“Voces Fuertes” means “strong voices,” and it is also the name of the new immigrant advocacy group on campus that will be making its official debut on Thursday, April 17 at 3 p.m. in Schrock Plaza. This group has been in the works for some time, meeting weekly since spring break as they prepared to have at least one event before the semester was over. Areli Guzman, a senior biochemistry major and one of the founders of Voces Fuertes, made reference to racist remarks in bills such as HB 3133, an antiterrorism  act passed in Oklahoma, and executive orders by...

By Josiah Miller • April 18, 2025 • Features

This semester, for the first time ever, The Record has covered every Student Senate meeting in some capacity with our new column, “Student Senate summary.” I’ve personally attended every meeting, and done the reporting, (don’t tell my staff, but I plan on delegating it at some point soon) which has been an eye opening experience and prompted the question, what should the role of Student Senate be at Goshen College in 2025? There have been five meetings so far this semester. The first four were comprised of myself, the actual senate and, for two of the meetings, a friend of...

By Tyson Miller • February 13, 2025 • Features

Carson Kreitzer, an award-winning playwright, hosted Goshen College’s Umble Master Class in Speech and Theater on Tuesday evening, drawing a crowd of students, staff and community members alike. Kreitzer talked about the craft of playwriting and the complexities of historical storytelling. Kreitzer earned a bachelor’s in theater and literature from Yale University and a master of fine arts from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. A playwright for over 20 years, her plays have garnered recognition and been produced  internationally. One of Kreitzer’s newest works, “Lempicka,” is a musical she co-wrote and lyricized alongside...

By Ray Tait • February 6, 2025 • News

On Sunday evening, Goshen residents reported that Ku Klux Klan flyers had been distributed around the city. The flyers were signed by a chapter of the KKK, the Trinity White Knights, who have members across various Midwest and Southern states. Similar incidents have been reported in neighboring cities as well, including South Bend.  Víctor Vegas, a senior music major, said he first heard about the flyers Sunday night as he was leaving his dance class downtown. Vegas said, “I was leaving, and I had two of my friends go pick me up and they were like ‘We just didn’t want...

By Mackenzie P. Miller • November 19, 2024 • News

Sixty-eight students, faculty and community members gathered on the lawn by the Broken Shield Wednesday evening to lobby Goshen College administration for an official statement in support of a cease-fire in Gaza. The attendees sang together, held signs and shared stories and feelings.  The rally was organized by Luisa Dutchersmith, Liam Minielly, Sarah Miller, Ana Neufeld Weaver and Sophia Smucker; together, they make up GC Voices for Peace. Neufeld Weaver said, “I was happy that a lot of students spoke, it’s really cool to see more people start to get involved … with the petition; we got a lot more...

By Tyson Miller • March 21, 2024 • News

Restricting voting hours, denying water to those in line to vote, arresting those who disagree with the aforementioned conditions. Is this history from the 1960s, or an issue presented today?  Some people would argue that it’s both. These issues are bigger than what’s happening in Georgia. It’s a social justice dilemma in general. While Republicans in Georgia and other states advocating for changes in voting say they are only trying to ensure the integrity of elections, Democrats and many other civil rights advocates disagree. Dr. Regina Shands Stoltzfus, Professor of PJCS at Goshen College, said she fears that this “oppression...

By Daniel Robles Perez • April 16, 2021 • Features

On Feb.1, 1960, four African American men attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University began a movement that led to social change in the United States. Ezell A. Blair, Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil and David L. Richmond took seats at the “whites-only” Woolworth’s lunch counter in downtown Greensboro, N.C., and ordered coffee. Woolworth’s employees refused to serve them and asked the students — later known as the Greensboro Four — to leave. They refused and remained until the store closed, but their protest caught fire. Others joined their sit-in over the coming days, sparking similar protests throughout...

By Colin Flowers • April 16, 2021 • Features

On Monday at noon, a workshop co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the MLK Jr. Day Planning Committee was held, featuring three presenters who spoke on COVID-19 disparities among the African American and Latino communities. The workshop was led by Richard Aguirre, coordinator for community impact. The presenters were Dr. Rose Alvarez Gillin, family physician; Brianne Brenneman, assistant professor of public health; and Zenton Yobera, the first student set to graduate with a degree in public health. They each spoke on their experiences related to COVID-19, and the inequities that they have witnessed in the past...

By Greta Lapp Klassen • March 25, 2021 • News

With flags of the world lining Sauder Concert Hall in anticipation of the 2021 International Student Coffeehouse last Saturday, a striking red poster made by junior Yujin Kim took center stage. “Stop the spread of racism,” it read. “Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150% in 2020. Over 2,000 hate crimes have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic.” This call for justice came just four days after eight people were killed at massage parlors in the Atlanta area. Six of the people killed in the shooting were Asian, raising fears that the crimes may have targeted people of...

By Mackenzie Miller • March 25, 2021 • News

#George Floyd, #Natosha Mcdade, #Ahmaud Arbery. The names of African-Americans killed during encounters with law enforcement officers cover the front of the T-shirts Rafael Barahona designed last summer.  Zoom out, and the names, worn on the chests of Barahona’s friends and family around the world, form the word “Beloved.” Barahona graduated from Goshen College in 2001.  After leaving the area for over a decade, he now lives in Goshen where he started his own graphic design business, LightBox.   Barahona designed the shirts after George Floyd was suffocated to death under a police officer’s knee following his arrest outside a shop...

By Sierra Ross Richer • March 12, 2021 • Features

The Goshen courthouse lawn was unexpectedly empty last Saturday, Oct. 17 as the women’s march, organized by Amanda Qualls, was moved to a virtual gathering. Due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Elkhart County, the event was moved online and streamed live on Facebook. Qualls was joined by Regina Shands Stoltzfus, professor of peace, justice and conflict studies at GC; Julia King, Goshen city council member; and Erin Floyd, educator and community activist. The four women shared personal stories and experiences of strong women in their lives, signs of hope that they are seeing and the importance of this...

By Nick Yutzy • October 22, 2020 • News

Colorful pronoun buttons may be the next accessory to spread across the GC campus. The coin-shaped buttons are designed to pin to a backpack. They’re custom-made with your pronouns and color of choice and are currently being sold by the campus LGBTQ Advocacy club, Advocates, as a way to bring awareness to gender language issues on campus.   “We want people to be confident in sharing their pronouns,” said Elizabeth Reimer, who co-leads Advocates along with Josie Strader.  “I don’t know if everyone would necessarily need to put them on their backpack,” Strader added, “But that’s just an easy, convenient way...

By Sierra Ross Richer • September 24, 2020 • Features

With local and national elections starting a month from now, Goshen College student advocates for the Sunrise Movement are making sure their wishes are being met. The Sunrise Movement is a national coalition of youth who are passionate about ending climate change and electing officials who are supporting environmental policy. Their most notable endorsement of Bernie Sanders came during the presidential primaries earlier this year. With over 400 hubs located across the U.S., the Sunrise Movement has expanded its participation, including a chapter founded in Goshen in November 2019.  Khampha Stempel, senior; Ariana Perez Diener, senior; Alexa Kennel, junior; and...

By Nick Yutzy • September 24, 2020 • News

With only one day left for student feedback, the Freedom of Speech and Expression Statement is nearing finalization. The statement, which passed through multiple drafting and review phases before hitting students’ inboxes, lays out the institution’s commitment to protecting and setting necessary boundaries around the freedom of communication within the Goshen College community. The writing process began in the spring of 2020, when President Rebecca Stoltzfus asked LaKendra Hardware, director for diversity, equity and inclusion, and Jodi Beyeler, vice president for communication and people strategy, to draft a statement that would regulate campus norms and provide a groundwork for existing...

By Sierra Ross Richer • September 17, 2020 • News

Last Sunday, Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by Kenosha, Wisconsin police officers as he attempted to enter an SUV. The event renewed the energy of many organized movements across the U.S. fighting for justice for Black men and women killed at the hands of police officers. The death of George Floyd on May 25 initially ignited a lot of these activist groups this summer and the story was the same for 4US, a group of Goshen activists fighting for social change. Goshen College graduate Abraham Medellin ‘19 started the group on June 10 as a Facebook...

By Nick Yutzy • August 27, 2020 • News