Berry Considers Change from NAIA to NCAA

By Jimmy Story, COM 301
Edited and posted by David Reeves, COM 303

Berry College and its athletic programs are considering a possible change of membership into the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Discussion of the change was initiated in the fall of 2002, when the Berry College Board of Trustees created a committee whose purpose was to examine any benefits and drawbacks the move might yield. The plans were soon halted, though, to better assess the situation upon approval and construction of the Stephen J. Cage Center, Berry College’s new athletic and recreation complex.

In the spring of 2007, with the opening of the Cage Center less than a year away, the committee met to once again examine if a move into the NCAA would be beneficial to Berry College as a whole. The committee’s findings were sent to the Berry College Board of Trustees in February 2008.

“The committee could not come to a decision, so they could not give a recommendation,” said Berry’s Cross Country coach Paul Deaton.

“I have always been associated with the NAIA and see the merit in our association with them, but also understand that the NCAA would offer us some new opportunities and challenges,” said Berry College’s director of athletics Todd Brooks.

Students and staff alike are also examining all possibilities. Dean of Students Debbie Heida said it will take time to most effectively decide on a result that will provide for even greater success for Berry College athletics.

“We are right now in the beginning of a process. Now, we must figure out in which direction we want to go,” Heida said.

The Board of Trustees turned over the recommendation process to Berry College President Stephen Briggs after the committee failed to give a recommendation. Briggs will give a final proposal to the Berry College Board of Trustees in May, wrapping up an exploratory year to decide the future of Berry College athletics with any decision taking place as early as June.

Cage Center director at top of his game

Randall Goble

photo courtesy of Kennesaw State University
By Luis Salazar, COM 301
Edited and posted by Brittany Hannah, COM 303

For Randall Goble, running a new 131,982-square-foot facility, estimated at $32.5 million, was a task well within his grasp.

As Berry College’s Steven J. Cage Athletic and Recreation Center was set to open in 2008, it needed a hard-working, easy going personality to pilot it in the right direction.

Goble was chosen for the job and has not disappointed.

As the director of the Cage Center, Goble deals with the overall operation and supervision of the new athletic/recreation compound. His job includes overseeing maintenance and scheduling, as well as making sure all the kinks that any new building would have gets worked out.

After graduating from Berry in 1988 and serving as an assistant basketball coach for three years, Goble spent the next 17 years at Kennesaw State University, where he served primarily as the facilities coordinator for department of health, physical education and sport science. He was also the women’s basketball coach for the first three years at KSU, but then decided to just stick to administration.

“He is a Berry alumnus who understands the institution and the students,” said athletic director Todd Brooks. “We are still learning as we go in regards to the Cage, but having Randall who is experienced is a plus. He is a good person to have.”

Not only does his extensive experience in facility management make him successful, his relaxing demeanor helps him cope with all of the pressure his job puts on him, said intramurals director Ricky Williams.

“He is successful because he is very laid back but not lazy,” said Williams. “This is a strength for him because with all of the hectic scheduling involved with the Cage, he doesn’t get stressed out. And if he does, he doesn’t show it.”

Goble agreed that his cool under pressure personality is a bonus quality to have.

“I’ve been doing this for long enough that I know emergencies will come up,” he said. “After a while you kind of develop a checklist to make sure it all gets worked out without overly panicking about a situation. Not being uptight helps a lot.”

Williams has known Goble for over 20 years. After being hired together last summer, their friendship has grown into much more than the usual co-worker relationship.

“As good as he is at his job, he is a better person,” Williams said. “He cares about people, the Berry community and most importantly his family. He is a good all-around person and friend.”

His family oriented character is apparent when it comes to his relationship with the students. Being able to have a close connection with them is a fundamental reason for his return to his alma mater.

“I got into education because I love interacting with students,” Goble explained. “At Kennesaw, there are a lot more students which makes it hard to get to know them. Berry is so special because it is a completely different atmosphere. I enjoy experiencing the diversity here.

His outgoing charisma has made him a popular man for students looking for on campus positions. When asked about their boss, Cage Center student workers usually have nothing but compliments in regards to their boss.

“I love him. He is an awesome guy who really works around your schedule and understands if you can’t make it to work sometimes,” said junior Laura Phyfer. “My last two years I’ve worked for people I didn’t like, but Randall is totally different. He is my favorite by far.”

As for Goble, he’s just happy to be back.

“It’s an exciting time to be here,” he said with a grin. “This new building, the new dorms and the increasing enrollment will only improve our school. It is neat to be a part of it.”

Goble and his wife Theresa have three children; Joseph, Nicholas and John, ages 14, 11 and 7. Though his job can be exhausting at times, Goble always finds time to bond with his family.

“Randall is a great husband and father because he is actively involved in our
lives,” Theresa Goble said. “Whether they are outside throwing the baseball, football or shooting hoops, he always spends a great deal of time with the boys.”

With Theresa also being a Berry graduate, the Gobles hope their boys will follow in their footsteps and one day attend Berry College.

Safe at Home

Berry College kicks off intramural softball season

Junior Courtney Warner stands ready at home plate.

Picture courtesy of Courtney Warner.

By Whitney Kazragis, COM 301
Edited and posted by Adam Caldwell, COM 303

With the change in temperature, comes the time honored tradition of intramural softball at Berry College

With 21 teams participating, many students have been able to share the fun of this highly anticipated sports season.

One such softball team, the Ballin’ Bears, is comprised of the Lady Viking basketball team. Teammates Laura Moore and Brittany Howes agree that playing softball with their basketball team is a great way to end their basketball season by staying connected and having some fun.

“After the basketball season ends, we don’t get to see each other as much, so it’s a good chance to catch up on what’s been going on,” Howes said. “We are pretty much involved with basketball from the first day of school to March, so when the season ends [softball] is a fun break for us,” Moore added.

However, Mitch Mulheim of the Dozen Six loves to win.

“We love to win and hate to lose, but we’re always joking no matter what is going on,” Muhlheim said.

Muhlheim also mentioned a close call with the ball when he was playing catcher.

It occurred when the opposing team’s batter tried to swing at several foul balls flying within inches of the batter’s face. To avoid injury, Muhlheim ducked for the next at-bat and the ball headed straight toward the umpire, who let out a string of curses heard from the outfield.

“I thought it was funny because the umpire jokingly told me that I was going to get struck out for every at bat since I let the ball hit her instead of hitting me,” Muhlheim included.

When asked what he liked most about being involved with the softball season, intramural softball umpire Paul Krueger talked about his joy of watching students compete, have fun and even get better over the season.

“I love how loose the atmosphere is. Everybody wants to win, but they enjoy having fun with their friends even more and it makes for a very enjoyable game umpiring,” Krueger admitted. “The skill levels are generally the same, but we get some close games sometimes.”

Krueger recalls good memories from the intramural field.

“I have seen my fair share of at-bats,” Krueger said. “The worst I ever saw was last year when a girl swung so hard that she spun her body around and landed on her butt right on home plate. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen!”

The Viking Intramural Program Web site states, “This program provides students, faculty and staff with the opportunity for competition and fun in a variety of team and individual sports activities.”

With the final men and women’s blue and silver championship softball games being held Monday, many teams are winding down for their last hurrah. These games will be held on all intramural fields at 5 and 6 p.m.

Students Question Tuition Increase

By Joseph Palmer, COM 301
Edited and posted by Issac Jessup, COM 303

With the announcement of the new tuition for the 2008-2009 school year, Berry College students have mixed feelings about having to pay $2000 more for their education.

“Go farther into debt...essentially,” was one student’s quick-witted answer when asked how the tuition increases would affect him.

Berry College students are now faced with reality of a tuition increase for the upcoming school year. With the recent letter President Stephen Briggs addressed to students and their parents, a lot of students have been left feeling as though they’re in the dark as to what exactly the tuition increase will be used for.

“In the letter I sent out to students earlier, I mentioned the chief reason: our costs go up due to modest salary increases for faculty and staff salaries as well as increased costs for energy and gasoline, building maintenance, IT equipment, library books and so on,” said Briggs.

The majority of Berry students, however, sees this as insufficient and would like a more thorough breakdown of where the money will be going; some, like Michael Wise, a sophomore biochemistry major, even find the lack there of somewhat disconcerting.

“Seems slightly suspicions,” said Wise. “They all sound like good reasons; I would like to know what percentages are going to what.”

However, for students like Amanda Griswell, a sophomore public relations major, there was a basic understanding that Berry's tuition was bound to go up sometime.

“As long as they’re going to account for [the tuition increases]. I understand that the professors need raises,” said Griswell. “It's just that they have to think about the student to.”

Assistant Vice President for Finance Scott Shank said he believes Berry is doing its best to keep the students financial situations in mind. Shank added that Berry was taking big steps to insure that student’s financial needs were being attended to.

“Please be mindful that almost no student pays the full cost of tuition and fees at Berry,” said Shank. “Berry is very generous with its financial aid awards to students. In fact, we are more generous than most of our peer and aspirant institutions.

Operating costs for Berry are expected to go up approximately $2 million this year from last year, said Shank.

“This year, we are expecting the operating costs to end the year at approximately $60.75 million of which only approximately $18.90 million will be funded by net tuition and fees,” said Shank. “Hopefully, as students understand that Berry is already using its endowment to offset the cost of tuition and fees before financial aid by $9,000 to $10,000 per student, they will understand how fair Berry is trying to be”

Since there is going to be an increase in tuition, many students would like to have a better understanding of where their money will be going.

“Even though I'm not happy about the tuition increases, I understand,” said Griswell. “It would be nice if they would tell us exactly what our money is going for and a breakdown of what our tuition is covering.”

Jesse Milby, the SGA vice president of student services, said that he was troubled with the tuition increase.

“I'm not real thrilled with it, because frankly I feel a lot of it is going to stuff we don't need; we don't care about,” said Milby.

Many students said that they were not very surprised at all about the increase. In fact, students like Tim Martin, a junior middle-grades education major, said that the new tuition increase would have little or no affect on him personally.

“I mean, I guess it’s just the cost of going to Berry; going to a private school,” said Martin. “You’re going to be paying some money. You make the choice...”

With the help of scholarship programs like that of The Bonner Scholar's program, Griswell said she believes she will come through unscathed. The Bonner Scholar’s program is a financial aid program at Berry which provides students with scholarships that cover an individually set portion of their tuition—no matter what—as long as they work a certain amount of time during a given semester.

“I don't think it will actually affect me all that much 'cause with Bonner; I mean the same stuff is going to be covered,” said Griswell.

Students have the hopes that, even though tuition is going up, Berry will still be able to provide them the means of some type of financial assistance to make up for the increase.

“In terms of Berry, just as we done in the past, we award aid based [on] a student's demonstrated need as a results of filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA),” said Ron Elmore, director of financial aid at Berry. “So whether the tuition goes up a dollar or $1,800, our procedure remains the same. We do the best we can do with the limited dollars that we have to meet the demonstrated need of those students [who] file for need-based aid.”

Briggs said that the process that developed the new tuition started with a budget committee, chaired by Brian Erb, the vice president of finance, and made up of senior college leaders, faculty, staff and two students. They looked over all the college's costs, needs and the different sources of income that Berry has. They then decide on a budget to which they recommend to the college cabinet and then Briggs recommended that to the Board of Trustees. They then had the final say on whether or not a tuition increase was necessary.

New Addition to Campus Fall 2009

By Lauren Fenner, COM 301
Edited and posted by Jenny Mischler, COM 303

Berry College will break new ground on two new residence halls in the fall of 2008, with an expected opening date of fall 2009.

The residence halls, which will be located behind the Ladd Center in the Emery Barns Complex and will house 350 people, are part of a concerted effort to build community and increase the percentage of residential students to 85 percent.

The buildings, which have been designed to serve mostly sophomores and juniors, are part of a plan that will eventually add almost 1000 new beds to Berry College over the next six to eight years. During the first three years of occupancy, they will also serve to house displaced male students as renovations are being made to Dana Hall.

Photo courtesy of Berry College

The Emery Barns are now used for storing supplies and

equipment used by the animal science and horticultural areas.

Debbie Heida, vice president of student affairs and dean of students, is on the committee that is organizing and planning the construction of the buildings. She stressed that the biggest purpose of the new buildings is to build a feeling of unity.

"I do have one very important request," she said. "And that is that they [the buildings] be called residence halls and not dorms. Because that is what we are trying to create here--a sense of community."

What will this look like?

To accomplish this, the designers have incorporated a variety of unifying elements into the buildings. The number of people on each hall will be much smaller--approximately 20 students on each floor, as opposed to the average of 50 students in other dorms on campus. In addition, there will be large lobbies on the ground floor of every hall, as well as recreational rooms that will have games such as ping-pong and pool tables.

Also, the structures will have community-style, not individual, bathrooms. The bathrooms will also feature more amenities, like electrical outlets, storage areas for personal items and changing areas adjacent to the showers.

Although nothing has been finalized yet, the committee is considering building outdoor features such as fireplaces, hammocks and patios.

The residence halls--which will have wireless Internet throughout--will be a mix of about 70 percent double-occupancy rooms and 30 percent single-occupancy rooms. They have been designed as "swing space"; that is, any hall can potentially be male or female. However, Heida stressed that they will not really be coed dorms; like in New Residence Hall, there will be key card swipes at the entrance to every floor.

"It's not like we're just putting everyone together," Heida said.

Estimated Cost

Although the projected cost is millions of dollars, both Heida and Brian Erb, the vice president of finance, emphasized that the extra cost should not affect the price of attending Berry College.

"The projected cost is approximately $28 million to $29 million, to be funded by the college issuing tax exempt bonds, which will be repaid over 30 years from the room revenues of the building occupants," said Erb. "This will not impact tuition rates."

The price of the new rooms are expected to be closer to that of traditional residence halls, such as Dana and Morton Halls, than that of alternative housing. Although the rooms will probably be a little more expensive--especially the singles--the fact that the buildings will not have individual bathrooms or kitchens will keep the prices lower.

Lindsey Taylor, coordinator of residence life, is also on the committee that is overseeing the new facilities. She said that, although the final aesthetic details have not yet been decided yet, they are sure of the sort of feel that they are going for.

"We're not sure yet about the facade and things like that--you know it's the finishes that really make a building," said Taylor. "But it will be warm and welcoming. I'm really excited about the buildings--it'll give students another option."

Student Reactions

Jennifer Parr, a junior resident assistant in Lemley Hall, said that she has high hopes for the new residence halls.

"I think the new dorms will be great," said Parr. "It's a burst of energy that will give upperclassmen more choices. A lot of the RAs are really excited about working there. It's a good layout, and it's something new and different from the other dorms."

Other students' reactions to the plans for the new buildings were varied.

"That sounds really cool," said Chris Crichton, a freshmen at Berry College. "Especially since dorms like the Townhouses are kinda musty."

However, not all reactions were quite as enthusiastic.

"It sounds like a church camp to me," said Carlos Sanchez, also a freshmen, in reference to the description of the possible outside amenities.

The new buildings are the beginning of many new upcoming plans for residence halls. Heida said that changes are also being considered for the Ford complex, Mountain Campus and Townhouse area. However, none of these plans are in the pipeline yet; currently, only the plans for the buildings behind the Ladd Center are concrete.

Hits, Home Runs and Hairdos

By David Nuckolls, COM 301
Edited and posted by Rebekah Larisey, COM 303

Some sports teams are willing to change anything to turn their season around, including their hair.

In an effort to unify the team, members of the Berry College baseball team and head coach David Beasley dyed their hair blond.

Berry College pitcher Chris Minney said the whole idea started while the team was on a road trip during Spring Break.

“We were looking for something that would bring us together as a team,” Minney said.

The baseball team's new platinum appearance coincided with a six game winning streak where they defeated Faulkner University once, Thomas University twice, Belhaven College once and Auburn University-Montgomery twice. The Viking's offense exploded, scored more runs in these games than in any game this season.

The players asked the assistant coaches what it would take for them to dye their hair. The coaches’ response was that they would need to win two more games. Despite the additional motivation, the Berry College baseball team could only muster a single victory.

However, the short-lived winning streak had an impact on the team instantly, which remained with them for the rest of the season.

Photo contributed by Courtney Hiddleson
The Berry College baseball team shows off their
new hairstyles during Berry's Spring Break.

The Turning Point

Beasley said that the unique hairdos came at a pivotal point of the season as the team struggled with inconsistency and that he was happy with anything that would unify the team.

“The hair brought the guys closer together,” Beasley said.

Minney said the change in hairstyle emphasized the team's commitment and support to one other.

“It was the concept of I got your back, you got mine,” Minney said.

Shawn Kimberley, also a pitcher for the baseball team, said that the hairstyle change brought back some personal love for the game and had a tremendous impact on the team’s unity.

“We started playing as a team instead of a bunch of individuals,” Kimberley said. “It was both a unity thing and a bonding thing.”

Beasley said that the team needed to unify and, in particular, focus as a team. He later added that he felt that the team had some walls to tear down over personal appearance making it easier for the team to work together as a whole.

“We were able to put our appearance aside and do something for each other,” Beasley said.

After the team put their appearance aside, they became very successful by going 16-5 in their games following the hairstyle change. The team is currently 31-14 overall with a 13-11 record in conference games going into their final four games.

Beasley said he felt this motivation would not last as the players would have to find another way, besides appearance, to respect each other. Beasley said that he was not sure if this would teach future teams a lesson, but that he hopes this experience will be an example for all sports teams at Berry College.

Janna Johnson: More Than Just a Teacher

By Pamela Harris, COM 301
Edited and posted by Drew Whelchel, COM 303

Combining a variety of interests is not uncommon for this Berry College professor.

Dr. Janna Johnson, lecturer in mathematics and computer science and associate athletic director, was awarded of Faculty Member of the Year by students at Honors Convocation on April 29. In addition to teaching math, she is also an advisor for Athletes Bettering the Community (ABC), a First-Year Seminar professor and a yoga teacher.

“I enjoy each of the things I’m involved in,” said Johnson. “Every time someone asks me what I would drop, I can’t think of any of those things that I do that I would give up.”

Johnson is from Snellville, Ga, and received her Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Berry in 1981 and went on to get her master’s of applied mathematical sciences from University of Georgia. She received her Ph.D. in math education from Georgia State University and joined the Berry faculty in 1983.

Janna Johnson, 2008 faculty Member of the Year
recipient at the Honors Convocation
Photo from Berry College

Johnson’s Role in ABC
In addition to her faculty positions, Johnson is also the advisor for ABC.

“She’s incredibly helpful,” said senior Emily Bender, president of ABC, “but she guides it [ABC] with a loose hand.”

Bender said that Johnson keeps them “on the right track” as far as planning and executing activities, but that Johnson prefers to let the athletes take a more hands-on approach.

“She wants us to do well; for us to succeed,” Bender said.

Johnson said she loves all the events they put on, but her favorite is the most charitable.

“I love the service days; just knowing that the athletes are all over the Rome community helping others, I love being a part of that,” said Johnson.


Yoga is Relaxing
Johnson’s interest in yoga began 10 years ago when Jeanne Schul, lecturer of health and physical education, allowed her to join the yoga class. Johnson then took advanced classes in Rome and went on to get her instructor’s certification in Atlanta. She now teaches a free yoga class at Berry and recently taught a section of the HPE class.

“She keeps us moving, if that’s possible in yoga,” said junior Stephanie Butterworth, one of Johnson’s former yoga students.


Freshman Involvement
Johnson has also taught a BCC 100 course every year since the program began. Johnson said she keeps her students involved throughout their college experience by throwing Christmas and year-end parties every year, and all her former freshman seminar students are invited.

Johnson’s past advisees value her involvement and dedication to them after their freshman year.

“Janna is there for me even now,” said junior Dnika Joseph, one of Johnson’s former advisees. “I still run to her when I have good news about my life.”

Johnson said she has enjoyed working with freshman so much that it has led her to volunteer to teach BCC 100 every year.

“I love working with the freshmen and helping them make the transition to college,” Johnson said.