Activism
February 1, 2018
Goshen women support Destiny Rescue, fall in consecutive games
GOSHEN, Ind. and MARION, Ind. – Donnae Lipinski, a sophomore, matched her career game-high scoring totals in consecutive performances this past week as the Goshen College women’s basketball team fell 68-55 at home to Indiana Wesleyan University last Wednesday and 64-55 on the road to Grace College on Saturday. Wednesday’s matchup with the Wildcats was not only highlighted by spirited play from both teams but also through the cause supported. The Maple Leaf women teamed up with eight other colleges and universities in the Crossroads League to raise money for a Christian nonprofit organization called Destiny Rescue. Proceeds for the...
February 1, 2018
Community celebrates CoreCivic withdrawl
Chants of “Si, se puede!” (“Yes, we can!”) changed to “Si, se pudo!” (“Yes, we could!”) on January 27, when over 300 members of the Elkhart County community gathered at College Mennonite Church. The occasion was in celebration of CoreCivic’s Monday decision to withdraw its proposal to build immigration detention center in Elkhart. The evening’s program included an audience sing-along of the original song “Queremos Paz” (We Want Peace) and speeches from community members involved in the events leading up to the CoreCivic decision. Translator headsets were provided for Spanish speaking attendees. Lisa Koop, Associate Director of Legal Services for...
January 25, 2018
Goshen College women march for equal rights
This past Saturday, thousands of women once again marched for equal rights. Jan. 20 marked the second annual Women’s March on Washington, with hundreds of cities around the nation participating in their own marches and rallies. Some of those marchers were GC students and graduates. One group was Chicago-bound. Jenae Longenecker and Laura Hochstetler, both seniors, were on SST in Tanzania when the last Women’s March occurred and wanted to see what it was all about. Longenecker said, “I had lots of friends who attended and was definitely inspired from a distance, both on the day of the march itself...
January 25, 2018
Dreamers recap trip to D.C.
Jose Chiquito, along with 18 other DACA recipients and allies, traveled to Capitol Hill to demand a “#CleanDreamActNow.” Chiquito, a Goshen College sophomore, left with Indiana Dreamers in Action (DIA) on Wednesday, Jan. 17 and traveled 10 hours to Washington D.C. with the intent of conducting sit-ins and meeting with senators. DIA was one of the many pro-DREAMers movements from all over the country that journeyed to D.C. for a “Day of Action” where they demanded that a clean Dream Act be included in the government budget. DIA’s first stop on their brief time in D.C. was to Saint Marks,...
January 24, 2018
Safe Zone training informs and advocates
A group of around 20 students gathered for a Safe Zone training sponsored by Advocates, a campus club that works to increase education around and awareness of LGBT+ concerns. The event took place on Saturday, Jan. 20 and was led by Eli Studebaker, Christi Sessa, Annie Steiner, Emma Henderson, Brenner Burkholder, and Emily Bennett, all student leaders of Advocates. Participants in the Safe Zone training, a discussion based training on LGBT+ allyship and inclusion were given a packet put together by the Brethren and Mennonite Council for LGBT+ interests addressing privilege, coming out and creating safe spaces. After everyone in...
January 18, 2018
Dreamers Travel to Washington D.C.
Members of Indiana Dreamers in Action (DIA) shrugged on their nicest suit jackets and pulled on their dancing shoes on Friday night as they hosted Black Out, a fundraiser of dancing and drinks. Last night, they used the donated money to pay for gas as they drove to the east coast. Today, they will wrap scarves tight around their necks and grasp signs of protest as they lobby in Washington D.C. DIA, composed of 19 DREAMers, including Goshen College’s Jose Galvan Chiquito, a sophomore, headed to the U.S. capitol yesterday. When the group arrives in D.C., they will be visiting...
January 18, 2018
Immigration Detention Center Press Conference
Local leaders representing major constituencies in Elkhart County linked arms with the Coalition Against the Elkhart County Immigration Detention Center on Tuesday at a press conference to show their support against the proposed detention center for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. Representatives from the local government, businesses, faith communities, the Latino community, the African-American community, DACA recipients, the legal community, retirees, and the medical community came together to share their own reasons as to why CoreCivic, one of the nation’s largest for-profit prison owners, should not build a ICE detention center in Goshen. News broke on Nov. 17...
November 30, 2017
Where is my Asian role model?
Growing up, Mulan was not the only one who felt confused about the reflection she saw when looking into a mirror. Adopted from China at the age of 1, I am what people in the Asian-American community might call a “banana.” I look yellow on the outside but feel white on the inside. Feeling this way has caused me to examine insecurities I have felt – and sometimes still feel – about being Asian. There’s a part in the movie, “Mulan,” where she (the protagonist) wipes white makeup off of her face only to be left staring at her Asian...
November 30, 2017
Goshen community reacts to proposed ICE detention center
On C.R. 7, just outside Goshen, lies a property which has existed as farmland owned by Fir Properties LLC of Elkhart, up until now. However, this property could potentially become the location of a detention center for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. The company interested in buying the property is CoreCivic of Nashville, Tennessee, one of the largest for-profit prison owners in the United States. CoreCivic owns over 70 facilities, located in 20 states throughout the U.S. They currently house over 70,000 inmates. The proposed facility in Elkhart would house 800-1,200 inmates. The detention center would be used...
April 13, 2017
People’s Climate March comes to D.C.
The record-setting marches of 2017 in the United States will continue on April 29, this time with the People’s Climate March, hosted by the People’s Climate Movement. The main march will be taking place in Washington D.C., but supporting marches will be happening all over the country at the same time. This march takes place on day 100 of President Donald Trump’s term in office. The official event page states: “On the 100th Day of the Trump Administration, we will be in the streets of Washington D.C. to show the world and our leaders that we will resist attacks on...
March 16, 2017
Goshen Monologues offers follow up conversations
For the second year in a row, Goshen Monologues is offering follow-ups – safe forums for students, faculty and staff to reflect on Saturday night’s performance. Goshen Monologues, founded four years ago, is an event where women and non-binary students, faculty and staff perform anonymously submitted monologues about racism, sexism, immigration, depression, identity and more. Although Anya Slabaugh, a senior, has been the driving force behind implementing the talk backs, the Monologues steering committee, made up of Sarah Hofkamp, Lea Ramer and Slabaugh, seniors, Marie Bontrager, junior, Hannah Friesen, sophomore and Rachael Klink, a first-year, unanimously agreed that they needed...
March 16, 2017
Solidarity with Native Nations Rise
Tomorrow, a panel of “water protectors” will take to the Umble Center stage to hold an open discussion about the Dakota Access Pipeline and the indigenous people that live there, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The panel consists of Noemi Salvador and Naomi Gross, seniors, and Hannah Yoder and Chelsea Risser, juniors, who all traveled to the site of the protests that went on throughout 2016. Along with them, two Dine Nation speakers, Craig Tsosie and Theron Begay, will also share their experiences and answer questions about their time at Standing Rock. The session will be a chance to have...
February 23, 2017
A day without immigrants
Generally, Elijah Lora, a first-year, feels that protests are not effective in changing public policy, but he went to a protest last Thursday anyway. A week ago, Goshen High School students organized a protest in support of the “Day Without Immigrants” movement, and Goshen College students were among those protesting in downtown Goshen. “I am very much aware that racism and prejudice still exist in the city of Goshen,” Lora said, “but this protest wasn’t for the racists.” After realizing that protesting doesn’t always mean opposing those who disagree with you, Lora decided he need to show support by attending...
February 16, 2017
Goshen community huddle sparks hope
Community members and college students sat together at tables on Sunday, Feb. 12 for a huddle, raising their concerns for the future and thinking of practical solutions. The huddle was organized by Joelle Friesen and Morgan Short, both seniors, and was an action following the Women’s March on Washington D.C. and the sister marches that happened in January. “The huddle was inspired by and based off of the second action proposed by the Women’s March Movement for their ‘10 Actions in 100 Days’ campaign,” said Friesen. “We saw the huddle as a way to build further connections and provide a...
February 10, 2017
Students urge GC divestment from Chase
Naomi Gross and Hannah Yoder, both seniors, wrote* a petition on Jan. 31 to the Goshen College community which stated their demand for the institution to divest its accounts in J.P. Morgan Chase, the banking company which has given its support to the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. That day was also the day in which North Dakota senators recommended an easement passed on to them by the Army Corps of Engineers suggesting they allow the drilling under Lake Oahe and the Missouri River, both on top of lands held by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s land. The petition...