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By Donna Bick Staff Writer Martha Patterson, Ph.D. is an English professor at McKendree University and has been teaching on campus since 2004. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.; her Master of Arts degree in literary studies and her Ph.D. in English from the University of Iowa. Her teaching and research interests include American late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century studies, women’s studies and African American literature and culture. Along with her impressive teaching credentials, Dr. Patterson is a talented, skillful author. She has penned a monograph titled, Beyond the Gibson Girl: Reimagining the American New Woman. Her monograph was a revision of her dissertation, a requirement for the Ph.D. It is showcased in the...

By Ashly Schmitt Contributing Writer The problems in Ferguson, Mo. have yet to die down since the Michael Brown incident took place on Aug. 9, 2014.  The news has been filled with endless stories of riots and disturbances that have dispersed attention throughout the United States.  The shooting has been such a popular topic since then, to the point where you have to live under a rock not to hear about it.  Everybody has their different opinions about how the Ferguson Police Department handled the situation; the officer, Darren Wilson, stated it was self-defense against a criminal.  Throughout the months there has been protesters setting fires and protests in other major cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston and more.  Of course most of us saw these protests on the new...

By Lauren Apetz Contributing Writer A piano has 88 keys. You could play these keys in chopsticks style, or you could learn how to master the art of playing the piano. Dr. Joseph Welch could get you there. Dr. Welch has been an adjunct faculty member for two years at McKendree, but his experience as a pianist has gone on much longer than that. Dr. Welch has more than 15 years under his belt. His piano career began with conducting his stuffed animal orchestra in elementary school. Welch would putz around on the keyboard for a while before his parents finally got him professional training. As soon as he began playing, he knew he wanted to be a pianist. He has dabbled with other instruments, but he says, laughing at himself, “You don’t want me to play those.” Listening to Dr. Welch play ...

By Spencer Sweetin Contributing Writer Every foundation has a base - something that holds it in place so it does not give way. To the McKendree men’s and women’s volleyball teams, that base is Ben Duckworth. Assistant coach to Nickie Sanlin, Duckworth brings a sizeable amount of volleyball knowledge to the program from coaching the St. Louis High Performance Volleyball Club since 2006. The expertise that he brought has strengthened me and my teammate’s talents greatly. Duckworth started playing volleyball at the age of 15 at the suggestion of a senior varsity men’s volleyball team player at Oakville Senior High School. He told him to play on a club team so he could start playing at a more competitive level. Little did that senior know that Ben would go on to be player of the year in M...

  By Eric Abrolat Contributing Writer The road to a student’s future career may have a few curves or bends, but it tends to straighten out, allowing him or her to move forward with one goal in mind. However, for Devon VanNote, a sophomore at McKendree University, his road continues to fork off into two directions – a musical direction and an academic direction. VanNote is an avid gamer, a passionate guitarist and a dedicated computer science undergrad. There is not a moment of his week that isn’t filled with homework, gaming or playing in his band. When thinking about his future, he still doesn’t know what he will end up doing. VanNote’s interest in computer science originally stemmed from his love for video games. Not a day goes by where he doesn’t read about or play a videogam...

By Malie Mills Contributing Writer Compared to searching for your undergraduate degree school of choice, venturing into the world of graduate school for terminal degrees is an entirely different beast. All of your worries of reference letters, your resume, transcripts and application fees are relived when applying for graduate school. On top of all of that, music majors like myself have to prepare not only several selections of solo literature but also orchestral excerpts, etudes, scales and even prepare for sight reading pieces. Everything intimidating about auditioning - being in that very vulnerable spotlight - is brought back more intensely than ever before, and interviewing for those few studio spots is nerve-racking. Personally, however, I have found the journey of searching for th...

By Kendra Brackman Contributing Writer Believe it or not, March is already here and halfway over!  With the conclusion of spring break, there are only seven weeks of classes left.  With the nice weather, it’s difficult to concentrate.  If time permits, take a study break and enjoy the outdoors.  You can even take your study session outside!  During the week, you can usually catch a baseball or softball game.  Lacrosse is also in season right now.  If sports are not your thing, maybe try taking a walk or riding a bike around Lebanon.  One of my favorite spring time activities is getting ice cream from Dairy Queen on McKendree Monday or Thursday and sitting outside to enjoy it.  Keep in mind that the quad is always open for whatever activities you and your friends would like to engage in. ...

By Mileena Tomasek Contributing Writer Do you ever have so much going on that you’re too overwhelmed to do it all productively? Some people cannot handle the clutter of multiple activities and events, but Christin Austin actually enjoys taking on many tasks at once. Set to graduate in December of 2015, Christin not only has a lot going on in her life, but a lot going for her. Here at McKendree University, Christin is involved with nearly every department in some way. She has been a member of the volleyball team, the debate team, the speech team, Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, the Student Panel and multiple honor societies. However, the list does not stop there, Christin is also a Student Ambassador, secretary of the Student Government Organization, an Emerging/Advanced Leader and made it...

By Jennifer Blumberg Contributing Writer Have you ever thought of what would happen to our world if we ever turned our backs on everyone? The beginning of the Divergent is just what you would imagine: a city that has been torn apart by a war, and one that left the city in distress. In the world of Divergent, the human population’s sense of control is different than our own. However, how the control is kept depends on which faction is in control. Factions are societal divisions that classify citizens based on their aptitudes and values. The city is divided into five factions: Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Amity and Candor. Abnegations are those who are selfless; they put others needs before their own. Erudites are the intelligent ones; they proclaim to be the knowledgeable ones. Daun...

By Natalie Van Booven Staff Writer For many people, the words “women” and “wrestling” go together like chicken and waffles. The very combination is mind-bending and, to say the least, odd—and the statistics bear this perception out. Nationwide, in 2012, only about three percent of wrestlers at the high school level are female. According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, only five states (Calif., Hawaii, Mass., Texas and Wash.) sponsor a girl’s state high school championship. At the collegiate level, however, the state of women’s wrestling is slightly different. 24 colleges and universities in Canada and the U. S. offer varsity wrestling programs. One of the schools on that list, compiled by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, is none other than McKendree University. To...