peace
October 7, 2010
Pacifist brings new perspective to World War II
"World War II was the biggest catastrophe ever to befall humanity," said Ted Grimsrud in his presentation, "The Long Shadow: World War II's Moral Legacy," on Oct. 6 at Goshen College. Ted Grimsrud is a professor of Bible and Religion at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va. Both his parents participated in World War II and he was named after a good friend that died in combat. While growing up, his family didn’t talk much about the war. Grimsrud finally took a pacifist stand in his mid-20s and came to terms with the war and is still researching its impacts...
September 30, 2010
“A Gentler Place” Peace Play premieres on Umble stage
An evening of discovery, reconciliation and deeply buried secrets are in store for audience members who attend the world premiere of “A Gentler Place,” this Friday, Oct. 1 in the Umble Center at 8 p.m. The winning play of the 2010 Goshen College Peace Play Contest, “A Gentler Place” is also the Goshen College directorial debut of Tamera Izlar, who joined GC this fall as assistant professor of theater. “A Gentler Place” will also run Saturday, Oct. 2 at 4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. The playwright, Jeff Carter, will be in attendance for all three performances,...
March 25, 2010
Bender Shetler explores “things that work”
After four years of work and over 85 interviews, Jan Bender Shetler, professor of history at Goshen College, and Dawit Yehualashet Kebede, 2007 Goshen alumnus, presented their work on peacemaking between Ethiopian Christians and Muslims, first in Monday's chapel and again on Tuesday evening. Their presentation, "What We Can Learn from Ethiopia and the Meserete Kristos Church about Building Peaceful Relations between Muslims and Christians,” was a part of the C. Henry Smith Peace lectureship. “This is a story of things that work,” said Bender Shetler. Bender Shetler and Kebede began their work together in 2006. In the four years...
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...
December 2, 2009
Victims of SOA graduates remembered at vigil
A few weeks ago on Yoder 2, several students were lamenting the cost of tuition. One of them brought up that he had considered joining the army, because it would take care of the cost of college. His friend asked him if he would be able to kill a person. The student responded with resignation in his voice that “if it was me or them, I probably could.” Maybe the willpower to kill a person is a talent, or maybe it's not. However, one thing that's certain is that there are skills and strategies to efficiently killing a person or...
November 19, 2009
Remembering resistance, 1960’s to today
J.R. Burkholder, professor emeritus of religion, along with members of the Peace, justice and conflict studies department, joined together with PAX club to hear stories of draft resistance last Saturday morning. The conference, titled "Resistance: Taking a Stand Against War: 1960s to Today" was an idea generated by Burkholder, who provided support to GC student draft resisters in the 1960s. Guest speakers included seven Mennonite draft resisters who shared their stories of resisting the Vietnam War draft during the late 1960s. Four of these men, Dennis Koehn, John Lind, J.D. Leu and Doug Baker, were part of a panel that...
November 4, 2009
Draft Resisters from ’69 to Reunite at PAX Conference
Draft resisters from the 1960s will congregate at Goshen College this weekend to discuss resistance and peacemaking in Saturday’s PAX sponsored conference entitled ‘Resistance: taking a stand against war, 1960s to today.” Draft resisters who were student leaders at Goshen College in the late 1960s, along with resisters from other colleges, will reunite and engage in conversation with current student peacemakers in a weekend that is already drawing scholars from many states. JR Burkholder, former professor of religion and peace studies, played a central role in draft resistance at GC in the late 1960s. He instigated conversation about holding a...
February 11, 2009
After-school program to present peace projects
The Peace of the Arts program, initiated by the Goshen College multicultural affairs office, will present final projects from their spring program at noon on Feb. 19. In the one-hour long program in Newcomer 19, Peace of the Arts participants will present photography projects, poetry and skits pertaining to their studies. The program began after a gang shooting in 2005 and has since sought to provide an alternative after-school program that promotes intercultural dialogue and awareness through peaceful and creative mediums. Participants in the program range from grades nine through 12 and are selected through affiliation with the Boys and...
February 11, 2009
GC heals the world ‘peace by peace:’ Mindpower Inc. presents new brand
"Make peace a passion." Lisa Jordan of the marketing and branding company Mindpower Inc. offered this statement as the "Goshen essence" in four identical presentations to Goshen College on Wednesday. The college spent about $50,000 last fall to hire Mindpower Inc., an Atlanta-based company charged with the reassessment of Goshen College's brand – or claim of distinction. "Branding is not our core values; it's not a mission statement," said Richard Aguirre, director of public relations. According to Aguirre, a brand is a phrase capturing the essence of an institution itself. Jordan explained that for Goshen College, the core values needed...
February 5, 2009
Students speak for peace: Gerig-Sickles takes top prize
Six Goshen College students took center stage in the Umble Center on Tuesday night to address pertinent peace and justice issues during the annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest. Analisa Gerig-Sickles, a senior elementary education major, won first place with her speech "No Mas Redadas/No More Raids." By winning the contest, she received $150 and the opportunity to compete at the U.S./Canada C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest, which is sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee. The runner-up was Isaac Yoder-Schrock, a first-year physics major, who earned $100 with his speech "National Healthcare, Caring for Others." In her speech, Gerig-Sickles...
February 5, 2009
Dr. Laura Brenneman ponders freedom and peace
Dr. Laura Brenneman, assistant professor of religion at Bluffton University, led the Goshen College campus in conversation about the connection between freedom and peace in her C. Henry Smith Lecture on Monday. In addition to her evening lecture, Brenneman presented an extended convocation to the student body on Monday morning. Brenneman is currently director of peace and conflict studies at Bluffton University. She has masters degrees from both Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary and Eastern Mennonite University as well as a doctorate in biblical studies from the University of Durham in England. Both presentations emphasized Brenneman's studies in the book of...