Written by Jerry Mitchell
n the decades since I last walked across the stage of the Benson Auditorium, I have learned that Harding prepared me in valuable ways I hardly understood at the time. For instance, I have dined at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Thankfully I was prepared because of this lesson learned at Harding:1)Eat first and ask questions later. (One question that still puzzles me from my days at Heritage Cafeteria: Why exactly did they call it “Shepherd’s Pie”? Whatever the answer is, let’s hope it doesn’t involve German shepherds.)Many of the days I walked to the cafeteria, I hauled an umbrella. Some days it sprinkled. Some days it poured. Some days I swore I could see the animals pairing up. (Attention thief who stole my umbrella during one brutal downpour: I’m still looking for you.)In one Bible class I had in the Little Theater, rain began leaking through the roof, and I was forced to open my umbrella to keep my notebook dry. This led me to think:2)God lets it rain on the just and the unjust. My question is why he chooses to fulfill his entire promise in Searcy?Of course, it just wouldn’t have been Harding without the rules. Most were understandable, but a few were baffling. In fall 1981 came word of a rule change. I wrote in my column in the Bison: “The administration has decided to ban sandals. The next thing they’ll be telling us is the apostles wore Nikes.”What I’ve realized in the decades since:3)The rules of life are much stranger than the rules at Harding.To say male and female students at Harding were treated differently in the late 1970s would be a tremendous understatement. As soon as the weekday 10:30 p.m. curfew hit, dorm mothers barricaded the women’s dorms.As soon as 10:30 p.m. hit for men, well, the night was young. Our curfew was 11 p.m. I never did really understand the idea that men needed 30 minutes to make it back across our campus, although I guess it was an improvement from my dad’s days when there was no men’s curfew.For male students, avoiding late minutes was simply a matter of strategy. If we saw we were going to be late back to our dorm, all we had to do was stay out long enough for the guy at the desk to go to bed (usually 1:30 a.m. or so). The lesson learned?4)It’s all about the timing.Traveling across campus brought its share of adventures. There were almost daily encounters with water sprinklers, which soaked anyone who dared to stay on the sidewalks.5)Life is full of water sprinklers.Speaking of campus life, we spent most of ours inside the dorm. Someone dubbed our second-floor wing at Harbin dormitory “The Zoo.” The name seemed entirely appropriate given the no-holds-barred football games that took place in our hallways and the bottle rockets regularly fired under doors. One night, a couple of guys walking into our community shower found they had to step over a children’s seesaw. (OK, I confess. I did it.)6)Take time to have fun.Every morning meant a mad dash to make 9 a.m. chapel. (No matter how many times I smiled at the chapel seat checker, she never excused any of my absences.)7)There are no shortcuts.Social clubs played a big role in our lives on campus, and I’ll never forget playing the smallest of roles the night TNT and Zeta Rho won Spring Sing in 1980. (I played a very loud cowbell. Did Will Ferrell somehow hear about this?)Not surprisingly, I spent much of my time at Harding working on the Bison, the student newspaper. I’m happy to see it is still going strong. I’ll always have a fond place in my heart for the Bison because my wife and I became friends there.8)Make friends for life.While at Harding, I discovered I loved writing (I even wrote a one-act play) and decided to pursue it as a career. In 1981, my first job in journalism paid me $4 an hour, barely above minimum wage. I have never regretted it.9)Pursue your passions, not a paycheck.My reporting has rarely been popular, and at times I’ve had to fight to get stories in the newspaper. I was grateful for the training I got working on the Bison where we once battled to get a story printed.10)Fight for what’s right.There are plenty of things I miss about Harding. I miss the camaraderie, the Christian fellowship, even the classes, but what I may miss most of all is chapel. Students and speakers would inspire me. (Who could forget the immense talents of people like the actor Jonathan Cloud?) And “Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens Adore Him” never failed to send chills down my spine.11)Spend time each day with God.It is true. All I ever really needed to know I learned at Harding.
