24 CENTER FOR SACRED MUSICCAREER SERVICES25American Protestant hymnody; “Let All the World inEvery Corner Sing,” an examination of “servicemusic” used in various world religions; “Here Comesthe Bride,” wedding ritual and music in various worldtraditions; and “Sing Me To Heaven,” an explorationof the music and ceremony used in various culturesfor funerals and services of remembrance.Performance Opportunities: The <strong>Wesleyan</strong>Festival Chorus and the <strong>Wesleyan</strong> Worship Choir aremassed choirs of students and community singerswhich link choral musicians with the finestconductors in the world for worship leadership andconcert performance. Each July, the chorusesparticipate in events as part of the Sacred MusicSummer Conference, and in the fall as part of theCSM’s annual hymn festival.Sacred Music Summer Conference: TheSacred Music Summer Conference is a nondenominationalshowcase for outstanding instructionin the sacred arts. Steeped in the Wesley tradition of“training minds and warming hearts,” the conferenceoffers workshops for students preparing for careers inchurch music ministry, for those already active in theprofession, and for music teachers.An average of 200 people participate each year,attending workshop sessions in choral conducting,congregational singing, organ, handbells, children’schoirs, and all areas of church music ministry. Theevent is led by 18 guest faculty and members of thecollege’s music department. The evening worshipservices and closing choral concert provide anunparalleled experience for those who enjoy festiveworship in a non-denominational setting, and forchoristers who enjoy singing under the direction ofworld-renowned conductors.The <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong> <strong>College</strong> AnthemSeries: In 2008, the Center for Sacred Musicdeveloped a choral anthem series with MorningStarMusic Publishers of St. Louis, Missouri, entitledMusic from American <strong>College</strong>s and Universities.<strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong> holds the honor of the premierework in that series: an anthem commissioned fromTexan composer Hal Hopson in celebration of the300th anniversary of the birth of Charles Wesley in2007. This contribution to American music continuesthe college’s legacy and joins the VWC Choral AnthemSeries, which the Center developed in 1998 withHinshaw Music Publishers of Chapel Hill, NorthCarolina. Now in its thirteenth year, that seriesincludes 11 choral anthems. An additional fiveanthems that have been dedicated to the work of theCenter are published by Choristers Guild Publishing,Augsburg Press, and Hal Leonard Music Publishers.Through its various festivals and conferences, theCenter commissions new music that is premiered at<strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong>, then made available to the world.Anthems from this catalog of publications are used bychurch and school choruses throughout the countryand several have been selected for district chorus andall-state repertoire. <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong> joins DukeUniversity and St. Olaf <strong>College</strong> as only the thirdinstitution of higher education with a named musicseries.Fall Hymn Festival: Hymns have played a vitalrole in worship since the earliest Christians gatheredto worship the risen Christ. Congregational singingexploded anew with the Protestant Reformation, andthe Center’s annual Hymn Festival continues toencourage the great tradition of the people’s song.Various churches in the Hampton Roads area host theOctober festival. All are invited to be a part of thecongregation or the massed choir that leads theservice of singing.Campus Life
26 CAMPUS LIFECAMPUS LIFE27Anecessary complement to education inany college classroom is growth throughcampus life. On any given day at <strong>Virginia</strong><strong>Wesleyan</strong> students can be found participating inathletics, singing with the choir, practicing for a play,planning for an art show, gathering news for thestudent newspaper, leading prayer and Bible study,partaking in an aerobics or rock climbing session, andengaging in social activities in the Jane P. BattenStudent Center.At <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong> students have always beenspecial, and our student life program strives touphold that motto. Although the college is primarilyresidential, campus activities are intended to involveand meet the needs of commuters and adult students,as well as resident students.Guided by the staff of the Vice President forStudent Affairs, the student life program and servicesencourage all students to grow outside the classroom.Residential Living: Residence halls at <strong>Virginia</strong><strong>Wesleyan</strong> are designed to foster a sense ofcommunity. It is in the residence halls that studentsencounter a variety of interesting people and findmany opportunities for cultural, educational, social,and recreational enrichment. The campus is made upof academic villages patterned closely after ThomasJefferson’s adaptation of the Oxford-Cambridge plan.An academic village includes classrooms, facultyoffices, and student residences.Bray Village and Village II each include twoacademic buildings and four residence halls. BrockVillage has three traditional residence halls and threeresidence halls that offer students apartment-styleliving. The rooms in Bray Village, Village II and thetraditional residence halls in Brock Village aredesigned for single and double occupancy—and forpersonalized living. Rooms are furnished with beds,dressers, full-length wardrobes or closets, desks, andchairs. Laundry facilities are available on eachresidence hall floor. Each unit of the apartments andtownhouses in Brock Village consists of fourbedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area, and kitchen.Each townhouse has a washer and dryer, and theapartments have laundry facilities on each floor.Village IV has 24 townhouses, which accommodate115 students in 5 person homes (three single roomsand one double room) with 2 bathrooms and privatelaundry facilities. Students are encouraged topersonalize their rooms, apartments, or townhousesaccording to their tastes and those of theirroommate(s). By providing their own rugs, lamps,curtains, and other items, they can transform theirliving space into a comfortable home. The campusCAMPUS LIFEdining center includes a 500-seat central diningfacility, private dining areas, and additional seating inthe newly renovated Boyd Dining Center. Nearby arethe college’s post office and business office.The college requires all students to live on campusin the residential housing facilities. Exceptions aregranted to those students who (1) elect to live athome with one or both of their parents in theHampton Roads area; (2) are married; (3) arecarrying less than a full course load (fewer than 12semester hours); (4) petition the college and aregranted permission to live off campus. Students whohave been residents of the Hampton Roads area of<strong>Virginia</strong> for the year prior to their initial applicationfor admission to the college are considered commuterstudents. They have the option of commuting fromtheir local residence or residing in the college’sresidence hall facilities. Students who are under theage of 18 or 24 years of age or older must requestpermission to live in the college’s residential facilities.The Office of Residence Life is responsible forselecting and training the residence hall staff,coordinating hall policies and developing cultural,educational, social and recreational activities. Thesocial and recreational activities, including the annual“Seafood Party in the Dell,” are complemented by anumber of interesting educational and culturalevents.Student Activities: The Student ActivitiesOffice seeks to enhance the overall educationalexperience by fostering social and leadershipdevelopment and encouraging collaboration. Thisoffice supports the <strong>Wesleyan</strong> Activities Council(Student Programming Board), Student GovernmentAssociation, fraternities and sororities, clubs andorganizations, programs for commuters, andleadership initiatives for students.Commuting: Commuter students are a vital partof the college community. The student life program isintended to integrate the resident and commuterpopulations to enhance campus activities foreveryone. Theme parties, student publications,intramural sports, sorority and fraternity functions,worship services, athletic contests, the Lake TaylorMusic Festival, and Spring Fling are just some of theactivities and opportunities afforded both commuterand resident students.Through the Commuter Service Office, which ispart of Student Activities, commuter students arekept informed, provided special assistance, andencouraged to take full advantage of campus resourcesand the co-curricular activities of the college. They arealso encouraged to take questions and concerns to theCommuter Assistant, who holds office hoursdedicated to commuters.Jane P. Batten Student Center: For both theresident and commuter student the Jane P. BattenStudent Center is full of exciting activities. The $18.6million center is home to a spacious fitness centerfeaturing dozens of weight machines, bikes,Stairmasters and other equipment; an eight-laneswimming pool complemented by a ten-personJacuzzi and saunas; three racquetball courses; anindoor elevated jogging track; a convocationcenter/gymnasium; a practice gymnasium; a rockclimbing wall; the Marlin Grille; and the ScribnerBookstore.The Community Council: The <strong>College</strong>’scommitment to building a vital community findsexpression in <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong>’s structure of campusgovernance. The Student Government Association,the Faculty Assembly, and the Administrative Councilmeet regularly to make policy regarding the respectivespheres of concern. At least three times annually,faculty, staff, and student representatives cometogether for meetings of the Community Council, abody which provides a forum for sharing informationand discussing common concerns. Students are alsorepresented on other vital committees of the college,giving them a distinctive voice in the making ofcollege policies.Student Government Association: <strong>Virginia</strong><strong>Wesleyan</strong> students are organized as the StudentGovernment Association (SGA). This associationconsists of the Executive Council, president and vicepresident,and 16 student senators. The SGA makesevery effort to respond to student concerns andpromote the general welfare of students and campusorganizations. Moreover, through work on manycollege committees, involvement in numerous socialactivities, sponsorship of open forums, participationin Community Council, and special programs thatfoster informal student faculty dialogue, the SGAcontributes in many ways to the quality of campuslife.<strong>Wesleyan</strong> Activities Council (WAC): WACis the programming board dedicated to providingquality weekend events and entertainment for thecampus community. It includes six committees:• Intercultural Cultural and Educational (ICE),which collaborates with academic departmentsto offer educational programming for studentson and off campus.• Main Stage, which plans concerts, comedy acts,and a variety of other shows featuring studentperformers.• After Dark, which promotes late night weekendevents such as comedians, poets, foam danceparties, and skate nights.• Student Athletic Committee (SAC), whichplans tailgate, pre-game, and other events tospread Marlin spirit for the athletic teams incollaboration with the Athletic Department.• Traditions, which plans traditional campusevents such as Homecoming, Mud Games, andAirband in collaboration with the StudentGovernment Association.• VWC and Beyond, which offers recreationaland off-campus social activities in collaborationwith RecX through aquatics, fitness,recreational sports, and outdoor activities.The VWC Concert Series: Through the<strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong> Concert Series, the college offersoutstanding live musical performances in whichartists connect with audiences in a special way. Theintimate and informal setting of the HofheimerTheatre brings a drawing-room atmosphere to everyconcert, and even back-row patrons enjoy a closeconnection with the performers. With 10-12 freeconcerts offered each year, students have ampleopportunities to enjoy vocal and instrumental musicin the styles of jazz, classical, folk, and bluegrasswithout ever leaving the campus.Other Cultural Opportunities: Culturalopportunities abound on the <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong>campus and beyond. Speakers and performers ofregional, national, and international acclaim areinvited to campus throughout the year to share theirtalents and expertise with the college community. Inaddition, the college’s own drama departmentpresents major productions in the fall and springsemesters, and several student groups, including the<strong>Wesleyan</strong> Singers, perform on campus.<strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Wesleyan</strong>’s location in the midst of athriving metropolitan area provides rich culturalopportunities. The birthplace of Colonial America isless than an hour’s drive from campus; Williamsburg,Jamestown, Yorktown—and even the Busch GardensWilliamsburg theme park—offer students and theirfamilies many exciting off-campus experiences. Thecampus is also just minutes from many outstandinglocal attractions, such as the world-famous beachesalong the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay;the <strong>Virginia</strong> Aquarium and Marine Science Center,which offers seasonal boat trips for dolphin and whalewatching, a six-story IMAX theater, aquariums, andintriguing new animal exhibits; and NauticusNational Maritime Center, an educational andexciting interactive science center with more than 150exhibits and the battleship Wisconsin. The SandlerCenter for the Performing Arts, Norfolk’s ScopeArena, Chrysler Hall, the <strong>Virginia</strong> BeachAmphitheater, and the Chrysler Museum of Art areall just a few miles from campus. Hampton Roads isalso home to several outstanding performing artsorganizations, including the <strong>Virginia</strong> Symphony,
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