Jessica Blackstock
Staff Writer
Seeing as how this is the last Graphic of the year, the pressure was mounting as to what should be the last “investigative” piece of the year. The options were plentiful. They ranged from “does anyone but me think it is sad that seven of the SGA spots were won as write-ins” or “the tenure scandals that are rocking Pepperdine” to more important topics such as why, despite my heartfelt nominations, Hood Whitson has never won Wave of the Week (probably because he was never an RA).
Even with all these tempting ideas, I decided that I would be wildly creative and write about Convocation. But seriously, the goal of these editorial pieces was to examine and raise questions to some of the topics at Pepperdine that affect the student body and see if there is need for change. Change is sometimes necessary for improvement that in turn leads to a better educational experience.
As a graduating senior, I have experienced four years of Convo at Pepperdine. Convo even followed me when I studied across the Atlantic for a year. It was there every Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. Come to think of it, my most informative Convo was in London and involved a little lesson in when to and when not to use four-letter words. I must admit that I have attended all 14 Convos required every semester to make an A, probably because some semesters my A in Convo is the only A on my semester grades and I like having a little self-confidence boost. All of this to say, I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about the various Convo options at Pepperdine. For those of you who don’t know why we have Convo allow me to enlighten you.
Back in the day, 1937 to be exact, a man by the name of George Pepperdine founded our college. He wanted to “help young men and women to prepare themselves for a life of usefulness in this competitive world and to help them build a foundation of Christian character and faith which will survive the storms of life.” University officials see Convocation as an opportunity to promote this mission while providing students with the opportunity to gather as a community to hear and discuss Christian perspectives on personal and contemporary issues. Bottom line: the Convo series is dedicated to help students build Christian faith, affirm Christian values and address the moral and ethical dimensions of current issues. That last statement comes straight from the Convo Web site under “What is Convo?” a fun-filled fact page. So if you ever get bored with the Facebook or playing the Scenario Generator for the NCAA tournament, you should check it out.
This semester there are 87 Convo options (not including the language chapels). Obviously, this proves to be more than enough to fill the 14 required to get an A. But is Convo sacrificing quality for quantity? I think so. I have been doing some observing over the past few weeks at Wednesday morning Convo and have found that besides bringing your ID card there is a new necessary accessory for Convo: the iPod. It is fascinating to look across the gym and see the number of students completely zoned out of the speaker and into the world of Kanye, Keane or any other trendy group that might be shuffling through their playlist. Now, I know this is not every Pepperdine student, but there is a large portion of the audience that is more captivated by what is in their Managerial Accounting book than what is on the stage.
Outside of Wednesday morning Convo, there are other Convo credit opportunities. Some of my favorites are the language chapels because in 15 to 20 minutes I can have satisfied one of my credits — sweet deal, right? Well, not really, or at least not if we are still trying to live up to the mission statement of Convo. I believe that the Convocation program presents itself to be one of the most interesting and unique parts of Pepperdine.
Wednesday mornings are unique because outside of the Gonzaga basketball game, it is probably the only time that many Seaver students are in the same room. Therefore, it would seem to me, after observing this situation for four years, that Convo would want to provide the best possible speakers on important topics. That they would fully utilize the captive audience that they have present, rather than running the same-old song and dance every week. I understand that, like most things at Pepperdine, Convo operates on a budget; therefore, funding one amazing Convo after the next is not realistic. A possible solution would be to lower the number of required Convo, thus allowing for better programming options.
Pepperdine students, despite all the flack we take for living in Malibu and by the beach, are a curious and passionate bunch. Last November, professor Dan Caldwell organized a debate between Pepperdine faculty on the presidential candidates in Smothers Theatre. This was a non-Convo-credit event, yet the theater was packed with highly engaged students. Just this last week Amnesty International and the Pepperdine Volunteer Center hosted a discussion on the kidnappings of the women in Juarez, Mexico — another successful non-Convo-credit event. All of this to say that Pepperdine students are interested and can be engaged, so perhaps it is time to go for quality of programming over quantity and make the Convo programming better fulfill its mission.
Well, its almost 10 p.m. which means its time for me and my roommates to go to campus for a video Convo — I’m only four Convo away from getting my self-confidence boost for the semester.
3-31-2005