Photo taken from www.whatsontv.co.uk

Smith stars as an IRS Agent who finds seven people in need and passionately works to improve their lives. Within the film, the production elements of the world allow most American viewers to feel comfortable in the urban and semi-suburban environments of the movie. Emily Posa’s simple and elegant small house brings a cozy and comfortable atmosphere to her character. When Smith’s character fixes one of her machines in the garage, the machines and related props bring an element of artistry and intelligence to the film. 

Many tight close-ups of faces and the emotions they express keep the characters intimate and accessible to the audience. “Seven Pounds” deals with the innermost thoughts and fears of people and the cinematography accompanies the emotional struggles. One of the signature compositions of Philippe de Sourd, director of photography, seems to be the close-up of the characters with the background remarkably out of focus. Many of these shots exist throughout the film, especially in the outdoor scenes. Having the background majorly out of focus (such as when the lights on a car or streetlight are merely large, colored circles) draws the audience’s attention the character and does not distract with any other elements in the frame. The mise en scène of such shots shows the full utilization of Sourd and/or the director drawing the audience the important emotions each character displays. 

Silence is a powerful use of sound, or lack thereof, within the film. Whether during an intimate scene or a striking flashback, the silence draws the viewers into the action of the scenes. Most of the sound remains functional in the film. A majority of the dialogue, however, maintains the closeness of the interaction of the characters. The mixing of the audio during the scenes between Thomas and Posa give a sense of intimacy because of how delicately the audio was captured and sounds.

Examining the film from a Christian worldview also prompts interesting discussion. The actions of Smith’s character, not to be given away as a spoiler, can lead to questions about Christ. Making Christian connections to the film can be easy, but people should be wary of looking too deeply into it. Although Smith’s character does help out others, he uses illegal means to achieve access to the people. Smith is not honest in presenting himself to others while Christ was truly the son of God – there wasn’t any impersonation. Also, Thomas needed to determine that a person was good before he helped them out. The Bible clearly states that everyone is evil in nature and are born into sin. Everyone is in need of Christ’s redemption that he freely offers; a truth the movie misses.

“Seven Pounds” is a powerful look a man who looks beyond himself to help others. Smith and Dawson have a powerful chemistry on screen and bring many powerful scenes to life in the film. The serious issues of the film are accompanied well with twists to the plot, creating a memorable film that does not create a need for additional viewings. Rated PG-13 for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality; running time: 123 minutes.

Non-Herald writers often seem to feel they have a right to question paper’s quality. Although constructive criticism is always welcome and we are always seeking to improve, when does this practice become unfairly bashing or making fun of our student publication?

One of the most important things to understand about The Herald is that it is student-run. Students come up with story ideas, interview an expansive list of students and faculty, write feature, news and sports stories (in addition to the workload of all students), design and paginate the paper every week and deliver the final product to your mailbox or friendly Cornerstone corner.

If you decide not to read one word of the paper, that is certainly your own choice. Experience that freedom to the fullest. But when you begin to criticize the paper or trash talk its quality, please explain your reasons and seek to understand the hard-work of all students involved. As editors, we see the newspaper from its conception through story ideas and assignments in early Monday morning meetings all the way until late Thursday night pagination. When Friday comes, the gears of our editorial machine move again.

Rachel Watson, co-managing editor at The Herald, sees the newspaper as a good communication tool.

“I definitely think the purpose of the paper is to be a journalism piece,” Watson said. “Our program is largely built around it … It is how all of us who are majoring in journalism, or majoring in writing, that is how we get our practice in.”

We also fervently support the work of our staff writers and photographers. Despite the conflicts or learning experiences that we deal with as editors, students who write for The Herald keep our voices alive and accessible with their writing. Although the editors are often the figureheads or most noticeable faces the newspaper, we would not survive without the dedication of our staff writers.

“The Herald is meant to inform students and staff on campus,” Your News editor Katherine Wisen said, “but it is also a way for students to prepare for the future.” Wisen said that writing for The Herald allows students to gain experience and build a portfolio for a future job.

Even if readers do not understand the nature and process of creating The Herald, please understand that it is often an extracurricular activity. Many students are taking on extra work and putting in additional hours to bring original stories, reviews, and photographs to Cornerstone’s campus.

When a fellow student is making a humorous scene in a lounge by trash talking an article, person or the entire Herald newspaper and then cramming the publication into the trash, remember the purpose and history of our paper. We have come a long way over the years and are always seeking to improve as new students flow through Herald editorial and writing positions.

Many people provide positive feedback and compliments to our different writers and staff. And to them, we thank you. Thank you also for taking the time to read our publication and support students’ voices on campus. It is for you, and class credit, that we write.

Knott and his family have lived in Zeeland, Mich. for the past nine years, but he has worked at several organizations before settling in the Midwest. While working as the senior area director at World Vision, Knott oversaw a group of field representatives who covered nine states.

Before Knott worked in fundraising, he served on the pastoral staff at Woodmen Valley Chapel in Colorado Springs, Col. After Knott was done working at the church in 1995, a friend asked him about doing pastoral ministry in another way.
Knott then spent three and a half years as a part of the Focus on the Family’s ministry which involved “going out and being friends to their donors. It was just a natural way for them to raise money,” Knott said.
His transition to fundraising was unconventional.
“I actually kind of came in through the back door,” Knott said. Through his experiences, Knott has gained a local mentality through working with a local church, working on national level with Focus on the Family and then a global level with World Vision. Knott said that God had provided a unique set of skills because of the different opportunities and experiences.

Joe Stowell, president of Cornerstone, viewed Knott’s previous work as beneficial to the institution.

“The fact that [Knott] has worked in Advancement here in West Michigan for 15 years, both with Focus on the Family and World Vision, is a real ‘plus,’” Stowell said in an e-mail. “It means he understands the philanthropic pulse of West Michigan and is highly networked in terms of donor potential.”

Stowell said that Knott has already fit well into the CU Cabinet and his leadership position within advancement.

“Bill stood head and shoulders above other candidates in terms of our profile for the job,” Stowell said. “I’m thrilled that he’s on the team! I’m looking forward to working with Bill, not just on the fundraising front but as a friend and colleague.”

Although Knott has worked with fundraising before, he acknowledged that money can be a sensitive topic but offered solutions.

“Basically all our lives in the kingdom of God are lived in relationships with other people,” Knott said. “We have a responsibility with those relationships to bring our spiritual lives to them in a holistic way. In that, one of the most difficult things to talk about is our financial lives.” Knott said that work in advancement brings together the spiritual side and practical part of financial giving.

Looking toward the future, Knott shared his vision for the future of advancement at Cornerstone.

“From where I sit, what I see is just that a group of dedicated friends of Cornerstone who would come along financially and that God would just use them to give financial help on this extraordinary journey,” Knott said. “That we would be known as a place where generosity is encouraged and that life in Christ is found.”

In order to accomplish this hope for the future, Knott said that it requires students, faculty and staff to communicate what God is doing in their lives. He said that whether someone gives $10 or $10 million, everyone deserves to hear the story about what God is doing.

Five to ten years down the road, Knott hopes to have vibrant, involved alumni that are doing social networking and sending back stories about what God is doing through them.

Despite economic difficulties and political instability, Knott said that now is still a great time to come on board.

“To make a change and be a part of what God is going to do at Cornerstone. This is a faith venture,” Knott said. “Dr. Stowell has very great leadership skills, other people on staff and faculty have excellent skills. It comes down to are we going to rely on our faith in God and see how he works.”

Knott’s new job in advancement offers him a welcomed change with new challenges.

“I think what excites me is what I see in the student life,” Knott said. “I see a great a group of excited men and women who see all the opportunities the world has to offer and how they can contribute to that in the world.

“For me to come in and help them equip their vision, through the great group of friends and donors who have come around Cornerstone over the last 67 years, that is what excites me – to facilitate the dreams, hopes and aspirations of a generation of young adults.”

GiveStrong, CUSG’s annual fundraiser, will consist of three drives for which students can volunteer time, money and goods. The event will run from Wednesday, Nov. 19 to Saturday, Dec. 6. Sign-ups for Salvation Army bell ringing will be available Nov. 19-21.

Lindsey Jacobs, CUSG vice president of student organizations, is heading up the fundraiser that focuses on helping three local groups: Salvation Army, Grand Rapids Housing Commission and Safe Haven Ministries.

Salvation Army is the recipient of volunteered time. Students will be able to sign-up to ring bells at different spots around Grand Rapids for the organization’s most prominent fundraising effort.

GiveStrong is also accepting donated goods for the Leonard Terrace Apartments, run by the Grand Rapids Housing Commission. The organization provides apartments to low-income seniors citizens. CUSG will be donating goods like can goods, toiletries, food and laundry detergent.

Safe Haven Ministries is the third organization GiveStrong will support, in this case financially.

“I think they have a wonderful ministry,” said Bethany Henning, president of Socially Aware Students. “It is a refuge place for people saved from domestic abuse or violence…and they can stay as long as they need.”

Jacobs hopes to have all of CU involved.

“I believe it is something that can really unite the campus,” Jacobs said.

Another reason for students to be involved is a celebration at the end of all the work. As a new addition from previous years, Jacobs is planning to end GiveStrong with a dessert and dance on Saturday, Dec. 6.

“We are hoping that speakers can come in from the different organizations we are donating to,” Jacobs said. “It will be a really nice time to celebrate the Christmas season together.”

The three drives offer unique ways to help out the community. 

Most residents of the Leonard Terrace Apartments live on a fixed-income and donating goods to the organization helps fill their pantry, according to Jacobs. People in the apartments who cannot make ends meet often will utilize the resources of the apartment’s pantry.

 Socially Aware Students chose Safe Haven Ministries as one of the organizations to support. Henning said they decided on the ministry because it is less known.

“We chose Safe Haven because that is not too overly broadcasted and not a lot of people know about them,” Henning said. “I think they have a wonderful ministry.” 

Henning also noted that there is a Cornerstone connection with the ministry. Junior Courtney Figgins, a member of Socially Aware Students, has been doing community service for Safe Haven.     

Christmas drives and fundraising during past years at Cornerstone presented conflict because resources were scattered.

“Basically a couple years back around this time, there would be a million drives around campus,” Jacobs said. “Every dorm would have a drive going on, what it meant was that nothing was being raised.”

In order to solve that problem, CUSG decided to consolidate all their efforts into three drives and try to discourage dorms from doing their own. GiveStrong is now a few years old and concentrating its efforts.

Jacobs stressed the unique opportunity for students to be involved.

“I hope they understand that it is really a time to give back to communities at a time when it is really needed and will be really appreciated,” Jacobs said.

Henning also supported students getting involved with GiveStrong.

“I think that it is good for us to take the time out and give back to other things around the community,” Henning said. “We have been blessed in so many areas that we can forget to give back. I think that Christmas is a great time to get involved.”

The Breathe Conference took place on Oct. 10-11 at the Covenant Life Church in Grand Haven. Headlining the conference was Lynn Austin, author of “Hidden Places” and a three-time Christy award winner for Christian fiction.

Following the first day of workshops and a keynote address from Austin the previous night, she spoke again on Saturday morning.

Before giving specific encouragement to the audience, Austin shared her own journey to becoming a writer.

When she was living in Winnipeg, Canada, Austin was only beginning to venture into the writing world. She was not overly confident in the vocation and did not necessarily consider herself a writer. Often times, Austin would dodge questions or hide the fact she was pursuing writing as a career.

One day when her son had friends over, one of the children wandered over to Austin who was writing at her desk. When asked what she was doing, Austin finally found the courage to call herself a writer. The boy replied that his mother was also a writer, which led the boy’s mother to take Austin under her wing.

The women’s role as a mentor propelled Austin to excel into a writing career. If she had not taken a risk in saying she was a writer, Austin did not know where she would be today.

“We have to believe what God has called us to be,” Austin said.

Austin outlined three things needed to be a writer. The first was a calling, or as she preferred terming it, an assignment. She reiterated the fact that Christians are called to follow Christ and this is any believer’s calling.

Secondly, talent is needed. The good thing about a calling, Austin said, is that talent comes with it. She admitted that looking at other people’s writing has made her think, “I can’t write that,” Austin said. She set aside the negative thought and said that “God will give you the measure of talent you need to write those things.”

The final necessity for writers is that they need partnership.

“You need something to accompany the talent,” Austin said and cited that her husband’s trumpet playing inspires her.

Austin’s keynote address was full of insights and realistic encouragement.

“Writing is hard work,” Austin said, “and we have to constantly keep honing our craft.”

Austin also explained what she thought was the hardest part about writing.

“The chair. Staying in the chair,” Austin said. “Writing has to be a priority.”

In dealing with a writer’s everyday situations, Austin commented on life, stress and all the things that come along with it. Her solution to the problem was simple.

“When life interferes, journal it,” Austin said.

Looking back to her experience after Sept. 11, Austin recalled when she was writing a book on the Civil War. The events of the attack in New York City helped show Austin how her character in the book would have felt.

“What I was using in my journal went directly into how the character felt,” Austin said.

Continuing her speech to the audience, Austin told them to figure out what refills your creativity. She told the writers to “keep that curiosity and child-like learning.”

Beyond the inner-being of a writer, Austin hoped to extend the aim of the writers.

“Watch. Look. Listen to the world around you,” she said.

Austin referenced Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way” and pulled an illustration from it. She used a child as a metaphor for writing. Like a child, a writer may try to please someone else, show off, and fear to be made fun of.

While examining this thought, there may be things that have hurt a writer’s creative child. When Austin is blocked in the writing process, she goes back to look at what happened to her creative child. She then asks, where was the creative child hurt at?

For moving beyond hurt or difficulty in writing, Austin recommends writing something for the fun of it.

“I made up my mind to just have fun,” Austin said. “I am not going to think of publishing it. Even after all the fears, you know what? I ended up winning a Christy Award.”

Libby Burton, a sophomore and elementary education major, found the morning speech edifying and helpful.

“I think my favorite part was coming to terms of the importance of quality writing,” Burton said. “I thought she was very challenging to writers and also very encouraging to use God-given talents.”

Austin ended the morning address hoping that writers in attendance would be encouraged in their writing but to also look to a future hope.

“The only praise or criticism that matters in the long-run is to hear, ‘Well done,’” Austin said. “Only God can make you feel fulfilled.”

Although he is now in his 13th year teaching, Muir never originally planned to go into it as a profession.

“Even when I started teaching, it was to fill in time on almost part-time basis while I wanted to pursue music,” Muir said. “I got some regular cash while at night I could pursue my passion.”

Back in 1996, Muir returned to his hometown in Australia and began working at his alma mater, Queensland University of Technology. About three or four weeks into teaching, Muir realized the work was not going to be part-time.

“The epiphany moment for me was when I was walking down the middle of a street in city of Brisbane,” a city of about two million people, Muir said. In the middle of a busy street full of people, Muir saw two girls that he did not recognize but had in a workshop at the university the day before.

Not realizing that he was behind them, the girls began talking about the workshop.

“She said, ‘That new guy, I didn’t understand the content until he explained it,’ just talking as you generally do,” Muir said. “I was like, ‘Hey they are talking about me. I made a difference in their learning.”

As a result, Muir starting thinking that God may be saying to go into teaching as a profession. After attaining his master’s degree and spending six years teaching, Muir came to the U.S. to teach.

Through connecting with a man at Grace Bible College in Wyoming, Mich., Muir was hired to teach and spent four years building the audio and video program at Grace.

Muir left Grace Bible College and started teaching at Cornerstone in spring 2006, after seeing the seniors at Grace through their final year.

His experience has pushed him to a new level of teaching.

“I am now at the stage of going beyond checking in and out of content.  That is very unsatisfying as a teacher, just delivering some content and nothing else,” Muir said. “Teaching is not a job for me, it is a career and I would go so far as to say a lifestyle.”

Senior Rick Cornfield has taken six classes with Muir.

“He is extremely relatable and really wants to get the most out of his classes,” Cornfield said. “Even when he is having a bad day, he always keeps everything positive.”

Muir’s passion has resulted in great success for Cornerstone. The media department has more than doubled the goals set for enrollment. Muir attributed this to the professors’ real-world experience.

“We are not career academics,” Muir said. “We are bringing practice into theory.”

Muir is working on his dissertation at Western Michigan University. It deals with the question: Why are the three media professors not teaching at a tech school?

“Why are we at a liberal arts college? We have students who can do film very well but can talk about other things,” Muir said. “As opposed to where my graduates [at a tech school] can push buttons really well and their shots are as good as anyone, but when the camera stops, they have nothing to talk about.”

When a student’s work is finished at school, Muir feels it is an uplifting experience for him as a professor.

“The highlight of my teaching career is every time at graduation day,” Muir said. “Sitting in at graduation ceremony, watching these students walk across the stage, knowing that they are going to slingshot past me.”

“The whole goal of teaching is to slingshot them past you,” Muir said. “To see their journey remembering where they came from. When they came as freshman in Video I, trying to learn their names. To the day they are walking across the stage and seeing the best student film I have ever seen. And I have seen a lot of student films.”

Following graduation, the next six months change the student-professor mentoring relationship to the level of a friendship.

“I have friends from Grace who are in fantasy football league,” Muir said. “They are telling me they have jobs in media in their churches. They are still asking me because I have more life experience.”

The highlight of Muir’s year is being able to work with Brad Porter, who graduated from Cornerstone last year with a degree in media.

“They are not relationships that stop on graduation day,” Muir said. “I am working with him as a colleague. And that is very rewarding.”

Beach’s book “Hallie’s Heart” won a Christy Award in the “Lits” category last July in Orlando, Fla.

“It was a very stunning moment for me. I was very overwhelmed by the grace of God in that moment,” said Beach, who worked full-time for Cornerstone for one year and the Professional and Graduate Studies Division for two years. “To be honored and recognized for a first book was an enormous blessing.”

Previous to the announcement, Beach went up on stage with the other nominees in her category. They were all photographed with medals around their necks, similar to the Olympics according to Beach.

When the beginning of “Hallie’s Heart” was read, Beach heard the name of her character Mona VanderMolen, partly named after Mona Shores High School where Beach attended.

After the thud in Beach’s heart, reality hit.

“I believe the British word was ‘gobsmacked,’” she said. “I was up against Angela Hunt and other well known and esteemed authors. I did not expect to win.”

Besides the initial shock, Beach had to deal with a minor dilemma. She had lost her acceptance speech while traveling.

“I had printed it out before on the computer and had been deliberate about it,” Beach said. I thought, this would sure be something you wouldn’t want to lose.”

Beach had saved the speech on her laptop but was without the ability to print. She was forced to transcribe the speech to notebook paper. Added to the situation was the problem that she broke her glasses two days before going to Florida and had not worn contacts for 10 years.

The scene was set onstage with Beach in contact lenses and reading glasses from the dollar store trying to read a handwritten speech through teary eyes. She was able to make it through the speech and reflected on what the award means to her.

“My sense of the whole thing is that it is the grace of God. It doesn’t change the value of your work or who you are,” Beach said. “It is a blessing for being recognized for doing something well.”

For “Hallie’s Heart,” Beach enjoyed developing the characters and the fun and creativity of inventing a place.

“Through fiction, I am able to tap into your life and get you to explore truth by creating characters and scenes,” Beach said. Beach draws from real-life as she writes about “the anger, and frustration and wrestling with God I have experienced in my life or in my children’s life,” she said.

The Christy Awards consist of eight categories of Christian fiction.  Lynn Austin also won an award in the Historical category, who shared a similar perspective with Beach on the awards. Both noticed that people can treat them with a different regard.

“They look at you as Christy writer,” Beach said. “I am nothing more than a writer down the way.”

Nonetheless, Beach felt the Christy Awards were an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

“It is a huge honor and I am glad there are organizations out there like the Christy organization that honors the hard work of writers,” Beach said. “It was just fun for people that I have always read about and be sitting there with people that I have such high regard for.”

Cynthia Beach, assistant professor of English and of no relation to Shelly Beach, has known Shelly since 2002. They eventually had to meet because people mixed up the two and sent e-mails to the wrong person.

When Cynthia heard that Shelly won the Christy Award, she was “proud of Shelly and so over-the-top happy for her,” Cynthia said. “She had worked on her novel for over a decade and had hoped over it as long.”

Cynthia values Shelly’s authenticity in her writing. “She doesn’t gloss over the struggles and she doesn’t imply that the Christian life is without difficulties,” Cynthia said.

Simultaneous to Beach’s Christy Award win, she was also nominated for an Evangelical Christian Publishing Association Award in the inspiration and gift category for her book “Precious Lord Take My Hand.” However, Ruth Graham won the award.

For future projects, Beach wrote “Ambushed by Grace” which is coming out in November and eventually “Morning Song,” the follow-up to “Hallie’s Heart.”

“For me it is all about giving glory to God,” Beach said. “I am a conduit for passing on stories to someone else.” Her motto for writing is: illuminating truth through the power of story.  “I don’t want the illumination to fall on me,” Beach said. “It is about the illumination being the power of God.”

“Reach the World” was recorded at the end of June and sponsored by Resurrection Life Church International. The project features worship leader’s original work from 12 different Resurrection Life affiliate churches.

“The songs, when we started, were fully arranged and developed. Some were rough, like here’s the words and here are the chords,” Stockdale said. Bruce Vanderveen, music director at Resurrection Life since 1999, approached the album as putting together a house band to work with and actually create arrangements of the songs.

The newest release has a markedly different feel from past albums.

“The overall feel of the album has straight up rock-and-roll feel to it,” Stockdale said. “Whereas for our last one ‘For You I Live’ was a more eclectic mix of R&B and pop. This is more of one sound throughout.”

All of the recording was done at Resurrection Life Church, whereas previous projects were sent off to Nashville for mixing and mastering. An outside producer was usually brought in to finish the project but this was not the case for “Reach the World.”

The project serves as a fundraiser for “Walking by Faith,” a Resurrection Life television show broadcast in 170 different countries. Money will be used toward developing awareness of the program and increase its resources. Vanderveen also saw the project as a unique way to do something with all their different churches and association.

Utilizing recordings from church services, “Reach the World” is basically a live album. The project did call for rerecording of a significant amount of music. According to Stockdale, they basically recorded everything but the bass and drums. Footage from dress rehearsals or live performances was also used.

Everything else, Stockdale said, was recorded from scratch. The album will still contain clapping and audience participation.

“Not that were embarrassed from the live version,” Stockdale said, “but sometimes you don’t get a clean mix. When a person buys an album, they are going to hear a clean, polished sound at the end of it.”

The recording technique of mixing live and overdubbed tracks is becoming very common. Such a process allowed them to layer a lot of guitar effects. Stockdale said there is a good amount of him playing and a song can contain as much as 20 tracks of guitar because of the way they wanted it.

Since they were using different effects and amps, it took four tracks to record one guitar.  Stockdale explained this process in which they used two different amps. One would have a bright tone and the other with darker, richer tone.  A microphone would be close up to the speaker and another speaker. Another microphone would be about three feet away, serving as a room microphone, to get the general sound coming off the amp. 

In all, four microphones were all coming out of the amps in order to produce the sound. Stockdale would do multiple takes, sometimes doing low chording or higher chording in order make it sound incredibly full.

Some of the nights spent recording provided unique images. Stockdale recalled that on a night with the worship leader, there were “more guitars on stage that you could shake a stick at,” he said. The presence of other band members on stage, however, helped take away from the emphasis on any one person at one time.

Stockdale played one of the tracks on the upcoming release and featured what he described as “just a wall of guitar.” 

Overall, Stockdale felt the “Reach the World” was an enjoyable venture.

“It was fun to do,” Stockdale said. “It was a lot of work and Bruce is a brilliant musician as well as technician. It was very rewarding. Very exact but that is okay. Perfection is good.”

Vanderveen is excited about the results of the project.

“I think it is going to be an amazing project,” he said. “We had all of these different people coming to work on it, bringing uniqueness to it and making it really special.”

An exact release date for “Reach the World” has not been determined but the target date is early November.

Her apartment basement may be full of children’s books, but the former teacher education major intends to keep that box closed.

“I am hoping to get a job at a book publishing company,” said Heth, an English major who interned at Credo Communications. “Also I am actually applying at Peace Corps. I have most of [the application] finished. It is soon to be sent in.

“I have kind of thought about it as a dream that would sort of never really happen for a few years,” said Heth. “I haven’t seriously thought about it until the last couple of months. I suddenly thought, ‘You know what, I can actually do this.’”

Heth’s current goal is to get a job for the 9-12 month time period the Peace Corps takes to approve or deny applicants.

But before Heth launches into her future, she has already left a noticeable impact at Cornerstone.

Rachel Watson, Your Life editor of The Herald, recalled seeing Heth beyond the concrete classroom walls.

“The first time I went over to her apartment to hang out, I got to see her in another situation outside The Herald,” said Watson. “She is just a normal college student like me. She has her roommates, and she lives in a cute little apartment. It’s kind of messy.

“I brought over my junk food and ate and vented. She is a good listener. The Herald is not her be-all and end-all,” said Watson. “She has a life outside of that. She is just a very caring person.”

Within the classroom, however, Watson observed Heth’s willingness to help with work that arises. “If there is ever someone that needs her, she is one of the first people to volunteer,” said Watson. “If at all possible, she will rearrange her schedule. She is a very servant-hearted person.”

Alan Blanchard, faculty adviser of The Herald, has known Heth through all her different roles on The Herald. Seeing her serve as a reporter and managing editor, Blanchard observed Heth as dedicated and hard-working, he said.

“Sarah ‘no nonsense’ Heth has been one of my favorite opinion page writers/columnists, as she has a gift for making a point in a very direct, pragmatic and poignant manner,” said Blanchard in an e-mail. “I think Sarah will excel in whatever endeavor she chooses to pursue. She has a lot of energy, enthusiasm, great people skills and a love for Christ.”

As she plans for what lies ahead, Heth reflects on her years at Cornerstone.

During her freshman year, Heth lived in Cook on the first floor, west side.

“That was the most amazing section,” said Heth. “I made all my closest friends that year in that section. All the girls I live with this year in my apartment are from that section, except one.  Those are probably the closest friendships I have made.”

All of these friends are teacher education majors and helped put things in perspective, said Heth.

“The Herald is not the whole world, your life is not the whole world,” said Heth. “English is not the whole world.”

For Heth, grasping perspectives on life involved change.

“I would like to hope that I have grown in every way possible,” said Heth. “I think I have grown as a student. I have learned what is expected of me and tried to give it, in that respect. I think I have really grown relationally. I have grown less shy and more able to … hold intelligent conversations with people that I don’t necessarily know and be able to go deeper in general.”

“My ways of thinking have changed,” said Heth. “I think I have become … open to more ideas and able to handle different perspectives and look at them all, weigh them and say what is biblical, what doesn’t really matter and what does. To be able to just look at all those things and handle them all in a loving way.”

Watson remembered the humorous times working with Heth.

“We laugh a lot together,” said Watson. “We’ll be sitting together in our meetings, I’ll say it’s time for editing and she’ll say, ‘Shut up, I am reading Calvin and Hobbes.’ She has a good sense of humor and has made us learn how to laugh at ourselves.

“She is just a really sweet girl, and she has a big, big heart,” said Watson. “I think that will carry her very far, because her motives are so good.”

Heth also recognized her appreciation for people in her life for the past four years.

“I am grateful to Cornerstone and mostly to my professors and friends I have made here,” said Heth, “[And for] all the things they have taught me that have prepared me for life after graduation and outside the bubble of Cornerstone.”

“I really feel that my future is really in God’s hands. I know that is really cliché, and everyone’s future is in God’s hands,” said Heth. “And I am putting in applications.

“I really feel God has something up His sleeve, and I am waiting to see what that is. And that is really exciting,” said Heth. “I am really at a crossroads in my life and that makes it adventurous. I am excited to see what that might be.”

One of Cornerstone University Student Government’s goals has been to create a stronger presence of the student-led organization, said Simeon Brace, CUSG president. Joe Boston, VP of marketing, was instrumental in getting the word out.

“Joe is helpful in making CUSG known on campus, especially to freshmen,” Brace said.

Apart from directly working with student government, Brace also served a vital role in the university’s presidential search. Through the experience, Brace observed how board members interact in a decision-making process.

“I learned a lot of faces of board members, what they contribute to Cornerstone, how they are genuinely interested in the interest of students,” Brace said. “[It was] definitely insightful.”

In order to help with the presidential search, Katie Azkoul, EVP of legislation, helped poll students on what they wanted in the next president. Next, CUSG ran statistics from the results.

“Based upon that, [Simeon] brought [the results] to the advisory board,” Azkoul said. “So that was really neat. He got to share the opinions of students to the board.”

CUSG’s year was more than strictly business. There was plenty of time for the usual activities, as well as new events thrown in the mix.

Both MORP, a twist on the traditional prom, and the Roommate Game Show were introduced this year. Kayleigh Putnam, VP of student activities, came up with the new ideas.

The game show involved two roommates competing with other sets of roommates to see who knew each other better, Azkoul said. “Kind of like the ‘Newlyweds’ show.”

Brace and Azkoul expressed appreciation for Putnam’s work, as well as all the CUSG members.

“Kayleigh Putnam is amazing,” Brace said. “She is the model of success … as she applies herself in CUSG.”

“One thing is that people always go home on weekends and [Putnam] tried to do more on weekends to keep people here,” Azkoul said. “[It is] one thing she has done really well.”

CUSG also made great strides in legislative changes for students.

Azkoul said they amended the constitution so that legislation does not have to amend it every year. Previously, changing the constitution was a required yearly routine, Azkoul said.

Another change CUSG worked for dealt with adding hours to the open hall policy for student residents.

Azkoul said Brace was in favor of the proposition and encouraged her. “He said, ‘You have the stats, 70-percent [of students] want more open halls.’ I met with Resident Directors twice, the community council, Patrick Miller and the executive council,” Azkoul said.

From there, Azkoul and CUSG drafted a proposal and presented it to student development. “The RDs loved it,” Azkoul said. The decision to change the open hall hours had a purpose, Azkoul said.

“Here’s the thing: when I was thinking about it, you don’t want to change it just to please people but hopefully bring Cornerstone community together,” Azkoul said. “I didn’t just want to say open the halls for more hours. I wanted a purpose behind it. I was thinking about what could enhance the community more for it.”

Azkoul’s idea was that everyone could just go to one hall. “That was the purpose behind it. We want to meet the desires of students,” Azkoul said. “That has value as well.”

Through well-executed activities and changes in legislation for the student body, CUSG has continued to have a noticeable presence on campus. Brace has observed the friendly and professional interaction within the group, something he hopes will continue.

“We enjoy interacting together,” said Brace. “We have fun times and serious times. I am just excited about the future and the next group coming in.”

“I had no idea where I was going to go to school,” Ambrose, a sophomore and biology health science major, said. “I collected all that college mail, found one postcard from Cornerstone and kind of held on to it.”

Ambrose, whose sister was attending Calvin College, thought she would give the school down the road a try.

After visiting, Ambrose had peace about the experience. “I guess it is one of those things that is hard to put into words,” Ambrose said. “I just really felt God leading me here. I could have stayed home and had two years of community college that could have been paid for.”

Instead Ambrose, originally from Bay City, Mich., received the encouragement and support from her parents to attend Cornerstone.

Two years later, she now has the opportunity to serve as executive vice president (EVP) of legislation of Cornerstone University Student Government (CUSG).

Her ascent to leadership, however, was not a road easily traveled.

At the end of her freshman year, Ambrose applied for several leadership positions within Cornerstone not knowing where exactly she fit. The positions included resident assistant and Sherpa for Leadership Journey.

“I knew that I wanted to be involved with something,” Ambrose said. “I thought if I went through the interviews, they could help place me.”

Despite her desire to find a role in leadership, Ambrose was not hired for either opening.

“I was frustrated and discouraged,” Ambrose said. “I was willing to be a part of something but didn’t find a place. I was kind of questioning what leadership really meant.”

She was disappointed after the interview process but had not lost her desire to lead.

“I found out my roommate was going to be an RA in Cook and decided to be part of Cook council,” Ambrose said.

“Serving as vice president of hall council doubles as the VP of community council role, a council headed by senior Katie Azkoul,” Ambrose said.

“The three of us who ran for EVP were all part of [that] community,” Ambrose said. “We all had worked with her and knew what [the position] was about.”

Her sophomore year provided yet another opportunity to apply for a leadership position.

“After prayer and reflecting, I kind of made a list of things I wanted to see happen around campus and that built a stronger desire in me to want to run [for EVP],” Ambrose said. “I knew I could run but didn’t know if it was something that I felt that strongly about.”

“I had a lot of friends behind me, so that made it exciting,” Ambrose said.

Azkoul, current EVP of CUSG, was sitting in Ambrose’s position last year. Since Ambrose was elected as EVP in February 2008, Azkoul has served as a mentor. The mentorship has produced observable signs of a healthy mentorship and, more importantly, a friendship.

“I really enjoy just hearing her heart and hearing what she wants to do for students,” Azkoul said, “things she’s been through in life and vice versa.”

Ambrose certainly appreciates the opportunity to be trained ahead of time. “It sounds like Katie and the people this year didn’t have as much training,” Ambrose said. “I think that it is very beneficial to spend time with her. The transition will be a lot smoother.”

Before working with Azkoul, Ambrose said they were more acquaintances than friends, like they are now.

“Now we’ll get together, and she invited me to be part of executive meetings,” Ambrose said. “We give each other back rubs after meetings. She’s passing on her Nerf gun to me. All VPs pass something onto their people. It is not a necessity, but Simeon has the gavel and [Azkoul] has the Nerf gun.”

Ambrose is already showing the qualities of a good leader.

“She is learning the ins and outs of CUSG: how it operates and where CUSG is in with coordination with administration, staff and faculty and students,” Azkoul said. “She has looked all over our binders. Another responsibility is to look over CUSG constitution. She is doing well. She has a good grasp of what she has to do. I feel like she can follow through very well.”

“It’s neat to see her passion,” Azkoul said. “She has a lot of potential. I am glad she finally gets the opportunity to exercise that. I don’t think she’s received the best opportunities before.”

Ambrose feels the prestige of her position within student government. “I guess I felt honored or privileged. Not something that I was really planning on doing,” Ambrose said. “I didn’t know if it was time to apply for leadership position or where God was going to have me be next year.”

Despite any uncertainty she had before, Ambrose now sits comfortably as second in power in CUSG, Nerf gun in hand.

Tree of Life Bookstore, based in Marion, Ind., owns Cornerstone’s bookstore. Since Tree of Life is located near Taylor, “they were big on getting books in stores and making sure we had it,” Rachel Measell, Cornerstone’s store manager, said.

Don and Susie Van Ryn, Newell, Colleen and Whitney Cerak helped write the book with author Mark Tabb.

Besides the national media covering the event, the accident in April 2006 continues to be a difficult experience for many people.

Andy Smith, associate professor of Bible, is the pastor at Forest Hills Bible Chapel where the Van Ryn family attends. He acted as the media spokesperson for the Van Ryn family shortly after news of the identity mix-up.

Smith has reflected on all the events that followed and his initial thoughts. “It is by far the most bizarre story that I have ever been around in all years of ministry,” Smith said. “I hope to never see anything like that again.”

“I remember thinking ‘boy, that doesn’t look like Laura,’ but thought it was. Because of the accident, she looked different,” Smith said. “Now I can say that [the pictures] looks more like Whitney than Laura. But when everyone tells you this is Laura, why would you question that?”

Kate Warners, a junior and elementary major, knows the Van Ryn family from working at the Upper Peninsula Bible Camp. Both Warners and the Van Ryn family have been spending summers at the camp for many years, Warners said.

Warners observed the events unfold from Chicago, where she was attending Moody Bible College. The current media coverage, including both the Van Ryn and Serak families appearing on the “Today” show, “Oprah” and “Dateline NBC,” has encouraged Warners.

“I think the VanRyn’s and the Seraks have handled it as best as they could. I am so impressed with them,” Warners said. “I admire their godly example for so many people.  They could have easily avoided the whole topic and done nothing about it.”

“They really used it as a way to give God all the glory,” Warners said. “It was probably harder that they had to come out and talk about it, but they realized it was a way to talk about how Jesus had saved them and saved Laura.”

The shocking event of learning about the mistaken identity is a moment Smith will not forget.

“[It is] one of those moments where I’ll forever remember where I was when I heard the news,” Smith said. “Right up there with Kennedy assassination and 9-11. On smaller scale, but profound nonetheless.”

Warners echoed similar feelings of significance. “I would just say for people not to focus on craziness,” Warners said. “Laura was living for Jesus completely and so was [Taylor student] Brad [Larson] and the other people. Know that eternity is so close and heaven is such a real place. That is what it has caused me to do. Examine how I am living, [either] living for temporal or eternal things.”

“Mistaken Identity” has already sold out once at Cornerstone’s bookstore, said Matt Voss, textbook manager at Cornerstone’s bookstore.

The book captivated Weasell, who read the story in four hours on a trip to her in-laws. “Whitney [Cerak’s] in-laws live in Gaylord, and I got to meet her mom,” Weasell said. “I was the first person she met that read the book.”

Weasell urges a broad recommendation to “anyone that is even interested in story that is extremely personal,” Weasell said. “You walk throughout it with them. I suggest having tissues.”

Reading the book also touched Warners. “My perspective changed because I found out more specific details because of everything that had happened,” Warners said. “Overall, I think they wrote exactly what needed to be written. I think they gave the focus to God that was needed and not just focus on their own tragedy, even though that was hard.”

The third annual MACE Awards took place at Celebration Cinema in a theater full of students of all majors and years. There they watched work completed in the last year, and heard a surprising announcement.

“We were able to secure a gift from an anonymous donor of a six-figure [donation] for the media department [to purchase] equipment,” Pete Muir said.

The news was met with enthusiastic applause from the crowd.

Muir later expressed his appreciation for the gift as he said, “[It’s] so generous, unbelievably generous.” Paul Baker and Dave Anderson headed the work in securing the donation, and it came at the right time, Muir said.

Soon Muir will be “looking at ways to utilize money,” he said. He plans to attend the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Conference with one purpose in mind. He will research what current technology is available as well as what it costs for the media department to stay in-step with industry standards.

Students involved in the winning films had two minutes to give their acceptance speeches, modeled after the Oscars.

Senior Brad Porter shared his appreciation for his roommates and girlfriend who have dealt with the time and space commitments of filmmaking.

Media students submitted work done within the last year in several categories. The winners included “Tetelestai” for Best New Film and Best Direction, a piece on the Writer’s Guild Strike for Best News or Documentary and “The Runner” won Best Promotional or Church Media.

“Rewind” won for Best Editing, “Pending Termination” won Best Cinematography and “Grudge Match” was voted Best Film.

Junior Rick “Alaska” Cornfield shared how they created a stage for “Grudge Match.”

“We re-created the gym mat floor with the backs of carpet remnants we found in the RBC [building on campus.] We got there, and a couple of our plans had already fallen through; we basically looked for what we had and put them down,” Cornfield said. “There were a lot of them and we ended up using all of them.”

Cornfield is a part of the larger group collectively known as Light Club, whose members were responsible for many of the entries and inserts throughout the night.

The people involved in the voting process included a combination of media faculty and student government representatives. Muir acknowledged that narrowing down entries was difficult. “There was spirited debate,” Muir said. “People see all different things in different movies.”

Muir ended the night with appreciation to everyone that attended. “If no one watches our films, it’s kind of a lonely existence,” Muir said. Thankfully, neither Muir nor the media students have to fear inadequate equipment for future filmmaking.