Spring Is for…

Grove City College Campus is blooming, and with it, students are out and about looking for things to do. Not to worry, our campus has put together a beautiful array of events that fulfill the need for community while also being safe. All of our sports have been raring at the bit and every single field is being used.

Sporting Events

Since all of our Fall/Winter sports had to be put on hold because of COVID, all of the sports teams are competing in the spring. You want to watch a baseball game and a football game in the same week? Well, because of COVID, now you can!

It has been fun to watch our student body go all out to support our teams. Catch students attending baseball, softball, football, tennis, swimming, track, soccer, volleyball games. If you would like to play a sport (but not on a college-level, competitive team) feel free to check out the numerous IM teams we have. We even have a badminton and Quidditch team!

Chapels/ Vespers/ Warriors

Chapel, Vespers, and Warriors are all going strong! Chapel provides your weekly dose of fellowship in the Word while Vespers and Warriors are slightly smaller gatherings for those who seek more instruction. Vespers takes place every Sunday evening. Warriors is Thursday nights and Chapel runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I personally have attended Vespers over the past couple of years and found that it is a truly refreshing way to end the Sabbath day and focus your week.

Warriors is a set time to come pray for your fellow believers. Thursday is two-thirds through the week. Often you feel tired and worn down at this point. Warriors gives students a place to come and seek restoration.

Marriage Seminars

A small gathering of people started a group chat for those interested in attending seminars. Caroline Dudt, a student here, created the chat and has been organizing events for the students. She has gotten many different couples to come speak on Monday nights to those interested. And the interest has spread. The chat is at 127 members currently and still growing!

Theatre

Our college just put on three plays that they normally would not have considered doing since the cast is so small (three parts for each); however the theatre department was able to perform these plays because of COVID. Although COVID has restricted many things, Grove City College Campus refuses to be beaten down. Instead they have found ways to adapt and overcome. These three plays are an excellent example of this happening. Because students are required to social distance and maintain mask wearing, it is hard to put on a theatrical production since many people would be interacting in a closed space. COVID allowed the theatre department to explore plays that they normally would never have considered since the casting list was so small. 

College Sanctioned Events

Keep Calm and Finish Strong!

Virtual Event: Tips to Help Students Study for Finals. Happening 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 14.

Making the Most of Your Internship virtual event happening Thursday, April 15 at 4p.m.

 

…Being Busy Beavers

Although COVID put many many events on hold over the past year, Grove City College has not been beaten by it. In fact, it has emerged stronger than ever! We, as a campus, have been able to do things we never would have considered doing simply because there are restrictions and regulations that we are now following.

Those plays wrecked their audiences. 

Those sporting events have increased a sense of camaraderie.

This marriage seminar group chat has allowed people to attend a helpful and engaging seminar led by many wise people!

Spring has Sprung…

…and with it, warmer weather, birds returning from their long winter sabbaticals, flowers poking through the ground, and students looking for ways to engage with their friends in safe, fun, and most importantly free ways!

At this stage, COVID is still around so the Grove City College campus body wants to not only be safe and respectful to others but also wants to look for ways to enjoy the warmer weather. After a long winter slogging through snow, I’m here to tell you a bit about some of the things to do on and off campus that are safe and free!

I’ve grouped everything into three different categories: Play, Leisure, and Adventure.

Play:

Whether you are athletically inclined or you want to feel the burn these activities are for you.

• Go for a walk – Grab a friend and explore around Grove City. The streets are safe, and it is easy to feel a burn walking up and down those hills – OK, I’m from a plains state. We have no hills and the tiny ones here kill me!
• Stretch those legs – You can do this in a formal sense (like yoga) or you can just grab some friends, make a big circle and gently stretch those muscles. YouTubing stretches should give you enough to last you for awhile.
• Hiking – Like walking… but harder. If you have a car and want to make a long trip out of it there are some beautiful trails around the Pennsylvania area that are highly worth checking out. Personally, I find that Cooks Forest and McConnells Mill State Park are great places to hike.
• Games on the quad – These are already popular. Volleyball nets are set up on the back side of Lincoln Hall. Spike Ball and Frisbees are easy to come by. If you do not have friends with either, emailing your RA will be helpful since they can point you in the right direction. 
• Walk to the store – It’s only four miles round trip. I’ve done it before and there’s something so rewarding about hauling your groceries on your back. However, there is no sidewalk along part of the road so be careful and wear bright colors! It’s an excellent way to get some exercise and talk with a friend.
• Bike ride – If you would like to go faster and farther than a walk can get you, bring your bike! There are places to store your bike on campus and the country roads are just minutes away and provide hours of cycling.
• Run – Torture. But a leisurely jog with a friend can keep you accountable and get some exercise in.
• Water balloon fight/nerf gun fight (clean up needed) – Organizing a campus-wide water balloon fight sounds amazing! But be aware that there is a cost involved since you’d have to buy balloons and remember to clean up all the pieces!
• Yoga – A more organized approach to the whole stretching idea.
• Volunteer – Do some research. There are many organizations worth your time.

 

Leisure:

If you don’t want to torture yourself, consider some of these activities.

• Stargazing – Who doesn’t love lying on their back and looking up at the sky to be reminded of how small we are?
• Fire pit – You can reserve the fire pit for your smoky night ghost stories.
• Hammocking – Many good trees.
• Picnic – The most romantic date ever, or an excellent way to catch up with a platonic friend.
• Card games or board games outside – If you are into card games, why not try them outside! Just be aware of any wind!
• Tan – Catch some zzzz’s and some sun. Sunshine is important for your vitamin D.
• Study on Quad – Not as fun, but still nice.
• Talk – Don’t let that phone dictate your friendships!
• Get to know that roommate – Need some icebreakers? Look online! Getting a different roommate for next year? Now’s the time to get to know them!
• Bake in either Ketler Rec or Mary Anderson Pew South Rec (reserve lounge) – Missing those homemade brownies? Well, you can bake them here!
• Draw – Not only for if you are artsy. You can also try something you have never done before. Especially with a friend.
• Read – Read alone, read in a group, read out loud. So many options. 
• Make some cards or do some origami – Need a craft and some sun.
• Embroider/crochet/knit – Like the little old woman you are (all levels welcome).
• Take a nap:)
• Puzzles – 50 cent puzzles can be found many places like Salvation Army.
• Bubbles – Embrace that inner 4 year old.
• Journal/write letter to future you/grandchildren/ etc. – Super fun.

 

Adventure:

• Beach – There are some beautiful lakes nearby that have excellent beaches. Or if you are looking to make a weekend out of it, go on up to Erie, PA.
• Car ride – If you have a car and do not mind using gas, turn on some tunes, grab some friends and get lost on the road!
• Feel the breeze – Feel that wind on your face and breathe in the smells. Do not worry. You’ve got this.
• Library – Check out the public library or the school’s library for some amazing books!
• Go to the park – Everything you can do on the Quad, you can do at the park (except maybe computer work) It’s even within walking distance!
• Listen to a podcast together (GCC INSIDER has some good ones on Spotify! *hint hint nudge nudge*).
• Create a will or last 24hr playlist – If you are morbid or just want to shoot the breeze, draw up a will. Divide up things even if they have no monetary value. Who says you need monetary value?
• Photo Shoot – Pick some friends and work on posing and props.
• Time capsule – Bury some trinkets (not on campus) and come back for your 50 year reunion and dig it up.
• Geocaching – Before all you young folk started Pokémon Go, there was geocaching. Geocaching is done by looking for little capsules people have buried/hidden in different places. I’ve found capsules in books, trees, and even inside office buildings. A simple Google search will get you on your way.
• Blanket fort (outside?) – Why not? Might be hard but creativity is all that’s required.

So in conclusion…

Get out there and have some fun!

 

Listen to the Episode Here!

 

At Grove City College, liberal arts are regarded with the utmost of value concurrently with vocational excellence. Daniel Supplee, a current senior, my good friend, a Trustee Scholarship recipient, and a Computer Information Systems (“CIS”) major with minors in Cybersecurity and Business, wrote the following in response to my questions about his choice of major, the role of liberal arts in his education here at Grove City, and his perceived career preparedness.

“Just as tradesmen often pass down their trades to their sons, my father passed his ‘trade’ of programming down to me. Starting at age 8, I was given my first booklet on programming by my father and thus began my entrance into the world of computer science. Continuing through middle and high school, programming was a large part of my free time, and guided by my father I expanded my skillset and aptitude in the various fields of computer science. When it came to pick a college degree, however, I realized that I also had great interest in the many other subjects that I had been exposed to previously: history, economics, language, and music. The Computer Information Systems major gave me the flexibility to explore those topics while still maintaining my focus on computers. After four years of college, I am still a believer that the primary purpose of college is not only to train students in the technical skills of their majors, but to produce well-rounded adults with at least a comprehensive understanding of the world we live in. Adopting my major, while taking classes in Biblical Hebrew, Middle Eastern politics, law, and economics have helped me put my life and world into perspective, while still gaining proficiency in the intricacies of computer science, like application development, database management, and network systems. The capstone of my major, Senior Project, has helped pull together the majority of my technical skills in a creative manner, proving to myself that I can still keep up with the more focused Computer Science majors in addition to enjoying a Christian liberal arts education. It is a common view of students in my department that extra-curricular endeavors such as internships and personal projects make up a large portion of our technical education, and that deficiencies in our technical abilities will be made up when we go to work after school. Nevertheless, it is vital that the student graduates with employable skills in his or her field, and that the pursuit of the liberal arts be made in perspective of that fact.”

Listen to the Episode Here!