Hello all! My name is Melinda Regehr. I am a junior here at Bethel and am majoring in Social work with a minor in Psychology. I am involved in many things here on campus, like SAA, SAC, and SCAN… or I just liked how those words looked on here, you can decide for yourself. I work in Admissions and Student life and am now writing for this lovely blog! I also volunteer at Western District Conference Library for my service learning scholarship.

Lastly, I like to keep myself busy with going to Applebees for half price apps, going to Druber’s (not really for the donuts, but for the Uno Blitz playing), hanging out with friends, and of course studying! Sometimes I sleep, but only when I have nothing else to do.

Since I have only been at Bethel for a week, I will tell you what I have been doing for the past few months. I was on summer staff at Camp Mennoscah as the office assistant. What did this include?? Well, many things. I ordered pictures, made address sheets, ordered bunches and bunches of pizza every Friday, I swam in flour and water, saw someone eat an enormous, squirming grasshopper, I spent many hours with some amazing staff, and I spent many hours with

some really amazing kids. I did all this and at the same time had time to find God in my life. It’s amazing how hard it is to make time for God in my life at school, but so easy to find God in all the running around at camp. This picture is of all of the Camp Mennoscah summer staff. We are some stunning Doctors!

Since I was at Camp from June-August, I really did not do much else. I went to a few weddings and that’s about all. This picture is from Aaron & Rachel Rudeen’s wedding. The girl next to me is Katelyn Melgren… nothing else needs to be said.

Just in case you are wondering who I live with… here are some of them. Yes, it is quite the adventure! My mod is full of tennis players, singers, writers, Music majors, Education majors, Social work majors, and I think even a Biology major. I am very excited to live with these amazing people and even more excited for this year in general!

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.