Alumni News

“SWEET TO WORSHIP”

GU’s Pursuit ministry team typically leads worship and engages youth at seven or eight camping venues each summer. Tour Manager Nathan Kriebel ’16 finalized Pursuit’s summer 2020 itinerary months before COVID-19 forced camp closures. “It was a major disappointment,” said Kriebel of the cancellations that poured in. Only one camp— Phantom Ranch Bible Camp, a longtime host and friend to GU Pursuit teams—stayed open. The camp implemented an altered format that accommodated social distancing. “We were glad for the opportunity to share the gospel,” said Kriebel afterward. “It was so sweet to worship and serve together and to just be around people; it felt like another world where COVID didn’t exist.” Delivering the gospel remains central to Pursuit’s participation in camps. “[We] give high school students language to respond to God through encounters in worship music,” said Kriebel. Contact Nathan Kriebel to learn more about securing Pursuit for your event: nathan.kriebel@greenville.edu.

GU INSTALLS SOLAR PANELS

Eight buildings on GU’s campus now draw power from solar panels. Workers recently installed 1300 panels in total, an installation made possible by a renewable energy program offered by the State of Illinois. GU acquired the panel system at no up-front cost and will use the energy savings over six years to pay for it. GU anticipates saving $70-80k each year, or 75 percent of its annual 939-megawatt power needs. Department Chair of Biology and Chemistry Eric Nord relates the commitment to solar power to GU’s mission as a Christ-centered institution. “We believe that the human vocation is to be bearers of God’s image to all creation,” he says, which means caring for the earth. “Installing these solar panels is one small step in the direction of putting this belief into action.”

Genesis Martinez ’19

serves meals as part of Senior Skip Day. She is the grateful recipient of donor-funded scholarships including the GU Scholarship and Riggs Scholarship.

Thank you for giving.

SENIOR SKIP DAY RECOGNIZED

The National Association of Area Agencies recently recognized GU’s Senior Skip Day event in its 2020 Aging Achievement Awards. An Experience First initiative, Senior Skip Day engages graduating seniors with local senior citizens. Participants learn how connecting with someone of a different generation can help improve one’s empathy, mental health, communication skills, and overall appreciation for life.

LAFAYE PUBLISHES TWO NEW BOOKS, ADVISES PARENTS ON MULTICULTURAL BOOK SELECTIONS

Acclaimed children’s author and mother of five, GU Professor Alexandria LaFaye, recently published two books with multicultural themes. Follow Me Down to Nicodemus Town (Albert Whitman & Company, 2019) draws from historical accounts of an African American pioneer settlement. Its portrayal of a chapter in Kansas’ history drew honors from the State Library of Kansas. LaFaye coauthored Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became the Bookmobile Ballerina (HarperCollins, 2020) with Lea Lyon. It captures the true story of an African American girl who falls in love with ballet after watching Swan Lake on TV. LaFaye advises parents to choose multicultural books that reflect cultural accuracy and engage youngsters in ways that directly relate

to them. “The cultural accuracy piece is a sticking point,” she says. “How do we, as book selectors/readers, know if it’s accurate?” She recommends a guide produced by socialjusticebooks.org.

INNOVATIVE COVID TESTING ON CAMPUS

This summer, Greenville University announced a research partnership with the University of Illinois to evaluate a program designed to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus linked to COVID-19. The U of I’s SHIELD program involves a novel means of testing for COVID-19 using saliva samples rather than nose swabs. GU regularly tests all students and faculty on campus, mitigating the risk of COVID-19 spread. By participating in the SHIELD program, Greenville University will serve as a test case for how a small university in a rural community can contain the spread of the virus. “We are a small, semi-contained university within a low-density part of the country,” says GU President Suzanne Davis ’00. “Our rural environment, combined with our ability to offer the most current scientific knowledge based on an epidemiologic model for testing, has allowed us to responsibly open campus for fall semester.”