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Gardner-Webb University
Wednesday, December 7,2005
www.gwupilot.com
Volume 9 No. 7
Serving students at Gardner-Wehb University for more than 60 years
Christmas, white
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photo by Katie Bryant
A freshly lit Christmas tree beams on the GWU campus during the Festival of Lights heid on
Dec.. 1. The campus was fiiled with students, facuity and staff who came to enjoy the iights.
‘Let there be light’ at GWU
Ronda Carpenter
Pilot staff writer
The annual Festival of Lights celebration of
Christmas was held on Dec, 1 in Dover Theatre.
Gardner-Webb University’s chorale, concert choir
and a trombone trio performed in the festival and
brought forth an enjoyable and unforgettable night of
music and worship.
Tracy Jessup, minister to the university, read sev
eral scriptures throughout the choral concert and en
joyed taking part in the event.
“This has been a tradition that has taken place as
far as I’m aware on the campus of Gardner-Webb
since the fall of 1986,” said Jessup. “It’s always been
a tradition that involves the community. It is in some
way Gardner-Webb’s Christmas gift to the commu
nity, and not just the university community, but the
See FESTIVAL page 9
Tis not the season for sick days
Washing hands frequently and drinking orange juice may prevent colds
Cherish Wilson
Pilot Staff
It is cold and flu season and I
think Jon Stewart summarized it
best.
Across the nation, thousands
of people are lining up in hospi
tal waiting rooms, out the doors,
down the steps, around the cor
ners, and behind the hedges, wait
ing for their inoculations.
Here’s another idea for avoid
ing the flu: DON’T stand outside
in the cold for hours around lots of
other people.
In reality, preventing the
spread of infections and viruses is
a little more-lengthy, but not very
complex.
1. Wash your hands! A lot. Use
soap. Scrub. Make it count.
2. When you sneeze or cough
practice some proper etiquette.
Most of us probably grew up
sneezing into our hands think
ing we had done our job of be
ing polite and sanitary. Truth is,
the germs that spray out of your
body end up on your hands. Your
hands end up touching doorknobs,
counters, pens, and phones—leav
ing a trail of germs. It’s better to
actually cough or sneeze into the
crook of your arm.
3. Drink orange juice. Eat or
anges. Sleep with an orange under
your pillow. (Okay, I was kidding
about that last one.) Oranges, cit
rus-fruits in general, are loaded
with vitamins and nutrients that
help your body fight off bacteria
or not, is coming
And GWU students say they’re
ready for a holiday break at home
Christie Barlow
Pilot Copy Editor
Dashing through the snow with Jack Frost nipping at your nose on a
foggy Christmas eve, what does this remind you of?
\^ether Santa is working at the North Pole, or Rudolf is sliding off
of icy rooftops, with the season of Christmas comes snow. But what
about for those at GWU? Are students seeing white this Christmas?
“There’s nothing better than snow at Christmas,” said Steve Poolton
from Rochester, N.Y. “I love Christmas at home because we get tons
of snow. I can’t picture what Christmas would be like without snow; it
wouldn’t seem like Christmas to me.”
Lots of fluffy white flakes falling from the sky and people bundled
up in their warmest clothes is all it takes to remind Jenny Thomas of
home.
“I always think of having to put on layers of clothing when my fam
ily goes to pick our Christmas tree each year,” said Thomas a freshman
from Cleveland, Ohio. “It doesn’t really feel like Christmas until we get
the tree up. I just couldn’t imagine having a Christmas where I could go
to the beach or something like that. If not snow, cold weather seems to
go hand-in-hand with Christmas.”
What Thomas can’t even fathom is a reality for many of Gardner-
Webb University students. A large number of the GWU population
comes from the Southeast arid many have never experienced a white
Christmas.
“I grew up in Alabama so I never had a white Christmas,” said Matt
Brownback, a senior education major from Murphy, N.C. “I would love
to have one, it’d be really cool.”
According to Brownback, his family always spent the day opening
gifts and then watching football on television.
“It was nice to have a warm Christmas because we weren’t stuck in
the house. We could get outside and play football or basketball or some
thing. But I’d still like to have a white Christmas, just so I could say I’ve
experienced it at least once,” said Brownback.
Brownback is in good company at GWU. Classmate Erin Moore has
yet to experience a white Christmas herself
“Apparently, we had one when I was little,” said Moore, a senior
from Wiggins, Miss, “But I don’t remember that, so it doesn’t count. My
Christmas traditions have consisted of breakfast, presents, and then, if
the weather is decent, we go swimming.”
Unlike Brownback, Moore has no desire to experience a white
Christmas.
“I’m perfectly happy with my family’s traditions. Besides, it’s not
about what kind of weather you have. Christmas is about family and
remembering the real reason'we celebrate,” said Moore.
That seems to be one thing that students could agree about on this
holiday season.
“It’s about being together and spending time with the people you
love and care about the most, and as a reminder that Jesus was bom,”
said Brownback. “The weather isn’t what’s important, it’s just nice to
have,”
GWU makes Christmas a
time of ministry and giving
Sarah James
Pilot Web Editor
and vimses.
4. Taking vitamins isn’t a bad
idea either. A good multi-vitamin,
like the One-a-Day brand, is usu
ally sufficient. Again, it keeps your
body ready to fight off sickness,
5. Get enough rest. Or try, at
least. Or, when you’re up at 4 a.m.
pulling an all-nighter, drink some
orange juice.
At a university, especially in
residence halls, communal living
can take its toll.
By preventing the spread of
sickness, riot only are you helping
yourself, you’re helping your fel
low students.
And you won’t have to hear
someone down the hall cough
ing up a lung in the middle of the
night, a definite bonus.
Campus Ministries at Gardner-
Webb University is participating in
many different Christmas events
this holiday season, and students
can get involved in a number of
different ways.
GWU reached its goal by col
lected 51 boxes for Operation
Christmas Child. Students and
staff gathered many different items
to put into shoe boxes to send to
children around the world.
“Operation Christmas Child
is a project of Samaritan’s Purse,
an international Christian relief
and evangelism ministry headed
by Franklin Graham,” said Julie
Lineberger, a senior religious stud
ies major from Shelby. “Operation
Christmas Child is the world’s
largest international children’s
Christmas project.”
In the boxes are different items
ranging from toiletry items to toys
and clothes. Operation Christmas
Child encourages not only chil-
“This project encourages
children, families, churches and
groups to fill empty shoe boxes
with toys, school supplies, hy
giene items, photos and personal
letters, then hand-delivers them
to children worldwide suffering
from poverty, war, disease, natural
disaster and terrorism,” said Line
berger.
Even though GWU has al
ready sent in the boxes, students
can still get involved, according to
Lineberger.
“Students can be involved in
this very easy project,” she said.
“It is not expensive, and the en
tire box can be filled in one trip to
Wal-Mart,”
Filling a shoe box might seem
like a little task but the impact is
great.
“The impact of this project has
been well documented for many
years, from the simple letters re
ceived from the children who get
the boxes, to the innumerable
stories of hope and changed lives
See CHRISTMAS page 4
dren but adults to participate.
the F^all 2006 exam schedule is on page 2.
On the Inside
Dogs defeat Gophers in close
A look into the new and popular
Two photographers proceed with
Special photos of Festival of
game... page S
worldofFacebook... page 6
“caution” in exploring music on
campus ... pages 5 and 8
Lights and Carl Cartee in the Pi
lot's Christmas C-Section ...pages
9 through 12
News
page 2
Sports....
page 3
Life
page 4
A&E
page 6
Photos....
....pages 5,8 to 12