Tag: houghton college

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Campus News

Highlander Soccer Plays Tough at Nationals

Photo courtesy of Jason Mucher

The Highlander  men’s and women’s soccer teams competed in the Division I National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Championship last week in Kissimmee, Florida.

The men’s season ended sooner than anticipated after losing each of their two games in the first round of play in the tournament.

In the women’s championship, Houghton had one win and one tie in the first round, advancing them to the semi-finals where they ended their season, losing to Colorado Christian University, who went on to win the championship.

Going into the tournament the women were seeded 8th of 9 teams, and were placed in Pool B with the #2 and #5 seeds. “Our team played very well in the Pool Games and advanced to the Final Four by winning our pool” said Lewis.

Reflecting on last year’s tournament, Jennifer Zacchigna ’17 said, “We had a strong performance on the women’s side, making it to the final four in a tournament with a lot of talented teams.”

She continued, “We would’ve loved to make it to the championship to defend our title, but overall we were definitely happy we were able to make it as far as we did.”

According to David Lewis, Women’s Soccer Head Coach, the  team lost 14 players from last year’s National Champion Team due to graduation, injury, or academic conflicts.

“This team’s focus was to improve in two levels: quality of soccer and quality of effort. They improved significantly throughout the season it showed in their post-season play. From start to finish, they represented one of the most improved teams I have coached here at Houghton,” said Lewis.

Men’s midfielder Jesse Toth ’17 said, “We didn’t do as well as we wanted as we lost both our games, but I am super proud of our team and what we accomplished this season.”

He continued, “The National Christian tournament is a very competitive series with some of the best teams around the country. Being in Florida with your best friends is very hard to complain about. While losing was disappointing, when we put it in perspective, we knew we gave it all we had and left nothing on the field.”

Toth reflected on the opportunity to have both Houghton soccer teams in Florida. This is the first time in a few years both teams have been in the tournament at the same time. “Having both teams there was a blast. Our games were spaced out perfectly so we were able to watch each other’s games in their entirety.”

He continued, “It was very cool to get to know some of the girls better. It is so different interacting with people when school is not the focus on people’s minds and you can just have genuine conversation, especially on such a long bus ride.”

While in Florida, the women’s team completed a service project organized by Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU) and Feeding Children Everywhere.  The men and women’s teams who made it to the semi-finals had the opportunity to participate.

“We went to the CRU headquarters to help prepare meals for families to send to Haiti. It was a great time of fellowship with the other teams and a really successful effort to help families in need,” said Zacchigna.

Although neither team brought home a national title, the opportunity for both soccer teams to compete in the tournament was a huge success as they needed both a good record and success in the region tournament in order to move to post-season play.

Toth said, “It has been an absolute privilege to be a part of the Houghton Men’s Soccer Program This team has taught me that it’s not about the result of the game. Win or lose, our main focus is glorifying God through our actions on the field. I truly believe that we accomplished that at the national tournament.”

The National Championship title was claimed by Southwestern Christian University for the men and Colorado Christian University for the women.

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Campus News

College Passes New Integrative Studies System

Photo by: Anthony Burdo

New Integrative Studies (IS) requirements have been passed and will go into effect next fall.  According to professor Susan Bruxvoort Lipscomb, Director of IS Requirements, “The biggest shift is a move to integrated core courses, an integrated core sequence in humanities that combines literature, history, and philosophy into three integrated.”  She explained this meant students would “study the history of ideas through primary texts in literature and philosophy.”

“We are drawing on some of the strengths that we developed as an institution with faculty being able to teach in an integrated humanities… We’ve developed those strengths through our honors programs.  So we have faculty that can do that” Bruxvoort Lipscomb said. She continued,“Not all institutions have faculty that can teach integrated courses, but Houghton does because we have honors programs where we need to deliver courses in that way so now we’re offering that advantage to all students.”

Gena Hartman ’19, who studied in the Honors at London program and experienced an integrated curriculum, said,  “This is something I think about a lot as an education major, how we’re introducing material to people. That’s something I really enjoyed in London, that we have that context.  I think people care more when they understand the context behind something.”

According to Bruxvoort Lipscomb, the new system would likely result in more classes that would be slightly larger. This would be similar to the size of current standard general education courses, such as Biblical Literature or Western Civilization.  As a result, “All freshman students will be taking those humanity courses at the same time.”  She commented, “That’s kind of exciting for me to be thinking that students will be having these conversations. Everyone will be reading Plato’s allegory of the cave at the same time, so there will be a chance for people to be talking about these things outside of class.”

“That might make the freshman experience easier, that you automatically have something to talk about that you all know about,” Hartman noted. She later added, “I think that when you’re learning something at the same time you will have that common bond.”  Aside from the social benefits of informal discussion, she explained that from her experience, “It’s easier to understand when you have people around you to bounce ideas off of, other minds that may come from very different backgrounds.”

According to the final general education proposal, which was recently approved, “An academically challenging education in the liberal arts and sciences requires core courses in mathematics, the natural sciences, and the humanities and exploration in the social sciences and the arts.”  The proposal also stated, when developing the new requirements, faculty found it necessary to adjust the way these areas operated in order to fulfill this standard.

Bruxvoort Lipscomb reported there will also be general education science courses with their lab built into the class.  Additionally, there will be a shift in the curriculum for these courses.  She explained  a general education Biology class, for example, “will focus on issues in biology but from a more general perspective on how science influences a society and thinking about what’s the interaction.” The importance of the change is that students who are not science majors “need to understand they need to be scientifically literate on how science impacts society.”  The classes will lead them to considering “what does science contribute, how does it shape society, and not just learning the basics of a discipline which students broadly in the liberal arts don’t really need to know… from the introductory level”

Writing requirements will also be impacted by f the recent changes.  Bruxvoort Lipscomb explained,“Everybody will have the chance to take a course that really focuses on writing, but that can happen within majors if departments are offering it.”  She clarified that a writing enriched course would simply be one that required a total of at least 20 pages throughout the semester of “writing on which they get feedback”.  

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Campus News

Students Create Record Label: Fader 15

Image courtesy of Duncan Shalda

Four music industry students have joined with Director of Technical Arts and Music Industry Instructor, Kevin Jackson, to create an independent record label. Kayla Bernard ‘17, Olivia Dobmeier ‘19, Duncan Shalda ‘19, and Ryan Burrichter ‘20 are Vice Presidents (VP) of the label, called Fader 15 Records. Jackson is President of the label.

Dobmeier is the Vice President of Artist Development. “There are three other VP’s- Kayla Bernard is the VP of Artists and Repertoire, Duncan Shalda is the VP of Marketing, and Ryan Burrichter is the VP of Business,” she said. The role of the VP of Artists and Repertoire, Dobmeier explained, is to scout talent.

Burrichter, a music industry student “with a focus in the music business” has been charged with enacting the “comprehensive business plan” he drafted, which outlines “everything from a structure to a timeline, to finances.”

Fader 15 Records is an entity of the Greatbatch School of Music, Burrichter said. “The purpose of the label is to be a launch pad for artists who are serious about entering the music industry and give them a leg up as they leave college. It is our goal as a label to work with the artist and get them to where they want to go, whether that be a major record label or an independent label, or a touring deal,” Burrichter said.

“We’re not trying to make money,” Shalda said. “We’re taking people at Houghton College and pushing them to the level of excellency that they should be. We’re taking people who want to do this as a career and pushing them to professional level recording, professional level marketing, and producing and publishing their music.”

The record was born out of the Music Publishing and Marketing class, Shalda said. He said, “But it’s definitely branched out into the music industry major and the music school as a whole.”

Shalda said Fader 15 Records may produce single artist EPs. He said, “We’ve looked into other schools’ record labels, and they’ve taken one or two songs from each artist and made an album off of that.” Since Fader 15 Records has not chosen artists yet, these plans are “kinda touch and go,” Shalda said. “We’re gonna roll with it.”

Shalda stated the response to the label’s call for samples and auditions earlier in the semester stirred interest on campus. He said, “We don’t want to bite off more than we can chew, so we are planning on narrowing it down to just a few people that have the drive and motivation, who want to do this as their career.”

The label hopes to release music by the end of the school year, Shalda said. “We are looking more towards having three [artists]” he stated, who the label would begin working with next semester. The artists’ work with Fader 15 Records would end after they graduate,” Shalda stated.

According to Shalda Fader 15 Records will produce no particular music genre. He said, “That was one of the main reasons we went with ‘Fader 15’. We wanted [a name] that was not genre specific. We want anywhere from gospel from gospel to rap to rock to techno- anything under the sun that’s good music. That’s what we’re looking for, good music.”  

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Campus News

Sodexo Enters Bidding to Remain at Houghton

Houghton College is considering bids from dining service companies. Sodexo, the company which currently serves Houghton, runs out on its current contract this May. Student Government Association (SGA) Executive Officer of Student Life Sergio Mata-Cisneros ‘19 said three companies have “submitted a proposal, one being Sodexo.” Mata-Cisneros said a committee has been formed which is “working on reviewing the proposals. Currently Joanna [Friesen, SGA Student Body President] and I sit as student representatives on the committee.”

Vice President of Student Life, Rob Pool, said there are faculty and staff representatives on the the committee as well. Pool stated the rest of the committee is comprised of Director of conferences, Becca Crouch;Director of Operations for the president, Cindy Lastoria; chief business officer, Dale Wright Assistant Director of Admission Events and Office Operations, Elizabeth Rutledge; Athletic Director, Harold Lord; Assistant Dean of Students, Marc Smithers; Athletics Marketing & Scheduling Coordinator, Marshall Green; and Phyllis Gaerte, Director of Alumni and Community Relations.  Biology and Sciences professor, Ransom Poythress, is the faculty representative on the committee.  Sustainability concerns will be addressed on the committee by sustainability coordinator, Brian Webb.

Aside from Sodexo’s bid, Pool said Metz Culinary Management and American Dining Creations have submitted proposals.

Derek Chase ‘19 expressed enthusiasm that the dining services contract is open for bidding. “I think it’s good to consider all kinds of new options, especially because I love to try all kinds of food,” he said. “I think it would be cool to see what other companies have to offer.”

Sarah Vande Brake ‘19 concurred. “Sodexo has had this contract for awhile, and while I personally don’t mind the food, I know many students have gotten tired of it and it might be time to explore other options for the school.”

For the committee, price is not the only factor considered in the bidding process. According to Pool, Houghton published a request for bids which included several factors such as “Quality Assurance,” “Strategic and Business Planning,” and “Responsiveness to the College Community.”

“The committee will hear presentations from the three companies next week”, said Mata-Cisneros. After the semester break, Mata-Cisneros said the committee will continue deliberations and negotiations with the companies. The committee expects to “have all the contracts signed with the chosen company by February break” he stated. Houghton will release the information shortly after the contracts are solidified, Mata-Cisneros said.

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Stories In Focus

Joining the P-Staff: Houghton’s New VP of Finance

Vincent Morris, Houghton College’s new Vice President of Finance, started his first day on the job in September. “I suppose I could be considered part of the incoming ‘class of ’20,’” he joked. “Although I don’t know when—or if—I’ll graduate!” Morris moved to Houghton from Chicago, Illinois, over the summer, and has been pleasantly surprised by the weather thus far, prompting what he described as “naïve doubts about the true ferocity of winter in Western New York.”

Morris’s career path prior to Houghton is eclectic and winding, yet unified by a core passion for students. He “served as a youth minister for an enjoyable decade,” worked at Wheaton College as the Director of Risk Management, and most recently worked as higher education consultant for colleges and universities in the United States and around the world. “I missed the influence for Kingdom work as a single higher education institution,” said Morris. “So I was open to listen when President Mullen suggested I consider joining the Houghton team.”

As the Vice President of Finance at Houghton, Morris is responsible for ensuring that the college’s financial resources are managed efficiently and effectively. “Many, many days [are] spent ’rasslin’ with the budget!” said Morris, adding that a major challenge is attempting to keep tuition “at least sort of affordable” despite ever-rising expenses. He added, “[We] do want to meet payroll and keep the heat and power on for those who want to write a late-night paper or have a Fallout binge or shotgun Netflix shows or bake Christmas cookies or have an RDT or whatever. So that takes resource management.”

Morris serves as part of the president’s staff, a group of core advisors to president Shirley Mullen. The “P-staff,” as Morris calls it, is comprised of vice presidents representing a wide range of college departments and offices, from student life to advancement and external relations. According to Jack Connell, Provost and Dean of the Faculty (as well as another member of the president’s staff), members of this team “collaborate closely together . . . in making the numerous administrative, strategic, and budgetary decisions that are required to operate the college.” Connell described Morris as “curious, creative, energetic, insightful, intelligent, and passionate about Christian higher education,” adding that Morris “brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise” due to his consulting work with colleges and universities.

In addition to his official responsibilities, Morris has been able to engage personally with the Houghton community during his time here. “A local pastor asked me to a delightful lunch-and-conversation early on,” said Morris. He also added that “Several faculty and staff . . . have graciously invited me into their homes,” gestures he has appreciated doubly because he’s been “batch-ing it” while his wife ties up work at her art studio at Wheaton College.

Morris also played a key role in this year’s Christmas-tree-lighting chapel service at the college. After President Mullen oversaw the lighting of the tree, Morris came up to read “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” a book by Barbara Robinson about six unruly, irreligious children, the Herdmans, who secure the lead roles in a church Christmas pageant.

Morris began with a witty self-introduction, confessing to be “that guy at parties, that asks people to punctuate ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,’ and reminds people that we don’t really know that Christ was born on the twenty-fifth of December.” Nevertheless, he asked the audience to suspend their disbelief regarding potential inaccuracies in traditional Christmas pageants, for the purpose of engaging with the story.

And engage they did. The end-of-semester chapel remnant sat spellbound as Morris read for over half an hour. Bursts of laughter bubbled from the audience, as well as the orchestra onstage, as Morris deftly slipped into different voices to suit the characters, from nasally, tough-talking Imogen Herdman to pristinely snotty Alice Wendelken.

When asked what he’d like students to know about him, Morris shared a diverse taste in music, ranging from Beethoven to Mumford and Sons to Pentatonix to the Hamilton soundtrack. He also said that he owns “all the extensions and expansions for ‘Settlers of Catan’ and [has] a very large table in [his] apartment,” as well as “popcorn, cheese, chips, dip, apples, and often some special reserve deep-dish pizza in the freezer too… just sayin’…”

Broke, bored, and hungry college students, take note.

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Stories In Focus

A Bolder Boulder

Houghton Students Revive Yearbook

For the past two years, Houghton has lacked in one of the quintessential college institutions: the yearbook. This year, however, Michael Carpenter ’17 has gathered a team of Houghton students to produce a yearbook for the 2016-2017 year. Noting that “it’s sad that Houghton didn’t have that for a couple of years,” Carpenter has taken the initiative to revive the yearbook. “We have to kick-start it,” said Michael Green ’17, a yearbook team member.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

Both Green and Carpenter are prepared to “kick-start” Houghton’s yearbook, having had previous experience with yearbooks in high school. “I loved it,” Carpenter said. “I thought it was a great opportunity to practice graphic design and photography with the end result being something special for a lot of people.” He has gathered a group of students who are also excited and dedicated. Seth Pearson ’20, another member of the yearbook team, expressed, “I feel like I am part of something special by helping to bring it back.” Green noted the visible signs of progress. “We’ve had photographers at a lot of events lately,” he said, and added“I’ve been organizing what pages might go where.” The team is also in contact with Houghton’s clubs and teams, which they hope to clearly represent. “We’re trying to make it as comprehensive and accurate a compilation as can be,” Green said.

While Carpenter noted the progress of the yearbook, he also expressed the difficulty of taking initiative to revive the yearbook. “It has been more complicated than I’ve wanted it to be,” he said. Because of the lapse in years of producing a yearbook, a transition process is lacking. “It’s not as much passing the baton as refashioning the baton,” Green explained. Yet Carpenter looks forward to the finished product. “I enjoy the process,” he said. “ Having something to take home, that physical book, makes all the behind the scenes work worth it to me.” He added that the revived yearbook will include “pieces of Houghton yearbooks past,” such as old photography and design.

With the fall semester nearly at an end, the yearbook team is beginning to look forward to the finished product. “Soon we’ll be working a lot on taking students’ orders, advertising, that sort of thing,” Carpenter said. “We’re hoping that when we’re ready to take orders, students will be excited to do so.” He estimates being ready to take orders at the beginning of the spring semester, and emphasized that they are striving for an affordable price.

The team does recognize the concern for the value of yearbooks in the face of social media. “Considering how saturated our lives are with social media, yearbooks might seem out of date,” Green acknowledged. Yet he and Carpenter both stand by the benefits of a yearbook beyond social media. “A yearbook represents everyone,” said Green. “It better depicts a whole of what goes on at Houghton rather than the little snapshot they might get in day to day life.”

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Stories In Focus

Where the Apple Falls

Cuttings from Isaac Newton’s Tree Planted in Houghton

For centuries, elementary school teachers have told their students the story of the apple that fell from a tree onto Sir Isaac Newton’s head, sparking an idea about a new theory of universal gravitation. Now visitors to Houghton College can find two young saplings, descendants of those famous apple trees, growing beside the Paine Science Center.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

The trees were a gift to Houghton from president Taylor Reveley of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg. The Virginia college received their trees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which in turn obtained cuttings of Newton’s original trees from the Royal Botanical Gardens in London. William & Mary’s Assistant to the Provost, Houghton alumnus Jeremy Martin, helped to facilitate the trees’ journey to Houghton.   

While the truth of the apple tree anecdote has never been confirmed, Newton’s reputation as one of the most brilliant and wide-ranging scientific minds of all time has been assured since the publication of his three-part Principia, a seminal point in the development of physics. Over the years, the story of the Newton Tree has endured as a powerful emblem of scientific curiosity. A small cutting of the tree even made it as far as the International Space Station, when The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut, Piers Sellers, carried it on board the shuttle Atlantis in 2010.

Thus the arrival of the trees is perfectly timed, as this year’s freshman physics class was the largest in several years and the department is poised to soon introduce an engineering degree. “It’s kind of an exciting time for physics,” said Mark Yuly, professor of physics and chair of the mathematics and natural science department. He continued, “And I think the tree is something that represents the past and represents the future.”

According to the Houghton website, the trees were dedicated over Homecoming weekend, with speeches from college president, Shirley Mullen; professor of biology,James Wolfe; and assistant professor of physics, Kurt Aikens commemorating the occasion before an audience of alumni. A plaque beside the trees bears a quote from Newton himself and states, “It is the perfection of God’s works that they are all done with the greatest simplicity. He is the God of order and not confusion.”

Throughout his life, Newton wrote extensively on, not only science, but also theology and Biblical interpretation. For this very reason, Mullen believes the tree’s significance extends far beyond its worldly fame, symbolizing the fundamental and forgotten unity between science and faith. “One of the great tragedies of the modern period is how in our culture science and faith have become separated,” she said. “In many people’s minds, they’re actually viewed as antagonistic. That is so historically wrong, and so counter to what the actual history of faith and science has been. In a sense, this is a way of inspiring the retelling of a larger vision of faith and science.”

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Campus News

Forty Students To Graduate In December

Photo by: Anthony Burdo

Forty students will graduate at the close of this semester. A reception will be held on Wednesday, December 7 to honor these mid-year graduates and recognize their hard work during their time at Houghton.

The reception will take place in the South End Dining Hall, and will last from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with desserts provided. President Shirley Mullen, Provost Jack Connell, and a representative from Alumni Relations will each give brief remarks to the graduates, according to Eva Hillman from the Office of Academic Affairs.

The December graduates are made up of a multitude of degrees. Twenty-two students will graduate with a Bachelor of Science, fifteen with a Bachelor of Arts, and one each with an Associate of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Arts. These students are from a variety of majors, the most common major being Communication, closely followed by Psychology and Business Administration, according to the Registrar webpage.

Tyler Ashley is a December graduate and a double major in Communication and Business Administration. He said, “I am very thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow at a place like Houghton.” He reflected on what made Houghton a special place to him, and stated the people he met during college and the relationships he formed are invaluable. After graduation, Ashley plans to work at an internet marketing company based in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania.

Another December graduate, Rebekah Bunal, is graduating in December after transferring to Houghton after begining her degree at another institution. Bunal is graduating with a degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She said, “My time at Houghton was great, but short. All my education professors are what helped me get through it all.”

Ian Smith, who is preparing to graduate with a degree in Inclusive Childhood Education (ICE), said he was motivated to graduate early because he completed all the classes necessary for his major.  “From being an RA in Rothenbuhler hall to making a fool of myself in two separate SPOT skits, my time at Houghton is one I will always remember fondly,” he said. Smith said he hopes to work as a substitute teacher in the Rochester area after graduation.

For Smith, and many other graduates, graduation means beginning a new chapter of life. “I will miss being in the Houghton community, but am very excited for what God has for me in the future,” Smith said.

Friends and family of December graduates are invited to attend the dessert reception to celebrate the graduates’ accomplishments. Attire will be business casual.

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Campus News Sports

Sports Update // Highlander Basketball Season Off To Strong Start

Photo courtesy of Jason Mucher

The Highlanders women’s basketball team came out strong in their first game against Alfred State. Led by captains Elle Reed ‘17 and Hannah Manwaring ‘17, the Highlanders beat the Pioneers 76-56. “We focused on details, especially on defense, which is great to see in the first game of the season,” said Reed.

Defense seemed to be a point of emphasis for the Highlanders who tallied 11 steals, and controlled the glass with 43 total rebounds. “Defense has always been top priority, as coach always says ‘defense feeds our offense.’ We have to be able to get stops in order to get the ball back to score and run our offense,” said Manwaring. Manwaring contributed 12 rebounds of her own to the winning effort.

After defeating Alfred State, he Highlanders then traveled to Buffalo State to take on the Bengals. It was a tightly contested game which featured seven lead changes, but unfortunately the Highlanders were beaten by a score of 64-59. “We need to limit our turnovers,especially ones that are unforced,” said Manwaring.  “If we can cut the number of turnovers in half, we should put ourselves in a much better position to win.”

One of the most encouraging aspects the Highlanders took away from the defeat was the emergence of freshman guard, Cori Beck. In her first collegiate start, Beck put up 12 points, two assists, and six steals in her 36 minutes of play. Beck took a total of seven shots, all from three-point range, and managed to hit four of them. “I just felt like I fit into the team as soon as I got here…I was a little nervous before the game but that’s usual for me,” she said.“[I] felt a little pressure before the game because I was scared to mess up, but when I started playing I just zoned into what I needed to do, and didn’t worry about anything else.”.

According to Reed, this is not the end for them. She said, “We know that we work harder in practice than any team we play, which gives us confidence no matter what the outcome of the games are.” The Highlanders will look to bounce back against Pitt-Brad at home on Tuesday, November 29.

Additionally, Coach Corky McMullen made his coaching debut for the Houghton College Men’s Basketball team, at home against Alfred State; winning by a score of 85-74, and then going on to beat Wells College by a score of 85-75. McMullen has earned nothing but praise from his captains. Captain Jonathan Stowe ‘17 said “Coach’s motivation” was key to the men’s 2-0 start. Strowe continued, “We started both games bad for the first 10 minutes, but Coach reminded us to play defense and to relax and let us run our offense smoothly”.

Fellow captain Phil Pellegrino ‘17 agreed, “He is a positive vibe to have around all the time.”He stated, “He not only impacts our lives on the basketball court but also in the classroom and in life in general…he brings a lot of experience and I am enjoying learning from him every day at practice.”

Unfortunately, Hilbert College proved too much, and  the Highlanders,  fell to the Hawks 84-69. “Rebounding and turnovers are the keys to success for us. If we can control the glass and not turn the ball over, we will be successful,” guard Jordan Scott ‘17 said.. The Highlanders accumulated  18 turnovers  in the loss.

The women will play at home on Saturday, December 3 to play the State University of New York (SUNY) Canton at 2 p.m. The men will resume home play on Tuesday, December 6 against Grove City College at 7 p.m.

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Campus News

Wesleyan Church Adjusts Alcohol Guidelines

Though the Wesleyan Church adjusted its alcohol guidelines, Houghton College’s policy regarding alcohol consumption will remain the same, according to Vice President of Student Life Rob Pool.

www.flickr.com/photos/zeevveez/7131075647
www.flickr.com/photos/zeevveez/

The Wesleyan Church, Houghton College’s sponsoring denomination, decided to reevaluate its longstanding membership policy at its general conference in June. According to the denomination’s website, the church discontinued its two-tier system of membership in favor of one single membership body. Characteristic of the former system was alcohol use: “community membership”, the lower tier, did not prohibit alcohol use. “Covenant membership”, the level a Wesleyan must reach to serve in various leadership functions in the Wesleyan Church, prohibited drinking. “Attendees can have a sense of belonging around the core scriptural beliefs of The Wesleyan Church without the church putting an expectation of spiritual maturity upon them prior to belonging”, the denomination said in a statement issued in August.

Those who wish to serve in ministerial positions, direct Sunday school programs, serve on church boards, and similar leadership positions are still required to abstain from alcohol.

Houghton College, along with Kingswood University, Southern Wesleyan University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, and Indiana Wesleyan University are considered ministries of the Wesleyan Church, according to Pool. While changes in the denomination’s policy would not “directly change” policies at these schools, “they would inform them” Pool said. The Community Covenant, signed by faculty, staff, and students still stands in regard to Houghton’s alcohol free policy. “I have not heard of any faculty, staff, or students proposing a change to the campus alcohol policy,” he said.

Assistant resident director Ian DeHass ‘17 said “ In res life, we take our cues from the denomination, but I think we all value a space where alcohol isn’t an issue that we have to consider. We know people from other schools that allow alcohol, and most of their time is spent in conduct hearings, and for us that’s not really where we want to spend our time. We want to spend our time thinking about diversity and thinking about how we can best help our students grow. And I think that reason alone is good enough reason for why we wouldn’t want to add alcohol into the picture at Houghton.”

Pastor of Houghton Wesleyan Church, Wes Oden, said the change “really doesn’t have anything specifically to do with alcohol, but with membership requirements. As I understand it, they have moved [alcohol] from membership requirements to a different section of the Discipline. Instead of [abstinence] being a requirement [for membership] it becomes a matter of taking responsibility over what it means to be a member of the Body of Christ.”

Joseph Jennings, Superintendent of the Western New York District of the Wesleyan Church, said “I don’t expect any changes to be made in the policies of any of our Wesleyan colleges” regarding alcohol. He said he expects Houghton College’s alcohol policy to stay as is “for at least the next ten years.”

Though the Church’s new guidelines are expected to go into effect this month, Pool said any change in Houghton College’s alcohol policy would need to be initiated by a petition to amend the Community Covenant.