Five and counting - Indiana Wesleyan University will introduce a new statue in October, portraying Jesus with two graduating students. The monument is the fifth of its kind on IWU’s Marion campus. (Photo credit / Aaron Morrison)

Shortly after more than 3,000 students descend upon Indiana Wesleyan University’s Marion campus in September, they will meet the latest addition to IWU: A new statue.

The monument will feature the image of Jesus with two graduating students, an older male to represent adult graduates and a younger female to represent “traditional” graduates. The statue depicts with his arms around the students, symbolically sending them out into the world.

Artist Rick Wienecke, who made the two statues of Jesus by Goodman Lawn, is also the designer of IWU’s newest sculpture. The statue will be unveiled at a ceremony around homecoming in early October, near the Chapel Auditorium, though the exact location has not been confirmed.

“It will be a nice addition,” said student body President Aaron Morrison (sr). “It will be something for the students to rally around, maybe even more so than some of the other statues we have.”

Morrison hopes that students will build on the symbolic significance of the statue and create physical traditions of their own.

“Different colleges have a spirit rock or some kind of statue. Harvard has a statue that they rub the nose for good luck, and it’s kind of cool that way,” Morrison said. “So I’m hoping that this statue can be something that gives a powerful message and something that students can rally around and appreciate.”

In a highly controversial clinical trial, scientists in the United States have successfully begun treatment of severe spinal cord injuries using technology derived from human embryonic stem cells.

The testing, which began Oct. 8, is the first of its kind to use stem cells from embryos in human testing based on study criteria developed by the Food and Drug Administration.

The product of biopharmaceutical technology developed by Geron Corporation, a California biotechnical company, the stemcell drug, called GRNOPC, is intended to be used to create new spinal cord tissue, according to Geron’s website.

“We have to be honest about where we are in the stage of development, but a lot has happened over the last 10 years in this field and I think there is reason to be optimistic,” said Anna Krassowsk, a stem cell biologist and media and investor relations representative for Geron Corporation.

Entrance to the clinical trial is limited to those who have sustained a severe injury to the upper back and thoracic region of their spinal cord within the last seven to 14 days.

Eventually Geron Corporation intends to enroll a total of 10 patients in the new trial at seven various medical research institutions across the nation, including Northwestern University in suburban Chicago and the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

James Shepherd, the founder and chairman of the board of directors for the Shepherd Center, has a personal connection with spinal cord injuries.

Paralyzed at 22 after a bodysurfing accident, Shepherd walked out of the hospital with crutches eight months after his injury, due to significant therapy. After his recovery he founded the Shepherd Center to offer high-quality rehabilitation technologies to patients worldwide. For this reason, Geron’s technology drew the Shepherd Center’s attention.

Geron’s new technology will run through a series of tests during the yearlong time limit allotted for the phase one study. Intended specifically to find out if the new technology is safe for human testing, a phase one clinical trial is the starting point for FDA approved scientific testing.

“It’s basically saying, ‘We’re taking this new technology and seeing where it goes.’ If we can establish safety, that’s a dream of the first order,” Shepherd, said. “The second dream would be this has some regenerative effect on the patients. That’s the ultimate goal.”

Although the scientific scene may be changing, students are encouraged to critically evaluate new ideas, especially when connected with controversial topics.

“I think sometimes from a student perspective there is almost an over-urgency in the issue and a lack of urgency in the understanding,” said Dr. Matthew Kreitzer, IWU associate professor of biology.

The controversy of the study calls attention to the parameters of science.

IWU biology major Tyler Derr (jr) said, “It kind of is the job of science to push those bounds. But there is also a level of ethical restraint that we need to take and question, ‘How far should we go in search?”

An alliance formed: a few changes made and the children of an Indianapolis Boys and Girls Club will benefit.

Due to a partnership of the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Wesleyan University and the United Way, children at the LeGore unit of the Boys and Girls Club now have 1,600 square feet of extra space dedicated to improving their fitness.

“Indiana Wesleyan was the only college to partner with an NFL team,” said Janelle Vernon, the associate vice president of marketing and communications for IWU.

The opening of the new Colts-themed exercise room is part of the National Football Leagues Hometown Huddle initiative.

The program partners all 32 NFL teams with local organizations to help fight childhood obesity. This year the LeGore branch came up with the funds to renovate the unused space due to the triple partnership.

Vernon said the collaboration between IWU and the Colts is ideal because they are ministry and community-focused.

“The Colts are a faith-based organization from Coach Caldwell down. They (the Colts) are world changers and that’s a perfect fit for IWU.”

Vernon was in attendance at the Oct. 12 grand opening of the fitness rooms.

“[The] whole purpose of the event was to instill in youth their value and worth,” said Vernon.

Vernon said he hopes the partnership continues and students involved in the actual repairs needed at the clubs.

“With so many of our students participating in Boys and Girls Club activities it seemed appropriate that we partner with the Colts to help that organization,” said Dr. Henry Smith.

It took two weeks to complete the renovations on the fitness room, said Juan Ongay, the unit director for the LeGore branch. He said the room remained vacant due to violated safety codes.

Ongay said that once workers received news of the incoming funds, renovation began immediately.

“Day one demolition started, on day two we had a hole in the wall for the door,” Ongay said.

The hope is to establish quality workout programs that allow children a variety of fitness options in the LeGore facility.

A few weeks ago while I was researching the Supreme Court’s newest justice for The Sojourn, I got distracted by one of the cases on this year’s Supreme Court docket: the Snyder v. Phelps.

If you haven’t heard, this case revolves around the Rev. Fred Phelps of Kansas and his congregation protesting the United States’ “tolerance” of homosexuality at military funerals.

Phelps’ church, Westboro Baptist Church, out of Topeka, Kan., posts its ideas on several sites including godhatesfags.com and godhatestheworld.com.

The first site is blocked by Indiana Wesleyan University, but unfortunately the second isn’t. I actually became physically ill while I was reading all of the reasons the world is going to be destroyed by a spiteful God, who is consumed with hate towards various people groups, mainly homosexuals, military personnel and Catholics.

Phelps staged a protest in 2006 at Marine Cpl. Matthew Snyder’s funeral after he was killed in the line of duty that March. Cpl. Snyder’s family held his funeral at St. John’s Catholic Church in Maryland, with Phelps protesting near the cemetery. Rev. Phelps, two of his daughters and four granddaughters carried signs at Cpl. Snyder’s funeral proclaiming “God hates the USA,” “America is doomed,” “Semper fi fags,” and my “favorite,” “Thank God for Dead Soldiers.”

Phelps took his protest even further when he posted on Westboro’s site, that Snyder had raised his son to “defy the creator” and “serve the devil.” I take offense to the actions of the Phelps’ family on two levels.

My brother is in the Army, and while he was serving in Iraq, I was a nervous wreck. I couldn’t watch the news, because reports about “Operation Iraqi Freedom” would actually give me nightmares. The 13 months he spent overseas felt like the longest of my life, always waiting for some sort of affirmation that he was still OK.

I cannot imagine what it would have felt like if my brother hadn’t come home; worse if my goodbye to my big brother had been cut short by “Christians” protesting at his funeral.

As a Christ-follower, I find it difficult to take in the Phelps’s messages of hatred towards so many people.

Westboro Baptist’s site, godhatestheworld.com, said, “Our message to this evil world is that God hates you, and you better prepare for the return of Christ in power and glory.”

These are the Christians gaining notoriety and these are the people being heard. I don’t think we can afford to let these messages of God’s curse on the world drown out the message of love, grace and restoration that affects each of us.

There are many facets of this case, the main being the definition of the First Amendment and redefining the meaning of protected free speech. It is a fine line to tread between rights and morality and the Supreme Court has already begun its balancing act.

No matter how the court rules when it makes a decision, as a Christian community we need to think about how we want to be heard. Can we sit idly by and wait for change while Phelps and his congregation get louder every day?

Personally, I think that weshould do everything in our power to make our voices heard. We should protect those who are mourning the loss of their children.