New Dorm Design for FRESHMEN!

It's always exciting to see people share something you love - in this case, freshmen!  There is no experience quite like your freshman year in college.  We believe, and teach our Chi Alpha students to believe, in the value of reaching freshmen on campus.

SFA has released design drawings for the new ALL-FRESHMEN dorm they've been working on the last year or so.  Well, they built the parking garage that will help accommodate all the new students.  Now they are starting work on the dorm itself.  It looks to be wonderfully designed and the fact that it is geared towards freshmen specifically, with certain elements included just to help ease the transition into college, just warms my heart!

Check out the rest of the details by clicking on the pic - you'll be redirected to the latest news release from the University!

Read more »

Stressed Students

Check out this article on the stress levels of college freshmen this year. This is the generation we work with every day and we can attest to an increased sense of being stressed. What we haven't been able to figure out is exactly what they are stressed about.

ABC News

Read more »

Nacogdoches girl dies in shooting accident

Our hearts go out to Professors Cable.

Nacogdoches girl dies in shooting accident - KLTV 7 News Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville |

Read more »

Garner Hall - Not Going Down Without a Fight!

This is Garner Hall, the tallest building in town and one of the oldest dormitories at SFA - scheduled to be torn down this semester.  As this video (shot by Robyn Rosencutter, a Chi Alpha student) shows, Garner is not going down without a fight...

Read more »

Undie Run 2009

I was reminded again this morning just how much SFA needs the Lord when I stumbled across a Facebook Event for the 2009 Undie Run. Yep, it's exactly what it sounds like... an excuse to run around in underwear posing as a fundraiser for the local Women's Shelter and Homeless Clothes Drive.

"In 1973 a streaking epidemic hit SFA's campus. People were streaking at football games, around campus, and through dorms. However, in the spring of 1974, Ralph Steen, President of SFA at the time announced an entire day when students could streak up and down East College street. This was a historical event for any campus during that time, and this Undie Run also serves as an ode to that day.

We made history again last year hosting the first Lumberjack Undie Run with over 300 students participating, and donated ALOT of clothes to the Nacogdoches Homeless shelter.

Bring your friends and have your friends bring friends!! Invite every Lumberjack!

What: 2nd Annual Lumberjack Undie Run!
When: May 7th, 10pm. 2009!
Where: Meet at Surfin' Steve and follow the Undy Flag!

Bring Running shoes, sweet undies and clothes to donate!"



Check out the event here.

Read more »

Preacher on Campus

The only shocking part of the scene on campus Tuesday was that it's the first time we've seen it at SFA this entire school year. Saint Jesse, as he referred to himself, walked onto campus around noon Tuesday and began drawing a crowd to listen to his message. And what a message it was!


This is not the first, or even the second, time we have encountered preachers like Saint Jesse. Our first taste came when we were only students at Louisiana Tech - Brother Jim was the main man for those campaigns. Louisiana Tech, Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Lamar University in Beaumont, and LSU in Baton Rouge... no matter where the campus, the format is always the same. The giant signs with messages warning of judgment and wrath, the attacking statements/accusations hurled at students and general passersby, and the just-plain-offensive remarks made to anyone who dares resist the message. It's more of a slam-fest than open-air preaching. Students, of course, both love and hate the visits to campus - mostly because they love to hate the preachers!

Tuesday's appearance showed little to no changes in attitude, performance, or method. The message went out bluntly, and rather loudly: "God hates all fornicators, black people, homosexuals!" All this coming from a man who claims the right to make such statements because he no longer sins. The students were irate, yelling in his face, arguing from a sub-par knowledge of Scripture, and, when all of that failed, mocking his message and him personally (he was wearing suspenders that matched his pants exactly... the students had a field day!).

As usual, we started getting texts from our students asking if we'd heard about the crazy guy on campus. We headed to the Rusk Building, located prominently outside the Student Center in the plaza area of campus, to see what was going on. We were met by 4 or 5 of our students, who were clearly upset at what was happening. And, as usual, our role became walking them through an appropriate response and reaction to the scene. Derrick spent quite a while talking with the sign-holding assistant to Saint Jesse to no avail - they would not reveal the name of the church / organization sponsoring them. He only learned they were from Tyler, TX. The talks with the students were much more productive. We watched as their frustration and anger turned to sadness for the students so desperately trying to defend themselves against such hatred. We encouraged them to stay and pray for the students in the crowd and to start up conversations with people on the outskirts.

All in all, his permit ran up at 5pm on Wednesday evening and back to Tyler he went. As upset as many students got, experience has taught us that they will forget their passion and curiosity within a few hours of his departure. But, like we told the students standing in the sun, watching Saint Jesse bring several students to tears and wishing we could do more... "He is only here for two days; we are here all year long!"

God, remind us continually what we are fighting for. Stir our hearts, minds, and hands to do Your work at SFA!

To read one student's response in the Opinion section of today's Pine Log, click here. I warn you, though, it's as ignorant as much of Saint Jesse's message!

Read more »

Student Charged for Shooting Threats Last Week

I never would have expected it to be the Barbie doll type of girl to post such hateful, frightening flyers threatening to kill students both on and off campus last week.

But that's exactly how Jennifer Grant looks in her Facebook profile pic. The Pine Log, the SFA school paper, reports (echoing students' mocking opinions about the true source of the flyers last week) she wanted to get out of a test she was not prepared for. I'm sure now that she's been charged with a felony terroristic threat she would say it wasn't worth it. So sad.

Click here to read the full newspaper article in The Pine Log Onine.

Read more »

Please Pray - Campus Alert at SFA!

The Campus Alert system has been activated at SFA - threats of shootings on and off campus have been received by authorities! Please pray!




Read the official report here.
News coverage report here.

Please pray with us today for the safety of all SFA students, faculty, and staff - wisdom for the authorities making decisions - and protection for the police officers on duty today. God, please watch over our campus!

___________________________________________________________

As of Friday morning, 7:30am, police were confident the flyers were only threats. All was quiet on campus Thursday, except for a bit of stress from locking down the library while police looked for a "suspicious person" who turned out to be unrelated to the threats. Security will remain on campus throughout Friday, but all classes will continue as scheduled. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS!

Read more »