Plewes named All-American

After leading the Golden Eagles to a 27-8 record and the NAIA Sweet Sixteen, Jenna Plewes was named First Team All-American.
“I couldn’t be any more proud of Jenna, and I’m just so pleased that she is getting recognized in this way,” head coach Carla Fles said.
Plewes willed Cornerstone to win several games late in the [...]

Women squeeze into Sweet Sixteen

The Golden Eagle train ride came to an abrupt halt in Sioux City, Iowa during spring break when the women’s basketball team lost to Concordia (Neb.) 74-73 in the second round of the national tournament.
Cornerstone had taken a one point lead with eight seconds remaining, but was not able to get a defensive stop, as [...]

Will the softball field be ready?

With spring quickly approaching, the softball team cannot wait to slip on its cleats and test out its field.
“We’re ready to see blue sky instead of a blue gym,” sophomore catcher Melanie Creager said. “It’s nice to have a big area to play in [inside], but we’re ready to get outside.”
The team is ready to [...]

Spring training is all we have left of baseball

I have just been harbinged.
To most people, the official harbingers of spring are the return of the robins, the sight of tulip tips forcing themselves through the remnants of frozen soil and left-over piles of snow, or even the end of early darkness when Daylight Savings Time is suspended.
But to me, nothing says spring like [...]

Seeking redemption on the diamond

After catching sun rays and softballs on red clay fields during its spring break tournament in Arizona, Cornerstone’s softball team has returned to Grand Rapids for its home-opener on Tuesday afternoon.
Head Coach Jim Farrell is expecting a different and more satisfying season than last year.
“Last year did not meet my expectations,” Farrell said. “We finished [...]

Student gains experience prior to entering law school

Jake Casto has been interning at Gruel, Mills, Nims, and Plyman Attorneys and Counselors since the end of last semester.
Casto, a senior, approached Scott Melton, who is a family friend at church and asked him about finding an internship. The pre-law program no longer exists at Cornerstone, so he was on his own to find [...]

The Sparrow offers over 35 types of tea

Sparrows are small birds that are often found in urban settings and are commonly known as the song bird. In East Town you will find a cute little coffee shop that is just the same.
Formerly known as The Stray Dog, this one-of-a-kind coffee shop is also known for their tea and newsstand. The atmosphere is [...]

Faith-based social networking Web sites

There are plenty of social networking sites available to you, from Facebook to LinkedIn to MySpace. But what are the other options out there?
Well if you’re looking for a chance to connect with other people of the same faith, then these sites are for you.
• Tangle.com
This social networking site is basically a community of people [...]

Sarah Brown debuts in local opera

Four years in the music department at Cornerstone University prepared 2006 graduate Sarah Brown enough to land her several performances with Opera Grand Rapids last year.
Brown said she’s been singing for, “as long as I can remember.”
Her family attributed to her passion for music.
“All my sisters are musical in some way,” Brown said. “Whenever we [...]

CU junior interns at Disney in Florida

Rebecca Reese, a Cornerstone junior, is interning at Downtown Disney’s Westside.
“I float between the three stores of Mickey’s Groove, Candy Cauldron and Disney Quest,” Reese said.
Her role is in merchandise, which includes working a cash register, stocking, cleaning, shipping, directing, helping guests and closing the stores.
She applied for the job online and viewed their e-presentation. [...]

Learning disabilities major gives students wider range of expertise

Almost everyone aspires to be a teacher at one point or another.
For students who are serious about this dream, Cornerstone’s learning disabilities major will help them achieve this and make an impact on every student in their class.
“The learning disabilities major is an additional certification you receive under the elementary or secondary teaching degree,” said [...]

Irwin takes on new role as alumni director

Formerly the hospitality coordinator of Cornerstone admissions, Darci Irwin has been promoted to alumni director.
President Joe Stowell made the official announcement of Irwin’s promotion on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the end of the chapel service.
“I cannot stop thinking about how wonderful it will be to celebrate the accomplishments of alumni in order to encourage both [...]

Staff share passions at lunch program

In addition to the heavy workloads they carry, many professors at Cornerstone further their learning in areas that interest them. Lunch and Learn is a program that allows them to share what they have discovered.
Erik Benson, associate professor of history, started the program in 2005, his second year at CU. Lunch and Learn is exactly [...]

CU chooses budget cuts instead of layoffs

By cutting salaries and other budget items, Cornerstone University avoided layoffs for the coming 2009-10 budget year, school officials said.
In order to allow this, some cuts must be made in other areas. The budget cuts included reduction in salaries for staff and faculty, suspending CU contributions to employee retirement plans for the 2009-10 budget year [...]

Pastor urges students to recapture first love

Recapturing our first love as Christians and conquering worry and anxiety is what Crawford Loritts, senior pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Roswell, Ga spoke about in chapel February 17 and 18.
Loritts addressed recapturing our first love. He said that passivity has taken place within Christianity during the last 20 years.
He said there needs to [...]

New meal plans give students choices, chance to pay less

Cornerstone University’s new meal plans and dormitory options give residential students an opportunity to pay even less than the anticipated new $27,030 average cost that takes effect in fall 2009, even though flex dollars will be eliminated.
Nancy Schoonmaker, senior vice president and chief financial officer, said residential students will choose from among plans that offer [...]

Student Testimony: Jordan Cooper

At this point in my life I don’t really sense that there is one particular thing the Lord is teaching me. It seems like there is a list of things he might be attempting to reveal to me, but it’s difficult to put my finger on one exact lesson. I always get kind of jealous [...]

Admissions team debuts new Homeschool Preview Day

The first ever Homeschool Preview Day for Cornerstone University was on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
Darci Irwin, hospitality coordinator for the CU admissions office, said, “As an admissions office, we recognized that a noteworthy percentage of current students had been homeschooled prior to attending CU.
“We recognized that the jump from being homeschooled to attending a medium-sized university [...]

Fees added to develop campus community

Two new fees will be added to the 2009-10 school year total: a commuter student life fee and a residence life fee.
Nancy Schoonmaker, senior vice president and chief financial officer said the residence life fee will be $100 and the commuter life fee will be $250, including 25 meals per semester. Commuters also have the [...]

Overbeek leads Golden Eagles’ offensive attack

 
The soft-spoken senior captain for Cornerstone’s basketball team will bid farewell along with many other graduates this May. Overbeek said the moment will be bittersweet when it comes to her last game.
 
“I’ll probably cry just because my parents will be crying,” Overbeek said. “It’s sad to have something so good end.”
 
Overbeek, a business management major, [...]

Nationals: Watch out!

The women’s basketball team (26-7) is headed to the NAIA National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa, following its WHAC Tournament Championship victory over Davenport on Monday.
 
But the Golden Eagles still have their eye on one more tournament championship trophy.
 
“We’ve beaten Davenport who (was) the No. 3 team in the county,” head coach Carla Fles said. [...]

Women seize WHAC title

Courtesy/Andy Visockis

Cornerstone held on to an early lead despite a furious run by Davenport late in the game Monday, winning the WHAC Tournament Championship 73-69, and earning an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
With 41.6 seconds remaining, Jenna Plewes muscled in a baseline layup over a swarm of Davenport defenders for the game-winning basket. 
“Kara [...]

Plewes driving Golden Eagles to nationals

When Jenna Plewes steps on the basketball court, everyone knows where she is. You can’t miss her. The Golden Eagle senior captain speeds up and down the court so much that everyone’s attention is naturally drawn to her aggressive play.

 
 
Cornerstone basketball fans have grown accustomed to hearing plenty of thuds and clunks each time they [...]

Thelen leads CU defense

Senior Tami Thelen came up against one of the best scorers in the conference on Jan. 28. The self-proclaimed “defensive specialist” on the Cornerstone basketball team was matched up against Joslyn Narber, Aquinas’ top scorer, who averages about 18 points per game.
 
Thelen’s goal for the game: shut Narber down. Though the game did not go [...]

Softball spring break

To leave the snow behind is only the beginning of excitement for Cornerstone’s women’s softball team this spring break.
 
Do not be surprised when the team comes back with tan lines. For one week, they will be enjoying the endless sun that Arizona has to offer as they participate in the eighth Annual Tucson Invitational [...]

Miedema’s acting life outside of the mailroom

John Miedema, the director of mail and print services, said he’s always had an interest in the arts. For about the past 10 to 15 years, Miedema has had an active role in drama and theater, acting in about 20 plays and directing two.
 
He started by getting involved in drama at his church. There, he [...]

Past CU instructor keeps history alive in novel ‘On Rough Seas’

Former Cornerstone English instructor Nancy Hull (1980-85) writes a page turner from the get go. The opening scene introduces protagonist Alec Curtis, a 14-year-old Brit. And it’s not just any opening scene. Alec clasps an overturned skiff, an agitated sea tugging his arms. The sea takes something from Alec that day—a taking that cements the [...]

Film Review: “Eagle Eye” marks an average attempt

Shia LaBeouf shows his potential as a grown man in “Eagle Eye,” a science-fiction type story full of action. The plot involves Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) who receives a mysterious call to vacate his apartment quickly before the FBI arrives. Following multiple action-packed and tense scenes, the movie eventually has to reveal the hidden hand behind [...]

Film Review: “Changeling” gives disturbing look at history

Angelina Jolie stars in the Clint Eastwood film about a mother’s child who is kidnapped and eventually returned. Christine Collins (Jolie) does not believe the boy given back is actually her son and begins to fight back to correct the injustice. The story is a riveting account of actual historical events and the devastation they [...]

Album Review: Soundtrack captures international music

A.R. Rahman has produced yet another intriguing collection of music in this soundtrack, based on Danny Boyle’s award-winning film, “Slumdog Millionaire.” The album combines electronic beats with the flair of Bollywood vocals. The tracks are quite upbeat while still retaining an Indian flair. Most of the songs are composed by A.R. Rahman, with several tracks [...]

Search online for volunteer opportunities

We lead busy lives. Plain and simple. For most of us its balancing school and homework mixed with a part-time job, athletics, friends, and the list goes on.
Sometimes it seems like we are just focused on us. Do we do this on purpose? I would like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and [...]

Student Testimony: Bethany Henning

Something that the Lord has really been laying on my heart lately is the urgency of the Gospel. As I look around, I cannot help but notice the seas of souls that are lost and in need of the Gospel. Evangelism and Gospel work is critical to the Christian life and must be done. As [...]

Journalism gets a makeover

The Cornerstone UAC’s and Faculty Senate’s recent adoption of a journalism program makeover means that students interested in News-Editorial, Public Relations or Visual Communication emphases of the journalism major can now complete the degree in just three years instead of the typical four years or longer.
 
The change starts this coming fall semester, 2009, and should [...]

Turning her lens on sex slavery

 
A rescue mission in the United States is a place where homeless men and women go for food and shelter — Wheeler Mission in Indianapolis, for example.
 
In Thailand, a rescue mission saves children from slavery. Children as young as 10 or 11 are sold to work in the sex trade or other labor.
 
Central Indiana native [...]

‘New York Post’ Cartoon is both racist and careless

President Barack Obama earned kudos from the media when he said he screwed up in nominating Tom Daschle as secretary of health and human services despite Daschle’s problem with paying taxes.
 
Too bad the leadership of the New York Post did not follow the president’s lead by admitting that an editorial cartoon they ran last month [...]