Tag: houghton college

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News

Seniors Complete Honors Projects

Pursuing honors studies at Houghton is not just limited to participation in the First Year Honors Programs, East Meets West and Contemporary Contexts. Students also have the opportunity to complete a senior honors project in their final year at Houghton.

Courtesy of www.houghton.eduHonors projects are minutely detailed research studies of a topic of a student’s choice and are meant to mimic graduate school work. As such, the research and workload of an honors project is very challenging and is meant to go above and beyond standard 400 level independent studies. To even apply for an honors project, students must possess a minimum cumulative grade point of average of 3.25 and a minimum of 3.4 within their own major.

Often, honors projects result from experiences and studies in previous coursework. Senior Hannah Hanover, a writing major, is one such student who has undertaken an honors project this year based on her experiences studying abroad. After taking part in the Balkans semester last fall, she chose to write a historical fiction piece based around Jasenovac, a World War II concentration camp operating in the former Yugoslavia. Hanover said, “I was fortunate enough to visit the site of the camp while in the Balkans, and the museum there was very helpful and powerful in its scope.”

Sydnie Cunningham, a sociology major, has also completed an honors project that has resulted from previous study. She completed “a project examining how romantic roles and socioeconomic status influences women’s occupational choices in STEM fields.” This topic was partially inspired by collaborative research on similar issues regarding that subject. Likewise, Bill Clunn, a political science major, pursued an honors project entitled, “The Militant Politics of Poverty Policy; Flight Fight, Policy, and Rights” that was inspired after an internship he had completed during the Buffalo City Semester.

Overall, Hanover believes that the experience of the honors project has greatly impacted her future academic and career goals. “I wish to study the mid-20th century literature stemming from various conflicts in Europe, mainly Eastern Europe, and work at a university in the future,” said Hanover,  “As a fiction writer this was an exercise in exactly what I wish to write – historical fiction examining lesser-known conflicts (mainly in Eastern Europe) that could help Westerners understand the mindsets and values of those entirely unlike themselves.”

Clunn noted something similar, “Initially, I was interested in pursuing criminal law in grad school, but after completing this project I am now very interested in pursuing studies in poverty. I am going to be attending a law school in North Carolina where poverty is an important issue.”

Overall, the participants in the honors project recommended the experience. Cunningham and Clunn noted the benefits of completing a mock graduate study experience. Hanover also said, “Writing an honors project is an excellent way to discover your academic style. I realized many things about my work process that I can now attempt to remedy. It teaches you the flaws in your time management, the frustrations of prolonged projects, methods needed to push past writer’s block, and gives one a taste of graduate-length work.”

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Opinions

Goodbye, International Students

Unbeknownst to most of us, the Student Financial Services Office (SFSO) and the Office of Admission have decided to slash financial aid for incoming international students. This decision is appalling, and deserves reconsideration.

            “We are giving more financial aid to international students than to our own,” one administrator crassly put it. Last time I checked, “our own” is the body of Christian believers, not the citizens of a given country. (Not even the US Army War College or West Point is that parochial.)

Inti Martinez-Aleman '07
Inti Martinez-Aleman ’07

This is a matter of equity and justice. Let’s look at a real example, a Honduran prospective student. What used to be a $15-20,000 financial aid package is now meagerly $8,000. That means this Honduran would have to shell out at least $28,000 every year—upfront cash!—which is enough to make a 50% down payment for a comfy house; in a four-year’s worth, one can get a decent 30-year retirement.

US citizens can get federal aid for their education, yet that concept is limited or nonexistent in countries like Honduras. Consider this country’s situation: the exchange rate is 20 Lempiras to 1 US dollar; the minimum wage is $2 per hour; you can buy a small home with $36,000—the Houghton annual price tag.

If we want Houghton to increase enrollment and diversity, cutting aid to foreigners is not the brightest idea. Currently, Houghton students are 96 percent US/Canadian and 94 percent White. This is virtually off the charts amongst American colleges and universities. With the misguided (at best) or jingoistic (at worst) “our own” parlance, these percentages might reach 100. Hooray.

What would our Founder think of this? Some suggest he’d send the Administration and Board of Trustees packing. Frieda Gillette and Kay Lindley put it differently in And You Shall Remember: the Houghton Charter expressed the goal of establishing and maintaining “…a seminary for the purpose of conferring a thorough education without regard to sex or nationality.” (emphasis added)

The Administration’s focus now is to enroll fifteen foreign students who are able to pay at least 80 percent of college tuition and fees; this is labeled as “full paying.” The goal is admirable and achievable, for which I have personally volunteered to try to get more Hondurans of this caliber for Houghton. The reality, however, is that most Christians from the Global South are not affluent.

Higher education institutions that take diversity and inclusion seriously have various endowed scholarships for international students, who collectively get hundreds of thousands of dollars to study in the US, paying close to nothing out of pocket. With the same vehemence and extent Houghton will raise millions for the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex and renovating the Paine Science Building, it can also raise money to fund international student education. But it doesn’t.

Thom Kettelkamp and I were briefed on this matter by SFSO and Admission officials. They believe this policy will be temporary; once enrollment increases, it will be gone. Permanent or temporary, this policy runs diametrically opposite to our Mission, Philosophy, Charter, history and every other good thing Houghton is known for.

Say Houghton decided to slash financial aid for non-Wesleyan students, because they are not “our own,” they don’t pay enough, and there’s a limited budget. Wouldn’t we all be irate? Wouldn’t enrollment decrease dramatically? Of course, even if the cuts were temporary. For some reason, however, a similar red flag wasn’t raised when this anti-foreign decision was made.

For me, “our own” are Christian believers, regardless of nationality, denomination, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, bodily ability, socioeconomic class, etc. As a Christian college, we attract students of all denominations, but the fastest growing Christian population in the US or in the rest of the world is not middle-class, rural, Evangelical America. To increase enrollment from domestic and international Christian circles, which are the most numerically promising sources of students, Houghton needs to cater to them. If we are going to pretend to care about diversity and inclusion, let’s do the job right. And cutting aid to foreigners won’t help.

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News

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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News

Enrollment at Houghton: Past, Present, and Future Marketing Strategies

Courtesy of www.houghton.edu

As enrollment numbers gradually but unquestionably decrease, Houghton College turns to deliberate means of bringing in prospective students, particularly through marketing.  Jeff Babbitt, Director of Marketing and Communication, spoke in an interview about Houghton’s past, present, and future marketing strategies.

“For many years, I would say we relied on our reputation, being one of the top Christian schools in the country,” said Babbitt. “But as other schools have ris

en to that same level and competition has increased, that name recognition hasn’t been there… Maybe twenty years ago, if you were to ask someone to name the top Christian colleges in the country, Houghton would have been in the top five.  Now there might be twenty names of schools that are suggested, and Houghton might still be in there, but there are a lot of other schools that have risen to that sort of prominence.”

Babbitt, along with the rest of the Marketing Department, acknowledges that Houghton College can no longer rely on reputation alone.

He talked of different, more recent advertising techniques, saying, “We developed an advertising campaign just to get the word out about Houghton, both in the local area and our region of Western New York, and even beyond.  So we’re doing more advertising online, in some Christian magazines, on the radio, putting up some billboards on Route 86, just so people know we’re here and know who we are and where we are, so when they’re thinking of college, they think of Houghton.”

Houghton’s online presence in particular displays a recent change in marketing that appeals to the current generation and seems to successfully advertise the college.

Marshall Green, Public and Community Relations Specialist, said, “In my opinion, the internet has really changed how prospective students shop for college.  In the past, national magazines, word of mouth and alumni/family history might have been the key factors in college shopping.  I think now, students are more apt to search online.  To make the visits to schools that spark their interest and then make their decisions from there.”

Though advertising provides a method of creating awareness of Houghton College, it often serves as a means leading to a greater end of a larger marketing strategy.  Both Green and Babbitt agree that the more important factor lies in a person-to-person experience.

As Green said, “Our campaigns are not designed to have the prospective ‘make the decision’ but rather for awareness to create openness to start a conversation with the admission team.  Rarely, if ever, does a student make a decision based on an ad.  It is the personal contact that usually leads to the decision of which school to attend.”

Babbitt also focused on sending Houghton College to prospective students, through tactics like the website, word of mouth, and other advertising methods, rather than waiting for them to find Houghton on their own.  He said, “We’re trying to put Houghton in front of students where they already are.”

As private institutions may not represent the current trend, the Marketing Department’s primary goal is to remind prospective students why such an education might prove the best one for them.

Babbitt said concerning one underlying marketing technique, “I think what we need to do is to effectively tell the story of Houghton so that the differences between a private Christian education and a community college, a state college, or another type of college are very clear so that students see the advantages of coming to a place like Houghton.”

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Sports

Athlete Profile: Mary Strand

Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu
Courtesy of athletics.houghton.edu

Mary Strand was recently honored with the title of NCCAA Female Track and Field Athlete of the Week. Each week the NCCAA decides on one student athlete from a number of recognized schools to represent the accomplishments within that particular sport.  The recipient of the title exemplifies quality performances as well as Christian ideals.  

Strand set the new school record for the 200 meters, 4×200 meter relay, and qualified for NCCAA Nationals in the 400 meter during a competition at Brockport State Invitational.  At Nationals, held at Indiana Wesleyan University, Strand helped the relay team beat the school record again and placed individually with her best time of the season.   

Strand, a sophomore, has been participating in track and field since seventh grade.  Although she is mostly a sprinter, she has also trained in other areas and was even part of last year’s JV soccer team.  

While Strand is appreciative of this award, she said she will continue to stay focused.  Strand said that  while running, “you push yourself as far as you can go and then you push yourself further.”
Strand attributes her success to the support of her coach and team.  Her captain, Sarah Munkittrick, said there is a lot to learn from Strand, describing her as a hard worker and a perfectionist who still remains humble.  Munkittrick also said that Strand “not only pushes the team to work harder but also brings them together.”

Track and field coach, Matthew Dougherty, said those honored with the title of Athlete of the Week are great performers, tremendous athletes and talented individuals, with Mary Strand possessing all of these qualities.  Dougherty defined Strand as someone who has strong motivation paired with a ferocity most would not expect, allowing her to achieve anything she sets her mind to.  

Strand plans on practicing just as hard in order to continually get better and achieve more later on in meets both as an individual and as a team.  Dougherty said that Strand’s position on the team is “integral in terms of chemistry,” helping to inspire others through her talent and fun attitude.  

Strand is excited to begin the outdoor track and field season, having used these recent experiences as a preparation phase.  She expects to practice and compete with the same determination, progressively challenging herself.  Dougherty said that Strand’s disposition is one of a “driven and focused individual who is strong spiritually, academically, and athletically.”  

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News

6 New Commercial Music Courses Added

Six new courses were added to Houghton’s course catalogue last month, all of which focus on music technology and the business aspects of the music industry.

news_musicSince the college started offering courses on Pro Tools, much interest has been seen in learning the audio engineering side of music. Kevin Jackson, Director of Sound and Recording and the Pro Tools instructor, has been working to develop Houghton’s music recording department and these six new courses since he joined the college in 2007.
The new courses added to the catalogue are as follows: Introduction to Digital Audio and Technology, Introduction to Music Business, Recording Studio Technique, Critical Listening and the Art of Mixing, Advanced Music Production, and Sound Design and Processing.  All of these classes focus on skills that students would need when going into the music industry, including further instruction in Pro Tools, recording live and studio events, and managing income streams.

When considering which courses to add to the catalogue, Jackson said, “What would benefit Houghton students to be employable when they leave Houghton?”

While some instruction in this area was already offered, students looking to get work in the music industry needed the inclusion of these new courses.

“Knowing how to use a software program and knowing how to get a mixed balance and make something sound musical and compelling are completely different things” said Dan Austin, a senior English major who is planning on going into sound engineering after graduation.

Currently, if a student wants to get the full benefit of both the music and business departments, the course load is very heavy, especially to those pursuing a double major.
“It [music and business] is too big, too much, to do it as a double major,” said Professor Ken Bates, Business Administration.

The long-term dream would be a major or minor, but first Jackson wants to get these six courses underway.

“There’s a lot of red tape [to get through] to be able to make this something more than just courses,” said Jackson.

Houghton alumnus John Buteyn double majored in music and business and currently works with Houghton’s financial services. Jackson and Buteyn are planning on joining forces and teaching the newly added courses. Both have had experience working with bands, recording, and the music industry, and will be excellent resources for students pursuing these fields.

“The industry is becoming more and more ‘you do it all yourself,’” said Buteyn. “An artist needs to be able to manage themselves and produce their own music.”

Jackson’s goal is to prepare students for a range of roles in the music industry.

Jackson’s previous experience working in many major studios will also provide a practical and realistic link to how jobs in the industry actually function.

“We have so many industry connections that we can really plug our students into music industry [internships],” said Jackson.

Besides gaining many practical skills, Jackson really wants prepare Christians to serve God in this field.

“My real vision is that there are . . .  places in the secular industry that need light in a dark place,” said Jackson.  “If we can’t train people to do this and get out into those industries, then we’re losing opportunity.”

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News

February Board of Trustees Meeting

The February meeting of Houghton College’s Board of Trustees took place last weekend, February 8-9, during which the key issues facing the college were addressed.

Courtesy of topchristiancolleges.com
Courtesy of topchristiancolleges.com

Among the subjects covered were the sale of the Willard J. Houghton foundation’s old property of Star Lake, the renovation of the Alumni House, a facilities audit, and most notably, the Kerr-Pegula project.

The Board also honored Professor Ron Oakerson, political science, for his work in Sierra Leone—recognizing his leadership of the Houghton partnership on the mango outdoors project there.

The finalized sale of Star Lake, previously owned by the Willard J. Houghton foundation, and formerly the site of Houghton’s now discontinued Adirondacks semester, was another topic approached. The property’s new owners have looked at the possibility of using the property for a Christian camp.

The sale of the property is, in a way, indicative of a larger move on the part of the foundation. The foundation was formed “to work with properties, and now the Willard J. Houghton foundation is moving away from community development toward building funds for endowment,” said President Mullen about the focus shift. “A lot of colleges have foundations that raise funds for the college, that have more flexibility in the kinds of gifts they can receive than a non-profit does…the focus is toward building the endowment for the college.”

An interesting effect of this old community development focus of the foundation is the fact many of the buildings along the Houghton main street, Route 19, are properties purchased at one time by the foundation.

Foundation focuses aside, the Board also addressed the renovations of the Alumni House, which will hopefully serve as “A place where people can connect with alumni and network,” President Mullen said.

The financial resources for the extensive renovations of the house are the not result of funds being extracted from students’ tuition, but instead from fund-raising specifically for the house, and in part, from undesignated estate gifts.

In addition, an audit of the Houghton College facilities is underway; Sodexo has been working with the chief business officer to develop a plan “[to help] us systematically plan for short-term and long-term care of our facilities,” Mullen explained. This way, when the facilities require repair and maintenance, the budget to take care of the facilities’ needs is already in place.

Courtesy of topchristiancolleges.com
Courtesy of topchristiancolleges.com

Perhaps the topic most interesting to students is the status of the Kerr-Pegula project.
“The board authorized the administration to seek contractor bids for the project, and to complete a funding plan that would include a fundraising component as well as financing component,”
Mullen said. “[This plan] will be presented on or around May 1st,” when further decisions about proceeding with the project will be made.

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News

Townhouse Kill-A-Watt Challenge Raises Sustainability Awareness

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

Seven townhouses are competing throughout the month of February in the Kill-A-Watt Challenge, an initiative to raise awareness of energy consumption and reduce energy use on campus.
The competition is based on each participating townhouse’s residents’ reduction of energy use, which will be calculated by comparing weekly meter readings to a baseline measurement taken before the competition began. The winning townhouse will receive a pizza party after the Challenge concludes.

Brian Webb, the Sustainability Coordinator at Houghton College, has partnered with Student Life to spearhead this effort. The key goal of the Kill-A-Watt Challenge, said Webb, is “to help students become aware of their energy usage,” especially because they do not pay electricity bills directly.
Gabe Jacobsen, Director of Student Life, said, “It is not just about reducing costs, though that is a benefit. Rather, it is about helping students become people who care about how they use resources.”

JL Miller, Resident Director of the Townhouses, said he supported the Kill-A-Watt Challenge because of his “professional goal of seeing the Townhouses as a place of preparation for students’ launch from Houghton.”

Elizabeth Bailey, Assistant Resident Director of the Townhouses, said, “I think it’s a neat idea and a great opportunity for upperclassmen to learn how to save on energy costs as many of us will be paying our own water, gas, and electric bills soon.”

Senior Dianna Cornell is among the students participating in the Challenge.
She said, “I think it’s a good idea. Energy consumption is something we don’t really think about, so the competition makes us conscious of it.” Already, she said, she is more aware of ways that she can reduce her energy usage, such as unplugging her hair straightener and turning off lights that are not being used.

After one week of the competition, more than three quarters of all townhouses saw an energy reduction, reported Webb. The leader, with a 33% reduction, is Perkins 48.
The competition is limited to the townhouses for logistical reasons: while each townhouse is on a separate energy meter, the entire upper campus (every building from Rothenbuhler Hall to Shenawana Hall, with the exception of Steese Cottage and the MacMillan House) is on one energy meter. Webb is exploring options to install separate meters for each residence hall and hopes to have them in place for next year so that the Kill-A-Watt Challenge can include the dormitories as well.

Whether or not their energy consumption is measured separately, individuals across campus can reduce their energy impact in simple ways: Turn off electrical appliances, especially lights and televisions when they are not in use. Turn off power strips when they are not needed. Turn off computers at night (the myth that this harms computers is old-fashioned and untrue). Use microwave ovens rather than electric ovens, since they use less electricity.  Energy-saving practices such as these and others can help to reduce the amount of electricity that is wasted.
Webb said, “With energy, a lot of it comes down to habit, and it doesn’t take very long to develop energy-saving habits.”

By raising awareness of sustainability issues and reducing energy waste, the Kill-A-Watt Challenge marks a step towards sustainability at Houghton College. Jacobsen said, “Houghton is still in the infancy stage, in the residences at least, in addressing sustainability issues.” Both Jacobsen and Webb hope to see the Kill-A-Watt Challenge continued and expanded next year.

Although only students in participating townhouses are part of the Challenge, everyone on campus, from students to faculty and staff, can contribute. Simply knowing about the Kill-A-Watt Challenge raises awareness on campus and represents an opportunity to participate in Houghton’s movement toward greater sustainability. Jacobsen said, “From a theological standpoint, learning to be wise stewards of what we have fits in the general ethos of Houghton College.”

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News

Unauthorized Survey Causes Questions

On January 28, 2013, a survey was sent out concerning the performance of Greg Bish, the Director of Student Programs, which was approved by neither the college nor the Student Government Association.

Screenshot of the email containing the illegitimate survey. Image courtesy of gmail.com
Screenshot of the email containing the illegitimate survey. Image courtesy of gmail.com

Ultimately, the technology services determined that the survey was sent out by a student, who has since deleted the survey, according to the maker of the survey. Concerning the availability and approachability of Bish, “The questions themselves didn’t seem . . . biased in any obvious way,” said Dr. Pool, Vice President of Student Life, who thought that the survey was connected to an academic class  upon first reading it.

The student did not use a Houghton email address to send out the survey; however the email seemed official and legitimate.  Unsuspecting students could easily assume that it was simply another survey concerning any number of programs or offices on campus, which are not at all uncommon, and many probably took the survey without realizing its illegitimacy.
In regard to the content of the survey, Colin Belt, sophomore class president, said, “It seemed like the sort of thing that could really illicit a certain kind of information.” Belt was suspicious upon reading the email as it was sent around 3 A.M. by “Willard J Houghton.”

Belt then notified the VP for Student Life of the unexpected survey,  and Dr. Pool soon determined that it was not approved by any college authorities. He then contacted IT services, and they were able to identify the sender of the survey, a student at Houghton College.
When Dr. Pool talked to the sender, the student did not fully realize at first how they were in the wrong for sending the survey.

“Most of the time students don’t realize the implication of their actions until something bad happens,” said Dr. Pool, who went on to advise students to talk to a person directly if they have a problem with someone, or even to go to SGA or Student Life.

Whether or not issues, personal or communal, actually exist concerning Greg Bish, steps are being taken to improve communication between the student body and Student Life. And thus far, administration has no reason to question his capabilities as the Director of Student Programs.
“There have been tensions between Student Programs and SGA, but we are working through those,” said Joel Ernst, president of the SGA.  Even before the survey was sent, meetings were conducted with the aim of improving communication and resolving issues.

Students can take some important information from this situation.
As Dr. Pool said, “nothing you do on the web is private.”
No matter how much confidentiality the internet alludes to, the IT department has access to the information accessed over the internet in the Houghton network.

There are also better ways of communicating in this type of situation.
“I think we would just all benefit better if it [communication] was transparent,” said Dr. Pool.
Overall the survey caught Student Life by surprise.
“I had never seen anyone, especially a student, do an anonymous survey about an employee of a college,” said Dr. Pool.