Author: Houghton STAR

An opportunity has arisen for Houghton to create a policy that ensures the use of sustainably-sourced printer paper for its academic departments. Sustainably-sourced paper is not necessarily 100% recycled, but is chlorine-free, sourced from responsibly-logged forests, and has some recycled content. Most paper is made through irresponsible logging methods that have negative effects on biodiversity (important for the roles each species has in sustainability), virgin growth forests (meaning old forests that have never been touched), and local environments. Standard paper production techniques release enormous amounts of chlorine and other toxic chemicals into the environment, resulting in major pollution problems for local communities.

Many faculty members already try to use as little paper as possible, which I really appreciate. However, when professors do feel the need to print things, why not print on paper that hasn’t destroyed an ecosystem, been illegally logged, or polluted the environment with toxic chemicals?

Making the switch to sustainably-sourced paper brings us one step closer to living in sync with what we say we care about. Back in 2008, President Mullen signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment which shows Houghton’s ongoing commitment to reducing our impact on the environment. We’ve done a lot already. Our cleaning products are earth-friendly, we have hand-dryers in most bathrooms, we have motion-activated lights, our printers are set to save paper by printing on both sides, we have composting at the townhouses, we have recycling bins absolutely everywhere, we have energy-efficient laundry facilities, I already mentioned that many faculty members have committed to using less paper… oh yeah, and we have a solar ray! Switching to sustainably-sourced paper is consistent with what we are already doing. Therefore it is clear: we should make this step towards further improvement.

If this policy were implemented, the college would only see an overall annual increase of about $1,200 which covers all departments. Half of the departments would see less than a $10 increase in costs and 85% of departments would see less than a $30 increase in costs. There is no difference in paper quality and we would be buying third-party certified paper, ensuring environmental responsibility.

Administration wants to see student interest in sustainably-sourced paper before making a decision. Students purchasing paper at the campus store have already shown a willingness to pay $1.50 more for recycled-content paper. Twenty percent of paper sales at the Campus Store are from sustainably-sourced paper already. I urge students who do not already purchase sustainably sourced paper to make this small personal sacrifice and do so.

Lauren Bechtel, the driving force behind this proposed change, reports that the petition has 152 respondents so far, with a 4:1 Student to Faculty/Staff participation. Thus far,  96% of responses have been positive, and Lauren welcomes any comments in a box provided in the survey. The petition/survey will close on April 13, 2015. Do your part and share your student voice in support of this cause.

As Christians we are to be examples in stewardship. We imitate God when we care for his earth and the people who live here. Not only is creation care Biblical, it is one of the simplest ways we can affect the lives of people living around the world. Sure, cheaper paper saves some money, but the problem with cheap things is that someone is paying for that lower price and it is usually those who can afford it least. With cheaper paper, the communities affected by chemical pollution and deforestation pay the price. Surely Houghton can afford to absorb the cost it takes to produce something that we use to our benefit. It is simple: we should make this change for the better.

Last week’s STAR described recent mandates concerning the 1972 Federal law on gender equity known as “Title IX” to the problem of relationship violence on campuses.  Students at Houghton can celebrate that they live in an environment free of much of the outwardly destructive behavior that characterizes many schools.   What, then, does Title IX have to do with Houghton?   The goal of Title IX at Houghton is to promote the education of students, specifically as this relates to Houghton Goal #5:  “Ground students in a strong biblical worldview in the Wesleyan tradition that allows them to be deeply and thoughtfully Christian so as to transform culture through redeeming action.”    Much of the conversation I hear around campus falls short of the standard of being “deep” or “thoughtful” and much of our energy seems devoted to defending a particular stereotyped vision of gender roles rather than invested in “redeeming action”.   Houghton must do a better job of preparing its students to be leaders in the area of gender equity.

Former President Jimmy Carter’s A Call to Action:  Women, Religion, Violence, and Power states, “ . . . in my opinion, Jesus Christ was the greatest liberator of women in a society where they had been considered throughout biblical history to be inferior.”  If we are followers of Christ, we must be fearless in opening ourselves to the possibility that the privileges we enjoy hinder us from seeing the extent of the work yet to be done.   In calling us to be agents of redemption in the world, is Christ calling us to be “Human Rights’ Activists”?  If so, what does this look like?  Perhaps just as importantly, what are the distractions or petty disagreements that seem to draw us away from our calling?

My job as Title IX Coordinator is to encourage thoughtful consideration of questions such as, “In what ways are we influenced by the larger culture regarding gender in a way that is harmful to our understanding of what it means to be created in God’s image?   How do both women and men contribute to and sustain the difficulties we have in relating to one another in Christ-honoring ways?  How does language impact our views of women and men?  What implications are there for using the word ‘girls’ to describe females over 18 and using ‘men’ or ‘guys’ to describe males over 18?   Why don’t we have a universal policy of gender-friendly language for our course syllabi?”

If they are to follow Christ’s lead in gender justice, Houghton graduates must wrestle with questions, such as, Why does the self-confidence of girls decrease sharply just as they reach puberty?  Why is it okay to use disparaging comments when referring to girls and women (e.g. “You throw like a girl” – see SuperBowl 49 commercial)?  Why do women speak less in mixed groups, including during class discussions?  How much should it concern us that the phrase,” I totally raped you!”, is likely to refer to beating someone in a videogame?  Why is it that so many young women, including Christians, feel that they owe a man something if he compliments them and pays attention to them?  How can Christian women be empowered to have a voice and to assert themselves while nurturing the belief that Christians are to place service to others above self?   How does a culture of patriarchy within the church contribute to a climate of female restraint and male entitlement that hinders the full development of both men and women?    How do we respond to the complaint from a sister or brother that something we have said or done has negatively impacted her or him, regardless of any lack of intent to do harm?

Transformation needs to occur, but first we seek the truth with humility. Thankfully, Christ and scriptures such as Galatians 3:28, which states “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”  give us direction.   As Emma Brittain noted in, How Houghton Handles Racism,  “. . . if we are not sensitive to race, we can’t be intentional about combating racism.”    We must open ourselves up to conversations that are difficult, that make us uncomfortable, and on which we disagree. This is the best way to hold ourselves and one another accountable.   There is work to be done at Houghton.