'Last Blast Weekend' Starts Thursday

Thursday, April 19 will be the start of “Last Blast Weekend” at PBA.  Every student is ready to celebrate before final exams with concerts, games, food, sports and fun. 

 

Weekend relaxing at the dorms

Thursday Happenings: You can start shouting for joy at 8 p.m. at the Todd Agnew concert at First Baptist Church. Or, if superstar Christian worship singers aren’t enough, you can go to the Spring Dance Concert featuring the PBA Dance Ensemble 7:30 p.m. at the Crest Theatre in Delray Beach.  Plus, there is another event at the Norton Museum of Art from 7 to 9 p.m. featuring PBA Alum Kristen Alyce to advocate her Garbage Gone Glam cause. I will be there, along with 20 other girls modeling her dress creations.   

Friday Events: If you’re not worn out from Thursday, start your grills up for the annual Burger Cook-Off at 4 p.m. on the Rinker Green.  Of course, the event is always busy with hungry college students.  Then at 5 p.m. you can work off that food by watching the annual Strong Man Competition outside the Green Complex – with ladies competing, too!  To wrap the Friday up (yes, this is still Friday’s activities), hundreds of students will get washed up, dressed and out with their friends by 8 p.m. for the Spring Fling dance at the Box Event Hall. 

With all these amazing activities Friday, I can't make it to any because I will be spending that afternoon in the car with my family.  This is not too unfortunate though as I headed to my older brother’s Flagler College graduation ceremony early Saturday morning celebrating the weekend in St. Augustine, Fla. My older brother and I have been great friends since diapers.  We have a lot in common being only three years apart. Though, I often forget how three years makes a huge difference with wisdom and experience, especially now that he is graduating.



Weekend exploring wonders of West Palm

This will truly be a “Last Blast Weekend” for me because I will be celebrating the “Last Blast Weekend” of my brother’s undergraduate life, even though I have to miss the actual events at PBA. Moreover, this “Last Blast Weekend” talk is a constant reminder that the end of the school year is approaching here at PBA, with finals right around the corner. For me, going to my brother’s graduation is a reminder of why we celebrate these weekends at PBA.  As students here, we work hard in college each year to reach the ultimate “Last Blast Weekend” of our graduation from Palm Beach Atlantic University.

So while I’m celebrating at my brother’s graduation, what are your plans to celebrate “Last Blast Weekend” at PBA?

 

'Feeding Children Everywhere' Event April 14

This semester at PBA never stops rolling with student events and activities. 

Last weekend at the Refresh Leadership Retreat put on by Palm Beach Atlantic University's Center for Campus Connections at the Life for Youth Camp in Vero Beach, I learned about a food packaging event coming to PBA Saturday, April 14. A food packaging event is where volunteers package raw food products to create nutritious meals to feed the hungry.

As stated on its website, Feeding Children Everywhere “...is a social charity that empowers and mobilizes people to assemble healthy meals for hungry children.” According to PBA student Matthew Langford, who spoke about the event at chapel this week, the goal is to pack 50,000 meals that will be sent to churches and orphanages in the horn of Africa, where there is currently a huge drought.  Each meal contains rice, lentils, vitamin blend and dehydrated vegetables, and costs only 25 cents.

The campus as a whole is really getting fired up about helping out from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Mahoney Gym at PBA's Greene Complex for Sports and Recreation.  In a listserv e-mail to students, Matt shared, “We have roughly 1,000 students that live on campus…if each student on campus gave $10, which would be $10,000.”  However, not only is this event for students who live on campus, but for commuter students and the community of West Palm Beach. 
It is amazing to think that at least one thousand PBA students as well as residents of West Palm Beach will have the opportunity to practice servant leadership. Matt also wrote, “The number one thing I want to happen through this event is for the heart of our campus to break for the needy in this world.”

Watch the video below "What is a Packing Event?" to see exactly what will be going on at PBA Saturday, April 14. Will you be joining?

PBA Alumna to Show 'Garbage' Glam April 19

It's not difficult to "go green" and practice sustainability at Palm Beach Atlantic University. I found my way into the green theme when I first started working with the company Garbage Gone Glam.  When I learned about the company, I didn't know that I'd be working for a cause that would eventually make a huge impact around Palm Beach County and other parts of the country. 

Earth Day Fashion Show downtown WPB 2011

Garbage Gone Glam is a company founded by PBA alumna Kristen Alyce, who studied Fine Art and Education.  I met Kristen while she was working at a CityPlace store. She came up to me and asked me if I would be in the first fashion show in 2009 at the Braman Motorcar Porshe dealership. Her latest show in the area was in February of this year at the E4 Sustainability Summit, put on by the City of West Palm Beach at the weekly Saturday Green Market. The next show will be minutes away from campus, featured at the Norton Museum of Art's "Art After Dark" on April 19. And following that, a showcase in downtown Palm Beach Gardens at the Green Energy Council's annual "Earth Day."

Kristen's bio on GarbageGoneGlam.com states, "Being a true artist, Kristen knew her collection of Vogue & Elle magazines along with large amounts of plastic grocery bags could be put to use again."

That is where the concept of Garbage Gone Glam began, and it has been growing ever since. Kristen makes her creations out of donated or recycled materials.  The main focus has been creating dresses to promote "bettering the environment and saving the earth one piece of art at a time," according to the site. Her dresses are exhibited live by girls who walk down her "magazine cover" runway, modeling creative works of art.  What I love about this cause is the inspiration it shows not only by recycling ordinary and odd materials, but turning them into works of art.

"My designs and shows are meant to do more than make you look beautiful," Kristen said. "They are meant to make over a community and set trends that will last forever. After-all, green really is the new black."

When I walk down the runway during these events wearing the recycled dresses, I love being able to advocate how a little change can make a big difference.  I especially love the time during the fitting appointments for actually making the dresses, where I watch Kristen use material deemed "garbage", and piece by piece use it to form a creation to fit my body.

Check out how to join the cause and attend the events here: http://www.garbagegoneglam.com/

How are you making a green impact?

The Benefits of PBA 'Workship'

With the days getting warmer down here in South Florida, it's time to get your plans heated up for completing your Workship hours for this semester at PBA.

Workship has always been a great tradition at Palm Beach Atlantic University, ever since its founding as a college in 1968.  PBA's Worship department has many opportunities for students to complete their required community service work.  For instance, the Workship department online has tools to narrow down your service search to fit your interests.  They conveniently advertise work with local nonprofit organizations, schools and churches.

I usually complete my community service hours with various organizations and add up the amount of hours by the summertime.  However, since Workship is requiring hours to be completed by May 1 instead of August 1, there is an increased need to complete community service.  Most students who are going on mission trips this spring or summer feel more confident with this change.  Though, a lot of students who do not have extensive plans for volunteering are stressing about the deadline.


Volunteering at Christ Fellowship's Children Ministry with friends Jessie and Talley

In order to not get stressed about getting 45 hours due at the end of the semester, I began to volunteer with Christ Fellowship's children ministry.  This church is conveniently located in walking distance from PBA by CityPlace.  As a volunteer at the children's ministry on Sundays, I care for babies and toddlers while parents attend the services.  I really feel a purpose with volunteering, besides for the practical reason of getting hours.  What is more, I am able to volunteer with fellow PBA students at the ministry, which creates a sense of community when we're back at the school.

I've always enjoyed volunteering and serving in the community ever since high school when I volunteered with my church's ministries and work regarding mission trips.  There is such a nice, intrinsic value in community service I'm always able to find.  Though, as a busy college student, it is easy to forget the importance of putting others before yourself.  Overall, PBA's Workship tradition not only benefits the community, but benefits the character of its students.

My Day as an Ambassador for 'Women of Distinction'

The PBA event “Women of Distinction” not only has a lovely title, but a lovely purpose. I had the opportunity to attend this event Wednesday through the Presidential Ambassador Program at PBA. Ambassadors are nominated by a PBA staff or faculty member, and represent the study body at important University functions.  Not many students here are aware of this impressive annual awards luncheon at The Breakers in Palm Beach. It was a gorgeous warm, sunny day, and I had permission to "play hooky" from school to witness the event.

Debbie Levinsky and I take a minute before the awards luncheon to capture a photo of The Breakers scenery.

As an ambassador, my duties for the morning included greeting guests and assisting at the place card table.  Other than that, the day was pretty low key for the students working the event.  However, the amount of work, time and dedication of the University staff was clear by how smoothly the program progressed. After a greeting from PBA Interim President Fleming, the humble recipients of the Women of Distinction Scholarship, two PBA seniors, led the invocation.  Moreover, my taste buds were flowering after a delicious lunch of breaded chicken with a savory vegetable sauce, sweet tomato vinaigrette salad and a chocolate sailfish fin atop a strawberry and blueberry pound cake.

The two “Women of Distinction” awarded were Joyce Sang and Sally Soter.  These women have provided such a great service to the community.  When Mrs. Sang’s 24-year-old son died as a result of his bipolar disorder, she created the “The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation” to help suffering families. According to PBA.edu the foundation “established an educational initiative…that teaches high school students, parents and teachers to recognize bipolar disorder and depression [and] in August, the foundation brought this program to schools in Palm Beach County.” In addition, the other honoree, Mrs. Soter, has worked tirelessly to promote the arts, where she “established an endowment of photography, which supports special exhibitions, scholarship opportunities and educational programs at The Norton,” according to PBA.edu. Her second goal has been providing better heart health coverage to women, where she created the “first fully endowed chair exclusively for the purpose of women’s heart health in the United States,” stated on PBA.edu.

One part of Mrs. Sang’s speech I especially admired was she suggested all women in the room are women of distinction. This is inspiring as a college student. It is one of my aspirations to work in a way that serves the community, no matter what career path I take.  I could see how beyond all of the glamour of the event, there brightly shone the theme of women working to serve the community.

There have been many women in my life who have been examples of women of distinction.  When I moved to Florida in middle school I found a church where I was blessed to have such a wonderful youth minister who directed the middle school and high school youth group.  From my adolescent age to my adult years, my youth minister served me unwaveringly. Whether I needed a shoulder to cry on or a head to guide my spiritual journey, she was there making a difference in my life. I would name her, along with many other role models in life, as Mrs. Sang stated, “Women of Distinction,” in their own shinning way.

V-Day at PBA

Roses are red, violets are blue, and Valentine ’s Day at PBA, has a different view. Although there were many distinctive Valentine’s Day activities this week at Palm Beach Atlantic University, such as a “Sweethearts Dinner” by the Fresh Food Company (caf) for guys willing to dish out some cash, to the “I Hate Valentine’s Day Party” at the Southside campus for those bitter single upperclassmen.  The biggest hit for Valentine’s Day, for lovers and friends alike, was the epic love story in theatres called “The Vow,” with heartthrobs Channing Tatum (Dear John) and Rachel McAdams(The Notebook).  It’s no accident that "The Vow's" release date coincided almost perfectly with Valentine's Day.  Overall, most PBA students, usually girls, chose to enjoy Valentine’s Day in their own special way.

However, as I said before, whether or not you had a secret admirer, like my roommate who received a giant teddy bear and sunflowers, Valentine’s Day holds a greater meaning to most girls at PBA.  I actually enjoyed the holiday, with the majority of my friends and family sending appreciative cards or treats to brighten the day.  Most sailfish women try to ignore the stereotypical relationship PBA pressures, such as the traditional “Ring by Spring” standard.  There are definitely plenty of “sailfish” in the sea for the girls here at PBA.  Valentine’s Day at PBA isn’t just another holiday to celebrate or to hate. Valentine’s Day did have the typical events, along with both the sweet candy and the bitter thoughts. However, it didn’t end up being as cheesy of a holiday that it’s ordinarily made out to be.

How did you spend V-Day?

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.