The last student alliance meeting of the winter semester was held on Thursday, April 11. After a round of the game “Would you rather?,” the meeting officially commenced and the club reports were given. This included a list of the clubs that have upcoming trips planned. A few have trips every year. The anime club has been going to a convention in Chicago for six years.
Intervarsity is another group that is planning a trip. This year they are attending a camp in Cedarville, Michigan called, “Chapter Focus Week.” The intention of this week is to create a meeting place where students can get to know each other, study the Bible, worship and pray together and build a community. The retreat is open to anyone who would like to join. To attend it is $4oo per student, however, there is financial aid available.
“The retreat and Intervarsity offer a place for those who do not know much about the Bible, but are curious, to learn in a more approachable way.” said Laura Dykstra, a member of Grand Rapids Community College’s Intervarsity chapter.
Another annual trip is taken by The Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP) and they received approval for their retreat budget of $2,100. This year’s retreat will be in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and will include a speaker. The purpose of the trip is to create an environment to share, play, reflect, learn and have fun together.
Other upcoming events include the Phi Beta Kappa’s “Pump Up,” this includes officers and members approaching people to pump their gas in exchange for a donation to the chapter. They are also waiting on the approval for a proposal that will allow the annual regional conferences they attend be held at GRCC next May.
The group discussed what they hoped would happen in the upcoming semesters as new officers are welcomed in and others move on. They are planning to include more collaborative events, weekly newsletters and to include more Grand Rapids vendors and communities during events. Student Alliance also discussed how they were planning to spend the money in their budget. Ideas included painting the student life building, maybe even including a mural, and installing a charging station in the offices.
