Tag: houghton college

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Stories In Focus

Feeling the #BuffaLove

Photo courtesy of Morgan Loghry

Recent Alumni Make Buffalo, NY Home

As one of two major cities that are driving distance from Houghton College, Buffalo, New York is a favorite spot for students to go on weekends, whether they are shopping, jumping the stress away at SkyZone, or volunteering with Journey’s End Tutoring (JET). But the second largest city in New York State is not only home to the Walden Galleria mall and the eclectic shops of Elmwood village, it is also the home of many former Houghton students. Sarah Hutchinson ’14, Alexandra Hood ’15, Liana Wool ’16, and Morgan Loghry ’16 all moved to Buffalo shortly after graduating from Houghton, and have since settled in the city.

A political science major with minors in history, Hutchinson, who had also worked for The Star throughout her time at Houghton, did not know what she wanted to do with her degree upon graduation. She ultimately decided to pursue an AmeriCorps term in Buffalo at a nonprofit community health center that serves refugees and people trapped by poverty, Jericho Road Community Health Center, which was founded by a Houghton graduate. After her year-long term of service, Hutchinson was hired full-time by her organization.

“Initially I was attracted to Buffalo because of the high population of refugees,” said Hutchinson. “Since about the early 2000s, thousands of refugees from Burma, Bhutan, Somalia, Iraq, and other countries have been resettled here. They have been instrumental for the renaissance going on in the city right now, lots of vacant houses in the city are now occupied, new businesses are opening.”

Hood, meanwhile, chose Buffalo because she was looking for an artistic community to engage with. While at Houghton, she majored in art and worked for both the Campus Activities Board and Caffeinated Creative Studio. She also directed Printed Matter Press (PMP), a small group of art and design students who printed and sold their work to attend the annual Southern Graphics Conference. She credits PMP with revealing her passion.

“I was constantly surrounded by artists who were creating,” she said. “It was easy to for me to feel encouraged in what I was making when there was always someone to share ideas with. I wanted this when looking for a new place to live.” So far, she has found this creative community in Buffalo, where along with working as a barista, she is interning at the Western New York Book Arts Center and selling her own work, which includes stationary and handmade books. She added, “Art is meant to be experienced and I believe it is an incredible outlet for all types of people. Buffalo is certainly a place where that is possible.”

Wool graduated from Houghton in December 2015 with a major in Intercultural Studies and a minor in Human Ecology. In college, she participated in several off-campus programs, including the East Meets West honors program, a semester in London, a semester in Tanzania, and the Buffalo City Semester. In her sophomore year, she interned at a refugee-based nonprofit in Buffalo that inspired her to dedicate her life to working on behalf of individuals with less of a voice in their new culture. After some searching following her graduation, she now works as a case manager at Journey’s End Refugee Services in the city.

When asked what she likes best about Buffalo, Wool replied, “I would say the ability to live in a place that pushes you to look challenges in the face that in other environments you might be able to ignore is incredible.” She continued, “ Living and working in a city with your eyes wide open challenges to you live and have your being in a way that truly reflects the Gospel.”

Also a 2016 graduate, Loghry moved to Buffalo with the intention of working in a creative field.  At Houghton, she majored in fine arts with a minor in graphic design, and worked in several creative jobs on campus, including as a graphic designer in the marketing and communication department, and as a campus photographer for events and portraits. She helped to co-found Caffeinated Creative Studio, now Gild Studio, and was a gallery assistant in the Ortlip Gallery her senior year. The summer after her junior year, she moved to Buffalo, and decided to stay there and look for work after graduating.

“Living in Buffalo has articulated what I discovered about myself when I was in Houghton,” said Loghry. “I have had a variety of jobs in my time here so far. No one ever told me that finding a job I loved would be this hard.” She began working in a design position for a high-class fashion company, but soon realized that she did not share the same values as her bosses. “My background at Houghton taught me where to draw the line when it comes to commercial advertising and how to use tasteful tactics to appeal to your desired audience.”

For now, Loghry is working part-time as a photographer for the food delivery service GrubHub, and full-time at a photography studio. She added, “I am open to trying anything in this beautiful city. My time here has taught me that is matters less what I am doing, but that I am actively living creatively around people who challenge me.”

All of these alumni agree that there are many reasons to love Buffalo. And while they miss certain aspects of Houghton, like the natural scenery and the security, they also agree that Buffalo is an excellent place for graduates to take their first steps into post-graduate life.

“I would encourage Houghton students looking to work in Buffalo to really get involved with the city, to study and love its particulars, to volunteer, and to really consider it as a unique place and your place in it,” said Hutchinson. When asked what she would say to students looking to move to Buffalo, Loghry echoed Hutchinson with one pithy statement:

“Come join the party!”

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Stories In Focus

First Issue of Lanthorn Continues Legacy

thelanthorn.com

On Friday, October 28, Houghton College’s poetry and prose periodical, The Lanthorn, put out its first issue of the academic year. Edited by Carina Martin ‘18 and illustrated by Natalia Sytch ‘18, the subject of this first edition was “On Bodies.” Martin asked writers to describe, deconstruct, and transform the human perception of bodies, writing in the preface to the issue: “A body is a difficult thing to be.” The editor’s note concluded with the statement, “The silent threshold awaits. The place just past it coaxes us to jump–or tiptoe quietly–or leap with our breath tight inside our chests. Let’s meet there.”

According to Martin, “The Lanthorn has been a Houghton literary tradition for decades. We have issues dating back as far as the early 1930s.” She added, “[The magazine] is about students who love words coming together to encourage each other creatively and ponder each other’s perspectives.” It is a collaborative form of expression that “exists so that we can all come together in fellowship around the written word. In a world of constant division, the goal of The Lanthorn is to unite and inform us rather than divide us.”

While Martin is the editor of the publication, The Lanthorn is a collaborative effort of many students on Houghton’s campus. All students are invited to submit their work via a campus-wide email, and once all of the submissions have been received, Martin sends them out to her readers. These readers are not given the names of writers, and are asked to rate the pieces they receive. Martin then compiles the top-rated pieces, lays out the issue using Adobe InDesign, and prints it through Quick Print.

The literary magazine has been a continued presence on Houghton’s campus since its first issue was published in 1932. Sophia Ross ‘17, whose grandfather, Wesley Nussey ’40, was one of the first editors of The Lanthorn in 1938, and acted as one of two co-editors her junior year, recognizes the legacy of the magazine. When asked what sets it apart from other writing outlets at Houghton, Ross stated that the periodical is “an outlet where we can voice how we feel.” Where other publications are more focused on current events and technology, The Lanthorn is “geared toward the poetic,” she said.

“I think it affirms poetry’s continued significance in today’s society,” Ross said. She believes each issue is a continuation of the larger canon of The Lanthorn, adding that topics explored in past issues of the publication dating back to the mid-1900s explore similar themes to the work published in today’s Lanthorn.    

According to Martin, what separates this most recent issue from previous issues is that it is rooted in diversity. Martin stated there is a “a higher degree of diversity than there has been in the past.” She added, “There are a lot of people at Houghton who are writing, powerful, insightful, beautiful words.” In publishing their work, she hopes to “shine a light on some of the voices we may not hear from very often.”

Joe Miner ‘18, who was published for the first time in this edition, described this edition as “more confessional” than previous issues. He said, “Every piece goes deep to the core of the writer.” Along with Martin and Miner, this issue’s writers are comprised of students from several different years and majors, including Theresa Patnala ‘19, Samuel Yuly ‘18, Meredith Guffey ‘17, Judith Marklin ‘17, Rachel Harrington ‘19, Hendrick de Smidt ‘19, Bethany Kuiken ‘18, Jonan Pilet ‘17, and Shannon Moore ‘19. Each voice views the human body and its struggles and celebrations differently, which in turn represents what Martin described as the “incredible diverse interests and passions” of Houghton students.    

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Opinions

LGBTQ Christians: Why We Need To Do Better

Like any good Christ-centered community, Houghton College loves to talk about unity. We latch onto the idea of coming together as a body of believers to learn, grow, serve, and worship. Discussions about injustice fascinate us because we know that the church has a duty to step up and speak out against the divisions in this world. This love for unity seems to spread across every area of our lives and to every topic that can possibly be discussed. Well, every topic except for one. For some reason, when it comes to anything relating to the LGBTQ+ community, we seem to exchange our fascination with unity for an obsession with dissent.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

On the surface, it seems like Houghton has done an excellent job of trying to maintain unity. Dean Jordan’s chapel talks and special discussions are always presented with tact and respect. SGA has also been doing a great job of facilitating discussion about the language of the Community Covenant that talks about same-sex relationships. If you have been here for a few years, you have probably seen a number of chapel speakers talking about what it looks like to be gay and Christian.

However, I’m not talking about the surface. God isn’t very concerned with the surface and neither am I. I am concerned with dinner table talks in the dining hall. I am concerned about the uneasiness that many students have about talking to someone who is gay, bisexual, lesbian, or transgender. I want to shed light on the fact that students wish, and sometimes even pray for the LGBTQ+ community to leave Houghton College. It seems to me that if you even say the word “gay,” there is a Houghton student somewhere cringing in agony.

I have never seen more Houghton students instantly filled with anger about a topic than I have with this one. Why is that? Why does it anger us so much to think there are students with a different theological position than what is popular? Why does it bother us to think some people disagree? Are we afraid the Bible is being misinterpreted and that we are accepting lies, or are we actually just being swept away by our own biases? We cannot escape the fact that the church has a history of demonizing the LGBTQ+ community. I see it every time a Christian brother or sister says we should not think less of someone because of their race, gender, or economic status, but conveniently disregards sexual orientation. We all know that racism is bad. We all know that sexism is terrible. However, I question how many of us realize that homophobia is not actually something that is rooted in Christ.

joemquoteIf your belief in the sinfulness of homosexuality thwarts your ability to love a gay person, you may need to reconsider your motives. Hold true to your beliefs, but for the sake of the unity of the church in a time of turmoil, please do not let the Christian acceptance of homophobia get in the way of your Christ-like compassion. You have Christian brothers and sisters who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. Shouting at them and questioning why they would even want to attend Houghton College has done and will continue to do nothing to strengthen the church. We are one student body. We are one Houghton community. We are one body of Christ. You cannot pick and choose members of that family. We one-hundred percent need to do better. The next time you are about to slander your LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters in Christ, ask yourself when the last time you asked to pray for them was. Ask yourself whether or not you even have a gay friend. Disagree and debate, but for the beauty of the Earth, do not use your differences as an opportunity to inflict pain.

I am not saying you should change your theological stance and affirm same-sex relationships. I, myself, am conservative on the topic of sexuality and I hold firm to that stance. What I am saying, though, is that we cannot look at sexual orientation as an opportunity to disrespect and disregard the LGBTQ+ community on campus or around the world. We need to do better in the area of loving our gay and lesbian neighbors. We need to try harder to walk beside our bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters. The Bible never says that if you disagree with a Christian brother or sister, you should isolate yourselves immediately. We need to be loving to the LGBTQ+ community, both inside and outside the Houghton bubble. Can that be uncomfortable if you believe that their sexual desires are sinful? Yes. Does Jesus care whether or not we are comfortable? Probably not.

Joe is a junior communication major with minors in business and Bible.

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Campus News

Revisions to Covenant Proposed

Photo by: Anthony Burdo

New revisions to the Houghton College Community Covenant may soon be in  effect.  This is due to a push the last two semesters to adjust certain sections of the covenant according to Vice President of Student Life, Robert Pool.

The section in question currently reads: “We believe that Scripture clearly prohibits certain acts, including drinking alcohol to excess, stealing, speaking or writing profanely or slanderously, acting dishonestly, cheating, engaging in occult practice, and engaging in sexual relations outside the bonds of marriage (including premarital sex, adultery and homosexual behavior).”  

According to Philip Maenza ‘17, President of the LGBTQ student group, this is not a new issue.  “We’ve been trying for years- since my freshman year; I’m a senior now- to get it changed, to have it clarified,” he explained.  He described the LGBTQ community’s attempts to add the issue onto the agenda for change (revisions).  “I got involved with petitions and professors and different people and former alumni to word it and got into a really nice place. Unfortunately they [the Student Life Council] just weren’t on the same page as we were.”

According to Pool, change to the community covenant would begin with concerned students convincing the Student Government Association (SGA) that the matter is a real issue which affects students and requires redress.  The SGA would then discuss and decide whether or not to pass the issue along to the Student Life Council.  Pool explained that as Chair of the Council he works to create “the agenda and make sure that whatever advice or feedback I’m getting from the Student Life Council is appropriately woven into the policies we create or revise, and in this case it’s the community covenant.”  He recalled there was a petition for revisions circulating, but that it was lost before it could be of true use.  “But we realized this was an issue,” Pool reflected. “So we began discussing how to clarify the wording.”

Maenza said he and other members of the LGBTQ community, however, are concerned as to what that new wording may be.  He said he was displeased that the revisions could further restrict student relationships and is concerned that they will have a negative effect on students.  “They can’t quantify feelings,” explained Maenza, “so the covenant can’t say you can’t have gay feelings for each other but they are saying there can’t be a relationship.  That just opens one up to a lot more gossip and backbiting.”

Micah Cronin ‘17, a member of the LGBTQ student group, also expressed concern about the new wording. “I think Houghton should consider whether restricting certain dating relationships is in line with federal Title IX regulations,” he said. “If not, that could open the college up to costly lawsuits.”

Pool did not make clear what the new wording in the covenant could be, only that it would make the rules on the issue of LGBTQ behavior more clear.  Pool explained the proposed changes have not yet been put to an official vote.  Voting could not take place until February at the earliest, although likely later.  However, he did express hope that the change will be in effect for the next fall semester.

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Campus News

Seniors Present Research At Penn-York Conference

Three Houghton College seniors presented independent research at the annual Penn-York conference last Saturday, accompanied by professor of English and writing, Laurie Dashnau.

Photo courtesy of Laurie Dashnau
Photo courtesy of Laurie Dashnau

The group travelled to St. Bonaventure University to participate with other undergraduate researchers from New York and Pennsylvania colleges. Grace MacKay presented research in psychology, Sophia Ross presented her study of American poet Elizabeth Bishop, and Wesley Payette gave a poster presentation on marine biology.

Professors “highly encourage” students to participate in the conference, said Dashnau. “Houghton has regularly participated in this conference since 2005….[Houghton’s and Dashnau’s participation] grew out of my passion for mentoring,” she said.

At this “less formal” interdisciplinary conference, Dashnau said presenters often receive feedback on their research from professors, which can be “especially helpful” for students whose research is still in progress. The five minute question and answer period after presentations “often continue into the hallway and lunch hour,” she said.

Payette’s poster presentation was titled, “The effects of ocean acidification on copepod physiological ecology.” In layman’s terms, the biology major said, “It’s just a small part of the marine food chain I was studying.” Payette said his research yielded findings “that tie in directly to climate change.”

“Copepods, which are an important part of the marine food chain, they prey on a lot of phytoplankton. When they are exposed to higher levels of CO2, they tend to eat less.” This could have major effects on marine ecosystems, he said. “If we can understand how plankton and their predators behave, we can predict how plankton will affect the ecosystem.” Payette’s research came about through a marine biology internship he participated in last summer, “a one time thing”, he said. “I’m going to try to go into biomedical research or disease ecology” in graduate school after taking a gap year, he said.

Psychology and writing major Grace MacKay presented on “The Effects of Life Orientation and Message Framing on Decision Making”.

“I haven’t done the study yet,” she said. The project is part of her honors thesis, and she plans to conduct experiments through the next several months. She will also present her research “several times in the spring”. She said psychology professor Paul Young encouraged her “to get some experience” delivering the topic to audiences at the Penn-York Conference.

MacKay said people “respond to the way a situation is described to us,” depending on whether a situation is described in terms of risk or reward. Life orientation, or optimism and pessimism,and  message framing, “the wording of a situation” influences how individuals make decisions, she said.

“A pessimist tends to be more negative in general, a negative message framing tends to reinforce their natural inclination to think in terms of losses,” MacKay said.

This research can be applied to help people make decisions “by understanding how people work” and calculate risk, MacKay noted. “This can be applied to health, investments, things like that,” she said.

English major Sophia Ross presented on the contemporary poet Elizabeth Bishop. Titled “Remembering Mother and Motherland: The Experience of Loss in Elizabeth Bishop’s Nova Scotia Prose and Poetry,” Ross’s work explored Bishop’s experience as a Canadian American. Though Bishop was born and raised in Canada before moving to New England. Ross said “She really is considered an American Poet. She won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, she was the US Poet Laureate. But if you read her letters, she says she is half Canadian and half American. In a letter to her biographer, she said she considered herself three quarters Canadian and one quarter New Englander.”

Ross said much of the research done on Bishop revolves around her [Bishop’s] years in Brazil, her relationship with Robert Lowell, and that Bishop was a lesbian. “I wanted to see how Nova Scotia played into her work and write something that really brought that forward…these [other subjects] are interesting and definitely matter, but there’s not a lot done about Nova Scotia and how that affected her work,” Ross said.

“It was good,” MacKay said. “It was a good experience- there was a broad range of research. It was cool to interact with other students in the same boat.” While Payette and Ross have closed the book on their topics for the time being, MacKay is still in the midst of her work, now gathering “as many [experiment participants] as [she] can get”.

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Campus News

Dean Jordan Lectures on LGBTQ Issues

Dean of the chapel, Michael Jordan, delivered the first of three lectures in a series on same sex attraction in Christian higher education. The lecture took place on Tuesday evening in the Chamberlain Center and was titled, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?: Same-sex Attraction and the Christian College.”

“Every few years as students turn over there’s a difference in the way students think” said Jordan when asked why he decided to give the talks. “What is considered “progressive” has drastically changed since I was a student twenty years ago, but even since Jill and I moved back to Houghton, I’ve seen viewpoints shift. It’s important for us to be talking about this – not only our decisions but how we’re thinking about making them.”

Houghton is sponsored by the Wesleyan Church, which has declared, as per their website, “We do not, cannot, and will not endorse homosexual activity as a lifestyle.” The site goes on to say that the denomination has arrived at this conclusion from an “overwhelming preponderance of biblical evidence.” Jordan, who has stated in chapel that he agrees with the official Wesleyan position, affirmed the importance of the Bible in the decision making process. “You need to be considering what theological tools you should be using to make what is essentially a theological decision” he said. “And as gospel people, this an issue you have to think through.”

Some students seem to agree. “I think it’s good he’s not avoiding the subject” said Emilia Gildemiester ’18. Katherine Stevick ‘19 stated, “A lot of people would prefer not to talk about it. It’s important for us to be discussing these issues and listening to each other’s viewpoints.”

Jordan originally stated in a chapel announcement  his intention to deliver three lectures. One was to be aimed towards students with a progressive viewpoint on same sex attraction, one aimed towards students who were undecided on the issue and one aimed towards those who maintain a traditional stance. The email announcement also stated that the latter two talks – aimed at those undecided and progressive have been postponed.

According to Jordan, this decision was a result of a meeting between himself and representatives of the LGBTQ community. “A group of students who are affirming of LGBTQ relationships requested to speak with me about my proposed talks” he stated. “After hearing what they had to say, I decided to put off two of talks. I want to try and honor their requests, and I want to give time for that process to happen.” Jordan said he reached an agreement with the group about the content of the first talk before he gave it on Tuesday.

Jordan said he had slightly modified the content of his first talk so that it can stand alone, but it is still covers most of the same information he originally planned for his conservative segment. He currently plans to give the second two talks later in the semester or early next year depending on when he can come to an agreement with the group of students.

“I was looking forward to all three of Dean Jordan’s talks; I think there is something for everyone to get out of all three of them no matter your viewpoint” said Casey Greene ’18. Stevick agreed and added,  “It’s always good to listen to each other.”

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Stories In Focus

Gillette Hall Gives Thanks

Annual Hall-Wide Event Offers Food and Fellowship to Gillette Hall Residents and Alumni

Houghton College’s Gillette Hall has been through several transformations over the years. It began as East Hall, with only one third of its current structure, before undergoing additions to the building, a name change, and numerous small changes. Yet the largest dorm on Houghton’s campus has held on to two traditions, which Gillette Resident Director (RD) Laura Cunningham calls “the pillars of Gillette.” These are Gillette Thanksgiving and the Gillette banquet, which in Cunningham’s words, are “the two Gillette institutions you don’t mess with.” The month of November brings another Gillette Thanksgiving, a decades-long tradition, set to take place on November 19.

Photo courtesy of Sophia Ross
Photo courtesy of Sophia Ross

Gillette Thanksgiving, set in the spacious main lounge of the dorm, brings a Thanksgiving feast to 150 of Gillette’s residents through the combined efforts of the RD and Assistant Resident Director (ARD), Resident Assistants (RAs), and Sodexo. Traditionally, other guests have been invited as well, ARD Rebecca Firstbrook ’18 explained. “We get to invite Gillette alumni to it. We invite the other RDs and some faculty members who were Gillette or East Hall residents.” She noted college president, Shirley Mullen, and First Gentleman, Paul Mills, were also invited to the event, although they are unable to attend this year.

This year will be Firstbrook’s third year attending Gillette Thanksgiving, having attended as a resident her first year and as an RA her second year. As ARD, she will work with Cunningham to organize the logistics of the event, including contacting Sodexo for food and ingredients, while Gillette’s team of RAs will prepare the dishes to serve the residents.

“It’s an opportunity for RAs to make food that their moms would have made,” Cunningham said. She noted that many RAs provide recipes from home for their dishes, which is “a good conversation starter.” She herself experienced making cranberry sauce for the first time the first year she served as RD. “I actually liked it,” she said, explaining that since they had the canned jellied sauce at home, she had never liked it before. Cunningham has made it for Gillette Thanksgiving every year since.

Firstbrook appreciates Gillette Thanksgiving as a time of togetherness both in the preparation and the meal itself. “Each of us needs the other to make it happen,” she said of the team that prepares the event. Having experienced the event from the student, RA, and ARD perspectives, she noted the value for students, who “can receive,” and for RAs, “who can serve them.” The attendees are also able to contribute in their own ways, since they provide their own place settings. “It’s fun,” Cunningham said. “People bring their own mugs, and you find out what everyone’s favorite mug is.”

Rene Stempert, Lead Custodian of Gillette Hall, and a long-time presence at Houghton, noted the abiding presence of Gillette’s Thanksgiving tradition. “It was already a tradition when I came twenty years ago,” she said, and noted it has continued “because it involves food and fun and friends.” She echoed Cunningham, who described the event as a celebration with the “Gillette family,” and stated, “they’re family times.”

This event is especially valuable for students who are unable to go home for Thanksgiving Day. Houghton alumnus Carol Zimmerman ’62 remembered having only the day of Thanksgiving off, which made traveling home difficult. When you couldn’t go home “you went home with friends,” she said. The introduction of a feast for East Hall residents brought a family-like Thanksgiving meal for those who could not be with their families, and the tradition endures. Cunningham noted it as one of the “few times a good majority of Gillette residents are together.”

“A lot of students don’t think much of it when they go,” Firstbrook acknowledged. However, she hinted at the importance of the event, which has lasted through several decades, and added,  “it’s a nice benchmark to look back on.”

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Stories In Focus

United in Worship and Christ // Houghton Hosts Roberts for Night of Worship

Photo courtesy of Houghton SGA

Students from Roberts Wesleyan College came to campus to worship, united with Houghton students. The event, which took place in the recital hall on November 8 at 8 p.m. was run by the Student Government Association, and was intended as a way to unify the two colleges in their Christian worship. The night consisted of  worship songs, prayer, and refreshments, all in the pursuit of unity between the two student bodies.

Melissa MacLean ‘17, Executive Officer of Spiritual Life, began this event last year. She said, “It all started as a dream of mine freshman year to bring the two opposing schools under one roof as worshippers of the same God.” At the time, she said, “…I didn’t have the resources to make it happen, so I left it as a dream and prayer for God to fulfill one day.” That dream, according to MacLean, was able to become a reality two years later when she “was elected into the position of Chaplain.”

Last year, the event included worship and prayer together, led by teams of students from both colleges. Ian DeHaas ’17 has been involved in the worship portion of the night both years. He said, “There’s something unique about a night of worship. Even more than the obligation of Sunday morning, the people who come out to worship together are really invested because they chose to be there. We sing together, we pray together and we remember who we are.”

This year’s event had the same format as last year’s: two colleges coming together to worship. Emily Barry ’17, another Houghton student involved in the leadership of UNITED, said, “The goal of the event is for us to come together as one body of Christ in a clear and tangible way, by worshipping and praying alongside one another. It was a beautiful and powerful testimony to see students coming together like that.”

That Friday, the leaders of UNITED were happy to see the recital hall filled again for a second year as Houghton welcomed a group of Roberts students to campus. DeHaas stated, “Once again, it was good to see the recital hall filled. We had time to pray for one another and time to connect afterward with some of the folks from Roberts. All around, it was a blessing and encouragement to see the two student bodies come together as Christ’s body.”

Now that the second year of UNITED at Houghton has taken place, the organizers are looking to the future of the event. Melissa MacLean said, “I hope to make it an annual event for the two schools, as we otherwise don’t have much contact other than sports.”

Despite the rivalry between Houghton and Roberts Wesleyan, events like the UNITED Night of Worship continue to remind students that both of these Christian colleges exist for the same reason, to bring glory to God.

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Opinions

Queer Love Isn’t A Tragedy

Last semester I was invited to participate in a faculty, staff, and student focus group regarding how Houghton can best serve “same-sex attracted” students committed to celibacy. I was asked to be a part of the discussion as a representative of LGBTQ identified students who are open to same sex relationships. Other participants hoped I could provide insight into ways Houghton College, as a traditional institution, could support these students as well. However, it soon became apparent to me that, the way things stand now, Houghton College is unable to fulfill this ideal.

Mary Cronin RGB
Photo By: Anthony Burdo

Most of us wish our sexual ethics weren’t so divisive; why do the actions of adults in their own bedrooms have to affect our friendships, our politics, our faith?

Some of us may also feel disturbed by this whole matter. Why are the LGBTQ students so upset? It’s not like they’re being stoned. They’re just being asked to live by a “traditional” standard. How could that possibly be insulting or hurtful?

I won’t pretend this isn’t complicated. But I will say that if one holds a traditionalist perspective and also desires to “reach out” to LGBTQ people, perhaps try putting a camel through the eye of a needle first.

Most traditionalists (in this case, someone who thinks sexual expression ought to be limited to heterosexual marriage) do not actively advocate the physical or mental abuse of LGBTQ people. They don’t have to. The idea that being LGBTQ is a tragedy, a result of the fall, an embarrassment, an abomination, is enough. This poor theology has created a roadmap of self harm scars. It has divided families, broken up churches, and justified the removal of gifted and sincere leaders from campus ministries.

You cannot love your brothers and sisters in Christ while also viewing them as a tragedy. You certainly cannot build relationships with them.

An example: the Counseling Center recently hosted the 9th annual relationship retreat. Only opposite sex couples attended this year, as with every other year. The retreat, as always, was heavily advertised through various media, including The Star. Meanwhile, Houghton College is considering adding clarifying language to the Community Covenant which would make handholding between two men or two women suspect and grounds for a meeting in the Student Life office.

micahquoteOur community tells straight couples that their sexual desires are (or can be) beautiful, holy, worthy of public celebration. Yet it tells queer couples that one of their most human qualities, the longing to become one flesh with their beloved, is to be dealt with swiftly behind closed doors. On the one hand, affirmation and love, and on the other, shame and suspicion.

Sometimes, when I speak about this publicly, I am told that LGBTQ/ progressive students don’t have to attend Houghton. They can just leave; after all, this is a “voluntary community.” Let me remind those who are ready to post such a sentiment on YikYak that any Christian community is subject to the entire Body of Christ. When fellow Christians critique the actions of other Christians, particularly regarding issues of justice and love, the proper response is not “you’re welcome to leave,” but rather, “Please, join us at the table. Teach us how to love you.”

I know this sets up an ultimatum: values or people? I’m inclined to choose people, but I understand what’s at stake for traditionalists: their interpretation of Scripture, their churches, their whole worldview. All difficult things to question. But this community cannot last much longer sitting on the bubble, attempting to please both “sides” of this issue. There are real, vulnerable people caught in the crossfire. Christ is standing at the door, knocking; it’s time for Houghton College to open the door to LGBTQ voices.

Micah is a senior theology major.

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Letter to the Editor Opinions

Letter to the Editor // Chris Cilento

Dear Editor,

In January of 2015 I came back to Houghton after many long years away.  I was, at first, shocked and disheartened at the size of the LGBT+ community here.  But then something happened, I got to know some of them.  A few became friends.  I did some research and started reading my Bible.  I found out that these people are some of the nicest, most loving people you could ever hope to meet.  I realized that what I had been taught about homosexuality was wrong.  I also realized that we, as Christians, have done these folks a disservice in making pariahs of them.  I couldn’t help but think about how disappointed Jesus would be if he saw how we treated them.  Are we not commanded to treat everyone with love, compassion, dignity, and respect?

Monday night I participated in the SGA meeting discussing changes to the Community Covenant.  I was dismayed to see that the proposed language for change was even more exclusionary than before and blatantly discriminatory.  I grew more and more concerned as the meeting went on.  I could see tempers flaring on both sides.  The person mediating the discussion did an admirable job of keeping things from getting out of hand but the underlying tension is what bothers me.  While there were many fair questions asked on both sides of the issue I felt that the LGBT community was not being given a fair hearing.  To be fair, there were some questions the LGBT community brought up that could have been viewed as accusatory and threatening.

Folks, this is not the way to do it.   I came here because I needed a place where I could find peace after far too much time involved in the chaos of war.  Instead, what I found was a town torn apart by discrimination and hatred.  Good people beaten down and run out simply because they are different.  

In a world full of chaos and hate, Houghton College should be a shining beacon of love and mutual respect.  Instead we are falling into the same pit of wretchedness as the rest of the world.  Jesus Christ commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves.  He said “as you have done to the least of these, my brothers, so you have done to me” (Matthew 25:40)  He showed true compassion and love to the people the Pharisees saw as beneath them.  Should we not do the same?  Should we not show Christ-like love and compassion to everyone, no matter how different they seem to us?

So I offer a challenge.  Madam President, board of trustees, faculty and staff, fellow students: I challenge you to show the love of Christ to our LGBT+ community.  Change the Community Covenant to be more inclusive of all walks of life.  You don’t have to agree or even like it.  What you do have to do is show the love and compassion we are commanded to show.

To the LGBT+ community I also offer a challenge.  Be patient with us.  This process will not happen overnight and it will not be easy.  Work within the system for positive change.  My brother once offered me a bit of advice that I now offer to all of you: “Take the high road.  It is difficult to get there and hard to stay there, but the air is a lot clearer and you cannot beat the view!”  Handle this with the grace, patience, and love you have all shown me as I grew and learned.  

Blessings,

Christopher Cilento ‘19