What I find most interesting is my time at Azusa Pacific University has changed my views on homosexuality, when I thought my time here would have hardened them.

Anyways, my point is I normally wish I lived in the 60′s-70′s for many sporting and music reasons (Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Sir Bobby Moore and the West Ham triumvirate, the golden days of pro football, the ABA, Dodger Stadium in its youth, etc.)

Today, I am proud I live here and now in an era of sports where Jason Collins can be a pillar, and the support he is receiving can be evident. Even former President Bill Clinton has come out and shown Collins support. Kobe Bryant also tweeted approval, so Collins just won over LakerNation as well.

I feel like in a culture at APU that is consistently changing and evolving toward a more promising future for the rights of LGBT students, this was a great sending off all of the senior Cougars.

While this is national news, it is story every student at APU should read. It is the story of a man who didn’t quite fit in the entire time he was fitting in just fine. The way I am sure many of us feel at APU. Whether it’s a sexual orientation, a religious belief, a particular sin we struggle with or whatever, there is always room for growth. As long as there is a loving and none condemning environment

So coming from someone who knows that the face of the nation is changing, because I have changed so much in this instance myself, we need to applaud Collins. Not only for his role as a pathfinder, but for his attitude about it.

Here is my favorite line Collins writes in his article entitled “Why NBA center Jason Collins is coming out now,” for Sports Illustrated’s May 6th, 2013.

“I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation,” said Collins. “I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”

My mother consistently told me one thing when I was growing up, “If not you, then who?”

I think Jason Collins’ mother taught him the same lesson. And we’d all be a lot better off if we took a page out of his book.

Thank you Jason Collins for your bravery and your ability to stand out. You just made the world of sports a better place for doing so.

Link to the Sports Illustrated Article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/news/20130429/jason-collins-gay-nba-player/

***Final Countdown is an opinion column written by Josh Ouellette. His views do not reflect the views of the entire staff or those of the publication as a whole, all responsibility lies on his shoulders in terms of the opinions shared in this column***

Josh Ouellette is a senior journalism major who has been following sports across the world since his first breath. He will admit he made a few mistakes in how he viewed gay and lesbian peers growing up and improperly judged them, something he will forever regret. He thanks the students at APU for being so great and Jason Collins for giving him an excuse to write one final column for the Sports section he loves so much.

After all the events the Cougars had three first place, three second place, one third place and four fourth place finishes.

The stands were filled with spectators to watch the multi-school, invitation only track and field event named after well-known APU alumnae Brian Clay.

The first success occurred at the men’s 4×100 meter relay. The men took second place in the event with a time of 41.65 seconds. The relay team, in order, included sophomore Jacob Hare, freshman Ronald Douglas, junior Sameer Sedam, and was anchored by sophomore Remontay McClain.

Also for sprints, sophomore Remontay McClain took first place for the men’s 200 meter dash with a time of 20.54 seconds.

The Cougars had top finishers for both the men’s and women’s 800 meters. For the men, junior Riley McKee took fourth place with a time of 1:53.40. Junior Diandra Cartensen claimed third place for the women with a time of 2:10.72.

Senior Slater Ezell took first place in the men’s 400 meter hurdles with a time of 50.77 seconds. Sophomore teammate Henry Tanner also cracked the top ten, finishing ninth with a time of 53.97 seconds.

Junior David Shute took fourth place in both the men’s long jump with a jump of 23’6” feet and the men’s 400 meters with a time of 48.35 seconds.

Also for jumps, senior Makera Clark took 2nd place for women’s triple jump with a mark of 41’1” feet and freshmen Lajuan Moye took fifth place for men’s high jump with a mark of 6’8.75” feet.

It was a rough day for throwers with only one athlete finishing in the top five.

Junior javelin thrower David Musson took fourth place in the men’s javelin with a mark of 211’2” feet.

In the final relay of the day, the APU men came out strong in the 4×400 meter relay. The team finished second with a time of 3:15.42. The team members in order were junior John Diaz, freshman Jevin Tyron, freshmen Levi Walker, and junior Connor Woodlief.

APU scored seven runs in the game’s first two innings, a stretch highlighted by a solo home run from junior OF Matt Kimmel, who added two hits to his team-leading total of 46.

The Cougars were unable to come back with runs of their own during the middle stretch, until a two-run seventh inning brought them back within striking distance at 12-10. That inning featured a solo home run by senior infielder Richie Brown, who finished with 3 hits, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored in five at-bats. Senior outfielder Tyler Putjenter finished the game with 4 hits for 3 RBI in six at-bats.

Azusa Pacific was attempting to take its first conference win in over two weeks–their last was April 6 at Cal Baptist).

Monday’s game was the first meeting between Azusa Pacific and Hawaii Pacific this season, this being the first year the two teams are Pacific West Conference rivals. The last time the teams met was in 1997 for a six-game series at HPU. APU leads the all-time series 7-5.

Liberty is allowing loaded guns inside the classrooms and buildings as long as the students have a permit and permission from campus police, according to Huffington Post. And if that doesn’t sound crazy enough, staff and visitors can carry and walk on to campus with loaded guns, as well. The only restriction is that guns are not allowed in residential living areas.

Speaking as a college student, I can vouch that these years are emotional. So many stressful moments, but even more great ones. That being said, everyone handles his or her emotions differently. Sadly, as we have seen happen in the past, when a person’s depression or emotions gets the best of them, they can take it out on themselves and even others.

The Huffington Post article stated that they want their students and staff to feel protected in the case of a shooter coming on to their campus.

Let’s take a look at just a few of the horrific gun-related tragedies within the past years.

There was the Virginia Tech shooting involving a gun-man, Cho Seung-Hui, who we all remember shot and killed 32 people. What we later found out was that he was a student there himself.

And keep in mind this was before guns were starting to be allowed at schools. What will happen if students are actually given permission to have guns?

I feel that if schools want to find ways to protect students then there are countless other ways to go about it. Schools should have such strict security that students and staff shouldn’t even have the chance to feel unprotected.

When we hear about the tragic school shootings, many people are curious as to how the shooter was brought up or what his family situation was like. In some cases, the shooter might have bad blood with his family and take his anger out in the worst and most dramatic way possible at them. While others, raised well at home and at school, chose their own path and make a horrible decision.

In the case of Adam Lanza, the Sandyhook Elementary School shooter, Lanza killed 26 students, all aged six and seven, and six adults.

However, this specific situation isn’t fully due to bad security. The school locks all doors at 9:30 a.m. and then have all visitors buzz in upon arrival. CNN reports that the front entrance doors were, in fact, locked, and Lanza shot the lock enough times to get himself in.

These are just two of the gun related school tragedies that have taken place, and I believe that by Liberty University allowing students to carry loaded guns, they are allowing much bigger issues to take place.

What will stop a student from shooting up the school when he doesn’t get his or her way? What will stop emotionally unstable people from making a huge mistake?

“A student with a concealed weapon is unlikely to prevent a mass shooting or crime,” John Johnson, spokesman for the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, told the News & Advance. “On the other hand, the unintended consequences of gun possession by students and others— a shooting during an argument or dispute, attempted suicide, unintentional shooting, etc.— are real and make the college campus more dangerous every hour of every day.”

Johnson couldn’t have explained it better. Liberty is practically handing all control over to their students, who I believe are not in a place to have that responsibility and control. So many negative things can, in fact, come from what Liberty believes is a hopeful and positive approach to safety.

I immensely respect the fact that Liberty wants the best for their students and staff, but I do not fully agree with the way they are going about it.

The one part of this new rule that I can’t get my mind to wrap around is the fact that visitors and guests are allowed to bring guns on campus, too. I just cannot understand that. What do visitors and guests need to protect themselves from? I feel in many cases, it is THEM who are the threat.

“Every year, an average of 9,200 Americans are murdered by handguns, according to Department of Justice statistics,” Ronald Reagan said during aquestion-and-answer session with high-school students on November 14, 1988. “This does not include suicides or the tens of thousands of robberies, rapes and assaults committed with handguns. This level of violence must be stopped.”

Yes, I know this was over 20 years ago, and yes I still think it is relevant. Guns have not magically become better over the years, but in fact, I feel we can all see based on history that they do more harm.

Let’s leave our campuses weapon-free, and leave it to the police and security to keep us safe and not rely on other students to do so.

Bernall was killed in the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colo. in 1999. Although Bernall was among 12 other students murdered that day, Bernall’s mom wrote the book “She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall.” As the story goes, one of the shooters held a gun to Bernall’s head and asked if she believed in God. She responded yes— hence the title of the book. It was later revealed by detectives that this exchange between Bernall and her murderer likely never took place. However, that story, whether fact or fiction, has since been engrained in my memory.

Having grown up in a Christian home, it has been my conviction that I would proclaim my faith regardless of the circumstances, even if put in a life-threatening situation. I hold to that conviction— but would that actually be reality in the face of danger?

The truth is, none of us really knows until we are put in that situation. When the unexpected happens in life, it’s all too easy to lack bravery or fail to do what we may deem as “right” in that situation. This applies to abortion, too.

To be as transparent as possible, I will express that I believe abortion to be a sin. One argument often given for why abortion makes “sense” is because individuals could be bringing a child into a situation where the couple cannot care for the baby. Although understandably hard, we, as Christians, are not promised a life filled with ease and goodness. Instead, our gift is life itself, and no one should be able to take that from us.

Having said that, I don’t know what I would do if I had gotten pregnant in high school, out of wedlock or before I was financially prepared to have a baby. I’d like to say now that if that had happened to me in high school, I would have carried the child to term and either given it up for adoption or accepted that as my new life. Realistically, I probably would have been so terrified to tell my parents that abortion didn’t seem like the worst idea any more.

I won’t pretend to know how hard that decision would be, so although I think it to be a sin, I do not judge or look down on anyone who decides to abort a baby. My heart instead breaks for the decision those individuals had to make. A news story in Florida, however, takes the heated abortion debate to a level I am not comfortable with— the right to abort a child after it has already been birthed.

Although the Born Alive Infant Protection Act invokes “legal status on an infant living outside of a mother’s womb regardless of gestational age and obliges doctors to pursue lifesaving measures to protect abortion survivors,” Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Alisa LaPolt said that the organization believes that the fate of a child who survives a botched abortion should rest with the mother and her doctor. I could not disagree more.

Once the child is born, it is the doctor’s job to “consider the benefit of my patient and abstain from whatever is harmful or mischievous,” as stated in the Hippocratic Oath. At that point, the baby is just as much the doctor’s patient as the mother is— regardless of what the mother may wish for her child.

I will not pretend to know what a difficult experience it can be to have a child unplanned. However, the option for abortion should cease to exist once the child is born. The option for adoption is still open if an individual chooses not to keep the baby.

I have no idea how I truly would have responded if I were Bernall— if that exchange even happened. And I won’t pretend to know confidently how I would respond in the face of an unplanned pregnancy. What I can say with certainty, though, is that once a child is born, my decision to end his or her life no longer exists.

Jessica Cabral, left, and Katy Howard, right, enjoy a fun moment on stage after winning the Final Cut 2013 competition.
Photo: Annie Z. Yu

Several hundred students filled the Wynn Amphitheater Friday night to enjoy the musical talents of 12 singers at the annual Final Cut competition, hosted by the students of the School of Music’s Music Business 2 course.

Two vocalists, junior communication studies major Katy Howard and freshman music and Christian ministries double major Jessica Cabral, tied for the grand prize: free studio recording time.

Howard performed an original ukelele-accompanied song, “Deuces,” while Cabral covered Beyonce’s 2006 soul-R&B; single, “Listen.”

“It’s a really awesome growing experience,” Cabral said. “Being able to perform with all your peers and perform for the student body is like the most amazing feeling.”

The judging panel consisted of three celebrity vocalists: Scott Hoying, lead singer of the a capella group Pentatonix, Lindsay Pearce, a runner-up for The Glee Project and Linda McCrary, a gospel and R&B; singer who has collaborated with artists such as Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder.



“The judges offered such good feedback and the fact that APU brought them in was really, really unique to anything that I’ve ever seen,” freshman liberal studies major Kara Hayes said.

Sophomore music business major Alexander Tutungi, a student in the Music Business 2 course, said putting on the event has been an invaluable experience.

“We are challenged in class to go out and talk to people we don’t know, to communicate, to do business, to promote— to get out of the classroom setting and actually apply these things and make these lessons tangible,” Tutungi said.

Around 60 students auditioned for Final Cut on March 20, according to Tutungi. The Music Business 2 students selected the 12 finalists to perform at Final Cut.

The show was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. but did not start until 8 p.m. because one of the judges entered “APU” into her GPS, which then took her to APU’s satellite campus in Anaheim.

Despite the late start, Tutungi said the show went “better than we could have dreamed.”

“It was just everything—the set, the band, the performers, the contestants, the turnout—everything was just so phenomenal. Best we’ve ever had,” Tutungi said.

Pearce said she came to Final Cut as a judge because she is friends with Nick McClellan, a sophomore commercial music major and Music Business 2 student, and he asked her to come out and judge.

“It was my first time [at Final Cut] and I hope it’s not my last—it was amazing and actually really inspiring,” Pearce said. “Such originality and talent and they all had fun. The community of the school is really incredible. I don’t know many colleges [where] kids would purposely come out and watch a show on the grass. It’s really special.”

Nagila Cabral, mother of Jessica Cabral, said she is proud of Jessica for giving her best, having fun and praising the Lord through the competition.

“We got to see so many different talents tonight; different genres and it’s just a wonderful thing to see. So many people with different styles and they bring their own creativity,” Jessica Cabral said. “It’s just a fun thing. It should happen more—it’s really enjoyable.”

Freshman commercial music major Megan Wright competed at Final Cut and said it was an “awesome” experience.

“Just being a part of it was so fun. You just really feel the energy of the crowd and it makes you want to perform [that] much more,” Wright said. “I’m definitely going to re-audition again [next year].”

Tutungi said he looks forward to next year’s Final Cut and, despite the success of this year’s competition, he believes it will only grow with every year it continues.

“APU is blessed to have such a deep pool of talented vocalists and musicians. I don’t think a lot of people realize—we have so many good [singers] on the worship teams, and that’s just scratching the surface of how many talented musicians and singers we have,” Tutungi said. “It’s really amazing for such a small school.”

Howard suggested specific changes for next year, such as further promotion of the event and a videographer to cover the event, but said she loved the vibe of the outdoor competition and that the Music Business 2 class did a phenomenal job organizing Final Cut.

“It feels so surreal to have won Final Cut this year. It was such an incredible experience to get up there and perform my own song,” Howard said. “Standing up there holding hands with Jessica was incredible and exhilarating… that feeling was like no other.”

Commuters enjoy fellowship and a Mediterranean-themed meal together.
Photo: Lauren Duran

Commuter Services offers similar events every month. In recent months, commuters have been able enjoy commuter breakfasts and lunches together, and in April they were provided with dinner events, as well.

Commuter Services provides felllowship opportunities for commuters. Along with their regular meals, this year they also hosted bingo game nights, movie nights, beach trips, a trip to Sky High and off-campus dinner outings—all with the idea of community in mind.

Commuter Services interns Jonathan Clem, a graduate College Counseling and Student Development student, and Caitlyn Brennan, a senior biblical studies and liberal studies major, have worked hard this school year to help commuters find their sense of belonging within the university.

Both Clem and Brennan agree that the number of students that attend the events does not reflect their overall success.

“A good event is not measured solely by numbers,” Clem said. “The quality of interaction that students have with one another is what is important.”

Photo: Lauren Duran

Brennan has had many opportunities to connect with students individually over coffee, with one-on-one conversations and through the events planned by Commuter Services designed to get the students involved.

“Commuter services is meant to be a resource to students who want to build a community on campus,” Brennan said. “We are really here to encourage commuters to get plugged in to other areas as well. We want to hear [their] concerns and when commuters are struggling so that we can point them in the right direction.”

Future commuter students should anticipate similar events as well, whether it be through breakfasts, lunches, dinners or a variety of fun off-campus events.

“Having a sense of community among your university is important because it allows you to do well in school and in life, and allows for the developing of current relationships and gives avenue for new ones to grow,” Clem said.

According to Clem, Commuter Services is looking to create a specific location in the future for commuters to hang out at while they are on campus.

Living off campus does not have to mean that you must miss out on the sense of community that APU has to offer. Whether a student is living on campus or commuting, there are always new ways to get involved and build relationships with other students.

A final “Send Off Dinner” for commuters will take place on Thursday, April 18 in the Cougar Dome.

APU Sports Information–Courtesy
Angie Sprague slides into home in a Cougar matchup.

The pleasant afternoon sun was creeping toward the horizon, approaching the angle that threatened to blind anyone watching from the outfield. The softball had crossed home plate countless times, but the scoreboard remained empty.

It was the bottom of the sixth with two outs and bases loaded when senior pitcher Rita Kim stepped up to bat. She blasted a clean line drive to the outfield, clearing the way for her teammate, freshman catcher Madison Hernandez, to touch home plate and break the 0-0 tie.

Unfortunately, the Lancers were quick to answer this score. They opened the seventh inning with a solid triple that evaded senior center fielder Angie Sprague’s outstretched glove by inches. This was followed by a strike out and then a sacrifice fly ball scoring the Lancer player.

The Cougars managed to get someone on base at the top of the 7th only to have the next three batters fail to get the runner in.

Securing their lead, Cal Baptist managed to put two more on the board at the top of the eight. APU failed to score any more runs in the extended eight inning game.

Lancers win the opener, 3-1.

The second game of the double header started with a little more action, both teams scoring one run in the first inning.

For the following three innings, neither team could break the tie. At the top of the fifth, the Lancers managed to put one final run on the board, sealing their victory as no other runs were scored in the game.

The Cougar’s were able to extract some minor revenge on Saturday when facing Cal Baptist away in Riverside, taking one game of the day’s double header.

APU is now 21-18 on the season and heads to St. George, Utah to take on Dixie State this upcoming weekend.