Category: Campus Organizations

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ICO Aliquippa Experience

After going on ICO Aliquippa in the fall semester, I knew I wanted to go back in the spring. When preparing for this trip, I kept thinking back to the fall trip and wondering how similar and different it would be.

During the fall trip, we were always busy helping others, focusing on fixing things and meeting people in Aliquippa. We focused on going to the different neighborhoods and housing plans, walking around to hand out food to families and play with little kids. With the kids, we taught them about Jesus, played with them, and did Bible studies with them. A majority of our time was creating relationships and becoming familiar with Aliquippa to then come back in the spring and continue building those relationships.

When we came back in the spring, it felt like we picked up where we left off. We got to see all the people we met in the fall and spend days working and serving with them. Compared to the fall, we focused on being servants and serving others well while building the relationships we created. For a few days, we got to talk with Marie and help repair and clean parts of her house and learn more about her life. This was the most difficult part of the trip for me but also was an important lesson and reminder. Everyone has a different story and some people are not as fortunate as you, but they are the ones who are most joyful and grateful. We also spent time working at Uncommon Grounds Café and food banks, helping serve them in any way that they need. For a majority of our week, we worked with Communicycle, a non-profit organization, repairing and replacing bikes to give them to a kids’ summer camp. We spent a lot of time with Brownie, who helps out at Communicycle, and got to see how much of an impact he has left on people and how God has performed miracles in his life. One of my favorite parts about being on an ICO trip are the relationships and the people you meet and spend time with. We still talk to everyone we worked with during the fall and spring and go back to Uncommon Grounds Café to help them, in anyway they need.

Every night, we took time to talk about our highs, lows, and God sightings of the day. Thinking and answering these questions helped to keep our focus on why we were on this trip, to serve others through God. The fall trip had a positive impact on me but this trip really pushed me in my faith. If you are looking at Grove City College or have decided to come in the fall, I recommend looking into an ICO trip or going on one. Not only do you get to spend time with your peers, but you get to meet so many people in a different area and serve with them while doing it for the glory of God.

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What to Expect During Orientation Week

Coming to college for the first time is stressful. Maybe you do not know anyone and you have to make all new friends, you are starting the next academic chapter in your life, or maybe you are so excited about college and you have been waiting for this for a long time. No matter where you are in your transition to college, you will be pleasantly surprised whenever you walk on campus and you see Orientation Board waiting for you with a smile.

Your college experience is going to start with a bunch of upperclassmen coming to your car and carrying all of your stuff to your new room, so you will not have to carry anything. That is just the start of the blessing that is the Orientation Board (OB). Next, you will go to orientation and go to all of your meetings. This can seem very boring and mundane, but as a senior, I would love to go through that process all over again. Do not take it for granted.

Then the real fun begins, because that same night you will go to a dance called the “Graffiti Dance” where you wear a white T-shirt and you get signatures all over your shirt from all of your new classmates. It is such a special thing to go back and look who signed your shirt years later and realize that there are names on there that are your best friends now and you did not realize it that night.

Then there are more events on campus held by OB that will get you familiar with the campus but also familiarize you with your classmates, so you can make new friends very quickly. Just about everyone there is in the same boat as you and they are excited to be able to make friendships just like you. There are several days on campus where it is just the freshmen and OB, along with a couple of the fall sports teams preparing for their seasons. Then after a couple of days, the rest of campus will arrive, and you have even more people to meet and a lot more people that can be your friends.

Being on such a small campus is so nice during this week because you are all forced to be together all the time and make friends, whether you want to or not. The campus is not confusing, and you will be overprepared by the time the week is over. The whole OB group is welcoming and will help you with whatever you need. There is a lot more than what I talked about in this blog, but there is so much fun to be had here on campus at the start of your college experience.

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Finding Your Values at GCC

When transitioning into college life, it can be difficult to figure out who you are as an individual. You have spent your whole life following your parents’ lead and maybe kind of going through the motions, but at college, you will be challenged to formulate your own opinions and views. This is a great thing, and a natural progression, but that does not mean it is not scary.

Coming to Grove City, I was challenged both in my faith, but also views on politics and life. I came from a Christian high school, so I thought that I would have a pretty easy transition into college life since it is very similar, but that was not the case at all. Living on your own you are forced to make decisions for yourself, and you do not have to let anyone know what you are doing. I had a difficult transition period coming into school because I never really thought about who I was, but luckily the people here are so helpful and care about you.

For some people, the mandatory chapel can seem like something that is not fun or intriguing, but it can actually help you make your faith your own and make that next step in your life. Also, the professors at GCC care about your well-being and your academic performance so much that they will reach out and make sure that you are doing okay. I grew up in a home where we went to church all the time, and I was not exposed to any differing views religiously or politically at all. College was the first time when I was exposed to differing opinions, and I did not have the knowledge to back up anything I believed in. But being at Grove City is different in the sense that everyone is willing to have these difficult conversations with you and walk with you through this challenging time because they are all going through the same thing. It is challenging and may seem very daunting, but do not be discouraged.

You do not have to have everything figured out before you get to school, because there will be a lot of people in the same boat as you and that is a great thing because that means you can form meaningful relationships with people while building your faith and opinions all at the same time. There are plenty of groups and organizations on campus that can help you form your own views, and also there are so many clubs that you can join once you have decided what you are interested in. Grove City is a great place where you can form your own views and build unbreakable bonds.

 

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Inner City Outreach – Fall Semester

Going into freshman year, I wasn’t involved in a lot of groups or activities on campus because of COVID-19 restrictions. Over the course of my freshman year, campus started to slowly make changes to try and go back to “normal.” As the spring semester ended, I knew that I wanted to join a group or different activities on campus to have community and get to know other students.

Coming back to school in the fall, I was part of OB (Orientation Board). It gave me the opportunity to grow closer with people I didn’t know very well and provide community to incoming freshmen. One of my friends from Orientation Board asked me what I was doing for fall break, and she proceeded to talk to me about an upcoming ICO trip. ICO is also referred to as Inner City Outreach, a small mission trip led by Grove City College students, taking place in different cities in multiple states, as well as a few countries. The only trip happening over fall break was ICO Aliquippa, and it was four days long. I grew up in the Pittsburgh area and have always been told that Aliquippa has a reputation for being unsafe and filled with crime. This made me very hesitant to want to go on the trip, but after talking to upperclassmen who went on the trip and listening to their experience, I decided that I wanted to go. I did not have high expectations, nor did I know what to expect before going on the trip. All I knew was that I was going out of my comfort zone and that made me very nervous and scared.

During the trip, we worked with a local church, Mount Carmel, and they felt like family at the end of the trip. We spent two days working on Janice’s house, a fellow believer. We got to paint her porch, do yardwork, and build her a new staircase to get into her house. The best part about working on her house was spending time with her, hearing about her life and how God has worked in it. We also got to spend time in the different plans (housing communities) playing with kids (lots and lots of face paint), doing Bible studies, handing out clothes, and serving food to families. We worked with a non-profit organization Communicycle that collected donated bikes to repair them and then give them to kids who do not have bikes. We spent time learning how to repair bikes and would drive around Aliquippa, handing out bikes to children.

Every night on the trip, the group would take time to reflect on the day and talk about their high and low and an instance of where they saw God that day. Asking these questions helped us to keep God at the center of our mind and of the trip. Looking back on the trip, I realized that Aliquippa is different than how it is perceived. People see Aliquippa as being a broken town with a high crime rate, but after spending time there, I see it in a different way. Although they do not have a lot, they have a strong community. They know people in different plans and all of their neighbors, treating each other like family. On the trip, I saw how present God was in each activity we did and how He is working through the people of Aliquippa. I cannot wait to go back to Aliquippa for the spring ICO trip and continue to share who God is to people. If you are looking for community at Grove City College, ICO trips provide amazing community with fellow students who want to share who God is with others!

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My Experience with Orientation Board

Imagine this: You are driving up to Grove City College for move-in day, but you are feeling butterflies in your stomach. You are sitting in the car, nervous about meeting people, making friends, and starting classes. As you pull up to your dorm building, a group of white T-shirts swarm your car, shouting in excitement. They start to unpack your car and carry all of your bins and suitcases to your dorm room. They wait around for you to walk into your dorm room and pray over you for success and joy through the semester. When your parents leave, you spend the next few days meeting upperclassmen and fellow freshmen, participating in social gatherings, sports, movie nights, and other activities.

That was my experience when I came to Grove City College. Orientation Board (OB) helped me get familiar with the campus and with meeting new people. They also helped me get to know upperclassmen in my major, to help give me an idea of what my classes would be like, as well as the professors. After seeing how involved Orientation Board was with incoming freshmen, and the group as a whole, I decided I wanted to do it.

Through the process of joining OB, we did retreats and meetings to grow closer together and hear the “why” behind everyone’s decision to join. Orientation Board is a big group, divided into different committees. Each committee has different tasks and events they put on for the freshmen. I was on the Religion Committee, which included Sunrise Service, Worship Night, Praying Sessions, etc. One of my favorite events that OB did before the freshmen arrived was the Prayer Walk. We each walked around on campus, to each building, and prayed over it and prayed for the incoming freshmen. An event that I helped organize was All-Campus Worship. My team and I put together a group of student musicians to lead worship and read Scripture. Seeing all of the OB members and the campus come together to worship helped remind me that Jesus is changing our hearts daily and we are serving Him through helping others. I think it also helped many of the freshmen know that Jesus is the one constant thing in our lives and we should lean on Him to help us through the semester.

Orientation Board has helped me step out of my comfort zone and meet so many people – some of which are now my closest friends. OB has push me in my relationship with Christ, while serving others and having a fun time. Overall, it has been an amazing experience to be apart of Orientation Board, and I cannot wait to do it again next year.

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Event Spotlight: Humans Vs. Zombies

Imagine a quiet afternoon in Grove City. Most students are peacefully heading to and from their classes without a care in the world. But for a few students, an apocalypse is brewing. These students carry Nerf blasters and sock-balls to defend themselves. They quickly slink between buildings, checking corners and dashing across clearings. There are zombies on the loose. This is Humans vs. Zombies. 

Humans vs. Zombies (or HvZ for short) is a week-long event open to all students that takes place once every semester. HvZ is effectively a game of infection tag that lasts an entire week, with students needing to defend themselves on their way to and from classes. The human team must wear an identifying armband while the zombies wear headbands. The humans’ goal is to survive the week while completing objectives to keep the zombies at bay. The zombies’ goal is as you might expect: to turn all the humans into zombies. Zombies do so by tagging the humans. But the humans are not entirely helpless–they get Nerf blasters or other foam-flinging items that stun the zombies. There are also those who forego blasters and instead use sock-balls to stun zombies. If you want to participate in HvZ but do not have any Nerf blasters, fear not! The HvZ community at Grove City prides itself on never having run out of loaner gear for students to use. 

One of the best parts of HvZ is the afterparty, where survivors get to swap war stories and heroic moments over pizza. During the afterparty, awards are distributed. Among them are “The Best Human,” “The Best Zombie,” and “The Best Moment” for each team. My first semester, the best human moment was taken by a junior named Haddon. He was rushed by five zombies at once and managed to live to tell the tale. He took down the first three with three quick shots from his blaster. But as he took his fourth shot, his blaster jammed. In the blink of an eye, he un-holstered his secondary blaster, threw a sock-ball, and shot the last zombie. This heroic stand earned him the title of Grove City’s own John Wick. 

You will hear this story and many more from the students that play HvZ every semester. If you want a heart-racing, action-packed week to add to your college experience, I cannot recommend anything more than HvZ. And do not worry if you feel like you cannot commit to a full week. Starting in 2020, HvZ has added smaller Saturday afternoon events that you can join in on for as long or short as you like. If you are interested in HvZ, or have any questions, you can email them at grovecityhvz@gmail.com. I hope to see you out there!

 

 

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Young Life Spotlight: Bailey Mantzell

Young Life is a ministry organization with a mission to lead young children and teens to Jesus Christ and help encourage them in their walk of faith. Grove City College is highly involved with Young Life with over 70 leaders.

Bailey Mantzell, a sophomore majoring in Middle Level Math and English, is going into her second semester of being a leader on campus. She went to Young Life camps throughout her high school years, but dedicated herself to this ministry once she entered into college.

Over this past summer, Bailey had the exciting opportunity to be a leader at the Timber Wolf Lake Young Life camp. As I spoke with Bailey, she stated, “Young Life is such an incredible ministry, and the devil was so present throughout the whole week at camp, but God’s glory triumphed over all of the hardships, and unforgettable memories were made.” With many moving sermons given throughout the week, many lives are changed and given to the Lord; the ultimate goal of the week.

With many campers giving their life to Christ throughout this week, Bailey told me some very heart-warming stories. As she was at camp, she was reminded of the fact that you never know what situations some children or teenagers have gone through in their lives. Sometimes campers can look and act like they are fine on the outside, but once these leaders get to sit down and talk with them one-on-one, the brokenness inside of them prevails. These discussions between the campers and leaders can be life changing, Bailey described. One camper had an over three-hour long discussion with their leader, leading to the giving of their life to Christ.

Bailey’s camping experience also had some troubles, but the outcomes ended up overpowering them. The first night, unfortunately, started with one of her campers breaking her collarbone, but ended with that camper’s best friend (another one of Bailey’s campers) committing her life to Christ.

Overall, being a leader at the Young Life camp was an amazing and eye-opening experience for Bailey, along with all of those who attended. This organization has become such a large part in Bailey’s life, and she cannot wait to see the new opportunities that will come from it in the future.

 

 

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Orientation Board Spotlight: Religious Committee

Orientation Board, Grove City College

Orientation Board is well-known around the Grove City College campus as the hyper-excited upperclassmen in charge of making incoming freshmen feel at home the first week of college. One member of this group is junior Faith Rock, who enjoys sharing her love for music and God with freshmen students. When she is not helping with Orientation Board events, Faith is busy pursuing a degree in Marketing and a minor in Design. She is also graduating from Grove City College a year early to get a jump start in the “real” world. If you are interested in learning more about Orientation Board and in particular the Religious Committee, check out the interview below.

How did you get chosen to be on the Religious Committee?

For everyone in Orientation Board, there is an interview process where you go through interviews with all five committees. I actually spoke with the Religious Committee last and I really liked it, even though I was originally interested in the Publicity Committee. Also, I was thrilled to find out that I was chosen to be a part of this committee because they are involved with a number of cool events for the freshmen.

Who encouraged you to do Orientation Board?

Nobody directly influenced my decision, but during my freshman year, I was yearning to meet more people. So, I thought joining this organization would be a really good way to meet new friends. In fact, Orientation Board is a very involved group on campus and their energy was infectious.

What would you tell a student who is debating on joining Orientation Board?

https://vimeo.com/359596844

You have been a part of Orientation Board for two years, what have you enjoyed most?

This past year, the Religious Committee met weekly, which was different from the year before because it was more of a Bible study instead of just a get-together. I really enjoyed this aspect because I think it really brought the focus back to what Orientation Board is, and that is serving the freshmen and growing closer to God through it all. As far as Orientation Board as a whole, my favorite part was moving the freshmen in and preparing them for the events we planned all summer long.

Speaking of Bible studies, how has Orientation Board impacted your faith throughout the year?

It has definitely made me a stronger Christian because the people I am surrounded by are really strong in their faith and they give great advice. It is nice to have people to turn to when I have questions about my faith or even my personal life. I always know that there is a group of people keeping me accountable as a connection group leader (connection group leader is the leader of a specific group of freshmen) and other members are there to listen.

What has been your favorite memory from Orientation Board?

During my sophomore year, the All-Campus Worship really stands out in my mind, and I will never forget that night. My committee was in charge of putting this event together and we made a playlist throughout the summer to ensure that it was a successful and impactful event for the freshmen and upperclassmen. I had the opportunity to sing and share God’s message with everyone, so I could not have asked for more.

If you are interested in learning more about Orientation Board or other service organizations at Grove City College, please visit the College website.

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Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Spotlight

https://vimeo.com/359858024

Many prospective students are interested in playing on a varsity sports team at Grove City College, but the majority of these students are not aware of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) that meets to enhance the student-athlete experience at this college. Hear more about SAAC from Liz Scherer.

How would you describe SAAC to a prospective student? 

SAAC has student-athlete representatives from each varsity sports team on campus. There are 40 members on the committee since each team sends two reps. We come together to make decisions on National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules, Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) rules, events that go on around campus, and basic athletic department decisions at Grove City College. A few of SAAC’s goals on campus include generating a student-athlete voice within the college, PAC, and NCAA structure, serving as a conduit of communication between student-athletes, coaches, and athletic administration, and promote a positive image of a Grove City College student-athlete.

What type of events does SAAC organize on campus?

We do a lot at different sporting events. For example, last year we held a fundraiser during the women’s and men’s basketball games. It was a great time because the entire campus was involved and got to shoot half-court shots and try to win prizes. We are looking forward to doing this event again during the upcoming basketball season. Also, we make sure each team on campus has a brother or sister team paired with them. For example, the Women’s Basketball team and the Men’s Lacrosse team were brother and sister last year, so they both supported each other during their seasons and created a stronger community of athletes.

SAAC initiated the saying, Wolverines Together, what does this phrase mean to you?

Wolverines Together is our motto that we try to embody here at Grove City College, especially as athletes. To me, it means coming together as a community to support one another, and it does not matter if you are in athletics or not. We are trying to be one unit and create a campus-wide community.

SAAC
SAAC organized an event with the Special Olympics.
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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.