The church fair is a long-standing tradition of freshman orientation at AU. Churches around the community congregate in the lobby of Reardon Auditorium to offer the support of a church family to incoming students. This year, the church fair was hosted in the Valley. Andrew Lehr, the director of student success at AU, was one of the staff members in charge of organizing this year’s church fair. He believes it’s important for students to find a place to worship outside of chapel. “A lot of … [Read more...]
Campus-wide updates completed during summer
Rodney Raven is not the only thing that has experienced improvement at AU over the summer. Campus staff has been hard at work for the past few months to ensure a warm welcome for students as they return to campus. As Ravens return to their favorite campus coffee shop, they may find it unrecognizable. Last semester, SGA surveyed the student body about what changes they wanted to see the most on campus. Updates to Mocha Joe's won by a landslide. According to Whitney Jimenez, … [Read more...]
Q & A with Jack Lugar
John (Jack) Lugar is an associate professor of cinema and media arts. He holds a J.D. from Indiana University, and has been a writer and producer on numerous television sitcoms. In 2016, he joined AU’s Department of Communication and Design Arts as full-time faculty. He and his wife, Beth, run a successful real estate agency in their free time. You wrote and published a book this summer. Tell me a little bit about that process. Actually, I wrote the book mostly during November and … [Read more...]
Q & A with Trent Palmer
Trent Palmer is the current director of student engagement for the Department of Student Life, overseeing the campus activities board and the intramural program. He graduated with a degree in physical education and health from AU in 2006 and has worked with student life for 12 years, first as a resident director in Smith Hall. In June, he will join the alumni office as director of young alumni engagement. He and his wife, Becca, have two kids, Mae and Bly. What has kept you engaged and … [Read more...]
Performance arts celebrated in Evening of Excellence
Connor Thompson performs baritone solo from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. New 2019 Pi Kappa Lambda Inductees: Adam Waller, Leah Short, Angela Shaver, Mackenzie Foulks, Kayla Brandt and Dr. Caroline Ahn. Samuel Rivera played the euphonium for the first movement of Mozart's Basoon Concerto in B-flat Major. Evening of Excellence Awards 2019 Music Education: Carly Erst Music Business: Haley Jo Mack Music Theory: Jacob Cupps, Colby Dennis Music … [Read more...]
SGA plans summer redesign for Mocha Joe’s
When classes resume in the fall, students will return to find Mocha Joe’s sporting an entirely new look. This summer, the beloved campus coffee shop will undergo substantial remodeling. Partnering with the Business and Auxiliary Committee, SGA is overseeing this operation. SGA President Liam Crays spoke to the logistics of the remodeling process. “We are currently in the process of purchasing new items to refresh Mocha Joe’s,” explained Crays. “Most of these updates will be implemented … [Read more...]
A behind-the-scenes look at moving a museum
The task of planning and coordinating the move move of the Gustav Jeeninga Museum, with particular emphasis on the aesthetic installation and visuals of the renovations falls on Tai Lipan, the director of galleries. This responsibility has been taken up in addition to overseeing the Wilson Gallery and the Warner Sallman Collection. Dr. David Murphy was named the director of the museum in 2017, following the retirement of David Neidert, who had run the museum since 1992. In the fall of … [Read more...]
Healing Tent returns to AU for the week
The Healing Tent returned to campus this semester for a week of worship, prayer and healing, after making its debut at the corner of 5th Street and Nursery Road on November 11 of last year. “It’s just a time of being on your face before the Lord,” said Sarah Pierce, one of the founders of the Healing Tent. “It’s really just between you and God what you want to do that week. The tent is available for anybody to use. Even if there’s no one there you can come in, bring a blanket or a chair and … [Read more...]
Q & A with Abby Kirkman
Abby Kirkman is a senior finance major with complementary majors in Spanish and businesss information systems. She is from Martinsvile, Indiana. You recently were named the FSB Student of the Year. Tell me a little bit about your time in the FSB and some of the things you’re most proud of. It’s obviously been a great experience. I really enjoyed my time there. A lot of my story with the FSB has really just been taking advantage of the opportunities that have been presented to me and … [Read more...]
New SGA president and vice president talk future
Juniors Becca Peach and Carter Haupt are the new president and vice president respectively of SGA for the 2019-2020 academic school year. “Ever since I found out I have been oscillating wildly between being very excited about it and thinking, ‘What have I done,’” Peach said. Peach knows the pressures the title of president brings, but she is excited about the challenge. Peach has aspired to become the SGA president since the last SGA election when former President Victor Mweu ran … [Read more...]