News
April 3, 2025
Connect Goshen Day fundraises for GC
Yesterday was Connect Goshen Day — an annual giving day hosted by Goshen College every fall. On campus, the Gunden Commons in Westlawn were occupied by various stations and activities to engage students and the campus community in thanking donors and connecting with one another. Jill Koop Liechty ’90, manager for annual giving, is in charge of the event. She said, “We call it Connect Goshen day because we believe that the connections that people make while they’re at Goshen are important and valuable.” Koop Liechty said the main goal of Connect Goshen Day is to raise money for the...
April 3, 2025
Soda Shop temporarily closed after fire
A fire broke out in one of the upstairs apartments of the South Side Soda Shop last week on Wednesday. The fire was contained to the apartment, and nobody was hurt. However, due to water damage in the drywall of the restaurant below, it is temporarily closed. Nick and Charity Boyd became owners of the restaurant in 1986, which has existed as the South Side Soda Shop since the 1940s. The building was built in 1910. The fire was called in just after 11 p.m. Nick Boyd was quick to express appreciation to the fire department. “The fire company, we...
March 13, 2025
Student Senate summary 3/13
Four members of Student Senate met on Monday evening, one of their biweekly formal meetings, in the Mark Community Room in Westlawn. The meeting was opened with comments from the floor — Emma Gingerich, a senior history major, voiced concerns about the lack of convocation credit for Monologues, a misunderstanding between box office and seniors about commencement tickets and the state of the leadership hub. I’m a student leader with [Prevention Intervention Network],” Gingerich said. “We used to have our meetings there, and it was a really good space, but with the Westlawn construction, the dining hall staff took it...
March 5, 2025
Capps fired after three seasons
The Goshen College athletic department fired Kyle Capps on Wednesday morning. Capps was the head coach of the men’s basketball team. Capps was the head coach for three seasons, and posted a record of 8-76 across his entire tenure. During the 23-24 season his squad went 0-28. In the Crossroads League, he finished his career 1-53 – the lone win came against Taylor University on Jan 26, 2023, when the Maple Leafs won 72 – 65. GC finished last in the conference every year Capps was at the helm. His career winning percentage of .095 ranks lowest among all former...
October 10, 2024
Emotional Support Animals ease student stress
There are a lot of changes that happen in a person’s life when transitioning to college. School moves away from its rigid structure as there is a lot more choice involved, and students have to move on campus. There is also stress that comes from school and other life responsibilities, and people cope in a variety of different ways. One way to help process the stress of life is through an emotional support animal. The difference between a service animal and an emotional support animal is explained by Jordan Blank, resident director: “These [service animals] go through a training program...
October 3, 2024
GBCo. and GC create homecoming beer
For the first time in Goshen College’s 130 year history, alcohol will officially be served at a GC-sponsored event in which the entire campus community is invited. The event in question is Connectapalooza, GC’s homecoming celebration at the Goshen Theater. President Rebecca Stoltzfus said via email to students and employees on Sept. 25 “In designing this event, we have prioritized celebration of our local community, hospitality that is inviting to a wide variety of people, and our commitment to healthy and clear boundaries around alcohol use.” Goshen Brewing Company, founded by Jesse Sensenig ’01 and Amanda Sensenig ’03, crafted the...
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
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...
January 18, 2024
Graber joins faculty
Ben Graber is a new adjunct professor of Spanish this semester at Goshen College. The position opened when Cristobal Garza filled the role of SST leader in this semester’s Ecuador unit, and with the opening, Graber is taking over the Spanish 101 course. Graber graduated from GC in 2008 with a degree in Spanish education. In his time at GC, he went to the Dominican Republic on SST for further Spanish immersion and spent a semester in Ecuador with Brethren Colleges Abroad for his major. “I was excited about doing something different like this,” Graber said. “I’ve been a homemaker...
February 18, 2010
Assessing the GC experience
During Monday’s convocation, Ross Peterson-Veatch, the associate academic dean and director of curriculum for Center for Intercultural Teaching and Learning at Goshen College, announced the continuing assessment of the Goshen experience. Peterson-Veatch is more interested in the Goshen College experience as a whole, than any individual general education class. In addition to Goshen’s core values, Peterson-Veatch suggested that Student Learning Outcomes such as knowledge, skills, responsibilities and integrative learning help identify the need for certain general education requirements. “If these are the outcomes, how do we get there?” asked Peterson-Veatch. Goshen College is continually planning, delivering, assessing and adjusting. In...
February 18, 2010
Bell Leads Students in “Songs of Iona”
During the tedious midterm week leading up to spring break, students, faculty and community members took some time out of their busy schedules to attend Wednesday’s special chapel called “Songs of Iona” led by John Bell. What most audience members noticed immediately about Bell was his Scottish accent, which he addressed in the introduction of his presentation. “It’s better for me to sing than speak, because you all have an accent,” he joked, promising to speak slowly. Bell’s animated and casual tone continued throughout his presentation, in which he led the audience in song and discussed the surprising origins of...
February 12, 2010
GC Students win Peace Essay Contest
Goshen College students Jeff Stoesz and Caleb Mechem won two of the three prizes in the Cheyney Ryan Peace and Conflict Studies Essay Contest. Joe Liechty, professor of peace, justice and conflict studies, assigned the essay as an alternative assignment to a book review. It was the first year that Goshen College students participated in the contest. Although Joe was hoping to sweep all three contest prizes, he said, “choosing Jeff and Caleb's essays does the judges credit, because the essays are both excellent but take very different approaches to the essay topic.” “A key part of our identity is...
February 12, 2010
Maple scholars project accepted into national conference
Maple Scholars social work research has been accepted into the National Conference of Undergraduate Research. Leah Yoder, a senior, and 2009 graduate Melissa MacGregor have been selected to present the group’s research at this year’s conference hosted by the University of Montana. Yoder and MacGregor worked with Carol Jarvis, associate professor of social work last summer, studying the relationship between the Amish community and a grief center called Ryan’s Place. Located in Goshen, Ryan’s Place is a non-profit organization that helps children and their families go through the mourning process. Recently, members of the Amish community have been seeking services...
February 12, 2010
Student Senate compiles student advice in ‘Bill of Rights’
Next year’s student body will benefit from Goshen College students' tips and advice through the “Bill of Rights” that the student senate is currently developing. The Bill of Rights will highlight things students wish they would have known their first year, and it will also better inform students of the services and opportunities available to them. “It’ll have regular advice and broader, factual information,” said Piper Voge, a senior. Voge, who serves as student senate cabinet chair, said she had this idea last year. “I’d like it to be something that can keep going,” said Voge. “We’ve never had any...