politics
October 31, 2024
Democracy in Go-Go City
On Tuesday night, Kamala Harris delivered a speech at Ellipse Park, south of the White House, the same space where Donald Trump spoke before the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the capitol. Taking place one week before election day, organizers expected the rally to draw over 50,000 attendees. As the night progressed, the sounds of music, pro-Palestine protests and city police corralling spectators cut through the noise. Delgadillo, a communication major, captured the crowds as they snaked up and down Constitution Avenue. He approached taking these photos with “an outsider’s perspective, I felt like an observer,” he said. “I just...
October 31, 2024
Mayor Leichty speaks at convocation
On Wednesday, the Goshen College convocation featured Mayor Gina Leichty, ’95. Leichty’s presentation, titled “The Politician’s Guide to Not Being a Politician,” came at the height of the national election season. Leichty spoke on the dramatic differences between local and national politics, but also acknowledged her own position as the first woman to be mayor of Goshen, and the relevance of the current presidential race which could result in the first woman being elected as president of the United States. Leichty grew emotional telling the story of a young girl who thought that it might be alright to have...
October 31, 2024
Apache Stronghold leader visits campus
Last Wednesday, Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr., former chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and founder of the Apache Stronghold, took the stage at Goshen College’s convocation. His powerful message kicked off a series of speeches throughout the week, made possible by One Circle and the Atlee and Winifred Beechy Peace, Justice and Reconciliation Lectureship Series endowment. One Circle, an affinity group founded on advocating for Indigenous survival and equity, has created a space on campus that brings attention to the harms of colonization experienced by the Apache people and numerous other Indigenous communities globally. According to One Circle president...
October 31, 2024
Where is the gap?
The ‘thumb area’ of Michigan was an enigma of a place to grow up. It has everything you can imagine in a midwest area: it’s small and quaint, has endless farmland, and it’s full of honest, hard-working people. But there’s one thing that stands out — it’s overwhelmingly red. I never quite understood what being “red” meant and how it affected my life. “Swing state” is another one of those terms, and it’s one that’s been thrown around since I first heard the words “Trump” and “President” in the same sentence. That’s because Michigan is currently a swing state, and...
October 10, 2024
Letter to the editor: Anniversary of Anguish
As we pass the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, we are witnessing the predictable horror that unfolds when the arithmetic of revenge – “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” – is taken as an exponential license to crush and exterminate. The Hamas attack killed 1,200 people and 254 people were taken hostage from Israel. As of today, 70 of the hostages are known or believed to be dead, and 101 are still in captivity. More than 40,000 Gazans have been killed in the retaliatory attacks by Israel, Gaza’s infrastructure has...
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...
March 31, 2022
Former GC faculty runs for U.S. Congress
Paul Steury, Goshen College alumnus and longtime educational coordinator at Merry Lea, announced last week that he would be running to represent Indiana’s second congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. A GC class of 1988 graduate, Steury worked at Merry Lea for fifteen years, where he not only directed the educational program, but also taught May Term classes, worked with graduate students, and even helped start the college’s graduate program. He is currently a high school science teacher at Elkhart Academy. Steury, who lives in Goshen, launched his campaign Thursday at a gathering at the Goshen Brewing Company....
February 11, 2021
Some GC students will be eligible for $1,400 stimulus checks
President Joe Biden’s plan for the third stimulus package, called the American Recovery Act, will for the first time provide eligibility to adult dependents, allowing some Goshen College students to claim a $1,400 check through their parents. When talking to GC students, it is clear that the stimulus money would be much appreciated. A few students, such as sophomore Wes Beck, said that they would invest it in a retirement fund. Conrad Liechty, a first-year, said that he would save around a quarter of it, but would find ways to spend it on friends and himself over the next few...
January 21, 2021
Insurrection, impeachment, inauguration
On Wednesday, Jan. 6, pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol in an effort spurred on by former President Donald Trump to halt the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. In response, the House of Representatives impeached the sitting president for the second time – something that’s never been done before. In an email to the Goshen College community, President Rebecca Stoltzfus condemned the violence and racism evident at the Capitol, noting that the Confederate flags and “inconsistent use of police force” were abhorrent and antithetical to Jesus’ message of peace and love. She also challenged us to “create spaces for...
November 12, 2020
Biden announced president-elect in delayed race results
Democratic candidate Joe Biden captured a record-setting 77 million votes to secure his seat in the White House as president-elect of the United States. Sitting President Donald Trump will become the first one-term president since George H.W. Bush lost his re-election bid in 1994. The delayed results in key battleground states left students at Goshen College with unanswered questions, until the Associated Press first projected Biden as president-elect on Saturday, Nov. 7. In his victory acceptance speech, President-elect Biden offered promises of unity under his presidency as he looks to take over the oval office in the middle of a...
November 5, 2020
Colossian Way model gives space for political conversation
Fourteen students led five small groups in political conversations at Goshen College on the day preceding and the day following the presidential election. These discussions were based on the Colossian Way, a method of dialogue designed to help Christians “lead through conflict” and explore difficult subjects. Students, faculty and staff gathered to process the uncertainty surrounding this week’s presidential election. Each student discussion group was facilitated by students who participated in the peace, justice and conflict studies political talk class over the course of this semester. Suzanne Ehst and Joe Liechty taught the Monday night class, which met once a...
November 5, 2020
Presidential race tightens across U.S.
With voter turnout at an all-time high, the United States presidential election lacks a definitive outcome two days after polls closed. All eyes are on key battleground states that continue to tally mail-in ballots. Many report that it may take a few days – or even weeks – to finish counting ballots in key areas. And as the nation waits, so do those at Goshen College. “I think that people are afraid of a wide variety of things right now,” President Rebecca Stoltzfus said. “Fear is real, but we can work with it and through it.” On Wednesday night, a...
October 15, 2020
Survey shows 96% of GC students are registered to vote
More than 90% of Goshen College students are registered to vote in the 2020 presidential election and an overwhelming majority of those students are pledging to cast their ballots for the Democratic candidate and former vice president, Joseph R. Biden Jr., according to a survey administered to GC students who are eligible to vote. The survey found 82% of respondents planning to vote for Biden and 11% for the Republican incumbent, President Donald Trump. About 7% of students said they were undecided, uninterested in voting or opting for another candidate. “A thriving democracy depends on voter turnout,” President Rebecca Stoltzfus...
October 15, 2020
Elizabeth Bennion teaches students how to be politically active
Elizabeth Bennion, professor of political science at Indiana University South Bend conducted a workshop and lecture on Zoom Tuesday, Oct. 13 and Wednesday, Oct. 14 for Goshen College students on what voters should know before casting their ballots in the upcoming election. Wednesday evening’s lecture was sponsored by the Yoder Public Affairs Lecture Series. Bennion led with the goal of making citizens politically and civically engaged, emphasizing how to practice engagement in a time that needs it most. Bennion addressed the election and acknowledged that it is not about the presidency alone. The governor, secretary of state, congress, state house,...
September 30, 2020
How to Vote – IN registration deadline is Oct. 5
Did you know there is still time to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election? Whether you are from Indiana or out of state, there are simple ways for you to cast your vote. Live in Indiana? The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 5. Print out and complete the attached PDF of the registration form and mail it back to your Indiana county of residence or register online through the Indiana Secretary of State’s website. Copies of the Indiana voter registration form are also available in the Student Life Office (first floor of Wyse Hall) during...