2/28/2007 - Belmont Vision

Transcription

Feature
www.belmontvision.com
The student newspaper of Belmont University
Vol. 56, No. 11
February 28, 2007
May I have this dance?
Dance fever is spreading across Belmont’s campus.
Groups of students travel throughout the Nashville area
and beyond for swing and salsa, while others attend DDR
and Street Jamz on campus.
p. 10-11
A&E
PHOTO BY CHRIS SPEED
Students party at Phi Kappa Tau’s “Get Your Rave On” in the Curb Cafe after the women’s basketball game against Gardner-Webb on Feb. 24.
TripleHouse doubles as business,
learning experience
Two Belmont students established their own recording studio in Nashville, taking what they’re learning in their classes and applying it to the real world of music business.
p. 16
Greeks add Phi Kappa Tau
By Chansin Bird
SENIOR WRITER
Trends
Tattoos gain popularity with Gen X
35 percent of Americans age 18-29 have at
least one tattoo. Is it an expression of rebellion
or a personal fashion statement?
p. 19
Sports
On the 100th anniversary of the Greek
fraternity Phi Kappa Tau, the Belmont
University colony met requirements to
become an official chapter.
Currently, Belmont’s Zeta Alpha chapter
has 36 total members with 28 initiated brothers and eight associate members.
Four years ago, Phi Kappa Tau didn’t
exist at Belmont.
In the spring semester of ’03, the school
had two fraternities and three sororities. The
Student Affairs Office wanted to increase
Greek life at Belmont and saw the need to
add another fraternity. It chose Phi Kappa
Tau out of numerous national fraternities.
At first, only a handful of guys joined the
group, but gradually it grew.
“Before we got our charter we were just a
“We have a broad group
of guys, which I think is
something that could be
attractive to all types of
people.”
Jared Black
Phi Kappa Tau president
colony,” chapter president and sophomore
music business major Jared Black said. “We
weren’t considered active brothers. We were
considered pledges or associate members.
No one was initiated into the brotherhood of
Phi Kappa Tau.”
Certain requirements must be met in
order to be an official chapter. The group has
to have an excess of 30 members, involved
alumni support and financial stability.
Phi Kappa Tau’s national president and
CEO came to Belmont Nov. 4 for the official
installation ceremony. The guys went
through the rituals, learned the secrets of the
brotherhood and all signed the official chartering document.
“We see ourselves as a diverse group
with many personalities,” Black said. “We
have a broad group of guys, which I think is
something that could be attractive to all types
of people. Anyone can fit with what we’re
about.”
Despite the diversity, sophomore music
business major Matt Reynolds, who is also a
Vision music writer, values the bond he has
See PHI KAPPA TAU, page 6
Belmont ‘Idol’
movin’ on up
By Danae Hutchinson
STAFF WRITER
March Madness
The men’s and women’s basketball teams both have a
shot at the NCAA tournament. But can they win their
respective A-Sun championships to secure a bid to the
Big Dance?
p. 5
Online
Eight years ago, Melinda Doolittle was just another commercial
music major at Belmont, heading “from here to anywhere.” Today
she is one of the top 20 contestants vying to be the next “American
Idol.” The sixth season is airing and she is in her 5th week of competition. Doolittle will need to advance
through two more rounds – the top 10
Tuning in women compete Wednesday night – comAmerican Idol
peting in themed performances like country
music, musical theater, and hits of the 21st
airs at 7 p.m.
century to become one of the top 12 finalTuesday,
ists.
Wednesday and
Since the 7th grade, singing has been the
Thursday on
one talent Doolittle knows best. She has perfect pitch and impeccable vocal quality.
Fox 17.
According to Jeffrey Kirk, music coordinator
and director of events administration at
Belmont, not only was she an incredible singer, but she had an
infectious personality.
He said, at Doolittle’s audition for the commercial music showcase, that he immediately noticed that she had a unique voice, special talent and stage presence.
“She has honed her craft,” Kirk said. “The honesty in her face
... She comes across not as though someone trained her to look a
certain way. It was easy to tell she had a very special talent.”
Following her studies at Belmont, Doolittle went on to be a suc-
PHOTO COURTESY OF AMERICAN IDOL
Melinda Doolittle, a Belmont grad, is in the Top 20 American Idol
finalists in the show’s sixth season.
cessful background vocalist, working with artists like The Winans,
Michael McDonald, Anointed and Mandisa, but her dreams did not
stop there.
“Actually, a friend of mine was going to the audition and he
invited me to go along because I quite enjoy the funny singing,”
Doolittle said in an interview with the Tennessean. "We thought
you had to audition in order to watch everything, so we did. We
thought it would be fun. I had no idea I would make it to this point.
I am so excited!”
From day one, Doolittle has left a huge impression on the
See AMERICAN IDOL, page 6
Page 2
The Belmont Vision, February 28, 2007
State considers smoking bans
By Ray Taylor
STAFF WRITER
New efforts to “just say no” to tobacco
are facing hurdles in Tennessee, as opposing
camps square off on state government efforts
to limit smoking and triple the cigarette tax.
The largest impact of the legislative bills,
if passed, would come in the form of two
statewide smoking bans, one affecting
restaurants that serve patrons younger than
18 and the second focusing on smoking in
public places and workplaces. Another move
to reduce smoking came last week from Gov.
Phil Bredesen, who included an increase in
the state tax on cigarettes from 20 cents to 60
cents per pack in his proposed state budget.
Leigh Sullivan, a junior music business
major, said these efforts to reduce smoking
are not a bad idea, especially with the dangers of secondhand smoke. “And particularly
with kids, not letting them get used to it, and
maybe causing addiction,” she said. “I can
see the other side, people can get addicted,
and might need an outlet. But overall I just
think it’s a better, healthier environment.”
The main rationale for smoking bans is to
protect workers and citizens from heart dis-
ease, cancer and respiratory illnesses and
other acute diseases that scores of studies
show definitively come from exposure to
secondhand smoke. Studies examined by the
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids estimates
from 910-1610 annual deaths in Tennessee
from secondhand smoke and 9,600 adult
deaths from their own smoking.
Statistics that have been tallied in states
that already have high cigarette taxes show
that the price increases per pack reduce the
number of people who start smoking and
increase the number who quit. Tennessee’s
current 20-cent tax on a pack of cigarettes is
48th among the 50 states, or one-fifth of the
$1 per pack average. Tobacco-Free Kids estimates that every 10 percent increase in the
price of cigarettes will reduce youth smoking
by about 7 percent and overall cigarette consumption by about 4percent.
“I can understand the smoker’s point of
view, especially given addictive behavior,”
Dr. Andrea Stepnick, chair of the sociology
department at Belmont, said. “But workers
in establishments where there’s smoking
have a right to be protected. Science has
pointed out the dangers and societal costs of
More and more restaurants and bars are moving from smoking sections to totally non-smoking establishments.
smoking, and has shown that a smoking ban
would be practical in the same way that seat
belts have proven effective. It’s also about
the state protecting itself from the cost of
risky behavior.”
The current anti-smoking legislation
being proposed for the state is not the first.
In 1994, a law was passed that was billed in
an attempt to keep tobacco away from children and teenagers. The law also barred local
governments from regulating tobacco use
more than the state does. Last year,
Governor Phil Bredesen signed a bill into
law that prohibits smoking in state buildings.
The proposed anti-smoking legislation would
also empower local governments to pass
anti-smoking laws specific to their areas.
With the increase in awareness of the
dangers of secondhand smoke and the subsequent laws reducing opportunities for smoking, resistance to smoking bans has not been
of great note. A number of dining establishments in Nashville that serve alcohol and
typically have customers who prefer to
smoke when they drink have already implemented non-smoking regulations at their
facilities, many with little negative effect.
“I can understand why people don’t like
smoking in restaurants,” Jackson Albracht,
freshman commercial music major, said.
“The smoking section is right by the nonsmoking section. I do think it should be
allowed at 18 and over shows, however.
That’s a time when I do like to smoke.”
Another smoker, Evan Smith, also a
freshman music business major, said, “I
understand the health issue and the reasons
for the ban. It’s not something I’d be up in
arms about.”
Establishments that only serve alcohol
have voiced a greater concern over the loss
of revenue by smoking bans than food-service businesses. Proposed legislation is not
directed toward these establishments, allowing those who smoke when consuming alcohol to continue.
In the last three months, Belmont nursing
professor Ruby Dunlap has traveled to Ohio
and Georgia, which already have non-smoking rules in place. “When we would eat at a
restaurant and ask for non-smoking, they
would say it’s all non-smoking,” Dunlap
said. “From my understanding, the patrons
and staff seemed to enjoy that fact.”
Tennessee, she believes, needs to join the
rest of the country. “Secondhand smoke is a
well-known risk factor for many illnesses.
As health professionals, we see children
come in repetitively with ear infections, asthma and respiratory problems from families
where there is smoking at home. It’s
All choked up
Ads for tobacco have been taken off
television and warnings have been put
on cigarette packages, but there’s still
an uphill battle in the United States to
reduce smoking and the effects that
come from it. The effort continues, however, with smoking restrictions and bans
and higher tobacco taxes. Here are
some facts culled from studies by government agencies and non-profits:
• From 1980 to 2000 smoking rates
fell by 27 percent nationwide. Now 20.9
percent of U.S. adults are cigarette
smokers. Despite the decline,teenage
smokers still outnumber adults.
• The adult smoking rate in
Tennessee is 26.8 percent; only
Indiana, at 27.3 percent, is higher.
• In the first 18 months after the town
of Pueblo, Colo., enacted a smoking
ban in 2003, hospital admissions for
heart attacks dropped 27 percent.
Admissions in neighboring towns without smoking bans showed no change.
• New York City restaurant patrons,
by a margin of 6-to-1, say they eat out
more often now because of the city’s
smoke-free policy.
• Almost 60 percent of U.S. children
3-11, or almost 22 million kids, are
exposed to secondhand smoke.
• Only 43 percent of restaurant
employees work under 100 percent
smoke-free workplace policies.
inescapable that the right to smoke impacts
the right to stay healthy.”
Others at Belmont have diverse viewpoints on the proposed ban. “I can understand the health issue, but why don’t they
look at the dangers of alcohol?” Paula Gati
of the housekeeping department said. “It
affects people in another negative way. Why
only focus on cigarettes? If they do away
with smoking at work, I’ll quit [smoking].
What’s the point?”
An issue not addressed by the ban was
brought up by Mary Weber, Belmont’s horticulturist and landscape manager. “I’m all for
it for the health issues,” she said, citing other
benefits. “From an aesthetic standpoint, the
grounds would just look so much nicer. And
from a manager’s standpoint, it would be a
great advantage in the use of resources. The
time we spend cleaning up cigarette butts
absorbs a large amount of our labor.”
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1900 Belmont Blvd., Nashville TN, 37212
Phone: (615) 460-6433
E-mail: vision@mail.belmont.edu
Editor:
Managing Editor:
Online Editor:
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A&E Editor:
Sports Editor:
Advertising:
Faculty Adviser:
Online/Graphics Adviser:
Henry Nichols
Melanie Bengtson
Joanna Larson
Sierra Mitchell
Andrew Cole
Jordan Drake
Karen Bennett
Linda Quigley
Angela Smith
Senior Staff: Adaeze Elechi, Chansin Bird, Chris
Speed, Eric Detweiler, Alexander Jones
Contributors: Lisa Johnston, Courtney Drake,
Rachel Allen, Ameshia Cross, Rachel Waller, Jessica
Haines, Jessica Walker, Matt Reynolds, Bethany
Arthur, Meaghan Mitchell, Ray Taylor, Sarah
Mitchell, Jeanette Ceja, Lance Conzett. Joseph
Shelby, Cody Badaracca, Sarah Mitchell,
Bland Clark, Chase Misenheimer
Page 3
Beach party mocks idea
of global warming crisis
By Melody Drushal
STAFF WRITER
Satirizing Al Gore’s book and movie, An Inconvenient
Truth, the Belmont Collegiate Republicans invited students
to a beach party Feb. 23 to learn about opposing ideas to the
theory of global warming.
Rob Martin, president of the campus group, and his fellow officers sorted through eight dozen studies and articles
PHOTO BY AMANDA HILL
With floats in the amphitheater fountain and research studies on display boards, members of Belmont’s Collegiate
Republicans used a February “beach party” to inform students about alternative explanations for global warming
theories advanced by some scientists and environmentalists.
to challenge the conclusions of the widely-reported, United
Nations-backed study that found that the warming of the
earth’s climate system is unequivocal, that it is likely manmade and that it is a serious and lasting threat. In a similar
vein, former Tennessee senator and vice president Gore
focused on climate change in the 2006 documentary, An
Inconvenient Truth.
The Collegiate Republicans offered three display boards
featuring much of the research along with hot dogs and soft
drinks to beach partiers and bystanders in the amphitheater.
“In these studies, we were most frequently faced with the
data that countered the scientists’ hypotheses, yet the conclusion confirmed it,” Martin said. “They’re going to find
what they want to whether it’s there or not.”
One student who attended the event, however, said the
simple fact that the temperature is rising every year is proof
enough for him that there’s a problem. “I believe it’s a
major concern,” Ryan Snellen said. “I try not to be a typical
human that leaves the lights on or throws trash outside. My
parents taught me to care for what God has given us.”
Martin said that there might be some truth to the global
warming theory, but that he can “neither admit nor deny”
that climate change is actually occurring.
Sophomore Sarah Johnson believes global warming
might exist, but said, “I think Al Gore is blowing it way out
of proportion and using it for his own benefit.”
Martin agrees with Johnson and dedicated one of his
boards to criticizing Gore’s political and personal life, labeling Gore as the “stepfather of global warming.” Martin said
he believes Gore became involved with the issue to further
his political campaign – Gore is to date, however, not an
announced candidate for the 2008 presidential election –
and said the lowering of greenhouse gases would be an honorable mission if “it were authentic.”
“He’s right for the wrong reasons,” Martin said. “He’s
dedicated his life to something that is good for humanity.”
Many Republicans agree with Martin, but Snellen, who
said he almost always votes Republican, said, “I think the
Democrats are saying that humans are the problem and the
Republicans are saying we’re not to blame. I don’t necessarily agree with the Republicans, because we are the civilized individuals that put the pollution in the air.”
While Snellen’s common sense approach might work for
him, others require more concrete evidence. “It is to this
day still a theory,” Martin said. “The U.N. and Al Gore can
say as much as they want but until someone produces conclusive evidence I’m going to be cynical of it. I am not in
any way an environmental scientist and I don’t claim to be,
but I am a cynic.”
‘Inconvenient Truth’
wins two Oscars
Rising above the political controversy that has
surrounded the movie since its 2006 opening,
global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth
snagged two Academy Awards at the Feb. 25 ceremony. Director David Guggenheim took home
the trophy for Best Feature Documentary while
Melissa Ethridge won Best Original Song for “I
Need to Wake Up.”
“This is not a political issue,” said Al Gore, one
of the film’s most visible supporters. “It’s not a
political movie. [...] I hope that this honor will
convince many others to go and see the movie
and learn about the climate crisis and become a
part of the solution to it.”
Ethridge echoed Gore’s emphasis upon the
film’s important message.
“Awards are sweet,” said Ethridge. “What’s so
nice about this is that it’s for being invovled with
this project. [...] It goes beyond the award place
and I love that we are able to draw attention to
the matter at hand.”
- Andrew Cole
Spring break in Nashville can be fun too
By Chansin Bird
SENIOR WRITER
While some of your friends go to the beach or on a mission trip, you may be stuck in Nashville for spring break.
Music City isn’t as glamorous as Hawaii, but you can still
find fun things to do close to Belmont. Tourists from across
the country visit Nashville, but there are probably several
places around town you’ve never made the effort to check
out. Now is your chance. Here are a few ideas:
Visit a thrift store. Even if you’re
not interested in buying anything, it
could be fun to browse through people’s
old clothes. Maybe you'll make a good
find. Or maybe you’ll laugh a lot. If
you’re up for an adventure, check out
The Goodwill Outlet store at 905 Ninth
Ave. N. You buy clothes at $1.49 a
pound. They sell the clothes that have
been in the regular Goodwill stores for
five weeks.
If it happens to be your birthday, you should find a
restaurant that will feed you for free on your special day.
Some food joints that will give you a meal are Atlanta Bread
Company on West End, Caney Fork Fish Camp on Music
Valley Drive, Bistro 215 in Green Hills, Chef Yang's on
White Bridge Road and Blue Sky Buffet in Goodlettsville.
Make sure you bring your ID to prove that it really is your
birthday.
Go see the zebras at the zoo. Through the end of March,
Nashville Zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. All you have to
pay is $8 and parking is always free. If the weather is cold,
there may be fewer animals out, but there also may be less
people. Visiting after 1 p.m. on the weekdays and at 9 a.m.
on Sundays can help you avoid long lines. The address is
Grassmere, 3777 Nolensville Rd.
The Parthenon is a replica of the original Parthenon in
Athens. We’ve all seen it from West End Avenue. But have
you actually been in it? There is a re-creation of the 42-foot
Athena statue inside. The building also serves as an art museum. There are 63 paintings by 19th- and 20th-century
American artists permanently on
display. The cost is $5 and the
hours are Tuesday through
Saturday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. At
this time of the year, there are
two special gallery exhibits featuring worldwide traveler and
Nashville-based documentary
photographer Stacey Irvin and
artist Dan Quest’s woodcuts of
the Jack Daniels Distillery.
Even if you're not a country fan, you should watch a show
at The Grand Ole Opry. It's the world’s longest-running
live radio show, and it's been airing since 1925. There are a
few shows to pick from over spring break. For example, on
Tuesday the 6th, you can see Restless Heart, Del McCoury,
Diamond Rio and Jimmy Dickens. On Saturday the 10th at
6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. you can see Mel Tillis, Alan Jackson,
Pam Tillis, Del McCoury,
Ricky Skaggs, Steve Holy
and Jim Ed Brown. Ticket
prices are in the $30-$50
range.
Walk around downtown
and cross the Shelby Street
Bridge. You'll see tourists,
but you'll also see some
cool shops. And the historic bridge is that main connection
between downtown and the neighborhoods of East Nashville.
You'll see some pretty views of the city skyline.
Go dancing at B.B. King’s or Wildhorse Saloon. You
can bring friends and dance to the live bluesy music at B.B.
King’s, or you can learn how to line dance at Wildhorse.
These places will remind you of the benefits of living in
Music City.
Create a useful piece of artwork at All Fired Up. At this
shop in Hillsboro Village, you can make a personal ceramic
gift for a friend or yourself. You pick out a ceramic piece,
paints and paintbrushes, take a seat and paint away. The cost
is $6 for the sitting fee plus the cost of the item you paint.
Item choices include picture frames, figurines, mugs and
vases. All Fired Up is located across from the back parking
lot of Bosco’s.
Page 4
The College of Business Administration and The Mike Curb College of
Entertainment and Music Business congratulate the 28 students and
2 faculty members who were recently inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma –
the international honor society for students enrolled in programs
accredited by AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate
Schools of Business). Beta Gamma Sigma is the business equivalent of Phi
Beta Kappa (liberal arts honor society) and membership is the highest
honor bestowed upon graduate and undergraduate business students at
these institutions. Students ranking in the top 7 percent of the junior
class, top 10 percent of the senior class, and top 20 percent of master’s
programs at schools accredited by AACSB International are eligible.
Faculty may be inducted to active membership if he/she holds an earned
doctorate and has attained tenure.
Congratulations!
Deanna L. Addison
Mark D. Ahlberg
Katherine Ellen Austin
Julie M. Boos
Jessica M. Bowden
Alexander P. Britt
Candace M. Campbell
Richard L. Churchman
Janice C. Dotti
Laryssa A. Emeigh
Gary W. Gable
Robert M. Holliman, Jr.
Kassi R. Konz
Ashley E. Kozak
Kayla Lyftogt
Marion S. Millard
Garrett R. Miller
Angelina P. Mott
Kristen A. Nelson
Steve E. Osborne, Jr.
Rachel E. Pickett
Michael Todd Pursley
Nathan J. Sheppard
Katherine A. Smith
Cheryl A. Troxel
Kelsey E. Weaver
Bryan L. Webb
Richard T. Whitfield
Crystal Marie York
Marilyn Young
SGA vote
could end
class officers
By Chansin Bird
STAFF WRITER
The Student Government Association will
soon vote on a possible constitutional amendment to eliminate class officers. At their next
meeting March 13, Congress will hear about
the amendment for the second time.
Lack of interest in class officer positions
and undefined responsibilities are cited as the
main reasons for the possible change.
“In the process of trying to come up with
ways to improve [SGA], we saw there was a
weakness in the class officer system,” senior
class president Ben Palos said. “I started
brainstorming ways to fix this and wrote up
this amendment as a draft.”
Now there are eight sponsors of the bill,
and several of them are class officers themselves. It has been two years since the last
constitutional amendment, Palos said.
The possible amendment will do away
with class officers and instead have elected
class representatives on Congress. Currently,
the president and vice president of each class
serve on
Congress. Their
responsibilities
“... people find also include
planning events
leadership
throughout the
positions in school year.
things they’re Under the new
amendment,
more interest- class representatives on
ed in.”
Congress will
Ben Palos have no extra
senior class president responsibilities
and will not
have a separate
budget as they
do now. Also,
there will not be a board of officers for each
class.
Last year the junior and senior class
offices ran uncontested. Palos said there
seems to be a consistent lack of interest.
“The freshmen always get involved and
do great,” Palos said. “Sometimes that carries
on to the sophomores. As you get older, you
get more involved and people find their
niche. Those people find leadership positions
in things they’re more interested in. The
attention is away from class officers.”
SGA president Will Cromer said class
office jobs are not clearly defined. However,
one thing the junior class officers have run is
the Mistletoe Ball, a formal in December. He
suggested the SGA events committee or
Program Board could take over that event.
If the amendment is passed by Congress,
the student body must approve it as well. The
choice will appear on the online student body
election ballot March 21-23. If either
Congress or the student body does not
approve it, class officers will be determined
in the fall.
Cromer thinks the amendment will pass.
“My understanding is that the majority of
current class officers are on board,” Cromer
said. “The Student Affairs Office agrees.
However, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are
changes made to the actual amendment.”
The amendment is still in its first stages.
He said it may not pass, or it may be changed
dramatically.
Palos said the amendment is not going to
pass without a lot of promotion to students.
“They have to vote on it, so we’re really
going to have to make the student body
aware of what this amendment means to them
and how it will affect them,” Palos said. “If
we get that done, I think it will pass.”
Page 5
Bible study has wide reach
By Amber Garner
STAFF WRITER
Every semester University Ministries
offers the student body new ways to discover how to grow in their relationship
with God. A big part of what University
Ministries has to offer are small group
Bible studies that cover a variety of topics
such as how to conduct a productive Bible
study to how to realize your spiritual gifts.
While Belmont has traditionally been a
Tennessee Baptist-affiliated institution,
there are no denominational limitations
placed on the range of Bible studies at
University Ministries. Every student on
campus is welcome to attend any or all of
the Bible studies offered by the university.
It is the university’s intention that the campus benefits from religious diversity, said
Dr. Todd Lake, Belmont’s vice president of
spiritual development.
“The diversity is a really good thing
because when you get students from all different denominations you can really learn
from each other and that’s what college is
all about: meeting different people and
learning new things,” said freshman journalism major Melissa Gore, a campus Bible
studies participant.
The religious diversity on campus
can be witnessed in any Bible study the
school has to offer, according to Crystal
Jones, Wright Hall residence director and
leader of the Quiet Time with God Bible
study. “I definitely feel like it helps bring
community,” she said. “If you come to a
Bible study and you have maybe 10 people
that come from different backgrounds and
Christian views then that’s going to deepen
the study. You have all these ideas of what
they think and what shaped them to be who
they are and that will bring understanding
instead of dividing us.”
With so many negative feelings
surrounding the break with the Tennessee
Baptist Convention, some people were left
wondering what turn in spiritual development the university would take. If you ask
Dr. Lake this question he would advise you
to take a look at Guy Chmieleski, Belmont
University's minister. Chmieleski attended
a Baptist College, a Methodist Seminary
and worked at Pepperdine University,
which is associated with the Church of
Christ. He now works at Belmont and
attends a Baptist church.
And the student body? While there are
Campus groups offer fellowship
Face-to-Face Encounters:
Communion with God from Genesis
to the New Kingdom
Mondays @ 10 am
400 Fidelity Hall
Contact: Julie Guthrie
Quiet Time with God
Mondays @ 10am
Kennedy Hall Classroom
Contact: Crystal Jones
Love Your God with All Your Mind
Wednesdays @ noon
Location TBA
Contact: John Gonas
Missions for Life
Tuesdays @ 2pm
1st floor conference room in Beaman
Contact: Tom and Bonnie Hearon
Spiritual Gifts: Discerning God’s
Purpose in Your Life and in His Plan
Thursdays @ 12:30pm
Location TBA
Contact: Derrell Seigler
The Deeper Life
Wednesdays @ noon
1st Floor conference room in Beaman
Contact: Guy Chmielski
now many different denominations officially representing the university, there has
been a wealth of religious parity on campus
long before December’s diversification of
Belmont’s Board of Trustees. Lake said 30
percent of Belmont’s students are from
Tennessee. Of that number, only 25 percent
are Baptist.
“If you just limit it to Tennessee
Baptists you are disfranchising a vast
majority of our alumni. We can’t afford to
lose those individuals who want to be a part
of the Belmont board,” Lake said. New
Students can choose from many Bible
study groups that meet at Belmont.
members of the board include gospel artist
CeCe Winans and Christian publisher T.B.
Boyd.
The Tennessee Baptist
Convention is still a part of the university’s
board, but now it is not the dominant faith
among the members. The diversity celebrated in Belmont’s student body will now
also be represented in its leaders, “Drawing
on the strengths of various Christian traditions and saying we’re going to be better
and stronger as a Christian institution if we
can celebrate what different streams of
SIFE creates custom fair trade coffee
By Courtney Drake
STAFF WRITER
Belmont University’s Students in Free
Enterprise chapter sponsored a convocation
event with Conexion Americas, a nonprofit
organization that benefits the local Hispanic
community, on Feb. 26.
SIFE partnered with Conexion Americas
and coffee growers in Central and South
America (through Bongo Java) to create the
ideal coffee blend, said John Gonas, the
faculty advisor for SIFE and an assistant
professor for the School of Business.
“We wanted to create a business, use it
to teach entrepreneurship to Hispanics and
Belmont and finally give the business to the
Hispanics, though SIFE will control it for
an unlimited amount of time,” he said.
The idea behind the business was to create a free-trade coffee, said JonEric
Pettersson, project leader for the venture.
Free-trade coffee directly benefits the grow-
ers because it offers them a fair price for
their coffee, which is often higher than what
the legal rate per pound is.
“It allows [growers] to sustain themselves, and it has a direct effect on their living standards,” said Gonas.
At the convo, Bob Bernstein, Bongo
Java’s owner, talked about fair trade, and
attendees were also given the opportunity to
taste the three blends created: light roast,
dark roast and decaf. Coffee was also sold
at the convo for $8-10/pound.
Members of SIFE will market the blend
and give proceeds to Conexion Americas,
which will give them a “profit tool” for
making money, said Pettersson.
Most of all, the goal of the business is to
teach people about entrepreneurship and
provide more money to the coffee growers.
“We want to give [growers] strong
wages and provide a learning opportunity
for Belmont and the Hispanic community,”
said Gonas.
SIFE, which is on 1,000 campuses
nationwide, has only been at Belmont for
two years. However, it has 23 members in
varying majors and is involved in 16 projects right now, said Gonas. It focuses on
teaching market economics, success skills,
entrepreneurship, financial literacy and
business ethics. Projects include everything
from teaching financial literacy to high
schools to working with women to teach
them how to run a business by making their
own crafts.
“We learn about it and actually get it
done,” said Pettersson. “We’re not just
being told what to do.”
To buy the new coffee blend, contact
Pettersson at (817) 999-1149. To learn
more about and get involved in SIFE, contact Gonas at (615) 460-6907.
Page 6
AMERICAN IDOL,
from page 1
the judges, especially the notoriously hardto-please Simon Cowell.
“We have a lot of people who come in
here with a lot of attitude, a lot of confidence and they’re not very good,” the TV
audience heard Cowell tell her during her
taped audition. “You walk in with no confidence, no attitude, and yet you are a brilliant
singer … a brilliant singer.”
“Seriously, you are what it’s all about, a
great voice. Let me tell you, you are in the
top 2 percent of good singers this year. One
million percent yes.”
Many faculty members think Doolittle
has been a great representative and role
model for Belmont both publicly and on
campus. She comes to Belmont every year
to judge the commercial showcase, attends
recitals, and verbally attributes much of her
success to Belmont.
“Melinda is a wonderful ambassador for
Belmont,” Kirk said.
In an interview with Fox 17, Doolittle
said she would like to use American Idol to
take the next step in her career.
“I want to be the next American Idol
because I feel it’s time for some of us background singers to represent and show that
we can step out front and still handle ourselves.”
PHI KAPPA TAU,
from page 1
with other members.
“I think one of the things we pride ourselves in is the fact that there’s a strong
brotherhood within the group,” Reynolds,
the Phi Chancellor, said. “I have 36 brothers I know ten times better than my other
friends.”
Some of Phi Kappa Tau’s activities
include last year’s “Bowl in the Wall”
fundraiser. For this event, Belmont students bowled at a nearby bowling alley
and half of the money went to Phi Kappa
Tau’s national philanthropy. Also, shortly
before spring finals, some of the members
helped at The Painted Turtle Camp in Los
Angeles.
Additionally, the guys try to better the
overall social life of Belmont by having
parties and social events on campus. This
past Saturday night, after the basketball
game, they hosted a dance party in the
Curb Cafe.
Reynolds said they concern themselves
with “trying to better each other.” One way
they do that is by holding each other
accountable for their grades. The fraternity’s average GPA last semester was 3.24.
“Our goal given by national headquarters is to be .10 above the average men at
Belmont, and we were .15 above that,”
Black said.
All of this work resulted in the fraternity receiving the Fletemeyer Prize at last
summer’s national convention, which recognized the most outstanding Phi Kappa
Tau colony. They also received the Order
of the Star Community Service Award and
Tim Holman got the Outstanding Colony
Adviser award.
Phi Kappa Tau was first founded in
1906 at Miami University in Ohio. There
are currently 88 active chapters and seven
colonies. Their mission statement is "To
champion a lifelong commitment to brotherhood, learning, ethical leadership and
exemplary character."
ELS house immerses students
in American culture, language
By Rachel Allen
STAFF WRITER
Five men from three different countries,
whose professions include everything from
football player to aspiring teacher, all live
under the same roof. Most of the time,
housemates like this would only be found in
a joke about bars or a late night sitcom, but
sometimes reality is stranger that fiction.
These men are all members of the English
Language School in Nashville, where they
have come from all over the world to learn
English.
ELS is a nation-wide program with students from over 140 countries. They come
to ELS locations to learn English so they
can study at an American university,
become well-rounded in their businesses and
learn about American culture. The Nashville
ELS is located on the edge of Belmont’s
campus on Compton Avenue, as is the
house of Shimpei Suzuki, Jungseok Kim,
Takeshi Ueda, Massahiro Ide and Basar
Ozpulat.
While the house looks unassuming and
much like any older house – a bit dingy, fitting in well in the eclectic Compton Avenue
neighborhood – inside is a world of different
cultures. The house currently has residents
from South Korea, Japan, Turkey and Saudi
Arabia, although turnover is frequent. With
so many radically different cultures under
one roof, one would perhaps expect conflicts, but for the most part the men take it in
stride and even laugh as they try to learn
each other’s languages and cultures.
“Now I live in Korea, Japan, America,
Arabia and Turkey,” Suzuki, from Okazaki,
Japan, said over a table that sees dishes such
as kimchi,
ggakddwgi
(pronounced
“ I want to
“gock-doedoner
introduce the gi”),
and katsudon
Japanese
on a daily
basis. Suzuki
people
came to the
to American United States
to learn
culture.”
English for
Massahiro Ide his business
Japanese football player future.
“I am
interested in
working in
countries all over the world, and English is
an international language,” said Suzuki, who
is interested in sports business and hopes to
work for Nike or Adidas in the future.
Many in ELS share the same type of
goal. Kim and Ozpulat both are in ELS so
they can further their studies. Kim, from
Seoul, South Korea, studied architecture in
Korea and wants to continue studying it in
the United States. However, he has to
improve his English before he can be
accepted to an American university.
“I want to go to an American university
or get a job in America,” Kim said.
“Architecture programs and English programs in the United States are better than in
Korea.”
Ozpulat needs to improve his English to
be accepted in a Turkish university and says
that he was not expecting to come to the
United States, but one teacher in his high
school, a converted monastery complete
with a dungeon, failed the entire English
class.
“Now we are scattered all over the world
learning English so we can go to university,” Ozpulat said with a little laugh.
Ide’s ambition, much like his personality,
PHOTO BY JESSICA WALTRIP
The ELS House on Compton Avenue is home – for a while – to students who want to learn
English as well as become well-versed in American culture. Current residents include,
standing from left, Takeshi Ueda, Jungseok Kim, Shimpei Suzuki and Basar Ozpulat.
is a bit more light-hearted.
“I want to play American football and
learn about American football. I want to
introduce the Japanese people to American
culture.” An all-star running back from
Kumamoto City, Japan, Ide started playing
football when he was in college majoring in
Japanese Culture.
“It is very fun. When I play football I can
relax and de-stress,” Ide said. He continues
to train in the United States, which helps
keep his mind off missing Japan, although
that does not seem to be much of a problem
for him.
“I miss Japanese food, because everything is so big here, and everything tastes
very strong,” Ide said, thinking of Japan.
“Before, I missed some girls,” he continued
with a cheeky grin.
Ide’s roommate, Ueda, is from Tamana
City, in the same province as Ide’s hometown. Ueda wants to be a teacher in a
Japanese high school, but he has to be able
to teach English to the students before he
can get his teaching certificate. The thing
that was most surprising to Ueda about the
United States was his first sight from the
plane.
“I saw so many baseball fields,” Ueda
said. Ueda is also a huge fan of Elvis and
doo-wop, which he likes to watch on the
Internet.
“I love to check YouTube and Myspace
and watch the music videos,” Ueda said.
Like the baseball fields, it is often the
simple things in America that pose problems
for these men.
“Tips are confusing for me,” Ide said.
Ueda added that cashiers in stores were hard
to understand sometimes.
“Sometimes I need help. Some people
are kind, some are not. In Japan, workers
have to be kind, but it’s different sometimes
in America,” Ueda said. Suzuki agreed and
also said that traffic rules were difficult.
Despite their problems, however, most of
them are very happy to be in America,
whether they plan to stay for a few months
or for a longer time.
“I have had many wonderful experiences
in America,” Suzuki said, adding that after
he finishes his studies he wants to go back
and work for his company in Japan. Both
Kim and Ueda are hoping to find jobs in the
United States after their studies.
“I want to stay and study more to know
American slang and culture and then maybe
find a job either here or in Japan,” Ueda
said.
Ide, although going back to Japan soon,
said he felt the same way about American
culture and hoped to bring it with him back
to Japan.
“I like America, and I love American
culture and thinking. In Japan, we have the
respect words like ‘san’ and ‘sama’ at the
end of people’s names, but America doesn’t
have that. I like that.”
Despite differences in culture, age and
education, these five men show that when it
comes right down to it, humans are the same
wherever you go. Ozpulat may be from
Turkey, but he also played in a band in high
school, almost a prerequisite for many guys
around here. Ide’s name may sound strange
to Americans, but he and his friends in
Japan like to hang out just like Americans.
On any given day in the guys’ house, they
do the same things as other guys their age.
They play games online – “Starcraft” is the
house favorite right now – watch TV, go
down to P.M. for drinks and conversation.
And of course, there’s talk about girls.
“Make sure to write that I’m single,” was a
common request throughout the interview
process.
Page 7
Page 8
ideas
Let us know what you think. Send a signed letter, 400
words maximum, with your local telephone number, to
The Editor, Belmont Vision, 1900 Belmont Blvd., Nashville,
TN 37212. E-mail submissions are also accepted; send
them to vision@mail.belmont.edu.
E
The battle of who could care less
were betrothed.
I couldn’t believe it…I just couldn’t
Because of Smith’s stature as an internabelieve it.
tional pinup (1992 Playmate of the Year) and
This was my initial reaction when I heard
of Anna Nicole’s Smith’s demise, but not for the Supreme Court battle (Marshall v.
Marshall) that ensued for her late husband’s
the reasons you might think.
estate in 1995, Smith was a tabloid favorite
Was I shocked that a woman like her
and, thus, a natural
could die so young, that
reality TV subject (The
her behavioral pattern
Anna Nicole Show
shouldn’t have led to
received high ratings
such a scenario? No.
“‘I mean, seriously,
on E! from 2002 to
Was I distraught and
saddened, unwilling to what did she contribute 2004).
More recently,
accept that a media darto make the world a
Smith’s fall had been
ling like her would no
better place?’ It is a
an awkward mix of
longer grace American
and comical.
society with her daily
question that will keep tragic
Around the same time
soap opera antics? No.
In fact, I felt an immedi- being asked as new gen- her reality show fizzled
out, she became a
ate sense of relief for
erations of girls are
spokesperson for
that.
being brought up with a dietary supplement
I couldn’t believe
Anna Nicole Smith’s
steady diet of women TrimSpa. While the
product helped Smith
death because it was the
like Smith, Britney
lose a reported 69
predictable punchline to
pounds, her monosyla bad joke, the ham-fistSpears and Paris
labic delivery of halfed ending to a third-rate
Hilton.”
baked catchphrases
Lifetime movie. Up
such as “Like my
until this point, Smith’s
body?” and “TrimSpa,
embarrassing public life
baby!” became infamous late-night comic
had been a joke to everyone but reality show
material.
junkies who bought her trite claim to being a
Smith’s only son, 20-year-old Daniel,
good ‘ol country girl at heart.
Perhaps at one time, Houston-born Vickie died while visiting Anna Nicole in her hospital room three days after she gave birth on
Lynn Marshall did yearn to romp once again
Sep. 7 to her only other offspring, a daughter
across familiar Texas pastures, but Smith –
of questionable paternity. Daniel’s death was
her stage name – earned her legacy as a high
later reported to be due to a drug overdose
school dropout who was married first at 17
and later to billionaire oil magnate J. Howard involving methadone. Almost five months
later, Anna Nicole herself met an equally
Marshall, a man 63 years her senior who she
puzzling end.
met while working at a strip club and whom
With autopsy results pending and a media
she reportedly never lived with while the two
circus surrounding the Broward County, Fla.,
legal battle for Smith’s burial rights, Anna
Nicole’s whirlwind life and death has
become water-cooler talk around the country.
At Belmont in particular, it has become hot
Facebook talk as a group titled “Anna, you
will be missed,” has attracted more than 50
members.
“She redefined the term “Gold Digger”,
and we love her for it. Sorry Kanye, Anna
beat you to it,” creator Grace Wilson wrote
in the group description. “She single-handedly changed the face of diet pills (her idea of
TrimSpa was obviously cocaine).”
The group has received some criticism on
its Facebook “wall” (message board) for
allegedly making light of Smith’s death.
While Wilson admits to creating the group to
make Anna’s death a “lighter” subject, most
wall posters rejected the notion that anyone
wished Anna ill or the claim that the group’s
intentions were inherently un-Christian.
“I took the references to her being a role
model and the fact that her death is a tragic
loss … not so much as insincerity towards
Anna Nicole, but as a mockery of our society, which places worthless, undeserving
individuals on a pedestal to be glorified,”
junior Casey Savell posted Feb. 9.
“I mean, seriously, what did she contribute to make the world a better place?”
It is a question that will keep being asked
as new generations of girls are being brought
up with a steady diet of women like Smith,
Britney Spears and Paris Hilton: rich, wild
socialites who live the good life without really having to break a sweat for it.
Sometimes I feel for these women. Spears
was once a young, seemingly innocent southern girl who was rumored to be enrolled at
nearby Franklin Road Academy for a time,
HENRY NICHOLS
although no one I know has ever been able to
comfirm that. Nearly a decade later, her stardom and sanity have spiraled down through
shotgun weddings, baby-caring faux pas and
revolving door rehab stints. We’re all human,
and I’m sure if I was constantly under the
tabloid freak show microscope, I might go
nuts and shave on both sides of the equator,
too.
Then again, if we as a society don’t want
our children to emulate the bad behavior patterns of the Lindsay Lohans and Nicole
Richies, we must step up in our responsibility to ignore them and avoid Entertainment
Tonight, lest we fuel their riches.
And if we truly can’t resist that voyeuristic instinct, we help put more flameouts like
Smith and Spears at risk. Can’t we just rest,
as Ben Folds once said, fighting the battle of
who could care less?
Henry Nichols, Vision editor, is a senior
journalism major. E-mail:
henroid83@gmail.com
Sneezin’ is the reason for the season
I’m a firm believer in the idea that we each experience
seasons in our lives … seasons of joy, of sadness, of confusion, etc. I also
that we
MELANIE BENGTSON think
repeat seasons.
I’m in the
middle of one
of my least
favorite right
now: cold and
flu season.
I know –
from the inordinate amount of
sniffling and
hacking going
on in each of
my classes –
that I am not alone in my struggle against the germs that
tend to ravage my body this time of year.
I’ve been fighting this particular invasion for the last
month or so to no avail. I’m miserable. I finally collapsed
one day last week onto my couch for an entire day … over
12 hours doing nothing but whining (mostly to myself) and
blowing my nose in a most unattractive fashion, watching
the used tissues pile up on the floor next to me.
To make it worse, there is this terrible time of day (after
TLC stops showing reruns of “What Not to Wear” and all
the networks play are soaps) when there is absolutely noth-
ing on television. So I wallowed all the more in my selfpity, lamenting the fact that I was about to succumb to an
early death and the last thing I would ever see would be the
Anna Nicole Smith trial.
Needless to say, I survived my day in bed. Barely. I
honestly can’t tell which was more painful: the sinus pressure pounding the insides of my eyelids or watching Juvies
on MTV.
In honor of my day of misery (and the weeks before
when I refused to heed my body’s warnings of impending
doom), I have decided to give you some advice to prevent
you from finding yourself in my position:
SLEEP. I offer this wisdom hypocritically, of course,
because I do not sleep nearly as much as I should.
However, it is still the most effective remedy to combat
sickness. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a
study done in Australia showed that being awake for 18
hours gives you the equivalent of a blood alcohol concentration of .05 and being awake for 24 hours gives you a BAC
of .10 ( and .08 is legally drunk). So, if you sleep less than 6
hours each night (or if you pull an all-nighter), you will be
sufficiently tipsy.
EAT. (And not always from the Caf – unless all you eat
is the salad.) Seriously, though, food (good food) will keep
your immune system strong. Fruits and vegetables are the
obvious things to recommend. Confused about where to
find them on campus? Hint: not the Curb Café.
DRINK. Try tea- green and black – instead of coffee.
Not only does it taste better, but it’s actually really, really
good for you. Green tea has been shown to reduce your
chances of heart disease and cancer, lower cholesterol levels
and help you lose weight. One study (done in Great Britain)
actually suggested that tea is healthier than water.
GO TO THE DOCTOR. I – the perpetual procrastinator- waited a month after the first signs of sniffles to visit a
health professional. I chose to visit Belmont Health
Services, an amazing resource for those of you who don’t
know about it. It’s located in Gabhart, above the bookstore
and next to the international studies office. (Yes, it is no
longer a long walk to the trailer behind Belmont Heights – it
actually looks like a real clinic now.) The nurses inside
couldn’t be sweeter and, after chastising me for waiting so
long to visit, gave me a prescription to clear up my nasal
woes. Visiting the clinic is free for students; they only ask
that you make an appointment (460-5506). You have to pay
for blood work, shots, etc. but overall it is significantly
cheaper than going to a doctor’s office. If you’re feeling
lousy, stop by and get checked out. It could be something
more than a little cold.
I know this hasn’t been an intellectually-stimulating read,
but hopefully it will help someone escape the drudgery that
is a sinus infection. The good news is this season is almost
over … the next few weeks will not only bring spring break
(a chance for much-needed rest for all), but sunshine and
warm weather, two guaranteed remedies for any kind of ill.
Managing editor Melanie Bengtson is a sophomore
developmental politics major: bengtsonm@pop.belmont.edu
Letter to the Editor
CD review troubles
fan of Taylor Swift
Dear Editor,
I found the review of Taylor Swift’s
self-titled album troubling (“Sink or Swim:
CD Reviews, by Matt Reynolds, Vision,
Feb. 14). Not only did it sound like the writer didn’t even listen to the album, it was full
of biased remarks toward the country music
industry. I ask him: Do you have something
against record companies making money by
an exceptionally talented artist?
First off, you state the album is “another
attempt by a country music label to maximize profit at the expense of putting out a
tasteless profitable release.” What is your
definition of tasteless? Is it a young woman
who received a publishing contract at 12,
signed by an independent label (Big
Machine) at 16, releases an album of material written by Taylor herself, certified gold
within a month of release? Not to mention
all those amazing achievements, the album
[is] a very TASTEFUL album for high
school/college students. I guess you would
rather have your daughter looking up to the
Britney Spears and Fergies of the world.
Second, as a Belmont student you should
have learned the record business is a business. They are there to make money. If you
become involved in the industry and do not
intend to make a maximum profit on an
album, you may find yourself in a bit of
trouble.
In conclusion, as a reviewer, it’s your job
to provide us with non- biased opinions on
an artist’s album. I don’t want to hear your
opinions of a music industry that you seemingly don’t know enough about to criticize.
– Robert L. Krabel
Page 9
In quiet stillness, truth speaks
My earliest conscious memory: sitting in
a car seat in the back of my mom’s Chevette,
cruising the golden suburbs of New Jersey,
Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” on the
radio and me thinking it was the most awesome song imaginable. I went on to spend
most of my elementary school years spinning
the soundtracks to Where in the World is
Carmen Sandiego? and Animaniacs. That
lasted until I discovered big band jazz around
the beginning of junior high. I got to know
Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington really
well, although my familiarity with contemporary music remained essentially nonexistent.
Then I hit high school and discovered
classic rock. I went to a Styx concert, begged
my parents to get me an electric guitar, and
bought Led Zeppelin albums by the sackful.
This phase gave way to an infatuation with
‘90s alternative rock, music I managed to
discover right around 2000. I went to a Sister
Hazel concert, started appreciating acoustic
guitar more, and bought Counting Crows
albums by the sackful. Now I’m a senior at
Belmont, and I’ve had four years to catch up
with the rest of the world via college rock.
Meanwhile, with the possible exception of
the Animaniacs soundtrack, I maintain a serious appreciation for my musical past. So here
I am, a 21-year-old guy whose music library
is replete with albums by Harry Connick Jr.,
Rush, Barenaked Ladies and the Cardigans.
I assume two basic types of people are
reading this article: those who just want to be
able to walk from Wheeler to Hitch without
overhearing a deconstruction of the latest
release from a band they’ve never heard of,
and those who still wonder whether I saw
Styx with or without Dennis DeYoung (or
having an internal dialogue about whether
the Cardigans’ music has become too melan-
ERIC DETWEILER
choly, or similarly trapped in any comparable
musical musing). I’m trapped somewhere in
between: I could talk about this stuff for
days, yet I converted from music business to
English at the end of my freshman year.
Since then, I’ve faced the reality that knowing everything about music doesn’t require
one to know much about anything else. I’ve
had literature and philosophy surveys in
which people I’m sure have spent hours
debating pop country’s merits couldn’t come
up with a single comment. I realize John
Milton and Aristotle are harder to unpack
than a lot of song lyrics (R.E.M.’s clearly
excepted), but aren’t the conversations about
the nature of God and morality that their
works could lead to more important than
whether or not Coldplay is a terrible band?
Perhaps I just sound like a pretentious
English and philosophy student with an axe
to grind, but my goal isn’t to condemn music
and anyone who hasn’t read the Norton
Anthology of American Literature from
cover to cover. I’d be spitting on myself. My
worry is that music becomes a diversion, an
aesthetic anesthetic that makes it possible not
to deal with some of the central questions of
life. I fear a campus of prospective pop stars
with no idea why they want to be pop stars
(and money, fame, and “because I just love
music” are not sufficient responses). And the
same is possible for students of any subject,
English and philosophy thoroughly included.
The concern here is this: it’s possible to
become an apparent authority on a great
album in well under an hour. Take David
Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy
Stardust”: 38 minutes and 21 seconds. Then
take a “classic” book. Not Ulysses, Crime
and Punishment, or Don Quixote. Let’s go
with something relatively short, say, Walker
Percy’s The Moviegoer. Even if you read at
the relatively swift pace of one page per
minute, you’ve got a four-hour commitment
on your hands. And after the reading is
done, there remain questions without immediate answers, questions to consume years,
and I worry that music is an escape from
confrontation with such inquiries.
This is not to say that music isn’t meaningful, but there is much that is meaningful
outside the realm of music. And I’m not
offering a universal pat on the back to the
printed word. Dan Brown is probably not the
best place to turn in the search for truth.
What I’m hoping for is a willingness to wonder and to ponder, whether that’s through
books, dialogue, prayer, or just thinking.
What I’m hoping for is that the pursuit of
music does not become a way of evading the
pursuit of truth.
Senior writer Eric Detweiler is a senior
English major. E-mail: detweilere@pop.belmont.edu
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Page 10
PHOTOS BY MELODY DRUSHAL
Competitive swing dance, which has a rich history and embraces a variety of techniques, is a popular trend at Belmont and around the country.
Do you wanna dance?
In school filled with music, dance culture develops
By Adaeze Elechi
SENIOR WRITER
It would seem natural that a university so involved with
music would have strong ties with dance on campus. That hasn’t
been the case, however, until recently, but several groups are
moving to fill the gap. In the absence of opportunities for social
dance on campus, some Belmont students have taken matters
into their own hands – and feet – and discovered ways to have
fun and learn some new moves on a dance floor.
From hip-hop to salsa, from swing to country line dancing,
couples are hitting polished floors on and off campus to learn
new steps and turns, to get exercise, to meet people and to have
fun. Yes, even existentialist writer Samuel Beckett, not best
known for his exuberance, said, “Dance first. Think later. It’s
the natural order.”
But among the dancers who are simply having a good time,
some kick it up a notch, taking their pasttime to a professional
competitive level.
Commercial voice major Amy Payne works at the dance studio Dance World. Here she works the front desk and is training
to be a dance instructor.
“It’s good money,” Payne said. “Teaching is where the
money is.”
Last June she participated in a dance showcase displaying the
progress she had made with her teacher.
Payne has had a passion for
dance that she had not been
able to exercise while she was
in Oklahoma. But here
“I am a competi- atin home
Nashville she was able to do
tive person. It is what she loves to do: dance.
is into ballroom danca good way for ing,Payne
which covers a wide varime to meet new ety of dances from swing to
people and con- salsa, two-step to cha-cha,
square dance to rumba. Payne
nect with people. also goes to Ibiza with the salsa
group on Thursdays and pointI just like the
ed out some differences and
way it feels.”
similarities between a social
a more professional setting.
Chansin Bird and“[At
Ibiza] people can dance
sophomore
how they feel,” Payne said.
“But with ballroom dancing,
it’s very technical from your
foot position to your hand position. [Social and ballroom dancing] are equally as fun.”
For Payne, ballroom dancing is more than just moving across
a dance floor.“It’s about relationship with your partner,” Payne
said. “It tells a story. It is dramatic.”
For competitive swing dancer and biblical studies major
Chansin Bird, ballroom dancing appeals to her personality.
“I am a competitive person,” Bird said. “It is [also] a good
way for me to meet new people and connect with people. I just
like the way it feels.”
In competitive dance, the amount of money pumped into it is
significantly larger than social dance. At Dance World, a private
lesson costs upwards of $30.
Bird’s private lessons range between $40 and $100, but
knows that it is all worth it.“Private lessons take me to the next
level [of dance],” Bird said. “It is a great investment of mine.”
She also travels the country to attend dance events. A weekend ticket would cost her between $80 and $130.“[Just as] people take trips for fun, this is what I choose to do with my free
time,” Bird said.
The pull towards dance on Belmont’s campus seems sudden
and while some have attempted to explain it, there has been no
solid explanation for it.
What is clear, though, is that different kinds of dance and
environments appeal to different people and dance, whether
social or competitive, is more than just moving your body to the
beat. It is coordination, it is fun and it is relationship.
“It is just beautiful the way God has made the body to
move,” Payne said.
The Belmont Vision, February 28. 2007
Page 11
Dance Dance Revolution
By Ameshia Cross
STAFF WRITER
Dance Dance Revolution was an upbeat event
sponsored by Program Board Feb. 21 that brought
students together for a dance-off on National
Recreational Sports and Fitness Day. Students danced
the night away, ate snacks and competed for prizes.
Dance Dance Revolution is a music video game
system adopted from Japan. The game is played on a
dance pad with four arrow panels: left, down, up,
right, or six arrows (the four main directions plus
right and left diagonal panels, known as solo
mode).These panels are pressed using the player’s
feet, in response to arrows that appear on the screen
in front of the player. The arrows are synchronized to
the general rhythm or beat of a chosen song, and success is dependent on the player’s ability to synchronize his or her steps accordingly.
In a hip-hop class, exercise is just as important as rhythm.
Salsa dancing borrows
from Latin, Caribbean
With funky Street Jamz,
beat goes on ... and on
Street Jamz combines funky dance moves and cardio every Tuesday and Wednesday.
Caroline Cox, student coordinator, said. “The class
incorporates good beats and good moves.”
The Tuesday night class tends to have better attendance at between 20-30 students. Street Jamz likes to
keep the moves fresh; after the students have grasped
the initial dance sequences, they move on to other
steps. “The moves change every four weeks,” Cox
said.
Dance instructor Wesley Languarde said, “The
class is more cardio than dance based. I concentrate
more on heart rates and fitness.” Unlike other dance
classes, in Street Jamz the students are constantly in
motion, and they don’t stop from step to step.
“Belmont is a good outlet for this kind of thing,”
Languarde said.
Students of various backgrounds and majors
come. “It’s carefree and that attitude keeps students
coming back,” said Languarde. Street Jamz is coordinated in a way that is appealing to students and faculty members. “I refer to the Tuesday class as the student class and the Wednesday class as the staff class,”
Languarde said.
Street Jamz is held in the Beaman Fitness Center
Tuesdays at 7p.m. and Wednesdays at noon. “It’s a
lot of fun, great workout, and you burn more calories
than with the average cardio machine, plus it’s free,”
Cox said. Street Jamz is a sensational dance mix that
invokes attitude and energy while students enjoy
music and break a sweat.
By Adaeze Elechi
SENIOR WRITER
Whether the workout is with Dance Dance
Revolution, top, or hiphop, above, a few turns
on the dance floor call for energy and
endurance.
A group of salsa dancers, organized by commercial voice major
Brittany Beckner, meets on
Thursdays in the Thrailkill Hall
lobby at 9.30 p.m. before they head
off to Ibiza, the salsa club downtown.
Beckner had her first taste of it
when she attended a friend’s birthday party there in February 2006.
After that, she started going every
week and people started noticing.
“So many people asked to come
that I started a Facebook group,
‘Gotta Love Salsa’,” Beckner said.
Just like at Otter Creek, a popular
session at a church, at Ibiza there is a
lesson an hour before there is social
dancing. The difference is that Ibiza
is free on Thursday nights.
Beckner goes to Otter Creek
every other Saturday as well as Ibiza
and sees the differences between the
two locations and their environments.
“Ibiza is a little shadier than Otter
Creek because it is a night club.
There is a bar, there is smoking,
there is drinking,” Beckner said.
“But some people prefer the salsa
atmosphere. There is a deep connection with the Hispanic culture and
the dance and music is more sensual
and passionate than swing. Swing is
more all-American and wholesome.”
Beckner also shares an opinion
with Rachel Mingus about social
dance.
“The nice thing about social
dancing is that in this day and age
where girls are expected to make the
first move, it is nice to have a guy
come up and ask you to dance and
then lead.”
But according to Beckner, letting
a guy lead may not be as easy as it
sounds. In salsa, it is all up to the
male to do the leading. He is in control in the dance. The girl “just has
to look pretty and follow.” But in a
situation where the girl may feel as
if the guy cannot lead as well as she
would like, she may be tempted to
lead. But she needs to learn to let the
guy take control.
“You need to be able to coordinate your hips with your feet with
your legs to the music,” Beckner
said. “It definitely takes more skill
than the typical bump-and-grind,
hip-hop club dancing.”
There are now salsa classes at the
Beaman Student Life Center on
Wednesdays at 10 a.m.
Dancers head to church
By Adaeze Elechi
SENIOR WRITER
If, on a Saturday evening, you happened to see a group of people all dressed up and sorting out car
pooling they could have been headed to Otter Creek Church for an evening of swing dancing.
“It’s good, clean fun in a secure environment,” said Rachel Mingus, the organizer of the group.
Every other Saturday, Otter Creek Church is open for people to come and swing dance. About an hour
before people come in to dance, from 6-7 p.m., there is a swing class that teaches those who want to learn
the basics. From 7 p.m., open dancing begins.
But you don’t have to be an expert to swing dance here. It is for everyone who is interested.
“A lot of people go that don’t know a lot of moves,” said Brandon McGuiness, a member of the
Belmont swing dance group. “Everyone is good about helping other people. We’re just amateurs having
fun.”
“Most people go to clubs for ulterior motives and to hook up, but in swing dancing, people want to
dance,” Mingus said. “People also pay at the door so it is those who want to learn that will come.”
There is a $6 fee at the door and $7 when there is a live band. The proceeds go to a Christian ministry
and mentor program for young people, “Youth for Truth.” (www.youthfortruth.org).
Learning new moves is not all that these social dancers get from the Saturday night experience.
“It’s a great social activity. You get to meet new people,” McGuiness said. “You have more of a relationship with your partner than in, say, a mosh pit. You need to know what you’re doing.”
“It opens your eyes to what the roles of men and women are in society,” Mingus said. “I think there’s
something deep down in girls that likes to be led and asked to dance. It has made gentlemen out of the
guys that go.”
Quite a lot of dancers claim that dancing for them is a form of self-expression. Mingus is not different.
“I think swing gives more creativity room,” Mingus said. “You can swing to any kind of music. It has
In competitive dancing, moving one’s feet to the music is important, but
allowed me to express myself.”
so is relating to one’s partner so the dance is smooth and synchronized.
Page 12
sports
If Belmont wins the A-Sun Tourney, they will most likely
be given a No. 15 or No. 16 seed, which would pit the
Bruins against a No. 2 or No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tourney.
Possible first round opponents include North Carolina,
Ohio St, Florida, Texas A&M, Kansas, Wisconsin,
Georgetown, Washington St, Memphis and UCLA.
Bruins seek to punch ticket to Big Dance
Conference tourneys:
It’s all relative
For one-bid conferences such as the Atlantic Sun, an
entire regular season is forgotten amongst three monumental
days in March. I am speaking of the crapshoot that we call a
conference tournament because regular season champions
entertain nightmares of being upset and sent home by teams
with losing records who still entertain dreams of dancing.
Rick Byrd compares the conference tournament to a final
exam and the regular season to studying. “It’s a little bit like
when you know you’ve studied hard for a test. You feel better going into that final and that’s what we’ve got this weekend [A-Sun Conference Tournament] is a final. And it [regular season] doesn’t get us any points on the scoreboard to
start the game.
Each of the eight teams enters the tournament with a
blank slate. It doesn’t matter if you go undefeated in the regular season; one loss in the tournament sends you to the other
tournament, the
NIT. Just ask
intrastate Ohio
JORDAN DRAKE
Valley Conference
member Austin
Peay, who went 160 in conference play
in the 2003-2004
season but was upset
in the tournament
and consequently
dispatched to the
NIT, where they
defeated Belmont,
who also lost a
game in their conference tournament.
Perhaps an example that hits closer to home is the Bruins’
women’s basketball team. Two of the past three years, Coach
Tony Cross’ team has won the regular season title and been
awarded a No. 1 seed just to be upset both times and fail to
reach the NCAA Tournament. “We’ve accomplished a lot of
things. Really the only goal we have left that we have left to
reach for that’s never been done before is to go to the NCAA
Tournament. From day one that’s what we’ve talked about.”
This season, Cross has even instilled a special tournament
package that includes special offensive and defensive packages that he’s never shown before.
Byrd seems to believe that the conference tournament can
be unfair. He said, “It’s a shame in a way that it all comes
down to that feeling when you leave Johnson City [the site of
the A-Sun Conference Tournament] one way or the other
because the season-long record and performance is what matters the most. I don’t think Johnson City, whatever happens,
can take away from what we’ve accomplished.”
Maybe the season as a whole matters the most to coaches
but it doesn’t to the only people who have a say: the NCAA
selection committee. For the record, Byrd’s Bruins have benefited from the conference tournament. Last season,
Lipscomb claimed the regular season title and No. 1 seed.
Yet it was Belmont who got the last laugh and enjoyed the
magical carpet ride to the Big Dance while Lipscomb was
relegated to the NIT.
So the fairness of the conference tournament is all relative
to each team’s situation.
Since the men’s team is not the No. 1 seed and regular
season champion, Byrd must be grateful that the tournament
is the deciding factor.
Since the women’s team is the No. 1 seed and regular season champion, Cross has got to be upset that an upset in the
tournament would keep his team from being invited to the
Big Dance.
Jordan Drake is a sophomore entrepreneurship major. Email: drake.jordan@gmail.com
2007 Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Championship
East Tennessee State University • March 1-3
Memorial Coliseum • Johnson City, Tennessee
Thursday
March 1
Friday
March 2
Saturday
March 3
#1 ETSU
6 p.m.
CSS-TV
6 p.m.
CSS-TV
#4 Lipscomb
8:15 p.m.
CSS-TV
3 p.m.
CSS-TV
#3 Jacksonville
2:15 p.m.
CSS-TV
8:15 p.m.
CSS-TV
#2 Belmont
noon
CSS-TV
In A-Sun, scenarios favor BU
By Henry Nichols
EDITOR
The ’05-’06 Bruins squad earned their first NCAA bid in
epic fashion with an overtime victory against archrival
Lipscomb in Johnson City’s Atlantic Sun Conference
Tournament Championship. A year later with yet another
No. 2 seed to work with, a perfect storm of circumstances
beyond Belmont’s control may backdoor them into the Big
Dance for the second straight year.
Following second-half collapses against Lipscomb (1712, 11-7) this year, Belmont remained the No. 2 team in the
A-Sun, but Lipscomb’s 3rd-place standing would have had
them on the same side of the tournament bracket against
Belmont to begin March. Instead, following back-to-back
losses against North Florida (worst RPI ranking in Division
1) and Jacksonville to end the Bisons’ regular season, LU
falls to 4th-place, giving them a No. 4 seed in the conference
tourney.
So what does this all mean for Belmont? Instead of having to play two tough games back-to-back in order earn
another NCAA bid, Belmont will likely only face one significant test in their road to a second-straight league title. The
Bruins open tomorrow at 1 p.m. against No. 7 seed GardnerWebb (9-20, 7-11 A-Sun), a team they swept by an average
of 24 points during the regular season.
From there, a win would pit Belmont against the winner
of No. 3 Jacksonville/No. 6 Campbell for the Mar. 2 semifinal at 9:15 pm. Although Belmont swept Jacksonville (1513, 11-7) during the regular season, Belmont athletic director
Mike Strickland said JU could be the most dangerous team
in the tournament after going 11-5 since the beginning of
2007. Though Campbell (13-16, 7-11) beat Belmont at home
79-67 Jan. 18, the Bruins got revenge with a comfortable 9268 victory at the Curb Feb. 17.
A semifinal win would pit Belmont against either the No.
1, No. 4, No. 5 or No. 8 seeds in the tournament final. While
host and No. 1 seed ETSU (22-8, 16-2) should coast past No.
8 Stetson (11-19, 6-12), Lipscomb faces perhaps the toughest
first-round test against No. 5 Mercer (13-16, 8-10). The survivor of that match-up must muster enough energy to chal-
Commentary
“Instead of having to play two
tough games back-to-back in
order earn another NCAA bid,
Belmont will likely only face one
significant test in their road to a
second-straight league title.”
lenge ETSU the next day.
This scenario allows Belmont to avoid Lipscomb until the
conference final at the earliest while switching the Bruins’
likely semifinal opponent from a team (Lipscomb) that swept
Belmont to a team (Jacksonville) that Belmont swept. Before
they face Belmont, Jacksonville must first rid themselves of
a pesky Campbell squad before trying to re-group and
accomplish what Campbell did once this season against the
Bruins, who have won seven of their last eight games.
Meanwhile, on the tougher side of the bracket, ETSU,
Lipscomb and Mercer will be eating each other alive.
Belmont will smoke Gardner-Webb in the first round
before dispatching a “dangerous” Jacksonville squad, who
will have barely beaten Campbell the night before, for the
third time this season. Belmont will most likely face ETSU,
who traded overtime victories with BU in season, in
Saturday’s championship game. Belmont’s last three games
at ETSU have ended in overtime victories, so expect a result
much like last year’s A-Sun Championship. Junior guard
Justin Hare and senior center Boomer Herndon have been
Belmont’s top two scorers against ETSU this season, and the
preseason All A-Sun first-teamers must play up to the same
billing if the Bruins want to make it past Johnson City.
Page 13
Women No. 1 in regular season
A-Sun tournament win would take team to 1st NCAA
By Jordan Drake
SPORTS EDITOR
Thanks to a four-game winning streak,
the Belmont women’s basketball team (21-5,
15-1 A-Sun) wrapped up the outright 200607 Atlantic Sun regular season title. The
Bruins earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming A-Sun Conference Tournament March 810 in Dothan, Ala., with their 54-51 Senior
Night win Feb. 24 against Gardner-Webb.
This season marks the third time the Bruins
have won the A-Sun regular season title in
four years.
Last season, the Bruins were regular season champions and the No. 1 seed but were
upset in the semifinal round against GardnerWebb 72-60 after posting a 17-3 regular season conference record. In the 2003-2004 season, the Bruins won the regular season title
with a conference record of 14-6 but were
upset by Stetson in the tournament.
This season, Belmont has posted its best
regular season conference record in school
history with 15 wins and one loss. Barring an
upset by Jacksonville or North Florida in the
final regular season games, the Bruins will
go into the conference tournament at 23-5
(17-1 A-Sun).
Head coach Tony Cross came into this
season with a new mission and a look at the
big picture. “We’ve got some things that we
are preparing just for the tournament – a new
offense, a couple different defenses. We call
it the tournament package. This will give
other teams something that they will have to
attest to.”
Getting There
The Atlantic Sun Conference
Tournament is held March 8-10 at
the Dothan Civic Center in
Dothan, Ala. Belmont’s women will
play the No. 8 seed on the first day
of the tournament.
Sophomore Clark
hits milestone
with 1000th point
Strayhorn
makes noise
early on
By: Jordan Drake
SPORTS EDITOR
The Thousand Point Club at
Belmont has a new member.
Sophomore post Alysha Clark
scored her 1,000th career point
late against Lipscomb Feb. 17
in the Curb Event Center. The
Mount Juliet H.S. product
reached the prestigious plateau
in only 52 games, faster than
any other women’s basketball
player in Belmont history.
As a freshman last season,
Clark became the first player in
Atlantic Sun history to be
selected as both the A-Sun
Player of the Year and
By Alexander Jones
SENIOR WRITER
Point guard Shaunda Strayhorn has already made a
splash on Belmont’s campus as the leading freshman
scorer (8.7 ppg) and assists leader (2.4 apg) on the Lady
Bruins basketball team.
“I call Shaunda ‘Trouble’,” assistant coach Yvette
Sparks said. “But she’s trouble in a good way! She’s got
edge and attitude and she’s going to challenge the system, she’s going to challenge the players, she’s going to
challenge the other team.”
Such an attitude has led to numerous leadership positions for Strayhorn. She was starting point guard all four
of her years at Dyersburg (Tenn.) High School and was
named captain her senior year. All that experience has
given Strayhorn the kind of professional prowess needed
to lead a college team.
Still, it’s not easy.
“It’s hard to be the leading point guard when you’re
so young,” Strayhorn said. “You don’t have a lot of
experience on a college team, but you’re
forced to step up.”
Many freshmen
“Shaunda has a have noticed a dramatic and somewhat
tenacity and
transition
enthusiasm that difficult
from playing ball on
raises the level of a high school level to
competing on a colplay on the
lege team.
“I used to be a
court.”
starter on my high
Yvette Sparks school team,” freshassistant coach, women man Angela Roof
said. “Now the competition is so much
more intense and it
really causes me to
work harder.
“In high school you were the No. 1 player, but now
you’re playing with a group of people who were all No.
1 players at their schools,” Strayhorn said.
In that position, a player has to set herself apart, and
that’s what Strayhorn has tried to do at the point guard
position.
“The role of the point guard is to direct the team,”
sophomore post Jessica Bobbitt explained. “Shaunda has
really good sight and she’s willing to take good risks. So
she is able to see where everyone is and notice opportunities that other people may not see.”
It is that kind of awareness that has earned Strayhorn
the reputation of “risky.”
“She takes big risks, the kinds of risks that really
challenge and require everyone to be on their toes, and
the kinds of risks that give our team an edge,” sophomore guard Kristin Bunch said.
PHOTO BY AMY KADISH
Freshman Shaunda Strayhorn attempts a free throw in
the Curb Event Center. Strayhorn, the starting point
guard, is second on the team in scoring points per game.
“She takes a lot of chances,” sophomore forward
Alyssa Clark, who just celebrated scoring her 1000th
career point, said.
“Shaunda has a tenacity and enthusiasm that raises
the level of play on the court,” Sparks said. “The crowd
loves to watch her thread a needle with a risky pass or
play and the coaches love it when they work out!”
Strayhorn, who hopes to teach and coach in the
future, is a hit off the court as well.
“We’re all silly of the court, and she fits right in and
always has us laughing,” Bobbitt said.
For Strayhorn, her first year with the Lady Bruins has
been enjoyable, and one that has her anticipating the
future.
“I love all of the girls and they make it much easier
to enjoy this experience.” Strayhorn pauses and thinks.
“The future? I definitely hope we make it to the
NCAA!”
Freshman of the Year. She finished second in the A-Sun in
scoring (20 ppg), rebounding
(10.9 rpg) and field-goal percentage (54.3 percent). She was
named A-Sun Player of the
Week a school-record five
times.
As a sophomore this season,
Clark is averaging 17.7 ppg
and 12.6 rpg. The forward has
improved her field-goal percentage to 60 percent this season and added five A-Sun
Player of the Week awards this
season as well, giving her 10 in
only two seasons.
Page 14
Sports Notebook
Track teams post
record finishes
The Belmont men’s and women’s indoor track-and-field teams
both finished tied for 2nd in the A-Sun Indoor Championships in
Johnson City, Tenn. Feb. 16-17.
The men’s team finished just 13 points behind champion ETSU.
The Bruins won four events and posted 12 top-five finishes.
Freshman Hillary Cheruiyot, from Kenya, was named A-Sun CoMost Outstanding Track Performer and Most Outstanding Freshman
Performer. Cheruiyot won the mile run with a conference-record
breaking time of 4:20:70, while also finishing second in the 800
meters run.
Senior Channing Twyner won the 60 meters run with a schoolrecord time of 6.90. Junior John Brigham won the 5000 meters title
with a conference-record time of 14:56:62. The Bruins’ 4x400 meter
relay team of Clint Hamm, Taylor Hart, Stephen Register and David
Bergfield won the event with a school-record time of 3:24:70.
The women’s team placed second behind champion Jacksonville.
Belmont’s women’s 4x400 meter also won. The team of Lizz
Pollock, Kahlai Turner, Lynette Rives and Jessica Giles set a conference record with a time of 3:49:44. Sophomore Rives also placed
second in both the 60 and 200 meters runs. Times of 7.59 and 24.38,
respectively, set new school records.
Both teams return to action Mar. 17 at the Austin Peay Spring
Fling Meet.
Senior Felipe Abreu, Brazil
Junior Ignacio Gesto, Uruguay
Assistant coach Felipe Lima, Brazil
Junior Fausto Rocha, Brazil
Softball team struggles
to a 2-6, 0-0 A-Sun start
After going 1-3 in the Gamecock Classic at host Jacksonville
State, Belmont returned to the state of Tennessee and went 1-3 again
in the MTSU Breast Cancer Strikeout in Murfreesboro. The Bruins’
two wins of the season came Feb.18 against South Alabama and Feb.
23 over Morehead State. A recap of the Feb. 27 game at Memphis
will be available in the next issue.
Sophomore Wicke named
A-Sun Player of the Week
Sophomore guard Andy Wicke earned A-Sun POW honors by
scoring a career-high 31 points on 10-for-12 three-point shooting in a
win over Gardner-Webb Feb.15. The Hendersonville native set a
Curb Event Center record for the most threes made in a game. Wicke
followed up the performance with another solid outing against
Campbell by scoring 13 points on 3-for-7 three-point shooting and a
career-high six assists.
Tennis spans world
By Alexander Jones
Men’s golf places ninth
Led by senior Jeff Lanier’s 5th-place individual finish, the Bruins
earned their best finish of the year at the Rice Intercollegiate. Lanier
finished with a three-round total of 221 (+5), four shots behind the
winner. As a team, the Bruins shot a total of 931, 31 shots off the
overall team winner, Sam Houston State.
Feb.17 match rescheduled
for men’s tennis team
Due to cold weather, the Belmont (1-2, 0-1) Feb. 17 match
against conference foe North Florida has been rescheduled for 11
am, Mar. 17 at Belmont’s Davis Tennis Complex. The Bruins return
to action Mar. 2 against Mercer in Macon, Ga.
Women’s tennis team
drops one, wins one
The Bruins (3-2, 0-0 A-Sun) lost to Southern Illinois, 4-3, Feb.16
at the Davis Tennis Complex before picking up an away victory by
way of a 7-0 sweep over Western Kentucky Feb. 23. This win in
Bowling Green marked the fifth straight time Belmont has defeated
Western Kentucky.
- Jordan Drake
SENIOR WRITER
Coaches say international experience and perspective
always give a team an edge that puts it ahead of the
competition. It creates versatility and depth and presents
a team with another level of qualification.
“In South America, we play on clay courts,” Belmont
junior tennis player Ignacio Gesto explained. “Coming
to America and playing on hard courts requires that we
learn to switch things up and employ different strategy
changes.”
Men’s tennis coach Jim Madrigal identifies with such
age-old notions and holds them to be true. Over the last
five years, he has recruited five international male athletes and brought them to Belmont’s tennis courts.
These five young men have been large contributors to
the breakthrough success of the Bruins tennis team over
the last few years.
“I grew up in Brazil and started playing tennis when
I was 5 years old,” Felipe Lima said. “It was a very
exciting thing to be able to come to a new country, learn
a new language and play on a college level.”
Lima, now graduated and an assistant coach for the
team, is one of the players who led Belmont to its first
A-Sun championship in 2006. Alongside were fellow
Brazilians Fausto Rocha and Felipe Abreu, Chilean
Javier Rodriguez and Uruguayan Gesto.
“It was one of the best experiences of my life when
we won the A-Sun last year,” Rocha, a junior, recalls.
“We were all very proud.”
These players have earned individual honors as well.
Rodriguez ranked first on the team his freshman year for
18 singles wins and joined Rocha last year in earning
All-Atlantic Sun Second Team honors. Abreu ranks
“It was a very exciting thing to
be able to come to a new country, learn a new language and
play on a college level.”
Felipe Lima
Bruins assistant coach and former player
fourth in Belmont Division 1 history with a total of 45
career singles wins. During his career, Lima was selected to the All-Atlantic Sun First Team three times, set
four Belmont Division 1 records and enjoyed 52 singles
victories. Gesto has also received A-Sun All-Academic
honors.
Despite the team’s recent success, players remain
focused with hopes for a bright future.
“Yeah, we have a good record, but it’s all about repetition,” Rodriguez said.
“Now that the irreplaceable Felipe Lima is gone, we
have to all notice our challenges and step up,” Abreu
said. “We want another A-Sun championship!”
The team is quickly recognizing its new challenges.
After losing to both ETSU and UALR, the men were
able to come back and beat St. Louis, the first victory of
the season.
The next home game at Belmont’s Davis Tennis
Complex is 1 p.m. March 16 against Gardner-Webb.
Page 15
Fit for the future
The Beaman Student Life Center hosted a
number of events on Feb. 21 to commemorate
National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day.
The events began at 6 a.m. with the Polar Bear
5K walk/run. The day also included free blood
pressure screenings and massages, a meet and
greet with a few Nashville Predators,Cardio
Extreme, Climbing Wall Twister, and a 3-point
shootout. The day ended with a Dance Dance
Revolution competition.
PHOTO BY SIERRA MITCHELL
Two competitors in the Climbing
Wall Twister race up the rock wall
in the Beaman Student Life
Center Feb. 21.
PHOTO BY MELODY DRUSHAL
PHOTO BY SIERRA MITCHELL
A student participates in the intramural spot shot
and 3-point contest.
Greg Zanon, Dan Hamhuis and
Jerred Smithson of the Nashville
Predators visit with students on
National Recreational Sports and
Fitness Day. The Predators are
currently ranked first in the NHL.
Bruins baseball
undefeated
this season
after cellar ‘06
VISION PHOTOS
The Bruins (5-0, 0-0 A-Sun) play their home games at
Greer Stadium, home to the AAA-affilate Nashville Sounds,
just a short three-minute drive from campus. Belmont has
already defeated both an ACC (Boston College) and Big
East (Pittsburgh) team.
Opening day starting pitcher, Charles Lee, above, and third
baseman Brandon McCall are vital players for the upstart
Bruins team.
After opening the season with back-toback wins (6-1, 3-2) over Bradley on
Feb.18, the Bruins returned to Greer
Stadium Feb. 23-25 to pick up three more
victories on the young season.
A come-from-behind 8-7 win over
Boston College was keyed by a go-ahead
single from senior Wilson Tucker in the
bottom of the 8th inning, scoring senior
Brady Manifold and freshman Packy
Elkins.
Senior reliever Jon Camp earned the
victory while Chris Manning picked up his
first save.
Four runs batted in by senior Kane
Simmons along with six strong innings
from junior starting pitcher Josh Moffitt led
the Bruins to a 11-4 victory over
Pittsburgh.
The Bruins concluded the weekend with
a 5-4 decision over Ball State as sophomore Carlo Testa notched the win.
A recap of the Feb. 27 game against Ole
Miss will be available in the next issue,
March 21.
– Jordan Drake
Page 16
a&e
Academy Award Winners
Best
Best
Best
Best
Best
Picture / The Departed
Actor / Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Actress / Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Supporting Actor / Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
Supporting Actress / Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
Students turn pro in studio
By Victoria Read
STAFF WRITER
For many students at Belmont, it is a
dream to run their own recording studio. For
senior audio engineering major Ben Klise, this
dream has already come true.
Klise’s dream came to fruition last July
when he and Charles Irby, a junior music business major, opened the doors of TripleHouse
Productions Inc., a recording studio run by
Belmont students in the Berry Hill area.
“I knew that I could trust Ben,” said Irby,
the owner and studio manager of TripleHouse.
“We could handle the stress of a business relationship and he is a skillful, passionate and
driven engineer. A lot of people can engineer,
but they don’t have the dedication and talent.”
For Klise,
working with
TripleHouse
“We’re not
has been anothstep into a
about money. er
career of audio
Our main goal engineering.
is to get experi- Klise started
recording with
ence and net- friends in high
school where he
work.”
had a small
Charles Irby home studio.
co-founder, TripleHouse
“We just
became
obsessed with it
– every day, all
day, we’d stay up until 7 o’clock in the morning,” he said.
This obsession became a reality when Klise
left Chicago and moved to Nashville to study
audio engineering.
“All the professors at Belmont are really
fantastic and at school you learn about concepts, about the physical, technical side of
things, but that doesn’t make you professional;
that makes you knowledgeable,” he said.
“What makes you professional is the experience of doing what you learn about.”
Klise has plenty of time to put what he
learns at school into practice because he lives
in an apartment above the TripleHouse studio.
“When you have a place where you can do
three sessions a week, you put learning into
action and you start to get the ball rolling,”
Klise said.
TripleHouse is student-owned and operated,
which enables their engineers and largely student clientele to take time for learning in studio
sessions. The learning environment that
TripleHouse provides offers a solution for students who don’t have access to studios on
campus as much as they need.
“There are all these people at Belmont who
have these ideas but they don’t have the means
to get it onto a CD and that’s where we come
in,” Klise said.
Klise and TripleHouse have worked with
numerous Belmont bands including Moon
Taxi, Darla Farmer, Six Gun Lullaby, Claire
Gonwa, Answers for Dancers and Ben Weber,
among others.
“We have an idea and TripleHouse provides
the facility to conceive this idea and the engineer makes it a reality,” said Trevor Terndrup,
the lead singer and a guitarist of Moon Taxi.
Terndrup, a senior Spanish and philosophy
double major, explained that Moon Taxi trusts
the engineers at TripleHouse to get the best
results out of their recordings.
“They have just as much of a creative element as we do.”
Klise’s role as an engineer is to use the
available recording tools to create the highest
quality version of a recording. The better an
engineer’s ability to utilize these tools, the
stronger their recordings will be.
“He’s been working with those boards all
year so he knows them like the back of his
hand,” said Casey Saul, a junior music business major and violin and piano player for
Darla Farmer.
Klise’s development as an engineer is facilitated by his access to a studio at school, work
and home. The TripleHouse studio is flexible
to the needs of learning engineers and musicians because they too are learning.
Even though they are still learning,
TripleHouse hosts a professional but collegefriendly environment that not only caters to the
recording needs of emerging bands but also to
their financial needs.
“We’re not about money. Our main goal is
to get experience and network. All we want to
do is cover cost to pay for what we’re doing,”
Irby said.
TripleHouse is even offering promotional
rates for Belmont students as low as $35 an
hour to make their services more accessible to
budgeting college students and independent
bands. The standard rate is $55 an hour.
“We’re looking at this as an opportunity,
not only in recording but also as students
working with students, cutting each other deals
and helping each other so that everyone can
become stronger from the whole thing,” Klise
said.
Ben Klise, above,
works on a project
at TripleHouse
Studios. Klise
founded the business with fellow
Belmont student
Charles Irby,
standing, left.
More information
about this unique
student-owned
company can be
found at their
MySpace or at
http://www.triplehouse.com/.
PHOTOS BY
SIERRA MITCHELL
Belmont: From here to YouTube?
Putting technology to work
By Matthew Reynolds
STAFF WRITER
A Belmont alumnus and his band won the
award for “Best Song” in the first ever
YouTube Underground Contest last
November. Matthew Gometz, a 2005
Belmont graduate, and his band Greenland
won with their debut video for “The Way It
Is.” YouTube then flew Greenland to New
York City to appear on Good Morning
America and presented them with prize gear
courtesy of Gibson Guitar and Epiphone.
The winning video can be viewed on
YouTube or myspace.com/greenlandmusic.
Greenland plays a recent show at Exit/In, fresh off their YouTube win and national coverage.
Two Belmont freshmen, Chase
Misenheimer and Alex Crawford, have started their own podcast out of their dorm room.
The “Untitled and Unbridled” podcast currently pulls in 500 listeners a week and is
updated every Monday morning. Each
episode features several songs, discussion
about the artists of today and fan contests.
The duo also uses their podcast to focus on
what Belmont musicians are accomplishing.
For more information, search the iTunes
store for “Untitled and Unbridled.”
Page 17
Bass professor
engages students
By Alexander Jones
SENIOR WRITER
When asked about his bass instructor,
sophomore Blake Stratton lights up and struggles to find the right words to describe
Professor Roy Vogt.
“There are very few people who can both
play and teach, in any field,” he finally says.
“Professor Vogt knocks it out of the park as a
musician and as a teacher is very passionate
and is wonderful at passing on his knowledge
and love to his students.”
Roy Vogt fell in love with the bass guitar
at the age of 14 and has since been a career
bassist.
“You really have to love this and be dedicated to the craft,” Vogt said. “I do this
because, like many other bassists, without it a
part of me would be missing. The bass guitar
is my voice.”
Vogt agrees that he has not had the career
of the average musician. He calls himself
lucky to have been able to travel the world,
playing gigs on various coasts of the country
and touring as far as Australia and New
Zealand. These experiences have not only
helped to shape Vogt’s musical style, but they
have also given him a global perspective on
music and its unique power.
“One of my most memorable experiences
is when I was playing with some Italian
guys,” he recounts. “They didn’t speak hardly
any English, and I didn’t speak Italian. I started strumming a generic tune that they knew,
they joined in and we entered into a musical
dialogue and jammed all night!”
Although such experiences have trans-
formed the musician in Professor Vogt, he is
glad to bid them adieu.
“I know what the inside of a hotel looks
like, I know what the inside of a tour bus
looks like, and I definitely don’t need to see
another airplane,” he jokes.
While Vogt frequently engages in “jam
sessions” and has flourished as a local and
studio musician in Nashville, he is more than
content passing his knowledge on to his students at Belmont, where he has taught for 24
years. Education is close to his heart.
“If you look in the Musicians’ Union, there
is a shortage of qualified and adaptable
bassists,” he explains. “It’s important to teach
people the technique, but people also have to
learn how to use the technique in various genres and then also how to get past the technique and theory and just say whatever it is
they feel.”
The role of a bassist is what Vogt calls a
“service occupation.” Indeed, the bassist is
often nothing more than an overlooked
nuance of the background. However, Vogt
explains that the bassist is the one who sets
the mood.
“The bass player asks, ‘How can I make
this feel?’ His primary role is to work with the
other musicians and drive the emotions of the
music.”
He displays this act of service on his first
solo project, Simplicity, released in 2002. He
currently has another project in the works,
which will also feature Professor Chester
Thompson of the School of Music. New
tracks as well as tracks from Simplicity can be
found on Vogt’s website www.RoyVogt.com.
Nashville’s own ‘Pet’
comes back home
By Henry Nichols
EDITOR
It’s not everyday you get to see a synchronized teenage rendition of an epileptic
seizure. It’s much less common for such a
display to be musically innovative and
refreshing, but that’s exactly what happened
Feb. 23 at The Rutledge when Nashville’s
premier punk band, Be Your Own Pet, played
their first show in months after a breakout
2006 filled with a frenzied touring schedule.
According to guitarist Jonas Stein, 19, the
one-shot hometown gig was designed to “kick
out some of the fresh jams” the band has been
writing for the past couple months in anticipation of their next album, which they plan to
start recording in April and which could come
out as early as September.
“We don’t have any specific intentions
towards doing anything differently [with the
second album], it’s kind of what’s just coming out,” Stein said. “But I’m getting some
surfy, raunchy vibes. Surf-Raunch, that’s our
new style.”
Stein and frontwoman/singer Jemina Pearl
Abegg, also 19, are the only founding members of BYOP left. The group formed in 2003
in the basement of departed members Jake
and Jamin Orrall after meeting as students at
the Nashville School of the Arts. The Orrall
brothers have since been replaced by bassist
Nathan Vasquez, 18, and drummer John
Eatherly, 16.
BYOP’s debut album, one of Blender’s 50
greatest CDs of 2006, released last March,
and their single “Adventure” reached No. 36
on the UK Singles Chart. Since then, the
teenage wunderkinds have toured the world,
performing supporting slots from the South
Anberlin - Cities
In an Alternative Press interview about their new album, Cities,
lead vocalist Stephen Christian commented that the lyrics
throughout Anberlin’s discography are progressively becoming
more adult. “The first album, Blueprints for the Black Market
[2003], was childish in the fact that it was Man vs. World. The
last album, Never Take Friendship Personal [2005], was Man vs.
Man. Cities, however, is Man vs. Self.” With Cities, Anberlin successfully picks up where they left off with Never Take Friendship
Personal, and in so doing brings all their best attributes to the
table - contagious drum grooves behind infectiously driving guitars
and, of course, the unmistakable vocal presence of Stephen
Christian. Most importantly, Cities proves that a band can improve
upon itself album after album, and that is precisely what Anberlin
has done. Highlights of the album include “Adelaide” and “The
Unwinding Cable Car,” although every track screams quality and
adds to the album’s likeability. The first single off the album, “Godspeed,” was released a
month prior to the album release and sums up a focus of the album with the hook line, “They
lied when they said the good die young.” Point blank, Cities is the best album of 2007 that
I’ve heard and proves that Anberlin is maturing alongside their audience demographic.
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
At a time when most of the music we hear is nothing but overdone, formulaic songwriting created with the intent to exploit and
maximize profit, it is relaxing to know that there are still some
bands out there that, for lack of a better term, “do it for the
music.” Deerhoof is one of those bands. For those who celebrate
creativity and innovation, out-of-the-box songwriting and music as
a pure art form, the San Francisco-based Deerhoof is sure to be a
favorite. Although they’ve lost member Chris Cohen since their
last official album, The Runner’s Four (Cohen decided to work on
The Curtain full time), the threesome have combined their stylistic and artful talents to create their best work to date, Friend
Opportunity. The album, which is best enjoyed by listening
through in its entirety, has its upbeat indie-pop moments, but is
then followed by dronish songs with complementing vocals by
Satomi Matsuzaki. Overall, fans old and new alike are sure to
enjoy Friend Opportunity if, for nothing else, the utter complexities of its unconventional song
structure and its aesthetic of musicality.
Patty Griffin - Children Running Through
Griffin’s latest album propelled her to the #34 spot on the
Billboard Top 200 chart, the highest debut in her long, successful career. Children Running Through is Griffin at her best, shining with poignant lyrics and bittersweet optimism. The album
lacks a uniform tone, instead swinging from jazzy numbers to
powerful ballads to her signature sweet, simple songs. Though
highlights from the album are definitely “No Bad News,”
“Railroad Wings,” and “Up to the Mountain (MLK song),” there
really isn’t a tune that fails to please. With her unique and beautiful voice, Griffin never fails to inspire as she wanders from the
bottom to the top of her range with ease. If you’re looking for an
easygoing album to encourage you through a sad time, cheer you
up on a rainy day or just put a smile on your face and get a lovely
song stuck in your head, look no further than Children Running
Through.
- Melanie Bengtson
by Southwest Festival to “Late Night with
Conan O’Brien” to England’s Glastonbury
and Readings/Leeds festivals.
“[Travel] made me appreciate Nashville
[…] a lot more,” Stein said. “You’ll have a
couple days off here and there to check out
the city, but a lot of times you’re just seeing
the inside of the van, the inside of a venue,
the inside of a hotel, and you don’t really get
that much exposure to the city you go to.”
When asked why Nashville bands like
BYOP and The Pink Spiders have been getting so much mainstream press recently, the
band maintained that the quality of the city’s
rock music is the same as it ever was.
“I guess you could say that ever since the
Kings of Leon, that hole or whatever they
represented […] as far as Nashville is concerned just got bigger and bigger,” Vasquez
said. “Nashville’s always had good music, but
lots of flukes have happened I guess.”
In addition to performing new material at
the Rutledge, BYOP played hits “Bunk Trunk
Skunk,” “We Will Vacation, You Can Be My
Parasol,” and “Wildcat!” They were supported by Bowling Green’s Cage the Elephant
and locals The Hollywood Kills, fronted by
Belmont student Jonathon Jircitano.
When asked for what advice they might
give to music students their age with high
aspirations, the band was speechless at first.
“Start playing music with your friends,”
Stein started. Vasquez interrupted, “Only
because you want to play music.”
“Not because you want to ‘make it,’”
Abegg said. “That’s what worked for us!”
Stein concluded, “Do it for fun and if
PHOTO BY BLAND CLARK
Lead singer Jemina Pearl leads punk act Be Your Own Pet during a Feb. 23 show at The
you’re lucky, something good will come of
Rutledge, a primary example of Nashville’s often overlooked rock scene.
it.”
Page 18
BU to LA for red-carpet service
By Ameshia Cross
STAFF WRITER
For those who got stuck watching the 49th
Annual Grammy Awards from their television sets,
a few Belmont students were up close for early
Grammy action. Eleven Belmont students stepped
along the Grammy red carpet in Los Angeles Feb.
11. Belmont Service Corps members escorted bigname celebrities such as Tony Bennett, Michael
Bublé, Carrie Underwood and many more.
Although the students were not admitted into
the show itself, they toured Hollywood, Beverly
Hills and shopped on Rodeo Drive.
Service Corps members who were not on the
red carpet worked the radio remotes escorting
artists to radio stations from across the country
gathered in large
rooms. These are
tasks assigned to
only the most pro“Part of the
students.
theory is devel- fessional
Service Corps
oping conpress and publicity
chair Nick Novak
tacts.”
said, “To work the
Nick Novak radio remotes, they
Service Corps press had to have worked
and publicity chair one before, and
applications were
taken for the red
carpet.” Since unexpected happenings are not uncommon on the
Grammy red carpet, Service Corps students came
prepared. “There was a two-hour run-through the
PHOTO COURTESY OF BELMONT SERVICE CORPS
day before the show,” Novak said.
Members of Belmont’s Service Corps stand on the red carpet in LA, where they traveled to provide services to music industry particpiWhile the students’ hotel stay in Los Angeles was pants before the Grammy ceremony.
paid for by the Service Corps and the School of Music
Business, the students paid for their own plane tickets
Gospel Music Association week and many more.
and meals.
The music business students studying at Belmont
In their service, members of the corps carry
West in Los Angeles also helped out on the red carpet
out
their
mission in the music industry to the“offer
and with the radio remotes.
our
abilities,
experience, and time to numerous events
“Part of the theory is developing contacts,” Novak
Belmont
University’s
Service
Corps
is
a
volunand
causes
in
an effort to increase our networking
said. Service Corps has a Web site that coordinates
events for its members. “Service Corps is a wellteer organization of students of the Mike Curb
opportunities, improve our learning environment, and
received organization and the Grammy organization
College of Entertainment and Music Business.
develop our leadership and management proficiency.
complemented their performance,” Novak said.
The
students
network
with
professionals
in
the
music
To become a member of Service Corps, stuMember recruitment is an essential part of Service
industry.
Service
Corps
members
receive
hands-on
dents
must
maintain a 2.8 GPA or better and be a stuCorps. “We catch them as freshmen because they
can’t intern until they are juniors,” Novak said. “The
experience and apply the skills they’ve learned at
dent in the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and
organization allows them to get their foot in the door
events such as the CMT Awards, Grammys, Country
Music Business. Dues per semester are $5.
and make those necessary contacts.”
Radio
Seminar,
Academy
of
Country
Music
Awards,
It’s an opportunity, he said, that is “priceless.”
Service Corps mission
to serve while learning
Dance program looks to expand
By Joseph Shelby
STAFF WRITER
With a new theater complex on the way,
Belmont’s dance program has the potential
for a great amount of growth, both artistically and physically. For the past three years,
the university has offered a dance minor to
its students, but the creation of a full-fledged
major is not completely out of the question
as the program looks toward the future.
The department offers four main types of
dance: tap, jazz, ballet and modern. Each
comes with its own unique set of challenges
and difficulties, but this has not slowed the
growth of the program. Indeed, it has fueled
the ambitions of both the students and the
instructors.
“The department has grown from 12 to 35
minors in two and a half years,” said Paul
Gatrell, chair of the department of theater
and dance. Debbie Belue, adjunct professor
of dance, said the department is graduating
four times as many students this year as last.
As evidence of this growth, student
Rachel Ellis, a ballerina, is studying at
Belmont under the Pat Bullard scholarship.
This scholarship is awarded only to a prima
ballerina. Ellis is a full-time performer in the
Nashville Ballet and is majoring in nursing
with a minor in dance.
Each student in the program progresses
through increasingly difficult levels of study
as they work towards a minor. As a result of
this, many of the dancers are now much
stronger than when they began. They are
able to perform more technical dances with a
greater skill level. As the department attracts
more skilled beginners, it is requiring more
hours for students already in the program
who wish to complete a minor.
There is much anticipation and excitement among the program’s students in
regards to this rapid development. When
asked about the minor, students echoed
Belue’s comments about the intensity of
classes and the continuing growth of the
department. Emily Callahorn referred to it as
“exciting” and Stephanie Jones said, “It’s
gonna rock.”
But one big question still remains: will
the department ever be able to offer a dance
major?
The official stance is that the possibility is
being examined. There is great support for
this move coming from the faculty and the
students. One student pointed to the large
amount of time that both students and supporters give to the program outside of the
classroom as defense for expansion. This
level of dedication will be needed as the program continues to grow.
“With the emphasis on performing arts
here at Belmont, this would be a perfect
place for a dance major,” said Belue. She
also commented that the dance department is
currently working with Gatrell to try to make
this a reality.
“Our long term goal is to have a dance
education major and a dance performance
major,” said Gatrell. “It is a strong program
that has a lot of growth potential ahead of it.”
Students will soon be able to enjoy more
practice space as well, another development
that could support a potential dance major.
The new blackbox theater will be accessible
to the department both as a rehearsal space
and a performance venue.
Gatrell also showed appreciation for
Getting There
The third annual dance recital, “Mixed
Bill: Leap of Faith, An Evening of
Dance for the Spirit and Soul,” will
take place in Massey Performing Arts
Center on March 16 and 17 at 7:00
pm. CA convo is available.
Belmont’s efforts to provide more opportunities for dancers.
“The university has been very supportive
of the program. Obviously, with any new
program there are challenges and we are
working collaboratively to overcome them.”
Gatrell also noted the dance department is
looking into a possible partnership with the
Nashville Ballet. When asked how likely
such a move would be, Gatrell replied that
there was a “strong potential” of this happening sometime in the near future. Such collaboration would bode especially well for students interesting in pursuing dance as a
career choice.
Page 19
Tattoos: Passions v.
Perceptions
By Victoria Read
STAFF WRITER
ith the growing popularity of
television shows like Miami
Ink and tattoo-clad rock
bands, the world of tattooing
is pushing into the mainstream. With this push come
more people, especially
young people, getting tattoos.
A 2006 study completed by the American
Academy of Dermatology found that 24 percent
of Americans aged 18-50 have a tattoo. The study
found that 36 percent of Americans aged 18-29
have at least one tattoo.
“There’s something about our generation that
needs to physically articulate our personality,”
said Brittany Booram, a Belmont graduate who
has a Celtic tattoo on her shoulder.
Every generation has a signature expression;
some feel the need to communicate this expression visually through the art of tattooing. Tattoos
are thought by many to be the mark of the emerging generation.
“For younger people it’s a badge to bear for
their generation, whether that is a form of rebellion, being cutting edge or setting them apart
from their parents and grandparents generation”
said Vicky Clayton, an area businesswoman.
Tattoos are not only a tool to distinguish a person from other generations, but a form of individuality, ornamentation and a symbol that identifies
members of a generation.
“Some people get tattoos because they know
there is a social stigma, being part of the alternative culture,” Brittany Doyle, a sophomore studio
art major who works at Icon, a local tattoo and
W
in reality, because you deal with people
and perceptions, sometimes that person
might not get the job, whether that is
right or wrong,” Clayton said.
Clayton explained that visible tattoos
could make it harder to get a job, maybe
not because the potential employer disagrees with tattoos but because of the
risk of clients feeling uncomfortable
with tattoos.
“(My tattoo) perpetuates an aesthetic
stereotype of what people assume I do,”
Booram said.
The stereotypes associated with tattoos can often be negative and such
conceptions make it harder for people
with tattoos to find acceptance.
“I don’t think of my banker, attorney
or minister with a huge tattoo,” Clayton
said.
But, with the growing prevalence of
tattoos, will these perceptions persist?
“It’s not just scuzz bag people getting tattoos any more, it’s kids, so parents have to become more accepting,”
doyle said.
Gaining acceptance with parents is
another struggle of the young and inked,
and as long as disapproval exists with
parents so it will in our culture.
“I’ll never regret my tattoo, but I’ve
felt the disapproval of others. They
might look at me like a rebellious
teenage freak” Booram said.
Despite discrimination and labeling
battles most of the tattooed are proud of
their tattoos and value their nostalgia.
“I put them on my back because I
don’t have to see them every day to
know what they mean to me,” said
Zollie Wilson, a senior entrepreneurship
major with three tattoos.
The personal significance of the idea
behind a tattoo is often what drives
going under the needle.
“The act of permanently putting
something on your body can feel
sacred,” Booram said.
The permanence of tattooing can be
one of the greatest sources of pride for
some people who are tattooed. Tattoos
provide an eternal reminder of whatever
significance that tattoo holds.
“They’re no pair of boots, it’s on
PHOTOS BY SIERRA MITCHELL
your body forever,” Doyle said.
Sophomore art major Brittany Doyle finds that her body is not unlike a
Some people don’t see the draw of a
canvas as a medium to display colorful tattoos.
permanent marker of individuality and
see tattooing as a trend that can be
detrimental in later life.
piercing shop.
Mary Michael, a senior music business major, explained
The social stigma attached to people who are tattooed can
that she felt tempted to get a tattoo but she is not sure if it is
be a source of judgment and even discrimination. This stigsomething she will want in a few years or something she
ma can be a factor in where people decide to get tattoos.
wants to explain to her children in the future.
Only one of Doyle’s seven tattoos is visible because of
“Is it an accessory you want to live with for the rest of
the repercussions of these stereotypes.
your life?” Clayton asked.
“I’m not a billboard,” she said.
Despite the many disputes over tattoos, some feel passionDoyle explained that a consequence of visible tattoos is
ately about the art of tattooing and stand by their tattoo phidiscrimination when trying to get a job. She finds tattoos are
losophy.
less acceptable than people tend to think they are and tattoos
“It’s like a house, you make it yours by decorating it,”
are only totally acceptable in a limited community.
Booram said.
“In an ideal world it’s patently wrong to discriminate but
Page 20
stage
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
The King and I
Circle Players
Feb. 23 - March 10
www.circleplayers.net
William Shakespeare’s Othello
Roxy Regional Theatre
March 2 -17
www.roxyregionaltheatre.org
song
Lovedrug
The Basement
Feb. 28
www.thebasementnashville.com
Mendelssohn’s Third
Nashville Symphony
March 1-3
www.nashvillesymphony.org
Rosanne Cash
Nashville Symphony
March 18
www.nashvillesymphony.org
David Alford’s Ghostlight
(Reading Only)
Tennessee Repertory Theatre
March 3-4
www.tnrep.org
The 25th Annual Putnam County
Spelling Bee
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
March 6-11
www.tpac.org
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Nashville Children’s Theatre
March 6- April 7
www.nct-dragonsite.org
Hanging Mary
People’s Branch Theatre
March 8-17
www.peoplesbranch.org
Lucky Stiff
Boiler Room Theatre
March 16 - April 14
www.boilerroomtheatre.com
the
stuff
Eclipse: Visions of the Crescent and
the Cross
March 3
www.tpac.org
Matisse, Picasso and the School of
Paris
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
Opens March 2
www.fristcenter.org
Hiraki Sawa: Going Places Sitting
Down
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
Opens March 2
www.fristcenter.org
Ashley Cleveland
3rd & Lindsley
March 2
www.3rdandlindsley.com
Carrie Underwood
Grand Ole Opry
March 2
www.opry.com
Badly Drawn Boy
Exit/In
March 13
www.exitin.com
Justin Timberlake
Gaylord Enerainment Center
March 16
Madeleine Payroux
March 4
www.tpac.org
Harry Connick, Jr.
March 13
www.tpac.com
The Shins
Ryman Auditorium
March 9
www.ryman.com
The Features
Mercy Lounge
March 10
www.mercylounge.com
www.gaylordentertainmentcenter.com
Me Without You
Rcktwn
March 18
www.rcktwn.com
screen
Island Empire
Belcourt Theatre
March 2-8
www.belcourt.org
Two or Three Things I Know about
Her
Belcourt Theatre
March 11-15
www.belcourt.org
Venus
Regal Green Hills 16
Currently Playing
www.fandango.com
Factory Girl
Regal Hollywood 27
Currently Playing
www.fandango.com
mar. 2
Wild Hogs (Tim Allen)
Zodiac (Jake Gyllenhaal)
Blake Snake Moan (Christina Ricci)
Home of the Brave (50 Cent)
Full of It (Ryan Pinkston)
mar. 9
300(Gerard Butler)
The Ex (Zach Braff, Amanda Peet)
The Namesake (Kal Penn)
10. Girl Talk/Night Ripper
11. Peter Bjorn & John/Writer’s Block
12. Norah Jones/Not Too Late
1. Lucinda Williams/West
13. Field Music/Tones of Town
2. The Shins/Wincing the Night Away
14. Apples in Stereo/New Magnetic
3. Patty Griffin/Children Running Through
Wonder
4. Oh Montreal/Hissing Fauna...
15. Menomena/Friend & Foe
5. Infamous Stringdusters/Fork in the Road 16. Deerhoof/Friend Opportunity
6. Cat Power/The Greatest
17. Beirut/Lon Gisland
7. Midlake/The Trials of Van Occupanther 18. Sondra Lerche/Phantom Punch
8. Josh Rouse/She’s Spanish...
19. Vietnam/Vietnam
9. The Good, The Bad & The Queen/
20. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah/Some
The Good, The Bad & the Queen
Loud Thunder
grimey’s top 20
album drops...
mar. 20
mar. 6
Arcade Fire/Neon Bible (Merge)
Lovedrug/Everything Starts Where It Ends (Militia Group)
Relient K/Five Score and Seven Years Ago (Capitol)
Bright Eyes/Four Winds (Saddle Creek)
Air/Pocket Symphony (Astralwerks)
Joss Stone/Introducing Joss Stone (Virgin)
Elliott Yamin/Elliott Yamin (Hickory)
Tracey Thorn/Out of the Woods (Astralwerks)
Marques Houston/Veteran (Umvd Labels)
Jesse Malin/Glitter in the Gutter (Adeline)
Andrew Bird/Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum)
Modest Mouse/We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Sony)

2/28/2007 - Belmont Vision

Transcription

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