Bryan College Triangle

Photo courtesy of MJM Entertainment

Clari Stewart
Triangle Reporter

 Riverhorse Entertainment along with MJM Entertainment released “Doonby,” a movie which emphasizes the importance of choices and the way our lives affect others, this past Friday in Chattanooga, Tenn., as part of a weeklong limited release.

“Who is Sam Doonby?” is the echo of people in a small Texas town as they try to uncover the past of a drifter who appeared one day off a Greyhound bus. The movie explores the identity of Sam Doonby, played by “Dukes of Hazzard” star John Schnieder, and how his presence causes the whole town to stir.

“It’s a movie that entertains first,” said Jenn Gotzon, who plays the opposite of Schneider as Laura Reaper, a girl who is intrigued and captivated by Sam Doonby. Gotzon compared the movie to a cross between “It’s A Wonderful Life” and “Crazy Heart,” with an unexpected ending like “The Sixth Sense.” Read full story »

Junior forward Jerrod Allen of the Lions jumps for the ball, little knowing it would be the last of the season.

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Editor

All of a sudden it was quiet in Summers Gymnasium and all one could hear was the squeals of a handful of visiting supporters.

In a close, hard-fought AAC quarterfinal game that was contested until the final buzzer, the fourth-seeded men’s basketball team had just lost to No. 5 seed Virginia Intermont College (Bristol) 72-70. The Lions’ season was over.

“This is a disappointing way to see the season end,” said Bryan Head Coach Don Rekoske. “At the end of the day, I wouldn’t say we failed, but we could have achieved more.”

Final seconds bring the decision

Against the Cobras, whom the Lions had beaten twice during the regular season, it all came down to the final moments of the game.

The Lions had the upper hand in the first half and started the second half with an 11-4 run to open an 11-point lead, the biggest of the game. But midway through the second half, Intermont came up big, tied the game and went on to take the lead until Bryan tied again at 70-70 in the last minute.

What followed was the key play of the night that shattered the final-four dreams of the Lions. Read full story »

Singers present the finale of their piece entitled "The Ice Cream Sextet." / Triangle photo by Jessica Slade

Brittany Gurley
Triangle Reporter

Set in East Side New York in 1946, the Opera Workshop’s production of “Street Scene” by Kurt Weill will take the stage in Rudd Auditorium Saturday at 7:30 p.m.. Focusing on the Maurrant family, this opera tells a story representing the lives of those who came to America hoping for a better life.

“Street Scene” is the first full-blown opera that Bryan has ever done before. It is very unlike the “standard” opera that most people are familiar with. This particular opera is a combination of jazz, blues, trained singers, and lots of dialogue. It tells a story from beginning to end with constant, forward-moving action. According to Mrs. Kimberly Keck, Assistant Professor of Music, “Street Scene” is an American opera with a good mix of musical genres.

The opera centers around the Maurrant family and the struggles that they face after moving to New York. “Life is hard [in this time period]; it’s not what most people expected,” said Keck. During this time of hope for a better life, men work hard to provide for their families while women stay home to take care of the children and the house. While Mr. Maurrant (played by senior Randy Bright) is off at work, Mrs. Maurrant (played by senior Catlin Hawkins) begins to be visited by a mysterious character. The other ladies of the neighborhood begin to gossip about it, and word eventually get around to Mr. Maurrant.

“Everything in the opera is hearsay,” said Keck, “it’s not really seen or talked about directly.”

According to Keck, this will be the largest set that has ever been constructed for any Bryan production. “It’s incredible,” she commented.

The common thought running through most of the cast and crew is one of excitement. “This is probably one the best and biggest things I’ve ever been a part of at Bryan,” said Hawkins. “We have a wonderful cast, an amazing director, an incredible pianist, a stunning set, and a big God who has really blessed us.”

Senior Kelly Miller, portraying Rose Maurrant, summed up the entire show in three words: “intense, entertaining, and dramatic.”

Keck encourages people to give the opera a chance. “It could be entertaining for a lot of people.” However, entertainment is not the main reason she wants people to attend. “I want people to come not only to be entertained, but to think…This isn’t a shiny production where we walk away feeling good.”

But, according to Hawkins, the production is great fun. “I guarantee that people will laugh and probably cry several times,” she said.

The show starts at 7:30 on Saturday night in Rudd. Admission is free.

[Triangle photos by Jessica Slade]

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Obama’s new budget proposal promises a savings of $4 trillion in the next decade / Photo courtesy of Pete Souza via Wikimedia Commons

Josiah Newport
Triangle Reporter

As our country nears the November presidential elections, the buzz about political issues gets stronger. One of the hot topics is the national debt. As we saw in chapel on Friday, our national debt is over $47,000 per person and growing. In all honesty, there is no quick fix for such a deficit. However, taking the step to cast votes for our presidential candidate of choice is moving in the right direction. There has already been a new budget plan put before Congress by President Barack Obama. This budget will, if approved, raise taxes on the wealthy as well as cut cost of colleges for students.

Obama’s new budget proposal promises a savings of $4 trillion in the next decade, but in all honesty will not cut into the $15 trillion debt, in any shape or form. At the moment, the budget’s fate in Congress is undecided.

The budget, according to MSNBC, has “sharp increases for highway construction and school modernization, and a new tax credit for businesses that add jobs . . . An additional $1 trillion, more or less, would come from war savings.”

The budget does little, however, to address the growth of Medicare—not surprising. It also imposes a 10-year, $61 billion “financial crisis responsibility fee” on all big banks to help the government recover from its 2008 bailout of Wall Street.

The most surprising proposal is the “Buffet Rule,” which, if Congress approves, will require all families that make more than $1 million a year to pay 30 percent of that in federal taxes. Warren Buffet has publicly said he supports the rule—because it is unfair for him to pay fewer taxes than his secretary.

Obama presented his proposal for tuition cuts to a large group of students at The University of Michigan in Ann Harbor, Mich., where his promises drew great support from listeners. Obama promised to cut the cost of tuition nationwide as well as giving more Pell Grant money. He also threatened schools that did not lower their cost to withhold any federal money. Schools that did lower their costs would be eligible to receive more money. Read full story »

Children who benefit from Word for the World Ministries receive support from the money raised by Lifeblood / Photo courtesy of Shannon McGowan

Tim Baldi
Senior Reporter

Students who participated in the blood drive two weeks ago will be unable to participate in Lifeblood plasma donations until April.

Healthy individuals can usually give plasma up to twice a week, said sophomore Olivia Busch, one of Lifeblood’s leaders. It takes about six weeks for blood to replenish after a blood donation. When plasma is donated, however, the red blood cells are returned to the donor’s body with a coagulant that allows for a faster recovery time.

In order to raise money for orphans, Lifeblood will take a group of students to CSL Plasma Center to sell blood plasma. Students will leave from the front of Latimer at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Students are not required to RSVP, but the plasma center requires that donors bring their social security card, photo ID and some recent mail. Mail is required to provide proof of residence, according to Busch.

Lifeblood, an on-campus PCI ministry, takes periodic trips throughout the semester to the plasma center in Chattanooga in order to donate the proceeds to Word for the World, according to Busch.

Word for the World is run by Augustine Asir, an annual chapel speaker known by many Bryan students as Uncle Augustine.

Lifeblood leaders chose Word for the World because Bryan students are familiar with Asir and have heard about his organization through chapel and class lectures, according to Busch. Read full story »