Editor's Note: Introducing Taylor men's and women's programming. Life & Times presents two stories about the men and women who are creating events for their fellow men and women, respectively.
By women, for women
Hannah Haney | EchoYou all saw the sidewalk chalk that covered campus announcing the first women's programming event of the year, "S'more Stories." The event took place at Taylor lake, where Olson Hall Director Lisa Barber and English Hall Director Sara James spoke to women from across campus.
Women's programming, or WoPro, "is a group of women on campus who are dedicated to see events being put on to benefit the other women around campus . . ., " according to Amy Nicols, graduate assistant and MAHE (Master of Higher Arts and Education) student.
This mission is carried out not only by fostering women spiritually and strengthening their relationship in Christ, but also by bringing awareness to campus issues and encouraging fellowship among the women on campus.
Nicols leads the program alongside alongside a cabinet of nine undergraduate students. These 10 women are excited for the upcoming year.
"We've set up a lot of goals, a lot of potential events that we would want to do," Nicols said. "We really want to encourage a lot of intermingling among the dorms on campus. Because we look out and we see a fantastic body of women here, but more often than not, they don't know one another. And so, through our events and through the things that we put on, we would love to see more women involved with one another, getting to know their sisters in Christ in that way."
Stand Up for Your Sister and Capture Beauty Week, two of the more popular events put on by WoPro, will return this year. Capture Beauty Week occurs in the spring semester and Stand Up for Your Sister will take place near the middle of this semester.
According to returning cabinet member and junior Jocelyn Moore, the theme for this year is authenticity. WoPro will focus on encouraging women to start "taking off our masks and encouraging authenticity as women in the community and not trying to find our worth in other people but in who we are as daughters of Christ."
"Something that I've been struck with is kind of allowing Taylor women to maybe let down their guard a little bit, to really be their authentic selves, to really show who they are, who God has made them to be, and so instead of feeling the pressure to maintain the perfect Christian girl outer exterior, (they have) the opportunity to acknowledge that we're all dealing with certain things in our lives, and that's okay," Nicols said.
Nicols is excited for what the year has in store.
"I think it's going to be a really good year and I'm excited for what God has in store," Nicols said. "It's really cool because it's events put on by the women on campus for the women on campus."
Like the Taylor University Women's Programming Facebook Page and follow them on Twitter @TUWoPro to stay up to date on future events.-
BroPro off to a smashing start
Gracie Fairfax | EchoLast week, a group of guys smashed a car in the parking lot outside the Dining Commons. This might sound like a concern for campus police, but it was actually an event by men's programming. Men's programming is a campus ministry led by MAHE (Masters of Arts in Higher Education) student Jake McCurry, known as the "fearless leader." The event also included a talk from Bill Heth, professor of biblical literature.
The campus ministry, recently nicknamed BroPro, exists "to bring men together from all dorms on campus to realize and experience their likeness in Christ into socially and spiritually programmed events," McCurry said.McCurry organizes these events alongside a cabinet of eight undergraduate men. The men not only put on a great event for a wide spectrum of men, but they also have a great passion for bringing campus men closer to each other and the Lord.
"People are pretty loyal to their dorms, so it helps you to meet that guy across campus that you never would have met otherwise," said senior Matt Fox, a BroPro cabinet member.
After moving off campus this year, Fox found BroPro a great way to stay involved and make a difference in the lives of underclassmen.
A favorite past event among students was "Sex, Porn, Corn and Wine," an event that brought in Jay Stringer from Seattle, Wash., to discuss sexual addictions. This was a lecture-style event that talked about sexual addictions from a Christian perspective and how we should approach them.Another popular event was hosted by biblical literature professor Richard Smith, who spoke about sexual issues.
"It was just really cool to hear a professor talk about a topic like that," said sophomore Andrew Ferro, a cabinet member. BroPro strives to tackle tough and taboo issues. These events serve as catalysts to get good conversations going, according to Ferro.
In the future, BroPro hopes to partner with women's programming (WoPro) and put on a lecture-style event about modesty and how men and women can live in community while respecting each other. BroPro hopes to include a professor's take on the subject. They are also interested in putting on a Q-and-A event where guys can ask girls about various topics, such as what they look for in men.
It starts with the core of the ministry: a group of guys from all over campus who have come together for a united purpose in Christ in order to do the same for the rest of campus.At the end of this year, McCurry hopes "that (Taylor men) are challenged in what it means to be a man of God and what it means to love others and (be) challenged in their faith. What I want them to get from our events is growth. . . We just want to model love and an inclusion. At the end of the year, we would want every guy to know that he is welcome at our events-not just welcome-but we want them to come."
