Author: Alyssa Jackson

Stories need to be shared, held tight, remembered and recorded. History is made of stories, but first, they are the news of today. As a journalist, I strive to tell stories for the sake of the people behind them and the bettering of the world today.
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The Beauty of Sleeping

First to go and last to catch up. This could describe how I feel in any running race ever, but I mean it here as a description of sleep while in college.

College kids — we party, stay up late, sleep in till noon and skip class all the time, right? Well, maybe not at Grove City. However, instead of filling late nights with crazy adventures (which does happen sometimes) Grovers get stuck in a groove of constantly putting school work first. It is easy to do with myriad assignments, tests and projects. Grove City is known for our rigorous academics, after all. Though we are at college to receive an education, we are still humans with daily needs.

On top of school work, it is easy to be overcome with opportunities on campus. Personally, I love playing intramural sports, I work for the Collegian, I am a member of Women of Faith, and I am an active member of Covenant Church in town. Though school work is a priority at college, this formative time incorporates many other learning experiences. Time escapes into writing articles, reading, talking for hours with a friend and necessary coffee breaks.

I value my morning routine greatly. Workout, shower, fix coffee, read my Bible, get dressed and ready and eat breakfast — then rush out the door to my first class. When I suffer a lack of sleep, my morning is off and I end up in a funk. My usual sleeping need is seven-and-a-half hours, but not everyone needs the same. Listen to your body and find the amount you need to function. When our bodies are tired, we are hungrier, more irritable, and way less productive.

As a senior, I have finally learned the necessity of getting enough sleep. Though the reality that handling sleep, work, and social life is quite the balancing act, it is possible to do. Dr. Joshua Mayo in his prayer before class today asked the Lord, “Give us the balance between caring and not caring about the grades of our work.” His point is that yes, we are to work with all our hearts for the glory of God, but we are not to idolize that work and the grades we get in school. Instead, we need to learn and enjoy the material before us, because that is how we can glorify God.

In the college setting, where mind and body and soul must be alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic, sleep cannot be lacking. Though it may seem like pulling an all-nighter to study for your mid-term is the best use of your time, it detriments your brain power when you get to the class. As an old high school teacher of mine recommends, put the books away and get a good night’s sleep. Your brain, body, and grade will thank you for it.

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Injured and Schooling

Me with my six-week friend – my hefty sling.

The sling life.

For six weeks, my right arm sat idle on the foam piece around my waist secured by a sling. The Velcro attached stress ball stuck out from the foam bed. I named the ball Frank. Frank kept my fingers moving, even though my arm lie motionless.

For nearly a year, my shoulder suffered from a torn labrum due to multiple dislocations. On the last day of February in 2018, I finally underwent arthroscopic surgery. The surgery happened in the middle of my spring break from my junior year of college.

Optimistically, I hoped to go back to school by the end of spring break, but four days did not prove nearly long enough to move back to school. I stayed home for another week, and that is when I realized how great Grove City really is.

Professors sent notes for class, checked in on how I was doing, and gave me grace for deadlines. When I finally did get back to school, Mrs. Habbyshaw in the Disability Services Office scribed tests and papers for me to turn into my professors.

Coming back to school with only one functioning, non-dominant arm daunted me, but with the aid of friends, roommates, professors and people in my church, I finished out the weeks in the sling. I began physical therapy and slowly gained back everyday movement.

I missed working out and playing sports on campus. I missed simply doing my own laundry. I hated being so reliable on other people, but through that trial in my life, I saw, as the hymn says, “I am weak, but He is strong.” And yes, Jesus loves me. He showed me not only through the Bible, but through the generosity of teachers and care of my friends.

The sling on my arm started many conversations I would not have had otherwise. A worker in the Physical Learning Center asked what had happened to me and shared that he had a similar surgery. Students often asked how I was doing throughout the four weeks of being on campus in a sling. Though I was tired of the sling, I knew my body needed it to heal. When I started physical therapy, it amazed me to see what my body can do. God truly is the Master Creator. And He is indeed a loving Savior.

If you are expecting a surgery or experiencing and injury, know that at Grove City, you will be cared for. School is still possible. The semester of my injury was one of the highest GPAs I got while in school. Strange how that works.

Ten hours from home, I felt the love of other Christians on the campus of Grove City. Without it, I would not be healed as I am today.

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Foundations and Filmmaking

The Kelly Barnes Dam broke loose and Greg Bandy’s life shook. The whelming flood took 39 lives on the morning of Nov. 6, 1977. As most people would after witnessing such a horrific event, Bandy asked the question “Why am I still alive?”

The scene sounds like a movie. And maybe one day it will be. Professor Greg Bandy specializes in teaching multimedia. He joined the Grove City College faculty this fall, previously working at Asbury University, where he received his undergrad in Secondary Education.

While at Asbury, he co-founded the Highbridge Film Festival in 2005 with Jeff Day. They were both professors in the Media Communications department at the college.

Before Bandy found his passion of filmmaking and screenwriting, he practiced journalism on a smaller scale. While writing a local newspaper, he developed a skill set which can be beneficial in business, non-profits, education, research and many other fields. “At the heart of solid creation is journalism skills,” Bandy said. But journalism is not bound simply to newspapers. Instead, journalism includes design, writing, production and multimedia. “Journalism today is content creation,” Bandy said.

“It starts with knowing how to write a story,” Bandy said. Therefore, he teaches his classes building up from the basics. First, his students will learn how to write a story. They may acquire six or so new skills. Then the next class they take they will add six more skills. The progression continues until students are fluent in the language of multimedia.

“We are not swimming in content, we are drowning, but liberal arts education is the key to that,” Bandy said. Learning about science, math, writing and language all aid in writing good stories. Though science may be difficult to fully grasp, it is an avenue for new writing. It is a new network for content creation. The liberal arts education at Grove City is one reason Bandy accepted a position here.

He currently teaches Journalism, Video Production, and Documentary Film. “The school has invested nicely in the production tools in the TLC,” Bandy said. These tools assist students in creating their own documentary films by the end of the semester. “Production is different,” he said. “It includes technology, people, art, writing, problem-solving, and creative, narrative production.”

He looks forward to building upon the Communication and Visual Arts department and driving it in a new direction. He hopes to create an intersession course in which students produce a film from screenwriting to the finished cut. Bandy loves story-telling and hopes his Rhodesian Ridgeback dog will join him in Grove City soon.

Check out Bandy’s Instagram at profbandy. He also has his films on Vimeo of his first and most well-known films is on C.S. Lewis. Find the film and others here: https://vimeo.com/16791969

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Not Playing Sports in College, A New Way of Life

Grove City Women’s Tennis Fall 2015. Photo courtesy of Alyssa Jackson

During my last tennis match at Grove City, my strings broke and I used my coach’s racquet. The heavy feeling of a new object threw me off. I lost the exhibition match, ending my career in a let down.

Let me just say, this is no bashing of playing college sports. Playing varsity tennis taught me much. I learned time management, team development, and how to lead a team to play for the glory of God. I learned self-discipline both physically and mentally. And I learned that sports will always play a role in my life. I proudly look forward to future days as a soccer mom.

For 14 years straight I played team sports including soccer, basketball and tennis. When I made the decision to quit varsity tennis at Grove City, I stepped into unknown waters. What was life without daily practices, working out with the motivation of adding to my team, and proudly wearing my uniform to class on match days?

So, why did I leave behind these experiences? A shoulder injury definitely played a part. I tore my labrum and needed surgery, which I had the spring of my junior year. Talk about going from an athlete to a couch potato.

Time can only be used in so many ways before it is gone. Two to three hours a day of practice and two- to seven-hour matches during the week and on weekends filled my waking hours. Homework and some time with friends filled the rest. I realized that though I loved my team, competing and being in shape, I wanted to use my college experience to pursue other opportunities. One of my passions is writing, and after quitting tennis, I devoted much more time to improving my skills.

I am avidly pursuing a career in journalism. I accepted a job with the college newspaper and am now the managing editor until I graduate in December. As I move on from college, I have an internship with World Magazine, an answer to prayer and I am so excited.

Though I miss the accountability of being on a team, I know I made the best decision. Not only could I spend time interviewing and writing people’s stories, but I learned to enjoy assignments, freely attend evening lectures, and simply enjoy being surrounded by friends on this beautiful campus.

If you are a high school student deciding whether or not to play a varsity college sport, let me help you – There is no wrong answer. I split my college career of playing sports and not, and I am glad I got to dip my toes into two very different worlds. Though there is no wrong option, some are better than others. Keep in mind the time you spend at college cannot be duplicated.

Also know that our intramural (IM) sports program here at Grove City is nothing to joke about. IM soccer, volleyball, badminton, tennis, basketball, ping pong, and even flag football have all filled my four years. Though varsity sports may not be for you, alternatives abound. Do not fear when you no longer devote each moment to bettering your body and your team. Life after college is filled with marriage, jobs, travel – but the chance to play on a varsity team may not carry over. However, each of those other activities can be bettered during the formative four years of college.

Make time to enjoy God’s creation, watch a movie with your roommate, listen to a talk from a renowned guest speaker, play some IM sports and maybe go for a run. Each human consists of mind, body and soul. Each can be nourished by the choices we make. And no matter which choice you make about varsity sports in college, you will find your place.