News
January 19, 2023
Bringing together seeds and seed lovers
The Michiana Regional Seed Swap, a gathering of growers, gardeners and plant enthusiasts, will meet on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 10 a.m. in the fellowship hall of the Church-Chapel to exchange seeds, discuss varieties and participate in educational sessions. “The Seed Swap is a nexus point for those interested in everything from vegetable breeding, food sovereignty, the cultural history of food traditions, locally adapted crops in the face of climate change, native landscaping to support wildlife and pollinators, and more,” said Marcos Stoltzfus, director of environmental outreach at Merry Lea Environmental Center. “The motivations each individual has for why to...
January 19, 2023
King convocation highlights women, musicians of color
Goshen College hosted its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day convocation this past Monday at 10 a.m. titled “Hidden Treasure: Untold Stories.” The event’s keynote speaker was Dr. Daryl Heller. Heller serves as the director of the IU South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center and an assistant professor of women’s and gender studies. As students, staff, and community members filed into and nearly filled up College Mennonite Church, Roy Jennings blissfully played the piano. Jennings is the founder and artistic director of Arch Angel Productions, a not-for-profit performance company for the presentation of African-American concert music, with a special emphasis...
January 19, 2023
Elkhart County to remove public recycling site on campus
Elkhart County will be closing the recycling site located in the Goshen College Church-Chapel parking lot on Jan. 20. It has become increasingly difficult for the county to manage public recycling sites due to the amount of trash that is being intermixed with the recycling. “For the last 20 years GC has offered the site as a goodwill gesture to the community,” said Cynthia Good Kaufmann, GC’s director of planning and events. In an effort to make recycling on campus more efficient, Elkhart County and GC are implementing new recycling strategies. GC is adding single-stream recycling bins at the Church-...
January 19, 2023
Representation and retention fall short
On Jan. 3, Goshen College men’s volleyball coach Lauren Ford left GC to take a job at Edward Waters University, a historically Black school in Jacksonville, Florida. Ford’s departure was notable for many reasons, including her success with the team. Crucially, though, it marked the latest occurrence of a recent trend: women of color leaving GC. According to Justin Heinzekehr, GC’s director of institutional research and assessment, there were 16 women that were Black, Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC) employed by GC on Nov. 1, 2021. On Nov. 1, 2022, 11 of those 16 were left. Moreover, two of...
December 1, 2022
Goshen choirs perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with guest musicians
Goshen College’s Vox Profundi and Voices of the Earth choirs joined the Elkhart County Symphony Orchestra and the Camerata Singers to perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 on Sunday, Nov. 20th in Sauder Concert Hall. The symphony was directed by Dr. Soo Han. 800 people were present to watch the performance, and over 100 people viewed the livestream. Han, the Director of Orchestral Studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, serves as music director for the Elkhart County Symphony Orchestra. Under his direction, each ensemble worked toward perfection. The orchestra is celebrating its “75th Diamond Jubilee,” with this season of...
December 1, 2022
GC receives grants from DOJ Office on Violence Against Women
Goshen College was awarded a $299,904 grant on Sept. 23 from the U.S. Department of Justice through the Office on Violence Against Women to fund a project expanding campus resources for domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking (DVDVSAS). The grant runs from Oct 1. 2022, to Sept 30. 2025. The project seeks to increase awareness and support methods on and off campus and to improve campus coordination through partnerships while creating programs for specific communities, such as Latinx students. “These changes will address the gaps identified … by building and demonstrating the institutional capacity to prevent and respond...
December 1, 2022
Advocates club calls for greater student involvement
Advocates hosted a vigil at Schrock Plaza on Sunday, Nov. 20, in observance of the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. Advocates is a Goshen College club whose mission is to educate and promote communication between LGBTQ and straight students, faculty and communities on campus. At the vigil, names of trans people murdered this year were read following a moment of silence. There was also a discussion on the importance of the day of remembrance. A prayer concluded the event. Advocates leader, Aiden Schloneger, a junior environmental science major, expressed his disappointment at the lack of attendance: “We did not get...
November 10, 2022
‘Queen of Mariachi’ performs in Sauder
“The Queen of Mariachi” performed on the Sauder Concert Hall stage on Saturday. Aida Cuevas, also known as “La Voz de México” or “Mexico’s voice,” was the latest guest in the Performing Arts Series. She is currently touring her show, “Yo Creo Que Es Tiempo” (“I Think It’s Time”), accompanied by a 12-person mariachi band as she celebrates 47 years of traditional Mexican and Latin American. Cuevas has an expansive list of accomplishments from her four-decade career, including the 2017 Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Album and the 2010 Latin Grammy for Best Tango Album. The singer has also recorded...
November 10, 2022
Students visit UN headquarters in New York
Goshen College sent a group of students to the United Nations headquarters in New York City from Wednesday, Nov. 2, to Friday, Nov. 4, to participate in a Mennonite Central Committee seminar. Most of the students in attendance were sophomores or juniors majoring in history or peace, justice and conflict studies (PJCS). Students from other Mennonite institutions in the United States and Canada were also present. The trip was coordinated by Lisa Miller, administrative assistant; Regina Shands Stoltzfus, professor of PJCS and director of PJCS; and Philipp Gollner, associate professor of history. Students traveled to New York City independently via...
November 10, 2022
Midterm elections 2022
This article has not been updated. Circumstances mentioned in the following article may have changed. Voters across the nation cast their ballots in the midterm elections on Tuesday. Nationally, the election decided which party would control both chambers of Congress, but local elections saw a variety of races on the ballot. Some issues on ballots across the country included gun safety, reproductive rights and immigration. On local ballots, key races included the Goshen Community Schools (GCS) School Board race and the special election for Indiana’s 2nd District U.S. Representative. The seat of Indiana’s 2nd District was previously held by Congresswoman...
November 10, 2022
Sarah Augustine calls for action on ICWA
“I’m here to ask you actually to stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples, and with each other, and with all of creation.” This was Sarah Augustine’s, a Tewa (Pueblo) activist and author, call to action at convocation on Wednesday. Augustine is the Executive Director of the Dispute Resolution Center of Yakima Kittitas Counties, co-founder of Suriname Indigenous Health Fund and the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition. She is also the author of “The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery.” Augustine’s goal for convocation was to cultivate support for The Indian Child Welfare Act...
November 3, 2022
New MBA program expands options for undergrad students
Goshen College’s teaching faculty approved 4+1, a new MBA program, on Oct. 21, which will permit undergraduate students to enroll in MBA courses during their junior year. The current program was created for full-time mid-career professionals who could only take one course. Still, Michelle Horning, chair of the business department, explained that the department is noticing different trends. “Over the last ten years, we’ve noticed the average age of our MBA students has gone down and younger professionals, earlier in their careers, were expressing interest in the program,” said Horning. She explained that 4+1s often indicate that undergraduate students can...
November 3, 2022
Halloweekend at GC
Many events took place on Goshen College’s campus over Halloween weekend, including the Haunted Ball, Día de Los Muertos and Howell-een. These events were open to everyone on campus, and their organizers noted high attendance. The Haunted Ball was hosted by the Role-Playing Game Club and the Campus Activities Council. The event encouraged “goth, period, prom and bridesmaid garb” and gave students the opportunity to decorate Halloween masks. “It was great to see students express their creativity through their costumes,” said Abby King, student activities coordinator. According to King, they plan to continue this event and are considering “reviving haunted...
November 3, 2022
GC student launches new organization
“You gotta meet Rob. He’s so great!” This is usually how Jesse Loewen, assistant director of the academic success center, describes Robert Sanders to those who have never met him. “He’s a perfect example of a student-athlete who knows they are more than just that,” he said. Sanders is a fifth-year sports management major with a minor in psychology who launched his new organization, Vessel of Honor, in September. “Our mission and vision is to equip, prepare and motivate the youth to do whatever they want to do with character, honor and integrity,” Sanders said. He founded the idea in...
November 3, 2022
Campus pantry opens to support students
Goshen College administers the Higher Education Research Institute survey to graduating seniors every other spring. The survey asks: “In the past year, how often have you felt hungry but didn’t eat because you didn’t have enough money for food?” In 2018, 13% of GC students reported “occasionally” or “frequently.” 2020 cited a sharp increase to 24% amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the number sits at 28%. “This is not a perfect measure because it only looks at students who have made it … through to graduation … since economic insecurity can be a barrier to academic success,” said...