Mom, I’m going to Eastern!

I have the opportunity to share a personal observation of Eastern’s evolution through two generations of Eastern Eagles: Me and my mother, Rebecca Whited, M. Ed. Whited is an Eastern graduate who obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Eastern. 

When I was young, my mother brought me to Eastern’s campus. To this day, I remember her placing me on a boulder by the old waterwheel and telling me stories about her trips to campus during her youth. 

13 years later, while I was nervously sending out college applications, receiving acceptance letters and finding myself unable to picture myself settling into any of the campuses I toured, my mother came to me and asked me the question that changed everything – “What about Eastern?”

We quickly set up a campus tour. The second we set foot on campus together, we gave each other a look as if to say, “We’re home.” This was when I knew I found where I belonged.

Now, two years later, my mother and I compare stories regularly about our separate times on Eastern’s campus, yelling things like, “Guess what club they just introduced!” and “No way, he’s still teaching?” Needless to say, we were both overjoyed upon knowing that I could interview her and gain insight from her point of view to share with current Eastern dwellers. 

My mother was a commuter to campus as I am, allowing for proper comparisons of campus experiences. We began with campus life and opportunities to connect with fellow students on campus. “I attended some evening concerts or talks when I commuted,” Whited said. When asked about activities and events she attended during her time as a student, she said, “Most activities were geared for on-campus student body.” 

Nowadays, Eastern has events that reach everyone, commuter or resident. I regularly receive emails regarding campus activities, big and small, which are open for any student who is interested. Eastern provides free pop-up snack stops, crafting events and performing arts experiences throughout different times each week to allow students with any schedule to find an opportunity to attend.

As most students at Eastern know, the school is passionate about reaching out into the community. As opposed to some beliefs that look down upon people as less “holy” or “pure,” Eastern’s God-fearing ambition stretches out a strong arm to comfort and serve those who are in the dark.

“I was not sure how I felt about having an adjunct professor for Medical Ethics. The teacher was not a professor, but rather a man who worked in the field and had real life applications for the material we were learning. I was at first put off by him, as I didn’t think he fit the mold for what a scholarly instructor should be. He was smart, brutally honest and quick to question the status quo of the medical establishment’s policies in human services and ethics,” says Whited. “The occasion that snapped this ultra conservative Christian to attention was, ‘Would you meet someone at a bar for a beer if that was the only way they were willing to talk about Jesus?’ The debate that ensued was open, meaningful and insightful. No negativity was allowed. I remember that Tuesday evening more clearly than any other class period,” Whited said. 

“It challenged me to contrast and compare how I’d been formaĺly trained to think and behave as a Christian with what Jesus actually modeled for us and commanded us to do in his ministry. He said to be fishers of men and to go out and make disciples. People are not ‘one size fits all.’ Jesus went to the well to meet the woman, and He sat across the table from Zaccheus. He reasoned with rabbis in the temple and laughed with children. The conversation that took place that evening has had a lasting effect on me.”

Eastern has always had a passion for reaching the unreachable by any means necessary. Today’s campus agenda pushes for service learning, sending students out into the world to selflessly serve others. 

Whited’s story is just one small example of the subtle ways in which Eastern breaks down walls to bring others to God. Most professors on campus not only speak of supporting this revolution, but displays it in their own behaviors every day by carrying students struggling with academics or life issues through classes without judgement.

Eastern’s creation of a support system has remained since its first day. It took some time in its early years to work out the details, including everyone in campus events, bringing in passionate professors and providing opportunities for students to serve the Lord. In our ever-growing community, Eastern Eagles are blessed to see the growth the school has experienced through the years.