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Sodexo Opens New Coffee Shop; Java 101 Closes

One of several changes actualized on campus over the summer involved a change in ownership of Houghton’s frequented coffeehouse Java 101, passing into the hands of Sodexo, Houghton’s current food service contractor. Greg Bish, the head of the student programs office and the previous owner of Java 101, explained the reasons behind the transfer. “I was looking into options for a transition with Java, and in the end I just decided to close Java.”  Among his reasons for the closure were his pursuit of a Ph.D. in Higher Education that would take away much of his time to run the business. “Last year I started a doctoral program that is a distance program, so I’m still here but taking classes,” explained Bish. However, this program also required him to attend two weeks of intense classes in California twice a year. Time spent outside of these classes had been balanced between his other work with the doctoral program, his duties as head of student programs, and, of course, running Java. To help with this, Bish hired Sharon Mulligan last year as manager to assist with the day-to-day tasks of running of Java 101.

Java_CMYKHowever, according to Bish, Mulligan had been hired at the Center of Academic Success and Advising (CASA) with Houghton this summer and he was “looking at what [his] options were with the coffee shop” as she left her job at Java 101. In the end, he decided to close the business.

Said Dr. Robert Pool, Vice President for Student Life, “In early July, Greg announced to me and to our business reps that he was interested in selling Java 101,” having been asked, “‘Would the college be interested?’” Pool approached Tina Powers, the General Manager of Sodexo on campus, during the first week of August to see if Sodexo was interested in buying the coffee shop from Greg.  After talking with the their regional cooperate office, “Sodexo came back mid-August and said they were not interested in buying.  We met with Greg and explained that right now [neither] the college nor Sodexo were buyers.  He had the option of continuing on this year operating Java 101, but we didn’t have a buyer,” Pool explained.  Bish stated that even though there still remained a year on his lease, he felt the need to move forward and allow the college to decide what to do with the space.

“[During] the first week of preseason, the college approached us…. We had some internal conversations and then approached the college and said we’d be interested, and we went on from there,” explained James Ward, Sodexo Catering Manager.  Ward said, “On the Wednesday of the first week of preseason we came to an agreement with the college that yes, we would open it up, and they gave us a go-ahead.”

Initial challenges for Sodexo included deciding on a product menu, working out the process of getting products to Houghton, and the logistics of staff and equipment. An agreement was reached that Wednesday, with ownership of the space being transferred the following Monday and the shop finally opening the next day with a limited menu for business.  “Currently we are waiting on our POS register which will allow the students to use their flex dollars, Big Al Bucks, credit cards, allow[ing] us to tie right back to the meal plan database.  The major piece of the puzzle is the espresso machine,” explained Ward.  The register was expected to arrive this week and the espresso machine in the weeks to come.

In this transition Sodexo had already fully staffed the coffee shop with around 75 student work hours available.  They will be “Proudly brewing” Starbucks’ full menu of teas, coffees, frappuccinos, cappuccinos, espresso, lattés, and mochas.  They also expected that to be serving Starbucks’ seasonal and specialty drinks, as well as providing Sodexo’s fresh-baked goods and the same FANS smoothies offered at Big Al’s.  Coffeehouse performances will continue as before.  The new hours for the coffee shop are; Monday through Thursday 7:30 am – 11 pm, Friday 7:30 am – 12:30 am, Saturday 9 am – 12:30 am Sunday 9 am – 11 pm.  A naming contest will be held in the near future to give the coffee shop an official name.

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Finally an Agreement on Syria?

Hopes are rising as possible breakthroughs are underway in the deadlock gripping world powers concerning the Syrian civil war. This is a result of a possible United Nations resolution calling for international control of the Syrian government’s chemical weapons stockpile currently being considered.

Mideast_Syria-08c3c
Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com

During talks at the recent G-20 meeting of the top twenty world economic powers, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in an offhand comment that Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad could avoid American airstrikes if his government handed over “every single bit” of its chemical weapons stockpile to the international community. Later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Russia had taken Kerry’s comments into consideration and would propose a “feasible, clear and concrete plan” that would focus on Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal.

After the deaths of over 1,400 civilians in a suburb in the Syrian capital Damascus on August 21, U.S. President Barack Obama threatened limited military strikes against the regime of President Assad as punishment. Obama, however, has mustered little international support as Britain, a close U.S. ally, voted against participating in airstrikes against Assad. French President Francoise Hollande supports military action against Syria, but is reluctant to intervene without greater support from the international community. Domestically, Obama faces an uphill battle in his bid to win congressional support before authorizing military strikes. After 12 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, many Americans oppose more involvement in another Middle Eastern conflict.

Some countries do support U.S. airstrikes in Syria. Saudi Arabia, a vocal critic of Assad and supplier of weapons to Syrian rebels, implored the Arab League to endorse airstrikes. Turkey, a one-time close ally of Assad but now a supporter of his overthrow, has also called for airstrikes. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin is a staunch opponent of outside intervention in Syria, warning of the serious consequences of what could follow if the U.S. follows through on its threats against Assad.

Syria is a main purchaser of Russian weaponry and is Moscow’s last Cold War-era ally in the Middle East. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and with the power to veto any and all sanctions, Russia has rejected all Western-backed resolutions that condemn Assad’s regime and call for his resignation. Instead, Putin has called for dialogue between the Assad regime and the rebels seeking to overthrow him. Moscow also endorses the creation of a transitional government that includes Assad. Consequently, Washington and Moscow have been at constant odds over creating a unified international response to the Syrian civil war. Plans for peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland between the Syrian government and rebel officials collapsed and for much of the G-20 meeting the U.S. and Russia remained divided, particularly regarding airstrikes.

But with this potential resolution calling for Assad to hand over Syria’s chemical weapons, the permanent members of the Security Council, the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, and China, seem to be inching closer to an agreement. France is adding on to Russian proposals by calling for a clause that specifically condemns the chemical attacks. Assad, seeking to avoid potential U.S. airstrikes, has accepted the Russian resolution. If Assad fails to comply with the resolution, however, his regime will, again, face the threat of military strikes in consequence.

Since its beginning in March 2011, the civil war in Syria has claimed over 100,000 lives.  Nearly a third of the country’s population has been displaced and millions of Syrians have fled abroad as refugees.

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Field of Solar Panels: Houghton to Install Green Technology

Houghton College plans to build an 11-acre solar panel installation in the Field of Dreams. The panels will reduce the College’s dependence on non-renewable sources of electricity by supplying over 50% of the energy that the College uses annually. The project is set to begin construction in December with completion by the end of Spring Semester 2014.

“As a signatory to the President’s Climate Commitment, Houghton has committed itself to carbon neutrality by 2050. This solar project, and the accompanying purchase of renewable energy certificates, represents our first major step toward achieving that goal,” said Brian Webb, Sustainability Coordinator for Houghton College, adding,“The clean energy produced by this array is the equivalent of annually burning 1,500 fewer tons of coal or removing 400 cars from the road.”

The President’s Climate Commitment is a collective effort by almost 700 colleges in the United States to reduce carbon emissions and imbue upon students the importance of protecting our natural ecology. A school that has signed the Commitment agrees to take inventory of their carbon emissions, set a target date for becoming climate neutral, take immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and integrate sustainability into the educational experience.

This solar installation is one part of Houghton’s commitment. The array will be constructed in the Field of Dreams, north of the playing fields. As it will replace the hay fields currently occupying the area, it is not expected to obstruct the playing area. The array will be surrounded by a chain-link fence and each panel will be elevated 9 feet above ground level. It will be one of the largest installations on a college campus in New York State. At press time, the installation of the panels has been reviewed and confirmed at local, county, and state levels. The College is in the process of acquiring permits to begin construction.

Courtesy of maximumsurvival.net
Courtesy of maximumsurvival.net

Houghton is working with Smart Energy Capital (SEC) to assemble the installation. SEC will fund the building of the installation, which will be constructed by Borrego Solar. The panels will be owned and operated by SEC. Their construction will not be a direct cost to the college; rather, the College is in contract with SEC to purchase the energy generated by the panels for the next 25 years. Any surplus energy generated by the panels will be sold by the school to Rochester Gas & Electric at market value. After the 25-year contract expires, Houghton will have the option to bid for and purchase the panels themselves.

The opportunity to build the panels comes as a result of a Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s NY-Sun initiative which provides $46 million for large-scale solar projects. This grant will cover much of the construction costs for the array and ensure that Houghton will get a reasonable fixed rate for the energy produced.

Houghton’s ecological sustainability, including the installation of these panels, is managed by the Creation Care Committee. The Committee’s mission is to reduce the carbon footprint of the College. It accomplishes this by reducing both use of non-renewable resources and waste production. It also works to educate students and faculty about our local and global environment.

Beyond the installation of the solar panels, the Creation Care Committee is working on several other initiatives. These include updating the HVAC systems in campus buildings, increasing the energy efficiency of the school, and exploring alternative energy resources such as wind and geothermal.

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New Faculty Hired

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A week into the fall semester, new faces are everywhere—including amongst faculty. Departments across campus had hired or wanted to hire new professors this year, some departments to address a growing shortage of faculty members and others to fill the gaps left by recent retirees.

The education department filled four positions this year for a total of seven full-time faculty members. Last fall, the department had only three. Dr. Cathy Freytag, chair of the department, said all faculty members hired this year were “replacement hires that were necessary for [the department] to continue to deliver [the] current program.” The education department, she added, was “given priority with hires due to the significant faculty shortfall” and the need to show the Teacher Education Accreditation Council that the department is “fully staffed with highly-qualified faculty members.”

The chemistry department aimed to hire two more full-time faculty members, despite having not yet begun an official search. Dr. Karen Torraca, chair of the chemistry department, says that with just four full- and part-time professors the department is “still not offering [a] full range of courses” this year. She adds that the department “would like both new hires to be interdisciplinary with Biology” and for one professor to focus on courses for the growing biochemistry major.

Two faculty members joined the School of Music this academic year. During the past two years, they and one other faculty member filled positions left by three retiring professors. Dean Stephan Plate of the School of Music noted this is an “exciting time in the School of Music” as the new professors and “everyone who’s always been here” share their passions and their talents.

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New Dean of Extension Services

In hopes of expanding Houghton’s education opportunities, Scott McClelland has been hired as Dean of Extension Studies. McClelland will have an office in Buffalo and will be primarily located there when the adult education program is launched. In addition, he will be traveling back and forth to Houghton in order to work with faculty in exploring the college’s options for a potential online program for students who want a Houghton education but are not able to attend on campus.

Courtesy of Scott McClelland
Courtesy of Scott McClelland

Mark Hijleh, Associate Academic Dean said that “as Houghton considers how we will translate our mission of providing access to high-quality Christian Liberal Arts to students from diverse backgrounds, we need to expand the entry points to what we have to offer.”

Recently Houghton has had to make cuts in the areas of faculty, staff, and athletics. This leaves many wondering why a full time position is needed for this job. Academic Dean Linda Mills-Woolsey explained, “One of our current initiatives aimed at strengthening Houghton’s ability to serve a diverse range of students while creating a sustainable economy for all areas of the college is expanding our arena of vision and service.” Mills-Woolsey also stated, “to be a viable college for the current age we need to explore more ways to use online options to provide flexible access to Houghton College programs. In order to move forward we need someone to manage all our extension study endeavors.”

McClelland will be moving from southern Florida to Buffalo on October 7th in order to work with the Houghton City Semester program which is already underway.“Houghton is exploring how to best make its top tier education available to a wider group of students than it has traditionally,” said Dr. McClelland “So my work will be to explore several options to do this within the Adult Education, online and by offering some new teaching opportunities in Buffalo.”

McClelland has experience in extension studies from his time as the Director of the San Francisco Urban Program based out of Westmont College. He then gained more experience at Trinity College. “My experience with Westmont and Trinity allows me to know how special it is when a campus wishes to reach out to meet the needs of ‘non-traditional’ students by working through many delivery systems now available to higher education institutions like ours,” said McClelland.

Students currently attending Houghton could also benefit from the online program. Junior Glenn Hampson said “I’m thrilled that Houghton is looking into expanding their online education programs. I’m graduating this year, and although I want to continue my education, I got to start paying off my loans here pretty soon. If I could take classes offered by Houghton online, I would be able to fulfill my academic goals while sticking with the school I love.”

 The extension program is seen by many as a crucial next step for Houghton. Mills-Woolsey said, “In the long run we hope that investing in this position will provide benefits not only for our extension programs, but for students on the main campus, as our extension programs provide more visibility and accessibility while contributing revenues to the overall college.”

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Appointment of Dean Michael Jordan is “Slam Dunk” for College

Courtesy of www.houghton.edu
Courtesy of www.houghton.edu

After serving as Interim Dean of Chapel for the past semester, Dr. Michael Jordan has decided to accept the position permanently.

“I look forward to helping to shape Houghton’s spiritual life. I especially look forward to helping people see that our spiritual life is not something the administration creates for the students, but something that we create together as we give ourselves over to the rhythm of worship and work, study and rest, prayer and play.” said Dean Jordan.

Hailing from southern New Jersey, Jordan entered college at Houghton for undergraduate studies where he earned a B.A. in History and Bible with a minor in Linguistics. There he met his now wife, Dr. Jill Jordan, mathematics. After graduating from Houghton in 1999, he went on to attend Eastern Baptist (now Palmer) Theological Seminary where he graduated with a Masters in Divinity in 2002. He was a pastor at Exton Community Baptist Church in Exton, Pennsylvania from 2002 to 2009. During this time, he studied to receive his P.H.D. in Liturgical Studies from Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. In 2009, he left his position as a pastor to come back to Houghton after Jill was offered her current professorship.

Jordan enjoys working at the college in a position of religious leadership. He said,”I’ve always enjoyed both preaching and the academy. Pastoring had a lot of the latter without the former; the people in my church didn’t always get my drive to study. Teaching as an adjunct on the other hand is great, but doesn’t let me explore my full pastoral side. The dean position will be great in allowing me to mix and enjoy both the academic and pastoral parts of my role here at the college.”

Dean Jordan hopes to serve the community as a “spiritual tone setter.” He wants to take chapel in a direction that is more deeply liturgical with a focus on worship and connection with God. Instead of having a chapel focused on information, he wants to see one focused on formation. He plans to provide more opportunities for communication between students and chapel speakers.

Jordan’s view of chapel in the next year is one that moves away from a previously consumerism-like model. As it stands currently, students tend to choose which chapels they attend based on who is speaking, who is playing worship, or any other small aspect of the service and decide whether or not that chapel will interest them. In the future, Jordan wants to make chapel into a practice and experience that allows the students at Houghton to take some time out of their day to give back to God and refocus on His teachings.

He jokingly refers to this as taking time to “paint pictures for God’s refrigerator” through our worship and, more seriously, as taking the time to lift our voices up to Him and devote our hearts to His glory.

When asked what he enjoyed seeing this past semester in chapel, Jordan recalled several highlights including faith journeys, the gospel choir’s performances, and the support he has received from the students as he has taken on the position. He remarks that even the complaints about chapel that he receives do not give the impression that they are personal, but rather critical of the institution of chapel as a whole.

In some ways, this worries the Dean. He would like the chapel to move from being a faceless body and towards being an accessible and organic part of campus. While he has avoided shaping the structure of chapel in his interim period as the dean, Jordan hopes that he can more deeply integrate chapel into the lives of students as something they can openly discuss and feel that their opinions are heard.

When discussing how Houghton has changed since his time here (’95-’99), Jordan remarks that very little has changed. “There is still the same mix of academics and Christianity that was present when I attended,” he said. One change he notes is the increase in mobility and accessibility to the outside world. The college is a lot less isolated than it was in the past.

 

When asked about social justice movements at Houghton, Jordan replied,“I’m a social justice guy.” The seminary he attended is very well known for its unique focus on social justice, which has shaped his views on Christians in society. Defining his goals for social justice at Houghton, he wants to call out sin to rectify it and, in his words, “make a world here that Jesus will recognize as good when He returns.”

Academically, Jordan would like to see more engagement with students about social and political issues. One source of engagement he views as being successful is the meeting of panels on social issues including same-sex attraction and sexual assault. The topics of these panels are often controversial and harsh, but Jordan sees them as bringing about positive change through open discussion.

“I hope students find me invitational: I know that they will not always agree with what I say, or my ideas, but I’m very open to the input of others and want to help us find our best way together,” expressed Jordan.

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Seniors Bid Farewell

The end of the semester is fast approaching, culminating on Saturday, May 11th with the Commencement of Houghton’s class of 2013.  Houghton will be saying goodbye to a diverse group of students with various majors and interests.  As this collection of individuals look ahead to the future, they also remember their experiences at Houghton.

Student athlete and senior, Mark O’Brien, commented on his participation on the men’s varsity basketball team as being definitive to his time at Houghton, having had a “camaraderie that is hard to replace.” He has been played on the basketball team since freshman year and attributes this part of involvement as having been influential to relationships he has made and the support he looks to as he prepares for graduation.

O’Brien is a business major with a Bible minor and thanks the business department for giving him direction. He said, “professors go out of their way to help you, give insight to the future and opportunities, and stretch you to try new things.”  To use the time spent at Houghton to the fullest, O’Brien said to “cast a broad net, and then narrow your interests to the things that you will enjoy the most.”

Alice Browning, a senior political science major with self-designed minors in human trafficking and supply chains and community development in an international context says that Houghton has influenced her world perspective.  Although her identity has stayed the same throughout her time as a student, Browning said, “I have been challenged to view the world in a more flexible and permeable way.”

An important aspect of Browning’s Houghton experience includes the time she has spent being able to explore many interests.  She said that she has learned that it is more important to “define the greater questions rather than being concerned with finding the answers.”  Next year Browning is planning on working with the Wesley Corps in Buffalo in helping with the resettlement of refugees.

Julian Cook, a senior studying religion and music describes Houghton as a place dedicated to self-discovery.  His experiences have greatly influenced his decision to attend Boston University of Theology in the fall and of pastoring, teaching, and leading in the future.  Cook has found the connection between his interests and said he sees the “value in traditional Christianity to not neglect questioning” as well as appreciating the “musician as a prophet and minister.” In looking back, Cook says to “endure past the questioning and get involved.”

Coming from a family of music teachers, senior music education major Maribeth Olsen said she initially chose Houghton for the  way she fit into the music program. Olsen said she has truly appreciated the ability to pursue activities outside of her major. This summer Olsen will have the chance to be a Highlander leader and is excited for this opportunity to interact with Houghton students after graduating.

Courtesy of Maribeth Olson
Courtesy of Maribeth Olson

As her time at Houghton draws to an end, Olsen has found it helpful to make a bucket list.  Her list includes the mundane and arguably for her the most rewarding, including: completing a Star crossword, getting on stage, sitting with Coach Smalley in chapel, going to Higgins’ Hole, and visiting the Red Barn.  Olsen is currently applying for various teaching positions and her search,” seeks small communities similar in their reciprocity to Houghton.”

For senior Sarah Jacoby, a double major in religion and humanities, off-campus programs have played a significant role in defining her passions and interests.  Jacoby spent a semester abroad during her freshman year as a participant in the London Honors Program.  She also participated in the City Semester Program in Buffalo for the spring semester of her junior year.  Both of these opportunities were “valuable and practical in making connections within [her] majors.”

Jacoby is hoping to work with Wesley Corps next year as well as other non-profit organizations in the future before attending graduate school.  With the approaching opportunities and possibilities, Jacoby looked back on the relationships she has formed at Houghton and said, “I have found people that I can return to – strong networks of people who are excited about my life.”

Senior Nathan White, having majored in intercultural studies with a double concentration in linguistics and TESOL, will be heading to Thailand this summer to do a graduate study in Linguistics.  While overseas, White will also be doing TESOL work and language development with people in “helping them to value their heart language.”

Entering Houghton as a transfer, White has found it to be a place where “intelligence and faith have a beautiful collision.”  He commented on his growth as an individual, not being afraid of the uncomfortable, embracing the awkward, and learning to be whole.  White attributes these qualities to those he has interacted with, including his host family in Tanzania, professors, and friends.  White said, “There are classrooms everywhere.  Behind every face there are glorious stories.”

 

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Science Honors Launches Balloons

After a year of hard work and long coffee-fueled nights, the 14 students that make up Science Honors have launched weather balloons they have constructed to take measurements of the upper atmosphere.

Leading up to the launch, Science Honors student Jonathan Yuly remarked, “It will be really exciting to watch what happens with our year’s project, and how future years will move forward with it.”

Each balloon was outfitted with its own set of sensors and instruments. The sensors were run by onboard processing chips called a BASIC Stamp Boards. These boards act as the brains of the boxes. They tell the sensors how to work and then deliver the information they collect to a radio that sends it back to the students at Houghton.

Four teams were collected from the students to design an experiment that would use the balloons and sensors to analyze data about climate change. Groups did experiments that ranged from measuring CO2 to the refraction of light through clouds and how it affects the sun’s rays hitting Earth.

The balloons were launched on Tuesday, April 23rd at nine in the morning after a short press conference. Unfortunately, as science is wont to do, the live experiment was met with many challenges. On the night before the launch, two of the radios on the boxes were fried after being overcharged with current.

R.D. Marek’s radio was one of the two that was ruined. At 2 am, in the Paine building, he was quoted as saying “I’m looking for a ‘Lazarus moment’.”

Eventually, he got it when his radio resumed normal function. The other radio did not however and that group’s balloon was not able to launch.

The teams prepared to launch 3 balloons from the quad on Tuesday morning when they were met with several unforeseeable misfortunes.

The first group to launch had no issues in launching their balloon. However, once it was up in the sky, they found that although it was transmitting data to the computer on the ground, the computer was not properly recording the data.

The next group was disappointed when their cut-down system, meant to release the box from the balloon in case of an emergency, was activated by a faulty radio transmission and cut the balloon from the box as it was beginning to lift off the quad.

Lastly, the third group found themselves similarly unlucky. When released, the knot that tied their balloon to the box came undone and the team watched as their balloon floated away.

The balloons, costing around $300 each, were not able to be replaced immediately and the two launches that failed were not able to relaunch.

Despite these issues, the crowd watching the launch still enjoyed getting to see the experiment unfold. Said freshman, Myra Mushalla,“I got to see many science honors students work on their balloon projects for a long time and getting to watch the launch off the quad was very satisfying, even for me; so I imagine it was great for them.”

The teams retired to the Science Honors Lab after the launch to watch the one successful launch travel northward on a GPS tracker that was linked to the box. Once the balloon showed that it was in a constant position for several minutes, the teams piled into three Houghton vans and drove to Dansville, NY to retrieve it.

A woman who owns the property where the box landed led the teams up into the woods where they found the box 50 feet up, hanging on a tree limb, unable to be retrieved. With this last disappointment, the teams got back into their vans and went out for ice cream.

Plans to retrieve this box have been set into motion, but at the present time, it is still swinging away from the top branches of a tree in Dansville.

news_sciencehonors

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Houghton College Equestrian Show Hosts Spring Shows

Courtesy of facebook.com
Courtesy of facebook.com

On April 20, the Houghton College Equestrian Center hosted its annual Western New York Dressage Association’s Challenge Series Show. This Saturday, April 27, the Equestrian Center will host its annual Spring Hunter-Jumper Show.

These two shows allow students to interact with outside riders, trainers, and judges every year. The Dressage Challenge Show is one in a series of shows, put on at different farms, that is sponsored by the Western New York Dressage Association (WYNDA), of which Professor Jo-Anne Young, Houghton’s Equestrian Program Director, is the Vice President.

Carrie Keagan, senior psychology major and equestrian minor, will be competing for her last time as a student at Houghton. She said, “The shows is a great chance for Houghton students to get a chance to compete against people outside of Houghton and see how they really match up against other riders. Most of us enjoy competing, and, as a group, we generally place very well in the classes.”

Last Saturday, students in Dressage, Competition Dressage, and those who practice and train outside of a class setting, competed on Houghton’s school horses. Students who board their own horses at Houghton have also competed in the past, but none chose to this year.

Historically, the highlight of the show is the Twelve-Horse Quadrille, which is a pattern ridden to music by twelve horse and rider pairs. Every spring semester, a different group of Houghton students learn the pattern and perform at the WYNDA Dressage show and at the Equestrian Program Senior Exhibition that will take place on May 10.

The first three levels of Dressage, Introductory, Training, and First Level were performed by many different riders at the show. The Junior High Scorer was Joanna Sudlow, riding one of Houghton’s schoolmasters, Entertainer. Kate Shannon, also riding Entertainer, placed first in the Senior Training Level One class, where she competed solely against riders not from Houghton College.

Dressage is one of the elements of the Equestrian sport that is performed at the Olympic level. Houghton teaches all its Equestrian majors the basic movements and theory behind the discipline, and, if they wish, students have the opportunity to learn movements that are performed at the Olympic level from Professor Young, if they choose to put in the time and perseverance.

Students from Horsemanship I to Mini-Prix Jumping Equitation (the highest level jumping academic course available to Houghton’s students) will be competing this Saturday. Classes will be offered in the under-saddle and over-fences categories. Under-saddle simply means that the horse and rider will compete with everyone else registered in their class at the same time and only have to go through the different gaits; there are no fences involved.

The spring Hunter-Jumper show also offers classes in both Hunter and Equitation categories. If the class is designated Hunter, then the horse and rider pair are judged only on what the horse does in the ring: the quality of its gaits and movement, its athleticism and conformation (or build), and several other technical factors. In an equitation class, the horse and rider pair are judged based upon the rider’s position and skills when riding, regardless of the horse, whether it behaves perfectly or takes off bucking.

The show ends with three jumper classes, which are not judged by the horse or the rider, but rather the speed that the pair can complete a course. The obstacles are higher and more complicated or distracting in jumper classes, and the goal is to leave all the fences untouched in the shortest amount of time.

Andrea Ypma, a senior, said, “The hunter-jumper show provides students a chance to show what they have learned over a variety of courses designed to test their skill.” Ypma has a vast knowledge of course design concepts and spent her internship at Thunderbird Equestrian Show Park in Canada, a facility that hosts high-level hunter-jumper competitions. She has helped to design challenging and interesting courses in the past.

Houghton’s Equestrian Center also hosts an annual USEF/USDF Recognized Dressage Show, a horse trial in the fall, which incorporates, dressage, showjumping and cross country, and a Christmas Hunter-Jumper Fun Show. All events are free to spectators, and the Equestrian students would love to see the rest of the college spend some time at the horse barn.

The program offers many excellent opportunities, the shows being just a few. Young said, “The Equestrian Program gives students a solid foundation in Equestrian Studies, based on the principles of classical dressage, and incorporating riding, teaching riding, training horses, and care of the horse. If you love  horses, and are willing to take the time and effort to learn to understand their culture and how to ‘speak their language,’  the amazing lesson horses at the Equestrian Center have some fantastic things to teach you.”

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Kerr-Pegula Update

On Tuesday morning, faculty and staff members met for an update on the Kerr-Pegula Project. Dave Smith, Vice President for Finance and Planning, presented to faculty and staff information that will be shared with the Board of Trustees on Friday, May 3rd as they decide how to proceed with the project. Smith’s presentation was focused on the financial aspects of the Kerr-Pegula Project, such as the total cost of the project, the funds raised thus far, and the plan for funding the rest of the project, if extra funding is needed. These are the factors that the Board of Trustees will weigh as they vote on how to move forward with or delay the project.

Courtesy of facebook.com
Courtesy of facebook.com

The Board of Trustees has already approved the three fields that are currently under construction, while the addition of a field house is pending Board approval. According to Smith, there is a range of options which will be presented to the Board, and two of these options would not involved added funding. Dr. Robert Pool, Vice President for Student Life, said only a very small percentage of the project will be financed by loans. He said, “I, along with all of the presidential staff, have looked at all the risks and costs, and it is a no-brainer: go forward.”

Skip Lord, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, said that the College has the gift (the original donation by the Kerr-Pegula family) and a plan for advancement. Lord supports the project not only because it will enhance intercollegiate athletics, but also because it has the potential to increase Houghton College’s visibility, improve enrollment, contribute to advancement goals, and expand intramural and academic programs. “It has the potential to impact Houghton in unique ways we have not even begun to imagine,” Lord said. He also said, “I am certainly hopeful that we will move ahead, but the Board of Trustees, in their wisdom, will make the decision.”

Like Lord, Lauren Niswander, Co-leader for Committee for Intercollegiate Athletics, reflected a large vision for the Kerr-Pegula Project. She said, “This is an awesome gift that we have been given, and it will help our campus ministry by opening doors to represent our athletics and academics.”

Connie Finney, Professor of Education, gave her opinion of the general support for the project. She said, “In my various conversations with faculty members, I have found them to be very supportive of the project.” Similarly, David Davies, Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory, stated, “I am generally in support of the Kerr-Pegula Project.”

However, some professors are more skeptical about the Kerr-Pegula Project. Benjamin Lipscomb, Professor of Philosophy, expressed concern over the funding of the project. If a significant amount of the funds come from loans, he said, “The financing of that debt will be an additional burden on the College and ultimately on its students.”  He affirmed the value of athletics but emphasized the importance of making sound financial decisions, especially because Houghton has been struggling with enrollment and finances. “The most disturbing aspect of going ahead without full financing,” Lipscomb said, is that the original vision was to have all the operating expenses covered by an endowment.” If the project is funded by loans rather than an endowment or funds the College already has, Houghton might jeopardize its financial and institutional values.