JACKSON, Tenn. — Aug. 28, 2002 — Under the lights of the courtyard and around the fountain, students of all years and majors gathered to bring in the new school year with the annual Howdy Party, and with it, signifying the close of New Student Orientation. The party was a good ending to the last long, structured day of the freshman鈥檚 start at Union. The new students had their last FOCUS meetings early that morning and spent a majority of the rest of their day becoming familiar with the many programs offered by the various organizations representing Union.
鈥淲e 鈥榦ver-program鈥� at 51社区, there鈥檚 a lot more available than any sane person should be involved in,鈥� said Hal Poe, Professor of Faith and Culture, chuckling, as he talked to the students at the 鈥淲elcome to our Community鈥� workshop hosted by Provost Carla Sanderson Tuesday morning. 鈥淲e have a unifying vision here at Union. It involves the mind, it involves the heart 鈥� all of it under the Lordship of Jesus Christ 鈥� and you will find what goes on in the classroom will possibly be reinforced in other neighborhoods of campus life. So learning is not restricted to the class. Hopefully in your neighborhoods of conversations, in your friendships, that conversation will go beyond the mundane and ordinary to the beginning of a lifetime of stretching of your mind.鈥�
鈥淲e are very interested in making your Christian walk all that it should be,鈥� added Greg Thornbury, assistant professor of Christian Studies. 鈥淲e are of the decided opinion that Christians should not be lazy or stupid, and that on the contrary, Christians should be the most articulate, thoughtful, and well spoken people in our culture.鈥�
Instead of finding their last lecture to be a less-than-exciting question and answer session with faculty, Ann Livingston, associate professor of political science, Poe, and Thornbury interjected the information they were seeking to pass on with periods of banter and even broke into song at one point in the meeting, conveying that the experiences to come at Union might offer something to look forward to.
鈥淲e expect students to interrupt us and ask questions,鈥� said Poe. 鈥淣ow, we don鈥檛 like to ask questions as people because that suggests that we don鈥檛 already know that answer and that means we鈥檙e stupid and that鈥檚 why nobody needs to go to college because they already know the answers,鈥� he said, tongue-in-cheek.
鈥淲e ask that you appreciate all disciplines,鈥� said Livingstone, 鈥淚f you are undecided, sit with your indecision and sit comfortably with it. Take a wide variety of the courses that we offer here and find out what your passion is.鈥�
鈥淵ou need balance. You can overdose on fun, just as you can overdose on academics,鈥� Poe added. 鈥淧art of it is maintaining a balanced life and figuring out what that balance is for you.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 about setting your priorities, and it鈥檚 very difficult,鈥� added Livingstone. 鈥淲hat you do now has implications for the rest of your life.鈥�
With the words of these three professors still in their minds as they left the chapel, the newest additions to the Union family went out to start making these decisions on what they would do with themselves and their time at Union. Some will maintain their undecided position and fill their time with a wide variety of core classes and one or more of the various groups and programs represented at the Campus Life Fair whether it be the Cardinal and Cream, Student Government, or any one of the other opportunities. Other students know exactly where they鈥檙e headed with their lives.
鈥淚 want to make movies,鈥� said Faith Cooper, a double major in theatre/speech and broadcasting, 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to classes starting because I鈥檒l have more time and be able to absorb everything that I鈥檓 hearing.鈥�
So it is fitting that New Student Orientation ended with a gathering of students in conversation with each other covering all topics and walks of life and ushering in a new phase of growth in mind, faith, and culture. It is but the first step into a new horizon just waiting to be discovered.