Housing Fusion Students: Is it worth the trouble?

Casandra Barnes Feb. 2014

 

During sophomore year, after a long day of school, homework an,d basketball practice, now senior Catherine Harris returned to her dorm room to sleep only to find she could not. She forgot it was a visit day weekend and four prospective students kept her up half the night as they were giggling, watching television, and talking about the day’s festivities. After they packed up and left the next morning, she was left to clean crumbs out of the carpet and organize the mess they made from DVD hunting. When asked if she would be willing to host students again, she said, “Sure thing!”

 

There are many horror stories of housing high school students, everywhere from staying up late to stealing food, yet these IWU students are still willing to take on high school students, when needed. When asked why she would be willing to continue to host, Harris said, “Because most of the time the benefits outweigh the challenges.”

 

Junior Amanda Veenstra, the marking director of this year’s Fusion, said they are in great need of more students to host this year, because of the number high school students have greatly increased. The fusion team is hoping IWU students learn and understand how important and life changing hosting a college student can be.

 

Harris explains that some of these students just need to know that there is place out there where they belong. Most high school students are not used to staying on their own without supervision and are overwhelmed with new environment that they don’t necessarily act calm or even know how they are supposed to act. Harris keeps hosting students in hopes that some of them find that they belong here. “The most rewarding thing is when some of the students become IWU students and you see them with their new friends, having a great time on campus,” said Harris.

 

Jessica Alford, who is also a senior, shared some of her experiences with hosting high school students. One student she talked about came to Fusion only because her friends wanted her to and she thought the concert would be fun. After the friday night rally, the girl and her friends stayed up talking to Alford about the sermon and that night the girl gave her life to Christ. Alford said in response, “You think you might just be hosting a bunch of rowdy high school students, but God may have other plans in store.”

 

Is the late nights, the endless cleaning and chance of stolen food worth having high school students stay in your dorm? Harris, Veenstra and Alford all agree that is worth that and so much more.

 

If you would like to sign up to host a high school student for fusion, you can do so at the Fusion table in the mallway.