Category: Campus

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Campus News

SGA to be Replaced With SEC

The new logo for the SEC, a variation of the familiar SGA symbol. Courtesy of AC Taylor

By Josiah Wiedenheft (’22)

On Wednesday, March 10, the Student Government Association passed a motion that confirmed the end of SGA as we currently know it, with something new to take its place: the SEC. Known fully as the “Student Experience Committee,” this organization aims to preserve the purpose of SGA, while refining its structure and clarifying its responsibilities. Director of Student Engagement AC Taylor explains this revised body as a group of students “[who] represent various student experiences and student groups and [do] so by representing student needs and concerns to the institution directly,” and in the words of the organization’s own constitution: “The Student Experience Council (SEC)… shall be charged with [representing] the student body to the college administration, faculty, and staff in order to promote student interests and ensure activities and services make the student experience at Houghton the best it can be.”

Why do away with SGA though? Why SEC instead? While AC mentioned that the changes have been considered for a few years, the final decision came from “a common feeling among many executive officers of not really knowing what they were supposed to do.” The changes focus around clearing this up. Even though “government” was in the name, SGA in recent years had not been serving any real governing role among the student body, at least not in the usual sense of the term. The name of “Student Experience Council,” on the other hand, is meant to clarify their function: to represent the experiences and needs of students to the school’s administration.

Most of the changes that have been made have the purpose of making more clear the “how?” and “why?” of the organization. While the number of roles in the executive council (renamed from executive cabinet as a part of the “de-govermentalizing” of these changes) has increased, adding specific representatives for athletics, residence life, student organizations and academics, the purpose and responsibilities of each of these positions has been made more clear. The focus, as suggested by the names, is very clearly on representation: the various positions each represent an aspect of student life and activity here on the campus, so that the concerns specific to that area can be heard and made known. AC states that the hope is that these more clearly defined roles “will increase their effectiveness in supporting the student body.”

One question that might be on student’s minds amidst all this is what will become of the class cabinets? Formerly, the class of each year had their own mini-executive cabinet, who generally represented that class in the SGA’s public meetings and who would also plan events for the other students of their year. Within the structure of the SEC, class cabinets have been done away with in name, though their purpose has been morphed to a different form. The role of representing the needs and concerns of a given academic year will now be taken on by four class representatives who will be a part of the executive council. These four positions have acquired additional responsibilities beyond merely representing their class, however: the senior class representative takes on a role similar to that formerly fulfilled by the SGA vice president, acting in the place of the president in their absence; the junior class representative fulfills a scribe roll, taking the minutes for SGA meetings; and the sophomore representative helps to organize the election of the first-year representative each year. The representatives of the first-year and senior classes also take part in coordinating traditions and events for first-years and graduation respectively.

The “class cabinets” will also continue to exist, though they too will be shaped slightly differently. Going forward they’ll take the form of dedicated clubs, which AC says will be able to “work to increase connections and comradery amongst classes while also still having a connection to the concerns/advocacy part [of the SEC’s function].”

While the decision was formalized last week by the current Executive and Class cabinets, SGA is still open to hearing student thoughts and feedback. You can make your voice heard by talking with your class cabinet representative or members of the Executive Cabinet, or by attending one of the weekly public SGA meetings. All students are also invited to get involved by running for a SEC position for next academic year! You can find out more information about that process in the all-campus email sent out last week. ★

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Campus News

Impending Revisions to College Constitution

By Hannah Fraser (’23)


In a changing world, clarity and trust are vital for functioning organizations. The Houghton College Constitution outlines the roles of decision-making parties at the college and is currently being revised by a committee which the president organizes every ten years. The constitution is a document that summarizes the “shared governance” of the college, which “is the language that higher education uses to indicate the desire that all stakeholder voices are properly consulted and heard in the process of decision making,” said President Mullen. 

The committee is organized by the president and typically involves two members of the Board of Trustees, two members of the Administration, and two members of the Faculty. As the president is preparing to step away, there is an urgency in ensuring that all is clarified, and nothing is left ambiguous. 

The Board, Faculty, and Administration are the groups who are most directly involved in decision making. They each play a different role, and according to Professor Brandon Bate, “the Board of Trustees is charged with managing the financial aspects of the college, the Faculty with the academic aspects, and the Administration with seeing that these, and other constituencies within the college, work together in cooperative ways.” A revised, up to date constitution allows for a governance system that is “nimble enough to make decisions swiftly,” said Professor Benjamin Lipscomb. He added that trust is fundamental to this process so that all three groups are able to communicate and speak into the areas where they have expertise, but decisions can still be made in a timely manner. 

The document should aim at a spirit of collaboration and give clarity of authority, which the committee works to achieve. Professor Bate said, “The committee that is meeting right now is charged with recommending changes to the constitution that we hope will improve the functioning of the college and ensuring compatibility with other foundational, legally binding documents.” The recommendations will go to SGA, faculty, and staff for comments, and then to the Board of Trustees for final approval.  

The document clarifies the importance of students’ voices, and President Mullen said, “The college believes that it is important that students have a voice in the governance of the college both because the college exists to serve students well, and because it is an educational opportunity for students to know how shared governance works.” While these revisions have little impact on current students, they determine how decisions are made and who makes what decision, and students are invited to have a voice in this process through representatives in SGA. 

Ken Schenk, who represents the Administration on the committee, said, “Students will be glad to know that the new Compact clearly states that you are the reason we exist. All the details of structure, all the clarifications of roles are to provide you with an academically excellent, Christ-centered education that equips you to lead and serve in a changing world.” As the higher education world changes rapidly due to demographic downturns and COVID-19, a flexible constitution will benefit the college as it makes decisions and prepares for a change of presidency. ★

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Campus News

Dr. Clem Appointed Dean of School of Music

By Collin Zehr (’22)


Dr. David Clem, assistant professor of Music History and previous Houghton graduate, was announced as the new Dean of the Greatbatch School of Music at Houghton College beginning in June of 2021. 

Over the past academic year, the search for a new Dean for the Greatbatch School of Music has been underway since Dr. Armenio Suzano stepped away from the position at the end of the 2020 Academic year. Since Dr. Suzano’s departure, Dr. Timothy McGarvey, Professor of Conducting and Director of Instrumental Music Activities, has served as the interim Dean of the School of Music. 

The Dean of the Greatbatch School of Music runs the school, including tasks concerning, “budget, overseeing a faculty/staff of 30 people, curriculum, policy, liaison with all other Houghton entities and our outside constituents, and the day to day administrative work.” as described by Dr. McGarvey. 

While serving in this position, Dr. McGarvey has worked alongside Dr. Sara Massey, assistant professor of Music Education. Dr. Massey described the search for a new Dean along-side a revisioning process for the Greatbatch School of Music. As liberal arts colleges all across the country deal with financial struggles, Houghton is alongside them in recognizing the need to adapt in order to remain viable as an institution of higher education. In order to confront this challenge head on, Dr. Clem became the apparent choice to serve as Dean due to his creativity, intelligence, integrity, and forward thinking. “No one else could do it,” described Dr. Massey.

Since his first experience with Houghton College as a Music Composition undergraduate student about 20 years ago, Dr. Clem could tell that God had a hand in bringing the right people to Houghton and the School of Music. Dr. Clem described how the “great communities” fostered at Houghton were something that he wanted to contribute to.  “The faculty are invested in students on a somewhat personal level” describes Dr. Clem, “[they] are preparing students for whatever is down the road” and “how to live and practice a Christian lifestyle in the world of music.” Dr. Clem was among one of the first groups of Graduate students to earn his Master’s Degree from the Greatbatch School of Music as well. 

Though Dr. Clem never necessarily sought an administrative role, he notes that he has “ended up in leadership positions throughout his life” and this is a role he is equipped to fill. Before accepting this position, Dr. Clem described his thought process as determining three things. As someone who often says “yes” to things asked of him, he has “had to learn to stop and think before saying yes. This means stopping and talking to God about things. Is this an obligation? Is this something I want? is this what God wants?” After considering this, he said yes willingly. Since Dr. Clem is a current faculty member at the school of music and is already serving on the committee to re-envision the school of music, he has been working closely with Dr. McGarvey, resulting in a more gradual transition. So, Dr. Clem has already begun learning about the administrative role that the Dean will fulfill. 

The general consensus among other students in the Greatbatch School of Music is one of excitement for Dr. Clem to assume the role of Dean. Current Junior Education Major, Caleb Durant, described his excitement “because [Dr. Clem]  knows the students really well and has a great rapport with the rest of the faculty. He is a great choice to represent the interests of the school and students.” 

The Greatbatch School of Music’s mission statement expresses the goal to develop “musical excellence” in order to be “effective musical practitioners” and advocate “in the Christian community and in the broader world.” When asked about his goals during his tenure as Dean, Dr. Clem described how “faith is a journey, not a destination. Excellence is the same. The bar is constantly moving” and we must treat it as such. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Houghton College and the Greatbatch School of Music have had to embrace the importance of maximizing the resources available in order to maintain the high standards we seek to achieve. 

Dr. Clem hopes to implement an array of summer programs within the Greatbatch School of Music including a summer music camp for highschool students. The graduate program will also expand to an online Music Education Masters Degree that will contain a summer intensive in-person component. The School of Music will be adding a new Worship Arts degree program that will hopefully benefit from summer songwriting classes with a workshop. Dr. Clem hopes that this summer program will allow students to learn and work with named CCM artists. Beyond the addition of summer programming, Dr. Clem wants to embrace the expertise within the School of Music to partner with local schools and churches to provide opportunities for those not directly involved with Houghton College. ★

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Campus News Sports

The Return of Sports

Houghton defends against Elmira's offense in March 2 matchup. Photo courtesy of Houghton College Athletics

By Erin Maggio (’21)

With the women’s basketball team taking the court against Elmira College on March 6, the 357 day streak of no Houghton Highlander teams competing will be snapped. With the spring 2020 season being halted due to COVID-19 and the fall 2020 seasons being pushed to this spring, no teams have competed since March 10, 2020, when the men’s lacrosse team came away with a 21-12 defeat over the Keystone Giants and the women’s lacrosse team bested the Hilbert Hawks 23-4. 

With fall teams having their seasons pushed to the spring, many of them have not hit the field in well over a year, including the men’s and women’s soccer teams and women’s field hockey team, who have not played a game  in well over 450 days, since their last competitions on November 2, 2019.  

However long the drought of competition riddled with uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Houghton’s athletic conference, the Empire 8, has unrolled plans for all 23 Empire 8 sponsored sports to hold competition per their Instagram post on March 1. This arrangement includes fall, winter, and spring sports all playing in the next few months. 

“The approach to the spring seasons for all our sports has been very unique to say the least!” Houghton’s Athletic Director Matthew Webb commented. 

Some of this uniqueness comes from the fact that fall and winter team sports will be having abbreviated schedules, most playing just fellow conference teams. While normal seasons in the fall typically span nine to 10 weeks, the seasons this spring will be about four to five weeks in length. 

Another aspect of the season which differs from the past is the “opt-out” process which the Empire 8 has created because of the unique impact that the pandemic has on many teams and institutions. Teams from across the conference have had to opt out due to roster size implications, whether because of dual-sport athletes, students not returning to campuses this spring, or actual COVID related issues like positive cases and quarantine.

In terms of Houghton specifically, two teams have opted out of competition this spring. The first of these is the men’s lacrosse team, who, according to Webb, “actually initiated this response as they came to the [athletic department] with their preference to just compete internally this spring.” Webb added that there were many factors which led to this. Though they won’t be playing a full Empire 8 schedule, it is possible that they may play a few games. 

The other Houghton team opting out is the women’s basketball team. This decision rests on the fact that the team has a small roster with many dual sport athletes which makes choices limited. Rather than a full conference schedule, they will be hitting the court for three competitions, the first of which will be the aforementioned contest against the Elmira Soaring Eagles. The other two will be on March 4 and 9, against Alfred University and a rematch with Elmira College, respectively. 

More than 230 student athletes will compete for Houghton this spring. But with this opportunity comes the responsibility of strict adherence to COVID protocols to keep themselves, their teams, opponents, faculty, staff, fellow students, and community members safe. These include wearing a mask at all required times, social distancing, attending all scheduled COVID-19 tests, and participating in any necessary contact tracing. 

Along with such protocol, the conference and Houghton’s Athletic Department have taken increased measures to protect all involved. On February 16 the conference announced their plans to proceed with spring competition, along with information concerning safety measures. “The Empire 8 has adopted more robust testing standards than the NCAA guidelines for intermediate and low risk sports in the interest of student-athlete health and safety,” the press release shared. 

Chuck Mitrano, the Empire 8’s Commissioner celebrated the resumption of conference competition on Instagram; “Nothing great is achieved without persistence and teamwork. The return to athletics competition has been challenging but we are thrilled to have preserved opportunity for many of our fall and winter student-athletes. Thanks to the energy and collaborative leadership of our presidents, directors of athletics, senior woman administrators, athletic trainers, sports information directors and coaches, the day has arrived! This is truly a statement about our commitment to the Empire 8 student-athletes!” he remarked.

While no in-person attendance is allowed at intercollegiate events as per New York State guidelines, fans can follow along with most home contests through Stretch Internet and be on the lookout for live streams from opponents in the case of away games. ★

Categories
Campus News Sports

Houghton Lacrosse Faces Extinction

Cori Beck (‘20) cradles ball in game. Photo courtesy of Jason Mucher.

By Erin Maggio (’21)

On Thursday January 21, the Houghton Athletic Department announced that its men’s and women’s lacrosse programs would have just one last season of competition this spring before being discontinued. 

This past fall a task force, with representation from athletics and enrollment, was assembled for a formal review which led to the decision that was then finalized in January.  

The press release cites this change being made to allow for resources to be reallocated, especially to give more support to programs they feel have “the potential for greater strategic impact and growth for the department and college.” This includes a plan to put more support into various areas including wellness and recreation programming and the track and field program.

The task force found that there is a growing interest in the health and wellness of the community. In order to fill this, the department is planning to bolster its offerings of fitness opportunities, maximize the use of Houghton’s facilities, launch a club sports program, and  rejuvenate its intramural sports. 

In terms of reallocation in the track and field program, this decision means the addition of two graduate assistant coaches. Director of Athletics Matthew Webb says that “of all our sports, track and field has the greatest potential to grow its roster. We are increasing our expectations for recruitment in this area…[and] we anticipate this investment will have a positive impact on the enrollment of new students at the college.”

Current and former students, though, were not as impressed. Upon hearing of this decision, a group of eight current and former Houghton lacrosse players created an online petition directed to the College’s Board of Trustees. The group—consisting of Nathan Anderson (’21), Andrew Bub (’19), Cole Chapman (’19), Marissa Hews (’20), Quinn Hull (’20), Alyssa Johnson (Strom) (’18), Tom Woodward (’20), and Michael Wrobel (’21)—included a few who originally wrote individual letters to Matthew Webb. According to Hull, all of these were met with nearly identical responses. 

“After receiving those responses, I jumped on a FaceTime call with former teammates of mine Tom Woodward, Nate Anderson, Mike Wrobel, Andrew Bub, and Cole Chapman. We all decided that our next move would be to write to the chairman of the board of trustees for Houghton College in an attempt to have them review this decision. The six of us reached out to Marissa Hews and Alyssa Johnson of the women’s program to help us with their side of things and make sure both teams had a voice in this attempt at a review,” Hull recounted. This letter was included at the beginning of the petition.

Along with other aspects, the letter included qualms with the decision itself. Primarily, they felt the decision was contradictory. Webb stated that the decision was made to “find ways to invest our resources that align with [the Athletic Departments’] priorities for competitive excellence and that support areas where there is the most potential for growth.” However, the petitioners felt that the lacrosse programs supported such ideals of competitive excellence, pointing out the men’s improving winning percentage in the past three seasons as well as the women’s program’s statistical achievements. 

The group also took issue with the handling and timing of the decision. For instance, they say “there was no effort made to save the program through other means,” as they believe there could have been a call for fundraising from alumni or individual team fundraising. Instead, the teams were only notified of the decision once it was final. The decision announcement was also problematic to the group because it was announced after spring semester bills for students were due, which hampered student-athletes’ abilities to transfer. 

The letter continued by outlining ways that the group perceived the lacrosse programs to be behind all along due to the way they were handled, including, but not limited to the men’s program being rushed into participation prior to having a proper lacrosse coach or an initial recruiting class, and a high turnover rate in coaching on the women’s side. The group also included possible alternative solutions to simply cutting the programs “as they sit on the cusp of breakthrough.” 

The petition, which is now closed, amassed 2,074 signatures and 261 comments, including those “from students, faculty, staff, family members, complete strangers, and even from among the ranks of [the programs’] Empire 8 competition like Sage, Hartwick, St. John Fisher, and more,” according to Anderson. 

As of now, it does not look like the alternative solutions will be explored. According to Webb, the department has seen the petition: “our decision follows the essential practice of higher education to regularly assess and realign resources in areas that will realize the greatest impact for the entire student body. Although the petition demonstrates the passion for the lacrosse program and the impact it has had on both our alumni and current athletes, we are confident in the process and our final decision,” he said. 

Both current and former men’s and women’s lacrosse student-athletes attested to Houghton Lacrosse’s positive impact on their lives: 

“There is a very specific culture surrounding the sport of lacrosse. It is one that certainly contrasts with the values Houghton College stands for. In his time at Houghton, Coach Lundeen created a team and culture that consistently went against the grain and did things in a way that countered that culture. This, after all, is essentially what the Christian lifestyle is. The lacrosse program was just one way that Houghton College equipped its students ‘to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world,’” which is what the college’s mission statement articulates, Hull expressed. 

Currently a senior on the men’s lacrosse team, Anderson also testified to the impacts of this culture—“the Houghton men’s lacrosse team, led by Coach Lundeen, has not only shaped my college experience, but the very foundation of who I am today. I have learned hard work, discipline, determination, respect, honor, courage, grace, patience, faith, and trust through my teammates and Coach Lundeen. They are my family.”

Reegan Mitchell (’22) emphasized how being a part of the Houghton Women’s Lacrosse team has been an integral part of her Houghton experience, saying, “I have played lacrosse for several years now, but playing for a team that loves God and wants to serve Him on and off the field is not something I experienced throughout high school. These girls have pushed me to look beyond myself and learn how to best encourage others in ways that are unique to them. This program has carried out the mission of Houghton Athletics [in] encouraging their players to become strong leaders and teaching them how to be Christ-like on and off the field.” 

It is evident that the Houghton Lacrosse programs’ have left a lasting impact on those who participated in them. It seemed to be a consensus that these current and former student-athletes were saddened by the news of the discontinuing of their teams. As the student-athletes simultaneously reflect on the impacts of the lacrosse program and look ahead to their final year of competitions, the athletic department thanked all of the current and former coaches and players of the two teams on February 4 in an update to their statement, while acknowledging the difficult personal and emotional nature of such a decision. 

While there was a wide range in reactions to the news, Mitchell also acknowledged how she felt going into her final season in a Highlanders lacrosse uniform: “one thing that the women’s lacrosse team has talked about is the blessing of having another day. We in no way deserve the gift of sport but we’ve been blessed through many years of this program to have it. We are not promised a tomorrow, we certainly are not promised four years of lacrosse, so I truly feel blessed to at least know I have this season to look forward to, even if it’s the last.”

What are your thoughts and feelings on the news about the Houghton Lacrosse programs? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (star@houghton.edu)!

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Campus News

Dining Services Evolve to Meet Complex Demand

By Johanna Florez (’21)

Changes in dining hall practices and offerings quickly come to the attention of large numbers of students. Many are already aware that the semester’s first three weekends saw three different models of breakfast service; less available is information regarding what went on behind the scenes of this and other recent changes to Houghton’s dining services.

The “Dining Service Regular Hours” distributed via all-campus email on January 21st indicated that the dining hall would not be open until 10:45am on weekends. These were reduced hours compared to the fall semester’s consistent 7-9:30am breakfast slot (which was itself a change from prior years’ continuous grab-and-go dining for students on full access meal plans). The decision to turn weekend breakfasts into a later “brunch” was made in mid-December, according to Metz General Manager Bryon Richards. Multiple departments agreed on the adjustment, including Dining Services, the Office of Student Life, Center for Engagement and Hospitality, and the Office of Finance.

Richards explains that weekend breakfast attendance started being evaluated “about two years ago.” “We… saw a steady decline in participation between each semester,” he says. “We also looked at the trends from other colleges in the region and saw that many had discontinued their weekend breakfast programs and moved to a brunch/dinner pattern on the weekends.” The fall 2020 semester also saw even fewer students than usual coming to breakfast on the weekends: “at most only 80 students” had breakfast in the dining hall on any Saturday or Sunday last semester. With so many students learning remotely, Dining Services anticipated even fewer people eating weekend breakfast. According to Izzy Gritsavage ‘24, who has worked in the dining hall since fall 2020, each hot breakfast requires about six employees and eighteen payroll hours, regardless of how many people come to eat. 

Despite the low average attendance at weekend breakfasts, students voiced concerns via Facebook and email. On Saturday January 30, an email from Marc Smithers informed students that they could request a takeout breakfast on Friday and Saturday afternoons to pick up at dinnertime and eat the following day. Richards later stated, “The decision to offer weekend night before breakfast pickup was always an option that was to be available for those students who still wanted an early breakfast on the weekend due to our changes.”

While no one was able to pick up breakfast that Friday to eat Saturday morning, Sarah Evans ‘22 tried the Sunday morning breakfast out of curiosity. While morning classes and sleeping in on the weekend often keep her from going to the dining hall for breakfast, “I just thought it would be nice to get breakfast and not have to get up early for it,” she says. She found a “sad” packed breakfast of orange juice, a water bottle, a banana, a muffin and a pastry. “I would not have picked the items that they put in there,” she says, also noting that the sign-up process did not ask about food sensitivities.

Smithers’ email promised, “A more formal announcement about this option will be coming out next week.” Two days later, another all-campus email announced the resumption of hot meal service for weekend breakfasts. Richards explains that the responsible departments “realized the timing on the decision to discontinue breakfast service was not the best.”

With in-person dining back open for three meals a day, seven days a week, other new changes are still apparent. The dining hall’s takeout containers were switched from styrofoam to more eco-friendly brown boxes. According to Richards, these are made from “natural molded fiber which is produced from byproducts of crop harvests and produced with a chemical free pulping process.” They are both biodegradable in garbage and recyclable when clean. “As soon as we knew for health and safety reasons we were going to exclusively use single serve products (approximately June 2020) we started the process of identifying more sustainable options,” Richards says. Supply and demand issues delayed access to the brown boxes until this semester.

What are your thoughts and feelings on the changes in the dining hall? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (star@houghton.edu)!

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Campus News

The Tales of New Faculty Amid The Pandemic

Left to Right, top to Bottom: Professor McHenry, Dr. Silano, Professor Bowers, Dr. Gates, Dr. Zhou and Professor McElfish. Photo credit: https://www.houghton.edu/news/houghton-welcomes-8-new-faculty-members/

Article by Burton Brewster (’23)

The new faculty on campus chose a strange time to join Houghton Campus. Everything from the way professors teach to the interviewing process has been re-imagined. It is a tough time to teach, but not all is bad. 

Dr. Jonathan Gates (’85) from the English and Writing and Vocation and Calling Departments, is unique among the new faculty for starting his teaching in the same semester that COVID-19 struck. For him, the challenge came when the campus dramatically switched to an online format. “It was immersion by fire! I’ve been teaching for many years, and I feel very comfortable teaching, but I did not feel very comfortable for a number of weeks adjusting to that so quickly. Literally having one week to turn three in-person courses into three online course. [But] in the end I think it was successful.” 

Professor Elianna McHenry (‘18), the new Assistant Professor of Accounting at Houghton, was also able to start teaching before COVID-19 hit, albeit as a grad student. When asked about difficulties she has had to face as a new professor she said, “Something that makes teaching my subject difficult is that not many people love to study accounting. I’ve made my peace with that, and it doesn’t put a damper on my excitement for the topics, but it certainly makes getting my students excited about our learning a little more difficult.

The interview process for most of the new faculty was finished by March 2020, but some were not as lucky. This was especially true for Dr. Francesca Silano, a professor that joined the History and Political Science Department this summer. She explained, “I came in the beginning of March! As you can imagine, it was not a great time to come. In fact, the campus shut down half way through my visit.” Her interviews were planned to have a live class, but due to the lack of students the department had to get creative. “Dr. Meilaender kindly brought all of his children in to listen to my job talk. Everything was so hectic it took a lot of the pressure off of the interview.” The new Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, Dr. Ki Shin, did not even get a chance to interview on campus. According to him, the campus was already shut down, meaning that his interviews were entirely online.

Teaching styles have had to adjust thanks to the new measures in place. According to Dr. Jie Zhou of the Physics Department, hands on labs were difficult to demonstrate when social distancing was in place. She explained, “There is not an easy way for us to show [labs] in front of students because we’re keeping social distancing.” The solution was to create as many channels of communication as possible. “The best way of assisting student learning is increasing interaction,” she said. On the other hand, Professor Kaiden Bowers (‘13) who works in the Sports, Recreation, & Wellness Department explained how a change of scenery helped his classes overcome restrictions. “We’re not restricted to just our 20 by 20 classroom.” He said, “We can get out into the woods, go out to the field of dreams, get out to the trails, the soccer field and do different things outside which I think is a good change of pace for students.” All of the interviewed faculty expressed appreciation for students. “I was surprised by many students who have high energy and motivation to learn. This challenged me a lot,” said Professor Shin. And, as Professor Bowers puts it, “I commend the students during this. They’ve been able to adapt and go with the flow. They’ve been really forgiving of the faculty and patient with us. Everyone has played a big role in making it work thus far! ”

The Houghton STAR would like to thank Professor Paul Young for providing the groundwork for this article.

Do you have any of the new professors? How are they doing? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (editor@houghtonstar.com)!

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Campus News

“Preserving What Chapel Can Do:” The New Interview Format of Chapel

Nuk Kongkaw and Dean Jordan talk with Dr Drew Hart during last Wednesday's chapel steam.

Article by Justice Newell (‘23).

Amongst the numerous changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the loss of in-person chapel services has been significant for returning students at Houghton College. Despite this change, Houghton’s Spiritual Life department has been deliberate with creating chapel services that still engage and challenge students’ beliefs, all while maintaining the policies enacted to keep Houghton’s students healthy. 

Of note, the format typically used for Wednesday chapels is interview-based. During this service, there are generally one or two guest speakers that are interviewed by either Nuk Kongkaw, Director of the Mosaic Center, or the Dean of the Chapel, Michael Jordan. The topic of discussion varies with each speaker, but a common thread binds them all together. 

According to Dean Jordan, that thread relates to the types of issues present in the Christian world beyond the scope of Houghton. These speakers are, as Jordan proposed, “the many other voices asking some of the same questions, sometimes related questions, and then sometimes questions we don’t even know that we should be asking.” 

 In years prior, Houghton had speakers deliver sermons or presentations before an audience of hundreds of students and staff. But with the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person chapel services became mostly impossible. As a result, public worship time on Mondays and Wednesdays have been lost, with Friday’s “worship on the quad” remaining the only public worship time.

Regarding that change, Jordan said, “ I really treasure things taking place within the context of worship. And I never want to lose that ground permanently. But, I’ve kind of made a conscious decision that this [discussion format] won’t really be worship in that way, you know, like Monday and Friday can be worshipful moments in their ways.”

Since the first online chapel service more than a month ago, students have been engaging with the new interview format of chapel to varying degrees. While many students gather to watch the chapel livestream together, or watch from the comfort of their dorm room, students like David Bowers (‘21) chose to become a part of the discussion. On October 14, Bowers, an Intercultural Studies Major on the pre-med track, facilitated an interview with Grace and Sunday Bwanhot, Nigerian missionaries on mission in the United States. He found the experience to be vastly rewarding.

“As I sort of alluded to in the interview,” Bowers said, “often you see missions as, you know, white people going to non-white communities and breaking their culture and telling them about Jesus as they become more like white people. And I think the image of a couple from the Muslim part of Nigeria, working among the Diaspora in Chicago, just basically breaks that stereotype in every way.”

Aligning with Dean Jordan’s goal for the discussions, Bowers believes that the interview format of chapel is critical for broadening the student body’s perspective on Christianity, as well as reaffirming their core beliefs. He remarked, “I’d say that my biggest takeaway was [the Bwanhots’] testimony of just listening to that call, even when, from the outside, it doesn’t make sense. It’s just that active, intentional submission to the will of God for your life.” 

Student engagement with the new format extends past Bowers’ discussion with the Bwanhots. As a particular strength of the format, Ashley Archilla (‘23) cited the live stream’s chat feature. “There’s the comments section,” she explained, “and they sometimes do include questions from it, so it’s interactive in that way.” 

Dean Jordan also voiced his support for the live comment section, as he believes that it is critical for engaging with difficult conversations. Recounting a recent example, Jordan said, “There was a time when there was something a speaker had said that one of the people in the chat had some concerns about, and they put it out there. And then some faculty came alongside and were like, no, no, this is what this person meant. To me, that was really rewarding.”

He continued, “ Like, how often have I sat in chapel and thought, ‘I wish right now that some of my colleagues could help this go down, because I know some people are having a hard time with it?’”

Though students have shown support for the new chapel format, concerns have also been raised. “The disadvantage [of the format,]” Bowers offered, “is that because it’s sort of off the cuff or unscripted on the part of the interviewees, students maybe don’t get as full a picture of the sort of message that the guests would want to communicate, you know, as opposed to if they had time to plan and prepare a message.” 

Similarly, Archilla was quoted as saying, “I preferred when it was just the guest speakers speaking because they’re free to discuss what they want, and it flows more easily. They gave an introduction and they had a PowerPoint presentation that goes along with it, which I think is engaging.” Due to the technological wall between the viewer and the speaker, she said, it is also easy to “zone out. And it’s easy to just not focus on it.”

Though many things about this semester may be deemed a “work in progress,” the unique problems that COVID-19 has presented offer the world a chance to grow and experiment with new things. Reflecting on the nature of the semester, Dean Jordan concluded, “ Like I say, it’s so surreal. And I really like trying to think through how to best preserve what chapel can do, all acknowledging it’s not what it can be.” Someday chapel will return to normal, but of course, until then, a particular phrase will have to make its way from the recording room to students’ computer speakers, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!” 

What are your thoughts on the new format of Chapel? How do you like the Wednesday interviews? Impressed? Find it lacking? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (star@houghton.edu)!

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Campus News

Homecoming Looking “Virtually” the Same Despite Pandemic Restrictions

Article written by Hannah Fraser (‘23).

Legacies are built over time. The Houghton legacy continues to grow as students, alumni, and faculty create changes and celebrate victories. This year’s Homecoming weekend gives another opportunity for Houghton to gather and connect. The Houghton Homecoming weekend is an opportunity for alumni and current students to build a legacy and celebrate the direction of our movement as a community. 

This year, despite the given circumstances of COVID-19 restrictions, Homecoming maintains the same goal. Phyllis Gaerte, the Director of Alumni and Community Engagement, said that even though the delivery and platforms are different, the goal is still “to bring together the Houghton College community – alumni, students, families, and friends – to celebrate our rich heritage, discover what is new and current, and to envision the future together.”

The main difference between this year and former years is the virtual aspect. The decision to move to a fully virtual Homecoming weekend was made early in the summer after the guidelines for reopening came from New York State and the Houghton PREP team. Most events will not be in person, but the schedule remains similar. “We will have the Greatbatch School of Music Concert, our Homecoming Legacy Chapel that features our annual alumni awards, class reunions that will be held via Zoom, an art exhibition, equestrian open house, the Highlander 5K, and more,” said Gaerte. She encouraged students to go to the Houghton website where links to the programs will be posted. 

 Programs like “Hands on Houghton” and the Legacy Chapel display aspects of the community outside the student body. “Hands on Houghton” is a way for Houghton to showcase their academic departments, and these virtual activities include art, ornithology, and outdoor recreation. 

Students’ reactions to this year’s schedule display the optimism and hopefulness of the student body, as well as some caution about the virtual aspect. Mallory Horn (‘23) said, “I think it’s awesome to see how even in the midst of such a unique season, Houghton has still found so many ways for the community to safely celebrate Homecoming and to connect with one another. I’m most looking forward to the homecoming concert!” 

Timothy Lund (‘23) responded, “I have never been to Homecoming before but the thought of doing it virtually seems a bit bizarre. I think given the COVID situation, a virtual Homecoming is the only way to go about things without creating a health risk… but still it’s going to be quite odd, to say the least.” 

Purple and Gold Week leads to Homecoming weekend, and the week’s events also look different because of the current guidelines. Like Homecoming, the events are mostly virtual, and CAB has planned ways to engage students wherever they are. AC Taylor, the Director of Student Engagement, said “The ultimate goal of Purple & Gold Week is to help foster school spirit and a sense of belonging for students at Houghton.” He said that the goal is the same this year, but it needs to play out differently. Links are posted for virtual events throughout the week. 

One of the events that presented the greatest challenge to translate into a world with COVID-19 restrictions was the Homecoming dance. CAB is hosting a Houghton Photo Stroll instead, which AC Taylor said allows for us to “maintain the dressing up with friends and making memories aspect of the dance while addressing student health and safety concerns of crowd size, social distancing, and time constraints.” 

To finish off the week, SPOT will be hosted virtually on Saturday at 10:00 PM. SPOT is a long-standing Houghton College talent show that features any Houghton student. The hosts for this year, Jakob and Ingrid Knudsen, decided on the theme “Masquerade” before the pandemic, and Ingrid said, “When the pandemic came our idea seemed even more applicable and we just kept going with it!”

Ever since he was a first-year student, Jakob wanted to host SPOT. “SPOT was something that felt quintessentially Houghton,” he said, “Students working together to show off their awesome talents and/or goofy sides,” he said. When his sister came to Houghton, they decided they wanted to host together. 

Challenges due to COVID-19 restrictions meant that Jakob and Ingrid had to get creative with advertising, so they used Instagram as a way to let people know SPOT is still happening and to promote student involvement. They were afraid that because of COVID-19 they wouldn’t receive many submissions, but according to Jakob, “Houghton has more than exceeded our expectations,” and they’re excited about the submissions students and faculty have submitted. 

Students can’t gather in the chapel for SPOT like before, but Ingrid encourages watching while it’s streaming on YouTube with roommates or other friends in a socially distanced way. “It is happening, and we want you there!” She said, “This is going to be the most unique SPOT, at least we think, in Houghton’s history! You will always remember the show that happened amidst the pandemic in 2020, and this will be the only one!” 

The goals of all these events include celebrating Houghton’s community and uniting the student body and the faculty. While the format of these programs will look different, students can still participate in meaningful ways.

What are your thoughts on Homecoming, Purple & Gold Week, and SPOT this year? Excited? Not as interested? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (editor@houghtonstar.com)!

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Campus News

Campus Changes Please, but Puzzle

Thanks to the pandemic restrictions that have been put in place, the Houghton campus has had to adapt physically in a number of ways. Yet, the campus isn’t the only thing that needed to adapt. Students also are being forced to confront the new changes on campus, and the response is slightly mixed.

The Dean of Students, Marc Smithers (‘08), headed the Emergency Management Team when the pandemic initially struck. Since then, the “Preparing a Residential Education Plan Team” (P.R.E.P. Team) has been made to handle the pandemic situation which Smithers is still a chair of. 

Speaking of chairs, in the words of Smithers there was a lot of thought put into the furniture around campus. As he says, “There was intentional social distancing of all furniture, we removed furniture from Java 101, [and for] the campus center we made sure that all the furniture would be conducive to social distancing.”

When asked about new classrooms Smithers explained that there are a lot of different spaces being used as classrooms which haven’t been utilized in the past, such as the Chapel and the south end of the Dinning Hall. But these classroom settings may change based on the needs of the students and professors.

The new patio seating area outside the CC. Credit: Evan Tsai

Interestingly, some of the largest changes, according to Smithers, are being done on the outside. “We specifically want to encourage people to be outside more. We created the outdoor patio space through a generous gift, and tried to put canopies up, but those quickly blew away. We’re doing all we can to encourage people to be outside.” During the planning phases of this semester Smithers explained that The P.R.E.P. Team considered adding “Ventilation” to The Big Three, but ultimately decided against it.

Some big changes also took place in regards to the fitness areas on campus. In an interview with Matthew Webb, the Director of Athletics, he said, “We have adjusted a lot, particularly relative to the use of our indoor facilities. Access to our indoor facilities is now more limited and we have a new “registration” system to allow access to our indoor facilities which is a brand new process for everyone.” Webb continued, “We were actually thinking at one point we might not be able to open at all [but] my staff did a LOT of work in putting together a plan so we can be open!”

Interestingly, one of the most controversial changes is in the way signs have been handled in the Campus Center. “We have a lot of signage around campus to point out to people what our expectations are,” Marc said, “and custodial helped us to identify where on campus those signs needed to go.”

Some student reactions have been less than enthusiastic though. “I think a lot of [the changes] are good, especially for safety of everyone,” Louis Schriver (‘22) explained, “but in the [Campus Center] doorways that come from the side from Roth Hill the first [door] is an entrance but the stairs there are UP ONLY. So if you’re actually following the traffic laws you need to walk into the building, walk to the other stairwell, and then go down, which is really annoying.” Demetri Court (‘24), a new London Honor’s student echoed these same concerns when he said, “I think most of the [measures] are making sense and are not too intrusive, but the signs on the doors – and on the stairs as well – I got big problems with.”

Overall, it seems like most changes have been met positively, as according to Smithers, “I have a lot of pride in our students and I think that that’s been affirmed most every day that I’ve seen students back on campus. I’m just very appreciative.” And, in the words of Regan DeWeese (‘23), “I’m proud of the policy they’ve put into place. I think they have a good sense of what they’re doing and I feel safe!” 

What are your thoughts on the changes around campus? Glad? Confused? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (editor@houghtonstar.com)!