Deck the Haven lives on

Students and Havenites express their thoughts on the transformed Deck the Haven.

Isabelle Thompson and Christian Leonard • December 7, 2017

Haven residents and guests take part in a line dance during the resurrected Deck the Haven event.

Photo courtesy of Caitlin Gaines/THE CHIMES

Despite numerous adversities, Deck the Haven returned to campus with a new location and additional features on Wednesday.

MAKING A COMPROMISE

With the relocation of the event to a white tent near Fluor Fountain, Haven residents had to make adjustments this year. Previous incarnations allowed each room on Haven to host an attraction. However, in this instance the tent featured five larger rooms, including a President Barry Corey escape room, a Star Wars Nerf shootout and a line dancing floor.

The increased space available allowed student bands to perform for visitors throughout the event. The event also offered snacks, as well as Chick-Fil-Asandwiches. Furthermore, students who donated a water bottle or a can of food to the event’s charity collection upon entering the tent received a ticket which allowed them to skip the lines leading into the attractions.

Haven resident and sophomore computer science major Jacob Pennino previously felt apprehensive about the new location of the event, but believes the venue did not detract from the experience.

“Normally we would have it on the floor. It worked out really well. I wasn’t expecting it to work out as well as it did. We miss being on the floor, but this is just as good,” Pennino said.

However, sophomore theatre major Lexi Pasch felt the event proved less impressive than last year’s due to the additional constraints. Because the tent hosted another event before Deck the Haven, workers could not move their supplies into the location until Tuesday.

“I think that they did the best they could with what they were given, but… it takes them six months to make every room and to build and create this thing, and they were given like a month and a half or something this year. I think they’re really trying, I really do, but in comparison to last year, last year was so good,” Pasch said. “They need to be given more time, more money and more resources.”

ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE

Despite the changes, freshman psychology major Danita Estorga enjoyed her first Deck the Haven experience.

“It’s been really entertaining. I wasn’t sure what to expect because it’s my first year, but they have so many attractions. My favorite room was the Star Wars one,” Estorga said.

Senior physics major and former Haven resident Nathan Decker acted as an emcee, explaining the various rooms to visitors during periodic announcements. He believes while the event demanded a great amount of time and effort, especially in the days immediately preceding the opening, those involved in it wanted to serve other students.

“It was a crazy process that started last night. A bunch of Havenites, just amazing guys, worked through the night in order to set up everything the way it needed to be,” Decker said. “It was complete craziness and chaos, but just a really cool thing. They do it out of love and they just want to bless the community.”

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About the Contributors

Isabelle Thompson, Business Manager

Isabelle Thompson is a senior business marketing major who enjoys gloomy weather, reading and national parks. She is also an advocate for adventure and trying new things. Good literature has always been a source of inspiration for me. Through the years I have become influenced by authors ranging from Jane Austin, Mark Twain and Scott Fitzgerald to more modern writers including Andy Weir and Stephen Chobsky. Each story I have come across has had a role in shaping the way I see the world and who I am today. It was my love of writing and storytelling which drew me to the position of News Editor at The Chimes my sophomore year. Through that experience I learned the skills necessary to produce consistent, factual and engaging stories that informed and documented events that impacted my immediate community. It was a new kind of storytelling for me which came with the responsibility of doing justice to the very real themes and lives portrayed. Coming back to The Chimes as a senior business marketing major, I feel lucky to have the position of business manager. While I will be taking a step back from writing, I am excited to be surrounded by excellent storytellers and support the publication in a way that aligns with my goals for a career in business.

Christian Leonard, Editor-in-Chief

Christian Leonard is a junior journalism major whose affinity for chickens is really getting out of hand. He can often be found singing in the office, wrapped around a book, or arguing for the classification of cereal as a soup. [email protected] I came to Biola a nervous freshman, not really sure what I wanted to do during my time at university. Years of prayer and waiting seemed fruitless, until an academic counselor recommended I contact the Chimes, since I had shown a modest interest in journalism. I figured it was worth a shot, so I got in touch with the news editors. After a brief chat, I left, figuring I would write for them the following semester. I was assigned my first story a few days later. The following semester, I became a news apprentice, stepping into a full editorship my sophomore year. Through the experience, I gained a greater appreciation for the bustling community that is Biola—its students, its administration, and its culture—and a deeper desire to serve it through storytelling. As my time as news editor drew to a close, I was encouraged to apply for the editor-in-chief position, a prospect which both intimidated and thrilled me. Yet I ultimately saw it as a way to better support the publication through which God showed me His desire for my life. Now, as I oversee the Chimes, I am committed to upholding myself and the newspaper to standard of excellence, and to helping train the next generation of student journalists.