Our Outdoor Movie Night selections for Friday, September 11 are this year’s mega-ultra-Indominus-Rex of a blockbuster, Jurassic World, and a real dog lover’s treat of a movie, Max.

First up will be Jurassic World, which sits third on the list of highest grossing movies of all time, behind only Titanic and Avatar. Surprised? If so, perhaps you have underestimated the power of nostalgia. But man, over a billion and half dollars is a lot of nostalgia. How many movies, though, give fans the warm memories of Jurassic Park? Maybe the most surprising thing is that it took 14 years for a reboot/sequel. Jurassic World is very much in line with the original movie, but, as other reviewers have pointed out, it is basically a repackaging of the original with a couple, bigger dinosaurs. So it’s kind of like going back to a theme park you haven’t been to in a long time and everything is the same except one, big rollercoaster. Could it have been better? Sure. We agree with reviewer Sean Larsen, who said that Jurassic World had an opportunity to make a bigger statement about, well, something. But even if it’s a theme park with one, big rollercoaster, it’s still worth it for that one, big rollercoaster. We also agree with reviewer Matthew Toomey, who said that “Jurassic World is worth seeing for the pure spectacle.” The effects are everything you want in a popcorn blockbuster, Chris Pratt is always awesome, and if nothing else, we get a Godzilla-like reminder that there are limits to scientific pursuits and to what humans can and can’t control.

Second, you’ll get Max, a family-friendly, but very perilous, tug on your heartstrings. It’s basically a story about a boy and his dog, so for all of you dog lovers planning to attend, you’ll probably want to bring at least a travel pack of tissues. Max is a Belgian Malinois, a shepherd breed, used often in police and, as is the case in this movie, military service. A family tragedy leaves Justin, played by actor Josh Wiggins, as the only person who can care for Max. This eventually leads to various difficulty and danger, including kids getting tangled up with weapons-smugglers in their small town. Is it corny? Yeah, probably. And it is true that the critical reviews for the movie are not great. But they are basically opposite of the user reviews, and for a movie like this, you’ll get exactly the kinds touching moments you expect from a story about kids and their dogs. But to go a bit deeper, actress Lauren Graham (who plays Pamela in the movie) says, Max is ultimately about “tough things that happen to families, and then, how do you put the pieces back together.”

It’s a gorgeous night for an Outdoor Movie Night. It’s fun and it’s free, thanks to your friends at Student Activities.

• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo
• Released May 1, 2015
• PG-13 – intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction, and for some suggestive comments

This past weekend we showed Avengers: Age of Ultron at Williams Stadium. Here’s our take.

“Super hero films”, critic Matt Zoller Seitz says, “are now practically the official culture of the United States.” It is hard to argue with this, given the number of super hero movies released each year and inescapability of the accompanying marketing for those movies. And in this super hero-driven culture, with apologies to fans of DC Comics-based movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the current, undisputed champion in the battle for cultural influence supremacy. (Perhaps Star Wars fans will have something to say about this in late December, but that’s another debate for another day.) Marvel Cinematic Universe movies represent the highest grossing franchise of all time, as well as occupying 3 of the top 10 spots on the list of highest grossing movies of all time. This spring’s Avengers: Age of Ultron currently sits at #6 on that list

Some may reduce a movie like Age of Ultron to a mere “punchplosion”, to borrow a term from critic Josh Larsen, seeing it as little more than 2+ hours of stylized violence and blowing stuff up. Others may want to evaluate it based on what our cultural obsession with such movies reveals, say, about the state of youth in this country, particularly young males who tend towards such movies. Certainly, Age of Ultron sets a high bar for big screen action, with fights between the biggest heroes and the biggest armies of enemies taking place on city-sized scale. And yes, these fights do contain jumping punch and/or weapon attacks, or “puchplosions”, a term we heartily endorse. However, we do not endorse reveling in violence or destruction for violence or destruction’s sake. One could do that with Age of Ultron, but that would be a gross misuse of the movie because that’s obviously not what it’s about.

There may be some temptation towards hero worship as well, but again, that would be another misuse. The desire for heroes, on the other hand, is something that is common to humanity and is narratively at least as old as The Iliad. In Age of Ultron, we get an exceptionally made representation of some of the most popular, fictional heroes of our time. Like all hero movies, it features common themes of good vs. evil and heroes vs. villains, cohesion vs. discord and the ability of a team to accomplish a mission in the face of difficulty and despite the various personalities represented therein. Age of Ultron also touches on fatherhood and motherhood, a somewhat surprising feature in the movie. More than all of this, however, is the fact that this is a big, fun movie.

For further reading:

• Josh Larsen – http://www.larsenonfilm.com/avengers-age-of-ultron
• Matt Zoller Seitz – http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/avengers-age-of-ultron-2015
• E. Stephen Burnett – http://christandpopculture.com/avengers-age-of-ultron-is-a-gourmet-cheeseburger-for-christian-fans/

I don’t know about you, but I honestly can’t believe the year is over! It’s been unmatchable in many ways, and I want to take a moment to thank you. We owe it all to students like you who show up to our events religiously, have a good time, and especially those of you who had enough faith in us to come to our new events (some that rocked and some that we promise to never do again)… you guys are the reason we do what we do! Thank you for stopping to chat at our promo tables and for experiencing new things with us. We have loved getting to foster relationships with you at Movie Nights, Bingo, our races, countless trips, 90’s Coffeehouse, and every event in between!

For those of you graduating, we wish you the best in all you do. Finish strong these next couple days – you’ve almost made it! For those of you returning, we can’t wait to see you at Block Party on August 29. Next year has some big shoes to fill, but we’re up for the challenge! For now, have a great summer and thanks for an awesome year!

It’s the night of 90’s Coffeehouse, and the clock says that it’s 10:29 pm.

The golf ball shaped building is lit up from the inside with neon yellow shirts that shine like little lightning bugs on a summer’s night. The yellow shirts pace back and forth, looping the concourse of the building, running up and down the seemingly thousands of stairs that take them from the floor to the concourse and back down to the floor again. Some of the yellow shirts can be seen close together and some can be seen alone, possibly lying on a nearby couch for a bit of extra rest before the next minute comes.

I am one of these neon yellow shirts. My name is Erin and there are a lot of things about me that are not the same as the other shirts, but tonight we are one. Our shirts signify that we are a collective, and we have a purpose.

I stand in my yellow shirt at the bottom of section 120, looking around and admiring. I appreciate the props, the scenes, the stage, the lights, and many other parts of this night. But mostly, I admire the other yellow shirts that surround me.

When I see these shirts, I think of the love I have for the person in the shirt. I also think of the hard work that individual put into making this night magical and sentimental and unique.

Years ago, before I had the privilege of wearing a neon yellow shirt on this night, I wore a normal outfit and was on the outside of the building at 10:29 pm. I never could have known that the incredible, life-sized Furby that sat inside took days and days to build. Furby began with a roll of chicken wire, a piece of plywood, and some zip-ties. A few people worked incredibly hard to take these tools and create a piece of nostalgia for thousands of people. This is just one example of the hard work that goes into making Coffeehouse memorable.

Coffeehouse is not anything about the staff of Student Activities needing recognition. But I’m a senior, and I’m sentimental because some of the people who wore neon yellow shirts to this event, the event that defines us, are trading in our neon shirts for a cap and gown in less than two months. And then we go our separate ways.

But we’ll never be apart. For the rest of our lives, we will be able to say that we were a part of something. We will be able to think of those neon shirts and smile, knowing that we were a group with a purpose – a purpose to make people relate to each other through our events. We worked hard on Coffeehouse and we executed it well and, after the event (at 4 am), there was a swarm of neon yellow shirts at IHOP because we really, really like each other.

I check my phone. The clock flips to 10:30 pm, and the “No running!” yells begin. I grab the hand of the neon yellow shirt standing to the left of me, Cherish, and we say, “Let’s make the most of this. It’s our last time.”

And we’ll never forget this night. And we’ll never forget each other. And we’ll forever be able to say, “We did it. We made 90’s Coffeehouse happen.”

It’s finally here! Coffeehouse season might be our favorite time of year around the office…besides Christmas, of course. We’ve been planning for months, but now decorations are starting to take shape and tryouts are in full swing. It’s hard to believe we’re just under a month away from the big show. Our staff has been working incredibly hard to make this one of the best shows to-date. I don’t want to give anything away, but you’ll have some awesome photo opportunities on the concourse (be sure to bring your Polaroid camera). We’ve already seen some photos and videos of groups practicing and prepping for their auditions and it’s looking like 90’s Coffeehouse will be full of great talent.

Tickets for the show are on sale now for just $3. They tend to go quickly, so don’t wait too long.

Also, don’t forget that we’ve been throwing it back the entire month of February with the #SASlimeChallenge. There’s just a few days remaining to win some great prizes.

Like the buds of awakening trees, or the first steps of the newborn fawn, “Hollywood”’s spring movie season will soon be here, dropping its crap all over our cars and wobbling clumsily around the woods. Yes, that endless factory of creativity and dreams has pinpointed the exact entertainment spending habits of 18 to 35 year old males gone to great lengths to bring to life the stories that speak to the hearts of each and every one of us, and the fruits of those labors will soon be at a theater near you. And since you can’t go into the spring movie season blind, we’re here to give you a “heads up”. Actual spring is from March to June, but it’s another matter entirely when you’re talking about a movie calendar. So, equinoxes and solstices be darned, by “spring” we mean the more traditional understanding of February-ish to the end of May, also known as “real spring, the way God intended”. Let’s take a look, shall we?**

**Looking, of course, at Liberty Way appropriate movies. Yes, Hot Tub Time Machine 2 will be out soon, but that’s not exactly on our radar here.

February/March

• Jupiter Ascending (Feb. 6) kicks(?) things off(?) kind of(??) and is a movie that people will probably pay money to see. WARNING – You already know ahead of time that Channing Tatum is in here, and so is Mila Kunis, and she plays a character named “Jupiter Jones”. You deserve everything you get if you go see this. There’s no way Sean Bean survives this movie.
• Hey kids! Smash those piggy banks open or demand your allowance a little early this time because February has the Sean the Sheep Movie (Feb. 6) and The Sponge Bob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (Feb. 6).
• Most of you have probably said at some point in your life, “I like James Bond, but couldn’t they make something like that, you know, for tweens?” SAY IT NO MORE, because Kingsman: The Secret Service (Feb. 13) heard your cries and is here to cradle you. Rest easy, tweens.
• Cinderella (Mar. 13) returns to theaters, this time as a live-action movie. Fake Fact: the movie was rated PG just because the MPAA was so unsettled by Helena Bonham Carter singing Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo.
• More tweens! Divergent returns with the next movie in the series, this time called Insurgent (Mar. 20). What It’s Probably About – Two insurgents converge and fervently search for the detergent merchant of abstergents, an attempted disgorgement of the current regents of the resurgent Divergent contingent. For you, to see it should be pretty urgent.

April/May

• Now we get to the good stuff, unlike those 2nd and 3rd tier movies from February and March! Right off the April bat is Furious 7 (Apr. 3). Stick that in your tail pipe and rev it, February and March! Wait, that’s “the good stuff”? That can’t be it. Certainly there’s something better than this.
• Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (Apr. 17)? What!?? No, that can’t be it either.
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1). AHH, now that’s much better. A movie the whole industry can rely on, Joss Whedon brings The Avengers back with, um, a vengeance. This time, there are a lot more Terminator-looking robots, plus what looks like some super-powerful infighting between mythical Thor, super-mutant Hulk, and super-robot Iron Man. Looks like yet another job for the dexterity and pistols of Black Widow!
• Honorable Mentions: McFarland, USA (Feb. 20), Home (Mar. 27), Tomorrowland (May 22) and San Andreas (May 29)
• Dishonorable Mention: Pitch Perfect 2 (May 15)

There you have it, a brief look at this spring’s movies. Just remember: this whole year of movies, including the summer “blockbusters”, is just a light appetizer on the way to the main course: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Plan accordingly, and as always, happy viewing!

2016 is nearly here, but that doesn’t mean we’ve already moved on from 2015. In fact, we want to dwell in the past for just a bit longer as we recap all of the excitement from the fall semester. From Fall Welcome Week and Block Party all the way through Christmas Coffeehouse, the events of the fall 2015 semester will be tough to top. Let’s remember some of the highlights together, shall we?

Concerts/Performers

One of our goals here at Student Activities is to bring in excellent musicians and performers every semester, and this fall exceeded all of our expectations in that regard. Our concert lineup was one of the most stylistically diverse we’ve ever had, a great mix of established names and rising stars. Our largest-attended Block Party yet (8,000+) set the tone for the semester as it featured Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors and Johnnyswim. (We loved the music, but we might love it just a little more that it didn’t rain that day.) CFAW concerts this fall were about as big as it gets in CCM, as Tenth Avenue North and Sidewalk Prophets led the way for our concert in September, and Andy Mineo, JGivens, and Propaganda nearly (more like actually) brought the house down in the TRBC auditorium in November. Additionally, we added some great flavor to our calendar with our LaHaye Event Space shows, featuring Thrice lead singer Dustin Kensrue in September, The REDvolution tour featuring Red, Tedashii, Capital Kings, and Wolves at the Gate in October, and The Oh Hellos in November. Then to top it all off, we ended the school year with another mind-blowing performance from Justin Flom.

Movie Nights

Our Movie Nights for the fall semester featured some of the most popular movies of the year, but it was our Documentary Film Night in September that stands out as one of our favorite movie nights of the year. It featured the powerful, beautiful film The Drop Box and was the first time we integrated academics into one of our events (via the Psychology Department). The event counted as an approved activity, allowing Psych students to get course credit to attend the film. We also established a partnership with the Liberty Godparent Home and Family Life Services Adoption Agency for the event. Nearly 400 students were there, making it one of our best attended Documentary Film Nights to date.

Outdoor Rec/Trips

Our Outdoor Events expanded to include a wider variety of available trips, from our camping and hiking trips, to whitewater rafting and rock climbing trips, and even a beach camping trip in Virginia Beach. Our Liberty Mountain Trail Series for fall 2015 had 31 people complete all 3 races (Deep Hollow, Valley View, Reindeer Run), the highest total of series finishers in LMTS history. But of all our Outdoor Recreation additions or accomplishments, the Mike Donahue plaque and trail dedication was one of the proudest moments in our department’s history. In addition to his sacrifice in his military service, Major Donahue contributed to the life of the university through ROTC, the running community in Lynchburg, and to the trail races here in our department. We are proud to be able to contribute to his memory and legacy through his memorial on the mountain.

Christmas Coffeehouse

Our last event of the year is always our favorite. This year’s Christmas Coffeehouse was not just the biggest Christmas Coffeehouse we’ve ever had, it was by far the biggest Coffeehouse of any kind we’ve ever had. Over 8,200 tickets were sold for the show, which was subtitled Fa La La La La. Every show, we hear students talk about how talented the Liberty student body is, and we could not agree more. We’re not sure how we’ll top this one for the spring, but we’re sure going to try.

The fall semester had nearly 70 events and recreational activities for you, and the spring will be just about as busy. Be sure to find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the latest information about everything that’s going on. Have a great Christmas break, and we’ll see you at our events in 2016!

Even though you may still feel like you’re on break, the New Year is here… classes have begun, and you may be wondering how to make this your best year yet.

As the supervisors at Student Activities, we want to help. Resolutions are great, but we all know we need a tiny push to actually follow through with them. Lucky for you, we have been hard at work planning the upcoming semester. We have the perfect events to encourage you in your seemingly impossible quest to keep your resolutions.

You may be thinking, “This year I’m really going to focus on school!” Well, we’re here to provide you with study breaks! On February 6, you can finally beat your roommate in Settlers of Catan at our exciting and competitive Game Night!

People think the dollar theater is a good deal, but if you’re trying to save a few bucks check out our free movie nights throughout the semester and our Lord of The Rings marathon at the end of January.

Doesn’t it seem like those Christmas cookies stay with you past the holidays? We have just the events for you! Not only do we have trail races and challenges scheduled at least once a month (the Arctic 5k, Liberty Mt. 5k, Adventure Challenge, and the Charity Run), we will continue to offer clinics and hiking trips throughout the semester to help you get outside and get fit.

For those of you that seek a bit of adventure in your life (or the opportunity for some extreme Instagramming), we have trips such as horseback riding, Wintergreen skiing, whitewater rafting, bouldering, and even a day-long jaunt to Washington D.C. These trips are offered at incredibly low rates, but act soon because registration always seems to fill up faster than you can say “Student Activities is the best.”

So you say you want to be the next American Idol? Why not start at Open Mic? We will be having Open Mic Nights bi-weekly throughout the semester, and we think it’s time you let us hear that beautiful voice you have been hiding in your dorm room. You can also take the next step for your band this year by participating in our monthly Campus Artist Series. Speaking of performing in front of a crowd, Coffeehouse will be on March 21st this semester! This means that tryouts start in late February, which is right around the corner. It is never too early to start planning your act or maybe even gathering creative ideas for your video submission.

And if all of those things aren’t enough, on top of all of it, we are going to have one of our busiest concert semesters ever. We already announced three of those shows – Tim Timmons (Jan. 26), Trip Lee (Feb. 5), and Kirk Franklin (Feb. 13). Would you believe that we still have 5 more concerts to announce? You better believe it. Whether it’s the Vines Center or the LaHaye Event Space, Student Activities has concerts for everyone.

So there’s an overview of our semester. Go on, try and think of an excuse to not be able to accomplish your resolutions this year.

You can check out all of our upcoming events on our calendar!

And that’s a wrap! Wow, another Coffeehouse in the books. Christmas Coffeehouse always provides such a great way to end the semester, and this one was no exception. With a record crowd, the Vines Center had even more Christmas energy than normal. The theme this year, Christmas Coffeehouse: At the Movies, allowed for a lot of creativity. From bands to videos to dance acts (check out some here and here), this show had it all. Dylan Stine, our emcee for the last couple of shows, returned again to host and facilitate the game. For two straight hours, we all got to enjoy a great night of music and laughs.

Here are some of the Coffeehouse stats:

• 7,926 tickets sold
• 13 musical acts
• 3 dance acts
• 7 videos
• 1 host
• 4 game contestants
• 26 Student Activities event staff
• 84 CSER volunteers
• 867 posts on Twitter containing the hashtag #SACoffeehouse
• 225 posts on Instagram containing the hashtag #SACoffeehouse
• 1,798 boxes wrapped*
• 8 actual cups of coffee sold*
• 14,983 donuts consumed*
• 152 suspects apprehended sneaking in backstage*
• 22,347 Christmas lights replaced*
• over 3,600 instances of someone screaming ‘Santa!!!’ in their best Buddy the Elf voice*

Thank you to everyone who participated in Coffeehouse. We really appreciate everyone who tried out, the acts who put so much time into rehearsal, and everyone who bought a ticket to come support the show. This is one of our favorite campus traditions. I am very proud of the whole Student Activities team who care a great deal about making Coffeehouse better every time, working hard for months leading up to this event. From tryouts, to decorations, and including the actual event itself, these folks pour themselves into producing a solid show.

If you want to see some pictures and comments from the night, search the hashtag #SACoffeehouse on Twitter or Instagram. Keep checking back with us for information on our spring Coffeehouse. For now, enjoy your break and Merry Christmas!

*fake statistic

Josh Yeoman and I, 2 of the Associate Directors of Student Activities, oversee 5 event supervisors and 21 student workers combined. We decided there would be no better way to summarize our semester than to have our event supervisors do the honors. All 5 of them (Ben, Drew, Kari, Mariah, and Ross) work 25+ hours a week in planning, promoting, executing and analyzing our events. Sounds like a lot, right? It is! We wouldn’t be able to function without them, and the events you love couldn’t happen without them either.

We asked several questions regarding the semester, because, of anyone, they’re in the perfect position to weigh in – they’re students, they’re staff, they’re dedicated, and they care about getting the job right with our mission in the forefront. Here’s what they had to say:

What was your favorite event of the semester and why?

D: I really liked Art Expo. It was a completely different event from anything we do – it was what we were going for: classy. The decorations and having everyone dressed up all played a part.

K: I’m deciding between Fall Festival and concerts in the LaHaye Event Space. I loved attending John Mark McMillan – it’s great having a more intimate atmosphere for concerts; it makes a huge different. Fall Festival is great because everyone has fun and brings their friends!!

M: Mountain Bike Rides. I loved seeing the students who didn’t even know how to ride a mountain bike come out. It was awesome to see people coming back week after week!

In what ways did we accomplish our departmental mission?

D: One moment that sticks out to me was at a CFAW table in November in front of the Hancock Welcome Center. I met a few guys from different states and one of them didn’t know anyone that was going to be there. Through a game of corn hole, and the help of one of our staff (Cherish), they all met! After the game, the guys went and hung out together. It was really cool to get to see that.

M: For the outdoor events, we brought people together who have never done many of the outdoor events we offer. I got to experience this community we’ve built from the start that we’ve never had before.

R: For Back to School Bash, there were a couple instances where you see participants doing a certain activity or game; I got to meet people and help them form teams for games they’ve never played with people they’ve never met. It’s so fulfilling to see 50 people playing Catch Phrase by the end of the night and really seeing our staff foster relationships in practice. There are a lot of times we may not see that happen at a specific event, but later on we’ll see those people still hanging out with others they’ve been introduced to at our events.

What are you most looking forward to in the spring semester?

R: First things first, I’m hopeful to go into next semester with more experience under our belt. I’m hopeful that we will continue to give students the opportunities to express what artists they want here and to see people who may not be large enough for a Vines Center show, but to fill the LaHaye Event Space. Second, I’m excited to see new events that we haven’t done. I love the surprise factor for students or for us as employees – just planning, executing and promoting our entire events calendar.

K: I think Ross left nothing for the rest of us… I second what he said!

B: I am excited to introduce more learning experiences into our outdoor events.

What is something that most people don’t realize about Student Activities that you’d like them to know?

B: We want people to come to our events; we’re not here just to punch a time card! We care about the students. All we ask is that you come with a good attitude and we’ll take care of the rest.

K: Our planning is as detailed as possible, down to what candy we buy or what flavor cotton candy we get. We care about the people that are there. We’re excited about who we foresee coming, so in turn, we buy the best of what we get for them.

M: We’re as excited about the event as you are and how they turn out is important to us. For the Camping Trip, there was a lot of behind the scenes stuff, but it was cool during the event to see how all of that planning played out on the trip.

Considering each of you are in this role for the first time, how do your responsibilities line up with what you expected?

B: The job has been pretty much what I expected. I was talking to a friend who plays sports. Her college career has been completely focused on the sport she plays, whereas my job has been my college life. I thought it was interesting to see that I can compare myself to someone who is so dedicated to something like an athletics team and that I feel that way about this job.

D: When I came into this position, I had no clue how much extra work there was going to be. I had built in my mind that I’d hang out for office hours, we’d go to events, and then we’d make sure it worked smoothly. It’s much more than a “supervisor” position – I’m a supervisor and a planner.

R: I’ll say this: being with SA for 2.5 years prior to my Supervisor position, I had assumed I’d know what was coming. Once I stepped my foot into this role, it was a lot more than I expected. I would say that it completely humbled me in a way I haven’t been before – through it all, I come in and learn something different about myself and SA each day. I apply those learning experiences to being in the office, at events and in my life, but I’m passionate about the mission and that makes me willing to get SA to where they want to be. Will we ever get there? Hopefully one day!

The 2014-2015 school year is off to a great start and we’re looking forward to another exciting semester of events!