The Rampage Spring 2019

ISSUE No. I | Spring 2019

Bluefield College Student Newspaper

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Opinions on Chapel Service Changes 5

How to Get Away with Procrastination 14

Coach White’s Contributions 23

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Table of Contents

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Opinions

Student Spotlights

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Stories

Artwork

Faculty Feature

Meet the Team

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Sports

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The Rampage Student Newspaper © Bluefield College. Cover and section artwork © Ben Ayers. Magazine layout design by Ben Ayers and Clara Blevins. Magazine printed by Wordsprint. Special thanks to Dr. Cynthia Bascom and Professor Chris Shoemaker for making our student newspaper possible and giving us students the freedom to grow it.

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Opinions

A Commu ter’s Perspective on Inclement Weather Schedule

by Ariana Holmes Graphic Communication Class of 2020 T here are about 500 traditional students on campus and nearly half are commuters. Bluefield College has more commuters this year than previous years. In my opinion, as a student that commutes, I think there have been days that Bluefield College should have implemented the inclement weather schedule. On days of inclement weather, other colleges in the area were closed, or classes were delayed; however, BC did not utilize the inclement weather schedule. I feel like classes are not delayed or cancelled due to the number of students that live on campus; even though there are more students commuting this year. In the future, it would be greatly

Why Emerg ency Blue Phones are Important by Jordyn O’Saben Graphic Communication • 2020 B luefield’s campus may be smaller than most colleges, but we should not undermine the safety of the students on our campus. As a college student, I have visited many other campuses, some much, much larger than Bluefield— although we know that is an from the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) or the hill next to the Dome are great examples. Yes, I get it, getting these blue boxes could be costly, but they create the safety net for our students. The towers create that

sense of authority and have proved to act as a deterrent to criminal actions and eliminating anxiety. There should be no cost on trying to keep our campus safe. So, Bluefield College, as much as I love the campus, we really need to consider what could happen; no school is perfect. A simple e-mail to the students claiming how our climate isn’t to par simply isn’t enough. Take the action to bring higher safety to our campus.

easy feat. They all feature similar facilities as our small school, such as your basic buildings for the caf- eteria, student recreational center, classrooms, and more. However, there is one feature that is absent here at Bluefield but exists on every other campus: emergency blue phones. It may seem silly, but why do we need them? Also known as blue boxes or blue phones, emergency blue phones are highly noticeable due to their high stature and the bright, blue light they emit. Even if you have never used them before, they act as a security beacon to the students who are out on campus at night. Like every other person our age, I know that most of us typically have our cell phones within reach in our back pocket. But what happens if you end up in a situation where you need help, only to find that your phone is dead? Or what if you don’t have service, something that is highly possible in areas on our campus? What if you just can’t get to your cell phone in time because you’re frozen in fear? Or, what if the person you come across was someone you thought you could trust? What do you do then? Anything could happen in under a minute. The walks on campus may seem quick, especially to those who live in the dorms. However, the walk to the apartments can seemmore daring. There are areas on campus that aren’t thoroughly lit—the walk

appreciated if commuters were taken into consideration and the inclement weather schedule were utilized more. Matters of Opinion

Get better food.

Gymmemberships.

The Wi-Fi needs to go back to what it was; we’re unable to play games online. And we should get our gymmemberships back with the community center.

Jacob Booth , History

Madison Brewster , Accounting

I have concerns with the water at Rish. Many times this year, I have gone to take a shower, and there has been no hot water. We also got rid of the cable for better Wi-Fi, and if anything the Wi-Fi has gotten worse. Lastly, I think Bluefield should provide memberships to the rec center.

DaMarcusWimbush , ESS

Xander Whitehurst , Criminal Justice

The Wi-Fi is too inconsistent to do anything, but it’s the variety of food that I’d like to see a change on. Giovanni Pena , Math

I think that Bluefield should provide memberships to the Fitness and Recreational Center for the students.

African American Lit is a class we need. I don’t feel like personal wellness is a necessary class. There should be one-on-one tutoring, not just group tutoring, and I feel like commuters should eat half off all week. Jamie Danley , Criminal Justice

Luke Young , ESS

For a Christian college, the staff is at some times very liberal. I get upset when the chapel services are based around trashing our president.

The housing rules are ridiculous and are not designed with adult students in mind.

Ryan Franceschina , Pre-Law

IsaacWright , Criminal Justice

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T hroughout the last few years, Bluefield College students have seen many changes made to programming for weekly chapel services. This semester, chapel services are featuring BC faculty speakers. What is your opinion of the changes being made to chapel programming this year? “ Sahara Brewster asks...

Randy Rombow Freshman, Christian Studies I love the chapel services this semester. It’s more interactive with students. The worship is deeper and sounds amazing. Adrina Brown-Duncan Sophomore, Criminal Justice services are geared toward those who have not received Christ yet. I think that chapel has become more intimate, but I feel that the

One thing I appreciate about chapel is the way it functions as a time for much of the campus community to take a short break from the busy things of each week and come together for a common purpose. I value that sense of unity experienced in chapel. I also appreciate the chance to hear from some of our faculty members, particularly those with a ministerial background, such as Dr. [Tracey] Stout this semester, and to see the role that their faith plays in their daily lives. I would say the primary area that chapel has room to grow is in the realm of consistency, seeing as most of the services are not connected to one another with a definitive theme or with the guidelines of a specific passage or series. I would also venture to suggest that some of the chapel speakers have been perhaps more inclined to address social issues than I believe the position warrants. Samuel Kimzey Senior, Christian Studies and History

Personally, I like having the faculty speakers more. The diversity keeps me more interested, and I feel like their stories are more engaging and relatable with the students. So far, it has kept me more engaged than previous chapels in the other format.

Christen Brewster , Business Management

I feel as if chapel has digressed to the point where we have traded our values on reverence for the Word of God to wanting people to feel comfortable and attempt to evoke emotions. We have gone from having local pastors where students can get connected to a local church to trying to have a more diverse speaker line-up that at times [has] caused students who bring their Bible to not even need them. As someone who is pursuing his call to ministry, many of my peers and I feel like the chapel programming this semester has severely impacted the attitude we have toward chapel. Ideally, we would love to go to chapel every Wednesday to hear the Word of the Lord being preached, but realistically we sometimes dread it because we know it’ll be a shallow message. I think a good diversity in speakers and depth of message is appropriate, but it’s almost like every week it’s the same type of surface material being presented to the students when so many students crave something meaningful which can only be found in Jesus Christ— not feel-good mottos, not believing in yourself, and not evoking emotions rather than the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Since our Wi-Fi is still crappy, will we get cable back next semester? Clara Blevins , Graphic Comm. Typography is the best class ever! The only thing I would like to address is the concerns of a commuter. Parking is ridiculous, which is why I am so happy the school is finally putting the work into another parking lot. Also, it would be cool to have flex dollars for commuters, like the on-campus students. We use Starbucks as well! DST needs to stop. All that Daylight Saving Time does is annoy people. AndrewViskup , Theatre Jeanna Anderson , Christian Studies Deasha Manns , ESS

JacobWebster , Senior, Christian Studies

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The tables in the SAC need to be fixed.

Gavin Bauer , Business

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Student Spotlights

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Spreading

Hope thr ough Videos James Dick Subscribe:

His inspiration for the video ministry came from his own personal experiences viewing the works of Clayton Jennings, an evangelist in Indiana, and Steven Furtick, founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church. Both provide videos to the public with teachings and messages from the Bible that spread hope in the world. Local youth have also inspired Dick to make videos, since watching vlogs and spending time on social media is highly popular these days. Dick said he noticed that not all, but much of the content distributed within the media was often very negative and discouraging to viewers. “None of it was really positive for Christianity or making a difference for the community,” Dick said. His intentions are to provide something for his students and others that is positive, influential, and helpful toward their lives. As a result, his video ministry YouTube channel has grown noticeably within the past few months. “I started out with about two subscribers, and now I am at about 54,” he said “It is not huge but it is encouraging.” In addition to his video ministry, Dick wears additional hats in the community. He ministers to local youth as the youth minister for Highlands Fellowship in Bluefield, VA. He also organizes camps, leads •••

by Kaleigh Compton Communication Class of 2020

W ith the rise of social media, leaders and speakers are meeting their audiences where they are in this day and age. Bluefield College junior James Dick is doing just that with his ministry through the use of weekly videos on his YouTube Channel. “Why I started making videos was to spread hope,” Dick said. On Mondays, he spreads hope with motivational videos as a way of encouraging people who may be starting a busy work week. On Wednesdays, his videos are more Bible study related with a hint of theological questions. They address “things churches do not often have time to address because either it is hard or people do not want to talk about it,” Dick said.

Deana

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Student Spotlights

high schoolers through clubs, and teaches a Bible study for the Bluefield High School football team. “I am helping with the Baptist organization for Virginia,” Dick said about his involvement in the Baptist General Association of Virginia’s annual summer youth community service program called Impact Virginia. “About one- hundred some kids will be going to fix homes, do community work, and then come back to worship.” But his video ministry is his greatest passion, and at the beginning of his channel journey, Dick’s videos mainly contained himself. Now, he said he collaborates with students or anyone willing to help with the videos, whether it be sharing stories, testimonials, or acting to help share the message. His immediate audience came mainly from his friends and family on Facebook. Even though he said he “cringes” at his first-ever video, he said he has been encouraged by the number of views it received. What has been very helpful throughout this whole journey has been the love, support, and kind words from his peers and audience. He said that others’ feedback has been really encouraging. “Even though I have a purpose behind it and I am doing work to glorify God, it can still get tiring,” Dick said. Encouraging feedback like, “I made this decision in my life because of this video” or “this made me look at my life in a different way,” he added, is what keeps him going. Dick mentioned potentially rebranding in the near future and said he is very excited for the many opportunities heading his way to continue to spread hope and the love of God. “I started making videos ... to spread hope.”

Stinson

Creating a Mental Health Resource

for Students

by Jordyn O’Saben Graphic Communication Class of 2020

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For more...

B luefield College sophomore Deana Stinson is taking a leap toward providing a website with access to resources that could help BC students in need of mental support. A psychology major with a certification as a mental health aid, Stinson said she has seen the struggles associated with Bluefield College having what she considers a lack of awareness of mental health issues – specifically, the absence of a school counselor. “I believe the college should have some type of mental health resource, and the fact that nothing along those lines is offered shows in the students who leave,” said Stinson. “Some leave because the school does not have the (proper) resources that they need to be successful.” Deciding something should be done, Stinson acted. Collaborating with Dr. Chaka Ward-Hatcher, professor and chair of the Psychology Department, she pulled together research on what would be beneficial for Bluefield College. From the research, the idea of a mental health resource website bloomed. “The creation of a resource website would benefit the students by providing a place where they can look up different things that might help them overcome what they are dealing with,” she said. “It would be a very large collective list.” The collective list would provide resources for those who struggle with depression, anxiety, and other important mental health issues. Offered within each list would be hotlines, chatrooms, text services, links to mental health websites, and other features for students seeking additional options for support. “Coming from personal experience, it took a while for me to get the support I needed,” said Stinson. “At school, students obviously struggle. They get stressed and burned out with nowhere to go.” With the help of this website, Stinson said she hopes Bluefield College students find the support they need, despite the lack of a counselor on campus. She said she also hopes it helps the school realize that the site could be built upon, improved, and have great potential. Although the development of the website is still in the beginning phase, Stinson said she has high hopes for it to be up and running by the fall 2019 semester.

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Nicky Dronsick Artist Profile

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Andre Cardamone Designer Profile

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William Nelson Athlete Profile

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Stories

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President David Olive Sets Goals for 2018-2019 by Andre Cardamone Graphic Communication • 2019

B luefield College President Dr. David Olive hopes to accomplish a number of goals in 2018-2019 to improve the academic, athletic, wellness, and residential offerings to BC students. Among the president’s goals is con- tinued progress on fundraising and planning for a new health and well- ness complex on campus. According to the president, the college’s current facilities do not meet the recreation and wellness needs of the growing student body. Plans are to build a new health and wellness complex adjacent to the Dome Gymnasium to address that need. The wellness com- plex will provide much needed locker rooms and physical space for students, athletes, and community members to experience a wide variety of health, athletic and wellness activities.

immediate, intermediate, and long- range plans for new athletic facilities. In fact, work has already begun this year on the development of two athletic fields across College Avenue on the south side of campus. The new fields will provide teams with additional practice space. Dr. Olive said he also hopes 2018-2019 will produce a number of creative partnerships and approaches to higher education for the school. The college has already partnered with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Blacksburg, VA, in the creation of a new Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences (MABS) degree. •••

The second phase of the health and wellness complex project will fea- ture renovations to the interior and exterior of the Dome Gymnasium, including expanding the seating capacity and creating two practice court surfaces. Future phases of the project will consist of the construction of educational and laboratory space for the exercise and sport science program, which is one of the school’s largest majors, and the creation of new athletic offices, a new training room, and natatorium for additional wellness and recreation. Similar to its need for more wellness and recreation facilities, Dr. Olive said the college wants to begin developing

Dr. David Olive, President

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Stories

“Bluefield College is excited about this new master’s program and the collaborative effort with the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine,” Dr. Olive said. Classes for the MABS are being held on the VCOM campus in Blacksburg. The program is a 35-credit-hour face-to-face curriculum that emphasizes the biomedical sciences with a strong focus on human medicine and clinical applications. It also focuses on bio- medical coursework, research experience, field study, and seminars in professional development. Plans for another new residential facility are also in the works in 2018-2019. Those plans call for construction of a new dormitory where Alumni Hall and married student housing currently sits. The new structure will be double the size of East River Hall with a total of about 200 beds and more than 40,000 square feet. This building will be equipped with community bathrooms and common areas on each floor, as well as a kitchen on the first floor. “The hall could be divided into guys and girls,” Dr. Olive said. “It could be divided by floor, so then each floor could be guys or girls.”

The new residence hall will also feature an access bridge that extends from the parking near Rish Hall across to the top floor of the new building. There will be additional parking below the new residence hall for students who reside there. In addition, this year the president hopes to successfully close out the school’s 2014-2019 Strategic Plan and begin putting together a 2019-2024 Strategic Plan. BC staff members are already working on some of the preliminary ideas for the new Strategic Plan that will guide the college over the next five years.

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by Evan Samuels Communication • 2022 College to Add NewParking on Campus

As the size of the student body at Bluefield College continues to rise, so does the need for more on-campus parking. As a result, Bluefield College adminis- trators have been exploring options to add more parking spaces on campus for quite some time, and now, thanks to a generous gift from a BC friend, plans to build a new parking lot are now becoming a reality. Already under construction, the new parking lot will be located in front of Rish Hall and will add 31 additional parking spaces on campus. The spaces will be devoted primarily to resident and commuter students; however, some spaces will be reserved for faculty and visitors. According to Josh Arnold, associate

vice president for student devel- opment, the location of the new lot will give residents of Rish Hall more parking directly near their residence and will also provide parking directly in front of the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE). “The new lot should help ease parking congestion on campus,” Arnold said, “particularly during peak visiting hours, such as during chapel days.” BC students also participated in the planning process for the new parking lot. Student leaders who served on the Board of Trustees Facilities Committee had the opportunity to review and comment on the design plans before the Board gave its final approval for the project.

The gift that helped advance the parking lot project came from a member of Highlands Fellowship, a Christian congregation that uses Harman Chapel for its church services and who will also benefit from the additional parking.

Rish Hall

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Special Olympics BC Students Host Event B luefield College students spent the day in activities and recreation with special needs kids, February 2, as part of a Special Olympics event in the BC Dome Gymnasium that served as a kickoff for Special Olympics of Mercer County. by Matti Stokes Communication • 2021

Special Olympics event. Her role was to help with the softball throw, which she described as “super fun.” “My favorite part was seeing all the kids smile when they made a ball into the net,” Bailey said. “The rewarding feeling of the kids’ happiness is what made this all worth it.” Martin thanked Bluefield College and Coach Bailey for organizing the kickoff event, which Bailey said was “a great experience.”

“I’m so excited to be able to be back in the arena with these athletes,” said Shirley Martin, director of Mercer County Special Olympics, in an interview with the BC Public Relations Office. “Special Olympics of Mercer County, West Virginia, has been inactive far too long, and I am so happy and excited about our kickoff event at Bluefield College.” From 10 a.m. to around noon, kids ages 8 and up were able to play a handful of different sports and other activities, including cornhole, basketball, tennis, softball, and volleyball. Many student-athletes from Bluefield College volunteered to work the field day and spend time with the kids. Andrew Bailey, head coach of the Lady Rams softball team, organized the event, a first for the BC community. Senior softball player Mary Blake Avery of Newport News, VA, helped coach the kids and acted as mentor throughout the day. She described the event as a “good experience,” considering she had worked field days for special needs students before, but hadn’t had the chance to do so again since coming to college.

“Bluefield College is very excited to partner with Mercer County, West Virginia, to bring Special Olympics to our institution,” he added.

“It was nice to be able to volunteer with something like that again,” said Avery, who helped a young boy with cornhole and a girl with golfing. “My favorite part was seeing the smiles on their faces when they got to participate in the same sports I love.”

Sophomore Lauryn Bailey of Suffolk, VA, also served as a mentor for the

Coach Drew Bailey

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Stories

by Ben Ayers Graphic Communication • 2019 Procrastination E very student knows that one classmate that does everything last minute but still manages to earn the highest grade in the class. These “kings and queens” of procrastination aren’t magic—they just know the secret of how to get away with it. How to Get Away with

Procrastination is often seen as lazy or careless, and in some cases it is. However—when done right—it can actually be beneficial to your work habits, your time management, and to your grade.

1 Organize and prioritize. effectively. Write down your assignments, whether on paper, in Microsoft Word or Excel, in a to-do app, on a website, or whatever you find easiest. Then you can allocate sufficient time to complete each assignment before its deadline. If you have an essay to write, give yourself a day or two before the deadline rather than an hour or two. Organizing your work helps you sort out how much free time you have before crunch time. 2 Mentally prepare. As you enjoy your allocated free time, give some loose, idle thought to your assignments as well. While playing games, consider your three writing points for an essay. Out with friends? Remind yourself of the quiz you have next week. Driving home for the weekend? Brainstorm some ideas. When it finally comes time to actually do the assignment, you’ll already have a starting point, which will help you finish quicker—and do better—than just diving straight in. Level up your procrastination skills with these helpful tips. Not forgetting your assignments is the first key to procrastinating

3 Work smarter, not harder. As you mentally prepare, develop a plan. Have an outline and choose discussion points for your essay before you ever begin writing, and you’ll know exactly what to say when you do begin. Have a template ready for the common essay styles (MLA, APA, etc.), and you can focus on content rather than formatting. Get a spelling and grammar checker like Grammarly, and you can focus on writing rather than revising. Don’t procrastinate hap- hazardly; procrastinate with a plan! 4 Stay focused. Limit distractions around you, and find a comfortable and productive place to work. Maybe you think better by pacing before you start writing; maybe you prefer a quiet spot under a tree; or maybe you like having headphones on in a bustling place like the Student Activity Center (SAC). You can even make use of tools like Microsoft Word’s “Focus Mode,” Apple’s “Screen Time,” or apps like “Forest” to help cut out distractions and focus on your work during crunch time.

5 Let pressuremotivate you. Don’t let yourself crumble and shut down under stress. Embrace it. Harness it. Calm yourself and use it to drive your work, and deliver the best work possible. Place yourself in “work mode,” and by knowing that it either has to be finished or your grade drops, find motivation to enact your plan and finish the assignment. Don’t give up. With these tips, not only will you have more free time, you’ll have less stress, better tools, and higher grades. Get organized, prepare, work smarter, stay focused, and keep motivated, and you’re on your way to a smarter procrastination.

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A Bluefield College

Love Story by Kaleigh Compton Communication • 2020

B luefield College is a community where students can find their calling, grow as individuals, make memories, and develop new friends. It is also a place where students can find love. Just ask BC students Caden Minnix and Rhyan Bailey, who did just that almost two years ago when they first met on campus in the Student Activities Center (SAC). Bailey recalls how the couple first met. She says she saw Minnix in the SAC and initially noticed him because she thought he resembled her faculty advisor. Little did she know Minnix was the son of her advi- sor, Dr. Doug Minnix, professor and chair of the Department of Exercise Science. “We began talking and quickly real- ized we had a lot in common,” Bailey said. “We both liked the sciences and had an interest in healthcare.”

The younger Minnix said he was used to people coming up to him asking if he was related to Dr. Minnix, which is how Bailey first approached him, but what he didn’t know is that this person would later become his fiancée and eventually his wife.

Later at the Homecoming Dance, Bailey and Minnix were recognized for their special moment as they danced to “Perfect,” a romantic ballad written by Ed Sheeran and dedicated by dance organizers to the newly engaged couple. They will be getting married inside Harman Chapel on July 13, 2019.

“I technically asked him out first,” Bailey said. “He didn’t know it was a date at first, but he later got the hint and officially asked me out.” Bailey and Minnix instantly became friends. Wherever she would go, he would follow. They went to dinners together at local restaurants, watched theatre performances together in Harman Chapel, and studied for exams together in classes they shared.

“He has always been so sweet to help me if there is anything I did not understand in class,” Bailey said. “Most of our rela- tionship has revolved around our experiences at Bluefield College.” The couple got engaged during BC’s Homecoming Weekend 2018. As they did the year before, they had planned to get their photos taken during the Homecoming Dance. This time around, Minnix had additional plans. Just outside the picturesque Harman Chapel, Minnix got down on one knee and asked Bailey for her hand in marriage. “I was so surprised,” she said. “I knew it would happen eventually, because we had talked about our future together. I had no idea it would happen before the Homecoming Dance. It was really special to me that he decided to propose in the way he did because Bluefield was the place that brought us together.”

Both say they are excited for their wed- ding day and to start their

lives together as a married couple. Bailey said she knows they will be honeymooning this summer in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, but the rest of the planning will be up to Minnix. Both will be starting graduate school this fall at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, West Virginia. When asked what they are most excited about for their new chapter in life, Minnix replied “her being the first person I see in the morning and at night.”

Harman Chapel Illustration © Ben Ayers

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Artwork

Clara Blevins

Paloma Sánchez Vives

Axel Johansson

Ben Ayers

Clara Blevins

Clara Blevins

Faith Pike

Palom

Jareth Dandridge

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April

2019 Seasonal Illustrations Join us at bc Rampage.com each month for new seasonal header illustrations all through 2019!

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Get to Know Artist Nicky Dronsick

by Ariana Holmes Graphic Communication • 2020

N icky Dronsick loves art. In fact, Dronsick is an art major at Bluefield College who will graduate after the fall 2019 semester. A native of Wytheville, VA, she said she chose to study art at BC for a number of reasons. “The sense of community that I felt when I first came here and the Christian based college is what brought me to Bluefield College,” she said. Dronsick has always been interested in art. Ever since she was a little girl she said she would spend hours in her room drawing and coloring; it has always been something she has loved.

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“Sketching ismore forgiving than any other medium.”

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1. “Finding Faith” Oil Paint 2. “Phantom” Oil Paint 3. “Lady” Pencil 4. “Wytheville” Oil Paint

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After her studies at Bluefield College, Dronsick said she hopes to find work that will allow her to continue to use her gift. She also hopes to teach others her trade. “I am hoping to get a job at a library designing displays,” Dronsick said, “and giving private art lessons after I graduate from college.”

Her experience as an artist she said has been very fulfilling. In addition to her years of experience at BC attending multiple art classes, Dronsick has had private art lessons for three years and has entered her works in multiple art exhibits. “I have enjoyed growing as an artist” she said, adding that while she loves everything about the discipline she most enjoys trying new things and experimenting with her creativity. Dronsick said she decides her art style based on the flexibility of the project and her creativity as an artist. She loves sketching, she added, because it gives her more flexibility and variety than painting or pastels. “Sketching is more forgiving than any other medium,” she said.

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Get to Know Graphic Designer

Andre Cardamone

by Kaleigh Compton Communication • 2020

B luefield College senior Andre Cardamone may have come to Bluefield College to play sports, but he’s leaving with a passion and proficiency for graphic design. Originally fromWasco, California, Cardamone came to Bluefield after being recruited to play men’s volleyball for the Rams. Now a senior majoring in graphic communication, he says he was not always actually interested in graphic design. “When I first came to Bluefield I was an art education major,” Cardamone said. “Then one of my friends, Lex Mocarski, was the one who kind of changed my mind.” Mocarski was a graphic communication major and encouraged Cardamone to make the switch. He quickly realized

previous career choice. So Cardamone switched to graphic communication after his freshman year. “My favorite thing is probably being able to do what I want and to create my own take on things,” he said about the art of graphic design. “When someone sees it and says ‘oh that’s really good,’ it’s like ‘yeah I did that all by hand on the computer.’”

Cardamone says he finds himself sticking to certain fonts and colors for his work, but would not say he has a particular style. His least favorite part about the job is dealing with some of his clients—not in with dealing with them as a client, but dealing with their choices of design. Their vision, he said, sometimes contradicts what he believes to be the best version of their vision. For example, it can be difficult when his clients ask for colors or a design that he thinks do not go well together. Even so, Cardamone listens to his

that he was very interested in the major, as well, and liked that it paid more than his

Andre Cardamone

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clients while also helping them pave the way for the final product. “I do my best to portray what they want,” he said, “but at the same time I like to do what I want because I know what is eclectically pleasing.” Cardamone says

“Yeah I did that all by hand on the computer”

that he has learned a lot throughout his studies at Bluefield College. He has taken classes in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

“At first I was nervous because I did not know what I was doing,” he said. “Now that I am a senior, I know where things are visually.” Cardamone says that learning the software is the hardest part. He is still learning shortcuts and new ways of creating designs in InDesign. “I will never be an expert at it,” he said, “and there are always different ways to do things.” As part of his undergraduate educational experience at Bluefield College, Cardamone has had two internships in graphic design. He has been working for the college’s Office of Marketing and Public Relations as a marketing associate, first under the direction of former PR director Chris Shoemaker and with current PR director Lindsey Akers. “The more work I can do, the more I learn,” he said. Cardamone has also been

he added, is perfect considering he prefers working in sports marketing. After Bluefield College, Cardamone hopes to move to Phoenix, AZ, a place he said ranks high in the country for the graphic design profession. He said that grad school is also a possibility after BC. “If I do go to grad school, it will be (for) a master’s in marketing,” Cardamone said about his tentative future plans. “I like the marketing side, because you can help others get their feet settled.”

the creative manager for the BC men’s soccer program. In that position, he redesigned the team’s Instagram page; maintained its social media marketing; created highlight videos for players; and redesigned the team’s soccer crest. The position,

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Coach White’s AD Contributions Leave Impact on BC by Shaun Kolb Exercise and Sports Science Major • 2020

B luefield College’s Mike White, head coach and director of athletics (AD), will soon be stepping down from his role as AD, but his time as athletic director will have a lasting impact on the department for years to come. Coach White has served as head coach for baseball at Bluefield College since 2005. In 2015, he added athletics director to his duties. He’ll be giving up the AD responsibilities, but not his coaching role, at the end of this academic year. Under Coach White’s leadership, two new sports—men’s wrestling and co-ed competitive cheer— have been added to the school’s intercollegiate athletics program since he began his tenure as AD. And as the number of student- -athletes has increased so has overall student enrollment at

Bluefield College. In 2017, BC enrolled 997 students, and in 2018 the school enrolled 1,158 students. In addition, with Coach White as AD several BC sports programs have received national recogni- tion from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), both from a team and individual standpoint. Perhaps none is more important or impressive than the Silver status recognition within the NAIA’s Champions of Character pro- gram—a first for Bluefield College. The Champions of Character pro- gram recognizes NAIA member schools whose student-athletes excel in integrity, respect, respon- sibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership. For Coach White, it’s all about helping others and being a servant leader. •••

Coach Mike White

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Sports

“My most proud accomplish- ment, whether it be as an athletic director or coach, is helping student athletes in the classroom or in their chosen sport,” Coach White said. BC sports information director (SID) Bob Redd agrees. “I believe he (Coach White) would say his biggest accom- plishment is helping develop student leaders,” Redd said, “and developing players into men.” While AD, Coach White also developed the idea and helped launch a new broad- cast service for Rams athletics that provides web broadcasts of all of home and most away

games. Redd said Coach White was “instrumental” in implementing the broadcast program. Coach White has also helped expand the Athletics Department with more workers for efficiency. Redd said he used to manage SID duties by himself for games, but now he has a team that helps him. “Just in my department, I went from having just myself to having an assistant and a group of students that work with me every game and throughout the year to get sports information out,” Redd said. they checked into their hotel before an afternoon of practice at the ESPN Sports Complex. “Once we went through the routine a couple times, we knew that we were going to be good, but one of the UCA instructors came over and told us that we were not allowed to throw a back-tuck basket with a girl as the back spot,” said junior Autumn Williby. “This threw off everything and the stress level went up. We had to change the baskets and make sure they were perfect before the next morning when we competed.” Back at the ESPN Sports Complex on competition day in front of thousands of spectators, the BC cheerleaders said they were prepared to give everything they had and to leave it all on the mat. And that, they did. The team placed 19th in the nation in the category for Open Co-ed Game Day. Their routine, they thought, “was perfect. The stunts hit and the dances. Everyone was clean,” they said.

Focusing just on baseball now, Coach White will enter his 14th season as head coach of the Rams this spring—the school’s longest tenured coach on staff. “I appreciate Dr. (David) Olive (president of BC) and Dr. (Marshall) Flowers (vice president for academic affairs) having the confidence in me to serve in the (AD) role during this time,” Coach White said. “It has afforded me the oppor- tunity to grow both personally and professionally. The Athletic Department at BC is in a great place, and I look forward to continuing to serve the college as its head baseball coach. Go Rams!”

BC Cheer Goes to Nationals

by Andre Cardamone

Graphic Communication Major • 2019

“I’m still on a high,” Coach Goodson said. “I am so proud of my team. Competition cheerlead- ing is a difficult sport because you have three minutes to hit a solid routine, and that determines your placement. I was confident in my team because we had a good morning practice and a great warm up prior to performing. I wasn’t nervous for them, but excited. I am thankful for this team and the opportunity to make history at Bluefield College. This is a great group, and I look forward to next competition season.”

T he Bluefield College cheer team traveled to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, in January to compete in the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) National Championship — a first for Bluefield College and its cheer- leading squad. “I was very nervous and scared going to a big cheer competition like Nationals.” said sophomore Destinee Coleman. “I wasn’t sure what to expect. I felt that we were going in blind, even though Coach Sara (Goodson, head cheer coach) prepared us with our routine.” The team flew from Charlotte to Orlando on January 16. Once they arrived, they took the Magical Express bus to Disney World where

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BC Football Recruit Beats Odds to Earn Scholarship A t just 5’6” tall, William Nelson wasn’t expected by many plays for the New Orleans Saints of the National by Richard Tougeekay Communication Class of 2022

to play football beyond the high school level. But don’t tell him that. A running back for Wilde Lake High School in Howard County, MD, Nelson over- came the odds, earning a scholarship to play football for Bluefield College and proving that success on the field is sometimes more about the size of a player’s heart and less about the size of his stature. “I got recruited by Coach Rod (White, assistant coach for BC football), and I was blessed enough to get an offer being 5 foot 6 inches and playing the running back position,” Nelson said. “He helped me get into this school, and he talked to the coaches and discussed it and helped me with the money and gave me the offer.” High school actually came easy for Nelson, whose cousin Mark Ingram, Jr.

Football League. He said he was always focused in high school and set goals to help him stay on task. “I tried to get straight As and Bs and make Honor Roll and do good,” said Nelson, who also has three brothers and two sisters. And that same work ethic he applied in the classroom, he also applied on the football field.

than 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior season. He also earned the team’s Most Valuable Player award, leading the squad to a record of 7-4. “My goal was just to rush for over 500 yards or more and get bigger,” said Nelson, “and try to make it to the next level and play Division I football.” And although he didn’t earn an NCAA Division I football scholarship, he did beat the odds and secure a scholarship to BC. “On the field, football is just something I love,” Nelson said, “and not

“I realized that everyone is not blessed with God-given size,” said Nelson, a native of Baltimore, MD. That’s why I always tried to outwork the next man. I just

started working out and exercising and becoming more confident to play on a higher level of football.” As a result, Nelson led his high school team in rushing. In fact, he rushed for more

trying give up on it I want to keep going with it and work hard to get where I need to be no matter what.”

by Chris DeBerry Graphic Communication • 2020 New Team in Town The Rampage Sports 26

L ast fall, Bluefield College added to its growing list of athletic teams a wres- tling squad, and under the direction of new head coach Jason Waelti, the young Rams are laying the foundation for success. Eighteen wrestlers—all fresh- men—make up the first-year roster. That number is lower than other schools with which BC competes as the Rams continue to grow, including Cumberland University who fields 25 wres- tlers, which is

Davidson College, the University of North Carolina, and West Virginia University. Other key wins this season include conference victories over West Virginia Tech on December 8, 2018 and Allen University on January 13, 2019, as well as the school’s first ever individual wrestling tour- nament championship in the Cumberland University Open on January 26, 2019. There, Reynolds and Young were named co-champions of the 174-pound weight class. Despite just four overall team wins in 22 matches in their inaugural season, the Rams are excited about the future of BC wrestling. “All I am going to say is that the Bluefield wrestling program is about to be on the come up,” Jackson said. “Give us one or two more years, and you will see.” With the regular season com- plete, the Rams will enter their first-ever post-season play on February 16 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament in Cleveland, GA.

The other freshmen joining Jackson of Ruskin, FL, on the first- ever Ram wrestling squad are: Hunter Alto of Lynchburg, VA; Will Anders of Elk Creek, VA; Jacob Booth of Daleville, VA; Matthew Bourne of Fries, VA; Avery Brown of Atlanta, GA; Gustavo Gomez of Galax, VA; Pablo Maltez of Hyattsville, MD; Gabe McReynolds of Bristol, VA; Caleb Money of Yadkinville, NC; Gerron Poston of Willard, OH; Noah Reynolds of Rock Hill, SC; Donnell Solomon of Chantilly, VA; Robert “Trey” White of Princeton, WV; Xander Whitehurst of Christiansburg, VA; Isaac Wright of Abingdon, VA; Derrick Young of Tazewell, VA; and Luke Young of Troutville, VA. The newly formed Rams wres- tling team saw its first action in the Hokie Open, hosted by Virginia Tech on November 4, 2018. In that tournament, BC’s Reynolds recorded the school’s first ever wrestling win in a match against Rahsaan Vereen of the University of North Carolina-Pembroke. The Rams competed against the likes of Virginia Tech, The Citadel, George Mason University,

much closer to the average for most colleges.

“We’ve faced many struggles this year, not having as many wres- tlers as other schools or the experience that other schools have,” said BC’s DeAndre

Jackson about the challenges of a first-year program.

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Faculty Feature

Instrumental Music Founder Returns to BC Dr. Andrew Necessary: T he founder of Bluefield College’s Instrumental Music Education Program has returned with big plans in mind for the future of the program. education courses, as well as serve as coordinator of athletic bands. His most notable previous accomplishment by Hayley Moore General Music and English Writing • 2020

he is excited for the music students of BC to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Necessary. “His knowledge as an educator as well as his

with Bluefield College was that he founded the Instrumental Music Education Program. He is

Dr. Andrew Necessary, assistant professor of music and director of marching band, grew

abilities as a performer will be a tremendous asset to the music faculty,” Hinkle said. “His classes had a profound impact on my educational style today, and I look forward to seeing the great things he will do with the BC marching band in the years to come.” Students who would like more information about the contact Dr. Necessary by email at anecessary@bluefield.edu or stop by his office in the lower level of Harman Chapel. marching band or music education program can

currently recruiting for the college and develop- ing the first Bluefield

up in nearby Tazewell, VA, before attending Elon College to earn a bachelor’s degree in music

College marching band to debut in the fall of 2019. “That’s my goal—to be great.” “I just want us to look sharp and be impressive,” Dr. Necessary said

education. He later received his master’s and doctorate degrees in music education from the University of North Carolina- Greensboro.

He began his profes- sional career teaching band in public schools for five years before becoming a professor of music education and director of bands at Concord University, where he served for 10 years and was chosen in 2002 to receive the Joseph Friedl Outstanding Faculty Award. He also taught music lessons and music education courses at Bluefield College from 2008 to 2010. Dr. Necessary has directed marching band, wind ensemble, and jazz band and has taught trombone, euphonium, tuba, band literature, jazz improvisation, brass methods, conducting, and music education. He also serves as an adjudicator for marching and concert festivals, as well as an instructor for trombone workshops and all-county band events. He now has returned to Bluefield College to teach applied low brass lessons and music

about his initial

goal for the marching band. “By building and growing a marching band, it should increase numbers and help all musical ensembles on the

BC campus.” His broader

mission, he said, is to “build an exciting marching band that can represent Bluefield College at football games, parades, and any other events that the college needs support at.” Nick Hinkle, a Bluefield College alumnus and music educator at Bluefield High School, says that

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