Tag: Houghton

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Addie’s Ice Cream Coming to Houghton

This April, Addie’s Ice Cream is expanding its business to Houghton.

The company, cofounded by Houghton College alumni Addie and Andrew Silbert, began serving the town of Findley Lake, NY in May of 2009. By April of this year, they plan to open a new location adjacent to the fire hall parking lot. It will take the space that was formerly “Personal Effects” at 9746 Route 19. The space is their second location.

Addies“We plan to offer a variety of 16 flavors at our Houghton location,” Addie said, “We also plan to offer our homemade waffle cones, waffle bowls, sundaes, banana splits, milkshakes, floats, a variety of novelties, fresh brewed coffee and some baked items.”

Addie and Andrew met at Houghton College. Addie graduated in 2007 with a B.S. in business, and Andrew in 2008 with a B.A. in communications. In 2009, they opened a family restaurant and ice cream parlor near Addie’s hometown after moving there a year prior. Set two hours west of Houghton, Findley Lake became the stage for the couple’s entrepreneurial upstart.

The restaurant on Sunnyside Rd. (paralleled by Shadyside Rd. on the other side of the lake) became a beloved part of the community. As their shop grew, Addie and Andrew noticed that the product people kept coming back for was not their hot food, but rather their frozen treats. After two years of business, they decided to refocus solely as an ice cream shop. Until this year, their expansion has only reached out to vendors – including Houghton College’s Campus Store and 5Bites.

The company began to offer its product through 5Bites in late September of last year. Bradley Oliver (’15) works with Addie’s, managing stock and shipments of their ice cream to 5Bites. He says, “Addie’s really cares about our business’ success which was manifested in their deliveries and payment schedules. Addie and Andrew are both genuine people and are really passionate about their business.”

While many of the company’s products are available on campus already, the Houghton location offers new opportunities to the college and the community. With this space, Addie’s can get involved with the college’s students by providing employment opportunities that are currently few and far between outside of campus. In addition, Addie’s is interested in a potential relationship with the business program at Houghton, providing internships that will feature hands on experience in an entrepreneurial environment.

When asked what the couple’s impetus for opening a location in Houghton, Addie answered, “One of the reasons was the desire to begin to give back to a community that we both cared about. We wanted to contribute to the economic development of the Houghton community.”

Addie’s hopes to become an integral part of life for both students and non-students alike in the Houghton area. Look for their frozen treats to arrive as Houghton thaws this April.

 

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Stories In Focus

Behind the Scenes: Rene Stempert, Mother of Gillette

Rene Stempert is a familiar face for many on campus; most know her from her maintenance work in Gillette, but perhaps more know her as a friendly and caring role model and friend.

StempertPart of Stempert’s dedication and discipline when it comes to running the maintenance in Gillette stems from the time she spent in the Air Force and the Air National Guard. Describing her choice to head to the military as “running away from everything [she] knew,” Stempert spent about five years on active duty stationed in Louisiana. In the midst of her life in the military, Stempert married and became pregnant with her first child. While on active duty and during her pregnancy, Stempert remembers one moment that stood out from all the rest, the moment she was saved. Stempert’s husband at the time was a particularly negative force in her life, and it was her supervisor who introduced her to Christianity and eventually played a part in her conversion. Following the birth of her son, Stempert separated from her husband, and requested to be stationed closer to her home to start a new chapter of her life.

While juggling to care for her son and working at the base in Niagara Falls for the Air National Guard in 1994, Stempert met the man who would not only bring her to Houghton, but soon become her second husband. The two met and married in a matter of months, eight to be exact, and Stempert excitedly started her job at Houghton the following month.

As a new Christian, Stempert felt at home here at Houghton surrounded by people who made countless positive impacts on her life. However, after working a few years, Stempert began to realize that she too could have an impact on those around her on campus, she found herself being both having a mentor and being mentored. Stempert started with the little things, remembering her residents’ names , and she was surprised at “how much of a difference it made, especially for freshmen.”

Kayla Miller, a freshman biology major, first met Stempert when she recruited her help to deal with their unbearably squeaky beds.  Though she was expecting Stempert to keep the conversation to the squeaky beds, she was surprised at just how friendly she was.  “She didn’t just want to help us about the bed but was asking us questions and sharing with us about her life.”  Miller and her roommate enjoyed talking with Stempert as they took care of her furniture.

Making it her mission to learn the name of every girl in the dorm, Stempert continued to invest in her residents by making herself available to listen, pray, and offer support. Additionally, Stempert has gone above and beyond and has taken the initiative to invite Gillette’s RAs over to her home for dinner, where her chili was a hit.

Not only was Stempert a positive influence on her residents, she was also a strong role model. Following her divorce from her second husband, Stempert acknowledged that she “could’ve picked a number of paths,” some very negative, but instead she described herself as “giving it to God,” and let Him “carry her through it.” An experience she noted made her faith stronger than ever.

Although working in maintenance may seem like it could be a dull job most of the time, Stempert has her share of horror stories, the most memorable involving bats. Always a “scary and funny thing,” Gillette’s bat problem used to be quite significant with bats swooping through the halls in the basement New of Gillette, barely missing getting tangled up in the residents’ hair. Stempert and the rest of the maintenance staff soon discovered that with the use of a broom and a bucket, the bats could be safely and humanely removed and released back into the wild. Even though there have been measures put in place to keep the bats out, a couple occasionally wriggle their way in, making for a lively evening for Stempert and her colleagues.

Outside of the work she does at Houghton, Stempert has been a part of Campus Life Youth for Christ in Belfast for about four years. Stempert enjoys being able to work with youth outside of the college, particularly having the opportunity to “show the love of Christ through spending time with them.” Plans to start a Bible study with this group are also in the works for Stempert.  When she’s not investing her time in others, Stempert enjoys gardening immensely, as well as taking her dog Brody for walks.

 

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News

Islamic Studies on the Ropes

As part of a recent series of academic budget cuts, Islamic Studies will no longer be offered as a minor or as a concentration in the Intercultural Studies major. Decisions to make such cuts began back in October, with various meetings with the Academic Council, faculty, and the academic affairs committee of the board of trustees aiding the decision-making process. Academic Dean Linda Mills Woolsey, in charge of making such cuts, stated that, “Ultimately, the decision is my decision as the dean, so I take responsibility for it even though I’ve consulted with other people,” adding that “the decision making for these things is a process.”

Courtesy of http://iqraislamicstudies.webs.com/
Courtesy of http://iqraislamicstudies.webs.com/

One of the driving reasons behind the cuts is a lack of student interest and enrollment in the program. The Islamic Studies program had managed to occupy a middle ground in terms of enrollment in the early years after its initiation in 2006; however, enrollment numbers have since dwindled. The minor has managed to maintain an average of 8.2 minors every five years between 2009 and 2013, but the concentration in the Intercultural Studies major experienced a decline in numbers between 2011 and 2013, averaging 3.6 majors with the Islamic Studies concentration per five years. This year the minor numbers three students while the concentration numbers two. Mills Woolsey cites an overall decline in college enrollment as one of the reasons behind the shrinking of the program, but admits that certain disciplines have suffered more than others. “As our enrollment has declined, it hasn’t declined proportionately across the board, so we’re investing a lot in really small majors.” Michael Walters, chair of the religion, theology, and Bible departments, takes a different view. “I know our numbers in our department have been down a little bit, so I think it’s reasonable to assume that the pool of students who would normally be interested in that sort of thing has been a bit smaller than it was in the past, but I don’t think that’s a sufficient explanation.” Mills Woolsey also expressed a sense of confusion at the lack of student interest. “I thought with the coming of the Arab Spring there would be a resurgence in student interest in Islam, so I don’t know whether it’s that our students aren’t interested in that or that there’s something about the way we framed the minor or the concentration didn’t have a broad enough usefulness for students.”

Further rationale for the cuts determined that the funds from the minor and concentration were needed more in certain under resourced disciplines such as finance, digital media, and biochemistry. According to Mills Woolsey, the cut of the Islamic Studies program is part of the college’s effort to deal with problem areas “where we need to make full-time hires and we don’t have the budget to make those hires, so right now we’re looking at, and will continue to throughout the course of this year, minors and concentrations that have very few students.”

Another problem for the program is its dependence on two part-time professors also engaged in missions work, a situation which creates potential for future career conflicts. “It’s just owing to the good generosity of the missions agencies that Drs. Hegeman and Little work with that we’ve been able to do what we’ve done,” said Walters. “I think that’s very unsettling to a college administrator. What happens if those missions organizations simply say, “we need you to be full-time in Benin or Morocco’? We don’t have anybody in our department who can teach that stuff.” There had been consideration of merging Islamic Studies with the religion department with religion professors teaching similar classes, but, as Walters further explained, “I don’t think we have faculty right now in the department that are qualified to do it.”

While various faculty members expressed regret at the cuts, there is some agreement that changes need to be made to its structure if there is any chance for its reinstatement in the future. Marcus Dean, chair of the Intercultural Studies department, attested to the diversity of the program in its applications, stating that “Some focus on developing an academic understanding of Islam and some are more outreach or missions focused.  This makes the content applicable in diverse areas of service. For example, one of the Islam courses has been an option for international development programs.” Walters also cited applications in international business.

Mills Woolsey wondered if more areas could be covered in the program to capture student interest. “Islamic Studies as we’re doing it is primarily the study of Islam as a world religion and a study from an apologetic, missiological perspective, which are very good things, but it may be that there’s not a big enough group of students who want that perspective on Islam. The other areas where you could study Islamic culture would be social, political, even the art and architecture of the Islamic world. Islamic Studies is kind of a broad field.” She added, “It’s obvious that Islamic Studies is an important field of study, but we haven’t framed it in a way that’s attracting a lot of students, so we have to go back to the drawing board and see what can be done to make this more inviting to students, more accessible to students… sometimes you do have to take something down to build it up again.”

 

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News

Women’s and Men’s Soccer Teams Compete at Nationals Tournament

As both the men’s and women’s soccer teams have finished their season play, they are headed to Kissimmee, Florida to play in the NCCAA regionals. Still in a transitional year to NCAA division III, neither team is allowed to compete in Empire 8 championship games.

Courtesy of houghton.edu
Courtesy of houghton.edu

The tournament is run like the World Cup in that there are three pools of three teams each. Seven are their respective region’s champions and two are at large bids. The top team that earns the most points from each pool will advance to the final four along with one wild card team. Three points are earned for winning, one point for tying, and no points for losing.

The women finished strong with a record of 13-3-1. They hosted Regionals against Mount Vernon Nazarene University, defeating them 2-0, to go on to Nationals. This is the eleventh consecutive year that the women’s team has headed to Florida for Nationals.

Houghton’s pool includes: Trinity Christian College and Azusa Pacific University. The other teams competing are Palm Beach Atlantic University, Lee University, Grace College, Judson University, Point Loma University and Dallas Baptist University. Houghton is the eighth seed.

“Since we have made it to the final site for Nationals in the past, we are really seeking to get past that first game in the tournament with a win,” said senior captain Amanda Zacchigna, “I’d love to see our team make it to the final four playing in our style that we have been working on mastering all season.”

Unfortunately, the women lost both pool play games.  The score of the first game against the second seed, Trinity Christian College was 3-1 and 2-1 against Azusa Pacific University. They finished well with a record of 13-5-1.

“We would like to play good, quality soccer and advance to the Final Four,” said Coach David Lewis.

“The players have been working exceptionally hard since the close of the regular season. Despite very cold conditions and occasional snow they have put in some strong training sessions. The level of improvement since the onset of the season is quite evident.”

The men concluded their season against Roberts Wesleyan with a score of 2-0. Their final record was 15-2-1. They are headed to Florida to compete for the NCCAA Division I national championship.

As the fourth seed, their competition for pool play consisted of Southern Wesleyan University, to which Houghton lost 2-1, and Campbellsville University, which won with a score of 4-1, knocking Houghton out of the tournament. The other teams competing were Fresno Pacific University, Lee University, Mid-America Christian University, Judson University, Spring Arbor University, and Mississippi College.

“Goals are to play as many games as possible…and make it to the final,” said senior captain Paul Seddon, “But really to play to our full potential.”

Seddon was honored at the opening banquet with the Kyle Rote Jr. Award. He was honored for his leadership skills, academic performance, and contribution to the men’s soccer team throughout his years attending Houghton.

“I can see why old people move to Florida for retirement.  It is so mild and comfortable this time of year,” said Seddon, “I couldn’t think of a better way to end my college career.”

“I am thrilled to have our season end in Florida. We did what we needed to do throughout the season to make it to this point and we’re exactly where we should be,” said Zacchigna, “We’re good enough to compete with the teams at this tournament, so anything less than making it to the final site would have been a disappointment.”

 

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News

Buddy’s Place Now Open for Business

This past November 9th saw the opening of yet another venture aimed to bring more business to the town of Houghton. Buddy’s Place, which had its first open house then, currently offers spaces for rent to community members, students, and other interested renters in the area to retail artisan crafts and other goods.

Buddys_PlaceAlthough the establishment has received support from the Houghton Group, a collection of professors and community members interested in bringing business and further economic development to the Houghton area, the venture itself was spearheaded by Ralph Kerr, Houghton Group member and owner of the upcoming Genesee Rapids baseball team. Ken Bates, business professor at Houghton and Houghton Group member, said, “We began considering this about three months ago if my recollection is correct. When Ralph brought up the ideas there was an immediate positive reaction and several began suggesting possible businesses that would be interested possibilities.” Added Kerr, “We kind of play off each other and if somebody has an idea, we may just throw it out there.”

The name comes from Buddy Keith, a member of the Houghton community member who passed away about a year ago. “”Buddy was the headmaster of the Houghton Academy for years and years and he and his wife–this was their family home,” explained Kerr. “To the people that live in this area, Buddy Keith was like an icon.”

With eight total rooms open for rental, Buddy’s Place offers spaces at rates per square foot as well as deals on full-, half-, and quarter-room rentals. Several community members have expressed interest in renting spaces. Stephanie Wittenrich, administrative assistant for the Genesee Rapids who is also involved with the project, described the visitors as “a lot of local crafters, just a lot of community members that are crafty but … want to team up with other people. There’re a lot of people in the community that are creative and belong to little groups, so they just do crafts on their own. So, they’re all trying to look at forming groups to rent out spaces together.”

According to Wittenrich and Kerr, two of the available rooms have already been taken. “The first people in this morning… they run a place called ‘Tracy’s Delightfuls.’ They do gift baskets and sell candles and home decorating kinds of things and they also run the Tuxedo Junction tuxedo rental shop…” said Kerr during the open house. Other interested parties have come from the local Allegany Artisans. In addition to accommodating community members, Kerr has also expressed a willingness to work with college faculty and students in putting their pieces up for sale. “We know that, particularly for the students, they’re not going to be in a place where they can commit to a rental,” said Kerr. “But, we’d like to work out something where we could give them a wall to display their stuff and leave it here under consignment or something.”

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News

Sodexo Opts for Local Food Suppliers

Courtesy of sodexoeducation.com

Sodexo has recently made an effort to use locally- and regionally-produced and grown foods.  Within the last school year, over 23% of the produce served in the dining hall, from potatoes to lettuce, was grown within 250 miles of Houghton. Despite a decrease in students, there has been a steady increase in the local and regional produce being served.

However, there is a limit to the local places from which Sodexo make make purchases. For instance, there are guidelines that prevent Sodexo from purchasing food from farms that have not gone through a process of meeting safety regulations. These regulations help companies track the source of contaminated foods as well as other routine safety measures that benefit consumers’ health. Tina Powers, general manager, stressed that Sodexo loves the small farmer and small businesses. These are the places that are making new things and doing it with quality. A large company like Sodexo has the means to purchase large amounts of product that can greatly benefit a local economy.

Many of the gluten-free products available in the dining hall comes from a shop in Ithaca, NY. All of the dairy products used by Sodexo at Houghton are from a local company. Sodexo is also willing to work with any small farm that wants to make the transition to become a Sodexo supplier.  For example, Powers shared an anecdote of a sunflower farmer who wanted to sell his sunflower oil to Houghton and they helped him make connections with the people who could help him be inspected and regulated. However, when safe, sometimes Sodexo finds ways to work around the strict guidelines. During homecoming, Powers went out and purchased bags of potatoes from a local farmer to make the dining hall’s salt potatoes.

Two students who have worked for Sodexo for multiple years expressed the significance of local foods and in-house processed foods in the dining hall’s offerings. Emily Raczelowski, junior, sees the value value of using more local products in its reduced cost and reduced environmental impact because of transportation. Jonathan Hardy, senior, said, “Over the last four years I noticed a gradual increase in quality and variety of offerings.  This year is, of course, the largest change yet.”

This semester, the dining hall made a change to serving more foods that have been processed in-house. The rationale behind this was that the food had to be processed somewhere and that food is the best quality when it is processed as close as possible to the time it is served. Raczelowski said that “the benefit of processing whole foods in-house is that as an employee I can see firsthand what is being done to my food.” Most of the salad bar as well as ingredients in the soup and other areas are now all prepared in the kitchen. This is of nutritional and other health benefits. Powers mentioned the shredded carrots on the salad bar. They are not as good when they have been pre-shredded and packaged and have added ingredients to keep them fresh. One might have also noticed the lettuce on the salad bar is not the same lettuce that comes mixed with carrots and cabbage in a bag.  Powers discussed the fact that the salad is now often browning on the salad bar. This is because it is fresh and has not been treated to prevent browning.

Cafeteria workers have also been trying to find ways to process whole foods as close to the serving time as possible. The drawback to this new policy is that, even though they save on money on produce because they are not paying someone else to process it, they have had to increase labor and pay for more waste removal. Powers feels that the benefits strongly outweigh the increased cost.

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Stories In Focus

The Howards: A Houghton Legacy of Love and Learning

It is fascinating to watch professors David and Irmgard Howard together, and it is difficult to explain why. If you ever have the privilege to sit down with the two of them and have a conversation, this feeling will make sense to you as well.

Howards_NewFor example, if there is a question presented to them that requires both partners to answer, there will be a slight pause when the Howard’s look at each other. This is the part that is hard to explain, because you can feel the presence of the information highway that is passing between David and Irmgard, a connection that slows down time and allows the two of them to non-verbally communicate with each other before answering the question. Perhaps that’s just the power two people gain with forty-five plus years of marriage.

The Howards have been teaching here, David in History and Irmgard in Chemistry, since 1970. This effectively makes them the most experienced faculty couple here on campus. The swing set near the science building used to be the place where their home stood. There, David and Irmgard raised four children while continuing to teach at the college. “I was teaching full-time and she part-time,” said David. “This allowed us to switch off with child care, so we never really had to hire a babysitter. We always had a parent right there with the kids. We lived within walking distance to our job as well, so it was as convenient as you could possibly imagine.”

“Houghton College arranged our schedules so that we could…” Irmgard began, but then was cut off by her husband. “Well, we arranged our schedules and they agreed to it,” said David, and both professors shared a laugh. “Right, we could always switch off,” finished Irma.

Remnants of this schedule remained in the class schedule until very recently. Some science labs used to begin at 2:15pm instead of 2:00pm like it is done now. This was so one Howard could run home to take care of the kids while the other Howard ran to begin the next set of classes. One couple affected the schedule of a whole college for almost forty years.

When asked if the school has changed over the years in terms of hiring both men and women as professors over the years, the Howard’s explained that the college has employed married couples since they started back in the 1970’s and has been willing to work with couples and their complex schedules. They also agreed that working as a married couple is not any different today than it was back then.

“My conclusion is that, if you’re not in direct competition with each other, that working together is a great way to strengthen a marriage,” explained David.

After forty-four years of working as a team and teaching at the same school, retirement is on the horizon for at least one Howard, with Irmgard in semi-retirement this semester. As far as the other Howard is concerned, it may still be a while longer before he’s ready to move on.

In response to the question if he was looking forward to retirement as well, David answered with a definite “No.”

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Opinions

Selflessness and Humility in the NCCAA

This past weekend the Houghton cross country team competed at the National Christian College Athletic Association National Championship meet in Cedarville, Ohio. Roughly 50 meters before the finish, Cara Davenport, Houghton College junior, collapsed and was unable to keep going. Moments later, teammate Judith Marklin, Houghton freshman, stopped for Davenport and carried her through to the finish line, crossing it together.

The meet official disqualified both girls, saying they aided each other during the race. The whole situation pushed the women’s team from about seventh place to eighteenth place overall. But in a situation where helping another competitor damages ones own race-time, especially at a national championship meet, should a rule of aiding a teammate apply?

Section 8, subsection f, of the NCAA XC and Track and Field rule book states that an athlete can be disqualified “If unduly aided by a coach, a teammate not in the race or a non-competitor associated with the team.”

Marklin had not yet finished the race, so what exactly did she do wrong? The rule doesn’t include

runners who are also competing, allowing you to question the call made by the official. For those who witnessed the dramatic finish, it is safe to say cheating did not cross their minds, but instead I imagine they saw complete selflessness and love.

In a case where the “rules are rules” mentality wins, there is little to be done. Although many coaches of opposing colleges voted in favor of Davenport and Marklin, saying they should not be disqualified, the meet official had the final say. In the end, it was 100% the official’s decision in the disqualification. Had the assisting of an athlete helped the school, that would be cheating, but should the rule need to apply to all situations? Although the legality of it all makes sense, what does

the situation say about ethics?

The mission statement of the NCCAA reads, “The NCCAA is an association of Christ-centered collegiate institutions whose mission is to use athletics competition as an integral component of education, evangelism and encouragement.”

What happened on the course that day reflected exactly that. Those watching and competing alongside Davenport and Marklin were educated and encouraged at that moment. To see such humility can encourage everyone to do something great when the chance is presented to him or her.

nccaa

An organization, which is meant to be founded on the teaching and ways of Christ, disqualified an athlete for doing exactly what Christ calls us to do. Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

“The selflessness of a teammate to stop their race and give up their individual glory to help a teammate to the finish. That is the reason I coach, because the spirit of sport is revealed and the true character of our athletes shines through,” said cross country and track and field coach, Matthew Dougherty.

“After the race as Judith and I were helping Cara to the bus a girl from another team came up to us and told Cara what an awesome finish she had and how great Judith was for helping her,” explained Houghton senior and cross-country captain Leah Williams.

Despite the NCCAA’s decision to disqualify both Davenport and Marklin, there is still a great story to be told. It almost brought me to tears watching the two of them cross the line. “Cara has been such a strong asset to the team this year and to see her give everything she had to get across the finish line makes me so proud to call her my teammate. And for Judith to sacrifice her own race is one of the most selfless acts I’ve ever seen,” said Williams.

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Stories In Focus

Behind the Scenes: Sodexo Student Supervisor, Ed Taylor

Ask any student worker in the Houghton Cafeteria about Ed Taylor and you will probably hear words like ‘dedicated,’ ‘humble,’ ‘supportive,’ and ‘hard working’ used to describe him. After working in the cafeteria for over 30 years, Ed Taylor is highly respected and looked up to by many.

Ed_Taylor“Working for Ed is like working for a favorite uncle. You know that he expects you to work hard, but you also know that he won’t let the job get too hard for you, and if you mess up, he’ll be right there to help you out,” explained senior, Benjamin Hardy.

Though many may not know of him, the students who work for Taylor speak very highly of him. Taylor currently works with Sodexo as the Student Supervisor, alongside his wife, Tracy Taylor, who also works in the Houghton Cafeteria. Taylor primarily works behind the scenes, though occasionally you can spot him around the cafeteria helping wherever he is needed and never failing to say hello to the students who pass him.

Becoming the Student Supervisor has allowed Taylor to create strong relationships with students and be a role model for them. When talking with Taylor in the cafeteria, no matter the question, he always related his answers about the students and how they are a big impact on his career. “That’s the only reason I’m still here, I like working with the college kids. I have fun,” said Taylor.

“He loves his student workers and the students who come up to eat in the cafeteria for four years of their life, and that care is very obvious.” said Hardy. This care was evident as Taylor and I talked alongside his co-workers, taking time out of his short lunch break.

Ed Taylor graduated from Houghton College in 1982 with a degree in math education. He soon realized teaching was not for him after spending a semester student teaching, which led to his career with Houghton College. He worked in the cafeteria through all four years as a Houghton student and continued to do so upon graduation. From 1982 to 1985 Pioneer Dining Services sent Taylor to work at other colleges but he was able to find his way back to Houghton and has not left since.

While working with Pioneer Taylor had many responsibilities making his workweek over sixty hours. After the switch from Pioneer to Sodexo, Taylor’s current job as Student Supervisor is more focused, giving him fewer responsibilities, allowing him to focus mainly on the students. He oversees and helps the student workers as well as other completing other jobs needing to be done in the cafeteria. “With Pioneer I did everything, now I’m just in charge of the students,” said Taylor, “It was definitely a big change but in the end it was better for me. ”

Dr. Anthony Petrillo, community member and friend of Taylor said of Taylor, “I think that’s why the students are attracted to working with him, he’s a Godly man and does his job well… He lives the statement: ‘To preach the gospel always and if necessary use words’,” said Petrillo.

Having spent many years in the Houghton Community Taylor discussed how he has seen the college change over the years. Taylor said, “It was like one big family, a lot more floor activities, and class activities. That’s something I think they can get back to.” Taylor expressed how he feels Houghton has stepped away from a tight knit community, especially with the building of the townhouses. The school has also grown in number since Taylor first came here, which he also felt has changed the feel of Houghton.

“He makes the cafeteria an inviting place for freshmen to work. He sets the mood and makes work fun,” said Hardy.

Taylor is someone who genuinely loves his job and has a positive outlook on life. When discussing a large pay cut he received to be able to continue working at Houghton after the switch from Pioneer to Sodexo, his response was simply, “It’s a benefit for me, now I get to work with my wife everyday.”

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News

Houghton-Backed Vocal Group to Give Performance at Carnegie Hall

Members of the Houghton College choirs will be embarking on a trip this spring to perform on the same stage that esteemed musicians such as the New York Philharmonic and The Beatles have graced over the years.

choircloseupcolor3x2jpgLed by Dr. Brandon Johnson, The National Sacred Honor Choir is an ensemble of Christian musicians wishing to spread their faith through music. The choir is made up of both past and present students, faculty, and staff, as well as other professionals and vocalists from around the globe, with Canada, China, Morocco, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe represented among other countries. Accompanied by a skilled orchestra and including performances from professional soloists, the group will perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

“There is no more venerated hall in the world than Carnegie and launching this new national initiative at such a celebrated place as Carnegie is both an honor and a sacred trust,” Dr. Stephen Plate, Dean and Director of the Greatbatch School of Music, said. “All the music performed will be done to the glory of the Lord by people who join their God-given talents in honor of the God who is the giver of every good and perfect gift.”

In order to practice for the performance, students involved in this opportunity are required to take a great deal of time out of their schedules: approximately seven and a half hours every week just for choir rehearsals. Participation is by invitation or through audition only. Although Johnson and other faculty members have stopped at several Christian institutions on the east coast for auditions, the majority of student auditioners typically send in a letter of recommendation from a voice instructor which outlines their capabilities. Olivia Roland, a sophomore vocal performance major and soloist for the National Sacred Honor Choir, stressed the amount of work and detail that the choir is putting forth to ensure a spectacular performance this spring. “College choir meets every day for an hour and a half or so,” Roland stated, “Rehearsals are extremely rigorous. It’s hard work, but in the end, it will be so worth it.” Performers not only must integrate their voices with others’ in the group but also work on pronunciation, as the majority of the pieces are written in Latin.

Johnson emphasized that the point of the concert was not simply to perform a set of pieces and showcase the ensemble’s vocal abilities. “There are a lot of great musicians in the world and a lot of opportunities to make really great music, but I wanted to explore the ideas behind whether or not it mattered that we’re Christian, whether it mattered in our music-making, not just in an internal way, but in an external way.” Collin Price, a sophomore vocal music education major and member of the ensemble, also expressed the choir’s first and foremost priority as delivering the message of God through music to Christians and non-Christians alike. “I’ve learned that it’s not always what’s written on the page that matters,” Price said, “It’s how you convey the music and what it means to those listening.”

The audience can expect to hear three works during the choir’s performance: Mozart’s “Requiem”, Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy”, and a new contemporary piece, “Cantate Domino,” by Houghton music professor Dr. David Davies. “It promises to be an emotional and powerful performance,” Plate ensured.

The National Sacred Honor Choir will meet together in New Jersey to rehearse for three days prior to their inaugural performance at Carnegie Hall on March 9, 2014.