For the RecordFor the Record is a weekly editorial usually written by the current executive editor of The Record. It may also be written by other Record editors.
For the Record is a weekly editorial usually written by the current executive editor of The Record. It may also be written by other Record editors.
September 20, 2012
For the Record, 9/20/12
This summer, I worked as a full-time reporter for Lancaster Newspapers in Lancaster, Pa. Being a reporter, I soon learned, meant bracing myself for all types of excitement. Between coverage of the Penn State University scandal, the London Olympics and raging summer fires, something was always buzzing in the newsroom. Sometimes, that excitement was just within the newsroom. Take, for example, the evening a bat flew into the office. The creature’s presence pulled all reporters from their work to watch a cleaning woman whack it with a broom. The soundtrack of my summer was mixed with two noises. One was...
September 12, 2012
For the Record 9/13/12
The Record celebrates a special anniversary this fall. 100 years ago—that’d be 1912, the year the Titanic sank—Goshen College gave The Record editorial “independence.” The paper became a publication that was edited, written and produced solely by students. In its 100 years of life, The Record’s appearance has morphed noticeably. The bold letters of typewriters used mostly up until the 1980-1990 issues appear ancient compared to the electronic type used in this issue. In the past, The Record relied on large print copies; now, computers securely categorize all the issues. Article content also reflects a century of change at Goshen...
April 11, 2012
For the Record 4/12 Mountain Dew!
84 cups. That’s how much Mountain Dew I drank at the Rott this semester. No joke. Why would I do something like this? Honestly, I can’t give a rational answer, but I guess it could be traced back to freshman year. Quite randomly, I noticed that every time John D. Roth, professor of history, ate at the Rott, he drank two cups of Mountain Dew. This pattern continued during my sophomore year. Being gone on SST this fall, I wasn’t able to observe his drinking patterns, but then on March 20, John threw me a curveball. He got a cup...
March 28, 2012
For the Record 3/29: What can we learn from ESPN?
I miss the ’90s. And I don’t mean Vanilla Ice, Windows 3.1, Rugrats or presidential sex scandals. On April 5, 1992, Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann co-hosted ESPN’s “SportsCenter” for the first time, a pairing that continued until Olbermann left ESPN in 1997 and a duo that places at or near the top of almost every SportsCenter anchor list floating round the Internet. With Patrick and Olbermann appearing nightly, SportsCenter became the first studio-produced linchpin of a network lineup that previously subsisted on things like Canadian football, Australian rules football and taped college basketball. Its tone sardonic, its humor self-deprecating...
March 21, 2012
For the Record 3/22: For the love of GC
For the record, I love Goshen College. I wasn’t always so sure. I was sort of forced into coming here. I say “sort of” because, while I did make the final call, I experienced a significant amount of unintended pressure. My parents, my aunts and uncles, my grandparents and my great-grandparents all came to Goshen. They all told me I would love it, that I would be carrying on a marvelous tradition as the fourth generation to become a Maple Leaf. At first I resisted, but I couldn’t fool myself when I said I’d go somewhere else. I always knew...
March 15, 2012
For the Record 3/15 Winter never came
In this moment, as the glare of the uncannily bright morning sun is playing games on my computer screen, I am trying desperately to be glad it is spring. Unfortunately, this is proving harder than I could have ever imagined. Despite the chirping birds and chittering squirrels and Frisbee-wielding freshman, I cannot help but feel that winter never got a chance to show us its stuff. Now please don’t misunderstand me. I hate winter. I hate it more than I hate when the Rott runs out of those chocolate peanut butter cookies just before I can get my hands on...
March 8, 2012
For the Record 3/8 – At least Santorum is honest
Super Tuesday was this past week, giving Americans a better idea of who could become the Republican presidential candidate. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. My joy comes from the fact that Rick Santorum did moderately well. Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I support him. Nope, he’s a bizarre creature in my mind. At the same time, I oddly respect him for his honesty. His conservative rhetoric seems crazy, but it’s what he believes. As a recent article printed by the popular satirical newspaper The Onion points out, “Voters Slowly Realizing Santorum Believes Every Deranged Word...
February 23, 2012
For the Record 2/23 – Pranks: I wanna see ’em
For as long as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed pranks. I get some sort of sick bliss out of watching people unknowingly step into trouble orchestrated by me. I don’t even mind it so much when others succeed in pranking me. It gives me a (perhaps false) feeling of belonging, which helps fill the insecure cracks of my personality. I spent three years of my childhood living on the campus of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary as my father studied to become a master of divinity. One of my most vivid memories from this time revolves around tomfoolery. I discovered a...
February 16, 2012
For the Record 2/16 – Dialogues, not complaints
“Shalom. This is Matthew Amstutz calling, and I’d just like to say that it’s a pain writing For the Record sometimes … so yeah … if you’ve got a topic I should write about … let me know. Or, even better, write a perspective yourself! Have a good day.” That’s the sole entry for Inside/Outside Voices this week. No, I didn’t actually call in; that would’ve been pointless. Almost as pointless as the weekly task of logging into the Inside/Outside Voices’ gmail account and verifying that no one has left a message. I know writing this may result in an...
January 26, 2012
For the Record 1/26 – A call to all first-years: let’s hang out!
Hypothetical situation: I’m sitting in the dining hall, eating my fair share of something that’s not fish, and a person I’ve never seen before, a first-year student perchance, walks in. Realistic reaction from me: instant judgment! As much as it pains me to admit it (OK, fine, it’s not much pain), I have a habit of immediately judging people based on their looks, attire, stride, entourage and general vibes I receive. I realize that this make me seem like a jerk, which very well could be true, but I have no remorse about that. Truly, if I feel bad about...
January 19, 2012
For the Record 1/19 – God doesn’t help Tim Tebow. Enough said.
This year, the National Football League and the American media were obsessed with Tim Tebow, the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. The term “Tebowmania” quickly became part of American vocabulary. For those of you who don’t know, Tebow is also an evangelical Christian who publicly shares his beliefs both on and off the field. During every post-game interview, Tebow thanks Jesus first and foremost, then continues with questions. After touchdowns that he’s involved with, Tebow gets down on one knee, rests his head on his fist, and prays. “Tebowing” is now a thing people do at random times of...
January 12, 2012
For the Record 1/12 – Please, give me recycling
Like all Goshen College students before me, my time for S.S.T. finally came. Last semester I spent moments embarrassing myself in a language I couldn’t possible master, while teaching Chinese middle school students how to interact with the first foreigner they had ever seen. When I returned to the clear skies (well, comparatively) of Indiana, I was bombarded with questions about my experience. In addition to the awful inquiry “So how was SST?”, many people asked me what I missed about the Middle Kingdom. Because Study Service Term is such an immense experience, I had trouble coming up with a...
November 30, 2011
For the Record 11
And we’ve come to the final days of the semester. This fall will be remembered most vividly for the untimely death of Jim Miller, the biology professor, mentor, friend and family man. Although upper-level biology students and science professors knew him best, it’s safe to say that Miller’s death affected all of us. Whether we missed Miller’s physical presence in a classroom, relived memories of personal losses or found that our sense of safety was stripped away from us, we all experienced his death differently. However we all joined together to support each other with food, a shoulder to lean...
November 26, 2011
For the Record 10
At convocation on Monday, Peter Illyn encouraged students to explore the world around them. As an “environmental evangelist,” his focal message could be summed up as follows: be aware of good in a world in which good is hard to find. Illyn was referring specifically to the natural world. In the case of college students,who don’t often leave the mile-long conglomerate of classrooms, dormitories and bicycle racks of campus, this message could be difficult to apply practically to day-to-day life. But we don’t have to escape into some sort of wild, foreign tundra to experience the beauty of creation. While...
November 9, 2011
For The Record 9
Goshen College no longer requires a certain percentage of its faculty to identify as Mennonite. Previously, policy stated that 80 percent of Goshen’s professors must be Mennonite, while the entire faculty has to be a member at a Christian church. The obligation for all faculty to be Christian remains intact. Goshen College president Jim Brenneman has said this change puts further emphasis on Goshen’s five core values: Christ-centered, passionate-learners, servant-leaders, compassionate-peacemakers and global-citizens. A portion of the hiring process will now ask job candidates to respond to questions about the core values using examples from their lives. One reason given...