Music, roller skating, and Hollywood costumes were just a few things that many John Brown University students enjoyed at “Late Skate” Sept. 16. Student Events & Activities (SEA) team hosted the annual Late Skate at Roller City, Springdale.

Last spring, before graduating from the class of 2022, Brady Collard, Colby Richardson, Kevin Gamboa, and Abigail Tzunún created the Rover Mobile Tree Stands and Hunting Equipment project where they won first place in the small business division at the 2022 Arkansas Governor’s Cup. After a lot of support and encouragement from family, faculty, and friends; Collard and Richardson decided to bring this school project to something much bigger, and founded the Rover Hunting Equipment company. This fall, they were one of eight startups selected for the University of Arkansas Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP) to support with training, mentoring and financial funding.

On April 19th, John Brown University President Chip Pollard led a special “Question and Answer” chapel service. The student body was invited to ask anything of the president, whether anonymously through an online forum or in person with a microphone in hand. The service began with Pollard announcing general JBU updates, including renovations, construction plans and an admirable list of recent student and faculty accomplishments. Many of the questions were lighthearted and presented in a joking manner, asking Pollard about his favorite dog breed, whether he listens to rapper Kendrick Lamar and if he had any good book recommendations as of late. One anonymous submission even included a story including “Chippy P” and Scooby-Doo. Others were heavier in nature, interrogating the recent STEM leanings of the college and the cultural intelligence of the faculty and staff, with some putting Pollard’s theological background to the test. Curious students inquired regarding the nature of the return of Christ, religious exclusivity and salvation versus sanctification.

On April 22, John Brown University had the honor of hosting the indie rock band Colony House on its campus. The university was campaigning avidly for students to buy tickets through student emails, the Here & Now weekly reminders, many Instagram posts and the dozens of posters on every hallway. Despite the effort, the turnout was relatively small with a crowd in the cathedral mosh pit and a handful scattered around in the pews. Yet the small attendance may have led to a more intimate concert experience, a special privilege for those attending, and for the fans it was a raging success.

“Wonderful, exciting and challenging.” This is how Mindi Stevenson, coordinator of international education at John Brown University, described the process of resuming the Irish studies program after two years in stand-by due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This past weekend, April 22 to April 23, downtown Siloam Springs was packed full of people, small children and dogs from in town or all the way in Bentonville. They came to enjoy the sunshine, live music, over-priced corndogs and the smells of soap and cinnamon sugar pecans — admittedly, not a bad smell combination. The event was the annual Dogwood Festival: an event primarily consisting of fried fair food and vendors selling everything from hand-woven baskets, fancy soap, ornate metal decorations, jewelry, T-shirts, kids’ toys, knives and much more. Close to the park was a motorized bull ride, bouncy castle and a petting zoo!

On Tuesday, April 13, the Togami Center for Innovation was inaugurated in the Soderquist Business Center. This new space features movable whiteboards, a focus group room and several spaces students can utilize for varied activities and projects. Eva Fast, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and marketing at John Brown University, explains that this space came from the very “DNA” of the business college of John Brown University.