Day 1: Class Crashing and Getting Involved

I rested in a chair in the Ricks building. The room was dark, and I was alone as I pondered, preparing myself for the school year that was about to begin.

Welcome to the first day of the fall semester at BYU-I.

I rode my bike up the long hill to the Ricks building beneath gray clouds and pending rain at 7:30 in the morning. I thought I had left these clouds behind me when I had crossed over the Cascade range. I hardly reflected the over-head grayness as I parked and locked my bike and strolled on in and up to the second floor. I took a seat in the front row 5 minutes early and whispered to the girl at my side- "I'm crashing the class."- "Oh, fun" she responded. "I am actually in block 2."  The block class is something unique to BYU-I; they break the semester in two, the first part being block one and the second block two. Block classes run Monday to Friday at a condensed rate to run more students through. I was enrolled in the second block of the class, not in the first, but I was making an attempt at something coined by the students here as Class Crashing- showing up on the first day and hoping to get in. The teacher commenced with the general first day syllabus pleasantries and I began to be at ease until a number of late students arrived. The Teacher politely asked us all to check if we were indeed in block one, and, after a small pause I was the first to raise my hand. I left the syllabus.

Walking down the hall in the Manwaring Center, a few hours later, I was on my way to an Ushering meeting I had signed up for. There was a conspicuous young man awaiting in front of a door with a too big of a smile and way to happy to see me. This must be the ushering meeting, I thought. And indeed it was. The woman at the front with the large hooped earrings spoke of love and of service and of the great experiences that awaited us as ushers. The gray clouds still stood outside the window. When she spoke of how we can brighten students lives with our smiles and kind words it seemed that the clouds parted a small amount to bless with the heavenly light from up above. This campus is founded by the widows mite of the families in Armenia, and the widows mite of the single mothers in South America that make a dollar a day. Lets not let it go to waste- lets help the students take full advantage of the opportunities offered here at Rexburg, she said as unexpected tears came to her eyes.

Kim B. Clark, President of BYU-Idaho

After a thoroughly exciting and partly successful second attempt at class crashing I find that I reflect back on the opening orientation days here. When President Kim B. Clark opened on the first day, he immediately spoke of love and prophetic vision. He spoke of the love that we would feel and receive from the staff. He spoke of that we would in turn give off to others whom we would serve. And he spoke of the love that Christ has for everyone of us. The prophetic vision he related to us was that of Elder Wilford Woodruff and of President Henry Eyring. Elder Woodruff said the following when he visitd the Upper Snake River Valley: "I see churches and meetinghouses dotting the landscape ... schools and colleges of higher learning ... as I look into the future of this great valley I can see temples – I can see beautiful temples erected to the name of the living God where holy labors may be carried on in his name through generations to come." President Eyring prophesied more specifically of the future excellence of the students of Rick's, that  the students would go out into the world and would be sought out by the employers and by people for their great leadership capabilities, that would be drawn to them and would desire to follow them. I do feel the love here. I feel that staff does want something more than to simply pass us knowledge.They want us to be better children of God.


And now I find that the day comes to a close.