Tag: Graduation

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News

2021 Commencement to be Held in Person

2017 graduates filing to attend their Commencement cerremony. COURTESY OF AMY TETTA

By Elise Koebl (‘22)

It has been a little over a year since Covid scared the world and was thrown into a pandemic. Houghton College students were sent home a little over halfway into their spring semester, and the class of 2020 saw their graduation ceremony performed online through a virtual stream on Youtube. With so many changes to daily life and starting to see the world regain some normalcy, many have been wondering what this year’s graduation will look like compared to last year. 

Michelle Miller has good news to share for the class of 2021. Houghton College is planning to hold commencement on May 8th in person this year with a modified in-person event. Seniors will get to walk around the quad led by the bagpipers like they did four years ago. “Specifically, graduates will be located in the CFA to watch the ceremony until they are ready to walk across the stage in Wesley Chapel to receive their diploma. Each senior is invited to bring two guests to campus to view the ceremony via live stream at various locations around campus and then join their graduates for an outdoor reception.” There is also going to be a baccalaureate service that will be for seniors only, no guests are allowed as there is no guest seating. 

Due to current Covid guidelines, Miller expressed difficulty with preparations for commencement, “Planning has been challenging to say the least due to the ever-changing COVID guidance from New York State.  We have considered nearly every possible option on campus, with the exception of the ski hill, for hosting the events in-person for graduates and all of their guests.  While the creative juices were flowing for the past few months on behalf of our 243 graduates, we are ultimately constrained by NYS guidance which is in place for the safety of everyone.  This year’s weekend is a step forward from last year’s full virtual events, but not as “normal” as the 2019 in-person, traditional events that we’ve enjoyed for so many years.” 

Both Commencement and the Baccalaureate will be viewable to the public via an online stream. While it is not completely back to normal as most would hope, it is very welcome that the seniors can march on the quad like they did several years ago. ★

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Stories In Focus

Nathan Hatch, Student Turned Security Guard

It was only last spring that Nathan Hatch walked across the stage at graduation.  For most students, this walk symbolized the end of their personal journey at Houghton College, but for Hatch, this walk was the beginning of a new chapter for him at Houghton.

Although Hatch is not a student at Houghton anymore, he is still part of the community. He can still be found on campus, the only difference is the change in uniform. He used to be found dressed up as a Scotsman leading the soccer teams out onto the field while waving a giant Houghton Highlanders flag. Now he can be found making his rounds around campus in his security uniform, trying to keep the campus safe and enjoyable for all.

NathanHatch

Hatch is still a relatively well known figure around campus. After graduating last year, he decided to stay on campus to help further serve the Houghton community.  Many students on campus know Hatch personally, which according to Hatch provides both advantages and disadvantages in his job.  Hatch said, “It’s an advantage because my job revolves around being around students. Because I know a lot of people it just makes my job easier.” Hatch added, “This is a disadvantage because, sometimes the students that know me think they can get away with certain things just because they know me.”  Although Hatch is a friendly and approachable type of person, he takes his job very seriously.
Many students often portray campus security as mean people that don’t do a whole lot, except for hand out parking tickets. Being on the other side of things, Hatch has gained a new perspective of his new job. According to Hatch there are a lot of things that students don’t see.  Hatch said, “We are often seen as burdens, when in reality a lot of the things that we do for the students go unnoticed.” Whether it be an issue of campus security, or something small like making sure classroom doors are unlocked for the students and faculty, Hatch and the rest of the security staff are the exact opposite of a burden to the school.
Although Hatch thoroughly enjoys his job, he never foresaw himself working as a security officer, although he did joke about it occasionally while he was a student.  Having graduated last May with a degree in Outdoor Recreation, and a minor in Business and Environmental Stewardship, Hatch wanted to and is still striving to get into the outdoor industry. He one day hopes to be either a hunting or a fishing guide after his time at Houghton, but he doesn’t know how long that will be. Hatch doesn’t view this job as “transitional,” as in, this job isn’t going to help him gain experience in his desired field of work. However, he sees this job as, “A good job to transition out of college into the workforce.”

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Opinions

Working For an Uncertain Future

lydiaThis past Wednesday was HELP Day, the day upon which I usually rollover in my bed at about 10 am and sleep-think to myself, “Why can’t this day occur on a Friday so we can have a long weekend?”  This year, however, I was awakened early to the realization of what HELP Day signified in my life.

I had a senior seminar group critique that was rescheduled to take place on HELP Day. My fellow art majors and I are in the process of preparing our work for the senior show, with a looming deadline set in late April. There are times when I feel as though my past years of art classes have been leading me towards this ultimate goal, as they should, and then there are times when I feel that I’ve been dropped into my senior year at random, scrambling to fully realize what my art is even about. In that respect, all of us in the group seemed to be testing the waters that day. As an example of print size for some of our projects, Professor Rhett pulled out an image he had printed. It depicted a ripped and weathered manuscript covered in what looked like Sanskrit. He explained that it was recently discovered sheet music, written in organ tablature notation by a 15-year-old Johann Sebastian Bach. “Gee,” said a fellow student, “What am I doing with my life?”

There we were, on the day of preparation for our graduation after four long years of study, sitting around a table looking over the fruits of our labor, and we were questioning whether or not it had all been one big waste of time. Our culture looks up to Renaissance men and women, innovators with unique life stories who achieve far above and beyond the norm. Benjamin Franklin became a self-made man starting at the tender age of 12, and on top of his numerous contributions to the United States as a country, was also the creator of nine indispensable inventions. Steve Jobs was a college dropout who completely revolutionized the computer industry. Daily our televisions and newsfeeds are filled with stories of one prodigy or another, a 6-year-old who can sing like Aretha Franklin, a Pakistani teen raising awareness for education rights.

It’s a tough standard to be faced with when contemplating the very strong possibility of being unemployed following graduation. Several of my alumni friends searched for over a year before finding a job, and in many cases they were eventually forced to settle for a job they dislike. Two simultaneous and contrasting truths seem to be held in the minds of every 20-something in America right now: first, that they most definitely do not want to be stuck in a 9 to 5 job that they only tolerate in order to pay the bills. They want to change the world. They want to do something that they love. And second, that the job climate is tentative at best, and they’re not entirely certain how they will survive. In light of this paradox, what exactly does a viable career path look like in present day America? “Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is no longer a realistic option, or even an option at all.

When I was making my plans for life after high school, whether or not to attend Houghton was not a question. College was what I’d been advised was best since my very first day of kindergarten. My interests in writing and making art were only ever highly encouraged. Not once was I cautioned that I should choose a more marketable subject in which to major. I was told, without hesitation, to follow my dreams. But with the arrival of HELP Day came the knowledge that there is no opportunity guaranteed for me. What has my liberal arts education truly accomplished? It’s made me a “citizen of the world.” It’s encouraged me to think critically. Are these skills that will pay my rent and cover my loans? Or are they only useful to me under circumstances in which I already have a steady income? Please don’t mistake me—I value my years at Houghton. I am grateful for all that I’ve learned here, and for the connections I have made with professors who care about my future and my well-being. I do not doubt for a second that it will pay off—in the long term. Short term, however, I am wondering–what can I do with my life?