The school year begins with a time of spiritual revival. Dr. Pettit preached to the student body preparing them for the long, challenging school year which lay ahead. In the last moments of quiet before the rush of classes, students are reminded to set their priorities straight, seek wisdom, and follow God in all things.

The freshmen have less than two weeks to choose their society. Most do not make the decision until the Society Rush Party out on the stadium fields, where they are filled with all kinds of food and have the opportunity to meet their future society brothers or sisters. The process can be confusing and the decision challenging, but inevitably the choice is made and the societies induct their new members in sometimes elaborate and gross, always entertaining, ways.

The Washington Center Challenge Day offer mentally and physically handicapped children the opportunity to have fun and play games with their peers. University students from the School of Education set up the games and guide the children through the activities. The students use their talents to serve the lord, and invariably have as much fun as the kids.

On a beautiful Monday morning, the student body gathers in front of the Newly-renovated Alumni Building for the grand opening of the Center for Global Opportunities. Dr. Pettit cuts the ribbon, formally inviting students and faculty to use the CGO as a resource to find ministry opportunities in the Greenville area and around the world.

Homecoming 2016 is celebrated with special vigor since it marks the 90th year of Bob Jones University’s existence. Alumni and students participate in a variety of events from special dinners to the Bruins Family Game Show. The weekend festivities culminate in wins for both the Bruins men and women’s soccer teams.

Little Women: the Broadway Musical is the first Broadway musical ever to be produced as an Artist Series event. Rodeheaver becomes home to the Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March as they grow together through love and loss. The performances feature the work of many university students and faculty, as well as several professional performers from across the country.

The Alpha Razorbacks and the Beta Patriots face off in the biggest intramural event of the school year. The Turkey Bowl features a parade as the teams enter the field, and a halftime show with a mannequin challenge. The Razorbacks emerge victorious after a well-fought game.

The Fall Festival, a free event sponsored by the Student Leadership Council, begins immediately after the Turkey Bowl. The SLC invites students to relax and enjoy the festivities by partaking in the hot chocolate bar and s’mores stations, posing with their friends at a photo booth, or playing various games set up in the fields around the Activity Center.

Bob Jones University hosts the annual Christmas Lighting Ceremony and Carol Sing. Students, faculty, staff, and visitors from the community gather on the front campus of BJU to usher in the holiday season by singing familiar Christmas songs and listening to Dr. Pettit read the Christmas story from Luke 2.

Bob Jones University kicks off the 2017 spring semester with evangelistic services to get students into the right mindset as they begin a new semester. Mark Kittrell, the current president of Pacific Rim Missions International who has served in various ministries for over 30 years, leads both opening evangelistic services.

Bob Jones University celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. and his accomplishments by cancelling classes and giving students the opportunity to get involved in the local community. Students, faculty, and staff partner with the Center for Global Opportunities to take part in service activities around the Greenville community at the Miracle Hill Boy’s Shelter, Greenville County Juvenile Detention Facility, Phillis Wheatley Community Center, Hope Baptist Church and the Cherokee County Rescue Mission.

Sponsored by the Center for Global Opportunities, Go Greenville 2.0 gives students the opportunity to reach beyond themselves by getting involved in the local community. Students can participate in street evangelism, or they can choose from various ministering outreaches in a nursing home, Bible club, or Juvenile Detention Center. Go Greenville shows students how they can use their individual gifts to share the gospel with a dying world.

The Church and the Battle for Biblical Creation—Bob Jones University’s 2017 Seminary Conference—encourages believer to stay grounded in the fundamental truth of the creation account in Genesis. Ken Ham, the founder of Answers in Genesis, joins the BJU Seminary and Science faculty to present sessions on creation apologetics.

Sermons, workshops, and a sacred music concert presented by the Wilds staff focus on the “The God of Hope,” the theme of 2017 Bible Conference. Speakers Jeff Anderson, Brent Belford, Ken Ham, Steve Pettit, and Jim Tillotson urge students, faculty, and visitors from around the country, to reaffirm and strengthen their confidence in their unchanging Savior.

Jubilate features choral numbers sung by the university choirs, the Rivertree Singers, and an ensemble of Bob Jones Academy students. The special feature is Jubilate Deo, a work composed by BJU graduate Dan Forrest; inspired by the words of Psalm 100, “make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands,” Jubilate Deo incorporates various languages, instruments, and cultural music styles from around the world to create a rich and triumphant offering of praise to God.

Students divide by society in four teams for a fun-packed week of competition; they earn points by participating in activities such as campus-wide tag, battleship in the DFH pool, donating to charity, and the first-ever BJU Greek Games (complete with a Greek feast in the Dining Common). Bruin Daze culminates in a gorgeous fireworks display and a social in the activity center where students are served cheesecake, candy, popcorn, and coffee.

Students attend the classic Shakespearean play, Merchant of Venice, reproduced in a 1950s Italy. The generous Antonia, the clever Portia, and the unscrupulous Shylock come to life in fedoras, swing dresses, and suits amid snappy fifties music.

Bringing to life vignettes of the Christ’s ministry, sufferings, and death, the 2017 Living Gallery reiterates The Savior’s Call, “everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.” Stories from the lives of John, Peter, Mary, and the woman at the well, remind viewers that Christ is the source of living water and their only satisfaction.