Chapel debate continues

Kaley Partington, assistant editor

A packed house filled Needham Chapel on Wednesday, March 3 to discuss the ongoing debate about the changes that have been made to the chapel policy on campus. The meeting lasted almost three hours as a question and answer format kept students and faculty raising concerns to the panel, comprised of Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Ann Hamilton, Director of Community Integration Megan McDanel, and Campus Pastor Vince Beresford.

The Spiritual Formation Department and its interns put on the forum to continue the ongoing conversation about the new policies. Chelsea Richardson, a senior and intern for the department asked that the attendees would try to hear one another before making themselves heard.

“[We] want to create a place for students to understand staff and for staff to understand students,” Richardson said, referring to the goal for the evening.

After Beresford briefly spoke about the reorganization of the department as a whole and the additional chapel opportunities that have been added this year, three representatives addressed issues that they had brought up in the previous forum.

Students were then asked to form lines by microphones to ask questions and wait for responses from both the panel and other audience members. Immediately, concerns over the elimination of the chapel requirement for seniors and the recent lack of depth were popular topics voiced by students.

“[Chapel is] a place where I’m not feeling any depth, not feeling any spiritual growth whatsoever…I’ve felt farther away from the community this year than any other year,” senior Kevin Bazan said.

Bazan views chapel as his church and was saddened by the recent rule that eliminated a chapel requirement for seniors.

Although seniors are not currently required to attend chapel, questions shifted to the implementation of a possible chapel policy for seniors, including consequences if it was not met. Hamilton stated that the withholding of diplomas is not an option, since the only permissible reason is for lack of financial payment. Junior Brianna Nishie suggested that if seniors did not make a chapel requirement, they should not be granted the privilege of walking at graduation.

Students expressed concerns over the current consequence policy for all other students, which requires a two-page paper and $20 fine per chapel missed.

“If there’s no consequence, there’s no accountability,” Beresford said in response to these concerns. He also stated that the department is currently looking into possibly altering the fee to include community service as well.

Juniors Jade Fernandez and Matt Edmondson approached the microphone with a signed petition with 10 reasons why the fine should be reversed. As a way to visually represent their support, Fernandez and Edmondson approached the stage with a shopping bag filled with almost 500 index cards with ID numbers on each one, that were dumped onto the stairs in front of the panel to illustrate all the supporters of their petition.

Other students presented opposing opinions about the $20 fee.

“Maybe we shouldn’t complain so much about the $20 fine because people would kill to pay $20 to worship God around the world,” sophomore David Vasquez said, reading a text message he had received from a peer.

By the beginning of the third hour, the audience had dwindled down to only a handful as there were still students waiting to ask questions.

Senior Ben Cross and junior Anika Wiebe both spoke regarding the financial effects on chapel. Cross compared this year’s chapels to past year’s in which more prominent speakers were brought in. He also questioned how money plays a role in the overall production of chapel.

Wiebe believes that the distribution of the school’s budget should make spirituality on campus a priority because it is the most important aspect of her schooling.

“I believe we don’t need to pay the Holy Spirit to do work on this campus,” McDanel said, countering the idea that only money will allow God to work.
The forum ended with a closing prayer with everyone holding hands. The audience and panel were thanked for their attendance and the panel expressed that the topics and comments brought up will be taken into consideration.

“I think anytime we have people listening to each other is a very positive thing because you can make changes based on listening and hearing. So I think this is a great opportunity for everyone to listen and hear,” Hamilton said at the conclusion of the forum.

According to Beresford, new decisions concerning the chapel policy will be made and communicated to students by the end of the semester.

Chapel–our daily bread, our daily cred

Lauren Francis, staff writer and Carly Williams, photo editor

The Spiritual Formation Department initiated a new chapel attendance policy last fall. The policy requires that all students who do not complete the mandatory chapel amount are required to write a two-page reflection paper and pay a $20 fine for each absence. The policy does not affect seniors who have had their Spiritual Formation credits waived for the entire 2009-2010 school year. 

Towers lobby to be revamped

Mary Baker, staff writer

Since past student facility representatives Tyler Choi and Samantha May began to voice students’ dissatisfaction with the Towers Lobby last spring, Vice President for Student Affairs, Anne Hamilton, and other faculty members are stepping towards a renovation project.

Hamilton and students have been working side-by-side in efforts to give new life to the central place of socializing for freshman. One project in particular has been a web site created by Intern for Student Activities and yearbook advisor Kevin Funkhouser called www.LoveTheLobby.com. 

Though the site is not yet completed, it will serve as an outlet where students can voice opinions and complaints about the lobby via anonymous polls, view a student-made film about the lobby and find information about the history and future of the project in general.

While there is much excitement surrounding this project, a large amount of funds are needed in order to make this anticipated dream a reality. 

“We’re currently in the stage of seeing how much it will all cost,” Hamilton said. “We want to have the blessing from administration before we move forward with this, so we’re taking our time to do it the right way.”

Fundraising has been put on hold for the time being until the university has a complete estimate of the project’s price tag. However, Hamilton, facility representatives Savana Koteita and David Stretz and other staff members including Funkhouser will continue to work together with administration to make the plans concrete.

“We’ve been wanting to do this because students want it, so we’re asking students ‘What do you want to see in the lobby?’” Funkhouser said. 

Completed in 1970, the lobby has become outdated because the only remodeling has ever been replacing carpet and tile.

It has even become a place to dodge when giving campus tours. Broken foosball tables and pool sticks, out-of-order phone booths and laptops balancing on trash cans to view movies is not an atmosphere conducive to what the lobby is meant to be—a safe, recreational place for students on campus, Hamilton said.

“You need to create environments for conversation to happen on a college campus,” Hamilton said.

Those working on the project want to know what students need in the lobby. Whether it’s a proper space for computers, more comfortable seating or even a television, now is the time for students to voice their opinions. 

Board broadens expertise

Elijah Dove, staff writer

Three new board members have been added to the Board of Trustees since its installation in June 2009 to incorporate broader and more diverse experiences in the running of the university.

Although the Board was comprised of many professional individuals, including Assemblies of God Superintendent George O. Wood, it had the minimum number of members needed to constitute a board. While the overall effectiveness of the board was not diminished, it did lead to the combining of the Academic and Student Life committees. This meant that there was a possibility that not all issues would receive equal attention.

The expansion of the Board was to also ensure there was the breadth of expertise needed to provide oversight for an organization as complex as a university, President Carol Taylor said.

The first member to be added was Tom Prince, just under two months after the Board was installed. A member of both the Audit and Finance committees, Prince brings to the table 40 years of financial services experience.

Evelyn Robertson, installed at the beginning of December, is on the Advancement Committee. An organization change consultant with experience in the design and implementation of strategic change, Robertson has consulted with numerous organizations, including Xerox and Compaq.

Delbert Tarr, Jr., installed at the same time as Robertson and seated on the Student Life Committee, feels a great deal of optimism about the new Board.

“The synergy of this group will blow you away,” Tarr said.

The Board has been working well together, so much so that the President and Executive Director of WASC, Ralph Wolff, was encouraged at what the university is willing to do to correct the past. Expanding the Board is one step toward that advancement.

Tarr has more than 50 years of experience in 70 countries and believes cultural variety is essential for a healthy university.

“There’s diversity [at Vanguard], but we need more,” Tarr said. 

 The addition of three new board members to the 16 initial members allowed for the separation of the Academic and Student Life committees, thus enabling them to focus on the issues especially concerning them.

“Adding three more members allowed us to strengthen the financial expertise on the board, expertise in organizational management, and academics,” Taylor said.

There was also discussion at the last meeting of adding another member, but this should not be taken as a sign that the Board will continue to expand until it reaches its maximum capacity of 29 members; it will be intentionally kept smaller to aid smoother operating.

Biola band in key with ministry

Lauren Francis, staff writer

While most college-aged students are cramming for midterms or making late-night coffee runs to stay awake all night, David Ottestad, Chris White, Johnny Hamilton and Nick Green spend their days recording, playing live shows and meeting fans. As members of the band The Workday Release, these men are foregoing class for fame.

Ottestad begun at Biola University as a freshmen, but soon after meeting the other members of the band, they knew their lives were heading in a different direction.

The “different direction” turned out to be the recording of a concept album called “Farther from Familiar,” which is a seven-track portrayal of the book “The Dream Giver” by Bruce Wilkinson.

The album follows the book’s character, Ordinary, as he is called to leave his life of being a Nobody and to become a Somebody outside his world called Familiar. He faces trials along the way, but is eventually able to start a new life after denying his old one and looking forward to what he could be.

The album is Ordinary’s journey composed into a half-hour beginning with ambient melodies that flow into heavier, guitar-driven rock pieces

“Everyone can identify with Ordinary’s story. We ask big questions like, what is my purpose? Is there a God? What is life all about? The purpose of this album is to present life as we know it and dare to ask ‘is there more?’” Ottestad said.

The album begins with “A Distant Shore,” which parallels the initial call to adventure for Ordinary. It ends with the track “Await the Sun” which is the listener’s final look at where Ordinary is in his life journey.
The band released their second album on Feb. 28 at a show in Anaheim, and tickets went fast as about 500 of their fans came out to see the show.

The Workday Release is trying to use their music as a ministry tool to spark thoughts in listeners about God’s calling for their own lives.

Ottestad’s favorite part of being a musician is talking with people and getting to know their different stories.

“We know that [Christ] has been the forward motion of this band since its beginning and are honored to know that he has given us this new record for the purpose of showing kids their place in his story,” Ottestad said.

March is a busy month for the band as they begin a hometown tour with shows in Irvine, La Mirada and an acoustic show at Trinity Baptist Church in Downey, Calif.

To check out music from The Workday Release or to see show dates, visit their website theworkdayrelease.com or www.myspace.com/theworkdayrelease.