Greetings from North Newton, Kansas!

This is the summer before my senior year at Bethel College and it is my first staying on campus. Rather than go back home, I have decided to live on campus and do adult things – buy groceries, make dinner, work full-time and go to bed by 10 p.m. This small preview of adult life has been an adventure that I am fully enjoying.

Being on campus is great because I am able to see friends and faculty that I would otherwise not see for the three months of summer and I am able to be involved with the preparation for the upcoming school year. One of the greatest perks is being able to participate in (both as a referee and player) the summer soccer league put together by the Bethel soccer coaches. There are two full men’s divisions and a women’s division and five hours of soccer twice a week.

There are student workers all over campus, doing anything from maintenance to graphic design to research. Much to my surprise, this campus does not shut down and fall into a three-month-long sleep. Instead, the campus is busy as ever with a sense of anticipation and excitement in the air. Can’t wait for everyone else to join us in North Newton soon!

Eric Preheim

So, my loyal readers, it has taken me a couple weeks to find time to write my last blog for Bethel College. I have been busy relaxing at the lake with no time to write this blog (in all actuality, I had time but chose not to — hey, I was on vacation!).

So, just like they tell you, graduating is the best and worst day of your undergraduate degree. Getting an A on that Organic Chemistry test or forgetting your speech in Public Speaking cannot compare to you feeling as happy and sad as you do on graduation. You are so excited to graduate and move on to the next chapter in your life. You actually get to join the big-kid world. But that is scary, too. At the same exact time you feel ready to join the big kid world, you’re not. You don’t know how to be an adult. You have no idea how to pay bills, cook, sign a lease, or do your own taxes.

Not only are you happy and scared but you are also heartbroken. You don’t want to leave the place that became home for you over the past four years. The family that you cherish. It’s hard. It’s hard to give up a routine. It’s hard to embrace the change. There are so many things you see daily that you will miss. Like the beautiful Ad Building glow at night. Like the campus blossoming with flowers in the spring or splayed with leaves in the fall. Like your friends that you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with everyday. Or of course the family you’ve made in the Mods. Like your favorite professors in Mojo’s. Or your coaches walking down the sidewalk.  You’ll miss having YOUR seat in Convo and kicking freshmen out of them at the start of the year.

However, with all of this, you must not get too broken up. You will be able to see your Bethel family again. You’ll meet up with your Modmates numerous times to reminisce about the good ol’ undergrad days but you’ll make new memories, too. You’ll also of course come back for Fall Fest. Who can miss that? You will visit random days because you just need somewhere that understands you. You will get to play in Alumni games and of course come back for concerts.

So remember this. Graduation is a happy, scary, sad day. But that’s the beauty of it! Enjoy every minute of it. Because you will never have a more special day with an even more special family.

Roll On, Threshers!

With much love,

Brooke

Well, it’s that time of the semester again.

Everyone says goodbye to friends and some people are sad while others are excited for the future. Plans are made to work or to study or even to travel. What everyone seems to forget is the dreaded packing up.

Typically exam week causes people to let their room get messy and forget about this aspect of leaving. Finding a place for one’s couch, fridge and microwave are among the stressful parts of moving out.

Cleaning up the mod’s shared spaces among one’s room can be an all-day affair. I would recommend that you make a conscious effort to keep your space clean all year so you are not burdened the last day to clean up and are instead just focusing on ways to get your things home.

Despite this underrated factor of moving day, there is so much excitement this time of year that it always works out.

Eric

Coffee and art!

As much as I loved Mojo’s Coffee Bar before, now I’m completely in love. I’ve noticed recently that the baristas bringing me my coffee are putting some nice latte art atop my drinks.

Especially during this stressful week of finals, a cute little heart on top of my cup of liquid motivation is just what I need to be inspired and hit the books hard.

Thank you, Mojo’s, for your beautiful and tasty drinks!

-Kiley

It is Spring Fling week! This means there will be fun things going on every day on campus.

There will be a cook-off, Olympics, trivia, dance and a showing of student-made movies, just to name a few.

In the back of everyone’s minds are thoughts of what is next. The end of the school year is well within sight. Certainly, the exams that will ensue remain the top priority.

You cannot help but look forward to the summer months and next fall. Some of us will be faced with a new challenge of graduate school or a career into the workforce. Marriage looms on the horizon for others. Those who are returning to Bethel next year look forward to the opportunity for a new beginning. New classes, new experiences and the renewed chance to make an impact on campus and allow Bethel to have an impact on us.

I am personally looking forward to traveling to Europe with my class in May. Upon returning to the States, I would like to work full-time this summer, train for my senior soccer season and prepare for my final nine months as a Bethel student.

Heavy decisions face many students as summer nears. It is a time of anxiety, excitement and, most of all, forward thinking.

– Eric

Looking forward to Interlaken, Switzerland

As I’m sure many of you have noticed, our campus is full of color! It seemed to happen almost overnight. Or maybe it was over spring break. Either way, we suddenly went from dry, crunchy grass and bare trees to a vibrantly colored Green and lush bushes that are bursting with color.

I hadn’t really noticed this distinct change until I forced myself to. A painting project required me to do a nature study, and as I looked closely for subjects to recreate, the beauty of nature awestruck me. (Side note: Do not try to paint intricately detailed flowers. I speak from experience — it will be the death of you.)

I implore you to take a closer look at nature next time you’ve got a few extra minutes on your way to class or headed back from The Caf. You will be pleasantly surprised and maybe even inspired.

-Ki

Despite popular belief, being a vegetarian IS 100% possible. It has its challenges and setbacks for sure, but for me, the benefits outweigh the consequences.

With that being said, it is significantly harder being meat-free in college than it is while living at home.  Being a vegetarian is a choice, and it is not for everybody. For my fellow herbivores, or for those possibly considering this dietary lifestyle, here are a few tips for going veg in college:

Keep food/snacks in your room. While The Caf does a fine job providing meat-free options at meals, you will most likely get hungry between meals and at night due to a lack of protein. One of my go-to options is a healthy granola bar. These are quick and can be eaten on the way to class or before practice. Try to look for ones with at least 4 grams of protein to fill you up. Peanut butter is also a great protein-packed snack.

“HOW DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN???” This is the question that vegetarians get asked on a daily basis. There are lots of good answers to this question. When someone asks me this, I like to politely and informatively let them know that there are several wonderful protein options other than meat. Peanut butter (one of my faves), walnuts, almonds, Greek yogurt, milk, cheese, beans and tofu are all fantastic protein sources — and that’s only to list a few.

Protein supplements. These are especially important for athletes who are not eating meat. I know I am usually ravenously hungry after practice, so if dinner didn’t quite fill me up, I’ll make a quick protein shake to ensure my muscles are getting the adequate nutrients for proper recovery. After all, protein is essential for building muscle as well as giving you enough energy to power through your workouts. Try to pick out a protein powder that meets your protein needs as well as other specialized dietary needs (carbs, vitamins, calories, etc.). I’m currently using Cellucor Whey Cookies n’ Cream protein powder.

Eat wholesome, nutritious foods. It is so very tempting to just eat French fries and cheese pizza in lieu of meat, especially in The Caf or when going out to eat with friends. While these foods are all right to eat in moderation, be sure to get some good stuff in your belly, too. Throw in a salad a few days a week to your lunch, or go for a PB&J sandwich on whole wheat bread instead of that bag of Doritos.

I am also a huge advocate of organic and local foods. Yes, it’s more expensive to eat naturally and support local farmers but it pays off in so many ways.

Stay healthy, Threshers!

And don’t litter.

-Ki

We never expected it to happen. But it did. And we were all unprepared.

My friends and I were sitting around chatting on Thursday night, looking forward to not having school the next day — as it was Good Friday — when all of a sudden, the room went black and we lost all electricity. None of us even knew a storm was headed our way, but we opened the door to find hurricane-like conditions outside.

The power didn’t come back on for another 24 hours. In the meantime, we had to find a way to entertain ourselves without TV or wi-fi (that meant no Netflix!). So we spent our Good Friday walking aimlessly around Walmart, getting fro-yo from a restaurant that somehow still had power and playing board games by the luminescent glow of our phone flashlights.

Part of me was a little disappointed that the power came back on late Friday night. At that point, there was no longer any hope of classes being cancelled the following Monday because of a lack of electricity. With the wi-fi working again as well, I could no longer put off doing my online homework. 🙁

On the bright side, it was kind of fun to experience a little taste of what life would have been like before electricity. However, this power outage taught the majority of us that we depend on electricity for more than we thought, and we are bored out of our minds without it.

And backup generators are good.

Kiley