Campus Life

Home to more than 130 international students representing more than 46 countries, Grand Canyon University has a diverse student population worth celebrating. Beginning Monday, November 14, the Center for International Education is collaborating with both ASGCU and the International Student Club to celebrate the diverse GCU campus with International Education Week. Students are invited to a different event each day of the week.

The blond wigs were out in force for Monday’s meeting of College of Nursing faculty, with Dean Anne McNamara overseeing a wild and crazy Halloween costume competition between graduate and undergraduate instructors. “There’s a little bit of frivolity going on here,” McNamara acknowledged as things got under way at the Howerton lecture hall.

Sophomore pre-med major Jessica Barajas soaks up the opportunities to serve. After a car accident has kept her in and out of the hospital for most of this semester, she has worked hard to return to campus and dive back into service. She coordinated an upcoming blood drive with teh American Red Cross. “As a future physician, I now know what it feels like to be a patient,” she says. “I know that feeling of being afraid and overwhelmed. the experience gave me more compassion.”

Everyone knows that first impressions are important. Because of this, GCU has pulled out all the stops when it comes to welcoming prospective students to campus for the first time. The Antelope Reception Center in the northwest corner of the new Arena has been designed to ensure that prospective students and their families have the best first impression of the University. “When a student is coming to GCU for the first time, we want to make sure we’ve rolled out the ‘purple carpet’ for them,” says Shannon Landers, director of the ARC. “This is going to be the first part of campus they see.”

A formula for success has emerged in GCU’s student lip-sync contest, a full-on spectacle that moved into the Arena on Thursday night. To score points with the crowd and the judges, contestants are advised to have (a) a killer look, (b) some smart dance moves or, preferably, (c) both. The Frothy Boyz, who performed to the gone-but-not-forgotten “Ice Ice Baby,” brought the complete package and took first place before an enthusiastic crowd of about 800.

Today is the day you will begin to never “diet” again! Your new definition of diet is your Daily Intake of Energy Treats! Your daily eating plan and your five meals a day is your diet. No deprivation, all real foods, no packaged or precooked foods. Just a good, healthy eating plan.

As GCU’s senior vice president of campus operations, Sarah Boeder makes things happen. She oversees admissions, academic counseling and finance counseling and everything they involve. Married for 10 years and the mother of two children, ages 6 and 4, Boeder has been with the University for three years and held a variety of positions in that time.

Senior nursing student Heather McKean has her sights set on graduation, and then a future in forensic nursing. She credits her friend and fellow nursing student Kim Wright with helping her succeed in the GCU nursing program. “Find a classmate that thinks like you do,” she advises. “Connect with someone you can study with and support each other.”

many fast food chains have redirected their efforts to become more health conscious for us busy people on the go. Here are some tips when you decide to drive through one of these chains.

Musician, tutor, cheerleader, skydiver, chess player, pre-Med major. GCU senior Chris Mellon is what you might consider a social butterfly. He is a fixture around campus, with two years of tutoring sciences, statistics and writing in the Center for Learning and Advancement. He is a regular performer at Java Jam. He jumped head first into the Canyon Kids ministry, meeting with local children on Saturday mornings. “The biggest part of college isn’t what you learn,” he says. “It is the person you become. My time at GCU has established who I am as a person and how I connect with people.” In his last year at GCU, Mellon has his mind set on med school and recently completed the MCAT.