Alpha Omega - Not your typical sorority

Nationally, fraternities and sororities are the most visible value-based student organizations on college campuses. They encourage members to be more involved in campus activities and community outreach programs. Campus student leaders are more likely to be involved in fraternities and sororities, and members rate their overall university experience better than non-members do.

According to statistics published by the University of Missouri-Kansas City, nationally, 71% of all fraternity and sorority members graduate, while only 50% of non-members graduate.

Fraternities and sororities are a great place for students to bond with other students, make friends, and become better better members of society.

On Winthrop's campus, there are many nationally recognized Greek fraternities and sororities. These include groups in the College Panhellenic Council, the National Panhellenic Council, and the Interfraternity Council.

For some, however, a Greek organization is not the place for them. Alpha Omega Christian Women's Service Sorority gives college girls the sorority atmosphere without being a Greek organization.

Alpha Omega does some of the same things as Greek sororities, like having a "rush week" to recruit new members, hosting formals and retreat weekends, and holding weekly chapter meetings. Instead of focusing only on the sisterhood and service aspects of being in a sorority, Alpha Omega adds a spirituality aspect that other Greek organizations do not.

As their motto states, Alpha Omega focuses on "Savior, Service, Sisterhood" in that order.

Winthrop BCM - Check It Out

The Baptist Collegiate Ministry, BCM, is just one of the many religiously affiliated groups with ties to Winthrop University's Campus.

BCM offers students a free meal every Thursday night at 7 p.m., accompanied by a short sermon and worship session called "Refuge."

Though it has "baptist" in its name, "you don't have to be baptist to come here," says BCM's campus pastor Jack Blankenship. "If you're curious as to what we are all about, come join us."

Jack Blankenship, BCM campus pastor

"We are a group of students here to accomplish a simple mission: Love God and love our campus," says Blankenship.

The students at BCM participate in serving the Rock Hill community and the Winthrop Campus, as well as serving the world through mission trips. Students have traveled to Puerto Rico, The Philippines, and even Australia to do mission work.

"We express our love for our campus by serving others and sharing with them the greatest gift we have ever been given," says Blankenship. "And we do all of this filled with a joy and excitement that cannot be matched."

Students participating in Refuge

BCM is a campus ministry that is made possible by the churches of the South Carolina Baptist Convention and the York Baptist Association and their giving through the Cooperative Program to impact the world.

BCM is the small brick building located on Oakland Avenue directly across from Winthrop's President's House.

Join the Winthrop BCM group on Facebook or visit their website for more information.

Vox Pop: Celebrity Skin

We are part of a culture that turns everything into a movie, where the plights of slum-dwellers in India earn Oscars and the trials of murderers play out on the silver screen.

This multi-billion dollar industry plays a huge part in the lives of so many people around the globe.

Without movies, I dare say life would be a lot more boring.

Real-life stories are glamorized and dramatized, and many dream that their own lives could be that interesting.

What if it was? What if Steven Spielberg deemed your life, your story interesting enough to immortalize on film?

Who would you choose to star as yourself?

Think about it. Is it an A-Lister, like George Clooney or Jennifer Aniston? Or an up-and-coming young star like Andrew Garfield or Jennifer Lawrence?


In this video, that very question is posed to ordinary people, not unlike yourself. See what they have to say.

Johnson Hall, A History

Johnson Hall, photo by Amie Detar

For the past three years, I have become very familiar with Johnson Hall. Its light lavender walls are comforting and its lobby couches are just comfy enough to nap on in between classes.


At first, the combination of theater, dance and mass communication departments into one building seemed a strange concept to me. Do I really have to share a building with weirdos?

Johnson Lobby, photo by Amie Detar

But I now enjoy their company. I love hearing the theater students loudly running lines in the lobby as lean, legging-clad dancers rush past. This melting pot of majors gives a building that already has character even more life.

In researching Johnson Hall, I discovered that without generous help from the famous philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, my favorite building on campus might not have been built. The original building that was completed in 1921 is still intact, even after a few renovations to its interior and additions that doubled the square footage of the building.

Front porch of Johnson,

Photo by Amie Detar

I also had no idea that Johnson was originally built as a student activities center. Only when Dinkins Student Center was built in 1968 did it transition to faculty offices and classrooms. 

Even though I have been in Johnson every school day for the past three years, I had never really explored past the editing lab. I knew that there was at least one dance studio (there are actually two), and I knew of Johnson Theater, the main auditorium (Johnson also has a studio theater).

Finding out more about this very familiar building has left me with a feeling of bittersweet nostalgia. Because, come May 4, 2013, I may never step foot in Johnson again.

Golden Globes show off best of 2012 entertainment

Hollywood elite donned the finest dresses and bowties in celebration of the 70^th annual Golden Globe awards.

The ceremony honored the best in 2012 television and cinematic entertainment.

But of course, all eyes were on the red carpet, where stars paraded bold and creative evening wear choices.

Lauren Wesner gives her best
Golden Globe winning smile

Lauren Wesner, a senior athletic training major, watched the awards for the first time Sunday, and she didn’t see many dresses she liked.

“Some of them could have dressed better,” she says. “And they definitely didn’t dress for the cold weather.”

The chilly 49-degree weather didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits, especially not the evening’s hosts.

Senior art history major Meghan Haller enjoyed the antics of the mistresses of ceremonies, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.

Meghan Haller

“Amy [Poehler] and Tina [Fey] did a much better job than last year’s host [Ricky Gervais],” Haller says. “They were much more entertaining without being as offensive.”

Haller’s least favorite moment of the evening came after Jennifer Lawrence was announced the winner in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category.

“Jennifer Lawrence saying ‘I beat Meryl’ in her acceptance speech was tasteless, especially since Meryl [Streep] was out with the flu,” Haller says.

What do you think were the best and worst moments of the night? Leave your comments below.

Skills, man

            The most important aspect to being a journalist—being a bringer of information—is being able to do more than one thing. It isn’t enough, now, to just know how to write.

            There is writing and editing, taking pictures and taking video, formatting for the web and adding links, blogging and tweeting with hashtags and Instagrams. And journalists do it all.

            I started the mass communications program at Winthrop just before they changed it so that majors get to experience more than just their concentration. I took classes in writing and reporting and designing for print.

            Therefore, I am completely inexperienced in putting together video packages or sound bites or podcasts or any of that sort of thing.

            I want this class to help me be a more well rounded reporter.