THE SCROLL THE SCROLL THE SCROLL the StUDeNt NeWSPAPeR OF BethANy LUtheRAN COLLege • MANkAtO, MiNNeSOtA FREE May 1, 2012 By Dave Balza Special to the Scroll T he men’s basketball team gathered with family, friends and fans at Char- ley’s Restaurant on Sunday, March 25 for the program’s annual Senior Recognition and Awards Banquet. At the banquet, Coach Dave Balza announced the naming of two of the team’s awards after Bethany’s legendary coaches, Ron Younge and Art Westphal. Gavin Kroehler, a junior forward, received the team’s top honor, receiving the Coach’s TEAM Award, recognizing the student- athlete who best exemplifies what it means to be a Beth- any Viking. Junior co-captain Pat Garvin won the Leader- ship Award. Fellow junior co-captain Derek Peterson was named the Ron Younge Defensive MVP while junior Alex Weldon was recog- nized as the inaugural Art Westphal Offensive MVP. Other award winners included: Academic Achievement Award – (JR) Derek Peterson, Charge Leader Award - (JR) Gavin Kroehler, Leading Rebounder Award – (JR) Pat Garvin, Free Throw Award – (JR) Garrett Benson, Heart & Hustle Award – (JR) Deon Wright, Most Improved – (SR) Josh Allen. In addition to the team’s awards, conference award winners were presented with plaques recognizing their accomplishments. Gavin Kroehler was the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference’s Co-MVP. He and fellow junior Derek Peterson were both named 1st Team All-Conference and made the All-Defensive Team. Alex Weldon earned 2nd Team All-Conference honors while Pat Garvin made Honorable Mention All-Conference and was recognized on the UMAC’s first-ever Sportsmanship Team. Senior speeches were made by seniors Josh Allen, Dionte Foster and Assistant Coach Aaron Mantey. The banquet concluded with the first viewing of the team’s highlight videos and the presentation of the 2011- 12 UMAC Regular Season Championship trophy to the team. The Vikings finished the season 16-11 overall, 13-1 in the league in route to winning the conference championship, the first such championship in any sport in school history. Additionally, BLC advanced to and hosted the finals of the UMAC Conference championship game for the first time. By Logan Wendt Scroll Staff Writer T he greatest influence faculty, administration, and staff members of Beth- any have on the college is undoubtedly their impact on its students. Their endeav- ors act as guides, instruc- tions and models in order to create the ultimate learning experience for students. At the same time, they work to promote and augment personal growth and devel- opment of knowledge and well as the moral self. It is without a doubt that the devotion and labors of these faculty members are a cornerstone of the development the college’s students. In response to this, the need has been recognized to allow these persons to be given an opportunity to do the same for themselves. This opportunity comes in the form of a sabbatical leave of absence. Every full-time faculty member at Bethany is eligible for a paid sabbatical leave once ever y seven years. During the course of the leave, which can last from one semester to one whole year, the faculty member is free from teaching classes as well as many of their other regular duties. They are then able to pursue some form of academic or scholarly endeavor. However, receiving approval for the leave is far from simplistic. Faculty interested must write a formal proposal outlining their intentions and plans for the use of their potential sabbatical. This proposal is then submitted to a faculty development committee, which recommends candidates to the dean of academic affairs, Dr. Eric Woller, who in turn makes recommendations to the college president, Dr. Dan Bruss. These submissions must have scholastic merit and those which stand to benefit both the faculty member as well as the college and its students are selected. “The goal of a sabbatical is to give the faculty member an opportunity to do something scholarly,” explained Woller, “whether it’s research or maybe going somewhere on a research venture.” This year, three professors were approved for sabbatical for the upcoming academic year. They are Chad Heins, Andrew Overn and Jennifer Wosmek. Overn’s plans for utilizing his second sabbatical leave during his 18 years at Bethany include the potential for a new body of works and subsequent exhibition, a new book and potentially several other new things that, he says, “I can’t tell anyone because they’re super secret.” He is also very grateful for the opportunity to be creative without the burdens Sabbaticals provide opportunity to learn Men’s basketball hosts post-season banquet Fick starts business to help students Photo by Anna Wright Next fall, three professors may not be seen as often around Bethany’s campus. From left: Chad Heins, Dr. Jennifer Wosmek and Andy Overn, will be going on sabbatical this upcoming academic year. Submitted Photo The basketball season concluded with the end of the season banquet, which took place at Charley’s Restaurant. From left: Junior co-captains Patrick Garvin and Derek Peterson along with Gavin Kroehler, Alex Weldon, Garrett Benson, Deon Wright, and Joshua Allen received awards. See page 2, SABBATICAL By Brittany Titus Scroll Staff Writer J ob hunting is not easy these days. Precious time is lost searching for the perfect job and finding one doesn’t come easy. Luckily, there’s a new business in town that will help college students in need of some extra cash. Sophomore Zachary Fick is determined to change that. He has created his own business, College Labor Force, to help other students in need of a job. Whether it’s babysitting, lawn mowing or shoveling snow, this business will give students an opportunity to have a job throughout the school year or even during the summer. Even small jobs such as See page 2, BUSINESS
Transcript
The ScrollThe ScrollThe Scrollt h e S t U D e N t N e W S PA P e R O F B e t h A N y L U t h e R A N C O L L e g e • M A N k A t O, M i N N e S O t A
FREE May 1, 2012
By Dave BalzaSpecial to the Scroll
The men’s basketball team gathered with family,
friends and fans at Char-ley’s Restaurant on Sunday, March 25 for the program’s annual Senior Recognition and Awards Banquet.
At the banquet, Coach Dave Balza announced the naming of two of the team’s awards after Bethany’s legendary coaches, Ron Younge and Art Westphal.
Gavin Kroehler, a junior forward, received the team’s top honor, receiving the Coach’s TEAM Award, recognizing the student-athlete who best exemplifies what it means to be a Beth-any Viking.
Junior co-captain Pat Garvin won the Leader-ship Award. Fellow junior co-captain Derek Peterson was named the Ron Younge Defensive MVP while junior Alex Weldon was recog-nized as the inaugural Art Westphal Offensive MVP.
Other award winners included: Academic Achievement Award – (JR) Derek Peterson, Charge Leader Award - (JR) Gavin Kroehler, Leading Rebounder Award – (JR) Pat Garvin, Free Throw Award – (JR) Garrett Benson, Heart & Hustle Award – (JR) Deon Wright, Most Improved – (SR) Josh Allen.
In addition to the team’s awards, conference award winners were presented with plaques recognizing their accomplishments. Gavin Kroehler was the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference’s Co-MVP. He and fellow junior Derek Peterson were both named 1st Team All-Conference and made the All-Defensive Team. Alex Weldon earned
2nd Team All-Conference honors while Pat Garvin made Honorable Mention All-Conference and was recognized on the UMAC’s first-ever Sportsmanship Team.
Senior speeches were made by seniors Josh Allen, Dionte Foster and Assistant Coach Aaron Mantey. The banquet concluded with the first viewing of the team’s highlight videos and the presentation of the 2011-12 UMAC Regular Season Championship trophy to the team.
The Vikings finished the season 16-11 overall, 13-1 in the league in route to winning the conference championship, the first such championship in any sport in school history. Additionally, BLC advanced to and hosted the finals of the UMAC Conference championship game for the first time.
By Logan WendtScroll Staff Writer
The greatest influence faculty, administration,
and staff members of Beth-any have on the college is undoubtedly their impact on its students. Their endeav-ors act as guides, instruc-tions and models in order to create the ultimate learning experience for students. At the same time, they work to promote and augment personal growth and devel-opment of knowledge and well as the moral self.
It is without a doubt that the devotion and labors of these faculty members are a cornerstone of the development the college’s students. In response to this, the need has been recognized to allow these persons to be given an opportunity to do the same for themselves. This opportunity comes in the form of a sabbatical leave of absence.
Every full-time faculty member at Bethany is eligible for a paid sabbatical
leave once every seven years. During the course of the leave, which can last from one semester to one whole year, the faculty member is free from teaching classes as well as many of their other regular duties. They are then able to pursue some form
of academic or scholarly endeavor.
However, receiving approval for the leave is far from simplistic. Faculty interested must write a formal proposal outlining their intentions and plans for the use of their potential
sabbatical. This proposal is then submitted to a faculty development committee, which recommends candidates to the dean of academic affairs, Dr. Eric Woller, who in turn makes recommendations to the college president, Dr. Dan
Bruss. These submissions must have scholastic merit and those which stand to benefit both the faculty member as well as the college and its students are selected.
“The goal of a sabbatical is to give the faculty member an opportunity to do something scholarly,” explained Woller, “whether it’s research or maybe going somewhere on a research venture.”
This year, three professors were approved for sabbatical for the upcoming academic year. They are Chad Heins, Andrew Overn and Jennifer Wosmek.
Overn’s plans for utilizing his second sabbatical leave during his 18 years at Bethany include the potential for a new body of works and subsequent exhibition, a new book and potentially several other new things that, he says, “I can’t tell anyone because they’re super secret.”
He is also very grateful for the opportunity to be creative without the burdens
Sabbaticals provide opportunity to learn
Men’s basketball hosts post-season banquet Fick starts business to help students
Photo by Anna Wright
Next fall, three professors may not be seen as often around Bethany’s campus. From left: Chad Heins, Dr. Jennifer Wosmek and Andy Overn, will be going on sabbatical this upcoming academic year.
Submitted Photo
The basketball season concluded with the end of the season banquet, which took place at Charley’s Restaurant. From left: Junior co-captains Patrick Garvin and Derek Peterson along with Gavin Kroehler, Alex Weldon, Garrett Benson, Deon Wright, and Joshua Allen received awards.
See page 2, SABBATICAL
By Brittany TitusScroll Staff Writer
Job hunting is not easy these days. Precious time
is lost searching for the perfect job and finding one doesn’t come easy. Luckily, there’s a new business in town that will help college students in need of some extra cash.
Sophomore Zachary Fick is determined to change that. He has created his own business, College Labor Force, to help other students in need of a job.
Whether it’s babysitting, lawn mowing or shoveling snow, this business will give students an opportunity to have a job throughout the school year or even during the summer.
Even small jobs such as
See page 2, BUSINESS
2 THE SCROLLMay 1, 2012
these can help any college student pay off their tuition or a loan.
The business started last summer, and interest grew especially in March of this year once a website was developed showcasing what College Labor Force was all about.
“I did whatever job some-one would hire me for at whatever cost. I then thought that this was a great way to help others like me who were looking for a job. It’s based on one person helping another,” said Fick.
The business will know take off for Fick will receive a $5000 grant from Mankato Area Growth. Now the website can be fully devel-oped and ready for students to send in their contact infor-mation in order to apply for a job.
Businesses will contact the website, asking for students to do any job that is needed at any cost they want to pay.
“Setting up a business...this is something I want to do with my life. This is a learning process for me too. It’s a great way for someone to make a quick buck or
[find] a part-time job,” said Fick.
So far 11 students have contacted the business in hopes of getting a job. They are mostly from the Mankato area, but also from Sioux Falls, SD, where Fick is from.
“I can’t wait to expand and not only have close friends and family interested. I want this business to be success-ful,” said Fick.
of changing standards. As a graphic design, web development and illustration professional, mastering the ever-changing technology involved leaves little time for independent creative development.
“I’ve only had one other sabbatical,” said Overn, “and one thing I learned is that there’s more to learn than anyone in the world has time for. What a sabbatical provides is the temporary freedom to pursue things that you’ve always been interested in but never had
the time to look into.”At Bethany since 2005
and eligible for the first time for sabbatical this year, Wosmek’s plan includes writing, particularly multiple research ventures. She stated that her researching to date has been almost exclusively quantitative, measuring happenings within childcare facilities. Her primary interest over the course of her leave will be a qualitative study, interviewing both caregivers and children themselves
“My other branch would be to deepen the relationship that Bethany has with United
International College in China,” said Wosmek. BLC is part of the Minnesota Private College Council, which, along with other liberal arts colleges, is working with institutions in China to develop their own liberal arts curricula following the country’s cultural revolution.
“The third part of my program is personal development,” she continued. “I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family and just getting a fresh perspective. It (will) be nice to sit back and revamp my courses and to really think through and to be more
intentional about what I am doing in a classroom.”
Sabbatical is an opportunity to allow the professors of Bethany to broaden themselves and to help them to develop their abilities, both within the classroom and without. The purpose of these absences is not as a mere vacation, but for them to improve themselves. By doing so, they improve their ability to positively affect students and ultimately the college itself.
The Scroll The STUDeNT NeWSPAPeR OF
BeThANy LUTheRAN COLLegeMANkATO, MiNNeSOTA
Kalie StaplesContent Editor
Allison HomanPhotography Editor
Ben ButzowLayout Editor
Ethan SchulzCopy Editor
Staff Writers:Shawn Loging, Bridget
McDowell, Alex Nelson, Ethan Schulz, Kalie Staples, Brittany
SABBATICAL: Educators to undertake paid leave-of-absenceContinued from page 1
By Logan WendtScroll Staff Writer
In response to the current trend among area
colleges, Student Senate decided to initiate the recent, campus-wide survey regarding the policy toward smoking and other tobacco use. According to the dean of students, Ted Manthe, “Senate thought that it was a good time to at least review the student opinion [toward campus’ tobacco policy].”
Area schools already making changes to their tobacco policies include South Central College, which has been smoke-free for nearly a year, and Minnesota State, Mankato,
which only recently made the policy switch. Also, all private schools in the entire state of Iowa are now legally obligated to be smoke-free.
According to official records by the Senate, about 300 faculty and students responded to the survey, with approximately 70 percent of those being non-users of any tobacco products. Of the 300, about 65 percent strongly agree that secondhand exposure does indeed pose a significant health risk. However, no significant percentages are either strongly concerned or strongly unconcerned regarding their level of exposure to secondhand
smoke on campus. Overall, 57 percent of respondents would support Bethany becoming an entirely smoke-free campus, while about 31 percent oppose the potential policy change.
It is yet unknown whether any policy changes will actually take place, either in this coming year or in the near future. The purpose of the recent survey was to gauge the feel of the entire campus toward the issue, as well as to reflect Bethany’s desire and ability to amicably accommodate its students and faculty while remaining competitive with other area schools.
Student voices heard in smoking survey
Photo by Melissa Richie
Many colleges are making the change to become smoke free. Student Senate surveyed students to decide if BLC’s smoking policy should be changed to follow this trend.
BUSINESS: Making jobs for students by studentsContinued from page 1
“This was a great way to help others like me who were look-ing for a job. It’s based on one person helping another.”
Sophomore Zachary Fick
Do you enjoy writing or designing?Join the Scroll staff!
Joe RingenSenior“I am going home and trying to find a job.”
Brittany SchreaderSenior“Moving to the cities for a job.”
Tina AlbinSenior“Taking my GRE, graduate school, working and tring to get back to Italy.”
Andrew SouleSenior“I am living in Mankato for the summer and beginning the seminary in the fall.”
Phil KaminskySenior“Staying in Mankato and working odd jobs until October, then going to Georgia for Army training.”
Charles Wahl
Hometown:Big Lake, MinnesotaMajor:Undecided (Thinking about Graphic Arts)What is your favorite movie?Evil DeedIf you could meet anyone, who would it be and why?Bruce Lee. He is one of my favorite movie actors and is confirmed to have beaten Chuck Norris.Describe yourself in three words.Creative, random and tired.What are three goals on your life’s to-do list?Get married and settle down, make a video game, and write a comic.
Melissa OwenHometown:Waco, Nebraska
Major:ChemistryWhat is your favorite band/music?
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?
A sloth, because who doesn’t like a sloth?
What is your biggest pet peeve?
People who put their hands into their mouth.
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
To be super-fast, because that is the most practical, being able to quickly get away
from people, or do laundry in two minutes.
Freshmen Files
By Bridget McDowellScroll Staff Writer
College isn’t for everyone and some people think
it’s not for them if they are unsure of what they want to do for a living. But if they give it a shot anyway, they may find it’s exactly where they should be.
Ben Lundsten is one who thought college wasn’t for him and spent three years working odd jobs after grad-uating high school in 2004. He worked in fast food and construction among other things before ending up at a plastics company.
“I didn’t know what I was getting into when I walked into that place for the inter-view,” he said. “A friend set it up for me so I didn’t even know what exactly they made. I walked in the door and found myself in a hallway lined with plastic body parts. I found out they assembled plastic models for media arts, medical training, things like that.”
Lundsten worked there for over a year, first molding the artificial skin, then shipping orders and later in the ware-house driving a forklift.
“I worked 14 hour days driving a forklift around the warehouse. I was having too
much fun to notice the long hours.”
A friend who was attend-ing Bethany spent those three years trying to convince Lundsten to apply. Finally after a year in the warehouse Lundsten decided to give it a try.
“It was a sudden decision. About two months before classes started I decided that I wanted to get away from home and decided to go to school. Bethany is far enough from Watertown, Wisconsin, that I’m on my own, but not so far that I can’t go home occasionally.”
Lundsten has been an active member of the Beth-any community during his four-year career. He played soccer for three years, served one year on Student Senate and held work-study
jobs giving admissions tours and doing summer groundskeeping.
A media arts major, Lund-sten is working on starting his own photography busi-ness and plans to do some video work as well. Thanks to his Bethany experience, Lundsten is no stranger to video production.
“I’ve also done a lot of work in the studio on the film production side. I’ve actually spent quite a few all-nighters in the studio work-ing on projects,” he said.
Some of his studio work brought back memories from the plastics company.
“We actually have some plastic body parts in the studio that were made by that company,” said Lund-sten. “It was cool to recog-nize that brand and know
what went into making the products.”
One of Lundsten’s favorite Bethany memories shows his continuous creative thinking:
“Last winter a bunch of us stayed up until 3 a.m. making ‘Calvin & Hobbes’ inspired snowmen.”
Other favorite memo-ries include the President’s Weekend trips to the Bound-ary Waters and road trips with the soccer team.
“All of our road trips were a blast, but spring break in Italy was the best,” Lund-sten said. “And getting engaged to Haley [Krato-vil] in Rome was probably the highlight of the last four years. Getting married in the chapel last summer was another highlight.”
Lundsten’s only regret about his college career, especially in light of the time he enjoyed spending in Italy, is not taking part in study abroad.
“I would tell every college student that if you have any speck of a desire to do study abroad, do it. You’ll probably never get an opportunity like that after graduation. I would give an arm to spend a semester in another country.”
Senior Spotlight: Ben Lundsten
Photo by Alison Homan
4 THE SCROLLMay 1, 2012
By Alex NelsonScroll Staff Writer
Sporadic rain showers create raging waterfalls
in the gutters of Old Main, as thunder claps its approval in the distance. Tiny buds have begun to flower on the multitude of trees scat-tered across campus. “The Green” is actually green. It is safe to say that spring has officially sprung at Bethany Lutheran College. This drastic shift from the frigid temperatures of winter brings a few pressing ques-tions along with it: “How far away are finals?” “Does this mean I have to clean?” and last, but not least, “When is spring formal?”
This year, the event will take place on Friday, May 4, when plenty of well-dressed individuals will be seen prepping for the entertain-ing evening that awaits. Following the trend of previ-ous years, the festivities will begin with a catered dinner,
followed by a night full of non-stop dancing, as well as a number of prize giveaways.
“It’s a good chance to take a break from study-ing and it’s the last chance for students to get together before the end of the year. It’s also nice to get students, staff and faculty together in one building,” said Renee Tatge, who is just finishing up her first year as the coor-dinator of Student Activities and Intramurals.
“It’s an end of the year wrap-up, where different people can enjoy different things, so it’s fun for every-one,” said senior Courtney Nelson.
Even though most Beth-any students seem to appre-ciate the event, it can be hard to grasp how much time and effort is put into creating a comfortable and engaging atmosphere for the night.
“We have to pick the menu and the decorations; we have
to design all of the programs and invitations. The biggest thing is getting donations to try to get money for prizes. We are in charge of every-thing and have to spend all day setting up,” said sopho-more Rebecca Neumann, who is working together with sophomore Marta Faugstad to make sure that the list of preparations is finished in time.
The dynamic planning
duo has decided to add a new activity to the fold this year, but it will remain a secret until that night. This amusing activity is a simple alteration compared to the changes that could be in store for next year’s spring formal. For years, the event has been held at the Verizon Wireless Center, but there could be a venue switch as soon as next year.
“The Kato Ballroom is the
next venue that we are look-ing at. You can get decora-tions, as well as catering there, whereas you cannot at the Verizon Wireless Center,” said Neumann.
Another flexible option that the Kato Ballroom offers is that the event could be moved to a Saturday night. This would grant several of BLC’s athletes competing in year-end tour-naments the opportunity to participate.
It is clear to see that the Bethany Activities Commit-tee have been hard at work to make this year’s version of the event a fun and enjoyable time for all involved. Just as they are every year, students will be presented with the chance to take a deep breath before diving into the inten-sity of finals, as well as make memories with their friends before the days of summer arrive.
Spring Formal: Last hurrah of the semester
File photo
The last day of classes brings a weekend of studying for finals, but before hitting the books, students can head to the Verizon Wireless Center for an evening of dinner and dancing.
By Bridget McDowellScroll Staff Writer
Sunshine, sunflower seeds and softball: These three
things dominate many a spring afternoon on the ball fields at Bethany.
After a weekend of rain cancellations, Vikings soft-ball finished the home season with a double header on a beautiful Monday after-noon. Their sweep of the series against Crown made the day look even brighter.
The Vikings won the first game with a score of 9-1. Emily Rauchman not only pitched the full game, but also hit three home runs for six RBIs in three at-bats.
Ashley Jensen had a home run and three RBIs to add to the score.
In game two, senior Amanda Edmison pitched the last home game of her college career. In her five-innings, the Storm were able to get a few hits, but no runs, allowing the Vikings to shut them out 8-0. Again, Rauch-man and Jensen were major contributors at the plate.
Edmison said of her last game, “It was so sad, but full of fantastic memories. Step-ping on that mound for the last time was really hard, but I finished up on my home field with a hit and a win on
the mound, and I couldn’t have been more thankful for such a strong end. My team has helped me to be success-ful on that mound, and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
Rauchman summed up the season so far:
“It’s been a great season. I have enjoyed getting to know the new freshmen. They’ve been a great addi-tion to the team. We have struggled a bit this season, but hopefully we can keep up the good work and make it to the tournament again.”
Despite struggling for consistency between the offense and defense and losing several starters for multiple games due to injury, head coach Renee Tatge is optimistic of her team’s post-season chances. UMAC teams must finish among
the top four spots during the regular season for a chance to play in the tournament.
“One of our main goals this season was to qualify for the conference tournament for the second time,” she said. “We have the opportu-nity yet to finish in the top four depending on how the next games go and it’s excit-ing this year because all the teams are fairly close in record.”
Sophomore outfielder Gena Chester spoke on their expectations: “Currently we’re fifth in the conference and that’s two spots behind where we finished last year, so our expectations haven’t quite been met yet, but we have a lot of season left and there’s still a chance we’ll make it to the conference tournament.”
“We all want it and we are fighting for it,” said Rauch-man. Hopefully we can finish off this season strong.”
No matter their finishing record, the team can mark their chemistry as a win in their books.
Chester said, “I think the best games we’ve played this season were the Presenta-tion double header in South Dakota. It was the first time the girls really clicked as a team and, even though driv-ing six hours on a bus to get there was a little less than desirable, we really had a lot of fun.”
“Having new coaches has created a huge adjustment for the upperclassmen. It has taken the team awhile to connect like in previous years, but we are getting there,” Edmison said, hope-ful of their chances. “This is our time to peak, and we have been doing well. We have extremely important games this weekend, and we could pull off making the conference tournament for the second time in school history, two years in a row.”
Should the Vikings finish the season with a fourth place ranking or better, they will head to the UMAC championship games in Duluth on May 4 and 5.
Softball looks to finish season strong
Photo by Cassie Wierschke
Bethany overpowered Northwestern on April 20, winning 8-0. Amanda Edmison singled to center field and two hit RBI’s.
N e e dS t ress
R e l ie f ?Come visit the therapy dogs!Friday, May 4
By popular demand, the Therapy Dogs that
visited our campus during Stress Busters Day in December are
coming back for our last day of classes. They will
gather on the Green, weather permitting, and
welcome anyone and everyone to stop by and
stay awhile.
THE SCROLL 5May 1, 2012
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE RED SEA:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” – Colossians 3:23
On behalf of the men’s basketball team, I would like to thank our outstanding student body for their tremendous support this past season. It meant an awful lot to our team to see all of you out at the games. You were a big part of the team’s success and we wanted to make sure you know how much we appreciated your efforts. I’m not sure what was more impressive – the size of the student section, the painted faces and bodies, the fact that many of you made road trips, or the tremendous support you showed at the final game this year when you formed the tunnel after the game for our team to walk through. Through it all you showed a lot of class.
“The Red Sea” quickly became the best student section in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference this year. On an even bigger scale, you have become an icon on our campus. The student newspaper has done articles on you and the yearbook is doing a special feature on you. It is my belief that this group will be here for many years to come, and future students will have a lot to live up to, as you have built a great foundation for how to be the sixth man!
I would like to thank Ben Petzl, who took on the project in my coaching theories course this fall of jump start-ing a student section and making it an official club. I recall being at the first meeting of the Red Sea with all of six students there. My how far you’ve come! You’ve had some good leadership from Ben, Collin Kubista, Alyssa Wiechmann, Alan Everett, Scott Fassett and Eric DeBruzzi, just to name a few, but it was how all of you came together as the year went on that impressed us the most, and many of you will be here for years to come! You did some wonderful things this year and I can’t wait to see what is in store next season.
Finally, one of my favorite things to say to our team is, “This is Bethany.” To me that means that we hold ourselves to a high standard here and always expect our best effort and best behavior. We approach it this way not to glorify ourselves, but rather in reverence for our Lord. There is a sign that hangs on the doors to the North Gym. It is from Philippians 1:27 and reads, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” With that in mind, I was very impressed with how well you represented yourselves, our institution and our Lord. You cheered loud. You were creative and funny, yet respectful. Thank you for that, and thank you for your support this season!
In Christ, Coach Dave Balza Head Men’s Basketball Coach
6 THE SCROLLMay 1, 2012
By Brittany TitusScroll Staff Writer
In Minnesota alone, there were 27,600 new cases
of cancer in the U.S. last year. Researchers are still trying to beat this disease, but no luck. Organizations like Relay for Life are one of many who fundraise to help find a cure and help those who are affected by caner.
According to relayforlife.org, the organization was started “In the mid-1980s, [by] Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Washington state colorec-tal surgeon, [who] wanted to enhance the income of his local American Cancer Society office and to show support for all of his patients who had battled cancer. He decided to personally raise money for the fight by doing something he enjoyed – running marathons.”
The first event raised $33,000 and the number has been increasing ever since.
On April 18, Bethany hosted a Relay for Life event by sponsoring several events throughout the night includ-ing: tug of war, Mr. Relay, and contests such as wing eating, hula hooping and limbo.
There were many students who created teams to raise money and to participate in the events.
One specific event, the Luminaria Ceremony, was a walkway with numerous
candles lit up inside a bag filled with sand. The bags had the names of someone who has been touched by cancer.
Senior Sara Krueger became a captain for Ander-son Hall after wanting to get more students involved in the event.
“I got involved with Relay three years ago because my grandfather passed away because of cancer and I wanted to get involved,” said Krueger.
“I’ve had family and friends affected by cancer before so I wanted to try this [event],” said junior Chelsea Ehinger.
“I like the Survivor Walk because I like seeing all the people able to walk who beat cancer,” said admissions counselor Estelle Vlieger.
The Survivor Walk is an opportunity for people to walk or run on a circular track in victory of beating cancer.
This event was considered very successful, having a great attendance throughout the night. The goal of the evening varied from person to person.
“This event gives students involved [in] something bigger than themselves. It can be personal for them, so it’s great to have it if someone has a close family member or friend that has cancer,” said Vlieger.
Students active at Relay for Life
Photo by Melissa Richie
One of the visual displays of support was the luminary walk. Partici-pants were encouraged to decorate a luminary in honor of someone they know who was or is currently battling cancer.
Heritage Society supports students with donationsBy Shawn Loging Scroll Staff Writer
Many Bethany students know the benefits
of gracious donors to the school and Bethany has taken the time to honor their donors, specifically those of the Heritage Society, in a proper way with the Spring Heritage Society.
The Heritage Society is the way Bethany Lutheran College honors those that have donated and supported the college over the years.
Members include those that have donated amounts exceeding $15,000, named Bethany as one of the beneficiaries in their will or through a donation from life insurance. The donors, many of which are Bethany alumni, provide Bethany with a gift that goes to help the college and those that attend it.
Director of Development Christopher Kind said, “The Heritage Society was formed really recognize individuals that have given exceptional support over the years, we wanted to recognize them in a way that is special in order to thank them appropriately for their gifts. It allows them to see in more of a unique way how much we appreci-ate what they do.”
“In a lot of ways, the Heri-tage Society is a reunion of
people that have long stand-ing relationship with the college and with each other,” Kind added.
The Spring Heritage Soci-ety is an annual event, which features a luncheon or a dinner and the event often coincides with a Bethany theater production. Those that come hear speeches from people at Bethany who talk about the college from their perspective.
“President Dan Bruss is asked to speak, he talks about the college and what is new, exciting, and impor-tant for people that support our mission and educa-tion endeavors. Our Chief Advancement Officer, Art Westphal, handles running the event, as far as introduc-ing the speakers, thanking donors and sharing personal story about how help like theirs makes an impact on campus,” said Kind.
“We have our student speaker, this year it was Matt Behmer; he talked about his perspective and what supporting the college meant to his college experi-ence. The Spring Heritage Society really came about as a mechanism for thank-ing the people that have been extra important to the advancement of the college,” added Kind.
Heritage Society member
Carolyn Harstad said, “It is a good way to connect with friends and I enjoy coming here. There is still an emphasis on the one thing needful and that has not changed since I was here in the 1950s; the college has grown but it has stayed the same.”
Other members like Ruth Heidenreich and Teresa Ferkenstad said that they donate because they believe in the college and want to help to insure it for future generations.
Member and Bethany alumae Georgia Rettmer said, “Yes, being a Bethany alum definitely made the decision to donate easier. One thing we [family] do for Bethany is having a large scholarship fund that we have supported to help students.”
Kind added, “One of the things going forward is improving the event and making it more attractive to participate in and making the more fulfilling for those that want to join. Many of our members do not care to be recognized and we respect that. Therefore, we want to fill the expecta-tions that our donors have, keeping them up to date about what the college and students are doing.”
Bethany students exhibit artwork
Photo by Melissa Richie
At the end of each semester, students in studio and media art classes are given the opportunity to display their work through the student art show. This year’s spring art show was held on April 26. Each student in an art class is required to submit at least one piece of work, ranging from paintings to photo-graphs to sculptures and more. Sophomore Leah Kurth (right) submitted a work entitled “Facial Hair Series” which classmates Moriah Barker, Katie Koch, and Jordan Fassler tried on.
THE SCROLL 7May 1, 2012
By Alex NelsonScroll Staff Writer
For a sports team, some-times winning isn’t
everything. Sometimes it takes a disappointing loss for a team to truly realize its maximum potential. In other words, if a team never loses, how are the players going to know how to band together and bounce back when that moment finally comes?
In the past few years, the Bethany baseball program has really started to build a name for itself, establish-ing a standard of excellence that has propelled it to the upper echelon of the UMAC conference. At present, when people think about Bethany baseball, they are convinced that a competitive team will be fielded year in and year out.
Last season, the Vikings not only posted 27 victo-ries, but also finished with a school-best 18-2 UMAC record. Unfortunately, the incredible season ended on a sour note, as they fell short of the NCAA Tournament in the UMAC championship game, losing to St. Scholas-tica by a score of 26-2. Shift-ing back to this year, it was quite a surprise that they
found themselves sitting with an underwhelming 4-11 record in the early stages of the conference slate.
“The slow start was a good thing for us as a team. Last year, we didn’t lose that much, so we didn’t really know how to lose, which
came back to bite us at the end of the season,” said senior shortstop Tommy Kramer.
Kramer can proudly state that claim, because since that low point, the team has scorched its opponents, ripping off nine UMAC
victories in a row. A young squad oozing with ability has slowly begun to put together the pieces and it has yielded in a great degree of success on the field in recent weeks.
“I think the biggest thing with this team is they are young and inexperienced at this level. We have a lot of young guys playing and a lot of transfers that haven’t been in the program. Once everyone realizes they can win at this level and do well here they will be fine and that is what is finally start-ing to happen these past few weeks,” said head coach Ryan Kragh.
“We have done a little bit of everything. Young guys are stepping up and every-body is acknowledging their roles,” said senior second baseman Sam Stier.
On a more specific note, the most noticeable turna-round during the streak has occurred on the mound, where the Vikings lost four accomplished starters from last year’s team. Junior Gar-rett Benson, in particular, has been lights out recently, as he was named the UMAC Pitcher of the Week from April 8-15. During that period, he did not allow a run in two starts, as hitters
managed a measly .135 batting average against him.
“Garrett has been very steady the past five starts. The thing about Garrett is when he is commanding the strike zone and competing he is a tough pitcher to face. Right now he is in the strike zone and getting big outs,” said Kragh.
“The thing about Benson is that he is effectively wild. He is nasty on the bump; a batter doesn’t know where the ball is going to go,” said Kramer.
As the conference season continues, the Vikings hope to keep their recent run of consistent play going all the way until the UMAC postseason tournament, where they know another matchup with a formidable St. Scholastica team most likely lingers. However, with the way that the team is currently meshing, they should have nothing to fear.
“Right now, I am guess-ing that they are scared of us and they should be. We have got a good team and we are getting better every game. We just have to play the game that we play and we will win the tourney and get the job done,” said Stier.
Baseball holds tightly to winning streak
Photo by Anna Wright
After cancelled games the previous weekend, the baseball team faced a triple-header on April 23, against Northwestern. Senior Casey Woodside helped the team to win two of the three games.
America’s pastime is back, better than everBaseball fans have
waited six months to watch regular season base-ball. After the chaos that happened at the end of last year’s regular season we can’t wait for it to get going again. On April 4th the MLB season was officially declared. This marked the start of 23,328 innings in 2,592 games played over the course of the next six months.
Before the start of the season, there were notable free agent signings that happened. Leading the way were the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. They brought in the best hitter and pitcher on the free agent market in Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Although Pujols began with a rough start, numbers and statis-tics say he will turn it around. The Angels spent a combined $331.5 million on the two stars.
The team which made the second biggest splash
was the Detroit Tigers, who brought in prized first base-man Prince Fielder for $214 million over the next nine years. Fielder has put up steady numbers since join-ing the league as a rookie in 2005. Since then he has hit 230 home runs and recorded a .282 batting average.
The Texas Rangers made up for the loss of C.J. Wilson with the signing of Japanese superstar Yu Darvish for a six-year, $60 million deal. With this signing the Rang-ers and Angels are expected to win the division every year in the near future.
While all these signings have been significant, you
shouldn’t forget about the hometown Twins and what they did this off-season. While not signing any big-name free agents, they did bring in some veterans. These signings include powerman Josh Willingham, speedster Jamie Carroll, util-ity-man Ryan Doumit and the strike-throwing Jason Marquis. They also added Chris Parmelee for the full year, who hit four home runs last September alone.
While none of the Twins signings were as big as the others, Josh Willing-ham has put up the best numbers of any free agent that signed over the winter.
Jamie Carroll has repeatedly gotten on base for the M&M boys who repeatedly drive him in. After missing part of spring training and part of the beginning of the season he had a solid start in New York against the Yankees.
What will the playoffs look like this year? We can never be sure of who will be in after seeing the epic collapses of the Braves and Red Sox last year, but predic-tions can still be made. In the American League, the teams that should have sure bids into the dance this year will be the Yankees, Tigers and Angels, with the wild-card teams the Rays and Rangers. In the National League the division winners should be the Phillies, Cardinals and Dodgers with the Nationals and Diamond-backs as wild-cards. Don’t be surprised if the Tigers and Phillies square off in the 2012 World Series with the Tigers taking the rings home.
Taylor BeattieOpinion
“In the American league, the teams that should have sure bids into the dance this year will be the Yankees, Tigers, and Angels, with the wild-card teams the Rays and Rangers.”
