Author: Dani Eaton

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Campus News

Photo Classes Restructured

This summer, art professor, Ryann Cooley, restructured the photography courses offered at Houghton College.

When Cooley came to Houghton in 2013 and began teaching photography there were only two courses offered, Foundations of Photography and Advanced Topics in Photography. Foundations of Photography, according to Cooley, is a black and white film class which “spent most of the time learning techniques through the chemistry, printing, and camera functions.”

Advanced Topics in Photography, however, focused more on elements of photography beyond the darkroom.

Lighting StudioRGBCooley, however, felt it was not particularly advanced. This largely had to do with the lack of time to teach more than just the basics. “There’s not enough time to really go into everything in any kind of detail. You’re kind of glazing over everything,” he said. “I wanted to offer more depth for people that really wanted more out of photography.”

According to Cooley, one of the new classes, Introduction to Digital Photography, is a better way to teach beginning photography. In Foundations of Photography, film was processed, or developed, the traditional way in the darkroom, making the process much longer. Cooley said, “You don’t get to see the results until you’ve processed, printed, and you finally get to look at it.” Variables like exposure, development, and printing of the film could affect the outcome of the photo. A student would not be able to see the results of a single photo until the week long printing process was completed.

The Introduction to Digital Photography class still teaches all the fundamentals of photography, but allows students to learn the same things they would have learned in Foundations of Photography, but a much faster pace. Cooley said, “I can do it in 2-3 weeks versus 7-8 weeks in the film class.”

This also allowed Cooley to bring in some of the topics typically learned in Advanced Topics in Photography. “So not only do they learn how to use the function of the camera, but they also get to learn how to make a good picture,” said Cooley. “I think it’s a much more fuller class to take things further.” The original black and white film class, Cooley says, will become more ‘exploratory,’ “it’s kind of more of a fine arts class because people aren’t using film so much, everything’s digital these days.” The Advanced Topics class will now serve as more of a thought based photography class, discovering the ramifications and effects that photographs have.

In addition to restructuring the photography courses, a new lighting studio was added to the inside of the Stevens Art Studios. A lighting studio is a space that allows for the creation, control, and modification of light in a photograph. Lighting, according to Cooley, is essential to photography, “Lighting is so fundamental to photography itself that I wanted to designate an entire course to just lighting.”

The lighting class, utilizes both the studio and natural, outside light. “The fall gives us a good range where we can learn how to use outdoor lighting and modify that lighting,” Cooley said. “Then we can also spend time indoors learning how to control the lighting and create the lighting, versus just the lighting we’re given through nature.”

Assistant professor of art and printmaking, Alicia Taylor, thinks the addition of the lighting studio will be beneficial for many students, “The lighting studio is really great opportunity for students to have experience in both a commercial setting and setting up their own dynamic photoshoots, whether it’s still life photography or portrait photography.” Taylor said,  “It really expands the program to be more competitive with bigger schools that have a lot large facilities and more access to equipment.

Junior, Elizabeth Vigna, pursues photography in her free time and thinks the addition of classes will add variety and be helpful to many. He said, “Having a substitute for lighting during the winter time will be really useful, I had to teach myself, so taking that class would be really cool because there’s probably a lot of stuff I’ve missed.”
Lastly, the Professional Practices class, the last of the new photography classes, will focus on photography in the professional world. This entails learning the business side of running a photography business and creating a marketable portfolio.

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News

Three Faculty Hired for Next Year

Last fall, several new faculty were hired in the music, math, and communication departments. Brandon Bate, Sarah Hutchings, and Madison Murphy were hired in the fall of ‘14 and will continue on as part of the faculty in the fall of ‘15. According to the Dean of the College, Linda Mills Woolsey, both Bate, assistant professor of mathematics, and Hutchings, assistant professor of music theory and composition, “will be returning, moving from interim positions to longer term positions.” Both Bate and Hutchings will be on the Full Time Tenure Track. Bates, an ‘04 Houghton College alumni, is excited to continue on in the math department, “I feel blessed to be able to continue with the college in a tenure-track position.”

FancherAlso on the Full Time Tenure Track is newly hired Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics, Jason Bintz. Bintz, who graduated from Covenant College in ‘03, will begin teaching applied math in the fall of ‘15.

Murphy, a Houghton College ‘11 alumni and interim assistant professor of media arts and visual communication, will also be staying on as a second year interim professor. Murphy, specializes in 3D visualization and animation, will continue to assist the communication department.

In addition to newly hired faculty returning, there will be more hires within the math, recreation, and biology departments. Laura Alexichik, who has taught for Houghton before and is an ‘01 Houghton alumni, will begin the fall of ‘15 as an Interim Adjunct Professor of Recreation. Also new to faculty next fall will be Rebecca Williams. Williams, who graduated from the University of Windsor in ‘08, will be an Assistant Professor of Biology.

The college had a total of 11 faculty searches for this academic year. There were two failed searches, one in the communication department and another in the science department. Woolsey said, “We did not have a strong enough candidate pool for Web Design and we made an offer in Biochemistry but the candidate declined the offer.”

Offers have also been made to candidates in art, accounting, finance, and one will soon be made in voice. The college is currently awaiting answers from the potential faculty members.

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News

Thrift Sale Success for Salvation Army

On Tuesday March 24, the Salvation Army Student Fellowship (SASF) held their annual thrift store sale in the basement of the Campus Center.

The thrift sale, which happens once a semester, uses clothes, accessories, and other various items from the Salvation Army Store in Wellsville, New York as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army World Missions program. World Missions, according to Salvation Army Officer David Means, refers to “The Salvation Army’s ministries around the world.”

ThritingRGBPresent in around 128 countries across the world, the Salvation Army funds a variety of services, each dedicated to serving those who are in need. According to Means, a few of such services include churches, hospitals, orphanages, after school programs, agriculture schools, schools for the blind, and even micro loan programs.

All of the money raised during the thrift sale held on campus each semester, as well as day to day proceeds from the thrift store in Wellsville are put towards ministries and other various programs funded by world missions. Each year, according to Means, the thrift store in Wellsville sets a goal of $4,000 with the thrift sale normally contributing between $1,600 and $1,800.

With the fall sale alone raising the amount normally made with both sales and an additional $800 raised with the current sale, this year’s sales, Means said, “blew past years out of the water.” In total, SASF and the thrift sale, Means said, “raised about $2,400 for Salvation Army World Services.”

In addition to helping fund World Services, SASF President, Heather Hart ‘15, said the sale is usually a lot of fun as well, “It’s always exciting to see what outfit combinations people come up with.

Overall, Hart calls the sale a “win-win situation.” She said, “The thing I love about it is that, not only are we able to provide Houghton students and other people in Houghton with awesome clothes and things, but we’re also able to help raise money to help people around the world.”

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International News

Shooting in Tunisia Museum

On Wednesday, March 16, gunmen entered and open fired on The Bardo Museum in Tunisia killing 19 people and injuring at least 20 more.

The museum, according to CNN, is housed in a 19th century palace, and calls itself “a jewel of Tunisian heritage.” The museum hosts exhibits featuring art, culture and history, marble sculptures, furniture, jewels, and mosaics dating from the back to the Roman and Carthaginian era, including one of the widely known poet, Virgil.

imgresAccording to Reuters, a London based news agency, the gunmen, dressed in military uniforms, stepped off of a bus and began open firing on tourists. Two of the gunmen then fled inside the museum with hostages.The two gunmen inside the building were later killed and are believed to be Tunisians, while the other three gunmen are still believed to be at large. Their identities, as well as their motives remain unclear.

Among the dead were five Japanese tourists and visitors from Poland, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as at least one Tunisian native, according to Reuters. In addition to the deaths, there were another 20 tourists and two Tunisians wounded in the attack.

While there is no solid evidence linking ISIS to the attack, many factors are forming suspicion of the influence of the Islamic State. The biggest factor causing suspicion, according to The New York Times, was the celebration of the attacks by ISIS supporters via social media which cited a video released by supporters in December that claimed there were ‘more attacks to come.’ Boubakr Hakim, a Tunisian militant, urged for the support of the Islamic state and claimed responsibility for the assassinations of two liberal Tunisian politicians and warned authorities, “You will not live in safety as long as Tunisia is not ruled by Islam.”

Another one of the largest indicators of the Islamic State’s involvement with the shooting is, according to New York Times, it’s emergence as one of the largest sources of foreign fighters joining ISIS. According to The International Centre for the Study of Radicalization in London, “Up to 3,000 Tunisians are believed to have traveled to Iraq and Syria to fight as jihadists, more than any other country.” While the country has not experienced as much violence as other nations that were part of the Arab Spring, it has experienced its share of outbreaks and protests. The Arab Spring, which took place in Tunisia, sparked protests throughout North Africa and the Middle East and was a revolutionary wave of non-violent and violent demonstrations, protests, and civil wars that took place in the Arab world.

Despite Tunisia’s transition from dictatorship to dictatorship, it’s recent completion of presidential and parliamentary elections, and “ a peaceful handover of political power from one governing party to another,” authorities have struggled to handle periodic attacks by Islamic extremists. According to CNN, in February 2015, Tunisia’s Interior Ministry announced the arrests of about 100 alleged extremists, and “published a video allegedly showing that the group possessed a formula for making explosives and a photograph of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”

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Opinions

Poverty Does Not Discriminate

2013: My senior year of high school. The year 45.3 million people were living in poverty. The year my family qualified for welfare. The year I was fully submerged in microaggressions when people realized I was poor.

‘College is really expensive, Dani.’ ’You know you’ll have to work, right? Students don’t get welfare.’ ‘Can you afford a school like that?’ Peers, teachers, and advisors thought they were just ‘looking out for me.’ They meant no harm, they were just trying to prepare me for the real world, right? Wrong. Every reference to my socio-economic status and recommendation for an ‘affordable community college’ was laced with an implied assumption of failure.

DaniThough the ‘American dream’ has been the motto for success, America was built by and for the privileged. While there may be some exceptions, most, if not all of our founding fathers were college educated, and from middle and upper class families. Society has continually changed, however, poverty has not. It has come to be seen as the black plague of modern America; the illness one no one wants to contract, yet so many are infected with.

One specifically horrific side effect of such an ailment includes the use of government assistance. People are so afraid of this symptom that they are going hungry to avoid it. They are ashamed, ashamed at the prospect of humiliation and judgment. Shame is defined as a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior. Poverty is not shameful; what is shameful is making people feel as though it should be. Defining who people are based on their socio-economic status is shameful. Treating the poor as if they are lepers is shameful. And accepting government assistance when you have no other way to provide for your family is most certainly not shameful.

Dani_QuoteRecently I saw a photo that was supposed to be a comparison between the refrigerator in a middle class home and a jobless home. The fridge in the jobless home was filled to the brim with name brand foods and drinks. The middle class fridge, however, was nearly empty, containing just a few items. The sharing of this photo on social media and online forums contributes to the stream of stereotypes surrounding government assistance. These stereotypes provide perceived justification of microaggressions.

Poverty does not discriminate. Despite popular belief, it does not just affect the lazy, the drug addicts, or the alcoholics. America is a prideful nation, we do not like to admit failure. Poverty is perceived as failure; failure to succeed, failure to provide, and failure of fulfilling dreams. The constant reminder of failure through microaggressions is painful. Imagine if you needed a tutor to pass a class and people subtly reminded you on a daily basis that you needed someone else’s help in order to succeed.  You would probably feel offended and hurt. This is exactly how people living in poverty feel when they’re subjected to microaggressions.

Poverty is not a disease. Poverty, like any trial presented in one’s life, is an opportunity to glorify God. The poor are not exempt from God’s love, so why does society treat them like outcasts? No more. No more shaming. No more reminders. No more judgment. Jesus did not avoid the poor, he did not cast them out, and he did not make them feel poorly about their financial status. He dined with them, he prayed with them, but most importantly, he loved them.

So be conscious of what you say. Words, judgements, and stereotypes can be sharper than knives, and just as damaging.

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News

ISIS Beheads Egyptian Christians

Last weekend, a video surfaced of the Jihadist group, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), showing the beheadings of 21 men. All of these men except one, according to National Public Radio (NPR), were Christian laborers from Egypt.

article-coptic16n-6-webBeheadings have not been uncommon for ISIS. On August 13, 2014 ISIS released a video showing the beheading of U.S. journalist and ISIS hostage, James Foley. On September 13, 2014, yet another video, this time showing the murder of British aid worker, David Haines, is released. Then once more on October 3 and once again November 16, 2014 ISIS released videos of the deaths of British minicab driver, Alan Henning, and U.S. aid worker, Peter Kassig.

This particular set of murders by ISIS differs than the previous. According to Abraham Bashr Aziz, who was present during the kidnapping and is also a brother of one of the deceased, ISIS was specifically looking hostages who were Christian. He said, “I heard them screaming, and I heard them asking about the Christians. They just came to kidnap the Christians.” The kidnapping, however, was not random. According to NPR, the gunmen who came to kidnap Aziz, along with his friends and relatives, had a list of names. Aziz was one of the names on the list.

Egypt’s response to the beheadings was one of violence and retaliation. According to CNN Sunday, Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi proclaimed his country “reserves the right of retaliation and with the methods and timing it sees fit for retribution for those murderers and criminals who are without the slightest humanity.” According to Reuters, an international news agency based in London, on Monday, February 16, Egyptian jet bombed Islamic State targets in Libya. An umbrella group of Islamists in Derna reported the bombing had killed women and children, and in addition warned Egypt of a “harsh and painful” response to come.

The terror from ISIS, however, did not stop there. According to CNN, an Iraqi official has recently confirmed that the town of al-Baghdadi, located in the province of Anbar, has been burned to the ground. With this town an additional 40 officers and tribesmen were burned alive. While the group has not posted photos of the murders on social media as they have in the past, there is reason to believe the Jihadist group is solely responsible for the murders and destruction. The proof comes from the social media updates bragging of their control of al-Baghdadi via photographs. These photographs included images of the recognizable government buildings in al-Baghdadi, along with corpses of the Iraqi joint forces located there.

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News

Student Developed Studio Produces 3D Animation

Ice Nine Studios, a student developed production studio, has started work on their first project, a 3D animation called Allice.

Allice, according to Collin Belt ‘15 and Matt Grim ’16, is similar to Pixar’s Wall-E. In an apocalyptic ice age where nothing can unfreeze the planet, a robot, Allice, has been sent to do the impossible: thaw the ice. Allice, who Belt described as a “determined robot,” like anyone on a mission, faces her share of challenges and obstacles while attempting to melt the ice nine. After a while, however, she meets a ‘child-like’ robot named Delta and then, Belt says, “She sort of learns how to develop her own purpose after meeting this friend she didn’t know she wanted.”

Animation_CollinBeltThe inspiration for the name of the studio came from Allice because this is the studio’s first production. Ice Nine Studios team is made up of Houghton students Hosanna Gifford ’16, Grim, and Belt. Each student places a different role on the team, making the project a collaboration each of their different talents and skills.

The idea for a studio started with Grim, who designs both the sound and music for Allice. He first had the idea of creating a studio with friends to produce portfolio pieces for future job experience. This thought became a reality when both Belt and Grim decided to form Ice Nine Studios. Grim said, “It was originally conceived as a way for us to work together and create great art, and it just kind of escalated from there.”

The film however, which is being used for Professor Madison Murphy’s class, Media Arts: Advanced Projects, started long before the class with a significant amount of pre-production from the team. Part of this pre-production included forming the team that now makes up the studio. After decided to form a studio, Belt, who does the animation of the production, and Grim contacted Gifford about writing the script for Allice. According to Gifford, the production has been based on collaborative, with everyone contributing equally to the film, “Honestly, I don’t feel very much as far as writing just because we work together.” This, Murphy said, will work in their favor, “They have the kind of relationship that if they want to go to work at a distance on projects together, that could happen.”

According to Gifford the process can be difficult at times because they’re all still learning and said, “It’s definitely a labor of love because we don’t know what’s going on all the time. So it’s a matter of trying to do the best we can with what we know, and figuring out what to do with what we don’t know.” Murphy, however, has been assisting the team with the production process starting last semester by providing critiques and assisting the team where she can, “Really my role has been giving them framework, insight, and lots and lots of critique, like ‘yes this is working, no this isn’t working, and have you thought about this? This is going to be a problem for you later on.’”

Murphy, while providing lots of critique, is also extremely optimistic about the future of Ice Nine Studios, “I think they’re going to be hugely successful if they keep up at this pace.” Murphy said she sees Allice going far beyond just being a project for the class and is also helping the team prepare for that as well, “As I watch them go through the steps I can notice ‘oh that might be a problem for you later on, why don’t you start thinking about it now’”? One of the largest preparations for the final production of the film, which Murphy says won’t take place until about April or March, will be rendering. Rendering is the process of building output files from computer animations, or the process of taking something from a computer and putting it on a screen. In this process there are many things that can go wrong causing for delays in deadlines and many other problems. To prepare for the rendering the team has been doing rendering tests to prevent such problems from arising.

According to Grim, the reaction to Allice has been positivity and support, so much so that they want Ice Nine Studios to carry on after they leave Houghton, “With all the press that Allice has been getting and the great response from everybody in general, the way things are going we’re looking into the possibility of making Ice Nine Studios an actual, ligament arts studio after we graduate.”

Murphy is looking forward to seeing what comes of Ice Nine Studios and it’s team saying, “They’re all exceptional people, and I’m excited.”

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News

Successful First Honors Weekend

Last weekend marked the beginning of the honors weekends as Houghton hosted 33 potential students and their families, a significant increase from last year.
This success is a result of changes not only to the honors program, but the approach to the weekend was slightly different as well. One of the most substantial changes, according to Director of Honors Programs, Benjamin Lipscomb, is the addition of the Honors in London program. Honors in London will be reintroduced as an option for current prospective students after a four year absence from the honors curriculum offerings. Elizabeth Rutledge, Assistant Director for Admission Events and Office Operations, thinks it will also attract more potential students.“We believe that the return of Honors in London will help attract additional students to Honors at Houghton,” said Rutledge. “We are excited to see how many students choose to join the Houghton community.”

Another contributing factor to the success of the weekend, according to Lipscomb, was the date of the event. While the decision to schedule the event so early in the semester and during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend was partly due to scheduling restraints, it was a strategic decision as well.

In previous years the event had fallen on the Friday after Martin Luther King Jr. day, and only 11 or 12 students were able to attend. Lipscomb thinks this hurt their outcome, stating, “If you’re a family visiting colleges, you might well have used that three-day weekend for that purpose.  You’d be less likely, then, to sign up for an honors weekend right afterward.” Lipscomb also credits admissions counselors for encouraging students to come to the first event, rather than waiting. According to Lipscomb, this works to Houghton’s advantage, “All the data suggest that the earlier we complete our process and get students a decision about honors, the likelier they are to commit to Houghton.”

However, sophomore Ian Patrick said that when he interviewed for the honors program the date of the event was not a factor for him, “I don’t think it would have mattered so much, for me anyways, because I was more interested in the subject matter.” Patrick said one of the main reasons he chose Houghton, as opposed to other colleges, was due to his acceptance into the honors program.

The last change made to the event was the decision to invite alumni to come and help interview. This helps Houghton tighten connections with its alumni, as well as introducing prospective students to honors program veterans. The alumni interviewers provide a unique perspective, Lipscomb said, “as the alums could reflect on how an interviewee would have fit into their honors cohort.” The success of this weekend is a promising start to the search for next year’s honors class.

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News

Student Action Leads to Gender Discussion

Every Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. in the Lennox Dining Hall, a group of students and faculty meet to discuss issues regarding gender and women’s rights issues. This group, Students for Gender Equality, is a new addition to the Houghton community. The discussion for the group started last fall with junior, Jessica Vaughn, and, Sarah Derck, assistant professor of Old Testament.

SarahDerck_GenderEqualityThat discussion, Vaughn said, generated the idea for the group and the need for it’s presence on campus, “Dr. Derck and I were talking about how Houghton is not always friendly when it comes to gender issues, and how there might be a need for a place for women who felt like the atmosphere was hurting them to go and meet.”

According to Vaughn, from there the idea of the group snowballed. After leaving campus for a  semester, Vaughn reconvened in this fall with the group, who, in her absence, had done a mentoring program, formed a name, and now had a sense of direction. The group of students and faculty, originally known as Deborah’s Daughters, included Vaughn; Houghton professor, Kristina Lacelle-Peterson; 2011 alumni, Rebecca Rowley; VOCA director, Kim Pool; junior, Carly Congilosi; senior, Megan Miles; and senior, Hope Schwartz.

The group then began meeting in peoples’ homes and discussing their options for the current academic year. From these meetings came the idea of a lunch discussion open to students and faculty, including both men and women alike. According to Vaughn, the idea of lunch discussions combined both the idea of talking about gender related justice issues, “along with the idea that we might be able to bring the conversation to a more public sphere” outside of the lunch conversations.

Since then the group has met almost every Thursday this semester, has discussed a variety of topics, and even took a trip to Seneca Falls, the location of the first women’s rights convention. According to junior, Emma Brittain, some of the topics talked about during lunches have included “using gender neutral language for God, the negative impacts of certain gender related expectations on society and the church, and basically how we as the church can improve how we handle issues like this.”

Screen Shot 2014-12-08 at 1.12.09 AMWhile the original intent of the group was an open discussion for both men and women, junior, Stacia Gehman, said one thing the group is lacking is a male presence. “It makes me sad that they don’t feel comfortable enough to come,” Gehman said. “I feel like a lot of them feel like a lot of them feel like it’s just going to be this feminist hate fest, and we’re all going to be like ‘you suck’ and that’s really not how it is.”

Brittain describes Students for Gender Equality as “a discussion group on campus that hopes to be men and women uniting in Christ to fight injustices related to gender issues.” Vaughn said her goal for the group would a ultimately to be a consistent group that is affiliated with SGA which continues on a yearly basis and is not contingent based on the amount participation the group experiences in each given year. The group has already begun the paperwork to gain unofficial club status within the SGA, which will hopefully lead to the establishment of Students for Gender Equality as an official student club on campus. In addition to attempting to gain club status, the group is also hoping to have an active role in the planning of Take Back the Night, a world-wide event that promotes the safety of women and the hope that one day woman will be able to walk in the dark without fear.

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News

Buffalo Slammed By Snow

The Buffalo Region, including numerous Houghton College students, alumni, faculty, and staff residing in the Buffalo area, were hit by a large winter storm Tuesday morning. The storm, which originated in Siberia, formed when a high-pressure system over the West Coast stretched up through Alaska and a low-pressure system over central U.S. created a trough. Cold air then migrated over the North Pole, and rolled South through the trough, which resulted in freezing temperatures across Canada and the entirety of the U.S., according to PBS. Record low temperatures were reported across all 50 states and reached areas as far as parts of the Caribbean.

MattVoganSouthern areas of Buffalo received upwards of 60 inches in less than 24 hours, and as of Wednesday, were projected to accumulate two and a half additional feet overnight. Sarah Stupke, a senior who is student teaching in Buffalo this semester, said, “I have never seen so much snow in my entire life.” The snow crippled the area, shutting down Interstate 90, leaving people stranded in their cars for days at a time. The amount and weight of the snow made rescue efforts difficult, resulting in in a total of seven storm related fatalities. One of those fatalities was the death of a 49-year-old man in Alden, whose car was buried in 12 to 15 feet of snow when he was found.

Houghton professors who live in or around the Buffalo area have taken precautions in regards to commuting to work by cancelling class or holding classes via Skype. Some students, however, have had no choice but to prolong their travel plans. Hayley Day, a senior who is studying off campus in Buffalo this semester, was stranded in Washington D.C. when flights on Monday were cancelled. As of Wednesday night, Day doesn’t know when she’ll be able to fly back to Buffalo.

In addition to impacting the Buffalo area, the closed interstate and roads have affected the Houghton College campus, prolonging the delivery of fruit for Sodexo food services. The storm has also prevented the trip to Buffalo, organized by the senior class, to watch the premiere of The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1 in Cheektowaga.

The snow didn’t only bury airports and interstates, but also covered schools and homes. Ryan O’Vell, a senior who is also student teaching in Buffalo this semester, said, “The school I am supposed to be teaching at is buried under several feet of snow. I have only gone to school Monday, and it looks like that may be all for this week.”

JosephOsborne_DoorWhile some were prevented from going to work, many Buffalo residents have been unable to leave their homes. Both Stupke and Josh Phelps, a 2014 graduate, have been unable to leave their residences. “We’ve gotten about 5 feet of snow, and can’t really leave the house without getting lost in the snow,” Stupke said. “Today was the first we were finally able to see the houses across the street for the first time since Monday night.”

Phelps, however, is maintaining a positive attitude and considers himself lucky. “Because of the road closures and travel bans I haven’t been able to go anywhere including work. Luckily we have enough food and everything, so not leaving the house isn’t a big deal,” he said. “We didn’t get too much snow here, at least compared to just a couple miles north like my uncle, who lives in West Seneca, has about 4.5 feet of snow and has been trapped in his house since Monday night. I talked to him today, and he doesn’t think he’ll be able to get out until this weekend at the earliest.”

Despite the trials that the storm presented, the people of Buffalo have pulled together to help one another. The Buffalo Bills, in need of assistance clearing their stadium in preparation for their upcoming game on Sunday against the New York Jets, offered locals $10 an hour for shoveling snow, and even game tickets depending on how many hours they worked.

Sarah Hutchinson, a 2014 graduate, said Buffalo has been living up to it’s title as the ‘City of Good Neighbors.’ “I’ve been hearing many stories of Buffalonians doing all they can to help each other out,” she said. “Yesterday, I talked to a guy who spent his morning rescuing six Burmese refugees who were trapped in the snow after working a midnight shift. Stories like this really make me appreciate where I live, even if it snows five feet before Thanksgiving.”

Stupke is asking for prayers, not for herself, but for those who the storm has left stranded. “Please pray for all of those who are stranded without food, or are in their cars,” Stupke said. “Pray that people get to them soon, and get them to safety.”