PBA Provides Perspective to Prospective Students

One thing that really gets current PBA students running in all directions on campus is prospective students.
 
Prospective students interested in attending PBA can attend Open Houses to really get the best perspective of the school.  Although regular tours of PBA are informative, getting to see the campus, cafeteria and chapel areas, there are some aspects of PBA that just aren’t initially seen.  However, with Open Houses, prospective students attend classes featuring the majors they are interested in, and stay overnight with current students in their dorms on campus.

This week, the Open House was for a group of home schooled high school students.  Being a former online school high school student, the prospective students caught my attention.  In my morning communication class, there were several who attended and met with the professor.  One junior from Sarasota, Fla., Kara, sat next to me in class and was able to ask me questions about the communication major.  She was really sweet and I was happy to help guide her in her college decision for PBA.
 
I had several friends involved with the Open House this week by hosting students for the night.  They entertained the visitors by sharing their social atmosphere, whether it was walking around Cityplace or just playing pool in the dorm lobby.  The best part of prospective students coming to PBA is not just the Fresh Food Company serving better food for the day at the caf, but it’s the students being able to actually see some of the quirks at PBA that all current students have come to know and love.

These quirks that make up the personality of the school vary from what seems like a 3:1 girl to guy ratio, to long boarders skating to the beach instead of class, to spontaneous guitar worship on the Baxter green.  I think the Open Houses are all about giving prospective students a good idea about what goes on beyond the surface. What really makes PBA stand out from other private Christian universities, at least from a student perspective, is our ability to joke about the stereotypes and characteristics of it. 

For example, perspective students can see how PBA students satirize the perceived girl to guy ratio in this YouTube video, which was a part of PBA's Monday Night Live:

If you or someone you know is interested in being a prospective student, let me know!

Sailfish Baseball's Opening Game at Roger Dean

 

My PBA Cheer Squad friend Katie W. (left) and me (right) "cheesing."

   The opening game of the Palm Beach Atlantic University Sailfish Baseball team against Lynn University Thursday night proved more successful than last year's game. The Sailfish won 3-2, with the help of an energetic crowd this year. 

 
It must have been a combination of the PBA baseball team, Coach Gary Carter and Coach Kent Bottenfield's great dedication for this season. It could have also been the spirited fans rallying in the stadium that also helped truly hit the game out of the park.  I think the promotion for this year's opening game, with advertising the setting at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., increased student awareness.

However, before the game, doubt was ringing in student's ears not only about the wavering stormy weather, but about the lack of support for the team.  When conversation came up with students about the game earlier that day, people were initially shrugging it off for homework or dinner.  Although the excitement of going to Roger Dean interested most students, there was some lack of understanding about the importance of this baseball game and athletics at PBA in general.

Nonetheless, symptoms of apathy seemed to cease as word later spread around campus the game was still happening, despite the lack of school updates and lingering storms. It was evident when a good number of students showed up that the PBA baseball team is promised a solid season of support.

Some of the students in attendance included avid sports fans, girlfriends of players on the field and students finally looking to support the success of their school.  Additionally, the PBA Cheer Squad continued to fulfill their pep duties, sitting as support in the stands with other students.  Plus, representatives of PBA's Relay for Life group provided entertainment and raffles, including field games for kids and VIP tickets to West Palm Beach’s annual Sunfest concert.

The success of the game reverberated throughout campus and the community the next day. Students have been congratulating their beaming baseball classmates, and asking about the schedule for future games. Also, I could see the spirit of professors and staff who also attended, or were raving about the win.  For example, my Communication Ethics professor, and a former PBA player, Dr. Tom St. Antoine, called it, with a twinkle in his eye, a "glorious game."
 
Overall, the majority of PBA students believe this opening baseball game will set the stage for future PBA athletic events, not simply because the team was successful last night, but because the student body succeeded in showing support. 



Did you attend the game? Will you attend the next home game?

Setting 'Anchor' at PBA

Ever wonder what that incessant pounding above the caf is as you’re eating dinner Thursday nights? It's an "Anchor" that will keep you grounded.

The Anchor is a student led, weekly worship ministry at PBA.

As I stepped into “upstairs Weyenberg,” above the caf this past Thursday night, I knew where my heart would be traveling.  I was immediately greeted at the door by students serving on the Anchor, a student led, weekly worship ministry for PBA students looking for a time and place to wind down, or to be energized. 

One of the main guys serving on the Anchor team, Daniel, introduced himself to my friend and me.  Daniel personally recruited my friend to come back to the Anchor next week, encouraging her to share her testimony, after sharing his with us briefly.  The way that Daniel was able to share his testimony so openly and freely demonstrates how the Anchor is a place of honesty and freeness. 

Not only do powerful worship songs blast from the voices of humble students leading simple praise and worship, but words of wisdom are spoken true through passages of psalms and the gospel. Even better, one of the unique parts of the Anchor, “Detox,” is like a "half-time" between worship to talk about burdens or praises and pray in small groups.  Honestly, as a busy college student, this is my choice opportunity to find community with others.  Even though the Anchor is a public student activity, it is private in the sense you are able to show emotion and be honest with each other, and God.

I remember the first night I went to the Anchor my freshman year, and one of the songs they played is the one I recorded below, “How He Loves.”  Being at the Anchor and hearing this song held a lot of meaning, coming into a new community searching relentlessly for love and acceptance.  This particular song, along with many others, resonated with me so much and even more so now because instead of tears of pain I shed last year, I now shed tear drops of joy. 

The way that the Anchor demonstrates how any place, such as upstairs Weyenberg, can be transformed into a place of worship and reverence is exemplary of how you can find an anchor anywhere in God.

Have you ever attended the Anchor?

 

Anecdotes of Bills and Blackouts

I’m not going to pretend to know what a computer science major does, or attempt to understand congressional bills like a lawyer.  However, the phenomenon observed by millions Wednesday in the cyber world was remarkable enough to spark a deeper interest in many of those using the Internet for basic purposes. 

When I logged online to the Internet Wednesday to my homepage, Google, I was immediately informed about a 24-hour digital protest with the words “Google” literally blacked out.  I rolled my cursor over the image and read the subtext, which asked viewers to sign a petition against the provisions in two Congressional bills, the Stop Online Piracy Act, referred to as SOPA, as well as the Protect IP Act, or PIPA.  

Initially, Google was successful in persuading me against these two “government attacks” on the freedom and entrepreneurship of Internet.  Additionally, later that day, I went to Wikipedia for a little quick research.  However, I came to find that the English Wikipedia was also involved in the protest, completely blacking and blocking out their website to users, asking viewers to sign a petition or else, “Imagine a world without free knowledge.” 

What really shocked me, though, was how easily these websites were able to use their power and platforms to influence their daily users.  There was an initial negative reaction of how these bills would be used to filter out websites infringing on copyrights, which would potentially affect the freedom of content in regular websites. However, I eventually realized that it was absurd to allow myself to think irrationally about the issue because Wikipedia and other similar websites blocked their sites.

 However, I do respect the protest's ability to involve users in the political process, encouraging the voicing of legitimate concerns about freedom in the Internet. Here at PBA, I spoke with a business major in my class, John, about his concern with the bills that would potentially cause “permanent blackouts of entrepreneurs and new businesses online.” Overall, whether or not the bills or blackouts succeeded in having future impact on the regulations of the Internet, the tech geek in me was excited to have witnessed such an event. 

Be sure to watch the video for more coverage on what the bills and blackouts entailed!

What kinds of questions have the two bills and several blackouts caused you to ask?

Update: The bills SOPA and PIPA have been put on hold.

Publishing about 'Passion'

Over winter break, I was enjoying the best of Florida relaxation with my family, down in Key West and up in Orlando.  However, I found myself wondering about my friends from Palm Beach Atlantic University who were constantly posting exciting and inspirational status' on Facebook about being at "Passion 2012." 

The offical Passion conference website describes their purpose as "...exist[ing] to glorify God-uniting students in worship and prayer for spiritual awakening in this generation." I heard about "Passion" my freshman year at PBA, but unfortunately, I was unaware of the conference until it actually took place.  I didn't attend the conference this year at the Georgia Dome in January, but I could feel the spirit of the 42,000 students enduring the cold front, flowing through the threads of the Internet in several news station's blogs and numorous friend's Facebook status'.

 In addition, now that school has started again for the semester, I can feel the "passion" from students who have attended. There are many students at PBA who could go in depth about the conference, but I asked my friend, Rachel, about her experience.

"There were concepts [discussed] that you don't usually think about," Rachel said. "Coming back from Passion, you really want to talk about it!"  I agree with her statement because I have been affected indirectly by the conference through those who have been sharing their faith from attending.

I thought it was necessary to share what I learned about the Passion conference, through what other's have shared, with those who may be unaware of it as well. One of the most interesting aspects of the conference, from an outside perspective, is that it examplifies how people can positively influence those around them and change the world ahead of them.  Whether or not there is an opportunity to attend the conference next year, it is apparent through Passion that there is always a chance to live life more significantly through serving the Lord.

Did you attend "Passion 2012?" If so, tell me about your experience.

The Season of the Spirit

Christmas Tree in Cityplace

Christmas in West Palm Beach and at PBA truly helps one find joy in the season. 

Just steps away from campus, there is a Christmas tree more than 40-feet tall with thousands of twinkling lights in the heart of CityPlace, a shopping and entertainment center.  Plus, by the tree you can even see "snow" falling from the palm trees, scheduled on the hour.  Just last Saturday was the Palm Beach holiday boat parade of lights, where boats of all sizes traveled along the Intracoastal.  This week at PBA, everyone has been decorating Christmas trees, baking cookies for parties and buying presents for secret Santa games. 

Speaking of snow, when I was a child living up north, I remember throwing pieces of cotton around the family room if we didn't have a white Christmas.  I thought it would make Santa more jolly coming to our house!  However, once I grew older, my view of the Christmas became challenged.  Since that time, I became the scrooge of my family when the Christmas season came around.  I thought Christmas music was cheesy.  I banned the color red from my wardrobe.  I would go through the motions at festivities.  Additionally, even with attending all of these wonderful Christmas activities in West Palm and at PBA this semester, the spirit in my heart had still been lacking. 

I found a rekindling of Christmas not only by reminiscing for this blog entry, but also by reaching a breaking point in my life this week.  The meaning of Christmas reignites the spirit again when it's finally shattered in to tiny, little pieces.  After I had listened to some Christian music for encouragement, I faced my anti-holiday feelings by listening to more Christmas music.  As my holiday Pandora station played "Christmas Cannon" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, I found in my heart "The joy that He brings."  The song lyrics are vague, but it relates to having the spirit of a child in Christmas, such as I did before.  Most importantly, this Christmas spirit  parallels with having the faith of a child in loving Christ.

I hope you also recieve a renewed sense of spirit in both Christmas and Christ the Lord during this holiday season. See you in 2012!

Creating Civil Conversation in Censorship

Palm Beach Atlantic University is trusted for implementing higher standards of values in their student body.  I chose to attend PBA not only for its education, but for the attitude held by the school.  I also enjoy attending PBA because of its diverse group of students, who can discuss issues at hand, rather than shying away from topics. 

However, lines are often blurred between the differences in advocating correct behavior or creating censorship. 

The latest discussion at PBA is the selective censoring of websites that do not align with certain PBA standards.  Students hold both positive and negative perspectives about the school using the “Websense” program to block Internet websites deemed as inappropriate.  The Facebook accounts of PBA students were raging over the weekend with girls who couldn’t pay bills online and shop cyber-Monday at Victoria’s Secret or American Eagle’s Arie because of its content.  Others were pleased with the banning of this content for those using PBA’s Internet. This is a typical debate over rules at PBA.

Usually, such a superficial issue would have mere significance in my eyes. 

 However, with my firsthand experience of pervasive censorship, I dabbled with it for general discussion.  The suppression of information has been a topic tugging in my heart ever since I worked in a social media and exchange program with the State Department. 

One of the countries we worked with and traveled to was Azerbaijan.  A main topic that was discussed, as visitors from the U.S., was the extreme censorship with the Internet.  According to our discussions with the ambassadors at the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, Internet censorship was a tactic used to keep the population uninformed and unaware.  For example, when I arrived, I learned that two Azeri bloggers had recently been sentenced to two years of imprisonment for their video clips with satire on their country's political elite.  

There is a great distinction of importance between online purchasing privileges and political freedom, though, ultimately, both instances of censorship are filters for protecting the minds of an audience from what is deemed by a particular perspective to be unsuitable. 

Media and Censorship Conference in Tbilisi

My perspective from the experience overseas led me to the conclusion that censoring content is only one route in addressing an issue.  From the conflict resolution problems in the program, we concluded that we could not protect the rights of the citizens.  Instead, the program advocated for the country, specifically the students who we worked with, to use methods of civil communication to properly address concerns with the Internet, rather than deeming it as “garbage.”  Ultimately, our conversations with the students widened their perspectives, and taught them to make decisions based on their own understanding of an issue.

What is your perspective of censorship in maintaining desired values and attitudes of a particular view held?

'Major' Road Work Ahead

When I picture choosing a major for a degree, I see it as driving down the road of life. 

We often have a path envisioned in our minds that is smoothly paved for the ride ahead.  However, the potholes and bumps of difficulties in life can make the journey an off-road adventure.  As much as we hate construction work on major roads, we also often have trouble accepting the necessary time to fix issues.  And, picking the right vehicle is also important.  Palm Beach Atlantic University is the vehicle that I have chosen to navigate my career path. 

This week, I attended a career seminar offered by PBA’s Student Success office.  I had recently felt like I had lost control of the wheel, with the semester ending quickly and having no final destination.  However, the seminar was helpful in affirming my decision on a major, and potential career options. 

When I first decided to come to PBA, I was unsure of what major to choose -- a roadblock.  Initially, I thought Nutrition would be a possibility in order to fulfill my goal of helping others. Except, I didn’t have a passion for science.  I took a detour toward a major in Communication, which was inspired by a social media project I was involved with in high school. 

Nonetheless, here I am, nearly midway through my sophomore year reaching another roadblock.  Much to my dismay, even completing a minor with my Communication major would leave me a semester short of the credits required to reach the finish line at PBA and graduate my senior year.  With no desire to take electives senior year, I am filling up the tank and plan to double major in Communication and English.  This is a perfect route to take because English is one of my passions.  Beginning next semester, I will begin to test drive the English courses on the road to my majors.

What kinds of "major" road work are you encountering?

Sacrifice a Part of True Success

How can you sacrifice your life to the Lord while obtaining success in your career?

PBA's American Free Enterprise Day on Monday answered this controversial question.  I had been hearing both positive and negative remarks about the system that the day represented.  Also, since I was involved in the ceremony, friends and family have asked my opinion about the event.  As a freshman last year, I didn't take AFE sincerely, and simply associated it with the politics of business.  This year, I truly resonated with the event because of this year's medalist, Mr. H. Wayne Huizenga Jr.

It is evident that all of AFE's medalists have proven validity of the American Free Enterprise system with their successes.  However, more importantly, they have shown validity of the light of Christ living in them and shining in their careers through sacrifice.  Mr. Huizenga Jr. spoke about how he "allowed Christ to live through [him]," literally looking past the money to see God, in a story he shared that day.  Mr. Huizenga challenged the crowd, especially the students, to utilize their platform of power to share God with those who may not know Him otherwise.  Additionally, he urged us to use our talents bestowed from God to serve those around us, and offer our gifts back to our Creator.

As I was listening to this speech, I was fondly reminded of a role model in my life, my dad.  My father is a successful businessman. As I grew up and he grew in power, I never saw him blinded by wealth or status.  My father made an effort to put others first, whether it be his family or employees, and to serve God as he was promoted in positions.  As students preparing for the workforce, we are easily blinded by our needs for success.  Self interest isn't bad until it turns in to selfishness, causing us to lose sight of the greatness of sacrificing our life back up to God.

Whether or not you agree with the politics involved with American Free Enterprise Day, I hope that it is clear that AFE has taught that success without sacrifice has no validity.

Here is a video from Mr. Huizenga with the nonprofit "I Am Second," which his speech mirrored on Monday.

The Moving Market of Mediums

 

As I waited for my friend in her dorm, I decided to find out what's happening in the news.  I was going to look at a news website on the Internet when I saw on her table a print edition of USA Today, which is available on campus.  My thoughts turned to deciding which medium of news would be most interesting and informational to me -- online or print. 
It had been a while since I actually picked up a newspaper, so I glanced at the pages for a few minutes. It wasn’t long before I became bored with the tiny print and grey paper, and began searching the online edition instead. 
My favorite aspect of reading news online is that I can tweak it to provide specific information that pertains only to my interests.  Though, a consequence of this method is readers might miss valuable information, and not expand their interests.      

Internet editions of newpapers are popular for its ability to provide updated news anytime, whereas most print editions get one shot a day for the best information. 

Print edition of USA Today

What is more, basic news online doesn’t cost a dime for readers, and print newspapers require subscriptions or a couple quarters at the newsstand.

Growing up, I went to television the most as a source for news. It’s no wonder my brain is used to gathering news through quick and easy methods, which can be found abundantly on the Internet. With the advent of Facebook and Twitter, it’s even more popular to get news online.  My most recent channel of news has come from friends who share links to stories on websites.  I also have a “Pulse” app on my phone that brings news to me anytime, anywhere.

Does the freshness of a newspaper's website oust the print edition's relevance?