This is always a fun time of year for us as our new students finish their first semester of college. They are usually shocked at how fast the time has gone by as they nervously finish up with papers and projects. We feel for them as they are anxious about exams but know that in a few weeks they will be able to breathe easy and enjoy their much deserved break.

On November 20^th& 21st students helped man the Ohio Chi Alpha Booth during the annual Reach Conference (a gathering of junior and senior high school students from across the state). During this time our students had the opportunity to tell those high schoolers just how they can make a difference for Christ when they themselves venture into the college world. We loved seeing YSUXA students share their hearts and encourage those up & coming.

There was some cause for concern on campus during the last few days before Thanksgiving break when someone foolishly decided to paint pro ISIS messages in area of campus that’s usually used for promoting different campus events.  We are sure many of you heard…but for those that didn’t…there’s a large rock on campus that is painted over, time and again, with different messages and announcements. Whomever this was, decided to paint the rock with negative and threatening messages. The University was quick to take action as they contacted the authorities and repainted the rock. Local media crews were quick to flood the campus for a few days after, to report on what was going on. So far…no eminent danger has been reported.

We ended the semester with our annual Christmas party where we played games, laughed, ate cookies and candy canes and gave the students a small reprieve before heading back to the reality of gearing up for finals.To add to our celebration, our group was blessed to be able to get involved with a local Toys for Tots drive. We love giving back and our students were quick to lend a hand in this area.