The decision to cancel classes happens before the vast majority of campus has opened their eyes. The call must be made before 6am that morning, so the debating begins around 4:30am.
Dr. Michael McCorcle, provost and professor of physics and metrology, said, “We have a simple text group that includes the other presidents of the other universities. It includes the superintendent of public schools.” This group coordinates and works together to decide what is best for students, community wide.
Those in charge of deciding whether there will be a snow day for students always choose the safest and best option for students, faculty and staff.
Unlike public schools who cancel more frequently because of how far busses travel, on the college level it has more to do with the condition of the campus and the roads leading up to it.
Sometimes, classes will not be cancelled but there will be a delayed start. This is because the facilities crew took longer to make the on-campus conditions safer, causing a later start to the academic day.
When classes were cancelled on February 5th, 2020, students may have been confused because there was little to no snow. This was because the decision was made according to weather forecasts the night before and for that day. The staff and Provost decided to keep their students safe rather than risking their safety upon coming to class.
Students living on Evangel’s campus may have noticed the difficulty in finding a decent parking space and the tight clear-outs after chapel services. This is all due to campus population growth that can be attributed to our hard working admissions team and new scholarship opportunities.
This year’s enrollment exceeds last year’s by nearly 100 students.
The university took a more generous look into the academic performance of students. Rather than looking so closely at their ACT or SAT score upon applying, they are now paying more attention to the student’s overall GPA.
A new sibling scholarship has also been added to available scholarships that allows students who have a sibling on campus already to receive money. Both the incoming student and the current sibling will receive the scholarship.
The well known Founder’s Scholarship has also been altered based on previous years applications. The accepted ACT score was lowered from a 25 to a 24 so that more students can be eligible.
Because the Founder’s scholarship was not contributing many students to the Fine Arts department or theology and communications programs, the university has created the Fine Arts scholarship. This award targets incoming students who have an interest in communications, humanities, theology and music.
The hard work of the admissions team has paid off. Much of Evangel’s income is tuition based, this rise in attendance is gratefully welcomed. Breighann McKnight, assistant director for admissions and recruitment said, “It’s great to see the fruit of our labor. It’s definitely been one of the most rewarding years.”
The decision to cancel classes happens before the vast majority of campus has opened their eyes. The call must be made before 6am that morning, so the debating begins around 4:30am.
Dr. Michael McCorcle, provost and professor of physics and metrology, said, “We have a simple text group that includes the other presidents of the other universities. It includes the superintendent of public schools.” This group coordinates and works together to decide what is best for students, community wide.
Those in charge of deciding whether there will be a snow day for students always choose the safest and best option for students, faculty and staff.
Unlike public schools who cancel more frequently because of how far busses travel, on the college level it has more to do with the condition of the campus and the roads leading up to it.
Sometimes, classes will not be cancelled but there will be a delayed start. This is because the facilities crew took longer to make the on-campus conditions safer, causing a later start to the academic day.
When classes were cancelled on February 5th, 2020, students may have been confused because there was little to no snow. This was because the decision was made according to weather forecasts the night before and for that day. The staff and Provost decided to keep their students safe rather than risking their safety upon coming to class.
Political decisions impact a significant part of students lives and it is essential that they are educated, informed, and involved in those decisions, by choosing to vote.
Voting is the means which American citizens express support or dissatisfaction in government.
Robert Bartels, Associate professor, says, “It doesn’t matter what your major is on campus. You honestly have to pay attention to politics because it will impact your field once you graduate.”
When Bartels began teaching at Evangel, he was the advisor for the inactive democrats club. However, Sophomore Jordan Bell is now the president of the Evangel Republicans club.
Bell said, ““We are a conservative club, but we want to open that up to anyone that’s interested in politics.”
Deven Powers, who started the club last year, said, “You can be a Christian and be a Republican or Democrat—it doesn’t matter—but knowing what you believe and why you believe it, I think that’s my biggest goal.”
The Evangel Political Initiative Committee has been formed to discuss issues that both sides agree on and to find ways to advocate for those issues on campus.
The Equality Act bill fails to consider or mention religious organizations and if it was to be passed in its current state, President Carol Taylor says, “it would strip all religious exemptions away from faith-based institutions.”
The Equality Act that was introduced in March 2019 presents the LGBTQ+ as a protected class and it would make the Religious Freedom Restoration Act unusable when challenging protections that Evangel University would likely take such as the use of shared facilities, like locker rooms and restrooms.
For most Christian universities, this bill would prohibit students from federal funding, in turn, forcing them to shut down.
Despite these concerns, the bill is still being discussed in senate.
In response to the bill, Shirley V. Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities supports the act as a solution-based approach and she said that it is principled, and a “clear and demonstrable way for people of faith to “love our neighbor in the civic context”.
President Taylor, Professor Bartels and Vice President Sheri Phillips all agree that the best way for Christians to respond to these changing times is to reflect the love of Jesus and to be informed about what is happening around us.
President Taylor said, ”There is no legislation and there is no government that can destroy the church, that can destroy Christianity.”
Kanye West’s newest Album, “Jesus Is King”, has Evangel students listening. However, Jordan Spence, Senior and Music Recording technology major, says that despite some of the differences on this album, it still seems very similar to his other music.
Although the album was clearly lyrically “Christian”, Spence says that it just seemed like Christianity through Kanye’s eyes. Senior Aaron Henry agrees with Spence and says that he loves the ideas explored, but that they were not explored deeply.
Henry explained that we heard no explanation or story from Kanye about what brought him back to faith and that the “Jesus us King” album does not reflect Kanye’s transformation to Christianity.
Although the spiritual side of the album is lacking according to these two seniors, the musicality of the album is solid.
Regardless of anyones opinion of the album, it is no doubt that West is stirring up conversation and curiosity among young and old Christians alike.
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