Author: Carina Martin

Winter may have brought bitter winds and piled the hiking trails with snow, but Houghton students are finding other ways to stay active during the colder months. Some of the most popular on-campus options are intramural sports leagues, most of which are currently underway for the spring season.
Houghton students can choose from a wide variety of intramural sports and activities, both indoors and outdoors. The fall semester typically offers men’s and women’s indoor soccer and volleyball, flag football, and co-ed kickball. During the spring, students can participate in a different slate of activities: volleyball, slow pitch softball, and inner tube water polo(all co-ed) as well as men’s and women’s basketball and outdoor soccer.

Intramural sports are a long-standing Houghton tradition which, according to men’s head soccer coach Matthew Webb, is only growing stronger. Volleyball is usually the most popular intramural, though newer offerings like kickball and water polo have also drawn a large number of participants. On the whole, involvement in intramural sports has seen a steady increase over the past few years, with the number of students involved growing from 824 in 2011 to 1,105 last year.

A variety of other activities, such as skiing, rock climbing, and Zumba, while not officially considered intramural sports, are still available to students through the year. Other non-league intramural events have proven popular through the years, from the 3v3 basketball tournament and whiffle ball tournaments to castleball and the ever-popular Soup Run.

Many of these events help to bring Houghton students together with other members of the Houghton community. It can sometimes be difficult to make meaningful connections outside the college, and students shared that intramural events have provided a fun way for them to cultivate friendships with community members. It’s also a great way to build camaraderie with other Houghton students. “Interacting with members of different teams is another aspect of participating in intramural that is also quite fun,” said Aichia Kuwong ‘16, who has participated in intramural soccer, basketball, and kickball.

With students’ busy schedules intramural sports can sometimes seem like a hefty time commitment, especially those that meet late on weekday evenings. Students shared that it can be difficult to make time for more demanding intramurals, especially when also juggling other commitments like evening classes, extracurricular events, and homework.

According to the National Intramural Sports Association, intramural sports provide an effective way for students to cultivate healthy exercise habits along with lifetime leadership skills such as “the ability to think strategically and a penchant to act collaboratively.” Webb agreed, pointing out that “staying active allows for better overalls health,” while being part of a team “allows for a competitive environment and shared experiences amongst friends.”

Intramural sports provide an accessible way to enjoy physical activity without the pressure of competition. Kuwong was quick to praise the program’s unique atmosphere, “It is always fun getting the chance to play sports that I like in a less competitive setting.”

Many athletes appreciate the welcome contrast that intramurals provide to the more competitive environment of intercollegiate sports. “Our varsity sports teams expect us to train consistently in the off-season for the sake of ourselves and the team. Intramurals are for literally anybody to take a swing at and be active a couple nights a week,” shared Justine Phillips ‘18, a member of the Houghton softball team who has also participated in intramural soccer. “The two experiences are 110% different.”
Based on the current success of intramurals at Houghton, the Athletics Department looks forward to growing the program in the future. Webb believes that intramural sports will continue to thrive in years to come. “There is a lot of history and tradition in intramurals,” he said. “It is a great way to get connected, stay connected, and maintain relationships. And it provides for a great study break.”

As students return to Houghton, they have been met with a few changes around campus. A glittering blanket of snow on the ground, French Vanilla coffee creamer in the cafeteria—and a few new faces in the classroom as well. Each January, Houghton welcomes a group of transfer students who have chosen to enroll in the spring semester rather than the fall.

Students chose this path for a wide variety of reasons, some have taken a gap semester for work or service, some have just finished a two-year degree or military training, and some have delayed their enrollment for personal reasons. The amount of spring semester transfers has varied greatly through the years, from as few as 17 to as many as 32. Most of these students have already taken a significant number of credits at other colleges.

Cindy Austin, Admissions Counselor for transfer students, pointed out that Houghton’s atmosphere is often appealing to incoming students who have spent time at other institutions. “Our transfers come in very aware of the differences between us and a school near a city, or a SUNY (State University of New York) school,” she said.  “I think they tend to appreciate those differences more than students might that have come here directly from high school.”

She cited Houghton’s friendly students and faculty, uniquely Christian worldview, and supportive community as qualities that typically attract transfer students to the school. Rachael Cronk ‘18, who transferred to Houghton this January, said the same, “I wanted a college that would allow me to get involved and that had a solid community.”

While spring transfer students do not have the benefit of the Transitions program in the fall, the Center for Academic Success and Advising (CASA) office does operate a special orientation for students who enroll in the spring. This program, while scaled down to accommodate a smaller group of students, aims to give new transfer students the same advantages as students who enroll in the fall. “We want to give students information and awareness of campus resources,“ said Sharon Mulligan, who ran the program for two years. “One of my goals is to help people feel comfortable and connected on campus as soon as possible.”

Even with the assistance of the CASA office, transferring in the spring does present some distinctive challenges. Classes in the spring semester often get off to a brisker start than in the fall, but Austin shared that the Admissions Office makes “a big effort” to remind professors that some of their students are new to Houghton. Most clubs and organizations are already in full swing as well, but transfer students who know how they want to be involved can usually get plugged into extracurricular actives with ease.

However, the social transition isn’t always straightforward. Danielle Bees ’17, who transferred to Houghton in the spring of 2014, said it was sometimes difficult to form new friendships when she arrived. “Everyone had already made their friends and had become adjusted to Houghton, but I was just starting out,” she shared. But she soon found that Houghton students were eager to make connections, “Everyone was really nice and wanted to embrace me as a friend.”
Former transfer students said that students can help make the new students’ transition to Houghton easier by making an effort to reach out.. “Ask them about where they’re from and their experiences at their old college,” Bees suggested. The more friendly and welcoming current students are, the easier it will be for transfer students to make Houghton their home. “It made a big difference to me when people would just stop me and ask if I was new and how everything was going,” said Cronk. “It showed that they noticed that was new and were willing to make an effort to make me feel welcome.”