Author: Abigail Taylor

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Campus Stories In Focus

Gillette Hosts Annual Banquet at Old Olean Library

On Saturday, March 25 at 7 p.m., Gillette Hall will host their annual banquet at the Old Library in Olean, New York. The theme for this year’s banquet, “Be Our Guest,” will feature red roses, candles, and high bookshelves to bring guests into the magical world of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The banquet will include music and dancing, with unlimited dessert, including multiple flavors of cheesecake, apple pie, fruit, and a chocolate fountain.

This year’s banquet is a continuation of a long standing tradition in Gillette Hall. A history so long, according to Resident Director (RD) Laura Cunningham, “I’m not sure when it actually began. It has always, just, existed.” Cunningham said she even checked with René Stempert, Head of Custodial in Gillette, who has worked at Houghton for 23 years. Stempert said the banquet was already a tradition when she began working at Houghton. In regards to the location of the banquet every year, Cunningham said that it varies. “During my time here it’s been held in Mount Morris, Olean and Wellsville.” She continued, “I like that we explore different venues in the area and encourages residents to visit different communities outside of campus.”

Rebecca Firstbrook ’18, Assistant Resident Director (ARD) of Gillette, is the one in charge of overseeing the event. About the banquet, she said, “This is one of our three dorm identity building events and it is often considered the most significant because it is off campus and people pay to attend.” Firstbrook said that her favorite part of planning the banquet is watching the Resident Assistants (RAs) come together to help organize and pull off the event. “This will only be the second year where RAs are overseeing the entire event, it used to be overseen by the Event Planning Committee,” she said. Firstbrook is also excited for this year’s theme and venue of the Old Library center. “The towns that they [banquets] are hosted in are a chance to hangout with friends” she said. “A lot of fun memories are made there.”

This will be the third year Kathryn Moore ’18, an RA in Gillette, attends the banquet. She said, “I have always loved seeing classmates get dressed up and for us to all share an experience off campus.” This year, she has been a part of the planning process for the banquet. “It has been an amazing experience” she said, and then went on to describe her specific role in helping to plan the banquet. “I had the opportunity of helping out with the playlist this year, which is one of my favorite things to do. I love the thought of bringing people together through music, and I am confident that the music this year will do that,” she said. “There will be some classics played, a swing dance song, current pop music, some rap, Disney, oldies but goodies, and lots more,” she added. Moore is confident that this year’s banquet will be unforgettable, especially with the elegant venue, decorations, and desserts.

Jensyn Elliott ’17 first went to the banquet when she was a sophomore. She said, “We had a good time at the banquet. We loved the food, and we had a blast dancing as well.” Elliott also stated she felt honored to be a part of Gillette, and she plans on attending this year as well. She said, “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Gillette will also host their tradition of having a prep night on Thursday night before the banquet, which will consist of dancing lessons, makeup and nail tutorials, and crafts in the main lounge. Residents will be able to take what they learned at prep night to get ready for Saturday night, when the real fun begins. Gillette Hall is looking forward to hosting a magical night for all who choose to be their guest.

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Campus Stories In Focus

Student-Created Organization Encourages Interfaith Collaboration

Two years ago, Daniel Bellerose ’17 started an interfaith environmental project in Western New York. It was a way to connect faith groups in the area to the local environmental movement. His original intent for the project, he said, was to engage faith groups in the surrounding area, like those of Rochester and Buffalo, where there are diverse faith communities. Bellerose also created the organization as a way to use his major, International Development, and his minors, World Religions and Political Science, in a tangible way.

Sustainability coordinator, Brian Webb, has been a mentor to Bellerose for a few years. “Dan is passionate about creation care, sustainability, cultures, and people in general,” he said. “He very clearly sees and understands the dynamic interactions between humans and the environment, and has a sophisticated view about how to address environmental and human challenges together.”

Bellerose’s wife, Rachel Bellerose ’17, said, “Dan is the sort of person who’s always coming up with new ideas, new ways to be involved in the world. He doesn’t just dream about doing things, he does them.”

Today, the organization, now officially titled “The Global Symmetry Project,” is in the process of becoming an official nonprofit. It has also begun to expand out of Western New York, and into an international project. The central missions of the project are fostering dialogue, catalyzing action, and seeking justice. According to the project’s official statement, “We envision a world in which ‘Global Symmetry’ is possible. We seek to create symmetrical interfaith communities both in the ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ world.” The project also states, “To do this work, we partner faith communities in well-off areas to those in areas with a need for sanitation, good governance, or simply peace.”

According to Bellerose, the growth of the Global Symmetry project out of Houghton and into the international community began after spending four and a half months in Tanzania last spring. He experienced the effects of Christian development organizations, and felt lead to extend the reaches of the organization to interfaith development. He said, “What this basically means is that we work with communities from diverse faith backgrounds to create sustainable, holistic development.” The different ways in which this can be achieved are through economic or agricultural development projects, and urban or rural sustainability projects.

Rachel Bellerose also went to Tanzania last spring. She said, “While we were in Tanzania, Dan started noticing a dissonance in how development organizations were focusing their contributions. Although Tanzania is a religiously diverse country, there tends to be a lot more aid going out to Christians than to Muslims or traditional religious groups.” She said Bellerose saw this as problematic, because the unequal aid could be a source of competition and ill feeling between religious groups. Thus, the Global Symmetry Project began.

Bellerose is currently in the first phase of organizational development. He said, “I just recently hired on my first round of interns, which includes people from all around the world, we had applicants from Moldova and Brazil.” Their website, on track to be up and running by July, is being created by Houghton alum Mason Wilkes ’16. The fundraising process is also set to begin in July, which includes raising the necessary funds to become a nonprofit and branding. The goal, according to Bellerose, is to begin development and sustainability projects in five years. These projects will likely take place in the United States and Tanzania.

For more information on the Global Symmetry Project, contact director@globalsymmetryproject.org.

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Campus Stories In Focus

Finding Solace In Silence and Scripture

In Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France, one will find an ecumenical monastery called the Taizé (pronounced tah-zeh) Community, made up of Catholics and Protestants living together in a community structured around prayer. According to the Taizé Community’s official website, their existence “is a ‘parable of community’ that wants its life to be a sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and between separated peoples.” Taizé services are solemn, and filled with repetitive music and silent prayer.

Although Houghton, New York is far from Southern France, Taizé-style worship services have arrived on campus. Lindsey Holt ’18, a chapel deacon, has been in charge of putting together these reflective worship services. She said, “I felt like these types of services would be a welcome addition to Houghton’s opportunities for worship.” Lindsey learned about the Taizé Community when she was in high school. “I had the opportunity to go for a week, which is why these services are so meaningful to me,” she said.

The Taizé services on campus consist of 60 minutes of prayer, repetitive singing, acoustic music, and scripture reading. Michael Jordan, dean of the chapel, also helps to plan these services. He said, “The Taizé services are carefully planned with particular choruses mixed in with Scripture readings, especially the psalms, and silent prayer.”

This silent prayer is described by Holt as the most striking part of the service. “In the middle there is 10 minutes of silent prayer,” she said. “I think that having silent prayer for such a long period of time is important, because in most cases we don’t have enough silence in our lives”.

The music of the Taizé worship is intentionally much different from a typical chapel service. Rather than high energy worship music, the songs are usually a simple refrain sung over and over again. The accompaniment, usually piano, violin or guitar, is also simple. According to Holt, this is because “the worshiper is more comfortable with the music, and so able to focus less on singing, and move into deeper meditation on the truth of the words being sung.” Jordan also commented that he thought this style was very important. He said, “It takes seriously our need for stillness”.

The reflective, quiet services of Taizé at Houghton began during the fall semester. Holt planned two services on campus. One took place in the evening, and one during chapel. This semester so far, only one Taizé service has happened, taking place at the end of January. Usually, there are about 20 to 30 people in attendance.

All are welcome to attend and take part in the Taizé Community on campus. “There is a way in which you go to Taizé scattered, but leave gathered—ready to reflect Christ’s love to the world with confidence, fearlessness and joy,” said Jordan. At its core, Taizé strives to be a quiet, peaceful reflective space for one to go and worship in a relaxed and solemn way.  Jordan’s final comments on Taizé were of its necessity on campus. He said, “[The services] provide a very different and very helpful form of worship for over-busy, over-anxious, over-tired college students”.

Taizé takes place in the Wesley Chapel, and the next service is scheduled for the month of March.

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Stories In Focus

Women’s March on Washington Draws Houghtonites to D.C.

On Saturday, January 21, approximately 500,000 citizens from across the United States flooded the streets of the nation’s capital city to participate in the Women’s March on Washington. Among the marchers were Houghton’s own Kristina LaCelle-Peterson, professor of Religion, and Nancy Murphy, Title IX Coordinator and Counselor, and several other Houghton alumni and current students.

According to NPR, the march, which began at 1:15 p.m. on Independence Avenue near the U.S. Capitol building, was organized by a national committee of women with the intention of promoting social justice for all. Their official website says that their mission is to “stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families – recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.” In regards to the march, they wrote, “This march is the first step towards unifying our communities, grounded in new relationships, to create change from the grassroots level up…we work peacefully while recognizing there is no true peace without justice and equity for all.”

The march attracted citizens from at least 40 states, including New York. LaCelle-Peterson found out about the march through the newspaper, Facebook, and a number of environmental and other justice oriented groups. When asked why she decided to attend, she said, “I wanted to march to raise my voice against the hatefulness of the rhetoric of the administration that came to power.” She added, “As a Christian person I am saddened that millions of people have been insulted, as if they are not human beings made in the image of God and worthy of respect.” LaCelle-Peterson also marched to push for stronger environmental policies, and to stand against wage suppressions, the removal of worker protections, and the reduction of social programs that will affect women and children living in poverty. She emphasized Martin Luther King Jr.’s framework for nonviolence. She stated, “The organizers make clear that this is not a movement against specific politicians but against policies that would make it hard for the vulnerable in society to thrive.”

Murphy also found out about the Women’s March via Facebook, and was immediately responsive to the event. She commented, “I felt deep down that I must go.” Women’s issues have always been important to Murphy, especially in her professional life. Her job often involves working with those who are vulnerable. She mentioned a feeling of helplessness when seeing the injustices that affect many people, especially women, and knew that she must do something. In this case, she wanted to stand in solidarity with those who are vulnerable. She chose to march for the safety and welfare of women, and for the healthy treatment of everyone. Additionally, she expressed her sadness over the support of an insensitive man to vulnerable people, “Christians are called to reconciliation and healing.” Murphy also added that she hoped the march would not be a reflection on the divided and angry feelings of the people, but a show of positivity and solidarity.

According to their website, the Women’s March on Washington is a branch of Women’s March Global, a larger organization committed to women’s rights priorities in health, economic security, representation, and safety. WMG states, “Women’s March Global seeks to build local coalitions of grassroots organizers and empower them as part of a sustainable global network.”

In addition to the  marching in Washington on Saturday, about 300 sister marches took place in other cities in the U.S. and around the world, on all 7 continents. Locally, there were marches in Buffalo, Seneca Falls, and Rochester. Kimberly Eclipse, Administrative Assistant in the Counseling Center, attended the march in Buffalo. She commented, “It was a positive, peaceful, empowering, family-friendly event. We demanded that our new political leaders maintain, not dismantle, the progress our country has made in granting increased equality and justice for all groups of people.”

 

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It’s All About the Climb: Houghton’s Rock Wall

Campus Club Invites Students to Climb Rock Wall Weekly

Three nights a week, students have the opportunity to boulder and belay down the wall of the auxiliary gym, where of the campus rock wall is located.  The wall is open each Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights for free climb time, facilitated by students who are trained to run the wall. Anyone can show up and join, even if they do not have any prior experience with rock climbing.

Photo by: Michael Sievers
Photo by: Michael Sievers

Jackson Baker ’18 has been working at the wall for two years, and has been running the Climbing Club for one year. “We have people that stay for all two hours and we have people that pop in for twenty minutes after going for a run,” he said. “I really love the atmosphere that the wall has. People are usually hesitant when they first come, but it’s a really laid-back vibe, good music and lots of just hanging out and talking.”

The purpose of the Climbing Club is to teach people to climb and encourage them to be active and challenged on the wall. They work to maintain a non-competitive atmosphere that is easy to join in to from the moment one steps into the auxiliary gym for the first time. Wesley Payette ’17 has been involved with climbing ever since his freshman year. He said, “My favorite part of climbing is the obvious progress people make after only a few days of coming. It’s a great sport if you want a physical workout and a mental workout at the same time, since climbing a route is like solving a problem.”

On a typical night of climbing, there are between 10 and 30 students who show up. Throughout the night, students take turns trying out different routes and hanging out on the mats to socialize with other climbers. Carina Martin ’18, who has been a part of the Climbing Club for about a year and a half, talked about what a typical night of climbing looks like for her. She said, “I get to the wall, warm up a little bit on some routes that I know well, and then move on some more challenging projects.” She has enjoyed being a part of the club and has fun with the people she has climbed with. She added, “That casual, friendly atmosphere was what made me fall in love with the sport.”

Along with open nights of climbing during the week, the club has occasional planned events. They show climbing films, and they are hoping to plan trips to other climbing locations, including the Red Barn climbing gym at RIT. They also want to spend more time at outdoor climbing locations in the area once the weather gets warmer.

The Climbing Club meets 7 to 9 p.m. on Mondays and 8 to10 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays  in the Nielsen Center.

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United in Worship and Christ // Houghton Hosts Roberts for Night of Worship

Photo courtesy of Houghton SGA

Students from Roberts Wesleyan College came to campus to worship, united with Houghton students. The event, which took place in the recital hall on November 8 at 8 p.m. was run by the Student Government Association, and was intended as a way to unify the two colleges in their Christian worship. The night consisted of  worship songs, prayer, and refreshments, all in the pursuit of unity between the two student bodies.

Melissa MacLean ‘17, Executive Officer of Spiritual Life, began this event last year. She said, “It all started as a dream of mine freshman year to bring the two opposing schools under one roof as worshippers of the same God.” At the time, she said, “…I didn’t have the resources to make it happen, so I left it as a dream and prayer for God to fulfill one day.” That dream, according to MacLean, was able to become a reality two years later when she “was elected into the position of Chaplain.”

Last year, the event included worship and prayer together, led by teams of students from both colleges. Ian DeHaas ’17 has been involved in the worship portion of the night both years. He said, “There’s something unique about a night of worship. Even more than the obligation of Sunday morning, the people who come out to worship together are really invested because they chose to be there. We sing together, we pray together and we remember who we are.”

This year’s event had the same format as last year’s: two colleges coming together to worship. Emily Barry ’17, another Houghton student involved in the leadership of UNITED, said, “The goal of the event is for us to come together as one body of Christ in a clear and tangible way, by worshipping and praying alongside one another. It was a beautiful and powerful testimony to see students coming together like that.”

That Friday, the leaders of UNITED were happy to see the recital hall filled again for a second year as Houghton welcomed a group of Roberts students to campus. DeHaas stated, “Once again, it was good to see the recital hall filled. We had time to pray for one another and time to connect afterward with some of the folks from Roberts. All around, it was a blessing and encouragement to see the two student bodies come together as Christ’s body.”

Now that the second year of UNITED at Houghton has taken place, the organizers are looking to the future of the event. Melissa MacLean said, “I hope to make it an annual event for the two schools, as we otherwise don’t have much contact other than sports.”

Despite the rivalry between Houghton and Roberts Wesleyan, events like the UNITED Night of Worship continue to remind students that both of these Christian colleges exist for the same reason, to bring glory to God.