The phrase is simple. We slap it on our shirts and button it proudly to our backpacks, but can anyone tell me why “it’s great to be at Harding?” What motivates us to so enthusiastically parade this slogan around? Obviously the general student body agrees with the statement, but I do not think many can give reason as to why they agree.
My freshman year at Harding was an interesting experience. I had grown up in California where the culture was much more liberal, and moving to the Bible belt was a bit of a culture shock. Most of my friends from high school stayed in California and currently attend state schools, so their college experiences had and have been quite different from mine.
I remember going home on winter break, excited to see my old friends, share some stories and catch up. We sat around my back porch and started reminiscing about high school. However, as the conversation continued onto stories from college, there was a definite contrast in the stories they shared and the stories I would share.
To be honest, I felt pretty lame. They had all these wild stories to tell and crazy experiences to share. The craziest thing I had seen was a slip n’ slide down the third floor long hall of Armstrong. They would talk about the girls they met at parties and I would talk about the girls I met at Bible studies. It was apparent that I wasn’t getting the same college experience that my friends were getting, and I started to feel like maybe I was missing out.
The whole idea of “it’s great to be at Harding” didn’t seem so great. There were no block parties, no music, definitely no dancing and after 12 a.m. I was locked in a building with only guys. This was not the college life I had expected. According to what I had seen on TV I was not supposed to be sitting in my dorm room watching “Scrubs” by myself; but after the first few weeks went by, I started to realize that Harding may have done me a big favor.
The tone of the stories that were shared over spring break started to change. My friends started sharing stories of just about everything parents fret about hearing. I would listen and try to relate, but I couldn’t. I haven’t had a friend die from alcohol poisoning, I haven’t had to rush someone to the ER for a drug overdose, I haven’t had to run from the cops at a block party, I haven’t had to experience the dark side of that lifestyle. I am grateful for that. Harding has provided me with a safe environment to learn, to grow and to pursue a relationship with God.
Maybe some of the rules are strict, but I don’t mind it. I get to be surrounded by a faculty that cares more about my spiritual growth and well being than my ability to stay awake in their class. I get to attend a school that worships together and works together for the furthering of God’s kingdom. And yes, I may not be getting the “conventional” college experience that my friends back home get, but I am getting something different and arguably better. I now can definitely say that for me “it’s great to be at Harding.”
