Author: Joanna Friesen

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Johnny Cash, Longfellow, and Peace.

joanna-friesen-rgb
Photo by: Anthony Burdo

I love Johnny Cash. Yes, I said love. Not like, not appreciate, not admire. Now that that is solidified, onward. Around Advent, my favorite song is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” and particularly the version sung by the aforementioned star of country western. This is adapted from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called “Christmas Bells.” In the piece, Longfellow muses on the centuries-long tradition of the church proclaiming peace in contradiction to Christmas in the midst of the American Civil War. He laments; “and in despair I bowed my head; ‘There is no peace on earth,” I said; “For hate is strong, and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men!’”

How did Longfellow resolve this? He trusted that the witness of peace, even amidst war, would ultimately prevail, although in 1863 he could not see peace immediately. “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:  ‘God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; the Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, with peace on earth, good-will to men.’” Symbolically, bells entail resurrection, celebration, and the marking of occasions.

What are we to do in the tensions of life? War and peace. Refugees and comfortable American suburbanites. Historical witness and present reality. Especially in Christmas, there is the age-old temptation to suspend reality and exist in a sugar-coated bubble. Turn on “Frosty the Snowman,” decorate a fake tree, spray pine perfume on it, veg out on frosted cookies, exchange gifts churned out in the factory of big box stores and materialism, and call it a night.

I really don’t like Christmas music. The music that fits at Christmas time are the songs that get at this tension. These are the songs that are honest about the disjunctions of life, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus,” “I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day,” and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” These songs admit that there is a gap between the hopes of Christmas, and the present reality. Although we celebrate, we recognize that peace is not normative, and must continue to be hoped for, even 2,000 years plus down the line.

joannaquoteWe celebrate that Christ has come, yet in the same story Herod is slaughtering the innocents, and the holy family flees to Egypt as refugees. There is an expectation of peace, and an “already but not yet” tension. How can we celebrate Christmas, yet witness in faithfulness that acknowledges the tension?

For the sake of the full circle, back to Johnny Cash. My favorite song of his is “Man in Black”. Here, he describes the purpose of his wardrobe. He consistently wore black, and if you listen to them right, most of his songs were preacher-songs, describing the pain and the ups and downs of human life. He wore black to identify with the “beaten down,” amidst the current culture of “streak of lightnin’ cars and fancy clothes,” reasoning that “I’d love to wear a rainbow every day, and tell the world that everything’s OK, but I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,

’till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black.”

At Christmas, as odd as it sounds, it seems right to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Cash.

Joanna is a senior theology major.

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The Role of SGA

The role of Student Government at Houghton may sometimes seem unclear. What do we do? What is our purpose on campus? How does Student Government impact you?

These are questions that I have been in the process of asking at the beginning of this year, and the end of last year.

Photo Taken by Anthony Burdo
Photo Taken by Anthony Burdo

There is some history behind these questions. In the past few years Houghton SGA has been through a period of transition. Four years ago, Houghton Student Government was in a senate format, with many representatives from dorms, classes, and clubs. The first year I started serving on SGA the system had been adjusted to a cabinet system (with an Executive Cabinet overseeing all SGA activity, responsibility, and the class cabinet system).

These changes were well thought out. Yet, adjusting from one system to another has been a process of adjustments, and questioning the identity and role of SGA on campus. There have been a few years of low participation and tough questions about SGA’s purpose and function.

Finally, I think that SGA is poised to realize it’s potential in the cabinet system. Every class has a full or nearly full cabinet. The Executive Cabinet is full, and the freshman elections have been brimming with enthusiasm, participation, and leadership qualities.

It has taken a few years for this system to run smoothly. joanna-quoteAnd now SGA is at the point to ask, what is the role of SGA on Houghton’s campus? We’ve mastered the basic duties of our members, although there is always improvements to make. These duties include: overseeing clubs, providing committee representation, cultivating spiritual life initiatives, representing the student body, and putting on SGA specific events.

Yet defining SGA as what we do has the danger of falling into a list of items to accomplish. So SGA’s purpose and existence must be defined above what we do.

SGA’s role on campus is to serve the student body. This is what I am seeking to embrace with my second term as president of the SGA. This is what SGA is seeking to embrace. We want to serve you, the students, in a number of ways. We want to be a source of information through the speakers we bring into our weekly meetings, and the events that we host. We want to give you the resources to form clubs. We want to look for ways for you to share your unique concerns on campus (through a  committee, serving on a class cabinet, joining a club, etc.) And we want a relationship with the student body. Come into our office, start conversations, do homework on our couches. Tell us about your experiences as a student, your good ideas for the campus, or your suggestions for us. Give us feedback, let us know how we can be more effective in our governmental ministry to you. And at the very least, let us feed you donuts.

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Track and Field Goes to Nationals

The track and field team started February break early, traveling to Cedarville, Ohio on Feb. 19 for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) indoor track nationals. This meet concluded the indoor season that began in mid-December with a competition in Brockport. Arriving last Thursday afternoon, the team had an opportunity to practice on Cedarville’s track and explore the campus, cafeteria, and coffee shop over the long weekend.

TrackThe meet began last Friday night for Houghton with high jump, hurdles, the distance medley relay, 55 meter dash, the 4 by 200 relay race, and the 5K. Marshall Brady placed 16th in the high jump, Brady and Josiah Evans placed tenth and 15th in the 55 meter hurdles, and Enrico Sukhedo placed 13th in the 55 meter dash. The women’s 4 by 200 placed 12th with the team of Nikki Garns, Savannah Doviak, Kate Taggart, and Fiona Daloia. The men’s 4 by 200 meter relay team also placed 12th with Jordan Cady, Enrico Sukhedo, Terry Krangar, and Dan Becker.

On the distance side of the team Cara Davenport (17th place) and Austin Groff (20th place) competed in the 5K. Both the men’s and women’s teams ran a distance medley relay (DMR). A DMR is comprised of a 1200 meter, 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1600 meter leg. The DMR placed 14th, and the women’s DMR placed fourth with the team members of Rebekah White, Savannah Doviak, Nikki Garns, and Joanna Friesen. Rebekah White described the relay as “the highlight of my weekend. The opportunity to compete with such great athletes was amazing. I am so proud of how we did, and even happier I can share that with three of my teammates.”

On Saturday, the highlight of the day was Andrea Melhorn in the weight throw, placing fourth with a throw of 15.11 meters. Jordan Cady also placed tenth in the triple jump with 12.59 meters. Nikki Garns placed 13th in the 400 meter dash, and the women’s and men’s 4 by 400 meter relay teams ran as well, placing 11th and 14th.

Savannah Doviak commented on the meet in general, “Whether they were running, throwing, or on a relay, everyone performed the best they could. I wouldn’t have wanted to end my last indoor season any differently.”

Although Cedarville didn’t offer much of a change in pace from “Houghton weather” the gracious hosts did give a pint of ice cream to every athlete at the closing ceremony. The team traveled late into the night back to Houghton, and dispersed to relax and train over February break. This week marks the beginning of a new season of competition and training, culminating in the NCCAA outdoor nationals hosted by Shorter University in Rome, Georgia.

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Students Present Research at Penn-York Conference

This past Saturday, November 9, Professor Laurie Dashnau and ten Houghton students attended and participated in the 14th annual Penn-York Undergraduate Research Conference held at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The university hosted the conference in conjunction with their 50 year celebration of the university’s operation.

Courtesy of Mark Dashnau
Courtesy of Mark Dashnau

The Penn-York Conference is an opportunity for students to make a brief presentation of their research to a group of their peers and to “learn a lot of interesting material from areas outside of their disciplines” said Prof. Dashnau. The conference provides an opportunity for learning and for honing presentation skills. “The conference went very well. I had an opportunity to attend approximately 25 paper readings…. All of the presentations went very well.” said Dashnau.

Seniors Caleb Johnson, David Smith, Jessica Dreiling, Hannah Lily, Ben Murphy, Taylor Ross, Elizabeth Wallace and juniors Sylvia Morrow, Meghan McCuistion, and Stephanie Ford gave oral presentations at the conference. In addition to oral presentations, there were also poster presentations displaying student research and projects.

There was a varied representation of academic areas at the conference, both from the Houghton students and the conference presenters overall. From Houghton, “Five were presenting writing specifically; Caleb Johnson’s paper was from… [an] economics class and the same for Taylor Ross’s paper titled ‘How does Health-Care Affect Economic Freedom?’… Sylvia Morrow presented a physics paper,” said Dashnau. Johnson’s presentation was entitled “Free Trade Agreements,” Smith’s was “The Effects of Nonverbal Communication in the Writing Center,” Dreiling’s “Rapport in the Writing Center,” Murphy’s “The Case for Inclusivity at Houghton College,” and McCuistion’s “Electroencephalographic Measures of Negative Priming Effects on Event-Related Potentials and Reaction Times.”

Junior Sylvia Morrow’s presentation was entitled “Searching for Rigid Triaxial Deformation in 70Ge” and focused on her research that she conducted over the summer on rare nuclear shapes at low energies in 70Ge. Morrow said that “it was a good opportunity to practice bringing science to the public.” For Morrow the conference also presented a chance to “practice my presentation and public speaking skills” she said.

Senior Hannah Lily’s presentation was entitled “Personal Repertoire in Writing Center Consultations” and focused on “how the sharing of details builds repertoire,” said Lily. Lily also commented on her participation in the conference, saying “it was a good experience being able to see everyone else’s presentations and the methods that they presented in, there was a wide variety of topics.”

Besides Houghton, students from Hilbert College, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville, Alfred University, St. Bonaventure, and Clarion University of Pennsylvania also presented at the conference.

Dashnau was optimistic for the conference’s growth and development next year. “I’m delighted that next year more students from St. Bonaventure University will be joining us in larger measure… one professor there who also went to the Penn-York Conference has agreed to be the keynote speaker; his name is Gregory Privitera,” said Dashnau. Houghton has hosted the conference in 2007 and there is an expressed hope to host the conference next year.

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JET Funding Woes Come to an End

Journey’s End Tutoring (JET) has had trouble finding funds this year. Its operation and future funding have been uncertain as JET leaders are transitioning the program into a more reliable and sustainable budget.

JET is a changing group of Houghton students that have been serving refugee families in Buffalo since 2004. These tutors develop relationships with the families, help them to learn English, and navigate their transition into American culture. JET is a student-led organization, not an official club. Because of this, funding for JET has come from different sources over the years.

Courtesy of thegoodneighborhood.com
Courtesy of thegoodneighborhood.com

JET’s top expense (the bare necessity) is transportation; however JET leaders expressed excitement and enthusiasm at the thought of what could be done with more funding. “With more funding, we could invest in ESL curriculum, picture books, markers and crayons, educational games, and we could buy more resources to support the incredible teaching and ministry taking place in Buffalo.” said Stephanie Ford.

In the past JET was funded by a number of sources. The most significant source was the contribution of Dr. Chuck Massey (professor of Urban Studies in Buffalo) from his budget, and the money that he pieced together from various sources in Buffalo. JET’s budget was usually composed of 3-5 sources at a time. “We always found the money somehow,” said JET president Jina Libby.

This year, JET has experienced a decline in funding for a number of reasons: Dr. Chuck Massey retired, Dr. Galman (who also funded JET) retired, and there have been budget cuts.

Right now, JET is in transition between funding sources. In this phase the SGA has been supportive by approving JET for $1,500 to use this year. JET is transitioning into more sustainable and reliable private funding. Leading this venture is Andrew Gaerte (an advancement and grant officer for Houghton), who is looking for possible donors and pursuing grants for future years. “We currently have a proposal for funding into one of our Western New York Church Partners for funding for the fall 2013 – spring 2014 JET program…. We are also currently working on a grant for the Western New York Foundation to fund the program for the following two years.  Our ultimate goal in approaching foundations for funding is to make the funding of the program more secure and sustainable.” said Gaerte.

So how has JET been doing so far this semester in light of the transition? “Without God’s blessing, JET wouldn’t have happened this year… we had no money to call our own, and borrowed to start out. It was a questionable start that God has blessed.” said Libby.

This year, JET has economized its transportation costs by switching to vans. Previously, one bus and a driver would be hired to take the tutors to Buffalo. The average cost per trip was $475, and per semester $7600. This year, for the first two weeks buses were used and the cost was covered by funds from Greg Bish (on loan to be repaid later by JET). The last few weeks (and the plan for the rest of the year) is for three 11-passenger vans to be driven by certified students, cutting costs down to just gas expenses. The extrapolated cost of this semester is $2300.

JET leaders Caralyn Weisel, Jina Libby, Stephanie Ford, Tiffany Aguas, and Bethany Hillegas all expressed hope for JET’s future and pride in how it has been continuing (even without the people who started it initially).

“Everyone loves JET; it is a core part of Houghton. Everyone wants to help and that is encouraging,” said Bethany Hillegas. JET has been promoted and pushed as a fundamental part of Houghton’s outreach to prospective students, and is in its 9th year of operation. Pamela Witter, Executive Director of Development and the chair of Leadership Allegany summarized JET’s importance to Houghton’s impact, saying, “JET is a very important component of Houghton’s presence in Buffalo and we feel that it is essential to the success of all of our other initiatives in Buffalo as well.”