By Melanie Marchena Kris Rinas is currently wrapping up his first year at AU as director of studio and technical operations and professor of cinema and media arts. In 1996, Rinas began his cinema and media arts career as a teenager with a news station in California. After moving to Indiana, he continued his career at Grace Church in Noblesville where he had responsibilities in technical directing, training and managing audio, video and lighting equipment. After 13 years at Grace Church, Rinas … [Read more...]
Pres. Pistole receives Bicentennial Medal
“I'm humbled,” said AU President John Pistole. “I’m honored to be part of this.” Recently, Pistole received IU McKinney School of Law’s Bicentennial Medal of “Distinguished and Distinctive Service.” The medal honored IU alumni who are viewed as “models for future students, faculty, alumni and organizations.” Upon graduating from AU in 1978, Pistole attended IU McKinney School of Law and graduated in the spring of 1981. Pistole remembers his experience fondly. “I learned new critical … [Read more...]
Chapel continues with virtual format
On Jan. 11, AU students received an email announcing that chapel attendance would be mandatory for the spring semester. However, three days later, another email was sent out by Dean of Students Chris Luekenga. The second email read, “Chapel will remain virtual for the foreseeable future, but attendance will not be required.” Luekenga explained that requiring attendance for a virtual chapel would add another stressor for students. “While it is a long-standing tradition to require chapel … [Read more...]
COVID-19: Looking forward
“It’s a big deal,” Professor of Nursing Dr. Sarah Neal said. “Where we’re at right now is a whole lot of bad. We are in the red zone in Madison County.” For the last 10 months, the world has been ambushed with a pandemic that has changed the normal way of life. Many students have had to adjust to online learning and businesses everywhere have been forced to close their doors. “We can mitigate a lot of spread if we change our behaviors,” Neal said. Neal, who has been at AU … [Read more...]
Q&A: Kelsi Allen
Kelsi Allen currently works as the graduate assistant for the Student Engagement Office at AU. After finishing her undergraduate work in AU’s School of Theology, Allen decided to pursue her Masters of Divinity through AU. Allen also works as the programming assistant at Stripped Love in Anderson, Indiana. What is your position at AU and what does it involve? “I am the graduate assistant for Student Engagement. The job involves working with and leading the students directly … [Read more...]
Dr. Lambright steadies the gaming ship
Under Dr. Justin Lambright’s continued assistance throughout a three-year period of building and adjustment, the AU esports team is now set for regular competition. After securing a $25,000 Falls Development Initiative grant, Lambright helped build a lab for games to be played and recruited a team of students ready to play. “I’ve been involved with this from the beginning,” said Lambright. “When our first coach resigned early this semester, I had been working fairly … [Read more...]
I’ll stay home for Christmas
With the holiday season rapidly approaching, it is imperative to remain as safe as possible to not only protect our own health, but our loved ones’ as well. While AU is taking steps to protect students between breaks such as staying with completely virtual learning and closing public eating spaces, it is still necessary for students to be mindful of their safety and health to ensure a safe holiday season for everyone. The CDC stated on Nov. 19 that there were 1 million new … [Read more...]
Campus to welcome Turning Point USA chapter
In the near future, AU will be home to the newest chapter of Turning Point USA. Turning Point USA, as described by their website, is an organization that “identifies, educates, trains and organizes students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets and limited government.” Currently, AU students Rachael Shaver, Joshua Lauer and Sam Kylee are working through the preliminary steps to become an official club on campus. Shaver, who will serve as the president of … [Read more...]
School of Science and Engineering offers new scholarship opportunity
AU is now offering a new scholarship for science and engineering students. “When Heather Kim, vice president for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication, arrived on campus, she wanted to help get the word out about our science and engineering programs,” said Dr. Chad Wallace, dean of the science department. Kim had the idea to redirect the current source of funds to be able to make this happen. “We were able to reallocate some of our funding to put it toward this … [Read more...]
Esports offers new ‘scholarship’
This year, AU introduced the new esports program. While COVID-19 had previously stalled the opening of this program, the esports team has finally participated in their first few events. Esports, or competitive gaming, is a sport made up of several teams that compete against other schools in their respective video games. One interesting aspect of the new program is the inclusion of the esports “scholarship.” Interim Head Coach, Justin Lambright, commented on the new … [Read more...]