Cedarville Magazine Spring 2020

included an outdoor chapel worship service once a week, but now, due to the popularity of Fall Bible Conference, up to three chapels are being offered outside each week. “We are thankful for the professionalism and helpfulness of the Columbus, Ohio-based production company Bartha, which has provided all the outdoor staging and audio-visual equipment currently being used,” Waltz said. Staging outdoor chapels on North Field across from the new Bates-Dunn-Parker residence hall also provided an opportunity for multiple divisions to join hands so the campus could worship together. Jeff Cunningham, Utility Administrator, ensured there was sufficient electricity available; Nat Biggs ’13, Network Analyst, provided network connectivity for online viewing; and Rod Johnson ’86, Associate Vice President for Operations and Pete Reese ’60, former Director of Athletic Facilities, made sure the grounds were ready for hundreds of students, faculty, and staff worshipping the Lord — masks on and physically distanced — each week. “A vital part of how we experience community together at Cedarville has been able to continue even under the unique challenges associated with prioritizing student health during a global pandemic,” Waltz said. “It's meant that students have been able to continue to gather together to lift up their voices in praise to our God, and it's meant that we've been able to create a space where we could more safely gather together to study the Scriptures. “It's essentially meant that Cedarville could stay true to its mission.” TOUCHLESS GETTING STARTED This mindset has guided the University in rethinking everything it does, including the much loved Getting Started Weekend, when students arrive for a new school year. Brian Burns ’95, Director of Campus Experience, and the Getting Started team made a seamless transition to a touchless experience. When students and families arrived, they entered a multiline car drive-thru, listened to a welcome message on 99.5 FM, received a key to their residence hall, and drove to their new campus home with GPS coordinates from the Events at CU app. Once there, they were met by student helpers wearing gloves and masks who were available to assist with unloading. All Getting Started informational sessions were offered online, and Jacket Fest, the celebration for new students, happened in three different locations that were tied together through a single sound system. “With the danger of COVID, we wanted to have a safety mindset in order to build trust and to gain confidence,” explained Burns. CANVAS CLASSROOM Over four days in March, Cedarville professors shifted more than 1,000 face-to-face classes to emergency online learning, an unparalleled pivot in the University’s 133-year-old history. This remarkable, almost incomprehensibly colossal task, was providentially facilitated by a decision made during the previous school year. 10 | Cedarville Magazine