Are you worried that your passion is not one of the majors offered by Grove City College? Is there a hobby that you would like to develop? On March 18, Abby Cunningham and Alexis Marnejon with the Communication and Visual Arts Department, Entrepreneurship Department, and Student Government Association will hold the 2017 Create Conference. This conference will be hosting professionals representing a wide range of creative fields such as photography, graphic design, fine art, and multi-media production. The day will feature main stage talks, workshops, small seminars, and a retail/connection event.
This event is really exciting – one of the guest speaks is from The Neighborhood Film Company. As a huge movie buff with dreams to one day to enter the film industry, this is a great opportunity for me to learn and connect.
With conference and events like this, I am sure that my passion will only grow and develop more. Having workshops and making a connection creates a door for my career path.
I have created a promo video for this coming event. Check it out!
What is it really like to be a student at Grove City College? While tours are very informational, they do not give the down-in-the-dorm experience. Overnight visits are great to see what it is like to live on a residence hall, but what if you cannot find the time to do an overnight? Do not fret, for I have recorded my entire day into a short video so you can walk in my shoes for a little while – they are pretty stylish. 😉
My typical day is not super interesting because a lot of it is dedicated to class and studying – how it should be. Thankfully, it is what I do in my free time that makes college such a blast, and I hope when you come to college it will be the same for you. There are so many things to do on campus to make it feel less like you are here just to learn – like working out, picking up an extra curricular activity, or attending alternative chapel like I do in the video. Your day at college is what you make of it, so in 2-3 years when you are here with me, what will your 2 minute video look like?
The Office of International Education (OIE) at Grove City College provides its students with an opportunity to be culturally immersed into the Korean culture through a unique exchange program called Bahrom International Program (BIP).
Affiliated with Seoul Women’s University, the four-week program has been offered to both male and female GCC students for over 15 years. BIP matches international students from around the world with Korean students to live, study, and explore South Korea together.
Lectures, which are all conducted in English, are held in the morning and followed up with field trips to historical and cultural site in the afternoon. BIP participants can expect to learn about topics such as business and economics, the history and politics of Korea, as well as art, music, and religion.
One of the many attractions of this program is that students from all freshmen through senior year can apply for it and all majors are welcome. Various past BIP participants have shared their adventures in South Korea through study abroad discussion groups, study abroad fairs, and the OIE’s annual posterboard fair.
Unfortunately, some students or prospective students are unable to listen to the stories or look at the pictures from the previous trips to South Korea and they miss the chance to get involved in the program. Thankfully, the sojourners from the BIP exchange trip compiled a video to show what is behind the program and hopefully spark an interest in the possible future participants. Check out the video below to see what participating in the Bahrom International Program is like:
Imagine an arena full of middle school and high school students cheering nonstop for five hours straight on a Saturday morning. What is possibly worth waking up early and yelling for on a weekend? The amazing talent and hard work of students from all over the region battling robots would definitely justify this incessant cheering.
Each year, Grove City College hosts the BEST Robotics Competition through the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics departments. This STEM-based curriculum is a well-loved priority of Grove City College, that highlights the strengths of college, middle school, and high school students interested in engineering based professions through robotic design. With the leadership of Dr. Mike Bright, Mrs. Stephanie Adams, and Mrs. Danielle Bryan, both students and faculty were able to help make this event a success as volunteers and judges at the Wolverine BEST competition on Saturday, Oct. 29.
The BEST Robotics stands for Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology. These competitions are done on a national level each year to challenge students to create a robot that competes in a game and embodies “boosting” of engineering, science, and technology through their designs. This year’s theme was “Bet the Farm,” so students created a robot with the ability to plant corn seeds, harvest and deliver ripe corn, tomatoes, and lettuce. Robots were also required to corral and secure pigs, as well as feed them, and turn on a water valve. The complexity of this year’s robot was a challenge to all, but equally an amazing learning opportunity for younger and older students to learn teamwork, collaboration, and application of engineering design.
Not only is this a great opportunity for younger students to learn about practical engineering, but it is also such a gratifying experience for our students and faculty to spread the importance of academic recognition. Dr. Mike Bright explains, “The thing that motivates me is seeing students get the recognition that athletes receive, but for working on technical and academic endeavors.” As this competition takes months to plan, Bright continues, “It can be tense and frustrating in the weeks leading up to the competition, but the energy from the students on Game Day makes it all worthwhile. It is particularly gratifying to walk through the pit area and see students and teachers helping other teams to get their robots ready or patched up so they can run again.”
Students on game day serve as volunteers, judges, and coaches to help teams get their robots prepared. Junior Mechanical Engineering major Matthew Batten has been involved as a coach for the Grove City Homeschoolers “Spartans” Team for the past two years. He explains, “as a Mechanical Engineering major, I thought that helping the team would be a great opportunity to serve the community… I’ve also really enjoyed helping high school students get a taste of real engineering.” According to Batten, the creation and final production of the team’s robots is a rewarding experience that he is proud to experience. Batten continues, “The competition is exciting, and it’s really neat to see six weeks of work come together and watch the guys on the team show what they can do.”
This competition is just one example of how our engineering department involves students of all ages to get excited about engineering design. We are thankful as a campus community to be able to host such an event every year, that emphasizes the importance of the STEM careers on our campus.
To learn more about the competition and how to get involved, visit BEST Robotics Inc.
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.
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.
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
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:
On one of my first visits to Grove City College, way back in the spring of 2012 as a prospective student, I was approached by a member of the Office of Admission. This staff member asked me if I knew about the Supreme Court case that Grove City had participated in during the 1980s. I had not and told him so. He then gave me the typical (and perfectly good) short 1-2 sentence explanation of what that case entailed. “It allowed us to refuse federal funding. It was really a big deal.” Upon hearing this, I was satisfied with the explanation and did not think about the case again, except of course to give the same short explanation to anyone who was asked me about my college or to future prospective students.
Fast forward to 2016. I am a senior political science major going on to law school and I know nothing more about Grove City College’s glorious Supreme Court victory than I did four years ago. To give honor to my major and my future career and to inform the masses about what this case really means for our school (especially for students and their families), I did some digging. Hopefully this short summary will give you what I have so desperately lacked for four years: a deeper explanation of the actually extremely meaningful and valuable thing that is Grove City College v. Bell.
Grove City College in 1983 was not so different than it is today. At the time, the College did not accept any federal funding, and thus, thought they should be able to refuse to sign the federal government’s standard “assurance of compliance” form (“COURT TO DECIDE CASE ON SEX BIAS”, 1983). Basically, signing this form means that the College would agree to follow all government policies. Of course, Grove City College did not want to do this. So, they had a long standing battle with the government as to whether Grove City College could be forced to sign and comply with this form. The Supreme Court of the United States decided that yes, since the college received federal funding in the avenue of student federal loans, the College’s compliance could be compelled only in financial aid office (Lascell). Then the 1984 Congress, not particularly liking the ability of Grove City College to ignore other federal regulations, passed a bill saying that if any part of the school has federal connections, the entire school must comply with all federal regulations. So, the College responded by refusing any dollar of federally touched money: grants, loans or otherwise.
So, what does this mean for us today?
Generally, we are exempt from federal regulations.
Our financial aid office does not accept any federal loans or grants. Rather, we have our own programs for those students in need.
We are free to promote faith as we choose.
We limit student indebtedness.
Our athletic statistics are not monitored by the federal government.
We stand by our pillars of “faith and freedom”.
The federal government cannot track demographics of our students.
Just by attending GCC, I already knew my college had strong principles. However, we then choose to truly live by those principles. In the words I have heard many times at this institution, “Faith and freedom matter.” Yes, they certainly do.
Hayley Klinger is a senior Business Management major at Grove City College.
Over the summer of 2015, Hayley had the privilege of interning with one of America’s largest global information technology companies in the nation, Hewlett Packard at their Little Rock, Arkansas headquarters. She tells of her road to landing the internship, the influence the Grove City College Career Services Office had on the entire process and her experiences during the internship.
She also sheds light on moving forward from her collegiate level education into the work force. Watch the video below to hear directly from Hayley.
Even before I became a student at Grove City College, I heard this line from one of the college’s most beloved professors: Dr. Powell. He had this crazy notion that if I cast a vision for something I want to do, whether large or small, at this school I could do it. His faith in Grove City College’s potential to bring to life even my biggest ideas intrigued me, but as a prospective student I had no clue how true it would prove to be.
It Started Out as a Bit of a Joke
Flash forward to sophomore year, when I was a member of the Student Government Association (SGA). Early in the year, SGA held a meeting for the express purpose of brainstorming. Unfortunately, my small group had more of a light brain mist going on than a brainstorm, and I needed to find something we could rally around. I remembered a video I had seen on the internet a few weeks back, a ridiculous game called bubble soccer. We had nothing better, so we pitched that.
Standing there in front of the rest of the elected students, I almost sheepishly described the game. It is played like soccer, but with each player wearing a large, inflated bubble suit. This allows for hilarious contact and crashing without injury. I was excited to tell them about a sport that many had not heard of, but I admitted that it probably wasn’t feasible at a small school like ours. I mean, state schools weren’t even trying this yet. However, the presentation received unanimous support. I was floored – did they actually want to try to do this?
Attempting Something Big
Okay. We were going to do this. I formed a team, and we started to figure out how. Since this game had been invented in Europe, only certain areas in the U.S. had it available. We finally found a small company near Philadelphia named BumpBall that was willing to drive out to us. Next, we had to convince the administration. Many meetings and emails later, we had the green light. I was so excited. My idea was actually happening.
Opening up brackets to each freshman hall, we developed the tournament as an end-of-the-year capstone to the new students’ various intramural competitions throughout the year. The buzz began to grow. We had 21 halls and nearly a hundred people on board. Once students saw our posters, they began to get excited.
Let the Games Begin
4 p.m. May 1st arrived, and the freshmen and their fans lined the slope at the edge of the intramural fields. I started the games and watched as fantastic bouts of adrenaline and laughter ensued. Standing there with a megaphone, I thought back to the beginning of the year. How did I get here? It was then that I realized the truth in what Dr. Powell had said. If you set your mind to it, you can make your dreams a reality at Grove City College. You can get there from here.
