Student Life
March 15, 2018
Goshen welcomes new faculty Juan Pacheco Lozano and his rich experience
Juan Pacheco Lozano, from Bogota, Colombia, moved to the U.S. seven months ago. He has previously worked as the administrative assistant for the not-for-profit organization Justapaz (an agency of the Columbian Mennonite Church) in Bogota and served with Mennonite Central Committee at the United Nations in New York City. He now finds himself at Goshen College as the administrative assistant for student life. After marrying Goshen alumni Lizzy Diaz, class of ’13, in August 2017, Pacheco came to Goshen in 2015 to view the campus where his wife had earned her undergraduate. During his visit he was introduced to Gilberto...
February 8, 2018
Open Space fosters community, discussion
Students and administrators convened in the Wyse student lounge on Tuesday, Jan. 30 to discuss President Rebecca Stoltzfus’ strategic plan in the first Open Space of the semester. Open Space, spearheaded by Corie Steinke, associate director of community life, and Jason Shenk, leader of the People’s History of Elkhart organization, is a time “dedicated to engaging in conversation on issues such as poverty, racial justice, equity, and campus climate both on campus and in the Goshen/Elkhart community.” “Open Space was born out of conversation between Student Life and the Poor People’s Campaign of Elkhart,” Steinke said. “There has been a...
January 18, 2018
Beloved community town hall
Following a weekend full of events celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., Goshen College students, faculty and staff gathered for a town hall meeting in the fellowship hall of College Mennonite Church. Gilberto Perez, dean of students, opened the townhall by naming how he envisions the beloved community here at Goshen College growing. “Part of what we want to do this afternoon is to begin to put together what we want to call this beloved space, but any process that needs to get done needs structure,” he said. “It needs human resources, it needs rituals, and it also needs tension, because...
October 5, 2017
LEAF program new to campus
This year, approximately 30 first-year students will have the opportunity to participate in the LEAF program in hopes of unleashing their leadership potential. The LEAF program, which stands for Leadership, Engagement, Authorship and Future, was created by Corie Steinke, the associate director of student life. Steinke was asked in May by former Dean of Students Launa Leftwich to create a “campus-wide student leadership program.” Steinke noted that although there are a handful of leadership programs on the Goshen College campus, many of them are linked with scholarships, intercultural students or student employment opportunities. Steinke said, “[Leftwich] wanted me to look...
January 26, 2017
Focusing on student success: a Q&A with DaVonne Kramer
Goshen College campus ministries is offering an opportunity for faculty members to conduct projects that explore faith and vocation. DaVonne Kramer, coordinator of retention and intercultural student support, is leading a project that will focus on the experiences of African-American students and how they live out their faith on a predominately white, Mennonite institution. What’s your position at Goshen College? In terms of what department I’m involved with, I’m officially part of Student Life, and my title is Coordinator of Retention & Intercultural Student Support. My work is grounded in student success, so the way that I live out my...
March 3, 2016
Administration to host information meetings about GC campus climate
The Goshen College administration has invited the campus community to gather this week for a series of informational sessions regarding issues of campus climate and administrative responses to such issues. Gilberto Perez, director of the GC Center for International and Intercultural Education said, “We are committed to working with members of the campus community to develop solutions to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion and improve the campus climate.” This week’s informational sessions will serve to continue a dialogue which started late last November, when the the GC Intercultural Dialogue Task Force and the Intercultural Committee hosted a convocation focused on...
February 18, 2016
Residence Life brings changes to housing for 16-17
Chad Coleman, director of Residence Life, has been hard at work creating changes to student housing options. Coleman, along with other members of the ResLife staff, presented many of these changes at the Wednesday night housing information meeting. “We are excited to announce some changes for the 2016-2017 year,” Coleman said. Coleman described a trend which has been frustrating in Residence Life. “We know that students have been choosing to live off-campus as soon as they meet the residency policy requirements,” he said. The Goshen College residency policy allows students who reach 112 credit hours or 23 years of age...
February 11, 2016
Sewer line collapse causes minor flooding in KMY residence halls
Sewer water flooded lower-level drains Thursday morning due to a pipeline collapse near the Miller, Kratz and Yoder residence halls. The 56-year-old clay pipeline connects all three dormitory sewer lines at the railroad tracks, where it then passes under the tracks and continues into the Main Street sewer system. The blockage is presumed to be located where the three lines meet. The first report of sewer backup was in the lowest residence hall location, a Yoder first apartment where Laurel Breckbill, resident director, lives. Water was forced up through her bathroom floor drain, causing minor flooding. There were also reports...
November 19, 2015
Art Club hosts film night
Wes Anderson’s work hit the big screen at Art Club movie night. Wednesday, Goshen College’s Art Club hosted a Wes Anderson movie night in the art building. Starting around 8:00 p.m., the showing invited students to dress as their favorite Wes Anderson character, whether that be Captain Zissou or Khaki Scout #5, and come together in the painting room. Art Club also recently hosted a viewing of “Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present,” a documentary following the life of a Serbian performance artist who prepares for a major retrospective of her work to be displayed in the Museum of Modern...
February 12, 2015
Res Life positions applications
Residence Life is seeking responsible, hardworking and creative students interested in connecting with other students and administrators to bolster the Goshen College community as a whole. Leadership positions such as resident assistant, ministry leader and Campus Activities Council member are not only a great way to get involved, but they also have endless benefits for the future. Not only do these experiences look great on a résumé, but leaders are a valued commodity in the job market. According to Assistant Director Katie Dwyer-Zeman, “Being a student leader provides you with the space to learn about yourself and others, teaches you...
October 30, 2014
Halloween Hits Goshen College
Looking for something fun to do this Halloween weekend? Look no further. Fun and exciting events are happening all over campus both Friday and Saturday nights. Get dressed up in your Halloween costume and head over to the RFC at 8 pm on Friday to cheer on the men’s basketball team. Anyone who wears a costume will have a chance to win some cool prizes, including free Visa gift cards and pizza coupons. After the game, come on over to the KMY connector and dance all night, or until 12 a.m., at the annual KMY Halloween party. There will be...
September 10, 2014
New Faces Bring Fresh Ideas To CAC
It’s a new year for the Campus Activities Council (CAC) at Goshen College, with new members as well as old. CAC, headed up by Katie Dwyer-Zeman, assistant director of residence life and student activities, has already brought multiple well-attended events to campus, including the James and the Drifters concert. CAC’s mission, according to goshen.edu, is “to provide student led social-programming that promotes an engaged, inclusive, and healthy community on Goshen College’s diverse campus.” This mission will be carried out in a slightly different way this year. According to Dwyer-Zeman, “Every one of these fine folks [members of CAC] will have...
September 4, 2014
A Year Of Fuller Halls
Goshen College has restructured the underclassmen dormitory arrangements and new students will experience fuller halls. This year, the school has decided to temporarily retire Miller hall, leaving Kratz and Yoder halls available for student living for the 159 first-year, full-time frosh (FYFTF) and 134 returning sophomores. There are 16 commuters from the first-year class, meaning that Kratz and Yoder still hold most of the 85 females and 74 males of the first-year class. The sophomore class, of 76 females and 58 males, is also mostly housed in the dorms. Of the first-years there are 28 Hispanic students and 21 Catholic...
September 4, 2014
New Counselors To Serve Students
Two new counselors join Goshen College’s staff. Before the current school year, Goshen College altered the counseling services being offered through the school and hired Lynette and Conrad Showalter to serve as counselors for students. The Showalters have been connected with Goshen since Lynette graduated from Goshen in 1996 with a major in social work and a minor in piano pedagogy. The previous counselor, Char Hochsetler, left Goshen for another job in 2012, recommending the Showalters in her place. They worked as interim employees for one year until the Showalters were rehired as contracted employees. Both of the Showalters have...
March 19, 2014
Student Senate’s Initiative in support of Gender-Neutral Living
The Residence Life Council has recently been presented with an initiative written by Student Senate suggesting the addition of a co-ed living option for the 2015 academic year. The initiative, after the initial meeting and revision, is currently back in the hands of the administration for further discussion. Student Senate is planning on meeting with administration to go over feedback in the weeks to come, though it is expected that no formal decision will be made for some time. Although discussion of this idea has only begun recently, its development has taken place over the course of the school year....