Photo by Christine Ludin.

As I read Ben Jackson’s perspective in the Record last week, I heard conversations he and I have had before echoing in his words.

However, it occurred to me that – while the article was by no means one-sided – it was only one half of the very important conversations we have had. So I decided to write a response.

There are many things that Ben and I agree on. I, too, am not pro-capitalist. I despise the deep link between money and political power. I believe that there should be equal representation for all people, regardless of class, race or education.

However, where I begin to disagree with Ben is when he refuses “to associate [him]self with a system of government that … does not have the interests of its citizens … as its top priority.” If he really believes that our government is that kind of government and he refuses to associate with it, I would suggest becoming Amish.

Actually, that might come off wrong. What I mean to say is that simply by living here, Ben is “associating” himself with this government. In fact, he is benefiting from it left and right.

We have schools, roads, electricity, relative peace and order and so much more that is made possible by our government. We get so bogged down in what our government does that we don’t agree with that we miss the good, important and truly beneficial things that it does do.

It might be best to take a moment and admit that I am the friend who, according to Ben, smells like a sell out. But, in my defense, Ben smells a lot like a cop-out to me. It’s fine to be critical of the government, so long as you are doing something meaningful to fix it. Otherwise, you’re just whining.

I choose to work within the system not because I’m selling out, but because I honestly believe in the system. I believe that our government has the capability of enriching the lives of so many of those who are disadvantaged in some way. I know that it isn’t a perfect system, but I haven’t seen a better alternative yet, so I’m not giving up. In fact, I even believe that our government really does have the interests of its citizens as its top priority.

More importantly, when you don’t vote, you give up your voice. I know that Ben feels that he voted his conscience, and that is commendable. But I still believe he gave up some of his right to critique our government when he stopped participating in it.

Yes, you should question assumptions and know what you believe. But don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Don’t focus on the bad and forget the point.

And, honestly, I believe that every single citizen should vote. You live here, and you get a voice about it. So use it.

Brooke Blough is a senior Bible and religion major from Denver, Colo.

Photo by Chase Snyder.

Allow me to begin by stating that I did not vote for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Neither did I vote for John McCain. I didn’t vote for Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney or any of the third-party candidates. In fact, most people would say that I didn’t vote at all.

However, I would insist that I voted my conscience by not casting a ballot for any of the candidates.

I did not vote in this country’s latest election because I do not believe in the overarching motives and ideologies that rule the United States of America. I do not support the overt pro-capitalist leanings and the myriad connections between the government and the big business industries.

I despise the under-representation and dismissal of the majority of citizens – including the poor, disadvantaged, non-educated, non-elite – particularly when politicians and government representatives often profess that these people are the ones they most care about.

I am disgusted by the regular and often institutionalized rape of less industrialized countries, as well as the blind eye turned toward similar travesties perpetrated by other nations. I refuse to associate myself with a system of government that, more often than not, does not have the interests of its citizens – those who give them power – and all citizens of the world as its top priority.

I know that many people will curse me, accusing me of apathy and a lack of respect for the country that gives me such great freedoms.

First, I hope that these people will recognize that I do care deeply about the human condition and the methods of organization that societies have adopted in order to exist and function. I have engaged in the political spectrum, considered the situation and made an informed choice. Please don’t call me apathetic; it’ll just piss me off and won’t get either of us anywhere.

Second, I am aware that being born in the United States of America has given me a great advantage regarding my comfort and education. However, this does not grant me special privileges or rights, which most global citizens do not possess.

While I am a part of this participatory political culture and an interested member thereof, I don’t believe in the system that it operates within and cannot support its continuation by participating in general elections.

Many peers who agree with my non-capitalist, non-democratic stance believe in “working within the system.” I don’t buy this perspective; it smells like selling out to me. Of course, many people will ask how I propose to fix the problem and what my ideal government would look like.

First, I suggest living simply and openly, sharing your possessions or viewpoints – economic, informative, emotional, and spiritual – with others. This never ceases to sprout new understanding and increased empathy.

Second, challenge mainstream assumptions and investigate alternatives to these concepts, which often seem etched in stone. Is a two party system the best or only way to run politics? How was George W. Bush elected twice? Will Barack Obama lead this country powerfully and gracefully and fulfill the promises he made to you, the voter? How is the government actually kept accountable?

Finally, I urge you to write down what you actually believe in regarding our governing body and the human condition as a whole. What you end up writing may surprise you, and you could end up re-examining an issue you thought you had figured out.

This process of self-discovery and the potential for new and funky-fresh ideas are two of the things that America does right. Why not give them a try?

Ben Jackson is a senior English major with a minor in sociology/anthropology from Lancaster, Pa.

Photo contributed by Andy Alexis-Baker.

Several years ago I witnessed some young people illegally shooting fireworks on July Fourth. The trespassers were playing a dicey tag game, shooting bottle rockets at each other and deliberately launching them at a hawk’s (a federally protected species) nest containing nestlings.

From a strictly legal perspective, I had every right to call the police. But would this have been an appropriate ethical Christian response?

Police officers carry a variety of weapons, many of which can kill. Therefore, when we call the police we must be aware that we are relying on a nonnegotiable solution to a problem that is rooted in the state’s monopoly on violence.

Regardless of our personal commitments to peace, calling the police means inviting guns, tasers, clubs and other signs of state violence, into a situation. For this reason, asking the police to solve our conflicts is a serious decision that requires a great deal of forethought and discernment.

As such, I suggest the following guidelines:

- We should call the police as a last resort.

- We should ask if the police represent a proportionate response. Loud party versus men with guns. Is that proportionate?

- We should ask whether our intentions are to punish or humiliate somebody.

- We should ask if reconciliation is possible in the situation. And if it is, does inviting the police into the situation threaten that process?

- We should ask what Jesus might do in the situation.

Contrary to popular belief, the police are not social workers. They are trained to protect certain interests by any means they deem necessary.

The police make arrests that blackball a person for life, even if the caller did not intend it. The police can and often do blame victims of a crime for their predicament and do not always champion the cause of ones who are harmed.

If we engage the police, we must do so with open eyes. We cannot make wise decisions about calling the police based on uncritical assumptions.

In the opening scenario, I chose to speak directly with the people involved. As a white male citizen, I recognize I am privileged to engage these questions in ways that may be unavailable for marginalized groups. However, these social imbalances call for more discernment, not less.

How we relate to our neighbors and the police is a question of witness. Our choices affect our relationships with others inside and outside of the body of Christ.

Andy Alexis-Baker is an adjunct professor of peace, justice and conflict studies.

Photo by Chase Snyder.

There is something awe-inspiring about being surrounded by huge buildings.

Not skyscrapers. They are impressive, but somehow too big to really comprehend.

I’m talking giant blocks of marble, granite and sandstone. These buildings, which surrounded me when I went to Washington, D.C. for spring break, have history and politics deep in their foundations.

Another student noted that simply being in D.C. makes one more politically aware. And though people who know me might wonder if that was possible, it was.

While I was surrounded by the giants of our past and present, I felt the weight of the years, the weight of important decisions, the weight of our democracy, in a way that I have rarely felt before. It is easy to take for granted our government when you are nowhere near it, but being there really made it palpable.

It struck me that we are so well off. Our system, for all its failings, is truly great. Think how improbable this nation is. At so many points things could have gone wrong.

George Washington easily could have decided that he liked ruling so much that he would become king, rather than president. Lincoln could have not tried to keep the union together. And as Joe Liechty might point out, each time that we peacefully transition from one party in power to another, we ought to remember how blessed we are.

Our government affords – and has for hundreds of years – an unparalleled experiment in democratic representation.

Being at a largely liberal institution with goals of peace and justice, I frequently get lost wishing that things were better. I wish that our country was more proactive. I wish that there was not so much poverty in this country. I wish that the many repressed groups in our midst would get a fair shake.

And as a result, I sometimes forget to be thankful.

That is not to say that I should stop wishing and more importantly, stop working for progress on such fronts. They are vitally important. Rather, I think that in the process of looking to the future, we should not forget to look to the past and be grateful.

I stood in the Lincoln Memorial reading his second inaugural address – a message from our nation’s past that could not feel more relevant today.

Lincoln wrote:

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

I can think of few things so awe-inspiring.

Jacob Schlabach is an English major from Saint Paul, Minn.

Photo by Jordan Kauffman.

In the past year, we have seen our economy dip to record lows and struggle with issues that many businesspeople were unprepared for.

With companies seeing this downturn in market value, the bottom line on their income statements is dipping into the red. The explanation surrounding the economic problems could be very extensive and dry, so I want to talk more about the bigger picture and what the outlook for the future seems to be.

First of all, I believe that the current problems in our economy are only part of a cycle that is inevitable in our business and economic realm. Big business many times involves trying to do what will generate the largest income and maybe not the best long-term implications and effects. I recognize that making money is generally termed the “goal of business,” but with this principle as a driving force, mistakes and faulty decisions will be made along the way.

While both businesses and the government do a very good job of covering up most of these mistakes, there will be a point when the economy cannot take any more and will inevitably break. As we have seen in the last few years, these mistakes and business practices have caught up with us. We are caught in a situation that will take both a lot of work and a long time to fix.

Neither you nor I could have have done anything to change this inevitability. The odds are that in another hundred years or so, the United States will experience another major economic fluctuation or flare and see something that is similar to what we are going through right now.

On January 20 we inaugurated Barack Obama as our 44th president in the midst of an economic recession that has directly affected millions of Americans. I personally believe this change in the leadership comes at a very suitable time. While we cannot blame President Bush directly for the current recession, he did lead a government that fell apart economically in his final term.

Just as in any other situation when fresh people are introduced, there is a creative spark that can be very effective in problem solving. President Obama has acted quickly and recently pushed for a stimulus bill that totals $789 billion.

As many have realized, the current situation is very complicated and it will take years for our economy to get to the same level it was before. But I feel that with new leadership, there is a new drive and need for change.

Aaron Shenk is a sophomore accounting major with a business minor from Goshen.

President Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of students, press and concerned Elkhart residents on the ailing economy of Elkhart County. Photo by Chase Snyder.

After hours of waiting to see the President, one man shouted over the cheering crowd what everyone was thinking: “How’re you gonna help us?”

Barack Obama gave his first public address as president in a town hall meeting on Monday to approximately 2,000 people – including Goshen College students and faculty – at Concord High School’s McCuen Gym in Elkhart. It is the third time Obama has visited Elkhart. The last time came during his presidential campaign on August 6, 2008.

“I promised you back then that if elected I’d do everything I could to help this community recover, and that’s why I came back today – because I intend to keep my promise,” Obama said.

Ed Neufeldt, a local man who was laid off from Monaco Coach in September, set the all too familiar scene for the gathered Elkhart county residents, of whom 15.3 percent are unemployed.

“We have the best workers right here in Elkhart, who are willing to put in hard time, do whatever it takes to make sure a company succeeds, but they’ve got to have a chance,” Obama said.

Then, in a calm but urgent demeanor, the President laid out his plan for giving the people of Elkhart and the United States that chance – to get through what he has called the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, which, “at some point, we may be unable to reverse.”

Brian Wyse, a senior business major, attended the meeting and found hope in the $800 billion economic recovery package that Obama is pushing to pass through the House and Senate.

“The most convincing part of the new stimulus package envisioned by President Obama is the emphasis on the long-term health of the economy,” Wyse said. “Policies such as infrastructure development, education spending and health care system improvements create desperately-needed government expenditures and private sector jobs now and are investments in our future. However, there are still provisions in the proposed legislation that must be addressed.”

Obama agrees with Wyse. “I’m not gonna tell you that this bill is perfect. It’s coming out of Washington, going through Congress,” Obama said as the audience chuckled. “It’s not perfect, but it is the right size; it is the right scope, broadly speaking; it has the right priorities to create jobs that will jump-start our economy and transform this economy for the 21st Century.”

With his plan, President Obama hopes to save or create 3-4 million jobs over the next two years. Not just any jobs, but “jobs that meet the needs we’ve neglected for far too long – jobs that lay the groundwork for long-term economic growth.”

“Being here in Elkhart, Obama said, “I am more confident than ever that we will get where we need to be because I know people are struggling, but I also know that folks here are good workers and good neighbors who step up, who help each other out, who make sacrifices when time are tough.”

Even though election season is over, much of the excitement from the campaign still remained as the crowd chanted “O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!”

“I was struck by how much the energy from the campaign was still palpable in the crowd even though the context and agenda of today’s town hall meeting was much different,” said Malinda Berry, a visiting scholar of religion and women’s studies at Goshen College.

It is the fourth time Berry saw Obama speak in person. “I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to hear the president talk about his plan in his own words, apart from all the punditry of the cable news shows, the blogosphere and the mainstream media.”

Ultimately, Obama will push the government to help the people out. “I know that all folks here are asking for is a chance to work hard and to have that work translate into a decent life for you and your family. So I know you’re gonna be doing your part, I think it’s about time that government did its part, too.”

For reflections from students and faculty:

Perspectives article

Public relations compilation

Photos taken by Sheldon Good:

The “reserved traveling press” section where the Record journalists sat:

In the final question of the morning, Obama discusses how America’s education is a reflection of its schools and parents:

Elkhart Mayor Dick Moore discusses Obama’s visit to Elkhart on CNN’s American Morning show (click for related article):

–Joe Friesen is a junior environmental science major from Goshen.

“I was especially pleased with [Obama's] emphasis on creating jobs that explore and develop renewable energy and take our dependence off of fossil fuels. President Obama addressed the fact that this economic plan is not perfect but also mentioned that it does not have any earmarks and that the Obama administration is working toward more ethical politics.”

–Hannah D. Miller is a senior peace, justice and conflict studies major from Scottdale, Pa.

“For me there is a line between support for Obama’s policies, and support for Obama as the president. On the campaign trail, Obama was an ideology, but he is now in reality the president of the United States. Therefore he is directly responsible for our wars of aggression, our missile launches and the philosophy of force that, though he has reinterpreted it, is still central in our foreign policy. I support the direction that the president is taking with the country, but I’m uneasy with support of the man, which inherently includes support for his office.”

–Lane Miller is a senior Bible and religion major from Danvers, Ill.

“One of my … concerns was regarding the future of those who will take the construction jobs, many of them coming out of the RV industry, getting trained to be able to build a road or whatever, and in a year or two, they’ll finish those projects, and then what? These projects are all ideal for the well-being of the nation, the economy, for Elkhart County. But what about those workers? Where will they go then? I am a strong supporter of the plan, and I see it necessary to do something about it now, but it wouldn’t hurt to think about the future of the workers as well.”

–Jheny Bianney Nieto is a junior social work major from Three Rivers, Mich.

“The dire situation in northern Indiana, made any news welcome. The vast majority of those in attendance were delighted to have the president’s attention directed towards the suffering Elkhart County. Even those who might not have ascribed to the same political agenda were anxious to listen how Barack was bringing his promised change. Generally, there were minor criticisms of the proposed legislation but everyone echoed President Obama’s sentiments. ‘Four more years of the same is not acceptable.’ The future looks brighter now.”

–Brian Wyse is a senior accounting major from Seattle, Wash.

For more reflections, from both students and faculty, click here.

Tyler Falk, news editor; Ben Noll, arts editor; and Sheldon Good, editor-in-chief, picked-up their press passes from the United States Secret Service in Concord High School’s McCuen Gym on Monday morning. The trio will post reflections on the gathering over the next few days.

For a complete review of the town hall meeting, see this article. from the Wall Street Journal. The trio of Record staff sat next to WSJ reporter Jonathan Weisman.

Obama flew into South Bend Regional Airport at 11 a.m., took a helicopter to Concord High School, addressed an audience of approximately 1,600 people at noon and immediately flew back to Washington. Obama’s first prime-time address to the nation is scheduled for Monday evening. He is then set to speak in Ft. Myers, Florida on Tuesday.

For reflections from students and faculty:

Perspectives article

Public relations compilation

Photos taken by Sheldon Good:

The “reserved traveling press” section where the Record journalists sat:

In the final question of the morning, Obama discusses how America’s education is a reflection of its schools and parents:

Elkhart Mayor Dick Moore discusses Obama’s visit to Elkhart on CNN’s American Morning show (click for related article):

According to the White House press release, “Nationwide, Obama’s plan will create or save 3-4 million jobs over the next two years.  Additionally, 95% of American workers will get a tax cut and tens of billions will be invested in roads, bridges, mass transit, flood control, and clean water projects.”

Click here for the specific impact for your state

However, Goshen College recently turned down a nine-acre farm with a house and barn that would have been donated from Heifer International, an organization that works toward building sustainable communities.

“We were approached by Heifer International … to see if we would consider the possibilities of accepting a gift of land and a building just south of town … Heifer’s interests, I think, were to provide a gift to the local community, to an organization whose values matched up with theirs,” said Will Jones, vice president of for institutional advancement.

According to Ryan Sensenig, assistant professor of science, who worked with the committee of faculty to review the proposal, “A Heifer-type farm can model a variety of sustainable practices, including local and organic vegetable production, perma-culture and multi-species grazing on native tallgrass prairie systems,” Sensenig said.

“The excitement about a farm with a house raised the possibility of having students research and design key strategies to retrofit an existing house to make it less energy intensive and/or implement energy producing technologies that are more sustainable.”

The idea was presented during the summer at faculty retreat by Frank Johnson, Goshen College special assistant to the President. Then two committees – one of students and the other of faculty from different disciplines – came together to decide if the land would be beneficial to the college.

After months of research and discussion, the committees concluded that the farm would benefit the college. Both committees suggested that the college pursue the gift. “The committee was also enthusiastically supportive of a residential option for students that connects them to the land and the intentional care for the land,” Sensenig said.

The President’s Council made the final decision to pass on the gift. The President’s Council includes President Jim Brenneman; Bill Born, vice president for student affairs; Jim Histand, vice president for finance; Lynn Jackson, vice president for enrollment management; Will Jones, vice president for institutional advancement; and Anita Stalter, vice president for academic affairs.

“We went through a thought process here, really an intellectual exercise to see what the possibilities would be for us to use the facility,” Jones said. “It was a great interdisciplinary exercise for the college.”

Jones said that financial concerns played a large role in the decision not to make the proposal a reality. Jones noted “what’s happening globally in terms of the global recession and then also what the college budget situation is in terms of what the main [goals] are here.”

“We’re investing in our mission, investing in our teaching and learning opportunities for students,” said Jones. “That’s our primary concern, and it felt like this was something that wasn’t fully mature yet in terms of the idea.”

Jones said that even though the land was a gift, there would be substantial costs involved. “Sometimes there are gifts that keep on taking … and there would have been costs associated with the proposals. The costs of the modest project plus the maintenance and upkeep was more than the college was willing to bear given other strategic priorities.”

According to Histand, the financial cost would be too much in the current economy. “Potential gifts like that have some risk to the institution,” he said. “For example, the potential to draw off resources from other core institutional activities. And now is not the time to take those kinds of risks without some certainty as to economic viability.”

In addition, Jones said, “We could have gotten the land, but it would have been with strings attached. For certain kinds of projects and for the college there would have been costs associated with those projects. The cost to conduct them was more than the college was willing to invest given what the strategic priorities are of the institution.”

According to Jones, Heifer International was unwilling to give up the land unconditionally. “There were some strings as far as what some of the projects might be, and when we tried to come up with some of those projects on our end, nothing seemed to crystallize,” Jones said.

Despite the project not going through, Sensenig is hopeful about the future of sustainability at Goshen College. “While I am disappointed it did not work for GC to accept the Heifer farm. I am very optimistic about the ongoing conversation that has been generated about the importance of generating a program related to farming and sustainability,” Sensenig said.

“The energy, innovation and commitment among the committee members from multiple departments suggests the time is coming for an interdisciplinary approach to farming and sustainability,” Sensenig said. “I’d like to continue to find ways to mobilize this interest and work together to craft a farming program for GC, perhaps even on our own strawberry field [behind the Recreation-Fitness Center].”

Photo provided by Public Relations

During the spring and summer of 1968, more than forty years ago now, I worked for the campaign of Senator Eugene McCarthy. I turned 14 that summer, and though I was very young to be canvassing door to door with college students, my heart was fully in the work.

It had been a tragic and difficult year. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April, followed by rioting in cities across the country and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in June, crushed many spirits.

However, since I was young and resilient and believed in the Democratic process, I continued my daily work for a candidate I was certain would help to end the war in Vietnam. But that July – when I watched the Democratic National Convention in Chicago disintegrate into a political nadir – I lost my faith in politics.

While outside the convention, Mayor Daley’s police sprayed tear gas and cracked the heads of demonstrators with billy clubs. Inside the nomination of Hubert Humphrey was railroaded through.

“They’re not following Robert’s Rules of Order,” I kept crying out-having just learned about those rules that summer. But none of the delegates on the floor seemed to see what I was seeing. That’s when I learned that adults can often contradict their own values and beliefs, break their own rules and then act as though nothing has happened. For me, political language had become an official, but deadening form of speech.

Over and over again I sensed the presence of stultifying language as through the decades I watched elections, Watergate coverage, the media hype on the Gulf War, the Clarence Thomas hearings and even the War on Terror as it was covered on television. I voted, but rarely with enthusiasm.

Then the 2000 election debacle robbed me of my belief that my vote actually counted. 9/11 brought a sobering realism to our national discourse and a call to unity, but it was quickly co-opted as justification for the Patriot Act and then the War in Iraq. I felt the constraint of “correctness” infect my own speech. Even teachers were labeled “terrorists” under the Bush Administration. Critique was construed as unpatriotic: an Orwellian nightmare.

So, like many others, I was ready for change during this election year, with its historic woman candidate and its historic African American candidate. I wanted to hope, yet I was afraid.

When I taught Expository Writing last spring, I decided to have my students investigate the platforms and programs of the various candidates and write analyses and reviews of websites and speeches. Together we did our homework as citizens. I am grateful to the students from that class for teaching me so much.

When Obama became the Democratic candidate, I began to get a bit excited.

The Democratic convention in Denver last summer was a healing balm for people of my generation. Obama spoke to voters with dignity and respect. I felt – for the first time in eight years – that perhaps the voting machines would actually work as they were supposed to in November. Yet I kept holding my breath, almost unable to believe what was happening.

My three adult children were not constrained by living through past trauma. They canvassed. They campaigned in several states. They voted. I babysat my oldest daughter’s children so she could work at the Obama headquarters. It dawned on me that since the summer of 1968, part of my heart had been frozen. And somehow during that time I had grown older than the president.

What the inauguration means to me is a great thawing of frozen hope – even on an icy January day. I sense dignity restored to the language. Language on Obama’s tongue is an act of care and precision. He has a gift for re-framing the ordinary in a most extraordinarily inspiring way, even as he makes his listeners feel valued.

Peggy Noonan has said that the most moving thing in an Obama speech is its logic. This is because his logic – informed by wide and intelligent reading and conversation – is an act of respect to the listener. Perhaps even an act of love-love for the Democratic process, for what Buddhists call “right speech,” even for poetry.

“What if,” as poet Elizabeth Alexander read today, “the mightiest word is love … love that casts a widening pool of light?” And what if young people today, such as my 10 year-old son – the only non-voting member of the family – can look up to a president with such values and discover the promise of Democracy restored?

I will be happy to entrust the future to them.

Ann Hostetler is a professor of English at Goshen College.

Photo by Chase Snyder

“Change we can believe in.” “Hope.” These are the core messages on which our 44th president was elected.

These messages make me proud to be an American. The realities of the financial crisis, declining education standards and two wars are horrific indicators of where our nation is right now. But the way in which we will go about handling them seems to be changing.

Already, from the few administrative decisions he has made, the “team of rivals” he has named and his choice of vice president, Barack Obama has shown that he will make wise decisions. Already, we are seeing the beginnings of a major shift in policy from the past eight years. Hopefully these changes will continue and our nation will begin to enact policies that aid the poor, boost education, change health care and foreign policies and balance the budget all at the same time.

Ever since I read Obama’s book “The Audacity of Hope” while on S.S.T. in Cambodia during the spring semester of 2007, I have been excited about Obama. After coming home, I was thrilled to attend some of his speeches. The excitement that Obama has generated has been contagious. The excitement of the election in general has been a positive example of democracy at work, with one of the largest voter turnouts in history.

While the future of our country has yet to be determined, I remain excited and hopeful in our new president. I have faith that he will fulfill his promises to the nation. But as Obama said in his inaugural address, “For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.” I hope that we can all do our part.

Dirk Miller is a senior history major from Wellman, Iowa.

Only 240,000 tickets were issued to grant access to the areas closest to the western front of the United States Capitol. Many ticket-holders found that just because they had a ticket, their entry to the National Mall would not be easy, or even guaranteed.

Some visitors, who waited to enter the “silver” ticket area – the largest of the color-coded ticket areas – lined up as early as 5 am. Many more ticket-holders continued to get in line throughout the morning. As the beginning of the official ceremonies approached, it became clear that the line would not move quickly enough for all ticket holders to enter.

Many people with tickets simply turned back, discouraged. Others continued to move towards the gate. At least 1,000 individuals with tickets were not able to enter.

There were serious logistical issues at other ticket areas as well.

As some visitors continued to move closer to the gate, it was clear that security would not let anyone enter, or even cross Independence Ave., which runs parallel to the National Mall. Those ticket-holders – who were closest to the gate – collectively waved their tickets in the air and chanted, “Let us in!”

The massive crowd eventually overwhelmed security personnel, crossed Independence Ave., and entered the surprisingly empty “silver” ticket area. But those who did make it in didn’t even have to show their tickets, which were supposed to grant access to this “reserved section.”

Despite the unorganized and somewhat chaotic entry, the mood on the Mall was upbeat, cheerful and amiable. Onlookers cheered wildly as President Barack Obama was introduced and sworn in. The crowd hushed as they listened intently to Obama’s inaugural address.

After the ceremony, the crowd celebrated with communal hugs, dancing and cheers.

Here’s a video of C.J. Hague rushing into the ticketed area at the inauguration:

Those of us who couldn’t celebrate in our nation’s capitol filed into the Umble Center at 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, confident that this was worth missing or cance

Photo by Jordan Kauffman

ling a class for. With Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities and the inauguration of our country’s first African-American/biracial commander in chief both falling within a two-day span, students have barely had time to breathe, let alone to reflect on what this all means.

King’s dream may seem to have been fulfilled, but the inauguration of Obama is only one step on a long journey to racial equality. Based on hope and change, however, Obama’s campaign and subsequent presidency could be exactly what the American people need right now to bend the plot line of racial history. Perhaps history will paint Obama standing at the horizon of American politics, exactly when our country needs the strength to believe again.

I was elated to see how many students and faculty came to witness the inauguration. For the first time I can remember, the country seems to be alive with anticipation. Chants of “yes we can” were audible throughout the country, even in the midst of a recession, housing crisis and potential for racial division.

It is my hope that Obama can fulfill his plans and truly lead to change. We are a part of history. We helped make it, and it’s time for us to join in and celebrate it.

I encourage you all to offer the gift of hope to your fellow Goshen College students throughout the rest of this week. Random acts of kindness and words of encouragement are small gifts that don’t take a lot of time to give but are greatly appreciated.

We are the ones who made this election possible. Obama won our age demographic. We made his story. Now let’s make our own.

Jennifer Speight is a sophomore English, secondary education and pre-law major from Cleveland, Ohio.

Photo by Chase Snyder

This season of change in U.S. politics has inspired many in our generation to believe and hope in a system we have grown cynical about.

Most of the folks my age – especially here at Goshen College – would identify much more strongly with our new President, Barack Obama, than with our now former President, George W. Bush. Bush’s final press conference, however, felt strangely familiar to me.

I started as a freshman living on Miller 1 a couple months before the 2004 election gave then-President Bush another four years in office. Now, Bush is moving on to the next phase of his life a few months before I graduate and do the same.

Like Bush, I will soon be leaving a chapter in my life that seems like the most important and memorable one so far, and I have been thinking about my own legacy at Goshen College.

Like Bush, I worry that I will not be remembered as the person I really am, and that some of my past attitudes, choices and mistakes will shape my legacy more than my talents and achievements.

While I haven’t had to deal with terrorist attacks and formulate a response, I have been attacked by periods of severe depression and academic dysfunction. I haven’t started any wars, but I have made some really dumb mistakes, including some that alienated me from people with whom I could have been friends.

But as America looks to a new leader to help us through the challenges ahead, I am also looking forward to the life I will build after college.

Watching the inauguration of our first black president was even more inspiring than I could have expected. His readiness to tackle the nation’s problems and draw people together gives me a confidence in the future both for myself and for the whole country.

I will miss Goshen College, but this time of transition is also a huge opportunity to leave behind attitudes and choices that have held me back and created problems in the past. Like President Obama, I will have to work hard to disrupt destructive patterns, and I will have to rely on others for support.

Luckily, I have assembled a wonderful “cabinet” of friends to take me into the next four years. With their help and with my own determination, I am excited to build my life in what feels like the start of things getting better, a season of change.

Nathan Graber is a senior history major from Elkhart, Ind.