Freed-Hardeman University

Fifteen Freed-Hardeman University students played a key role in enhancing library services by serving on the Student Library Advisory Board (SLAB) during the 2023-24 academic year. Organized in early 2023, SLAB provides students with the opportunity to offer feedback on library operations and improvements, ensuring the library meets the needs of the student body. The SLAB members included Caleb Bond, Bre Tonkery, Brigitte Turner, Wesley Baker, Mallorie Gardner, Jackson Guin, Carly Price, Addie O'Brian, Ana Crowell, Eli Neal, David Okantey, Renae Tabor, Ella Williams, Orlando Whiteside, Emily Andrick, and Robin Winckler.

More than 30 people participated in a unique feast where the goal was to "try edible foods popular in foreign parts of the world." Epulor XII, which was hosted by the Biology Club, celebrated its 12th year with first-time and repeat guests willing to step outside of their culinary comfort zones in late November. "Everyone really loves this event," Allison Jones, a senior biology major, said. Jones is president of the Biology Club. "It's fun, exciting and there are 17 dishes on the menu game. The winner will receive a $20 gift card to Besso's." The menu game isn't as easy as it sounds. The multiple choice questions identify the menu items by their scientific names - for example elk is called "Cervus canadensis" while turkey is called "Meleagris gallopavo." Long time friends, seniors and biology majors Mary Katherine Walker and Madlyn Maples challenged each other to taste many of the items on the unique buffet as they sat across from each other. "I feel like we should taste these in order," Maples said. "We're kind of scared," Walker added. On the opposite side of fear sat biology and Bible major Luke Sullivan who embraced trying new things. "Last year's alligator tasted better than turkey," he said. "This year my favorite was the eel on rice." Sullivan is also the treasurer of the Biology Club.

The Freed-Hardeman University Preachers' Club and the American Sign Language (ASL) club recently hosted a joint meeting to share the religious signs that the deaf community uses. The event attracted students from different clubs, towns and communities, who came together to learn how to form religious signs to engage with the deaf community. Organizers hope their efforts will benefit the FHU Annual Bible Lectureship that seeks to encourage Christians to strengthen their faith and better support one another, in addition to other FHU events. "ASL benefits everyone," Madison Cagle, an ASL club member, said. "Learning ASL is important because it shows you care about people and breaking down language barriers. Plus, you don't just learn the signs, but the stories behind them too." Cagle has been practicing ASL for several years, partly taught by her mother and the rest from the club.

With its mission to teach young women how to better study the Bible, Zateo, a new Freed-Hardeman University Bible study group, held its inaugural Ladies Day in early December on campus. The meeting covered the topic "I am" from Jesus' statements in the gospel of John. The name Zateo is a Koine Greek word that means "to seek." It was chosen to reflect the group's goal of seeking the truth of God's word in order to share it with others. FHU Dean of Students Lacy Crowell formed this group to help women understand how to conduct deep Bible study. After visiting with some of the young women on campus, Crowell and the students were inspired to create a Bible study group specifically for them. Crowell said the young women in the group took the lead on this project with very little guidance from her. "This is something that I am passionate about," Crowell said. "I really believe that solid study is the foundation, so we focus a lot on how to do good Bible study."

Biology Club President Lauren Fielding and Vice President Ellie Ridgeway were grateful for the turnout and their guests who were willing to broaden their palates during Epulor XI, a pre-Thanksgiving meal that included dishes representing 20 different species. "We put so much work into the event, and it felt even better because there were a lot of people there to enjoy," Ridgeway said. Ridgeway and Fielding, who are both seniors, organized the event with the support of Freed-Hardeman University's science department. About 35 people attended the event. Biology club sponsor and instructor Lee Barton said Epulor began 12 years ago as a way for the faculty to provide a unique Thanksgiving meal for biology students. "The name 'Epulor' was used for the event because in Latin it means 'feast.' "Latin is commonly used to describe the names of living organisms in biology," he said. Throughout the history of the event, students, faculty and guests have eaten emu, kangaroo, crickets, mealworms, shark and jellyfish. "There are staples like turkey and other Thanksgiving constants, but the real idea is to show there is a staggering amount of food that can be eaten and enjoyed in many cultures even though we may consider it strange." During this year's dinner one of the popular dishes back by popular demand was chocolate covered crickets. "Those were really popular with the kids," Fielding said.

Breathing new life into social club competitions during Homecoming week proved to be an enjoyable challenge for FHU alumna Brittany Ringold Evans and her committee of student leaders who helped her brainstorm new activities to incorporate during Homecoming week "The Story of Us," Nov. 6 through Nov. 13. "We added two new events that are service based - Can It Up and Glow It Up," Evans said. "With Can It Up, students use cans to build a structure, and after they've been judged, all of the cans will be donated to a local food bank. Glow It Up is a fun run with glow sticks." Both events were public service fundraisers. Activities began Nov. 6 and continued throughout the week with window painting, a bonfire, powder puff football, a basketball tournament, campus-wide singing, Lion Walk, tailgating and election and coronation of homecoming court. An additional new feature this year was the on campus Homecoming parade and float competition. "The Homecoming parade is such a huge thing at so many schools, so we hope it will grow as we progress," Evans said. "Our goal was to strengthen Homecoming making it an event that alumni and students don't want to miss," Evans said. "Another big thing we changed was adding a creative theme featuring storybook characters to the events. It has really made them think outside of the box."

Freed-Hardeman University's 153rd academic year is well underway, and 400 new students have been through orientation and are now looking to get involved in campus life. One of the most active ways an FHU student can get engaged on campus is by joining a social club. Social clubs are a great opportunity for students to interact with a select group of other students as they grow closer to each other and share experiences. Each social club offers different events and outings, but all take time to have weekly devotionals, semester-long service opportunities and mission trips domestic and abroad.

With its motto - "For the Pursuit of Excellence" - Omega Chi is now the fifth social club on Freed-Hardeman University's campus. "We want to promote excellence in athletics, the classroom and in church," Omega Chi President Jon Moore said. Moore is a senior law and politics major from Summerset, Kentucky. "Our goal is to include everyone in our club activities and form a community, inside and outside FHU."

Intercollegiate athletes at Freed-Hardeman University have added a new claim on their already fully booked schedules this semester. They are now trying "to better connect student-athletes to faith, Christ, each other and the student body," through a new organization they call Competitors for Christ (C4C), according to baseball player Alex Huey, from Columbia, Tennessee. "Wow! That is a great idea!" was Catherine Crabb's reaction when she heard about the organization and its mission. A member of the softball team and a part of the leadership team, she is from Meridianville, Alabama. "I believe that this organization is a great form of ministry, and it is also a great way to create events that athletes want to be a part of," she continued. Under the leadership of Diego Rojas, assistant soccer coach and spiritual growth coordinator for intercollegiate athletics, C4C organized at the end of the Spring 2022 semester and is busy planning events for this year. Among their "awesome ideas and plans for the future," Huey said, are service projects and an overseas mission trip. Already they have selected a name for the group, designed a logo, initiated social media accounts, published a newsletter, conducted one of the university's chapel programs and hosted a dodgeball tournament to raise funds. The tournament was "a huge event," according to Crabb. So many athletes of all sports created teams and came out and had a great time. Other students also created teams or came to support the teams. "The gym was loud and everyone was having a good time," Crabb said.

The Freed-Hardeman University chapter of Alpha Chi National College Honor Society recently announced its new officers for the 2022-23 school year. The new leaders said they are hard at work planning events for the upcoming fall semester. Casey Jackson, a senior elementary education major, will serve as president. Bowman Blocker, a senior majoring in finance, and Lydia Todd, a senior majoring in psychology, will serve as vice-presidents. Emily Christensen, a senior majoring in communications sciences and disorders, will serve as treasurer. The chapter's first event will be a one-day conference Sept. 9. During the conference, students will discuss academic motivation. In addition, the chapter will partner with Remote Area Medical to provide a pop-up dental clinic from Sept. 30 - Oct 1. Cameron Kuhl, a member of Alpha Chi, applied for and received a chapter grant for this activity from Alpha Chi. Remote Area Medical (RAM) is a major nonprofit provider of free pop-up clinics. Its mission is to prevent pain and alleviate suffering by providing free, quality healthcare to those in need. They deliver free dental, vision and medical services to underserved and uninsured individuals. Since RAM was founded in 1985, nearly 183,000 volunteers - comprised of professional practitioners, as well as general support staff - have treated more than 888,500 individuals and delivered more than $181.5 million worth of free healthcare services. Alpha Chi's leadership team and members are excited to increase their campus presence and serve FHU and the surrounding community in scholarship and service.

In late January 2022 more than 30 student volunteers from Freed-Hardeman University traveled to Mayfield, Kentucky to assist in the tornado recovery effort after a devastating storm hit the area Dec. 11, 2021. "Homes are literally gone. You meet the people and they look off in the distance and remember what was there," Curt Graham, a junior public relations and marketing major, said. "It was an eye-opening experience just to be with them and see how grateful they were that we were there." Many of the student volunteers were members of Phi Kappa Alpha social club. They connected with Adam Cross, the club's sponsor, who assisted them with finding families to help in Mayfield while the Henderson Church of Christ provided the transportation.

FHU junior Garrett West met and befriended the Wilson family during their greatest time of need. Mark and Brandi Wilson, along with their sons Luke and Brett, have been warriors throughout Mark's fight against glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. When Mark passed away in October, West and the social club Xi Chi Delta organized a Fall Festival benefit for the Wilson family. With the support of local businesses, churches and community members, the event served as a reminder of the love and support that surrounds the Wilsons during their painful time.