COVID-19 Catch Up
COVID-19 Catch Up
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NEWS
Illumination in Illustration
By Morgan Mills
Bold sweeping lines reveal an image of whimsy against an unblemished backdrop. The characters shown in these illustrations radiate a dreamlike quality. Ned Bustard, an esteemed illustrator, shared how his knowledge of manuscripts and graphic design helped him to create pieces that tell a story.
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Kid’s Books & Other Holy Things is a collection of linocuts prints that each tell their own unique narrative. Original works from Every Moment Holy: Volumes I-III, The Lost Tales of Sir Galahad and Saint Nicholas the Giftgiver are reimagined by Bustard in a way that families can appreciate. When asked about the inspiration behind his project, Bustard responded, “I wanted my children to enjoy Santa Claus, but I also wanted them to enjoy Jesus.”
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Bustard uses snapshots from his own life as well in these prints. “A Liturgy before Hosting (Hospitality)” depicts Bustard’s wife with personal and biblical allusions. Bustard sees God in the mundane and works to capture that through his work, explaining, “All of these things are tools and times for giving glory to God.”
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Through his work as an illustrator, Bustard’s main goal has been to intertwine his ideology by way of storytelling. “I think my whole life I have been trying to integrate my faith and my art and not make them separate,” he said. Bustard sees his work as one piece of God’s great puzzle, saying, “I think of what I do as being part of God’s great story.” Storytelling is a powerful tool that can help connect the viewer to the greater message.
This exhibition takes place at the Schnormeier Gallery in downtown Mount Vernon from Sept. 2 to Oct. 18.
Forms for All: Additions 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.
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To the question of accessibility, Mowry explained that the Involve app for Life at MVNU now contains a direct link to both forms.
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.
MVNU Awards Staff Member of the Year
By Allessia Dugan
Michael Simmons, a dedicated and hardworking staff member, recently accepted the prestigious award of Staff Member of the Year at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. This award is given to individuals who exhibit exceptional leadership, commitment, and service to the university. His contributions to the university have not gone unnoticed, and he is truly deserving of this recognition.
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Simmons has been a part of the MVNU family for over eight years, serving in various roles. He started in the Center for Student Success and Test Center for about a year and then came into his current role as assistant director of academic and registration services. In this role, Simmons oversees all course scheduling, classroom scheduling and academic cataloging.
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When Simmons found out that he was chosen for this award, he was very honored and excited, saying, “This is an award for any staff member. I was very shocked to be chosen for this.” One of the key reasons Simmons was chosen for this award is for his commitment to excellence in all he does.
The award has given him more confidence in knowing that what he does on a day-to-day basis matters and affirms that he does his job well. He said, “It is easy to fall into a routine with work, and getting this recognition lets me know that I am making an impact.” In addition to his work ethic, Simmons is known for being a team player who is always willing to lend a helping hand. He feels as though there is nothing that is not his job.
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Over the past year, Simmons finished his master’s degree of arts in higher education. His advice for other members also striving for this award is, “Be a lifelong learner and always look for ways to improve.” His goals for the future include looking for new ways to improve efficiency and make the university better. He also stated that he strives to become a university registrar.
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Simmons reflected, “While I have this wonderful award, we have an amazing team in the academic affairs office, and I don’t think that this award is just for me. It goes to show a lot of the work that we do as a team.”