Tag: houghton college

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Reviews Stories In Focus

Where Antelope Roam // A Book Reviewed and an Author Revered

A book review ought to start, more than likely, with the book. But my review can’t begin there. It begins with the man. The man who wrote the book, who gathered days and moments, adventures and seasons, who recalled and reminisced and turned memories to words, to pages, to chapters, to book: a collection of short stories bound in Where Antelope Roam.

Photo Courtesy of: Amazon.com
Photo Courtesy of: Amazon.com

I cannot separate the book from the man; but then, I don’t need to. This is autobiography—what makes the book worth reading is the man who lives a life worth reading. I vouch for the value of both.

I begin, however, with the author. An author I first knew as a professor.

With an energy and eagerness (either endearing or embarrassing) of my college freshman self, I sat in his Cultural Anthropology classroom. Before the end of his two hour class, I remember clearly thinking “I want to do what he does.” Now this, I’m coming to learn, has less to do with the specifics of doing—with mimicking job or education or, not to give too much away, the handling of horned vipers—but the being. And this is harder to articulate and harder to enact.

What I sensed in that classroom, and what I sense in the pages of this book, is this fullness of life. A character and a being, a posturing, that is wonderful—that is, really, full of wonder. It is this unwavering joy in life—a firm confidence in the value of here: this place, this person, this landscape and moment before me. It is this seeking and spotting of goodness that is wholly refreshing and inspiring. It is wise. In being lost, in carrying out difficult work in a sometimes difficult climate and context, in childhood and career and aging, in adventure and misadventure, there is a lightheartedness and there is always learning.

This is an incredible life and these are incredible stories about a person and a place, beloved. Africa, a continent so often stereotyped or skewed, is given life and image through Arensen’s stories: it is spectacularly beautiful and complex. much like the people that we are, like the lives we live, and the countries and continents we inhabit. This is a life and a continent that cannot be painted with a broad stroke. And it isn’t. Arensen’s stories, instead, are threaded with themes of humour, culture, spirituality, sorrow, knowledge, and wisdom.

This anthology, these stories, provides snippets and snapshots of a patchwork life, colourful, pieces unique and wonderful, each with a pattern and shade of their own.

My sophomore self, with a slightly more subtle enthusiasm, did end up doing what he did (or at least one of the things he did—it was a start). I signed up for his study-abroad program, a program he founded and directed for many years, in Tanzania. And on our first full day, he shared with his cohort of students this Anglican catechism: “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This is something Arensen, and his book, embodies. And it is this I hope to do—and be.

This is a book you ought to read, and a man you ought to know.

Rachel Woodworth is a Class of 2015 Houghton Alum.

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Stories In Focus

Art Exhibition Honors Houghton Alum

In 1953, a young student discovered his passion for painting in a Houghton College studio art class, one of the only ones offered before the art program was officially established. This artist, Ben Frank Moss III, went on to become a distinguished artist, a successful professor at two institutions, and eventually, the department chair at Dartmouth College after pursuing his desire to create and later teach art.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

This weekend, Houghton College and the Art Department will have the honor of hosting Ben Frank Moss III for an evening reception and artist talk on October 7. This event is the first show in the new annual Ben Frank Moss III Exhibition series, and will feature paintings from over a 30-year span of Moss’s impressive career as an artist and educator. Moss has maintained a close relationship with Houghton over the years and has continually supported the college. Alicia Taylor-Austin, director of the Ortlip Gallery exhibits and professor of art, recognized Moss and his dedication to Houghton. She said, “His commitment to the field and ongoing contribution to our institution has made it possible to provide financial means for continued growth and development of the students and faculty in the Art Department.”

Ben Frank Moss III entered his sophomore year before realizing a desire to pursue art as his primary focus. He took the advice of his professor at the time, Aimee E. Ortlip, to transfer to a school that offered a full art degree. After transferring to Whitworth College and earning his Bachelor’s degree, Moss went on to earn a Masters in Fine Art (MFA), at Boston University. He began his teaching career at the University of Iowa, and later moved to Dartmouth College, where he continued to teach and serve as chair of the art department.

According to professor of art, Ted Murphy, each year the department will exhibit an artist recommended by Ben Frank Moss III. They will begin the series with Moss’ paintings this year and feature his drawings next year.

“Moss works to articulate a unique, visual vocabulary that depicts his relationship to the world around him,” said Taylor-Austin. “From abstract dreamscapes to formal interpretations based on careful observation of the landscape, he has refined a style of painting that places him among the most admired painters of his generation.”

According to the Houghton website, the gallery will open to the public and all members of the Houghton Campus community from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on October 7 for the event. Visitors are encouraged to tour the exhibit before the Artist Talk with Moss at 6:00 p.m. in the Recital Hall. The Artist Talk will include an introduction to Moss, recognitions and special honors, a summary of his artistic process and work, and also a time for questions from the audience. A reception with refreshments will be held in the Center for the Arts Atrium following the talk. More information about the reception can be found on the Art Department webpage.

 

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Stories In Focus

Investing in the Future: Student Group Practices Investing at Houghton

Investing money may seem like an activity reserved for business professionals, but over the past fifteen years, Houghton College students have participated in this pursuit. Last year, Houghton College’s Investment Group outperformed professional investors by a wide margin, according to member Joseph Gilligan ‘17. This dynamic group uses their shared perspective as students to take risks and gauge the market in unconventional ways. The skills that they hone in the process make them better candidates for jobs and internships.

Photo from STAR Archives
Photo from STAR Archives

When the Investment Group was endowed by Houghton College in 2001, a select group of business students were given $20,000 to invest. Today, these funds have been increased to $350,000. To be eligible for the Investment Group, a student must hold a 3.5 grade point average and have taken several finance courses. Only juniors and seniors are accepted, with two exceptions in the history of the club. The first is Gilligan, who joined his freshman year. The second is Tyler Stetson ’20, who joined this semester. Both Gilligan and Stetson said they began investing in middle school. The group currently has 10 members, according to member Ryan Buckley ‘17.

To invest, the group must reach consensus. Their advisor, assistant professor of business administration Pil Joon Kim, has the ability to veto stock decisions made by students if he believes it is a poor decision, but this veto power has never been used. According to Jesse Toth ’17, that consensus is a very important part of the group dynamic. He said that senior members Buckley and Gilligan have differing views: “They present two sides of the argument, and you’re weighing the options. I’ve learned so much from watching them just going at it,” he said.

Buckley said his approach is more specific to companies, or microeconomics. Gilligan, meanwhile, prefers to focus on macroeconomics, or the big picture of economic trends. “Through our different approaches on investing, I always am confident in a stock choice we both agree on,” Gilligan said.

The group members attributed some of their success to their perspective as students. “Professionals wait until the hard numbers come in, but we look at the media and the big picture to predict where the best returns will be,” Buckley said. He gave two examples of stocks the group invested in recently that proved to be wise investments: Netflix and Disney. When Netflix’s monthly price went up, many people stopped investing in the company, Buckley said. However, as students, the members of the Investment Group knew that a few more dollars a month is a small price to pay for the ability to binge-watch shows. “People aren’t going to give up their Netflix,” Gilligan said.

The investment in Disney was also a choice that professional investors would not have made, because it was based on expectations rather than numbers. “We knew that Disney was opening a new park in China and lots of people would want to go to that. We also knew that Disney owned the Star Wars franchise and a new movie was about to come out,” Buckley said. These unconventional methods have helped them beat not only the stock market return, but top hedge funds, according to Gilligan.

In the past, the Investment Group has had many opportunities open up to them due to their success, Gilligan said. “Two years ago, we were invited to Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and Archegos Capital.  It was a great experience where we learned great trading techniques, gained a better sense of the nature of the work, and provided us with a great opportunity to network with top investment banks and hedge funds,” he said. He also said last year Hedge Fund Manager Bill Hwang visited the group. “It was a great experience to present our stock techniques to a person I have read about in books,” Gilligan said.

This semester, the Investment Group is on the cusp of discovering for themselves and implementing a brand new model. Their advisor has worked out a yet-unpublicized model of investing to predict where the price of a stock is going, and Toth said that Kim has asked the Investment Group figure it out for themselves using Excel. “Having a model that no one has used before,that’s huge. We can take advantage of that,” Toth said.

This semester, the Investment Group will have the opportunity to participate in a stock market competition at Temple University. The team will consist of Buckley, Gilligan, and Stetson.

“We will be competing against all of the best schools in the nation, but I am confident that with our investing strategy that we will win,” said Gilligan.

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Opinions Two Views

Hunter Gregory // On Black Lives Matter

When many people think of police officers, they think of violence, hate, and racism. When I look at my father and all of the other officers I grew up around, I see humility, compassion, and courage. I see men and women of all races and backgrounds leaving their families and risking their lives to protect their communities only to be met with curses, protests, and sometimes even murder. I do not support Black Lives Matter (BLM) because it targets honorable people like my father by turning a bullet of self-defense into a racial issue. This not only increases the racial divide in our country, but also leads to a detrimental lack of respect for law-enforcement.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

BLM claims to be a peaceful movement, and this idea is even backed by our president. The title of the movement is rather clever. After all, no one would want to say black lives don’t matter, right? Even I was hesitant to openly say I didn’t support the movement with the impending label of “racist” looming over my head. That is, until the Dallas police shootings. That night left my family in tears, fearing for my dad’s life who was to work a BLM protest the following day. We could picture ourselves in the place of those families who lost a father. This event was followed by several other shootings and mass protests claiming to be avenging the losses of young black men at the hands of corrupt and racist officers.

How legitimate are the BLM claims against police? Some claim most of the fatal cop shootings this year have targeted African-Americans. This is simply not true, since 54% of these shootings were at whites as of July (according to the Washington Post). People would still argue that the ratio of black deaths to the black population is still proportionally biased, but these numbers still say nothing about crime. Just because someone was shot by a police officer, does not mean the split-second decision was based on race. You can’t prove systematic racism with these statistics or out-of-context accounts or videos.

One of the main factors fueling the anger of BLM toward police is an ignorance of what the job of law enforcement entails. Officers ask people to do certain things (like raise hands, stop moving, get on the ground, etc.) because these ensure the officer, who has a family to return to, is safe. If someone disobeys an officer’s request, he or she, regardless of ethnicity, runs the risk of the officer taking precaution. Of course, an officer’s goal is never to shoot. Not only do they have to go through weeks of investigation and administrative leave after a shooting, but they also wrestle with the guilt of having ended a human life. The use of a gun is serious and is handled seriously each time. In the end, an officer makes the call he or she feels will uphold justice and keep everyone safe. There is no other group more actively fighting for black lives than the police. Of course mistakes are made, sometimes tragic mistakes, but this does not mean that there is systematic racial oppression embedded in our justice system. If anything, the fact that a movement such as BLM can get away with shutting down highways and looting stores and still get “condolences” from President Obama shows that there might be some racial bias, but not in a way that is ever talked about.

BLM isn’t unifying America, but rather dividing us by race. Many white families, especially cop families, now fear large groups of black people. Many black families fear officers and white people in connection with them. Neither one of these fears are Godly. The only one who can fix racial issues is the Holy Spirit, who enables us to love one another. As Christians we should not assume that every social movement is God’s will for justice. We should carefully discern everything so that we do not waste our efforts on endeavors that promote neither love nor Christ’s gospel.

Hunter is a senior music composition major with a minor in Islamic studies.

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Opinions Two Views

Joe Miner // On Black Lives Matter

I am about to make you uncomfortable in three words. Black lives matter. Perhaps you are already prepared to dismiss this article. When I say black lives matter, you envision riots in the streets. You may hear drawn out criticisms of the police in America or you may see a gang of mislead teenagers assaulting an innocent man on a bus or in a store. For a moment, take yourself out of that context. Forget about the civil rights group, forget about the protests, and forget about the debates you partake in on social media. Right now, we’re talking about black lives, and why they matter just as much as the white ones.

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

You may be thinking, “Black people do matter, just like white people, Hispanic people, orange people and blue people.” And maybe in your mind, they do. Maybe to you, black lives actually do matter. But, let me challenge you with this: if you actually believe that black lives matter just as much as everyone else, then why does no one mourn with the mourning?

When I hear about an unarmed black teen being gunned down, I think about my 12-year-old nephew, and how in a few years, he has the potential to see the same fate as Treyvon Martin saw a few years back. I think about how even though my nephew has a loving family, good grades, and a delightful personality, he could still end up as a statistic on the nightly news. When I see an unarmed black adult being gunned down, I worry for my own safety. I wonder whether or not going to McDonald’s after midnight is worth it.

So why does this matter? It matters because I mourn. I mourn the loss of another minority, and I am saddened over the apathy that much of the church has shown about this issue. It’s not fair that I see more people sharing links on Facebook about God’s Not Dead 2 than I see about the black men and women who die every day. It’s not fair that so much of the church is outraged about something a presidential candidate has said, but not show any compassion to their black brothers and sisters who are stopped and questioned by police for no reason. How is it that we can be outraged by wage increases and hour reductions, but no one cares that many African-Americans are afraid to go to Dollar General by themselves at night?

It would be very convenient if racism no longer existed and if black teens truly had an equal opportunity to live long, healthy lives. It would be convenient if minorities didn’t feel underrepresented and mistreated, and it would be convenient if we could all come to an agreement on social issues. However, Christ never called us to a life of convenience. The Bible shows us how to work through conflict, not avoid it. It teaches us to call out injustice, rather than blindly follow.

In a perfect world, race wouldn’t matter. No one would care who is black or who is white, and no one would have this inner fear and turmoil whenever they saw someone who is darker than them. In a perfect world, young black men would not make up the majority of prisoners in America, but the minority on a college campus. But we live in fallen world where race matters regardless of how much or how little you acknowledge it. We cannot get over race and we cannot simply see past it. No issue is resolved by ignoring it.

So what can you do about it? Stand by the side of your black brothers and sisters here at Houghton. Listen to their hurts rather than assuming that they’re being too sensitive. You do not have to go in the streets and protest. You don’t have to give up your guns or become a raging liberal in order to stand with someone who has been looked down upon by society because of the color of their skin. Don’t let us stand alone to be victimized by a system of oppression. Stand with us to show the world that in the Kingdom of God, there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, man or woman, and no black or white. Let’s show the grace, kindness, compassion and intentionality that America is unfamiliar with these days.

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

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Campus News

Campus // GenEd Revisions

Faculty received approval to make comprehensive changes to the current curriculum October of last year.  They hope to approve a new set of clearer requirements better aligned with the values of Houghton College that will be easier to communicate to students and advisers.  

Major changes are not yet in effect.  The updated curriculum could receive approval by November or December of this year, though it is  still too soon to say.  While small changes to procedure are constantly taking place, the intended shift would the most extreme remodel of the past decade.

One of the primary motivations for change is to remedy the complexity of the current system.  Professor of English and director of integrative studies, Susan Bruxvoort-Lipscomb said “One of the big goals of this is to make a general education curriculum that is clearer and more intuitive for advising.  That students, their parents, and their advisors should be able to look at our general education curriculum and know what classes to take.” Bruxvoort-Lipscomb continued,  “Right now, students have to go to a fairly large six page document with lots of different classes on it.  Students will say ‘I made mistakes, I took the wrong classes’ because it’s quite complex, the curriculum we have right now.’”

Junior Michael Sievers said, “I had a general concept of [the integrative studies] when I came in, but I had to do more research on what was required than I anticipated. I think it should be more structured as to the times that [students] take gen ed courses. Students shouldn’t be in their junior and senior years finding out that they still need [integrative studies courses].”

The proposed curriculum would bring a shift to more core classes, specific classes every student must take to fulfill a requirement.  Current procedure relies more on distribution requirements, for which a student has the choice among a range of classes that would fulfill a requirement.  However, required core classes from the draft proposal should be easier to fit into students’ schedules.  Classes such as Biblical Literature and Western Civilization would decrease credit hours from four to three.

Overall, the shift intends to match the ideals of Houghton College.  Bruxvoort-Lipscomb noted “Because Houghton is a liberal arts college we really strongly believe in a broad preparation.”  As a result, the draft for the new education curriculum recommends a higher emphasis on writing, global engagement, and theology classes than the current program.  The science, math, and social studies requirements would remain similar.   However, the suggested core classes are the classes most students already choose.

Any adjustments to the curriculum will take place gradually for the sake of current students.  “What happens whenever you pass a general education revision like this, is there are transition rules,” explained Bruxvoort-Lipscomb, “The registrar’s office will work with the faculty to decide how to make that transition…so transition rules will make sure students aren’t disadvantaged by the curriculum change.”  

“I feel like [the registrar’s office] makes things as it as clear as they can make them,” Sievers said, “but I think the advisors should be more aware that students are trying their best but they may not always understand. There’s sometimes a disconnect between what advisors expect students to know and what students actually know.”

Students who already completed the current general education requirements should find the transition to have little effect on their schedules.  It is not yet clear how the changes will affect the ease with which future students can transfer credits earned from advanced placement (AP)  exams or other institutions.

Already, the faculty has revised Houghton’s Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs), consolidating them from fifteen points to only 7. ELOs are “the big goals for what a Houghton education should do” and can be found under Institutional Research on the Houghton website.  Houghton’s mission is to “provide an academically challenging, Christ-centered education in the liberal arts and sciences to students from diverse traditions and economic backgrounds and equips them to lead and labor as scholar-servants in a changing world.”

Bruxvoort-Lipscomb recalled asking “How can we devise learning outcomes based on this mission statement?”

Some small changes currently affect new students.  For example, the new Personal Health and Wellness class fulfills the previous requirements of Health and Wellness as well as an activity credit.  Students will be able to learn of further changes through their advisers and the updated course catalog.

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Campus News

First Year Students Vying For Cabinet Positions

First year students vying for class cabinet positions delivered speeches to their peers Monday night at the weekly Student Government Association (SGA) meeting.

Student body president, Joanna Friesen ‘17, said votes for candidates were conducted via email, beginning on Tuesday September 27 and ended on September 28.

Skylar Hillman and James Argot each won their right to office by default. Hillman will assume the position of class treasurer and Argot will take office as class secretary. Argot cited a need for greater transparency, and detailed his plan to work with SGA to make meeting minutes more accessible, “possibly through a public Google Doc.”

sga-class-cabinet
Current SGA Executive Cabinet

No one ran for class historian, despite SGA vice president Daniel Merriam’s (‘17) calls for a volunteer for this “very important” position.

Celina Tijerina and Micah Modesto ran for class social chair. Tongue in cheek, Modesto stated she’d “cherish” the office.

The men’s chaplain campaign featured two candidates as well. Christian Arber, a communication and theology double major, cited his camp ministry as a strong qualification for the job. His competitor Juwan Moore urged his classmates not to vote for himself, but to “vote for whoever the Holy Spirit is convicting you to vote.”

“God is calling this generation to courageous care and radical love,” Moore stated in his speech.

Five candidates were slated for the women’s chaplaincy position. Kyla Nies, Emily Allen, Becca Loomis, Olivia Flint, and Abby Nayler each expressed their passion for Houghton’s mission, and their desire to serve their classmates’ spiritual needs. Loomis stated, “I love that we have so many spiritual events at Houghton, but I think sometimes they can make us spiritually numb. We need a revival.” Loomis proposed a discipleship and accountability group to launch said revival. Likewise, Allen said, “I want to play a part in leading our growth as a community.”

Madison Collins and Nathan Trouten ran for vice president. Trouten emphasized that, as an international student and an athlete, he feels especially qualified to serve these two groups in particular. He also promised to work closely with the president and treasurer to ensure the class cabinet stays within its budget. Collins expressed her desire to serve her classmates rather than “benefit from the efforts of others” all four years.

The speeches culminated with the presidential candidates. Jonathan Libby said his class was a group of diverse, high achievers, and “the challenges of diversity create leaders.” With high hopes for his classmates, he promised to be their “number one supporter” should he be elected.

Hannah Sievers highlighted her extensive experience in student leadership throughout her high school career. She was a member of “Sources of Strength,” a suicide prevention group. Sievers also participated in theatre, Student Council, and the yearbook club. She said she played an instrumental role in making the yearbook club into a credited class at her high school.

At the close of the candidate speeches, Merriam encouraged the first year students to remain involved, regardless of the election results. “You guys are the future of this college,”he said. “Stay involved, and carry on the Houghton legacy.”

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Campus News

Purple And Gold Week 2016

Houghton’s annual Purple and Gold week will occur alongside Homecoming Week, October 3 through October 8. This year, first year students and transfers were assigned to either the Purple or Gold teams, while in previous years students could choose their teams. As per tradition, the two teams will compete in various events throughout the week.

puple-and-goldThe origin of Purple and Gold stems from Houghton’s early history. Before participating in intercollegiate athletics, Houghton students competed against each other for Team Purple or Team Gold. The Campus Activities Board (CAB) intents to bring back Purple and Gold Week’s competitive spirit with a host of new and time-honored activities. Laura Cunningham, Resident director of Gillette, stated “I think Purple and Gold Week has expanded since I started working at Houghton. Powderpuff football was a main event a few years ago, but I like that there are other events that happen throughout the week.  I think there is greater momentum leading up to Homecoming Weekend.”

CAB member, Kasey Cannister ‘17, stated “Our main goal is to keep making the rivalry between Purple and Gold Strong. The past few years the rivalry has went away. Purple and Gold existed but it was not as strong of a competition as it was in the past. Last year we tried to emphasize Purple vs. Gold and ensure that there was a competition every single day. This year we are trying to do that again.”

Some of the events that are planned are a lip sync battle, trivia night, pudding tug of war, a flag football game,and capture the flag. In addition to those events, throughout the week there will be “pop-up” Minute To Win It games during lunch, and a sidewalk chalk competition. Saturday will host  relay races in which alumni are  encouraged to participate. The culmination of Purple and Gold week will be on Saturday night with Purple and Gold SPOT.

SPOT is the variety show that occurs once a semester. The fall semester hosts, Travis Trotman ‘17 and Sarah Duttweiler ‘17, chose to focus SPOT on Purple and Gold week. Duttweiler stated, “I think as the SPOT Hosts this year, we really wanted to build on that historic competition and have people really create this dedication to their teams.” She continued, “We have been working hard to make sure it is a good show, that it will be interactive, and exciting. We have seen a lot of great acts try out so we are really positive about the show. Everyone should make sure they come out for the show, sporting their team colors.”

An event unique to Fall 2016 will be the Tree of Life celebration. The Tree of Life, the tree at the center of the Field of Dreams, was struck by lightning during a severe storm this summer. CAB has planned a bonfire at the stump of the Tree of Life. According to CAB Townhouse representative, Tess Taggart ‘18, the bonfire will be a kick-off event for the homecoming and Purple and Gold festivities.

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Campus News

Transit Offers Houghton-to-Wellsville Connection

Students can now enjoy an afternoon in Wellsville for a small fee by utilizing Wellsville’s ACCESS Allegany transit bus Houghton-to-Wellsville service.

The forty minute drive costs just 50 cents each way, and provides students with the opportunity to partake in an array of activities. Possible activities include eating a meal at one of the many restaurants in town, shopping at local stores, seeing a movie, or visiting the local library.

wellsvilleHoughton College is not affiliated with this new transit service nor does the college contribute any funds; the transit service was founded by and for the businesses in Wellsville.  Consequently, the bus does not only stop at Houghton College at 5:20 p.m. on Thursday afternoons.  In addition to this Thursday evening shuttle, the Service Area Four provides transportation from Houghton College at 3:38 p.m. and 5:50 p.m. going to  Belmont, Monday through Friday.  The bus also makes other stops throughout Houghton and Fillmore, including Subway and Dollar General.  The Service Area 4 schedule can be found at ardentnetwork.org,

Marc Smithers, Assistant Dean of Residence Life and Programming, predicts the variety of restaurants will be most successful with Houghton students.  He recommended The Duke House Tea Room and Bakery on 244 Main Street, which,  serves pastries, cakes, cookies, and more than forty kinds of loose leaf tea.  Among Smithers’ other recommendations were L’Italia, Beef Haus, and Texas Hot, which has “awesome milkshakes.”

Julia Chamberlain, ’18, who rode the transit to Wellsville the first Thursday it was offered, was also very complimentary of Texas Hot.  “They cook the food right in front of the window,” she recalled. “And they’re so fast.  We ordered, and three minutes later they brought the food out.”  She and a friend explored some of the other restaurants and shops on main street, including the David A. Howe Library, which Chamberlain described as “a big, Greek museum.”

While she agreed Wellsville restaurants will play a key role in the success of the Wellsville transit, it is unfortunate some attractions, such as Bowl-m-Over Lanes and the Wellsville Creative Arts Center are not open by the time the Thursday evening shuttle arrives.  “It’d be nice if they really laid out everything there was to do,” Chamberlain explained. “We were searching around a lot for what there was to do.” Another student agreed that the transit would benefit from more advertisement.

Smithers added the transit is perfect for those “looking to get off campus,” not only because the cost of gas will not be an issue, but because of the opportunity it presents for students to journey together, form closer friendships, make memories, or “go on dates with boo.”

In addition to having fun, off-campus options and boosting the business of Wellsville, the Ardent Solutions website cites several benefits of public transportation, such as its producing 1.1 million jobs annually.  Additionally, economic returns yield $4 for every $1 invested in public transportation.  

Not only does Houghton College have the chance to bolster the public transit economy, but Wellsville’s Chamber of Commerce is in conversation with Allegheny County about potential discounts for Houghton students to make the transit accessible and viable for Houghton students for years to come.

The Thursday evening shuttle leaves Houghton at 5:20 p.m. and returns at about 11:00 p.m.  

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Stories In Focus

Equestrian Center Invites Houghton Community to Open House

For the second year in a row, the equestrian center will be hosting an open house, allowing community members and students to see a glimpse of the elusive equestrian lifestyle. Last November, Houghton’s equestrian program hosted its first open house, opening riding demonstrations, and lesson opportunities to non-majors and the surrounding community. The equestrian center will be hosting an open house once again this year, planned by equestrian student event organizer Grace Walker ’18. The event will take place on October 1, running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Photo by: Nate Morre
Photo by: Nate Morre

The open house, like last year’s, is intended to bring both income and awareness to Houghton’s Equestrian program. Among the events and activities, the open house will be advertising lessons, which the equestrian program offers throughout the year. “We teach lessons to students, little kids, middle-aged people,” Walker said. Walker also emphasized the hope the open house will attract people who have had little previous interaction with the equestrian center. “A lot of people go through the year and have never been up there,” she said. Equestrian student Hannah Levesque ‘18 also looks forward to the event for the same reason,          While last year’s open house took place in November, this year’s has been planned for early October, when, Walker hopes, the weather will be warmer. The event will also differ in using the entire facility instead of only having indoor events, and being “more of a day fair than a night time event,” Walker said. The event will have a variety of activities including face painting, hay rides, pony rides, a bounce house, concessions, and riding demonstrations, which Walker said she “hand-picked.” She noted there will be more opportunities for riding demonstrations at this year’s event, with five hours-worth as opposed to last year’s two demonstrations that only last ten minutes each.

Walker and the equestrian students look forward to showcasing their program this year. They expressed their appreciation for the professors, who Rebecca Rex ‘18 described  as “super knowledgeable. Levesque also discussed their faith and the influence it has. “I am encouraged by God-fearing professors who push and guide me to be the best that I can be as an equestrian, and as a follower of Christ,” she said. Walker echoed this by acknowledging their  relationships with the equestrian professors are intimate, that they are “your coach, mentor, professor, everything.” Smiling, she remembered a professor inviting her over for pancakes at 3 a.m..  

The equestrian majors are eager to share their passion with other students. Levesque said, “Not many people even know that Houghton has a barn, let alone what we do, and it will be great to show everyone what I am so passionate about.”. The equestrian program, according to Levesque, has allowed her to pursue her passion and, in addition, has given her an escape when things get tough., She said, “Horses have always been a good escape for me when life gets busy and Houghton’s Equestrian program has definitely allowed me to do that in various ways.” Walker, who is working toward one day participating in the Olympics, also appreciates the day to day benefits. “It’s the most mentally challenging thing I’ve ever done, yet also physical,” she said. “When you get it right, there’s no comparable thing.” Rex expressed enthusiasm that “the equestrian students and members of the Equestrian Society get to show our love of the horse industry to our friends and family.”

The open house encourages students, faculty, and community members to come regardless of having any experience with horses. While the open house celebrates the equestrian center, much of the intention is making people more aware of the center.  “You can never have been on a horse and we’ll welcome you with open arms,” Walker said. Walker also expressed a want for understanding, “I hope they come away with more understand of what equestrian means.”