statistics – Houghton STAR

The first time Doctor Jason Bintz, Houghton College’s new assistant professor of applied mathematics, attempted to visit the Houghton campus, he found himself snowbound. Fresh from a mild Tennessee winter, he arrived in Buffalo to learn that his ride from the college could not drive into the city. Bintz was ultimately forced to find a hotel room, and conducted the first part of his job interview over Skype. Happily, he made it to campus the next day, and was officially offered the position a few weeks later.

Despite the snowy introduction to Houghton, Bintz was thrilled accepted the offer.

“I was just leaving my house when I got the call,” said Bintz. “I went back inside, and celebrated with my family.”

Bintz began his career in higher education as an undergraduate student at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Like Houghton, Covenant is both a liberal arts college and a member of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. Bintz graduated from the institution with a degree in mathematics in 2003, and immediately found work teaching high school math in nearby Chattanooga, Tennessee. Three years later, he decided to continue his education, but in a different field.

“In my time working with high school students, I felt called to seminary,” said Bintz. “I wanted to receive the same training a pastor receives.”

This new vocation led Bintz to the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, where he and his wife resided until his graduation in 2008. From there, Bintz returned to teaching math at the secondary level for one last year before he made the choice to pursue graduate work in applied mathematics at the University of Tennessee. He graduated with his Ph.D. this year.

“At the end of the day, I wanted to be in a college setting,” said Bintz.

During his time at the University of Tennessee, Bintz worked on two main projects in the area of mathematical biology. One attempted to find the best way to allocate resources in order to benefit a specific species, while the other involved building a mathematical model to evaluate the policies implemented by hospitals to reduce Clostridium difficile infections. Bintz remains interested in the broad range of mathematical applications for biology research, and hopes to eventually interest his students in this area.

According to Linda Mills Woolsey, Dean of the College and Vice-President of Academic Affairs, Bintz’s work using math to support biology research, along with his abilities as an interdisciplinary thinker, helped tip the balance in his favor during the hiring process. Kristin Camenga, former chair of Houghton’s department of mathematics and computer science, as well as a member of the search committee that hired Bintz, echoes this sentiment.

“One of the things that impressed me about Jason is his care for people and his deep interest in subjects that cut across disciplinary lines,” she said. “The fact that he has a seminary degree and a Ph.D. in applied math gives him a broad base of knowledge to connect with others, but Jason did research to find out about other faculty at Houghton and their interests to discover commonalities. I really think he will be a great addition to the math faculty and the college at large!”

Bintz first met with the search committee from Houghton for a short interview in early January at the 2015 Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Antonio, Texas. They met once more during his February campus visit before Bintz was offered the job. While he had applied other places, Houghton was always his preference.

“I had a pretty strict profile in mind of where I wanted to be,” said Bintz. “Houghton was the only school that fit the profile, and the job was exactly what I wanted to do.” He adds that he is also excited for his wife and three children to experience the kind of community Houghton has to offer them as a family. “We’re really happy to be here.”

This semester, Bintz teaches Calculus I, Multi-Variable Calculus, and Probability and Statistics. His experience in his field, his commitment to his faith and family, and his enthusiasm about the college community all point to his being an excellent fit for Houghton.

The term “date rape,” as it is used today, is familiar to many adults and adolescents living in the twenty-first century. Studies have shown that more women have been raped on dates by their boyfriends than by strangers.

In 2001, to address this issue, one date rape victim committed to speak out against rape culture. Katie Koestner lead the initiative and, along with other victims, established Take Back the Night (TBTN), the first nationally recognized charitable 501(c) 3 foundation.

Courtesy of cnn.com — Courtesy of time.com

On Thursday, April 18, Houghton will host its own TBTN event. Students have the opportunity to march around the campus and “speak out” against sexual violence. Survivors or friends and family of survivors will be invited to share their stories with the campus. As one of the organizers, Lydia Strand, senior, said, “I think having Take Back the Night here at Houghton is so important because we are often afraid of honestly talking about sexual abuse in our own communities and in our own families.”

The TBTN events will begin with a kick-off party on Monday April 15 at 6 p.m. in the campus center. Printed Matter Press will be printing the TBTN logo on shirts or other items that students bring. At 7 p.m. that evening, there will be a panel discussion of rape culture in America in the third floor library room 323.

On Wednesday April 17, religion professor Kristina LaCelle-Peterson will be leading chapel. She will also be available for lunch afterwards. The final event of the week is a march around the quad starting at 8 p.m. on Thursday April 18 at the chapel steps. There will be a station during the march focusing on statistics and headlines about rape, followed by a station incorporating a poetry reading, and finishing with a station involving a communal art project. The march will be followed by a speakout in the chapel and a prayer service in the chapel basement.

Naomi Woosley, an alumna of Houghton, is also one of the TBTN organizers. Woolsey said, “We seek to empower and promote healing for survivors of sexualized violence who are in our campus community. One goal for this year’s TBTN is to open our eyes to rape culture and beginning to realize the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways in which our culture–sometimes even our church culture–contributes to it.”

The TBTN foundation’s mission is to eliminate all forms of sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and sexual abuse. Woosley emphasized that, “A person’s gender–a person’s physical existence–should not be cause for that person to fear for her or his safety.”

Sharing stories and experiences reminds individuals that sexualized violence is not okay, despite what rape culture suggests. Speaking out can help break the cycle of violence. For more information on the Take Back the Night Foundation, visit their website at http://takebackthenight.org/ or contact Sydnie Cunningham to learn more about Houghton’s Take Back The Night events.