Month: April 2022

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The Spartan Life: Living Arrangements Outside of Greek Groups

At Grove City College, we have a lot of different ways to participate in Greek life. From living in the group to just attending events, Greek life adds a lot of character to our small campus. But sometimes, Greek life just isn’t what every student wants to be a part of. I considered joining a housing group on campus but, after receiving a bid, I realized it wasn’t for me.

 

Grove City College has a unique campus life that prioritizes community more than other, similar colleges. Because of this, Grove City College does not house any national fraternities or sororities; each group that is present on campus only has affiliations here on campus. This helps pursue the goal of community unity because the groups are focused on their immediate surroundings, untied from the regulations and expectations of national groups. The Greek groups on campus are expected to bring the campus community together through numerous events such as dances, games, and food-oriented get-togethers. This provides a very unique and memorable campus life experience at Grove City College.

 

Starting the end of Freshman year, students may rush to join these housing groups for their Sophomore year. But some students may find that the Greek life isn’t for them and there’s nothing wrong with that. You may not be a part of the same experiences that those in these housing groups, fraternities, and sororities have, but your time at Grove City College will be full of similar experiences.

 

Life outside the Greek halls isn’t much different than if you were on the hall. Unlike most colleges, all groups still live in the dorms on campus; there are no frat/sorority houses off campus. You’ll be able to hang out in your friends’ rooms, who may be in a Greek group. You’ll still be able to walk out of your room and see your friends in the halls. You’ll still walk to lunch with them the same way that you would if there were no housing groups.

 

For me, many of the friends I have made through sports or through classes are in different Greek groups on campus. Even though I don’t want to live on a hall with a lot of guys, I still feel that I am able to be a part of their small community on campus. I still have meals with them and hang out in their rooms without feeling pressured to join them.

 

During your sophomore year, you may realize that you are spending a lot of time with your friends who are all in fraternities or sororities. If this is the case, you can always try to join! You’re never locked into a fraternity, sorority, or housing group at Grove City College. It’s up to the group but you can join during whichever year you are currently in!

 

Grove City College’s goal of achieving campus unity is expressed through its student housing arrangements. It doesn’t matter what background you come from, Grove City College has the right college living style for you.

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Prioritizing Education as a Varsity Athlete

Grove City College is an NCAA Division III college, meaning that all student athletes involve themselves in sports because they love it, not due to any financial assistance. But, that’s not to say our athletic teams are bottom of the barrel, either. Among our athletic conference the President’s Athletic Conference, most of our sports consistently place in the top two or three teams at the end of the season. In fact, in 2019, the Women’s Swim team produced the national champion in the 200 yard butterfly, Anne Shirley Dassow.Dassow was soon chosen as Grove City College’s Sportswoman of the year not just because of her athletic achievements, but also her academic achievements. How do the Wolverine athletes continue to perform at such a high level while also earning some of the top grades in their class?

 

There three main ways the culture surrounding Grove City College allows you to succeed as an athlete while also succeeding as a student. First, athletes are provided the opportunity their first semester to get into good study habits through study tables. During study tables, a large group of your team get together and just do homework in the same group. This sets you on the path to good time management and sets the habit of finishing homework in the evenings when nothing is going on around campus.

Second, your coaches help keep you on track. Just like Division I and II schools, there is a minimum GPA requirement to play. Your coaches keep an eye on this and provide you with resources should you require them. Without a good GPA, you can’t play. Our coaches want you to be able to play, but at the end of the day they are more concerned with your academic progress than anything else. That’s one of the benefits of playing sports at the Division III level.

Third, your team provides you with more help than you could ever hope for. You play sports at a DIII college because you love it…and so does the rest of your team. If there is any class you’re struggling in, your team is always there to help.  No other groups on campus has that kind of cross-class reach.

 

Being a Wolverine is awesome…but it’s hard. Unlike DI and DII schools, Grove City College cares about your academic success than anything else; you’re not just a source of revenue for them. When you first begin your collegiate athletic career, your team is your number one tool for success as a new student at Grove City College.

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A Letter to My Freshman Self

Dear freshman self,

There is something so special and life-giving about being a freshman. You have so much to learn and so much life to live in the next years. The excitement of all of the possibilities is overwhelming. You are in a new place with new people and new freedoms that you have never had before, but with all of this excitement comes a lot of responsibility. Through my four years at Grove City College, there are 10 things that I have gleaned from my experience, and I wish more than anything that someone would have told me these things when I was a freshman. But, freshman self, these are the lessons that God wanted and needed you to learn, and it is okay that you went through that pain and heartache because without that you would not have come out the other side a better woman. So here are 10 small lessons that I wish you would have known…

  1. God is in control, which means nothing is an accident.

It might seem like the things that happen are unfair or like God is not there, but He is. Always and forever. Trust in him no matter what.

  1. At the end of the day, Greek groups do not matter.

Yes, Greek life is so much fun. I loved being in a group so much. But it does not define who you are or who you can hang out with because after you leave this campus, it does not matter anymore. So do not let the Greek letters you wear keep you from being friends with people.

  1. Red flags apply to friendships.

If you see red flags in your friendships, listen to them.

  1. It truly does not matter what other people think about you.

This is still a lesson I am learning, but it is so true. It is a hard thing to put into practice, but you will enjoy your life so much more if you learn to not listen to the things other people say about you.

  1. If you trust your friends, then listen to their advice.

You take time to pour into the relationships you have, why would you not listen to the advice they have? This can relate to boys or clothes or anything. You need to trust that they have your best interest in mind.

  1. Do not be so judgmental.

Everyone is different and that is okay. Embrace the differences that you see instead of feeling insecure by them. If you learn to accept others rather than fighting, you will have more peace.

  1. Do not overcommit.

It is so easy in Grove City to stretch yourself soooo thin. Groverachieving is a very real thing and it makes it hard to say no to things. But fight the need to be involved in everything. You can say no, and it is okay. Please learn that saying no is not a sign of weakness, and it does not mean that people will not like you.

  1. Do not wish the time away.

The time in college is special, and your time here can never be replaced. Do not wish for it to be over. Notice the little things and appreciate the time you have to learn and grow and make special memories. Life is hard, and it will only get harder after you graduate so just soak in all the time you have at Grove City.

  1. Think about what is important.

Your priorities will always be changing, but at the core what are the things that matter the most to you? Knowing where your priorities lie makes all the difference in navigating life. If you do not know what is important to you, you will not stand for anything. So, formalize your priorities.

  1. Just Love.

Love other people and love your time. You will be happier if you learn to love first.

This list is not extensive, and it is not everything you will learn. Learn to fall in love with your life and do not worry so much. Take these lessons and learn from life experience. You are gonna grow more than you could ever imagine and that is good. You have amazing friends and a loving man and even though life is not perfect, it is so good. You will learn that life does not have to be perfect to be good. I hope these four years are a special time for you.

Love,

Senior self

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New Chapel Schedule

At Grove City College, every student must attend chapel a certain amount of times per semester, though the amount varies for commuter students and on-campus students. Typically, the normal student is required to attend 12 chapels a semester, which is very doable. For three and a half years, the schedule was chapel Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:25 to 9:50 a.m. and vespers on Sunday evenings. Vespers was a worship service held on Sunday nights for chapel credit.

They just changed the chapel schedule this semester. Now, the chapel schedule is Wednesdays from 11 to 11:50, and we have Formation Friday which consists of small groups that meet around campus and discuss specific topics. You sign up for your small group on Formation Friday, which lasts five weeks, and you discuss topics picked by a professor on campus. Some professors choose to do a book study where you read a certain amount of chapters per week and then discuss it in your small group that week. Small groups are a great way to get more personal with chapel and make it welcoming to conversation and relationship. On Mondays from during 11 o’clock, everyone has a free hour, which is nice if you want to meet with a professor or get some lunch.

After conversations with some of the upperclassmen on campus, a lot of people were uncomfortable with the change because it has been the same for our whole time at Grove City and suddenly has changed our last semester. However, this new chapel schedule leads to closer community on campus so that you can meet and connect with many different people that you would not normally get the chance to connect with. Chapel is a great thing that we have on campus and this new schedule should allow for a great impact on campus.

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What to Know About Hicks Hall and Memorial Hall

There are two men’s freshmen dorms on campus, Hicks and Memorial Halls. There are many pros and cons to each of these dorms, and before you have to choose your rooms, I will help you out in deciding which dorm to pick. My freshman year, back in 2018, I lived in Hicks, so I might be a little biased. But a lot of my best friends lived in Memorial, so I see the charm in Memorial Hall as well.

Memorial Hall

Memorial is no doubt the “nicer” of the two, depending on how you look at it. There is carpet in the hallways, and it definitely is a little bit more comfortable which makes it the more popular choice. There are a lot of perks to living in Memorial–you have a nicer living space, there is a nice green space out front, and the lounges in the building are nice and open so they are a great space to hang out with friends. However, you are a little farther away from the academic buildings and the dining halls which can be a con when you have to walk to dinner in the Grove City winters.

Hicks Hall

Hicks breeds men. At least, that is what my friends and I freshman year would tell ourselves. Hicks is not as cozy as Memorial. There is no carpet, except in the lounges. However, there is upgraded furniture in the lounges in Hicks which is a big plus. The rooms are generally the same size in both buildings which makes the decisions a little tricky. Also, Hicks is much closer to all of the academic buildings on campus, and you live right above the cafeteria, which at times is amazing but other times can be a nuisance because your room might start smelling like onions or whatever they are making that day downstairs. To the naked eye, Hicks might be the worse residence hall, but there are plenty of perks to living in Hicks that will make you want to live there.

Both of these residence halls have many perks, and there is not a wrong choice when you are picking where to live. You will find a great community no matter where you decide to live. But, if you want my opinion, I would lean towards Hicks, but Memorial is great as well.

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How Greek Life Has Prepared Me for Life After College

Coming into college, I had no expectations of joining a Greek group because I was expecting to be fully invested in playing sports. However, after talking with my friends and going to rush events in the fall, I found that Greek groups here are very different than the stereotypical fraternities and sororities at larger schools.

They are very organized and respected on campus because they put on the majority of the fun events that happen at school. I decided to join a fraternity, and it has thoroughly prepared me for my life after college. There are positions within Greek groups that are voted on and people get elected to. These positions are the same as any other club, with a couple of exceptions. I held the role of Interfraternal Representative, which means that I am the representative for my fraternity at meetings with every fraternity. I had to learn to be responsible for a large group of people and represent the group well. This position is also an executive position within the group, which means that I and four other people are chosen to represent the group at a higher level and vote on important things for the group.

Along with having to deal with a large group of people, I had to plan events for the whole school and make sure that they all ran smoothly. For example, we put on multiple fun events every year, including the Monster Mash dance which is a big costume dance for the whole school. It is one of the largest events on campus, and it is our responsibility to coordinate everything with the sorority we put it on with and with the school so we can follow guidelines. We must be able to work with many different groups and people to coordinate large projects.

Another large reason why I am prepared for life after college was because I had the opportunity to meet and interact with many different people. Being in a large group like a fraternity enables you to become comfortable with dealing with a lot of different kinds of people and interact with different personalities, much like what you will have to do in the workplace. I have also found a great community of people that I would not trade for the world, and I know that they will support me in all my stages of life.

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Inner City Outreach: A Leader’s Perspective

Over Spring Break, I was blessed to have the opportunity to lead ICO Arizona. ICO Arizona is one the many opportunities students have to travel around the United States to serve a local church and community. My first exposure to ICO was my sophomore year. I knew an upperclassman through my fraternity that was leading a student led trip to Tucson, Arizona. Looking back, I have never really been able to figure out why I exactly went but attribute my participation to God. My first year I was able to participate in the trip as a regular attendee but was later asked to lead the trip. The following is an account of my leadership experience and the unique opportunity ICO provides to students across campus.

ICO is one of the best things that has ever happened to me on this campus. The ICO (Inner City Outreach) program is such a unique way to serve the Lord along side people on campus you maybe would never talk too. What makes it so unique is that is completely student led. While the ICO and chapel department at the school help train the leaders, it is up to us when we get down their to be spiritual leaders to the rest of the people on our trip. The task is daunting! To know that you are responsible for a large amount of students is not an easy thing to accept. But what ICO provides is not only the lifelong relationships with your service community but also an opportunity for students to go out of their comfort zone and lead fearlessly into an unknown area. A lot of times students have natural abilities to lead but are not often exerted out of fear or lack of opportunity, but the ICO program provides opportunities for leaders and non-leaders to serve the Lord as well as find a church community that can pour into you, even if they live across the country.

A lot has been said about “short-term” missions but I can confidently say that ICO programs should be considered by all freshmen when coming into Grove City. There are endless opportunities for you to serve God on and off campus, but the ICO program has been one way that has personally affected me, and I want to see as many people have the same experience I did. While it might not be Arizona, every ICO program offers a fresh look at God that can be extremely fruitful for college students. I cannot wait to see you all out there serving!

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Sports Management at Grove City

A new and popular major at other colleges is Sports Management, and we are now lucky to have this as a concentration under the Business Management major. My freshman year I started out as an education major but then decided that it was not for me, so after freshman year I changed my major to Business Management with a concentration in Sports Management joining the first Sports Management class in Grove City history.

I switched to Sports Management because I knew I loved sports, and I wanted to do something in sports later in life. The sports industry is growing so much, and there are now a wide array of jobs that you can get when you work in sports. The classes here at Grove City prepare you for a career in sports with the diversity of classes. The first Sports Management class that I took was Principles of Sport Management and Marketing with coach Gibson, the athletic director at GCC. In this class, I learned the ins and outs of sports management both in the professional world and in college athletics.

I was able to attain an internship with the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, which is the conference that Grove City plays in for every sport (except for Women’s Water Polo who plays in the Collegiate Water Polo’s Association). I learned so much, and it was because of the Sports Management class that I got my internship. The other classes at Grove City help you, challenge you in your faith, and help you connect your faith with your athletics. Finally, my favorite experience was in Sports Management and Event Practicum. This course is essentially an internship style class where you go and work for the Grove City College athletic department and help in any way that you can. You have a big project during the semester where you run and operate a sports management project. For my project, my partner and I ran the press booth at the Grove City track meet. During this project, I learned a lot and my knowledge grew even more in athletics.