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FEATURES

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.

​Changes to Chapel Parking

By Allessia Dugan

On Sept. 16, an email was sent to students at Mount Vernon Nazarene University outlining the regulations for parking in the Chapel parking lot. The email highlighted the rules that have become necessary due to the increase in traffic. According to this policy, only specific students and staff are permitted to park in the Chapel parking lot. This includes students who have classes off the main campus before or after chapel services, commuter students, as well as faculty and staff working in the Chapel building. In an effort to ensure compliance with parking policies, Campus Safety began issuing tickets on Oct. 1. 

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According to Ben Cook, director of facilities operations and campus safety, this email did not set new rules in motion but was a reminder of the old ones. “The email was more of a reminder of the current policy; it has been established for more than three years.” The primary motivation behind the recent email was to address the issue of commuter students who were often unable to access the Chapel parking lot due to usage by other individuals. 

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Most students living on campus agreed that these rules did not affect them very much, but what about the staff and commuters? Morgan Mills, a senior commuter student, said, “I like the new parking changes. Sometimes it is hard to try and find a spot, because other vehicles without the commuter parking pass are already taking up spots.”   

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Ashley Mast, a senior commuter student, agreed that it was typically hard to find a parking spot, especially on chapel days, saying, “People started making up their own parking spots, and it was very stressful in the mornings to find an open spot.”  

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Joseph Rinehart, an assistant professor of communication, agreed with the contents of the email, stating, “The reality, whether it cramps our convenience or not, is that we are a walking campus. Overall, the policy was a good reminder for all of us that 1- we have a parking space issue at times; and 2- we can’t just park anywhere we want.” 

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Cook noted that most people have been compliant with this policy, and campus safety has only had to issue five citations. To those who were upset about this policy, Cook added, “I understand how any kind of change can be upsetting, and we truly want to work with those who have a genuine need to park in the Chapel areas—we all want what is best for the students and community."

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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.

SGA Welcomes Students Back
By Allessia Dugan

Although it is an exciting time, returning to campus can bring a blend of anticipation and anxiety for many students. To foster a smooth transition back into the academic world, Mount Vernon Nazarene University organizes Welcome Week, a week full of fun activities, delicious food and opportunities to connect with new people. This important week is designed to create a welcoming atmosphere while ensuring that students feel at home as they dive back into their studies.  

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As MVNU rolls into the second week of classes, many students are still buzzing with the excitement from Welcome Week. Ashley Mast, a senior accounting student, stated that Welcome Week is her favorite. “I look forward to this week every year. It makes me feel so much better knowing I am returning to a welcoming campus.” 

Caiden Slone, a senior criminal justice student, said, “Welcome Week helps me recover from the stress of starting back to school. I really enjoy all the activities.”

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What does Welcome Week mean to those who plan it? Emma More, the vice president of social life, said that it is a great chance to create a sense of belonging – “I believe Welcome Week is an important time during the campus calendar because it welcomes everyone back to campus and allows for a great environment to meet new friends and catch up with old ones.” 

Grace Pratt, the media chairperson for the student government association, feels that Welcome Week is an essential part of the beginning of the school year. She explained, “We want to create a sense of community. These events are perfect for people to meet each other and maybe get involved on campus.”   

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With Welcome Week being the cornerstone of easing the transition back to school, members of SGA were asked what their favorite events were. More stated, “This year, my favorite was Castleman's Castles because it was such a random idea that popped into my head, and it was so well received by the student body.” Pratt added, “I am most looking forward to Floats and Films, mainly because we are watching Shrek.”  

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