Takes From Out Of This World

The (hopefully) interesting thoughts of a college kid.

Final: Feature Story – Braxton Hinders

Few people are talented enough to play a sport at the collegiate level. Even fewer people can say they are talented enough to play multiple sports.

Braxton Hinders, a senior at Morningside University, somehow has managed to juggle being a collegiate golfer and a pitcher for the Mustangs baseball team for the last four years.

Graduating from Carlisle High School in 2018, Hinders came to Morningside after being pursued by both the golf and baseball coaches. He had to strike a deal to make this unusual combination of sports work: he would golf during the fall season and play baseball during the spring.

“I’m so lucky I could go somewhere that I could continue to play the sports that I grew up loving,” Hinders commented. “I’m also lucky to have such flexible coaches that are able to work with my schedule.”

Hinders stressed that it also helps that he has had some amazing teammates along the way, such as Gunnar Cale.

“Braxton has got a work ethic like no other. He’s a great guy and always is pushing us to be our best,” describes Cale, a baseball player who has been teammates with Hinders for the past two years. “He’s one of those guys who stays even after practice ends to keep working to make himself better.”

On the baseball team, wearing #48, Hinders is a relief pitcher. For as long as he can remember, he wanted to throw for a college team.

“I was both a pitcher and shortstop stop, so moving to a pitching-only role has been a little different. I do miss batting a little bit,” Hinders said in regards to his position.

When he’s not throwing bullpen sessions, Hinders can be found on the course working on his golf game. He boasts a 7.8 handicap for 18 holes.

“Repetition, repetition, and more repetition,” is the one piece of advice Hinders would give to younger golfers wanting to improve their games. “You just need to put the time in. It’s not something you can be good at without practicing a ton.”

One of Hinders teammates on the golf team, sophomore James Evans, is thoroughly impressed with the dedication and time Hinder spends working on his craft: “I struggle finding free time between my classes and playing only one sport. I have no idea how he finds a balance between baseball, golf, his classes, and everything else he does.”

On top of playing two sports, Hinders also is a Resident Assistant in the Plex, one of Morningside’s three dorm buildings. He has been an RA for the past two years. 

“Not only do I get to live here for free, I get to meet and interact with so many people on a daily basis,” Hinders said when asked what his favorite part of being an RA was.

Hinders also dedicates one night a week to lead a worship group for seniors from surrounding high schools. 

When asked what he likes to do in his free time, Hinders let out a laugh. “You know, I don’t have much free time,” he joked. “But when I have time to myself, I love to watch sports or play video games with friends.”

Feature Story: Draft #1: Braxton Hinders

Few people are talented enough to play a sport at the collegiate level. Even fewer people can say they play multiple sports.

Braxton Hinders, a senior at Morningside University, somehow has managed to juggle being a collegiate golfer and a pitcher for the Mustangs baseball team for the last four years.

Graduating from Carlisle High School in 2018, Hinders came to Morningside after being pursued by both the golf and baseball coaches. He had to strike a deal in order to make this unusual combination of sports work: he would golf during the fall season and play baseball during the spring.

“I’m so lucky I could go somewhere that I could continue to play the sports that I grew up loving,” Hinders commented. “I’m also lucky to flexible coaches that are able to work with my schedule.”

Hinders stressed that it also helps that he has had some amazing teammates along the way, such as Gunnar Cale.

“Braxton has got a work ethic like no other. He’s a great guy and always is pushing us to be our best,” describes Cale, a baseball player who has been teammates with Hinders for the past two years. “He’s one of those guys who stays even after practice ends to keep working to make himself better.”

On top of playing two sports, Hinders also is a Resident Assistant in the Plex, one of Morningside’s three dorm buildings. He has been an RA for the past two years. 

“Not only do I get to live here for free, I get to meet and interact with so many people on a daily basis,” Hinders said when asked what his favorite part of being an RA was.

Hinders also dedicates one night a week to lead a worship group for seniors from surrounding high schools. 

When asked what he likes to do in his free time, Hinders let out a laugh. “You know, I don’t have much free time,” he joked. “But when I have time to myself, I love to watch sports or play video games with friends.” 

Broadcast Story Script

//I posted my broadcast .mp3 file to Moodle, and here is the script//

You’re listening to KMSC, the student radio voice of Morningside University. Here are some of the top stories from today:

Did you know an asteroid almost hit Earth last week? Don’t feel bad — neither did scientists.

According to Space.com, an asteroid the size of a refrigerator flew past Earth last week, and astronomers were not aware of its existence until it had already passed our planet.

From a cosmic perspective, it was a close call. The asteroid came within 1,800 miles of Earth last Saturday, which is closer than some satellites orbit. It is the third closest asteroid to fly past the planet without hitting it. 

Scientists were unaware of the object because it came from the direction of the sun. It wasn’t until four hours after it passed the planet did scientists realize the near miss. 

Here is ###’s reaction to the incident: :44

Even if the asteroid were to have crossed paths with Earth, it would not have posed a threat. Due to its small size, most of it would have burned up in the atmosphere before touching the ground.

Ten states are suing the Biden Administration to block the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

On Wednesday, ten states, including Iowa, filed a lawsuit against the recent coronavirus vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. This comes after a recent court decision blocked the vaccine mandate for businesses with over 100 employees. 

The states point out the mandate could make the healthcare worker shortage even worse and further losses will endanger the lives of patients. 

On the other hand, the Center for Disease Control has stated that unvaccinated workers themselves pose a risk to patients.

Here is ###, a nursing major, with his take on the situation: 

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. district court in Eastern Missouri and is pending further litigation.

Jurors still have not come to a verdict determining the fate of Kyle Rittenhouse yet.

Rittenhouse, 18, is on trial for first-degree intentional homicide and other charges after fatally shooting two men and injuring another during the riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020.

Rittenhouse’s defense team has claimed he was acting in self-defense and only shot the men after fearing for his own life.

This is the second full day of deliberations for the jury, and they have still yet to reach a verdict. The jury, composed of seven women and five men, have no limit for how long they can take to decide. However, the judge can declare a mistrial if they take too long.

Here is ###’s take on the matter: 

Rittenhouse will wait at home until the verdict is announced.

You just listened to some of the top stories from today, let’s get you back to the music. You’re listening to KMSC, Fusion 93. 

News Comment #10

Biden Rejects $450,000 Payments for Separated Migrants

This article, in the Politics section of the New York Times, written by Zolan Kanno-Youngs, details how President Biden opposed the idea of paying migrant families $450,000 in compensation after former President Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy forcibly separated around 5,500 children from their parents at the southern border.

I thought this was really interesting because it seemed like the U.S. government’s position was going to be to pay them this money, but all of sudden Biden comes out of left field and shoots that option down. The article includes a quote from the executive director of the ACLU, who criticized Biden for the remarks.

Media Comparison

News video from CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kids-covid-vaccine-cdc-recommend/.

Article from USAToday: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/11/02/covid-vaccine-kids-children-approved/6233927001/.

These two stories from CBS News and USAToday are remarkably similar in content even though they are from two separate news sources. Both are similar leads, with the CDC recommending the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11. It makes sense, though, because they are covering the same story.

Just as an article would include quotes from an expert, the news story from CBS also includes an interview clip with multiple doctors. The written story from USAToday includes multiple quotes from doctors and even a quote from President Joe Biden.

I feel like videos are more personable than written news stories but that only makes sense. I really enjoy reading, but it is also pretty nice just to be able to sit back and consume the news without too much effort. I thought both the CBS News and USAToday stories were well executed overall.

Science Story

Did you know an asteroid almost hit Earth last week? Don’t feel bad — neither did scientists.

According to Space.com, an asteroid the size of a refrigerator flew past Earth last week, and astronomers were not aware of its existence until it had already passed our planet.

From a cosmic perspective, it was a close call. The asteroid came within 1,800 miles of Earth last Saturday, which is closer than some satellites orbit. It is the third closest asteroid to fly past the planet without hitting it. 

Scientists were unaware of the object because it came from the direction of the sun. It wasn’t until four hours after it passed the planet did scientists realize the near-miss. 

Here is ###’s reaction to the incident:

Even if the asteroid were to have crossed paths with Earth, it would not have posed a threat. Due to its small size, most of it would have burned up in the atmosphere before touching the ground.  

News Comment #7

House Democratic Retirements Pile Up as Party Fears Losing Majority

This article was published this morning in the New York Times in the Politics section. It was authored by Jonathan Weisman.

The article details that around a dozen House Democrats have announced they are not running for re-election for the next term, including a couple from historically contested and competitive seats. It gives a couple of the reasons why these congresspeople have given for why they aren’t running again. It gets quotes from those congresspeople, a political science professor, and someone from the Republican side of things. I think the quotes are adequate and add to the story in a positive manner. I think this is interesting because I really politics in general.

[FINAL] Homecoming 2021: Exciting, but Overwhelming

A year after the COVID-19 pandemic forced many Homecoming events to be canceled or scaled back, Morningside students turned in overwhelming numbers to celebrate the first-ever Morningside University Homecoming Week.

This was clear during the annual bingo event. Unlike previous years, this year it had to be held in the Yockey Room in the Olson Student Center as Eppley Auditorium was occupied. Unfortunately, this also coincided with the largest ever turnout for bingo, with over 310 students showing up to win prizes.

“Yockey, unfortunately, was not meant to hold much more than that 200 number, causing some frustration from MAC and the attendees as well,” Emma Hannasch said in regards to the event. “MAC has formally apologized to those in attendance and hopes to see everybody at future events!“

All of the Homecoming events were sponsored and planned by the Morningside Activities Council (MAC), the student-led group in charge of providing “quality entertainment as well as educational opportunities to the students of Morningside College,” according to their Constitution.

Hannasch, the President of MAC, said Homecoming Week “went really well.” In regards to the turnout, she said, “It was exciting to see the large attendance numbers and it was an amazing feeling honoring President Reynders and Robin throughout the week.”

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Morningside wasn’t able to fully celebrate the 2020 Homecoming as much as most students would have liked to have seen. This year things were able to return to normal.

The first event of Homecoming week was held on Monday. During this event, students were able to create their own custom street signs. An annual Homecoming event, students went to Yockey Room in the Olson Student Center and customized the design and words on these signs. 

“I’ve gone to this event every year so far, and it’s one of my favorites,” said Alex Freeman, a junior political science and business major. “I have one from each year hanging in my room still.”

This event, as well, was flooded with students. People were forced to wait for over an hour to get their sign due to the high demand.

“I didn’t really mind the wait too much, but it was annoying that I had to stand there for a while,” Freeman commented.

On Saturday night, a live band was brought in to play for students to show off their voices singing karaoke.

“It was great to see another event for students to gather at, relax their mind, and have fun at,” said Sam Petersen, a senior who attended the event. 

The first 75 attendants at the karaoke event were given a free MAC blanket. However, well over 75 students showed up for the event, forcing many to leave without a blanket.

“I’m lucky I got there early enough to get a blanket. They are really nice, and I will definitely use it at home,” Petersen remarked.

However, not all of the events were overwhelmed with a high number of students. 

Tuesday brought the annual Homecoming Coronation followed by the first-ever lip sync battle contest.

Students voted for who they thought should be on the Homecoming Court, and the top five men and women were chosen from the senior class to be on the Court.

The men on the Court consisted of Braxton Hinders, James Spicer, Tyler Carney, Carter Anderson, Tyler Anderson, and Drew Binning. The women on the Court consisted of Marissa Hernandez, Sophia Peppers, Hannah Capps, Lindi Pojar, Rachel Barkema, and Betsy Ridout. 

In the end, Hinders was chosen to be the first every Morningside University Homecoming King and Hernandez as the first-ever Queen.

“It was such an honor to elected King,” said Hinders. “I never really thought it would happen, to be honest.”

After hundreds of pictures were taken and hugs were given, it was time for the lip sync battle.  

Five groups participated in the contest, which was judged by President John Reynders, his wife Robin, Dr. David Elder, Wendy Wilde, and Shari Benson. 

The winning group was comprised of Ridge Hoffman, James Evans, Brian Nathaniel, Bess Telfer, Kirstin Verplanke, and Zach Craig. The group sang “Summer Nights” from Grease. 

“I think everything had a fun time dancing and acting. I know I did,” Hoffman said, who was responsible for getting the group together.

On Friday night, magician/mentalist West Mathison entertained students with his tricks in Eppley Auditorium.

“I really like going to watch magicians, and Mathison didn’t disappoint,” said Freeman.

After the conclusion of a long and busy week, Hannasch had some thoughts about how MAC was able to grow. 

“The biggest things learned for MAC during homecoming week this year was to just roll with the punches. We aren’t going to know everything in advance and that’s okay. Our focus needs to not only be on the students having a good time but the MAC team as well.”

What’s in There?

Almost every day I walk down the campus mall, and I stare into the large windows of the Krone Center. I have never once stepped into the oddly shaped building until today.

Caden Schulte and I were greeted by Carly Hanson, for the university. She is the Associate VP for Marketing and Communication. She told us what goes on in the building, explaining that the departments Marketing/Communications, Career Services, Alumni Relations, Web Development, and Sports Information are all housed in the Krone Center. There are about eight people who work here, not including around 15 student interns. 

It’s a very modern building, with a lot of glass inside the building. Everything there had a modern finish, with a couch and a couple of chairs in the middle of the common space. All of the officers are around this common area, with windows facing inside of it. 

There is a sink as well as a snack bar in the common area, too. Doritos, cookies, and fruit snacks, just to name a few of them. I was told anyone can have them, so I grabbed a bag of chips to put in my bag for later. I told them I would be coming back for more later.

One of the things I noticed as I walked in is that the place smells and looks clean. They must do a solid job of keeping the place looking nice.

In addition, by the snack bar, there is a lot of Morningside swag items. There are tumblers, hats, license plates, and pins.

Descriptive Assignment: Monster Buddies Fruit Snacks

If you have never had a fruit snack before, you’re missing out. I’m not sure I could even attempt to estimate how many packs I ate as a child as I would eat at least a pack each day after school.

I have never tried Kelloggs Monster Buddies before, but they are similar to many of the other fruit snacks I have had.

Not sure what a fruit snack is?

They are small, no more than a half-inch wide or tall, and come in the colors green, yellow, red, and orange. While they are solid, they are easily mendable and bendable, almost like gelatin.

Each of these Monster Buddies is designed to look like, well, a monster. A cute monster, though. They are pleasing to the eye, like a monster drawn up for a kid’s movie.

I would’ve thought they would have been easier to chew, but they offered some resistance to the initial bite. Each of the colors had its own flavors, none of which I am able to distinguish.

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