DIVERSITY & INCLUSION TASK FORCE ENSUES

CCU is looking to establish a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, with Student Advocate and Academic Advisor Jonathan Garrett as its coordinator.

“I was sitting and talking with Tom Thatcher one day eating lunch, and we were discussing diversity and inclusion issues in CCU, and he asked me if I was interested in being a diversity and inclusion coordinator because of all the work he’s seen me do at Solidarity over the last two years,” explained Garrett.

The task force currently consists of six faculty members: Student Services Administrative Coordinator Lydia Darlington, Student Involvement Coordinator Roger Bishop, School of Business Department Chair Dave Farris, Assistant Professor Laura Pressley, Urban Scholars Program Coordinator Carole Strecker, and First-Year Experience Coordinator Karin Admiraal.

“The goal is overall to actually make the campus look more like the Gospel because we have a lot of division here at CCU, unfortunately,” continued Garrett.

On the topic of international students, Garrett expressed his understanding that “international students are not only coming to this school, but they’re coming to a school in a culture that is not their own.”

“It’s one thing to say, ‘You’ve got classes and got to do homework,’ and it’s another thing to say, ‘Who helps me understand the culture?’” said Garrett. “One of the international students that came for a semester in grad school, he just needed help catching a bus to go grocery shopping.”

CCU is currently making improvements to ensure that the transition to the United States and college life is easier for international students.

Darlington, along with Registrar Amanda Derico and Associate Registrar Judy Pratt, recently went through a foreign student advising training led by Ron Cushing, director of international services at University of Cincinnati.

“The role I’d like to be in is one that can just kind of advise students not just on an academic level or for immigration reasons, but just to orient them to America and being at a university in America,” said Darlington.

“It’s so important to have somebody teach you those things, so I’d like to get into that.”

CCU PREPARES GLOBAL LEADERS

BY: RACHEL FISH

CCU’s mission statement is to develop selfless, well-rounded leaders who follow Christ and positively impact their community, country, and world. This includes training and preparing international leaders to impact their side of the world with the Gospel.

CCU has graduated more than 50 international students in the last 15 years, with 17 foreign students currently attending CCU, according to Registrar Amanda Derico.

Some international students reflected on their CCU experience. “At first it was difficult to get the studying part right,” said Junior Simon Saleem, a psychology major from Pakistan.

“The education system in America is different from how it is in Pakistan. It took me a while before I got used to how things are done here,” he added.

“My goals in the future are to get further equipped with psychological knowledge and expand my horizons on what God wants me to do with the skills I have acquired,” Saleem continued.

“After I am done with my studies I plan on going back to Pakistan to proclaim the word where it is urgently needed.”

International students at CCU include graduate students as well.

“1994 was the time I started praying to be able to come here at CCU. It took me like 22 years of praying and I almost gave up,” said Graduate Student Victor Dela Serna, who is from the Philippines and is pursuing an M.A. in Leadership Studies. The whole process for Serna to apply to CCU took over a year.

“When I first applied, I sent everything. Then after a couple of weeks, the person I was speaking with was laid off. So, I applied again and spoke to this person again, and then after like a month, the person is laid off again. So, it took me like four different batches of people before I finally set everything,” he said.

One of CCU’s international alums is Taweepong Yinthanm from Thailand. Yinthanm graduated from CCU in 2016 with a master’s in Biblical Studies and is currently the pastor of the Thai Outreach Hollywood Church in Los Angeles.

“My goals are having a happy family and life by serving God,” said Yinthanm. “And my project for the future is building a library in my hometown which will be one of the most important landmarks in South East Asia and disciple people to Christ until the end of my life.”

Yinthanm attributed his ease of assimilating to the culture in the USA to his friends and professors at CCU.

“Professors and officers were very kind and they helped me to get through so many difficult things during I was studying at CCU.”

Undergraduate Admissions Counselor Zach Muller also offered another aspect of CCU’s involvement with international students.

“With the recent expansions of our athletic department, our coaches have aided in recruiting some of our current international students,” said Undergraduate Admissions Counselor Zach Muller.

“CCU as an institution strives to be as diverse as the Church is, and international students are part of what help CCU realize this endeavor,” he added.

IN MY OPINION: EXTEND A HAND TO INTERNATIONALS

BY: RACHEL FISH

Hwa hwa and hello! My name is Rachel Fish, and I am an international student from Myanmar (Burma). My major is Business Management and I am a junior.

CCU WHEN I ARRIVED

Coming to CCU, I was given the opportunity to learn a lot about the American culture and traditions through friends, professors, and events.
I remember the first international student dinner and get-together I went to hosted by former professor Steve Skaggs, which was held to welcome international students and give them an opportunity to connect with each other.

And it was at these events where my eyes would be opened to see how diverse CCU actually was and connect with people who were so different yet so similar to me. It gave me an opportunity to say hi to a familiar face and learn the amazing stories of these people.

There was also a car for international students, donated by a ministry called Valley of Baca, to get around easier, whether for grocery shopping or exploring the new city.
CCU does not currently have an international liaison, and international students are starting to become less connected with each other.

The international car is long gone, international dinners are no longer a thing, and I no longer know all the cool places where CCU international students are from.

“I love CCU and we claim to have a big focus on diversity and what not, but I think it’s too much on words and it’s not much on action,” said Senior Benji Reano Cuellar, originally from Colombia.

“If they were going to claim to be as diverse-focused, they should make a bigger effort to actually integrate the diverse groups on campus, with each other and with other people,” he added.

“I kind of had to do a lot of that myself. I get along very well with the international students, but it would have been great if I met them before.”

However, the recent addition of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force serves as a glimmer of hope of CCU’s efforts towards involving international students.
(see lead story in today’s issue)

WHAT WE CAN DO

Personally, I would have never been able to survive college if it were not for the people I have met during my time in the States. It sounds cliché, but it is true.

Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving: those were usually the seasons my homesickness would hit hard.

People would talk of seeing their families, going on trips with relatives, giving and receiving gifts from their loved ones; everything a student 8000 miles away from her family could not do.

I hope people realize that during those times, every time a person would offer an invitation to their house for dinner or a place to stay or even just a small lunch date, they were providing me not only company but a home, a friend, a family.

It is very meaningful to international students when people reach out to them. You are making your fellow students feel as much at home in the USA as you do.

So thank you for everything. Thank you for being home.

SEE YOU, SENIORS

BY: JONATHAN MARVIN

As CCU enters finals week, some students are experiencing more than just final exams. With the end of the year comes final Family services, final classes with their favorite teachers, and final days with close friends.

Graduating seniors now reach a unique crossroads.

It is a time to look back on the place that they have come from, all the things they learned, the people they have met, the experiences they have had. On the other hand, it is a time to look forward to new jobs, new locations, and new experiences.

It can be both a time of pure excitement and a time of heavy-heartedness.

“I’m definitely going to miss Family, and the community that I’ve built in my life here,” said Senior Jake Christie. “In a weird way, I’m going to miss going to school, too.”

Senior Eric Craft holds similar feelings while looking forward to his job lined up after graduation.

“After school, I am going to Southwest Church in Springboro, Ohio to be a pastor for their junior high kids,” Craft explained. “That being said, it’s hard to leave the community I’ve built here.”

Senior Sarah Stacy has already used her business management degree to obtain a full-time job as a recruiter at Living Room, a business research firm, and admits that she’ll miss “the professors and her friends” and “being an athlete.”

Among members of faculty leaving this year are Dr. Johnny Pressley, professor of Theology, and Professor Shawnee Fleenor, professor of English, who are both relocating.

Though these transitions are both difficult and exciting, and many, this writer included, are watching friends leave, the takeaway from these seniors’ experiences is for all students to take a look around them and enjoy the time at CCU, because that final week on campus will be here before you know it.

FOOD, FUN, FINALS

BY: CAILEY BLAIR

Instead of releasing your exam stress through Twitter memes, get ready for the biannual finals week events.

SAB has spent the past month planning three events to help students relax during finals week, according to Junior Monika Schilling, SAB member.

Kicking off the week with an event that has been done for several previous exam weeks, the Student Union will host Late Night Breakfast & Bingo starting at 10 p.m. on Monday.

Bingo prizes are currently displayed in the Student Union, including dorm essentials like air fresheners and laundry baskets, movies, kites, and games, and the top prize, a 43” TV.

“The prizes are pretty cool, and who doesn’t love Late Night Breakfast? My friends and I always make it a point to go,” said Senior Stephanie Linn.

Next is Taco Tuesday, a tacos and open gym event beginning at 9 p.m. on May 9. Students are invited to hang out, eat tacos, and play basketball or dodgeball with friends.

To wrap up this year’s SAB events, Cookies & Crafts begins at 8 p.m. in the Eagle’s Nest on Wednesday.

“It’s a great way to hang out with friends and take a nice break from studying for exams. Even if you don’t think you’ll like it, we do our best to make sure there’s something for everyone to enjoy,” Schilling said.

If you just can’t wait for next week’s events, tonight at 7:30 p.m. Senior Iain Skaggs is presenting an original play, Arthur Sable’s Crime, in Foster Hall. Tickets are free, and there’s still time to RSVP by emailing iain.skaggs@ccuniversity.edu.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: JOHNNY PRESSLEY LEAVING A LEGACY

BY: JONATHAN MARVIN

After nearly three decades of teaching at CCU, Dr. Johnny Pressley, professor of Theology, will depart from the university at the end of this semester to relocate and begin a new ministry.

Pressley is best known on campus for teaching the Basic Biblical Doctrines and Christian Ethics classes that all undergraduate students must take, as well as the 14 other graduate courses he teaches.

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Christian Ministry from Roanoke Bible College in Elizabeth City, North Carolina in 1975, before going to receive his Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey and Master of Divinity from Cincinnati Christian Seminary by 1979.

Finally, he achieved his Doctorate in Philosophy from Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania in 1989. Though he has taught at CCU for 27 years, in total he has 34 years under his belt as a full time professor, starting at Roanoke Bible College, now known as Mid-Atlantic Christian University. During his tenure, Pressley has also served as a Theology Department chair and the Dean of the Graduate School. He’s had a long history of preaching at churches, conferences, and retreats across 23 states and 15 countries. In addition, he’s an avid runner, having completed 19 marathons and a plethora of shorter races.

Having spent so many years at CCU, Pressley has quite a few memories to take with him, but one that stands out among the others is particularly humorous.

“At one of the midnight breakfast talent shows, I was asked to get up on stage and sing a song,” he explained. “So I got up and sang an ‘N Sync song for the students. I’ll never forget that.”

Though some rumors were that he was retiring, Pressley made it clear that he is really starting a new journey as the senior minister at the First Church of Christ in Washington, North Carolina.

It is here that he will spend his final working years, while also making occasional trips to speak at various locations. He indicated that these trips may also bring him back to Cincinnati on occasion.

“This is definitely a combination of ‘goodbye’ and ‘who knows when,’” he said.

In his last few weeks, he leaves CCU with one final sentiment.

“I hope that my legacy is that I taught Bible doctrine as solid and simply as I could,” he said. “My first class I taught was Basic Biblical Doctrine as a graduate student, and it will be the last class I teach. This seems like an appropriate beginning and ending for me.”

PLANTING THE GO GREEN INITIATIVE

BY: CAILEY BLAIR

Recently, two groups on campus have taken up the task of creating a culture of renewal at CCU.

While they are two separate entities, the CCU Go Green Initiative (GGI) and the new garden built by the England service learning team, are linked by this common goal.

GGI, led by Freshman Zoe Smith, is a student organization working to improve CCU’s education, attitude, and the accessibility to environmentally-friendly choices.

Beginning just one month ago, GGI has already sparked changes around campus.

GGI’s first action was to post signs on paper towel dispensers around campus reminding not to waste paper. Smith said they also plan to get new recycling bins and arrange events to educate students about recycling and sustainable living.

Professor Dave Farris, department chair for the School of Business, is faculty advisor to the Go Green Initiative. Farris has a long-held passion for renewing the things (and people) who are typically deemed “disposable.”

Farris and the 2017 England service learning team he led were inspired after working in a garden in front of a prison visitor’s center in Birmingham, England. The garden was constructed by Dr. Sam Ewell, a missionary working with Christian Missionary Fellowship.

On Community Service Day, a group of about 40 faculty, staff, and students worked together to build a similar garden at CCU, beside Parking Lot 2.

Like the garden in Birmingham, nearly all the materials used would have been thrown away. Many of these materials were collected on campus.

For one year, the garden will lie unplanted while the compost elements break down, after which Farris will plant flowers.

“This garden serves two purposes,” Farris wrote in a post on his blog, daf words. “The first is to finally make that connection between something that we learned in Birmingham and brought home with us. The second is to give ourselves a constant reminder of what it looks like to reincorporate people and things back into the world.”

Smith has agreed to construct a found-object art installation which will act as both a sign and a unique scarecrow for the garden.

“From start to finish, it’s a really hope-filled thing for me,” said Farris.

Farris, Smith, and GGI have many more ideas to build a culture of renewal at CCU.

“We’re just starting something. We’re really hoping this will be a long-term thing that sticks around at CCU and the community, to engage God’s creation,” said Smith.

CCU STUDENTS SLAM BUSINESS PROBLEMS

BY: ALLIE JOHNSON

Last week CCU Seniors Sam Baker, Makenna Granger, Sarah Stacy, Sophomore Rachel Menzel and a few others had the opportunity to work with University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, Mount St. Joseph University, and Northern Kentucky University in a team competition to try to solve problems for some Price Hill businesses with in an event called University Brainsteer Slam.

As a member of the winning team, Menzel will receive $1000.

Sponsored by the Incline Incubator, an organization that helps start new businesses and create jobs in Price Hill, the first-time event was planned and coordinated by CCU’s Entrepreneurial Marketing class.

“The event was put together as a collaboration between the universities but primarily driven by the Incline Incubator and the CCU Entrepreneurial Marketing class,” CCU’s School of Business and Department Chair Professor Dave Farris explained.

Teams of six students mixed across the universities worked Friday night and all day Saturday to research and present a plan solving a challenge outlined by one of the participating businesses.

Local Price Hill businesses — BLOC Coffee House, Primavista Restaurant and Henke Winery — were the three businesses who presented problems for the students to solve.

Each business chose a winning solution to the problem that they had presented. Then the competition continued to declare one student team overall winners.

The winners will get to see their plan implemented into the business in addition to splitting a $6,000 prize.

“Something really nice was that our names got put out there for other businesses. People who are looking for hires have seen our names and it brings attention to the university,” said Menzel, whose team won the prize.

Granger said she would “do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

She added, “Brainsteer was a weekend long event that was one of the most stressful yet rewarding school events I have ever done. “Being the only undergrad in the group it was amazing to be able to work on a business problem with MBA students who work with problems like these all the time in the real world.”

Organizers indicated they hope to repeat the event, next time focusing on business needs in other parts of the city.

This event had so much success that Farris, Baker, and representatives of other universities were interviewed on radio station WVXU.

If you did not get the opportunity to listen in on Wednesday you can follow the link here.

FALL ’17: PIGSKIN, PERCUSSION, AND POMPOMS

BY: JARED MITCHENER

If a whole lot of commotion can be heard at sporting events starting next fall, do not be alarmed. CCU is adding Athletic Band and Cheerleading to its options next semester, as well as the football team returning for its sophomore season.

Despite spring being football’s off season, Head Coach David Fulcher has kept his team focused with spring practices.

“Spring ball has been going well. We finally have the players in here not just to play football, but to practice it as well,” commented Fulcher.

“The mindset of what I’ve been trying to teach these young men is that hard work will pay off,” Fulcher continued.

The football team will split up and face each other in an intrasquad scrimmage tomorrow at Western Hills High School. The game will begin at 2 p.m.

Cheerleading is celebrating its inaugural season, with Katrina Avery as head coach. Avery previously won regional championships in three consecutive seasons.

The Athletic Band will be a welcome addition to the stands at some home football and basketball games next fall.

“We are going to build it around a rhythm section, which would consist of guitar, bass, and drums,” said Ken Read, department chair of Music and Worship.

“If enough percussionists are interested, we will also have a drumline,” added Freshman Sean Steele, a member of the Athletic Band.

“You do not need to be a professional on your instrument to join,” he commented.

Adjunct Percussion Professor Willaim McMullen will direct the band.

CCU GOLFERS MAKE FIRST TEAM CONFERENCE

BY: RACHEL FISH

CCU’s men’s golfers Senior Taylor Suggs and Junior Austin Taylor garnered accolades this season, with the whole team finishing sixth in the River Side Conference [RSC] with a low-team score of 305.

“We had a really good season. We played probably tougher conditions than last year, but overall I think the guys performed a little bit better than what they did a year ago,” said Head Coach Micah Peavley.

Taylor and Suggs were both first team conference. Taylor placed second in the Cedarville Tournament, while Suggs finished second in the IU Kokomo Invitational and was awarded RSC Player of the Year.

“So the interesting thing about winning conference player of the year this year is that I missed out on qualifying for nationals by one shot,” said Suggs.

“I am still very disappointed by that, but there is still an outside chance that I may receive an at-large bid and still get to go but there’s no guarantee. Winning POTY was a little bit of consolation, so that helped me feel a little better,” he continued.

“In the three years that I’ve been here, that was definitely the best season that we’ve had as a team, just in terms of like finishes in tournaments, like multiple tournaments we came in like second or won it,” said Taylor.

Peavley said they are looking to have about eight to nine players altogether for the golf team in the fall, when they play in the NCCAA.

“We’ll start our fall season immediately so the guys have to come back to school, ready to play probably two weeks after we’re back in school and in the fall, we’ll start playing our first tournament again,” commented Coach Peavley.

“The whole season was quite a success,” said Junior Jonathan Burrows. “It’s time we bring home some metal. Big goals? Go to nationals.”