[SuperJon]

So last week, some of us were going to make the trip over to Longwood for the men's soccer game. Longwood's become somewhat of a rival so we wanted to be there However, we couldn't go because the people who were on campus would've been late for hall meeting.

This Tuesday, the men play at Radford. Once again, we can't go because of hall meeting. I wanted to go and make fun of Radford.




Now Tally, please don't get onto me about how great hall meeting is and how we should have it. I really don't care. This thread was not meant to say hall meeting was stupid. It was made to say that I don't like it because it has gotten in the way two weeks in a row. Please do not say I'm not a good Christian and that I should take a deep look at myself.

[Sly Fox]

No one is pronouncing any theological assessments of your life, SJ. You have the privilege of expressing your frustration.

For the record, I never cared for hall meetings when I was ins chool either. But they do serve a purpose. Someday I'll learn what it is.

[ATrain]

As a prayer leader, I must say I hate hall meetings...half the time I'm just waiting for it to be over so I can start my prayer group.

[SuperJon]

It's Radford. Freaking Radford.

[PeterParker]

Again I will repeat my solution for this problem, very simple:

Have Convocation on Mondays & Fridays, and then use the allotted time (since it is already built into the schedule) on Wednesdays for Hall Meeting, Prayer groups etc., thus eliminating unnecessary conflict with sports and evening campus life, and those who work at night are able to be a part of the communal aspect of it. Also, make a policy that pastoral majors cannot use Hall Meeting as marathon dress rehearsals for their summer evanglistic tours.

[ATrain]

Peter...Convo 3 times a week is in Jerry's will...and Jerry speaks on Wednesday to...as much as I love your solution, its not gonna happen.

[belcherboy]

Again I will repeat my solution for this problem, very simple:

Have Convocation on Mondays & Fridays, and then use the allotted time (since it is already built into the schedule) on Wednesdays for Hall Meeting, Prayer groups etc., thus eliminating unnecessary conflict with sports and evening campus life, and those who work at night are able to be a part of the communal aspect of it. Also, make a policy that pastoral majors cannot use Hall Meeting as marathon dress rehearsals for their summer evanglistic tours.

That is too funny. I remember when pastoral majors would beg the RA's to allow them to talk in Hall Meetings. BAD MOVE. When you live with the guys on your hall, it is RARELY a good idea to preach to them. Especially if you are a 19-21 year old kid who has very little preaching experience. Those who got the opportunity would preach about something we have heard either a) in one of the 3 weekly convocations or b) in one of the multiple prerequisite Bible classes. Hall meetings IMO should be entirely about managing the hall. Discussing problems, school related things, etc. The worst thing was having to sit on the floor of the hall for 45 minutes to an hour and then going to a prayer group for 20-30 minutes afterward knowing that tomorrow morning you would have another convocation. Once I got in the senior dorms, I think we had about 3-4 hall meetings all year. That was nice.

It is funny, but I do miss all the snide remarks and jokes made during hall meetings. It was the only time you would see all 75+ guys on the hall at the same time. You hate it while you are there, but kind of miss it when it's gone.

by the way....I too think it is dumb that you can't travel to a Thursday night game due to hall meeting.

[El Scorcho]

...to a Thursday night game due to hall meeting.

Tuesdays now. Too many people were signing out for the weekend starting on Thursday nights just to miss hall meeting. They had to move it.

Anyway, I've thought a lot about how to get around hall meeting, but haven't come up with a good solution that would ever be accetpable to the administration. There are a lot of smart alternatives, but it's easy to pick them apart if you look at them from the administration's point of view. Hall meeting itself is just supposed to be a time for announcements relating to residence life that are more or less mandatory for everyone to hear. There are a lot of alternatives for distributing announcments like that. However, there aren't any alternatives that gather everyone together as a precursor to prayer groups. I think that's where the real rub is for them. They're afraid ditching hall meeting would be the end of prayer groups. They're probably right.

[belcherboy]

...to a Thursday night game due to hall meeting.

Tuesdays now. Too many people were signing out for the weekend starting on Thursday nights just to miss hall meeting. They had to move it.

Anyway, I've thought a lot about how to get around hall meeting, but haven't come up with a good solution that would ever be accetpable to the administration. There are a lot of smart alternatives, but it's easy to pick them apart if you look at them from the administration's point of view. Hall meeting itself is just supposed to be a time for announcements relating to residence life that are more or less mandatory for everyone to hear. There are a lot of alternatives for distributing announcments like that. However, there aren't any alternatives that gather everyone together as a precursor to prayer groups. I think that's where the real rub is for them. They're afraid ditching hall meeting would be the end of prayer groups. They're probably right.

I forgot they changed it. I enjoyed the prayer meeting part, but I just felt that we had enough "preaching" during the week that incorporating it into hall meeting was a bit of overkill.

I know you want people at hall meetings and in prayer groups, but why were there so many people actively trying to get out of them? They hate them so much that enough people were signing out on Thursday nights that Liberty changed the night? Maybe there is a problem with the way they are doing these meetings? I can't imagine that these people are skipping classes every Friday (when it was Thursdays), so most must have been signing out to skip hall meetings and prayer groups? Hall meetings were only a problem with us when they lasted more than 10-15 minutes. My prayer group leader was cool and basically kept us no longer than 10-15 minutes, unless we were really talking about something, then he would tell us to feel free to leave when we wanted to.

Again I think having hall meetings are important, but they need to be closely regulated. Time limits of 15 minutes, unless there are major issues on the hall (violations, abuse of property, etc.) should be implemented. Even then how long can you talk about problems and issues before people get tired and turn you off.

[qkslvrsrfrboy]

as a prayer leader who is on debate team, i absolutely hate hall meetings because my hall is filled with the most incompetent morons ever to walk the campus of Liberty. They ask the most irrelevant and dumb questions and last week i had alot of stuff to do and asked my RA how long it was going to be at the begining and he was like "shouldnt be more than 10 minutes, and thats if people ask alot of questions" it took over an hour because of their dumb remarks. theres a time where its funny, but when your asking 5 questions for every sentence the RA said it just makes you look like a moron. the only good thing about being a prayer leader is it was our first group so i just had my guys say there name and if they had a prayer request, quick prayer, and we were done. but i was still up til 4 doing debate crap

[Libertine]

as a prayer leader...i absolutely hate hall meetings because my hall is filled with the most incompetent morons ever to walk the campus of Liberty.

Let's take a minute and just let the irony sink in.

[qkslvrsrfrboy]

are you saying im not a good prayer leader because i think people on my hall are morons? im pretty sure if Jerry sat through a hall meeting on my floor, he would think they were all morons

[Libertine]

I'm not commenting on the quality of your leadership at all and I'm not saying they aren't morons. I think it's funny that, since prayer leaders are an extension of the Spiritual Life Office and whose job it is to care for the student "flock" at its most basic and cursory level, you refer to the vast majority of your charges as "morons". It's like a psychiatrist commenting on his patients as "drug-addled freaks". I'm not saying it isn't true but it is a bit amusing.

[qkslvrsrfrboy]

i see what your saying, and its not even all of them, its mainly like 5. Dont get me wrong i pray for them along with the rest of the prayer leaders of my hall, but that doesnt change the fact that they are morons haha

[ATrain]

Well what exactly are your hall meetings like? Is it filled with idiots making sarcastic comments and talking most of the time, or is it filled with "man games", organized by the RAs, to give people free roomchecks and stuff.

[SuperJon]

Hey, let's get back to the topic. IT'S FREAKING RADFORD!!

[A.G.]

Then GO! What's the worst thing that can happen? A few reps?

[TallyW]

He can go... his friends can't.

For the record SJ... I don't have any beef with what you said. Hall meetings are a drag sometimes. I would be an advocate of every-other week or once a month with some sort of print-out taped to the door with important info from the RA's. I do get the understanding from the Prayer-Group perspective. I was also a Prayer Leader.

Our hall meetings were usually to the point and most of the time somewhat enjoyable. We did man-games and a quick hit on announcements. We didn't have speakers every week (maybe once a month the RD or a dean would stop by and give a pep talk). Our hall meetings were ususally time for joking and stuff... and then break off for prayer groups. I kept my prayer groups rather short not because I had to but because I usually had already prayed with my guys during the week one on one. Our prayer groups were more of a re-cap and a quick touch. I tried to pray with my guys alone mainly because of two reasons: 1. They felt I was more real if I was doing it on my time and not the mandatory time (if you area PL and only pray with your guys when you're told to... you suck--- just my opinion) and 2. When I prayed one-on-one with them they were usually much more open.

So SJ... I feel your pain. Enjoy the Radford game. Get your friends to sign out to Mr. and Mrs. SJ's home and have a good time

[PastorZack]

As a former RA, our "hall meetings" were for reminders and announcements...the longest "meeting" that we had was when we had the "gauntlet" or our annual water-balloon/water pistol fight.

[SuperJon]

I just wish there was a way that you could get out of hall meeting, or be late, if you have prove that you were attending a Liberty event.