The fall production of “Violet” will open this weekend for homecoming and set the stage for meaningful conversations on heavy topics. The story follows a young woman, Violet, who suffers from a horrible disfigurement because of an accident during her childhood. With a heart full of hope, she leaves her small hometown in North Carolina to find healing from a televangelist in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As she travels through the deep south, she encounters two soldiers, Monty, a white paratrooper, and … [Read more...]
Campus safety a top priority for university police
As campus plants and critters prepare for the cold weather ahead, the Anderson University Police Department is also preparing to accommodate student safety concerns throughout the year. AUPD has been preparing around-the-clock to keep AU and its students and faculty safe, with four police officers and six part-time security officers working to ensure the safety of those who call AU home. Chief of Police Rick Garrett has been employed at AU for six years now and takes his job … [Read more...]
Sneeze Fest unites Anderson community through music
On the first weekend of October, nine bands and artists will come together at Shadyside Memorial Park to perform a free concert for the Anderson area. The event is called Sneeze Fest, a music festival put together by Ethan Stutz, a senior music education major. The lineup of artists includes: The Unfortunate Sneeze, Doktra, 6th Century Future Recovery Group, Sojo, Gerald Potts, Rob Lowman, Prank S., Daisily and Ben Watson. The event’s name, Sneeze Fest, was born from Stutz’s own … [Read more...]
Reality in fiction: The faith and context of Harry Potter
When he had sacrificed everything and had nothing left to give, Harry Potter made one last selfless decision: to abandon Death’s restful embrace in the hope that he could still make a difference. This choice was made, as most are, in the recesses of the mind. “Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry,” Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore explained to the Boy Who Lived. “But why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” This fall, a group of AU students are exploring … [Read more...]
Study abroad students reflect on journey to Jordan
Students Hayley Stone and Rachel Knies had the experience of a lifetime last semester exploring, learning and studying in Jordan. Knies, a senior majoring in political science, said her time in the Middle East confirmed her path for the future. Her interest in studying in the Middle East was sparked by her professor, Dr. Michael Frank. “He wanted me to go to the American Studies Program in D.C., but once he said the Middle East, I was very interested in it,” Knies said. “I have been … [Read more...]
Chorale members reflect on trip to Scandinavia
As a tradition, every three years the AU Chorale takes a trip to Nordic countries in Northern Europe. This past May, about 30 students, including director Dr. Richard Sowers and accompanist Chrislyn Reed, traveled to Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland, performing in many historic churches and collaborating with European musicians. Sowers has connections to many European churches and leads each trip different from the last. The finale of the tour, however, is always the same, as the group … [Read more...]
Evening of Excellence celebrates exceptional artists
The Evening of Excellence for the AU School of Music, Theatre and Dance is a showcase that celebrates and honors exceptional students at the university. The night is a culmination of a year of hard work by talented students in the fields of music performance and composing. The program was held this past Sunday night, April 22, in York Performance Hall. The auditorium was filled with the families and friends of students and was sponsored by the Elsie K. Perdiue Endowment Fund. Dr. … [Read more...]
Summer fun: Anderson in the off-season
Students are familiar with the Anderson area while classes are in session, but how does the Madison County community change in the summer? Students who have remained in the AU area for summer jobs or internships have had the opportunity to explore Anderson during the warmest months of the year, and have discovered some hidden gems. Senior visual communication design major Noah Volk spent the summer of 2017 in the city of Anderson for an internship. “I think the city of Anderson has a … [Read more...]
‘The Marvelous Wonderettes’ opens this weekend
Take a trip back in time through the production of “The Marvelous Wonderettes” this weekend, courtesy of the Boze Lyric Theatre. The two-act jukebox musical, written and created by Roger Bean, will captivate audiences of all ages with 30 hits from the late 1950s and 1960s. Experience the nostalgia of 1958 through four of AU’s finest female musical theater performers as they sing for their senior prom at Springfield High School. Then, in act two, join the girls as they meet again for their … [Read more...]
Senior artists reflect on creative growth with ‘Refinement’
This upcoming Saturday, the Wilson Gallery will display "Refinement: The Final Projects of the 2018 Senior Class." Cassidy Wheat, a cinema and media arts major, said that the theme Refinement is “the idea of losing parts of yourself to become more whole.” “It’s like in the Bible,” Wheat said. “The process of [people] being refined until [they] come out golden. Our art is like taking a clump of mud and making it into gold. It represents us as artists and how we’ve changed over the four … [Read more...]