News
September 19, 2024
Goshen hosts Hispanic Heritage Festival
On Saturday, over 12,000 people from the Goshen community and beyond gathered at Powerhouse Park for the 4th annual Hispanic Heritage Festival. The festival celebrated each Hispanic culture through food, singing, dancing, traditional performances and activities for all ages. From the hot pupusas sold at the El Salvadorian food stand, the overflowing cups of tropical fruit smothered in Tajin, to the Mexican Consulate’s “Cry for Freedom” (El Grito) ceremony, all traditions were represented in one way or another. Lily Herrera, a junior broadcasting major from Santa Clarita, California said, “It’s always so cool to see people of all ethnicities and...
September 19, 2024
Year three for GC as an HSI
Goshen College is entering the third year of its Hispanic Serving Institution designation and with that experience comes a more developed sense of what it means to be an HSI. As far as change goes, much of what the college has been able to achieve is thanks to a Title V federal grant for Developing Hispanic Serving Institution (DSHI) programs. Gilberto Pérez Jr., vice president for student life and Hispanic serving initiatives, as well as dean of students, explained that GC received $3 million to serve Hispanic students, as well as others who have been historically underserved. Jan Kauffman, assistant...
September 12, 2024
Who’s new: Reviewing the GC hiring process
Twenty-six new full-time hires have joined Goshen College since June 1, totalling 227 full-time employees, compared to 228 last year. Marlene Penner, director of human resources, said about the hiring process, “When hiring managers or directors have a position that they want to hire for … they have to go through a process in basically petitioning for that position.” After it is submitted, the position is reviewed by a finance committee, which decides whether it makes sense to post it for hiring. In February of this year, Richard Brunson was terminated from his position as associate professor of...
September 12, 2024
New Master of Arts in Teaching
After two years of development Goshen has the final approval for its new Master of Arts in Teaching program. Although the program doesn’t officially start until the fall of 2025 the first cohort is already in swing. Suzanne Ehst, professor of education and director of the M.A. in teaching, said that they have “21 new students in the new version [of the program]. The classes they are taking this year are not yet master’s level, but they will be able to finish the full program with a master’s degree as long as half of their coursework is master’s level.” Despite...
September 12, 2024
Academic Success Center adds new positions
The Goshen College Academic Success Center (ASC) renovated their facilities in the Good Library with help from a $3 million grant from the US Department of Education. The facility was finished on Monday, August 19, just when classes started. This allows them to expand their services and staff in a new environment, and create a space where students feel welcomed. The grant was given to support achievements of Hispanic/Latinx and commuter students, connecting them to careers. “We want to make sure that the students have a solid foundation,” said Michelle Blank, director of academic success. Isacc Hernandez, a connections...
September 12, 2024
Student-Athletes weigh in on NAIA trans-athlete policy
“Only students whose biological sex* is female may participate in NAIA-sponsored female sports.” That was the decision that passed unanimously by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, or the NAIA, on April 8, 2024. This decision only applies to female sports, as stated in the press release, “All eligible NAIA student-athletes may participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports.” As Goshen College, a member of the Crossroads League, tries to walk the fine line between upholding the integrity of women’s sports, and still providing equal opportunities for everyone, one question has yet to be asked, how do student-athletes here at Goshen College...
September 12, 2024
New section of academic voice aims to help ELL students
Goshen College has implemented a new section of academic voice, one that is open to a small selection of Hispanic English Language Learners (ELL). The class retains the same curriculum, but is taught by Spanish-speaking instructors; Robert Brenneman is the professor of record, with Areli Bautista serving as a teaching assistant. The class is composed of 14 first-year students. Homework and assignments are submitted in English, and most instruction is in English; however, the use of Spanish is interspersed when it’s helpful. “From time to time when we’re working one on one with students, we’ll switch to Spanish,” Brenneman said....
September 5, 2024
Students receive Global Citizenship Awards
The annual Global Citizenship Awards were presented once again to three students who, through a process of nominations and applications, were decided to best represent the college’s values. This year’s awardees were Fatima Zahara, Silas Immanuel and Arleth Martinez. The award, in addition to its prestige, gives the two runner-up students a $5,000 scholarship and the winner with $10,000. This year, Immanuel and Martinez were awarded runners-up and Zahara was awarded first place. The Global Citizenship scholarship was started in 2022 by a contribution from Goshen College alumni Shashi Buluswar. Buluswar is the founder and president of the Institute for...
September 5, 2024
Albertin to change positions
Goshen College announced Wednesday that Erica Albertin, the current athletic director, will step down from her post on September 12, transitioning into a new position as associate director for athletic health and wellness. In her new role Albertin will supervise the head athletic trainer, provide athletic training and continue to work as a DEI officer. She will also teach and advise students in the kinesiology department, and will begin responsibilities as a deputy Title IX coordinator for athletics, according to an email from the president’s office. For Albertin, the transition comes from two main reasons. “I have three little boys...
September 5, 2024
ID cards lose access
The beginning of a new school year has brought a significant change to how student ID cards work around campus. This change comes in the form of access; now students can only get on the floor or in the building that they live in. Previously, ID cards would allow access to any residence hall before 11 p.m. on weekdays and 1 a.m. on weekends. This change seeks to improve campus security, however, it poses potential problems for students trying to meet friends who live in a different building or floor. This change means that someone with a stolen ID card,...
September 5, 2024
Muslim Student Association makes debut
This year marks the beginning of the Muslim Student Association on campus. Mona Galeb, a junior nursing major, and Ashwaq Aldhuraibi, a sophomore psychology major, are the founders and leaders of this new group with Noah Lederach, academic coach, who serves as the faculty advisor. “We came up with the idea during the spring of 2024, during a meeting regarding Gaza, with President Rebecca Stoltzfus, Gilbetro Perez Jr. [vice president for student life and Hispanic serving initiatives] and Jen Shenk [campus pastor],” Galeb and Aldhuraibi said in a joint email. “After this our process began and during the summer we...
September 5, 2024
Admissions bounces back
Following a remarkably small incoming class in the fall of 2023, Goshen College saw a sharp enrollment spike this semester. This first-year class brought in 201 new students, the highest number since 2017. The shift was dramatic from last year’s freshman cohort of only 156; it marked an increase of almost 30%. When asked about the difference from 2023 to 2024, Ben Koop, a member of last year’s incoming class, said, “I think it’s more apparent to me now coming in as a sophomore that our class was smaller because I do notice that there are significantly more first-years this...
April 11, 2024
GC communication
The spring semester has been good to the Goshen College communication department, as The Record, The Globe and FiveCore Media have all had success at various competitions. In February, the Broadcast Education Association announced award and scholarship winners. GC grabbed 11 recognitions, including three first-place awards. In early March, The Globe staff traveled to New York City for the 85th Intercollegiate Broadcasting System awards. The Globe was nominated for 23 awards and took home five first place trophies. In March, Globe and FiveCore staff headed down to Indianapolis for the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters awards. GC students received 31...
April 11, 2024
Guyton to speak at commencement
“It’s done. It’s finished.” As students stress about final exams in a couple weeks, Glen Guyton, the executive director of Mennonite Church USA, has the main construction of this year’s commencement speech complete. “Now I just have to make sure it’s good and that it resonates with the students,” he said. Guyton is selective about which speaking opportunities he takes — as the head of MCUSA, he receives a lot — but he ultimately accepted this invitation because he values Mennonite universities. “The colleges have been a place where many of our leaders come from,” he said. “It’s a good...
April 11, 2024
Nuestras historias highlights Latino journey
Goshen College hosted the inaugural Nuestras historias event last week, a look at the journeys of Latino professionals in the media and communication industries. The event featured panels, a keynote address, music and refreshments. Lily Herrera, a sophomore broadcasting major, was one of the panel members and was eager to be a part of the event. “I was really interested because we never really talked about such a niche thing before,” Herrera said. “We are a Hispanic-Serving Institution, but we never talked about Hispanics in broadcasting, so I thought it’d be really cool to be a part of it.” Herrera...