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Wednesday September 28, 2011 www.scupdate.org Volume 117, Number 3

THE STUDENT VOICE OF SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE

T H E

Builder athletes earn weekly honor

Geiger’s story marks history for college

Cat Scan•SLIDESHOW: Hispanic Heritage Week celebrates ethnicity

•VIDEO: Numana event sparks participation for cause

•Keep a look out for updates from all Builder sports teams

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Two freshmen show their passion for music

Jonathan Woon/Collegian photographerEllen Blattner, elementary education senior, takes a bucket of dirt up the hill at Richard L. Jantz Stadium. The women’s bas-ketball team, as well as other organizations, have been landscaping the south hillside of the Stadium as community service for Gottlob Landscaping. The organization help is saving the college between $4,000 and $5,000 in labor costs on the project.

By Amber Hart Staff reporter

What are you doing for Christmas break? Sitting around your parent’s house? Going on vacation? Sleeping it all away? Why do that when you could go to Costa Rica for nine days? If you are a student and are inter-ested, here is some information that you might need.

George Gangwere, professor of physics, is in charge of this project. He has been on student trips before and enjoyed them. The trip is open to all South-western students, staff, relatives and community members. Stu-dents are able to get help from the Financial Aid Office. Stu-dents must have the trip paid off

by March 2012 or the office will work with you on payments.

“My wife and I enjoy travel-ing,” said Gangwere.

Gangwere had originally cho-sen Australia as his destination in the spring of 2011, but that was cancelled due to not enough students and community mem-bers signed up. Also, the interna-tional airfare was too expensive. His traveling agency suggested Costa Rica. It was closer, cheap-er, and Gangwere has never been to Costa Rica.

“I am afraid that the trip might not happen,” said Gangwere. “To get the price package that I was offered, $1775 per person excluding airfare, I would need 17 people to sign up or else the trip price would go up and more

By Dalton CarverStaff Reporter

Music is a huge part of to-day’s culture, with both younger and older generations. However, we would never have the music that gets us through our daily grind without the dedication and creativity from the people who make it.

James Conner, instrumental performance and composition freshman, and Jordan Rebman, philosophy and religious stud-ies freshman, are two of those people who bring the music to the masses.

“I was exposed to music very early in my life,” said Conner. “My mother was a piano teach-er, so it just developed into a passion.”

Rebman’s origins into music came just as organically. “I was just singing in the car one day and a friend said I had a good voice,” said Rebman. “I wrote a song and I got positive feedback from people, so I just continued doing it.”

Although they had different inspirations, it led the two mu-sicians to similar paths pursued

at the same college. “My main inspiration is definitely John Mayer,” said Conner. “I just love his vibe, his musical taste and the message he conveys to his audience.”

“I’d have to say that my big-gest influence is my good friend Jon,” said Rebman. “The way he writes is so in-spiring and I’d say he’s a big-ger influence than the big musical acts out there.”

As with any perform-ing situation, playing live music comes with a heavy dose of nerves. As for these local mu-sicians, it seems that these cases can be cured the more times you set foot on the stage. “The nerves seemed to fade with ex-perience,” said Conner. “I’ve performed over hundreds of times, so I don’t feel too much of it anymore.”

For Rebman, performing runs

in the family. “My father was a theatre major,” said Rebman. “As soon as I start playing, any nerves I have just go away.”

It’s no secret that getting into the music industry is a high hurdle to leap. However, both

artists are determined to at least attempt the jump. “I’m defi-nitely considering making it my career,” said Conner. “My main focus is to sign with a record la-bel and start touring nationally.”

“I’d like to make music a ca-reer, but it’s a very difficult thing to get into,” said Rebman. “I’m really big on following your dreams, but I’m not banking on

By Alyssa RichardsonStaff Reporter

Who is Elijah Pilgrim Gei-ger? The answer to that question requires some digging in the school’s archives, dating all the way back to 1892. Elijah Geiger was the first African American student to graduate from South-western.

To set the stage for this man’s mysterious life, Geiger was born into slavery in Mississippi with 12 other siblings in 1870. He became a student at Southwest-ern in 1892 and completed his studies in 1899. His career as a preacher took him to multiple smaller Methodist churches in Missouri, Oklahoma and Kan-sas. He died March 27, 1943, and was laid to rest in Wichita’s Maple Grove Cemetery in an unmarked grave.

Dawn Pleas-Bailey, vice pres-ident for student life, became fascinated with this mystery man and made it her mission to uncover the story of his life. “Here is a man that gave his life, and nobody remembered him. He is a Moundbuilder and I think he needs to be honored,” Bailey said.

While at Southwestern, Gei-ger was involved in the Athenian Society, which would be equiva-lent to an academic fraternity today. It was an invitation only society, mainly for preachers, and in his last year of school, Geiger became president of the organization.

During this time period of in-tense racism in our country, it is so inspiring to hear how Elijah Geiger came from southern slav-ery to Kansas in order to receive an education.

Anjaih Clemons, coordina-tor of student life, has been in-volved with this effort for some time. One thing she found most intriguing about Geiger’s life was that he chose SC.

“I want to know why he chose to come to Southwestern, be-cause in a time of racism and segregation, he made a very cou-rageous decision in coming here. Culturally, he paved the way for other people to get an education despite race or anything holding them back,” said Clemons.

One fact that Bailey found most interesting about Reverend Geiger’s life was his participa-tion in small churches. “The fact that he came here and was cel-ebrated but then traveled to plac-

es where it wasn’t about being noticed, it was about faith and serving God, is truly remark-able.”

The reason Geiger is buried in Wichita is because he was the fifth pastor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church. It is one of the largest churches in Kansas with just over 3,600 members.

After spending so much of her time researching this man and his life, Bailey felt the need to go the extra mile and have a head-stone placed on Geiger’s cur-rently unmarked grave. Along with the help of several students and Brendon Fox, SAAB initia-tive director, they fundraised enough money to provide a headstone.

“We went to the Methodist conference to talk about him. Pastor Dodson of St. Mark’s took up an offering to help offset cost. It is a black granite head-stone with a bronze emblem of a circuit rider symbolizing the United Methodist church em-bedded in it,” said Fox.

The event celebrating Rever-end Geiger’s life will consist of a church service and the unveil-ing of the headstone at 3 p.m. Oct. 16 at St. Mark’s church.

“We provide charter buses to transport students who wish to go have an opportunity to eat a good meal up at the church and to celebrate,” said Bailey.

So why should students care about this man who lived long before our time? The importance of this man’s life story is more than just the fact that he was the first African American to gradu-ate from this school. There are people who attended Southwest-ern 100 years ago whose names we may not know, but they all have a story and are a part of the ever growing Moundbuilder family. It is our duty as Build-ers to learn about them and the stories their lives have to offer.

Bailey describes this whole sequence of events she has ex-perienced with Elijah Geiger’s story as something starting out small, and then blossoming. “It’s like discovering a nugget and deciding to research it and then it just blossoms. It’s a sym-bol of the school and speaks of our Southwestern spirit in that something small can really turn into something great.”

Alyssa Richardson is a fresh-man majoring in communica-tion. You may e-mail her at alys-sa.richardson@sckans.edu.

people would no longer be inter-ested.”

The best airfare rate that Gan-gwere will get will also deter-mine the day the he will leave for the trip. The dates that he has chosen when he would like to leave are either Dec. 26, 27, or 28. Other than the airfare and the entire trip, the goers will have to pay for lunch, supper, and any souvenirs. Lodging, breakfast, and travel are all included in the trip price.

Before the trip is booked there will be a one hour class once a week to learn about Costa Rica.

“I’ve learned that by learn-ing about a place that you are about to travel to is a good way to get familiar with everything that’s going on,” said Gangwere.

“Knowing about the area when you get there will make the ex-perience a whole bunch more fun and exciting than just going not knowing anything.”

As well as learning all new stuff about a country and then visiting, students also get one credit hour for the class and go-ing on the trip.

While on the trip, there will be activities that get you up and moving and that you will learn from as well. All activi-ties are optional. The types of activities that Gangwere knows of currently are going to an ac-tive volcano and learning about it, visiting a banana and coffee plantation, swimming in the hot springs, hiking through the rain

being a musician all my life.” Both musicians have albums

available for purchase. “This al-bum was really experimental for me,” said Conner. “It was just my first attack at being an artist.”

Conner’s album, Journeys, is currently a v a i l a b l e for digital download on iTunes, Nap-ster and Rhap-sody. You can also purchase hard copies from Conner himself. His next album is due to be re-leased early next year, if not this year.

Rebman’s first album will be available Nov. 1, also on iTunes, Napster and Rhapsody. Howev-er, hard copies can be purchased now from Rebman or ordered online through the Tate Music Group.

Dalton Carver is a freshman majoring in communication. You can e-mail him at dalton.carv-er@sckans.edu.

Jordan Rebman (top) and James Conner (right) are freshman at SC with recorded albums and strong passions for music

Lady Builders move earth

Costa Rica trip provides educational experience

See Trip, page 4––