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GARDNER-WEBB UNIVERSITY
November 3, 2006
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Volume 10 No
Serving the Gardner-Webb University community for more than 60 years
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This Edition
— In campus news —
Alzheimer’s expert Teepa
Snow visited Gardner-Webb
on Oct. 26 for two workshops on
how the disease affects people
and their caregivers. See the front
page story.
AGWU student recently be
came the first African Ameri
can to go on a mission trip to
Malawi. Find out more on Page 2.
A film done by Gardner-Webb
students, “The Legacy,” won
a top award at a film festival in
Utah. Find out more on page 4.
— In conrimunity news—
Boiling Springs proposed a
new pedestrian plan to be
completed by Spring of this year.
What’s been done and what can
be expected by local residents?
See the story on Page 2.
— Opinion/editorial —
Gardner-Webb has a tradition
of toilet-papering the campus
on Friday night of homecoming
weekend. Jacob and Jack have
different feelings on the festivi
ties.
Editor Matt Tessnear makes
his A-Sun Conference men’s
basketball predictions. Find out
who he says will win the regular
season and conference tourna
ment on page 5.
— In sports —
Gardner-Webb played host
to the A-Sun cross country
conference tournament on Oct.
27-28. Find out how GWU did
and how the event played out on
page 5.
Sports editor Jacob Conley
provides a preview for the
upcoming men’s and women’s
basketball season. See the story
on Page 5.
GWU’s soccer teams have had
good seasons and prepare for
conference play. See the story on
Page 5.
Weekend
Weather
Saturday
Sunday
Nov. 4
Nov. 5
57/32
60/33
Mostly
Mostly
Sunny
Sunny
Source: NOAA
Index
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GWU: Baptist link unbrolen
State Convention conversations will continue due to differences
By Matt Tessnear
matthewtl984@earthlink.net
If any rumors have circulated
concerning Gardner-Webb Uni
versity’s plans to change its status
as an institution affiliated with the
Baptist State Convention of North
Carolina, GWU administration of
ficials want to make it clear that
any change in that relationship
would not affect the Christian and
Baptist heritages of the school.
“Gardner-Webb University
places a high value on its historic
relationship with North Carolina
Baptists and the North Carolina
Baptist State Convention,” said
Dr. Ben Leslie, GWU provost and
senior vice president.
GWU President Dr. Frank
Bonner delivered a sermon titled
“The Christian University and the
Church” at Boiling Springs Bap
tist Church on Sept. 10. As a part
of his sermon, Bonner addressed
the relationship between GWU
and the convention, and gave a
summary of the recent discussions
between the convention and its
five affiliated institutions (Chow
an University, Mars Hill College,
Campbell University, Wingate
University and GWU).
Over the past year, the rela
tionship of the BSCNC and those
five schools has been the subject
of study and discussion, according
to Bonner in his sermon. A study
Dr. Bonner stressed the fol
lowing points concerning Gard
ner-Webb’s relationship with the
state convention in his Sept. 10
sermon;
• “Whatever happens, Gard-
ner-Webb will continue to be
a strong Christian university.
Nothing will change that. Our
commitment to our Christian
foundation will not be dimin
ished; in fact, we will continue to
strive to strengthen it.”
• “Whatever happens, Gard
ner-Webb will continue to serve
North Carolina Baptists and to
be a Baptist school, and we will
work hard to continue to be wor
thy of the love and support of all
Baptists.”
• “We have pledged, as part of
the proposal that was approved
in May, that all funding from
the state convention would go to
North Carolina Baptist students
in the form of scholarship assis
tance. If funding, or any portion
of funding, is withdrawn by the
convention, it will be those stu
dents who will be affected; but
Gardner-Webb will continue to
do the best that we possibly can
to assist those students consider
ing the financial situation that we
would be placed in.”
• “I have tried to stress from
the beginning that, if the desire
of everyone involved truly is for
a strong Christian university and
a strong Baptist university, then
we are together, we are as one,
and we have no problem. How
ever, if the real desire is for con
trol, particularly when an agenda
may be involved, then we have a
serious problem.”
committee appointed by the Coun
cil on Christian Higher Education
has been working with convention
leaders and the presidents of the
institutions to develop a proposed
relationship. In May, the conven
tion’s executive committee and
board of directors passed a pro
posal satisfactory to the schools.
However, the bylaws commit
tee made significant changes to
the proposal when it adapted the
proposal to bylaw language. The
convention’s board of directors
kept the changes, which created
concern among the five conven-
tion-funded schools. According to
Bonner, the proposal changes are
based on the procedures for elect
ing trustees, and it affects each of
the Baptist institutions in North
Carolina.
“Consequently, the institutions
now feel that we no longer have
an agreement, and we are uncer
tain as to where we will go from
here,” said Bonner in his sermon.
These conversations between
the convention and the schools
have been “friendly but intense,”
according to Leslie, adding that
the pfocess for electing trustees
will be discussed again when the
Baptist State Convention meets
this month.
“Whatever the outcome of that
conversation, (Gardner-Webb)
remains committed to an identity
that celebrates both its Baptist and
Christian heritages,” said Leslie.
“In other words, we anticipate no
change in direction in the faith
character and Christian commit
ments of the institution.”
Bonner also anticipates no
change in the university’s Chris
tian heritage. If the university
makes a move to change its rela
tionship with the North Carolina
convention, the school will not
become a secular institution, said
Bonner.
“GWU will remain strongly
Christian whatever the outcome
of the current issue,” said Bon
ner. “Our Christian foundation is
not defined by the acceptance of
fiinding or the procedures for the
election of trustees.
“All five Baptist universities/
colleges in North Carolina are
together on this issue. I am confi
dent that each will remain solidly
Christian whatever the outcome
of the issues currently being dis
cussed with regard to procedures
for the election of trustees.”
Making a difference at GWU
X iM
A Batman
wannabe takes
a cup from
GWU freshman
Taylor Lake in
Bost Gym
, Tuesday, at the
' Octoberfest
celebration.
The event was
the university’s
contribution to
United Way’s
Make a
Difference Day.
Children from
Cleveland,
Rutherford,
and Cherokee
counties were
invited. There
were crafts,
demonstrations
and Halloween-
related booths.
Photo by Kayley
Potter
Conference educates caregivers
about dealing with Alzheimer’s
By Rebecca Clark
zafiral 97@hotmail. com
Her vibrant, red sweater is in
sync with her personality. Stand
ing at the fi-ont of Blanton Audi
torium, Teepa Snow generates en
ergy and demonstrates an intense
passion for the topic she speaks
about - Alzheimer’s disease.
Gardner-Webb University
co-hosted an Alzheimer’s Work
shop Oct. 26 in conjunction with
the Life Enrichment Center adult
day care center, with Snow as the
speaker. The workshop was in
tended to inform caregivers about
the effects of Alzheimer’s, how to
relate to its victims, and how to
provide adequate care.
The topic is one close to her
heart because her grandfather had
the disease.
Snow, who has more than
300 speaking engagements per
year, discovered that she has a
unique talent relating to victims
of dementia and their families and
caregivers.
“I have a very different style,”
said Snow of her tactics.
She uses interactive methods,
such as role-playing and demori-
strating to make her points.
“It helps the caregiver under
stand why they [Alzheimer’s pa
tients] do what they do,” she said.
“It connects people.”
Snow said she likes to empha
size why people with dementia act
in certain ways.
See CAREGIVERS page 2
Pedestrian projects stalled
By Rebecca Clark
zafiral 97@hotmail. com
A Boiling Springs pedestrian
plan that was to be implemented
by this year has not hit the road
yet.
Last fall the pedestrian plan,
solicited by the North Carolina
Department of Transportation,
was designed to encourage walk
ing and less reliance upon vehi
cles in the Boiling Springs area. It
was originally hoped that the plan
would be completed in the spring
of 2006 and would become a re
ality in the summer, but so far it
remains nothing more than a plan.
According to Zach Trogdon,
■ town manager of Boiling Springs,
the plans were just finalized this
month. Before any work can be
carried out, a committee will be
formed to address pedestrian
needs. The plans will include
building new facilities and im
proving existing ones.
“We want to take a holistic ap
proach,” Trogdon said. “It’s not
just about building new things.”
He said this would include
short- and long-term projects,
some of which will be completed
in the coming months.
Some of the short-term proj
ects involve signage, new facili
ties such as sidewalks, improve
ments on existing sidewalks, and
trails throughout the community.
Long-term projects will focus
on encouraging good community
habits such as walking more and
improving traffic awareness, he
said.
Parking will also be discussed
during the formation of the plan.