A well-known yet seemingly inexplicable fact of Eastern University is the existence of certain fruit-throwers: an elusive group that seeks to vastly improve Eastern University campus life by throwing a variety of fruits in seemingly random places scattered around campus.

It has come to my attention that there has been a general outcry against this practice. Micah Skinner, concerned citizen and expert in campus landscaping and fruit throwing, even disapproves of the fruit-throwers. Skinner reflects, “Dante was rather methodical with the way he imagined the structure of the afterlife, and especially the nine circles of Hell. Dante was one of the most brilliant minds of his time, so believe me when I say I am extremely hesitant and loathe to claim that he might’ve missed something. However, desperate times call for desperate measures. Nowhere, not even once, do those who mindlessly and violently hurl fruit at random locations on campus appear in any of the nine circles of Hell. Surely Dante might’ve added a 10th? My personal opinion is that this new circle might go between the 6th and 7th circle, the sins of Heresy and Violence, respectively.”

Disturbed by this violent reaction against the fruit-throwers who harbor nothing but goodwill towards the Eastern community, I have compiled a list of things that the fruit-throwers add to our community. Though the reasons for their actions have been carefully guarded by this clandestine club, I believe there are numerous benefits this practice brings to Eastern’s campus and student body.

1) Makes the campus more aesthetically pleasing. Eastern famously has a beautiful campus. With plenty of natural foliage and scenic ponds, upon first glance, one might think it would be impossible for the campus to be visually improved at all. That is, until you look closer and see the browning, crushed remnants of apples littering the path and realize they were what was missing all along. These ornamental landscape decorations scream, “We have fruit here!” They also give campus a well-fed, homey feel to compliment the more rugged aspects of the landscape.

2) Provides food for the wildlife. Speaking of well-fed, the wildlife at Eastern is greatly indebted to the magnanimous fruit-throwers as well. Even though Eastern has many naturally growing and occurring items for the various forms of wildlife to eat, it is certain that all the animals on Eastern’s campus would starve without the generous supply of fruit they receive regularly. Though these species somehow manage to survive in other environments without Sodexo fruit supplementing their diets, it’s a scientific fact that wouldn’t be possible here at Eastern University.

3) Promotes a studious environment. There is a reason that so many Renaissance paintings feature still-life paintings of bowls of fruit: it stimulates mental activity. Similar to a masterpiece painted by Da Vinci or Michelangelo, the existence of fruit simply sitting still on various surfaces expands the minds in inexplicable ways. The oranges that have rested atop the Janette Mall Cottage are a prime example of this phenomenon. As students enter the library through the side door, they are helped along in their brilliance by the close proximity of still fruit.

4) Good use of food resources. I believe that the aforementioned benefits the fruit-throwers provide to campus make this point self-evident, but there is no doubt the practice of fruit-throwing campus-wide is the best use of food resources possible. Despite the fact there is only a limited amount of edible food in the Dining Commons on any given day, the best use of food items that contain valuable vitamins and minerals is to scatter them high and low across Eastern, rendering them unfit for human consumption.

In conclusion, the fruit-throwers provide many invaluable services to Eastern University, and truly help to make this campus more beautiful and inspiring. If you yourself spot a fruit-thrower, give them a high-five for all the service they are doing for the Eastern community. And remember, anything that isn’t moving is a valid target.

Eastern University has many notable alumni, including Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, a sports and entertainment writer and personality in New York. Currently writing and editing for RESPECT magazine, Robinson has profiled stars such as DJ Khaled, Steph Curry, Dr. Ben Carson, LeBron James, and more. Before making it big in the world of journalism, however, Robinson was a student at Eastern University.

Robinson revealed that, initially, Eastern wasn’t his top choice for college. He recalls the moment when he realized Eastern was the place he wanted to be: “During my senior year of high school,” Robinson shares, “Dr. Julie Morgan personally called me, invited me and my family down [to Eastern] and made us feel welcome. I got a tour of the school and I was sold. I’ve never forgotten that. My parents liked that, and we chose Eastern.”

While at Eastern, Robinson was an active member of the community. In addition to being a full time student, he was also an address-announcer and “in-game” DJ for men’s and women’s basketball, and had a similar job for the soccer, lacrosse, and volleyball athletic programs. Robinson was also a student ambassador for Eastern, giving tours to prospective students and recruiting students on Eastern’s downtown Philadelphia campus. Finally, Robinson was also the sports editor and columnist for the Waltonian. Robinson shares that his busy schedule actually helped him learn valuable lessons during his time at Eastern. “Time management was the biggest thing I took from all of my roles within the university. I traveled, I was social, and went to class. The most important thing, however, was getting all of my work done. I find myself leaning on those same principles in my career today.” Attending Eastern impacted Robinson’s faith as well. “While I was at Eastern, my faith grew stronger. Growing up, you’re taught about God and why you should believe in him. But do you know him for yourself or do you know him for what you’re taught? I developed a stronger relationship with Christ while at Eastern by genuinely getting to know him for myself.”

In addition to learning more about his faith, Robinson writes that some of his other favorite memories were connecting with different people on campus. “I remember countless hours of chatting about football with Sodexo’s Tony Jenkins in Walton Hall; vivid discussions about the differences between the pro game and college game with Dr. John Pauley were pretty standard, as were discussions with English Chair, Dr. Chris Bittenbender, about food.”

Robinson clearly values the relationships he made with many people across the board during his time at Eastern. Robinson knew he wanted to pursue a career in journalism from a young age. “Even before Eastern,” Robinson says, “I was… preparing myself for this stage in life. I began in radio at 12.” Robinson also cites his extracurricular activities at Eastern as also helping him reach this goal, specifically writing for the Waltonian and announcing at sports games. He now lives in New York, writing for the magazine RESPECT and releases a podcast, the Scoop B Radio Podcast, every morning. When asked what advice he would give to others attempting a similar career path, Robinson cautioned, “It’s not going to be easy at first; actually, it never will be easy. But if you are good to your craft it will be good to you. Stay hungry always, and always mindful and watchful of your surroundings. Also, don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself.”

Source: Interview with Brandon Robinson

       Dr. Jim Harries, chairman of “The Alliance for Vulnerable Mission,” (AMV) shared about his missionary work in a Windows on the World lecture on Friday, Nov. 3. Harries began his talk by explaining what he does in the mission field.

      “For ministry, essentially, I do Bible teaching,” Harries said.

      Harries described some unexpected aspects of missionary work in Africa. He explained the racial tension surrounding a white missionary in Kenya by telling a story about a man he stayed with in Zambia. Harries noticed his host avoided talking to white men in public, and asked his host about this behavior.

      “I confronted him… and he said, ‘when my people see me with white people, they assume I’m after money. The more time I spend with you, the more my reputation amongst my own people is damaged,’” Harries quoted.

      Harries encountered this issue again and again; his money and resources constantly created barriers between him and the people he was trying to help. “In order to find out what people really want, you can’t have money,” Harries reported, “or at least not make any money available.” Because of this issue, Harries stressed, “Use local resources. Convince people to use their own resources to do things you think they ought to be doing.”

      This idea to use local resources and native language in mission work is the  philosophy of the AMV organization. Harries writes in a journal entry posted on the AMV website, “[Using local resources] forces the missionary to face the same difficulties the locals are facing, which in turn enables him/her to demonstrate ways of working that are locally achievable. Jesus himself and other biblical characters engaged in ‘vulnerable missions.’ The power they had was from God, and not from a foreign economy.”

      As Protestants everywhere celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, Eastern University’s own Dr. Phillip Cary travelled to Wyoming on Oct. 16 to deliver a lecture in honor of this anniversary. His speech, called “How Luther Became Protestant,” was given during a conference sponsored by the Religious Studies department at the University of Wyoming, titled “The Protestant Reformation: 500 Years and Counting.” Other notable speakers at the conference included Matt Goldish, Samuel M., and Esther Melton from Ohio State University, and numerous other scholars from the University of Wyoming.

      To anyone familiar with Dr. Cary’s published books, the fact that he has delivered multiple speeches on Martin Luther might be a bit surprising, considering the bulk of his publications have been on the work of St. Augustine. “The reason I began doing scholarly work on Augustine,” Dr. Cary explains, “…was because I wanted to understand the background to Luther’s theology. I was originally planning to write a Ph.D. dissertation on Luther, with a first chapter on Augustine as background. That first chapter expanded eventually into three books.” His research for his “first chapter” of his doctoral dissertation has lasted 25 years, and he shares that he is just now “getting back to the work on Luther that originally led [him] to Augustine.” He is currently finishing a book that focuses on both Luther and Augustine. Though Dr. Cary is just now publishing his first book on Luther, he has written many articles about Luther’s theology, including one he describes as “somewhat influential,” titled, “Why Luther is Not Quite Protestant” for the theology journal Pro Ecclesia in 2005.

      After recounting his scholastic experience with Luther’s works, Dr. Cary then describes his personal interactions with Luther’s writings. “To love Luther, as I do, gives you a peculiarly complex task,” Dr. Cary explains. He agrees with many of Luther’s theological ideas, claiming “the thing Luther gets right is his concept of the Gospel.” He elaborates, “[The Gospel] is the saving Word of God because it gives nothing less than Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to all who believe. This is the heart of Protestant theology, the great gift that Luther and Protestantism have to give to the church: an understanding that since we sinners can do nothing to make our way to God, God has made his way to us through the Gospel that gives us Christ.”

      While he agrees with many of Luther’s theological claims, Dr. Cary goes on to explain why appreciating Luther is a “complex task.” He writes that Luther was caught up in “fierce verbal fighting” against Catholic and other Protestant theologians, and sometimes the discourse turned particularly ugly. Luther also wrote what Dr. Cary calls “the most inexcusable work of wickedness ever produced by a Christian theologian,” addressing Luther’s remarkable hatred and harsh words directed towards the Jews. Dr. Cary acknowledges that

       loving a brilliant, but also imperfect human being is a tough job. We cannot ignore the evils and errors in Luther’s works, but we can love and appreciate him for the truth and goodness he does offer the Christian Church. Dr. Cary describes this complex relationship: “We must love him as a grown-up loves a glorious but deeply-flawed ancestor.”

      Source: uwyo.edu