To start off, I want to reintroduce my column for anyone who may be new here. My column is called “Beyond the Pagoda” and the purpose of it is not to tear down any part of CBC or to pick out any flaws that it may have. I think we can all agree that CBC may not be perfect, but my goal for this column is not to emphasize that. My purpose for starting this column is to pick several different aspects of CBC and talk more about them. I want to highlight the positives and possibly give some suggestions to help improve it. The opinions may be mine or from other students or from what I have heard from the collective student body. I love CBC and wish nothing but the best for it. My intent for this column is to help students have a voice, as well as suggest any improvements I or any other students may have.
A huge part of campus culture is community, and to grow community it is imperative that we have events to bring everyone together. CBC puts on some amazing events throughout the school year that students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community really enjoy. Although there is no way to please everyone, the school does a great job at creating some great events. There are a few events that other students and I believe could be added to make the community even better.
Harvest Party is a great example of how students can have differing opinions about events. Some students say it is their favorite event, and some may say it’s not really their thing. The one “formal” event that CBC puts on where students get to dress up and have a fancy dinner is one of the biggest events. Even students who may not be super involved on campus show up to this one.
Fall Hay Day is an event loved by many. This is an event where all kinds of students travel 30 minutes away to spend a fall evening together roasting hot dogs, riding on the infamous hayride and doing other fun activities. Again, an event where students who may not show up to other events may show up to this one. I personally don’t know anyone who doesn’t love this event.
Through the information that I’ve gathered, there aren’t many events that students don’t like. There may be events that people just don’t prefer, but the consensus has been that CBC does a fantastic job with their events.
However, if we add even more events and even have them at different times, we can reach a lot more of the student body so they would be able to come.
One idea is to have a worship night on campus. There are several college ministries and churches around town which are great and all students should definitely attend one. However, if we had one night a week or month that we can all gather as believers and as a student body and worship the Lord, that will help us grow together spiritually and in community.
Along with that, one student recommended student-led Bible studies which is a fantastic idea. I think that if students held Bible studies right here on campus grounds, that is a great way to build connections with other students and get involved within the student life on campus.
Also, I know that we can’t really have activities during the weekend because the campus is closed, but even if we have some activities on Friday or Sunday evenings, many students who can’t attend events during the week might take time out of their weekend to come. I have heard from a few athletes that it is hard for them to attend events because of their sports schedule. I know it is impossible to accommodate each and every student’s schedule but if we tried to have a few on different nights, maybe students who would like to come but usually can’t would be able to attend.
I have also heard from a few students about how much they love MUD Week and the activities that go on during that week. They would love it if we could do some of those activities during the school year as well. MUD Week is CBC’s orientation week for incoming freshmen to get acquainted with current students and the campus. Many students say they love everything about it, so why not incorporate some of those super fun activities throughout the school year so students can have a break from their school work?
Blake Pittman, student services coordinator, encourages students to share their event ideas with him.
“We love that. Just need a date, time, and details. Come talk to me about it!” he says.
If it’s this simple, why aren’t we as students doing it?
Overall, the events that the advancement office, the student services office and the school as a whole put on are amazing and they are doing a fantastic job. There are more ways for us as students to get involved in campus, and yes, it would be great if the school could put on these events, but why not us? Why don’t we start leading campus Bible studies and worship nights and planning games?
