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Christians for the Mountains to Visit for Earth Day Activities

On Monday, April 22, Houghton College will be observing Earth Day. This is a day intended to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on the earth and on individuals. Allen Johnson—the coordinator and co-founder of Christians For The Mountains (CFTM)—will be speaking in Chapel at 11:30, leading an open discussion over dinner between 5:00-6:30 in the alumni dining room, and giving a lecture in the CFA at 8.

Allen Johnson helped develop the Evangelical Environmental Network while earning a masters degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as a founding leader of the Religious Coalition for Creation Care of which he continues on the Steering Committee.  Johnson has presented papers for The National Association of Environmental Professionals and The Colloquium on Violence and Religion, has written articles on faith and the environment, and wrote a chapter in Holy Ground: A Gathering Of Voices On Caring For Creation.

Johnson retired in 2011 to pursue CFTM work. CFTM is an initiative to summons Christians to act responsibly to God’s creation with a specific focus on the central Appalachian Mountains region. Their chief objective is the end of mountaintop removal extraction. They have been has been featured in numerous publications including Newsweek, Prism, Grist, documentary programs such as Bill Moyers Journal, and films including Mountaintop Removal and Renewal. Johnson also produced the DVD film, Mountain Mourning.

Johnson’s Chapel sermon, We Either Will Be Lovers or Else the Earth Will Die (Calling all Lovers!),will discuss the decreasing viability of Earth and its inhabitants, and the efforts of science to offer society practical solutions to restore planetary ecological equilibrium. A distinction that Johnson makes is that science, as beneficial as it is, only touches the mind. Social movements come from the heart.

Johnson’s evening lecture, Economic, Political, And Moral Considerations On The Health Externalities Of Mountaintop Mining in Central Appalachia, will be focusing more specifically, as the title suggests, on mountaintop mining in Central Appalachia. Mountaintop mining is a method of extracting coal by blasting apart a mountain layer by layer in order to extract the coal. The remaining 97% of rock debris pushed down into the valleys. Naturally this causes health concerns for local population which are some of the most impoverished in the nation.

These events will be a time where students will be encouraged to focus on the impact they have on the Earth and how we can become better stewards of our natural resources.

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Pope to Continue Efforts to Reform LCWR

Pope Francis I declared on Monday, the 15th of April, his solidarity with the controversial report by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) which was released last year, and his desire to advance Pope Benedict XVI’s goal of restructuring the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in the USA. This is his most controversial action since he entered office last month, as it has been widely misunderstood.

Courtesy of LCWR.org
Courtesy of LCWR.org

Benedict’s crackdown on the progressive nuns of the LCWR roused a significant amount of public ire last year, and Francis’ support of the reform comes as no surprise. While he is intent on building popular opinion of the Catholic Church, he is also conservative. Thus, although many had hoped that Francis would break with tradition on this issue as he has with many others in his short time in the Papal office, it was in full accordance with expectations that Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller informed the LCWR of the pope’s decision on Monday.

In the US media, the conflict between the Vatican and the LCWR has been portrayed as one of “Pope versus Progressive Nuns” and as yet another instance of archaic Catholic dogma oppressing human progress. The matter is more complicated than that, however; although the nuns of the LCWR have indeed been reprimanded for spending “too much time” on social justice issues, and for deviating from traditional Catholic doctrine regarding contraceptives and homosexuality, the Vatican objection arises from the group’s divergence from traditional Catholic teachings regarding some key elements of Catholic doctrine.

The role of the CDF is to ensure that no heretical doctrines are taught by Catholic clergy—they were formerly known as the Office of the Holy Inquisition. Consequently, great weight has been lent to their assessment that LCWR has strayed far from Catholic doctrine. The nuns of the order have allegedly expressed the sentiment of “moving beyond Jesus,” as well as blatantly calling into question his divinity under the guise of progressive feminism. The CDF determined that they were espousing “significant doctrinal or moral content which often contradict or ignore magisterial teaching.” The members of the LCWR have contested the allegations by saying that they never officially supported such views, but the CDF, and now two Popes, have determined that their defense was inadequate to avoid hierarchical reform.

The LCWR is a religious order and therefore distinct from the regular clergy: its nuns do not fall under the jurisdiction of parish priests, bishops, or anyone besides their own intra-order superiors and the Pope. The Pope himself is the sole connecting point between the hierarchies of religious orders and regular clergy. That is why first Benedict and now Francis have had to intervene to correct the alleged doctrinal deviances of the wayward sisters.

There is room to question the fairness of the Papal action on this matter, however. Francis has been accused of repressing movements for social justice during the Argentine “Dirty War.” Also, by reforming the LCWR and bringing it back in line with Catholic doctrine, the Pope stands to gain favor with more conservative Catholics who have been offended by his recent deviations from tradition.

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SGA Transfer of Powers

With another year over and the 69th Houghton Senate at its close, the College Cabinet looks forward to new changes as senators move in, move up, and move out of their elected positions and on to greater things.

Courtesy of houghton.edu
Courtesy of houghton.edu

The 70th Senate will welcome President Benjamin Hardy, Vice President Andiana Sidell, Chaplain David Bruno, and Treasurer Josiah Evans. Other positions have yet to be filled. When asked what he looks forward to most in this coming year, President Benjamin Hardy said, “I’d like to streamline policies, operations, and procedures to make it easier for future student leaders to do their job. One way we hope to do this is through committees and councils in the SGA by prioritizing them more that we have in the past.”

Hardy is no stranger to the student government, he served as the Vice President for the 69th Senate, a college senator for the 68th, and class president in the 67th.

President of the 69th Senate, Joel Ernst, says incoming president Hardy will bring a new set of strengths to the College Cabinet; he said, “Ben has the potential to have a great year as SGA President. He has a lot of expertise as an SGA member.” Ernst believes that Ben has a good understanding of the College’s needs and will provide a good link between the students and administration. His strong opinions and boldness will enable him to be an effective leader.

Each member looks eagerly towards the opportunities their positions allow them. Dave Bruno, the incoming Chaplain, said, “My biggest hope for this position is that through serving as SGA Chaplain I will be able to help facilitate greater unity among the many spiritually focused groups on campus as well as a greater awareness of all the opportunities for spiritual growth that Houghton offers. Imagine if we were all able to be unified and work together for the spiritual growth of our campus. What could we see happen?”

Josiah Evans, incoming SGA Treasurer, hopes to be able to work for students who are involved in planning activities. He would like to help them figure out the best way to fund their events.

As new members, filled with both anticipation and excitement, prepare for this upcoming year, the previous year’s Cabinet looks back on a year of hard, yet rewarding, work.

Speaker of the 69th Senate, Joshua Mertzlufft, reflected on a Cabinet that he found to be pleasantly close-knit. He enjoyed the healthy debate that the Cabinet fostered as opposed to the argument and disquiet that previous years have harbored.

In tracing back through the year, Mertzlufft reflected that the Cabinet may have spent too much time on political matters and not enough on action. He would like to see this upcoming year’s Cabinet stretch out of its comfort zone more and act rather than deliberate. He said he would also enjoy seeing more collaboration between the senators outside of meetings.

One of the changes already set in motion for this coming year is the recent restructuring of Senate. The restructuring has added new positions for both academic and athletic senators.

While some of the new cabinet members are looking forward to this change, others are

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Students Publications Plan for Rest of Semester and Next Year

The Lanthorn and the Drawing Board will be finishing up the year with some new events.  The Lanthorn will be releasing a staff edition of the Lanthorn and will host a storytelling night.  The Drawing Board will be ending this semester with a color issue for the first time in at least four years.

Both the editors of the Lanthorn, Megan Specksgoor and Hannah Hanover, as well as Patricia Powles, the editor of the Drawing Board, will be graduating at the end of this semester, and so new editors will be coming to take their place.  Leah Doty, junior, will be replacing Powles as editor of the Drawing Board and the next editor of the Lanthorn has not be chosen yet. Applications for this position are available online through Survey Monkey, and they are due no later than Monday, April 15.

20_4.12.2013_News_StudentPublicationsOne“She [Leah Doty] is going to be great,” said Powles.

The Drawing Board hopes that the color issue will be much different than the regular issues not only because it is in color, but also because it will hopefully be a larger in size.

The Lanthorn’s last publication this year will be an issue with all staff material; usually, The Lanthorn takes submissions from the student body and then as a staff chooses which pieces to publish. By publishing an all-staff issue, The Lanthorn hopes to show a different side of their publication.

“People doesn’t always realize that we have very creative and talented staff,” said Specksgoor.

As part of their year-end activities, The Lanthorn will also be hosting a storytelling night.

“We want to go back to the oral tradition,” said Specksgoor.

In looking ahead to the coming years, the current Lanthorn editors plan to encourage the new editors next year to start a website, which would offer the opportunity for creative writers at Houghton to get their work published to a larger audience.

A website could also open up Houghton to prospective students. Hanover said, “That way when prospective writing students and art students look at [the website] they see a venue for publishing.”

Hanover and Specksgoor hope for editors who share a similar vision for the Lanthorn next year: one of branching out and reaching all of Houghton’s community.

“We really want it to be less of a ‘here are twenty English majors on a pedestal’ kind of thing . . . we really want it to be more open so that everyone can feel included,” said Specksgoor.

 

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Meilaender’s Research During Sabbatical Breaks New Ground

Professor Meilaender, political science, is on sabbatical this semester. While the words for “sabbatical” in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew connote a “ceasing,” Meilaender has kept himself very busy as he translates and researches the works of early 19th century Swiss-German author Jeremias Gotthelf.

In the United States the works of Gotthelf are few. Meilaender said that, “almost nothing he wrote has been translated into English” further explaining that he probably has, “the best Gotthelf library in the States.”

Courtesy of houghton.edu
Courtesy of houghton.edu

Meilaender first heard about Gotthelf while reading a work by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in which Bonhoeffer mentions Gotthelf and explains that his readings were very enjoyable and interesting. Meilaender followed up on this reference while visiting Switzerland. In particular, Meilaender soon developed a keen interest in Gotthelf’s writings of fiction in which characters would dialogue about the major political issues of the time including topics such as socialism, communism and industrialization, to name only a few.

Gotthelf, who was a pastor in a small fairly conservative Swiss village, wrote while living through several French revolutions and the Napoleonic Wars. He called himself a republican (lower case), and warned that Europe was coasting towards far-left political philosophy which, in his opinion, went against Christian doctrines. His contemporaries Alexis de Tocqueville of France and earlier statesman Edmund Burke of England were all, at the time, discussing similar issues focusing around the same centennial period.

Gotthelf novellas are well-known in Switzerland and Germany (where the novella is more commonly accepted in literary circles than it is in the United States). However, most of his fiction tends to average at the 500 page mark. By the time Gotthelf turned 20 years old, he had written 42 volumes, 60% of which was fiction. He is regarded as one of the top three 19th century Swiss authors and actively pursued reforming Swiss poverty law and education. The Willard J. Houghton library possesses one book written by Gotthelf “on order,” another book by him in the stacks, and a brief biography of him also in the stacks. All of these books are written in either Hoch Deutsch or Swiss-German, languages that very few students speak. Thus, the work that Mailaender is undertaking this semester will be of great academic benefit to Houghton College and others.

Specifically, Meilaender is presently in the midst of a long and difficult process in translating several of Gotthelf’s works and compiling a comparative political philosophy book in which Gotthelf’s theories will be compared to other political philosophers of his time.

The struggle throughout this process has been translating Swiss-German as a non-speaker. Dr. Meilaender, who is quite able to translate from German to English, is reading in Swiss-German which, though similar to German, is still a unique and complex language. Presently, Meilaender is translating a Gotthelf novella The Son of Tell, which is a Swiss version of the famous Wilhelm Tell story. During his interview for the Star, Dr. Meilaender explained that though translation is easier when he can take his time and read the language, he is stretching his translation skills with Gotthelf. He expressed that Swiss radio podcasts have been helping him develop better skillful translation of the language, but the translations are still coming slowly.

This sabbatical for Meilaender has been a time of intense, and enjoyable, academic research into the works of a lesser known political philosopher and Christian.

Through his work, Meilaender shows us that while the pursuit of knowledge may be lengthy and difficult, it ultimately provides satisfaction and new opportunities for more than oneself.

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Take Back the Night Event at Houghton: A Stand Against Sexual Violence

The term “date rape,” as it is used today, is familiar to many adults and adolescents living in the twenty-first century. Studies have shown that more women have been raped on dates by their boyfriends than by strangers.

In 2001, to address this issue, one date rape victim committed to speak out against rape culture. Katie Koestner lead the initiative and, along with other victims, established Take Back the Night (TBTN), the first nationally recognized charitable 501(c) 3 foundation.

Courtesy of cnn.com
Courtesy of time.com

On Thursday, April 18, Houghton will host its own TBTN event. Students have the opportunity to march around the campus and “speak out” against sexual violence. Survivors or friends and family of survivors will be invited to share their stories with the campus. As one of the organizers, Lydia Strand, senior, said, “I think having Take Back the Night here at Houghton is so important because we are often afraid of honestly talking about sexual abuse in our own communities and in our own families.”

The TBTN events will begin with a kick-off party on Monday April 15 at 6 p.m. in the campus center. Printed Matter Press will be printing the TBTN logo on shirts or other items that students bring. At 7 p.m. that evening, there will be a panel discussion of rape culture in America in the third floor library room 323.

On Wednesday April 17, religion professor Kristina LaCelle-Peterson will be leading chapel. She will also be available for lunch afterwards. The final event of the week is a march around the quad starting at 8 p.m. on Thursday April 18 at the chapel steps. There will be a station during the march focusing on statistics and headlines about rape, followed by a station incorporating a poetry reading, and finishing with a station involving a communal art project. The march will be followed by a speakout in the chapel and a prayer service in the chapel basement.

Naomi Woosley, an alumna of Houghton, is also one of the TBTN organizers. Woolsey said, “We seek to empower and promote healing for survivors of sexualized violence who are in our campus community.  One goal for this year’s TBTN is to open our eyes to rape culture and beginning to realize the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways in which our culture–sometimes even our church culture–contributes to it.”

The TBTN foundation’s mission is to eliminate all forms of sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and sexual abuse. Woosley emphasized that, “A person’s gender–a person’s physical existence–should not be cause for that person to fear for her or his safety.”

Sharing stories and experiences reminds individuals that sexualized violence is not okay, despite what rape culture suggests. Speaking out can help break the cycle of violence. For more information on the Take Back the Night Foundation, visit their website at http://takebackthenight.org/ or contact Sydnie Cunningham to learn more about Houghton’s Take Back The Night events.

 

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President Obama Unveils Budget Proposal

This past Wednesday, President Obama unveiled a new budget plan to be sent to Congress. Obama’s proposal will also be considered next to other plans that have already been proposed, including, most notably, two separate competing plans drawn up by Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in the House and Senator Patty Murphy (D-Wash.) in the Senate.

Courtesy of money.cnn.com
Courtesy of money.cnn.com

Obama’s proposal, a ten year plan, calls for about $300 billion in new spending measures for employment and public works, along with major new taxes for the wealthy, and some entitlement reforms. The plan calls for, among other things, an extra charge of 94 cents added to the cost of a pack of cigarettes. (The proceeds from the charge will be used to help finance programs for preschool education, programs that Obama mentioned in the State of the Union Address earlier this year.) Besides this striking feature, the plan will also call for $700 billion in new tax increases for the wealthy which, not unexpectedly, does not please many Republicans in Congress. However, the President has also made several concessions to Republicans, such as reducing Medicare benefits for wealthy couples.

By far, however, the largest concession that the President’s plan offers the Republicans is to reduce Social Security by applying a chained consumer price index (chained CPI) that will be less generous in calculating benefits. (Along with Social Security, the chained CPI will index  spending and taxes by tying them directly to the rate of inflation.) Compared to the old model of calculating benefits, the new formula will cause benefits to tick up at a much slower rate. This is expected to save the federal government about $130 billion within the next ten years.

This is a bold step by the President, as trimming Social Security is often considered untouchable by the members of his own party. Regardless, some Republicans in Senate are pleased with the concession and see this as a point where Republicans and Democrats can begin to compromise, though many Republicans advocate for higher Social Security costs. Other Republicans, however, do not see Obama’s move as a conciliatory measure and do not think that the concession really reforms entitlements. According to the Washington Post, Representative Ryan said that, “I don’t see this as fundamental entitlement reform as much as clarifying a statistic which does happen to save money.”

Obama’s proposal comes several days late – 65 days, to be exact. Usually in Washington, the president is the one to initiate discussions on the budget but, with several fiscal crises in the first quarter of this year, Obama’s initiative was delayed and the Senate and House of Representatives have already proceeded with their own initiatives.

Republican congressional plans generally seek to balance the budget within ten years and cut spending. Their counterparts, Democrat congressional plans, also seek to reduce deficit, but not to balance the budget. President Obama’s plan is no different in this respect. Regarding the level of national debt, one Republican plan from the House will level off debt within ten years, but another  plan submitted by the Republican Study Committee would reduce it significantly. Obama’s plan, like other Democrat plans, will not reduce national debt significantly and  will continue to let it to swell.

Budget talks in the upcoming weeks will continue to be debated.  Continue to keep an eye on the news for further developments.

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A Letter from the Student Financial Services Office

Houghton campus is finally starting to thaw and that means a season of preparing for finals, getting ready for Mayterm, graduation and most importantly- letting loose on the long-awaited summer. However, this time of year also marks another season: that of readying ourselves for the upcoming financial school year. FAFSAs are completed and packages for both incoming and returning students are rolling out the doors of the financial aid office.

Courtesy of http://springflingcny.wordpress.com/
Courtesy of http://springflingcny.wordpress.com/

This year timing is especially important because it marks a new policy change for The Student Financial Services Office at Houghton College. Students have been receiving emails regarding this policy change- the introduction of EBilling which keeps us in-line with Federal Regulations regarding tuition overload; SALT, which will help students understand their financial responsibilities, enforcement of Church Match deadlines, and a comprehensive checklist to ensure all students are financially registered before returning to campus next year.

In previous years Houghton has given much grace when it comes to financial registration. Over the years we have seen this result in frustrating situations for our students. Students arrive on campus excited for a new semester and quickly become involved in academics, activities and friends. The last thing they want is to add financial strain to their lives. For that reason the new policy will strictly enforce that a student must be paid in full before he or she arrives on campus in August.

The process to be financially registered has not changed dramatically. Students will receive their tuition bills in July. Bills will be due August 16th. Students will be expected to pay the bill by that date. This means that any alternative payment plans and loan applications should already be in place and approved. After August 16th it will then be too late to apply for loans or make other arrangements.

Until a student formulates and communicates a plan in conjunction with SFSO to pay their bill, their housing key will be withheld, a stop put on their account, and their meal plan frozen. The intent of this is to alleviate the frustration and stress that accompanies long overdue bills.

If the student has a special circumstance where the usual payment plans and methods are not possible, they must communicate this with SFSO so that an acceptable alternative payment method can be decided upon before the 16th of August.

Once a student has reached a $0.00 balance on their account, an email will be sent confirming this. The email will act as financial clearance to return to campus, move into their housing and attend classes.

The hope is that through this strict financial policy, the billing process will be easier and smoother for both our students and the institution. Our intention is to engage with families and work through their plans at earlier dates so that the burdens of finance do not linger over the heads of students as a new semester starts. In addition SFSO will be able to proceed efficiently and without the fear of financial dismissal of students we feel should not have to leave our campus prematurely. Moving forward we are optimistic about the new policy and we are looking forward to August where we will find all students financially registered and ready to start a fresh year of academics, activities and friends.

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Houghton Artists Travel to Sierra Leone

news_jillian&renee4
Courtesy of Renee Roberts

Earlier this year, Renee Roberts, Direct of Exhibitions at Ortlip Gallery, and Jillian Sokso, Assistant Professor of Art, traveled to Sierra Leone for a skills training trip that brought together their gifts in art with acts of ministry.

The two were asked to come to Sierra Leone by a Houghton alum on the board of  Women of Hope International, an NGO that ministers to disabled women in Sierra Leone with the mission statement to “equip and disciple women with disabilities to become life-long followers of Christ who facilitate holistic transformation in their families and communities.”

Women with disabilities in Sierra Leone often face immense challenges. Many have difficulty performing basic tasks, such as drawing water, and sometimes earning a means of providing for their families is difficult. “Some of the ladies we worked with were amputees, a lot of them became disabled through preventable disease like measles or polio and lost the use of some of their limbs or [had] some sort of mobility issue, ” said Sokso. These women sometimes even become outcasts and their families may disown them because of their disabilities.

“The point of this skills training project or skills training trip,” said Roberts during a GCF meeting on

Courtesy of Renee Roberts
Courtesy of Renee Roberts

March 12, “was to facilitate classes for these disabled women who don’t have any other way to provide for their families or for themselves because they are seen as outcasts.” Papermaking and crafts help provide these women with skills to integrate themselves back into society while also making a profit, and it was to this end that Roberts and Sokso brought their talents as professional artists.

The women at the organization had already been making stationary, said Sokso, “But they were using this cheap Chinese cardstock that wasn’t really beautiful, so they were looking for papermakers.” Roberts and Sokso, after being requested to come to Sierra Leone last year, raised money through Printed Matter Press, the Dean’s Office and a faculty fund to help with the finances of the trip.

“The whole entire trip was so amazing to see God taking these things and opening these doors,” said Roberts.

While there, Sokso and Roberts gave classes on how to make paper and also gave a crafting class. Though they had to adjust certain papermaking techniques while in Sierra Leone, as the means and tools for producing paper were a little different than at home, overall the program provided their students with skills that they can use by selling their paper on the fair trade market.

“We talk about integration of faith and learning.  But for me, this was the first thing that I did that I could authentically live out not only God’s giftedness to me and my life, but also to actually help somebody learn a skill that could be profitable to them,” said Sokso, “It was a very visual example of how you can use your gifts to help somebody else.”

Sokso also found the comparison between the fibers that they used in papermaking and the women they worked with very appropriate. “A lot of these women are told throughout their lives that they are worthless or that a demon has cursed them. A lot of their families have literally thrown them away,” she said, “But in the end we held up this grass we used to make paper and said ‘Did you ever think that anything like this could be made into something beautiful?’”

 

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Houghton Students Attend Intercultural Management Conference

On Wednesday, March 14, six Houghton students from the Political Science and Intercultural Studies Departments embarked on a trip to the Nation’s Capital. Students were to attend the American University Intercultural Management Institute’s (IMI) Annual Conference on Intercultural Relations. The conference costs were nearly all covered by the Katherine Lindley Project Fund and funding from SGA.

Courtesy of Katherine Labreque
Courtesy of Katherine Labreque

Expecting to be blown away by scholars in various studies of academia, Houghton students found themselves seemingly prepared. “The material discussed in the sessions notably confirmed and expanded my prior knowledge of intercultural relations,” said senior Ben Hardy.

Students were able to attend various lectures and simulations from scholars such as Janet Bennett, author of American Ways, which is a text familiar to many Intercultural Studies majors. Lectures included “Strengthening Higher Education in Africa,” with a visiting professor from Uganda, and “The U.S. 2012 Presidential Election: Cross-Culture Viewpoints,” with the perspective of a Japanese Professor, Motoo Unno. The diverse perspectives allowed students to observe the importance of cultural sensitivity and how awareness of different cultures can be crucial to the effects and the increasing reality of globalization.

Houghton’s group, in fact, contained the only undergraduate students attending the IMI Conference. Graduate students from Penn State, Georgetown, University of Kentucky, and international students from Iceland, Romania and China made up a majority of the attendees. “I am impressed with Houghton Students. I never heard of Houghton, but I’m sure as of now going to look into it,” said Dr. Nanette Levinson, Associate Professor at the School of International Service at American University. Over lunch we discussed with Professor Levinson some of the many global issues concerning us today in the twenty-first century, ranging from human trafficking to poverty in Africa.

Despite Houghton’s size and isolated geographic location does not prevent it from making an impression on other universities and accomplished professionals.

Sophomore Joseph Poyfair said, “Houghton has prepared me. I am equally informed as graduate students and scholars in the field I’m studying in.”