Messiah College | About Me - Gossip Riot News

Intro

Let's be honest, unless you're from central Pennsylvania, working the Christian college circle, or just really good at soccer, you probably haven't heard of me.

I'm a little guy in a big world—but that's not to say I can't hold my own. Not only do I have amazing nursing, education, and engineering programs, but I'm also a household name in Division III athletics.

A lot of people tend to write me off because I'm a small Christian school. Don't buy into what they say about little Christian schools being closed-minded or anti-intellectual or whatever. This isn't Sunday school, and I can definitely play ball. I'm still a liberal arts school and always down for a good old-fashioned debate.

When I'm not killing it in the classroom or on the soccer field, I'm doing my part to better my community through service projects and community outreach. It's the Christian thing to do, and being a Christian college, it's what I'm all about.

Name

Fandango Falcon

Hometown

I'm comfortably nestled in the rolling green hills of Mechanicsburg, PA. Messiah may be surrounded by hills and cornfields in the outskirts of Amish country, but for those of us who get a little stir crazy, no need to fret: downtown Harrisburg is only twelve miles away.

Birthdate

1909

Body Type

I'm lean and fit. My student body rarely reaches above 3,000, but I'm an athletic powerhouse in twenty-two NCAA Division III sports teams. My classes are small, but they make up for their size with enthusiasm. You can only hide in the back row for so long before you'll be required to join the discussion.

I have a pretty curvy landscape with some nice hills for the ultimate longboard/scooter ride. At night, no romantic can resist the lighted path which runs next to the Yellow Breeches creek. The Breeches is awesome for late summer lazy river rides and canoe trips with the adventure club.

Beware on your birthday, though; your friends will probably throw you in. Lovingly, of course.

Current Living Situation

What's the most important thing in life? God. But after that is friends. I want you to have lots of 'em. That's why I make all my freshmen live in dorms—so you can get to know everybody. You can totally choose your roommates, though.

Sophomores can stay in the dorms or move into on-campus houses with friends, but they're not allowed to live in apartments. Those sweet three-to-five-person on-campus digs are reserved for the upperclassmen. Some of them like to stay in the dorms, but to be honest with you, dorm living can get old after a few years.

By the time you're an old fart (i.e. a senior), you'll want a little elbow room.

Relationship Status

I'm not really into the football scene. My thing is soccer. My men's team has brought home ten NCAA National Championship titles since 2000, and the women have brought in five of their own. Field hockey, basketball, softball, and several other sports have also made National Championship appearances and consistently rake in Conference titles.

Of course, Fandango Falcon often makes his appearance at soccer games, but in his absence there's always an enthusiastic student fan section to rally a battle cry.

The big event of the year is the Marshmallow Bowl, a brutal soccer match between me and the Elizabethtown Blue Jays. Armed with marshmallows, fans from both sections prepare themselves for attack. By the end of the game, the field looks like it took the brunt of Messiah's first snowfall.

Religion

I'm serious about my Christian faith. Almost everybody here would consider themselves a Christian, even the professors and faculty; they have to declare a statement of faith in order to teach here.

Students are required to attend a few chapels throughout the semester, and faith discussions are likely to show up in the classroom.