By Katelyn Head

Once a Forbes Top 50 Business woman, now a life-changing educator to the students she teaches yearly, Dr. Tracy Ford pulls her hair from her face as she settles, ready for questions.

Many students are intrigued to know Dr. Ford. She teaches many subjects, such as Biblical Themes, Humanities, and Literature. She is also the Dean of Worldview Studies. “The Lord brought me to Mississippi, a place that I never imagined I would end up, especially being from the Boston Massachusetts area,” she says.

Helen White Butterflies
by Katelyn Head

Birds chirping and bees buzzing, finally spring is among us. Campus is quiet, and the sun is hiding behind the clouds. Sitting in my favorite place, listening to my favorite sounds; these Helen white rocking chairs have been apart of my home for nearly 2 years now. These dorms have given life to me, but also made me brutally weak. It’s the end of an era.

Helen has been the chamber of many of my thoughts, heartbreaks, melt-downs, laughs, and cries. During my time living in Helen, I have learned many things. I have learned that every feeling is temporary, like the smell of the rain in the air. Saturday is supposed to be our biggest storm yet, it seems to have started last night. The actual smell of rain comes from the beautiful plants that currently surround me. When plants are in drought they produce oils in replacement for water, the smell of that oil is what we call the refreshing smell of rain that is so evident today.

I’ve also learned that it’s ok to hurt while living in Helen. It is ok to feel pain and heart ache. It’s ok to cry and not be ok all the time. That’s what makes us human. Like the vibrant fuchsia flowers that surround me, we also need time to bloom. I have learned that what ever is most heavy on you-
take it off, let it go. I have learned to be patient and not to stretch into the person that I am becoming.

I aspire to be like the lively butterflies dancing in front of me. Light spirited, worry free, beautiful, and loved. Lastly, I have learned that great things end, and who I am is entirely up to me. Thank you Helen White for being my cozy home, thinking space, and melt-down central. You are truly a gem.

Belhaven University has a 24 hour security watch, but is giving a ticket to a student that pays to attend the school necessary?

This spring break is something I have been patiently waiting on for some time now. Being on a college tennis team has it perks, one being on this break. I had the opportunity to travel to Orlando Florida to play tennis in a national tournament this spring break. Although being with my team and people that I look up to, I wanted nothing more than to be at home. This break has given me time to think about who I am and what I want in this life. Coming home this past Wednesday from my Orlando trip, I have had certain topics swirling through my mind. These topics consist of what I want and who I am; finally I have come to a conclusion.  Sometimes real is hard. Continue reading Spring Break Reflection →

Being a student athlete can be a full time job, bouncing between the weight room, the court/field, classes, and film sessions. So why aren’t student athletes paid?

College athletics are considered extra curricular activities, but the schedules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournaments require a lot of time. In this time students must miss school, in a school like Belhaven University, these are not excused absences. “It’s hard to balance school and tennis, especially when you get no days off because nothing is excused,” said Macey Lea of Belhaven University tennis team.

Student athletes who bring in revenue for their school or team argue that they should be paid some portion of the revenue considering they are the reason for the money, “It’s honestly not that fair considering we bring in thousands of fans, and get a scholarship in return, don’t get me wrong a scholarship is good, but it would be nice to have a portion of what we actually bring in”, said Benjamin Nola, senior on Louisiana State University’s football team.

If NCAA athletes were to be paid, would they be paid differently considering the sport? Joan Soler, senior on Belhaven University tennis team said, “oh yeah, for sure, also considering where you are, tennis isn’t that big of a sport here so a tennis player would be paid different than a football player because it’s the south”. This isn’t considered fair pay, but those who support paying college athletes say that team popularity and players generally would determine the pay.

“Most profits from college athletics do not go towards academics, instead they go to the coaches, athletic directors, and some administrators”, according to Edelman of CollegeExpress.com. Of course, college athletes shouldn’t get paid like the coaches, but they could still receive a reasonable amount considering how much the program’s revenue is. Where would the money come from? Thomas Blake, senior on Belhaven University soccer team said, “It would make most sense that the money would come from the profit that the school is making off of the games, but at a school like Belhaven who doesn’t charge to get in games it would be hard to pay athletes here. It’s also a Christian private university so it would be extremely hard to pass a rule that student athletes should get paid here”.

According to a 2013 survey done by John Dennis, 69% of the public is opposed to paying student athletes, why? John R. Thelin said in his article, “Here’s Why We Shouldn’t Pay College Athletes”, “If salaries were given, then these college student-athletes would have to pay taxes. Depending on the student-athlete’s income, those taxes could be high enough to reduce what they earn until they can barely cover tuition”. Most people that are opposed to the idea of paying student athletes say that scholarships are the best option; those same people also say that it would change the nature of college athletics. It is very difficult to become a college athlete, only 7% of high school athletes go on to be college athletes.


The debate on whether student athletes should get paid or not goes on and on, especially on the internet. There are facts and statistics on each side of the argument. Do you think college athletes should be paid?


my kicker for readers to comment would be the question at the end. This would give me feedback on other people thoughts.

OTHER BLOG SITES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU:

https://www.collegexpress.com/articles-and-advice/athletics/blog/should-college-student-athletes-be-paid-both-sides-debate/

https://lendedu.com/blog/student-athletes-get-paid-classmates-dont-think/

https://athletesusa.org/blog/should-college-athletes-be-paid/

https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/history-behind-debate-paying-ncaa-athletes/

https://www.lawandleadership.org/should-college-athletes-be-paid/2017/11/14/college-athletes-is-it-worth-the-pay

https://wallethub.com/blog/should-college-athletes-be-paid/22681/

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/opinionnw/2014/10/30/should-college-athletes-be-paid-for-performance/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mscsclassroomblog.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/should-college-athletes-be-paid-2/amp/