College of Liberal Arts Departments

Alex Debonis, Assistant Professor of English

Testimonial

"How students reason and acquire knowledge is at least as important as the hard data they memorize. In my classes, the students and I work to cultivate in ourselves what the late writer David Foster Wallace calls the “Democratic Spirit,” which he defines as an attitude that “combines rigor and humility, i.e., passionate conviction plus sedulous respect for the conviction of others.” It seems likely that “Democratic Spirit” offers all of us the only way to effectively address the thorny problems of our own time as well as those of the future."

Recent News

Bethel Hosts Renewable Energy Forum

Bethel University was host to a community wide Renewable Energy Forum on Friday, May 17 in the Board Room of the Vera Low Center for Student Enrichment. The event was planned by the Tennessee Renewable Energy Economic Council (TREEDC). TREEDC Mayors McKenzie Mayor Jill Holland, Carroll County Mayor Kenny McBride and Huntingdon Mayor Dale Kelley helped to coordinate the event. Other sponsors included Pathway Lending, the Tennessee Soybean Association, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the Tennessee Energy Education Initiative. Presentations included information on the Tennessee Energy Education Initiative, the Tennessee Technology Center of McKenzie’s Green Initiatives, the benefits of compressed gas, converting fleets to natural gas, solar renewable energy programs, grant writing tips to attain money for renewable resource projects, and many other topics as well. TREEDC is a statewide network of 92 city and county mayors and businesses working together to create a path to fast-track renewables in Tennessee. Its mission is to promote and connect renewable energy with economic development and energy efficiency for all Tennessee communities.

Tennis Cats Fall to Cumberland University in Nationals in Mobile, Alabama

Mobile, Ala. –The Bethel Wildcat Men's Tennis squad lost to Cumberland University 5-2 Wednesday in the 2013 Men's Tennis National Championship in Mobile, Alabama. The Wildcats' only two losses were to CU as the Bulldogs were the only team to have beaten Bethel during the regular season, doing so back on March 27 in McKenzie. Cumberland beat Mobile 9-0 Tuesday to advance to the match-up against the Wildcats.CU faces No 2 seeded Auburn Montgomery in the Quarterfinals Thursday at 9 a.m. AUM beat Graceland 5-0 Wednesday to advance. AUM is 19 -4 on the season.The No. 7 seeded Wildcats qualified for the national event with an automatic bid after winning the AMWC/HAAC/TranSouth Conference tournament. The Wildcats finished 20 -2 on the season and were ranked 7th in the nation in the final regular season poll of the year.This was Bethel's fourth appearance in the national tournament and marked the first appearance for Bethel since 2009. Bethel is 3-4 all-time in national tournament matches.Peter Baca, Robin Demasse, Eduardo Espinar, Travis Hyman, Nilola Salvik, Kristian Takac, and Paolo Vecchi represented the university in Mobile. The squad is coached by Rafael Delgado who is assisted by Ernesto Escamilla Jr. Escamilla was named the ITA Men's Assistant Coach of the Year earlier this week.

College of Liberal Arts Departments

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