Bryan College Triangle

Clari Stewart
Triangle Reporter

As students return from fall break and begin the second half of this semester, many are wondering what fall 2012 will look like with the new changes.

With fall break reduced to two days, many students will be unable to return home. The school is planning on allowing students to stay in the dorms without paying additional housing costs.

Though many students neither agree nor understand the reduced fall break, Academic Vice President Bradford Sample has many reasons for doing so. Along with providing academic continuity, the reduced break allows the school to save money by reducing the number of weeks students are on campus. Bryan’s accreditation requires fifteen weeks of school, but defines a week as a minimum of three days. With a fall break that is only Thursday and Friday, the short week will technically be considered a week of classes.

After receiving feedback from faculty and student emails, Sample decided to move the extra week gained by the change to the Christmas break instead of summer. He also decided against the individually scheduled exams due to feedback from faculty and students. “What I want students to know,” Sample said, “is [the changes] were not quickly decided. I’m not trying to rain on their fun.” Read full story »

Seniors who attend the Carnival excursion will board the cruise ship Sensation / Photo courtesy of caribbean-cruises-report.info

Shane Vicry
Triangle Reporter

Tuesday night, seniors Vincent Smith, Daniel Grayton, and Jonathon Goff hosted a senior cruise informational meeting on campus in the Rhea County room where roughly 15 to 20 seniors attended.

As Triangle reported earlier this year (“Senior trip no more”), Executive SGA previously cut senior trip from their budget, meaning there would no longer be an organized school-sponsored and subsidized excursion, but also freeing up the possibility for alternative trips to be explored. The predominate choice that stemmed from this traditional split was ultimately that of a senior cruise. Read full story »

Last year, then senior Thomas Katz, junior Luke Lillard, and sophomore Jonathan Warner took a 10-day trek across New England in search of adventure and the meaning of hospitality. With the proposed changes to Fall Break, future such trips would be next to impossible during that time./Triangle photo by Jesse Murray

Clari Stewart
Triangle Reporter

With fall break just days away, rumors are spreading about instituting a proposed two-day fall break for next year. Students and faculty alike are reacting strongly to the proposal. The proposed changes affect not only fall break, but accelerated schedules, the start of the school year, the policy of withdrawing from a class and the scheduling of finals.

Vice President of Academics Dr. Bradford Sample proposed the changes to the faculty at their September meeting after the changes were approved by the Executive Cabinet. If the change is made, Bryan would join many surrounding schools including Lee University, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Carson Newman, Chattanooga State and Covenant College that all have breaks that are less than a week long.

The issue of changing fall break has already caused many passionate discussions on campus. Both faculty and students are split in their opinion of the proposed change.

“I couldn’t go home,” said junior Peter Boyajian from New Jersey, “half my break would be spent driving.”

Sophomore Wesley Garnett said, “It wouldn’t be worth the gas for a six and a half hour drive.”

Scott Jones, associate professor of Christian ministry, thought the school should consider the local community, and the local school systems’ break schedules, as well as Bryan students when making such changes. Read full story »

Clari Stewart & Dan Jackson
Reporter & Asst. Online Editor

The trophies belonging to Alexander/McGowen rest in the dorm of Vincent Smith. The team placed second in their most recent tournament beating out state universities. / Photo Credit Dan Jackson

This past weekend, six students from the Bryan College Debate Team competed against 17 colleges and universities in the Chicken and Egg Tournament held at Gainesville State College in Gainesville, GA.  The Bryan students walked away with several awards including 1st varsity speaker to sophomore Ashton Alexander, 2nd varsity debate team to Alexander and his teammate freshman Eli McGowan, and 14th varsity speaker to McGowan.

Bryan Students senior Vincent Smith, freshmen Erica Thompson, Daniel Ermatinger and Amy Buchmeyer competed along with Alexander and McGowan against 17 schools including Carson Newman, Florida State University, Georgia Tech, University of Tennessee-Knoxville and University of Florida.

The debate team Alexander/McGowan had a difficult start to the tournament. With one win, two losses and one bye (in an tournament with an odd amount of teams, one team has to sit out each round. They are automatically awarded a win). They barely advanced to out-rounds. In out-rounds, teams are power-matched, similar to what they do in basketball tournaments, said McGowen.

Read full story »

Photo taken from a Bryan News mass email.

Alex Green
Triangle Reporter

The first Commoner Forum of the year will take place this Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the library.

The subject of the forum will be racial diversity on Bryan’s campus, seeking to spark conversation on the topic, specifically the consequences of a lack of diversity or the benefits of diversity on a Christ-centered college campus.

Dean of Student Life Bruce Morgan is quoted on the College’s website saying that the goal of the forum is to “…start a conversation about this with the end result being a move toward more cultural diversity on campus.” Read full story »