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Read MoreAlumni Gym to receive sweeping renovation
Maryville College’s Alumni Gym will be receiving a much-needed renovation during the summer of 2018, with new fitness facilities and equipment finally making the building worthy of the term “Gymnasium.” The official announcement and reveal of the ground-plans and sketch for the new-and-improved Alumni Gym came on April 18 within the Alumni Gym itself. The plans for the new renovations outlined a new fitness space partitioned off by a glass wall and a redesign of the main floor of the gymnasium to facilitate various intramural sports. The area that will become partitioned off by glass will be located in what is currently the men’s baseball team locker room, with plans for a new locker room for the team also provided. The design for the renovation was provided by BarberMcMurry Architects, with Joseph Construction as the contractor, and Lawler-Wood functioning as the project manager and owner’s representative. The last time the Alumni Gym was renovated was 12 years ago, when it was transformed into a performance space for students while the Clayton Center for the Arts was under construction, hence the stage that currently occupies one side of the gymnasium. Maryville College President Tom Bogart officially unveiled the plans for the renovation, After being introduced by Melanie Tucker, Vice President and Dean of Students, Bogart spoke about the benefits and opportunities the new gym would bring to the college and the student body. He stated that the cost of the renovations had been covered by an anonymous donation by an alumni who will become public at a later date. The current estimated cost of the renovations will be $35 million. “We are planning as if we won’t have it until January, but are hoping to have it as early as November,” Bogart said of the renovated building in a follow-up interview. The baseball team’s response has been largely positive. “They’re being displaced, but we’re constructing a new space,” Bogart said. “I think they’re excited to move into that space. It will also change the home side of the baseball field from the first baseline to the third base side, which is where everyone wants to tailgate anyway.” The movement of the locker room will also move the student section for baseball games, which will be a boon to both attendance and student morale. The overall student body has also responded well to the news. “People are excited about having real fitness space,” Bogart said. “The area in Bartlett has been...
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Read MoreMemorial Tree Dedication: Tree to give back to Maryville College for decades to come
In memory of former student, Adam Russell Peppers, the Maryville College community dedicated a memorial tree ceremony at the Crawford House on Monday, April 30 at 3 p.m. Peppers, an Army Veteran, attended Maryville College from 2014 to 2016. He lost his battle against cancer on January 25, 2018. While at Maryville College he was a finance and accounting major with an outdoor studies minor and served one year as president of the Student Veterans Association (SVA). Peppers took leave from his studies at Maryville College after his medical diagnosis that required him to return to his home in Georgia for treatment. It was his wish to return to MC to complete his degree. Peppers loved the outdoors, Maryville College and the SVA. His family thought it fitting that a pecan tree from his home state be planted in his honor at the Crawford House. Although it will be a few years before the tree will produce a significant number of pecans, the SVA plans to hold a fundraiser pecan sale every fall to honor our fallen...
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Read MoreEvent to honor student veteran graduates
Mr. Ted Higgs retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army and is an Adjunct Instructor of English and Latin at Maryville College. He also formerly served as the director of MC’s Military Student Center. As we have done in past years, the college will be recognizing graduating student veterans and military dependents in a special cording and coining ceremony that will take place on Friday, May 18, at 4:30 p.m., in the House in the Woods. The veteran honor cords salute those veterans who have accepted the challenge of entering the world of academics after their time in the uniformed services and are completing the requirements for graduation. At Maryville College, we are fortunate to have had members of all of the branches of the military as students. Their times in service range from four or five years, to as many as thirty. This year these red, white and blue cords will be awarded by Dr. Barbara Wells, Vice President and Dean of the College. At the same ceremony, we will also be awarding Maryville College challenge coins to these veterans and military dependents graduating with the class of 2018. The tradition of the military challenge coin dates back to World War II, but its history goes back to earlier conflicts. The modern challenge coin is a symbol of esprit de corps and camaraderie and is a recognition that the bearer is, was, or forever will remain a member of that team. In our case, the team is Maryville College. As I wrote this piece, I reached into my desk for the coin I received when my battalion, part of the 101st Airborne Division, was returning from Vietnam. It isn’t quite as fancy as our MC challenge coin, but I don’t think I would trade it for any amount. This year our college challenge coins will be awarded to graduating student veterans and military dependents by Arthur Hafner, a 1972 graduate of Maryville College and a distinguished veteran of 30 years of military service. This is an open invitation to the Maryville College community. As the date draws closer, you will see further announcements of this event. Please consider joining us in recognizing these graduating veterans and...
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Read MoreThe 2018 Undergraduate Research Symposium
As every Maryville College student knows, senior year is the time of the feared and respected thesis. While every senior must complete a senior study, the College presents a handful at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. April 20 was the third annual symposium, with both oral and poster/laptop presentations. Oral presentation from the Natural Sciences, Math and Computer Sciences divisions were given by Cara Coleman ’18 presenting “Characterization of Regulatory T Cell Suppressive Activity,” Chloe Kilpatrick ’18 presenting “Effects of 17a – ethinyl estradiol on Daniorerio hepatosomatic index and liver composition,” Nico Velez ’18 presenting “Mathematical Magic,” and Valerie Whitehead ’18 presenting “Population Dynamics of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina) in the Maryville College Woods.” Oral presentations from the Fine Arts, Humanities and Languages and Literature Divisions were given by Allison Franklin ‘18 presenting “Vichy France: Uncovering the Truth,” Lenny Lively ’19 presenting “Making Noble, Grand & True: Our Bicentennial Story,” Aliya Makansi ’19 presenting “Utilitarian Environmental Ethic,” Sherilyn Smith ’18 presenting “Image and Narrative,” and Hannah White ’18 presenting,‘’The Storyteller’: A Comparison of Opera and Musical Theatre Techniques.” Oral presentations from the Behavioral Sciences, Education and Social Sciences Divisions were given by Andrew Garcia ’20 and Alden Wright ’20 who presented “Helping the COMPASSion Project” together, Corrinne McClure ’18 who presented “Prejudicial Policy and the Mass Incarceration of Economically Disadvantaged African-American Women,” Katie Rogers ’18 presenting“Feeling Good About Doing Bad: Moral Disengagement Among Juveniles in Alternative Schools,” and Jackie Eul ’18 presenting “Are Childhood Experiences with Nature Associated with Outdoor Physical Activity in Young Adults?” Poster presentations were given by Rachel Britt ’18 who presented “All Feminism,” Madalyn Carpenter ’18 who presented “The Civil War in Cades Cove,” Chandler Chastain ’18 who presented “The Benefits and Realities of Reading Dog Therapy as an Alternative Reading Method for Early Readers,” Victoria Deal ’19 who presented “Correlations Between Plasma Concentrations of TLT-1 and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome,” Evan Ezell ’18 who presented “Implementing the Dynamic Time Warping Algorithm into the WSTAMP R Package,” Mariah Franklin ’18 who presented “Local Politics, History,and Modern Cartography,” Andrew Horton ’19 who presented “The Marketing Strategies of ReMax and Keller Williams,” Rebecca Jones ’18 who presented “War Photography as an Art Form,” Jordan McCullough ’18 who presented “The 1st U.S. Heavy Artillery Unit and the Black Experience in the Civil War,”Brandi Payne ’18 who presented“Everjoy, Illinois,” Hannah Robbins ’18 who presented “Effects of Expressive Writing on Intrusive Thoughts and Depressive Symptoms,”...
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Read MoreGibson to be Fit. Green. Happy.®
This coming academic year, Gibson Hall will be designated as a Fit. Green. Happy.® place of living. Mirroring Lloyd Hall, Gibson, named after former Maryville College president Gerald Gibson, has been home to almost 150 residents each year since 2008. Standing four floors high, Gibson does currently employ a wellness component, which requires its residents to withhold from consuming tobacco products along with alcohol. Created by Bruce Guillaume, founder and Director of Mountain Challenge, the Fit. Green. Happy.® initiative generally aims to promote physical, mental and environmental wellness all around. It’s an idea which encourages a higher sense of awareness and attention paid to our environment in addition to sustainability practices. Because it has already been maintaining its preexisting wellness mandate, Gibson has been collectively decided upon by Guillaume and Student Services as the best candidate out of all the other residence halls as a starting point of expansion for these ideas. Generally, the concept behind implementing Fit. Green. Happy.® at Gibson revolves around increasing awareness of the initiative as whole. “We want to keep the language of wellness but tweak it, so that it becomes multi-faceted,” explained Jessica Boor, who has been Maryville College’s Director of Student Services since August 2017. Within that role, Boor oversees Resident Life and wellness among other things. These upcoming tweaks to the wellness ideas aim to promote more than just abstaining from alcohol or tobacco use. As of now, this initial introduction of Fit. Green. Happy.® to Gibson hall will not be changing any of the typical processes involved in application of residency or for any resident assistant (RA) positions, and there will still be the same number of programs. “The hope is that RA’s would possibly hold programs directed at happiness and wellness,” said Boor. Ideally, a stronger presence of wellness and environmentally friendly related ideas within Gibson would naturally spark more conversations and create additional opportunities to get active. “I would hope students would become or feel self-driven,” said Guillaume in reference to engaging in activities such as weekly workouts. It’s clear that one of the main goals around implementing Fit. Green. Happy.® is to create that sense of motivation to help ourselves and our environment within a communal space. Physically speaking, the building or pieces within it won’t be changing anytime soon either. Although according to Boor, Gibson might and hopefully will acquire a number of water fountains that include the sensor activated water bottle refill mechanism...
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Read MoreMeet the Editors: Nadia Marrero-Silva
Dear beloved readers, it is my pleasure to introduce a very special young lady for this week’s “Meet the Editor:” Nadia Marrero-Silva, a Design major, and Senior here at Maryville College. Nadia Marrero-Silva was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico and moved to the United States when she was very young. Though she has spent most of her childhood and adult life in the United States, per her request, let the record show that she is still a proud Puerto Rican. If you’ve spent any time on campus at all, you probably have met Nadia a few times, as she seems to be everywhere. She works as the marketing assistant at our Career Center, a web editor for the Echo, and as an on-campus gallery intern. Apart from all her jobs and classes on campus, Nadia is currently gearing up for her senior show called “The Fall of Raguel.” “It’s about an angel of vengeance who’s sent to Hell to save one of God’s most beloved humans,” Nadia said regarding the idea behind her show. “That’s a really simple way of putting it.” Dr. Adrienne Schwarte, Chair of the Fine Arts Division and Associate Professor of Art and Design, worked closely with Nadia to develop her senior show. “Nadia has a really interesting thesis topic,” Schwarte said. “She is focusing on some religious symbology in art, and is doing some construction building for her space. She is thinking holistically with her show and exhibition and is transforming the space into an experience. I think Nadia is one of those students who is very intentional with everything she does, and puts a lot of thought and work into everything she’s involved in. I think that is a distinctive feature of Nadia” Nadia has a unique style that sets her apart from the crowd in the art world and also in the fashion world. With her sharp black eyeliner, all black clothes, and combat-style leather boots, she has defined her look. However, appearances can be deceiving. “People are usually intimidated by me, and I find that funny,” Nadia said regarding her style and public perception. “I’m all rock and roll and heavy, black-soul on the outside, but I’ve got to be one of the softest people I know. My favorite pastime is listening to people talk about their feelings. What’s so hardcore about that?” When I asked Nadia to tell me about her time in college, she gave the most truthful answer...
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Read MoreBest season yet: softball winning streak continued. . .
A great season for the Scots Softball team ended in an award winning week for sophomore player Morgan Brewer. Already the USA South Player of the Year, Brewer was also awarded Player of the Week the week of April 7. This season has been one of the best for the Scots. Through winning game after game, the Scots have shown their passion for the field and for playing as a team this season. On April 6, the Scots advanced on past Wesleyan Ga. to the quarterfinals of the USA South Athletic Conference tournament. The Scots only need two more wins to tie the school record for wins. The last record was set in 2003 as 28-10. Their current 26-11 record ranks tied as the third-most victories in school history, as they surpassed 2015-16’s 25-win mark. MC then looked on to the USA South quarter finals on Friday, April 13. The Scots played against Salem with a 2 p.m. first pitch in LaGrange, Ga. Senior Rachel Taylor’s two- runs batted in (RBI) double in the bottom of the sixth inning earned the Scots’ first-ever trip to the USA South Championship game. “No one deserves this moment – not me, not this team – more than Rachel Taylor,” softball Coach Leah Kelley said in a press release for MC Athletics. “She has been there through Maryville College’s worst of the worst, and now, the best of the best. That’s something that you dream of – for her to be in that situation and to really save our season. To come in and get that opportunity to get that hit, and then to pull through for us, that just shows that she’s been there since day one for this program. It’s such a big moment for her to pull through like that.” This win will allow the Scots to go on postseason playing time to go for a USA South Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. MC now sits tied with the school record for the most wins in a season. This win marks the 28th of the season, and the Scots need only one more win to break the 15-year old record previously set in 2003....
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Read MoreLegacy of learning: saying goodbye to Terry Simpson
Maryville College recently celebrated the retirement of one of its most valued staff members. Dr. Terry Simpson, Director of Teacher Education and Professor of Secondary Education, is leaving the College after 27 years of learnedly inspiring students and faculty alike. While surely looking forward to a relaxing retirement of well-deserved rest, the shrewd professor refused to leave his post without giving one last lecture. ———— This lecture, taking place during his very own farewell ceremony on Thursday, April 12, covered topics ranging from how to deal with an angry bull to gun control in the United States. It addressed the significance of childhood, the importance of professionalism, the joys of gardening, the achievement of religious freedom, but most importantly, it addressed the values of learning and education. To Simpson, an education is not something you do just to get a job or climb the professional ladder, it’s a lifelong striving towards true knowledge and a call to help others. According to his lecture, “every child has potential” and sometimes “you have to believe in the child before they can believe in you.” A teacher’s job is not merely to teach course material but to inspire and believe in their students which in turn builds self-esteem and establishes self-worth. Simpson has performed this job to the fullest and is loved deeply by his students and colleagues for possessing a truly caring heart. According to Sierra Russell, current senior in the Early Childhood Education with Teacher Licensure division, Simpson is, “the heart and soul of the education program.” “It would not be what it is today without his leadership, wisdom and love of children,” she said. Simpson is led not only by his love of children and education but also his love of God. He is a strong Christian and a man of faith even though he constantly referred to himself as a “sinner” during the lecture. Furthermore, while the man is strongly a follower of Christ, he still believes in religious freedom, calling it “undeniably important.” The professor even went to the Middle-East and lectured there while becoming close friends with Islamic community and government leaders. Apparently, faith differences were cast aside as they worked toward the common goal of accessible education. Maryville College will undeniably miss this wise man of nuance, joy, charm and educated brilliance. Though his last lecture already took place, retirement will not stop Simpson’s unwavering devotion to education and learning. To him, it’s just too...
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2018 Blister in the Sun
Maryville College’s annual Student Programming Board-hosted Blister in the Sun kicked off on May 5th and was a rollicking success for every extracurricular club on the Maryville College campus that participated. Blister in the Sun is aptly named after the 1983 alternative rock song, “Blister in the Sun” by the Violent Femmes. The song is reminiscent of a fun summer’s day and would remind listeners of the joys to be had during the season of summer. Similarly, what is arguably SPB’s most important event of the year reminds Maryville College students that summer is just around the corner, and to finish the semester out strong so that they can enjoy all the fun to be had over the summer. The main attraction to Blister in the Sun, beyond the free T-shirts, would have to be the various bounce-houses set up on the north side of the main campus quad. These bounce houses offered a variety of games and opportunities for fun in the Appalachian sun— Though for journalistic integrity, this writer will state that it was actually quite humid and overcast— that lasted from the morning until the afternoon. Various booths were set up by the campus’ extracurricular groups, including the Highland Echo. The Highland Echobooth...
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Alumni Gym to receive sweeping renovation
Maryville College’s Alumni Gym will be receiving a much-needed renovation during the summer of 2018, with new fitness facilities and equipment finally making the building worthy of the term “Gymnasium.” The official announcement and reveal of the ground-plans and sketch for the new-and-improved Alumni Gym came on April 18 within the Alumni Gym itself. The plans for the new renovations outlined a new fitness space partitioned off by a glass wall and a redesign of the main floor of the gymnasium to facilitate various intramural sports. The area that will become partitioned off by glass will be located in what is currently the men’s baseball team locker room, with plans for a new locker room for the team also provided. The design for the renovation was provided by BarberMcMurry Architects, with Joseph Construction as the contractor, and Lawler-Wood functioning as the project manager and owner’s representative. The last time the Alumni Gym was renovated was 12 years ago, when it was transformed into a performance space for students while the Clayton Center for the Arts was under construction, hence the stage that currently occupies one side of the gymnasium. Maryville College President Tom Bogart officially unveiled the plans for the renovation, After being introduced by Melanie Tucker, Vice President and Dean of Students, Bogart...
Read MoreKendrick Lamar Wins Pulitzer Prize
It was a big moment in hip-hop in April as the Kendrick Lamar, took home the Pulitzer Prize for music. Lamar has topped the charts with his new album, “DAMN,” but, even with its huge nominations, the album failed to take home the Grammy in January. The Pulitzer Prize began to recognize a category in music in 1943, but it wasn’t until 1997 that the prize was first awarded to jazz musicians. Lamar received the honor because of the...
Read MoreA house divided: Maryville College’s Community Orchestra and Choir Spring Concert
In the months following Maryville College students’ return to campus after spring break, the members of both the Community Orchestra and Community Choir have been rehearsing for the spring concert. The theme of this concert is based on the Civil War, with both groups combining to play movements from “Those in Blue, Those in Gray,” written by John Purifoy, along with other songs of a similar style. The concert, titled “A House Divided,” took place on April 30 at...
Read MoreBall of Confusion: New developments in North Korea and the Syrian conflict
“Ball of Confusion” is a psychedelic soul single released by The Temptations in 1971, whose chorus says, “Ball of Confusion, that’s what the world is today.” This chorus may be truer today that it was in 1971, with recent events in the Korean Peninsula and Syria proving quite confusing indeed. At a historic summit in the waning days of April, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met in the South, this being the...
Read MoreData Mining is “OK”
Facebook is easily the biggest social media platform that exists right now. With over a billion active users, Facebook blows its competition out of the water. Despite the fact that so many individuals use the app, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, has recently had to answer some questions for Congress at a Senate Judiciary Committee and Commerce Committee joint hearing concerning the privacy issues that Facebook users are subject to. While it is not necessarily new information that Facebook gathers...
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Memorial Tree Dedication: Tree to give back to Maryville College for decades to come
In memory of former student, Adam Russell Peppers, the Maryville College community dedicated a memorial tree ceremony at the Crawford House on Monday, April 30 at 3 p.m. Peppers, an Army Veteran, attended Maryville College from 2014 to 2016. He lost his battle against cancer on January 25, 2018. While at Maryville College he was a finance and accounting major with an outdoor studies minor and served one year as president of the Student Veterans Association (SVA). Peppers took...
Read MoreUnpredictable weather in Maryville and the world
Over the past few weeks, and even months, the weather in Maryville has been incredibly unpredictable. With fluctuating temperatures and an abundance of cloud cover, students are finding it difficult to dress comfortably for the day. For a week, students at Maryville could walk around in shorts and t-shirts and be perfectly comfortable, but the next week they would be bundled up in sweaters and jeans once again. This jump in temperature has even occurred over the course of...
Read MoreFarewell to Jack Piepenbring
Our campus will soon bid farewell to Jack Piepenbring, Director of Safety and Security, here at MC. After 14 years of service to our beloved institution, Piepenbring is retiring to spend more time with his family. Piepenbring first came to be the director of Maryville College’s Safety and Security office after retiring from his prior career of 17 years with the National Parks Services as the District Park Ranger of Cades Cove. Piepenbring’s plans for retirement would make any...
Read MoreMissing women of Ciudad Juarez
South of El Paso, Texas, on the Rio Grande, is Ciudad Juarez. It is the second most populated binational city on the border of Texas and Mexico with 2.7 million people. Ciudad Juarez is known as the most dangerous city in the world. It has been fictionalized in movies, television and books dealing with cartel-related crimes. Despite its infamy, people live, work and raise families in Juarez. Since 1993, over 1500 young women have gone missing. These women, typically...
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