Tag: Houghton

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Spot: Boom Roasted

Thank you (pause, followed by mood-setting piano music) Colin Lauer and Graeme Little (pause) for being one of the very few original and genuinely funny SPOT acts of the night.
My own opinion aside, from what I’ve heard, the general consensus among upperclassmen who have witnessed some very popular previous SPOTs is that the annual Purple and Gold variety show fell flat this year. The jokes were repetitive, the show was too long, and some humor was in bad taste.

“I think this year’s show had some issues,” said senior SPOT performer Sarah Jacoby. “It did not seem as well organized as past years. I know there was some trouble getting auditions, which I think was a factor.”

If the unsuccessfulness of the night can be partially attributed to disorganization, another key influence was duration. “It definitely went too long,” said Jacoby. “I know there have been SPOTS that have gone longer, but by the end people were ready to go. I think the length contributed to how people felt about the night.”

In response to how the show could have been better executed Jacoby said, “More cowbell. But seriously, I liked the SNL theme and thought that if the hosts stuck to that it would have given the night more structure.”

Despite difficulties, according to Jacoby there were some featured strengths of the night. “Mike Amico did a great job. Also, I really enjoyed the stepping act and the pitch perfect medley, because it’s nice to have things that are actually more talent than comedy,” she said.
“The community sweater was unique and funny, but overall the community jokes have been beaten to death. Colin’s last thank you was very appropriate.”

Senior class president Sydnie Cunningham shared similar sentiments to Jacoby’s.
“I did not enjoy SPOT as much as previous years,” said Cunningham. “I felt that most of the acts weren’t funny and some were border-line offensive, especially regarding Sodexo.”
Cunningham enjoyed having a DJ in place of a stage band, but thought that the organizers should have been more selective concerning the acts. One aspect of last semester’s SPOT which Cunningham found to be effective was its cohesiveness and she wished that tactic could have been employed this semester.

“In the fall Anthony and Scott went above and beyond to plan out a theme and create good transitions,” said Cunningham.

Cunningham also commented that SPOT may have been stronger if it were less Houghton-conscious. “It was a good idea to have Shirley Mullen in the weekend report, especially since that is a consistent act, and it was nice of her to participate, but people need to realize that you don’t have to make fun of Houghton to be funny,” said Cunningham.

Senior Liz Chevalier agreed with Jacoby and Cunningham’s overall assessments.
“It was longer than it needed to be and there were some acts we could have done without,” said Chevalier.

Chevalier acknowledged that she wishes the hosts would have done more skits themselves. She also echoed the praise for Amico’s remixes and the thanks to Lauer for “putting the community joke to rest,” and commented that the offenses committed during this SPOT were more implicit than explicit.

Like Cunningham, Chevalier speculated that future SPOT skits may be fresher, more creative, and better received if they do not exclusively revolve around Houghtonisms. “We should think about what’s funny to people outside of Houghton, things that you don’t have to go to Houghton to understand,” said Chevalier. “Most of the Houghton jokes are way overused, so for the sake of originality we should step outside of what is normally joked around about.”       

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Arts

Pops is Synthesis of Music and Dance

The theme of tonight’s Houghton Pops Orchestra concert is Hearts of the Highlands II: A Song to Remember, directed by Robert Martin.

“The concert has a Celtic theme with different varieties ranging from traditional Celtic music to pieces from How to Train Your Dragon and The Boondock Saints,” said second violinist Nathan Sircy. “This concert will be very similar to the first one that Houghton Pops performed.”

arts&sports_pops2 The concert won’t simply be a classical performance of music, but rather a synthesis of music and dance. A troupe of dancers from Seneca Falls will be showcased, and Houghton alum, Alastair Hutton, will be playing the bagpipes. Different students will be featured with solos, including sophomore Rachael Anacker, who will be performing an Irish dance.
Junior Rachel Spak is highlighted as the fiddler in all the Celtic violin solos. Having played for thirteen years, Spak’s experience and that of the other musicians will bring professionalism to the production.
“It’s going to be an incredible night. It is not like the other concerts we have around at Houghton because it’s not so classical and uptight,” said Spak. “Rather, it will be laid back and a lot of fun!”
Each member of the performance has put in a significant amount of time to prepare. Martin has particularly devoted a lot of his time and energy to the show, as he has been writing the music since last summer. The music was given to the orchestra to learn before winter recess. Aside from the weekly two-hour rehearsal on Wednesday nights, all the participants have been putting in their own time since Christmas break. arts&sports_pops1

“It will be exciting and a relief to finally perform this music. We have all worked really hard to put this concert together, especially the director Rob Martin, and we hope that the crowd will enjoy the performance as much as will performing,” said Sircy. “We had a really positive reaction from the crowd last year so we hope to keep it going through this year and the years to come.”

“The greatest thing about this music is the audience can react however they want whenever they want. If they like something they can scream and shout. The orchestra feeds off of the energy,” said Martin, “So, the normal rules of concert etiquette don’t really apply in this type of concert.”

Everyone involved is eager to execute what they have worked so hard to prepare. Emotions have permeated the production as the performers are a mixture of nervous and excited, yet are still confident of a solid performance.

So join the Houghton Pops Orchestra this Friday night in their tribute to our Houghton Highlander tradition tonight at 7:30pm in the Wesley Chapel. As Rachel Spak said, “We will be [ready]. It always pulls together at the end, no matter what.”

 

 

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Jars of Clay’s Matt Odmark Lectures at Houghton

On Tuesday, January 29, Grammy award winning, Gibson guitar titlist of 2005 and platinum recording artist Matt Odmark  arrived at Houghton, not to stage a show or book a gig, but to teach a class. Odmark came to campus of his own volition and at his own financial expense to lecture during one of Houghton professor Kevin Jackson’s Pro Tools sessions, and the student response was overwhelming.

Courtesy of www.houghton.edu
Courtesy of www.houghton.edu

“The place was packed,” said Jackson, including attendance by his students, students from other disciplines, and even three area high schoolers. The question and answer segment in particular was so engaging that it lasted one hour beyond the designated stopping point without Jackson ever having to resort to his written stack of preconceived prompts. Odmark’s main focus was the concept of creative listening and what it means to genuinely and actively absorb, process, and be attentive to a song.
“He talked about what it means to really listen to music, something so deeply personal that it should be treated with extreme respect,” said Jackson. Odmark addressed the importance of “understanding the weight of music” and that the practice of “listening in that way is a sacred act.”

Odmark challenged students to “visualize” and internalize the music in a unique way, imbuing it with meaning specific to the individual. He urged the students to respect a body of music by interacting with it in full.

“Now…more and more, people use songs for playlists or background music, instead of absorbing the full collection or album as a complete work of art,” said Jackson. “We break music into pockets and the effect is like lopping a painting.”

Odmark also elaborated on the need to consider music as more than formulaic technique or advanced rendering of sound, namely as a relatable expression of the artist that is applicable the audience.
Senior Dan Austin said he enjoyed listening to a song that Odmark played not from the standpoint of a record critic, but from that of a participant in the emotive energy of the song and the feeling of the music.

“We didn’t have to worry about how the song was mixed, but what images and reactions it evoked,” said Austin. “You can pick apart a song from the technical side to make it more cohesive, more marketable, catchier, or more radio-friendly, but ultimately it’s about communication and there’s something to approaching a song with a certain amount of reverence.”
Austin also appreciated Odmark’s sincerity and willingness to make himself available to Houghton students.

“Matt is a minor celebrity who drove to Houghton in a minivan on his own dime and then thanked us for allowing him to interrupt our class time,” said Austin. “I mean this is a man who has been heard by millions of people, yet he doesn’t act like a rock star.”

Senior Nick Cannistraci agreed. “I was uncertain of where Matt was going at first, but as he spoke it became apparent that he really loves music. It was comfortable talking with him, because he’s just a humble, normal person. “He made himself vulnerable to us and it gave me a new way of looking at music,” said Cannistraci.
Jackson also commented on Odmark’s character; he said, “He truly has the scholar-servant attitude and mindset that we strive for at Houghton.”

When Jars of Clay performed at the college this past October the band set up all of their own equipment, exchanged tips with the student sound technicians, and took a strong interest in Jackson’s vision for the Houghton sound and recording department. After the concert, Odmark began communicating with Jackson via e-mail and phone conversations concerning the fruition of Jackson’s ambitions for the department and immediately consented to teach one session of Jackson’s Pro Tools class.

“Events like this create momentum and validate what we are trying to accomplish,” said Jackson, who has proposed some exciting major changes to the current structure of his music program.
Jackson is pleased to say that Odmark is offering the chance for Houghton students in the coming years to intern with Jars of Clay in Nashville for a period of two to three weeks over winter break or even a full three months. This experience will give sound and recording students the unparalleled opportunity to witness firsthand the inner operations of the professional music industry through the guidance of an acclaimed Christian band. Houghton students have the extremely rare possibility of being temporary apprentices to the man who won the Gibson Guitar Award over nominees like Bob Dylan.

To Jackson it’s unbelievably evident that “God has had his hand in all of this” and he cannot wait to see how the overarching vision will grow and materialize through connections such as Matt Odmark and others who are willing to invest in Houghton’s potential.              

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New Semester, New Opportunities

Here we are; a new semester is upon us! I present you with a question: What are you going to make of your time at Houghton for spring 2013? Our new Vice President for Student Life, Dr. Rob Pool, recently challenged the Senate to reach our “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” (BHAGs), and he explained that the Office of Student Life exists to facilitate students’ working toward their goals. In the words of Dr. Pool, I encourage you as students to attain your “BHAGs” this semester! (You don’t have to call them BHAGs though.)

Courtesy of www.houghton.edu
Courtesy of www.houghton.edu

How can SGA help you attain your goals as a student? Already this semester, the Senate has approved requests from clubs and student groups for over $1500 in student funds. If you are part of a Christian life club or a general student club on campus, we still have funds available. While I’m discussing clubs, I should point out that our student clubs have been very successful this semester—with a variety of activities hosted by Black Heritage Club, MercySeat, Global Christian Fellowship and Runnymede Pre-Law Society—just to name a few.

This spring offers you a great opportunity for community service, just as Make a Difference Day did last fall. Each year the college sponsors MLK Service Day in the spring, and this year’s event will take place on Saturday, April 13. Keep this event in mind, and look for ways to get involved in service to our surrounding communities.

On the topic of service, the SGA is working to expand opportunities to reach out to international students at Houghton Academy. One way you can start right now is by taking time to sit with Academy students who come to our dining hall on the weekends. And have you heard of the Highlander Commission? This is a student group working to promote school spirit by instating traditions including the Scottish Highlander mascot and our school colors of Purple and Gold. SGA Vice President Benjamin Hardy is heading up this effort, so ask him how the SGA is working to bolster our common identity as Highlanders in the next few months.
Speaking of purple and gold, be sure to thank the Campus Activities Board for their hard work on Purple and Gold Week!

As a fellow Highlander and member of the Student Government, I pose another set of questions for you. What do you think of SGA? How can SGA better represent the whole student body? How can SGA be a group in which you want to participate? The Senate wants to know what you think about these questions, as we are looking at our current structure to find what would be the best way to encourage student involvement and representation through SGA.

Also concerning participation, SGA election plans for next year are already underway, and Wynn Horton will be spearheading these efforts as Election Commissioner. Contact Wynn if you want to run for an SGA position for next year.

Moving through this semester, be assured that SGA wants to represent your concerns well. The Senate is working with the Office of Student Life to improve communication regarding changes on campus. Thanks to the work of Senator Wynn Horton and others, there will soon be a page on the Current Students section of the college website for you to submit your feedback on any student issues to be reviewed by individuals from SGA and from Student Life.

What are you going to make of your time at Houghton for spring 2013? Let us know how we can help by contacting your senators or contacting sga@houghton.edu. Happy Purple and Gold Week, Highlanders!

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Arts

Things to Do: Skiing

It’s that time of year again; Houghton’s campus is blanketed in snow (well except for the rain earlier this week) and the air has a harsh winter chill.

Houghton ski club. Courtesy of Graham Bitzer
Houghton ski club. Courtesy of Graham Bitzer

Many would consider this weather to be a nuisance, but as an avid skier I would encourage you to embrace the exciting sports that this season has to offer. After all, you wouldn’t have as much appreciation for the gentle melting into springtime and the bulbs stubbornly pushing through the snow without the ice and cold beforehand.

There are plenty of activities available to the adventurous Houghton student during the winter. To name a few, you can build an igloo or a snowman, have a snowball fight with friends, make snow angels on the quad, or go sledding down the Roth hill, sans cafeteria trays of course.
If you have a little more time on your hands, try renting snowshoes or cross-country skis from the gym; you can trek through the Houghton woods in a whole new way. If you’ve never been cross-country skiing before, find a friend who has taken a class and get a few tips. It is definitely a great form of cardiovascular exercise, and it is more exciting than going for a jog in the PEC.
Though downhill skiing and snowboarding don’t burn as many calories as, say, cross-country skiing, it can be thrilling to carve down the slopes and feel the wind on your face. If you have never gone before, Houghton is the perfect place to learn to ski or board; we have our very own ski hill, complete with a rope tow and ski shack.

The ski hill is open from 3 to 5 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and from 12:50 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Ski and snowboard rentals are $5 at the ski shack; you can’t get much cheaper than that!

After taking a few turns on the bunny slopes here, you may want to try out the big-leagues. Swain Resort is about a forty minute drive east of Houghton, and offers approximately 100 skiable acres. Wednesdays at Swain are college days, with a $25 pass and $20 rentals available to anyone with a valid student ID.
At a comparable distance of 60 minutes from Houghton in Ellicottville, NY, Holiday Valley offers about 282 skiable acres, and college students can get night passes for $28. For the more experienced skier or boarder, I would definitely recommend a trip to Holiday Valley; in fact, the Houghton College Ski Club takes a trip there every Sunday, and transportation is free in the college vans.
So however you feel about the cold weather and snow that Western New York winters bring, try to make the best of the conditions by getting involved in winter sports and activities. You will have much more fun, I promise!

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Climate Survey Takes Campus Temperature for Diversity Audit

With the Campus Climate Survey, issued this week by the Diversity Audit Committee, Houghton College has begun to “take the temperature” of the students, faculty, and staff on campus regarding topics of ethnic, racial, sexual, gender, and disability-based diversity.

Image courtesy of http://www.meridianschools.org/
Image courtesy of http://www.meridianschools.org/

Professor Intí Martínez-Alemán explained from where the need for a Diversity Audit came. In 2009 an incident occurred during a chapel celebrating Black History Month. Two students, one dressed as a gorilla and another in a banana costume, ran through the aisles. Professor Martínez-Alemán cited this event as a key piece of evidence in Houghton’s administration’s realization that diversity, and the way students perceive it, might be an important issue to address on campus.

Later in 2009, a few professors and college administrators attended a conference in Vermont which dealt with diversity topics on college campuses. Documents concerning the then-current state of diversity on Houghton’s campus and goals for where the discussion on diversity and the implementation of policies encouraging diversity should have gone in the coming years. According to Professor Martínez-Alemán, this document and its ideas were not explicitly implemented in any way. The Diversity Audit is ultimate result of earlier attempts to analyze Houghton in light of ethnic,
racial, sexual, gender, and disability topics.

Once the results of the survey are compiled, the Committee plans to analyze the results and then create focus groups based on these results. This April, Jane Higa, current Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students at Westmont College, will be coming to Houghton to look at the Committee’s and focus groups’ findings and to help draft a final document to present to the Board of Trustees and Administration of the college.

Professor Martínez-Alemán said “[we] have this idea of an average Houghton student: white, female, and 18-22 years old. Anyone that does not fit that description [, on our campus,] is diverse.” And so the Diversity Audit’s purpose is to take a look at why Houghton is most attractive to young, white females and to discover how, once students enroll and spend time at Houghton, the college shapes their thinking about themselves and people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds, for example.

Dennis Stack, Houghton’s Dean of Students, emphasized this purpose as primary to the committee. The Diversity Audit, and particularly the Campus Climate Survey is not at all meant to target any one group or make individuals feel guilty for thinking or feeling a certain way about others. Stack described the survey as a “safe, risk free, and comfortable” way for people to share their honest feelings about people different from themselves.

“We really want to know, or it would be really great to know, what lens everybody is looking at life through,” said Stack. And he followed by saying, “it would be of course ideal for everyone to see through the same lens, and for that lens to be the same one Jesus sees through.”

In order to get an accurate idea of the campus climate as related to issues of diversity, the Committee hopes for people to be willing to participate. Stack said, “we want everyone to take [the survey] because we want everybody represented.” The number of responses to the survey has already surpassed Stack’s original expectation, and he is hopeful that the rest of campus will take the initiative and contribute.

Ellen Musulin, a sophomore, is one of the students who chose to participate in the Campus Climate Survey. After completing the survey, she said, “It made me think, and took longer than I expected.” Musulin also related the relevance and merit of the survey; she said “I think the survey will help begin the process of looking at the topic of diversity;  If this is truly an issue, then the college should really continue talking to students, faculty, and staff.”

President Mullen is also involved with the Diversity Audit. In response to a question that came up in the SGA student forum concerning the purpose of the Campus Climate Survey and the Diversity Audit, President Mullen said, “The Audit really should have happened three years ago.” And now that the Diversity Committee has been reformulated, with the President’s input, she is encouraging students to “participate thoughtfully.”

President Mullen also echoed and expanded upon the sentiments of Dennis Stack. She said, “we need to figure out a little more fully what it means to have a theology [in the realm of diversity] that is as rich and deep as the kingdom of God.”

In conclusion to the SGA Senate, President Mullen admitted that the process of a hard look at the college in light of diversity will not necessarily easy. She concluded her short address of the topic by saying “if we are going to go through with this, it is going to require some tough discussions, and I am committed to having those discussions.”

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Praxis 2013: Hunger, Poverty, and the Christian Walk

Students receive their soup and bread as part of Praxis events.
Students receive their soup and bread as part of Praxis events.

Praxis, defined on the Houghton College website as “a reflection aimed toward action,” spanned the week of January 20-25th  and reflected on the topic “Feasting and Fasting” through various events, chapels, and workshops.
This spring’s Praxis week featured Houghton professors Michael Jordan and Sarah Derck, as well as Duke Divinity School’s Norman Wirzba and the global executive officer of Food for the Hungry, Luis Noda.

Sarah Derck, professor of Old Testament, commenced the week’s events in Monday’s chapel, where she explored the topic “Food in the Old Testament,” and introduced ways for Christians to relate to seemingly outdated Biblical tradition.  Derck explained that while considering this topic, she fittingly prefers to start at the beginning, with the original sin. In introducing her lecture, Derck said, “Americans have a love/hate relationship with our food.”  She went on to voice her hope that we might recover strength in such a relationship.

After Derck’s lecture, Sodexo challenged students to exchange one cafeteria meal for a simpler dinner of bread and soup.  Participation in this event not only encouraged students to discipline their bodies through eating less, but also allowed them to better the community, as Sodexo will be donating the cost of each forfeited dinner to a local food pantry.

Other related activities and discussions included a workshop on how to create and maintain a window garden, a panel discussion considering various subcategories of vegetarianism, and a campus-wide potluck, followed by communion, held Thursday evening as a conclusive event to the week’s reflection.

Tuesday’s workshop discussions included a lecture presented by Mike Walters, Professor of Christian Ministries, examining “Feasting and Fasting as Spiritual Disciplines.”  The lecture explored aspects of feasting and fasting such as choosing to limit food intake in order to move closer to God, and how not doing so potentially leads away from His will.

Also held on Tuesday were two panel discussions: one on vegetarianism and another concerned with informing attendees about members in the community currently producing food.
Luis Noda led Wednesday’s chapel with a lecture on “Food and Social Justice,” focusing on the indisputable lack of food in the world today. As part of the organization Food for the Hungry, Noda is understandably interested in this lack of food and how it relates to the presence of hunger.
In a description concerning the topic of his lecture, Noda wrote, “Psalm 146 mentions how the Lord gives food to the hungry, as well as how he responds to other social justice issues.  Chronic hunger and malnourishment is intimately linked to the lack of social justice from the Biblical point of view and interrelated to poverty.”  Noda discussed ways in which Christians should react to such an injustice.

Thursday offered a variety of workshops and discussions including Michael Jordan’s lecture exploring “Feasting and Fasting Through the Christian Year.”  Jordan said, concerning both his lecture and Praxis as a whole, “I hope it will help students to develop a closer connection to the source of their food.”  He encouraged those who listened to learn from traditional feasts and fasts of the Christian year, as they often create paths for spiritual growth.

Norman Wirzba’s Friday lecture on “Eating as a Christian Act” signified a final conclusion to the week’s reflection.  Wirzba said, “My focus for the talk [was] on what it looks like for Christians to think about food as a gift from God, rather than a commodity, like so much of our industrial food system wants us to think.”

Concerning the spring Praxis, Michael Jordan said, “Through feasting and fasting, we are disciplining our bodies.  We need to be more content to do that.”