael Sloan met her “grandpa,” Gordon Morris, three years ago. I had the pleasure of meeting Gordon when I accompanied Rachael on one of her weekly visits to see him. For an hour we sat and talked with Gordon about school, jobs, and why it is important not to throw paper wads at a teacher. The Adopt-a-Grandparent volunteer program was started three years ago at the Retirement Home by Mark Cubbage when Rachael was a freshman. Each week Rachael goes to visit Gordon for an hour. She says, “I feel kind of sad, because he is lonely and forgetting things. But of course I feel happy because I make him happy. Some nurses say when I go visit him his attitude changes for the rest of the day. He brightens up a lot.” An hour with Rachael makes Gordon’s week. It means a lot to have someone to talk to, and all students are encouraged to go adopt a grandparent as well. While getting started is an easy process, keeping up with the visit can be hard. Signing up for Adopt-a-Grandparent is definitely a commitment, and Rachael says to be willing to make that

commitment “because the residents really look forward to them coming.” Many of the residents look forward to seeing their “grandchild” each week. A lot of them do not have close family or any families at all. If a volunteer only shows up every now and again the resident will not get the glow Gordon does when he sees Rachael. Students usually do not want to do it because they do not know what to expect and it seems time-consuming and difficult. Volunteers may ask themselves questions like “What if I cannot talk for that long?” or “How will I know what to say?” Rachael’s advice: “Go with a friend because then you can both carry the conversation,” and “be willing to listen.” The residents want someone to talk to. That is what the volunteers are for, because some, like Gordon, do not have many visitors. Opening the opportunity to let someone hear their stories gives them something to look forward to.Adopt-a-Grandparent is a great way to get involved with the community and bring happiness to someone who needs it. Committing one hour each week to a resident can change their life and yours. Grab a friend and walk to Bridgewater Retirement Home. Get involved with this miraculous program....

By Cyndi Wibe

: UNTITLED - FROM PAGE 6

friendship into a heavy attraction. Love, desires-- all were abandoned soon after.

Another move wedged an even greater distance between us both and over time the letters and calls stopped, though not by our choice. Anguish, depression, a stranger in another world without you.For years my mind remained on you and the memories we shared. When I returned to my first home I missed seeing you, especially when I heard the news. Comfort, empathy, I wanted to be there for you.

Eventually I won my fight, I gained my independence, and with it a way to do what I wanted within my own rights; this meant finding you again. Seeking, searching, until at last I succeeded.Finally reacquainted, we spent every spare hour of the day and night catching up on all we’d lost, yet speaking as if we had lost no time at all. Connections, stories, all were weaved together again.And when at last I saw you in person, I felt complete again as you held me in your arms, our friendship preserved by so simple a gesture.

Past, present, both collided in our minds.We had changed--you the longhaired drummer with roguish ambition, and me, the girl with words and dreams swimming in her mind. Yin. Yang. Not quite opposites, but still attracting.

When you led me to his grave, an opening of privacy not ignored, I wondered if he would have wanted this, the two of us. We both stood in silence for a moment reminiscing, pondering, then sharing our thoughts.Since then, every time I make the long journey home, I visit his grave before I visit you, a ritual promising to extend into adulthood. Children, adolescents. That’s what he saw us as.

Afterwards, when we stand by that old pond to hear the ancient frogs bellow and splash, I can’t help but feel as if I’m home again. You. Me. A bond like this is perfection.

2012 Oct. 11 - 17 VERITAS 15

attack. Sophomore Jacob Wright finished the game with only 48 yards on 13 carries. As the game started Bridge-water put together a few nice plays that drove them down the field, but the drive ended on an incomplete fourth down pass. The remainder of the game resulted in unsuccessful drives until the Eagles man-aged to score in the fourth quarter. They forced three Hampden-Sydney turnovers, but couldn’t manage to turn those opportunities into points. The Tigers however con-trolled the tempo of the game once they got the first swing of momentum. Their consis-tency and offensive produc-tion provided a heavy chal-

Defense strugglesBy Jason Manago

gcgcg gcgcS C O R E V C A R D

lenge for the Eagles' defense and carried them over to win the game. As a whole, the defense for the Eagles might have strug-gled, but James Winfield and Andrew Palmer combined for 26 tackles. Quarterback Will Logan threw for 218 yards on 32 attempts but was held scoreless. The Eagles are still in posi-tion to win the ODAC cham-pionship but another loss will slim their chances. They will be headed to Guilford on Thursday to play a night game which will start at 7:30. You can expect for the Eagles to regain their focus with a short week of practice and prepare to put together another series of wins. ...

At Jopson Field on Homecoming week-end, the Bridgewater

Eagles took their first loss of the season to the Hampden-Sydney Tigers. After starting the season on a four-game winning streak, the Eagles wanted nothing more than to beat their conference rivals on Homecoming Saturday. The Eagles defense that had been stellar all season long gave up 291 yards to quarter-back Nash Nance of Hamp-den-Sydney, and 181 yards receiving to Holton Walker. They ended the game as a team with 446 total yards in offense. Although the Tigers' passing attack was a problem for the Eagles, the Eagles failed to establish a running

Oct 6, 2012

Women’s Volleyball(0) Frostburg St. (3)vs. Bridgewater (Va.)@ Goucher College, Towson,

Md.Women's Soccer(1) Lynchburg (0) at Bridgewater Football(24) Hampden-Sydney

(7) at Bridgewater Women's Volleyball(0) McDaniel (3) vs. Bridgewater (Va.) @ Towson, Md.

Oct 7th, 2012

Men's Soccer(1) Guilford (2 )at Bridgewater (Va.) Field Hockey

(0) Bridgewater (Va.) (4) at Christopher Newport

Oct 11, 2012Footballat Guilford 7:30 PM

Oct 12, 2012Equestrian vs. SWVHJA House Moun-tain Show @ Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, Va.Women’s Volleyballat MIT 7:00 PM

Oct 13, 2012Men’s Cross Country vs. CNU Invitational @ Newport News, Va. - Lee Hall Mansion 12:00 PM Women’s Cross Country vs. CNU Invitational @ Newport News, Va. - Lee Hall Mansion 11:00 AM Equestrian vs. SWVHJA House Moun-tain Show @ Virginia Horse Center, Lexington, Va.Women’s Volleyball Vs. Rivier @ Cambridge, Mass :

Upcoming Sports Schedule

11:00 AM Women’s Volleyballvs. Western New Eng. @ Cambridge, Mass. 2:00 PM Field HockeySt. Mary’s (Md.) at Bridgewater 2:00 PM Men’s Soccerat Hampden-Sydney 3:00 PM Women’s SoccerVirginia Wesleyan at Bridgewater 4:00 PM

Oct 16, 2012Field Hockeyat Eastern Mennonite 7:00 PM

Oct 17, 2012Men’s SoccerRoanoke at Bridgewater (Va.) 4:00 PM Women’s Soccerat Randolph-Macon 4:15 PM Women’s Volleyballat Shenandoah 7:00 PM

Photo by Tayseer Al-Safar

16 VERITAS

By Emily Higgins

Eagles volleyball wins invitational

other hitters some really great sets. Our middles worked really hard to pull the block so we on the outsides were able to have holes in the block to hit into.” Long also gives credit to the coaching staff for the team’s success. “Our coaching staff is fantastic. They know just how hard to push us in practices. They give us all the tools for success and encourage us to take them and apply them. They are always willing to work with us in individual practices and watch film with us. They are very adamant about producing not only good athletes, but well rounded students and individuals. They are very involved in our off-court success as well as on-court accomplishments,” she said. Overall the team has an 11-10 record but is 5-1 in conference only losing to Randolph Macon. Long believes, “Being 5-1 in the ODAC is great, however we can't let that get to our heads. We still have a lot of tough matches coming up. We are going to have to keep working really hard in practice and keep do-ing the right things on and off the court. I don't see any reason why we can't beat these teams as long as we play Bridgewater Volleyball and don't get caught up and frantic in the matches.” The Eagles continue to be an exciting team to watch here on campus so make sure to come and support the team in Nininger gym for their home games. ...

This past weekend, October 5 and 6, the Bridgewater Eagles volleyball team trav-

eled to Goucher College in Towson, Maryland to play in the Goucher Invitational. The tournament involved four games--two on Friday and two on Saturday. Friday the Eagles played Goucher College and The City College of New York finishing the day 2-0. Saturday they returned to beat Frostburg and McDaniel mak-ing them undefeated during the tournament. On Sunday, October 7, they returned back to the Bridgewa-ter campus to ring the victory bell. What did going 4-0 in the tour-nament mean to the team? Junior Katie Long replied, “Going 4-0 was really a great weekend for us. We have been working really hard in practices on finishing games and playing well all the way through and staying mentally tough. We had so many goals going into this week-end, and I think going 4-0 really showed that we had learned a lot and worked hard during the week's worth of practice and it paid off.” Long was named Co-MVP in the tournament with a total 32 kills on Saturday. She was a pivotal part of the team’s victories but she gives all the credit to her teammates. Long said, “Earning Co-MVP was obviously such an honor, but I really couldn't have done it without everyone on the team working so hard and doing their own jobs so well. Our serve receive was awe-some which allowed our setters to run our offense and get me and our

Oct. 11 - 17 2012