The Fall Poetry Reading will be held on November 19th at 8:30 PM in the Prop Shop. This event is presented by the Oak Tree Review and will feature poetry readings from Dr. Bilbro’s poetry class as well as selected students and faculty members. Coffee and tea will be provided.
The Fall Poetry Reading is a way for students to enjoy a night of poetry and learn more about the Oak Tree Review, a Spring publication featuring Spring Arbor students’ own writing.
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We’re all Spring Arbor students and we know that not everything written behind a keyboard about our school is positive. Social commentary thrives around college campuses and SAU is no exception. As people, we enjoy poking fun at our surroundings- it’s just what we do. It’s natural.
Meet Yik Yak. For those of you unfamiliar with the app, it’s an anonymous twitter type model that shows you what those in your geographical area are sharing. It’s localized to a few mile radius and shows you what people are saying in your area. According to the Yik Yak team, they are an “anonymous messaging app that allows users to create and view posts – called Yaks – within a 10 mile radius. Users can also expand the conversation by posting replies to existing Yaks.”
I am sure most of us are familiar with #SAUchapellive, #SAUconfessions and Facebook pages like SAU Crushes and Overheard at SAU. These formats enable students to anonymously share their personal opinions, comments and secrets because free speech is a thing and it is their right to do so.
How is Yik Yak any different? It’s designed for use at colleges. Well, while things shared can be innocent and funny, they’ve been quickly moving toward attacks such as naming floors in dorms with the comments about drinking, or the use of initials of Spring Arbor students with comments attached. USA TODAY shared that through Yik Yak, “Students are tapping, scrolling, reading and sharing any thoughts they’d like — some of them R-rated — with people nearby whom they may or may not know”. Would you feel safe or good to read someone post a yak about you in any context?”
Now to be fair, those in the Spring Arbor community on Yik Yak are quick to rid the site of hurtful or sexual comments by down voting anything that is targeting or inappropriate, but this isn’t just a SAU problem. Colleges and universities are banning the app left and right for the increased threats, racism, and cyberbulling that is publicized through Yik Yak.
“Users crack racist and sexist jokes. Posts about alcohol, drugs and sexual activity flood the feed. While some of the crude posts are slightly funny and entertaining, the majority of them could be filed as offensive or even considered hate crimes. Many students already have suffered the consequences of Yik Yak. An anonymous user will post the address of a party, the name of a drug dealer or a threat toward an individual. The results quickly outshine that user’s five minutes of anonymous fame” (USA TODAY).
Campus buildings across the nation have been shut down from Yaks that are posted threatening the safety of those in a certain building at a certain time. Many colleges are blocking that app it as trouble breaks around their campuses. SAU has not blocked the app, but those in Student Development are aware of it.
We live in an era where we can and are encouraged to make our thoughts public. The downside is that often it’s at the expense of another human being. In continuous self interest and publication of our feelings, we’ve become desensitized to the feelings of others. Another danger is the trend toward anonymity. Senior and finance major Eric Harbin calls Yik Yak the coward’s twitter. When we’re not responsible for our actions, we become much free-er with our opinions. Anonymous forums cultivate cyber bullying and Yik Yak makes it extremely easy. Do you think half of the yaks would still be posted if there was a name attached to them? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not bad ass to complain anonymously, it’s cowardly.
So what’s the point? I know that you’re tired of hearing about this and the point of this article is not to shame you or tell you that Yik Yak is the devil. Sharing our thoughts and comments is great, but what these formats also cultivate are platforms to showcase apathy, negativity, and unChrist-like behavior. As students of Spring Arbor University, we are not called to be perfect, but we are held up to a concept. That’s not saying that we’ll be condemned if we don’t keep both feet on the floor during open hours or take two apples out of the DC, it’s holding us to a higher standard because we represent Christ as well as our school and that’s one of the reasons why we’re here.
That’s the point, really. We need to be mindful of what we’re representing. Maybe that means making a change or deleting the app or maybe that just means being aware of our potential to hurt others. We’re all free to share what we want, but how are we cultivating kindness in our community? How can we set ourselves apart?
By Sarah Beardslee and Tania Parsons
Once a month, the communications department of Spring Arbor University (SAU) hosts a convention for its majors around key communication topics, often referred to as “Com Con.” The keynote speaker for the October Com Con was John Volez, pastor at Westwinds Church. Volez and his wife have been married 27 years and have three kids. He and his family moved here from California. He has always enjoyed public speaking and playing music in front of a crowd, but becoming a pastor was something he had not considered.
“I didn’t really know I was going to lead something until people started asking me ‘Have you considered this? You should pursue this.’ I started listening to them and thought it was something I could do,” said Volez.
Volez has had many musical and speaking engagements in the Jackson area. He is also an author, and has published several books with Abington Press the last couple of years. His most recent book, called “Quirky Leadership: Permission Granted,” was published last year. In his words, it is a “non-leader leadership book.”
“Really, what I want to do is empower people to lead in the place that they’re planted and lead in the way God has made them with their personality and quirks, as opposed to aspiring to be some kind of leader that they’ll never really be,” said Volez.
Volez leads a festival in Jackson called Folklore and an event with public schools called iCreate. iCreate hosts poetry writing contests within local schools. The teachers pick the winning poems, which are then given to Volez and other musicians and songwriters who turn them into songs.
“We get all the schools together and play the songs at the Michigan Theatre. We give away over $10,000 in guitars, guitar lessons, and art scholarships,” said Volez.
His biggest goal for Westwinds for the next ten years is for the church to have a face in the community and, most importantly, for Jesus to have a face in the community.
“I want everybody in the town to know who Westwinds is, what Westwinds is doing, and really by proxy, know what Jesus is doing and how he’s changing lives,” said Volez.
Spring Arbor University’s (SAU) “Dracula” production was not the typical fangs
and blood rendition some might have been expecting, according to director Trevor
Tracy.
The small cast, regarded as “delightful” by Tracy, auditioned in early
September and had a short amount of time to prepare for the shows that took place on October 23,
24, and 25.
While this was SAU’s third show around Dracula, Tracy said this interpretation was
different because it was strongly based on Bram Stoker’s novel and journal entries.
He described the performance as enticing. Representing several forms of sin,
Dracula’s pride and appeal conveyed an attitude similar to that of the devil.
“Dracula is the embodiment of the biblical perspective of the nature of evil,” said
executive producer Dr. Paul Patton.
Sophomore Zach Barber played the role of Dracula. Barber said the role was the darkest he had ever attempted, so the challenge was exciting.
Sophomore Rachel Gerrild took on the lead of the sweet and innocent Mina Harker. Gerrild said the role stretched her as an actress because she had to portray a deep amount of terror.
“The story shows how evil can be appealing, but in the end, it will use whatever it can to
destroy,” said Gerrild
Written specifically for this show, the score departed from the traditionally gothic
version. It focused on the biblical symbols seen through the righteous doctor,
Abraham Van Helsing. Tracy said he took the underlying theme of redemption very
seriously when directing the cast.
Tracy graduated from SAU two years ago with a bachelor’s degree in theater. This
was his third time directing an SAU show. His favorite part of directing “Dracula”
was the challenge to remain convincing even in the melodrama. He also found it
appropriate for “Dracula” to be shown on the weekend before Halloween because of
its chilling plot.
“The suspense will kill you; it will send you home un-eased,” said Tracy.
By Sarah Dean
Facts:
Spring Arbor University (SAU) has laid off 21 full-time staff members in the wake of a five percent budget cut due to decreased enrollment.
In addition to the 21 full-time positions, several open positions will also not be refilled and some current positions have had hours reduced.
Ellis said over the last five years there was a 10 percent decline in credit hours produced and a six percent reduction in SAU’s net tuition revenue.
In a letter to the student body, Student Government Association (SGA) president, Benjamin Frederick, said there has been an 11 percent drop in revenue over the past three years.
He attributed this drop largely to “SAU global which drives 65 percent of the University budget.”
SAU Global encompasses a variety of online and remote classes. At its creation a statement was released by the university saying, “SAU Global will play a significant role in our service to traditional and nontraditional students seeking face-to-face, online and hybrid educational pathways to their personal and career goals.”
Questions:
A lot of questions have been raised in the wake of the cutbacks and we at “The Pulse” would like to address as many as we can with what we know.
1) Why are we having cutbacks right after building things like the globe statue and new tennis courts?
When people donate to the university there are multiple ways to allocate funds. Creations such as the globe and the new tennis courts came from donations specified for these constructions; essentially the donor said, “I’m giving the school X amount of dollars to build tennis courts.” In such instances it is illegal to use those funds for other purpose.
2) Are those laid off getting severance pay?
Yes, those laid off are being provided with severance pay in accordance with state law and SAU policy.
3) What was considered in deciding who to lay off?
When we at “The Pulse” asked Damon Seacott, SAU Chief of Staff, how the decisions of who to lay off were made he said, “Decisions of cuts were made strategically by the administration. We considered: How can we continue to serve our students at the highest level?”
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