Category: Inside Student Life

Eating healthy is an extremely important part of living well. Being in college can often bring about negative eating habits, causing students to gain weight such as the “freshman fifteen.” Factors such as stress and lack of time or money to make or buy healthy foods can all add to these bad eating habits.

At Grove City College, however, eating healthy is definitely possible, particularly in the cafeterias. While unhealthy options like pizza and ice cream do exist, plenty of healthy foods exist, as well. It’s just a matter of making healthy eating a priority and intentionally seeking out foods that your body will thank you for consuming.

For one, salads are always a good choice. The salad bars in both Hicks and MAP cafeterias offer many options including different types of greens like mixed greens and spinach, as well as many vegetables, cheeses, beans and several dressing options including fat free ones. Simply adding balsamic and vinegar to a salad makes for a very healthy topper.

Whole wheat breads are another great option. Swapping them out for white bread is beneficial since whole grains generally contain more nutrients in them like fiber. Both cafeterias carry whole wheat as well as whole grain breads.

One of my favorite healthy combinations is rice cakes with peanut butter. This is a low calorie, nutritious option that offers protein and tastiness. Rice cakes can be found in the gluten-free sections of both cafeterias, and there are often different flavors such as Honey or Apply Cinnamon. Throw some banana slices on top and it’s even better.

Another healthy combination is hummus with vegetables. The different hummus options like garlic or red pepper add a nice flavor to raw veggies, making them more enjoyable to eat, while also remaining healthy. There are a plethora of veggie options like carrots, peppers, broccoli, celery and others.

Lastly, there are different milk options that make healthy eating easier. 1%, skim and even Almond and Soy Milk are all available. They have a lower fat content while still remaining tasty.

Healthy eating is not always easy, but making wise food decisions definitely pays off in the long run. Grove City provides the nutritious and delicious options to make that healthy eating possible, which is something I’m personally thankful for as I strive to live healthfully.

Grove City College is a beautiful campus. From the tall, stained glass windows of Harbison Chapel and the sleek brick and crawling ivy on Mary Anderson Pew to the ornate ironwork on Rainbow Bridge, the campus is filled with many aesthetically pleasing sites.

As someone with both an appreciation for beauty and a love of photography, I have enjoyed photographing the Grove City campus over my four years here. Taking pictures has always been fun for me, but it is especially fulfilling when the subject being captured is beautiful. The scenery at Grove City is unlike any other campus with its lush greenery and tall brick buildings with intricate detailing.

There are many places around campus that make for great shots. I’m particularly fond of taking outdoors, nature, and landscape scenes, so many of the photos I’ve taken around campus have fallen into these categories.

One of my favorite spots to snap photos is Rainbow Bridge and Wolf Creek. The flowing river and overarching bridge are beautiful in any season, but I especially love it in winter when it’s covered in snow and the creek partly freezes. The contrast of the dark water and the light snow is stunning and causes me to gaze in admiration every time I pass by.

I also love photographing Rockwell Hall of Science. The tall clock tower is a well known attribute of campus and is visible all the way down on lower campus. It is especially picturesque in the fall with the changing colors of the surrounding trees. The way the sun hits the glass windows at certain times of the day and the unique archway add to the pleasing view.

Harbison Chapel is another obvious beautiful building on campus. I love photographing its stained glass windows that brightly reflect the sunlight and its intricate structures. The sand colored brick and prominent steeple make it a stunning spectacle on campus. It is especially picture worthy as the sun sets in the backdrop. Lots of people enjoy stopping here for pictures because of its beauty.

There are plenty of other pretty places on campus that make for noteworthy photographs as well. Grove City has a great aesthetic appeal that makes walking around each day more enjoyable. It allows you to go out and appreciate the beauty of it and maybe even snap a few pictures along the way.

Because Grove City College is an academically rigorous institution, studying is a must. In order to effectively hit the books, it is necessary to find the right study spot. As a senior, I have been able to find a few places that have worked well over the past four years.

1. The Library

   

One obvious place to work on homework is the library. Henry Buhl Library, located by the Technical Learning Center (TLC) and the guys’ dorms, is a great place to get in the zone and crank out some work. The stacks, the individual desks lined along the walls next to shelves of books, are especially great for shutting out distractions, allowing you to study for that test or write that paper. The large tables in the main room and the reference room outside of the stacks are also study friendly, but expect a few more distractions there than in the stacks.

2. The Hall of Arts and Letters

The Hall of Arts and Letters (HAL), the main academic building, is also a great place to study. This is one of my favorite spots to sit and delve into some work. There are large tables on the first floor that work well, and there are also smaller individual tables and lounge chairs on the second floor. In the evening, you can also sign out a classroom with others for a more secluded study space. This can be great for working on group projects, or just enjoying the company of friends.

3. The Student Union

The Student Union, the hub of campus life, is another place that can work well for studying. This is less of an academic space and more of a relaxed, social environment. Lots of chatter goes on, so if you have assignments that do not require a lot of focus, the Student Union is the perfect place to go. If you get hungry, head right on over to the Gedunk, the food area within the Student Union, and take a study break.

4. Beans on Broad

If you’re looking to go off campus, the local coffee shop, Beans on Broad, is within walking distance and can be a nice environment to get homework done. Located right on Broad Street, this coffee joint offers a social yet relaxing environment with delicious brews, which always helps in the pursuit of homework. I enjoy finding a table, putting in some headphones and sipping my coffee.

There are many other places on campus and around campus that are conducive to studying. It really all depends on your study environment preference, but no matter the type of space you require, Grove City has plenty of spots to offer to help you feel comfortable while getting those assignments completed.

Check out this virtual tour of Grove City College and get a closer look at these great study spots!

Wednesday night, 7:30 p.m. For many Grove City students, Wednesday evenings mean two things:

1. It’s the middle of the week.
2. Chef Rudy will be serving her delicious fruit-filled crepes in MAP cafeteria for breakfast tomorrow.

But, for a diverse group of students in all class years and majors, from senior biochemistry to freshman English, Wednesday means something even better, something that brings as many as 50 people to the Crawford Auditorium stage from 7:30-10 p.m. And that is swing dancing.

East Coast style swing, to be precise. Your grandmother might remember it as the Jitterbug, and it’s not too far in style from the Charleston that Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed famously did into a swimming pool in It’s A Wonderful Life. It’s an uncomplicated form of partner dance, with the basic step only requiring three movements: a weight shift to the left foot, weight shift to the right foot and ‘rock step’ back onto the left (this is for leaders, the pattern is right-left-right for followers). The real fun begins when the club’s beloved leaders, Bradley Smith, a junior accounting major from Tyler, TX and Maria Dunsworth, a junior communications and biblical and religious studies major from Erie, PA, begin teaching moves to embellish the basic dance. From simple spins to exhilarating moves like the “Pretzel,” “Washing Machine,” “Tabletop,” “Tornado” and a few scarier sounding but perfectly harmless ones like the “Breakup,” “Shin Splints” and the frighteningly named (but wholly harmless) “Armbreaker Dip,” a semester of Swing Club can transform anyone into the life of every party and wedding reception for the rest of their lives.

For many, swing becomes more than a chance to learn how to social dance. It becomes one of their favorite groups of people on campus. Partner dancing becomes both a close knit fraternity of shared experiences and inside jokes about certain moves and songs and a welcoming group that never forgets where they came from. Most members begin with no prior partner dance experience, including the majority of the club’s officers. The first weeks of the new academic year are a time of excitement for upperclassmen, as they meet the new freshmen attendees and actively encourage them to continue. Experienced members often stop in the middle of dances to explain how to do a certain move or simply to offer a high five.

By the end of the semester, when the annual Christmas Ball rolls around, the freshmen can hold their own on the floor as well as the seasoned dancers. As dancers gain more skill, they may begin doing choreographed dance performances or might just spend time listening to swing music and trying to imagine the perfect way to blend moves together into a seamless performance for an audience of two. Swing is one of those hobbies that can be enjoyed for life, and many alumni make finding a new dance community a priority after graduation. One popular feature of swing are the weekly ‘birthday dances’ where any member who celebrated a birthday that week becomes the only one on the floor for a song while partners cut in and out.

I’ve been dancing for 2.5 years, and I can say that it has been one of the most rewarding parts of my GCC experience. I’ve made many friends I never would have even met otherwise, been able to develop a skill I never knew I had and been able to share the joy of dance with other students. It can be challenging at first, but, as you gain experience, the challenge is what makes it interesting. Of course, it’s also a great stress reliever, and excellent aerobic exercise, but in the end, it’s the incredible people that make the Swing Club my favorite place to be on Wednesday night, just like it’s the people that make all of GCC my favorite place to be from August through May.

I asked some fellow members to offer their own thoughts on dancing. Junior Amanda Clagett said that besides making friends, she loves that “Swing is a chance to express each song. It lets you take on the emotions and stories of different people in their songs and express them through dance!” She also advises beginning dancers to remember that everyone was once a beginner, and instead of being overwhelmed by people you consider to be really good and feel afraid you’ll never be good enough to dance with them, understand that a truly good dancer will dance (and wants to dance) with anyone and everyone, no matter their level.

Vice President Maria Dunsworth echoes the importance of the close knit community and recommends that beginning dancers try to dance as much as possible and should not be shy. Sophomore Olivia Ebert offered a musical assessment of the club, saying (singing?) that: “girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, getting to relax after a long day of classes, time with great people, to dance and to sing, these are just a few of the great things about swing.”

One piece of advice I’d give to any beginner dancer came from a friend who graduated at the end of my freshman year: “Cherish every dance.” In other words, every time you step out on the floor, even if it’s to a song that’s played every week and you’re with a partner that you dance with frequently, the dance you’re about to do is unique and special. If you make it a competition about how many wild moves you can do, you lose the joy of enjoying the moment. So relax, have fun and I hope to see you on the Crawford stage.

The final post of this photo blog series will check out my personal apartment, the eclectic apartment. There is no rhyme or reason to the design behind this space. As my apartment mates and I were moving in, we knew we did not want to feel like we were at school while in the apartment, we wanted to feel like we were home. Each piece is personal and holds a special meaning to us.

The Eclectic Apartment

There are definitely a lot of colors and patterns going on in this space. The oriental rug, bright red couch, patterned blankets and pillows, and gallery wall make bold statements. We toned down the colors with a simple black coffee table, a dark wood end table, brown and black vintage trunk. We also added a variety of textures like different shaped light strands, plants and a tree branch.

This photo blog series takes a peek into the Colonial Hall student apartments. Each highlighted apartment takes on a different design approach to its space. This next space is a colorful vintage that is filled with homey accents.

The Country Chic Apartment

My favorite part of this space? The shutters! Doing some decoration shopping in antique stores will not only save money but also give your apartment an unique flavor. The pale blue trunk adds a pop of  bright color and the burlap pennants are a simple country chic touch. The secret to a happy space is simple…fresh flowers. Adding a mason jar of fresh flowers provides color and beauty.

Moving from the campus dormitory rooms to the Colonial Hall apartments can be an intimidating move. Instead of a small room shared with two or three people, you now have a kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom. Depending on the size of apartment you may have a single bedroom or a double bedroom. There is so much space to decorate, where to start? This photo blog series will give you a peek into apartments and hopefully spark some inspiration for yourself.

The Cozy Apartment

This apartment makes you want to cuddle up with a cup of coffee and read a book. The comfy couches, knitted blankets, ficus trees, and coffee table books are simple accents that brighten up the room–all that is missing is a fireplace.

Next post will take a look at a country chic apartment!