1000 Powell Mill Road
T RAILBLAZER Spartanburg, South Carolina 29301
Volume 80 Issue 1
THE
October 2013 1
Big Changes for SMC Buildings
By P.J. Shuping, Editor
There are many changes around the campus of SMC this year such as, a new location for the nurse, a new location for the campus police, and some renovations to the Walker building as well. The question is what do the people working in these environments think about the new changes? Also, will these changes help students find life at SMC easier? One of the changes made to the SMC campus over the summer was creating a new space for the nurse, Carol Shearin, so she could be more centralized in the campus. She started off by saying she was very excited because in the seventeen years she had been working at SMC this was her first move. She also says, “I’ve gotten more student flow this year due to the move because I’m now more visible to students.” Next, one change that has not happened yet but is set to very soon is that the campus police will be moving to where the nurse used to be located. Chief Ferguson says “we are very excited for this because we feel we have outgrown this space.” When asked about the accessibility of this new location she says, “We will still be visible due to the new signs we’ll be getting.” She went on to say that this new location will have a receptionist area with their own administrative assistant. Finally, over this past summer there were many changes made to the Walker building, such as new lighting, new projection machines with touch screen, and new carpet. Dr. Cole Cheek says he likes the changes because “the new colors are sharper and more defined and the technological changes make it easier to teach.” NURSE CAROLE SHEARIN AND STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES ARE NOW Professor Barry Ward also says the new changes suit the building well because LOCATED IN FRONT OF KINGMAN RESIDENCE HALL UNDER THE RED CROSS it’s “amazing what a fresh can of paint can do.”
Photo by P.J. Shuping
Freshman Day of Service By Dierick Montiel, Staff Writer Once every year Spartanburg Methodist College goes out to the community with its freshman class to volunteer and give back to the community. The first year of college for anyone is usually a scary thing. Some folks are ready, others are not, and some people don’t even know. Where students are going will really answer the question of whether they were ready or not. Luckily some colleges have traditions for the freshmen to help them adjust from high school to college life. These traditions vary, some simple, some complicated, but Spartanburg Methodist College has one that is simple, simply unique that is. Rarely do people ever volunteer to do community service. Most people who do community service do it because they have to or because they wanted
something out of it. On August 17th, multiple groups of freshmen led by sophomores, along with an instructor, went out to various locations all throughout the community to serve the city of Spartanburg, places such as; churches, elementary schools, nursing homes, and soup kitchens. The Pioneers were there for the day to help out in any way possible. From cleaning windows or wiping the walls of an elementary school, to doing mulch, or making bowls out of clay, or keeping the elderly company, the Pioneers did it all. Jesse Davis from the Backpack group helped build crates at an Elementary school for their garden. “It was really good to help the community” said Davis. When asked if he would go out to volunteer again he said, “Sure, why not?” continued on page 6
KEIERRA NESBITT AND HER SMC 101 CLASS UP YARD DEBRIS
The SMC Mission Statement Spartanburg Methodist College is a two-year private residential institution within the United Methodist Connection. At SMC, lives are transformed in a values-oriented, student-centered atmosphere in the Christian tradition that encourages academic excellence, intellectual exploration, social awareness, and character development within the liberal arts tradition.