October 2017 - Page 3 of 3 -

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Victoria Zulick — Leave a comment

What to Know: Breen Student Union

At the heart of the Grove City College campus is the Breen Student Union, a well-used and loved location where students come together. The Student Union is a popular place where students meet for meals, work on projects, and hang out with friends. There are large windows, lots of tables, a small cafeteria that offers MTO items and a meal plan option, and the College Bookstore. This is the perfect catchall location for students to connect and interact on campus.

One of the highlights of the Breen Student Union is the Gedunk. A small café that offers a meal plan option during certain hours as well as a made to order food menu, the Gedunk has increased over the years because of the increase of use by students. Often times, class schedules limit the times when you can go to the dining halls for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, so the Gedunk offers a great alternative to a sit-down meal. At the Gedunk, you can use a tray or a plastic bag to fill with food. With a “SAC” lunch, as they call it, you are allowed an entrée, chips, a dessert or fruit, and a drink to fulfill your meal credit for that meal. This is very popular option for students, so it can get a little crowded at times, especially when they are offering chicken tenders. However, the Gedunk employees are hard-working and efficient and do their best to accommodate every student! The Gedunk made to order food includes things like quesadillas, sandwiches, salads, milkshakes, smoothies and so much more. They even serve Starbucks coffee! The Gedunk is a wonderful and useful part of the Student Union that adds much convenience and fun to the space!

Another resource that the Breen Student Union offers is the mailroom. Each student has their own mailbox and the opportunity to receive mail and packages daily. The mailroom also sends out important papers, reminders and event invitations through the mail as a way for the college to communicate with its students. Students can even send outgoing mail and prepaid packages through the mailroom, as well as send mail to other students and faculty through the intercampus mail program.

The Grove City College Bookstore is also attached to the Student Union. Here, students can purchase textbooks through the school, which often saves time, money and stress than purchasing books through other companies or services. The Bookstore also sells various necessary items like school supplies, art and music materials, everyday items like batteries and first aid as well as gifts and other school merchandise, like Grove City sweatshirts and T-shirts. This is a very convenient place when you are in a pinch and need to grab something important for a class or activity. The Bookstore is ready and willing to help you accommodate your needs!

The Breen Student Union is a beautiful and resourceful place planned and furnished with students in mind. Be sure to get comfortable here during your time at Grove City College to take advantage of the great things that are available to students!

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Robbie Davis — Leave a comment

Forefront: In Faith We Create

Recently, creatively-minded Christians have produced art that, while not intentionally bad, speaks only to the redeemed. This movement has managed to appeal to Christians but has altogether remained unappealing to those who do not feel welcome to the church. This does not mean the art is bad; again, I think it has tremendous value to those already in the church. However, this type of art has only a certain market it can reach.

Two Grove City College alumni realized this, and in 2015 Nate Mancini ’13 and Johnny Sikma ’13 sought to reach out to the community of Christians in the arts. They created a festival geared toward faith-driven artists called the Forefront Festival. The end goal was to bring together Christ-followers who are passionately pursuing the arts and offer them an encouragement to strive for excellence while still being accessible to those outside of the faith community. The result of their efforts was an event that produced worthwhile art while not pandering to a faith-based market.

“We wanted Christians to return to the forefront of the arts — to be the kind of people who shape culture and start art movements — so Forefront Festival seemed an appropriate name,” says Mancini. You look at many of the art movements of yesteryear, and there is a distinguishable pattern of strong Christians striving towards a universally recognizable standard.

I had the privilege of attending the first festival, and I can attest to the caliber of excellence. Photographers, authors, painters, dancers, and critics alike came together to discuss the profound impact their faith had on their work, be it explicitly faith-based or not. Nate and Johnny premiered a film that they co-wrote and produced, not about a Christian’s struggles, but about a human’s struggles. Despite the lack of “I am a Christian” message, it still spoke to the need of a greater fulfillment and purpose that Christians only truly find in their relationship with God and, as artists, in displaying his truths.

Not long after the first festival, Nate approached Rich Christman ’14, and the event began to form into a second incarnation. Johnny moved to Los Angeles, and Nate “asked [Rich] if [he] would like to come as his partner in Johnny’s place.” Rich said of course, and they quickly began to form a greater vision. They didn’t just want events to be the premier resource Forefront had to offer, but the people who would attend the events. They created an online platform for Christians in the arts to connect and collaborate.

Sadly I wasn’t able to attend Forefront ’17, but they upgraded the experience significantly. Not only was there a festival to exhibit artists, but also a conference to host lecturers (primarily the featured artists) to discuss their craft, be it directly related to their faith or not. While Forefront ’15 feature Pittsburgh-based artists and favors from friends, Forefront ’17 featured “artists from six different states… as well as two different countries,” including a TED Fellow.

Forefront has grown significantly, with a drive not only to promote the creators, but rather the creatives. Who knows what the next Forefront may hold? Maybe you could be a part of it.

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Victoria Zulick — Leave a comment

5 Easy Ways to Stay Organized in College

One of the biggest lessons you learn when living the dorm life, making decisions for yourself and working out your own schedule is the importance of being organized. The struggles of staying organized are amplified in college, when your schedule is full and there are never enough hours in the day. Giving priority to organization will only improve your day, as well as your stress level. It can sometimes be difficult to know what to do in order to improve your organizational and management skills. Disorganization often leads to stress and other negativity. It’s easy to avoid the stress when you have the right mindset and tools in order to solve your problems. Here are some tips and tricks to help you stay organized, avoid the stress and have a wonderful, productive year!

1. Buy a planner and use it.

Using a planner to manage my life at college has been my #1 tool for staying organized and on top of things. Writing down due dates, reading assignments and other events is essential for remember all the important things to do.

2. It’s helpful to 3-hole punch all your handouts from class and keep them in a binder.

The start of a new semester brings an array of important papers, ranging from syllabi to handouts and more. It’s important to keep these papers together and available, so it’s a good idea to keep them all in one place. If not, they end up wrinkled and buried in your backpack, or lost.

3. Keep your desk clean and organized.

Often times, the state of your desk is representative of your mental state. By keeping your desk in order, mentally, it can help you feel like you have control over your life, and that you have a clean and organized space to do homework and be productive.

4. Sort through and clean out your backpack once a week.

This is a simple yet effective and satisfying tool for keeping organized. Your backpack will be the main place where you keep important binders, folders, and papers, so it’s a good idea to take a little time each week to clean out the garbage and ensure that everything is in order.

5. Use the Outlook Calendar to manage your schedule.

Grove City College uses Outlook as its school email provider, which comes with a variety of features. One of these features, Outlook, is a great way to manage your schedule in an efficient way. Outlook can be synced to your phone calendar, and vice versa, and will alert you via phone notification when something on your schedule is coming up. Keeping up to date with your schedule, and knowing what’s coming up next is one of the best ways to stay organized.

Posted on October 2, 2017October 2, 2017 by Abby Schiela — Leave a comment

It’s a Family Affair: Three Reasons to Say Yes

So your family already has one “Grover”, is there really room for another?

The answer is absolutely yes! Take a poll down the halls of any residence hall on campus and you will most likely find at least a few people who are attending Grove City College at the same time as a sibling – some of them are even roommates. While there are often concerns of lessened freedom and stifled independence when considering attending a college at the same time as a sibling there is no need to worry – the decision to go to school together will likely be one of the best ones you make when it comes to your adult relationship with your sibling.

I am the fourth of my first cousins to attend Grove City College, and my younger brother has since joined the pack, too. Here are three reasons why you should say “yes” to attending Grove City College with your sibling:

1. No Better Comfort

There is no better comfort of home than a person with whom you are already well acquainted and have shared experiences with. While freshman year of college will undoubtedly be full of fun memories and wonderful experiences, there will also be times where you will be homesick, especially in those first few weeks. A phone call home and a care package will help, but there will be no better cure for this homesickness than sitting down to lunch with someone who you shared a house with for most of your life.

Even siblings who are not close to one another before college can find comfort in attending school together, especially if home is somewhat far away.

2. The Campus is Big Enough

Perhaps the biggest fear when it comes to choosing whether or not to attend the same college as your sibling is a fear that you will not be able to develop your own independence. That was certainly my biggest fear when my brother chose to attend the same school as me. It has proved to be unfounded, though. I thought that we would be running into each other all the time, unable to live separate lives, but that is not the case at all. I rarely see Jacob except for when we make plans together. I am sure that siblings of the same gender or more similar majors would see each other more often, but even if those things are true you will both have different habits and daily rituals. One of you may prefer to eat in Hicks and the other in MAP (the two dining halls on campus), or one of you will prefer to study in the library and the other in the Student Union. Even our comparatively small campus can create enough separation that you are both able to grow and develop on your own.

3. Holidays are Still Spent Together

Take a moment and Google the academic calendars of several colleges and compare them. Does each school have the same breaks? Probably not. If you attend a different school than your sibling you will likely both have off for Thanksgiving day (no promises about the days surrounding), and Christmas week, but that could very well be it. This is an issue that you will not have to deal with if you attend the same school as your sibling. Family time will mean so much more when everyone can spend time together – even if you are the second or third (or fourth or fifth…you get the idea) sibling to go to college, family time just will not feel the same if you go home and someone is missing. Even if that is not a concern for you – hey, it means that there will be one more person home to share the holiday chores with.