The Editor's Weblog

Five things they won't tell you at Lee Day

2010-04-09T09:00:00.006-04:00

Lee Day. Physical Plant has been going crazy for the past few weeks in preparation for this magnanimous preview event. We have to put our best foot forward, right? Of course, right!

Having been at Lee for three years now, though, I feel it is my responsibility to bring a little bit of understanding to the wonderful little prospective freshmen.

Allow me to do this by presenting to you five things about Lee's campus that they probably don't share with you at Lee Day.

5. You really need to choose a major before your junior year, even if you're just going to try it out. Hypothetically, they tell you that you can spend your first two years completing the core requirements then worry about your major courses. Unless you love Lee so much that you want to be a fifth year senior, I'd suggest at least attempting some major courses your freshman/sophomore year. Something to keep in mind during that advising appointment this weekend.

4. Once you're a student, you no longer have those wonderful reserved parking spots. It's every man for himself when it come to finding a place to park (especially since our parking lots keep turning into construction sites).

3. The campus is indeed beautiful, but everything has a price. Be prepared to be awakened at 6:30 a.m. by leaf blowers if your future home is near the Ped Mall. Also, go ahead and start taking note of where all the sprinklers are. They have a tendency to turn on at random points of the day and night. You might consider pre-planning alternate routes if you are against getting a bit wet.

2. Enjoy the good dining hall food while it lasts. It is a commonly known fact that the food in the dining hall is conspicuously better during Lee Day and Frontline events.

1. Lee is not a crime-free environment. We live in the Lee Bubble, but we are not a gated community. Bikes get stolen, property goes missing; Campus Safety can only do so much. It's a Christian campus, but you should still practice caution. I suggest buying a good bike lock (if you plan on bringing a bike) and a reliable keychain (so that you'll remember to lock your doors).

I love my school, and I honestly couldn't see myself anywhere except Lee for my undergraduate experience. And I'm so glad that the Lee Day students are thinking about joining us as Pyromaniacs. Just be prepared for the adventure of your life when you come to campus in the fall. Enjoy your weekend, Lee Day visitors!

Softball Interviews

2010-04-07T10:09:00.002-04:00

The Lee University Softball team is on fire this season with a record of 35-3! Here are some excerpts of a few players talking about this historical season.

Entertainment with a side of news

2010-02-16T23:11:00.002-05:00

Today's society has an obsession with being entertained. This obsession has even permeated the way that we receive information. Time magazine's Web site has a video that features headlines put into a song. Check it out at

Although this is a cool idea, I think it brings up an interesting point. Has society gotten to the point where we only pay attention to what entertains us?
While many people would say it has, this would be unfortunate because many times the most important facts in life are not entertaining.

This is the rest of the post

First Impressions

2010-02-02T22:53:00.002-05:00

There are many things that are unique about Lee University.
Geographically, Lee is an open campus with city streets running through the center of it. This creates unique opportunities for Cleveland to get a first impression of Lee University.

Although Lee has many events that are open to the public, attending one of these events may not be a person's first impression of Lee. Anytime someone drives through the campus for the first time, they are forming an opinion of Lee.

If the pedestrian students seem rude as they cross the street, this is the impression the driver has of all Lee students. If the pedestrian is thoughtful acknowledging the driver and smiling, then the driver has a better view of Lee students. Regardless of the clubs or activities, we are a part of we all are a part of forming Cleveland's opinions about Lee University.

Lee vs Emmanuel 1/23/10

2010-01-24T22:06:00.002-05:00

The Lee University Lady Flames took on the Emmanuel College Lady Lions on January 23, 2010. Here's the recap...

Thanks for saying thanks

2010-01-22T20:21:00.006-05:00

While working as a temp in the Lee university bookstore, I have witnessed various student reactions to the price and size of books. This semester I was able to witness another student reaction. Due to new anti-theft policies we were no longer allowed to use a credit card number and experation date that a student had written down. Instead the student had to call the cardholder and have them give me the number.

Since many students did not know about the bookstore's new policy they had to call their parents or grandparents to have them give me the credit card information. After the second time I noticed something. When I would had the phone back to the student they would simply say "I'll talk to you later. Bye." No thank you, no graditute of any kind.
If someone had just spend over one hundred dollars on anything for me you better believe I would say thank you.
The next day I worked another student had to call a parent to get a credit card number, however this time when I handed back the phone the student thanked the parent on. After the student had hung up I thanked him for thanking his parent and told him he was the first one to do so.
I was raised to always say thank you for everything I was given. Now that I have grown up I see thank you has a very important form of appreciation. People know you appreciate the things they do for you when you say thank you. When students are ungrateful, they do little to do away with negative stereotypes. If we want views of college students to change we can not let are actions reinforce negative steorotypes.

Readjusting to life at Lee

2010-01-20T17:25:00.002-05:00

Returning to campus after a break always constitutes some readjustments in lifestyle for students.

Students must readjust to driving on a pedestrian campus, waiting in all the notoriously long lines, going to new classes and even walking to and fro across the campus.

Some students also have the changes that come with New Year's resolutions: going to the rec center, eating healthier, avoiding the dining hall, the list of possibilities is endless.

Personally, one of my greatest adjustments has been completely reversing my day-night schedule to accommodate my wonderful 8 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. classes that I'm required to take. Oh the joys of college life.

In this time of readjusting, though, it's important to not forget that, even when it seems like the world will never stop spinning, it's going to be okay. Here are a few tips on staying sane through whatever transitions you might face.

1. Breathe. Contrary to some beliefs, respiration is very vital to life. When you find yourself stressing out and thinking that you will never find a plausible solution, take a few moments to just stop and clear your head with a few long breaths. Remember, in through the nose, out through the mouth.

2. Write lists. Sometimes writing and categorizing tasks and possible solutions to problematic situations can help to better organize the information in your head. And sometimes, things just make more sense on paper.

3. Get some sleep. Sleep is the body's way to reboot after a long day and the mind's way to filter all the information that has been presented throughout the day. Yes, that homework assignment seems important, but you'll remember more of it and function better with even a little bit of sleep. Your professor and everyone who comes in contact with you will thank you for getting sleep and not acting like a walking zombie.

4. Find a way to relax. For some people, it's taking a walk. Others prefer watching movies. Some read books. Whatever you love to do, whatever can offer you a little escape from the stress, be sure to schedule time for that.

5. Stay healthy. Stress automatically lowers the immune system's ability to protect you. As winter is already a prime time to get sick, it might be advisable, even if you're not too stressed out, to find a vitamin supplement to give your immune system a boost. Especially for those of you living in the dorms, it has the potential to make a big difference in your semester. If you're not sure what kind of vitamin you should get, ask the pharmacist at Walgreens. I'm sure they'll be happy to help.

6. Ask for help. The Lee University Counseling Center is a great resource that is free to all students. If the pressure is just getting to be too much or perhaps you just want someone to talk to about your current plan of action, contact the counseling center to see about speaking to a counselor. Also, the center is offering different small group help this semester as well. Stop by the counseling center for more information.

7. Pray. My mother says this is always the first thing you should do, and I'm starting to see the truth in her advice. Nothing takes God by surprise, after all. And who better to help you in times of transition?

May all of you have wonderful semesters!

The Cleveland earthquake

2009-12-01T15:34:00.005-05:00

Whenever I think of an earthquake, I think of Saved By The Bell. You know that episode where Bayside throws Mrs. Belding a baby shower, and as she’s leaving, the school she gets stuck in the elevator, ends up going into labor and having the baby naming it Zack? That’s what I think when I hear the word “earthquake.”

All of the sudden, while sitting in church, about to do the closing prayer, I felt the rattling of pipes underneath the building. I turned to my friend and asked what it was.

“An earthquake,” he replied.

Yeah right.

But he was right.

Sunday, November 1, 2009 Cleveland, Tennessee experienced a 3.0 earthquake at exactly 12:01 p.m.!

That’s right! Cleveland had an earthquake, and most people did not even know it!

I would not have known if I had not checked Facebook and saw my worship pastor post that the rumble we felt at church was a in fact a earthquake.

I still did not believe it, so, like any good journalist, I searched it on Google. Sure enough, Cleveland had one.

My research showed that at least one earthquake happens in the world everyday, but we just do not hear about it unless it’s of a heavy magnitude.

On the bright side, I have another unique life experience to mark off my “bucket list.”

This blog was written by Leslie Hartman.

Placing our future spouse in God

2009-12-01T15:29:00.002-05:00

How can we find the right guy or girl?

This is the question on many single people's mind.

Lately, God has taken me on a spiritual journey to help me understand how that question will one day be answered in my own life.

First, as Christians, we should realize that we will not be doing the finding. We have to let God do the picking.

Also, we should understand that our own decision may not be the decision that God wants for our life.

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

In Proverbs 18:22 the Bible says, "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord."

I believe this verse gives a key hint to all women...because who finds whom in this verse?

The man finds the wife.

It is becoming more and more acceptable within worldly views for girls to chase after and pursue guys.

In my opinion, godly men do whatever they have to do to get who they truly want, especially when they are seeking a godly wife.

I think that women should pray for a man to find her. When he does, God's hand in the relationship will be clear.

I also think that men should pray to find the woman that God want's for them.

So, although it is acceptable for girls to drop hints that they may be interested in a guy, in my opinion, it is still best to want the guy to make the first move.

This blog was written by Lori Johnson.

World Record for Fastest Dining Experience

2009-12-01T14:39:00.006-05:00

Hockeytown. Rock City. The 313. The Motor City. Motown.

The nicknames belong to Detroit, Michigan, one of the greatest places in the U.S.A. It's my hometown, and its known around the world for its rich culture, and rivalry with the other big boys on the block, like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

But what makes Detroit such a great place?

A lot of hard work, and a little creativity.

Let me show you.

There's this little place on Michigan Ave called The American Coney Island. It was founded by a Greek family in 1917, making it the oldest family-owned and operated restaurant in the city. If you don't know what a coney island is, you're in for a surprise.

So what's so unique about this restaurant? Well, it just might hold the world record for the fastest dining experience ever.
Once you're seated, the waiter memorizes your drink order. Now, maybe you've seen a few people who can memorize your drink order on the spot, so that's no big deal, right? Still, its pretty impressive, but that's not the reason why its so fast.

Less than a minute later, the waiter returns with your drinks. I'm saying a minute just to be safe, but when I was there last weekend he was back in about 30 seconds.

Okay, so that's 30 seconds, maybe a minute. Now he asks for your order. Here's where the American Coney Island differs from any kind of restaurant you've ever been to. The moment your done ordering, the waiter turns around, back to the table, and shouts the entire order at the top of his lungs across the room at the cooks.

What? Yes, that's right -shouts the entire order to the cooks, who have to multitask with whatever they're doing while simultaneously remember the entire order without writing anything down. There are no notepads at this restaurant; just a lot of skill, practice, and a little bit of creativity.

My food came back the table in less than 90 seconds. It's no joke; it was fully cooked, delicious coney island food, faster than any other sit-down, dining restaurant in the world.

Voices of Lee to join in Sing-Off

2009-11-30T14:09:00.003-05:00

We've all heard them. We all know that they are definitely a talented group of people. And now they're asking us to support them on a quest to show mainstream America what they're made of.

That's right, Voices of Lee is taking on the challenge and joining in The Sing-Off.

The Sing-Off, hosted by Nick Lachey, is a nation-wide hunt for the best a capella group in America. Viewers call in to vote for their favorite group over the course of the four night event, which culminates in the two-hour live finale on Dec. 21.

I love listening to a capella groups, and I love supporting Lee University's talented students, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and support Voices in The Sing-Off (even though it's so tempting to vote for the Puerto Rican group; if you watch the show, you'll see what I mean).

If you'd like to show your support for Voices of Lee in The Sing-Off, you can join the Facebook group here.

You can also go on the show's Web site and vote for Voices in the preliminary poll.

Just be careful and don't let the home page of the Web site confuse you like it did me.

For the record, the show premieres on Monday, Dec. 14.

Happy singing, Voices, and good luck!

The Sp0rts Bl0g - Issue 4

2009-11-19T22:09:00.004-05:00

The sport's nation is so hyped about college football. Especially, around Lee, all I ever hear about is UT and Florida, Alabama and Auburn, LSU and Georgia and their chances this weekend. College football has truly swept the nation but it seems it's so much more popular in the "SEC Region"... as I like to call it. However, let me tell you why the OTHER college sport that just started this past weekend, college BASKETBALL, is the better sport for a fan and simply a better sport in general.

Now, any of you who have read any of my previous issues know I've already had my rant about how College football fails to qualify as a "fair" and "credible" sport... so I don't want to repeat that issue. But, I can't help but make it known that it's playoff system is completely flawed and it's disrespect to the smaller schools in the smaller conferences ruins the game must be mentioned once again. Let's move on to the sport that gets it right...

College Basketball. The same packed-house college atmosphere. The same community spirit feeling. The same crazy student section screaming their heads off during games. It's still college sports... the enthusiasm for basketball is just as great if not greater than the support for the football side of things. The thing that truly separates it from College football, and every other sport for that matter, is the field of 64 teams at the end of the year that get to duke it out for a chance at a championship. Yes, 64 teams get a chance at a championship... not 2... 64! Sounds much better doesn't it? Well, if you don't already know... it is.

The qualifications for the tournament are complicated and I don't want to bore you with it's statistics, but the point is... it's FAIR. Now, if you're asking me if teams are never disappointed or feel cheated when they don't get into the field of 64... that happens almost every year. There's always a handful of teams "on the bubble" that are either extremely happy or extremely sad depending on the Selection Committee's decision (once again, if you don't know the rules of the tournament, I encourage you to Google it). But the tournament of 64 teams brings on a sporting event unlike any other; MARCH MADNESS.

That's all I really have to say folks. March Madness... it's unlike any other. If you're not familiar with it, do yourself a favor and go check it out. Search YouTube videos of March Madness games... it'll blow you away. Some of the best basketball games you'll ever see. And that's the sports blog for ya...

It's that time again!

2009-11-06T09:14:00.002-05:00

I've been a Lee for four years now. Every year, we have to sign up for our classes for the next semester.

Especially this year, in my last semester, the decision of classes was the hardest. I mean, in a matter of 24 hours, I had to decide what classes I took in my last semester of my undergrad. ever.

Classes aren't a light decision for me, they are something I like to slowly take time to figure out and really give thought it.

You see, for me, I feel like Advanced Class Selection is like Christmas. Let me explain. I'm a big dork and I get really excited about picking new classes. Mainly because I like school supply shopping and picking classes gets me one step closer to school supply shopping.

Anywho, I feel like ACS always sneaks up on you, just like Christmas, you walk into the mall one day and, surprise, you feel like you missed the Christmas-decorating party.

The same with ACS, it's like, tada, it's time to register for classes..

At this point, seniors have already had their chance to register for classes first.
Juniors will be able to register through Nov. 10,
Sophomore's ACS will be open from Nov. 11 through Nov. 17
& Freshman's ACS will be open from Nov. 18 through Nov. 25.

Between Nov. 25 and Jan. 10, students will have the chance to confirm enrollment.

If you're still not sure how to get around portico and use Web adviser to build your class schedule, talk to your academic adviser or visit the online help guide at, here.

Also if you need more help, the records office suggests dropping them a quick e-mail. Comments/suggestions regarding registration, the add-drop process, Portico/WebAdvisor, or confirming enrollment? Email Records@Leeuniversity.edu and let us know your thoughts. (Keep it brief, to the point, and just the facts—no blame, no drama. Please!)

Check your mailbox

2009-10-23T19:15:00.003-04:00

Every time I go to my mailbox , I hope there will be something inside. Since I live three states away from home it is always nice to get a mail from my family. Sometimes it is just mail delivered to my home address that my parents think I might need. Yet, this semester I have been pleasantly surprised to receive at least three large envelopes from home.

For the past two months as I have gone to my mailbox in hopes of finding something there, I have noticed that the mailbox above mine has been full of mail.

There is an envelope in there that looks thick enough to be holding something important.

The ever-present mail has made me wonder. Does this person live off campus? Why else would someone not check their mailbox for two months? My curiosity is peeked by the unopened letters visible through the slot. Whenever this person finally does check their mail I hope they will not be disappointed to find time sensitive material inside.

Tales of a Rockapella fanatic

2009-10-20T17:37:00.002-04:00

For the past two years, I have faithfully been checking the Rockapella Web site every two weeks to see when they would be coming to my area (or at least somewhere remotely close to it). A few weeks ago, after two agonizing years and two failed attempts at attending a concert, my wait was OVER. ROCKAPELLA WAS COMING TO LEE!!!

I was never much into the boy bands growing up (even though I regretfully participated financially in the phenomenon). My mom’s generation had the Beatles and the current generation has the Jonas Brothers. I had Rockapella.

I am a hard core fan. I have all of their albums, except for one.

I have followed their career since their days on "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" when I would watch the show every day and hear Rockapella say, “There’s one more thing you have to do! You know what is!” And I would shout at the T.V. screen, “DO IT ROCKAPELLA!” while my dad was trying to mimic their bassist at the time, Barry Carl.

When I found out that they were playing in the Dixon Center, I got worried. The Dixon Center isn’t that handicapped accessible. I try to avoid going to chapel there because the only way I could see is if I went up the elevator to the second floor and sat in the very back (where I can barely see a thing).

A week after I found out Rockapella was coming, I called to see if I could arrange something to where I would be seated so I could see. I worked something out.

I counted down the days to the concert and even dressed up the day of the concert. This was how much I was looking forward to it.

When the day finally came, it went by very slow and I was too excited to eat.

I arrived at the Dixon Center at 5:15 to get my ticket and decided to stay in the lobby till after the concert.

A few minutes before we were allowed inside the auditorium, one of the members, Scott Leonard bolted out of the auditorium to speak with the people at the front desk. This proved to be a good thing because during the concert Scott remembered me from the lobby and waved at me from on stage!

Once I got seated in the front row, it hit where I was at and how blessed I was. God allowed me to see my favorite group for FREE.

Then the show started. Rockapella was on stage singing their songs and I’m singing along.

Before the show ended, the guys announced that they were going to do a meet-and-greet in the lobby. I was thinking, “Praise the Lord! I don’t have to pull the disability card to meet them!” (I rarely pull the disabled card.)

Meeting Rockapella and attending their concert was a wonderful experience. The guys were very genuine and we had a nice conversation, despite almost running into two of them while purchasing the album I didn’t have.

As I told my dad, my life is complete and I can now die a happy woman.

This blog was written by Leslie Hartman.

Dear Dog Vomit Girl

2009-10-20T17:33:00.002-04:00

So I have this dog named Toby. Toby has been with me for a year and a half and always seems to teach me things. Now this either says something about his intelligence...or mine. I was taking Toby outside one day and I as I was sitting there watching him roam around the yard I was contemplating life and getting frustrated by thinking about who I was becoming.

My thoughts were jolted as I noticed Toby throwing up in the yard, which for Toby isn't an unusual occurrence. Since it was in the yard I didn't worry about cleaning it up and as I was almost back to my contemplative state I noticed Toby going back to his vomit. I leapt off the porch in one fleeting moment and was by his side in a flash to encourage him away from the content that was formerly in his stomach. Whatever it was had made him sick, so there's no point in trying to re-digest it.

My thoughts immediately went to Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returns to his vomit so does a fool repeat his folly." Then it hit me, this is exactly what I was doing. I was living my life wanting to change and be this great person that God wanted me to be, but I felt like I was getting hung up by the same things every time. Just like it's in Toby's nature to return to his vomit, it's like it was my nature to return to the very same things that I knew would hurt me or mess me up.

I think I even wrote in my journal one time, "Dear Dog Vomit Girl: You're doing it again..."

Months have passed since this initial realization, and some things have changed. Toby still throws up a lot, but he doesn't go back to his vomit. Something in his nature changed. And I have begun to think about God in this way too. I think many times He is sitting on the porch, just like I was, watching me roam around in the yard, and sometimes whenever I throw up something that has hurt me and made me sick it catches his attention. As I try and go back to it, He jumps off the porch and rushes to my side to lead me away. That way just as Toby learned not to return to his vomit so will I be changed by God as He leads me.

This blog was written by Ashley Gunter.

Better late than never

2009-10-12T22:45:00.003-04:00

I was getting ready to take a walk with my roommate earlier this evening when I noticed a Facebook update from a friend about the wind ensemble concert in the Conn Center tonight.

I didn't even know the wind ensemble was giving a concert tonight. It came as such a surprise to me. I know those concerts are usually posted in places throughout campus, but I guess I was so busy this week that I didn't take notice of any of the fliers and such.

I thought to myself, "Man, I always seem to miss those!" And I posted something of that sort on the friend's status. My friend suggested I just come to the concert late.

So I did.

I and my roommate arrived at the Conn Center just in time to hear the last piece and the encore. I only wish I had been there for the whole thing. Let me just say that those 20 minutes were completely worth showing up for.

Dr. David Holsinger and the wind ensemble did a wonderful job, and I was personally thrilled by the prominence of the clarinets in the second movement of the last piece. The encore was equally magnificent, sending chills down my spine.

As the concert ended and we went on our way again, I made up my mind to come to future concerts and be on time. To my great delight, there was a schedule of concerts on the back of the program.

So for those of you who are like me and hate missing out on the ensemble concerts but can never seem to find out about them ahead of time, I am posting the concert schedule for the rest of the semester.

Oct. 21, 6 p.m.
Percussion ensemble concert
Directed by Andrew Harnsberger
Dixon Center

Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Chorale concert
Directed by William Green
First Baptist Church

Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Jazz ensemble concert
Directed by Alan Wyatt
Dixon Center

Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
Lee University Symphony orchestra concert
Conducted by William McNeiland
Conn Center

Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Honor band concert
Conducted by David R. Holsinger
Conn Center

Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m.
Squires Hall recital
"Classical Jam"
Squires Recital Hall

Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.
Wind ensemble concert
Conducted by David R. Holsinger
Conn Center

Dec. 6, 3 p.m.
"A Classic Christmas"
Conducted by William Green
Conn Center

Bookmark this page if you must, but be sure to attend at least one of these phenomenal performances. Hope to see you there!

The weekend of perpetual events

2009-10-09T14:03:00.003-04:00

The weekend is finally upon us, and any Lee student who complains of having nothing to do has no valid excuse this particular weekend.

Friday Oct. 9 and Saturday Oct. 10 are positively full of events on and off campus. Here are just a few of the things happening in the Lee community over the next few days:

Friday:
Intramural softball tournament: Games starting at 8 p.m., 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. at Butler Field in front of Bowdle and O'Bannon. I hear there will be free food.

Shenanigans improv show: "There's no I in improv...oh wait." These guys are hilarious. For a good laugh and a fun time, come out to the Rose Lecture Hall in the DeVos Education Building at 9 p.m.

Saturday:
Dance Away the LRA: This ballroom dancing event at Studio 125 on Inman St. is to benefit a school in Uganda sponsored by Lee's chapter of Invisible Children. Cost is $5. More information about this event can be found at LeeClarion.com.

Benefit for the Broken: The apartment dorms of campus are sponsoring a concert to benefit various causes, including the Cleveland Emergency Shelter and a missionary in Haiti. The concert will be held in the Conn Center; admission is $3 or three cans of food.

Also this weekend, Endgame continues to play in the blackbox theater in the Vest Building. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday night and 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, and tickets are free to students.

Personally, I think I'll take in a little bit of softball then go to the improv show tonight. Tomorrow, well, I haven't decided yet. What are you doing this weekend?

Half Way There

2009-10-08T14:51:00.003-04:00

Students at Lee University wear many hats. Sometimes they are just students, but they are usually also tour guides, tutors, writers, and employees. Not to mention members of clubs, organizations and churches.

Now that students have reached the halfway point of the semester many may feel overwhelmed by everything that they are involved in. Many may be finding out that the “easy” class on their schedule will not be such a breeze after all. Between classes and other obligations , some maybe wondering if they will make it.
However, there are times when students need to just take a break. Whether that be watching your favorite show for an hour or taking a walk with a friend.
Balance is important to a student’s life. Academics should take precedence but students need to give themselves a chance to relax once in awhile to ensure that they enjoy their semester.

The Sp0rts Bl0g - Issue 3

2009-10-06T15:16:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been awhile since I last updated the hottest blog about national sports with a new issue. Okay, yeah, not the hottest blog. In fact, I'm not even sure if anybody is reading this. But nonetheless, the sports world is always rolling on. We are now through 4 weeks of the 2009-2010 NFL season, this is usually when you find out if your favorite team is "for real" or not.

Experts are beginning to sort out the true contenders from the rest of the pack. As a viewer, it's easy to see that the "great divides" in power rankings are starting to form. In honor of the NFL's season progressing well through the first 4 weeks, I am going to do something that will benefit any NFL fan.

I'm going to recap every single NFL teams' season so far. I'm going to tell you how good your team is and if it's "for real." However, here's the catch. It'll be the most simple summary you've ever seen in your life. Sure, I could ramble on about stats, records and history, but to be honest, it can all be bottled down in 7 words or less. That's right. Here's a 7 word summary for each team... telling you EXACTLY who they are; and maybe worse, who they're not. In alphabetical order, here we go:

Arizona Cardinals (1-2) - great QB, elite WRs, not much else
Atlanta Falcons (2-1) - promising young talent, great, not yet elite
Baltimore Ravens (3-1) - they have an offense now, very dangerous
Buffalo Bills (1-3) - good skill players, terrible 0-line, average d-line
Carolina Panthers (0-3) - old, going down the tube; fast
Chicago Bears (3-1) - great QB + average team = no playoffs
Cincinnati Bengals (3-1) - fantastic defense, underrated, make playoffs if healthy
Cleveland Browns (0-4) - rebuilding, bad... really bad
Dallas Cowboys (2-2) - overrated, overrated QB, bad coach, no playoffs
Denver Broncos (4-0) - stingy defense, but schedule gets tougher
Detroit Lions (1-3) - you can't lose them all!
Green Bay (2-2) - great QB, awful o-line will prevent success
Houston Texans (2-2) - if healthy, they will compete
Indianapolis Colts (4-0) - they look better than ever, that's scary
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) - great RB, not much else, we'll see
Kansas City Chiefs (0-4) - gonna be a long season in KC
Miami Dolphins (1-3) - QB out for year, looks dismal
Minnesota Vikings (4-0) - Favre looks good, but schedule toughens
New England Patriots (3-1) - they'll be fine, same old Patriots
New Orleans Saints (4-0) - very much legit, a scary team
New York Giants (4-0) - look great, they'll be playing in January
New York Jets (3-1) - best defense in the NFL, success coming...
Oakland Raiders (0-4) - worst QB... ever?
Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) - solid team, will continue to compete
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) - they'll be better as the season progresses
San Diego Chargers (2-2) - overrated, they're in trouble
San Francisco 49ers (3-1) - underrated, watch out, they're for real
Seattle Seahawks (2-2) - too bad they're never healthy...
St. Louis Rams (0-4) - just plain bad
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) - see above
Tennessee Titans (0-4) - most disappointing team this year by far
Washington Redskins (2-2) - could they underachieve any more?

There you have it. Respond with comments, tell me what you think. And that's the sp0rts bl0g for ya...

An editor's guide to Convocation

2009-10-06T12:49:00.003-04:00

As we reach the halfway point of Convocation Fall 2009, I'd like to share a little about what I have learned from this year's services.

No, I am not going to recap the sermons or critique the music groups; I simply want to share my observations about seating.

Every student is different. Some of us like to sit in the balcony, some like to sit above the stage. Others prefer the main floor, while some have no preference at all.

When planning the time that you will arrive at Convocation, keep in mind where you want to sit. Especially this year, it seems that services are overflowing faster than normal. Allow me to elaborate on the times of arrival for each particular section.

Students who enjoy sitting on the main floor of the Conn Center should probably arrive at least 15 minutes early. If you want to sit with a group of three or more, I suggest sending a delegate at least 20 minutes early (if not earlier) to claim your seats.

Those wishing to sit in the balcony should arrive 5-10 minutes prior to service. By this time, the ushers are directing people upstairs because the main floor is full, with the exception of perhaps a few obscure individual seats. In the latter part of this time frame, the ushers open up the overflow above the stage for students to sit in as well.

By the time the worship service starts, the Conn Center is normally at capacity and finding seats is a challenge for even the keenest of I Spy aficionados. At this point, you will be told to filter into the Dixon Center to watch the service.

But don't think that going to Dixon Center guarantees you a seat! During the Monday night service, the Dixon Center hosted 570 students, some of whom were seated on the stairs.

So, when planning your Convocation experience, keep in mind where you want to find yourself seated. Hopefully these tips will help you to keep your mind focused on God and not on finding a seat!

Have a blessed rest of the week!

Did you know 4.0

2009-10-06T11:14:00.002-04:00

The updated, fall 2009 version of "Shift Happens" focus' on the convergence of personal life and social media technologies.

Can you imagine what your life would be without Facebook, e-mail or text messaging? You might have to talk to someone face to face!

See the "Shift Happens" video after the jump.

Blood Assurance Art

2009-10-02T12:50:00.003-04:00

Here are some photos from Shashank and Jennifer and my commentary on the wonderful Blood Assurance Truck.

New Uses for Lee Clarion

2009-09-28T17:48:00.005-04:00

This is a short blog video showing how two girls in Tharp Hall creatively decided to use their Lee Clarions.

Making a difference is not just for rock stars

2009-09-25T16:57:00.004-04:00

By Taylor Mobley
I will be the first to admit that Bono is my hero. Although his status as the lead singer of U2, leather jacket, signature sunglasses, and rock star persona are appealing to a culture that idolizes the concept of “cool,” this is not what endears
him to me.

Bono has a heart. Speaking out for poor who cannot speak out for themselves has become who he is, reflected in his music as well as his lifestyle. He is unashamed. He is bold.

So often I put him on a pedestal, with his product (RED) line, books, and TV interviews. I think to myself, “Wow, he is really changing the world.”

I’ve never been on T.V., but I want to change the world too…

We cannot all be rock stars, speaking out about injustice to millions of adoring fans every night, using only a guitar and a microphone. We cannot all be missionaries or work for the Peace Corps, caring for the displaced in Africa or feeding the hungry in Asia.

Most of us will spend our days in the business world, climbing the corporate ladder or teaching kindergartners how to read.

It is so difficult not to get immersed in the world around us where our only frame of reference when it comes to hunger is the time we spent in college living off of Ramen noodles and Mac and Cheese. We forget so easily about the hunger, poverty and disease that ravages the world.

We must not allow ourselves to forget. To make a true difference on an everyday level, social justice cannot simply be an afterthought. It must become a lifestyle. It does not matter what your job is, where you live, or who you are, you can make a difference. When it comes to changing the world, a dentist in Michigan is just as important as a politician on Capitol Hill.

The fight against injustice begins by simply making people aware of the issues that are affecting people around the world.

For example, I bet you thought that slavery was abolished after the Civil War. As I learned recently at a human trafficking round table at the U.S. State Department, there are 12.3 million people worldwide, adults and children, enslaved into forced labor and sexual servitude.

Some of the most common forms of human trafficking enslave children as child soldiers, sex workers, and forced laborers. Many of these children slaves are either kidnapped or persuaded with false promises of a better life.

The idea of slavery produces certain images in my mind. I picture people shackled and chained, living behind bars, being forced to work. But,in the trafficking system, something more permanent than chains binds the victims to the abusive situation. Most of the enslaved have been abused in such a manner that they believe that they have no other option but to continue as they are in their situation. Those who enslave them create a sense of dependency that kills all hope of escape.

It is so easy to dismiss this crisis because it feels so far away, but the truth is human trafficking exists in the United States. Areas such as Houston and Atlanta are known to have underground trafficking networks.

Not only can you speak out against injustice, but you can also be an example through your choices. Choose to purchase goods that are guaranteed to have been produced without the use of slavery. Get involved with an organization, such a World Vision, that works to combat these wrongs through development and funding.

If you turn away, who will tell their stories? Speaking out against injustice does not require a particular college degree or occupation. It simply requires a bold heart.

Voices celebrates 15 years with special guest

2009-09-20T12:55:00.004-04:00

Cleveland mayor Tom Roland has proclaimed Sept. 20, 2009, to be Voices of Lee Day.

The mayor made the proclamation at the 15th anniversary celebration during the Sunday morning service at North Cleveland Church of God.

Voices of Lee alumni from past and present joined together to fill the sanctuary with the powerful music that the ensemble has become known for throughout Cleveland, the United States and worldwide.

The celebration also featured as a special surprise guest Southern gospel music legend Bill Gaither. Gaither was made an honorary citizen of Cleveland, Tenn., by the mayor.

Gaither spoke about the importance of harmony in the church and the body of Christ, then led the congregation and the choir in a traditional song.

See a video of Gaither and Voices of Lee after the jump.

Alternatives to Chapel

2009-09-16T20:35:00.005-04:00

Chapel is always a hot topic on Lee's campus.
Are you going to Dixon or Conn? Who's the speaker? Will you save me a seat?
However, there are also many students who are exempt from chapel because of work hours or because they are married. But what about the rest of us those, we who are busy in our own right and miss every now and then.
What if there was a way that you would never have to worry about being on chapel probation ever again?

No I am not suggesting that Lee suspend chapel services. Most of the time I enjoy chapel. What I'm suggesting actually requires a little more effort on the students part.

Every chapel service is recorded and available for download on the Lee University website for students to listen to. My proposal is that Lee give students a chance to "make up" missed chapels by listening to these podcasts.

However, Lee would need a way to keep track of the students that took advantage of this plan. Lee could develop a short quiz to go with each podcast. Just the basic points discussed, maybe even created from the speaker's notes. This way students would actually have to pay attention to the service, in exchange for getting a second chance at chapel credit.

Perhaps one day Lee will embrace such a plan, but for now all those who will be facing probation will just have to go to more services next month.

Michael Jordan inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame

2009-09-14T21:56:00.004-04:00

By Christin Walker, Staff writer

The inevitable has happened. On Friday, Sept. 11, 2009, one of the greatest basketball players of all time was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Michael Jordan, the original 23, has officially been locked into the history of sports.

“I was hoping this day was coming in 20 more years, or that I’d actually go in when I’m dead and done,” said Jordan to a USA Today reporter.

Athletes like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have been compared to Jordan, but it takes a special superstar to hit game-winning shots, endorse shoes with a moneymaking silhouette, advertise underwear, attempt semi-professional baseball, and save the planet from animated monsters in a cheesy children’s movie.

Jordan’s résumé is utterly unbelievable. He is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner with the U.S. basketball team, he successfully played 15 seasons in the NBA, and he has set numerous records that put most other players to shame. He once scored 69 points in a single game, and had a 45 point performance in an NBA final game while battling the flu.

Jordan’s prestige and appeal might have originated on the basketball court, but it eventually spread: advertisers like McDonalds, Coke, and Nike thrived upon his endorsements and support. From every angle, Jordan’s career can be considered a complete success.

Of all the possible candidates that Jordan might choose to present him during his Hall of Fame induction, he chose David Thompson, former star at North Carolina State. Jordan picked Thompson over predictable names like Phil Jackson, Dean Smith, or Charles Barkley, all of whom had close ties to Jordan and his successful career.

“I was kind of surprised, and also was really flattered that he chose me over Coach Smith. You know how important he is?” Thompson said.

Nicknamed “Skywalker,” Thompson was the big name in basketball, leading North Carolina State to a NCAA championship in 1974, before Jordan was even on the radar.

According to Hall of Fame personnel, Jordan is a huge fan of Thompson and requested him because of his inspiration, clearly not because of his alma mater. Thompson went on to play for the Denver Nuggets in the NBA and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.

Thompson is honored to stand alongside one of his fellow legends. “I’ve been smiling ever since [I was asked to present Jordan]. I’ve been telling people and they’ve been congratulating me like I was getting in. I’m already in.”

The general consensus on Lee’s campus is support for the legend’s induction into the Hall of Fame.

“It’s the greatest achievement that a professional basketball player can attain. It gives me great pride to say that he played at UNC, near where I’m from. I’ve seen his skills first hand, and he’s the most remarkable basketball player I’ve ever watched,” said Jonathan Sausedo, a junior.

Other students are excited about Jordan's achievement because it reminds them of their childhood memories.

“I want to go watch Space Jam right now! I used to love Jordan in that movie!” said sophomore Jason Morris.

Republicans Bake Sale for the Deficit

2009-09-11T23:50:00.000-04:00

Lee students have a reputation for helping the community, but Lee University's College Republicans chapter has taken the idea of helping to a new level.

The group has researched the facts and in order to present them to the public they've stepped out into the community to raise money for the national deficit, selling one brownie at a time.

Watch the College Republican's bake sale for the deficit video after the jump.

Nate Tucker Discusses Portico

2009-09-11T14:13:00.005-04:00

This is an interview with Nate Tucker, Associate Director of IS&T at Lee University. In it he discusses the new Portico system and some new features that will be added to the system, such as Chapel attendance online.

The Sp0rts Bl0g - Issue 2

2009-09-11T13:12:00.005-04:00

This upcoming weekend is one of the most beautiful weekend in all of sports. College football rolls into the second week of its season, while the National Football League (NFL) finally kicks off.

This weekend brings back great memories of cool, crisp October and November days. The two different levels of football can entertain just about every fan, but the NFL has certain advantages that collegiate football can't touch.

Now, many of you are probably snarling at me. I come from Vermont, where the biggest local college football game consists of Maine at New Hampshire. Sure, Boston College isn't too far down the road, but since they play in the ACC... it's fairly irrelevant to Vermonters.

When I came to Lee, one drastic difference in the sports world was the passion for college football. It was something I'd never seen before. I realize its South Eastern Conference (SEC) territory down here, but the intensity for University of Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and some of the other major SEC schools was equivalent to the deadly rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees... and anyone from New England can back me up.

But, lets get down to business here. There's one major reason why college football can't touch the NFL is the playoff system. Go ahead, roll your eyes. So cliche, huh? But lets think about this. Let's use Week 1 of the college football season for example.

Two games in particular will be the focus of the rest of this blog. #16 Oregon went to #14 Boise State in Week 1. In a hard fought game, Boise State was able to pull it out in the end. The first half of this game was an "ugly" defensive battle filled with a lot of heart. #14 Boise State has some late scores of the 1st half to go into halftime leading 13-0. #14 Boise State held on, winning 18-9. #16 Oregon's season? OVER.

I mean, seriously?! The 16th ranked team in the nation doesn't receive the strength of schedule necessary to reach the "National Championship Game" without going winless. Oregon isn't in the strongest conference (PAC-10) and because they lost already... they can't be placed in the National Championship game. It's over for Oregon. It's a shame. They could play to the best of their ability and CRUSH everybody else on their schedule... their reward? Probably a BCS bowl... but certainly not the "National Championship Game." Why play the games?

Here's another great example. #3 Oklahoma was upset, 14-13, by a very underrated #20 BYU team. All the credit in the world should go to the #20 BYU team who physically dominated the game, to the point where they knocked out Heisman trophy winner QB Sam Bradford. Now, lets forget about that injury to Bradford for a minute. #3 Oklahoma has a very tough schedule. They play in the BIG 12, a tough conference with National Championship talent in teams like Texas. #3 Oklahoma's season? It's over! The biggest reason #3 Oklahoma lost the game? Probably because they lost their star QB in Bradford. If he doesn't get hurt, maybe they overcome #20 BYU's physicality and pull it out.

So, basically, in college football, it's 1 loss and you're done. Lets give a quick NFL example. Steelers beat the Titans last night 13-10 in overtime (OT). This opening game is quite possibly an AFC Championship game preview. And because the NFL is smart enough to have a playoff, that scenario is actually possible.

I don't care if I'm in the heart of the SEC and passionate college football fans. The bottom line is: until college football declares a playoff system, it can't be respected as a sport that properly rewards who the best teams are. And that's the Sp0rts Bl0g for ya...

One year and counting

2009-09-08T20:09:00.003-04:00

After three years of hard work I have finally made it to the rank of senior. As I get used to the first semester with my new status , my thoughts run in a million different directions. Part of me is constantly looking ahead thinking about what kind of job I will have when I get out of college. Who will I work for? Where will I live? Do I have enough experience in my field?

Yet, another part of me looks back and wonders, “How did I make it here?” Every student has there “How I got to Lee” story and I am no exception. Basically, I wanted to attend a Christian school that offered journalism and was still close enough to home that I could drive back and forth.

The experience here has been great. I have learned so much about journalism in this past year. It’s amazing to me to think how little I knew, and how much I still have to learn before graduation. I have also learned a lot about life, and the way God works. What I had always heard is true. He does work in mysterious ways. When I think of all that has happened to bring me to this point, it truly is amazing.
However, right now I really just want to enjoy the moment I’m in. Being the news editor for the Lee Clarion and interning with the Cleveland Daily Banner are enough to keep my thoughts from wondering too far into the past or future. These positions remind me that this moment is determining the future that I’m planning. I want to enjoy every minute of my last year at Lee. I want to enjoy the friendships, the accomplishments, and the lessons.

Tada.. here I am!

2009-09-08T00:01:00.004-04:00

Just to clear a few things up...

Hello, I'm Michelle Bollman, the new managing editor of the Lee Clarion and apparently the "new Harrison Keely."

Though the managing editor of the newspaper changes like clockwork every few semesters, for some reason Harrison Keely became more than himself, he became a entire job description.

Yes, I have replaced Harrison, because he GRADUATED. Though we have the same job titles, I can assure you I won't "become" Harrison Keely over the next year.

Just to point out a few differences:
-I don't like to eat at the dining hall, therefore you will never see me picking up your plates to return them to their homes and, in that case, I most likely will not be able to tweet about what they made for lunch today or blog about how long that blue hanger has been in the cafeteria's men's bathroom.
-I don't ride a bike. I have a car. And personally, I think I should get a reserved parking space in the back of the PCSU, so campus safety if your reading this and see a green Ford focus parked illegally. PLEASE spare me. Please?
-I can't say I'm one to open doors. I usually fail to notice the people that are walking behind me.. therefore you most likely won't find me greeting you while holding open the Conn Center doors on the way into chapel.
-I usually don't find myself walking up to random people and striking up conversation, however, if you ever see me around don't be afraid to stop and introduce yourself!
-And last, but not least, I don't take pictures or record random videos. I'm sorry, but your memories will be archived through the photography team, not myself, but you'll still be able to find all event photos on the Lee Clarion Facebook page!

Don't get me wrong, I miss Harrison as much as the next person... but it's time he bless another city! Let it be said, let it be done. NO-HARRISON-MISSING!

So next time I'm introduced to you as "the new Harrison Keely" at least try to remember my name... for the record, it's Michelle.

Who's afraid of the big bad swine?

2009-09-07T17:12:00.004-04:00

My visit home this weekend took a very unexpected turn when my friend from UTC who gave me a ride from Cleveland to Winchester (and who had been suffering from a sinus infection the past few days) was told by her doctor that she actually had swine flu.

I had been in a car with her for three hours. Medically and scientifically, there was no way I was going to be spared. So my family and I quarantined ourselves for the weekend.

Thankfully, God has blessed me with a spectacular immune system, and I did not get sick from my time with my friend.

Even though the H1N1 virus is indeed a very real thing, I think we are giving it a lot more power than it deserves by panicking at the very mention of it. In reality, most cases are actually milder than the seasonal flu that goes around each winter.

We don't need to be afraid of the swine flu; we just need to know the facts. So here are a few facts from the Center for Disease Control's Web site.

Fact: H1N1 (swine flu) is contagious. It spreads just like the seasonal flu strain we've been dealing with for years.

Fact: "Most people who have been sick have recovered without needing medical treatment."

Fact: One can help prevent the spread of H1N1 and the seasonal flu virus by taking precautions such as covering one's mouth when sneezing or coughing, washing one's hands frequently, avoiding touching one's eyes, mouth or nose, and avoiding contact with sick people.

More information about the H1N1 virus is available at http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm.

Also, something that I learned from my experience: an RN in my family assured me that if I were going to get sick, I would show symptoms in 24-48 hours.So if you find out you have been exposed to the virus, you might want to take extra precautions (drink lots of fluids, increase Vitamin C intake, try to limit social contact) during that time period to further reduce your chances of getting sick.

And, as always, praying for protection doesn't hurt, either. I feel like God gave me a supernatural flu shot this weekend!

Be smart this flu season and you'll be just fine.

New kid on the block

2009-09-05T18:46:00.005-04:00

Detroit, Michigan.

As I order my chick-fil-A sandwich with two moist pickles, I realize how far away from home I really am.

As a transfer student, I am at odds with my peers. Academically, I am junior with an Associate’s Degree, yet socially, I appear as a freshman, confused, curious, and occasionally lost. On my first day as Life Editor for the Lee Clarion, I became the laughingstock of my peers when it was discovered that I did not know the names of any buildings on Lee.

Other unfortunate circumstances included famous freshman antics, such as asking, “When is chapel?” “Why can’t I log on to any computers?” “Where is room 102?” and “Why is there no parking?”

Speaking of freshman, I have the privilege this year of joining most transfer students in the pleasure of taking a few freshman classes that didn’t transfer with my credits. Among them, my Foundations of Western Culture class is quite the trip. I feel slightly powerful yet slightly stupid as I sit in a class with recent high school graduates who have never taken a college course.

Sadly, these instances are the only times when I get to feel like I actually know what I’m doing. Being new to not only Lee but the Cleveland area, I frequently find myself at odds with directions, knowledge of helpful places such as barber shops, and the dramatically slower pace of life — and, more importantly, driving — associated with the south.

Still, my memories of good times back at home give me some small amount of satisfaction. As I watch one of my favorite videos on youtube, I am reminded of my friends and I huddled around a computer screen, laughing uncontrollably at the ridiculousness of Bernstein’s Diet Pills.

Even if I am the only one making fun of your driving on the way to school, it gives me pride to say that I am from Detroit, where the weak are killed and eaten.

The Sp0rts Bl0g

2009-08-27T16:36:00.007-04:00

Welcome back Lee students! I'm sure your summer was as great and eventful as mine; but don't worry, if it wasn't, the sports world's summer certainly was.

This new blog will be the basis of all things sports and whatever opinion I may have about them. Occasionally, Lee sports might be the topic of the blog as well.

This blog being a recap of the summer's events, it will slightly differ from the others in the future. But that's enough of formatting and logistics, lets get on with the recap.

The summer started fast with the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Orlando Magic in 5 games to capture their 15th NBA title. The championship also thrusted future Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson into the number 1 spot for most NBA titles, as a coach, with 10. It sure helps when you have Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant on all your championship teams though.

Major League Baseball (MLB) was also getting into full swing. On June 4th, Randy Johnson collected his 300th career win when the San Francisco Giants defeated the Washington Nationals 5-1. Johnson became the 24th pitcher in MLB history to reach the remarkable feat; just the 6th left-handed pitcher.

The Giants weren't done making history however, as another left-handed pitcher, Jonathan Sanchez, thrust his name into MLB record books with a no hitter. Sanchez, 26, was looking to solidify his spot in the starting rotation as his last few starts were sub-par to say the least. He showed the Giants pitching coaches why he should stay in the rotation with the first Giants no-hitter in 33 years. To make the story even more special, his dad, a native of Puerto Rico, was able to be in attendance to watch history being made by his son. It was the first time the father was able to watch Sanchez in person; only God could plan that.

Not to be outdone, just 12 days later, on July 23, Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox achieved the ultimate greatness for any pitcher - throwing a perfect game! Buehrle became just the 18th pitcher in MLB history to get every single batter out that faced him. No runs. No hits. No walks. Nothing. Perfect.

Unfortunately for Major League Baseball, the scandalous performance enhancing drug (PED) situation continued to rear it's ugly head this summer. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, two of the top sluggers in baseball, were newly connected to testing and using PEDs. Now, this doesn't mean they are 100% guilty, but the fact that they were connected casts another dark shadow upon the best players in the game today.

As the summer rolled into August, training camps of the National Football League (NFL) began. Quarterback (QB) Brett Favre decided yet again he was not done playing football, and after weeks of behind the scenes negociating, Favre decided he would play for the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, Favre has only taken 8 snaps from under center in a pre-season game. The Vikings success and season with their new QB should be watched closely this season.

Another QB made his return to the NFL this summer... but through a much different route. Michael Vick finished serving his 23 month jail sentence in July; for being involved in a dog-fighting ring. After being reinstated back into the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles took a chance and signed him to a 2 year deal. Vick is playing his first NFL football, since being in jail, in a preseason game tonight, August 27, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. This is another interesting story to watch throughout the year.

Another popular news story in football this summer came from the former Super Bowl Champ wide receiver (WR) Plaxico Burress. The former New York Giant WR was indicted and is about to spend 2 years in jail for carrying a loaded gun into a New York night club. Oh, by the way, the only reason they found the gun was because Burress shot himself in the foot by accident. Ouch... although I'm not sure what hurt more: his foot, or his pride.

Also, the 6'5 freak of nature (and I mean that in the most respectable way possible) from Jamaica, Usain Bolt made sports news this summer. He broke the 100m and 200m world records in track and field just a few weeks ago in Berlin. This guy is NUTS! I encourage you to YouTube some of his races. It looks like he's jogging out there. A great story.

All in all, it's been a great summer of sports. Plenty of other important stories, Steve McNair's shocking death, Tiger Woods not winning any of the 4 majors this year, and the US men's soccer team failing to lock up a early spot in the World Cup by losing to Mexico, were prominent to the sports world.

I'm sure there are other sports stories that were worth mentioning, but these are the most significant stories to me. And that's the Sports Blog for ya...

A bit of practical advice

2009-08-18T12:40:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow morning, hundreds of students will fill Lee's classrooms to begin a new semester of learning.

As most freshmen and transfer students have already found, though, the learning actually began the moment they stepped on campus.

Now that orientation is over, the parents are gone and the new students are free to do what they want, I'd like to share a few practical pieces of advice that maybe the orientation packet didn't quite cover.

1. Pedestrians do have the right of way.
Drivers, this means that sometimes you will have to stop (especially during class changes). Please don't run us over.
Walkers, as tempting as it is, don't just dart out into the road assuming that the driver will stop. I know it's not always convenient to use the crosswalks, but if at all possible, please do!

2. Beware the golf carts.
Most of Lee University's carts are safe to drive on the roads, but a few are still limited to sidewalks. And they do have a tendency to take up the entire sidewalk. Just be a cognizant walker and don't let one sneak up on you. (Bicycles also tend to do this, but they can more easily pass.)

3. Get used to waiting in line.
Registration is like a boot camp for line-waiting. Once you make it through this week, you will be a seasoned veteran. Which is good because 10 to 1 you will be waiting in another line very soon. Whether at a free food event or just trying to get your card scanned after chapel, Lee students receive a lot of practice in the art of waiting.

4. Free food is a blessing.
Meal plan or no meal plan, college kids flock to free food events. I am pleased to report that, for the most part, all of the free food around here is quite delicious! My personal favorites are when the diversity clubs such as International Student Fellowship put on events; be sure to check those out!

5. Carry a jacket if you tend to get cold.
Lee University seems to have this odd equation for regulating indoor temperature: if it's really hot outside, it has to be exceedingly cold inside. This is great when you're just passing through a building on a hot August day, but when sitting through 50-minute classes, it can be a bit bone-chilling. If you like staying warm, just stick a sweater in your backpack.

6. Always carry your ID card.
Those of us living on campus need them to get into our dorms. But you also never know when a Campus Safety officer might just walk up to you to make sure you have proper ID on your person. Trust the voice of experience, save yourself the lecture and carry the card.

7. Use your chapel skips wisely.
Always plan on going to more chapel services than you have to. That way, if something comes up (or maybe one day you just don't feel like going), you can evade probation for one more month. Thankfully, we can now check chapel attendance on the new Portico system.

8. Ask questions.
If you don't understand something, don't know where something is or can't figure out why or how something happens, just ask! Lee University is one of the friendliest communities you'll ever live in; take advantage of it! And don't be freaked out if someone comes up and asks if you need help; it probably means you have a dazed and confused look on your face and you should have asked about an hour ago. Hopefully none of you will get to that point, though!

9. When it comes to service hours, just do it.
Ten hours each semester really isn't that bad. The projects that the Leonard Center arranges throughout the semester are actually really fun! The worst part is having to write the 2-page paper, and even that isn't as bad as it could be. People at the Leonard Center are there to help you if you need to get jump-started. And the sooner you write it, the sooner you can get back to whatever you were doing before. You might just catch the service bug and volunteer all semester long!

10. Study hard, but take breaks.
It is scientifically proven that study breaks improve the quality of study. Take a 15-minute break every hour or so. That's plenty of time to run to Jazzman's to get a drink or just chat with a friend down the hall! Some of the best learning experiences happen outside the classroom and the study room. Just be sure to return to those books!

Most importantly, though, don't forget to pick up a copy of the Lee Clarion when you see a new one on stands! The Lee Clarion is published every other week with the first issue hitting stands Aug. 21.

It's not a good month...

2009-07-06T12:06:00.004-04:00

Lets face it. Being in the public eye in any form within the last month has only proved to lead to bad news.

Wonder how long this will continue.

Here in The Washington Times newsroom, we've come to expect deaths to come in groups of threes. After the most recent death of former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, it has rounded off the third group of three in the last month.

Here are a list of 'notable' celebrities that have died within the last month:

David Carrodine, 06.03.2009
Ed McMahon, 06.23.2009
Farrah Fawcett, 06.25.2009
Michael Jackson, 06.25.2009
Billy Mays, 06.28.2009
Fred Travalena, 06.28.2009
Karl Malden, 07.01.2009
Steve McNair, 07.04.2009
Robert McNamara, 07.06.2009

The crazy thing happens to be that there were only six significant celebrities that died in the first five months of the year.

The sad thing however, is that it's not only celebrities that have been under fire the last month.

The world of politics has been in an uproar also.

It all started when Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) admitted to having an affair on his wife with one of his staffer's wives, earlier in June. Then came Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) disappearance from his home state of South Carolina, only to turn up after a trip to Argentina, it comes out later that day that he has been having an affair on his wife also. Next comes Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) and her surprise resignation.

Not even touching on the fact that Obama's approval rating has started to decline, only six months after being named the 43rd president of our great United States.

Beyond that, the news has been plagued with terrible images from election protests in Iran and now ethnic protests in China!

I must say, summers are usually slower for news to come in, however, this summer is something completely different. It's been a roller coaster ride, and we're only half way through.

I've heard that there has also been some news-making on Lee's campus as well.. don't worry it's been the good kind of news! Have you seen the AMAZING half-done Science and Math building that will be open for class in a little over a month?

Whew!

Didn't we have this problem last year?

2009-07-02T10:52:00.002-04:00

I guess, students are more vulnerable during the summer months. Once we check out our brains for our three-month vacation, all hope is lost.. and all common sense for that matter.

Apparently, this is prime-time for making unsuspected students give e-mail account information and passwords away freely.

Assistant Director of IS&T Operations, Chris Golden sent an e-mail today to students across campus warning them of a e-mail scam asking students for their usernames and passwords, in order for Lee's IS&T department to gain access to their e-mail accounts for maintenance.

In the e-mail Golden urges students "Please. Please, do not give you password to anyone through email. Please. We can only do so much to protect you, we need your help. Please."

He stated that IS&T has other ways of accessing student's e-mail accounts for maintenance without asking for password. He asked if anyone is asked for their passwords and they think it is 'legit' to call him at 614-8536.

He then reminded, "Never give anyone your password."

The below message is an example of a spam message that Golden tells students not to respond to.

"This email is not from Lee University IS&T. If you have fallen victim to this phishing email, please reset your password immediately.
Subject: Please Confirm Your Account

Dear Lee University OWA Subscriber,

We are currently carrying-out a maintenance process to your Lee Email account. To complete this process you must reply to this email and
enter your Current User Name here ( ) and Password here ( ) if you
are the rightful owner of this account. Our Message Center will confirm your identity including your Secret Question and Answer immediately.

The new 2009 Lee Webmail is a fast and light-weight application to quickly and easily access your e-mail. This process will also help us to fight against spam mails. Failure to submit your password, will render your email address in-active from our database.

You can also confirm your email address by logging into your Lee Webmail account at: https://owa.leeuniversity.edu/exchange/

NOTE: You will be sent a password reset messenge in next seven (7) working days after under going this process for security reasons.

Thank you for using Lee Webmail!

https://owa.leeuniversity.edu/exchange/"

So again, PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL MESSAGES OR ANY MESSAGE ASKING FOR E-MAIL ACCOUNT NAME AND PASSWORD."

Shade returns to the Ped Mall

2009-06-22T12:39:00.002-04:00

Remember all the hoopla about the eight trees at the Alumni Amphitheater being axed? In fact, you can read the whole blog post here.

Well, here's a shot of the amphitheater's new style: Six fresh saplings firmly planted as replacements.

Cross Hall door shattered

2009-06-22T12:27:00.003-04:00

The front door of Cross Hall, a female dorm at Lee University, was found shattered over the weekend.

The glass door, leading to one of the building's stairways, is currently roped with caution tape.

Perez Hilton vs. Will.i.am

2009-06-22T10:58:00.003-04:00

If you haven't heard the latest about Perez Hilton, an infamous Hollywood blogger known for being brutally honest to celebrities, vs. Will.i.am, a member of the Black Eyed Peas, then you obviously don't have a Twitter account.

Waking up to the trending topic "Perez Hilton" was enough to immediately make me go to his Twitter page, read his side of the feud from last night, via Twitter's 140 character count, and then click the "follow" button, directly underneath his picture.

According to Hilton, the bickering began when Black Eyed Peas member Fergie confronted him during a dress rehearsal for Canada's Much Music Awards on Saturday evening. She, as well as the other members of the group were upset at Hilton for him weighing in on his opinion of the group's latest album, apparently not as favorably as the group would have liked.

Will.i.am, however, had been left out of the Twitter circle of friends, and finally joined Twitter, about seven hours ago.

Only about twelve hours after the initial incident occurred, both Hilton and Will.i.am released video statements about what happened outside of the Canadian nightclub.

Take whichever side you want, I don't care.

What am I aggravated about, you ask?

Will.i.am, doesn't even know the Twitter lingo yet. Pssh. He repeatedly referred to the verb "tweeting" or "twittered" as "twited" and "twiting." That's definitely not AP style.

I'm just saying, there is something that rubs me wrong about these two words. heh.

How to: Download a free copy of commencement.

2009-06-20T11:46:00.005-04:00

So you graduated, and your great uncle saw the whole ceremony online, but you just didn't have the funds to invest in purchasing a DVD for posterity...

What then?

Thankfully, Lee University has done all grads and their families a huge favor by putting a video of the commencement and commissioning online at iTunes U. for easy access to all. It's completely free to download. Just click here.

MOUSE. MOUSE. MOUSE.

2009-06-16T09:32:00.011-04:00

Remember my post that I wrote just a few short days ago, comparing TWT to the Lee Clarion?

I have another reason... THERE'S A MOUSE UNDER MY DESK.

Well, a least I hope he's still there, because if he's not there still, that means he's gotten brave and ran somewhere else. But the one thing I can be sure of, is that there is a mouse (at least one) in this newsroom.

It's not even like a cute little cartoon mouse that you see in Disney's Cinderella, but a big mouse, a rat, a rodent, something of the sort with four creepy little feet and creepy little whiskers. It's gross.

I know the picture may seem a little far fetched, but those are the Cinderella mice; they are cute. This mouse is not. It's ugly. I would have taken a picture of him, but I've been sitting on TOP of my desk so I won't be able to see him if he decides to make another surprise appearance.

The fear of putting my feet back on the ground is enough to get to me.

Congrats, Tenn.

2009-06-15T09:08:00.004-04:00

Tennessee did something right! Thanks mostly in part to the Chattanooga area, Tennessee has received the Gold Shovel Award.

The award is presented annually to a state that has excelled in job creation.

According to the press release by the Associated Press, the award was received heavily because of the job creation the Volkswagen Group is bringing with nearly 2,000 new jobs to the area.

You can read the entire story on the Gold Shovel Award presented to the state of Tennessee, here.

Things are finally looking up for Lee grads... at least if you can't find a job in your field, there will be SOMETHING in the area available.

Tweet all about it

2009-06-12T13:03:00.004-04:00

The AP Stylebook. The center of every good journalist's life. The writing bible. Extra reading for reporters. The holy grail.

In the most recent edition, the 56th update of the book, along with other modifications, the Associated Press added the word "Twitter" to the book.

I believe this gives us, as journalists, not only the right to tweet like there is no tomorrow, but now we can also talk and write about Twitter, or our tweets for that matter. And the best part about it is that we won't offend any Associated Press style police.

The Stylebook cites that the verb forms of the word "Twitter" are "to Twitter" or "to Tweet." According to the book, the word Twitter is a noun that "refers to the online social-networking mode that limits communications to 140 characters or less."

A full article about the announcement of the updated AP Stylebook can be read, here.

In fact, the AP Stylebook has its own Twitter, and has jumped nearly 1,000 followers since the news of the updated edition of the Stylebook was announced Tuesday night.

Follow the Associated Press Stylebook, by clicking here. From what I can tell, maybe they'll give you a few AP Style pointers when you're in a bind!

Chattanooga company adds 120 jobs

2009-06-11T10:51:00.003-04:00

Over the past year in southeastern Tennessee many business-expanding, job-offering opportunities have been announced. This year alone, both Wacker and Volkswagen are continuing to move forward on industry expansions.

Wacker, a German chemical company, made their intentions known to build a new state-of-the-art factory, the first of it's kind in the states, to produce poly silicon. The entire story can be read on LeeClarion.com.

Volkswagen announced the building of a multi-million dollar plant in Chattanooga that would supply the area with thousands of jobs, both on-site and through other companies that would be providing services to the plant, late last year.

They have since scaled down the initial plans of the plant due to the American economy, saying that they will eventually add on making the plant as big as originally announced.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press and the Associated Press are now reporting another industry expanding an already existing business in the Chattanooga area, also expected to add jobs to the market.

The AP story after the jump.

Chattanooga's Dixie Industries adding 120 jobs

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Chattanooga's Dixie Industries plans to add 120 jobs in a $5.5 million expansion.

Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce chief executive Tom Edd Wilson told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that the company's existing 120 jobs were at risk before the decision to expand in Chattanooga.

Dixie Industries makes forged hooks, tiedowns and other metal products and is part of Amherts. N.Y.-based Columbus McKinnon Corp.

Lee Clarion vs. TWT

2009-06-10T12:48:00.001-04:00

Let me start out by saying that the Lee Clarion was the publication that gave me my big break and I thank the publication and Lee University for everything they've done for me.

I'm in Washington. Washington, D.C. that is. The District. 'o. Columbia. I landed an internship with The Washington Times this summer, reporting for the Web desk, doing all the things that the Web desk-ers do... I'll just say it, I'm a natural. (Do you like my coffee mug... just got it!)

However, the thing I miss about the Lee Clarion the most is our newsroom. Let me start off by saying that the benefits of working for TWT (that's what we pro's call 'The Washington Times' around here... it's obviously not easiest name to say) DON'T include the pristine and new newsroom, that's for sure.

At the Lee Clarion we are blessed enough to have a few new iMacs, a flat screen television and all of the office supplies an editor could ever need. We have an up-to-date and feng shui-friendly newsroom. It's perfect; all I could ask for.

I guess with the state of the economy these days, when you get a job at a professional daily newspaper in the capital of everything, news is the first thing they make room for in the budget, not the newsroom.

I present to you my list of the Top 10 reasons the Lee Clarion newsroom is better than the Washington Times newsroom:

10. Office Chairs: This may be nit-picky, however, the office chairs in the Clarion office are WAAAYY more comfortable. And for that matter, they do have rolly chairs here, however, they are on CARPET, so they don't really roll. Who does that? At least we have tile at the Lee Clarion.

9. The Competition: And by competition I don't mean other writers, editors, or interns. I mean The. Washington. Post. Washington is a huge market and reporting and getting exclusive content is big these days. But with the Post readership nearly 800-times bigger than ours, we try to survive.

8. Color Scheme: Really, I know earth-tones and crap like that are supposed to be relaxing and easy on the eyes. But having a whole newsroom filled with off-white, cream, tan and brown tones just makes the room pretty boring to look at. At the Lee Clarion we have a deep red wall that adds some character and much-needed color to the room.

7. Desk: Really, it's not the actual desks themselves. It's the quantity of the same exact desk. It's just that there is about 200 of the same desks in cubical throughout ONE gigantic newsroom. It guess it works like New York City, the newsroom is in blocks... whatever makes it more efficient I guess... apparently feng shui is not really an issue when you have some work to be done.

6. Security: Security in this place is crrrrrazzzy. You have to have an ID to get in anywhere and you have it wear it around your neck at all times... the only thing I have against this part is that it makes accessorizing very difficult... I mean, I can't wear a cute necklace because I already have to have my ID on.. at. all. times. But hey, at least the security gaurds are nice!

5. Couch-less: The Lee Clarion newsroom houses a love-seat couch that has brought many mornings of great sleep, I must say. It's kind of like an initiation. To get into our Editorial Board club you have to sleep on the couch at least once while on deadline. However, I walked into the TWT newsroom only to find it couch-less, kind of depressing. But since I have set hours here, I guess all the sleeping is to be done at h-o-m-e.

4. Coffee: Apparently the coffee up in this place is kinda fend-for-yourself. Which means, I bring my own coffee in the morning... and then pray that I won't need a refill by the early afternoon... because I wouldn't know where to find any around this place. At least at the Clarion we have Jazzman's right outside of our office...

3. Windows: There are lots of windows here. Actually, lots of really big floor-to-ceiling windows. Now don't get me wrong, I love the outside, but when I'm stuck inside all day, no matter what, then I don't want to see the beautiful weather outside. I would rather just take my chances and be surpised when I get off, day after day.

2. TVs: Well I'll begin by saying that not much beats the television that we have provided to us in the Lee Clarion newsroom. But, in TWT's newsroom, they have televisions scattered throughout. Individuals have TVs in front of their desks. The thing is, directly to the left of where I am sitting, there is a huge TV, probably at least 25" or 27", however, the guy that sits in front of me has a TV as well. The probelm is this: everyone likes to watch different television channels. So the TV that I can see well is on one channel and the TV that I can hear well is on another. It's been three days... I'm still not used to it.

1. Keyboards: This is probably the most petty, but the biggest of my problems here at TWT. The. keyboard. doesn't. completely. work. Now, I've got a nice set up.. my own desk, lots of room, a 15" iMac... But within the first three minutes of sitting down at my desk, I noticed that two of the MAJOR buttons on my keyboard don't work. The "caps lock" key and the "tab" key. I just don't understand how someone can work without these two vital keys... must. get. used. to. it.

I'll hand it to Lee University, we at the Lee Clarion have it made in our newsroom. However, I must also admit that for the most part these are all surface complaints and working at a real-world newspaper has its advantages. The people and the news, alike, are both great. I've learned the value that for daily reporting you have to rely on teamwork and those around you.

It's going to be a great summer.

Lee University Students Sing with Lake Junaluska Singers

2009-06-09T11:51:00.011-04:00

LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. — This summer two Lee University students, Chanelle Fagan and Paul Whitehead, will be singing with the talented singing group known as the Lake Junaluska Singers, which is based out of North Carolina.

The Lake Junaluska Singers is a gifted group of eighteen individuals who, under the direction of Dr. Glenn Draper, perform several summer concerts at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. During the summer they also tour within the Southeast, performing at various locations.

Chanelle Fagan, a soprano vocalist from Phoenix, AZ, returns for her second summer with the singers. Fagan is a graduate of Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, AZ, and she graduated from Grand Canyon University in Phoneix, AZ, where she received a Bachelor's degree. She received her Master's degree from Lee University in Cleveland, TN. She was the winner of Desert Mountain Idol and a top thirty finalist in Arizona Idol. She has also performed the National Anthem at Fenway Park and at the NCAA Insight Bowl. She is the daughter of Janet Carpentier of Scottsdale, AZ, and the granddaughter of Betty Fagan of Boston, MA.

Paul Whitehead, a tenor vocalist from Shelbyville, KY, will be spending his first summer with the Lake Junaluska Singers. He is a graduate of Cornerstone Christian Academy and currently attends Lee University. He is the son of Phillip and Susan Whitehead, also of Shelbyville, KY. Whitehead is a three-time NATS Finalist, has made honor recital appearances at Lee University, and has performed in the productions of Gilbert and Patience. He has also been the soloist in several major music events at Lee University, and has also performed with the Lee University Chorale at Carnegie Hall, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, and St. Marks Basilica in Venice, Italy.

The Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center is located near Asheville, North Carolina. The center hosts over 250,000 guests per year and offers numerous religious conferences and events throughout the year.

For concert tickets and more information about the Junaluska Singers, call: 800-222-4930 or visit our website: www.lakejunaluska.com/singers.aspx

Culture Shock.. sorta.

2009-06-07T21:55:00.003-04:00

Let me start by saying... I MISS MY LEE BUBBLE.

Lets begin the story. The north is "infamous" for being a bunch of rude people... believe me, being from Ohio, I get teased relentlessly about how everyone in the north is rude... and I admit, we are not the nicest people. However, as I like to say, we just don't greet everyone who passes; no one really thinks it's rude, it's just how we do.

Therefore, this led me to believe that Ohio and the rest of the northern states were all the same.

WRONG.

I'm spending my summer in Washington D.C., on the Maryland side, and let me tell you.. folks just are not polite here. I'm sure they don't think they're being rude, but walking into a grocery store is like murder, no one moves out of the aisle for you to get through, INCLUDING the grocery store workers... you just have to find a way to go around them.

And they go beyond road rage in these parts... no one lets you over into the other lane when you have to merge, no one cares if you're lost and everyone is in a constant hurry.

Hopefully, I'll get used to it.

So don't be surprised if you come alongside of the girl from Ohio in her car who is rude and in a hurry.. it's just me being used to Maryland and D.C. drivers!

The axe hits the amphitheater

2009-06-05T13:09:00.011-04:00

Update: Maintenance states that most of the amphitheater trees (which were planted in 1988) are simply in the process of being replaced.

Summer has long been the season of change on Lee University's campus.

Buildings are normally in a rush to be completed before the fall semester begins, physical plant completes a list of campus maintenance projects, and new faculty emerge as others retire.

The latest sign of change? Less trees.

The Beach Building received some pomp and circumstance as it fell, but for the trees lining the campus amphitheater, their demolition receives no such ceremony.

Crews came in today to split up the greenery and spew it into sawdust.

If I was to venture a guess, I'd suppose that the trees are calling it "timber" after so many years, because they block the majestic sight of the new science tower from those who walk along the pedestrian mall.

Imagine the photo opportunities during Lee Day or Homecoming club booth fairs: alumni proudly standing before a tower of triumph.

But we've realized that the branches in the winter and the leaves in the summer get in the way. So while we're still waiting for the demolition of the unsightly Hughes Hall to clear the view, we'll go ahead and shear those shade trees that masquerade the building project.

So, it looks as if we may be saying goodbye to our prime hammock spots of the past, all in the name of moving forward for the future.

In that case, so be it.

(See more pictures after the jump)

eMacs from PCSU up for sale in Facebook Marketplace

2009-05-29T14:16:00.004-04:00

If you've been wondering about the fate of the 16 eMac computers from the Student Media Lab at Lee University, the answer has arrived.

During spring break the old eMacs in the PCSU computer lab were replaced with new iMacs for communication students.

Several students inquired if it was possible to purchase one of the old machines.

Well, now the chance has arisen.

A Lee alumni is selling the computers after the university donated them to his mission work. The computers are priced at $250 each so that he may purchase more compact machines to travel with.

Beach Building demolition postponed

2009-05-26T13:22:00.003-04:00

President Paul Conn delivered the news of the Beach Building's postponed demolition to a crowd including faculty, school kids, and the press.

Video by Janchai Montrelerdrasme.

Symphonic Band is taking Great Strides

2009-05-16T23:23:00.003-04:00

In what appears to be a mistake on the Lee University News & Events page, an article mix-up provides a chuckle.

The headline and photo are about Great Strides, but the copy is all about a Symphonic Band concert.

Combining the two isn't a bad idea though; after all, don't you enjoy good music while you run?

89 things you probably didn't know about Lee

2009-05-16T12:36:00.004-04:00

The birth place of what is now Lee University was a single room in the Church of God Publishing House in Cleveland, Tennessee, as seen above.

Since then, a lot of history has flown by, and only the highlights have been recorded for posterity. How many of the following facts about Lee University are a complete surprise?

1. Although the school began in 1918, the concept first originated in 1911.
2. The location of the Humanities Center was originally a softball field.
3. Jazzman's Cafe was originally a commuters lounge.
4. The Student Center and snack shop was originally in the Centenary Room.
5. The Centenary building is the oldest structure on campus and was once used as a female dormitory named East Wing Hall until the mid-1980s.
6. The Vest Building was once home to Lee's library, and was also at one time Lee's administration building.
7. The old music building was located in the field next to the amphitheater.
8. Carroll Courts was built with three more mirroring buildings in mind for future expansion.
9. O'Bannon-Bowdle was constructed with the option to add a third wing behind the laundry rooms in the future.
10. The school began as the Bible Training School. It was renamed Lee Academy and Lee College in 1947.
11. Lee was named after the university's second president. The first left the denomination after financial trouble in the church.
12. Lee owns PaulConn.com.
13. The Humanities Center was originally sketched with a circular clock in the clock tower.
14. Four Lee presidents have no campus structures in their namesake.
15. Nora Chambers was Lee's first teacher.
16. The Vindagua was the original sponsor of the Parade of Favorites.
17. President Conn and Walt Mauldin were both yearbook editors while students at Lee.
18. The campus post office was originally located in lower Simmons for girls and and in the Academic Building for boys.
19. Lee's Sevierville, TN campus now provides a home to foster care children.
20. The school moved to the former campus of Bob Jones University in Cleveland, TN in 1947. The land was bought for $1.5 million.
22. Billy Graham attended college at Bob Jones University when it was on Lee's campus for one year (in 1936) and stayed in what is now Medlin Hall.
23. Medlin Hall was originally named Walker Hall, and later Memorial Hall.
24. The average full-time faculty salary is $46,000.
25. The first Vindagua yearbook was published in 1942.
26. Lee featured a high school division from 1930-1965.
27. Simmons Hall was originally Hadassah Hall.
28. The campus auditorium once stood where the dining hall is now and seated 800 people. Today, the Dixon Center seats 500 and the Conn Center seats 1800.
29. Ellis Hall was between Hughes Hall and the Beach Building before being destroyed by fire. It originally housed married students.
30. The Conn Center's orchestra pit, which was directly in front of the stage, was closed and carpeted over.
31. Cross Hall was built as a men's dorm, which is why the windows facing Tharp Hall are frosted.
32. Atkins-Ellis Hall was once a men's dormitory.
33. Sharp-Davis was constructed to be a coed dorm with men in Davis Hall, which explains why the rooms and beds are longer on one side.
34. Tharp Hall once served as residences for teachers and staff.
35. Other residences for staff included The Jeep, South Hall, North Hall, Battle House, Victory Hall and Harmony Hall.
36. The campus newspaper was originally titled Campus Hi-Lites, then the Lee Clarion (for alumni) and the Clarionita (for students), before becoming the Lee Collegian and returning to the Lee Clarion.
37. There used to be a telephone booth on Church St. where the Ped Mall now lies.
38. Lee's mascot was originally the Vikings before transitioning to the Flames.
39. The tennis courts were originally behind Nora Chambers Hall.
40. President Conn attended 2nd-8th grade at what is now the Mayfield Annex. He proposed the winning bid of $850,000 for the complex.
41. Walker Arena originally featured suspended ceiling tiles.
42. Like the Ladies of Lee choir, there was once a Men of Lee ensemble.
43. A student center was originally planned to be built on the field in front of Walker Arena by Parker Street.
44. According to a 1970's campus map, a classroom building was planned for construction in Alumni park and a greenhouse was going to be built next to the Beach Building.
45. The faces of Dr. Hammond's children are hidden in the trolley in the Lee mural in the lobby of the Humanities Building.
46. There are currently less post office boxes in the student union than there are students who attend Lee.
47. In the 1980s F.J. Lee was considered to be the first president of the college and A.J. Thompson was ignored.
48. Lee's oldest building, Old Main, was destroyed in 1962 to make way for a new administration building.
49. Chapel services were originally every day of the school week, then shifted to four times a week, and are now three times a week.
50. All students were once required to attend Sunday School and church in Cleveland.
51. Health services began in a dorm room in the late 1950s before moving to a room in the administration building. The health clinic was originally located in a house on the current ground of the tennis center before moving to a location next to Hughes Hall and eventually into the Leonard Center where it is currently.
52. All dormitory students were required to eat in the dining hall.
53. Providence Hall, apartments for married students, was originally located on the ground of the PCSU, before being replaced with a parking lot, and eventually the student union itself.
54. In the early 1970s Lee offered a mid-winter term during the month of January.
55. Walker Building was originally the Alumni Building and served as the location of humanities classes before being renamed.
56. Lee purchased three .edu domain names before government policy changed to state that schools can only own one .edu name.
57. Sunday school and Sunday morning worship services were once provided on campus as "on-the-job" training for young ministers.
58. Lee discouraged "frequent weekend trips because of their negative effect on educational achievement." Applications for trips had to be approved by the dean with three days notice and mailed home for a signature from a parent. "The management of the institution will look with disfavor on frequent week-end trips made by students."
59. A letter of notification was mailed to parents after mid-term when a student was making a D or F in a class.
60. The original sketch for the Beach building included small windows for the basement level.
61. No student was allowed to room off the campus without permission from the president.
62. Nora Chambers first floor was originally classroom space for the home economics department.
63. Vehicle policy in the 1950s: "Students have little or no use for cars during the school term. Cars on the campus are detrimental to the school, as well as expensive for the student. We suggest that cars be stored before school opens."
64. Loan policy in the 1950s: "Students are not expected to make debts while in school, either by purchasing things or borrowing money. The school cannot afford to make loans. Students are not expected to ask for such favors of the office."
65. Nora Chambers was originally called Georgia Creel Hall.
66. Original dating/social policies: "All social functions, hikes and picnics are chaperoned..."
67: In the 1940s every student was "expected to donate to the school two hours' work each week."
68. College Arms used to be a Lee-owned student apartment building on Centenary Avenue.
69. Commencement used to be held on the lawn between the Higginbotham Administration building and the fountain.
70. Global Perspective trips became a requirement at Lee in 2002.
71. The new science building is expected to cost $14 million. The Humanities Center cost $10 million. O'Bannon-Bowdle cost $8 million to build. The School of Religion building cost $5 million. The PCSU cost $3 million. Schimmel's Park cost half a million.
72. In 1987 the city council voted to permit Lee to close a section of Church St. and form it into a pedestrian mall.
73. Two roundabouts were originally planned for Parker Street intersections at 11th and 15th street.
74. Livingston Hall, the first modern apartment complex built on campus, was erected in 1995.
75. "Vindagua," the name of Lee's yearbook, means "to provide with or as if with a window." The derivation is Scandinavian.
76. Lee College plates featuring illustrations of different campus buildings were produced in the late 1940s to raise money for the school.
77. The largest bell in the PCSU bell tower was cast in 1923 and weighs over 2,600 pounds. It originally hung in an Anglican church steeple in London, England.
78. The original restaurants in the PCSU food court included the Selona Grill, which has since been replaced by SubConnection.
79. The Rahamut Room, which houses Jazzman's Cafe in the PCSU, was named after Lee professor Dr. Janet Rahamut who was killed in her home by an intruder in summer 2000.
80. Lee's art program was originally housed in two homes on the current grounds of the School of Religion Building.
81. Ellis Hall burned down in November 1993 after three local residents poured gasoline in a first floor prayer room and lit the building on fire at 2:15 a.m. All 76 residents emerged safely.
82. Deke Day began in 2002.
83. The Humanities Center clock tower is 95 feet tall. The bell tower is 72 feet tall.
84. Only three Lee students have interned at the White House. Two in 2002 and one in 2004.
85. When President Paul Conn attended Lee students were not allowed to go to the movie theatre, so he would "sneak off" to it.
86. In 1918, tuition cost one dollar per week, five dollars per week including room and board.
87. The access to the Bowdle-O'Bannon attic and dome is in the fourth floor lounge.
88. Lee College became Lee University on May 10, 1997.
89. Dr. Tim LaHaye, author of the Left Behind series, among other books, attended Bob Jones College when it was on Lee's campus in 1946.

Can you hear me graduate now?

2009-05-13T16:49:00.005-04:00

What's the must-do activity before graduating from Lee University?

If you guessed anything even vaguely academic, you're completely wrong. It appears that making phone calls is now the best way to spend your time as you prepare to receive your diploma.

Just ask the Class of 2009 at spring graduation. It was easy to find plenty of students chatting away on cell phones before the ceremony. More pictures after the jump.

• Also, see more photos from the spring 2009 graduation here and here.

Lee's summer benefits.

2009-05-10T00:40:00.004-04:00

Summer is among us.

Lee's seniors graduated today, summer school starts in a few days, Facebook status updates reveal that everyone is either packing or cleaning, Cleveland is warming up and everyone is in a jovial mood.

For those of us still in Cleveland, I've heard many opinions. Some enjoying staying in Cleveland for the summer, some had no choice and some just like to complain about the fact that they failed their Old Testament class last fall, so they have to stay for summer school to retake the class.

This is my first time staying in Cleveland while school is no longer in session. One thing is for sure, it's weird not packing all of my junk into random bags and boxes, only to try to carry boxes three times my body weight down four flights of stairs, in order to pack my car and make the eight hour drive back to Ohio.

This is the rest of the post
However, I think I'm one of the Cleveland summer stayers who is glad about being here.

I now present to you:
Michelle's Top 5 reasons Lee's empty campus is not depressing

5. Wal-Mart trips: I can finally make a trip to Wal-Mart without half of Lee's student body seeing me cringing my teeth and trying to be nice to all of the fellow Wal-Mart shoppers. Actually, I can, almost, confidently walk into Wal-Mart in pajamas, with bed hair without seeing a single person I know. Dear, I hope Dr. Conn doesn't shop at Wal-Mart over the summer!

4. No lines: Forget waiting in lines at any of the campus hotspots over the summer. Well, that might be because they're not open as much, but when they are, lines in the PCSU food court, Jazzmans, any Cafe a la Cart, AND in the dining hall are to a minium.

3. Parker Street traffic: This makes getting from the PCSU to the Health Clinic a small journey. Not only do we not have everyone and their mother making U-turns during class changes, but you don't have to worry about the flood of pederistians in a hurry trying to get from the Humanities Center to the Vest Building.

2. Parking tickets: I mean, I'm not going to say it won't happen over the summer, but I've yet to get a parking ticket during a summer at Lee. The reason is probably due mostly in part to No. 1.

1. Prime Parking Spots: Less students + Less classes = More parking spaces. Which allows everyone to get a halfway decent spot, leaving the need to park illegally null.

Lee's summer life is to die for, I'm telling you.

So what's a good way to get the president's attention?

2009-05-05T17:02:00.004-04:00

President Conn does an amazing job listening to student concerns and answering questions asked by those who attend Lee.

But what do you do when you need to get the president's attention in a public way?

Chalk messages on the front steps of the Vest Building seems to do the trick, as shown above.

If you're more of a private individual however, you can always send an e-mail to pconn@leeuniversity.edu or just wait for Ask the President Chapel to submit an anonymous query.

See one more photo of the chalk after the jump.

Study Review: Ihop is just a little too hoppin'

2009-04-27T23:25:00.008-04:00

It's that time of year again. Finals week. I'm so excited. This means that I get to spend the next week hooked up to a caffeine IV while I pour my soul into papers and studying.

Where should I go to set out on my academic endeavors?

*Cue the collective Lee student body*

"Ihop, of course!"

Funny you should suggest Ihop. That's exactly where I am. But if you haven't noticed already, I'm not doing homework.

Here's why.

1. Hotcake Hotspot: I'm not opposed to other people. People live in community, because if we existed as isolated individuals, we wouldn't survive. However, where two or more are gathered together over caffeine and pancakes, studying is not likely to be had.

It seems that studious patrons have good intentions, settling into their stations and spreading all their books and papers and highlighters and laptops out with the greatest of care.

However, this is as far as the academic endeavors go. From here on out, all you will find is Sally Mae jabbering on endlessly about the perfectly matched outfits that she will be wearing for the next seven days, what Tiffany Marie told her about Ashley Sue, and each and every activity that she will be participating in for the next week, from flossing her teeth to "studying."

2. International House of Rock: Number 1 wasn't Ihop's fault, but the volume of the music is. When you have to talk out loud and squint your eyes together just to figure out what is going on inside your head, you've got a problem.

Ihop is not ignorant of the hip library-esque atmosphere it takes on after 10 p.m. I mean, the first question our waitress asked us was if we wanted to do homework for a while before ordering.

However, apparently Ihop is either unaware of or unconcerned about the effects blaring music has on its patrons. So much for that.

3. Catering to No One: Laptops are a must-have for students who are looking to get end-of-the-semester papers done. An essential part of having a laptop is having a power source. So when Ihop only has a few plugs available, located in inconvenient places to begin with, problems arise.

If the crowd and the noise weren't enough, the lack of outlets will do you in.

In Ihop's defense, the service is almost always good. The servers are pleasant, the food is pretty tasty I think, and the tables are relatively clean.

It's not a bad hangout late at night; it's great, in fact. But if you're hoping to do anything productive, you'd do better to just stay home.

Sometimes even CNN needs a copy editor.

2009-04-27T12:20:00.004-04:00

The Lee promenade

2009-04-18T22:36:00.003-04:00

Today was prom day.

At Lee.

Every year high school students and their parents and/or highly-paid professional photographers descend upon Lee's campus like a swarm of glamorous girls on the red carpet followed by paparazzi and boys in pink ties.

Don't get us wrong, we love our young visitors in their bright dresses and jet-black tuxedos, but there's just something a little lonely about it.

We'll never really have prom again. And here they are, parading it in front of us, with no respect for the college life that is about to be theirs.

Enjoy the froo froo while you can.

Now, I might feel just a little differently about it all if the ladies at Lee donned such royal attire and spent three hours curling their hair before class, and hey, I might even wear a tux if that was the case.

Lee University could use some high school prom elegance. On a daily basis.

But until then, I'm comfortable in my jeans.

Valeriya Musina highlight video

2009-04-18T21:39:00.004-04:00

Check out other Lee sports highlights here.

Highlights of all the Shenanigans

2009-04-18T20:58:00.004-04:00

Did you miss the last improv show from Lee's improvisational team, Shenanigans?

Well, here's the recap, thanks to Jason Feliciano:

Oh, and there's another show coming up April 28.

NBA Playoffs 2009 Prediction

2009-04-18T14:28:00.002-04:00

NBA PLAYOFFS 2009 PREDICTIONS

Eastern Conference

#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #8 Detroit Pistons

Prediction: Cleveland in five

#4 Atlanta Hawks vs. #5 Miami Heat

Prediction: Miami in seven

#2 Boston Celtics vs. # #7 Chicago Bulls

Prediction: Chicago in seven

#3 Orlando Magic vs. #6 Philadelphia 76ers

Prediction: Orlando in six

Western Conference

#1 LA Lakers vs. #8 Utah Jazz

Prediction: LA Lakers in four

#4 Portland Trailblazers vs. #5 Houston Rockets

Prediction: Houston in six

#2 Denver Nuggets vs. # #7 New Orleans Hornets

Prediction: New Orleans in six

#3 San Antonio Spurs vs. #6 Dallas Mavericks

Prediction: San Antonio in five

High hopes (and high costs) for Summer School

2009-04-17T12:03:00.005-04:00

Upon checking my Lee mailbox this morning, I found a thrilling brochure all about Summer School courses.

I was about to throw this seemingly useless piece of paper into the recycle bin when I noticed four words that changed my attitude toward the advertisement: "Online or independent study."

I was actually really excited; there might actually be a way for me to get some of those pesky core classes out of the way without having to pay the extra money to live in Cleveland over the summer! Where can I sign up?

Then I noticed that one little detail was missing: cost.

I immediately decided to investigate further by visiting Lee's Web site. At the Business Office's page, I finally found an itemized bill for the summer sessions.

No wonder they didn't put the price on the brochure!

Thanks to the handy Lee University calculator provided on the Business Office page, I was able to compute that for me to take the two core classes I need that are available over the summer, I would be paying $2, 613. Not quite worth it to me.

What do you think? Is Summer School too expensive?

Latte Art = Delicious

2009-04-16T15:27:00.004-04:00

Procrastination at it's best. I mean, just watching the 3-minute video allowed me to successfully not write the paper I should be writing at this very moment, but imagine how much time I could waste if I actually tried to recreate this latte art.

I have a feeling that buying Starbucks lattes, at $4.00 a pop, only to draw bunnies on the top of them would turn out to be a pretty expensive art form.

Ironman Charity Softball Tournament

2009-04-16T14:33:00.002-04:00

Ironman Charity Softball Tournament: Sponsored by Alpha Gamma Chi

“Homeruns for Houses”

Friday @ 7: Free Pizza, Drinks and Carnival Games!

Saturday starting @ 12: Cookout, Restaurant give a ways, Games and More!

Come join us in support of Walter and Patty Ploetz. Many of you know Walter and Patty through Lee University service in East Cleveland. This years Ironman, “Homeruns for Houses,” is raising money for the Walter and Patty building fund. Games start at 5 p.m. on Friday evening and will go all day Saturday. This is surely an event you don’t want to miss!

Mix and match

2009-04-16T09:04:00.001-04:00

I enjoyed the chuckle this morning of getting a JustReLEEsed e-mail that made little sense.

The subject: Epsilon's Farewell Party Friday Night!!

The content: Upcoming Service Learning Events.

Where your 2008 taxes will be spent in 2009

2009-04-15T12:46:00.006-04:00

Though this chart looks really confusing, it is worth taking a look at.

I know I've been ranting quite a bit about National file-your-flipping-taxes Day, but this is a visual chart that goes into detail about where you're 2008 tax money is really going to go to in 2009.

Happy hunting; you'll find that the closer you look at it, the more you'll find out and the more interesting you'll find the chart.

Click the photo for a closer view.

2009 NBA Playoffs: Where amazing will happen!

2009-04-15T12:42:00.002-04:00

Easler, Russell sit down with LC sports

2009-04-15T12:08:00.002-04:00

Bobbi Easler

Q) What do you think the difference from the first half of the season to now is?
A) In he first half, we were all getting to know each other and it takes a while for new girls to figure out how Lee ball is played. In the second half of the season, we are more in tuned with each other. we are all on the same page, that page is to win conference torney and advance to nationals.

Q)What steps do you think need to be taken to win the conference championship?

A) The conference championship will take all 18 of us as a whole working together and adjusting to situations. our biggiest problem this year has been adjusting to pitchers and i think we are doing a better job now, but that is what will have us carrying the championship trophy. Growing up and maturing together.

Coach Russell

Q)How do you feel the season has gone so far in comparison to how you expected it to go?

A) I actually expected the season to go a little bit easier than it did at first. We are finally coming into our own and things are getting easier for us... now if we can get the weather to cooperate! We have played a very competitive schedule and the team struggled to put it all together early in the season. I think they have made some big strides toward that at this point. We just have to finish strong.

Q)What have been the toughest challenges your team has faced?

A) Injuries and rain. We have had 3 kidney stones, 1 concussion, shoulder surgery, along with the normal illness and injury that you see in a season. We have rained out of 18 games right now. We will get to make up 10 of those. That has been stressful

Q)What are your team's strongest points?

A) We have a lot of depth at pitching and some strong seniors that are really leading the team.

Q)How do you expect this season to finish?

A) I think we will finish deep into the national tournament. We have some very important games coming up in the conference. If we can win regular season I feel that we will be on our way to a great finish.

Q)Do you have any favorite moments from the season so far?

A) We just had 2 great conference games a few weeks ago. We won both 1-0 on solo homeruns. It was great to see us play such close games and come away with victories. It was a great boost for us.

Q)Who are your team leaders or captains, on and off the court, and why?

A) We did not have captains this year. Bobbi Easler is a obvious team leader on the field. As the catcher is called on to be a vocal leader for this team. She is a motivator for the team in that she ALWAYS wants the team to play their best. If you watched a game you would notice her as a leader. We have players that lead by their playing on the field. We also have some that motivate by practicing with intensity each day and making their teammates stronger. Without those players hard work and dedication we would not be as solid as a team unit.

Q)For the players not graduating or leaving after this season, who do you see as being the most dynamic for the future of the team, and why?

A) It will be hard to replace Bobbi's experience. She has worked hard to get herself to this level where she can lead the defense and also work so well with the pitchers. That will be a big void to fill. Tiffany Walker has come in and nailed down third base. I do not have to worry about a ball getting past her. That will be a big place for someone to fill. These seniors are replacing kids that played and made huge impacts themselves. They came in and made that their spot and made their own marks. It is sad but exciting to see who the next great player will be. Brittany Rowe has been a great person to have on the team. She is a steadying force and has been a real benefit to the program.

Q)Since the year you began coaching at Lee, which team would you say has been your favorite (and why), and which one was the most talented?

A) I would have to say there were 2 years. 2004 we upset Union University to win our first conference tournament and later we won the region tournament to go to the National tournament. That was an awesome feeling and I love those girls for the commitment that they had to me and to the program. They were great because they were a true team with no real stars just solid and they believed in each other and stepped up to each challenge that they face together. 2006 would be another one...that was a special group of players. Just going over the lineup in my head makes me smile. We had so much talent and so much drive to win. That was a great record setting year. Those girls came in and took us to the next level. The players of today owe so much to the former teams and players... these two team in particular.

Q) Do you have any favorite specific quotes or coaching phrases that you like to say to your players?

A) "Did she go?" ok that is a joke. I say lots of stuff...Each girl or team probably has something that I say that they have made a favorite. A few years ago it was, "It's a great day for softball" and I said it on every rainy or cold day that nobody wanted to be at the field. I said it on good days too but it reminded us that this is a gift and we have to enjoy it each day. This year I have talked to the girls a lot about walls. We talked about how walls are put up not for us that want it but for those that don't want it bad enough. It just keeps us focused on overcoming things that happen... like rain!

Photos courtesy of Sports Information

1040EZ's make my brain hurt.

2009-04-15T11:37:00.006-04:00

Happy Tax Day.

Time to measure what you've made in the past year and how you've spent the money the government gave you.

Now, I must say, I'm the best procrastinator to walk on the face of the planet. So when I got the time to work it into my busy schedule, at 12:47 a.m., I logged into "turbotax.com" in order to file my federal tax return.

I've pretty much had the most difficult time. First, I can't claim myself, my parents get to do that, and I've worked in Tennessee, but am a resident of Ohio, which makes for all kinds of confusion. So an hour and a half later, I submitted my e-return and tucked myself away into bed... after all I was too tired to work on the pile of homework sitting beside me waiting to be completed.

I woke this morning to find an e-mail saying my "e-file tax return has been rejected by the IRS."

WHAT THE HECK, REJECTED, HOW CAN MY MINUSCULE TAX RETURN BE REJECTED?

Apparently to be able to file your tax return online you need your adjusted gross income from the previous year... which requires you to remember, from a year ago, where you put that pesky tax return paperwork... I can't remember that far back.

Therefore, I am now headed to the post office to tuck my 1040EZ into an envelope and put a price-inflated stamp in the upper right hand corner, in order to get it post marked on April 15, just to get my $58 back from the IRS.

Happy last-minute tax filing!

THE SPORTS GUY

2009-04-14T15:09:00.002-04:00

By: Bill Simmons

A friend asked me this question last week: How many consecutive columns could I extract from Alex Rodriguez?

My final answer: 10. No modern athlete brings more to the idea table. He plays in New York for a team that stopped making the World Series as soon as he arrived. He has made statistical history but cheated to do it. He's our highest-paid athlete in a tanking economy. He's the star client of this generation's most despised agent. He's handsome and articulate, only his polished personality is so contrived nobody can connect to him. If gossip rags and blogs had a Thank God for This Athlete fantasy draft, he'd unquestionably be the first pick.

We love to question clutch; he's notorious for coming through in small moments and choking in big ones. We love shortening sports names into catchy monikers; "A-Rod" works perfectly. We love taking those monikers and turning them into catty jokes; "A-Roid" works perfectly. We love "what ifs?" and he's provided two classics: What if that trade to Boston had happened, and what if the 2004 Yanks had finished that sweep at Fenway and A-Rod had become a playoff hero?

We love to romanticize chemistry, because we don't understand it.
It's an embarrassment of column-related riches. A-Rod has even shattered the Tyson Zone: when an athlete's life turns so bizarre you become numb to any twist in his story. A-Rod allegedly broke up Madonna's marriage? I'm not blinking. A-Rod kissed himself for a magazine photo shoot? I'm unfazed. A-Rod is having a torrid romance with conjoined twins? If you say so. He's A-Rod, dammit. I'm prepared for anything.

My favorite current A-Rod story line is his allegedly toxic affect on his teammates. The Yankees left spring training with, by all accounts, their best team chemistry in years. Credit was given to congenial arrivals CC Sabathia and Nick Swisher. But there was an underlying theme pushed by the media: A-Rod's absence while he recovered from hip surgery resulted in a more relaxed atmosphere. This wasn't the first time he seemed to unite a team simply by disappearing: It happened when he left Seattle (the Mariners jumped from 91 W's to 116) and Texas (71 to 89). As the theory goes, the never-ending circus that surrounds A-Rod -- his constant craving for attention multiplied by the nonstop media focus -- eventually overwhelms teammates and affects their play.

There's only one problem with the theory: It's not true.

Of all the ways A-Rod has been described over the years, nobody has ever used "bad person." We hear he's awkward, needy, annoying, easily rattled, humorless, obsessed with his image, unsure of himself and unable to fit into a group dynamic. Jason Gay, who profiled him recently for Details magazine, claimed that, out to dinner, A-Rod made his order based on how he wanted Gay to perceive it, not by what he wanted. He's simply a strange guy, not someone you'd want to drive cross-country with, for sure. But he's not a bad guy.

Comparing him with Barry Bonds, it's no contest. Bonds hogged three lockers, disparaged teammates, antagonized media members and allegedly cheated to get an edge. He sounded like an unequivocal nightmare, a perfect storm of rudeness. Other notorious cancers (Carl Everett, Albert Belle, Jeff Kent, Ugueth Urbina) earned their reputations by being hotheaded or fighting teammates or barking at team employees. In the end, even Manny went to the dark side, becoming such a distraction that Boston paid the Dodgers to take him.

Now explain this to me: How did teams "miraculously" succeed with every player in the previous paragraph? Everett won a ring with the White Sox. Kent and Bonds came within bullpen collapses of winning one of their own. A famous goofball like Manny won two rings, played on 10 playoff teams and (very, very secretly) compiled one of the most successful résumés in baseball history. Heck, Urbina closed for Florida's 2003 title team and went to prison four years later for hacking two Venezuelan ranch hands with a machete and pouring gasoline over them. He hacked them with a machete and poured gasoline over them! Think this was a good guy?

Look, we love to romanticize clubhouse chemistry, mainly because we don't understand it, but also because it's a story line with legs. These guys didn't win because they were good, they won because they got along! They lifted one another, looked out for one another! They were a team! You know, the "Hoosiers" model. Does this apply to basketball, football and hockey? Absolutely. You can't succeed individually without help from teammates, and you can fail individually because of teammates. That fragile dynamic cannot be compromised.

But baseball … baseball is an individual sport masquerading as a team sport. You are a worker bee. You have a job, and it's up to you to execute it. Yeah, it's always better to get along, but couldn't you say that about any work situation? Ultimately, it's just you. You're the one pitching, you're the one hitting, you're the one fielding. If everyone is pulling for one another, fantastic. You can even win a division that way -- good karma invariably leads to goofy bounces and luck. On the other hand, the deliriously happy post-Manny Red Sox mustered just three hits in their biggest game of the season (Game 7, 2008 ALCS). At some point in baseball, talent trumps all.

Don't believe me? Read Sparky Lyle's "The Bronx Zoo" for the hilarious Reggie Jackson stories. Reggie made Bonds seem more saintly than the blind guy on "American Idol." There was no bigger jerk or attention hog. During an era in which ballplayers behaved a certain way (reserved, respectful, hard-nosed, unselfish), Reggie made his own rules. For that, his teammates reviled him. Actually, they probably wanted to strangle him.

They also won the 1977 and '78 World Series with him.

Throw in three titles in Oakland and Reggie Jackson -- the biggest clubhouse cancer of his generation -- won five rings in seven years. Which makes me think baseball chemistry is more overrated than Tim Burton. If that's even possible.

I will even go this far: There are undeniable positives to having one antisocial wild card in any close-knit environment. You know that one grating guy in your dorm hall or in your office? Don't you like bitching about him? You lob grenades at him as soon as he leaves the room. He's your running joke, an easy target. But he's also a galvanizing force, one of the few things that bring everyone else together: a mutual contempt for one human being that won't go away. You're stuck with him, so you make the best of it -- by belittling him.

It's a common bond of sorts. Even as you believe he's tearing your group apart, he's bringing it closer and distracting anyone from turning on someone else. He's your mean decoy, your Paula Abdul, your Newman. He's your necessary evil.

So yes, the Yankees might not miss A-Rod right now. But give them a few weeks. Every group needs an outcast just like every columnist needs a go-to guy for his column. The 2009 Yankees may not appreciate Alex Rodriguez yet, but I sure do. I won't write 10 A-Rod columns, but I could, and maybe that's all that matters.

For more of the Sports Guy, check out the Sports Guy's World.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4050462

NHL Playoff standings

2009-04-14T15:07:00.002-04:00

NHL Playoffs

Playoffs begin April 15

Eastern Conference:

#1 Boston Bruins vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens

#2 Washington Capitals vs. #7 New York Rangers

#3 New Jersey Devils vs. #6 Carolina Hurricanes

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5 Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference:

#1 San Jose Sharks vs. #8 Anaheim Ducks

#2 Detroit Red Wings vs. #7 Columbus Blue Jackets

#3 Vancouver Canucks vs. #6 St. Louis Blues

#4 Chicago Black Hawks vs. #5 Calgary Flames

Dr. Connadian

2009-04-11T14:52:00.002-04:00

In perhaps the most exciting display of patriotism for another nation on Lee's campus, President Paul Conn invited Canadian Lee students up on stage at Ask the President Chapel 2009 to sing the national anthem, "Oh Canada."

The end of the spear? No longer.

2009-04-10T16:44:00.003-04:00

A student wrote in to request pickle spears during Ask the President Chapel this year.

Dr. Conn brought Sodexo general manager Michael Nagorka up on stage in the Conn Center to make sure that the deed was done.

And now, just a few days later, Sodexo delivers:
What confuses me, however, is that pickle spears were already available in the Deacon Jones Dining Hall.

I suppose some people just can't get enough of a good thing.

University should hold outdoor chapel services more often

2009-04-10T13:41:00.003-04:00

Thursday, April 9, was one of my favorite chapel services I've ever attended at Lee.

It was the first chapel service I've ever seen held outside in Alumni Park.

Students all received e-mails from Campus Pastor Jimmy Harper that read as follows:

"Please join us for a wonderful outdoor chapel experience today, April 9, 2009 at 10:40 am. We have decided that the weather will be warm enough to take today’s chapel service outside to Alumni Park."

When I went out to the park to take pictures of the unique service, I immediately realized that this was the opportunity to get some of the best chapel photographs possible. There's color, there's light. After all, the shots aren't condemned to be the traditionally dull blends of orange and brick with a speaker's arms in the air or a student texting in their seat.

In reflection, however, I've recognized that the benefits of color and light stretch far beyond the photographer's camera.

The powerful combination reaches into the soul of worshipers and enhances the chapel experience more than anything that could be done on a stage in a dark room.

When Lee University students think of the physicality of chapel, the large but gloomy Conn Center and Dixon Centers come to mind.

The rooms are giant cavities held prisoner to artificial light, numbed and confined by ugly walls, cages of worship.

God created light, color, air, grass... and that environment is missing from the traditional chapel service.

Churches constructed in decades past place such an emphasis on light and color: stained-glass windows. The sun's natural light flows into the sanctuary and is further beautified by a prism that witnesses to God's goodness.

Conn and Dixon Centers were built without windows, and therefore without beauty.

Light and color welcomes. It invites. It encourages. It awakens. It breathes fresh life.

That's why I believe so many students were so excited to have chapel in the park on Thursday.

It wasn't change for change's sake. It was a return to a more natural worship experience – one that didn't feel contrived or restricting, but whole and beautiful.

I encourage you to show your support of outdoor chapel services when the weather permits.

Please e-mail Campus Pastor Jimmy Harper today at jharper@leeuniversity.edu to encourage the university to hold larger chapel services outdoors when possible. Even if you're reading this months from the date of its publication, please take the time to let the chapel office know how much outdoor services are appreciated.

Southwest knows how to design airplanes

2009-04-10T13:32:00.008-04:00

I must admit, I've been really excited to go home for Easter. I mean, I love all of the things that home brings – home-cooked meals, shopping sprees, friends, family, and everything good. But this time, I had another reason to want to go home.

I've gotten into a habit of flying home, for the fact that it's quicker and it saves some miles on my precious car (which, by the way, we celebrated our 2 year anniversary on Monday).

But this time it was different, I was flying Southwest, for the first time.

Now, my Southwest experience was great. I've always flown with Delta or American Airlines or United, but I've always been jealous of the brightly colored airplanes that Southwest has.

But this time, when I boarded my plane, I got to fly in the brightly color plane. Too bad it's not that color on the inside too, talk about entertaining.

Free bike at PCSU (A $1,000 VALUE!)

2009-04-10T13:12:00.003-04:00

Ah, the humor on Lee's campus.

A purple bike with a sign labeled "$1,000" attached was stationed at the bicycle rack at the back door of the student union when I arrived Thursday morning.

The best part? The bike – Free Spirit – wasn't locked up in any way.

Either someone really wants their bike stolen, or a conscientious student is using an abstract way to draw attention to unprotected bikes.

Oh, and if you do decide to take the bike and leave the cash in its place via the honor system, you get an extra bonus prize: a black water bottle on the bike.

Watch the WNBA Draft 3PM/ET ESPN2

2009-04-09T10:40:00.002-04:00

Bleed all About It!

2009-04-08T02:22:00.006-04:00

It's that time of year again. The time when that big, ridiculous bus pulls up and camps just off the PCSU patio for a couple days, luring unsuspecting students in. Then, BAM! Before you know it, you're short about two pints of blood.

Ok, ok, the Blood Assurance people aren't evil at all. They're actually all, in my experience, nice people who like their jobs.

However, I have some complaints.

1. Timing: I realize that it would be economically inefficient for the Blood Assurance people to do the blood drive for more than a couple days, but two to three days just doesn't seem like enough.

It's like I walk out of my classes one day, see the "Magic School Bus"-esque transport sitting there, and think to myself, "Oh! It must be blood drive time!"

I'm always excited to give blood, but before I have a chance to fit them into my schedule in the next day or so, they're gone!

Problem: Now you see them, now you don't. They arrive on campus for four to five hours a day over a two or three day span, and that's it. This does not always give students, particularly commuters who may be less aware of the campus event schedule, the best opportunity to make it out.

Solution: Either Blood Assurance should get funding to extend the drive or Lee should promote it better, perhaps through quick chapel videos or fun contests. This may ultimately make the extra stay worth Blood Assurance's while.

2. Tall Order: It's true; Complaint #1 may be a little bit weak if you consider the fact that students who see the bus could, on a whim, go in and donate. However, the ladies are always sure to warn us to eat "a hearty meal" before giving blood.

And doesn't giving blood take a while? I'm no expert.

I'm simply doing the math. If I have a 45 minute break between my first class and my second and I'm required to eat a hearty meal before donating, and donating itself takes over 20 minutes, I'm going to have to squeeze that little stress ball faster than you can say, "I love the Lee Clarion."

It's just difficult to fit that demand for food into the schedule along with the donating part.

3. Shifts: The shifts are very strange. Last year, it was something like 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. then 2:30-5:30 p.m. I understand that those workers need to eat, but a solid shift would be at least easier to remember if nothing else. I always managed to come by right when they went to lunch. Bummer.

But this year, in my e-mail it didn't even tell me when the shifts were.

All this poking fun to say that I think the blood drive is important, because it is a way for us to easily save or change lives right here in Cleveland.

As stated in an e-mail by Mickey Moore, director of the Health Clinic, the economy has taken a toll on the amount of blood donated to Blood Assurance, so it's more important now than ever that students are making it out to give.

Today is the final day. I can't tell you when exactly, or how best to go about donating, but all you can do is try.

Prospective student led on tour by Campus Safety

2009-04-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Lee student Kyle Philippi directed the above video for Lee Day about a prospective student who gets a Lee University tour led by two Campus Safety officers.

Philippi said the story was completely improvised.

"We had 30 minutes of footage that we trimmed down to six," he said.

2009 MLB season predictions

2009-04-07T23:12:00.004-04:00

Major League Baseball has finally come. For the 2009 season I am going to make my official predictions for the season outcome. My predictions for the Division Champs and playoffs are as follows:

American League:

AL East: New York Yankees
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
AL West: LA Angels*
Wild Card: Boston Red Sox
ALCS: Yankees vs. LA Angels
AL Champion: New York Yankees

National League:

NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
NL West: LA Dodgers*
Wild Card: Chicago Cubs
NLCS: Brewers vs. Dodgers
NL Champion: LA Dodgers
*denotes best record of American/National League

World Series: Yankees vs. Dodgers
World Champions: New York Yankees (in 6 games)

Student director talks about Lee Day Batman video

2009-04-07T19:26:00.008-04:00

Lee student Kyle Philippi directed, filmed and acted as the Joker in the Lee Batman video shown during Lee Day last weekend.

"People thought I was pretty crazy trying to direct them in clown makeup," Philippi said.

Just the shooting and editing alone took more than 70 hours, he said, not including all of the time spent setting up lights, getting in makeup, etc. Filming started during Christmas break.

"We filmed for 12 hours one day and it was only 20 minutes worth of actual footage," he said. "It took forever."

Philippi directed the videos for Lee Day in 2007 and has since directed the entire Lee Day program for the last two years.

He went into this year's program planning to make it the best as his final time at the helm, but Philippi said he's considering directing again next year.

"I told Phil [Cook], I said, 'Come mid-fall, if I've got some ideas, then I'll do it again."

All of the audio for the video was completely remastered.

"Jimmy Harper came to our house and did all the voice over work [for his scene]," Philippi said. "Everybody came to the house and did voiceover work."

The idea for the Batman video began last year, long before Lee Day.

"[Alan McClung] was going to have coffee mugs on a utility belt," he said. "...It was just luck of the draw that I turned out being the joker."

Philippi said that a heavy rain over Christmas break caused the creek in Schimmel's Park to run high, leading to the scene where a student gets rescued from the rushing water.

"I took the school's light kit and it was pooring rain when we filmed that," he said. "We had nine people out there holding umbrellas.... we had a firefighter there."

Even recording artist Jason Crabb made a cameo in the video.

Philippi said that he even planned an alternate ending for the video.

"It was going to show the Joker holding someone hostage on the Conn Center roof during the day when Batman doesn't come out," he said. "McClung was looking out the blinds of his office... in the next shot you see him just standing up there. Alan McClung versus the Joker and he just totally rips the Joker apart. He lets him have it as just Alan McClung with his coffee mug."

Another ending Philippi considered showed McClung putting on an Iron Man mask when the secretary from the opening scene closes his office door once more.

"We had six different Batmans," he said. "McClung was never in the suit except for that one shot when he put that mask on."

Philippi said that a sequel could be made in the future.

"There were a couple more shots we wanted to add; we just never got around to it," he said. "Parents seemed to really like it. Faculty gave it really good reviews. One of them told me it was the best they had seen in 15 years."

• The music for the Batman video was composed by Hans Zimmer for "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight".

A broadsheet necktie

2009-04-06T21:01:00.004-04:00

Here's another alternative use of the Lee Clarion: clothing.

In the shot above, Richard Yeakley poses with a Lee Clarion tie crafted by copy editor Sara Dawson.

• See other unusual uses for the Lee Clarion, or submit your own! If you've found a novel use for the news (after reading it of course), send in a photo and a description to editor@leeclarion.com!

Lee Clarion cameos in Lee Day sketches

2009-04-06T14:38:00.004-04:00

If you were watching Life at Lee this year, you probably noticed some special appearances by the Lee Clarion.

In the Animal Planet scene posted above, you'll spot a mention of two Lee students reading the campus newspaper.

In addition, the paper was featured in a video where two campus safety officers lead a prospective student on a tour around campus.

Life at Lee 2009 was best in history

2009-04-06T14:29:00.002-04:00

Life at Lee 2009 was the best and most comedic performance of the annual show ever produced.

The clip above shows a future where a robot Dr. Conn (RoboConn) takes over Lee and seeks to destroy students.

You can't get much better than that.

From the Animal Planet skit to the Alan McClung Batman video, it was all too perfect.

My only wish now is that the comedic sketch videos of Life at Lee from years past would be made available at online sites by the university. Prospective students know how to use YouTube, you know.

See more of RoboConn here.

King of the quick turnaround

2009-04-06T11:58:00.003-04:00

DETROIT -- Jordan Ott is the video coordinator for the Michigan State basketball team. That's why he has a Diet Coke can in his left hand.

At this sleep-deprived stage of the season, caffeine is mandatory at every waking hour. And almost every hour is a waking hour for the guy in charge of the Spartans' famous preparation machine.

<== Chris Gardner/US PRESSWIRE

The Spartans are working on the last two-day turnaround of the year -- the last time Tom Izzo's particular brand of coaching genius is at work. Izzo is the king of the quick turnaround in the NCAA tournament: His record is 14-2 in rounds 2, 4 and 6, when the preparation time is condensed to a maximum of 48 hours. The science of that rushed prep exercise is why he's told his team throughout the three weekends of this tourney, "You get me through the first game, I'll get you through the second."

Which means Monday night is Izzo Time for the Spartans.

The coach's job is to find a way to reverse a 35-point beatdown suffered at the hands of North Carolina in December. He knows it won't be easy.

"If we play good and they play good, we're losing," Izzo said. "But we found a way to have some teams not play as good against us."

They've found a way against two straight No. 1 seeds, Louisville and Connecticut. And even at the long odds faced here against the Tar Heels, it's hard not to like Michigan State's chances of finding something in this 48-hour period that could allow the Spartans to shock the world.

If anyone can do it, Izzo is that guy. And he has the help of his assistant coaches and a tireless support staff.

Ott and his video coordinator predecessor, Kevin Pauga, refer to it as "a monster" built in the video computer room at Michigan State's Breslin Center. It is a driven and talented collection of video guys and managers -- annually in demand by NBA teams and other colleges -- who may be the best support staff in college basketball.

"It's almost become a brotherhood back there among the peons," joked Pauga, now a data analyst for the Big Ten. "There's no other teams that do it this way."

The "peons" -- Ott, two graduate assistants and 11 student managers -- tape every game that airs during the college basketball season. Yes, all of them -- roughly 1,800 games.

They are married to video during the season. Pauga, a journalism major at Michigan State with a number-crunching mind more suited to, say, aeronautical engineering, described his social life in eight years at the school as "nonexistent."

Pauga even devised a statistical scheduling model that allows teams to maximize their RPIs -- he calls it the "KPI." Former Izzo assistant Jim Boylen employed it in scheduling at Utah this year, and it produced a No. 9 RPI -- a number that helped inflate the Utes' worth and, ultimately, their seeding. (They were a No. 5, losing handily in the first round to Arizona.)

Pauga estimates that by the time he left last year for the Big Ten office, he'd spent 15 percent of his life in the Spartans' film room. Now Ott is in the same obsessive chair.

"Basically, you just work your ass off," Ott said.

The students work for free, doing it for "gear and experience," Pauga said. But Izzo is a loyal leader, getting to know each manager and his family by name and making sure his players treat them respectfully.

The video staff logs every game, breaking them down by baskets and categories. They've got the definitive video library on everyone. Former Izzo assistants Stan Heath (now at South Florida) and Brian Gregory (now at Dayton) have dispatched staffers to East Lansing just to gather tape on opponents.

Bob Donnan/US Presswire ==>

When Selection Sunday rolled around and Michigan State's name appeared in the bracket next to Robert Morris, Ott needed only to punch a few buttons to produce seven game films on the Colonials. And so on through the tournament.

Now State is in the midst of the great Carolina breakdown.

It is a succession of short, 20-minute film sessions and ballroom walkthroughs, with a couple of practices sprinkled in between. This is no time to subject the players to a marathon immersion for hours at a time; they need to keep their minds sharp by assimilating smaller information bites.

"It's only 15 or 20 minutes, but it could be as many as five, six times a day," Izzo said. "I think more soaks in."

They went to work Saturday night in a room at the team hotel, where Ott set up the four video computers the team travels with. When the Spartans returned from Ford Field after the first half of the Heels' victory over Villanova, the coaches were handed the first set of video splices by Ott's crew -- Carolina's vaunted transition game, which ran Michigan State off the court in December.

"Nothing else really matters," Ott said. "The transition game is what we need to stop."

The Spartans sat down together as a team to watch the transition cut-ups. Pizza was served -- "You could quiz the managers right now, and they'd recite what all 16 players want for topping on their pizza," Pauga said -- and a bucket of ice was set next to Izzo. He's a Diet Coke drinker who has to have a cup of ice with his drink, every time. A manager is always assigned to the ice bucket.

After 20 minutes and a few words from Izzo, the players were dismissed to their rooms -- though Travis Walton, the defensive stopper and a video junkie, got a couple more DVDs from Ott to watch on his own. One was the Carolina-Michigan State game from December, which he hadn't watched before. He viewed the first half and turned it off.

"I watch it more for kind of letting it go to rest," Walton said. "Sometimes you've got to lay that behind to go forward."

Meanwhile, in the film room, the coaches and support staff were just getting started. Ott has every machine up and running with Carolina film. Izzo and assistants Dwayne Stephens (who has the Carolina scouting assignment), Mark Montgomery and Mike Garland are viewing games. From time to time, someone will call out something they've found that they want the group to observe and consider.

The breakdowns are similar to the way football teams do it. If they need a splice of Danny Green transition three-pointers, Ott and video assistant Doug Herner can produce it quickly. If they want to show their post players that Deon Thompson likes to shoot over his right shoulder, they've got it. Carolina's trademark traps out of timeouts? Check.

Friends like former NFL coach Steve Mariucci and former Izzo assistants drop by to watch some tape, suggest an X-and-O alteration on the whiteboard, or briefly shoot the breeze.

"It's just this ultimate war-room feeling," Pauga said. "It's the best time. 'Iz' kind of lets his guard down a little bit. Everyone's kind of busting each other's chops."

Izzo likes to keep a packet of every opponent's box scores handy, flipping through them in search of something useful that could then be found on film.

The goal is to find an opponent that plays a style similar to Michigan State's, then see what that opponent did successfully and unsuccessfully against the Tar Heels.

Izzo thought he had something from Virginia Tech and Florida State -- until he realized the Heels' star point guard, Ty Lawson, didn't play in those games. So it was back to the film search.

Ott stayed at it until 3 a.m. Sunday. Then he was meeting with the team five hours later with a new day's worth of film.

Ott started off the Spartans' Sunday with a highlight tape of their tournament run to date, to get the juices flowing for the day. Then State ate breakfast and watched personnel splices on the Tar Heels.

Then it was across the hallway to a ballroom with a court taped on the floor, to implement what they just saw on film. (That's another managerial duty, taping down the floor.)
Izzo, staff shine when prep time is a precious commodity

After that, Michigan State headed to Ford Field for media sessions and a closed practice on the court. It will be radically different when the Spartans return Monday night to play before a massive State-favoring crowd.

In addition to the formal scouting report, there was to be more film work and walkthrough work Sunday night. Then one more round of film, walkthrough and practice Monday, the longest day of the year, before that 9:20 p.m. tipoff that decides everything.

"We're confident he's going to come out with a game plan and have something ready for us," Walton said. "That's why he's coach Izzo, and why he's a Hall of Famer one day. With one preparation day, the things he does are amazing."

Pauga doesn't know who will win Monday night. But he does know that Michigan State will not be surprised by much of anything it sees from North Carolina.

"I know it," he said. "I'm not even questioning it. If Michigan State gets beat, it'll be by a better team."

Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=4044481&sportCat=ncb

NCAA Championship tickets opportunity

2009-04-06T11:51:00.004-04:00

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NCAA Championship tickets opportunity

2009-04-06T11:51:00.001-04:00

Favorite Frame: Putting the "dining" in dining hall

2009-04-06T00:47:00.002-04:00

Don't be fooled, Lee Day parents.

Your precious children won't get to experience the treasures of salad and cheesecake in a cafeteria as ornately prepared as the one you see above.

In fact, this is Deacon Jones dressed in its best to impress... for a softball and baseball awards banquet.

How much more would meal plans have to cost to get Sodexo to bring out the good China for regular students? We may never know.

• Do you have an interesting Lee picture you'd like to submit for Favorite Frame? Send it to favoriteframe@leeclarion.com.

Jimmy Harper turns 45 today!

2009-04-06T00:43:00.002-04:00

Lee University's Campus Pastor has a big day today.

Only five more years until Jimmy Harper hits 50.

Add him as a friend on Facebook and wish him a happy birthday.

Cha, cha, cha changing.

2009-04-06T00:35:00.002-04:00

STOP THE PRESSES!

The bulletin board by Jazzman's Cafe that hasn't been changed for five years (seriously), is now breathing new life!

Posters from 2004 had been hanging in the glass-enclosed notice case until just a few days ago. Those notices have since been replaced with Lee event calendars.

Only half of the victory has been won, however.

The glass case in the post office is still locked as tightly as it was over 1,000 days ago, a time capsule to humanity.

Ha! bits.... bits of my soul torn to pieces.

2009-04-06T00:22:00.007-04:00

This time my suitemate has gone overboard.

Now I arrive home to the wide eyes of four lowly but powerfully intimidating hobbits.

Is this an improvement over the hobbitmobile I once had to ride in?

Neighbors laugh and point. Visitors gasp. Would-be-robbers turn away in fear for their lives.

Is this any way to live?

Why did I choose to stay with the man who moves the cardboard hobbits?

Nominate students, faculty and staff for Lee's Top Ten

2009-04-03T23:16:00.005-04:00

As we come to the close of another semester, preparations begin to honor the top ten Lee University personalities.

You're invited to nominate students, faculty and staff who have had a tremendous impact on Lee during the semester.

Which students will you nominate?

Here's a hint: Newsmakers around campus. Those who have changed the status quo. The students who stand out for better or for worse. The freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors who bring something new to Lee University. That's who makes the list.

See last semester's TOP TEN here.

Which faculty and staff will you nominate?

Here's a hint: Newsmakers around campus. Those who have changed the status quo. The faculty and staff who stand out and make a difference. Those who bring something new to Lee University. That's who makes the list.

See last semester's TOP TEN here.

How to nominate:

• Send an e-mail to editor@leeclarion.com with the name and classification/title of the person you're nominating with an explanation of why in 100 words or less. Also include your name.

• Previous winners are eligible to be listed again. There is no limit on the number of nominations that may be made. Nominations must be sent by noon on April 15, 2009.

Listening in on the Lee Day conversation...

2009-04-03T17:26:00.002-04:00

It's Lee Day.

And people are talking about it. Especially on Twitter.

Biggest news seems to be the poorly-designed handbooks.

Classroom building was once planned for Alumni Park

2009-04-03T15:29:00.002-04:00

This campus map from the 1970's era of President Charles W. Conn shows some proposed buildings in a few intersting locations.

A student center, which would have been the equivalent of the PCSU, was originally destined to be placed in the field between the new Humanities Center and Walker Arena.

In addition, an L-shaped classroom complex was sketched for Alumni Park where the gazebo now stands.

The map also reveals plans for a botanical greenhouse that was never built next to the Beach Building and a maintenance building where the DeVos Recreation Center now stands.

Adding color to the Lee Clarion

2009-04-02T20:31:00.005-04:00

Working on a special painting?

Use the Lee Clarion to keep your furniture drip-free.

It's just another way that Lee University's student newspaper can serve readers via an unconventional function... after the paper was read, of course.

The photo above comes from the "Art for Change, Art for Aids" event in the student union this week.

• See other unusual uses for the Lee Clarion, or submit your own! If you've found a novel use for the news (after reading it of course), send in a photo and a description to editor@leeclarion.com!

No es cierto que

2009-04-02T10:22:00.002-04:00

My Monday morning Spanish class was all about vocabulary regarding the media. We learned the words for "headline" and "reporter." It was right up my alley.

But it was the second half of class that caught my attention.

The professor wrote a list of true/false statements on the board regarding the Lee Clarion on the board and asked the class to answer:

Es sensacionalista? Falso.

Habla mucho de sexo? Falso.

Perpetua estereotipos? Falso.

Informa objectivamente? Cierto.

Tiene popularidad nacional? Falso.

Thankfully everyone in the class gave the right answers.

The Editor's Weblog

Five things they won't tell you at Lee Day

Softball Interviews

Entertainment with a side of news

First Impressions

Lee vs Emmanuel 1/23/10

Thanks for saying thanks

Readjusting to life at Lee

The Cleveland earthquake

Placing our future spouse in God

World Record for Fastest Dining Experience

Voices of Lee to join in Sing-Off

The Sp0rts Bl0g - Issue 4

It's that time again!

Check your mailbox

Tales of a Rockapella fanatic

Dear Dog Vomit Girl

Better late than never

The weekend of perpetual events

Half Way There

The Sp0rts Bl0g - Issue 3

An editor's guide to Convocation

Did you know 4.0

Blood Assurance Art

Top ten greatest videos of all time

New Uses for Lee Clarion

Making a difference is not just for rock stars

Voices celebrates 15 years with special guest

Alternatives to Chapel

Michael Jordan inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame

Republicans Bake Sale for the Deficit

Nate Tucker Discusses Portico

The Sp0rts Bl0g - Issue 2

One year and counting

Tada.. here I am!

Who's afraid of the big bad swine?

New kid on the block

The Sp0rts Bl0g

A bit of practical advice

It's not a good month...

Didn't we have this problem last year?

Shade returns to the Ped Mall

Cross Hall door shattered

Perez Hilton vs. Will.i.am

How to: Download a free copy of commencement.

MOUSE. MOUSE. MOUSE.

Congrats, Tenn.

Tweet all about it

Chattanooga company adds 120 jobs

Lee Clarion vs. TWT

Lee University Students Sing with Lake Junaluska Singers

Culture Shock.. sorta.

The axe hits the amphitheater

eMacs from PCSU up for sale in Facebook Marketplace

Beach Building demolition postponed

Symphonic Band is taking Great Strides

89 things you probably didn't know about Lee

Can you hear me graduate now?

Lee's summer benefits.

So what's a good way to get the president's attention?

Study Review: Ihop is just a little too hoppin'

Sometimes even CNN needs a copy editor.

The Lee promenade

Valeriya Musina highlight video

Highlights of all the Shenanigans

NBA Playoffs 2009 Prediction

High hopes (and high costs) for Summer School

Latte Art = Delicious

Ironman Charity Softball Tournament

Mix and match

Where your 2008 taxes will be spent in 2009

2009 NBA Playoffs: Where amazing will happen!

Easler, Russell sit down with LC sports

1040EZ's make my brain hurt.

THE SPORTS GUY

NHL Playoff standings

Dr. Connadian

The end of the spear? No longer.

University should hold outdoor chapel services more often

Southwest knows how to design airplanes