The Student Government Association kicked off their meeting with Director of Intercultural Education & Assessment Alicia Andre and Director of Intercultural Education and Research Walter Augustine to discuss Biola’s theological diversity statement as part of their diversity training. SGA also welcomed Director of Transformation Andrew Yee to discuss Biola’s future generation of students. 

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Andre and Augustine joined the meeting to share the meaning behind Biola’s theological diversity statement and how senators are impacted by the weight of the university’s commitment to diversity. 

Andre explained that most of the statement is based on 1 Corinthians 12, a passage where the Apostle Paul shares a magnified view of the body of Christ. 

BIOLA LEARN

Yee introduced Biola Lifelong Education and Resource Network, a program that seeks to improve and renew Biola’s ways of teaching across the board. The program was created to cater to non-traditional students who cannot physically attend the university for a number or reasons. 

According to Yee, the program will allow students to gain certificates and work slowly toward degrees instead of committing to a full program, allowing for more flexibility. He explained that instead of committing to a time-restricted class, students could do it 10 minutes at a time or burn through in 10 hours. 

He also added that students could gain from Biola LEARN by adding to their own degrees. The program has courses focusing on managing debt to social media, giving anyone a wide variety of courses to choose from.