One facet of college life that has become almost synonymous with U.S. higher education is that of “Greek life,” or fraternities and sororities. Goshen College has never been a part of this student organizational system, however, while they weren’t frats, GC did use its literary societies. These societies began in 1900 as a division of the, at the time too large, Ciceronian Debating club. The resulting societies were called the Aurora Society and the Coming Men of America Debating Club, which later changed its name to the Adelphian Society. These were the societies for men on campus. As for women,...

By Kate Bodiker • March 13, 2025 • Features

In 1995, Dr. Regina Shands Stoltzfus, professor of peace, justice and conflict studies, together with Dr. Tobin Miller, founded the Damascus Road, an initiative aimed at dismantling racism within the Mennonite Church and broader society. In September 2012, Shands Stoltzfus and Miller’s Damascus Road was officially renamed to Roots of Justice. Shands Stoltzfus and Miller directed the program for several years, though they no longer lead the initiative. Throughout their time, they collaborated with a team of trainers to lead organizing and educational efforts within Mennonite Church USA and other Anabaptist institutions, including seminaries and colleges such as Goshen College....

By Igor Sapucaia • March 13, 2025 • Features

Collections of books and places to study are often what define college libraries — there’s nothing like finding a place to hunker down and type up a paper in a building where you have access to everything that you’ll need to get your work done.  Those things ring true for the Harold and Wilma Good Library, but there’s also so much more that it has to offer beyond academics — hot drinks, board games, gaming systems and seed swapping.  Within the walls of the library, there’s a reason for everything that has come to be. “We follow your trends,” said...

By Sarah Miller • February 20, 2025 • Features

This past week The New Yorker celebrated 100 years. For context, The Record will celebrate its 113th birthday this year. Just a lowkey flex. Anyway.  In their celebratory edition, Jill Lepore, a staff writer, wrote an article titled, “The Editorial Battles That Made The New Yorker.” It takes a deep dive into the relationships between various editors and writers over the history of the magazine.  Reading it was overwhelmingly validating, from the standpoint that it affirmed something that I’ve experienced and observed in my time working with The Record — the relationship between writers and editors is a tenuous one. ...

By Tyson Miller • February 20, 2025 • Features

The history within the walls of Goshen College’s buildings is plentiful. The red brick, the vines and limestone trim add to the charm that is GC. This vast history comes with years of repurposing buildings, and with constant repurposing, regular updates end up falling through the cracks.  The Visual Arts Building, tucked between the Leaf Raker parking lot and Administration Building, was built in 1940 and started its life as the library. The last renovation was made in 2003, which included some electrical upgrades, offices, new windows, reworking the ceramic lab and masonry restoration on the exterior according to Brian...

By Charlie Aldrich • February 20, 2025 • Features

  Goshen College is the place “where everything connects,” and through these connections many opportunities arise for students.  Collaboration with other institutions can give academic and global experiences to students at GC, and in turn to others at other universities. Two of the programs available are through the global studies department and the physics department.  The physics department works with Notre Dame, Case Western University and Valparaiso University. They provide a 3-2 program, three years at GC, then two years at one of the respective universities.  Being a small liberal arts school, GC does not have programs for  specific engineering...

By Kevin Liddell • February 20, 2025 • Features

College students are no strangers to illness, and this winter is no exception, with reported instances of COVID-19, Influenza, RSV and cold symptoms, many missed classes and even rescheduled events.   This was the case for both Fatima Rhana, senior music and theater major, and Victor Vegas, senior music major, who were forced to reschedule their senior recitals. These recitals are a requirement of the music major, and thus essential to complete. Rhana said that it was a hard decision to reschedule, but a necessary one that the department was very understanding of.  “The department was so fast and super understanding....

By Kate Bodiker • February 13, 2025 • Features

  Powdery white snow sprinkles from the clouds, following the trail the icy wind has created for it before it takes its place amongst the flakes collecting on the frozen ground. As winter hits its peak, Goshen College’s students walk to and from their classes, cold bursts of air burning their faces as they continue on toward their destinations.  There has not been a shortage of snow and ice this winter, and with it comes significant responsibility for the groundskeeping team on campus. In the event of snowfall or ice formation, the team prepares by shoveling walkways and spreading salt...

By Atty Montague • February 13, 2025 • Features

Along with homework, exams and late night study sessions, Lars Razor, a senior communication major, and Matija Margetic, a junior film production major, find the time to express their creativity through the art of music. Both transform their feelings and experiences into tunes for listeners with similar journeys.  Razor’s musical journey began at age 5 as he listened to his grandmother, Lillian Jones, a singer from a gospel music band, The Vocalaires.  The gospel group performed across the country, from Michigan to Missouri to California. Although she stopped performing before Razor became a teenager, he vaguely remembers attending his grandmother’s...

By Kena Oropeza • February 13, 2025 • Features

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