Category: Inside Student Life

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Commuter Life at GCC: Pro’s and Con’s

            Dorm life is definitely not for everyone. Living off campus can be an option that some people prefer over living in the dorms. At Grove City College, students are allowed to commute if they live close by with their parents or guardians, or if they are married. With nearly 2,500 students attending, only about 5% of students choose to commute. I had the opportunity to talk with a student about his experiences commuting for the past three years.

Pro’s of Commuting

            Zach Ferguson is a senior Communications major with a minor in Studio Art. Growing up in Butler, PA, Zach commutes about 30 minutes to campus every weekday. He explained, “I save about $9,000 per year by commuting, and because I am paying for college on my own it made sense.” Saving on the cost of room and board is one of the biggest benefits of commuting rather than living on campus. Zach said, “Getting to go home every day and keeping the same friends from my hometown that go to different schools is a big plus. I also still go to the same church nearby where my best friend is the pastor.” Knowing the area and having the benefit of a separate space away from campus is always a huge benefit of living near a college town.

Con’s of Commuting

            While there are plenty of good things about living at home and commuting, there are also a lot of downsides to being away from campus. Zach discussed, “It’s definitely hard to make friends on campus because I’m not on campus too much. It’s hard to find community.” Being a part of the campus experience with other people is one of the main factors that build community here at Grove City College. Zach explained how he is friends with other commuters, and that there is community within that, but he wishes he had more people to connect with on campus. “I’m not thrilled about living in dorms,” he said, “but I wish I would have done it for the people.”

            Being a commuter, it can be more difficult to get involved with campus groups and events. However, because he is able to live in the same area, Zach has an off campus job that causes his schedule to be more stacked than normal. He explained, “When I was a freshman and sophomore I had a different schedule, so it was easier to be on campus, but now I live a half hour away with a job, so coming to school feels like I’m coming to my job.”

Is it Worth the Money?

            All in all, Zach said he would not recommend commuting. “You save money, but you miss out. It’s hard to balance work, school, and personal life when you live in a different place,” he said. During the four years you spend at college, it is important to be present in the time and place. While commuting may be a good option for you, it’s helpful to have an insider perspective on what it is like once the work load begins. The college years go by quickly and it’s important to consider where you want to invest your time while you’re here, but remember that Zach’s perspective is only one of the many opinions held by communters at Grove City.

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“Anything Goes” with the Grove City Theater Department

Each semester, the Grove City College theater department puts on a major production, as well as a few smaller theater performances with students from all disciplines. This fall’s performance was Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” – a musical filled with gangsters, sailors, and of course hopeless romantics. Weeks of preparation and hard work by the cast and crew, sound and lighting technicians, and orchestra pit performers, went into creating this amazing show.

“Anything Goes” is a well-loved show about many outspoken characters on a ship from New York to London searching for love, money, and an entertaining time. The main character Hope Harcourt was played by freshman Jordan Luntz. This was Jordan’s first production at Grove City College, and as a mechanical engineering major it was a bit of a handful. “I was worried that coming to college as a mechanical engineering major, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to be as involved as I would like,” Jordan explained, “but Grove City is a truly special place with truly special people that made my production easy and enjoyable.” As an underclassman, she explained how many upperclassmen and directors helped teach and encourage her to make the production an easy and enjoyable experience. “The entire cast was accepting and just a pure joy to share the stage with. They did their best to work with my schedule and make my life as easy as possible,” she said.

Our theater department goes far beyond actors and technicians, and there are many opportunities for students to get involved in ways that are convenient to them. Senior Jonathan Fisher is a communications major with a passion for theater. Jonathan was able to give some insight about what it’s like behind the scenes of larger productions, specifically as a spotlight operator. Jonathan explained how he felt right at home with the cast and crew, even as a spotlight operator. He said, “we had a lot of fun bonding, even if it was just over pre-show meetings.” Jonathan discussed his first experience with theater and how his roles have changed over the years. “When I first came into the theater program, I was so focused on acting but it did not work out as planned, and I did not want to be backstage,” Jonathan said, “But I ended up having to do some tech things for classes I was taking, and I realized when you do tech you are involved. You are the cast and crew.” The flexibility and skills in the technical part of the show was something Jonathan was happy to contribute to and greatly enjoyed.

Being in any large scale production is tons of hard work and a huge commitment, and can definitely be a strenuous process. At the end of each tech rehearsal week, Grove City cast and crew meet and give senior speeches for those who are graduating and want to give last pieces of advice. Jonathan explained, “Something that my friend Sarah Giesler said stuck with me, and that was to choose joy. Especially during tech week, Christ is the reason we can choose joy over the stress so we can  choose to look to him.” It is so important in those moments to come together to pray and encourage one another. It is such a blessing to work with a theater department that takes so much care and consideration to appreciate one another and all the work it takes to putting on an excellent show.

Along with all the hard work, this cast had just as much fun, especially making this video in their time between scenes. Enjoy the students of the theater department!

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How to Choose From Majors and Minors

Discovering what you want to major in is a difficult decision. However, did you know there are 42 possible options for choosing a minor? A minor is similar to a major, the biggest difference is the number of credit hours it takes to achieve it. Choosing a minor is a great option for a student to consider if you want to extend your studies – or if you don’t want to choose just one area to focus in.

Like any big decision, there are good sides and bad sides to pursuing a minor. The good things include a more well-rounded concentration or distinction in what you choose to study. There are many minors that highly compliment certain majors. For example, a Classical Studies minor goes well with an Education major because it shows a specific area of interest in teaching. Similarly, a National Security Studies minor goes well with a Political Science major if you have an interest in government careers. This also spreads into the STEM majors, where you could major in Biology with a minor in Chemistry, or major in Chemistry with a minor in Biology. Another great perk about minors is that you do not have to declare your minor at any specific time. After taking a few classes and getting a feel for what your major entails, one can then discuss with an academic adviser the next steps to possibly declaring a minor.

majors and minors

There is one possible down side to declaring a minor. Most minors require at least 18 credit hours to be completed, and sometimes more. Consequently, most of your elective hours will be taken up by your minor. This is not necessarily a down side if you have a specific minor in mind that you know you want to pursue. If you are unsure of your minor and just want to try out a few classes outside of your major before deciding, you might run out of credit hours available to achieve a minor in time. In order to avoid this, it is best to get your core classes and required humanities electives completed in your first few semesters before taking outside electives. The best thing you can do is meet with professors outside of your major and ask questions about classes and expectations, then begin taking classes that would go towards achieving a minor.

The Registrar’s website has all the information you need to see what courses fall under each minor, and how many courses are required for each minor. Some of the most popular minors here at Grove City are Communications, Spanish, and Philosophy. There are many options to choose from that can highlight your specific skills and interests. Be sure to ask questions and explore other classes to find the career path that best suits you.

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Media Jobs on Campus Where Students Run the Show

media services technicans

               There are many awesome opportunities for students to work on-campus jobs to get some experience during the school year. While most are fairly low key and relaxing, other jobs allow you to get your first real-world work experience in a field that could become your long-term career. Grove City’s Media Services Office hires student technicians to work campus events such as concerts, dances, and lectures – and even run chapel services.

media services homecoming setup
Homecoming Dance Setup

               As a technician and office coordinator for Media Services myself, I have had two great years of learning about media technology and working with students from many different backgrounds to create some amazing setups. With our growing team of 19 student technicians, we get plenty of opportunities to learn from one another and our different academic backgrounds.

I had the chance to interview senior Casey Latario who has been involved with media services for two years through a friends’ recommendation to apply. He enjoys working various events, but one of his favorites was setting up for the Keith and Kristin Getty Concert hosted this fall. Casey discussed, “As a biology major, I see that there are engineering techs who are super technically minded and not the best at communicating, but the other techs with different majors are better at communication and they complement each other.” Since Casey is also apart of other groups on campus, including the Adelphikos fraternity, he is able to use his talents and abilities in media production to help his fraternity out during open houses. Casey explained how he got to use the lighting truss for his fraternity open house. Because he knew how to use what they needed, it was convenient. He went on to say, “It was nice to be able to use the equipment for our group’s own events.”media services technician

While there are so many different skill sets among technicians, there is a great appeal to mechanical and electrical engineers for the hands-on experience related to their field. Senior Erik Azevedo is a mechanical engineering major who became interested in Media Services after attending a dance freshman year. “I’ve always been interested at a young age in media,” says Erik, “I also did sound for my church and enjoy making electronic music.” As a part of our learning process for Media Services, there are senior positions where students can specialize in a particular skill set like video, audio, lighting, and equipment. As the senior lighting technician, Erik prefers working larger dances or coffee concerts on campus with the freedom to run the lighting board. He said, “You get hands on experience and every event is different. You have to use skills that you learn, but there is an element of creativity to it.”

One of the best things both Casey and Erik agreed upon is the benefit of the diverse team where everyone can use their skills to put together a great show. The photos displayed throughout this post show different activities the Media Services team does on a monthly to weekly basis, including the Homecoming dance and live mixing for coffee concerts. The great thing about a campus job such as this is the flexibility in scheduling, as well as hands-on experience that is guaranteed in learning about campus events. 

 

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So Now What? A Career Spotlight on Communications Majors

We all come to the point in our lives where we have to decide what we want to be when we grow up on a practical level. We are constantly asking ourselves, “Now what?” What do I actually want to do with my life and what can I do to realistically make that happen? As a college senior, figuring out what to do with my life is beyond pertinent at this point. The best thing about college has been discovering how to use passions and turn them into a career. This is a career spotlight on what it is like to be a Communication Studies major.

In pursuing my undergraduate degree in Communication Studies and Visual Arts, I’ve learned that there are so many different fields for students who are great writers and communicators. Some of the more common career paths with Communications might be journalism, broadcasting, marketing, design, or public relations. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazingly diverse students here and have recently asked to do a career spotlight on how their college experiences have helped them decide their future career goals.

 

What Do You Want To Do With Your Communications Degree?

“I have looked into the field of local journalism and enjoyed getting to know people in different communities that have amazing stories to tell. I love the idea of getting many people excited for a common cause. The great thing about the GCC environment is that there are multiple on-campus activities that give you experience. For example, I wouldn’t have been nearly as prepared for my journalism internship this summer if it wasn’t for the opportunity I had to write for the school newspaper, The Collegian.”

-Senior Communications major Jonathan Fisher

 

“Communication Studies is such a broad major, and that’s one of the things that first attracted me to it. I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go with it, but the freedom to choose from so many options was so freeing to me. I want to use my Communications degree to work in event planning and/or public relations. One of the most important aspects of a communications major, is the ability to communicate effectively with other people. The GCC environment has been helpful in my interpretation of the major because I’ve gotten to talk to many different people with interesting and unique perspectives of where their careers are headed”

-Junior Communications major Rachel Riviere

 

“I want to get involved in law enforcement using my degree with the hope of working at the federal level someday. The professors here at GCC have been truly supportive of me when I discuss my future career plans with them. They have written me several recommendation letters and have provided applicable advice”

-Senior Communications major Ethan Paszko

 

“While I’m not positive about what I’d like to do with my Communication degree, GCC has definitely provided me with pretty diverse options. I’ve had the opportunity to take classes like Crisis Communication and Organizational Communication, and look forward to taking PR and a film class next semester. I think coming into contact with the ideas presented in the individual classes I’ve taken has helped guide me in the general direction I’d like to go—it even got me interested in the internship I just finished up!”

-Senior Communications major Sarah Myers

 

“I’d love to take my Communication Studies degree and go into the field of Public Relations for theater companies. I worked with Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO) this summer and got hands-on experience…. I fell in love with the idea of passionately promoting a field that is so steeped in human history. Grove City College has prepared me well for a job in public relations for theater in several ways and through the encouragement of many different people.”

-Junior Communications major Courtney Moletz

 

There are so many unique gifts and talents God gives us to explore. We are encouraged to go further than the classroom to learn about what a job might look like and get hands-on experience. The Communications department offers many different classes and programs to give students an opportunity to explore what to focus on with a broad degree. These students have been determined to discover how God can use their gifts to put them in the careers He has planned for their lives.

For more information on Communications based careers, check out One Day One Job to learn about options.

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Homecoming 2016: Get Pumped!

Homecoming Football

Homecoming 2016.

September 26- October 1. Homecoming week is a celebration of all that Grove City is. There is so much more to the week than just the stereotypical football game. If sports just aren’t your thing, that is okay–there are plenty of other ways to celebrate the phenomenal school we attend.

Personally, my two favorite parts of homecoming are the parade and the homecoming court. This past year’s parade theme was “Fairytales” and the various Greek groups around campus worked hard to come up with creative ideas to dazzle the judges. And as the parade passed by students are able to cheer on some of their favorite seniors and honor the student leaders at the school. There is so much value in a close-knit community on campus– it is a much more personal campus life when you know students and faculty.

Homecoming Committee

Truly, a lot of work goes into making homecoming week great. A group of about 75 students return to campus early in August to plan for the week of Homecoming. Every aspect of the student activities–from the Powder-puff Football game to the Java Jam Coffee House–are thought through by students. This committee’s overall purpose is to plan engaging activities that are memorable for the whole student body as well as provide a way for graduates of the school to look back in remembrance of their college years.

Personal Experience

As the past Vice President of homecoming committee, I considered it an honor to take part in planning an event that had over 100 years of history attached to it. The homecoming committee not only preserves the history, but every year has the opportunity to add in some innovation as well.

Every year it is difficult to gauge the amount of student participation in any of the events thrown by the committee during the week, but as a whole the events never disappoint. At every event, you can expect food, prizes, and fun. Every homecoming week is jammed pack with events, not only encourages student participation around campus, but also to encourage the local Grove City community to get involved. In the parade alone, there are current students, local businesses and community groups, including Sweet Jeannie’s, as well as high school marching bands, and reunion classes walking with the current students. Homecoming is a week to remember at Grove City College!

Check out a glimpse of the events below!

Video credits: Joshua Kuiper, Homecoming Publicity Committee, 2016

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Good Eats in Grove City: Elephant and Castle

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Picture from http://www.justpayhalfpittsburgh.com/Elephant–Castle/Grove-City/

Every once in a while it’s nice to get off campus and eat out somewhere. There are several restaurants close to Grove City College that students enjoy dining at. One in particular is Elephant and Castle located by the Grove City Premium Outlets on 1923 Leesburg-Grove City Road.

This authentic English pub serves both British classics and North American favorites. They offer a variety of foods from pub classics like Shepherd’s Pie and Fish and Chips to different types of pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and burgers, as well as soups and salads. Their large menu offers a plethora of options at reasonable prices. Burgers are about $10, 10” pizzas are about $11 and sandwiches range from $9-12.

Elephant and Castle offers a nice combination of food styles from basic to fancy. If you’re in the mood for something simple like chicken fingers, they’ve got that, and if you’re more in the mood for something a bit more luxurious like New York Strip Steak, they’ve got that too. There’s also a large bar area with lots of different drink options if you prefer to stop by for a quick drink.

One of my personal favorite dishe is the “Super Nachos” under the Starters. It’s comprised of tri-colored tortilla chips, cheddar jack cheese, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, olives and jalapenos with sour cream and guacamole on the side. It’s a decently large sized portion and appeals to Mexican food lovers like me.

Senior Amy Noll highly recommends any of the pizzas from the “Traditional” to the “Chicken Bacon Ranch.” She also raves about the versatile atmosphere of the restaurant saying, “It’s great for a meal with family, a date night out or just catching up with friends.” She appreciates the friendly and helpful servers and the casual yet classy environment.

Because the restaurant is conveniently located next to the outlets, it’s great to stop in and chow down on a quality meal after a long day of shopping. Overall, Elephant and Castle provides a nice atmosphere and tasty food, so checking out this gem of a restaurant is definitely recommended.

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Picture from https://www.localflavor.com/elephant-castle

Click here to view a complete Elephant and Castle menu!

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Grove City College Men’s Lacrosse Game

On April 16, 2016, the Grove City College student body, family and friends filled the seats of Thorn Field to support the Grove City College men’s lacrosse team. The Wolverines played against University of Dayton, a strong rival. Although the game ended with a defeat for the Wolverines, the team played with an immense amount of drive, skill and passion. Throughout the game, the crowd cheered with whistling, clapping and shouting, never giving up on the Wolverines. Regardless of the outcome, the Saturday afternoon was well spent with friends and family supporting the GCC men’s lacrosse team.
Here is a highlight video capturing the energetic atmosphere of the lacrosse match:

[click HD]

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How to Make College an Adventure

Adventure

When considering colleges, the biggest question in my mind was “Is it all it’s cracked up to be? Will this really be the best four years of my life?”

Well, yes …or no, it depends really.

I’ve realized that college is only as good as you make it. You could lock these four years away in a cage of nonstop schoolwork, you could waste them tossing frisbee on the lawn all day or you could master the art of making college an adventure.

There are plenty of small adventures to be found on the day-to-day, adventures that won’t take all of your study time but in fact provide the perfect amount of excitement. Like salt and pepper in the perfect ratio. Find the time to conquer the unexplored corners of campus: grab a friend and go for a bike ride, relax in your hammock or simply read a book under a tree (preferably not a textbook). The point is this: adventure will not serve itself to you on a silver platter and the grass is definitely not greener anywhere else, instead of drudging around in the “same-old, same-old,” grab life by the horns and make it good.

Here at Grove City College I have found many adventures that have made my time worthwhile. Some days I will go out and climb a tree or ride my bike by the creek, other days I will find my way to the coffee shop downtown or to nearby Pittsburgh for an urban experience. Adventures are out there, every day, and they don’t necessarily involve climbing mountains. The trick to becoming a real adventurer is learning to enjoy the little things.

Learn to enjoy the little things. Learn to find adventure every day. Learn how to prioritize your time. If you can learn to be an adventure maker then college can be all that it is made out to be.

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What Walter Mitty Taught Me About College

Walter MittyTo see the world,
things dangerous to come to,
to see behind walls,
draw closer,
to find each other, and to feel.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

~

To see the world …to see behind walls. To pull back the curtain. To discover. These words, with their simple message, have caused me to ponder what it means to take part in ‘seeing behind walls.’ It challenges its listeners to lean in and peel back the layers of life – discover the deeper parts of existence.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is, for all intents and purposes, my favorite movie. It challenges its viewers to dive into a more purposeful reality. To shed to monotony and embrace life’s hills and valleys.

College will be an exciting, challenging and growing time of your life. You’ll have beautiful moments of joy and, at times, days of unfortunate struggle. For some, they’ll thrive during the bumps and curves, but others will succumb to simply holding on. I want to challenge you to embrace the mistakes, learn from them and continue to give it your all. Pay attention, be curious and trust that the Lord goes before you. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.

So be encouraged to see this world, things dangerous to come to …and to feel.

All the best!