{"id":31991,"date":"2017-02-22T12:39:55","date_gmt":"2017-02-22T17:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=31991"},"modified":"2017-03-03T15:05:54","modified_gmt":"2017-03-03T20:05:54","slug":"harry-potter-fan-nicole-litwiller-leads-creation-royals-cup-competition-perk-student-interest-campus-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/harry-potter-fan-nicole-litwiller-leads-creation-royals-cup-competition-perk-student-interest-campus-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Royal Pride: Harry Potter fan Nicole Litwiller leads creation of ‘Royals Cup’ competition to perk student interest in campus activities"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Our Royal Pride”<\/strong> is an occasional series celebrating Eastern Mennonite University’s undergraduate students who\u00a0 contribute to campus life in extraordinary ways in addition to their academic pursuits.\u00a0These students enthusiastically create their own niches, constantly re-defining what it means to be an EMU Royal student \u201cLike No Other.\u201d Nominate a student with an email to lauren.jefferson@emu.edu.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

In two years, sophomore Nicole Litwiller has used her artistic worldview, psychology background and creative problem-solving skills to carve out her own niche at Eastern Mennonite University. When the liberal arts<\/a> major came here from Sarasota, Florida, she only knew a handful of people on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember the first week or so feeling really lost. Once I started getting involved, I kind of found my stride. And that\u2019s how I knew this place was home,\u201d says Litwiller.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
Nicole Litwiller, a member of the Royals Ambassadors, gives a tour of campus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Litwiller is extending that sense of belonging to other students through the \u201cRoyals Cup<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0 a campus-wide competition designed to increase student involvement and foster team camaraderie.<\/p>\n

Housing-based teams \u201ccheck in\u201d to campus events, which are assigned different point values. The team with the highest percentage of involvement at the end of the year will receive a trophy and special celebration during Springfest. This semester is the \u201cpilot program\u201d of what would ideally be an annual, year-long event explains Litwiller, whose Maplewood Dorm team is currently in the lead.<\/p>\n

The Cup grew out of brainstorming sessions in the Student Government Association<\/a> (SGA), where Litwiller is a senator.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Harry Potter,\u201d says Litwiller.<\/p>\n

The Royals Cup is based on the \u201cHouse Cup,\u201d which is awarded to one of four \u201chouses\u201d (dormitories) in the magical Hogwarts School. \u201cThat inspired me to think about it in a way that the EMU campus could benefit from, whether you\u2019re a \u2018muggle\u2019 (magic-less human) or a wizard,\u201d she jokes.<\/p>\n

Lead Residence Director Scott Eyre, Director of Student Programs Rachel Roth Sawatzky, Professor Kirsten Beachy and Rachel Holderman,\u00a0SGA vice president of marketing, have been the other primary organizers behind the competition.<\/p>\n

Litwiller is also part of the Royal Ambassadors<\/a> and Honors Council<\/a>. She\u2019s also joined the planning committee for the Inauguration Gala, a formal event April 7 to celebrate the inauguration<\/a> of Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman as EMU\u2019s ninth president.<\/p>\n

Litwiller\u2019s artistic spirit informs her involvement in each of these.<\/p>\n

\u201cArt is just something that\u2019s always been a part of me,\u201d she says. \u201cIt is how I observe things, and how I look at the \u2018little beauties\u2019 \u2026 that helps me to look at things a little bit differently than someone with a more scientific or mathematical mind might think of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Litwiller says that, besides art, participating in Odyssey of the Mind in high school \u2013 a youth competition which fosters creative problem-solving \u2013 has informed her approach to college. Her liberal arts concentration in psychology helps Litwiller consider individual and group wellbeing within the many organizations she navigates.<\/p>\n

Music, good conversation, and reflection keep Litwiller energized for this work. \u201cGet involved in the things that give you the most energy, but also make sure to take times for things that restore you,\u201d she advises.<\/p>\n

Nominate a student with an email to lauren.jefferson@emu.edu.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Our Royal Pride” is an occasional series celebrating Eastern Mennonite University’s undergraduate students who\u00a0 contribute to campus life in extraordinary ways in addition to their academic pursuits.\u00a0These students enthusiastically create ... read more about Our Royal Pride: Harry Potter fan Nicole Litwiller leads creation of ‘Royals Cup’ competition to perk student interest in campus activities<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31992,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5725,7931,14715,17562,5597,4513,14139],"tags":[9279,17577,17535],"feature":[17427,17423,17426,17422],"class_list":["post-31991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-admissions","category-arts","category-campus-life","category-digest","category-liberal-arts","category-student-life","category-student-profiles","tag-kirsten-beachy","tag-rachel-roth-sawatzky","tag-scott-eyre","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-featured-undergrad","feature-myemu-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nOur Royal Pride: Harry Potter fan Nicole Litwiller leads creation of 'Royals Cup' competition to perk student interest in campus activities - 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