The NCU Northerner Nov. 2011

8/3/2019 The NCU Northerner Nov. 2011

1/12

Discovering

UptownsTre

ndy

Culture,

3

Turning

Passion

into

Action

,5

Occupy

M

N,

7

opinion news eature sportsColumnists share points o view

on todays issues rom within theNCU community and beyond

The latest news and inormation,

as well as eature stories byNCU journalists and writers

The dynamic NCU student

community engages the cultureand entertainment o the Cities

The latest on NCU Ram sports,

rom the coaches, teams andathletes competing

N o v e m b e r 1 7 , 2 0 1 1 N O R T H C E N T R A L U N I V E R S I T Y M I N N E A P O L I S , M N

Dale Houghton

Fine Arts DepartmentGodspell production

continues or a second

weekend, page 6


2/12

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North Centrals Student Newspaper Since 1960910 Elliot Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55404

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and Association o Christian Collegiate Media

Editor-in-Chie

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Online Editor

Online Editor

Director o Design

Director o Photography

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RUBEN PRIETO

REBEKAH JACOBSON

JACLYN LUTHI

JAKE VON ARX

ERICA WENIG

MARY BETH OAKS

CURTIS WARD

KAYLA GRELL

DALE HOUGHTON

JESSICA WARD

BRIAN JONES

LISA HAWTHORNE

KELSEY MARRIN

JESSICA TRAUDT

RACHEL KRUK

MARK SONNTAG

AMY LAMBERT

SARAH MACK

DEVIN LEHNHOFF

STEPHEN KIRST

BENJAMIN PIRIE

HANNAH ONEY

JOHN ROEMHILD

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Guest Editor

REUBEN DAVID

TODD WOLD

Last Monday, Ireceived a phone

call rom a riendto join them in

attending TylerPerrys production,

The Have andThe Have Nots;the perormance

would occur atthe Orpheum

Theatre locatedin downtown

Minneapolis.The Have and the Have Nots is a story about two amilies

that experience a variety o diculty, including amily

dynamics in struggles, income inequality, and their belie andaith in Christ.

The blended dynamic o the amilies captures the story oa aith journey o the character Rose, and how she remains

a woman who keeps aith in God through the weight odicult circumstances, as well as being a loving support tothose surrounding her.

Tyler Perry is known or incorporating Christian themesand messages through his production company, as well as his

portrayal o the character o Madea throughout most o hisproductions.

I elt the play captured the Christian message in a morecompelling way, which let me eeling encouraged whilebeing challenged in my aith. During intermission, I was so

moved that I began using my phone to search or dates topurchase tickets or my parents as an early Christmas present.

Fortunately, the tour cast was perorming inChicago, IL at the Arie Crown Theater that same weekend,

ater the show I called my parents to conrm their plans orthe weekend, to see i they were able to attend. Later thatnight I purchased the tickets and talked to them about the

show, they inormed me they both loved it.Tyler Perry typically incorporates original compositions in

his productions, and most pieces could be either interpretedas worship or are worship songs. During the production, I

gazed over the crowd or reactions to a characters salvationexperience that a leading character was experiencing, and a

eeling o connectedness rushed over me because a numbero spectators began worshiping in their own waythis wasthe reaction o some audience members a very powerul

public experience.Music is powerul and can strike people to evoke a variety

o emotions. More importantly, music should be recognizedas a git rom God and as an avenue that we are able to utilize

to connect to Him. I began thinking o how unexpected andunique this experience was to me. This public experience oChristians worshiping, in a setting that some people would

only view as to ll solely entertainment purposes, was anastonishing moment o cohesiveness to experience.

Regardless o the setting, we can worship God, with orwithout music. Being open to have the heart o a worshiper, I

believe, includes having the ability to receive and participatein new worship experiences. This is to include when weare worshiping when old or less amiliar worship songs are

played, when guest speakers that bring a message that youdislike, and regardless o what current season you are in.

Worship is ongoing and a lie-long learning process shouldnever be assumed as being gured-out, and remaining

active in pursuit o new horizons or both personal andcorporate settings. This type o behavior is to be expected orall participants o the kingdom o God.

My recommendation would be to watch a ew o Tylersmovies and/or plays. Perrys productions all contain thought-

provoking Christian messages leaving me challenged withhaving much more gratitude or my blessings and driven

to ocus on how I can personally contribute to be more o ablessing to my surroundings.

I there is onething I have

learned romwriting orthe North-

erner, it is

that peopleappreciatehonesty, so

let me beginby sayingthat ater two

and a hal very long, stressed lled years at North Central, Istill do not know what to make o you. I consider many o my

peers to be my riends; close riends that I hope to keep longater I leave this place. There are sermons rom each youth

pastor that molds lives in a certain way that a traditionalgure o authority does not.

Gossip is one o those sermon topics every youth pastorshould have in their arsenal o Wednesday nights. While weall know gossip is wrong, we have heard how its ruined a

persons lie, and more importantly, their social status; there isnot a shortage o it going around school.

Im no saint. I have struggled with gossip, and on occasion,still do. I know most o the secrets hidden within the walls oNorth Central, and I know you have heard some things about

me. Whether theyre true or not is a dierent story. It is airlysae to assume what you have heard about me: inappropri-

ate behavior and language, consumes alcohol, or not a realChristian come to mind. Most o the gossip at North Central

nds its way to me one way or another.What you might not have heard about me is exactly what

I have wanted to keep rom you. I dont beg or attentionlike many that will read this article. In act, that is the exact

reason as to why I do not want mysel to be seen in such alight. How many have heard that I donate 60% o every pay-check I receive? What about the t wo middle school students

I talked out o killing themselves this past summer? I do not

need that kind o attention. I am the last person you will ndstanding on a soapbox preaching on the corner o 14th andElliot, but hopeully this clears the air as to how bad I actually

am. Yes, I like bathroom humor, and wearing a cardboard boxon my head or Halloween, but that shouldnt put my salva-tion into question.

People gossip around these halls all day. Its not right, butits a part o college lie. Talking about the lie and times o

a riend is dierent than pulling second hand inormationabout a stranger out o nowhere. I am in no position to call

anyone out or their imperections, or throw Bible verses atan isolated incident, but there is a need to change the way

we speak about our peers when they are not around; thosewe claim to love, even though we do not know anythingabout them.

Beore moving to 2 West, I made the typical stereotypes like:vanity, substituting aith or material things, and a overall lack

o maturity. Ater my time with them, I couldnt have beenurther rom the truth. I consider my assumptions a mistake,and consider them brothers. Every one o us has made poor

character judgments, whether it is a certain individual, afoor, or an entire building. Simply getting to know each

other as brothers and sisters can stop this, and while I rarelygive a serious answer when it comes to deep concerns, I will

say that stepping out o your personal bubble and meeting anew riend really wont hurt.


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3

OpinionThe stage is set with two microphones, three

guitars and a piano. The lights dim down, thecrowd starts to cheer as two gures make theirway onto the stage. As the lights slowly brighten,

the light picking o a guitar lls the historicalState Theatre. The sweet sound o a emales

voice dances alongside the picking o the guitar,creating the wonderul beginnings o the Civil

Wars concert.A Caliornia-to-Nashville based band, created by the musical talents o Joy

Williams and John Paul White, The Civil Wars is a unique group due to their lack

o a back-up band. They work with only the bare essentials o guitar, vocals,and, i the song calls or it, piano.

This duo is ull o energy that is ed through their music. While on stage, themusic has an eortless pull on Williams. Her body sways to the rhythm o the

music, making her emotions overfow into a rhythmic melody fowing rom hersoul.

White and Williams have a connection to each other onstage that; music

pulls them together in a firtatious way; drawing the audience into their world.The light touching and swaying beside each other oered a sneak peek into

what they are eeling during their songs.This incredibly talented duo nds themselves silent in between songs, only

using their voices to sing. It would be a nice change rom the music to hear

about who the Civil Wars are behind the music. At times it elt that they werehiding and only interested in playing music.

Surprisingly, it has only taken the Civil Wars three years to get to wherethey are today. This duo has ound what works well or them and their voices.

However, there is one thing that is lacking rom this unbelievably talentedgroup. Civil Wars are in need o an assortment o music. Even though their

songs are incredibly beautiul, they sound alike. There are a ew reasons whythis could be a case: it could be due to their lack o a band, and only eaturingguitar in their songs. Another reason could be that every song has the same

eel to it. Most o their songs are love songs, and they have the same patternin which the song is written. Whatever the reason behind it may be, it is

something that can be changed, ultimately making the Civil Wars a moreversatile band.

The Civil Wars are talented musicians, an entertaining act and a band tokeep your eyes on. As time continues on, their music will reach the ears o newlisteners and will stay in the minds o present listeners.

The Civil Wars Set the MoodBy KELSEY MARRIN

Changing the way

baseball has been run orhundreds o years. Not an

easy task but the new movieMoneyball shows how two

men and some crazy ideashave changed modernbaseball. Moneyball has

received some high praiserom moviegoers and high

praise rom ans o sports andbaseball, however this movie

is not one or only sportsans. The movie stars Brad Pittas the main character Billy

Beane, a middle-aged ailedbaseball prospect turned general manager that must deal

with assembling a team rom scratch. The movie co-starsJonah Hill as Peter Brand, an assistant with the Cleveland

Indians when Beane meets him, who is so impressed with

Brand that he hires him and uses his new system o statisticalanalysis to change the game.

Moneyball is the story o the 2002 Oakland Athleticswhen Beane was running the team. The story involves

Beanes struggle to try to eld a competitive team with therestrictions o running a team with a small budget. Beaneand his newly acquired assistant GM Peter Brand attempt

to use a dierent approach to the business o baseball.Beane and Brand use a sophisticated and new statistical

analysis approach to scout and analyze players. This newway o approaching the game is met with anger and strong

objections rom the other scouts. Brand uses an approachbased on OBP (on base percentage) to nd out what playerswill t together. Using this approach, they are able to eld a

team that is competitive, as well as aordable. The Athleticsand Billy Beane changed how scouts and teams look at

players that year and started a revolution in the baseballworld.

I would recommend this movie to all, even i you do not

care about baseball. This is an onion movie, constructedpurposely to be entertaining on many levels. It can be

watched purely as an entertaining account o modernbaseball history, or how player statistics became one o

the most important actors determining nancial successin modern baseball. For the more sentimental audience,it tracks the journey o a man, orced to embrace change

and disappointment as he wanders aimlessly throughlie, etching out an unremarkable career rst as a ailing

proessional player, then small-time scout, then washed-outGeneral Manager, only to nally wake up and nd himsel

becoming one o the greatest living innovators o the game.Finally, or the abstract-at-heart, and or those who mightnot care as much or the baseball story, this is a tale o an

industry under irreversible changea documentary othe confict between innovators who brave the trials and

struggles to map out the new ways and the old scouts whogo all out to protect their crumbling tur.

Moneyball ScoresBy DEVIN LEHNOFF

As you move into anew city, there are phasesin which you explore

your surrounding area.You may be content with

visiting a place only once,or it could turn into a

avorite hangout. There

are certain places thatjust beg to be discovered

by the culture-curiouscollege student, and the

vibrant; eclectic area oUptown, Minneapolis is

just one o those spots.I you nd yoursel exploring Uptown or

the rst time, or have only hit the standard

places like Chino Latino or the two-level UrbanOuttters, be excited, because there is so much

more to do. Riding bikes around Lake Calhoun,

discovering the cheap nds at Heartbreakerclothing, and visiting the numerous coee shopsare some o my avorites.

When given my assignment to explore

Uptown on a Saturday, I decided to search ornew nds to add to my mix o Minneapolis

repertoire. In the days leading up to my outing,I did some research on Uptown activities that I

had not yet discovered and made a mental listo what I wanted to nd and do on my autumnSaturday.

I woke up Saturday morning to a brisk but

beautiul day and headed o with a riend toFrench Meadow Bakery and Ca or brunch. Theca was bustling with many trendy Minneapolis

citizens starting their day with resh, organic

grub so my riendand I ollowed suitand ordered one

delectable breakastcroissant and one

hearty breakastburrito. Ater nishing

up, we headed o to

enjoy the changingleaves around Lake

Calhoun and skiprocks into the water.

The aternoon oundus exploring the

many thrit stores o Uptown, with EverydayPeople Clothing being our avorite. The entirestore is chock-ull o reasonably priced brand

name clothing and accessories or both menand women. Ater we were shopped out, we

wandered into Magers and Quinn Booksellers

and got lost in our avorite reads until ourstomachs reminded us it was dinnertime. Dinneround us at Stellas Fish Ca, a contemporarychoice or classic seaood, oysters, sushi, and

steak. The decor was a rustic collection o oldboating artiacts and high-backed wooden

booths, making you eel as i youre on a seavoyage.

My day in Uptown was a mixture o enjoyingthe sites, immersing mysel in new oods, andexploring places I had not yet seen beore. The

hip and trendy culture will always provide a day

o un or those willing to explore all it has tooer. Whether Uptown is old news to you, or anew, exciting experience, there will always be

new culture to discover.

Discovering Uptowns Trendy CultureBy JESSICA TRAUDT

Jessie Traudt


4/12

4

News

StartUp is an extension o the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conerence and will

be launching this Fall, in partnership with the School o Business at North Central University.In 2010, the need or a resource or the small businesses o Elliot Park neighborhood came

to the attention o the North Central Students In Free Enterprise organization. Ater twosuccessul conerences, the need is only growing.

To ensure that our community has the best opportunities or economic growth and smallbusiness development, SIFE students have decided to create a year-round resource or smallbusiness owners, dreamers and entrepreneurial spirits o the entire Twin Cities area. SIFE

provides support, mentorship and guidance entrepreneuers need while enduring tougheconomic times to make their dreams come true.

StartUp Twin Cities was originally the Small Business and Entrepreneurial Conerence(SBEC). The North Central SIFE team held this conerence or two consecutive years in latespring. Last year, the attendees o SBEC communicated to the SIFE team that they wished

the conerence would happen more oten, and the idea to expand SBEC into a year-roundprogram was born.

We had our rst event October 6th, with 31 attendees, which was a huge turnout or ourrst event, said SIFE member, Elisabeth Johnson.

The tag line or StartUp Twin Cities, is a community based resource or small business

owners and those interested in gaining knowledge about business

practices. This includes entrepreneurial spirits, those in the businessworld who have a vision to expand, and individuals who need an

idea o how to make their business ideas a reality. StartUp TwinCities oers networking opportunities while targeting areas o

business knowledge.There was a networking event on Thursday, Nov. 3rd, which had

a great turnout. The purpose o these meetings is to share StartUps

goal to help make the Twin Cities a thriving community or smallbusiness while giving the owners a resource to grow and network

(not be sold to), so at each month we bring in a keynote speaker and instructors to teachbreakout sessions related to various aspects o business. Then there are breakout workshopswith omit titles such as; Small Business Accounting, Marketing/Brainstorming, and

Starting Your Business.Johnson went on to say, It would be great i North Central students could help us, either

by promoting the events, liking our Facebook page; StartUp Twin Cities, or i they know oanyone who would be interested in sponsoring or speaking at one o our Thursday events.

We would love to have students attend and/or volunteer!

StartUp: A Small Business Launching Pad in the Twin CitiesBy RACHEL KRUK

Impacting more than 250,000 college studentsa year, PULSE Ministries is a movement o

young adults running ater Gods heart or thisgeneration. The ministry has expanded across the

Midwest to over 30 campuses.It all began with a simple journal entry: My lie

exists to put Christ at the pulse o a generation.

Nick Hall, the ounder and chie communicator oPULSE ministries, scrawled this in his notebook

during his reshman year at North Dakota StateUniversity. Two years later, in the all o 2004, he

handed in a proposal to his English proessorentitled PULSE. It became the boiling point or

the ministry.The 15-page assignment outlined a student-led

initiative that could positively change campus.

The proposal swept across NDSU, and duringthe next school year students led prayer groups,

training events, and outreach gatherings.Students really caught onto the vision. They

got excitedand so they took that idea andsaid, Hey, can you bring PULSE here [to othercampuses]? said junior media communications

major Camden McAee, the inormationtechnology associate or PULSE Ministries.

Since its rapid start in 2005, PULSE hasimpacted multitudes o young people through a

our-step process: Prayer, Meetings, Movement,and Donate. The ministry centers on unitingand empowering young people to proclaim the

message o Christ to their peers.Events are typically set up as concerts, where

PULSE brings in the most well-known Christianrock bands to a large university venue. Beore the

headliner, Hall presents a clear message o theGospel.

We want to appeal to this generation and howthey are entertained they like loud music, so

well be as loud as legally possible, McAee said.Currently, PULSE has 14 sta and six interns

among its many volunteers. Their two most recent

events were at universities in Winona, Minn.,and Milwaukee, Wis., where over 1,000 students

responded to the Gospel message.The PULSE process is similar to that o a pulse

in the human body. Like blood in the humanbody, the body o Christ was not intended to be

stagnant.I your blood goes out without returning, it

will lose the nutrients that make it useul. I your

blood goes in without leaving, it will never servethe purpose it was created or. The pulse o a

heart gives evidence that its lie-giving mission isbeing accomplished. As PULSE unolds, believers

are called in and out.The vision o PULSE is still beating strong. This

Christmas season, PULSE will be hosting seven

presentations o The REASON. Each night willeature music and stories rom Sara Groves and

Leeland. During the winter o 2012, the ministrywill be touring with Winter Jam throughout the

United States.PULSE is hosting a massive outreach event

at the University o Minnesota Field House on

Saturday, Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m. U o M students willbe given rst entrance rom 6:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m.,

and aterwards students rom any college arewelcome to attend with a valid student I.D.

Beating Vision or This GenerationBy REBEKAH JACOBSON

Josh Gregory


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News

Last spring, a new student organization created specically or socialwork majors was launched at North Central. The new organization is

known as S.W.A.T. or Social Workers Actively Training. S.W.A.T. was ormedout o a classroom project in Generalist Practice II, a social work class.

Although it is the result o the collaboration o senior social work majors,it is open to students in any major.S.W.A.T.s purpose is to educate North Central students on these various

organizations that are right outside our doors and in the very communitywe live in, said Director and senior social work major Gabe Olson.

This year S.W.A.T. will be oering volunteer opportunities within North Central as wellas outside o campus. These opportunities will revolve around educating students and

providing resources to the community.We eel that there are many students who have a heart or the outside community butwho may lack the knowledge o how or where to get involved. They may eel that there

is just too much they do not know about the community surrounding North Central and/or the people living in it. My prayer is that S.W.A.T would help to create this knowledge or

students and enable them to share their passions with the outside community, said Olson.Although nothing has been announced yet, the members o S.W.A.T are working on events

that they will oer or the entire student body. Their goal is to give students multiplevolunteer opportunities with various organizations in the community. Volunteering

opportunities will most likely be group-oriented, although students will be able to

volunteer on their own i they choose to.Our plan is to bring urther educational encounters beyond the classroom throughvolunteer opportunities, guest speakers, and collaboration with other organizations on

campus and in our community, said Treasurer and senior social work major HarmoneeWampler.

Some organizations that S.W.A.T. will partner with could include: Hennepin County MedicalCenter, Augustana Health Care Center, Project or Pride in Living, Urban Ventures, Little

Brothers - Friends o the Elderly, Feed My Starving Children, Salvation Army, etc. Many othese agencies rely heavily on their volunteer support and would not be able to providetheir services i it were not or volunteers.

Our goal or this year and or the uture is to bridge the gap between students in socialwork classes and experiences ound outside the classroom setting We want to make

ourselves known to students here on campus as well as organizations outside o NorthCentral, said Wampler.

Turning Passion into ActionBy BEN PIRIE

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is

an organization that strives to see ameasurable impact on community. Theydo that by impacting three areas: people,

planet, and prot.

SIFE gives students an opportunity toapply classroom knowledge to real lie.Some o the benets o being involved

in SIFE includes building your resume,networking with business proessionals,participating in projects to reach the

campus and community or business,learning how to become a leader,

attending career airs, and opportunitiesto secure internships and jobs, said

Executive Director and senior businessadministration major Jamie Welsh.

Bill Tibbetts, assistant proessor o

business and Sam Walton Fellow oSIFE, added, It also gives students

opportunities to ulll Gods calling ontheir lives by making an impact on the

Kingdom through our local community.Last year, the North Central SIFE team

was successul at both the Regional and

National Competition. As the rst runner-up in the rst round at Nationals, North

Central is one o the top 30 schools.This year SIFE started out strong with

Elliot Parks Night to Unite bringing in

1,640 people. SIFE partnered with local

non-prots to begin organizing the eventa year in advance. They provided reeood and medical testing including: STD,

HIV, cholesterol, and lead testing.

SIFE is the organization behindOperation Lunch, where students candonate lunch on Fridays to charity.

Through Operation Lunch, SIFE helpslower the operational costs o non-prots.

NCU Green is also through SIFE.Their motto is the three Rs: Repurpose,

Reuse, and Recycle. The recycling binsthroughout campus are there because o

SIFE.One o the main ocuses o SIFE is

Project SOS. There are multiple activities

included in this, such as Limbo Luau,Financial Challenge, Ring By Spring, and

other events. The main goal o ProjectSOS is to reduce students debt beore

they graduate, as well as increase resumebuilding and interviewing skills.

SIFE also does multiple other projects

throughout the year including: StartUpTwin Cities, Interview Me, Net Ca, and

Clothe the Community. New students, aswell as new ideas, are welcome year-

round.

By AMY LAMBERT

Real Lie Training Grounds


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News

Moments beore Godspell began, sophomore youth

ministry major Dave Ritter surveyed the set with excitement.Its going to be awesome, he said, predicting the

characters would unite and evolve, connecting with theaudience like never beore.

As the cast opened with a song and launched the audience

into the world o Grant High School, Ritters predictions cametrue.

For opening night, they really started o on a great note,

said reshman English major Jamie Hollins.North Central alumna Hannah Peyton echoed Hollinssentiments, calling the production abulous due to thevariety o talent throughout the musical, mentioning the

acting, singing, and dancing. Godspell presents the parablesrom the Gospel o Matthew in a modern-day setting o a high

school.A large contributing actor to the avorable eedback rom

the audience is the connection between the characters.Director and Assistant Fine Arts Proessor Wayne Matthewscommented that one o the main ocuses or this years

production was character development and how Jesus reallyknew the characters stories. In the early days o rehearsals,

a cast member suggested that to truly get into the minds o

their characters, they should each come up with their own

back-story. In addition, each cast member individually metwith Jesus, portrayed by junior secondary education major

Ben Schrade.Only Jesus knows the ull story o each character on the

stage, said Matthews, a 2003 North Central alumnus. This

has changed the way the cast interacts with each other. Theyhave become closer and more invested in the musical as they

connect more with each o the characters.

Freshman music business major Matt Allen agrees with thisassessment, saying that the innovation and bonding has reallyhelped the cast make Godspell their own unique production.

We have so many creative people and we have really been

able to make it our own, said Allen.The parable o the prodigal son, as told in the style o

comedian Bill Cosby, showcases the unique, high-spunenergy. Allen mentions this as his avorite part o the musical,

stating that it was un to do and represents much o thecreative process o the cast and crew.

Based on the reaction rom opening night, the extra work

paid o. Various audience members repeatedly stated thatthe cast chemistry truly made the story come to lie, while one

also added it made or a high energy show rom beginning to

end.

Although the musical is ull o many playul and humorousmoments, it is also lled with moments that provoke thought

and deep emotion. Senior secondary education major RileyOBrien expressed this in describing his avorite part duringthe Sermon on the Mount scene.

I dont want to give it away, said OBrien, but there is thispoignant moment where the truth o what theyre saying

suddenly hits you and you walk away with something to think

about.Godspell is well worth the time and money, accordingto sophomore youth ministries major Kymberli Tute. Shesummed up many o the cast and audience members

opinions.Its not at all what I expected it to be like, but it was a

pleasant surprise. I thought the best part was how theyinterpreted the characters. It really came to lie or me, said

Tute.The cast has our more per ormances in the North Central

Small Chapel. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov.

17 Saturday, Nov. 19 and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20.Tickets are available or North Central students or $10, seniors

and children under 12 or $12, and adults or $15.

Godspell Puts a Creative Spin on the GospelBy LISA HAWTHORNE

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Dale Houghton

(Far let) Freshman Music Business

major Matt Allen portrays John The

Baptist in Godspell.

(Center) Characters range rom the

jock and the prom queen to the

odd girl and the hillbilly.

(Let) North Centrals production

oGodspellis flled with many

humorous moments.


7/127

Feature

Protests are appearing all over America in many major

cities. New York, Cincinnati, Madison, St. Louis and Oaklandare a ew o the dozens o cities that have banded together

to occupy their cities main streets and major parks.Since Oct. 5th, Minneapolis has joined the ranks o

protesters, coming together in solidarity or the 99

percent. Dozenssometimes hundredso people can beseen rallying together or the 99 percent in the government

plaza downtown Minneapolis.In Minneapolis the protests cover a large spectrum

o social issues. According to http://www.occupymn.org/about, Occupy Minneapolis webpage, the issuesrange rom privacy rights to every conceivable orm o

oppression. Most o the Occupy Together movement agreeson one large issue: major changes need to be made to the

banking industry and the stock marketthe one percent.Whoor whatexactly is this 99 percent? According

to the Congressional Budget Oce, rom 1979 to 2007there was an uneven gain in income (based on salary raisesand infation rates) among six income brackets. The gain

is almost 100 percent or the richest quintile o the nation,

but somehow, the top one percent has gained a nearly 300percent increase in their annual salary. The remaining 99

percent are let in the dust in comparisonhence the 99percent.

Why is this important to North Central students? The data

provided by the CBO (and the above graph) only date to2007. In the past our years this gap has grown larger and

shows no sign o stopping without change. Some sources,like Vanity Fair magazine, who published an article our

months beore the Occupy Wall Street protests, say this is avery big deal or any person living in America.

An economy in which most citizens are doing worse year

ater yearan economy like Americasis not likely to dowell over the long haul, said Vanity Fair.

A common voice against the protests urges the Occupiersto look past their world and view the issue rom a global

perspective. By comparison, America embodies the top onepercent o the world. By deault, i someone makes morethan $34,000 a year, they t in the top one percent o the

income bracket o the world.

However, some nancial experts worry. I the incomegap continues to grow at the rate it has been over the last

20 years then America could soon nd itsel below the onepercent line on a global scale.

As the rich get richer the poor get poorer, and i the

income gap increases, the value o the dollar will decreasebecause the majority o Americas money will remain

dormant in bank accounts and investments rather thanbeing circulated through America. While there are many

other actors to this concept, it may make a large impact inthe decline o America.

Occupy Minneapolis is just one small piece to a greater

picture as America clamors or reorm. For many thismay be an opportunity to join in and exercise their First

Amendment rights. For others it may just serve as aconstant awareness o the world outside o North Central.

For all, the Occupy Together protests will serve as alandmark in history as they watch America choose whichturn to make at this proverbial ork in the road.

OccupyMN: Wall Street Protests Invade Downtown MinneapolisBy MARK SONNTAG

Kayla Grell


8/128

Feature

In the spring o 2009, North Central had to send o into

the world one o its best and brightestRyan Leak. Forthose who dont know him personally, they might still

recognize him as the ace o Alumni and Friends on NorthCentrals home page at www.northcentral.edu. For thosethat have had the pleasure o knowing him, they know what

a legacy he let behind.

Ater graduation, Leak stayed in Minneapolis or severalmonths trying to gure out what God had or the next stepo his lie. What opened up was a perect tHelp Sta Me.

Help Sta Me is a company in Dallas, Texas that seeks to setup great churches and ministries with the right person orthe job.

Being the natural networker that he is, Leak thrived atHelp Sta Me by connecting people rom all across the

country (including many North Central students) with greatministry opportunities. When the time came to transition

out o Help Sta Me, Leak chose to do what he loves: churchconsulting and entrepreneurialism. Nonetheless, he still

utilizes his large address book o a mind and links churches

looking or new personnel with suitable candidates that hesmet over many years and rom many states.

In January o 2011, Leak started Park Bench Productions, acompany dedicated to creating relevant messages directedat the average consumer.

We work with many secular companies, non-prot

corporations, churches, and ministries to create engagingvisual media that illustrates the necessary message, saidLeak.

The pieces theyve been hired to make have been airedor all sorts o events and purposesrom websites toyouth conventionsincluding a piece or North Centrals

website.On top o the steady stream o clients fowing through

the Park Bench inbox, Leak still nds time to do what hedoes best: connecting and consulting. He does creative

church consulting or a number o ministries. His knackand insight into modern church culture helps churches all

around grow their potential.

I specically consult with stage design, serviceproduction, video, and lighting encouraging church

ministries in ways to engage an ever-distractedcontemporary audience, said Leak.

Leak has also spent a little more than a year as one o the

creative directors at The Oaks Fellowship in South Dallas, led

by Senior Pastor Scott Wilson. Leaks job is to acilitate liveproduction during services. This means that he is in chargeo everything that the camera and live switching teams are

doing. Every part o The Oaks online experience has hadLeaks hand on it.

As i that werent enough, Leak also teaches video

production and scriptwriting at Christ or the Nationsregularly, travels and speaks to churches and youth groups

on occasion, and blogs.When asked what else he possibly has time or, his

response was, Im trying to get in the NBA right now buttheres a lock-out. Leak is clearly a man who does it all.

North Central Alumnus Ryan Leak is Connecting and ConsultingBy STEPHEN KIRST

Ryan Leak


9/129

Feature

Out o the array o campus organizations and

programs at North Central, WOVEN is one o theleast known. Not many students know about it,except or music majors.

WOVEN stands or With One Voice Energizingthe Neighborhood, and provides opportunities

or successul music literacy and per ormanceor the children o downtown Minneapolis.

The children are able to build sel-esteem indeveloping their artistic gits. The program also

acilitates the leadership o North Central studentsthrough the mentoring and teaching involvedduring lessons.

It is WOVENs vision to see the artistic gitso children in the downtown Minneapolis

community developed.This program is ultimately designed to teach

music with the sole purpose o demonstrating

success through music, said co-director o WOVENand 2009 alumna Phebe Yeo.

Along with teaching children, this program alsohas an amazing vision. WOVEN believes people

are born with a desire to be the best they can beto bring glory to the Lord. Through the disciplineand determination o learning music, long-term

and short-term musical goals can be achieved.Amanda Densieski, junior worship leading

major, has participated in the program and saysit gives music majors a great experience to teach

students.[WOVEN] reaches out and gives to the

community, allowing inner city students ree

lessons and also introduces them to music and aninstrument as well as theory, said Densieski.

WOVENs theme verse is Colossians 3:23:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,as working or the Lord, not or men, since you

know that you will receive an inheritance rom theLord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are

serving.The program and its directors truly desire to

see a change or the good in this community andbelieve that by sharing the gits God has blessedhis people with, they can bless others.

Rebekah Rogado, junior music perormancemajor, got more out o it than she thought she

would.When I would look through my students

books, I would think o ways ahead o time how

I would teach the lesson dierently rom whatthe book said. I would think o my own ways

o teaching it to her. Now that I teach piano, Idenitely can see that WOVEN has helped and

infuenced me in that area, said Rogado.Kids ranging rom ages 7-14 rom allneighborhoods are welcomed and encouraged

to participate. WOVEN is always looking or andin need o more teachers. Currently there are 25

students and 23 teachers. I you are interestedin learning more about the program or have any

questions, e-mail Phebe Yeo at [email protected].

One Voice Energizing the Neighborhood

By SARAH MACK

For most

students wholive on campus,

a necessary parto their day-to-

day lie involvesa meal plan

which meansrequenting thecaeteria.

WithThanksgiving

coming up,Greg Andrews,the Director

o PioneerCatering Food

Service, plans to add new and special items. Students can

experience a Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 17.Ideas or the dishes served in the caeteria come rom a

wide variety o sources.Pioneer has a recipe catalogue, and students and

aculty have ideas, said Andrews. Some o our best comerom employees; we make a small batch, and i people like

it, we turn it into production.Andrews personal avorite dish is turkey a la king overrice.A seasoned turkey and gravy dish over rice, with

chopped vegetables.Andrews also has suggestions or students trying to

eat healthy in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving andChristmas.

The salad bar is always a good place to starteven the

deli bar is pretty good too, said Andrew. At lunch, Mondaythrough Friday, we usually have a vegetarian dish, but

that doesnt necessarily mean healthy. We try to have one

entre as a healthy alternative to the others.For students searching or a job in preparation or next

semester, Andrews oered advice or these students.Usually two to three weeks beore the end o semester

[would be an ideal time to apply], but jobs can be availableany other time, said Andrews.

Andrews is pleased with the work ethic o manystudents who currently employed in the caeteria, thisrefects well on North Central.

When asked i there were any North Central studentwho worked in the caeteria or deli that he would like

to recognize or an outstanding eort and a job welldone, Andrews replied, There are a lot o them. Andrewsmentioned the support o students and their direct impact

to accomplish set goals or the caeteria. Andrews notesthat employed students, make what we do possible.

A Caeteria Thanksgiving With a Side o Job OpportuntiesBy HANNAH J. ONEY

(Above)The

students practicing

or their Christmas

choir perormance.

(Let) Alumnus

Phebe Yeo teaches

her student,

Immanuel, how to

play piano.

Im very excited

or our recital

coming up in a ew

weeks. Everyone

is practicing really

hard.

-Phebe Yeo

Dale Houghton

Dale Houghton

Rebekah Wilson


10/1210

Feature

Senior vocal perormance major Alan Bach has participated in many shows

and church musicals throughout his lie, perorming in his rst production in rstgrade at the age o six. His most recent role as a boy named Lea Coneybear in the

production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee o Theater Latt Da atthe Ordway Theatre has taken his theater career to an exciting new place.

The Tony Award-winning show is about an odd, yet charming group o outsidersthat are brought together by a spelling bee the only place where they can trulystand out and t in at the same time. As the show goes on, the audience soon

realizes there is a lot more tak ing place besides the competition or the title ospelling bee champion.

One o the challenges Bach and the other actors encountered during each showwas having three volunteer participants rom the audience on stage competing in

the spelling bee. These volunteers were chosen hal an hour beore show time and

the actors had to be ready at all times i one o the participants would get out whenthey werent suppose to or i they turned out to be better spellers than anticipated.

Founded in 1994 by Peter Rothstein and Denise Prosek, Theater Latt Da is aproessional theater company based out o Minneapolis. Bach auditioned in June

or the company and received a callback in July or Spelling Bee. A month later, heound out he had been chosen or the role o Lea Coneybear.

I have always loved perorming, whether it be singing a concert to my parents onmy impromptu coee table stage, using a turkey baster or a microphone, or beingin real staged productions, said Bach.

Since rst grade, Bach has perormed in various church musicals and communitytheatre. In middle school, he played a role in A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie

Theater and was also a part o a company called Youth Perormance based in

Minneapolis.Bach attended Apple Valley High School and was involved in music and theatrethere, while also gaining training in dance. For the past ve summers, he had theopportunity to sing in a variety o shows at Valleyair Amusement Park. Since being

at North Central, Bach has perormed in a number o productions including: TheSecret Garden, The Fantasticks, Into the Woods, and Our Town.

Two years ago, North Centrals Chorale traveled to New York City and spent timeserving while also using their talent to sing. There, Bach had the opportunity to meet

Laura Kelly, who recently played the role o Mary Poppins in the Broadway musical,Mary Poppins.

She was such an inspiration to me, and is a Christian working in the musical

theater world. It was then that I knew that I had to pursue my dream to perorm inproessional theater, said Bach.

Once he graduates rom North Central in December, Bach hopes to land a job asa production singer on a cruise line. Ater that, he plans to use the money he saves

rom the ship and audition in New York.His advice or students who have a heart or theater and are looking to go into it

proessionally is simple: audition.

The only way to get better at it is to do it as requently as possible. Work hard andreally do the most you can with the talent that God has given you. I we want to be

a light or the Lord, it is so important that we are ready to be great at what we do,otherwise we will have no respect rom our colleagues. That, I think, is essential in

being able to show the love o Jesus, said Bach.

Branching Out in the Theatre WorldBy SARAH MACK

In a building that has stood in signicanceor nearly 150 years, Westminster PresbyterianChurch has been working on ullling its

mission o becoming a telling presence inthe city. This church that now has a largecongregation started with a gathering o only

eight people in 1857.Bi-weekly town hall orums are held at

Westminster Presbyterian Church. Their orumsare a way to get the publics view on certain

current issues rom an ethical perspective. OnNov. 8, the church had the honor o having Tom

Brokaw as their main speaker.The evening started with a beautiul hal-hour o worship beore Brokaw took the stage.

Ater the band stepped o the stage, attentionshited to the podium as elderly Tom Brokaw

took the stage.Tom Brokaw is best known or his years

o being the anchor and managing editor o

NBC Nightly News rom 1982 to 2004. He hasreceived numerous awards and honors and is

the only person who has hosted all three majorNBC news programs: The Today Show, NBC

Nightly News, and Meet the Press.

Brokaw sparked his presence on stage bybringing humor to the orum by talking about

his mother.This is the ulllment o my mothers lie-

long dream; her son is standing in ront o apulpit with a ull congregation, said Brokaw.

Ater sharing a good laugh with everyone,Brokaw switched topics to America. He statedthat America as a country works best when

everyone is working together. The dierentreligions, jobs, or cultures dont matter.

Its that act that we are a country and that

at one point and time the United States use towork together, said Brokaw.

Brokaw stated that we have lost theAmerican Dream and we are now searching or

possible solutions to this by looking back toearlier generations.

Brokaw spent a good part o the evening

talking about his new book, The Time o OurLives: Past, Present, Promise. The book is thenewest addition to his ve bestsellers and is an

examination o changes in American lie sincethe Great Depression and is a refection on

Americas uture.Brokaw took the audience through dierent

stories included in the book. Many o thestories dealt with dierent veterans that he has

come into contact with throughout the years.One o the stories was about a U.S. Marinethat he met at a convention. The solider had

served in three tours during the War on Terror.During his last tour, the solider and his unit

were ambushed. When the heroic marinerealized that three o his soldiers were missing,he went out looking or them. While searching

or his comrades, he was hit by an explosiveand shot eight times.

Ater two-and-a-hal years o rehab, therapy,and absence rom his wie, the marine set out

on a new mission. His next assignment was

not to go back to the Middle East, but to helpellow wounded comrades continue the ght in

the United States.Ater this story was told, Brokaw gave his

nal thoughts or the night.One hundred years rom now people are

going to make a judgment about how we[Americans] acted towards our troops, saidBrokaw.

He continued to state that Americans donot show enough respect or their troops

and everything that they do or the American

people.Stand up and let them know that youre

thankul or them risking their lives or you,your amily, and your country, said Brokaw.

Tom Brokaw Speaks at Town Hall ForumBy KELSEY MARRIN

Tom Brokaw visited Minneapolis in 1999. During his visit in 2011, he spoke to a packed house about his upcoming book.

(Let) Alan Bach

(center), senior Vocal

Perormance major,

perorms in The

25th Annual Putnam

County Spelling

Bee at the Ordway

Theatre.

Ordway Theatre

Star Tribune


11/12

Sports

11

Anderson, originally rom Aurora, MN,was 7-years-old when she began playing

volleyball and she has been playing eversince.

What makes the North Central teamdierent is the Christian infuence. Wevetalked a lot about how our source is

ound in Christ. Its been an amazing ouryears being a part o a team that strives to

gloriy God on and o the court.

She also loves sotball and has been apitcher since she was 6-years-old. Atershe graduates, Anderson hopes to still beinvolved in both sports.

Sotball is my rst love and I hopeto play or years to come and possibly

become a coach just like my dad.Due to knee problems, Anderson is

unsure o how much longer she willbe able to play volleyball. Her years oplaying volleyball or North Central are

valuable to her and she eels that she haslearned a lot.

Ive learned that no matter how manyobstacles and challenges we ace, Gods

love never ails. We have aced so manyhardships, and a lot o teams would

just give up, but not this team. We havecontinued to pray or each player and Imalways amazed at how aithul God is to

us.As an intercultural studies major,

Andersons ultimate dream is to work with

kids overseas or in Minneapolis. To her,being a graduating senior eels surreal.I eel like I just came to NCU last year

and now Im about to leave. Im sad about

being done with my volleyball career,but I am at peace with it because I know

all good things must come to an end.Over the past our years I have had the

chance to be a part o such a great groupo teammates and coaches who love theLord. Its going to eel weird not playing

volleyball in the all, something Ive doneevery year since second grade.

Grandstrand, originally rom Karlstad,MN, began playing volleyball her junior

year in high school.The North Central team is dierent,

because while we like to tease each otherand have un, at the end o the day weresolely there to support each other on and

o the court.Grandstrand eels like she has learned

valuable lessons through her our years on

the North Central team.Ive learned to push mysel arther than

I ever thought imaginable. Ive learned torely ully on God or my strength when I

know my body has no more strength. Ivelearned how to be a verbal leader, rather

than just leading by example. Ive alsolearned that some people are in your lives

or just a short period o time, but they canhave a huge eect on who you are today.And yet others will stay in your lie orever.

She hopes to stay involved in sports inthe uture. She is involved with her three

younger siblings athletic careers, eveni its just to cheer them on. Grandstrand

would love the opportunity to be a coachsomeday.

We had a great season this year and I

am so proud o the girls. Im excited to seewhat the team does next year and they

better bring their A-game or the alumni

game next year, because Ill be there.Grandstrand is graduating in May and isgetting married in her hometown on June9. She hopes to work at one o the local

universities and eventually teach English atthe college level.

My dreams include: going to gradschool, traveling to England, Norway, and

Sweden with my soon-to-be hubby, buyinga home, starting a amily, and loving my

job (whatever that may be in the end).

Andrea Grandstrand, senior english-writing major Danielle Anderson, senior ICS major

North Central Volleyball team won ve games in their regular season, which qualied them or regionals,but did not make it to nationals this season.Volleyball: Graduating Seniors

By AMY LAMBERT

ncurams.edu


12/1212

Sports

It was two

losses and a

win or theNorth Centralmens soccer

team at thislast weekendsNCCAA DII

Nationaltournament in

Flordia.At the

beginning othe season

head coachJake Smithmade a

statementmore prescient

than herealized when he spoke to the Northerner twoweeks ago - a ew days beore district nals in

Canada, and beore knowing the team wouldadvance to nationals ater an 8-year dry spell.

Our past disappointments are behind us. We arenow set to begin a new era in NCU mens soccer,

said Smith.When asked i this still rang true, Smith said theteam started stronger than they had nished. Not

exactly receding but not dubbing it literal trutheither, Smith explained that injuries and tougher

competition had made a dierence.According to Smith, a couple o the injuries

included a torn ACL and broken jaw - the

circumstances o the latter seeming a bit hazy.

All this contributed to the teams then record o

2-11-2.We had some very disappointing losses, said

Smith, [But] I still think its the best team weve had

in our years.No matter the outcome, the teams theology o

soccer is that God is omnipresent.

We try to play a game that Jesus Christ wouldlike to watch. But we dont play sissy soccer, said

Smith.According to Smith, team captains Zach Claussen

Jolly and Kaleb Graham Cheddar, have led well.The team had a ew compliments or their coach as

well. Junior pastoral studies major, Nevin Alexander,calls Smith the man.

He denitely adds spice to my lie, said

sophomore pastoral studies major, Alex Sanjari.Although we are very dierent, he always

aims to pull the best out o me no matter howuncomortable it makes me. He has never given upon me and Im thankul beyond words or that, said

Sanjari.Freshman worship leading major, Braden Dressel,

says the entire team respects Smith and thinks he isdenitely the man or the j ob.

As it was his rst year on the team, senior childrenand amily ministry major Jordan Brokaw says heappreciates how much time Smith spent helping

him improve.With ve players graduating and more games

scheduled in next years season, Smith welcomesprospective players to the team the best one in

the region.

Mens Soccer Makes it to NationalsBy ERICA WENIG

Mark Sonntag

Mark Sonntag

Dale Houghton

(Let) The soccer team loads

the bus or the long drive to

Florida or nationals.

The best part about the

drive was when it was over.

You had to choose your

seatmate wisely, becauseyou were going to be sitting

next to them or the next 30

hours.

-Jordan Brokaw, orward

(Below) Excited or Nationals.

(Right) Mens soccer captains

Cheddar (Kaleb Graham,

let) and Jolly (Zach

Claussen, right) helped

the Mens team make

their frst ever appearance

at the NCCAA National

Championships this year.

For the past ve years, North Central has had a mens

gol team. Out o those ve, this is the second year beingan ocial NCAA sport. There are currently seven memberso the team.

The team practices twicea week at Mississippi Dunes

in Cottage Grove, as wellas individual practices on

their own time. The teamhas been doing well thisyear.

Coach Spencer Huttonsays that the scoring

average is the lowest sincehes been on the team.

They have been in sometournaments this year, andcompeted in the U-Mac

conerence. The teamhopes to win a Conerence Championship, and then move

on to compete, and hopeully someday win a NationalChampionship.

Aside rom playing the game well, the team also has a

unique goal that is not always the case in sporting events,which is to gloriy God through their skills.

We play

as a team, not orour own glory, but

or Gods, which iswhat sets us apart

rom how gol isnormally played,said Hutton. This

philosophy was alsoheld by the teams

previous coach,Todd Monger.

The teamlooks orwardto continuing in

upcoming years,with the hope o recruiting athletes who not only have a

love or the game, but who also share the teams mindseto using their athletic skills as an act o worship.

Golng to Gloriy GodBy BRIAN JONES

Northwestern College is helping me to developand master the skills I need to be a leader.

Peter, MOL Student

651-631-5200 888-362-8715 nwc.edu/gradstudies

Believe.Learn.Master.

Online or on site graduateprograms.

MasterofArtsinHumanServices

MasterofArtsinTheologicalStudies

MasterofDivinity

MasterofOrganizationalLeadership

ncurams.edu

The NCU Northerner Nov. 2011

Documents

Transcript of The NCU Northerner Nov. 2011