October Newsletter

Campus Events

Shack-A-Thon
Shack-A-Thon is an annual fundraiser on campus to raise money and awareness for the homeless in the metro Detroit area. This year it was held over the weekend of September 24th, which coincided with the Heritage Festival on campus. Students who participated raised money in order to partake in the event; the money raised was donated to a charity helping the homeless. The weekend commenced on Friday with the building of the shacks on the east end of campus by Avon Road. Some slept in tents, but most of the students built shacks. The shacks were their homes for the weekend, where they sleep at night, even in the cold and rain! The students spent the weekend volunteering at local organizations to further help the homeless in our area.

Residence Life Events

Nerf Wars

Nerf Wars is a several years in the making tradition on our campus. It is always apparent when it is a Nerf Wars night. Several male residents will be in the lobby modifying their new Nerf guns to make them shoot a greater distance. Around 10 pm, the noise on the male side of the hall is at a fever pitch, the doors slam then silence.

All three male halls participated in this event, and the time was full of good fun and community building. The event took place from 10pm to 11:59pm, and it was one of our biggest turn outs for the programs we organize. Many of our graduates look back fondly on Nerf Wars (and not so secretly wish they could still participate).

Spa Night

The girls of AG had a spa night on September 21st. They had an opportunity to spend time together to drink herbal teas, paint their nails, and soften their hands with a paraffin dip and coconut sugar scrub. The time was topped off with girl talk and yummy chocolate.

Upcoming Events

October 6: Campus Ministry presents Invisible Children screening
October 7: Campus Ministry’s Temple
October 10: Campus Ministry’s Focus: Hope walk
October 12: Wellness Seminar
October 13: Take Two/Chelsea’s Walk
October 15: Warrior Friday New Student Preview Day
October 18: Career Services Resume Writing Workshop
October 19-22: Mid-Terms
October 19: Chorus and Band Concert
October 21: The Offering
October 26: Monthly Convocation
October 28: Halloween Party

For specifics about actual events, please see http://www.rc.edu/events/

September 2010

Welcome to our inaugural blog post! This is our first attempt in Residence Life to have a formal method of communicating information to the parents of our residents. We hope that you find the information pertinent and useful. It is our goal to send out monthly emails when we update the blog around the first of each month to recap significant events from the previous month and to keep you appraised of upcoming events on campus that may be of interest to attend or just be aware are occurring.

Involvement
The freshmen year of college is a time of transition not only for the student but his family as well. Our goal in Residence Life is to ease the transition of our students’ first years of adulthood. As such, we highly encourage our students to find the autonomy and confidence inside of themselves to address the various issues that are so common in college. We encourage our students to approach their problems, concerns, and fears using their family, church, and Rochester College community as a resource, rather than a crutch. We hope this transition is gentle, not only to your student, but you as well.
With this transition, we offer a variety of programs in the residence halls and on campus to aid our students. Some of these programs are entirely fun in nature, a trip to the apple orchard or a video game tournament for instance to encourage them to form positive relationships within the campus community. Some are spiritual in nature such as devotionals and Campus Ministry events to encourage spiritual growth and health. Finally, some are educational to address life learning skills. These programs include bulletin boards on topics such as sending professional emails, events in the community, physical health, and a myriad of other topics. Other educational programs we plan to offer partner with our new Convocation/Chapel series, which will include trips to area museums, on campus theatre productions, etc. Throughout this year, your student will have countless opportunities to form close friendships, have fun, and most importantly learn! Did you know, statistically, residential students who are actively involved in campus events report greater satisfaction in their college experience and are more likely to stay in college? Involvement is key to a successful college experience!

Convocation
The school year was kicked off on the August 31st by Convocation, followed by a community lunch. Convocation opened with a processional by the faculty of the college. Dr.John Barton offered the opening remarks, followed by Student Government President, Elliot Kern. Elliot encouraged the students to use their campus community as a support base and to get involved in events around campus. Rochester Hills Mayor, Bryan Barnett, followed and offered his welcome and encouragement to the students to become involved in area activities. The college’s president, Dr. Rubel Shelly, followed and shared encouraging news on campus enrollment. Finally, Dr. Craig Bowman, who is currently on leave as he battles blood cancer and recovers from a bone marrow transplant, closed the session with his gratitude for community support and a prayer.

Upcoming Events
September 6: Labor Day, no classes
September 16: Blood Drive
September 24-26: Shack-A-Thon
September 25-26: Rochester Heritage Festival
September 30-October 2: Fall Play