Campus Life

Following Jesus isn’t easy. It’s a frequent message at Chapel, but Luke Simmons had some interesting things to say Monday about why Jesus’ followers found it so difficult — and sometimes we do, too. For example, he equated following Jesus to get what you want to marrying someone for their money. “… That’s not how Jesus wants to be approached, and yet so many of us, that’s what we do,” Simmons said.

It was a big weekend full of connection building and leadership within the Honors College. This year, the Honors College hosted their annual Leadership Conference in a hybrid format, allowing students to choose whether they would like to participate in person or via Zoom. Doing so brought in a record number of attendees for the event. “I Think that just goes to show how much students are wanting to have this experience,” Honors College Program Manager Dennis Williams said. “It’s certainly well above any numbers we’ve had for this event when you combine the Zoom attendees with our live attendees.”

“I get to share a part of me,” sophomore Biblical studies major Moises Rodriguez said at the Honduras booth at Culture Fest, where he told students how “coffee is HUGE” in Honduras and spoke about the country being home to the second largest coral reef in the world. The travel-themed event Thursday on Juniper Field — the biggest event of the year for the Multicultural, Diversity and Inclusion Office — featured 22 countries and cultures, along with performances of Tahitian and hula dance, Native American flute and Brazilian drumming by the GCU Samba Ensemble.

Chapel was turned over to the twentysomethings on Monday, and they were more than up to the task. After nine GCU alumni performed more than a half-hour of inspiring worship music, Nick Ely (class of 2014) delivered an equally impactful message urging students to inspire older generations by living a life of faith. “With all of the reasons that people have to look down on you, if you are a follower of Jesus it is possible for you to live in a way that will make them look up to you,” he said.

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, but a little-thought-of clause in the amendment that states slavery may yet exist as a punishment for crime, poses a thought-provoking loophole. Director Ava DuVernay explores what that loophole has meant for the Black community and for systemic racism today in her documentary, “13th,” which GCU students viewed and discussed recently at the campus’ final Black History Month event.

The pandemic wasn’t going to keep the GCU community from celebrating alumni, students and their families. That determined spirit was the catalyst for this year’s virtual Homecoming and Family Week. For the first time, the two events have been combined to bring together everyone in the GCU community for a week filled with tours, livestreams, watch parties and access to GCU archives.

Photos by Garrett Ohrenberg GCU News Bureau The annual Mr. GCU men’s talent competition returned Wednesday night to GCU Arena. Jard Cassell was named the winner among the eight contestants. Read the story here.  

COVID-19 may have disrupted so many things — everything, really — but it couldn’t stop the GCU community from finding ways to help its neighbors. From establishing new partnerships, such as with CityServe International in the USDA Farmers to Families food box distributions, to strengthening existing partnerships with such groups as Chicanos por la Causa, GCU has become an even more integral part of the community. “It’s a more intimate relationship that we have with the community,” said Community Relations Manager Debbie Accomazzo. “We’re all coming from the same place of vulnerability, and, because of that, we all have the same risks and many of the same things at stake. So I think we’re sharing that vulnerability in new ways.” Reprinted from the February 2021 issue of GCU Magazine.

Teaching financial literacy is part of the foundation of the Colangelo College of Business, and students seeking a path to money management will have a new, state-of-the-art place this fall to learn about the industry. The Charles Schwab Foundation Finance Learning Center will be on the first floor of the CCOB Building.

Students in GCU’s Dance Department hear some of the success stories that have come out of the program, and last week they got to work with one of those people. Richelle “Ricki” Stevenson, who graduated in 2015, is now with Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet and came to campus for a residency. “There’s just such strength and talent in this program, it makes me very excited to be an alumni and also very excited about coming back now,” she said.