Video made by: Caleb Britt

According to the Circle of Sisterhood website, the organizations aims to “break the cycle of poverty and oppression” for young girls in impoverished countries. Each year Panhellenic does a fundraiser to raise money for this cause. This is the third year that they have put on a lip sync competition.

All three sororities on campus participated in the decades themed night by creating two different teams. Each team came up with a dance routine to songs from the era that they were given.

Alpha Delta Pi members rocked to songs from the 80s and a few modern day hits, while the Zeta Tau Alpha ladies gave each college student a time-hop back as they recreated some iconic dance moves from songs of the 90s. Phi Mu offered a unique spin on the classic 2000s hits and showed the audience how 80s songs can still be fun today.

Cecil Robinson and Caleb Britt were the emcees of the event and provided entertainment for the crowd as they watched each group perform their dances. Robinson and Britt added a special touch to the night as they told jokes, carried on conversations with the audience and introduced the performers.

Each group performed well and created audience response; however, there had to be a winning team.

Taking third place were the ladies of Phi Mu’s early 2000s group who created lots of nostalgia within the room.

Zeta Tau Alpha’s early 2000s group took home second place for their unique throwback dance.

First place was taken by Phi Mu’s 80s group for their routine that showcased hits from the decade.

Emily Cheek, a freshman Phi Mu, was elated to be a part of the 80s group that won.

“I did lip sync because it was another opportunity for me to get closer to my sisters,” Cheek said. “I really enjoyed learning dance moves from my big [sister] and helping her. Winning was just the cherry on top of a great night!”

LauraBeth Dawson
Staff Writer
laurabeth.dawson@hawks.shorter.edu

Unfortunately, the majority of Shorter’s student population doesn’t see it that way. If you haven’t noticed, parking lots on campus are normally barren on the weekends. Most students would rather go home and see their family (what’s at home, anyway?) than enjoy the complete college experience.

Yet, the idea of going home every weekend in college baffles me because one of the main reasons why students leave home is exactly for that purpose – to get out on their own, meet new people and engage in new experiences apart from their family.

Being on your own is an essential part of growing up, and the weekend life in college can be filled with wonderful memories.

Take, for example, the opportunities afforded to a student on the weekend. The chance to see a baseball game, a game of two-hand touch football in the front circle or a night on the town with friends are all fun activities that can help students balance their social life with their hectic academic schedule.

Some may think there is nothing fun to do in Rome, but I beg to differ. Broad Street in Rome is lined with plenty of restaurants that have good food and occasionally decent music. Here’s a few of them: Mellow Mushroom, Johnny’s New York Style Pizza, El Zarape, Jefferson’s, Honeymoon Bakery and Swift and Finch.

The Rome Braves are just 10 minutes down the road (for the late spring and early fall months); there’s even a movie theater at Mount Berry Square. Plus, you can always play a harmless prank on one of your friends in the dorms (notice I included the word, “harmless”).

So, next time the weekend rolls around, stick around and smell the roses (Nope, it’s not a figure of speech. Get out of the house or wherever you live on campus and become one with nature.)

Daniel Farias
Editor-in-Chief
daniel.farias@hawks.shorter.edu

The Miracle Field of Rome, which is host to the Miracle League, opened in the spring of 2012. The Field eliminates the obstacles that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and provides them a first-hand experience of the excitement of America’s favorite pastime.

The Miracle League Website states that the main barriers for disabled children arise from conventional natural grass fields, but the Miracle Field uses a custom-designed, rubberized turf that accommodates wheelchairs and other medical devices while also helping to prevent injuries.

The Miracle League’s mission is to provide opportunities for children with disabilities to play baseball, regardless of their abilities, to promote community support and sponsorship of Miracle Leagues and to promote the construction of special facilities that meet the unique needs of Miracle League players and their families. Because the organization believes “every child deserves a chance to play baseball.”

The League only has four rules: each player bats once each inning, each player is safe on the bases, each player scores a run before the inning is over and each team and player wins every game.

But, the Miracle League is about more than just baseball games.

The League strives to provide each player with a memorable experience. The League is about helping the players make new friends and build self-esteem, and it strives to treat the players just like other athletes.

Star Crone, Miracle League player Trey Crone’s mother, says her son who was born with Down syndrome fell in love with baseball at a young age. Trey, who is now 27, has been participating in the Miracle League since he was a boy, and Ms. Crone remembers when her son had to play on wet, muddy fields that posed a challenge to both him and his teammates.

“That’s why Miracle Field is such a great thing for our players,” Ms. Crone said.

The Rome Braves’ Director of Special Projects and the Director of Miracle Field Christina Shaw said the Field enables challenged players in Northwest Georgia and the surrounding areas to enjoy playing baseball in their own community. She added that it’s important for their caregivers to be able to sit in the stands and to enjoy watching their player and cheer them on.

The Rome Braves Organization plays a significant role at the Miracle Field, where they maintain and upkeep the Field as well as make any improvements. They also coordinate volunteers and work closely with the Rome Recreation Department.

A normal game day at the Miracle Field consists of the Rome Braves staff opening and cleaning the facility in the morning. Volunteers arrive about 30 minutes prior to the games, and they fill out forms and receive their t-shirts. The national anthem plays prior to the start of the first game, and two one-hour games are then played.

The Rome Braves players also visit the Field during the spring season to serve as buddies.

The League uses a “buddy” system of pairing each player with an able-bodied peer to help the athletes, and the result is an indescribable bond.

Ms. Crone believes it’s amazing that the Rome Braves players take time out of their day to come out to the Miracle League games.

“The Braves come out and pitch for our players and let them get their pictures taken with them,” Ms. Crone said. “It makes our kids feel important when the Braves volunteer to be buddies for them.”

Ms. Crone said her son has made many memories at Miracle Field, but there is one that stands out.

“Trey was in the outfield and had his glove out, waiting to catch any ball that came his way,” Ms. Crone said.

Then the miracle catch at Miracle Field happened.

“It’s like God put the ball right in his glove,” she said. “At first, it scared him when the ball fell in his glove, but then he looked down started smiling and jumping up and down saying, ‘I did it, I did it’.”

The Miracle League and Miracle Field have an impact on more than just the players.

It never ceases to amaze Ms. Crone how time spent at the Miracle Field can turn her whole day around.

“The atmosphere at the Field just puts everyone in a good mood,” Crone said.

One of her favorite stories is about a Rome Miracle League player, who is also a Rome Braves employee during the season.

“He’s known for his love of the game, and he constantly supported and cheered on a local little league team in Rome,” she said. “In turn, they all showed up on his last game of the season with signs and sat in the stands cheering him on.”

Shaw’s favorite part about being involved with Miracle Field and the League is being able to share that impact with people who may have not been able to experience it before.

The Miracle League website states that “our players may not be able to run the bases or hit the ball as well as some of their peers, but they have an equal amount of love and determination to play baseball, and we want to help them achieve that dream.”

And that’s exactly what the program is doing.

She walks in the bathroom and looks into her new best friend – her full-sized mirror. She admires the “new Tracy” who’s wearing the 5X batman shirt that now fits her like a nightgown.

Before she walks into the shower, she steps on the scale and sees that she’s lost another 10 pounds. Afterward, she puts on her makeup and clothes, ties her shoes and celebrates finally being able to tie them again. It’s one of many celebrations she has now.

Johnson, administrative assistant to the vice president of advancement and dean of Shorter University’s College of Business, now celebrates “the little things” that most people take for granted. Fitting into movie theater seats, Six Flags rides, baseball game seats and restaurant booths. Walking long distances without worry about her legs giving out. Strapping her seatbelt and helping her mother with daily tasks.

On this morning, she grabs her protein bar and leaves for work in her 2006 Suzuki Hatchback. When she exits, she’s relieved that her car no longer has to carry a 405-pound Johnson and that her stomach no longer mashes the horn.

Johnson began to have weight problems when she was 4 years old. She experienced bullying and name calling as she went through elementary school but didn’t think much of it.

“I would be upset about it,” Johnson said. “I just realized kids are mean, so I just brushed it off.”

The bullying and name calling didn’t stop when Johnson entered high school. Actually, it bothered her even more. Johnson didn’t go on dates and attend social events because no one asked her to go.

“They [boys] wouldn’t look past the exterior to pay attention to what’s in the inside,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s mother Mary Johnson saw Johnson struggle with her weight since she was a toddler but believed that she would lose weight in her teenage years. Mary blames Johnson’s weight struggles partly on her own and her late husband’s income and diets then.

“To see a child be rejected, be heartbroken because of their weight; it just breaks your heart,” Mary said. “You just wish you could take their place. So, you keep hoping and praying that someday they’ll lose the weight.”

Most of Johnson’s weight gain happened after her 1994 divorce when she weighed 240 pounds. During that time, she was upset, depressed and didn’t care. Johnson considered herself an emotional eater who relied on food to comfort her.

“It finally got to a point where I was like ‘Oh my goodness, how did all this weight get on me,’” Johnson said.

Johnson attributes her constant weight gain partly to her negative self-image of never feeling like she was enough though her Christian upbringing taught her to believe she was. She also felt like a failure because of the way people treated her.

“I started believing the negative more over what God told me,” Johnson said. “Words are powerful, and words are something you can’t ever forget.”

Johnson’s friend of 21 years Kraylon Dunkin agrees that Johnson’s physical changes sometimes mirrored her emotional changes. She also believes Johnson’s biggest struggle was forgiving herself.

“She had a harder time forgiving herself than anyone else,” Dunkin said.

Johnson, who reached her heaviest weight in 2014 at 405 pounds, knew her lifestyle had to change and that she was headed toward the same obesity, heart disease, diabetes and depression path many of her family members had traveled, including her father who passed away Jan. 15, 2014.

“I basically had no life. I was existing,” Johnson said.

When Johnson began working at Shorter in January 2015, friend Allison Schultz encouraged her to pursue bariatric surgery. Johnson consulted with her doctor, discovered the steps to take with her insurance company and completed a consecutive six-month weight loss plan with her doctor to prove she was serious about the surgery.

Although she looked forward to having the surgery, she faced opposition from people believing the surgery was a “cop out” or that it would change her personality. Some said she should live with the fact that she would always be fat.

“People just don’t understand that the surgery is just a tool,” Johnson said.

Dec. 16, 2015, marked a nerve-wracking and exciting day for Johnson. When she began to see her weight decline, she knew she made the right decision.

Today, Johnson has lost 133 pounds and aims to lose 115 more. She has kept the weight off through a consistent eating regiment including a protein shake or a bar for breakfast and lunch, a protein bar or raw broccoli with dip for a snack and grilled chicken with a vegetable or a starch for dinner. In addition, she does cardio and lifts weights at the gym.

“I still have a long way to go, but I’m not turning back.”

Johnson believes she couldn’t have done anything without God’s help and strength. In times of doubt and despair, she remembers Philippians 4:13 …“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

She tries to inspire others by sharing her weight loss journey through before and after pictures, Bible verses, inspirational/light-hearted posts and advice on Facebook. The post that accompanies one before picture reads: “That miserable person is gone! The only good thing about this picture is my hair. Lol.”

“I just let them know that if I can do this, you can do this,” Johnson said.

Johnson’s co-worker Dr. Dawn Tolbert has been inspired by Johnson’s commitment.

“It helps me make better decisions seeing how committed she is,” Tolbert said.

With the weight loss, Johnson envisions herself walking down the aisle again to the man of her dreams in a “little” white dress, going on a hot air balloon ride and riding on a horse.

“I think just the possibilities for what my future holds are endless,” Johnson said.

Caleb Britt
Guest Writer
caleb.britt@hawks.shorter.edu

In SU theatre’s production, BIG FISH, I see that the story was told with these same intentions and communicated with the purpose of leaving the audience with the utmost hope.

BIG FISH is the story of father and son, who are not as close as they used to be, once the young son, Will, has grown up to find that his father’s tales were not completely true and perhaps only exaggerated myths to get attention. Bloom’s passion for storytelling became a source of frustration and even embarrassment to his world-renowned journalist son, who during the course of the musical gets married and has a son of his own.

Traveling salesman Bloom spins such enormous tales that he alienates his son, who has never truly forgiven him for being gone so much of his childhood.

Their strained relationship is forced into reckoning when Bloom reveals he has terminal cancer.

Through Will’s journalistic searches to discover what the real truth is about his father, he discovers that his father was a real life hero, never even having told him the true story about saving an entire town to protect a close friend. This revelation brings about the reconciliation between the two.

In the end, we discover that Bloom told the tall tales so that his son would believe that life was a wild adventure and never settle for anything less for his own life.

As this salesman father sought to do, he succeeded in inspiring his son to see the world and do so much more than he did as a man, by telling him stories that would change the way he thought, felt, acted and believed about what was even possible. Sound familiar?

With its themes of truth, family, love and reconciliation, BIG FISH was a perfect choice for the SU theater department in its purpose of telling stories of hope. As the story concludes, Will and his father, Edward have healed their relationship and everyone says their beautiful farewell before he passes.

The cast did an exceptional job in the telling of this story, with lead roles being played by Tim Mereus, Blaise Phillips, and Chelsie Burks.

Direction was creatively inspired by Professor Kevin Anderton, and music and songs beautifully directed by Sue Gaukel. The set was well engineered for the space by Ted Thomas. The show was full of great costumes and creations by Jan Nisbet.

BIG FISH was an overall hit and if you happened to have missed it, let this serve as a reminder to see the next show April 7-9 when The Glass Menagerie will bring more meaningful stories to life in the theatre.

Sherrie Peterson
Guest Writer

With the short miss, Taylor, and the Shorter men’s basketball team, headed into overtime against Georgia Tech. Yes, the Division I ACC school, that Georgia Tech. Shorter – the tiny, Christian, DII school in Rome, Ga. – was actually going into overtime with the Yellow Jackets.  As a basketball fan and student athlete at Shorter, I was ecstatic.

My brother and I attended the game with the hopes that the Hawks could upset the Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.

Taylor, the 5’10 guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., led the Hawks with 37 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds that night. Taylor steered the Hawks into overtime, but the team lost 95 to 87 in the end.

Despite the loss, the team would enter into the season feeling strong, and Taylor would embark on a journey few could have predicted…

Taylor was born in Brooklyn and then migrated to the metro-Atlanta area. After finishing high school at Wheeler HS in Marietta, Ga., Taylor decided to play college basketball at Florida International University (FIU) under head coach and NBA legend Isiah Thomas.

Making the decision to play at FIU over other top programs was based on the coach.

“It was an honor being coached by Isiah. I had offers to go to ACC and SEC schools, but I wanted to be coached by a hall of famer,” Taylor said.

Thomas eventually parted ways with Florida International, as did Taylor. The mellow, but focused guard decided to take time and focus on what he really wanted to do, which was to play basketball.

Finding his way to Shorter, Taylor has done more than just play basketball for the Hawks: He has put Shorter on the map.

Leading the NCAA in scoring,     Taylor has shattered critics’ remarks about guards under 6 feet tall. After scoring 62 points in a home game against Carver College, which broke the GSC’s standing record of 51, Taylor proved that he was a scorer, especially when he was hitting threes over other players 6 inches taller than him.

At that game, I was sitting in my usual spot behind the bench, and I could just feel the magic in the Winthrop-King Centre. Magic. That was what it was like to watch Taylor that night. Every time the Hawks got a stop on defense, Taylor would call for the ball and his teammates would get it to him. Everyone in the gym knew the ball was going to him, and every time he hit another shot, usually a difficult fade away or a three in front on someone’s face, the crowd would explode with cheers.

“I felt like I was the only guy in the gym that night,” Taylor said, adding it was the most memorable part of the season so far.

Many basketball players would be overdramatic with hand signs or emotional yells when shooting like that occurred at home, but not Taylor. I have been to almost every home game this season, and I have never seen or heard Taylor be an obnoxious or arrogant player. Complaining to the refs? No. Yelling at teammates? Nope. Fighting with the other team? Never.

Fans can see that Taylor has matured to be an athlete with a desire to do whatever it takes to win, regardless of who is guarding him and how tall they are.

This season has been a highlight-reel for the senior, and the basketball nation has noticed. Newsweek writer John Walters and NCAA writer Wayne Cavadi both compared Taylor to the Boston Celtics’ All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, who is also under 6 feet tall.

“It is an honor to be compared to someone in the NBA. I feel like he plays just as hard as me, and we have a shared desire to be unstopped. Short guys are underestimated,” Taylor chuckled.

Taylor and Thomas are the type of players youth look up to because they challenge the “status quo” of basketball. You don’t have to be tall to pla
y the game, and if you think you do, then watch these guys play.

After surpassing the 1,000-point mark in December 2016 (after only two seasons, might I add), Taylor has proven his play is mightier than his size.

But, his scoring ability and leadership would not be enough to lead the Hawks past the first round of the GSC Tournament. The Hawks fell to the Delta State Statesmen, 93-85. This is the third consecutive year the men’s team has lost in the first round of the conference tournament.

Junior guard Warren Helligar, who transferred to SU this season and helped the Hawks off the bench, said the season has taught him many lessons.

“I loved being around my team. This season was a really good learning experience,” Helligar said.

Despite the loss in the postseason, the Hawks hope to advance farther next year.

As for Taylor, you may see him playing in the NBA Development League, working on fufilling his dream of making it to the NBA.

Maggie Pruitt
Sports Editor
maggie.pruitt@hawks.shorter.edu

Stella Parker
Staff Writer
stella.parker@hawks.shorter.edu

It was a fall day in 1991 on what now seems like an ancient Shorter campus. The streets were lined with college students who had come for a street dance happening between the Sheffield-Thompson building and Roberts Hall.

“The school was a liberal arts school so the feel of the school was quite different than it is today,” said Shorter alumna Christy Deloach (Slade), who met her future husband Donnie Slade at that fall dance.

Twenty-six years later, student Taylor Slade has continued in the footsteps of her parents by meeting someone special at  Shorter.

“We met in FSU one night my freshman year,” Taylor said when describing the time she met student Austin Weller, who is now her boyfriend.

Since then, Weller and Slade have formed a relationship that resembles her parents’ journey 26 years ago.

The Slade family is an example of two sequential generations of Shorter students who found love on this campus.

Donnie was a Rome local who “was recruited to play baseball for Shorter in 1990,” Christy said. She “transferred from Macon College in January of 1991 to study vocal performance.”

According to Christy, there are multiple similarities between the two generations of couples. Both couples have strong faiths and have grown in their relationship with God through their time together and at Shorter. After meeting, both couples waited a few months before dating while still remaining in each other’s lives as friends.

“One memory we love looking back on is one night all of our friends went out after midnight and played “Sardines” around campus and we got partnered up,” Taylor said.

According to national statistics, college is where many females hope to meet their mate.

Taylor is one of at least two women in this statistic. But she didn’t come to Shorter expecting to find love like her parents had.

“Absolutely not. I had a boyfriend coming into Shorter so I never expected to find someone else, but it has been the most incredible opportunity. I love doing life with him!”

So, in a society that is ripe with failed relationships, is the Slade family the exception or the rule of college relationship ventures?
According to an article on Elite Daily titled “Why Relationships in Your 20s Won’t Last,” an individual’s 20’s – especially their college years – are a time for growing and developing oneself as a person. Furthermore, one’s 20s should be devoted to choosing a career path, maintaining an active social life, and coming into your own.

But the Slades are proof that you are able to have both — a journey of finding  out who you are as a person while growing with your significant other.

They are also elated that Taylor was able to find someone special at Shorter.

“We approve and wish God would open doors for them to speak and teach other students some key things to have in a dating relationship,” Christy said. “Their dating relationship is one that is so rare these days … the boundaries they have set and commitment they have to honor God in their relationship …”

Christy Slade says the relationship between Austin and Taylor is a lot like her relationship with Donnie, especially in the way that they enjoy being around each other.

“If you are around Austin and Taylor for very long, you will see this playfulness they have toward each other. It’s adorable to watch.”

Though Donnie and Christy Slade are among the fortunate few who meet their life partners in college, the Slades do not endorse abandoning your purpose for being in college to find a mate.

“Don’t go looking for love … Trust God to bring who He wants in your life. Don’t compromise for anyone. Always be who God made you to be. The right person will see the real you and will love you even with all your quirks.”

According to the Slades, respect for one another is one of the keys of a lasting relationship.

They advise college students who are falling in love to respect each other’s convictions and respect each other’s space.

Most importantly, they say to find your fulfillment in God and not in the other person.

“Don’t depend on the other person to meet all your emotional needs,” Christy said. “That’s God’s job. Honor their heart by listening to them…Be proactive in showing kindness and gentleness to them and laugh a lot.”

The Slades will celebrate  25 years of marriage this year on April 16. They hope that their marriage can be an example to others. Taylor, for one, holds on to many of their life lessons.

“Don’t do the worldly dating path,” Taylor said. “Put Jesus first and then your significant other second and be obedient to the Lord within the relationship.”