Basketball Photo

Andy Dygert
Visual Editor
Dec. 9, 2004, Page 10

Freshman Elise Klosterman goes after a loose ball in a basketball game earlier this season. The women are ranked 24 in the NAIA and 7-4 on the season after dropping their last game to Concordia University on Tuesday, 65-51.

Basketball photos

Andy Dygert
Visual Editor
Dec. 12, 2004, Page 7

Junior Matt Vecchio dribbles through his legs in a game during the Tiger Classic. The Tigers defeated the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves Tuesday night, 76-73. Micheal Stoynev led the Tigers’ second half comeback with 23 points. Jarred Royal recorded a double double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Ashley McMahon dives on the floor for a loose ball. The Tigers defeated Nebraska Wesleyan 90-62 last night.

Men defeat NWU

Andy Dygert
Visual Editor
Dec. 2, 2004, Page 7

The Doane Tigers men’s basketball team pulled off a second half surge with the help of the loud and exuberant Orange Crush fans to defeat Nebraska Wesleyan and remain undefeated in conference play.
The win was only capitalized by the fact that the Tigers defeated rivals Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves 76-73 in a close finish.
“It was the first time that we’ve beat them [Wesleyan] at home since I’ve been here,” junior Luke Beerbohm said. “It was really exciting. Coach Brown was excited.”
The first half of the game went Nebraska Wesleyan’s way, where their 56.7 percent shooting from the field led them to a 43-35 halftime lead. The Prairie Wolves hit five out of eight three-point baskets in the first half and nine out of 18 from three-point land for the game.
The Tigers started taking the lead at around the nine minute mark of the second half and with the Doane fans roaring appreciatively they never looked back.
“It was good to see all the fans there supporting us,” Beerbohm said. “I know that a lot of them were there for the free pizza, but most of them stayed. It was nice to have our crowd there.”
Near the end of the game key free throw shooting by junior Matt Vecchio and sophomore Michael Stoynev stave off an incredible three-point shot display by Nebraska Wesleyan. The Prairie Wolves hit four three-point baskets in the final 1:36 to nearly knock off the Tigers.
Doane’s next game is at 4 p.m. Saturday in Fuhrer Field House where the 6-2 Tigers will take on Dakota Wesleyan.
“We’ve started out undefeated in the conference,” Beerbohm said. “So obviously we want to keep that going. We have a lot of tough games over the break, so we have to work really hard.”

Track photos

Andy Dygert
News Editor
May 6, 2004, Page 6

Senior Charles Ware breaks away from the pack in the 100-meter dash. Ware finished second in the finals of the event.

Sophomore Alyssa Jefferson plants for the pole vault at the GPAC championships. Jefferson finished tied for 12th in the event.

Softball picks up much needed wins

Andy Dygert
News Editor
April 29, 2004, Page 8

The Doane Tiger softball team (13-27 overall) took advantage of crowd support garnered from the Doane Day at the Ballpark as they topped Dordt twice with solid play.
Free t-shirts, pop, chips and Subway sandwiches brought out a cheerful crowd already anticipating the not quite official advent of Stop Day for the day after.
The women’s team played off the boisterous energy of their 50 plus supporters and won their first game 3-2.
Sophomore third baseman Tiffany Cunningham went three for three on the day with an RBI and a run scored to help sophomore pitcher Alli Sperry attain the victory.
“I had great defense behind me,” Sperry said. “The offense really came out too in the game.”
The crowds began to break up before the second game of the night as students went back to their dorms to warm up for the Stop Day festivities.
The Tigers didn’t let this faze them as they followed suit and simply picked up the pace, run-ruling Dordt in five innings, 10-2.
Eight different Tigers scored runs to give Sperry her second win of the night, improving her record to 9-14.
The Tiger’s next game is 5 p.m. today against Concordia University in Seward.
“We really needed the two wins,” Sperry said. “Hopefully we can put it together against Concordia to make the GPAC tournament.”

Review: Kole’s display captivates large audience

Andy Dygert
News Editor
April 22, 2004, Page 5

Magician and illusionist Andre Kole created magic both spiritually and with his famous deceptions in fine style last night.
The world famous entertainer brought life and energy to the stage as he made objects around him disappear. He gleefully spoke of his trade with many small jokes thrown in for good measure.
“Ever since the beginning of time there have been people being deceived,” Kole said. “And there have been people to deceive them. Some are called magicians — others are called politicians.”
His corny jokes offered an element of light-hearted gaiety to the program as Kole appeared to shove a sword through the neck of a young man from the audience. He then seemed to decapitate an assistant and then rebuilt her. Kole says that his jokes and illusions go hand in hand.
“It’s mind over matter,” Kole said. “If you don’t mind — I don’t matter.”
Kole showed his spiritual side during the show as well. He spoke of coming to his current understanding of God in a very feeling and realistic way. He spoke of his efforts to make sure that Jesus’ miracles were not just illusion as he had disproved many other seeming ghost stories and ‘spiritual’ encounters throughout the world.
He ended with a prayer, having the audience members fill out cards stating their intentions with the prayer. Before this spiritual segment, he allowed a minute for anyone not wanting to participate in the religious part to leave the auditorium.
“I made it my business to find out if His [Jesus’] miracles were deception or not,” Kole said. “I feel that there are many reasons he could not possibly have used deception.”
Kole said that he believed there had to be more to life than “just making more and more money for more and more stuff,” and when he realized this is when he started his spiritual journey.
Kole astounded the house by levitating the stage.
“Someone once said gravity isn’t just a good idea, it’s the law,” said Kole as he readied himself for the feat of levitation. “And right now I intend to break that law.”
He sat in a meditating position and slowly rose up until his feet were around four feet above the stage. His assistants removed all of the surrounding objects to show that none of them were keeping the illusionist in mid-air. Kole remained airborne for several minutes.
For his final act, Kole brought a large replica of the Statue of Liberty to center-stage. He then explained how he would make the statue disappear in front of the audience’s eyes, with them being able to see part of the statue at all times until it was completely gone, in slow-motion. Incredibly, it went just as he had explained and the bulky object was gone — though it seemingly had nowhere to go.
Kole said:
“Even the smartest people can be taken in by a clever deception.”

Tigers outlast opponents in slugfests

Vernon named GPAC and Region IV Player-of-the-Week

Andy Dygert
News Editor
April 22, 2004, Page 6

Windy days and energized players turned the Tiger baseball team’s games into sessions of home run derby this past week. The Tigers and their opponents combined to smash 26 long balls as the Tigers won three out of four games.
Both games against Concordia Sunday went into extra innings. The first game went to eleven innings, finally coming to a close when senior Marcus Schmidt hit a home run in the top of the eleventh and then Concordia left two runners on base in the bottom of the inning. The final score was 8-7.
“It was tiring but it was totally a team effort,” senior co-captain Bourke Bowen said. “They came back on us but we never believed we would lose the game.”
The second game of the day turned into an eight inning hitting duel. Doane came out on top 14-10 by sparking a four run rally in the top of the eighth and shutting down Concordia again in the bottom half of the inning.
The Tigers won their first game against Morningside in dramatic fashion on Saturday. After Morningside sunk the Tigers into a 6-2 deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning, junior Eric Fuehrer gave life back to his team with two outs with a 3 run homer to make the score 6-5. Two straight doubles following Fuehrer’s hit tied the score. Then freshman Mitch Vernon stepped up and drove a towering hit over the left field scoreboard for a walk-off, game winning home run to make the final score 8-6.
“He (Vernon) is a young man who’s willing to do what he’s told and you can see the results,” Head Coach Jack Hudkins said.
Vernon, who hit two home runs during the game, explained what happened.
“My first two at bats I struck out on curve balls,” he said. “So I was looking for a curveball there at the end and he threw me one.”
In their celebration the Tigers appeared to forget that they had another game, and Morningside made them pay, run-ruling the Tigers by a score of 15-4 in six innings. Morningside walloped four bombs in the contest to walk away with the easy victory.
“I don’t understand it,” Hudkins said. “After coming back like that in the first game. They just embarrassed us as a team.”
Vernon was recognized as the Great Plains Athletic Conference and Region IV Player-of-the-Week after batting .579 over six games with five home runs and 14 RBI’s.
The Tigers’ next games start at 1 p.m. Saturday in Sioux Falls.

Spring football benefits gridiron athletes

Andy Dygert
News Editor
April 22, 2004, Page 6

The Doane Tiger football team refuses to shirk—no matter what season it is.
After completing their games in the fall, the team went through six weeks of winter workouts, including early morning practices and scheduled weightlifting sessions.
Spring has brought on a new routine for the team: 15 days of mechanics practice.
“Anytime you work on skill, just like in anything else in life, the more repetition you do of something, the better you get,” Head Coach Fran Schwenk said.
The practices are tough, as well as useful, said sophomore Micah Madlock.
“They’re pretty intense,” Madlock said. “But I like the spring practices since I’m a new guy and they help me learn the system and therefore be a better part of the team.”
These practices consist of individual position training and situational scrimmaging. The team also plays eleven-on-eleven scrimmages in helmets and shoulder-pads.
“They [the scrimmages] are kind of useful,” sophomore Zach Hettenbaugh said. “Because we’re playing people who can really play on the other side.”
Young players really benefit from these days of off-season training said Schwenk.
“I’m glad that we allow 15 days for organized practice,” Schwenk said. “It helps the young guys to understand what we’re talking about better.”
Schwenk said that he also likes the fact that Doane allows athletes can play two different sports. Many of Schwenk’s players are involved in track and baseball during the spring season.
“I think it’s great.” Schwenk said. “Unlike a lot of other places they get the opportunity here to play more than one sport.”

Dygert cleared on 3 charges of swan teasing

Kiley Mackie
Staff Writer
April 15, 2004, Page 1

Sophomore Andrew Dygert, accused of provoking the swans while videotaping them for a class convergence project, was acquitted on three of the four charges against him at a formal hearing Wednesday.
Dygert was acquitted of the following charges:

1. Conduct that threatens or endangers the health or safety of any person on college premises or at college-sponsored or college supervised functions or conduct likely to result in property damage.
2. Disorderly Conduct.
3. Providing false information to staff.

Dygert says he plans to appeal his only guilty charge: Failure to comply with directions of college officials or their designees acting in performance of their duties, based on insufficient evidence.
Russ Hewitt, director of Residence Life, informed Dygert of the charges during an informal hearing last Thursday after initially questioning him during an unrelated interview the day before.
Hewitt said the initial interrogation resulted from an anonymous student e-mail stating he/she had seen Dygert provoking and video taping the swans on April 6. Additional complaints received after the initial interview prompted Hewitt to continue investigation and summon Dygert to the informal hearing.
During questioning, Dygert offered his own account of the event.
On April 6, he and freshman Tosha Rae Long went down to the pond behind Hansen Hall to film the swans for a convergence project they had been assigned in class, Dygert said.
While filming the swans from the walking path, Dygert said the swan flew across the pond toward him.
Both he and Long said they had not provoked the swan in any way prior to the attack.
Dygert said after he was attacked, he retreated from the swan while the camera was still rolling and both he and Long left the area.
After hearing Dygert’s account of the event, Hewitt sent an e-mail to Dygert requesting the tape be viewed to either confirm or deny Dygert’s initial claim of being more than 50 feet away before the swan attacked.
Dygert, the news editor of The Owl, forwarded the e-mail to the The Owl staff, who denied Hewitt’s request, saying the tape was The Owl’s property and that turning over research material would be in violation of its policy and would set a dangerous precedent that any research material could be accessed upon anyone’s request.
Dygert agreed with The Owl’s decision.
“What’s actually on the tape shouldn’t matter,” Dygert said. “If I get assigned to write a paper for a class, should I get charged for what I write in it?”
Long, who was there while Dygert was filming and has seen the footage, also said she thought the tape would only provide circumstantial evidence.
“It (the tape) could have helped Andy’s case or hurt it,” Long said. “It just depends on who’s watching it and what point they’re trying to prove.”
Though Hewitt said that all procedures fell within the scope of the student handbook, he agreed that cases with such few consequences should not have to be dealt with formally.
“With the amount of complaints we receive, we’re much too busy to be having formal hearings when we could just get a damn video tape,” Hewitt said.
Regardless, the tape was not viewed in the investigation or at the formal hearing and did not affect the outcome of the formal hearing.
Though Dygert said he was somewhat pleased by the decision, he said he still disagrees with the single guilty charge and the way the matter was handled.
When Dygert complained of several procedural discrepancies in the investigation, Hewitt denied them using the Student Handbook.
Hewitt also said that if any student were to claim procedural problems as grounds for dismissal of a case, he would direct them to pg. 87 of the Student Handbook which states: “Doane College, as a private college, is not required to provide due process in its response to student discipline matters.”

Close encounters of the swan kind

Andy Dygert and Tosha Rae Long
Staff Writers
April 8, 2004, Page 1

The swans on the Doane lakes are stirring up a lot of controversy during mating season. However, many people are wondering whether the swans are causing the problems or if it is the students’ actions that are antagonizing them.
“There seem to be more reports of students attacking swans versus swans attacking students,” said Russ Hewitt, director of Residence Life.
One student has been reportedly attacked by a swan.
Sarah Newton, friend of the supposedly attacked student, recounted the incident.
“It attacked her with its wings and left bruises on her legs as she was walking from Communications to Hansen,” Newton said.
Designed as a scenery addition to the campus, the swans have since created turmoil.
“Usually I think the swans are a great addition to Doane’s campus, however lately we’ve had some incidences where the male swan is being very protective of his eggs,” said Kim Heier, Dean of Student Leadership.
The solution to this problem, although it might seem simple, is rather complex. Removing the swans would be the obvious answer.
“If the swans continue to be aggressive, we will have to relocate them,” said Pappy Khouri, Vice President of Financial Affairs.
However, Khouri said that if the male swan is removed, nature is disrupted because the male and female alternate in sitting on the eggs.
There have been reports of students provoking the swans. The best way to avoid conflict is to abstain from contact with the swans Hewitt said.
“The college will take steps to protect the students,” Hewitt said. “I hope that students just realize to walk on by.”
Recent attempts to squander student aggressiveness toward the birds include signs posted near the water stating “Nesting swans may be aggressive. Please use caution” and a campus wide e-mail sent by Hewitt stating that any students caught aggravating the swans will be issued an automatic $500 fine.
Tiffany Grossman, freshman, feels that the aggressiveness of the swans is a harsh reality.
“It is a tough one,” Grossman said. “It is a sucky situation because they are attacking people, but they have to because they are protecting their babies.”
Other students feel that removing the swans is the best option.
“The swan is on a power trip and someone needs to dethrone him,” said freshman Matt Cooper. “We should keep them, but maybe let them out after mating season.”
The fact is, the swans are becoming an issue on the Doane campus, one that may need a solution soon.
“I think that we may need to think about removing him [male swan] from campus on a temporary basis until he can become less aggressive,” Heier said.

Dygert respectfully disagrees with letters

Click here to see the original article
Click here to see J.T. Hill's Letter to the Editor
Click here to see Kamleh Shaban's Letter to the Editor
Click here to see Shawna Clement's Letter to the Editor

Andy Dygert
Staff Writer
April 8, 2004, Page 4

This article is in response to the three letters to the editor in last week’s paper responding to my article, “Keep Marriage Between Man and Woman.”
First off, Mr. J.T. Hills wrote a highly sarcastic letter in which everyone who does not believe the same thing I do in my article is killed off (along with lots of others.)
He ends it with: “Then the three of us that are left will be able to live a life of bliss. It’ll be like heaven on earth.”
Though I realize, of course, that Hills is joking to a point, I also feel that I must clarify my position.
I do not, in fact, endorse killing people—regardless of their religious, marital, social or any kind of belief.
The main thought in Hills’ article that I want to comment on, however, is his thought that I believe the femininity is decreased by her not staying at home, but rather playing sports or having a job.
This is not my way of thinking at all.
Women have every right to play sports and hold a job as long as they do not neglect their children.
Men have this same responsibility! There is nothing wrong with a stay-at-home dad for instance.
Hills also talks of divorce as disrupting families which is definitely a true statement. I do not condone divorce; I believe it to be wrong.
However, people who have divorced are not necessarily bad people in any way, any more than anyone is necessarily bad.
My response to the next to letters is combined. Both talk about homosexual couples having the same feelings, as well as rights, toward each other as do heterosexual couples.
Ms. Kamleh Shaban’s letter states that, “The same holds true for any barren heterosexual couple” as my article spoke of how a homosexual couple could not produce children.
My answer is that homosexual couples have absolutely, positively no opportunity for children coming out of their relationship, while even a presumably barren woman possesses the innate ability to bear offspring.
For example, Sara gave birth to Abraham even though they were both very old, and was considered to be barren. Women’s bodies are made for bearing, men’s are not. It comes down to that.
I would like to thank everyone for their responses to my original article. I respect your right to your opinion, though I continue to firmly disagree with your stances.

Schmidt, Underwood lead teams to success

Andy Dygert
News Editor
April 8, 2004, Page 6

Seniors Rochelle Schmidt and Dan Underwood, both former NAIA National Champions, led the Doane track team last week as they won the men’s and women’s SCHEELS/GPAC Outdoor Track and Field Athletes-of-the-Week awards.
Both athletes qualified for NAIA nationals with their marks in last week’s meets. Schmidt qualified in long jump with a leap of 19-00.5 ft. and in the triple long jump with a mark of 38-03.5 ft. Schmidt won the indoor and outdoor National Championships in the triple long jump in 2003 and won the indoor National Championship in long jump and triple jump this year.
Underwood excelled in the hammer-throw to win his award with a toss of 167-04 ft. at the Nebraska Kearney Open on March 27. Underwood won the outdoor National Championship in the discus in 2003.
Doane did well in the Dana Invite as a team, despite windy conditions, winning 12 women’s events and five men’s events. Schmidt won both the long jump and the triple long jump. Freshman Katie Kosmos won the 400 meter hurdles and came in second in the 100 meter hurdles.
“It was pretty windy,” freshman Blake Houchin said. “We pole-vaulters had to move to the high school.”
On the men’s side, Underwood won the hammer-throw and came in third in the discus. In the javelin throw, freshman Ben Francis won with a throw of 197-00.75 ft. and sophomore Ryan Dorhorst came in second with a toss of 160 ft.
The Tigers’ men’s and women’s teams next meet is Friday at Doane’s Lauritsen Track.
“For most people, the meet at Dana was their first outdoor meet,” sophomore Paul Sanders said. “Most people did all right, but the wind affected pretty much everyone. Hopefully we get some better marks in on Friday.”

Letter to the Editor: The morals are falling

Letter to the Editor
April 1, 2004, Page 4
Click here to see the original article.

Dear Editor,
This societal deterioration has got to stop! We must fight back against those who want to change what we hold most dear so we can build a better tomorrow for our children. After all, what are we without our children?
So first we must rid ourselves of San Francisco. After allowing so many same-sex marriages we can’t trust the whole city, let alone the mayor and his cronies.
We must rid ourselves of Massachusetts, for they will allow same-sex marriages starting in just over a month. We can’t have these ideas corrupting our children!
I read recently in this paper that the point of marriage is to provide a nurturing atmosphere for children, providing an example of masculinity and femininity for them.
We wouldn’t want to confuse the children, so we’ll have to get rid of women’s sports and jobs. What kind of example do these things set for our children?
While we’re at it, we must stop divorces. We can’t provide an example for the children if the parents are thousands of miles apart.
We have to purge the idea of divorce from our minds, ridding ourselves of the divorced and their offspring.
Along those lines, we can gather the Anglican Church and get rid of them. Their whole sect of Christianity was founded because the Pope wouldn’t let Henry VIII divorce his first wife, let alone murder about 10 more.
Of course, the law is important, so we can’t have challenges to the law. How can we expect our children to follow the law if we don’t?
Any challenge to a previous law must go. We base our idea of marriage on the example of Adam and Eve, so let’s base our laws from the same origin.
Bring back slavery! Kill the gays! Kill the non-believers! Kill the shrimp eaters!
Once we get back to the core beliefs of our society, life will be better.
No longer will there be anything to corrupt the children. Then the three of us that are left will be able to live a life of bliss. It’ll be like heaven on Earth.

-JT Hills

Letter to the Editor: Being gay not conscious choice

Letter to the Editor
April 1, 2004, Page 4
Click here to see the original article.

Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the column titled “Keep marriage between a man and a woman.”
After reading this controversial piece, several of my associates and I engaged in infuriated discussion over its content.
We are appalled with the fact that any one person can feel so strongly about confiscating the rights of a group of people, especially a group of people that isn’t causing him even the least bit of harm.
First of all, President Bush did not call for the Federal Marriage Amendment in response to the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling. The proposed amendment was written by Colorado Representative Marilyn Musgrave in 1999.
Although Bush has only recently decided to back the bill, he has held an anti-homosexual stance since his days as governor of Texas.
During his reign, he whole-heartedly supported the Texas Sodomy Statute which would actually make private, consensual homosexual intercourse illegal and punishable by law.
To quote the column: “Homosexuality comes about because two people of the same sex are attracted to each other and want to engage in their attraction or lust.” To begin with, homosexuality does not “come about” suddenly. It simply a predisposition of some individuals, which is usually realized at a relatively early age.
Moreover, lust, just as in heterosexual unions, is not the foundation for gay marriage- love is.
The piece goes on to say, “…children with parents of the same sex are brought up without the complementary differences of a man and a woman…” A recent study by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force found that there are currently between two to eight million gay and lesbian parents in the United States.
One American Psychological Association publication states, “Not a single study has found children of gay or lesbian parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents.”
There is one question that is begging to be raised: What ever happened to separation of church and state?
Marriage is, in fact, a sacred institution, between God and his children. I guess I’m left wondering who invited the Bush to the ceremony.
Sincerely,
Shawna Clement

Letter to the Editor: Marriage not just for creating children

Letter to the Editor
April 1, 2004, Page 4

Click here to see the original article

Dear Editor:

In Mr. Dygert's editorial on March 11, 2004, some disturbing comments were made stating why homosexuals should not be allowed to marry. The article involved defining a marriage as strictly between a man and a woman with the intent of reproducing. While Dygert is entitled to his own beliefs about whether or not homosexual marriages should be legal, the arguments he makes not only discriminate against homosexuals’ rights, but also criticize certain heterosexual relationships.
The first comment he makes is that the sake of marriage is to reproduce, and that only natural conception is acceptable. What about heterosexual couples who cannot have children of their own? Is their marriage null because they cannot naturally reproduce? Should people who are not able to reproduce be banned from getting married?
Dygert also makes the comment that a child with homosexual parents lacks the influence of two different gendered parents. This is not restrictive only to homosexual families. What about those children who lost a parent at some point in their lives? Are children of single parent families somewhat inferior to those with both parents?
It is also stated that an adopted or medically implanted child is not the “fruit of a homosexual relationship.” The same holds true for any barren heterosexual couple. Yet that is not seen as going against the sanctity of marriage. A homosexual couple can love an adopted child just as much as a heterosexual couple could. The child would still remain well taken care of and have a family. Some children have heterosexual parents that abuse them, or are drug addicts, etc. Yet you are implying that these parents are better solely because they are heterosexual. Is it better for children to be completely without family than to be in a family with same-gender parents?
Whether or not you believe homosexuals should have the right to marry, the arguments made in the article written didn’t validate your point. Instead, it insulted not only the homosexual community, but many others who read it. I hope you will take the time to realize the faults in your arguments.

Kamleh Shaban

Softball struggles over break, on six game skid

Andy Dygert
News Editor
April 1, 2004, Page 6

After a rough Spring Break trip, going 2-4, the Tigers softball team (3-12 overall, 0-2 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference) is ready to turn its fortune around in the upcoming conference games.
“We need to come together now that we’ve reached conference play,” senior co-captain Brooke Ruhter said. “We need to win this coming weekend.”
The Tigers finished their trip by playing last year’s National Champions Simon Fraser University (NAIA #1) and the University of Chicago. Although they lost to both teams Ruhter was positive about the team’s performance.
“We played the defending National Champions and although they scored a lot in the beginning of the game we came together better at the end,” Ruhter said.
The Tigers played their first two conference games at Nebraska Wesleyan University Tuesday. They lost both games with scores of 5-2 and 3-1. The Tigers’ next game is at Mount Marty College at 5 p.m. today in Yankton, S.D.
The team will also play five games over two days this weekend as they head to Sioux City, Iowa, to participate in the Morningside Spring Invite.
“We could have done better on our trip,” Ruhter said. “But we now just need to look ahead at the rest of our season.”

He’s ready for some football

Senior Tristan Johnson hopes for professional football career

Andy Dygert
News Editor
Mar. 11, 2004, Page 2

Thousands of children, across the country and the world dream of playing sports at the professional level. It was the dream of a kid from Aurora, Colo. to play professional football.
This kid, Tristan Johnson, now a senior wide receiver at Doane College, is trying to snatch his dreams from the realm of imagination and make them his future.
“I’ve declared myself eligible for the NFL draft according to NAIA standards,” Johnson said. “I’m not sure, of course, but it’s a possibility that my name will get called.”
If Johnson’s name is called, it will complete a major part of his life as a Doane College athlete, as a varsity player at Eaglecrest High School in Aurora, where he made All-State, All-Conference his junior and senior years and as a boy who dreamed about playing in the pros.
“He’s been wanting to play in the NFL since he was a little kid,” junior teammate Eric Jones said. “I just take my hat off to him for trying to follow his dream.”
Johnson is looking hopefully at the NFL, but realizes that he might not make it at this time. In which case, he is looking into playing in the Indoor Football League or the Canadian Football League.
“A lot of arena (IFL) teams and teams in Canada have film of me,” Johnson said. “But my goal is the NFL, if not now, then later. That’s the ultimate goal. That’s it.”
He is looking at several teams already, including the Omaha Beef and the Lincoln Capitals of the IFL. He has had one NFL workout to date as well.
“This summer I had a workout with the Denver Broncos,” Johnson said. “So far that’s the only team that’s given me a workout.”
According to Fran Schwenk, Doane head football coach, these workouts are extremely important.
“I think that for someone who’s not well known, they don’t play NCAA Division I or anything, they need to tryout really well,” Schwenk said. “That’s how Raymonn [Adams, who graduated from Doane in 2001] got his shot with the New York Jets. If Tristan can run a good 40 [meters] time at the tryouts then I believe he has the height, the heart and the skill to make it.”
Johnson feels that he is not the only one at Doane has the ability to play football professionally. According to Johnson, Doane has a strong enough football program and enough players with heart therein to make the leap.
“I definitely think we have a strong enough program and good enough athletes to send people to the professional level,” Johnson said. “[Applying to professional teams] has been kind of bittersweet as I feel that my class in particular has more than just one person able to go and play professionally.”
According to his teammates, however, Johnson has made this opportunity for himself and he deserves the chance to play professional football.
“I think he deserves this,” Jones said. “Everything this guy does is about football. He goes to sleep with ESPN blaring and is always playing sports and everything. He works really hard all the time and he’s a leader by example to his teammates.”
A wide-receiver his whole career, although he played quarterback in high school as well, Johnson thinks that he will be keeping that same position if he makes it to the professional level.
“If I did enter the NFL, or wherever, I don’t see myself changing positions from receiver,” Johnson said.
In Johnson’s four years of play at Doane he has compiled 853 reception yards, 51 receptions and 10 touchdowns. Johnson has averaged 16.73 yards per reception.
He has even thrown the ball at Doane once. Johnson threw a 35 yard touchdown pass to quarterback Jared Van Anne this past fall in the last regular season game against the University of Sioux Falls.
All of Johnson’s hard work may be about to pay off with the upcoming NFL draft in April. Even if it doesn’t work at that time, however, Johnson assuredly says that he will continue to try to play football until he can’t anymore. After that, or possibly as a part-time job during his active football career, Johnson plans to coach.
“I definitely want to coach at some time,” Johnson said. “I would coach just about anywhere.”
Johnson is grateful that he has been given this opportunity to play professional sports and rise above the fantasies of childhood.
“I thank God for getting me here and I definitely will continue to pray and to hope for the best,” Johnson said.

Keep marriage between man and woman

Andy Dygert
News Editor
Mar. 11, 2004, Page 4

Marriage is almost as old as humanity itself.
Adam took Eve as his wife. Cleopatra married Mark Antony. Henry VIII could not seem to stop marrying (and then executing) different women. Every single president of the United States has been married.
What is the one thing all of these marriages have in common? They were between a man and a woman. This part of the institution of marriage is now being abused.
On Feb. 4, 2004, the Massachusetts Supreme Court handed down a decision to allow same-sex marriages. Following this ruling, city officials in San Francisco and the mayor of New Paltz, N.Y. began performing same-sex marriages.
President Bush answered these proceedings by calling for a Constitutional amendment which would define marriage as being between a man and a woman.
Tosha Rae Long wrote an article, published in last week’s edition of The Doane Owl, which stated that she thought Bush’s proposal is “bigotry in disguise.”
Long asks, “What exactly is Bush trying to defend? Marriage is not under attack.” She goes on to say that marriage is only being “reconstructed to fit the needs of everyone.”
This, however, is incorrect as the very core of marriage is being attacked.
Marriage was instituted for the sake of the family - legally giving guardianship (through parents) to the children coming from the union of the couple. Children are created naturally only between a man and a woman. Two men or two women cannot create children together.
Homosexuality comes about because two people of the same sex are attracted to each other and want to engage in their attraction or lust. Children are not in any way part if the equation (adopted or medically implanted children are not the fruit of a homosexual couple).
Marriage is a union entered into in mutual love ordered towards the procreation and education of children. Therefore, allowing homosexuals to marry one another strikes directly at the core of marriage. Furthermore, children with parents of the same sex are brought up without the complementary differences of a man and a woman - children relate to a mother differently than to a father for instance. A child is deprived of one of these differing influences if brought up by homosexual parents.
Such a child is actually deprived of both influences! In marriage, the femininity of a wife is perfected and brought out in its full glory through the masculinity of her husband, and vice-versa.
When a man loves a man as he would love a woman, however, people’s experience should show them that his masculinity is, to say the least, not as well defined.
Long ends her article by sayin that officials like the ones in San Francisco and New York “set the example that Americans can challenge the system and fight suppression.” These officials do in fact challenge and fight against something – the law. California Family Code 300 reads, “Marriage is a personal relation arising out of a civil contract between a man and a woman.”
Therefore San Francisco officials were indeed breaking the law by “challenging” the system.
The state of New York has similar legislation.
Bush’s amendment to the Constitution of the United States would effectively end the question of the legitimacy of these unlawful acts.
Marriage must be protected on a national level in order to preserve its very meaning and purpose.

Teams hope outdoor season will build off indoor success

Andy Dygert
News Editor
Mar. 4, 2004, Page 7

Doane’s track and field athletes have burst out of the confines of another long indoor track season and are headed for the open air.
The outdoor season is about to begin as indoor track nationals begin today. The Doane men’s and women’s teams are looking for a successful and victory-laden season.
“We set the standard at the beginning of the year,” freshman Joel Bacon said. “We decided that we would dominate this year.”
The women’s track team is coming off their fourteenth consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference victory in indoor and they are looking to make it complete by winning in outdoor as well.
They are also prepared to give a shot at winning a third national championship in four years. The women won back to back national championships in 2001 – 2002 and finished second last year.
“In the past there were one or two teams that were really able to win the championship,” Head Coach Ed Fye said. “This year there’s about six that should get a lot of points, but we’ve got a chance as we should be scoring a lot of points as well.”
The men are also hungry for a win in conference after losing to Nebraska Wesleyan University by 14 points in the indoor GPAC meet.
“You can bet your ass that Wesleyan will be going down in conference this time,” Bacon said.
The outdoor season meets begin March 26. The GPAC Championship will be held May 1 at Doane’s Lauritsen Track.
The outdoor national championships will be held on May 27-29 at Lousville, Ky.
“We’ve got a good looking team going into the outdoor season,” Fye said. “We’ve got national champions and great new athletes. We can chip away with everyone and I think we have the opportunity to compete strongly.”

Drummers dominate ‘Tiger Talent Show’

Andy Dygert
News Editor
Feb. 26, 2004, Page 7

Four out of five contestants inorporated soul-style singing, but a faster beat stole the show during the Student Activities Council (S.A.C.) “Tiger Talent Show” hosted by members of Honorable Mention Saturday night.
Junior Scott Morris and freshman Allen Gilbert’s drum duet took first place, with a combination of playful antics and jaunty sounds that came to an energetic, rolling finish. The two performers played to their audience and kept up the tempo, moving from drum to drum and rattling out challenging beats to each other. Whistles, rattles, drumsticks and bongo drums were used to heighten the din as the creative duo tore around the stage and between drum sets in mock combat.
“The drummers were really entertaining,” senior Shannon A. Sullivan said. “They put on a good show.”
The soul music singers were led by second-place winner, freshman Nalefia Anderson. She sang her own rendition of “Beautiful Surprise” by India.Arie. Her performance lit up the audience of approximately 90. Freshman Ebony Lawrence earned third place, singing Kirk Franklin’s “Love.” Honorable mentions went to a strong piece sung by freshman Caitlin Mohnike and to freshman Simon Mitchell’s performance of “You Got it Bad” by Usher.
Honorable Mention, comprised of three former and two current Doane students, was created for last year’s S.A.C. talent show and took their name from the award they received.
“We always like playing at Doane, but the audience could have been more thoughtful,” joked Chris Slane, the band’s bass guitar player. “It was our one year anniversary as a group, but nobody brought us any presents.”
They played twelve songs before the show, with the audience continually calling for them to play “Incomplete.” The first few notes of the song near the end of the group’s performance brought whoops and cheers.