The Swinging Bridge - October Edition

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THE

THE PULSE MAGAZINE

AREA SHIP COUNCIL?

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MARSHMALLOW BOWL

CHURCHES IN THE

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HISTORY OF THE

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WHAT IS LEADER-

OCTOBER 2022

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REVISITING V I S I TAT I O N W H Y M E S S I A H ’ S V I S I TAT I O N POLICIES EXIST


VOLUME 124 / EDITION 30 / OCTOBER 2022

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CONTENTS

TABLE OF

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8 CHURCHES IN THE AREA 10 SUSTAINABILITY ON CAMPUS 12 HISTORICAL MAP OF CAMPUS 28 HISTORY OF THE MARSHMALLOW BOWL

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30 BACK TO SCHOOL


AWARD WINNING STUDENT RUN MAGAZINE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

DESIGN MANAGER

ETHAN DYRLI

ISABELLA KERN

AUDIO&VISUAL MANAGER

DIRECTOR

HUNTER ROHRER

EMILIE RUSH

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR JOSHUA MCCLEAF

WRITING SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR / PJ RIDDELL CULTURE & ARTS EDITOR / MACKENZIE CHRISTIE STUDENT LIFE EDITOR / KAYLEE GETZ

VISUAL ARTS DESIGN ASSISTANT / AMBER SWAISGOOD DESIGN ASSISTANT / KATE TRIMBLE

DIGITAL & RADIO AUDIO&VISUAL ASSISTANT / TYLER CARUSO RADIO MANAGER / MARIE MILLER MUSIC DIRECTOR / SABRINA STANDFORD

ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER / HANNAH KURUVILLA SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER / PAM REINOSO

STAFF

MESSIAH UNIVERSITY'S

THE PULSE

THE SWINGING BRIDGE


ETHAN DYRLI EDITOR - IN - CHIEF

Have you ever walked into a room and wondered how you got there?

THE EDITOR

LETTER FROM

Coming back to campus is kind of like that, except when you walk into the room, someone walks in beside you, looks you in the eyes, and slaps you across the face. That person then knocks you over and says, “The theme this year is Embrace, classes begin Tuesday,” and walks out after lighting the room on fire. It’s a bit jarring.

It’s strange being back on campus after what was a blur of a summer. I feel like I just left. Looking back, what should feel like a summer break feels like a long weekend. Yet here we are, starting a new year. I’m walking back into the proverbial room having little to no idea what exactly led me there. How did I get here? Where did I just come from?

It’s easy to start something new and worry about the places you’ve been. We want to walk into a new space feeling like we’ve been prepared by a trail of prerequisites and intentional moments that have led us to this point. Our past gives us feet to stand on. If we know where we’ve been, we feel safe learning where we’re going.

That can’t always be the case though. Sometimes you just end up somewhere. You walk into a new stage in life and feel unprepared, unsure, or at the very least, uncomfortable. So then, the question becomes, what do we do when we forget why we walked into a room and end up on the floor while the building begins to burn?

This is my encouragement to you all. Focus on what is in front of you. Worrying yourself over how prepared you are for the passage of time does nothing for you. At the start of each new phase in life, you have two options. Either you worry about how adjusted you are, or you can begin the process of adjusting. I propose the latter.

Especially for you first-year students, take this time to be active in adjusting to your new surroundings. Force yourself to make friends, to go out, to join clubs (like The Pulse!), whatever you need to do to make Messiah your new home. Like it or not, this space is yours now. It’s up to you to fill it however you’d like.

A misconception about adjusting to your environment is that it’s passive, that you can sit there and learn to adjust by osmosis. The truth is, the rate at which you learn to adjust to your new environment is fully within your control. You just have to be willing to keep walking into new rooms.

Jarringly,


FOR YOU

WRITTEN AND DESIGNED BY EMILIE RUSH Least Favorite Lottie Meal:

Least Favorite Lottie Meal: Ranch Casserole or Blueberry Blintz Funniest Work Moment:

Anything with seafood Funniest Work Moment: I'll say two: first MCC coffeehouse this year and volleyball night.

After MCC Coffeehouse, a couple of us had the grand idea to take a group picture. We had trouble taking a timer photo, so we decided to take a video and then screenshot the perfect frame. Twenty minutes, some hysterical laughing, and some shouting later, we had the shot. I've worked here since freshman year, and I've never had such a blast. Least Favorite Lottie Meal: Hawaiian Haystacks Funniest Work Moment:

Least Favorite Lottie Meal:

During a team-building exercise with Synergy, we were each given different personality quirks to make our challenge harder. However, the leaders gave Dr. Arke the quirk of periodically asking everyone to take off their shoes to "see if it would help." All but one of us obliged.

Any seafood Funniest Work Moment: Late night podcast recording sessions. Least Favorite Lottie Meal: Beef Tips Funniest Work Moment: Least Favorite Lottie Meal: Anything fish related Funniest Work Moment:

Trying to get the magazine cover shot for the last mag of spring 2022. It took two hours to get that one shot and we roamed around the union trying different things.

Trying to take a timer photo late at night with some of us and it took way too long to get right because we were trying too hard and were very very tired. We ended up recording it and getting many blurry photos. THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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Mental Health Action Plan WRITTEN BY MARIE MILLER

DESIGNED BY ISABELLA KERN

At this point in the semester, work is piling up, assignments are due, and there are plenty of events for you to attend. It can be difficult to balance all of this when your to-do list regenerates almost immediately. To mediate burnout, stress, and more, check out this list made in collaboration with professional, licensed counselors.

Samantha Campbell, a licensed professional counselor, describes taking time to recharge like using a cordless vacuum cleaner that dies. Either you can push through cleaning your floor with a dead vacuum and clean by hand, or you can wait until you are fully charged to clean the floor quickly and efficiently.

Campbell relates this analogy back to feeling burnt out and encourages taking 10 minutes to recharge before finishing a paper, assignment or project.

Take time to self-reflect— what has/has not worked for stress prevention? Have non-negotiables or must do’s. Intentional time to rest, time to read, spend with friends, go to the gym, journal. Have an accountability partner to keep you committed.

Be kind to yourself, this impacts all parts of your life.

Download the Virtual Hope Box app which includes these helpful tools. Meditation options Distraction puzzles Writing prompts Coping tools

Practice grounding exercises.

Placing your hand on your heart and breathing slowly for 1 minute

Calm your body before you do anything else.

Make a list of your stress warning signs and give them to a close friend so they can watch out for them.

Fill out the Burnout Prevention worksheet and check out the Positive Steps to Wellbeing worksheet using the QR code below.

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“Is it going to be more helpful to take a 10 minute break and go back and finish it or to keep pushing through and maybe it’s not your best work?” said Campbell.

“It is more beneficial to do that rather than pushing through and creating work that is less than your best.” - Samantha Campbell

Scan here to fill out the Burnout Prevention worksheet and check out the Positive Steps to Wellbeing worksheet using the QR code


FOR YOU

Sabrina’s Favorites BY SABRINA STANDFORD

DESIGNED BY ISABELLA KERN

Hey everybody! I’m Sabrina, the new music director for The Pulse! I’ve come up with a playlist featuring some of my favorite songs that we’ve been playing. Check out these songs and more on our radio station 90.7 Pulse FM!

LISTEN HERE

1. “Cameras & Coastlines” - Smallpools 2. “I Don’t Want to Talk” - Wallows 3. “Karaoke” - Cass McCombs 4. “Harley David” - Jane’s Party 5. “Space Force” - The Medium 6. “Win Butler” - JoJo Worthington 7. “Cutie” - COIN 8. “Ill Fitting Suit” - Color Green 9. “Sideways” - The Dangerous Summer 10. “Amazing” - Rex Orange County 11. “leave the room and face the waves” - Thanya Iyer 12. “Do Your Worst” - The Happy Fits 13. “La Di Da” - The Regrettes 14. “Empty Nest” - Silversun Pickups 15. “Feeling with You” - They Kiss 16. “Deep End” - Dayglow 17. “Girl From a Movie” - Markéta Irglová 18. “Confetti” - Julia Bhatt 19. “Keep Us From Heaven” - Aprile 20. “Like You” - GRAE

THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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FOR YOU

Churches in the Area

PHOTO COURTES Y OF GRANTHAM BRETHREN I N CHRI S T

Who are they?

WRITTEN BY ETHAN DYRLI DESIGNED BY KATE TRIMBLE

F

inding a new church can be difficult. It can be even more difficult when you just moved to college and haven’t been acquainted with more than 150 churches that surround Messiah’s campus.

To make your search easier, here are four churches near Messiah University.

“Generally, these are people who are committed to the authority of the Bible as God's inerrant word, focus on Jesus and his saving work on the cross, are passionate about bringing others to faith in Christ and actively seek to advance the cause of Christ in the world,” Allen said. Service Times: Sundays at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Size: Large Distance from campus: Six minutes (plan for 10 with traffic)

PHOTO COURTES Y OF W E S T S H ORE FREE CHURH

Where to plug in as a college student: West Shore’s college ministry has three main aspects: The Forum - Monthly large group gatherings

Who are they? According to their website, West Shore’s mission is to “seek the good of the West Shore and beyond through deep truths, deep lives and deep love for the glory of Christ.” Denomination and Faith Background: According to Student Ministries Pastor Russ Allen, while West Shore is part of the Evangelical Free Church of America, their church attracts people from many different backgrounds.

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“Grantham Church exists to love and worship God and disciple people in Christ, the Scriptures, and the Spirit’s power to radically love our neighbors and our world,'' Discipleship Pastor Melissa Lowther said. “In short, we are leading people to the God who looks like Jesus.” Denomination and Faith Background: According to Lowther, Grantham BIC is an “intergenerational, convergent, third-way congregation.” “That means we have people from all ages and stages of life worshiping together as we blend the ancient with the contemporary and seek to address injustice around us in a non-partisan way,” Lowther said. This focus on worship, multigenerational thinking, and justice attracts church goers from beyond the church’s Brethren In Christ affiliation. Service Times: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Size: Small

LifeGroups - Weekly gatherings of college-age people in homes

Distance from campus: 2 minutes (walking distance)

Mentoring Groups - Discussions with an older mentor

Where to plug in as a college student:

Keep An Eye Out: Dr. Nance McCown, co-chair of the department of communication, can be found on the worship team.

Small groups, family mentorship

Check out their website!

Keep An Eye Out: The Grantham Brethren In Christ campus can be seen from Messiah’s campus, so you won’t have to look far.

Check out their website!


FOR YOU

PHOTO COURTES Y OF THE JOURNEY

Their website states that, “The Journey Church exists to create life giving faith communities in and around Harrisburg by loving our neighbors and connecting new people to Jesus.” Lead Pastor Kristopher Sledge emphasized how their church's love of Jesus extended to their community.

PHOTO COURTES Y OF DI L S B URG BRETHREN I N CHRI S T

Service Times: Sundays at 10 a.m.

Who are they? According to Kathy Bennett, a representative from the Dillsburg Brethren in Christ Church Office, they have two goals.

“We really want to be helping connect with our neighbors and to be kind of a community partner and to help enhance the life of those in our community,” Sledge said.

“Reaching out and growing deep are our two passions,” Bennett said. “Personal and corporate discipleship experiences are emphasized along with global and local outreach.”

Denomination and Faith Background:

Denomination and Faith Background:

On paper, The Journey is a United Methodist Church, but their church's identity is largely in their goal of inclusivity.

According to Bennett, Dillsburg Brethren in Christ has a strong faith tradition that their church body grows beyond.

According to Sledge, The Journey is multigenerational, multiethnic, “open and affirming” regarding LGBTQ+ issues and involved in anti-racism.

“We are an informal, medium-sized church body with roots in anabaptist, pietist, Wesleyan and evangelical traditions,” Bennett said. “Though that is our heritage, our church family includes people from many church and faith backgrounds.”

Service Times: Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Size: Small

Size: Medium Distance from campus: 10 minutes Where to plug in as a college student: Small groups, Men’s ministry, Women’s Ministry Fresh Hope - a support group for anyone dealing with mental health struggles Keep An Eye Out: Professor Rob Douglass, adjunct professor of theology, is the senior pastor of Dillsburg Brethren In Christ. Who are they?

Check out their website!

Distance from campus: 20 minutes Where To Plug In As A College Student: The Journey has a college ministry that meets on Sunday evenings. Keep An Eye Out: The college ministry is led by Dr. Rebecca Harris, assistant professor of biblical and religious studies.

For more information about all churches in the area, follow the QR Code to view Campus Ministries’ local church database.

Check out their website! THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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SUSTAINABILITY on campus

WRITTEN BY MOLLY MCKIM DESIGNED BY AMBER SWAISGOOD

H

ave you walked past the Grantham Community Garden overflowing with varieties of flowers, vegetables, and fruits yet? How about the campus market, selling fresh produce and cut flowers grown here on campus? That’s the Office of Sustainability hard at work. According to their website, the Office of Sustainability’s mission is to “cultivate an ethos of ecological citizenship and stewardship through education, sustainability planning, and community engagement to create an environmentally, socially, and economically just world.” Starting here at Messiah, the Office of Sustainability educates, promotes, and acts in an eco-friendly way. Their working goal is to have our buildings, grounds, and campus systems have little to no environmental impact.

Their Initiatives and Projects The Office of Sustainability has implemented several sustainable initiatives throughout

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campus. They organize their initiatives into five categories: energy, engagement, waste, biodiversity, and food.

and furniture are donated to various organizations in the area during the campus-wide Sustainable Move-Out.

The campus power plant, located in the Eisenhower Campus center parking lot, provides year-round electric power, heat, and cooling to several buildings generated from natural gas.

According to Hannah Carnes, sustainability engagement coordinator at Messiah, the department donated approximately 3,000 pounds of clothing and 1,000 pounds of food, along with truckloads of furniture and household items this May.

Messiah also participates in a program called PrintReleaf, which counts the number of sheets printed daily by students and faculty and uses the information to reforest Messiah’s paper consumption. Currently, Messiah has chosen to use its reforestation efforts to help rebuild the forests of Madagascar. To reduce waste, the campus also collaborates with the “Campus Race to Zero Waste” initiative, a program started by the National Wildlife Foundation. The Office of Sustainability allows students to borrow compost buckets for their rooms, which later can be returned and used in the Grantham Community Garden. At the end of the year, unwanted food, clothing,

Living Sustainably Students living in the Restoration House, one of Messiah’s specialty houses, live sustainably. One of their commitments is to be aware and educate themselves and others about environmental issues. They also take care of the Office of Sustainability’s chickens, sharing the responsibility of feeding them and collecting their eggs. Several student positions help students to get closer to the department, nature, and them-


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"the garden is a place for destressing, for returning to our roots... PHOTOS BY TYLER CARUSO

...and for understanding what it means to be

completely and utterly human" -Phalika Oum selves. Garden Coordinator, Phalika Oum, describes her role as one of peace and comfort. “In my tenure as the Garden Coordinator, I have seen strangers becoming friends, stressed out students becoming honest stewards, and lovers of the digital age becoming lovers of the soil we walk on,” Oum said. “The garden is a place for destressing, for returning to our roots, and for understanding what it means to be completely and utterly human.”

Ways to Get Involved The Office of Sustainability also has many opportunities for students to get involved with going green on campus. Everyday eco-friendly options include having the ability to rent a bicycle through their bike share program and volunteering in the Community Garden. Students can also volunteer in the annual tree planting event, help restore the Chesapeake Bay and work in the garden on Thursdays starting at 4pm. The Swap-and-Mend

thrifting event allows students to exchange and drop off unwanted items and mend their own clothing. Their biggest event, Sustain-A-Fest, will have a bigger variety of vendors and educators this year, including a professional beekeeper, fresh-cut flowers, goat soaps, ethical bakeries, and CommunityAid, in addition to some on-campus clubs and performances. Visit their website and Instagram to learn more and stay updated with everything the Office of Sustainability offers!

Ways f Students r Students to Get I Ways for o to Get Involved

BRANDON HOOVER , DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AT MESSIAH, CREATED THIS LIST FOR STUDENTS TO GET INVOLVED IN SUSTAINABLE LIVING ON CAMPUS. Visit the campus farm stand on Tuesday mornings after chapel. Take the online "Sustainable Living Certification" to see how your lifestyle measures up. Get on our distribution list - email sustainability@messiah.edu to request being added.

Volunteer with the 24-hour tree planting in partnership with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Advocate for climate action on campus. Advocate for sustainability education in the general education curriculum.

Attend Swap and Mend (date TBD in the late Fall semester). Attend Sustain-A-Fest - on October 7th - visit vendors from off-campus and on-campus organizations to celebrate sustainability. Stop by the office and ask to eat lunch with us - we are usually really happy to have you. THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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HISTORICAL MAP OF CAMPUS WRITTEN BY ETHAN DYRLI DESIGNED BY ISABELLA KERN

Before it was Jordan Kline, it was just the Kline Science Building, constructed in 1969.

Hillcrest Apartments, formerly used for housing, was turned into the Engle Center in 1996.

The construction of Sollenberger Sports Center, originally constructed in 1985.

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Two students stand at a frozen fountain, formerly located at the entrance to Messiah’s campus.

Students gather around the Wittenberg Doors, a public forum used to post announcements and student opinions.

Built in 1937, Alumni Auditorium stood where Eisenhower Campus Center stands today.

A side view of Old Main. Originally built in 1911, Old Main is the oldest building on campus.

THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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l a n o i t a n r e t n IPROFESSORS AT ME S SIAH

STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD WRITTEN BY ETHAN DYRLI DESIGNED BY AMBER SWAISGOOD

M

essiah University's faculty is made up of educators from all over the world. While the details of how Messiah’s international professors arrived in central Pennsylvania differ, the reasons they stay are alike. Anthony Eseke Dr. Anthony Eseke, associate professor of communication and public relations, has been at Messiah since 2016, but his journey to Messiah started long ago. Eseke was born and raised in Nigeria, the youngest of 11 siblings. After deciding he wanted to become a priest at a young age, Eseke spent a decade pursuing his ordination. Four years later, Eseke went back to school to continue his studies. It was his pursuit of higher education that led him to the U.S., where he lived in Florida for 8 years both working as a priest and pursuing his doctorate.

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In 2016, Eseke began his search for a new job. Coming across a job listing for Messiah, he was drawn by Messiah’s mission, specifically the way they integrated faith into the classroom. “Having taught a few years at the University of Florida, I can now say that it does make a lot of difference where there is freedom to integrate faith into whatever you’re doing,” Eseke said. “That for me was a big deal.” Eseke wanted to be engaged in conversations with students that discussed how matters of faith intersected with the topics he covered in the classroom. He found that at Messiah. “I don’t have to be apologetic talking about faith and how it applies to whatever subject matter that is on the table,” Eseke said. As to why Eseke continues to teach, he recalls a time when he wasn’t sure he wanted to stay at Messiah. He began applying to other schools in the area, hoping to find a new institution to call home. After landing an opportunity at another school, he was faced with a choice.

“I sat down and said, ‘Wait a minute, can you give yourself two reasons why you need to leave this place?’ and I couldn’t find one,” Eseke said. Now a tenured professor, Eseke teaches in the communication department, as well as maintaining his role as a priest at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Mechanicsburg. Isabelle Meredith Isabelle Meredith, adjunct professor of French, had a unique hospitable interaction with Messiah administration that led her to work here. Born and raised in the French Riviera, Meredith moved to the U.S. in 2003. Meredith is fluent in three languages, holds a French law degree from the University of Nice and holds bachelor’s degrees in French literature, an-


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cient and modern languages, and philosophy. Before teaching at Messiah, she used these skills teaching in high schools and working in corporate America. When Meredith moved to Mechanicsburg, she reached out to Messiah in the hopes of getting certified to teach in Pennslyvanian public schools. Instead, she was directed to Gladys Robalino, associate professor of Spanish. “So I had an answer from her, an email saying, ‘I have no clue what to do to become certified in Pennsylvania, but we have an opening for a French teacher at Messiah, are you interested in it?’” Meredith said. When Meredith replied yes, Robalino guided her through the application process. It was a welcoming experience that did not go unnoticed; Meredith has remained at Messiah for the past two years. “[International professors] feel very very welcome at Messiah, not just because we are international professors, but because Messiah is a very good team of professors and administrators that are very very welcoming and helpful,” Meredith said.

Camilo Giraldo Dr. Camilo Giraldo started at Messiah this fall, but has spent plenty of time in both America and in higher education. Giraldo came to the U.S. when he was 18 for his undergraduate studies. While he was originally planning on being an engineer, he realized he wanted to teach following the passing of one of his professors. Being a teacher’s assistant, Giraldo was called on to teach the remainder of the class. “After that experience of one month of teaching in higher [education], I don’t know, something sparked in me,” Giraldo said. Since being at Messiah, Giraldo has been appreciative of his interactions with his colleagues. In Giraldo’s experience, the conversations he has with fellow educators reflects both maturity and an awareness of life outside America. “A lot of my colleagues in the department or a lot of my colleagues in other departments - it’s not like I have to explain to them why sometimes I do things differently,” Giraldo said. “They’re very understanding.”

Moving forward into his first semester, Giraldo’s adjustment hasn’t been without its hassles, but he is looking forward to his classes this semester. “I feel like I have been treated and I have been accommodated without me realizing,” Giraldo said. “I haven’t been hungry for something, which means that I feel like it has been a very easy transition to me.”

"I don't have to be apologetic

talking about faith..."

-Dr. Anthony Eseke

THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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H R IS T IE C K E N Z IE C A M Y B N E W R IT T GOOD B E R S W A IS M A Y B D D E S IG N E

TO:

SUMMER SERVICE TRIPS

I

n May of 2022, two groups of Messiah students and staff had the opportunity to serve in the communities of La Mina, The Dominican Republic, and Płock, Poland. The trips were organized through the Agape Center, which partnered with outside organizations such as Food for the Hungry (FH) and Polish Christian Ministries (PCM) in order to bring their vision of service to life. In La Mina, students focused their efforts on advocating for water access and housing revitalization to the local government, leading Vacation Bible School for elementary kids, participating in home visits within the community, and supporting relational ministry opportunities alongside FH staff. Staff Advisor Charlene Lane stated that the difficulties of the trip were tremendous, but the lifestyle adjustment was the most profound shock. “Having to adjust to the bare-bones and basic needs, essentially living in abject poverty, was truly a culture shock for me…after returning home, I have such a deeper appreciation for everything in my life,” Lane said. Agape Center Representative Abby Anderson felt that the culture shock she experienced gave her a new perspective on life. “It was a huge adjustment…it provides a different perspective of others around the world and how they live, and it makes you feel so much more grateful for what you have,” Anderson said. Despite a lack of resources, there was no drought of compassion within the community. To the people of La Mina, love is not a feeling but a way of existing among one another. Abigail Casey, a senior biochemistry major, reflected on how loyal community members were to improving their rural home.

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PHOTOS FROM THE POLAND AND DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TRIP

“I was surprised by how involved the community members were in their town. There are so many leaders that take initiative in order to improve the lives of the people around them,” Casey said. Meanwhile, in Poland, students spent two weeks sharing testimonies of faith and offering conversational English classes with students from the local high school. The partnership with PCM offered an incredible opportunity to combine service with cross-cultural learning experiences. For Celeste Reed, a junior social work major, this experience provided a chance to learn about the global Christian community. “I was excited that I would not only be able to learn about Poland, but I would also be able to get to know members of the global church and youth there too,” Reed said. Reed found her conversations with the students especially interesting, engaging with them in discussion about life in America. “In conversations with the middle school and high school students, I was consistently surprised by their questions and curiosity about American culture. Listening and talking to the students was by far my favorite component of the trip,” Reed said.

Jasmine Rivera, a junior elementary education major, also valued the interpersonal relationships that were built during her time in Poland, especially as they were influenced by the unraveling tensions between Russia and Ukraine. “Some highlights of the trip were getting to meet a refugee family of 10 from Ukraine, and getting to worship at a church in the Polish language. I love that our God is a universal God,” Rivera said.

"Go with an open

mind to serve, and an open

heart to understand" -Charlene Lane Director of The Agape Center, Katie Rousopoulos and Assistant Director Caleb Miller strengthened these convictions by commenting on the institutional value of international trips, explaining that there is a unique purpose behind this format of service.

“If I told you, hey, go learn about the lack of water in the DR, you might think about it for a little bit, but there’s no action. Getting to go and see these things first hand allows you not only to have a story to share, but it’s part of advocacy. You learn a name, a need, how needs can be met, and from there you can better empower them,” Rousopoulos said. Miller reflected on the value of service-learning from a first hand perspective, as a former Messiah student himself. “The times that I remember the most, and want to articulate to other people the most, were the times that I got off campus and experienced the world in new ways,” Miller said. Overwhelmingly, the students and staff who attended these trips have come back encouraging others to embark on similar ventures, expressing the inspiring and important nature of these immersive trips. “If you go, try to find ways to connect to the people you are ministering to. Listening to their stories and asking how you can pray for them are great ways to do that,” Casey said. Lane concluded with a simple, powerful, and urgent request of students who are considering serving abroad. “Just go. Go with an open mind to serve, and an open heart to understand,” Lane said. THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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WHAT IS

WRITTEN BY MACKENZIE CHRISTIE DESIGNED BY KATE TRIMBLE

egend has it, there is a nameless, faceless organization lurking in the administrative shadows of our campus. It seems that they walk quietly among us, listening in on the gripes and groans of students, scheming events to dispel their abundant complaints. Well, kind of. As it turns out, the organization isn’t all that mysterious, despite the majority of students being unaware of their existence. It is known as The Leadership Council, a body of students who serve as the lead in their respective executive organizations. Student Body President Pauline Deutcheu, who is serving on both SGA and the Leadership Council for the first year, explained what the purpose of the Leadership Council is. “The leaders of each executive club on campus will meet together at least once a month to foster more communication and collaboration, which can go a long way to help

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student engagement,” Deutcheu said. Some people may wonder what the point is of bringing all of these student leaders together, especially when some of their clubs and organizations seem entirely unrelated. SGA Vice President Hannah Desko spoke on the importance of club collaboration for Messiah’s student life. “We’ve noticed a lot of people will go back and forth between saying that Messiah has nothing to do on the weekends, but then they also say that all of the big events happen at once,” Desko said. “More organized communication between all of the executive clubs really helps us become more intentional about planning events for the whole student body.” Though their work is done largely behind the scenes, these individuals have the potential to create a significant impact on student life. Pulse Director Emilie Rush believes the student body doesn’t always see the influence of the Leadership Council.

“Because we are an executive club, the decisions that we make in the Leadership Council really are decisions that will affect every student, and I don’t think a lot of people realize that,” Rush said. Rush believes that the leadership council’s diverse set of experiences allows them to collectively elevate their events. “These students have a unique perspective on how the university looks from a behindthe-scenes process, so when we can all come together, things have the potential to go to the next level for the benefit of the student body and the university as a whole,” Rush said. “It helps us be better leaders, but also helps us elevate everyone else around us.” Julie Fenton, director of student engagement, serves as the faculty advisor to the Leadership Council. As advisor, she has seen the effect of a unified leadership team on campus.


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PHOTO BY EMILY RUSH

THE 2022-23 LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

“In working with this team, it allowed me to have a better grasp on how the individual executive organizations were doing and allowed me to also better supporttheir advisors on the SSE Engagement Team,” Fenton said. “Overall, it created much better communication and awareness of what was going on around campus.” The Leadership Council’s position on campus facilitates communication between students and administrators, yet the students are working primarily for the benefit of the student body. Naturally, this unique dynamic can pose some challenges for the student representatives involved. “Sometimes it can be very difficult knowing that you are meant to be the student voice when meeting with administration…you never want to allow your personal beliefs and biases get in the way when you try to advocate for such a large body,” Desko said.

“When you do hear students complaining about things, but you also know that it’s not just that easy to fix things, it really makes you feel like you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place,” Desko said.

“This is just another group for the student

“Leaders are put in a tough spot of constantly facing criticism on why we aren’t doing this or that, meanwhile we’re sitting in meetings and going through emails fighting for that exact issue, but we just can’t let anyone know,” Deutcheu added.

With a plethora of fresh eyes and new ideas, the Leadership Council is planning for a year full of new experiences and exciting events for the whole student body to enjoy.

body, in a sense. Our main motivation is to make the Messiah experience the best experience it can be for the most amount of students we can reach,” Deutcheu said.

Ultimately, the Leadership Council plays an integral role at Messiah, bridging the gap between administration and student organizations in order to foster a deeper sense of community on campus. “These clubs and organizations do a lot to get students involved and make campus feel like home for them,” Rush said.

Both Deutcheu and Desko hear their fellow peers critique the student experience here at Messiah, which can add an additional pressure.

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TRENDING TOPICS

MEET THE NEW

MEDICAL DIRECTOR WRITTEN BY KAYLEE GETZ DESIGNED BY KATE TRIMBLE

T

his year, Messiah University is welcoming a new medical director to the campus community.

Carrie Ent will oversee all health

services at the Engle Center, with the exception of on-campus counseling. Coming from Maryland to Messiah, Ent is excited to begin her new role.

Where do you currently work and what do you do? Prior to January 2021, I was the director of student health at Goucher College in Maryland for 2 ½ years, which was a job I absolutely loved. It was a very small school so I got to know many of the students and staff very well. I felt I had the best patients in the world, and was excited to go to work every day. As you may suspect, the COVID pandemic radically changed my role at Goucher, and instead of caring for patients who were all learning remotely, I became a full-time administrator. I decided with a heavy heart to set aside a position that I loved in order to get back out in the field caring for patients directly. This also afforded me a better schedule and pay to support and care for my young children, who are now starting school.

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PHOTO BY TYLER CARUSO

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Since January 2021, I have been working at MedExpress Urgent care as a family nurse practitioner. In urgent care, we see whatever patient walks through the door, whether that is an infant or an elderly person. We treat all manner of illnesses, order and analyze tests, and perform procedures like suturing, splinting, etc. My contract with Urgent Care does not end officially until the end of the year, so until that time I will be working two days a week at Urgent Care, and three days at Messiah.


TRENDING TOPICS What made you choose to apply for and accept the Engle Center Medical Director position?

I am a Messiah alumna (BSN, class of 2009) and have a deep affinity for the University. I enjoy urgent care and did not intend to leave, but returning to college health at my own alma mater was a very exciting prospect. I never thought that I’d have an opportunity to run the health center that I utilized during my own college career, but when I heard about the position I simply had to apply. I was honored to be selected, and so excited about a return to caring for my favorite population of patients, albeit at a different but familiar institution.

What will be your new responsibilities as medical director?

As the medical director, I will oversee all of the goings on in the “health” half of the Engle Center. Counseling, which still belongs to the Engle Center, is run by my counterpart, Aubrey Kleinfeld. I will also play a direct role in patient care, seeing students for medical concerns that cannot be resolved with a nurse visit alone. This might include specialized counseling or teaching, medication management, diagnosis/ treatment and placing referrals.

What will you miss most about your old job? What are you most looking forward to as the new medical director?

So much of what I loved about Goucher, I will get to also enjoy at Messiah. My urgent care work also has directly prepared me for this role. I suppose I may miss the variety of concerns I see in urgent care, and working with young children and elderly folks, but it is a worthwhile trade off.

What's an interesting fact or story about yourself that you'd like students to know about?

I will save the embarrassing stories for my one-on-one meetings with you all, but maybe a fun fact is that I got married at Messiah during my senior year to my husband, who is a psychology professor at Towson now. Our relationship began as a close friendship in high school. Interestingly, we went to Powerhouse in Hostetter Chapel. He wasn’t really exposed to youth group or church people, so when I held his hand during prayer, he didn’t know that everyone was doing that, he thought I was making a move on him. And he never let go.

I most look forward to getting to know and building relationships with Messiah students, staff and faculty. Any positive impact I can make on any of your lives would bring me great joy and fulfillment.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about you, your previous experiences, or your new job? I want you all to feel safe in coming to me with absolutely anything and know that I won’t judge you or share anything you share with me confidentially. I am here to support you and your health, regardless of your past. I know firsthand how challenging it can be to be a student at Messiah, and I think you are all amazing.

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TRENDING TOPICS

REVISITING VISITATION Why Messiah's Visitation Policies Exist

WRITTEN BY KAYLEE GETZ DESIGNED BY KATE TRIMBLE

M

essiah’s visitation policies seem to be disliked by many students on campus. At another college or university, visitation may seem like a foreign concept. .... So why do we even have them? Depending on a student’s year and housing situation, there are different days and hours that students of the opposite sex can visit with each other in their living spaces. According to the Student Handbook, “the purpose of visitation guidelines is to maintain appropriate boundaries for students and to provide space and time for adequate study and rest.” Lyndsay Grimm, the director of residence life at Messiah, explained in a little more detail why these rules exist. According to Grimm, the current visitation policy is intended to provide learning and growth by promoting a balance of safety, predictability and independence. PH O T O S B Y H U N T E R R O H R E R

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“Our hope is that students experience safe and hospitable environments that will help them learn and grow,” Grimm said. “Our visitation policy provides a space for our community members to be a part of other students’ living environments. The reason for having specific visitation hours is to provide predictability.”

OCTOBER 2022


TRENDING TOPICS

Preston Teuscher, residence director of Mountain View and Sollenberger residence halls, reminds students that these rules do have benefits. “I invite you to consider the ways you or the people on your floor, or in your apartment or house, benefit from the visitation policy,” Teuscher said. “Isn’t it nice that there are certain times you can come back to your room and know that your roommate won’t have a man/woman over?” Just like many other concerns, there are students on both ends of the spectrum concerning visitation rules as well as students who are perfectly content with them. “Some students want more visitation hours and think our current rules are outdated,” Grimm said. “Others actually like and appreciate that we have this policy because of the predictability it provides in knowing whether there will be guests around or not.” As for why visitation changes based on buildings, it is simply a matter of what spaces can and cannot be shared to still allow for personal space. Apartments, whose visitation hours are longer and more frequent than dorm buildings, have less students to accommodate. “There are a lot more people on a residence hall floor than there are in an apartment,” Grimm said. “Also, in apartments, visitors are not allowed in bedrooms, so students still have a space to themselves.” As a former student, Teuscher recognizes the difficulty of following the visitation policy. He understands the want for privacy, and empathizes with those who want that privacy for themselves.

“I will say that I have a lot of empathy for students who simply want to be able to have privacy with students of the opposite sex,” Teuscher said. “I myself value privacy, and when I was in college and in a relationship, I found it really hard to find privacy with my girlfriend because we both lived on campus and had a similar visitation policy.” However, these rules don’t necessarily have to stay the way they are. Visitation policies are for the benefit of all students on campus, and thus are able to be changed. In fact, they actually were changed about ten years ago because of student feedback.

Messiah provides resources like SGA so that students can voice their opinions and not feel like they have to groupthink.” If students would like to propose a change to a rule like visitation hours, they can talk to the Student Government Association, who can then bring the proposal to the Community Standards Committee to discuss updating the policy. Students are always welcome to process their perspectives with their residence assistant or residence director and can even talk to the Student Government Association about potential modifications to the visitation policy.

Messiah’s visitation policies have not been updated since because many students are appreciative of those rules as they are. Grimm believes that these appreciative students may be more hidden than those who blatantly oppose the policy because of the desire of acceptance from their peers. “I think that sometimes it can be challenging in group settings to have a perspective that the rest of the group doesn’t share,” Grimm said. “It might feel like a very unpopular opinion to voice that they actually appreciate that we have limited hours for visitation.

"Our hope is that students experience

safe and hospitable environments that will help them learn and grow." - L Y NDS A Y GRI M M

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

STUDENT ART SUBMISSIONS

Designed by Isabella Kern

“love songs in the dark” Molly McKim you make me want to forget the coldness of winter, decay, and childhood. there is no easy time no nothing doing only the bees that fly around us while we stand in the garden

"Frank the Duck" (top) "Bethlehem" (bottom) By Jerek Naleway

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ARTS & ENTERTANMENT

" ...An oil painting of the Long Island Sound that I painted last summer." - Jack Daudt

Leah Stover

"Peace and Small Joys," Makayla Metz

Leah Stover

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

AN ATHLETE'S COACH MEET RYAN KAUTH THE NEW SWIM COACH WRITTEN BY PJ RIDDELL DESIGNED BY AMBER SWAISGOOD

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OCTOBER 2022


ARTS & ENTERTANMENT Before touring Messiah’s campus last spring, Ryan Kauth’s career has taken him from coast to coast, training athletes from high schoolers to Olympic athletes. Now, he’s making yet another move, this time from Georgia up to Messiah. With his last role involving working with Olympic athletes at Georgia Tech, Kauth admits that moving to Grantham could seem a bit unusual. But he’s got his reasons.

Kauth kept his word, and earned the head coaching position, which he held for four seasons. In his tenure, Biola swimming produced sixty five record-breaking performances, as well as the first ever All-American athlete in Biola athletics’ history. By the time he left Biola, Kauth had coached the team to twenty two individual championships and four relay championships.

“Walking around campus, I got a really good feeling that God is at work here,” Kauth said. “I just really felt like the Lord was calling me here.”

Kauth’s drive and desire to achieve success at Biola set him apart from other applicants as Messiah conducted their coach search. Messiah’s athletics director Sarah Gustin-Hamrock saw the competitive qualities in Kauth’s personality and his resume.

Following his collegiate swimming career at Concordia University Irvine, and a stint there as a graduate-assistant coach, Kauth began professionally coaching at Mater Dei High School. A passionate athlete and sports fan, his love for coaching naturally clicked as he embraced the role of assistant varsity coach for Mater Dei swimming.

“We take our role as mentoring student athletes and building Christian character very seriously, and at the same time, we expect athletic excellence,” Gustin-Hamrock said. “Something that stood out to me in Ryan was that he would have the drive and the passion and the intensity needed to achieve both of those goals.”

“I fell in love with that professionalism and that seriousness of athletics,” Kauth said. “That’s when I realized I wanted to do this at the highest level.” Following his run at Mater Dei, in which the swim team claimed three consecutive championships from 2015 to 2017, Kauth transitioned to the university level with Biola University, a Division II Christian institution. Kauth was initially hired at Biola as the interim head coach for the 2017 season just two weeks before the season began. However, simply being the interim wasn’t enough for Kauth. He had confidence in himself that he could earn the role of head coach, despite never having held a head coaching position at any level before, much less at the NCAA Division II level. “They made it really clear that it was an interim position, and they were going to do a nation-wide search in the spring,” Kauth said. “I just committed everything I had to it, and I said ‘I’m going to make it as tough as possible for you to let me go because of the job that I’ve done here.’”

"

I'm going to do

everything in my power to make this the

“I can already tell that he finds connecting with his swimmers to be an important and valuable part of coaching,” Hagemaster said. From a competitive standpoint, Johnathon Lacayo, a junior on the men’s team, is hopeful that the change in leadership will be for the better. “He understands the areas that need improvement and he is willing to make changes in those areas for the better of the team,” Lacayo said. The women’s team has won eight of the last nine MAC championships, and the men’s team has finished as a top six team in the MAC championships every year the program has existed since 2012. Part of Kauth’s role will be to continue, and further elevate the success of his team. Senior Katelyn Boyce believes that Kauth can come alongside the team to take them to the next level. “The key things Coach Kauth needs to do for the team to reach its full potential are to help us find confidence in our abilities and to allow room for learning and making mistakes,” Boyce said.

best season

Kauth recognized Messiah as a successful institution from the minute he walked through Sollenberger Sports Center, and he aims to add to the trophy cases.

"

“When you walk down the athletics hallway, you know what success is-it slaps you right in the face,” Kauth said. “There’s an air of confidence about this department that is so contagious.”

they've ever had -Ryan Kauth

Kauth’s coaching philosophy reflects his commitment to Gustin: Hamrock’s points - mentoring athletes, building Christian character, and achieving athletic excellence. “I consider myself an athlete’s coach, so for me, I’m going to do everything in my power to make this the best season they’ve ever had,” Kauth said.

Lacayo believes that Kauth has already caught a dose of that contagious, championship confidence. “He is ready to give the program his all in order to bring more championships to Messiah,” Lacayo said.

It’s still early in his tenure at Messiah, but students like Marie Hagemaster, junior swimmer on the women’s team, have already noted Kauth’s emphasis on personal connection with each athlete. THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HISTORY OF THE

MARSHMALLOW

BOWL

WRITTEN BY PJ RIDDELL DESIGNED BY AMBER SWAISGOOD

O

n a cool September night in 2021, Messiah’s men’s soccer team battled it out with Elizabethtown College under rather peculiar weather conditions. Falling from the sky and onto the turf was a relentless combination of cold rain and…marshmallows? Odd as it may sound, the tradition known as “The Marshmallow Bowl’’ is a date that the men’s soccer team, and many of its fans, have been circling on the calendar each time since the late 1980s. Ben Lefever, a senior forward for the Falcons, describes it plainly.

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OCTOBER 2022

“Marshmallows get chucked back and forth between student sections, and players get peppered with them as they run past the opposing fans,” Lefever said. It’s a tradition born out of an intense rivalry, and an equally intense grudge. As to how the Marshmallow Bowl truly came into being, there are several variations to the story. As one story goes, during a regular season matchup between the Messiah Falcons and Elizabethtown Blue Jays in 1987, the Falcons found a scouting report in the

locker room in which the Blue Jays labeled the Falcons as being “soft.” Another story claims it was simply an Elizabethtown supporter who declared the Falcons to be “too soft to win a National Championship.” Regardless of the details, the Falcons fans were not keen on being labeled as soft. Thus, the rivalry gained a new and unique intensity. The next season in the 1988 NCAA playoffs, the hurling of marshmallows would commence. The Falcons and Blue Jays faced off in the Elite Eight with a bid for the


ARTS & ENTERTANMENT

Final Four on the line. Messiah fans who packed the stands for the matchup ensured Elizabethtown players and fans knew the Falcons hadn’t forgotten about being labeled as “soft.” Fans threw hundreds of marshmallows onto the field and at Elizabethtown fans, accompanied by chants of, “Who’s soft now?” The Falcons would go on to win the game by a final of 3-0 and move on to the Final Four, but the tradition was only getting started. In 1999, the stakes on the rivalry were raised, as the provosts of Elizabeth-

Elizabethtown and Messiah has always had a different intensity. Aaron Faro, current assistant coach and former player for the Falcons before graduating in 2003, loved the rivalry between the two schools. “As a player it always felt like a special game,” Faro said. “When I was a player, Elizabethown was one of the top teams in the country, and they were still in our conference, so both of those factors, in addition to the rivalry and the tradition, made it a very intense game.” In the years since his playing days, Faro believes the rivalry has changed. He believes now that the schools are no longer in the same conference, the competition isn’t the same. “It is still a competitive game, and the tradition is still extremely unique and fun to be a part of, but the game itself has lost some of the intensity and hype that it had,” Faro said.

town and Messiah, Ronald J. McAllister and Donald B. Kraybill, respectively, introduced a trophy and dubbed the matchup officially as “The Marshmallow Bowl.” While the marshmallows still fly today, the trophy hasn’t made an appearance in nearly two decades, as both teams cited concerns about issuing a trophy for a regular season game. Trophy or not, the match-up between

While Elizabethtown may love the chance to beat the Falcons, they haven’t fared particularly well in match-ups with Messiah. The Falcons have dominated the rivalry, with a 37-18-3 record all-time, all while out-scoring the Blue Jays 92-53 in that span. In their match-up last September, the teams finished in a 0-0 stalemate. A rather anticlimactic result for such an intense game, which surely added to the anticipation for this year’s game for players and fans alike. On September 21, 2022, 34 years since the first marshmallow flew, the marshmallows took flight once again as the Falcons traveled to Elizabethtown and reigned victorious with a 3-0 win on enemy turf - just like the game that started it all back in 1988.

While it may not be what it used to be, Lefever still loves the unique and intense nature of the Marshmallow Bowl. “The Marshmallow Bowl is definitely one of the highlights of our season,” Lefever said. “The atmosphere and energy the fans bring to that game is what makes it so special. Elizabethtown always loves the chance to beat us, and the atmosphere and marshmallows add to the intensity.”

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BACK TO SCHOOL Photos By Hunter Rohrer, Tyler Caruso, and Josh McCleaf

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ARTS & ENTERTANMENT

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pulse.messiah.edu @MessiahPulse Open Hours: Monday - Friday, 1 - 5 pm thepulse@messiah.edu | 717-691-6081

THE HEARTBEAT OF MESSIAH UNIVERSITY


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