Category: Campus Life

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A Glance of Pledge Week

Pledge week is a lot of fun for students at Grove City College. It is the process of becoming a member of a Greek group. The Beta Sigma fraternity was founded in 1922. Its colors are red, which represents loyalty, black, which represents strength, and white, which represents pride. The fraternity has 4 main symbols, the bulldog, the handshake, the brick, and the stars, which all symbolize something different. The Beta Sigma Fraternity holds 2 main events a year, the Monster Mash and Professor Preach off. David Bereck, the pledge master (PM) for the Beta Sigma Fraternity, says that it is a week that “unites the pledges with the fraternity as brothers of Christ”. It is a week of building relationships, community, and commitment to the group. A PM is one member of the sorority or fraternity that leads pledge week. He (or she), is in charge of making the schedule of events, attending the events, and leading the rushes from task to task. The PM must act a certain character for the week. He is to act scary and intimidating so that the rushes can build a tighter bond and endure the week together. David says that the most difficult part of being PM is acting the part and not breaking down and helping the guys out. Each morning, the pledges have a time of devotion together before breakfast. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they attend chapel together. Each evening, they have dinner together, usually with a different sorority each night. The purpose of this is to meet new people who are also involved in Greek life. Throughout the week, pledges must complete certain tasks that are created by the PM. They can be anything from counting the number of cars in the parking lot to presenting a five-minute presentation about the difference between bread and toast. It is a week of endurance, fun, and loyalty. At the end, it is all worth it because you have life-long brothers or sisters.

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What is a Teacher’s Assistant?

College is a busy few years. Between schoolwork, sports, clubs, and Greek life, many students have trouble managing a schedule, and having a job is not even a thought. Being a teacher’s assistant is a flexible and rewarding job. A teacher’s assistant is a student that helps a professor with grading assignments, such as homework and papers. It is a pleasant college job because you often do not have to be present somewhere for a set schedule. Often, the professor hands you a stack of homework to grade with an answer key and you can do it from the comfort of your own dorm. All you need to do is keep track of your hours and log them into the system. It is often even therapeutic and rewarding to not only feel like you are accomplishing something while getting paid, but you are helping a professor that has a lot of his plate as well.

Professors are very appreciative of students who offer their time to help them with their coursework. The job also allows you to form a stronger connection with the professor. It is often refreshing after a long day of classes to meet up with the professor for a few minutes to go over some work and maybe even chat about life. It is an enjoyable job because it is flexible and often professors are very lenient on deadlines. It is rare that I have been told that something needs done by tomorrow and that it is urgent. Usually, there is little pressure to complete your assignments because professors understand that like them, we are busy too. It is a relatively easy and enjoyable way to earn some extra cash while being a college student.

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Facilities: The Grove City Free Weight Room

If you are anything like me, you will probably spend your first few days at Grove City College wondering when the gym will open, since you can feel your body getting weaker every second that you are not working out. Okay, maybe you do not feel like that, but maybe some info on Grove City’s weight rooms might help so you have an idea of what to expect after arriving to college. I will be covering the free weight room in this post, but, if you are into mechanical weights, there will be another post about that later.

First things first, the Grove City weight facility is split into two different rooms: a free weight room and a mechanical weight room. Of these two, the latter is often praised as better than the former, but over time I have learned to appreciate the Grove City free weight room because of the following three reasons:

1. Weight Racks

If you have some free weight experience, you know that weight racks are a hot commodity in every gym. A typical gym will have different types of weight racks meant for different exercises, such as squatting or pressing. Instead of having individual specialized weight racks, Grove City has eight squat racks with movable benches. This means that not only can you perform squats, but you can press and deadlift in the same rack, and since there are eight racks there is almost always one open. As if that was not enough, the weight room also has two Olympic lifting platforms as well.

2. Older Equipment (some of it)

This one might sound strange, but hear me out. Yes, older equipment is seen as a con by some people, but let me tell you, there is a great advantage to having older equipment. That advantage is the ability to bail and drop weights without feeling like you are damaging new equipment. All the weights in the free weight room can be dropped and no one will look at you twice. This is much better than trying to save face and hurting yourself in the process.

3. The weight room is free for students

Enough said.

 

I hope this article helped provide some insight into some key features of the Grove City College free weight room. If you have not tried weightlifting, I urge you to give it a shot. I hope to see you there!

 

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Grove City College Camp Fair Spotlight: Alex Berrios

One of the many opportunities offered at Grove City College is the Camp Fair, an event that takes place in the early spring, providing information to students about the various camp opportunities that are offered from many different areas. This is where Alex Berrios, a sophomore elementary education major with a minor in Christian Ministries, received her interview and job placement as a camp counselor at Camp Carl in Ravenna, Ohio.

Alex spoke to me about her experience at the camp fair and how it helped open the door to this amazing opportunity. Camp Carl is a Christian summer camp run by Tom Sullivan who is a resident of Ohio. Mr. Sullivan reached out to Alex and came to Grove City College to interview her for this position. Not only did he leave the Camp Fair with Alex signed up as a camp counselor, but with 12 other Grove City College students as well. With 13 students from one school, it resulted in one of the largest, if not the largest, population of student counselors from one school.

From the Camp Fair experience, Alex was lead into a very fruitful summer. Throughout this 12-week summer camp, there were new age groups of campers rotated each week. Alex and her co-counselor were given between eight to 16 girls each week in whom they invested. Alex stated that she was able to, “witness to them the life of Jesus and demonstrate to them what it meant to be a ‘child of God.'” She was also given the opportunity to form close biblical related relationships with other staff members which she will cherish for many years to come.

From this unforgettable experience the camp fair helped Alex receive, she not only got to help encourage many campers in their walk of faith, but also continue to grow and strengthen her relationship with Christ. She was even given a night to speak and share her testimony to the campers. Alex highly recommends not only Camp Carl, but attending the Camp Fair as a whole.

 

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New to Campus: The Gift of Bibles to All

Grove City College, being the unique Christian college it is, has many opportunities to offer. The College has many doors available to help bring more people to faith on this campus, being just one opportunity. One way this is done is by the accessibility of resources. This year, Grove City College gifted an English Standard Version of The Holy Bible to every student, along with the option to take multiple Bibles to hand out to friends, strangers, peers, and family members. Opportunities such as this are very unique and can touch the lives of many people, but it does not stop there.

After these Bibles were distributed, many Young Life (a club on campus that leads groups of adolescents to Jesus Christ) leaders took multiple Bibles to hand out to the young students in various Young Life schools and programs. With the idea of drawing more people to Christ, these College leaders, and friends of the leaders, took it a step further. Students began to paint these Bibles, with bright eye-catching colors, designs, a Bible verse, or an encouraging quote, which made it that much more intriguing and encouraging to the ones who will be using that specific Bible.

After speaking with some of these leaders, their desire was to not only use these Bibles for themselves in their walk of faith, but provide others with the gift they were given. Not only did the leaders get to engage in fellowship with one another by spending time together while painting, but they were able to put their work to use by taking these Bibles to Young Life club and outings.

With all of the opportunities available in ministry here on campus, gifting free Bibles to the student body was just one more step to help encourage students, and those surrounding, to be able to seek Christ further.

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Campus Spotlight: ICO Fair

What is the ICO Fair? What does it offer?

The Inner City Outreach (ICO) Fair is an event held in the student union every fall semester. The goal of this event is to inform the campus community about what ICO trips our college offers and how they can learn more about the details of these trips. This year we had informational tables set up for ten different ICO trips, most of which will be serving during spring break and the others over Thanksgiving or fall break. The trips in attendance were ICO Los Angeles, Rhode Island, Tucson, Guatemala, Philadelphia, Czech Republic, Chicago, Buffalo, and Grove City.

How did the campus community respond to the fair?

There was a great turnout from the community at the fair. Each trip had a table with their respective leaders there, ready to answer any questions about their trip and offer some insights that might help any fresh faces decide which ICO could be a good fit for them. Although the trickle of students coming in and out of the fair was steady, there was no one trip that dominated the students’ interest. Each table consistently had a number of students around and ready to hear what the leaders had to say about their trip. Most students made it a point to cycle through the room, hearing the stories of each individual trip in attendance, making sure to really get a feel for all of the trips and see where God might be leading them on this journey of service.

How can the students receive more information?

Students can sign up for email lists for individual trips to receive updates as well as look to various posters around campus. This will allow students to know when and where info meetings are being held and how they can take steps toward being on the team of their choosing.

 

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On Campus Starbucks vs. Off Campus Dunkin’

Grove City College offers a variety of ways to get food on campus. A student or anyone looking for food on campus can either go to Hicks dining hall, Map dining hall, or to the Breen Student Union to get a meal. At the Student Union, the food options are smaller and to-go. This can be really useful to students with busy schedules because they can quickly grab their food, go to class, or do what is necessary for their day, while still being able to make time for meals. They also offer other items that are not part of a student meal plan, so you would have to pay for those items in either normal money or crimson cash, cash that you put on your student ID card.

One thing offered at the Student Union, that is not part of a student meal plan, is Starbucks.  This can be pretty convenient to students because they can grab a cup of coffee before their morning class or while they are doing homework. Starbucks is a well known coffee shop for quality coffee, but one problem is that it is also well known for higher prices.

Due to the higher prices and not a lot of options in the Student Unions’ Starbucks, a lot of students will look to other places for their much needed coffee. One of those places is Dunkin’ Donuts. Dunkin’ is a pretty close walk, being just across the street from the Colonial Hall Apartments, and many students take advantage of the ability to do their homework there.

Just from being present in both Dunkin’ and the Student Union, it is safe to say that more students get their coffee from Dunkin’.  This could be for multiple reasons: the coffee is less expensive, you are able to use a rewards membership unlike at the Starbucks in the Student Union, etc. If the Student Unions Starbucks made a few changes, for example, being able to use the Starbucks rewards app, then they could possibly get more business in that regard.

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Women’s Volleyball Off To a Hot Start

Grove City College Women's Volleyball

Grove City College Women’s Volleyball team is off to a 5-0 start, which is the best for the Wolverines since 2007. One of the key players on the team is outside hitter, St. Louis, Mo. native, Elisabeth Sems. In the classroom, Elisabeth is a junior majoring in Business Management. While on the court she is a two-year letterwinner and ended her 2018 season second on the team in both points with 242.5 and kills with 221. In the following interview with Elisabeth, you will get an inside look at the Wolverines undefeated volleyball team.

Your season has been off to a great start, what do you attribute to this success?

I believe we work well together and we all love each other a lot. As a team, we trust each other and are always supportive of one another. In addition, I think our coach has been a huge part of our success because in the last two years we had different coaches and it was difficult to get used to a coaching style so quickly. But, this year Coach Sayles has been very consistent and he is very knowledgeable about volleyball.

Speaking of your coach, how has the transition been with the new coaching staff?

The transition has been really good. In fact, it was nice to have a spring season with Coach Sayles because we had the opportunity to get used to how he runs a practice and his expectations for the team. Playing in the spring gave the team an idea of what we should work on during the offseason before going into our actual season in the fall. I think Coach Sayles knows all of us well and truly understands his players. An important quality that I love about Coach is his ability to motivate us and help us work hard to achieve team goals.

What would you say is unique about Grove City College’s Women’s Volleyball team?

The main element of our team that makes us unique is our team chemistry. We have a lot of returners from last season, in fact, only one player did not come back to play this season. On top of having a lot of upperclassmen return, we added several great freshmen who are already making a positive impact on the team. Our team chemistry will continue to grow as we play together as one unit.

If you could give advice to a prospective student hoping to play volleyball, what would it be?

One main point that I would love to share with prospective volleyball players is that you only have four years in college, and it goes by really fast. So, enjoy your time playing this sport and be intentional. I cannot stress that enough – be intentional every time you get to play. You have an amazing opportunity to play for a great college, so play with a purpose and an intention.

Has your faith impacted you as an individual while playing volleyball, and how has it been implemented this year for the team as a whole?

In terms of the team, faith has been a big part of our team identity since Coach Sayles is the Associate Athletic Director for Sports Ministry and he is very knowledgeable on this subject. He makes faith and scripture a part of all our practices and games. Individually, volleyball is very mental and a game of mistakes. So, you have to know where your true identity is, and my faith has helped me find that.

Elisabeth Sems Volleyball

 

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Campus Club Spotlight: Scherzo!

On Friday September 13th, the Grove City College men’s vocal ensemble Scherzo! (formerly the Men’s Glee Club) had their second set of open auditions for anyone interested in becoming a member of the club. After holding a handful of open rehearsals, bringing in eight for auditions, Scherzo! accepted four new members joining the club.

What does this year look like for “Scherzo!“?

Beginning the year with a new name and a new group of singers, there are many changes in store for the club and their upcoming repertoire of performances. Making an effort to move away from a number of their expected gigs, the group will be taking on performances in all new venues and organizations around the Grove City community with a plethora of new pieces guaranteed to represent the fresh start the group is undergoing.

What led the group to change their name?

The decision for the name change was long discussed within the group due to the normal connotation of the name Glee Club with the popular show “Glee,” which aired on FOX television. The group decided it would be best for their vocal ensemble not to be directly compared to the TV series due to very different approaches to what an acapella group looks like, as well as the various drama which the show dealt with. Scherzo! is an acapella group mainly focusing on the quality and range which a group of male singers can produce when solely focusing on the music itself, where the TV series is much more focused on the production as well as vocals. Seeing that Scherzo! is not a production centered group, they came to the conclusion that the best thing to do to help public perception of what the group truly is, would be to change up the name to something more intriguing and less correlated with a widely known series.

Scherzo! will hold their annual concert, containing their whole repertoire of music, in May 2020.

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Being an Undeclared Major – Katelyn Bartley

 

Sophomore Katelyn Bartley talks about coming to Grove City College without having a declared major. She says she decided to be undeclared because she was not confident in what she wanted to do for a career. Katelyn also felt that as a home-schooled student she had not explored all the options of possible career paths well enough to make an informed decision. She says she knew that she enjoyed some subjects she had learned about in high school, like English and History, but did not think that she wanted to pick a major based on that.

Katelyn says that as an undeclared major she was able to take different classes and learn more about her options for majors. She was able to avoid falling behind by taking a lot of required classes. One of these core classes was sociology and, from there, she developed an interest in social work. After taking more social work classes her second semester, she declared her major as Social Work.

Katelyn says she does not regret coming to college as an undeclared major. She says the decision was very helpful because she did not take classes she did not need by coming in as another major and then having to switch later on. She had the opportunity to take general classes that would apply to any major while exploring a few classes that sparked her interest. She credits this decision to not putting her behind in her major requirements now.

When asked if she has any advice for rising freshmen that are facing the same decisions, she says they should come in undeclared if they have a couple options and are unsure of one specific major. Katelyn points out that the professors are really helpful with students that want to explore options or have questions. She also says that student advisors are helpful in transferring from being undeclared to finding a major. She says that career services also personally aided her in her decision.

“There are always people here to give you advice and help you figure it out,” says Katelyn.