Category: Extracurriculars

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Big Man on Campus 2018

Big Man on Campus is an event that has been happening at Grove City College every fall for the last 27 years!  Big Man is a male pageant show that raises money for the American Cancer Society.  One of Grove City College’s sororities, Sigma Theta Chi (Sig Thets), has been spearheading this fundraiser since it started.  The Sig Thets also work with the American Cancer Society in the spring semester by putting on Grove City College’s Relay for Life.  Both of these events raise money and awareness for the American Cancer Society and the Grove City College community.

This year, I am the Chair and main representative for Big Man on Campus.  This fall, the event will be held on Friday, November 2nd from 7 to 10 p.m. in Crawford Auditorium.  Ten to 15 male student volunteers, usually ranging from sophomores to seniors, participate in the pageant show.  Every girl in the sorority is responsible for reaching out to friends and spreading the word that the Sig Thets are looking for guys to participate.  We try to recruit guys that are upperclassmen and in a Greek group on campus.  They attract larger crowds to the event like their own fraternity brothers or housing groups.

The event encompasses multiple portions throughout the night.  There is a formal wear, swimwear, talent, and question portion that each contestant goes through during the competition.  The talent and question portion come after intermission.  The ‘Big Men’ usually have to be pretty confident for these segments of the show.  Talents have ranged from playing musical instruments, singing, building a tent, to coloring a picture.  The audience usually prefers the more humorous talents (like coloring a picture).  Every year we have three to four faculty members here on campus judge the ‘Big Men’.  Once every boy has gone through all of the portions of the show, a Sig Thets collects the judges’ sheets and tallies up the points each boy earned.  The audience also gets one ticket when they come to Big Man and can use this ticket at the end of the show to vote for their favorite Big Man participant.

The winner receives a sash, crown, the title of “Big Man on Campus”, and a $50 Sheetz gift card.  All of the proceeds from the pre-sale and the ticket money we collect the day of the show go directly to the American Cancer Society.  Speaking on behalf of the Sigma Theta Chi sorority, we love doing this fundraiser every year.  It is good publicity for the sorority and the second biggest fundraiser on Grove City College’s campus (Relay for Life being the first).  For the freshmen, it is a great event to attend.  It gives students something to do on a Friday night and exposes them to upperclassmen and members of fraternities on campus.  We always hope for a large crowd to come out, watch the fun event, and participate in supporting the American Cancer Society and the Sigma Theta Chi sorority.

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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.

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Petals for Paws: Supporting the Community

When asking a Student Ambassador about how Grove City College feels about the surrounding community, I received a very positive response. The young lady replied, “We value the community of Grove City, and are intentional about having activities which encourage students to become members not only of the college community but the community at large.” With personal experience and research into the mission of Grove City College, here are just a few ways in which the College gives students the chance to take a role in making the community thrive:
• Clubs
• Organizations
• All-Campus Service Opportunities
• Greek Life

We received news of a special fundraiser that benefited the local pet shelter, Grove City Pet Rescue. Every year before Valentine’s Day, the sorority sisters of Sigma Delta Phi sell their sorority flower, the American Beauty Rose, as a means to raise money for a cause close to their hearts. After setting up a stand in the Student Union for a week, the ladies excitedly announced that they had raised over $200 dollars that will go toward decreasing veterinarian costs!

While there is no clear consensus on when this tradition began, the young ladies have supported numerous local and international causes including the American Cancer Society, SHE Thailand, Relay for Life, The Pittsburgh Project, and other local families seeking financial support. Although the fund-raiser has a different cause each year, the reason behind it still remains the same. Rio Arias, the current president of Sigma Delta Phi commented, “We feel that the most important thing we can do is support the place that supports us.” With the sorority motto, “One for all, all for one,” the Sigma Delta Phi sisters hope to encourage and build up their own members to be leaders that give back to the beautiful community they call home.

Fundraising Chairwoman, Julianne Green (left) & Member, Catherine Haas (right)
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Men’s LAX is Back (and Officially Varsity)

Just last year, Grove City College announced exciting news that the Men’s Lacrosse team would transition from a club to a varsity sport during the 2017-2018 year. Previously a volunteer assistant coach at Duke University, coach Alec Jernstedt was hired as Grove City’s head coach last spring, along with assistant coaches Zack Jew, Bill Sigmund, and Luke Toburen. The new varsity team has a roster of 25 players, including three senior captains. Those captains are Sam Calhoun, Ben Dumm, and Nate Sprunk.

Calhoun has experienced a tasking, yet exciting experience during this new season as he states, “The transition to varsity from club has been very exciting for everyone involved. Coach Jernstedt is incredibly knowledgeable and is an incredible leader. We also have many rising stars in the freshman class who will make an impact for four years here. Although we had a team before, a lot of what we do is still new and a challenge for us is creating a team culture and expectations that are sustainable over time and will allow the team to be successful in the future.”

Sprunk has had a similar experience to Calhoun, and he is also thankful for all of the College’s facilities and staff to make this varsity team happen. “Transitioning to varsity has so far been both a challenging and rewarding experience for me. It took time for me to adjust to the physical demand of having practice and workouts almost every day, but the payoff is worth it. The resources the school has provided us with have also been a huge blessing. Having a full coaching staff has helped to improve the focus and organization of our team as a whole. I am really excited for this season because it is the start of a new chapter for Grove City Lacrosse and we have the opportunity to do something really great.”

Dumm has also enjoyed the transition and feels that the team has worked hard to deserve this varsity spot. He states, “Our lacrosse team is a special group of guys.  We have a bunch of great lacrosse players, especially in the upperclassmen, that could have gone to play varsity at other places, but chose to come to Grove City and play club lacrosse because they loved the team and the mission and vision of being a Christian lacrosse team. To our whole team, but to these guys especially, going varsity is something that they deserved, and it is an incredible blessing. The transition has been difficult. We have a lot more responsibility and commitment. Whether it be for lifting, practice, or chalk talks, we are devoting more time to lacrosse than we ever have before. For those of us that love lacrosse, this has been the best part! Coach J has also been a huge addition to our team. His knowledge of the game and his energy have made practices more fun and challenging than ever. Just this week seeing Coach J game-plan for our first game, and seeing him draw up new plays and new strategies against each team has been so cool because he has a lot of knowledge. All in all, there have been so many challenges that have come with being a varsity team, but at the end of the day, the ability to play the game at a higher level is exciting and fun for all of us!”

All in all, these players have appreciated their chance to play as a varsity team and see a successful future for the Grove City College Men’s Lacrosse program. The team has high hopes for this season as they compete in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC), which combines the President’s Athletic Conference and the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. They will play a total of 15 in-season games, 10 of which are conference games. The schedule can be found on http://athletics.gcc.edu. Grove City College wishes the lacrosse team good luck on their inaugural varsity season!

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Reel Life at Grove City College: A Chat with Jonathan, Education Major

At Grove City College, Jonathan Moore is known far and wide as friendly, active, and focused. He brightens every room he enters with a smile and laughter. As an Education major focused in Special Education, a Resident Assistant in a freshman hall, and an involved member of campus activities, he has a lot on his plate. Jonathan is a fantastic example of a college student with varied, balanced interests.

In this episode of Reel Life at Grove City College, I ask Jonathan about his experience. Hear about his favorite characteristic of Grove City students, his Friday night social activities, his one-word descriptor of his time here, and more in the video.

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Staying Fit on Campus: Athletic Facilities

Grove City College Athletic Facilities

A common concern for any college student is how to maintain fitness amidst a busy schedule. I have gone through various fitness phases in my time at Grove City College, and because of this I have made use of almost all of Grove City’s athletic facilities. On your tour you probably heard all of the benefits of our facilities, but are they really all that they are cracked up to be?

The Weight Room/Aerobic Room

This is actually two different rooms, but they are connected to one another and as such go together. The weight room is stocked with free weights, weight lifting platforms, cable machines, and various other free weight machines. The school is constantly updating this room with new tools for students to use – for instance, this year there were two new lifting platforms added to the room.

The aerobic room is filled with treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bicycles, recumbent bicycles, rowing machines, and machine weights. This room is also well supplied and has plenty of room to move around.

Both rooms have mats for stretching and floor exercises as well as various accessories to use in your workouts.

These rooms are both great to stay fit – they are easy to move back and forth between, as there is a door that connects them, and they are open late at night. Everyone is kind in these rooms – I have worked out with people who I had only met in passing before and people who come separately are always willing to spot one another in the weight room. As a woman, I was concerned to enter the weight room at first because it has a reputation as the male gym and the aerobic room has a reputation as the female gym – the testosterzone and the estro-gym. These reputations are absolutely false. I have never felt overwhelmingly outnumbered in the weight room and there are always several males in the aerobic room – I honestly do not know where those reputations came from, because they are not at all true.

The one con to these rooms is that their hours are limited compared to several of the other facilities on campus. They are open early in the morning for various lengths of time depending on the day, and again from 3 p.m. until 11:30 p.m. The late mornings and early afternoons are reserved for class use and faculty use. Typically I am in classes while these rooms are closed, however, so it is not usually an issue.

The Indoor Running Track

This is a gem that I did not discover until the second semester of my junior year (I think I was a bit late on the uptake, though). We have an indoor running track that is above the back half of our IM room (Intramural room, basically a big open gym for basketball, soccer, and other recreational sports). The track is smaller than a typical outdoor track, so each lane is a slightly different distance than the other lanes. Twelve laps around the outside lane is equivalent to one mile, however. The track is open all day.

This is one of my favorite places on campus – it tends to be slightly colder than the rest of the building and is a great place to walk or run. I particularly enjoy going on walks with friends on this track in the winter, when it is too cold to walk outside for recreation.

The only con that I have found with the track is that due to its short size there can be a lot of pressure on your joints if you run many laps in a row in the same direction – I definitely recommend switching directions every couple of laps if you plan on running long distances there.

The Outdoor Track and Turf Field

We have an outdoor track and turf field in our stadium on lower campus. These are great facilities during nicer weather. Students will often use the field to play frisbee or other recreational sports, and the track is a great quality, quarter mile track.

Both of these facilities have been redone in the last two years. They are open from dawn until 11 p.m. in the non-winter months.

Recreation Pool

Our recreation pool is actually the old competition pool, and is a great option for anyone who enjoys swimming. The lane lines are often in the pool, but even when they’re not people are very respectful of one another’s space. Kickboards are also available for student use in the recreation pool area. There are two life guards on duty whenever the pool is open.

This is the most limited of our athletic facilities, but it is open for several hours each day.

Dance Studio and Multi-Purpose Room

These are open rooms on the second floor of the Physical Learning Center (the PLC). They can be reserved for student use, but are often available for use on a walk in basis. They are also used for classes. These are great spaces to exercise in groups and/or to do workout videos.

IM Room

The IM Room is one of the athletic facilities that I have not used much at all, but are a great resource. My brother is a sophomore on campus and often goes to the IM Room to play pickup basketball with his friends. This room has long hours and has basketballs that students can borrow. It is also used for sports practices and IM sports.

As you can see, the athletic facilities at Grove City College are extensive and very easy to use. The surrounding area also has great places to run, and it is easy to do exercise videos on one’s own dorm room. Happy exercising!

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Grove City College Prison Ministry

In the fall, Professor Sweet taught a class endearingly called Internet Content Marketing. In this course, students learned the importance of tailoring content to particular audiences in order to make a profit or showcase credibility. Towards the end of the semester, Professor Sweet asked the students to put their lessons into practice and write articles for this blog. As the editor of this site, I had the awesome opportunity to read all of these articles and choose the ones that I thought our readers would find most interesting. This particular piece is by Anna Walker, she describes her work with the prison ministry on campus. Enjoy!

You do not have to go far to hear people call Grove City College “the bubble.” More than not, the bubble is not referred to as a good thing. After being here two and a half years, I can confirm, Grove City College is in many ways a giant bubble – we leave our wallets everywhere, never lock any doors, can find people praying almost anywhere on campus and almost everyone you encounter on campus is abnormally friendly. But are not we called to be salt and light? What does that look like on a Christian college campus? I have one of many solutions to that question through getting involved with Prison Ministry.

Grove City College’s Prison Ministry all began with one student getting a group of their friends together to go to neighboring Mercer County’s Prison to lead Bible studies. Since then the ministry has continued to grow and became an official organization in 2016. I found out about the ministry at the Org Fair, which is an all campus event hosted in the early fall where students are able to learn about all the different organizations on campus. I knew I wanted to get involved with an off campus ministry, but prison ministry never crossed my mind. Like many of the students at Grove City, I grew up in a Christian family, attended a Christian school am now at a Christian college – my qualifications for working with prisoners’ backgrounds was nonexistent. Which brings me to perhaps the greatest reason why Prison Ministry is such a powerful ministry to be involved in: It does not lightly penetrate the “bubble” students live in at Grove City, it tears it to pieces.

Every week, two or three individuals from the ministry are sent into the prison. Girls go into the women’s pods and the guys go into the men’s pods. It’s typical to work through a Bible study curriculum and use whatever remaining time to get to know the prisoners and to spend time praying with them. With that being said, some weeks I have gone in and never touched the planned lesson because the girls had big questions about faith or because what they needed most was simply a loving ear to listen. I quickly learned how little we as Christians know about sharing the gospel with nonbelievers. It’s so easy at a place like Grove City to feel like the ultimate superstar Christian between being involved with hall Bible studies, attending chapel twice a week and talking about God on the daily with other Christians, but we miss the mark. We so easily overlook the major component of our faith which is to share the gospel with nonbelievers.

To listen to a girl tell you she is sentenced to 30 years behind bars, to see the tears well up in her eyes as she tells she has no family, that she has lost everything because of a meth addiction and hear her say that there is no purpose for her life, it changes you. I learned that talking about God with other Christians on the daily is not a substitute for Jesus’ command to share the gospel with nonbelievers. Being a part of Prison Ministry has been one of the most challenging, growing, joyous things I have done with my time at Grove City. The ministry works as continual reminder that we are not called to merely know about Jesus, but to be Jesus’ hands and feet to this broken world.  Spending time with the prisoners forces you to trust the Lord to give you words when there are none, to give you wisdom where you lack and to fully rely on His spirit for guidance. One of the most amazing parts of going to the prison is that the individuals who come desperately want to know God. It fans into the flame the love you had for Christ when you first came to know Him and ignites a deep passion in your heart to share the life-changing news of God and what His son did on the cross.

When I come back to campus after spending time at the prison all my priorities are realigned. The trivial things of college such as the quiz I failed that morning, the research paper I have looming over my head, the stress of getting a successful job after college and selfish pursuits all fade. The Grove City bubble has been broken. I recommend this ministry to anyone who is looking to be pushed out of their comfort zone and be exceptionally challenged in their faith during these college years.

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So You Want to be an RA?

RA Staff MAP West

If you love getting to know and caring for the people around you, the Resident Assistant position at Grove City College might be right for you! A Resident Assistant, or RA, is a full-time student who lives on campus in the residence halls and is responsible for facilitating community on his/her hall and upholding policy across campus (among numerous other things). It is a great opportunity to be involved in campus and serve the people living around you.

You are able to apply for the RA position for your sophomore through senior year. All residence halls have RAs, freshmen buildings and upperclassmen buildings alike, so there are opportunities to be an RA for numerous demographics. In upperclassmen buildings you will be the only RA on your hall and will likely have a roommate of your choosing (though some buildings offer the opportunity to live in a single room as an RA). While it shocks many people that as an RA I still have a roommate, I love it. My roommate is one of my biggest sources of support and helps to create a sense of community on the hall just as much as I do. Some freshmen buildings have two RAs per hall, meaning that you will have a roommate who is an RA and the two of you will work together to care for your hall.

RAs work in teams with three to 11 RAs (depending on the size of your residence hall) and one Resident Director (RD). New this year, MAP North, the primary residence for freshmen women on campus, also has an Assistant Resident Director (ARD) as part of their team. These teams are great opportunities to learn and grow in both a professional setting and a personal setting – they will likely become some of your closest friends and will understand your experience as an RA and student better than most others on campus.

As an RA you have the opportunity to plan events (called programs) that will help your residents learn and grow beyond the classroom in addition to building stronger relationships with one another. These are very neat, as Residence Life provides funding for these programs so there is really a lot that you can do with them. These events really shape people’s college experiences and I highly encourage you to attend RA programs even if you are not an RA yourself.

You will also have duty responsibilities as an RA, which each residence hall does slightly differently. In general, you will be “on duty” one night per week, which means that you will have to be in your building and do some rounds of the building to check for facility concerns, to uphold policy, and to check for safety concerns. When you are on duty you are “on call” and if a resident in your building experiences an issue, you are the first one they would call and/or come to. These nights are great opportunities to hang out in your room with your door open and see who is around to hang out with.

Being an RA also means weekly staff meetings with your building staff and bi-weekly or weekly one on one meetings with your direct supervisor, the Resident Director (RD) for your building. Otherwise, being an RA is a very flexible schedule – you choose when to run programs, you have input into the duty schedule, and you get to choose when to knock on doors and invite people over.

The RA position has shaped my college experience entirely. I am currently a senior and have been an RA since my sophomore year. For both my sophomore and junior years I was an RA on the same hall in a suite style building and my residents were primarily seniors. This year I am in a different suite style building and my residents are primarily freshmen and transfer students. All three years have been amazing experiences and God has grown me so much through them. The other RAs who I have worked with and each of my RDs have shaped me and supported me through my difficult semesters and my easier semesters, and I have definitely made lifetime friends through this position. If you are wanting to be an RA during college, Grove City College is the place to do it.

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Opportunities at Grove City College

When I was a freshman at Grove City, I remember filling out an application for something and it asked me “How will your college be different because you have been there?” To be honest, this question completely stumped me. At the time, I had no idea how I (an average student from a tiny high school in the middle of nowhere) would be able to have any impact at all on Grove City College.

Now, two and a half years later, I can look back and see how that question has shaped my college experience thus far. It struck a chord somewhere within me and I began to search for opportunities to impact people and the college community during my four years here.

My search was far more fruitful than I could have imagined. For the sake of simplicity, I will summarize my results in three categories:

1. Opportunities for learning…outside the classroom

Grove City College hosts numerous guest lecturers and discussion events every semester. The topics range anywhere from Ronald Reagan to worldwide missions to “Wasting Time Well.” I have enjoyed events like the annual Reagan Lecture, Missions Conference, and tea time with Grove City women. There are also numerous Bible studies and smaller discussion groups. These types of opportunities have allowed me to learn from both my peers and renowned speakers, and attending them offers support to the College and the types of events that they will continue to hold in the future.

2. Opportunities for leadership

More often than not, this goes hand-in-hand with point number three. Here at Grove City, opportunities for leadership exist everywhere you look. Students have leadership opportunities in over 150 clubs and organizations. These range from Student Government to Greek groups to campus ministries to professional and academic organizations to intramural sports to academic honoraries, and the list could go on. Personally, these opportunities have helped me find my voice and built me into the person I am today.

3. Opportunities for service

Service opportunities abound on this lovely campus. Many, if not all, of the leadership opportunities mentioned above are fantastic ways to serve both your peers as well as the student body and community as a whole. Students have the opportunity to become Resident Assistants, to serve Christ on spring break Inner City Outreach (ICO) trips, and to take part in numerous campus and community ministries including Young Life, Project Okello, and a prison ministry. I have traveled to Ashland, Kentucky on an ICO trip every year over spring break, and those trips have been an excellent time of service, learning, growth, and blessing for me.

So Grove City College provides all of these magnificent opportunities, but what does that mean for students? It means that Grove City students have more opportunities to impact (and be impacted by) their peers and college community than you might realize. It means that Grove City College gives its students so much more than a four-year degree in their subject of choice – it offers them four years of personal growth and impact.

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Reel Life at Grove City College: Sportsmanship

Grove City College excels in sportsmanship. Even though I do not play sports myself, when I was a high-schooler looking at different colleges, the sportsmanship I saw and heard about at Grove City amazed me. I knew I wanted to spend my college years at a place with respect, faith-mindedness, determination, and talent. To my delight, when I went to my first Grove City College sports game, I saw all of those qualities shine out in the players on the field. It was wonderful to know that the College’s values came out even in a sports game. Looking back on it now though, it makes a lot of sense. How people behave on the field is a huge indicator of how they behave off of it.

I wanted to show you the wonder of a Grove City College sports match in a real, tangible way. So, when I was at an Ultimate Frisbee game the other night, I started filming. My friend on the team was nice enough to let me stand right next to the front lines the entire game so I could get some good shots. Like always, it was a wonderful experience. As I was watching, I considered, “What is it that I really love about being at a GCC sporting event?” I narrowed the phenomenon down to my top five favorite things I see at matches.

  1. Talent
  2. Excitement
  3. (Awesome) People
  4. Sportsmanship (or, Respect)
  5. Faith-mindedness

So, in this video, I have focused on showing you those five things.

I hope you enjoy this episode of Reel Life. Most of all though, I hope from watching it, you get a better idea of how uniquely special sports at Grove City College are.