Author: Jordan Trautwein

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Campus News

Sodexo Loses Contract Bid

Houghton College has announced that Sodexo did not win a contract renewal to continue providing dining services. Metz Culinary Management will replace Sodexo in a shift that will be begin this spring semester.

“As someone who has worked in the dining hall, I honestly think that sodexo did the best with what they had to work with,” said Rachel Harrington ‘19. “The cooks and workers did not have ill intentions. They weren’t sitting around trying to cook ‘gross food.’”

According to the company’s website, Metz makes the pledge “to be environmental stewards by working closely with clients, sustainability partners and vendors on dining concepts, products and programs that meet your needs while protecting resources for future generations.”

“Environmental Sustainability Commitment” was one of the criteria  used by the task force organized for evaluating bidding companies, as well as “Responsiveness to the College Community,” according to vice president of student life, Rob Pool. Additionally, Metz assures readers on its website, “You’ll discover an abundance of vegetarian, vegan, heart-healthy and lower fat choices due to our commitment to nutrition.”

Liv Dobmeier ‘19, though she felt the change “isn’t a big deal”, also hoped “the new food service offers more healthy options than Sodexo did- that’s a big thing [for me].”

Speaking specifically to their college campus dining services, they make the claim that they will “work with your campus dining team to develop promotions and events that coincide with the school calendar, such as extended hours and fun, high-energy meals during exam weeks.”

Pool explained, “Ultimately, the committee felt that the proposed program from Metz best addressed the expectations and needs of our students and community.”  He also stated, “The contract officially begins June 1, 2017 and it is for five years. The transition will begin as early as next week and ramp up throughout the spring semester.”

The contract with Metz concluded a semester long process “The college entered into a process called ‘request for proposals’ or RFP,” Pool explained. “Basically what this means is companies submit proposals describing how they would deliver a comprehensive dining services program during the five-year contract.”  

“Eight international, national or regionally-based companies were invited to participate.  Three companies submitted formal proposals and gave face to face presentations to a dining services task force,” Pool stated.  From there the decision went to a task force consisting of faculty, staff, administrators, and SGA executive cabinet members.  According to Robert Pool, the task force had the responsibility of considering the proposals made by the eight companies.  They also visited in person three campuses that already used the top choices they were considering.  Finally, they “made a recommendation to the president and the president’s staff. The president’s staff endorsed the committee’s recommendation wholeheartedly.”

At Roberts Wesleyan College, which already has Metz dining services, the different stations are realized as the “Main Plate,” a station for pizza and similar items, a section for made-to-order options, a soups and salad bar, a build-your-own sandwich station, a grill, and dessert choices.

“I know that the new company also works for Roberts Wesleyan,” said Harrington. “Half my family went there. …  Honestly we complain a lot right now but I think we’ll be complaining more in the future. When it comes down to it, it’s always just going to be cafeteria food.”

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President Mullen and Students Participate in D.C. Conference

Students Colleen Shannon ‘17 and Becca Firstbrook ‘18 travelled to Washington with President Shirley Mullen to attend the Student Leadership Conference, sponsored by the National Association of Evangelicals.

The conference, which took place at the end of January, was  centered on “faithful advocacy”.  While there, they had the opportunity to witness the inner workings of the political system and voice their own policy concerns.

Shannon shared her impression of the work she observed. She stated, “Despite the tumultuous political atmosphere, Capitol Hill was still running very smoothly.  Everyone had the mindset that we’re not just this moment.  We are a country and we have a lot of people who depend on these systems.”

She shared that a highlight of the trip was the opportunity to speak with representatives in person and practice advocating. She said,“I was able to talk to [Representative Tom Reed, NY-R] about the Do Something table, and in what ways we could be more effective in that advocacy work.” She continued, “The things we do here really do have an effect on Capitol Hill.”

“This is the first time that we have taken students and they really represented Houghton in a wonderful way,” Mullen explained, and recalled the issues the students presented. She continued, “It was very interesting because Colleen had already been in touch with Tom Reed’s office in Corning through her involvement with the Do Something table.”

She also admired their discussion of global perspective and international opportunities.  She said, “The concerns that [Colleen and Becca] brought did a great job of representing a global Christian Higher education.  As much as it is important that the president speaks, I think it has a greater impact when the student speaks.” She elaborated, “When you have students speaking very enthusiastically about what they learned and what they appreciated… I think it has real credibility.”

Firstbrook found it did a lot “to enrich what it looked like to be an American citizen and live in America and have that kind of authority in my government.”  She continued,  “ I didn’t realize the whole potential of what that meant until I found out about the executive order and it popped into my head that ‘Oh, I could have advocated against that.  I have that authority to bring this issue that’s really important to me and bring it to the greater puzzle that is politics’.”

Shannon noticed the same, and stated she is looking forward now to “encouraging others that you can make a difference, even though you are just one you are one person you are a person that matters, especially when you are talking about something that matters to you.”

As she reflected on the impact of her participation in the conference, Firstbrook noted in whatever work she finds as an international cultures major, “It’s equally important to work in the policy realm” as it is to have a “boots on the ground” approach.  She explained, “I think policy is something important for people to think about, no matter their major.  I think if you have the opportunity to learn more about the system to take it.”

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Houghton Drops SAT Requirements

It is now optional for prospective students to include their SAT scores on their Houghton applications.  According to the admissions office, the new standard is still in the beginning stages of implementation.  While the test may still serve as a factor when useful for decisions, there will no longer be, as admissions office staff member Daniel Berryment described it, “The shadow of the SAT looming over someone”.

Provost and dean of the faculty, Jack Connell, is confident the shift will not come at the expense of the college’s expectations from their students.  “This change in our admissions policy doesn’t in any way compromise Houghton’s commitment to outstanding academics,” he said.

He added, “Many of the finest colleges and universities in the country have moved to test-optional for the same reason we are: to gain some latitude with an admissions requirement that is for some students not particularly helpful or predictive.”  Berryment also acknowledged the shortcomings of the SAT. He said,  “I know that I’m usually a good test taker, so I would probably opt to do the SAT anyways. But I do know people who are very uncomfortable in those environments.”

“I know tests can create a lot of anxiety for people,” Gabi Sheeley ‘19 agreed. “I’m all for less standardization, especially since in the SAT format it’s been really hard to measure the writing skills and argumentative skills.”  She explained she finds the test “poorly judges” skills which are  “really important, especially at a college like Houghton because a lot of its classes are so discussion-based.”

Connell similarly appreciated the agency the shift allows the college in judging where the SAT is unhelpful.  “The only change here is that in those situations in which we believe the SAT/ACT score would not enhance our decision-making, we have the ability to make an admissions decision without it.  So I don’t see this as a loss for the College,” he explained. “The only loss here is of a barrier in the admissions process that in some cases is not a particularly helpful one.”

After some consideration, Berryment concluded, “Maybe the SAT really is just another test, and there are plenty of those already, in college and high school.  Maybe it isn’t totally necessary.”

Despite the advantages, this transition would require adjustments as any other would.  “My main concern would be how they would objectively select people for scholarships [without the SAT],” Sheeley said.

“We will of course continue to require SAT/ACT scores in those situations in which it will provide valuable additional information about a prospective student’s ability to succeed here,” Dean Connell offered.  He later added, “Standardized test scores have been valuable to Houghton in the past, and they will continue to be an important part of our assessment of many prospective students.”

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KPAC Draws Revenue

The construction of the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex (KPAC) was announced in a 2011 Houghton College press release after Kim (Kerr) Pegula ‘91 and her husband Terry Pegula, owner of the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans hockey teams, donated $12 million to its construction. By its grand opening in October 2014, the grand total cost of the facility had reached $23 million, according to a Houghton College press release. Now, two years since the KPAC’s grand opening, the question remains as to the kind of impact that 23 million dollar investment is having on the college.  

In the complex’s favor are the number of events the center is able to host and the exposure it brings the college. Marshall Green,  KPAC Facilities Marketing and Scheduling Coordinator, stated, “I would suggest that we have multiple events/projects in the planning stages for the next year, that if are successful, would considerably contribute to the financial well-being of the college as a whole.”  According to Green, the events and projects include regular track meets between the months of December and March, “concerts, expos, elite athletic clinics, sport camps and private engagements.”

As popular as these events are currently, Green expressed the hope that they will come to have even more of an impact in coming years.  “Many projects that we currently have planned we see as future investments as these event grow in popularity and engagement.”  He continued, and added that already there has been an increase in the impact of the Kerr-Pegula Center.  “For perspective, in 2016 we hosted about 30,000 outside visitors to the KPAC (not including collegiate sports or the Houghton College community).  For 2017 we are anticipating doubling that to 60,000.”

Already, the college has benefited from the influence the center has had on its visitors.  Ryan Spear, Director of Admissions, explained, “On the road and sometimes on campus, students are saying that their first exposure to Houghton was through attending an event at the KPFH [Kerr-Pegula Field House].”  The introduction is intentional.  Green explained,  “All athletic clinics are targeted towards high school or middle school ages.  We are always keeping in mind marketing opportunities for events we develop and how we can best leverage that event to engage a prospective student.”  An example he names is the event Regeneration.  It is a youth event aimed, according to its website, at students from sixth to twelfth grade.  The introduction occurs early enough to influence any college decisions.

Betsy Rutledge, Assistant Director of Admissions Events, observed the difference it makes.  She said, “The events that have been held at the KPAC have brought people to Houghton’s campus that otherwise might never have visited.”  She went on to explain, “We do often have students mention it. Sometimes when we meet students at college fairs and we ask if they have heard of Houghton, they will mention the facilities as a reason why they know Houghton.”

However, Rutledge is careful to maintain a perspective on the matter.  “I think it’s difficult to pinpoint the one thing that makes a student choose Houghton as their college,” she decided “It’s almost always a combination of things: they like the community atmosphere, the faculty are outstanding, they know they will grow spiritually here, they connected with current students during their visit, we have the major they are looking for, they want to study abroad, etc. The KPAC is just one feature in a long list.”

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College Passes New Integrative Studies System

Photo by: Anthony Burdo

New Integrative Studies (IS) requirements have been passed and will go into effect next fall.  According to professor Susan Bruxvoort Lipscomb, Director of IS Requirements, “The biggest shift is a move to integrated core courses, an integrated core sequence in humanities that combines literature, history, and philosophy into three integrated.”  She explained this meant students would “study the history of ideas through primary texts in literature and philosophy.”

“We are drawing on some of the strengths that we developed as an institution with faculty being able to teach in an integrated humanities… We’ve developed those strengths through our honors programs.  So we have faculty that can do that” Bruxvoort Lipscomb said. She continued,“Not all institutions have faculty that can teach integrated courses, but Houghton does because we have honors programs where we need to deliver courses in that way so now we’re offering that advantage to all students.”

Gena Hartman ’19, who studied in the Honors at London program and experienced an integrated curriculum, said,  “This is something I think about a lot as an education major, how we’re introducing material to people. That’s something I really enjoyed in London, that we have that context.  I think people care more when they understand the context behind something.”

According to Bruxvoort Lipscomb, the new system would likely result in more classes that would be slightly larger. This would be similar to the size of current standard general education courses, such as Biblical Literature or Western Civilization.  As a result, “All freshman students will be taking those humanity courses at the same time.”  She commented, “That’s kind of exciting for me to be thinking that students will be having these conversations. Everyone will be reading Plato’s allegory of the cave at the same time, so there will be a chance for people to be talking about these things outside of class.”

“That might make the freshman experience easier, that you automatically have something to talk about that you all know about,” Hartman noted. She later added, “I think that when you’re learning something at the same time you will have that common bond.”  Aside from the social benefits of informal discussion, she explained that from her experience, “It’s easier to understand when you have people around you to bounce ideas off of, other minds that may come from very different backgrounds.”

According to the final general education proposal, which was recently approved, “An academically challenging education in the liberal arts and sciences requires core courses in mathematics, the natural sciences, and the humanities and exploration in the social sciences and the arts.”  The proposal also stated, when developing the new requirements, faculty found it necessary to adjust the way these areas operated in order to fulfill this standard.

Bruxvoort Lipscomb reported there will also be general education science courses with their lab built into the class.  Additionally, there will be a shift in the curriculum for these courses.  She explained  a general education Biology class, for example, “will focus on issues in biology but from a more general perspective on how science influences a society and thinking about what’s the interaction.” The importance of the change is that students who are not science majors “need to understand they need to be scientifically literate on how science impacts society.”  The classes will lead them to considering “what does science contribute, how does it shape society, and not just learning the basics of a discipline which students broadly in the liberal arts don’t really need to know… from the introductory level”

Writing requirements will also be impacted by f the recent changes.  Bruxvoort Lipscomb explained,“Everybody will have the chance to take a course that really focuses on writing, but that can happen within majors if departments are offering it.”  She clarified that a writing enriched course would simply be one that required a total of at least 20 pages throughout the semester of “writing on which they get feedback”.  

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New Covenant Edits Approved by SGA

The SGA, (Student Government Association) held a second meeting to discuss the possibility of altering the language of the Community Covenant. The meeting took place on November 21, and discussed the language in regards to LGBTQ+ individuals who attend, or hope to attend, Houghton.  According to Student Body President Joanna Friesen ‘17,  the issue is not a new one.  She recounted concerns that were first vocal during the past spring semester with a petition.  While the petition itself did not come to fruition, Friesen attributed the current decisions the SGA is making to the concerns it presented.  “Due to the concern/awareness that the petition raised,” she claimed.  “Student Life took up the process again this fall, preparing revised language within the Student Life Council.”

Photo by: Lily Brunner
Photo by: Lily Brunner

When describing the process of forming the SGA’s proposed new language, Friesen explained, “I spent the last three weeks consulting with different groups of students on campus, and asking advice of advisers and professors. I drafted language, and then held two edit committee sessions.  The entire executive cabinet, and a representative from each class was present between one or the other session.”  The result was language that, as Friesen described “tried to reflect the suggestion from a number of students that ‘no pre-marital or extra-marital sex’ be the common community standard.”  

The excerpt of the proposed language discussed at the meeting stated “We [Houghton College] affirm, endorse, and teach traditional marriage as between one woman and one man.  Practicing Christian hospitality we remain an open and welcome community of friendship and shared Christian learning to LGBTQ+ community members.  We value and welcome all individuals, and the perspective and gifts they bring to Houghton College, while committing to live within Scriptural and Wesleyan ethics together.  We expect that all community members refrain from pre-marital sex and adultery.  We also expect community members to use discretion and respect of others in the community when displaying affections, especially such displays deemed inappropriate for public or commons spaces.”

Colleen Shannon ‘17, who attended the meetings for the discussion, identified what she believed was the greatest challenge of the controversy. She stated, “I’d say the major concern was this balance that we’re trying to hold between acknowledging the Wesleyan affiliation, respecting those with traditional or conservative views, and also acknowledging and accepting those who are pegged on the more progressive side, those who identify as LGBTQ students.”  She continued, “Whatever decision we make, we’re hoping will land in the midst of all three of those but there’s the potential that it may weigh more towards one side of the triangle.”

When the SGA presented the proposed language at the meeting on Monday, discussion led to some changes to the proposed  draft.  However, Friesen noted “The edits made on Monday were not foundational.” Among the suggestions given was a proposal by Aaron Eisenhart ‘17 to use the phrase “sexual orientation and gender identity” rather than the LGBTQ+ acronym. President of Houghton’s unofficial LGBTQ+ student group Phil Maenza ‘17 said he believed this suggestion was more “timeless”, so that Houghton “won’t have to go through this process again in ten years.”

Friesen said she hoped the approved proposed draft will be presented to the Student Life Council this week, or by the end of September.  Presentation to the council would be the next step in having the language integrated into the Community Covenant.

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Revisions to Covenant Proposed

Photo by: Anthony Burdo

New revisions to the Houghton College Community Covenant may soon be in  effect.  This is due to a push the last two semesters to adjust certain sections of the covenant according to Vice President of Student Life, Robert Pool.

The section in question currently reads: “We believe that Scripture clearly prohibits certain acts, including drinking alcohol to excess, stealing, speaking or writing profanely or slanderously, acting dishonestly, cheating, engaging in occult practice, and engaging in sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage (including premarital sex, adultery and homosexual behavior).”  

According to Philip Maenza ‘17, President of the LGBTQ student group, this is not a new issue.  “We’ve been trying for years- since my freshman year; I’m a senior now- to get it changed, to have it clarified,” he explained.  He described the LGBTQ community’s attempts to add the issue onto the agenda for change (revisions).  “I got involved with petitions and professors and different people and former alumni to word it and got into a really nice place. Unfortunately they [the Student Life Council] just weren’t on the same page as we were.”

According to Pool, change to the community covenant would begin with concerned students convincing the Student Government Association (SGA) that the matter is a real issue which affects students and requires redress.  The SGA would then discuss and decide whether or not to pass the issue along to the Student Life Council.  Pool explained that as Chair of the Council he works to create “the agenda and make sure that whatever advice or feedback I’m getting from the Student Life Council is appropriately woven into the policies we create or revise, and in this case it’s the community covenant.”  He recalled there was a petition for revisions circulating, but that it was lost before it could be of true use.  “But we realized this was an issue,” Pool reflected. “So we began discussing how to clarify the wording.”

Maenza said he and other members of the LGBTQ community, however, are concerned as to what that new wording may be.  He said he was displeased that the revisions could further restrict student relationships and is concerned that they will have a negative effect on students.  “They can’t quantify feelings,” explained Maenza, “so the covenant can’t say you can’t have gay feelings for each other but they are saying there can’t be a relationship.  That just opens one up to a lot more gossip and backbiting.”

Micah Cronin ‘17, a member of the LGBTQ student group, also expressed concern about the new wording. “I think Houghton should consider whether restricting certain dating relationships is in line with federal Title IX regulations,” he said. “If not, that could open the college up to costly lawsuits.”

Pool did not make clear what the new wording in the covenant could be, only that it would make the rules on the issue of LGBTQ behavior more clear.  Pool explained the proposed changes have not yet been put to an official vote.  Voting could not take place until February at the earliest, although likely later.  However, he did express hope that the change will be in effect for the next fall semester.

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Professor Hired After Five Year Search

After five years of searching, a Biochemistry professor has been hired. According to Karen Torraca, Chair of the Chemistry department, Paul Martino will join Houghton faculty in the Paine Center for Science.

Torraca stated “We really expect faculty to mentor students in the Christian faith.  Having that particular combination of having someone who is really good at science, in particular biochemistry, and mentoring students from a Christian perspective I think is a really tough combination to find.”  In Professor Martino, the hiring board believes it has found that combination.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

Torraca said she appreciated Martino’s academic and professional experience.  She recalled the board was “excited that he has lots of teaching experience already so not somebody who had just gotten out of graduate school.” She continued, “He comes to us from Carson Newman, which is a four year institution, where he taught Biochemistry as well as Organic Chemistry so he has teaching experience which has been great in terms of having him bring those experiences into the department”.

Additionally, Torraca explained that there was also the expectation for applicants to present the research they sought to conduct while working at Houghton. Martino said the expectation for further research was a major reason why he wanted to teach in an undergraduate college.  He remarked, “I came back east to follow my dream of being at a small undergraduate liberal arts college where I could actively do research in my field.”

This semester, Martino is teaching general education Chemistry courses, including Introduction to Nutrition. Colleen Shannon ‘17, a student in Martino’s Nutrition class, observed the difficulties of teaching the class, and stated, “I think overall one of the most challenging parts of teaching a gen ed course is that you have a wide range of students, where some students are chem[istry] majors or on the bio[logy] track and they have a lot of background and consistency in their bio[ology] education and then there are other students who are just checking a box off.”  In this situation, she acknowledged the positive difference it makes to have a teacher who knows and is passionate about the subject material.  She recalled a particular instance when Martino excitedly explained proteins to the class and allowed her to feel some secondhand excitement for the subject.

In this class, students are able to witness not only his experience in teaching and the field of Biochemistry, but also the impact of his Christian perspective.  Another Nutrition student, Jessica Robinson ‘18 commented on his method of presenting faith into his teaching, and stated he has “The awe of ‘Look what our God is able to do’… Our God is so cool that he is able to do all of this and make our bodies so intricate.” Shannon added his commitment to Christianity is evident “implicitly in the way he carries a joyful spirit in the way he teaches.”

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College Expands to Utica

Houghton College will expand to Utica, New York, beginning next year. Dean Connell  believes the new program, which he says will mirror the off campus program already established in Buffalo, will allow Houghton  to reach the heavy immigrant population in Utica. The program is expected to begin in the fall of 2017.

Students of the Utica program will have the opportunity to graduate with an Associates of the Arts degree under the leadership of Mark Caruana as Dean of Houghton College Utica.   Dean of the college, Jack Connell, is confident the program will distinguish itself “through the curriculum that is high quality and profoundly Christian, the faith commitment of the faculty and staff, the nurturing Christian community that is formed around the students, and by the spiritual formation opportunities (such as chapel) that will be provided.”  Connell said the school as a whole “benefits because we are extending our mission in a way that’s beautifully consistent with our historic desire to educate students from a variety of backgrounds, including those whose resource limitations create barriers to enrolling.”

The college has also updated its online education offerings, now promoting three full degree programs entirely online. Potential students can now obtain degrees in psychology, business, and communication studies through the online education program. Paul Young, chair of the psychology department, recognizes the needs of individuals who choose to study online. He stated,“Not everybody can take the time out of their life to go to college.  Not everybody can afford to go to a residential college.” Still, people who cannot go away for college still show interest in a Christian education according to Marlene Collins-Blair, Associate Dean of Distance Education. She remarked, “Because most of our students are working adults, I have often wondered ‘Do they really care that it’s Christian?’ And they actually do.”  She recalled a specific case in which an online student spoke on how “the way that Houghton has allowed her to see the same things that she’s been taught at work has been huge for her”.

Young explains that since students from the online program will not benefit from most on-campus opportunities and because Houghton needs to be competitive with other, similar offers of an online education, the tuition rates for the online programs will be significantly lower  However, Young pointed out “They’re not using classroom space. They’re not using recreational facilities.  They don’t get to play Frisbee on the quad. You know, all the things that increase expense to make the on campus experience the Houghton College experience.”

However, the faculty designing the online programs were intentional about bringing the spirit of Houghton into the online programs.  Young explained the psychology program makes frequent use of online forums and video chats to maintain interactions between students, even as they are in their separate homes. The class sizes will also be kept small, never going over twenty students, and will require discussion through online forums.  Young remarked “I suspect there are classes at Houghton where at the end of the class you don’t even know everybody’s name and that’s not likely to happen in these.”

Additionally, Collins-Blair spoke on how the new online programs will continue the reputation of Houghton education, stating “It’s still high touch, it’s still high quality.”  

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Campus // GenEd Revisions

Faculty received approval to make comprehensive changes to the current curriculum October of last year.  They hope to approve a new set of clearer requirements better aligned with the values of Houghton College that will be easier to communicate to students and advisers.  

Major changes are not yet in effect.  The updated curriculum could receive approval by November or December of this year, though it is  still too soon to say.  While small changes to procedure are constantly taking place, the intended shift would the most extreme remodel of the past decade.

One of the primary motivations for change is to remedy the complexity of the current system.  Professor of English and director of integrative studies, Susan Bruxvoort-Lipscomb said “One of the big goals of this is to make a general education curriculum that is clearer and more intuitive for advising.  That students, their parents, and their advisors should be able to look at our general education curriculum and know what classes to take.” Bruxvoort-Lipscomb continued,  “Right now, students have to go to a fairly large six page document with lots of different classes on it.  Students will say ‘I made mistakes, I took the wrong classes’ because it’s quite complex, the curriculum we have right now.’”

Junior Michael Sievers said, “I had a general concept of [the integrative studies] when I came in, but I had to do more research on what was required than I anticipated. I think it should be more structured as to the times that [students] take gen ed courses. Students shouldn’t be in their junior and senior years finding out that they still need [integrative studies courses].”

The proposed curriculum would bring a shift to more core classes, specific classes every student must take to fulfill a requirement.  Current procedure relies more on distribution requirements, for which a student has the choice among a range of classes that would fulfill a requirement.  However, required core classes from the draft proposal should be easier to fit into students’ schedules.  Classes such as Biblical Literature and Western Civilization would decrease credit hours from four to three.

Overall, the shift intends to match the ideals of Houghton College.  Bruxvoort-Lipscomb noted “Because Houghton is a liberal arts college we really strongly believe in a broad preparation.”  As a result, the draft for the new education curriculum recommends a higher emphasis on writing, global engagement, and theology classes than the current program.  The science, math, and social studies requirements would remain similar.   However, the suggested core classes are the classes most students already choose.

Any adjustments to the curriculum will take place gradually for the sake of current students.  “What happens whenever you pass a general education revision like this, is there are transition rules,” explained Bruxvoort-Lipscomb, “The registrar’s office will work with the faculty to decide how to make that transition…so transition rules will make sure students aren’t disadvantaged by the curriculum change.”  

“I feel like [the registrar’s office] makes things as it as clear as they can make them,” Sievers said, “but I think the advisors should be more aware that students are trying their best but they may not always understand. There’s sometimes a disconnect between what advisors expect students to know and what students actually know.”

Students who already completed the current general education requirements should find the transition to have little effect on their schedules.  It is not yet clear how the changes will affect the ease with which future students can transfer credits earned from advanced placement (AP)  exams or other institutions.

Already, the faculty has revised Houghton’s Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs), consolidating them from fifteen points to only 7. ELOs are “the big goals for what a Houghton education should do” and can be found under Institutional Research on the Houghton website.  Houghton’s mission is to “provide an academically challenging, Christ-centered education in the liberal arts and sciences to students from diverse traditions and economic backgrounds and equips them to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world.”

Bruxvoort-Lipscomb recalled asking “How can we devise learning outcomes based on this mission statement?”

Some small changes currently affect new students.  For example, the new Personal Health and Wellness class fulfills the previous requirements of Health and Wellness as well as an activity credit.  Students will be able to learn of further changes through their advisers and the updated course catalog.