So if you’ve been talking to admissions staff or other people on campus, I’m sure they have giving you all the information about the school; small classes, athletic programs, clubs, etc. But have you really heard about being a Franciscan on campus? The most obvious examples on campus are the friars, but I like to believe that each person on campus has the opportunity to show others what it means to be a Franciscan.

It really isn’t as complex as it sounds, being a good Franciscan simply means respecting others, yourself, and our environment.  Students live out Franciscan values on campus every day by being kind to others, picking up our campus, and doing service for others. QU has some great opportunities for service trips, and if you come here, I can not recommend anything more than going on a service trip.  The school offers many trips over all breaks so you can find one that works for you, and we also go to many locations so students are somewhat able to pick where they will do their service. My personal favorite is the trip that QU students go on every year over Fall 4 Day to St. Louis to work with the Franciscan Connection. Definitely check out this site, learn about the program, volunteer on your own, or donate to the cause. The project is run by the same province of friars that are present on our campus and its a great program.  One of the best ways to be a Franciscan is by being with Franciscans so give it a try.

So lets talk about the Falcon, and I’m not talking about the bird. The Falcon is our student newspaper that comes out every month or two and is full of student authors and opinions.  You’re guess is as good as mine as to why it’s called the Falcon when we are the Quincy Hawks, but regardless of the confusing title it’s a pretty good read.

As a communications student, you are required to have 3 credit hours of Falcon experience.  So while there are a lot of Com majors there at the meetings getting the great experience, there are plenty of other non-communication students who also write for the paper.   The program is great in the way that you can pick what you want to write about.  You can pick between news, opinion, sports, features or just write about what you want and they editors will find a place for it.

 As a com student you will have to write for the paper regardless, so it’s really best to embrace the situation. Pick subjects you are interested to write in, take photos for the paper, or help with layout.  You’ll meet a lot of older com students and you can really enjoy the experience. Plus it looks great on a resume! So grab a falcon next time you see one and give it a read, you could be writing for it soon!