Category: Campus

In an effort to update the education opportunities available to current students, as well as to keep up with the demands of prospective students, Houghton is looking into a number of new major programs. Because the majors would depend on first gaining state approval, they will not be available until Fall of 2019 at the earliest, explained Provost and Dean of the Faculty Jack Connell.

“There are eight potential new programs currently under consideration by the faculty,” said Connell.  “And of course, we have already submitted a proposal for a new major in electrical engineering and are waiting for New York State approval.”

Aside from electrical engineering, the science department could potentially benefit from the addition of undergraduate majors in environmental science, exercise science, and clinical lab science. Prospective students more drawn to the stage than the lab may have the chance to major in worship arts or to minor in theatre. A major in criminal justice, meanwhile, could introduce a focus entirely new to the school. Houghton may also expand further into graduate education with the potential addition of a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Masters in Education.

When asked about the reasoning behind the chosen programs, Connell said, “No final decisions have been made yet, but these particular programs are under consideration because they are consistent with our mission and our strengths—and because we believe they would be attractive to prospective students.”

When The Princeton Review identified the ten most popular college majors, its number included business and several programs that focus on practical science.  A similar article from CNBC tracked the top six programs and reported that business majors account for 19% of college students.

“Houghton’s challenge is to translate our academic  program strengths into the language of prospective students—while also preserving all that is best in the Christian liberal arts tradition,” explained President Shirley Mullen.  “That is no easy task—but it is a critical one in today’s world.”

In line with the difficulty of the situation, she commented, “I am grateful to Dean Connell and the Area Deans for their leadership in ensuring that Houghton’s mix of academic programs matches the needs—and the perceived needs—of today’s marketplace.”

Mullen reflected on the value of the proposed additions, for both potential students and Houghton as a whole. “While a liberal arts education, with its emphasis on critical thinking, communication, and learning skills, is arguably still the very best preparation for lifelong personal and career effectiveness in a changing world, this is not the way most 18-year-olds and their parents think when they are choosing a college,”  she commented. “They are looking for a particular major that they perceive will lead to a job in the short term.”

The majority of the proposed majors could be taught by Houghton’s existing faculty, although “a couple of them would require additional faculty hires,” according to Connell.

It’s too early to count on the new majors quite yet, however. Connell explained that, while the process differs from program to program, gaining state approval to offer new majors is “an extensive process of submitting the program proposal and supporting documentation so the New York State Department of Education can ensure that the program will be of high quality.”

From April 16 through 18, Houghton will partner with international organization Take Back the Night to hold several events focused on raising awareness about sexual abuse and related issues.

Over the course of the three days, featured gatherings will include a chapel message from Kristina Lacelle-Peterson, a Take Bake The Night coffeehouse, discussion group, prayer meeting, and a panel about Christianity and sexuality. In addition to testimonies and spoken poetry that will be shared at the coffeehouse, the newest issue of the Lanthorn will debut and feature stories, contemplations, advocacies, and outcries related to this theme.

A group of student leaders, including Carina Martin ’18, Rachel Zimmerman ‘18, Emily Vandenbosch ‘18, and others, have been working diligently to make the event a success. With different skill sets, experiences, and church backgrounds, each student brings a unique perspective to the table.

This year’s theme for Take Back the night is raising awareness for “sexual and emotional abuse when it occurs within the context of the church,” Martin commented. She also noted that it is not intended to be a fund-raising event, but primarily centered on discussion and engagement, as “Everybody has to think about these issues and find ways to deal with this kind of stuff when it happens.” She explained that, “While you yourself might not have been affected by it, your congregation and your church have been affected—almost certainly.”

Zimmerman, editor of the Lanthorn, eagerly anticipated the sharing of poetry, music, and testimonies at the coffeehouse. She commented on her hopes for the evening, highlighting the fact that “poetry and creative writing are some of the most powerful ways to communicate.The power of individual stories and the ability to communicate an emotion—giving someone else access to that emotion—that  is really valuable.” 

On the meaning of the slogan “Take Back the Night,” Zimmerman elaborated that, “it has a lot to do with what it means to be a woman. The night is symbolic of fear, and this is sort of a way to reclaim the nighttime—reclaim something that everyone should be comfortable in and has been taken from a lot of people and replaced with fear.”

This event has the potential to open the eyes of many who find themself in the dark when it comes to issues related to sexual assault. Vandenbosch described the nature of the event as eye-opening, saying, “Take Back the Night was started to raise awareness of sexual assault and violence on college campuses. This year, we are addressing sex and the church, and both the implicit and explicit messages conveyed about their relationship.” She also mentioned that these events are structured to provide “unique, personal perspectives on how sermons, theologies, resources, and teachings of the Christian church have impacted various individuals’ views of themselves, others, God, sex and sexual assault.”

Take Back The Night highlights issues and shares perspectives that many students have possibly never encountered to help people find a better way to raise discussions about sexual assault and related topics. As Vandenbosch shared, “The purpose of Take Back the Night is to make the Houghton community aware of the underlying issues and causes related to sexual assault, violence and perversion.”

One major emphasis this year is the role of the Church in the context of sex and sexual assault.  “People often believe the church is a safe space when it comes to sexual assault, or even sex in general. They believe that is not where the problem lies,” Vandenbosch commented. This year’s leaders are making an effort to address this issue, and expect impactful events and discussions for all who attend.

Students looking for summer employment can look as close as Houghton, at least for a week in June, as the Scoop recently alerted students to the opportunity to be a summer camp counselor or to participate in a community garden internship.

Due to weather and current staff levels, however, the garden will not employ students this summer.  “Unfortunately, several factors outside our control have made it unrealistic to get the garden started in time for this year’s growing season, and we’ve decided to delay the garden until summer 2019,” explained Sustainability Coordinator Brian Webb. 

He did have good news for students interested in the opportunity, saying, “We definitely still plan to have a college garden—it’s just going to take us one more year than expected to make it happen.”  The extra time will also allow the garden to be ready as soon as the growing season starts next year.

The counselor position, according to Math Camp Coordinator Lily Morris ’19, is “open to whoever wants to make a difference in the life of a Buffalo student.”  The camp runs June 4-8.

“Since it is an educational camp, a lot of education majors participate,” commented Morris.  “However, it is really open to whoever, so each year we have a wide variety of people. Science Camp is separate, but runs the same week and sometimes that targets more biology and science majors rather than education.”  The campers are third graders for Math Camp and sixth grade for Science Camp.

When asked what she looked forward to getting out of the experience, Morris referenced the opportunity to gain leadership experience.  Her major motivation, however, was the chance to create “a positive difference in the lives of Buffalo students for a few days.

“They remember Math Camp forever and some of their home lives are very difficult, so having a safe and fun place to come is so worth it for everyone involved,” explained Morris. “It also highlights some of the aspects of college living. For them, this is only a dream that they have heard of other people doing. Through this, we are able to show them they can go anywhere they want to in life.”

Meals and training are both provided during the week.  Preparation for the week will begin on Monday, which is the day the counselors arrive, and continues into Tuesday.  Responsibilities of counselors include decorating Gillette lounge on Tuesday night in preparation for the campers’ arrival.  The theme for the year is pirates, so participants will help transfigure the space into a pirate ship.  Campers will arrive on Wednesday morning, and Wednesday and Thursday are packed with exciting activities for the kids.

Because it is a math-focused camp, activities will include math centers in addition to water balloon fights, baseball games, and generally spending time with the kids.  “For the daytime, there are normally four to five groups that I make up with the counselors,” said Morris.  “They are our ‘color teams.’ Each of these teams are assigned five or six kids that travel with them throughout the day.” 

Counselors will be assigned “bedtime buddies” for the evening.  “They live in the room next to you and you basically make sure they fall asleep, read them books if needed, wake them up in the morning, eat breakfast with them, etc.,” explained Morris.  “Each counselor is assigned two to four students- it’s normally two- for ‘bedtime buddies.’”

The camp will run until Friday.  Campers will head home Friday morning, but there will still be a bit more time for fun before they leave.  Morris explained, “We get t-shirts and the kids get to sign them at the end of the week—they go absolutely nuts!”  Around 4 p.m., after lunch and clean-up, counselors will be free to leave.

Those interested in becoming a counselor are encouraged to submit an application and make sure they have a valid red employment card.  Participants will fill out a time sheet together before the campers arrive Wednesday morning, and will earn $250 for the week.

Tomorrow night, March 24, at 8:00 p.m., Global Christian Fellowship (GCF) will host the annual Faculty and Staff Talent Show in the Center for the Arts Recital Hall. Tickets for the event cost $5 per person ($7 at the door), and baked goods homemade by community members will also be available for purchase.

The funds raised by the show will support Houghton students who are embarking on mission trips this summer. The event will showcase the impressive—and perhaps surprising—abilities of various faculty and staff from the college, including Dean Jordan, Meic Pearse, Ransom Poythress, Amanda Cox, Casey Conklin, Connie Finney, Jon Arensen, and Brandon Bate.

This year, biology professor Ransom Poythress will be performing an act with the intriguing title “Using Punctuation for Communicative Clarity.” He described the talent show as “a little like a mini SPOT, just with faculty and staff participants.” As the event approaches, Poythress hopes that “attendees will be able to enjoy themselves, learn a little more about the quirkier side of some of us, and that enough money will be raised to substantially fund some Houghton students’ mission trips.”

The 2018 Faculty and Staff Talent Show will also feature history professor Meic Pearse. For this show, Pearse will be exchanging his signature parody tales for different stories, which he describes as being “at least equally silly, made famous 60 years ago by the eccentric Gerard Hoffnung.” Pearse, who considers himself “born just naturally silly,” explained that his primary hope for the event is “that I get out alive. Followed by the vague notion that it will raise lots of money towards sending some of our students as far away as possible.”

The Faculty and Staff Talent Show is brought to campus by Houghton’s GCF organization. As described by the college website, GCF is an organization designed “to meet students where they are and be a place where they can be informed about global missions and worship with others.” As Ashley Carroll ’18, one of the talent show’s organizers, explained, “GCF is important because it gives students on campus the chance to hear what’s going on around the world.” She described this opportunity to hear about missions as a blessing made possible by the “retired missionaries and…many alumni who are out and about, serving the Lord, who come back and share their experiences.” GCF provides students and community members with the chance to listen to these missionaries every Wednesday from 8-9 p.m. in the Alumni Dining Room.

In addition to GCF’s weekly meetings, the group has traditionally hosted the Faculty and Staff Talent Show. The event’s performers volunteer to showcase their remarkable abilities, and past hits have included songs from Hamilton sung by Ransom and Lisbeth Poythress, Meic Pearse’s tales about Vaigly Methodistic College in Dagnabbit’s Snowhole, and the storytelling of Beth Phifer and Benjamin Lipscomb.

With a strong lineup of faculty and staff prepared to exhibit their humorous and hidden abilities, the GCF Faculty and Staff Talent Show promises to be a thoroughly entertaining evening in support of important causes. As Ashley Carroll observed, “This event is fun because it’s getting to see our professors in a new setting and seeing what special talents and unique gifts they have. It helps you gain a new perspective of a professor on campus and feel more connected with them.” All students and community members ready to view faculty and staff in this new light are encouraged to come out tomorrow and enjoy the show because, in Carroll’s words, “It’s super fun!”