2007-09-12, The Samford Crimson

>ady, set, spike Volleyball finishes second in DePaul Invitational Painting Samford Samford professor praised for upholding Christian values See page 4 Easy bake oven Cook up something fresh in the dorm using only a microwave See page 6 Samford Crimson Serving Samford University^Since 1915 Wednesday, September 12, 2007 www.samfordcrimson.com Volume 93 I Number 2 Convo system changes for new students Lydia Hignite The Samford Crimson University Ministries has imple¬ mented a new Convocation system that will change the way entering students earn Convo credit. Freshmen and transfer students with less than 16 academic credits will be required to earn 60 Convo credits in order to graduate, as opposed to the previous 64 credits. Each Convocation event will fall into one of five possible cate¬ gories: Academic Lecture, Christ¬ ian Faith Development, Cultural and Arts, Personal and Profession¬ al Growth and Faith-Based Ser¬ vice. “There was a need to have a system in place that reflected the current reality, which is that Convo is now done more than one way, and it’s much broader,” University Minister Matt Kerlin said. “It tends to cross a lot of aca¬ demic disciplines and so we want¬ ed to design a Convo system that reflected the fact that faith and learning happen differently, in dif¬ ferent academic areas.” The new Convo events into dif¬ ferent categories and freshmen are now required to earn 15 Convo credits in each category. This hinders students from sole¬ ly attending one area of Convoca¬ tion, which was a problem with the old system, according to Kerlin. Sophomores, juniors and sen¬ iors will still adhere to the previ¬ ous Convocation requirements. The old system entails earning 64 credits, and upperclassmen do not have to fulfill any category requirements. Each, student received a brochure that explained the new system at the beginning of last week. According to the pamphlet, the focus of the Christian Faith Development category will be “worship and spiritual formation,” whereas Academic Lecture’s will be “scholarly significance,” and Cultural Arts will expose students to “the visual and performing arts.” The focuses of Personal and Professional Growth and Faith- Based Service will be emotional, professional, skill-based develop¬ ment and community service. Faith-Based Service isn’t required, yet students can substi¬ tute these credits in place of cred¬ its for other categories. Freshman nursing major Emily Apple was in favor of the commu¬ nity service Convo credit option. “It just gives you a better expe¬ rience,” Apple said. However, the community serv¬ ice project must be approved as Convo credit prior to involvement. See CONVO, page 2 Jordan Beard I The Samford Crimson Students received pamphlets in their Samford mailboxes last jveek outlining the changes. Housing rules newly remodeled Danielle Cloyd The Samford Crimson Samford welcomed a class of 723 new students this semester. Coming from 25 different states, the freshmen class is one of this largest ever on Samford’s campus. The growing number of stu¬ dents resulted in several changes to campus life. The most notable transformation occurred within the Residence Life office. In preparation for this year’s sizable freshmen class, the univer¬ sity has had to turn several dorms inside out. “Assigning students to housing is like working a new puzzle each year. We have to fit all die pieces together, such as the number of students desiring campus housing, gender of students and the gender break-down of buildings, room¬ mate/room requests, etc.,” Resi¬ dence Life Director Lauren Taylor said. “The challenge each year is making sure that all the pieces fit together." The changes began when the formerly all-male Pittman dorm returned to female housing because 80 female students could not be accommodated in Vail. ' Freshmen males who were orig¬ inally assigned housing in Pittman were relocated to Mountain View, See HOUSING , page 2 Courtesy of ВШ Mathews The old building at Elstal is visibly in need of revamping. The building was previously occupied by Soviet soldiers and has since not had any residents. Plans to tear down the house are underway. Samford’s Germany property awaits promise of new study abroad house Shannon Dille The Samford Crimson Samford’s Daniel House in London has been enriching students’ lives through the study abroad program since it was purchased in the 1980’s. More opportunities are on the horizon for Samford because of last year’s land purchase in Berlin, Germany. The currently house on Samford’s property is not deemed adequate to fit the needs of those who will be a part of the study abroad program. Therefore, Samford has decided to demolish the old building and erect a new one in its place. “The old building at Elstal needs to be demolished, because it is beyond repair. The last occupants of the building were Soviet sol¬ diers who lived there before the Berlin Wall came down,” Provost Brad Creed said. “Even though we have not constructed a building on site at Elstal, we have a working relationship with the school there, and our stu¬ dents are able to use their housing and facilities for their study-abroad experiences.” Junior Meg Lozner, a world trade and Ger¬ man major, was able to experience Germany before the new land was purchased. Meg was the only Samford student that par¬ ticipated in the Germany study abroad program last semester. She attended eight different classes at the German college Padagogische Hochschule Weingarten on the border of Switzerland and Austria. “It was good because I was forced to speak German,” Lozner said. “All of the friends I made were German, and they were very helpful and patient. If you want to learn a foreign lan¬ guage, that’s the way ttf do it.” • However, German professor Angela Fergu¬ son said, “Berlin is a place where anyone could get by speaking only English.” Since many German citizens speak fluent English, Ferguson explained Germany would be suitable for more than just students who wish to brush up on their language skills. Ferguson said Germany has a culture that is rich in history and art. It may even be possible for students seeking an art or music appreciation credit to partici¬ pate in the study abroad program at the new house. Ferguson said the location is perfect for those who wish to fully experience all that Ger¬ many has to offer. The house itself is in a small, peaceful setting, but a 20-minute train ride offers a whole new experience in the heart of the city. The various museums, castles, palaces and memorials in Berlin are a great way to get a taste of the rich German historical culture. “You get a sense of what it is like to be in a real city like London or Paris,” Ferguson said. Even Berlin’s open-air markets offer visitors something that can only be found in Germany. “I’m excited to see what Samford University has in store for the Berlin house and how they will use it for educational and spiritual advancement,” environmental science and geo¬ graphic information systems major Matt McEniry said. “I hope that it is ready before 1 graduate so I can be able to take part in it.” Creed said,- “We are working currently on taking the steps to have the building razed, but at this time, there are no definite plans to begin construction on a new building in its place. For students who are interested in study¬ ing abroad in Germany, my advice is to take advantage of the programs that Samford offers in Germany.” Saints get the spotlight Lindsay Spencer I The Samford Crimson i can be found Depictions of in tne artwork of Caroline May The Samford Crimson While the main campus was busy with Wel¬ come Back events, the Beeson Divinity School decided to welcome students by focusing on wor¬ ship and personal devotion through Community Worship services. Last year’s service followed the book of Psalms, but this year the Divinity School focuses on many of the past Saints who have provided important examples for walking along the Christ¬ ian path through its series “Walking with the Saints.” r “We are pleased to present this guide as a resource for worship and personal devotion,” Dean of Beeson Divinity School Timothy George said. George decided to concentrate on the saints since each saint offers a unique message. The worship services center around Hebrews 12:1-2 in the New Testament: “There¬ fore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race 1 out for us.” “Walking with the Saints” began with a discus¬ sion of Patrick, a Bishop and missionary of Ire¬ land who led many Irish people to convert to Christianity. George has invited a wide variety of speakers who will bring different messages but focus on an extraordinary individual who has unknowingly guided many Christians in their walks with Jesus Christ. “It’s a new experience every time. Not only do you get to hear a different speaker each time, but you get to learn about the Saints as well,” fresh¬ man early childhood education major Stephanie Pike said. Most of the saints in the series are represented in the mural artwork in Hodges Chapel on the dome and pulpit. “In addition to the 16 witnesses featured in the chapel dome, the four Christian preachers whose likenesses are carved onto the pulpit and several of the 20th century Christian martyrs represented, and a few others were included to help us best represent the diverse work of Chris¬ tians around the world throughout the ages,” Bridget Rose, curator of Hodges Chapel, said.. See SAINTS, pagcil EDrrORlAL (205) 726-2998 I BUSINESS (205) 726-2474 Said story ideas to aim9on@samford.edu.