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| Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN Germany was one of the many countries represented during the International Fashion Show sponsored by the Office of International Affairs. |
The International Fashion Show was like no other show of its kind. Students representing over ten countries dressed in their nations' cultural style. Students from Wesleyan, as well as Norfolk State and Old Dominion University participated in this year's show as they walked down the runway and strutted their stuff. The show took place on March 25 at 8 p.m. in Boyd, with front-row seating and a table filled with international food.
Students wore traditional outfits from such countries as Germany, Spain, Mexico, China and Korea. Colorful costumes dazzled the runway and students sparkled with cultural heritage. Sophomore Tara Arthur was one of the many students participating in this year's show. "I had a blast," Arthur said. "It was great working with all these students and having the chance to work with students from other schools."
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| Photo by BEN RUEHLMANN Even President Greer got in on the runway action. |
With weeks of preparation and two grueling practices, the students put on a successful show. Everything was put together well and was a huge success among students and faculty. Over 50 people showed up for the event and all said it was a hit. The International Fashion Show was not only entertaining but also educational for students and faculty to learn the culture and heritage of other nations.
Wiffle ball is coming to the Virginia Wesleyan campus. Alumnus Seth Brady, assistant to the dean of students for residence life and community development, and senior Chuck Brown, Village III VA, are trying to get the league together. "It's a funny story," said Brown. "It was brought up as a joke, and now we are actually going to be doing it."
"It's something that has been started because it's fun and people like to play," said Brady. The players were put in a draft to determine who would play for which team. Each team has its own home field on campus to practice and host games on. "It's a good opportunity for people to get out of their room and have some fun," said Brown.
The teams are made up mostly of Greek men, the Residence Life staff and alumni. Anyone is welcome to join the league even if they are not Wesleyan students. "We just want to get out there and have a good time," said Brown. "This is also going to be a good way to meet new people." The league is coed, but they are still looking for the first female to join. Game locations, dates, and results are posted on a bulletin board in North Hall. Friday games begin at 4:50 p.m. Saturday and Sunday games begin at 12:30 p.m.
"We hope that this is going to be a tradition that will stick and be followed by others," said Brady. Anyone interested in playing or just wants more information should contact Brady for details.
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| MEL WHITE |
What is it like to be gay in America?
Imagine being a leader in the church and finally coming out of the closet.
This was the situation faced by the Rev. Dr. Mel White. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Alliance (GLBA), Campus Kaleidoscope and Theta Alpha Kappa invited White to give a speech entitled "Stranger at the Gate: To be Gay and Christian in America" on Wednesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. White has known since he was young that he was attracted to boys. His life was filled with prayer, exorcism and even shock therapy in attempts to fight, or overcome, his homosexuality. In 1962, White married his high school sweetheart Lyla Lee Loehr and had two children with her.
He suffered through the "anti-gay" therapy for thirty years while
he "served the evangelical Christian community as a pastor, seminary professor,
best-selling author, prize-winning filmmaker, communication consultant and ghost
writer to its most famous and powerful leaders," according to White's resume
on www.melwhite.org. "His ghostwriting
clients included Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, D. James Kennedy, Ollie North,
and Pat Robertson."
After being married for 20 years, White came out in the early 90s. Because of
his newly exposed sexual preference, most of his religious clients would not
acknowledge that they ever knew him.
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| Photo courtesy www.soulforce.org Photo of Yolanda King (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s daughter), the Rev. Dr. Mel White and Arun Gandhi (grandson of Mahatma Gandhi). |
However, in 1999, Falwell and White had an open forum discussion with 200 delegates from both sides of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender issues. White co-founded Soulforce, a nonviolent organization committed to ending spiritual violence perpetuated by religious policies and teachings against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people, in 1998. The organization is based on the nonviolent teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Soulforce is named for Gandhi's teaching of satyagraha, Gandhi's term for "truth force" or "soul force," which he defined as a plan of action that developed inner lives while working to transform society," according to www.soulforce.org. Soulforce has petitioned churches and protested outside of religious conventions to promote change in their policies toward gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. White's goals, which coincide with Wesleyan's chapter of GLBA, are to increase knowledge about sexuality and let everyone know that God loves all of his gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender children.
This is a day I will never forget. We attended a Sunday service at the church and began to meet the people who benefit from the help offered at Rising Hope. I was amazed that they were quite "normal." No one looked needy or helpless. How wrong could I have been about their situations? They were just like me.
At the end of the service, we shared something called "joys and concerns." This was the chance for many of the attendees to share their stories with us and give us a glimpse of the faith they held so dear. I cried until it hurt. They had been through so much and still they believed that God could help them. They were so happy that we were there to help them. Me. Who am I? To them it wasn't who we were, it was what we represented – hope. They saw in us the chance to make something good of themselves and their families. We represented what their children could become and what they could someday accomplish. I never knew that my presence could speak as loud as my actions.
This shattered every preconceived notion that I ever had about people. We spend two long days rearranging the food pantry as well as answering phones and preparing music slides. Today, we were helping to run the weekly food distribution. I can not even count the amount of people who walked through the door. And each person had a story. Leigh, who runs the food pantry, briefed us on as many of the clients as she could.
I was answering phones, so many of them shared their stories with me. I met a man named Tom. He grew up in a family riddled with mental illness. He was shipped from foster home to foster home until he was old enough to join the military. His career was short-lived after his own mental illness was discovered. He had been homeless for a while and had returned to the area this week to find paperwork to prove his identity. Since he has no real address and lost the only ID card he had, he was considered a "non-person." How is that possible in present day society?
This was so amazing to me. This man needed love and attention and all he was getting from the state was nonsense. This is where places like Rising Hope step in and make the difference. He truly mattered to them. Now he matters to me. As the day and the distribution wound down, we realized that we were sitting in the middle of a miracle. That night, there would be a few less hungry men, women and children in the city. Just because I chose to give up a little rest and relaxation.
As we prepared to leave, we reflected on the week's experiences and how we had bonded as friends. You never realize how differently you look at people after you serve with them. Making a difference makes a tangible difference inside and out for all those involved. Rising Hope is moving into a new facility this summer. Their tangible outward difference includes a three-story building that can house more clothes, food and even provide emergency showers. I plan to go again next year. I hope not to see Tom or the others. I pray that the hope they passed onto me becomes real for them and they find a way to a better way of life. Imagine for me means imagining the possibilities of a world where everyone helped someone else. I think that's better than any vacation I could ever take!
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