This article profiles a group of five senior Honors students at Belmont University who have been close friends since their freshman year. They met through their TT groups and living together on campus. Their friendship is built on loyalty, longevity, embracing each other's individuality, and their shared love of learning. The Honors Program has allowed their curiosity and integrity to flourish together. They find mutual understanding and accountability in supporting each other's academic work. Their favorite memory is dancing together freshman year to celebrate their bond.

1. BELMONT UNIVERSITY
HONORS PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
BU HONORS NEWSLETTER | MARCH 2016
Welcometo another exciting semester in the Belmont University Honors
Program. Belmont is unique in that it employs an interdisciplinary approach to
learning. Interdisciplinary learning allows us (both students and faculty) to make
discoveries and draw conclusions on a grander scale. This is what gives knowl-
edge meaning. Ultimately, if Honors students emerge as thoughtful adults – able
to see the world through their own eyes as well as the through the lens of others
– then I feel that I have given them the intellectual tools needed for profound
lifelong learning. Most importantly I believe that there should be sense of joy and
wonder in learning – which I hope extends far beyond the semester or the class-
room door. In the Honors courses I teach, my greatest hope is that students begin
the semester listening to my voice but leave having found their own. Good luck
with midterms and finish strong. Upward, onward, ever forward!
Photo courtesy of Miriam Turner
IN THIS ISSUE:
pg. 2 Dr. Beverly Schneller
discusses teaching and
creativity // Magic in the
Margins
pg. 3 Track Spotlight
pg. 4 Alumnus Spotlight
pg. 5 Senior Spotlight
pg. 6 Emma Jordan Tamplin
on studying abroad
pg. 7 Happening in Honors
DR. MARY ELLEN PETHEL
HONORS PROFESSOR

2. TEACHING IS CREATIVITY
We have a program series here at Belmont
called “The Best Job Ever.” That is how I think
faculty members routinely describe the privilege
and opportunity of teaching students. There is
nothing like a good class discussion; the light
that you can see going off in a student’s eye when
they “get it”; and, the pleasure of being contacted
years later to help a former student in their new
career or particular place in life. We are blessed
to work with talented, eager, and good students
every day.
I started my journey as a college faculty
member in upstate New York. While there, I met
some wonderful students and was able to help
one young man, who will always be important
to me, go from being afraid to write because
of a severe set of disabilities, to writing and
passing his state writing proficiency exam on
the first try. From Marist College, I moved twice
through two state systems, first in Pennsylvania
and then in Maryland, and now I am here at
Belmont. Because of these jobs, I met, taught
and am connected with some very fine students,
some of whom are college faculty members and
administrators now themselves.
Professors divide their careers unevenly
in three ways with emphases on teaching,
scholarship and service. Ideally, one’s teaching
and scholarship blend or can merge in ways that
enrich teaching and learning and who we are
can be seen in what we teach, write, and do for
others. My fields are eighteenth-century British
literature, Irish literature, and professional
writing. In these classes, I have chosen works
that people would not have often or easily read
and when possible I have invited authors and
performers into my literature classes to share
their experiences with the students. In addition
to the creativity I strive to implement in my
teaching, I have also strive to pursue my own
creative work. I have written three books, two on
writing and one on the life and career of the Irish
patriot Anna Parnell whose activism in America
and Ireland in the late nineteenth century helped
further the Irish independence movement. Right
now, I am working on a project on Anna’s
mother, Delia Stewart Parnell. I have decided
to branch out and try my hand at creative non-
fiction for this one! Say a prayer for my success!
Bringing together my love for teaching and
for research challenges me to be creative. How
can I tell the stories of the literatures and peoples
I research in ways that will interest and excite
students to share my passions as a scholar and
a teacher? How can I bring things that people
would not expect or know about me to my
classes? These are just a couple of the questions
that arise when considering how to teach
creatively.
Enter: HON 2488 in Spring 2016. This
grand experiment is allowing me to team-teach
with my colleague Dr. Larry Wacholtz and we are
discovering with our students the processes and
experiences of creativity in the course called “The
Critical Eye.” Through hands on activities, class
discussions, and readings on the philosophy of
creativity, our nine students are exploring and
discerning who they can be as creative people.
We designed the class as invitation to engage
in the arts and as a class we are finding ways to
enjoy the Creator in the created, learning from
each other every day. We decided to focus on
connecting our students with creative people
as well as theories of creativity, so to date, the
students have collaboratively written a song
with singer-songwriter L. Russell Brown and
recorded the song at our Ocean Way Studio,
taken a glass making lesson at the Franklin
Glassblowing Studio, and have attended an
art exhibit at the Frist and performance of the
Nashville Symphony. Looking ahead, they will
be writing a short story, performing in an original
one act play, and giving a Ted Talk on how all
these experiences have influenced how they see
themselves as an artist.
Teaching is about freedom and about
creativity. At Belmont, the talented students
bring out the creativity in the faculty members
That is why teaching in Honors makes the best
job ever even better than one could hope.
BYDR.BEVERLYSCHNELLER
{ {
Joey Brodnax, a senior In the Artist’s
Studio Track, has been a full-time student
and co-owner of a business since his fresh-
man year.
Amplify Entertainment Group is an
online music publication that records and
produces videos of new artists every week.
Brodnax branded it on Jan. 1 of his sopho-
more year alongside like-minded friends, al-
though they had been recording videos since
their freshman year, he said.
Brodnax, an audio and video produc-
tion major, is continuously inspired by the
amount of talent on Belmont’s campus. He
believes it’s a privilege to work with them.
Aside from finding new artists to feature,
his work also includes filming and sound and
video production. Although every music video
has roughly the same formula, Brodnax uti-
lizes creativity to find new ways to portray the
moving pictures and sound, he said.
With no Gen-ed’s, room for creative elec-
tives, and a lack of “busy work,” the Honors
program has been helpful in achieving his
goals, Brodnax said.
“The structure of Honors has allowed
me to kind of focus on this business-minded
aspect but also which has been a very creative
endeavor as well,” he said.
What started out as a side project ended
up helping pay his rent, he said. Still, it’s the
creativity, which he defined as “the rethink-
ing of an idea,” within his work that keeps
him going.
“It’s innovation, in a sense,” said Brod-
nax. “You have to think differently, which
leads to new ideas.”
BYJACQUELINE SKOKNA
JOEY BRODNAX
MAGIC IN THE
MARGINS
2

3. 3
SYD
M TA HI
YNE
ARTIST’S STUDIO BY CLAIRE HOLDEN
EUTRACK
SPOTLIGHT
writing her thesis.
“I chose [Dr. McDowell] because I was in his
Intermediate Creative Writing class, which was
one of my favorite classes, and I really liked the
things he had to say about writing, especially as it
pertained to flash fiction.”
“At the moment, I’m copyediting it,” she said.
“I still need to finish getting all the art scanned into
digital form, and then the entire thing needs to be
typeset in InDesign and printed. The end goal is
to have a tangible, bound book, which I’m super
excited about!”
With her finished product in the making,
Mathieu is getting experience in the copyediting,
typesetting, and printing process. Additionally,
she is already thinking about how her thesis could
potentially fit into her career as an editor.
As a graduate with a prepared thesis, Mathieu
hopes that she will be well equipped for the pres-
sures of a career as an editor.
“I think going through the entirety of this pro-
cess with my book has been immensely helpful in
my understanding of the field, Mathieu said. “I’m
not sure yet whether I will ever pursue a career
in writing, but if I do, I think having this kind of
intensive, deadline-based writing experience will
be unbelievably helpful.”
Sydney Mathieu, a senior publishing major in
the Honors Program from Covington, Georgia, has
always had a deep appreciation for art. By selecting
the Artist’s Studio track, Sydney has been able to
work on a thesis project that she hopes will help her
in the future.
“My love of art was kindled at an early age,”
said Mathieu. “Most of the pieces I selected for this
book were either pieces I already knew or artists I
already knew.”
A publishing major, Sydney will graduate with
minors in writing and violin. Mathieu’s thesis is
a book of flash fiction. Each story is ekphrastic,
which means that each story is inspired by a differ-
ent piece of art. These inspiration pieces span thirty
periods and styles in art history. Mathieu has had
a fellow artist create artwork to accompany each
art-inspired piece of flash fiction.
“I came up with this idea from a project in
Dr. Thorndike’s Age of Exploration class,” said
Mathieu. “He had each of us do an ekphrastic artis-
tic piece to an assigned piece of art or architecture.
I always really liked the piece I did for that, and
when I needed to decided on a thesis project, I used
that idea.”
With the help of mentor professor Dr. McDow-
ell in the English department, Mathieu has finished
Mathieu has taken Intermediate Creative Writ-
ing, Fiction Writing, and Art of the Essay, classes
that influenced her writing the most. As a publish-
ing major, Mathieu has also taken classes that delve
into the process of creating a project and editing to
grammar and style. After utilizing these skills in
her thesis project, Mathieu feels well-equipped to
pursue a career as an editor.

4. When I first arrived at Belmont
in 2008 to register for my freshman
classes I was told that majoring in
musical theatre would make participa-
tion in the Honors Program impos-
sible. However, with some creative
scheduling and the generous help of
my professors, I graduated in 2012 as
an Honors student with a Bachelor of
Music in Musical Theatre. During my
time at Belmont I learned that just be-
cause something has never been done
before does not mean it’s impossible.
After graduation, I moved to New
York City to pursue my passion for
performing. Many young perform-
ers who move to New York support
themselves by working in the foodser-
vice industry, the “struggling artist as
waitress” model. It is a fine model and
it works well for many people. How-
ever, I knew that working fulltime
in a restaurant would not be a smart
personal career choice, given that I
had no experience whatsoever. The
only real world work experience I did
have was as a gardener.
I had never heard of an actor/
singer/gardner before but that didn’t
stop me from searching for horti-
culture jobs on Craigslist. I hoped
that working outside would not only
support me financially but also help
relieve the stress and chaos of a
Southern boy living day to day in the
big City. I was right. It took about a
year to find the right company, but I
now work as a Project Manager for an
established rooftop gardening compa-
ny in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
I have also been lucky enough to
find success in New York as a per-
former, though again, not without
hard work. Aside from being a musi-
cal theatre performer I am also a fid-
dle player. When I first moved here I
had limited connections but plenty of
time on my hands. I decided to book
my own “gigs” and started playing
ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT:
DOUGLAS WATERBURY-TIEMAN
AFIDDLER
ONTHE
ROOF
WRITTEN BY
DOUGLAS
WATERBURY-
TIEMAN
several times a week as a busker in the
Subway. One day I was approached
by a guitar player who turned out to
belong to a band of actor-musicians
called The Lobbyists. He invited me
to a jam and I ended up joining as a
full time member. Just last summer
we premiered our concert play SeaW-
ife at the South Street Seaport.
By way of a similar string of
connections and experiences I am
opening next month Off-Broadway
in Roundabout Theatre Company’s
production of The Robber Bridegroom
as an onstage fiddler, singer and clog-
ger. I could not be more excited.
I don’t think I would have ever
been able to accomplish these varied
career goals had it not been for the
rigorous training I received as an
honor’s student. Dr. Byrne’s curricu-
lum taught me the importance of time
management. Dr. Boan insisted that
I set rigorous yet realistic goals for
myself. Dr. Thorndike demonstrated
the power of creative problem solving,
whether in completing a project or for
next semester’s schedule. Through it
all I discovered the significance there
is in finding the connections that exist
between the most disparate facets of
life. Armed with this knowledge and
ability I knew that even though being
a performer/rooftop-gardener seemed
impossible, I was well on my way to
becoming one.
4

5. 5
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: FRIENDSHIP IN THE HONORS PROGRAMSeniors Sarah Ellis, Samantha Hubner, Zoe Wheatley, Danielle Isbell and Jeanette Morelan have been “bound by
their love of learning” since the beginning of freshman year. I sat down with them to hear about their passion for
Honors and for each other.
BYSHANNON FISH
HOW DID YOU ALL MEET?
WHAT TRAITS ARE MOST VALUABLE IN A FRIENDSHIP?
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE HONORS PROGRAM IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACHOTHER?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY OF THIS GROUP?
Sam: Most of us were in the same TT groups...
Sarah: Jeanette and I met the first day of TT; we thought we were too cool for each other.
Danielle: I lived with Jeanette junior year and Sarah sophomore year - before I went to London for five months.
Zoe: The night before school started, Sam and I went over to a movie night in Wright, where met Danielle and Jen.
Danielle: From then, we met up for tea everyday.
Sam: And it just flourished from there!
Danielle (in what she believes to be a side-note): Is there any more chocolate?
Sam: I have candy, hot chocolate, literally anything you will ever need.
Zoe: Apparently, chocolate is what we value in our friendship. (Pauses) In all seriousness, I would say loyalty and longevity, because we have never
not been friends.
Sam: We have a relationship that’s a mutual effort - a two-way street.
Zoe: We are all very different people, but our individuality is what keeps us together.
Sarah: We are bound by our love of learning.
Sarah: That’s how I found them!
Zoe: We represent all three honors tracks, classic majors and modified majors. The honors program has allowed our integrity and curiosity to
flourish.
Sam: Our friendships are integrated within our learning - just liked interdisciplinary curriculum.
Sarah: The #1 thing I tell my TT kids is that Honors gave me the people that became my whole world.
Zoe: I remember our first day. Dr. Thorndike said look around the room at your classmates; four of you will be married to each other. It’s true.
There are so many Honors marriages, but this is by far the greatest Honors marriage ever.
Danielle: It’s a running joke that I am always doing homework with all my friends. But with this group, there is a mutual understanding that our
work is really important to us.
Zoe: We keep each other accountable, as much as sane.
Zoe: On our first honors retreat, Jeanette and I were put in the backseat together and it was the time we really solidified our friendship.
Jeanette: I love that memory. We kindled our friendship with silliness and selfies.
Danielle: Freshman year we came into my room after Fall Follies, and we danced to “Belmont girl.” At one point, we were pretending to be cats. It
was so carefree, and we were so blissfully happy.
Sarah: The first time Jeanette and I bonded was in our Sacred Spaces project, when we were assigned to this Vietnamese Buddhist temple. We
chanted in Vietnamese, interviewed a monk, and then afterwards we went to target to buy Jeanette a printer.
Sam: This is such a hard question, because I have a very specific memory with each one of them. Danielle has been my thesis rock - our approaches
complement each other so well. Zoe has always been there for me in any situation possible. Then, Thanksgivings with Sarah have always been so
comforting for me, because it has become my home away from home.
Zoe: Same here. When Sarah invited us over for Easter, I felt so welcomed by her family. Her mom knew all of us be name immediately, and gra-
ciously invited us into her home.
Sam: One of the best recent memories is when we got together at the beginning of the semester, when we finally had Zoe back from Scotland and
we had no worries at all.

6. 6
A STUDY ABROAD REFLECTION
Last year—my freshman
year—was not awesome, to say the
least. I went in with high hopes,
expecting to find a new home
instantly, but I ended up feeling
detached and homeless for some
time. One good thing that came
from last year: I learned how
much I loved learning. I sunk deep
into my thoughts and work and
was reified in these introspective
inclinations for the first time. In
a poetry class, I came across a
poem “In Distrust of Merits” by
Marilynn Moore. I returned to it
often and reflected on the lines,
“There was never a war that was
not inward; I must / fight till I
have conquered in myself what /
causes war.” There was a war of
sorts going on inside me -- one of
homelessness and lack. So when
I learned Dr Boan was teaching a
class abroad in London on ro-
mance novels during WWII, I was
all in.
Meeting people on Study
Abroad is a unique experience,
contingent on the occasion and
context. We instantly shared in
our excitement and in the new-
ness of our surroundings. On the
first night in London we went
to a pub called “The Globe” that
sits on the Thames and we told
stories, laughing. I remembered
what it was like to feel connected
to people. I began rooting myself
in my environment and the people
around me.
One day I decided to venture
out on my own and ponder this
new feeling of belonging. I was
walking around Marylebone and
realized I was, ironically, very lost.
I sat on the curb and pulled out
my guidebook. I hated this be-
cause it said “LONDON” in mas-
sive letters on the front, revealing
my complete inability to blend
in as a native. A homeless man
came up and exclaimed, “That
is my seat, but I will sit several
feet from you so that you know
I am not a threat.” After telling
him that I was studying English
Literature, he proceeded to recite
Shakespeare and John Donne. He
said, “I don’t have many teeth and
I do not know where I am going
to sleep tonight. But that pigeon
looks like a beautiful dove. And
that is how I live my life.” I was
invigorated by his resource-less
wisdom and evident human
resilience. He served as the rep-
resentation of how juxtaposed I
was during this time: completely
homeless and uprooted, but inter-
nally brimming with appreciation
for the humanity in my fragment-
ed and floating surroundings.
Finally we stood to shake hands
and say our goodbyes. He gave me
an up down and exclaimed with
enthusiasm, “Jesus gave you good
legs!” I replied without hesitation,
“I know, right?”
Pondering the mystery of war,
home, and loneliness became the
framework from which I expe-
rienced London. While abroad I
did everything you are supposed
to do and have every story people
hope to be able to tell when they
embark on a foreign adventure. I
went to the Imperial War rooms
and Chatsworth. I saw plays in
Piccadilly and ate several scones.
I got on a plane to Amsterdam
with two people I had known for
only two weeks but who quickly
became my best friends. At some
point my phone was stolen and
when I got back into London I got
a notification on my computer
that said: “iPhone Last Found in:
Iran.” This was further confirmed
by a photo of an unknown wom-
an that my iCloud so graciously
allowed me to have. We stayed in
a hostile and I bought a shirt that
said, “Home is in your Head. ” I
instantly remember agreeing with
the idea and also being inexplica-
bly sad about its prevalence in my
life.
Our trip was nearing its end
and we decided to spend one of
our last nights back at The Globe.
We reminisced about the full-cir-
cle we had made and while people
conversed lovingly about the
memory, I sat in bitter contempt
about the literary-ness of this nar-
rative. How dare they allow this
to have an ending? I felt we would
leave and the glue of our shared
homelessness would dissolve the
second we exchanged the last of
our Pounds for dollars. I ached
for the all-too-familiar feeling of
uprootedness and I was angry
with myself for falling back into
the illusion of comfort. I recalled
many times Marilynn Moore’s
poem, which states, “The world’s
an orphans’ home.”
We the orphans, however,
came home and I have no less ap-
preciation for them. My home was
not in London and my experience
was in my heart. It was portable. I
could have told you a story about
how I learned the importance
of experiential learning or that I
came back a more cultured per-
son, but that seemed like a lie by
omission. Because there is some-
thing human and essential about
looking intently at inward war and
there is a blessing in being able to
do so alongside books and people.
I’ve held these memories inside
for safekeeping. I still haven’t
gone through all of my photos and
I can’t bear to open my journals or
class notes. I think I am afraid of
what I won’t find, or that maybe
the associations and sentiments
are only in my head. Maybe
London wasn’t that awesome or
maybe, by putting it on paper, it
will crystallize and uproot. But
ending a story is a worthy endeav-
or. Home is, indeed, in your head.
The world is, indeed, an orphan’s
home, and it is such an incredible
thing to be able to see it and be in
it and remember it.
BYEMMAJORDANTAMPLIN
Photo courtesy of Emma Jordan Tamplin

7. 7
HAPPENING IN HONORS new and noteworthy:
1. Honors has spirit at a Belmont home game!
2. HON 2488 takes a painting lesson on Tuesday with Professor Meaders.
3. Honors Valentine’s Day party: Mastery of the Heart.
special thanks:
1
2
3
MARCH:
Thanks to contributing authors for their talent and stories, featured students for their time
and willingness to share, Dr. Thorndike, Dr. Pethel, Dr. Schneller, and all of the honors
professors, alumni contributer Douglas Waterbury-Tieman, Erin Ritter, HSC President
Priyanka Kumar, and newletter founder Sammi Potts.
questions / feedback:
Please contact Editor Jacquie Skokna (jacquie.skokna@pop.belmont.edu) or
Formatting Editor Sarah Everett (sarah.everett@pop.belmont.edu) with any
questions, comments or concerns about the newsletter.
16
upcoming events:
Poverty, Inc.
Come join the conversation on social
justice, generosity, and internation-
al aid! Convocation event in John-
son Center Large Theater hosted by
Honors sopopmore Suzanna Stapler,
Clara Leonard, and Lindsey Knapp.
3/16/16 @ 7 p.m.
18Trivia and Queso
Test your knowledge while munching
on chips and queso! Bring your brain
and your favorite chip/dip combo to
the Honors house! Queso will be pro-
vided.
3/18/16 @ 7 p.m.
The Submission by the former NYT reporter
Amy Waldman will be the Honors Common
Book for “World Traditions” next fall 2017.
The Honors Program does not require Plans of
Study to be submitted anymore unless you are
proposing an Individualized Major.
Analytics: Math Models next semester will
be taught by Mike Pinter and Andrew Miller.
Both courses will logic, counting, codes, graph
theory, and mathematical chaos. Analytics:
Science Models next semester will be taught by
Lonnie Yandell. The course will explore con-
sciousness. The Topics courses for next fall will
be Middle Eastern Culture and Arts, taught by
Jim Al-Shamma, and Staying Grounded in the
Digital Age, taught by Annette Sisson.
Honors Council will be reviewing Thesis
Prospectus submissions from juniors in the
Research Track and Artist’s Studio Track this
semester. The Honors Council members are:
Andrew Davis, Christine Rogers, Brad Childs,
Jaclynn Jutting, Mark Volker, Rachael Flynn-
Hopper, Nathan Griffith, Lonnie Yandell,
Donovan McAbee, Jennifer Powler, David
Schreiber, and Jonathan Thorndike. The
student members are Samantha Hubner, Olivia
Hamilton, and Sean Grossnickle.