COVID-19 Catch Up
COVID-19 Catch Up
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Keep up with all the stories and opinions of students. Opinions published are not necessarily those of MVNU, the Church of the Nazarene or Viewer advertisers. The Viewer does not necessarily uphold or advocate opinions published.
Students Partner with Place 4 Grace
By Abby Almodovar
Whether they are folding button-downs or organizing games at a fundraiser, student volunteers at Place 4 Grace’s thrift store know that the time they give is well worth it. At Flannel Fest, a night of family activities and raffles on Nov. 1, attendees likely saw a few faces from our own Mount Vernon Nazarene University in the mix of volunteers working the event.
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Those taking the Exploring Vocation II course are required to spend 15 hours of the semester in service, and some have connected with Place 4 Grace, an organization that provides crisis housing and educational opportunities for single mothers. The nonprofit’s thrift store on Main Street in Mount Vernon was happy to receive those interested in filling roles to raise proceeds for a Christ-centered cause.
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Naomi Painter is one such student who has found meaning in her work at the store. She explained, “It’s important to me because it feels like a way to give back to the community. Even though I don’t live in Mount Vernon—I mostly just go to school here—I still end up engaging with the community often.”
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Hosanna Swartz, the Community Outreach Manager at Place 4 Grace, said that the students who volunteer are a blessing. She reflected, “We got the privilege of getting to know them, seeing their hearts and having them come into the store or help out with Flannel Fest. They’ve all been involved in a lot of ways.”
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Swartz also expressed the sense of shared purpose that she witnessed at the fundraiser, saying, “We’re all here because we all have a heart for this ministry, for moms and babies in need and wanting to love people well.”
Setting the Stage for New Talent
By Abby Almodovar
The upcoming fall play at Mount Vernon Nazarene University will have recognizable moments for kids in the audience and for adults who remember the whimsical tales of their childhood. “Bedtime Stories (As Told By Our Dad) (Who Messed Them Up)” By Ed Monk features scenes from classic fairy tales with some reimagined twists. While the stories they portray are familiar, many new faces will appear on stage as part of this year’s theatrical ensemble.
Not only have there been several additions to the MVNU theater program from the student body, but Sydney Moon is also enjoying her first year as director. She said, “This cast has welcomed me graciously, teaching me some of the MVNU theater traditions, while also allowing me to kickstart some of my own methods and traditions for the program. This position is a dream come true for me!”
Destiny Fullerton, a junior who has been involved with previous shows, commented on the “give and take” of these changes, saying, “It has been difficult to watch people leave and try to build new communities, but I think this is a good opportunity for the theater department to grow.”
She continued, “Theater has always been a place where there’s a strong sense of belonging for anyone that wants to join, and I think that’s an important aspect that we’ve tried to carry on with even as we’ve expanded.” The community fostered among a group of people who enjoy the same creative outlet is a worthy purpose that the program can continue to undertake going into the new year.
The play will enliven the stage of Thorne Performance Hall for a homecoming showing on Nov. 9 as well as throughout the weekend of Nov. 14, 15 and 16.
Purchase tickets at theatre.mvnu.edu!
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Where is the Lit Mag?
By Abby Almodovar
Penmarks, MVNU’s literary magazine, has been a place for students and alumni to showcase their talent. Contributors submit their writings and artwork to be published by those taking the practicum course, and then the community gathers at a reading to see the finished product and hear authors read their pieces aloud. Those familiar with the process, though, may be surprised to learn that there will not be a Penmarks volume this school year.
Head of the English department, Dorothea Hawthorne, and professor Kelly Smith decided to suspend the magazine due to low enrollment in the creative writing practicum for the upcoming spring semester. Dr. Hawthorne explained, “It just became clear that, given all the work that students do to solicit manuscripts, edit them, do the marketing and promotion and actually produce the magazine, we just didn’t quite have enough people.”
She continued, “The hope is that this year can be a growing year, a recruitment year, a building year—but we plan to offer it again in spring 2026.”
Naomi Painter, a student who has taken the course, shared, “I would definitely encourage enrollment for next year, because I think it’s a class where you get to apply a lot of practical skills that maybe you would just learn about in other classes.”
Painter also values the community created by Penmarks for those not necessarily in the English or art fields to pursue those passions. The course has been offered not just to English majors but also to creative writing minors, those in English education or any student who needs their required arts credit.
Penmarks will be returning in the future, and Dr. Hawthorne shared that an event similar to the magazine readings is also in the works for this year. Students can still look forward to sharing their writing with peers in the spring.
Duking it Out
By Abby Almodovar
The MVNU Games have a challenge for every competitor—students begin by mustering brute strength to avoid splashing down in defeat at the fierce tug-of-war battle, and they end the week dressed for a glamorous red carpet to show off their creative masterpieces. The more hands-on students can design boats to race across the reflection pond, while the quick thinkers can compete in game show-style trivia. From Sept. 24-27, all of campus battled in teams each night for the glory of triumphing in the games.
This was Resident Director Trent Smith’s first year witnessing these competitions, and he said, “Getting to see different residential areas coming together to duke it out and enjoy that community was a lot of fun for me.” He explained that participation in the events steadily increased throughout the week, with positive involvement from both freshmen and upperclassmen.
The freshmen were certainly involved, as the ladies in Pioneer took the ultimate victory over other residential areas. In addition to residents, there was another group who made their presence known in this year’s games—the commuters.
Judah Keith, a senior communications student and commuter, won several awards for his short film Perception at the Rezzies, the final event of the week. He reflected, “The Rezzies were super fun. I’m super happy I attended, and I would’ve regretted it had I not put my film in and had I not attended my last year.”
For future games, both Keith and Smith propose increased communication with details to let commuters know that they can participate and how to do so. Encouraging their involvement may help continue the precedent and competitive spirit that was set by students this year.
5K and Family Glow Night: Bringing the Light of Christ and Community to campus
By Zoey Hover
The MVNU campus was set aglow as students and local families sporting an array of light-up gear raced their way to a neon finish line at the 5K and Family Glow Night event on Saturday. With a variety of treats and outdoor games accompanying the 5K, it was an evening of fun and fellowship for those who participated.
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However, it was also an evening with a purpose. The 5K and Family Glow Night, hosted by local organization Starting Point Pregnancy and Family Resource Center and campus radio station WNZR The Lifeline, was a charity event funding Starting Point’s mission to share God’s love with those facing unexpected pregnancies and assisting in all aspects of family development through free medical, educational, and material resources and services.
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Ethan Throop, a student participant at the 5K, said he was happy to know that he was benefiting Starting Point and the families in the local community just by having fun and running. He also appreciated the overall community and service connections the event provided by being on campus. “A lot of times, college campuses feel disconnected and cut off; but when people come in, there’s a lot of really fun collaboration that can happen there, and the students can step into the community. It just makes outreach that much easier.”
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This student connection was no accident, according to Starting Point’s Development Director, Jess Kirby. In fact, it was Starting Point and WNZR’s main motivation behind hosting the community event on campus. Kirby stated, “Our heart is to be able to grow our relationship with the students on campus for both the reasons that one day they may need our services and because they are the next generation of leaders in this ministry.”
“It seemed like the perfect thing we could do, that we could connect with this event, bring them [Starting Point] to campus, and just make all of this possible,” said WNZR Station Manager Marcy Rinehart, expressing her hope that the 5K would generate student interest in connecting with the pregnancy center and their ministry in the community.
Forms for All: Addition to the Housing Guidelines
By Abby Almodovar
With the chapel auditorium packed by students in pajama pants, the mandatory residential meeting is one of the few times every student on campus convenes in the same room. This semester, two new housing guidelines were explained—an on-campus form for guests and an off-campus form for students.
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Following that meeting, some students have expressed confusion about these additions to the process. Bryer Shipley, a resident assistant in Birch, said, “I understand wanting to have a head count. I think that’s important, but in the same breath, I think making it more accessible might be a good way to approach it as well.”
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Sarah Mowry, director of residence life and student accountability, explained that these forms bring the university up to speed with federal regulations. She also understands the need for an adjustment period, saying, “To the upperclassman students, it probably feels like, ‘Oh, this is more than we’ve ever had to do.’”
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The overnight guest form enforces MVNU’s policy that any guest can stay in a same-sex area up to three nights per semester. Mowry added, “Let’s say we had a campus emergency—we would want to make sure that guest is safe, too.”
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While the overnight guest form is a request form and gives the resident director time to ask any questions, the overnight off-campus form for students is a reporting form. Students are letting their RD know of their intention to leave, not asking for permission.
To the question of accessibility, Mowry explained that the Involve app for Life at MVNU now contains a direct link to both forms.
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As a new resident director for Birch and Rosewood, Thomas Zentmeyer said that the community here has been encouraging to him—“A lot of students want to know who their RD is and want to know me a little bit. That’s always nice when I’m not the one who’s doing all the reaching out.”
In addition to safety, having such open lines of communication between students and their RD’s is ideally something that these new forms can help foster.