Campus life at Lyon is infused with a strong sense of community, enriched by the Honor System and Social System, which afford students a great measure of personal freedom while requiring of them an equal measure of responsibility. A supportive campus culture provides an excellent backdrop for the College’s campus life programs, designed to encourage growth, participation, and leadership.

Within the College community, the role of the student life staff is to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and concern, to provide guidance and support, to encourage participation and leadership, and to be catalysts for growth. Lyon College’s student life programs are geared toward the development of the whole person, with attention to the intellectual, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual dimensions of learning and maturing.

Lyon students take active roles in all aspects of college life. The Student Government Association gives students a voice in shaping institutional goals and priorities. Through the Honor System and Social System, students take responsibility for maintaining the highest standards of integrity and responsibility within their own community.

Social life on the campus is active and varied. Lyon students are inventive and energetic in their social and recreational pursuits, and an extensive program of student activities offers entertainment, participation, cultural diversity, recreation, and collegiality.

Lyon students also participate in a variety of campus organizations. Clubs, societies, and special interest groups bring faculty, staff, and students together to explore shared interests. Publications and artistic opportunities — such as music and theatre — provide students with creative outlets. An extensive program of intramural athletics offers students a range of sports and activities, to develop lifelong habits of fitness, and to enjoy the camaraderie of competition and team participation.

There are numerous opportunities for spiritual growth and service at the College. Weekly worship services are available on campus, and area churches welcome Lyon students. The Campus Ministry Board and the Director of Campus Ministry provide leadership and direction to campus religious activities, centered around worship, study, fellowship, and service.

Campus life is an important dimension of the educational experience at Lyon. It exposes students to a diversity of persons, opinions, and lifestyles and provides them with daily opportunities to play productive roles in the life of an active community of learners.

Honor and Social Systems

Lyon students commit themselves to high standards of personal integrity through the Honor and Social Systems. These incorporate an honor pledge, a code of honorable conduct, standards of student behavior, and a series of procedures carried out by the Honor and Social Councils, which are chosen by the student body.

An honor system was instituted at Lyon at its founding in 1872. That important tradition endured until after World War II and was re-established in 1992, when the college community voted to adopt a new Lyon College Honor System, reaffirming the institution’s commitment to standards of honor.

The system is based upon the belief that Lyon undergraduates are mature individuals, capable of acting honorably in all academic matters without faculty surveillance, and that they should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own conduct as individuals and as a community. By signing the Lyon College Roll of Honor upon matriculation, students commit themselves to the ideals embodied in the Honor System — integrity, responsibility, and a regard for others — and recognize their own responsibility to assist in maintaining an environment in which only honorable conduct is considered acceptable. No student may enroll at Lyon without first having signed the Roll of Honor.

The Lyon College Honor Pledge states:

“I will abstain from all fraud in academic work. I will neither give nor receive aid on any form of test or assigned work where such aid is prohibited, nor tolerate this conduct in any member of the community. I will deal responsibly with such acts when I observe them. By my conduct and influence, I will endeavor to build a high standard of honesty and truthfulness in all academic work.”

The Honor System is maintained and administered by the students through the Honor Council, made up of twelve students elected by the student body. The purpose of the Honor Council is to foster a spirit of honor on campus and to hear and act upon alleged violations of the Honor Code.

The Honor Council is empowered to try students who are charged with Honor Code violations, and in the event of a conviction, to impose penalties up to and including expulsion from the College.

The full text of the Honor System is found in the Student Handbook.

The Social System was developed in 1994 as an outgrowth of the Honor System and in keeping with the philosophy that students should assume a significant role in shaping their lives at Lyon. The system establishes a code of conduct by which Lyon students agree to abide in their interactions with other members of the Lyon community.

The Social System is administered by students elected by their peers to the Social Council. The Council’s responsibility is to uphold the College’s Social System and to uphold the rights of each student during investigations and hearings. The Council investigates allegations, conducts hearings when necessary, and may impose penalties up to and including expulsion.

The full text of the Social System is found in the Student Handbook.

Residence Life

The integration of academics and co-curricular life are embodied in the design of the residential life program at Lyon. On-campus residence life is designed around small group living, with each residence area under the leadership of student Resident Directors, Resident Assistants, and Intern Resident Assistants. Group activities and programs to support personal development – with an emphasis on intellectual, social, emotional, physical, and spiritual growth – are a part of the residential life program, under the leadership of the Associate Dean of Students.

Lyon is in the process of developing a house system, in which campus residences are divided into three groupings, or “houses,” each with a live-in member of the faculty who will oversee programs designed to integrate the academic and co-curricular aspects of campus life. Young House, the first of the four, opened in the fall of 1993. Spragins House, which accommodates all first year residential students, opened in the fall of 1997. The remaining house will be organized during the next few years.

Single, full-time students under 21 years of age not living with parents or legal guardians are required to reside on campus. Students over 21 years of age and veterans are allowed to live off campus, provided that they state that preference prior to an assignment being made. Any exceptions must be approved by the Dean of Students. Rules and regulations concerning residence life are found in the Student Handbook.

Student Activities

Clubs, societies and special interest groups abound at Lyon. Interest groups and service organizations include American Chemical Society, Baptist Student Union, Black Students Association, Campus Ministry Board, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Hyde Park Players, Model U.N., Newman Club, Oral Interpretation Club, Presbyterian Fellowship, Psycho-logy Club, Spanish Club, Student Activities Council, Student Assembly, Student National Educational Association, and Wesley Fellowship.

Of the students living on campus, about one third belong to Greek social organizations: Alpha Xi Delta, Kappa Kappa Alpha, Kappa Sigma, Phi Mu, Phi Theta Gamma, and Tau Kappa Epsilon. Fraternities and sororities play an important role in providing an active social climate for the campus. They also emphasize service to the college and the community.

Alpha Chi (juniors and seniors whose GPA’s rank in the top 10%) heads the list of academic honor societies at Lyon. Others include: Alpha Psi Omega (national dramatics fraternity), Chi Beta Phi (national scientific honorary fraternity), Kappa Delta Pi (national education honorary fraternity), Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics honorary fraternity), Order of the Tartan (leadership honorary), Phi Beta Lambda (business fraternity), Sigma Psi Sigma (psychology majors), and Sigma Tau Delta (national English honor society). The College also sponsors a student leadership honorary, The Order of the Tartan.

The Student Government Association (SGA) gives Lyon students a voice in shaping institutional priorities. Through its channels, students make known their ideas, opinions, and concerns and become involved in the development of college policies. Through its own budgetary resources, the SGA has a direct influence upon the quality of campus life by providing programs, co-sponsoring others, and appropriating funds to support various student initiatives in strengthening the quality of campus life.

The four executive officers of the SGA — the president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer — are elected by a vote of the student body. The SGA officers, along with elected representatives of all campus residences, commuter students, and non-traditional students, and two elected representatives of each class at Lyon make up the Student Assembly, a student organization responsible for legislating issues of student life and an important element in the College governance system.

Every student admitted to Lyon is a member of the SGA. Students are encouraged to vote in elections and to convey their opinions and concerns to their representatives, who work with the administration to plan activities and strengthen student life at the College. The full text of the Constitution and by-laws of the SGA are found in the Student Handbook.

The Campus Ministry Program is based on the conviction that opportunities for religious expression, the search for moral values, and responsible community involvement are basic to education in the context of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Through regular worship services, retreats, small group encounters, and service projects, the program offers a broad spectrum of activities designed to enhance religious inquiry, personal growth, and development of a mature faith that is relevant to campus life as well as to the concerns of society and the world community. Weekly chapel services offer the college community worship opportunities and a forum for the development of worship leadership skills. Participation in these non-denominational activities is on a voluntary basis. The Campus Ministry Board, composed of students, sponsors numerous special activities, opportunities for worship and study, and service projects, including an alternative spring break service trip. The Director of Campus Ministry directs the program and is available for individual consultation on religious and personal matters.

Students interested in writing, editing, design, photography, advertising and publishing have the opportunity to work on the campus newspaper, The Highlander, the College yearbook, The Scot; or the literary magazine, The Wheelbarrow. These publications are produced by students under the guidance of a Student Publications Board. The Highlander plays an important role in informing the college community and exploring the range of opinions and options on campus issues. The Scot provides a thorough and lasting record of each passing year. The Wheelbarrow publishes stories, essays and poetry written by students, faculty, and staff.

Lyon College students enjoy a range of opportunities to express and explore their love of music.

The Lyon Concert Choir is open to any interested student who passes a brief audition. The Choir performs a wide variety of literature, ranging from larger choral-orchestral works to folk songs and spirituals. The Choir presents several on-campus performances each year, including two large-scale concerts, and tours annually in the spring. Recent tour destinations have included Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, and New Orleans.

Instrumental ensembles include the Batesville-Lyon Band, a college and community group open to experienced brass, woodwind, an percussion players, which performs several times on campus each year; and the Lyon College Flute Choir, an ensemble of approximately a dozen flutists, which concertizes both on and off campus.

Students interested in theatre at Lyon College have the opportunity to enjoy one of the oldest theatrical traditions in the state and one of the region’s newest theatre facilities.

Harlequin Theatre, the oldest collegiate theatre organization in Arkansas, presents major productions in the fall and spring. Students from all disciplines are welcome to participate as actors, technicians, designers, and staff. The completion of the Holloway Theatre in 1991 provided the Harlequin Theatre with a a state-of-the-art, black box space designed to meet the diversified needs of modern collegiate theatre.

Theatre at Lyon is part of the liberal arts educational process. Students are given opportunities to act, direct, design, and write plays. Students have their work exhibited at state and regional festivals. The Hyde Park Players is a student-run group offering students the opportunity of producing, directing, and designing their own shows in Holloway Theatre.

Lyon was founded in 1872 by Presbyterians. The Scottish Heritage Program was created to honor the Scottish roots of that denomination and the Scotch-Irish heritage of many of the settlers of northern Arkansas. Central to the program is the Lyon Pipe Band, a performing company of pipers, drummers, and Highland dancers. The group leads all academic processions and represents the College on numerous occasions in churches, at civic clubs, and at festivals and parades. The Scottish Heritage Program sponsors the Arkansas Scottish Festival and the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans, celebrations of the Scottish tradition which are annual events on the campus.

To support the broadening influence of the liberal arts curriculum, Lyon College provides its students with a variety of cultural events each year, ranging from lectures to art exhibits to concerts to films to theatre. During a recent academic year, offerings included such varied events as a visiting writers series, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in concert; and a production by the National Shakespeare Company.

Such ongoing series as the Hugh B. Patterson Endowed Lecture Series, the Ashley-Lewis Endowed Concert and Recital Series, and the Dan C. and Sidney Childs West String Music Endowment, support the college’s efforts to provide an environment rich in cultural offerings.

The intercollegiate athletic program at Lyon College provides student athletes with experienced coaching, appropriate facilities, and challenging competition in one of the strongest conferences in Division I of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, of which the College is a long-time member.

Women’s varsity teams at Lyon compete as the Pipers in basketball, volleyball, cross-country, and tennis. Men’s varsity teams compete as the Scots in basketball, baseball, cross-country, golf, and tennis.

The Scots and Pipers are student-athletes, recruited both for academic promise and athletic excellence. Students may try out for these teams and for the varsity cheerleading squad which provides them with support. As a member of the TranSouth Conference, the intercollegiate athletic program at Lyon is governed by regulations of the conference and the NAIA.

The club soccer team, which is open to both men and women and competes as the Rowdies, also enjoys challenging intercollegiate competition.

Varsity athletic facilities include Becknell Gymnasium, home to Lyon basketball and volleyball; lighted tennis courts; a cross-country course; and a newly completed baseball park.

The Intramural Athletic Program at Lyon is an integral part of campus life. In addition to providing an opportunity for students to build healthy and active life-styles, physical skills, and good sportsmanship, the program provides a frequent and natural occasion for camaraderie and fun.

The program offers an extensive schedule of competitions. Teams and individuals participate in flag football, basketball, softball, tennis, volleyball, badminton, racquetball, pickleball, free-throw shooting, table tennis, water polo, horseshoes, frisbee golf, checkers, and a variety of special competitions, ranging from a home-run contest to a table tennis tournament. At the end of the year, trophies and awards are presented to individuals and organizations for participation and for excellence.

Facilities for recreational athletics include an indoor swimming pool, basketball courts; a weightlifting and fitness area; an aerobics gym; lighted tennis courts; an outdoor track; fields for football, soccer, and softball; a cross-country course; and a sand volleyball court.

Student Services

Lyon College provides a special orientation program for entering students centered on a one-semester orientation course in the Core Curriculum entitled “Freshman Orientation.”

The program seeks to assist students by helping them acquire skills needed to make a smooth transition from high school to college and to be successful at Lyon. Built around a series of planned activities, the course brings beginning students together in advising groups of about twelve students. Each group has a faculty mentor and two upper-class student mentors. The faculty mentors work closely with their advisees, helping them in their effort to make a good start on their college careers.

Beginning before classes start in the fall, sessions and activities are held to acquaint new students with the campus, college life, and each other. After classes begin, groups meet regularly during the first semester to monitor progress and discuss problems. Students continue to work closely with their faculty mentor until they declare a major and choose a major adviser.

Students earn one credit toward their degree by successfully completing the program, but more importantly, they gain a sense of belonging, a supportive group of peers, and caring people to turn to for help and guidance.

All full-time, incoming students who have completed 10 or fewer hours must participate in the Freshman Advising Program. Any exceptions must be approved by the Dean of Students. To complete the program, students must attend all sessions and required convocations.

The Career Resource Center provides guidance for all students in career exploration, planning, and decision-making as well as job search strategies and graduate school selection and application. The Center coordinates campus recruiting visits of corporate recruiters and may schedule interviews with prospective employers. Visits with graduate schools and professional programs are also coordinated through this office.

Resources available through the Center include a library of career exploration tools, occupational files, professional and graduate school information, employer directories, guides to job search skills, and position vacancy listings. Individual assistance and workshops are provided to assist with resume and cover letter preparation, interview skills, the use of technology for career exploration, and career decision-making. Job listings include part-time, cooperative education opportunities, and internships. DISCOVER, a computer-assisted career guidance program, is available to all students. Career inventories and individual career exploration resources are also available to assist students as they examine career opportunities.

Counseling services are available to help all students achieve maximum benefit from attending Lyon. Services are provided by a full-time licensed counselor. Counseling is done in an atmosphere in which students may discuss problems confidentially. Areas of counseling might include personal growth, depression, test anxiety, development of self-concept, and crisis intervention. Programs are also offered through this office relating to mental health issues. Local community resources are also available to students through referral by the college counselor. Any costs associated with the use of community resources are the responsibility of the student.

The Health Services Program is directed and staffed by a part-time registered nurse with a consulting physician available. Clinical services are provided to all full-time students Monday through Friday. Services include: symptomatic treatment of minor illnesses and injuries, screening programs, health counseling, and resource information. Referral to a physician, a community agency, or other health or acute care facility is at the student’s expense, and there are minimal charges for some diagnostic tests administered by the Health Clinic. Each student is required to have health insurance either through the College or through a private carrier.

Requirements by Health Services and the State Health Department for matriculation at Lyon College are completion of a health record and an official record of immunization for Rubeola (measles), Rubella and Tetanus, and a TB skin test.

Lyon serves as a national test center for the American College Test (ACT), Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Pre-professional Skills Test (PPST), Graduate Record Exam (GRE), and National Teacher Exam (NTE). The Core Battery and Specialty Area of the NTE are administered in the fall, spring, and summer.

A testing calendar and registration materials are provided in the Personnel Office. Correspondence tests will also be proctored for a small fee. An appointment is necessary.

Edwards Commons includes the College Union and Edwards Dining Hall. The College Union offers a variety of leisure activities and areas for relaxation. A large, comfortable lounge area, television room, and open patios offer students places to conduct meetings, talk, or sponsor student activities. The Snack Bar serves snacks, sandwiches, and cold drinks in an eating area centered around a fireplace. A student game room offers ping pong, billiards, and foosball.

Located near the entrance of the Union, the College Bookstore offers educational materials and supplies, toiletries, gifts, cards, and sportswear, in addition to the textbooks, lab supplies, and study aids needed for course work. Student mailboxes are located near the center of the building.

The Edwards Dining Room, built in 1983, contains a large central dining room, smaller meeting rooms, kitchen and serving areas, a gallery corridor, and the President’s Dining Room. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily throughout the school year.

Meals are served in a scramble-style cafeteria line which allows rapid service. The serving area also contains a self-serve salad bar. Special banquets and buffets with a variety of menus are held for students around important holidays during the academic year.

Security service is provided by professional safety personnel. Staff members enhance the safety of people and property on campus, interact with students to increase their awareness of security and safety issues, assist with energy conservation, and help maintain college policies.