{"id":2182,"date":"2018-09-12T15:52:36","date_gmt":"2018-09-12T15:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/?p=2182"},"modified":"2019-06-12T10:24:52","modified_gmt":"2019-06-12T15:24:52","slug":"active-and-involved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/magazine\/2018\/09\/12\/active-and-involved\/","title":{"rendered":"Active and Involved"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whatever the latest buzz word you choose to use, everyone knows it\u2019s always a good thing when you\u2019re keeping college students busy and engaged.<\/p>\n

Shana Meyer, vice president of Student Affairs, said several years of research have shown that there is a strong correlation between student involvement and student success, so her office staff understands the importance of busy, engaged students.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want our students to learn through hands-on experiences, inside and outside of the classroom,\u201d she said. \u201cThey have the opportunity to learn about themselves through introductions to different ways of thinking, new experiences, and interactions with students and staff of varying backgrounds and heritages. University life is all about learning and growth, and much of that occurs outside the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even the name of those activities outside the classroom has changed over the years. Meyer said they used to be called extra-curricular, but now are called co-curricular because the activities work side-by-side with academics.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents who are involved on campus have higher rates of persistence and positive outcomes.\u00a0We want our students to succeed, so we\u2019re here to help provide opportunities that will help.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the choices for students to get involved at 大象传媒 Western are as varied as the students themselves, she said. Two enduring activities since the University\u2019s early days are the intramural program and faith-based organizations.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

1981 Intramurals<\/p><\/div>\n

Intramural fun<\/strong>
\nAlthough the term \u201cintramurals\u201d isn\u2019t used in the 1920-21 Griffon Yearbook, a photo and article about the Sports Club for women sounds like what would be called an intramural program today. The article says that this is the second year for the organization, and 30 members were listed. The aim of the organization was \u201cthe encouragement of good healthy sports among the girls,\u201d and activities included basketball, swimming, tennis and roller-skating.<\/p>\n

Intramural mentions do appear in the Griffon yearbooks over the next several decades, including a 1935 entry that mentions ping-pong as the most popular winter sport and includes photos of intramural field hockey, tennis, basketball and shot put. A 1942 yearbook mentions the addition of track, touch football and swimming; and several yearbooks from the 1960s contain photos of men\u2019s intramural basketball.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

1989 Intramurals<\/p><\/div>\n

In 1980, Faye Burchard was hired as the first full-time intramural coordinator for the College. Wonda Berry \u201984, the Recreation Services Director today, said the program wasn\u2019t very robust when Burchard started, but Burchard began to grow the program, both in offerings and participants. In fact, she began the intramural all-nighter, which continued into the 1990s. She also introduced beach volleyball, pillow polo and soccer on scooters. During Burchard\u2019s tenure, many faculty and staff participated in the intramural sports, as well.<\/p>\n

Berry, who was a pitcher for the softball team that was the national champion in 1982, was a work-study student in the intramural office under Burchard. \u201cI told her if she ever left, I wanted her job. She told me, \u2018Oh, Wonda, you don\u2019t want this job,\u2019\u201d Berry said with a laugh.<\/p>\n

But apparently, she really did, because Berry has been in the position since 1989. \u201cThis is where my heart is. I enjoy the college atmosphere,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Burchard left in 1988 and Ron Ferment was hired and worked at 大象传媒 Western one<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

2005 Intramurals<\/p><\/div>\n

year. Along with the usual intramural sports, he offered Mud Fest, volleyball in knee-deep mud; Monkey Golf, golfing nine holes with one club that was blindly picked; Mooshy Gooshy Marshmallow Mouth Stuff; and throwing a frozen turkey down a hallway to knock down plastic bowling pins (yes, a frozen turkey). The next year, Berry, who had been serving as assistant softball coach at 大象传媒 Western, took the helm of the program and has been keeping students busy and active ever since (but without the frozen turkeys).<\/p>\n

After all these years, she says flag football, basketball, volleyball and other team sports are still the most popular intramural activities, but she is always looking for different ideas to attract more participants. Two years ago, she added a gingerbread house-decorating contest, and it was a hit with both students and staff. Offerings have also included a pumpkin carving contest, pigskin picks, card tournaments and more. When the disc golf course was created in the 1990s, that was added to the intramural lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to keep everybody active. This gives them a social place to go and a break from their studies,\u201d Berry said. \u201cA lot of students are in athletics in high school, and this gives them a place to play and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the job for almost 30 years, Berry says she sometimes thinks about retiring. \u201cBut every time I think about it, a former student comes in and says, \u2018I wouldn\u2019t be where I am today without you. I can\u2019t tell you what you mean to me.\u2019\u201d And thoughts of retirement go right out of her head. \u201cI\u2019ve met a lot of great people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Organizations with a side of faith
\n<\/strong>The first mention of a faith-based organization is in the 1949 Griffon Yearbook, where there is a group photo of members of the Baptist Student Union. A 1951 yearbook contains a photo of the Newman Club, but the 1956 yearbook notes that the Newman Club started on campus in 1946. Although information about the groups is sparse for several years, both started up again in the mid-1970s and have remained mainstays on campus ever since.<\/p>\n

Throughout the school year, the Baptist Student Union and the Catholic Newman Center, both located in houses across from the main campus entrance on Mitchell Avenue, offer several weekly activities and fun events around holidays. For the BSU students, Baptist churches from a five-county area provide a weekly meal during the school year.<\/p>\n

Sarah Aberer, president of the CNC, said their weekly men\u2019s and women\u2019s group meetings usually end around 8:30 p.m., but most of the participants stay and visit with each other until the center closes at midnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Newman Center has become my favorite place to be,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has given me a place where I can build Christ-centered relationships. It\u2019s my home away from home and I thank God for it every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam Le said his friend encouraged him to join the BSU when he arrived on campus, and now he is a student leader for the group. \u201cHaving a community is cool; I didn\u2019t have that before,\u201d he said. \u201cI like to be able to talk about my walk with Jesus and the struggles. I like being with people who are going through the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a bit of comfort finding kids who you relate to on a spiritual level,\u201d said Paul Damery, full-time director of the BSU for the past 13 years. \u201cI like seeing students grow up in their faith and really take ownership of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leeds Haroldson has been the director of the CNC for eight years. \u201cI hope the students continue growing\u00a0as\u00a0faithful and joyful disciples of Christ in order that they\u00a0develop a greater love of God and neighbor,\u201d he said. \u201cAs the students\u2019 knowledge of other academic disciplines matures, so too we see it as important for the students to develop a mature understanding of God and their faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Student Government Awards Banquet at the end of the spring semester, the CNC won two awards \u2013 most outstanding faith-based organization and most active organization. The group is perhaps best known for a project they started a decade ago \u2013 the Flex Food Drive. Every spring as the semester draws to a close, students across campus have the opportunity to donate unused dollars from their meal plan (flex) accounts, and the CNC purchases food from Aramark Campus Dining for the Second Harvest Community Food Bank. In 2018, the group raised $7,700, bringing their total raised over 10 years to more than $44,000.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Damery said the BSU members engage in community service through the churches they attend, but the group also volunteers on campus, from helping with move-in day for freshmen to working with GriffsGiveBack to host \u201cStacks with Max,\u201d a pancake dinner to help raise money for Make a Wish Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a community and a group of friends who are all encouraging,\u201d said Brad McClintick, a student leader at the BSU.<\/p>\n

\u201cReligion is a big part of my life. You need people who share your values, and here, you can be your authentic self,\u201d Aberer said.<\/p>\n

Meyer said that for Student Affairs, the goal is engagement on campus.\u00a0\u201cCampus involvement helps students attain their educational objectives while gaining the skills and competencies employers will want once that student graduates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attention, BSU and CNC alumni! Want to reconnect? The current members want to hear from you:
\n<\/em>Baptist Student Union: mowestbsu@gmail.com
\n<\/em>Catholic Newman Center: saberer@missouriwestern.edu<\/em><\/p>\n

大象传媒 Western has more than 60 student clubs and organizations on campus. Last spring, the Student Government Association announced its annual award winners for 2017-18:<\/p>\n