ACU Legacy Spring 2020

L E G A C Y Abilene Christian University • Spring 2020

A Providential Program SOAR, KATIE KIRBY FUND HELP STUDENTS SUCCEED

A MESSAGE FROM THE ACU FOUNDATION PRESIDENT I am privileged to work for ACU in two capacities.

The first is as president of The ACU Foundation, where our team partners with families to help achieve their philanthropic goals.

Whether it is at your church, at ACU or at one of the many other nonprofits performing important work throughout the world – our goal is to help your donated dollar make an eternal impact for the Kingdom.

My second role is as director of Lynay, a student service and leadership program in ACU’s Center for Building Community created

by Dr. Gary McCaleb (’64) in 1998. Lynay was born from McCaleb’s passion for building and investing in diverse communities and takes its name from a biblical principle “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself.”

Approximately 300 students each year meet weekly to develop relationships and interact with guest speakers from the university, Abilene and beyond.

They hail from diverse backgrounds and locations – from Granbury, Texas, to Ghana, Africa – and come together to learn from each other, share their stories and serve their communities. In short, we encourage them to become the servant leaders God created them to be – to go out and make an eternal impact for the Kingdom.

Many of my students’ worlds have been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Their families have gone from planning summer vacations to scrambling to find a way to buy groceries or pay the mortgage. But thankfully, because of the Lord’s providential hand, their future at ACU should not be in question. Your continued investment in both endowed and current-use scholarships is working to make their school more affordable, and your support of the Katie Kirby Student Success Fund, which we’re featuring in this special issue of Legacy, has allowed the university to respond in real time to students’ most critical living needs.

On behalf of these students, thank you! I am daily witnessing how your investment in these young men and women is yielding heavenly fruit. If my team can help your family, or if you are interested in further supporting our students during this unprecedented time, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Blessings and health,

Brad Benham President, The ACU Foundation

Legacy is published twice a year by The ACU Foundation at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas.

For address changes: ACU Box 29132, Abilene, Texas 79699-9132, 325-674-2620 Editor/Writer: Sarah Carlson (’06) Graphic Designer: Holly Harrell Contributing Writer: Brad Benham, J.D. (’05)

Contributing Photographers: Scott Delony (’06), Jeremy Enlow

Benham visits with Lynay students via Zoom online video conferencing. Members of the student service and leadership program continued to meet after courses were moved online and most students remained off campus beginning in late March.

A Providential Program

SOAR, Katie Kirby fund help students succeed

A memorial plaque honoring Katherine “Katie� Kirby is located in the Campus Mall near the GATA Fountain.

Katie Kirby

Gema Perez

t felt like the end of the world.

Gema Perez went home to Houston for Spring Break in early March, her mind filled with plans typical for a senior in college: what she needed to do to prepare for graduation and find a job. She was focused on compiling her portfolio to showcase her graphic design work, and she wanted to spend more time with friends before they all walked the stage in May.

Then her life, like everyone else’s, changed.

“All of a sudden, you hear the news, and everyone is rushing to grocery stores. Everything started to feel surreal,” she said. “I honestly didn’t know what to do.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread across the U.S., ACU’s Spring Break was extended to two weeks, March 9-20, and soon it was announced that all courses would move exclusively online for the remainder of the semester. Most faculty and staff began working remotely, and most students didn’t return to campus.

May Commencement was rescheduled to August.

In the span of a few weeks, Perez went from full of plans to full of fears – back in Abilene, stuck inside, without her campus job, and worried for her parents, who were also now out of work. April rent was coming up, and she needed groceries. She was losing the delicate balance she’d maintained for survival.

“That’s when everything started to crumble. The stress started to weigh on me, because I felt like I was a burden,” Perez said. “I didn’t know who to seek for help as a strong support system. I was praying for answers.”

Then she heard about the Student Opportunities, Advocacy and Resources (SOAR) program in the Office of Student Life, whose staff members connect hundreds of students like Perez each academic year with resources so they can succeed. For those who need it, financial assistance is provided through its Katie Kirby Student Success Fund.

“It felt like my answer,” said Perez, who quickly connected with SOAR and received financial assistance.

“I’m not one to ask for help – I can usually find ways to work hard myself. But this felt like a strong backbone for many students, including myself, who are not looking for an easy way out – there’s no other way to get help that doesn’t ask anything in return. This felt alleviating and Godsent.”

It doesn’t take a disaster for many students, like Gema, to begin to lose hope, especially if they don’t have a strong support system of their own. Sometimes, it’s a loss of a job, or a friend, or an illness. But with a global pandemic, those crises are multiplied tenfold.

COVID-19 continues to change the world we live in and impact countless lives. But ACU was able to immediately help struggling students, thanks to the staff and structure for assistance in place through the SOAR program.

“These are responsible students with a plan in place,” said Lauren Boyles, assistant director of student advocacy.

“They’re not looking for handouts – they’re trying to do classes online, while being worried about having a place to live, needing WiFi at home, etc. These are common situations, and we’re hearing them over and over again.”

The Office of Advancement also made a point to fundraise for additional support for the Kirby fund to ensure assistance was available to students in need.

“The SOAR program and the Katie Kirby Student Success Fund are invaluable to ACU students,” said Jim Orr, J.D. (’86), vice president of advancement. “That this program and fund were already in place and assisting students years before our current crisis is nothing short of providential.”

Alyssa High

The story of SOAR is one of several staff members who saw the need for an advocacy program and spent years developing it into a critical resource. It’s a story about hundreds of donors who have given to the success fund. And it’s a story about 19-year-old Katherine “Katie” Laura Kirby, a young woman with a big smile and an even bigger heart, who died unexpectedly of natural causes while a sophomore at ACU. She was 19.

“While I know she would be honored, she would also be incredibly humble about it,” said Victoria Lee (’17), who was Kirby’s “grand big” (her big sister’s big sister) in the women’s social club GATA. “I think that says a lot about her character and who she was as a person. I cannot think of a more beautiful way to honor one of the most beautiful humans I have ever known.”

A path forward Alyssa High was surprised by her interaction with SOAR

staff members. The sophomore convergence journalism major was first recommended to the program in 2019 after a faculty member was concerned about her missing too much class. It turned out she was sick to the point of needing to medically withdraw from school.

SOAR coordinator Lyndi (Smith ’14) Felan helped her through the process, High said, and again was a resource for her this spring. High grew up in Colorado City, Texas, about 70 miles west of Abilene along I-20. Her father died when she was 16, and now her mother and siblings live in Abilene.

High got her own apartment when she re-enrolled in classes after her illness, but she was struggling to pay bills through the end of her lease in March. Felan helped her through that process as well.

“The biggest thing for me that was kind of shocking is, I typically am used to seeing pity, or sometimes I can see a little bit of judgment, and I never felt that,” High said. “Lyndi was like ‘OK, here are the issues, here’s

how we can get it done. I’m praying for you.’ She was super sweet.”

Perez also was moved by Felan’s mix of compassion, encouragement and practicality.

“What really stood out to me was her intentionality and how kind she was,” Perez said. “She gave me space to open up and feel OK – a safe space to be truthful about my situation. I appreciated that. I could feel the kindness and hospitality in her voice.”

Jackson Shoultz also speaks highly of SOAR. With bills to pay this past spring – piling up, it seemed – the senior often chose to forgo one or two meals each day. He didn’t think his hunger was affecting his studies, but he knew it would, and soon.

He mentioned his lack of access to food to a faculty mentor, whom he describes as a dear friend. They in turn recommended him to SOAR. Support came in several ways, he said, including financial assistance in the form of Campus Cash added to his school account so he could

purchase meals on campus at The Bean.

“The SOAR staff are amazing,” said Shoultz, biology major from Dripping Springs, Texas. “They helped me have access to food, as well as other support for my livelihood. It was extremely helpful and no doubt had side effects of improving my mental wellbeing and performance in my classes.”

That the students’ professors knew to recommend them to SOAR, and that they found a safe space through the program to talk about their struggles and find solutions, is no small feat. Those are the goals Shannon (Buchanan ’07) Kaczmarek, director of residence

“I cannot think of a more beautiful way to honor one of the most beautiful humans I have ever known.”

– Victoria Lee (’17), about Katherine “Katie” Kirby

life and student advocacy services, and fellow Student Life staff members have spent years working toward.

Partnership, both in language and practice, has been key to SOAR’s success since its inception in 2014, developed to replace a previous program called Save Our Students (SOS). Kaczmarek was hired as SOS coordinator in Fall 2013 and spent her first year trying to discern how to create a program for students to share their situations without fear of reprimand or judgment. They started by making the program

approachable – increasing personal contact with students and changing the name so the focus wasn’t on “saving” students but rather letting them know about opportunities that are available, advocating on their behalf with faculty and helping them advocate for themselves.

“The first thing we do in SOAR is say, ‘You’re not in trouble, and asking for help is the strongest thing you can do, and we get to work here to help you,’ ” Boyles said.

“Instead of a top-down approach, we talk about partnering together – what parts can a student own, and because of our resources, what can we assist with.”

Students are recommended for a variety of reasons, and resources they often need include counseling, budgetary help, tutoring, housing, doctor appointments, computers or other technology. These might seem obvious outside of a situation, but when someone is in a moment of crisis or time of uncertainty, clarity isn’t always easy to obtain.

“A moment of despair can lead an individual to totally derailing,” said Mark Lewis (’95 M.M.F.T.), dean of students. “That could be their own health or wanting to do college at all. They just need someone to talk to, someone with whom they can sort things out and articulate and visualize a path to stay on the rails.

“When they talk to us, they can hit the brakes, take a deep breath and get some hope to go forward,” he said. “And if their crisis can be fixed by a few dollars? A small amount of money can help get them across the chasm that they can’t see any other way to get over. Two hundred dollars to some students seems like $10,000 to others.”

At first, financial assistance through SOAR wasn’t easily attainable. When staff learned of an extreme situation with a student, they’d pass the hat around and see what they could collect. While not

Other ways ACU is assisting students • ACU was approved to receive funds through the CARES Act and its Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) for distribution to students with needs related to COVID-19. Students who lost a job, experienced a death in their family, were unable to pay rent and utilities on an unoccupied residence, or needed emergency relief for items such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care or childcare expenses, were able to apply for assistance.

• Because CARES Act funds cannot be used for scholarships or tuition, ACU launched a Season of Hope effort in May to build up the Hope for the Future fund, which supports scholarships for current and incoming students. Students who lived on campus and/ or had meal plans but did not return to campus after Spring Break were able to either receive a refund or could choose to donate their housing and meal plan refund(s) to a special COVID-19 Student Relief Fund for ACU to use to help our most adversely affected students.

• One hundred percent of students’ remaining Bean Bucks on their accounts was converted to Campus Cash for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester, and will carry over to future terms. Campus Cash can be used at all dining establishments on campus (just like Bean Bucks), as well as at the The Campus Store.

sustainable, that informal process was an indication the ability to offer financial help that didn’t have to be paid back was an important way to fill in the gaps of an emergency.

The Student Success Relief Fund was created in Fall 2015 and was slowly developed. What’s distributed is prioritized based on immediate living needs – rent, groceries, clothing, transportation, hygiene, etc.

– and if such assistance will support the student whethercontinuing on in their studies, Boyles said. SOAR staff aim to respond to recommendations immediately, and if money is needed, that also is distributed within a few business days.

“It was an act of faith to help those who were committed to be successful students but didn’t have the resources some others do,” Lewis said. “A lot of students have backstops and safety nets, and families can prepare for them to be here. That’s not the case for everyone. This was a natural response from us as a university to very real needs as they surfaced.”

A need met Almost a year after burying their daughter – their only child – disaster struck again for Dawn and Jerry Kirby.

Their Friendswood, Texas, home was damaged in August 2017 during Hurricane Harvey. T-shirts, photographs and many of the things Dawn had packed up and stored in her late daughter’s room were gone.

Two items, however, remain prominently displayed in the Kirbys’ home: their daughter’s honorary degree from ACU, awarded posthumously, and the certificate announcing the naming of the Katie Kirby Student Success Fund.

The fund was renamed for Kirby shortly after she died Nov. 6, 2016.

Her death was a shock to the campus community. She was mourned openly in Chapel and at candlelight vigils around the GATA Fountain. Kirby had

just finished pledging the social club and had only been a member for a few weeks.

“It certainly was an honor, to know that something so important was being done and that Katie’s name was going to be attached to it,” Dawn Kirby said. “It was right up the alley of something Katie would have liked.

She was a normal person just like everyone else, but one of the things about her was she was one of the first to always want to help others.”

Her caring nature was evident in her choice of major (elementary education), Kirby said. Her daughter was equally stubborn, she said with a laugh, but it was part of her charm.

“The best thing I remember about Katie was her incredible smile and

“It’s a key part to who we are: We care about people on a very personal level.”

– Mark Lewis (’95 M.M.F.T.)

infectious laugh,” Lee, her friend and GATA “grand big,” said.

“There was not really a moment when I did not see Katie smiling.

I remembered how excited and happy she was as a pledge and to be a part of GATA. She was also the most thoughtful person and was always thinking about others.”

The Katie Kirby fund was featured as a giving option for ACU’s first Day of Giving in May 2017 – and that’s “when everything blew up,” Lewis said of others’ generosity.

Members of the ACU community, including many of Katie’s friends and

family members, came together to donate approximately $22,000 to the fund for Day of Giving; the next two Days of Giving in 2018 and 2019 collectively brought in almost $31,000.

Just as important as funds, Kaczmarek said, is the way SOAR and the ACU community are able to maximize the resources and networking available. She lives near an optometrist, for example, and approached him about offering probono eye exams for students if SOAR picked up the bill for the glasses.

He agreed and already has seen a handful of students.

“We have this network around us that is more significant than money,” Kaczmarek said. “When you go see this doctor and they get to know you and offer for you to come back, that builds your ability to advocate for yourself and your relationships that are supportive. That’s our goal.

A lot of times the help we’re giving students is multifold.”

As the needs of ACU’s student body change, Kaczmarek said, it is crucial the university continues to find ways to keep students without their own support systems from dropping out. Likewise, Boyles said, many students have emergencies they never expect. Even if they come from a family of resources, they sometimes need additional help to get them across the finish line.

“It’s not about the money,” Kaczmarek said. “It’s about connection and relationships and trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and trying to bring awareness to our campus that students like this are here, and we all get to play a part in it. It’s not SOAR’s job to fix this problem — it’s our campus’ responsibility and privilege to come alongside students like this who we say ‘yes’ to, to say ‘we’re alongside you,’ and ‘you can do this,’ and ‘we’re here with you.’”

Lewis agreed. “This isn’t just a sterile process where we learn a need,

“It’s not about the money. It’s about connection and relationships and trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

– Shannon (Buchanan ’07) Kaczmarek

our team talks to the student and then we write a check,” he said. “It’s investment in who the individual is, and being able to determine not just the immediate need but what’s going on in his or her life as a whole – to address issues systemically.”

That groundwork of taking time to get to know students isn’t always easy, Lewis said. Not every student shows up excited or even wanting to be known. Some may be embarrassed. But the process is important – and it has been crucial in the months since COVID-19 changed students’ lives.

“It comes back to relationship and the love of Christ being demonstrated actively in delicate situations,” he said. “Knowing their name, where they’re from, hearing a bit of their story, then investing in helping them move forward successfully.

It’s a key part to who we are: We care about people on a very personal level.”

“So why would people give to the Katie Kirby fund?” he asked. “Because those funds are going to help individuals in unique circumstances, and it’s done in a loving and Christ-centered way.”

A life honored Dawn Kirby begins to cry as she thinks about her daughter’s legacy. Receiving her honorary diploma in a private ceremony meant the world to the family, she said, and she was surprised to hear the fund was a vital way to help students in the midst of COVID-19.

“From what I can see, ACU has really been on top of so many things,” she said. “It’s just very rewarding to know Katie chose a school like that. They didn’t wait to have an emergency, they took care of it when they saw a need.”

SOAR staff members continued video chat and phone meetings with students as the semester came to an end. In March and April alone, 174 students were helped in one way or another, and 42 received support through the fund.

Generations of students who receive help from the Katie Kirby Student Success Fund, and generations of donors who make a gift, will know Katie’s name, and hopefully, a bit about her life. In that way, Katie is helping do what she loved most: helping others.

“We’re grateful she hasn’t been forgotten,” Kirby said, her voice soft with tears. “I’m really glad ACU has that fund available for people when they need it. I’m very happy that people have used it, and I hope more people are aware of it so there’s a knowledge that when there is a need, they can have it taken care of.

“ACU is one of those campuses where they don’t want people to fall through the cracks,” she said.

“They try to make sure everybody is on the road to success and to a great life.”

What do you do if someone indicates they may need assistance?

I tell them I’m going to recommend them to SOAR (the Student Opportunities, Advocacy and Resources program in Student Life), or they can recommend themselves. I know SOAR staff have helped quite a few of our students who stayed, and then on top of everything else lost part or all of their work because of closures.

Oswaldo “Ozzy” Garcia, resident advisor for Edwards Hall, decided to stay on campus after courses were moved online beginning March 23. Residence Life made a point of connecting daily with all students who remained on campus, as well as coordinating when others could return to move out of the residence halls.

The senior youth and family ministry major from Dumas, Texas, spoke to us in April about the experience of being a resource and mentor to his peers.

What has life been like for you since Spring Break?

It has been rather hectic – that’s the appropriate word to use. I had already made plans to come back to campus a little early during our original Spring Break, March 9-13, to get ready for residents who needed help. Then Spring Break was extended through the 20th, and it was helpful that I was already here.

How has your team cared for residents who stayed on campus?

It’s the little things that make a difference. Whenever I go to The Bean, I’ll see a student who stayed and talk with them and make sure they’re doing OK. Thankfully I know all their names now, so if I sense something is going on, I can follow up and send them a message.

A lot of it is just having conversations – Are you OK financially? Do you have a job? What’s the situation back home? Trying to help in ways like that.

Why are you still on campus, rather than going home like most of your classmates?

Resident advisors are not required to stay. We were told we could keep up with our residents remotely if we wanted to go back home. But because I came back early, I saw the need. A lot was still unclear for students, and I wanted to help. I have three residents on my hall with unique situations that prevent them from going home, so I want to invest in those relationships and be a source of comfort for them when a phone call from back home just isn’t quite doing it.

What has been your experience working with SOAR? Many students have shared with me certain situations going on in their lives. Whether it is counseling they cannot afford, or a bill they need help paying, I’m able to recommend them to SOAR so they can receive the assistance they need. SOAR staff show these students that ACU wants to help. That’s the biggest part to them – they know the university they chose to come to is invested in their well-being and success. If I were ever to get into a position where I needed help, I could go talk to SOAR. It’s a relief to know that’s a possibility for my friends down the hall and for others who do not have other means to receive help.

Anything else, Ozzy?

To everyone who has donated to the Katie Kirby Student Success Fund – Thank you! When I think about people who have these funds to give – they could have used them in a variety of ways, but they choose to invest in these students and give them the opportunity when they needed it most. That’s incredible to me. It’s truly living out the gospel of unconditional love that we are told to live out. It’s really amazing.

ACU Box 29200 Abilene, Texas 79699-9200

A light in the darkness

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Abilene Christian University

Because of this unprecedented time we’re in, we wanted to share news of how the ACU faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as it impacts students and their families. We hope the stories in this issue of Legacy remind you of the unshakeable hope and extraordinary resilience that are hallmarks of this community.

Times of crisis call out the best in us, and make our mission and purpose more clear than ever. When we decided to forego our typical Day of Giving this spring and instead have a Season of Giving to support students, hundreds of you answered the call to raise funds for the Katie Kirby Student Care Fund. Thank you! This fund – administered by the Student Opportunities, Advocacy and Resources (SOAR) program in the Office of Student Life – is a lifeline for many, helping students address immediate needs to find success and sustainability.

Inside this issue, you will learn more about this fund; its namesake, Katherine “Katie” Kirby; and the SOAR program. Throughout these past several months, we have heard time and again from our students that a helping hand at the right time can make all the difference in the world. Many are still struggling, and you can support them with a gift at acu.edu/student-success.

We also launched a Season of Hope for May, raising funds for Hope for the Future to support academic, leadership and financial need scholarships for current and incoming students. You can support these efforts at acu.edu/hope.

ACU will always be students’ home, just like it will always be yours. The Tower of Light and Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building will stay illuminated in purple each night until students are able to return to campus. We look forward to that day, and for when members of our community can come together again to celebrate and fellowship as Wildcats.