My alarm goes off before the sun comes up over the hill. The shade of blue from the approaching sun indicates to me it’s time to get up. My oldest yells from the shower. “Mommy, can you find me some clean pants? I don’t have any.” I scavenged some from the baskets of clean clothes Jesse washed on top of our dryer in the cold laundry room. Jesse gets up earlier than us, makes coffee and leaves me a full, stainless steel mug waiting every morning. Somehow, no matter how many mornings he’s made it, it’s always a surprise when I wake up. I sipped on it, looking out our double doors to the natural rock patio. The house sits on a cliff overlooking Jessamine Creek. In the summer, we can’t see the creek from the house due to the leaves, but in the winter, it is visible. There is an ugly, white, plastic bag stuck in the top of a tree from high winds a couple of weeks prior. It has become a metaphor for how long this outpouring has lasted. It blows like a white flag when it is dry and becomes worn out a little every day. I wondered if it would ever fall on it’s own.
As I approached campus, it was much easier for me to find a parking spot. I walked in relieved to see students laughing and relaxed while walking to class. They all seemed perfectly normal. We all managed to protect them well I thought. After class, I went to Faculty Assembly - a monthly, scheduled meeting for faculty and all academic staff on campus. The message was consistent with my observations. The Provost revealed how she believed the students have thrived and are doing well because we all remained invested in them during the event. I didn’t see many faculty volunteering. They were asked but few were able to take the time. The investment was there but unseen. I had one student on Day 5 walking to her 11:00 course crying. She’s a solid upperclassmen so I knew something was really wrong when I saw her upset. She had come from chapel and all students were surprised to be greeted by a sea of visitors waiting at the front doors all cheerfully greeting them and saying thank you along with some mystical comments. It was too much for them. They had their revival. The students were transformed all in unique ways and were just trying to figure out the basics of life. Although, they all wanted to share with others. Many made comments about feeling pressured to “take care of the adults” while also feeling invaded by them. One group of students coming in to class told the story of one lady in line shouting, “Oh look, there they are! They are all going to class!” while taking photos of them as if they were celebrities.
The assembly was more intense than usual as my friend Linda pleaded her case to continue offering French so her Paris Semester program could continue to thrive. Even adjuncts were getting cut out of the budget. In this case, well-prepared adjuncts were difficult to find. A couple of seats away, a faculty member Dr. Gobin spoke up. He offered his frustrations I shared with how Asbury is dedicated to investing in nice buildings lately but doesn’t show evidence of investing in faculty. Asbury had just completed one very large Collaborative Learning Center housing Business and Science programs. Both donors and grants funded the project. A smaller, older building was torn down to make room for it. Next door, donors funded a renovation of the student center which used to be the campus library many years ago. The project finished and offered a grand opening on Day 14, with little attention. The buildings and resources are fantastic but also cost several salaries to heat, cool and maintain. Much of the faculty believe it’s more than they need to teach but admit could be useful in the future. As for the student renovation, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Students were unable to retreat to a common space while it was being finished and it opened in a space away from the crowd. Students could once again enjoy the coffee shop, games and study space without the public.
Faculty Assembly traditionally ends with a faculty lunch in the dining hall. A History Professor, Alex, sat beside me along with friends, Lisa and David. Serving on the interview committee, I was familiar with Alex's background and out of the 20 something interviews we conducted last year, his was the most enjoyable. Last time I had seen him, he was sighing loudly, appearing slightly frustrated as I passed by on Day 5. His classroom in the basement of Hughes was locked with wires feeding under the door and taped against the wall in the hallway. I found out later, there was a radio broadcast being recorded and they took over his classroom without communicating. In the cafeteria, he mentioned how a University he attended would have taken advantage of this outpouring opportunity. He predicted leaders at the school would have been front and center and attempt to keep it going for as long as possible. Many Universities within the Collation of Christian Colleges and Universities were in more populated areas. This many people in such a tiny town felt like a miracle but also put stress on the town. Even if Asbury wanted to capitalize on the movement, the possibility of continuing to welcome more people was physically and logistically very difficult without compromising everyone’s safety.
After lunch, I walked to the the "command center" room. More restaurants donated and delivered lunch. Like many in the US, three years ago, restaurants were closing left and right. They were short-staffed and workers were angry as they were underpaid and overworked. Now they are donating their work. I felt like all of us here had so much in common with restaurant workers and owners. We were in charge of so much hospitality. So much of that work is behind the scenes and it made me appreciate those restaurants more as they recognized our burden. The items in the room looked the same. In the back, I saw a few in administration representing cabinet slouched in the classroom desk chairs. The once peppy personalities very slowly smiled to say hello as they looked up from their phones. Everyone seemed to walk a little slower this afternoon. It was as if the adrenaline had all worn off for everyone. There was only one person in the room with energy to raise her arms in the air and greet me with a loud “hey!”. She hurried down the stairs to give me a big hug. Steph, an administration assistant knew me well. She was a student in my Photojournalism class the semester prior. Steph is a very talented photographer. Her work blew me away every assignment. She really helped set the bar for other students. Many of the staff and faculty have children who attend here. I had seen her daughter in my class that morning. We talked briefly and she said my help wasn’t needed at the time but to come back at 6:30pm if I could. Steph was a symbol of Asbury's intention to not lord over the event. I had read many articles from the press and was delighted by most but was most impressed by how Daniel Silliman at Christianity Today, who captured the intention of protecting what was happening. Here as an example: a mother, student and one of many administrative assistants was, at least in that moment, holding the command center together with joy while everyone else seemed to be collapsing around her. She reminded me of the many women I had seen the last few days keeping this stewardship afloat so honorably. Those like Christine, Maria, Jenni, Sarah, Steph, Brenda, and Shannon were all underneath it all, unseen and holding us all up. I was in awe all week watching those with so little power protecting something so big.
Photos by Lisa Weaver Swartz
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