Student Senate adds fire pit to new outdoor chapel

Photo description: Junior Caleb Jalas speaks out at the Student Senate meeting on Tuesday

Photo credit: Kayla Korb

Nora Betts

Sower Staff

Student Senate members and volunteers finished installing a fire pit at the new outdoor chapel on Saturday, Treasurer Alec Johnston said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Johnston said he hopes to add a cross to the space sometime this school year, which would finalize the two-year construction of the outdoor chapel.

The new fire pit is 5 feet in diameter and made of stone pavers. Construction was finished just in time for a special outdoor Praise service scheduled for Sept. 20 as a part of the Homecoming festivities.

Senate President Aaron Fosse said he plans to talk with Concordia’s Center for Liturgical Art about purchasing a cross as the final step for the outdoor chapel. Another option, he said, is having an alum or community volunteer construct the cross with Senate-purchased materials. The conversation with Senate representatives and others is ongoing.

Senate representatives debated how expensive the cross should be and what it should look like. An eventual agreement was reached that it should have “durability, mobility, and not just two sticks,” according to Fosse.

Senate officers will talk with Buildings and Grounds officials about improving lighting in the dark areas of campus. Lighting complaints brought to the Senate include the outside stairwell by Walz Arena and the path along the football field between the Janzow Campus Center and Philip dorm.