Archives: Natalie Shadle

Every week I think I’m prepared, and then Tuesday rolls around, and I remember how crazy I was to stack as many classes as I did on one day. My Tuesday classes begin at 7 a.m. and finally end at 5 p.m., with no break in between. Quite frankly, it’s exhausting! By the end of every Tuesday, as much as I love what I’m learning, I am so ready for a cup of tea and a T-shirt.

Last Tuesday I had an especially difficult day because I struggled with my afternoon lab, so when 5 o’clock rolled around, I was in serious need of some relief. I left class, and as I was walking toward my apartment, I glanced across the front lawn and noticed a couple of the girls’ flag football teams out prepping for a game. One of the team’s brightly colored uniforms looked familiar to me, and I realized a few of the teammates were friends of mine. So, I made my way over for a quick hello!

The team spirit was absolutely radiant. All the girls wore matching, handmade shirts with black paint smeared across both cheeks. After my quick hellos, I hugged them both goodbye but hung around for a few minutes to watch them play. It was the best unexpected relief ever!

CBU has so many fantastic opportunities to get involved with peers outside the classroom, and Rec sports are probably the best. Rec sports are based more on fellowship than they are skill, and because of this, teammates always leave the season having made countless new friends. It was so much fun to watch these girls play – having a great time, supporting and encouraging one another, all the while using CBU provided equipment and facilities to avoid any hassle.

Hey, maybe next year I’ll sign up!

One of the privileges of working for Conferences and Events here on campus is that I am given a sort of “backstage pass” to the events that I run. It’s really a fulfilling experience to put so much effort into setting up an event, and then watch it come to fruition as students enjoy what it has to offer.

Throughout the school year, Conferences and Events, along with Community Life, put on a few concerts by popular Christian artists, such as Phil Wickam, Switchfoot, Gungor, and the like. This past Friday, we proudly welcomed Citizens and Saints to the stage!

My first encounter with CBU pride was when a friend of mine who was a student here called out, “CB-What? CB-What?” and without prompting, the student next to him immediately responded “CB-U! CB-U!” It was almost instinctual, and the smile that lit his face at the response he was hoping for was priceless. Lancer pride clearly dominated their attitudes.

A while had gone by since I’d heard our school chant, and, truth be told, I was beginning to forget about it. At the concert on Friday, the lead singer paused after a few songs to connect with the audience. The first thing he said was, “So, I brought my wife with me tonight, and when we entered the gym, she looked up and saw this sign (gesturing to the “Crazies” sign) and she whispered to me, ‘seriously, their mascot is the crazies?’ When we found out you are actually the ‘Lancers,’ we were sorta confused. What does ‘crazies’ mean?”

Without hesitation, a few young men in the crowd shouted, “CB-What? CB-What?” and as though we’d rehearsed it, the entire gym joined in a resounding, “CBU! CBU!”

Stunned, the lead singer stumbled over his words a bit as he exclaimed, “Well, that was pretty cool.”

Here at CBU, we are the Lancers, but we are also the Crazies; and we are proud of it.

During my senior year of high school, I went back and forth about which of my top two universities (CBU and another) I would decide to choose for my coming college years. The stakes were high, as this was not a decision I could rewind and make again if I chose wrong.

I went about the process carefully and intricately, being sure to hit all my bases before saying “yes” to either offer. I toured both schools more than once, I stayed overnight at CBU for “24,” researched heavily, and spoke with alumni. My dad, being someone whose career involves a lot of numbers and charts, even created an Excel spreadsheet which compared every detail about both schools and displayed the winner. In each scenario, CBU consistently came up on top.

But what really made the final decision for me was an email I received from one of the heads in our CAVAD department, and an email I received from the head of the other school’s design department. I received the CBU email first, and was immediately impressed by the passion and enthusiasm that this professor spoke with… I could tell without hearing his voice that he was so proud of, so ecstatic for, and so thrilled about the coming school year with his Graphic Design students. He practically wrote me a novel on the program!

When, much later on, I finally received a response from the head at the other school, I was disappointed to find a simple remark about where on their school website to find more info.

The choice was clear.

For those of you still in the process of making your college decision, I encourage you to dig deep, dive in, and then decide. But remember, this place will be your home for the next four years, and also your diving board into a lifelong career. Be somewhere proud, passionate, and invested, and you’ll never think twice about your decision!

I so vividly remember the mixed terror and excitement that came along with beginning my freshman year of college. Being the introverted artist that I am, a big part of what caused my stomach to jump into my throat was the idea of spending every day with unfamiliar faces. I’m someone who much prefers a few tightknit friendships to shallow companionships with countless people. The idea of finding these friendships in such a large crowd, though, caused more anxiety than anything else that first semester.

So, CBU has done something very unique to alleviate this anxiety! About three weeks into the school year, CBU advertises “T.W.I.R.P. (The Woman is Required to Pay) Week.” This week is meant to envelop students, freshmen especially, in fun moments of fellowship and opportunities to meet one another on a very casual level.

“Create A Date”

During the weeks prior, female Lancers are given the opportunity to creatively ask young men to be their “dates” for various upcoming T.W.I.R.P. events, for which they are expected to pay. Granted, at first this sounds a little unfortunate for all the new Lancer ladies, but CBU has done an excellent job of providing discounted prices for each event, so that our wallets don’t ache after the week’s festivities are through!

 This year, T.W.I.R.P. week consisted of an exciting variety of activities. Monday was the classic “Coffee House,” a free concert and coffee night in Stamps; Tuesday was an Angel’s Game; Wednesday “Create a Date;” Thursday the “Barn Dance;” Friday Medieval Times; and Saturday, “Surf and Twirp.” My charming boyfriend and I could only make Create a Date work with our schedules this year, but definitely still enjoyed the excuse to take a break and have fun together!

 I already can’t wait for next year!

Skateboards are lined against every wall, the word “T.W.I.R.P.” dominates discussion, and my to-do list is stacked high with homework assignments… I must be back at CBU!

When I was a senior in high school, I remember thinking about how I just couldn’t wait to have a four-month summer at CBU. Ten weeks always seemed much too short, and the idea of an extra six was a dream. However, having just experienced my first CBU summer,  I’m not looking forward to the next one. CBU is my second home, and I am so thrilled to be back!

As an upperclassmen, I now reside in The Colony area. I live wih three amazing young ladies, in a spacious 2-bed, 2-bath apartment overlooking a picturesque green lawn strewn with trees (maybe when it’s not 200 degrees outside, we’ll actually use it!). My roommates and I say that we could dominate the world, if we put our graphic design, engineering, and psychology minds together. Something tells me, though, CBU will keep us much too busy to ruminate on world domination. 😉

For example, this semester I’m taking two science classes, art classes, tennis, and a class called “Marriage and the Family.” Actually, this works well for me because I’m the kind of hands-on, creative learner who needs a change of scenery pretty often. I’m blessed to be somewhere that’s possible!

Lancers, you’re definitely in for another fantastic year. I can’t wait to write about all of the amazing traditions coming up… Next week, I’ll definitely be writing about T.W.I.R.P. – one of my absolute favorites!

Oh, and welcome to all you first-timers! I hope to see your awestruck, wide-eyed expressions around as we pass on campus this year. J

Until next week!

It’s becoming a trend for some hospitals to bring in dogs as comfort therapy for ill patients. There’s even a whole foundation called Therapy Dogs International, which provides dog “visitors” for terminal patients in select hospitals. Why, you may ask? Because supposedly, animal company really is therapeutic for the human mind. The theory is factually supported.

So, naturally, what does CBU do when their students are in a terrified flurry about the coming finals? They bring in puppies for us to play with, of course!

A couple of weeks ago, just before finals began, ASCBU (CBU student council) put on an event that they happily named “Recess.” This event included a collection of childish games and activities, including swings and puppies, as well as students dressed as childhood TV characters. Onlookers called it a “fair,” because of the loud, energetic music and colorful atmosphere.

And so, students set aside their textbooks and laptops to join in the fun with many of their fellow classmates, celebrating another fantastic year of learning and growth. For some, this would be their last large CBU event before graduation – and what better way to go out “with a bang” than with a puppy in your arms?

When the event ended, the music stopped, and the crazies left to go back to their apartments, we C&E workers stepped out onto the lawn to tear down everything. Fortunately, not much of a mess was made for us to take care of, but one of my coworkers did joke about how all of the trash that was left “smelled so good; like ice cream!” If even the trash smelled tasty, then the intentionally childish event must have been a success!

One of the things I love most about CBU is how much leeway its student leaders have to plan random, unique events such as this one… Because, well, let’s be honest –if the event planning had been left to someone whose childhood happened well before ours, there probably wouldn’t have been a giant Pokemon walking around campus. Just sayin’.

Every spring, CBU’s graphic design and photography department spends a great deal of time planning its annual photo shoot trip. The professors form a sort of team, gather up students and steal them away for a weekend to give them a taste of the effort involved in real-life photography projects. While “effort” unfortunately rings an unwelcomed bell in the ears of many college students, to us, it’s the most fun kind of effort around!  And thanks to God and good timing, I was one of the lucky students who had the opportunity to share in that experience this year.

This year, the professors decided to take us up to the mountains for our shoot. Along with us design students, they also asked a couple of students interested in a modeling career to join our journey and act as the subjects of our work. All design and photography students received an invitation in their Lancermail, which ended with, “And, we will feed you.” How could we say no to that?

This is how CBU rolls.

And so, one beautiful Friday morning, all 40 of us artists loaded up into six large SUVs and took off for an unforgettable overnight adventure!

It took us about an hour and a half to reach CBU’s Tahquitz Pines Conference Center in Idyllwild, where we would be staying. Once we arrived there, we were given a few minutes to find our cabins and unpack, and then it was off to location scouting!

The girls and I outside our homey cabins!

Now, if I’m being honest, I was expecting that the professors had already planned out where exactly we would be caravanning for our shoots… but no, it was just as much a mystery to them as it was to us. So naturally, the first day of our trip involved a whole lot of driving around in circles and getting lost before finding our “perfect” spot to shoot. But again, if I’m being honest, I actually think that was one of the more enjoyable parts of the trip! After all, what fun is a strict schedule to an artist?

After we spent a few hours shooting and observing the techniques of the professors, we headed back to camp for a wonderfully hot meal. But, it wasn’t until after dinner that the real fun began.

With the sun left the warmth, so we all huddled around a glowing bonfire. One of the students pulled out a guitar, and before long, we were all worshipping together, under the stars, as a family. Marveling in the beauty of this, I’d almost forgotten why we were there – and then we were called out into the trees.

One of our professors decided to go out and buy fog machines and colored flashlights to surprise us with. He also brought a hefty outside projector. So as darkness fell over the mountains, we photographers picked up our lights, flipped on the fog and ran the projector – setting the stage for one of the most fantastic shoots I have ever seen.

“Lightwriting” in the trees!

Our professors then proceeded to teach us the art of what’s called “lightwriting,” which is basically capturing moving lights with one shot. If you’re skilled, you can even “paint” pictures or write words with light, capturing the whole piece with your camera. This might have been the most fascinating thing I’ve learned all semester!

With the following afternoon came time to say goodbye to the camp and head back up to our home away from home. As all the SUVs pulled back into CBU, we said our goodbyes, ready to rest for a while. I’d hardly realized how exhausted I was with all the distraction of ongoing activities!

I’m so blessed to have been able to ride along for this adventure and sure hope I’m able to again in the coming years!

Towards the beginning of this semester, I began working for the CBU’s Conferences and Events team. I work an average of 10 to 15 hours a week, and during those hours I’m usually wrapping cords, setting up tables and chairs, controlling lights, and the like. We set up and tear down everything, from chapel to concerts to club fairs… it’s all us! And the best part? We get to be there.

I wrote in an earlier blog about how no CBU student has any excuse to be bored during the week, because if you’re not working, or studying, or hanging out with friends, then you’ve got to be at the Rec Center, or enjoying an event, or something – there’s always something. In truth, though, I never fully understood just how many “somethings” there are until I began working for C&E.

Last week, I was assigned to set up and help run an open mic night out in Stamps Courtyard. The event was absolutely beautiful, from the flower vases on every table, to the handwritten posters and colored lights – the whole atmosphere was such a pleasure to experience. And the greatest part was having the opportunity to watch fellow Lancers take a deep breath and step up onto the stage, each one gifting us with the show of a unique talent. The event included everything from poetry to singing, from guitar to magic tricks… and even a couple performances done by CBU siblings, which was pretty much the sweetest thing I’d seen all week!

Throughout the show, the student Community Life interns introduced each performer and their talent, cracking a joke every so often to keep the audience’s mind off the cold…. and boy, was it cold. But of course, CBU had it covered! For that evening only, Wanda’s Café was offering coffee for $1! Yum!

The following evening, I was assigned to Office Tech – which basically consists of running around campus filling the gaps of the other jobs, and making sure C&E is ahead of schedule. But during the running around, I noticed a distinct, powdery aroma – and sure enough, CBU was hosting yet another event, out on the front lawn. This event, the name of which escapes me, is an annual get together of students, and guess what they do? They throw bright, colorful powder at each other until everyone looks like they’ve just recovered from falling into a rainbow. Why? I’m not sure, because I didn’t attend, but just because we’re legal adults now doesn’t mean we don’t crave a little childish fun every once in a while!

All that to say, I’m loving my position on the C&E team. Every week, I greet new faces and have the chance to work alongside of familiar ones, while also getting to see the “behind the scenes” of CBU’s crazy, sometimes colorful, schedule.

You know, Lancers, C&E is almost always hiring… Looking for a job? Jump on board! It’s exhausting, but you won’t regret it.

You know what’s crazy? I just returned from spring break, and suddenly in four weeks I will have officially completed my freshman year of college. That is crazy.

This home stretch is such an interesting one – it’s full of preparing yourself to say goodbye to the routines and comforts you’ve developed over the past seven months, and also time to say hello to countless new opportunities on the horizon. I’m a quarter of the way through… And yet, it feels as though nothing has changed, and I’m still just beginning this college journey.

One example of an opportunity is one that’s been on my mind almost constantly over the past few weeks. A friend of mine and I are looking into studying abroad in Europe next Spring via a program that CBU has an affiliation with—as if CBU needed to add to their list of incredible opportunities!

Since we’re both graphic design majors, Caitlin and I are having so much fun sorting through the various art schools in Rome andFlorence, jittery with excitement at the idea of living in another country for a semester. To wake up, pick up a mug of Italian coffee and some delicious Tuscan pastries before glancing over our shoulder–only to see the silhouette of the coliseum in the distance. What a daydream!

Therein lies the problem. I am so much of a daydreamer that I often struggle to remain firm enough in the present to focus! Focus on the here and now, focus on the present, focus.

I wrote in an earlier blog about how my mom used to tell me when I was in elementary school, after I’d complain about how the school days drag on forever, that, “When you are older, time just seems to go so much faster.” I never believed her… until I did.

With that reflection in mind, and especially realizing that an entire year of college has nearly escaped my reach, I’m learning the importance of balancing what consumes my mind between the present reality and my future daydreams. This is no simple feat for me, as I learned in my FOCUS class earlier this year. We were required to take a personality test which revealed our five top strengths – two of mine were Ideation and Futuristic. Enough said?

So if, having almost completed my first year, I have enough credibility to give some advice to graduating high school seniors, it would be this: when it comes to going to school for the purpose of planning a future, exercise focusing on the here and now so that you may succeed in whatever it is you intend to do.

But also, learn to daydream if you haven’t already, because that’s what will ultimately propel you through every homestretch.

Focus, focus… then glance.

Having hardly announced its arrival, spring break is already right around the corner.

What?

One of the best parts of growing up is gaining the freedom to make your own decisions, and along with spring break suddenly comes that time once again…. So much faster than I had anticipated. In fact, I’m in a little bit of a foggy disbelief as I type this!

Every year when March rolls around, students all over campus are just watching the minutes tick by as we await our class registration and housing selections for the coming fall semester…. Tick, tock, tick, tock…

While to an outsider this whole crazy selection and scheduling process may sound like a hassle, to us students, it’s definitely an exciting time! Class wise, CBU offers hundreds of different types of courses that range from just about every interest to the next… graphic arts, philosophy, marine science, aviation, music, anatomy, etc… I’ve been asked a couple of times, “So how does CBU require their students to set up schedules? Were you required to take ‘this, this and this,’ for example?”

The first time I was asked this, I probably seemed a little bewildered as this thought had not crossed my mind. While students are given plenty of recommendations for how to optimize our schedules each year, the decision is ultimately our own. That’s something I love about being here. If you choose wisely, not only will you have tons of fun in the process (or, maybe that’s just nerds like me), but you will also feel an overwhelming satisfaction with each passing semester!

And as for housing, even we freshmen aren’t limited as freshmen usually are in most colleges. From the dorms to the cottages to Tower Hall, the selection is all ours! But, needless to say, I am definitely excited to have the selection choices of an upperclassman.

I actually didn’t know until a couple weeks ago that for upperclassman housing, CBU offers apartments that range from one-person studios to five-person townhouses! And, you have complete freedom to develop your own “groups” of roommates so that you know exactly whom you will be living with when September rolls around.

Plus, if you’re someone who appreciates perfection (or, obsesses over it) then you’ll probably be just as impressed as I am by CBU’s roommate searching process. If you’re a new student who doesn’t have a clue about who to room with, or if you’re a returning student who can’t think of someone you’d like to room with (what happened?), then this process may just be your rescue. Every student inputs information such as rooming preferences, likes and dislikes, character traits, etc., and CBU then provides you with a list of potential roommates and the percentage of their information that matches up with yours.

Neat, huh? I’m so excited!

Tick, tock, tick, tock…