Katie Schmidt doing… something…

During the summer, there is not a lot of life on campus. With the majority of students and faculty gone the classrooms are empty, and the dorms are silent. But there are a few signs of life on campus.

There are few departments who hire students to help out during the summer with a wide range of jobs: from grounds keeping and dorm repair, to running the bookstore and helping out with admissions.

If you were to take a walk through campus today, you would most likely see our summer maintenance workers getting our grounds ready for the start of the next semester. Each morning starting at 7:00, the grounds keeping crew is out pulling weeds, mowing grass and watering flowers, tasks that seem to never end. The maintenance department also has several students helping with getting all of the buildings on campus ready for the start of the fall semester.

Audra Miller trying to get work done, despite the interruptions.

There are also a few students helping in the bookstore this summer, doing more than selling Bethel t-shirts. They are manning the school’s switchboard, taking care of campus mail, organizing campus events, essentially keeping the school running during the summer.

One of the harder working students on staff this summer is Audra Miller, working in the Institutional Communications office. While the office going through a staffing transition, she has taken charge of putting together the latest edition of Context, Bethel’s alumni magazine.

There are also students working the Admissions and Financial Aid, preparing the way for the new students joining the Bethel Community in the fall.

The student staffers of the Information and Media Services office have been keeping busy as well, repairing all of the computers on campus. But in between repair jobs, they have been known to start shenanigans. Like the time they generously offered there assistance to the Maintenance staff in testing a recently repaired golf kart:

Putting aside of the malarkey they get up to, students have been doing a tremendous job this summer helping the BC staff get ready for the coming school year. The next time you see a student staffer, be sure to stop, give them a high five, followed by context as to why you gave them said high five.

My ascent attempt.

Typically summer break at Bethel College means a time to catch up on work, tackle special projects and be productive in a relaxed atmosphere. I’m not sure if this falls into any of those categories, but the staff in the Information and Media Services decided to climb the antenna tower for the campus radio station.

This wasn’t one of those “I double dog dare you” type of situations. We had a legitimate reason to do so, or at least that is what we told ourselves. I had wanted to take some photos of the Bethel campus from a unique perspective to use for the school’s website. And my inner adventurer really wanted to climb the 200 foot radio tower, and prove I had conquered a previous fear of heights.

So on a mild June day I donned my safety gear, strapped on a GoPro camera and began my ascent while a small group of staff, students, and cameras watched on. I made pretty good progress for the first 100 or so feet.

Then the wind began.

My view as the tower began rockin’.

The wind caused a slight rocking of the tower. And the higher I climbed, the more the tower rocked. I was within 30 feet of the top of the tower when my once conquered fear of heights decided to return. I hurriedly snapped a few photos with my camera before making a hasty retreat to the bottom of the tower.

Then one of my student workers decided to show me up.

Dylan Jantz striking a pose during his ascent of the tower.

Dylan Jantz is spending his summer days working in the IMS office. And after I made my attempt to climb the tower, Dylan decided he wanted to give it a try. And he did well. He managed to make it up to the top of the tower despite the wind, and take some beautiful shots of of the campus. He even managed a Snapchat or two from a couple hundred feet above the ground.

The photos have turned out pretty great, and the video from the ascent was even better. But I am wanting to make another attempt later this summer when there isn’t any construction going on (the Fine Arts Center is currently getting a facelift), and another student worker is wanting to make the ascent as well.

Here’s hoping we will make the ascent once more.

While the weather may not have agreed with the name, last week was our Spring Fling.  Campus was busy with many activities including: Minute to Win It, Ultimate Spoons, Iron Chef,  and the ever popular Bubbert Awards.

Other activities scheduled were PowderPuff football and Limeades that had to be postponed because of the weather, which refused to cooperate cancelling the water fight that was scheduled for that Friday as well.

However, Bubbert Awards and the dessert bar was still able to be held! Bubbert Awards is an annual film festival at Bethel that showcases student-made videos. The event was created in spirit of Bethel’s ficticious student, Herman Bubbert, who was known for playing pranks all over campus.

Bubbert Awards takes the form of a Red Carpet event, allowing students to dress up and take part in watching the wide variety of films.

This year there were 11 entries, some inspiring, others hilarious, but all creative. If you would like to watch the video, you can visit this link http://vimeo.com/64145221 which shows the entire show with the hosts and audience members.

Following the Bubbert Awards is a dance that typically lasts a few hours and this year was in the Drama Lab, with student DJ’s.

Spring Fling is always a good time on Bethel’s campus, even if the weather is not “spring” like.

Hey everyone!

Considering how expensive college can be and because Mom and Dad aren’t here to give you a weekly allowance, you might need  to earn some money on your own.

Bethel offers multiple job opportunities, if you are works study eligible you can apply for one of several on-campus jobs. Which simply means you are eligible to earn federal work-study dollars. Preference is given to work-study eligible students when possible, but after that the positions are fair game to all students.

These positions range from working in the cafeteria, being a team manager, a maintenance helper, working on the Collegian, being a resident assistant, and even blogging!

For a more thorough list of campus jobs follow this link, here you can search the database for postions that are available on campus.

Most of these jobs are flexible, because employers understand you will be busy with classes and other activities, so don’t let that be a reason for not applying. With the multitude of positions it is likely that you will find one that fits into your interests and aligns with your class schedule.

There’s an added benefit to having a campus job besides earning some money, it is good work experience to add to a resume. Future employers like to see you have had previous experience and are a reliable person.

If you are not work study eligible or none of the campus jobs sound appealing to you, Career Services has many connections within the surrounding communities and frequently send out emails through student announce about potential jobs. This is also a good place to go if looking for an internship or if you need help creating a resume.

You should pay attention to the database and your emails at the end of each semester, as students come and go positions become available. Others such as the Collegian are always looking for new staff members, so be on the lookout for those too.

Happy job hunting!

~Samantha

Last week was Thanksgiving break, which really means the last veil of sanity between us and finals has now past. Thanksgiving, while a welcome break, just gave us a little taste of what’s to come over Christmas break.The dorms were closed over the break, so all students except those on the basketball team had to leave campus. Some, like me, were lucky enough to get to go home and spend some time with family. Others stayed in the area with friends or other students.Break wasn’t all relaxation, though, since we came back to only one week of classes. This is the time for final projects and preparation for final exams. Students are writing papers, studying like mad and trying to keep a little sane. This time of year is full of holiday gatherings, and since we only had one week of class after Thanksgiving everything has been crammed into this week. There’s movie nights, bingo nights, the tacky sweater party, gala, departmental Christmas parties, and of course, more studying. There’s plenty to celebrate.

Hey everyone!

With the holiday season coming up I thought I would talk about the host family program and how host families can serve as an alternate place to go if you’re not able to go home. The program consists of single or married families who provide a home away from home, home-cooked meals, a place to go on weekends, and welcomes Bethel students to the community.

Students who sign up for the program fill out a survey and are then matched with a family that they feel comfortable with. Once a match is found the student and their family will meet the host family and start getting to know them.

While the host family program is primarily for out of state students, some Kansas residents such as myself have one. Although I live about an hour from BC, I joined the program to have a connection within the community and a place I could escape to if I ever needed to get away from campus.

My host family is very supportive of me playing basketball and they try to attend all the games they can. Not only do I have a fan base at games, but I also have the opportunity to meet new people. Through my host family I have made several new friends and have built a lasting relationship.

I am frequently invited over to have dinner and they encourage me to bring friends and we usually end up playing games while getting a free home-cooked meal. During the holidays many students are not able to travel home so a host family will sometimes offer to let them stay at their homes. This is an another added benefit of the program.

Not only is having a host familly nice because you build a relationship with them, but if they have other host students you get the chance to meet students you might not otherwise. I have made several friends with fellow students because we share the same host family.

Overall the program is a great service for students and a helpful way for them to make lasting connections within the surrounding community. Visit this link http://www.bethelks.edu/student-life/services/host-family-program if you are interested in joining the program or if you would like more information.

~Samantha

In this season of Thanksgiving I thought it appropriate to write a blog about the things that I am thankful for about Bethel. Thus I have titled my blog “A Thankful Heart is a Happy Heart” which comes from Veggie Tales and one of their songs called “The Thankfulness Song.” (If you are interested in seeing/hearing the scene with the song in it here it is!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhcI-HXicwY

I am thankful for the new cafeteria; it is leaps and bounds better than it was last year!

I am thankful for the tennis team and am excited to being our spring season together.

I am thankful for the choral groups I am a part of and the tremendous music we make together.

I am thankful there are study rooms in the library available when I need a place of peace and quiet to study.

I am thankful for Mojos and their tasty drinks and delicious cinnamon rolls!

I am thankful Bethel is such a nice campus, small enough to feel like a close-knit community.

I am thankful for my wonderful roommate Allie and the fun times we have together, even if it is trying to motivate each other to study.

I am thankful that Bethel is close to home so I can still see my immediate and extended family often (and come home for laundry and my mom’s delicious cooking!)

I am thankful that my sister Miranda attends Bethel and that we are a part of choir and tennis together.

I am thankful for the professors and their dedication to their students and their availability to help on an individual basis.

I am thankful for friendships that I have built on campus along with closer relationships within my mod.

I am thankful for the beautiful scenery on campus, especially with the new landscaping they have completed thus far.

And last but definitely not least, I am thankful for simply having the opportunity to attend Bethel College.

Halloween as a college student is a bit different from high school. No longer is it uncool to dress up in crazy costumes and go begging for candy; it’s practically Christmas for us. The opportunity to eat large amounts of sugar and show off your creative prowess is something few let pass. I’m one who doesn’t have large amounts of creativity, so my costume was a last-minute pirate getup courtesy of Et Cetera shop.

Bethel’s Halloween celebration is centered around two events-a dance and Trick-or-Treat off the street. The dance is typically held on the Saturday night closest to Halloween night and is the major costume event for students. Student Activities Council holds a costume contest for scariest, most creative, best group, and best pair costumes. The faculty judges determine winners and dole out prizes.

On the actual evening of All Hallow’s Eve, Bethel students have the opportunity to give out candy to area kids in a safe environment. I did this when I was a kid and always had a great time because it’s a lot of candy with not a very long walk in between doors. I remember being scared out of my mind in the hallways of the residence halls because they would turn all the lights off and put cobwebs up. It’s just as fun to give out candy because kids are incredibly creative and incredibly cute.

Now that Halloween is over everybody is thinking of the best costumes for next year already, even though they won’t start on them until October 30, 2013. It’s still a good sentiment.

It is a gorgeous 70 degree day — almost too good to be true for Halloween to already be here! Every year on Halloween night Bethel participates in something called Trick or Treat Off the Street which lets families trick-or-treat here on Bethel’s campus. Every dorm room or mod can sign up and we get signs to post on our doors if we will participate in handing out candy to the kids who come to trick-or-treat. The past two years I have been a part of it and our mod is doing it again this year. I am quite sad though because I will not be around all evening due to a night class. Hopefully the rest of my modmates will get to enjoy all of the great kids and their costumes who come by though.

Over the weekend Bethel celebrated Halloween early with a Halloween Rave hosted in Mojos by SAC. After an hour of dancing and music and food there were contests for the best group, individual, couple, scariest, and crowd’s favorite costumes. There were some very creative ones — old men, board games (including Hi-Ho Cherry-O and Hungry Hungry Hippos), the couple from the movie UP, and the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz. My boyfriend and got an idea from one of the librarians to do Jack and the Beanstalk. We spent the afternoon scouring the Etcetera Shop downtown to make a beanstalk costume for him and Jack for me. We ended up getting 2nd place in the Best Couples Costume contest! We were happy with that.

Hey all!

I recently began thinking about times when I feel there is nothing to do at Bethel. However, I soon realized that this should be a rare occurrence considering all the activities and events that seem to be happening throughout the week.  Honestly, if you were to look at the calendar on our website, there is usually an athletic event, concert, or student activity going on!

If your problem is that you don’t want to go alone, drag along a friend, or just be brave and go by yourself. You will be surprised at the friends you can make by attending.  Not only will your friend base grow, but your knowledge about new sports, plays, or concerts will too. Maybe you simply never know when something is going on. The solution to this is really simple: pay attention to emails, ask around, check the online calendar, and some groups even post on Facebook and Twitter, so watch for those.

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