The Southeastern Times Issue 6

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THESOUTHEASTERN

ISSUE 6 | APRIL 2014TIMES

4 SPRING BREAK: MISSIONS TRIPS

3 SOUTHEASTERN FIRE: FINAL FOUR

6 UNPLAND IMPROV: INTERVIEW WITH HANK & JOEL

Issue 5 | April 2014 | The Southeastern Times2

Contents The Southeastern Times | Issue 6 | April 2014

Southeastern Fire: Final Four Join the excitement on campus as Southeastern celebrates the thirteen out of fourteen wins this season. Read more about the final four, and what the team had to say about this spring. Spring Break: Missions Trips It is Southeastern’s mission to help students discover and develop their divine design in Christ by living a Sprit-empowered life. It is no secret that mission trips is one avenue to fulfill that vision.

Eighth Annual 180 Film Festival Entertains and InspiresFor the past 8 years the Communication Department at Southeastern University has held a film festival in the spring as one way to take pride of our film majors on campus. Unpland Improv: Interview with Hank Taylor and Joel TwitchellSoutheastern bids its farewell to Unpland Improv’s host, Hank Taylor and welcomes Joel Twitchell to take his place.

Are you ready to enter the real world?”Spring semester is always a stressful time for college students, especially for graduating seniors.

A Look Inside the 2014 SEU Leadership ForumThe 8th Annual National Leadership Forum was held March 7th, 2014, at Southeastern University. Each year the Forum brings some of America’s most renowned leaders to inspire and motivate excellence in leadership.

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Southeastern FireFinal Four

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Plugged In

Southeastern Fire: Final Four BY ASHLEY WATSON

The men’s basketball team made history this past season as the players worked hard to make it to NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Tournament in Point Lookout, Missouri. Although Southeastern lost in the semifinal round

against Indiana Wesleyan, it was an honor to make it to the final four for the first time in Southeastern’s history.

We took the opportunity to talk to Coach R-Jay Barsh, and a couple players on the team.

The first interview is with sophomore Joe Little, who plays forward: When did you first start playing basketball?I have been playing this game since the age of four. It has always been my passion. What made you come to South-eastern?

I came for basketball, but I fell in love with the school in the process. What inspires you as a player?

My genuine love for the game. How do you feel about your teammates?

They are like my brothers, and I depend on them for everything. How do you feel about Coach Barsh?

He is cool guy and a positive influence in my life. How do you feel about this past season?

We made it to the final four for the first time in SEU history. Enough said. What’s your favorite quote?

“Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”

The next interview is with junior Dana Thomas, who plays guard: When did you first start playing basketball?

I have been playing since I was in second grade and just fell in love with the game. What made you come to South-eastern?

This is my first year at SEU! I transferred from Maryville Univer-sity, because I knew people who went here. What inspires you as a player?

I love watching hard work pay off for others. How do you feel about your team-mates?

We are like a close family. How do you feel about Coach Barsh?

He is my friend and mentor in life. How do you feel about this past season?

I feel genuinely proud of how our team handled the pressure of this season. What is your favorite quote?

“Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”

Finally I had a rare opportunity to talk to Coach R-Jay Barsh.

What made you come to Southeast-ern?

I knew Andrew Gard from college, and I valued the school’s beliefs and values. How long have you been coaching?

I have been coaching for over eight years. What do you teach your players out-side the game of basketball?

Coaching is only a small part of what I do. I try to teach my players about life, and putting Christ first, then family and basketball. How has coaching affected your life?

It has given me discipline and taught me to have better time manage-ment skills. What made you become a coach?

I have had some great high school and college coaches and they inspired me early on in my life. How do you feel about this past season?

We have worked hard and really came together as team this season. What is your favorite quote?

“Embrace the process knowing that God’s in control.”

Southeastern Fire

Spring of 2014 will mark an important season for our Men’s Basketball team. Anyone who was at the games could see the genuine teamwork that drove their wins. As we continue to celebrate their accomplishments, we encourage you as the students to go out and take the time to talk to the players and congratulate them on this past season. And remem-

ber as Coach Barsh wisely put it, “put God first and everything else will follow.”


Plugged In

“SPRING BREAK MISSION TRIPS”Southeastern University students impacted thousands of people on spring break 2014. Trips included Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Florida, Los Angeles, Mexico, and South Korea. Students travelled thousands of miles to spread the gospel and work with churches around the world.

BY KELLIE CONLEY

El Salvador Missions led by Katherine Jones:

“We worked with King’s Castle Ministries in the capital city of El Salvador to evangelize to the children and youth. We ministered in schools, and on the streets and completed 22 programs in just four and a half days of ministry! We joined with a larger team from a Christian school, and it was incredible to see how we became a unified team. God moved greatly in us and through us, showing us miracles and renewing our passion for missions.”

Los Angeles Missions led by Ivanna Lenk:

“Over spring break, I had the opportunity to lead a mission trip to the Los Angeles Dream Center. While there, my team and I packaged food for food banks, delivered food to families, helped with children’s outreaches, ministered to homeless people, and picked up trash in the community. What I loved about the trip were the volunteers,

interns, and missionaries that come from all over the world to help out at the Dream Center. We all had an amazing time there and hope to go back one day!”

South Korea Missions led by Rachel Roskoski:

“We spent our time ministering to a local church, Eunbit (Right of Grace), that had never received a mission’s team.While there, we held a few church services, did a coffee house ministry, went to an elderly person’s feeding center, ran an American-English children’s camp, did home visits and ministered one on one with suicidal young adults in the church. We also visited the Baby Drop Box created by Pastor Lee in Seoul, where infants and toddlers are placed when abandoned by their parents. We gave him ninety baby blankets that my mother and other quilters hand made. With the help of many Southeastern students and faculty who sponsored the baby blankets, we were able to personally pass the blankets to Pastor Lee who received each blanket

as a token and blessing of love. It was there in South Korea that we completed and accomplished all that God had been preparing us for months to fulfill, and I will cherish and hold close every memory for the rest of my life.”

Mexico Missions led by Jacquelynn Burke:

“Nine students who had never gone to a single mission’s trip group meeting got together on a plane from Florida to San Diego, CA to then drive to San Quintin, Mexico all in one day. My proudest moment was when we arrived at the Gabriel House, an orphanage for disabled children, and my entire team dove right in. We spent our time cooking, shoveling gravel into a pickup truck, worked in the health fairs, and by the end of the day, we played a few games of Taboo and Mafia. Life journals and devotions with the missionaries were something everyone looked forward to in the morning.”


Plugged In

Wonder and excitement filled the air of Southeastern on March

14, which served as the screening day of SEU’s 8th Annual 180 Film Festival. Over 100 attendees came to the event to see over 25 different films, which spanned across the three primary submission categories: 180 (3 minutes), 360 (6 minutes), and 720 (12 minutes).

Everybody had their own reasons for coming out to the festival. While the majority of the crowd was made up of students and parents, there was an abundance of film department alumni and even high school students who were either visiting for Preview Days or participating in the festival by submitting films of their own.

BY ADRIAN GARZA8TH ANNUAL

FILM FESTIVAL180ENTERTAINS AND INSPIRES

“I don’t want to rip off the Oscars, so I’m just going to eat this myself!” - Jonathan

Casey Sawyer

Actor Brian Patrick Clarke made an appearance for the breakout sessions of the festival. Clarke’s presence, along with the inclusion of the high school and documentary categories, helped to spice things up for the weekend.

The awards ceremony promptly followed the screenings, which the council (consisting of five students and Professor Michael Anderson) pulled out all the stops in making the ceremony as extravagant as possible. From advertising, decorations, nominations, to volunteer management, they did it all.

“I don’t want to rip off the Oscars, so I’m just going to eat this myself!” exclaimed host Jonathan Casey Sawyer to his co-host Courtney Buck, as he was delivered a pizza at the beginning of the awards ceremony. Amongst many things the audience enjoyed from the night, the satirical jabs directed at

some of the most recent televised awards were the favorites.

“Hosting 180 was so much fun. I was thrilled to be able to do it. Courtney was such an amazing co-host. She’s funny, down to earth and just looked dazzling at the award ceremony,” said Sawyer in a later interview. “We had fun improving most of our material. But the real reward was being able to present the stage to those film students that have worked hard at bringing their projects to life. “

Still, there could not be an awards ceremony without the presentation of the actual awards. Over 25 awards were given out throughout the evening, and for each one came a meaningful, heartfelt speech. Prime examples would be Ben Nelson’s emotional reaction to his receiving of the “Best Supporting Actor” award for At the Cross and the pun-fueled responses Janet Raines had for the victories of This.

However, if there is any lesson to learn from the whole experience, it’s the humbleness of Michael Herriger (The Color of Life), Josh Outing (Adore), Janet Raines (This), and Greg and Geoff Samuels (Funhouse). All were directors who had earned multiple awards within their categories, and had their entire cast and crew receive recognition as well.

To some, the ceremony served as an evening for celebration while to others, reflection, but for many, it was all about inspiration.

“Attending 180 has inspired me to make even more films,” said film major, Ian Stewart. “Since this is my last 180, it has made me look back on the knowledge I’ve accumulated and prepare myself for the real world of film industry. It makes me excited for the new possibilities of making a name for myself.”

A full listing of award recipients can be found at Facebook.com/seutimes. DVDs featuring all of the films screened at 180 can be purchased from the Communication Department office at the price of $20.00.


Plugged In

An Unpland Interview with

I had the chance to interview two characters during breakfast on an early Wednesday morning. Hank Taylor, the current host for Unpland Improv, who is graduating in May; and freshman Joel Twitchell who will be taking his place and bringing his own

flavor of wit to the Unpland team.

BY EVYR MANLEY

Hank, how has it been hosting Unpland for 5 seasons?

Taylor: You see a lot of change in that time, and for the most part the team has pretty much changed. I mean, there are a few people that are still around, but as far as new people coming in, we have so many different people. Every single time we get someone new, our team changes just a little bit, but it always gets better, no matter what. The people that we choose end up coming in and kind of teach us something different, so as a whole we improve. I think that we’ve improved every single time we’ve gotten people that are newer and less experienced, but we keep getting better.

When you held the auditions for the new host, what were you looking for?

(Twitchell: They were looking for Joel Twitchell!)

Taylor: [laughs] We were looking for a natural. We wanted some-body that had a good concept of the role, was a good performer, and was also themself. With Joel, we really saw that more than with anybody else. Some people that auditioned tried too hard, and we were thinking, “alright, we can tell that you’re putting on a façade.” But with improv, I think that it’s important to just be yourself. The more you try to impress somebody, the more you’ll fall on your face. So we just look for people who are comfort-able being themselves. We were looking for somebody who was natural in the role, understood performing in front of cameras, but mainly looking for people who were comfortable in their own skin.

People that we take for the team are usually the people who do not expect to be there, who just do it because they like it.

We want people on Unpland because they truly enjoy it, not because they want the status or the friends or any of that. We find that the people who come out and perform just expect a good time are the same people that we gravitate foward because when they’re doing it, it feels genuine.

Joel, when did you decide to audition?

Twitchell: When did I decide to audition? [laughs] I actually was not going to audition at all. In fact, I didn’t decide to audition ‘til the day of...5 minutes before. It was because I was just going down El Prado, and a friend of mine grabbed me and said, “Hey, you should really try out for the [Unpland] Improv host!” I said, “But I’m only a freshman; I don’t think I have a good shot at it.” She said, “just do it anyway!” I thought about it, and I thought it would be good for me to try out now in case I wanted to do this for a year or so. So I said okay, ran over to Bolin, and signed up. Something that’s important to me is that when I say I’m going to do something, I keep my word. Although it may have been a last minute decision, I was still all in.

Are you looking forward to next season when you are the host?

Twitchell: I’m getting very excited for this. I know it’s going to be one of the funniest and most fun times of my life. I have always loved improv and that is what I told them in my audition. When I first came to campus, this is one of the best things that I was able to attend. So now, I will be attending every single show and that is just a joy to me.

Check out Unpland Improv on April 27th for their season finale!

“We were looking for a natural.”- Hank Taylor

Hank TaylorandJoel Twitchell


Plugged In

BY IVONNE HERNANDEZ

With just a few weeks away from the end of spring semester, many graduating seniors may be dealing with research

paper deadlines, hectic extracurricular activities schedules, and job hunting decisions to make. So, are graduating seniors ready for the next step? Do they know what job they want to get? Should they get their own place or move back in with mom and dad? I decided to go around Southeastern University and ask graduating senior these questions to see if they are prepared to enter the real world.

After doing some research I found that most of the graduating se-niors did have plans to get an internship after graduation, or focused on continuing school to get their Master’s degree.

“I am interning back home in the Boston area for a video produc-

tion company. After that I would love to get a job working on a television show,” stated Olivia Gilbert, Broadcasting Major.

According to a student survey done by the National Association of College and Employers, it was found that 63.2% of graduation seniors from the Class of 2013 reported taking an internship during their years pursing a bachelor’s degree. Since this statistic is higher than the results of previous years, employers are looking forward to hiring new candi-dates for entry position jobs.

“Take advantage of your opportunities here at Southeastern and get involved,” mentions Gilbert to current students. “Do not procrastinate things, such as com-munity service or taking required classes because it may catch up to you. Above all, have fun.”

A recent poll done by a Accenture, a consulting firm, revealed that after surveying 1,000 college graduates from

the class of 2012 and 1,000 graduates from the class of 2013 stated that 47% of 2013 graduates thought it was difficult to find a job in their career field. While having an internship pro-gram lined up after graduation may seem like the next step for many students, most of the time it may not lead to a job offer with that organization.

Whether you have plans to intern with a company, or temporarily move back home with your parents; graduating students we encourage you to never lose sight of how much you have accomplished.

Congratulations graduating Class of 2014!

•League of Their Own (1992) PG•Braveheart (1995) R•Click (2006) PG-13•Coneheads (1993) PG•Jumanji (1995) PG•Mean Girls (2004) PG-13•Rocky I-V (1976, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1990) PG/PG-13•The Terminator (1984) R•The Naked Gun 2 1/2 (1991) PG-13

Check out what is now on

Plugged In

It was a cool, crisp morning on March 7, 2014, when Southeastern University hosted its 8th Annual National

Leadership Forum. The Forum is aimed to shape academic, business, and church communities with messages focused on servant leadership. Limited seating was opened to students, local businessmen and women, as well as the public. The price of admission included breakfast, lunch, and of course access to inspiring and motivating speeches from five leadership experts.

A LOOK INSIDE THE 2014 SEULEADERSHIP FORUM

Sharing their insights this year included Amy K. Hutchens, Simon Sinek, Jonah Berger, Jon Meacham, and Ben Carson. Audience members had an opportunity to ask questions to the first four speakers after their sessions with Mark Sanborn. President Kent Ingle escorted the headlining speaker, Dr. Carson, into the chapel and handled his Q&A session.

Book signings were available with Mark Sanborn and three of the speakers in Portico, where attendees also had an opportunity to grab a drink from the coffeehouse to go along with the provided snack in between each session. An instrument ensemble and soothing vocals from SEU’s jazz band joyfully greeted guests arriving back from a couple of the breaks as well.

The Forum provides an opportunity for students to hear firsthand wisdom and insight from seasoned professionals outside of what they get from their professors and business professionals all without ever leaving campus. It is also available as a class, in which credits are applied to Leadership, Communication, Psychology, and Religion undergraduate degrees, as well as the MBA and MAML graduate-level degrees. For more information on next year’s forum, visit www.seuleadershipforum.com and follow @SEUForum on Twitter.

BY THOMAS SEIGWORTH

FOLLOW 2014 FORUM SPEAKERS ON TWITTER!

@AmyKHutchensAMY HUTCHENS

@simonsinekSIMON SINEK

@J1BergerJONAH BERGER

@jmeachamJON MEACHAM

@RealBenCarsonJON MEACHAM

@Mark_SandornMARK SANBORN

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