The 2013 Hootenanny was hosted by "counselors" Matt Barr, Kelsey Carter, Jen Holland, Joshua Littauer, Laura McKinstry, Charles Mosiman, Alysa Nash, Mark Rowe, and Daniel Wilson. Acts included humorous skits and stand-up comedy but also showcased unique (and sometimes previously undiscovered) student talents such as singing and dancing. The judging panel awarded third place to LeTourneau Rugby's surprising new haka choreography, second place to the mismatched arms of two couples "Getting Ready for a Date", and first place to Ben Hansen for his multitrack a cappella rendition of "Little Lion Man". Stay tuned for YAC's release of the official DVD!

Below is a collection of center stage and behind-the-scenes photos taken by Curtis Wise:

Welcome to Camp Hootenanny

Transition Band

Emcees

Acts

Finale

... Backstage Humor

Photo credit: Curtis Wise.

For their 2011-2012 project, Senate commissioned a mural to be painted by LeTourneau alumni Dan Black. This year, after some discussion, that mural was finally hung on the hallway between Heath Hardwick Hall and Longview Hall, where it adds some variety to an otherwise boring walkway.

Last semester, Senate teamed up with the LETU Good Stewards Club to place 20 recycling bins around campus. Senate was also involved in recognizing and funding over 25 clubs and organizations, including the new rugby and hockey clubs. Senate also played a major role in organizing the student government elections, presenting the professor awards, funding the Fall Fest banquet, and hosting the “9 Days of Christmas” winter celebration.

This semester, Senate is going to buy new books and movies for the library with some of its money that is leftover from several years ago. Students can request non-academic books and movies that they would like to see at the library by talking to a Senator. Senate is also looking at replacing some of the old foosball and ping-pong tables around campus and at co-hosting several events with the Intersociety Council for the student body before this semester is over.

Senate is always open to new ideas from the student body, so students are welcome to share their thoughts or ideas with a Senator or to come to one of the Senate sessions at 11 am on Thursdays in MSC-3.

Senator Koreis has plenty of ideas for Senate for next year, including buying accessories for the new student center and installing a swing set. However, he also feels that it is very important that more new Senators are added next year, especially freshmen, as they bring a lot of energy and good ideas.

Koreis feels like Senator is a great position, because it allows students to actually accomplish something for the student body. “People should join Senate so that they get a chance to improve our campus. Our campus isn't perfect, but there are a lot of good ideas for how to improve it,” he said. “If you join Senate you can have a say in how we spend our money, as well as communicate more ideas from the student body to Senate. Simply put, in Senate, you can turn the student body's wishes into a reality.”

Written by Ian Willard. Photo credit: Andrew Pearson.

"Of Mice and Men" was originally a novel written by American author John Steinbeck. The story is set in the Great Depression and follows two working class men throughout the social and economic hardships they face while pursuing their dream of owning their own farm.

Those who are familiar with Steinbeck’s work know that most of his writing deals with very depressing themes, and "Of Mice and Men" is no different. For the people who act out these roles three, four, sometimes five times a week, this emotional experience has its side effects. Sometimes the actors begin to take on the personalities of their on-stage counterparts. “That happens sometimes for shows I’m doing, but I haven’t seen it in this show. Maybe it’s because I’m playing two roles,” said Ray Chapman. Chapman portrays the characters of Boss and Whit in the play.

For some actors, stage work is an outlet for their own emotions. “One of the reasons I went into acting is because I wanted to be able to feel these things on stage,” remarked Joseph Tisa, who plays the role of Candy, an aging ranch worker burdened by financial and physical handicaps. “I’m not depressed in life, and that may be one of the reasons - because I can have an outlet for those emotions on stage.”

With this outlet for expression, then, dedicated artists find the acting to be far more than just a job. According to Noah Putterman, who is Slim in "Of Mice and Men," theater has the power to shape worldviews: “My favorite thing about acting is very simple; it’s just to share a good story that moves the audience and maybe even makes them rethink their position on something.”

These ideas certainly form an elegant portrayal of theater, but if it really is such an amazing form of media, then why is it nowhere near as popular as film or television? The common consensus among the cast members we spoke with was that convincing the younger generation that theater is a highly impactful art form can be difficult - especially in the face of so many lackluster theater performances. “It’s like any artistic enterprise - most of it is mediocre,” commented Tisa. Chapman added, “I don’t think it’s anybody’s fault except for the theater that they find [other media] more compelling. The theater itself has to be compelling to them. I mean, people will have the art that they want.”

What does that mean for theater attendees today? Not all theater performances are equal. That boring musical you were forced to go to in the third grade? Good actors do a much better job than that. When done right, theater can be a powerful, engaging form of media. Chapman summed it up best: “Just by the fact that it’s happening right then, that’s the big advantage that we have over film and TV in that it’s an actual live person. There’s something about that. I’ve been moved by movies and stuff like that, but they still don’t approach how much I’ve been moved and changed when I’ve seen great theater. There’s something about the reminder that we’re human.”

Stay tuned for the events' times and locations - follow us on Facebook for updates!

Pray the Loop

Student Center Tour

Photo Credit: Curtis Wise.

Created by Caleb Bennetts.

A group of friends unaffiliated with any organization or official ministry will host a free pancake breakfast for LeTourneau students and Longview residents in the Tyler West parking lot from 8:00-10:00. What is the story behind the event, and what is its purpose? Katie Ruhrwien, one of the hosts, gave the scoop to the YellowJacket.

YJ: So, a pancake breakfast... what do you plan on this looking like?

KR: This is a come and go event, where people can come and talk to fellow students as well as the community. We would love to see deeper conversations to happen, rather than the normal everyday 'how are your classes?' talks.

YJ: Are students welcome, or is it mostly for the Longview community?
KR: Students are most definitely welcome. One thing we would love to see come out of this is for the community and students to interact. We want to love on both the students and the surrounding community.

YJ: If someone would like to help, is there a way that they can volunteer that day or assist your team beforehand?
KR: We would love help on the day of the event as well as passing out flyers beforehand. There is a Facebook page where students can volunteer or they can email Travisdavis@letu.edu.

YJ: Is there story behind the pancake breakfast, or what prompted the idea?
KR: Many people have been wanting to serve the community and our campus. There was a guy in chapel last semester who talked about serving his community with pancake breakfasts. Also, on Beach Reach [a LSM Spring Break Missions trip] the vision was encouraged because we were able to see exactly how it would look to serve pancakes to a bunch of people. It was such an easy way to start conversations and confirmed everything that had been previously discussed.

YJ: What is your vision/goal?
KR:We are hoping to encourage interaction between the community and our students. If we were living as we are supposed to be living, the people directly surrounding our campus would be the most blessed in Longview. We would love to be able to bless them in any way we can.

Whipped cream is the favorite food of Leslie Knope, the main character in NBC's comedy "Parks and Recreation"

YJ: Bananas? Chocolate? Whipped cream?
KR: Leslie Knope isn't going to be there, so we don't need whipped cream. #parksandrec

YJ: What are your thoughts about whether this school year has shown an increased push for students to serve and advocate larger causes?
KR: There has been an obvious change on campus after Spring Break. It is obvious that God has been moving in relationships and prayer. We would love to see that change continue to happen, so we are looking for ways to encourage this growth.

So if you wake up hungry and waiting in the omelet line at the cafeteria does not sound appealing, visit the Pancake Breakfast to get a warm meal and maybe make a new friend!

The YellowJacket is here to serve LeTourneau with publicity for the students, by the students! To spread the word about your student organization, upcoming events, or activities of interest around campus and the community, email CarlyRobinson@letu.edu.

If you had been in the Belcher Gymnasium at 3:00 on Thursday, March 28, you would have seen three complicated contraptions spread across the room and a crowd of people eagerly watching dominoes fall, balls roll, and Tesla coils spark. What was going on? Nothing other than the 2013 Rube Goldberg Show!

Every year the students of Electronics Lab III come up with the craziest inventions imaginable to showcase their imagination, electricity, and circuiting skills. The event is named after Rube Goldberg, a famous cartoonist who drew complicated machines that transferred energy in a variety of highly unusual ways. This year’s Rube Goldberg show featured three presentations and was featured on local television by KLTV.

The first presentation was “Photobomb,” a project put together by Darren McCary, Aaron McConnel, and Mario Perretta. “Photobomb” used water, magnets, a ruler, a ball, and lots of wires to light up a spider in honor of Dr. Graff, the legendary and beloved professor of E-Lab III.

On right: The team reported that they spent eighty hours on the project.

Up next was “Jokers are Wild,” designed by Ben Jaster, Evan Jones, Jonathan Sculley, and Jordan Swavely. The Batman-themed invention used a seesaw, a surge protector, a soldering iron, a pinball machine, dominoes, and golf balls to eventually play the original Batman theme song.

On left: One small hitch can disrupt the entire  Rube Goldberg machine. These engineering students would agree with the Joker: "introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order and everything becomes chaos..." 

The final presentation was “Gigawatt” by Kayla Bayse, Derek Hoyt, Benjamin Ito, and Alex Rickards. “Gigawatt” used some rather technical pieces of equipment to make a Tesla coil capable of producing kilovolts. The team also demonstrated their machine’s ability to light a fluorescent light bulb that was not plugged in.

On Right: Okay, so not quite the same thing as "The Prestige"... 

The 2013 Rube Goldberg show was certainly one to remember; we can only wait and see what ingenious ideas student will come up with next semester.

Written by Devin Graves. Photo credits: Kayla Bayse

For a summary and videos of the 2012 Rube Goldberg, view our article here!

“Everything is just too different.”

“The people are weird.”

“It’s not like mine.”

All of these pursuits and protests are excuses I hear and sometimes give not to go to church.  Not to do devos.  Not to pray.  Not to talk to a person whom nobody else acknowledges.  Not to serve. But truth be told, these are all lame and poor excuses. Legitimate as these things are in their proper place, what are we really saying when we blame them for shirking important disciplines such as maintaining quiet times and loving those around us? Effectively, we are saying:

“God, you’re not my first priority, but you’re still in my top ten.”

“God, you can have most of my time, but you can’t have ­­­­­____.”

“God, someone else will show them love, serve them, and talk to them…”

But I say enough.  God loved us enough to send his only son for us. Christ loved us all enough to die a sinner’s death.

So why do these things keep happening - why do we keep making excuses to choose this world over Christ, time and time again?  Laziness?  Apathy?  Boredom? Perhaps we’re simply not as committed as we thought we were.  Maybe we just like the idea of being called a Christian without actually living like one.  How many of us are dying daily, picking up our cross daily, and denying ourselves daily for the sake of Christ? I don’t think we do. I think that we think we do, but we don’t…  Dying daily often looks like ‘sacrificing’ Starbucks for a week, or contributing community service when we find ‘free time.’  Those may be monumental labors for some people, but is probably not on the level of giving that Jesus commands – and exemplifies.

How about we actually made sacrifices with the style and direction of our whole life?  Giving until we have nothing left to give.  Giving up what we think we need to continue on, but really don’t. Giving not with the mindset of “How much do I have to tithe?” but instead of ‘Where can I give, and who needs help?’

How about living a life of servitude?  This might include restructuring your schedule to be more efficient, or cutting out excess commitments, so that you have time to help or simply to be available for others. Or maybe it means speaking to that person that nobody else does because they are different and nobody ‘gets’ them? Watch out, doing so might require sitting at a table that is not your floor table.

These things will be out of your comfort zone: “That’s super uncomfortable.”

“My friends will look at me funny, and it won’t be cool.”

“My parents won’t understand.”

Well good!  Maybe that’s what we all need - a swift kick in the pants to go and live!  Not just live for us, though, but live for Christ! Live in such a way that anybody who doesn’t know us could look at us and know that there was something different about us.

What if you are already serving those around you and are having a wonderful relationship with God? I commend you, and that is awesome.... But you can do more, guaranteed. We are called to love those around us with Christ’s love, to love with a love that has no bounds, no qualifiers, and no regard for the past. Until we are perfected into His likeness (which won’t completely happen in this life), we can love more.We can give more. We can do more for the kingdom of God. We just need to start doing it.

Not tomorrow, not after college, not when you find the right spouse, but now.

Writing this is very difficult, because the realization of what this means is something I’m still working through for myself.  I’m trying to die daily to myself and to listen to Christ so I can do exactly what He is calling me to do. I’m trying hard to fit more God into my life and to live a life that glorifies Him. But even as I write this, I am reminded that I can do nothing by my own power. It is only with Christ’s help that I can do anything or live a life that is even remotely pleasing unto Him. We will fall - and it will be tough - but we can always get back up even stronger than before because He has redeemed us from our sin and His Spirit lives within us.

Christ did not hesitate to die for us. Why should we hesitate to live for Him?

Written by Alex 'S.H.I.E.L.D' Hartsfield.