Notes from the Other Side

In just two short months I will be graduated - as long as my grammar and speling don't get in the way.

As a columnist for The Oracle for the past three years, I have tried to be introspective, and explore many rather sensitive topics (much to the chagrin of the Provost). But as I prepare to walk the plank and jump into the unknown of life, I suddenly encounter what could be one of the most damning questions of them all.

"What kind of alumnus will I be?"

I have let it be known, to anyone unwise enough to be within earshot, that I think there is a traffic ticket conspiracy, that the long lines are meant to build patience, and that the food is meant to build the immune system. And these complaints are some of the nicer, more trivial matters. Needless to say, if I wanted to become bitter and forsake Oral Roberts University upon my graduation, I could.

Obviously, there is a problem with such an attitude, which I have noticed is all too prevalent. Hey, it takes one to know one.

In this article I won't seek to dissect the problems that ORU has had, has, and will have. For some recent graduates the wounds still smart, while for others, time has given a maturity to see the wounds for what they really are. Suffice it to say, ORU is not perfect. If it were, I could not be here, for well, it is obvious what I am.

Unfortunately at ORU, as it is in any Christian endeavor, the expectations are higher, and the disappointment greater for all who minister and are ministered to. It has only been as I realize that ORU is a ministry, that I have been able to forgive and be forgiven (this concept is found in an old Book I once read).

Once I did that I began to see ORU in a completely different light. I began to notice things.

I noticed President Richard and Lindsay Roberts. Having grown up in Tulsa, I've heard every possible rumor and joke there is about ORU; but the reality is quite different. Seeing the first family's candor and sincerity in chapel, and their sense of humor (which I was told they didn't have) changed my preconceived ideas. I began to want to see the good, and as soon as I did, I saw it. I saw the president's tireless dedication to seeing ORU not only survive but thrive once again. I witnessed his openness to hear and implement new ideas, and, in the same breath, his devotion to the principles upon which ORU was established.

I noticed the faculty. The men and women who serve, listen, advise and give themselves to their students.

I noticed the staff which walk the same stretch of sidewalk that I, a commuter, do every day. I saw their work that so often goes unnoticed; the endless shuffling of papers, and keeping the professors and students in order.

I noticed the prayer warriors that ascend the obelisk in the center of our campus and have compassion on people they don't know and will never meet. Day in and day out.

I've noticed the alumni who come back each summer to spruce up the campus. who give annually to improve ORU (see pages 4-5) and support ORU's graduates with jobs (hint, hint).

I noticed the names inscribed on plaques throughout the campus. People I will never meet, but who have impacted thousands of lives, and whose sacrifice built a university that is changing the world.

When I stopped long enough from my complaining I noticed that a lot of the things that have been a source of bitterness for many have changed - or have disappeared altogether. The long lines at registration exist only in the minds of seniors as they recount the horrors to incoming freshmen. Security has been tightened and now crime is at an all-time low. The dress code in the dining commons is now relaxed for evening and weekend meals.

Now, this is not a PR piece, and no one put me up to this. This introspection is coming from a writer who has been cut more often than grated cheese (at least I'm in good company). I write it just as a thought. Personally, I hope that as an alum of ORU I will remember, like so many of you do, the good things and all of the blessings that I have received. I also hope that I can forgive and forget, in hopes that others will do the same for me.

For in reality, ORU is the best university in the whole wide world. For those who desire the logic behind such a statement (there's one in every bunch), tune in to this summer's Communique.

by Philip Pfanstiel

published Spring 1998

The Communique