Kathy Nevins leads her fellow cast mates in prayer and warm-ups before rehearsal begins in the black box theater for Bethel’s fall production: God of Isaac by James Sherman. At age 66, the Bethel psychology professor of over 30 years is pursuing a B.A. in Theatre Arts, having performed in roughly 25 Bethel theater productions.
Freshman Kristen Stucker found herself in her room on October 1, knowing her roommate was gone for the weekend. She collapsed from a mental breakdown when she heard the news that nine students were shot dead that day at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. Stucker’s parents called to say that her sister Brenna, who attends another university in Oregon, was okay.
In a recent ranking of colleges by the U.S. government, Bethel University’s score has people around campus raising their eyebrows. President Obama announced in 2013 that the White House and the Department of Education were working on a national college ranking system. When the results, called the College Scorecard, were released, Bethel’s score didn’t stack up well against similar schools in the region. Obama said the system is meant to evaluate colleges and universities on affordability and on return investment — the latter being information not many students know before choosing a school.
It’s not unheard of for colleges to offer classes for students with intellectual handicaps. This year, however, Bethel became the first accredited university to add the residential component as a part of what is called the BUILD program.
It’s 8 a.m. as members of Bethel Student Government, Welcome Week, Shift and Pray First bust through the doors of BC 468 ready to move in the new Bethel freshmen.
For the first time in Bethel history, freshmen students are living in Lissner, in a six-person suite-style dorm that has previously been reserved for sophomore and upperclassmen housing.
Freshman Megan Olson embarked on a 20 mile journey from her home in Maple Grove to transition to life at Bethel. Megan Olson’s parents weren’t surprised by all of the help, but the enthusiasm and energy of the move-in crew caught them off guard.