Author: Abigail Taylor

Global Christian Fellowship (GCF) has big plans for this year, and they want everyone to be involved.

A fixture on Houghton’s campus for over fifty years, Global Christian Fellowship is committed to increasing global awareness, action, and prayer at Houghton. “GCF coordinates weekly prayer topics that focus on one campus issue and one global issue and that are prayed for by the campus community daily,” according to the description on Houghton’s website. They meet weekly to pray and fellowship together, while taking a look at global issues and events. Anne McConnell ‘19, President of GCF, said, “The role of GCF on campus is to connect our daily lives here to the global church and God’s global mission for the world.” Global Christian Fellowship is one of the longest lasting clubs at Houghton, being formerly called Foreign Mission Fellowship.

Julia Chamberlain ‘18, a leader for GCF, said, “We want to help students use their passions and discover where the Lord is calling them to go. When we meet it is really a time to reflect on how we can serve the Lord today and in the future.”

Other than their weekly meetings, GCF has invested in fundraisers for missionaries and relief organizations. Last year they hosted a pancake breakfast to raise money for One Day’s Wages, which fights to end extreme poverty. They also had a staff and faculty talent show that raised funds for scholarships to support Houghton students going on missions trips this past summer, and plan to have that show again in the later months of the spring semester.

For this fall, GCF has exciting events planned. On Saturday, October 22nd, they are putting on a Frisbee tournament to raise support for a global church planting organization, Alpha Ministries. Chamberlain also mentioned their plans for New Vision Week, which is from October 23rd to the 25th. She said, “We will be having a GCF Koin the Sunday before New Visions Week begins and will be selling artifacts that Papa Shea [Paul Shea] has received from Africa at a booth in the CC.” Chamberlain also added her excitement about New Vision Week, “There are so many awesome missions groups coming, and it will be encouraging to hear how the Lord is working through them in their impact through their ministry.”

About GCF, McConnell said, “It has been very important in my personal journey as a follower of Christ, as it reminds me of the many Christians around the world who are my family.” She added that GCF helps to remind her that many people in the world have never heard the name of Christ, and that she is encouraged to share the love of Christ wherever she is placed.

Madeline Chesbrough ‘18, who attends GCF, said that what she likes most about GCF is the atmosphere. “I actually have just recently started attending this semester and I instantly felt right at home,” she said. Chesbrough also added, “GCF opens your eyes to the world outside of our little Houghton campus.  It inspires people who are looking into missions, or who have a heart for the world.”

GCF meets on Wednesday nights from 8 to 9 pm in the Alumni Dining Room.

The Greatbatch School of Music was recently gifted with a new piano. New to the college, at least. A beautiful 1883 Steinway Piano was donated to the college by Florence Bush, an idea suggested to Bush by a friend, mentee, and Houghton graduate, Linda Palmer ’81. According to a recent Houghton press release, Florence, known as “Flossy” to friends and family, was “searching for a new residence for her beloved ‘baby.’” She had one condition when searching for a new home for her piano though, “that her square Steinway box piano be aptly cared for yet ‘stay alive’ and not be relegated to a storeroom or back corner.” Palmer suggested she donate the piano to Houghton’s Greatbatch School of Music, a top-notch program. What makes the piano even more special to Houghton is the sharing of birth years: both the college and the piano were founded in 1883.

The piano was purchased by Bush’s great-grandparents, and had been in her family for 130 years. Bush has used the piano all her life, from practicing singing and playing when she was a girl, to sharing with her own family, for 88 years. Bush was always interested in music, and her piano was a huge part of her life. She also has a connection to Houghton through William Newbrough, professor of piano and Distinguished Steinway Artist, who helped to donation become a reality.

According to Armenio Suzano, dean and director of the Greatbatch School of Music, the piano “serves as both a reminder and a signal to all of us. A reminder that we live in a continuum and that history is made everyday, though our actions, our choices, and the contributions we make to the community around us.” He continued, “It is also a signal to alert all of us of the important role Houghton College and the Greatbatch School of Music play in the future of music education in western New York and around the country.”

Emma Donmoyer ’19, a music major, is very excited about the addition of the Steinway piano at Houghton. “The piano is in good condition for its age,” she said. “While it’s past the point of being in perfect tune, it’s still very playable and has a nice touch.” Donmoyer also expressed her love of old pianos, and said, “Every piano has a story, and playing on older instruments reminds me of the wonderful and rich musical history I am blessed to be a part of. I’m very glad we’re able to have this beautiful old piano alongside new ones.”

The addition of this historical piano maintains the importance of classical music and tradition at Houghton. The Houghton press release also stated, “As the college embraces music industry and worship arts while maintaining its existing classical approach, a new type of student emerges: one well-versed in both traditional and modern methods and who is innovative, passionate and unafraid to adapt to whatever life brings.”

Bush was “delighted to find such a fitting home,” and she will be happy to know that the piano is in good care and will be well played for many years to come.

On Tuesday, April 18, the Ortlip Gallery opened the annual Senior Show, an art exhibition dedicated to showcasing the work of students graduating with art degrees. This year, there are 12 seniors being recognized for their work, including Hannah Banks ‘17, Michael Carpenter ‘17, Thomas Rhett ‘16, Andrew Foster ‘16, Emily Friesen ‘17, Marta Gowett ‘17, Meredith Guffey ‘17, Kimberly Logee ‘17, Jill Magara ‘17, Sarah Ritson ‘17, Jennifer Zacchigna ‘17, and Rachel Rava ‘17.

According to the director of the Ortlip Gallery and assistant professor of art and printmaking, Alicia Taylor-Austin, these 12 seniors have spent this year preparing works for the show, along with writing a thesis paper to address the ideas that went into their pieces. She said, “This thesis is a part of the grade for their senior studio class, but the exhibition itself is not, since showing in the gallery is a privilege that they can attain, but not a requirement for completing the program.” Taylor-Austin has met with the seniors a few times to go over their exhibition proposals. “I’ve also viewed their work in progress over the spring semester and given feedback,” she said.

Carpenter is showing over a dozen digital photographs and a deck of cards he designed. “The work is all related, and about one subject, which I’ll leave you to see at the show,” he said. “I will say, though, that you can play cards in the gallery with the deck I designed.” He expressed excitement for the campus to experience the hard work done by him and his fellow classmates. He added, “I hope our work sparks conversations and new ideas within those who see it.”

Zacchigna is showing a collection of 12 pieces in watercolor and ink. She said, “They mostly depict abstracted natural objects, such as flowers, nature scenes, and human figures.” In regard to the planning that went into the show, she discussed the process of choosing work and getting it approved by the art faculty. “We had to create a layout plan for how our work would hang in the gallery,” she continued. “We learned how to frame, prepare, and hang our pieces properly.” Zacchigna is most looking forward to the opening reception of the show.

Gowett is showing a single installation piece made of found objects, fabric crafts, and ink. She said, “This semester has been very different for me, as I usually work in 2D materials such as pencil or charcoal drawings. As such, a lot of the planning that went into the show started back at the start of the spring semester, when I began gathering material for the installation.” Gowett is looking forward to seeing everyone’s reactions to all of the different artwork that the seniors have made.

Magara has one installation piece titled “Let Myself Feel” and one sculptural piece titled “Beauty From Dust.” Both pieces include ceramics, and the installation includes photographs. She will also have an assortment of functional ceramics in the atrium. “I had to plan a ton to make sure things were gallery ready,” she said. “I’ve also been doing tests all summer to get my ceramic pieces to look the way I wanted them to.” Magara is excited about having her friends and family be able to see her pieces, and the culmination of four years of work.

Foster will show a few drawings, as well as several stoneware bowls. He talked about the work that went into getting the show ready. “We have to select what we think is both our best work, and what works best as a whole group” he said. “Then we have to submit a proposal to the gallery director, who divides up the gallery into sections for each of us to display our work.” Foster looks forward to showing artwork which is a result of a full year of creating his own art, as opposed to assigned work.

The opening reception for the exhibition is on Friday, April 21 from 5-7 p.m., and will remain open for visitors until May 13, the day of Commencement.

From April 6 to 8, five English students and their professor, Laurie Dashnau, will take part in the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Memphis, Tennessee.

Established in 1987, NCUR “is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students,” according to their official website. They welcome undergraduate students “from all institutions of higher learning and from all corners of the academic curriculum.” The conference was founded at the University of North Carolina Asheville, but it is hosted by different institutions every year. This year it is taking place at the University of Memphis. Their official statement says, “We look forward to showcasing the best in undergraduate research and the creative and performing arts during the conference.”

In 2011, the NCUR was hosted by nearby Ithaca College, and several Houghton students learned about the event and attended. Last year, five Houghton students majoring in English and writing attended the conference when it was hosted by the University of North Carolina Asheville.

This year, five Houghton students, including Bethany Kuiken ‘18, Emma Carpenter ‘18, Emily Friesen ‘17, Alyssa Rogan ‘18, and Grace MacKay ‘17, will join over 4,000 students from across the country to share their work in the form of 15 to 20 minute presentations. Dashnau, who has overseen their research projects all semester, will accompany them.

“Their presentations are culminations of proposals they submitted last fall and independent studies done with me this spring,” she said.

Kuiken, who is presenting an analysis of  the work of two modern American poets, said that she wanted to participate in order to challenge herself and learn from other students around the country. “I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and engage in this conference that I knew would stretch me in many ways,” said Kuiken. At the conference, she and the other students will have the opportunity to learn about research from several different disciplines. When asked about what she is most looking forward to, she said, “I am most looking forward to supporting my peers from Houghton who will be presenting and interacting with other students who share the same passions.”

Carpenter, another English student going on the trip to Memphis, also decided to attend to stretch herself. In response to why she wanted to attend the conference, she said, “I thought it would be a great opportunity to gain experience presenting my work in a formal academic context.” Carpenter is presenting on the elegy and eulogy poems of W.H. Auden, a twentieth-century writer, and will also share some poems she wrote herself in Auden’s style. Carpenter is most looking forward to learning and absorbing knowledge from other presenters. She added, “It will be a great opportunity to represent Houghton College, and to take what I’ve learned here and share it with other conference attendees.”

Friesen  is also going to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. She was invited by the English department, and plans to share her paper, “Joseph Beuys and the Performance of Jacques Derrida’s Writing Difference.” The paper compares the writings of Derrida, a seminal literary critic, with Beuys, a late twentieth-century German performance artist. Friesen is most looking forward to hearing from other undergraduates, and going to Memphis for the first time.

While it is her third time attending the conference, Dashnau remains excited at the prospect of attending. She thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to see her students share their work with others at the conference, and have the opportunity to present research as students in the humanities. “They now have the privilege and joy of sharing these papers with students invested in undergraduate research,” she said. “Students who are especially interested in cultivating the life of the mind beyond the traditional classroom setting.”