Author: Sarah Vande Brake

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News

Arts and Environment Expo Tuesday

Next Tuesday, the Houghton Eco Reps will host an Arts and the Environment Expo. The event will feature food, live music, crafts, and an art competition, according to Sustainability Office Intern Claire Brower ’18. Brower said that the expo will be “a winter and nature themed event with a little Christmas thrown in there.”

The Arts and the Environment Expo was held for the first time in the spring of 2016. The expo provided a way to connect artistic expression to “our relationships with others and the environment,” according to the Houghton website’s promotional page. This year, Brower said that the vision for the expo is the same, but that the event will also boast a seasonal emphasis.

All food at the event will be free and will complement the winter-and-nature theme, according to Eco Reps members Melissa Hodde ‘20 and Ashleigh Dernier ‘18. Dernier said that she is most excited about making owl cupcakes that use Oreo cookies for eyes.

Brower added that the expo will feature live music. She said that the lineup will include Arthur Ward ’18, Andrew Hutton ’18, and Ky’asia Blanchard ‘20. Brower also noted that there will be winter poetry readings during the event.

Everyone attending the expo will also have the opportunity to participate in crafts and express their own artistry. Eco Reps member Bonnie Huegel ’18 said, “We’ll have a table or two devoted to some simple crafts that you can make on the spot. We’ll be making Christmas ornaments and air fresheners, and there will be nature- and winter-themed coloring pages.” She continued, “I’m most excited about one particular craft I found for bird-friendly decorations. They’re ornaments made from pressed birdseed that you can hang outside, so the birds can have their own edible Christmas tree!”

Eco Reps leadership team member Brielle Kwarta ’19 also said, “I think that an arts and crafts activity will be a great de-stressor for many college students during the final days of the semester.” She added, “Many of the crafts can be used as a Christmas present or as a decoration for dorm rooms, common spaces, and the townhouses.” Since the expo is focused on increasing campus consciousness of environmental issues, Kwarta added that many of the crafts will use recycled materials such as “pine cones, scrap ribbon, and unused Popsicle sticks.”

The main focus of the expo is to connect artistic expression environmental involvement. During the event, according to Brower, participants will be able to browse a thematic student-juried art competition. Artworks of various media that follow a winter-nature theme will be displayed for students to browse, and each person is encouraged to vote for the work of art they find most compelling. At the end of the night, gift card prizes will be awarded to the works with the greatest numbers of votes. Dernier said that both art majors and non-art majors are welcome to submit pieces for the art competition.  Hodde, who expressed her plans to submit photography to the competition, said “I’m really curious to meet students from the art department who enjoy working with nature as a subject.” She continued, “Since the campus is pretty much in the middle of the woods, it’s intuitive that we would have a lot of nature enthusiasts at Houghton, but there isn’t a centralized way to get together with them outside of Eco Reps and the special interest outdoor clubs.”

The Arts and the Environment Expo will take place in the Van Dyke Lounge on Tuesday, December 5, and will last from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm. All are welcome to attend.

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News

National // A Tick-ing Time Bomb

This summer was a particularly severe season for ticks and tick-borne diseases in many parts of the Northeastern United States. According to an article in The New York Times, high tick levels this year can be traced back to bumper crops of acorns in 2015.

Many people associate the spread of ticks with deer, but mice are the primary culprits according to Richard Ostfeld, who has studied mouse population ecology for 25 years. Ostfeld went on to say that plentiful crops of acorns allow mice to survive the winter and reach “plague levels,” providing opportunities for infection to spread. In addition, Ostfeld said the lack of natural mouse predators such as foxes may be influencing the increase in tick levels, a trend which has been noted since 2001. While this season’s spike is unusual, rising tick levels will likely remain a problem in the future.

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease. “Reported cases of Lyme have tripled in the past few decades,” said epidemiologist Kirsten Kugeler at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). She continued, “Today, we think that the true burden of Lyme disease in the U.S. is about 300,000 cases each year.” Typical symptoms of Lyme disease are fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans, according to the CDC. If Lyme disease is caught early, it can be treated with antibiotics to prevent development of more severe symptoms.

According to a press release by the New York State Department of Health, however, Lyme disease is not the only tick-borne infection being spread this season. The state increased surveillance efforts this August after confirmation of 3 cases of Powassan virus in Saratoga County. Powassan virus is a rare infection that can cause encephalitis, permanent neurological damage, and even death. Powassan virus can be transmitted from a tick to its host in 10-15 minutes, while Lyme disease takes around 36 hours to be transmitted, according to TIME.

Risk for tick-borne diseases is rising, and experts emphasize preventative measures such as regular tick checks, repellent spray, and avoidance of wooded areas. However, an article for The New York Times points out that there is currently no vaccine to prevent the most common tick-borne infection, Lyme disease.

In 1998, a vaccine that was 80% effective against Lyme after three doses was developed and put on the market. The marketing campaign for this vaccine failed because of several factors, as an article for The New York Times reports. Instead of focusing on marketing the vaccine to physicians who could recommend the vaccine to their patients, the manufacturer marketed the vaccine directly to the public. This tactic was unsuccessful, as people are unlikely to push to be vaccinated when their physician is unaware of a vaccine’s existence.

The most significant blow to the success of the Lyme disease vaccine came when volunteer study participants reported developing arthritis after receiving the vaccine. Although rates of arthritis did not differ significantly between the control and experimental groups, sales plummeted, and in 2002 the Lyme disease vaccine was pulled from the market. At this time, there is no vaccine available to help prevent Lyme disease in humans, though dogs can be vaccinated. Experimental vaccines for Lyme disease have been studied since 2002, but manufacturers have remained uncertain after the failure of the first vaccine.  

For those who regularly spend time outside in areas where Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases are present, the best advice is vigilance. Daily tick checks should be routine. If a tick bite occurs, remove it properly and seek medical help if the tick may have been attached for 24-36 hours. Ultimately, don’t panic, but be aware of potential risks.

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Campus News

New Vision Week

Houghton’s long-celebrated New Vision Week will begin on Monday, October 23rd and last until the 25th. New Vision Week gives students an opportunity to explore missions and learn about the different forms missions can take. Kylie Gibbs ’18, a co-organizer of New Vision Week, emphasized the universal nature of missions in the life of Christians. “It’s important that people recognize that their mission field can be anywhere…you can be a chemist and God can use that,” she said. She added that through chapels, workshops, and special events, New Vision Week will provide a chance for students from diverse backgrounds and majors to find unity.

This year’s New Vision Week speaker is Mick Veach, who is a pastor at Mosaic Midtown Church in Detroit, Michigan. According to the church’s website, Veach’s commitment to share the love of God has led him to “smuggle Bibles, feed lepers, and work and live amongst a Muslim people group.” Veach will be speaking in chapel on Monday and Wednesday.

Monday night will feature the Culture Fair according to event organizer Courtney Zhang ’18. This event will involve food, music, henna, and crafts, and will give international students an opportunity to “share their culture,” Zhang said. Students will prepare traditional Chinese and Korean food for everyone to sample, which Zhang noted is always one of the greatest attractions of the event. Co-organizer Briana Bellan ’19 said that one of the things she values most about New Vision Week is the opportunity to “see all the various cultures that our student body shares and represents.” She continued, “If someone is looking to engage in conversation [with the missions representatives] but the line at the mission organization tables seems intense, the Culture Fair is a great way to engage in more relaxed conversation.” The Culture Fair will take place in the Campus Center from 8:00-9:00.

On Tuesday, workshops will be offered for alternative chapel credit. Gibbs announced there will be a total of 6 workshops offered, some from 11:00-12:00 and others from 3:00-4:00. The topics of these workshops will range from “how to find a mission field or missions organization” to “missions in a Muslim context” Gibbs said, adding that she is particularly excited for the latter. Bellan said that when she was a freshman, the workshops drew her into New Vision Week and gave her a chance to “begin some conversations and journeys.”

On Wednesday night, there will be a prayer and worship night, which Bellan said is a “fairly recent creation.” She continued, “We started it last year in place of the usual documentary and felt that it went over really well. I’m looking forward to attending that as we close out our ‘week.’”

Throughout New Vision Week, 13 missions representatives will be available to students interested in learning more about missions. Gibbs said that these representatives will speak in classes throughout the week, and each will have a booth in the Campus Center. Gibbs emphasized that the representatives are eager to interact with students of all kinds and share their experiences. “We encourage students to talk to the reps whether at their booths or over a meal or coffee,” she said. Some of the representatives “have people coming with them who are interested in business and science, so this is not just to appeal to students majoring in missions or intercultural studies,” Gibbs said. While many of the representatives are returning and are “excited to catch up with students that they knew from previous years,” the organization Teach Beyond will be represented for its first year, according to Gibbs.

New Vision Week will provide an opportunity to “learn to use our gifts for missions, wherever we are, however old we are,” Gibbs said. Bellan expressed hope that New Vision Week’s approach to missions will involve a diverse body of students, saying “We want to be intentional in recognizing the value in [diversity]–and not just this week, but starting conversations, relationships and outlooks that will place diversity and difference in a positive light for many, many years to come.” She continued, “I’m looking forward to all that is in store for this upcoming New Vision Week, but I’m most excited to see the way that God is glorified through it, and continues to guide journeys and hearts for His purpose.”

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Campus News

STEM Day Spotlights Research

On Monday, October 9th, Houghton College will host STEM at Houghton Visit Day, a full-day event that will provide prospective students with a chance to delve into the programs Houghton offers in science and mathematics.

This year marks the fourth year that Houghton College has offered this visit day, which is specifically geared towards high school students interested in science and mathematics careers, according to Associate Director of Admission Events Betsy Rutledge. This year, Rutledge said, the event has been moved to Columbus Day to make it “more accessible for visiting students,” who now “will not have to miss a day of school to attend our visit.”

In addition to usual visit activities such as touring the campus, going to chapel, and eating at the dining hall, prospective students who visit on Monday will be given the chance to “attend a science or math class in their specific area of interest, work with faculty members doing a lab experience, and have a question and answer time with faculty members,” Rutledge said.

Opportunities in STEM fields are actively growing: data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that by 2022, job opportunities in occupations related to STEM will have increased by over 1 million compared to 2012 levels. Rutledge highlighted this nationwide growth in STEM, and said that the visit day was created to make students “aware of the academically-excellent program we have here at Houghton.”

Mark Yuly, physics professor and Associate Dean of Sciences and Mathematics, said that Houghton’s programs in science and mathematics are rigorous and prepare students well for both graduate school and careers in STEM fields. Noting that the practical applications of Houghton’s science classes can be difficult to show prospective students in a setting like a college fair, Yuly stressed that “Part of the reason for wanting to do STEM day is so the students have a chance to come over to the building and see what it’s actually like—to be in a class, or to do research and be involved in doing science, as opposed to just learning about science.” Assistant professor of biology Ransom Poythress also said that this visit day is a valuable chance for students to engage with Houghton’s science and mathematics programs. He said, “I always enjoy visit days because it gives me the opportunity to show prospective students why I love teaching and more specifically why I love teaching at Houghton. I get to demonstrate how a Christ-centered foundation can undergird high caliber science and deep mentoring relationships.”

Yuly said that Houghton has a highly practical approach to “doing science.” He said that introductory courses at many other schools are designed to give students a general overview of a scientific discipline in a logical, connected way. “That’s valuable to have, but the only problem is that’s not what science is really about at all.” He continued, “That’s a good way to learn a lot of information about science, but it’s not a good way to prepare someone to be a scientist.”

At Houghton, students have the opportunity to participate in research as early as their freshman year. Yuly described Houghton’s innovative Science Honors program as “an experience where students actually get to think like scientists, even in their first year.” Rutledge also praised the “opportunity students have to do hands-on research with faculty members while pursuing their undergraduate degree,” which she said is an experience reserved for graduate students at many other universities.

At Houghton, Rutledge said, students “learn what it means to study science and mathematics within a Christian context, led by professors who know them personally. [They are] surrounded by a community that enables them to grow into the people they are supposed to be: young adults prepared to change the world.”

 

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Stories In Focus

Houghton Students Take Alaska

Imagine earning college credit while hiking mountains in the Alaskan wilderness, bonding with fellow students around campfires, and seeing animals such as moose, bears, caribou, and eagles. Houghton College launched a new study abroad program this semester, Arctic Studies in Alaska, that makes those experiences a reality. While Professor of Biology James Wolfe has been taking students to Alaska during Mayterm since 1991, this semester marks the first time that Houghton has offered a full semester program in Alaska.

According to Wolfe, who is the primary organizer of the Arctic Studies program, a total of ten students from Houghton and other Christian colleges are enrolled in the program this semester. All students take four core courses: Ecology of Alaska, Human Ecology, Alaskan Missions, and Wilderness Recreation and Management. These courses help students gain “an appreciation for the different Alaskan cultures, for both historic and current missionary efforts to reach natives, as well as for the numerous recreational aspects of being in the wilderness of Alaska,” said Wolfe. He added that students can add independent studies to their core, and this semester students are studying subjects such as Alaskan flora and the relation of observed moose browsing activity to moose density.

The program is based at the former Alaska Bible College campus in Glennallen, Alaska, Wolfe said. Alaska Bible College has moved their campus to a different location, making the campus in Glennallen available to Houghton College. According to TravelAlaska’s website, the southern Alaska town of Glennallen is positioned as an ideal “a jumping-off point to the largest national park in the United States, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.” The town has “an imposing backdrop” of mountains and is “a great vantage point for viewing the northern lights” in winter, TravelAlaska noted. In fact, students in the program experienced the northern lights early in September. The Houghton College Arctic Studies in Alaska Facebook page described the experience: “At 1:30 am, the sky started to open up and dance, turning green with hints of pinks, yellows, and purples!” In addition to experiences on the Glennallen campus, students have had the opportunity to take field trips to nearby locations, including Fairbanks, Kenai Fjords National Park, Denali National Park, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

At the Glennallen campus, students have access to a large dorm building, classrooms, a chapel space, a library, a gym, and a cafeteria called “The Food Cache.” There are also cottages and apartments on campus, which are rented to local Alaska residents. The campus is adjacent to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, which gives students ready access to a hands-on learning environment. This semester, Assistant Professor of Recreation Laura Alexeichik is the primary professor for the Arctic Studies program.

Since starting their semester on August 1st, students have had numerous opportunities to interact with their new environment. Gabrielle Brewster ’18, a student in the program, wrote of her experience during a trip to the city of Valdez, “The salmon were running as they returned to their birthplace to spawn…the return of salmon to the region brought with it sea lions, birds, and bears.” She added, “We then went to Tok, where Dr. Wolfe’s cousin generously invited us all over for a dinner of moose burgers, and they were delicious!” Another student, Tyler Cline ’19, said, “This semester is providing me with a radically new outlook on environmental and human interactions…we are able to get up close and personal with all of the things that we are learning in class. In addition to all we are learning, it’s also nice to be able to take a stroll and see the beautiful mountains!”

Wolfe said that programs like Arctic Studies in Alaska are few and far between due to the remoteness of Alaska. “There’s a lot of people talking about the Arctic, but there are very few college programs that are actually based up there,” he said. Learning in Alaska can provide students with a useful and unique perspective, Wolfe suggested, and said that the program gives students “a sense for the enormity of wilderness” and equips them with knowledge of “the types of science that can be done in an [Arctic] environment.” In future years, the program may expand to reach a wider market of students, such as Christian students at non-Christian universities. Wolfe said of the program, “It’s a challenge, but it’s exciting, and I think the students are amazed at what’s up there and how different it is than down here.”

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News

National // Hurricane Harvey Hits Texas

In late August, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 storm. Harvey dropped record amounts of rain in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, triggering devastating flooding and causing an estimated $180 billion in damage, as reported by NPR. In the wake of the disaster, TIME also confirmed at least 70 Texans have died from Harvey-related causes.

As areas hit by Harvey begin the slow process of rebuilding homes and infrastructure, one of the most powerful storms on record, Hurricane Irma, is barreling through the Caribbean and Florida. Analysts from the U.S. Global Change Research Program have partially attributed this unusually active hurricane season to climate change, and while climate scientists are often able to link extreme weather events to human activity, hurricanes are more complex.

In an article for The New York Times, seasonal hurricane forecaster Gerry Bell said that his team had forecast that this hurricane season would be “above normal,” with 14-19 named storms and 2-5 major hurricanes. Naturally occurring climate pattern, such as the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation, also influence hurricane formation, Bell said. However, Bell did attribute some of the activity to warming temperatures, which allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture to fuel storms, as well as rising sea levels, which can increase the damage caused by storm surges.

To cope with increased need for federal aid after Harvey and Irma, Congress approved a disaster relief bill for $15.25 billion last week. This action assuaged concerns that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would be unable to handle the financial pressure of two major hurricanes as well as wildfires in the western U.S. According to NPR, this relief bill is likely “the first drop in the bucket,” as Harvey is expected to be one of the costliest hurricanes in history. The New York Times reported that the majority of homes in Harvey’s path were not insured against flooding, and FEMA officials estimate that 450,000 people will seek federal assistance.

The scale of the damage has prompted experts to wonder about federal ability to respond to natural disasters. In an NPR article, Gary Webb, professor of emergency management at University of North Texas, said that Irma’s following on the heels of Harvey “tests our capacity to respond at the federal level. Instead of talking about a disaster,” he said, “we may be talking about a catastrophe.”

Federal response to the situation is supplemented by the efforts of people like Houstonian Jim McIngvale, better known as “Mattress Mack.” The owner of several Gallery Furniture stores, McIngvale opened some of his stores to be used as shelters for those whose homes were uninhabitable. MgIngvale welcomed anyone in need to sleep on the new mattresses in his stores, and over 400 people responded. According to TIME, McIngvale spoke of the “incredible outpouring of support” of volunteers and citizens willing to donate items such as baby formula to the flood victims sheltered in his stores. In the aftermath of Harvey, the volunteer effort has encouraged those who lost homes and strengthened resolve, which will be needed: McIngvale said that “the flooding is over and the hard part has just begun.”

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Stories In Focus

Community Celebrates Arbor Day

In April, spring begins to feel more real as buds and flowers come out and the air grows warmer. Students spend time on the quad, lying in hammocks or studying together at tables outdoors. Houghton College has planned an Arbor Day Community Festival with many events and activities to facilitate involvement during this season of renewal. Earth Day and Arbor Day invite celebration of the Earth in its springtime beauty, as well as conversations about the environment.

On Monday April 24, Houghton plans to host an Arbor Day chapel on the quad. Sustainability Director, Brian Webb, said this is most likely the first-ever outdoor chapel in Houghton’s history, and if weather permits, the experience will be unique. The speaker will be Ed Brown, an ordained minister and the executive director of an organization called Care of Creation. According to the Care of Creation website, Brown is “a talented writer and public speaker” who has traveled overseas for missions work and to spread his “deep passion for Christian environmental stewardship.” Webb said, “Ed Brown is one of the forefathers of the modern creation care movement.”

According to Webb, the outdoor chapel service is part of a wider revival of the tradition of celebrating Arbor Day in community. Webb said that Houghton had Arbor Day celebrations for decades, though it has now been close to 15 years since this tradition was part of campus life. The Arbor Day Festival on Monday will include between 15 and 20 opportunities to participate in service projects on campus throughout the day. “The basic idea is to give faculty, staff, and students an excuse to be outside and do some hands-on projects around the college,” Webb explained.  He encouraged everyone to participate in projects like “planting pear trees, raking leaves, painting, laying new pathways, and trail maintenance.” He added, “I think that the Arbor Day Festival will be a really cool opportunity to get everyone engaging with one another and get the community more involved.”

The final event of the festival provides another chance to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day outdoors. “We’re ending the day with an outdoor community picnic on the quad to encourage the community to come together,” Webb said. This event will include food, games, and the presentation of the first annual Caretaker of God’s Creation Award. A campus-wide email explained this award “aims to recognize two individuals (one student and one faculty or staff member) who actively incorporate creation care and biblical earth stewardship into both their personal lives and their participation in the Houghton College community.” The outdoor picnic will last from 5:00-6:30 and is free to attend.

Lexi Wilkas ‘19 expressed excitement about the upcoming festival, “I love how there’s a way for everyone on campus and in the community to be involved. It’s both a fun and meaningful way to enjoy the world we live in.” She added, “I’m definitely pumped for the picnic celebration!”

In addition to hosting the Arbor Day Community Festival, Houghton plans to participate in international efforts to be involved with the environment. Eleven Houghton students will attend the People’s Climate March in Washington, D. C. on April 29, according to Daniel Bellerose ‘17. Bellerose attended the People’s Climate March of 2014, which occurred on the eve of the UN Climate Summit. He said, “It was an amazing experience. It was powerful to be marching united with people from different backgrounds.” He also described how individuals from countries made vulnerable by climate change such as the Maldives and Tuvalu marched in a group to increase awareness of their situation. Webb, who helped organize a larger group of about 80 evangelicals who will be present at the march, said, “This is the first time that I know of that such a large group of evangelicals has intentionally marched for climate change.” Houghton students and the other evangelical marchers will participate in the planned march in D.C. along with an estimated half a million people, and will stay afterward to lobby representatives of congress and senate. Bellerose, who helped organize Houghton’s involvement in the 2017 Climate March, said he is looking forward to the march as an energizing event that will “get people excited about these issues again.”

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Opinions

Getting Past Polarization

A few weeks ago, President Trump signed an executive order that nullifies Obama-era environmental efforts and seeks to revive the coal industry. While it is not an official exit from the Paris Climate Agreement of 2016, this executive order will make it impossible for the U.S. to meet clean energy goals. What disturbs me most about this executive order is its arbitrariness. It is a political statement, nothing more. It only serves to further polarize and impede bipartisan efforts to find solutions to climate change. When we communicate about the environment simply as a political issue, we undermine the people and places affected by its degeneration.

Throughout President Trump’s campaign, he vowed to repeal the Obama-era Clean Power Plan and prioritize fossil fuel industry jobs over renewable energy jobs, a statement that appealed to many conservative voters. Though they applauded the executive order, most coal miners do not expect the coal industry to return to its peak due to dwindling reserves and market forces. This executive order’s purported victory is therefore almost entirely symbolic, but its effects will be real for the environment and the U.S. as a country. With the way cleared for the fossil fuel economy, environmental regulations that protect our health and our resources are tossed aside.

The environment has long been a political pressure point in America. Climate change and conservation efforts have been cast as liberal issue. Friction between conservation efforts and corporate interests have reinforced that idea. However, this is an illusion, since environmental issues represent threats to just as many conservative values as liberal values. According to the U.S. military, climate change poses a significant threat to national security. Loss of crops due to climate change damages regional and national economies, which in turn threatens the job market. This shows that our words and actions surrounding issues of the environment have a direct impact on the environment itself. When people accept the idea that caring for the environment is solely a liberal cause, they miss some basic realities.

Why are we divided? On this one, we really can’t afford to be. While both liberals and conservatives are out attacking political symbols, our real Earth and real, vulnerable people are suffering. Some claim climate change is a hoax, and others delude themselves into thinking since they believe in climate change they are not part of the problem. Both ignore what we have in common, and make working together for positive change difficult. We are all inheritors of this Earth and its problems.

This polarization surrounding environmental issues discourages me, but there is hope. For the past few months, I have been calling Republican Congressman, Tom Reed, about climate change. Congressman Reed, I might add, is an avid supporter of President Trump. At first, I didn’t understand how to communicate about environmental issues with someone who I assumed would dismiss me out of hand. I kept trying, however, even attending a town hall meeting that involved standing outside in the mud for three hours surrounded by a hundred shouting people. I respected the Congressman’s calm demeanor during this event, yet I was bewildered and disappointed to see many liberal constituents and the conservative Congressman essentially speaking different languages on some issues.

I didn’t give up on trying to learn to communicate more effectively, however, because I believe we have more in common than we are led to believe. A month ago, I was encouraged to learnCongressman Reed had signed onto the Republican Climate Resolution, which states climate change is a legitimate threat that requires action. A few weeks ago, I experienced something even more concretely affirming. After calling Congressman Reed for months asking him to join the Bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, I received the news that he had done just that. Cooperation is possible! We can think rationally about the environment and listen to people instead of allowing political stereotypes to control our behavior. We can accomplish things that benefit all of us.

Sarah is a sophomore majoring in English and environmental biology.
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Campus News

Professors Host Variety Show: One Willard Way

Four professors will host One Willard Way, a variety show built around comedy and music, this Saturday. Professor of education Connie Finney, who organized the show, said that she hopes One Willard Way will “showcase some of the talent on campus, especially among faculty, staff, and community members.” Department chair and professor of communication Douglas Gaerte, a participant, said “We’ve had fun doing it. For those of us who live here, we have lives outside of the classroom and it’s fun to do some creative kinds of things.”

Finney said there are a variety of acts lined up for the show on Saturday. Gaerte will act as an MC, giving “comical advertisements for local businesses,” according to Finney. Finney also said she plans to perform a storytelling act, “Conversations with Laura.” Paul and Debbie Young will perform a song from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” and a student readers’ theater group will dramatize a scene from “General Hospital,” a TV medical drama. Additionally, Laurie Smalley will play the folk harp and professor of visual communication, Dave Huth, will display some of his photos of amphibians.

Finney also said that there will be a game show to engage the audience, called “Hymn Sing Dutch Blitz.” She said, “There will be a line from a well-known hymn, but the line will not be as well-known, and the contestants will have to be the first to slap down their Dutch Blitz card and guess the hymn.” Laurie Smalley, a teacher at Houghton Academy,  said Hymn Sing Dutch Blitz is the portion of the show she is most looking forward to. After a hymn is guessed correctly, Smalley will play the first stanza on her harp.

A production of One Willard Way also took place last semester during homecoming weekend and “had a great crowd,” according to Gaerte. For Saturday’s show, Gaerte said the participants have tried to “incorporate things that are similar [to the last show]” and he continued, “even if you went last fall at homecoming, you should come to this one because there will be fresh material.” Finney said she hopes to establish the variety show to occur at least once a semester, and she also noted in the future she envisions the show being livestreamed so that alumni and other online viewers can participate. In addition to the performance this Saturday, One Willard Way will take place on the Saturday of graduation weekend in May. This week’s hour long variety show will be at 3 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Recital Hall (CFA) and is free to attend.

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News

Allegany County Pipeline Proposed

National Fuel has proposed the construction of the Northern Access Pipeline to transport hydro-fracked natural gas from Pennsylvania to the northeastern United States and eastern Canada, according to the National Fuel website. Maps provided on the website outline the proposed path of nearly 100 miles of new pipeline infrastructure, beginning in McKean County in Pennsylvania, crossing the edge of Allegany County in New York, and continuing up through Cattaraugus, Erie, and Niagara Counties. The project will also include constructing accessory structures such as gas compressors and dehydration facilities.

Last month, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved construction of the $455 million pipeline project, according to a statement released by National Fuel. The Niagara Gazette reported the pipeline is expected to have a minimal impact on the environment and nearby landowners due to the fact that many sections of the new pipeline will be co-located with existing infrastructure. It is also expected to meet “a new demand,” according to FERC. A statement by National Fuel also anticipated the project will have an economic impact of $930 million, with $735 of that taking place in New York.

However, Time Warner Cable News reported many residents and environmental activists in the affected regions are concerned about the proposed pipeline. The Sierra Club Niagara Group’s website raises concerns about land devaluation and water contamination in the Southern Tier. “The pipeline will trench through or bore under 180 streams, 270 wetlands and 7 ponds,” according to the Sierra Club’s website. The website suggests the stated economic impact does not take into consideration devaluation of property, especially farmland.

The proposed pipeline will cross the Cattaraugus Creek Basin Aquifer for a distance of approximately 13 miles. The Sierra Club noted,  “This is an EPA designated sole source aquifer, meaning it can more readily be impacted by surface pollution, that supplies public water to over 20,000 residents.” While FERC has stated  “environmental impacts were taken into consideration and incorporated into the design of the Northern Access Pipeline,” an EPA report published in 1987 warned “The residents of communities within the area defined by the Cattaraugus Creek Basin Aquifer are entirely dependent upon groundwater for their drinking water supply. If substantial contamination were to occur, it would create a significant hazard to public health.” The Buffalo News commentedthe environmental impact statement released by FERC last July did not suggest safeguards against contamination of the sole source aquifer, but rather suggestedthe majority of construction does not pose a threat due to the localized, shallow nature of the planned excavations.

According to the Niagara News Source, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) held a public hearing in February regarding the pipeline. Representatives for National Fuel, residents, and environmental activists were present. At this hearing, proponents of the project cited regional economic benefits while opponents called to extend the public comment period to discuss health risks as well as evaluate whether this project will hinder New York State’s renewable energy goals.