public speaking
September 15, 2016
Claassen examines religion and politics
Believe it or not, most Republicans are not pious, nor are most Democrats godless. Well at least not according to Ryan Claassen, a Kent State University professor and Goshen College alum who delivered the Yoder Public Affairs Lecture on Tuesday night. The lecture, titled “Godless Democrats and Pious Republicans? Party Activists, Party Capture and the ‘God Gap,’” is a condensed version of Claassen’s book, which reviews past views of the Republican and Democratic parties and analyzes the idea that frequent church visits can influence one to identify with more Republican ideals, otherwise known as the “God Gap.” The lecture hoped...
March 17, 2016
C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest
Noemi Salvador, a junior, opened her speech with a song from her home, the Kichwas nation in Ecuador, that is chanted to bring rain into the community. That speech won the 2016 C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest on Tuesday night. Salvador was awarded $500 and the opportunity to represent Goshen College in the national competition that will be held sometime this spring. The night featured five students who presented speeches on a variety of topics that they had been working on since December. Peter Meyer Reimer, a senior, began the night with his speech titled “What Evil Is, and...
September 24, 2015
Mike Tidwell at GC
Mike Tidwell, the founder and director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, will deliver two lectures next week on climate change. Tidwell is Goshen College’s 2015 Yoder Public Affairs Lecturer, a role which in the past has been filled by prestigious speakers like novelist and memoirist Reyna Grande, journalist and educator Simran Sethi, and David Cortright, director of policy studies at the the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. Tidwell is a filmmaker and an author, and is known for his 2003 book “Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun...
April 16, 2015
‘92 alumnus will speak at 2015 commencement
Goshen College Alum Raj Biyani is scheduled to speak at the commencement ceremony on Sunday, April 26. Biyani is currently the managing director for Microsoft IT India. Since graduating from Goshen College in 1992 where he studied computer science and accounting, Biyani has acquired an impressive resume. He earned an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago and since then has worked in many areas of Microsoft. The Microsoft website has applauded him on his profile page by stating that “Under Raj’s leadership, the Microsoft IT India organization has become a magnet for top talent across India, improved team...
April 2, 2015
Annual research symposium celebrates student work
Last Saturday, 23 students participated in the academic symposium. The contestants competed for two different prizes: the Audience Choice Award and the Director’s Prize. According to Jo-Ann Brant, Faculty Program Director, the Audience Choice is determined by ballots cast by the audience and the Director’s Prize is determined by feedback from the chairs of the session, faculty members, the assistant director's observations and her own assessment. The contestants presented on a variety of subjects. According to a press release on the Goshen College website, “Besides thesis papers and investigations using the scientific method, presentations include expositions on the creative process...
March 26, 2015
Annual Conference on Science and Religion
This past weekend, Goshen College held its 14th Conference on Science and Religion. The conference included discussion sessions, devotionals and several lectures with retired Princeton Professor of Philosophy Wentzel van Huyssteen. Van Huyssteen was born and raised in South Africa. His interest in religion comes in part from parents, who were missionaries. He has an extensive academic background in the intersection between science and religion. Topics discussed during the conference ranged from free will to the distinction between humans and animals. Van Huyssteen addressed the human capacities for religion, morality and cognition. “No language can be spoken for which the...
March 5, 2015
GC lunch and launch (your business)
Lunch and Launch (Your Business) hosted a luncheon on Friday, February 27 to inform young professionals on how to start their own businesses. Young professionals from Goshen College and the surrounding community were invited to Reith Recital Hall to eat lunch and video conference with J. Sider, a 2008 Goshen College graduate who was recently named to Magazine’s and Billboard’s “30 Under 30” and Forbes’ Music “30 Under 30” three years in a row. Sider continues to be awarded these distinctions due to his successful business BandPage, a place for musicians to network with other musicians and make them known...
February 19, 2015
C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest
On Tuesday, February 17, five Goshen College students competed in the annual C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest in Umble Center. Participants delivered an 8 to 10 minute speech on a topic of their choice relating to peace. The purpose of the contest is to provide an opportunity for students to become involved with the cause for peace and develop rhetorical skills. The contest winner, Dona Park, a sophomore art and interdisciplinary major, gave a speech titled “Through the Eyes of the People” and spoke on the very real truths of what is currently happening in North and South Korea....
November 6, 2014
Novelist Speaks About Immigration, Poverty
Award-winning novelist Reyna Grande spoke about her books, life and immigration at several events on campus this Tuesday and Wednesday. Grande has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a master’s of fine arts degree. In addition to being a novelist, she also teaches creative writing at UCLA Extension. Grande travels the country giving lectures at colleges on her novels and memoirs, as well as on the issues of immigration and the struggles she went through to obtain the level of education she has now. Originally from Mexico, Grande entered the country illegally to be with her father in the...
November 6, 2014
Goshen Students Attend Diversity Conference
Goshen College students had a chance to explore issues of diversity and oppression at the sixth annual North Park University Diversity Conference. This year, the theme for the conference was “Building an Appetite for Diversity.” It aimed to allow students to explore and converse about issues such as race, ethnicity and gender. Attendees were offered a variety of workshops and seminars on these topics and there were artistic displays of music, poetry and theater. Students were also given the opportunity to network throughout the day. Marco Fraticelli, a first-year who attended the event, said, “The first workshop I went to...
October 8, 2014
Psychology Speakers And Meetings
The psychology department has begun a speaker series for majors and minors to learn more about their field of study. After the introduction on Sept. 22, psychologists from Goshen city community have come to share their expertise with the college students. Brett Conrad, a senior psychology major, is assisting Julie Reese, a psychology professor, in heading up the series. “This helps give context to what we’re learning and spark some inspiration to show that a pysch degree is very applicable to the outside world,” Conrad said. “It’s a great introduction into the psychological field.” Three speakers have already come to...
October 8, 2014
Afternoon Sabbatical: Portugal And Spain, A Shared History
The influence of Muslim presence on Spain and Portugal will be examined during the Afternoon Sabbatical on Tuesday, Oct. 14. Dean Rhodes, professor of Spanish, and Annette Johnson, a guide for Venture Forth Iberia in Spain, will present on the shared, but also unique history of Spain and Portugal through Muslim presence in the Iberian Peninsula. The program, titled Portugal and Spain: Common Neighbors with an Uncommon Past, will include a luncheon and lecture. The luncheon will consist of Spanish and Portuguese cuisine and the lecture will focus on the influence of the countries’ history on their modern lives and...
November 22, 2013
The travel niche: to Croatia and beyond
Jane Ruth, who spoke at the afternoon sabbatical on Tuesday in the College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall, owned a restaurant for eighteen years before selling it and embarking on a part-time job that would take her on a journey. She began leading tour groups to Croatia. The afternoon sabbatical on Tuesday was an international luncheon. These events are meant to introduce guests to a different part of the world through a guest speaker who has travelled or lived in a different country. A traditional meal is often served to accompany the speaker. During Ruth’s lecture, she shared about her experiences...
November 1, 2012
Students travel to Big Apple for UN seminar
Every year, the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) office of The United Nations conducts a seminar for students from Christian colleges in the United States and Canada. The title of the seminar this year was “Where do we go from here: Internally Displaced Persons, Refugees and Migrants.” On Oct. 25-27, six Goshen College students travelled to New York for the seminar, including Mohammad Rasoulipour, art and Bible and religion double major; Thy Phan, business major; Matthew Amstutz, history and journalism double major; Laurel Woodward, art major; Samita Thapa, history major; and Elizabeth Steel, PJCS major. According to the participants, most of the...
November 1, 2012
Cortright speaks on nonviolent revolution
Although David Cortright once served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, he now sees the power of nonviolence as a way to bring about peace. Cortright, director of Policy Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, presented the annual Goshen College Yoder Public Affairs Lecture on Tuesday evening. Cortright’s lecture, titled “The Power of Nonviolence: Lessons from the Unarmed Revolution in Egypt,” analyzed the significance of nonviolence in the Egyptian revolution during Jan. and Feb. of 2011. Empirically, Cortright said, nonviolent uprisings are proven to be “two times as...