For over 10 years, Dan Smith, professor of chemistry and department chair, has been running research that looks at the genetics of pigeons, which he does with the help of a few students. Smith said, “I can only have about two or three people at a time because I actually work pretty closely with them.”  Right now those students are Mikey Anderson, a senior environmental science major; Julia Miller, a sophomore biochemistry major; and Levi Moser, a first-year environmental science major who helps with taking pictures.  “We’re interested in trying to figure out what mutations in genes cause different colors...

By Annabelle Bartz • February 6, 2025 • Features

Since 1968, the semester-long Study Service Term has been a staple of the Goshen College experience. With its 50-year anniversary in 2018, program leaders took the initiative to build a year-long study to assess how the program could be more equitable and accessible for students.  Kendra Yoder, professor of sociology, the chair of the religion, justice and society department and co-director of global engagement, said, “What we saw was that fewer and fewer people were able to do the full semester program, and the SST alts were just a series of courses that had some kind of global theme, but...

By Mackenzie P. Miller • February 6, 2025 • Features

Game day — in many ways the culmination of the work of the athletic department. But, a little more than a year ago, the department went through a pretty significant change in how each game runs.  In years past, Goshen College traditionally had a smaller staff for game days than many of the other schools in the Crossroads League, as they chose to pay each of their student-athletes who worked there.  However, in conversations in the summer of 2023, the department decided to change things up, in an effort to save money, improve game day experiences  and to more closely...

By Kate Bodiker • February 6, 2025 • Features

Dash the black squirrel appeared for the first time two and a half years ago during Homecoming in 2022. By now, everyone on campus is familiar with the chipper, bright-eyed face of Goshen College’s resident mascot, Though, newer students may not know that Dash hasn’t always been revving up the crowd at sporting events.  Chad Coleman, interim director of athletics and director of campus safety, and Erica Albertin, former director of athletics and current associate director for athletic health and wellness, were two of the minds behind the idea of introducing a mascot, though the details of the mascot’s look...

By Lindsey Graber • January 23, 2025 • Features

“I get to dance for a credit? Awesome!” That was senior exercise science major Shea VanScoter’s reaction when she signed up for International Folk Dance.  International Folk Dance has been offered at Goshen College  for over 40 years, although it was originally called International Folk Games, according to Val Hershberger, associate professor of kinesiology and the current instructor. When professor emeritus of physical education Sue Roth retired in 1999, Hershberger was charged with the instruction of International Folk Dance. With no background in dance, Hershberger began the journey of learning and teaching basic steps of popular dances from around the...

By Ana Yoder • January 23, 2025 • Features

If you could teach one dream class, what would it be?  Michelle Horning: I already teach one of my dream classes, Business Analytics. Intermediate and advanced level Excel skills are necessary for success and every student should take the course. It should be everyone’s dream class. Kortney Stern: My dream class would be an eco-medieval literature course in which students met outdoors in locations that mirrored those in the texts we were reading. For example, we could meet in a rose garden when studying “The Romance of the Rose” or in a wooded area when discussing “Robin Hood.” I knew...

By Kate Bodiker • January 23, 2025 • Features

Of the 114 international students attending Goshen this fall, 11 stay with host families. According to Dan Koop Liechty, international student adviser, Goshen College has moved away from host families in the last few years. Koop Liechty noted, “generally speaking, students who are now living off campus with families are related to them or had a relationship prior to arrival.” This was true in the case of sisters Senper and Shalom Solomon. The sisters’ father and Paul Shetler, son of Jan Bender Shetler, former director of global education, had a connection. Through their familial relationship with Bender Shetler and her...

By Phil Witmer-Rich • January 16, 2025 • Features

At Goshen College, it’s safe to say that the majority of the student population is single. Sorry if I called you out. Following that group is a smaller portion of students who are in relationships. And even smaller than that, are the students who are married. Maria Petit Arias is a senior psychology major, and transferred to GC when she was engaged. She is Latin American, and she said her culture and upbringing were very different when compared to most people who grew up in the states. In her family, she was expected to stay home until she got married....

By Alyssa McDonald • January 16, 2025 • Features

When Suzanne Ehst, associate academic dean, was writing her dissertation, she encountered documentation of some of the anxieties and implications of the pencil replacing the standard quill and ink:   “There were certain writers who were so scared that [the pencil] was going to change the quality of writing,” Ehst said. “[It] was going to change the rhythms of writing — it was going to make our writing dumber when we didn’t have those natural pauses to dip our quill and ink.” As artificial intelligence becomes more prominent and accessible academics are wrestling with these new tools — determining what is...

By Mackenzie P. Miller • January 16, 2025 • Features

A night full of questions, love and the “five dollar ball.” These are some photos taken over the last two Wednesday layout nights.   Reflections from some of the members of the Editorial Board on this semester of The Record “It’s about community: whether that’s sharing stories with Goshen or spending time with the amazing people in the newsroom.” -Kate Bodiker, news editor “It’s about growth and learning, a shared camaraderie and lots of Love — but mostly the late-night spicy potato soft tacos.” -Charlie Aldrich, executive co-editor “It’s about a commitment to grow a beloved campus staple with an...

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Goshen College’s fall play “She Kills Monsters” was performed the last two weekends by a cast determined to bring the story to life. The presence of American Sign Language interpreters on Sunday Nov. 10 was also a part of the efforts to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing individuals could enjoy the performance just as much as their hearing peers.  “Every play in GC had ASL interpreting which I think is very unique to GC, but it shouldn’t be. More actors should be able to work with interpreting,” said Fatima Zahara, senior theater and music major who played Agnes...

By Ana Alves Machado • November 24, 2024 • Features

The night begins as the big gates open in front of the bar. Then out come the IDs in the crowd of over 200 people, all dressed their finest and eager to have their hands stamped so the good times can begin.  Standing at the front of this line with stamp in hand, 5 feet 11 inches tall and dressed all in black, is Goshen College student, Aaron Yeakey, the wedding bouncer. Yeakey has a trained eye for spotting a fake ID. On this night he sends everyone through and then sits back to watch the festivities. He’s not hired...

By Josiah Miller • November 22, 2024 • Features

The morning sun shines through the windows onto the Kratz 1 lounge. One by one, five men — each donning either blue jeans or khakis, long sleeve button ups or polos with crewnecks, and some with a thermos in hand — maneuver chairs around to form a circle. A table sits in the center where a yellow National Geographic magazine lays folded open.  The conversation starter is one that Vic Stoltzfus, former president of Goshen College and father of the current President, Becky Stoltzfus, reads off. “[Frank Lloyd] Wright’s behaviors line up with a more deeply entrenched mental health diagnosis:...

By Charlie Aldrich • November 14, 2024 • Features

Silas Immanuel can write a script, set up lighting, shoot a scene, edit the sound, layer in captions, produce a documentary and fill an auditorium. He can also keep the balance sheet, tracking income, expenses and, hopefully, rising assets. Immanuel is a 23-year-old senior film production and accounting double major from New Delhi, India. He works at ITS Media and FiveCore Media and helps lead the International Student Club. Immanuel has  worked on various video productions over the past few years, most notably his award-winning documentary “Goshen: A Sundown Town’s Transformation,” which won first place for Best Documentary from Collegiate...

By Gavin Johnson • November 14, 2024 • Features

Last fall semester, Anastasia deFerbrache, senior education major, was talking with one of her roommates, Miranda Pfahler, a senior social work major, about Geek Off, an annual event at the college library where students showcase their talents through the creation of unique projects. As a joke, Pfahler suggested deFerbrache build the Goshen College campus on Minecraft for the competition. This casual conversation would later spark a much larger idea.  When deFerbrache mentioned the Minecraft idea to her dad, Jason deFerbrache, he immediately ran with the concept. Jason deFerbrache was already a fan of the game, playing casually over the years,...

By Ana Alves Machado • November 14, 2024 • Features