Written and produced by the brilliant Tyler Perry, the cast will feature Palmer E. Williams, Jr., Patrice Lovely, Tony Hightower, Alexis Jones, Maurice Lauchner, Jeffery Lewis, and Kislyck Halsey.

The story follows the life of a wealthy family who has everything they need and everything they could want. The characters are often preoccupied with superficial things until they are forced to become involved with their eccentric housekeeper Hattie in this humble interpretation of honesty and truth. The beloved Tyler Perry character is forced to ask for an helping hand from the wealthy family who she works for. Throughout the play, families are given no other choice but to experience how the other half lives.

Tyler Perry’s “The Haves And The Have Nots” is a  story of love and honor told with down-to-the-bone honesty. The show features new music written by Tyler Perry and a cast of amazing singers and actors who make the evening a heartfelt experience. Hattie, played by Patrice Lovely, and Palmer Williams Jr. as Floyd offer up enough laughs to keep audiences chucking for the rest of the year.

Here is a list of the local tour dates:

• Feb. 19th, 2012: Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium
• Feb 23rd-24th, 2012: Fayetteville, NC – Crown Center Coliseum
• Feb 25th-26th, 2012: Durham, NC – DPAC – Durham Performing Arts Center

This is a show you definitely don’t want to miss. Check it out!

I interviewed junior Jackie Davis, treasurer of the Helen Foil Beard Women Society at Catawba, part of the committee in charge of putting together the dance.  I asked her what exactly Winterfest is.  She answered, “Winterfest is a college prom or formal dance.”

Food and refreshments will be served from vendors such as Walmart, Chick-Fil-a, and Jersey Mikes subs (don’t worry vegetarians, we have got you covered). An in-house DJ will be present to serve individual requests and get the party going. A photographer will be there for anyone who wants photos with their date or just one with the friends. The DJ will honor a variety of requests, insuring all party-goers will have a good time. The photographer adds to the prom atmosphere, a perfect mix of nostalgia and modern appeal.

In past years, Winterfest has been notorious for inadvertently attracting reckless guests. This is a school-sanctioned event and campus rules still apply.  Jackie stated, “Any students that come in drunk will be escorted out by public safety.”  So please, leave the extra activities at home and come to have a good, clean time.   This event is put on by your student peers as a time to have fun, not to get in trouble.

The first 150 students in the door will be eligible for this year’s mystery giveaway.  Helen Foil cannot divulge anymore details, but when asked if it is something that students can use all year round, Jackie answered, “Yes.”

Jackie Davis stated, “Winterfest is a time for students to dress up in their formal attire and have fun for a night. I think Winterfest will be lots of fun.”

This year’s theme is Outta This World! Come celebrate with your fellow students and have a night “out of this world!”

You might have seen these shirts around campus, but what you might not know is that the owners of these shirts are the proud members of the American Chemical Society (ACS) at Catawba. The ACS is a group of 35 individuals on campus who have a strong interest in chemistry or other sciences.  “The club mainly includes science majors but we also try to include other majors since the chemistry department is so small,” says co-President Lori Fraley. 

In March, the ACS will travel to Orlando, Florida to attend the PITTCON conference and expo.  This particular conference runs March 11^th through the 15^th.  “This year, the conference will focus mainly on analytical chemistry,” explains Fraley.  “Ten Catawba students will be attending and four seniors will be presenting research.  It’s a good experience for juniors, since they will be presenting research next year.”  The seniors presenting research this year include Fraley, co-President Jacob Hill, Alan Burgess, and Rachel Cone.

The ACS normally tries to attend at least one conference each year.  Last year, they attended the American Chemical Society conference in Anaheim, California.  Conferences consist of listening to lectures on subjects in the field of chemistry, attending short courses, and grazing booths set out by manufacturers selling products related to research.  The conferences are also a great source of networking for those planning work in the chemistry field.

In addition to attending conferences, the ACS also participates in many community service projects and has already helped with two this semester.  In the future, the ACS hopes to attract more members, attend more conferences and continue their service to the community and Catawba College.  Now that’s what you call “keeping it hot.”.

It tells a story of three sisters; all daughters of a pastor who; through faith, love, and self forgiveness,  make their way through different adversities. Daughters of the King is a spiritual musical set to scores with different styles such as jazz, gospel, R&B, and so forth. Douglas states “Many women have come to believe that our negative experiences determine who we are… God spoke powerfully to me in reminding me who I am in his eyes – a Daughter of the King.”

The musical is a benefit for Dove’s Nest, a Charlotte Rescue Mission program that provides a strong Christian environment to help women overcome substance addictions. The cast of the musical will be all volunteer but it is for a very good cause and will be a lot of fun.

For those who may be interested in auditioning for Daughters of the King: they are seeking lead & understudy actors who are STRONG vocalists. Also, they are seeking strong vocalists (male and female) to sing in a choir which will perform with the actors (no acting required for the choir). Some light, simple choreography is required for speaking roles, so ability to “move” is a must.  However, no formal dance training is required.

People auditioning must be available for weekly rehearsals starting in February 2012 through the show opening on Sunday, May 13, 2012.  For speaking parts, please prepare a 2-minute monologue and be ready to perform 2 songs (a Capella) that showcases your vocal ability. Also, you will also be asked to do a reading from the production’s script.  Lastly, please bring a head shot or other photo of yourself. For more information, visit http://dokthemusical.com/

This is a good opportunity to showcase what Catawba has to offer OUTSIDE of the campus! If you have time and/or are interested, please come out and support this very inspiring and outstanding musical!

Catawba College has not had a working radio station since 1986 graduate Benjamin “Benjy” Hamm served as station manager and radio DJ to WNDN. Now the only station that is broadcasted is Memories 1280 AM that serves as the source for the community to follow Catawba College’s football and basketball teams.

My plans for The Feather are to revive this media outlet once more, and most importantly, pass it down so that it will continue once I graduate. This idea started when I was asked to come up with a senior project before I graduated. I automatically thought about starting a radio station on campus because it involved two things I love to do: listening to music and talking. It will be a web based station streaming from Live365.com. The goals of The Feather are to give brief overviews of things happening on campus (focusing in on one topic of choice), playing a wide variety of music, and displaying the talents of fellow Catawba students. The station will start off on Thursday evenings at 5:00 p.m. after everybody is done with their classes. As the semester progresses, I hope to expand those days to at least three times a week. The faces of the radio (besides me that is) are Arsherres Jenkins, Steffi Cook, and Rashad Brown. We have also created a fan page on Facebook, as well as a Twitter page, so that we can get the word out about upcoming stories, polls so the student body can let us know what they want to hear about, and help spread word of this new outlet.

There will be a brief general interest meeting for anybody who would like to submit songs and/or poetry they may have written on Wednesday, January 18th in the Student Center at 7:00 p.m. We will go over the guidelines that must be followed before you submit content and see who all would be interested in submitting any. If you have any questions, you can contact me at bstokes@catawba.edu.

Link to the Fanpage :

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Feather-Cat-U-Radio/101230369999311?sk=wall
Link to Twitter:

https://twitter.com/#!/TheFeather_CatU

Just a heads up for all the students who do not know, the intramural basketball season is fast approaching and the deadline for signups is approaching.

The deadline to sign up your team and have the money for t-shirts, which are five dollars apiece, is on January 20, so if any student wants to play, please sign-up soon! If any students have any questions about signups talk to Emily Schneider or Ben Smith. The intramural basketball season begins at the end of January and ends right before spring break, so come out and cheer on your fellow students during the long season because I know everyone who participates will come ready to play.

When the season begins there are always a few students who forget the sign up deadline and still want to play, but this year there might be a little problem with that this year. There are strict rules in place this year that prevent any student from joining a team after the season has started so anyone who really wants to play better hurry, because if you wait too long you might miss your chance.

The Catawba Singers/ Chambers Singers with assistance from faculty and other students continue the tradition of Lessons and Carols as it returns once more to the campus of Catawba College. It will be a night of music and scripture uniting members of the campus and college community alike. The program will be under the direction of Justin Hazelgrove, the new director of the Catawba Singers and Chamber Singers. This will be his first year handling a classic tradition that has become such a staple at the college. Justin adds his personalized touch to some of the classics such as “Adam Lay Ybounden” and “Infant Holy, Infant Lowly” while introducing new pieces such as “Totus Tuos”. This will be the first time in many years that the Catawba Chorale will not be featured in the festivities, predominantly because of the many changes that have took place on campus. The Catawba Singers and Chamber Singers will not disappoint with their tradition and beautiful translation of many classic and new songs.

It has been a labor of love to put together a show in a matter of merely two months. However this time constraint did not deter the members of the two choral ensembles; instead it pushed everyone to show initiative and take personal responsibility to learn material quickly and proficiently. Dustin Shelton, a Junior at Catawba and Secretary to the Catawba Singers/ Chamber Singers Explain his feelings about the events to occur “I am very excited about it. The choir has put forth a great effort and I feel we will all come together and make some wonderful music”.

While music is going to be one of the prominent attractions for people to attend the event, we cannot all forget the main purpose of Lessons and Carols. The service helps to join all in attendance in fellowship during the holiday season. During those few nights, family and friends will reunite, alumni relive tradition, and those who have supported the college over the many years will be able to share the tradition that has been deeply rooted in Catawba College’s history. So I once again ask the question, what sweeter music can be heard? It is not about pretty melodies or playful word, but how these sounds can join people from all around even if only for a brief time.

COME JOIN THE TRADITION … You will not want to miss it!!!

“The club is headed forward. You can expect it to be a very noticeable and prominent presence on campus soon. The more we do and the more word of our organization spreads, the more people will realize that this is a club for everyone that everyone can contribute to as well as an organization that will allow everyone to make a definite difference.” –Matt Sparks

RC: With being this years GSA president, what are your goals for the club and its members and supporters?

Matt: My immediate goals as president are simply to open up possibilities for the GSA and with the help of the executive board and the rest of the club, make them actualities. This is the kind of club that can go as far as its members want to take it. In the long term, my goals as President are to solidify the Catawba GSA as a permanent, active campus fixture, capable of making positive changes within Catawba, and the community at large.

RC: What kind of events would you like to do on campus to get others involved and to gain support from the school?

Matt: This year our biggest event planned is the GSA Campus Community Celebration that will be held on November 5th.

This event is a social event with food, entertainment, door prizes, and speakers from our executive board, and the LGBT community, with the primary goal of raising awareness of the goals of the GSA, our presence at Catawba, and issues faced by the LGBT community.

Our club is also planning on volunteering for several local causes. At the end of this semester we are planning a Pizza party/ movie night open to the club and its members as they wind down from a busy semester. Next year, we plan to work in close contact with the Laramie Project director Dayna Anderson, in order to organize several events aimed at raising awareness of LGBT discrimination. These events are still in the making, but will hopefully be an exciting, active year for the Catawba College GSA.

RC: What are the main things you want GSA to bring to Catawba this year?

Matt: I think the GSA will bring many things to Catawba this year, tolerance, understanding, cooperation, awareness, and most importantly, knowledge. I think that the GSA will open the eyes of many people who are either unconcerned or unaffected by issues faced by the LGBT community, and inspire them to carry that knowledge and awareness

The Gay Straight Alliance Executive board members are:

President: Matt Sparks

Vice President: Bristol Glass

Secretary: Kara Procell

Treasurer: Tynia Brandon

Social Chair: Jordan Clifton

The GSA Community Celebration event is this Saturday, November 5,2011 at 7:30pm in Crystal Peeler Lounge. We hope to get as many supporters, speakers, and performers as we can. Come out and have a good time and create tolerance on campus. If you’re interested in performing or being a speaker please email GSA secretary Kara Procell.

If you’re not into competing but you love sampling food, then spend $10 on a general admission ticket that includes chili samples, complimentary water, and soft drinks. It’s sure to be a lot of fun, so feast on all of the chili you can imagine, vote on YOUR favorite, and stick around to hear the winners announced at 4:30 p.m.

Net proceeds from this event will support conference travel for the students and faculty of the Ketner School of Business, so get your tummies ready and support your fellow Indians!

S. Cook: How long has the preparation for the Pride Marching Band been underway since it last died out in 1973?

D. Colson: It all started about 4-5 years ago with just a drum line, with a wind ensemble added short thereafter. The group then became a pep band and quickly progressed to a full out marching band with a color guard.

S. Cook: What are the group’s emotions and thoughts on the revival of the band?

D. Colson: Everyone is really excited about recreating history with the Catawba Pride of the Tribe Marching Band! We are more than ready for the 17th.

S Cook: What are your personal goals for this year as well as the entire group’s goals?

D. Colson: One of my goals for the year is to significantly improve my skills from last year. Our group goal is to be the best thing that ever hit Shuford Stadium!

S. Cook: Why did you decide to come to school at Catawba?

D. Colson: When I was looking at schools, I overlooked Catawba because they did not have a marching band, which was something I really loved. Later on, my high school band director told me that Catawba was going to start one in 2011. I quickly got excited to know that I could be apart of the revival of the Catawba Pride and decided to apply.