Category: Campus

This year Houghton College welcomed a new addition to the athletics department, thanks to the Ethnic Minorities and Women’s Internship Grant.

The funding, part of NCAA Division III’s diversity grants, brought Kiara Cooper to work on campus for the next two years and gain experience in the field of athletic administration. According to the NCAA website, the grant was established to help enhance diversity among Division III athletics.

Cooper came to Houghton with a mission: to promote ethnic and gender diversity on a Division III college campus, which, like many of its kind, has historically welcomed mostly white, middle-class students. On the day-to-day level, Cooper will also serve as the assistant to the Athletic Director, Harold ‘Skip’ Lord, and as an assistant to the cross-country and track teams. She is not helping to coach these sports but to help in an administrative capacity, for which she feels she is more equipped and capable.

Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in art from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia and a Master’s of Business from Belhaven University located in Jackson, Mississippi, Cooper was academically impressive and boasted a robust résumé of accomplishments. Cooper was also on the Dean’s List for all four years of her undergraduate studies and was an athletic marketing intern with an ultimate goal of becoming an athletic director at the collegiate level, an aspiration that impressed Lord.

She previously served as the site supervisor at Covenant College, a position she will now fill during Houghton events.  Cooper also had a history of site supervision for sporting events and business administration at other institutions. A basketball player herself since the age of 8, she also coached basketball at the collegiate level at her alma mater.  It was while holding the coaching position that she realized her calling was not for direct , but for sports administration. “Coaches have a certain passion,” she said, “but I just didn’t have that passion.”

Although she was excited to share her administrative gifts with the school, Cooper admitted that she initially felt some trepidation at the prospect of moving to Houghton. Growing up in Atlanta, she attended colleges that—while predominantly white—were located in diverse surroundings, and had never lived in an area with such sparse African-American and Latino populations. Cooper knew the subtle challenges of life as a black student at a white college ever since she was a student herself.

She remembered several nationwide events that brought racial tensions to the forefront, mentioning that these moments reminded her that she perceived the world differently from many others. “It’s not just minority ethnicity,” Cooper said. “It’s minority thought as well.” While she had never seen outright racism on her college campuses, she was also aware that much of the division is due to the absence of knowledge and experience that those who are not of color do not and cannot have.

Colleges that are predominantly white, she noted, tend to bring issues to the forefront that minority students have in the forefront of their lives.  Cooper did not want to become the forefront of African-American issues, but she would love to add to the discussion and potentially bring certain tough discussions to the table. Cooper knew some people may be offended, but she noted Christianity is offensive to some people.  They are offended by Christians’ audacious hope, something that her church talked about and has had her thinking. “I don’t know if I could be the bridge,” Cooper said, “but I would love to be at least a plank on that bridge.”

A concert by The King’s Brass this past Friday kicked off this semester’s Artist Series, a collection of world-class concerts by visiting performers.

Ian Riley, Graduate Assistant, said that the series began “by the desire from our faculty to bring world-class musicians to Houghton to expose our students to various artists.”  He went on to add that “the Greatbatch School of Music is purposeful to provide a wide variety of styles, size, and instrumentation; by hosting these distinguished artists from a vast array of musical backgrounds, we are able to present unique, aesthetically satisfying music experiences to the greater Houghton community.”

The most recent artist series event, The King’s Brass, was an example of a large instrumental group. According to the group’s webpage, “For more than twenty years, The King’s Brass have performed over one hundred concerts each season with three trumpets, three trombones, a tuba, keyboards, and percussion.”

“In general, our distinguished artists fall into a few specific categories: large ensemble, chamber ensemble, or solo performance, with consideration given every year to the possibility of hosting an alumni artist,” Riley explained. “Again, the intention here is to represent the diversity of excellence in musical performance; vocal and instrumental, large and small, classical and contemporary, sacred and vernacular.”

This diverse selection of concerts has traditionally struck a popular chord with audiences. “The Artist Series concerts are currently attended by a fairly wide range of people,” reported Jessica Jennings, Constituent Programming and Event Specialist at Houghton. “A good number of community members purchase season tickets for Artist Series, as well as retired and current faculty and staff. Sometimes, depending on the concert, area churches or schools bring groups of adults and/or kids, and various concerts have attracted people from as far as Buffalo and Rochester.”

Jennings also noted that “Typically at least one of the concerts in the Artist Series schedule includes a Houghton grad.”  This year, Bethany Brooks ’01, a collaborative pianist who continued her education at the Royal Academy of Music in London, will perform at the Brooks-Nebyu Duo concert in February.

“Artist are selected first and foremost based on the excellence of their performance, their professional experience, and the caliber of the performance repertoire,” Riley said. He later added that the School of Music has always attempted to solicit “A diversity of performing groups who have achieved the highest level of performance” and “world-class musicians from at home and abroad, each of whom adds to the rich and varied harmony of musical life at Houghton College.”

Artist series scheduled for this semester also include the Martin-Meliton Piano Duo and Otis Murphy. The former specializes in Spanish two-piano pieces, and has earned rave reviews for their immaculate synchronization and Martin’s bold, original transcriptions. Otis Murphy, a professor of the saxophone, has performed as a soloist and taught clinics across the globe.

The concerts have long been a respected and cherished part of Houghton history. “When our older alumni return to campus, their stories always include these concerts,” Jennings said.  “For example, in the 60’s a large majority of the students attended each concert, and it was a popular date night option for budding romances.”

Tickets, which are typically $16 for adults aged nineteen or older, are free for students when they pick them up at the welcome desk during the week of the concert.

This year’s Christian Life Emphasis Week (CLEW) speaker, Rev. Dr. Meredith Lee Griffin Jr,. delivered a series of messages focusing on identity formation and spoke on the theme of  “The World Needs the You God Sees.” The pastor, who hails from Wilmington, Delaware, encouraged students to articulate one simple question out loud: “How do I know who I am?” Griffin addressed the student body in chapel on Monday and Wednesday and delivered two additional messages on Monday and Tuesday night.

On Monday night, Griffin held a public discussion in Java 101, integrating Christianity with the recent incident in Charlottesville.  Reflecting on the coffeehouse, Dean Jordan mentions that he is particularly proud of the students who asked hard questions, and respected how students from multiple backgrounds came together trying to find answers about Houghton’s direction in the future.

In his addresses, Griffin often referenced a change occurring on Houghton’s campus. Dean Jordan also comments about how there is less of a common understanding about Houghton’s true identity, saying “It’s up to us to think about what Houghton means and start to live it out in different ways.” To assist in the change that he is advocating, Dean Jordan states that he plans to “help students find out who they are and then help them put it into practice.” He also noted that his preaching centers around a theme common to Griffin’s messages, focusing on a singular idea: “Before you are anything, you are God’s beloved child.”

Madison Detwiler ‘19 says the content of the two chapel messages Griffin delivered were “things just about everyone on campus needed to hear.” She continues, “Sometimes we can forget that we are changing and figuring out who we are when we come to college. There is so much going on here between school and social lives, so it was nice to step back and be able to think about those crucial questions.” Detwiler also says that she appreciated Griffin’s engaging tone. “The student body seemed to be really engaged. People were laughing and showing verbal expressions of their agreement to what he was saying. Overall, It was a really good week and I hope he comes back.”

“He provided an equal mix of being encouraging and challenging,” Stephanie McMahon ‘19 contributed. “Encouraging us to take off our mask but also challenging in that he told us to step into that role that God has called us to be in. He did a great job picking a message that was applicable to people he was speaking to. He said what a lot of people needed to hear right now where we are.” When considering a way to keep Griffin’s message relevant in her heart even after he has left Houghton campus, McMahon said: “It’s good to remind ourselves how God sees us continually through the day. You don’t need to put on a fake face for other people.”

Several Houghton students spent their summer working on science projects as part of Houghton College’s Summer Research Institute (SRI). During this period, students had the opportunity to learn skills and utilize technologies not common in the classroom, gain practical experience in lab research, and work in close partnership with a professor mentor.  The SRI’s participants fully expect that the skills and technologies gained throughout the summer will make the students more marketable to employers.

While the SRI is designed to be a learning experience, the projects each boast highly practical applications. Several students discussed hopes for presenting their research at conferences, or described how it already is helping a business or organization. “We started to work with a company that builds a certain kind of impeller.  What I’m hoping is that our research can help them to improve their products and reduce costs,” Heather Phillips ‘18 explains.

When asked about difference between Houghton’s Summer Research Institute and similar programs, Professor of Physics Kurt Aiken explains: “We have a different emphasis.  Certainly, we want to help the company, want to get things done, but I also told my student that I want them to learn some things and that changes what I might make them do.  Even if it’s going to take them some time to learn…I am more willing to invest that time.”

As a result, both students working on the impeller project mentioned how they walked away with greater skills in their fields.  Phillips says that “Being able to understand more of the software side of the electrical engineering” will help her in the future as she works towards a master’s degree.

Some students found mostly technical value in their projects, while others gained a new sense of purpose. Jonathan Durbin ‘19 remarks, “While I don’t intend to get much more into the field of fluid dynamics, I did learn various skills that I think will help later on.” Unlike Durbin, Brielle Kwarta ‘19 claims that her research on photosynthetic allocation helped to solidify her interest in the subject, saying that “Incorporating math and biology is an area of study that I am definitely interested in pursuing.  The opportunity to do research this summer confirmed my aspirations for graduate school and beyond.”

Erica Barney ‘18, who worked on  monitoring biodiversity along the Pacific Crest Trail, agrees that “Being a part of this project, I have been exposed to various field research designs, methods and theories which are skills that I will use in the future to continue to ask and attempt to answer questions about the complexity of creation.”

Aikens also believes that the experience has helped his students gain a deeper appreciation for the complexity of many scientific issues. “For students I think it’s a great opportunity to apply their knowledge that they’ve learned through the school year,” he comments, “but to problems that aren’t problems that you can look up the solutions at the back of the book.”

Several students referenced their appreciation for the practical work they were able to accomplish during their research. Ben Reber ‘19 , who performed work in photosynthetic allocation, says “Especially in math, we talk a lot about math theory and numbers for numbers’ sake, and that’s all well and good, but it was kind of nice to see there are reasons we are doing math. Here’s an application that applies to the real world.”

Professor Aaron Sullivan similarly emphasizes the unique way in which students were aware of the implications of their research. “I want my students to be involved in the development of research projects so they can learn how to function as scientists rather than being plugged into a project like a cog in a wheel,” he says. “Because of that, I regularly discussed aspects of the design with them and incorporated their feedback and criticism.”

Individualized attention and one-on-one mentoring was also a highlight of the program, both for students and professors. “I was looking for one on one time with a faculty member because a lot of times in normal labs you’re in a eight to twenty other people,” Greg Ballard ‘20 says of his expectations for his summer spent researching protein misfolding.

Professors are similarly grateful for the opportunity to work closely with their students. Professor of Biology Ransom Poythress says: “It has been a delight to watch my students grow personally and spiritually, become invested and excited about a scientific problem, travel with them through the highs and lows of the experimental process, and finally compile and share our work publicly, all while celebrating, praising, and glorifying God with our efforts.”

Tomorrow night, the student-led “Houghton’s Got Talent” show will premiere. According to the college calendar, the show will take place from 9-11 p.m. in Wesley Chapel. Travis Trotman ‘17 said he organized the event during his internship with the Campus Activities Board (CAB), “for my (communication) major”.

“I had to create two events throughout this internship. AC Taylor, my supervisor, and CAB are helping me run the talent show,” he said. According to Trotman, the show will be “almost like Spot but without a theme.” There will be judges and prizes, with a variety of acts including “some singing, some dancing, [and] some standup comedy.” Trotman even teased the possibility of a few duo and group acts, and praised participants’ originality. “Usually in SPOT you see mostly singing and videos. There are no videos. This is a talent show.”

Trotman has recruited Zina Teague ‘12, Hunter Gregory ‘17, Sarah Duttweiler ‘17 and Dean Michael Jordan as judges. Trotman will host the show, and Joe Miner ‘18 and Andrew Sherman ‘18 will serve as “the hype people.” The judges will select their favorite performer to receive a prize. “By the end of the night, there will be a winner,” Trotman said. “There will be some acts and talent you wouldn’t have seen in Spot for a while,” he stated.

Soliciting performers for an event so late in the semester did prove difficult. Trotman originally advertised with posters and an all-campus email, but received only three entries. After asking friends for performer nominations, however, he was able to connect with many more talented performers and hold a preliminary audition.

Trotman is keeping the name of participants confidential, “so it’s for the most part a surprise for the campus.” However, he revealed that the participation pool contains a mix of under- and upperclassmen. “There are a lot of freshman and sophomores,” Trotman said. “After this, people will really know the talent we have.” Until the end of the night, the prizes will remain confidential as well.

Trotman hopes that “Houghton’s Got Talent” may become an annual event. In past years, a similar event called “Houghton Superstar” was popular, and he hopes to breathe new life into that tradition. “I hope to pass on the torch to someone who attends the show,” he stated. “I hope someone else from CAB will pick it up and it will become an annual thing.”

When asked what he was most looking forward to, Trotman said that he was excited “for crowd interaction and reaction to people performing. But I’m also just excited for the judges and how they’re going to interact with the performers, and also pick a winner.” Other students are also looking forward to the new event. “It’s going to be a great show!” Joe Miner ‘18 said. “CAB has put a lot of work into this event and I think it will be a huge success. If you’re looking for a laugh, a cry, or to have your breath taken away, come to Houghton’s Got Talent.”

This year’s Houghton Palooza will be on Saturday, April 29 running from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Townhouses.  In the case of bad weather, it will take place in the Campus Center’s Van Dyke Lounge.

According to Theresa Taggart ’18, primary planner for this year’s Houghton Palooza, the event has been happening annually for over 10 years. JL Miller, Resident Director (RD) for the Townhouses, added, “It was originally student-started with the idea of an end of the year music festival making use of the talent we have on campus and enjoying the good weather.  And since then it’s pretty much kept on that same base but we’ve added a few elements along the way that attract a wider community member audience.”

Community members and families are welcome to join students in enjoying the activities.

“This year, like past years, will have live music, hot dogs, and many different ‘carnival’ booths,” Taggart explained. “For example, we will have face painting, cotton candy, popcorn, a 40 foot obstacle course, a home run derby bounce house, and more.”  New to this year’s festival is two inflatables, instead of the usual one.

Miller acknowledged another addition to the traditional activities.  He said, “We invite clubs on campus to see if they want to host something, be a part of a little booth to provide an activity and for the first time we got FILA involved so they’re going to have a nerf gun tin can shooting gallery.”

The intention with the new activities over the years, according to Miller, is to be “expanding beyond just the music but still making the music central.”  As for this year, Miller said, “I’m really impressed by the bands we have lined up.  Sometimes we rotate through low times when there’s not as many bands available, but this time it’s a really full set of bands and musicians that I think students will really enjoy and know.”

Miller explained while the event is staff supervised, the intention is for it to be a student run even.  “Being the Townhouse Representative of CAB,” Taggart commented. “I’m the point person for planning the event. But this event really takes a big team to execute. The townhouse RAs and JL Miller help with planning and getting bands and club participation…We all put together our best ideas and we delegate tasks to get it done as quickly as possible.”

“I’m really just excited to see everyone have a good time,” Taggart said of the coming event. “The best part about event planning is seeing people enjoy the work you’ve put into it. Houghton Palooza is one of my favorite campus events, and I love seeing others go and have fun.”

Jill Templeton ’17, who has attended two Paloozas in the past, enjoys the event for its opportunity to social and destress.  “I like it because all my friends are there and not just the ones I go with.  It’s just an afternoon of fun.  You don’t have to worry so much about schoolwork, although finals are just around the corner.”

This Saturday, the Kerr Pegula complex will host the Women of Worship:  Refresh Your Spirit conference.  The event lasts all day and features several keynote speakers and an award winning musician.  While the morning workshops are reserved for women, men are welcomed to enjoy the evening concert.

Whitney Capps of Proverbs 31 Ministries will provide the opening and closing keynotes for the morning workshop sessions, which start at 10:00 a.m., according to the event’s page on the Houghton website.  Capps’ personal page for Proverbs 31 explained Capps practices speaking simply and with honesty. This is an attempt to cut past what she terms the “church talk” people so often tire of hearing.  In doing so, Capps expressed the hope that listeners would consider familiar texts once more and find new meaning in them.

Publisher of Gwinnett Magazine, Kelly Greer, remarked, “Whitney has a freshness and youthfulness that makes you think she’s your peer. The truth is spiritually she is wise beyond her years and works faithfully to make a positive difference for the Kingdom.”

The conference will also feature Mindy Sauer ‘03, a Houghton alumna, and mother of Ben Sauer, who inspired the “Blue for Ben” campaign in 2014.  Throughout the tragedy of losing her son to cancer, Sauer was quoted numerous times on how her family has found strength in their faith.  Sauer will be speaking in the first session of the morning workshops.  The second session has yet  to have a speaker assigned.

Lisa Allen, Executive Director of Proverbs 31 Ministries, will be the keynote speaking for the evening session of the conference.  With a background as a Women’s Ministry Director, Allen expresses in her biography “a passion for seeing women reach their fullest potential and live their best lives.”  She emphasized recognizing how God made individuals, and how their individuality feeds into God’s calling for them.  Other topics address finding ways to realize where God is working in one’s life to more fully and willingly participate without suffering from a spiritual burnout.  Her biography described her as being having a “playful yet practical style gives audiences fun and profound insights that build their confidence.”

Singer-songwriter, Laura Story, will provide the music for the conference’s evening concert.  She has received multiple honors as an artist, including a Grammy.  Story is an experienced songwriter for other singers, including Chris Tomlin, as well as producing her own award winning works.

In her most recent album, Open Hands, she focuses on the need to surrender to God’s will instead of insisting upon our own.  She remarked in her biography,  “The irony is the less control we have, the more peace we have and the more, I would even say, success and joy we find. It’s a contrary picture to what the world tells us, but it’s gaining through letting go.”

Also pivotal has been her role as a mother and her personal experiences of God’s grace taking shape in unexpected circumstances.

Story emphasized the gravity with which she takes her work as a songwriter, recalling how God has been able to use songwriters in the Bible and more recent history for His glory.

Tickets for the conference are still on sale starting at $22.

Joseph Gilligan, IV will speak at the final Guest Professional Dinner of the academic year, hosted by the center for Vocational Opportunities and Career Advising (VOCA). Gilligan is the father of Joseph Gilligan, V ‘17, an accounting and business administration double major.

Gilligan and his brother, Lawrence, co founded Akadema in 1997, hoping to sell “innovative” baseball gloves. Lawrence Gilligan, an All-American shortstop at the University of Tennessee and later a shortstop for both the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals minor league teams, found that there had been “little to no innovation” in baseball gloves in decades, according to the company website. This lead him to enlist his brother to roll out a new series of gloves for infield, outfield, and catcher’s mitts.

In a review of the company’s products, The Baseball Diamond said the brothers “know the value of getting the input of professionals in creating the gear that the best players really want.” Further, the company is “revolutionizing the game” with its “use of technology that’s within the rules.”

The small company has taken hold of 20% the U.S. production of professional baseball gloves- a market which is largely based overseas, according to New Jersey news source, nj.com. Akadema has contracts with 30 major leaguers, including Tim Redding of the New York Metz and Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While a large part of the glove production is mechanized, the products still carry a handmade touch. Company craftsman, Mike Rattacasa, told nj.com he uses his mother’s wooden soup ladle to smooth out the gloves’ fingers toward the end of production.

Akadema’s most successful products include the “near fingerless” Reptilian, which is designed to absorb shock and allow for easier ball transfer, according to the company’s product description. “The Funnel,” another one of Akadema’s infield gloves, is described by the company as a glove which “naturally stays open” because of specially constructed thumb and pinky fingers.

“For Akadema, it’s simple,” say the brothers. “If you want to make the best sports equipment, consult the best athletes.”

Gilligan will address and network with students from 5 p.m. till 6:30 p.m. in the South End Dining Room. Students who wish to attend should register via Handshake.