If you’ve graduated from Bethel in the last 18 years, you may remember your freshman year experience (FYE) class. If you were in Block 3, you surely remember Associate Professor of English Maralee Crandon, Ph.D., and Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy Timothy Erdel, Ph.D., (better known as Brother Tim) as your professors. But did you know that, to this day, the two are still teaching together?

As you can imagine, there are many fun memories to share and Maralee and Brother Tim would love to swap more stories with you at the Block 3 cumulative reunion here on campus during Alumni Weekend Nov. 11-12, 2011.

As a form of enticement to get you back to campus, we’ve rounded up some trivia about Block 3. It wasn’t hard to find. Brother Tim keeps a working, up-to-date document (currently 35 pages) of stats. He knows the number of marriages between Block 3 students, number of Shakespeare plays and field trips attended, traditions and more. We’ve picked out some of the most interesting data about Block 3. Enjoy!

Number of students in Block 3

Believe it or not, more than 500 Bethel students have survived Block 3.

The Professors of Block 3

For 18 years, Brother Tim and Maralee have taught Block 3 together. They are the only teaching partners who have stayed together through the entire history of FYE.

Brother Tim is now gray, but still playing noon hoops. In 2005, he taught a student in Block 3 whose mother he had cared for and diapered as a newborn baby! The phenomenon occurred again in in 2008 (different son, same mother).

Maralee, on the other hand, is still technically a younger scholar since she just earned her Ph.D. A potentially paralyzing fall in November of 2005 made her realize how badly she wanted to complete her doctorate. Loving Block 3 alumni surprised her in the spring of 2007 with a new laptop computer, which helped make the mechanics of finishing the dissertation possible.

Field Trips and Fun

Block 3 boasts a list of exciting excursions, like field trips to Chicago to see Shakespearean plays or to Shipshewana to learn about Anabaptist history at Menno-Hof. In one year, more than 30 students traveled to Stratford, Ontario, and a few even visited the Globe Theatre in London. And let’s not forget the award-winning skits, watching “The Chosen” and dramatic readings of Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.”

Who remembers the trips to “the convent” (Maralee’s house) or the off-campus parties led by student mentors? Do you still itch a bit when thinking about the poison ivy rash you picked up on service day? Did “A-Word-for-the-Day” turn up when you took the graduate record exam? Do you still wake up from nightmares about your unfinished journal entries?

Block 3 Romance

No other Block can begin to match Block 3 for classroom romance. Since 1996, there have been  24 marriages (as of July 17, 2011)  between Block 3 alumni, with more Block 3 couples who, in due time, could be heading down the aisle. If Block 3 history has any clue to the future, the odds are that this year’s class will produce at least one or two new couples. As of May 17, 2011, Block 3 now boasts 26 grandchildren (children born to Block 3 couples), with a couple more on the way.

As you can probably tell, every year with Maralee and Brother Tim has been unique. Share with us your favorite Block 3 story and come back to campus on Nov.11-12 for Alumni Weekend!