C2A2

I got to spend a wonderful couple of days in one of my favorite cities - Ann Arbor, MI.  And more specifically, a very special place that I've written about before - Concordia University - Ann Arbor.

C2A2 (it used to be Concordia College) is where I learned more about myself and what I was capable of than what was on the curriculum.  Not that I didn't learn what was on the curriculum, but what has stuck with me long after the textbooks were sold back were the life lessons.

When you choose a college 200 miles from home with a student population roughly the size of your graduating class (600), you would be hard pressed NOT to pick up on the life lessons.  Add to that the structure of the dormitories:  each of the 16 dorms has 8 suites; each suite has 2 rooms with a shared bathroom in between the two rooms.  Each room houses up to 2 students (with the occasional single occupant), for a maximum number of 32 students per dorm.  The more intimate dorm setting created a familial atmosphere, especially when the upperclassmen developed relationships with the underclassmen.

Students who lived on campus lived on either the east side (the ONLY sensible location in my humble opinion) or the west side.  Yes, that is a feud as fierce as that of the Hatfields and McCoys.  Whichever side you lived on, denizens of the other side paled in significance, credibility, talent, and taste.

I'll admit that might be just a bit of an exaggeration, but one of the first questions alumni ask each other is which side of campus they lived on!  In the grand scheme of things, it isn't important (and it really wasn't important when we were students, either), but it is a reference and a starting point for discussion.

Because the dorms are small, the evenings often allowed for time where upperclassmen mentored the underclassmen.  The regular schedule included dorm devos (devotions) three evenings a week at 10:00.  Each of the residents took turns leading devos, which included quite a bit of singing and a short Biblical lesson, closing with prayer.  For some, it was an almost painful new experience to lead devos while others seemed to take to it quite naturally.  Regardless, it was a growth opportunity and experience for everyone.  We also had the flexibility of different types of devos:  kidnap devos (show up at someone else's dorm before 10:00 and grab them to come to YOUR devos); blind date devos (basically you told your roommate who you wanted your blind date to be); and friend devos (invite a friend to come to your devos) are the ones that come immediately to mind.  It was a nice way to wind down the day, surrounded by people you knew and trusted, praising God and sharing in faith.

Don't get me wrong; not all was light and fluff or without drama or incident.  Although it was a dry campus, there were those who knew where to hide cans (NOT bottles) of beer to keep them cold for celebratory times; I've heard of these people, but don't know that I personally met them.  ;-)
Dorms were not co-ed, to the point that only a few times a year could a member of the opposite sex be in the room legally, and according to some specific rules (all feet on the floor at all times!).  Imagine that in a dorm with two levels, the members of the opposite sex were not allowed to knock on the doors of the upstairs rooms for many years (I am happy to say that changed while I was a student).  Yes, sometimes the rules were irritating and seemed irrelevant, and we found ways to not get caught breaking some of them.

Our "buzzer" system - each button was for one of the suites; each person in the suite was assigned either 1, 2, 3, or 4 buzzes and that info was posted by the external buzzers (shown above) and the internal buzzers which were next to the phones.  As one of the alum posted on Facebook:  "Remember when being buzzed meant someone was there to see you?"

But we also learned what it meant to be there for a friend who just found out one of their grandparents died, or whose brother was killed in a freak accident.  We learned what happens when  unnecessary chances are taken, like swimming in the Huron River.  We learned that we all do things we shouldn't, but we all need someone who cares about us and loves us.

Another piece of art in the chapel - the pipe organ.  What an amazing instrument, and  how amazing to watch those who had the skill to work the pedals and the stops in addition to the keyboard.

One of my favorite memories of living on campus was learning about the stained glass in the chapel.  I've always loved the look of stained glass, and the colors of the glass in the chapel are amazing.  It's not "just" beautiful artwork however.  The symbolism of different sections reflect church history, different fields of study (sciences, literature, math, the arts), but the doors are my favorite symbolic pieces.  The doors on the east side of the chapel were originally meant to be the entrance doors, with the west side doors the exit doors.  The scene depicted on the eastern doors is that of Jesus' baptism and the beginning of his ministry.  The scene on the western doors is that of the "Great Commission" - Matthew 28:19-20.

When one of the Concordia Alumni started a group page on Facebook, not much was going on for a while.  That changed with the posting of a single comment, and the floodgates opened.  At the time of that comment, there were 32 members of the group; within a month or so, there were several hundred!  We started sharing a lot of memories and trying to reconnect friends who'd been out of touch for years.  That led to the suggestion for a reunion, and as a result of the suggestion, 10 of us met in Ann Arbor this past Saturday.

While it was a small reunion, we did have a lot of fun.  We toured the restored Manor (had to be in and out before a wedding and reception being held there), walked a bit around central campus, then went to what was the cafeteria in our day and ordered Domino's Pizza!  I know we tipped the delivery guy much better than when we were students.  We told a few stories of activities we may or may not have participated in, implicated a few who weren't there in some activities, and laughed an awful lot.  And you know, I don't think we cared who had lived on what side of campus; we were just glad to see each other and catch up!

After the pizza, we watched a movie put together by one of our group, Kurt Kolka, who had provided a comic strip for the school newspaper.  He and some friends had taken some of the stories and filmed them with students as the actors.  It was fun to see some of our former classmates and professors (as I will always remember them), as well as the Ann Arbor of that time.  Kurt has kept up his comic strip and continues to create "The Cardinal" weekly.  I love getting the e-mail each Sunday with the comic strip included.

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the school (groundbreaking was in April 1962; first classes were in September 1963), and I hope we can have a reunion that sets the tone for all future reunions.

But for now, I'll leave you with my musings, and a photo of our group leaving the chapel to return to the world with the words of the Great Commission in mind.

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Flashback

Earlier today, I posted a picture on my college alum group page on facebook.  It's not one of the better pics I took, but it is of the central point of campus.

The quality definitely could be better, and this is the scanned version of a very old picture.  But the memories it brings back are pretty vivid.  This is where I learned so much about life (laundry, sharing a room and a bathroom, working several jobs, and getting an education).

I went to a small Lutheran college in Ann Arbor, MI.  My freshman year at Concordia Lutheran College, Ann Arbor was the first year BAs were awarded (the college began as a 2 year college in 1963; the majority of students transferred to larger Lutheran colleges to complete their education).  My high school graduating class was approximately 600 students; the entire student population at Concordia my freshman year was approximately 600.

When I arrived at Concordia as a freshman, I was painfully shy and knew two people on campus.  I think I cried the first two weeks there, and then never looked back.  I was blessed to live in a dorm filled with wonderful Christian women each of my years Con-U (as we called it then), and was surrounded by people who encouraged (and sometimes dragged me into) my Christian growth.  Professors and staff members are very fondly remembered for the Christian example they lived.  By the time I finally graduated, I had been editor of the yearbook, Resident Assistant, worked on the Campus Security Department, and had worked three summers on campus in a variety of roles.

It has been amazing to get back in touch w/ many of my fellow students via facebook.  We've shared stories of the crazier things we did as students, helped other friends re-connect, prayed for each other, and helped get information from the right source at the right time.  It's been a few decades since I've seen some of these beautiful lights in my life, but almost without exception, we've picked up as if there had been no interruption.  Not where we left off, but where we each are now, recognizing we are not the same 22-23 year olds who were sure they knew everything, but more experienced in both blessings and sadness and aware of the millions of things we don't know.

Am I idealizing the situation?  Maybe a little, but not much.  I hear the refrain from one of Michael W. Smith's songs almost every time I visit the alum group page . . . Friends ARE friends forever If the Lord's the Lord of them . . .