Editor’s note: first published in print issue Dec. 10, 2025.
Last fall in my recap, I specifically addressed every new change on campus. Naturally, very little of what I said is still true 12 months later.
Last year, we had a new president, Dr. Josh Crockett. This year, we have another new one, Dr. Bruce McAllister.
Last year, I wrote about how chapel started with videos, used a new podium and ended with a song. None of those elements returned this year.
Last year, I pointed out major changes at the dining common. This year, the DC changed so much I couldn’t even recognize it. (This is a good thing.) AVI Fresh transformed eating on campus and made meals something to look forward to, but there were two things that did not change. First, the same faces we love greeted us at the entrance and cooked our food at the grill. Second, even though we have more options and better food, people still complain. But the chapel and DC shocks were just the beginning.
Last year, I touched on the university’s slogan, with no knowledge that we were changing it. However, in August we discovered that we are now “Pursuing a Higher Calling.” The new slogan tied in well with Pursuit, the name of the game we played to kick off the school year. Reviews of the event were as varied as the colors of the shirts we received and the locations we visited, but I did enjoy getting four Bubbl’rs at the end of the game, even if my team lost spectacularly.
As chapel began a few days later, we learned of the new weekly schedule. On Mondays, we work through the theology in the university creed. Tuesdays, Dr. Crockett continues his series through Ecclesiastes, dodging 6-7 memes and pop culture references along the way. On “Worship Wednesdays,” Dr. McAllister preaches through the book of Romans. Thursdays are the special chapels instead of Discipleship Group.
Our first major event after classes started was society Rush, where the Alpha Sigma Omicron Blue Jays (formerly known as the Ambassadors in case you missed it), became the most recent society to be rescued from the fate of the dodo. Additionally, freshmen stampeded to the Royals and Classics, showing the power of good marketing and peer pressure. Right after the dust settled was our first artist series of the year. Ilya Yakushev was a super pianist with great stories, even if the image of Unhatched Chicks haunted my nightmares until midterms.
The next week was the second annual REACH Week, emphasizing the ministries students could participate in next summer. This year’s edition ended with a welcome change from last year; no hurricane came Friday to pummel Greenville and cancel days of school. So on the last Friday in September, students went to class instead of losing their minds and jumping in the fountain. Of course they couldn’t have done that anyway, since not even a hurricane could fill the fountain this year (we’ve been told they’re working on a redesign plan).
October began with a Spirit Week much different than last year. For starters, there was no Homecoming this year, meaning no alumni flooded campus for reunions and no BBQ bash. On Tuesday, David Kim and the concerto-aria winners put on the second artist series with the University Symphony Orchestra. Aside from taking part in the middle of a special week, this artist series was notable for flipping gender norms on their head. Women were encouraged to ask men to go with them instead of men going in a big group with each other, which is what normally happens. However, even when everything else changes, campus dating culture remains steadfast, so most of the men went in a big group with each other anyway. After all, it’s hard to stand out in a crowd and get asked out when over 100 of you dress in a white shirt and khakis on the same day.
Speaking of Spirit Week, last year’s Spirit Week was “Wear Jeans” Week. This year? As of the time of editing, Friday of Spirit Week was the only casual day of the semester, a stat I don’t think I would have believed if you’d told me this last year.
By the time fall break rolled around, we were all really, really, REALLY ready to not have school. However, rather than resting, many used the four days to stuff in all the fun that they couldn’t have during school and returned even more tired than when they left. Around this time, we also had to survive the ordeal of midterm tests and projects. As scarring as those were, at least more people passed their tests than passed White Glove the following Saturday.
The annual High School Festival rolled around in November, but (of course) there was a change from previous years. Instead of being added to students’ rooms, most of the high schoolers were placed in Ironside and the newly deep-cleaned Sunday. The students were very excited not to have to share the territory but also missed out on learning life lessons by having the hallways filled with teenagers at 11 at night.
Immediately after, winter seemed to arrive with a vengeance, driving everyone inside for two days and making the soccer fields a place of suffering during the society playoffs. After the weather returned to normal Greenville temperatures, the Flames/Ambassadors and Stallions took the top prizes at the Turkey Fest.
The last two weeks before Thanksgiving were also filled with Bruins’ championships and performances of the third and final artist series, King Lear. On the grass, the women’s soccer team and men’s cross-country team extended their dynasties, surviving a snake and early morning flights on their way to the third and 10th straight national titles, respectively. Onstage, King Lear’s dynasty came to a sudden and violent end.
After another round of projects and tests, students left to return home for Thanksgiving break. Hopefully this time they actually rested up for the return because the semester isn’t over yet!
The end of the semester is just around the corner, and this exam week will doubtless be different from last year. In an era of social media and the internet, comparing the current time to a previous semester or even life before college is easier than ever. Dr. Crockett reminded us this semester — in between AVI Fresh shoutouts — that desiring to live anytime but right now is foolish (Ecclesiastes 7). As we go into exams and winter, remember that God doesn’t change regardless of circumstances, and when we turn our eyes from ourselves to His glory, we find real peace and joy.
