Ever wonder what life on a college campus is really like? My name is Alyssa Maine. I’m a senior communication arts major, and this photo journal is a collection of commentary about the Gordon College campus through my eyes and experiences.
Attending Gordon these past three years, I have come to deeply love the different activities and places on campus. Gordon is in a unique location, and the people who come to learn, educate and serve offer perspectives that have shaped my time here. Whether I am making dinner in my apartment with my roommates or studying in Jenks at night, I am glad I have been able to experience all the different aspects Gordon has to offer.
I hope you are able to find experiences and people at Gordon that will challenge you, laugh alongside you and teach you.
AROUND GORDON:
Gordon Woods
I love the Gordon woods. Within 100 feet I can find myself in two different worlds: One is a world of books; the other a deep forest of wildlife, moss and endless trails.
The Gordon woods is a place I can be alone with my thoughts, view a sunrise with my roommates, run, or bike through. The colors of orange, yellow and red I see in the fall remind me that school has started, and I should take time to reflect on who God has made me and who it is God wants me to further become. As the ice covers the pond in winter, it is hard to ignore the Christmas spirit and be thankful for all God has blessed me with. When the snow starts to melt and green begins to pop up here and there, I know spring is on its way.
The woods behind Gordon contain so much life, and as I watch that life change and grow, I can see my life changing and growing.
AROUND GORDON:
Studying in the Library
When the amount of homework I have seems like it will never end, I know of one place I can escape to. In the library there is this great study space. It is quiet, secluded, and rarely do I find another student studying there. There is an outlet nearby, good lighting, and enough silence to keep me on task, but it does not lack in activity. The books surrounding this little treasure provide a nice break, and I am able to read, write and study successfully.
I can’t tell you exactly where this cove is—it wouldn’t be a secret then. But I am sure you will find your own. The library has countless nooks that can be your own personal study haven. You just have to be on the lookout. And when you find it, say a quick thank-you and stay diligent in your studies.
AROUND GORDON:
Lane
Sunday brunch feels like the calm before the storm. My roommate and I, plus a few other close friends, have a tradition of eating brunch together before finishing or starting on Monday’s homework. We laugh about the weekend activities, rejoice or complain about the upcoming week, and enjoy each other’s company before another week of school, work and extracurricular activities.
I have come to appreciate times when I can sit, chat and laugh with good friends. I look forward to Sunday brunch because I know regardless of what the week has to hold, I can find three friends sitting in Chester’s Place ready to take it on.
RESIDENCE LIFE:
Roommates
Whether its early morning breakfast dates of oatmeal and dried cranberries, holing up in the library for hours, or laughing as we swap embarrassing stories, I have come to appreciate living with a roommate.
Lynn and I have been roommates since freshman year, and it is not only fun to have lived all over campus and have decorated our room in new and fresh ways, but she has taught me over the years what it means to be a patient and peaceful woman of God. “As iron sharpens iron, so one [woman] sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).
RESIDENCE LIFE:
Residence Halls
I never liked making my bed. It seemed a waste to make it in the morning and then mess it up at night. At home my mom reminds me to make my bed. But in my residence hall I don’t have to, and that’s okay with me. Some days I make my bed—most days I don’t.
My room each year becomes a part of who I am. I have all these memories from the past year stored in the walls. Room 229 was my first room at college. Room 235 is where I spent a semester as a resident advisor. Room 310b had the best closet of all my rooms. And in all these places, I chose whether I would make my bed or not.
It’s funny to me that a room can become an extension of who you are. I wonder if not making my bed says that I am messy and unorganized or just too busy to bother? Maybe it says that as a college student I have a few other, more important things to attend to.
RESIDENCE LIFE:
Rec-IM
Sometimes it seems winter is never going to end in New England. But winter also provides my favorite sport season of the year. Yes, Rec-IM basketball. Rec-IM is Gordon’s own intramural sports league with teams from each residence hall.
For the past three years my basketball team has come so close to victory. Although I would like to claim a championship T-shirt for basketball, what I love most about the season is seeing the people I live with feel connected and part of a team. We all have come from such different athletic backgrounds and skill levels, but Rec-IM doesn’t require any skill to play and have fun. During the season we eat, breathe and study together.
Who knows, maybe if I perfect my hook shot, next year will be my residence hall’s year.
CAMPUS EVENTS:
Pub Quiz
I love trivia. I like answering trivia, acquiring trivia and, of course, competing in trivia games. As reigning champ of the 2009 Quiz Bowl, I was thrilled when Pub Quiz was announced to be held in Chester’s Place, Gordon’s own coffee shop designed to look like an 18th-century pub.
My apartment mates and I decided to enter Team Sheldon and perfected our nerdiest outfits in hopes of winning this friendly competition of brains. We brushed up on pop culture, history, literature and science, each of my teammates bringing an edge to the competition.
The Pub Quiz started, and—well, let’s just say we did not place as reigning champions. But I might add, our outfits sure were creative. Best costumes maybe?
CAMPUS EVENTS:
Midnight Madness
Every year the Campus Events Council (CEC) hosts an event celebrating the beginning of the basketball season. It’s a fun night with lots of prizes, Celtics ticket raffle, silly entertainment, games and highlights of the basketball teams (did I mention our men’s team was the TCCC—The Commonwealth Coast Conference—champions)?
As I walked into the Bennett Center last year for Midnight Madness, I could not remember when the last time was I had won a raffle. I wanted my ticket to be called. Being from California, I had never been to a Celtics game, and I would really appreciate two raffled tickets to a game.
The night was coming to a close, and I had come to terms that my dream of both winning a raffle and going to a Celtics game was completely out the door! Then the announcer started to call out the numbers. My numbers. Was this really happening? I had won the tickets! Celtics game, here I come!
CAMPUS EVENTS:
Senior Formal
I cannot think of a girl from Bromley 310 who does not like to get dressed up—which made our attendance at Senior Formal quite the occasion. Last year the event was at the Top of the Hub in Boston, and I was ready to dance the night away, 50 floors up!
Senior Formal was such a special occasion because each of my apartment mates was there. After a busy semester, I couldn’t wait to celebrate the hard work of the school year, the excitement of the upcoming summer, and just be with the girls I live with—dressed up and dancing!
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
