In the News

Hesston College students catch a glimpse of poverty

More than 100 Hesston College students spent Wednesday night learning what it is like to live below the poverty line during a college-sponsored poverty simulation led by Harvey County Circles of Hope – Peace Connections in Newton, Kan. Circles of Hope works to develop resources, educate the community and inspire change in trying to eliminate poverty.

Students were separated into families of all sizes – from one to seven – and dealt with real scenarios while juggling all the responsibilities that come with taking care of self and family over the course of a month. Some family members worked, others stayed home on disability or unemployment and children attended school. Together they had to figure out how to pay for rent, food, utilities, gas, child care and any other necessities.

Failure to fulfill their responsibilities resulted in consequences such as having their utilities shut off and paying to have them turned back on, children taken into protective custody by social services because of parents who failed to buy groceries during the week and winding up in court for a variety of offenses and neglect.

“We hope that through this experience, students will gain a greater understanding of and sensitivity toward all people in the world,” said Hesston College education faculty member and event organizer Tami Keim.

According to Circles of Hope representative and simulation leader Glenda Reynolds, 15.1 percent of the United States population lives below the poverty line, which for a family of four is below $23,021 a year as determined by the federal government. She encouraged students to jump into the roles they were assigned – to act as their characters may act and try to imagine how they must feel.

As students hurried from one location to the next to be sure they paid all their bills and met all their responsibilities each week, they began to understand what low-income families face every day.

“I knew that it was a struggle for families living in poverty to get by, but I didn’t realize the extent of what they face and the stress they feel in trying to make everything work,” said freshman Abbi Hochstetler of Arthur, N.D.

above - Hesston College students work together in a “family” group to plan out their strategy for the week during a poverty simulation led by Harvey County Circles of Hope.

During the first week of the simulation, only two families bought groceries, and no families paid for utilities. During the second week students ended up in court for various offenses, including failing to pick up their children from daycare, and during the third week, some families had their utilities shut off for failure to pay.

For some students, they poverty simulation was a new experience and a glimpse into the lives of the lower class. For others, the simulation was an experience that hit close to home.

“I have such a greater appreciation for families who live this way,” said sophomore Valerie Maust of Goshen, Ind. “They are often looked down on for not working hard enough, but many of them do everything they can to get by, and sometimes that is not even enough.”

Instructors from several academic disciplines including education, psychology, sociology, nutrition, social work and art had students participate in the simulation. They were encouraged to view the simulation from the perspective of the course they were taking.

“We really appreciate the instructors and the college for orchestrating this event for students,” said Circles of Hope volunteer Bill Reynolds. “Educating our young people in the realities of poverty can go a long way in helping to eliminate it in the future.”

Hesston College announces new vice president

Hesston College President Howard Keim announced the appointment of Mark Landes as Vice President of Finance and Auxiliary Services. He will begin his new role in June.

Landes’ role includes serving as the college’s chief financial officer, as well as overseeing human relations and the college’s auxiliary services, including the Business Office, Food Services, Information Technology and Campus Facilities.

“Mark brings expertise in higher education finance that will be most helpful in our strategic planning,” said Keim. “His care for Hesston College, desire to serve in this kind of setting and his competent leadership will be great gifts to Hesston College.”

Landes spent the last 13 years in the banking industry, specializing in banking and lending for higher education and nonprofit groups for the last seven years. His most recent position was Senior Vice President of Education and Nonprofit Banking with Wells Fargo in Denver.

“I am honored and excited to join a team at Hesston College that is pursuing a common vision and is all rowing in the same direction as we look to navigate some very real challenges in higher education,” said Landes. “I hope to continue building upon the financial discipline that has been achieved in recent years with particular attention to stewardship, not just of our financial resources, but also our people and facilities.”

Karl Brubaker, who has served as Hesston College Business Office Manager for many years, also served in the interim role during the college’s search to fill the vacated position. Brubaker will continue in the interim role until Landes begins and will continue as Business Office Manager moving forward.

Landes earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Goshen (Ind.) College. He is a member of Belleview Community Church in Littleton, Colo., where he has been actively involved in church leadership and ministry roles. He is married to Hesston alumna DeeDee (Martin) Landes and they have two young children.

Art gallery features “Portraits of Change”

“Portraits of Change,” a traveling art exhibit by artists from a prison art class, is featured in Hesston College’s Regier-Friesen Gallery on the Hesston College campus through April 5. The inmates participate in the class through Offender Victim Ministries in Newton, Kan., taught by Youthville’s Micala Gingrich-Gaylord.

“The Portraits of Change program is based on the premise that art has a message, and through a guided experience, one can find their own story revealed and reflected through the lens of art,” Gingrich-Gaylord stated in the exhibit explanation.

Each piece of art tells an inmate’s story and reveals emotions and thoughts through a multitude of techniques.

“Being able to be free in my art is peaceful and an experience I am thankful for,” wrote one inmate. “The crime I committed is not going to change, but I can change, and that is a start.”

The gallery, located in the Friesen Center for Visual Arts, is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Sophomore violinist to perform recital

Hesston College violinist Michaela Zook will perform a recital at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 23, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. The public is invited to attend.

Zook, a violinist from Hesston, Kan., studies under adjunct violin instructor Nancy Johnson. She is the daughter of Kevin and Marcella Zook of Hesston.

Accompanied by collaborative pianist and Hesston College music faculty member Ken Rodgers, selections will include works from multiple centuries including compositions by Bach, Rachmaninoff and Saint-Saens.

For a personal touch, Zook will perform an original arrangement, “Emmanuel” by Michel Columbier, a twentieth century French composer, songwriter, arranger and conductor known for his advertising jingles as well as television and movie soundtrack scores. Her parents will provide accompaniment while her brother, Caleb Zook, assists on trumpet.

Following the recital, there will be a reception in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center.

Hesston College to experience student cultures

Hesston College students will share a sampling of the campus’ global and cultural diversity with a Cultures Fair at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 26, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center. The event is free and open to the public.

International students and students from non-dominant North American cultures will display information about their countries, customs and culture for participants to browse through while they interact with the students, sample ethnic foods and enjoy live performances of global music and dances.

“Even though the majority of students on our campus come from a dominant white North American background, we have students from other countries and experiences who represent rich cultures,” said Jeron Baker, director of International Student Life. “The Cultures Fair will give the students a chance to share their traditions with the rest of campus and the community.”

About 50 international students at Hesston College represent 17 countries while other students represent non-dominant North American ethnicities like African-American, Native American and Hispanic.

“Hopefully we will all be reminded that there is much more to the world than the dominant culture with which we are most familiar,” said Baker.

Music department to welcome spring with concert

The Hesston College Music Department will usher in the changing season with its spring concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21 at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus. The time is a change from the previously advertised time of 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public, though a free-will offering will be collected to cover program costs.

The concert, “Music for Spring,” will feature Hesston’s two choirs – Bel Canto Singers and Hesston College Chorale. The groups will perform both sacred and secular music from their repertoire.

The Hesston College Bel Canto Singers is a 21-voice mixed chamber choir under the direction of music faculty member Bradley Kauffman. Members are selected by competitive auditions during the previous year. They will perform two movements from the Brahms Requiem alongside works by Healey Willan and Terry Schlenker.

The Hesston College Chorale is a 27-voice mixed ensemble under the direction of music faculty member Ken Rodgers.

With the college’s long-standing tradition of musical excellence, groups within Hesston College’s music program perform locally and across the country at churches and schools throughout the year, offering students the opportunity to perform in front of live audiences and experience a variety of venues.

The truth about transferring

An increasing number of college students are not only learning that a transfer process is nothing to be feared, they are recognizing the benefits of starting one place and going another.

Some college students fear transfer horror stories and worst-case scenarios like losing course credits, having to re-take classes and needing extra semesters to finish a degree. According to four Hesston College graduates, such fears are unfounded. Rather, transferring gives students different experiences that help shape their worldview, complete and focused academic preparation and experience with change, preparing them for life transitions after college.

Transferring is becoming increasingly common according to a 2012 report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. According to a February 2012 article in “The Chronicle of Higher Education,” one third of college students in the U.S. “switch institutions at least once before earning a degree,” and “the ‘traditional’ path of entering and graduating from the same institution is decreasingly followed.”

Colleges and universities across the country are becoming more adept at sending and accepting credits across institutions. The five institutions of Mennonite Church USA have been doing it for years, and it’s not the drama and horror that some make it out to be, say the Hesston graduates who transferred to each of the college’s four Mennonite Church USA sister schools – Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.), Bluffton (Ohio) University, Eastern Mennonite University (Harrisonburg, Va.) and Goshen (Ind.) College.

As the two-year college of Mennonite Church USA, transferring is a normal part of the Hesston Experience for graduates who want a bachelor’s degree and for faculty and staff members who prepare students for the transition. Part of Hesston’s service to its students is to make the transfer process simple and seamless, says Hesston registrar Brent Yoder. That is why the college has established transfer articulation agreements with 13 private and public four-year institutions across the country, including its sister schools.

“We constantly evaluate our courses and how they compare to other schools to be sure they are in line with majority standards,” said Yoder.

Although Hesston and its Mennonite counterparts come from the same faith tradition and religious historical background, each offers its students a unique experience. The ability to transfer from one experience to another benefits students by broadening perspectives and opening students to a variety of ideas and thoughts.

Hesston is an attractive first choice for many students because of unique relationship and mentor-ship opportunities that are easily nurtured on a small campus and opportunities to be involved in their interests from the very start. For some, like Rachel Stoltzfus, now at Goshen, and Liz Miller at Bluffton, it was through varsity athletics. For others, like Dmitry Bucklin, who finished his degree at Bethel, it was the chance to have strong involvement in music. And for others still, like Andrew Penner, who transferred to EMU, it was the opportunity for hands-on service through programs like Disaster Management.

“I think the number one benefit of transferring is that it keeps you moving, meeting new people and experiencing new places,” said Penner.

A piece of common advice from the Hesston graduates is simple – don’t sweat it. Transferring is what you make of it.

“By transferring, I got the chance to experience two different schools and get to know a lot of people,” said Miller.

Along with Hesston’s articulation agreements, the registrar’s office and faculty advisors work hard to ensure course credits transfer by offering courses that fit general education and more specific requirements at any school so transferring is as seamless as possible for each student. The faculty is intentional about preparing students with strong academic and critical thinking skills for upper level courses. That’s not to say that transfer students don’t experience adjustments that come with adapting to a new place, but the details of the transfer are not among them.

“All of my classes transferred,” said Bucklin.

“We have good working relationships with our sister colleges,” said Yoder. “We work with them and send them students so frequently that they know students coming from Hesston are quality and will be academically sound.”

Hesston graduates can confidently approach academics at their transfer school knowing that the courses they took and the content they learned in their first two years prepared them for the rigors of upper level classes.

“There is this rumor that Hesston is not as academically strong as other schools,” said Bucklin. “That’s just crazy. I felt that the education I received at Hesston and Bethel was the best of the best.”

In fact as measured by the Individualized Developmental Education Assessment (IDEA) survey, 75 percent of Hesston College courses rank among the top 25 percent of all college courses at two- and four-year institutions nationwide.

“The Hesston graduates I have had in my classes are very well prepared – not just academically but socially as well,” said EMU psychology professor Kim Gingerich Brenneman. “They are confident, add perspective and come ready to dive in and take leadership opportunities because of the experiences they have had at Hesston.”

Because Hesston transfer students are common at the Mennonite colleges, the campus communities have found ways to make the students feel welcomed.

“Having the motivation to meet new people after making strong relationships at Hesston was a challenge for me, but people at EMU were quick to get to know me,” said Penner. “I had to make sure I wasn’t comparing EMU to Hesston though, because the experiences at both colleges are different.”

“I was very intentional about not wanting to live with all Hesston transfers at Goshen,” said Stoltzfus. “Instead, I lived with people who were the perfect combination of Goshen College natives who could introduce me to their friends, former transfer students who could give me advice about their transfer experience.”

Hesston College students will always continue to move on from their starting place. They will take with them unmatched experiences and skills for future pursuits. And they can take comfort in knowing they are prepared for everywhere they go and that their everywhere will be ready for them.

Endowed scholarship to benefit education majors

Students who want to start their education studies at Hesston College can benefit from the newly established Carole King Jefferson Endowed Education Scholarship.

Carole King Jefferson graduated from Hesston College in 1963. She eventually earned a degree in education and library science and spent 34 years working as an educator at Valley City (N.D.) State University. The scholarship was established by her family following her death in December 2011 to honor her passion for education and to help students pursuing education meet their goals.

Recipient priority will be given to a student intending to major in education.

“The addition of this scholarship will give more students the opportunity to benefit from the immediate hands-on experiences students find when they start here,” said Yvonne Sieber, vice president of Advancement. “We are grateful for this generous gift and faithful alumni who support our students in so many ways.”

Hesston College has almost 100 endowed scholarships awarded on an annual basis that help offset the costs of higher education for students who have particular interests, qualifications or financial need.

Chorale to present bon voyage concert

The Hesston College Chorale will present a spring break bon voyage concert at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 5 at Hesston Mennonite Church. The concert is free and open to the public though a free-will offering will be collected to cover program costs.

The program of sacred choral music celebrates the Lenten season and is a precursor to the choir’s spring break tour through Kansas, New Mexico and Arizona March 10-15.

Chorale is directed by Ken Rodgers.

Hesston College Chorale spring break tour itinerary

Sunday, March 10
9:30 a.m. – Crystal Springs Mennonite Church, 547 NW 70 Rd, Harper, Kan.
10:30 a.m. – Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church, 1020 E 14th, Harper, Kan.
7 p.m. – Protection Mennonite Church, S Broadway, Protection, Kan.

Tuesday, March 12
7 p.m. – Albuquerque Mennonite Church, 1300 Girard Blvd NE, Albuquerque, N.M.

Wednesday, March 13
7:30 p.m. – Koinonia Mennonite Church, 2505 N Dobson Rd, Chandler, Ariz.

Thursday, March 14
– Shalom Mennonite Church, 6044 E 30th, Tuscon, Ariz.

Friday, March 15
7 p.m. – Trinity Mennonite Church, 4334 W Vista Ave, Glendale, Ariz.