Students falling behind on their chapel credits may now have no need to fret. Chapel credits can be earned by attending a variety of on campus events including discipleship groups, created space, convocation, student ministries and LoveWorks.
After creating an Alternative Chapel Credit Committee last September, ASB Student Senate proposed a policy to Spiritual Development two months later to create an alternative chapel credit program.
Through the program, students can earn up to five chapel credits. Students can’t repeat the same type of event to receive credit. Although the policy was approved by Spiritual Development, it is a pilot program for now.
ASB Vice President Austin Flanagan said he hopes that participation is high so the program can become permanent. “We are hoping that a large base of students are able to take advantage of this program so we can continue to implement it and make it better,” Flanagan said. “We have huge hopes for the future.”
Vice President of Spiritual Development Mary Paul said at the end of the semester an assessment of the program’s participation, feedback from students, and ASB’s partnership will determine if this will be a permanent program.
Paul added that the program was able to be instituted because it expanded on what Spiritual Development offered last semester by giving students more options to receive chapel credit.
“When they came with the proposal they came with a helpful, collaborative tone,” Paul said. “I was really impressed with the work they had done by creating the proposal.”
Flanagan said that the implementation of this program was a “real team effort.”
Chair of the Alternative Chapel Credit Committee Anna Viettry and Sophomore Senators Tenley Griffin and Matthew Januzik organized meetings with spiritual development along with writing and updating the policy for the program.
Januzik hopes the program will offer new ways for growth and flexibility for receiving chapel credits.
“We hope that this program will encourage students to seek out new and different programs (…)in order to grow spiritually in different ways,” Januzik said. “We [also] hope that it will help alleviate some pressure on students, who relied on the old petition program [be- cause they] have jobs in the morning (…)”
Januzik said that originally Student Senate aimed to “double the amount of credits” offered each semester, but later changed it so it could be more “practical.” Student Senate changed their policy and proposed it to Spiritual Development in November, but was told that the pro- gram is most likely to be instituted in the fall 2016.
After updating the policy again, they were able to launch a pilot program for the spring semester.
Vietty said she hopes that by attending these programs it will “turn on a lightbulb,” for students.
“The intentions behind this program is to have people go to these events… to get them thinking and experience [different] ministries,” Viettry said.
Senior and media communications major, Melissa Fox, said there needed to be another option to receive chapel credits after discontinuing the petition of chapels. “Since chapel petitions are gone, it was necessary to have some other option for those that can’t attend all of the required chapels,” Fox said. “It’s pretty late in the semester to be just now telling us about the alternate ways to get chapel credits, but it’s beneficial nonetheless, especially for those who have internships or work during the week.” To receive chapel credits, students have to go online to pointloma.edu, click the “Student Life” tab, the click “Students and Leadership Opportunities” tab, and under “Associated Student Body” they can find the “Alternative Chapel Credit” tab which will have the form for receiving chapel credits.
When a student goes to one of the ap- proved alternative chapel credit events, they must bring the form and have the organizer of the group sign off on it. All forms must be returned to the third floor of Nicholson Commons by April 15th.
photo by: Jonathan Soch
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