Category: Campus Events

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Tri- RHO Extravaganza | What It Is and Its Significance to My College Career and Life

Fill in the blank: There is never a dull moment at __________________________. If you said Grove City College you are correct! Grove City College, its various departments and organizations, sports teams, and on-campus groups all take part in maintaining a consistently entertaining campus life. With events, dances, meetings, games, and loads more forms of entertainment on campus there is rarely a weekend where there is nothing to do.

One of the events in specific which takes place every spring semester is the Tri-RHO Extravaganza. This event is put on by the Tri-RHO housing group, which is one of the College’s nine men’s housing groups, and is open to all of campus. The tri-RHO Extravaganza is a dance which takes places in the Hicks Dinning Hall. The Extravaganza is always a very popular event on campus and draws large crowds as it is usually the first dance of the spring semester and due also to the high quality of the event. Aside from dancing, there are an assortment of appetizers and drinks. The music at the dance, although the dress is formal, is usually the average dance songs mixed in with modern hits creating a great atmosphere for having fun with friends and boogying down. One other key attraction this event has is the signature photo booth where guests can get their picture taken in front of the tri-RHO banner. As can be seen, this event is a great time on campus and supplies students the opportunity to take a break from studies and homework and to just have a little fun.

This event has always been one of my favorites at Grove City College and has made for a lot of great memories. One specific memory that I attach to this event and that will forever be a part of my life is my first experience attending this dance. This is because this dance happened to be the first time I ever hung out with and the first time I ever attended a dance with my current fiancé. To give some backstory, at the time of this dance my freshman year I was texting back and forth with a girl I knew from back home. In our texting I casually invited her to this dance expecting her to give me an excuse to why she could not come but instead, being the spontaneous woman she is, she answered my questions with an unexpected, “Yes.” The day of the event arrived and I picked her up from her car and we went to the dance. Long story short, we had a great time dancing around at the event and with my friends. It is because of this night that my relationship with this, at the time, stranger begin to flourish and that this event and the night of February 5, 2016 will forever be an important and an amazing date in my life.

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A Fresh Outlook on Vespers at Grove City

 Traditional or Contemporary?

Those of you who visited a year or more ago may have experienced chapel with Dr. Stan Keehlwetter, the previous Dean of the Chapel here at Grove City. Among being a great leader and an excellent orator, Dr. Keehlwetter was very traditional in how he ran his chapel. I enjoyed his Sunday night Vespers (a service hosted in the chapel every Sunday with the opportunity to receive a chapel credit), as a much more traditional liturgy than I grew up with. However, many college students are on the run from traditional backgrounds, hoping to start afresh, looking for something crisp yet consistent about their faith. So what does the new Dean bring to the table?

Changing of the Guard at Harbison Chapel

Upon Dr. Keehlwetter’s retirement, Dr. Dean Weaver has taken to the ministry and has reformed how chapels and Vespers are run on campus. As interested as I was in Vespers last year, I knew I wanted to see how Dr. Weaver ran them. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed! If you enjoy music, as I do, Vespers will be an instant hit for you. Dr. Weaver spends a majority of his chapel time in worship, with a team of students leading the charge. The music does an impressive job of not only appeasing my love of contemporary worship, but also weaving in the traditional. Some old hymns are spiced up, some are left as they are, and many newer songs are used as well. Consequently, when it comes to music, vespers are pleasing to both the traditional audience and the contemporary.

Furthermore, the message Dr. Weaver presents is pertinent and consistent. He challenges the congregation with his insights of the scriptures, and is an excellent orator to boot. As a pastor, Dr. Weaver has a clear understanding of how to lead God’s sheep. Additionally, as a Grove City grad, he knows what motivates us, and how to guide us. In a word, Dr. Weaver is an incredible believer with a gift for sharing the word of God, Grove City is lucky to have him.

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BEST Robotics Competition 2018

On Friday, Oct. 26, Grove City College hosted the BEST Robotics competition. Dr. Bright, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, began Wolverine BEST at Grove City College several years ago. This competition provides middle through high school students in the Western Pennsylvania area exposure to engineering, science, and technology. The Wolverine BEST challenge is one of only two BEST Hubs in the Commonwealth of PA. The event serves as an opportunity for Grove City College to showcase its nationally ranked engineering program.

This year, I participated as a Marketing Judge for the competition. Twenty-three schools participated in this year’s competition and I was to judge four of them on marketing presentations for their robots. The volunteer judges met before the competition to go over the rules and rating system we would be using that evening. The marketing presentations took place in different rooms in the Hall of Arts and Letters. There were four judges per room. The students, either middle or high schoolers, would have roughly 20 minutes to present their robot to the panel of judges. The last 10 minutes were set aside for any questions the judges may have. In my room, I was the only judge that was a student at Grove City College. The rest of the judges were faculty members at the College or local businessmen or women. It felt very much like I was on an episode of Shark Tank. After the students exited the room, the judges would converse about our thoughts on the presentation. Of the four groups of students, there was quite a wide range from students who were beyond prepared to those who were very nervous.

To me, I was very impressed with all of the presentations I had the chance to witness. These students clearly had ambition and drive, and at such a young age. I was thankful to have had this opportunity to meet new faculty members and the determined middle school and high school students.

A question one of the judges in my panel asked every group that presented was, “What would you like to do in the future?”

The answers varied from “I would like to be a mechanical engineer,” to “I want to graduate high school.”

My favorite answer was actually said by five of the students that went through our room that evening, and that was, “I am hoping to get accepted to Grove City College.”

Hearing this from such impressive and inspiring young men and women reminded me of how appreciative and thankful I am to attend an institution like Grove City College.

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How Homecoming Helped Me Get an Internship

Imagine this:

You are a junior looking for an internship and Homecoming weekend is quickly approaching. You have just gone through one of the most stressful months of your life, where you had a multitude of tests, had to update and re-write your resume and cover letter, and spent hours on end networking and interviewing both at your college’s career fair and in on and off-campus interviews. After going through a month of this, only one thing could make everything feel worth it. No, this one thing is not a fine dinner at Hicks dining hall, it is an internship offer!

In approaching the weeks following the stressful month before, I wondered what else I could do, or where else I could apply for internships. It was during these following weeks that Grove City College held its annual Homecoming, which was a time for students to relax and alumni to come back and visit the college. It was during this time of relaxation for me that I, by chance, ran into a past member of the Crons (the housing group, which I am part of on campus). Upon discussing with him the current state of the group, I later found that he worked in the field of accounting, and not only did he work in the field of accounting, but he was a shareholder for a firm and they were looking for interns for the summer. Throughout our discussion we exchanged information, which later allowed me to not just contact him, but set up an interview at his firm’s office, which later led to an offer from the firm for a summer internship position.

Who would have thought, that after one of the most stressful months of my life that I would, in my “relaxing week” of Homecoming, randomly run into someone and that our discussions would turn into a later job offer? Is it not funny how God works? As you find yourself in a similar situation as I in the upcoming years, I urge you to remember my story and to have faith in God, because he is always doing works in your life, even when you think it is time to relax.

23 The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
24 though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Psalms 37-23-24 (NIV)

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Homecoming is Not Just for Alumni

As a first-generation Grover, Homecoming weekend seems somewhat unappealing. As the weekend approached, I imagined a campus full of students and their parents and grandparents celebrating and having fun while I was alone. Now, I am not the type of person to get lonely, but seeing other students with their parents would have been a depressing sight. These were my thoughts about Homecoming freshman year prior to receiving a phone call from my mom, which changed Homecoming for me as I had thought I knew it. During this phone call, my mother informed me that she had signed up herself, my father, and my sisters to come visit me for the Saturday of Homecoming weekend. In hearing this from my mom I was ecstatic, as not only would I not have to fear being alone on Homecoming weekend, but I also was going to get to spend time with my family on campus surrounded by a community of past, present and future Grovers.

This joyful phone conversation I shared with my mother led to not just a visit from my parents, but a joy-filled day in which I could catch up with my family, watch sports, and show them around the campus I was growing to love. This phone call also led to the start of a family tradition, because not only did my parents visit me on Homecoming weekend my freshman year, but also my sophomore, junior and senior years. Thus, all of this proving to me that my original thoughts of what Homecoming at Grove City College looked like developed into a family tradition built from the investigation of a non-alumni mother (If I’m being honest I would not even have known that my family could come to Homecoming if it was not for my mom looking into it) and the love and excitement of a first year Grover’s family to see their son/brother and to want to be involved with him on campus. This tradition, although not significant to most, became a highlight of my fall semesters as the College came together and provided my family and I an opportunity to step back, relax, and get together. Feel free to steal my family’s tradition as a first-generation Grover.

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Event Review: SGA September Coffee House

Tuesday, Oct. 9 featured the kickoff Coffee House concert hosted by the Student Government Association (SGA). The group took over the Student Union by setting up the stage for the six musical acts that performed. Each band was given a 30-minute time-slot to perform their favorite songs in front of their peers.

SGA provides coffee and food for these events, which take place monthly through the entire year on the first Tuesday of the month. This month, members of SGA’s social affairs committee baked homemade sweets for students to enjoy. Things like pumpkin rice krispie treats, cake pops, and more were enjoyed by students. They were such a hit that students cleaned out the entire supply about half way through the event. This event was also so well attended that coffee also ran out at about the same time as the food, which has never happened at one of SGA’s coffee houses before. The group is already prepared to make the appropriate adjustments for the next iteration of their event in November.

Also at this event, SGA ran a social media competition on Instagram where if students posted with the hashtag #gccyeti on Instagram they were entered into a drawing to win one of five mini travel size Yeti cups. The drawings took place after the event and students were awarded their Yetis.

Coffee houses have been one of SGA’s events where they continue to strive in improving. Last year, bands had to audition for the first time to make sure students attending the event would experience the best musical performances they could see. This small change improved the event by a significant amount, which continued into this year. While plans are still in the works for November’s coffee house, be sure to check back here for another event review, and go ahead and follow SGA on Instagram at @gccsga.

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5 Tips to Running a Campus Event

Organizing a campus event can be TOUGH. There is a lot of planning, time, and communication that goes into getting any campus event off of its feet and running. You have to contact certain people, make sure your group knows what they need to do, get support for the event, and raise awareness of the event to get people to attend. So far in my college career, I have put on quite a few campus events including Dancing with the Profs, Orientation Board Off Broadway (a musical Cabaret performance), All Campus Cookout, So You Think GCC Can Dance?, and the Spring Dance Company Performance for the past two years. I have had my fair share of success, pains, and plans that have not gone the way I have wanted them to.

 

Dancing With The Profs Winner: Education Professor Connie Nichols

I am not the only student who has put on a campus event, and I am certainly not the last… So, if there is any knowledge that I can pass down I believe it can be summed up in five tips.

  1. Plan early and plan well
    • Planning should be done early. Ideally a few months before the event because you have to contact tons of people. To plan well, write every little detail out. It will make things easier down the road.
  2. Make a list and stick to it
    • Once you have planned out all of the details, figure out how to get those things done and make a “To Do” list for you to follow. Make sure you are following this list carefully and even setting dates for you to get things done by.
  3. Do not be afraid to ask for help
    • Chances are for most events, there are people who have done them before or who have put on similar events. Find those people and ask for more tips or tricks on your event to make things easier or to speed up certain processes. It is also helpful to have people give you assistance to lighten to load of stress that often comes with these events. Also, Student Government will contribute monetary funds to events to help contribute to the campus community.
  4. Advertise sooner than later
    • If you are holding an event, you want people to come to it, right?? Coming up with creative or strong ways to advertise will get people just as excited as you are to put on the event.
  5. Do not stress the little things
    • Things will go wrong, no matter what event it is. But it is so important to not stress the small things or you could lose sight of the big picture! If you forgot something or something falls apart, take a second to breathe and move forward. The way you handle the hard stuff is a testament to your character and will prepare you for the next time that may happen.

 

Spring Dance Company Photo 2016

These five tips will not make for a perfect event, but it will help make your event planning and organizing go by so much faster and will be more enjoyable for you. Organizing a campus event can be a great way to contribute back to the vibrant community Grove City College has, and it is a rewarding experience that could help in the future with fine tuning various skills.

 

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Career Networking Mixer

Grove City College Career Fair, 9/26/18

After the Grove City College Career Fair on Sept. 26, the Business Department offered a career networking mixer and panel discussion. This event offered an insider’s perspective into the business world and insight on how to gain a competitive advantage in interviews. Students had an opportunity to mingle with business professionals over hors d’oeuvres before hearing from speakers at the panel session.

David Durfee ’13, returned to the Career Fair as a sales executive with Armstrong World Industries. His degree in Marketing prepared him for this career, but he said that the services offered to current students has improved since his college years. Durfee explained that the annual career fair – a school-wide event – attracts more marketing and management firms now, which provides more networking opportunities to business students. In addition, he has seen improved professor interaction during the fair; students can now find guidance from their professors on which firms to approach, how to start a career conversation, and how to increase self-marketability.

Grossman Yanak & Ford (GY&F), a Pittsburgh accounting firm, regularly sends representatives to recruit Grove City College students. Colleen Febbraro, HR Director at GY&F, says that the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firm seeks Grovers because they have found that Grove City graduates are well-rounded compared to their peers. In addition, the graduates have been prepared by their education to work well on their own and in groups. She mentioned that GY&F has found Grovers to have “superb” communication skills and advanced technical training – attributes that are evidence of thorough preparation by trained faculty. Though GY&F has a familiarity with the quality of a Grove City College education, Febbraro said that Grove City’s exceptional Accounting program – which graduates students with a CPA passing rate at nearly 30% higher than the national average – is making a name for itself as ninth in the nation for CPA success rates.

Emily Miller, who graduated from Grove City College in 2015, now works with Grossman Yanak & Ford and returned to the Career Fair to help with recruitment. She says that Grove City College left her prepared to excel in the CPA exam and her future career. Though she was not expecting the volume of writing that her job demands, she says that the Grove City humanities core adequately prepared her to handle this challenge.

The business mixer representatives offer not only career placements, but also higher education opportunities. Alexander Lowry represented Gordon College as the executive director of its Financial Analytics program, explaining that this program would be ideal for Grove City students studying a variety of disciplines. For students interested in a career involving finance, statistics, or data analysis, the Boston school offers a Master of Science in Financial Analysis. Entering a fast-paced career after college can be intimidating to undergraduate students, but Gordon College offers insight into the Boston financial scene. Lowry, who has experience in executive management at JP Morgan, explains that students can expect networking and internship opportunities during the 12-class program – Gordon has long-standing ties with financial powerhouses like Liberty Mutual, Fidelity Investments, and Putnam Investments.

The question and answer panel, which featured several Grover alumni, consisted of several businessmen giving advice and feedback to the students about launching a career. After the event, there was a tangible atmosphere of excitement and anticipation about preparing for the future, with many students discussing what they liked about the panel. One student noted that it was encouraging to see Grove City College alumni in such high positions at their firms – evidence that a Grove City degree is highly marketable. Another observation was an appreciation that the speakers went very in-depth in giving advice on how to prepare for a full-time interview. Interviewing for a part-time job in high school, the student said, is very different from the process for a “real” career, and so he enjoyed the tips for interview preparation. Overall, the Business Mixer was a huge success, providing not only opportunities for students to network with prospective employers and fellow members of the Business department, but also opportunities for students to hear relevant advice for career preparation during the panel.

 

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September: The Month of Cold Weather, Rain, and Careers

September. This is the month in the year where people like me begin to get sad that warm weather and sunny days are on their way out and the cold and rainy days are on their way in. This is also the month that people like my friend Ben look forward to, as it acts as his glimpse into the upcoming cold months. Weather (hehe, puns) you are like Ben or like myself, September also acts as an active time in pursuing jobs and careers.

The month of September for the average Grover is a time where school is beginning to really kick into gear and a time in which the College’s Career Services Office makes their biggest push of the year to help students find jobs. During this month there are loads of events going on and loads of opportunity for students of all ages at the College. From the kick-off party to the College’s large Career Fair, this month is packed full of opportunity and promise.

My personal account of my experience with Career Services and the various events and opportunities they supply, sadly, due to my own neglect, did not take place until my junior year at the College. It was September of last year that I entered the Career Services Office for the first time. At this point in my college career, and life, I had come to the realization that, firstly, I need to get a job at some point and, secondly, that since I am going to college I should probably get a job in my field. With this realization, I then set the goal of obtaining an internship for my junior year summer, which are highly common for Grove City College students. The only problem at this point, though, was that I had no idea where to start. Aimlessly lost, I decided to approach the Career Services Office on campus and in our first meeting they assisted me in setting up an account on the colleges new, at that point, job website and set up another meeting with me where we could go over my resume and get it ready for an on-campus mock interview they encouraged me to sign up for. So, just like that, I went from lost to found and was on track to my end goal. A few days after the initial meeting I went into the Career Services Office to look over my resume, which was accomplished by the end of the meeting. After leaving this meeting I had some work to do to my resume but was on track and ready for my on-campus mock interview. About a week later the mock interview arrived and I showed up with my new and improved resume and dressed to impress. After a 30-minute interview with the head of Human Resources at one of the companies I was planning on applying at, I was able to receive some constructive criticism. It was this mock interview that prepared me for the slew of interviews I was about to undertake.

As I applied for as many interviews as possible via the College’s job website, the response began flooding in. Instantly I was signed up for multiple first-round interviews with various types of companies. This feat alone was a huge accomplishment from where I was a short month ago. I found as I went through my first round of interviews that as I progressed I seemed to get better and more comfortable. Thus, allowing my second round of interviews to progress and become better than the first. After first, second, and even third rounds of interviews with some companies I had finally done it… I had received that elusive internship offer.

Needless to say, if you find yourself in a similar scenario as I did, do not fret. The Career Services Office is there to help. Your career needs are never too far gone!

 

 

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Inside the Life of a Grove City College Tour Guide

As a tour guide here at Grove City, I am presented with the unique opportunity of working with the College’s Admissions staff on a regular basis. However, the most exciting aspect of being a Grove City College Student Ambassador is meeting and interacting with prospective students every week. It gives me a chance to share some of my wonderful experiences with others who are interested in Grove City.

Tour guides have anything but routine weeks. Each guide has a designated day and time in which they will give a tour once a week to prospective students and their parents. However, Grove City also offers a plethora of event days for students who are interested in a more specialized campus experience. The Admissions Office offers days like Senior Crimson Day, which is specifically for seniors who have expressed interest in Grove City but who may be interested in giving the school one last look before applying. We also offer more specialized days like Music Major Day and Hopeman School Discovery Day. These two events allow students who are interested in more specialized majors to talk with staff, and experience what an average day looks like for a student in that field of study.

This past week, the Admissions team worked tirelessly to put on Music Major Day on Monday, and then organized hosted Hopeman School Discovery Day on Saturday. Tour guides of the school have the distinct responsibility of interacting with prospective students and their families on all of these special event days. The other tour guides and I helped to give our guests a well-rounded view of what life on our campus is like. We did this by not only giving tours of campus, but also by facilitating meetings with department heads and helping the other events of the day to run smoothly. With several more Admission event days to come, every tour guide on campus will continue to work hard on perfecting their craft.

The Admissions staff is always looking for more tour guides who have their own unique skills and stories that will benefit the schools search for students. The tour guides on campus are enthusiastic students and we all love what we do. We all hope that we are able to make a positive impact on prospective students’ college searches.

To see what other event days Grove City has this year, click on the link: http://www.gcc.edu/Info/Events-News/Admissions-Events/Open-Houses