Holy Week explores opinions of Christ

Amanda Millard
Editor in Chief
April 1, 2004, Page 3

Doane’s Christian organizations will be “constructing the composite Christ” with a dedication to Holy Week that begins Sunday night and ends with a concert Thursday.
The idea began with a small group of students attending chapel and enrolled in Arnold Betz’s historical Jesus class. Seniors Jeff Daniels and Chris “Howie” Howard; junior Kaylene Vieselmeyer; and freshman Robbie Trent began discussing this idea at the end of last semester. Doane Chaplin Jeff Hagamann said he wanted people to really stretch their image of who Jesus was and is to them.
Junior Kaylene Vieselmeyer, who helped coordinate the event, said she thought it was good to go back to Doane motto engraved on the Bell Tower—“We build on Christ.”
“I think it will be a great representation of how the campus feels about Christ,” Vieselmeyer said.
An image of Christ will be present in the Great Hall Sunday through Thursday. Students can share their ideas of who they believe Christ is by writing their thoughts on a wall in the Great Hall of Perry Campus Center.
A panel of faulty will talk about their images of Jesus Christ and beginning 6 p.m. Sunday in the Great Hall. The panelists are Kathleen Tallman, assistant biology professor; Arnold Betz, assistant professor of religion; and Tom King, associate professor of secondary education. Students are encouraged to participate in the discussion.
The Christian organizations will each sponsor a day of the week. The Newman Club is sponsoring Monday, Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) will sponsor Tuesday and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) will sponsor Wednesday. The Newman Club will have an image on the wall and will discuss the Easter Triduum—the three day period from Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday—at their meeting 8 p.m. Monday in Communications Building Room 30.
CCC’s view of Christ for Tuesday is “Christ as a savior.”
FCA will have a mural and is sponsoring a concert at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Cassel Open Air Theatre. The concert will feature “After the Order,” an up and coming Christian rock band. howie&scott will open for them. The wall that was up during the week will be put up behind the performers.
Senior Raye Wilmes, Newman Club president, said she thought Holy Week was a good idea.
“It allows students to take a step back and see what our Lord went through,” Wilmes said.
Senior Liz Wells, a member of the Newman Club and CCC agreed.“A lot of people forget a lot of the preparation that goes on before Easter. Also, we’re a Christian college and we don’t do many Christian events,” Wells said.
Trent said that he thought the week might start off slow but would pick up as people gained interest:
“Hopefully it will be the beginning of a tradition.”

Ron Ross Photo

Amanda Millard
Editor-in-Chief
Mar. 4, 2004, Page 2

Photo with Ross story

Senior Aaron Hall (left) and State Treasurer Ron Ross chat after the presentation.

Ross encourages youth voting

Amanda Millard
Editor in Chief
Mar. 4, 2004, Page 2

With wit and wisecracks, State Treasurer Ron Ross emphasized the importance of getting involved and voting when he spoke to a group of students Friday.
Ross said that now is the time for students to be involved.
“You have time, you have energy,” Ross said. “Time and energy kind of fleet by.”
Society is made up of everyone and the small percentages of people on the far left and far right don’t represent the views of most people. The majority of people have values in the middle range.
“If 60 to 70 percent (of Americans) don’t vote, the two extremes will be passing laws and telling your kids and grandkids what you’ll be doing,” Ross said.
Ross repeatedly emphasized that students need to become politically active.“You need to know what’s going on,” Ross said. “You have to take a stand. You have to make sure that the 10 to 15 percent aren’t running the country.”
Students should know the candidates’ platforms and align themselves with candidates with values similar to theirs, Ross said. Americans should know who they’re voting for, what candidates stand for and their history.
Integrity, enthusiasm and intelligence are the three characteristics Ross said to look for when voting.
“When asked which is the most important, I tell people the penitentiary is full of smart, energetic people,” Ross said. “…. When you go to the poll and pull that little handle, look for that trait (integrity),” Ross said.
Ross also spoke briefly about his predecessor, Lorelee Byrd, who resigned from office Jan. 6 after pleading guilty to one count of misconduct in office.
“That’s something that really gripes me is public officials who think they are above the law,” Ross said. “My predecessor thought she was above the law.”
Ross said that it was difficult getting used to being criticized in the media for his job as Health and Human Services director.
He said that it took him awhile not to be so sensitive. He said that he realized that the media wasn’t picking on him; they were picking on government.
Ross said he didn’t have future plans right now.
“My plans for the future? I don’t know,” Ross said. “Someday I’ll grow up; I’m only 50.”