The Bulldog Beat

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Ghosts at TWU???

By T’evon Shuler Before TWU It is no question that Tennessee Wesleyan University has been around for some time since it was founded in 1857. That being said, many may question what was here before it was a university. Before Tennessee Wesleyan, Athens was a battleground for the Civil War and one of our buildings was used as a hospital. That building was Old College! Story of Barnabas Old College being a hospital for soldiers in the Civil War in the middle of Athens, TN is mind boggling. Thus the story of Barnabas. Barnabas was a soldier during the time of the Civil War and is now rumored to be stuck inside the Old College building. Many reports have come from Faculty and workers of strange noises that can be heard inside the building when alone. There were not only reports of strange sounds, but also reports of strange things happening inside the building. Legend has it that at night, if you were to look at the windows, you would see a shadow-like figure. Townsend Old College is not the only haunted place on campus as the security officers of Tennessee Wesleyan have heard many things in Townsend. Being in buildings at night alone can be scary by itself, but when you hear running footsteps going around you, it is scarier. If you were to ask, many of the security guards on campus have experienced the unnatural sounds and laughs of women inside Townsend. Sometimes if you are in the Thunder Fitness Center alone at night, you can hear the footsteps above you, but the stage of Townsend is empty. Campus Living There have been other reports of supernatural occurrences on campus that can not be explained, and another is Keith’s 1st floor. Stories have gone around of windows randomly opening when people are asleep. A student in Keith with a private room has experienced this first hand. One night she went to sleep with the window closed because it was windy outside, but she had woken up cold. When she went to see why it was so cold in the room, the window was strangely opened. She then closed it thinking maybe she had done it, but the same thing happened again and again for a countless number of nights. TWU is steeped in Athens history that goes all the way back to the Civil War. With so many stories and lore, there’s really no telling if ghosts roam the campus or if these phenomena were simply the wind. Video and Video Editing by Emilia MercadoAudio by Tyris NelsonEditorial by Marco Martinez

Campus

Meeting the Fall Sports

By T’evon Shuler Tennessee Wesleyan University fall sports are under way. Below are updates on each of the sports, including a chat with new men’s volleyball coach Josh Branan. Men’s Volleyball The men’s volleyball team is new to the TWU campus this year and to the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Women’s Volleyball First-year head coach Kylie Whaley and first-year assistant coach Gabby Harris are having an educational debut season. Both coaches mentioned that this year has been a learning experience. However, according to Coach Whaley, both coaches have had experience with playing volleyball and coaching, so getting the team to where they need to be for the end of the season is looking good. Coach Gabby wants to build her team’s foundation and culture, “Our favorite word is grit…that dog mentality of hustle and heart.” Men’s and Women’s Cross Country 2nd-year head coach Michael Basuini and 1st-year assistant coach Tatyiana McClendon are excited about this year’s team. With this being “the biggest cross country team we’ve had,” according to Coach Basuini, they are looking to set a good foundation this year. Coach McClendon plans to bring different leadership qualities to the team such as “encouragement and accountability.” The team has its top runners coming back such as Daniel Greene, Zane Marlow, Abby Hampton, and Molly Woodby, and is also bringing in some new talented recruits such as Caleb Greene and Madison Rooker. Women’s Soccer Tennessee Wesleyan women’s soccer team is currently ranked 3rd in the conference with 5 wins and 3 losses. Krista Eik Hardardottir (forward) is the top scorer on the team as she is tied 4th in the conference with 6 goals and 13 points. Jill De Waal (midfielder) is also in the top 10 in the conference as she has 4 goals and 10 points. The team has 8 more conference games left to play during this 2022 season. On the defensive side, Laia Roch Font (goalkeeper) has the 2nd best save percentage in the conference at .818. Men’s Soccer Tennessee Wesleyan men’s soccer team is ranked first in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. With them winning 3 games, only losing 1, and tying 5, they are looking to win the conference over. Billy Boag (forward) is top 7 in the conference for most points with 13 and is helping the team as well with 3 assists. They have 7 more conference games left to play during this 2022 season. On the defensive side, Michael Garrihy (goalkeeper) is top 4 in the conference for goals against as he has only allowed 10 against the team. Video editing by Alex WizeVideo production by Bulldog Beat StaffEditing by Emilia Mercado

Campus

TWU Campus Celebrates First International Day Since COVID-19

By Emilia Mercado Last week Tennessee Wesleyan celebrated its first International Day since the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2019. Spanning most of the day, the event was a hit amongst students and a way to bring a long-lost tradition of celebrating international students and TWU’s diversity back to campus.   Dr. Augustin Bocco, Associate Professor of French and Francophone Students and Coordinator of International Student Services was in charge of International Day and due to his enthusiasm for the event as well as the willingness of the campus members, many students attended the event and there were many booths that were hosted by both students and faculty members.   “It had been two years since we had International Day because of COVID, so it was very exciting to finally be able to do it again,” said Dr. Ana Barrios, Assistant Professor of Spanish, “Dr. Bocco is in charge of these activities. Basically, he asked people from the International Club or different faculty members like me to set up tables and offer different things like decorations, food, and other items people have that are typical from their countries.”   Since Tennessee Wesleyan has an abundance of diversity on campus, International Day has been a long-time tradition, “The International Day here is a tradition. It’s an event to show the community that we are part of a global community. No community, no university, or no country leaves on their own island. We are all connected and part of a global community, so that’s what we try to do here in Athens as well,” said Dr. Bocco, “you may think this university is small, yet we have a lot of international students that have come from all over the world to study here. We have between 25 and 30 countries represented on this campus, so it tells you that this campus is rich when it comes to people, when it comes to culture, and when it comes to diversity. This is one of the reasons why we put together a day like International Day.”   The food at International Day was great, but the students running the booths were the real heart of the event. Most of the students running the booths were international students and each person had an interesting tidbit about their home country that they were eager to share to everyone that came to the event. “I love the carnivals in Spain and the fires in Tenerife as well as the building and beach in Barcelona,” said Claudia a TWU student from Spain. “My favorite aspect of Haitian culture is the family aspect,” said Joelle, a Haitian dual-enrollment student at TWU, “We’re all pulled up together and united and that’s really important to me.”  Many of the International Students expressed their joy of being able to study at TWU as well. “It’s always been a dream to play golf here just because of the warmer weather and I can play golf year-round without being stuck in the snow,” said Olivia, a TWU student from Canada. “I like a lot of things at TWU. The activities, the clubs, getting involved in campus and just walking around. It’s just beautiful,” said Micaela, a senior at TWU from Guatemala.    Overall, this year’s International Day was an undeniable success and it brought back a piece of celebration that students had missed out on in the last few years. “It’s a way to honor our students and also to honor our host culture,” said Dr. Bocco. “We have a great diversity on campus, and I think it’s a great thing to recognize and celebrate that,” said Dr. Barrios.   Video by Dasha VarnerEditing by Braxton TurnerEditorial Assistance by Bella FricksPhotos by Emily Baker and Tiffany Pace