The BU men’s basketball team is looking forward to a fresh start in their 2026-2027 season. After some hard losses last season, the team and the coaches are excited to start anew. With returning players and a large group of promising new players, the team wants this to be their best season yet.
The team’s moto for this year is “Change the Narrative.” Their goal is to be better on the court and in the classroom, and they hope to hold a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.
“’Change the Narrative’ has nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with Bluefield as a community,” says Coach Joseph Cooper. “If we are able to create an environment around our program that welcomes people, then we have done our job.”
Dr. Olivia Andrews grew up in Pennsylvania, earned her undergraduate degree in biology at Lockhaven University, and thought she wanted to become a dentist. Then she took one class about bugs and everything changed.
She knew very early in her academic career that she wanted to get her PhD. Dr. Andrews started her master’s degree at Virginia Tech, but she took on a large project and was able to completely bypass her master’s degree. She earned her PhD in May, an impressive feat at the age of twenty-seven.
Dr. Andrews realized she wanted to teach while working as a teacher’s assistant in the last couple years of her doctoral program. She enjoyed mentoring her students and was given many outreach opportunities. She quickly developed a passion for teaching. Her undergraduate education also gave her a love for smaller schools. It is important to her that her students be more than “just a number.”
This weekend, Bluefield Youth and Community Theatre will present their production of “Smoke on the Mountain,” directed by alumna Tiffany Carter. The show follows the Sanders Family Singers on their first night in five years performing at a Saturday Night Gospel Sing at a small Baptist church in the Smoky Mountains. The show includes classic hymns such as “Nothing but the Blood of Jesus” and “I’ll Fly Away,” with rousing monologues from each character. The show will open on Thursday, October 15, and run through Sunday, October 18.
The show has been a collaborative effort between alumnae Ashley Burton-Pruitt and Tiffany Carter. Both directors share a vision and heart for the show. Pruitt and Carter have worked together for a long time, making the process of this show seamless and enjoyable for them.
“It’s like a beautiful breeze,” said Carter. “I’ve known her a long time so there is a natural comfort and understanding of what she needed me to do. Everything she does is lovely and it has been a joy to join her in this show.”
The music department at Bluefield University experienced some changes this year when Dr. Andy Necessary retired over the summer. Dr. Necessary was a beloved professor at Bluefield for many years who brought much joy through his passion for music and his students.
“Dr. Necessary always made sure everyone felt at home. His band was like a second family to him. Even when we were small in numbers, we were never small at heart. He encouraged every one of us to not only play with confidence but to carry that confidence to serve our university and the community no matter what we did,” said John Thompson, a previous student of Dr. Necessary.
While Dr. Necessary will be greatly missed, BU is excited to welcome Dr. Carl Hess as director of bands and assistant professor of music. He is very excited to implement new changes and shows for the band. Dr. Hess attended Graham High School and has a great passion for the community in the Bluefield area.
On Saturday, September 12, I had the privilege of attending Culturefest, the Mercer County Grassroot District’s annual festival celebrating music, arts, and community. Presented by the Princeton-based nonprofit RiffRaff Arts Collective, this free festival brought storytelling and cultural experiences into the community. Culturefest featured over 30 music and dance performers, unique artisan and retail vendors, workshops, children’s activities, healing arts, and opportunities to explore the vibrant venues and businesses throughout the downtown district of Princeton, West Virginia.
The festival featured artists and performers ranging from internationally to locally known groups with music styles including Appalachian folk, African drumming, world fusion, soul, and so much more.
While attending the event, I spoke with Lori McKinney, the event’s organizer, who said that Culturefest has “a lot of intention behind it.” She said that the event is about “creating a space for human connection through music and art.”
Over the past few months Bluefield University has been implementing new initiatives to be used in recruiting efforts. During the summer Bluefield’s marketing team launched the Discover Bluefield Initiative, which provides an open invitation for anyone who wants to visit campus, get connected with admissions staff, and learn more about the program they are interested in.
Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Elei Haynes Have you ever wondered how these articles get to you every week? Or perhaps you wonder how the posts on the social media pages are made, maybe even where the photos or graphics you see come from. We are here to provide you with an inside look […]
Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Elei Haynes. The Theatre Department is moving its equipment and the majority of rehearsals from Harman Chapel to the Cox Visual Arts Center to have an accessible space for rehearsals, building and painting sets, and much more. “With our growing student body population, several departments use the chapel every […]
Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Elei Haynes. A new multimedia audio/video recording studio for the Communications Department is being built in Lansdell Hall that will give students several opportunities to explore different types of broadcasting. No specific date has been set for the studio to be finished, but it is possible for it to […]