Previously published in Frederick Magazine.

Walking through a forest of trees that shelters an aerial park above my head, I feel like a member of the Swiss Family Robinson clan, marooned on a secluded jungle island. Ropes dangle from 50 feet up. Zip lines hang like hammocks between trees. An occasional “whoop” floats down from the green canopy—a call to join in the adventure above. Who can resist such an invitation?

Apparently, not many. Since the North American introduction of this sport that is the stuff of childhood fantasies, rope climbing has become more and more popular, attracting experienced climbers and land-lovers alike. The Sandy Spring chapter of this story—the recent construction of the largest aerial forest adventure park in North America on the grounds of Sandy Spring Friends School—actually began in Switzerland. Bahman Azarm was there attending a school reunion with his family when his daughter, who had never cared much for outdoor sports, discovered an unlikely passion in the land of ski slopes: rope climbing. The story winds up from there. Azarm’s Connecticut based construction company, Outdoor Ventures, started building obstacle ropes courses on the East Coast, and it recently completed its most ambitious project yet: the five-acre aerial adventure park owned and operated by Sandy Spring Friends School, which opened in late July.

Ben Samuels, park manager, sits beneath a white canopy about two hundred feet away from the aerial park and explains that Sandy Spring Friends School’s Adventure Park imitates some of the finest aerial parks in Germany, Switzerland and France. It is actually a ropes course hybrid; aerial parks lack the traditional structure of ropes courses, giving climbers greater freedom and opportunity for self-exploration. The Sandy Spring Adventure Park offers 10 ropes obstacle courses—from low to high ropes—and is distinguished as one of the few North American ropes parks designed and built by Bahman Azarm’s Outdoor Ventures. “It is one of the biggest aerial forest parks in the world,” Samuels says.

Such an enthralling attraction resides in a quiet spot, one owned by the Quaker community at Sandy Spring Friends School. For Bill Mena, director of auxiliary programs at the school, the aerial park is an environmentally friendly use of the forest that gives students an opportunity to practice the traditional Quaker principles of peace, integrity and stewardship. In many communities— from private and public schools to businesses and behavioral treatment facilities—rope climbing has gained a reputation as a character-building sport. “For corporate team building, it’s really about communication and building trust,” Samuels says. “It’s like the trust fall.”

When Samuels, a leather-tanned man in his mid-thirties, speaks about the park, his eyes light with excitement and his voice quickens with enthusiasm. He has been climbing since he was 15, feeding his appetite for outdoor adventure and his love for protecting the environment, and he now might be considered a ropes obstacle course expert. He points out that, contrary to popular belief, aerial parks are designed to preserve the integrity of wooded areas—and not to destroy them. Rather than drill cable holes into the trees, builders at The Sandy Spring Adventure Park wrapped cables around the trees, and they cut down harmful vines that were fettered around trunks, strangling trees’ growth. Gerhard Komenda, one of only a few bio-dynamic foresters in the world, consulted with builders on the safest way to construct the park without harming the forest.

IN THE SWING OF THINGS

Before venturing on the course, Samuels instructs me on routine safety procedures. Each climber is equipped with a harness, two lanyard clips and a zip line pulley. “The main safety rule in the park is to always stay clipped in,” Samuels says. Standard procedure dictates that before climbers ascend to the upper levels, such as the blue or the black diamond levels, they must first complete the yellow or green course. Sandy Spring Adventure Park will soon be the first to install German manufactured locks that prevent climbers from un-clipping both lanyards at once.

Obstacles vary in difficulty on each course, according to level. Beginners on the yellow course, the easiest in the park, are confronted with 12 obstacles constructed of logs, planks and barrels. On any other East Coast ropes course, yellow would be considered a challenge—but not at Sandy Spring Adventure Park. Here, the most difficult course is the double black diamond, whose highest platform sits at 50 feet above the ground. Those brave enough to attempt this course find themselves balancing on wooden discs that hang from the bottom of ropes and scaling up nets on all fours. According to Samuels, so far only a few people have been able to complete the double black diamond course. “You’re really going to be challenged,” Samuels saysabout the high-wire course. “Nobody is going to come here and say, ‘That was easy.’”

Embarking on the green course for my first climb, I am informed that for beginners, this is an “adventurous” move. As I begin the course by groping my way up the bars on a wooden ladder, I repeat to myself the instructions: “Click—hook the first lanyard onto the marked red point on the cables. Then—click—repeat this step with the second lanyard, and don’t look down.” So I look around me instead. I’m standing next to tulip poplars, oaks and maples whose tops touch the sky as wispy clouds weave in and out from behind clusters of sun kissed green leaves. Peaceful yet exhilarating, this grand view gives me the illusion that I’m on top of the world when in reality, I’m standing stiffly on a lumber platform.

Though the course might have you hanging onto your lanyards for dear life, you’re safe as long as your harness is secure and your lanyards are clipped onto the red tape marked along the cables. Samuels admits, however, that like all sports, rope climbing comes with its own inherent risks. “We take a lot of risks in our lives for granted,” he says. “People die from their cars, and rope climbing is the same as a lot of life-and death situations.” Statistically, someone who pioneers his or her way through a ropes course is choosing a safer route than an athlete who plays school sports on a regular basis. When Samuels tells me these things, he speaks as an experienced climber who admits he isn’t afraid of climbing even the highest obstacle in the park. But it’s difficult to disengage from doubt and fear when you’re not accustomed to heights and stand suspended on a wooden log 30 feet from the ground.

Unlike many ropes courses, Sandy Spring Adventure Park allows climbers to conquer the course without hands-on supervision from an instructor. Samuels explains that an unguided ropes course allows climbers to grapple their way down through nets and across tightropes using their own mental strength. But there’s always a safety net below: attentive park staffers who wait to rescue any climber who loses his or her nerve.

A zip line marks the end of the course, carrying me to solid ground where a group of middle school girls wait to take their turns in the heights. What awaits them is an adventure taken straight from the pages of a childhood storybook, one whose end never satisfies you and only leaves you thirsting for more. Later as I drive away from the park, I grip my steering wheel with renewed self-confidence as along the roadside I pass telephone cables that slope in like zip lines. They seem to be calling to me. “Turn around,” they seem to cry. “The adventure is back there!”

Previously published in Frederick Magazine.

Follow the sound of the whistle across the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad tracks, over the tinkling stream that runs under the white trestle bridge and back in time to your destination: Winderbourne is waiting. The pink, Queen Anne–style mansion with deep rose–colored trim and shutters offers refuge during the summer months, driving away hot days with a generously cooling breeze from Little Seneca Creek.

That was 126 years ago. Descend the train today in Boyds, and you’ll find a painted lady resting tranquilly amidst her faded grandeur. Her paint has chipped, and tragedy and time have taken toll on her floorboards, shutters and porch. She waits now for a new owner to restore her to the elegance and charm that she once wore so well. Once upon a time, she was the dream of a Washington, D.C., attorney and his heiress wife. On a late 19th-century day, Col. Enoch Totten, attorney for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and his wife Mary rode the B&O train out from their home in D.C., taking the single wooden track that wrapped around Little Seneca Creek and falling in love with the view out their train window. Mary Totten was the daughter of Wisconsin Sen. Timothy Otis Howe and the heir of a multimillion dollar fortune amassed by her uncle, Elias Howe, the inventor of the “bobbin winder” stitch device for sewing machines. In 1884, Mary and Enoch built their dream house and named it Winderbourne, for it was born from the generosity of Mary’s uncle, the bobbin-winder genius.

Winderbourne was quite an undertaking for architect Thomas Burdette, and he spared no expense to include all the structural marvels of the 19th century. A triangular fireplace graces the front hall, living room and dining room, with three flues sharing a single chimney that spans 6-feet wide. Above the entrance foyer hangs a suspended room. Rain spouts empty water into an underground cistern. A porch wraps around the house, flooded with the sweet aroma of purple magnolia trees and snow bushes and overlooking the train tracks and creek.

For the first period of its life, Winderbourne was the Tottens’ summer home. In the spring, the family—Mary, Enoch and their three children—packed their bags and rode the train out to escape the summer months in the city heat. Summertime was when Winderbourne came to life with Victorian elegance. The double doors to the formal dining room opened for dinner parties where food was served on polished silver platters. The Tottens arranged for Winderbourne to be its own whistle stop; for a nickel, trains brought D.C. visitors directly to the mansion. When autumn set in, the Tottens packed their bags and moved back to the city, only to await summer’s return.

Yet a permanent winter would set in at Winderbourne, leaving the Totten family devastated. The three children were stricken with typhoid fever from drinking water contaminated by straw in the ice house. A son died and the surviving two children were left hearing impaired. Daughter Edith Totten never married. Despite her hearing loss, she attended medical school and became a medical professor at Johns Hopkins University. Edith adopted a daughter to raise on her own, and she wanted her child to grow up as she had, playing under the umbrella of sycamore and hemlock trees at Winderbourne. It was during a visit to Winderbourne that her daughter was the victim of a tragic accident. She was playing on the banister behind the formal dining room that led to the cellar. The wooden steps were steep and curved at the landing, and when Edith’s daughter slid down the banister rail, she fell sharply and was killed by the fall.

Enoch Totten died in 1898, and Mary’s death followed in 1913. For years, Winderbourne sat vacant, visited only by local boys who raked leaves for 50 cents a day. The Great War came, and as our young men fought overseas, a seemingly harmless child’s game in the fall of 1917 resulted in another death on the Winderbourne property. The game was “soldiers,” and the pump was their guarded post. Daniel Webster Shorb was asked for a secret password to enter the post. He hesitated, and the gun of a fellow playmate—that no one knew was loaded—fired, killing him. The mystery of whose gun shot Daniel was never solved. Some swore it was “Howdy” Harold Lewis, while others said Earle Hoye had pulled the trigger.

In 1929, Winderbourne was purchased by a newly married railroad detective and schoolroom teacher. Edward and Beulah Pickrell raised their three children—Edward Jr., Joan and Paxton—simply during hard times. Yet today, Paxton “Packy” Pickrell, the surviving member of his family, fondly remembers a childhood of fishing for catfish in the creek and building forts in the forest. “Family life,” Pickrell explains, “was different when I grew up. It was very close.”

Today, Winderbourne waits for a buyer who, Pickrell hopes, will restore it to its once-upon-a-time grandeur. He is prepared to hold out for that special person who loves history and is willing to spend a small fortune to turn back time. Pickrell’s greatest fear is that the mansion might be torn down—and that the historical legacy of Winderbourne would be lost. Going to Winderbourne, he says, is “like going back in time. It’s not haunted, no one is watching you, but it’s so quiet, it’s like you’re reliving history.” Parts of Winderbourne have been modernized. Little Seneca Creek has been merged with neighboring creeks to form Seneca Lake, and the single train track is now a double track. Yet many aspects of Winderbourne remain the same. The cool breeze still drifts in from the lake, large sycamore trees remain, waiting to be climbed. And then there’s that whistle you hear every so often … the sound of a train chugging past, carrying passengers on board.

Previously published in Montgomery Life.

Blues and soul musician Patricia Reese has covered a lot of territory as a musician in the DC area. Winner of the 2009 Washington Area Music Association Album of the Year (WAMMIES) for her third and most recent album “Strong Medicine,” she performed at Strathmore’s Tribute to Woodstock’s 40th Anniversary, and will take the stage this summer at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Germantown. Defined by her diversity, Reese refuses to be associated with any one genre, and her songs are a soulful blend of mainstream pop, hard rock ‘n’ roll and smoky acoustic vocals. Her music courts different audiences and ages, and focuses on creating an emotional musical experience that will move listeners “to a better place.”

Reese’s roots are planted in Silver Spring, where she was raised by her mother and stepfather—neither was musically inclined. A product of the Woodstock Era, Reese grew up listening to the music of Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Motown on the WAMU 88.5 FM (American University Radio). She began playing guitar and singing when she was 12 years old, making amateur appearances in coffee shops and talent shows throughout her teenage years at Springbrook High School. Upon graduating, she moved on to pursue a musical degree at the University of Maryland, afterwards focusing on her musical career and introducing her first album, “The Broad Highway,” in 1995.

Reese will perform at BlackRock on July 31 with guitarist Dave Chappell; bassist Sonny Petrosky; drummers John Thomakos and Andy Hamburger; and Brian Simms on keyboard. Their performance will feature songs from her newly released album “Strong Medicine,” which Reese considers to be a personal best for her career as a musician and songwriter. “The band has matured a lot,” Reese says. “We have finally come together as individuals and as a band.” Influenced by the music of Bob Dylan and Etta James, ”Strong Medicine” is an eclectic collection of songs featuring a variety of musical genres, including the rock-inspired piece “Who’s Got Your Back” and the soulful vocal album cover song “Strong Medicine.”

Previously published in The Source.

February 24, 2010

Demita Odom remembers standing in the doorway screaming on a Sunday afternoon in 1957 as she watched her mother drive away. “I didn’t understand what was happening,” Odom describes. “One minute I was living with them and the next my mother and my baby brother had left.” Odom later realized that she had been given up for adoption, and from that Sunday on, she would only see her mother and little brother on weekends. “I started eating a lot after that,” she remembers. “Eating has always been an emotional problem for me.”

Today Odom is 58 and weighs 300 pounds. She is one of thousands who live in “obesity closets” across America. “It’s a whole society of people who are shut off,” describes Sandra Kelley, owner of the Atlanta-based weight loss company T.O.U.C.H. 52:11. “Doctors are cruel to them so they don’t go to clinics; they have no help and there is nothing they can do.”

On February 9, 2010 Michelle Obama offered hope to many obese children in America when she announced her campaign against child obesity. According to the campaign’s website, letsmove.gov, nearly 1/3 of American children are obese. The “Let’s Move” task force will work to serve healthier school lunches, reprint soda can labels in clearer lettering, and make the food pyramid more accessible to the public. The question among some conservative critics, however, is whether it’s the government’s job to fix the obesity problem in America.

Sandra Kelley first realized she was different from other kids in kindergarten. “My mother bought me a beautiful dress and I was so excited to wear it in the school picture,” Ms. Kelley recalled. “I was told to stand in the back because I was too big.” Like Odom, Kelley built an emotional connection with food while growing up in a dysfunctional home. “Food was the one thing that didn’t talk back,” Ms. Kelley explained. “It wasn’t loud and it truly became a friend. It continued to be a friend as I grew older.”

In high school, Kelley kept her depression a secret from her friends and spent nights locked in her room feeding her emotional exhaustion. “People always expect you to be the happy fat kid,” Kelley explained. “Inside I was depressed and an emotional wreck.” After days where Kelley pretended to be happy, she would shut her bedroom door and eat. “I ate whole birthday cakes before dinner,” Kelley recalled. Refusing to eat during the day, she saved her appetite till the evenings, when she ate a dozen donuts and two or three cartons of ice cream. “People used to say ‘oh just stop eating’,” Kelley explained, “but you feel lonely. It’s like there is a wall around you and you are always by yourself.”

Both Kelley and Odom learned to live with isolation in their daily lives. “I am always afraid when I go over to my friends house that I will break their furniture,” Odom explained. At 58 she is still unable to drive a car. “No one will let you drive their car when you are obese,” Odom explained. “You live in a world of your own.” For years, obesity controlled Kelley’s sleep. “I couldn’t sleep on my back because my chest would choke me,” Kelley recalled. “I always had to sleep on my side.”

Some argue that emotional problems are not an excuse for overeating. Former “Biggest Loser” contestant Kelly Macfarland says that obesity is an issue of not taking care of oneself. “It’s not an emotional or a self-control issue,” Macfarland said. “I don’t think that anyone allows themselves to become overweight. It just happens.” For Christopher Lore of Patrick Henry College who weighed 285 pounds his freshman year, obesity was a lifestyle issue. “From the time I was about 17 I could drive everywhere and eat whatever I wanted,” Lore explained. “That coupled with no physical activity, I started putting it on.” Lore described arriving at college as a “wake up call.” “I didn’t wanna be that guy,” Lore recalled, “who was huge and is just stuck in the weight gain, self pitying state.” Through daily work out routines and a change in his diet, Lore lost thirty pounds his first semester.

Lore doesn’t believe that “Let’s Move” will effectively lower obesity in America. “You can’t force people to quit smoking,” Lore said. “Until you decide that you want to quit, you aren’t going to, and regulations won’t change anything.” Randy Balko, contributing writer and former political analyst at The Cato Institute, believes “Let’s Move” represents big government. “If private industry can’t figure out how to slim people down,” Balko commented, “why do we think the government can?” Balko argues that Michelle Obama’s campaign will only result in more taxation. “We’ll all have our choices restricted,” Balko said, “and have to pay taxes because some politicians decided this should be a government issue.”

Yet according to former General Surgeon Richard Carmona, government isn’t part of the “Let’s Move” program. “Michelle Obama is a leader stepping up to the pulpit,” Carmona explained. “She is not looking for bigger government, but is trying to reduce the problem by banding people together against obesity.“ According to Dr. Carmona, obesity is an unanticipated consequence in society. “People who are isolated resort to feeding on their emotional problems and gain weight,” Dr. Carmona said. Kelley argues that “Let’s Move” is one of a few options left for obese kids. “Kids don’t go to clinics because the doctors are cruel. Parents only end up making their kids more emotionally disturbed,” Kelley said. “Obesity is a huge problem in society. There are kids stuck at homes because they can’t walk.

Kelley began changing her eating habits after she left her abusive husband in 2007. Months later she was driving in her car when she felt something strange in her back. “I realized it was a bone in my body,” Kelley recalls. “I had never felt a bone in my body.” Overwhelmed, Kelley pulled to the side of the road and cried. “It’s the little things that make a difference,” she remembers. “After being overweight since childhood, I could finally wear a seat belt and buy clothes at the mall.” Today, Kelley runs T.O.U.C.H. 52:11 where she helps clients lose weight by addressing their emotional problems.

Odom however, still lives in her obesity closet. “Being obese is like being a chameleon,” Odom described. “People expect you to be one way, and half the time you don’t know who you are.” Her obesity keeps her from holding a full time job, and she rarely goes out with her friends because she unable to walk long distances. Odom is seeking help through T.O.U.C.H. 52:11, but some things are hard to let go. Referring to her birth mother, Odom said, “I never called her mother again after she left me. I will always call her by her first name.”

Previously published in Frederick Magazine.

Green Rides
Tired of walking through the Downtown heat but loathe to add more automobile emissions to this summer’s poor air quality? Try Macfawn’s Green Rides, offering human-powered transportation through the Historic district and Baker Park. Just text your location to their number and one of their 12 pedicabs will pick you up and cycle you to your Downtown destination. Prices fluctuate: It’s $2 a head to take you to any bar or restaurant, and the price goes up for tours. Service is available from noon to midnight on weekdays, and runs later on weekends. The number to text is 301-246-2221.

A Welcome Respite
Verbena Day Spa has blossomed on West Patrick Street, promising a respite from summer heat and stress. Owners Junia and Carlos Almeida opened the spa to fill a need in the “charming city” that they call home. “We noticed that Frederick offers a lot of hair care, but not that much skin care,” Junia says. Community reception has been wonderful, she says of her first month in business, noting especially support from the Frederick Chamber of Commerce. The Almeidas and their team of highly skilled therapists offer a variety of specialized services, including massage, skin and nail care, eyelash extension and waxing, and the spa carries only those products that Almeida uses herself—Dermalogica, glominerals and OPI Nail Lacquer. Junia is a native of Brazil. She worked in cosmetics and skin care there before emigrating to the U.S. and furthering her spa acumen for some 14 years in Georgetown. “We love Frederick,” she says of the decision to open a business here, “and we wanted to be close to our kids.” 14 W. Patrick St., 240-575-5333. verbenadayspa.com

Down-to-Earth Polish
Neutre Inc., an Aveda salon and spa, has recently opened on South Market Street in Downtown Frederick. Clients can enjoy spa treatments and salon services and will soon be able to book appointments for manicures and pedicures. An environmentally friendly salon, Neutre Inc. practices the Aveda concept of beauty through green products, and sells Aveda shampoo and styling merchandise. 101 S. Market St., 301-228-3670. neutreinc.com

Smokin’ RIBS
Rib City opens its newest franchise in Frederick this month! Any place that boasts “If you have to pick up a knife to eat our Baby Back Ribs, we’ll pick up your meal!” is worth checking out. Choice cuts of meat are basted with a signature barbecue sauce and smoked over select hardwoods in wood-burning smokers. 5227 Presidents Court, Westview Corner Center. ribcity.com

No Reservations Required
Since its opening in 2008, VOLT has established an impressive reputation in the Frederick area, one that makes it difficult to acquire a reservation. With its new Express Lunch Menu, however, VOLT now caters to walk-in customers. Patrons are seated at the bar or in the lounge area, and handed a smaller—yet equally delectable—menu that replicates the larger menu served in the dining area. Prices are lower, the food is delicious, and the best part is that no reservation is required. voltrestaurant.com

Love at First Bite
Ardent pizza lovers have a new eatery: Cici’s Pizza is now open on Buckeystown Pike. Furnished with a game room and an endlessly stocked buffet, Cici’s is the perfect hangout location for families to gather on a Friday night— or any night of the week. Although best known for its pizza, Cici’s serves a variety of pastas at low prices. Frederick’s Cici’s Pizza is the ninth store owned by franchisee Rob Shuffield. 5010 Buckeystown Pike, Westview Village Shopping Center, 301-846-9099. cicispizza.com

The Big Pizza Pie
Take your largest appetite to Fellini’s Italian Kitchen, new on Thomas Johnson Drive. Portions are generous— from the brick-oven pizzas and calzones to the traditional and innovative Italian specialties, like Capellini al Fruitti Di’ Mare and Linguini Con Scampi. Dishes are accompanied by fresh-baked bread and homemade sauces. And be sure to save room for dessert. Fellini’s serves six flavors of gelato, the ever-popular cannoli and daily dessert selections. 177A Thomas Johnson Drive, 301-682-3388. fellinisitaliankitchen.com

Oil and Vinegar
Lebherz Oil & Vinegar Emporium is a bit of Europe transported to Frederick. Maggie Lebherz, owner of the store recently opened at 214 N. Market St., has had a lifelong love affair with olive oil and vinegar, a passion that flourished during her years attending college in Spain. Oil and vinegar stores, though common on European streets, are just now beginning to grow as business ventures in the U.S. Lebherz Oil & Vinegar Emporium offers products from 43 far-flung businesses—from Spain to Greece and California. loveoliveoilvinegar.com

FroZoë
Frederick Citizens surprised Zoë’s Chocolate Co. last month with hundreds of entries for their contest to name the frozen mystery dessert. As a result, this decadent treat finally has a name: FroZoë. Zoë’s is currently rewarding all entries by offering a 10 percent discount to any contestant. 121 N. Market St.,301-694-5882. zoeschocolate.com

Previously published in The Source

January 20, 2010

“Will I be able to get a job with this degree?” This was the question Meredith Schultz asked Dr. Mitchell in 2005. A public policy major, she wanted to switch to political theory, but wondered if starting the political theory track was a practical step for any future career.

In today’s depressed economy, philosophy and liberal arts majors are not considered job training degrees. According to a recent New York Times article by Kate Zernike, college undergraduates are hesitant to major in philosophy or liberal arts. The article, published in early January, reported that many college students think liberal art degrees will be “meaningless” in their post-graduate job search. The article coincided with the recent decision by a Louisiana university to withdraw its philosophy major.

In December of 2009, the Louisiana Board of Regents announced its decision to withdraw the philosophy major at Louisiana at Lafayette. The decision was made after the board determined that U.L.’s philosophy program lacked the student enrollment it needed for the board to continue granting state funds. Meg Casper, associate communications director for the Board of Regents, explained that Louisiana at Lafayette’s philosophy program qualified under the “low completion” category. “A major is declared low completion,” Casper explained, “when less than eight students graduate per year.”

According to Ms. Casper, the board collected and examined the enrollment data of U.L.’s philosophy program from the past five years before making its decision. After determining that enrollment in the philosophy program at U.L. was declining, the board considered dropping the major. Louisiana at Lafayette was notified of the board’s consideration and given the opportunity to argue against withdrawing the major. “This is the third major budget cut the board has been forced to make,” Casper explained. “We are operating on less and we have an obligation to look at the low-completion programs.”

U.L.’s philosophy department disagrees. Dr. Berkeley, philosophy professor at U.L., claimed that enrollment in the philosophy program had been steadily increasing. “Philosophy,” he said, “was the ‘sacred cow’ sacrificed for political reasons.” Dr. Berkeley worries the philosophy education in Louisiana will be negatively affected because of the Board of Regents decision. “There is only one philosophy program at a state university in Louisiana now” Berkeley pointed out. “It makes no sense.” U.L. is the second largest state university in Louisiana.

U.L.’s philosophy program typically graduated four students per year. Professor Berkeley denied The New York Times’ report that no philosophy majors graduated in 2008. According to Dr. Berkeley, the board made its decision because, “People don’t like people who think.” Dr. Korcz, who also teaches philosophy at Louisiana at Lafayette, said that Louisiana’s Board of Regents assured the university that the program would not be cut because philosophy was considered a missions program.

Dr. Berkeley originally majored in geography at the University of Leeds in England. He switched to philosophy because he wanted to win a debate with a fellow classmate over Descartes. Born in the U.K., Berkeley wanted to teach at U.L. because he felt a great need for philosophy education in Louisiana. Dr. Roberts, philosophy professor at Patrick Henry College, believes that philosophy often calls its students to a special kind of “ministry”. “Philosophy,” Dr. Roberts explained, “is the language which enables me to teach knowledge to others.”

Yet philosophy is not exclusively “missions” work. Dr. Berkeley disagrees with the “misconception” that philosophy does not produce job-training skills. “The highest paychecks often belong to philosophy graduates,” Berkeley argues. Dr. Roberts agrees that the potential success of a philosophy degree is often unrecognized. “The traditional stereotype wrongly depicts philosophy as an impracticable major,” Dr. Roberts said, pointing out that philosophy is the most common pre-law major in the country. “Student who graduate with a philosophy degree are well equipped for most jobs,” he said, “because philosophy trains you to think.”

Graduates of the political theory track at Patrick Henry agree that political theory has trained them in political thought and analysis. Peter Schellhase, who will graduate from Patrick Henry this spring, was among the first to enroll in the political theory track when it was first offered in Fall 2005. Schellhase is interested in pursuing economics and decided to study political theory because he felt it would give him “a broader understanding of political thought in general.”

Schellhase and Meredith Schultz both admit that the search for jobs has been challenging in their post-college life. They believe, however, that all college students are facing the challenging job market, and that their degree in political theory has not harmed their job search. Ms. Katherine Hansen, associate publisher for Quintessential Careers, an online career site, agrees that today’s job market is challenging to all college students. In her opinion, political theory and liberal arts majors are among the best prepared in today’s job market. “Very few jobs are closed to liberal arts and philosophy majors,” she said, “unless they require specific skills or expertise, such as computer programming.”

Dr. Mitchell, director of the political theory track at Patrick Henry College, was unable to tell whether enrollment had been affected by the economy. He noted that the junior class currently had fewer political theory majors than normal, but did not know if this was merely due to the current recession.

Both Schellhase and Schultz’s current jobs are far from their “dream” jobs. Schultz would like to rebuild impoverished societies in third world countries. Schellhase, who is currently employed at a bank, is interested in pursuing a career in developmental economics. He hopes to one day construct economic theories and help third world countries progress to a more prosperous way of living.

Schultz, however, is confident she made the right decision when she switched majors in 2005. She made her choice because of Dr. Mitchell’s response to her question. “Dr. Mitchell told me that if you can write well, think well, and analyze well, you will be prepared for anything.”

Previously published in The Source.

February 17, 2010

Sex is a good thing, comedian and pro-abstinence youth speaker Keith Deltano tells audiences. “But fire is a good thing, in the fireplace. Put it on your couch–PHOOMPH!!–you got problems.”

For years, organizations promoting “safe sex” have argued that studies and speakers, like Deltano, are misleading people by promoting abstinence until marriage. Teaching abstinence to teens, they argued, just doesn’t work. But now a new study suggests that the pro-abstinence message does strike a chord with teens, with the news arriving just in time for Valentine’s Day.

On February 1st the University of Pennsylvania released a study which reported that the number of teens who had sex after completing abstinence programs was reduced by 33%. An article in The Washington Post published on February 2nd commented that the study was “the first clear evidence that abstinence programs could work.” After years of teaching, teens appear to be responding to the abstinence message.

Deltano isn’t surprised. “Teen pregnancy has been in decline since the early 1990′s,” he said. “The problem is the media refuses to recognize it.”

Others, however, claim that the study misrepresents teens and purposely favors the abstinence message over the campaign for safe sex. In a recent article published in the Huffington Post, Dr. Yvonne Fullbright wrote that the study did not represent the majority of teens. The article “Abstinence Across the Board: Not so Fast!”, reported that the study was “small, involving only 662 African American sixth and seventh graders.”

The two campaigns, abstinence and safe sex, seek to educate teens about sex and prevent unwanted pregnancies. The difference is that while abstinence believes in saving sex for marriage, organizations such as Planned Parenthood encourage teens to approach sex with safety precautions. The two programs were compared in the study at University of Pennsylvania. The results showed that 20% of students became sexually active after completing abstinence programs, and that 29% of the students were sexually active after completing safe sex education.

Deltano began to promote abstinence in the early 90′s with a “sexual revolution” campaign. A graph on his website, virginityrocks.com, shows how teen pregnancies began to fall when abstinence programs were introduced in the late 80′s and early 90′s. Deltano said that agencies such as Planned Parenthood are against abstinence. “They do not like the idea of marriage,” Mr. Deltano claimed. “They do not want to talk about marriage and do not want to edify marriage.” Mr. Deltano said that the positive effects of the abstinence message among teens are largely ignored by the media. “The kids love the message of abstinence,” Mr. Deltano said. “It’s the parents who have a problem with it.”

Carol Jones, representative for the Planned Parenthood League in Virginia said that Planned Parenthood’s approach towards abstinence is often misrepresented. “Our education teaches abstinence plus,” Jones said. “We teach abstinence, but also teach that those who are going to engage in sex should know the effectiveness of birth control and condoms.” Ms. Jones said that the study in The Washington Post inaccurately portrays the “abstinence only” program was working. “The training manual given to the students,” Ms. Jones explained, “did not treat abstinence in a moralistic tone. It also taught the alternatives of how to use birth control.”

Many Christians, however, have rejected contraceptive “tools” and bought into the message of purity. Purity teaches abstinence as a lifestyle – not just a set of rules. Jordyn Wilson, co-author of Purely Women, said, “Our message is that purity is the integrity of a woman. Purity has to do with a lifestyle.” Focus on the Family spokesman Steve Watters agrees. “It is a message of the heart,” Watters explained. “It gets into soul and character issues.”

The purity campaign has struck gold on the merchandise market. Rings, shirts, sweat pants, and undergarments that declare the message of abstinence are readily available for any teen. Technology entered the market when, in July 2009, Apple announced its iPhone purity ring application.

Some students at Patrick Henry College have decided that they don’t need to wear purity on their sleeves. Evan Mantel, a junior, doesn’t wear a purity ring. “It’s not because I have a problem with purity rings,” Mantel said, “but because my purity is tied to my honor and my status as a Christian. That thought binds me more than any ring could.” Freshman James Nelson wears a bracelet with the words “War Within” as a daily reminder of the Christian fight. “I don’t think that everyone should have to wear a ring or a bracelet or anything like that,” Nelson said. ”For me it’s just an added reminder to stay faithful to my promises and my convictions in Christ.”

According to Donna Freitas, author of Sex and the Soul, many college students think that sex and religion are not related to each other. In Sex and the Soul Freitas visited several universities, chronicling the different reactions and opinions college students had towards abstinence and safer sex. “Girls respond both positively and negatively to the idea of purity,” Freitas said. “Some girls wear the ring, other girls are completely opposed.” Ultimately, the biggest concern for Freitas is whether the purity movement is effective. “People can talk about abstinence and safe sex all they want,” she said, “but unless it means something to people, it doesn’t do any good.”

The recent study released by the University of Pennsylvania gives renewed hope that the abstinence campaign is indeed doing good. Advocates of abstinence were overjoyed when they first read the news. According to Deltano, however, teen pregnancy has been declining since the 90′s. “The question,” Mr. Deltano said, “is why nobody is talking about the 15 year decline in teen pregnancy that occurred during abstinence education – no one in the mainstream media anyhow.”

Previously published in The Source.

February 3, 2010

The meanings of words change over time. Feeling gay doesn’t mean being happy about a recent promotion anymore. ”Liberal” now means more government – not less. And feminism, though once associated with bra-burning and anti-male sentiments, has recently taken a newer, more positive definition through the movement of “new feminism.”

New feminism is a term invented to counter the negative reaction women have towards the word feminism. “Feminism,” Phyllis Schlafly, President of the Eagle forum and Legal Defense Fund said, “means anti-marriage, anti-masculine, and anti-man.” New feminism seeks to redefine feminism to mean an emphasis on the positive aspects of women, without criticizing men.

Henry Karlson, a professor at Georgetown University who also specializes in gender studies, described how new feminism “addresses the feminist concerns in a way which overcomes some of the failings of the recent past.” Instead of focusing on the mistreatment of women, new feminism focuses on the positive ideas that promote respect for women in society.

Supported largely by religious groups, new feminism seeks to distance itself from “radical” feminism, and declares that feminism is a positive movement for women. “New feminism,” Karlson said, “upholds respect for women in the public and political arena, while not demeaning mothers who choose to stay at home.”

According to Karlson, the movement began with Pope John Paul II. In his pamphlet, The Gospel of Life, the Pope urged women to “promote a ‘new feminism’ which rejects the temptation of imitating models of ‘male domination’.” Pope John Paul II emphasized how men and women complement each other in their personalities and characteristics. While female leadership is encouraged in the public realm, new feminism also supports women’s roles in the home. “Feminism had a radical beginning in the past,” Karlson said, ”but it can now be seen as a positive outlook for women.”

Some Feminists, however, disagree that the new feminism is a positive step. Dr. Virginia Mollenkott, Professor at William Patterson University and author of Gender Diversity and the Christian Community disagrees that the 1960’s feminists acted radically. “Feminism wanted equal rights,” Dr. Mollenkott explained, “new feminism is just continuing a third wave of feminists.” Dr. Mollenkott disagrees that feminism is a negative word, and believes that Christians and religious groups often misuse the term “feminism” to promote the idea that women are subject to men. “The Christian patriarchy,” she said, “is dishonestly twisting the term ‘feminism’.”

Many Christians and conservatives, however, believe that the word feminism is better left alone. Michelle Easton, President of Claire Luce Boothe Institute, an organization for young conservative women, rejects the idea of recycling the word feminism.“I have no desire to take back the word feminism,” Easton said. “New feminism is like a ‘new wave’ of gays.” Easton believes that feminism, regardless of a positive makeover, will always be a negative phrase for women. Schlafly agrees. “New feminism is trying to redefine a word people don’t like,” Schlafly said. “Feminism is a bad word.”

Both Schlafly and Easton argue that feminism was a positive word when it first originated before the 1970’s. “Feminism was originally a suffragette term,” Easton explained. “It used to refer to the equal treatment of women under the law.” In the 1970’s, however, the term feminism took on a new meaning. Schlafly explained how activist and feminist leader Betty Freidan believed that suburban women were stuck in “comfortable concentration homes.” “Women in the 1970’s defined feminism to mean liberation,” Schlafly said. “They convinced themselves they were second class citizens, living in an oppressive patriarchal society.”

Students at Patrick Henry College tend to agree that feminism is a negative word and should not be changed. “Using a term that already has a negatively perceived connotation only furthers the feminists’ cause,” sophomore Greta Pilgrim observed. Senior Becca Chin Yee agrees. “Divorcing feminism from its original meaning is unwise,” Chin Yee said. “Feminism was a rebellion of women who took their beliefs too far.”

Dr. Mollenkott agrees that the new feminism is not compatible with its original definition. “Christians are now taking feminism and disguising it with a new meaning, “Dr. Mollenkott said. Many conservative believe this disguise as ineffective. “It’s like trying,” Pilgrim said, “to reinvent a badly working wheel.” Both conservative and feminists believe this “wheel” was better left alone.

Previously published in The Source.

January 27, 2010

“I love you so much, I will even marry you.”

Many at Patrick Henry College would consider this a strange phrase to say to someone they are in love with. Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest book, Committed, does not necessarily agree with the common convention that love equals marriage. While Gilbert is prepared to pledge her checking account and eternal commitment to her lover, Felipe, she admits that the word “marriage” destroys her emotional security. “Every intimacy,” Gilbert writes, “carries, somewhere below its initial lovely surfaces, the ever-coiled making of complete catastrophe.”

Reviewed by Oprah, The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Time Magazine, Gilbert’s book is making the buzz around in book clubs and homes. Her first book, Eat, Love, and Pray, chronicled her divorce and in Committed, Gilbert questions why she should marry again. Gilbert admits throughout Committed that she is as confused on the subject of marriage as anyone else. Why then, is Committed worth the read? Because it should be noted that a New York Times best selling author is not writing about birth control pills or torrid love affairs, but about her ultimate contentment with fidelity and home.

Gilbert’s first and most charming anecdote is of her visit to a Hmong family in Vietnam. “It’s hard to imagine loneliness here,” Gilbert writes, “just as it was impossible to imagine where in this crowded domestic arrangement you might find….privacy.” Gilbert describes how in the Hmong culture, the husband and wife are kept occupied with their separate tasks, and more often spend time with their own gender, rather than each other. Compared to the Hmong’s culture, the western cultures interpretation of marriage and family is strikingly different. Gilbert observes how American couples tend to live in their “intensely private, closed off homes.” While the Hmong family is a unit made of many members (grandmothers, aunts, uncles, sisters), the American family is “smaller and ever more nuclear,” according to Gilbert. American men and women, she says, tend to centralize their lives around themselves, and their spouses. “In the modern Westernized world,” Gilbert writes, “the person whom you choose to marry is perhaps the single most vivid representation of your own personality.” American women, unlike the Hmong women, depend entirely on their husbands for emotional support. Romantic love exists in Hmong relationship, but it is not the focus. Gilbert notes how the Western culture has recently absolved the idea of a “pragmatic” marriage, and replaced it a romantic one.

Of interest to Christians is how Gilbert addresses the issue of marriage and Christianity. “Marriage,” Gilbert writes, “has not always been considered sacred, not even within the Christian religion.” Gilbert’s interpretation of marriage in the Old Testament is that it was intended to continue “the progress of tribulations of bloodlines.” In the New Testament, however, Gilbert claims that Christianity encourages its followers to abstain from marrying. “The early Christians,” Gilbert writes, “weren’t interested in making Christians in the biological sense; they were interested in converting Christians in the intellectual sense.” Gilbert quotes Paul in 1 Corinthians, when he writes, “it is not good for man to touch a woman.” Gilbert believes that Paul wishes Christ’s followers to be celibate and unmarried. Gilbert’s translation of the New Testament is that it instructs Christians not to marry. Christianity, therefore, cannot claim to have a tradition steeped in marriage.

Maggie Gallagher, president of Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, admits that Gilbert’s interpretation of the New Testament is somewhat valid. “There is truth in her claim that Christianity has had trouble with sexual desire,” Gallagher said. “St. Paul clearly believed it was better to be celibate than to marry. Paul thought a husband had less time and energy to serve God.” But, Gallagher added, Paul’s preference about marriage was his; and not God’s. While Gilbert says that the early Christians viewed marriage as impure, Gallagher disagrees. “The way Protestants have done it typically,” Ms. Gallagher said, “is simply to say celibacy is a rare, rare calling or vocation. It’s okay for St. Paul, but normally people should be married.”

Committed is 300 pages during which Gilbert doubts, criticizes, and cringes at the idea of marriage. According to Gallagher, Gilbert’s hesitation towards marriage is common. “The biggest reason people of both genders hesitate about marriage is that they are afraid of divorce,” Ms. Gallagher said, “Divorce is ugly, painful, and very common. This generation has a lot of experience with it.” In Gallagher’s opinion, Committed is Gilbert’s attempt to produce a “magic formula” which will help her second marriage to last. Studies show that marriages on average are more fragile and prone to divorce the second time around. “In Elizabeth’s case,” Ms. Gallagher observed, “she thinks her spiritual journey will make her a better candidate for a lasting marriage the second time around.”

And that is all Committed is: a “spiritual journey,” where at the end, nothing feels resolved. Gilbert’s questions are never reasoned to a logical conclusion, and her marriage seems an abrupt end to her journey. “No matter how modern and sophisticated Felipe and I might feel,” Gilbert writes, “I feared we would step onto the assembly line of marriage and soon enough find ourselves molded in spouses.” Rather than rationalize this fear, Gilbert, perhaps unknowingly, concedes to it. Her last words reflect the traditional households of America: “Felipe and I were left alone,” Gilbert writes at the end of her last chapter, “to clean up the lunch dishes, and begin unpacking our home…” Yes, Ms. Gilbert has temporarily given up her “modern and sophisticated” feelings, and replaced them with dishes, home, and spouse.

While much of Gilbert’s worldview may not be compatible with the campus’ majority opinion, she in the end consents to an institution we agree with: marriage. Her book begins with Gilbert’s questions of whether she should marry, and throughout her book, she discusses the pros and cons, never reaching a definite solution. Ironically, the only definite answer Gilbert offers in her book is the one she gives to Felipe: “I do.”