Tag: President

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Campus News

President Lewis’ First Semester in Review

By Joshua Carpenter ('24)

​In the Fall semester of 2021, Houghton College welcomed Dr. Wayne D. Lewis, Jr. as its 6th President. Since then, Lewis’ first semester has ended, with his second having just begun. Meanwhile, positive feedback on his presidential performance is flowing in from all over Houghton.

​Micah Williams (’23) sat down with the STAR in an interview to discuss his first impressions of President Lewis, noting his appreciation for Lewis’  frequent presence on campus, also adding that “It’s nice to see the president of the school where they are just sitting in chapel and being there with us, or even just seeing him drive around campus and knowing that his presence is there… it’s nice to just have his presence there.”

​Looking at President Lewis from a professional angle, Dr. Gaerte, a communication professor who has been teaching public speaking for more than 35 years, observed his inaugural address with positive remarks, referring to it as “outstanding”. Gaerte also wrote that , “ He struck an effective balance between honoring Houghton’s long traditions and showing connections to past presidents like James Luckey, Stephen Paine, Dan Chamberlain, and Shirley Mullen, and yet clearly articulating how he will continue to shape Houghton going forward in his own unique way. That can be a difficult balance for a new president – how do I respect the past and those who helped create this office before me yet while establishing my own vision for my presidency.”

​In search of a personal comment, The STAR reached out to President Lewis to ask him some questions to better understand his own thoughts and feelings towards his presidency and Houghton in general. He answered, “The Houghton College community, including students, staff, faculty, and alumni, have been incredibly welcoming, kind, and gracious to me and my family. We are thankful that God brought us to such a generous and Christ-centered community.” President Lewis  also commented on what he thinks are Houghton’s greatest strengths, having said, “Houghton’s greatest strengths are its people and its faith. I have never served at an institution with a more loyal and committed community. Our people love Houghton, and it shows… As well, the Houghton community’s historic and continuing belief that God will faithfully provide resources and direction to the college is a hallmark and tremendous strength of our community. I share in that longstanding faith belief. As long as we “Trust in the Lord with all [our] heart and lean not on [our] own understanding; in all [our] ways submit[ting] to him, he will make [our] paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

With a presence welcomed by both students and faculty alike, President Lewis has shown Houghton that not only is he enjoying its people, but his presidency as well.★

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Campus News

Excitement Builds for Houghton’s Sixth Presidential Inauguration

On October 1, 2021, Dr. Wayne D. Lewis Jr. will be inaugurated as the 6th president of Houghton College. Photo Courtesy of Michael Blankenship.

By Anna Catherman (’24)

Purple and Gold Week will come to a climax on Friday, Oct. 1 with the inauguration of Houghton College’s sixth president, Dr. Wayne D. Lewis, Jr. Dr. Lewis has been serving in the role since June, but traditionally Houghton’s presidential inaugurations have taken place the first weekend of October, usually alongside the numerous annual Homecoming activities. While Homecoming has been scaled back this year, the Inauguration is set to provide a unique experience for students currently on-campus, as well as faculty, staff, and a handful of invited guests.

The main event of Inauguration weekend will be the ceremony itself, which is set to take place in the Wesley Chapel on Friday from 10-11:30 a.m. With concerns around COVID-19 still plaguing much of the country, the crowd will be smaller than previous inaugurations, but there will be some distinguished guests. 

Inside the chapel will be President Lewis’s family and friends, along with some Houghton faculty, staff, and students. Dr. Shirley Hoogstra, president of the Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities, will be in attendance along with delegates from a handful of colleges, including John Schneider from Harvard University. Schneider is a Houghton alumnus and a great-great-great grandson of Willard J. Houghton. Alumni, community members, and others are being invited to watch the Inauguration via a live stream.

The ceremony will have a strong worship element, as requested by President Lewis and his family, and will feature many members of the Houghton community in responsive readings, prayers, and speeches. Student Body President Malachi Yeager (‘22) will be representing the Main Campus students in the ceremony. He will be participating in a charge to the President, given alongside Patricia Davis, who will be representing Buffalo East Side, and Aaron Salomon, who will be representing Buffalo West.

Yeager told the STAR “I am honored to be a part of such a historic event. This was not something I had anticipated being a part of when I was in the running for Student Body President. It’s not often Presidential Inaugurations take place and thus I hope the Lord blesses the ceremony and President Lewis’s future service to the college.”
Many other events will take place throughout the weekend, according to Dr. Cathy Freytag, one of the Inauguration Committee members. “It’s been a long, detailed process with many, many stakeholders.”

There will be a gala on Thursday evening, an art gallery presentation and a meet-and-greet on the quad Friday afternoon, and a celebratory concert and fireworks on Friday evening. 

Thursday evening’s gala on the Quad will feature New Orleans jazz, snack stations, and dancing. Faculty, staff, and students are all invited to attend, and formal attire is encouraged.

Dr. Carrie Magin was commissioned to compose an original song, entitled Into Twilight, in honor of the Inauguration. “I’ve been commissioned by ensembles and professionals from across the U.S., but it’s been such a special honor and privilege to compose this new work for our very own Houghton College Wind Ensemble. The students are hard at work on bringing this piece to life, and we’re all hopeful that it will be impactful in celebrating and commemorating the significant event of President Lewis’s inauguration.” Into Twilight will debut at 7 p.m. at the Greatbatch School of Music’s Inauguration Concert.

Dr. Ted Murphy will be presenting on Houghton’s artwork collection at 3 o’clock p.m. in the Ortlip Art Gallery. “Strangely Warmed”, a piece made specifically for the Inauguration, will be the highlight of the event. It is a colorful, post-impressionist style oil and mixed medium painting. Dr. Murphy talked to President Lewis personally before embarking on the project, and planned it according to his taste. The piece will be shown alongside a number of other works in an exhibition entitled  “Archive: A History of Art at Houghton College.”

Campus is buzzing with excitement for the rare and historic event. “I think it is going to be a very special time, not just for the institution, but for President Lewis.” noted Phyllis Gaerte, an Inauguration committee member. She, along with Greg Bish, are the only members of the committee who have served on an Inauguration committee before; they both played roles in planning President Shirley Mullen’s inauguration.

Numerous students also were eager to share their thoughts on the events. Grace Deitrick (‘23) said she is “deeply excited.” Kathryn Groff (‘23) expressed surprise and enthusiasm at the fact that such an important event was taking place during her four short years here.

President Lewis himself took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk to the STAR. When asked what he was most excited about, he explained he’s excited for the college to come together and mark such an important event in Houghton’s history. “We’re a college that’s been there for 140 years, almost, and only the sixth college president, that’s pretty remarkable. Thankfully, this is not something that the college does very often, due to stability in leadership, and so I think it’s a great opportunity for us to come together…and to thank God for how far he’s brought us and to prepare for the next chapter in the college’s history.” ★

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News

Dr. Wayne D Lewis Jr. Announced as 6th President of Houghton College

Dr. Wayne D. Lewis will take over from President Mullen this fall as the 6th president of Houghton College. COURTESY OF AMY TETTA

On Wednesday, April 28, Dr. Wayne D. Lewis Jr. was announced as the 6th president of Houghton College. Following President Shirley Mullen’s announcement on October 20th of her resignation after 15 years in the position, the school has spent over half a year eagerly waiting to find out who would be the next individual to take up the role of school president.

So who is Dr. Lewis? Hailing from New Orleans, Lewis graduated from Loyola University with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. However, his formation as a leader began even before college. In his first message to the student body, during Wednesday’s chapel, Dr. Lewis cited his time as a high school drum major as a key influence on him, saying this was his “most formative leadership experience, even at this point in my life… there’s nothing I believe that prepared me more.” Going on to receive a master’s degree in Urban Studies from the University of Akron in Ohio, Lewis then received a PhD in Educational Research and Policy Analysis from North Carolina State University, with a minor in Public Administration.

Dr. Lewis is certainly no stranger to the field of education, and though his experience in this area includes time dedicated to higher education, it is by no means limited to it. “I selected education as a career a long time ago now,” he said an introductory video released on the Houghton College YouTube channel, “because of my deep love for students… I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life and my career working to create opportunities for students.” This started, says Dr. Lewis, with his time working in K-12 education in Louisiana and North Carolina public schools, particularly focusing on special education. 

After Dr. Lewis finished his doctorate, he served at the University of Kentucky as a professor of Educational Leadership. He then moved on to serve in a public office, as the Executive Director of Education Policy and later the Commissioner of Education for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Before coming to Houghton, Dr Lewis’ most recent position was at Belmont University, as the inaugural Dean of the School of Education. Furthermore, he has authored one book, “The Politics of Parent Choice in Public Education: The Choice Movement in North Carolina and the United States,” and has published numerous other pieces on topics in education, included in both edited volumes and peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Lewis’ positions and writing outline the figure of an individual who is dedicated to improving education for all in practical ways, both through what he says and what he does.

In the introductory video, Dr. Lewis also emphasized the necessity of Christian liberal arts institutions in our current time and climate. “I have no doubt God uses places like Houghton College,” he says, “to prepare leaders for today and tomorrow, to deal with some of the most difficult, the most intractable problems our world has ever seen… to have a small role in what God is doing here at Houghton, is more than I could ever imagine.” ★

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Stories In Focus

To Choose a President

After 15 years in the role, President Mullen announced on October 20th, 2020 that she would be stepping down, kicking off the search for a replacement. Photo from the Houghton STAR archives.

By Burton Brewster (’23)

The search for a new president has been underway since mid-November, but we are still some ways away from knowing who the successor to President Mullen will be. So instead of speculating on the future, let’s look back at how previous presidents were selected.

Houghton was founded in 1883 by Willard J. Houghton. However, Willard Houghton was not the first president. In fact, Houghton lacked a president for its first 25 years. During this time, Houghton Seminary (not a college yet) was run by principals. According to “The History of Church-Controlled Colleges in the Wesleyan Methodist Church,” Houghton had six principals. The longest serving principal staying in office for twelve years, and the shortest serving one staying only a few days. Professor James S. Luckey was one of these principals.

It is well known that Professor Luckey was the first president of Houghton College, but he was not the first choice. Professor H. W. McDowell was originally elected to be principal in 1908, however, “his natural modesty and distrust of his own ability” caused him to seek a replacement. So, he reached out to Professor Luckey to take his place. 

Luckey had served as principal in the past before leaving to pursue further education. Regardless, Luckey accepted McDowell’s offer, but with a heavy heart since he was in the middle of learning at Harvard. As he explained, “One of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life was to give up that second year in Harvard.”

Luckey’s sacrifice was not in vain. He transformed Houghton Seminary into Houghton College, constructed many buildings for students, and went into history as our first president. Luckey served for the next 29 years, up until the day he died.

In 1937, with the passing of Luckey, the college ran into a dilemma with choosing a successor. As explained in “Deo Volente: A Biography of Stephen W. Paine,” two candidates stood out as ideal presidents: Prof. Claude Ries, the Greek and Bible Professor, and Prof. Stephen Paine, the Academic Dean. Paine was only 28 at the time and was receiving job offers from other colleges. So, it seemed like Prof. Ries was the clear candidate. However, in a shocking turn of events, Ries stepped down because he wanted to continue teaching and preaching. At first, the committee in charge was skeptical of Paine. But, with the support of the students and faculty, they convinced the committee to accept Paine as president. As a result, Paine became the youngest college president in United States history at the time (the current record is held by President Leon Botstein of Bard College, NY who became president at 23). 

Paine served for longer than any other president in the college’s history, 35 years in total. Then, in 1972, he was forced into retirement due to Parkinson’s disease. As such, a committee was formed to find a replacement. Within 24 hours of deciding on candidates, they offered the job to Dr. Wilbur Dayton. This made him the quickest chosen president in college history. Ironically, he was also the quickest resigning president. After 4 years, he moved to Jackson, Mississippi to teach and left the campus with the quest of finding another president. 

Little is known about how President Daniel Chamberlain was chosen after Dayton. According to past issues of The Houghton Star, he was accepted to the campus in September of 1976 and immediately made himself known as a man who loved sports and wanted the various elements of college life to compliment each other instead of compete with one another. 

In February 2005 he announced his retirement during a chapel service. Interestingly, the process of finding a replacement president had been in the works since 2000 when the The Presidential Search Committee was formed to replace the previous committee which consisted of faculty, trustees, and students. 

And that brings us to our current outgoing leader, President Mullen. “My journey to the presidency was not at all the typical one—nor an easy one,” she explained in an interview, “I viewed my primary calling in Christian higher education to be in the classroom as a professor. I never intended to become an administrator. The lesson I learned from this is that sometimes God’s calling is made more clear looking back than looking forward.”

In the months that followed, Mullen worked with Chamberlain to ensure a smooth transition. “He was always available for questions and advice and counsel after I came into the office.” she said. “I want to be that kind of support for the person who comes after me—always available, but never in the way!” 

The current selection committee is not available for questioning, however, the process seems to be going smoothly. According to the Houghton College website, the new president will be announced this March or April. ★

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International News

Mass Death Sentence in Egypt

An Egyptian court on Monday, February 1st 2015, sentenced 183 Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death. The court proceedings were held over the killing of 11 police officers in the violence that had engulfed Egypt after the 2013 dismissal of the former Islamist president, President Mohammed Morsi.

The attack took place after Egyptian military forces cracked down on Islamist supporters of Morsi in July 2013. Egyptian security forces descended onto two pro-Morsi camps in July and August 2013, killing hundreds.

JoePoyfairAt the end of July and beginning of August 2013, hundreds of demonstrators were killed by Egyptian security forces. The Human Rights Watch said that this mass killing of protesters “probably amounts to crimes against humanity,” thus creating an international outcry that was quickly quieted by the Egyptian government.

The United Nations has called the trials “unprecedented.” Amnesty International’s Deputy Middle East and North Africa Program Director, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, said in a statement in response to Monday’s verdict.  “The death sentences are yet another example of the bias of the Egyptian criminal justice system.”

Sahraoui further stated that “issuing mass death sentences whenever the case involves the killing of police officers now appears to be near-routine policy, regardless of facts and with no attempt to establish individual responsibility.”

The original trial saw 377 people sentenced to life in prison in absentia, while not present at the event being referred to.  Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said it would be wrong to impose the capital punishment “when there are serious doubts hanging over the fairness of the trial which disregarded international law.”

The Egyptian court did not put 183 individuals to death lightly. The Egyptian government has been attempting to fight against terrorism in Egypt. Muslim extremism has seen an increase in central Egypt in the past decade, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been fighting against these extremists.

Egypt’s current government, led by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has called for a ‘religious revolution’ and asked Muslim leaders to help in the fight against extremism. President el-Sisi has launched a war against terrorism, focusing particularly on the countries Sinai region, where an extremist group recently pledged allegiance to ISIS.

In an act of counter extremism, Egyptian authorities cracked down in 2013 on former supporters of Morsi, a longtime member of the Muslim Brotherhood, which the Egyptian government had officially declared a terrorist organization in December 2013

In a speech on New Year’s Day, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called for a “religious revolution” in Islam that would displace violent jihad from the center of Muslim discourse. “Is it possible that 1.6 billion people should want to kill the rest of the world’s population, [which] is 7 billion people, so that they themselves may live?” President el-Sisi asked.

“We have to think hard about what we are facing,” President el-Sisi said. “It’s inconceivable that the thinking that we hold most sacred should cause the entire Islamic world to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing, and destruction for the rest of the world. Impossible.”

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News

Obama Proposes Free Community College

Last week in the State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama outlined America’s College Promise, a plan to “lower the cost of community college — to zero.”

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the proposal aims to waive tuition for community college students who maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA and “make steady progress toward completing their program.” The plan applies to both half-time and full-time students and includes certificate, associate, and bachelor’s degrees. The plan would cost the federal government an estimated $60-billion over ten years, which would cover 75% of projected costs, while participating states would be asked to fund the other 25%.

358209_Obama-Community-College.18Dr. Linda Mills Woolsey, Dean of the College, who said she has “mixed feelings” about the plan, described it as a “well-intentioned” attempt to “meet a projected education gap” and to “make sure that there’s access to education for people from all economic backgrounds.” Woolsey said doing this solely through the community college system, however, encourages the mass-production of education,“we’re imagining a kind of Henry Ford type way to get students through their first couple years of education.”

Eric Currie, Vice President for Enrollment Management, said while initially the plan might “create a challenging moment” for Houghton, the already existing “great transfer processes” Houghton has with community colleges will be an important asset. Currie said Houghton is likely to continue to prioritize the continued development of online programs and of the Buffalo campus of Houghton, both of which more closely meet the needs of the demographic of students primarily targeted by America’s College Promise.

President Shirley Mullen said her primary concern is the current prominence of cost in the dialogue about higher education would make it “easy for the idea of a free two-year college to just be too tempting for students for whom that really isn’t the best option and not the only option,” and usually the rhetoric about cost “underestimates the impact of [four year] education on even one’s financial resources over the long haul.” She described a sadness in the potential loss, not just for Houghton, but for all students pursuing higher education if the proposal draws students away from four-year learning communities that in general provide “a more coherent education overall.” However, Mullen also said, “we would like to have more transfer students” as they often bring a greater appreciation for Houghton and a more focused drive. Currently, transfer students make up 18% of incoming students and 15% of the student body.

Currie said while he supports anything that will bring education to more people, he would have liked to see the government offer to pay two years of tuition for eligible students at any college that was able to meet a given price cap. “I would say challenge us all to rise to the occasion. Not just community colleges,” said Currie. “Challenge whoever is willing to go and make it happen…I think that that edifies some of the best things about our society which is innovation, entrepreneurship…and the kind of take charge personality, and yet still meeting people’s needs.”

The needs of the people are not just financial. Woolsey said she embraces the social good of widely-available free education, but is not sure “it will do what we want it to do if in the process we lose the richness and variety of higher education.”  Woolsey said, “These small private colleges and even some of the midsized, private Christian colleges offer an education that’s more varied, sometimes more creative, and certainly more focused on the individual.”

Though at this point it seems highly unlikely that the proposal will make it through congress any time soon, Currie said, “Whether it’s President Obama or the next President or the President after that, I think that something like this is going to come through…it’s on the radar in the federal government and in the state governments that they feel that they really want to have an impact on this issue, and I think they feel it’s important.”

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Opinions

Why I Pray Daily About a Pipeline

I have a friend named Art Tanderup.  Talkative and friendly with the kind of laugh that exemplifies a down-home joie de vivre, Art is a normal Nebraska farmer.  I met Art last April in Washington DC where we both arrived to protest the Keystone XL pipeline.  I came as part of a Facebook prayer band called #PrayNoKXL.  Art came because the pipeline route literally runs through his backyard.

brain.webbI met another friend in DC named Greg Greycloud.  Greg lives in South Dakota and is a member of the Lakota Sioux Nation.  Intelligent and witty with a kind and compassionate heart, Greg leads a ministry encouraging Lakota men to embrace their roles as responsible husbands, fathers, and leaders.  Greg came to DC because the pipeline route illegally crosses land that belongs by treaty to his people.

What the three of us share in common is a deep conviction that the Keystone XL pipeline is a morally and ethically wrong decision.  Here’s why:

The Tar Sands. The purpose of the Keystone pipeline is to transport bitumen (a thick sludge-like mixture of sand, oil, clay, and chemicals) from Alberta to the Gulf Coast for refining and export.  The highly intensive process of extracting bitumen turns once lush boreal forests into alien landscapes largely devoid of life with chemical laden tailing ponds so large they can be seen from space.  This devastation is not only destroying an entire ecosystem, but has also resulted in significant health impacts to Native communities living downstream.

AnthonyBurdo_BrianWebbThe Ogallala Aquifer.  The Keystone pipeline runs directly over the Ogallala Aquifer—at 174,000 square miles, North America’s largest.  In many places the aquifer sits just a few meters below the surface of the ground.  In spite of all the modern safeguards pipelines do leak.  Just last week a pipeline in Montana spilled 50,000 gallons of oil into the Yellowstone River.  A leak in an Arkansas suburb spilled five times that amount in 2013, and in 2010 more than 1 million gallons of bitumen spilled into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan.  The Kalamazoo leak was so devastating that 5 years and $700 million later it still hasn’t been completely cleaned up.  What happens when the primary water source for our nation’s breadbasket Great Plains states becomes polluted?

Native Treaties.  Despite their protests, the pipeline route in South Dakota crosses over land legally granted to the Rosebud Sioux Nation by United States treaty.  Sioux President, Cyril Scott went so far as to call Keystone “an act of war against our people.”  With our country’s shameful treatment of Native Americans going back hundreds of years, shouldn’t it be time to stop breaking our treaties and start showing respect and honor to those whose land we have already taken away?

Eminent Domain.  TransCanada, the foreign private corporation who owns the pipeline, is now using eminent domain to take away the land of ordinary Americans who don’t want the pipeline to run across their property.  Shouldn’t private property rights be a concern of all Americans, and particularly for ideological conservatives?  Shouldn’t my friend Art have the right to refuse 900,000 barrels a day of toxic bitumen running across his farm (his livelihood)?

Climate Change.  Because of the highly energy intensive processes associated with their extraction, transportation, and refining, the tar sands have a much larger impact on the global climate system than does conventional oil.  While oil continues to form an important part of our economy, it’s time to modernize our infrastructure by forgoing antiquated fossil energy and focusing on clean energy sources, such as wind and solar, that will always create domestic jobs, that are endlessly renewable, and that don’t harm God’s creation or his people.

Proponents of the pipeline spout all kinds of claims about jobs, but the reality is that it will only create 35 permanent jobs.  35 jobs in exchange for more broken Indian treaties, unethically enforced eminent domain, pipeline spills of toxic tar sludge, possible contamination of our country’s largest aquifer, environmental destruction, and a bleaker outlook for the global climate system.  Keystone is not a political issue.  It’s a common sense one.

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News Stories In Focus

SGA President: Katharine Lebrecque

With the new changes brought to SGA this fall, positions entail different responsibilities. Senior, Katharine Labrecque, serves as this year’s president, heading up the newly organized student government.

Labrecque has been involved in student government since her freshman year in high school. She served as secretary for four years and continued that role her first and sophomore year at Houghton for the class of 2015. Last year, she served as a senator for the political science department. This year she begins a different role, as president.

“There are a lot more responsibilities. It’s hard because I am overseeing the different officers, making sure they are carrying out their roles while also being supportive,” said Labrecque regarding the transition, “I like having a clear goal in mind and to write notes. But I do carry that into this role, I still take notes. And just being organized… that has been a strength.”

Her role is to oversee all of the executive council and to represent the student body: their needs and their voice. One of her biggest objectives is to make herself available to receive feedback from students.

“Whether that is from personal interaction with students in my classes or on the soccer team, a suggestion box, or just having people come in the office,” said Labrecque, “I think [my role is] just about the students and I don’t think that I am any more important than they are, but I am a way that they can get their voice heard to faculty, staff and to people who are in charge of the college.”

Through the reorganization of the cabinets, there are less members total. Without senators, the power of SGA is much more concentrated. Due to having a fewer amount of representatives, Labrecque has encouraged members to seek student input.

“It’s a whole new system set up and we are working on our constitution and bylaws and making sure that they align with the college policies,” said Labrecque, “A huge focus now is on the non-traditional students, in Buffalo, and what role we can have there.”

As a dual Political Science and International Development major, Labrecque’s interests of studies converge in her role. Although not knowing where she will end up, she knows how she has been called to act. Her involvement with SGA at Houghton is in line with her goals to prepare for the future.

“I definitely feel like God has put on my heart that I need to be a voice for people who are not heard,” said Labrecque, “And I feel that whatever it is, whether it is politics, which I am interested in, or for government agencies, specifically in development or public policy, that I can really advocate the people and make it about the people.”

Currently, Labrecque is lending her voice to Houghton students. Yet, beyond the population of Houghton, Labrecque is concerned with justice and advocacy on a broader scale.

“I feel like our politics, in the US, are very much separate, there is a lack of unity,” said Labrecque, “It has been frustrating to see that people are suffering because we can’t get along and we can’t make trade-offs.”

Labrecque’s passion to serve has allowed her to take on many roles. As president, Labrecque launches SGA into a new year structured by new organization. Perhaps students will respond to her vision of a refurbished SGA, sharing her passion for the voice of the individual, and creating the necessary dialog between the two.

“This is new for me. I want to make SGA something that is not a governing body, but a resource. It can be a way that we can communicate with students and let them know about the things that are going on in the world and on campus, just make it transparent.” said Labrecque, “I think there have been a lot of negative connotations attached to SGA and I want to rid that. I want to make it a place that people associate with this comfortable body of student leaders who are desired and work for the rest of the campus.”

Different ways to connect with Labrecque and other member of SGA include: looking for SGA members around campus, emailing SGA at sga@houghton.edu, sending a comment or sharing feedback through intra-campus mail marked SGA, scheduling a coffee date with the president, or visiting the office in the basement of the Campus Center and leaving a prayer request.