In the dark days of AU football, it was dreadful to watch the offense jog out onto the field and come away empty time after time. This year, there is a much different buzz in the air when Tyson Harley and his offense hit the field. Harley is a freshman quarterback working with a lot of other underclassmen on the offensive side of the ball, and the group is dynamic.  Having four wide recievers come out almost every play can be predictable after a while, but the Ravens manage to … [Read more...]

By Mckala Lindsey Despite what many college students think, “I want to kill myself” is not an acceptable alternative to, “I am stressed about this paper,” or, “I am upset that I failed that exam.” I know that we all use these suicide-related phrases to express our disgruntlement. Don’t act like we don’t. I hear an abundance of them every day as I walk through the Valley or when I’m doing homework in Mocha Joe’s.   Unfortunately, they have become the new norm, and when people say them, … [Read more...]

With today's continuing technological advances, you can find music anywhere. Whether it's Spotify, radio or the return of vinyls, we all have access to music in some form. It's easy to search a song on your phone, put your headphones in and block out everything around you, but imagine hearing that song live. You can literally feel the drum beats in your chest and hear a room full of fans singing that same song with you. It's an experience.  Because of streaming services like Apple … [Read more...]

By Claire Mountcastle Beethoven, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion: you probably have never heard of any of these people or groups. These names are some of the best things to ever happen to music.  I know what you might be thinking; they probably suck. You didn’t even mention Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. Exactly. Need I say more? Most of the songs out there today are either wildly inappropriate or lack the depth and originality created by past artists. … [Read more...]

By Mackenzie Currie News has been seen as a gateway for receiving information. This information can include a multitude of different things including entertainment, politics or even other media outlets such as YouTube or Twitch. News has become biased, now more than ever, and sometimes even crude in its way of delivering information to the public. Newspapers and other sharing outlets should allow the readers or watchers to form their own opinions on a given subject and not outright state an … [Read more...]

By Gillian Lintz While not perfect, society has made leaps and bounds in the progression of body positivity and acceptance. Unfortunately, the entertainment industry has not exactly caught up yet. Most of the stars we see today, whether on TV screens, in movie theaters or on Broadway, seem to wear under a size 8, despite the fact that almost 70% of U.S. women wear a size 14 and up.  Children are growing up with an unrealistic idea of what the “right” body looks like, damaging their … [Read more...]

Not all changes made on campus over the summer were as exciting as a beefed up Rodney Raven and fresh asphalt on College Drive. Many upperclassmen returned to AU this semester dismayed by the elimination of freshman parking locations. One school of throught on our unfortunate new parking situation is that there are more first-year students than there are upperclassmen, so more parking spaces are needed for freshmen than for sophomores, juniors and seniors. While this is true, because … [Read more...]

It’s the timeless slogan slapped on our wristbands, t-shirts and bumper stickers: What would Jesus do? We use it for marketing, advertising and everything else under the sun, but do we actually practice the very words we preach?  When the answer is clear and painless, we happily allow this question to flood our minds and direct our actions. But would we dare allow ourselves to ask this question about a topic many find controversial, a subject often viewed as completely … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: Elisha Deluhery One of the only true glimpses a fan of the NFL will get into their favorite team’s franchise is the annual attraction of training camp. For years, franchises have happily opened their doors to fans in order to give them a raw sports experience unlike any other. During camps, football enthusiasts can find themselves mere feet away from their respective team’s roster, usually in a little-to-no cost endeavour, and in the dead heat of a professional operation. … [Read more...]

Guest Writer: John Hulstine Americans have witnessed a number of mass shootings in the recent past, bringing to mind the toxicity of nationalism and raising questions regarding the response of Christianity. Once President Donald Trump assumed office, numerous Christian leaders turned a blind eye, giving him a pass to controversial policies and statements embracing bigotry or which run contrary to Christian values. Whether it concerns the president’s policy on family separation, statements on … [Read more...]