By Brittany Brand
As the end of the semester draws near, many students are rushing to meet the University’s Chapel credit requirements.
ACU requires full-time undergraduate students to attend 55 Chapel programs each semester. Chapel is scheduled every weekday, except university holidays, for a total of 70 regular programs. Students had the opportunity to earn 23 credits by attending Summit lectures, in addition to several forums and a survey worth two credits if completed by Monday.
Leann Black, senior biochemistry major from Weatherford, is one of many students who have not fulfilled their Chapel requirements. Black said before the Chapel Office added two forums to the schedule in November, she worried about earning all the credits she needed. Her class schedule prevented her from attending many Summit lectures, which she said would have helped tremendously.
Students are allowed to apply for Chapel exemptions (on a semester-by-semester basis) for several reasons, including employment conflicts or medical conditions. According to the Web site, these exemptions must be processed within the first three weeks of the semester. If a student’s situation changes during the semester, requiring an exemption, he will have two weeks to submit the proper forms.
Tsunami Hernandez, sophomore information technology major from Abilene, works on campus repairing computers and is only required to go to Chapel 48 times during the semester.
“Sometimes there is work we need to get done, and I have to miss Chapel and go help out,” Hernandez said.
The Chapel Office also provides alternative programs for students to gain credits, such as forums, Summit and the anxiously awaited Chapel survey at the end of each semester. Students received an e-mail with a link to the survey, worth two credits if completed by Monday.
According to the Chapel Web site, students who do not achieve the required credits will be placed on probation. The probation period lasts through the next semester and prohibits students from participating in student organizations and university-sponsored activities.
For more details on the Chapel attendance policy, visit www.acu.edu/campusoffices/Chapel.
