Features

5Nov

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Faculty

New associate dean of residence life casts vision for his role

By Kamryn Sanderfer Staff Writer Zack Church. Photo courtesy Trevecca Marketing. Living learning communities and language-intensive housing options in which native Spanish speakers are paired with students looking to improve their language skills are just a couple of the big dreams Zack Church has for the future of residential life at Trevecca. Church, associate dean of residence life, replaced Rhonda Lillenthial as associate dean of residence life after she retired after serving 36 years in the position. “I’m looking forward to getting the rhythm of this job down…really getting my feet underneath me there, and then, you know, asking ‘What can we do with residence life in the next five years?’” said Church. Church first came to Trevecca as a student in 2...

Women’s golfer shares story leading to success

5Nov

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Features, Sports

Women’s golfer shares story leading to success

By Kaleel Stewart Staff Writer Photos courtesy Trevecca Trojans Junior Sara Blake Coley said she knew the moment she stepped onto the course in high school that golf was more than a hobby for her. Golf was her future. Coley had the best single golf round in her career on Sept. 9 as a member of the golf team at Trevecca. "I went to a small high school centered around football," said Coley. "The golf team was very small; it was more of just people who wanted something to do in the afternoons and thought golf was a little bit interesting.” Coley, who is from Milan, Tennessee, said she spent many fall, winter, and spring breaks throughout her childhood on golf courses alongside her grandparents, and by her sixth-grade year of school, she played golf competi...

On-campus rehab center resident shares impact of volunteers

5Nov

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Features

On-campus rehab center resident shares impact of volunteers

By Emily Gibson Assistant Feature Editor McClellan posing for picture. Photo by Emily Gibson. George McClellan smiled wide as he wiggled his toes and fingers in his wheelchair, displaying his progress. At the Trevecca Center for Rehabilitation and Healing, McClellan is better known as "Mr. Miracle" because when the 62-year-old arrived at the center six months ago, such simple movements were impossible. "I’m moving my toes, fingers, arms… I’m able to feed myself and dress myself… I couldn’t do that," said McClellan. "You don’t pay attention to small stuff like that until you can’t do it." A month ago, McClellan took his first steps, but today he can walk short distances without his wheelchair, and he spends every day practicing the tasks he will have to perform once again wh...

Reflection of campus diversity among faculty

26Apr

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Faculty

Reflection of campus diversity among faculty

By Michelle Loria Alvarado Contributor Despite diversity growth in the undergraduate student body, the faculty at Trevecca are still mostly white. In the last 10 years, Trevecca’s student body demographic makeup has shifted. This year around 53% of undergraduate students reported being white. Around 87% of Trevecca faculty members are white. Trevecca administrators said students being able to learn from faculty from different backgrounds is important and minority students seeing their race and culture represented is also important. “The faculty, if you look at the research and the data, they are the most influential on the impact of a student's development. So I do think it's very important for us to have minority representation to reflect the student body,” said Thoma...

Dr. Andrew Burnham receives Teaching Excellence Award

15Apr

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Faculty

Dr. Andrew Burnham receives Teaching Excellence Award

By Emily Gibson Section Editor On a hot spring day 13 years ago, Andrew Burnham arrived at his interview with the Dean of the School of Education, frazzled and unkempt but on time. After he exited I-440, his car broke down, and he walked the remaining mile to the university. “I must have looked awful,” said Burnham. “Sure enough, they offered me the job, and I just couldn’t believe it.” Andrew Burnham presented with Teaching Excellence Award - Photo courtesy Trevecca Marketing Burnham experienced a similar kind of awe as he walked on stage as this year’s recipient of Trevecca’s Teaching Excellence Award. On February 29, Tom Middendorf, university provost, presented Burnham with the annual award. “I work with a lot of really good professionals, so I was shocked and humb...

12Apr

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Faculty, Features

Ronda Lilienthal retires after 35 years

By Emily Gibson Section Editor Ronda Lilienthal — Photo courtesy Trevecca Marketing Ronda Lilienthal is retiring as associate dean of students after 35 years. From the baby boomers all the way to Gen Z, Lilienthal has worked alongside and trained nearly three generations of resident assistants, resident directors, and students in leadership for service, which has given her a rare perspective in her field of work. “There’s no one who can possibly step in with her depth of both experience, wisdom and knowledge about her work,” said Dan Boone, president of Trevecca. To better understand Lilienthal and her story at Trevecca is to travel back as early as her childhood. Lilienthal is the eldest of one brother, David, and they were raised on a wheat farm in Herington, Kansas ...

Student with rare limb disorder volunteers to help others

18Mar

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Features

Student with rare limb disorder volunteers to help others

By Emily Gibson Section Editor On the morning of May 12, Irina Yeakley stood before an officer at the Ukrainian border, where she was questioned about her Russian ethnicity and suspected of possibly hiding something. Irina Yeakley. (Photo courtesy of Irina Yeakley “The officer was staring into my soul as if she were trying to see if I was a spy or knew the Russian language, so I tried not to freak out and acted as casual and normal as possible," said Irina “She (the officer) was not happy, but she let me through.” Irina let out a sigh of relief as her van, one of the six carrying humanitarian aid, passed over safely into war-stricken Lviv, Ukraine. The Russian-born but American-raised 21-year-old Trevecca student was in Europe during the Russo-Ukrainian war af...

Tiktok #emotionalsupportwaterbottle trend on campus

16Jan

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Campus News, Features

Tiktok #emotionalsupportwaterbottle trend on campus

By Sol Ayala Online Editor It was at the Atlanta Botanical Garden gift shop where Maria Pimentel’s boyfriend bought her a water bottle. Since then, the $50, 18.6 ounce water bottle has officially become her “emotional support water bottle.” Maria Pimentel's emotional support water bottle. “It's a beige metal water bottle. All around the water bottle, it has different succulents and like the name of the succulents next to it in really tiny handwriting,” said Pimentel, a senior psychology major. “I love it." Pimentel is part of a growing number of people who refer to their water bottle as “an emotional support water bottle,” a term that can be traced back to TikTok under the hashtag #emotionalsuportwaterbottle with 303.2 million views and counting. The reusable water bottle i...

Soccer player takes field again after spring break car accident

16Jan

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Features

Soccer player takes field again after spring break car accident

By David Elvir Staff Writer Photos provided by Orlando Jerez The entire bench stands up. Players, coaching staff, athletic trainers all applauded. All 11 Trojans in the field stop and put their hands together in admiration. The crowd cheers. Stepping onto the soccer field is number 15—Orlando Jerez. “Ladies and gentlemen, an important substitution for the Trevecca Trojans to mention, enter to the field, Orlando Jerez. He is coming from a really bad injury he had, but now he's back on the field,” notes the game announcer. On Oct. 14, against Ohio Dominican University with a 5-2 score on the boar, Jerez was given his first minutes after a life-altering accident, which left everybody questioning if he ever would be able to step on the on a field again. “Throughout the whole...

‘The Chosen’ assistant director joins faculty

16Nov

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Features

‘The Chosen’ assistant director joins faculty

Photos courtesy Professor Seth Conley By Alayna Simons Editor-in-Chief After waking up at 4 a.m. to work a cleaning shift at Bud Robinson, Adam Drake rushed to make his acting gig on the side to pursue his passion for film. Drake spent his time as a student at Trevecca 15 years ago jumping from cleaning, to kitchen, to maintenance shifts on campus to pay the bills as a newlywed Trevecca graduate while balancing some freelance film work on the side. This fall, Drake returned to Bud Robinson for new faculty orientation as he prepared to come back to his alma mater to teach a film course. “It’s been surreal. Discovering what God was calling me into, what my career path was, and what my ministry was after Trevecca, it’s coming back full circle now teaching at Trevecca part time,...