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Hayes Rule
Call him "The Sportz Guy." A freshman journalism major, Hayes eats, breathes and sleeps everything sports related. If you need Mercer sports info, he's your man. When he's not writing about sports, he plays them — he's a member of Mercer's golf team.
Walking by faith, not by sight
At 8 a.m. each Wednesday—a time when most students have pressed their snooze alarms at least a dozen times—freshman Timothy Jones is in McCorkle Music Hall perfecting his rendition of Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune.” For four hours, Jones’ hands glide over the piano keys in a practice room until his class at noon. From outside of the practice room, Jones sounds like any gifted musician. Jones, however, doesn’t have sheet music and never glances down at his keyboard. He has memorized the entire performance. He is legally blind. The 22-year-old is an organ performance major at the Mercer University Townsend School of Music. The road to success hasn’t been easy. When Jones was nearly 4 years old, his mother, Nancy, learned her son was blind. Nancy learned that he suffers from Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, a rare hereditary eye disease. But Jones, who began playing Twila Parris’ “Lamb of God” on the piano at two years old, has always had a passion for music. It all started when Jones was growing up. He would attend Sunday church services with his parents and two brothers. There, the precocious talent heard a choir singing accompanied by a thunderous organ. [pullquote speaker="Timothy Jones" photo="" align="left" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]“I knew from then on that I would want to study to become a church organist.[/pullquote] “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to play an instrument like that and play for a choir and congregation,’” Jones said. “I knew from then on that I would want to study to become a church organist.” Though Jones was excited to study organ at Mercer, he decided to defer his acceptance for a year because he would have to learn some new technology and software before beginning. During Jones’ deferment year, the Townsend School of Music offered him organ and piano lessons free of charge, which shocked Jones and his family. The summer before Jones’ freshman year, he memorized the basic layout of campus. At first, the task appeared daunting to Jones, who was overwhelmed by the campus’s size. In June, he worked with disabilities service coordinator Carole Burrowbridge to order his braille books for his classes. Once Burrowbridge received the textbook list from Jones’ professors, she ordered the textbooks through AMAC, an accessibility solutions and research center that supplies braille and other materials for students with disabilities. Both Jones and Burrowbridge also searched other library catalogs to see if they could find existing textbooks in braille. AMAC ended up not delivering Jones’ textbooks, and the center referred them to another contractor who took a while to respond to Burrowbridge’s request. Jones started his first week of freshman year without his essential textbooks, but he still had assignments to complete under deadline. At the time, the anxiety of having to complete certain assignments but not having textbooks took a toll on Jones. He considered packing his bags and going home. “I was thinking, ‘This isn’t going to work. I sense disaster coming, and I’m going to flunk,’” Jones said. Once the music faculty became aware of his situation, they called a meeting and tried to find a way to help Jones. The professors agreed to give Jones an extension on his homework until his books arrived. The dean of the music department even read some of his music textbooks aloud to him so he could turn in his assignments. In many of Jones’ classes, he’s learning the theoretical side of music, so the courses’ textbooks use musical symbols. Burrowbridge had to find a way to present this visual information in a way Jones could use. The secondary contractor eventually got in contact with Burrowbridge, and Jones received his books towards the end of his first week of classes. Learning the theoretical side is only half the battle for a music major. Jones also has to find a way to learn the pieces he is expected to perform. When Jones is learning a new piece, his professors will record themselves playing sections of the piece with the left and right hand played separately. The professors will then upload the file onto Dropbox—a file sharing and storage site—where Jones will download and listen to the file. Since Jones has perfect pitch—the ability to identify a musical note without hearing any other tone—he is able to teach himself to play what he hears without the benefit of sheet music. He repeatedly listens to specific sections and practices them until its memorized. Playing classical music is a challenge in itself, but the fact that Jones can play blind makes it a “physical phenomenon,” said Ian Altman, a professor of piano at Mercer. [pullquote speaker="Timothy Jones" photo="" align="right" background="on" border="all" shadow="on"]“As far as faith goes, I have learned that we don’t know what’s ahead of us, and in a way, each one of us is blind.[/pullquote] Although being blind makes life more difficult, Jones said he believes his disability serves a spiritual purpose. “As far as faith goes, I have learned that we don’t know what’s ahead of us, and in a way, each one of us is blind,” Jones said. “We don’t know what’s on the road ahead, and that’s where it takes trusting in an eternal creator.” Disabilities won’t stop the aspiring musician from pursuing his dream of one day hosting his own concert and and sharing his testimony at the end of it. “I did get some challenges when I came here, and I’m still getting challenged. But who knows what’s on the road ahead?” Jones said, “I’ll just be trusting the Lord that he will direct my path.” Accomplishments: “Conference Recitalist Second Alternate” (2009) National Federation of Music Clubs’ Agnes Fowler Award for Blind Performance and the Joyce Walsh Junior Disability Award (both in 2010) Atlanta Music Club’s High School Keyboard Scholarship for 2010 Georgia Music Teacher’s Association State Auditions Outstanding Performer (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012) Scholarships for Organ Performance from the Atlanta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014) Master Class Level Preformer (2011) Paderewski Gold Medal in the National Piano Guild Auditions of the American College of Musicians (2011) National Winner of The American College of Musicians’ National Guild of Piano Teachers for 12 years’ participation with consistent “Superior Plus” ratings Completed a full 14 years of Superior ratings to earn the prestigious “Irl Allison” Award Second place in Gwinnett County Music Teachers Association Junior/SeniorScholarship Auditions (2012) Second Place Medalist at the Champianos 2012 High School Piano Competition (2012) First Place Winner at the North East Georgia Music Teachers Sonatina/ Sonata Competition (2011) First place in the Organ category for the Bob Jones University High School Festival for the Arts ( 2012)
Field Day Photos 2015
Homecoming Lip Sync, Pumpkin Carving and Banner competition winners
The second night of Homecoming festivities included a lip sync competition where organizations dueled it out with Disney-inspired performances. Here are the results from tonight: Lip Sync Greek Organization Winners: Alpha Delta Pi/Lambda Chi Alpha Alpha Gamma Delta/ Kappa Sigma Phi Delta Theta/ Chi Omega Lip Sync Student Organization Winners: African Student Association/ Caribbean Student Association Reformed University Fellowship Alpha Phi Omega /Delta Sigma Pi Here are the results from the pumpkin carving competition on Cruz Plaza and the banner competition in Connell Student Center. Pumpkin Carving Greek Winners: Alpha Gamma Delta / Kappa Sigma Alpha Tau Omega/ Phi Mu/ Kappa Alpha Psi Alpha Delta Pi/ Lambda Chi Alpha Pumpkin Carving Student Organization Winners: Delta Sigma Pi/ Alpha Phi Omega African Student Association/ Caribbean Student Association Residence Hall Association Banner Competition Greek Winners: Alpha Gamma Delta / Kappa Sigma Phi Delta Theta / Chi Omega Alpha Tau Omega/ Phi Mu/ Kappa Alpha Psi Banner Competition Student Organization Winners Reformed University Fellowship Delta Sigma Pi/ Alpha Phi Omega African Student Association (ASA)/ Caribbean Student Association
Pumpkin Carving Photo Gallery
From Bear to Crown: Betty Cantrell wins Miss America
Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music had its shining moment on an unlikely national platform — the stage of the 95th Miss America Pageant Competition. Mercer music student Betty Cantrell competed in front of an estimated 7.1 million viewers, according to Nielson Twitter TV Ratings. Some of the viewers included a group of Mercer students, faculty and professors who huddled around a flat-screen television in the McCorkle Music Hall with their fingers crossed. If Cantrell snatched the crown, Mercer’s Townsend School of Music could possibly garner a great deal of visibility, they thought. For the music students and friends supporting Cantrell, it meant that one of their peers would be propelled into the limelight and one step closer to achieving her dreams. “It was so surreal to watch Betty competing on national television,” said Victoria Yrizarry, one of Cantrell’s friends. “We were screaming, crying, and anxiously awaiting the results.” When the competition dwindled down to the last two competitors — Miss Mississippi and Miss Georgia — the tension felt palpable. The show’s co-host, Chris Harrison, held the envelope that would decide Cantrell’s fate. Harrison slowly opened the envelope, looked down and read off the winner’s name. At that moment, the words “Miss Georgia” never sounded sweeter to Cantrell who immediately crumpled over in shock and excitement upon hearing her name. Tears streamed down her cheeks as a crown was placed on top of her head. Cantrell would be the second Miss Georgia to win the Miss America Crown since 1953. Once the announcement was made, President Underwood tweeted from his Twitter account, “Congrats to Mercer’s Betty Cantrell, Miss America. Go Bears!” It was retweeted by 155 accounts and favorited 117 times. Since the crowning of Miss America, Cantrell has been thrown into the hectic whirlwind that accompanies her title. The 21-year-old went on a media tour, crowned the new Miss Georgia at the Alabama vs. UGA football game, visited pediatric patients at the Children’s Miracle Network, and made an appearance at the Streamy’s, a social media award show. Cantrell said that her hectic schedule as a Mercer student who juggled a full course load prepared her for the title’s responsibilities. “I definitely had a busy schedule at Mercer… and that definitely helped me,” Cantrell said. “I thought I was busy then, but this is completely different. I’ll be traveling 20,000 miles per month.” Cantrell shared that she is proud of the education she received while at Mercer. In fact, she credits her vocal training at Mercer to helping her win the pageant’s preliminary contest. “The education I received while attending Mercer and the voice lessons helped me win a talent award and be the best Miss America I can be,” Cantrell said. Often showing up to rehearsals flaunting her Mercer T-shirts, the self-proclaimed proud Mercer student mentioned she talked about her school with her newly-found pageant friends. “I think a couple of people knew about Mercer,” Cantrell said when looking back on the pageant. “Mostly the states that were closer to Georgia, and I definitely promoted it a lot.” Since Cantrell’s win, one question still remains — will she use her hefty $50,000 scholarship to wrap up her education at Mercer? Past pageant winners, like Vanessa Williams, leveraged their newly-found star power to launch careers in acting and singing. There is the possibility that Cantrell could follow a similar path to past winners and maximize on the fame to build her career. “I actually haven’t decided yet,” Cantrell said when asked if she’ll return to Mercer. “I’m actually looking to going into a conservatory for musical theatre because of the opportunities that this title of Miss America will afford me in the future on Broadway, which has always been my career goal.” As far as advertisements and commercial deals go, Cantrell’s lips remain sealed. “I have some things in the works that I’m getting really excited about,” Cantrell mentioned. “I can’t share them, but I’m really excited about the opportunities this title has given me for my career in the future.” Looking towards the near future, Cantrell said she’s excited to attend some award shows, such as the AMAs and CMAs and meet some of her idols. But Cantrell remains thankful for the support that she’s received from home. She said she’d like to extend the biggest thank you to all of those students who supported her. “Thank you for supporting me, Mercer.” Cantrell said “And for accepting me as a Mercer student when I won and for being so proud. And I was so proud to have come from Mercer.”
Mercer to host chapter of Phi Beta Kappa honor society
One of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honor societies will make its home at Mercer, according to a letter from President Underwood. This afternoon, during Phi Beta Kappa's 44th Triennial Council, delegates found that Mercer qualified to host the honor society on its campus. This means that Mercer will join the 10 percent of high education institutions to host a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Mercer is one of the three research institutions in Georgia to join the chapter — the two other universities are Emory University and the University of Georgia. Other Georgia institutions that have a Phi Beta Kappa chapter include Agnes Scott College, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. The society "advocates excellence in the liberal arts and sciences," according to its website. The honor society also sponsors activities to advance the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences in higher education and in society at large. Since the societies founding in 1776, 17 U.S. presidents, 39 Supreme Court Justices and 130 Nobel Laureates have been inducted as members.
New Women's Golf Coach has eyes on the prize
Mercer’s new women’s golf coach, Michele Drinkyard, has her sights set on her team competing in the Southern Conference championship. Drinkyard, who has 12 years of coaching experience, spent eight seasons at Ole Miss after leading the Birmingham Southern program for four years. The coach last visited Mercer nearly eight years ago, and upon her recent return, she was amazed at how rapidly the campus changed. “When I walked on campus, it was impressive the changes they made on it,” Drinkyard said. “The commitment from the university, our president and athletic director is incredible.” Although Mercer is in a different conference than Ole Miss, a Southeastern Conference team, Drinkyard said that her coaching technique is essentially the same. “As far as mentoring and coaching these young ladies, there’s no difference,” Drinkyard said. The veteran coach said that she has a more “hands-on” coaching style. “I really like to get to know the players and learn about their strengths and possible areas of improvement,” Drinkyard said. Even though Drinkyard has only been in her role as head coach for a short period of time, she already has recognized a few of the standout players, one of them being freshman Mary Janiga. During the team’s first golf tournament, Janiga tied for seventh place, and she’s placed top 50 on the American Junior Golf Association. “She’s very dedicated and she loves to play, so we’re going to build off of her momentum and keep going,” Drinkyard said of Janiga. For now, the coach’s immediate team goals include establishing a strong team foundation and breaking their scoring record, which is currently one under par. Along with team goals, it seems that the head coach has some personal goals of her own, such as reaching out to the community. “I need to get out into the community and get the community involved in our program to gain some recognition,” Drinkyard said. “The job right now is to take care of business, meet and greet and make a foundation here in our community and keep going.” One of Drinkyard’s initiatives involves strengthening relationships within the community by establishing a home tournament where the community can get involved. Also, Drinkyand said she wants to put together the Guys and Gals tournament and double it in size. So far, Drinkyard said that it’s been an easy transition and she looks forward to forging connections. “It’s been an easy connection. And they are very open-minded to change, and they have welcomed it with open arms.” Drinkyard refuses to give up on her dream of making Mercer women’s golf known on a national stage. “The quest to bring Mercer women’s golf to the national front is exciting and challenging, and I love a good challenge,” she said.
Country star plans to shoot music video in Macon
Mercer Students, this could be your chance to be in the spotlight. Macon country singer Jason Aldean is looking for extras and “passed down family trucks” for his next music video, according to a Facebook post from Macon Film Commission. The video for Aldean’s song “Gonna Know We Were Here” will be shot in Macon on Tuesday. Aldean is requesting for a young crowd for a Homecoming game pep rally scene. The truck will be used for “Friday Night Lights” and sort of have a worn-in look to it. RSVP to show up by sending an email to CountryVideoCasting@gmail.com and in the subject line put “RSVP Jason Aldean Music Video.” For car submission, send to the Country Video Casting video with the subject line “Car Jason Aldean music video.”
Mercer student wins Miss America Pageant
The next time Betty Cantrell steps onto Mercer's campus, she'll be wearing a new crown. The Warner Robin's native beat out 51 contestants on the nationally televised pageant from Atlantic City. Cantrell is the second "Miss Georgia" to garner the title. The 21-year-old wowed the judges during the talent preliminary with an opera performance. Cantrell is a student at Mercer University. But she put a hold on her studies while she prepared for the Miss America Pageant.
Latest “Mission Impossible” installment might be the best one yet
Tom Cruise may be 54 years old, but it’s hard to tell in “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation,” in which Cruise clings onto an airplane as it takes off, swims underwater without an oxygen tank and enters a high-speed motorcycle chase. The box office giant film series, a spinoff from a 1960s television show, released its first installment nearly 19 years ago featuring Cruise, whose emerging star power was only heightened by the film’s smashing success. As of late, critics have complained that the film series has lost some of its original zing and thrill, but “Rogue Nation” somehow manages to restore faith in the series. While watching the “Mission: Impossible” series, it seems that Cruise has somehow managed to escape nearly all life-threatening situations, but in “Rogue Nation” Cruise seems to escape his age, somehow managing to hurtle himself around with the same vigor as he did over a decade ago. The mission for Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, in “Rogue Nation” is possibly one of the more daunting missions yet — eradicate the Syndicate, a rogue organization of criminals hailing from all over the globe. Similar to the other “Mission Impossible” movies, “Rogue Nation” is action-packed and leaves you on the edge of your seat for the entire 2 hours and 11 minutes. This time around, however, director and writer Christopher McQuarrie worked on “Rogue Nation” to deliver an engaging film filled with plot twists and thrills. Many of the scenes will leave you wondering “How did Cruise manage to pull that off?” For instance, one action-packed scene took place in the rafters of a Vienna Opera house. According to an interview with the New York Times, the film had a deal with the Vienna Opera that allowed them to shoot around and in the opera house, but the film had to use a recording of the Vienna Orchestra produced in their preferred venue. So, after the film was edited, the film crew returned to record additional opera music. The audience will see some familiar faces including Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg (who thankfully provides comedic relief to an overall intense film). Rebecca Ferguson, the newest actor in the film series, plays an impressive spy who is able to hold her own in the film. Throughout the film, the audience is torn on whether to trust Ferguson. Sean Harris, the actor who portrays the film’s villain, plays his part well with an effective mixture of creepy and sinister. Overall, I would recommend this entertaining film to anyone who is into action movies or a fan of the “Mission: Impossible” series. I think it’s one of the best installments yet — there’s a reason why this film has grossed over $400 million in the global box office.
Lofts on College Hill offering new experiences for residents
Now that the construction is cleared away and the structures are complete, the Lofts at College Hill on Hardeman Avenue are focusing on building community through events to get residents more acquainted with downtown, the new living space, and each other. For example, on Aug. 25 the Lofts at College Hill hosted a “Beer and Brats” mixer so people could get to know their neighbors. Nearly 50 people showed up to the event and were excited to get to know one another, said Allie Lovett, student housing manager for the Lofts. “It’s going really well,” Lovett said. “I think it’s a really nice mix… people want to meet their neighbors and it’s all happening organically.” On Sept. 15, the Lofts at College Hill will host a special morning yoga session on the top floor exclusively for residents from 8-9 a.m. Down below, the Lofts will feature new restaurants on the ground level that are set to open in October. These include The Brick and Boba Mocha. The Brick, an established and popular restaurant based in Milledgeville for more than 20 years, will be over 5,200 square feet and have an outdoor patio. The restaurant will open for lunch and have the capacity to seat over 200 people, featuring a full bar and live music. It will be open until 2 a.m. on weekends and until midnight during the week. Boba Mocha, a speciality coffee, tea and frozen yogurt shop, will join The Brick on the bottom floor retail level of the The Lofts. Lovett said that the frozen yogurt eatery has “exciting” plans to host wine nights for people to mingle.
5 things to start your week: Student parking at Mercer, Pedestrian deaths in Macon, Freshman SGA elections and more
#MercerParkingProbs In the midst of Mercer’s hectic campus construction, it’s becoming progressively more competitive for students to snag a parking spot. In fact, some students are resorting to desperate measures in order to secure a spot (seen in the picture above). Despite student complaints about the lack of available on-campus parking, administration officials say that there are enough parking spaces for students. According to a poll posted on The Cluster’s website regarding on-campus parking, over 75 percent of students think it’s difficult to secure an on-campus parking spot. What do you think about Mercer’s parking? Do you think it’s difficult to secure a spot, or do you think people are exaggerating? Let us know! Ingram-Pye Health Center to Open this week The Ingram-Pye Health Center, run by First Choice Primary Care will open this week. The purpose behind the new health center is to have a nurse practitioner to diagnose and treat the usual student ills. Prescriptions will also be made available to students, according to an article in the (Macon) Telegraph. The logic behind the new center is that poor attendance and poor health contribute to low student achievement. In order to ensure that the students are academically successful, it’s important to keep the kids in school healthy, so the thinking follows. Pedestrian Deaths in Macon Last week, the (Macon) Telegraph ran a series of stories investigating pedestrian fatalities in Macon. In fact, one of the articles discovered that Macon-Bibb was one of the deadliest counties in the state of pedestrians. Over the past five years, the county had over 30 deaths, ranking it the seventh most dangerous Georgia county for walkers. International Buzz Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has called on protesters on the streets of Kuala Lumpur to “remove” the country’s prime minister. The Cluster is exploring new avenues and will be introducing a international news beat where we will take headline topics you may see in and break it down into sizable portions for you to understand. Elliot James, a double major in international affairs and journalism decided to take a stab at the first international news story. Check it out! Freshmen Elections for SGA Hey freshmen, if you want get involved in the Student Government Association, now is your chance. Elections for SGA freshmen senators will be occurring this week.
One 2015 Mercer alum faces harsh realities of undocumented immigration system
Scrolling through Raymond Partolan’s Facebook page, it’s easy to see that the recent Mercer alumnus has no problem keeping busy. Since graduating from Mercer University in May 2015 with two degrees in political science and Spanish, Partolan landed a job as the program coordinator for Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), a nonprofit legal organization serving Asian Americans in the South. As an overseer of the nonprofit’s external programs, Partolan serves to promote civic engagement for Asian Americans by encouraging them to be involved in public life. “My work is pretty much divided up by seasons,” Partolan said. “Right now until election day (November 3, 2015) my job is really grounded in civic engagement work. I basically coordinate our field campaign.” AAAJ’s field campaign entails knocking door to door and making phone calls to what Partolan refers to as “target voters,” or Asian Americans, and encouraging them to vote in the upcoming election. But a major component of Partolan’s job includes “groundwork,” which the 22-year-old activist said was both inspiring and emotionally draining. Two weekends ago, Partolan visited Steward Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia — one of the country’s largest detention centers, according to detentionwatchnetwork.org. At the detention center, Partolan spoke with a 20-year-old boy immigrant detainee from Central America. As Partolan sat on the other side of a plexiglass window and spoke in Spanish to the detainee through a telephone, he said he couldn’t help but feel moved by the boy’s story. The detainee shared with Partolan that he watched his father being beheaded by gang members from his home country, which Partolan could not reveal in concern for the boy’s safety. The leader of the gang told the boy and his mother that if they didn’t comply with his commands, they would face the same fate. “What was so meaningful to me was the fact that because I’m undocumented and because my parents are undocumented, I saw myself on the other side of that window,” Partolan said. “I could have been on the other side talking to someone through a telephone.” The detainee’s mom and two younger brothers decided to flee the country to find asylum in America. Partolan said that the family walked miles through the desert, swam through rivers and hitchhiked their way to the United States-Mexican border where they presented themselves and were immediately arrested. The boy’s mom was sent to a detention center in Texas while the boy was sent to Georgia. Hearing these stories on a daily basis has forced Partolan to grow up more quickly than expected. “I’ve only been out of college for three months, but I just feel like all of these stories that I’m hearing just make me older because I’m starting to take it all in,” Partolan said. Partolan is determined to continue serving the Asian American population. This upcoming December, Partolan will work as a registered lobbyist and lead AAAJ’s policy advocacy work at the state capitol building. Outside of the work office, Partolan is engaged in his church and is involved in a community group at Passion City Church. Partolan, who is a trained violinist, is also looking into participating in the Atlanta Philharmonic Orchestra. “I’ve actually already been extended an invitation to join (the orchestra),” Partolan said. “It’s just a matter if it fits my schedule or not.”
Baseball Review 2014-2015: Bears lose power
The Mercer Bears baseball team punched a ticket to the NCAA baseball tournament for the third time in six sea- sons as they won both the Southern Conference regular season and postseason title. They finished the regular season with a record of 35- 21 and 16-7 record in the conference, marking the sixth season the Bears have reached 35 wins. The Bears earned the one seed in the conference tour- nament and looked poised to take advantage of their seeding. They steamrolled through the conference tournament going a perfect 4-0 while outscoring their opponents 32-10, which included a 19-7 rout of VMI as they record 23 hits which left them one hit shy of the SoCon record for hits in a tournament game. In the SoCon championship game, the Bears blanked Samford 5-0 as Eric Nyquist threw a six hit complete game shutout — his second complete game shutout of the season. For his performance in the SoCon tournament, he was awarded the Walt Nadzak Most Out- standing Player Award. Ny- quist alongside Adam Scott, Morgan Pittman, Charlie Madden, Danny Edgeworth and Trey Truitt made the All-Tournament team. The Bears drew the fourth seed in the regionals of the NCAA tournament. They played Florida State — the one seed — in their first game and lost in a heart- breaking fashion as they came up short in extra innings by a score of 5-4. This set up an elimination game against the Auburn Tigers, and for the second straight game, the Bears lost by just one run as they were held scoreless in a 1-0 game. The season ended for the Bears but it was memorable season as they made pro- gram history and found their way into the tournament. The Bears will look to de- fend their SoCon crown next season and try to get back to the NCAA tournament with aspirations of a College World Series title. The Bears will be without ace Nyquist, but power hitter Kyle Lewis will return.
'Paper Towns’ shirks from blockbuster archetype
The film adaptation of John Green’s “Pa- per Towns” satisfies Green’s fan base by preserving the book’s quirky charm and authenticity. The protagonist, Quentin Jacobson (Nat Wolff), or Q for short, lives in the suburbs of Orlando, Florida. In the beginning of the movie, Quentin explains how he believes everyone gets a miracle. For Quentin, his miracle is the elusive and adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman, played by model Cara Delevingne. As soon as Quentin lays his eyes on his new neighbor, Margo, he instantly falls in love. Fast forward a few years, Quentin and Margo are about to graduate high school and no longer talk, but Quentin still ad- mires Margo from afar. Quentin’s undying love for Margo goes unnoticed until Mar- go needs him as an accomplice in a long and crazy revenge-filled scheme. As the audience follows Quentin and Margo on their adventurous escapade, they can’t help but to laugh at Margo’s genius pranks and marvel at her bravery. Then, after what Quentin refers to as the best night of his life, Margo suddenly dis- appears. Days pass and no one is able to find her. The audience is reminded that Margo vanishes frequently and is never found unless she wants to be. Based off a couple of clues Quentin finds in the days following Margo’s disappearance, he be- lieves that Margo wants him to find her. Director Jake Schreier takes the audience on a whirlwind of a journey as Quentin searches for Margo. The whole movie is somewhat reminiscent of a 90’s chick flick — it’s clean, entertaining and smart. Now- adays, it difficult to find a young adult film that can cause one to think. However, this movie is layered with significance. For instance, the meaning behind the name “Paper Towns” refers to the trick that cartographers use to keep their maps from being copied by competitors. It also provides some commentary on the subur- ban lifestyle — everything seems fake, flat and superficial, something many teenagers can relate to. Nat Wolff’s amiable nature effortlessly transcends the big screen. Yet, at times, his confident performance can be easily misconstrued as slick. It’s undeniable that there is something about Wolff’s acting that is candid and charming. Delevingne delivers a lackluster perfor- mance partly because she fails to leave a memorable impression with her audience. Instead, Margo comes off as distant and dismissive rather than confused and unsure. The book’s narrative of an average boy who embarks on a journey of self-discov- ery is quite difficult to translate in a movie of commercial scale. “Paper Towns” isn’t a typical Hollywood movie since it’s neither flashy nor wildly entertaining. The film is rather modest, pleasant and thought pro- voking. It somehow makes one wish that there were more films that could accom- plish this rare combination.