Fall2018_Issue1

Page 1

The SpringHillian Volume 107, Issue 1

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

New VP Abel Prepares for Change Kate Huete | Reporter

Spring Hill College’s new Vice President of Student Affairs, Kevin Abel, shared his agenda for the rest of the school year, describing it as one of “policy and procedure refinement.” Abel’s first 60 days on the hill have resulted in new propositions involving service, student leadership development and more. After being at Spring Hill for two months, Abel has seen SHC’s cura personalis lived out in many ways. Not only is he appreciative of Spring Hill’s tremendous physical beauty and rich history, he has noticed that students, staff and faculty operate as one big family. He is also highly encouraged by this year’s freshman class and their engaging attitudes. His appreciation for cura personalis has made him

want to build on these ideas and live within that mission. Abel’s ideas include making service projects more consistent, gaining a stronger grasp on student retention on campus, creating more opportunities for student leader development and even initiating new programs for freshmen. Senior Emilee Adams has worked closely with Abel through Badger Connection and with the Student Government Association. Adams has been working with him since his arrival on campus. She thinks he did a good job introducing himself and making himself known to student leaders, RAs, Badger Connection guides, but believes he needs to go beyond that. “I think he could do more to connect

VP of Student Affairs, Kevin Abel | Photo: Johnny Stevens Vice President of Student Affairs, Kevin Abel says this will be a semeser of “policy and procedure refinement.”

Continued on PAGE 2

Commuter Students Finding Their Niche Kayley Robinson | Reporter

According to a study done by Complete College America found in an article entitled “Time is the Enemy,” 75 percent of students are college commuters, and nontraditional students are the new majority. Rising tuition costs, increasing national student debt, and other factors have lead a growing number of students to live at home during college. The monetary benefit to offcampus living is evident, but there are many other underlying advantages and disadvantages that come with being a commuter. College Data reports that 25 percent of Spring Hill College students live offcampus. Two SHC offcampus students had much to say about commuter life. Sophomore and Mobile native Lauryn Herman

Student standing with keys. | Photo: Kayley Robinson explained that while living at home has perks and drawbacks. “I think being a commuter student is awesome, but I do think that commuter students get a very different overall college experience. I get to go home every night, my mom cooks my dinner, and I get to save

money, but I do not get to experience on-campus college life. Spring Hill has a very vibrant nightlife and commuters don’t get to experience that as much as residents do.” Alecia Wells, sophomore and Grand Bay, AL resident, said, “I enjoy living at

home and getting to see my family and pets daily, but I do personally feel that Spring Hill is geared more toward residential students. I also do not have the luxury of rolling out of bed and going to class like residential students do, and traffic in the morning is so unpredictable.” Herman and Wells agreed that the college could make adjustments to help commuter students feel as if their “home” is truly “on the Hill.” “It would be great if there was a quiet room for commuters to nap in during the day,” said Herman. “I would like to see Spring Hill create commuter-friendly events. There have been several events in the past that I would have liked to have gone to, but they started later in the evening, which would have put me

getting home very late,” said Wells. “Spring Hill could also have a ‘Commuter Appreciation Day,’ because there is not a better way of saying ‘we appreciate you’ than to host a day in your honor!” Herman and Wells both had advice for potential and current SHC commuter students on making the best of their college experience. “I would recommend that commuter students bring snacks with them when coming to campus, and also get involved on campus through joining clubs or intramural teams,” said Herman. “I would tell commuter students to try and be involved with activities on campus, and to always plan on leaving 15 minutes earlier than when they think they should leave for class,” said Wells.


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