March 20, 2015 Vol. 90, No. 16
@HUStudentPubs April 25,The 2014 Facebook: Link Vol. 89, No. 18
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“It felt like there was certainty I wouldn’t survive.” Dr. Kent Brantly said those were his thoughts when he was diagnosed with the Ebola virus in July 2014. Brantly, a medical missionary with Samaritan’s Purse and a TIME Magazine Person of the Year, visited Harding on Tuesday as a featured American Studies Institute (ASI) speaker and also gave a press conference. In his presentation on Tuesday evening, Brantly shared the story of his move to Liberia, work there, diagnosis and recovery. Brantly worked at Eternal Love Winning Africa (ELWA) hospital in Monvoria, Liberia. He was the first American patient with Ebola brought into the U.S., and described the disease as “humiliating.” “It strips victims of dignity before it kills them,” Brantly said. “I was vomiting blood and had blood in my diarrhea. I had the worst headache of my life.” Other symptoms included a nearly 105-degree fever, rash, breathing difficulties and the inability to control his bodily functions. Brantly said that, as a doctor, seeing these symptoms and understanding what something like blood in stool meant made it more drastic. Despite these painful physical symptoms, Brantly said one of the biggest struggles throughout his recovery was the isolation. During his time in Liberia, he stayed in his mden -- Henry home and spent many long hours by himself. “ When my caretakers came, all I could see was their eyes and all I could feel was the latex of their gloves,” Brantly said. “They were putting themselves at
online at thelink.harding.edu
risk. At Emory (hospital), it was a relief that a nurse could be there 24 hours a day and I could see their faces not just their eyes.” From Liberia, Brantly was flown to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. where he completed his recovery. He said that when he returned to the U.S., he was “fortunate to be oblivious to the events surrounding (his) re-entry.” Brantly said his recovery and experience with Ebola, dramatically changed his life. “Our actions have a global impact,” Brantly said. “We are called to love our neighbors and have compassion. The epidemic is not over. We need to not give up and go back to normal.”
Senior Victoria Snell is Brantly’s cousin. After looking up to Brantly her entire life, she has now seen his story broadcasted to the whole world. “As most of my family discussed over these last couple of days, it’s still surreal,” Snell said. “It’s still weird to see his face on the big screens or to overhear his name mentioned in public by complete strangers. But, Kent would be the first one to tell you it’s not about him or the recognition, it’s about the story of God’s incredible faithfulness. That’s the coolest part to me, not that the whole world recognizes the name ‘Kent Brantly’ but they recognize, through a story … God was and still is the center piece of it all.”
GRANT SCHOL | The Bison
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OPINIONS
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Searcy, Ark., 72149
GRANT SCHOL | The Bison
On Wednesday night, hundreds of students gathered for a vigil in memory of senior Nicholas Smith, who was killed in a car accident over spring break. Smith’s three roommates spoke at the student-led service.
School community honors senior Nicholas Smith’s life By Cole Mokry News Editor
Dr. Kent Brantly was serving as a medical missionary in Liberia when the Ebola outbreak began. He shared the story of his diagnosis and recovery at the American Studies Institute lecture on Tuesday.
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Searcy, Ark., 72149
American Ebola doctor shares survival story at ASI By Alexis Hosticka Editor-in-Chief
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A vigil was held Wednesday to honor senior Nicholas Smith, who was killed in a car accident on March 7 on his way to a spring break mission trip. Senior Nicole Langlois attended the vigil and said it was very encouraging for Smith’s friends and family, who traveled from Georgia to attend. “I think that Nicholas would’ve loved every minute of the service tonight,” Langlois said. “The crowd was obviously mourning the loss of Nick, but those who spoke tried to keep it light and humorous, much like Nicholas would’ve had he been doing the service for someone he knew.” Smith was traveling to Syracuse, N.Y., in a caravan of four cars with 10 other students when his car was involved in an accident on I-71 in Kentucky. Smith was a youth and family ministry major, an honors student, a member of Beta Omega Chi social club and a beau for Chi Kappa Ro social club. Senior Jacob Norwood, Smith’s roommate, said everyone who knew Smith loved him. “The impact that Nick had was very clear,” Norwood said. “There was no doubt of what he brought to people, and that’s an incredible thing to leave behind: the certainty of his
impact and where he is now. So much of him was what he believed and what he stood for.” Norwood left for a spring break mission trip to Nicaragua on March 8 and said he was initially worried about coming back to an empty apartment, but having a strong support group of friends has helped. “Nicaragua was probably what I needed, which was staying busy, staying committed to something important and having people around me,” Norwood said. “Since I’ve been back … I get texts and calls from numbers I don’t know, people want to make sure I’m okay and want to make themselves available to me. As much as I’m coming to terms with it, I’m doing okay, but they encourage me to do that for other people. It sums up how much people cared about Nick.” Senior Andrea DeCamp, a friend of Smith’s since 2010, spoke at his funeral in his hometown of Buford, Ga. on March 12. She said she wanted to focus on the joy Smith brought to his friends’ lives. “You can let situations like this make you weak, or you can use the pain to be stronger,” DeCamp said. “That’s my hope, is to be stronger through this and to say, ‘Yes, it’s sad that Nicholas is gone and it really hurts, but at the end of the day, I was blessed to know him.’ He was a great friend to me and that’s what I want to think about.”
$11 million in Renovations
In the next couple years, the Harding campus will undergo renovations costing an estimated $11 million, according to vice president of finance Mel Sansom. Buildings being renovated are the Ganus Athletic Center, the Rhodes Field House, the Ezell Center, Searcy Hall and the student center. There will also be the addition of a First Ladies Garden between Shores Hall and Searcy Hall, which will be completed by Homecoming and will cost an estimated $650,000, according to Sansom. The garden will consist of a brick walkway, benches, shade trees, flowers, a fountain with a sculpture and a trellis over the center of the walkway.
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RHODES:
EZELL:
SEARCY HALL:
Estimated cost: $5.1 million
Estimated cost: $2.5 million
Estimated cost: $2.1 million
Estimated completion date: August 2016. Indoor renovations set to begin in November 2015.
Estimated completion date: August 2016.
Estimated cost: Unavailable at this time
Estimated completion date: August 2015.
Major additions: Enlarged foyer area; hospitality/meeting room above foyer for special guests, team meeting space; new practice gym for basketball and volleyball teams; new locker rooms; possible elevator installation.
Major additions: New flooring, walls, paint and roof; updated heating and air systems.
Major additions: two stories, all glassed in; indoor track; new bleachers to seat a thousand spectators; pickleball court; indoor soccer facility; addition of free weights in cardio and strengthening room; ping-pong and pool tables located in lounge area. “The addition of free weights and everything in the GAC will be hugely beneficial to all of campus — not just students, but faculty, staff and students alike, and I’m very excited about that.” - Mel Sansom, VP of finance
HU Spectacular, page 2A
“(The Rhodes Field House) deserves every penny invested into this renovation. The teams need every opportunity for preparation and hospitality to perform at the highest level.” - Junior Dawson Yates, basketball player
“The heating and air is very outdated. The way it is now … Either kids can learn or they can be uncomfortable. Plus, when students come from the (McInteer) Bible building or one of the newer buildings to (the Ezell Center), it’s pretty blatantly different in a negative way.” - Dr. Ken Cameron, psychology professor
Estimated completion date: August 2015.
“In my personal dorm room, most of our carpet is stapled to the floor, so that’s a major problem that needs to be addressed. And there are a bunch of holes in the walls, so I think it’s all much needed.” - Sophomore Emily Ann Braziel
Starbucks campaign, page 4A
Check out some of the top music festivals across the country and see who the featured artists are.
Alexis Hosticka shares her opinion on Starbucks’ new “Race Together” initiative.
Estimated cost: $450,000 Estimated completion date: September 2016.
Major additions: New carpeting, roof, mattresses and interior paint.
Music Festivals, page 4B
STUDENT CENTER:
Major additions for Summer 2015: Expansion of Taco Bell; addition of Einstein Bros Bagels; expansion of the mini-mart to include a Jamba Juice counter; elimination of Bison Bistro and Java City. Tentative plans for Summer 2016: Panda Express to replace Jump Asian Express; expansion of Chick-Fil-A; and elimination of Burger Studio. Contact Student Association chair junior Cody Stubblefield at cstubblefield@harding.edu with input about these decisions.
Susan Shirel, page 3B