Huh? How did I vanish for several days without warning? Diagnosis: too much Silksong. (

Quite a lot has happened over the past few days. As a brother far away, I cannot offer much practical help, but I should at least offer some encouragement. After all, I have weathered my share of great storms. (Have you really?)

Today I joined a community-service event organized by the university. That sounds grand, but it amounted to everything from clearing shrubs and weeds to cutting down trees and operating a forklift. (All right, I was obviously not driving it.) Along the way, I met a student from one of LeTourneau’s Societies and learned roughly how these “alternative dorms” work.

Since they are still dorms, housing is naturally their primary purpose. Their advantage over ordinary residence halls is that you can renovate and decorate your own room. And because everyone lives together in one house, you are likely to join all the everyday activities, large and small. Over time, everyone gets to know one another, and then you can plot great undertakings together. I hear they usually host an Open House near the beginning of each semester, but sadly I missed this one.

Freshmen cannot join a Society, of course. After studying here for a year, you may submit an application to its officers. You then meet every member, and you can only join if a majority approves. The students I met today all belonged to Alpha Omega. Incidentally, my professor, Dr. Gowing, often attends their events. I was told that, of the other two Societies, one is specifically for aviation students and licensed pilots, while the other is the oldest Society on campus.

As for me… for now, I still prefer South Hall. It is closer to the cafeteria!