Austin College Bulletin 2022-2023
Through service projects and work programs, students participate in world affairs educational opportunities. Descriptions of many summer service opportunities are on file in the Office of Church Relations and Religious Life. These may be examined and discussed with the college chaplain. Additional information about field studies and off-campus credit programs is available in the section Off-Campus Opportunities, which also describes opportunities for study abroad.
Lectures and Convocations
Austin College seeks to provide a balanced program of lectures addressing subjects of interest and controversy to Austin College students, faculty, staff, and to particular groups within the Austin College community. Most lectures are open to the public. Formal convocations, the occasion of major college ceremonies, i.e., Opening of School, Honors Convocation, Baccalaureate, Commencement, etc., are designed for members of the entire community as a celebration of its life together.
Cultural Programs and Groups
Theatre productions, music ensembles, lectures and public programs, and art exhibits offer students opportunities for cultural appreciation and involvement. Other programs that help fulfill various needs of the college community include Homecoming events and the Sherman Symphony Orchestra.
Additional information about opportunities for involvement in cultural activities can be obtained by contacting the faculty chairs of the art, music, and theatre departments.
The Service Station is a student-run office that promotes the involvement of all Austin College students in volunteer and community service efforts. The program is administered by a student board that works to identify and promote service opportunities and to match interested students and student organizations with individuals and groups who need assistance. For further information, contact the Service Station on the first floor of Wright Campus Center.
Campus Publications
The college publishes a magazine, and students produce an online campus newspaper, a literary magazine, and a student research journal. These publications offer opportunities for creative expression and contribute to the cultural awareness of the college community.
Student publications at Austin College are governed by policies set by the Student Publications Committee of the college. The Austin College Observer, the campus online newspaper, is directly responsible to this committee. Suspension, the literary magazine, and Acumen, the student research journal, come under these same policies, but are under the direction of the English Department with a member of that department serving as their advisor.
While these publications are funded primarily by student activity fees and the sale of advertising, each publication still is considered a work of the college, and the parameters of editorial policy are decided by the Student Publications Committee, with responsibility delegated to the editor and advisor of each publication to operate within the parameters. The president of the college, as publisher, has ultimate authority over the publications and their contents. However, unless extreme circumstances warrant intervention, the Student Publications Committee, the editors, and advisors retain such rights as described above.