Category: Stories In Focus

While some students may be waiting for a “ring by spring”, four current Houghton students are learning what it’s like to be a student while being married. Juniors Rachel Brunea and Dan Bellerose, as well as seniors Cherith Sylor and Ben Yuly got married over the summer.

Rachel and Dan met as freshman and dated for a year before they got engaged. Both Rachel and Dan lived in the dorms their first two years.  Now they live with their dog Mandy in a rented apartment on route 19.

Cherith and Ben first met in second grade when they played on the same T-ball team.  They forgot about each other after attending separate middle and high schools, but met again during their first year at Houghton. The couple dated for six months before they got engaged. Both Ben and Cherith have been commuters throughout their time at Houghton and are now living in a rented apartment, attached to a professor’s house, on Fancher Drive.  

Although it is a lot of responsibility, both couples have enjoyed having a sense of freedom as well as leaving the dorm atmosphere and living in a real house. Rachel commented, “It’s been a little stressful as we are both working 15-20 hours every week and doing school. It’s been difficult doing that as well as home life and making time for friends.”

In taking on the responsibility that comes with being married, one of their biggest challenges has been finances, both Rachel and Dan doubled their work hours in order to pay rent and taxes.

Dan said, “We had to form a plan and realize, sometimes school isn’t always the most important thing. It’s easy to get sucked into work and school, but it’s important to make sure Rachel and I spend time together.” The couple reflected on a time they got home from classes and instead of doing homework right away, went to Moss Lake, to spend time together.

While being married in college can be difficult, it also has its advantages. As the dynamics of social life around campus have changed for both couples, they have enjoyed the changes and feel like they are not missing out on college life.

On the weekends Rachel and Dan try to fit in everything they haven’t been able to do during the week, like hanging out with friends. The couple take their dog for a walk every Saturday, and carpool with friends to Mt. Irenaeus every Sunday morning for Church. However, despite being busy, the couple has been striving in the classroom. Dan said, “Academically, this has been my best semester yet.”

Cherith and Ben have also had to adjust to the daily life of marriage, but overall they have felt it is less stressful. In the past it was very difficult to try and find time to spend together because they were both commuters, living in separate towns, without cars. While they still don’t have a car, it is much more convenient to be with each other.

Cherith’s father works at Houghton, so she would have to rely on his schedule to get a ride to and from school every day. She commented, “It has been great to sleep in a little bit, walk to school when I’m ready, and just come home and hangout at the end of the day.”

Ben and Cherith eat all their meals at home together and enjoy supporting local businesses when they go out. Ben commented, “Dinner’s not always glorious, sometimes that means ramen on the couch while watching TV, but we love getting to share our meals together.”

On the weekend, they catch up on homework from a busy week and attend church every Sunday. Since both of their families live close, they try to  see them at least once a week. Ben commented, “We see our families pretty consistently on Sunday or we invite them over during the week.”

Since they were both commuting from home, Ben and Cherith have enjoyed the freedom of living away from their parents. They have felt like they have more independence and control in their lives. Ben said, “It’s nice to have our own place to go back to and get away from people when we want.  You can force yourself to relax.”

Cherith commented, “It’s been difficult trying to juggle being my mom and being a student.” In the past both Cherith and Ben could focus on school and work while their parents took care of the house. Now, they have had to create a plan to take on all of the responsibility.

Through the busyness of school life both couples agreed that they still see friends as much as usual. They’ve really enjoyed having a place where they can invite friends. Cherith commented, “We spent more time with friends now because we have a place to invite them to.”

With graduation quickly approaching, both couples have started thinking about future plans. Ben and Cherith will graduate this spring. The couples will move out of Houghton after graduation and travel to a new home based on the outcome of Ben’s grad school applications for Fall 2016.

Dan and Rachel will study abroad in Tanzania this spring semester and will be the first married students to enroll in Houghton’s Tanzania program. Following graduation in 2017, the couple wants to move to Oregon where Dan will attend grad school and Rachel will find a job working with plants and botany.

While Ben, Cherith, Dan and Rachel are all living different lives compared to most college students, through their marriages, they are really very similar to regular students. They take on the same activities and schedules of the everyday student. Marriage has simply made their relationship easier as they get to be with each other every step of the way in a home they can enjoy together.

As you walk into the counseling office in the Campus Center, you immediately feel welcomed by a smile, beautiful paintings, and a quiet atmosphere. This sense of acceptance continues as you walk into Bill Burrichter’s office, the new Director of Counseling Services at Houghton. After graduating from Houghton, Burrichter thought it would be great to return to Houghton someday. Now, 23 years later, he’s back.

While speaking with Burrichter, he reflected on his time in Lancaster, PA where he has spent most of his life. He also spent time working in the Boston area, Philadelphia, and even spent a year in Venezuela. In Venezuela, he served as a house parent alongside his wife, who served as a school nurse where he counseled. “I kept trying to go other places, Burrichter said, but God kept bringing me back to the Lancaster area,” he said. After meeting his wife at a summer camp in Pennsylvania and then marrying, they they pursued their common goal of overseas missions. However, their plan to stay overseas was short-lived when they felt God calling them back home to the U.S. Burrichter said, “Sometimes His path doesn’t make sense to us, but He directs them in ways that we never would’ve imagined.”

Burrichter graduated from Houghton with a Bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in sociology. Following his four years at Houghton, he went on to graduate  school at Villanova for counseling and later earned his doctorate from Walden University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Burrichter and his wife now have three kids, who are still making the transition from Lancaster to Houghton. He reiterated, “God has a plan” and is hoping to buy a farm near Houghton for their family and their pets.

Burrichter worked in Lancaster for 15 years, including teaching at Lancaster Bible College, where he started and directed a counseling center for students. While teaching full-time and working at a private practice in addition to his work in the counseling center, Burrichter was contacted by Michael Lastoria , the former counseling director, about the position at Houghton. Lastoria told him that he was retiring and Burrichter fairly quickly declined. After receiving more emails from Houghton faculty about the position opening, Burrichter decided to ask his wife and kids about the job. Upon hearing their approval instead of the “no’s” he was expecting, Burrichter knew he should listen to God. He applied and was offered the job last April after extensive interviews.

When asked about his passion for counseling and reaching students, he replied , “Seeing lives changed, seeing lives impacted by the services they get, it keeps you going.” His love for counseling can be traced back to the  Introduction to Psychology Burrichter took with Professor Richard Stegen, in which he realized he wanted to interact with people and help them. Burrichter also said, “One of the things I think is really cool about Houghton is that it has a Christian faith foundation.” For Burrichter, “the ability to freely integrate [his] faith with what [he does]… and to be able to talk about faith issues is pretty exciting.”

Burrichter is happy to be back at Houghton, to see students and how far they have come and will come, and to be back to the slower pace of life in our open and rural community.

Walking on good intentions is like walking on clouds: it sounds beautiful in theory, but lacks enough substance to support true progress. Good intentions lack the practicality that encourages individuals to seek tangible opportunities for change. This type of change starts from the roots and slowly climbs towards the surface. As a globally engaged campus, social justice issues are at the forefront of Houghton students’ minds. As college students, are there practical ways for action to transcend mere intention? Chris Way, class of 2012 offers an application for this query. The application is enhanced by an abstract cognitive exercise in human relationship that aids in the physical incarnation of development strategies. Way and Princess Nabintu Kabaya began a collaborative work called The Atinga Project. Way works with a team of artisans who create sandals made from repurposed tires. The simple, durable design is not only a resilient shoe, but also a powerful metaphor for Christ-centered relationships. The three core values of the Atinga project: dignity, honor, and humility give diverse meaning to this metaphor.

This three-dimensional value statement applies to many forms. For example, the dignity of artisans is protected when a fair wage is received for the product. Junior International development major, Emily Barry, interned with the Atinga project this past summer as a communications and social media representative. In her work, she conducted research on the average Rwandan salary as published by the World Bank compared to an artisan employed in fair wage artisanship. She found that fair trade artisans make more per year than the average Rwandan. This is one way of directly restoring economic dignity. For this reason, buying fair trade is crucial for restoring dignity to the individual artist and to the art form. According to Barry, fair trade is saying, “I’m doing something, I’m doing it responsibly, and we’re doing it together.” Supply and demand then becomes a collaborative effort of human relationship on an international scale.

Furthermore, artisans honor and protect the environment by recycling a product that might otherwise prove harmful for the atmosphere. Tire waste emits toxins and attracts unwanted pests. As the international demand for Atinga sandals increases, potentially harmful waste has a reliable means of re-entry into a productive market.  

Contributors to the global market engage in a mutual learning relationship because of this exchange of goods and ideas. But sometimes “mutual empowerment” and “mutual learning” according to Barry, are romanticized on a global scale. However, These are more challenging ideas when applied to individual relationships. To embrace the Atinga Project slogan, “Walk a Mile in Their Shoes” is to walk in close connection with the people we encounter everyday. With this slogan, Way encourages Houghton students to “listen with love” as everyday opportunities to learn and grow with fellow classmates present themselves. To listen with love is a response to the Biblical mandate of Proverbs 12:15 to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Consumerism can no longer be about an economic transaction.

Part of the Atinga mission is to walk alongside someone with a humble attitude in order to listen to the needs of another person. The mission is to acknowledge that behind every headline there are individual stories. With global and local interactions, relating to others in a dignifying, honoring, and humbling way gives motion back to the wheel in its reconstructed state.

If you are interested in learning more about the Atinga Project, please visit atingaproject.com or check out their display in the campus store.

“My typical day thus far has been anything but typical,” said Amanda Irwin, member of the Class of 2015. After graduating last spring, Amanda moved to Buffalo to work with the Wesley Service Corps.

“Moving to Buffalo has bombarded me with diversity, my race, and understanding a new concept of community,” Irwin wrote in a recent e-mail interview. “The support of fellow Houghton students in the area has been great and extremely helpful – I don’t know that I could have done this program without that.”

Stephanie Smith, Director of Wesley Service Corps (WSC) and Houghton alumna from the Class of 2007, noted that sixteen Houghton graduates are currently engaged with the program, which was established in 2010. She said that it grew from the many connections Houghton students were building in Buffalo as student teachers, summer AmeriCorps project participants, and full-time AmeriCorps workers. WSC also built upon the work of former Houghton professor Dr. Chuck Massey and the relationships which he had developed in the city. According to Smith, Wesley Service Corps now encompasses year-long opportunities for recent Houghton grads through AmeriCorps as well as Buffalo Urban Mission Partnership (BUMP). The latter, as stated on their website, is a “collaboration of churches and ministries in Buffalo for the purpose of equipping and training women and men for Kingdom work in the City.” This equipping and training, the webpage says, is done through living and worshipping together in fellowship, studying urban missions,  and serving others through non-profit organizations and local churches.

Since beginning the WSC program, Irwin has been grant-writing, working with her hands to assemble things like a candy machine, and compiling a newsletter for senior citizens in the area where she lives. “I go to work every day trying to anticipate the solutions to problems I may be faced with and never really knowing what might arise,” Irwin commented. She lives only two and a half blocks from her office, with two fellow Houghton graduates who are also participating in AmeriCorps programs.

As an AmeriCorps VISTA, Irwin serves a nonprofit agency known as Concerned Ecumenical Ministry, on the west side of Buffalo. According to her description, this organization runs facilities housing youth directors, support centers for Congolese and Burmese communities, a church known as the Dream Center, case managers for service to senior citizens, and a ceramics collective. Assisting with administrative work for the organization, Irwin is in charge of managing room rentals and communicating building maintenance issues to a board of directors.  “I had to learn quickly, be unafraid to ask questions, and be confident enough in myself to make decisions,” she said.

Smith also pointed out that the Wesley Service Corps is not only for alumni. Summer programs through AmeriCorps are available for current students, as well. These include urban agricultural youth development programs and ESL programs for refugee students. There are approximately twelve to fourteen slots in these programs each year.

“Wesley Service Corps members get to engage in a highly formative service experience that is well beyond a typical entry level job,” commented Smith.  “While there are inherent challenges, such as navigating cultural barriers, living at poverty level, and finding work/life balance when surrounded with so much need, these are part of what make WSC opportunities so deeply formative and meaningful.” These sentiments are shared by Irwin, who writes, “This is definitely not for everyone.  But if you have a ready heart and an open mind than it is possible to experience some really amazing things.”

According to Smith, “These WSC members are infusing life, energy, and passion into the communities they serve, reaching beyond themselves and entering into the story of thousands of Buffalonians.”

Houghton Student Enterprises (HSE) is a student-led organization that prepares students with real-life experience through their interactions and work with businesses on campus and in the community. It primarily focuses on building business experience for students in a higher level collegiate environment where students are able to learn valuable communication, teamwork, and leadership skills.  

Under President Joseph Gilligan ‘17 there are vice presidents in each department: Finance, Graphic Design, Marketing, New Ventures, Houghton Events Group, Highlander Concessions, and Consulting Group. VP of Marketing Anna Coryell ‘18 said, “I keep all of the social media platforms up to date including HSE’s and Highlander Concessions’ Facebook page, Instagram page, and Twitter, make flyers and other media related documents for events, do market research on students to get a feel on how they can do their job better, and [we] run marketing campaigns to get ourselves out there so people know about us more.” Coryell is also lead on the Hilton Head Economic Impact Analysis Consulting Group which is working with the Golfweek Amateur Golf Tour in Hilton Head, South Carolina to give them analysis on their economic impact in that area. “Under Tim Leathersich (VP of Consulting Group) which provide consulting pro bono work for local businesses along with national golf tournaments and the Daytona 500,” said Gilligan.

New Ventures is a group that allows students to gain hands-on experience in starting up a new business.  “Under Bjorn Webb (VP of Events Group), we continue to run tournaments with intramurals, but we are now exploring doing other events such as a League of Legends tournament, possibly Battle of the Bands, or a Trivia Night,” said Gilligan. There is a three on three basketball tournament happening this Saturday night that will be donating money to breast cancer awareness.

Highlander Concessions used to be 5Bites, which was ran exclusively by Sodexo in the dorms and at sporting events. But, Sodexo had a big overhead cost because they are a corporation, took huge losses on concessions, and lost their employees because they are no longer any proctors in the dorms. VP of Highlander Concessions Paul Chapman ‘17 said, “I like the fact that we are the student body representing at the athletic events” and that they are having more success because “Students are going to spend money to help other students than help Sodexo.”

“We found an opportunity to partner up with Sodexo to sell at sporting events because of how low our operational expenses would be compared to them, and forged a venture that has been beneficial to both groups,” said Gilligan. Highlander Concessions tries to open up at any athletic event on campus whether it is takes place on Burke Field or at the Nielsen Center. They also work with the Houghton community and sold products at the Fall Festival, which took place on Route 19 last weekend. In addition they are partnering with the Tournament Group to sell concessions at their tournaments and with the Campus Store to sell athletic apparel such as blankets and t-shirts as well as other merchandise like foam fingers at events.

HSE is specific to business majors and minors, but any major can be apply to be a part of the organization. Coryell said, “[It’s] such a great opportunity to build on weaknesses that you may have and make them strengths and build on strengths [to]  make them something that are just so fundamental to who you are as a business person.”

Today in the Recital Hall, award-winning novelist and Buffalo-native, Joyce Carol Oates, will be hosting a question and answer forum at 2 p.m. The well-known, seventy-seven year old novelist has published over 100 books in just about every genre including novels, memoirs, plays, poetry, and short stories and in styles such as horror, gothic, mystery, and family saga. Dean Linda Mills Woolsey said, “Her work is vast and various.”

The event was made possible by a partnership with the David A. Library of Wellsville. Houghton alumni, Nic Gunning, currently works at the library. He reached out to Oates, explaining that someone of her stature coming in and talking to the library’s patrons and community would be a rare and warmly welcomed experience. When Oates’ lecture in Wellsville was confirmed (which commences tonight at 7 p.m.) Gunning approached Mills Woolsey about the possibility of having Oates speak at Houghton as well, resulting in today’s forum.

Mills Woolsey, a longtime reader and lover of Oates’ work, hopes students will catch a glimpse of Oates’ passion for the craft of writing and come to understand her work in ways that enables them to be good readers of contemporary writers. She went on, saying, “I also hope this will deepen students’ appreciation for creative work that takes on challenging subjects.”

It is one of the aims of the Houghton English and Writing programs to balance the refining of the craft with opportunities to interact with those currently succeeding in the field. For many years the English and Writing department has invited writers to come to the college for students to learn from and speak with.

Senior English major, Hope McKeever, feels the department is excelling in this objective. In the past year especially, she and many others in the program have been inspired and encouraged by the guidance and readings of visiting authors.

Speaking to an artist about their work offers students a fullness of experience that one does not encounter through a work alone.  The authors typically studied by students often tend be deceased, it all feels rather secondhand. Professor of English, Stephen Woolsey compares it to the difference of being told about music and actually hearing a musician play. Luckily, there are still many great writers who are alive and willing to come visit Houghton.

McKeever notes out of all the short stories she read in high school the one that sticks out the most is “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Oates, a retelling of the pied piper which examines ideals of beauty and innocence. “She can draw you into a story unlike anyone I’ve ever read,” said Mckeever, “That is something I would love to emulate in my own work.”

Along with excellence, Oates exemplifies hard work and determination. The sheer volume of Oates’ literary contributions is overwhelming. She has published two or three books every year for the past forty years. She was once seen in an airport sitting on top of a bag-stacked luggage cart writing as her husband pushed the cart along. Her tenacity and productivity is an inspiration to Houghton students.

Mills Woolsey, who finds Oates’ novels disturbing and deeply moving, spoke to the unifying factor of her body of work., “The thread that runs through…is a willingness to look at dark, violent and painful experience with an honest eye, while at the same time often managing to convey a sort of tough-minded hope through the strength of her characters.”
Oates’ stories are cerebral and copious. Her characters, honest and compelling. Her work, captivating, creepy, charming, and hauntingly beautiful all at the same time.

On September 20, head coach of men’s soccer, Matthew Webb, reached a milestone of 100 wins in the victory against the Nazareth College Golden Flyers. Since the win, Webb said, “It’s been fun to reminisce and think about some of the guys who have come through the program all of these years.” Athletic Director Skip Lord said, “Anytime you have the milestone wins, in part it says something about longevity…but it’s longevity with excellence, longevity with success.”

Webb has been coaching for twenty-two years. He started his career at Houghton working in the Student Life Office in Student Programs and served as an assistant coach for women’s soccer for four years alongside current head coach, David Lewis. Then, under Coach Hornibrook, he was an assistant coach for the men’s soccer team for seven years. Now, he is in his eleventh season as the head coach of men’s soccer who are currently 4-3-2 overall and 1-0-1 in the Empire 8 conference. In addition to coaching, Webb is the Associate Athletic Director for the college and the men’s soccer chair for the NCCAA division. Over the years, Webb has provided leadership for the intramural sports program, served as a former Empire 8 conference chair, taught classes at Houghton, taught as an adjunct at other institutions such as Global Leadership for St. Bonaventure’s master’s program, and has been a member of board of elders at the Houghton Wesleyan Church.

Webb always sets high goals and standards for his team every season. Specifically, they want to win the Empire 8 conference, qualify for and win the NCCAA national tournament, and have a team GPA of over 3.2 with no individual GPAs below a 3.0. “I think if goals are not set at a high enough standard, they aren’t worth striving towards but they need to be attainable…something [we] can build towards,” said Webb. Additionally, as a team they want to support other sports teams on campus by attending at least one of their games. Webb thinks it’s important for his team to be disciplined academically, athletically, and spiritually. Because he desires to see spiritual development among his players, the team has mandatory devotions early on Friday mornings

With regards to coaching, Webb said, “The most rewarding thing is building those relationships with the players, seeing guys graduate from our program. Becoming husbands, becoming dads.” The success Webb has had is largely a result of the time he takes to relate to his players. Senior Matt Munkittrick said, “[He] makes a good effort outside of the soccer field to get to know the players and that helps in practice and in the games as well.” During preseason, the entire men’s soccer team is invited over to the Webb’s house for a picnic which lets his players know they are always welcome at his home because they are his “extended family.” Webb is often described as a “player’s coach” because he cares about the kind of men his players become and stays in contact with them after they graduate to see how they’re doing. Lord said, “One of the ways you can tell the impact of a coach has on their student athletes is how many weddings they’re invited to.” Usually, his summers are booked with plenty of former players’ weddings for his family to attend, so it’s safe to say Webb has made a large impact on many of the players he’s coached throughout the years.