Oakland City University - Enter To Learn. Go Forth To Serve - Founded by General Baptists in 1885 | (812) 749-4781

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas break!  The students are moving back in today and getting ready for classes to begin tomorrow.  And then it’s back to taking tests, hanging out in the dorms, and attending OCU sporting events!

Maybe you are also thinking about going back to school, or maybe you are preparing to start your college experience for the first time.  Either way it can be a busy but exciting time in your life!  If you are looking for a small Christian campus where people know you by name and truly care about you, OCU could be the perfect fit for you.

Our next FOCUS Day is Monday, January 16, 2012.  Prospective students will have the opportunity to tour the campus, meet our professors, attend a class, eat a complimentary lunch in our cafeteria, and ask lots of questions about the school!   If you would like to set up a visit, just call us toll free at 1-800-737-5125.  Until then, here are a few links to check out…

• Oakland City University’s Virtual Tour with YOUniversity TV!  http://www.youniversitytv.com/video/viewvideo/7691/oakland-city-university/oakland-city-university
• Our NEW Admissions page!  http://www.oak.edu/admissions/
• And this slideshow of our buildings! 
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I can’t believe how fast this semester is going by, and I regret how much of it I have spent worrying.  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with what’s expected of me.  I forget that God has my life in His hands, and that He created life for me to enjoy, not to be stressed out about.  As I sit here at my desk watching Fall Semester unfold on my screen, I pick up the remote and push pause to relax and reflect on some of the highlights.

Scene – Organization Day

OCU students are…

Learning more about local businesses and OCU clubs.

Signing up for prizes and indulging in free food.

Scene – The Great Romance

The Great Romance is…

Sharing music and testimonies during Wednesday morning chapel.

Putting on a rock/worship concert in the Student Life Center.

Scene – Earthlight

Earthlight members are…

Opening for Building 429 at a concert in Evansville, Indiana.

Ministering through music and telling people about OCU.

When Your Life seems to be passing you by and stressing you out, take the remote and push pause to reflect on the highlights and think about your purpose in life.  Take time to enjoy the days for what they are worth.  When you feel overwhelmed, remember that God is the director of Your Life, and submit your agenda and goals to His script.  He really is a great writer.  “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” – Matthew 6:34. 

Just imagine…brightly-colored, diverse flags blowing in the breeze in front of a blue and billowy white backdrop. People in matching OCU shirts greeting you as you haul in all your earthly goods to your new place of lodging. And (insert your favorite ice cream flavor here) greeting you at the end of this scenario. This is Day 1 at OCU.

Just imagine…the feeling of sand between your toes as you come back to earth after a sweet spike during a game of sand volleyball. Running around on the Grassy Knoll during a game of OCU’s most popular intramural activity. And sitting outside on a hot summer night watching (insert your favorite movie title here) with all your new friends. This is Week 1 at OCU.

Just imagine…Finally getting to study about your new favorite subject. Reaching your senior year of college and seeing your dreams as they are coming true. And working to make a difference one step at a time as you make that less than five minute walk to class while hearing people say, “Hi, (insert your first name here)!” This is Year 1 through 4 at OCU.

Just imagine…If you stay home, you’ll just imagine and never experience. If you come here, this image you are looking at can come to life because you’ll no longer be the one looking at the image; you’ll be the one I’m looking at through a Canon viewfinder. Oakland City University – a place where you should (insert your life story here). This is you at OCU. 

We are back in the office.  As I sit here at my desk while munching on Sun Chips and trying to get into the writing mode, only one word really comes to mind.  Exhausted.  Why, you may ask?  Yesterday was the end of our new student orientation on campus known as Summer Spree.  While this three day/two night event was jam-packed with all kinds of fun activities that I don’t have room to write about, there was one thing that really jumped out at me and said, “Write about THIS!”

“This” was the fact that the new students and their parents were able to experience for themselves what the OCU community is really all about.  And that is just it.  Community.

After they ran all over the Student Life Center during the scavenger hunt, the students won some pretty great prizes (like a refrigerator, iPod, and flat screen TV, just to name a few!).  This was followed by an information session for the students and their parents on topics like financial aid, campus security, and dorm life.  Not only did our faculty, staff, and resident directors go out of their way to make Summer Spree a success, their doors are always open, and they make the OCU community what it is…a family.

Ah, yes.  And then there was the Earthlight concert.  (If you haven’t heard of Earthlight, they are a group of OCU students who sing, play instruments, and travel around ministering in churches).  This was the first year the group performed at Summer Spree.  They really wanted to be here to minister to the new students and let them know that this is a community of faith.  Singing along to the worship songs was a real blessing and showed me that God’s door is open to anyone wanting to find Him.

After the Holiday World trip, some of the students gathered in the SLC lounge late at night to watch a movie on the big inflatable screen.  We set up the couches in rows like a movie theater and had pizza delivered from the local favorite.  After the movie, we all went back to the dorms (I guess you could say I got to be an RA for two nights!).  It was late, and I was tired, but I left my door open while I got on the computer for a few minutes before going to bed.  One of the girls walked by my room and asked if I wanted to come over and eat ice cream with them.  We didn’t know each other, but that doesn’t really matter at Brokaw Hall; everyone leaves their doors open, and it is a great community to be a part of.

While a community is made up of many open doors to walk through, if you want to be a part of it, you also have to be an open door.  An open door to your professors, an open door to what God wants to do with your life, and an open door to the other students around you.  Sometimes you may think that you don’t need anyone or that they don’t need you, but if you get involved you’ll realize how much richer your life is when you are a part of a community…a family.

I mentioned the word “exhausted” at the beginning of this blog.  That word doesn’t always have to carry a negative connotation.  I’d like to think of it as more of a content feeling, knowing that we gave our all and made a difference.  I feel like we accomplished that this week, and we will keep doing so if we continue to let our lives be open doors.

Oakland City University.  The door’s open.  Come on in. 

Ah, graduation.  It’s one of those events in life that feels like it will never arrive, but when it finally does we’re amazed at how fast the time actually went by.  Having just graduated from OCU last year, I find it baffling that a whole year has already come and gone.  People keep telling me that the years seem to go by faster with each passing year, and I’m finding it to be true.

While graduation is a time to celebrate the accomplishments and hard work of our students, it also means it’s time to say goodbye.  We’re going to miss our graduates, who have become the faces of OCU.  They have each made an impact on this school, and we are excited to see how they will each in their own unique way go forth to serve and make a difference in the world.

While you are reading this blog, you may be trying to decide on what major you should pursue or what school you should attend.  In thinking about these things, consider how you can make a difference and become the face of “ ? ”. 

…or three or four or however many friends you wanted to dine with.  Regardless, the OCU Student Government Association hosted Formal Tea for our students and their guests.  Upon arrival inside the neon-colored, zebra-printed banquet room, the attendees gathered with their friends around the ornately decorated tables.  And then, what everyone was waiting for was served formal style.  A delicious meal of salad, beef, chicken, vegetables, and rolls awaited the Formal Tea goers. 

After the meal and the induction ceremony of new SGA officers, everyone put on their Formal Tea favors (neon hats, glasses, and glow jewelry) and found themselves on the dance floor.  Halfway into the evening, four students were crowned as OCU royalty.  The attendees also took crazy pictures with their friends in the photo booth and had refreshments at the candy bar and soft drink stations.  Everyone had the time of their lives, and we owe it all to SGA at OCU! 

Some people call it Fear Factor; we call it Murph’s Challenge.  Physical and mental challenges awaited the daring students of OCU, and many people gathered outside to cheer on the five teams.  After wheel barrel racing across the Grassy Knoll, the participants had to see how long they could hold two bottles of Gatorade with their arms stretched out at their sides.  If you had been there, you would have heard people shouting over and over, “If you drop them, I’ll drop them!”  

The next three challenges were held in the Cafeteria.  I won’t tell you what the challenges were, but I will tell you there were blindfolds, razors, edible play dough, and “thousand year old eggs.”  Many students were up for the challenges; not all passed the tests.  I won’t tell you who won either, but if you decide to come to school at OCU, you could be a part of the 2^nd Annual Murph’s Challenge next Spring.  Even if you don’t compete in the challenges, it’s a very exciting event to be a spectator of! 

It’s never too early to start thinking about college, even if you are just in first grade.  Chandler Elementary School brought about 100 first graders to OCU for a field trip.  Our Student Ambassadors gave them a campus tour, and they got to see the President’s Office, browse through the Dunn Art Gallery, and play a little foosball in the game room.  After eating their sack lunches in the Johnson Center, they got to meet some of our student athletes.  Our guests were especially excited to meet athletes from places like Venezuela, Australia, and Scotland!  After the meet and greet, the first graders participated in all kinds of fun activities in the Kennedy Center hosted by the School of Education. 

The first graders are college bound, and it’s never too early for YOU to be thinking about college either.  We would love for you to come visit OCU, take a tour of campus, and meet some of our professors and students.  Any questions that you have, we will gladly help you with! 

The Campus Life Office hosted One Day Without Shoes for all OCU students, faculty, and staff.  This event, created by TOMS Shoes, was put on to raise awareness for children who suffer everyday because they don’t have shoes.  After walking into the Johnson Center, everyone kicked off their shoes to play games and participate in activities such as footwashing, jewelry making, foot tattoos, and triathlons.  The students could also purchase a pair of TOMS shoes and decorate them however they wanted to. 

I thought I would take a moment to fill you, the readers of the OCU Blog, in on all that has happened on campus since my last blog entry.  Even though Earthlight has been traveling around to share their music in various churches, they were able to sing for chapel at the end of February.  For all you Earthlight fans, the group’s recently released CD can be purchased in the OCU Bookstore!

While the Student Ambassadors have been doing the usual call nights and campus visits, the Canned Food Drive on campus and the Winter Jam concert in Evansville were just a couple of the extra fun events that they had the chance to be a part of.

Well, as I’m sitting here thinking about it, there were so many other events that went on, that I don’t have room to write about all of them!  Just to highlight a few though, we recently opened the Deaconess Health Clinic here on campus, allowing our students easy access to health care.  We also hosted the NCCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament in the Johnson Center for the fifth year.  And last but not least, our drama department put on the play “CLUE” with different endings each night!