Category: Stories In Focus

Yesterday, a group of English and writing students embarked on a trip to Butler University’s Undergraduate Research Conference. The group will spend Friday at the conference before visiting the Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing on their way back to Houghton.

“I’m writing a paper centered around environmentalism in fiction,” said Sarah Vande Brake ’19, one of the presenting students. “I chose to focus on the writers Wendell Berry and Barbara Kingsolver, who both address serious environmental issues in their fiction. It’s also worth mentioning that they are both writing about the same geographical area—rural Appalachia—and how this landscape is changing as farming practices change. Berry and Kingsolver come to different conclusions about what it means to practice environmental responsibility, but they agree that radically inclusive communities are the place to start…their characters evaluate their actions differently than someone who only thinks about human communities.”

Membership does mean slightly different things to these writers because of the way they imagine ideal community structure. To Berry, it’s a rural farming community that uses traditional practices. To Kingsolver, it’s more flexible. Stewardship evolves depending on current scientific understanding and practical/local needs.

Berry defines membership in terms of tradition and experience because this gives his communities security. His characters can know that generations down the line will share the same purpose of promoting health for land and people.

“Berry might be more realistic about human nature, but he’s a lot less accessible in many ways,” Vande Brake continued. “Kingsolver’s membership is flexible and people can change the structure itself for the better. Her novel Prodigal Summer is interesting because of the ways it shows communities experiencing change. It’s a hopeful picture, if a little didactic.”

Rachel Zimmerman ’18 will present a paper on four of novels of Edith Wharton’s novels: The House of Mirth, Summer, Ethan Frome, and The Age of Innocence. “I’m looking at flawed and broken romantic relationships, particularly marriage,” Zimmerman said. “[Wharton] tends to portray them all as pretty hopeless, but with glimpses of stability and hope that are achievable.”

Zimmerman hopes to focus on the “way that novels and [Wharton’s] life interweave to reveal her vision of the potential for stability and hope in relationships.”

Colleagues Sarah Madden and Olivia Richardson will present, respectively, “The Dystopian Novel and Human Nature” and “Characterizing Evil Through Transformation in Milton’s and Lewis’s Fiction.”

Laurie Dashnau, professor of writing, has supervised the Undergraduate Research Conference groups for the past three years. “The greatest challenge for me has been to shift my thinking from that of a subject matter expert to serving as a mentor and professor and overseer, branching out into areas considerably beyond my expertise,” she shared. Dashnau has enjoyed “responding as a near novice reader and listener” to foundational academic texts, which she believes helps students “think about the intersection between graduate level work and audiences that have little to no familiarity with the material.”

Dashnau continued, saying that it was “extremely rewarding to see students devise their own syllabus and see how syllabus is constantly being shaped and reshaped.

Although textual analysis in the humanities is sometimes viewed as subordinate to scientific research, Dashnau lamented the “erosion of primary text research” in universities across the nation. “I’m particularly grateful that we’ve had these three years,” she added, “to think about undergraduate research on an even wider scale with students from across the country. The number of majors in English and writing is rapidly declining, and very few students outside emerging educators are making a commitment to these majors. It’s very easy to think about undergraduate research in the sciences, but research in writing and literature takes us back to the root of the word. As Zora Neale Hurston said, research is ‘poking and praying with purpose.’ It requires having an eye out for details that have been overlooked, or for an argumentative edge that hasn’t been fully explored.”

Eliza Burdick-Risser ’18 showed no signs of hesitation in getting involved on campus when she transferred to Houghton during her sophomore year. As a senior biochemistry major with a minor in chemistry, Burdick-Risser serves as Executive Director for the NYFCR (New York Federation of College Republicans), president of the Houghton College Republicans Club and Sigma Zeta, the SGA class of 2018 chaplain, and an RA in Gillette for the past two years.

Burdick-Risser transferred from Campbell University after her freshman year. “My freshman year of college I was a Division I athlete at Campbell and was really involved there. We did a lot of outreach programs like helping out with the local schools,” she explained. “Then I got plugged into student government, and I was a freshman RA there, so when I transferred to Houghton I wanted to have the same level of involvement here as well.”

If you would have informed her as a senior in high school about everything in which she would be involved for the next four years of her life, Burdick-Risser admitted that she “would have laughed.” She advised students to not get involved with various opportunities “just because it will look good on a resume, do it because you’re really passionate about it and do it because you enjoy it.” Speaking directly from her own experience at Houghton, Burdick-Risser encouraged students to not waste their college years, but to “take these four years to really cultivate who you are and who you want to be as you transition into adulthood.”

Expressing her passion for politics, Burdick-Risser joined Jonathan Libby ’20 to form the Houghton College Republicans Club last year, which led to their involvement on a state board. “Since September I’ve been serving as the western region chair for the state board of NYFCR, and then a few days ago I accepted a position as the executive director of the federation,” she said. In this position, Burdick-Risser oversees all the regional chairs, and plans different deployments for various candidates.

Additionally, Burdick-Risser serves as president of Sigma Zeta, a STEM honor society on campus. “In order to be in [Sigma Zeta], you have to be completing your sophomore year, be declared as a STEM major, so science, technology, engineering or mathematics, and have above a 3.0 GPA,” she said. STEM hosts a “Lab Saturday” once every semester when local high school students “come participate for the afternoon and kind of get a feel for what college labs are like in chemistry or biology or physics, and we also share a little bit about what we do here as well.” Burdick-Risser appreciates the society’s emphasis on using their gifts to give back to the community.

Burdick-Risser concluded by clarifying the purpose of keeping Christ central in all our pursuits. “Put God first in what you do. Be confident in your identity as a Christian, knowing that everything you do doesn’t define you. [Being a Christian] is what defines you.”

As of now, Burdick-Risser plans on attending New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls where she received a scholarship to pursue her passion for sports medicine.

“Hi, I’m a student at Houghton College. I’m calling on behalf of our Student Scholarship Fund. Do you have a couple minutes?” For five weeks out of every semester, from Monday through Thursday, a dedicated group of students gathers on the top floor of the Luckey Building to raise funds for their classmates. Affectionately known as the “Phonathon Loft,” the spacious room is home to two rows of desks—and a lot of phones.

During Phonathon, student callers use brightly colored “calling cards” to learn more about the people they contact. To spark a conversation, many use questions about classic Houghton activities like SPOT, chapel, and cafeteria tray sledding. They share fond memories from their time at Houghton and stories of how generous student scholarships have positively impacted their lives.

The current caller script prominently focuses on the “Access and Affordability” element of Houghton’s Impact Campaign, which the college describes as “a multi-year campaign celebrating the many ways Houghton College and its students have a kingdom impact on the world.” Every donation made to these students goes directly into the Student Scholarship Fund, rather than to other building initiatives or academic funding—which is one of the reasons why having student representatives is such a crucial component of the program.

Some reliable yearly donors graduated as far back as the 1950s, while others left Houghton less than a decade ago. Many graduated with majors that are no longer offered the school. Almost all are delighted to speak with current students, swap stories about their favorite Houghton memories, and learn more about the institution’s plans for the future.

Jessica Jennings, who served as administrative supervisor of the Phonathon initiative, recently vacated the position to pursue overseas missions opportunities with YWAM. She handed management of the fund drive to Bec Cronk, whose work in alumni engagement and advancement dovetails naturally with the Phonathon mission.

“Although it makes for a long day,” Cronk said of her job, “I love listening to students make calls to alumni and friends of Houghton! It’s rewarding to hear so many stories and experiences from a spectrum of different people. The common thread in conversation is always a love for the Houghton experience.”

When asked about the challenges of her new role, Cronk said, “The hardest thing about managing so many students has got to be the scheduling! A college schedule is not one I envy. The part I am so excited about is the relationship building. I love the students and can’t wait to get to know them better. And of course it’s difficult to know that so many will leaving after this semester. Jessica has left me an exceptional group of students who are making positive connections on Houghton’s behalf.”

Casey Greene ’18, who began working as a Phonathon caller during her sophomore year and now works as a student supervisor, fondly recalled hundreds of conversations through the years. “I just love being able to form relationships with alumni and being able to hear their crazy stories,” she said, “as well as seeing the ways that Houghton has changed…and the ways that Houghton never changes.” While she recalled some bizarre discussions (and outlandish answering machines) Greene’s most enduring memory stems from a single conversation. “I called a woman this year who I had called my sophomore year,” she shared. “She could tell me my name, my major, and where I was from. She’d been praying for me for two years.”

The parents of former Houghton College president Daniel Chamberlain funded the Chamberlain Lecture Series. According to official language from the Office of Spiritual Life, the lectures are for the purpose of keeping the challenge of missions before the Houghton community.  For anyone interested in missions, this is a great opportunity to get practical advice from someone who is well acquainted with the missions field and has an academic background as well. The series is named in honor of the Chamberlain family.

Dr. Daniel Chamberlain, the fourth president of Houghton College and predecessor to current president Dr. Shirley Mullen, was president from 1976 to 2006 and is the namesake of our current Chamberlain Center. According to his biography on the Houghton Highlander athletics site, where he is a member of the Hall of Honor, he oversaw much of the updated infrastructure of Houghton College. His educational background was also extensive, including a Master’s Degree from California State University in Los Angeles and a Doctor of Education from the University of Southern California. Currently Chamberlain is on the Board of Directors for the Wesleyan Bible Conference Association, a preaching assistant at Brooksville Wesleyan Church in Florida, and a member of the board of World Hope International.

For this year’s Chamberlain Lectures, Houghton College welcomes Dr. Stanley John. Dr. John is the director and assistant professor of Missions and Intercultural Studies at Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, New York. Stanley received his master’s degree and doctorate at Asbury Theological Seminary. Stanley’s main focuses of study are migrant Christianity in the Arabian Gulf, global Pentecostalism, and World Christianity and transnational networks, according to his biography through Alliance. Stanley is a licensed minister in the Christian Missionary Alliance. He has traveled and spoken in multiple ministries including those in the Arabian Gulf, Canada, India, Kenya, Nepal, and the Ukraine and has spoken in multicultural churches domestically. He also is a member of the Board of Directors of India Gospel Ministries, a member of Lausanne Global Diaspora Network, and is a member of the United States Board of Directors of Langham Partnership. He is also the author of multiple books and journal articles you can find online. You can hear Dr. John speak in chapel  on March 21. He will also be giving a lecture in Library 323 at 7:30 p.m. of the same day.

When Jessica Robinson ’18 first came to Houghton, she was mainly interested in pursuing an Art Education degree. Over the next four years, Robinson “accumulated majors” and is now graduating as a triple major in business administration, communications, and human resources.

Robinson holds a deep appreciation for how well she believes Houghton has prepared her to step into the professional world after graduation. “The business department is especially very intentional about real world experience and driving us to be the best that we can be.” As a native of south central Pennsylvania, Robinson plans to move back to that area in May, “work for a little bit, and then down the road get an MBA once I solidify what I want to do.”

Robinson’s primary leadership role is serving as the senior RA for her staff, “which means I’m kind of the point person for other RAs for questions, and things like that.” She’s also serves as the president of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) and holds multiple jobs around campus.

One thing that Robinson explained “really shaped my Houghton experience” was becoming an RA. She encourages other students to “not look past the opportunities God is giving you.” Robinson had told herself she would “never” become an RA, “and my mom says as soon as I say, ‘I’m never going to do something,’ God is like, ‘You sure? You sure about that?’”

After much encouragement from Krista Maroni, Robinson’s Resident Director at the time, she filled out her application and stepped into her role as an RA as a sophomore. Speaking from experience, Robinson said, “Take those opportunities and be open because college is all about shaping yourself, and you don’t know how you’re going to be shaped.”

Even though Robinson never saw herself stepping into this position when she came to Houghton, her role as an RA has “pushed me to interact with others because I’m an introvert and I kind of like just sitting by myself, but pushing myself to talk to others and get to know others has made my college experience more well-rounded because of all those people I’ve had the opportunity to meet or mentor through my position.” She has learned the importance of time management and what it takes to balance a heavy work load and meaningful relationships.

On March 23, Robinson will have the opportunity to share her faith journey in chapel which she explained “is a lot about my learning disability, which I wasn’t diagnosed with until 5th grade, but it’s a severe learning disability that I’ve had my entire life and will have my entire life.” Robinson described her struggle with learning how to speak and how to read, and how even though “I looked normal from the outside, internally it’s hard to function on an everyday basis.” Robinson is looking forward to sharing with the Houghton community how she’s seen God’s hand at work in her life in the past twenty years.