Sherilyn Emberton, Ed.D. (Photo by Laura Good)

What is your religious background and path to faith?

Like many people, it’s really hard to ever find a time when I wasn’t exposed or didn’t know who Jesus Christ was. I grew up in a home and a region of the country that Jesus Christ was a predominant part of everywhere I went and a number of the people I was around. As a child, I certainly accepted Christ as Savior; it was a very cognitive decision. I knew I didn’t want to go to Hell, I wanted to go to Heaven, I wanted to be with the Lord. It was probably later in my teen years when I began to understand the whole concept of sin, and understanding that there was a savior that paid a price for that sin. But even with that, as I was talking with some of the students the other night at the HUB, even as you grow later as a young adult you begin to realize that understanding and as you face adult decisions, really coming to grips with, you want to make sure your life matches a Christ-like walk. I’m just that. It was probably in my early twenties that I felt pretty convicted that I wanted to make sure that, although I had accepted the Lord and had realized that Jesus Chris was my Savior, I really wanted to consecrate my life so that there was no doubt. So that when people saw me they saw someone that tried to represent Christ in lifestyle and in compassion and in stewardship – the things that would reflect Christ. So it was probably those two or three years in my early twenties that I began to look at how did I want to live the rest of my life, what were my choices going to be, and how did that reflect my call to faith? I was privileged to grow up in a home where Christ was taught, but it really was a growing throughout those years that I began to make my faith my own.

What is your family situation?

I don’t have a very large family and I think it was because my father had seven brothers and sisters and he came from a very large family while my mother was an only child. I have one brother and he is very wonderful and I love him dearly. He works for an engineering firm here in Longview, Texas. He has three children. I have a sister who was born almost a year to the day I went to college – almost 19 years younger than me! She is a computer software person, and she is very smart. My mom is doing well – she’s retired and a former teacher. She taught for almost fifty years at different levels. She lives in Longview. My stepmother – Judy Emberton – lives in Carthage, Texas, and she also is a retired educator who taught thirty years at kindergarten and first grade. So I kind of was born to be a teacher, one way or the other.

Why did you pursue a career in education?

I think the Lord prepares you, along the way, for how He could use you. Both my mother and my father were educators. My father was a science teacher for many years and later went on into private business, but my mother was always an educator. I got to see what a difference their lives made in the lives of other people and, whether consciously or unconsciously, saw how the Lord used that. I think I always knew I wanted to be involved in schools – I loved it. I think I’ve been in school ever since I was four years old! I’ve loved teaching. I’ve been an administrator. I just have enjoyed seeing the impact that education can make not only in the lives of students, but the impact that it can make in the community it serves.

What was your dream job as you were growing up?

My dream job was originally a basketball coach. I coached a little basketball early in my life and I enjoyed that. Always, I think it was to be in the middle of doing something for the Lord. I always wanted to be involved with people who were making a difference. I’ve always been a frontline person. With projects in the church, I wanted to be in the middle of that. I don’t think I left high school thinking I was going to be a college president someday, but I think I always knew the Lord was preparing me to be a leader. I had people who believed in me and saw those gifts in me, so I saw myself preparing to accept the challenges of leadership.

What are your favorite things to do in your spare time?

I love to sing – but I don’t think I’m necessarily very good; if I’m not, don’t tell me. I love music of all kinds. I love community theatre, I love to act a little bit. I love to read, sports – both to participate and watch. I just like to be around people who love to have a good time and love to laugh out loud. I enjoy life.

How do you hope to engage the campus community with these interests?

I always was very privileged because I have worked on campuses with heavy residential populations. The students have always been very positive and engaging with me. I love to participate with student associations and usually attend fine arts events and sporting events. I have led in the area of travel study and ministry opportunities. I know in my role as president, my opportunities will be somewhat limited, but I sure hope the students invite me to participate. I love late-night coffees and after-game pizza runs and enjoy spending time with students.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Serious: people who look over other people. That really bothers me when I see people who just look over the needs of other people and are not conscious of others. Frivolous: when people try to pass of Diet Pepsi as Diet Coke. I’m a big Diet Coke person!

What is your favorite musician/band?

I love acoustic music. I grew up in a home that was pretty musical. I follow Alison Krauss & Union Station. Probably my favorite guitar player would be Tony Rice, someone you’re probably not familiar with. He was an acoustic bluegrass musician. Some really good groups that I listen to tend to be more folk music, like The Isaacs and The Martians. I listen to some contemporary Christian music, but I probably don’t know who the artists are.

What’s your favorite movie?

It has always been Hoosiers. Ever since it came out. I guess it was because of the basketball and that the guy wins in the end and the team wins, but that has always been my favorite.

If you could pick five adjectives to describe yourself, what would they be?

I’m high-energy. I’m inquisitive; I love to learn, to a fault. I’m interested in people and what’s going on. I err to the side of being proactive rather than reactive. I consider myself musical; again I understand why other people might not. I try to live my life loud. I honestly want to live my faith loud. I really do want to make a difference for Jesus Christ. That’s what I consider this life about and I want to make a presence for Him while I’m still able to on this Earth.

Photo provided.

Textbook Butler, a new way for students to order textbooks from the book store on campus, will be implemented on campus in the fall semester.

Darren Campbell, chief executive officer of Tree of Life Bookstores, along with Student Senate, bookstore faculty and Julie Hendryx, interim business and finance vice president, met April 24 to discuss the book model changes next year.

Although the administration has prepared for the changes, former student body president Daniel Binkoski and former vice president Jason Wright (Binkoski and Wright handed power over to the 2013-14 student body president, Luke McConnell, on May 8) said the changes are not beneficial to the student body.

“I think in its current form, as presented in senate, it’s not a viable option,” Binkoski said. “It’s not nearly as flexible as it needs to be.”

The new bookstore model adds a new opt in and opt out feature that will ensure books are ordered and delivered to students before classes begin. Students who opt in must buy all of their textbooks, not just some, from the bookstore.

“I think Textbook Butler is a good win-win for all three sides,” Hendryx said. “For the faculty, it stresses the importance that students have their textbooks. For students, it gives them a good option for those who want to get their textbooks from the bookstore, and for the bookstore it solves the macro-problem of the business model.”

However, Wright said he disagrees with the Textbook Butler program.

“Personally, I don’t think he’s [Campbell] very attentive to students’ needs,” Wright said. “I don’t think he understands what students want from the bookstore. It’s the students that are making the sacrifice on this … there’s three parties you need to make happy, and the students got left out on this one, and they are getting the worse end of this.”

Textbook Butler will be linked on the Huntington portal website, where students have the option to opt out per-semester.

The new book model automatically opts all students in on the system, but students may go to the portal and choose to opt out. If a student does not opt out, he or she will have to get every book for all of their classes through the bookstore. The books will be in their dorm room when they arrive at the university in August.

“They are losing the option of buying from the bookstore only the books that they want,” Hendryx said. “That’s probably a con for students. They can’t just pick and choose what books they want from the bookstore anymore.”

Although most students will have the option to opt out, Student Senate and administrators are still debating on whether freshmen will get that decision at all. Freshmen may be required to opt in the first semester, but that matter has yet to be decided.

“Either all students are opted in automatically, and they can opt out if they want, freshmen included, or make all of them [freshmen] do that for the first semester,” Binkoski said, “which I don’t think is the right thing to do at all. This hasn’t been decided yet.”

Binkoski said the bookstore will still stock some books in limited supply, but the plan is to completely phase that out within a few years. He said this is not in the best interest of the students, but it is being pursued anyways.

Wright said he doesn’t think automatically opting students in is the right decision.

“Forcing students into it is not the way to do it,” he said.

Hendryx said she would take that into consideration.

Although Student Senate was informed about Textbook Butler, Binkoski and Wright said they disliked the timeliness of their inclusion.

“I was made aware of it a month ago,” Binkoski said. “I had a meeting with Julie Hendryx for 30 minutes to find out what it was, and at that point they were at the place where they were like ‘this is Textbook Butler, we’re probably going with it.’”

Wright said Student Senate was not properly informed of the changing model.

“On this decision, it never went to students before it was already decided,” he said.

Hendryx said they did not intentionally not inform them about the changing book store policies.

“I think I looked at it from a standpoint that ‘it’s a broken business model’ that had to change,” she said. “I would appreciate some of their perspectives on how to make it work, but it was not my intention to not include Senate.”

Patrick Eckhardt, director of marketing for Tree of Life Bookstores, said the new bookstore model offers price structures adaptive to the market. Rental prices, he said, are competitive with used book prices on Amazon.com.

With the new model, the bookstore “can be more aggressive in the market,” Eckhardt said. “Typically, the price structure will be more adaptive to the market. It’s better for us, it’s better for you.”

Wright, however, said Textbook Butler isn’t competitive in the market.

“I don’t get where he [Eckhardt] gets that idea from,” he said. “His rental prices were comparable to the cheapest buying prices on Amazon. You can’t compare rental prices to used book prices.”

Forty-eight percent of students buy or rent from the bookstore, according to Hendryx’s data. Thirty-six percent of the total textbook sales are through the bookstore website. The bookstore sold $150,000 in textbooks August 2012, and the sales for the whole semester were $167,000.

“The bookstore returned $148,000 that semester,” said Hendryx. “Prior to the fall of 2012, one major book distributor for Tree of Life told them they would not sell books to Tree of Life if they continued to have such high returns.”

Binkoski said he has had frustrations with the bookstore in the past and hopes the situation will be resolved soon.

“In my experience, the bookstore is not competitive at all,” he said. “They say … they will lower prices, but they didn’t give any numbers. They are actually not that competitive with online markets.”

UPDATE: Binkoski said May 9 that it had been decided freshmen will not have to opt in and will be given the opt out option like other students.

The SimMan lies on the intensive care bed waiting for the computer to bring him to life to teach the nursing students. (Photo by Jannea Thomason)

Click to play

[Music begins.]

MICHAEL THOMASON: In the lower level of the Science Hall, there are mannequins laid up in hospital beds waiting for nursing students to come fix whatever their tag says is wrong. Learning with the mannequins is a unique experience. [Music fade out.] Jannea Thomason takes us behind the curtain.

[Hi, I’m Caitlin. I’m going to be your student nurse today.]

JANNEA THOMASON: First year nursing students practice the skills they’ve learned in class on people even before clinical. The “people” are teaching mannequins that simulate every aspect of a human except the living part. Pamela Anderson, the simulation lab instructor, explains what they expect from students.

PAMELA ANDERSON: We tell them to suspend their disbelief. That they have to come in and approach it as if they’re gonna really see this person in the clinic situation. That it’s a real person. It’s very hard because they are mannequins.

THOMASON: Students have to talk to the mannequins as if they were real and treat them like they were. Changing bandages, inserting male catheters, and wiping up fake body fluids — these are only a few of the activities students do. Senior Gabby Helle has worked with the mannequins a year-and-a-half and knows the process.

GABBY HELLE: Yes, they’re fake. But they’re simulating a real patient.

THOMASON: The department has three full-bodied, adult teaching mannequins: a black man, a red-headed woman, and a white boy/girl. The department also has one SimMan, a computer-controlled, interactive mannequin. He breathes, talks, has a heartbeat on the monitor and can have a serious medical emergency at any moment.

[Breath sounds, coughing, mannequin talking.]

HELLE: We went over to the practice lab, and Pamela just had us looking at ABGs and looking at other just small stuff on the patient. [Mannequin sound out] And then all of a sudden she’s, like, “Alright, the patient’s coding.” So. Then. We all just kind of froze, like, “ah, ‘kay what do we do?”

THOMASON: A moment later they snapped into action and went through the steps they had done many times before. SimMan was stabilized. The students use the basic skills they practice separately on the other mannequins all together during the simulation.

HELLE: And it’s Pamela behind the window talking to us. So sometimes she can hear us through the window. And so she’ll respond back, like, with some moaning and groaning or, like, just weird noises that you are going to hear on our patient. Just it’s weird to hear it out of a mannequin. So we’re [we are], like, assessing something and all of a sudden he was like, “agh,” or like making vomiting noises.

THOMASON: The students are ready for anything to go wrong at any moment.

HELLE: The IVs become disconnected from them, so then they start, like, leaking water everywhere [from] inside them.

THOMASON: All the simulations have been successful in Helle’s opinion because they have forced the students to work together, take responsibility, and immediate action. When something does go wrong, they are going to take care of it before it gets worse. Getting all the details right and ending with a healthy or stable mannequin is better than the good grade.

HELLE: So that way it gives me the confidence and them [the patient] the confidence.

THOMASON: Students leave the lab ready to use the skills they learned–and with funny stories to boot. [Music in.] This is Jannea Thomason reporting for the Huntingtonian.

[Fade out music.]

Photo provided

Student Body President-elect Will Stauffer resigned from the position on May 7, the same day he was supposed to be handed the gavel by 2012-13 Student Body President Daniel Binkoski at the annual Forester Night awards ceremony.

Vice President-elect Luke McConnell has assumed the role and is the new Student Senate president. The transition from Binkoski to McConnell was made official at the Student Senate meeting May 8.

“For personal reasons, I decided that it would be best for everyone if I stepped down,” Stauffer said. “I think Luke will do a great job as president and I have full confidence in his abilities to run Student Senate.”

Stauffer, a junior who served as the commuter representative on Senate this year, was elected student body president on March 14. He defeated Jason Wright, who had served as the vice president during 2012-13.

Binkoski received Stauffer’s resignation May 7.

Although Senate traditionally has a ceremonial passing of the gavel towards the conclusion of Forester Night, the official transitional meeting, when the members assume their new office, is the last meeting of the academic school year, Binkoski said. Instead of passing the gavel this year, Binkoski spoke of the next president as “whoever.”

“We just did not feel like we had enough time to go ahead and change things,” Binkoski said. “It would have been kind of last minute and rushed. So we chose to leave it out.”

Binkoski sent a campus email announcing the change and vacant vice president position after the transitional meeting May 8. He said that he wanted to make sure that the Senate members knew first, which was not an option if they passed the gavel at Forester Night.

“I kind of wanted to make sure that Senate fully understood that Luke is their president … and announce it officially to campus right after that,” Binkoski said. “It made the most sense, obviously because next year’s Senate is the one working the most with the president.”

McConnell, a current freshman, was named the next president in place of Stauffer because of the guidelines outlined for succession in the body’s constitution, Binkoski said. Article 15 of the Student Senate Constitution directs the question of succession of the president to Article Six Section Two A, which outlines the duties of the vice president. The constitution states that the vice president “assumes the duties of the president in his/her absence or in the event that she resigns or is impeached.”

However, Stauffer and McConnell were not the president and vice president, respectively, at the time of the resignation because the transitional meeting had not yet occurred.

Binkoski said that McConnell became president-elect as soon Stauffer resigned because the newly elected Executive Board (EB) was already planning and making decisions for next year.

“They have the authority for next year’s EB as they immediately begin serving in those positions,” Binkoski said.

McConnell, who had mulled a presidential run against Stauffer, said that he feels confident that he can do the job.

“I originally decided to run for vice president in order to give an upperclassman the opportunity to serve as president,” McConnell said. “As vice president, I would gain experience and knowledge on how to be a better president in future years. However, in recent turn of events, I am ready to step forward and take on the challenge as president, to serve the HU student body in the best way possible.”

McConnell will be the second consecutive president taking the position as a freshman and serving as a sophomore. Binkoski was also elected as a freshman, unopposed, and served for two years. McConnell said the presidency was unexpected but he does not see being a sophomore as a significant setback in the position.

“I think there are challenges in any leadership position as you go into it,” he said. “Being a sophomore I might not have quite the resources that I might have if I had another year, but I am up to the challenge of creating the contacts and I have people around me who will help me, support me in that.”

To fill McConnell’s vacated vice president seat, there will be a special election May 13-14. Wright is planning on running to serve in that capacity again next year, despite accepting a position as a student leader at the Friesen Center for Volunteer Service in the aftermath of the Senate election.

“I’ve thought long and hard and believe that I have the time and abilities to adequately serve both,” Wright said. “This year I thoroughly enjoyed my job … and with the opening I’d love to continue serving the campus this way.”

Emberton praised the Peoria, Ariz. plan at the press conference announcing her as president. (Photo by Laura Good)

The university already submitted a proposal to the city of Peoria, consisting of potential programs, location and funding. The Peoria City Council will announce their decision May 7. No further action can be taken until then.

Emberton said she is “very excited” about the Peoria campus.

“I think it’s a great opportunity not only to advance programs but also to advance our faith in that area of the country,” she said.

A projected timeline and estimates for the satellite campus were revealed at a faculty meeting April 17. The university plans to have 225 full-time students for the 2014-15 school year and expand to 1,100 full-time students by the 2017-18 school year at the satellite campus. The project would need approximately $2.5 million for the first and second years to cover salaries, lease expenses, academic equipment, marketing and program budgets.

A building leased by Trine University has been designated as a possibility for Huntington to sub-lease until an expansion building is located. At least one site, located at Thunderbird and Highway 101, has been identified for further expansion. It contains 17,000 square feet of classroom and office space that is immediately available, according to the document presented at the faculty meeting.

The full story on the Peoria campus’ projections can be found here.

The occupational therapy program will be the university’s first doctorate program and could launch in the fall of 2014. The programs will be within the new Life Science Education and Research Consortium of Northeast Indiana at the Parkview Randallia campus in Fort Wayne.

Emberton shakes hands with students after she was announced as the next president. (Photo by Jared Huhta)

The board of trustees has unanimously named Sherilyn R. Emberton, Ed.D., as the next president. She will be the 13th president and first female president in institution history. She will assume the position on June 1.

“Today is a great day to become a Forester,” Emberton said. “I am so excited.”

Emberton will replace G. Blair Dowden, Ed.D., who announced his retirement in October 2012, after 21 years as president.

Emberton said that she is convinced that the university will continue its tradition of sharing its faith through academics and service. She was impressed by the “foot print of service” by the students and noted the successes of graduates from the institution.

“I am so thrilled to partner with faculty, staff and students as we move forward in this next year,” she said.

Emberton noted that she wanted to continue her career with a Christian university.

“I made a conscious decision a few years ago that if I was going to pursue executive leadership at any institution, it would have to be an institution focused on faith,” she said.

Emberton said that she has a strong financial acumen and feels like she can succeed in leading the university financially.

She said the university was the right place for her because the students wanted an active and involved president. She cited this Huntingtonian editorial as “one of the key things” that encouraged her to pursue the job.

“You wanted a president that would come and spend time with you,” Emberton said. “I love that part. You hooked me there.”

Emberton also said she is “very excited” about the board of trustees approving the Peoria, Ariz. branch campus.

“I think it’s a great opportunity not only to advance programs but also to advance our faith in that area of the country,” she said.

Junior Will Stauffer, the newly elected student body president, said that he plans to develop a strong relationship with Emberton and help the campus community get to know her better.

“Part of my role is to assist her with interacting with students as much as possible, plan events to help her to do so and help her get a feel for the community,” he said.

Kelly Savage, chair of the board of trustees, said it was a very lengthy process, but the board is excited to have Emberton as president.

“She builds programs and knows how to build programs for the university,” Savage said. “We want someone that is a builder at this university.”

Emberton said that before she makes any sweeping changes she wants to get to know the resources that she has already in place here.

“We may have a super team in here that can have galvanize and do those things [advance the university],” Emberton said.

Ann McPherren, Ph.D., said that the presidential advisory task force, the team that selected Emberton, knew what they wanted in a president and Emberton fit the description well.

“We really were in one mind as we thought about someone that is Christ-centered, someone that is student-centered and someone that is forward looking,” McPherren said.

Matthew Ruiz, Ph.D., represented the faculty in the decision and said the choice was easy. He said he is excited that Emberton had served as a dean because it is a valuable experience that some of the institution’s recent presidents did not have.

“She was actually the first candidate we interviewed,” Ruiz said. “She kind of set the bar, and we probably could have stopped after the first interview.”

Dowden and Emberton (Photo by Laura Good)

Freshman Luke McConnell said that he is looking forward to Emberton’s presidency and working with her through his position on Student Senate.

“I think she will be great with community here,” he said. “I’ve heard that she just loves to come hang out with students and get to know people. I think she is going to be great getting to know students and just really caring about our campus.”

Emberton currently serves as provost and the vice president for academic affairs at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas. East Texas Baptist is a private, residential and faith-based liberal arts institution serving the tri-states area of Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. She has been at East Texas Baptist since 2010.

Prior to East Texas Baptist, Emberton served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Lincoln Memorial University, in Harrogate, Tenn.

Emberton received her doctorate of education from Texas A&M University in 1999. She completed her undergraduate and masters work at Stephen A. Austin University.

Emberton is currently a National Advisory Taskforce Member for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Chief Academic Officers. She received the 2012 Meritorious Service Award from the National Conference of Academic Deans (NCAD). She was the conference co-chair for the NCAD in 2012.

Emberton is not married and does not have any children.

Chris (left) and Blair (right) Dowden at the special ceremony on April 25. The university announced the naming of the Science Hall and the honorary titles at the ceremony. (Photo provided)

The university has announced that the Science Hall will be renamed the Dowden Science Hall and hosted several retirement events throughout the semester for President G. Blair Dowden. The events have provided an opportunity for alumni and university partners to bid farewell to the outgoing president as well as make contributions to the university in his name.

The Science Hall, which opened in 2002, was funded and built during Dowden’s 22-year tenure. The board of trustees announced the new name of the building at a special ceremony on April 25, and named the building in honor of the president and his wife, Chris.

“We will remember the two of you and will be forever grateful,” C. Ray Miller, former board of trustees chair, said. “Blair and Chris, we will remember.”

The Dowdens were also named President Emeritus and First Lady Emerita, respectively, by the board of trustes.

Vincent Haupert, vice president for advancement, has helped administrate the retirement events. He described the events as “properly acknowledging” the president’s retirement.

“Several people who attend these events are donors to the university,” Haupert said. “I thought, even if they’re not, from an advancement objective, it makes sense for me to be involved.”

There have already been five retirement ceremonies this semester, Haupert said. The Dowdens attended the two annual alumni events in Florida in January, and were first acknowledged there. In March, the university sponsored an event in the Grand Rapids, Mich., area to honor the president, which was followed by an early April date in Chicago. The latest event was in Indianapolis on April 16.

Haupert said that the events he has attended went well and the reception was good.

“In Blair fashion, he diverted the attention and deflected it to accomplishments the university has seen,” Haupert said. “Even more, he talked about the future of HU and why he is excited.”

Haupert said that the university has also established a Dowden Scholarship for Horizon Leaders. The Dowdens have asked that those wishing to make contributions to the university in their name donate to the endowed scholarship. Currently, $16,000 has been raised for the scholarship, which needs $20,000 to become fully endowed.

The retirement ceremonies also lay the groundwork for welcoming the new president because many of the guests at the retirement ceremonies will want to be apart of meeting the new president also, Haupert said.

“We expect to use some of those same locations in the fall where we will be introducing and having meet-and-greets for our new president,” he said. “We’re properly wanting to honor and acknowledge the Dowdens but at the same time be prepared for properly welcoming and bringing in a new leader.”

Dowden said that as the end of his career at HU nears, he has been thinking about the things that he will miss. The events have somewhat provided him an opportunity for nostalgic thoughts, but he expects most of the final reflections will be after graduation.

“It’s been such a busy time that there haven’t been a lot of opportunities to reflect,” Dowden said, “but I expect that to pick up after commencement ends and that we’ll do a lot of reflection then.”

As for his future, the 60-year-old said that “there are plans to not have plans for six months.” Dowden said that he has been advised to take a six-month sabbatical to renew and see where God wants to take them.

“Chris and I really want to serve and whether that is a paid position or a volunteer position – we don’t know,” Dowden said. “I’ve received a couple inquires about possibilities, but I’ve said ‘Please contact me in December and we’ll talk about it.’”

There are two future receptions planned for the Dowdens. A campus community retirement celebration will take place on May 9 from 3 to 5 p.m. in the upper level of the Habecker Dining Commons. The final event will be a Huntington community dessert reception on May 21. This event will invite members of the local community and surrounding area who support the university.

Lori Culler, athletic director, said that Clounie Landscaping undertook the job of repairing the field. Clounie also does the other landscaping work on campus.

Russ Lawson, men’s soccer head coach, expressed that he is very pleased with the progress and the process that was taken to fix the fields.

“Clounie killed off the old grass,” he said. “They also tilled the field over 40 tri axle loads of quality top soil to build a new crown for the center of the field. They also raised the level of the field to bring the sidelines flush with the interior drainage that has been installed.”

Culler said that this was a unique situation that affected the fields, and one the university hopes not to encounter again.

“The fields are always monitored for grubs and are treated if there is a problem,” she said. “The problem with the game field this fall resulted because of a combination of things that were related to installing the new track.”

The process has been extensive, but the university has taken caution in order to fix the problem and help prevent it from happening in the future.

Lawson explained that the next step in the process is to continue the seeding. He said the hope is to get two more rounds of seeding done before August, when the field will once again be in use.

Last season, the men’s and women’s teams had to resort to playing all of their home matches at a neutral site, with most games moved to Fort Wayne.

Sophomore Courtney Baker said that her team is excited about being able to play on their own field again in the fall.

“We do not want to go through what happened last year again, but we are grateful for the work that has been done and look forward to having home games once again this year,” she said.

Professors Overheard Issue 6