Tag: university

Categories
Campus News

Houghton Announces Spring 2024 Commencement Speaker

Commencement Speaker - Courtesy of Marketing and Communications
By Joshua Carpenter ('24)

Today, Dec. 1, Houghton administration announced that Dr. Wayne Schmidt was selected as the commencement speaker for the senior class of spring 2024.

President Wayne D. Lewis, Jr. met Schmidt early in his presidency and has been working closely with him ever since. When the time came to select a commencement speaker for the Class of 2024, there was more that stood out to Lewis than Schmidt’s experience in pastoral ministry and higher education.

“In addition to being the capable leader of our Wesleyan movement in North America,” says Lewis, “[Schmidt] is a trusted friend and mentor … I thank God for his continued guidance and encouragement as a Christian leader, husband, and father.”

Serving as General Superintendent of the Wesleyan Church since 2016, Schmidt has attended various Board Meetings over the years, which is how he met Provost David Davies.

“While we’ve not had extensive interaction,” says Davies, “I’ve found him to be a humble, Godly man with a clear heart for the students of Houghton University.”

Before he was elected General Superintendent, Schmidt served as the chief administrative officer of Wesley Seminary at Indiana University from 2010-2016. In 1979, he co-founded Kentwood Community Church (KCC) in the Grand Rapids, Michigan Area, first serving as a co-founding pastor and then as a senior pastor until 2009. His contributions to KCC include leadership in planting the church, as well as 10 other daughter churches across his tenure.

“With a career in both academic and church environments,” says Davies, “and a lifetime commitment to our sponsoring denomination, he is well suited to serve as Houghton’s commencement speaker.”

When asked what he would like to say to the senior class, Schmidt says, “I believe God honors a heart of humility with abundant measures of His grace. Being humble and hungry (lifelong learner) leads to fullness of life.”

For more information on Dr. Schmidt, visit his blog on the Wesleyan Church’s official website where he discusses what he has learned from 40 years of ministry. ★

Categories
Campus News

Naughty vs. Nice Professors

Naughty & Nice Pie Chart - Courtesy of Christian Welker
By Juliana Schmidt ('25)

The results are in for the Naughty or Nice Professor Poll!

Professor Kevin Dibble of the Music department, Professor Don Wilcox of the Biology department, and Professor Hannah Kim of the Psychology department tied in third place for the Nicest professors. 

Freshman Kareena Ulfig comments on how kind Professor Kim is to her students. “She’s so sweet and thinks everyone’s ideas are worth mentioning.” 

Junior Olivia Carr adds, “She understands and asks about you daily and always incorporates our lives in class.” 

Professor Poythress took the poll (wait, was that allowed?) and wrote of  Professor Wilcox: “Prof Wilcox is the sweetest, kindest, and most eager guy to help!” 

In second place for the Nicest professor is Professor Craig Whitmore, who is the Assistant Professor of Education. 

Freshman Elizabeth Borchers comments, “[he’s e]nergetic, always willing to help and hands out minimal homework!”

In first place for the nicest professor is, unsurprisingly, Dr. Douglas Gaerte! He is a Professor of Communications at Houghton.

Senior Cody Johnson says, “Dr. Garte answers my emails faster than Santa.” 

“He is always the first to ask how you are doing, and he notices if you look upset.” Freshman Madeline Bailey states. 

Sophomore Warren Torraca says the reason he voted for Dr. Garte was because of his, “Demeanor and care for his students. He will just listen for hours or teach for hours or just talk for hours.” 

With the Nicest out of the way, time to find out who’s on the Naughty List this year!

In second place for the Naughtiest professors is Professor Kevin Dibble, making him the only professor on both the Naughty and Nice list.

Torraca says, “Oh he’s great. He just goes off on tangents and occasionally makes unhinged comments.”

Tied for first place are professors Benjamin Wheaton and Sarah Massey, although no one was brave enough to say why.

While he ultimately did not make the list, one of the funniest comments received from the poll is about Professor Jonathan Case.

Junior Faith Coolbeth states that Dr. Case deserves to be on the Naughty list because “He tried to show an episode of South Park!”

Maybe next year Dr. Case.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Poll, and a big thanks to all of the Professors. Whether Naughty or Nice, we appreciate all the work you do for Houghton. Thanks for taking part in this light-hearted competition. ★

Categories
Columns

The Grinch (2018)

Written by: Kat Wojsiat (’24)

The Grinch (2018) was a controversial movie upon release. The 1966 Dr. Seuss story already had a classic cartoon rendition that lived in the hearts of all, and a 2000 goofy, well-known live action film featuring Jim Carrey.

When the 2018 remake was announced, many people felt as though it was unnecessary, and that Benedict Cumberbatch was not a good fit for the role of the Grinch. I, myself, did not have high hopes for the movie, and I actually didn’t even bother to watch it for the first couple of years after it was released. During the first Christmas of Covid, I was in desperate need of more Christmas movies to watch, so I gave it a try – and quickly fell in love.

The rich, vibrant colors of the animation, the aggressively intense Christmas decorations, the lack of physics, the carolers chasing people down… No movie better captures the Christmas spirit for me. It has become a yearly staple of the Christmas season for me to wrap myself in a fuzzy blanket with a peppermint hot chocolate and watch this movie. Benedict Cumberbatch’s energy is goofy and fun, but it also brings something new to the table that separates it from the first two movies.

This Grinch is given more of a backstory and a more fulfilling redemption arc. He also appreciates Max more than the previous two Grinches, which I greatly appreciate as an animal lover. I also love the addition of Bricklebaum, a jolly Christmas-loving man who lives at the bottom of Mount Crumpit and thinks he and the Grinch are best friends. It adds a psychosocial dynamic to the story of the Grinch only being able to accept love when he lets go of his deep-seeded bitterness.

One of the best things about this movie is that it is wonderfully ideal for us college students who are in the finals season leading up to Christmas, because it is only 90 minutes long. It is the perfect short, easy-to-watch, light-hearted Christmas movie to take your mind off finals for a few minutes before diving back into work, and I look forward to it every year. ★

Categories
Opinions

Christmas Music in November

By Abigail Young

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t love Christmas music. I can get into the holiday spirit as much as the next person—at least toward the end of December. However, hearing Christmas music in the early weeks of November tends to get on my nerves. It still looks like fall outside, and I don’t appreciate having early Christmas cheer encroach on my favorite season, fall. Christmas music is also largely the same every year (Mariah Carey). Especially when it’s played for two whole months before Christmas day, it can get a bit old and is not as enjoyable when it’s actually Christmas time. 

This seems to be a widely debated topic at Houghton. In the last few days and weeks, I have overheard many conversations in the dining hall, dorms, and even a chemistry lab about whether we should start playing Christmas music now or wait until after Thanksgiving. Some of these have been surprisingly heated. Those who want to start playing Christmas music in November often claim that there’s nothing wrong with enjoying a particular genre of music or beginning to celebrate Jesus’ birth early. Those who would rather wait tend to point out that much of the Christmas music being played is more related to commercialism than Christ’s birth. Personally I prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving to start playing Christmas music. This is partially due to personal preference, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with starting to play Christmas music in early November. However, I think waiting to play Christmas music until at least after Thanksgiving could help us appreciate November and Thanksgiving more and might make Christmas more meaningful. 

November at Houghton can be a difficult month. The weather is cold and miserable, and this time in the semester, October break (which was too short anyway) is far behind, while Thanksgiving break is not close enough. We have deadlines closing in and an endless burden of assignments to finish. Even while we may enjoy friendships, classes, and the many other gifts Houghton has to offer, a lot of us are waiting for classes to end and Christmas break to start. Some people probably start playing Christmas music in early November to feel happier and start looking forward to the Christmas season. However, I think playing Christmas music this early may cause us to skip over November to get to Christmas, and I think there is something to be said for living in the present moment, even if the present moment isn’t our favorite. Even though November can be cold, stressful, and boring, there are still good things happening. It might be harder to appreciate those good things if we are already starting to celebrate Christmas. Waiting to play Christmas music might help us look forward to and enjoy Thanksgiving more, which is sadly often overlooked. Also, spending some time waiting before starting the celebratory aspect of Christmas might help us to appreciate Christmas more and understand the meaning of it better when it does come. 

Waiting is a theme of the Christian life, especially during Advent, where we remember how the Israelites waited for a Messiah and also how we are waiting for Christ’s return. I have often heard in chapel and elsewhere at Houghton that waiting is something that can help us grow and become closer to God. November can also be a time of waiting. I think we often want to skip over things that are boring, unpleasant, or cause us to wait. However, even though November is not the most pleasant month, maybe we could use it as a time to grow and specifically try to notice God’s presence within us. ★

Categories
Campus Stories In Focus

Willard J. Houghton Library

Library Second Floor - Courtesy of Christian Welker
By Rebecca Dailey ('25)

The Willard J. Houghton Library comprises about 200,000 physical books and an online database with roughly 50,000 journals and 600,000 ebooks. The library is not just limited to research materials, as there is a childrens and young adult library in the basement and a collection of movies and players on the main floor. There are several study rooms and reading rooms throughout the library with an archival room in the basement. 

Susannah Denham (‘26) remarked, “The library space itself is a great place to study or relax with coloring books and puzzles.” 

Houghton’s library contains archives of the Houghton STAR, other periodicals and The Boulder, Houghton’s yearbook. In addition, the Music Library in the Center for the Arts  contains over 11,000 scores, a collection of music reference works, composer works and a collection of musical sound recordings. 

The Director of Libraries and Information Resources, David Stevick stated, “The goal is to create a welcoming space to study . . . to provide research help at the desk and online and sometimes teach workshops or in classes.” 

Academic departments, who assist with the development of research collection, partner with library staff. Photographic equipment that can be used for digital and photography classes. Professors can request materials to be held for their classes, which students can then pursue. Students can go into the library to find assistance or look for these resources on their own both in person and online on the databases. 

Doyin Adenuga, the Electronic Resources Librarian, explained, “When it comes to online resources, part of it is ensuring the access to the journals and maintaining the library website by updating information on the home page.” 

However, if there are articles or books that are not available at Houghton’s library, students can make a request through the interlibrary loan which can request materials from several other library databases.

Anna Catherman (‘26)  stated, “Interlibrary loan has been picking up . . . you can request anything and the librarians will do their best to find it.” 

Currently, the main project is converting the Woolsey Library in Chamberlain into the basement of the main library. These books will be added to the children’s and young adult books already in the Children Literature Room. 

Ciciley Haslem (‘25) explained that “each book now needs to be processed, stickered with the identification and call number, stamped and given a due date slip.” 

This move allows all young adult and children’s books to be in one location but to also keep better track of when the books are checked out. This will help students if they are looking for a particular book. This also helps limit duplication and allows for new books to potentially be brought into the library. 

Anna Catherman (‘26) encouraged everyone to, “Come in, we are there as resources . . . It makes us so happy when someone checks out a book for fun.” ★

Categories
Campus News

Thanksgiving At Houghton

Thanksgiving fall graphic - Courtesy of Savannah Stitt
By Olivia Kleinau ('23)

On Oct. 9, Canadian Thanksgiving was celebrated at Houghton University, Rothenfeast occurred on Nov. 11, and Gillette Thanksgiving will be hosted on Nov. 18 in the KPAC.

“Canadian thanksgiving is attached to the harvest celebration in Canada,” Ethan McCarthy (‘25) shared, “since our harvest starts earlier [than] it generally does in the states. It became a national holiday in 1879 as a way to thank God for the harvest. It happens the second Monday of October.”

Houghton University celebrates Canadian Thanksgiving with all Canadian students who wish to join. McCarthy explained that it’s a positive way to have staff and students come together to celebrate, it especially helps to break barriers down between them.

Rothenfeast is a tradition started for the residents of the men’s dorm Rothenbuhler to share a thanksgiving meal. 

Andrew Hotchkiss (‘24), an RA of Roth, explained that Rothenfeast is an opportunity for the men to gather and have, “a time focused on giving thanks, it helps all residents remember what they are blessed with, including each other. This helps the community grow together even more.” 

Although Hotchkiss isn’t entirely sure how the tradition got started, he stated, “my freshman year it was treated like an old tradition so I imagine it has been around for a long time.”

In terms of preparation, Hotchkiss explained that it is a straightforward process, “We have people register on campus groups, then we send a list to Mets and they do a meal exchange for those people.” 

When it comes to activities, Hotchkiss added, “We usually have board games, some video games, and an outdoor game like flag football or ultimate frisbee. It is an opportunity for the guys of Roth to get together and show thanks for everything this community has to offer, education, friends, and Christ-centered interactions.”

However, Rothenfeast is not just for the residents of Roth.     

“The Custodians of the dorm,” Hotchkiss explained, “Are invited to the meal since they do so much good work for all of us in the dorms.”

Jenna Strahan (‘24), an RA of Gillette, explained that Gillette Thanksgiving is a “tradition done for many years where we get together for a space and have dinner together. In the past there’s been activities, we’re not just eating a meal, also playing games and spending quality time together.”

Strahan also said this is a great way to be together during a busy semester and that it helps to reconnect people. 

The RA’s have met to discuss the preparation process and also how to best accommodate everyone. Similarly to Hotchkiss, Strahan’s favorite part of the thanksgiving gathering is the community. 

Strahan shared, “My favorite part is the community aspect of it people choosing to be with one another and have those connections shared over a meal.” ★

Categories
Columns

Our Town Review

Olivia Kleinau (’23)

The Houghton University Lyric Theater’s rendition of Our Town, told a heartfelt story of love, life, and death.

I appreciated the message of the play, which was to Enjoy your life. Both the simple pleasures and simple moments.

This was best conveyed in Act 3, when one of the main characters, Emily Webb (Played by Lydia Reich), tragically passed away (which destroyed me). During the act, we got an interesting look at the perspective of the characters who died throughout the play, as the tone turns somber. The characters reflect on their lives, realizing how much they took for granted. It is also interesting for the audience to reflect on their own life and morality. Life is short, and should be lived with every day being important. 

The message is clear: Every moment matters, even the ones that feel like our mundane everyday life. Don’t take it for granted.

I think everyone did a fantastic job in the show. It was very easy to connect with the characters as well as the message. 

There were also many moments of humor which were well appreciated amidst the tragedies. The actors did a wonderful job at blending humor into the dialogue without it being forced or out of place. It added an appreciated lighthearted element as we watched the characters go about their day to day lives. 

The town the story took place in was an important character as well, helping to further convey the message that everything changes, even when it seems like nothing does. The world keeps spinning even when everything around us is changing. Nothing is permanent, but sometimes change is gradual. It was an impactful story that thoughtfully used a narrator, the Stage Manager (Played by Cody Johnson), to aid in communicating the changes in the town between acts that we couldn’t necessarily see.I found the fourth wall breaks to add to the story, rather than take away from it, which is a difficult balance.

Overall, it was an impactful story, one that should make everyone contemplate living and being alive. ★

Categories
Opinions

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

By Joshua Armstrong

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1: 1). These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20: 31).

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1: 1). And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1: 27). And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1: 31). Then sin came into the world through one man, for as in Adam all die (1 Corinthians 15: 22) and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned (Romans 5: 12) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23). All are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “The way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3: 9-12, 17-18). And the Lord of hosts is exalted in justice, and the Holy God shows himself holy in righteousness (Isaiah 5: 16). And Jesus who is lord of lords and king of kings (Revelations 19: 16) is to judge the living and the dead ( 2 Timothy 4: 1). 

However, mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2: 13). For ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty’ (Numbers 14: 18). 

For I deliver to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15: 3-4), and that he is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high interceding for those who are in the faith (Romans 8: 34) (Hebrews 1: 3). For God So loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3: 16). Jesus is the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him (John 14: 6). For there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4: 12). For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6: 23). For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame” (Romans 10-11).

A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified (Galatians 2: 16). For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” — so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith (Galatians 3: 10-14). For by grace we have been saved through faith. And this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2: 8-10).

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5: 11, 14, 15, 16-21). ★

Categories
Campus News

Lyric Theatre’s Our Town

Our Town Cast and Crew - Courtesy of Andrew Reith
By Jiana Martin ('26)

Tonight, Friday, on Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m., the Lyric Theatre will hold its second performance of Thornton Wilder’s play “Our Town” in the CFA Recital Hall. A third and final performance will take place on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m.

“I’ve enjoyed the whole process and it’s been an honor to do it,” Professor Cox reflected.

The play “Our Town” has already been done at Houghton a couple of times, however, this was Professor Cox’s first interaction with it in any capacity. 

“I’ve wanted to do Our Town my whole life,” Professor Cox enthusiastically expressed, “it’s a gorgeous play and it needs to be done.” 

The two-and-a-half-hour production follows the lives and families of the people in a small New Hampshire town called Grover’s Corners during the early 1900s. Specifically, the storyline focuses on George Gibbs (played by Senior Jonathan Hutmire), and Emily Webb (played by Junior Lydia Rech) as they grow up together.

“George is a boy whose thoughts are mostly occupied by baseball, agriculture, and Emily Webb,” Hutmire described. 

Within three acts, the audience watches the daily life, marriage, and death of these characters.

“This play highlights the beautiful moments that we’ve all experienced in everyday life, and it encourages us never to take these moments for granted,” explained Rech. 

Both Hutmire and Rech loved bringing this beautiful story to life. It has allowed them to get to know their fellow cast and crew members, and to create beautiful on-stage scenes with them.

“I simply love seeing and creating genuine moments on the stage,” Hutmire commented.

Professor Cox appreciated how vulnerable all of the students were willing to be with their emotions in order to bring themselves into their characters. She also admired the connection, genuine care and support they always have for one another. 

“I am also so, so grateful for the chance I’ve had to learn from Professor Cox’s experience. I really appreciate how she takes the time to continually tell us that we are not loved simply for what we do or how well we perform, but for who we are – children of God,” Rech thoughtfully said.

Hutmire, Rech and Professor Cox are excited to share the story of Grover’s Corners. Every personality and type of person in the town is represented, so they hope this thought-provoking play will connect the audience to the characters. 

“There are so many little themes, nuances, and messages that we can glean from this story,” Rech added.

Audiences can expect to be charmed by the characters, to laugh, to cry and to be reminded of the many things to be grateful for in their lives. ★

Categories
Stories In Focus

Feature: Patrick Hager

Patrick Hager (left) with men's cross country team - Courtesy of Houghton Highlander Athletics
By Abigail Bates ('26)

Patrick Hager is in his 10th year of being the Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach at Houghton University. Under his leadership, the program has won conference championships in cross country for women in 2019 and the men in 2023, as well as broken numerous records.

Coach Hager first came to Houghton when he was searching for full-time coaching jobs after finishing his two year tenure at Messiah University as a graduate assistant coach. He was offered the position and immediately accepted in the fall of 2014.

He explained that he has learned a lot since working at the university, especially from the student-athletes he works with.

“They energize me,” he stated, “and honestly push me to be a better man. I do think I hold my position in high regard in terms of my ability to influence and be a positive figure in the lives of 40-60 student-athletes a year. This ‘burden’, of sorts, really pushes me to adjust any bad attitude, or negativity that might try and peak to the surface.” 

Sophomore Noelle Linenfelser (‘26), a member of the women’s cross country team, has been positively impacted by Coach Hager in both her running and as a person, during her time at Houghton.

“I see Coach Hager impacting other students every day,” Linenfelser expressed. “He invests time and thought into every one of his athletes, developing personal training plans that will fit each individual to be able to help them reach their fullest potential.”

Linenfelser explained that runners in cross country and track & field programs will often peak performance-wise in their second and third year, before potentially declining. Comparatively, it is amazing that there are so many athletes in the program at Houghton who continue to progress throughout their four years.

“I have no doubt that this is thanks to Coach Hager’s hard and very intentional work, and I am so grateful to have him as a coach,” Linenfelser stated.

Matthew Webb, the Director of Athletics, is optimistic about the continued success under Coach Hager’s leadership. He described the culture Hagar has built in cross country and track & field as one of discipline and excellence.

“Honestly,” Coach Hager disclosed, “I think our program is in as good of a place from a culture and performance standpoint as it’s ever been.”

Coach Hager wants to maintain this quality in the program, while continuing to reach for breakthroughs. In the future, he would like to have someone qualify for the NCAA Championships, and pave the way for future student-athletes to do the same. Even so, Coach Hager remarked that it means more to him to see success in athletics when there are solid relationships with those he is working with.

“Every summer,” Webb commented, “it seems as if Coach Hager is attending multiple weddings of his former athletes.”

One of Coach Hager’s favorite things about being a coach at Houghton are the wedding invitations. At the weddings, there always tends to be a handful of past and present student-athletes (or as many as 33, in the case of Miller-Domaracki’s wedding).

“Being [a part] of this,” Coach Hager stated, “I think encapsulates my goal for the program. To get so connected with each other through the vehicle of athletics that we can celebrate important life events together, years later.” ★