February is Black History Month. This annual month-long observance is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of African Americans. Here at SAU, Australia Smith, the Lead Intercultural Advisor for the Office of Intercultural Relations, shares what Black History Month means to her and the ways we can celebrate it on campus.

“When thinking about Black History Month, I think about how this is my time to shine,” said Smith. “For 28 days, I can unapologetically be me.”

To Smith, Black History Month is a time of celebration and education.

“I love my culture, Black culture, and being a Black woman,” said Smith. “I look at February as the time where I can embrace it to its fullest and everyone can see it, learn about it, and appreciate it.”

Black History Month is a time to celebrate Black accomplishments, but the celebration, appreciation, and education should go beyond the month of February. Smith said her Social Studies Education major causes her to view February as a time to celebrate Black achievements “with an emphasis.” She tries to make sure everyone feels welcome and represented during the month that is dedicated to their history and accomplishments. This mindset shaped how Smith coordinated events on campus for Black History Month.

“I wanted the Black students to feel represented and welcome to be open, and the rest of our friends on campus to be involved and learn,” said Smith.

There are several events on campus honoring and celebrating Black History Month. Smith coordinated two creation events in which students can participate in decorating the resident halls. On Wednesday, February 10th, they made wall decorations. The decorations were different for each residential building.

Smith ensured the event was in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines.

“It is a project that allowed separate but group collaboration to create one image to mean solidarity and unity for the building,” said Smith.

Another event was on Friday, February 12th, at 6:30 pm in each residence hall. Students painted a canvas that was hung up in the residential areas to help decorate for Black History Month.

There will also be several movie nights. Watch the movies 42 on February 17th, Black Panther on February 19th, and Just Mercy on February 26th. Each movie starts at 5:30 pm.

“These movies are all showing in the RCF and will involve active discussion afterwards,” said Smith. “We hope to see you there.”

Join us this month in observing Black History Month. It is an opportunity to educate ourselves, celebrate Black history and culture, and love our neighbors.

By: Merry Castle

The University of Oxford in England is one of the top universities in the world. Journey Joslin, an SAU student, has the privilege of completing her 2021 spring semester at this prestigious university. Today, Joslin tells us about her experiences studying abroad in Oxford and how she is both commemorating and sharing her stories with others through her blog.

“Oxford is intense,” said Joslin. “I’m in the middle of the eight-week Oxford term right now, and I understand now why this is one of the premier universities.”

The intensity of the workload doesn’t put a damper on Joslin’s mood, though. She said it was an amazing experience. The classes are personalized to the subject she picked so she gets to tailor her classes from one week to another.

“That means my tutors — the Oxford equivalent of professors — expect me to really dig in and produce quality essays,” said Joslin, “but it also means that I get to study whatever really interests me.”

Joslin said she appreciates Oxford’s beauty and rich history. The university she is studying at is older than her home country. Just down the hill from her housing and around the corner from the Radcliffe Camera is St. Edmund’s Hall Library. The library is housed in a church built in the thirteenth century. This rich history is her favorite thing about studying abroad.

“When I need a break from my latest essay assignment, I get to walk out the front door and straight into history,” said Joslin. “You can’t go anywhere without running into a building that is hundreds of years old or was once the haunt of some of the most important cultural figures in the Western world.”

Joslin’s Oxford experience has been incredibly educational for her. She said the most important thing she had learned was that she was stronger than she thought. She has been learning to trust God and His plan as there had been a lot of hiccups in the process. She has faced COVID restrictions and finances problems, but it all worked out.

“We just have to keep walking, keep trusting, and let God do His thing,” said Joslin. “And He will, even if it doesn’t look like you wanted it to. Most of the time, it looks even better.”

Joslin started writing a blog about her experiences. She said the main purpose in starting her blog was to allow people back home to keep up with her adventures. She has discovered new things about her experience and herself while slowing down and writing.

Joslin hopes her blog will inspire others as well. She said by taking time to write, she is able to appreciate the beautiful and special things. She hopes that reading the blog will allow people to take in the small blessings that everyone has in their normal, everyday lives.

Joslin has some advice for students who want to study abroad in Oxford.

“Don’t give up. It seems really overwhelming when you’re working through all the paperwork and the funding. Then, you come up to the reality that you have to produce academic work for tutors who are working at the world’s top university, and that can be really intimidating.” said Joslin. “Being here is so worth whatever headaches or fears you have to deal with in the months leading up to your arrival.”

Students can follow Joslin’s journey at Oxford through her personal blog.

For more information about the Scholars’ Semester Abroad in Oxford, contact Diane Kurtz, the Director of Cross Cultural Studies, at Diane.Kurtz@arbor.edu.

By: Merry Castle

Besides the deserts offered on the Thursdays of February, more special events might be offered to the Cougar Den in the future.

Cougar Den manager, Barbie, said she missed being a baker. She chose to offer deserts as extras on Thursdays because she had room on her line on that day.

She said had made Apple Crisp on February 4^th and felt they went “so and so”. Last Thursday, she made Brownie Hot Lava Cakes.

“…I did 6 large pans, and everybody loved it,” Barbie said.

She chose the deserts by what she knew how to make, how simple it was, and what was not being offered in the cafeteria.

On February 18^th, she will make Hot Fruit of the Forest. The Hot Fruit will be gluten free. On February 25^th, she will make Red Jell-O Poke Cake.

Barbie is also planning a Care Package Raffle for March and April. She is still working on the plans but wants to award 5 care packages for exam week. When a student spends cougar cash in the Cougar Den, they will get a raffle ticket. Barbie will draw a certain number of tickets during March and then April.

“I just thought it would be really cool to give care packages. I am working on making my own cocoa bombs so I will be making… some cocoa bombs for that,” Barbie said.

Barbie is going to ask around and Google other things to include in the packages.

Along with planning the raffle, she is working on her own deep-fried Mac n Cheese. She’s planning on adding this as an appetizer for Cougar Cash.

Comment below with what you think should be in a care package.

By: Sarah Williams

Elizabeth Pruitt

It seems so strange to say, but in just a few short days, I will be a college graduate. There were moments throughout my time at SAU where I was convinced I would be a college dropout, yet here I am. I have made some of my best memories while at SAU, but have also experienced things I wouldn’t even wish on my worst enemy. Through it all, my friends and SAU family helped me through it all and I am eternally grateful. I wanted to write a short thank you to all the people who helped me throughout my SAU career.

My four years at SAU have been anything but normal. Freshman year, I enrolled in SAU just two weeks before the semester started. I met my roommate, Faith Skidmore ’19, on move-in day. The next year, Faith and I moved onto Beta One in Lowell and became members of the “Beta Onesies,” a group of girls who had all lived on Beta One their freshman year. This group welcomed us in with open arms and they have become some of my favorite people and closest friends. The first two years at SAU were where I really found my people and grew to love the SAU campus, which is exactly what I needed to prepare myself for what junior and senior year had in store for me.

Fall semester of junior year, just two weeks into the semester, I took a medical leave. In a previous article, linked here, I wrote about my experience with my diagnosis of endometriosis. The pain was unbearable and attending class was just completely impossible. My professors, academic advisor, and the staff here at SAU made these medical leave and my transition back to campus the following spring so easy. Knowing they were all praying for me eased my mind on my hard mental health days. When I did return in the spring, I got into two car accidents within six days of each other. My professors were kind enough to allow me to miss classes as I healed.

On April 26th, 2019 my father passed away unexpectedly. My roommate, Hayley Wiseley ’21, left her class to drive me home. Many of my friends and even Brian Kono drove to my home town to attend the funeral and Dr. Chuck White gave me an extremely generous extension on my COR 300 coursework. My professors allowed me to miss my classes. My partner for a final assignment was kind enough to take on the brunt of the project work as I grieved. We received flowers from President Ellis. Every single person I spoke to about the situation was completely understanding and offered me prayers, assistance, and a shoulder to cry on. The SAU community allowed me time to grieve but also allow me to finish my semester. I am eternally grateful for that.

In the fall of 2019, the second semester of my junior year, I realized I was not happy in my major. I was an elementary education major and I realized I simply did not have a passion for it. The Education Department was understanding and helped me make the switch to the Communications Department. My advisors and professors helped me dive into the major. Making this switch was hard for me, as it was late in my college career and I felt like changing my major made me a failure, but it instead opened my eyes. I started enjoying my classes a lot more and I was actually excited to go to class. Professors like Mary Darling, Paul Patton, Jen Letherer, and Wally Metts pushed me to become a better writer and communicator. College was becoming fun in both my academic and social life for once.

Now, as I go out into the dreaded real world, I am so excited to see what community I find myself in next. SAU has taught me the value of surrounding yourself with good people and finding a community no matter where you are. Without the help of the SAU community in some of my darkest days, I do not know where I would be. It was hard to speak up sometimes about my struggles, because I thought no one would care or I was exaggerating my pain, but the help I received was worth it. If you are a student who is struggling, please speak up. There are people that care about you and want to see you succeed. It may be embarrassing or hard for you to admit that you are not okay, but I can promise you that it is absolutely worth it.

Thank you, SAU, for the most interesting four years of my life.

Sarah Williams  

My name is Sarah Williams and I am majoring in English and minoring in Philosophy. I enjoy writing and hope to make a career out of it. I am considering going into journalism! I decided to minor in philosophy after taking a required class and finding the subject enthralling.

I choose Spring Arbor University because the campus was small and safe. I enjoy how the campus is a community and everyone is friendly. My favorite thing about SAU is the writing classes I’ve taken.

Something fun about myself is that I like to grow succulents and cacti. I have a collection of the plants and I am always looking for more. The plants have so many interesting shapes, colors, sizes, and personalities!