Student Column: A word from Spain

by Lisa Wooning
Saludos de España!
I am studying abroad in Spain and I’ve been asked to share my experiences with you. To start, I am a third-year student in the education program at Cornerstone studying English, Spanish and TESOL. I am studying Spanish in Seville, Spain with the Semester in Spain consortium program with Trinity College.
I [...]

Guest Column: More demerit than merit with casinos

by Russ Pullium
Billboards may boast about the great benefits of casinos for Indiana, but the gambling industry has pitched a different message to the Hoosier state’s General Assembly’s Interim Study on Gaming.
Industry executives are begging for tax breaks for casinos and horse tracks. The riverboats want an option for land-based casinos so they can move [...]

Staff Notebook: Laptops: Blessing or Curse?

by Rick Ostrander
Recently I attended a teaching conference with several Cornerstone University professors. One evening as we discussed our triumphs and tribulations as teachers, the conversation turned to the challenges posed by those Dell laptops that one finds everywhere around campus. While these machines create lots of exciting possibilities educationally, it’s also no secret that [...]

Faculty Notebook: The uniqueness of our home planet

by Ned Keller
When you are next in the Museum of Natural History in New York City (the museum caricatured in the movie “Night in the Museum”), take time to visit the Hall of Diversity, where there are preserved over 1,500 examples of the millions of species of living things here on earth. What an awesome [...]

Student Testimony: Alyssa Corwin

by Alyssa Corwin
It was a clear and warm August day just over three years ago. I stood gazing up at the stars in awe of God and the past few hours I had just experienced. I was at a church retreat with a youth group I had attended the past year and this was the [...]

Editor’s Notebook: Undecided? Do something about it.

by Sasha Hettich
So, you’re undecided.
Undecided in your major, undecided in your career path, undecided in why you are watching your bank account go a decade into debt (or more)—without knowing an end. You meet friends during Christmas break who talk about how much they love their education program, or your great aunt asks you (for [...]

Our View: Three to a room is way too crowded

This year, record breaking numbers have been recorded as the largest incoming freshman class in CU history arrived. Sounds great, right? Well, with these numbers there have come some challenges. For parts of the student body that reside in Pickett, a three-person-to-a- room lifestyle has been adopted.

The same space in a dorm that two people [...]

Faculty Notebook: What a best year ever looks like

by Philip Bustrum
Since Cornerstone initiated this slogan for the coming school year, I’ve wondered what a “best year ever” would look like for me. I’ve dreamed about perfect classes where all my students got A’s, someone paying off all my debts (read school loans), winning the million dollar lottery, traveling the world, championships for Cornerstone’s [...]

Guest Column: Taking Darwin on faith

by Russ Pullium
Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking “Origin of Species” is 150 years old this year.
As part of the celebration, Indiana University is offering its first “themester” on “Evolution, Diversity and Change.’’ It’s a cross-disciplinary approach, including lectures and the play “Inherit the Wind” about the 1925 Scopes trial in Tennessee.
Scientists have taken the occasion to lament [...]

Student Testimony: Christina Woolard

by Christina Woolard
As I sit here thinking about what to write, I’m realizing that God truly has, and is, doing a marvelous work in me. He is changing, molding, shaping and forming me into a young woman that knows beyond all doubt that all she needs is her Savior. It’s stretching, exciting, painful, uncomfortable and [...]

Student Testimony: Rachel Higginbotham

 
By Rachel Higginbotham

 Five years ago, I slept in a dorm, ate in a cafeteria, worked in a college office, spent as much time on the free and plentiful, wifi points as I did studying and thought life was a wee bit stressful. The Lord must have a bright and beautiful sense of humor within His [...]

Editor’s Notebook: Unsolicited forgiveness

by Katherine Wisen
I came home Monday afternoon to a picture of repentance.
Kona, my family’s perpetually mischievous 1-year-old puppy, stood at the opening of my bedroom door with guilt written across her face. Her eyes were glossy and lowered, her nose slightly tilted to the ground, her giant ears tucked neatly against her head and, I’m [...]

Our View: Study abroad: required?

Cornerstone University is beginning to really emphasize study abroad trips.
There are professors who lead study abroad trips every year and some majors, such as Spanish and humanities, require students to study abroad in order to complete their degree. Spanish majors have to complete a semester in Spain and humanities majors have to go to Oxford, [...]

Volleyball team gets green idea

By Tyler Brandli-Hale
Staff Writer
When does the Cornerstone University volleyball team play, anyway?
Now, without taking the time to look up the schedule online, Head Coach Ryan Campbell and his team are attempting to increase campus awareness of when the games are.
This year, on game days, the CU volleyball players can be seen wearing bright green T-shirts. [...]

Two CU athletes receive WHAC player of week

By Victoria Rosales
Staff Writer
Each week the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference chooses one student from each competing sport who has helped his or her team in a significant way. WHAC honored two of Cornerstone’s star female athletes as Player of the Week, September 14, 2009.
Marcie Blacquiere has been playing volleyball with Cornerstone for four years and has [...]

CU golfer sinks hole-in-one

By Nicole Parry
Staff Writer
Ben Vanbiesbrouck, a sophomore at Cornerstone University, scored his first hole-in-one on hole 17 in the season’s first WHAC Jamboree at the Stonewater Country Club.  
 The golf team practices about two hours each day, seven days a week. They play games even more than that.
Vanbiesbrouck had high expectations for himself in the competition. [...]

Midnight Madness starts basketball season

By Hope Cronkright
Your LIfe Editor
 Enthusiasm and anticipation drew around campus for Thursday, Oct. 8.
At 11:00 p.m. in the Hansen Athletic Center, the men’s and women’s basketball teams celebrated the kick off of their upcoming season with Midnight Madness.
Every year the event follows Mudbowl and lasts about two hours. It includes free games, prizes, and events [...]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

By Bob Becker
guest columnist
Former Detroit Tigers’ manager Sparky Anderson might not have been an expert in grammar and syntax, but the guy was always able to get his point across.
We were sitting in the third base dugout at Old Tiger’s stadium a couple of years ago, contemplating the closing days of the regular season. The Tigers were not [...]

Student Column: Seize the days of college

I’m going to venture a guess that most of you have seen the movie The Sound of Music.  Shame on you if you haven’t.   One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when Liesl and Rolf meet under the gazebo and sing their duet.  Rolf says in one line, “I am someone older and [...]

Our View: Homecoming

by Lauren Honigford
        The popular conception of homecoming seems to be that of a bunch of superficial teenagers getting together to show off their gowns, limos and slow dancing skills. However, CU does this event a bit differently, and it is our belief that every student should become fully engaged in homecoming activities.
           
            [...]

Guest Column: ‘Ben Hur’ takes its bow

by Russ Pullium

Crowded out by many other anniversaries this year, “Ben Hur” is looking for applause on the other side of the Atlantic. This classic story of a Jewish prince’s encounter with Jesus Christ is on stage in London this week, including 46 horses for the chariot race.
But in Indiana, where Lew Wallace wrote much [...]

Student Testimony: Sarah Schaefer

  by Sarah Schaefer    
      Time and time again throughout my childhood I sat astonished and open-mouthed as I listened to the missionary speakers give their testimonies at church.  They’d lived a sinful life, done drugs, were addicted to alcohol, and had done time in prison.  Their mothers abandoned them and their fathers beat them.  They were [...]

Faculty Notebook: A modern perapatetic

by Dr. Scott Carroll
I took a test to evaluate my style of learning and teaching.  The results were extremely unusual.  For those who know me; that’s no surprise. For those who don’t; let me explain.
There’s an expression, “Those who can, do.  Those who can’t, teach.”  For me teaching is not a lazy cop-out.  I love what [...]

Editor’s Notebook: Being engaged simply stinks.

by Lisa Heasley
 
I’m engaged. And it stinks.
Don’t get me wrong. There was a time when being engaged was amazing.
Once upon a time, I went camping with my boyfriend and his family in Ludington. We spent a nice family day at the beach, and when evening came, Colin Hunter(that’s his name) took me out [...]

Faculty Notebook: The heavenly-minded economist

by Professor Brad Stamm
Most economists, or for that matter, most academicians, errantly think they are doing their analyses in a theologically amoral vacuum. However, each one—either explicitly or implicitly—is enrolled in a teleological school of thought that sits on a continuum somewhere between love of self and love of God. The same could be said for [...]

Student Testimony: Amanda Ciofu

by Amanda Ciofu
This summer I was a part of the GO Sichuan team that went to China to teach English to victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. When I first arrived I fell in love with everything and everyone around me. I had always wanted to go to China, and I couldn’t wait to start [...]

Tuition bills now payable through WebAdvisor

By Nicole Parry
Staff writer

 
Students can now pay their tuition bills online anytime: day or night.
This new application on Eagles Nest was put into effect on July 31. With this process in effect, students will no longer need to stand in line at the financial office to pay a simple bill — they can open their [...]

Cornerstone participates in Grand Rapid’s first film festival

By Tamara Jackson
Staff photographer

 
Grand Rapids celebrated its first film festival this summer.
During that weekend of Aug. 26-29, Grand Rapids not only experienced one, but two film festivals back-to-back that were well received and attended by the public one being the Grand Rapids Film Festival.
“It was great to see that we are finally not only getting [...]

GRTS marks record-high enrollment

By Robbie Scudder
Staff photographer

 
For five years now the Grand Rapids Theological Seminary enrollment has been on a steady climb. This year, it has reached its record high attendance in GRTS history.
According to the GRTS Summary of Enrollment, the fall enrollment is at 329 students, compared to 289 students in fall of 2008. The enrollment at [...]

New 3-D viewbook shows future students multiple dimensions of CU

By Elizabeth Wolbrink
Staff writer

 
This fall, prospective students will receive more than just an ordinary booklet about Cornerstone University; they will receive a 3-D viewbook.

These viewbooks are full of 3-D photography and a lively color palette of reds and blues, as well as other vibrant supplemental colors. According to Dawn Pick Benson, director of marketing and [...]

‘Urban Initiative’ program extends to Kalamazoo

By Karissa Ryan
Staff writer

 
The Grand Rapids Theological Seminary is taking the Biblical mandate of “Go ye….” to heart and extending their “Urban Initiatives” program to Kalamazoo.
The program will offer both a certificate to non-degree seekers, as well as a Master of Arts in Ministry Leadership degree.
GRTS first saw the need to extend its services to [...]

Alumni Relations promote Spirit Week

By Erica Stone
Staff writer

 
Traditions have always been a big part of Cornerstone but this year, the Alumni Relations Office is reinventing one of them. They’re calling it Spirit Week.
Spirit Week kicks off Monday and ends Saturday with a campus wide festival. A weeklong competition among students, staff and faculty gives everyone a chance to show [...]

Evensong leaders continue to be passionate to lead students to worship

By Abbey Young
Staff writer  
For some, Sunday nights are a chance to savor the final precious hours of the weekend. For others, it is a time to start and finish the homework due Monday. Either way, for many Cornerstone students, Sunday at 9 p.m. means one thing: Evensong.

However, Evensong has not always been the colossal praise [...]

Campus safety changes with new additions

By Meridith Laden
There are some noticeable new additions all around CU’s campus this year. But the additions that are the least noticeable may be the most important ones.
Campus safety has installed new surveillance cameras and a new emergency telephone. While these additions aren’t always the most eye-catching or crowd pleasing, they are the ones [...]

Breathe Conference Returns

By Nicole Ricks

Breathe Conference Returns
The annual Breathe conference is returning to Western Michigan.
“Breathe is a Christian writer’s workshop intended to equip and encourage,” said Cornerstone professor, Cynthia Beach, who is part of the planning committee.
The Breathe conference is for beginners as well as advanced writers, and all levels are invited to come. To [...]