Campus Life

Tabitha Valentine had an idea and she ran with it. Or danced with it, actually. Valentine, a student in the College of Fine Arts and Production, wanted to join a ballroom-dance club at GCU last fall. Told there wasn’t one, she decided to form the club herself.

Almost seven months have passed since the arts returned to Grand Canyon with the College of Fine Arts and Production and its first show, “The Pirates of Penzance.” In that time, the crew of pioneering COFAP students has succeeded in making it appear that the arts never left GCU.

Free pancakes outside the Student Union? What’s the catch? There were no strings attached Thursday morning as RAs Tyler Bhirdo and Jarred McDonald served up regular and chocolate-chip flapjacks, hot off the griddle. But that didn’t stop people from asking.

Despite the rain forcing much of the festivities indoors, Grand Canyon University celebrated Homecoming with a weekend of events and athletics. The University inducted Dr. Jim Rice and Dr. Gill Stafford into the GCU Athletics Hall of Fame. The University also honored senior student-athletes including FYP cover subject Samantha Murphy, Rosalyn Nelson, Kristi Girdley, Katie Johnson, Rony Tchatchoua and Gaby Ngoundjo. The weekend marked the final games for men’s basketball in Antelope Gymnasium. The team will be moving to the Grand Canyon University Arena next season. For more information on GCU Athletics visit gculopes.com.

As a few hundred students and staff looked on, the final two steel beams for Grand Canyon University Arena were hoisted into place by crane shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. The ceremonial topping-out marked a historic occasion for the University and the 5,000-seat facility, tentatively scheduled to open on October 1 as the home of the men’s and women’s basketball teams. The Arena also will host concerts and other productions.

The February 2011 issue of FYP is now available on campus and online. Get your copy at locations around Grand Canyon University.

The Office of Campus Life is proud to present the finalists for the 2011 Homecoming Court. You can vote for your favorites February 17 and 18 in the Student Union. The winners will be announced at halftime of the men’s basketball game on Saturday, February 19. The game begins at 7:15 p.m. in Antelope Gym.

Cardio. Cardio. Cardio. I cannot emphasize it enough. Doing a 100 crunches a day may seem like a great path towards a flat stomach (or a six-pack) but did you know that cardio is actually a much more successful route to burning belly fat?

GC+You is a weekly blog contributed by GCU Campus Pastor Tim Griffin and Student Development Director John-Paul Reiger.

GCU College of Liberal Arts instructor Dr. James Beggs is know for his commitment to campus, as well as his dope rhymes. Watch as he sings praises of Grand Canyon’s student Recreation Center and the team led by Chuck Howard.