To be transparent, I am a member of the Executive Cabinet.
I’m also a part of our campus community, a member of the Faithful Class, and a soon-to-be alum. I’m writing from all these identities and experiences.
I understand the frustration of losing the Student Center; I really do. Seniors are losing a place of gathering without the promise of its return as a better space. Juniors are preparing for their fifth semester of an abnormal Asbury experience. Sophomores are wondering if they will ever get the chance to know what Asbury is like under “normal” circumstances.
The freshmen are trying to understand the history of a place that is just starting to feel familiar, and everyone feels like their group is getting the raw end of the deal.
I have been frustrated by the brainstorming process of alternate spaces and have felt trapped in more problems than I can solve.
I have ridden my roller coaster of emotions, balancing disappointment and anger with hope and promise. But I also think many of the voices I hear, sometimes even my own, lack the broader picture.
Asbury is in an excellent position to continue moving forward in fully funded construction projects even in the middle of a pandemic that is causing supply chain shortages in both labor and materials.
This is a gift. The renovated Student Center will be an even better space to foster community once it is finished.
And to be quite honest, it is a remarkable feat to undertake a construction project of this magnitude with a nine-month timeline that only includes one semester.
If you want to see the Student Center as a case study for the larger picture of students’ voices in decisions, you are welcome to that perspective. Bring your concerns forward, but in a way that invites conversation and understanding instead of perpetuating the culture of complaint.
Asbury Student Congress forms the process by which these voices are elevated and heard. Moments like these are where disruption can breed a more substantial unity if we are willing to posture ourselves toward mutuality. We can admit mistakes, ensure that systems exist for student voices to be heard and lean into proactive solutions.
ASC strives to make Asbury as a school focused on belonging, student formation and the hard work required in life, faith, and community.
This has been more difficult to experience, especially in the pandemic with all the accompanying exhaustion and change. We have relied upon what little space we must be proximate with one another to build this community.
Now that the Student Center space is not going to be available and there is a sense of campus-wide apprehension, I wonder if the belonging felt in the STUCE can exist in other areas.
I would like to suggest that we find a deeper kind of community in this absence.
I am not talking about the kind of community that unites for a period around sarcastic Twitter comments; I am talking about the form of community that is consciously chosen and created.
When the space for proximity becomes more limited, and the chances of running into acquaintances at a pool table become slimmer, we are forced to invest in relationships that are no longer convenient but still worthwhile.
It will require imaginative solutions, but that is part of the creative work of which we are called. Our imaginations at this moment should be preparatory, working on teaching us the values of community-building when it is not readily provided (i.e., life after Asbury).
Our belongings and experiences are not so fragile that they are paralyzed by fear, real or imagined.
So, Asbury, be honest about your concerns. Bring them to student leaders and enter the hard conversations with grace. ASC wants to hear them and advocate for you all. Our real hope is the invitation to a kingdom community built with intentionality. That reality can exist with or without a Student Center. The only thing it requires is the willingness of the participants to demonstrate compassion, patience and gentleness.
We will be a better community built upon this secure foundation for ourselves and those who come after us.
