It’s Finals Week. Chuck’s is open continuously from 6am to 6pm. I can’t stand eating before 6pm, so I’ve actually been eating in The Hive for Dinner, and I’m not sure who actually gets up at 6am during Finals Week when the first finals are never before 8am. Anyway, six is just far too early to be social or eat.

So I’ve been in The Hive all day, working hard. People have been drifting in and out, as have I. I had to leave for work at one, but other then that I’ve been here since I woke up. Kylee’s been here, Ryan, Dave, Gabe, Shannon, Kristi, Justin ... Maybe a few other people. I don’t know, my brain is sort of fried right now.

Anyway, everyone just left me except Kristi, who is sitting in the chair next to me, asleep. It’s making me very jealous. It’s not just that she’s asleep and I’m writing a paper. It’s more so that she’s so small that she is able to curl up into a ball small enough to fit in the chair ...

Really, should that even be allowed? Look at that! It gets worse. As she’s continued to sleep (and she’s quite out), she’s curled tighter and tighter and wiggled further into the chair. It’s making me jealous.

The other day, just for fun, I tried being like Kristi and curling up into a ball on a chair to fall asleep. It was about the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever done, and I’m not exactly a big person. She makes it look so easy ...

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a better picture that didn’t have the coat wrapped around her before she woke up. Sorry about that, guys. Also, when Ryan came back from getting the oil changed in his car, he didn’t realize Kristi was in the chair, he just thought it was her coat and that she had left. A few minutes later, when she did one of her “curl tighter” things, he freaked out.

Okay, that’s probably about all the distraction I have time to muster up right now. I’ll try to be more consistant in posting once this hectic week blows over!

In closing, I wish I were as small, compact, and travel size as Kristi is. Seriously, it just seems like you could pick her up and carry her around with you, or put her in your pocket. Put her in a suitcase. Pretty much anywhere, she’d probably fit. I’d better stop before I get in too much more trouble ... At this point I’m running on way too little sleep, too much stress, and not enough rationale.

Tags: Cedarville

I have no problem with RAs. I have no problem with police officers. I really have no problem with authority. Here’s what I do have a problem with: hypocrisy. Especially when it comes from authority.

This morning I had my last class in Old Testament Literature. During finals, we’re allowed to wear jeans to class instead of our usual Class Dress, which is basically anything but jeans. So, this week being finals week, I decided to wear jeans this morning. Sure, finals don’t technically start until tomorrow, but this week is finals week, so that was my defense. And considering 50% of the campus has the same mentality as I on this matter, I wasn’t too concerned about getting demerits for it, and I didn’t. But I did overhear a conversation entailing the demerits of another that made me want to stand up and shout!

I was sitting in my comfy rolly chair when it happened. Two girls were sitting in the row in front of me, one of which was wearing blue jeans, when a tall fellow, who was wearing black jeans, strolled up and sat in the chair on the end of the row.

Black Jeans Guy: Hey, you’re wearing jeans. I should write you up.
Blue Jeans Girl: It’s finals ...
Black Jeans Guy: Finals don’t start until tomorrow.
Blue Jeans Girl: Look around you. Everyone is wearing jeans today.
Random Girl: You’re wearing jeans!
Black Jeans Guy: No, these are black jeans. You’re wearing blue jeans.
Blue Jeans Girl: Your point?
Black Jeans Guy: The rule book says no blue jeans. Black jeans are fine. It’s okay though. You’re my friend, and it’s the last week, so I won’t write you up.
Random Girl: How considerate of you.

This conversation bothered me on so many levels. First of all, Black Jeans Guy was clearly going to let Blue Jeans Girl off the hook merely because they were friends. I was crossing my fingers the entire class, hoping he would turn around and try to give me demerits after class so I could give him the what’s-up. He didn’t.

Friend exceptions bug me, just like any amount of inconsistency bugs me, but the fact that he was actually trying to give demerits to someone else for wearing jeans while he was wearing jeans just made me want to jump into the conversation even more. I refrained.

I wanted to jump up and say, “Oh my goodness, do you not even understand the rules you’re supposed to be enforcing? The rule book says nothing about jeans whatsoever, no matter the color! Dr. Brown made a joke about it last year in chapel, but the rule book is silent on the matter.”

If he had talked to me after class, here’s what I would have said: “I’ll make you a deal. We walk to the SSC right now and get a Student Handbook. If the handbook says anything about jeans, specifically blue jeans, you can right me up for five demerits, if you want.” A dress code violation is only worth two demerits. “However, if black jeans are just as unacceptable as blue jeans, you and I are marching to your RDs office and you’re giving yourself demerits while I get none.”

Just for fun, let’s have a look at the Student Handbook, shall we? Yes, I actually have memorized parts of the Handbook just for moments such as these. It really would have made my day if he had talked to me ...

Men
Dress/sport shirt, sweaters/sweatshirts, slacks, and footwear (no long/short-sleeved T-shirts or shorts)
Women
Skirts, dresses, blouses, sweaters/sweatshirts, slacks, and footwear (no long/short-sleeved T-shirts, shorts, or leggings)

Since their seems to be a bit of confusion, let’s define “slacks” according to Webster.

slacks: trousers especially for casual wear
trouser: pant
pant: an outer garment covering each leg separately and usually extending from the waist to the ankle

As you may have noticed, as I certainly did, slacks mentions nothing of denim or color. In fact, if we took this definition completely literally, jeans may even be allowed! However, they aren’t.

It’s not so much that I care about the fact that jeans may or may not be allowed according to the Handbook. It’s that the RA used the “fact” that “the rule book says no blue jeans.” No, it doesn’t. I’ve heard RAs misquote the rule book numerous times, and it bothers me that those in authority that are supposed to be enforcing the rules on us don’t even have a proper understanding of the rules they are to be enforcing. This is why I memorize parts of the rule book. Now I just wish someone would call me out when I actually have a good defense like today ...

Tags: Cedarville, RA

It’s been a long week. Lost somewhere in exams, papers, and projects is my sleep. I’m not complaining or saying it’s a bad week, time just seems to be moving very slowly.

Yesterday, I woke up early to go to work, as usual for a Wednesday. I left work a bit early so I could lay my head on the desk in class for a few minutes before it started. That never actually happened, because as I sat in my comfy rolly chair, Nathan walked up to our row and asked if anyone was sitting in the chair to my right. It was empty, so he sat down.

Dr. Miller, the professor who teaches multiple sections of Old Testament Literature, a class of several hundred students, tore his Achilles Tendon a couple months ago, and he’s had to hobble around in a cast with crutches since then. A hard thing to do for a man who loves to walk up and down the aisles of his class while he teaches. I think he was in an exceptionally good mood yesterday, as it appeared he didn’t have the cast on at all anymore and he was walking up and down the aisles before class started.

Nathan has a travel mug that he had sitting on the desk. Dr. Miller walked up to our row and picked Nathan’s mug.

“It’s not even full,” he commented.
“No, I already drank most of it this morning,” Nathan replied.
“You could go fill it up outside.”
“That’s right!” I jutted in, “they have that stand out there now!”

Usually I would have had to walk all the way back to the SSC, and I was in the Bible building, so that was just too far of a walk. But they have a coffee stand in the atrium of the Bible building that I had totally forgotten about! I reached towards my bag before realizing I didn’t have my travel mug with me today; I had taken it out of my bag the day prior.

“Aw, nuts, I don’t have my mug.” My dismay was evident.
“You could just get one of the cups they have out there,” Dr. Miller suggested. “Here, do you need a dollar?”
“Are you serious?”

Apparently he was, because he reached for his wallet, pulled out a dollar, and handed it to me. “I am so getting a cup of coffee then!” I leapt up from my chair and ran out of the classroom, off to get my Sumatra coffee.

It could have been that Dr. Miller was in an exceptionally good mood due to the lack of a cast on his ankle. It could have been that it was incredibly obvious how tired I was and that he wanted me to stay awake in his class. It could have been that he felt guilty because he still hasn’t followed up on our coffee date which we agreed to last year ... And the beginning of this year. But I like to think that, had all the previous elements been missing, he still would have handed me a dollar. That’s just how Dr. Miller is.

Which brings me to my main point: that’s how Cedarville is. When people ask me what my favorite thing about Cedarville is, or why they should come (or transfer) here, I always tell them to same thing: the professors. Sure, the social atmosphere is awesome as well, and that’s a huge part of college, but the purpose of college is to study and learn, so professors are pretty important, I’d say. And when you’re paying ... Well ... A lot of money for a better education, there had better be some reason you’re paying that much more.

It’s not uncommon to visit your professor’s house, or your advisor’s, or the head of your department’s. The professors here don’t just try to shuffle you through their class with a passing grade, they’re actually interested in whether you’re learning properly. They’re also interested in your personal life, and I’ve had numerous professors offer to pray for me or help me in any way they can.

It’s not always just little things like offering a dollar for coffee though. Last year, I was in a class of about eighty people. For every section this professor taught, he had all the students over to his house to enjoy a home cooked meal after the Final by his lovely wife. Around the time of the final, one of my fellow classmate’s parents died. Obviously, the professor allowed them to go home and take the Final at a later time. That wasn’t all the professor did though. He actually bought the student a plane ticket home as well so they wouldn’t have to drive.

Whether it’s a genuine interest in the personal life of their students, a willingness to serve them in any way possible, or simply a dollar to wake a student up in their class, it’s evident that the professors at Cedarville care about you and your academic career. And, while buying a plane ticket for a student is a pretty awesome thing to do, that doesn’t lessen the meaning of “little” things at all. That coffee basically saved my life this morning. Thanks, Dr. Miller!

That’s just one of the many reasons I love Cedarville.

Tags: Cedarville

I was never really good at Chemistry. Better at it than at Biology, but still not exceptional. Granted, I earned an A when I took Chemistry in college, but this was from Kirkwood, which doesn’t have the highest academic prestige, so the A was easily achieved without completely understanding the material ... The same goes for Biology, which I also took there and received a B+. That being said, I may not have the fullest understanding of acids and bases and things breaking down. (In fact, if the previous sentence really makes no sense, that’s probably why ... I was just trying to throw the words out to sound intelligent.)

I’m also the type of person that, if you tell me to do something (you don’t even have to dare me, really) and it’s not against my morals and doesn’t seem to have the potential to cause a fatality, I’ll probably do it. I’m always up for checking off experiences from my “Things To Do Before I Die” list. I guess that’s why I have black nails right now ...

Last night, we celebrated the Finnish holiday of Pyhäinpäivä (PUH-HAH-IN-PIE-VAH). The American equivalent would be All Saints’ Day, but while All Saints’ Day is always on November 1st, Pyhäinpäivä is on the first Saturday between October 31st and November 6th. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Last night wasn’t Saturday. That is very perceptive of you. We just realized this morning that Griffin actually gave us the wrong day to celebrated the beloved holiday of our ancestors, but we will try to forgive him. But since we didn’t get to celebrate Pyhäinpäivä last Saturday, we decided to celebrate it last night, the 6th, by watching The Office and performing several Finnish traditions with a large group of people.

It was a fantastic turnout. We had seventeen people show up to a celebration that they had never even heard of. During the commercial breaks of The Office, we muted the volume and partook together in the Finnish festivities we had planned just an hour before the party started. Such festivities include, but are not limited to ...

• As is custom, the host must advise all invited guests to bring their own eggs. At the celebration of Pyhäinpäivä, all guests must laugh at anyone who actually brings their own eggs. This ceremony is in commemoration King Albert’s (of Mecklenburg) practice of sending out edicts via carrier chicken.
• The oldest male must eat a cotton ball in memory of our ancestors that, in the Finnish blight of 1728, had to ingest their bedding and pillows to survive.
• All guests must pass the flaming grease cup. This symbolizes the flame of unity and also reminds us of an old Finnish legend in which a crew of sailors were caught at sea during a long December. The crew was forced to burn their stores of bacon and butter for warmth to survive and was able to outlast the winter. The cup of grease must be passed counterclockwise, each person saying to the person to their right what they would give them for Christmas, if they could give them anything.
• One volunteer, or victim chosen at random if no one should volunteer, must perform the traditional Finnish dance to keep the spirits at bay for the coming year. Since the traditional Finnish dance has long since been forgotten, the volunteer must improvise interpretively. The person must volunteer without knowing what they are agreeing to do, thus symbolizing the stark bravery of Finnish dancers.
• A song must be sung to commemorate the coronation of King Valdemar of the house of Bjelbo. The original melody has long since been forgotten, so any song that is well known, radio-worthy, and at least nine years old may be sung. And, in light of King Valdemar’s decree regarding the Great Minstrel Hunt of 1264, the song must be sung a capella by all guests present.
• There was a chicken virus that went around in Finland in 1355. At that time, whenever someone ate anything made out of eggs, they weren’t sure if the egg had been infected or not. The chance taken in eating things made with eggs is represented by a game of chance referred to as “Never Have I Ever” or, in Finnish, “Koskaan Olen Koskaan.” All guests must form a circle, placing an egg on the group in front of them. One person says something that they have never done, and anyone in the circle who has done that thing must spin their egg. If the egg stops spinning while it is pointing at the person who spun it, they are officially out of the game. The last person remaining collects all the eggs at the end of the game.
• The Finnish are known especially for two things: Their love of unity and friendship, and their exception hip-grabbing ability. To celebrate, all members present must participate in an impromptu conga line from the party’s locale to the nearest seller of overpriced goods, through their place of business, and back to the party.

I offered Ryan a rolly-polly baby Panda for Christmas, Shannon performed the interpretive dance, we sang Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in memory of King Valdemar, and I happened to be the oldest male present. So I ate a cotton ball. Not just any cotton ball, mind you, but probably the largest one in the bag; it was dark and I just reached in and grabbed one, but it happened to be enormous. After mustering up all my gumption, I stuck the cotton ball in my mouth and started salivating to get it wet enough to slide down my throat. It took me quite a while, but finally I tried swallowing. It got stuck half way. I grabbed the nearest cup of Mountain Dew and forced the cotton ball the remainder of the way into my stomach. There was much rejoicing, and I took my seat again as The Office came back on.

Had I paid closer attention in my aforementioned Community College classes, I might have known that the acids in your stomach can’t actually break down cotton for some reason (which leaves me thoroughly unimpressed with my own stomach), and I may have been more wary of eating a cotton ball. As it was, I simply thought it would digest and there would be no problems.

This morning I woke up with horrendous cramps (on top of an already very upset stomach) and a terrible headache. I tried sitting up in bed, but that seemed to hurt too much, so I just laid there for a very long time, eventually skipping my first class.

So let this be a lesson to all of you! I know Buddy eats cotton balls in Elf, and it looks like fun and that he doesn’t suffer any consequences from his actions, but trust me ... He does! Your stomach, intestines, and basically any part of your digestive tract don’t get along well with cotton balls.

See what you missed out on last night, Jon McGill?

Tags: Holidays, Kirkwood, Cedarville

Cedarville University seems to have made it into the papers again. This story is almost as amazing as the Climate of Fear article reported a while back (the parody of which, Climate of Beer, was even better).

Apparently this is all they could find to report on ...

Here’s the situation: A suspicious packaged is found on campus by a staff member and is reported to the proper authorities. The bomb squad is apparently the proper authorities on such matters. The package is properly disposed of, Cedarville is in the news.

Let’s try to put this into a proper perspective ... So, you’re walking through the DMC, thinking of the best way to inform your class that the highest grade was a 79%, but it still doesn’t reflect your teaching (somehow), and you see a small, brown box off in a dark corner. I don’t know about you, but if that were me, I would first give my students a major curve because my exam sucked. Secondly, I would not assume the box was a bomb. This is Cedarville. Clearly there’s a legitimate explanation for the “suspicious” package. I’m not sure if the box looked at the staff member ominously, or if it just straight up said, “This Is Suspicious” on the front, but unless one of those two things is true (and believe me, a box with eyes is a cause for concern), I don’t think Campus Safety needs to get involved. Hey, but on the bright side, you now have an excuse to cancel class.

This evidently just goes to show how little Campus Safety really has to do, and how tired they are of simply handing out Parking Violations. They took this as their time to shine. The last time that happened was ... Sheesh ... With the Cadillitic Converters being randomly stolen off cars last year! So, Campus Safety gets this report of a suspicious package, goes to check it out, finds that it’s a harmless brown box, moves it to, of all places, the driving range on the outskirts of campus, and ... Calls Hazmat. Then they send out a campus wide email informing us they have the situation under control.

Good. Because we all were aware of the situation and very concerned. Of course, Cedarville being the small campus that it is, and not already having enough female gossip to go around, everyone starts talking about the package.

Of course, you can’t have a suspicious package without the news getting involved. So the nightly news came to campus to interview people and do a report on it. They decided to run it as a “bomb threat”, which I think should have meant we didn’t have school the next day, but we did. It wasn’t a bomb threat. It was a suspicious package. There was never even really talk of a bomb, except that the bomb squad was here ... Minor details.

So, what was in the package, anyway? Well, after the campus wide email regarding the suspicious package went out, a group of students who had placed the package (as suspiciously as possible, apparently) decided to come forward and admit their crime. They had placed the box in the DMC as part of a scavenger. I’m guessing it was the final prize. It contained a box of chocolates. After the group of students came forward, Campus Safety and the Bomb Squad turned the investigation over to local authorities. I’m not sure what that means, but if those guys are prosecuted for a scavenger hunt, they you know Cedarville has too much time on its hands!

But just think, if the staff member had just quietly taken the box with him or her, he or she could have had that entire box of chocolates to themselves, and no one would have been the wiser, and the people participating in the scavenger hunt would have felt severely shafted. Finders keepers.

Tags: Cedarville

Sorry, I know, this is the second blog post about mostly the same thing. But I’ve found a better way to do it, and it didn’t seem beneficial to simply erase my old blog post. But this one won’t include pictures, it’s just a general overview of what I think is a far more simplistic way to combine your Cedarville email address with your personal email address. I’ll use Apple Mail as the third-party client of choice this time. (I know, it’s not cross-platform like Thunderbird ... Deal.) You’ll also need a Gmail account.

If you already have a Gmail account, skip this step.
You’ll need to register for a Gmail account here. Under the Accounts tab of Settings in your Gmail account, you’ll need to import your other email account via POP3. (Instructions for your POP3 settings should be provided by your email service.)

Now, after you’ve got a Gmail account (or if you already had a Gmail account), you’ll need to import your Cedarville email account as an additional POP3 account to your Gmail Inbox. You can do this the same way listed above, using the following POP3 information for Cedarville’s mail server:

Username: myusername@cedarville.edu
Password: mypassword
Server: pop.cedarville.edu
Port: 110

I shouldn’t have to say this, but obviously you should put your own username and password in ... Not the above. For convenience sake, you can check “Leave a copy of retrieved message on the server” and “Label incoming messages: myusername@cedarville.edu”.

You now have all your email accounts in one place. However, it’s in a browser-based environment; you can only get to it when an internet connection is present. If you would like to retrieve it all through Apple Mail, all you need do is open Apple Mail and add an account. The newest version of Apple Mail knows instinctively how to setup a Gmail account, so all you’ll need to do is provide your Gmail username and password. The rest is done automatically.

Back in Gmail, if you want to be able to send mail from you Cedarville account through Gmail (only in browser mode ... Not from Apple Mail ... Sorry), you’ll need to add yet another server through Settings-->Accounts in Gmail. All you need do in this case is add your Cedarville email address as a “Send Mail As” account, check your Cedarville account, follow the link provided in that email, and voila, you can send email from your Cedarville account through your Gmail account.

And all this is free :).

There’s one more treat. In Apple Mail, your email will always be sent from Gmail, not Cedarville. There is a way to send mail from your Cedarville account the Apple Mail, but it’s kind of pointless. But guess what, you can get the GroupWise address book via LDAP into your Apple Addressbook. Here’s how:

In Apple Mail, go to Preferences. Click on the Composing tab. Click “Configure LDAP ...” Add a new LDAP server with the following information:

Name: Cedarville
Server: imap.cedarville.edu
Port: 389
Search Base: o=cedarnet1
Scope: Subtree

Now, when composing a message, you can start typing any name (you’ll need to wait a bit) and it will search the GroupWise address book and return any matches. It works pretty well :).

Enjoy.

Tags: Apple, Cedarville, Mail

Cedarville has this thing ... Novell GroupWise. I don't mind Novell, but it's not my favorite. It slows computers and networks down. The problem is, when you have a campus with thousands of comptuers on it, Novell is really the best way to go as far as Networking Utilities go.

That doesn't mean you have to use their email client, GroupWise, though. But Cedarville says we do. Ick. So, a few nights ago, I set out to find the servers that Cedarville stores emails, the address book, and calendar. There's good news and bad news: The good news is, I successfully figured out the email and address book. The bad news is, the calendar may be internal ... Which means you're forced to use GroupWise to view it. But at least you can use something other than GroupWise for your email now! The following instructions are for setting up Mozilla Thunderbird, because it's the most popular (and probably best) client that I've had people ask for. I'll write instructions for other clients in the future (hopefully once I figure out a work-around for the calendar), and I may post a link to the Help Page created for this on Cedarville's website after I finish it. But for now, here you go.

The beauty of Mozilla Thunderbird is it works on most any OS you're using (Windows, Mac, or Linux), and it allows for multiple accounts (I use it to combine my school and Gmail accounts), so organization is much better ... It's all in one application :)!

1.) Download and install Mozilla Thunderbird from this website.
2.) The first time you run Thunderbird, you will see this screen:
Note: If you already have a Thunderbird account setup, open Thunderbird, select Tools->Account Settings... (Edit->Account Settings... for Linux). Select "Add Account ..."
Select "Email account" and click "Next >".


3.) Enter your Full Name and full Email Address (include @cedarville.edu) in the boxes provided.


4.) Select "IMAP" and specify imap.cedarville.edu as the Incoming Server.
5.) Enter mail.cedarville.edu for the outgoing server.


6.) Enter your full email address for both the Incoming and Outgoing User Names (include @cedarville.edu).


7.) Enter your full email address as the Account Name (include @cedarville.edu).


8.) Click "Finish >".
9.) Enter your GroupWise password and select "Use Password Manager to remember passwords" if you want Thunderbird to remember your password.


10.) Click "Get Mail" to retrieve your account information (folders and stuff) from the server.


Your email account is set up! Now to add the GroupWise address book ...

1.) In Thunderbird, click "Address Book".
2.) Select File->New->LDAP Directory ...
3.) Enter "GroupWise" for the Name.
4.) Enter "imap.cedarville.edu for the Hostname.
5.) Enter "o=cedarnet" for the Base DN.
6.) Make sure the Port Number is set to "389".


Now your address book is set to sync to the LDAP server! If you want your Cedarville account to automatically look in that address book, do the following ...

1.) Select Tools->Account Settings... (Edit->Account Settings... for Linux).
2.) Under username@cedarville.edu, select "Composition & Addressing".
3.) Under Addressing, select "Use a different LDAP server:
4.) From the drop-down, select "GroupWise".


I'll let you guys know when I get the calendar thing figured out. If you're a Mozilla fan, Thunderbird doesn't have a calendar feature. You either use Mozilla Sunbird (specifically for calendars) or Mozilla SeaMonkey (which is an all-in-one suite). Obviously, if you don't use Mozilla products, you can use the above configuration settings for any client ... If you have any questions, let me know.

Tags: Cedarville, Mail

Greetings, youngins, and welcome to our beautiful campus. We're glad you're visiting, and we'd love for you to choose Cedarville as your college destination in the years to come. But here's the deal: We all know when you're visiting. And, trust me, when you too become a student here and find yourself looking at all the guests, you'll see why it's blatently obvious that you don't go here. So, here are a few tips for you to follow while enjoying your stay at Cedarville. These will help you blend in with the students better and not stick out like an awkward, sore thumb. It will also help you not annoy us quite so much ...

Lose the folders:
When you arrive, Admissions will give you a white folder which contains all of the information concerning you stay. Lose it as soon as possible. (Freshman, this actually applies to you too.) If you absolutely must carry the stuff with you, run down to our bookstore and buy a red folder. Just so it's not a white Cedarville folder. Seriously, we look for those. But an even better idea is to conceal the folder inside a ...

Backpack:
You're on a college campus. We're all business here. We go to classes and even do homework occassionally. So, how do we carry all our stuff around with us all day? In a backpack! Just like you do in high school, actually. So bring it with you. It's a place to stuff that white folder away, and it also makes you look like you mean business too!

Get rid of the lanyard:
I think you're only given these on CU Friday's, so they aren't as common as the white folders. But they're farm more visible. Get rid of it as soon as your guide turns their back to you. Honestly, girls, you can't expect attention from college guys if you have that wrapped around your neck. And, obviously, that must be what you want based upon what you choose to wear. Which brings us to ...

Dress code:
We don't have it on Fridays. We incorporate a lovely thing called "Casual Dress." So don't come wearing khakis and a collared shirt or you'll stand out in chapel and in Chuck's. On the flip side, still at least attempt to not look like a skank. Wearing your outfit with the least amount of thread probably isn't a good idea for two reasons: Since you're obviously still wearing it and haven't received demerits yet, you must not be a student here, and RAs will stop you far too often, thus souring your impression of Cedarville. Avoid contact with RAs at all costs ... They might give you a sour impression of Cedarville as well.

Along these lines, did you get a free Cedarville t-shirt? Don’t wear it. We all know what they look like, and you won’t be the only one who thought, “Oh, hey, I should wear this today.”

Lose the parents:
We know you love them. I love mine. And they love you. Now that we've established we all love eachother, and we're comfortable with that fact, lose them. Next to the white folders and lanyards, parents are the next biggest flag that says, "Hey, I don't go here." Not simply because of the fact that their parents. Obviously, I'll gladly walk around campus with my parents when they come visit. And many of the professors here are parents anyway. But parents, when visiting a college, have a tendency to ask too many questions, point at things and speak loudly about them, and ask you questions like, "So, what do you think?" "Do you want to go here?" "Chuck's was really good!" If you were a student, not a visitor, your parents would have heard from you that Chuck's, in fact, was not "really good" and they would not make the mistake of saying it quite so loud.

Still on the subject of parents, they slow you down immensley. When touring a campus, you really need to get away and explore for yourself. You're going to be here for four years, sans parents. You don't need them to help you on a tour. Additionally, when you're in the afformentioned Chuck's, your parents will slow you down in line. They'll try to talk to you about the day, the food, what you think of the college, and they'll forget that the line is supposed to be moving forward. Then it doesn't. Then you have plenty of angry Cedarville students in the line behind you, annoyed that you're here. And, honestly, we don't want to be annoyed that you're here! We want to like you! But when you make our life more difficult ... And it takes five times as long simply to get our food ...

Don't follow the tour guide:
A tour. Ah, someone walking backwards on the sidewalk in front of a group of fifteen people with white folders is predominantly the most obvious way to target visitors. Honestly, do you really want to know that ENS was built in 1992? Or that the SSC holds Chuck's (our cafeteria), the post office, the bookstore, The Hive (our campus restaraunt), Veccinos (mmm ... coffee), and the game room? Or that Milner is predominantly known as the Business Building? You'll figure all of that out on your own ...

Give yourself a self-guided tour with a couple of the friends you brought with you visit. You'll get to know all of the buildings better than you ever wanted to once you start having classes in them. Anyway, you'll probably get another "official" the first week of your Freshman year ... But you should skip that one too. Now, when you and your friends are giving yourselves a self-guided tour, be especially careful to ...

Know what you're doing:
Once you pull out that white piece of paper that has your schedule, a map of the campus, or a list of available classes you can sit in on on it, you're dead. If you absolutely have to look at that thing, go hide in a bathroom stall. It's a dead giveaway. Before taking your self-guided tour, find a corner somewhere to hide with your friends and look at the campus map. Memorize it before you arrive on campus (there’s a map at cedarville.edu), even write some information down on a sticky note if you absolutely need to. Anything so that you know what you're doing and where you're going.

There's a problem with that. How are you supposed to know what you're doing on a campus you've never even been to before? Answer: You're not. It's this fantastic this called "acting." Further explained in “Don’t draw undue attention to yourself.”

Don’t sit in your reserved section:
You have a reserved section in Chuck’s ... Don’t sit there. Could you be more obvious?

Don’t use the computer labs:
You can’t log on to the computers; you don’t have access. Walking in before realizing this will only make you stand out to the entire lab.

Don’t draw undue attention to yourself:
This sort of goes with “Know what you’re doing,” but I need to elaborate more. When you’re walking around campus, whether it’s giving yourself a tour or trying to visit a class, know where you’re going. Even if you don’t, you do. If you suddenly realize you’re lost, don’t stop in the middle of the sidewalk, look at the buildings, and say, “Wait, I think Apple’s over there ...” This is really only acceptable the first week of school, and, anyway, it would identify you as a Freshman even then, which is equally bad. If you realize your lost, just keep walking. If you make a full loop around the lake, who cares. Chances are nobody’s actually followed you that long, so they won’t realize you’re lost.

If you do get lost, don’t come to a class late. Not only is that annoying (I’m talking to YOU, students) for everyone who arrived on time (and for the professor), it makes you stand out. Then you go sit in the back. Everyone in class knows you don’t belong there. Oh, and don’t bring your parents to class with you.

When walking, be sure not to look around awkwardly, gawking at all the new attractions. Look ahead, or slightly down, and look up occasionally to nod at people you don’t know. It will make you look like you fit in.

Your cell phone is not your friend. Don’t pull it out to see if someone texted you, or to pretend your on the phone. We can tell you’re faking it and just trying to look cool.


I think that’s about it. Follow these guidelines and you’re off to a fantastic visit at Cedarville. Also, many of these tips can be applied to Freshman as well. Please understand, we students don’t hate you. Obviously, it’s awesome that Cedarville continues to grow so rapidly. But you must realize we break the bank every year to pay our tuition ... And we live here. You’re coming onto our turf. On the flip side, I’d love to have a CU Friday this year that hits, say, 750 visitors ... Then, maybe, they will see how horribly crowded our cafeteria is and how much our school has grown and they’ll build us another new one!

Tags: Cedarville, High School

While we understand impersonating an RA is a demeritable offense here at Cedarville University (dishonesty), it’s rather tempting. After all, how hard is it, in all honesty? My roommate and I have established that, in order to portray yourself as an RA, all you really have to do is awkwardly introduce yourself to a stranger in the following manner:

“Um, I’m an RA ...” And continue you on the demerit worthy offense.

So, here’s my question to you. What’s wrong with you? It should really be the Engineers and Computer Science majors that have difficulty establishing friendships and socializing with people at a normal level, but it appears as though the RAs are the most socially awkward people on this campus. Generally speaking, when I feel the urge to introduce myself to a stranger sleeping in front of me in chapel, someone who just blurted the f-bomb in the hall, a girl in a hauntingly low shirt, I extend the hand of friendship and start with something like, “Hi, my name is Alex.”

Where I’m from, the proper, polite way to introduce yourself to a stranger is with your name, not your job description. You don’t see me walking up to people and saying, “Hi, I attend Cedarville University,” or, “Hi, I’m a Lab Assistant.” Say I’m in a situation where someone needs to know that; for instance, I’m in the lab and someone is struggling. Here’s how I would construct my introductory sentence: “Hi, my name is Alex, and I’m a Lab Assistant here.” See? I first establish my name before constructing the remainder of my identity for you. We don’t want to let the entire cat out of the bag all at once.

Honestly, RAs would be so much more amicable if they would make an effort to get to know us before demeriting us. I believe I speak for the whole when I say it’s hard for me to respect someone who’s completely rude to me. After all, in confronting me, you’re asking for my respect. And, since I am another human being of the same age/if not older as/than yourself, it would make sense that you too would show me a bit of respect.

On top of that, RAs need to seriously understand where their jurisdiction begins and ends--the school and the handbook. (Also, the sooner you get off your power trip, the better.) You aren’t asked to enforce local law, and you aren’t asked to elaborate on the handbook. Meaning, if it doesn’t specifically state something in the handbook, you don’t need to make up a rule for it simply because you’re uncomfortable. Before awkwardly stepping forward and announcing to the crowd, “Um, I’m an RA ...” think to yourself: Is anyone getting hurt? Is school property actually being damaged? Are moral laws being broken? If the answer to all of these questions is “no” and it’s just your own personal preference, you need to keep silent. (Unless you want to be part of a hazing ...)

Notice I didn’t actually mention anything about the rule book. See, it’s more a set of guidelines, and this is understood by the entire student body and administration. Please understand that while guys aren’t allowed to wear pony tails or nail polish and, technically speaking, no form of denim (blue, black, green, or otherwise) are actually allowed according to the Student Handbook. But does anyone enforce this? No. In fact, Dr. Brown poked fun at this fact last year in chapel. Heck, Dr. Brown’s favorite movie is V for Vendetta, an R-rated movie that is not on our list of approved movies.

Last night, Caitlin, Dave, and I were on the way back from the Labor Day fireworks when, out of the darkness, several water balloons splashed on the sidewalk ahead of us. A few more hit the people walking. We veered slightly off the sidewalk in order to avoid the water balloons, but we were walking in with a large clump of other people (and we didn’t know them). We were also not even close to school property. The water balloons were coming from behind a wooden fence of somebody’s house. Turns out there was an RA in the group ahead of us who was not happy with the water balloon throwing (do I even need to mention that it was a girl?). “Should I go back and talk to them?” She asked the other members of her group. They encouraged her to do so, so she turned around and stated, “Yah, I’m gonna go talk to them.” Dave and I (rather loudly) retorted our complaints on the matter, announcing that she should just leave the pedestrians alone. That, my friend, is just ridiculous. A water balloon? In downtown Cedarville, off campus? Thrown by a shadowed figure behind a white fence?

RAs need to understand that their job is exactly what our RD told us; to protect us, not to make enemies of us. Turns out you’re actually students here too. Yes, above us to protect us, but you don’t need to remind us of that fact unless circumstances require it.

Just to clear things up, I haven’t gotten any demerits recently, I’ve just been observing this, and the incident last night especially annoyed me. I don’t have a problem being rebuked for an immature action when it’s done in love. But when it’s done simply because you realize, “Hey, I have power over this situation, and that person is annoying me,” that’s where it just gets unnecessary and annoying. You could attempt by actually making an effort to introduce yourself before smacking us with “Um, I’m an RA ...” We don’t bite. No need to be afraid. And, honestly, it’s the job you signed up for.

Tags: Cedarville, RA

This afternoon, as Caitlin, Moses, and I sat down to Lunch in Chuck's, something outside the large glass windows caught our attention. Something was swimming in the waters of Cedar Lake. From our perch on high, it was hard to make out exactly what it was; to me, it appeared as though it was a snake swimming in the water, sticking it's head above the surface every few minutes, just to look around. Moses admitted that she had seen it a day prior.

The "thing" appeared to have glossy rubbery skin that was difficult to look at because of the suns bright reflection off it. I guessed that it was black, or at least very dark gray. When it first caught our attention, I thought it was a piece of plastic bobbing in the water, floating to the surface every once in a while. But Moses told me she had seen it on the other side of the lake yesterday and earlier that day. After watching it slither (or so it appeared) through the water, I was next convinced that it was a snake. This assertion made Moses angry, because she kept pounding her fist on the table insisting "it has a fin!" Finally, we realized from our far away position, behind glass, we weren't going to be able to figure out what it was. We decided to clean up our dishes and go down to the water to check it out.

We strolled out of the SSC and up to the water's edge at about the same time that Alberto (henceforth referred to as Bertrude) arrived on the scene. He threw his bike on the ground and joined us lakeside. We all stood there for quite some time observing the finned creature; Moses was right. It was no snake. It certainly had both a fin at it's "rear side" and along the top of it. It looked like a shark, I now thought. Quite honestly, it was about the size of a baby shark. Bertrude made an offhand and completely illegitimate claim that the monster was some type of "carpe." What does he know.

We had three major suspicions. Either it's a baby shark, a dolphin, or the Loch Ness monster. Our only doubt was that we weren't sure if the Loch Ness monster had a fin on it's back or not. Upon consultation of a far more reputable source, Jenna Woestman, we learned that "the Loch Ness monster could have a fin. It pretty much looks like whatever people want it to look like when they think they see it."

I still think it's a baby shark. No matter what it is, consider yourselves warned ... the Cedar Monster lives in Cedar Lake, and it actually ate Bertrude while we were there (may he rest in pieces in it's tummy). Clearly, this must be the cause of the apparent "climate of fear" on our campus, because I can't think of anything else that would be causing it.

At one point as we stood on the grass beside the lake, a group of four girls was walking by on the sidewalk behind us as we stared in awe (crossing ourselves after Bertrude had been eaten). One of the girls said to the others, "Look at the size of that thing! What is that? A fish?" I turned around and looked at the group. "It's not a fish. It's a shark." One of the girls got such a terrified expression on her face that I nearly felt bad for saying it.

Tags: Cedarville, Jenna

Am I the only one who notices that Cedarville loves telling us how much the buildings cost? The new BS building cost $14 million to build. The Gym cost $15 million. The SSC cost $23 million.

Most of this doesn't even come out of our pockets, as many students like to whine that it does. In contrast to this whining about expenses and rules, I and my nine demerits (this semester) would like to point out a few reasons Cedarville rocks ... Compare this to, say, Bob Jones.

• We can watch movies rated "worse" than G. Granted, we can't watch R-rated movies in the Residence Halls, but that's not all bad, and if you really have a problem with that, just go to the DMC and watch it; that's not a Residence Hall.
• We're allowed to go to movie theaters.
• We're allowed to dance. (Look in the handbook, guys. It says nowhere in there that we can't dance.)
• We can listen to basically whatever music we like, including such immoral, hip-moving music as Jazz, Rock, and Christian Contemporary (Heaven forbid).
• We can play T and E10 rated video games. Question: What the heck is an E10 rating? I've never even heard of it ...
• We just have to be in our Residence Halls past curfew ... Not in bed with the lights out.
• We have open internet access and our emails aren't screened by Big Brother.
• Girls can eat a banana anyway they like. (If you don't get this one, don't think too hard about it ...)
• We're allowed to choose the Church we go to on Sundays, if we go at all.
• We (guys too) can wear necklaces.
• We can wear Abercrombie & Fitch.
• We can play Poker, just not for money.
• We can socialize (and date) in coed groups without a chaperone.

If you aren't aware of the current Cedarville "situation," I won't bother enlightening you too much. You can enlighten yourself by going here or here for Cedarville's opinion and here for the outsider's opinion. There's also some good information here from an anonymous point of view. I especially like this blog because they don't always give an opinion, they just state the facts (and cite their sources, unlike the outsider's opinion ...)

Cedarville has been getting some publicity as of late (thanks, Dayton Daily News and Columbus Dispatch)! On the front cover of the Dayton Daily News paper on Sunday, March 30th, there was a large picture of two Cedarville girls walking on a sidewalk. The headline? "Bible Profs Fired, 'A Climate of Fear at Cedarville U.'" Personally, I liked this rendition by David Sizemore all the more. I was shocked to read this article for two reasons. 1.) This happened at the end of last year and somewhat over the Summer. The Board of Trustees voted in January, making their firing decision final. It's over, people! 2.) I'm not afraid. Nobody's afraid. What "climate of fear?" You'd think that, well, since I live on this campus, I would notice if everyone were crying themselves to sleep every night.

Another irony is the fact that, when the newspaper was on campus, they were escorted by Dr. Ruby, and he had to answer all their hard-hitting questions. The reporters were under strict orders that they were not allowed to take photographs, but they could ask as many questions as they like. So, please explain to me how this article has a huge picture, front-and-center? Some people who are anti-Cedarville in this fight like to blame Dr. Ruby for the fact that pictures were taken, but I'll bet you one thing: They didn't take them while he was around! There are people on this campus all the time taking pictures; nobody stops you! All they had to do was come back later. But I'd like to speak to the reporters for a moment. Question: If you were trying to capture an image that would represent your "fearful" title, why did you choose to print a picture of two girls laughing and smiling, walking along happily with each other? Very fearful ...

The author of the article is apparently a Christian and felt it was her duty to write the article out of concern. She claims she wrote the article based on an "anonymous phone call." Your credibility is skyrocketing in my mind. I didn't see her interviewing me, though apparently she stayed on campus "researching" for four days.

There's two main groups up on Facebook, where all proper debates should take place. There's the "I support Cedarville" side and the "I want Cedarville destroyed" side. Some fans of the latter group may jump all over me, telling me all they really want is "the truth," not to destroy Cedarville, but let's think about the logic. What are you accomplishing by sticking your nose where it doesn't belong? Absolutely nothing! And as Cedarville Faculty continues to deny you any facts, and third-party sources keep making up stories to feed you, you just get more and more angry towards Cedarville. And for what? To satisfy your curiosity?

On the anti-Cedarville Facebook group, they proudly sport the banner under their description, "Opposing views are welcome but individuals will be removed from the group who are known to have no connection to the situation and/or who base their authority on anonymous sources." Interesting statement. It's false. I joined the group and posted on the wall, explaining to all the members that, no matter how much they kept asking, Cedarville would never give them "the truth" that they wanted due to simple ethics and legal confidentiality. I also explained that, no matter what, I supported Cedarville and didn't want to ask questions because I trusted Dr. Brown and the Board of Trustees. It's their job to work with these types of decisions, not mine. Only a few hours went by before my wall post was deleted and I was sufficiently blocked from the group. A further message from the group's creator informed me that he was glad I was "very informed [and had] read everything Cedarville has communicated to [me]." I replied and thanked him, of course. And, yes, it's true, I've read everything Cedarville has fed me. I've also read all the other information I can get my hands on to try to make sense of it and, quite honestly, I can't! Interestingly, the admin of this anti-Cedarville group is a Cedarville alumni who graduated last year. Guess what that means? He doesn't even live on campus anymore! I'm glad one of the people who has the most adamant voice against Cedarville in this situation isn't even in the middle of it anymore. Not surprisingly, most of the anti-Cedarville articles and information is from off-campus sources. That seems really credible.

What I find ironic is that this group and all its members are demanding that they deserve to know why these profs were fired when, in reality, they have no right. They say the firings were unethical and this gives them the right to know. (Really?) Apparently what they don't understand is that their demands are equally unethical, if not more so. I would say more so because the administration here at Cedarville obviously had a reason for doing what they did, and this group has no viable reason, except gossip, for their demands. They argue that Cedarville is hiding things from us and that they won't let us see all the facts. Ironically, however, this very group itself is hypocritical in that manner since they aren't accepting outside opinions either! And when an opposing view comes onto the wall, they are quick to delete it and block the user. Hmm ... Doesn't that sound suspicious to you?

I have now made my home at the pro-Cedarville group and am no longer afraid of being blocked. But I can tell you this: I've never felt so proud of being blocked from a group :). It made my week to know that I hit such a sensitive nerve that they didn't want what I said to get out. Heaven forbid people actually know the truth. The only truth they're very going to understand in this situation because, let me say this one more time people ... Cedarville will never, EVER give you this information!

Did I miss the memo saying Cedarville was a perfect college? Oh, wait. There wasn't one! There's no such thing as a perfect college. Turns out every college has issues like these. (I know, who knew, right?) I've about had it with people griping about the school. What happened to Philippians 2:14 "Do everything without grumbling or complaining?" Or what about Romans 1:29-32? "They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, senseless, covenenat-breakers, heartless, ruthless. Although they fully know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them." (Please don't take this as I think you should die ...) People hop all over our President for having a book on Postmodernism on his "Books to Read" list. Why is this a bad thing? Additionally, if we have a Chapel speaker come who has a very Postmodern point of view and, perhaps, isn't even 100% in line with the Cedarville's doctrinal statement, this doesn't mean we're ready to go to Hell. Cedarville isn't about spoon feeding it's students a worldview and saying, "Get out of here. Figure the world out yourself." Cedarville is all about presenting the truth from God's word and allowing us to mold our worldview based upon that guide. This way, when we get into the real world, we know how to react to situations on our own, we aren't dependent on a prof to tell us how to react. The anti-Cedarville groups want to the the truth about this so-called "faculty exodus" at Cedarville, claiming it is leading us down the path of Postmodernism, when in reality, the professors were probably fired for violating the Faculty Handbook. The administration at Cedarville has told us the firings were not based on a Theological issue, so they were probably based on misconduct and abuse of authority. Yes, that can get you fired. We really have no reasonable reason to think this isn't true, so making things up and demanding to know the "real" reason for the firings is just ludicrous.

In conclusion, I would like to say this publicly to Dr. Brown, the Board of Trustees, Dr. Ruby, Dr. Milliman, and everyone else in the administration taking all the heat for this: "I love you guys. I appreciate you guys. I respect your decisions, and as far as I'm concerned, this is a 'closed case.' I'm sorry the media and people off campus are printing slanderous things against you and defaming you verbally, but since when has the media actually given a proper representation of something? That doesn't sell stories ... So stay strong! I'm praying for all of you."

Feel free to post any arguments you have with this post. I'm quite open to all points of view, and I will not delete your comment. But no matter what you tell me, I will continue to support our administration. But to those of you who enjoy griping about the rules and expenses associated with Cedarville University and constantly trying to find the schools Biblical faults (and making them up when you can't find them), I wonder ... Why are you coming here?

Tags: Cedarville

"Is this smart? Or am I being an idiot?"

This question, among many others, appears impossible for Freshman males to ask themselves. Granted, I am a Freshman, and a male at that, but I'm one of the few who at least partially grasps the concept of being polite.

It's simply ridiculous to walk into a laundry room on campus and see the mounds of clothes strewn about the floor. My sheer frustration with the laundry room has led me to point out so simple etiquette rules that, quite honestly, aren't that hard to follow, guys! But somehow, people still manage to get into silent screaming matches with each other, throwing other's clothes on the floor to "spite" them.

So, let's begin:

Washing Machine Etiquette

• If a washing cycle has not completed, do not remove the clothes from the washer. Of course, by "completed" I mean the washer is completely done, not just almost done. Allow me to be a little more clear; if the washer still says "1 minute" or "2 minutes," this does not constitute as "close enough" and give you permission to pull the wet clothes out and throw them on the floor!
• If the washing cycle completes and there are other people in the laundry room, before pulling the clothes out and throwing them on the floor to collect the dirt back on them that they just washed got off, open your mouth and ask, "Does this washer belong to anyone?" That way, someone else can claim the clothes and empty the washer for you.
• If no one is in the laundry room, or no one claims the washer as their own, do them the simple courtesy of moving the wet clothes to an open dryer. Obviously, you would like it someone saved you this step, so why not do it for them?
• If there are no open dryers for you to move a load of wet laundry into, put them in a basket. Throwing them on the floor completely contradicts the point of a laundry room.
• If by some chance you forget your own detergent, it's not entirely ethical to use someone else's that they left in the laundry room for safekeeping. If there are other people in the laundry room, chances are you could ask and someone would be more than willing to let you use theirs.

Dryer Etiquette

• If a drying cycle has not complete, do not remove the clothes from the dryer. Of course, by "completed" I mean the dryer is completely done, not just almost done. Allow me to be a little more clear; if the dryer still says "1 minute" or "2 minutes," this does not constitute as "close enough" and give you permission to pull the still wet clothes out and throw them on the floor!
• If a drying cycle completes and there are other people in the laundry room, before pulling the clothes out and throwing them on the floor to collect the dirt back on them that they just got washed off, open your mouth and ask, "does this dryer belong to anyone?" That way, someone else can claim the clothes and empty the dryer for you.
• If you move someone else's clothes from a washer to a dryer, start the dryer
• If you move someone else's clothes from a washer to a dryer, put one of your own dryer sheets in with it.
• If there are no open dryers to which to move a load of someone else's wet laundry into, but there is a dryer that has completed it's cycle, unload this dryer and use it.
• Before purloining any open dryers, make sure those dryers are not already claimed by another in the laundry room. Washers and dryers both are on a first-come-first-serve basis, so if someone has been sitting, doing homework in the laundry room for the last 42 minutes, waiting for a dryer to finish, you're a complete jerk if you dash into the laundry room, grab your clothes from your washer, and shove them into that very dryer before the rightful owner of it can. Don't be that guy!
• When unloading a dryer of someone else's clothes, don't show them the same respect you would show your own (because we all know how guys treat their clothes), show them the respect a girl might show their clothes. This means do not pull the clothes out of the dryer and throw them on the floor! Find an empty laundry basket to put the clothes in.
• If you cannot find an empty laundry basket in which to put someone else's clothes from a dryer, place the clothes on top of something else, like a washing machine. (NOT the garbage cans, guys.)
• Never, on any circumstances, should you put someone else's clothes from a dryer that you want into a basket full of other clothes! Mixing clothes that do not belong to the same person is just stupid and irresponsible.
• If by some chance you forget your own dryer sheets, it's not entirely ethical to use someone else's that they left in the laundry room for safekeeping. If there are other people in the laundry room, chances are you could ask and someone would be more than willing to let you use theirs.
• Additionally, if you are taking clothes back to your own room, make sure you use your own laundry basket, or a laundry basket marked "Laundry Room." If the laundry basket has a name written on it, or even looks like a nice, unmarked laundry basket (unlike the one's provided by the laundry room) that someone actually purchased, do not take it back to your room with you! We understand, of course, that you mean to bring it back to the laundry room; no, you would never steal it. But we all also know that you'll forget to take it back for about a week, and you're causing the true owner of the basket large amounts of undue grief.

Honestly, guys, it's no wonder girls say we're incompetent as males.

Tags: Cedarville

Tonight, Caitlin and I sat down to read the highly anticipated and poorly punctuated Cedars, our on-campus magazine. We flipped to page twelve to read an article on the upcoming event, Elliv, which is "one of Cedarville's most popular events," claims Cedars. And, according to the turnout and hype inspired by the event, I would have to agree, even though I have yet to experience it.

Wouldn't you know it, they're changing it this year, much to the dismay of many, myself included. According to Cedars, "[Stephanie] Small [and] the 2008 Elliv committee want to eliminate the idea that the event is simply a popularity contest." Says Small, "We worked really hard to get a show that was for everyman, not just pointing out the popular kids but celebrating the year." In agreement with this, "Some awards have been changed, so instead of voting for the best campus artist or student athlete, students will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite piece of student artwork or the best athletic achievement."

"Oh, right," I said, turning to Caitlin. "Because God wants us to worship the trees instead of crediting the creator for his accomplishments."

Question. Is there something wrong with saying, "Wow, that was an amazing performance of Another Brick in the Wall. I say we give them Best Live Performance!"? Not to my knowledge. If someone does something truly spectacular, I don't think crediting them for it is a "popularity contest." And, honestly, wouldn't an award for Most Popular Student be a joke on a college campus. We're on a campus of nearly 3,500 students; anyone who sits in the balcony depressed over the fact that John Doe one Most Popular Student instead of themselves needs to be handed a band aid and shoved out of the Chapel.

God gave us all talents, some more than others in different areas. Why stifle them by not acknowle