Bryan College Triangle

By Maddie Mondell
Staff Reporter

Politics is in the air on Bryan Campus. With the presidential elections coming up, a new club has arisen: College Conservatives. President senior David Corwin and the College Conservatives now provides clash for the on campus College Democrats. Both clubs are planning a face off debate which will take place on October 4 at 9:30 in Mercer 110 to tackle domestic issues and set the tone for the election season. This will be a continuation of the Presidential Debate taking place the day before.

Both presidents are close friends and talk on a daily basis about politics, school, girls and life in general. During the interview, jokes about the “College Confederates” and “College Communists” were thrown back and forth with big smiles and laughter.

“The purpose of the College Conservatives is to energize and give resources to conservative students who want to make a difference. Because of the upcoming elections, there is a lot we can do to help conservative candidates and people with a conservative persuasion,” said Corwin.

In contrast, President of the College Democrats, junior Ashton Alexander said “My job is to be that counter force on campus to try to explain and champion progressive issues such as social justice, fiscal responsibility, and the idea of responsible stewardship of the environment. The fact that the namesake of the college is William Jennings Bryan means a lot when we look at his legacy.”

Alexander went on, speaking of the legacy W.J.B. had concerning public faith and political activism, especially for the progressive cause. One would find a lot of similarities between the club and his beliefs. He supported progressive democratic policies.

“Bryan is a predominately conservative school and I don’t think that a lot of students fully consider the weight of Bryan’s progressive policy,” says Alexander.

Each president was asked what each club thought of the other:

“I haven’t seen much as far as political activism or policy that has come out of the College Democrats, but I think College Democrats has done a wonderful job with their local service and with their projects. I definitely commend them with that and I’m glad they stepped in and have gotten involved and I respect them because it’s hard to be a liberal on campus and I respect them for coming out and openly admitting their political views,“ said Corwin.

“It’s good to have the College Conservatives back around. I think they’ve had a difficult couple of years. Their influence had reduced, and the students stopped being interested. I think it’s good to have an opposing viewpoint on campus, I think it’s healthy for debate and dialogue. I am personally good friends with their leaders and their chairmen. I love to hang out with him. They’re good people and I’m looking forward to having good conversation around here,” said Alexander.

Both clubs have some big plans coming up in the semester. The College Conservatives will be working with local republican leadership to get out and do some work with campaign events as the election draws closer. The College Democrats are planning a tea party to discuss electoral politics the week after the debate with the College Conservatives.

As for their hopes for the result of the presidential election, both are interested to see how it will turn out.

“My biggest hope is that we can move the country forward. I think everybody wants to go forward and move ahead. Forward motion on equality, jobs, equity, on anything that is progressive basically,” said Alexander.

The purposes of these clubs are to encourage involvement in current issues and political activism. Any student looking to get involved can contact Ashton Alexander or David Corwin to get more information about upcoming events, club meetings, opinions on certain issues or the opportunity to send hate mail.

By Meredith Kreigh
Staff Reporter

The second annual Diversity and Culture Forum discussed events and thoughts surrounding diversity issues on Thursday, Sept. 27 on the second floor of the library.

Diversity was defined as more than “One group allowing others to participate; that’s hierarchy,” by panel member senior Ashton Alexander.

This year, the panel was comprised entirely of Bryan students. Seniors Erin Wright and Alexander joined junior Joy Barnett and freshman Daniel Cadiz and spoke in turn, while junior Taylor Hutcherson moderated.

Those four began by highlighting the benefits of diversity, saying that it is valuable because it brings together different ways of life.

The panel set forth four concepts that lead to proper integration of culture: equal inclusion, reasonable acceptance, embracing that which is good and recognizing differences even if they are not positive.

Wright added her visualization: What if you were coloring and all you had was a blue crayon? You couldn’t express a lot of ideas. Every idea, view, and sentiment would be expressed in terms of that singular color. All agreed that when you do not know the “other,” when you are not in contact with them, you don’t know how to engage them. Try to recognize why they believe what they do. Understand their history.

“Let it color you a little bit,” Wright said.

The “big” questions—questions about faith, values and social practices—should be conversation-starters, not conversation-enders. Begin discussion about values. As the relationship progresses, then it is appropriate to debate nuances. One of the barriers to this is that, as English Professor Dr. Ray Legg, weighing in from the audience, said that we, as a people group called to be in the world but not of the world, are afraid to test our knowledge and our very selves in a heavier conversation.

Another topic discussed was what should our response be when we disagree with different cultural practices. Cadiz then stressed that an attitude that is both bold and understanding leads to understanding. The benefits of treating each other with equality are that we can affirm the good qualities and toss out the bad.

“We either don’t risk being bold or we don’t consider being caring,” said Cadiz. “What we require is the boldness to show them what is right in a caring manner.”

Alexander added that, in the act of removing the negative, we must use a gracious rebuke, always erring on the side of human dignity, justice and truth.

“If you avoid looking for places where you will disagree, you will more easily find doorways into gaining a hearing,” Legg added.

Finally, the panel was asked whether or not Bryan’s campus was accepting of diverse cultures. Yes…for the most part. First, Barnett said, ignorance is sometimes perceived as racism and the only way to solve that issue is for the individual to become educated, especially through relationships. There will always be some who feel left out. The goal is to open up discourse; unfortunately, there is not always a suitable platform.

Patience. Understanding. Willingness. Resolution. Those are the components that will lead Bryan College to bridge that gap to, as Legg said, “Develop a mindset that removes classifying adjectives.”

By Madison Mondell
Staff Writer

Politics is in the air on Bryan Campus. With the presidential elections coming up, a new club has arisen: College Conservatives. President senior David Corwin and the College Conservatives now provides clash for the on campus College Democrats.

While politicians in Washington are divided among party lines, both political club presidents are close friends and talk on a daily basis about politics, school, girls and life in general. During the interview with the Triangle, jokes about the “College Confederates” and “College Communists” were thrown back and forth with big smiles and laughter.

“The purpose of the College Conservatives is to energize and give resources to conservative students who want to make a difference. Because of the upcoming elections, there is a lot we can do to help conservative candidates and people with a conservative persuasion,” said Corwin.

In contrast, President of the College Democrats, junior Ashton Alexander said “My job is to be that counter force on campus to try to explain and champion progressive issues such as social justice, fiscal responsibility, and the idea of responsible stewardship of the environment. The fact that the namesake of the college is William Jennings Bryan means a lot when we look at his legacy.”

Alexander went on, speaking of the legacy W.J.B. had concerning public faith and political activism, especially for the progressive cause. One would find a lot of similarities between the club and his beliefs. He supported progressive democratic policies.

“Bryan is a predominately conservative school and I don’t think that a lot of students fully consider the weight of Bryan’s progressive policy,” says Alexander.

Each president was asked what each club thought of the other:

“I haven’t seen much as far as political activism or policy that has come out of the College Democrats, but I think College Democrats has done a wonderful job with their local service and with their projects. I definitely commend them with that and I’m glad they stepped in and have gotten involved and I respect them because it’s hard to be a liberal on campus and I respect them for coming out and openly admitting their political views,“ said Corwin.

“It’s good to have the College Conservatives back around. I think they’ve had a difficult couple of years. Their influence had reduced, and the students stopped being interested. I think it’s good to have an opposing viewpoint on campus, I think it’s healthy for debate and dialogue. I am personally good friends with their leaders and their chairmen. I love to hang out with him. They’re good people and I’m looking forward to having good conversation around here,” said Alexander.

Both clubs have some big plans coming up in the semester. The College Conservatives will be working with local republican leadership to get out and do some work with campaign events as the election draws closer. The College Democrats are planning a tea party to discuss electoral politics the week after the debate with the College Conservatives.

As for their hopes for the result of the presidential election, both are interested to see how it will turn out.

“My biggest hope is that we can move the country forward. I think everybody wants to go forward and move ahead. Forward motion on equality, jobs, equity, on anything that is progressive basically,” said Alexander.

The purposes of these clubs are to encourage involvement in current issues and political activism. Any student looking to get involved can contact Ashton Alexander or David Corwin to get more information about upcoming events, club meetings, opinions on certain issues or the opportunity to send hate mail.

Air Force Capt. Michael Landry speaks as part of the career center's Bryan Connect program / Photo courtesy of Stephanie Husky

Jesse Murray
Senior Reporter

Nestled cozily on the first floor of Mercer in room 121 is the Bryan Career Center. In the past, students might have noticed free coffee and donuts coming from this room, but the Career Center is working on much bigger things for Bryan students. Over the past year, the Career Center has been providing opportunities for students to network with professionals from a variety of fields while preparing them for post-college careers.

Director of Career Services Marica Merck, who has been at Bryan since July, said there are two separate events hosted by the Career Center that give such opportunities to students: one is the Leadership Forum, and the other is the Bryan Connect.

The former brings in non-alumni leaders from various professions to speak with students regarding career matters and the like—allowing for question-and-answer sessions. Some of the guest speakers for this event in the past have been musician Michael Card, Aaron Clark (founding member of Global Sales Officer Practice at Heidrick & Struggles), photographer David Johnson and Bill Carlson of Rolls Royce.

Bryan Connect brings in alumni and has included speakers such as owner and president of Money Trax Inc., Don Blanton (Class of 1975), CFO of Pilot Corporation David Clothier (’88) and Air Force Captain Michael Landry (’03), who spoke last week. Read full story »

Catherine Rogers
Editor-In-Chief

Students found this offensive sign hung on a tree near Long Dorm last semester / Photo courtesy of Vincent Smith

What started as Diversity Week, ended with campus-wide rumors about racism at Bryan. Students attending chapel on Jan. 25 heard the “racism announcement” and without specifics, questions and speculations began to spread. Students spoke of racial slurs being carved into trees and minority students leaving Bryan at the end of the semester.

When asked to help clarify some of the rumors, Dean of Student Life Bruce Morgan had no comment for Triangle.

The truth, according to Student Body President Vincent Smith, is that Diversity Week was not planned as a response to recent racist acts on campus, but rather was planned at the beginning of last semester as part of the year’s chapel themes.

The week’s theme did, however, raise questions amidst the student body as to whether the Bryan community actually needed a series of lectures on diversity. According to Smith, many students vocalized the feeling that racial or cultural insensitivity wasn’t a problem at Bryan and that caused the formation of the group that made the announcement in chapel last Wednesday. Read full story »